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Full text of "The Granite monthly, a New Hampshire magazine, devoted to literature, history, and state progress"

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Iliberal Hcis 



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DURHAM LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 



THE 



(> y^ u - 6 






GRANITE MONTHLY. 



@ Qteio ^ampB^iu Ofha^a^int^ 



'Devoted to History, "Biography, Literature, and 

State Trogress. 



VOLUME X. 



CONCORD, N. H. : 
JOHN N. McCLINTOCK, 

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER. 
1887. 



N 

fi759 
V, 10 



CONTENTS OF VOLUME X. 



PAGE 

John Rand. Rev. C. W. Wallace, D. D 1 

One of Gov. Wentworth's Last Official Acts. Hon. John Wentworth, LL. D. . 6 

Localities in Ancient Dover. Part II. John R. Ham, M. D 7, 54 

A Jail Adventure. William O. Clough 13 

Early Manners and Customs. Mary R. P. Hatch 23 

The Old North Church of Concord 27 

Abraham Liucohi — 

Address of Hon. Charles H. Sawyer 33 

" Capt. H. B. Atherton 34 

" Col. Daniel Hall 36 

" Charles R. Corning 39 

" Hon. Charles H. Burns 41 

New Hampshire State Senate 49 

The Christie Family. Edwin Salter 52 

Dr. Brewer's Address 58 

Matthew Harvey. C. C. Lord 60 

Asquam Lake and its Environs. Fred Myron Colby 68 

Book Notices 80 

Hon. Aretas Blood 81 

Windham, N. H. Leonard A. Morrison 86, 248, 280, 296 

Ethel Freeman. Ellen M. Mason 89, 136 

Lisbon, N. H 95 

The Annulling of the Commission of Stephen Peabody. Levi W. Dodge . 102 

Phillips Exeter Academy. Herman W. Stevens 104 

Campton, N. H 108 

Settlement of St. John, N. B. Edwin Salter 109 

C. C. Briggs 113 

Higgins Brothers Co 117 

Gen. John Stark. Gen. George Stark 121 

A Down East Homer. Isaac B. Choate 142 

Christ Chm-ch. Annie Wentworth Baer 146, 1.59 

The First Excursion. P. B. Shillaber 149 

Publishers' Department 153, 190 

Hon. Ezra ScoUay Stearns. Charles R. Corning 157 

Birthplace of Gen. Henry Dearborn. John Wentworth, LL. D. . . , 164 

Historical Sketch of West Dunstable. Charles S. Spaulding .... 165 

Literature, Quaint and Curious. L. E. D 168 

The Gull Rock 171 



Contents. 



Tuftonbor 



Alice Freeze Durgin 



ough 



C. S 



Spauldiu 



Lake Winnipiseogee in October. Fred Myron Colby 

Edward Gove's Insurrection of 1683 — The Second American Rebellion. 

Sanborn ...... 

How Polly Came Home. Clara Augusta . 
Hon. John C. Linehan ..... 

New Hampshire in 1784 .... 

Hon. William E. Chandler .... 

Our Boarding-House. Ai'thur E. Cotton . 
New Hampshire Authors. Arthur E. Cotton 
The Residence of Counsellor Peter Livius at 

worth, LL. D. .... 

The Pinkham Notch. Persis F. Chase 

To an Out-Bound Ship .... 

Hon. Daniel Clark. Hon. Isaac W. Smith 

Joseph Emerson Dow. Hon. A. S. Batchellor, A. M. 

S. Paul's School 

The Northern Volunteer. Col. T. L. Livermore 

Unread. 

Hon. Alvin Burleigh 

Incidents Connected with the History of Lempster, N. H. 

The Founding of Dartmouth College. Harry Stearns 

The Free High School. Frances M. Abbott 

African Notes. A. A. Woodbridge .... 

Good-Bye. C. C. Lord ...... 

Love and Theology ....... 

Hon. Amos J. Blake 

Major Waldron. Winfield S. Jameson 

James T. Fields. Olive E. Dana .... 

Campaspe. C. Jennie Swaine 

Whitefield, N. H. Levi W. Dodge .... 

Origin and Meaning of Proper Names. E. D. Sanborn, LL. D 

Among the Haymakers. Arthur E. Cotton 

Boundary Line. Nelson Spoffard .... 

New Hampshire Men in Michigan. Mary M. Culver 

Fifth Avenvie Hotel 

October. Mary R. P. Hatch 

Intolerance in New Hampshire. M. V. B. Knox, Ph. D. 

Literary Notes 

Winter Idyl, 

Hon. William Dennis Weeks. J. S. Brackett 
The First New England " Witch." Willard H. Morse, M 
The Massacre of Glencoe. Horace Eaton Walker 
About the Names of M oosilauke and Some Other Places. 
Lake 'Squam. Fred Myi-on Colby .... 

Hon. Mason W. Tappan 

Daniel Webster. W. C. Sturoc 

Reminiscences of the Sunny South. Lucinda Chandler 
Champlain ; A Ballad of 1609. Mary H. Wheeler . 
Inventors as Martyrs to Science. Kate Sanborn 
Index 



J. C. 



John Went- 



D. 



WiUiam Little 



239, 



301. 



173 

185 
188 
191 
194 
206 
212 
214 



218 

220 

221 

223 

229 

233 

257 

254 

255 

267. 

268 

270' 

275 

285 

286 

287 

289 

290 

294 

298 

366 

307 

309 

313 

317 

325 

326 

331 

333 

344 

347 

354 

357 

365 

375 

376 

377 

383 

384 

399 



THE 




RANITE neNTHLY, 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 
^Devoted to Literature, 'Biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



JANUARY, 1887. 



No. I, 



JOHN 

By Rev. C. W. 

Rand is a name of French origin. 
It was formally written Rande. So 
far as known, the first of the name in 
this country settled in Charlestown, 
Mass. Rev. John Rand, the grand- 
father of the subject of this sketch, 
was born in that town January 24, 
1727 ; was graduated at Harvard col- 
lege in 1747, and settled in Lynde- 
borough, N. H., in 1761, as the first 
Congregational minister in that place. 
Soon after, he married Sarah, daugh- 
ter of Col. John Goffe, of Derryfield 
(now Manchester), N. H., and in 
1765 removed to that town, and seems 
to have relinquished the work of the 
ministry. He received the commis- 
sion of justice of the peace under 
George the Third, and removed to 
Bedford, N. H., in 1778, which con- 
tinued to be his residence until his 
death in 1805, at the age of 77. He 
was the father of seven children. 
The eldest, John and Jonathan, twins, 
were born at Lyndeborough June 24, 
1762. Jonathan married Sarah Ab- 
bott, daughter of Dea. Ephraim Ab- 
bott, of Amherst, now Mont Vernon, 
a family long distinguished for its 



RAND. 

Wallace, D. D. 

evangelical faith and devoted piety. 
They had eight children — three sons 
and five daughters — among them, 
John, whose life we notice, the fourth 
child and second son. He was born 
Jan. 27, 1801, in Bedford, N. H., 
and spent his boyhood on his father's 
farm, receiving only such limited 
education as the country school then 
afforded, of from eight to twelve 
weeks during the year. He never 
enjoyed the advantages of a high 
school or academy. When about 
eighteen vears of age he left the farm 
and entered as an apprentice the shop 
of Mr. Robert Parker, in his native 
town, to learn the trade of cabinet- 
making. At that time, in the country, 
house and sign painting were often 
united in the same business. Mr. 
Rand became a workman in both 
branches, for he was a man who 
could very readily adapt himself to 
almost -any handicraft. Soon after 
his majority he went into business 
for himself. He also introduced 
some machinery, not common sixty 
years ago, in the manufacture of fur- 
niture. But although he was a good 



Jo/ni Rand. 



workman and very industrious, yet 
he could not manage business. In 
less than three years he found him- 
self hopelessly in debt. His shop 
passed into other hands, and he grad- 
ually turned to what proved to be the 
great work of his life — portrait paint- 
ing. While he was an apprentice, 
there came into the neighborhood a 
man by the name of Morse, the same 
who afterwards became so distin- 
guished as the inventor of the mag- 
netic telegraph. He had studied un- 
der West, in Europe. While Morse 
never excelled as a portrait painter, 
yet he awakened in Mr. Rand the idea 
which had before lain dormant, — that 
of becoming an artist in the depart- 
ment of portrait painting. From this 
time, every leisure moment and much 
thought were given to this favorite 
and chosen pursuit of his life. The 
writer well recollects having heard 
Mr. Rand say, " I am willing to give 
my life to be a painter." 

After remaining a few years in the 
country, and dividing his time be- 
tween portrait and ornamental and 
sign painting, perhaps because the 
latter was more immediatel}' remuner- 
ative, he went to Boston and opened 
a studio on Cornhill. Having re- 
mained there for some years, bending 
all his energies to the one purpose of 
his life, he travelled into the Southern 
states, everywhere prosecuting his 
work. 

Having arrived at a good degree of 
proficiency in his chosen profession, 
he sailed for Europe, where, for 
twelve years, mostly in London, 
though for a time in Paris, he contin- 
ued with enthusiasm both the study 
and the practice of his art, until he 
had arrived at such a degree of per- 



fection that he had few living supe- 
riors. 

During his residence in Europe, 
perhaps on the principle that neces- 
sity is the mother of invention, his 
attention was called to the manner in 
which pigments were preserved. The 
first we learn of such preparation, the 
paints when ground in oil were tied 
up in small parcels of prepared blad- 
der, or something that would exclude 
the air. Afterwards tinfoil was used 
in the form of a tube. This was an 
improvement : still the paints, as 
soon as opened, would begin to dry, 
and thus inconvenience and waste 
were the result. Mr. Rand, feeling 
the need of a better mode of preserv- 
ing artists' colors, gave thought to 
the subject ; and the tube fastened 
with a screw, now in common use on 
both sides of the Atlantic, was the 
result. Few artists of our day, as 
they mix their colors on the palette, 
are aware to whom they are indebted 
for this very great convenience. Mr. 
Rand secured a patent for his inven- 
tion in England ; I think also in 
France and America. For a time he 
received quite a royalty for the use 
of his invention, enough to have 
made him independent ; but, alas ! he 
could not escape the fatality which 
attends so many men whose inven- 
tions have blest the world. At the 
time when his patent was fast secur- 
ing the patronage of artists, and he 
was receiving a fair remuneration for 
its use, a man from America, with 
letters of introduction, appeared at 
his studio in London. He came to 
introduce and sell a recent invention 
of his, known as the teolian attach- 
ment to the pianoforte. He had sold 
the patent in America for one hun- 



'John Rand. 



dred and ten thousand dollars. He 
hoped to meet with similar success in 
England. Mr. Rand received him 
most cordially, invited him to his 
home, and offered any service he 
could render. The gentleman wished 
to be introduced to some leading 
musicians in the city, and Mr. Rand 
complied with his request. They ex- 
amined his instrument, and at once 
pronounced it a failure, saying, " No 
doubt it is new to you, but it is an old 
invention. It has been tried in this 
country, but, owing to the different 
effects of the atmosphere upon the 
string and the pipe, the instrument is 
constantly getting out of tune, and 
unless this difficulty has been over- 
come, the invention must prove a 
failure." The inventor was discour- 
aged, but not inclined to admit the 
correctness of the statement. He re- 
quested a further examination, which 
■was granted, and repeated many 
times during a period of several 
weeks. As a result, Mr. Rand said 
he noticed that while one of the men 
who at first pronounced the invention 
a failure adhered most firmly to his 
opinion, the other gradually yielded, 
and, after repeated trials, concluded 
that the atmospheric difficulty had 
been overcome, and the instrument, 
therefore, a success. Notwithstand- 
ing, however, this hearty endorse- 
ment, the man failed to make a sale 
of his patent. To the great increase 
of his embarrassment, letters were re- 
ceived, as he affirmed, from America, 
rendering it indispensable for him to 
return home at once. In his dilemma 
he begged Mr. Rand to purchase his 
patent, offering to take a merely 
nominal sum as compared with the 
fabulous amount which at first he de- 



manded. Mr. Rand, knowing noth- 
ing of music, but trusting to the 
honesty of his friend, and placing 
implicit confidence in the distinguish- 
ed musician, who, after repeated 
trials, had changed his first doubtful 
opinion to one of certainty, concluded 
to make the purchase. This was 
followed by an attempt to manufact- 
ure the instruments, which, as he 
could make no sale, resulted in in- 
volving him in bankruptcy. In set- 
tling with his creditors, he was com- 
pelled to part with his patent, and, 
indeed, with all his property. It was 
but poor consolation to be informed 
afterwards that the London musician 
was hired to change his opinion of 
the instrument, that the inventor fled 
to America without paying the in- 
famous bribe, and that he lived but a 
short time to enjoy the fruits of his 
ill-gotten gain. 

After Mr. Rand settled his affairs 
in England, he returned in the spring 
of 1848 to this country. He came at 
once to his native town to visit his 
parents, then lingering amid the in- 
firmities of more than fourscore years, 
waiting to depart, and who, within a 
few weeks, both died within a few 
days of each other. Mr. Rand then 
bade what proved to be a final fare- 
well to the scenes of his childhood 
and youth, and went to the city of 
New York, where he entered with all 
the zeal of his earlier years upon the 
practice of his chosen profession, 
continuing in its prosecution until in- 
creasing years and infirmities com- 
pelled him to lay aside the pencil and 
the palette. He lived some years 
longer, but they were years of de- 
pendence. He had rented a house in 
the city, and by sub-renting some of 



yohyi Rand. 



the rooms he was able to preserve a 
home, and while he could labor, pro- 
cured a comfortable support. In his 
last years he was compelled to learn 
that bitter lesson which so many dis- 
tinffuished artists and inventors had 
learned before him, that the inher- 
itance of poverty is too often the re- 
ward of genius. 

Mr. Rand possessed marked pecu- 
liarities. As a man he was truly re- 
markable. He stood nearly or quite 
six feet and four inches in height, 
erect and well formed, presenting a 
physique which would demand atten- 
tion in a passing crowd. There was 
a self-poise about him, which, while 
it was not haughty, was truly digni- 
fied and noble. 

Although he entered upon life at a 
period when stimulants were common, 
and when all classes indulged to some 
extent, and too many very freely, yet 
he, alike in youth and manhood, in 
prosperity and adversity, stood firm 
as a temperate man. No moral taint 
ever attached to liis character. He 
might have contracted debts which he 
was unable to pay, still his intention 
was truly honest, and his life Avas 
virtuous. 

The parents of Mr. Rand were de- 
voted Christians, members of the 
Baptist church. Like Zacharias and 
Elizabeth of old, they walked in all 
the commandments and ordinances of 
the Lord blameless. At such an altar 
of daily prayer John Rand, in his 
childhood, received his first religious 
impressions. From these for a brief 
period his mind swung off into more 
liberal views ; but with the soberness 
of increasing years, and a more care- 
ful study of the Word of God, he re- 
turned, not only by conviction but 



by a deeper heart experience, to the 
faith of those who taught his infant 
lips the prayer, "God be merciful to 
me a sinner." In this faith he con- 
tinued through all his wanderings by 
land and sea, and through all the 
vicissitudes of his Ions; and eventful 
life ; nor can we doubt that from the 
Saviour thus revealed his soul drew 
consolation when turning from the 
fading scenes of earth to the realities 
of eternity. 

Mr. Rand married Miss Lavinia 
Braiuerd, of Vermont. They first 
met in Charleston, South Carolina, 
where she was the principal of a young 
ladies' school. Although some eight 
years his senior, they were very con- 
genial, having the same literary tastes,' 
the same views on religious subjects, 
while neither of them seemed to pos- 
sess the talent of accumulating prop- 
erty. She was a relative of Rev. 
David Brainerd, the distinguished 
missionary to the Indians. Very 
soon after their marriage they sailed 
for Europe, and she suffered so se- 
verely with sea-si(!kness and exhaus- 
tion that her life was despaired of. 
Once safely on the other side of the 
ocean, she felt that she could never 
return, and they determined to make 
London their home. For a time they 
lived in a very quiet way. Always 
interested to speak on religious sub- 
jects, she one day mentioned to a 
near acquaintance her interest in for- 
eign missions, and spoke of her rel- 
ative Brainerd. This led to an intro- 
duction to the morganatic wife of the 
Duke of Sussex, the charming woman 
whom Queen Victoria created Duchess 
of Inverness. She became very much 
attached to Mrs. Rand, and persuaded 
the duke to sit for his portrait to Mr. 



^'■Genius in Siois/iinc and Shadow. 



Rand. From that time his success 
was assured, and they were able to 
afford a very hixurious style of liv- 
iiiii;. When the portrait was finished 
the duke gave theui a dinner, and in- 
troduced them to many members of 
the nobility. Many years after, in 
the days of their poverty, she would 
enjoy speai\ing of tiiis entertainment 
and its magnificence ; but to Mr. 
Rand it was painful, and he would 
interrupt her with, '•• That is past and 
sone. my dear: don't let us trv to 
bring it back." 

If I have been correctly informed, 
Mr. Rand died in New York city in 
the year 1873, and was buried in 
Woodlawn cemetery. His funeral 
services were conducted in the chapel 
of Dr. Booth's church, Presbyterian, 



Dr. Booth, and Dr. Williams, tlie late 
eminent scholar and Baptist divine, 
officiating. William Culien Bryant 
was an intimate, life-long friend, and, 
with other distinguished poets and 
artists, followed him to his last rest- 
ing-place. He left no children; and his 
widow survived iiim but a few years. 
No costly monument of granite or 
marble marks the spot where repose 
the remains of Mr. Rand ; but he has 
left to his friends the memory of a 
character crowned with integrity, vir- 
tue, and religious faith, worthy of all 
imitation, while both in this country 
and in Europe remain many enduring 
monuments of his skill as an artist, 
and thousands who never knew him 
are to-day enjoying the fruits of his 
inventive genius. 



"GENIUS IN SUNSHINE AND SHADOW." 

The origin of those whom the world ments that it has been our pleasure 
has called great — men who have writ- to read. He has drawn from the 
ten their names indelibly upon the pages of history and his own memory 
pages of history — is often of the hum- illustrious examples of the develop- 
blest character. 8uch men have most ment of genius, even amid the most 
frequently risen from the ranks, uninviting and unfavorable surround- 
Oenius ignores all social barriers, ings. Daniel De Foe, Keats, Oliver 
and springs forth wherever heaven Cromwell, Hugh INIiller, .John Bunyan, 
has dropped the seed. The grandest Benjamin Franklin, Klihu Burritt, 
-characters known in art, literature, Benjamin West, and hundreds of 
and tlie useful inventions have illus- others, are cited as instances to illus- 
trated the axiom tliat ''brave deeds trate that genius is independent of 
are the ancestors of brave men;" circumstances. A galaxy of the names 
and it would appear that an ele- of the world's great men is presented 
ment of hardship is almost necessary' to demonstrate the fact that the hum- 
to the effective development of true blest may rise to be the greatest. In 
genius. That these facts are al- another chapter, Mr. Ballon effect- 
most incapable of just denial, Mr. ually dispels, by practial illustrations, 
Maturin M. Ballon further demon- the axiom that youth and rashness 
strates in hi^ deeply interesting book, dwell together. Evidence is given, 
''Genius in Sunshine and Shadow," ample and sufficient, that 3'outh is 
which Messrs. Ticknor & Company, the period of deeds, when the senses 
■of Boston, send to our table. Mr. are unworn and the whole man is in 
Ballou has, in his volume of three vigor of strengtli and earnestness, 
hundred pages, brought together the Mr. Ballou's book is crowded full of 
most curiously interesting collection interest from cover to cover, 
of facts bearing- out the above state- — Brooklyn Magazine. 



One of Gov. Wcntworth's Last Official Acts. 



ONE OF GOV. WENTWORTH'S LAST OFFICIAL ACTS. 



I send you a copy of an original 
document which I have sent to the 
New Hampshire Historical Society. 
The wording of the document makes 
it quite a curiosity. The entire docu- 
ment is in the governor's hand-writing, 
and it is attested by no secretary. It 
is one of the governor's last official 
acts. He attempted to exercise no 
authority in the state after July, 1775. 
Who this Stephen Peabody was, I 
have no means of knowing. It was 
Nathaniel Peabody, of Atkinson, who 
was the member of the Continental 
Congress ; and Oliver Peabody, of 
Exeter, who was the state senator for 
raanv years. Please search the list 
of representatives from Amherst in 
Revolutionary times, and you may find 
that it was in the ca[)acity of repre- 
sentative that he gave offence to the 

governor. 

JOHN WP:NTWORrH. 

Chicago, Ills. 



Province of \ 
New Harnpsldre j 



SEAL 



George the Third 
by the grace of 
God of Great Brit- 
ain, France and 
Ireland King de- 
- — r— ' fender of the faith 

&c To the Sheriff 
of our County of Hillsborough in our 
Province aforesaid, greeting 

Whereas We by and with the ad- 
vise of our trusty and well beloved 
John Wentworth, Esquire, Our Gov- 
ernor and Commander in Chief in and 
over our Province aforesaid did nom- 
inate and appoint Stephen Peabody 
of Amherst in our said County of 
Hillsborough, Gentleman, to be a 
Coroner witliin our said County to 
do all those things which by our 



Commission to him given and the 
Laws in force within our said Prov- 
ince he as a Coroner is authorized to 
do and perform to which appointment 
the said Stephen Peabody was after- 
wards sworn. And whereas it now 
appears to us not to be consistent 
with Our Honor and the good of our 
Subjects of our said County that the 
said Stephen Peabody should be any 
longer continued in the said office ; 
We do therefore by and with the ad- 
vise of our aforesaid John Wentworth, 
Esq, our Governor and Commander 
in Chief as aforesaid hereby super- 
sede the said Commission and appoint- 
ment of the said Stephen Peabody to 
the office of a Coroner within our said 
County of Hillsborough and do for- 
bid his acting therein for the future 
to every intent and purpose and 
hereby declare any and every such 
acts to be null and void. 

You are therefore hereby required 
to make known to the said Stephen 
Peabody this our will and pleasure 
and make due return hereof and of 
your doings therein into the Secre- 
tary's office of our said Province on 
or before the thirtieth day of April 
next. 

In Testimony whereof we have 
caused the seal of our said Province 
to be hereunto affixed, Witness our 
aforesaid Governor and Commander 
in Chief the twenty fourth day of 
March in the fifteenth year of our 
reign, Annoque Domini 1775. 

J WENTWORTH. 

Hillsborough s.s. April 5 — 1775. 
Pursuant to this precept to me direct- 
ed I have made known to the within 
named Stephen Peabody as I am 
herein commanded by sending the 
same to him. 

BENJAMIN WHITING, 

Sherif. 



Localities in Ancient Dover 



7 



LOCALITIES IN ANCIENT DOVER.— Part II. 



By John R. Ham, M. D. 



Goat Island. The large island in 
Pascataqiui river, and so called as 
early as 1652, Ivins; a little to the 
west of the mouth of Back river, and 
jnst below the month of Little Bay, 
near to the Durham shore. It was 
granted in 1652 to Lieut. William 
Pomfrett, and he conveyed it as a 
gift to his grandson AVilliam, the son 
of Deacon John Dame. When the 
Pascataqua bridge was built, in 1794, 
from Durham to Newington, the road 
crossed this island. 

Goddard's Cukek. So called as 
early as IGGO ; it was the first creek 
eastward of Lamprey river, in Dur- 
ham, and flows into Great Bay. It 
divided in part the counties of Rock- 
ingham and Strafford, until 1870, 
when the line was set over, and a 
slice of Strafford county was cut off. 

Great Bay (The). The body of 
water formed by the junction of the 
Squamscot, Lamprey, and Oyster 
rivers, and which at the Little Bay 
becomes tiie Pascataqua river. The 
settlers called it the Bay of Pascat- 
aquack. 

Great Hill (The). The name 
which was given as early as 1652, to 
what in 1659 was called ''The Coche- 
cho Great Hill," which from 1700 to 
1834 was called Varney's hill, and 
which since 1834 has, commonly but 
erroneously, been called Garrison hill. 
Whitehouse's map of Dover in 1834 
calls it Varney's hill. 

Great Pond (The). The name 
which as early as 1650 was given to 
the pond, which in 1674 was called 
Cochecho pond. The latter name is 



retained on Dover maps to this day ; 
but it is commonly called Willand's 
pond. 

Greenland. So called as early as 
1696 in land grants, viz., "on the 
road leading to Greenland." It is 
the town of that name. 

Gulf (The). The name given as 
early as 1656, to a swell in Cochecho 
river, just below the head of tide wa- 
ter, and which is retained to this day. 

Half Way Swamp (The). The 
swamp, so called as early as 1652, 
lying south and west of Garrison 
hill, south of Starbuck's brook, and 
on the left side of the "Cartway" 
which leads from the falls of the river 
to the " Great Cochecho Fresh Marsh," 
which lay just to the north of Garrison 
hill. It was half-way from the falls 
to the last named marsh, and the 
" Cartway " of 1652 is the present Gar- 
rison Hill road. 

Hartford's Ferry. In 1717, Nich- 
olas Hartford opened a ferry between 
Beck's Slip on Dover Neck and Kit- 
tery. 

Hayes's Garrison. In 1812 the 
garrison of Lieut. Jonathan Hayes, 
at the junction of the Tole End road 
and the cross road that runs to the 
second falls of the Cochecho, and at 
the foot of WinKley's hill, was pulled 
down. Lieut. Jonathan Hayes was 
born Apr. 17, 1732 and died Apr. 15, 
1787. 

Haystack (The). So called in 
Jonas Binn's grant in 1654. It was 
near Branson's creeks on the west 
side of Oyster river, near the mouth 
of the river. What was it? 



8 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 



Heard's Garrison. Capt. John 
Heard's garrison, which was success- 
fully defended in the Indian massacre 
of Cochecho on June 28, 1G89, was on 
the opposite side of the "cartway" 
leading past the Great Hill. The 
hill on which it stood is at the foot of 
the Great Hill, and directly west of 
the same. The "cartway" is the 
present Garrison Hill road. 

Hekoo's Cove. So called in 1664, 
and was in Great Bay. 

Herod's Point. A point of land, 
so called as early as 1650, in Dea. 
John Dam's grant, extending in Great 
Bay on its south side. 

Herod's Wigwam. There was an 
Indian named Herod who had a wig- 
wam on a point of land of same name, 
in Great Bay, in IG.oO. The Dam 
grant mentions botli the point and the 



wigwam 



HiCKs's Hill. See Mahorimet's hill. 

Hilton's Point. The point of land 
at the extremity of Dover Neck, 
named from Edward Hilton, where 
the settlement was made in 1623, and 
which settlement took the name of 
Dover in 1639. The Indian name of 
the point was Wecanacohunt, some- 
times called Wecohamet and Winni- 
chahannat. Hilton's patent calls it 
Wecanacohunt. It is now called Do- 
ver Point. 

Hogstye Cove. So called as early 
as 1652, and it was the west end of 
the southern boundary of Dover, now 
of Newington, on Great Bay. 

Hogstye Point. A point of land in 
Newington, so called as early as 1656. 

Hooks. A remarkable turn in 
Belloman's Bank river, just below the 
entrance of the Mallego, and so called 
as early as 1694. The name was also 
given to a remarkable turn in Laraper- 



eel river, just below Wadleigh's falls ; 
it is in the present town of Lee. 

Hook Mills. There are two hook 
mills named in the land grants. One 
was at the hook of the Lampereel 
river, near Wadleigh's falls, and one 
near the hook of the Belloman's Bank 
river. The hook mill on Bellamy river 
was mentioned as early as 1729. 

Hope Hood's Point. A point of 
land thus named as early as 1694, on 
the north side of the "Three Creeks," 
on the western side of Back River. 
Tradition says Hope Hood, a Saga- 
more and famous Indian chief, was 
buried there. Hope Hood (alias Wa- 
howah) , with three other Indians, sold 
land on January 3, 1687, to Peter Cof- 
fin, of Dover, and they called them- 
selves in the conveyance the native 
proprietors. The deed is recorded at 
Exeter. In the French and Indian 
massacre at Salmon Falls, on March 
18, 1690, Hope Hood had twenty-five 
Indians under him, and was allied to 
a party of twenty-seven French under 
Sienr Hertel. Thirty settlers were 
killed and fifty-four captured. Hope 
Hood was killed (says Mather) in 
1690, and the same writer speaks of 
him as "that memorable tygre, Hope 
Hood." This point with land adja- 
cent was granted to John Tuttle in 
1642, and remained in possession of 
the family till about 1870. White- 
house's map in 1834 erroneously calls 
it Hopewood's Point. 

HucKiNs's Garrison, in Oyster 
River parish, east of the Woodman 
garrison, was destroyed by the Ind- 
ians, and twenty-one or twenty-two 
people massacred, in August, 1689. 

Huckleberry Hill. The name 
given as early as 1658, and which is 
still retained, to a liill on the Dover 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 9 

Neck roivd. It is the long liill which Indigo Hill. A hill in Soiners- 

one ascends before reaching the iiigli- worth, about three fourths of a mile 

est elevation on the neck. below Great Falls, and so called as 

Huckleberry Swamp. It was the early as 1()*J8. A road was laid out 
Hilton Point swamp, and was laid in 1720 by the town of Dover, "■ be- 
out in 1652 as the Ox Pasture. tween Quamphegan and Indigo Hill 

Indian Brook. The brook which and beyond into the common." This 

flows into Cochecho river on the east- road ran directly over Indigo hill, 

ern side, and next above the fourth and is now closed up at that point, 

falls of the same. The name was The new road between Salmon Falls 

used as early as 1701 (Varney grant),, and Great trails leaves the hill on the 

and its origin is unknown. It crosses risfht hand side between the road and 

the " Scatterwit" road, and runs the river. 

through tiie farm of Alderman Na- Johnson's Creek. This name was 

thaniel Home. given as early as 1652 to a brook 

Indian Corn Ground. A tract of which flows into Oyster river on the 

land lying between Tole End and eastern side and next above Bun- 

Barbadoes pond, and thus called as ker's creek. Thomas Johnson had a 

early as 161J3, from which the settlers land grant there, and the stream per- 

had laud grants from time to time, petuates his name. 

Probably used by the Indians for cul- Knight's Ferry. The old ferry 

tivating their corn prior to the settle- tween Dover Point and Bloody Point, 

ment. Lampereel River. So called as 

Indian Graves. A locality on the early as 1650, when Chris. Lawson 
west end of Beach hill, in the north- and George Barlow bad permission 
east corner of the town of Durham, from the town of Exeter to set up a 
and so called as early as 1652. In saw-mill at Lampereel river, " a little 
that year Philip Chesley had a grant above the wigwams ;" but prior to 
of land from the town containing this date, in 1647, it was called Cam- 
seventy-eight acres, " att y*" Indian pron river, and Elders Starbuck and 
Graves," and in 1715 the Lot Layers Nutter of the Dover church had saw- 
resurveyed it, and described the mills on the first falls, where the cot- 
bounds as " beginning att the Indian ton mills of Newmarket now stand. 
Graves, att Beach Hill, commonly so The Indian name of the first falls 
called." was Pascassick, sometimes written 

Another Indian burial-ground, ac- Piscassick, and again Puscassick. 

cording to a land grant in 1659 to One of the western branches is now 

Benjamin Hull, was on the south-west called the Piscassick. The stream is 

side of Lampereel river, not far west now called Lamprey river, 

of a mill that stood on the falls, and Little John's Creek. Little John 

exactly on the town line between was an Indian, and his name was 

Dover and Exeter, that is, on the given as early as 1654 to the only 

town line between the towns of Dur- brook that crosses the Dover Neck 

ham and Newmarket, as it existed road which requires a bridge. It is 

till 1870. below the Wiugate farm, and is about 



lO 



JLocalities in Ancient Dover. 



two miles below the city hall. It is 
a tributary of Back River, on the east- 
ern side, and the tide flows up the 
brook under the bridge in the high- 
way. Joseph Austin had a mill on 
it in 1658. Whitehouse's map of 
1834 calls it Varney's creek. 

LiTTLEAVORTii. Tbe district on the 
road leading to Barbadoes pond was 
so called as early as 1724, and is re- 
tained till this day. Whitehouse, on 
his map in 1834, changed the name 
to Trueworth to suit himself. It is 
needless to say that no other individ- 
ual ever called it by that name, nor 
ever will do so. 

Log Hill. The steep bank where 
the Dover & Portsmouth Railroad 
crosses the old bed of the Cochecho 
river. It was the terminus of the 
path leading from the " Logging 
swamp" of Major Richard Waldron, 
where the logs were tumbled down 
the bank into the mill-pond. 

Long Creek, It flows into Great 
Bay on the north side, and between 
Durham Point and the mouth of Lam- 
prey river. 

Long Hill lies about a mile and a 
half north-west of Cochecho pond. 

Little Bay. The contraction of 
Great Bay at the eastern end, from 
whence issues the Pascataqua river. 

Long Point. So called as early as 
16.")6. It projects into Great Bay on 
the south side. 

LuBHEKLANi). A locality in Dur- 
ham bordering on Great Bay, and so 
called as early as 1674. The attempt 
to show that this is bad spelling for 
Loverland is a failure. The old 
grants use the name again and again, 
and always Lubberland. 

Madbury. a locality so named as 
early as 1694, and now incorporated 



as the town of Madbury. The origin 
of the name is unknown. 

Mahorimet. An Indian sagamore 
who lived in the limits of the old town 
of Dover. Samuel Symonds had a 
grant of 640 acres of land from the 
general court of Massachusetts, lying 
on both sides of the " Upper or Island 
falls" of Lampereel river, now Wad- 
leigh's falls. This land was taken 
possession of by Symonds on June 3, 
1657, "in the presence and by con- 
sent of Mahorimet, the sagamore of 
those parts." The hill in now Mad- 
bury was called after him, "Mahor- 
imet's hill," till about 1725, when Jo- 
seph Hicks bought land there, and 
the title subsequently became "Hicks 
hill." 

Mahorimet's Hill. This Indian 
name was perpetuated by the set- 
tlers ; we find it in constant use from 
1660 to 1725. It lies in Madbury, 
and is now called Hicks's hill, from 
Joseph Hicks who bought laud and 
resided there from 1720. 

Mahorimet's Marsh. So called as 
earl}' as 1661, and for many years 
after. It was adjacent to Mahori- 
met's hill, and was probably the low 
ground immediately to the south and 
west of the same. 

Mallego. The north branch of 
Bellamy Bank river, and was thus 
named as early as 1659. It arises 
from Cate's pond in Barrington, and 
joins Bellamy Bank river in the town 
of Madbury. 

Mast Path (The Great). There 
were mast paths in various parts of 
the town, but the one named above 
was what is now the road to Little- 
worth. 

Meserve's Garrison. Clement 
Meserve's garrison, now on land 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 



II 



owned by Gerrish P. Drew, is on the 
west side of the Buck River road, and 
is in a very dilapidated state. 

Moot, Mookt, or Moet. Bad 
spelling for moat, and so called as 
early as 1656 from its resemblance to 
the moat or ditch which surrounded 
old castles. It was applied to a mo- 
rass in Oyster River parish on the 
Great Bay, and served to mark the 
bounds of certain land grants. "•The 
little brook that cometh out of the 
mooet" is mentioned. 

Mount Sorrowful. So called in 
1702, when Paul Wentworth had a 
grant of land there. 

'•MucH-A-DOE." The road leading 
from Dover to " Much-a-doe" is men- 
tioned in a conveyance in 1672. 
Muchado is a hill in Barrington, and 
the road referred to was, of course, 
the Tole-End road. 

Narrows (The). The narrow 
channel in Cochecho river, about one 
mile below the first falls. See Cam- 
pin's Rocks. 

Neeuom's Point. This was so 
called as early as 1674, and was on 
Great Bay in Oyster River parish. 
Nicholas Needham was a member of 
the Exeter combination in 1638, and 
the point must have been named for 
him. 

Newichawannock. The Indian 
name of the falls where the Berwick 
("Great Works") river enters the 
(now) Newichawannock river. But 
the settlers applied the name to the 
stream from Quamphagan (Salmon 
Falls) to Hilton's Point, where it flows 
into the Pascataqua river; and this is 
the Newichawannock of to-day. The 
settlers also called it the "Fore 
River." See Quamphagan and Fore 
River. 



Newtown. So called as early as 
16i)4, and the name is retained to this 
day. It is in the present town of 
Lee, about three miles north-west of 
Hicks's hil,l. 

Nock's Marsh. The grant of land 
to Thomas Nock in 1659, lying on 
the north side of Belloman's Bank 
river, about one mile above tide 
water. In 1659 William Ilackett had 
thirty acres of land "between the 
path that led from Belloman's Bank 
to Cochecho," on the south, with the 
freshitt (river) on the west, and the 
land of Thomas Nock on the north. 
The spelling has been changed to 
Knox marsh by those who have for- 
gotten the name of the original set- 
tler. 

Northam. When the Rev. Thomas 
Larkham, formerly of Northam, Eng- 
land, came in 1640 to the pastorate 
of the First Church, Dover, the set- 
tlers changed the name of the town 
from Dover to Northam ; but when 
Rev. Mr. Larkham left the town in 
1641, the former name of Dover was 
again adopted. 

Otis's Garrison. Richard Otis's 
garrison, which was destroyed on June 
28, 1689, in the Indian massacre at 
Cochecho, stood on the west side of 
Central avenue on the top of the 
hill, which is half way from the falls 
of Cochecho to the "Great Hill." 
Drake's Book of the Indians and 
the Otis Genealogy erroneously place 
the garrison on the east side of (now) 
Central Avenue. Otis's house in 
1655 was on the east side of " the cart- 
wa}^" now Central Avenue ; but the 
land grant was resurveyed to Rich- 
ard Waldrou after the desolation of 
Cochecho, and they confirm the tra- 
dition that the garrison of Otis in 



12 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 



1G89 was on the west side of the 
"cartway," now Central Avenue. 

Ox Pasture (The). It was laid 
out as such in the Hilton Point 
swamp in 1652, and was divided 
among the inhabitants, with other 
common lands, in 1732. 

Oyster Bed. The settlers discov- 
ered a bed of oysters in the stream, 
which, from this circumstance, they 
called Oyster river. It was half way 
between the mouth of the river and 
the first falls of the same. 

Oyster Point. On one side of the 
mouth of Thomas Johnson's creek, on 
the east side of Oyster river, and was 
so named as early as 1654. 

Oyster River. So called as early 
as 1640 from the discovery of a bed 
of oysters half way between the 
mouth and the first falls of the river. 
The settlers gave the name to both 
the stream and the settlement upon 
it. The parish of Oj'ster River was 
included in the limits of Dover till its 
separate incorporation in 1736 as the 
town of Durham. 

Packer's Falls. The fourth falls 
in the Lampereel river, in Durham, 
was granted to Thomas Packer in 
about 1750. The second and third 
falls also are now included in "Pack- 
er's falls." 

Paine's Garrison. In the Indian 
massacre at Cochecho, on June 28, 
1689, Thomas Paine had a house on 
the road leading from Cochecho to 
Salmon Falls, now Portland street, at 
the intersection of Rogers street. 
Belknap did not mention it in bis 
account of the massacre. It is 
doubtful if it was or was not for- 
tified. 

Paquamehood. In 1665, James 
Paquamehood, an Indian "of Tole 



End," sold to James Rawlings " three 
ponds and three hills, with all en- 
closed lands and marshes." The deed 
is recorded at Exeter. 

Pascataqua. (One water parting 
into three.) The Indian name of the 
junction of the waters at Hilton's 
Point. The settlers gave this name 
to the stream issuing from Little Bay, 
above Goat island, and which, receiv- 
ing Back river on the west of Dover 
Neck, and Newichawannock on the 
east of Dover Neck, is lost in the sea 
at Portsmouth. Early historians also 
gave the name to the settlements up- 
on the stream. The river is now com- 
monly, but erroneously, called Piscat- 
aqua. 

Pascataquack. The early name 
of the Great Bay. 

Pascassick. The Indian name of 
the first falls of Lamprey river, at 
the head of tide water, where the cot- 
ton mills of Newmarket now stand, 
and which name the settlers also gave 
to the western branch of the river. 
Sometimes Piscassick, sometimes Pus- 
cassick, in the land grants. The 
western branch of Lamprey river is 
now commonly called Piscassick. 

Pine Hill. The hill on which the 
third meeting-house of First church, 
Dover, was built before July 16, 1713, 
and where the dust of the fathers has 
mouldered for generations, was called 
Pine Hill as early as 1731. 

Pine Point. A locality in New- 
ington, thus named as early as 1664 ; 
another Pine Point was on the Ne- 
wichawannock, in 1693, just below 
St. Albons cove. 

PiNKHAM^s Garrison. It was on 
Dover Neck, about half a mile below 
the second meeting-house lot, and was 
taken down in about 1825. 



A yail Adventure. 13 



A JAIL ADVENTURE.— Part II. 

By William O. Clough. 

"You should have seen tlie min- ously ejected me from the car, and 

gled expression of surprise and con- when I gathered myself up and of- 

tempt which stole over his counte- fered to show him my credentials, he 

nance ; and then, to appreciate my laughed in my face and said he had 

embarrassment, 3'ou should have good and sufficient reasons for be- 

heard him say, — lievingthera to be bogus. I attempted 

" 'Young fellow, that is an old and to reason with him. He would not 

very gauzy device, and if you don't listen; he simply said, in a gruff 

disperse yourself in double quick voice, 'Young man, I've got about 

time, I'll see to it that you have safe out of patience with you ! You look 

quarters at the station-house.' to me like a crank. Yes, sir, and if 

"You may set it down as a cer- I were not under positive orders to 

tainty that I 'dispersed m3'self' with- go with this train for the protection 

out any more ado, and I kept dis- of the party from just such unprinci- 

persed until the hour arrived for the pled intruders, I would run you in for 

party to move on to the next city." investigation.' 

McVeaigh's countenance now took "You may set it down as a cer- 

on more of earnestness, and his voice tainty that I was greatly embarrassed, 

became hard and belligerent. and that I hesitated concerning the 

"My troubles," he continued, "as next move, and whether or no it was 

it turned out, had but just begun. In prudent to continue the evidently un- 

a confident and joyous manner I went equal contest. 

on board the special train that was to "In my dilemma I appealed to the 

take the party on its journey. When conductor of the train. He proved 

in the act of making some inquiries to be an unusually important and dis- 

of a palace car conductor, a colored obliging public servant. In fact, my 

gentleman, a hand was placed rudely pathetic story had no more effect 

and heavil\' upon my shoulder, and I upon him than it would have had 

was felled into a corner with unneces- upon the Old Man of the Mountain, 

sary violence. The policeman who He was travelling on a reverse curve, 

'dispersed' me had me by the coat and he curved opposite to my humble 

collar." person with great dignity. 

McVeaigh paused. An irrepressi- " 'I cannot do anything for you, 

ble emotion of indignation momenta- my friend!' he said, giving me a 

rily overpowered him. He nervously withering and scornful glance. 'If 

changed the position of his body, and you are particular about continuing 

when lie spoke his voice was harsh your journey to-day, the proper thing 

and belligerent. for you to do will be to purchase a 

"He shook me for all the world as ticket and secure a passage on the 

a terrier shakes a rat !" he exclaimed, accommodation train, which follows 

indignantly. "He then ignomiui- us in thirty minutes.' 



14 A Jatl Adventure.^ 

"I explained, begged, scolded, and tory suddenness that nearly stopped 

swore, but all to no purpose. His my breath. 

heart was like flint, and his decision "I expostulated, I resisted, I 

irrevocable. struck right and left with all my 

" ' Clear out, or I'll hand you over might, I kicked. I declared that I was 

to a policeman!' he exlaimed in a pursuing a legitimate calling ; that his 

pompous manner. interference was unwarrantable ; that 

"I was in mortal fear of a police- I would take the law on him ; that un- 
man, and so I cleared out with re- less he immediately and uncondition- 
markable alacrity. ally released me he would get into 

"The next and last individual with trouble that would cost him his com- 

whora I sought an interview — the mission. 

bao-orao-e-master — informed me, in " Mv mad antics and loud declama- 

words more emphatic than polite, that tion did not have the slightest effect 

there was a representative of my upon him. He did not appear in the 

newspaper in the refreshment car, least frightened, neither did he turn 

and therefore he was satisfied that I pale or loosen his gri[) on my collar, 
was a cheap fraud. "This little episode, however, 

"While I was debating the question caused a great sensation and a com- 

witli him the train moved out of the motion in the crowd. The procession 

station. halted. Everybody within hearing 

"Gentlemen, hearing no objection, of the tumult rushed upon us, and 
I will now omit an elaboration of my became interested spectators. Some 
experience iu the next hour. I will of the men attempted the role of 
simply say that I was very despond- peacemakers ; others talked fight, and 
ent ; that the accommodation train threatened vengeance on the police- 
was behind time ; that it was slow ; man ; children, who were trampled 
that when I arrived in the next city under foot, shrieked with terror, and 
my mental condition rapidly improved, women fainted; while a dandified fel- 
and I imagined myself in a place low, who had the appearance of a 
where the prerogatives of the profes- dancing master, queried, 'What's he 
sion are respected. been doing?' and a plug-ugly (if I 

"Ah ! but I was doomed again to am any judge of mortal man) shouted 

dire and dreadful disappointment, as savagely, 'Let him go!' 
the sequel will show. ICven to this "The policeman was equal to the 

day I cannot reflect with composure emergency. He drew his revolver, 

upon the events which followed. and ordered the mob to stand back. 

'•With your permission, however, The effect was like magic : everybody 

I will condense mv harrowins; tale at stood back. Meanwhile I continued 

this point, and simply say that I made to show fight, and called on the peo- 

my way to the main street, and when pie to rescue me : he clubbed me. I 

pushing nervously through the crowd hung back : he dragged me. Yes, I 

a heavy hand was again laid upon my blush to own it, tluit policeman ac- 

shoulder, and well, that same tually dragged me to the city jail. 

policeman snatched me with peremp- "At the guard-room my pockets 



A yail Adventure. i 



D 



were searched for evidence that I was cells on my right and left and in the 

a dangerous man in the community, opposite corridor. Modesty was no 

and I was catechised concerning my part of their education. They spoke 

birth, parentage, occupation, and age ; in the vernacular of the street, and 

to all of which the answers were truth- with the familiarity of old friends and 

ful, but were not believed. I was acquaintances. 

told that my conduct was suspicious ; "'You've got the finest parlor 

that I had been faithfully shadowed, f what's in the hotel, Johnny,' chuck- 

and, painful as the duty might be, it led a small boy, who climbed about 

was necessary to lock me up. on the bars of his cell door with all 

"Well, I made an earnest and elo- the agility and evident enjoyment of 

quent appeal to the chief. He lis- a caged monkey at a menagerie, 

tened patiently. I declared over and "'And the villain still pursued 

over again that I was a newspaper him,' remarked a seedy, middle-aged 

man, and had an important and im- man, in a husky, stentorian voice; 

perative dut}' to perform ; that to while a third person — an old man, 

doubt me was little less than a crime ; who was evidently behind the bars 

that to commit me was to disappoint becauseof light-fingered proclivities, — 

the journal upon which I was em- said, in the glibbest manner possible, 

ployed, and perhaps ruin my pros- 'My son, it grieves me to the heart 

pects in life. to meet you in marble halls. You 

" 'That is what they all say,' he are young, and probably think your- 

coolly replied. He promised, how- self innocent of the crime for which 

ever, to give my case his considera- you are apprehended. It won't do ! 

tion as soon as the rush of business Up you go ! In brief, it is my duty 

was over. to inform you that the court — bavins: 

"I was then hurried below, my considered the offence to which, by 

name, age. and occupation recorded the advice of able counsel, you have 

in a book kept for that purpose, and pleaded nolo contendere — orders that 

compelled to accept quarters in a dis- you be confined at hard labor in the 

mal cell. penitentiary for a period of five years ; 

" Merciful Providence ! It was the that you pay the cost of prosecution, 

worst place, as it then appeared to and stand committed till sentence be 

me, that I had ever beheld. And performed.' 

such companions! The vilest that " 'And may God have mercy on 

ever breathed the damps of a dun- your soul !' bawled an idiotic youth ; 

geon. whereupon the happy family sent up 

"The key was turned in the lock, a peel of laughter that made the old 

and ray captor hurriedly departed. dungeon echo. 

"I was dazed and frightened. I " Oh, but it was a wicked place ! 

was weak and confused, and there- " There were nearly a dozen of these 

fore it was several minutes before I hilarious captives, and every one fa- 

fuUy realized what had happened to vored me with remarks or sugges- 

me. I remember, though, the mocking tions. 

sociability of those who occupied the "A wreck in a cell at my right ad- 



1 6 A 'Jail Adventure. 

vised me to promise to sign the pledge, is prejudicially and unqualifiedly false, 

^d 'go on probation ; ' another sug- ' Rum, my dear brother in misfortune, 

gested that it was proper to 'squeal is what does the business for us!' 
on the seller,' and thus go free ; while "The wretched and disorderly 

still another, — a sort of patriarch in specimens of humanity in the other 

law-breaking, and a person whose cages were divided on this point, 

greatest weakness was an inordinate Some said ' That's so,' but the greater 

affection for the flowing bowl, — ob- number groaned, and declared that 

served that the court had soured on the speaker was • too-too for his busi- 

most suffering and deserving human- ness ;' while the moment the hilarity 

ity, and therefore I might consider ceased a moderate spoken individual 

myself lucky if I got off with six of fifty, who pretended to deprecate 

month at the famous watering (hie) the levity of the gentlemen, who, 'for 

place known in the county as the reasons best known to the polite and 

Mountain House. efficient gentlemen of the police de- 

"The most crushing blow, how- partment of our growing and enter- 
ever, came from a miserable woman prising city,' were cruelly, and with 
on the other side of the corridor, malice aforethought, denied the privi- 
'Why, yes it is!' she exclaimed, lege of American citizens to witness 
hysterically. 'It is my long lost the procession, insisted that he rec- 
brother ! And to think, Dennis, that ognized in me a member of congress, 
you should come to this ! Alas, for a wise statesman, and sympathizing 
the good advice which I have given friend of the deserving poor and 
you! All wasted!' needy. 'Fellow-citizens, who, like 

"Her speech was hailed with every myself, have come to this extremity 

mark of approbation ; in fact, the because of the men who broke the 

whole motley crew bellowed like banks, and who are still at large, we 

fiends infernal. must dissemble. This gentleman in 

"There was a pause in the pro- number ten was committed at his 
ceedings, and I had begun to congrat- own request. He has taken this 
ulate myself on the end of their un- method of ascertaining facts and in- 
seemly conduct, when a human dwarf, formation that, when fully evolved 
— clean shaved, and evidently a per- and established, will undoubtedly re- 
son who had spent a good share suit in needed reforms in the maiiage- 
of his days behind prison bars, — in- ment of city, county, and state board- 
sisted on being informed, 'privately ing-houses, and thereby ameliorate in 
an' 'pon honor,' whether or no there a large degree the suffering of the 
was a woman in the scrape. He had, members of a worthy class of well 
so he said, ironically, been gathering meaning but shockingly misguided 
statistics for a number of years, and fraternity known among men of let- 
was now prepared to demonstrate to ters, and those bummers of the daily 
a nicety, before any unprejudiced tri- newspapers, as law-breakers. My 
bunal, that the statement going the dear sir, accept our apology for the 
rounds of the press that the dear sex rude reception you have received 
are mixed up in most of man's crimes among us.' 



A ydil Adventure. 17 

" He called for tliroe cheers. They ter, rtittling of cell doors, and other 

were given with a will, and orna- signs of approval, 

mented with several tigers; and then "Presently the whole crew desired 

the turnkey of that dungeon came to he interviewed, and the wickedest 

among us, and raved, scolded, and man in the prison assured me that he 

swore, and declared that unless the would tell all the secrets of the city, 

racket ceased he would gag the whole under oath, and as much more as I 

bilin'. would pay a reasonable price for. 

" It was such a party, gentlemen, "■ That I was a very unhappy 3'oung 

as I hope I may never be compelled man, and desperate withal, I have 

to meet again under like eircum- never to this day doubted, and that I 

stances. importuned and attempted to bribe 

" In my feverish anxiety and mor- every officer who came within the 

tification I imagined that all the fiends sound of my voice it would be useless 

of the infernal region surrounded me. to deny. Moreover, I shall never be 

I was fast losing control of my nerves unmindful that 'kicking against the 

and becoming strangely bewildered; pricks' is a useless exercise; that it 

and yet I had sufficient presence of is the part of wisdom for a man who 

mind to attempt to calm myself, and is compelled by untoward circum- 

argue that my incarceration was the stances to remain in custody as a 

result of a mistake. The poisonous prisoner to make the best of the sit- 

atmosphere of the place had some- nation, and spend the time in congrat- 

thing to do, I think, with my de- ulating himself that he is in luck that 

spondency. so little is known about him. 

'•Meanwhile my tormentors con- "But what was I in for? 
tinned their disjointed observations, •'• 'Pickpocket' was the significant 
and that terribly depraved woman her word written against my name on the 
moaning about her poor, unfortunate book of entry. 'Pickpocket!' I 
brother Dennis, and the prisoner saw the officer write it. 
with the stentorian voice kept up his "Pickpocket! The thought of it 
random and oratorical debate on re- caused me to tremble, and the per- 
form, or something of that sort. 'I spiration to start from every pore in 
have him at last!' he shouted in a my body. I paused in serious medi- 
voice of thunder. ' He's a government tation. The full force of the cora- 
detective, who has come among us plaint dawned upon me. My strength 
high toned and labor-hating aristoc- began to fail. T was wild with im- 
racy for the purpose of discovering, patience. 

if be can, who beats the great, glori- "Pickpocket! 1 repeated over and 

ous, and high-minded American insti- over again, the while standing by the 

tution in the important matter of the iron door of the cell listening to the 

taxes on the necessities of life — discordant jargon of my fellow-pris- 

whiskey, beer, and tobacco.' oners, and inhaling poisonous odors 

'• This statement was hailed with that made me faint and sick, 

shouts of 'Good, good!' several ''Pickpocket! I had written the 

rounds of applause, mocking laugh- word a hundred times, but it never 



1 8 A 'Jail Adventure. 

had a significant meaning until now, fine point, and are not disposed to 

In ray loneliness and despair I sat give them the benefit of many doubts, 

down upon tlie side of my bunk, and, "But I had become shockingly un- 

half believing that a history of my balanced. The crime of which I was 

strange experience in jail would make suspected, and for which I was com- 

a sensation article for the newspaper, mitted, increased in magnitude as I 

took my note-book from my pocket contemplated it, and was made more 

and endeavored to analyze my symp- appalling by tiie thought that possibly 

toms, and to make a pen picture of for some years my companions were 

my companions and surroundings. I to be the class of adventurers whose 

could not accomplish anything. Con- hideous noises and jeering speeches 

centration of thought was a lost art were ringing in my ears. Strange to 

with me, and I doubt if I could have say, my imagination conjured up all 

correctly spelled and written my the evils that could possibly befall 

name. 'Pickpocket' was the one word the worst criminal in the land. And, 

in my vocabulary. I paced the floor moreover, what if the overzealous 

in anxiety and misery. The more I witnesses for the government should 

•exercised, the more impatient and des- identify the ten-dollar note which the 

perate I became. I was in the dark- officer had taken from my pocket for 

uess, despondency, and gloom of the safe keeping ! What if I should be 

inquisition. Strange fancies and hal- recognized as an old offender; as a 

lucinations oppressed me, and dark criminal who had ' done time ' in the 

forebodings of evil consequences pos- penitentiary of some other state ; as 

sessed my mind. I felt — for I fully an outlaw on whose head a price was 

realized my condition — that I was set ! More, what if ray conduct in 

uearing the critical point where reason attempting to bribe my jailer should 

and judgment are dethroned. be construed as corroborative evi- 

"I was a stranger, and they took deuce of ray guilt! 

me in. AVhat if they should insist "Fear, fear in the worst possible 

on keeping me? What if some re- form, was upon me. I lost all con- 

spectable and reliable citizen should trol of my reasoning faculties and 

appear as my accuser, and swear ray judgment. The perspiration 

with convincing positiveness that at oozed from every pore in my body, 

the moment the policeman's hand was and my nerves fluttered like a leaf in 

placed upon my shoulder he felt my the wind. The future looked dark ; 

hand in his pocket, and was all the there was no oasis in it. Hardships, 

more certain of the facts because of and possibly loss of reason, seemed 

the seal ring upon my finger, which among the certainties of the future, 

he was positive tore a hole corre- The light and joy had faded out of 

-sponding in size in the lining of his my life. 

c(}at ! "In my distress and despondency 

"You will observe, gentlemen, that I could not recall that I had a friend 

it was a conviction with me that pros- in all the wide world who would be 

ecuting officers figure the evidence likely to assist me in the hour of my 

against a suspected person to a pretty great affliction and necessity. I felt 



A "Jail Adventure. 19 

that I was poor, in misfortune, and "And so I struggled with doubts 

forsaken. Ruin stared nie in the and fears, with fluctuating hopes and 

face ; my cliaracter was forever black- grave apprehensions, with dread and 

enod ; thenceforth I was branded a uncertainty, till my reason was tem- 

felon ; there was stain upon my gar- porarily dethroned, and I became a 

inents ; all my old associates would wild and raving maniac. I threw my 

believe the worst of me ; I should lose coat and the contents of my pockets 

my place, and no reputable journal upon the floor and trampled upon 

would give me employment. them ; I beat my new silk hat into a 

'• This, my friends, is no picture of shapeless mass ; I dishevelled my hair ; 

the fanc}', no overdrawn sketch from I ruined my patent leather boots by 

the imagination. It is a truthful re- kicking against ray cell door; I broke 

port of an actual occurrence. the stool which the jailor had kindly 

"An hour passed wearily. The light loaned me into kindling wood ; I de- 

becarae dim, the place more sombre stroyed the clothing of ray bunk and 

and gloomy, and the outlook for the raved like a hungry tiger in a cage, 

night more appalling. "What should INIy strength was something wonder- 

I do? What could I do? To whom ful, my passion ungovernable. My 

could I apply for relief ? How would chaffing companions in durance vile 

my employers construe my absence were for the nonce silent and re- 

from duty, my silence? What would spectful. 

become of my wife and child? What " My friends, as I pause and look 

would my mother-in-law say? The back upon that scene, and consider 

last thought overpowered, staggered my experience, I discover that there 

me, and I reeled against my dungeon were some very strange and perplex- 

wall like a victim of intemperance. ing sensations, sensations that I shall 

" Was I childish? I will not pre- never be able fully to fathom or 

tend to say I was not. I will only clearly define. It appeared to rae 

add, in passing, that all temperaments that I had two minds independent of 

are not alike, — and then continue my each other, and two individualities, 

narrative by saying that I fell upon By the more demonstrative mind I 

my face in the bunk of that horrible was wrought up to the highest pitch 

place and wept like a child who had of nervous excitement. My eyes, I 

broken its favorite toy, or a frail vei'ily believe, were glassy ; my head 

w^oman who moans some sudden and was burning with fever ; I was thirs- 

overwhelming bereavement and will ty ; great drops of perspiration rolled 

not be comforted. from my forehead and fell ui)on the 

"Gentlemen, in that awful hour of floor; my tongue was swollen; my 

delirium and suspense my mind chased blood was on fire. I was desperate, 

many foolish phantoms, and my over- JNIy one overpowering desire was my 

tasked imagination builded many bar- liberty. Underneath all this was aa 

riers between my future and the undefinable sense of feeling that now 

bright sunshine that never seemed so appears to me like my normal condi- 

glorious and beautiful as when its tion of mind. I could reason to a 

warm rays were denied rae. certain point, but the raeutal strain 



20 A Jail Adventure. 

strain on the other key was so much which wa}' I might, take the most 

greater that the conclusion was not favorable view of the situation I could 

clear. I could see and in some de- master, there was no dawn that fore- 

gree understand what I was about, shadowed a bright future. I lay in 

and yet there was an idea that there that bunk a broken-hearted man, a 

was a somebody else in all that was wreck, a human being who thought 

transpiring, for whom I entertained himself dead to this world, and who, 

emotions of pity, but over whose in his disordered mind, was passing 

movements and reckless deportment away from its trials. i)erplexities, and 

I had no control. Sometimes the disappointments, 

thought would be clear that it was ^-A little later and these \\g\y im- 

myself, and then there would be a aginings passed away, and great hap- 

feeling of shame that my wits were piness came to me. I laughed at the 

not strong enough to subdue my body sufferings and remorse of tiie hours I 

and control my tongue. On the other had spent in tlie dungeon's gloom, 

hand, running counter and distinct, They were but the flimsy fabric of a 

as I have already stated, was unrea- dyspeptic dream, release from which 

soning madness. caused a buoyancy of spirit in which 

"A little later I became exhausted, bi'ight prospects were in the ascend- 

laydown and immediately fell asleep, ency, and hope everywhere renewed. 

It was a troubled sleep, for I looked I saw mvself surrounded by my old 

into the prison ' at the other end of friends ; there was warmth in their 

the valley,' and lived the secluded greeting, and joy in every word that 

and burdensome life of a convict. I was s[)oken. I beheld the beautiful 

was fatigued from labor and suffered world, more beautiful now than it 

for companionship. I longed with an ever appeared to me before. I was 

aching heart for the cheer and smiles assured of success as a journa-list, 

of the friends of other days, and the and my future seemed secure. Added 

society of the young men and young to this was the new happiness which 

women whom I had known and loved I beheld in my wife, and a knowledge 

in the days of my freedom. I sighed that my report of the affair which I 

for the free air of heaven ; I yearned had been assigned to write up had 

for an hour among editors and print- reached my journal on time. In the 

ers ; I envied the oflice devil ; and I midst of all, the managing editor had 

wondered if any one of them would said my work was intelligently and 

acknowledge that he ever knew me. satisfactorily performed, which to a 

More particularly did I grieve because man of my desjionding mood was 

of the disgrace my downfall would sufiicient ground for more of happi- 

bi'ing ui)on the woman I had sworn ness than I could well express. I 

to honor and cherish, the child born dreamed a good deal more ; and when 

to us. and also upon my aged par- I awoke and realized that it was only 

ents. a dream after all, I was more misera- 

"• While in this condition of body ble, if that were possible, than I had 

and mind I fancied that I could wel- been before, and had less control over 

come death, for I somehow realized my mind in directing it to a successful 

that it would end my suffering. Look resistance to gloomy forebodings. 



A yail Adventure. 21 



"In a word, 1 lost my courage. "The c^liief — I have forgotten h 



IS 



The old fear came upon me with add- name — was a man of wide experience 
ed force. Prison walls and cell bars, and wise discrimination. He had not 
hard task-masters and scanty food, been long enoiigli in the business to 
stared me in the face and thrilled me be calloused. In a word, he took me 
with terror, such terror as I had never in at a glfvnce, and somehow reassur- 
before experienced, and which 1 pray ed me that all would come out right. 
I may never again experience. Faint- I began to see silver linings in the 
ness, weakness, and nauseating sick- dark clouds. Said he, — 
ness followed. T moaned and cried " 'Young man, you are under arrest 
piteously. Presently I was a raving on a very serious charge, which, if 
maniac, and, although conscious that proven against you, is at the minimum 
I was making a fool of myself, passed five years in prison. I will say to 
through the trials that beset me be- you, however, that from the" best in- 
fore my dream. It was terrible, I formation I can ol)tain, and after a 
assure vou. After a while I became searching examination of the ffentle- 
active again ; and shortly after, a voice man who claimed to have been robbed, 
at my cell door aroused me and par- but who was not, I have come to the 
tially restored my mental equilibrium, conclusion that you should be dis- 
I staggered to the now open cell door, charged from custody at once, and 
I shall never forget my feelings or my personal assurance given that the 
the look of [)ity which the officer gave officer making the arrest exceeded his 
me, as I inquired what was wanted. duty. He should have used his judg- 

" ' You are wanted at the chief's raent rather than have acted upon the 

office,' replied the man in blue and request of an excited complainant. I 

bright buttons emphatically, his voice regret exceedingly the annoyance to 

and manner robbing me of the last which you have been subjected, and 

ray of hope to which, like a drowning sincerely hope the circumstance will 

man who seizes upon a straw, I had not work to your disadvantage among 

tenaciously clung. your companions, or cause you trouble 

" I followed him mechanically, with with your employers. You may go.' 

trembling body and feeble step, with "It was exceedingly cold comfort, 

such dread of consequences as I have but I took it without murmur or argu- 

siuce imagined must possess the mind ment, and suddenly, 3'es, hurriedly, 

of a condemned man when ascending put that city jail behind my back. I 

the scaffold from which he is to be suppose I ought to have thanked him, 

launched into eternity. How I man- but I did not. At least I have no 

aged to pilot myself through several memory to that effect. The truth is, 

dark passage-ways and up a flight of my anxiety to get into the sunlight, 

winding stairs I shall never be able to regain my freedom, to demonstrate 

to make clear to myself. It must be, to my satisfaction that I was not in- 

I think, that the officer assisted me, sane or dieaming, was such that I 

for somehow I have an indistinct rec- had no thought of anything else, and 

oUection that his hand was upon ray was therefore completely off my guard 

arm. in the matter of the manners, which 



22 



A 'Jail Adventure. 



are :i part of the stock in trade of a 
well regulated journalist, and which 
he is expected to exhibit at all times 
and under all circumstances to all 
people." 

There was an ominous pause and 
profound silence, in which it was 
somehow made as clear as sunshine 
that Mr. Bragg desired to speak the 
tag or control the storv-teller. He 
evidently knew the end from the be- 
ginning, and feared that some one 
was likely to be in some way exposed 
or compromised. 

McVeaigh quickly comprehended the 
situation, and in a side speech, which 
we did not understand, gave some 
sort of assurance which overcame the 
brother's modesty, and caused him to 
withdraw threatened interruption. 

" When I reached the next city," 
continued McVeaigh, " I met Brother 
Bragg, and this is what came of it : 

"'What became of you.?' he in- 
quired. 

" Of course I acknowledged that I 
had been in durance vile, incarcerated 
in a city jail on the serious charge of 
larceny from the person. 

" ' I heard so,' he replied, ' but did 
not have the time to search you out. 
I should have returned, however, 
after doing this place, if you had 
not put in an appearance. But you 
are all right below. It was a pretty 
hard job, considering the magnitude 
of the event, to double and duplicate 
despatches successfully, but I suc- 
ceeded. Your report went in on time, 
and in your own name, and here is 
the evening edition of your paper, 
which proves it.' 

''You maybe sure a heavy load 
was lifted from my mind, and guess 



that I thanked him and gave assur- 
ance of my gratitude and my happi- 
ness." 

"What happened a year or so 
later?" inquired Mr. Bragg. 

"What happened? Why, I met that 
same chief of police at the Parker 
House, in Boston. He recognized 
me. We engaged in a chat like two 
old school-day cronies that had not 
seen each other in many years. Just' 
as we were on the point of separation, 
he looked me squarely in the face, 
and in a frank and manly way said, — 
" ' I ought to tell you something 
that you would like to know, and 
which you have probably never mis- 
trusted, about your incarceration in 
the jail in the city which I have the 
honor to represent.' 

" I assured him, of course, that I 
would like very much to hear it. 

" 'A short time following that un- 
happy experience in your life,' he 
continued, ' I learned upon the most 
positive evidence that a jealous jour- 
nalist from a neighboring city " put 
up the job" on you. In other words, 
he cheated an ambitious and over- 
zealous policeman by making him be- 
lieve that he knew you as a celebrated 
New York thief who had done ser- 
vice, and for whose apprehension a 
reward was offered. It was a trick to 
get vou out of the wav, so that he 
could secure exclusive reports of the 
events which were happening.' 

"We laughed heartily ; we have been 
good friends ever since, and I can 
get the best accommodations in the 
matter of news of any outside man 
who visits that chief's borough. 

" Gentlemen, you have the full 
particulars of 'A Jail Adventure.' " 



Early Manners and Customs. 23 



EARLY MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

By Mary R. P. Hatch. 

Fiction is sometimes truer than his- can tell? but we know that the blood 

tory or biography, — paradoxical as it of the pioneer has baptized every 

may seem ; for in dealing with feel- land where gleams now the light of 

ings and motives, one can reason from happy homes. 

the inner consciousness, and, by a Anon the foot-path in our forest 

natural sequence of ideas, arrive at has become a bridle-path, for seven 

truer understanding than by the ren- families have wrested from the wil- 

dering of facts as they appear in in- derness their log huts. The sound 

cident and event. of the axe is heard on the clear air ; 

Thus, in a work of the kind we have the wild beasts recede somewhat, 

in hand, it is lawful, I think, to allow coming now at nightfall to howl 

the imagination to roam over the fer- around their dwellings, or to gaze 

tile fields of the past, and gather here through the windows at the family 

and there posies of thought ungar- seated about the blazing fire ; while 

nered bv the strict historian. Manv the Indian, with growing hatred, 

times have I gazed beyond the beau- passes by, or scowls at the peaceful 

tiful, mosaic meadows at the gleam- sight from behind the bushes, 

ing surface of our winding Conuecti- Ah ! and here comes a horseman, 

cut, or stood upon its banks, and As his horse's feet fall with soft thud 

fancied myself back to the time when upon the yielding earth, he is saying 

the primeval forest with its under- to himself, perhaps (who knows?), 

growth of bushes lay close to its as did Tennyson's Northern Farmer : 

banks, and rendered our now beauti- t^ . -. .v , . , . 

'■ Do sn't thou ear my orse s legs as they canters 

ful valley well-nigh impassable, ex- awaay? 

cept to the trained hunter or the Ind- P'-^P^rtty, propertty, propertty, that's what i 

'ears 'em saiJy." 

ian. And I can see now in imag- 
ination the dusky savages silently But we love to think it was some- 
assembling from behind the trees, thing besides property that induced 
stepping into their bark canoes, and our forefathers to settle in the wilder- 
floating down the river witli hunting ness. High courasfc and dauntless 
or warlike intentions. Again, I see will were theirs first of all, and these 
the adventurous white man entering traits, united to the smiling valley 
the wilderness after his toilsome they have left us, make a priceless 
march of a hundred and fifty miles, heritage indeed. 

blazing his way by cutting notches in The pioneer has invariably been 

the trees — alert, and daring to thus possessed of unusual character ; for 

brave the Indian and the wild beasts it requires not only great hope, force, 

in their forest home. He has passed, and courage, but discrimination and 

Will he return in safety, or fall a vie- endurance, to successfully map out 

tim to his dauntless courage? Who and plant a colony : so when it is said 



24 Early Manners and Customs. 

of a man that be was oue of the first ''AH work and no play makes Jack 

settlers, respect should immediately a dull boy — and Jill, a dull girl," per- 

embalm his memory. haps reasoned the elders. Anyway, 

Our forefathers were always, like- they accepted the idea of first work 
wise, men of great individuality. In and then play, and so was instituted 
cities there is to be found the finest the husking frolic, the apple-bee, the 
symmetry of character, but strong quilting, and, at last, amusement 
individuality is far more rare, owing without its modicum of work — the 
to the constant friction of mind upon junket. Let us again call fancy to 
mind, which is apt to wear away the our aid, and go to the house of some 
strong points of individual character, local magnate where thei-e is to be a 
and to make too many of the same husking frolic and junket. Perhaps 
pattern. The man remarkable for it is a husking-bee. Let us say that 
action is seldom a growth of the tiie log hut has given place to the 
city, but an influx from the country. Luge, square structure with many- 
How often do the newspapers give paned windows, its keeping-room and 
the names of prominent men who long kitchen, and its immense chim- 
came from the [)low or the anvil to ney breaking out into every room 
head the lists of the city in honor and with the broad, kindly smile of an 
wealth. Genius can thrive only wlien open fire-place. \n the long kitchen 
certain faculties are allowed to sub- the hearth-stone, of more than a ton's 
jugate other ones to their needs, and weight, and eiglit feet long, stretches 
this cannot go on so well in cities before the fire-place — watchful, rest- 
where all ideas must more impartially ful,and clieering. An immense back- 
come to the front. But genius is a log, as thick as a man's body, forms 
kindly tyrant when upheld by the the foundation of the big, roaring 
twin sisters Industry and Persever- fire, and around the leaping flames 
ance, and the natural growth of the cluster privileged guests, while the 
sturdy first settler whose individuality small aspirant for future honors sits 
grew strong and rank in his forest in the corner of the fire-place study- 
home. Shut out as he was from in- ing his horn book, or watching the 
tercourse with the outside world, it stars that gleam so kindly above his 
often bristled into points, however, head. 

and anecdotes of our ancestors prove The brick oven has been thrice 

the truth of this assertion. heated to bake pumpkin pies and 

Deeds of courage, feats of strength, ginger-bread for the " s|)read," and 

and tales of hunting valor show these the squire's wife is happily conscious 

old worthies to have been worthies of the good things in the pantry as 

indeed, but men who would have she sits placidly knitting. On this 

pined and sickened in our day of night of the frolic the long kitchen 

easy action. Prominent in every set- has been cleared, the settle and 

tlement was the church, and around chairs are placed primly against the 

this as the nucleus grew up those wall, while a stool for the fiddler seta 

interchanges of civilities which finally on the table at the further end. The 

were merged into merrymaking or crooked necked squashes still hang 

frolics. by the fire-place ; long strings of 



Early Manners and Customs. 25 

dried apple are festooned oveihead ; story" was just as old then as now. 

while groups of wooden candle-sticks At luiskings the blind god is impris- 

nre nailed to the rafters. A huge oncd in the ear of red corn, the lirst 

pile of corn extends the length of the fnuler being entitled thereby to kiss 

kitchen ; and now the company Ix'gin whoever he chooses, 

to arrive, on foot and on horseI)ack, l>ut tlie yellow corn lays bare of 

the young man sitting in front, his girl iiusks now, and many hands make 

behind him on a pillion. High tones liglit work of clearing the long 

and merriment usher in eacii party, kitchen for the dance. Black Pelham 

and jokes, making up in laughtei- mounts the stool on the table, tunes 

what they lack in wit, fly about the his fiddle and rosins his bow, while 

room. Homespun, that one year the cou[)les range themselves in long 

covers the sheep, and the next, its lines down the kitclien : and then the 

owner, sets well if not easily on the dance begins Agility and s[)eed 

young man. His shirt collar, of took the place of grace in tliose days, 

home-made linen, is uncomfortably and the ligiitest dancer was reckoned 

high and stiff, as the red, tortured the best, — he who could spring 

ears plainlv show (but what will one straiglit upward over a foot, keeping 

not undergo to be well dressed !) ; time to the music, being a fine one iu- 

a buff vest gleams in front, while a deed. It once happened that a young 

swallow-tailed coat, from the pocket man sprang so high that he got en- 

of which dangles a colored handker- tangled in the strings of dried apple, 

chief, adorns the wearer; small-clothes and brought several yards of it on to 

and buckled shoes complete the cos- the floor. 

tume, — unless I speak of the hair, The husking ends early, and the 

which is combed straight back to end young peo[)le go home none the worse 

in a queue behind. Stout, honest, and for their frolic. 

merry, the delicate beau of to-day can- The quilting was an afternoon 
not compare with these "sparks" of a festival for the matrons and maidens, 
bygone generation. And the girls, — ending by the men's coming to shake 
white-necked, rosy-cheeked, briglit- the quilt, to eat supper with them, 
eyed, and jolly, in their short-waist- and, sometimes, to dance awhile 
ed, scant-skirted, big-sleeved, linsey- afterwards. The quilt was pieced of 
woolsey gowns, with stout shoes, hair home-made flannel, dyed with indigo, 
braided high and with ornaments of mulberry, or madder, and stuffed 
gold beads or a silver comb ! What with wool. Tiie writer of this chap- 
noble-hearted matrons they made, ter has an old quilt of this descrip- 
and how we honor these great-grand- tion, which has been handed down 
mothers of ours ! But the}' are not through several generations, 
taking a peep into futurity, nor at us. The apple-bee was another sober 
their unworthy descendants, but are festival ; but the junket was without 
sitting in couples around the heaped- work, and a more ambitious one, oc- 
up corn, singing old ditties, cracking casionally taking place at the " tav- 
jokes, sipping home-made cider, and ern stand." 
whispering love, — for the "old, old Training-day was a piece of mill- 



26 



Early Manners and Custojns. 



tary display without doubt very 
pleasant to the survivors of the Rev- 
olution, while the general muster was 
a grand review that called out all the 
martial spirit of the day. Many old 
people now living describe with great 
interest the appearance of the troops 
and officers, and relate anecdotes 
concerning them. 

But I linger too long on the border 
land of to-da}'. Let us go back be- 
yond the century. I find myself in 
the church, or the meeting-house, 
with its boxed-up pews, and the 
women ranged soberly on one side, 
the men on the other. The deacons' 
pews and the squires', with other local 
magnates, are at the front ; and, in 
some places, the galleries are for in- 
ferior people, while little niches high 
up hold the colored worshippers. 
Plainly our forefathers did not be- 
lieve in equality upon earth, however 
it might be in heaven. But the min- 
ister ranked highest of all in the 
social scale, a liberal education giv- 
ing him a prominence borne out by 
his calling. His wife often bore the 
title of Lady, and the congregation 
arose when she entered the church 
and stood until she was seated. The 
tithing-man with his rod stood watch- 
ful and ready to quell the youngsters' 
unseemly mirth, and to awaken the 
brethren when they slumbered under 
the lengthy sermon. The sounding- 
board was fastened just above the 
minister's head to throw the sounds 
downward, and which, but for this, 
it was thought, might fail to reach 
the congregation. The prayer was 
fervent and exhaustive, ending al- 
ways with a petition for King George 
and parliament. Then the hymn was 
lined by the minister and sung by the 
congregation. This was the dark 



age in music, and I have seen it stat- 
ed that a hymn begun in one tune 
was only too apt to end in another 
quite different, as every one sung as 
he listed, and the loudest singer came 
out triumphant, dragging his tune ta 
the front. 

The women carried in their hands 
a kerchief and prayer-book, with a 
sprig of fennel or caraway to nibble, 
as they were popularly supposed to 
possess a keep-awake quality, not 
always borne by the sermon. But 
two hours in length ! Think of it, yoi> 
who cavil at the half-hour sermon of 
your pastor, who strives hard to put 
the thoughts of a week into a nut- 
shell for the benefit of the hurried 
worshippers. Tennyson's Northern 
Farmer, stupid, sottish, and conceit- 
ed, says, — 

"An' I halliis corned to schoorch afoor my Sallf 
wor dead, 

An' 'eprd 'em a bummin' awaay loike a buzzard- 
clock ower mv ypiid ; 

An' I niver knawed what a mean'd, but 1 thowt a 
'ad summuf to saiiy. 

An' I thowt a said what a owt to a said, an' I 
comed awaay " 

But our northern farmer was dif- 
ferent. Critical, conscientious. God- 
fearing, he came to hear the Word, 
with a spice of dissent, and a daring 
mind tiiat was ever ready to argue 
upon baptism, regeneration, and fore- 
ordination with the minister, who was 
himself often a man of character. 

Parson Moody, who was settled 
over the first church in New Hamp- 
shire, had a faitli as great as that of 
the early martyrs, but bright, hope- 
ful, and humane. Tradition tells us 
that he took a pair of shoes from his 
wife's feet to give to a worthy but 
unfortunate person, and then knelt 
down and prayed fervently for an- 
other pair to replace them. His faith 
was requited, for a pair of shoes soou 
arrived. 



The Old North Church of Concord. 2*] 



THE OLD NORTH CHURCH OF CONCORD. 

Read in the Abbott Chapel, Jan. 27, 18S7. 

Upon this spot, where church and chapel stand, 
But eiglit score years ago was wild-wood land. 
Here tangled forests echoed to the tread 
Of dusky warriors and their war-whoop dread. 
Where now yon shapely spire points to the sky, 
Were loft}' pines with summits full as iiigh, 
Beneath whose branches, in the grateful shade, 
Have wandered Indian brave and Indian maid. 
Here in their wigwams by the river side 
Have countless generations lived and died ; 
Here were their pleasures few, their many woes ; 
Here were their feasts, their battles with their foes. 
Here, when their lords to hunt or fish had gone, 
The squaws would cultivate their patch of corn. 
Here lived the mighty chieftain of their race, 
In war so valiant, cunning in the chase. 
Now all have disappeared and left no trace 
Save in the names whicii dignify the place. 
Contoocook, Merrimack, and Soucook, too, 
And Penacook, are names they left to you. 
For them no cemetery was laid out, 
Their dust o'er hill and vale is spread about. 

Were they unhappy? Let us view the case : 
They had the pleasures of the hunt and chase ; 
They had no rum-shops in or near the place ; 
They had no politicians, no ring rule ; 
The boys and girls were not confined in school. 
They had no counting-house, no shop, no mill ; 
They had no gas, no coal, no butcher's bill. 
They had no pigs, nor cows, nor hens to feed ; 
Of saw, and axe. and books they had no need. 
They had no engine shrieking through the night ; 
Thev had no motor, and no horse to fright. 
They had no parlors then to sweep and dust, 
No nickle-plated silver-ware to rust ; 
No contribution box, no bank to burst ; 
No tariff high or low, and no free-trade ; 
Of competition they were not afraid. 



28 The Old North Church of Concord. 

They had no corporations then to fear, 

And no hand-organs rasping on tlie ear. 

They lived on venison and salmon-tront, 

And on the whole knew what they were about. 

In fact, our friends, the aborigines. 

Of trouble borrowed none, and lived at ease, — 

Indeed had no one but themselves to please. 

Into this Indian paradise there came 
A white man from the south in search of game : 
'Twas Ebenezer Eastman, known to fame. 
This Ebenezer was of great renown, 
And claimed as pioneer in many a town. 
Behind him came the Walkers, Bradleys, too. 
The Ballards, Farnums, Abbotts, Smiths a few. 
The Kimballs. Chandlers, Holts, — good men and true. 
With Christian zeal their manly hearts were warmed : 
Here in the wilderness a church they formed. 
They laid out present Main street, straight and wide, 
And built a meeting-house close by its side ; 
Divided land in lots of equal size. 
And in their ways were circumspect and wise. 

When they had finished preparations all. 
The Reverend Timothy Walker had a call 
To settle as their pastor in the fall. 
For over fifty years he led his flock — 
In times of peace and in the fearful shock 
Of Indian wars brou^lit on bv foreio-n hate, 
When many settlers met tlieir frightful fate. 
He served them faithfully until the end, 
A As pastor, justice, counsellor, and friend. 

For them his house was made into a fort ; 
For justice pleaded in a foreign court ; 
He faced the storms upon the ocean's breast; 
His life he gave to labor — not to rest. 
No doubt he had his hair done in a queue, 
Wore silver buckles and knee-breeches too. 
We think he could distinguisli right from wrong ; 
We know his cane was nearly five feet long. 
We think he rather liked his joke and fun ; 
We know that he could handle sword or gun. 
He christened children, funeral sermons preached, 
Joined man and maid when proper age was reached ; 
Attended to his duties, great and least. 



The Old North Church of Concord. 29 

For all the country round was toachcM-, irricst. 
In fjict his parish was the township wide ; 
From distant farms they gathered to his side. 
From Turtle pond, from Broken Ground near by, 
From Break o' Day, and from the Mountain high, 
From the Dark Plain, and from the Sugar Ball, 
From Long pond. Horse hill, and from vSewall's fall, 
From Mast Yard. Garvin's, Millville, Turkey pond, 
Would gather children and their parents fond 
At the old meeting-house at the North End, 
To hear the sermons of their reverend friend. 
Some came afoot, with shoes and socks in hand : 
To save the leather was this method planned. 
Some came on horseback with the wife behind : 
The horse-block where they landed one will find 
In Mr. Walker's door-yard at North End, 
To prove my statement and the truth defend. 

For many years the church and town were one — 
Long after Mr. Walker's work was done. 
The Reverend Israel Evans next was called, 
Then A. McFarlaud was in turn installed. 

Then fresh from Yale and Andover there came 
Nathaniel Bonton, — honored be his name ! — 
Whose history of the town increased his fame. 
'Twas here he labored from his early youth 
To green old age, instilling gospel truth. 
His heart led him his Maker to adore, 
His iiead was filled with antiquarian lore ; 
He loved not history less, but Scripture more. 
E'en now there seems to linger round this place 
His gentle presence and his noble face. 

Next came our present pastor, Mr. Ayer, 
Who now for twenty years has held the care 
Of church and flock, and lead us on the way. 
The old, the young, the sad ones and the gay, 
To where he teaches is eternal day. 

If Mr. Chase will now the church doors lock, 
Or hold them firmly as tlie granite rock, 
And let no guilty one from here escai)e 
Save o'er his mangled form and manly shape, 
We '11 try X.o pliotograph for you the flock, 
But no one's sensibilities will shock. 



3© The Old North Church of Concord. 

We first will note our agricultural friend 
From Watanummon's brook at the " north end." 
All through the state have greedy grangers hung 
Upon the accents of his silver tongue. 
From classic Yale he came, and saw no harm 
To cultivate his fame and till his farm. 
'Tis said he was presented to the queen 
As representative of grangers green. 

We have with us an unpretentious man 
Who gives his time to study, thought, and plan. 
With stores of solid wisdom he is blessed, 
His high authority bv all confessed. 
They like them most who know the Pillsburys best. 

If in our title we should find a flaw, 
And were compelled to grapple with the law, 
We have with us a man of legal lore. 
Who knows not onlv law but something more : 
Of wisdom Justice Dana hath a store. 

The best of men are sometimes rather small, 
The largest men are oft not good at all : 
We cannot judge of goodness by the size : 
We do not know, we hardly realize 
How much of good in Deacon Farnum lies. 



O" 



However, in our 3'onth we learned at school 
That some exceptions did but prove the rule : 
When nature builds on her most lavish plan, 
She often gives all virtues to the man : — 
Hath she not done so with good Captain Ann? 

Of deacons we could have as many more, 
But as it is, we get along with four : 
There's Smith, and Morrison, and Ballard, too, 
Each one a Christian leader, tried and true. 
And still another, not yet quite so old. 
Modest and pure, and, if the truth were told, 
As true as steel, as good as Moulton gold. 

Our youthful choir I hope are somewhere near, 
That they a word of honest praise may hear. 
Each of the singers hath a pleasing voice, 
And, when they sing in concert, make a noise 
Which hath a charm to sooth the savage ear, 



The Old ]Vo7't/i Church of Concord. 31 

And wring from liardest heart a silent tear. 

To all of us the choir is very dear : 

We are attached because they are so nice, 

We would not hint they 're " dear at any price." 

Our organist deserves a word of praise, 
Who only for the love of music plays. 
He filled the old North church with music sweet : 
To him and to us all 't would be a treat 
To have him play again as in old days. 
For Doctor Carter was the organ bouoht : 
I think we all esteem him as we ought. 
Oh ! may he speedily his health regain — 
Be strong and well, and with us once again. 
We should, however, rank beneath the brute, 
Did we not value high his substitute. 

Our Jewels bright we do not wish to scorn, 
Nor skip another, though a constant Thorne. 
From old colonial days are handed down 
Familiar Ballards, known about the town. 
From Charlestown, when the British fled, we find 
The Bunkers came, but left the hill behind. 

Wisconsin sends to us a chieftian brave 
Whom I will mention, nor his blushes save : 
Of warlike anecdote he hath a fund : — 
A warrior battle-scarred is General Lund. 

Nor should we leave the Abbotts in the lurch, 
For thev, indeed, are longest in the church. 
From them we get the latest Vassar lore, 
And knightly deeds as in the days of yore. 

While some with New Year's a new leaf will turn, 
We turn two Pages, who for wisdom yearn, 
And still have many pages yet to learn. 
They only seem to care for public weal, 
And labor for the common good with zeal. 

From Scotland came the Stewarts, who can trace 
Their lineage straight from Scotland's royal race. 
The family here rank quite as high as when 
In Scotland they were lords and noblemen. 
And cut a roval swell, the storv goes, 
And could wear antique armor when they chose, 
While here they cut a royal suit of clothes. 



32 The Old JVorth Church of Concord. 

We have with us a scholar versed, indeed, 
In all the wisdom human beings need : — 
A ready writer, clear, concise ; and cool, 
Etflcient teacher in his [)rivate school ; 
A man already widely known to fame — 
Why deed I mention Amos Hadley's name? 

If banks we want, we need be at no loss 
While we have amiable and gentle Cross. 
Indeed we run the very smallest risk 
In leaving all our wealth with Mr. Fiske. 
One thing alone prevents our being rash, — 
Not want of confidence, but — want of cash ! 

We have with us a politician grav, 
Not one, however, who will friends betray ; 
A grateful state enlists him in her cause, 
And trusts him with the making of the laws : 
From Enoch Gerrish, senator-elect. 
The highest statesmanship we may expect. 

Now many more would my attention claim. 
To fitly honor or [)ronounce the name ; 
But there, the door you need no longer hold, 
Although my story is but partly told : 
There are so many gathered in one fold, 
I cannot do full justice to them all, — 
Perhaps would better not have tried at all. 

But if you will for just a moment wait, 
I will a very mournful tale relate : 
\It is the sad and melancholy fate 
Of one who tried to pass St. Peter's gate, 
But was, I grieve to say, a little late. 

But better late than never, I contend. 
To brino; my nonsense rhvme to sudden end. 



Abraham Lincoln. 



33 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN' 

Appropriately Jionored bi/ the Iic])uhlicans of Neio Hampshire at the Second Banquet 

of the Lincoln Club, at the Eagle Hotel in Concord, 

Tuesday Evening, Feb. 13, 1887. 



[From the Concord ^[onitor.'\ 



In point of numbers, enthusiasm, and elo- 
quence, the meeting of the Lincoln Club of 
New Hampshire at the Eagle hotel, Tuesday 
evening, was so great a success that it will long 
be remembered as one of the most notable 
events in the history of the Republican party 
in New Hampshire. The attendance was not 
only very large, but it was made up of repre- 
sentative Republicans from all parts of the 
state. Under the direct supervision of the sec- 
retary', M. J. Pratt of this city, the arrange- 
ments had been made so complete that there 
were no unpleasant delays and no disappoint- 
ments. John L. Clark acted as treasurer in 
the unavoidable absence of Hon. E. H. Wood- 
man. The seating of the large company at the 
banquet tables was admirably looked after by 
Charles A. Herbert and Will W. Stone, and 
Norris A. Dunklee acted as door-keeper. 
Blaisdell's orchestra gave a delightful concert 
in the office of the hotel from 8 to 9, and dis- 
coursed choice music during the hour and a 
half that the discussion of the menu was in 
progress. 

The banquet is pronounced the best ever 
served in this city ; it certainly reflected the 
highest credit on Col. John A. White, the 
Eagle Hotel, and all who had a share in its 
preparation and its completion. The menu 
card bore on one side, "Eagle Hotel, Concord, 
N. H., Tuesday, February 15th, 1887." 
Above the menii was a portrait of Mr. Lin- 
coln, over-arched by the words "Lincoln Club 
of New Hampshire. " The dinner was served 
admirably in courses, and was as foUows : 

Oysters on Deep Shell. 

Clear Soup. 

Chicken Halibut. i otato Croquetts. 

Fillet of Beef with Mushrooms. 

iSoued Turkey with Jelly. 

Lettuce. Vei/etables. Celery. 

CLlcken Salad. 

Orange Sherbet. 

Larded Grouse. 

Saddle of Venison, Currant Jelly. 

Vanilla Ice Cream. Assorted Cakes. 

Green and Dry Fruit. 

Tea. Coffee. 



At the head of the table in the centre of the 
dining haU sat the president of the club, Col. 
Charles H. Sawyer of Dover ; on his right 
were Hon. C. H. Burns of Wilton, Capt. Hen- 
ry B. Atherton of Nashua, Hon. Henry Rob- 
inson of this city. Attorney- General Barnard of 
Franklin, Hon. AVilliam E. Chandler of Con- 
cord, Hon. David H. Goodell of Antrim, Hon. 
John J. Bell of Exeter, and Councillor Peter 
Upton of East Jaffrey ; Councillor B. A. Kim- 
ball of this city occupied the position opposite 
the president, and on the latter' s left were 
Rev. A. P. Rein, pastor of White Memorial 
Universalist church of this city, Col. Daniel 
Hall of Dover, Charles R. Corning of this city, 
Hon. 0. C. Moore of Nashua, Hon. Edward H. 
Rollins of this city, Hon. Dexter Rieliards of 
Newport, Councillor C. W. Talpey of Farm- 
ington, and Councillor M. L.Morrison of Peter- 
borough. Before the members of the club 
took their seats at the handsome tables, grace 
was said by Rev. Mr. Rein. After the sever- 
al courses of the banquet had been duly con- 
sidered. President Sawyer arose, and gracefid- 
ly opened the speaking of the evening as fol- 
lows : 



Gentlemex of the Lincoln Club: It gives 
me pif asui e to see such a large attendance here to- 
ii'Srht at this second meeting of tlie Lincoln Club of 
New Hampshire. It coufirms what seemeil app ir- 
eut Sit the first meetintr, that there is a strong in- 
terest felt iu tliis ort:aniz itioii by the Republicans 
of the state. We miiy reasonably hope that 
as a means of bringing togetlier members from 
throuo-hout the state it will not only be a benefit 
socially, but a'so a valuable and efficient aid in 
promoting tlie interests of tbe party. 

We are here to ce'ebrate the anniversary of the 
birth of Abraham Lincoln. Strictly, the mei ting 
should have been on the 12th. That date occur- 
ring this year on Saturday, it was thought advisa- 
ble to defer it until this evening, as being more 
convenient for members in attendance from 
the more remote parts of the ftnte. The Club 
could not have beeu more houorably or more ap- 
propriately named. 

The memory of Lincoln is growing to be more 
and more liouored and revered with the lapse of 
time. It is a name that appeals to the hearts and 
sympathy of a loyal and grateful people. A man 
of the humblest origin, he was destined by Piovi- 
dence to lead this nation through the terrible and 
mo I entous struggle which was to demonstrate to 



34 



Abraham Lincoln. 



the world that we were a nation, and that a repub- 
lican foru-. of government couM be ra lintaiiifd 
uji'ler the irreatest strain to which it could be sub- 
jected—that "f civil war His great services end- 
ed with his life, and he will be ranked with Wash- 
ington ill the heirts of his countrymen, Mnd in his. 
to'-y as one ot the greatest benetautors of the hu- 
man race. 

SPEECH OF CAPT. H. B. ATHERTON. 

The address of Captain Atherton was well 
delivered and extremely interesting. It was 
as follows : 

Mr. President and Gentlemen: I first saw 
Abraham Lincoln in the spring ot 18.i4. The news 
tliat Senator Douglass hal reported from his com- 
mittee a bill repealing the Missouri Compromise 
h^d runsr out through the country 'like a tire-bell 
ill the night." The state of Illinois wis ablaze 
with indignation. I was at Springfield at the 
meeting of the extra session of the legislature iu 
February, when that measure w is under discus- 
sion, and 1 well remember the intense excitement 
of the occasion. Shortly after, on the 22d of 
March, it became ray good fortune to listen to the 
trial of a cause in tlie Morgan county court in 
which Mr. Lincoln t'>ok part as couns 1. He was 
associated with Judge Brown of Springfield for 
Vo,f defence. A Mr. Smith and Murray McConnel 
of Jacksonville were the plaintiff's lawyers. The 
suit was brought by Silsby, editor of the Jackson- 
ville t/^wrz/a/, a free soil paper, gainst one Dun- 
lap, a pro-slavtTf Democrat, for a personal assault 
wiiich had been provoked by some politicil or per- 
sonal allusion ti> him in the paper. I remember 
that my sympathies were wholly wiih the plaintiff 
and against Mr. Lincoln's client, for the assault 
had been an aggravated one with a cane, and as a 
boy, with rather strong anti-slavery procliviiies, I 
was prejudiced against the defendant, his conduct, 
his politics, and very likely against his counsel 
also; and y^t I was delighted with the argument 
of Mr Lincoln, which made a lasting impression 
on my mind. I recall the expr-ctitiou I had that 
"Judge" Brown was to do something commensu- 
rate with his title, anil the surprise I felt t lat he 
was so much surpassed by his ftssociate. The jury 
gave the plaintiff .fSiiO, and ought probably to have 
given him more; but that night I put down in my 
not? book. "Mr. Lincoln is a very good speaker," 
and that was very true. 

Thou J h then 45 years old, he was but little known 
outside his own state. He had been in the practice 
of the law seventeen years. He had served two or 
three terms in the state legislature and one in Con- 
gress, and, as candidate for presidenti il electo'-, 
had stumped the state both in 1840 and 1844 for the 
Whig party. 

Before he began to study law he had begun to 
advo'iate those principles which later made him a 
representative Republican. In 18 <2, when he an- 
nounced liraself at the age of twenty-three a can- 
didate for the legislature, he sdd, in whit must 
have been about his first political speech, "I am in 
favor of the internal improvement system and a 
high protective tariff." i wenty-three years later, 
when his most intimate friend, Speed, inquired of 
him how he stood, he wroe, "I ihink I am a 
Whig. * * « I now do no more than 
oppose the extension of slavery. I am not a Know 
Nothing : that is certain. How could I be? How 
could any one who abhors the oppression of negr.ies 
be in favor of d gi ading classes of white people ?" 

Sprung from the ranks of the "plain people" 
himself, nis sympathies were always with tlie poor. 
Born among the poor wliites of a border slave 
state, where labor wis degraded, good schools 
made impossible, and the door to advancement 
closed by the b'ight of hiimm slavery, he had, 
through hi-i own experience and that of hin parents 
before him, become cons ious of the great wrong 
and injustice to the wliites, and the great misery 
and wretche Iness to the negroes caused by slavery. 
His kind heart could not witness unmoved the dis- 



tress of a dumb anitnal, and much less could he 
bear to see the oppressed slaves at their unrequited 
toil. Poverty, weakness, distress, or misfortune 
never appealed to him in vain. 

He sought distinction wit lout diszuise or hypoc- 
risy. He covete I the good will of his fellow-men, 
but always sought to merit it. He was intellectual- 
ly as Well as morally honest, and as he never de- 
ceived others so, he neper deluded himself. Of 
such material were the men who originated the 
Republican party, and Mr. Lincoln was a fair rep- 
resentative of that party, .i vast majority of its 
voters were working men, intelligent, conscien- 
tious, and patriotic. 

Within the uast few years men have protested 
against being compelled to compete with the labor 
of a few hundreil unpaid convicts in the prisons, or 
of a few thousand economical Chinese on the Pa- 
cifi ; coast, who with no families or c'urches to 
su|)port, are able to underbid in the labor market 
the honest Christian, who lives like a man, sup- 
ports his wife a'ld chddren, sustains schools and 
churches, and performs his whole duty as a citizen: 
and I believrt there is some ground for an open and 
manly protest in that direction. But the grievance 
from tuese sources is the merest trifle compared 
with the intolerable competi ion of three millions 
of "chattels real," — African slaves fed on the 
coarsest of food, clothed with the cheapest of gar- 
ments, and working for no pay whatever. That 
WIS the substantial grievance which the white 
workingmen of t'le country, uniting under the 
name ot the R-^publican party, openly combined 
to meet. It cheapened the wiges of the white man. 
It cast odium on honest labor — that blessing in dis- 
guise without which no race ever emerged from bar- 
barism, and no individual ever attained to a whole- 
some and healthy growth. It retarded civilization, 
denied the rights of man, and was at war with our 
free institutions. It grew strong, aggressive, and 
detiant. It proclaimad "('otton is knig!" and cap- 
italists at the North timidly bowed before His Maj- 
esty. 

Making use '"f the Democratic party as its agent 
and instrument, slavery began an advance along 
the whole line. The oiijective points of this con- 
certed movement were to nationalize slavery and 
ultimately to reopen the African slave trade, and 
thereby still further to cheapen labor. Men 
brought cargoes of slaves from the Congo coast and 
landed them on the shores of the Southern states 
■w itli no apparent fear or danger of punisument. 
The area for slavery was enlarged by waging a war 
of doubtful justice upon a sister republic ami de- 
spoiling her of a large portion of her territory. 
The fugitive slave law was passed which compelled 
free men in the North at the will of a United 
States marshal to take the place of blood-hounds 
in the South in hunting down the fugitive flying 
from an intolerable thralldom. Iu the U. S su- 
preme court the Dre<l Scott decision was obtained, 
in which it was ainiounced that noslaveor descend- 
ant of a slave cou'd be a person entitled to the 
right of habeas corpus, or trial by juiy, and that 
neither Congress nor a territorial legislature could 
exclude slavery from the territories. The court 
would not admit that even the state legislatures 
could exclude slavery from their respective states ; 
and it was believed tiiat their next step would be to 
declare that the st ites had not the power under 
the constitution. The Lemon slave case was al- 
ready going through the New Ym-k courts, where 
in the court of appe lis I heard Charles O'Connor 
argue a'jainst WilliaTu M. Evarts that a Southern 
slaveholder coulil voluntarily bring his "chattels" 
into New York, and they were not thereby nude 
free, but he might retain possession of them and 
take them back to the South. Robert Toombs pro- 
posed to call the roll of his slaves beneath the 
shadow of Bunker Hill monument. To this end 
the three de lartments of the general government 
were working in harmony. 

The Missouri ('omproniise had dedicated to free- 
dom the territories north of 36 deg 30 min., and was 
thought by many to be as binding as the constitu- 
tion it -elf. The good f ith of both sections was 
pledged taits maintenance. The slaveholders had 



Abraham Lincoln. 



35 



control of the Democrat io party, and no person, 
unless lie was willing; to do their bidding, could 
hope tor advancement within that piity. That 
was the situation wlien, on the 'I'MK ot Januaiy. 
1854, Stephen A. Di)u<^las, as a bid tor tlie next 
president al noniination of his i)aity, iiitiodnced 
Itito the senate tUn famous Kansas-Ntbraska bill, 
repealing the Miss"uri Compromise. Nolioily in 
Illinois had asked Mr. Dcuifjlas to take that step. 
It was the order of the slave power, and the pas- 
sage of the bill wis a declaration of war on the 
part of the South. Very soon b ith parties began 
to throw (int skirmishers into Kansas, and the result 
of the preliminary struggle was witi the North. 

It I ad bffome evident to the minds of such men 
as William H. SeWiird a d Abraham Line In that 
the "irrepressible conflict between oppi sing and 
endurini forces" had begun. It was in the open- 
ing sentence of his great ^peech of the 17th of June, 
1858, that Mr. Lincoln s;ud,— "A house divided 
against itself cannot stand I believe that this 
government cannot eu'ite permanently half slave 
and half free. I do not expect the ITnion to be 
dissolved. I do not expect the iiouse will tall; but 
I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will be- 
come all one thing or all the oth»'r. Either the 
opponeiits of si very will arrest the 1 urth r spread 
of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest 
in the belief th.it it is in course of ultimate extinc- 
tion, or its advoc;itPS will push it forward till it 
shall become alike lawful in all the states, old as 
well as new, Noith as well as South." 

The course of Mr. Douglas having made him 
the most conspicuous of the nemocratic leaders in 
the North, his ambition was no longer limited to 
the Senate or any place within the gift of the peo- 
ple ot Illinois. He now aspired to the presidpncy 
of the United States. For twenty years Mr. Lin- 
coln bad been his rival and competit< r, antagoniz- 
ing him step by step. He had nu t him repeatedly 
in oebat •, and had answered his arguments on the 
tariff and internal improvements, and, more recent- 
ly, upon the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and 
"popular sovereignty," until he had come to be 
recognized as the champion of the free >tate men. 
Od all sides it was expected of him that he should 
again take the stump in opposition to Mr. Doug- 
las ana the aggressions of the sbive power. The 
famous deb ite of 1858 between them made Mr. 
Lincoln well known to the whc.le country, and 
wit'iout doubt the si iial abili'y which he then 
displayed, the moderation and fairness of his 
views, coupled with his inflexible tirmness for the 
right, made him the candidate of the Republican 
party in 18§0. 

In his speeches he did not deal in second-hand 
ideas His practical tr lining prevented his being 
bookish or fond of abstractions From his own 
wide experience with men and nature he drew 
illustrations familiar to himsf If aTid to his audi- 
ences. He was not inclined to the use of invective, 
and was slow to applj hard names to his oppo- 
nents He prefered 'o appeal to their intelligence 
and sense of iiistice, an to convince them 
through their reason. He never undertook to per- 
suade men by personal abuse. In his public dis- 
cussions he seems to have neen always charitable 
towar s those who dirt'ered with him, apparently 
believing they might be honestly wrong, and seek- 
ing to win them to his way of thinking. He 
never claimed for himself or hi- party all the wis- 
dom ami viitue of the country, nor denied a fair 
share to his oppon. nts ; and" yet U'der his wise 
counsel, and in a large mea ure by his efforts, the 
anti-s'avery Whigs, the free-soil' Democr<t-i, the 
abolitionists, the constitutional uninn men of 
Illinois, anil, to a certain extent, of the ciuntiy 
at large, were united in one homogeneous whole, 
welded into the Republican party, — a party which 
has done more for x\\- ni' ral and material welfare 
of this country than any other party has ever d ine 
for any country si ce the dawn ot civilizatio' . 
With the war for the Union waued and won, with 
slavery r>. ndered irapotsible forever hereatt-r, 
with the Pacific Riilwav built, and a generous 
homestead given to every settler, all uiuier the ad- 
ministration of the first president elected by that 



party, the country has gone on in a course of pros- 
perity never equalled before, and has grown so in 
j)opiilalion, and so multinliri'l all those comforts 
ami necessa'ies of life which go to make up the 
collective we 1th of a peo)ile. that it has become 
the most populous, the wealthies', and, I may add, 
the most powerful natioi: in Christendom. It leads 
the van of civilization. 

Rut it is natural for us to be not quite satisfied. 
It is hard to let well enough alone. Toe best is not 
quite good enough; and it is as well so, otherwise 
if we were too easily coutent we sboul i make no 
progress. In this age of boycotts, lockouts, and 
strike", su cessful and otherwise, we hear a great 
deal about socialism, communism, niliilistu, anar- 
chy, the land ques'tion, and vaiious other move- 
ments founded on the assumption that capital mustf 
always of necessity bw at war with labor. On this 
assuin|)tion the workingman is invited to align 
himself w.th this or that movement, and by so do- 
ing better his en ition. Now, there was a time 
when to a certain extent labor was at war with 
capital. That was the time when the Democratic 
party said c ipital had a right tob.iy and own labor. 
The Republican party, composed as it was of work- 
ingmen, took the opposite view, and said the con- 
verse of th-i proposition is true, and that instead of 
capital owning tlie laborer, the laborer should own 
the ca|)itul, as mu h of it as possible; and for the 
past thirty years that party has done everything to 
help him to take t lat position with regard to capi- 
tal. A high protective tariff gives high wages to 
the workm m, and, so long as his tea and coffee, 
his beef and flour, his hou-ie rent and doctor's bills, 
and nine-tenths of his clothii g pay no duty, the 
co*t of living is not perceptibly increased by the 
tariff. By reason of the protective tariff, advocat- 
ed by Lincoln in 1832 and put in operation under 
his administration by a Republican Congress, hun- 
dre 's of thousanr's ot laborers have found com- 
fortable homes in this country, who, but for that 
Reput'lican measure, would have had no pecuniary 
inducement to come t > us across the Atlantic. 

Upon thi^ que tion of the relation between labor 
and capital, which to-day perplexes the minds of a 
gooii many hone?t men, we are not left without 
words of gu dance from the sagacious and far-see- 
ing Lincoln In his message to Congress in Decem- 
ber, 1861, no' w thstanding the public mind was 
intent ui>oii the pro-ecution of the war, he spoke 
of the attempt of the Confederacy to place capital 
on an equal footing, if not above labor, and enum- 
erated fallacious assumptions on which they pro- 
ceeded. He said they assumed that labor is avdil- 
able only in com ection with capital ; that nobody 
labors unless induced thereto by somebody else 
owning capital, either by hiring or owning the 
laborer ; that w hoever is a hired laborer is flxed in 
that condition tor life. "Now," he said, "there is 
no such relation between capital and labor as 
assumed ; nor is there any such thing as a free man 
being fixed for life in the condition of a hired 
labo er. Both these assumptions are false, and all 
inferences from them are groundless. Labor is 
piior to and independent of cipital. Capital is 
only the fruit of labor, and could never have exist- 
ed if labor h.ad not first existed. Labor is the supe- 
rior of capital, and deserves much the hiiiher con- 
sideration. Capital has its rights, which are as 
worthy of protection as any other rights." He s id 
a few men possess capital, and with their capital 
hire another few to labor for them, but a large 
majority North and South, were neither masters 
nor si IV. s, hirers nor hired. Men, with their fami- 
lies, wives, sons, and daughters, work f"r them- 
selves on their farn^s, in their houses, and in their 
shops, tik'ng their whole product to themselves, 
and asking no favors of capital on tue one hand or 
hired laborers on the other. 

"Again," Mr. Lincoln repeat-, "there is not of 
necessity any such thing as the free hired laborer 
being fixe to that condition for life," and then he 
ailded in words, whic'i, though I read them first 
while in carnf) in Vi -uiiiii more than twenty-five 
years ago, I think I shall never forget because they 
ure so true of our people: ".Many independent 
men eveiywhere in these states a fiw yeirs bick in 



2,^ 



Abra/iani Lincoln. 



their lives were hired laborers. The prudent, pen- 
niless beginner in the world labors for wages 
awhile, saves a surplus with whicli to buy tools or 
land for himself, then labors on lis own ai'count 
another while, and at len-zth hires another new be- 
gjinnertohelphim.Tliisis the just and generous and 
prosperous system which opens the way to all, 
gives hope toall, and consequent energy and prog- 
re^s and improvement of c jndition to all. No men 
living Hre more worthy to be trusted than those 
who toil up from poverty ; none less in dined to 
taU I- or touch aught which they have not honestly 
earned." 

T lese words of Abraham Lincoln are as wise and 
true to-dny as they were when first uttered, and 
they are still the d ictrine of the Republican party. 
,Wliile capital has a right to protection, labor is 
still its superior. We recognize the fact tiiat hn- 
DiHU beings are of more consequence than d jUars, 
that persons are more precious than things, and, 
h ippily for the workingman, imder a fre^ govern- 
ment, the parry that by precept or example teaches 
oth-rwise, will soon tiecome a mere plutocratic 
remnant without v^tes 

I c jMgrntulate the members of our club upon the 
na lie we have assumed, and I venture to predict, 
that so lon'i as the Republicans of Nhw Hampshire 
continue to honor the na'ne of Lincoln and tollow 
his example and teachiims, they wi'l deserve and 
continue to receive the support of a great majority 
of the intelligent people ot the state. 

• SPEECH OF COL. DANIEL HALL. 

The oration of Colonel Hall received the 
close attention of every one present, and was 
able and eloquent. It was as follows : 

Mr. President: I understand that I am ex- 
pected to occupy a few minutes of your time in 
speaking of " Abraham Lincoln as a Man." The 
theme is too large for me, and crushes me at the 
beginning. It is like speaking of the sun: and as. 
while we stand in the full efiiilgenee of that great 
luminary, flooding the world with its light and 
warmth and life-giving power, it is impossible to 
disentangle and analyze its various and many-hued 
rays of benelicence, so is it difficult to emphasize 
any separate aspects of this illustrious and many- 
sided character. The mere character of a great 
man not seldom confers greater benefits upon the 
nation, and upon the ejjoch in which he lives, than 
any, or even all, of his specific achievements. I 
have sometimes thought that such was the minis- 
try to us of the life of Abraham Lincoln; for 
though it \v:is given to him to connect his name 
inseparably with some of the greatest events in our 
history, — the overthrow of the Rebellion, the 
maintenance of the Union, the emiincii)ation of the 
slave, — yet, when we consider the great moral 
authority his name has gained, the ideas and asso- 
ciations'that cluster about that unique individual- 
it) , how his iuHuonce and example and ])iecepts 
have ui)lift<;d this jicople in their whole being, it 
seems as if he had brought a new force into our 
national life; had set in motion a tniin ot benign 
influences which is to go on without limit, so that 
in future his age is to lorm a new date and point 
of depurtuie in our political calendar. 

So familiar is his personality to us that we 
scarcely need to know more of him; and yet I 
think ail of us must be reading witn deep interest 
the new Ul'e of him, which is apiiearing in "The 
Century." and throwing fresh light upon his ori- 
gin, his education, and his early career. There was a 
special fitness in the birth, amid the poorest and 
harshest surroundings, of him whose destiny it 
was to assert for his country and his age the di- 
vine right, not of kings, but of humanity, — the es- 
sential e(|iiality of men, and their right to an 
untrammellod liberty and an unfettered iiursuit of 
hai)piness. No training in the schools entered into 
his preparation for his great work, hut he lived 
the lifeoCthe broad West, breathing its free and 
invigorating air, and thus developed a sterling 



manhood, health of body, and strength of limb, 
truth in every word and deed, and a clearness of 
vision and moral intrepidity which the schools 
cannot supply. Thus reared, amid humble and  
simple surroundings, he " mewed his mighty 
youth" iu warfare upon 

" The uncleared forest, the unbroken soil, 
The iron bark that turns the lumberer's axe, 
The rapid that oerbears tlie boatman's toil, 
The prairie, hiding the mazed wanderer's tracks, 

" The ambushed Indian and the prowling bear, — 

Such were the needs that helped his youth to 
train: 

Rough culture — but such trees large fruit may 
bear. 

If but their stocks be of right girth and grain." 
 
In such a mould his life took on that rough exte- 
rior and homely garb which shaped it for all time, 
and made him "in his simplicity sublime." 

These struggles of pioneer lite were the bracing 
on of the armor of Vulcan which equipped him for 
deeds of hi;;h emi)rise ; they made him brave and 
true, genuine and sincere, — one to whom duty 
should be first, and the rights of man second; and 
he grew up having in him what our ancestors, 
with awful solemnity, called "the fear of God." 
To his latest day he took on no veneer of polish : 
he assumed no dramatic attitudes for dazzling the 
eye or impressing the imagination, and was guilty 
of no trickeries to cheat the judgment of contem- 
poraries or ot posterity. 

It is not necessary to trace Mr. Lincoln's path- 
way, step by step, upward towards the high places 
of the world. You are all familiar with the slow 
but sure processes of liis growth and advancement. 
His original abilities were of a high order. He 
saw quickly and distinctly. His mind was clear, 
and open to truth as the flowers are to the sunlight 
and the dew. His reasonings were close and 
sound. He was a man of power and effectiveness, 
and so steadily did he grow in public esteem that 
long before his great preferment was dreamed of he 
enjoyed a popular regard almost unparalleled. No 
stronger proof of his intellectual and moral ener- 
gy can be cited than the rapid and strong hold 
which he gained in due lime upon the patriotism, 
the conlidence, and the faith of the country. 
These elements crystallized with an unhesitating 
abandon about liis name, and the strength and vi- 
tality ot the free North took the color of his mind, 
and became charged with his personality. That 
he was a great lawyer, with vigorous powers of 
logic and coni)iarison and illustration, and a 
strong grasp ujioii legal principles, will be shown 
to you by another, amply competent to present to 
you that phase of his greatness; and I will not 
trench upon his province. 

He was also an orator of rare power. Before those 
rather ruue audiences of the West, which had no 
fastidiousness, and judged him by no nice sfgindard 
of taste, he was grandly effective, and convinced 
and sw;iyed them with consummate skill. With 
them he employed, as he did xnerywhere, those 
" rugged jihrases hewn Irom life," and that inimi- 
table wit and genial humor which t(>stili(i(l to his 
real seriousness, and' the zest and relish with which 
he entered into the life around him. 'i ho severe 
logic, the clearness and (•(nni)actiiess of statement, 
the moral earnestness which struck a deeper chord 
even than conviction. — all these apiiear in some of 
his speeches in Congress, and notably in the re- 
nowned debate liotween him and Douglas; and in 
theseand hiscasual addresses, more still in his un- 
studied conversations, there is to be loiind phrase 
after phrase tiiat has the ring and the weight and 
the sharp outline of a bronze coin. Hut he filled 
also the requisites of a higher and more exacting 
criticism. Though unlearned, and without the 
graces of the schools, he was soineliines gifted with 
the loftiest eloquence. On great occasimis, written 
and spoken sjjeech has rarely risen to higher levels 
than from his lips. Some of his utterances, in- 
stinct with solemn thoiightfulness. and illustrated 
by beauty of diction, a sententious brevity, and 



Abraham Lincoln. 



37 



felicitous turns of oxprossion, such as tlio Cooper 
Institute speech, his inau;;urul sHldresse^, and llie 
oration iit (iettysl)ui jr, are iiiasteriiitces. to live and 
resound as lonsr iis llu^ Knulisli loiiijue survives. 

Mr. I,incoln aii^wci-cd. as I tiiink. another oftlie 
uncrrinj; ti.-ts of fircatiiess. in his marked individ- 
uality, and his uni(|ue uidikeness.to everybody else. 
He had no alleclation of siiiRularitv, and yet he 
cri-ated a distinctness of inipre?^siou which seems to 
point him out as a tvjie by hinisell. a distiucit spe- 
cies created by the Divine hand in the evolution of 
time. His imase on our vision is not a blur, but 
is as distinctly and sharply cut as the outline of a 
oameo, or 

"The dome of Florence drawn on the deep blue 
sky." 

No other jjreat man as yet in the least resembles 
him; and if my friends, we are so happy one day 
as to meet the shades of the };reat in the Elysian 
tields, we shall know that e.xalted spirit at a glance, 
and we shall no more mistake the identity of Abra- 
ham Lincoln than we shall that of C;psar or Croin- 
well or iSapoleon, AVashinjjton or Grant. Nature 
stamps her particular sign-manual upon each of her 
supi-emely {Treat creations, and we may be sure that 
she broke the die in moulding Lincoln. 

'I"o a club which has honored itself by taking his 
great name, an inquiry into Mr. Lincoln's concep- 
tion of politics must ever be a study of the deepest 
interest. In the first place, he icaa a politician from 
the crown of his head to the sole of his toot, and, 
himself pure, sober, temperate, chaste, and incor- 
ruptible, he never shrank from what the mawkish 
sentimentality of our day affects to condemn and 
sneer at as the vulgarity of engaging in politics. 
He entered with ardor into the political life around 
him; he engaged in partv caucuses, conventions, 
and gatherings; he mixed in the political manage- 
ment of his state, his county, his district. Ins town- 
ship, and received no contamination thereby. He 
conceived this to be the duty of every citizen of a 
free republic, and no word discouraging political 
activity ever fell from his lips. He carried into his 
politics the same morality tliat he used in his daily 
dealings with clients and friends. He was incapa- 
ble ot intrigue, he was true and transparent, and 
no duplicity ever stained his integrity. He studied 
the currents of pidjiic opinion, not as a demagogue 
to slavishly follow them, but from a profound con- 
viction that, as to times and means, all men are 
wiser than any one man, and from a real respect 
for the will of the people, to which he ever render- 
ed a genuine homage. He sought no power. He 
was too healthy and natural to be disturbed by anv 
troubled dreams of a great destiny : and if he had 
ambition, it was free from vulgar taint. But in 
power he never forgot his trusteeship for the peo- 
ple, and he never lost elbow-touch with those to 
whom he rendered 

"The constant service of the antique world. 
When service sweat for duty, not lor meed." 

The world knew, therefore, that glory, or vanity, 
or lust of power had no place in that pure heart. 
" His ends were his countiy's, his God's, and 
truth's," and thus did he earn the proud title of 

" Statesman, yet friend to truth ! of soul sincere, 
In action faithful, and in honor clear; 
Who broke no promise, served no private end, 
Who gained no title, and who lost no friend." 

Therefore, 3Ir. President, I claim that liis whole 
life is a standing reproof tf) the flippant notion and 
the -keptical and cynical fling that polities is a dis- 
honest game. He was a politician trom the outset; 
and if there is one lesson inculcated hereto-day 
by his life and character, it is that politics in a free 
government affords the loftiest themes of thought 
and the grandest theatre of action for men of great 
, and consecrated powers. He was a sti iking proof 
that the honestest politics is the best politics, that 
the greatest prizes are gained by unselfish souls, 
and that, in fact, there is in decent politics no room 
for a dishonest man. Here was a man devoted all 



his life to politics in America, with a zeal and in- 
tensitv which left him no time for the study of any- 
thing hut jiolitics. and the law by which he gained 
his meagre livelihood; and if, as has been said, 
there is something narrowing in the jiiolession of 
hiw, ami degrading in the jiursuit of politics, surely 
Abraham Lincoln ilid not e.xeniplify it, nor did he, 

" born for the universe, narrow his ndnd, 

And to party give up what was meant lor man- 
kind." 

After his great elevation, his si)eeclies and state 
l)apers are replete with pioofs or his political in- 
sight, his clearness of vision, and his far-reaclnng 
views. He saw vividly the great considerations 
which determinj'd his duty, and that of his party, 
on the question of disunion He felt in his own 
breast the pulsations of this mighty land. He saw 
his country and her splendid opportunities tor a 
great race for empire, — no oceans or mountains 
dividing, great riveis connecting, a common ori- 
gin, a common history, common traditions, a com- 
mon language, continuity of soil, and a great posi- 
tion in the family of nations which unity alone 
could secure. He rose to the full height of the 
Issues involved. He knew that should the South 
succeed in winning independence " the cloth once 
rent would be rent again;'' that there would no 
longer be one America, but many Americas; that 
the New World would tread over again in the 
bloody tracks of the Old ; that there would be rival 
communities, with rival constitutions, Democracies 
lapsing Into military despotisms, intrigues, dissen- 
sions, and wars following on wars. 'Iherefore this 
man, so gentle, so mild, so peace-loving, that every 
shot sent a pang to his own heart, could give the 
word of command, and. with unbending will, see 
the United States tear open their veins, and spill 
their blood in torrents that they might remain one 
people. But throughout the sanguinary carnival 
through which he was forced to lead us for four 
loug years, Mr. Lincoln's natuie remained true 
and tender and forgiving. No bitterness and no 
uncharltableness usurped any place In hl» heart. 
I'liere was not hing local op provincial in his patriot- 
Ism. Notwithstanding the insults and contempt 
lavished upon himself, despitethe injury and wrong 
done to what ho held dearer than hlinselt, — the 
Union and the liberty which it made possible, — he 
still enfolded the .South in his warmest affections. 
His whole public life Is full of evidences of this 
breadth of view, this cathoiicity of temper, this far- 
reaching statesmanship, this magnanimous and 
Christian spirit. He yearned for peace unceasing- 
ly ; and theie can bo no doubt that a complete pac- 
iiication and reconciliation on the basis of impar- 
tial liberty was the last and fondest dream of his 
great soul, rudely interrupted by the stroke of the 
assassin. He lived not to realize his great designs, 
yet he fullilled his historic mission, and what a 
large arc In the completed circle of our country's 
history will his administration embrace! What 
harvests of martial and civic virtue were garnered 
in! What a treasure-house of national memories 
and heroic traditions was prepared! What a new 
and glorious impulse was communicated to the na- 
tional life ! 

What was achieved by his genius and character 
by that peculiar conihination and summary of qual- 
ities of heart and brain and environment which 
make up what we call Abraham Lincoln, we, by 
our finite standards and our piirtial view of the 
scopes and orbits of human influence, can never 
adequately measure. But some things we see in 
their completeness before our eyes. SVe gaze with 
admiration upon his pure and upright cliaracter, 
his immovable firmness and determination in the 
right, his inexhaustible patience and hopefulness 
under reverses. We remember how steadily these 
masterful qualities wrought upon the public mind, 
till his quaint wisdom, his di^interestedness, his 
identification with the princijiles that underlay 
the issues of the Civil War, made his name repre- 
sentative of all that was highest and holiest and 
best in the North, and gave it a prestige which 



38 



Abraham Lincoln. 



alone was sufficient to carry us triumphantly 
through to the end. Before this prestige all resist- 
ance was discomfited, and his was the hand to com- 
plete and adorn the unfinished temple of our fa- 
thers. Substituting the corner-stone of Freedom for 
that of Slavery, he built anew the indestructible 
edifice of our Liberty, giving it new proportions of 
beauty, lifting up into the cleai- blue its towers and 
pinnacles, white and pure, and crowning all with 
the Emancipation rroclamatiou as its fitting caj)- 
stone. He it was who presided over the strife 
whicli restored the Union, and " out of the nettle 
Danger plucked the flower Safety." But for that 
great character, raising high above the tumult of 
contending parties its voice of patriotism and 
moderation — that moderation which a profound 
writer calls " the great regulator of human inlelli- 
gence" — who shall say that this government would 
not liave been rent asunder, and the Ship of State 
foundered with all on board? There is no difler- 
ence of opinion now as to the grandeur and nobil- 
ity of this service. It was the finishing toirch upon 
ttie work of Washington. Before Lincoln, Wash- 
ington stood alone as the one great typical Amer- 
ican. But now a new planet has come into our 
field of vision, and with him holds its place in our 
clear upper sky. Indeed, it is a significant fact 
that, as time goes on, our Southern i)eople, who so 
sorely taxed and saddened that great spirit, are 
gaining a love and reverence for him almost tran- 
scending our own. J'hose whom he leduced to 
obedience are foremost in appreciation of liim, so 
that that eloquent son and orator of the New South 
could rise at the banquet of the New England So- 
ciety of New York on last Forefathers' Day, and 
pay this lofty tribute to his genius and virtue. 

Said he, 'From the union of these colonists, 
from the straightening of their purposes and the 
crossing of their blood, slow perfecting through a 
century, came he who stands as the first typical 
American, the first who comprehended within him- 
self all the strength and gentleness, all the maj- 
esty and grace, of this republic — Abraham Lincoln. 
He was the sum of i'uritan and Cavalier, tor in his 
arden* nature were fused the virtues of both, and 
in the depths of his great soul the faults of both 
were lost. He was greater than I'urilan, greater 
than Cavalier, in that he was American, and that 
in his homely form were first gathered the vast 
and thrillingforcesofthis ideal government — charg- 
ing it with such tremendous meaning, and so 
elevating it above human suffiL'ring that mar- 
tyrdom, thougli infamously aimed, came as a fit- 
ting cro ' n to a lite const crated fieni the cradle to 
human liberty." 

This is equally beautiful and true; and it well 
pays us lor waiting to hear it come at lasi from I he 
lips of a lieorgian, representing a city so hammered 
and trampled upon by our hosts that ,'^carcely one 
stone of it was left upon another in the gigantic 
struggle. 

Not less striking, nor less surely the voice of the 
civilized world, were those strains, which, a few 
days alter his death, swelled from the liarj) of Eng- 
land through the jiages of y'«/)c/(. which had rid- 
iculed and insulted him through life: 

You lay a wreath on murdered I-incoln's bier, 
You, who with mocking pencil wont to trace. 

Broad for the self-complacent British sneer, 
His length of shambling limb, his furrowed face, 

His gaunt, gnarled hands, his unkempt, bristling 
hair. 

His garb uncouth, his bearing ill at ease. 
His lack ol all we prize as debonair, 

Of power or will to shine, of art to please, — 

You,, whose smart pen backed up the pencils laugh. 
Judging each stop as tlnuigh the way were plain ; 

Reckless, so it could point its jiaragraph. 
Of chief's perplexity, or people's jiain! 

Beside this corpse, that boars for winding sheet 
The stars and stiipes he lived to rear anew, 

Between the mourners at his head and feet. 
Say, scurril jester, is tlieie room for you f 



Yes, he had lived to shame me from my sneer; 

To lame my pencil, and confute my pen; — 
To make me own this hind of princes peer; 

This rail-splitter a true born king of men. 

My shallow judgment I had learnt to rue, 
Noting how to occasion's height he rose; 

How his quaint wit made home- truth seem more 
true; 
How iron-like his temper grew by blows; 

How humble, yet how hopeful, he could be; 

How, in good fortune and in ill, the same; 
Nor bitter in success, nor boastful he, 

Thirsty for gold, nor feverish for fame. 

He went about his work — such work as few 
E\ er had laid on head, and heart, and hand — 

As one who knows, where there 's a task to do, 
Man's honest will must heaven's good grace com- 
mand. 

Who trusts the strength will with the burden grow, 
That God makes instruments to work his will, 

If but that «ill we can arrive to know, 
Nor tamper with the weights of good and ill. 

So he went forth to battle, on the side 

Tliat he felt clear was Liberty's and Right's, 
As in his peasant boyhood he had plied 
His warfare with rude Nature's thwarting mights. 



So he grew up a destined work to do, 
Anil lived to do it; four long suffering years'- 

lU-fate, ill-feeling, ill-report, lived through. 
And then he heard the hisses change to cheers, 

The taunts to tribute, the abuse to praise. 
And took both with the same unwavering mood: 

Till, as he came on light, from darking days, 
And seemed to touch the goal from where he 
stood, 

A felon had, between the goal and him. 
Reached from behind his back, a trigger prest, — 

And those perplexed and patient eyes were dim 
Those gaunt, long-laboring limbs were laid to 
rest : 

The words of mercy were upon his lips, 
Forgiveness in his heart and on his pen. 

When this vile murderer brought switt eclipse 
To thoughts of peace on earth, good-will to men. 

The Oil! World and the New, from sea to sea, 
Utter one voice of sympathy and shame ! 

Sore heart, so stopped when it at last beat high f 
Sad life, cut short just as the triumph came! 

A deed accurst ! Strokes have been struck before 
By the assassin's hand, whereof men doubt 

If moie of horror or disgrace they bore. 
But thy foul crime, like Cain's, shines darkly out. 

Vile hand, that brandest murder on a strife, 
Whate'er its grounds, stoutly and nobly striven, 

And with the martyr's crown crowiiest a life 
With much to praise, little to be forgiven ! 

Therefore, it is clear that whatever differences we 
are to have hereafter with our liiethren of the re- 
cent strife, and with the laces of mankind, we are, 
by common consent, to stand with equal reverence 
before him; antl contemphifing tlie life onward 
and upward of this peasant boy, from the log cabin 
to the White House, and the moral dictatorship of 
the world, I involuntarily bow before the inscrut- 
able things of the universe, and e.xclaim, — "Sub- 
lime destiny! to have climbed by his unaided ener- 
gies not only to the summit of earthly power, but 
to the reverence of history, and an undisputed do- 
minion over the hearts and minds of posterity in 
all coming ages." 

I have spoken of Mr. Lincoln's plainness and 
simplicity, his abilities and achievements, and his 
relation to politics, i'hrough these he became a 



Abraham Lincoln. 



39 



groat factor in tlip oveiits of his tiino. l$ut after 
all I must tliiiik the true key to lii.s iuflucnce is to 
be soujtiif and found elsewhere. \\\ his incorrup- 
tible puritv, his di>interestedness, his inflexible 
morality, his fidelity fo convictions, — in short, in 
his moral earnestness, — here were the real hiding- 
places of his power. The worhl is ever loyal to 
this lofty type of cluiracter, and whenever it recog- 
nizes a man who never does violence to his moral 
sense, it brings him the crown of its allegiance and 
homage. It was Mr. Lincoln's sturdy honesty that 
gave him earlv tlie soiiliri(j>icl of " Honest Abe," 
which never left him; and this it was that winged 
his speech with celestial lire, and nuule him victor 
wherever he moved. 'I'he moral bearings of every 
question presented to him were never out of his 
mind. In this resi)pct, unlike most of the world's 

freat, "his wagon" was always "hifchcd to a star." 
n tine, the elements of intellect, and will, and 
morality, were 

"So mix'd in him. that Nature might stand up, 
And say to all the world, This was a Man ! " 

There is one scene in the life of Mr. Lincoln 
which has impressed my imagination beyond any 
other, and I have wondered why some masterly 
artist has never yet seized and thrown it in glow- 
ing colors and im'inortal beauty upon some great 
historical canvas. It seems to me it must have 
been the supreme happiness of that weary life, the 
moment when he looked into the dusky faces of 
his children by adoption in the streets of Rich- 
mond, from whose limbs the fetters had dropped 
at his touch, whom his word had lifted into the 
gladsome light of liberty, — "sole passion of the 
generous heart, sole treasure worthy of being cov- 
eted." 

O my friends, the people did not simply admire 
Abraham Lincoln for his intellectual power, his 
force of will, the purity of his conscience, the rec- 
titude of his private and public life ; but they loved 
him as little children love their father, because 
they knew that he "loved the people in his heart 
as a father loves his children, ready at all hours of 
the day or the night to rise, to march, to tight, to 
suffer, to conquer or to be conquered, to sacrifice 
liimself for them without reserve, with his fame, 
his fortune, his liberty, his blood, and his life." 

Great men are like mountains, which grow as 
they recede from view. We are even now, perhaps, 
too near this extraordinary man, as indeed we are 
too near the remarkable events in which he lived 
and fought and won his battle of life, to appreciate 
them in their full significance. His fame in the 
centuries to come will rest, as that of all great men 
must and does, upon certain acts that stand out as 
landmarks in history. Few men have been so for- 
tunate as he. So canonized is he in the heart of 
mankind, that envy and detraction fall harmless at 
his (eet, and stain not the whiteness of his fame. 
There have been many men of daily beauty in life, 
but few such fortunate enough to associate their 
names with great steps in the progress of man — 
fewer still to blend the double glory of the grand- 
est public achievement with the teuderest, sweet- 
est, gentlest, and simplest private life and thought. 

>fot too soon for an abundant glory, but too soon 
for a loving and grateful country, his spirit was 
"touched by the finger of God, and he was not," 
and 

"The great intelligences fair 

That range above this mortal state. 
In circle round the blessed gate. 
Received and gave him welcome there." 

As we gather in spirit about his tomb to-day, and 
decorate with unfading amaranth and laurel the 
memory of our great chief, how fitly may we say 
of him what Dixon said of Douglas Jerrold, — "If 
every one who has received a favor at his hands 
should cast a flower upon his grave, a mountain of 
roses would lie on the great man's breast." 

I know, friends, how little words can do to por- 
tray this august personage, and, toiling in vain to 
express the thoughts of him which you and I feel, 
1 doubt if it were not better after all, as Mr. Lin- 



coln himself said of Washington, to "pronounce 
his name in solemn awe, and in its n^ed and death- 
less splendor leave it shining on." 

If, now, such a character is a priceless possession 
to this peojjle, how doubly fortunate arc they, are 
we, who stood by him through life, and are the in- 
heritors of his principles to-day. Therefore, Mr. 
I'resident, is there a high |)roi)riety in this club 
of Republicans associating themselves together 
about the great name of Abraham Lincoln, in- 
spired as they must be by the hope and the ambi- 
tion to emulate those manly traits and those per- 
sonal virtues which so pervaded his nature as to 
permeate his politics and govern his life. He was 
ours wholly, and this Club, by adopting his name, 
in eflect declares him its ideal Republican and po- 
litical exemjjlar. In the very name there is fitting 
inspiration to high and noble endeavor, and we 
should be recreant to our opportunities and to our 
best selves — 

"We that have loved him so, followed him, hon- 
ored him. 
Lived in his mild and magnificent eye. 
Learned his great language, caught his clear ac- 
cents. 
Made him our pattern, to live and to die" — 

I say, we should be recreant Republicans, if, under 
the influence of that transcendent name and char- 
acter, the very crown and summit of American 
manliood, we should not rise to a lofty patriotism, 
a high conception of, and a new consecration to, 
political duty, and do our utmost to secure the tri- 
umph of his principles, and to lift our politics up 
to that high standard of honor and dignity which 
guided the steps of the great man whose birthday 
we now celebrate, and which is commemorated 
throughout the civilized world as that of a Patriot, 
Statesman, Hero, and supreme Martyr to Liberty. 

SPEECH OF CHARLES R. CORNING. 

Lincoln as a huruorist was the theme assigned 
to Mr. Corning, and he treated it in his hap- 
piest vein, evoking laughter and applause 
many times. He said : 

During the darkest days of the Civil War when 
disaster followed disaster in fearful succession, 
two Quakers chanced to meet. These honest hat- 
ers of war could not keep their minds from the 
dreadful conflict. Said one, 

■'I think Jetferscn will win." / 

"Wliy so?" asked tlie other. 

"Becausf , Jefferson is a praying man." 

"Ves, but so is Abraham " 

"Verily so." the other replied, '-but the Lord 
will think Abraham is .joking. " 

StrangH goddesses stood at his cradle. In the 
humble cabin were gathered the crowned heads of 
the world's court; the wise, the happy, the ti-nder, 
the brave, all were there. One only was rais-'ing. 
Danaj, whose h-nd flings golden shi wers into the 
lap of the living, came not. Into the poor pi' ueer's 
hut the taint flicker of the tallow dip could not 
allure tlie f nbled godilees. Her mission whs nearer 
the stars, and s'e never knew the lowly lad whom 
her sisters were glad to honor. They endowed 
I im with all ihat was good and true and honorable. 
To me Abraham L nco'n is one of the most re- 
markable stu'iies that human nature ever present- 
ed. His mind was warped by no jjrejiidices, and 
in a trulv original maimer he reacli* d his own con- 
clusions in Ihw, in politics, and in private life. 
Herein he differed from all •>ur public men. Wash- 
ington, save his occasional pri fanity, was like his 
contemporaries. Jefferson, Jackson, Olay, Cal- 
houn, Webi'ter, and tlieir successors differed only 
in mental quilities, but her«- in Lincoln we have a 
man who in mind and body was as solitary and 
alone as the north star. There was never one like 
him. I am asked to .-peak of President Lincoln as 
a humorist. That he was one there can be no 
question. But he was no wit. Humor and wit do 



40 



Abraham Lincoln. 



not always go^gether. One r quires a deep, re- 
flective vein; the other a reflection like a mirror. 
Lincoln Uiil not have that quickness which is indis- 
pensable to true wit, and yet no man was ever pos- 
sesst^d of a deeper sense of humor. 

£[-en as a young man he was known as a s'ory 
teller, and this reputation grew as he grew u?itil 
his hearers were not couflned to an II inois circuit, 
but embraced the gr«'at republic He was the life 
of the old time law courts and his quaint ftories 
attr cted more attention than his briefs or argu- 
ments. A good story teller, or a man who s es 
something Uiimorous in the phases ot life, is likely 
to be underestimate I by the people at large. They 
look upon him as a man of trivial mind, as one 
who weighs li:ihtly the great problems of human 
afE.iirs, and withhold from hi o that measure of 
confidence which an innocent spirit of humor oufjht 
to invite rather than repel. Had the wise men of 
the East been fully aware of Lincdn's exceeding 
love of story telling, he might never have been 
president. The Western people are nearer nature 
than we are, and Lincoln was their idol. 

Charles Sumner was cO'upletely disgusted when 
Lincoln, after lirteiiing to a long talk from the 
distinguished senator, made ho leply, but slowiy 
nnfulding liirasel I, proposed to measure heights. 
Sumner had neither wit, humor, nor imagination, 
and Lincoln was an enigma to him. So with Stan- 
ton. On the evening oi that eventful election day 
in Xoveraher, 1864, wren all the power of the War 
and the other departments had been employed to 
secure his reelection, Lincoln and Stanton wei-e 
eagerly reading the returns as sent to them by pri- 
vate wire. 'Ihe cuspense was territile, for the fate 
of the country seemed to be wavering in the \y.\\- 
ance. Durin : a lu'.l in the Ciicuing, Lincoln pulled 
out •> yellow pamphlet from his pocket : nd b'.gan 
reading exti acts from Petroleum V. Nasby. He 
read and chuckled, only pausiOi; now and then to 
con a return. Th s euraiied Btantou beyond 
measure, and calling one of his assistants a>ide the 
secretary gave expression to his wrath. The idea 
that a man whose country's safety was at issue 
coulil s t calmly by an i read such balderdash was 
to him [-imply damnable. 

W hen Lord Lyons, the British minster, called 
on Lincoln, and pie.-ente i him with an iiutogriph 
letter from the Queen, announcing the marriage 
of the Prince of Wales, and added that whatever 
response the presidi nt mitht make would be im- 
mediately sent to her majesty, Mr. Lincoln in- 
stan ly replied to the old bachelor minister, 
"Lyons»go thou and do likewise." 

DigtdiV Lincoln had none, and he never pretend- 
ed that he had. He was tall, auirular, and awk- 
ward, his hands and feet were large, his f ce w as 
bony and inr e had inide furroWs all over it. Na- 
ture made him like a scare''row and endowed him 
like a god At timea Lincoln told stories just as 
men indulge in any pustime. He was a temperate 
man, aii'l the cup had no attractions for him. He 
was not a r adiiig man, and higher literature af - 
foi ded hi M no solace. His recreation was in hu- 
mor. Even in the dark days ot the war he fou'd 
time to indu'ge i st iry telling, an<l no one was 
mere welcome to his eveidngs than the man of racy 
tongue. I reio lect iha tl'el te ."Senator Nesmith of 
Oregon, him-elf a wit and humorist of the first or- 
der, si owed me a slip of paper on whieh was writ- 
ten: "Dear Nesmitli, come abound to-night with 
your la'est. A. Lincoln." 

Thepe men spent hours together, not in discuss- 
inir state crait or i)liiining p'licies, but in unre- 
strained good fel owship, for these stories were 
Lincoln's grea' safeguards in moments of mental 
depression. These stories served him many a gO' d 
turn in his presidetitial ottii e, and by tittinvr some 
ludi' rous story to the occasion he saved himself 
and his ailministration from (!• wnritdit enibarras- 
ment. As a so't answer turneth away wrath, so 
would one or his funny stories. He had a great 
forte ill makin analogies. When Grant showed 
hin» the Dutch Gap cana', and explained how an 
explosion had thrown the earth back and filled up 
a part already completed, he turned to Grant and 
said : " I'his reminds me of a blacksmith out in 



Illinois. One ''ay he took a piece of soft iron, and 
starting up a fire b^gan to heat it. When he got it 
hot he be :an to hammer it, thinking he would 
make it into an agricultural implement. But after 
pounding away he found that the iron would 
not hold out. Then he put it back in the fortce, 
heated it, and began hammering it with the inten- 
tion of making a cUw hammer. But he came to 
the conclusion that there was more iron than he 
ni eded. Again he heated it and thought he would 
make an axe. After hammering and welding it 
into shape he concluded there was not enough of 
the iron left to make an axe that would be of any 
use. He wa-i disgusted at his repeated attempts, 
besides being weary. So he filled up his lorge full 
of coal and worked up a tremeodoirs blast, bring- 
ing the iron to a white heat. Then with his tongs 
he lifted it from the bed of coals and plunging it 
into a tub of water, exclaimed, 'There, by gosh ; if 
I can't make anything else of you I can make a 
fizzle anyhow.' " 

Just after he was nominated in 1860, a prominent 
Mason called on him at .Springdeldand said : "Of 
course y u expect all the Masons to vote against 
you, Mr. Lincoln !" 

'•No, why?" 

"Because all the other presidential candidates are 
Masons." 

"Hless me !" exclaimed old Abe, "is that so?" 

"Certiinly," said the visitor. "Bell has taken 
all the degrees, and is a member of the Grand 
Lodge of I'ennessee ; Breckenridge is an officer of 
tlie Grand Lodge of Kentucky, and Douglas — 
why he is gran I orator of the Grand i odge ot lUi- 
noi — ri ht h re under your nose. " 

iVIr. Lincoln turned round in his chair, laid his 
legs across the to 1 of the table, luighed, rubbed 
his face, stuck his finge-s through iiis hair, and 
said : 'Joho, you have been down in Sangamon 
county a good deal yourself." 

"Well, yes," a im.tted the visitor, "sorry to say I 
have frequented t lat locality " 

"I am reminded," s dd Mr. Lincoln, "of an inci- 
dent that occurred there. X woman who was a 
real hard case was a witness, and the lawyer, 
bound to get even, asked her. 'Are you a virtuous 
woman, nudaiu ?' She was slightly surprised and 
Slid, 'That, sir, is a very hard question to ask a 
lady who is a witriess before a public court.' He 
rose and repe ited the question sternly She still 
evaded it. but when he persisted, she fin illy an- 
swered : This much I will sny— that I have a great 
respect for the insti uti"n.' " 

Once a war governor went to him in a towering 
Dassion; he li'erally had bl )od in his eye. His in- 
terview wi h Stanton had b en stormy, and he be- 
took himself to the president. A few days after 
one of the officials who had witnessed the scene 
asked Mr. Lincoln how he had managed the irate 
governor. '•\Vell,"siid the presi<leot, laughing, 
"do you know how the Illinois farmer managed 
the log that lay in the middle of his field? It was 
too big to h;iul out, too knotty to split, and too wet 
a'd Soggy to burn. Well I will tell you how he 
got rid of it. He ploughed round it. I ploughed 
round the governor, but it took three mortal hours 
to do it nnd I was afraid every minute he would 
see what I was at." 

At the time of Gen. Cameron's retirement from 
the cabinet the Republican senators thought a re- 
construction of the entire cabinet w s advisable, 
therefcu'e, a committee waited on the president and 
requ sted him to make the chinge. LinC'iln lis- 
tened patiently and then said the request rendnd- 
ed him of a story. A farmer was mhcli troabled 
by skunks They annoyed him exceedingly. Fi- 
nally he got out his old shot-gun and lai<l in wait 
for the midnight assas-ins. His wife dstened in- 
tently for the report of the gun. At la«t it cracked 
on the still nitiht. The man came in, and his wife 
asked him what luck he had. "Well," said the old 
loan, "I hid behind a woodpile, and soon seven 
skunk- came along. I blazed away and killed one, 
but he ra sed sin-h a fearful smell that I concluded 
it was best to let the other six go!" The digi.ified 
senators saw the point and took their departure. 

Lincoln could not bear to put his signature to 



Abraham Lincoln. 



41 



death warrants, and his reprieves and pardons fur- 
nish a sMhlinio example i-uch as the world had 
never known. Oiioe Judge Holt, the advocate 
general, presented a most flagrant case of deser- 
tiO'i and i'sisted that the culprit be shot. The 
man had thrown down his gun and run away dur- 
ing battle. Extenuating circunistanc-'S there were 
none. The sentence of the court was death. Lin- 
coln ran his tiusrers througli his hair and said, 
"Well, Judge, I guess I must put this with my le.i 
cases." "Leg cases!" replied judge Hnlt. "What 
do you mean by leg cas^s?" "Why, do you se« 
those papers crowded into those pigeon-holes? 
'They are the cases you call by that long title 
'Cowardice in the face of the enemy,' bat I call 
them leg chscs. N'ow I'll put it to you and let vou 
decide for yourself. If God Almit;hty givts a man 
a cowardly pair of legs how cau he help running 
away with them." 

Lincoln was always quaint in whatever he did. 
He could n®t help it. Nothing was ever done for 
etfect. His peculiarities were not studied, they 
were inlorn and irrepre-^sible. 

In September, 1862, a delegation of Chicago 
clerirynien called on him to urge the emancipation 
proclamation. He heard them patiently, an 1 as 
tht'y were leaving the White House oue of them 
felt it to be his nuty to make an appeal to the pres- 
ident's conscience. "I am compelled to say, Mr. 
Lincoln, that the Divine Master has instructed me 
to command you, sir, to open the doors of bondage 
that the slaves may go free." The president at 
once replied; "It may be as you say, sir, but is it 
not strange that the only ch^innel though which 
the D vine Master could send this message was by 
that roundabout route by that awfully wicked city 
of ( hicaL'o?" 

When the Rebels raided a small detachment of 
our army, they capture;] a general and twelve 
army mules On hearing of it, Lincoln instantly 
replied: "How unfortunate ! I c m till his place in 
five minutes, but those mules cost us two hundred 
dollars apiece." 

Gen. Frye once found on looking over applica- 
tions for offices in the army papers dotted with 
notes and commen's in the president's handwrit- 
ing, and amongothers, this characteristic one: "On 

this day .Mrs. called upon me. She is the 

wife of Major , of the reeular army. She 

wants her husband made brigadier general She 
is a saui-y little woman, and I think she will tor- 
ment me until I do it. A. L." 

Now could there be anything more delicious than 
this? 

Once when told that a Union man had been con 
demned to die, the ch( ice being left to him to be 
huna or shot, a smile lighted up his sad features, 
and he said the situation reminded him of a colored 
Methodist camp-meeting. There was a lirother 
who responded, "Amen! Bless the Lord!" in a 
loud voice. The preacher was sweeping the sin 
ners on both sides into the devil's net. He had 
drawn a picture of eternal damnation, without a 
Sivingcliuse, when the unctuous brother leaped 
up and yelled out, "Bless the Lord! dis nigger 
takes to the woods !" 

As in the present era of reform and honesty, Mr. 
Lincoln, like Mr Cleveland, was beset with office- 
seekers. They fairly made him sick. As he lay 
in the White House prostrated by an attack of 
small pox, he said to his attend mts, "Tell all the 
office-seekers to come at once, for now I have 
Something I can give to all of them." 

Tlie re'ations between Lincoln ani Stanton were 
very c ose, and sometimes exceedingly comical. 

Once a committee, having for its object the ex- 
change of Eastern and W^estern men, repaired t3 
the war secretary with the president's order for 
such a change. 

Stanton stamped and emphatically said, "No." 

"But we have the president's order," said the 
chairman. 

"Dill Lincoln give you an order of that kind ?" 

"He did, sir." 

"Then he is a damned fool," said the war secre- 
tary. 



"Do you mean to say that the president is a 
damned fool." asked the bewildered spokesman. 

"Yes, sir, if he gave you such an crder as that." 

Th*" committee returned to the president and re- 
lated the scene. 

"Did Stanton say I was a damned fool," asked 
Lincoln. 

"He did sir," and he repeated it. 

After a moment's pause, the president said : "If 
Staitton said I was a damned fool, then I must he 
one, tor he is nearly always right and generally 
says what he means. I will step over and see 
him." 

Lincoln took a memorandum of new stories, and 
once he stopped the long line at a White House re- 
ception in order that he udght get the point of a 
story whi^h he had forgotten. He was not frivo- 
lous, he was divinely thoughtful, but he had an 
unconscious humor which gusheil forth at all times 
and under all circumstances. Nero fi Idled while 
Rome was burning. Lincoln told fuuny st ries 
when black clouds of disaster hung over the nation. 
The Roman was drunk with wine and wi d with 
passion ; the American was hopeful, calm. The 
emperor was cruel, vindictive, and debauched ; the 
prtsi lent was merciful, wise, and pure. Nero was 
the incarnation of splendid iniquity ; Lincoln was 
the living interpretation of the sermon on the 
mount. 

SPEECH OF HON. CHARLES H. BURNS. 

Mr. Burns's eloquent oration was a superb 
efFort, for which he was afterward warmly 
congratulated. He spoke as follows : 

Mr. PBESIDEJfT AND GENTLEMEN OPTHE LIN- 
COLN Club : The people of the United States are 
approafhing an era in the history of th«ir govern- 
ment, when every man, and possibly every woman, 
must become an active working member in some 
political organizition. The questions to be settled 
are of such gravity, and so vital to the business, so- 
cial cmdition, and safety of the repub ic, that all 
cit zens will be compelled to take a pare in their 
solution. It may be distasteful : it will neverthe- 
less be a necessity. 

It is impossible to forecast with precision the 
consequences of the 1 bor agitation and troubles 
which now beset the land ; but it requires no great 
discernment to see that a draft is to be made upon 
the wisdon, intelligence, and vir'ue of all the peo- 
ple in order to meet and settle these difficulties in 
a way that shall be just and honorable to all par- 
ties. They may not become political questions, but 
they are matters of the highest importance to the 
people, and require at their hands the most solemn 
consideration. 

We h ive the question of high and low tariff, or 
no tariff at all, of protection to American in.ius- 
try, of fiMauce, of taxation, of pensions, and many 
ether issues which constantly confront the people, 
and they must be met and controlled by the intelli- 
gence of the whole country. 

Political p irties must meet the saloon question 
in this country. It cannot be avoided. ; 

If any party chooses to ally itself with the liquor 
saloon power, it must take tlie consequences, fhe 
inducements to court its assistan e at the present 
time, it must he admitced, are great, if principle, 
and honor, and love of home and country, are left 
out of consideration ; but sooner or later the hand 
that seeks a marriage with the mistress who em- 
braces almost every wretch on earth of both high 
and low degree, will wither as it deserves. The 
time is coming when the people of this nation will 
no longer baar with the insolence and havoc of the 
grog shop. 

Three lecades ago the slave power in this land 
became insolent in its demands, and it wielded an 
influence that was courtt^d by tije Democratic par- 
ty. It threatened to call the roll of its sla es be- 
neath the shadow of Bunker Hill monument. It 
enacted a law which turned every foot of the 
soil of the North into a hiintintj-ground tor fleeing 
humanity. It sought to establish itself in neigh- 



42 



Abraham Lincoln. 



borhoods which bad been solemnly dedicated to 
freedom. It elected presidents, made and unmade 
courts, controlled Congresses, stifled the con- 
sciences of statesmen, gagg;ed the freedom of press 
and speech, dictated the policy and shaped the act? 
of thegoverj!mrnt,aiid domineered with impui'ent 
swagger, like a bloated monarch, over this land 
which it claimed ; s it« kingdom. 

When it «as finally met and beaten at the polls 
by the I'epublican party, it clutched, in its desper- 
ation, at the throat of the nation, and undertook to 
destroy it, but the assassin who would slay, him- 
self w»s slain; and the Democratic party, which 
nursed and encouraged the barbarous system, was 
relegated to a retirement which lasted for a quarter 
of a century, and from which it has but recently 
been aci identally and temporarily called. 

The power of the liquor sa'oon is such that it 
dictates boards of selectmen; it elects aldernjen 
and councilmen and mayors; it organizes societies 
whose openly avowed purpose is to defeat the law; 
it disreuards the authority of men and the suppli- 
cations of women; and its influence and sway are 
getting to be such that the conscience and sense of 
honor of the nation, which is now aslei'p, will soon 
awake and arise, and smite this monster and send it 
to everlasting perdition, and the party that sus- 
tains it will go with it. 

These are a few of the issues which await the so- 
lution of the American people; and that party 
which possesses the wisdom and courage to grapple 
with these great problems, and demand that they 
shall be settled in a w«y that shall be u.-eful to the 
progress of humanity, is the party which in the 
end will con'rul and direct this governsi ent. 

The Kei>ublican i arty during tLie last twenty-five 
years has been compelled to act upon some of the 
most critical questions ever presented to the peo- 
ple of any age or country ; questions involving na- 
tional interests of the highest importance, even to 
the preservation of the Union and the maintenance, 
credit, and honor of the nation, as well as the 
enfranchisement of one tenth of all the people of 
the United States ; and upon all these great ;ind 
unpreceiieiited questions it has always espoused 
the side of freedom and justice. It has carried the 
nation safely through each and every crisis. 

It couli' not h;.ve weathered so many dangerous 
capf s or bre:isted so many terrific storms bad it not 
had for pilots .'■one of the noblest and ablest men 
that our country has produced. In the war, our 
helm was guided by Andrew, IVIorton, Seward, 
Chase, Stanton, Sumner, Garfield, and Lincoln. 
God bless his memory, at the touch of whose pen 
the chains ot four millions of slaves were broken, 
never to be reforged ; and Sherman, who, thank 
God, still lives ; and Grant, whose fame is as im- 
perishable as the light of the stars ; and honest 
John l^ogan, fn m whose bier the mourners have 
bui just gone. This is a list of contemporaneous 
civil and military leaders, which the luition, in all 
its history, cannot surpass or match. Their charac- 
ters and deeds challenge the admiration of n>an- 
Uind, and their memories are embilmed in endur- 
ing fame. It has been truly said that ''the heroic 
example of other days is in gieac part the source 
ot the coura'/e of each generation." In the lives of 
these splendid leaders (jur country finds an inspira- 
tion which, if heeded, will lead to the highest and 
grandest nati< nal achie-^ements. 

From this galaxy of distinguished Americans we 
select on this anniversary of his lowly birth that 
noble and God-crowned man, Abraham Lincoln. 
To-night and here we hund)ly assst in gHthering 
up "ihe scattered f shes into history's golden urn.' 
We pay an earnest tribute to the good citizen, the 
painstiiking and conscientious lawyer, the wise, 
patriotic, and far-seeing statesman, the matchless 
political leader, the martyred president, and the 
uncompromising friend of humanity. A man 
who, in intellectual power and strength, was the 
peer of the ablest of his countrymen, and wh< se 
heart was larger than his brain. His was one of 



the few great lives which had an humble legin" 
ning, a slow development, a tremendous influence 
and import, and a tragic ending before it was fully 
appreciated by his countrymen. From the moment 
the good man was stricken down, his fame bej^an to 
live and grow. The greatness of his mind, the 
goodness of his heart, the far-reachiu" significince 
and sublimity of his work, are now recognized the 
world over. All alike concede the sincerity, pu- 
rity, g. odne«s, and beauty of his character; and 
over his whole life there ''arches a bow of urques- 
tioned integrity." 

It cannot be said of Mr. Lincoln, ae Victor Hugo 
extravagantly wrote of Napoleon, 'He was every- 
thing. He was complete: he made history, and he 
wrote it." But it can be said that he is a>' com- 
plete a figure as the present century has produced, 
and that he was the conspicuous and successful 
leader in a series of civil, political, and military 
events which constitute the most remark:>ble crisis 
and the most important epoch in the history of 
modern times. He presided over the nation at a 
time when treason wms doing its deadliest work; 
when the Union was in the deepest peril; when the 
destinies of forty millions of living souls, as well 
as countless g nerations then unborn, stood trem- 
bling in the balance; and it is the lliuhe^t encomi- 
um to pronounce on this consecrated man that the 
nation, under his loving and patriotic guidance, 
was triumphant i^ver every foe, and came ou from 
its ordeal ot treason and civil war with the \inion 
of thesp states reaffirmed upon a basis as solid as 
the eternal hills. 

M hen Wendell Phillips died, Joseph Cook elo- 
quently said of him, "There lies Head on his shield 
in yonder street an unsullie-i soldier of unpopular 
reform, a spi tlessly disinte'ested champion of the 
oppressed, the foremost orator of the English- 
speaking world in recent years, the largest and 
latest, let us hoi e not the last, of the Puritans. A 
servant of the Most High God, a man on the altar 
of whose heart the coals of lire were kindled by a 
breath from the Divine justice and tenderness, 
Wendell Phillips has gone doubtless to an incalcu- 
lably great reward. He is witli Garrison and Sum- 
ner and Lincoln now; he has met Wilberfi rce and 
Clarkson; he is in the company of v\ristides and 
Scipio and the Koman Gracchi, and of all the past 
martyrs who in every age have laid down their 
lives that the darkness of the ages might be a li tie 
lighte' ed." And so it can be said of Al)raham 1-in- 
coln:hei'< among the martyrs -'who have laid 
drtwn I heir lives that the darkness of the ages 
miaht be a little lightened.'' Wh>therhe is view- 
ed as the head of tlie greatest politii-al party known 
to history, or as commander-in-chief of the brav- st 
and most intelligent army of soldiers that Wi:s ever 
niarsi'alled on tiie fHce of the earth; or as presi- 
dent o' the most successful Kepublic th it has ever 
adorned the fnuiily of nations, — he «n-wers all the 
tests of patriotism, wise statesmanship, high citi- 
zenship, and noble manhood. 

All honor, then, to thf! imperishable name of 
Abraham Lincoln. In life a patriot, in death a 
martyr, in eternity the companion of the good of 
all ages, — his example is the heritage of his country. 

He lives; the patriot lives no more to die; 
And wliile dim rolling centuries hasten by, 
He still ahali live, the mjin of thought sublime, 
Down to the latest hour ot coming time. 

In the absence of Hon. Henry Robinson, 
John J. Bell of Exeter was called upon as the 
closing speaker, and responded Avitli a brief 
but eloquent tribute to the achievements of 
the Republican party, and a statement of the 
duties before it. It was 1:15 a. m. when the 
company left the tables. 




The 



RANITE neWTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

'Devoted to Literature, biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



FEBRUARY, 1887. 



No. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE SENATE. 



Tbe last election resulted in the 
choice of thirteen Republicans and 
nine Democrats. There was no choice 
in the Somersworth and Nashua dis- 
tricts. 

The senate, as the word indicates, 
is supposed to consist of old men, — 
the elders of the community. The 
incoming senate, however, includes 
several ; young men. It is probable 
that the average age of the senators 
will be less than that of the members 
of the house. In ability, the next 
senate bids fair to rank as high as 
any of its predecessors. 

Hon. Edmund Erskine Truesdell, 
senator-elect from the Merrimack dis- 
trict, son of Thomas and Mary (Boy- 
don) Truesdell, was born in Jewett 
City, Conn., March 3, 1845. He is 
a descendant of Ichabod Truesdell, 
who came from Scotland about 1700, 
and settled in South Woodstock, Conn. 
Darius, his second son, and great- 
grandfather of Senator Truesdell, was 
a veteran of the Revolution, and suf- 
fered with the army at Valley Forge, 
and died from effects of wounds 
received in the service. Mr. Trues- 



dell received his education in the com- 
mon schools of Newton Upper Falls, 
Mass., and graduated at Comer's 
Commercial College in Boston. From 
boyhood he has been initiated in the 
mysteries of cotton manufacturing, 
and at the age of twenty-one years he 
was induced to accept a position in the 
Webster and Pembroke mills of Sun- 
cook. In 1870 he was promoted to 
superintendent and paymaster of the 
China, Webster, and Pembroke mills. 
He was town trea^rer from 1878 to 
1881, and represented Pembroke in 
the legislature in 1879 and 1880. Mr. 
Truesdell is prominent in Masonic 
circles, a very active Republican, and 
attends the Baptist church. He mar- 
ried, June 11, 1872, Mary Wilkins 
Austin, daughter of David Austin, of 
Suncook, and has one son. Mr. Trues- 
dell would make a very good governor 
one of these days. 

Hon. Enoch Gerrish, senator-elect 
from the Concord district, only sou 
of Isaac and Caroline (Lawrence) 
Gerrish, was born July 28, 1822, in 
Boscawen, of which town his ances- 
tors were original proprietors. Cap- 



50 



New Hampshire State Senate. 



tain Stephen Gerrish was a pioneer in 
Boscawen. His oldest son, Colonel 
Henry Gerrish, was a veteran of the 
Revokition. His third son, Major 
Enoch Gerrish, born June 23, 1750, 
was the grandfather of our senator- 
elect, and died May 1, 1821. Isaac 
Gerrish was born Nov. 27, 1782, and 
was an honored citizen of Boscawen. 
Senator Gerrish obtained his educa- 
tion at the academies in Boscawen, 
Franklin, and Meriden. At the age 
of twenty years he inlierited his 
father's estate, and for twenty years 
he cultivated one of the largest farms 
in Merrimack county. He was colo- 
nel of the Twenty-First Regiment 
New Hampshire militia. After the 
sale of his farm in 1865, he settled in 
Concord, where he has been called to 
represent his ward in the legislature 
(1881-82). He married, May 23, 
1854, Miranda O., daughter of Joseph 
S. and Harriet N. Lawrence. Their 
children are Frank L. Gerrish, a 
farmer of Boscawen, and Miss Lizzie 
M. Gerrish, who resides with her 
parents. 

Oliver Dennett Savs^yer, Republi- 
can senator from the Amherst district, 
is a resident of Weare, where he has 
lived since he was four years of age. 
He is the son of Daniel and Dorcas 
Hodgdon Sawyer, — the former a na- 
tive of Henniker, and the latter of 
Weare, — and was born in Portland, 
Maine, Nov. 19, 1839, during the 
temporary residence of his parents in 
that city. His parents belonged to 
the Society of Friends, and young 
Sawyer was brought up in the faith. 
He is proud of his descent, in the 
eighth generation, from William Saw- 
yer, who emigrated from England to 
America in 1632, and commenced pio- 



neer life in Newbury, now Newbury- 
port, Massachusetts. Oliver received 
his education in New London, and 
later at the Friends' school at Provi- 
dence, Rhode Island. His family, 
on both sides, were old-fashioned, 
anti-slavery Quakers, and in early 
life he was imbued with abolition 
principles. He was educated to feel 
keenly the inhumanity and cruelty of 
human slavery, and long before his 
majority was working for the success 
of the anti-slavery cause. He has 
ever been a total abstainer from all 
alcoholic drinks, and a firm friend to 
all measures intended to suppress 
this evil in our land. A working man 
all his life, in full sympathy with the 
working men and women of our coun- 
try, the cry of distress has never found 
a deaf ear, but has reached a sympa- 
thetic listener in him, as a large num- 
ber of poor people in his vicinity can 
testify. Alwa^'s working and giving 
freely to every project for the im- 
provement of the people, he is fore- 
most in all good works. He was ap- 
pointed post-master in 1869, and held 
that office until removed as an offen- 
sive partisan in 1885. He was a 
delegate from Weare to the last Con- 
stitutional Convention. His father 
started the first store in North Weare, 
and after he left school Mr. Sawyer 
was associated with him in business, 
until the foimer's death in 1885. 
Since then he has carried on the busi- 
ness, now established for nearly half 
a century, and is known as a substan- 
tial business man, who received his 
full party vote in the last election. 

Hon. Franklin Worcester, sena- 
tor-elect from the Peterborough dis- 
trict, is the sou of John Newton and 
Sarah (Holden) Worcester, of HoUis, 



New Hamfs/rirc State Senate. 



51 



where he was born October 27, 1845. 
His ancestor, Rev. Francis Worces- 
ter, born in Bradford, Mass, June 7, 
KIDS, married Abigail Carleton, of 
Rowley, in 1720; settled in vSand- 
wich, Mass., in 1740, as a Congrega- 
tional minister ; moved to Hollis in 
1750, where he died October 14, 1783. 
He was an evangelist, author, and 
poet. Captain Noah Worcester, the 
youngest son of the Rev. Francis 
Worcester, was born at Sandwich, 
Mass., Oct. 4, 1735 ; married Lydia 
Taylor, daughter of Abraham Taylor, 
Feb. 22, 1757. He was captain of 
the Hollis militia company in 1775, 
and of the Hollis company at Cam- 
bridge in December of that year. He 
enlisted in the Hollis company in the 
Rhode Island Expedition in 1778. 
He was town-clerk and first selectman 
in 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, and 1779 ; 
chairman of the Hollis Committee of 
Safety in 1777, 1778, and 1779 ; jus- 
tice of the peace for forty years from 
1777; member of the Constitutional 
Convention of 1778 ; moderator of the 
Hollis . annual town-meeting fifteen 
different years ; and was an active 
member of the Hollis church for sixt}' 
years. Four of his sons became 
clergymen. He died at. Hollis, Aug. 
13, 1817. 

Jesse Worcester, second son of 
Capt. Noah Worcester, was born in 
Hollis, April 30, 1761. He enlisted 
in July, 1776, for the Ticonderoga 
expedition. In 1777 he was in gar- 
rison at Portsmouth. In 1778 he 
joined the expedition to Rhode Island, 
and two years later he enlisted in the 
Continental army. In June, 1782, he 
married Sarah Parker, of Hollis. 
They were the parents of nine sons 
and six daughters, who all lived to 



adult age, — fourteen of them becom- 
ing teachers. Seven of the nine sons 
aspired to a college education : two 
graduated at Yale, three at Harvard. 
One son was the lexicographer, Joseph 
E. Worcester, ll. d. Another son 
was Hon. Samuel T.Worcester. Mr. 
Worcester was for many years a 
teacher in Bedford and Hollis, and an 
occasional contributor to the public 
journals of the day. He died Jan. 
20, 1834. Hon. John N. Worcester, 
fifth son 'of Jesse Worcester, settled 
in Hollis as a farmer. He was state 
councillor in 1858 and 1859, 

Hon. Franklin Worcester fitted for 
college at the New Ipswich Appleton 
academy, and graduated at Dartmouth 
college in the class of 1870. He 
studied law at the Harvard law 
school, and was admitted to the Mid- 
dlesex bar upon examination. He 
then entered into business with his 
brothers at Hollis, and at Cambridge, 
Mass. They have a mill and cooper- 
age at Hollis, and about two hundred 
acres of land under cultivation, giv- 
ing employment to about forty per- 
sons. At Cambridge they have a 
furniture and carpet business, employ- 
ing seventeen hands. Their business 
has been largely developed by them- 
selves. He was a member of the 
New Hampshire house of representa- 
tives in 1877 and 1878, and chairman 
of the Committee on Agricultural 
College, 1878. He has held various 
town offices, and at present is chair- 
man of the Hollis school board. 

Hon. Frank D. Currier, senator- 
elect from the Lebanon district, is a 
resident of Canaan, his native town, 
and is an influential lawyer and politi- 
cian. He is the oldest son of Hon. 
Horace S. and Emma (Plaistridge) 



52 



The Christie Family. 



Curried, and was born Oct. 30, 1853. 
His earl}' education was received at 
Canaan Union Academy and at the 
Concord higli scliool. He studied law 
with Hon. Austin F. Pike, of Frank- 
lin, and, upon being admitted to the 
bar, settled in East Canaan in the 
practice of his profession. For a 
time he was in the same office with 
George W. Murray, Esq., after which 
he opened an office for himself, and 
very quickly obtained a fair practice. 
The Canaan Reporter said of him, — 
"In 1879 he represented this town in 
the legislature, and for the past two 
sessions has been clerk of the senate, 
a position which he has filled with 
much ability. He was this fall elect- 
ed for the third time secretary of the 
Republican State Committee, and has 
performed his duties with skill, and 



to the acceptance of his party in the 
highest degree ; and the Republican 
success in the last two campaigns 
has been due in no small degree to 
his keen foresight, and intimate and 
extensive acquaintance with every 
section of the state. Mr. Currier lias 
always been an ardent Republican, 
earnest in his convictions, outspoken 
in opinion, and a zealous and inde- 
fatigable worker, always sanguine 
and ready to improve any advantage. 
As a citizen he is upright, generous, 
and public-spirited ; and his popular- 
ity is best shown by the fact that in 
a district in which a nomination is 
equivalent to an election he was 
nominated by acclamation, without 
opposition or a single dissenting 
vote." Mr. Currier is unmarried. 



THE CHRISTIE FAMILY. 

By Edwin Salter. 



Editor Granite Monthly : The 
descendants of the first Christies, who 
orioinally settled in old Londonderry, 
New Hampshire, are now very nu- 
merous and widely scattered in the 
United States and in Canada. The 
following account of the early mem- 
bers of the family is tlie substance of 
a statement made by Thomas Christie, 
who was born at St. John, N. B., 
March 11, 1773, and preserved by his 
son, James A. Christie, now living at 
Detroit, Mich. 

Respectfully, 

Edwin Salter, 
Washington, D. C. 

James Canada, of the town of 
Armagh, and county of Armagh (Ire- 
land), farmer and miller, property 



held by lease. He married Agnes 
Scot, by whom he had three sons and 
one daughter. His sons were Thom- 
as, Archibald, and James. Thomas 
married Annie Wright, daughter of 
Matthew Wright, a farmer of large 
propert}', in the town of Billymaca- 
glian, county of Tyrone, by whom he 
had two daughters, Agnes and Sarah, 
the former of whom married James 
Christie, and the latter married Hugh 
Wilson, of Chester, state of New 
Hampshire. 

George Christie, of Scotland, a 
wealtliy farmer, was father of Jesse 
Christie. Jesse Christie married a 
daughter of Mr. Aiken, a clothier, 



The Christie Family 



53 



wlio lived uear Coleraine, by whom 
be had two sons and two daughters, 
viz., Annie, Peter, Peggy, and James. 
His wife died, leaving James an in- 
fant ; and he afterwards married 
Mary Gilmore, who was about seven- 
teen years of age, by whom he had 
four daughters and two sons, viz., 
Tliomas, Nanny, Jane, Molly, Anna, 
and George. Thomas was born Sep- 
tember, 1716. 

Anna married James Gilmore, of 
Windham. 

Peggv married Andrew McFarland. 

Nanny married Robert McCurdy, 
of Londonderry. 

Jane married Capt. John Wise. 

Molly married John Moore, of Lon- 
donderr3'. 

George Christie lived to an old age. 

Jesse Christie lived to about 63 
years. 

James Christie was born October 
20, 1715. At the age of 14 he came 
to America, his father having emi- 
grated to America many years before. 
Previous to his coming to America he 
lived with Peter Christie, one of his 
uncles, a rich farmer. At the age of 
28 years he married Agnes Canada, 
who was about 20 years of age. She 
was born Sept. 15, 1723. This union 
produced four sons and two daugh- 
ters. He died Oct. 1, 1755. The fol- 
lowing are the names of his children : 

Bettie Christie, born July 7, 1745. 

James Christie, born Jan. 16, 1747. 

Thomas Christie, born April 17, 
1749. 

Peter Christie, born June 6, 1751. 

Anne Christie, born Sept. 17, 1753. 

Jesse Christie, born Aug. 1, 1755. 

After his death (Oct. 1, 1755), his 
widow, Agnes, married James Quin- 
ten, by whom she had two sons, viz., 



Joshua Quinten, born March 6, 
1762; died March 2, 1829. 

John Quinten, born May 6, 1768; 
died March 15, 1829. 

(James Quinten had also been pre- 
viously married, and had by his first 
wife sons Hugh and David, and a 
daughter.) 

Betty Christie married John Mc- 
Murphy, and died Feburary or March, 
1833. 

James Christie died Sept. 5, 1789. 

Thomas Christie, drowned Dec. 8, 
1773. 

Peter Christie died May 8, 1777. 

Thomas Christie married Molly 
Howlet (widow of Laomi Howlet, 
and daughter of John Smith, of Box- 
ford, Mass.), by whom he had three 
sons, the second of whom died in in- 
fancy. 

James, the oldest, was born Dec. 
31, 1769. 

Thomas was born March 11, 1773. 

Molly, widow of Thomas Christie, 
after his death married Jonathan Bur- 
pee, who was born Oct. 16, 1751. 

Thomas Christie, son of Thomas, 
married Susan Christie, July 16, 1809, 
and after her death, Mary Kendrick. 
He died Aug. 7, 1848 ; and she died 
Jan. 30, 1884, aged 90years, 7 months, 
25 da^'s, leaving two sons, — James A. 
Christie and Thomas S. Christie, — 
both now living at Detroit, Mich. 
Their grandfather, Thomas Christie, 
was one of tlie pioneers of St. John, 
N. B., having emigrated to that place 
about 1762-'63, where his son Thomas 
was born in 1773. The latter came 
to Fairhaven, Vermont, about 1808 ; 
and subsequently settled in Western 
New York, where he died ; and his 
widow and children moved to Detroit, 
Mich. 



54 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 



LOCALITIES IN ANCIENT DOVER— No. III. 



By John R. Ham, M. D. 



Plum Pudding Hill. So called in 
the Coffin grant in 1670 ; if was be- 
tween Cocbecho and Tole End, on the 
Tole End road. It was probably the 
high ground between (now) Lexing- 
ton and Arch streets. 

Pomeroy's Cove. It was on the 
Newichawannock river ; Major Rich- 
ard Waldron, in 1652, had a grant of 
Pomeroy's cove "to make a dock." 
Sandy point bounded it on one side. 

Quaker Pastures. There were 
two Quaker Pastures set apart "to 
the inhabitants of this town [Dover] 
commonly called Quakers for the bet- 
ter Inabliug them to accomodate their 
Travelling friends." One was voted 
on May 20, 1717, of ten acres, "by 
the way that goes to Mallego, at the 
head of our town bounds between 
Belleman's Bank river and the mast 
path that now goeth to Mallego." The 
other, of ten acres also, was voted in 
same terms on 2.5 June, 1717, on 
Dover Neck, "between the watering 
gutt' and Cochecho." 

QuampheganorQuampeagan. The 
Indian name of the falls at South 
Berwick at the head of tide water. 
The settlers called the stream below 
the falls the Newichawannock, and 
the stream above the fall the Salmon 
Falls river. 

Redding's Point. So called as 
early as 1G52 ; it was a point of land 
on the south side of the Pascataqua 
river, east of Goat island. 

Reyner's Brook. The brook which 
flows into Cochecho river on the east 
side, and next above the fifth falls of 
the same. It derived its name from 



a grant of land, in 1656, to Rev. John 
Reyner, and is retained to this day. 
His grant, comprising 400 acres, was 
on the east side of Cochecho river, 
commencing at the upper side of the 
farm now the homestead of Alderman 
Nathaniel Home, and "running north- 
east from the river 320 rods ; thence 
north-west 240 rods ; thence south- 
west 320 rods to the river, just below 
the Sunken island ; then 240 rods by 
the river to the first bound." See 
Sunken island. This grant was re- 
laid to John Waldron in 1721. 

Riall's Cove. The cove on the 
western side of Back river, and next 
south of Frenchman's creek. It was 
so called as early as 1643. It is the 
same as Royall's cove, from Teague 
Riall, or Royall, who had a grant 
there. 

Roads. On 27 October, 1653, the 
highway was laid out, five rods wide, 
from the second falls of the Cochecho 
"eastward to the swamp." That is 
from the (now) Whittier's fall to the 
George W. Pao-e farm. In 1661 a 
road was laid out from Cochecho to 
Oyster river, " fitt for man aud 
horse." In 1724 the road was laid 
out, four rods wide, from Hilton's 
point to the meeting-house at Pine 
hill. It was only a narrow cartway 
prior to this date, and had never been 
laid out by the town. 

Rock Island. The small island 
south-east of Goat island, and it was 
crossed by the Pascataqua bridge of 
1794. 

Rocky Point. The point of land 
extending from the Newingtou shore, 



Localities in Aiicioif Dover. 



55 



in Broad cove, aud below Fox point, 
so called as early as 1657. Was this 
the same as Rock island? 

Royall's Cove. It was on the 
west side of Rack river nest south 
of Frenchman's creek, and so called 
as early as 1643. The same as Riall's 
cove, from Teague Rial!, or Royall, 
who had a grant of land there. 

Sandy Bank. A locality on the 
east bank of Lamprey river, and so 
called in the Huo;h Donn grant in 
1664. 

Sandy Point. On one side of 
Pomeroy's cove in 1660. 

Scatterwit. a district on the east 
side of Cochecho river, adjacent to the 
fourth falls of the same, and thus 
called as early as 1701. The Sanford 
and Everts map of Strafford Co., in 
1871, erroneously calls it Scatter- 
with. 

ScouDEw's Wigwam. Philip Scou- 
dew, an Indian, had a grant from the 
town of marsh land at Great bay 
prior to 1643, and had a wigwam 
there in that year. 

Shankhassick. The Indian name 
of the first falls on Oyster river, at 
the head of. tide water. 

Sligo. a district on the west side 
of the Newichawannock river, lying 
between St. Albon's cove and Quam- 
phegan, and thus called as early as 
1694. Some of the early settlers at 
this point came from Sligo, Ireland. 

Sligo Garrison. There was a 
garrison at Sligo as early as 1709, be- 
tween St. Albon's cove and Quam- 
phegan. 

Starbuck's Brook. The first brook 
which flows into the Cochecho on the 
east side, above the first falls of the 
same. Elder Edward Starbuck had 
a grant in 1643 at (now) Home's hill 



on Sixth street, and the brook at 
the foot of Home's hill derived its 
name from him. Starbuck sold tliis 
grant to AVilliam Home, the first of 
the name in Dover. 

Stevenson's Creek. It was thus 
called as early as 1700, and flows into 
Oyster river on the south side, below 
the first falls. 

St. Albon's Cove. Situated on 
the west side of the Newichawannock 
river, and about one half a mile be- 
low the falls at Quamphegan, the 
head of tide water. It was thus 
called as early as 1652 ; it is often 
called Styles's cove, and is iu the 
town of Rollinsford. 

Stony Brook. Three of the name 
are mentioned in the land grants, and 
all of them in the Oyster River parish. 
One, so called in 1653, in Davis 
grant, flowed on the south side of the 
Woodman garrison, and emptied into 
Beard's creek, on the western side of 
the same. 

Another, so called in 1674, flowed 
into Oyster river on the south side, 
and more than a mile below the first 
falls. The third, mentioned in Doe 
grant in 1711, flowed into Larapereel 
river on the east side, and a little be- 
low the head of tide water. 

Sunken Island. An island which 
has been all under water since the 
erection of the dam on the fifth falls 
of the Cochecho, and which was thus 
called as early as 1700. It is oppo- 
site the mouth of the brook which 
separates the old Dover town farm 
(now Eli Page's) from the present 
Strafford county farm. It served in 
1721 to mark the west end of the 
northern line of the 400 acre grant to 
the Rev. John Reyner, and was thus 
called in the description of the bounds. 



56 



^Localities in Ancient Dover 



Three Creeks (The). So called 
as early as 1695, situated near each 
other, and uear the mouth of Back 
river, on the west side. 

Tole P^nd. a district on the west 
side of Cochecho river, and adjacent 
to the second falls of the same, so 
called, and limited to the second falls 
in 1658 in the laud grants. One 
grant says, " neare Mr. Towle, his 
End." A log hill was laid out in 
1703, "at the second fall, or Tole 
End fall," on the west bank. The 
name has come to be applied to the 
whole district ou the west side of 
Cochecho river, and lying above the 
second fall. 

Tomson's Point. On the east side 
of Upper Neck (Dover), and so called 
as early as 1656. 

Turtle Pond. So called in 1694, 
and again in the Sias grant in 1719, 
as being '"on the north side of the 
mast path." Was it not another 
name for Barbadoes pond? 

Varney's Hill. The name which, 
after tlie purchase of Ebeuezer Var- 
nev in 1696, was given to the "Great 
hill," alias the "Great Cochecho 
hill " From the first grants of laud 
down to 1700 it bore the latter name ; 
from 1700 till since 1834 it was uni- 
versally called Varney's hill ; and 
since 1834 it has commonly but 
erroneously been called Garrison hill. 
Whitehouse's map of Dover, in 1834, 
calls it Varney's hill. 

Wadleigh's Falls. The sixth 
falls of the Lampereel river, six miles 
from its mouth, and so called as early 
as 1701 from the owner, Robert Wad- 
leigii. This fall was called the 
"Island falls" in a conveyance to 
Samuel Symonds in 1657, from the 



fact that an island was in the stream 
at or near the falls. 

Wadleigh's Mills. On the sixth 
falls of Lampereel river, and so called 
as early as 1701 ; also called the 
"Hook mill," from a remarkable turn 
in the river near this point. 

Waldron Burial Ground. The 
burial ground adjoiuing the Metho- 
dist meeting-house. Tradition says 
the bones of Major Richard Waldron 
were taken from the smoldering ruins 
of his garrison in 1689, and buried 
there. His great-grandson, Capt. 
Thomas Westbrooke Waldron, who 
died in 1785, was buried there, and 
his tombstone says "the remains of 
Major Richard Waldron lie near this 
spot." 

Waldron's Garrison. Major Rich- 
ard Waldrou's garrison, which was 
destroyed in the Indian rriassacre at 
Cochecho on June 28, 1689, stood on 
the west side of Central avenue, and 
midway between First and Second 
streets, and a few rods back of the 
present street line. National block 
stands exactly' in front of the garri- 
son site. 

Waldron's Logging S^amp. In 
1652 (then Captain) Richard Waldron 
had a grant of " two thirds of all the 
timber Iving and growing between 
Cochecho first falls and Bellemaye 
Bank, and so westward between the 
river of Cochecho and the freshitt 
the runs to Bellomyes Bank to the ut- 
most bounds of Dover." The de- 
scription of the land grants, and the 
known location of the Major's mills 
on the first falls of the Cochecho and 
the "Log hill" (where the D. & P. 
R. R. crosses the old bed of the Co- 
checho), where the logs were tum- 
bled down into the long mill-pond, 



Localities in Ancient Dover. 



57 



enables us to locate "the great raast 
path leading into the logging swarap." 
It ran from "Log hill" south, in the 
line of (now) Lexington street, with 
" Plum Pudding hill" on the immedi- 
ate right hand side ; then curving a 
little to the west, it crossed "the 
road leading from Cochecho to Tole 
End," and continuing became what is 
now the road to Little worth. 

Wednesday Hill. So called in 
land grants as early as 1700 ; it is in 
the present town of Lee, a mile and 
a half south-east of Lee hill, on 
what was once the Lee town farm, 
and now owned by Daniel Smith. 
Tradition says a fight with Indians 
occurred there on Wednesday, and 
hence the name of the hill. 

Welshman's Cove. On Great bay 
in Newington, and was thus called as 
early as 1652. Did "Welsh" James 
Grant have laud there ? 

Wheelwright's Pond. So called 
from the Rev. John Wheelwright as 
early as 1666, and the name is re- 
tained to this day. It is in the pres- 
ent town of Lee, and is the source of 
Oyster river. It was at this pond 
that Captain Wiswall, Lieut. Flagg, 
Sergeant Walker, and twelve privates 
were slain, on July 6, 1690, in an en- 
gagement with the Indians. Capt. 
P'loj^d, with the remainder of the two 
companies, was obliged to retreat. 
When Capt. Con vers, the next morn- 
ing, went to look after the wounded, 
he found the Indians had retreated at 
the same time. He found seven 
whites who were wounded, and buried 
the dead above mentioned. 



White Hall. The name of a 
swamjj in Rochester, to the north-east 
of the Great pond (Cochecho, also 
Willand's), and so calleil as early as 
]6r)0, when a grant of land was laid 
out to James Kidd, "north of the 
Great Pond, on the road leading to 
White Hall." The name is retained 
till this day. Was it given as a bur- 
lesque on the king's palace of the 
same name in London ? 

Willand's Pond. The name which 
is commonly given to what was known 
as late as 1834, on Whitehouse's map 
of Dover, as Cochecho pond. The 
County Atlas of New Hampshire, by 
Hitchcock, in 1871, calls it Willand's 
pond. The Strafford County Atlas, 
by Sauford and Everts, in 1871, calls 
it Cocheco {sic) or Willand's poud. 
The latter name is derived from a 
family who lived at the head of the 
pond. 

WiNNICHAHANNAT OR WeCANACO- 

HUNT. The Indian name of Hilton's 
point. Edward Hilton's patent, in 
1629-'30, March 12, calls it Wecana- 
cohunt; but Capt. Thomas Wiggin, 
May 22, 1656, surrendered his interest 
in the " Winnichahaunat or Hilton 
point" lands. 

Woodman's Garrison. Capt. John 
Woodman's garrison, which was suc- 
cessfully defended in the Indian mas- 
sacre at Oyster river on July 17, 
1694, and which stands to-day in a 
good state of preservation, is on the 
east side of Oyster river, and half a 
mile above the falls at the head of 
tide water. 



58 



Dr. Brewer's Address. 



DR. BREWER'S ADDRESS. 

Alumni Dinner, Dartmouth College, at Washington, D. C, 1884. 



Washington, D. C, Mav. 18, 1884. 
Editor Granite Monthly : 

Dear Sir: Feb. 5, 1884, the ''Dart- 
raoutli College Association" of this 
cit}' held its annual dinner. Among 
the toasts was the following: "Dart- 
mouth men in politics : the history of 
our government attests their fidelity." 
This was responded to by Dr. P^rancis 
B. Brewer, class of '43, a member 
of congress from the Thirty-Third dis- 
trict of New York. Dr. Brewer was 
born in Keene, N. H., and educated 
in the public schools, and a graduate 
of both the Academical and Medical 
departments of Dartmouth college. 
The article contains much valuable 
history pertaining to the college, 
which I furnish for publication by the 
consent of Dr. Brewer. 
Respectfully, 

William H. Gardiner, 

Historian of the D. C. A. of Washington. 

Mr. President : 

When you did me the honor to in- 
vite me to respond to the sentiment 
"Dartmouth men in politics," I felt 
it would have been much better if you 
had selected some one more familiar 
with the alumni of the college during 
the last half century ; and then I 
thought I stood on middle ground, 
and could look back and see some of 
the giants we had in those days, who 
had gone down to their graves cov- 
ered with honor, and leaving names 
which will be household words in all 
coming time, and I ought not to re- 
fuse to call the roll this evening. The 
names of the graduates of Dartmouth 
college, who have been directly or in- 
directly associated with the politics of 
our nation, are found on every page 
of our national and political history 
for the last sixty years. 



The ver}^ first class that ever grad- 
uated from the rude halls of our alma 
mater had a man who, soon after he 
left college, became a power in the 
state, and as a member of the legisla- 
ture controlled the politics of north- 
ern New Hampshire for many years. 
This was John Wheelock, afterwards 
president of the institution from which 
he graduated. Soon after came Sam- 
uel Allen, who as a member of the 
Twelfth congress stood alone and 
voted for a ballot to all, black and 
white. 

Next class graduated Sylvester Gil- 
bert, who was a stirring local politi- 
cian, and an active and thorough rep- 
resentative in the congress of the 
United States from Connecticut. The 
year following, John S. Sherburn took 
his degree, and was soon after elected 
to congress from New Hampshire. 
Next year Henry Huntington took his 
departure from the college, and soon 
after turned up a New York state 
senator. And so I might go on, and 
each successive year name one or 
more from each graduating class who 
helped to mould and guide the politi- 
cal opinions of the state and nation, 
till we come down to Dudley Chase, 
of Cornish, N. H., the immediate an- 
cestor of Salmon P. Chase, late chief- 
justice of the United States. He was 
member of the Vermont legislature 
and U. S. senator. 

Martin Chittenden, governor of 
Vermont; Silas Dinsmore, of 1791, 
held many important and responsible 
situations under the government ; and 
to illustrate that the tenure of office 



Dr. B?- ewers Address. 



59 



was as precarious in those days as in 
ours, I will relate a circumstance 
whicli occurred while he was holding 
a government position in Alabama. 
The then secretary of state wrote him 
to know how far the Tombigbee river 
ran up into the country. He replied, 
"The river does not run up, but 
always runs down ;" and very soon 
he was requested to hand in his resig- 
nation. 

I will only mention Samuel Rell of 
New Hampshire, Erastus Root of 
Connecticut, and Henry Allen of Ver- 
mont, and hasten on to the name of 
the man which marks an epoch in 
the history of the college, as his gigan- 
tic intellect and towering genius, his 
profound learning and his acknowl- 
edged superiority as a statesman and 
diplomatist, mark his career as an 
epoch in the history of our nation. I 
hardly need pronounce the name of 
Daniel Webster. He stood a tower- 
ing giant in the defence of his re- 
nowned alma mater durino; her early 
trials and struggles, as he always was 
the foremost and most successful ex- 
pounder of international law, the de- 
fender of our national constitution 
during his entire political career. But 
to say what ought to be said concern- 
ing this man would occupy an entire 
evening ; so I pass on, and mention 
Levi Woodbury, the governor of New 
Hampshire, U. S. senator and cabi- 
net officer, — a man of great and 
varied attainments ; a shrewd, suc- 
cessful politician, carrying great ex- 
ecutive ability into all the positions 
he occupied, and always reflecting 
dignity and credit upon the college 
from which he graduated. 

Then comes Thaddeus Stevens, — 
the old war-horse of politics, and the 



unflinching champion of the rights of 
men, let their nationality or color be 
what it might, — keen as a lawyer, 
shrewd as a politician, honest as a 
legislator, successful in all. The de- 
fender of human rights, he gave no 
rest to himself or those around him, 
till, by his persistent efforts, he in- 
duced President Lincoln to issue the 
proclamation of emancipation, when 
the shackles fell from the limbs of 
four million slaves, and converted 
them into American citizens. 

I would speak of the brilliant 
Choate, — the unequalled advocate and 
lawyer, the graceful and eflficient leg- 
islator ; or of Salmon P. Chase, who, 
as a judge on the supreme bench, a 
national financier and cabinet oflflcer, 
or as the governor of Ohio : in what- 
ever position he was placed, he was a 
brave leader and an honest man. 

These were some of the men who 
were accounted great in my college 
days. Ah ! we had giants in those 
days. They moulded and directed 
public opinion ; they gave weight and 
dignity to political as well as to 
moral and religious life. I ought not 
to stop in the middle of the list of 
Dartmouth men who have been con- 
spicuous in the politics of our states 
and our nation. We cannot forget 
Dana, and Dinsmore, and Goodwin, 
and Adams, and Clark, and Elastman, 
and Flanders, and Gooch, and Hibbard, 
and George P. Marsh, and James W. 
Patterson, and Reed, and Root, and 
Charles B. Haddock, and a host of 
others, who have, by their eminent 
abilities and broad statesmanship, 
added new lustre each succeeding 
decade to the already brilliant record 
of the alumni of Dartmouth college. 
I had almost forgotten to mention 



6o 



Matthexv Harvey. 



'' Long Joliu Wentworth," — a true 
son of our altna mater. I ought to 
have given him a prominent place ; 
bnt he spoke for himself at the meet- 
ing of the alumni last summer at 
Hanover, and it would be impossible 
for me to add a single leaf to the 
laurel which he placed upon his own 
brow on that interesting occasion. 

And now, instead of mentioning 
the name of each particular man who 
graduated from Dartmouth college, 
and went out into the world to make 
it I tetter, and in his private way or in 
a public position directl}^ or indirectly 
took part in the great drama of polit- 
ical life, who helped to guide and in- 
fluence American sentiment in such a 
way that the greatest good may be 
realized by the greatest number, and 
our nation become not only great but 
good, — for the names of these men, 
I most respectfully refer you to the 
last triennial catalogue. Drop out the 
names of a few, a very few at that, 
and the residue will be the names of 
the graduates of old Dartmouth, who. 



from the pulpit and the rostrum, and 
by personal influence, have been striv- 
ing to make politics honorable as a 
profession to such as were called into 
political life, and to demonstrate to 
the world that a man may be a pol- 
itician and not a rascal, a states- 
man and not a deraagoafue. It was 
Calederaus, the Athenian philosopher, 
who upon his death-bed said to his 
son Spencipius, — "In my da}' lying 
was not elevated to a science, neither 
was politics degraded into a trade." 

Let us hope the good seed sown at 
old Dartmouth may be so scattered 
and so blessed, that when we come to 
the end of our lives we may be con- 
scious that we have done what we 
could to elevate the science of politics, 
that it may never be degraded into a 
trade. 

In closing, permit me to quote from 
New England's charming rhymist : 

" Enough : there are gentlemen waiting to talk, 
Whose words are to mine as the flower to the 

stalk;— 
Stand by your old mother, whatever befall: 
God bless all her children! Good-night to ye all." 



MATTHEW HARVEY. 

By C. C. Lord. 



In every department of creation are 
two manifestations of force. In hu- 
man society, these forces resolve into 
conservative and reformatoiT agen- 
cies ; these two agencies act and react 
upon each other. Social government 
is like a pendulum that swings be- 
tween two extreme points. 

Sometimes great social contingen- 
cies swallow up small ones. Some- 
times, also, small ones absorb the atten- 
tion that belongs to great ones. In 



either situation, the affairs of society 
seem to be out of balance. 

When people become dissatisfied 
with their government, there is ex- 
hibited a disposition to substitute 
another of a reverse dynamic char- 
acter. In this, the social pendulum 
evinces an inclination to swing from 
one to the opposite side of the per- 
pendicular. Sometimes the dynamic 
effort is successful. We have an 
illustration. 



Matthew Harvey. 



61 



When the people of the united 
American colonies put off their fealty 
to the British government, there was 
a decided reaction against every phase 
of monarchical authority. The reac- 
tion was effective. The social pendu- 
lum swung vigorously away from one 
extreme point of monarchism towards 
another extreme point of polyarchism. 
In some aspects of the case this reac- 
tion was so intense as to hinder the 
success of a suitable plan of republi- 
can government. Let me make a 
local application of this remark. 

By the provisions of the Federal 
constitution, the concessions of nine 
states were required to make it effec- 
tive. New Hampshire was the ninth 
state to ratify the proposed new order 
of things. The decisive result was 
obtained in Jpne, 1788. In the con- 
stitutional convention at Concord 
fifty-seven votes were recorded in the 
affirmative, and fortv-six in the nega- 
tive. The affirmative majority was 
not strong. Yet the constitution was 
only a compromise between extreme 
Federalists and extreme Republicans. 
Why this large minority? The true 
cause lay deeper than the confessions 
of public policy. There was the phe- 
nomenon of social dynamic reaction. 
The people had thrown off one gov- 
ernment. Hence they were slow to 
adopt another. An animal broken 
from an enclosure doesn't want to re- 
turn again. Men are very much like 
animals, though they have more meth- 
od in their impulses. 

In the early Jiistory of this country 
the reactive tendency ramified exten- 
sively. It pervaded the rural com- 
munities. In the town of Hopkinton, 
N. H., in 1788, Lieut. Morse was 
chosen a delegate to the state conven- 



tion, to consider the ratification of 
the Federal constitution. The town 
took the precaution to instruct him to 
" reject the constitution," though it 
afterwards conceded his privilege to 
act as he thought best for the public 
good. The Federal constitution hav- 
ing become the law of the land, oppo- 
sition seems to have at first succumbed 
to indifference. The people of Hop- 
kinton did not care particularly to 
vote for presidential electors. In 
December, 1788, they met so to vote 
for the first time. The town-clerk 
thus records the result : 

"Voted for Electors for this State 
I Bailey E Smith R Wallis I Calf & 
E Tomson Esquires 49 each of them." 

AYhen we consider that in 1786 the 
population of Hopkinton was 1,537, 
while in 1790 it was 1,715, we easily 
comprehend the insignificance of the 
above vote. In the year 1792, in 
November, the town cast twelve votes 
for presidential electors. It was a 
unanimous ballot. In 1796, there 
was a unanimous cast of thirty-seven 
ballots at the presidential election. 
In 1800 the state presidential electors 
were chosen by the legislature. In 
1804 there was an active controversy 
in Hopkinton over presidential ques- 
tions. The town cast 221 votes ; 143 
were for Republican electors, and 78 
for Federal ones. The reactive social 
element had triumphed. It held the 
advance in the casts for national and 
state supreme executive officers till 
1865, when Walter Harriman received 
a majority of the votes of Hopkinton 
for governor. Thus, often slowlv 
though surely, does the social pendu- 
lum oscillate. 

At first, New Hampshire was a 
Federal state, but it passed over to 



62 



Matthew Harvey. 



the control of Republicanism in 1805. 

William Plumer then wrote Uriah 

Tracy as follows : 

"• Democracy has obtained its long 
expected triumph in New Hampshire. 
John Langdou is governor-elect. His 
success is not owing to snow, rain, 
hail, or bad roads, but to the incon- 
trovertible fact that the Federalists of 
this state do not compose the majori- 
ty. Many good men have grown 
weary of constant exertions to sup- 
port a system whose labors bear a 
close affinity to those of Sisyphus." 

To comprehend all that was implied 
in the popular conception of this po- 
litical chano-e, one needs to reflect in 
part upon a condition of society no 
longer obtaining. The dominant Fed- 
eral element was largely embodied in 
the professional and official classes, 
who formed a kind of select aristoc- 
racy, more separated from the sym- 
pathy and cooperation of the common 
people than any considerably influen- 
tial class in New Hampshire to-day. 
In a sense, the triumph of Republi- 
canism was the success of the masses 
of the people. The commonalty, so 
to speak, had asserted their right to 
lead as well as to be led. The rights 
of the people have formed the theme 
of every anti-Federalist since the 
adoption of the constitution. 

In 1800, the town of Hopkinton, 
N. H., was in a prosperous and thriv- 
ing condition. Its population was in- 
creasing. It kept on increasing for 
at least thirty more years. Hopkin- 
ton, during a considerable portion of 
this time, was a town of public dis- 
tinction and celebrity. It was a cen- 
tre of commercial, judicial, political, 
and social activity and enterprise. Its 
influence was felt in every department 
of the commonwealth. Besides, in 



1800, the conditions of political clas- 
sification in Hopkinton differed in no 
material respect from those of the rest 
of the state. Consequently, in 1804, 
when the tide of political favor was 
turning towards Republicanism, the 
public position of Hopkinton made it 
a favorable field for the location of 
some individual of political ambition, 
who might improve the opportunity 
of the flooding tide of Republicanism 
to ride on to fortune. The opportun- 
ity witnessed the aspirant. The right 
man appeared. His name was Mat- 
thew Harvey. 

Matthew Harvey was born in Sut- 
ton, N. H., June 21, 1781. He was 
a son of Matthew Harvey and Hannah 
Sargent. He prepared for college 
under the tuition of the Rev. Samuel 
Wood, D. D., of Boscavven. He grad- 
uated at Dartmouth college in the 
class of 1806. He studied law with 
John Harris, of Hopkinton, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1809. He then 
opened an office in Hopkinton, and 
began his professional career. Pos- 
sessed of merit and capacity, he rose 
to distinction ; endowed with certain 
temperamental characteristics, he be- 
came a prominent leader in Republi- 
can (or Democratic) politics. In a 
special sense he became an eminently 
popular public official. 

The possession of honesty, capaci- 
ty, knowledge, judgment, and refine- 
ment does not guarantee the com- 
mand of a majority of the popular 
vote. There were honest, capable, 
informed, judicious, and refined Fed- 
eralists (or Whigs) in New Hamp- 
shire in Matthew Harvey's day, but, 
by the same elective instrumentalities, 
they could not occupy his station. 
The same may also be said of certain 



Matthew Harvey. 



63 



honest, capable, informed, judicious, 
and refined New Hampshire Republi- 
cans (or Democrats) of his time. In 
the sense in wliicli we mean it, to be 
a popuhir public official, above and 
outside of every other profitable qual- 
ification, a man must have public 
genius. He must have that peculiar 
instinct and adaptation that will enable 
liitn to be, in a sense, all things to all 
men. Exalted and dignified in person- 
al characteristics though he be, his 
communication must be something 
more than yea and nay. He must be 
diplomatic in action and in speech. 
He must know how to safely encounter 
formidable dilemmas, and successful- 
ly harmonize adverse social elements. 
He must know how to sail between 
Scylla and Chary bdis, and bridge the 
gulf between Dives and Lazarus. He 
must be universal in his sympathies 
and communistic in his tendencies. 
Yet he must have an individual con- 
centration of purpose and courage 
that sometimes impels one to a kind 
of personal independence of all pre- 
scribed formularies, for this is often 
the strongest cord that binds him to 
the popular favor. Having once gain- 
ed public recognition, he must become 
in a certain sense absolute in author- 
ity and power. In a measure, at least, 
such a man was Matthew Harvey. 

In Hopkinton, in a sense, Matthew 
Harvey stood alone. There was no 
other Republican of equal public 
capabilities. There were other pro- 
fessional and influential men, but, 
until later times, they were mostly 
^federalists. To strictly interpret an 
individual character, we must contem- 
plate it at home. As he was in him- 
self, Matthew Harvey could be seen 
only in Hopkinton. A man's peculiar 



selfhood is best known to his intelli- 
gently observing neighbors. In his 
own familiar circle of acquaintances, 
Matthew Harvey expressed tliose per- 
sonal qualities and traits that become 
embalmed in anecdote. Arising from 
individual association, an anecdote, 
in respect to its details, ma}' be true 
or false, but the spirit of its illustra- 
tive expression is almost always true 
and unmistakable. In such a matter, 
too, the spirit is the reliant qualifica- 
tion : the flesh profiteth nothing. In 
Hopkinton, Matthew Harvey form- 
ed a domestic circle. Here he met 
and married Margaret Rowe, a na- 
tive (?) of Newburyport, Mass. They 
had two children, a son and a daugh- 
ter. In the domestic circle, he appar- 
entlv exhibited that undiscriminating 
sympathy which forms a part of the 
character of an eminently popular 
man. This sympathy is communis- 
tic in its tendencies. That his two 
tiny, unfolded, endeared, and tender 
children might early develop instincts 
of proprietorship, was a thought he 
reluctantly tolerated. It is said that 
he ordered for his children two small 
chairs of exact pattern, size, and 
ornamentation. There was to be no 
distinguishing difference ; then there 
could be no exclusive ownership in 
either. Soon after becoming a portion 
of the household furniture, they be- 
came the subject of a childish dispute. 
Matthew Harvey was surprised to 
hear his little son say to his sister, 
'' This is my chair." The father ask- 
ed, " How do you know that to be 
3'our chair?" In an instant the little 
fellow inverted its position and show- 
ed the mark of a knot in the wood on 
the underside of the seat. There was 
no similar knot-mark on the other 



64 



Matthew Harvey. 



chair. Masculine cliildish discrimi- 
nation had noted the difference, and 
appropriated the result of discern- 
ment. Preemptive instinct had de- 
feated communistic determination. 
Such has been, is now, and will be 
the world's experience. Other things 
equal, instinct confronts, encounters, 
and vanquishes reflection, world with- 
out end. 

Diplomacy is only another name for 
shrewdness. Shrewdness is operative 
intelligence. Intelligence, in opera- 
tion, is indispensable to society. A 
man is not a subject for condemna- 
tion simply for being diplomatic. 
Goodness itself leans upon intelli- 
gence for guidance. We must be as 
keen in judgment as we are pure in 
intention, if we are to realize the best 
results of living. In a wav, Matthew 
Harvey was " as wise as a serpent," 
though in another he was " as harm- 
less as a dove." He could defeat the 
machinations of an individual without 
directly opposing him. Let us relate 
an incident. It is taken from the 
more familiar circle of his personal 
experiences. 

One of Matthew Harvey's neighbors 
was a man of extreme impecuniosity. 
He was thriftless and irresponsible. 
Such men, by the force of want, often 
have their selfish wits sharpened to 
the degree of moral recklessness. 
This impecunious neighbor once called 
upon Matthew Harvey for a loan of 
five dollars. He fortified solicitation 
with a gratuitous promise to pay on a 
certain early day. Such a circum- 
stance suggested hesitation on the 
part of the one solicited. That a 
man of utter pecuniary irresponsibili- 
ty could have suddenly arrived at that 
perfection of business economy that 



would enable him certainly to pay five 
dollars at a near and specified time, 
was incredible to Matthew Hai'vey. 
There was a suspicious phase of the 
request. Still Matthew Harvey did 
not reveal his suspicion. Neither did 
he directly refuse the applicant, as 
many others would have done. Re- 
tiring into privacy a moment, lie 
marked a five dollar bill in a manner 
securing its future identification. lie 
then returned and loaned it. True to 
his word, in a few days the borrower 
called and paid his debt. The lender 
privatel}' observed that it was the 
original five dollar bill. Not a word 
of accusation or extenuation passed. 
In a short time the impecunious indi- 
vidual appeared again, soliciting this 
time a loan of ten dollars. "Mr. 

," said Matthew Harvey, "you 

and I are square now, and I think we 
had better remain so. You disap- 
pointed me once, and I don't wish 
you to do so again." 

We have already mentioned the dis- 
tinctiveness of social classes in the 
former time in Hopkiuton. The prev- 
alence of a kind of aristocratic class 
engendered within its ranks a corre- 
sponding etiquette. An acknowledged 
social formulary in the upper class 
implied the superior dignity and priv- 
ilege of age, and corresponding infe- 
rior attitudes and powers of youth. 
Young people were not expected to 
assume the prominence and forward- 
ness that they sometimes now do. In 
the instance of such assumption, re- 
buke would most likely be incurred. 
After Matthew Harvey had risen'^) 
the dignity and authority of a mem- 
ber of the congress of the United 
States, being one time at home, he 
called upon a Federalist neighbor, a 



Matthew Harvey. 



H 



citizen of prorainencc and note. The 
F'ederalist neigiibor had a youthful 
son who was an enthusiastic admirer 
of Heury Clay. Being young, the son 
could not well brook the reports cir- 
culated adversely to the personal 
reputation of his favorite statesman. 
Being full of immature political zeal, 
the youth ventured to ask Matthew 
Harvey directly, though he was a 
guest in his own father's house, if a 
certain accusation made against Hen- 
ry Clay was true. Such conduct 
shocked the young man's father ex- 
ceedingly. Matthew Harvey was 
none the less annoyed by it. Still he 
he did not rebuke the youth or refuse 
to answer. Nor was his reply a di- 
rect one. He only said, " I have no 
doubt that when Mr. Clay was a 
young man, in the fervor and impet- 
uosity of youth, he may have done 
some tilings that his mature judgment 
would not countenance in riper years." 
This reply, of which we have aimed 
to give only the substance, was spok- 
en mildly. Yet there was a peculiar 
emphasis to the words '• 3'oung man," 
and a general bearing of the whole 
remark upon the indiscretion of youth 
and the discretion of manhood, that 
created the sharpest sense of rebuke 
in the mind of the inquirer, who was 
suddenly reduced to that humility 
that indulges no impertinent inquiries 
in the presence of those before whom 
it is its first privilege to be silent. 

Matthew Harvey was many years 
in office. He was the incumbent of 
smaller as well as of greater offices. 
In this we have one evidence of his 
cosmopolitic tendencies. He was 
moderator of Hopkintou's annual 
town-meeting from 1826 to 1828 ; 
also in 1833 and 1834 ; again in 1840 



and 1841 ; and finally from 1845 to 
1850. During all tlie time that Mat- 
thew Harvey was a resident of Hop- 
kinton, there were palmy days of anti- 
Federalism, or of Democracy. There 
might have been a scliism now and 
then over subsidiary political ques- 
tions, but on an issue of Democracy 
or no Democracy there was no waver- 
ing. In possession of a large work- 
ing majority, a political party enjoys 
an exemption that encourages admin- 
istrative laxness. In this fact we 
have a suggestion of the truth that 
too much prosperity is often the earn- 
est of sudden adversity. The anti- 
Federalist party being in a sense a 
protest against public political form- 
alism, the evidences of a certain in- 
herent laxness of method in its pro- 
ceedings could not fail to be witnessed 
during its long predominance in Hop- 
kinton. Informality, in individuals 
and in parties, often obtains more in 
speech than in action. Human nature 
will not always talk by the card, even 
when in action it literally obeys the 
precept. This phenomenon of verbal 
license is always the most prominent 
in reactive social organizations. 

In politics Matthew Harvey repre- 
sented the reactive element in govern- 
ment. In the position of a political 
leader, it was but natural that he 
should at times exhibit the tendency 
to outward indifference to formalism 
so natural to his political clan. It 
has been told of him, that, beiuar 
chosen to his frequent office of mod- 
erator of town-meeting, instead of 
saying to the voters of the town, 
"You will now please forward your 
ballots for town-clerk," he would 
sometimes sa^', — " You will now 
please forward your ballots for Joab 



66 



Matthew Harvey. 



Patterson for town-clerk." In fact, 
it was a small perversion of formal- 
ities. Joab Patterson was a popular 
town-clerk, and was frequently re- 
elected, as may be said of other town- 
clerks ; and no one was deprived of 
the liberty of his ballot by Matthew 
Harvey's remark. But in the same 
position, there are few men who 
would take the responsibility of so 
much freedom of public utterance. 
In Matthew Harvey's case there was 
only an indulgence of a light pleas- 
antr^' ; in another's case, it might be 
a construed usurpation of personal 
privilege. A match is a very little 
thins:, but it sometimes kindles a 
great fire. 

According to local report, in one 
instance at least, Matthew Harvey 
had his instinct of inforraalism put to 
a peculiar test. In religion, in early 
life he had been more or less inti- 
mately associated with the Baptist 
church, which, in its functional eccle- 
siasticism, has ever been eminently 
democratic. We can easily conceive 
that such a church would have offered 
opportunities congenial to such a 
man as Matthew Harvey. In Hop- 
kinton, however, he became connected 
with the Protestant Episcopal church. 
He subscribed to the ecclesiastical 
constitution of Christ's church, or- 
ganized in 1803. Christ's church was 
truly Protestant Episcopal, but its 
worship was conducted with a lesser 
ritualistic exactness than has obtained 
in St. Andrew's church, reconstructed 
from the elements of Christ's church 
in 1827, when Matthew Harvey be- 
came a vestryman of the new or- 
ganization. Rev. Moses B. Chase, 
founder of St. Andrew's church, in- 
troduced into its worship the practice 



of kneeling at the chancel rail to re- 
ceive the communion from the priest. 
Matthew Harvey was impatient at 
this innovation. It is said he turned 
his back in church when the most 
solemn Christian rite was in progress. 
We can excuse him, having a large 
measure of the instinct of informal- 
ism. He was perhaps thinking of 
ritualistic bondage, prelatical usur- 
pation, hierarchical inquisition. With- 
out special evidence in the case, we 
presume Matthew Harvey overcame 
his aversion to the eucharistic genu- 
flexion. He perhaps eventually con- 
ceived that to reverently kneel and 
receive a crumb of bread and a drop 
of wine from the hands of a pious 
priest doesn't defile a man. If any 
harm results, it is probably in conse- 
quence of some debasing motive or 
monstrous interpretation implied in 
the act. 

Let us now pass from the anecdo- j 
tal stage of reflection to turn to a pos- 
itive assertion. Among all the ob- 
servations made of Matthew Harvey, 
we have never heard one to his per- 
sonal hurt. Apparently he had no 
enemies. Personally considered, this 
is an admirable fact. Socially enter- 
tained, it is suggestive of philosophi- 
cal deduction. In a legitimate sense, 
Matthew Harvey must have been a 
kind of negative character. Had he 
been a man of eminently positive 
character, he would have said or done 
something that would have provoked 
local controversy, aversion, and ani- 
mosity. Yet this characteristic neg- 
ativeness is an important factor in 
society. Without instances of its 
individual illustration, society cannot 
exist. In Matthew Harvey's case it 
was of the utmost importance. By it 



Matthezv Harvey. 



67 



be brought together all the diametri- 
cally opposite elements of the anti- 
Federalist party at home, and, so far 
as liis infliience extended, abroad. In 
this he confirmed the proposition we 
have already announced as necessa- 
rily active in the experience of a 
popular man. It was highly essen- 
tial that Matthew Harvey should be 
popular at home in Hopkinton. If 
he had not been, he could not have 
represented the town in the state leg- 
islature from 1814 to 1820, and been 
speaker of the house the last three 
3'ears ; neither, probably, would he 
have been a member of the national 
house of representatives from 1821 
to 1825, and afterwards in the state 
senate three years, being president 
the last two ; nor, most likely, would 
he have been a member of the New 
Hampshire executive council in 1828 
and 1829 ; and he could hardly have 
been governor of the state in 1830. 
Practical politicians take diligent note 
of such contingencies as these. With 
a republican form of government, im- 
plying many elective officials, it is of 
eminent importance that there be men 
who can be popular, but it does not 
therefore follow that it is every one's 
duty to try to be popular ; nor does 
respectability necessarily imply pop- 
ularity. 

In personal stature, Matthew Har- 
vey was of medium height and propor- 
tions, and erect. In style, he was 
tidy, dignified, and gentlemanly. In 
social nature, he was geuerous, kind, 
and sympathetic ; in moral character, 
honest and truthful ; in religious life, 
fervent and liberal. His whole per- 
sonal identity partook more of the 
ideal than of the actual, though he 
was not so ideal as to be impractical. 



He possessed that gentleness of spirit 
and manner that enables one to be 
active without appearing to be ag- 
gressive. A tendency to the predom- 
inance of the ideal in human nature 
affords the most pleasing traits. In 
Matthew Harvey's case, it revealed 
tenderness truly touching. In 1836, 
his only daughter, Margaret Eliza- 
beth, died. She was a lovely and 
promising girl. This bereavement 
was a terrible one to her father, of so 
susceptible a nature. He buried her 
in the village cemetery, enclosed the 
grave with an iron fence, planted a 
flowering shrub, and erected a small 
marble monument — the first of its 
kind ever in town. It is said it was 
his custom annually, on the anniver- 
sary of her death, to write some sen- 
timent in a book of remembrance. In 
one instance he wrote the following: 
tender tribute : 

" Daughter, I love thy grave; 

The rose tree, with its blossoms fresh and wild, 
Waves o'er thy bed : soon shall it wave 
O'er me, my child." 

At home, Matthew Harvey lived in 
the house in Hopkinton village now 
occupied by John S. Kimball. It is 
situated just west of the Congrega- 
tional church. In 1830, being gov- 
ernor of the state, he lived in an oth- 
erwise unoccupied and larger house a 
mile and more east of the village, on 
the so-called turnpike. The house is 
now occupied by Elijah Spencer. In- 
dustrially, Matthew Harvey confined 
himself mostly to the duties of his 
profession. He showed no particular 
interest in the cultivation of an estate. 
In 1807 he was taxed in Hopkinton 
for one poll; in 1850, the last time 
he was taxed here, he possessed 
$1,200 in land and buildings, $1,000 
in bank stock, and a neat creature 



68 Asqnani Lake and its Environs. 

worth $16, It does not appear that Matthew Harvey was active in va- 

Matthew Harvey ever tilled a field, rious civil enterprises. He was one 

though he owned a pasture. of the earliest trustees of Hopkinton 

In 1850, Matthew Harvey moved academy, founded in 1827. He was 

to Concord, where he died in 1866. many years connected with the New 

A single circumstance is of social in- Hampshire Historical society, being 

terest in this connection. In Hop- its vice-president from 1829 to 1831, 

kinton he had outlived most of his and its president from 1832 to 1834. 

old local, public confreres. A new He enjoyed judicial prominence. In 

generation had come upon the scene. 1830 he was made a United States 

The former reserve, dignity, and district judge, from which fact he 

stateliness of the leaders in Hopkin- was widely recognized as " Judge 

ton society had almost entirely passed Harvey." 

away. Familiarity and freedom were Matthew Harvey's grave is in the 

becoming characteristics of the in- old city cemetery at Concord, by that 

creasing social common-place. De- of his wife, who survived him a few 

prived of his accustomed social op- years. The remains of their daughter 

portunities, Matthew Harvey became were removed from Hopkinton to 

lonesome. He sought a new home. Concord, her monument also being 

It is said he remarked, in substance, transported. Frederick, only son of 

that dignity had ceased to abide in Matthew and Margaret Harvey, died 

Hopkinton, and he was therefore go- in Louisiana in 1866. He was a phy- 

ing awa}'. It was an impulsive remark, sician. There is no living descendant 

suggested by unavoidable and unsat- of Matthew Harvey, 
jsfactory change 



ASQUAM LAKE AND ITS ENVIRONS. 

By Fred Myron Colby. 

" I felt the cool breath of the north of idvlHc books, poems like the Gcor- 

Uefween me and the sun : • • i-i 

O'er deep, still lake and lidsy earth gics and the OdvSSCV, StOrieS like 

1 saw the cloud shades run. ' " . " , - . ,, 

Mrs. Stowe s "Ministers Wooing 

" Before me, stretched for glistening miles, n ,, k 

Lay mountain-girdled Squam: and the old romaUCC Ot " AUCaSSlU 
Like ereen-wineed birds the leafy isles , .-.. , ., ,, t ^ t j- 

Upon its bosom swarm.'^ and Nicolettc, and deeper studies 

- unrifiier. j. j,^ ^ ^ ^^^^ Country By- Ways " and the 

Reader, have you ever been at Lake "Letters of Cicero and Atticus," and, 

Squam? If not, then let me invite of course, fish lines and reels,- — 

you, when lengthening days bring for, like gentle Isaak Walton, you 

thoughts of summer vacation, and will thank heaven for leisure to go-a- 

Leo's heats suggest the fiannel shirt fishing; and, when there, you will 

and wide straw hat, to hasten thither enjoy yourself as you can just in no 

by the nearest route, with a trunk other spot. He who has once been 

packed for a month's stay, a number there will have no need to be asked 



Asqtiam Lake and its Environs. 



69 



to go again, for he will return as Per- 
sepone from Pluto's kingdom and the 
daik shades of Orcus sought ever 
year by year the flowery meads and 
sylvan streams of Enna — the haunts 
of Iier virgin youth. Go where he 
will, he will return to this place as 
the Mecca of beauty, the holy taber- 
nacle of lake and hill and cloud. 

Asquam, familiarly abbreviated to 
Squam lake, is not so well known as 
the Wiunipesaukee, its larger and 
statelier sister, but it is not less 
woithy of a wide fame and the im- 
mortality of verse. In fact, it is con- 
sidered by good judges the most pict- 
uresque of all the lakes in this region. 
Its islands are numerous, set gem- 
like in th-e midst of its purple waves, 
and glittering with summer green. It 
lies in the midst of a beautifully fer- 
tile valley, surrounded bv emerald 
wooded hills, and overlooked on the 
north by the towering stony peaks of 
Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Cho- 
corua. 

All along its shores are picturesque 
points and coves, and long wooded 
peninsulas interpose their verdure, 
cutting off the water vistas up and 
down. The scenery resembles that 
of Wiunipesaukee, but is more strik- 
ing. The mountains are nearer and 
grander. Sloping meadows, luxuri- 
ously fertile, are interspersed with 
cornfields, patches of yellow grain, 
and masses of woodland. Artists 
have often sought to render . this 
scenery in all its perfection ; but the 
Divine artist is not easy to copy when 
He works on a broad scale. One 
sees effects here in a single week 
which for their audacity and splendor 
the most courageous colorist would 
not dare attempt. Only a Turner or 



a Claude Lorraine could do them any 
manner of justice. 

"Come up and see S(piam, and 
spend a few days with me," wrote ray 
old friend, Col. Cheney, the first of 
August. "Come up, and it will go 
hard if I do not show you some places 
which for beauty are unmatched in 
New Hampshire." 80 I went, and, 
like the queen of Sheba, I found that 
the half had not been told me. The 
whole countr}' is a paradise. For a 
combination of lake and mountain 
view there are several scenes around 
Squam which, are not surpassed the 
world over. 

Ashland is forty miles from Con- 
cord as the crow flies. It is on the 
line of the Boston, Concord & Mon- 
treal Railroad, and every day the long 
incoming and outgoing trains deposit 
loads of tourists, who have come to 
visit the town and the beautiful lake 
lying at the gateway of the mountains. 
The village is a busv manufacturing 
place. There are several large paper- 
mills, a hosiery manufactory, woollen- 
mill, strawboard-mill, lumber and 
grist-mills, glove and mitten manu- 
factories, besides several other small 
mechanical shops. There are also two 
church edifices, ten or a dozen stores 
of all kinds, a good hotel, — the Squam 
Lake House, managed by the popular 
landlord, Charles H. Daniels, — an ex- 
cellent high school, conducted by 
Prof. D. C. Durgin, and more than 
a hundred dwelling-houses. The 
scenery around Ashland is delightful, 
affording views wild, romantic, and 
beautiful. More than Plymouth it is 
the Conway of the western side of the 
water-shed, and is destined at no dis- 
tant day to be a great summer resort. 

Ashland is a part of what was once 



yo Asqtiam Lake and its Environs. 

Holderness, where the memories of Aug. 26, 1778, Mooney was a mem- 
the baronial Livermores cluster, and ber of the Committee of Safety, and 
whose name is still a potent spell again from Jan. 5, 1779, to April 7, 
wherever great deeds and exalted 1779, when he resigned to take corn- 
character are venerated. The town- mand of a regiment ordered from 
ship, which is small, was taken from New Hampshire for service in Rhode 
Holderness in 1868. Pemigewasset Island. He was the member from 
river washes the extreme western part Lee in the house of representatives in 
of the town. Squam river, the outlet 17S2. In 1784, or thereabouts, Col. 
of Squam lake, runs in a south-west Mooney removed to Holderness, of 
direction, and empties into the Pemi- which he was a grantee, doubtless at 
gewasset. This river affords some the solicitation of his friend, Hon. 
of the best water power in the state, Samuel Livermore, the magnate of 
much of which is utilized, though that region, who was trying to build 
double the capital could be invested up an Episcopal city in the wilder- 
on it to good advantage. In one of ness. His name occurs in the earlv 
the paper-mills which is still standing records of Holderness as justice of 
in the village, the father of Col. T. P. the peace and as selectman. He died 
Cheney and of ex-Gov. P. C. Cheney the last of the century, and. was bur- 
both worked at the same time for ied on an April day, in the midst of 
John Pattee, an early manufacturer, a terrific snow-storm which blockaded 
and helped to make the first sheet of the roads for a week. No monument 
paper ever manufactured in Ashland, marks his grave save a piece of 
Another great name beside that of rough granite, emblematical of the 
Livermore is connected with this lo- stern soldier and tried patriot, who 
cality. One third of a mile north of served his country well in her time of 
Ashland village, on a little knoll in peril. 

an open grass field, at present owned Mrs. Betsey Shepard, of Ashland, 

by Samuel H. Baker, is the grave of daughter of the first town-clerk of 

Hercules Mooney, a worthy of con- Holderness, and who has passed her 

tinental days, and a prominent man centennial birthday, remembers Col. 

in the state for many years. Col. Mooney well. She states that he 

Hercules -Mooney was of Lee. He was a tall, stately man, rather good 

was in the "Seven Years War" in looking, and one thoughtful of his 

1757 as captain in Col. Meserve's appearance. She also remembers the 

regiment. Sept. 20, 1776, he was Livermores, Judge Samuel and Judge 

commissioned lieutenant-colonel by Arthur. They had almost feudal 

the Committee of Safety in a regi- power, and ruled the town despotical- 

raent raised for one year, of which ly many years. Whatever they said 

Pierse Long was the colonel. This was law and gospel, and unchange- 

regiment was stationed at Newcastle, able as the statutes of the Medes and 

The troops were subsequently or- Persians. How have the mighty 

dered to Ticonderoga, and the regi- fallen ! 

ment marched to that fortress in Feb- The roads around Ashland are geu- 

ruary, 1777. From May 28, 1778, to erally good, having a firm foundatipn, 



Asquain Lake and i/s £)ivirons. 



71 



apd drviug quickly after rains. The 
excursions from this place to many 
interesting points are easy and de- 
lightful. The top of Mount Wash- 
ington can be visited in a day, with 
an early return at supper time. All 
the attractions of the Notch are with- 
in convenient reach. Livermore falls, 
Mount Prospect, and the valley of 
Baker's river offer tempting prospects 
for a day's ride. One of the finest 
trips is to Peaked hill, in Bridge- 
water, an eminence about 2,200 feet 
above the sea level. The five-mile 
route is distinguished by what Starr 
King would designate as a general 
hilliness, but it is very picturesque, 
and some fine views are seen looking 
back upon Lake Squam and the moun- 
tains which loom against the northern, 
western, and eastern horizon. We 
pass through the town of Bridgewater, 
past the present town-house, which 
stands solitary and alone like one of 
G. P. R. James's horsemen, but where 
once was a church, a store, several 
dwelling-houses, and the centre of 
business generally. As we ascend 
the height of land, the valley of New- 
found lake is at our right, the water 
gleaming like a silver shield in the 
westering sunlio-ht. The scene re- 
calls Whittier's lines, — 

" Under the blue New England skies, 
Flooded with guusliine a valley lies." 

But on we drive still a mile further, 
in the end diverging from the main 
road and halting at a farm-house on 
the rugged hillside, where we leave 
the horses and make the rest of the 
ascent on foot. Tramping over rocks 
and ledges, thi'ongh runs and pas- 
tures where sheep and cattle are feed- 
ing, we stand at last on the "tip- 
top," where a view greets us that in 



some respects rivals any other in New 
Hampshire. Instead of being out of 
the world, we appear to be just in the 
very centre of things, with the great 
head of Mount Washington forming 
the dome of the earth structure. Tlie 
Summit House and signal station are 
clearly made out in favorable states 
of the atmosphere. An amphitheatre 
of mountains shuts in the horizon. 
Mount Jefferson to the left of Wash- 
ington lifts up its hoary peak, while 
Mounts Lafayette and Garfield of the 
Franconia range tower aloft with a 
superb pose. Moosilauke, in Benton, 
is so distinct that we can distinguish 
the house on the summit by the naked 
eye. Mount Cardigan is at the west, 
and Kearsarge and the Grand Monad- 
nock are outlined against the southern 
horizon. To the north-east and east 
Chocorua, Sandwich, and Belknap 
mountains are the most prominent 
objects. 

In nearer adjacency are hills, some 
precipitous and rock-ribbed, others 
clad with verdure to their crowns — 
Plymouth mountain. Beach hill and 
Squam mountains, which mirror their 
faces in the waves of Lake Squam. 
Three large lakes and numerous ponds 
of water are visible from this point — 
Winnipesaukee on the east, veiled 
with soft mist ; farther towai'd tiie 
north, Great Squam, gemmed with 
isles ; and at the west, lying at our 
very feet, Newfound lake, in Hebron 
and Alexandria. No fairer view 
greeted the sight-seers on the tem- 
ple's pinnacle when the kingdoms of 
the world passed panorama-like be- 
fore the vision. We look over four 
counties — Grafton, Belknap, Carroll, 
and Merrimack — and can observe 
points of land in every county in 



72 



Asqiiam Lake and its Environs. 



New Hampshire. Five fair villages 
lie scattered in plain view — Alexan- 
dria, Tuftonborough, Meredith, Ash- 
land, and Hebron. 

Beach hill, just over in New Hamp- 
ton, is the mountain of local fame. 
It is the peak everybody wishes to 
ascend, in order to see the kingdoms 
of the earth and the glory thereof. 
It is between seventeen and eighteen 
hundred feet high, and furnishes a 
very respectable little climb on a 
warm summer da3^ The view from 
the top, though not equal to that 
from Peaked hill or Mount Pros- 
pect, is a noble one, and seems to 
embrace all of central New Hamp- 
shire. Mount Lafayette stands firmly 
planted in the valley gateway, while 
Cliocorua and Paugus stand vast and 
rock-ribbed farther to the right. Can- 
non mountain just peers over the 
right shoulder of Lafayette, and is 
often lost in the vast bulk of the 
nearer mountain. Cardigan and Kear- 
sarge rise in the west and the south 
like twin sentinels against the dark 
blue skv. The nearer local heights 
are like strophe and anti-strophe in a 
grand chorus. Old Whiteface, across 
Lake Squam, answers to Guustock in 
tiie south-east, the Red Hills call to 
their vis-a-vis Mount Israel, in Sand- 
wich. The music swells all round to 
the south, when the foot-hills toward 
INIassachusetts rise in gentle undula- 
tions like the waves of the sea. 

Over across the nearest valley, its 
rugged, cliff-like peaks nearly covered 
with pine and hemlock, is Mortar hill, 
so called from the Indian relic or 
natural curiosity on its summit. This 
is a mortar-shaped impression in the 
solid ledge, about a foot and a half 
deep and twelve inches across the 



top. The hole would contain, if the 
edges had not been battered off bv 
those who have visited it, about Jialf 
a, barrel of water. The mortar was 
probably once used by the Indians to 
grind their corn. It is an object of 
considerable interest to visitors ; and 
as the rock is in a good state of pres- 
ervation, the use to which the depres- 
sion in it was put, and the position 
of the squaw as she sat there and 
pounded out the maize for her liege 
lord, can readily be determined. The 
pestle, which must have been a sec- 
ond stone about a foot long, has been 
secured by some one and carried off, 
as no one about the place knows 
aught of it. Any one cannot but be 
delighted with his visit to the red 
men's granary, as it gratifies alike 
the antiquarian and the esthetic in- 
stinct. 

The lake views at the east and 
north-east are magnificent. I know 
of no finer lookout in the country. 
The summit is a broad terrace, half 
ledge, half greensward ; delightful 
wood paths, shaded by oaks, beeches, 
and birches, skirt the eminence, and 
everywhere, from every point of 
view, spread the glistening waters, 
dotted with their green isles. All 
through this valley coniferous forests 
are blended with a larger proportion 
of deciduous trees. Pine groves, 
carpeted with red needles, and breath- 
ing out resinous perfumes, are only 
frequent enough to form a delightful 
feature in the landscape. The white 
birch is the most exquisite of the 
forest trees. Its stems show brilliant- 
ly in the sun on all the mountain 
sides. Beech, birch, and maple, 
though all begins with A, are all 
abundant. While roaming in the 



Asquam Lake and its Environs. 



73 



woods one frequently finds tlie pict- 
uresque sugtir-canip, with its little 
board house, and out-door lire-place 
where the huge kettles are swung. The 
elms on the intervale are very tine, 
forming with these c^larlnil)g river 
meadows such foreground bits as ar- 
tists love. 

The great attraction hereabouts, 
however, is the lake, "'mountain gir- 
dled Sqnara," called by Starr King 
"the most beautiful of all the small 
sheets of water in New England." 
We will now have done with Ashland 
and its picturesque environs, and 
turn our attention to the lake itself, 
the important feature of this section. 

It is early morning when we betake 
ourselves to the steamboat landing at 
Little Squam bridge. It is a two- 
mile ride from Ashland village, 
through a pleasant country. The 
course of Squara river is not along 
our route, but the lover of the beau- 
tiful who would follow it three miles 
to its source in the lake will be amply 
repaid. We follow, a portion of the 
way, the old College road, laid out 
by Gov. John Wentworth, in 1769, 
from Wolfeborough to Hanover. It 
skirted Little Squam, crossed Great 
Squam bridge, passed over Shepard 
hill, and thence into Centre Harbor, 
continuing on through Moultonbor- 
ough and Tuftonborough. We passed 
the old house where were held some 
of the earliest town-meetings of Hol- 
derness. The house was owned by 
Samuel Shepard, Esq., the first town- 
clerk of Holderness, and who was 
annually elected to that office forty- 
seven years, going out March 10, 
1818. 

The pretty little steamer lies at the 
dock like a real thing of life, dream- 



ing, — but where is the lake? There is 
only a i)ond, perhaps two miles long 
and three fourths of a mile wide, all 
siiut in by green hills. But we will 
go on board the little steamer Chelms- 
ford, Capt. George F. Cummings, 
and await developments. The whis- 
tle blows, the engine begins to turn, 
and we are off. Down at the north- 
east is a beautiful little eminence, 
crowned by a large and elegant hotel. 
That is Shepard hill. Farther to the 
north rise the sharp outlines of 
Chocorua. We steam on with that 
for our polar star. Over at the left, 
on the old College road, stands the 
ancient mansion occupied for many 
years by Rev. Robert Fowle, the 
Episcopal minister of Holderness, and 
close at hand is the graveyard where 
he lies at rest. Born in 1766, he 
came to this then frontier town at the 
age of twenty-one, and for nearly 
sixty years continued over this pas- 
torate. He was the. son of Robert 
Fowle, nephew of Daniel Fowle, the 
first printer in New Hampshire. He 
was a man of vigorous understanding, 
and was influential in the state, both 
in civil and religious affairs. 

At Great Squam bridge is the little 
hamlet of East Holderness. There 
are a post-office and a store and sev- 
eral dwellings. Along this ridge of 
land began the first settlement in 
Holderness, one hundred and twenty- 
five years ago. It has done growing 
this many a year. The dreamy, an- 
tique look reminds one of Centre Har- 
bor, which is not so far away. Here 
we made the acquaintance of a char- 
acter in his way : we refer to George 
L. Shepard, Esq. He is an old man 
of seventy years, but still erect, and 
showing his sturdy Scotch-Irish an- 



74 Asquam Lake and its Environs. 

cestrv in every feature of bis couute- Several long points reaching out into 

nance. Mr. Shepard is full of auec- it diversify the scene, even while they 

dote and reminiscence, and abounds prevent the visitor from taking in 

in quaint sayings. He is a sou of the whole sweep of view. There are 

Major William Shepard, who was also numerous large islands, — Potato, 

general factotum to Hon. Samuel Merrill, Sturtevant, Perch, Dark, 

Liverraore, and subsequently to his Deakes, Great or Long island, etc., — 

son, Judge Arthur. He recollects which make the lake a perfect gem of 

many thiugs about the Livermores, loveliness. 

and says he can remember hearing Asquam or Squam lake was known 

his father say that Henry Clay was and designated as Kusumpe on the 

the handsomest man he ever saw in early colonial maps. In Jefferys's map 

his life, and that Samuel Livermore of New Hampshire, published in 1755 

was the next handsomest. May the for his royal highness the Prince of 

old gentleman live long to retail his Wales, it is put down as Kusumpe 

fund of anecdote and quaint, dry pond. The word pond is not used, 

humor. however, in any belittling sense. 

We are not yet on the lake, for we Lake Winnipesaukee is put down as 

have to twist for something like half Wiunipissioket pond, Sunapee lake 

a mile through the narrows, a strait as Sunape pond, and Ossipee lake 

bordered by trees that seem to grow as Ossippa pond. In another map of 

directly out of the water. Sailing Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 

through this, we seem to be following published in 1767, Jefferys terms the 

a serpentine, watery road through the lake Cusumpy. What Kusumpe or 

woods. The water is clear as crys- Cusumpy may mean is the wonder, 

tal, and here and there are little It is a pretty name, however, and 

nooks and vistas that remind one of many still prefer it to Squam, The 

scenes on the Assabet and the Con- latter is Indian for water. The name 

cord. It is certainly very romantic appears to have been widely dis- 

and pleasant, steaming through the tributed, as we find a Squam harbor 

narrow waterway in the cool freshness down on the coast of Massachusetts, 

of an August morning, witli the bal- and Baker's river, which empties into 

samic aroma of the woods scenting the Pemigewasset at Plymouth, was 

the air. Here is a new aspect of the early known by the name of Asquam 

picturesque. chemuke. Swamscot seems to have 

Now the strait widens, and passing nearly the same meaning, and was 

a miniature Hell Gate, we swing out almost as widely used. The Indian 

into the lake, wliich, however, does name soon supplanted the other, and 

not reveal its whole extent to the eye as early as the beginning of the cen- 

at once. Squam lake is the third in tury Squam came into general use. 

size of the lakes of New Hampshire, In ''Farmer and Moore's Gazeteer 

being surpassed only by Winnepesau- of New Hampshire," published in 

kee and Ilmbagog. It is about ten 1823, there is this description of the 

miles in length, and any way from lake :"• Squam lake, lying on the bor- 

half a mile to six miles in width, der of Holderness, Sandwich, Moul- 



Asquani Lake and its Environs. 



75 



tonborough, and Centre Harbor, is a 
splendid sheet of water, indented by 
points, arched with coves, and stud- 
ded with a succession of romantic 
islands. It is about seven miles in 
length, and where widest not less than 
three miles in breadth. The surface 
has been estimated at from 6,000 to 
7,000 acres. The largest island is 
about one mile long, and one third of 
a mile wide. A communication by 
water between this lake and Winui- 
pesaukee might easily be effected, the 
distance being less than two miles." 

It is remarkable that though only 
this distance apart, Lake Asquam lies 
at an elevation of nearly fifty feet 
above AYiunipesaukee, and is almost 
five hundred and fifty feet above the 
Atlantic ocean. Ossipee lake, which 
has a more northern latitude, and the 
same mountainous surroundings, has 
not the altitude of either, being only 
four hundred and eight feet above the 
se.a level. The height of land be- 
tween the two lakes is a picturesque 
plateau, occupied by farm-houses and 
the summer villas of wealthy people 
from the cities. One of these ancient 
sites has been made the subject of a 
painting, and recently appeared in an 
art exhibition in Boston under the 
title of "A New England Farm 
House." It is the old Sturtevant 
place. The well on the farm is forty 
feet deep, and is covered by a frame 
house that is as antique as the old 
farm-house itself. 

Shepard hill, which rises directly at 
our right hand as we enter i&reat 
Squam, is one of the most charming 
elevations in New Hampshire. It 
rises to the height of one thousand 
feet, perfect in shape, verdant crown- 
ed, with farm-houses and several 



fairy-like summer villas scattered 
here and there. Capt. W. Bunce, of 
the United States navy, has a pleas- 
ant cottage on the slope of the hill, 
and spends a portion of every sum- 
mer in this fair retreat. The Asquam 
House, a fine and commodious hotel 
that will accommodate between seven- 
ty-five and a hundred guests, crowns 
the plateau of the summit. . Among 
the guests this season have been 
Bishop Williams, of New Haven, and 
John G. AVhittier, the poet. The 
latter usually spends several weeks 
here each season. His poem, "The 
Hill Top," written more than thirty 
vears ago, if I mistake not, refers to 
this hill. The poet is in error, how- 
ever, when he speaks of seeing 
"• Moosehillock's woods." That moun- 
tain is not visible from Shepard hill. 
It is Stinson mountain in Rumney 
which he mistakes for Moosilauke. 
The lines are just as beautiful though 
as if he had not blundered : 

"There towered Cbocorua's peak; and west 
Moosehillock's woods were seen, 
With many a nameless slide-scarred crest 
And pine-dark gorge between. 

" Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud, 
I'lie great Notch mountains shone, 
Watched over by the solemn-browed 
And awtul face of stone!" 

The view is beautiful, whether seen 
at morning, noon, or twilight hour, 
looking outupon the wide expanse of 
the lake, the meadow lands, the for- 
ests, and upon mountains as delecta- 
ble as those which Christian saw from 
the palace Beautiful in Bunyan's 
matchless allegory. 

There is a convenient landing at 
the foot of the hill, a romantic spot, 
where the rhododendron grows, and 
gaudv beds of the cardinal flower 
fringe the shore. In fact, these plants 
and flowers border the lake its whole 
extent. Trees, shrubbery, and grass 



76 



Asqtiam Lake and its Environs. 



come down quite to the water on all 
sides, with hardly ever a strip of 
beach. As we move down from the 
wharf we disturb a heron, which rises 
with a scream from his hiding-place 
among the rushes, and flaps angularly 
away. Loons are seen ever and anon 
swimming on the surface of the lake ; 
and overhead, soaring with pinions 
stretching wide and eyes that meet 
the sun, the American eagle holds his 
flight through the upper ether. 

The general lay of the lake is north- 
east by south-west. The larger part 
of the lake is in Holderness, but por- 
tions of it extend into Ashland, Sand- 
wich, Centre Harbor, and Moulton- 
borough. Tlie three counties of 
Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap come 
to a point in the lake. Leaving Cot- 
ton cove at our left, and the twin 
peaks of Rattlesnake hill, we steam 
out into the lake. Along the west- 
ern horizon follow the Squam moun- 
tains, terminating in Mount Israel, 
the highest peak. Overlooking this 
range, we catch at times the towering 
crests of Mount Prospect and of 
Sandwich Dome. At our right, 
against the eastern sky, are the Red 
Hills, 2,000 feet in height, terminating 
in Colby hill, the lowest spur at the 
north. Beyond we catch a glimpse 
of Mount Ossipee, 2,-500 feet in 
height, which lies ten miles away. 
Both of these mountains are in Moul- 
tonborough. Red hill derives its 
name either from the beautiful sienite 
which composes it, and which near 
the summit, where the ledges are ex- 
posed to the action of the air, has a 
reddish hue, or to the forests of uv(v, 
urfti which cover its sides, the leaves 
of which are turned into a brilliant 
red by the early frosts. 



Heading toward the upper part of 
the lake, the northern horizon bristles 
with stony and wooded crests. The 
hills and mountains crowd confusedly 
upon each other to look into the clear 
mirror of "Kusumpe pond." Yet 
the}' seem tranquil and in repose, 
and the whole atmosphere of that re- 
gion is that of rest. The heights, 
which when seen near at hand have 
an alert and even savage aspect, like 
the gashed forehead of Whiteface, 
the sharp thorn of Chocorua, the un- 
compromising granite of Tripyramid, 
and the sullen bolt of Passaconaway, 
are veiled in the violet haze of dis- 
tance, which softens their rugged feat- 
ures and puts them in harmony with 
the peaceful scene they overlook. 

One mountain, indeed, presents as 
a symbol the type of peace. Fifteen 
miles away, in Albany, rises the solid 
granite mass of Mount Paugus, 3,000 
feet in height. This mountain re- 
minds us of the old Norse god, with 
his stony heart. It is a huge pile of 
rock, scaled over with forests. On 
its side stands out a spur whose up- 
per crest presents the perfect image 
of a gigantic sheep's head : eye, 
mouth, nose, ear, and forehead are 
exact, and even the chest and back 
of the animal are distinctly made out. 
There it has stood for centuries, un- 
changed, unmoved, symbol of the 
Saviour of the world, a thing to have 
been worshipped by the rude aborig- 
ines, if they could, like the old Egyp- 
tian, have seen any tiling of the deity 
in th^ representation of so meek and 
innocent a quadruped. It was only 
a few weeks ago that this singular 
formation was first noticed, but now 
it is pointed out to everybody on the 
lake, where it can be seen at almost 



Asquam Lake and its Environs. 



77 



every point, and is one of tlie objects 
of interest to the visitor in this sec- 
tion. 

The north-western extremity of the 
lal<e tapers into a picturesque fiord, 
from which it would not seem strange 
to see issue half a dozen viking ships, 
with their dragon or serpent prows, 
and their rows of bucklers along the 
gunwales. But it is onlv a fishing 
craft that one sees there, and the oc- 
cupants are trolling for land-locked 
salmon, and have no thought of other 
plunder. There is a finished look 
along the shore. A regular wall of 
rock has been laid along to mark the 
limit of the water's encroachment, and 
in some places this wall rises to a 
height of a dozen or fifteen feet. 
Huge ledges rise out of the water on 
all sides, and only a narrow channel 
is found sutticiently deep for the ad- 
vance of the little steamer. All these 
rocks and ledges are completely 
honeycombed by the action of the 
waves and the frost, and present a 
singular appearance. Honeycomb 
Cove, as it is appropriately called, 
marks the opening of the fiord, and 
Squaw Cove is the terminus, both of 
which lie in Sandwich, under the 
shadow of Squam mountain. 

Squaw Cove derives its name from 
the fact that formerly there stood 
upon one of the ledges of the cove a 
block of granite that bore a strong 
resemblance to the draped figure of a 
woman. A few years ago the statue 
was taken away, and the stone squaw 
now lies prostrate, broken in twain in 
the front yard of a farm-house at 
East Holderness. The aborigines 
had a legend for everything wliich 
they could not account for in any other 
way, and while the sunshine gleams 



on the ripples of the cove, and the 
Chelmsford lies at anchor, and the 
skipper smokes, and even the buoyant 
colonel checks his jokes and puns, we 
will recount the Legend of the Stone 
Squaw. 

A long time ago, when only the 
Indians — the true children of the 
soil — inhabited this country, there 
lived a chieftain whose wigwam stood 
on the shore of this cove, far up un- 
der the beeches of the hill. His 
name was Mamon. He was old and 
wise, and his fame as a warrior was 
great among all the surrounding 
tribes. The wife of his youth had 
long been dead, and the sachem as 
he grew older longed to have his wig- 
wam brightened once more by the 
presence of a woman. There were 
many maidens in his own tribe who 
would have rejoiced to become the 
bride of Mamon, but he had no love 
for them. Across the lake, where 
the pines and the elms grew together 
along the course of Asquam chemuke, 
there lived a maiden whom he had 
seen, and whom he loved. 

The princess Amata was young 
and beautiful. She had the grace of 
a mountain deer, and the skill of a 
wise woman in concocting dishes for 
the woodland feast ; and she and the 
young warrior Moowis loved each 
other ; — but the proud chief, her father, 
had set his heart on wedding her to 
Mamon, his friend and ally. So the 
banquet fires were kindled, and Ma- 
mon rowed across the lake with his 
choicest warriors, to sit at the feast 
and wed the fair princess whom his 
heart loved. 

Grand was the feasting among the 
braves, and lithesome the dances of 
the duskv Indian women, and among 



78 



Asquam Lake and its Environs. 



them all none looked so grand and 
stately as Marnon, and none of the 
maidens were like Amata, whose 
form was like the river willow, and 
her eyes like stars, and her hair lus- 
trous and glistening as the flash of 
the waterfall in the sunshine. But 
Moowis, the young brave, was not at 
the banquet : his heart was too heavy, 
and his grief too great. 

The full moon shone over the lake 
whenMamon returned with his bride. 
His heart was ver}' happy, but Araa- 
ta's face was sad, and the tears 
twinkled in her soft, dark eyes. He 
thought she wept because she left the 
home of her childhood, but it was 
because her heart was with the absent 
young warrior, Moowis. Through 
all the night hours she prayed that 
the warrior she loved might come to 
see her once more. 

In his wigwam, on a couch of sweet 
fern and beech leaves, the old chief 
slept the sleep of the aged, and by 
his side tossed the sleepless Amata. 
The curtains of the lodge flapped in 
the breeze, and she knew no one 
was near until a hand touched her 
forehead, and the voice of her lover 
whispered in her ear : 

"•I have come. My canoe dances 
on the lake, and the night is dark. 
My beloved, shall I go away with my 
heart sad and my arms empty?" 

"No, Moowis, I go with thee, be- 
cause my heart cleaveth to thee. It 
is only for you that I wish to prepare 
the fresh killed game, sweep the 
hearth with fresh hemlock boughs, 
and embroider moccasins to adorn 
your feet. But it is so black and 
stormy, it may be the Manitou is 
angry, and 3'ou know the fate that 
befalls the false wife if she is caught." 



"Thou wert mine ere thou became 
his. My arms are strong, my arrows 
sure, my canoe staunch, yet light as 
a feather, and I love you. Come, 
O Amata." 

His voice was sweet and musical 
as the ripple of running water over a 
mossy ledge in the hot summer noon, 
and her heart answered to his. And 
she stole out of the wigwam into the 
darkness and the storm, and the 
two lovers hastened down to the 
shore where his birch canoe was wait- 
ing. But as they fled the sagamore 
awoke, and by the gleam of the light- 
ning caught a glance of the flying 
fugitives. Wrathful was the heart of 
Mamou as he saw the arm of a 
stranger around his bride, and her 
long, dark hair flowing over his shoul- 
ders. And he cauo;ht his strong bow 
and his quiver and rushed in pur- 
suit. 

Strong were the arms of Moowis 
and brave was his heart, but the 
heart of Amata was weak and waxed 
faint as water as she heard the stern 
voice of the sagamore through the 
tempest. And the storm grew yet 
wilder ; the lightning flashed and the 
thunder rolled ; the water came rush- 
ing down the mountain sides in tor- 
rents, and huge trees in the forest 
fell crashing to the ground. 

"Oh! I cannot fly farther," cried 
Amata breathlessly. "Gitchie Man- 
itou is angry with his child." 

"If you love me, follow," cried the 
young warrior, and he seized her in 
his arms and bore her into the water. 

Mamon arrived at the shore, and 
seeing by a flash of lightning the 
figures struggliug in the water, dis- 
charged his shaft. A loud cry es- 
caped the lips of Moowis, the water 



Asquam Lake and its Environs. *jq 

grew crimson around him, and he We return by the other side of the 

sank with a despairing wail in the lake, and the most remarkable thing 

mad waves. Amata reached a ledge, we notice is the changed asi)ect of 

and struggling upon the rock, stretched the mountains, as we view them from 

forth her round arms towards the different points. Only a very expert 

shore. Appalachian can sling names around 

''May the lightning blast the fair, the whole bristling horizon. But that 

false wanton," cried Maraon, — pray- is Kearsarge's historic peak we dis- 

ing, "Let Manitou make of her a cern in the far south, beyond a doubt, 

signal and example to coming time." That bald granite crown is unmis- 

Even as he spoke there came a takable anywhere. A breeze springs 

vivid flash, followed by a thunder up, and it grows cool. We are glad 

peal that seemed to shake the earth we brought our summer overcoats 

to its very centre, and through the with us. The nights are uniformly 

storm and darkness pierced the shrill cool around the lake, although the 

voice of despair. Manitou had an- middle of the day may be compara- 

swered the chieftain's prayer. tively hot. Up there nothing is 

For ages and ages the Indian, known practically of the heat as it is 

roaming around the lake pointed to felt in the great cities. Blankets are 

the stone image as the form of the not to be despised at night, and 

hapless Araata, petrified by God's woollen clothing cannot long be dis- 

judgraent in her wanton flight, and pensed with. For perfect beauty and 

there it remained till the white men healthfulness there are few places so 

came. Such is the story of the stone richly endowed. Everv day affords 

squaw and of Squaw cove. a feast for the eye and the soul. 

Once more on the lake ; — how beau- Though eventless in one sense, our 

tiful the scene ! Did you ever see lives are crowded with events. It is 

more fairy-like islands, more enchant- our business to see what the sun and 

ing coves? Lovely is the lake now, wind and cloud are about, and to 

hemmed in by the green hills and watch every change about the lake 

woodlands ; but when the tints of and the mountains. All the tweut}'- 

autumn flush the wooded islands and four hours of each day are good and 

the main land, and when sunrises and precious. With the poet we can 

sunsets perform the daily miracle of say, — 
turning these pellucid waters into ,,^. „ .it-, 

o I u Linger, O gentle Time ! 

wine, then the purple bloom of the Linger, O radiant grace of bright to-day! 

mountains frames a revel of color Let not the hour's chime 

Call thee away, 
that is bewildering in its beauty. But linger near me still with fond delay!" 



8o 



Book Notices. 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF 

Ben : Perley Poore's Book. 

Sixty years of a busy journalist's 
life at Washington are epitomized in 
Maj. Ben : Perley Poore's two superb 
volumes. One of the admirers of the 
Major recently said that " at a ju- 
diciously ripe period of life the Major 
stopped growing- old, and since then, 
like some of the choice Madeira of 
which he writes with so much feeling, 
he has only been accumulating bouquet 
and flavor." Maj. Poore has been 
one of the best known and one of the 
most knowing men in Washington 
society for a half a century. His is 
the sunny temperament delighting in 
bright, social interconi'se. Yet his 
connection with daih' journalism and 
his position in the U. S. Senate 
placed him always in the thick of 
political affairs and social gossip. 
He was ever in the Washington 
" Swim," breasting the waves with 
jovial vigor, and never failing to 
hear or see what was said and done. 

The Major could never be very sol- 
emn, and in his ripened sketches of 
Washington life every phase reminds 
him of half a dozen amusing anec- 
dotes. He has a rare gift in telling 
a story, and his anecdotes are inex- 
haustible. 

His book will not only add lustre 
to his fame as a writer, but it is of so 
unique a cliaracter and so intensely 
interesting in matter that it will prove 
a valuable contribution to the litera- 
ture of the country. It lias mirth 
for the mirthful, wit for the witty, 
information for all, and we doubt if 
it has been equalled by any subscrip- 
tion book since the war. 

It is being issued by the well 
known house of Hubbard Bros., and 
is sold exclusively by subscription. 



The Mentor, a little book for the 
guidance of such men and boys as 
would appear to advantage in the so- 
ciety of persons of the better sort, 
by Alfred Ayres, published by Funk 
& Wagnalls, is full of good sense, 
good advice, and wise counsel. It 
would not come amiss in the hands 
of any young man who is striving to 
be a gentleman. 

The History of Sanbornton. 
which by many is considered the most 
perfect model for similar works, is in 
two volumes, aggregating about 1600 
pages. It can be obtained of the au- 
thor for $5.00. He has a few copies 
deficient in plates, for S4.00. In cor- 
responding with him, please mention 
this magazine. His address is Rev. 
M. T. Runnels, East Jaffrey, N. H. 



An Unfortunate Woman and Ars' 
Ya, by Ivan Turgenieff, a Russian 
writer of great force and originality, 
has lately been published by Funk & 



Wagnalls. 



From Messrs. Harper & Brothers, 
New York, we have received the fol- 
lowing of Harper's Handy Series : 

Regimental Legends — by John 
Strange Winter, author of '' Mignon ; 
or, Bootle's Baby." 16mo, 25 cts. 

A Child of the Revolution — an in- 
teresting French novel. Illustrated. 
16 mo, 25 cts. 

A Strange Inheritance — a novel by 
F. M. F. Skene. 16mo, 25c. 

Locksley Hall, Sixty Years After 
— etc., by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 
16rao, 25 cts. 

Yeast, a Problem — by Chas. Kings- 
ley, author of "Alton Locke," " Hy- 
patia," etc. 16mo, 25 cts. 

Of the Franklin Square Library, 
we have received : 

No. 556. A Wilful Young Woman 
— a novel, by "Who is Sylvia?" 25 

cts. 

No. 557. The World Went Very 
Well Then — a novel, by Walter Be- 
sant. Profusely illustrated. 25 cts. 

No. 558. She ; a History of Ad- 
venture — by H. Rider Haggard, au- 
thor of " Solomon's Mines." Pro- 
fusely illustrated. 25 cts. 



THE 




RANITE neNTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

TDevoted to Literature, biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



MARCH, 1887, 



No. 3, 



HON. ARETAS BLOOD. 



When, in the early part of the 
eighteenth century, a few hardy pio- 
neers gathered about Amoskeag falls 
to found a settlement in the wilder- 
ness, they were prepared to wrest a 
livelihood from the sterile soil, and 
defend their possessions and families 
from Indian marauders. It was a 
frontier settlement, greatly exposed 
to attack, but it was shunned by the 
dusky warriors, who dreaded the 
prowess and the unerring aim of the 
new comers. The men at the falls 
carried the war into Canada, and in 
return for early Indian atrocities the 
Rangers retaliated with sword and 
fire-brand in distant savage fast- 
nesses. Though stern and warlike 
and aggressive, these children of 
Scotch Covenanters and Massachu- 
setts Puritans were law-abiding and 
God-fearing men and women. There 
were Goffe, Hildreth, Kidder, McNeil, 
Stark, Hadley, Stevens, Martin, Em- 
erson, Perham, Blodgett, Nutt, Ri- 
dell, McMurphy, Hall, McClintock, 
Dickey, Gamble, Anderson, Leslie, 
whose descendants have left an im- 
press on state and national history. 



While using Amoskeag falls for fish- 
ing for shad, for salmon, and for 
lamprey-eels, the most sanguine of 
those early settlers in his wildest 
dreams could not have pictured the 
fair city of Manchester, with its tens 
of thousands of busy artisans, which 
the future was to uprear on the banks 
of the Merrimack river. 

In the early part of the present cen- 
tury, when this continent had received 
the impetus of freedom, and the peo- 
ple were surging onward to occupy 
our vast domain, the highest honors 
and the richest rewards lay in politi- 
cal preferment. The greatest intel- 
lects were devoted to law, to states- 
manship, or to politics. Ship-build- 
ing and foreign commerce offered a 
field for the energies of the most ad- 
venturous. Agriculture was the great 
occupation of the American people. 
The giowth of the cities, centres of 
commerce and government, was slow 
and gradual. The advent of the rail- 
road was the dawn of a new era in 
the history of the world. Steam had 
already been utilized for ocean travel, 
but the locomotive was destined to 



82 



Hon. Aretas Blood. 



revolutionize human destiny. It au- 
uihilated distance ; it brought the 
products of mill and farm to points 
of distribution ; it put the vast inte- 
rior of our country in connection with 
our sea-board ; it united the North 
and the South, the East and the 
West, in an imperishable union ; it 
made possible the rapid growth of 
our great cities. It vastly increased 
human wants and necessities, and 
opened up a thousand channels for 
the energy and work of mankind. 
After the railroad came electricity, 
commerce and manufacturing on a 
gigantic scale, mines, banking, insur- 
ance, and the complicated business of 
a great nation, in which large for- 
tunes could be accumulated. From 
farm and college hall the brightest 
minds and keenest intellects have 
been drawn to the counting-house, 
the machine-shop, and the railroad 
office. 

The highest elevations in rank, in 
honor, and in emolument have been 
gained by self-made men. By their 
skill and ability great enterprises 
have been started and successfully 
carried on, and their labors have been 
appreciated and rewarded. A self- 
made man, honored, respected, and 
successful, is the subject of this 
sketch, — Hon. Aretas Blood, of Man- 
chester, — a man whose name will ever 
be inseparably connected with the de- 
velopment of the massive locomotive 
in use to-day, and with the inception 
and growth of the railroad system of 
the United States. 

ANCESTRY. 

The Blood family is one of the old- 
est in New England. Tiie original 
pioneer, the ancestor of most of the 



name in this country, was James 
Blood, said to have been a brother of 
Col. John Blood, known in English 
historv for his designs on Charles II. 
James Blood and his wife Ellen came 
from Paddington, Nottingham coun- 
ty, England, and settled in Concord, 
Mass., as early as 1639. He had a 
great estate, and died November 17, 
1683. His wife Ellen died in 1674. 

2. Richard Blood, son of James 
and Ellen Blood, was one of the first 
settlers and largest proprietors of 
Groton. He was town-clerk in 1668. 
His wife's name was Isabel. 

3. James Blood, son of Richard 
and Isabel Blood, lived in Groton. 
He married (1) Elizabeth Longley, 
September 7, 1669 ; (2) Abigail. He 
was killed by the Indians September 
13 (or October 13), 1692. 

4. John Blood, son of James and 
Abigail Blood, was born in Groton, 
March 16, 1689; married July 13, 
1712, Joanna Nutting, of Groton; 
settled in his native town, and died 
August 23, 1758, in the 70th year of 
his age. 

5. Moses Blood, son of John and 
Joanna (Nutting) Blood, was born 
in Groton, November 25, 1724; set- 
tled in Pepperell ; married Elizabeth 
vStone, June, 27 1745 ; and died in 
Pepperell. 

6. Sewall Blood, sou of Moses and 
Elizabeth (Stone) Blood, was born 
in Pepperell, May 24, 1756 ; married 
Molly Kendall, of Shirley, April 9, 
1786 ; and was a soldier of the Revo- 
lution. He died in Windsor, Vt., in 
1813; his widow in 1814. 

7. Nathaniel Blood, son of'Sewall 
and Mary (Kendall) Blood, was born 
in Shirley, August 17, 1788; mar- 
ried Roxellana Proctor, a daughter 



Ho7i. Aretas Blood. 



83 



of Isaac Proctor, a soldier of the 
Revolution, and settled in Windsor, 
Vt. He died in Waltham, Mass., in 
1876; she died in 1865. Both were 
active members of the Congreofational 
church. 

8. Aretas Blood, son of Nathaniel 
and RoxellUua (Proctor) Blood, was 
born in Weathersfield, Vt., October 
8, 1816. 

It will be seen by the foreafoinsr 
line of ancestors that Mr. Blood is a 
direct descendant of those sturdy 
Puritans who in the old country 
maintained their rights by force of 
arms, and planted a colony here on 
the bleak shores of New PLngland to 
obtain religious toleration. They had 
to defend their homes from a cruel 
and treacherous foe, and later to 
withstand the encroachments of a ty- 
ranical government across the ocean. 
Their courage and foresight laid the 
foundations of our free and beautiful 
New England of to-day. They gave 
to us the school, the church, the 
town-meeting, — the basis of our pros- 
perity. We are also indebted to 
them for sound and health}^ bodies, 
and minds relieved from superstition 
and ignorance. From his ancestors 
Mr. Blood inherited man}' sterling 
qualities, — good judgment, sound 
common-sense, executive ability of a 
very high order, courage to undertake 
herculean tasks, the perseverance to 
conduct them to a successful termi- 
nation, and the requisite caution to 
keep him from embarking in any save 
safe enterprises. 

When Aretas Blood was three years 
old his parents removed to Windsor, 
Vt., where he remained until seven- 
teen years of age, improving the 
meagre advantages afforded by the 



common schools of those days. He 
was then apprenticed to the trade of 
blacksmith, which he worked at about 
two years and a half, and then be- 
came a machinist. In 18-10 he jour- 
neyed to Evansville, Ind., where he 
worked at his trade until June 17, 
1841, when he started eastward in 
search of employment. He travelled 
on, however, still in quest of work, 
and it was not until he reached North 
Chelmsford, Mass., that he found 
employment for his ready and willins: 
hands. After remaining there a short 
time, he subsequently went to Lowell 
as a machinist in the Lowell Machine- 
shop. Here he remained seven years, 
and then went to Lawrence, where he 
commenced the manufacture of ma- 
chinists' tools for the large machine- 
shop then in process of erection at 
that place. Here the character of 
the man asserted itself. His ability 
demanded greater scope, and soon 
after he assumed the management of 
the establishment there, and began 
the manufacture, by contract, of 
tools, turbine-wheels, locomotives, 
stationary engines, and other ma- 
chinery. His untiring energy had at 
last found its reward : he was mas- 
ter of the business. September 7, 
1853, he went to Manchester and es- 
tablished the Vulcan Works, under 
the name of Bailey, Blood & Co., 
for the manufacture of locomotives. 
Business was first commenced in Me- 
chanics' row, but in the spring of 
1854 buildings were erected on the 
present location, and in the same 
year the com pan}' was incorporated 
as the Manchester Locomotive Works, 
with Oliver W. Bailey as agent. He 
was succeeded in 1857 by Mr. Blood, 
who has since resided in Manchester, 



84 



Hon. Aretas Blood. 



and has given his personal super- 
vision to the business. 

The Locomotive Works are located 
on Canal street, and cover about six 
acres. The machine-shop is a sub- 
stantial building, parallel with Canal 
street, two stories in height, 430 feet 
in length, and 84 in width. The 
wood-shop is also a two-story build- 
ing, 100 feet long and 40 feet wide ; 
the blacksmith-shop is 365 feet long 
and 50 feet wide ; the boiler-shop, 
205 feet long and 52 feet wide. There 
is also a large brick building, 230 by 
36 feet, for making brass castings 
and building steam fire-engines. In 
the spring of 1872, Mr. Blood pur- 
chased the steam fire-engine business 
of the Amoskeag Company, with the 
good-will and the patents, and now 
manufactures the "Amoskeag P2n- 
gine," which is the old engine in 
name only, as it has been entirely re- 
modelled, and is now one of the most 
complete, perfect, and efficient en- 
gines manufactured. There are now 
over 650 of these engines in use. 
Here are also built all kinds of hose 
carriages, fire apparatus, &c. A grad- 
uate of this machine shop — Mr. Blod- 
gett — has lately been elected by the 
New Jersey legislature to represent 
that state in the United States sen- 
ate. 

Mr. Blood has proved one of the 
most successful locomotive builders 
in the country, 1,330 having been 
turned out at these works. The 
worivs have a capacity of giving 
employment to 700 skilled work- 
men, and of turning out 150 locomo- 
tives and 50 steam fire-engines every 
year. The monthly pay-roll ranges 
from 330,000 upwards. The aggre- 
gate earnings of the works during 



its most successful year amounted to 
$2,500,000. A thorough machinist, 
and a man capable of handling a 
large force of men and conducting 
large business operations, he has 
commanded success, and the Man- 
chester Locomotive Works are one of 
the representative institutions of 
manufacturing New England. 

Whatever success in life Mr. Blood 
has achieved he attributes to the 
teachings and training received at 
home from his mother. When he 
left the parental roof he tried to fol- 
low the advice of his mother : " Shun 
bad company ; try to please your 
employers." He tried to please his 
employers by showing an interest in 
his work, and succeeded in doing so. 
Evenings he not only improved by 
keeping out of doubtful company, 
but by study in his own room, often 
working until midnight, drawing plans 
of the machinery he was at work on 
during the day, and thus improving 
his time. He was faithful to the 
interests of those who employed him, 
and did not need some one to watch 
him. For the many years he was 
an employe he won the confidence 
of his employer by interest in his 
work, faithfulness, industry, and hon- 
esty, as well as by his intelligence 
and zeal, and when he in time became 
an employer of labor himself, these 
qualities were recognized by those in 
need of his services. Another char- 
acteristic of Mr. Blood, which has 
helped him to achieve success, is his 
perseverance. This led him to stick 
to whatever he undertook to do until 
he had done it, in small tilings as 
well as in more important under- 
takings. 

Mr. Blood is also a director and 



Hon. Aretas Blood. 



85 



president of the Ames Manufacturing 
Company of Cliicopee, Mass., i)fesi- 
dent of the Globe Nail Company of 
Boston, and treasurer of the Nashua 
Iron and Steel Company, which is 
doinsc the largest business of its kind 
in New England. He was a director 
in the Merrimack River Bank from 
18G0 till its name was changed to 
First National Bank in 1865, and un- 
til 1868 a director of the latter ; was 
a director in the Manchester National 
Bank from 1874 till 1877, and from 
1877 to the present time has been 
president of the Second National 
Bank. He is treasurer of the Man- 
chester Hardware Company, and also 
president of the Amoskeag Paper 
Mills, both of Manchester. 

Mr. Blood was united in marriage 
with Miss Lavinia K. Kendall, Sep- 
tember 4, 1845, and their family con- 
sists of two children, — Nora, wife of 
Frank P. Carpenter, of Manchester, 
and Emma, who resides with her 
parents. 

Politically Mr. Blood is a Republi- 
can. His first vote was cast for Gen. 
Harrison, but he has been a Repub- 
lican since the organization of the 
party, although never an active poli- 
tician. He has been twice elected an 
alderman, and was chairman of the 
electors who cast New Hampshire's 
vote for Garfield and Arthur. 

It was said, when Robert E. 
Lee joined the Southern Confed- 



eracy, that he was equal to an 
army corps to their cause. When 
Mr. Blood took up his abode in Man- 
chester he was a great accession to 
the young city. He had the gift of 
executive ability which allowed him 
to organize a great undertaking, and 
for many years to make it successful. 
His own experience when in search 
of work has made him considerate to 
those under similar circumstances. 
If he is apparently entirely absorbed 
iu his business, it should be remem- 
bered that he has resting on his shoul- 
ders the care of a great enterprise, 
and that the welfare of many people 
depends upon his good judgment. 
Mr. Blood has evinced considerable 
inventive faculty in the prosecution 
of his work, and many valuable im- 
provements are due to him. He is 
quick to see the advantages offered 
by new inventions, yet conservative. 
Personally he enjoys rugged, good 
health. He is a quiet man, thorough- 
ly honest, and demanding honesty in 
all with whom he deals. True to his 
own word, he expects rigid truth 
from others. He enjoys the pleas- 
ures of home, and is very fond of his 
family. The family attend the Frank- 
lin Street Congregational church. 
Charity is delegated to the ladies of 
the household. Such a man as Mr. 
Blood is of inestimable advantage to 
the community in which he may 
settle. 



86 



Windham^ N. H. 



WINDHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE.* 

By Hon. LEONARD A. MORRISON, Author of " History of Morrison Fam- 
ily," "History of Windham," and "Rambles in Europe." 

The Revolution was here. The while they did not court danger, still 
crisis was now upon them. The col- they shrank not from it when the 
onies had passed successfully through trial came. They knew their strength, 
the French and Indian War, and the and were not afraid to use it. They 
waves of that long and stubborn con- were ever true in the hour of peace 
test had hardly lulled themselves to and quiet ; they were steady and true 
rest before the ominous mutterings in the storm and tempest, 
of another tempest were distinctly A company of minute men was 
heard. Every breeze which swept formed, and when swift couriers ar- 
the Atlantic brought to the ears of rived in town bringing the news of 
Americans the approaching danger, the Lexington alarm and shouting at 
The hour was at hand which was to every house, " The Regulars are corn- 
prove the mettle of the people, and ing ! The Regulars are coming !" the 
which would show the stern grit of "minute men" rallied as men flock 
our citizens. to a feast. Capt. Joseph Clyde 

The provincial records, state rec- was plowing in the field ; he left his 

ords, traditions and records of the plow-share in the mould, headed his 

town, bear ample testimony to the company, and marched rapidly to 

faithfulness, fidelity, courage, endur- Cambridge and joined the American 

ance, and constancy of the people of forces there. The good housewives, 

Windham during the long and trying the mothers, sisters, and sweethearts 

ordeal. There is no evidence to of the men, cooked a large amount of 

show that her sons were appalled at provisions, and despatched them im- 

the magnitude of the contest, that mediately on the backs of horses for 

they grieved over the sacrifices de- the soldiers. 

manded, or that its dangers caused The following men enlisted imme- 
their hearts to be moved with unman- diately after the "alarm:" James 
ly fear. They weighed the issues in Caldwell, Samuel Caldwell, John 
the intellectual balances of their Caldwell, Nathaniel Barrows, 
minds, and were prepared to meet May 2.5, 1775, Lieut. John Dins- 
the dangers which their conclusion moor was sent a delesate to the 
involved. And tiiey did not look County Congress, 
upon war with the alarm of those not The Committee of Safety were, — 
enured to the use of arms. They George Davidson, Peter Merrill, Rob- 
were soldiers by their mode of life in ert Hemphill, Samuel Morison, Jo- 
the new settlement, and had had seph Smitli, Jolni Dinsmoor, James 
great military experience in previous Gilmore, Nehemiah Hadley, and Will- 
wars, and were accustomed to the iam Campbell. 

use of arms. They were men of June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker 

nerve, hardihood, and skill, and Hill was fought, the cannonading 

*Precodiug articles relating to this town were printed in the Gramitk Monthly in 1884. 



Windham, N. H, 



«7 



being distinctly licartl in Windliam, 
thirty-tliree miles away. Her sons 
jningled in the deadly fray, and some 
sealed their devotion to American 
liberty and the rights of man with 
their blood. Tradition says that five 
of our soldiers were slain, but the 
name of only one — Thomas Collins — 
has come down to us. 

The following men were in the 
fight : John Kincaid, William Duty, 
Joseph Park, John Montgomery, 
John Simpson (who had a part of 
his hand shot away), William Simp- 
son, Ephraim Kyle, Lieut. Abraham 
Reid, Alexander Brown, James Gil- 
man, Allen Hopkins, John Hopkins, 
P^benezer Mcllvaine, Thomas Wilson, 
William Clvde, David Gregg. 

The following men were in the 
Continental service July 8, 1775: 
William Duty, Charles Annis, Mark 
Duty, Alexander Brown, John Jame- 
son, Abram Planet, Jacob Hadley, 
Jonathan Thompson, John Kinkead, 
William Mcllvaine. 

The legislation of the town was 
patriotic. It was always in favor of 
the patriots. Their quotas of men 
and money were usually promptly 
furnished, and when a few wished to 
be freed from the soldier rates, they 
promptly voted not to excuse them. 

The following persons signed the 
Association test, which was virtually 
a declaration of independence : 

SIGNERS IN WINDHAM. 



Hugh Graham, Jr., 
William Gregg, Jr., 
Alex'r McCoy, 
John Campbell, 
Henry Campbell, 
Robert Park, 
David GregfT, 
William Gregg, 
David Gregg, Jr., 
Thomas Gregg, 
James Campbell, 



Jeffrey Donougli, 
James Gilmore, 
James Jameson, 
George Wilson, 
Moses Duty, 
James Dinsmoor, 
William Dickey, 
Andrew Park, 
Alex'r Park, 
William Thom, 
Timothy Ladd, 



Arthur Darrah, 


Timothy Ladd, Jr., 


Alex. Gregg, 


Eliphalet Ladd, 


William Dinsmoor, 


Andrew Armour, 


John Cochran, Jr., 


Robert Speer, 


Ale'x'r Simpson, 


Alex'r Richoy, 


John Jlorison, 


David Davidson, 


Adam Templeton, 


Nchemiah Hadley, 


Nath'l Campbell, 


Alex'r Wilson, 


Allen Hopkins, 


Hugh Brown, 


Thomas Wilson, 


James Caldwell, 


Daniel Mcllvaine, 


David Currier, 


George Davidson, 


David Armstrong, 


James Bolton, 


John Armstrong, 


John Anderson, 


Samuel Wilson, 


Joseph Clyde, 


Ebenzor Hall, 


John Dinsmoor, 


John Kyle, 


John Simpson, 


Hugh Clyde, 


William Simpson, 


John Wilson, 


Samuel McAdams, 


Simon Williams, 


Isaac Thom, 


Peter Merrill, 


Benjamin Thom, 


Peter Merrill, Jr., 


Robert Mcllvaine, 


James Wilson, 


John Clyde, 


Alex'r Richey, 


Alex'r Park, 


Hugh Graham, 


Joseph Smith, 


John McCoy, 


James Richey, 


Thomas McCoy, 


Alex'r Morrow, 


James Davidson, 


John Cochran, 


Samuel Campbell, 


James Cochran, 


William Shed, 


Robert Dinsmoor, 


Henry Campbell, ' 


William Rowell, 


Nathaniel Hemphill 


William Jameson, 


Rob't Hemphill, 


Isaac Cochran, 


Gawin Armour, 


Thomas Jameson, 


John Morrow, 


David Hopkins, 


John Miller. 


Robert Smith, 





State of New Hampshire 

Windham Aug. the 26th 1776. 
To the Honorable Committee of 
.Safty of this State the foregoing 
Request hath been Punctually ob- 
served. Notwithstanding Lent Abram 
Reid, Matthew Reid, Amos Merrill, 
hath Refused or Neglected to sign 
the foregoing Declaration. 

Alex'r Wilson, \ 

Sam'l Morison, \ Selectmen. 

Nehemiah Hadley, ) 

On the 1st of December, 1775, 
Gen. Sullivan, in command at Win- 
ter Hill, sent an urgent request to 
New Hampshire for troops, to take 
the place of some Connecticut troops 
whose term of service had expired. 
Eleven Windham men rallied at tiiis 
call. Among them wereCapt. James 



88 



Windham, N. H. 



Gilmore, John Moiison, Samuel Mori- 
son, Isaac Cochran, Robert Dins- 
moor (the "Rustic Bard"), his uncle, 
Robert Dinsmoor, Abram Planet, 

Hadley, and Thomas Gregg. 

During the whole war our men 
shared in the joys of the army's tri- 
umphs or in the sadness of its de- 
feats. Fourteen men from Windham 
were in the Battle of Bennington, — 
Jolin Campbell, Samuel Campbell, 
John Stuart, John Hughes, David 
Gregg, Samuel Morison, Ephraim 
Kyle, Alexander Morrow, David 
Campbell, John Kinkead, John Jame- 
son, Jesse Davidson, James Wilson, 
Tiiomas Karr, William Bolton. In 
the battle David Gregg had a thumb 
shot off ; Samuel Morison suffered se- 
verely from sunstroke ; James Wilson 
was taken prisoner b}' a British sol- 
dier, and he in turn took his captor 
captive ; John Kinkead was killed. 
His sad fate, and other incidents of 
the battle, have been put in verse, as 
follows, by the "Rustic Bard," Rob- 
ert Dinsmoor : 

WINDHAM'8 SONS AT THE BATTLE OF BENNINO- 
TON, AUG. 16, 1777. 

•'Then \\\\\\ Biirgoyne they battle join, 

There Windham men, placed in the van, 
Where deadly balls did rattle! 
Fell .John Kinkead, on grand parade, 
A soldier brave in battle. 

"Jem Wilson stood behind some wood, 
A Windham man true-hearted, 
Who never ran lor fear of man. 
Nor left his post deserted. 
With joyful eye he saw them fly, 
Their warriors all retreating; 
As they withdrew, Stark's men pursue, 
And"fear no foeman meeting. 

" 'T was hard to know a friend from foe 
In such promiscuous bustle. 
But one .Jem met who him besot. 
With whom he had a tussle! 
He fired bis gun, nor thought to run 
(His foe looked somewhat slender); 
The Briton brave then drew his glave, 
Said ' Die, or else surrender!' 



' He, choosing terms, threw down his arms, 
And begged his life's protection; 
Then slowly crept, and lingering stept, 
A captive in dejection. 

But soon Jem spi ung, and round him clung, • 
With arms and all belayed him; 
In deadly grasp he held him fast 
Till our pursuers aid him. 

'To save his breath, most squeezed to death. 
Aloud he called for quarter; 
Then Jem, right glad, him captive led : 
The Briton ' caught a Tartar.' 
Then glorious Stark cried, 'Brave boys, bark! 
Uo to your tents renowned ; 
The evening lowers, and victory 's ours; 
Your feat of valor 's crowned.' •' 



AVhen our soldiers returned from 
the battle they were welcomed by the 
citizens, and the "Rustic Bard" had 
a poem to commemorate the event. 
The muse's voice has long been silent, 
and patriotic verse no longer ema- 
nates from his pen. The soldiers go 
no more forth to battle, nor are they 
troubled by war's alarms. Soldiers 
and poet sleep their last sleep, and 
gently the sods cover them. 

The success at Bennington was the 
harbinger of a brighter day. The 
auspicious morning was at hand when 
England would be compelled to ac- 
cord justice to America. The gal- 
lant sons of the old Granite State 
rallied to join the Northern army. 
The British commander was effectual- 
ly "bottled up," and on the 17th of 
October, 1777, Burgoyue surrendered 
to Gen. Gates. Windham men helped 
to swell the ranks of the patriot array, 
participated in the battles, and shared 
in the glorv of the victories. Among 
them were Isaac Cochran, James Da- 
vidson, P^liphalet Ladd, Robert Dins- 
moor ("Rustic Bard"), William Mc- 
Coy, John Campbell, Alexander 
Gregg, John Cochran, John Armor, 
Alexander Simpson, John Dinsmoor, 
Daniel Mcllvaine, John Williams, 



Ethel Freeman . 



89 



Adam Diinhip, John McCoy, David 
Qniiitin, and William McKeen. 

So the record might be swelled 
wiUi the names of our soldiers, their 
valor, and the war legislation of the 
town ; but the want of space forbids, 
and all these will be found in the full 
•'History of Windham, N. H.," de- 
voted to such details. 



Suffice it to say that the record of 
our soldiers was valiant ; the legisla- 
tion of the town pr(5mpt, energetic, 
and patriotic ; the enthusiasm and 
self-sacriflce of our people, under all 
the privations of war, were worthy of 
all honor. 



ETHEL FREEMAN: 

T//e Story of a Alarriage that proved a Mistake. 
By Ellex M. Mason. 



I. 

"No, father, I do not want Ethel 
to marry George Freeman. There is 
too much difference in their ages, in 
the first place. He is fifteen years 
older than she is in years, and twen- 
ty-five in knowledge of the wicked- 
ness of the world, hardening of the 
heart, and loss of the enjoyment 
of things innocent and simple that 
belong to youth, to those of Ethel's 
age. Then he is tyrannical and over- 
bearing in disposition, and he is fickle 
like the whole of them. There never 
was a Freeman you could rely on !" 
and Mrs. Reed's white curls and pur- 
ple cap-ribbons fluttered more and 
more disapprovingly as she went on. 

••But you look only at the senti- 
mental side of the question," said 
Ethel's father, a stout, handsome 
gentleman, whose calm manners and 
deliberate utterances were in decided 
contrast to his wife's impulsive ways. 
"George Freeman is rich; he can 
give Ethel a comfortable home, and 
she need never want for anything. 
He sowed his wild oats long ago, — 



a large enough crop to last his life- 
time, — and is ready now to settle 
down, a sober, contented husband. 
Then Ethel is in love with him, and 
he is in love with her. Could there 
be a clearer case? Do be reasonable 
now, and don't let your romantic 
notions run away with you !" 

" Ethel is very 3'oung. If she cares 
for him, better for her to suffer a lit- 
tle now than to be wretched a life- 
time. For she would be wretched. 
His love for her is only a fancy, that 
would pass away just as surely if she 
married him as though she did not. 
' Like father, like son.' George 
Freeman is inconstant and treacher- 
ous, as his father was before him," 
said the lady, and a faint blush rose 
over her faded cheeks, and a pained 
look came into her eyes as she spoke. 

Mrs. Reed's youth had been dark- 
ened by the faithlessness of the father 
of the man who was the subject of 
their conversation. At middle age 
she had married her husband, and 
they had been very happy together. 
His calm, sure aft'ection, which if it 



90 



Ethel Freeman. 



held none of the romance of youth, 
had none of its ficklenesss, brlo-hten- 
ing and making all her life pleasant. 
Ethel was their only child, the darling 
of their old age. The mother, es- 
pecially, loved her with an intensity 
of feeling she had never felt for any 
being beside. And it had certainly 
been an advantage, and a guaranty of 
mutual respect and confidence, that 
Ethel had not made her dehxd in so- 
ciety until after her mother had 
become desirably attached to her 
easy-chair and slippers, and weaned 
from fashionable follies and the love 
of the applause of the multitude. 
The unusually great disparity in the 
ages of mother and daughter had 
spared Mrs. Reed the humiliating dis- 
content of a brilliant woman become 
a little passee at the social successes 
and triumphs of a beautiful daughter. 
And who in society has not seen the 
pitiable and belittling struggle be- 
tween maternal gratification and un- 
natural envy of a daughter's bright 
youth and youth's delights? And 
yet the envy seems natural enough to 
some natures ; to those for whom the 
years have only rubbed off the bloom 
and beautiful illusions of life, instead 
of developing, ripening, and sweeten- 
ing the character. It is bitter hard 
for such a woman, once a belle and 
fed on flattery till it has become as 
her daily bread, to resign her belle- 
dom ; and that her successor, whom 
she must in one sense at least regard 
as a rival, comes into her kingdom 
by virtue of lineal descent, makes 
her abdication only a trifle less bit- 
ter. 

Mrs., Reed had enjoyed Ethel's 
conquests as though they had been 
her own, — in fact, more than she ever 



did her own, for the reason that the 
whole interest of her girlhood had 
been absorbed in the ill-starred love 
affair whose memory had cast a 
shadow — invisible to others and dim 
to herself, 't is true, but still a shad- 
ow — over her after life. " I have had 
my day, Ethel," she would say ; 
" now I want to see you enjoy yours. 
Make the most of your heyday while 
it lasts, — your parties, your lovers, and 
of all the admiration and flattery, — 
only do not allow your head to be 
turned. One of these days you will 
lose it all, and be a thrifty housewife, 
a prudent wife, and an anxious moth- 
er. So have all the pleasure you can 
while you can." 

The effect of this delectable but 
unorthodox advice had been to beget 
the closest confidence. Mrs. Reed 
had been cognizant of the beginning 
and progress of every one of Ethel's 
affaires du coeur, from the time of 
the chubby little boys in pinafores, 
who sacrificed molasses candy and 
peanuts on the altars of their loves, 
to that of the appearance of an ap- 
prehensible husband. 

Against George Freeman she had 
steadily set her face from the first. 
She read him pretty well, though 
where a kindlier observer might have 
discovered pleasant possibilities and 
likely happy developments by read- 
ing between the lines, she was short- 
sighted, or saw nothing at all. Most 
people would have agreed with lier 
that Freeman was not the match for 
her daughter, but few would have 
considered him a wholly undesirable 
match. That he had been greatlv 
slandered every one believed. Be- 
sides being rich, he was handsome 
and agreeable in person, of pleasant 



Ethel Freeman. 



91 



manners, and not without ability. 
But Mrs. Reed unequivocall}' and 
emphatically disliked him ; and on her 
husband's telling her tliat Freeman 
had asked their daughter's hand of 
him, she expressed her feelings in the 
foregoing decisive terms. 

Mr. Reed was one of those easy- 
going husbands, who, whenever family 
questions involving responsibility are 
at issue, always seek refuge behind 
the irresponsible aphorism, "I wish 
to avoid all domestic disturbances." 
So, on this occasion, having said his 
say, he remarked uneasily, "Well, 
well, mother, you and Ethel can set- 
tle it between you," and left the 
room. 

II. 

Ethel Reed inherited both her 
mother's chivalrous faith in the high- 
est manhood and womanhood, and 
somewhat Utopian tenets regarding 
marriage, and her father's practical 
sense and pertinacity of purpose. It 
was natural to her to invest those she 
cared for with ideal, ennobling quali- 
ties ; but duties devolving upon her 
from having too fully accepted as 
genuine that which was only imag- 
inary she would never seek to evade 
should disillusion come too late to 
her. Her mother, knowing this, was 
the more acutely sensitive to the fore- 
boded consequences of the proposed 
marriage. She knew well the folly 
of direct opposition. She must pro- 
ceed cautiously, yet at once, and she 
decided to consider carefully her ar- 
guments, and present them in unas- 
sailable array to Ethel, trusting to 
the latter's strong sense and practical 
views to be convinced, and to sub- 
mit. 

Ethel was extremely beautiful to 



look upon. Her beauty, it must be 
confessed, was the greatest fascina- 
tion she possessed, for she was 
neither brilliant nor very accomplished 
nor strikingly talented in any special 
direction. "I want my daughter 
above all things to be womanly," her 
father had said. "I want neither a 
musical genius, nor a literary genius, 
nor an artistical genius, nor a curi- 
osity of any sort." So Ethel knew a 
little of various arts and vanities 
commonly termed accomplishments, 
but was thoroughly domestic in her 
tastes, while her housewifely ways 
were of the sort most men prize after 
marriage, if not so likely as more 
showy traits to attract regard be- 
fore. 

But her remarkable beauty had 
thus far proven a sufliciently power- 
ful magnet, and though it be some- 
what out of date to give the portrait 
of the heroine, yet as every one who 
knew P^thel was consciously or un- 
consciously greatly influenced by her 
looks, they seemed so essentially an 
element of her very personality, that 
it is manifestly desirable to describe 
her. She was tall, slender, straight, 
but of well-rounded figure, and lithe- 
some as a willow wand. Her head, 
beautifully shaped and well set on a 
slender, graceful neck, was adorned 
with abundant masses of black hair 
of that rare quality that seems to 
emit a soft sheen with every changing 
light. Her eyes were large and 
black, and possessed a peculiar soft- 
ness and shyness, and long, thick 
lashes added to this effect ; — one of 
her admirers not inaptly compared 
them to deep lakes in the darkness 
of a thick-leaved wood. She had a 
brilliant brunette complexion, the 



92 



Ethel F7-eenian. 



cheeks always tlie deepest tint of 
the rose ; her mouth was well formed, 
large rather than small, expressing 
decision and firmness, and redeeming 
the almost too sweet look of the e^^es. 
Added to these was the something 
called style that is not the mere wear- 
ing of the most fashionable clothes, 
nor a certain bearing or gait or air, 
but an intangible but true talent given 
to the typical young lady of New 
York society ; though in Ethel the 
usual dash and sometimes bizarre 
tout ensemble were tempered by — why 
not say domesticity ? 

Both parents were very proud of 
her beauty, and Ethel herself relied 
too much upon it, foigetting that 
however attractive it might prove at 
first, if it were not merely a fortunate 
adornment to more lasting charms, 
it becomes often forgotten or unno- 
ticed — valueless. 

The next evening Ethel was at the 
theatre, with George Freeman as es- 
cort. Her mother used often to sit 
up until after her return from opera, 
party, and ball, to hear her recount 
her gaieties, and they would sit gos- 
sipping together like two girls ; but 
to-night she was to persuade her of 
the unworthiuess of a favored lover, 
and her spirits sank at thought of the 
encounter. The play they had been 
to see was King Lear, and Mrs. Reed 
had an undefined belief that Ethel's 
feelings of duteous obedience and 
honor to parents would consequently 
be in the ascendant. 

She began by speaking of what her 
husband had told her, and of Ethel's 
evident favor to Mr. Freeman, while 
her daughter listened silently. She 
then argued tlie probable, nay almost 
certain, results of such a marriage as 



theirs would be, from the reasons she 
had given Ethel's father. Ethel had 
been standing at the window looking 
out into the night ; she then came 
and sat on a low stool by her mother's 
knee, where she could look directly 
in her face. 

"I admit a great deal you say, 
mother, but I see much real goodness 
and latent nobleness of character in 
him that you have never noticed ; and 
he says," she added, blushing rosy 
red, "that I can help him lead a 
worthier and higher life ; that I 
should be an inspiration to him !" 

"Jane Eyre and Lord Rochester," 
said her mother, sadly scoruful. 

"Yes, Jane Eyre and Lord Roch- 
ester, if you please to call us so, 
mother. I am sorry you do uot like 
it, but indeed it is too late to talk to 
me now. I knew vou had not a high 
opinion of George ; — nobody thinks 
half as well of him as he deserves, 
but I never thought you positively 
disliked him, as I see now you do ; — 
and why do you ?" 

"I suppose it is natural." 

An(f then Mrs. Reed told Ethel the 
story of her youth. It was a touch- 
ing confidence, and when she ended 
tears flowed over Ethel's cheeks. 

"Poor mother! poor, poor moth- 
er !" she said, smoothing tlie thin sil- 
ver hair ; and the two wept together, 
the mother's tears being the first she 
had shed for years, and the last she 
ever shed over the old love affair, 
and these more for the sympathy of 
her daughter, and because of the fear 
and sorrow she felt for her, than for 
any lingering grief. 

" But we will not ' visit the sins of 
the fathers upon the children,' " said 
Ethel, after a little while. "George 



Ethel Freeman. 



93 



is constant, and as true as steel : you 
will see, mother." 

"But if I am right, — as God for- 
bid that I should be, — if you should 
be wretched and miserable, what 
could, what sliould you do?" per- 
sisted Mrs. Reed. 

"I should do the best 1 could. 
We marry for better or for worse, and 
if it should be for worse instead of 
for better, all my life long I would 
never break my promise," said Ethel 
solemnly. 

"But you are so young, only eigh- 
teen, and you talk of suffering a life- 
time ! Child, you do not know what 
you are saying. Only wait a few 
years ; — women see very differently at 
twent^'-five from what the}' do at 
eighteen. Wait, Ethel." 

"No, mother, darling mother, I 
must not !" and the firm lines con- 
tracted around the girl's mouth ; " but 
oh ! how sorry I am you do not like 
it. And we have always been such 
friends, too." 

"My darling, you have my consent 
and my blessing, and may God help 
you !" said Mrs. Reed tremulously ; 
and so ended the sad and unsatisfac- 
tory interview. 

III. 

Mr. Reed was very well pleased 
with his prospective son-in-law, and 
he made a grand wedding. Hundreds 
of guests thronged the house. The 
ceremony was performed by several 
very High Churchmen, under the con- 
ventional marriage bell of snowy, 
sweet-smelling flowers. The presents 
were numerous and expensive, the 
bridal dress costly and becoming. 
The society papers said, — " The beau- 
tiful bride was charmingly attired in 
a magnificent white satin robe, with 



very long train, and superb point lace 
veil held in place with a splendid 
bandeau of diamonds," etc., etc. 
Could a young couj)le have set out for 
the matrimonial Elysian fields with 
more pro[)itious wedding auguries? 

The bridegroom was very much in 
love. He had lived the life of a man 
of the world and of fashion, and was 
weary of vanities. He was also a 
man of letters, a dilettante in a mild 
way, and he fondly fancied that 
Ethel's home-like ways and domestic 
likings would combine with his poeti- 
cal predilections to make an ideal 
home. In furtherance of his idyllic 

project they went to reside at P , 

there being a suggestiveness of the 
country about it that was dear to 
George, while the ways were not 
enough unlike New York ways to 
cause discomfort from finding an 
unpleasant adaptation a necessity. 
Ethel's young friends were loudly 
indignant at her being taken away to 
an abode that thev stigmatized as 
being "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl; 
not the country, and too large for a 
village, but too small for a city." 
But Ethel did not mind, and went 
happily to her new home. 

P , though decidedly provin- 
cial, is intensely self-respecting and 
ambitious. Society was intellect- 
ual, cultured, and would have been 
aesthetic only that the aesthetic wave 
had not yet rolled in upon us when 
the Freemans went there to live. 

Ethel found her brilliant beauty of 
much less avail than in New York, 
and her "manners debonair" and 
stylishness of not much account. 
Neither were the neatness, system, 
and comfort of her housekeeping 
highly appreciated, and she soon felt 



94 



Ethel Freeman. 



herself at a disadvantage among the 
literati with whom they associated. 

But George liked the intellectual, 
inspiriting, social atmosphere, and 
never regretted the sumptuous life of 
the metropolis as his wife often did. 
To him the oul^' flaw was that Ethel 
was in nowise "talented," and pos- 
sessed no ambition to become so, for 
he soon came to this frame of mind. 
Some one has said, — "There is noth- 
ing so much annoys a man as to take 
bis wife into society and find her 
eclipsed." If they had remained in 
New York, where Ethel had been a 
belle all her life, all might have been 
well ; but here, to George's great 
spleen, he felt that she was entirely 
eclipsed, and he made them both mis- 
erable by complaints of her father's 
theories and notions regarding female 
education. "If you had been taught 
to sing, or sculp, or paint, or play, or 
something of the kind, how much hap- 
pier we might be now," he would say ; 
or, "If you only cared to improve, 
and add to what you do know !" 

Even her domestic acquirements, 
that he had once thought more potent 
than anything else to promote wedded 
happiness, he now deprecated, and if 
such exchange had been possible, 
would very gladly have exchanged 
them for even one talent, well know- 
ing that in P there would be small 

danger of its being hidden in the 
earth. 

For her own sake Ethel did not so 
verv much care. At the end of ten 
years they had three lovely children, 
two girls and a boy, and in their com- 
panionship she was happy, and lat- 
terly gave scarcely a thought to her 
early, girlish pleasures. She had 
some friends of her own sort, too. 



not aspiring, climbing females, bat 
womanl}', old-fashioned wives and 
mothers, like herself. 

She began to feel at last, however, 
that her husband was certainly drift- 
ing away from her, and the knowl- 
edge brought agony. Her mother's 
warning words, for almost the first 
time, came to her memory. She 
wondered if she had taken a wrong 
course since her marriage. She could 
not change her nature ; she could not 
be like the women George admired 
so much. He had known just what 
she was at first, and yet he had said 
she would be his inspiration. "In- 
spiration !" She knew very well that 
he considered her anything but that. 
"I am a hindrance, a drag, an old 
man of the sea that he cannot get rid 
of," she thought, bitterly. George 
had no patience with her, either ; he 
was harsh and dictatory, and so dis- 
satisfied with her, she thought. And 
was she, after all, less admirable 
than the ladies for whom her husband 
professed such esteem? she ques- 
tioned. She could not believe it. 
She had always been flattered and 
followed at home, but how little any 
one cared for her here ! 

"And I never have any genuine 
good times as I did in New York, and 
only tiresome, bookish people, and 
all kinds of geniuses, to be with. I 
am beo;inning to sigh for the flesh- 

o o Cj 

pots of Gotham all the time." 

And Ethel rebelled, no longer lis- 
tening patiently to criticism, remon- 
strance, or persuasion. Vexations 
and coolness multiplied, and con- 
stantly the breach widened between 
husband and wife. 

(to be continued.) 



Lisbon, N. H. 

LISBON, NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

Historic Notes: Soil, Streams, Lakes, and Minerals. 

By SAMUEL EMERY. 

Lisbon was first granted in the year of the Concord charter. Hence as 
1 03 under the nan^e of Concord, by a single stroke of the p n th 
wh.ch name .t retained for the sue- Gunthvvaite titles were extinguish d 
ceed.ng five years. The grantees not and the poor settler, who ^h'^ 
cornply.ng w.th the conditions of the wife and children during the" ye 
charter, the same became forfeited, had shared all the privaUons of nio! 
as was supposed, and in 1768 it was neer life and had begun toenjoy some 
regranted to an entuely new company of the comforts so dearly earned wa 
of propnetors, under the name of at once deprived of his home with 
Gunthwa.e. Through the influence nothing left^ but his pittance oj ^r 
of Capt. Leonard Wh.ting, who was sonal property. A part of the se - 
instrumenta .n procuring the second tiers abandoned their daims ad went 
d.arter, and Ma, John Young, of to Canada and places further noTth 
Haverh.l 1 Mass., some settlements others endeavored to sell their im: 
were made. Matters, however, pro- provements,-but no one was wiUin. 
gressed slowly, and for several years to purchase, so prevalent wa ^ 
^ere were but few additions. The feeling of distrust ..nd uncertainty 
War of the Revolution came to a Every one knew that the first charter 
close, and a new impetus was given had actually been forfeited, and that 
to emigration. p,i„ts had been carried by the dint 

In the year 1785 there were com- of bulldozing and fraud; and yet 
ortably ensconced in log cabins forty there was no redress, inasmuch as the 
families, besides a respectable con- courts had decided against them By 
tingent of bachelors. After the first far the greater number of citizens re^ 
influx subsequent to the war, emigra- mained upon their farms and awaited 
tion m some degree abated ; yet each the issue; and when the claims of 
year witnessed a sure and steady in- the Concord proprietors were fully 
crease, and evidently the morning of established and acknowledged find 
prosperity began to dawn upon the ing they must yield to the inevitable 
new colony. The genuine prosperity they purchased their farms over 
which had rewarded the efforts of the again. At length the excitement and 
Gunthwaite proprietors was coveted disturbance subsided, and bv an act 
by the original grantees. They came of the legislature the name'of Con- 
forward, laid claim to the township, cord was resumed, and retained until 
and, as is surmised, made some kind 1824, when it was changed to Lis- 
of a compromise with certain influen- bon. 

tial citizens. The controversy thus The first settlers of the town were 
raised was followed by litigation, Samuel Martin, Ebenezer Richardson 
which culminated in the restoration William Belknap, and Samuel Sher- 



96 



Lisbon, N. H. 



man ; then followed the Youngs, the 
most influential family through a con- 
siderable period ; afterwards came 
these, being the surnames, — Dexter, 
Darley, Judd, Parker, Aldrich, Jes- 
seman. Bishop, Harris, Howland, 
Northey, Hildreth, Jewett, Colby, 
Quimby, Streeter, Spooner, Oakes, 
Priest, Noyes, Jameson, Taylor, 
Haines, Applebee, Morse, Bailey, 
Ash, Whitcomb, Smith, Page, Wells, 
Knapp, Kinneston, Burt, Kay, Em- 
ery, Cushraan, Moris, Kelsea, Gurn- 
sey, Mclntire, Cooley, Whiting, Bar- 
rett, Clark, Walker, Palmer, Robins, 
Cole, Eastman, Whipple, Cobleigh, 
Kimball, Savage, Gould, and Ela, — 
besides individuals and other fami- 
lies, perhaps equally early, but not 
so numerous. 

Lisbon, as a farming town, may be 
classed with those of a medium grade. 
The soil upon the intervals along 
the Ammonoosuc when first cleared 
was quite productive, thougli naturally 
light, as is generally the case through- 
out the western part of the township ; 
nevertheless it responds freely to the 
application of fertilizers. The east- 
ern part was originally covered with 
a hard-wood growth, and consequently 
possesses a strong soil ; and the farm- 
ers have been well rewarded for their 
labor. The grazing here is excel- 
lent, and much attention is given to 
dairying. Potato raising, for which 
the soil is wonderfully adapted, for 
many years was the chief industry. 
Amid these verdant hills is a spot, 
sightly and attractive, where the gi- 
gantic maples have been superseded 
by human habitations ; here has been 
built the village of Sugar Hill, a cosy 
hamlet, noted for the intelligence and 
morality of its citizens. Lisbon vil- 



lage, situated in the south-west cor- 
ner of the town, on the Ammonoosuc 
river, is a thriving place, and the 
entrepot for the surrounding country. 
Several prosperous manufacturing es- 
tablishments have been located here, 
a description of which is given else- 
where. In common with so many 
other towns in New England, Lisbon 
has suffered from emigration west- 
ward, and the subsidence of the rural 
population to the business centres. 
In some back neighborhoods, where 
thrift and prosperity were once dis- 
cernible, the school-houses are nearly 
vacant, buildings are going to decay, 
and the forest encroaches upon the 
field. 

The supply of water throughout 
the town is abundant and permanent. 
Upon almost every farm are springs, 
which furnish nature's beverage, cold 
and pure ; then meandering streams 
diversify the landscape, and silver 
lakes lend beauty and variety to the 
scenery. Ammonoosuc is the princi- 
pal stream. Fresh from the moun- 
tain gorges of the famous Crawford 
Notch, its waters, clear as crystal, 
flow through the town in a south- 
westerly direction. There are two 
dams aci'oss the river, one at Lisbon 
villao;e, the other three miles above. 

Two miles above the village is the 
so-called "Salmon hole." The river 
at this point is very narrow and deep ; 
a huge rock protrudes from the east 
shore, upon which rests the bridge 
that spans the stream. In days of 
yore salmon were caught there weigh- 
ing from twenty to twenty-five pounds. 
About this place cluster legends re- 
lating to transactions back in a pre- 
historic period. The largest tributary 
of the Ammonoosuc is the South 



Lisbon, N. H. 



97 



Branch, which rises near Mount Kins- 
man, flows through Franconia, and 
traverses the north-central part of the 
town. Burnham's brook derives its 
name from a hermit, who built his 
cabin near its mouth, for some cause 
seeking entire seclusion. As civiliza- 
tion advanced, he retired to some 
more remote place in "the wilderness. 
The brook rises in the south-west 
part of Littleton, flovrs in a circuitous 
route tlirough Lyman into Lisbon, 
and empties into the Ammonoosuc at 
the bend near " Salmon hole." One 
of the first mills erected in this town 
was built by Capt. AVhiting upon this 
brook, on a site ever since occupied. 
Along its course, or connected with 
it, are ten ponds, and from time im- 
memorial it has been a favorite resort 
for hunters and fishermen. The 
Robins brook, formerly well stocked 
with trout, drains the Walker hill re- 
gion, and empties into the river about 
one mile above the upper dam. The 
Salmon Hole brook drains considera- 
ble territory, and has furnished water 
power in several places. The fisher- 
men have never been able to exhaust 
the supply of trout in this brook, as 
every year large numbers are caught. 
It has its source in the Sugar Hill sec- 
tion, and flows westerly into the Am- 
monoosuc, just above the place from 
which it takes its name. 

Henry pond lies upon the border 
of the interval, three fourths of a 
mile above Lisbon village. It is the 
home of pouts and musk-rats, and in 
Bpring-time is musical with the song 
of the frog ; onl}' is it noticeable for 
its historic associations. The first 
white man's dwelling, the first school- 
house, and the first church built in 
town, overlooked its limited area. 



Perch pond, named from the spe- 
cies of fish with which it abounds, may 
be found in the western part of the 
town, a mile or more back from the 
river. In exte,nt it does not exceed 
twenty-five acres. Neither the pond 
itself nor its surroundings possess 
any particular attractions. 

Streeter pond, so called from the 
surname of the first settler in its 
vicinity, lies in the north-east corner 
of the town, two miles from Franco- 
nia village. It is a pretty sheet of 
water, estimated to contain seventy- 
five or eighty acres. Guests from 
the Goodnough and Forest Hill houses 
frequent this pond, and the fisherman 
is well rewarded for his pains. 

Pearl lake, comprising an area of 
one hundred acres, is situated near 
the Landaff line, two miles east of 
Lisbon village. The water is pure 
and transparent, being supplied from 
springs in the neighboring ravines. 
Unlike many lakes in New Hampshire, 
it is not surrounded by a barren 
waste, but lands fertile and clothed 
with verdure. The scenery from the 
lake, or shores and hillsides about it, 
is lovely and picturesque in the ex- 
treme. There is a legend that the 
Great Spirit made a deep cavity by 
scooping out the earth and heaping it 
in a mass, then the water from the 
several streams flowing in completed 
the formation of a lake. This theory 
of its creation is worthy of considera- 
tion when the topography of the coun- 
try is brought to notice. On the 
west side Pond hill rises abruptly 
several hundred feet, and the adja- 
cent waters are of unknown depth. 
While floating upon this tiny pool, 
the immense upheavals, forming hills, 
seen upon all sides, can but inspire 



98 



Lisbon^ N. H. 



one with emotions of awe and admi- 
ration. By the early settlers this 
bod}' of water was called Bear pond, 
because bruin himself "staid here," 
and his kinfolks were numerous in 
the outlying forests ; neither were 
they extinct at a much later date. 
In the year 1841 farmers living in the 
vicinity found havoc made among 
their flocks of sheep, and, knowing 
too well the cause, made known the 
facts to D. G. Goodall, a well known 
citizen of the village, and withal a 
Nimrod of high repute. He took 
■with him Samuel Dailey, and other 
experienced hunters, all eager for the 
sport. They proceeded to the neigh- 
borhood of the pond, Mr. Goodall 
taking along with him his dog, 
Beaver, a powerful mastiff, always a 
companion in hunting expeditions. 
After entering the woods, the men 
separated, agreeing to come together 
as soon as possible at the report of a 
gun. But a short time elapsed when 
Mr. Goodall came upon a female 
bear and two half grown cubs. Be- 
ing a fearless man, he fired upon 
them, killing one of the cubs and 
wounding the dam. In a moment 
the enraged animal sprang upon him, 
and with equal celerity Beaver grap- 
pled with the common foe. Mr. 
Goodall disengaged himself from the 
bear and leaped upon a stump near at 
hand, and loaded his gun with all 
possible haste. The contest between 
the bear and the dog was of short 
duration. Quicker than the story is 
told the latter was rendered helpless, 
bleeding from fearful wounds, and 
bruin again went for the master. 
Just as her head peered above the 
edge of the stump, the gun was dis- 
charged, and the contents were lodged 



in her brain. The other hunters soon 
came up, pursued the other cub, and 
dispatched it. Thus ended the bear 
tragedy. The poor dog was six weeks 
recovering from his wounds, and ever 
afterwards was a privileged character. 
After larger game became scarce 
thereabouts, it was discovered that 
mink did congregate in these waters, 
and many people came here to hunt 
them for their fur ; so in course of 
time Bear pond gave place to a name 
having a more practical application — 
Mink pond. 

In the summer of 1854 some fisher- 
men here discovered in clam shells 
substances which the imagination 
easily manufactured into pearls. 
Furthermore, it was stated for truth 
that True Page found a pearl which 
he sold for $30. The report went 
abroad, and quickly all the loafer 
class in Lisbon village, with a retinue 
of boys and a small percentage of re- 
spectable people, rushed pell-mell to 
Mink pond. For days there might 
have been seen from fifty to seventy- 
five people, knee-deep in water, hunt- 
ing for the hidden treasures. Clam 
shells accumulated in heaps, the scat- 
tered remnants of which are still to 
be seen. At length, finding no more 
pockets replenished, the bubble burst : 
hence the propriety, or the impro- 
priety, of the present name — Pearl 
lake. 

The outlet of the lake is Garnet 
brook, so called from the garnets 
found imbedded in rocks along the 
upper course of the stream. The 
brook flows in a north-westerly direc- 
tion, and empties into the river near 
Henry pond. Four water-privileges 
have been used on this stream, but 
the buildings, as well as the dams, 



Lisbon^ N. H. 



99 



have all gone to decay. Near the 
Hillside Home, a sunmier resort kept 
b}' Edwin Knight, on said brook, are 
the Hughson falls, a cascade in which 
the water leaps down over a succes- 
sion of irregular steps some seventy- 
five or eighty feet. In time of high 
water a spectacle is presented truly 
grand and imposing. 

Of late years, Lisbon, on account 
of its proximity to the mountains, its 
pure air, and delightful scenery, has 
become famous as a summer resort. 
To meet the increasing demand, com- 
modious structures have been reared, 
specially fitted for the convenience 
and comfort of the guests, so that 
within their walls the pleasure-seeker, 
the invalid, or the care-worn business 
man truly may find a home. First 
comes to notice the Sunset Hill House, 
built in the year 1879, by Haskin & 
Bowles, under whose management it 
has attained its present popularity. 
Its table is supplied with all the 
substantials and luxuries procured in 
the markets and farm-houses, and its 
arrangements throughout are those of 
a first-class establishment. Being of 
peculiar architecture, and domeless, 
with colors flying from a flagstaff, its 
appearance from a distance is sug- 
gestive of a fortress rather than the 
abode of peace and pleasure. The 
house is located near the village of 
Sugar Hill, on a small plateau ele- 
vated nearly two thousand feet above 
sea level. No spot in the mountain 
region is more lovely, or abounds 
in more picturesque and romantic 
scenery. To the east, on the oppo- 
site side of a deep valley, are the 
mountains, so bold, so huge, so rug- 
ged and magnificent. The whole 
range rises to view, from Mount 



Washington to Kinsman, from the 
sombre spruce in the foot-hills to 
the rocky cliffs in the clouds, alto- 
gether constituting a vast expanse of 
mountain side, endless forest, and 
rocky declivities. 

The tourist can here revel in scenes 
"which daily viewed, please daily, 
and whose novelty survives long 
knowledge and scrutiny of years." 
From day to day he can recline upon 
the veranda and contemplate these 
grand old mountains in all their va- 
ried phases. He can gaze upon these 
lofty summits, bleak and weird and 
desolate and silent, reposing in the 
glorious sunlight, or when the tem- 
pest bursts upon them in all its fury, 
and presses their rock-ribbed sides, 
searches every nook, and howls its 
mournful anthems through hollow 
caverns. Again he beholds them in 
the terrific grandeur of the storm, as 
angry clouds obscure their rough feat- 
tures, and the thunder peals with 
startling crash and the lightning 
flashes through the gloom. From the 
Sunset Hill House, westward, the 
scene presented to the vision, if less 
romantic, is more loveh' and attrac- 
tive ; nature unrolls a panorama pe- 
culiarly her own, embracing all the 
beauties of the landscape. Over the 
variegated expanse, far away, are 
seen the smoky for.ms of the Green 
Mountains ; farther south appears hill 
beyond hill, till in the dim distance 
the view is lost. This house usually 
remains open into October, affording 
opportunity for lovers of nature to 
linger, and behold the ubiquitous for- 
est tinted with all the gorgeous hues 
of autumn, and the mountain-tops 
white with snow. 

One mile north of the Sunset Hill 



lOO 



Lisbon, JV. H. 



are the Goodnough and Phillips 
houses. The former is kept by the 
proprietors, Goodnough & Peckett, 
and accommodates three hundred 
guests ; and the latter, by W. E. 
Phillips, lodges one hundred. These 
houses are first-class in every respect, 
and are popular, as is proved by the 
liberal patronage they receive. Ex- 
cept the view westward, the scenery 
does not differ materially from that 
of the house last mentioned. The 
Goodnough was the first lai'ge board- 
ing-house erected in Lisbon, and its 
success has encouraged the building 
of others. It is a fact worthy of 
mention, and one that speaks well 
for the house, that quite a proportion 
of the boarders return from year to 
year. The Phillips is a new house, of 
handsome appearance and pleasant 
surroundings, and makes its debut 
under favorable auspices. 

The Breezy Hill House. C. H. Jes- 
seman proprietor, occupies a com- 
manding elevation one mile east of 
the Ammonoosuc river, and three 
miles north-east of Lisbon village : 
one hundred guests find accommoda- 
tions at this place. The house was 
built in 1883, and was opened for the 
first time the present year (1884). 
As seen from points below, one is 
impressed with the idea of its stateli- 
ness and symmetry ; a near approach 
but confirms the impression. Neither 
pains nor expense has been spared 
to render this place attractive and 
worthy of patronage. Nature, too, 
hath vouchsafed to lend a helping 
hand. The view of Mount Lafayette 
and contiguous peaks is superb. The 
Ammonoosuc valley, an extensive ag- 
ricultural district, the Lyman hills, 
and Gardner's mountain, greet the 



vision to the westward. In a neigh- 
boring ravine flows a purling brook, 
with woodland pools, where sport 
diminutive specimens of the finny 
tribe. Near at hand are rocky hil- 
locks, and groves of primeval forests 
with sylvan retreats, where the deni- 
zen of the crowded cit}' may ramble 
in seclusion and hold communion with 
nature. The success which has at- 
tended the efforts of the proprietor 
thus far augurs favorably for the 
future prospects of the Breezy Hill 
House. 

Besides the larger houses, there 
are numerous small establishments, 
which are vearlv throno;ed with board- 
ers. Some of these are the Hillside 
Home, Elm House, Bluff House, Echo 
Farm House, Elm Farm House, Grand 
View Cottage, Woodland Cottage, 
Cedar Cottage, Su^r Hill House, 
and Mapleside. 

Previous to the year 1800 iron ore 
of a fine quality was discovered on a 
high ridge in the south-eastern part 
of the town. At an early day works 
were established on a small scale for 
the manufacture of iron. The busi- 
ness proving quite lucrative, in the 
year 1810 capitalists from "below" 
formed a company known as the 
" N. H. Iron Factory Co." At Frau- 
conia village, the nearest water-privi- 
lege, a furnace was erected, and 
other buildings, provided with all the 
necessary fixtures for manufacturing 
iron and casting various vessels and 
implements. The business thrived' 
in accordance with the expectations 
of the stockholders, and for a succes- 
sion of years the net profits of the 
company averaged $30,000 per an- 
num. The company continued to 
prosper until improved means of 



Lisbon, JV. H. 



lOI 



transportation brought their products 
and those from the mines of Pennsyl- 
vania in competition. After being 
in operation tiiirty years, the furnace 
was closed, and work was not re- 
sumed until 18")9 ; then other parties 
operated the mines for two or three 
years, and suspended ; after which 
the buildings fell into decay, and 
finally in the year 1884 were con- 
sumed by fire. The supply of iron 
ore in the mines of Lisbon is still 
abundant, and supposed to be inex- 
haustible. Limestone is found in 
some parts of the town, and the man- 
ufacture of lime was formerly quite 
an industry. 

It is generally believed that Lisbon 
occupies the central point of the min- 
eral region of New Hampshire. Within 
its limits, besides the iron mentioned 
above, are found gold, silver, lead, 
and copper. Whether or not any of 
these minerals will be found in pay- 
ing quantities remains yet to be de- 
termined. A great mineral excite- 
ment occurred here in 1866, originating 
as follows : Prof. J. H. Allen, an 
adept at mining, discovered a speci- 
men of free gold in quartz rock one 
mile east of Lisbon village. More 
specimens were found in the quartz 
in various places, not only in Lisbon, 
but also in the adjoining towns. 
Searching for gold led to the discov- 
ery of other minerals throughout a 
territory including several towns. 

Capitalists were forthcoming who 
prospected, made investments, erected 
mills for working the quartz, and, 
what was more, produced handsome 
bars of gold. Yet from the begin- 
ning grave doubts had existed among 
sober-minded men as to the proba- 
bility of gold being found in paying 



quantities, and this doubt established 
a principle of action among mining 
men. The whole business drifted 
into speculation. A programme was 
soon adopted which each succeeding 
party followed to the letter. The 
course pursued was to bond a piece 
of land, sink a shaft of a few feet, 
make a good show, sometimes by 
bringing rock from another place, 
then sell out. The man that sold was 
always the lucky man. During the 
interval of ten years it is estimated a 
million and a half dollars was squan- 
dered in mining operations in Lisbon 
and vicinity, not, however, to the 
detriment of the town. Hotels and 
boarding-houses reaped a harvest, 
though sometimes losing a bill bv 
some poor dupe who had been fleeced 
of all he possessed. Again : In some 
cases farmers were enabled to sell at 
fancy prices some sterile pasture, 
comparatively valueless. 

Lisbon, as before stated, is the 
central point of the mineral region ; 
furthermore, it has been the head- 
quarters of the mining men, and the* 
place where much of the rock has 
been worked, yet within the limits of 
the town only one mine has been 
opened, that one being the so-called 
Atwood mine, located near the place 
where gold was first discovered. In 
relation to the mine, we quote from a 
mining record as follows: "The 
vein was dipping at a high angle to 
the north-west, and a shaft put down 
perpendicular 100 feet, passing the 
vein at depth of fifteen feet. Very 
many specimens of free gold were 
taken out, and the sulphurets were 
specially rich. Owing to bad man- 
agement this mine was abandoned. 
I do not know of any attempt ever 



I02 



Stephen Peabody. 



being made to strike the vein from 
the bottom of the shaft by con- 
tract." 

All the facts in the case bear wit- 
ness that the mineral resources of 
Lisbon have never been brought to a 
reasonable test. And now, when 
excitement gives place to rational de- 
liberation, experienced mining men 
express the opinion that the quartz 
veins in Lisbon carry gold in quanti- 
ties sufficient to pay for working, and 
that in the near future the spirit of 
speculation will subside, and there 
will spring up a profitable business. 

[Lisbon to-day is a charming little 
village nestling in the valley on the 
banks of the Ammonoosuc river. The 
people are wide-awake and enter- 
prising, and use every endeavor to 
increase the business and improve the 
appearance of the village. This pub- 
lic spirit is shown not only in hand- 
some private residences, but in a verv 



attractive hotel built by the citizens 
of the village, a modern iron bridge 
across the river, and neatness and 
thrift on every hand. 

During the year 1886 the village 
was permanently improved by the 
introduction of a never-failing water- 
supply from Mink pond or Pearl 
lake, distant two miles, and four hun- 
dred and fifty feet above the bridge. 
There is a head of two hundred and 
fifty feet, as water is obtained from 
the outlet of the lake, only a mile 
distant, and it is brought in an eight- 
inch main. There are thirty-one hy- 
drants. The water is very soft and 
pure. The water-works complete 
cost $21,000, and will eventually be 
under the control of the precinct. 
There is in the village a well-organ- 
ized fire department, consisting of a 
board of engineers, a hose company, 
and a hook and ladder company. — 
Editor.] 



THE ANNULLING OP THE COMMISSION OF STEPHEN 

PEABODY. 

BY LEVI W. DODGE. 



In the January number of " The 
Granite Monthly''^ was published, by 
request of John Wentworth. a copy of 
the "Writ of Supersedeas" issued by 
the last royal governor of New Hamp- 
shire, just previous to his hasty flight 
from the country already grown too 
ardently democratic for the safe abode 
of royalty. The document was made 
to apply to the revoking of the com- 
mission of Stephen Peabody as cor- 
oner in the county of Hillsborough, 
New Hampshire, because " it appears 



not to be consistent with Our Honor, 
and the good of Our Subjects of our 
said county, that the said Stephen 
Peabody should any longer be con- 
tinued in the said office." 

The true inwardness of the repeal 
of this commission is found in the 
events of that period, and the history 
of the two men most immediately 
connected with the serving of the 
document, viz., the man whom it was 
designed to effect, and tiie sheriff of 
the county. 



Stephen Pea body. 



103 



Stephen Peabody was one of the 
most ardent of patriots, and made 
himself heard and understood as 
arrayed with the lovers of liberty 
against the despotic exercise of the 
power of King George the III. Nor 
could he be bribed or kept silent by 
any appointment or com.raission under 
the king, and when the call for troops 
came to march for Bunker Hill, he 
was enrolled in the regiment of Col. 
James Reed, and was appointed its 
adjutant. In 1776 he was major in 
Col. Wy man's regiment, raised for 
the Canada expedition. At the Bat- 
tle of Bennington he was upon the 
staff of Gen. Stark, and in the Rhode 
Island campaign of 1778 he was 
lieutenant colonel commanding in 
Gen. Whipple's brigade. Col. Pea- 
bod}' died in 1779, just in the midst 
of a most useful career. In his 
death the cause of the patriots lost 
one of its most able defenders. 

The undisguised political senti- 
ments of Mr. Peabody during those 
pre-revolutionary movements would 
have been sufficient cause in the mind 
of the royal governor for the revok- 
ing of any official commission in the 
hands of others than friends of the 
royal cause. But how did the ear of 
Gov. Wentworth catch the discordant 
ntterings of his distant commissioned 
subordinates? 

The sheriff of the county was the 
notorious tory, Benjamin Whiting, of 



Hollis, whose obnoxious methods, 
odious deportment, and offensive ut- 
terances called for his examination 
by the Committee of Safety at Am- 
herst in July, 1775. He was sum- 
moned, but did not appear, to answer 
the charges of "being inimical to the 
Rights and Liberties of the United 
Colonies," or, in other words, a tory ; 
but he was found guilty, and shortly 
afterward he left the state and his 
family, and a few years thereafter 
died in exile. He was one of the 
illustrious seventy-six who were em- 
braced in the "Act of Banishment" 
passed by the General Court in No- 
vember, 1778. Whiting's property 
was confiscated, and he was forbidden 
to return to the country under penalty 
of transportation. 

The two individuals thus noticed, 
both officers commissioned by the 
king, and brought often together in 
the discharge of their official duties, — 
one an outspoken tory, and the other 
an ardent patriot, diverse in charac- 
ter, and socially and politically op- 
posed ; the one having the ear of the 
royal governor, and the other the 
confidence of the people, — it is easily 
deducible how Gov. Wentworth should 
thus have concluded it "no longer 
consistent with Our Honor and the 
good of Our Subjects of our said 
county that the said Stephen Peabody 
should any longer be continued in the 
said office." 



I04 



Phillies Exeter Academy. 



PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY. 



BY HERMAN W. STEVENS. 



An old mail, my townsman, says, — 
"It is sixty years since father left 
me in Exeter to fit for college. I 
cannot refuse to admit that the P. E. A. 
graduate of to-day is often found to 
have a better trained mind than the 
college graduate of my time." 

The foundation of the now famous 
Phillips P^xeter Academy was due to 
the nobleness of John Phillips, Har- 
vard college, 1735. "Without nat- 
ural issue, he made posterity his 
heir." The alumni celebrated the 
end of the academy's hundredth year 
of work in 1883. 

The writer was admitted as a 
"Prep." We formed an irrelative 
crowd. There were neat and erect 
fellows from military academies, 
kuowiug high school boys, raw coun- 
try chaps, typical city lads, and 
Westerners, Southerners, and Chi- 
nese. The first day was unlike any 
day which I had ever experienced, or 
of which I had heard or read. 'Twas 
surprising how soon the academy put 
its stamp upon every member. In a 
short time, though differing widely in 
breeding, inclination, and capacity, 
the great mass was welded into a firm 
but mobile body. There were a good 
many disappointments. The work 
and methods of instruction were try- 
ing, and the strength of maturit}', the 
confidence of previous leadership, and 
the complacency acquired under pri- 
vate tutorship failed in many instances 
to secure high standing. Recitation 
tests and frequent written examina- 
tions put us tlu-ough sieve after sieve, 
and by Christmas every one had 



fonnd his place. Some did not re- 
turn after the holidays. During this 
year a foundation was laid in Latin, 
under a most enthusiastic instructor, 
which was so full, so exact, and so 
enduring that I have known manv a 
fellow to rest all his hopes upon it 
when he had become an idle senior. 
The weak and irreclaimable were 
largely dropped during this 3'ear. As 
juniors the grind became endurable, 
and we thought less of class and 
more of school. But enough of the 
unregenerate remained to furnish an 
excuse for another weeding out. The 
losses of this year were in part made 
good by a set who brought some ex- 
perience from the classical courses of 
the public schools. When we became 
middlers, the written examinations 
increased in severity, and the "Pre- 
lims" were kept constantl}' in mind. 
For those who got away with ten 
subjects the senior year opened pleas- 
antly. The preparation for "Finals" 
proceeded by easy stages, and we 
were graduated as the Centennial 
class. 

Exeter is simply a healthy, well- 
appointed town, of ancient date. It 
has secured little modern develop- 
ment. Remarkably few temptations 
beset the students. The North Ameri- 
can of July, 1858, says of the acad- 
emy, — "Its students are steadily in- 
creasing in numbers, drawn thither 
in part by its ancient renown, and 
in part by its present reputation 
and charities. . . . The internal 
economy of the school is not unlike 
that of a well ordered college. The 



Phillifs Exeter Acadcmv. 



105 



teachers eoustitiite a faculty, in which 
are vested the government and 
instruction. Their support comes 
excUisiveW from the funds. Tiiey 
do not, therefore, ' hang on princes' 
favors,' or on the still more fickle 
favor of the populace. As a natural 
consequence, they are not obliged, by 
any consideration of interest, to lis- 
ten to the capricious whims of boys, 
or to pander to the tastes of a super- 
ficial, hurrying people. . . . The 
faculty can be systematic and thorough 
without becoming a topic for debate 
and denunciation iu town-meeting." 
This is true to-day, and it is difficult 
to imagine a condition more likely to 
produce good results. Failure can 
come only through faculty weakness. 
There are in the academy four 
classes only, — Preparatory, Junior, 
Middle, Senior. The fit for college 
is not excelled ; the English depart- 
ment is inferior to a good high school. 
Rules are few in number, but the 
wisdom of years has so fashioned 
them that their restraining power is 
felt throughout the course. The 
large degree of personal liberty, the 
absolute necessity of meeting certain 
well known requirements, and the 
strong democratic spirit of the school 
render it easy to assume college du- 
ties. The instructing body is remark- 
ably strong. Prof. Pennell is said to 
have revolutionized the teaching of 
Latin ; certainly no student ever sat 
long under him without great gain iu 
celerity and precision. Profs. Went- 
worth and Cilley are abler men than 
one sees much of in collesfe. The 
method of instruction does not com- 
mend itself to the weak or indolent. 
Information is given only after suc- 
cess has been measurably secured by 



hard work. The main thiii"- sought 
is intellectual development. Hon- 
esty, inclination to labor, and power 
of endurance are imperatively de- 
manded. Hence, anything in quality, 
habit, mental or physical condition, 
seriously interfering with a pupil's 
progress, is very apt to make his seat 
vacant. The ideal academy boy 
would seem to be one with vitality 
and human nature enough to be way- 
ward, but possessed of latent manli- 
ness sufficient to conquer himself. 
The majority of the applicants for 
admission have had some training iu 
small academies and high schools, 
and readily fall into the Junior class. 
Two 3'ears of sharp work fit them for 
entrance to any college except Har- 
vard. A few graduates from classi- 
cal institutions are admitted every 
year to the Middle class, of whom 
some complete the course and enter 
college a year in advance. Candi- 
dates for Harvard take the "Prelims" 
at the end of the Middle year, and 
"Finals" when through with the 
Senior. 

The faculty encourage base-ball, 
foot-ball, and rowing, and there is 
always a lively interest in the games. 
There are two literary societies. The 
Golden Branch was established iu 
1818, and has until within a few years 
afforded a common meeting-place for 
picked boys of the different classes. 
The Gideon S. Soule was organized 
in 1882. Neither makes any parade 
of mystery, and both are without 
doubt of considerable value. The 
best scholars are sought for member- 
ship. With a view to supply "the 
lack of a proper medium for the 
interchange of opinions and the dis- 
cussion of matters of general inter- 



io6 



Phillips Exeter Academy. 



est" b}' the students, an academy 
paper was established April 6, 1878. 
The Exonian has been published reg- 
ularly since during term time. It 
has been of signal service to the 
athletic interest, and given the latest 
news from other schools and colleges. 
Every student has an opportunity to 
see his views in print, if expressed in 
a gentlemanly manner, on all ques- 
tions affecting the welfare of the 
academy. 

Nowhere is merit found out quicker 
than at a large school, and the boys 
at Phillips P^xeter seem to take on 
with their new life extra discernment 
in this particular. If the new fellow 
can do anything well, he may be of 
any shape, age, or nationality, and 
get his due meed of acknowledgment, 
and if companionable, contract en- 
during friendships. The system of 
management is the outcome of steady 
growth. There have been no weak 
administrations, for at no time during 
the school's hundred years has the 
faculty as a whole been lacking in 
power. It is no secret that the set 
of the institution is towards Harvard. 
The present teaching force is made 
up altogether of Harvard graduates. 
The work of the Senior year does not 
furnish the best drill for advanced 
standing in other colleges, and the 
course might profitably end at expira- 
tion of the third year, but for the 
peculiar demands of Harvard. 

Phillips Andover is a lively rival. 
Its inQuence has been in favor of 
Yale, but '83 and '84 sent large num- 
bers to Harvard. It is likely that 
the preliminary examinations will 
bring still nearer resemblance. 

If Harvard's new theories are re- 
pugnant to the old teachers, they 



make no sign, but year after year 
"hit-up" the pace, and send the 
boys well prepared. Nevertheless, it 
would be instructive, perhaps enter- 
taining, to hear the outspoken opin- 
ions of such fair exponents of the 
Harvard of a quarter of a century ago 
concerning the Harvard management 
of to-day. Whatever else happens, 
the new departure is likely to improve 
the English province of the academy. 
When our own language and physics 
are taught as ably as Latin, Greek, 
and mathematics, Phillips Exeter will 
be "far and away" the best school 
in the country. 

AVe never heard a student assert 
that the son of a wealthy man received 
better treatment because of his wealth, 
but it is widely believed that weak 
goodness sometimes gets the better 
of prankish ability in the matter of 
pecuniary assistance. School boys 
there, as elsewhere, are keen observ- 
ers in their own sphere, and it may 
as well be said now, the marking sys- 
tem in use is never understood by the 
students. For a time the belief ob- 
tains that high marks indicate ability. 
Next, it seems certain that they are 
secured by sustained effort. Then 
the conviction is forced home that 
the marks of some of the dull are 
starred. Finally, marks lose all sort 
of significance to any save those who 
are struggling for scholarships ; but 
the estimate of the faculty, expressed 
in other ways, has great weight. 

It is generally known that no acad- 
emy affords more assistance to poor 
but enterprising young men. Tuition 
is remitted in many instances, schol- 
arships supply great help, and Abbot 
Hall furnishes board for fifty at cost. 
But fears are expressed that rich 



Phillifs Exeter Academy. 



107 



chaps dominate the school in many 
ways not open to faculty observation. 
No foundation for such fears exists. 
Abbot Hall exerts more influence 
than Gorham and all other boarding;- 
places combined. It is to be regret- 
ted, perhaps, that family and wealth, 
in some respects, have so little in- 
fluence. For it is idle to assert that 
the banding together of a large 
number of indigent students favors 
the fullest development. "Heavily 
ironed with poverty," the bo}' who 
spends four years in Abbot Hall 
needs the occasional company of his 
more generously nurtured rival. The 
wealthy boy at Exeter is generally 
liberal and gentlemanly. 

For many reasons it is better to 
enter the school as a "Prep." One 
comes in at a favorable period of life. 
Young, eager, and impressionable, he 
"catches on" to the beat and tick of 
the course, and sooner warms and 
thrills with the great heart of the 
beardless democracy. And his alma 
mater deals tenderly with his juvinal- 
ity and inexperience, and if he remains 
under her brooding wings, whispers 
secrets never imparted to those who 
come after their bloom and freshness 
have vanished. 

What special advantages has the 
academy over a good high school ? 
Seemingly none, except to such boys 
as desire an exceptional fit for col- 
lege, and yet, now and then, parents 
will be found reasoning something 
after this fashion : Any one of our 
high school cities or towns is a small 
place so far as area goes, and the boys 
generally come in contact with a single 
cultivated male instructor, meet few 
exceptionally bright shoolmates, hear 
the same ideas uttered on every side. 



entertain the same opinions, and lead 
the same home lives. But the mo- 
ment one enters P. E. A. chapel it is 
a new world. A corps of trained 
teachers, able men, who are neither 
priggish, affected, nor unhealthy in 
body or mind, confront him. Bright 
lads from every part of the country 
challenge attention, and show him 
differences in ways, thoughts, and 
speech. 

Is the academy suitable for all 
boys? Perhaps not. "The disci- 
pline is not adapted to boys who 
require severe restrictions." The 
naturally shrinking, with few excep- 
tions, may do better in their home 
neighborhoods. Too much has been 
said in favor of toughening timid 
boys. Then there is a class whose 
rugged minds will bear a good deal 
of disentangling and explanation. It 
doesn't seem to do any harm to make 
their progress easy, since, if well 
started, they are sure to dwell long 
enough to get the needed discipline. 
To whom does the academy offer 
special advantages? To the boy en- 
dowed with health, determination, 
and ambition, the advantages cannot 
be over-estimated. It is well for the 
academy boy whose circumstances 
and aims demand unrelieved applica- 
tion if he has enjoyed a year's com- 
panionship and rivalr}' with bright 
high school girls. 

It is possible that a return to the 
old system of boarding in private 
families would protect many boys 
from evil influences. It is well, how- 
ever, to remember Dr. Arnold's con- 
clusion, that the inevitable time of 
trial in boys' lives might be more 
quickly and safely passed in the fit- 
tins: schools than elsewhere. And it 



io8 Camp 1 071, N. H. 

is likely that the old system had its But let me tell you, future Exonian^ 
special defects. The very poor would Hervey, like John Buncle's Ralph 
certainly find it impossible to pay Hawkwell, keeps an excellent eating- 
even the reasonable charges of pri- house, where you may enjoy social 
vate families. There is a growing suppers and get choice things after a 
belief that an academy faculty might walk out on the Hampton road or a 
furnish the family influence wanting pull on the river, provided, all the 
in the dormitories. while, you have the rem., and if you 
Even Mrs. Ruggles's tart-stand have not, though you were an apostle 
would not flourish here. The boys of a boy, Hervey would have verj 
average at least seventeen years, little regard for vou. 



CAMPTON, N. H. 

The following letter will explain From this there would seem to be 

itself : no doubt that Jabez is either a cor- 

New Bedford, Mass., i-^pt tradition, or an error of the 

March 25, 1887. copyest. A reference to the original 

To the Editor of the Granite Monthly : record, if it is accessible, would show 

There is a little point of local his- whether the latter is the case or not. 

tory in New Hampshire which may This statement of Mr. Patterson's 

be of interest to some of your read- seems also to meet the objections of 

ers. All the published accounts of Rev. Mr. Hazen, in his centennial 

the settlement of Campton agree in discourse at Plymouth, N. H., in 

saying that the original grant of the 1865, as to the early date assigned 

township was to Gen. Jabez Spencer, for the settlement of Campton. He 

of East Haddam, Conn. Now D. W. refers to the statements in the Gaz- 

Patterson, Esq., who is thoroughly eteer, that the first settlers came to 

acquainted with the records of East the town in 1763, or, according to 

Haddam, and with the history of the Rev. Isaac Willey, in 1762, and says 

town, in a recent letter to me, says, — the evidence is not conclusive. But 

"You may put it down for certain the fact that Jared Spencer died in 

that there was no Gen. Jabez Spen- the latter year, on his return from 

cer in P^ast Haddam. There was New Hampshire, is pretty good evi- 

Gen. Joseph Spencer, but he served dence that he had visited the site of 

through the war, and died in 1808. his grant in that year. The date of 

His brother, Jared Spencer, was born his grant was 1761, and although on 

Nov. 5, 1718, and died at East Wind- account of his death a new charter 

sor, Conn., when forty-four years old, was granted in 1767, it is probable 

on his way homeward from New Hamp- that some pioneers had settled in the 

shire. Joseph and Hobart (two of town before that date, 
the early settlers of Campton) were Respectfully etc., 

without doubt his sons, and Hobart Henry Willet. 

married, August 22, 1763, Eunice 
Barnes." 



SL John, N, B. 



109 



WAS ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK, FOUNDED BY SETTLERS 

FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE? 

New Hampshire Names a?nong- the Pioneers, 



Treasury Department, 
Fourth Auditor's Office, 

March 14, 1884. 
J. N. McClintock, Esq. 

Dear Sir: In exphiuation of my 
interest in tlie subject noticed in tlie 
enclosed, I would state tliat I am in- 
terested in obtaining the history and 
genealogy of families of Old Mon- 
mouth county, New Jersey. Think- 
ing that possibly some of the Loyal- 
ists who left in 1783 might have 
carried away items of family histor}^ 
I commenced a series of articles in 
the Daily Sun, of St. John, giving 
sketches of the ancestry of New Jer- 
sey Loyalists who settled in that 
vicinity, and asking descendants for 
such additional information as they 
might possess. These articles have 
called forth a number of letters from 
"our cousins over the border" who 
descend from settlers who came from 
other places than New Jersey. In 
looking up the origin of the pioneers 
of St. John, so far as I have been 
able, I am satisfied that nearly or 
quite all came from New Hampshire, 
instead of Massachusetts and Con- 
necticut, as usually stated, and that 
the error occurred because the pio- 
neers sailed from a Massachusetts 
town. I give the pioneers' names, 
and trust your local historians and 
genealogists will give some additional 
information on the subject. As the 
Quinten family is about the oldest 
there, and the first child born there 
was a Quinten, I am anxious to ob- 
tain some items about the family of 
Hugh, as also are his descendants at 
St. John. I cannot find here any 
histories of Chester or of Rockingham 
and Cheshire counties. 

Yours truly, Edwin Salter. 

The first exploration of the river 
St. John was made by a party which 



left Massachusetts, 1761, led by 
Israel Perley. They proceeded to 
Machias by water, and on through 
the woods to Oromecto, descended to 
the river St. John. Of the Mauger- 
ville settlement Mr. Perley was the 
founder. He died in 1813, in his 
seventy-fourth year. The 28th of 
August, 1762, James Simonds, James 
White, Jonathan Leavitt, Francis 
Peabody, Hugh Quinten, and others, 
twenty in all, including families, ar- 
rived at St. John from Newburyport. 
On the evening of their arrival, James, 
son of Hugh Quinten, was born at 
Fort Frederick, western side of the 
harbor. The year previous. Fort 
Frederick (old Fort Latour) had been 
garrisoned by a Highland regiment, 
and a survey made of the harbor of 
St. John by Capt. Bruce of the Royal 
Engineers. 

Mr. Simonds, who came in 1762, 
erected his dwelling on the ruins of 
an old French fort — Portland Point. 
At the Upper cove (Market slip), 
Jonathan Leavitt built a schooner as 
early as 1770, and named her the Min- 
nequash, the Indian name of the penin- 
sula, afterwards Parr-Turn and now 
St. John. Messrs. Simonds, White, 
and Leavitt married daughters of 
Francis Peabody, and settled at 
Maugerville, on the river St. John. 
His will was proven and registered 
the 2.5th of June, 1773; James Si- 
monds, judge of probate; Benjamin 
Atherton, register. 

In 1763 came a large party, among 
them Perleys, Barkers, Burpees, 



no 



SL John, N. B. 



Coys, Pickards, Crystys, Hartts, 
Estys, Nevers, Palmers, Smiths, 
Easterbrooks, and others. All set- 
tled at Maugerville, on the St. John 
river, some seventy miles above St. 
John. 

In 1783 the Loyalists landed at St. 
John, and in J. W. Lawrence's inter- 
esting little book, entitled "Foot 
Prints or Incidents in the Early His- 
tory of New Brunswick," the names 
of about 1,500 persons are given to 
whom town lots were assigned. Most 
of these belonged to well known fam- 
ilies of New England and the Mid- 
dle states. A "Colonel Glazier" is 
named among pioneers of St. John ; 
perhaps he was the " Bearrasly Gla- 
zier" whose heirs were granted a 
town lot 1783, with the Loyalists. 
In resfard to the first settlers of St. 
John and Maugerville named above 
as settling there 1761-'63, the first 
English in the province of New Bruns- 
wick, it is certain that some were 
from New Hampshire. Mr. John 
Quinten, an aged, respected citizen 
of St. John, says in regard to the 
father of the first child born there, — 
"My grandfather, Hugh Quinten, 
was a grantee of both Parr-Turn and 
Carleton (now St. John). In an old 
family Bible I find it recorded that 
Hugh Quinten was born in Cheshire, 
New Hampshire, in 1741 ; that Eliza- 
beth Cristy was born in Londonderry, 
N. H., in 1741, and that Hugh and 
Elizabeth were married in 1761." 

If this Hugh Quinten was the same 
named in the Granite Monthly , March, 
1884, in the sketch of Windham, as 
having been a soldier in the Old 
French War, he must have enlisted 
when quite a youth. But in the Rev- 
olutionary War, in some of the prov- 



inces, all boys sixteen years old were 
required to do military duty. The 
Cheshire named in the family Bible 
was probably the town now known as 
Chester, which was originally called 
Cheshire. Among the first settlers 
of this place (named in N. H. Pro- 
vincial papers, Vol. II) was James 
Quenten, of Scotch Irish descent. 
Was Hugh a son of this James ? Is 
there any record giving any informa- 
tion of the families of James and 
Hugh? Mr. John Quinten, who is a 
son of Jesse, and grandson of Hugh, 
says there is a tradition that Hugh 
left behind two half brothers named 
Joshua and Jonathan. In Adams's 
History of Fairhaven, Vt., mention 
is made of a Josiah Quinten, origi- 
nally of New Hampshire, who went 
to Whitehall, N. Y., and subsequently 
settled in Fairhaven, Vt. 

The Cristys who settled in St. 
John went from Londonderry, N. H., 
and were probably descended from 
the Peter Cristy named as an early 
Scotch Presbyterian settler in Parker's 
History of that place. There was a 
Jesse and a Thomas Christy among 
the first settlers of St. John. Matthew 
Taylor, an early settler of St. John, 
and one of above named grantees of 
1783, was also from Londonderry. 
These names would lead to the sup- 
position that perhaps others named 
were also from New Hampshire. 
Nathaniel Burpee, a soldier of the 
Old French War, settled at Candia, 
N. H. As Burpee, Quinten, and 
perhaps others, while soldiers in that 
war, had visited what is now known 
as New Brunswick, their reports may 
have induced the first settlers to go 
there after peace was declared. Capt. 
Francis Peabodv, who went to New 



SL John, N, B. 



Ill 



Brunswick, 17G2, judging from his 
name, was probably a descendant of 
the Lieut. Francis Peabod}'^ who came 
to America in 1635 in tiie ship Planter : 
the Peabody family was quite numer- 
ous in New Hampshire when St. John 
was founded. Jonathan Leavitt seems 
also a New Hampsliire name ; John 
and Thomas Leavitt were early set- 
tlers of Dover, — the first was at that 
place about 1645, — and Leavitts are 
named at Chichester, Effingham, and 
other places. Easterbrook and Esty 
or Estes were also New Hampshire 
names. Joseph Easterbrook, of En- 
field, Middlesex county, England, 
settled at Concord, N. H., 1660, and 
the family name occurs at Acworth 
and Amherst about the time of the 
Revolution. About the first of the 
Esty family in this country was Rob- 
ert, born in Dover, P^ngland, May 
28, 1645, and son of Matthew of 
that town ; Joseph Esty or Estes 
was at Dover, 1732-'40 ; he married 
Mary, daughter of Peter Robinson, 
1719. Elijah Estes was also at Dover, 
1757. James White is named among 
the Scotch Irish Presbyterians at 
Londonderry, and the same name is 
found among the first settlers of New 
Brunswick. Benjamin Atherton was 
among the original settlers there, and 
his is also a well known New Hamp- 
shire name. Israel Perley was a 
pioneer in New Brunswick, 1761. 
Allen Perley, the founder of this 
family, came from London, 1635, in 
the ship Planter, and descendants 
settled at Duubarton, N. H. Barna- 
bas Barker, named at Scituate, Mass., 
who married 1719, had descendants 
who went to New Hampshire, and a 
Barker was among the pioneers at 
St. John. Of the others named. 



Palmers, Simonds, Odell, and Smith 
were common New Hampshire names. 
Among the pioneers of St. John are 
named a Coy, a Hartt, and a Nevers. 
Were these names found in New 
Hampshire, 1761-'63? There was a 
Richard Nevers and wife Martha 
named at Woburn, Mass., 1689. 
Matthew Coy is named at Boston, 
1653, said to have come over 1638. 
The name 3/cCoy is found in early 
New Hampshire records, an Alexan- 
der McCoy, from the Highlands of 
Scotland, being among the early set- 
tlers of Londonderry. Hart is a 
common New Hampsliire name, but 
the St. John pioneer spelled his name 
Hartt. 

In the long list of names of Loyal- 
ists, given in Mr. Lawrence's book, 
to whom town lots were granted in 
St. John in 1783, are a number fa- 
miliar in New Hampshire. Included 
in this list are found the names of 
some who preceded the Loyalists. 

Though a number of the founders 
of St. John and Maugerville sailed 
from Newburyport, Mass., yet it is 
certain that some were from New 
Hampshire. The writer is not suffi- 
ciently acquainted with the local his- 
tories of towns of the state, and gen- 
ealogies of families named, to express 
a decided opinion in regard to the 
majority of these pioneers, but from 
what has been stated he is inclined 
to believe that nearly or quite all 
went from New Hampshire, and from 
places not far from the Merrimack 
river. Can any reader of the Granite 
MonthUj give any information of the 
persons named? 

Last year the descendants of the 
Loyalists at St. John celebrated the 
Centennial of the landing of their 
ancestors, and it awakened an inter- 
est in descendants of those who pre- 
ceded the Loyalists in their own 
ancestry. 



112 



Book Notices^ Etc. 



About Money and Other Things. 
A Gift-book. By the Author of 
• "John Halifax, Gentleman." Pp. 
vi, 234. 12rao, cloth, 90 cents. 

Miss Muloch discourses with sound 
common-sense on the practical topics 
she has chosen for her essays about 
money, life and its work, genius, sis- 
terhoods, and the Irish question ; and 
her words are so direct and natural 
that they seem to come from the lips 
of a friend and not from a printed 
sheet. The short stories which form 
half the book are bright and interest- 
ing., full of good advice and helpful 
suggestions. — Boston Advertiser. 

In the Wrong Paradise, and Other 
Stories. By Andrew Lang, Au- 
thor of " Custom and Myth," &c. 
Pp. 256. 16mo, half cloth, GO cents. 

Since Elie Berthet wrote his won- 
derful stories on The Prehistoric 
World, no volume of archaeological 
fiction (to coin a term) has been writ- 
ten that will bear comparison with 
this extraordinary collection of stories 
by Mr. Lang. It is a clever thiny; to 
write a romance laid at the close of 
the glacial epoch, but when that ro- 
mance is replete not merely with the 
riches of ethnology and tradition, but 
rich with satire and even pathos, the 
work is more than clever — it is won- 
derful. ... To the layman, the 
downright fun, the originality, the 
wisdom of these tales will successfully 
appeal for sympathy ; to the scholar, 
above all to him who dabbles in folk- 
lore and ethnology, they are a never- 
ending spring of jnire delight. — Com- 
mercial Bulletin, Boston. 



Their Pilgrimage. By Charles Dud- 
ley Warner. Richlv illustrated by 
C' S. Reinhart. Pp.' viii, 364. 8vo, 
ornamental cloth, $2.00. 

No more entertaining travelling: 
companions for a tour of pleasure 
resorts could be wished for than those 
who in Mr. Warner's pages chat and 
laugh, and skim the cream of all the 
enjoyment to be found from Mount 
Washington to the While Sulphur 



Springs. . . . His pen-pictures 
of the characters typical of each re- 
sort, of the manner of life followed 
at each, of the humor and absurdities 
peculiar to Saratoga, or Newport, or 
Bar Harbor, as the case may be, are 
as good-natured as they are clever. 
The satire, when there is any, is of 
the mildest, and the general tone is 
that of one glad to look on the bright- 
est side of the cheerful, pleasure- 
seeking world with which he mingles. 
. In Mr. Eeinhart the author 
has an assistant who has done with 
his pencil almost exactly what Mr. 
Warner has accomplished with his 
pen. His drawings are spirited, catch 
with wonderful success the tone and 
costume of each place visited, and 
abound in good-natured fun. — Chris- 
tian Union, iV. Y. 



LOCALITIES IN ANCIENT DO- 
VER. 

BY JOHN R. HAM, M. D. 

A few corrections need to be made 
in this article, which has been printed 
in the last three numbers of this mas- 
azine. 

On page 364, vol. ix, Charles Point 
should be Charles's Point. 

On page 365, right-hand column, 
ninth line from top, in should be into. 

Page 367, left-hand column, twelfth 
line from top, Payal's should be Hoy- 
al's. 

Page 367, left-hand column, fourth 
line from bottom, Varnay's should be 
Varney's. 

Page 367, right-hand column, nine- 
teenth line from top, Haye's should 
be Hayes's. 

Page 367, right-hand column, twen- 
ty-second line from top, 1649 should 
be 1694. 

In vol. X, page 8, left-hand column, 
fifteenth line from top, in should be 
into. 

Vol. X, page 8, left-hand column, 
fifteenth line from bottom, strike out 
the word Wecohamet. 

Vol. X, page 11, right-hand column, 
second line from bottom, for they read 
it, and for confirm read confirms. 



Publisher's Department. 



113 



C. C. BRIGGS & CO. 



A few weeks ago it was our for- 
tune to be escorted through the ex- 
tensive manufacturing establishment 
of C. C. Briggs & Co., by the senior 
member of the firm, and it was an 
occasion of so much interest that the 
memory of it is very pleasant to re- 
call. 

Mr. Briggs is a quiet, well informed 
gentleman, who seems to take pleas- 
ure in exhibiting his factory and 
warerooms, and in answering the 



slain. Java and the islands of the 
East furnish the close-grained ebony. 
Australia sends to America its finest 
wool, from which is made the felt for 
the hammers. For the elaborately 
ornamented cases the forests of the 
tropics and of the temperate zone 
are drawn upon for their choicest 
woods. Iron from Norway, copper 
from Lake Superior, silver from Ne- 
vada, copal from Brazil, and the com- 
mon woods of New England, are 




many questions which a novice may 
ask. Never before did we realize the 
amount of skill, labor, and science 
called into exercise in designing and 
building a modern piano-forte. It 
may well be called a triumph of me- 
chanical skill. To the construction 
of it the most widely separated coun- 
tries of the globe contribute of their 
products. Africa furnishes her quota 
in the polished ivory, to obtain which 
great herds of elephants are annually 



i,.'isr.irc"'i,iii!,!l^ 



gathered together, and under the 
skilled hands of busy (artisans are 
modelled and united into the modern 
piano, the joy of the home circle. 

The factory where the Briggs 
pianos are finally made ready for the 
market is situated in Boston, at No. 
5 Appleton street, near Tremont 
street. Here are made the Briggs 
Upright, Grand, and Square Piano- 
Fortes, ready for the market. Out- 
side the city are several establish- 



114 



Publisher's Department. 



-*• 



ments which contribute to the piano, shire, there is a factory where the 
Id the thriving village of Lisbon, on sounding-boards for these pianos are 




the banks of the Ammonoosuc river, made. Out in Cambridge is situated 
in the northern part of New Hamp- the factory where is made the heavy 



Publisher's Department. 



"5 



wood-work which enters into the con- ers and artists attest the substantial 
struction of the piano. The home progress of the firm in their impor- 
factory is the place where the prod- tant art. The principal aim of Messrs. 
ucts of the outlying establishment are Briggs & Co. is to make a first-class 
brought together and finally united piano in every respect, with special 
into a beautiful whole, — the Briggs attention to its lasting qualities. By 
Piano. constant care, experiment, and en- 

From a Boston contemi)orary the deavor, Messrs. Briggs & Co. have 
following facts have been collected : brought their instruments to the high- 
Among the houses which have con- est standard of excellence, and in the 
tributed to making this city an im- opinion of those who have used them 
portant centre in the production of they are the nearest approach to per- 
fection yet attained. 
The piano scales are 
drawn by Mr. C. C. 
Briggs, who has had 
practical experience 
in piano building for 
aquarter of a century? 
and his scales, drawn 
years ago for other 
firms, are in use to- 
day. The new style 
cases of this house 
are wholly original in 
^design, and made of 
the most durable and 
^ fashionable woods. 
Among upright styles 
are their famous cot- 
musical instruments is that of C. C. tage pianos, which, by thoughtful and 
Briggs & Co, To accommodate the patient study and experiment they 
increased demand for their instru- have brought to a wonderful degree 
ments, Messrs. Briggs & Co. have of perfection, securing a small piano 
removed from their former location, embodying the qualities of volume. 
No. 1125 Washington street, to their fulness, and sweetness of tone of 
commodious and substantial six story the larger sizes. Messrs. Briggs & 
factory, No. 5 Appleton street. This Co.'s separable piano is one of the 
enterprising firm manufacture several most ingenious inventions for facil- 
styles of upright, grand, and square itating the moving of the larger 
piano-fortes, with many new features sizes of pianos through passages and 
and improvements in the scales and doorways otherwise impassable. The 
styles, and the success of their instru- cases are each divided into two verti- 
ments and the commendation they cal sections front and back. Tlie 
have everywhere received from deal- style A, cottage upright piano, has 




ii6 



Publisher'' s Department. 



three strings to a note, overstrung 
bass with repeating action, handsome 
panels, round corners, plain trusses, 
ivory keys, and improved music rack. 
Style Gr is also three strings to a note, 
overstrung bass and repeating action, 
with handsome panels and carved 
trusses, ivory keys and improved 
music rack, and has an exceedingly 
fine, rich quality of tone and even 
scale, and is the most desirable size 



rosewood, plain, and serpentine mold- 
ings on plinth, and Agraffe treble. 
Messrs. Briggs & Co. furnish a war- 
ranty with every piano sold, warrant- 
ing for five years from date of sale. 

Mr. C. C. Briggs, the senior mem- 
ber of the firm, is a native of Boston, 
brought up and educated in the city. 
He is a natural musician, and for 
many years was choir-leader in a 
metropolitan church. Before starting 




BRIGGS SEPARATE PIANO. 



for the parlor. Style B has in addi- 
tion a brass action rail, four pilasters 
and moulding in front, extra hand- 
some panels, ivory keys, and improved 
music rack, and is the favorite of 
artists for its great volume and purity 
of tone. 

Style D, square, has four round 
corners, richly carved legs and lyre, 
French action and top dampers, solid 



in business for himself he served a 
long and faithful apprenticeship with 
some of the leading manufacturers of 
musical instruments of that day, and 
entered upon his work fully prepared 
and equipped to build up and conduct 
a great piano manufacturing estab- 
lishment. In him were combined a 
fine musical ear, inventive and me- 
chanical abilitv, the skill to handle 



Publisher's Department. 



117 



tools and work out his designs, and 
business and executive ability to suc- 
ceed in what he should undertake. 
He has this advantage over the most 
of his rivals, that he is thoroughly fa- 
miliar with every detail of the busi- 
ness. Unlike most workmen he can 
build a piano from the raw material, 
tune it, and then sell it, which latter 
becomes the easiest task to perform 
on account of the many merits of the 
instruments. The Briggs piano meets 
a want in the community which it fills 
to perfection. It is at once a fine 
instrument, and one within the reach 
of all who can afford a good thing. 



The prices are tlie lowest consistent 
with thorough workmanship and the 
best materials. The stock is received 
in the basement, and thence carried 
to the upper story by a commodious 
freight elevator ; thence its course is 
downward, story by story, until it 
reaches the warerooms on the first 
floor, a large and commodious room, 
filled with finished products of the 
factory. These pianos are very pop- 
ular with the people, as shown by the 
thousands in use in every part of our 
country, and the Briggs pianos are 
as well known as any made. 



A SKETCH OF ONE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S MOST ENTER- 
PRISING BUSINESS CONCERNS. 



In 1871 Mr. p:dd. F. Higgius made 
a beginning in a small store in Man- 
chester, N. H., which has grown into 
the largest house-furnishing store in 
the state. Soon after starting, he 
perceived that the city of Manchester 
and the surrounding country needed 
an establishment at which good, hon- 
est goods could be purchased at 
reasonable prices, and set to work 
with the end in view of gradually 
building up and maintaining such an 
establishment. He soon associated 
with himself his brother, Mr. H. F. 
Higgins, under the firm name of Hig- 
gins Bros., and *o their small stock 
of crockery, cutlery, &c., they began 
to add the cheaper grades of furni- 
ture, at the same time increasing the 
size of the store bv taking additional 
room from time to time as needed. 
In February, 1878, having carefulh' 
felt their way along amid the break- 
ers of the business depression then 



sweeping over the country, they de- 
cided tliat the generous support given 
by the puBlic warranted them in still 
further catering to the wants of their 
patrons. Accordingly, after leasing 
the entire building of Wells block, in 
which they were situated, they fitted 
up in the basement a carpet room, 
the best in the state, and opened a 
large and varied assortment of car- 
petiugs, which venture proved an 
immediate success. During the sum- 
mer following the floor area of the 
main store was nearly doubled by 
adding the next store north of theirs, 
and, the partitions being removed, 
they had the largest and handsomest 
store not only in Manchester, but in 
the state. 

Still their increasing trade, and the 
desire to please an appreciating pub- 
lic, urged them on to greater efforts. 
They began the manufacture of up- 
holstered furniture ; their carpet de- 



ii8 



Publisher's Department. 



partment was moved from the base- 
ment to the floor above, thus affording 
better light for the display of these 
goods, and making it easier of access 
to purchasers ; their means for man- 
ufacturing and finishing cabinet fur- 
niture were increased so far as their 
always limited room would allow ; 
their force of competent workmen 
was augmented, and every effort was 
made to keep abreast of the times. 

At this juncture they opened a 
branch establishment in Concord, 
N. H., and under the able manage- 
ment of Mr. W. C. Patten, their 
former head clerk, who now entered 
the firm of Higgins & Patten, a pros- 
perous business was transacted for 
two years, when, owing to the ill 
health of Mr. Patten, this branch of 
the business passed into other hands. 

They now more clearly than ever 
saw in the near future the necessity 
of having still more commodious 
quarters and enlarged facilities for a 
constantly growing business. Vari- 
ous plans were thought of, discussed, 
and rejected ; all feasible projects 
for securing the needed accommoda- 
tions were eagerly scanned and then 
given up, until just as it was almost 
decided to remodel the building in 
which they were situated, the City 
Hotel, one of Manchester's best 
known landmarks, was offered for 
sale, and seeing in its purchase the 
consummation of a long coveted 
scheme, they quickly seized the op- 
portunity, and in July, 1884, the old 
City Hotel passed into their hands, 
and became devoted to their uses. 

After several months' labor and 
the expenditure of a large sum of 
money, it was fitted for their busi- 
ness, and was occupied by them in 
October, 1884. The first floor front 
is devoted to crockery, china, glass, 
silver-ware, and kindred goods. Pass- 
ing from the crockery department 
towards the rear, and ascending a 
short flight of broad steps, one enters 
the best lighted and most commodi- 
ous carpet room in the state of New 
Hampshire. Here may be found im- 



ported and domestic carpetings and 
rugs, in many grades and styles, and 
hard to suit is the person who cannot 
here find what he searches for. Pass- 
ing to the next floor above, the pui*- 
chaser, or visitor (for visitors are 
always welcome^, is in the midst of 
a bewildering array of easy chairs, 
patent rockers, divans, and parlor 
suites, and after entering the drapery 
department one sees displayed up- 
holstery goods, lace curtains, and 
drapery material in profusion, luxu- 
rious Turkish chairs, and the finest 
of parlor furniture, upholstered in 
plushes, spun silks, damasks, and 
various beautiful coverings. After 
resting and feasting one's eyes, the 
ascension of another flight of stairs 
brings one where lovers of fine cabi- 
net work may see an elegant lot of 
chamber suites, side-boards, parlor 
and library tables, mirrors, book- 
cases, desks, and all the things which 
are needed to make a home perfect 
in its appointments. 

The firm had now nearly reached 
the goal of its ambition, that being 
to have a perfect house-furnishing 
establishment ; but the senior mem- 
ber, notwithstanding his success in 
establishing and maintaining such a 
prosperous business, became desirous 
of seeking "fresh laurels in pastures 
new," and on the 1st of February of 
the present year he sold his interest 
in the business to Messrs. W. C. 
Patten and H. P. Crowell, whose 
long experience well fits them for the 
positions they now occupy in the 
concern. They, together with the re- 
maining partner, Mr. H. F. Higgins, 
have put the business on a still firmer 
and more lasting basis by organizing 
a stock company, with the name of 
Higgins Brothers Company, and in- 
corporated March 14, 1887. The 
new concern propose not only to 
maintain the high reputation of the 
former firm, but to add to its lustre 
so far as possible by giving their 
l)atrons more and better goods for 
their money than ever. Their wide 
experience enables them to purchase 



Publisher'' s Department. 



119 



and construct their goods at the low- 
est possible cost. Their upholstering 
is all done by first-class workmen, 
under their personal supervision, and 
every piece of furniture is guaranteed 
as represented. Mr. Crowell's long 
connection with the wholesale crock- 
ery and glass trade, and more recently 
with the furniture trade, eminently 
fits him for the business, and Mr. 
Patten's connection with the old firm 
as book-keeper and head salesman 



for years is a sufficient guaranty 
that all purchasers may safely en- 
trust their orders to him. At the 
present time, although the season is 
so backward, they have connected 
with their establishment, in various 
departments, twenty-two persons, 
producing and selling goods, and 
their enterprise well merits the suc- 
cess in the future that has resulted 
from their efforts in the past. 



Furniture^ Carpets^ Crockery^ Drapery. 




P^^^^^^^^^P^^-' HSFKICK.S" 



Old City Hotel refitted and remodelled, tiius making the largest, handsom- 
est, and most convenient store in New Hampshire, corner Elm and Lowell Sts. 

The Largest and Best Stock of House Furnishing 

Goods North of Boston. 



Hioro-ins Brothers Co., 



Manchester, N. H. 



American History, Statesmanship, and Literature. 

Logically compact in structure and development, scholarly and readable in thought and 
style, and withal pervaded by a lofty ethical spirit, thev mark a most decided advance in 
modern English prose, and bid fair to settle many a literary question that has hitherto defied 
the wisdom of the wisest. — The Independent. 

 

American Commonwealths. 

A Series of volumes narrating the rJstory of those States of the Union which have a 
striking Political, Social, or Economical History. 

Edited by Horace E. Scudder. 

I. VIRGINIA. By John Esten Cooke. 
II. OREGON. By William Barrows. 

III. MARYLAND. By William Hand Bro^vnk. 

IV. KENTUCKY. By N. S. Shaler. 

V. MICHIGAN. By Thomas ,M. Cooley. 
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THE 

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A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

'Devoted to Literature, biography. History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



APRIL, 1887. 



No. 4. 



JOHN STARK. 



The name aud fame of John Stark, 
the sturdy soldier and Indian fighter 
of the " Seven Years French War" of 
1754 to 1760, and the successful pa- 
triot commander of the war of the 
Revolution, is no new theme to the 
people of his native state of New 
Hampshire. The two generations 
that succeeded him, and in their turn 
passed off the stage of life, have, in 
their day, and according to the meth- 
ods of their times, honored and re- 
vered his memory. The third and 
fourth generations are now on the 
stage. To them the memories of his 
times are dimly legendary or histori- 
cal ; but they do not forget that to 
the heroes of 1776 this great nation 
of sixty millions of people owes its 
birth and growth. 

This is a monumental age. The 
public spirit of the people honors 
itself by honoring and perpetuating 
the memory of the fathers and de- 
fenders of the country. Enduring 
monuments in bronze and granite, or 
marble, are being erected by every 
state of the Union, in memory of citi- 
zens whose services in military or 



civil life have tended to save and 
maintain the liberties of the people. 

New Hampshire is not forgetful as 
to her own part of this reverential 
duty. At the last session of the 
legislature the following resolution 
was introduced in the senate by Hon. 
Henry O. Kent, member from sena- 
torial district No. 1, and after refer- 
ence to the Committee on Military 
AlTairs, it was favorably reported 
upon, and adopted by both houses, 
viz. : 

Resolved, That his excellency the 
governor be requested to designate 
some suitable person, whose duty it 
shall be to make inquiry into the 
matter of erecting, at an early date, 
a fitting monument or statue in mem- 
ory of Major-Geuerai John Stark, at 
his burial-place in the city of Man- 
chester, the expense of carrying out 
any such specified plan or plans, and 
how much of said sum or sums would 
be raised by the descendants of Gen- 
eral Stark and by the city of Man- 
chester, contingent upon the payment 
of the residue by the state, — and 
make report of his doings in the 
premises ; said report to be laid be- 
fore the legislature at its next bien- 
nial session. 



122 



yohn Stark. 



Under the authority of this resolu- 
tion, George Stark, of Nashua, was 
commissioned to investigate the sub- 
ject, and his report will be made to 
the governor and council before the 
meeting of the next legislature. 

The design which he will recom- 
mend is a bronze equestrian statue, 
of heroic size, mounted on a suitable 
granite pedestal, the bronze work 
being about twelve feet and the gran- 
ite work eighteen feet high, making 
the whole monument about thirty feet 
in height. He will also recommend 
that it be placed on the spot where 
Gen. Stark was buried, about oue 
mile north of the City Hall in Man- 
chester, on the east bank of the 
Merrimack river. 

This spot was selected by Gen. 
Stark himself for his burial-place. 
It is upon elevated ground overlook- 
ing the river, and the monument, 
when erected upon it, will be con- 
spicuously visible from the railroad, 
as well as from the street which runs 
parallel to the river, past the old 
Stark place. A square of two acres 
has been reserved, and will be pre- 
sented to the state for this purpose, 
if the design is carried out. The 
very artistic design which will accom- 
pany the report of the commissioner, 
and be recommended by him, we 
show an outline copy of in the accom- 
panying engraving. 

Many biograpliers have written the 
life of John Stark. His connection 
with the earlier events of the country 
has made his name familiar to read- 
ers of American history. But such a 
brief review of his career as may be 
compressed into the limits of a maga- 
zine article will, under the existing cir- 
cumstances, possess fresh interest. 



The Stark family of New Hamp- 
shire descended from Archibald 
Stark, a Scotchman, born at Glas- 
gow in 1697. He was educated at 
the university of his native city, and 
when twenty-three j'ears of age came 
to America with the Scotch-Irish 
emigrants who settled Londonderry. 
He afterwards removed to Derryfield, 
now Manchester, where he died in 
1758, and was buried in what was 
known as "Christian's Brook Ceme- 
tery," a private burying-ground, on 
land now built over in the city, — the 
few remains of persons buried there, 
with the accompanying head-stones, 
having been removed to other ceme- 
teries. A quaint, low head-stone of 
slate, in the south-westerly corner of 
the "Valley Cemetery" of the city 
of Manchester, is one of those that 
were thus removed. It bears this 
inscription : 

Here Lyes the Body of Mr. 

Archibald Stark He 

Departed this Life June 25th 

1768 Aged 61 years. 

Stark is a German name, and is 
said to have been brought to Scot- 
land about four hundred years ago, 
in the reign of Henry Vllth of Eng- 
land, by German soldiery, who were 
sent over by the Duchess of Bur- 
gundy to support the claims of one 
of the pretenders to the English 
throne. The invading army being 
defeated, the survivors fled to Scot- 
land, and some of them settled per- 
manently in that country, and are 
supposed to be the remote ancestry 
of the Stai'ks of New Hampshire. 

Archibald Stark had four sons, — 
William, John, Samuel, and Archi- 
bald, — all of whom held commissions 
in the British service during the 



yohn Stark. 



123 



"Seven Years" or "French War," 
and were distinguished for good eon- 
duct, coohiess, and bravery. 

John Stark, one of the above 
named brothers, and the subject of 
this roemoir, was born in London- 
derry, August 28, 1728. He resided 
with his father in Londonderry and 
Derry field until past his minorit}', 
their home occupation being that of 
farmers and millers. The father 
owned extensive tracts of land about 
Amoskeag falls, and was also one of 
the original proprietors of Dunbarton, 
then called Starkstown. Saw-mills 
and grist-mills were built and run by 
John Stark at both these places. 

The settlements being at this time 
sparse, and surrounded by intermina- 
ble forests, abounding in game and 
ferocious animals, every young man 
of the settlers was naturalh^ a hunter, 
and quite as familiar with wood- 
craft and the chase as he was with 
the implements of agriculture, or the 
saws and stones of the mill. It was 
also a time of semi-war. The fierce 
remnants of the native Indian tribes, 
although nominally conquered at 
Love well's fight in 1725, still con- 
tinued to haunt tiieir ancient hunting- 
grounds for at least forty years later. 
The settler was obliged to be in readi- 
ness at all times to defend the lives 
of his family from the predatory sav- 
age, and his herds and flocks from 
the bears and wolves and catamounts 
of the forest. 

Amid such surroundings, and daih^ 
accustomed to hardship, vigilance, 
and laborious exertion, the young 
boys grew into that stern and vigoi'- 
ous manhood which the necessities of 
the times required. Winter hunting 
expeditions to more remote parts of 



the wilderness were often organized 
for hunting and trapping the fur- 
bearing animals, whose peltries found 
ready sale for exportation, and the 
proceeds of which added materially 
to the family resources. 

It was on one of these hunting ex- 
peditions, in March, 1752, that a 
party of four, of which John Stark 
was a member, was attacked by the 
Indians on Baker's river in the town 
of Rumney. David Stinson was shot 
and killed : William Stark escaped ; 
John Stark and Amos Eastman were 
captured, and taken through the wil- 
derness to the upper waters of Con- 
necticut river, and subsequently to 
St. Francis, in Canada, where they 
arrived in June, three months after 
their capture. The bold and defiant 
bearing of Stark during this captivity 
excited the admiration of his savage 
captors to such an extent that he was 
adopted by the chief sachem and 
treated with great kindness, after the 
first initiatory ceremony of running 
the gauntlet, in which ceremony he 
took an unexpected part by using his 
club on the Indians, instead of wait- 
ins; for them to use their clubs on 
him. On being set to the task of 
hoeins: corn, he carefully hoed the 
weeds and cut up the corn, and then 
threw the hoe into the river, declar- 
ing that it was the business of squaws, 
and not of warriors, to hoe corn. His 
boldness secured his release from the 
drudgery usually imposed on their 
captives, and they called him the 
"young chief." 

Durino; this enforced residence with 
the Indians, he obtained a knowledge 
of their language and methods of 
warfare which proved of great ser- 
vice to him in his subsequent military 



124 



yohn Stark. 



career. He was ransomed for $103 
in Jul}', and arrived home in August 
following, having been absent about 
six months. 

Not daunted by the unfortunate 
enterprise above narrated. Stark went 
the following season to hunt and trap 
on the river Androscoggin, in the 
present state of Maine, for the pur- 
pose of raising means to pay the debt 
incurred for his ransom from the St. 
Francis Indians. In this he was suc- 
cessful, and returned with a valuable 
lot of fur. 

The reports brought in by Stark 
and Eastman concerning the beauty 
of the country about the upper waters 
of the Connecticut i-iver, induced the 
anthorities of the province to dispatch 
an enlisted company, under Col. Love- 
well, Maj. Talford, and Capt. Page, 
to explore this hitherto unknown re- 
gion, which they called ''Coos Terri- 
tory," and John Stark was engaged 
to guide the expedition. They made 
the journey from Concord, N. H., to 
Piermont and return in about two 
weeks. 

The next year, 1754, a report being 
current that the French were erecting 
a fort at the upper Coos, Capt. Pow- 
ers was dispatched by Gov. Went- 
worth, with thirty men and a flag of 
truce, to demand their authority for 
so doing. Mr. Stark was engaged 
as guide, and conducted the party by 
the same route he had travelled two 
years before as a captive. No French 
garrison being found, the company 
immediately returned. 

Mr. Stark had acquired so much 
reputation by these expeditions that 
upon the breaking out of the "Seven 
Years War" he was commissioned by 
the governor as second lieutenant 



of Rogers's Company of Rangers, 
attached to Blanchard's regiment. 
Capt. Rogers mustered a company of 
rugged foresters, every man of whom, 
as a hunter, could hit the size of a 
dollar at a hundred yards distance ; 
could follow the trail of man or beast ; 
endure the fatigue of long marches, 
the pangs of hunger, and the cold of 
winter nights, often passed without 
fire, shelter, or covering other than 
their common clothing, a blanket, 
perhaps a bearskin, and the boughs 
of the pine or hemlock. Their knowl- 
edge of Indian character, customs^ 
and manners was accurate. They 
were principally recruited in the 
vicinity of Amoskeag falls, where 
Rogers, a resident of the neighboring 
town of Dunbartou, Avhich then ex- 
tended to the Merrimack river, was 
accustomed to meet them at the an- 
nual fishing season. They were men 
who could face with equal resolution 
the savage animals, or the still more 
savage Indians of their native woods, 
and whose courage and fidelity were 
undoubted. 

This year of 1755 was one of the 
most eventful of the early American 
history. It marks the fatal defeat of 
the disciplined little army of the in- 
trepid but despotic Gen. Braddock, 
who said that the savages might be 
formidable to raw American militia, 
but could never make any impression 
upon the king's regulars ; but who, 
had he survived the fight, would have 
seen the remnants of his boasted reg- 
ulars saved from utter annihilation 
by the bravery of these same Ameri- 
can raw militia, skilfully and valor- 
ously handled by the young American 
militia colonel, George Washington. 
It was in the early summer of this 



John Stark. 



125 



stirring year of 1755 that Rogers's 
Company of Rangers received orders 
to march through the pathless forests 
to join their regiment at Fort Ed- 
ward, the head-quarters of Gen. 
Johnson's army, which place they 
reached early in August, a short time 
before the desperate attack made on 
Johnson by the French and Indians 
at the south end of Lake George, 
near Bloody pond, so named from 
the slaughter on this occasion. Ban- 
croft's History, in referring to this 
company of rangers, says, — "Among 
them was John Stark, then a lieuten- 
ant ; of a rugged nature, but of the 
coolest judgment; skilled at discov- 
ering the paths of the wilderness, and 
knowing the way to the hearts of the 
backwoodsmen." Whether Rogers's 
Company of Rangers was engaged in 
this fight at Bloody pond is a matter 
of some uncertainty. Rogers says in 
his journal that he was himself "on 
a scout about one of the French posts, 
up the Hudson river," at the date of 
this fight — September 8th. Probably 
a part or all of his company were 
with him. During the remainder of 
the season, and all through the win- 
ter, into March, 1756, although the 
regiment to which they were originally 
attached had been disbanded, the 
Rangers remained in the field, and 
were sent at frequent intervals to out- 
lie and watch the enemy's posts, and 
to obtain information, by capturing 
prisoners or otherwise. 

Upon the decease of Gen. Brad- 
dock, Gov. Shirley succeeded to the 
chief command of the English forces 
in North America, and on the 15th 
of March, 1756, Rogers received or- 
ders from him to repair to Boston for 
a personal conference. He reached 



Boston on the 23d of the same month, 
and as the result of his interview 
with the governor was commissioned 
to recruit an independent corps of 
Rangers, to consist of sixty privates, 
an ensign, a lieutenant, and a cap- 
tain. The corps was to be raised 
immediately. None were to be en- 
listed but "such as were accustomed 
to travelling and hunting, and in 
whose courage and fidelity the most 
implicit confidence could be placed." 
They were, moreover, "to be subject 
to military discipline and the articles 
of war." The rendezvous was ap- 
pointed at Albany, " whence to pro- 
ceed with whale-boats to Lake George, 
and from time to time to use their 
best endeavors to distress the French 
and their allies by sacking, burning, 
and destroying their houses, barns, 
barracks, canoes, batteaux, &c., and 
by killing their cattle of every kind, 
and at all times to endeavor to way- 
lay, attack, and destroy their convoys 
of provision, by land and by water, 
where they could be found." 

Within thirty days from the issu- 
ance of this commission the enlist- 
ment of the new corps of Rangers 
was complete, many of his old com- 
pany reenlistiug, and Rogers again 
selected John Stark for his ensign, 
or second lieutenant. Although no 
important military operations were 
attempted during this campaign, the 
Rangers were constantly on foot, 
watching the motions of the enemy 
at Crown Point and Ticonderoga, 
cutting off their convoys of supplies, 
and often making prisoners of senti- 
nels at their posts. 

Bancroft's account of the campaign 
says, — " The Rangers at Fort William 
Henry defy the winter. The forests 



126 



yohi Stark. 



pathless with snows, the frozen lake, 
the wilderness which has no shelter 
against the cold and storms, the 
perilous ambush where defeat may 
be followed by the scalping-knife, or 
tortures, or captivity among the far- 
therest tribes, — all cannot chill their 
daring. On skates they glide over 
the lakes ; on snow-shoes they pene- 
trate the woods." 

In the early part of the winter of 
1756-'57, the English and French ar- 
mies, under the respective commands 
of Lord Loudon and Gen. Montcalm, 
confronting each other in the vicinity 
of Lake George, retired to winter 
quarters ; the main body of the Eng- 
lish regulars falling back on Albany 
and New York city, the provincial 
soldiers dismissed and sent to their 
homes, and the French falling back 
to Montreal. Each general, how- 
ever, left his frontier posts well gar- 
risoned, to be held as the base of 
further military operations the fol- 
lowing season ; the force left by 
the French at their forts about Ticon- 
deroga and Crown Point, at the 
northerly end of Lake George, being 
about 1,200 men, including Indians, 
and the English force at Fort Edward 
and Fort William Henry, near the 
southerly end of the lake, consisting 
mainly of four companies of Rangers, 
two companies at each fort. The 
company of Lieut. JStark was posted 
at Fort Edward. All through the 
winter the Rangers patrolled the 
lake, and kept a vigilant outlook 
upon the French garrisons. 

In the middle of this winter a des- 
perate battle was fought in the imme- 
diate vicinity of Ticonderoga, which, 
for numbers engaged, was one of the 
most bloody of the war, and in which 



Lieut. John Stark won his commis- 
sion as captain. 

On the 15th of January, 1757, 
Capt. Rogers, with Lieut. Stark and 
Ensign Page with fifty Rangers, left 
Fort Edward to reconnoitre, in more 
than usual force, the situation and 
condition of the enemy at the north- 
erly end of the lake. The snow was 
four feet deep on a level. They 
halted at Fort William Henry one 
day to secure provisions and snow- 
shoes, and on the 17th, being re- 
enforced by Capt. Spikemau, Lieut. 
Kennedy, and Ensigns Brewer and 
Rogers, with about thirt}^ Rangers, 
they started down Lake George on the 
ice, and at night encamped on the east 
side of the first narrows. 

On the morning of the 18th some 
of the men who had been ovei'cora'e 
by the severe exertions of the pre- 
vious day's march were sent back, 
thus reducing the effective force to 
seventy-four men, officers included. 
This day they proceeded twelve miles 
farther down the lake, and encamped 
on the west shore. On the 19th, 
after proceeding three miles farther 
on the lake, they took to the west 
shore, put on their snow-shoes, and 
travelled eight miles to the north- 
west, and encamped three miles from 
the lake. On the 20th they travelled 
over the snow all day to the north- 
east, and encamped three miles from 
the west shore of Lake Champlain, 
half wav between Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point. The next day, January 
21st, being now in the very heart of 
the enemy's country, they proceeded 
to watch the passage of parties on 
Lake Champlain, going and coming 
between the forts, and soon discov- 
ered a convoy of ten sleds passing 



yohn Stark. 



127 



down the lake from Ticonderoga to 
Crown Point. Lieut. Stark was or- 
dered, with twent}' men, to capture 
the leading sled, while the main body 
attempted to prevent the others from 
going back. They succeeded in tak- 
ing seven prisoners, six horses, and 
three sleds. The remainder of the 
sleds made good their escape, and 
gave tlie alarm at the fort. Valuable 
information was obtained from these 
captives, and it was also learned that 
the French garrisons had been re- 
cently considerably reenforced, and 
were on the alert to cut off all Eng- 
lish scouting parties. The heavy 
French sjarrison at Ticonderoga being 
now informed by the fugitives of this 
audacious reconnaissance in their im- 
mediate vicinity, Rogers wisely de- 
cided to retire with all expedition. 
But he unwisely departed from the 
usual custom of the Rangers to return 
by a different route from that on 
which they came, and, in defiance of 
the counsels of his officers, retreated 
on his tracks. 

The day was rainy. On reaching 
the fires that they had kindled and 
camped by the night before, the 
Rangers halted to dr}' their guns and 
otherwise prepare for the expected 
conflict. It was past noon when the 
little battalion had completed their 
preparations. Forming in single file, 
with Capt. Rogers in front, Capt. 
Spikemau in the centre, and Lieut. 
Stark in the rear, supported by their 
snow-shoes on the deep snow, they 
silently took up their homeward 
march. Their path lay over hilly 
ground and through thick woods, 
from whose dark depths they had 
reason to believe they were watched 
bv the savage scouts of the enemy ; 



a belief but too soon verified, for on 
rising the brow of a hill, not a mile 
from the fires of their late camp, they 
received a volley of two hundred bul- 
lets, fired from the guns of the un- 
seen enemy in ambush, at distances 
from five to thirty yards away. 
Rogers was wounded in the head, 
and several of the men were killed or 
wounded by this volley ; but fortu- 
nately the marksmanship of the 
enemy was, in this instance, faulty, 
and the effect comparatively slight. 
The habitual tactics of the Rangers, — 
to scatter when suddenly attacked by 
a superior force, and to rally again 
upon some supporting point, — now 
stood them in hand. They had been 
under fire too many times to be 
thrown into a panic. Each man was 
for the time being his own command- 
er. Each took his own way to the 
rallying point, exchanging shots with 
the enemy as he ran. That rallying 
point was John Stark, with his rear 
guard. Gathering around him, they 
awaited their pursuers. The sur- 
rounding trees of the thick forest 
were of large size. Each Ranger 
endeavored to so place himself that a 
tree covered him partially from the 
shots of the enemy, and thus they 
awaited the second onset. No sol- 
diers ever had more at stake. The 
French officials at Montreal paid $11 
each for English scalps, and $55 each 
for English prisoners — sufficient in- 
ducement to excite the savage cupid- 
ity of their Indian allies into desper- 
ate efforts to kill or capture ; and 
oftentimes the alternative fate of a 
prisoner was torture at the stake. 
The backwoodsman learned to give 
no quarter, and to expect none, in 
fighting this savage foe. 



128 



John Stark. 



All through the afternoon of this 
21st of January, 1757, this woods 
fight raged. The Ranger measured 
carefully his charge of powder, ram- 
med home the ball in a greased patch, 
and woe to the enemy who exposed 
his body or limbs to these expert 
marksmen. Two hundred and fifty 
of the enemy went into that day's 
fight, and only one hundred and 
thirty-four came out of it alive, one 
hundred and sixteen having been 
killed on the spot or died of wounds. 
The Rangers lost fourteen killed, six 
wounded, and six taken prisoners. 

As darkness came on, the surviving 
French and Indian force, although 
still outnumbering the English, re- 
tired to the cover of Ticouderoga. 
Capt. Rogers having been disabled by 
two wounds, and Capt. Spikeman 
killed, early in the action the com- 
mand devolved upon Lieut. Stark, 
who, as soon as the enemy ceased to 
press him, carefully looked after the 
wounded, secured the prisoners, and, 
taking both wounded and prisoners 
with him, commenced the tedious 
march homeward. Encumbered by 
the care of the wounded, and fatigued 
with the exertions of the day, their 
movements were necessarily slow, 
and the entire night was consumed in 
reaching the shore of Lake George, 
near where they left it on the 19th. 
The wounded, who during the night 
march had kept up their spirits, were 
by eight o'clock in the morning so 
overcome with cold, fatigue, and loss 
of blood that they could march no 
further. The nearest English post 
was forty miles away, and the enemy 
was less than ten miles in their rear, 
and might again attack them at' any 
time. In this emergency Lieut. Stark 



volunteered, with two Rangers, to 
make a forced march to Fort William 
Henr}' for succor, while the command, 
under the junior officers, undertook to 
defend and care for the wounded 
until help arrived. Without waiting 
for rest or refreshment after their 
all-day fight and all-night retreat, 
these three hardy volunteers con- 
tinued on their march, and reached 
the fort the same evening. Hand- 
sleighs were immediately sent out, 
with a fresh party, to bring in the 
wounded, and reached them next 
morning. No greater feat of hardi- 
hood and endurance was ever per- 
formed ; a day of desperate fighting, 
followed by an all-night retreat, en- 
cumbered with the wounded, and 
then, without rest, these three volun- 
teers making a forced snow-shoe march 
of forty miles more before night. 
Truly this school of war was a fitting 
preparation for the subsequent strug- 
gle of the Revolution. The decision, 
prudence, and courage of Stark ad- 
mittedly saved the detachment from 
complete destruction, and he was 
immediately promoted to be a captain, 
filling the vacancy caused by the 
death of Capt. Spikeman. 

Capt. Stark continued with the 
army during the succeeding campaigns 
of 1758 and 1759, his corps being 
constantly employed in their accus- 
tomed service, and winning credit 
and commendation from the generals 
in command. 

In 1758 Capt. Stark obtained a 
short furlough for the purpose of vis- 
iting his home, and while there was 
united in marriage (August 21, 1758) 
to P^lizabeth, daughter of Capt. Caleb 
Page, one of the original proprietors 
of Duubarton, N. H. 



yohn Stark. 



129 



The conquest of Canada, in 1760, 
put an end to military operations in 
Nortii America, and Capt. Stark, not 
being desirous of continuing in tiie 
British army, tendered his resigna- 
tion, which was accepted by Gen. 
Amherst, with the official assurance 
that if inclined hereafter to reenter 
the service he should not lose his 
rank by this retirement. But fate 
determined that the experience thus 
gained by him during five years' ser- 
vice under the banner of the king of 
England was but the requisite soldierly 
education which fitted him to success- 
fully lead his compatriots against the 
same English banner in the Revolu- 
tionary struggle for the independence 
of his native laud. 

From 1760 to 1765 Capt. Stark re- 
mained at his home, devoting his 
attention to the cultivation of a large 
farm in Derryfield. and to the man- 
agement of his other lauds and his 
mills, both in Derryfield and Dunbar- 
ton, in which latter town he was also 
a large proprietor. 

When the country became seriously 
agitated in 1774 upon the abridgment 
of its liberties by the crown, he uni- 
formly espoused the cause of his 
countrymen, and from his military 
experience and respectable standing 
was looked up to as the natural leader 
of, the patriots of his vicinity. He 
was appointed as one of the Commit- 
tee of Safety, and discharged the 
difficult duties devolving upon him 
with firmness and moderation, en- 
deavoring to the utmost of his abili- 
ties to promote union of sentiment, 
and preparation for action should 
that become necessary. 

The news of the Battle of Lexing- 
ton on the 19th of April, 1775, 



reached Capt. Stark the next morn- 
ing. He was at work in his saw-mill. 
Without a moment's hesitation the 
mill-gate was closed, and he returned 
to his house, a mile distant, changed 
his dress, mounted his horse, and 
proceeded towards Med ford, encour- 
aging all that he met to join him 
there, telling them that the time had 
arrived when a blow should be struck 
for liberty. He was followed by 
many of his old soldiers and hundreds 
of citizens, who answered his appeal 
to their patriotism. And when the 
preliminary organization of the first 
New Hampshire regiment was made 
by election, it was so much a matter 
of course to choose Stark for their 
colonel, that the vote, a hand one, 
was unanimous. This election was 
afterwards confirmed by a commis- 
sion from the state authorities. 

The story of the Battle of Bunker 
Hill is an oft told tale. It will not 
be repeated in this paper ; but we 
may properly dwell upon the fact 
that the steady and cool courage of 
John Stark was one of the important 
factors in that engagement. His 
men were brought into action without 
fatigue. Their deadly work at the 
rail-fence, on the Mystic river side of 
the hill, so nearly annihilated the 
veteran British regiment immediately 
opposed to them, that, believing they 
had won the day, they obeyed the 
orders to retire with unwillingness ; 
and the deliberate manner in which 
they covered and defended the final 
retreat held the enemy in check, and 
undoubtedly prevented a rout. 

After the evacuation of Boston, 
Col. Stark was ordered, with two reg- 
iments, the 5th and 25th, under his 
command, to proceed to New York 



[30 



yohn Stark. 



and assist in arranging the defences 
of that city. He remained at New 
York until May, 1776, when his regi- 
ment, with five others, was ordered 
to march by way of Albany to Canada. 
He joined the army at St. Johns, and 
advanced to the mouth of the Sorel. 
Various unsuccessful movements were 
made by this army in Canada, under 
the successive commands of Gener- 
als Thomas, Arnold, Thompson, and 
Sullivan, culminating in a retreat to 
Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Gen. 
Gates soon after this assumed the 
chief command, and assigned a bri- 
gade to Col. Stark, with orders to 
clear and fortify Mount Indepen- 
dence. 

When the British army under Carle- 
ton had retired to winter quarters in 
Canada, Col. Stark's regiment, with 
several others, was detached from 
the Northern army to reenforce Gen. 
Washington at Newtown, Penn. He 
arrived a few days before the battle 
of Trenton, where, leading the van 
of Sullivan's division, he contributed 
his share in that fortunate victory. 
In giving his opinion at the council of 
war preceding the battle of Trenton, 
Col. Stark observed to Washington, — 
"Your men have too long been accus- 
tomed to place their dependence for 
safety upon spades and pickaxes. If 
you hope to establish the indepen- 
dence of these states, you must teach 
them to place dependence upon their 
fire-arms and courage." Col. Stark 
remained with the commander-in- 
chief until his winter quarters were 
established on the heights of Morris- 
town, when, the term of his men's 
enlistment having expired, he returned 
to New Hampshire to recruit another 
regiment. 



In March, 1777, the new regiment 
was completed ; but Stark did not 
take command of it. Certain promi- 
nent members of congress, and offi- 
cers of high rank, and aristocratic 
associations, more familiar with the 
polite usages of town society than 
with the simple manners of the fron- 
tier settlers, were displeased with the 
rugged and unbending character and 
blunt speech of this backwoods col- 
onel, and used their influence against 
him with such effect, that in the new 
list of promotions, made that winter, 
by congress, his name was omitted, 
and several officers of lower rank were 
promoted over him. This slight was 
so keenly felt that he immediately 
tendered his resignation to the New 
Hampshire authorities, and retired, 
temporarily, to his home. He was 
not however destined to remain long 
inactive. Within three months fi'om 
his retirement, the menacing state of 
affairs following the capture of Ti- 
conderoga by the British, and the ad- 
vance of Burgovne's army, threaten- 
ingto overrun the New England states, 
called him again to the field. New 
Hampshire rose to the emergency, and 
raised a brigade for independent ac- 
tion against the flank of the invading 
arm^^ At the request of the state 
council. Stark accepted their com- 
mission as brigadier, and took com- 
mand ; and within two weeks from 
the capture of Ticonderoga, he was 
organizing and drilling his force for 
the coming fra}'. 

The battle of Bennington, fought 
and won on the 17th of August, 1777, 
by the little army of 1750 men, under 
his command, has been made familiar 
to all readers of history. Of this 
force, New Hampshire furnished 1000, 



John Stark. 



131 



Vermont 500, and Massachusetts 250. 
Stark's plan of battle was sagacious ; 
somewhat irregular in its details, as 
looked upon from the usual military 
standpoint, but perfectly adapted to 
the frontier habits of his brave men ; 
and it proved eminently successful. 
The enemv lost, in killed, wounded, 
and prisoners, about 1200 men — prob- 
ably two thirds of his entire force 
in action. The loss on the American 
side was less than 100. The disci- 
plined pjuropean troops, fighting for 
the king's shilling, moving at the 
word of command like machines, and 
firing their muskets from the hip 
without aim, were no match, even 
when partially protected by cannon 
and breastworks, for the skilled 
marksmen of the frontier, fighting for 
their homes. 

The Bennington battle, in point of 
numbers engaged, was not a great 
one ; but it turned the tide of war at 
a critical period, and led to immediate 
results of momentous consequence to 
the country. Washington wrote of it, 
immediately, as " the great stroke 
struck by Gen. Stark near Benning- 
ton." Bancroft's history pronounces 
this "victory one of the most brilliant 
and eventful of the war." Baroness 
Reidsell, then in the British camp, 
wrote, "this unfortunate event par- 
alyzed at once our operations." 

On the 18th, two days after this 
battle. Gen. Stark forwarded his re- 
port, in detail, to the council of New 
Hampshire, and by return courier re- 
ceived the following letter : 

State of New Hampshire 
In Committee of Safety 
Dear Sir ; 

The Committee received 
vours of the 18th instant with the 



greatest pleasure, and have directed 
me to present their very sincere thanks 
to you, the officers and soldiers under 
your command, for their brave and 
spirited conduct, manifested in the 
late battle, and for the very essential 
service done to the country at this 
critical period. I hope, sir, that this 
success may be a prelude to greater 
things of the same kind ; and that 
heaven will yet bestow many bless- 
ings upon our country, through your 
hands. 

Fervently praying that the God of 
armies may protect you in the day of 
battle, and be a shield and buckler to 
our countrymen under your command, 
and that He may give success and vic- 
tory to all your undertakings, I do, 
on behalf of the Committee, subscribe 
myself 

Your most obedient 

And very humble servant 

M. Weare, Chairman. 

Hon. General Stark. 

The state of Vermont also address- 
ed to Gen. Stark the following com- 
plimentary letter. 

From the President of the Coun- 
cil of Safety of the State of Ver- 
mont. 

Bennington Sept 20th 1777. 

The Council beg leave to return 
their sincere thanks to the Hon. Brig. 
Genl. John Stark for the infinite ser- 
vice he has been pleased to do them, 
in defending them and their constitu- 
ents from the cruelty and bloody rage 
of our unnatural enemy, who sought 
our destruction on the 16th of August 
last. 

They also return their grateful ac- 
knowledgments for the honor the gen- 
eral has been pleased to do the Coun- 
cil by presenting them with one Hessian 
gun with a bayonet ; one broad-sword, 
one brass barreled drum, and a gren- 
adier's cap, taken on the memorable 
16th of August, for the use of the 
State. 

The general may rely upon it they 



132 



yohn Stark. 



will be reserved for the use they were 
designed. 

I remain, dear general, 

With sentiments of esteem. 
Your most Obt. Svt. 

Thomas Chittenden. 
Hon. Brigadier General Stark. 

The legislature of Massachusetts 
also sent their acknowledgments in 
the following letter and resolve : 

To General Stark. 

Sir ; The general assembW of 
this State take the earliest opportuni- 
ty to acknowledge the receipt of your 
acceptable present — the tokens of vic- 
tory gained at the memorable battle 
of Bennington. The events of that 
day strongly mark the bravery of the 
men who, unskilled in war, forced 
from their iutrenchments a chosen 
number of veteran troops of boasted 
Britons, as well as the address and 
valor of the general who directed 
their movements, and led them on to 
conquest. This signal exploit opened 
the way to a rapid succession of ad- 
vantages, most important to Amer- 
ica. 

These trophies shall be safely de- 
posited in the archives of the State, 
and there remind posterity of the 
irresistable power of the God of 
armies, and the honors due to the 
memory of the brave. Still attended 
with like success, may you long en- 
joy the just reward of your grateful 
country. 

I have the honor to be. 

Your obedient servant, 

Jeremiah Powell, 
President of the Council. 

In the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, unanimously ; That the 
board of war of this State be, and are 
hereby directed, in the name of this 
Court, to present to the Hon. Briga- 
dier General Stark, a complete suit 
of clothes becoming his rank, together 
with a piece of linen, as a testimony 
of the high sense this Court has of 



the great and important services ren- 
dered by that brave officer, to the 
United States of America. 
Dec. 5 1777." 

General Stark did not report to 
congress the result of the battle of 
Bennington, because his command 
was an independent one, and his com- 
mission was from the state of New 
Hampshire. His little army consist- 
ed wholly of state militia from New 
Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachu- 
setts. 

The same parties, who had a few 
months previously withheld his pro- 
motion, were now busy in denouncing 
his independent action. ^ 

Philadelphia being in possession of 
the British, congress held its sessions 
at the more remote point of York:, in 
Pennsylvania. Communication was 
slow, letters being carried by cour- 
iers, on horseback, who were obliged 
to make long detours because of hos- 
tile intervening country. 

Upon receipt of the news that Gen. 
Stark was acting independently of 
the regular Northern army, and being 
yet unaware of the victory that had 
been won by him five days before, a 
resolution was introduced in congress 
censuring him for not submitting to 
army regulations. 

But on the next day an express 
courier arrived from Gen. Schuyler 
communicating the result of the Ben- 
nington battle ; and congress, raag- 
nanimousl}' forgetting the previous 
irritation, passed a resolve of thanks 
to General Stark, and appointed him 
a Brigadier in the army of the United 
States. This action of congress was 
communicated in the following let- 
ter : 



'John Stark. 



133 



To General Stark from President 
Hancock. 

Yorktown, Pa., Oct. 5, 1777, 

Sir : — It is with tlie greatest pleas- 
ure I transmit the inclosed resolve of 
Congress, expressing the thanks of 
that body to you, and to the officers 
and troops under your command, for 
the signal victory you obtained over 
the enemy in the late battle of Ben- 
nington. 

In consideration of your distin- 
guished conduct on that occasion, 
and the service you rendered the 
cause of freedom and your country, 
the congress have been pleased to ap- 
point you a Brigadier in the army of 
the United States. 

Be pleased to communicate to the 
officers and troops of your command 
this mark of the approbation of their 
country, for their exertions in defence 
of American liberty. 

I inclose your commission, and 
have the honor to be, with the great- 
est esteem and respect, sir, your most 
obedient and vei-y humble servant, 

John Hancock, President. 

Soon after the Bennington battle, 
Gen. Stark, with his volunteers, 
joined the main American army of 
Gates ; but the three months' enlist- 
ment of the men having expired, they 
said they had performed their part, 
and must return to their farms W'here 
their harvests now waited for them. 

The general being then without a 
command, proceeded to New Hamp- 
shire to make his report to the coun- 
cil. His return was a triumphal 
march. He was waited upon by 
committees of congratulation where- 
ever he came, and was received with 
the warmest demonstration of the 
people's gratitude. 

By order of the Council of New 
Hampshire, he immediately proceeded 
to enlist a new army of volunteers ; 
and such was the confidence in him 



as a commander, and so enthusiastic 
were the people, in view of the pos- 
sible capture of Burgoyne, that, in a 
few days, nearly 3,000 men enrolled 
themselves under his standard. 

With this fresh army of New 
Hampshire volunteers, he immediate- 
ly advanced, by order of the council 
of that state, to Fort Edward, on 
Burgoyue's rear. This fort he cap- 
tured ; and after securing the garri- 
son, and leaving a strong detachment 
of his own troops to maintain the 
post, proceeded, on the the 7th of 
October, with 2,500 men, to occupy 
the sole remaining line of retreat for 
the British army. 

By this movement Burgoyne be- 
came completel}' surrounded, and 
Gen. Stark earnestly advised Gen. 
Gates to attack the British camp and 
compel an unconditional surrender. 
But a capitulation was deemed most 
prudent, and Burgoyne soon after 
delivered up his entire army at Sa- 
ratoga, t 

The capture of Burgoyne put an 
end, for the time being, to military 
movements at the north, and Gen. 
Stark returned to New Hampshire to 
obtain recruits and supplies for op- 
erations elsewhere. 

In December he received orders 
from congress to repair to Albany 
and prepare for a secret winter ex- 
pedition to Canada. The Hon. James 
Duane was directed by congress to 
confer in person with Gen. Stark, and 
communicate to him orally the secret 
details of the proposed expedition, 
and to consider with him the best and 
most practicable means for its ac- 
complishment. The conference took 
place, the troops were engaged, sup- 
plies were obtained of provisions, 



134 



John Stark. 



snow-shoes, conveyances, and every- 
thing required for a winter campaign, 
when congress thought proper to 
abandon the design. 

Early in 1778 he was ordered to 
assume the command of the Northern 
Department, at Albany, where he re- 
remained during the season. 

In November he was ordered by 
Gen. Washington to proceed to the 
assistance of Gen. Gates in Rhode 
Island ; and joining Gates soon after, 
at Pi'ovidence, was stationed for the 
remainder of the season at East 
Greenwich. As winter advanced he 
returned to New Hampshire, by way 
of Boston, to urge the necessity for 
recruits and supplies. 

In the spring of 1779 he joined the 
army at Providence, and was em- 
ployed all that season in watching 
the British army and preventing in- 
roads. About the 10th of Novem- 
ber the English sailed away from 
Newport, and Gen. Stark took pos- 
session of the towit the next morning, 
placing guards to preserve order. 

At this time Gen. Washington or- 
dered Generals Gates and Stark, with 
the troops who had blockaded New- 
port, to join him in New Jersey ; and 
soon after sent Gen. Stark to New 
Hampshire to make requisitions for 
troops and supplies. He performed 
this service, and returned to the army 
at Morristown, in May, 1780, and 
took part in the battle of Springfield, 
in June following. Immediately af- 
ter this battle. Gen. Stark was sent 
to New England, with orders to col- 
lect a body of militia and volunteers, 
and conduct them to West Point. 
He arrived at that post with the troops, 
a short time before Arnold's deser- 
tion ; and, after delivering up the 



reenforcement, joined his division at 
Liberty Pole, New Jersey. 

In September he was ordered to 
West Point, to relieve Gen. St. Clair, 
and the Pennsylvania line. While at 
West Point, he was called upon to 
participate in the trial of Major An- 
dr6, being one of the thirteen gener- 
als composing the military tribunal. 
About this time, Washington had 
formed the design of surprising Sta- 
ten Island ; and to mask his inten- 
tions, Gen. Stark was detached with 
2500 troops, and trains of cavalry and 
artillery, and forage teams, to overrun 
the country north of New York, and, 
if possible, to draw out and engage 
the enemy. But the British were sus- 
picious of concealed designs, and suf- 
fered the detachment to pillage this 
tory country, as far down as Kings 
Bridge and Morrisauia, for several 
days, and then to retire unmolested. 
The Staten Island project was not car- 
ried out. The army soon after went 
into winter quarters at West Point, 
New Windsor, and Fishkill, and Gen. 
Stark, being severely ill, was sent 
home on furlough, with the standing 
order for men and supplies. 

In the spring of 1781 he was or- 
dered once more to assume the com- 
mand of the Northern Department, 
with head-quarters at Saratoga. There 
was an extensive frontier to be 
watched, and the country was overrun 
by traitors and spies, some of whom 
he was obliged to hang. With only 
a few feeble detachments of militia 
from New York, Massachusetts, and 
New Hampshire under his command, 
the duties of the general were both 
onerous and unpleasant. After the 
surrender of Cornwallis, all appre- 
hensions of inroads from Canada hav- 



'John Stark. 



135 



ing ceased, Gen. Stark was ordered 
to dismiss his militia, and to himself 
retire to New England to recruit, 
and collect supplies for the next cam- 
paign. Being at this time attlicted 
with rheumatism, he remained at 
home during the year 1782, and did 
not return to the army until ordered 
to head-quarters by Gen. Washington 
in April, 1783. He arrived at the 
appointed time, and was thanked by 
the commander-in-chief for his punct- 
uality. 

On the 25th of November, 1783, 
the British army evacuated New York. 

The independence of the United 
States had been acknowledged by the 
British government, and the war was 
ended. During the following month, 
most of the Continental troops re- 
turned to their homes ; and General 
Stark, bidding adieu to his friends in 
the army, and leaving behind the 
cares of public life, retired to his New 
Hampshire estates to spend the re- 
mainder of his days in peace. He 
was at this time fifty-five years of 
age. Somewhat past the prime of 
life of the average man, but with a 
frame made strong by early vigorous 
labors, and preserved by constant 
exercise and temperate habits, a long 
lease of life still remained to him. 
He survived the Revolutionary war 
nearly forty years, and to the last 
was held by his neighbors and fellow* 
countrymen in the highest esteem. 

Washington had great confidence 
in Stark, fully appreciating his firm 
patriotism, his ability, and his influ- 
ence with the people of New Hamp- 
shire and the adjoining states. When 
men or supplies were wanted from 
these states, he generally sent him to 
obtain them ; and was particular to 



request that the new levies should 
come out under Stark's command. 
In appointing him commander of the 
Northern Department in 1781, Wash- 
ington wrote, "I am induced to ap- 
point you to this command on account 
of your knowledge and influence 
among the inhabitants of that country. 
* * * I rely upon it, you will use 
your utmost exertions to draw forth 
the force of the country from the 
Greeu Mountains and all the contig- 
nous territory. And I doubt not your 
requisitions will be attended with suc- 
cess, as your personal influence must 
be unlimited among these people, at 
whose head you have formerly fought 
and conquered, with so much reputa- 
tion and glory." 

In 1786, Gen. Stark received from 
congress the following compliment- 
ary brevet commission : 

In pursuance of an act of Congress, 
of the 13th day of September 1783, 
John Stark Esquire, is to rank as Ma- 
jor General by Brevet in the army of 
the United States of America. 

Given under my hand, at New York, 
the 9th day of June 1786. 
(l. s.) Nathaniel Gorhara, President. 

Entered in the war office 

Henry Knox, Secretary of War. 

After the war, he again took up his 
extensive agricultural and lumbering 
operations, managing his business af- 
fairs with the same energy, industry, 
and foresight that characterized his 
military life. 

In person. Gen. Stark was of mid- 
dle stature (5 ft. 10), and well pro- 
portioned for strength and activity. 
Constant exercise prevented his ever 
becoming corpulent. He always trav- 
elled on horseback, even if accom- 
panied by his family in a carriage ; 
and at an advanced age mounted his 



136 



Ethel Freeman. 



horse with ease, without other aid 
than the stirrup. His features were 
bold and prominent ; the nose was 
well formed ; the eyes light blue, keen 
and piercing, deeply sunk under pro- 
jecting brows. His lips were gener- 
ally closely compressed. He was not 
bald ; but his hair became white, and 
covered his head. His whole appear- 
ance indicated coolness, courage, ac- 
tivity, and confidence in himself, 
whether called upon to perform the 
duties of an enterprising partisan, or 
a calculating and considerate gene- 
ral. 

His character was unexceptional in 
his private as in his public life. His 
manners were frank and open. He 
spake his thoughts boldly on all oc- 
casions, without concealment of his 
meaning. He was a man of kindness 
and hospitality, which, through life, 
he extended to all his comrades in 
arms, and to others who sought his 
assistance. He ever sustained a rep- 
utation for honor and integrity, — 
frieudlv to the industrious and enter- 



prising, but severe to the idle and 
unworthy. 

Gen. Stark survived his wife eight 
years. They had eleven children, — 
five sons and six daughters, — and all 
except one reached the age of matu- 
rity. His third son, John Stark, Jr., 
remained at home, married, and 
raised a family of twelve children 
at the old homestead. The vet- 
eran general was thus surrounded in 
his home by a numerous progeny, who 
in his last years kindly alleviated the 
infirmities of extreme age. 

He died on the 8th of May, 1822, 
aged 93 years, 8 months, and 24 days. 
He was buried with military honors 
at the spot where his remains now 
lie, and where it is now proposed to 
erect to his memory the elegant 
equestrian bronze statue herewith rep- 
resented. George Stark. 

Note. — The material for tbis biograpliical sketch 
has been drawn from numerous papers and books, 
and more especially from the " Memoir and Otli- 
cial Correspondence of General John Stark " by 
his grandson, the late Caleb Stark, of Dunbarton, 
N. H., edition of 1860. 



ETHEL FREEMAN: 

The Story of a Marriage that proved a Mistake. 
By Ellen M. Mason. 



IV. 

There was a certain Mrs. Hamilton 
whom George regarded with the high- 
est approval, and who by degrees had 
come to be his wife's intimate friend, 
thouo;h at first Ethel had held aloof 
from her advances from instinctive 
distrust. She possessed no beauty, 
but a wonderful personal magnetism 



that made her irresistible to all who 
felt the contact of her presence. And 
to this she added rare attainments : 
she was a finely cultivated musician, 
an artist of no mean talents, and she 
acquitted herself so finely in amateur 
theatricals that it was said she might 
have made a fortune on the stage ; 
and she had written a successful nov- 



Ethel Frccma7i. 



137 



el. Above all, she was diabolically 
clever. All this gave her great pres- 
tige in P . She was a widow of 

the age designated as "youngish," 
childish, and she lived in elegant 
rooms at the finest hotel. 

Ethel had first felt an affection for 
her on the occasion of a dangerous 
illness of Florry, her oldest child. 
She had come, and in her firmly gen- 
tle manner insisted on staying at the 
house and assisting in taking care of 
the little girl ; and she had proven so 
good a nurse, so self-sacrificing, sen- 
sible, and etiicient, that Ethel could 
not withhold a share of love and con- 
fidence despite her intuitions. As for 
Florry, she became a loyal, devoted 
subject of her whilom nurse, accord- 
ing her the blind, adoring worship 
that innocent childhood lavishes on 
its incarnation of perfection. Mrs. 
Hamilton was perfection in her eyes. 
She resolved she would grow up to 
be like her as exactly as she could, 
and she was never so happy as when 
in the presence of her sovereign. 

And Mrs. Hamilton, who had been 
fawned upon and flattered all her 
life, found the fresh, sincere love of 
tlie child very grateful to her empty, 
callous heart. She took great pains 
to keep alive and increase her attach- 
ment, both for its own sake and as a 
means to secure a longed-for triumph 
that no refreshing principle of right 
or feeling of pity could force her to 
forego. 

Ethel in the meantime grew more 
and more discontented. She was hav- 
ing a bitter experience, that of feel- 
ing her self-respect lessening day by 
day. What was she beside this wise 
and witty and bewitching woman? 
Even her own child neglected her for 



the sake of the other's society. Her 
early training and education had 
surely been all wrong. She was not sure 
but that the fame of a Cleopatra was 
after all more enviable than that of a 
Cornelia. And how she had been 
petted and made much of at home ! 
Could George realize how ditferent it 
seemed in his home? At last one 
evening her resolve was made. Mrs. 
Hamilton was singing in the parlor, 
while she sat nnperceived and for- 
gotten in the adjoining partially dark- 
ened library, to which she had with- 
drawn ; her husband and Florry were 
with the songstress. 

She sang Mrs. Akers Allen's heart- 
sick song. Rock Me to Sleep. Ethel 
listened, her piteous heimweh growing 
worse. 

" Yet with strong yearning and passionate pain 
Long I to-niglit for your presence again. 

* * * * * ' ^ 

Overmy heart, in the days that are flown, 
No love like mother-love ever lias shone; 
Ko other worship abides and endures, — 
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours! " 

cried the thrilling voice, while tears 
rolled down her unseen listener's face. 

" I would like to go to New York 
for a month or two," she said to her 
husband at the breakfast table next 
morning. 

"■ But what should we do without 
you ? " asked George ; and poor f^thel 
thought his manner and tone showed 
a studied concern, but betra^'ed a 
real relief. 

"You will do very well. I mean to 
take Florry with me, and you know 
Nurse is perfectly trustworthy with 
the other children. Katy will take 
good care of the house. I need the 
change." 

" But, mamma, I think I would 
rather not go, if you please," said 



138 



Ethel Free^nan. 



Florry. " I should like to stay where 
I can see Mrs. Hamilton. Besides, 
dear mamma," she added hastily, 
"you know I am not really strong 

yet." 

"I wished very much to take you 
with me, but if you prefer it you 
may remain at home," said her moth- 
er, surprised and hurt. 

And so it was settled. Ethel went 
home for a long visit, leaving Florry 
behind ; and this, though more for 
the child's sake than her own, she 
afterward bitterly regretted. 



At first, Mrs. Freeman was only 
conscious of unmixed delight at beins; 
once more in her childhood's home 
for what seemed a very long and in- 
definite period. Father and mother 
were overjoyed at her presence : hav- 
ing her there by herself seemed to 
them like having back their Ethel of 
the old times. It was a genuine 
pleasure to find herself again the 
cynosure of her former circle, and she 
was pleased to see that she retained 
her former prestige. In truth, her 
girlish beauty was not faded, but per- 
fected and grown richer. Her old 
friends came flocking to see her — 
most of her girl companions grown 
matronly with blooming children, and 
the men grown stouter and generally 
bald — often curious to discover, if 
possible, whether she had really cho- 
sen wisely, and whetl^r her lot had 
fallen in pleasant places. 

But Ethel was loyal to the core. 
Never by manner or least word or 
tone of voice did she betray that her 
husband or her home had proven less 
than the most exacting could have 
desired. Concerning the high-flown 



ladies she was less reticent, making 
fun to her heart's content of their es- 
says on Greek and Latin and German 
literature, and detailing their ponder- 
ous conversation for the merciless 
ridicule of her friends. 

She found presently, however, that 
she could not take up the old life 
where it was left off. She was not 
the same Ethel. The whole memory 
of what had intervened, and the 
change in her very nature wrought by 
it, rendered the old life impossible. 
She could never more be a young girl, 
romantically longing to be an inspira- 
tion to a world-weary man : she was 
Jane Eyre no longer, but a full grown 
woman with a sorrowful experiehce. 
The girl had developed into the wo- 
man ; the woman could not be re- 
pressed into the girl. 

The time of her return drew on 
apace ; and was it strange, or only 
natural, that she looked forward to 
going back to her husband's home, 

even to the despised city of P , 

with earnest joy fulness? She longed 
to see the children, especially Florry — 
she had so much to be thankful for 
in them. And she and George would 
talk honestly and unreservedly to- 
gether of past mistakes and misun- 
derstandings, and then begin life 
anew. They should be happy to- 
gether yet ; she was sure of it, and 
she could hardly wait for the day of 
her de|)arture, formerly so much 
dreaded, so eager was she to begin 
the new life with her husband. 

When she reached the depot at 
P , above the cries of the coach- 
men and hack-drivers — the brethren 
of the whip at P have their as- 
pirations too, and make up in noise 
what they lack in numbers, seeming 



Ethel Free7)ian, 



139 



more like a veritable pack of wolves 
than their prototypes in larger cities 
do — she heard a shrill childish voice, 
"O there's mamma, there's mamma ! " 
Little Florence was there with her 
father, waiting for her, and at once 
Ethel discovered a change in the 
child ; she did not look less strong, 
but her face wore an expression that 
had never been there before, a haunt- 
ed, scared, almost agonized look, the 
look that a creature battling with a 
sorrow it could hardly comprehend 
might wear. It made her mother 
clasp her in sudden fear, and in 
sharp self-reproach that she had left 
her. 

The meeting between husband and 
wife was constrained as their parting 
had been, though it was evident to 
both that the other made an effort to 
seem unaffectedly glad and happy. 
Ethel would have been so but that a 
strange dread at Florry's looks drove 
all other feelings from her heart. She 
made no effort to discover what was 
troubling her during the day, but 
when she took her on her lap at night 
the child could restrain herself no 
longer. She burst into a tempest of 
sobs, and wept until Ethel was seri- 
ously alarmed. "Tell me what is the 
matter, darling," she said ; and as 
soon as Florry could control her voice, 
between gasping sobs, she told the 
story of her trouble, a trouble that 
froze her mother's heart as she lis- 
tened. 

Florry had begged Mrs. Hamilton 
to come often to the house to see her 
while her mother was away, and Ethel 
had requested her to come there to 
use her piano for her daily practising, 
and to read in the library whenever 
she wished. She had been there oft- 



en, especially at twilight, so Florry 
could hear her sing beautiful songs 
and ballads before she retired. Her 
father enjoyed it too, and Florry 
had been so happy, until one night, 
that dreadful night, when she sat in 
the library listening to her singing in 
the parlor, as Ethel had done the 
night she resolved she would go away. 
Mrs. Hamilton seemed sad, " lone- 
some," Florry said, and sang such sad 
verses — Ethel knew how she sang 
them, O so well ! — that she cried 
there alone in the half darkness. 
Then she left off singing, and she and 
her father fell to talking vaguely, 
Florry listening not with the least in- 
tent of meanness, but for the sake of 
hearing the pleasant voice she loved 
so well. 

Florry was a precocious child. Her 
mother had made her much a com- 
panion, and she had ever been her 
father's favorite among his children. 
She understood the feelings and emo- 
tions of grown people better than is 
usual with children much older, so 
was at no loss to repeat intelligently, 
with full perception of its meaning, 
the conversation of that dreadful 
evening. They spoke of her mother, 
Mrs. Hamilton affectionately, "but 
as though she sort of pitied you," 
Florry said, and her father "as if he 
hadn't any patience." " Then they 
talked on a long time, and papa told 
her how that you and he ought never 
to have got married, and how that 
you never were fitted for each other. 
And he told Mrs. Hamilton that he 
wished she were his wife, and how 
that life would seem like heaven if 
that were so. And then she said 
that it would seem so to her too, and 
how that she was very unhappy, 



140 



Ethel Freeman. 



' most wretched,' she called it. And 
then she cried, and, O mamma ! I saw 
papa kiss her, and she put her arras 
round his neck and kissed him; and 
I thought I should die ! for I knew it 
was wrong and wicked, and I knew 
't would 'most kill you ! " and the lit- 
tle girl began sobbing again. "■ By 
and by she went away and papa went 
with her. They had forgotten that I 
was sitting in the library, and I crept 
up stairs all cold, alone, to bed. I 
would n't call nurse, fori did n't want 
anybody to know what was the mat- 
ter, nor how bad I felt. And O 
mother I I thought you would never 
come home. I did not dare to say a 
word to papa, and if I could not have 
told you pretty soon I think I should 
have died." 

Ethel sat very still as she listened 
to her little girl's story, and her first 
thought was for her. The child had 
received a terrible shock, not alone 
in the revealed character in which she 
now saw her father, but the veil had 
been rudely torn from her idol, her 
ideal of perfected womanhood. Tiie 
beautiful faith of childhood had de- 
parted from her, and it would never 
come again. She was very young to 
suffer such a loss, but there was no 
help for it. Mother and daughter 
would bear the sorrow together now — 
strange l)urden for a nine-years-old 
daughter !— and Ethel soothed her as 
best she could, telling her how sorry 
slie was for what she had suffered, 
and for what she had seen and heard ; 
that she was much too young to know 
such sad things, but that she could 
be a great comfort to her in hel[)ing 
iier to bear the trouI)le ; that she 
should not feel so utterly alone, and 
that there was no one else she could 



tell ; that they must love each other 
more than ever, and maybe after a 
time it would not seem so dreadful to 
them both. Then she heard Florry's 
prayers, and put her to bed and left 
her, and went down stairs to the par- 
lor, where her husband was waiting 
for her. On the stairs, she recalled 
her mother's question long ago, — " If 
I am right, if 3'ou should be wretched 
and miserable, what should you do?" 
and her answer, " If it should be for 
worse all my life long, I would never 
break my promise." " But I never 
expected this, never this ! " she said, 
fiercely. 

Her husband arose when she came 
in, and came forward, but he noticed 
her stern face and haughty manner, 
and dropped his arms extended to 
embrace her. She stood before him, 
and very quietly and coldly spoke of 
their life together from the very first 
until now ; of her mother's opposition 
and iier own high hopes and great 
love ; of his feeling of her inferiority ; 
of her homesickness and discontent ; 
of her visit in New York, and the re- 
solve she had made to come back, to 
a ])etter way of living ; then of Flor- 
ry's revelation. She paused a mo- 
ment, but George seemed stricken 
dumb, and she went on : 

"For the children's sake, and be- 
cause I think it is right, no one but 
myself and Florry shall know your 
meanness. I shall write a note to 
Mrs. Hamilton. She will never dark- 
en my doors again. With all her 
gifts and accomplishments I do not 
envy her, nor do I envy you. You 
have thought yourself and her my 
superiors ; but there is no guilt on 
my conscience, and you and she have 
ruined my life." 



Ethel Freeman. 



141 



VI. 

For three years the life of the Free- 
man's had gone on outwardly the 
same as before, and yet not just the 
same, for Ethel had come to be of 
consequence in society, and was even 
received with more favor than her 
husband, who still remained a favor- 
ite. She had discovered her one tal- 
ent, and her friends had speedily 
multiplied it many times for her. In 
her disappointment and bitter chagrin 
she had devoted herself to her chil- 
dren's education ; in their studies she 
found surcease of sorrow, and to her 
own surprise developed the love of 
study in herself. She became fond 
of research, and then discovered that 
she was capable of independent 
thought — not so commonplace an at- 
tribute in woman as might at first be 
supposed — and of easy and original 
expression. She read much and 
wrote critical reviews of the new 

novels. The P people said that 

they had discovered that she pos- 
sessed " a very analytical mind :" 
once she wrote a political article that 
they said showed she understood gov- 
ernment. 

But her literary achievements never 
engrossed her mind ; they were only 
a resource, never an object, and she 
had no ambition save for her chil- 
dren, that were the pride of her heart 
and the only joy in her life. And 
such children, so well behaved, so 
rarely intelligent, and so refined, 
could not but reflect credit on a moth- 
er. She retained her housewifelv 
ways ; her home was a model of com- 
fort and good order ; she entertained 
her husband's friends and her own in 
right royal manner ; and her great 
beauty became again a power that 



made itself felt. People said, "Mrs. 
Freeman is really wonderful ; a beau- 
ty and a genius ; yet one of a practi- 
cal disposition rarely to be met with, 
really the greatest versatility of tal- 
ents." 

And so she found peace though not 
happiness ; but her husband was 
wretched. It had been his fate since 
the humiliating disclosure of three 
years before to love his wife more 
and more, and all in vain. All 
smiles and graciousness to others, the 
wintry wind was not more cold than 
she to him. Mrs. Hamilton had dis- 
appeared from the zenith of society 
and of his admiration ; the very 
thought of her was hateful to him, 
and he suffered remorse of conscience 
as much for Florry's sake as for 
Ethel's, for at the first he had visited 
his wrath and displeasure on the li-ttle 
girl. As she had been her father's 
best beloved and most petted of the 
flock, when the weak man called the 
child a traitor, and accused her of 
tattling and mischief-making, it near- 
ly broke her heart. For a long time 
after, he never noticed her by word 
or look, shutting her out of the games 
that he played with the other chil- 
dren, never taking her to drive or to 
walk when he took the others, utterly 
neglecting her, or treating her with 
contempt. " Papa never notices me 
now," she complained to her mother 
day after day, and when at last he 
would have treated her more kindly, 
a fear had grown up in the child's 
heart that shut him out forever. 

But he was reaping the whirlwind. 
For a year Florry had seemed less 
robust than of old, and at last they 
knew that she would not" live. None 
could fathom the mother's sorrow. 



142 



A Dozvn East Homer. 



The strange bond between her and the 
child had grown stronger as time had 
flown. She felt that she was a thou- 
sand times more to her than a child 
to a mother. The little, tender, lov- 
ino; heart was the one heart that knew 
and understood and S3'mpathized with 
her grief. If she lost her she was 
bereft not only of her eldest born, 
but of the one who possessed her full 
confidence, her closest friend, the 
only one who saved her from the 
utter loneliness of her misery. 

George kept constantly with his 
daughter. In an agony of self-re- 
proach for his past treatment, he tried 
in everj'way to win back her love and 
confidence. Florry treated him wist- 
fully, looking at him often with eyes 
that brought tears to his own, and 
their remembrance wrung groans from 
his breast at night. The past was 
irrevocable ; strive as he might, there 
was no restitution, no oblivion, pos- 
sible to him. 

Freedom from study, change of air 



and scene, physicians' skill, were all 
of no use. Florry died ; and by the 
side of their still, eldest born, George 
besought his wife to forgive him for 
the past, to take him back, to give 
him the chance to win her love once 
more. "For Florry's sake, Ethel," 
he pleaded ; and Ethel promised, "For 
Florry's sake, I will try." 

And Florry reunited them ; but the 
great earthly happiness they once 
hoped for and expected they can nev- 
er know. They are doubtless as 
happy as most people, but often when 
George sees the long yellow hair of 
their living little girl flying down the 
stairs or in and out of the rooms, he 
thinks of another little girl with long 
yellow hair, and shudders at the sud- 
den remembrance " she is dead," feel- 
ing a heavy load on his heart. And 
often when her husband is kindest, 
Ethel sees a little grave iu the beauti- 
ful Forest City cemetery, and shrinks 
shudderingly away from him. 



A DOWN EAST HOMER. 
By Isaac B. Choate. 



There are many and striking points 
of difference between the old Greek 
bard, who wandered from place to 
place reciting his rhapsodies wherev- 
er a crowd of listeners would gather, 
and his Down East successor, who 
used to peddle his verses as merchant- 
able wares through the country-sides 
of the "District of Maine." So far 
as the method of getting their works 
into circulation is concerned, the dif- 
ference may be accounted for by re- 



ferring to the invention of printing. 
Other marks of distinction between 
Homer of Chios, or any other of the 
seven cities which claims the honor 
of being his birth-place, and Thomas 
Shaw, positively of Standish, Maine, 
must be variously explained. The 
earlier poet sang of war, the later 
piped of peace. Homer was blind ; 
and no one can read the productions 
of Shaw, unless in a state of suspend- 
ed cogitation, without discovering that 



A Down East Homer. 



143 



his muse at least was of a somewhat 
owl-like vision. 

At New York sales by auctiou of 
books and other property, there have 
appeared at rare intervals broadsides 
of poetry by Thomas Shaw, of Stan- 
dish, Maine. These have been cat- 
alogued with much display, and with 
unusnal fulness of description. They 
have for years commanded prices in 
the metropolis such as their author 
never dreamed of askina; as he hawked 
them about among the less appre- 
ciative farmers among whom he lived. 
They are good specimens, — and this 
is all the merit they can now claim, — 
of a species of literature that had its 
day in this country a good many years 
ago. Their value, however, for pur- 
poses of illustrating certain phases of 
New England life at the beginning of 
this century, is scarcely affected by 
the circumstance that they are un- 
qualified doggerel. 

We glean the little knowledge we 
have of the author from his produc- 
tions. Some of his more ambitious 
pieces appeared in 1815, and he was 
still hard at work in the same line 
when Lafayette visited this country 
in 1824. In a poem of twenty-four 
stanzas inspired by the visit of the 
French general, he tells us that he 
was born before the close of the Rev- 
olution : 

"I and some Fathers still remain, 
Who saw our Independence gain." 

This tribute to the distinguished 
visitor, records the fact that the poet 
availed himself of the opportunity to 
pay liis respects to the Nation's guest. 

" He went from place to place in state, 
And welcomed by small and great, 
#**## »** 
Whereof we heard and saw the same, 
And can describe the man by name." 



The author manifests in this poem 
a great deal of bitterness towards 
Great Britain. It was quite natural 
that the appearance of Lafayette 
should revive something of the old 
spirit. 

The plan of the work was to exhib- 
it the career of Lafayette, and sing 
his praises. Attention is directed 
mainly to what he did for America in 
the Revolution. The British troops 
are represented as bees leaving their 
hive to sting the Americans. Wash- 
ington and Lafayette beat them off. 
As this is all the play there is given 
to the imagination in the whole com- 
position, no one will find fault with 
the simile. The part which our French 
ally took is stated over and over again 
in different terms, but it all amounts to 
the same thing. A single stanza will 
serve as a sample : 

" On his expense he clothed men 
Who stood as needy soldiers then, 
Entering our service without pay, 
To drive the British bees away." 

Later on we are given a glimpse of 
Lafayette contending for the liberties 
of his own people : 

" Until by chance in prison fell, 
And troubles too he knew full well." 

It is not difficult to discover the in- 
fluence of the New England Primer 
upon the poet's thought, if not upon 
its expression. He cannot close this 
encomium upon his hero without in- 
dulging the reflection, — 

" He's but a man when all i.s done, 
All mortal men their course do run." 

How faithfully this echoes the famil- 
iar sentiment, — 

•' Xerxes the Great did die, 
And so must you and I." 

The next piece is "• A Mournful 
Song, occasioned by the shipwreck 



144 



A Down East Homer. 



of the schooner Armistice, Captain 
Douglass, on Cohasset rocks, August 
31, 1815. ..bound from Portland for 
Baltimore... on which occasion five 
persons perished. By Thomas Shaw, 
Standish." This occasional poem, 
which its author calls "A Mournful 
Song," is in a somewhat more lively 
measure than is this poet's wont. 
There was this about the old Puritan 
heart, that it took a tremendous force 
to move it ; but when the emotions 
were once fully roused, the sluiceway 
by which as a flood they found escape 
was always regarded as necessarily a 
poetic vein of feeling. Elegaic poe- 
try afforded both the writer and read- 
er pastime and recreation. It was 
supposed to possess what was known 
in pulpic phrase as an ''improving" 
quality. Shaw evidently understood 
the market value of the article, and 
supplied the demand judiciously. 
People in that age had no dread of 
monopolies, and never dreamed of 
boycotting a poet. 

This particular composition is some- 
what in the manner of the ballad. 
The movement of the narrative is, 
however, very unsteady. The moral- 
izing is done at inconvenient and un- 
expected intervals ; or, from another 
point of view, it may be said that the 
story is broken by reflections that are 
wholly out of season. The measure 
reminds the reader of ''The Ancient 
Mariner." It is, of course, not im- 
possible that so famous a ballad, 
printed nearly twenty years before, 
should be familiar to the poet. The 

narrative is taken u[) at the seventh 
stanza : 

" My mournful poii.n; cloth take along 
Douglass from I'orlland bay, 
For to sail fast in August last 
Upon the thirtieth day." 



This was as far as the author could 
get without indulging in some very 
sad, but we may hope profitable, reflec- 
tions. It is not until he reaches the 
twelfth stanza that he is able to com- 
plete the date of the sailing : 

"So they did steer, the fifteenth year, 
Out into the wide main ; 
Perhaps a thought was to them brought, 
You can't come back again." 

We see here the peculiarity of these 
early ballad- writers in America ; — they 
were web-footed, and so, instead of 
rising on pinions like the lark, they 
took to the floods of bathos, and there 
wailed their sorrows like loons. 

But the master-piece of Shaw, so 
far as now appears, was a four-column 
broadside, fourteen by twenty inch- 
es. The occasion of this production 
was the ratification of the Treaty of 
Ghent in 1815. The subject was cal- 
culated to awaken more than ordinary 
joy, and here we shall expect to see 
the poet at his best. Indeed, he 
seems himself to have looked upon 
this performance with a good degree 
of complaisance, for some of the ideas 
of this reappear in pretty nearly the 
original language in his lines on La- 
fayette. The work is divided into 
two distinct parts after the manner of 
old-time sermons, the expository part 
of which was delivered in the morn- 
ing, while the ''improvement," as it 
used to be called, — in later phrase, 
the" application," — was "deferred till 
after intermission." 

The first part is taken up with a re- 
cital of events preceding the peace. 
Quite as much space is given to the 
Revolution as to the War of 1812. 
The author is profuse in generalities, 
but rather chary of particulars. The 
exploits of the enemy, from 1812 to 



A Down East Homer. 



145 



1815, are summed up in the twenty- 
second and twenty-third stanzas : 

"Their array went to Washington, 
And there destruction they begun ; 
From there and Baltimore they tied, 
After their General was dead. 

"We lost some frigates by our foe, 
Who took them where they could do so; 
And look our vessels great and small. 
When they Into their hands did fall." 

Only one victory of our anus is men- 
tioned, and that happened to be an 
affair that came off after the treaty 
was signed, and had the least signifi- 
cance of all as related to the subject 
of the poem : 

"While marching to New Orleans town, 
Our gallant Jackson cut them down; 
And boat their haughty army then 
By killing thousands of their men." 

The "improvement" of all this in 
"Part Second" is a call to give over 
the contention of party strife : 

"Unite, unite now all as one, 
Let party spirit all be gone." 

Political writers of the time were fa- 
vored with some excellent counsel, 
which perhaps entitles the whole per- 
formance to perpetuity. 

" Ye printers come now take a hint, 
No more contention ever print; 
And so let party spirit die. 
That has so long been printer's cry." 

After rehearsing to political editors 
the sad story of Ahab, he again calls 
to them, — 

"Now for God 's sake forsake this trade. 
For this lying the devil made." 

It is worth keeping in mind, that 
while Shaw was attentive to a not 
very exacting muse on the birch-cov- 
ered gravel hills of Standish Neck, he 
could look across Sebago lake to the 



head of Kettle Cove where Hawthorne 
kept his boat tied, and half a mile to 
the right he could see the tops of the 
pines which grew about that lad's home 
and deepened what was later spoken 
of as "that cursed solitude of Ray- 
mond." At the same time, too, up 
at the head of Long Pond, Seba Smith 
was getting ready to do some of that 
political writing which our poet so 
earnestly deprecated. Over in Gor- 
ham, only three or four miles away, 
Sargent S. Prentiss was living on a 
farm, and Isaac McClellan was be- 
ginning his work. At the city, John 
Neal must have been heard by that 
time, and his was a strong-voiced 
muse ; Mellen was cultivating a 
smoother strain ; and Longfellow 
was already engaged upon his earlier 
tasks. 

But these belonged to another gen- 
eration, and a happier one for literary 
enterprise or indulgence. We are not 
often reminded novv how little chance 
tiiere was for any art to survive the 
two wars we had with England. 
Sometimes when we examine the rec- 
ords of towns and parishes for that 
period, we see how great a falling off 
there was from colonial times in re- 
gard to preparation for clerical work. 
So, too, the fact that work like Shaw's 
was made to order, as it were, and 
that it supplied a real demand, marks 
a sort of zero point upon the scale of 
popular taste and interest. The work 
had just one redeeming quality, — in 
common with most of the oratory of 
that period,— its spirit of genuine 
patriotism ; and that was enough to 
excuse and atone for all literary de- 
linquencies. 



146 



Christ Church. 



CHRIST CHURCH. 
By Annie Wentwoeth Baer. 



The little village of Salmon Falls 
has had its share of rhythm : success 
and failure have followed each other 
like the rise and fall of the waves. 

The wail of 1690 had died away 
amonsr the near hills more than a cen- 
tury ago, and the ashes of that cruel 
fire kindled by the French and Ind- 
ians had whitened and scattered, when 
some "Yenghees" of a mechanical 
turn of mind were attracted by the 
rush and foam of water over the jag- 
ged falls in this winding stream. These 
men wished to utilize this strength, 
and so change the course of the merry 
river that it should become the driving 
power of a woollen-mill. 

About 1824, the capture was made, 
and the glistening water was caused 
to run over a dingy, wide-mouthed 
wheel which caught up the water only 
to dash it down again with vengeful 
spite. For ten years the mill ran on, 
when in 1834 it was burned. In the 
time of this first mill, teasels were 
planted by the company about the 
village in several places ; and to-day 
where the trim new depot on the 
Boston & Maine line stands, once in 
awhile a teasel-plant peeps up to see 
if it can be of any use nowadays. 

Acacias were started for shuttle 
wood: the old ones have died down, 
and new ones have thrown out their 
heavy sweetness every June from the 
high knoll west of " Foundry Pond." 

The agent of the company who own- 
ed the mill was Col. Joshua Pierce, of 
Greenland, and he desired a suitable 
place of worship. Many of the work- 
men were Englishmen, and since Col. 



Pierce was a believer in the Church of 
England service, arrangements to start 
an Episcopal church were soon made. 

On Wednesday, December 15, 1830, 
a notice was posted in the village, 
reading thus : "All persons desirous 
of having stated and regular Religious 
service at Salmon Falls are requested 
to meet at the School House in said 
place this evening at eight o'clock." 

The church records tell how a num- 
ber of the inhabitants met, and organ- 
ized themselves by choosing J. W. 
Pierce moderator ; and, after discuss- 
ing the subject upon which the meeting 
was called, it was voted to appoint a 
committee of three persons to ascer- 
tain what could be done among the 
people toward the erection of a house 
of public worship, and to report at 
the adjourned meeting. It was voted 
that John Wentworth, Daniel Nason, 
and James Bradbury be the committee. 

Friday, Dec. 1 7, 1830, an adjourned 
meeting was held, when the commit- 
tee appointed made a verbal report of 
their proceedings, and presented a sub- 
scription paper having several sums 
of money subscribed by the inhabi- 
tants of the village, and amounting to 
a sum sufficient to warrant the meet- 
ing to go on and prosecute their de- 
sign of erecting a house of public 
worsliip. 

At this meeting it was voted that 
a clerk be appointed, whose duty it 
should be to record all proceedings of 
this and future meetings of said sub- 
scribers, in a book of records. It 
was also voted that a committee of 
three persons be appointed to adopt 



Christ Church. 



H7 



a plan for said building ; to contract 
for the building of the same ; and to 
locate its situation, and to superintend 
the erection of the same. 

It was voted J. W. Pierce, William 
Morton, and John Wentworth be the 
building committee, and Daniel Nason 
was chosen clerk. It was voted that 
the building committee take charge of 
the subscription list, and see that one 
half the subscriptions be paid before 
the fifteenth day of April following, 
and the remainder on or before the 
fifteenth day of July following. 

The next vote was, to appoint a 
committee to confer with the Rev. 
Mr. Blackaller respecting an engage- 
ment whenever the new house should 
be completed, and that they be author- 
ized to make some arrangement with 
him for the time that should elapse 
till the completion of said building. 
Voted, that said committee consist of 
three persons namely, J. W. Pierce, 
James Smith, and William Carpenter. 
They agreed to become members of 
an Episcopal Society by the name of 
Christ Church, and promised to do all 
things legal and proper in the prem- 
ises. This was signed 

J. W. Pierce, 
Daniel Nason, 
John Wentworth, 
William Carpenter, 
James Bradbury, 
Hosea Crane, 
James Cargill, 
Isaiah Wild, 
James Smith, 
Alexander Stowell, 
Samuel B. Nichols, 
John D. Sterling, 
John Holland, 
Albion Carpenter, 
James Whittle, 
William A. Shannon, 
Nathan Taylor, 



Charles T. Durgin, 
Wm. Eastward, 
John Mathews, 
James Kelley, 
Williiun Tingle, 
Paul R. Wentworth, 
Joseph Holland, 
Andrew Cooper, 
Moses Lord, 
Wm. Morton, 
James R. Moulton. 

February 12th, 1831. The follow- 
ing notice was posted. 

Notice. 
Is hereby given that J. W. Pierce, 
John Wentworth 2d, James Bradbury, 
and others have formed themselves 
into a Religious Society at Salmon 
Falls, Somers worth, by the name of 
Christ Church. The foregoing notice 
was published in a newspaper printed 
at Dover, N. H., called the Dover 
Enquirer. Feb. 15, 1831. 

At a meeting called, April 4, 1831, 
James Smith was moderator, Daniel 
Nason clerk. It was voted that 
Joshua W. Pierce and Daniel Nason 
be wardens for the year ensuing ; that 
William Carpenter, James Smith, and 
James Cargill be vestrymen for the 
year ensuing. 

Next followed a list of subscribers, 
and the number of shares each took. 
Since there are so few left that were 
the original founders of the church, I 
venture to add this list of names also. 
Each share was not to exceed SoO. 

John Wentworth, 1 share. 
William Morton, 1 share. 
Alexander Stowell, 1 share. 
James Bradbury, 1 share. 
William A. Shannon, 1 share. 
Charles T. Durgin, 1 share. 
John Mathews, 1 share. 
Daniel Nason, 1 share. 
James Kelley, 1 share. 
Nathan Taylor, 1 share. 
William Eastwood, 2 share. 
Paul R. Wentworth, i share. 



148 



Christ Church. 



John Holland, 1 share. 

Isaiah AVild, \ share. 

Andrew Cooper, 5 share. 

James Smith, 2^ share. 

James Cargill, \ share. 

John D. Sterling, ^ share. 

James Moulton, \ share. 

Samuel B. Nichols, \ share. 

Hosea Crane, \ share. 

Joseph Holland, \ share. 

Daniel H. Pierce, P. N. H.,* \ 
share. 

Charles Burroughs, P. N. H., 1 
share. 

Mark W. Pierce, P. N. H., 1 share. 

J. W. Pierce, 4 shares. 

A foot-note under this list in the 
book of records tells us that twenty- 
one of the original twenty-seven sub- 
scribers could be found April 29, 
1867, showing that some one had 
looked up the matter. To-day I think 
that nearly every name has passed 
beyond the ken of Salmon Falls folk. 
Many, we know, have gone into the 
great unknown. 

Mr. Blackaller was engaged by the 
committee appointed for that purpose 
to perform public service at Salmon 
Falls, for a period to expire on East- 
er, 1832.  

The undersigned promised and 
agreed to pay the wardens the suras 
set against their names, quarterly, on 
the first Monday of April, July, Octo- 
ber, and January, and so on durinsf 
the time of said engagement. Forty- 
two names were signed to this agree- 
ment. Fifteen dollars per annum was 
the largest subscription ; one dollar 
the smallest. It was dated January 
1, 1831. 

*These letters, "P. N. H.," signify Portsmouth, 
N.H. 



June 27, 1831 , a meeting was called, 
and the pews were taken. Fourteen 
dollars was the highest paid for choice, 
by J. W. Pierce ; ten dollars was 
paid by Alexander Stowell. Pew 28 
was reserved for the minister. There 
were thirty-two pews taken. 

August 6, 1831, a meeting was 
called at Christ Church to authorize 
some person or persons to give deeds 
of pews to the original proprietors. 
J. W. Pierce, Daniel Nason, wardens, 
were chosen. Next followed a deed 
of the land. 

Salmon Falls Manufacturing Co. 
to Christ Church : For the sum of $1 
this land was granted, bargained, 
sold, and conveyed to Christ Church 
and assigns forever. The bounds are 
given, and it is to be used for erect- 
ing and containing thereon a suitable 
house of worship. 

Signed the twelfth day of July 
A. D., 1831, by 

John Haven, 
Elisha Hill, 
Robert Rice, 
Wm. Jones, 
Directors of the S. F. Mf. Co. 

There is a neatly executed plan 01 
the grounds and surrounding streets 
on the page below this in the records. 

Christ Church was dedicated to 
God by Alexander V. Griswold, 
Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, 24th 
of July, 1831. 

January 20, 1832, the church mem- 
bers again agreed to pay a certain 
sum for the support of the Rev. Mr. 
Blackaller.. 

[To be concluded.] 



The First Excursion. 149 



PIS CAT AQUA RIVER. 

[Arrived at the mouth of the Piscataqua, June, 1603, barks Speedwell 
and Discoverer, Capt. Martin Pring commander, on an exploring expedi- 
tion, in quest of adventure and sassafras, the latter, at that day, being held 
a panacea for all the ills that flesh is heir to. The vessels were from 
Bristol, England, and were the first, so far as known, to touch the shores of 
New Hampshire or enter the waters of the Piscataqua. Pring explored the 
river to its fullest extent, or to where it entered Great Bay, and doubtless 
found plenty of the pungent root he sought, for it is native to the shore 
everywhere. In Vaughau street, Portsmouth, beside the house once occu- 
pied by Daniel Webster, there was, within a few years (and may be there 
now), a large sassafras tree, supposed to have belonged to a remote genera- 
tion of such trees, coeval perhaps with Pring's visit, which the ^vvriter 
remembers in his early school days, seemingly no larger when he last saw it 
than it was fifty years before.] 

THE FIRST EXCURSION. 

BY B. P. SHILLABER. 

A weary sail on an uncertain sea ! 

And, skirting now a wild and rocky coast, 

The surf there thundering on the rugged shore, 

The Speedwell and Discoverer are fain 

To seek a haven from the waves apart. 

And find it where the ocean, open-armed. 

Receives the fair Piscataqua in embrace. 

"Within the river's mouth — bedight with smiles 

And dimples mau}' — do the vessels rest. 

Their anchors dropt, tlie ships securely swing, 

In gay abandon, at their moorings fast. 

Coquetting with the spirits of the tide. 

The ever-present deities, whose sway 

Has held control since Nature's cunning hand 

Prepared the channel and let on the flood. 

It was a goodly scene. Fair islands lay. 
In virgin beauty, greening to tiieir marge, 
Enfolded in the atmosphere of June. 
The birds sang welcome to the stranger ships, 
And from their coverts timid deer looked out 
To shyly scan the unfamiliar sight. 



150 The First Excursion. 

Far swept the coast, marked bj its piny fringe, 

And there upon the near horizon's verge 

Rose gentle isles,* with verdure clad, that seemed 

Fair satellites of the majestic main, 

Resting, like emerald bubbles, on the sea. 

And all was wonderful and new and grand ! 

Then up spoke Martin Pring, the SpeedioelVs chief : 
" Now, by ray hope of sassafras," said he, 
"But this is Paradise renewed, and here, 
Again, those scenes that waited primal man ! 
None more enchanting could have met his eye 
Who by Euphrates set up for himself. 
With all things his that met his raptured gaze. 
Great Sassafras ! thou marvel of the hour, 
Deign but to show thyself, and we are blest, 
Adding thy virtues to this prospect rare. 
Boatswain, thy pinnace launch, and up 
This tempting stream will we its track pursue, 
And drink in draughts of wondrous loveliness, 
For, since the time when first I was afloat. 
Ne'er saw I stream with promise fair as this." 

The pinnace launched and manned, with Pring to guide, 

Now up Piscataqua the bending ash 

Propels the little craft, until tlie tide, 

Down-sweeping through the "Narrows," then unnamed, 

Resists advance, and struggle scarce avails 

To stem the current rushing to the sea. 

The Speedwell's crew, unused to strain like this. 

Deem it a task exceeding human will ; 

But Pring, on sassafras and honor bent. 

Urges his men to energy renewed. 

And, with a splurge, the fearful Point is pass'd 

(That mariners in later times have named. 

In their emphatic parlance, something rude. 

That ears polite are mortified to hearf). 

And, bounding free, the inner pool is gained, 

Lying in tranquil beauty neath the sun : 

A wide, blue stream ti}at laved the verdant shores. 

Lying abroad in beautiful expanse. 

Backed by wild eminences, timber-crowned, 

'Neath skies harmonious in the airs of June. 

* Isles of Shoals. 

t " rull-ai)d-be-d— d Point." 



The First Excursion. 

There a steep bank descendeth to the shore, 

On which the strawberry grows in pride of fruit, 

Giving its hue from fullest plenitude, 

Tickling the palate, minus sweet or cream. 

And "Strawberry Bank" is named that precinct fair, 

So called long after, when another Priug, 

Of other name,* came sailing up the stream. 

Preceding others come to stay, whose plant 

Acquired a hold that, magnified, to day 

Is all Neio Hampshire, grand in name and state ! 

Then on moved Pring. The majesty of God, 

In solemn silence, all the scene invest, 

Save where the rushing waters gave their voice, 

Or the winds sighing through the wakened pines 

That cast their shadows on the passing tide. 

Fleet water-fowl, on half-suspicious wing. 

Flitted above the circumambient wave. 

Casting a glance on the invading barge, 

Instinctive of a peril undefined. 

A pristine grandeur on the stream and shore 

Bore stateliness and grace in every line, 

And stillness, undisturbed, in brooding hush. 

Seemed as if primal Nature, scarce awake. 

Were gazing sleepily upon the scene. 

And wondering vaguely what the intrusion meant. 

Bright islands, shady bays, and inland creeks 

Tempted the rowers with a rapturous show 

Of beauties manifold, while there anon, 

'Neath arches of the trees, fair vistas oped. 

Hung plenteously with vine and summer flower. 

And more than sylvan loveliness and grace 

Did the explorers find, reward for toil, 

In that tongue-tingling root of earnest quest, 

O'er which the world ran mad, sufficient deemed 

For healinof of the nations in their need. 



151 



s 



Here bluffs abrupt hung o'er the gliding stream ; 
The "Pulpit," singular and ponderous pile. 
Reared its wild front ; while there, away beyond, 
The angry "Boiling Rock" upraised its voice, 
As if remonstrant 'gainst the stranger keel 
That dared its special guardianship invade. 

* John Smith, 1614. 



152 The First Excursion. 

On and still on, the estuary gained 

(The river broadened to a grand expanse), 

Where bright Cocheco lovingly descends 

To mingle with Piscataqua's mightier tide. 

Along the western shore they take their way. 

Replete with charms of surfeiting extent. 

Until, sublime and ultimate of all. 

Burst on their view the waters of the Bay, 

Extending far beyond the vision's ken. 

And melting in the distance to a haze, 

Dreamy, voluptuous, and indistinct. 

And who can tell what thought prophetic woke 
In Pring while gazing on this regal scene ! 
Could he have seen the future of these shores, — 
The struggling settlers founding thrifty farms. 
Contending 'gainst the murderous red man's power. 
And the hard fate attending effort new, 
Ending with triumph and assured success ; 
Could he have seen the peopled towns arise. 
The forests bending to triumphant man, — 
More glory than a conqueror's were his : 
His the grand vision of a mighty land, 
Created 'neath his transatlantic eyes. 
Searching for sassafras, and finding this. 
The crown of his exploit ; beginning meet 
Of subsequent emprise, that took the field 
And utilized discoveries of Pring. 



'O* 



Piscataqua ! with scarce a place allowed 
Among our native rivers on the maps. 
Thou bears't the palm as pioneer of streams. 
Along our sinuous coast, deep, swift, and blue, 
As bright and fair to-day as on that morn 
In .June when Pring embarked upon thy breast 
To make that first excursion o'er thy tide, 
So affluent with wonder and delight. 



Publisher s Department . 
BOAR'S HEAD HOTEL. 



153 



As the warm weather approaches 
one begins to look forward to a trip to 
the country, to tlie mountains, or to 
the seaside, as a vacation from the 
ordinary avocations of life. Nearly 
everybody has some favorite resort 
in view, which, if possible, he will 
try to visit during his days or weeks 
of rest or recreation. Many, how- 
ever, have no definite place in view, 
and to such we wish to recommend 
that particularly favored spot, Boar's 
Head, and Mr. S. H. Dumas's Boar's 
Head Hotel, situate in the town of 
Hampton, N. H. 

We have been to the place several 
seasons with the famih', and all are 
more than pleased with its many 
attractions. The hotel is large, hav- 
ing about 100 rooms, each one of 
which commands a view of the ocean ; 
for Boar's Head is a promontory ex- 
tending 1,600 feet out into the sea, 
and the hotel is located on its highest 
elevation. In either direction ex- 
tends Hampton Beach, merging in the 
distance to the north into Rj'e Beach, 
Little Boar's Head, and the shores of 
Newcastle, Kittery, and York ; and 
to the south into the wave-washed 
shores of Salisbury, Newburyport, 
and Cape Ann. Across a wide ex- 
panse of blue water can be seen the 
romantic group of Isles of Shoals, 
famons in verse and stor}^, and in 
another direction, Thatcher's island, 
off the Massachusetts coast. In the 
wide angle made by these distant 
points the broad Atlantic ocean is in 
view to the horizon. This view must 
ever remain the chief attraction of 
the place. Mr. Dumas keeps the 
whole of the plateau, from the house 
to the edge of the bluff, free from all 
obstructions, so that from the wide 



verandas of the hotel the guest can 
view the whole expanse of ocean, 
with nothing to mar the effect but the 
velvety sward of the well kept lawn. 
This lawn is immensely attractive to 
everybody, from the little child who 
romps over it to the grey-haired vet- 
eran, including all ages between, 
even mooning couples. Along the 
edge of the bluff, which rises precip- 
itously nearly one hundred feet above 
the sea, at convenient distances, are 
placed low seats, upon which one can 
sit ; inhale the purest of air, clarified 
by a journey across the ocean, per- 
haps ; gain youth and health and 
happiness with every breath ; watch 
the ceaseless billows of the " North- 
ern ocean" as they break at his feet ; 
and, if he has not dyspepsia too badly, 
he will be happy, and so will his sisters 
and his cousins and his whole family. 
Out on this bluff, all through the sea- 
side summer season, he is sure of 
meeting congenial company, for at 
Boar's Head, season after season, do 
congregate those charming families 
who discovered the attractions of the 
place many years ago perhaps, or 
who were recommended to the place 
by their fathers or grandfathers (for 
Boar's Head has been a famous resort 
for three quarters of a century), and 
who count on meeting each other 
thei-e, or on meeting other pleasant and 
interesting people. Many come from 
our own state, many from Massachu- 
setts, many from New York city, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, 
and the South, and very many 
from the great West, — bright, active, 
whole-souled people, who make it 
lively. It is rather the resort of 
families than of gay young bachelors, 
vet it receives its share of their pat- 



154 



Publisher's Depai'tment. 



ronage. This bluff is a famous place 
for flying kites. Tlie breeze seems 
always good, paper, string, and inge- 
nuity plenty, and the boys are bound 
to have a royal time. 

The company which assembles at 
Boar's Head year after year is of the 
most eminently respectable class, — 
lawyers and judges, merchants, man- 
ufacturers, bankers, college profess- 
ors, school-teachers, editors, foreign 
ministers, brokers, clergymen, officers 
in the servnce of the government, with 
their wives and families, health-seek- 
ers and pleasure-seekers, — all sure of 
having a delisfhtful vacation at this 
resort ; for it is a quiet, home-like, 
pleasant seaside place, where families, 
and ladies unattended, are sure of a 
good time and of receiving the utmost 
courtesy. 

The beauties of the place are not 
confined to the lawn, and the ocean 
view, and the company : there are 
many more. The hotel is six-sided, 
and a broad veranda extends around 
five sides, affording a shady retreat 
at all times, a promenade of several 
hundred feet, and a delightful oppor- 
tunity for an open-air reception. 
Here the ladies assemble with their 
dainty work and indulge in harmless 
gossip ; iiere the gentlemen over their 
cigars discuss ethics and statescraft ; 
and here the children romp and play. 
The office is a favorite meeting-place 
in the evening, and when, as occa- 
sionally happens in the most favored 
locality, a rainy day keeps the guests 
witliin doors. Here tiie gentlemen 
are privileged to enjoy their cigars, and 
are occasionally joined by their lady 
friends for a quiet game of whist. 

Tiie iiarlor is a large apartment, 
lighted on three sides, and affording 



ample room for four sets in the co- 
tillon, and a jolly space and ample 
scope for a country dance. During 
the season music is provided, fur- 
nished by professionals ; but gen- 
erally among the guests are amateur 
musicians of rare gifts of voice or 
•execution, who entrance their friends 
and all who listen, either gathered in 
groups about the parlor or assembled 
on the veranda outside. 

The dining-room is amply large for 
the accommodation of the guests of 
the hotel and all transient company. 
From two sides the view is tow^ards 
the ocean. The landlord sets an 
extra good table. One does not 
realize what codfish and haddock and 
mackerel and lobsters and clams taste 
like, in their best condition, until he 
has eaten them when the}', the deni- 
zens of the deep, have been taken 
from their native element before he, 
the seeker after good things, has 
arisen from his couch. Of course 
the table is supplied with all the deli- 
cacies of the season, and in every 
respect is that of a first-class hotel ; 
but the fish and lobsters and clams 
are specially noticeable. Mr. Dumas 
keeps in his own employ a fisherman, 
whose first duty is to supply Mr. 
Dumas's table. 

For those fond of the sport, there 
are furnished billiard-tables and bowl- 
ing-alleys. Connected with the hotel 
is a livery-.stable ; and Hampton and 
the neighboring towns afford the most 
deliglitful and romantic drives, over 
well kept roads, by places of historic 
interest, and amid charming scenery. 
A batliing-house on the beach north 
of the hotel, and six hundred feet 
distant, gives an opportunity to 
those who choose to do so to enjoy 



Publisher's Department. • 



155 



breasting the waves and sporting in 
the billows. To the south of Boar's 
Head extends the ITamitton beach, 
made famous by the pen of John 
G. Whittier. The beach is hard 
and wide, and affords a pleasant 
drive or promenade, where one is 
very near the restless waves. Shel- 
tered by a reef off Boar's Head is a 
safe anchorage for boats in the sum- 
mer-time, and a landing at the base 
of the cliff". One Capt. Nudd, a 
mariner bold, keeps a fishing-yacht 
anchored in this haven, and for a 
consideration will take passengers to 
the fishing-grounds, to the neighbor- 
ing l^irbors, to a trip to sea, or to a 
season of sea-sickness. 

After an eventful day, the weary 
ouest at Boar's Head Hotel is sure of 
a comfortable bed and a good night's 
rest. At least he will have the bene- 
fit of pure air, cool and refreshing 
during the most sultry summer 
weather. Here the valetudinarian 
can receive all the advantages of an 
ocean voyage, with none of the dis- 
comforts and annoyances attendant 
on going to sea. Anchored in Mr. 
Dumas's office, or parlor, or recep- 
tion-room, one could very easily ride 
out a terrible storm, and only suffer 
from his sympathy for those less 
happily situated. 

The gentleman who for many years 
has owned and conducted the Boar's 
Head Hotel, Col. StebbinsH. Dumas, 
is a veteran landlord, having been 
mine host so many years the present 
generation has lost all record of his 
origin or when he first embarked in 
the hotel business. He looks about 
fifty years of age. He has the 
ideal manners of a typical landlord, 
is genial, and tries to make his 



whole company feel at home, each 
feeling like a favored guest. So 
many years of his life having been 
devoted to keeping a hotel, of course 
his circle .of acquaintance is very 
large, and i)erhaps no man in New 
Hampshire is more widely known. 
At one time he was landlord of the 
Phenix Hotel in the city of Concord. 
One thing is certain, Mr. Dumas 
knows how to keep a hotel. It may 
be the privilege of the readers of the 
Gkanite Monthly, at sotbc time in 
the near future, to know more [of 
him : for the present we must |leave 
him and revert to his hotel. We 
neglected to mention prices. They 
are very reasonable, varying from $10 
per week to twice that sum, accord- 
ing to the size and location of the 
room. There is, by the way, not an 
unsightly nor an uncomfortable room 
in any of the four stories of the house. 
Mr. Dumas is assured, even at this 
early date, of a good season's busi- 
ness this summer, so many have 
already siijnified their intention of 
visiting him this year. Mr. Baker 
will, in all probability, be the clerk 
this season, and if so, will help sus- 
tain the reputation the hotel already 
enjoys. 



Any one who has either of the first 
four volumes of the Granite Monthly, 
bound or unbound, may exchange 
with the publisher for later volumes, 
or for advance subscriptions to the 
magazine. The earlv volumes are en- 
tirely out of print. 



So few of the later volumes, V, VI, 
VII, VIII, and IX remain, that those 
needino- them to fill their sets will do 
well to order now. 



156 



Publisher's Department. 
SHAW & JACKSON. 



One of the longest established and 
most hio-hlv esteemed business enter- 
prises of Concord, N. H., is that of 
the firm of Messrs. Shaw »& Jackson, 
dealers in ready-made clothing, gen- 
tlemen's furnishing goods, hats and 
caps, gloves, robes, trunks, &c. 

Mr. Weutworth G. Shaw, the senior 
member of the firm, went into the 
clothing business in the old Butter- 
field block in 1849, and for ^nearly 
forty years has continued in it, within 
forty feet of his present location. 
At first the firm was Dustin «fe Shaw, 
who were burned out in 1849. Upon 
the death of Mr. Dustin, Mr. Shaw 
carried on the business by himself 
for a time, being again burned out in 
the disastrous fire of 1852. In 1854 
the firm became Lincoln & Shaw, and 
continued unchanged until 1874, when 
Mr. Lincoln withdrew, and the firm 
of Shaw & Drew was formed. In 
1884 the firm of Shaw, Jackson & 
Ahern was formed, and continued till 
the present yeai-, when Mr. Ahern 
withdrew to devote more of his time 
to the duties of the office of commis- 
sioner of Merrimack county, to which 
he was elected the previous year. 
He still continues as a clerk with the 
firm. 

Through all the changes the firm 
has always followed one policy ; — they 
have always been fair and honest in 
their dealings ; have always tried to 
keep the best goods in the market ; 
have been satisfied with a fair profit, 
and so have become very widely and 
favorably known. 

The demands of their business 
necessitated the enlargement of their 
store, whicii has been done by build- 
ing out in the rear about twentv-five 



feet, thus giving them one of the 
largest and most convenient estab- 
lishments in the state. This store is 
numbered 96 North Main street. Ex- 
change block, and faces the state- 
house. They keep a large and well 
selected stock of suits, from which 
any one can select an outfit, and 
at reasonable prices. They scarcely 
need an introduction to the Concord 
public, but strangers in the cit}' will 
do well to give them a call if in need 
of anything in their line. 



NOTICE. 

The publisher of the Granite 
Monthly wishes to thank the many 
patrons of the work for their con- 
tinued interest and efforts to sustain 
it. He wishes to ask of them a little 
favor, — that each will so far in- 
terest himself or herself as to add 
one name to the subscription-list. 
There is man}' an absent son, or 
brother, in some distant city, or j)er- 
haps on some new farm in the West, 
who would welcome it as a friend. 
What more appropriate present than 
a receipted bill for a year's subscrip- 
tion to the Granite Monthly? 

Elderly people like the publication 
very much. Why not remember the 
old father or mother on the hillside 
farm ? A little effort on the part of 
each would be but a trifling burden, 
while it would gladden the heart of 
the overworked publisher and editor. 

Some individuals in distant locali- 
ties where New Hampshire people are 
gathered, have sent in as many as a 
score of names at once. Why not, if 
you have a little leisure, do likewise? 
The ])ublisher only asks for each sub- 
scriber to add one name to the list. 





'^yi/i^ < 




THE 

RANITE neNTHLY, 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

IDevoted to Literature, 'biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



MAY, 1887. 



No. 5. 



HON. EZRA SCOLLAY STEARNS. 
By Charles R. Corning. 



The subject of this sketch was born 
in the town of Riudge, Cheshire 
county, September 1, 1838. His 
early life was spent in the town of his 
birth, where he received a common- 
school education, supplemented later 
bv a broad and thorouijh course of 
study beyond that required for ad- 
mission to college. Prevented by 
circumstances from entering college, 
Mr. Stearns still kept up his study and 
reading, and thoroughly prepared him- 
self for the avocations which have 
given him a well deserved reputation 
among the people of his native state. 
Between 1858 and 1862 he was an in- 
structor in the Chester Institute at 
Chester, "N. J., but he soon gave up 
teaching, and, returning to his native 
tawu, devoted his time to that self-cult- 
ure which is a marked trait of his in- 
dividuality. .Journalistic and literary 
pursuits have always possessed a 
charm for him, and largely influenced 
his career, so it seemed but natural 
that he should direct his tastes towards 
the newspaper and the publishing 



house. He was for several years the 
manager and editor-in-chief of The 
Chronicle^ at Fitchburg, Mass., and 
prior to this was connected with 
prominent publishers in Boston, New 
York, and Philadelphia. 

But it is as a historian that Mr. 
Stearns is best known, and his deep 
and careful researches and compila- 
tions have given to our historical 
literature two works of commanding 
merit. In 1876 he published the 
History of Rindge, and in 1887 the 
History of Ashburnham. These pro- 
ductions well illustrate the methodical 
and painstaking habits of their author, 
and justly entitle him to a high place 
among local historians. The latter 
work, especiall}', has called forth 
many complimentary notices from the 
press throughout New England, be- 
cause of its clear arrangement and 
graceful diction, qualities which, it 
must be admitted, are rare in this 
class of writings. That he met the 
expectation of the people of Ashburn- 
ham is evinced by the following words 



1^8 Ho7i. Ezra Scollay Stearns. 

from the Committee Oil Publication : leaders of the house. First among 
*'Mr. Stearns has faithfully and ably the questions vexing the public mind 
fulfilled the obligations he assumed, twenty years ago was that of refund- 
and has produced a work that meets ing to the towns the money expended 
our warmest approval and unqualified by them in filling the quota of troops, 
endorsement. Yielding to the desire As it was proposed that the state 
of the author, we reluctantly refrain assume the town indebtedness, which 
from a more particular expression of then amounted to more than five mill- 
Our estimate of the sterling character ion dollars, it will be readily under- 
of the volume, and of our ready ap- stood how stupendous the proposition 
preciation of the vigor of thought and was, and what dangers it involved, 
felicity of expression." It is the The state debt in 1866 was about four 
earnest hope of Mr. Stearns's readers million dollars, and while our credit 
that his pen will not be idle in the was sound and we were able to bor- 
vears to come, but that he will con- row, yet in view of the additional 
tinue his historical labors and con- burden of five million dollars, a se- 
tribute to our state literature. rious impairment might be produced. 
Mr. Stearns coming of age at about The mere suspicion that the state 
the time the Republican party started might assume the town debts tended 
in its magnificent career, became one to disturb our financial standing, and 
of its stauuchest members. With yet the advocates of such a dangerous 
voice and pen he upheld its acts and course were not wanting. The towns, 
policies, and was soon regarded as so they argued, unused to such taxa- 
one of the most prominent Republi- tiou, were becoming alarmed at the 
cans in his section of the state. In constant accumulation of indebted- 
1864, at the comparatively youthful age ness, and most serious results must 
of twenty-six, lie was elected a mem- follow unless prompt measures were 
berof the house of representatives, and taken to relieve their distress. On 
was reelected in 186r)-'66-'67 and '70, the other hand, the opponents of as- 
serving on the Committees on Judi- sumption, admitting that the burdens 
clary, Railroads, Elections, and Edu- imposed by the war were heavy and 
cation, being chairman of the last hard to bear, contended that peace 
two. and the restored order of things would 
In the important legislation of that bring about a deliverance, and that 
period immediately succeeding the with patience and economy all would 
Civil War he bore a leading jiart, come out well. * 
advocating all needful measures for So important had this question be- 
maintaining the credit and reestab- come that it was recognized as the 
lishing the affairs of the state, and leading one of the day, and engrossed 
winhing for himself a reputation as a public attention from Coos to Rock- 
debater whigh rarely comes to any ingham. The legislature of 1865 
man in his twenties. His abilities passed an act "for the purpose of 
were speedily recognized and appre- ascertaining and allowing the war 
ciated, and by common consent he expenditures of the several towns 
was soon looked upon as one of the and cities in the state," and in com- 



Ch rist C/i u rch . 



159 



pliance therewith Gov. SmN'th, in 
March of the next year, appointed as 
comniissioners Mr. Stearns, Levi W. 
Barton, and David D. Ranlet. These 
gentlemen entered upon their labo- 
rious duty at once, and discharged it 
.with a faithfulness and completeness 
that did them great credit. They 
audited the war expenses of every 
town and city in New Hampshire, a 
work involving great expenditure of 
time, and submitted a full and com- 
prehensive report to the governor at 
the June session following. In the 
house a special committee was ap- 
pointed to take this report into con- 
sideration, and Mr. Stearns was made 
chairman. Throuoh his efforts the 
committee decided not to recommend 
the assumption of the town and city 
debt by the state, and the house sus- 
tained the report by a decisive vote. 

It is in connection with this legis- 
lation that Mr. Stearns is best known, 
and the results attained were unques- 
tionably due to his wise and skilful 
management. With the exception of 
the office of moderator of Rindge, 
which he has held for twent\' years 
(the longest term ever known in the 
town), Mr. Stearns has held no elec- 
tive office, until 1886, when the Repub- 
licans of the Cheshire senatorial dis- 
trict elected him senator. It is need- 



less to predict that he will take a lead- 
ing part in the debates of that body, 
and impress legislation with his expe- 
rience and wisdom. 

He is a partisan, but he is straight- 
forward, and his political opponents 
entertain for him the deepest respect. 
He has contributed not a little to the 
ascendancy of the Republican party 
in our state, and has aided in keeping 
its tone pure and its policy sound, 
and in making it worthy of any vic- 
tories it may achieve. 

In Ezra Scollay Stearns we have a 
good specimen of the New England 
man of affairs. He is a speaker of 
great clearness and persuasion, a 
writer both graceful and terse, and a 
politician of sagacity and resource. 
In no other country save in New 
England, where it originated and still 
exists, can this particular type of 
manhood be found. It is the combi- 
nation of semi-professional man with 
the man of business, and is indige- 
nous only to our soil. 

Senator Stearns is a courteous and 
unassuming gentleman, who has the 
faculty of winning friends and keep- 
ino- them. He entertains broad views 
on public questions, and is a son of 
whom New Hampshire may well be 
proud. 



CHRIST CHURCH— (Concluded). 
By Axxie Wentwortii Baer. 

Under date of March 16,. 1832, I penses to go to Saco for the organ, 

found a list of subscribers desirous Hosea Crane gave SlO, and the use of 

of having an organ in Christ Church, a horse to go to Saco. J. W. Pierce 

They raised $243, and John Went- gave 640. In the church accounts I 

worth gave SlO, and his time and ex- read, " Bishop Griswold, $20." I 



i6o 



Christ Church . 



suppose this was paid him ou that 
Jul\- day more than half a century 
ago, when the worthy Bishop dedi- 
cated the quaint little church, savor- 
ing so strongly of England in its 
architecture, to the Father of all 
churches. Reading on, I found tlie 

Christening basin and plates, $4.00 
Bill of Bible and Prayer Book, 26.00 
Bill of rocks and stone steps, 122.17 
Bill of 2 altar chairs, 13.00 

August 8, 1881. Received from 
Mrs. Burrough for sundry contribu- 
tions of ladies in Portsmouth towards 
the expense of furnishing the altar, 
$105. 

Donations of A. & A. Lawrence & 
Co., of Boston, towards the expense 
of erecting the church, S200. From 
Salmon Falls Man. Co., for the same 
purpose, $200 : from James Sheafe, 
for the same, SlOO ; from J. F. Sheafe 
and family, for the same, $60. 

Mrs. T. W. Penhallow presented 
to the church three handsome flag- 
ons and a cup for the communion ser- 
vice. Mrs. James Sheafe presented a 
fine damask cloth for the communion 
table, and Mrs. Daniel Waldron a 
fiue damask napkin for baptismal pur- 
poses. Mrs. James Sheafe also pre- 
sented four dozen Prayer-books (two 
dozen of which were lost by ship- 
wreck). Rev. Mr. Burrough presented 
a sur|)lice for the use of the minis- 
ter. 

April 8, 1833. The church voted 
to grant the request of the Rev. Mr. 
Blackaller to be released from his 
connection witli the church. It was 
voted that the wardens be authorized 
to procure a minister in place of Mr. 
Bhickaller. 

April 21), 1833. It was voted in the 
meeting called at this time, that the 



agreement made by the wardens with 
Mr. Foxcroft be confirmed. 

At the annual meeting, called April 
21, 1834, it was voted that a 'commit- 
tee of three persons be chosen to 
procure subscriptions for support of 
preaching. 

In the account for the year 1833, I 
found, June 17, cash paid Mr. Fox- 
croft for his service, $56 ; Dec. 27, 
1833, cash paid S. M. Burney, $90 ; 
Feb. 17, 1834, cash paid S. M. Bur- 
ney, $90 ; and May 10, the same sum. 
The subscriptions were promptly paid 
in 1834. 

At the annual meeting called April 
20, 1835, it was voted that John 
Wentworth, 2d, and J. W. Pierce be 
delegates to represent the church in 
the next convention of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in New Hampshire. 
At this meeting there was shown a 
balance due the wardens, amounting 
to $429.88. 

The account of payments received 
by the wardens of Christ Church dur- 
ing the year ending at Easter, 1835, 
was poorly filled out. The first pay- 
ment, in July, 1834, amounted to $1)3. 
The next quarter, after the fire in 
August, foots up only $32.50. In 
the small list twenty-five names have 
a dash against them. I suppose that 
after the mill was burned, many of 
the people went elsewhere. 

April 4, 1836. It was voted that 
Col. J. W. Pierce be a delegate to the 
church convention, to be held at Con- 
cord. Voted that the examination 
of the wardens' account be postponed 
to the next annual meeting. 

March 27, 1837. At the annual 
meeting it was voted that, as the war- 
dens have presented no account at 
this meeting, the consideration of that 



Christ CJiurcJi. 



i6i 



su])ject be postponed to the next 
meetino-. J. W. Pierce was ao;ain 
chosen delegate to the convention. 

The meeting called April IG, 1838, 
was the same as the 3'ear before. 

Following this there was a lapse of 
several years, Jnly 27, 1844, when, 
in pursuance of a petition of the pro- 
prietors and parishioners of Christ 
Church, a meeting was called by 
James Rollins, Esq., justice of the 
peace. The meeting was adjourned, 
on account of the small number pres- 
ent, to two weeks from that time. 

Aug. 24, 1844. They met agreea- 
ble to adjournment, and it was voted 
that .T. B. Went worth be desired to 
circulate a subscription paper for the 
purpose of aiding to paint and repair 
the church. 

June 21, 1845. At the annual 
meeting it was voted to rent the pews, 
and to correspond with persons liv- 
ing out of town, who held pews, for 
permission to rent those pews, the 
proceeds to be applied to the support 
of preaching. 

Voted that the wardens be instruct- 
ed to sign certificates of the election 
of Rev. Newton E. Marble as Rector 
of the parish. 

Feb. 10,1846. At a meeting called, 
a letter from N. E. Marble was read, 
in which he tendered his resignation 
of the rectorship of Christ Church. 

It was voted at this time that a 
committee of three be chosen to ascer- 
tain what assistance they could get 
from abroad towards the future sup- 
port of preaching, and should suffi- 
cient encouragement be met to war- 
rant it, to look about for a clergyman 
to supply Mr. Marble's place. 

At an adjourned meeting it was 
voted to accept Mr. Marble's resigna- 



tion. Following this vote was a very 
kindly worded resolution, telling us 
of later date how much the Salmon 
Falls people liked Mr. Marble, and 
how deeply they regretted his leaving 
them. 

After another lapse of years, a 
meeting was called by John P. Emer- 
son, J. P., to be held April 13, 1855. 
It was voted in this meeting that a 
committee be chosen to see what could 
be cheer f idly raised to support a cler- 
gyman. The committee appointed 
failed to complete their labors, and it 
was voted to meet at the bank rooms 
in two weeks. May 24, 1855. They 
met according to adjournment, but 
the committee had failed to finish 
their work, and it was voted to ad- 
journ till June 7, 1855. If there was 
a meeting held at this time, there is 
no account given of it in the records. 
All is blank after this. 

After the fire in August, 1834, 
there were no more church accounts 
kept. 

The last time I find the name of 
J. W. Pierce signed was March 10, 
1837. He had evidently been the 
main power in the church, and after 
he went away the meetings ran to a 
low ebb. 

Several marriages are recorded in 
the book of records kept by the rector 
of the church. One occurred since 
my remembrance, and it made quite 
a ripple in the quiet little town. The 
young lady had formerly lived in the 
village with her parents, but for some 
time had been in Baltimore teaching. 
AVhen the horrors of civil war burst 
upon us it became a necessity for her, 
with her Northern principles, to leave 
the Southern city. At the time of 
her marriage the church was closed, 



l62 



Christ Church. 



but was opened for the occasion, and 
I believe that she was the last bride 
to stand before the altar in Christ 
church. 

The first person baptized in Christ 
church was P^lizabeth Ann Carpenter, 
daughter of Wra. and Elizabeth Car- 
penter, born March 3, 1831,— Ann 
Blackaller god-mother, and the parents 
sponsors. The baptism occurred July 
31, 1831, only a few days after the 
dedication of the church. 

In the record of deaths I find two 
infant children of J. W. and E. S. 
Pierce recorded. 

During the years intervening be- 
tween 1855 and 1883 only an occa- 
sional service was held in the church. 
It began to show the traces of time 
and neglect. But there was some- 
thing brewing, and the old church was 
the cause. For some time there had 
been no regular Protestant service in 
the village, and the people went over 
the river into Maine to worship in the 
different churches, in the long-settled 
village, South Berwick. For some 
reason the little Episcopal leaven left 
in Salmon Falls besfan to work in the 
autumn of 1883, and it has leavened 
the whole lump. 

The prominent men of the village, 
among whom can be mentioned Wm. 
H. Morton, cashier of the Salmon 
Falls Bank, O. S. Brown, agent of 
the S, F. INlanufacturing Company, 
W. B. Mack, M. D., and many others, 
took the matter in hand. The old 
church was looked over, and was 
found to be in such a shattered con- 
dition, that, after due deliberation, it 
was decided by those who held the 
power to decide^ to sell the old church, 
and to build a new one in a more 
quiet locality, away from the noise 



and bustle of the railroad and town's 
highway. The corner-stone of the 
new church was laid June 21, 1884. 
From "The Living Church" I copy 
the following : 

"The laying of the corner-stone of 
the new church building was an event 
which o;laddened the hearts of all who 
were interested in the revival of the 
Church's work in the community. 
Generous contributions were made 
for this purpose by friends outside of 
the place, and soon sufficient funds 
were secured to warrant the beginning 
of the work. As the Bishop and 
Clergy, preceded by the Wardens and 
the architect, approached in proces- 
sion, 'Onward, Christian Soldiers,' 
was sung with spirit, and the service 
which followed, including the 87th 
psalm and hymn 202, 'The Church's 
One Foundation,' was entered into 
heartily by the assembled congrega- 
tion. After the stone had been laid 
in its place, interesting addresses 
were made by the Eev. Messrs. Beard 
of Dover and Hovey of Portsmouth, 
who spoke pleasantly of the relation 
which had existed between tlieir own 
parishes and the old parish in this 
place, St. Thomas's, Dover, having 
been a daughter, and St. John's Ports- 
mouth, the parent of Christ church, 
S. F. They were followed by the 
Bishop of the Diocese, who spoke 
with unusual warmth and earnestness. 
After the Bishop's address, the Gloria 
in Excelsis was sung, and the service 
closed with the benediction. The 
new church is to be erected by Messrs. 
Fall & ]\Ioulton, of So. Berwick, 
Maine. Mr. Henry Vaughan, of Bos- 
ton, is the architect. The building 
will be of wood, cruciform in shape, 
74 ft. long, 23 ft, wide. The Rev, 



Christ Church. 



163 



A. E. Johnson is Rector of Christ 
church." 

• At the time of writing tlie new 
church is up, and ah'eady has a linished 
look on tlie outside. The localit}' is 
line. On the south-east the " Foundry 
pond" glitters in the sunlight, and 
lies so quietly in its shallow basin 
that one can scarce believe it is a 
part of the noisy Salmon Falls river. 
The hills in Maine form a stronghold 
in the east, and westward the tall 
pines kiss the blue sky. 

Perhaps a pen picture of the interior 
of the old church will not be amiss, 
since we can never see it more. I 
venture to describe it as I saw it in 
January, 1884. After a long collo- 
quy between the immense key and 
the rust}' lock, the sulky bolt finally 
grated back in a most inhospitable 
manner, and we entered the porch, 
where the plastering had dropped 
down and was lying iu a shattered 
condition on the floor. We pulled 
the heav}' Gothic door to after us, 
and shuffled our way through the 
rubbish to the door opening into the 
church. A small, rusty stove, bricked 
into the wall in such a manner 
that the fire could be kindled in 
the porch and the heat go into the 
church, was encountered near the 
door. The architecture of the interior 
of the church was very prett}'. 
Groined arches, supported by clus- 
tered columns, formed the ends of 
the building. The centre of the house 
was filled with a double row of pews ; 
aisles on either side separated these 
from the side pews. The floor in- 
clined towards the chancel. In front 
of the chancel, huddled together in 
one pew, I saw a number of praj'er- 
books, and in several I read the name 



of the owner. Opening the tiny gate 
in the balustrade, we stepped up to 
the altar, with its faded covering. 
Two fine ciiairs, quaintly carved, 
stood on each side : these and the 
pulpit were upholstered with red 
damask, trimmed with red worsted 
bullion fringe, and heavy tassels at 
the corners. Facing the chancel, in 
a balcony built in a semi-circle over 
the entrance doors of the church, stood 
the ruins of the organ ; lead tubes 
and wooden ones were leaning in a 
most disconsolate way against each 
other ; the keys were yellow with 
age, and the music came no more at 
their bidding. The Gothic windows 
were set with small, diamond-shaped 
glass. Inside blinds have served late 
years to prevent the small, round 
stones, thrown b}' mischievous boys, 
from rolling into the church. We 
crunched tiny bits of glass under our 
feet at every step. From the clus- 
tered columns skeleton-like brackets 
swung in a ghostly way ; once the 
dangerous camphene lamps were hung 
thereon, and gave their bright light 
to the people below them. Behind 
the chancel two small rooms were 
piled with rubbish. In one we found 
a few Sabbath-school books, and a 
list of books added to Christ church 
S. S. Library, August, 18-14. In the 
other a Bible, rotten with mold, with 
its leaves glued together with damp- 
ness and decay, was lying open in 
Psalms. After much study we de- 
ciphered the name " Sabra," but the 
rest was too dim for us to make out. 
This old book, bound in heavy 
leather, time-stained, musty smelling, 
had for company a book of Common 
Prayer. We left them, and I wonder 
to-dav what became of them when 



164 



Bii'thflace of Gen. Henry Dcarhor. 



n. 



the church went down. In the under- 
pinning I saw a small hole, and was 
told that that was where the little van- 
dals of the town crept in, and crawled 
under the building, pushed open the 
trap-door in the porch, and got into 
the church. Then they gathered up the 
tubes of the organ, the brass caudle- 
sticks, &c., and hastened out with 



their booty to the nearest junk store. 
Behind the church a few tall marble 
and slate stones are leaning. On 
thera we read the names of the old 
settlers. One stood above the rest : 
the marble seemed white, and the 
stone almost seemed proud of the 
sweet name carved in large letters on 
its smooth surface, — "Faith Tavlor." 



BIRTHPLACE OF GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 
By John Wentworth, LL. D. 



In preparing my address to be de- 
livered at the unveiling of the memo- 
rial tal)let to mark the site of old Fort 
Dearborn in Chicago, May 21, 1881, 
I vainly endeavored to ascertain the 
birth-place of Gen. Henry Dearborn, 
under whose administration of the 
War Department Chicago's first fort 
was erected in 1804. One of our 
principal streets is Dearborn avenue, 
named for him. His portrait by Gil- 
bert Stewart has recently been pur- 
chased of the family, and nov/ adorns 
the walls of our Calumet club. My 
address closed as follows : "We have 
now marked the site and written the 
history of old Fort Dearborn, with 
that of the statesman and soldier who 
constructed it. All else has given 
way to the march of commerce. But 
tlie name remains, — a name associat- 
ed with all the thrilling scenes of the 
American Kevolution from Bunker 
Hill to Yorktown, from the capture 
of Biu-goyne to that of Cornwallis." 

Whilst passing the summer of 1886 
in the viciuitv of Rve Beach, I thought 
I winild dt'vote some of my leisure 
time to ascertaining the location of 
the old Dearl)orn residence. Calling 
upon an old Dartmoutli College asso- 



ciate, Joseph Dow, at Hampton, who by them. 



had gained considerable reputation as 
a historian, and making known ray 
wishes, he referred me to Cornet 
Brown, an aged gentleman who was 
possessed of a remarkable memory, 
who lived about a mile from North 
Hampton depot. From Cornet 
Brown's house, the Dearborn house 
was pointed out near by. I found it 
in the possession of the widow of 
Samuel Warner, who some years ago 
was well known as a member of the 
New Hampshire legislature from 
North Hampton. She took me to the 
room in which the general was born 
in 1751, and gave me a fuH history 
of the premises. The house is in a 
good state of preservation. Gen. 
Dearborn died June 6, 1829, at Rox- 
bury, Mass. The confusion as to 
the place of his birth arises from the 
fact that after studying medicine and 
practising a little at different places, 
he finally settled at Nottingham, from 
which place he raised his company 
and marched it to Bunker Hill. My 
object is not to write the history of 
one of the most distinguished men 
that New Hampshire ever produced, 
but to inform the summer visitors of 
Portsmouth and vicinity that within 
an hour's drive, over a good road, in 
the oldest settled portion of North 
Hampton, just across the railroad 
track at the depot, they can find a 
historic mansion heretofore unvisited 



Historical Sketch of West Dunstable. 



165 



HISTORICAL SKETCH OF WEST DUNSTABLE. 
By Charles S. Spauldixg. 



Almost all the aucesfors of tlie 
pioneer settlers of "West Dunstable 
Precinct, or what formerly belonged 
to the ancient township of Monson, 
and now incorporated within the 
boundaries of Mollis, were of Ger- 
man origin, whose famil}' names date 
far back into the Middle Ages, and 
were of Gaultic or Celtic extraction, 
belonging to the Caucasian race, re- 
taining all the indomitable will, per- 
severance, and energy, mingled with 
those sterling qualities so character- 
istic of the Anglo Saxons ; and were 
peculiarly fitted to become the ances- 
tors of those resolute conquerors of 
the forests and lakes of New Eng- 
land — men who had been persecuted 
in the Old World alike for religions 
and political opinions. Driven from 
their homes, they came to the wilder- 
ness of America, where ' they could 
enjoy greater -freedom, and worship 
God according to the dictates of their 
consciences, leaving behind them a 
land where they could boast of their 
old baronial establishments, their 
ruined castles and deserted monas- 
teries, their magnificent cathedrals 
and their grreat universities. Thev 
had monuments of the times of the 
Druids, — an abiding evidence that 
England for two centuries had been a 
Eoman province. The religion of the 
Britons was a part of their govern- 
ment, and the priests possessed great 
power over their subjects. No species 
of superstition was ever more terrible 
than theirs ; and persecution for opin- 
ion's sake was tolerated in Great 
Britain, even as late as the migration 



of our immediate ancestors, who came 
over about the year 1630, and settled 
in the towns of Braintree, Hatfield, 
Reading, Andover, Tewksbury, and 
Chelmsford. Actuated by a spirit 
and resolution which showed what 
manner of men they were, they 
pushed forward, encountering and 
overcoming obstacles of such magni- 
tude as would seem to appal the 
stoutest heart, determined to estab- 
lish Ijomes for themselves and their 
descendants, thoroughly imbued with 
the spirit of emigration. Adhering to 
those sound principles with which 
their education had endowed them, 
they ultimately achieved fame and 
success for themselves and their pos- 
terity. 

In August, 1655, Capt. Simon Wil- 
lard and Edward Johnson, surveyors, 
who were employed by the provincial 
court of Massachusetts, came from 
Woburn with an exploring company, 
which usually consisted of a guard of 
eight or ten men, to protect the sur- 
veyors from Indian invasion as they 
penetrated the unbroken forests. They 
are supposed to be the first white men 
ever in this section, — traversing the 
Merrimack iMver and its tributaries, 
going up Penichuck brook to Peni- 
chuck ford, also exploring what has 
been known for a period of over two 
hundred years as the Witch Brook 
Valley, and embraced that portion of 
West Dunstable which it is my pur- 
pose to describe in this sketch. The 
following traditional story is told rel- 
ative to its discovery : Witch Brook 
was discovered bv those who belonged 



1 66 



Historical Sketch of West Dunstable. 



to the exploring company of Johnson 
and Willard. Some of their number 
went up this brook quite a distance, 
and, leaving its bank to get a view of 
the surrounding forests, were unfort- 
unate enough to lose their way. Night 
came on before they regained the 
brook ; and a thick fog set in, which 
rendered it extremeh' difficult for the 
men to follow it. Some one of their 
number remarked that the place was 
bewitched, and that the brook was 
bewitched : hence, it received its 
present name long before an}' settle- 
ment was made in the vicinity. There 
are many considerations which helped 
to promote the early settlements here : 
One was, that a great portion of mead- 
ow land was made available by rea- 
son of the beavers' building their 
dams for the purpose of flowing- 
ponds, which hunters and trappers 
would break ; and the whole tract 
was drained, leaving a mowing-field 
already cleared for the new settler. 
Another consideration was, that the 
Indians had planted fields of corn on 
the uplands as late as 1665, which 
were found ready for cultivation. 
And still another reason that actu- 
ated the people in settling in this 
section was, that its facility for fur 
catching was second to no other in 
the state. 

In 1667 the fur trade with the Ind- 
ians had become so important that 
the Provincial Court of Massachu- 
setts passed an act regulating it ; and 
the exclusive right of this trade upon 
the Merrimack river was sold toMaj. 
Simond Willard for the sum of twen- 
ty-five pounds. The trade on Nashua 
river was sold at the same time for 
eight pounds ; that of Penichuck 
brook and its tributaries was sold to 



Joseph Burroughs for four pounds. 
Almost all the first land grants here 
were selected by those eager adven- 
turers with a. view of having within 
their boi'ders the greatest facilities 
for trapping. 

During the vear of 1702 the Colo- 
nial Court built a trading-house for 
the Indians, and established a forti- 
fied garrison at Watauic — the Indian 
name for Nashua — which was after- 
wards called Queen's garrison, and 
situated about sixty rods easterly of 
Main street in Nashua, and about as 
far north of Salmon brook. This 
was the head-quarters of trade with 
the Indians for many years. 

If we consider the appearance and 
extent of the primitive forests, in tliB 
midst of fiatural scenes like these, it 
is not surprising that these bold pio- 
neers should select a place like this 
to rear their log huts ; for, as Gov. 
Wentworth said, tlie royal or mast 
pines of Dunstable plains were the 
best in New Hampshire ; that they 
presented a majestic appearance. 
These trees often grew to the height 
of two hundred feet, and as straight 
as an arrow, many of them forty 
inches in diameter. These pines were, 
by royal enactment, reserved for the 
king's navy, and were marked by the 
surveyors of the woods to represent 
an Indian arrow, and the owner for- 
bidden to cut them. 

So great was the security felt by 
the settlers at the close of Lovewell's 
war that they emigrated into the wil- 
derness in every direction. The first 
settlement in that part of West Dun- 
stable known as Witch Brook Valley 
was made about the year 1728 by 
Caleb Fr}', according to a copy of an 
original draft or plan of the township 



Historical Sketch of West Dunstable. 



167 



of Dunstable by Jonathan Blanchard, 
dated June, 1720. This phui is now 
in a tolerable state of preservation, 
to be seen at the office of the Hills- 
borough county registry of deeds at 
Nashua. Mr. Fry held a land grant 
west of Timothy Rodgers's grant, ly- 
ing on the west side of Penichuck 
pond, and embraced nearly all the 
territory now included in District No. 
8 in the town of HoUis, lying west of 
the school-house. According to tra- 
dition, he came from Andover, was a 
son of James Fry, who was a soldier 
in the Narragansett war of 1676, and 
a brother of James Fry of Andover, 
one of the grantees of Souhegan 
West, afterwards called Amherst. 

That Mr. Fry was the first one to 
occupy his own laud grant in all this 
section is evident from the fact that 
he built a turning-mill, and operated 
it a number of years. This mill was 
situated on the little gulf brook, east 
side of Ridge hill, so called, about 
twenty rods south of the road at the 
Spalding place, in the north part of 
HoUis. At a short distance easterly 
from this mill is still to be seen the 
place of au old cellar-hole, indicating 
that a dwelling once stood there. It 
was on this spot in the wilderness 
that Mr. Fry erected his log hut. It 
is evident that he cultivated a piece 
of land, and set out thereon three 
apple-trees, one of which is now 
standing, and in bearing condition, 
over one hundred and fifty years old, 
and is the largest apple-tree in the 
town of Hollis. Mr. Fry also manu- 
factured wooden ware, and was em- 
ployed a portion of the time in trap- 
ping. At what time he left here I am 
unable to say, but it was before 1746. 

The early landmarks have disap- 



peared, and it is not easy to repro- 
duce the scenes in which they planted 
their habitations. To men employed 
in subjugating the forests, fighting 
wild men and wild beasts, clearing 
lots, and making paths, there was na 
leisure, and little disposition, to make 
records of their doings. 

The following story is told of one 
Joseph Burroughs, who came from 
Charlestown, Mass., and settled in 
the Dunstable wilderness, as they 
called it, sometime about the year 
1735, and became a transient resident 
in the Witch Brook Valley territory, 
about half a mile west of Penichuck 
pond on the hill south of the Capt. 
Parker place : 

It is said of him that he was a mere 
trapper and hunter, and only resided 
here during the fall and winter ; but 
it is very doubtful what part of the 
year he was here most, for it seems 
that he belonged to a horse-thief gang, 
and used to secrete stolen horses and 
other property here at different times. 
There was every advantage for carr}'- 
ing on that kind of business, for there 
was but one settler in the whole re- 
gion, — Mr. Fry, who lived about a 
mile distant. The entrance to the 
cave where he kept his stolen prop- 
erty was made through the roots of 
a huge upturned tree. Mr. Burroughs 
was at one time connected with a 
band of pirates who had robbed a 
Spanish merchant vessel off the coast 
of North America, and, wishing to 
find a place to bury their treasures, 
engaged him to pilot them up the 
Merrimack river, tiience up Peni- 
chuck brook to the pond ; and they 
buried their money on the island east 
of the pond. This incident formed 
the theme of conversation among the 



1 68 



Literature, ^laint and Curious. 



old inhabitants for many years after- 
wards. So strong was the belief 
that money had been buried there, 
that people dug a large portion of the 
island over, with the expectation of 
finding it ; and many a ghost story is 
told in connection with this event. 

Mr. Burroughs became a large laud- 
owner, and many of the real estate 
conveyances of the early settlers were 
given by him. It is supposed that he 
went back to Charlestown, and died 



there. It was also understood that 
he was a connection of the notorious 
Stephen Burroughs, who, it was said, 
at one time made counterfeit money 
at the very place where his uncle 
used to secrete stolen property. 

These are some of the incidents 
connected with the early settlement 
of the north part of Hollis, which I 
have been fortunate enough to col- 
lect. 



LITERATURE, QUAINT AND CURIOUS. 
By L. E. D. 



In a pile of age-browned, long-for- 
gotten pamphlets is one entitled 

"The Examination 

of Doctor Benjamin Franklin 

before an August Assembly relating to 

the Repeal of the Stamp Act, &c." 

It is a catechism of twenty-three 
pages, a few extracts from which may 
prove interesting. 

Q. What is your Name and Place 
of abode ? 

A. Franklin, of Philadelphia. 

Q. Do the Americans pa}' any con- 
siderable taxes among themselves? 

A. Certainly, many, and very heavy 
taxes. 

Q. What are the present taxes in 
Pennsylvania laid by the laws of the 
Colony ? 

A. There are taxes on all estates, 
real and i)ersonal, a poll-tax, a tax on 
all ofHces, professions, trades, and 
businesses, according to their profits ; 
an excise upon all wine, ram, and 



other spirits ; and a duty of ten pounds 
per head on all negroes imported, with 
some other duties. 

Q. For what purposes are those 
taxes laid? 

A. For the support of the civil and 
military establishments of the coun- 
try, and to discharge the heavy debt 
contracted in the last war. 

Q. How long are those taxes to 
continue? 

A. Those for discharging the debt 
are to continue till 1772, and longer, 
if the debt should not then be all dis- 
charged. The others must always 
continue. 

Q. Was it not expected that the 
debt would have been sooner dis- 
charged ? 

A. It was, when the peace was 
made with France «& Spain — But a 
fresh war breaking out with the Ind- 
ians, a fresh load of debt was incur- 
red ; and the taxes, of course, con- 
tinued longer bv a new law. 



Literature, ^laint and Curious. 



169 



Q. Are not all the people very able 
to pay those taxes ? 

A. No. The Frontier counties, all 
along the continent, having been fre- 
quently ravished by the enemy, and 
greatly impoverished, are able to pay 
very little tax. And therefore, in 
consideration of their distresses, our 
late tax laws do expressly favour 
these counties, excusing the sufferers ; 
and I suppose the same is done in 
other governments. 

Q. Are you not concerned in the 
management of the Post-Oftice in 
America ? 

A. Yes, I am Deputy Post-Master 
General of North America. 

Q. Don't you think the distribu- 
tion of stamps by post, to all the in- 
habitants, very practicable, if there 
was no opposition ? 

A. The posts only go along the sea 
coasts ; they do not, except in a few 
instances, go back into the country ; 
and if they did, sending for stamps 
by post would occasion an expense of 
postage, amounting, in man}' cases, 
to much more than that of the stamps 
themselves. 

Q. Are you acquainted in New- 
foundland ? 

A. I never was there. 

Q. Do 3^ou know whether there are 
any post roads on that Island .'' 

A. I have heard that there are no 
roads at all ; but that the communica- 
tion between one settlement and an- 
other is by the sea only. 

Q. Can you disperse the stamps by 
post in Canada? 

A. There is only a post lietween 
Montreal and Quebec. The inhabi- 
tants are so scattered and remote 
from each other, in that vast country, 
that posts cannot be supported among 



them, and therefore they cannot get 
stamps by post. The English Colo- 
nies, too, along the frontiers, are very 
thinly settled. 

Q. From the thinness of the back 
settlements, would not the stamp act 
be extremely inconvenient to the in- 
habitants, if executed? 

A. To be sure it would ; as many 
of the inhabitants could not ffet 
stamps when they had occasion for 
them, without taking long journeys, 
and spending perhaps Three or Four 
Pounds, that the crown might get six 
pence. 

Q. Are not the Colonies, from tlieir 
circumstances, very able to pay the 
stamp duty ? 

A. In my opinion, there is not gold 
and silver enough in the Colonies to 
pay the stamp duty for one year. 

'if; % ^ ^ % 

Q. What number of white inhabi- 
tants do you think there are in Penn- 
sylvania? 

A. I suppose there may be about 
160,000. 

Q. What number of them are 
Quakers ? 

A. Perhaps a third. 

Q. What number of Germans? 

A. Perhaps another third ; but I 

cannot speak with certainty. 

***** 

Q. How many white men do you 
suppose there are in North America? 

A. About 300,000 from sixteen to 
sixty years of age. 

Q. What may be the amount of one 
3'ear's imports into Pennsylvania from 
Britain ? 

A. I have been informed that our 
merchants compute the imports from 
Britain to be above 500,000 pounds. 

Q. What may be the amount of the 



170 



Literature^ ^laint and Curious. 



produce of your province exported to 
Britain ? 

A. It must be small, as we produce 
little that is wanted in Britain. I sup- 
pose that it cannot exceed 40,000 

Pounds. 

***** 

Q. You have said that you pay 
heavy taxes in Pennsylvania ; what 
do they amount to in the pound? 

A. The tax on all estates, real and 
personal, is eighteen pence in the 
pound, fully rated ; and the tax on 
the profits of trades and professions, 
with other taxes, do, I sui)pose, make 

full half a crown in the pound. 

» * * * , * 

Q. What was the temper of Amer- 
ica towards Great Britain before the 
year 1763? 

A. The best in the world. They 
submitted willingly to the government 
of the Crown, and paid, in all their 
courts, obedience to acts of parlia- 
ment. Numerous as the people are 
in the several old provinces, they cost 
you nothing in forts, citadels, garri- 
sons, or armies, to keep them in sub- 
jection. They were governed by this 
country at the expense only of a little 
pen, ink, and paper. They were led 
by a tiiread. They had not only a 
respect, but an affection, for Great 
Britain, for its laws, its customs and 
manners, and even a fondness for its 
fashions, that greatly increased the 
commerce. Natives of Britain were 
always treated with particular regard ; 
to 1)1' an Old England man was, of it- 
self, a character of some respect, and 
gave a kind of rank among us. 

(J. And what is their temper 
now ? 

A. (^, very much altered, 

***** 



Q. And have they not still the same 
respect for parliament? 

A. No ; it is greatly lessened. 

Q. To what cause is that owing? 

A. To a concurrence of causes : 
the restraints lately laid on their 
trade, by which the bringing of for- 
eitrn o-old and silver into the colonies 
was prevented ; the prohibition of 
making paper money among them- 
selves, and then demanding a new 
and heavy tax for stamps ; taking 
away at the same time trials by ju- 
ries, and refusing to receive & hear 
their humble petitions. 

Q. Don't you think they would 
submit to the stamp-act if it was 
modified, the obnoxious parts taken 
out, and the duties reduced to some 
particulars, of small moment? 

A. No ; the}' will never submit to it. 

***** 

Q. What is your opinion of a fu- 
ture tax imposed on the same princi- 
ple with that of the stamp-act ; how 
would the Americans receive it? 

A. Just as they do this. They 

would not pay it. 

***** 

Q. Do n't you think cloth from Eng- 
land absolutely necessary to them? 

A. No ; by no means absolutely 
necessary ; with industr}' and good 
management they may very well sup- 
ply themselves with all they want. 

Q. Will it not take a long time to 
establish that manufacture among 
them? and must they not meanwhile 
suffer greatly? 

A. I think not. They have made 
a surprising progress already. And 
I am of opinion that before their old 
cloths are worn out, the}' will have 
new ones of their own making. 



* 



* 



The Gull Rock. 



171 



Q. If the act is not repealed, what 
do you think will be the consequences ? 

A. A total loss of the res[)ect and 
affection the people of America bear 
to this country, and of all the com- 
merce that depends on that respect 
and affection. 

Q. How can the commerce be af- 
fected ? 

A. Yon will find that if the act is 
not repealed, they will take very little 
of your manufactures in a short time. 

Q. Is it in their power to do with- 
out them? 

A. I think they may very well do 
without them. 

Q. Is it their interest not to take 
them ? 

A. The goods they take fronj Brit- 
ain are either necessaries, mere con- 
veniences, or superfluities. The first, 
as cloth, &c., with a little industry 
they can make at home ; the second 
they can do without till they are able 
to. provide them among themselves ; 
and the last, which are much the 
greater part, they will strike off im- 
mediately. They are mere articles of 
fashion, purchased and consumed be- 
cause the fashion in a respected coun- 
try, but will now be detested and re- 
jected. The people have already 
struck off, by general agreement, the 
iuse of allgoods.fashionable in mourn- 



ings, and many thousand pounds 

worth are sent back as unsalable. 

* * * * * 

Q. If the stamp-act should be re- 
pealed, would it induae the assemblies 
of America to acknowledge the rights 
of parliament to tax them, and would 
they erase their resolutions? 

A. No, never. 

Q. Is there no means of obliging 
them to erase those resolutions.^ 

A. None that I know of ; they will 
never do it unless compelled by force 
of arms. 

Q. Is there no power on earth that 
can force them to erase them? 

A. No power, how great soever, 
can force men to change their opin- 
ions. 

***** 

Q. Would it be most for the inter- 
est of Great Britain to employ the 
hands of Virginia in tobacco or in 
manufactures ? 

A. In tobacco to be sure. 

Q. Wiiat used to be the pride of 
Americans? 

A. To indulge in the fashions and 
manufactures of Great Britain. 

Q. What is now their pride? 

A. To wear their old cloaths over 
again till they can make new ones. 

Withdrew. 
The End." 



THE GULL ROCK. 

Down at the winding river's mouth, 
When the tide has ebbed far out, 

A long black rock from out the sands 
Raises it smutty snout. 

And there by the hundreds, in the sun. 

When the low tide fairly sings. 
Come the laughing, chattering, screaming gulls 

To preen their snowy wings. 



172 • The Gull Rock. 

Squatting so closely, each to each, 
That the ledge cannot be seen. 

They perch and gossip cosily, 
And eat the muscles green. 



So thickly perch the snowy clans. 

The ledge is a thing of life, 
And would almost seem to rise and soar 

Above the billows' strife. 

Hour after hour they sit, asleep. 

With head beneath the wing, 
Or else disturb their neighbors all. 

And scream, and laugh, and sing. 

They perch in peace and sun themselves, 

A gay, harmonious band. 
Till the laggard tide comes crawling up 

Across the broad, flat sand, 

And reaches, in its sure advance. 

The ramparts of the rock. 
And serried lines of waves charge up 

Like soldiers at a fort, 

And reach and clutch and flow around, 

And deluge, in their spite. 
The fortress strong they cannot shake 

With all their skill and might. 

Then rise the gulls, a snowy cloud, 

On tireless wings to soar, 
And sail, like phantoms, in delight. 

Along the sounding shore. 

How swift they rush ! how high they fly ! 

Then sweep, with pinions set, 
High over all the leaping spray, 

Above the gray sands wet. 

For well they know in a few hours 

Again the rock will be 
Triumphant, left all dry by the 

\'anquished, retreating sea. 

And so they rise and soar away : 

What grace ! what ease ! what might ! — 

In wondrous, airy, gleaming curves, 
And graceful lines of flight. 

Screaming and laughing at their wild, 

Mad revels in tlie air, 
Until again the ledge shall be 

Left for tliem fresh and bare. 



Lahc Winnifiscog-ec in October. 



173 



LAKE WINNIPISEOGEE IN OCTOBER. 
By Fred Myron Colby. 



" He it was whose hand in Autumn 
Tainted all the trees with scarlet, 
Stained the trees with red and yellow." 

Six years ago, near the noon of a 
mild October day, the writer first 
stepped on board the dainty '■' Lady of 
the Lake," one of the small steamers 
that ply between the places of interest 
on the shores of Winnipiseogee, 
and from its forward upper deck 
first enjoyed the glorious view of the 
lake from The Wiers, the tree-crowned 
islands dotting its surface, the undu- 
lations of the sweeping shores, and 
all those attractive features so often 
descrilied by tourists, and which Ed- 
ward Everett declared rivalled all he 
had seen " from the Highlands of 
Scotland to the Golden Horn of Con- 
stantinople, from the summits of the 
Hartz Mountains to the Fountain of 
Yaucluse." Since then my footsteps 
have wandered almost yeai-ly to this 
mountain lake, set like a gem in the 
heart of New Hampshire ; but of all 
my annual pilgrimages none has 
given me greater satisfaction than the 
first. My other visits have been 
made in June, or in August, during the 
hot midsummer days. To see the 
lake in its glory, it should be visited 
in the fall. The sedative influence 
and peculiar quiet of the scene during 
the charming days of an Indian sum- 
mer, with the bright tints of an 
autumnal foliage, graduating to the 
soft haze of the mountain blue, re- 
flected in its waters, are most wonder- 
ful and enchanting. Then, indeed, 
the lake is most worthy of its aborigi- 
nal name— "The Smile of the Great 
Spirit." 



With one foot upon the very out- 
skirts of civilization, and the other 
pressing the unreclaimed forest that 
stretches dark and unbroken north- 
wards. Lake Winnipiseogee forms 
the connectino; link between man and 
nature, a link that, is naturally a 
quaint and curious compound of both 
extremes, where one may at will 
solace himself with all the comforts 
and delicacies that man's art can pi'o- 
cui'e ; or, turning his face northward 
and forestward, plunge all at once 
into solitude so dense and unbroken 
that lie can, with scarcely an effort, 
fancy himself the solitary discoverer 
of a new and hitherto unknown woi-ld. 
The cultivation is limited around 
the immediate borders of the lake. 
Scai'cely are the surroundings less 
wild than they were in 16o2, when 
Captains Edward Johnson and Simon 
Willard carved their initials, which 
are still visible, on the Eudicott rock 
near its outlet. The straggling par- 
ties of Indians, who pass by it now on 
their way to trade with the visitors at 
the great hotels in the cities and 
among the mountains, see it but little 
more civilized in expression than their 
forefathers did, whose wigwams, be- 
fore New Hampshire felt the white 
man's foot, spotted the meadows of 
the Merrimack below, — 

" Where the old smoked in silence their pipes, and 
the young 

To the pike and the white perch their baited 
lines flung; 

Where the boy shaped his arrows, and where 
the shy maid 

Wove her many-hued baskets and bright wam- 
pum braid."' 

And yet in no way is it a sense of 
seclusion amid the forests, of being 



174 



Lake Winnifiseogce in October. 



shut in by untamed hills amid the 
heart of the wilderness, that Winui- 
piseogee inspires. Indeed, the lake 
is not shut in by any abrupt mountain 
walls. Its islands and shores fringe 
the water with winding lines, and long, 
low, narrow capes of green. But 
the mountains retreat gradually back 
from them, with large spaces of 
cheerful light, or vistas of more 
gently sloping land between. The 
whole impression is not of wild, but 
of cheerful and symmetrical, beauty. 
The form of the lake is very irreg- 
ular. At the west end are three 
large bays ; on the north is a fourth ; 
and at the east are three others. Its 
greatest length approximates thirty 
miles, and in width it varies from 
one to ten miles. Its waters lie at 
an altitude of five hundred feet above 
the sea level. The sources of the 
lake are principally from springs in 
its own bosom. Its outlet is a rapid 
river of the same name. Here and 
there along its shores, crowning 
pleasant hillsides, or lying in some 
quiet nook, are pleasant villages : 
Centre Harbor, Wolfeborough, Alton 
Bay, Lake Village are of these, but 
more frequently green slopes of hills 
and dark forests, interspersed with 
projecting rocks covered with moss 
and wild flowers, border and are re- 
flected back by the dark blue waters. 
Winnipiseogee is a queen, an Indian 
queen if you will, but yet, like Solo- 
mon's dark beauty in the Canticles, 
exquisitely comely. In fact, no more 
beautiful lake exists under Italian or 
tropical skies than this same moun- 
tain-girted Winnipiseogee, with its 
pure, unfathornable waters, and the 
three hundred and sixt3'-five fairy- 
like islands dotting its pellucid sur- 



face ; one, indeed, to each day of the 
twelve calendar months. Is there a 
providence in it that this lake, as 
well as Lake George and Casco bay, 
should bear just that number of bright 
green gems upon their bosoms? 

Famous as is Lake Winnipiseogee 
for its beautiful surroundings, lovely 
islands, and sparkling waters, there 
are but a few people who realize its 
value as a reservoir of motive power, 
who stop to think that it has called 
into being Lacouia, Franklin, Con- 
cord, Hooksett, Manchester, Nashua, 
Lawrence, and Lowell, and that if 
some upheaval of nature should top- 
ple into it the hills and mountains 
that surround it, those places, with 
all their thriving industries, -would 
wither and die. It is in reality the 
heart of central New Hampshire and 
Massachusetts. Its waters are the 
life blood, the source of the wealth, 
thrift, and prosperity of the whole 
Merrimack valley. The Merrimack 
river is said to turn a greater number 
of water wheels than any other of 
equal length on the earth, and it is 
capable, when all its privileges are 
improved, of doing much more than 
it does now ; but the Merrimack is 
little more than the great lake let 
loose, and without that reservoir 
would be of small use in manufac- 
turing. 

This fact is fully realized by the 
Massachusetts manufacturing corpor- 
ation which has control of the outlet 
at The Wiers, and watches with the 
closest attention every rise and fall 
of its waters, which are gathered and 
stored up in wet seasons and let loose 
in dry. The manufacturers of New 
Hampshire are of course as vitally 
interested in the matter as their Mas- 



Lake Winnipiseogcc in October 



^1S 



sachusetts competitors, but as the 
water needs must ruu through their 
canals to get to the state line, they 
find it profitable and convenient to 
leave the management of the gate to 
others. It takes about three davs for 
the water to run from The Wiers to 
Lowell, "When a drouth is threatened 
at the upper place, the agent at the 
lake is notified to send down a sup- 
ply, and the flood is let loose. When 
there is plenty of water below, the 
gates are closed. AVhen there is a 
heav3' shower on the Pemigewasset, 
or Contoocook, or Nashua, this of 
course helps swell the Merrimack, 
and the lake water is not needed. In 
short, the water is drawn from the 
lake only when enough cannot be 
obtained from other sources to do the 
work. In some seasons of the year 
the lake will evaporate half an inch a 
da}', which is as much as is drawn 
when the gates are up. During fifteen 
years prior to 1877 the lake was not 
full; in 1877, 1878, and 1879 it was 
filled ; while in 1880 it was at no time 
within six inches of high water mark, 
and last year was a full foot below 
the mark. 

It is only within a score of years 
that Winnipiseogee has acquired a 
distinctive fame as a summer resort. 
Half a century ago it had an occa- 
sional straggling admirer, or possibly 
a company from the back country in 
the summer season, to appreciate its 
beauties and enjoy its lonely solitude. 
Without doubt the modern "dis- 
coverer" of the lake, in the sense of 
which we are about to speak, was 
that noted divine and elegant writer, 
Rev. Thomas Starr Kino;. Mr. Kins; 
was the modern Columbus of Winni- 
piseogee. His errand this way was 



not so much to fish for men as for 
bass, pike, and salmon, though he 
never lost an opportunity for either 
in its season. He was here in 1853, 
two full centuries after Johnson and 
Willard first looked over the sparkling 
tide. His pilgrimages to the spot 
became annual until his removal to 
San Francisco in 1860. His name 
and his descriptions brought the lake 
gradually to the attention of the sum- 
mer pleasure-seekers of the great 
Atlantic cities, and when his book, 
"The White Hills," came out, Win- 
nipiseogee was made famous. The 
tide thus set in motion in this direc- 
tion was limited at first, consisting 
of veteran sportsmen who came to 
rough it, and of a few families of 
taste and culture who secured board 
among the farmers on the lake shore. 
The recent vast expansion of the 
"vacation fashion," one of the best 
and most sensible fashions that ever 
seized the American mind, has poured 
out floods of city gained wealth upon 
many a once barren seashore and 
wilderness solitude, and filled them 
with a joyous, health-seeking, summer 
throng of the best classes of people. 
Among all these new Edens which 
this surprising exodus has developed, 
we venture to affirm that not one any- 
where has a greater variety and abun- 
dance of natural advantages, and few 
have greater artificial improvements 
of the right sort, than this marvellous 
fairy realm of Lake Winnipiseogee. 

Although lacking the great histori- 
cal interest which enshrines Lake 
George, the country around Winni- 
piseogee is by no means uaclassic 
ground. Several tribes of Indians 
had their homes around the shores of 
this lake in former times, and nearly 



176 



Lake Winnifiseogce in October. 



every spot is conDected with a legend 
or some association of the past. The 
lake was the fishing ground of the 
Ossipees, the Pequaketts, and the 
Winnipisaukees, once mighty tribes, 
and the traces of their footsteps have 
not yet disappeared. Relics, skele- 
tons, and implements of their labor 
are even now turned up with the sod ; 
and besides, they have left to us that 
musical patronymic which the lake 
now bears — evidence that the abo- 
rio^ines were not insensible to the 
charms of nature here so profusely 
exhibited. 

Sitting here at my table, yet "sail- 
ing the lake over," nothing gives me 
greater pleasure than to return a vote 
of thanks to the early settlers of the 
Granite state, because, instead of 
spoiling this lake by some dreadful, 
common-place appellation, they just 
let it alone. And so Winnipiseogee 
it is, thanks to the aborigines ! Who 
shall say that the savage who wan- 
dered through these hunting-grounds, 
or skimmed over this placid lake in 
his birchen craft, was insensible to 
the charms of nature, when, as he 
gazed, he cried, "This is Winni- 
piseogee," — "The Smile of the Great 
Spirit"? Which of the two was the 
poet, the man who dared to call those 
sublime summits, sixty miles away, 
the "White Hills," or the savage, 
to whom tliey were the mysterious 
" Agiocochook," which he never dared 
to ascend, because he imagined them 
peopled witl) invisible spirits, who 
controlled the storms and tempests? 
There may be nothing in a name, 
after all, but I do thank our Whittier 
for wresting "Round pond," in Ha- 
verhill, Mass., from sacrilegious 
hands, and returning it to its abo- 



rio;inal christening as "Kenosha 
lake." I only wish he would do the 
same to "Plug pond" (think of it!), 
a neighboring charming bit of water. 
If there is nothing else that can save 
our picturesque gems of nature from 
such commonplace and oftentimes 
vulgar names, let us bv all means 
turn to the vocabulary of the aborigi- 
nal poet, and humbly rechristen them. 
There has been a dispute among 
the learned in Indian lore as to the 
true rendering of the word Winni- 
piseogee. Does it mean "The Smile 
of the Great Spirit," or "Pleasant 
Water in a High Place"? Some 
scholars favor the former, while the 
latter has no less earnest advocates. 
Whatever the word means, the lake 
itself signifies both. To[)ographically, 
under the surveyor's eye and the mill 
owner's estimate, it is pleasant water 
in a high place. To the poet, and all 
who have an eye anointed like his, it 
is the smile of the Great Spirit. lu 
this connection it may be well to re- 
late the origin of tlie name accordiag 
to the Indian tradition, which may 
be taken for what it is worth, though, 
for that matter, it is probably as true 
as many in the white men's annals. 
We curtail it of most of its rhetorical 
appendages, and give the mere out- 
line of the legend. 

p]llacoya, daughter of the proud 
chief Ahanton, was the belle of the 
Indian land. She was beautiful as a 
sunbeam, and the willow by the lake- 
side was not more fair. Like a wild 
fawn was she upon the hills ; her 
voice wa,s like the music of rippling 
waters. Far and wide went the re- 
nown of her beautv among the tribes, 
and many were the chiefs who sought 
her hand. But she listened not to 



Lake Winnipiscogce in October. 



177 



their wooing, but still claucecl 00 in 
her maidenhood, free as the birds 
that twittered in the boughs above 
her father's lodge by the lake shore. 

One day, however, there came sail- 
ing across the lake in his birchen 
canoe a young chief whom Ellacoya 
had never seen before. At the first 
glance she knew she loved him, for 
the warrior was young and brave and 
handsome, and wore on his head the 
eagle plumes of a great sagamore. 

"My name is Kona," said the 
stranger chief, "and I have come 
from the midst of yonder blue hills to 
woo Ellacoya, the Light of the Beau- 
tiful "Water. Will she go with me? 
"Will she leave her father's wigwam, 
and be the wife of Kona, the Eagle ?" 

He had advanced and taken the 
hand of the princess ere he spoke, 
and now bending till his eagle plumes 
touched her dark cheek, he waited 
for his answer. Looking up into his 
with her dusky eyes, at last she said, — 

"Ellacova loves the vouno; chief. 
The words of Kona have stolen into 
her heart. She will go with him if 
her father will but consent." 

"Then Kona will ask no more," 
said the sagamore. "Let him see 
the sachem. He has been an enemy, 
but he will be his foeman no longer 
if he will give him Ellacoya for his 
wife." 

At that very moment Ahanton, re- 
turning from a foray, his face flushed 
with victory, his falcon plumes danc- 
ing in the breeze, advanced to where 
they stood. Darkly lowered the 
chieftain's brow as his fierce eyes 
fell on the form of his enemy. He 
grasped his tomahawk, and half 
raised it in his hand, when his daugh- 
ter sprang before him. Wildly she 



raised her pleading eyes to his, and 
with clasped hands, said, — 

"Oh! spare him! spare Kona the 
Eagle, for Ellacoya loves him. Slay 
him, and Ellacoya dies too. She 
cannot live without him." 

Ahanton's half raised arm fell pow- 
erless, the vindictive fury vanished 
from his face. A soft glow succeeded 
the fiery burning in his eyes. He 
stood a moment silent, then, leading 
his daughter by the hand, he went to 
where the young chief stood with 
folded arms waiting for his time to 
speak. 

"Kona the Young Eagle is a great 
chief," said the sachem, "and he is 
brave. He has come into the villasfe 
of his enemies like a noble warrior, 
and not like a dog or a creeping 
snake. The heart of Ahanton has 
gone forth to meet him. Would he 
take the fair flower from her father's 
wigwam to be his wife? If he would, 
Ellacoya shall go with him, and here- 
after between Ahanton and the Young 
Eagle there shall be peace." 

"Then let the chief swear it," 
cried the young warrior, "for Kona 
loves the Light of the Beautiful 
Water, and she shall sit in his lodge 
and sing to his children among the 
murmuring pines, beyond the dark 
blue hills to the northward." 

"By the Great Manitou I swear 
it!" said Ahanton, "and may his 
lightning scathe the one who breaks 
the bond between us." 

Thus was Ellacoya wooed and won. 
Two nights and days they feasted in 
the village by the lake. There were 
hunts and mimic battles among the 
warriors, and dances strange and 
fantastic among the Indian maids. 

On the third day the young chief 



178 



Lake Winnifiseogee in October. 



signified bis intention of returning. 
His canoe was loosened from its 
inoorings, and Ellacoya, accompanied 
by a train of forest girls, went with 
him to the water's edge. Ellacoya 
stepped with him into the boat, the 
young chief took the paddles, and 
they rowed from the shore. 

A dozen barges, containing Ahanton 
and his bravest warriors, followed in 
their wake. The morning sun shone 
brightly upon the silver waters of the 
lake, and the dash of the oars lit up 
the broad translucent surface with the 
flash of diamonds. In the middle of 
the lake they paused. The young 
chief rested on his paddle, and Ahan- 
ton swept up in his barge. 

" Let Kona the Young Eagle depart," 
said the grim chieftain. "There is 
peace between thee and me, between 
thy people and my people. Thou 
hast taken the light from the lodge of 
Ahanton : let her be the bond between 
us." 

"The Young Eagle goes to his home 
with a happy heart, for he has won 
bis heart's love," answered Kona. 
" To Ahanton he will ever be a friend. 
And, see, the Great Spirit looks down 
and smiles upon us." 

It seemed indeed as if Heaven was 
smiling upon them, for the lake was 
all agleam as if with kindly love. 
Gently and pleasantly the flashing 
waters rippled and shivered around 
them. The tiny wavelets seem to woo 
and beckon, their silvery crests alight 
with laughs and smiles. The red 
warriors caught the bright glow of 
the sunlit waters, and their romantic 
natures responded to the spell. 

" It is a happy omen," cried Ahan- 
ton. "The Manitou is pleased, and 
your union will be one of love, peace. 



and happiness. Hereafter, that the 
tribes may know that there is peace 
between us, let the water be known 
as The Smile of the Great Spirit — 
Winnipiseogee." 

The facility with which this beauti- 
ful lake is reached by the various 
routes places it within the means of 
every one to visit its scenery. In the 
warm season the two elegant steamers, 
"The Lady of the Lake" and the 
"Mount Washington," ply upon the 
lake ; two points at which it may be 
approached from the south, and two 
points of departure for the mountains. 
The former runs between Wiers sta- 
tion in Laconia, Centre Harbor, and 
Wolfeborough; and the latter between 
Alton Bay, Wolfeborough, and Centre 
Harbor. The Boston, Concord & 
Montreal Railroad connects with the 
former at Wiers, and the Boston «& 
Maine with the latter at Alton Bay. 
At Wolfeborough there is a rail con- 
nection with the Eastern Railroad by 
the Wolfeborough Branch at Wolfe- 
borough Junction, in Wakefield. The 
distance of the lake from Boston is 
little more than a hundred miles. 

Bv far the greater number of visi- 
tors to Lake Winnipiseogee land at 
the Wiers, a station on the Montreal 
road. To those who regard this 
pleasant little hamlet merel}' as a con- 
venient place to dine in, or perhaps to 
secure a night's rest before going 
farther up the lake, I would say, after 
the country fashion, "That's where 
you made your mistake ;" for some of 
the grandest and most beautiful scen- 
ery, to say nothing of certain wonder- 
ful fishing privileges, is to be found in 
this vicinity. Indeed, the place grows 
upon one the longer he lingers. 
There are two large hotels on the lake 



Lake Winnifiscogcc in October. 



179 



shore, and further up the hillside, 
overlooking the lake, is the Wiune- 
coette house, kept by Mr, Doolittle. 
In the grove on the hillside is the lo- 
cality chosen b}' the veterans of the 
last war in which to hold their annual 
campfires. The place is also the site 
of the annual camp-meetings of the 
Methodists of New England. Here 
is their auditorium, surrounded by 
the tabernacles of various village con- 
srewatious. There are winding walks 
cleared through the undergrowth, 
swings swung from lofty branches, 
and several croquet lawns. 

At camp-meeting time the people 
gather to this spot by thousands. 
At morning, noon, and night there is 
a song of praise, in which ever}' voice 
joins, rising and swelling upon the 
air in a grand diapason, which makes 
the usual "church singing" appear, as 
it often is, the most effete of all the 
services of religion. Tent, cottage, 
boarding-house, grove, and beach are 
all vocal with Jehovah's praise. Sun- 
ny-faced childhood and furrowed 
cheeks, alike forgetting their youth 
or years, join in the songs with en- 
raptured gladness, while Heaven bends 
to listen to the strain. Then the sun- 
set gates of the skv roll back their 
bars of gold in such a way as almost 
to leave the impression that the 
"Gates Ajar" were something more 
than a poetic fancy, and that the 
ansrels had drawn back those golden 
bolts to listen to the song. 

An evenino; at the Wiers at such a 
time, especially a moonlight evening, 
is something for a poet to rave about. 
There is a quiet, a stillness, that is 
almost solemn ; all discordant sounds 
are hushed. The moon shines with 
a soft, mellow light, the winds are in 



a whisper, the trees are either silent 
and motionless, or speak together in 
such low tones that they make onl}' 
a soft lullaby to the soul. The waters 
of the lake sleep in tranquil beauty in 
the holy light, on the peaceful shore 
the ripples musically murmur, and if 
we look upon the water we shall see 
the lengthened image of the moon be- 
come a straight upright column of 
gold hanging in the sapphire deep. 

In the morning we will take our 
seats on the upper deck of the little 
steamer whose white garments, border- 
ed with a band of gilt, floated in the 
breeze from the prow of her name- 
sake ; the gangway plank is landed, 
and we are off across the rippling sur- 
face of the lake. The sky is clear ; 
there are just clouds enough to re- 
lieve the soft blue, and fleck the sen- 
tinel hills with shadows ; and over 
the wide panorama of distant mount- 
ains a soft dreamy violet haze settles, 
tinging them, as Emerson savs the 
south wind, in May days, 

" Tints the human countenance 
With a colo)' of romance." 

The vast flood of Winnipiseogee is 
shut in here by the jutting points of 
adjacent islands- which would seem to 
bar all progress in any direction. The 
scenery, an unending panorama of 
the Isles of the Great Spirit, floats by 
like a glorious painting, as we wind 
in and out of the mazy channels that 
form this mighty labyrinth of land 
and water. Some of these islands 
are high and bold, some low and flat. 
Some are densly wooded with pine, 
oak, birch, and maple ; some are 
almost bare. Some have a thicket of 
bushes, over Avhich towers a single 
lofty pine. Others have gravelly 
beaches, rarely sandy coves, and 



i8o 



Lake Winnipiseogee in October. 



many have rocky shores. Now we 
creep around a green and grassy 
point, now under an ancient tree 
whose gnarled and drooping arms al- 
most sweep our deck. Again we are 
lost in the solemn shadow of a stern 
and lofty cliff, whose perpendicular 
front is seamed and shattered by the 
great angular notches peculiar to 
granite in which feldspar largely pre- 
dominates. Over the beetling brow 
of this cliff leans a dark, densely tuft- 
ed, rugged pine, with one huge pro- 
jecting limb that runs out horizontally 
far over the water, like the arm of a 
black giant stretched out in silent 
threatening toward lake and sky ; or 
perhaps as a guardian sentinel over 
the deep and shadowy dell, carpeted 
with winter-green, that winds inland 
from the foot of the cliff. 

We pass Bear island and Rattle- 
snake island, the former a large, green, 
sloping isle, with an outline not unlike 
the back of a bear ; the other a small, 
dome-like shaped islet, which in for- 
mer times abounded with the crotalus 
horridus, many of which were of un- 
usually large size. Rattlesnakes ex- 
ceeding ten feet in length were fre- 
quently found on this island, but the 
species is nearly extinct in this section. 
Beyond Bear island, as the steamer 
shoots across a little bay, we get a 
noble view of the Sandwich range, 
the most striking picture, perhaps, to 
be seen on the lake. As you look up 
the bay between Red Hill on the left 
and the Ossipee Mountains on the 
right, the whole chain is seen several 
miles away. At the first glance the 
mountains almost seem to be floating 
in the air, and we almost expect to 
see them fade away the next moment. 
But, no, there they are, though looking 



weird and unsubstantial, lonely Cho- 
corua, who seems to have pushed his 
fellows away from him, standing 
farthest away in the north-west. 
The hills are sleeping, and the water 
around you has the same quality of a 
still ecstasy. That is dreaming too — 
dreaming, perhaps, of the splendor of 
old days, when the red man's craft 
alone disturbed its bosom. 

Another view, scarcely less lovely 
and much more grand and exciting, 
is where one gets a passing glimpse 
of Mount Washington from the 
steamer's deck. We have passed 
the westerly declivity of the Ossipee 
range, and, looking across a low slope 
of the Sandwich range and far back 
of them, we see a dazzling white 
spot gleaming on the northern hori- 
zon. As we look, it mounts higher 
and higher into the sky, add assumes 
a majesty that is unmistakable. 
Why should old Whiteface, which 
seems, at a careless glance, much 
higher by its nearness, or the hauglity 
Chocorua, produce less jo3^ous, less 
sublime emotions than that tinted 
etching on the northern sky ? That 
mountain in the north, dimgra3'in 
the distance except the dome that is 
crowned with winter, is Mount Wash- 
ington, the king of the White Moun- 
tains. Towering from its plateau 
built for its throne, more than fifty 
miles away, is the crest that has no 
rival in our northern latitude this 
side the Rocky Mountains, and from 
which a wider area can be measured 
by the eye than can be seen elsewhere 
on the eastern side of the Mississijipi. 

The little craft steams on. Now 
we float through a still, deep cove, 
around whose margins the great pike 
basks under the broad green lily-pads. 



Lake Winnipiscogec in October. 



i8i 



Then we pass through a narrow strait 
between two bold, dark headlands, 
where the deep water boils and whirls 
and foams. Anon we turn a point, 
and lie as in a cradle in a little emer- 
ald bay, with a wooded beach at one 
side sloping to the crinkling waves. 
A verdant thicket comes down to the 
marge at two points. There is grass 
between, and a tufted hemlock over- 
head. Great Nature made this as a 
spot where she might take her lovers 
to her heart. Diana's white limbs 
would shine like pearl beneath those 
translucent waters. It is like an Ar- 
cadian scene, or a pictured dell in an 
Ionian isle. Perhaps some Indian 
Undine had her home there in the old 
time. A group of girls on the shore 
beneath the umbrageous foliage re- 
minds us of the scene in the Odyssey 
where Nausicaa and her maids come 
down to the tide to comfort Ulysses 
the wanderer. 

To the left, crowning the delightful 
slope of a hill, is Centre Harbor, one 
of the points of rest on the shores of 
the lake. We have steamed ten miles 
since we left Wiers Landing, and it 
has been like a voyage to another 
world. Here, for a time, we rest. A 
spacious hotel with broad piazzas 
tempts us to enter. We wander up 
a winding walk, and through arched, 
vine-covered arbors strung along the 
flower-bordered path, to the portal. 
It is the Senter House, five hundred 
and fifty-three feet above the level of 
the sea, and commanding an extend- 
ed and delightful view of the lake. 
Some of the most enchanting drives 
in the world can be had in this vicin- 
ity. One of the most interesting ex- 
cursions is to the summit of Red Hill, 
which rises five miles distant, and 



stands some over two thousand feet 
above the sea. The eminence owes 
its name to the fact that it is covered 
with the uva ursa, the leaves of which 
have the most vivid red color imagin- 
able in the autumn. Every one visits 
it, and it is the place above all others 
to study the lake, which is spread, 
with all its varied beauty of mirror- 
ing waters, green islands, graceful 
curving shores, and picturesque coves, 
at its feet. Says Starr King, — "Who- 
ever misses the view from Red Hill 
loses the most fascinating and thor- 
oughly enjoyable view from a modern 
mountain height that can be gained 
from any eminence in the tourist's 
path." 

Though it is still late in the season, 
the hotels are full. New York, Bos- 
ton, and Providence have sent their 
elite, and Philadelphia and Chicago 
have representatives here. What a 
wonderful glimpse of the great un- 
known world of wealth and fashion 
is opened to the bashful rustic, as, 
standing on the broad hotel piazza at 
Centre Harbor, he witnesses the ar- 
rival of the six-horse Conway stages 
as they roll down from the mountains 
sixty miles away, and dash up to the 
hotel steps, followed by the descent 
of linen-wrapped travellers, hardly 
recognizable under the extra covering 
of mountain dust, and then the bang 
and rattle of big "Saratogas," which, 
recklessly tossed from the lofty 
perches to the piazza, envelop him 
in a cloud of choking, blinding dust ! 
With what awe he watches the pretty 
groups of low-voiced, daintily dressed 
"• city boarders," as they flit about the 
balconies and through the long parlors. 
Ah ! fashion reigns here, the same as 
on Tremont street or Fifth avenue. 



l82 



Lake Wmnifiscogcc in October. 



Ellacoya in her deerskin robes and 
porcupine embroideries would be 
laughed at ; so would the milk-maid 
of Addison's and Johnson's day, in 
her dress of linsey-woolsey, and roses 
in her hair. 

Again seated upon the deck of the 
" Mount Washington," we glide down 
the narrow inlet around which Centre 
Harbor is built, and follow the shad- 
ows, while 

" Slow up the slopes of Ossipee 
They chase the lessening light." 

Again I lean over the railing of the 
stern, and follow with dreamy gaze 
the serpentine track of the vessel as 
it winds among the islands in its 
course. As of yore, I turn my eager 
eyes to catch a glimpse of some tall 
mountain summit, as now here, now 



and there a gleam of pale gold to 
mark the place of some solitary elm 
or birch. Scarcely less brilliant are 
the hills around, that like Titanic 
Dolly Yardens loom up in all the 
splendor of autumn's red and gold, 
coquettishly bright and winsome when 
the sun's rays fall upon them, or 
looking frowningly beneath his mo- 
mentary beclouding. 

And now the shadows begin slowly 
to fall. Old Gunstock, directly op- 
posite, towards the setting sun, first 
dons its sombre mantle, and turns a 
coldly jealous face to the lower hills 
that with their gorgeously tinted 
slopes lie rosy and radiant beneath 
the kisses of the recreant sun-god, 
who finds time to bestow a smile even 
upon Mount Belknap, whose rugged 



there, somebody exclaims, "There is peak reddens and frowns by turns, 



Chocorua!" "Red Hill!" "Ossipee 
Mountains !" "Copple-Crown !" It had 
been a dull gray day ; but before we 
reached our destination the sun sudden- 
ly peeped out from- the sodden clouds, 
and looked at us with a cordial smile, 
as if to atone for all his previous 
coldness. Before us stretches the 
lake, gorgeous from reflection, glitter- 
ing beneath the lingering sunshine 
like burnished steel, while in far 
away cove and inlet it deepens into 
sluidowy indistinctness, and farther 
still stretches a dull gra}', monoto- 
nous calm. Huge shadows loiter over 
the two Belknap Hills, and northward 
distant Chocorua lifts his bleached 
liead, so tenderly touched now with 
gray and gold, like some great re- 
cumbent monster keeping guard over 
his watery domain. On the nearest 
shore is a wide stretch of lawn and 
tillage land, fringed with scarlet su- 
machs and flaming maples, with here 



as if pleased in spite of itself with 
attentions that it knows only too well 
will be as quickly withdrawn. Even 
the little islands, with their gay col- 
ored adornings, catch an unusual 
brightness from the fast descending 
rays, and watch their own reflections 
in the placid mirror of the lake with 
something like satisfaction. Lower 
and lower he sinks — our faithless 
Apollo ; closer and more closely he 
draws the cloudy curtains of his char- 
iot about his retreating face. Cool 
and chill the mountain air strikes up- 
on us, with a hint of frostiness in it 
that all of October's glorious pageant- 
ry cannot make us quite oblivious of. 
And now grand old Copple-Crown in 
the south-east grows sternly dark, 
and Tumble Down Dick lifts its one 
sided height gloomily ; the lower 
peaks are enshrouded in twilight; 
the lingering glow upon the lake fades 
into a dull leaden sray ; the 



night 



Lake Wiiinipiseogce in October'. 



183 



has come, and gradually takes posses- 
sion at once of forest, lake, and shore. 

But there is Wolfeborough, crown- 
ing two beautiful slopes of laud ris- 
ing from a bay of the lake. Lights 
are gleaming from the Pavilion and 
the Glendon House, shining far out 
upon the grounds, and inviting the 
wayfarer to a hospitable reception. 
The steamer lands at a little wharf, 
and we walk up to the Glendon House, 
a large and handsome establishment, 
fitted up with all the modern improve- 
ments, and capable of accommodating 
two hundred guests. It is surround- 
ed by extensive and neatly kept 
grounds, and is so placed as to give 
a water prospect from every side. A 
double veranda surrounds the house, 
affording delightful shade and fine 
promenades at all times. But one of 
its chief attractions is the peculiar 
construction of its roof, which being 
flat gives an unsurpassed opportunity 
to examine the surrounding country, 
and is a place of great resort at the 
sunrise and the sunset of a summer 
day. 

One of the great charms of Wolfe- 
borough is the moonlight, which is 
nowhere so beautiful as here. Let 
not the reader declare that it is "all 
moonshine," when we assure him that 
there is a vast difference in moon- 
light. At Wolfeborough^ it is not 
thin, bluish, and chilly, nor is it 
deathly white, as if haunted by spec- 
tres, nor has it a weird hue and in- 
fluence, suggesting fairies and frolic- 
some fays ; rather is its color a deli- 
cate luminous cream, and its beams 
do not rain in silver streams, but 
gush, as it were, from all the veins of 
the air. There is an Oriental rich- 
ness about it, an Italian sorcery, that 



I have felt nowhere else. What a 
rare joy a sail on the lake is then ! 
It is full of exhilaration. Everybody 
goes into raptures over it. From 
seven to ten o'clock, and often later, 
the bay is literally alive with craft. 
From all sides of the water, starting 
out from all conceivable docks and 
landings, all kinds of vessels, from 
the tiniest shell to a fair sized wher- 
ry — all sorts of crews, from a single 
boy or girl to a crowd of ladies and 
gentlemen, all laughing and chatter- 
ing, voices ringing out in the soft air 
and harmonizing sweetly with the 
mellifluous moonlight, the long line 
of lights on either side of the shore 
flashing on each merry party as they 
pass, while over all there is an influ- 
ence, a covering and beauty, like the 
ancient pillars of cloud and flame, — 
all these combine with the boating to 
make a moonlight sail on the lake at 
Wolfeborough an experience to re- 
member until one's latest year. 

I am not writing an intentional eu- 
logy of the lake; — still one cannot well, 
visit Winnipiseogee without becoming 
influenced in a certain way that would 
render him oblivious of the charms of 
other places. For the time he is fas- 
cinated ; the Cleopatra sorceries of the 
lake enchain him in a willing bondage. 
And this fascination does not cease 
with departure. Every year's ex- 
perience and widening knowledge of 
this resort only increases its charms 
in the eyes of old dwellers, and adds 
to the throng of new comers. Board- 
ing and hotel accommodations have 
to be extended year by year. All 
classes of people seek its shores, and 
the worshipper of nature, the seeker 
for pleasure, the soul needing rest, 
and the disciple of "Old Izaak," will 



184 



Lake Winnifiseogee in October. 



find here what he seeks. The invig- 
orating lake breeze braces up the in- 
valid, adds bloom to the cheek of 
beauty, and is creative of an appetite 
that Vitellius Caesar or Heliogabalus 
might have envied. 

At the southern point of the lake 
is Alton Bay, a quiet hamlet shut in 
by hills. Originally christened Mer- 
ry Meeting Bay, it was the earliest 
settled place on the lake, dating back 
to the year 1710. Its earlier history 
is tragic with Indian surprisals and 
massacres. But the memory of those 
far away events scarcely troubles one 
now as he gazes upon the little village 
slumbering so quietly in its sheltered 
nook. As you approach it from the 
lake it looks like a miniature Venice 
amid its lagoons. The boat winds its 
way among the numerous islands, giv- 
ing the traveller occasional glimpses 
of roofs and spires among the trees, 
until, all at once, the bay opens, and 
there is the village nestling on the 
shore, watched over by the guardian 
hills that surround it. There are not a 
few delightful mountain drives in the 
neighborhood, and magnificent views 
of the lake are obtained from the sum- 
mits of the surrounding hills. The 
Bay View House is the largest hotel, 
and is pleasantly located, and affords 
at reasonable price excellent accom- 
modations to its guests. 

Another delightful point on the lake 
is Lake Village, in the township of 
Gilford. Long Bay, an arm of the 
great lake, stretches down like a kuife- 
])lade. The village reposing on its 
shore is lovely as a poet's dream. 
Happy is he who has yet to take a 
first view of Winnipiseogee from the 
ridge above the village. Leaving the 
busy little mart, with its mills, facto- 



ries, and machine shops, we wander 
up through the fields to a pleasant 
terrace. With the town at our feet, 
we look down upon the Beautiful 
Water. It is a scene for an artist. 
Woods and fields and charming isl- 
ands, the mirrory lake, and the 
mountains beyond, all disclose a land- 
scape of remarkable beauty. We 
have gazed upon it often, and each 
time we discover new beauty in the 
scene. 

But our pilgrim feet cannot linger 
forever in this " Land of Beulah." 
Half regretfully we take our last boat- 
ride on the lake. It is the last of Oc- 
tober, but the day is warm, the sun- 
shine golden. What charms of color 
enshrine the shores ! and below, how 
the waters change at every passing 
breeze ! Now it is blue, now gray, 
purple, azure. The lake is like an 
opal. Its chameleon hues are won- 
derful. Yonder is a shore where the 
tall and stately pine borders the wa- 
ter line with living green. Under- 
neath there is a mound of heaped 
earth. Can you not fancy the soul of 
some grim old sagamore lying under 
those waving boughs? Now we pass 
an island in the lake. What an en- 
trancing shore ! Surely Circe might 
reign there, or Calypso hold there 
a Ulysses in enchantment. Fairy 
Ariels and Peablossoms come to one's 
mind, and all the splendid richness 
of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." 

" The velvet grass seems carpet meet 
For the light fairies' lively feet; 
Yon tufted knoll with daisies strewn 
Might make proud Oberon a throne, 
While, hidden in the thicket nigh, 
Puck should brood o'er his frolic sly ; 
And where profuse the wood-vetch clings 
Round ash and elm in verdant rings, 
Its pale and azure pencilled flower 
Should canopy Titania's bower." 



Gove's Insurrection . 



185 



Artists are said to find better stud- 
ies on Lake George. There nia}' be 
perhai)s more of manageable pict- 
uresqueness iu the combinations of its 
coves and cliffs ; but for larger pro- 
portioned landscapes, to be enjoyed 
by the eye, if not so easily handled 
b}' the brush and pencil, "VVinni- 
piseogee is immeasurably superior. 
Its artistic and infinite variety never 
wearies, while at Lake George the 



visitor forever feels the need of wider 
reaches in the mountain views, and 
richer combinations of the forest wild- 
ness, and longs for a glimpse now 
and then furnished by the New Hamp- 
shire lake. Winnipiseogee satisfies, 
its genial influences are peculiarly 
elevating, and all its various charms 
combine to prove that "A thing of 
beauty is a joy forever." 



EDWARD GOVE'S INSURRECTION" OF 1683. 

AMERICAN REBELLION. 

BY J. C. SANBORN. 



-THE SECOND 



Before the Great Revolution of 
1776 there were three smaller rebel- 
lious in the United States, or Provin- 
ces as they were called. One of these 
was Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia, 
and another was that which took place 
on the coronation of AVilliam III as 
King of England. These two are well 
known, but between the former and the 
latter a small rebellion broke out in 
New Hampshire, which is not much 
known, but which should be more 
familiar, as it was the forerunner of 
the downfall of Andros in 1689. 

New Hampshire, which was first 
settled in 1623, had been for half a 
century united with Massachusetts ; 
but when Charles II came to the throne 
of England in 1660 he wished to pun- 
ish the Massachusetts Puritans, and 
with this end in view made New 
Hampshire a i-oyal province, to have 
a governor of its own. As this sepa- 
ration from Massachusetts was against 
the wishes of the New Hampshire 
settlers, the king, hoping to conciliate 
them, named a council in his new prov- 



ince and called an assembly. This 
assembly, meeting in 1680, enacted a 
code of laws borrowed from those of 
Massachusetts. When the king saw 
these laws he rejected them as "fanat- 
ical and absurd," and, persuaded by 
Robert Mason, who hoped thus to fur- 
ther his own interests, he appointed 
Cranfield, a London official, who be- 
came deeply indebted to Mason, the 
first royal governor. Robert Mason, 
whose claims to the proprietorship of 
New Hampshire indirectly furnished 
one of the causes of the rebellion 
which is the subject of this article, 
was a grandson of Capt. John Mason, 
to whom, many years before, in con- 
nection with a baronet named Sir 
Ferdinando Gorges, the Plymouth 
Council had given an enormous grant, 
covering almost the whole of what is 
now Maine and New Hampshire. 
Afterward Mason and Gorges divid- 
ed, and the former took as his share 
the whole of modern New Hampshire. 
It was to give Robert Mason a con- 
trol over the settlers that Cranfield 



i86 



Gove's Insiirrcction. 



was so tyrannical, and enacted so 
many severe laws. Now the assem- 
bly refused their consent to these laws ; 
and when Crantield found that they 
would not obey him in all that he did, 
he dissolved the assembly at once. 
This step secured him the ill-will of 
all the men of New Hampshire, and 
soon the feeling of resentment rose so 
high as to result in a rebellion. In 
1683, in a report made to the Board of 
Trade by Randolph, one of the king's 
officers in New Hampshire, there is a 
very good account of this rebellion, 
and from this report I will quote a 
few passages : 

A short time after, one Edward 
Gove, who served for the town of 
Hampton, a leading man and a great 
stickler for the late proceedings of 
the assembly, made it his business to 
stir the people up to rebellion by giv- 
ing out that the governor, as vice-ad- 
miral, acted by the commission of his 
royal highness who was a Papist, and 
would bring popery in amongst them ; 
that the governor was a pretended 
governor, and his commission was 
signed in Scotland. He endeavored, 
with a great deal of pains, to make a 
party, and solicited many of the con- 
siderable persons in each town to join 
with him to recover their liberties in- 
fringed by his majesty's placing a 
governor over them ; further adding 
that his sword was drawn, and lie 
would not lay it down till he knew who 
should liold the government. He dis- 
coursed at Portsmouth to Mr. Marty n, 
treasurer, and soon after to Capt. 
Hall of Dover, which they discovered 
to the governor, who immediately dis- 
patched messengers with warrants to 
the constable of Exeter and Hampton 
to arrest Gove ; and fearing he misjht 
get a party too strong for the civil 
power (as indeed it proved, for Jus- 
tice Weare and a mai'shal were re- 
pulsed), the governor forthwith order- 
ed the militia of the whole province 



to be in arms ; and understanding by 
the marshal that Gove could not be 
apprehended at Hampton by himself 
and a constable, but had gone to 
his party at Exeter (from whence he 
suddenly returned with twelve men 
mounted and armed with swords, pis- 
tols, and guns, a trumpet sounding, and 
Gove with his sword drawn riding at 
the head of them), was taking horse 
and with a part of the troop intended 
to take Gove and his company, but 
the governor was prevented by a mes- 
senger from Hampton, who bi'ought 
word that they were met withal, and 
taken by the militia of the town, and 
were secured with a guard ; the trum- 
. peter forcing his way escaped, after 
whom a hue and cry was sent to 
all parts, but as yet he is not taken. 
This rising was, unexpectedly to the 
party, made on the 21st day of Jarn- 
uary, 1683. It is generally believed 
that many considerable persons, at 
whose houses Gove either sent or call- 
ed to come out and stand for their 
liberties, would have joined with him 
had he not discovered his designs or 
appeared in arms at that day. For 
upon the 30th of January being ap- 
pointed by the governor a day of pub- 
lic humiliation, they designed to cut 
off the governor, Mr. Mason, and some 
others whom they affected not. The 
governor sent a strong party of horse 
to guard the prisoners, then in irons, 
from Hampton to Portsmouth. They 
were brought before the governor and 
council and examined, when Gove be- 
haved very insolently. 

When arrested, Gove and his com- 
panions were put under the charge of 
Capt. Walter Barefoote at New Cas- 
tle, so the record quaintly says, "In 
regarde that ye prison was out of re- 
paire." While in custody here, Gove 
wrote a letter to the justices who were 
about to try him, and in it he describes 
his condition. He says, — "My tears 
are in my eyes, I can hardly see . . . 
If ever New England had need of a 



Gove's Insurrection. 



187 



Solomon or David it is now . . . 
Wee have a hard prison, a good keeper, 
a hard Captain, irons an inch over, 
five foot seven inches long, two men 
locked together, yet I had, I thank 
God for it, a very goode night's rest." 
On the loth of February, 1683, a spe- 
cial court was called to tr}' Gove and 
his comrades, and "after long con- 
sideration the jury found Gove guilty 
of high treason, . . . and all the rest 
in arms, . . , the governor ordered 
the court to suspend its judgement 
(on the latter) till His Majesty's 
pleasure should be known therein ; 
most of them being young men and 
unacquainted with the law." The 
judge, who, it is said, shed tears 
while sentencing Gove, pronounced 
the dreadful sentence that he should be 
hung, drawn, and quartered, — that be- 
ing the punishment for the offence. 
This judge, Richard Waldron, was a 
very important man in the New Hamp- 
shire colony. He was promoted from 
the rank of captain to that of colonel, 
and in his capacity as judge sentenced 
three Quaker women to be whipped 
through Dover, Hampton, and Salis- 
bury, and soon to Dedhara. This order 
was obeyed only in Dover and Hamp- 
ton, however, for in Salisbury, Walter 
Barefoote, the deputy governor, took 
them out of the constable's hands pre- 
tending to deliver them up to the offi- 
cers of Newbury, but really protect- 
ing them and sending them out of 
Waldron's reach. Whittier has cele- 
brated this event in his Poem of "■ How 
the women went from Dover," as 
follows : 

'•'Sliow me the order, and meanwhile strike 
A blow at your peril I" «aid Justice I'ike. 
Of all the rulers the lands possessed, 
Wisest and boldest was he, and best. 

" He read the warrant : '• These convey 
From our precincts; at every town on the way 



Give each ten lashes.' God judge the brute! 
I tread his warrant under ray foot! 

Cut loose these poor ones and let them go I 
Come what will of it, all men shall know 
No warrant is good, though backed by the Crown, 
For whipping women in Salisbury town I" 

Six years after Gove's trial, on the 
27th of June, 1689, Major Waldron 
was killed by the Indians, whose an- 
ger he had provoked in capturing some 
of their tribe and selling tiiem into- 
slavery. This happened in 1676. Two 
squaws asked Waldron if they might 
spend the night of the 27th in his 
house. No suspicion was aroused by 
this request, and the Major showed 
them how to unfasten the doors, in 
case they wished to go out during the 
night. Merandowit asked Waldron 
what he would do if the Indians should 
attack him, and the Major carelessly 
told him that he could assemble a 
hundred men by merelv raising his 
finger. During the night the gates 
were opened, and the Indians outside 
rushed in and entered the Major's 
apartment. At first he drove them 
back with his sword, which he had 
seized as he sprang from bed, but he 
was soon stunned and overpowered. 
After a supper, which the inhabitants 
of the house were forced to provide, 
the Indians tortured Major Waldron, 
till, faint from loss of blood, he fell 
forward, when one of the Indians 
held his own sword beneath him, and 
falling on its point he expired. It is 
said that the Quakers, whom he order- 
ed to be flogged, foretold his horrible 
death. 

But to return to Gove and his com- 
panions. Most of these were pardon- 
ed, and Gove himself, after being 
sent over to England and confined iu 
the Tower for some years, was par- 
doned and sent back to Hampton. 
There is on file in the State Paper 



1 88 



How Polly Came Home. 



Office in England a petition of his 
wife to pardon her husband. She 
gives as his excuse that he was intoxi- 
cated at the time, and hints at a streak 
of insanity which ran in his family. 
After his return to America he lived 
but a short time, and always contend- 
ed that a slow poison had been admin- 
istered to him in prison. His house, 
a part of it, still stands in Seabrook, 
and there is growing on the premises a 
pear-tree which it is said he brought 
from England with him. His descend- 
ants became Quakers, and some of 
them still worship in the old Quaker 
meeting-house in Seabrook, which was 



formerly a part of Hampton ; and it is 
near this old church that Gove's re- 
mains lie buried. 

Thus ended the first rebellion in 
New England. It hastened Cran- 
field's removal, but was of little per- 
manent consequence compared with 
that which occasioned the downfall of 
Sir Edmund Andros six years after- 
ward, when Cranfield, Randolph, and 
many other supporters of tyi-anny went 
down with Sir Edmund. Randolph, 
who had been active in punishing 
Gove, was himself imprisoned in Bos- 
ton, and wrote many piteous letters 
to King William asking to be set free. 



HOW POLLY CAME HOME. 



BY CLARA AUGUSTA. 



Elisha and I have allers worked hard, and saved up all we could, 
Not that we expected it would ever do us much good. 
But there was Tom and Moses, and there was E^lizy Ann, 
And she was our only darter, and she had n't much of a man ! 
He was kinder shiftless and lazy, and never see nothin' to do : 
He was born so awfully tired he 'd never got rested through ! 

I said that Elizy Ann was all the darter we had : 

We had another one, Polly, — but Polly she managed bad. 

Jim Pearl, as worked at days' works, she captivated his eye. 

And she was a silly young flirt, and he courted her all on the sly : 

But as soon as Elisha found out how matters were goiu' along. 

He reasoned with Polly, and told her she 'd done uncommonly wrong ! 

He and I talked it over, nights, after we'd got into bed. 
And the boys wa'n't round, nor nobody else, to hear what was said. 
Elisha, he'd get so excited he'd kick off the bed-clothes like sin. 
Which is awful provokin', I think, after once a body 's tucked in : 
And he swore by some oaths that are mild and fit for a deacon to use, 
He 'd disown Pollv forever, if she did n't come round to his views. 



Elisha is sot as the hills : no man could lie more so than he : 

But Polly 's a chip of the old block, and a good deal more sotter is she ; 

And when her father explained she must give the mitten to Jim, 

She kept on hemmin' a ruffle and hummin' a Methodist hymn ; 

And 1 thouglit to myself she was taking it dreadful quiet and mild, 

But Polly 's a person that never allows herself to get riled. 



Hoiv Polly Came Home. 189 

Next day was quarterly ineetiii' ; the deacon and I allers go ; 

The preachiu' is giner ly powerful to raise up the hearts of the low. 

"We stayed all night with the brethren, and when we got home she had fled ! 

Yes, Polly had left us for Jim, and the deacon wished she was dead. 

And he told us never to mention the name of Polly to him, 

And likewise we'd better avoid any conversation on Jim. 

After this, Elislia growed old in a way it grieved me to see : 

He looked like a man of seventy, and he hardly was sixty-three. 

He left off contrivin' and plannin', and willed his possessions away ; 

And P^lizy Ann and Josiah, they came to the farm to stay. 

The bank stock was given to Moses, and Tom had the timber lot. 

And Elizy Ann was co see after us for the things we had got. 

Now, I do n't deny but what it's a cross to navigate straight 

With folks that is getting in years, and keep up an even-paced gait. 

You need a good deal of religion, and darter Elizy and I, 

We could n't seem to agree, and no more could Elisha and Si : 

They put us off into a bed-room where there wa'n 't no sign of the sun. 

And we never could be quite sartin when day ended or when it begun. 

Elizy Ann is a scholar, and she says that coffee and tea 

Ain't fit Un- the human stomach, and sugar's the worst of the three. 

Now it's rather a toughish job for a woman as old as I 

To be satisfied with cold water, and swaller her flap-jack dry ; 

But I had signed off my rights with a thoughtless stroke of the pen, 

And if I complained the leastest, Elizy was mad as a hen. 

One dav when thino-s was crosswavs, and words run consider'ble high, 
Josiah said he was tired of waitin' for us to die ; 

And Elizy Ann she slat round, and kicked at the dog which was lame, 
As if she considered that animal was somehow or ruther to blame ; 
And Elisha sot still and quiet, and seemed most remarkably meek, 
And seeing his mood, I braced myself, and managed not to speak. 

Next day Elisha told Si that he 'd clean entirely forgot. 

In making his will and giving to Tom the whole of that timber lot. 

That it wa' n 't strict justice to 'Lizy, and he 'd call the attorney in <^ 

And have affairs regulated exact as they 'd ought to a' been. 

Josiah pricked up his ears — he's smart as a whip after money. 

And when he scents out sixpence, he 's sweet as molasses and honey. 

He brought the will to Elisha, and Elisha examined it through. 

And I sot there a wonderin' what he was goin' to do. 

He folded the dockyment careful, and slung it into the fire, 

And riz up tall and straight as the Orthodox meeting-house spire ; 

He strode to the door and opened it, and sez he to Elizy Ann, 

" Git out of this house right brief ! you and your cussid man ! " 

I felt dreadful to hear the deacon use such an unchristian word. 
But then I expect his temper was pretty consider'ble stirred ; 



190 



How Polly Came Home. 



Elizy she fell to cryiug, and Josiah he blustered and swore, 
But^he deacon had s;ot his back up, and he turned 'em all out of door. 
That uiglit savs Elisha to me, " I should like to see Polly at home. 
And I'd send" her an invitation if I only thought she would come." 

I did n't say nothin' just then, but I writ to Polly next day. 
And one Saturday, just about sunset — 1 remember the month was May- 
She come in and laid her baby, as nat'ral as ever could be, 
And he a kickin' and crowin', right down on his grandfather's knee. 
The deacon sot still for a minnit, I expect he was kinder upsot, 
But the way he kissed Polly's baby was a sight I never forgot. 

Then he cleared his throat with a he'em ! and says he, " It ain't any good 
A pretendin' that Betsy and I have done as purfessors should : 
We've been unrighteous and worldly, but Polly '11 forgive us, maybe." 
And Polly she hugged him and kissed him, as tender as ever you see ; 
And says he, — " There 's work on the farm for Jim and myself to do, 
So we '11 bury the hatchet deep, and begin our lives anew." 

Ever since, we've made one family, and we have n't got a son 
That's begun to do as well by us as our Polly's Jim has done ! 
And the baby — little blessing ! — he 's as sweet as sweet can be. 
And who shall tend and spoil him most is on what we disagree. 
And the moral of my story is, — Old people^ do iit he led 
To give aivay anythivg you've got till after you are dead. 



TiCKNOu's Paper Series is a happy 
idea of the publishers, and will be 
very acceptable to all readers during 
the summer that is now so close upon 
us. It includes a number of the most 
famous and successful of the novels 
of the past five years, — books like 
Guenn., The Story of a Country Toivn, 
A Nameless Nnhlema)! , The Story 
of Margaret Kent, and otiiers of equal 
value and merit ; and with these come 
brilliant new works, like De Mont- 
auban's The Cruise of a Wornan- 
Hater. and the vivid and fascinating 
Venetian novel, The House of the 
M^lsician, by Virginia W. Townsend, 
whose Neptune's Vase won such great 
praise a few years ago. Such a group 
of novels as these titles indicate will 
be as refreshing as a sea-broeze in 
summer. They are handsome and 
shapely volumes, substantially bound 



in decorated heavy - paper covers. 
Tile series for 18S7 will include thir- 
teen volumes, appearing one each 
week during May, June, and July. 
The retail price is fifty cents each 
volume, a remarkably low price for 
sucii handsomely printed and made-up 
copvricjlit books. 

The initial number of the series is 
the famous and widely a|)proved novel, 
" The Story of Margaret Kent." The 
wonderful success of this book is 
shown by the fact that within less 
than two years it has run through 
ten editions. It is not merely a love- 
story, but also a series of character 
stu(lies woi'thy of Thackeray or Balzac, 
thrilling with real life and deep feel- 
ing, and depicting with marvellous 
skill tlie trials of a young, beautiful, 
and bewitching woman. 



THE 




RANITE AGNTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

T)evoted to Literature, biography, Histoiy, and State Progr&ss. 



Vol. X. 



JUNE, i88^ 



No. 6. 



HON. JOHN" C. LINEHAN. 



A hundred years after the Puritans 
and Pilgrims made a settlement on 
the coast of New England, there came 




to this country a uiu'titude of emi- 
grants, mostly from the north of 



Ireland, who soon became absorbed 
into the ranks of the first settlers, and 
became the very best of citizens. 
In the contest for independence they 
rendered the most efficient services 
to the colonies, as they had pre- 
viously done in protecting the fron- 
tier from the inroads of the Indians. 
After another century, our doors hav- 
ing been opened wide for the recep- 
tion of people from every country, 
there came to these shores a tide of 
emigration from central and southern 
Ireland, which seemed at one time as 
if it would depopulate the Emerald 
Isle. In numbers like the countless 
hosts of the Goths and Vandals who 
overran the Roman empire, but pa- 
cific in their intentions, they sought in 
America homes for themselves and 
their children, where, under the flag 
and protection of the young republic, 
they could enjoy that liberty which 
had been denied them in their old 
home, and secure those advantages 
which thrift and industry offered in 
the new world. 

When the country of their adoption 



192 



Hon. yo/ni C Linehan, 



was in danger from organized rebel- 
lion, none liastened to its defence with 
more zeal and courage than these 
uewly mad"e citizens. In the bap- 
tism of blood that followed, the 
heterogeneous mass was welded into 
one great people. 

Hon. John C. Linehan, member 
of the governor's council from Dis- 
trict 2, a whole-souled, open-hearted, 
and always genial citizen, is a repre- 
sentative of the Irish American ele- 
ment in New Hampshire, whom his 
fellow-citizens delight to honor. 

He was born in Macroom, county of 
Cork, Ireland, in February, 1840, and 
is the second in a family of eight, five 
sons and three daughters, the children 
of John and Margaret Linehan. Tiie 
head of the family, who was a finely 
educated man, came to this country 
in October, 1847, and his family came 
two years later. John C, like many 
other boys of his time In New Eng- 
land, was compelled to leave school 
at an early age. When 12 years old 
he was a doffer in the cotton mill of 
H. H. and J. S. Brown at Fisherville 
(now Penacook), N. H., and doing 
his best to keep up, on his side of 
the spinning frame. From 1852 to 
1857 he remained in the mill, retiring 
as a section hand in the weaving de- 
partment at the age of 17. From 
here he went to work for the Rolfe 
Brothers, sash, door, blind, and box 
manufacturers, and for three years, 
from 1858 to 18G1, was foreman of 
the box department. For some years 
before the war he was a member of 
the Fisherville band, and when the 
Third Regiment of volunteers was or- 
ganized, with seven of his comrades, 
he enlisted as a member of the Third 
band, in which he served up to the 



time of his discharge. The members 
of the baud swore by their regiment, 
and the regiment swore b}' the band. 
One was confident that the regiment 
was the best in the Department of 
the South, and the others knew theirs 
was the best band ; so this fraternal 
feeling was kept up, and is as warm 
to-day as it was twenty-five years ago. 
From 1864 to 1866 he worked for the 
firm of Caldwell, Amsden & Co., cabi- 
net manufacturers. In April of the 
latter year he went into the grocery 
business with Henry F. Brov^n, the co- 
partnership lasting three years, when 
the interest of the latter ceased, and 
from April, 1869, to the present date 
he has been alone — twenty-one con- 
secutive years in the same business, 
as a retail grocer ; which is saying a 
good deal for the most unstable, for- 
tune-wrecking business in the country. 

A Republican politically, he has 
served his ward (One, of Concord) in 
almost every capacity, having been 
ward clerk, on the board of selectmen, 
and in both branches of the city gov- 
ernment — council and board of alder- 
men. In October, 1886, he received 
an almost unanimous vote as candidate 
for councillor, but seven votes being 
cast against him on the first ballot. 
Although failing of an election at the 
polls, there being no choice by the 
people, he led his candidate for gov- 
ernor in 39 out of the 43 towns in the 
councillor district. The vote for Saw- 
yer was 7,962, and for Linehan 8,230, 
or 268 ahead. His competitor, Fred- 
erick Taylor of Nelson, had 7,775, and 
the Prohibition ticket 661. Linehan's 
plurality was 455. Considering that 
there was no special effort made, it 
was a handsome run. 

From 1872 to 1882 he was an ac- 



IIo)i. ^foJin C. Liuchan. 



193 



tive worker in the total abstinence 
cause, being president of one of the 
first Catholic temperance societies, 
and for a time one of the most flour- 
ishing in the state, at Fisherville. In 
company with the lamented Maj. T. 
B. Crowley of Nashua and Maj. P. 
A. Devine of Manchester, he helped 
to organize a state union, and was 
one of the first delegates to represent 
it in the national convention in New 
York in 1874. In 1875 he was one of 
the charter members and the first com- 
mander of W. I. Brown Post, No. 31, 
G. A. R., of Penacook ; was elected 
a delegate to the national encamp- 
ment in 1878, appointed assistant 
department inspector in 1879, served 
on the staff of Department Com- 
mander George Bowers in 1879 and 
'80, elected a member of the national 
council administration in 1880 and 
'81, chief mustering officer in 1882, 
elected department commander in 

1883, unamiously reelected in 1884, 
appointed a member of the national 
pension committee of the G. A. R. in 

1884, reappointed in 1885-6-7, elected 
president of New Hampshire Veteran 
Association in 1885 and reelected in 
1886. While department commander 
he instituted twenty new posts, begin- 
ning at West Stewartstown and end- 
ing at Salisbury, from No. 64 to 84, 
reorganized eight posts, and increased 
the membership of the order from 
3,000 to nearly 4,500. He was elected 
one of the board of directors of the 
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Asso- 
ciation, and placed on the Executive 
Committee in 1884. He was selected 
by the New Hampshire Veteran Asso- 
ciation to procure from the legislature 
appropriations for the Gettysburg 
monuments, and for head-quarters at 



The Weirs, and was appointed by Gov. 
Carrier agent foi- the expenditure of 
the same. 

From 1865 to 1879 he was a member 
of what has often been called the best 
musical organization New Hampshire 
has had within its borders, " Brown's 
Band," wq.ll known all over New 
England, and led by the well known 
manufacturer of the Concord Axle 
works, D. Arthur Brown, formerh' 
leader of the Third Regiment band. 
This baud numbered among its mem- 
bers T. W. Henry of the Cadet band of 
Boston, and Jean Missud of the Cadet 
band of Salem. Of this baud he was 
the secretary and treasurer during its 
existence. In 1876 it accompanied 
the Governor and Amoskeag Vet- 
erans to Philadelphia, and the year 
following to Bennington. 

Since the organization of the State 
Veteran Association he has had charge 
of the musical section of the annual 
reunion, except while he was presi- 
dent, and at the expiration of his 
term he was again elected to fill the 
place of musical director. He was 
appointed by Governor Hale one of 
the board of trustees of the Industrial 
school at Manchester, and takes an 
active interest in its welfare. 

Though but nine years of age when 
he left Ireland, his memory of it is 
clear and his love for it strono;. Natu- 
rall}^ his sympathies lead him towards 
any movement for its welfare. In 
1865-66 he was the head of the Fenian 
Brotherhood in New Hampshire, and 
organized a company of militia com- 
posed almost wholly of veteran sol- 
diers, and named in honor of Governor 
Smyth the " Smyth Guards," for the 
manly position taken by the governor 
on the imprisonment of Captain Hea- 



194 



New Hampshire in 1784.. 



ley in Ireland, and which resulted in 
the release of the captain. 

Although deprived of educational 
facilities in his early youth, he has 
been all his life and is at present a 
diligent scholar and an inveterate 
reader. He was the first Catholic 
elected to any position in the city of 
Concord, and, if elected by the legisla- 
ture, will be the first Catholic to hold 
the postiou of councillor in this state. 
One of his brothers. Rev. T. P. 
Linehan, is a respected resident of 



Broad and liberal in his views, Mr. 
Linehan has been an active, earnest 
worker in the Republican ranks, and 
identified at home and abroad in any 
movement for the benefit of hi& 
fellow-men of all races and creeds. 
A laborer all his life, he has known 
what it was to work the year round 
from dawn to twilight, and any just 
movement for the benefit of the toil- 
ers will have his voice, and where he 
can use it, his vote. 

Mr. Linehan is specially interested 



Portland, Me., being rector of the in early Irish history, and on that 



cathedral there. 

He married, in January, 1864, 
Mary E. Pendergast, and his family 
consists of one daughter and three 
sons. His daughter took the veil in 
St. Elizabeth's convent at Portland, 
Me., in September, 188.5, in the order 
of the Sisters of Mercy. His oldest 
son, after two years' apprenticeship 



subject is high authority, from his re- 
search and indefatigable labors. 

He is a graceful writer, and articles 
from his pen have been reproduced 
not only throughout this country but 
in Great Britain and her widespread 
colonies. He is still in the prime of 
manhood, and his friends look for- 
ward confidentlv to his further rec- 



in the dry goods business in Minne- ognition by the party of his choice, 
apolis, is now in Boston with Brown, In closing this sketch we would. 

Durrell & Co. ; one works with his acknowledge our indebtedness to our 

father in the stoi'e ; and the other, a contemporary, the Manchester Bud- 

lad of nine years, is at school. get, for much of our information. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 1784. 



The treaty of peace between Great 
Britain and the United States of 
America was signed in Paris, Sep- 
tember 3, 1783. The constitution, 
containing bill of rights and form of 
government agreed upon by the dele- 
gates of the people of the state of 
New Hampshire, in a convention held 
at Concord on the first Tuesday of 
June, 1783, had been submitted to 
and approved by the people of the 
state, and had been established bv 



their delegates in convention, October 
31, 1783. It was to go into effect in 
June, 1784. 

On the second day of June, 1784, 
the newly elected legislature of the 
state (perhaps as distinguished a body 
of men as ever gathered together 
within the limits of the state) assem- 
bled at Concord, and proceeded to 
organize. According to the consti- 
tution, the new senate was to be com- 
posed of twelve members, five of 



New Hani-pshirc in lyS^. 



195 



whom carae from Rockingham count}', 
two each from Strafiford, Hillsborough, 
and Cheshire, and one from Grafton ; 
for the state, having the same limits 
as at present, was then divided into 
the above named counties. 

The senate was made up as fol- 
lows : 

Rockingham county — Hon. John 
McClary, Esq., councillor. Joseph 
Oilman, Esq., Hon. Woodbury Lang- 
don, Esq.,* Timotliy Walker, P^sq.,* 
John Langdon, Esq.* 

Strafford county — John Wentworth, 
Esq., Ebenezer Smith, Esq. 

Hillsborough county--Francis Blood, 
Esq., councillor, Matthew Thornton, 
Esq.* 

Cheshire county — Simeon Olcott, 
Esq.. Hon. Enoch Hale, Esq.* 

Grafton county — Moses Dow, Esq. 

The senate chose two of the coun- 
cillors from their number ; the house 
chose three. 

The following gentlemen were re- 
turned as representatives from the 
several towns- and places set against 
each of their names, agreeably to the 
new constitution : 

Portsmouth — Geo. Atkinson, Esq., 
George Gains, Esq., John Pickering, 
Esq. 

Exeter — Mr. Jedidiah Jewett. 

Londonderry — Col. Daniel Runnels, 
Mr. Archibald McMurphy. 

Chester — Capt. John Underbill. 

Newington — Ephraim Pickering, 
Esq. 

Greenland, Newcastle, and Rye — 
Samuel Jenness, Esq. 

North Hampton — Moses Leavitt, 
Esq. 

Hampton — Christopher Toppan, 
Esq. 

*Elected to till a vacancy. 



Hampton Falls and Seabrook — 
Capt. Jonathan Leavitt. 

Stratham — Mark Wiggin, Esq. 

Kensington — Mr. Moses Shaw. 

South Hampton and East Kings- 
ton — Josejih Merrill, Esq. 

Kingston — Capt. John Eastman. 

Brentwood — Capt. Levi Morrill. 

Epping — Capt. Seth Fogg. 

Newmarket — Col. James Hill. 

Nottingham — Col. Thomas Bart- 
lett. 

Deerfield — Jeremiah Eastman, Esq. 

Northfield, Epsom and AUens- 
towu — 

Chichester and Pittsfield — Major 
John Cram. 

Canterbury and Northfield — Capt. 
Jeremiah Clough. 

Loudon — Major Nathan Bachelder. 

Concord — Timothy Walker, Esq. 

Pembroke — Samuel Daniels, Esq. 

Candia — Col. Nathaniel Emerson. 

Raymond and Poplin — Mr. John 
Scribner. 

Hawke and Sandown — Reuben 
Clough, Esq. 

Hampstead, Atkinson and Plais- 
tow — Nathaniel Peabody, Esq., coun- 
cillor. 

Newton — 

Salem — Capt. John Allen. 

Windham^James Betton, Esq. 

Pelham — Mr. Jacob Butler. 

Dover — Capt. James Calfe. 

Durham — Mr. Ebenezer Smith. 

Somersworth — Maj. Jonathan Went- 
worth. 

Rochester — James Knowles, Esq. 

Barrington — Capt. Joshua Foss. 

Sanbornton — Mr. John Sanborn. 

Gilraanton — Gen. Joseph Badger, 
councillor. 

Lee — Dr. James Brackett. 

Madburv — 



196 



JS'ew Hampshire in 178^. 



Meredith aucl New Hampton — 

Sandwich and Tamworth — Daniel 
Beede, Esq. 

Moultonborough, Tuftonborough, 
Wolfeborongh, and Ossipee Gore — 
Col, Bradbury Richardson. 

Barnstead, New Durham, and New 
Durham Gore — Col. Thomas Tash. 

Wakefield, Middletou, and Effing- 
ham — Capt. David Copp. 

Conway, Eaton, Burton, and Loca- 
tion — Col. David Page. 

Nottingham-West — Capt. Samuel 
Marsh. 

Litchfield and Derryfield — 

Dunstable — Capt. Benjamin French. 

Merrimack and Bedford — Mr. James 
Martin. 

Goffstown— Robert McGregore, Esq. 

Hollis — Capt. Daniel Emerson. 

Amherst — Mr. Robert Means. 

Raby and Mason — Benjamin Mann, 
Esq. 

New Ipswich — Mr, Ephraim Adams. 

Duxbury and Mile Slip — 

Wilton — Capt. Philip Putnam. 

Lyndeborough — Capt. Levi Spaul- 
ding. 

Temple and Peterborough Slip — 
Mr. Francis Cragin. 

Peterborough and Society Land — 
Mr. Matthew Wallace. 

Hancock, Antrim, and Deering — 
John Duncan, Esq. 

Heuniker and Hillsborough — Lieut. 
Robert Wallace. 

New Bradford — 

New Boston — 

Francestown — 

Weave — Mr. Jonathan Dow. 

Hopkinton — Mr. Aaron Greeley. 

Duubartou and Bow — Mr. David 
Storey. 

Salisbury — Capt. Matthew Pettin- 
gill. 



Boscawen — 

Fishersfield, Perrystown, and War- 
ner — Capt. Francis Davis. 

New London, Andover, and Gore — 

Charlestown — Elijah Grout, Esq. 

Alstead — Maj. Amos Shephard. 

Keene — Mr. Benjamin Hall. 

Swanzey — Maj. Elisha Whitcomb. 

Richmond — Maj. Oliver Capron. 

Jaffrey — Mr. William Smiley. 

Winchester — Mr. Simon Willard. 

Westmoreland — Mr. Joseph Wil- 
bourn. 

Chesterfield — Col. Samuel King. 

Rindge — 

Walpole — 

Claremont — Capt. Benjamin Sum- 
ner. 

Cornish and Grantham — Moses 

m 

Chase, Esq., councillor. 

Newport and Croydon — Mr. Stephen 
Powers. 

Wendell and Unity — 

Acworth, Lempster, and Marlow — 
Lieut. David Grout. 

Surrv and Gilsum — 

Stoddard and Washington — Capt. 
Jacob Copeland. 

Dublin and Packersfield — Mr. Reu- 
ben Morss. 

Marlborough and Fitz-William — 
Mr. Samuel Kendell. 

Protectworth and Hinsdale — 

Holderness, Carapton, Thornton, 
and JNIorristown — Moses Baker, Esq. 

Plymouth, Rumney, and Went- 
worth — Col. Joseph Senter. 

New Chester, Alexandria, and 
Cockermouth (Groton) — Carr Huse, 
Esq. 

Enfield, Canaan, Cardigan, Dor- 
chester, and Grafton — William Ayers, 
Esq. 

Hanover — Mr. Russell Freeman. 

Lebanon — Elisha Payne, Esq. 



JSfciu Ilaiiips/i/rc in 178^. 



197 



Lyme and Orford — Maj. Jonuthan 
Child. 

Haverhill, Piermont, Warren, and 
Coventry — Col. Timothy Bedel. 

Bath, Lyman, Gnnthwait, Apthorp, 
Lancaster, Northumberland, Strat- 
ford, Dartmouth, Colburu, and Cock- 
burn — Capt. John Young. ^ 

Hon. George Atkinson, Esq., was 
chosen speaker of the house ; Hon. 
Woodbury Laugdon, Esq., was chosen 
as senior senator. 

John McClary, Francis Blood, Jo- 
seph Badger, Nathaniel Peabody, and 
Moses Chase were elected council- 
lors. 

Abiel Foster, Jonathan Blanchard, 
John Langdon, and Moses Dow were 
appointed delegates to represent New 
Hampshire in Congress for a year, 
commencing the following November, 
but all except Mr. Foster refused the 
honor, and subsequently Samuel Liv- 
ermore, Pierse Long, and Elisha 
Paine were associated with Mr. Fos- 
ter, but two serving at once. 

Samuel Livermore, Josiah Bartlett, 
and John Sullivan were appointed a 
committee to revise the laws of the 
state, and to draw such new laws as 
they might deem necessary. 

Ebenezer Thompson was elected 
seci'etary for the state ; John Taylor 
Oilman was elected treasurer. 

The pay of the members was six 
shillings a day ; the secretar^^ of the 
state and the clerk of the house re- 
ceived nine shillings. 

The first session at Concord lasted 
about two weeks, when the legisla- 
ture adjourned to meet in October in 
Portsmouth. It was not until the 
second meeting that a yea and nay 
vote was recorded. That was before 
the parties had formed. 



A town with one hundred and fifty 
ratable male polls was entitled to one 
representative ; with four hundred 
and fifty polls, to two ; with seven 
hundred and fifty polls, to three. 
Every member of the house was 
seized of a free-hold estate in his own 
right of at least £100 ; a senator had 
to own £200 in a free-hold estate to 
be eligible. 

His Excellency, Meshech Weare, 
who had served the state throughout 
the struggle for independence as its 
chief executive otficer, was found to 
have received a large majority of the 
votes cast, and was duly declared 
elected the first president of the new 
commonwealth. He was not, how- 
ever, sworn into office for several 
days after the legislature met. 

On the first day of the session the 
members of both branches of "The 
General Court" attended services at 
the Old North church, and listened to 
a sermon by Rev. Samuel McClintock, 
of Greenland. So well pleased were 
they that they voted him £15 in the 
afternoon to recompense him. The 
sermon is on file among the archives 
of the state library, and is worthy of 
perusal after a century has passed b}'. 
A few extracts may be of interest to 
the present generation. 

" How becoming is it that we should 
render unto him in a public manner 
the most devout ascriptions of praise 
for the great things he has done for 
us in delivering us from the cruel 
hand of oppression, and the impend- 
ing miseries of abject servitude, 
crowning our arduous struggle in de- 
fense of the rights of human nature 
with triumphant success, in acknowl- 
edgement of our independence and 
sovereignty, and in giving us the 



198 



New Hampshire in 178^. 



singular advantage of forming a con- 
stitution of government for ourselves 
and our posterity. If we should 
neglect to render due praise to him 
on such a great occasion, the heathen 
would rise up in judgment and con- 
demn us for our im[)iety and ingrati- 
tude." 

He speaks of "the present glorious 
revolution in this laud," and con- 
tinues: "Hardly any people were 
ever less prepared to enter the list 
with such a great and powerful na- 
tion. War was not our object or 
wish ; on the contrary we deprecated 
it as a dreadful calamity, and con- 
tinued to hope, even against hope, 
that the gentle methods of petitioning 
and remonstrating might obtain a re- 
dress of grievances. 

"The war on our part was not a 
war of ambition, but a justifiable 
self-defence against the claims of 
an arbitrary power, which was at- 
tempting to wrest from us the privi- 
leges we had all along enjoyed, and to 
subject us to a state of abject servi- 
tude. 

"They were men of war from their 
youth. They had regular troops, 
used to service, who had signalized 
their valor on the Plains of Minden 
and on the Heights of Abraham, com- 
manded by able and experienced 
generals, amply furnished with all the 
terrible apparatus of death and de- 
struction, and aided by mercenary 
troops who had been bred to arms 
and were versed in all the stratagems 
of war ; — add to this they had a navy 
tiuit ruled the ocean, and regular re- 
sources to supply their demands — on 
the other hand we were inexperienced 
in the art of war, and had neither 
disciplined troops, nor magazines of 



provision and amunition, nor so much 
as one ship of war to oppose to their 
formidable fleets, nor any regular re- 
sources, not even so much as the 
certain prospect of any foreign aid ; — 
besides all the civil governments were 
dissolved and the people reduced back 
to a state of nature, and in danger 
of falling into anarchy and confu- 
sion. 

"That people so widely separated 
from one another by their situation, 
manners, customs, and forms of gov- 
ernment, should all at once be willing 
to sacrifice their present interests to 
the public good and unite like a band 
of brothers to make the cause of one 
state, and even of one town, a com- 
mo,n cause : and that they should 
continue firm and united under the 
greatest discouragements and the 
most trying reverses of fortune — that 
an army of freemen, voluntarily as- 
sembled at the alarm of danger-men 
who had been nurtured in the bosom 
of liberty and unused to slavish re- 
straints, should be willing to submit 
to the severity of military government 
for the safety of their country, and 
patiently endure hardships that would 
have the fortitude of veterans, fol- 
lowing their illustrious leader in the 
depths of winter, through cold and 
snow, in nakedness and perils, when 
every step they took was marked with 
the blood that issued from their 
swollen feet, and when they could 
not be animated to such patience and 
perseverance by any mercenary mo- 
tives, was a rare spectacle, and for its 
solution must be traced to a higher 
source." 

The whole sermon shows that the 
speaker, if not the hearers, appre- 
ciated the mncnitude of the struggle 



JVew Uanipsh/rc in lyS^. 



199 



tlirougli which the colonies had suc- 
cessfully passed, and realized the 
responsibility which devolved upon 
them in establishing- the new state on 
a sure foundation. 

Money at this time was very scarce, 
that is, gold and silver. The Conti- 
nental currency had depreciated so 
that fortv pounds represented one, 
and was very diflicult to dispose of 
at any figure, being thought nearly 
worthless. The new legislature voted 
to raise £25,000, but were aware of 
the difficulty of raising any. They 
provided for the pensions of disabled 
soldiers, for a light-house at New- 
castle, and for the pay of the officers of 
the state, but made the collection pos- 
sible by allowing evidences of state in- 
debtedness to be received as state taxes. 

At this time the state contained a 
population of about 140,000 souls, 
mostly employed in agricultural pur- 
suits. Portsmouth was the only place 
of much importance, sending three 
representatives to the General Court, 
but its leading men were the unpop- 
ular Masonian Proprietors, and thus 
its influence was curtailed. Next in 
importance was the town of London- 
derr3^ where already had sprung up a 
few manufacturing industries. Deri-y- 
field sent no representative. This 
was before the days of turnpikes and 
canals, and the roads were carried 
over the hillipst and most rocky 
routes, to save expense in maintain- 
ing, and were consequently as bad as 
they well could be ; but as they were 
not much used except by foot travel- 
lers and horsemen, it did not much 
matter. Bridges were of such a char- 
acter that thev were generally carried 
away by the freshet every spring, 
while the main dependence was placed 



on ferries. The crops on the new 
land on the hillside farms were abun- 
dant. Large families of children 
were raised, and were educated in 
the rudiments at the little school-house 
in every district. On every farm was 
a self-sustaining community : thej' 
raised their own wheat, corn, vege- 
tables, maple sugar, and all the food 
required ; they raised their own 
wool and flax ; they tanned their own 
leather ; they made their own cloth, 
and made their own garments. Every 
town had its minister. Then came the 
miller with grist-mill and saw-mill ; 
then the blacksmith ; and lastly, when 
the town had gained a certain stand- 
ing, a justice of the peace. 

Dartmouth college was granted the 
right bv the first legislature of the 
state to hold a lottery, in order to 
raise £3,000. 

MESHECH WE ARE, 

the new president of the state, was 
at this time well advanced in years, 
being over 70. He was a native of 
New Hampshire, graduated at Har- 
vard college m 1735, and earl}' de- 
voted his attention to law and state- 
craft. From 1745, when he was 
elected a representative from Hamp- 
ton Falls, he was almost continually 
in the public service. He was clerk 
of the house for several years, was 
chosen speaker in 1752, and held the 
office for some years. In 1747 he 
was appointed judge Qf the superior 
court, and continued in that office 
until 1776, when he was chosen chief- 
justice, resigning in 1782 on account 
of failing health. From 1776 to 1784 
he was a member of the Committee of 
Safety, member of the council, and 
president of the state. 



200 



New Hampshire in 1^84. 



He was a man of original inven- 
tive genius, but possessed extensive 
knowledge, an accurate judgment, 
a calm temper, a modest deportment, 
an upright and benevolent heart, and 
a habit of prudence and diligence in 
performing the various duties of pub- 
lic and private life. He was not a 
theoretic but a practical statesman, 
distinguished for his amiableness, up- 
rightness, and fidelit}'. All through 
the Revolution he was invested at the 
same time with the highest offices, 
legislative, judicial, and executive, 
and continued in them by annual 
elections. He was neither proud nor 
haughtv. His high rank did not 
change his mind, his manners, or his 
mode of living. He continued to the 
last the same modest, unassuming 
man. From all his offices, and with 
all his prudence, he added not a cent 
to his property, which did not exceed 
that of a good common farmer. Worn 
down with services he had rendered 
to the public, after a long illness, he 
died calmly at his mansion in Hamp- 
ton Falls, January 15, 1786, in his 
73d year. 

COUNCILLORS. 

Hon. John McClary, of Epsom, was 
a delegate to the Provincial Congress 
which met in May, 1775 ; a represent- 
ative from Epsom in 1776 and 1778 ; 
a member of the Committee of Safety ; 
councillor from 1780 to 1784 ; senator 
from 1784 to 1787; president of the 
senate 1785 and 1786 ; member of the 
convention, 1791-'!)2. He died June 
16, 1801, aged 82. 

Gen. Francis Blood, of Temple, 
was born March 18, 1735-'36, in Con- 
cord, Mass., and settled in Temple in 
1763. Was selectman several years. 



town-clerk, representative all through 
the Revolutionary War, a justice of 
court of common pleas, and after- 
wards chief-justice. He was a man 
of superior mind, sagacity, and infor- 
mation ; for many years the leading- 
man of the town, acquired a hand- 
some property, and died in 1790. 

Dr. Nathaniel Peabody, of Atkin- 
son, was one of the distinguished men 
of his times. He was born in Tops- 
field, Mass., March 1, 1741. He 
was adjutant-general of the state, 
1777-'78 ; member of congress, 
1779-'81 ; major-general of the state 
militia, 1793. He died in Exeter, 
June 27, 1823, aged 82. 

Gen. Joseph Badger, son of Capt 
Joseph Badger, was born in Bradford, 
Mass., October 23, 1746. He was a 
man of great militarv ardor, and held 
offices in the militia for thirty years. 
He was present at the capture of 
Burgoyue in 1779. He was again 
councillor, 1790-'92, 1795-'96. He 
died January 15, 1809, aged 62. 

Hon. Moses Chase, of Cornish, 
came of that family which has given 
so manv distinguished names to 
American history, including that of 
Chief-Justice Salmon P. Chase. 

SENATORS. 

Hon. Joseph Gilman, of Exeter, 
born May 5, 1738 ; treasurer of Rock- 
ingham county in 1776; justice of 
the peace in 1779; elected to senate 
in 1785-'86-'87 ; member of govern- 
or's council, last term. In 1788 re- 
moved to Marietta, Ohio, where, two 
ears later, he was appointed judge 
of probate ; later U. S. judge for the 
district of the North-west. He died 
May 14, 1806. 

Hon. Woodburv Lanodon was born 



New Hampshire in 178^. 



201 



in Portsmouth in 1739 ; was a mer- 
chant ; a member of the old congress, 
1779-'80 ; judge of the supreme court, 
1782. A firm patriot, devoted to the 
cause of his country. His house was 
burned in 1781, and he built the 
Rockingliam House (old). He died 
January 13, 1805, aged 66. 

Hon. Timothy Walker, of Concord, 
only son of Rev. Timothy Walker, of 
Concord, was born June 27, 1737; 
graduated at Harvard college, 1756; 
justice of court of common pleas from 
1777 to 1809 ; chief-justice last five 
3'ears ; often a delegate ; candidate 
for governor in 1798. Died May 5, 
1822, aged 85. He filled all the town 
and state offices to which he was 
elected with fidelity and honor. 

Hon. John Langdou, of Portsmouth, 
one of New Hampshire's most distin- 
guished citizens, was born in Ports- 
mouth in 1740 ; was one of the party 
which seized Fort William and Mary 
in 1774; delegate to Continental 
Congress in 1775 and 1776; speaker 
N. H. house of representatives in 1776 
and 1777 ; judge of court of common 
pleas ; delegate to congress in 1783 ; 
president of New Hampshire in 1785 ; 
member of first U. S. senate ; presi- 
dent pro tern, of that body, served 
two terms ; governor of New Hamp- 
shire from 1805 to 1808 and 1810 and 
1811. He was eminent for his per- 
sonal dignity, his patriotism, his 
capacity for offices of high honor and 
trust, and for his religious reverence 
and devotion. He died September 
18, 1819, aged 78. 

Hon. John Wentworth, of Dover, 
born at Salmon Falls, July 17, 1745 ; 
graduated at Harvard college in 1768 ; 
was admitted to the bar, and lived in 
Dover ; was moderator many years ; 



representative through the war ; one of 
the executive council of the state ; on 
the Committee of Safety ; a delegate 
to the Continental congress in 1778. 
He was an able lawyer, as a man be- 
nevolent, of a good-natured address, 
and a statesman of superior abilities. 
He died January 10, 1787. 

Ebenezer Smith, born in Exeter in 

1734 ; was a Proprietor of Gilmanton, 
but settled in Meredith in 1768, and 
was a " father of the town" for many 
years. He was judge of probate ; 
lieutenant-colonel of 10th regiment 
militia ; president of the senate two 
years. He died August 27, 1807, 
aged 73. 

Hon. Matthew Thornton, born in 
Ireland in 1714; came as a lad to 
America ; studied medicine ; was sur- 
geon on Louisbourg expedition ; mem- 
ber of congress from 1776 to 1778; 
chief-justice of Hillsborough count}' ; 
judge of the supreme court ; member 
of the council in 1785. Soon after- 
wards he moved to Massachusetts, 
and died in Newburyport, June 24, 
1804, in his 91st year. 

Simeon Olcott, of Charlestown, was 
born in Bolton, Conn., October 1, 

1735 ; graduated at Yale college in 
1761, and settled some three years 
later in Charlestown as a lawyer ; he 
was judge of probate in 1773 ; chief- 
justice of court of common pleas in 
1784; associate justice of superior 
court in 1790 ; chief-justice from 1795 
to 1801 ; IT. S. Senator to 1805. He 
died February 22, 1815, aged 79. 

Enoch Hale, of Rindge, came from 
Hampstead in 1760; was justice of 
the peace in 1768. He was born in 
Rowley, Mass., November 28, 1733 ; 
was a leading citizen of the town till 
he removed to Walpole in 1784, He 



202 



New Hampshire in 1784. 



died in Grafton, Vt.. April 9, 1813, 
aged 79. 

Moses Dow, of Haverhill, was the 
first lawyer of Grafton county, and 
for sometime was register of probate. 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

Hon. George Atkinson, Esq., who 
was born, lived, and died in Ports- 
mouth, was a man of considerable 
ability, strict integrity, and of an 
irreproachable character. He was 
four times appointed a delegate to 
the Continental congress, but each 
time declined the office. He was also 
appointed a member of the Committee 
of Safety, and declined. He was ap- 
pointed a special justice of the supe- 
rior court. In 1785 he was one of 
four candidates for president of the 
state, and received the largest pop- 
ular vote, but failed of an election 
before the legislature. He died in 
February, 1788. 

George Gains was one of the Com- 
mittee of Safety for the state in 
1777. 

Hon. John Pickering, Esq., was a 
native of Newington, born in 1738 ; 
graduated at Harvard college in 1761 ; 
studied law ; was attorney-general in 
178(i; repeatedly a member of the 
legislature; president of the U. S. 
senate in 1789; and governor of the 
state, ex-officio, when Gov. John 
Langdon was elected to the U. S. 
senate. In 1790 he was appointed 
chief-justice of the superior court, 
and held the office five years. He 
was afterwards district judge of the 
United States, and served till 1804. 
He received the degree of LL. D. 
from Harvard college and Dartmouth 
college. He died April 11, 1805, 
aijed C7. 



Col. Daniel Runnels, of London- 
derry, served as captain in Col. Nich- 
ols's regiment at Bennington, and as 
captain in Col. Peabody's regiment in 
Rhode Island in 1778. He was an 
able and distinguished citizen. 

Thomas Bartlett, Esq., of Notting- 
ham, was among the leading patriots 
of Rockingham county. He was 
captain of a company in 1775 at 
Winter Hill ; lieutenant-colonel in 
Col. Gilman's regiment in Rhode 
Island in 1778 ; a member of Com- 
mittee of Safety in 1778 ; colonel of a 
regiment at West Point in 1780; 
brigadier-general of N. H. militia in 
1792 ; representative in 1775 ; speaker 
of the house of representatives ; judge 
of the court of common pleas. He 
died June 30, 1807, aged 59. 

Moses Leavitt, Esq., of North 
Hampton, actively participated in the 
War of the Revolution. He was ap- 
pointed captain in the Continental 
service in 1776, and was employed on 
coast defence during the war. He 
was representative in 1782 and 1783. 

Hon. ChristopherToppan, of Hamp- 
ton, was a useful and distinguished 
citizen, son of Dr. P^dmund Toppan, 
and grandson of Rev. Christopher 
Toppan, of Newbury, Mass. His 
mother was a dauohter of Col. Joshua 
Wingate. He was often a representa- 
tive, and was councillor in 1786, 1790, 
and 1794. He died in February, 
1819, aged 84. 

Daniel Emerson, Esq., of HoUis, 
was coroner for Hillsborough county 
in 1776 ; captain in Rhode Island ex- 
pedition in 1779 ; representative in 
1782; councillor in 1787; and died 
October 4, 1821, aged 75. 

Lieut. Robert Wallace, of Henni- 
ker, .was a native of Londonderry; 



JSfew Hainf shire in lyS^. 



203 



judge of court of common pleas for 
Hillsborough county from 1803 to 
1813; councillor from 1788 to 1789, 
and from 171)0 to 1803. He died in 
January, 1815, aged 66. 

John Duncan, of Antrim, a native 
of Londonderry, settled in Antrim in 
1773. He was a prominent citizen, 
serving as town-clerk, representative, 
selectman, and senator. He died in 
March, 1823, aged 89. 

John Underhill, of Chester, bora 
June 20, 1745; was thrice elected to 
the General Court. He died in Plain- 
field, in 1816. 

John Cram, Esq., of Pittsfield, was 
first town-clerk of Chichester when 
the town was organized in 1773, and 
was reelected every year until after 
1780. He also served the town as 
selectman several terms ; was deputy 
in the Provincial Congress at Exeter 
in 1775 ; a member of the convention 
of 1779 ; justice of the peace ; and was 
one of the chief men in organizing 
the town of Pittsfield out of old Chi- 
chester in 1781. He was a native of 
Hampton, and came to the locality in 
1768. He took an active interest in 
the new settlement which he started 
above the falls, and for nearly forty 
years was in public office, and did 
most of the town business. He was 
fiftv vears of age when the war broke 
out, but was chosen captain of the 
company immediately formed, which 
included every man in the town. 
During his forty years' service he 
made no charge to the town save for 
expenses. He rose to the rank of 
colonel of militia. 

Capt. Jeremiah Clough, of Canter- 
bury, was son of Capt. Jeremiah 
Clough, the leader in the first settle- 
ment of the town : was a veteran of 



Bunker Hill, and was an active and 
influential citizen. 

Major Nathan Bachelder, of Lou- 
don, was one of the most active and 
influential citizens of that town from 
its organization in 1773 (the first town- 
meeting being held at his house) until 
the close of the century. He was 
born October 25, 1734; was justice 
of the peace, and selectman, repre- 
sentative, and moderator many years. 
He was known as the Squire. 

Samuel Daniell, Esq., of Pembroke, 
was a leading citizen of that town ; 
moderator as early as 1776; one of 
the Committee of Safety for the town ; 
was chairman of the board of select- 
men, and held other offices in the 
town, including that of town-clerk. 
He was an assessor as late as 1799, 
and during the Revolution had the 
title of Lieutenant. 

Col. Nathaniel Emerson, of Candia, 
son of Samuel Emerson, Esq., one of 
the first settlers of the town, was 
born May 2, 1742, and was "called 
to public stations perhaps more than 
any other individual who ever lived 
in Candia." He was a militia officer 
from 1763 to 1775 ; lieutenant-colonel 
of 17th regiment of New Hampshire 
militia in 1776 ; lieutenant-colonel in 
the Continental army in 1778 ; was at 
battle of Bennington with Stark, and 
was colonel of the 17th regiment 
some ten years after the war. He was 
a "member of the first Constitutional 
convention, and served the town al- 
most continuously as representative 
until 1798. He was a justice of the 
peace for twenty-five years. For 
many years he was a land surveyor. 
He died April 30, 1824, aged 83. 

Jeremiah Eastman, Esq., of Deer- » 
field, was born December 9, 1732, in 



J04 



New Hampshire in ijS^. 



Kensington, and settled in Deerfield 
in 1762. He was early identified witli 
all the more important interests of 
the town, and ever proved himself 
active and efficient in advancing them. 
Was selectman, 1772-'74; represent- 
ative, 1775-'79 and 1781, 1783-84; 
town-clerk from 1775 to 1795 ; a 
practical land surveyor, and member 
of the Congregational church. He 
died in 1802. 

James Betton, of Windham, was 
born in Scotland in 1728, and settled 
in Windham before 1753. He was a 
farmer, surveyor, and auctioneer. He 
presided in twenty town-meetings ; 
was selectman, and delegate to the first 
state congress ; justice of the peace 
in 177G ; was sent as agent to confer 
with the Continental congress, and to 
bring Continental money to the state 
treasury. He was a delegate in 
1777-'79-'80-'81, and a representa- 
tive 1782-'84-'85-'86-'89-'91 and '93. 
He died March 18, 1803. 

Major Jonathan Wentworth, of 
Somersworth, was born in Dover, 
September 8, 1741 ; was captain in 
siege of Boston ; at Ticonderoga in 
177G ; in Rhode Island in 1778 ; mayor 
in 1783 ; delegate from 1779 to 1782 ; 
colonel 2d New Hampshire regiment 
in 1789. He died November 16, 
1790. 

Mr. John Sanborn, from Sanborn- 
ton. born January 29, 1736, in Hamp- 
ton, was the first permanent settler of 
Sanl)ornton, in 1766. He was a vet- 
eian of the old French War ; a soldier 
of the Revolution, rank of sergeant ; 
orderly in Capt. Jeremiah Clough's 
company. He was a benevolent, 
generous-hearted man, of dignity and 
presence, full of dry humor. Served 
as magistrate without appointment. 



He was a large, bulky man, a valua- 
ble citizen, and made a good living. 
He died August 29, 1814. 

Mr. Robert Means, of Amherst, 
was born in Stevvartstown, Ireland, 
August 28, 1742. Married Mary, 
daughter of Rev. David McGregor, 
of Londonderry, and died August 
24, 1823. His daughter Mary mar- 
ried Hon. Jeremiah Mason ; another 
daughter married Amos Lawrence ; 
another, President Appleton of Bow- 
doin college. He landed in Boston 
in 1766, and was a weaver by trade, 
but engaged in mercantile pursuits. 
He was noted for his honesty, fair 
dealing, close attention to business, 
and in time became one of the most 
widely known and distinguished mer- 
chants in the town or state. He was 
representative five years ; senator 
two years ; member of the council ; 
county treasurer many years ; justice 
of the peace ; and an officer of the 
militia. His granddaughter was the 
wife of Franklin Pierce. 

Benjamin Mann, Esq.. of Mason, 
settled in that town in 1771, coming 
from Woburn, Mass. He was soon 
employed in public offices in the town. 
He was moderator twelve years ; town- 
clerk four years ; selectman six years ; 
representative four years ; and was 
very active during the Revolutionary 
War. He commanded a company at 
the battle of Bunker Hill ; and was 
the first justice of the peace in town. 
He moved to Keene in 1800, and died 
in Trov, N. Y.. in 1831, aged 91. 

Mr. Epliraim Adams, of New Ips- 
wich, was one of the leading men of 
that town for many years. He was 
un enterprising and useful citizen ; 
deacon of the church ; noted for his 
strong, original sense and quaint 



New HanifsJiire in 17S4. 



205 



humor. He took a leading part in 
the strong measures which preceded 
the Revolution, and when the war 
broke out he did his full duty, both 
in council and in the field. No man 
in tlie town did so much to procure 
soldiers and other means of war. 
Tories and croakers quailed under his 
satire and humor. He was a man of 
sound and discriminating judgment, 
and was often elected selectman and 
representative. He was born in Ips- 
wich, Mass., and died March 26, 
1799, aged 72. 

Mr. Matthew AYallace, of Peter- 
borough, was born in Londonderry, 
June 23, 1731. He was town-clerk 
and selectman. He afterwards re- 
moved to Vermont, where he died. 

David Storey, of Dunbartou, was a 
native of Ipswich, Mass. He was 
well known in the early affairs of the 
town as a person of probity and i-e- 
spectable abilities. He was seven- 
teen times moderator ; eleven years 
town-clerk ; six years selectman ; six 
years representative. He died March 
20, 1834, aged 88. 

Capt. Francis Davis, of Warner, 
originally came from Amesbury. He 
was prominent in the affairs of the 
town and state for many years. He 
was drowned in Beaver brook, in 
Derry, November 26, 1784, at the 
age of 61. He was the first repre- 
sentative from Warner, both to the 
Provincial congress at Exeter as well 
as under the constitution. 

Elijah Grout, Esq., of Charlestown ; 
born October 29, 1732; came from 



Lunenburg before 17G6. He was se- 
lectman six times between 1769 and 
1794 ; representative five times be- 
tween 1775 and 1795. He was very 
active and widely known throughout 
the Revolution. He was one of the 
Committee of Safety of the town ; 
commissary for Gen. Stark ; justice 
of the peace many years. He was a 
brave and good man. He was intel- 
ligent and far-seeing, and had all the 
qualities of a sterling man. 

Mr. William Smiley, of Jaffrey, 
was born in Ireland, in 1727, and was 
an early settler. He was first town- 
clerk ; deacon in the church ; and 
held successively all the town offices. 
He was a prominent and influential 
man. His son David graduated at 
Harvard college ; Robinson, at Dart- 
mouth. He left Jaft'rey in 1810, and 
died in Springfield, Vt., March 4, 
1813, aged 86. 

Mr. Samuel King, of Chesterfield, 
was a physician. He is said to have 
died before 1800. He left a family. 

Mr. Stephen Powers, of Croydon, 
was an early settler of that place, and 
was distinguished for his giant frame, 
great physical strength, and vigorous 
intellect. 

Col. Timothy Bedel, of Bath, was 
prominent all through the Revolution, 
holding important commands on the 
northern frontier. (See Vol. Ill, 
page 513.) 

Moses Baker, Esq., of Campton, 
was the great-grandfather of Hon. 
Henry W. Blair, on his mother's 
side. 



2o6 



Hon. William E. Chandler. 



HON. WILLIAM E. CHANDLER. 



The successful candidate in tlie race 
for the United States seuatorship in 
New Hampshire was Hon. William 
Eaton Chandler, of Concord. He was 
elected June 15, for the term of twen- 
ty mouths. In him New Hampshire will 
have another strong senator. He will 
enter the senate chamber with a nation- 
al reputation for sagacity and wisdom 
already acquired, with the experience 
of his whole youth and manhood de- 
voted to public affairs, with the ac- 
quaintance and confidence of officials 
and statesmen of every section, with 
a thorough knowledge of the wants 
and needs of the state of New Hamp- 
shire and of the citizens of the state 
of every degree, with a familiarity 
with the intricate mechanism of all 
the departments of the government, 
with a full and discriminating un- 
derstanding of law, state, national, 
and international, which would grace 
the bench of any court, and with 
judgment almost intuitive. 

As a lawyer his most marked char- 
acteristic is the clearness with which 
he can extract from a lengthy docu- 
ment, or a mass of facts and law, the 
the real inwardness and sense of the 
matter. He has acomprehensive grasp 
of the essentials of any subject under 
consideration, a remarkable povver of 
organization, and the rare gift of ac- 
com|)lisliii)g results through the in- 
strumentality of others. From a 
mass of conflicting opinions he de- 
duces practical results. 

He has great independence of char- 
acter. He is aggressive, fearless of 
public criticism, bold in maintaining 
the positions he takes in political af- 



fairs, but not reckless, because his 
positions are sustained by sound rea- 
soning. He is, perhaps, too often 
indifferent to the opinions of others 
and too careless in opposing others, 
incurring oftentimes needless hostil- 
ity. He is thoroughly loyal to his 
convictions. Having taken a stand, 
he heartily supports it. If there is 
blame, he assumes it. He is loyal to 
his friends, he is loyal to his party, 
he is loyal to his country. He wants 
very good reasons to sustain a posi- 
tion, but very much stronger reasons 
to withdraw from its support. He is 
a safe legal counsellor, and a wise 
political adviser. He is a keen ana- 
lyzer, getting at the essence of a sub- 
ject ; and as a writer he is strong, 
forcible, vigorous, concise. He leaves 
nobodv in doubt as to his meaning : 
it is perspicuous. 

He makes many friends, and keeps 
them because he is faithful to thera. 
He harbors no malice, cherishes no 
revengeful feelings, has a friend to- 
day in his enemy of yesterday, is hon- 
est, is sincere, is frank. He is care- 
ful in making promises, but ardent in 
keeping them. His keen intellect ap- 
peals to the enthusiasm of the bright, 
clear-headed, and zealous young men 
of the party, who are willing to fol- 
low his leadership. In the most tur- 
bulent scenes he evinces the greatest 
coolness, force, will-power, fertility 
of resource, boldness in devising 
methods for managing a political body 
swayed by the wildest excitement, 
and power in executing his move- 
ments and in controlling a legislature. 

The late Samuel J, Tilden, the 



Hon. Willi am E. Chandler 



207 



greatest organizer of the Democratic 
party since Martin Van Biiren, met 
his equal if not liis superior when he 
came in conflict with Mr. Chandler ; 
and was routed when he felt confident 
of victory. 

The wise and sagacious adminis- 
tration of President Arthur owed much 
of its success to the presence in the 
cabinet of Mr. Chandler. He was a 
power in the cabinet, whose influence 
was felt throughout the nation, and his 
terse and crisp style of using the En- 
glish languao-e can be traced in many 
a public document of that period. 

The late Hon. Jacob H. Ela wrote 
of Mr. Chandler, — "In his personal 
habits Mr. Chandler is above reproach, 
pure in speech as in action, with a 
mind quick to perceive, prompt to ex- 
ecute, and comprehensive in its scope. 
He is a man with convictions, and the 
courage to express and maintain them. 
He has never sought advancement by 
flattery or by pandering to prejudice. 
Those who know him best have the 
most faith in his integrity. The best 
evidence of it is the fact that in twen- 
ty-five years of aggressive political 
life, while occupying positions of 
temptation, and criticising freely the 
action of men who forgot their moral 
obligations, or were shirking their of- 
ficial duties to the detriment of the 
public good, no one of them has been 
able to connect him with personal dis- 
honesty, corrupt practice in official 
life, or political trieachery or double- 
dealing. His methods are correct, 
positive, systematic, exact, and logi- 
cal. The positions he has held have 
all come to him in recognition of his 
abilitv and earnest efforts in servins; 
the cause he espouses." 

Hon. Henry Robinson, of Concord, 



with the enthusiasm of a friend, per- 
haps too partial, thus writes in the 
Granite Monthly of Mr. Chandler : 
"He is a man in whom we should 
all take pride, and of whom we should 
speak as becomes his real worth to 
his native state, where he is not with- 
out honor. He is a man of wonder- 
ful readiness of mind, of remarkable 
ability, and, above all else, of un- 
doubted integrit}^ His political op- 
ponents will tell you that. He says 
in the fewest words possible what he 
has to say, and he says what he 
means, and he means what he says : 
you may rely upon it. His word is 
to him a bond. This is one sreat 
reason why those who know him best 
love him best. This is one great 
reason why he is so trusted as a lead- 
er in his country, so influential a citi- 
zen in his own state, and courted, 
and quoted, and counted upon ever}'- 
where where sound principle is at stake. 
Integrity is a crown-jewel. Honesty 
is the highest and noblest element of 
the human character, — honesty of 
purpose and action, purity of thought 
and mind, square dealing with one's 
fellow-men, a scrupulous uprightness 
in all the thousand-aud-one petty 
details of a busy life, and a strict 
and constant adherence to truth and 
rectitude, whether in public or pri- 
vate. But in him honesty is set off 
bv. and has the advantaoe of, an in- 
tellect that rises at times almost to 
the level of genius ; for, as a preco- 
cious lad at school, as an astute lawyer 
at the bar, or as a commanding states- 
man in the clustered head of the pres- 
ent national administration, "William 
E. Chandler has developed and dis- 
played an intuitive keenness of dis- 
cernment, a remarkable clearness of 



208 



Hon. Williani E. Chandler. 



judgment, a conciseness of statement, 
and an almost supernatural aptitude 
for leadership, that have at once 
pressed him into the front ranks of 
those with whom he has been asso- 
ciated. 

"With unflinching integrity and 
surpassing ability Mr. Chandler has 
combined the very best practical sense, 
and a thorough knowledge of human 
nature in all its different phases. 
His circle of acquaintances is very 
extensive ; he has friends in every 
clime, and knows more men person- 
ally, probably, than any other man 
in America. 

"Mr. Chandler has made mistakes. 
Who has not? But they did not 
crush him, nor subdue his enthusiasm. 
He rose triumphant above them, and 
profited by their experience. He has 
faults. Who has not? But he wears 
them all upon his sleeve. His pri- 
vate chai-acter is unassailable and 
above reproach. There is no shade 
of suspicion upon the sterling quali- 
ties of his high manhood, and the de- 
tractors of his public career have 
been few, and quickly discredited, 
even without the pretence of a de- 
nial. 

"He is a contentious man, — conten- 
tious for what he believes to be right. 
If you have him with you, he is a 
host in himself ; but if he is arrayed 
against your cause, he is sure to be 
the central figure of the opposition, 
and you nuist beware of his bold, 
rapid advances. Such is the vehe- 
mence of his impulsive nature and 
the ardor of his temperament that he 
is a partisan to any cause that wins 
his sympathy ; but no man is quicker 
to bury the hatchet, and to forgive 
and forget when the contest is over. 



He is a splendid fighter, but is su- 
preme at reconciliation. 

" His characteristic frankness is a 
charm that contributes more than a 
little to his personal popularity. He 
has a directness of purpose and a 
firmness "of execution that does not 
mislead you as to his objects. He is 
not politic, he never strove to bask 
in the sunshine of popular favor, he 
is not easily swayed by the clamor of 
a crowd : but he has kept steadily on 
in the straight path of his own con- 
victions of duty. More than once he 
has seemed to stand in his own light, 
and more than once the people have 
returned to his leadership, after wan- 
dering; from what he had defined to 
be the right course. He is no mere 
place-hunter. Whenever he has held 
offices, it was the offices that sought 
the man. He never was enamored 
of sounding titles and official posi- 
tions, and has held only few, and 
solicited none. As a public man 
only, his wide-reaching influence has 
been felt, and his present elevation 
was attained by force of sheer ability 
and by acknowledged integrity, rath- 
er than by the regular course of pro- 
motion, round by round, up the ladder 
of political eminence." 

We quote the following from Jp- 
pleton's Ci/dopcedia of American i't- 
ography : 

"Chandler, William Eaton, cabinet 
minister, born in Concord, N. H., 
28 Dec, 1835. He studied law in Con- 
cord, and at the Harvard Law School, 
where he was graduated in 1855. 
For several years after his admission 
to the bar in 1856 he practised in 
Concord, and in 1859 was appointed 
reporter of the New Hampshire su- 
preme court, and published five vol- 



Hon. William E. Chandler. 



209 



limes of reports. P'roin the time of 
his coming of age Mr. Cliandler was 
actively connected with the Republi- 
can party, serving first as secretary, 
and afterward as chairman of the 
state committee. In 1862 he was 
elected to the New Hampshire house 
of representatives, of which he was 
speaker for two successive terms, in 
1863-'64. In November, 1864, he 
was employed by the uav^' depart- 
ment as special counsel to prosecute 
the Philadelphia nav^'^-yard frauds, 
and on 9 March, 1865, was appointed 
first solicitor and judge-advocate- 
general of that department. On 17 
June, 1865, he became first assistant 
secretary of the treasury. On 30 
Nov., 1867, he resigned this place and 
resumed law practice. During the next 
thirteen years, although occupying 
no official position except that of 
member of the constitutional conven- 
tion of New Hampshire in 1876, he 
continued to take an active part in 
politics. He was a delegate from 
his state to the Republican national 
convention in 1868, and was secretary 
of the national committee from that 
time until 1876. In that year he ad- 
vocated the claims of the Hayes 
electors in Florida before the can- 
vassing board of the state, and later 
was one of the counsel to prepare 
the case submitted by the Republican 
side to the electoral commission. Mr. 
Chandler afterward became an es- 
pecially outspoken opponent of the 
Southern policy of the Haj^es admin- 
istration. In 1880 he was a delegate 
to the Republican national conven- 
tion, and served as a member of the 
committee on credentials, in which 
place he was active in securing the 
report in favor of district representa- 



tion, which was adopted by the con- 
vention. During the subsequent 
campaign he was a member of the 
national committee. On 23 March, 

1881, he was nominated for U. S. 
solicitor-general, but the senate re- 
fused to confirm, the vote being near- 
ly upon party lines. In that year he 
was again a member of the New 
Hampshire legislature. On 7 April, 

1882, he was appointed secretary of 
the navy. Among the important 
measures carried out by him were 
the simplification and reduction of 
the unwieldy navy-yard establish- 
ment; the limitation of the number 
of annual appointments to the actual 
wants of the naval service ; the dis- 
continuance of the extravagant policy 
of repairing worthless vessels ; and 
the beginning of a modern navy in 
the construction of the four new 
cruisers recommended by the advisory 
board. The organization and suc- 
cessful voyage of the Greely relief 
expedition in 1884 were largely due 
to his personal efforts. Mr. Chandler 
was a strenuous advocate of uniting 
with the navy the other nautical 
branches of the federal administra- 
tion, including the light-house estab- 
lishment, the coast survey, and the 
revenue marine, upon the principle, 
first distinctly set forth by him, that 
' the officers and seamen of the navy 
should be employed to perform all 
the work of the national government 
upon or in direct connection with the 
ocean.'" 

In the sketch of the life of Presi- 
dent Arthur, contained in the same 
volume of the Cyclopoedia, the work 
of the navy department for the above 
period is stated as follows : 

" A new naval policy was adopted, 



2IO 



Hon. William E. Chandler 



prescribing a reduction in the number 
of officers, tlie elimination of druulv- 
ards, great strictness and impartiality' 
in discipline, the discontinuance of 
extensive repairs of old wooden ships, 
the diminution of uav^^-yard expen- 
ses, and the beginning of the con- 
struction of a new navy of modern 
steel ships and guns according to the 
l^lans of a skilful naval advisory 
board. The first of such vessels, the 
cruisers 'Chicago,' 'Boston,' and 
'Atlanta,' and a steel despatch-boat 
'Dolphin.' with their armaments, 
were designed in this country and 
built in American workshops. The 
gun foundry board referred to above 
was originated, and its reports were 
printed with that of the depart- 
ment for 1884. A special message 
of 26 March, 1884, urged continued 
progress in the reconstruction of the 
navy, the granting of authority for 
at least three additional steel cruisers 
and four gun-boats, and the finishing 
of the four double-turreted monitors. 
Two cruisers and two gun-boats were 
authorized by the act of 3 March, 
1885. 

"An Arctic expedition, consist- 
ing of the steam whalers ' Thetis ' 
and ' Bear,' together with the ship 
'Alert,' given by the British admi- 
ralty, was fitted out and desjiatched 
under the command of Commander 
Winfield Scott Schley for the relief 
of Lieut. A. W. Greely, of the U. S. 
army, who with his party had been 
engaged since 1881 in scientific ex- 
ploration at Lady Franklin bay, in 
Grinnell Land ; and that ofHcer and 
a few other survivors were rescued at 
Cape Sabine, 22 June, 1884. On 
recommendation of the president, an 
act of congress was passed directing 



the return of the 'Alert' to the Eng- 
lish government." 

It will be interesting to those who 
wish to know more of Mr. Chandler's 
advent into politics, to read the fol- 
lowing from the pen of Hon. Jacob 
H. Ela : 

"In June, 1859, he was appointed 
by Gov. Ichabod Goodwin law re- 
porter of the New Hampshire supreme 
court, and published five volumes of 
the reports. He entered the service 
of the Republican party with great 
earnestness at its beginning, in 1856, 
and gave much of his time, in the 
office of the state committee, to assist 
the movement during its early cam- 
paigns, becoming secretary first, and 
afterwards chairman in 1864 and 
1865. The election of 1863 took 
place during the darkest period of 
the war, following the battle of Fred- 
ericksburg, when gloom and almost 
despair overshadowed every town in 
the state. It was evident to all that 
a draft was impending, and it seemed 
as though the abilitv of the towns 
and the state had been exhausted, 
and no more money could be raised 
or volunteers be found to enlist. All 
those opposed to the war were united 
and active in the Democratic party, 
and were aided by those Republicans 
who were alarmed by the burden of 
the debt, and by those who would 
compromise the safety of the Union 
sooner than expose themselves to be 
drafted to save .it. It was the most 
important political campaign ever 
conducted in the state, and brought 
the executive ability of Mr. Chandler 
prominently into view, and led to his 
future a(ivancement. * * * 

"President Lincoln watched this 
campaign more closely, probably, 



Hon. William E. Chandler 



211 



than any other outside his own state. 
It was the opening election of the year 
following a depressing defeat, and 
he felt that to lose it at such a criti- 
cal time would be as disastrous in its 
effects upon the army and the country 
as the loss of a great battle. It was 
his interest in this election which first 
brought Mr. Chandler to his atten- 
tion, and tliere is no doubt that he 
noted when, in the New Hampshire 
Republican state convention, in 1864-, 
Mr. Chandler offered the following 
resolution, which was unanimously 
and by acclamation adopted : 

Besolved, That Abraham Lincoln, by 
the exercise, during the severest and most 
dangerous crisis in the nation's history, of 
unequalled sagacity and statesmanship, and 
that moderation and prudence which ex- 
perience has shown to be the highest wis- 
dom ; by his spotless integrity of personal 
character, above reproach and above sus- 
picion ; and by his slowly formed yet un- 
alterable determination that the triumph of 
the constitution and the Union over seces- 
sion and rebellion shall be the final triumph 
of liberty throughout the nation, — has re- 
ceived and merited the abiding confidence 
of the people to an extent never awarded 
any other public man since Washington ; 
that the best interests of the country de- 
mand that the complete destruction of the 
Rebellion and the restoration of peace, 
prosperity, and the Union, should be 
achieved under his administration of the 
government ; and that we therefore declare 
Abraham Lincoln to be the people's choice 
for reelection to the presidency in 1864. 

"The adoption of the resolution, 
and the conduct of the canvass in the 
spring of 1864, on the basis of Mr. 
Lincoln's renomination, resulted in a 
very large Republican majority ; and 
Mr. Chandler, who had been a mem- 
ber of the legislature of 1862, and, at 
the age of twenty-seven, had been 
elected speaker of the house of 
representatives in 1863, was again 



chosen speaker; and in August, 1864, 
presided over tlie legislature in which 
occurred the eventful conflict and 
riotous disturbances over the veto by 
Governor Gilmore of the bill allowing 
soldiers in the field the right to vote. 
Mr. Chandler gained his earliest rep- 
utation for persistency, coolness, and 
moral courage in this celebrated con- 
flict, so well remembered by the Re- 
publicans of the state." 

Mr. Chandler has been twice mar- 
ried, — in 1859, to a daughter of Gov. 
Joseph A. Gilmore, and in 1874, to a 
daughter of Hon. John P. Hale. He 
has four sons, — Joseph Gilmore, born 
1860 ; William D wight, in 1863 ; and 
Lloyd Horwitz, in 1869 ; also, John 
P. Hale Chandler, born March 22, 
1885. Mr. Chandler's father died in 
1862. His mother died in 1883, in 
Concord. His two brothers, — John 
K. Chandler, formerly a merchant in 
Boston and the East Indies, now re- 
sides on a farm in Canterbury, N. H. ; 
and George H. Chandler, who was 
first adjutant and afterwards major 
of the Minth New Hampshire regi- 
ment, was, till his death, a lawyer in 
Baltimore. Mr. Chandler's father 
was a Whig — a man of great intelli- 
gence and firmness of character. His 
mother was a woman of equally posi- 
tive traits, and contributed much to 
the formation of the character which 
has given success to her sous. 

Mr. Chandler's popularity is con- 
fined to no one section of the state. 
With the sturdy rank and file of the 
Republican party, from Cheshire 
county to the upper Coos, from the 
Connecticut river to the ocean, he has 
staunch and enthusiastic friends. 



212 



Our Boarding-House. 



OUR BOARDING-HOUSE. 
By Arthur E. Cotton. 



Our landlady belongs to faded gen- 
tility. She has that fat and forty 
look, wears that selfsame alpaca 
overdress, and usually has her spec- 
tacles thrown back on her forehead, 
all of which are characteristic of land- 
ladies. She came to town from the 
Cape Cod country at the close of the 
late war, marrying a man with a com- 
fortable competency. At length, 
some six years later, after slie had 
presented him with an olive branch, 
Mr. Chick balanced his accounts with 
this world and went to the next, but 
went penniless, leaving the widow in 
poverty. In this cheerless situation 
she gazed piteously about her for 
some opportunity that would not com- 
promise her gentility, or lessen her 
high standing in society, but still re- 
plenish her depleted coffers. 

Finally, on desperate speculation, 
and knowing the proverbiality with 
which jurors are wont to decide such 
cases, despite evidence and reason, in 
favor of the plaintiff, — or, rather, to 
say true, her lawyers had told her this, 
and, moreover, that a lone woman in 
distress generally enlisted the sympa- 
thy of juries, whether the contention 
be breach money or alimony — in face 
then of all this, Mrs. Chick i)urposely 
slipped on the treacherous sidewalk, 
sustaining simple fracture of the 
ankle, then sued the city for damages. 
She limped painfully about on crutches 
till tiie suit terminated, then, as 
would be very natural, threw them 
away. With this money she embark- 
ed in a less successful undertaking, a 
millinery establishment, which went, 



for reasons unknown to me, rapidly 
to the dogs and bankruptcy. 

Taking the next regular step in 
the progress downwards from gentility 
to the common people and nothing- 
ness, she became landlady of this 
boarding-house in Temple Place. 
These are the principal points in Mrs. 
Chick's history that I have been able 
to authoritatively establish. It is true 
there have been other stories told 
about her ; but they lack the proper 
authentication. These I have re- 
garded it best to withhold. One was 
to the effect that she had fallen des- 
perately in love with a car conductor 
in riding down town on Sunday morn- 
ing. Its truthfulness I have always 
doubted. 

Mrs. Chick's son is a stupid, bow- 
legged hind, enormously given to to- 
bacco, and dreadfully repugnant to 
soap. Tim looks upon work as a 
deadly poison, or, at least, he never 
touches it. The only tools he uses to 
advantage are a knife and fork. In 
using these he is unrivalled, or so the 
cook complains. Still Tim has a soft 
heart, and a soft head to boot. There 
are three theories regarding his head. 
The most general one is to the effect 
that he was born with it so. The 
most improbable is that the hot cli- 
mate of Arizona, whither he went 
with his regiment, melted it, and it 
never returned to its normal condi- 
tion. The most reasonable is, that 
the tobacco he consumes is the occa- 
sion of it. 

Parenthetically I will say that Mrs. 
Chick has come to grief again. She 



Our Boa^'dino-Housc. 



213 



became immersed badly in debt, 
whereat her household goods were 
knocked down under the hammer. I 
have heard it definitely stated that 
she is lettina: lodijino-s on Lvmau 

COO •- 

street — last sad scene of all. 

Although Mrs. Chick once kept a 
carriage, once said her prayers, I can 
best liken her case to a disabled ship 
that has dropped out of fire, and is 
lost sight of in the din and smoke of 
the enoragino; vessels, and though it 
keeps on tlie surface awhile it soon 
goes to the bottom. 

80 there are hundreds of women, 
who once moved in the front lines of 
society, who have gone down, like 
Mrs. Chick, step by step, until lost 
altogether in the noise and bustle of 
this great crowded city. 

One fancies he sees such shivering 
on street corners in winter, unclad 
for the cold ; and, as he looks into 
their haggard, careworn faces, he 
reads the story of their sins and suf- 
ferings. 

With what infinite secret satisfac- 
tion we say, " Jones is growing old," 
"Smith is aging fast," "Robinson 
wo n't live long." " Brown has seen 
his best days," we say with a chuckle. 
How we like to roll those sweet mor- 
sels on our tongue. 

Having disposed of Mrs. Chick, a la 
mode of a novelist, a few words touch- 
ing her boarders will be in order. 
The occupant of the front flat is a 
corpulent lady who goes to the Bap- 
tists. This sainted soul divorced her 
first husband because of his Orthodox 
views, marrying for her second liege 
one Smalls, a haberdasher on Hanover 
street, a stout adherent to the immer- 
sion principle. He is an asthmatic, 
acquiescing little old man, in red 



German whiskers, mortally in fe^r of 
his wife, to whom he is habitually 
deferential. This morbid fear is en- 
hanced the more because he carries a 
small insurance on his life. Mr. 
Smalls imagines that she cares more 
about that than about him. 

Smalls smokes, which incessant 
practice has originated a virulent can- 
cer on his tongue. Dead set against 
smokers the feminine side of the 
house is. He protests to her that he 
has renounced the dirty habit ; but she 
alwavs detects by the peculiar odor 
in his habiliments a painful lack of 
veracity in these statements, whereat, 
being much the more muscular, she 
will shake him till he roars for mercy, 
and unfaithfully promises for the 
hundredth time to desist entirely from 
the abominable practice. Take it all 
ways, Mr. Smalls is a terribly wretch- 
ed, abused, and henpecked lord. 

The lodgers on the second floor are 
a nondescript Hibernian and wife. 
He comes home in his cups occasion- 
ally, and beats his wife accordingly, 
till the roundsman bears him away to 
the station, to which institution he is 
indeed no stranger. He usually re- 
mains in durance vile about one week, 
until his dear wife, who tugs and la- 
bors — albeit she is endeavoring to 
meet the payments on her teeth, which 
she has bought on the instalment 
plan — appears and releases him, at 
which he is inexpressibly grateful, 
and they go home as good and flip- 
pant as two old maids over a dish of 
tea. 

The top tenants are a middle-aged 
couple for whom my heart goes out 
in sympathy. They once had a little 
daughter, so angelic, so gentle, she 
seemed a being straved from that bet- 



214 



A^'ew Hampshire Aiithors. 



ter land. For a while gentle Genevieve 
was contented down here ; but when 
the flowers lost their sweetness and 
the birds stole away, she all too soon 
grew lonely in our cold world, and 
wanted to 2:0 too. 

Oh : liow often, when the forests 
cast the leaf and the sweet summer 
dies in its voluptuous beauty, the soul 
mindful of the change throws off its 
human appendage. She longed for 
her old home beyond the stars, where 
the flowers are ever blooming, where 



the birds are always singing, and no 
night is there. One wild, terrible 
night ia autumn they watched over 
her with anxious, praying hearts : 
but she was "better in the morning !" 
Little Genevieve loved a particular 
flower, the violet, which in floral lan- 
guage is expressive of hope. When 
brought where it was she would point 
her baby, chubby hands towards it, 
smiling, speaking in a language none 
could understand ; — and in summer it 
waves over her s-rave. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE AUTHORS. 
By Arthur Everett Cotton. 



The prosperity of a nation comes 
from well directed industry ; its hap- 
piness, from an impartial administra- 
tion of good, wholesome laws ; its 
preservation, from good habits and 
an impregnable defence ; but its last- 
ing glory comes from its letters. 

Of the states of New England, 
Connecticut may be said to have 
produced artists ; the Bay State, men 
of letters ; the Granite State, states- 
men. Notwithstanding this is found 
to be the case, it is with a pardonable 
pride that New Hampshire points to 
her past literary history. Measured 
by posterity, itwill secure an enviable 
position in the realm of literature. 

RICHARD B. KIMBALL. 

Born in Lebanon, educated at Mer- 
iden and Dartmouth, from which he 
graduated at the early age of seven- 
teen, Richard B. Kimball ranks amono; 
New Hampshire's best known literary 
men ; in truth, he is about the only 



novelist worth}' of the name that the 
state has produced. At college he 
bore the reputation of a diligent stu- 
dent, a clever writer, and was exceed- 
ingly popular among his fellows, of 
whom he was the youngest. The 
class of '34, to which he belonged, 
contained many men who have achieved 
prominence in the various walks of 
life. Such is Prof. E. A. Lawrence, 
of the Connecticut Theological Insti- 
tute ; such is Judge Daniel Clark, of 
Manchester ; such is the Hon. Moody 
Currier, of the same city, — not to 
mention others. 

After graduation, young Kimball 
entered upon the study of law with 
his brother at Waterford, N. Y., which 
declining health soon obliged him to 
relinquisli. To recuperate his debil- 
itated constitutioa, never very strong, 
he went on a trip to Europe, whither 
he has made fourteen voyages, one of 
which was in company with Wash- 
ington Irving. While abroad, he 



JSfew Hampshire Authors. 



215 



made the acquaintance of many men 
of note and distinction. Upon iiis 
return to America he began the prac- 
tice of his profession at Waterford, 
having attended law lectures during 
his stay in Paris. Subsequently he 
settled in New York. 

He now became interested in liter- 
ature ; was one of the editors of the 
"Knickerbocker Gallery;" started 
"Putnam's Monthly;" was a con- 
tributor to the "International Re- 
view," to the "Atlantic," and to the 
"Continental." To these Ije furnished 
reviews, essays, poetry, letters of 
travel, etc. 

He has published nine volumes, 
some of which have been translated 
into the Dutch, German, and French 
languages, — a distinction (I believe) 
accorded to no other sou of the Granite 
State. His first, and questionless his 
best, novel appeared in 1850 under the 
title of " St. Leger," the scene being 
laid in Scotland. It abounds in beau- 
tiful descriptions of Scottish scenery. 
It was brought out concurrently at 
London and Leipzig, and ran through 
twenty-three editions in this country. 
It received a favorable criticism from 
Taylor Lewis and others, and an ad- 
verse one from the " N. Y. Observer." 
"Cuba and Cubans" came out in 
1852, followed the next year Ijy " Ro- 
mance of a Student's Life Abroad," 
which (like St. Leger) was published 
in Holland, Germany, France, and 
England, receiving a kind review from 
the Revue des Deux Moncles, and the 
"Loudon Atheneum." Next, "LTn- 
dercurrents " was produced. This, 
too, was printed in Leipzig and Am- 
sterdam, having been reviewed by the 
"Gids" of the latter place; and at 
home by Taylor Lewis and Geo. Rip- 



ley, all of whom spoke in the most 
complimentary terms. "Undercur- 
rents" is called Kimball's second best 
woik by a large majority of his ad- 
mirers. "The Prince of Kashna," 
which was laid in the West Indies ; 
"Was He Successful?" "Henry 
Powers;" and "To-day," which ap- 
peared in 1870, — were issued in the 
order named. The second was trans- 
lated into Dutch, and the latter 
appearing in London, Leipzig, and 
Amsterdam. 

His tliought is often metaphysical 
and slightly religious ; his style is 
characterized by limpidity and energy 
rather than beauty, while his method 
is eminently analytic. Personally he 
 is said to be a genial gentleman of 
the old school. He still resides in 
New York, spending the summer 
months in his native town, Lebanon, 
where he retains a residence. He is 
on the suunv side of seventy. 

T. B. ALDRICH. 

Thomas Bailey Aldrich, who is 
equally known as a romancist and 
poet, is perhaps the greatest literary 
genius that this state has yet pro- 
duced. Whether vigor of thought, 
beauty of imagery, or melody of 
flow is to be considered, this state- 
ment holds unchanged. He also is a 
very industrious author, having pub- 
lished fourteen volumes, besides doing 
an immense amount of editorial and 
other literary work. His "Face 
Against the Pane" has enjoyed a 
reputation hardly second to Wood- 
worth's " Old Oaken Bucket," though 
different in style and thought. Almost 
every school-child in the land has 
committed it to memory and recited 
it on "exhibition dav." It is a 



2l6 



New Hampshire Authors. 



favorite with all who love short and 
tender poems. Some of his other 
pieces are fully as good, but not so 
celebrated. 

He has published "Cloth of Gold," 
"Story of a Bad Boy," "Marjorie 
Daw and Other People," "Prudence 
Palfrey," "Out of His Head," "The 
Queen of Sheba," "Flower and 
Thorne"; — later poems, "A River- 
mouth Romance," "Miss Mehetabel's 
Sou," "A Midnight Fantasy," "Tom 
Bailey's Adventures," "Baby Bell," 
"The Story of a Cat," translated 
from the French of Emile de la Be- 
dalliere ; some of which have had 
a very large sale. Later he has 
produced " The Stillwater Trage- 
dy." 

Mr. Aldrich was born in Portsmouth 
in 1836 ; was employed in a New 
York counting-house ; worked on the 
"Home Journal," owned by N. P. 
Willis ; went to Boston to edit '-Every 
Saturday," with which he was con- 
nected until its discontinuance. At 
present he is residing in Cambridge, 
Mass. 

It is worthy of remark how much 
this state owes to the classic city of 
Portsmouth ; for, indeed, well may 
she be called such. There lived her 
Weutworth, Sullivan, and Pickering ; 
there Haven, Buckminster, and Pea- 
body preached their doctrines ; there 
Mason, Webster, and Woodbury be- 
gan life ; there lived and died the 
poet Sewall ; and from there have 
gone forth into a neighboring state 
men who have contributed to the fame 
and glor}' of this noble old common- 
wealth. In those days her sail- 
whitened harbor attested to her great 
commercial importance, which now 
amounts comparatively to nothing. 



CELIA THAXTER. 

To many the dearest name among 
those who have helped to make New 
Hampshire literature is CeliaThaxter, 
who is a native of Portsmouth. Her 
life itself is like a romance. Soured 
against the world, which he thought 
had ill-treated him, her father, a po- 
litical adventurer, a gentleman of 
some literary pretensions, who had 
formerly edited the New Hampshire 
Gazette^ removed, while the future 
poet was yet a child, to an uninhab- 
ited island nine miles from the main 
laud, whither he had been appointed 
keeper of the White Island light. For 
him, who had broken with the world, 
such a location, with its dreary sur- 
roundings, was justly suited ; but 
with our author the case must have 
been different. There, with no society 
but her parents, and such books as 
they had brought with them, she 
grew to woman's estate, passing a 
dreamy existence. The shells of the 
seashore were her only playmates ; 
old ocean's melancholy roar the only 
sound to greet her ears. But by-aud- 
by a unique idea struck Tom Laigh- 
ton. Would n't the isles make a good 
summer resort? He tried it, and the 
enterprise proved successful not only 
to him pecuniarily, but in introducing 
the island singer to public notice. 
Soon after this she became the wife 
of Mr. Thaxter, who (I believe) was 
boarding at the house. 

Mrs. Thaxter's works consist of 
two volumes of poetry and a prose 
description of her " sea-blown" home. 
For originality of genius and beauty 
of rhythm she has no superior among 
the granite poets ; while she is re- 
garded by competent judges among 
the leading women poets of Amer- 



JSfew Hanifs^hirc Authors. 



217 



ica. She continues to reside at the 
Shoals. 

JAMES T. FIKLDS. 

If Kimball's books have circulated 
abroad the most of any writer born 
in New Hampshire, those of James 
T. Fields are read more extensively' 
at home. His ''Yesterdays with 
Authors" is read with equal pleasure 
by the learned and the unlearned. It 
is found alike in the alcoves of the 
great libraries of the rich and among 
the half dozen books which make up 
the libraries of the less favored. It 
is fertile in anecdote and interesting 
information about the authors whom 
the writer has known in his day and 
generation, told in the simple but 
pleasing style of which he is a master. 
Probably no man on the American 
continent, dead or living, has enjoyed 
the personal friendship of so many 
distinguished literary characters, both 
European and domestic, as Mr. Fields, 
whose position as a member of the 
largest publishing house in Boston, 
coupled with his rare affaliility of 
manner and conversational talent, 
gave him peculiar opportunities for 
acquiring such acquaintances. 

Mr. Fields is not a voluminous 
writer, he having written well rather 
than much, and his reputation, which 
in extent is national, has been 
achieved almost wholly through his 
"Yesterdays with Authors." Not- 
withstanding this, he has, amidst a 
press of other arduous duties, found 
time to give us brief monographs 
on Hawthorne, Dickens, and Barry 
Cornwall, and a collection of miscel- 
laneous papers under the title of 
"Underbrush." He has compiled a 
"Family Library of British Poetry" 
in one volume. 



Fields was born in Portsmouth in 
1820, of parents in the humblest cir- 
cumstances ; was educated in the 
schools of his native city ; went to 
Boston as a bookseller's clerk ; after- 
wards became associated with George 
Ticknor in book publishing, under 
the firm of Ticknor & Fields, which, 
after undergoing several alterations, 
is at present represented by Hough- 
ton, Mifflin & Company. This house 
has been the avenue through which 
Agassiz, Bryant, Emerson, Longfel- 
low, and Whittier have given their 
immortal works to the world. It was 
also the authorized publishers of 
Dickens in America. Fields is not 
inaptly styled the American Dodsley. 

EDNA DEAN PROCTOR. 

Another author, whose name is 
very familiar, has gone forth from 
the Granite hills, adding to their 
reputation for producing noble and 
famous women. I make reference to 
Edna Dean Proctor, whom malignant 
tongues linked with the disgraceful 
Plymouth scandal ; a charge about 
which there was not a word of truth. 
Of her life little is known more than 
that she was born in Henniker, and 
reared amid the rugged grandeur and 
picturesque scenery of old Kearsai'ge, 
which she has embalmed in a beauti- 
fully worded poem. Her "Russian 
Journey," in prose, and a volume of 
poetry, are extensively read, and have 
been highly spoken of by the review- 
ers. Some of her poems, which are 
of various orders of merit, have a 
peculiar beauty and pathos which one 
would fain describe. Her residence 
is at Brooklyn, L. I. 

Among other natives of this state 
whose books, in some instances, have 



2l8 



The Residence of Counsellor Peter Livius. 



attained a national popularity, is C. 
"Carleton" Coffin, a native of Bos- 
cawen, better known as the war cor- 
respondent of the Boston JournaU 
who has issued a book of European 
travels, "Caleb Krinkle," a novel, a 
volume of war reminiscences, and a 
Life of Gen. Garfield ; is P. P>. Shil- 
laber, better known as Mrs. Parting-, 
ton, a native of Portsmouth, who is 
the best humorist of which this state 
can boast, and who is a poet of re- 
spectable dimensions ; is S. Adam 
Drake, better known as a genealogist, 
a native of Pittsfield, but whose 
"Nooks and Corners of the New 
England Coast" has had a very gen- 
eral circulation. 

The former two gentlemen reside 
in suburban Boston ; the latter is de- 
ceased. Mrs. Partinoton's humor is 



of that peculiar kind which has had 
no imitators. Previous to the ap- 
pearance of the Bailey-Burdette school 
she was confessedly at the head 
of American mirth-provokers. Her 
" Partingtonian Patchwork" consists 
of the following truly laughable 
sketches : Blifkins the Martyr, or The 
Domestic Trials of a Model Husband ; 
The Modern Syntax ; Dr. Spooner's 
Experiences in Search of the Delec- 
table ; Partingtonian Papers ; Strip- 
pings of the Warm Milk of Human 
Kindness ; New and Old Things from 
an Unpretending Inkstand. 

Doubtless there are many more 
names that would deserve to be cata- 
logued in a ' list of Granite State 
authors, but the scope of this article 
is far from comprising a bibliography 
of the state. 



THE RESIDENCE OF COUNSELLOR PETER LIVIUS AT TUF- 

TONBOROUGH. 

By John Wentworth, LL. D. 



In the first edition of Belknap's 
History of New Hampshire, three 
volumes, imieh is said of Counsellor 
Peter Livius. See Vol. IH for the 
trial of Gov. John Wentworth in Lon- 
don upon cliarges preferred by him. 
He was appointed counsellor in 1765. 
He married Ann Pvlizabeth, daughter 
of John Tufton Mason, and named 
the township of which he was princi- 
pal proprietor, and where he made 
his home, Tuftonhorough. He left 
the state in April, 1772, and did not 
return. He was named in the New 
Hampshire act of 1778, "To prevent 
the return of certain persons to this 
state wlio have left it and joined with 



the enemies thereof." He was chief- 
justice of Canada from 1777 to 1786, 
living at Quebec. He died in Eng- 
land, July 23, 1795, aged sixty-eight. 
I had my curiosity excited as to 
the residence of Judge Livius from 
the letter of Lady Frances Went- 
worth, from Wolfeborough, dated 
Wentworth House, October 4, 1770, 
to her relative, the wife of Hon. 
Woodbury Langdou, of Portsmouth, 
which was published in the Gkanite 
Monthly, December, 1881. The 
Wentworth House was upon the old 
route from Portsmouth (forty-nine 
miles distant) to Montreal, yjaNewing- 
ton, Rochester, and Middletou. Hon. 



The Residence of Counsellor Peto- Livhis. 



219 



John M. Brackett, of Wolfeborougb, 
informs me that he saw the house 
wlieii it took lire upon the roof and 
was burned down in 1820. By the old 
road it was nine miles to the residence 
of Judge Livius from the Weutworth 
House. Mrs. Wentworth thus writes : 
''Mrs. Livius arrived here on Mon- 
day afternoon, and appeared nearly 
as tired as you was, but would not 
own it. Sh6 staid here three nights 
for fair weather, and at last went 
over the pond in a high gust of wind 
which made a great sea and white 
caps as large as the canoe." 

I thought I would like to know the 
route of Mrs. Livius. In 18.51 I 
visited the site of the Gov. Went- 
worth house, at Wolfeborougb. Di- 
rectly across the road lived a Mr. 
Whitteu, who said his house was so 
constructed that bis front door was 
directly opposite that of Gov. Went- 
worth, and one could, when the doors 
were opened, look directly down 
through the ball to the shore of the 
pond where the governor bad his 
landing-place and kept bis boats. 
From this point Mrs. Livius must 
have started. Where did she land? 
Leaving Portsmouth in the morning, 
and taking in Rev. Dr. Alonzo H. 
Quint at Dover, I landed at Wolfe- 
borougb by the Alton Bay steamboat, 
where we took a carriage and drove 
over the old Moultonborough and 
Sandwich stage road, keeping as 
close to the lake as possible. About 
four miles from Wolfeborougb bridge, 
and about nine miles from Moulton- 
borough corner, and about nine miles 
from the old Gov. Wentworth house, 
we found Dishwater creek, or what 
is better known as Lang's pond or 
Livius pond. John Horn, an old 



gentlemen of the Dover Horn family, 
is the best known person living near 
there. The pond or creek was con- 
nected with the lake b}' a stream 
easily navigable for small boats. 
Mrs. Livius had sailed from the 
Wentworth landing across Smith's 
pond (now called by some Lake 
Weutworth) down the river, probably 
before the present bridge was built, 
into Lake Winuipiseogee, thence up 
the lake shore to the mouth of Dish- 
water creek or river, thence up that 
stream, where, a short distance from 
the lake, upon an elevated spot, the 
cellar of the old Livius house was 
pointed out. The original bouse had 
been destroyed by fire. Near the 
cellar, upon the same premises, lives 
Amos W. Kimball. The place showed 
the good taste of Judge Livius in its 
selection as a private residence, and 
we found a large number of families 
from the cities enjoving- it as a sum- 
mer residence. 

We were informed that the late 
Hon. Nathaniel Wbitebouse, of Tuf- 
tonborougb Corner, had published in 
the Wolfeborougb paper some years 
since a very interesting sketch of 
Judge Livius, with a history of the 
title of his land. Dr. Belknap does 
not mention Judge Livius among 
those who, like Gov. Wentworth, had 
their estates confiscated. Perhaps 
he had sold it before be left the state. 
A friend applied at the newspaper 
office for permission to copy the arti- 
cle of Mr. Wbitebouse. He was 
informed that the publishers of the 
newspaper had preserved no files. I 
then applied to the family friends 
of Mr. Wbitebouse at Tuftonborough 
for information. Mr. William O. S. 
Hodgdon, now living there, whose 



220 



The Pinkham Notch. 



wife was a granddaughter of Mr. 
Wbitehouse, responded to my letter. 
Mr. Whitehonse died October 27, 
1866, aged one hundred years, six 
months, and seventeen days. He 
was living, when quite a small boy, 
in the old Livius house when it was 
burned. The house of Mr. Hodgdon 



was afterwards burned, which con- 
tained many valuable historical man- 
uscripts from Mr. Whitehouse. Un- 
less a copy of the Wolfeborough 
paper can be found, we are not likely 
to know any more of the old Judge 
Livius premises. 



THE PINKHAM NOTCH. 

By Persis F. Chase. 



The visitors to the White Mount- 
ains, especially those who have been 
on the east side, to the Glen, have 
heard of, and very likely driven 
through, the Pinkham woods, or 
Notch. 

This road, which extends from 
.Jackson to Randolph, a distance of 
twelve miles, was constructed through 
the wilderness, between two ranges 
of the White Mountains, by Daniel 
Pinkham, a resident of Jackson. It 
was commenced in 1824, and two 
years were required to complete it. 
Before the construction of this road 
the people of Jackson were in a meas- 
ure isolated from the rest of the world, 
having no public road through the 
town. Mr. Pinkham made a contract 
with the state to build a good carriage 
road through this unbroken forest 
of heavy growth, along side-hills, 
and across rapid streams ; for this 
work he was to receive from the state 
a quitclaim deed to a tract of land 
one half mile wide on each side of the 
road, from the Jackson line, to Gor- 
ham, and all the state land in Jackson. 
At that time the White Mountains 
were just beginning to attract visitors. 



Mr. Pinkham believed that this road 
would become the great highway 
for mountain travellers, and that the 
land in that locality would become 
o;reatly increased in value ; that the 
forest would disappear before the axe 
of the new settler, and the wilderness 
be transformed into productive farms. 
He also thought that a carriage-road 
would be built from the present site 
of the Glen House to the summit of 
Mt. Washington. 

Mr. Pinkham lived to see this part 
of his prophecy fulfilled ; but it is more 
than sixty years since this road was 
completed, and the primeval forest 
still borders it on either side, as it 
did in 1824. 

The Notch, or narrowest part of 
the road, is just at tlie Glen Ellis falls, 
where the mountains are not more 
than a quarter of a mile apart. The 
slope of the mountains is gradual, 
and there is not any of the grandeur 
of the White or Franconia Notches; 
but yet it is a beautiful and pictur- 
esque place, and well worth a visit. 

On the fourth of July, 1826, before 
a road had been made to the top of 
Mt. Wasliington from this side, Mr. 



To An Out-Bound Ship. 



221 



Piukbam and a son-in-law, Joseph 
Hanson, determined to erect a flag- 
pole on the summit. They started up 
the mountain, selecting as they passed 
through the woods a tree suitable for 
their purpose. Choosing one about 
thirty feet high', they cut it down, 
and soon transformed it into a flag- 
pole, which they carried on their 
shoulders to the top of the mountain. 
After nailing a small flag to the pole, 
they raised it on the very summit, 
making it fast at the base with rocks ; 
and for the first time the '' Star Span- 
gled Banner " floated from the top of 
Mt. Washington, and continued to 
do so until worn out by wind and 
storm. 

There is a story of a very sagacious 
dog connected with Pinkham Notch. 
This dog was owned by Joseph Han- 
sou, who had a house near the place 
where the Glen House now stands. 
One very cold and stormy winter 
day, one of Mr. Hanson's children, a 
little girl, was taken very sick It was 
extremely necessary to send word 
down through the woods to Mr. Pink- 
ham's family, and to the doctor. Mr. 
Hanson could not leave home to go, 
and as a last resort resolved to send 
the dog, who was a remarkably in- 
telligent animal. He wrote a note, 
which he tied around the dog's neck, 
and, taking him out into the storm. 



told him he must go to Mr. Pink- 
ham's and carry the letter ; that little 
Lucy was very sick, and he must 
bring them help. The dog seemed to 
understand, and started off; but the 
dreadful storm probably discouraged 
him, for in about half an hour he re- 
turned whining, and apparently afraid. 
Mr. Hanson scolded him, and told 
him ho, must go. Again he started, 
and did not return until the next 
morning, when he came accompanied 
by Mrs. Pinkham and the doctor. 

There is a highway robbery con- 
nected with the history of Pinkham 
woods. About four years ago, as the 
stage from the Glen House to Glen 
station in Bartlett was passing the 
Glen Ellis falls, two men armed with 
pistols emerged from the woods, 
seized the horses by their heads, and 
demanded the money and jewelry of 
the passengers. They received what 
they asked for, and disappeared in the 
woods, and were never discovered. 

Mr. Pinkham, who was a preacher 
as well as pioneer, as it was he who 
preached the sermon at the funeral of 
the Willey family, did not succeed in 
making the land he received for build- 
ing this road profitable, and finally 
sold out and went to Lancaster, a 
village about twenty miles from Pink- 
ham woods, where he resided until 
his death. 



TO AN OUT-BOUND SHIP. 

I stand and watch them from the shore, 

The white ships steal away 
Silently down into the blue. 

All at the close of day. 

And from the clift's bold brow I watch, 
Throuirh eves made dim with tears. 

One ship closer than all the rest. 
As seaward swift she veers. 



222 To An Out-Bound Skip. 

For yon white sail, in offing faint, 
Than others fairer seems. 

And proudly, amid all the fleet, 
Her snowy canvas gleams. 

For there, upon her wind-swept deck, 
Upon her sea-worn floor, 

Stands one I love to name as friend, 
Fast fading from the shore. 

And so, more than the others all, 
I watch this faithful ship 

Grow far and faint, and drop below 
The ocean's curving lip. 

More beauteous ships my eyes descry, 
A-dancing o'er the foam ; 

But this one, dearer, holds my heart, — 
'T is she I watch alone. 

And so I stand and watch my ship, 
With eye and heart a-brim. 

Till hull and sail fade into fleck, 
And all the world grows dim. 

And when the night draws darkly down, 

I follow her, unseen, 
And love to think her sailing on 

Beneath a sky serene. 

I follow her, with earnest thought, 

Follow to every part; 
Wherever my brave friend shall roam, 

There shall he find my heart. 

And so at home I wait, and watch 
The days, like ships, go by. 

And swift, with rosy canvas spread, 
Sail down the evening sky. 

And love to think of my good friend 
Beyond the distant sea, 

And wonder how his vessel fares, 
And where his port may be. 

I love to think, each closing day, 
Those steadfast eyes of blue 

Are gazing back to home and me, 
All earnest, fond, and true. 

I love to think how this dear heart. 
Loving, tender, and brave, 

Will fearless sail for life's sweet mede, 
And patient breast the wave. 

Until, with patience, he hath brought 
To end the voyages all, 

And eager, happy, home returns 
Unto his cottage small. 

I love to trustful give him thus 
Into the dear Lord's care. 

With a i'ull heart and misty eye, 
And just a little prayer. 

And thus I love to sit and think, 
And in the dear Lord's hand 

Leave all my dear ones, far or near. 
Upon the sea or land. 




The 

RANITE neNTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

'Devoted to Literature, 'Biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



JULY, 1887. 



No. 7. 



HON. DANIEL CLARK. 
By Hon. Isaac W. Smith. 



New Hampshire has always taken 
a pardonable pride in the prosperity 
of her children who go forth to other 
states, and, achieving distinction in 
the land of their adoption, reflect 
honor upon the state of their nativity. 
Their names in life, and memories 
when dead, are cherished with affec- 
tion on every hill-top and in every 
valley, from the sea to the lakes and 
the mountains. But she also looks 
with parental pride and affection upon 
that larger and almost innumerable 
list of other sons and daughters who 
have won distinction in life and a place 
in history within her narrow limits. 

The remark is not altogether an 
infelicitous one, that the chief prod- 
ucts of New Hampshire are granite, 
ice, and men. Webster said (vol. 2, 
Webster's Works, p. 499), "Its soil 
is sterile and stubborn, but the reso- 
lution to subdue it is stubborn also. 
Unrelenting rocks have yielded and 
do yield to unrelenting labor ; and 
there are productiveness, and health, 



and plenty, and comfort, over all her 
hills and among all her valleys. 
Manly strength, the nerved arm of 
freemen, each one tilling his own 
land and standing on his own soil, 
enjoying what he earns and ready to 
defend it, — these have made all com- 
fortable and happy." The rugged 
discipline enforced upon her children 
in their struggles for success has de- 
veloped a t3'pe of manhood and wom- 
anhood mentally, morally, and phys- 
ically equipped to grapple success- 
fully with the duties of life. It is in 
the history of him whose name stands 
at the head of this article, and whose 
life has been spent upon her soil and 
largely in her service, that we find a 
marked example of that large com- 
pany of her sons, who on her rugged 
hills and in her narrow, prosperous 
valleys, amid the grandeur and sub- 
limity of her mountains and lakes 
and beneath her healthful skies, have 
achieved distinction not circumscribed 
merely by state lines. 



224 



Hon. Daniel Clark. 



Daniel Clark, the third child of 
Benjamin and Elizabeth (Wiggin) 
Clark, was born in Stratham, Rock- 
ingham county, N. H., October 24, 
1809. His father was both farmer 
and blacksmith. He was respected 
by all who knew him for his integrity. 
He was industrious, frugal, temper- 
ate, kindly, and obliging. His mother 
was strong-minded, devoted to her 
family, and very religious. She was 
not indifferent to the good opinion of 
others, and was ambitious for the 
success of her family, and especially 
of her children. They lived upon a 
beautiful farm, in the upper part of 
the town, near the historic town of 
Exeter. Tlie subject of this sketch 
remained at home under the care and 
nurture of his excellent parents until 
he was thirteen years of age, going 
to the common district school in sum- 
mer and winter, or so much of the 
time as it was kept, and assisting 
about the ordinary farm-work in va- 
cation. He learned at school easily, 
and was more fond of his books than 
of work upon the farm. At the age 
of thirteen he was sent with his older 
brother to the academy in Hampton, 
N. H., and put upon the common 
English studies. He did not then 
expect to acquire a more liberal edu- 
cation, although ills uiotlier iiad some 
undefined notions of a higher course 
of studies for her son. He continued 
at Hampton at intervals, there a term 
and at home a term, helping upon the 
farm, some four 3'ears or more, when 
he determined to go to college. He 
pursued his preparatory studies at 
Hampton, teaching school two win- 
ters, and at twenty was prepared for 
college. He entered Dartmouth col- 
lege, graduating in 1834 with the first 



honors of the institution. Rev. Dr. 
Lord, the president of the college, 
was then in the prime of his life. 
Although he had presided over the 
college but a few 3'ears, he had al- 
ready secured the confidence of his 
friends, so justly merited, as subse- 
quently shown by his successful ad- 
ministration of the affairs of the col- 
lege for more than a third of a cen- 
tury. Among Mr. Clark's classmates 
were Albert Baker, who entered upon 
the practice of the law at Hillsbor- 
ough, N. H., and died at the age of 
thirty-one, liis untimely death ex- 
tinguishing hopes which his short but 
brilliant career had caused his many 
friends to entertain of his future use- 
fulness ; Hon. Moody Currier, ll.d., 
of Manchester, ex-governor of New 
Hampshire ; Rev. Newton E. Mar- 
ble, u. D., Newtown, Connecticut; 
Hon. Richard B. Kimball, ll. d., of 
New York city, lawyer, scliolar, and 
author ; Rev. Eldward A. Lawrence, 
D. u., Marbleliead, Massachusetts; 
and Prof. Alplionso Wood, president 
of Ohio Female College. Mr. Clark 
taught school winters during his col- 
lege course, and while pursuing his 
professional studies, eight winters in 
all, including the two years l)efore 
entering college, defraying, in part, 
tlie expenses of his education with 
tlie funds received from teaching. 
Immediately after graduation he en- 
tered tlie office of Hon. George Sul- 
livan, tlien tlie attorney-general of 
tlie state, son of Gen, Joliii Sullivan 
of Revolutionary fame, at Exeter, 
and commenced the study of the law, 
remaining with Mr. Sullivan a year 
and a lialf. He completed his legal 
studies in the office of Hon. James 
Bell, afterwards United States sena- 



Hon. Daniel Clark. 



22i 



tor, at Exeter, and was admitted to 
the bar of Rockingham county in 
1837. In the same year he opened 
an office at Epping, where he remained 
some eighteen months, and in 1839 
removed to Manchester, N. H. This 
thriving city was then just rising 
from the ground. Not a mill was 
running, the canal even being unfin- 
ished. The only railroad then con- 
structed in the state was the Nashua 
& Lowell. The telegraph and tele- 
phone had not yet been invented. The 
lumberino; stage-coach was the onlv 
means of travel. The rates of postage 
were high, and the mails slow and 
few. The embryo city was hardly 
more than a desolate sand-bank, where 
a few hundred people had gathered, 
allured by the prospect of business 
about to spring up with the improve- 
ment of the water-power at Amos- 
keag falls. Mr. Clark was among 
the first to open a law office here. 
He soon acquired an active practice, 
which afterwards grew to large pro- 
portions, and for twenty years he was 
employed upon one side or the other 
of nearly every important trial in the 
county, attending the courts also in 
Merrimack and Rockingham counties. 
He was employed in behalf of the 
state in the preliminary examination 
in the "Parker murder trial," being 
occupied almost contiuuouslv for a 
period of nearly two months. He 
succeeded in procuring the extradi- 
tion from Maine of the su[)posed 
murderers after lengthv trial in that 
state, and, after a hearing lasting 
nearly a month before the police 
court of Manchester, procured their 
commitment to answer for the crime 
of murder. Opposed to him as coun- 
sel were Gen. Franklin Pierce (after- 



wards president of the United States), 
Gen. B. F. Butler, Hon. Josiah G. 
Abbott, and the late Charles G. 
Atherton, — an array of legal talent 
seldom seen in this state. Mr. Clark 
was employed for the defence in two 
capital trials in the fall of 1854, — 
Curtice's and Marshall's. Marshall 
was acquitted, and in the case of 
Curtice the jury disagreed. During 
the period of his active practice the 
bar of Hillsborough county was un- 
usually strong. Among its prominent 
members were Benjamin M. Farley 
of HoUis ; James U. Parker of 
Merrimack ; George Y. Sawyer and 
Charles G. Atherton of Nashua ; 
Samuel H. Ayer of Hillsborough ; 
and Samuel D. Bell and George W. 
Morrison of INIanchester. General 
Pierce, of the Merrimack bar, also 
generally attended the courts in 
Hillsborough county. Of these emi- 
nent lawyers, Mr. Morrison is the 
sole survivor. Gen. Pierce, as a 
jury lawyer, had no superior in the 
state. He had a very pleasing ad- 
dress, was dignified without being 
reserved, and possessed a magnetic 
influence over men, which rendered 
him a formidable antagonist before 
jurors. But in many respects Mr. 
Atherton stood at the head of the 
Hillsborough bar as a lawyer and 
advocate. He was a man of scholar- 
ly attainments, possessed a graceful 
diction, had a good command of 
language, knew how and when to use 
sarcasm, could appeal effectively to 
the passions and prejudices, was 
thoroughly read in the law. and was 
perfectly at home in the court-room. 
With these and other able lawyers 
Mr. Clark spent the most of his ac- 
tive professional life, and he was rec- 



226 



Hon. Daniel Clark. 



ognized as their peer. His practice 
was as varied as it was exteusive. 
"Whatever he undertook was thor- 
ouo:hlv done. He was loval to the 
court, faithful to his clients, cour- 
teous to opposing counsel, and kind 
and magnanimous to the younger 
members of the profession. In his 
arguments to the jury he was nev- 
er wearisome. He seized upon the 
weak points of the other side and 
the strong points of his own, and 
made them prominent to the jury. 
He wasted no time on immaterial 
matters. AVhile he did not possess 
the personal magnetism of Pierce, 
or Atherton's power of sarcasm, he 
could put before a court or jury his 
ease with convincing power and in its 
strongest light, aud if success did 
not always attend his efforts, it was 
not because he failed to present all 
the favorable views of his case. Le- 
gal papers drafted by him were 
models of accuracy and clearness. 
They were also remarkable for their 
brevity, all useless verbiage being 
avoided. In his writs the cause of 
action w^as brietly and clearly set out, 
aud it was rare that he had occasion 
to apply for an amendment. His 
clients became his fast friends. His 
charges were moderate, and no client 
went away feeling tliat undue advan- 
tage had been taken of his position, 
or that his interests had not been 
fully protected. 

It is unfortunate, perhaps, for his 
legal reputation that Mr. Clark was 
drawn into politics. But it was his 
fortune to live in times when ques- 
tions of great public interest vvere 
being discussed aud settled, and it was 
inevitable that a person of his ability, 
education, and temperament should 



not entertain pronounced views on 
public questions. In the early part 
of his professional life there was 
a difference of opinion as to the wis- 
dom of encouraging the extension of 
manufacturing and railroad opera- 
tions in the state, and, unfortunately, 
the question got into politics, aud 
the two parties took opposite sides. 
With the acquisition of California 
came, the question of the extension or 
restriction of slavery, the repeal of 
the Missouri Compromise, the civil 
war, the abolition of slavery, and 
the reconstruction measures after the 
close of the war. As a rule, the law- 
yers of New Hampshire have very 
generally taken an active interest in 
political questions. Thus circum- 
stanced, it was hardly possible for 
Mr. Clark not to have some inclina- 
tion towards political life. In 1842 
he was elected one of the representa- 
tives from the town of Manchester to 
the legislature, aud was reelected in 
1843, and again elected in 1846. In 
1854, after the adoption of the city 
charter, he was elected representative 
from his ward, and reelected in 1855. 
In 1849, 1850, and 1851 he was can- 
didate for the state senate, but, his 
party being in the minority in the 
district, he failed of an election. He 
acted with the AVhig party until its 
dissolution, when he helped to form 
the Hepubliean party, with which he 
has since been identified. He was 
often upon the stump during the 
campaigns preceding the elections in 
1854 and 1855, speaking in every 
j)ortion of the state, from the sea to 
the mountains. He also took part 
in the election contests during the 
decade which immediately followed. 
Party feeling ran high, the contests 



Hon. Daniel Clark. 



227 



often beinsj exceediiisjlv bitter. No 
sj)eaker was received with greater 
enthusiasm or addressed larger audi- 
ences. It was largelv owing to bis 
labors at the hustings that a change 
in the political sentiment of the state 
was brought about. In 1856 he was 
a member of the National Republican 
■Convention, and in November of the 
same year was elected one of the 
presidential electors in New Hamp- 
shire, and voted for Fremont and 
Dayton for president and vice-presi- 
dent. 

In 1855 the legislature was called 
upon to elect two United States sen- 
ators. For the first time in a quarter 
•of a century, with a single exception, 
the Democratic party was in a minor- 
ity. The opposition was composed 
of the Whig party, then on the point 
of dissolving, the American part}', 
€ommonly known as the " Know- 
Nothing " party, and the Free-Soil 
party. These elements, a year later, 
were fused in the Republican party. 
By common consent, Hon. John P. 
Hale was nominated for the short 
tei'm, and the contest for the long 
term was between Mr. Clark and the 
Hon. James Bell. In the senatorial 
■caucus the latter was nominated and 
subsequently elected by the legisla- 
ture. The contest, although warm, 
was a friendly one, so that when, 
two years later, in 1857, the legisla- 
ture was called to fill the vacancy in 
the office occasioned by the death of 
Senator Bell, in obedience to the 
common wishes of their constituents 
the Repul^lican members nominated 
and the legislature elected Mr. Clark. 
Upon the expiration of his terra he 
was reelected in 1860 with little op- 
position. The ten years spent by 



Senator Clark in congress constituted 
the most eventful period in the his- 
tory of the republic. He witnessed 
the rise, progress, and overthrow of 
the Rebellion. This is not the time 
or place to review his congressional 
life. One will get a glimpse of his 
position upon the slavery question on 
page 268, volume 1, of Mr. Blaine's 
"Twenty Years of Congress." He 
served upon some of the most impor- 
tant committees, and was chairman 
of the Committee on Claims, and, 
during portions of two sessions, pres- 
ident jpro tempore of the senate in the 
absence of Vice-President Hamlin. 
He was a firm supporter of the vari- 
ous war measures adopted for the 
suppression of the Rebellion, and 
had the confidence of President Lin- 
coln and Secretary Stanton. He 
failed of a reelection in 1866, as his 
colleague, Senator Hale, had done 
two years before, not from any lack 
of appreciation of the invaluable ser- 
vices they had rendered the countr}^ 
nor of the honor they had conferred 
upon the state by their course in con- 
gress, but because the rule of rotation 
in office had become so thoroughly 
ingrafted into the practice of the Re- 
publican party in the state that a 
departure from it was not deemed 
wise, even in the persons of these 
eminent statesmen. 

In the summer of 1866 a vacancy 
occurred in the office of district judge 
of the United States district court 
for the district of New Hampshire, 
and Senator Clark was nominated 
for the position by President John- 
son, and unanimously confirmed by 
the senate. He thereupon resigned 
his seat in the senate and entered 
upon the discharge of his judicial 



228 



Hon. Daniel Clai'k. 



duties. The wisdom of his selection 
has been justified M' his career upon 
the bench. The office of district 
judge does not afford such opportun- 
ity for public distinction as the bench 
of some other courts, the jurisdiction 
of the court being principally limited 
to cases arising under the constitu- 
tion and laws of the United States. 
New Hampshire, from its size, loca- 
tion, and business relations, furnishes 
only a small amount of business for 
the federal courts, and not much of 
that generally of public interest. In 
addition to holding his own court. 
Judge Clark has frequently been 
called to hold the federal courts in 
other states in the first circuit. He 
has brought to the discharge of his 
judicial duties the same learning, in- 
dustry, and interest that character- 
ized his labors at the bar and in the 
senate. His decisions have com- 
mended themselves to the profession 
for their soundness and fairness. 
Judge Clark, apparently indifferent to 
the preservation of his opinions, has 
neglected to put them in shape for 
publication in the reports of the first 
circuit, to the regret of his profes- 
sional friends and admirers. He has 
now (1887) been upon the bench 
twenty-one years. He was entitled, 
under the law of congress, to retire 
in 187!) upon the salary for the rest 
of his life. But he has preferred to 
earn his salary, and "to wear out 
rather than to rust out." With his 
physical strength but slightly im- 
paired, his mind as vigorous as in 
the years of his full manhood, he, at 
the age of seventy-seven, gives prom- 
ise of many years of future useful- 
ness. 

In 1870 he was a member and 



president of the convention called to 
revise the constitution of New Hamp- 
shire. 

Judge Clark, in 1850, formed a 
copartnership with his brother David 
in the practice of the law, which was 
dissolved, by reason of the ill health 
of the latter, in 1856. In December, 
1856, he entered into copartnership 
with Isaac W. Smith, now upon the 
supreme bench of New Hampshire, 
who read law with him in 1 848-' 50. 
Their firm was dissolved in December, 
1861, at which time his practice of 
the law may be said to have sub- 
stantially ceased. So much of his 
time was absorbed with congressional 
duties, and other public duties be- 
tween sessions growing out of dis- 
turbances caused by the civil war, 
that he had but little time or inclina- 
tion to follow the courts 6r attend 
the calls of clients in his office. 

Judge Clark has been fuUv identi- 
fied with the growth and history of 
Manchester. He has taken great 
interest in its material prosperity, 
and has merited and received the 
confidence of its inhabitants. Be- 
sides representing the town and city 
five years in the legislature, he has. 
held various offices of trust, viz., 
member of the school board, chief 
engineer of the fire department, trus- 
tee of the city library, city solicitor, 
trustee and president of the Man- 
chester Savings Bank, director of the 
Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, 
and trustee of the State Industrial 
School. No citizen of Manchester, 
with possibly the exception of the 
late Governor Straw, has exerted so- 
much infiuence for its growth and 
prosperity as lie. As he looks to-day 
upon this beautiful city of forty thou- 



yoscph Emerson Dozu. 



229 



sand people, and their busy mills, 
well paved streets, shady side-walks, 
fruitfnl gardens, and peaceful homes, 
he, if any one, may repeat the words 
of the Roman poet, " Quorum magna 
pars fai.^' 

Judge Clark has not failed to take 
a deep interest in his alma mater, 
which in 1866 honored herself as 
well as him by conferring upon him 
the degree of ll. d. In 1861, upon 
the invitation of the city councils of 
Manchester, he delivered a eulogy 
upon the life of President Lincoln, 
and in 1880, upon the invitation of 
the alumni of Dartmouth college, a 
eulogy upon the life of Judge George 
F. Shepley before that association, 
both of which were subsequently 
published. In 1869, on the occasion 
of the centennial anniversary of the 
founding of the college, he delivered 
an address before the alumni at the 
invitation of the trustees. A copy 
was requested for publication, which 
unfortunately was withheld too late 
for it to appear with the other pub- 



lished proceedings of that occasion. 
Judge Clark has contributed liber- 
ally to the support of preaching, 
worshipping with the Unitarians. 
His views correspond with those of 
Rev. Dr. A. P. Peabody, of Cam- 
bridge, Mass., or with the views of 
what may be called the Orthodox 
Unitarians. He has no sympathy 
with the doctrines of the ultra part of 
that denomination. In more recent 
years he has worshipped at the Frank- 
lin Street Congregational Church (Or- 
thodox), of which Rev. Dr. George 
B. Spaulding was lately the pastor. 

Judge Clark has been twice mar- 
ried, — the first time, in 1840, to 
Hannah W. Robbins, who died in 
October, 1844, leaving no children ; 
the second time, to Annie W. Salter, 
in 184G, who is still living. He has 
had four children, — three sous and 
one daughter. The two oldest are 
living, engaged in the practice of the 
law. One son died in infancy, and 
the daughter when between two and 
three vears of a2;e. 



JOSEPH EMERSON DOW. 

The Earliest Settled Lawyer in Littleton. 
By a. S. Batchellor. 



In the first decade of the present 
century the town of Littleton in- 
creased in population from 381 to 
873. The inhabitants were success- 
fully subduing the wilderness, devel- 
oping productive farms, establishing 
lucrative trade, and introducing man- 
ufactories of many articles. New 
highways had been constructed which 
gave the various sections of the town 



convenient access to the county roads 
and great turnpikes, and beneficial 
communication with the business 
towns throughout the country. Then, 
as now, Littleton would deserve the 
distinction of being a flourishing com- 
munity. In 1807 the place attracted 
the attention of Joseph Emerson 
Dow, a young lawyer of distinguished 
family and promising antecedents, as 



230 



Joseph Emerson Dow. 



a suitable location for the practice of 
his profession. Early in the year he 
became a resident of the north part 
of the town, and commenced busi- 
ness. Several stores and shops, the 
post-office, the distillery, and most of 
the influential inhabitants were in 
that section. The site of the present 
village was then called Amonoosuck, 
but it was never a post-office point 
until 1820, when one was established 
and named C41yuville. 

Of Mr. Dow's law practice there is 
not much to be said. He had little 
of it at home, and carried less to 
court. His house was the one now 
occupied by George "W". Fuller, but 
his office, the old settlers say, was 
kept in his hat ; and the extent of 
his practice was commensurate with 
the office. 

An eminent lawyer has said it would 
be better for a beginner in the prac- 
tice of law to go to some place where 
business was plenty and tr}' for a 
share of it, than to go where there 
was none and try to make it. 

Mr. Dow, perhaps, proved to his 
own satisfaction the truth of the 
proposition at Littleton, Franconia, 
and Thornton, where he successively 
located. 

While a resident at Littleton he 
held several town offices. He was a 
member of the second town school- 
committee, or board of school in- 
spectors, as they were then desig- 
nated (Act of December 22, 1808). 
At this time the town had never had 
a settled minister, but the Rev. Da- 
vid Goodall, the ancestor of several 
attorneys who have been prominent 
at the bar, had been for many years 
a resident. He was an extensive 
land-holder, a leading citizen, and, 



though formally retired from the 
ministry, he often officiated at the 
religious gatherings of the vicinity. 

The Rev. Mr. Goodall. Dr. Wra. 
Burns, then a young practitioner of 
medicine, and Esquire Dow consti- 
tuted this board of school inspectors. 
An important improvement in the 
system of education was thus put in 
operation. The board left no formal 
report of their doings. The schools 
were populous in those days of in- 
crease and multiplication, and no 
doubt the inspectors did their whole 
duty. They are certainly entitled at 
this time to the benefit of the legal 
maxim. Omnia lyyoesumunttir rite esse 
acta. 

The impression made upon the 
minds of people and pupils by this 
board when sitting in official state 
cannot be accepted as portrayed in 
the irreverent rhymes passed down to 
us by tradition. The Muse of David 
Goodall, Jr., is held responsible for 
the production : 

" Lord, have pity- 
On this committee, 

That stand before us now. 
There 's old Bald Head, 
And Wooden Leg, 

And Popple Headed Dow." 

Mr. Dow was a good school-teach- 
er, and his services were had in that 
employment for many years at Fran- 
conia and in the neiohborins; towns. 

In 1811* he moved to Franconia, f 
where he remained until 1830. He 
was a selectman of that town from 
1818 to 1828 continuously, with the 
exception of two years, and, with the 

*He was followed in the practice at Littleton by 
Elisha Hinds, Esq., who settled here about the 
time of Mr. Dow's removal and remained about 
20 years. 

tThe dates given to mark periods of residence 
are from assessment records, etc., on town books 



yoscph Emerson Dow. 



231 



same exception, was town-clerk from 
1817 to 1825. In addition to this be 
was generall}'^ moderator of the town- 
meetings, and a school officer. He 
made little account of his profession 
of the law during the remainder of 
his days. In fact, he was employed 
many years by the Iron Company as 
a woodworker. 

From Franconia he removed to 
Thornton, where he remained till 
1847. At the latter place he held 
the town offices of moderator and 
clerk, and most of the time was post- 
master. He was the principal jus- 
tice of the peace in that region, and 
was much occupied in the duties that 
pertain to that office, at a time when 
it was one of some importance and 
distinction. 

Returning to Franconia from Thorn- 
ton, he passed his remaining years at 
the Ironworks village. 

Mr. Chapman, in his book of bi- 
ography of Dartmouth college grad- 
uates, says Mr. Dow practised his 
profession for a time at Strafford, 
Vermont ; but his residence there 
must have been very brief and proba- 
bly uneventful, as his name does not 
appear upon the town records. 

In the circumstances of birth, early 
social surroundings, and first mar- 
riage, Mr. Dow seems to have been 
fortunate. His parents were Gen. 
Moses Dow and Phebe (Emerson) 
Dow of Haverhill, where he was born 
in 1777. 

Gen. Dow was one of the eminent 
men of the bar of Grafton county. 
He held the office of register of pro- 
bate thirty-four years ; was state sen- 
'ator and president of the senate, 
councillor, judge of the court of com- 
mon pleas, major-general of the state 



militia, and at several terms of court, 
before and after the war of the Rev- 
olution, he was acting attorney-gen- 
eral in Grafton county. 

In the Revolutionary period he was 
an earnest patriot, and subsequently 
acquired a very extensive [)ractice in 
his profession. 

His example will become more and 
more conspicuous by one notable act, 
if for nothing else in his eventful life, 
should the rivalries for high political 
office increase and intensify in the 
future as the present promises. He 
declined to accept air election to con- 
gress, which he had received from 
the general assembly of New Hamp- 
shire. His letter* of declination con- 
tains evidence both of the high char- 
acter of the man and of his refined 
literary attainments. 

It is to be hoped that his life and 
character may receive appropriate at- 
tention at the hands of some member 
of the bar association. The records 
of such men are the most valuable of 
the possessions of our profession. 

The son, Josei)h E. Dow, received 
his education at the schools at Hav- 
erhill, and at Dartmouth college, 
where he was graduated in 1799. He 
was thus a contemporary in college 
with Webster, but not a class-mate, 
as has been sometimes asserted. 

He studied the profession of law 
with his father, at Haverhill, and was 
admitted to the bar,! at that place, 
at the September term, 1802, and in 
Caledonia county, Vermont, at Janu- 

*Hammoud, N. H. Town Papers, vol. 12, p. 182. 

fHou. Jack Mattocks gave it on the authority of 
Hon. Peyton R. Freeman, that Jlr. Dow was asked 
but one question at his examination for admission, 
and to that he gave a true answer. "What is the 
best title a person can liave in real estate?" Mr. 
Dow replied that he did not know. 



232 



yoscpk Emerson Dozv. 



ary term, 1803. He continued in the 
practice, principally at Haverhill, 
until he located at Littleton. 

He was then a Freemason, but 
probably had no active affiliation 
with any church. This was certainly 
the case in his later years. 

In politics he was a Democrat of 
the brand commonly termed "dyed 
in the wool." He maintained an 
erect carriage of a form that was tall, 
well filled, and well proportioned. 
All with whom he came in contact 
were reminded of the characteristics 
of a gentleman of the old school, by 
his accurate and scholarly' conversa- 
tion, his polished manners, and his 
agreeable presence. 

A short time before coming to Lit- 
tleton he married Abigail Arnold, a 
lady of excellent family and high 
character, a daughter of Hon. Jona- 
than Arnold, who was one of the 
early members of the Continental 
congress from Rhode Island. This 
gentleman is reputed to have once 
owned the whole of the present terri- 
tory of the towns of Lyndon, Sutton, 
and St. Johnsbury, Vermont. 

Jonathan Arnold was thrice mar- 
ried. Gov. Arnold of Rhode Island 
was one of the offspring of the third 
marriage ; of the second was Free- 
love Arnold, wife of Noah Davis of 
Haverhill, N. H., and these were the 
parents of Judge Noah Davis of New 
York. Abigail Arnold was a child 
of the first marriage. Her father 
dying when she was only eleven years 
of age, she was received into the 
family of Hon. Charles Marsh, of 
Woodstock, Vermont, and thus be- 
came the adopted sister of the Hon. 
Charles P. Marsh, who recently 
closed a long career of honor and 



usefulness in public affairs and in 
the world of letters. 

Abigail Arnold faithfullv followed 
the fortunes of her husband until her 
death, which occurred Nov. 30, 1824. 

Their children were Catharine, who 
died in infancy ; James Barber and 
Moses Arnold, both born in Little- 
ton ; George Burrill, born in Lincoln ; 
and Charles Marsh, born in Fran- 
con i a. 

Moses Arnold Dow became very 
successful in the business of pub- 
lishing the Waverly Magazine. He 
made valuable public benefactions to 
the towns of Littleton and Franconia, 
and erected an elegant monument in 
the village cemetery at Franconia to 
the memory of his father and mother, 
who there lie buried. 

In the summer of 1883 Mr. Dow 
procured a large photograph of the 
old homestead at North Littleton to 
be taken with himself in the fore- 
ground. He told me that his mother 
was beside him in the spirit form, 
while the picture of the old home and 
her boy was being made ; and that 
she felt the same joy at his presence 
with her then that she did in the 
years long gone by, when she ca- 
ressed him in the cradle in that same 
old house. 

Mr. Dow, the father, in his subse- 
quent marriage with Nancy Bagley of 
Thornton, did not better his condi- 
tion. Her methods of procedure 
may be described by the words of 
Bret Harte, as — 



I * * * 



fre<iiK'iit, and painful, and free." 



It is related that she made the dep- 
uty sheriff's recollections of his offi- 
cial visits to her husband's "• castle" 
more vivid than fragrant. 



S. PauVs School. 



233 



Mv. Dow died at Fr.anconia, Aug. 25, 
18.^7. He was not a successful man. 
His tiirifty neighbors said he did not 
like to work. He certainh' failed to 
concentrate his energies in any par- 
ticular direction so as to achieve any 
notable success. In manners he was 
gentlemanly, and in appearance pre- 
possessing. He sought in many 
callings for the key to worldly achiev- 
ment. Old age came and he had not 
found it. Though he had not suc- 
ceeded for himself, he had been use- 
ful to the public as a teacher of youth, 
as a town official, and as a magis- 
trate. Though his habits partook of 
the spirit of the times, and he was 



generally in financial stress, there is 
nothing of fact or tradition, that has 
come to us to cast any shadow over 
the personal integrity of the man. 

His is not an isolated case. Fail- 
ures without number mark the his- 
tory of our profession. The exam- 
ples of those who have succeeded 
are studied with pleasure and fol- 
lowed with profit. The story of one 
who strove and who failed may be 
less attractive ; but, while it points to 
fatal pitfalls into which a brother has 
fallen, it blazes the way of honorable 
achievmeut for those who will heed 
the warninor. 



S. PAUL'S SCHOOL. 
By a Boston Alumnus. 



If instead of taking the main road 
from Concord to the old town of Hop- 
kinton the traveller takes another 
which runs parallel to it, starting 
from the north end of the city, he 
will come after half a mile's walk to 
a point where there is a total change 
in the character of the surroundings. 
Looking behind him he will see as- 
phalt walks, a dusty road, wooden 
and brick buildings, while before him, 
through a low thick growth of wood- 
land, where the grass has grown liter- 
ally under the feet of men and horses, 
stretches upward by a gradual incline 
the continuation of the road, down 
which at a certain hour of the after- 
noon the sun pours its blazing flood 
of light. The road passes to the 
north of the old President Pierce es- 
tate ; its termination is reached at the 



summit of a hill, from which point 
the traveller must work his way 
through the woods, first down, then 
up again, until he reaches the barren 
top of Prospect, a hill of 400 feet, 
and bearing a most fitting name. The 
view from here is one of the grandest 
of the many superb views about Con- 
cord. To the left, across the valley 
and beyond the foot-hill, nestled 
among the elms, lies the capital of 
this Granite state, its most conspic- 
uous object being the dome of the 
Capitol, whose surmounting eagle daz- 
zles the eye when the sun's rays are 
reflected back by it. To the north- 
east, across the Merrimack, rises that 
remarkable sand-scoop, a name which 
its shape certainly permits, and which 
is known for miles around as one of 
the most prominent features in the 



234 



S. Paul's School. 



landscape. Beyond this to the right 
are the Epsom hills, from which it is 
said the Atlantic is visible. The 
course of the river can be followed 
by its high eastern bank, though the 
waters are hidden until they make a 
sharp turn in their descent to run the 
mills of Hooksett. This sudden ap- 
pearance of the Merrimack is a sec- 
ond striking feature in the view from 
Prospect. 

Our subject, however, lies to the 
west of Concord, in the little valley 
of Millville. Against the horizon 
rests the bold, tri-parted mass of the 
Francestown mountains, and the two 
peaks of the Uncanoonucs which 
overhano- Goflfstown. Thence the de- 
scent is gradual, the hillsides being 
covered with oak and pine, to the 
shining waters of Big Turkev lake. 
These find an outlet by a stream 
which, after sweeping around three 
points of the compass, runs a saw- 
mill that marks the northern bounda- 
ry of 400 acres belonging to S. Paul's 
School. The stream then broadens, 
and two ponds are formed, whose lit- 
tle bays are called familiarly Ontario, 
Mexico, etc. Next, a picturesque old 
red grist-mill is reached : its wheel 
no longer grinds the farmer's corn, 
but saws fire-wood and launders 
clothes. Next, the stream skirts a 
rink, which in winter, even after the 
heaviest fall of snow, is alive with 
skaters, while in the dry summer sea- 
son, from beneath its surface, can 
now be pumped .^COOO gallons of 
water a day to fill the reservoir among 
the hills, which is capal)le of holding 
about 2,000,000 gallons. An eighth 
of a mile faither down its course the 
stream runs along what is probably 
one of the most beautiful play -grounds 



in the world. The great level^field 
is shut in on three sides by woodlaud, 
while the opening looks directly up the 
slope of the hill on which we may be 
supposed to be standing. This, in 
spring and summer, is fresh and green 
with the vegetation of those seasons, 
which is glorious in its richer after- 
dress of red and gold. 

If we now look straight down into 
the valley below, no less than eigh- 
teen distinct buildings can be count- 
ed. In among the trees stand three 
in a group somewhat apart from the 
others. First of all we mark the 
slender spire of the chapel. It sug- 
aests all that is done for the religious 
and moral training of the boys, the 
development and strengthening of 
the highest part of their being. It 
reveals the secret of all that is best 
about the place, in motive, purpose, 
work, and aspiration. Except for 
what that heaven-pointing spire repre- 
sents, the community had never exist- 
ed. For, as Arnold used to say of 
Rugby, this is nothing if it is not a 
Christian school. Within the little 
chapel each morning more than 300 
voices offer up their praises to the 
Author of their being, the Giver of all 
good and perfect gifts, not the small- 
est one of which it is their high privi- 
lege to enjoy in this valley. They 
confess the same faith for which that 
famous scholar of ancient times, 
whose name they bear, studied, and 
wrote, and taught. They pray the 
prayer he prayed, aud read the words 
he read. Young and unworthy they 
may be. yet they claim to belong to 
that same school of which he was 
once, and is more so to-day, a teach- 
er. His splendid life and work and 
death are the high standard held up 



S. PauVs School. 



235 



to masters and boys alike, because, 
best of all hunuui examples, they 
point continually to the perfect ex- 
ample of S.vPanl's divine Master and 
Teacher. There is something inspir- 
ing and bracing to a man living in the 
present age to see the evidence fur- 
nished here that the faith of 8. Paul 
has not changed one whit, and that 
its power to make men unselfish and 
noble and good is as great to-day as 
when he, who carried that faith to 
Greece and Italy, a lonely messenger, 
looked down upon cities reeking with 
vice, and self-consumed with intellec- 
tual pride. 

But leaving this portion of the sub- 
ject, upon which it was not our inten- 
tion to dwell so long, let us take an- 
other look down into the valley. To- 
wai'ds Prospect from the chapel we 
see a mass of roof ; it covers a build- 
ing not attractive in its outward ap- 
pearance, and yet somewhat striking 
by reason of the absence of windows 
in the lowest story, and the line of 
long ones in the second. This is the 
school-house, and represents the in- 
tellectual side of the place. New 
Hampshire has many educational in- 
stitutious, but we are reminded that 
our subject is one of the youngest, 
for thirty years ago this spot was 
known only as the summer residence 
of a gentleman who was then, and is 
even more so to-day, among the fore- 
most of the citizens of Boston ; and 
if we are to judge him by what he 
has done to spread the light of learn- 
ing and godliness througiiout the 
length and breadth of this land, he 
is also one of America's greatest and 
best of sons. Upon entering the 
school-room we see the explanation 
of the striking feature noticed on the 



outside. It occupies two full stories, 
and the windows are arranged so as 
to throw down the light from above. 
It is lighted mainly by gas, though 
oil lamps are provided for those with 
weak eyes ; it is heated by steam and 
admirably ventilated. There are near- 
ly two hundred desks. On the ros- 
trum at one side is the master's desk, 
and above it the school motto, " Ea 
discamus in terris quorum scientia 
perseveret in Coelis." Along the two 
end walls are the sixth form stalls 
occupied by them at the Thursday 
evening '' talk," and when the week's 
reports are read out on Saturday 
afternoon. The numerous photo- 
graphs of classical subjects, the 
paintings, the light panels and dark 
red of the spaces between them, add 
much to the attractiveness of the 
room. There are nine recitation- 
rooms in the school-house, one of 
which contains the cabinet and an- 
other the library. The instruction is 
by twenty-three masters ; and the fact 
is not a little interesting and signifi- 
cant, that the twenty-one who left in 
the middle of June for their long sum- 
mer holiday returned the 10th of Sep- 
tember, to a man ; with the two last 
additions, the "old boys" who are 
now aiding in the school work number 
eleven. The course of study is prac- 
tically the same as in all schools 
which fit for colleges with the highest 
standards. It may be described as 
classical with a scientific division. In 
the preparatory form the youngest 
boys, averaging eleven years, are 
started in the elements of Latin, and 
made ready to begin the regular five 
years course, which is classical to the 
end of the third year, and this means 
that Greek is required for one year at 



236 



S. Paul's School. 



any mte. The fourth form, therefore, 
is perhaps the most importaut, as 
here the choice is made for the future 
whether a boy shall prepare for pro- 
fessional life, or mainly for business 
or scientific study. If either of the 
latter choices are made, the time pre- 
viously devoted to the classical lan- 
o;uao;es is o;iven over to an increased 
amount of mathematics, science, and 
English. Those who have passed the 
examinations at the close of the fifth 
form receive certificates which show 
that the school deems them prepared 
to enter for their college examina- 
tions. Those unsuccessful in obtain- 
in": these may of course try such ex- 
aminations, but the school cannot be 
held responsible for any possible fail- 
ure. The sixth is an intermediate 
step between school and college life. 
Its members are allowed certain priv- 
ileges not conceded to the other bovs. 
They are " out of study," that is, they 
study in their rooms, and, under cer- 
tain limitations, control tlieir own 
hours of work and recreation. This 
is now the case with a large number 
of the fifth, and, notwithstanding 
some objectionable features, it is cer- 
tainly beneficial in lessening the dan- 
ger consequent upon the sudden let- 
down from the necessary restraint of 
the school-room to the all but un- 
bounded freedom of the college un- 
dergraduate. The sixth form is vir- 
tually made up of two divisions : 
those in tiie higher take a full classi- 
cal course in order to enter college as 
sophomores ; those in the lower de- 
sire to have another year at the 
school before going into business, or 
to review and improve their prepara- 
tion before entering college as fresh- 
men. 



To encourage an interest in sub- 
jects not directly connected with the 
prescribed course of study, there are 
various incentives. The Botanical 
Society has catalogued between three 
and four hundred specimens of the 
fiora in the immediate vicinity of the 
school. It affords a regular course 
of talks or lectures, and is always 
ready to assist those who are work- 
ing for the annual flower and fern 
prizes. 

The Scientific Association provides 
lectures on other scientific subjects 
than botany, takes off parties for 
mineralogical expeditions, and en- 
courages competitors for the school 
mineral prize. In the annual state- 
ment the sul)jects are announced for 
the composition and English prizes 
at the close of the year following. 
Thus a course of reading may be easi- 
ly laid out for the summer and win- 
ter holidays bearing upon these sub- 
jects. What is knovvn as the P^nglish 
prize is for the best written examina- 
tion in English literature, and for a 
number of years tiie special subject 
has been one of Shakespeare's plays. 
It is the rare good fortune of the 
compctit(M's to liave the questions set 
and their i)apers examined by one 
who has done more to make that poet 
known to American readers than any 
other man living. The last two 
IM'izes referred to are given by ahim- 
ni ; another gives one for the best 
P^nglish declamation, the contest for 
which, open to the whole school, 
takes place the '* last night." Still 
another alumnus gives to that boy of 
the third form who passes the best 
special examination in the Latin, 
Greek, and mathematics of the previ- 
ous year a prize of $500, which cov- 



S. Paul's School. 



237 



ers all the expenses of his fourth form 
jear. 

We have shown that the first thought 
of 8. Paul's is to provide for the 
growth of boys in Christian manli- 
ness, to build up in them character. 
And, as the training of the soul is 
the most important element in true 
education, this has been our first con- 
sideration, lu the second thought, 
the development of the mind, we have 
dwelt more at length, because, in the 
popular estimation, this is what is 
meant when the word education is 
used. We come now to that third 
and important part of every boy, his 
body. 

Looking again from Prospect, we 
see a sharply pointed roof : it is the 
Gymnasium. And now, o|)ening the 
ear to catcli vvhatever sound may 
strike it on such an afternoon as the 
writer has had in mind, jolly cheers 
and excited cries will be heard from 
the cricket-field, and even, if wind 
permits, can the words be distinctlv 
made out as oiie batter calls to an- 
other, '' Come on ! come on ! " Turn- 
ing our eyes well to the left of the 
Gymnasium, we see, here the cricket- 
ers in position, there tlie sudden rush 
of the tennis players, beyond the lov- 
ers of base-ball, and flying past every 
now and then, flashing the sunlight 
from its polished wheels, the bicycle 
which spins around the quarter of a 
mile athletic track. Such is the scene 
in the summer and fall months. Dur- 
ing the snow and cold of winter, mus- 
cles are toughened, eyes sharpened, 
and lungs strengthened by the sleds 
and toboggans on the Russian coast ; 
by skates and snow-shoes ; by the 
hydraulics, which constitute the spe- 
cial winter's training for the Pena- 



cook boat-races ; or on the bars and 
running-track, at the weights and 
ropes and ladders, and with the clubs, 
in the great Gymnasium. 

Before closing, the writer would 
like to mention two buildings which 
cannot I)e seen from the hill-top, and 
dwell for a moment on the thoughts 
suggested by them. They recall the 
past, and point on to the future. The 
old country house of the founder, af- 
ter many an addition to accommodate 
the boys as their number increased 
from the original five, has been swept 
out of sight, though it never can be 
from memory. ]Jut the building back 
of it, near the pond, was untouched 
by the lightning-kindled fire of 1878, 
and that yet remains. Outwardly it 
is not so very much changed — still the 
old brownish-red building ; but within 
the transformation is complete. In- 
stead of the chemical room with its 
interesting cases, and the electric ma- 
chine at whose shock many a bov has 
winced and jumped after a mathe- 
matical recitation in davs gfone bv. 
instead of the old play-room where, 
on wet days, the cricketer continued 
his sport, counting runs as the ball 
found its way to the wires of win- 
dows in various parts of the room, — 
instead of these things there is a 
dormitory for thirty boys. In the 
story below, twice that number of the 
smallest study, little thinking that 
ten years ago it was the scene of 
many a triple set of nine-pin contests. 
The second building, too, recalls the 
past. The central story of its main 
portion was an old farmer's cottage : 
raised up, built under, and added to, 
this has been for fifteen years the 
" Lower School," the place where the 
boys in the " little study" sleep, eat, 



238 



S. PauVs School. 



and play. And these buildings point 
to the future. They are plaiuh' but 
temporary buildings, and yet they 
show well the business principle upon 
which the school is managed. As 
soon as the money is in hand they 
will be combined in one new struct- 
ure, where, opportunity being then 
afforded for a further increase, sev- 
enty-five to one hundred of the 
youngest boys will live altogether, 
not only eating and sleeping there, 
but studying, reciting, and playing. 
For already it has been intimated 
that there are three main divisions in 
the school. 

It is interesting to note in this con- 
nection that there is at S. Paul's the 
very system suggested in a preface to 
the last edition of '' Tom Brown's 
School Days," for putting a stop to 
those outrageous evils of English 
school-life, fagging and bullying, so 
common before Arnold taught the 
boys at Rugby that the chief element 
in these customs was the basest kind 
of cowardice. After some prefatory 
remarks on the dangerous results of 
such customs, Mr. Hughes continues 
to quote from a letter of his corre- 
spondent : "I believe there is only 
one complete remedy. It is not in 
magisterial supervision, nor in telling 
tales, nor in raising the tone of pub- 
lic opinion among school-boys, but in 
the separation of hoys of different ages 
into different schools. There should 



be at least three different classes of 
schools, — tiie first for boys from nine 
to twelve, the second for boys from 
twelve to fifteen, the third for those 
above fifteen. And these schools 
should be in different localities." 

It is sufficient to say that at S. 
Paul's, where for the past fifteen 
years such exactl}' has been the sys- 
tem, both bullying and fagging are 
absolutely unknown. 

The writer may be pardoned if he 
here records a fact which has ever 
had the deepest significance to his 
mind, that though on the cricket or 
foot-ball field nearly every afternoon 
of his life here from the " shell" or 
preparatory part of the sixth form, he 
never heard an oath of any kind on 
the play-ground. 

We must make an end to this arti- 
cle, but before closing must confess 
that it seems just as absurd to speak 
of Rugby without Dr. Arnold as to 
mention 8. Paul's without its rector. 
But he still lives, and his daily work 
— his life work — tells its own story. 
The day will come, however, — may it 
be far away in the future, — when the 
name of him who under God has 
made S. Paul's what it is, shall be as 
well known among these granite hills, 
which really know so little of it now, 
and in America at large, as that fa- 
mous schoolmaster's name is known 
in England, which stands so high in 
the honor roll of its great and good. 



The Northern Volunteers. 



239 



THE NORTHERN VOLUNTEERS. 
By Col. T. J. Livermore. 



lu the vast host which was mar- 
shalled under our banners from April, 
1861, to April. 1865, there was a 
sreat variety of individual character, 
and there were a good many men 
whose conduct did not justify what 
I shall say of the volunteers in gen- 
eral ; but there was a distinct charac- 
ter which belonged to our men, both 
individually and collectively, which 
sustained the fortunes of our arms in 
over two thousand engagements. It 
was not confined to any regiment, it 
did not belong to any state or section, 
and it displayed itself in men from 
the city and men from the couutrs^ 
alike. There were volunteer regi- 
ments which were as firm in battle as 
was ever anv regiment in anv armv in 
the world, and there were other regi- 
ments which were unstable and weak ; 
but, in looking back at them, I can- 
not see that there was any difference 
in the character of the men in the 
ranks which warranted the difference 
in the conduct of the regiments. It 
seems to me thatihe disparity was due 
entirely to the quality of the officers or 
to the fortunes of war. With the same 
officers to train and lead them, one 
thousand men would have made as 
good a regiment as another thousand, 
if we except some few picked regi- 
ments on the one hand, and some 
regiments of foreigners on the other 
hand. It is this character, which was 
to be discovered everywhere in the 
army, that I shall speak of. I shall 
not attempt to compare the volunteers 
of the North with those of the South. 

"We have come to believe that the 



principles for which we of the North 
fought have been finally accepted by 
the South, and that no word of com- 
mendation from our side will be taken 
as a justification of the cause for 
which our adversaries contended ; and, 
now that we can review the events of 
the war in a historical spirit, I ara 
sure that no Northern soldier whose 
experience arrayed him on the field 
of battle, will deny the perseverance, 
endurance, impetuosity, and high 
valor of the Southern volunteers. I 
will go no further in characteiizing 
them, but to say that to have met such 
men without defeat is the best proof 
of the quality of the Northern volun- 
teers. 

There were 4,000,000 men and 
youths in the loyal states in 1861 who 
were fit for military service. Over 
two millions volunteered to fight 
against the Rebellion. Five thousand 
commissioned oflScers and ninety thou- 
sand enlisted men were killed in ac- 
tion or died of wounds, and I esti- 
mate that nearly five hundred thou- 
sand more were wounded. Over two 
thousand commissioned officers and 
170,000 men died of disease while 
in the service. At the close of the 
war a million of men were under arms 
in the armies of the North. 

One unacquainted with armies does 
not realize the vastness of our forces 
from the mere statement of their 
numbers. A million of men arrayed 
in line of battle would extend two 
hundred miles. Could the trumpet 
call up the dead to stand in the ranks 
once more, that legion of heroes 



240 



The Northern Volunteers. 



would gaze forth from a line of bat- 
tle over fifty miles long. 

The volunteers came from all class- 
es in civil life. It will be an impres- 
sive chapter in history which recounts 
how army after army was summoned 
to the field as the war went on. until 
half the able-bodied men of the North 
were under arms. How, at each call, 
the farmer left the plough in the fur- 
row, the harvest ungathered, the me- 
chanic dropped his tools, the teacher 
quit his desk, the student his book, 
and by the hundred thousand hurried 
to the field to battle for the Union. 
Those in the ranks were mainly young 
men. Their average age was from 
twenty-four to twenty-five years. 
But this average does not tell the 
story of the youth. There wei'e many 
thousands between seventeen and 
twenty-one who bore tlieir full share 
of the brunt of war. It would startle 
the fathers and mothers of to-day to 
hear it suggested that, in the event 
of war, their l)oys yet in tlie schools 
might become soldiers : Init there was 
many a lad in '61 vvlio left his books 
at seventeen to follow the drum, and 
matured into early manhood in the 
rapid and momentous experiences of 
campaigns and battles. 

Two thirds of our army were native 
Americans. They outnnm])ered the 
foreign born in [iroportion to tlie 
whole number fit for military service 
in the North. The high personal 
character of the volunteers is marked 
by the few desertions from their 
ranks. In the regular army there 
were two hundred and forty-four de- 
sertions to the thousand during the 
war. There were less than sixty- 
three to the thousand from the volun- 
teer organizations, and these were 



not nearly all chargeable to the vol- 
unteers, for very many of the de- 
serters were substitutes — a set of 
men who enlisted for money alone, 
and who had no love of country'. 
The volunteers enlisted from patriot- 
ism. Neither poverty, the allure- 
ments of high pay, the love of glory, 
nor a spirit of unrest, could have led 
more than half the able-bodied men 
of the North to volunteer for war. 

The reflection may occui' to some, 
as it sometimes did to those of us in 
the field who enlisted early in the 
war. that the men who did not volun- 
teer until they secured great bounties 
were somewhat mercenary in their 
motives. But when we consider that 
a large part, perhai)S the most of 
these men, had to leave dependants 
at home, and that if they survived 
they risked not only death on the 
battlefield, but the impaii'ment of 
health and vigor for life from wounds 
and exposure, we cannot say that 
tliey did themselves and their fami- 
lies more than scant justice to wait 
for a bounty which, in extreme cases, 
did not exceed what they would have 
earned at their trades in three or four 
vears. There is manv a veteran to- 
day who endures the pangs of old 
wounds that will never cease, or bat- 
tles against tlie malaria which has 
not left him for twenty years, who 
realizes that he gave to his country 
what money could not pa\' for. 

A striking difference between our 
volunteer army and the other great 
armies of the world was, that in it 
tliere was no class distinction be- 
tween tliose who were officers and 
those who were in the ranks. The 
reader of military history will find 
that in " the accounts of battles in 



The JVoi'thern Volunteers. 



241 



older countries the historian seems to 
regard tlie otHcers as a distinct order 
of men, who are alwaN's actuated by 
moral courage and the sense of Iionor, 
while he spealvs of the men as beings 
who are sustained In' the example of 
the officers, or pliysical courage, or 
enthusiasm. And if a retreat is de- 
scribed, it is said that it was the men 
who gave way, in spite of the exer- 
tions of the oflicers. This distinction 
is doubtless due to the fact tliat the 
officers were appointed from the no- 
bility and gentry, while the soldiers 
were conscript peasants or mercena- 
ries. 

No such difference existed between 
the officers and men of our volunteers. 
It is true that education and social 
training and traditions had made a 
wide difference among men with re- 
spect to good faith in doing duty, 
truthfulness, unselfishness in the hour 
of sacrifice, and, in short, the sense 
of honor, and that the morale of the 
army depended upon the selection of 
men for officers who had these traits. 
But there was no class distinction ; 
that was " tlie best blood" that had 
"most iron in 't." For each officer 
who fell there was a man in the ranks 
to take his sword. It was the rule to 
promote from the ranks. I knew a 
regiment in which sixty men were 
promoted to be officers, and which 
took back at the end of the war only 
one of its original officers, sirch were 
its losses. 1 also knew a company in 
a three mouths regiment which fur- 
nished twenty-two officers from its 
seventy-six men to other organiza- 
tions. It was said of Napoleon's 
soldiers tliat each one carried a mar- 
shal's hCdon in his knapsack. This 
was more nearly true of our volun- 



teers. We had no "gentleman ap- 
prentice " who did duty by proxy to 
entitle him to a commission such as 
was known under Napoleon. With 
all this equality between soldiers and 
officers, the men were very subordinate 
and amenable to discipline. They 
had an inbred resi)ect for constituted 
authority, and they looked to the 
officers for the example of good con- 
duct. 

The capacity which our people 
showed for war was wonderful in 
view of the circumstances. For half 
a century we had had no war which 
called for great levies. The militia 
were few in numbers and far behind 
the militia of to-day in disci[)liue and 
in the practice of the serious duties 
of the soldier. Military exercises in 
the common schools were unknown. 
No legion of veterans lingered on 
the stage like those of to-day. The 
old soldiers of the Mexican war were 
comparatively few. The whole coun- 
try was devoted to industry and bent 
upon the pursuit of wealth, and to 
others l)eside the misguided men of 
the South it seemed as if the people 
of the North would never sliake off 
the lethargy of [)eace and submit 
themselves to the partings, the un- 
certainties, the hardships, the blood- 
shed, the mournings of war. But 
the first gun that was fired u[)on Fort 
Sumter thundered a reveille that woke 
the sleeping soldier in 2,000,000 men. 
War then became the all en^jrossins^ 
trade, and, although the ai)prentice- 
ship was hard and full of perils, it 
served to train up a nation of vet- 
erans. 

If the conduct of the volunteers 
during four years of war proved that 
the martial quality was native in 



242 



The JVorthern Volunteers. 



them, the manner of their return at 
the end of the war proved their love 
of peace and their inbred respect for 
law and order. The Eno-lish histo- 
rian praises Cromwell's array of 
50,000 veterans, then the most for- 
midable in the world, for disbanding 
and being absorbed into the com- 
munity without unlawful conduct or 
tumult. At the end of our war a 
million soldiers disbanded without 
tumult, and subsided among the peo- 
ple without a sign of disorder. Fa- 
miliar with bloodshed, they were not 
hardened by it. Accustomed to the 
freedom of camps, and living in an 
enemy's country, they were not un- 
settled by it. As it was with Crom- 
well's veterans, they were, for the 
most part, better citizens for their 
military training. 

The wonder of the sudden disso- 
lution of this host of veterans was 
deeply impressed upon those who 
witnessed the grand review of the 
armies in Washington on the eve 
of disbanding them. Two hundred 
thousand bronzed and hardy soldiers 
marched by the j)resident in front of 
the White House during two long 
summer days. They passed swiftly, 
with the swinging step and assui'ed 
touch — shoulder to shoulder — acquir- 
ed by long practice and many marches. 
Their scars, their fearless bearing, 
and their tattered flags told the story 
of their battles. Among them rode 
many a commander whose name is 
historic — Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, 
Meade, and the rest. It seemed as 
though these famous corps, divisions, 
brigades, and regiments were too 
solidly united by comradeship, too 
proud of their history, too well accus- 
tomed to act together, too conscious 



of their power, to be dissolved and 
thenceforward exist only in memory. 
Yet that was the last review, and in 
one short month that vast host had 
stacked its arms and furled its ban- 
ners and had dispersed forever. To 
many a soldier it was like breaking 
up his home. 

THE OFFICERS. 

In raising vast levies of troops and 
organizing them into regiments, it was 
unavoidable that many men without 
military instruction, and sometimes 
men of bad antecedents, should be 
appointed officers ; and it sometimes 
happened where officers were elected 
by the men, that the man who could 
best practise the arts which prevail in 
political elections got the commis- 
sion ; and, again, the exigencies of 
recruiting sometimes required that 
the man who got the most recruits to 
enroll themselves was made the cap- 
tain or colonel. Such a man has 
been likened by the Comte de Paris, 
in his history of our war, to the an- 
cient proprietary colonel, who held 
his commission by virtue of his pro 
prietorship in the men, or the com- 
mander of the independent company 
of cavalry of the middle ages, who 
commanded by virtue of his contract 
for the services of his men. But 
there were not many bad officers from 
this source, and the governors of 
states usually appointed men whose 
position and character in civil life 
warranted the distinction. 

Gen. de Chanal, an officer of the 
French army who was with our army, 
says that with us " the social hie- 
rarchy was transported to the army 
and became the military hierarchy," 
and, with deep insight into the spirit 



The JVorthern Vohinteers. 



243 



of our institutions, he says that from 
tills very fact our army did not have 
to surround itself with the precautions 
which are necessarv to guard a mili- 
tary organization which has no other 
support than the severitv of its mili- 
tary regulations. 

The practical turn of mind of the 
American led to employing every 
man of reputable character who had 
seen anj' military service. AYith one 
accord East and West first turned to 
the old soldiers for officers. I was in 
Galena, 111., when Fort Sumter was 
fired on. A company was immediate- 
ly raised there. I was attracted to the 
unwonted sight of drill, which was 
begun at once. The gentleman who 
had been asked to drill the men was 
an ex-army officer, and he had assem- 
bled the company in a vacant lot and 
was there at work in civilian dress. 
He had a ramrod in his hand for a 
sword. With a quiet and business- 
like air he was patiently teaching the 
men to put their left feet down to- 
gether, and to face to the right and 
left and about. I next saw him in 
front of Petersburg in ISG-i on horse- 
back. He was in uniform. He pre- 
served the same quiet and business- 
like air. He was in command of the 
armies, and his name was Ulysses S. 
Grant. 

Much criticism has been uttered 
upon the unfortunate selection of 
generals by the president. For a 
part of these he was not responsible. 
He appointed them in deference to 
advisers high in public estimate. As 
for the rest, looking at the situation 
in the light thrown backward, I do 
not see what there was to enable the 
president to detect military genius 
except experience. There were few 



sapient enough to criticise the military 
character of the commanders he ap- 
pointed at the time. It was easy to 
do this after they had been proven 
incompetent. Before the hard fight- 
ing was half through he had had the 
wisdom to select Grant and Sherman. 
If the genei'als to command a great 
army were to be selected to-day from 
officers of the army who had never 
conducted great operations in the 
field, no one could predict who would 
prove equal to the great commands. 
The P>nglish, with an armj' whose 
drum-beat is heard around the world, 
do not always find it easy to select a 
competent commander even to fight 
naked and half-armed children of the 
desert. 

The incompetent officers of the line 
in our arm}' were soon weeded out by 
the rough harrow of war. Their 
commissions rarely survived a cam- 
paign. The blunders of some of 
them were very amusing. Early in 
the war a company in which I carried 
a musket had a captain who, it always 
seemed to me, owed his office to his 
martial air, for that was all there was 
martial about him. He never got so 
that he could remember all the com- 
mands for drilling the company. One 
day he deployed them as skirmishers, 
and then rallied them around himself 
to repel imaginary cavalry. He then 
forgot what to sav to straighten them 
out into line again. The men waited 
fixed at "charge bayonets." The 
suspense grew painful. At last the 
captain thundered out, "Get out 
there as skirmishers, everj' one of 
you, or I'll put you all in the guard- 
house ! " The captain soon afterward 
resigned, under the advice of an ex- 
amining board. 



244 



The Northern Vohmteers. 



DISCIPLINE. 

Gen. Washington said that a most 
perfect despotism should exist in an 
army. It may be doubted whether, 
with the continental soldiers, who had 
taken upon themselves the title of 
rebels when that title was full of 
danger, or with the volunteers of our 
late war, such a despotism was as nec- 
essary as that which must prevail in an 
army of conscripts or mercenaries, in 
which the private soldier must sur- 
render his autonomy, and manifest the 
surrender by servility. In such an 
army obedience and respect for offi- 
cers must be made habitual by the 
minute exactions of a code of disci- 
l)line timed for every hour and fitted 
for every occasion. But our volun- 
teers enlisted with the purpose of 
obeying orders. What they needed 
was instruction. They were not ser- 
vile, but they paid the formal tributes 
of respect which the regulations re- 
quired cheerfully. 

New regiments sometimes com- 
plained of discipline before they saw 
the benefit of it, but as soon as they 
had been in battle a new lio-ht dawned 
upon them, and they valued discipline 
at its true worth. In the supreme 
hour of battle, when exact and in- 
stant obedience to orders, even to 
death, was the price of victory, the 
soldier saw the benefit of discipline. 
Thereafter he entertained contempt 
for a badly disciplined regiment. 

Gen. de Chanal writes that while 
our armies did not have the external 
marks of discipline such as may be 
seen in European armies, their disci- 
pline was as good, if not better, and 
that few troo})s are so submissive to 
tlieir commanders. 

The Armv of the Potomac at Get- 



tysburg was a conspicuous example 
of good discipline. The fighting was 
of the severest kind for two days, 
and nearlv everv reo;iment on the 
field was under fire, and good conduct 
was universal. The larger part of 
our men were those in whom respect 
for law and order had been bred from 
childhood, and their obedience rested 
on firmer foundations than the exac- 
tions of military rule and etiquette. 
Serious refusal to obey orders was of 
rare occurrence. Mutinies were al- 
most unknown. Of course there were 
the timid, who had to he held up to 
their work in battle, and the vicious 
and unruly, upon whom a heavy hand 
had to be sometimes placed. But 
these were the few. 

I will relate an incident to show . 
how deeply the habit of obedience 
sank into the minds of the men. In 
our regiment it was a standing order 
that all wounded men who were able 
should report to the captains be- 
fore leaving the field of battle. At 
White Oak Swamp a cannon shot 
passed through our company as we 
rose from where we lay to change 
position. It struck down two good 
men. One gathered himself up out 
of the dust and followed to where we 
had halted. One arm had been al- 
most severed by the shot, and hung 
by a shred. Holding it up with his 
other hand, the brave man came 
slowly up to the captain with reso- 
lute, pallid face, and gravely said, — 
"■ Captain, I am wounded, and would 
like to go to the rear." What soldier 
in the world could carry obedience 
further.? 

MILITARY SKILL. 

The military skill wliich the indi- 
vidual soldier must attain before he 



The JVorthcrn Volunteers. 



24s 



becomes efficient in war is that which 
enables him to march elbow to elbow 
with his comrades in the ranks, 
straight ahead, so that a long line 
will advance over the country without 
becoming crooked or broken u|) ; to 
go through the various evolutions in 
column or line, to load and fire with 
rapidit}' and effectiveness, and to 
handle arms with skill and ease. 
These are the chief results of mili- 
tary skill. To one unacquainted with 
the subject the attainment of this 
skill would not seem a matter of 
much time, but, in fact, it involved 
the making over of the carriage and 
gait, the grafting of habits of celerity 
and promptness, and the teaching of 
many things which had to be mem- 
orized with great exactness. 

Our foreign critics have said that 
for a time we lost chances for victory 
because our ranks did not respond 
quickly enough to command, and that 
our ti'oops were heavy for want of 
practice in grand parade movements, 
and that their inexperience and un- 
familiarity with war led them to 
intrench too much. This last criti- 
cism reverses the fact. It was ex- 
perience in war that led us to intrench, 
and we did not adhere to this habit 
when it became unprofitable. 

The Army of the Potomac fought 
fifteen battles, including the fierce 
contests of Fair Oaks, second Bull 
Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg, 
and the Seven Days battles, before 
they intrenched on the field of battle ; 
and after the year of intrenching in 
the Wilderness and Petersburg cam- 
paigns, the armies under Grant threw 
down the shovel, and forgot the habit 
of intrenching in the last campaign. 

There is justice in the other criti- 



cisms. The first battle of Bull Run 
was lost by reason of want of disci- 
pline and military skill. Without 
doubt the Northern army was com- 
posed of the very best material there, 
but a multitude of men who have not 
learned how to obey orders, and that 
orders must be obeyed, derives no 
advantage from numbers ; and our 
army was neither well disciplined nor 
well drilled. Shiloh afforded another 
instance. Gen. Grant tells us that 
three of his divisions were entirely 
raw, and that both officers and men 
were ignorant of their duties, and 
that, as a consequence, many of the 
regiments broke at the first fire, and 
that afterward he found thousands of 
these men " lying under cover of the 
river bluff, panic stricken," and that 
most of them " would have been shot 
where they lay, without resistance, 
before they would have taken mus- 
kets and marched to the front to 
protect themselves." Yet these were 
strong manful Westerners, of un- 
doubted native courage and intelli- 
gence ; and Gen. Grant says of them, — 
" Better troops never went on a field 
of battle than many of these, officers 
and men, afterward proved them- 
selves to be, who fled panic-stricken 
at the first whistle of bullets and shell 
at Shiloh." 

The Army of the Potomac did not 
have the bad fortune to engage in 
battle until it had been drilled and 
disciplined, and, as a consequence, it 
went through its first bloody campaign 
with no misconduct of this kind. 
Whatever criticism may be made of 
Gen. McClellan's conduct of opera- 
tions in the field, no candid soldier 
who served under him can refuse his 
praise and gratitude to that great 



246 



The Northei'n Vohtiiteers. 



organizer of armies for tlie courage 
and foresight wliich sustained liim in 
his purpose, against the clamors of 
the North to move against the enemy, 
until he had made his army fit to 
take the field. 

The armies, both East and West, 
became equal to tactics in the face of 
the enemy before the end of 1862, 
although it was in the very campaign 
itself that our soldiers had to learn 
much of their trade. Later in the 
war grand movements were performed 
with ease. In the pursuit of Lee, 
April 6, 1865, a line of four brigades 
of the second army corps, over a mile 
long, swept forward, over hills, across 
ravines, and through forest and field 
for thirteen miles, attacking the ene- 
my's rear guard of infantry and ar- 
tillery, which made stands at intervals 
of two or three miles, without stop- 
ping to straighten the line, and rout- 
ing them every time. This was a 
display of tactics on a grand scale, 
and it is difficult to believe that for- 
eign armies could do better. 

ENDURANCE. 

Our soldiers underwent trials of 
their endurance unusual with standing 
armies, from the ignorance of officers 
in the matter of preserving their 
health, and the inexperience of the 
men themselves in camp life ; but 
knowledge came with time, and the 
native skill in woodcraft and building 
shelter, and abundant and regular 
rations and plenty of clothing, did 
much to mitigate the evils of igno- 
rance. Rations were not indeed al- 
ways on hand, or always palatable. 
The soldiers had so little respect for 
the corned beef that they called it 
" salt horse," and it was said that the 



letters " B. C." were found imprinted 
on some of the hard bread. It was 
insisted that these letters marked the 
era in which the bread was baked. 

The comparison of the rate of 
death from disease in our volunteer 
army with that of other armies, al- 
though not a conclusive test of endur- 
ance, has some significance. With 
our army it was 8.6 per cent, during 
the war. In the British array it was 
11.3 per cent, in the Peninsular war 
(1811-1814), and 20.2 per cent, in 
the Crimea. 

Marches are a test of endurance 
Probably the long march of weeks or 
days, which shows the strength of all 
the men, affords a better comparison 
than the forced march, which leaves 
many by the roadside and proves 
only what the strongest can do. 
Sherman's army marched 190 miles 
in seven days, an average of 27^ miles 
a day. The Army of the Potomac made 
twenty-five miles a day for several 
days in May, 1865. 

Coming to forced marches, we read 
that twenty-three miles in eighteen 
hours, and twenty-seven miles in 
nineteen hours, were looked upon as 
extraordinary marches by two divi- 
sions of Germans on the way to 
Gravelotte. Friaut's French division 
made ninety-nine miles in forty-eight 
hours to reach the field of Austerlitz. 
Crawford's British division marched 
sixty-two miles in twenty-six hours 
to the field of Talavera, and forty 
miles in nineteen hours over the 
mountain roads of Spain in pursuit 
of Soult. But on this last march 
many men gave out, and some fell 
and died, while on the former march 
only seventy men gave out. This 
shows how differences in roads and 



The Northern Volunteers. 



247 



seasons render comparisons of forced 
marches very uncertain. Jackson's 
corps marched about sixty miles in 
forty hours in turning Pope's flank, but 
many broken down soldiers lined the 
road. The second army corps, under 
Hancock, made thirty-two miles in 
twenty-two hours on the way to Get- 
tysburg on a Southern summer day. 
Here, too, many men gave out and 
lay down by the roadside. 

The pedestrian, striding over our 
smooth roads, with little or no load, 
may think these marches slow, but 
our infantry soldier carries nearly 
forty pounds of arms, ammunition, 
rations, blankets, etc. ; he fords 
streams in his shoes and socks, and 
then tramps on in wet foot gear, and 
perhaps with blistered feet as a re- 
sult, and instead of doing his work in 
a steady stride, he is vexed and wea- 
ried by many little halts, followed by 
rushes to close up the column. 

The patient and unflagging industry 
of the volunteers in building earth- 
works was wonderful. The construc- 
tion and use of these earthworks con- 
tributed a new chapter to the science 
of war. Our regular troops carried 
the art out to the plains, and even 
the Indian has borrowed it there. 
Our soldiers have grown used to see- 
ing these wild horsemen crouching 
behind rifle pits of the most approved 
kind. 

In our war, the labor in the trenches 
sometimes made the men pretty rusty. 
A soldier at Hilton Head, in 1862, 
had somewhat neglected the care of 
his arms by reason of toiling in the 
earthworks. His colonel reproved 
him for his dirty rifle at inspection 
one day. He excused himself in this 
wise : " Yes, I know my gun is dirty, 



colonel, but I've got the brightest 
shovel you ever saw ! " 

TEMPERAMENT. 

M. Roussillon, a French officer, 
writes of the temperament of the op- 
posing armies in our war as follows : 
"They adopted in the two armies 
sombre uniforms — blue in the North, 
gray or brown in the South, — which 
gave the troops a sad aspect, in sym- 
pathy with the cast of mind of the 
men of the North. In their camps 
there never were, as in ours, high 
spirits, gaiety, and songs. The bands 
were bad, and played rueful airs." 

This shadowy atmosphere existed 
only in the imagination of one who 
was unduly impressed with the Amer- 
ican gravity, which does not extend 
below the surface. There was noth- 
ino; theatrical in the mould or manner 
of the American volunteer. He did 
not need to keep up the light and 
reckless air of a Charles O'Malley 
for the sake of professional reputa- 
tion. War was only a temporary 
business with him, and nothing but 
his manhood was on trial. But no 
soldier ever threw off care more 
readily when the time came. A thou- 
sand memories of song and story and 
jest mingle in the recollection of cam- 
paign and camp. The march was 
often the time of banter and repartee, 
and the swinging measure of the army 
song. The men, too, were quick to 
apply soubriquets. A three months 
regiment I knew was called the 
" Ragged Zouaves," from the condi- 
tion of its shoddy clothing. A rosy 
youth in the ranks got the name of 
" Blossom," and a man of giant stat- 
ure was entitled " Baby." 

[To be concluded.] 



248 



Windham y N. H. 



WINDHAM, W. H.— Chapter 4. 



By Hon. Leonard A. Morrison, Author 

AND "History of 

MEMBERS OF COXSTITUTIONAL CONVEN- 
TIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES, 

1775 TO 1884. 

When royal government was op- 
posed in New Hampshire at the com- 
mencement of the Revolution, a con- 
vention was called in Exeter in 1774, 
and most of the towns in the state 
were represented bv delegates. The 
second convention met in May, 1775, 
to consult on the state of affairs, and 
was elected for six months. The 
third convention, called agreeably 
to a recommendation of congress, 
met on the 21st of December, of 
1775, and proceeded to form a tem- 
porary government, and the first con- 
stitution of New Hampshire was 
adopted January 5, 1776. 

By the town records John Dins- 
moor was chosen a delegate June 2, 
1775, and subsequently James Betton 
was chosen, who served till 1776. 
Since that date our members have 
been, — 

1778. John Dinsmoor. 

1779-'8l. James Betton. 

1782. Three conventions, Sam- 
uel Morrison, James Betton, John 
Dinsmoor. 

1783. Gain Armor. 
1784-86. James Betton. 
1787, '88. James Gilmore. 
1789. James Betton. 
171)0. Voted not to send. 
1791. James Betton. 

1791. September convention, 
James Davidson. 

1792. Voted not to send. 

1793. James Betton. 

1794. James Gilmore. 



OF " History of the Morrison Family" 
Windham, N. H." 



1795-98. Samuel Armor. 

1799. John Dimsmoor. 

1800. No record. 

1801. '02. Samuel Armor. 

1803. John Dinsmoor. 

1804. Samuel Armor. 

1805. John Dinsmoor, 

1806. John Campbell. 
1807-11. Samuel Armor. 

1812. John Campbell. 

1813. Samuel Armor. 
1814-18. John Campbell. 
1819, '20. Samuel Armor. 

1821. John Nesmith — since 

lieut. governor of Massachusetts. 
1822-24. Jonathan Parker. 
1825, '26. Jeremiah Morrison. 
1827, '28. Samuel Anderson. 
1829-'34. Isaac McGaw. 

1835. Alexander Park. 

1836. Isaac McGaw. 
183". Voted not to send. 

1838. Alexander Gordon. 

1839. Isaac McGaw. 

1840. Samuel W. Simpson. 

1841. Jeremiah Morrison. 
1842, '43. Theodore Dinsmoor. 
1844, '45. John Hills. 

1846, '47. Isaac McGaw. 

1848. Theodore Dinsmoor. 

1849, '50. Jonathan Parker. 

1851. John Hills. 

1852. Jeremiah Morrison. 

1853. Samuel W. Simpson. 

1854. Theodore Dinsmoor. 
1855, '56. Robert B. Jackson. 
1857. Samuel W. Simpson. 
1858, '59. No choice. 

1860, '61. Samuel Campbell. 
1862-64. Isaac Emerson. 
1865. William C. Harris. 



Windham, N. H. 



249 



18G6. George W. Weston. 

1867. Loren Thayer. 

1868-70. Rei Hills. 
1871, '72. Albert A. Morrison. 
1873-75. William D. Cocliran. 

1876. Joseph P. Crowell. 

1877. Abel Dow. 

1878. Horace Anderson. 

1879. '80. Abel Dow. 

1881, '82. Horace Anderson. 
1850. Delegate to constitutional con- 

ventiou, Jeremiah Morrison. 
1876. Delegate to constitutional con- 

vention, Horace Berry. 

WAR OF 1812-'15. 

The war of the Revolution had 
passed and the colonies were free, 
but the best of feeling did not exist 
between Elngland and her late col- 
onies. England was arrogant in her 
demands and in her treatment of 
weaker nations ; the United States 
was jealous of its rights. War was 
hardly averted in 1795. At length 
the conflict caine, and the soldiers of 
Windham were as follows : Benjamin 
Blanchard, William Balch, Robert P. 
Dinsmoor, Samuel Dinsmoor, Samuel 
Davidson, Richard Dow, Thomas 
Nesmith, David Campbell. David M. 
Gait, Alexander Gordon, John B. 
Hilands, Moses Sargent, Philip K. 
Wiles, Rufus Patterson, Stephen E. 
Blaisdell, Samuel Rowell, Amos Dow, 
Thomas Moore, David Durrer, Phin- 
eas Danforth, .James Simpson, Sam- 
uel Marshall, Aaron Senter, Matthew 
Clark, AVilliam Simpson, John Nes- 
mith, AVoodbridge Cottle. 

The war was exceedingly unpopu- 
lar, and when news of peace was re- 
ceived there was great joy among the 
people. The news was brought by 
Samuel Armor, on horseback, from 



Haverhill, Mass. Rapidly he came 
from the latter town, and joyfully 
proclaimed the glad tidings. Riding 
up to the houses of the people he 
shouted "Peace! Peace! Peace!" 
and with a few explanatory words 
reined his horse into the highway and 
was gone. The news spread rapid- 
ly, and joy and gladness reigned su- 
preme. 

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOUY. 

The Scotch settlers of Windham 
came to this wintry land to have 

'A faith's pure shrine," 



and 



' To make a happy fireside clime 
For weans and wife." 



They were hard-headed, long-head- 
ed, level-headed, uncompromising, un- 
conquered, and unconquerable Pres- 
byterians. They were of a stern and 
rugged type. They clung to the ten- 
ets of the Presbyterian faith with a 
devotion, constancy, and obstinacy 
little short of bigotry, and in it was 
mingled little of that charity for 
others of a different faith " which 
suffereth long ; " nor is this surprising 
when we consider the circumstances 
of their lives, and the stock to which 
they belonged. They were the de- 
scendants of a brave and heroic race 
of men and women, who had resisted 
the enci'oachments of the '• Estab- 
lished Church " of England, risen in 
opposition to it, and in 1638 entered 
iiko a '"solemn league and covenant" 
to maintain the reformed religion in 
Scotland, and to resist and put down 
popery and prelacy : hence the name 
of "■ Covenanter." 

For the preservation of their relig- 
ious liberty and their form of faith 
the Covenanters had struggled, and 
fought, and suffered amid the moors 



250 



Windham, N. H. 



and mountains and fastnesses of 
Scotland with a fortitude and heroism 
unsurpassed. Many had laid down 
their lives to secure Its preservation ; 
many struggled bravely on during the 
troubled years, bearing aloft the en- 
sign of their faith, which they believed 
to be the only true faith, and their 
banner the only true standard of the 
cross. 

The foot of the persecutor followed 
the faithful to Ireland, and there 
they felt the avenging arm of resisted 
and arbitrary power. Some of those 
who had taken part in the brave 
defence of Londonderry, Ireland, 
owned land here which was occupied 
by their sons. The story of the past, 
of the conflicts in Scotland, the flight 
to Ireland, the endurance and suffer- 
ings and sacrifices and final triumph 
at the " siege of Derry," were fresh 
in their memories ; they were en- 
graven on the tablets of their souls, 
and the lessons influenced their lives. 
So the faith of the stern, grim Cov- 
enanter was transplanted to Wind- 
ham. It took root and flourished on 
this soil, and grew with a strong, 
steady, solid growth in this town. 
The Scotch settlers were a conserva- 
tive and thinking people, and their 
institutions were the result of thought. 
Many of the characteristics, senti- 
ments, and much of the feelings of 
the Covenanters were here, and these 
have not entirely died out of their 
descendants. The religious side of 
the characters of the first residents 
was largely developed. 

The town has been strongly ortho- 
dox from the beginning. Many fam- 
ilies attended meeting at what is now 
East Derry. After attending to their 
morning duties, the whole family, — 



men, women, and children, — would 
walk eight or nine miles to meeting, 
listen to two long sermons, and then 
return to their homes, seldom reach- 
ina; them till after dark. So thev 
prized the sanctuar}', and appre- 
ciated and dearly loved the faith in 
which they trusted. 

The first religious meetings were 
holden in barns during the warm sea- 
son for eleven years, when, in 1753, 
the first meeting-house was built, on a 
hiffh elevation south-east of Cobbett's 
pond, now known as " Cemetery 
hill." 

Our Scotch ancestors, exiles from 
the lochs and glens of Scotland, 
could not forget the customs of the 
dear old father-land. So they located 
the burial-place of themselves and 
their kindred in the shadow of the 
kirk. It is a beautiful spot. The 
lovely lake nestles at the foot of this 
wave-washed hill, shimmering with 
brightness in the summer sun, and in 
autumn mirroring in its bosom all the 
beauty of the forest trees. It is a 
pleasant place on which to pitch one's 
tent after the weary march, when 
with folded arms the silent ones will 
rest undisturbed till the reveille call 
at the great awakening. So the dead 
rested near where the living wor- 
shipped, where in summer days, 
through the opened windows which 
let in the sunshine and the breath of 
flowers, the words as the}' fell from 
the lips of the living preacher might 
be borne b}' the breezes which gently 
waved the grass that grew and the 
flowers that bloomed on the mounds 
of the peaceful sleepers. 

The first pastor was Rev. William 
Johnston who received a call to settle 
here July 12, 17-16, but was not in- 



Windham, N. H. 



251 



stalled till 1747. His salary was two 
hundred pounds and the use of the 
parsonage, besides three hundred 
pounds as a settlement. He ordained 
as ruling elders Nathaniel Hemphill, 
Samuel Kinkead, and John Kyle. 
By the dismemberment of Windham 
in 1752, whereb}' one fourth of our 
territory was annexed to Salem, the 
society was so much weakened that 
its minister could not be supported, 
and he was dismissed in July, 1752. 
Mr. Johnston was a highly educated 
man, having been graduated at the 
University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 
after a seven years course. He 
studied theologv with the Rev. Dr. 
Kerr. He was of Scotch blood, and 
was born in 1710 in Mullow Male, 
county of Tyrone, Ireland, and was 
the son of William and Elizabetii 
(Hoey) Johnston. He came to Amer- 
ica previous to 1736, was then pastor 
of the Presbyterian church at Wor- 
cester, Mass. After leaving town he 
preached at Corry's Brook, now Du- 
anesburg, Washington county, N. Y. 
He afterwards purchased five hun- 
dred acres of land at Sidney Plains, 
N. Y., where his descendants " live 
unto this day." He died at Florida, 
Montgomery county, N. Y., May 10, 
1782. He married, while in AVind- 
hara, a sister of the wife of Rev. 
William Davidson of Londonderry, — 
Anna, the daughter of Dr. John and 
Anna (Witter) Curamiugs. Her fa- 
ther was a surgeon, and died in the 
British navy on the coast of Africa. 
Rev. John Kinkead, of Scotch 
blood, was installed October, 1760, 
with a salary of £1300 old tenor. 
He ordained John Armstrong, Samuel 
Campbell, David Gregg, Lieut. Sam- 
uel Morrison, Robert Hopkins, and 



John Tuffts as ruling elders. The 
ministrations of Mr. Kinkead were 
not satisfactory, nor his moral de- 
portment such as to command the 
respect and love of his people, and 
he was dismissed in April, 1765. 

Rev. Simon Williams was ordained 
in December, 1766, with a salary of 
about $233.33, with a settlement of 
$200, and the use of the parsonage. 
He was pastor for twenty-seven 
years, dying November 10, 1793. 
He did a noble work, and his influ- 
ence lived after him. He established 
a private academy which was an 
important tributary of Dartmouth 
college. As a scholar he was em- 
inent, and was much beloved by his 
people. He married Maria Floyd, 
who died July 28, 1805. They 
were born February 19, 1729, the 
same hour, in Meath, county of 
Tyrone, Ireland, and they are buried 
in the "Cemetery on the Hill," and 
his grave is directly beneath where 
his pulpit stood in which he preached 
for twenty-seven years. He ordained 
as elders John Dinsmoor, Robert 
Park, John Anderson. William Grecrw, 
Samuel Morrison, Robert Dinsmoor 
(the "Rustic Bard"), and Alexan- 
der McCoy. 

A new church was built at the cen- 
tre of the town in 1798. Rev. Sam- 
uel Harris was ordained over the 
church October 9, 1805, and con- 
tinued as pastor till failing health 
caused him to be dismissed in 1826. 
He resided in town till his death, 
September 6, 1848, in the 74th year 
of his age. He married, April 17, 
1798, Ruth Pratt, born August 29, 
1779, who died March 22, 1869. 
Their son, William C. Harris, is a 
prominent citizen of Windham. The 



252 



Windham, N. H. 



ministry of Mr. Harris was a success- 
ful one. David Gregg, James Da- 
vidson. William Davidson, John Da- 
vidson, Jesse Anderson, Samuel Da- 
vidson, J. P. Johnson, Eleazer Bar- 
rett, James W. Perkins, Jacob E. 
Evans, and David McCleary were 
made elders. 

Rev. Calvin Cutler was installed 
over the church on April 9, 1828, 
where he remained till his death Feb- 
ruary 17, 1844. He was born at 
Guildhall, Vermont, October 10, 1791. 
He was graduated at Dartmouth col- 
lege in 1819, at Theological seminary 
at Andover in 1823. During his 
ministry in 1834 he preached in the 
old house now used as the town- 
house. The latter has at different 
times been occupied for preaching by 
the Methodists and Unitarians. The 
eldership was increased by the addi- 
tion of Samuel Anderson, Jacob Har- 
ris, Silas Moore; David Campbell, 
and Jonathan Cochran, in 1833 ; 
in 1843, Theodore Dinsmoor, Joseph 
Park, Benjamin Blanchai-d, David 
A. Davidson, and Rei Hills. One 
hundred and fifty-eight persons uni- 
ted with the church between 1830 
and 1844. INIr. Cutler possessed a 
great deal of intellectual strength and 
vigor. He married, .lune 3, 1824, 
Rhoda Little, of Boscawen, xS. H., 
who died August 15, 1852. Their 
sous aie Evart Cutler of New Haven, 
Connecticut, Rev. Charles Cutler of 
Burton, Ohio, and Rev. Carr(jll Cut- 
ler, I). I).. President of Western Re- 
serve College, Cleveland, Ohio. 

In 1845 Rev. Loren Thayer was 
ordained with a salary of $500. He 
continued with his people till his 
death. For more than twenty years 
he was pastor. In feeble health, he 



was dismissed April 25. 1866. and 
died of consumption September 19, 
1869, at the age of fifty-four years. 
He was thrice married, his last wife 
])eing Elizabeth C. Farley, a refined 
and cultivated lady, who became 
closely identified with the interests 
of this people. She died March 4, 
1878. Mr. Thayer's ministry was an 
eminently successful one, and his 
memory, with that of his beloved wife, 
is tenderly cherished. Samuel Camp- 
bell was made an elder. 

Rev. Joseph Lanman was installed 
June 2, 1868. A parsonage was 
built that year costing over S3, 000. 
He was dismissed February 6, 1872, 
and now resides at Taylor's Falls, 
Minnesota. 

Rev. Charles Packard was installed 
April 29, 1873, at a salary of §800 
and the use of the parsonage. The 
church was remodelled in 1874, and re- 
dedicated December 29, 1874. The 
outlay was f;2600. William C. Har- 
ris, Horace Anderson, and William 
D. Cochran became elders of the 
church, December 26, 1878. Mr. 
Packard was born in Brookfield, 
Maine, October 14, 1818 ; graduated 
at Bowdoin college in 1842, at Ban- 
gor seminary in 1845. As a pastor 
he was faithful, as a friend he was 
true, as a citizen he always had the 
interest of society in view, and was 
always upon the right side. He [)er- 
formed his pastoral duties till Janu- 
ary 29, 1881, when the disease which 
had been upon him culminated in en- 
tire prostration, and he died Febru- 
ary 20, 1881, and is buried in Farm- 
ington, Maine. He man-ied, in Nor- 
way, INIaine, Hannah Holt, who re- 
sides with their children in Farming- 
ton, Maine. 



77/ o m as Fo rsyt/i . 



253 



Rev. Joseph S. Cogswell, the pies- in 1817. iiiid has always been in a 

ent pastor, was bom in Boscawen, highly tiourishing condition, and the 

N. H., October 21), 1836 ; was in- larger part of tiie congregation are 

stalled December 21, 1881, with members. Connected with it is a 

pleasing prospects. valuable and largely patronized libra- 

The Sundav-school was organized rv of 500 volumes. 



THOMAS FORSYTH, SIEUR DE FRONSAC. 
By Augustin Bell, A. M. 

Thomas Forsyth was born in Deer- cret dii)l()matic service of the French 
ing, Hillsborough county, New Hamp- Princes (179.')), who were suffering 
shire, September 1, 1776. His father exile. He afterwards became a cap- 
was Captain William Forsyth (see tain in the Royalist Emegres, and 
" Forsyth Family " in Vol. VIII, page served throughout the monotonous 
251, of the Granite Monthly), and marches of that forlorn hope of exiled 
his motlier was Jane, daughter of royalty in Germany and along the 
James Wilson, of Chester, wlio was Rhine. As an officer in the foreign 
at one time surveyor of the highways guard he then entered the service of 
of Chester. Col. Robert Wilson, as Russia (1800), but abandoned the 
recorded in the article referred to, life of peril and hardship through 
was not the father of Jane, but was which he was passing to return to 
of the same family (Chase's History America in 1802. He had been dec- 
of Chester). Thomas Forsyth was orated with the Order of St. Louis 
sent while quite young to the north of for services rendered in the diplomatic 
Ireland in company with his older and military departments under the 
brother Robert, who afterwards enter- French Princes, and had published a 
ed the British army, and retired in jjolitical pamphlet entitled '•"La Di- 
1802 as major of the 60tli Royal j)lo7natie cfune Frontiere." as Thomas 
Rifles, or 60th Foot, as they were Forsytli, Sieur de Fronsac, under 
then called. The county seat of the which name also he was decorated 
family was then in Hillsborough conn- with the Order of St. Louis, and serv- 
ty, province of Leister, Ireland, Hills- ed in the Emegres and in Russia, 
borough county, New Hami)shire, be- The town of Forsath, or J'orsyth, 
ing named after that of Ireland. twenty miles from Bordeaux, on the 

Before he was twenty years of age Dordoyne, in France, from wliich, as 
an adventurous spirit took Thomas counts, the family liad derived its 
into France, where the troublous state name, had been changed to Fronsac, 
of affairs was excited by the fumes of after it had suffered by the invasion 
revolution. Sympathizing with the of the Earl of Derby, from England, 
royalist party and anxious for distinc- in the 14th century ; and this was the 
tiou, he, through the friendship and reason that Thomas Forsyth took the 
introduction of Henri, Marquis de name of Fronsac to his own, accord- 
Costa, obtained a position in the se- ing to a custom among the French 



254 



Unread. 



nobility, and it was as Sieur de Fron- 
sac that he was recognized in France. 
He was the only person born in New 
Hampshire who has ever received the 
decoration of the Order of St. Louis, 
which is one of the highest in Eu- 
rope. 

When he returned to America in 
1802 he settled in Savannah, Ga., 
where he remained for about two 
years. He then finally located at 
Portland, Me., in which place he en- 
tered into the West India trade, estab- 
lishing his store and office on Ingra- 
ham's wharf. He had a moderate 
interest in shipping and landed prop- 
erty. He was junior steward of the 
Ancient Landmark Lodge of Free 
Masons in Portland. As a performer 
on the violincello he had, perhaps, 
although an amateur, no equal in 
Maine, while his general knowledge 
of music was complete in other de- 
partments. 

He married, in 1809, Sallie, daugh- 
ter of John Pray, formerly of Savan- 
nah, Ga., who had been a captain in 
the colonial navy of Georgia in the 
Revolution, and the naval commis- 



sioner for that commonwealth. Capt. 
Prav was an Irish refueee, who had 
married Mary, daughter of Major 
Joshua Hamilton, the son of Henry 
Hamilton, M. P. for County Donegal, 
and sou of Lieut. Gen. Sir Gustavus 
Hamilton, 1st Viscount Boyne, Vice- 
Admiral of Ulster, Privy Councillor 
of Great Britain, etc. (See Burke's 
Peerage.) 

Thomas Forsyth left a family of 
six children at the time of his death, 
Dec. 21, 1849, at Portland. One 
other, a son, had died before him in 
Texas. 

He was a man of refined tastes and 
high ability, an honor to the state in 
which he was born, reverenced by his 
children, the head of his family, ac- 
knowledged as a patron of the poor, 
to whom he dispensed liberally, and 
a man loving the good and the meri- 
torious. His faith in republics was 
wanting, but he recognized the ties 
which bound him to his native land, 
and no doubt through their influence 
saw the greatest possibility laid out 
before her. Those who knew him 
recognized a Christian gentleman. 



UNREAD. 

By Alice Freese Durgin. 

As the dull dav faded into murkv nio;ht. 

Wearily from out the gloom she rose, and stept 

Towards the hearth, where dying embers kept 

Their feint of life, from which all life had fled. 

"How frail thou wert ! How empty, and how mean," she said, 

"Thou s(>eu)est, now thou liest ended, 

Poor hapless life ! No fond delight blended 

With the heavy pain, to make one shadow bright." 

What was the sound that falling on her brokenly, 

As blossoms lightly blown from off a tree, 

Woke faintest memories of some calm, silver light. 

Shining in young summer's long remembered night? 

Trembling as the vision broke, she prayed with bowed head, — 

"Dear Life ! I thank Thee for the page unread." 



THE 




RANITE neNTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 

Tfevoted to Literature, "Biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. 



AUGUST, 1887. 



No. 8. 



HON. ALVIN BURLEIGH. 



The Plymouth Record, in advocat- 
iiia: the choice of Mr. Burleigh for 
speaker of the New Hampshire house 
of representatives, said, — 

"With all due respect to the can- 
didates other localities have to offer, 
we have positive convictions that 
Grafton county can furnish a speaker 
for the next house of representatives 
who will not only prove most accept- 
able to the Republican party and the 
public generally, but one who is ad- 
mirably equipped for the position by 
reason of his high personal character, 
his legal education, his familiarity 
with the law and judicial decisions of 
the state, and the rules of parliament- 
ary practice. We mean, of course, 
our representative, Alvin Burleigh. 
The approaching session of the legis- 
lature will be one of interest to the 
Republican party, not only because 
the choice of United States senator is 
to be made, but because much de- 
pends upon the manner in which the 
contest is waged and determined. It 
is of the greatest importance that 



fairness and harmony shall be marked 
features of the coming meeting, in 
order that there may be hearty coop- 
eration and united organization for 
the campaign of 1888. 

"The choice of speaker should be 
regulated by the especial needs of the 
occasion, and it must be apparent to 
all that the interests of the party and 
the state demand for this position a 
man who, first of all, is fitted for the 
place ; and, second, one who is abso- 
lutely free from all entangling alli- 
ances and pledges, and can therefore 
exercise the powers and perform the 
duties of the office with the utmost 
impartialit}', without fear or favor, 
and with that freedom and confidence 
natural to one thoroughly acquainted 
with parliamentary rules, and accus- 
tomed to the methods of judicial pro- 
cedure." 

Before the assembling of the legis- 
lature (June, 1887) it was early man- 
fest that Mr. Burleigh was the leading 
candidate for speaker, and at the 
Republican caucus he received 118 



256 



Hon. Alvin Biirlcisrh. 



votes ; John McLane, of Milford, re- 
ceived 32 votes ; and John J. Bell, of 
Exeter, received 8 votes. The pre- 
diction as to his eminent fitness for 
the place has been verified by his im- 
partial course during the time the 
legislature has been in session. 

Hon. Alvin Burleigh was born at 
Plymouth, December 19, 1842, and is 
therefore forty-four years old. He 
is entirely a self-made man, having 
taken care of himself ever since he 
was fifteen years of age. At that 
time he commenced working on a 
farm, and received as wages nine 
dollars a month. He then took up 
the tanners' trade, and learned it be- 
fore the civil war broke out. When 
that began, although but nineteen 
years of age, he enlisted in company 
B, 15th regiment (at the same time 
with Senator Blair), and served in 
that regiment every day until it was 
disbanded. He was with the expedi- 
tion of General Banks on the Missis- 
sippi, and participated in the siege 
and capture of Fort Hudson in 1863. 
Since the war Mr. Burleigh has been 
for some years an active member of 
the Grand Array of the Republic. 
He was judge advocate of the de|)art- 
ment of New Hampshire during the 
first year that Hon. M. A. Haynes 
was commander, and he is now com- 
mander of Penniman Post of Ply- 
mouth, and is on Department Com- 
mander O. C. Wyatt's staff for the 
current year. 

After an honorable discharge from 
the army he resumed his trade, and 
became foreman of Ward & MeQues- 
ten's tannery. In 1865 he entered 
Kimball Union Academy, at Meriden, 
K. H., and was graduated tliere in 
1867. 'He entered Dartmouth col- 



lege the same year, and was gradu- 
ated in the class of 1871. He paid 
his way through college by working 
at his trade at intervals, and teaching 
during vacations and a part of winter 
terms. In 1872, the year after leav- 
ing college, he taught the high school 
at Woodstock, Vt. He studied law 
with Hon. H. W. Blair, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1874, and in 1875 
formed a law partnership with Mr. 
Blair, which was continued until 1879, 
when Mr. Blair retired and George 
H. Adams came in, and the present 
firm of Burleigh & Adams was estab- 
lished. Mr. Burleigh has had an ex- 
tensive and successful law practice 
in the state and United States courts, 
and his success is due to the fact that 
he is a sound and well read lawyer, 
and possesses good common-sense and 
practical judgment. In manner he 
is calm, fair, and candid. He is well 
informed on all public questions, and 
has a wide acquaintance with men 
and the politics of New Hampshii'e. 
In the government of iniblic assem- 
blies he has had considerable experi- 
ence, and shows himself thoroughly 
informed in parliamentary law, and 
gifted with that peculiar tact so nec- 
essary at times to control legislative 
bodies. 

Mr. Burleigh has been a member of 
the board of education of Plymouth 
since its organization, treasurer of 
the board until his election to the 
speakership, and at present is its 
president. He is a trustee of the 
State Normal School. Personally he 
is not only a consistent advocate of 
temperance, but a teetotaler, evincing 
his interest in the cause by serving as 
president of a local temperance or- 
ganization several terms, and refusing 



The Northern Volunteers. 



257 



all retainers frora violators of tem- 
perance laws. In such cases he is 
generally found on the side of the 
prosecution. 

In Masonry Mr. Hurleigh is a mem- 
ber of the Olive Branch lodge, — for 
six years in succession the master of 
the lodge ; a member of the Omega 
Council and the Pemigewasset Chap- 
ter, of Plymouth, and of the St. 
Gerard Conimandery, of Littleton. 
He is one of the Knights of Honor, 
and an attendant at the Methodist 
church, of which he is trustee. 

He was married January 14, 1873, 
to Elvira, daughter of 'Squire David 
and Margaret (Taylor) Page, and 
sister of Samuel T. Page, Esq., of 
Haverhill. Their union has been 
blessed by two children, — Alvin Page 
Burleigh, born March 20, 1875, and 



David Paul Burleigh, born March 20. 
1878. His motiier, before her mar- 
riage, was Sally Whipple, a cousin to 
Col. Thomas J. Whipple, of Laconia. 
His grandfather served during the 
Revolution, whih' witii him in the 
Union army served his three brothers, 
one of whom died from wounds re- 
ceived at the battle of Gettvsburg. 

Mr. Burleigh enjoys the confidence 
and friendship of the leaders of the 
Republican party throughout the 
state, and has the respect of '' onr 
friends, the enemy." As a public 
speaker he is effective, having a fine 
voice, and is logical in his arguments. 
He is in the prime of manhood, and 
his friends reasonably look forward 
to his further elevation to posts of 
honor and emolument. 



THE NORTHERN VOLUNTEERS.— Concluded. 
By Col. T. J. Livekmore. 



A gallant staff captain of the second 
corps was known among the soldiers 
as the "Jack of Diamonds," by rea- 
son of his long face, pointed chin, 
arched eyebrows, and long, drooping 
red moustache. Old Gen. Sumner, 
of deep voice and headstrong cour- 
age, was affectionately entitled the 
"Big Bull of Bashan." The erect 
and robust form of Gen. Hancock, 
and his partiality for the front in 
battle, gave him the title of "■ Kins: 
Pin " with his admiring soldiers. 

The day of sack and rapine has 
gone by among civilized nations, and 
it was not to be expected that Amer- 
ican soldiers would be guilty of them. 



It is true tliat isolated houses which 
had l)een abandoned were often 
burned by sti'agglers, but it was sel- 
dom that this appeared to have been 
done deliberately. At Fredericks- 
burg, too, some of the houses were 
emptied into the street, but this 
seemed to lie done in bear play, and 
it was doubtless incited by the fact 
that tiie city had been deserted by the 
residents, and the houses had been 
used as cover for the enemy to fire 
from. With these exceptions, tliere 
was no considerable destruction of 
houses except under orders, and al- 
though cities were often taken by 
siege or assault, as at Petersburg, 



258 



The Northern Volunteers. 



Fredericksburg, Atlanta, Columbia, 
Richmond, New Orleans, Savannah, 
and Mobile, no instance of general 
incendiarism, sack, drunken riot, or 
violence to women occurred. 

Our soldiers, orders to the contrary 
or not, would lay hands on every- 
thing eatable. The temptation to 
eke out or vary their bill of fare was 
too great for them to resist. It was 
said of some parts of the country 
which had been marched over repeat- 
edly, that a crow could not fly over 
them without carrying his rations. 
"When we marched through the coun- 
try east of the Rappahannock in 1863, 
on the way to Gettysburg, I came 
into camp with my company from 
picket duty one night, and when I 
went to the colonel to report our 
arrival, I smelt the savory fumes of 
fresh pork over the colonel's camp- 
fire. My surprise at detecting so un- 
usual a thing in that exhausted region 
was apparent, and the colonel, by 
way of explanation, said, " Captain, 
the last pig of the Rappahannock has 
just come in and surrendered him- 
self." 

CONDUCT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE 
ENEMY. 

In the leffort to arrive at a judg- 
ment of the conduct of the volunteers 
in the presence of the enemy, we 
naturally turn to the examples af- 
forded us in the great wars of modern 
Europe for a standard of comparison. 
But wc at once find ourselves at a 
loss for this standard of comparison 
in one very important service which 
has not held a i)rominent place in 
these European wars. 

The deep veil of sunless forest 
which covered so much of the country 



in which we fought gave such a chance 
for concealment, that, whether the 
line of battle was moving forward or 
was at rest, it was needful to cover 
its front at a long reach ahead with a 
line of pickets or skirmishers. The 
men in this line would l>e about five 
paces apart, so that, while they were 
not close enough together to suffer 
great loss from a sudden fire, they 
suflflced to detect the enemy's advance 
in time to get ready for him, or to 
draw his fire, so as to forewarn our 
advancing Hue of his presence. This 
necessity does not exist in a country 
where the opposing lines are seen by 
each other at long distances, as has 
been the case on most fields in the wars 
of modern P^urope. It was in such ser- 
vice as this that the intelligence and 
self-reliance of the American volun- 
teer were of the greatest value. 

The line of skirmishers, or pickets, 
under a brigade officer, was some- 
times a mile long. The trees and 
undergrowth often hid the soldier 
from his neighbor and from the view 
of his officers, and the commanding 
officer had to trust to his hearing and 
militai-y instinct as much as to siglit 
to tell him how his men were acting. 
The moral support of the touch of 
shoulder to shoulder was absent, and 
the soul and heart of the men had to 
keep them up without the encourage- 
ment or restraint which the presence 
of the officers gives in line of battle. 
In spite of the weakness of the for- 
mation, the skirmish line more than 
once refused to retire under the fire 
of a line of battle, and came out vic- 
torious. Such an instance was seen 
at Chancellorsville, w^here the skir- 
mish line of Hancock's division, un- 
der the gallant Miles, beat back the 



The No7'thern Volunteers. 



259 



attack of McLaw's division, and again 
at Petersl)urg, where, in the assault 
of June 15, 1864, a line of formida- 
ble works was carried by the skirmish 
line of Gen. W. F. Smith's corps. 

The picket line at night in tlie dark 
recesses of the Southern forests was 
a great trial of the morale of the sol- 
dier. Then silence itself had its 
alarms. A private soldier of 1861 
wrote these lines, which, whatever 
their poetic merit may be, well ex- 
press what many a soldier has felt on 
his solitary post : 

"Alas! the weary hours pass slow; 

The night is very dark and still. 
And in the marshes far below 

I hear the bearded whip-poor-will. 
I scarce can sec a yard ahead ; 

My ears are strained to catch each sound ; 
I hear the leaves about me shed, 

And the springs bubbling through the ground. 

"Along the beaten patli I pace 

Where white scraps mark my sentry's track; 
In formless shrubs I seem to trace 

The foeman's form with bending back. 
I think I see him crouching low; 

I stop and list — I stoop and peer — 
Until the neighboring hillocks grow 

To groups of soldiers, far and near. 

" With ready piece I A'ait and watch 

Until my eyes, familiar grown, 
Detect each harmless earthen notch. 

And turn guerillas into stone. 
And then, amid the lonely gloom, 

Beneath the tall old chestnut-trees , 
My silent marches I resume, 

And think of other times than these." 

In front of Richmond, in 1862, the 
army, then new to this phase of war, 
maintained its picket line for a month 
in the woods and thickets, within rifle 
shot, and in places within pistol shot, 
of the enemy's pickets. The crack 
of rifle was heard day and night, and 
the scattering shots often swelled 
into a rolling fusilade, to be followed 
by the roar of shells whirling over 
the crouching pickets. The time was 
full of alarms. Unused to reading 



the signs of war, for a long time every 
soldier on picket was tense with the 
feeling that each outburst of arms 
might be the signal for an attack by 
the enemy. The keenest vigilance 
possessed every man. Without the 
element of strong and self-reliant 
character in the soldier, the picket 
line at this time would have been the 
source of constant alarm to the arm}'. 
But, in fact, the conduct of the troops 
on picket was so admirable that a 
sense of security possessed the army 
behind the earthworks that was not 
to be disturbed by anything short of 
seeing the pickets coming in in re- 
treat, which was a rare occurrence. 

Concerning the conduct of the vol- 
unteers in battle, the Comte de Paris, 
a very friendlv writer, sa^'s, that 
while they showed much personal 
bravery and skill in firing, these qual- 
ities alone cannot give to a body of 
troops "• that collective courage which 
inspires every man with the same 
spirit, and enables it to undertake 
with unanimity of purpose " what is 
impossible for the individual, and 
that "■this distinctive trait of well 
trained armies which constitutes their 
superiority is the result of long hab- 
its of discipline and the influence of 
old and experienced regimental or- 
ganizations." 

He also says that it took our sol- 
diers " a long time to learn that upon 
ground where fighting had to be done 
at short distances, it is almost less 
dangerous to rush upon the enemy 
than to be decimated by his fire while 
standing still." But he says " thev 
went under fire more resolutely the 
second time than the first." 

Gen. de Chanal writes as follows : 
"It is difficult to compare the Amer- 



26o 



The Northern Volunteers. 



ican soldier with any of the soldiers 
of the old continent. He has the 
merits of some, and faults the most 
opposite of others. Untiring on the 
march, resigned amid the greatest 
sufferings, he attacks resolutely, but 
coldly. The combat, which for him 
is not sustained by the sharp peals of 
trumpet or the rhythmic roll of drum, 
has something sombre and sinister. 
If he believes his efforts useless, he 
halts ; neither orders nor exhortations 
can make him go forward. Once en- 
gaged, he is tenacious even to obsti- 
nacy, even to disobedience : he neither 
wishes nor knows how to retreat, and 
thousands of men perish where an 
order to retreat executed with docility 
would limit the sacrifice to hundreds. 
In the long file of ambulances which 
bear off the wounded, all bleeding, 
whom  not even a dressing has re- 
lieved, one hears neither complaints 
nor groans. His death is always 
stoical. He will ask of you a little 
water or to place him in an easier po- 
sition, and he waits patiently. . . . 
And, notwithstanding he is so cold in 
appearance, he is susceptible of im- 
pulse." 

To illustrate this, he tells two 
anecdotes. In one, Gen. Humphreys' 
troops, reluctant to go forward, see 
the general and his son leave them 
and march v/ith slow step alone 
toward the enemy, when the whole 
line, impelled by this heroic example, 
sweep forward to the combat. In the 
other, Gen. Meade breaks his sword 
upon the heads of his soldiers, whose 
retreat he cannot stop, and they after- 
ward present him with a new sword, 
inscribed with the date and |)lace of 
this occurrence. The view which 
Gen. de Chanal takes of us is dra- 



matic to some extent. His memory 
has been impressed with the extraor- 
dinary incidents of our war to such a 
degree as to obscure the ordinary 
conduct of our soldiers in some re- 
spects. He tells rather what they 
were capable of than what they ordi- 
narily did. 

Col. Chesne3% an eminent English 
military authority, says that the blun- 
ders and want of coherence of our 
early volunteers were amply atoned 
for by the stubborn courage after- 
ward displayed, and that " if a man's 
claims to be regarded as a veteran 
are to be measured by the amount of 
actual fighting he has gone through, 
the most seasoned soldiers of Europe 
are but as conscripts compared with 
the survivors of our war ; and the fol- 
lowing passage from his book is a 
generous tribute from a l^ritish sol- 
dier. He says, — " If the organiza- 
tion and discipline of their improvised 
troops were inferior, the actual fight- 
ing was, in fact, more stubborn, for 
no European forces have experienced 
the amount of resistance in combat 
which North and South opposed to 
each other. Neither was the fre- 
quently indecisive result of the great 
battles fought in America any proof 
that they formed exceptions to the 
ordinary rules of military science. 
These actions were so inconclusive, 
first from deficiency in cavalry, and 
next because the beaten side would 
not break up. The American sol- 
diery, in thus refusing to yield to 
panic when losing the day, retiring 
in good order and keeping a good 
front to the victorious enemy, dis- 
played, let us believe, an inherited 
quality. In order to pursue, there 
must be some one to run awav, and, 



The Northern Volunteers. 



261 



to the credit of the Americans, the 
ordinary conditions of European war- 
fare in this respect were usually 
absent from the great battles fought 
across the Atlantic. " 

It is true, as said by the French 
writer before quoted, that neither 
trumpet nor drum was used to incite 
our men to combat. Martial music 
stirred them as well as the soldiers of 
other countries, but by common im- 
pulse our commanding officers left 
their musicians behind to care for the 
wounded. It did not seem needful 
to expose the lives of these non-com- 
batants merel}' to render battle more 
cheerful. There was no call to so 
quicken the courage of men who al- 
ready had the will to do their duty. 

To the examples of impulse in our 
soldiers before mentioned, a more 
noteworthy one may be added. It is 
the facing about of the fugitives to 
follow Sheridan to the front on his 
famous ride from Winchester. The 
general says in his report, — ''The 
whole army had been driven back in 
confusion, . . . a very large por- 
tion of the infantry not even pre- 
serving a company organization," and 
ten miles to the rear as he was flying 
to the front, he says "the head of 
the fugitives appeared in sight, trains 
and men coming to the rear with 
appalling rapidity." He modestly 
relates the result of his arrival in 
these words : "I am hap{)y to say 
that hundreds of the men, who on 
reflection found they had not done 
themselves justice, came back with 
cheers." 

The fact is, that a steady stream of 
fuofitives — both officers and men — was 
pouring to the rear, and the efforts of 
all other officers to stop it were una- 



vailing. When the impetuous Sheridan, 
the flaming incarnation of war, came 
rushing by, eager to reach the front 
and face the foe, he cried to his men 
as he rode on, to turn back and fol- 
low him, and, all at once, the tide 
turned, and thousands of men. taking 
new heart, streamed to the front to 
join the ranks. The lines restored, 
the advance was ordered, the enemy 
were routed, and the campaign was 
ended in victory. It is not to be for- 
gotten that half the army had re- 
treated in good order, and had halted 
to resist the further advance of the 
enemy ; but yet here was a veritable 
instance of a great defeat turned into 
a greater victory through the enthusi- 
asm excited by one man, and his 
boundless courage and energy and 
superlative militar}' skill. 

At the beginning of the war we de- 
sired to find a Napoleon to lead us, 
and, with implicit confidence in our 
national destiny, we took it as a 
matter of course that he would appear 
at once. The soldiers fondly be- 
lieved they had found him in McClel- 
lan, and his handsome face, soldierly 
carriage, and winning manners con- 
firmed their desire to raise him to the 
ideal rank, and he was cheered where- 
ever he appeared. 

Then Burnside, handsomer still and 
more affable even than McClellan, 
was cheered in his turn. 

The clear-eyed, erect, soldierly, and 
impetuous Hooker excited equal en- 
thusiasm. But with Hooker there 
was the end of crowning the com- 
mander of the army with laurel in 
advance. The impotent conclusion 
of McClellan's campaigns, the useless 
slaughter at Fredericksburg under 
Burnside, and the feeble influence of 



262 



The Northern Volunteers. 



mere personal valor on the fortunes 
of an army as manifested in Hooker, 
had taught the thinking bayonets that 
cheers ought not to be given on trust. 
Thenceforward war was looked upon 
as a business, in which a debt and 
credit account was to be kept with 
the commander, and the men were in 
the habit of looking below mere per- 
sonal appearance or manner in esti- 
mating them. 

At Antietam a general lingered 
under shelter while his brigade swept 
forward under fire. The hard fight- 
ing old division general advancing, 
sword in hand, with the front line, 
under a storm of bullets, when within 
a few yards of the enemy, perceived 
the absence of the brigadier. He 
cried out in a great voice above the 

roar of battle, "Where's Gen. .?" 

A score of soldiers, turning their 
faces toward him as they marched, 
shouted from the ranks, " Behind the 
hay-stack." The old general roared 
out an indignant curse, and passed on 
to meet his death. 

If it is true that the American sol- 
dier was not a creature of impulse, it 
is also true that it was needless to 
arouse martial ardor in him in the 
name of glory or to the beat of mar- 
tial music. He did not fight for 
glory, and he did not love the trade 
of war, but his good name was his 
stake, and he had enlisted for the 
war to keep this Union whole ; and 
for this he faced death, sometimes 
seriously, sometimes cheerily, often 
ai'dently, always resolutely. 

No finer instance of the calm deter- 
mination to face death, due to intelli- 
gent patriotism, was ever seen than 
at Mine Run, November 30, 1863. Six 
divisions, numbering over 20,000 men, 



had arrived on the bank of the run at 
night, and as morning drew near they 
were drawn up in columns for an as- 
sault upon the enemy's works in front 
of them. These works were supposed 
to be weak and thinly manned, but as 
the light dawned our soldiers saw a 
few hundred yards ahead a formid- 
able line of breastworks surmounting 
a crest and bristling with cannon. 
Men were visible everywhere, and the 
generals of the watchful host were 
riding to and fro as if preparing to 
receive the assault. The skirmishers 
of the two armies were at rest within 
a few yards of each other upon the 
unobstructed slope that intervened. 
They did not fire at each other, but 
waited for the mighty conflict which 
impended. Our men were veterans 
of many battles, not a few of them 
had been present at Fredericksburg 
the year before, where an assault no 
more hopeless than this which they 
now prepared for had been followed 
by the recoil of our array, leaving 
many to perish in the freezing night 
of a winter's day like that which was 
now dawning. 

They had now piled their knapsacks 
for freedom in the charge, and as 
Gen. Warren rode down the line these 
resolute sons of the North were seen 
writing their names on slips and pin- 
ning them on their breasts. This 
was that their bodies might be recog- 
nized on the field of battle ! These 
were soldiers whom it was a high 
privilege to serve with. Thanks to 
the unselfish spirit of Gen. Warren, 
this hopeless assault was not made. 

The advantage of rushing on the 
enemy where the fighting had been 
done at short range, which the Comte 
de Paris savs our volunteers had to 



The JVorthern Volunteers. 



263 



learn, was perceived by them at an 
early day, and they showed their 
willingness to rush upon works in 
1862 at Fort Donelson, Williamsburg, 
and Yorktown. Gen. Smitli's Ver- 
raonters forced the passage of War- 
wick's creek waist-deep in water, and 
carried the enemy's works, and the 
1st Massachusetts charged 800 yards 
under fire, and captured a field work 
as early as April, 18G2, at Yorktown. 
At Fredericksburg our divisions made 
a succession of determined and des- 
perate charges. They followed one 
after the other from morning till 
night. We lost over 7,000 killed and 
wounded in these charges. They did 
not fail from reluctance to go for- 
ward. The deadly fire from the 
triple lines behind the wall in our 
front struck down so many that by 
the time the men were within assault- 
ing distance there were not enough 
left to close the ranks for the assault. 
But the lines did not stop to deliver 
their fire until their formation was 
destroyed by their losses. Their dead 
were found within twenty-five yards 
of the enemy's line. 

The critic who attempts to weigh 
the conduct of our volunteers by the 
amount of fighting at close quarters, 
as compared with that in former wars, 
is in danger of being misled, because 
the conditions have been changed so 
much bv the increase of the range 
and efficiency of arms. 

If we compare our battles with 
those of the Franco-German war of 
1870, we shall see that our men do 
not suffer by it. In the great battle 
of Gravelotte, the village of St. Marie 
aux Chenes was taken from the 
French by an attack on two sides. 
On account of the absence of cover. 



and the long range of the French 
Chassepot rifles, the Jagers of the 
Saxon Guards, who made the attack 
on one side, had to advance in open 
skirmish order, and, although this 
order afforded a poor mark to the 
French riflemen, yet the historians 
say the Jagers had to go forward 
"in a series of rushes of about two 
hundred yards each, and, throwing 
themselves flat on the ground, to re- 
commence their fire," and the last 
rush was deferred until the French 
evacuated the village. In this same 
battle, the village of St. Privat was 
taken by the Germans. It stood at 
the top of a slope like that which 
engineers make in front of a fort 
aud term the glacis, about two miles 
long, and was surrounded by a wall 
consisting mainly of massive stone 
houses, and had been fortified by the 
French for a general support of their 
whole right wing. Eighteen thousand 
of the Prussian Guards, the best 
trained soldiers of the German em- 
pire, attempted to carry the village 
by advancing up the slope about the 
same distance that our troops marched 
under fire at Fredericksburg, The 
very friendly historians from whom 
this account is derived say that the 
commander of the assaulting force, 
on account of its great losses, gave 
orders to suspend the attack, while 
his skirmishers were yet 400 paces 
from the French, to await a flank 

attack by the Saxons, without which, 
these historians say, "it was impos- 
sible to carry out the last decisive 
attack." 

The Prussian Guards lost 8,000 
out of 25,000 to 30,000 in this bat- 
tle — twenty-seven to thirty-two per 
cent. At Fredericksburg, December 



264 



The Northern Volunteers. 



13, 1862, Hancock's division ad- 
vanced over open ground in the face 
of the most destructive storm of can- 
non shots and bullets, and left its 
dead within twenty-five vards of the 
enemy's line. It lost 2,169 out of its 
5,000 men — over forty-three per cent. 
The greatest loss of any German bat- 
talion of 1,000 men at Gravelotte 
was fifty per cent. Eight of Han- 
cock's regiments, numbering 2,548 
men, lost 1,324 — nearly fifty-two per 
cent. — at Fredericksburg. On the 
3d of May, 1863, Sedgwick's division 
carried this same position at F'reder- 
icksburg by an assault impetuous 
enough to satisfy the most exacting 
military critic. 

The assault is necessary where a 
fortified position is to be taken in 
battle, but with the disappearance of 
the musket of slow fire and short 
range such tactics become foolhardy 
where an attack is to be made on 
troops of good morale in open ground. 
To rush toward such a line while it 
fires on the assaulting line is to court 
destruction. The attacking party 
must send bullet for bullet Pickett's 
charge at Gettysburg showed this. 

To pursue the comparison of our 
troops with the Germans, we read 
that at Saarbrticken-Forbach the 
French, in their advance against the 
Prussians, began firing with their 
small arms at 1,500 paces, and kept 
it up to within 1,000 paces ; and the 
admiring historians say, — " But each 
of these attacks was defeated by the 
incomparable steadiness and bravery 
of the Prussian infantry and artillery, 
and the wonderfully precise fire of 
the flanking batteries." If we did 
not know that the Prussian troops 
could stand more than this, we should 



get a pretty low opinion of them from 
such praise. In Virginia an officer 
who opened fire with small arms at 
500 yards would hare been thought 
light-headed, and our army officers 
to-day would look upon fire at more 
than that distance as wasted. 

It is true that the Cbassepot of 
1870 carried farther than the Spring- 
field rifle of 1861, but the point blank 
range of the former was only 300 
yards, while that of the latter was 
200 yards. Point blank range is that 
at which the rifle barrel points at the 
mark. At any longer range the rifle 
must point upward. To reach 1,500 
yards, as the French tried to do, 
would require the rifle barrels to point 
toward the stars. Difference in arms, 
country, and adversaries renders abso- 
lute comparisons of the conduct of 
soldiers of different nations very diffi- 
cult. But the ratio of killed and 
wounded in a series of battles affords 
a comparison which is a good test of 
character, because in the long run it 
is the killing and wounding that most 
tries the manhood and soldiership of 
an army. The following is a com- 
parison of these ratios in our army 
and the German army in the Franco- 
German war of 1870, the greatest of 
modern times, excepting ours : 

Kumber Killed and Per 

Battles. Eiifraged. Wounded. Cent. 

Viouvllle 80,000 16,500 20 

Gravelotte 146,000 20,000 14 

AVorth 90,000 8,000 9 

Sedan 120,000 10.000 8 

1861-5. 

Gettv.«buig 82.('00 16,534 20 

Stone's Kiver 43,400 8,798 20 

Chiekanianca 55,000 11,000 20 

Fredeiicksburg 80,000 12.358 15 

Sluloli 61,000 9,000 15 

Wilderness 100,000 15.000 15 

Antietam 87,000 12.000 14 

Chanccllorsville 120.000 17,000 14 

Cold Harbor lOn.OOO 13.000 13 

Fair Oaks 60,000 5,000 8 

If asked to name the most promi- 
nent traits of the Northern volunteers 



The Northern Volunteers. 



265 



ill battle, I should not name impetu- 
osity, because, whether it was due to 
the caution of our generals or the 
coldness of our temperament, this 
quality was not conspicuous in our 
actions ; but I should say steadfast- 
ness and tenacity. Their steadfast- 
ness was proven times without num- 
ber in the battles fought in the 
obscurity of the Southern forests. 
The general, unable to see either the 
enemy or his own men, had to depend 
upon the ranks to stay where he 
placed them until the din of arms 
could guide him to the point of at- 
tack. The men, in their turn, had 
to meet an unseen foe, and fight the 
battle upon the faith that their flanks 
were covered, and that aid would 
come when needed. This trait averted 
panics. No surprise, no flight of any 
part of the army, ever brought on a 
general rout. 

At White Oak Swamp, in June, 1862, 
20,000 of our men, pursuing the 
march in retreat which had been or- 
dered by McClellan, crossed the bridge 
in the night, and threw themselves 
down upon the plain above to sleep 
after a wearv nio;ht march. Contrary 
to all military rules, they were massed 
thickly, with no attempt at forming a 
line of battle to face the enemy who 
was following. The men gave them- 
selves no thought as to whether their 
generals had reason for halting them 
in the confused order in which they 
lay, but fell asleep behind their stacks 
of arms. The fiery Jackson, fresh 
from the victory at Gaines Mill, came 
silently to the bluff on the other side 
of the swamp, and, without warning, 
opened fire upon the sleeping host 
with twenty-eight cannon. The men, 
awakened by the roar of cannon and 



the explosion of shells amid them, 
sprang into the ranks and seized their 
guns, and waited for the command of 
their officers. Solid shot tore through- 
the mass, and bursting shells buried 
their deadly fragments everywhere. 
The uproar was appalling, and, to 
provoke disorder, a wild flight of 
pontoon and l)aggage teams swept 
across the plain, trampling down 
everything before them. But at the 
command, the many crowded columns 
swiftly deployed into lines, facing 
the enemy's skirmishers, made ready 
to meet his advance ; batteries whirled 
to the front and opened fire, and 
when Jackson, eager to press for- 
ward, attempted to push his infantry 
against us, he found, instead of a 
disordered mass demoralized by the 
iron hail from his batteries, a succes- 
sion of well ordered lines of battle, 
the first of which alone was sufficient 
to repel his attack. It was steadfast- 
ness of the most exalted tvpe that 
preserved our men from panic that 
day. 

At Chancellors ville the 11th corps 
was routed as evening came on, and 
thousands streamed back to, and' 
even through, the other lines ; but 
these lines were undisturbed, and 
Berry's division advanced right into 
the gap left by the beaten corps and 
into the darkness of the night which 
had come on, and, moving steadily 
on against their invisible foe, opened 
fire upon them with a regular and 
thundering roll of musketry which 
lighted the field of battle like a sheet 
of lightning, and stopped the onset 
of the enemy. 

At Fisher's Hill, when half of 
Sheridan's army was routed in his 
absence, the other half kept a good 



266 



The Northern Volunteers. 



front, retreatiug in good order from 
position to position, and liolding tlie 
enemy in check until Slieridan arrived, 
and then went forward with their 
great leader and his cavalry and 
utterly routed the enemy. 

At the battle of Atlanta, the divi- 
sions of Smith and Leggett repulsed 
the attack of Hardee from the rear 
by leaping over their own breastworks 
and fighting from the other side, and 
then Leggett's division, inditfereut as 
to the direction of the enem}', when 
Cheatham attacked on the original 
front, leaped back to the proper side 
of their works, and beat him back. 

The tenacity of our men was dis- 
played wherever they assaulted earth- 
works and were repulsed. In almost 
every instance they seized ground in 
advance of their starting-point, and 
held it, instead of retiring in dis- 
couragement. The mighty struo-gle 
over the salient at Spottsylvania, 
which lasted for twenty hours at such 
close quarters that the opposing flags 
were planted on the same parapets, 
and no man conld live beside them, 
was the most conspicuous example. of 
tenacity. The length of our battles 
was due to this quality. The most 
of our great battles lasted two or 
three days. European armies have 
seldom fought the second day. 

I have said that many a volunteer 
realizes that he sacrificed what money 
could not compensate him for ; but I 
believe that there is not one of them 
who would retrieve what he has lost 
by diminishing what the country has 
gained. They feel that they were 
fortunate to have lived in the o-reat 
•events of '61 to 'Go. They are proud 
to have borne arms for their country 



in her time of need. But it is not in 
the triumph of success, or the glory 
of victory, or the poor guerdon of 
pensions, that they find their reward. 
It is the priceless heritage of self- 
government in a free land, without 
danger of foreign encroachment or 
entanglements, which their fathers 
hauded down, and which shall de- 
scend to their posterit}^ They have 
no fear for the stability of our insti- 
tutions. That the majority is some- 
times in the wrong, that bad men are 
elected to office, that men unlawfully 
band themselves together to interfere 
with the industries and extort un- 
earned money from their fellow-citi- 
zens, are but transient evils in the es- 
timation of the men who witnessed 
the arousal of the patient, long-suf- 
fering, and tolerant spirit of this 
great free people in 1861. The fore- 
bodings of danger to the republic 
from violence within which oppress 
some men find no lodgment in the 
imagination of the men who saw the 
sleeping soldier awakened in 2,000,000 
citizens, and stood shoulder to shoul- 
der among them, and felt the mighty 
impulse which moved them. They 
know that the love of law and order, 
the devotion to the political and per- 
sonal freedom which insures the en- 
joyment of life and one's own, are 
inbred in this people, and are to be 
born in their children. When the 
last one of the great host of volun- 
teers shall look back through the 
glimmering vista of the past, he will 
see none of these disturbances, for 
they will have been forgotten, and he 
will await the summons from on high 
in the serene confidence that this 
Union will be perpetual. 



Historical Incidents. 



267 



IlSrCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY OF LEMP- 

STER, N. H. 

By C. S. Spaulding. 



It was about thirty years after the 
granting of the town charter of Lerap- 
ster to Richard Sparrow and sixty- 
one others of those sturdy yeomanry 
who hewed for themselves a home in 
the wilderness, that Capt. Jonathan 
Spalding settled in Lempster. He 
was born at Westford, Mass., Aug. 
23, 1770. His boyhood days were 
spent on his father's farm. He ac- 
quired more than a common school 
education. He married Milly Ben- 
nett ; she was the daughter of Capt. 
James Bennett, an officer of the Rev- 
olution. 

Soon after his marriage, in 1791, 
Mr. Spalding came to Lempster. 
He employed his time farming and 
clearing the forest in summer, and in 
teaching the only school in town in 
winter. Mr. Spalding became a 
prominent and influential citizen, and 
enjoyed the entire confidence of his 
fellow-townsmen, and filled most of 
the offices within their gift. 

He also organized the town militia, 
which in 1804 consisted of two com- 
panies, one commanded by himself 
and the other by his brother James, 
who lived on a farm adjoining his ; 
and it was said of them that they 
were the best drilled troops in the old 
sixteenth regiment of state militia, 
and on training days Lempster street 
resounded with martial array. The 
companies vied with each other in 
military tactics and discipline. 

"They lived tlieir homely lives 
The plain old-fashioned way, 
Thanksgiving once a year, 
And general muster day ; 



Town-meeting in the spring— 
Their holidays were few, 

And very gravely kept. 
When the old flag was new." 

— Harper. 



Mr. Spalding removed to Jericho, 
Vermont, in 1819, where he died Jan. 
23, 1823, leaving the homestead farm 
in Lempster in possession of his son 
Sewell, who was born on the 19th of 
April, 1792. 

When Sewell was twenty-two years 
of age, during the last war with Great 
Britain a requisition upon the town of 
Lempster was made by Gov. Gilman 
of New Hampshire for a detachment 
of nine men to be sent to Portsmouth. 
The militia were called out on the 
twelfth day of September, 1814, and 
mustered in the old meeting-house-. 
The selectmen offered a bounty of one 
dollar, and twelve dollars per month 
wages, to volunteers ; but the men 
were very reluctant to enlist, and no 
one seemed to step forward. When 
the fife and drum were brought 
in, and they commenced marching 
through the aisles of the old church, 
reviving the scenes of " seventy-six," 
the required number soon joined in 
line, and Sewell Spalding and his 
brother James were two of the nine 
men wanted to fill the quota of the 
town. 

" A brave old race they were 
Who peopled then the land, 

So man of them ashamed 
Tosliow his horny hand: — 

Hands that had grasped the sword 
Now drew the furrow true; 

For honored was the plow 



When the old flag was new. 



—Ibid. 



268 The Founding of Dartmouth College. 

THE FOUNDING OP DARTMOUTH COLLEGE. 

BY HARKY STEAUNS. 

Down in the heart of the " nutmeo; " state, 

In Lebanon town, the books relate, 

Lived pious P^leazar, whose surname was Wheelock, 

Gifted with knowledge and a very large stock 

•Of good common-sense, and of ever}' virtue 

He had such a store that it really would hurt you 

To take them all in at a single sitting, 

Especially if done without intermitting ; — 

And good Eleazar was from Pui-itan stock, 

And his faith was firm as New Hampshire rock ; 

His face in length like a coffln-box ; 

His creed was the straight stiff orthodox ; 

His business (if yon should wish to know) 

Was to teach mankind the way they should go 

In order to get to that haven of rest 

"Where all good people are finally blest ; 

And now and then 't was his wont to tell 

Of a place that people do n't like so well, 

Though a place where sinners oft go to dwell 

After the sound of their funeral knell ; 

A region more dark than any creole. 

That now is known by the name sheol. 

Now pious Eleazar, with his store of knowledge, 
Conceived the idea of founding a college 
To train the poor red man in stiff mathematics, 
And reveal him the beauty of sterile quadratics, 
And likewise to drill him in Latin and Greek, 
For curbing his spirit and making him meek. 

Now good father Wheelock having this intent. 
Formed some sound, pious plans, and his course he bent 
Towards the wilds of New Hampshire where redskins were thick. 
Determined to locate, and thei'e to stick. 

Well, times were hard in that ancient day 

When the elder Wheelock took his northward way, 

And about all the baggage in the parson's domain 

Was an extra cravat and stockings — twain. 

And likewise the chronicler hath cribbed it down 

That good mother Wheelock had but a single gown. 

Be this as it may, 'tis all the same, 

And takes not a bit from their goodly fame. 



The Founding of Dartmouth College. 269 

After loug weeks of travel 011 the Conuecticut's strauds, 

'J'hey came to the place where Hanover stands, 

And pious Eleazar sunk his far-famed well, 

And i)itched his tent and pre[)ared to dwell 

In this region (^ forest and hill and dell, 

Determined to give the redskins — well 

An awful dose of Latin and Greek, 

And other emetics just as antique : 

For pious Eleazar was full of vim. 

And was in for business, sink or swim. 

Now one of the first things in cooking a rabbit, 

Is to gently acquire the felicitous habit 

Of catching the beast, or else 't is |)lain 

The methods of cooking will be in vain. 

So pious Eleazar at once turned scout, 

And scoured the forests round about 

In search of redskins to educate ; 

And the chronicles on this point relate 

That good Parson Wheelock, after a toilful tramp. 

Succeeded in bringing four bucks into camp, 

And started next day in the Grecian tongue, 

To tell them the things Anchises had done. 

But " Lo the poor" redman was not in that state 

That he 'd take those vagaries into his pate, 

For they thought Parson Wheelock was about to have fits, 

And were frightened completely out of their wits, 

When the parson scanned ton d'apomei homenos prosejjhd, 

He was bade by the redskins an uncivil " good day." 

They uttered a terrified yell of despair, 

And that was the last of tiie scanning affair, 

For they fled down old Tempe and crossed the creek, 

And were marked by Eleazar •' deficient in Greek." 

The further accounts of this thing agree 

That they continued to cut, and were put on P. C* 

From the scanning event it must not be inferred 
That good Parson Wheelock was a bit deterred 
P'rom his hard undertaking, for the stories relate 
That he braced up their parents to '^ cooperate,'' 
And moistened his fist and took a new grip 
On the rudder that guided the venerable ship ; 
And the Ions; and shoi't of this historical tale 
Was that the good ship Dartmouth continued to sail, 
And never did anv rough waves overwhelm, 
JFor sturdy old Wheelock stood fast at the helm. 

* Partiiil course. 



270 



The Free High School. 



THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 

By Frances Abbott. 



Of all the taxes which our citizens 
annually pay for the promotion of the 
common weal, there is none whose 
necessity is more unquestioned than 
that which goes for the support of the 
public schools. The benefits of free 
education have been so long the theme 
of newspaper and orator, that nothing 
new can be said in its praise ; yet 
probably not one person in a hundred 
realizes the good and the possible evil 
that may be implanted in a commu- 
nity by the public schools. 

Our pride in the free school system 
as a whole has made us neglectful of 
criticizing it in particular, till, like 
most flourishing exponents of Amer- 
ican progress, it is bearing consider- 
able defective fruit. Of late there 
has been much uneasiness about edu- 
cational methods and results. Charles 
Francis Adams's arraignment of the 
college policy is not the only expres- 
sion of dissatisfaction with the un- 
practical training of our institutions 
of learning. The college is the goal 
of the academies and fitting-schools, 
the crowning difficulty in the acquire- 
ment of a liberal education. But, 
however large its indirect infiuence, it 
is not the institution of immediate 
concern to the majority of our citizens. 
The public school system is of inter- 
est to the whole people. No occasion 
attracts larger audiences than the final 
exercises of the high schools, which 
every year dispense their blue ribbon- 
ed diplomas, and scatter a grist of 
graduates upon an unfeeling world. 

It is a truism, that whatever you 
wish to appear in the life of a nation, 



you must p»t into the education of the 
children. Let us see how a part of 
the public-school money is spending 
for the benefit of the country. The 
high school is the critical point in 
our free school system. It is the apex 
toward which all the rest is built. 
The fact that a majority of the public- 
school children never reach its grade, 
does not prevent its exercising a shap- 
ing infiuence over the whole system. 
Its graduates, though proportionally 
they may be few, are numerically so 
many, that their future is every year 
becoming a matter for more serious 
consideration. That we may better 
understand the work of the high 
school, let us compare it for a mo- 
ment with its predecessor, the old- 
fashioned academy. The last thirty 
vears have brousfht about the rise of 
the one and the decline of the other. 
To estimate their value we must com- 
pare also their dependent and sup- 
porting institutions. 

Our fathers and mothers '^ picked 
up" their early education in country 
district schools. They got their learn- 
ing, like everything else, by "hard 
knocks ;" — it cost them an effort. 
The long spaces between the terms 
were not simply vacations to be filled 
up with play : they were the most 
serious part of the year to the boys 
and girls, who spent them developing 
their muscles and their faculties in 
work on the farm. In school there 
was no routine and no fixed course. 
The advancement of the pupils de- 
pended chiefiy upon their individual 
capacity and willingness to work — 



The Free High School. 



271 



two tolerably safe incentives. If these 
qualities impelled them to seek more 
knowledge, there was the academic 
education which was not parcelled out 
to them like food to captive fowl. It 
was a coveted prize which they must 
work to obtain. Only the brightest 
children gained it, and they were early 
made to feel the value of time and 
learning a)id money. 

The academies have become a dream 
of the past. Scattered all through 
the New England towns you will find 
old brick buildings, now either dis- 
used or diverted from their original 
purpose, which, a generation ago, were 
nurseries of literary culture. They 
were centres of local pride. To be an 
academy town then was a greater dis- 
tinction than now to be the capital 
of the state. Scarcely a man or a 
woman of distinction at the present 
day who does not owe the better part 
of his or her education to the academy 
where they spent the happiest days 
of their youth. Only the pen of an 
Ik Marvel, a Dr. Holland, or a Mrs. 
Stowe, can give a faithful picture of 
these institutions. They were always 
tuition schools. The fee was low, for 
the conditions of life were simple, but 
the education was held valuable 
enough to be worth a price. 

The academies have dwindled away 
like the mountain streams when the 
forests are cut down. A few have 
survived, and have been specialized 
into expensive college preparatory 
schools. Boys alone are the students, 
and they, instead of being received as 
formerly into private families of the 
village and surrounded by the human- 
izing influences of a home, are now 
congregated together into dormitories. 
Educational institutions, instead of 



being diffused, are centralized. The 
district schools have in some instances 
diminished to a single pupil. 

What causes have brought about 
these changes? The most im|)ortant 
are the tendency of the population 
toward the cities, and the preference 
for machinery over individual labor. 
These have killed the academy, and 
produced the free graded school sys- 
tem of which the high school is the 
bright and shining head. 

Of all things in the world, it would 
seem that education, the drawing out 
of the faculties, is the last that ought 
to be performed in a wholesale man- 
ner. That method works well enough 
for inanimate objects. We read of 
great factories into which raw logs 
and iron are ])ut atone end and drawn 
out at the other as completed freight 
cars. We hear with wonder and 
amazement, if it were possible for the 
American mind of the present decade 
to be surprised at anything, that a 
whole train of such cars can be made 
in one day. The tremendous public- 
school system seizes our children at 
the age of five or six years, except 
where the blessed Kindergarten pro- 
tects them, puts them into its presses, 
instructs them almost entirely from 
text-books, and, at eighteen years or 
thereabouts, turns them out from its 
final mill, graduated — yes, but how 
prepared for the life that awaits them .? 
They are not provided for like the 
freight cars ; there is no regular, un- 
varying track laid out for them. In 
their course through the schools they 
are not treated so well as the freight 
cars, for no regard is paid to their 
different capacities, and they are all 
stuffed with the same things. 

There are certain inspectors whose 



272 



The Free High School. 



duty it is to go about the country and 
limit the amount of steam which every 
steamboat and engine boiler shall be 
allowed to carry. The human mind 
and disposition are supposed to be 
made of indestructible and infinitely 
elastic material. Where are the in- 
spectors, to go through the land to see 
that no public-school teacher is com- 
pelled to have under her charge more 
pupils than any human being can ad- 
equately control and instruct? When 
one hears of primary schools with 
sixty or eighty pupils entirely under 
the charge of one teacher during sev- 
eral hours each day, one feels like 
shuddering ; but the committee-men 
do not. In most cities the public- 
school teachers (with all reverence be 
they mentioned) have about as much 
personal independence and opportun- 
ity to adapt instruction to the varied 
needs of individual pupils as the sales- 
women in the great retail stores have 
power to determine the prices of the 
goods which they sell. Yet every 
body admires the convenience, vari- 
ety, and i)late-glass and gilding of the 
great retail stores ; and everybody, 
presumably, approves the stacks of 
examination papers, the graduation 
days, and the Procrustean methods of 
the public schools. 

There is one great difference which 
must always place the private schools 
either above or below the level of the 
public-schools, and it is about the 
same difference that exists between 
custom and ready-made clothing. 
The fact that there are so many in- 
competent teachers in ungraded dis- 
trict-schools, and that so many fash- 
ionable private schools are superficial 
and snobbish, merely shows that the 
supply is not better than the demand. 



It does not hinder the ideal school, 
and such have certainly existed, from 
being the one in which the master has 
power to carry out his own ideas, 
which must reflect the student's and 
the parent's wants, since they deter- 
mine the success of the school. To 
know that such masters have lived, 
we need not think of the great teach- 
ers whose genius drew from far coun- 
tries mature, brilliant disciples. We 
need only read D'Arcy Went worth 
Thompson's Day Dreams of a School- 
Master, and Mrs. Htowe's beautiful 
account of Cloudland, a country acad- 
emy in Old Town Folks. 

But it is argued that the state can- 
not afford such expensive individual 
instruction, even if it were possible 
to provide it : the very reason why 
it should limit its present scheme. 
Every citizen of a republic has a right 
to thorough instruction in reading, 
writing, and the common operations 
of arithmetic, which constitute, ac- 
cording to Edward Everett, the essen- 
tials of a good education ; and he 
adds that ''if to this knowledge be 
added the ability to write pure, gram- 
matical English, I consider it an ex- 
cellent education." What he calls a 
good education should be required of 
every child in the land endowed with 
common faculties. What he calls au 
excellent education should be given 
all who desire it. Lack of the former 
training should be considered as se- 
rious as the deprivation of a sense. 
That such a training is not universal, 
even in the most civilized of our 
states, is evident from the census re- 
ports of those who cannot read and 
write. 

But what more in the way of book 
instruction should the public purse 



The Fi'ec Hiiih School. 



273 



attempt to provide? It does provide come to mean a synonym for a train- 
more in almost every case wliere it ing tliat provides means for people 



provides anything. The result is the 
free high school, an institution in 
which are taught the elements of alge- 
bra and geometry, the abstracts of 
several sciences, the grammar of two 



to live without labor. It is with 
them a sort of magic oil, which, if 
poured into people's heads for a cer- 
tain number of years, will enable 
them during the remainder of their 



or three languages, and prob.ably an lives to keep their hands white, and 



outline of history, mental and moral 
philosophy, and civil government. All 
this is furnished without money and 
without price to all who will come and 
partake. Why should the public purse 
undertake to furnish this extra educa- 



at the same time to enjoy daint}' food 
and fine clothes. What wonder, when 
fountains of this potent fluid are dis- 
tributed at public expense all over 
the land, that manual labor is de- 
spised.^ The common people, who 



tion any more than it should provide wish to advance the fortunes of their 



free dinners or decent tenement 
homes for the poor? It must be that 
the education is considered of great 
value. 

Some years ago I heard an obser- 
vant elderly lady say that the free 
high school was destined to be the 
ruin of this country. I attributed 
her remark, which shocked me as 
having the spirit of the eighteenth 
century, to the prejudices and con- 
servatism of one who had no sym- 
pathy with the masses. In fact, I 
was so indignant about it that I be- 
gan observations to disprove her 
statement. While I am still far 
from acknowledging its truth, my 
enthusiasm about the high school has 
become modified so much that it ap- 
pears no longer an unmixed blessing, 
but an institution quite unadapted 
to the needs of the country. 

Why is it that there is such a con- 
stant cry about the lack of skilled 
mechanics, artisans, and domestic 
servants? Why is it that there is 
such a surplus of cheap professional 
men, clerks, and copyists? It is be- 
cause education with the lower classes 
(I use the terra for convenience) has 



children, have no comprehension of 
the satisfaction of a cultivated mind, 
nor can they understand that mental 
labor is of the severest and most tax- 
ing kind. But they do believe that 
if they surrender the entire youth of 
their children to the public schools, 
that the schools, since they incapaci- 
tate their pupils for manual labor, 
ought to teach them to get a living 
by their wits. 

Let us take some ever3'-day exam- 
ples. I know a respectable Irishman, 
a laborer. His wife, before her mar- 
riage, "worked out." She now 
works in her own family. They live 
in a town which for many 3'ears has 
boasted a complete public-school sys- 
tem. Their eight children enjoy its 
benefits. The parents have become 
thoroughly imbued with the American 
idea that their children must have a 
better opportunity than themselves. 
The eldest daughter has just grad- 
uated from the high school. I saw 
the hack sweep down the alley in 
which they live, and convey her in 
muslin robes and satin ribbons from 
a tenement in whose parlor the cook- 
stove and the crib are the most strik- 



274 



The Free High School. 



ing ornaments, to the flower-decked 
stage where she read her essay. Her 
parents weep tears of joy at the 
height she has reached. One or two 
of my friends renaark that it is ex- 
tremely creditable for a poor girl like 
her to have gained such an education. 
It might be, if it had been by any 
effort of her own. Not one sacrifice 
has she made to procure her learning. 
She has been a passive instrument in 
the grasp of the public-school system. 
She has continued her course because 
the school was pleasanter than any 
other place, because it cost nothing, 
and because she must always be 
dressed well to appear there. She 
lias had no industrial training : she 
could not very vvell have obtained it 
had she wished it, for the schools 
absorb so much of the time and ener- 
gies of their pupils. 

Having once conferred its diploma, 
the high school washes its hands of 
its pupils. I felt somewhat concerned 
for Miss O'Hafferty. I wondered 
what she would do. I understood 
that, like the seventeen other girls 
in her class, she wished to teach. 
Even if I had not known this. I 
should not have dared to approach 
her with an oft"er of domestic service. 
No, indeed. By virtue of her much 
learning she is raised completely out 
of lier natural environment, and ex- 
pects to be forever freed from the 
necessity of toiling with her hands. 

Some months afterward I was call- 
ed from my work by a summons to 
tlie parlor. I found Miss O'Hafferty 
seated therein. Having failed in her 
efforts to obtain a school, she had 
decided to become a book agent, and 
slie offered a gilt-edged volume for 
my inspection. I do not know what 



she will do when she finds that she 
cannot support herself in this way. 

Here is another instance : The fa- 
ther is a painter ; the mother before 
her marriage was a dressmaker. 
They have a boy and three girls. 
The father has no idea of having his 
son follow his trade ; few American 
fathers have. At the age of fifteen 
the boy drifts into the high school 
because that saves the parents the 
trouble of deciding what other occu- 
pation he shall follow, and because 
they fondly hope that the learning 
acquired there will be in such demand 
that it will procure him a thousand- 
dollar situation immediately u|)on 
graduation. He graduates. After 
some months of waiting he becomes 
a clerk in a drv goods store at a 
salary of two dollars a week. 

Since most Americans must work 
in some way for their bread and 
meat, it would seem that training for 
this work ought to begin during the 
school age. In large cities, where 
everything is carefully specialized, 
children often grow up without know- 
ing how to use their hands. City 
homes offer so few opportunities foi* 
manual labor that if industrial educa- 
tion is not provided in the public 
schools, we may have a race of beings 
born without digital appendages, be- 
cause their ancestors' have dwindled 
away from lack of use. 

Some German schools pursue the 
admirable plan of instructing children 
from text-books during one half of 
the day, and from tools the other half. 
This system has results similar to 
those of the country district-schools. 
The children bring to their books 
sharpened wits and a persistency 
learned from a contact with things. 



African J^'^otcs. 



275 



School is a novelty and a pleasure to 
them. Their advancement always 
equals that of children who spend all 
their working hours in study. 

The papers are continually print- 
ing articles about the immense value 
to every person of the knowledge of 
some practical handicraft by which 
he can earn his own living. They 
cite instances of European noliles 
who have apprenticed their sons, and 
of a few wealthy men in this country 
who have followed their example. 
But it is no use. So long as the pub- 
lic schools teach as they do, and es- 
pecially so long as tlie iiigh school 
remains free, their mighty influence 
all goes against manual labor. 

In old times it was accounted that 
a child seven years old was able to 
earn its living. It may be a disad- 
vantage for a child to have to do it, 
but it certainly is no less a one for 
the child to be put into the public 
school system and turned out at the 
age of seventeen without knowledge 
of one practical craft by which he 



can provide for himself. When Hor- 
ace Greeley saw Oxford graduates in 
New York city unable to earn their 
daily bread, no wonder that he 
" thanked God that he was graduated 
from a New England ^"e>•^/ common 
school." 

I have no wish to depreciate the 
value of learning. It is because I 
would not have it held cheap that I 
would not give it away in any grade 
beyond the grammar school. If par- 
ents had to pay a tuition fee, how- 
ever slight, to the high school, they 
would be compelled to appreciate the 
relative values of things. There 
should be no niggardliness in expen- 
diture for public education. School 
appropriations, if judiciously applied, 
cannot be too large. There are not 
half enough school-houses in the land ; 
but that which the people most need 
to know should be taught in them. 
The instruction of the high school 
may well be left to those who can 
afford time and money for learning 
for its own sake. 



AFRICAN NOTES. 
By a. a. Woodbridge. 



No i)art of the Dark Continent has 
been opened up longer to the com- 
merce of the world than has the west 
coast, and yet to the average I'eader 
no part of the African coast is less 
known than the long stretch of har- 
borless shore line from Goree to the 
Bights of Benin and Biafra. 

No trading coast of the world can 
offer richer inducements to the Amer- 
ican shipmaster or owner, yet but few 



capitalists are found with sufficient 
knowledge of its constant value to 
induce them to engage in its trade. 
England skirts the coast with steam 
and sail, carrying protection with 
man-of-war and mail-boat to every 
trading-post where any handful of 
Englishmen have made a thirty da3's 
stand. Nearly half a century before 
Columbus's first voyage westward the 
Portuguese had nominally taken pos- 



276 



African Notes. 



session of the gold coast, with head- 
quarters at Delmina (Elmina), nine 
miles from the now flourishing Eng- 
lish port of entry, Cape Coast Castle. 
They built Fort Delmina and flung 
out the flag of Portugal, but in 1491 
the Dutch came in, landing above 
them, fortified the elevated ground on 
the landward side, dubbed the fort 
St. Jago, and with the conclusive 
argument of heavier round shot re- 
minded the Portuguese of the transi- 
tory nature of things, so that the Latin 
gathered himself up with alacrity and 
hied him beyond the equator. 

The Dutch held possession until 
1872, when all their possessions on 
the Gold coast were transferred to 
Great Britain. This old town in its 
palmy days was the pride of its pos- 
sessors. Paved streets, turnpiked 
roads, long rows of quite imposing 
residences and warehouses, gave an 
air of dignity to the town, and inspired 
the traveller with a feeling of home, 
when, worn down by weeks of travel 
through sand and jungle, he came in 
view of the whitewashed town nestling 
down on the verge of its surf-fretted 
beach.* The Dutch are good colo- 
nizers. They do not insist that seal- 
skin overcoats shall be worn in Africa 
because they do it in " our country, 
you know." They adapt themselves 
to the environment, and their African 
towns are composite in architecture — 
half Ham, half Hamburg — and so are 
the inhabitants. 

But the glory of the old town passed 
when the royal ensign of Portugal was 
lowered. The colonial policy of Eng- 
land is felt here in all its selfishness. 
" Millions for the Bank of-P2ngland, 

*The a\itluir's notes were made in 187", while 
travelling iu Africa. 



but not a penny for colonial improve- 
ment," is the motto of the home gov- 
ernment. The streets are going to 
decay, the grass and jungle cactus are 
creeping into the formerly well kept 
turnpike from Elmina to Cape Coast 
Castle, and the old resident feels that 
his home is being dismantled for the 
aggrandizement of Cape Coast and 
Accra. The governor resides at the 
latter town, while Cape Coast rejoices 
in a fortified castle, a black regiment, 
and a staff of English officers who 
curse the " beastly coast," do their 
duty like Englishmen, stay two years 
and are relieved, or stay longer and 
are gathered into the inclosure ren- 
dered sacred by a few white slabs that 
mark the resting-place of such Eng- 
lish and Americans as have succumbed 
to the deadly climate. 

A description of one town on the 
coast, with a few corrections, will an- 
swer for all. Cape Coast, viewed 
from the sea or land approaches, pre- 
sents a picture of beauty. The blend- 
ing of brown, white, and green is 
unique and satisfying. Entering the 
town from either side, the illusion is 
dispelled. Let us open it up from the 
landward side. We will leave Elmina 
at 5 A. M., by the trans-continental 
African coach. Said coach is a ham- 
mock carried on the heads of four 
stalwart Fantee savages. A fancy 
canopy serves as an awning, and, bol- 
stered half upright by pillows, fanned 
by the sea breeze that tempers the 
sultry air, we enjoy a ride that is truly 
delicious. Four miles an hour is reg- 
ular score. As we leave Elmina, the 
road is lined by a lavish growth of 
giant cactus, fifteen feet high, in full 
bloom ; soon it breaks, and the bush 
jungle comes up to the roadside. Here 



African Notes. 



277 



and tliere the jungle breaks ; patches 
of corn are seen, where some en- 
terprising heathen has burned off 
the " bush " and put in his " kauky " 
seed. The scenery' across the country 
is beautiful and satisfying, rather 
than grand. On the right, occasional 
glimpses of the sea are had, while to 
the left the highlands of the interior 
raise their tops to meet the eye above 
the jungle. We cross a miniature 
iron suspension bridge over the Sweet- 
water river, built by the English dur- 
ing the Ashantee war. Over this 
bridge the troops of Sir Garnet Wool- 
sey crossed on their march to Koo- 
massee. The emotion one experiences 
as he first comes upon this little gem 
is akin to what he might feel at a 
successful manipulation of Aladdin's 
lamp. 

This looks like English public spirit, 
but the facts demur. It cost treasure, 
but its raison d'etre was to assist in 
pushing the troops to the capital of 
the Ashantee country, where, after 
staying but two days, and burning 
Koomassee, they brought away enough 
of barbaric ornaments in beaten gold 
to pay the entire expenses of the war. 
But the bridge is now left to wear out 
with time, and, like the improvements 
of the Dutch, will go to desolation 
and the bush. 

But as the ride across the country 
will tire the reader, we will cut its 
recital short. Our heathen friends 
gather us flowers and catch us butter- 
flies, and we try a few shots at some 
white-breasted crows. Now and then 
a suggestive growl from the jungle 
causes my four horses to quicken their 
pace, or a serpent glides lazily across 
the road, a type of African indolence. 
But we are at last in Cape Coast, and 



our hammock-men are discharged until 
early evening. The town presents a 
far more interesting view as you enter 
from the country than it does from 
the beach, but the beauty is lost as 
one threads its narrow lanes, saluting 
his nostrils with the never-to-be-for- 
gotten West Coast odor. Cape Coast, 
like all Fantee towns, is irregularly 
laid out, although making some show 
of streets. There are some residences 
quite imposing, and around the gov- 
ernment buildings are grounds that 
show the handiwork of white men, 
garnished with a flora of which the 
tropics are ever lavish. The castle 
itself, or fort, is an extensive struct- 
ure, seemingly well garrisoned. The 
greater portion of the town is made 
up of mud houses, so called. They 
are built from the earth upon which 
they stand. This earth, wet and 
mixed with gravel, forms, when sun- 
baked, a hard cement. The walls are 
raised from two to three feet thick. 
Those that are roofed are covered with 
thatch, or long country grasses, save 
a few boasting roofs of corrugated 
iron — an English blunder. The native 
experience teaches the Fantee that a 
non-conductor is the proper roof in a 
hot country. Those that are not 
roofed tumble down every wet season 
and are rebuit in the dry, giving the 
inhabitants all the variety and priva- 
tions of a summer tour without the 
extra hazard of travel. We pass a 
chapel, but, hearing something that 
resembles the hum of a giant bee-hive, 
we turn back, and, making our way 
through flocks of goats, pigs, sheep, 
and fowls, enter what we find to be a' 
school-room. A hundred eyes from 
the shiny black faces of fifty Fantee 
scions turn toward us, and the tumult 



278 



African Notes. 



ceases. The mistress, a coal-tar bru- 
nette, haDcls us a seat, and the insur- 
rection again commences. The school- 
room is divided into pens that hold 
six each, and each pen has an usher 
who takes the lead of his class. It 
is the hour for recitation, for every 
bird is pouring forth his song into the 
ear of his class-leader. Each slate is 
covered with some sort of dictation 
exercise. We are satisfied, and seek 
the air. 

The Wesleyan missionary at Cape 
Coast has nominal charge of this 
school. He seems a man devoted to 
his calling, but appears like one whom 
the climate is rapidly fitting for anoth- 
er life. The Fantee seems easily 
grounded in the Christian faith, but 
cannot deal with its abstractions. A 
picture or statue — an idol, if you 
please — is rather a help than a hin- 
drance to his faith. Their Sunday is 
our Friday, and their Christmas is the 
last eight days of August. They 
cling to these traditions, and date 
them back to some ancient instruc- 
tions received before the English mis- 
sionaries came among them. They 
console themselves wonderfully at the 
death of one of their family by say- 
ing '"It is God's palaver ^'^ a term 
meaning business. At the death of a 
husband, the wife or wives sit in front 
of the house, howling for a few hours, 
while the heir to his property, the 
oldest nephew, furnishes the crowd of 
friends, who come to the palaver, with 
a few bottles marked " Boston rum." 
In reply to your question why the 
nephew inherits the estate rather than 
the son, a Fantee will tell you he is 
not certain that the son is of his 
blood ; his sister's son must be. The 
more prominent the deceased, the less 



certain is he of rest after life's fitful 
fever. A year after he has been 
" quietly inurned," his relatives, 
friends, and town's-people generally 
take him up in his gum-wood casket, 
and bear him through the town at the 
head of a tumultuous procession for 
a number of hours. This is repeated 
each day for a week, when he is de- 
posited again to rest another year. 
The expense attendant upon the ob- 
servance of this custom keeps many 
a nephew poor. 

Proceeding to the post-office to see 
if our American friends have remem- 
bered us, we are invited to enter by 
the Prnice of Bonny, P. M. We en- 
ter between two files of soldiers at a 
" present." We inform the Prince 
that we are not ex-presidents, but 
only humble citizens in disguise, and 
asked for letters. He smiles blandly, 
points us to six or eight Fantee clerks, 
and sits down. We are conducted to 
the interior office, and being present- 
ed with a four-bushel box full of mail 
matter that has been accumulating for 
ages, we are told to " ty/te ye" — look 
sharp, and we may find something. 
We look at each other, sit down, and 
distribute the contents of the box 
aforesaid. Nothing. This is too 
much. We know by advices at Mon- 
rovia that letters for us must have ar- 
rived ; so, sitting down on either side 
of the Prince, we take off our hats, 
and exhaust our entire vocabulary of 
Fantee in abuse. He smiles again, 
and we give him our parting bene- 
diction. It has since occurred to 
me that he might not have fully un- 
derstood our good intentions. 

Spreading our umbrellas to protect 
us from the broiling sun, we stroll 
leisurelv toward the beach below the 



African Notes. 



279 



Castle. We make our way through 
crowds of naked bushraen, Ashantee 
and Fantee, with here and there a 
native trader in European dress. It 
is the hour of high market, and long 
lines of bushmen are coming in, each 
bearing on his head the palm oil, the 
ivory, the tiger skins, or the gold dust 
he is to exchange for fish, flour, rum, 
tobacco, and gaudy prints, all to be 
taken back to the bush in barter for 
the next day's cargo. "Ou-ra," 
" Ou-ra" (Master), is pleasantly giv- 
en us, as the throng make way for us. 
Arrived at the water front, we find a 
" war beach" surf, running seven feet 
high, with its continuous roar, old as 
the upraised continent. We sight 
our vessel just anchored in the rollers 
a mile from shore, riding easily in 
perhaps seven fathoms, with ninety 
fathoms of chain out to relieve the 
strain of the heavy sea running. We 
signal her, and the surf-boat shoots 
away from alongside, propelled shore- 
ward by ten brawny Kroomen. 

The landing of a surf-boat is an 
art possessed alone by the natives. 
Traders coming down the coast either 
touch at Monrovia and take their 
Kroo-boys (the Kroos constitute the 
principal native tribe of Liberia) , or, 
omitting to do so, depend upon the 
Fantee shoremen, said to be equally 
as good in the surf. But a native 
cries out, "•0-re-bah," and in truth 
" He-is-coming." The surf-boat is 
poised on the top of the "second" 



wave, perhaps one hundred and fifty 
yards from the beach. The rollers 
come on shore in triplets, and woe to 
the man who takes the first or king 
wave. When the boatswain, steer- 
ing always with a twenty-foot oar, 
is as close on as his judgment allows, 
he rests on his oars, and, with eyes 
dead astern, he watches his chance. 
He allows the first and second wave 
to pass under him, and then, " Ah- 
tu-ne ! ah-tu-ne !" and the Kroomen 
give way with a lightning stroke and 
a propelling force of ten eighteen- 
foot oars. The boat quivers as she 
literally flies over the top of the third 
sea and is swept up the beach until, 
at the first keel grate, the oars are in 
by magic, and every Krooman is in the 
water with a hand on the gunwale, 
steadying it for the last throe of the 
next king-wave which shall float her, 
and assist in carrying her above the 
reach of the succeeding wave. 

" Oh ! me-moog-g3' ! me-muc-e-na- 
o !" "Or-ra-gog-a-ra !'"' " Jum-a-jum !" 
" Jum-a-rell ! " A rapid fusilade of 
Senegal, Kroo, Ashantee, and Fan- 
tee — tower of Babel palaver — and we 
dispatch a boy to send back our 
coach to Elmina, and we are handed 
into the surf-boat. It is floated and 
successfully launched, meeting a roll- 
er that gave us a taste of the spray ; 
but the next catches us on its crest, 
and we are spinning towards the 
" Grace" in safety. 



28o 



Windham, JV. H. 



WINDHAM, N. H— Chapter 5. 

By Hon. Leonard A. Morrison, Author of " History of the Morrison Family' 

AND "History of Windham, N. H." 



SCHOOLS. 

The first settlers were a thinking 
people, lovers of intelligence, and 
promoters of education. Many of 
them had received a good rudimen- 
tary education before coming to 
America. No sooner had they plant- 
ed themselves here and erected their 
log-houses, than schools were estab- 
lished and fostered with jealous care. 
But the early residents were poor, 
and the struggle was long and hard 
before they made "the wilderness 
blossom as the rose." That the first 
settlers had education enough for the 
duties of life is evident from the 
records now extant ; and that their 
children also received a respectable 
education is equall}' evident. 

Four common schools were sup- 
ported in Londonderry in 1727, of 
which Windham was then a part. 
Of the earliest schools in town there 
is no record ; the receding years 
have borne away all specific knowl- 
edge of them. The first school of 
which there is any account was in 
1766, and James Aiken was the 
teacher. He taught a singing-school 
evenings, and a day school for the 
children. Nicholas Sauce, a dis- 
charged British soldier, in 1760, of 
the French and Indian war, after 
that date, taught for a long time. 
He was a cruel teacher, as was the 
custom of those days, yet his schol- 
ars owed him a debt of gratitude for 
the instruction they received from 
him. In 1770 there is mention of 
one "John Smith, school-master." 



"Master McKeen " was the next 
teacher in order, and taught about 
the year 1776. He was a man of 
fine acquirements and ripe scholar- 
ship ; but his mind was not on his 
calling, and if he chanced to see a 
squirrel by the road side, he would 
stop and catch that squirrel if it took 
" all summer." 

The school-houses were rude af- 
fairs and often unfit for school pur- 
poses, and in summer the schools 
were often kept in barns, and many 
times in private houses in the winter. 
Family schools were much in vogue. 
Parents would teach their children, 
or the eldest child would be installed 
as teacher of the younger ones. 
There was great eagerness for learn- 
ing, and many ways were devised to 
scatter seeds of instruction, which 
would germinate and grow into the 
beautiful tree of knowledge laden 
with glorious fruit.- The Capt. Na- 
thaniel Hemphill's large family of 
eighteen children were educated in 
their own family school. 

Among the early teachers may be 
mentioned Robert Dinsmoor (the 
"Rustic bard"), Samuel Campbell, 
Samuel Armor, Susan Stuart, Robert 
Malcolm Morison, Peter Patterson, 
Andrew Mack, Margaret Hamilton, 
the beautiful, the beloved, and the 
lamented, and Jose|)h Greeley, John 
Nesmith, and John Park ; also, Persis 
Thorn, afterwards the accomplished 
wife of the late Gov. John Bell, and 
mother of ex- Gov. Charles H. Bell. 

It was formerly the custom for the 



Windkam, N. H. 



28r 



scholars to teach school on New 
Year's Day, and lock out the teacher. 
Ou one brigiit New Year's morning 
the scholars came early, became mas- 
ters of the castle, and held the fort. 
Their time of rejoicing was of short 
duration ; for the succeeding day was 
one to be remembered to theii" dying 
hour by some of the scholars. It was 
a day of trouble, of mental darkness, 
of sorrow and lamentation. " The 
quality of mercy " which " droppeth 
as the gentle rain from heaven" found 
no lodgment in the teacher's breast. 
A wild justice reigned triumphant, 
and those riotous, fun-loving, mis- 
chief-making boys received a most 
unmerciful flogging. More than 
eighty years have gone since then, 
teacher and pupils have passed away, 
but the event is still alluded to. 

Any account of our educational 
institutions would be defective which 
omitted 

WILLIAMS ACADEMY. 

This academy was the most potent 
influence ever exerted in town for 
the higher education of our youth. 
It was a private institution, origi- 
nated and taught by Rev. Simon 
Williams, commencing about 17G8, 
and terminating only a very short 
time before his death, in 1793. His 
scholarship was of the highest order, 
and was celebrated while in town 
and previously. Among those whom 
he prepared for college were Rev. 
Joseph McKeen, D. D., first presi- 
dent of Bowdoin college, Rev. Sam- 
uel Taggart, the distinguished clergy- 
man and congressman of Coleraine, 
Mass., Hon. Silas Betton, M. C, 
Dr. John Parke, editor and physician, 
Rev. John Goffe, John Dinsmoor, 
Col. Silas Dinsmoor, the noted In- 



dian agent, whose career was so rom- 
antic, and the elder Gov. Samuel 
Dinsmoor. 

In the fourth class (1773) graduated 
at Dartmouth college, nearly one half 
were fitted for college by Mr. Will- 
iams. The school often nujnbered 
from forty to fifty scholars. 

At the present time there are seven 
school-districts, in each of which a 
new school-house has been built since 
1850. The schools are successfully 
managed and wisely fostered by the 
citizens. 

LIBRARIES. 

There was no public library in 
town previous to 1800. but previous 
to that date some of our citizens were 
shareholders in a library in Salem,, 
and to whom the books thus became 
accessible. This library was discon- 
tinued and the books divided among 
the shareholders, and they became 
the nucleus of the first public library 
here, in 1800, and took a more per- 
manent shape by being incorporated 
in 1806. This was of inestimable 
benefit to our citizens, and numbered 
at one time some 400 volumes. A 
Sunday-school library was established 
in 1832. This is kept in the Presby- 
terian church, and now numbers some 
500 volumes. 

SCHOOL-DISTRICT LIBRARIES. 

In October, 1839, our former fel- 
low-citizen, John Nesmith, Esq., of 
Lowell, Mass., since lieutenant- 
governor of Massachusetts, presented 
to each school-district a district li- 
brary of fifty volumes, making in all 
350 books, at an expense of $175. 
These libraries, increased in some 
cases, exist to-day. It was a gener- 
ous gift, and was admirably adapted 



282 



Windham, N. H. 



to the end in view. Many of Wind- 
ham's sous and daughters, who have 
gone far from the scenes and associa- 
tions of their youth and the place of 
their nativity, recall with pleasure, 
thankfulness, and deep satisfaction 
the profit experienced while reading 
those volumes. 

A second town library was estab- 
lished in 1852, and was destroyed by 
fire in 1856. 

NESMITH FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY — 1871. 

Among those whom the citizens of 
the town remember with gratitude is 
one of the sons of her soil, our for- 
mer fellow-townsman. Col. Thomas 
Nesmith, of Lowell, Mass. At his 
death, in 1870, he left by will $3,000 
•for the establishment of a free public 
library, and which the town voted to 
accept Jan. 19, 1871. The trustees 
of the library were Rev. Joseph Lan- 
man, James Cochran, Hiram 8. Rey- 
nolds, William D. Cochran, and Leon- 
ard A. Morrison, who took the initi- 
atory steps for its establishment in 
April, 1871. 

A library-room was prepared in the 
town-house, the books selected, pur- 
chased, and the formal opening of the 
library occurred June 21, 1871. It 
was a gala day, and marked a new 
era in the intellectual and social his- 
tory of the people. The hall was 
crowded with as intellectual and in- 
telligent an audience as ever met in 
Windham. Many of the absent sons 
and daughtei's returned, and many 
cultivated people from the neighbor- 
ing towns were present. An able 
address was delivered by Hon. John 
C. Park, of Boston, Mass. Short 
addresses were made by W. H. An- 
derson, Esq., of Lowell, L. A. Mor- 



rison, Esq., of Windham, Dea. Jon- 
athan Cochran, of Melrose, Mass., 
Rev. Augustus Berry, of Pelham, 
and others. 

The library has been highly appre- 
ciated, largely patronized, and now 
numbers upon its shelves more than 
2,400 volumes of well selected and 
valuable works. Many of the choic- 
est and most valuable works in the 
language can be found in it, and this 
will rank, does rank, among the very 
best public libraries in the state of 
its size. Long may it flourish, and 
may its influence never be less. 

AUTHORS, BOOKS, AND PAMPHLETS. 

Thomas Blackwell's book on Gen- 
uine Revealed Religion, with an in- 
troduction to the American edition 
by Rev. Simon Williams ; also, a 
small book by the Presbytery ; both 
published before 1793. 

By Rev. Samuel Harris — 

Funeral Sermon of Miss Mary 
Colby, of Chester; in 1815. 

Memoir of Miss Mary Campbell, 
1819 ; printed 1820. 

Questions on Christian Experience 
and Character; printed in 1827-'28, 
two editions. 

Farewell Sermon, 1826. 

Poems of Robert Dinsmoor, the 
" Rustic bard ; " 264 pp., 1828. 

Thanksgiving Sermon, Rev. Calvin 
Cutler; 1835. 

By Rev. Loreu Thayer — 

Sketch of the Presbyterian Church 
of Windham ; 1856. 

Sermon on Assassination of Abra- 
ham Lincoln ; 1865. 

Centennial Sermon, 1876 ; Rev. 
Charles Packard. 

Com[)lete set of printed Town Re- 



Windham, N. H. 



285 



ports, and several historical sermons, 
bound in one volume; 1881. Com- 
piled by Leonard A. Morrison. 

By Leonard A. Morrison — 

History of the Morison or Morri- 
son Family ; 470 pp. ; published in 
1880; 1,100 copies. 

Condensed History of Windham, 
N. H., for the Histor\' of Rocking- 
ham and Strafford Connties ; pub- 
lished 1882. 

History of Windham, N. H., from 
1710 to 1883; 872 pp.; 750 copies; 
published 1883. 

History of the Harris Family, 1636- 
1883; 141 pp.; published 1883; by 
William S. Harris. 

This town has sent forth its full 
complement of men equipped with a 
thorough education for the conflict of 
life. This list embratjes the most of 
its 

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND GRADUATES. 

Amherst College, Amherst, Mass. — 

John M. Harris, grad. 1839. 

Charles H. Crowell was a member 
two years. 

Orren Moore entered 1854 — there 
one year. 

Rufus A. INIorrison, grad. 1859. 

Samuel Morrison, grad. 1859. 
Brown University, Providence, R. I. 

John Hopkins, entered in 1820, d. 
in college. 
Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H. — 

Gilbert T. Williams, gmd. 1784. 

Simon Fiuley Williams, grad. 1785. 

Silas Betton, grad. 1787. 

Samuel Armor, grad. 1787. 

Samuel Diusmoor, grad. 1789. 

Silas Dinsmoor, grad. 1791. 

John Park, grad. 1791. 

John H. Williams, grad. 1798, 



James Dinsmoor, grad. 1813. 

John Kezer, grad. Med. Col., 1826. 

Edward Pratt Harris, grad. 1826. 

Nathaniel Hills, grad. 1841. 

James Dinsmoor, grad. 1841. 

Silas M. Blanchard, grad. 1842. 

Charles Cutler, grad. 1852. 

James M. Whittaker, grad. 1861. 

Cassius S. Campbell, grad. 1868. 

Andrew W. Cochran, in college two 
years. 
Harvard University, Cambridge. Mass. 

George Jacob Abbot, grad. 1835. 

Herman E. Douelson, grad. 1836. 

Alexander F. Marden, grad. 1863. 
Wesleyan University, Middletown, 

Conn. — 

Cadford ]\L Dinsmoor, grad. 1851. 

Hannah Ada Taylor, grad. 1876. 
Yale College, New Haven, Conn. — 

Jonathan L. Noyes, grad. 1852, 

Carroll Cutler, grad. 1854. 

These persons, not college gradu- 
ates, attained honorable rank, and 
success in their professions : 

Judge Silas Morris Cochran was an 
associate justice of the court of ap- 
peals of Maryland. 

Charles Abbott was judge of one 
of the local courts of Nevada. 

John Nesmith, judge of the police 
court, Dover, N. H. 

Silas Milton Moore, principal of 
academy at Chester, N. H. 

Dr. Isaac Thorn, a prominent phy- 
sician in Windham and Derry. 

Dr. Benjamin F. Simpson, a suc- 
cessful practitioner in Windham and 
Lowell, Mass. 

Dr. Daniel L. Simpson, late of 
West Rumuey, N. H. 

Dr. John Reid Crowell, late of 
Brooklyn, Mich. 



284 



Windham, N. H. 



WINDHAM IN THE REBELLION. 

The long contest between the North 
and the South in relation to the ques- 
tion of slavery was nearing its end. 
The moral sense of the nation was 
awakened to the fearful wickedness 
of the system of human slavery, and 
the people were determined that 
" Freedom should be national," 
"Slavery should be sectional," and 
that the peculiar institution should be 
confined to the limits it then occu- 
pied. To this its sui)porters were 
opposed, and demanded ample pro- 
tection to their property in slaves in 
all the states and territories of the 
Union. There was an ''irrepressible 
conflict " between the adiierents and 
suppprters of slavery and those ar- 
rayed against it. The conflict was 
destined to be waged till decided, not 
in the arena of debate, not in the 
halls of legislation, but upon the field 
■of battle, where hostile armies met 
and struggled for the mastery. 

Abraham Lincoln having been 
elected President in 1860, this was 
made a pretext by the states of the 
South for an attempt to withdraw 
from the Union. The Rebellion com- 
menced by an attack upon Fort Sum- 
ter, April 12, 1861. Tlie roar of the 
rebel cannon awoke the slumberino- 
millions of Northern freemen, who 
rallied by tens of thousands in defence 
of the government. 

The soldiers of tiiis town in the 1st 
Regiment were Walter J. Burnham, 
Asa Bean,* Seth N. Huntley,* Will- 
iam Wyman, Moses Wyman.* In 
•other regiments they were, — 

Josiah S. Everett, 
Lewis A. McConihe,* 
John Dunn, 

*ReeuIistoil. 



John McGowan, 
Joseph White, 
Jesse C. Crowell,* 
Thomas Crook, 
Russell W. Powell, 
Joseph R. Everett,* 
Albion K. Goodwin, 
Charles Cole, 
John G. Johnson,* 
James Murphy, 
Caleb G. Wiley,* 
James G. Batchelder, 
John Calvin Hills, 
Lemuel Maiden, 
Lewis Ripley,* 
Samuel Haseltine, 
Moses Myrick, 
James C. Stone, 
Theodore Clark, 
Horatio Gleason, 
Edward H. Gallagher, 
John Inshaw, 
David Lyon, 
Daniel Sullivan, 
Wentworth S. Cowan, 
Frederick Otis, 
James Murphy, 
Patrick Han nan, 
Bernard McCan, 
James Stevens, 
Charles E. Bailey, 
Horace W. Hunt, 
James Brown, 
Oliver Burns, 
Jacques Dreux, 
William Anderson, 
Austin L. Lamprey, 
George W. Coburn, 
David Brainurd Fessenden, 
Micajah B. Kimball, 
Reuben O. Phillips, 
John G. Bradford, 
Henry W. Chellis, 
John W. Hall, 
Albert Fletcher, 



Good-Byc. 



285 



James Brown, 
George W. Durant, 
Joseph G. Avers, 
Gilman Jaquith, 
Charles E. Fegan, 
James Jones, 
Leveii Duplessis, 
Ephraim Plimpton, 
James Baker, 
Timothy Norris, 
Henry S. Hancock, 
George W. Carr, 
Whitney R. Richardson, 
Harvey Hancock. 

The war was over at last. The 
town was deeply in debt. Under this 
it labored for several years, but 
it has been extinguished, and there is 
money in the town's treasury. 

Upon the farming communities of 
the state the war bore with peculiar 
severity. Such was the case with 
this town. The armies of the Union 
were necessarily filled with young 
men. and of these there was no sur- 
plus here. The larger part of our 
young men had left the old homes, 
and gone to the cities and larger 
towns, and when the war broke out 
they rallied, and helped to swell the 
ranks of companies and regiments of 
other states. 



But the history of our soldiers is 
an honorable one. Some sleep in the 
'' sunny South," smitten by rebel 
bullets or wasting sickness, or starv- 
ed to death in rebel prisons ; some 
returned to their homes to linger for 
years with disease upon them, and 
to-day fill soldiers' graves. Some 
still move among us, performing well 
their duties in life. 

Men die ; examples and principles 
live. 

The soldiers of Windham in every 
war save the last have lono- since 
passed away ; yet the examples of 
their patriotism, courage, and devo- 
tion to i)rinciples will never die. The 
courage ui the fathers in the French 
and Indian war, in the war of the 
Revolution, fiamed forth anew in the 
war for the nation's preservation from 
1861 to I860. All honor to them— 
to all of the nation's defenders ! 
Tiieir deeds will be recounted bv 
those of future generations who will 
acknowledge the debt of gratitude 
they owe them. 

"Ill the beauty of tlie lilies Christ was born across 

the sea, 
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you 

and me ; 
As Ho died to make men holy, so they died to make 

men free." 



GOOD-BYE. 



By C. C. Lord. 



We linger at the closing scene. 

The hands are clasped that soon must part, 
And cruel fate divides between 

Each heart that craves each other heart. 
And tear-drops roll and voices sigh 
When lips are forced to sa}' Good-b^^e. 

So geutl}' spoken ; how the tide 
Of kindness fills the soul of pain 



iS6 



Love and Theology . 



Tlial would each past resentment hide, 

That love may full assurance sain. 
And peaceful constancy rely 
Upon the last sad word — Good-bye ! 

Why is it? In the place of tears, 

Our thoughts involved with sharp regrets, 

We pass unmanifested years, 

Forecast with grief that ne'er forgets 

To damp the eyes that fain would dry, 

And claim a space to say Good-bye. 

Quick faith, that owns a subtle spring 

Of inward potency, is bold 
To rise on wings of hope that bring 

The promises its days unfold. 
And o'er the heights of time, descry 
The recompense of each Good-bye. 

O prophecy divine, that breaks 

Out of the gloom of life distressed, 

Evoked in severance, yet takes 
Trne counsel of reunion blest, 

That soothes the breast and dries the eye 

With joy foretold of sweet Good-bye ! 



Love and Theology. A Novel. By 
Celia. Parker Woolley. 1 vol. 
12mo; $1.50. 

It is not only entertaining, but in- 
teresting from the highest point of 
view. It goes on from chapter to 
chapter with ever-increasing force and 
power. No book of fiction that Tick- 
nor & Co. have published has had, to 
my thinking, the attraction and value 
of this ; and nowhere has the present 
study and questioning of theological 
subjects been more clearly and satis- 
factorily presented ; for, in all this 
presentation, there is not a hint of 
irreverance or flippancy of any kind. 
There is, instead, a very beautiful 
presentation of the very best inter- 
pretation of the liberal thoughts of 
to-day, — an interpretation that con- 
tains the highest spirituality. Here- 



in is the book of great value ; and 
that it will be reckoned amongst the 
books that will be of service to all 
intelligent inquirers, I have no doubt. 
It is, I should say most decidedly, a 
book to own, and not merely to read 
for amusement only, and then to 
throw aside ; and this for the charac- 
terization, as well as the presentation 
of the newer interpretations of the 
Bible, etc. This characterization is 
exceedingly well done, showing no 
effort, but a natural gift of character 
painting. The dialogue is something 
more than mere made-up talk, and 
the reflective portion contains philos- 
ophy of the most cultivated kind, and 
this, of course, includes the fact that 
this philosophy is free from narrow 
and vulgar self-assertion. 




THE 

RANITE neNTHLY. 

A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. 
T)evoted to Literature, 'Biography, History, and State Progress. 



Vol. X. SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1887. Nos. 9 & 10. 



HON. AMOS J. BLAKE. 



Amos J. Blake was horu in Riudge, 
Cheshire county, New Hampsliire, 
October 20, 1836, where liis parents, 
Ebenezer Blake and Hepsibeth Jew- 
ett, were also born, and resided until 
the dates of their deaths. He was 
their eighth child and seventh son. 

His grandfather, Deacon Eleazer 
Blake, the immediate ancestor of the 
Blake family of Rindge, was born in 
Wreutham, Mass., April 1, 17.57. In 
1775, after tlie battle of Lexington, 
he enlisted in the Revolutionary war, 
and marched with a company from his 
native town, under command of Capt. 
Crowell, and arrived at Roxbury on 
the morning of April 20, and contin- 
ue in the patriot army during the 
entire war. He participated in the 
siege of Boston, and on the day of 
the battle of Bunker Hill he, with 
otliers, was engaged in fortifying 
Prospect hill, where he witnessed the 
bloody engagement of June 17. His 
regiment was sent to New York, and 
joined the army under Gen. Gates, 
where he participated in the triumphs 



of the patriots over Gen. Burgoyne, 
and bore an honorable part in the 
memorable battles of Stillwater and 
Saratoga. The following winter he 
endured the exposure and nakedness 
of Valley Forge. The following spring 
and summer he was with the army 
immediately under the command of 
Gen. Washington. 

In 1780, then in Col. Shepard's reg- 
iment, he was appointed sergeant, and 
in 1782 was detailed assistant quar- 
termaster of the Fourth Massachusetts 
Brigade, in which line of service he 
continued until his discharge, June 
12, 1783. at "Camp New Windsor," 
New York, from whence he travelled 
on foot a distance of 220 miles to his 
home in Wrentham, where he arrived 
June 21, after a continuous service in 
the Revolutionary war of more than 
eiglit years. 

In the autumn following his dis- 
charge, accompanied by his brothei 
Ebenezer, who had also sei'ved four 
years in the army, he visited Coos 
county. New Hampshire, where he 



288 



Hon. Amos y. Blake. 



remained several months, and was 
engaged as a school teacher. 

After a brief residence in New 
York, he married, November 29, 1785, 
Jerusha Gerould, daughter of Gama- 
liel and Jernsha (Mann) Geronld, of 
Wrentham, and settled in Stoddard, 
N. H. In 1792 lie removed to Rindge, 
where he continued to reside, follow- 
ing the occupation of a farmer and 
wheelwright. 

Under the ministry of the eminent 
Dr. Seth Pay son, he was chosen dea- 
con of the Congregational church, in 
which capacity he officiated until 80 
years of age. The blameless charac- 
ter of Deacon Blake, his unimpeach- 
able integrity, and his Christian coun- 
sels will long be treasured by his 
townsmen and acquaintances. He 
died September 27, 1852, aged 95 
years and 6 months. 

The father of the subject of this 
sketch was the youngest child of Dea- 
con p]leazer Blake, and was born in 
Rindge, November 16, 1800. His oc- 
cupation was that of a farmer and 
carpenter. He was a man of sound 
mind and sterling character. He al- 
ways took a deep interest in public 
affairs, and for many years held and 
discharged with fidelity the office of 
justice of the peace, and several town 
offices. He died April 8, 1883, aged 
83 years. He was admitted a member 
of the Congregational church October 
26, 1834. 

The mother of the subject of this 
sketch was the daughter of Amos and 
Lydia Jewett, of Rindge. She was a 
woman of superior endowments, a de- 
voted wife and motlier, uniting exem- 
plary Christian piety with an uncloud- 
ed disposition and many excellences 
of character. The light of her exam- 



ple will long continue to shed its 
cheerful rays around the pathway of 
her surviving children. She was admit- 
ted a member of the Congregational 
church on the same date with her hus- 
band — October 26, 1834. She died 
November 10, 1874, aged 72 years. 

The subject of our sketch attended 
tlie common and select schools of his 
native town, until, arriving at the age 
of 17 years, he determined upon a 
higher course of education and mental 
training ; pursued a classical course 
of studies, and tlie higher branches 
and mathematics, at Mt. Csesar Sem- 
inary, Swanzey, N. H., Green Moun- 
tain Liberal Institute, Woodstock, 
Vt., and at Appleton academy, New 
Ipswich, N. H., until July, 1859, 
when he was fitted to enter college a 
year in advance, having taught sciiool 
during each winter to procure the 
means for pursuing his studies. Upon 
leaving Appleton academy, he finally 
concluded to abandon the idea of go- 
ing to college, commenced the study 
of law at Keene in the office of F. F. 
Lane, and remained there until Feb- 
ruary 28, 1861, when he entered the 
office of D. H. Woodward, and was 
admitted to the bar in April, 1862. 
He commenced the practice of the 
law at Fitzwilliam, July 13, 1863, and 
has been in active practice of the law 
ever since. 

He was appointed assistant assessor 
of internal revenue October 13, 1862, 
and held the office until June, 1871. 
Was elected representative to the 
state legislature in 1872 and 1873, 
servino; durins; both sessions of the 
legislature on the Judiciary Commit- 
tee. Was appointed state bank com- 
missioner in 1876, 1S77, 1878, and 
1879. Was appointed and served as 



Major Waldron . 



289 



enumenitor for the town of Fitzwill- special studies. He is deeply versed 

ifim of the tenth census of the United in geology and kindred sciences, hav- 

8t:vtes, in June, 1880. Served as ing made a large collection of New 

sui)eiintending school committee of lOngland minerals. He is a historical 

Rindge for two years prior to his student, versed in antiquarian lore, 

settlement in Fitzwilliani ; has also and an authority on local history and 

served in that capacity for nine years genealogy. He attends the Congre- 

in Fitzwilliam. Has served many gational church. 

years as moderator of town-meetings, Mr. Blake, for a quarter of a cen- 

and as supervisor of the Fitzwilliam tury, has been identified with the 

town lilirary, and is now president of JVIasonic fraternity, having joined the 

the Fitzwilliam Savings Bank ; and Social Friends Lodge, No. 42, at 

has also held the office of selectman Keene, in 1862. He was dimitted to 

of the town for several years. He the Monadnock Lodge, No. 80, in 

was admitted to practice in the United Troy, in 1866. He has been very 

States district court October 1, 1867. active in forwarding the History of 

Mr. Blake lias been twice married, — Fitzwilliam, and has rendered valua- 

first, to Miss Lizzie A. Howe, young- ble aid in its compilation. He is a 

est daughter of Dennis and Lucy member of the New Hampshire His- 

(Ball) Howe, of Jaffrey, and formerly torical Societ}'. 

of Rindge, who died June 22, 1867, He has acted as administrator, ex- 
leaving one son, who also died Sep- ecutor, trustee of estates of deceased 
tember 8, 1867 ; married, second, Miss farmers, and guardian in a large num- 
Flora E. Stone, eldest daughter of ber of cases. He is a life-long Repub- 
Nathan and Mary Louisa (Miles) lican, and active in supporting his 
Stone, of Fitzwilliam, and has one party at home and on the stump, in 
son, Lerov Stanley Blake, born No- Fitzwilliam and neio-hborinsr towns, 
vember 5, 1883. He has been engaged in several very 

Mr. Blake, outside of his profes- important cases, and has the courage 

sional reading, is interested in many to try them himself. 



Port Gamble, Wash. Ter., 

July 2o, 1887. 
Editor Granite Monthly: — Li 
Mr. Sanborn's account of Gove's In- 
surrection, he says Major Waldron 
was killed by the Indians, whose anger 
he had provoked in capturing some of 
their tribe and selling them into sla- 
very. Wiiere does Mr. S. find the 
proof of this? Belknap says Otis 
garrison was captured at the same 
time, and Otis and several others 
killed. In what manner had Otis 



provoked them? Belknap further 
says a vessel carried away a great 
number of our surprised Indians in 
the time of our wars to sell them for 
slaves, but the nations whither they 
went would not buy them. Finally 
they were left at Tangiers, &c. 

I think it is quite enough to accuse 
my ancestor of sentencing Quaker 
women to be whipped, without this 
slavery business, unless we have the 
proof. Yours truly, 

WiNKiELD S. Jameson. 



290 



y antes 7. Fields. 



JAMES T. FIELDS.— 1816-1881. 
By Olive E. Dana. 



There are three ways in which it is 
possible for men and women to make 
themselves felt in the world, and con- 
tribute to the advancement, the cult- 
ure, and the happiness of their gen- 
eration. The first is through the in- 
fluence of their individual or personal 
lives. This influence is the most po- 
tent, yet it has ordinarily the narrow- 
est range. It is as much more cir- 
cumscribed in its working than the 
other two forces which make u[i the 
sum of human influence and achieve- 
ment, as it is more intense than either. 
The second outgoino- of our nature is 
of thought. This makes literature. 
And whoever is heard and revered for 
intellectual greatness and beneficence 
may be no mean factor of reform and 
progress. The third channel through 
which we reach mankind lies through 
the lives and works of others. It is 
sometimes given to one to open the 
way for others to grow and enrich 
the world by his own insight or brav- 
ery or unselfishness, or by his fulfil- 
ment of some task which seems dis- 
tinctiveh' his, a work often unseen 
and unrewarded, to direct and give 
impetus to streams whose fertilizing 
influence shall be felt very widely 
and graciously and long. 

It was ha[)pily granted to James 
T. F'ields to contribute to the world's 
finest influences in all these ways. Yet 
especially perhaps in that last men- 
tioned his work and influence were 
beneficent and noteworthy. vVs a 
man, as an author, and more especial- 
ly in his own peculiar province of 
publisher, critic, lUeratetii\ and that 



something added which includes in- 
sight, wisdom, and far-reaching au- 
thority in letters, his life is valuable 
and significant. The story of that 
life has been told by one nearest to 
him, depicting all aspects of his char- 
acter, and the various work that came 
within the sphere of his alert dili- 



gence. 



The native city of Mr. Fields and 
the home of his boyhood was Ports- 
mouth. His mother, left with two lit- 
tle sons by the death of her husband, 
a ship-master, was, he was wont to 
say, "• simi)ly the best and kindest of 
mothers," and the associations of his 
boyhood were as pure and safe as her 
superlatively watchful care could make 
them. His school-days seem to have 
ended with the high school, and at 
fourteen he went to Boston to become 
clerk in a bookstore. His love for 
Portsmouth was life-long. He often 
returned thither, and with delight. 
Ami indeed the old New England 
city whicli was his mf)tlier town had 
been generous with him, and had 
nourished the Ijeginnings f)f a noble 
and normal life, rich in the capacit}' 
for joy, ill delicate perception and 
hearty appreciation of life's good 
things. In and around Portsmouth 
were countless ways his feet had of- 
ten trodden : journeys to Rye beach 
and Dover made pleasant memories. 
Here was nourished that delight in 
'•the great book of nature" which 
*■' remained his unchanged early love." 
And his intellectual life, also, his 
kindly mother city had not left unre- 
membered. Its librai-y, the Atlie- 



fames T. Fields. 



291 



uaeum, had a quiet nook for him, 
where he made himself early acquaiut- 
ed with its treasures. 

Yet like most youth he was glad to 
begin in Boston manhood's tasks. 
Easily mastering the duties of his 
position, with singular alertness and 
intelligence, he advanced steadily, 
betraying rare insight and ability. 
He could tell what books would be 
popular, and could divine, as a per- 
son came into the store, what book 
he wanted, and would produce it, 
rarely mistaking. Other pleasant du- 
ties and associations and refined 
pleasures he had. He formed new 
friendships, also, perhai)s chiefost of 
which among the earlier ones was 
that with Mr. lildwin P. AVhipple, af- 
terward the distinguished essayist, 
whose recent death brings into more 
prominent notice his genius and his 
notable work as critic and reviewer. 
After the death of Mr. Fields, Mr. 
Whipple contributed to the Atlantic 
interesting recollections of his friend, 
from which we quote briefly : 

" My acquaintance with Fields be- 
gan at the Boston Mercantile Library 
Association, when we were boys of 
eighteen or nineteen. It happened 
that both of us were inflamed by a 
passionate love of literature, and by 
a cordial admiration of men of let- 
ters ; that we had read — of course 
superficially — most of the leading 
poets and prose-writers of Great 
Britain, and had a tolerably correct 
idea of their chronological succession. 
One of the most notable facts in the 
lives of clerks with literary tastes and 
moderate salaries is the mysterious 
way in which they contrive to collect 
books. Among the members of the 
Mercantile Library Association, Thom- 



as R. Gould (now known as one of 
the most eminent of American sculp- 
tors), F'ields, and myself, had vphat 
we called libraries before we were 
twenty-one. Gould was a clerk in a 
dry goods jobbing-house. Fields in a 
bookstore, I in a broker's office. 
F'ields's colle(;tion much exceeded 
Gould's and mine, for he had in his 
room two or three hundred volumes, 
the nucleus of a library which event- 
ually became one of the choicest pri- 
vate collections of books, manuscripts, 
and autographs in the city." 

It is to this friend that Mr. Fields 
seems to have dedicated a small vol- 
ume of his poems, privately printed, 
entitled " A Few Verses for a Few 
Friends." It must be to this volume 
of poems that the poet Whittier refers 
in his lines "To J. T. F." This 
early friendship is made the more 
memorable and significant bv the not 
dissimilar life-work of these friends. 
To Mr. Whipple, in the funeral eulo- 
gy of his friend. Dr. Bartol, was ac- 
corded the distinction of being "a 
man than whom none speaking the 
English tongue has done more in our 
generation to keep the genius of others 
fresh in our recollections and bright 
in our eyes." 

In 1845 Mr. Fields became a part- 
ner in the store where he had for so 
many years been a clerk, " the Old 
Corner Book-Store," at the corner of 
School and Washington streets. For 
many years he stood at the head of 
this growing and increasingly influen- 
tial publishing house. It held, from 
the first, a unique })osition, and ex- 
erted a singular authority in New 
England letters. It was a rallying- 
place for authors, and its prestige 
and its patronage must often have 



292 



yanics T. Fields. 



inspired, as well as clothed in comely 
shapes of printed paper and leather 
and cloth, the creations of poets and 
romancers and thinkers. "The ger- 
minating root," says one who " wit- 
nessed its rise and progress," was 
" in the brain of Fields." " He was 
the genius loci" sa^'s another, the 
controlling, guiding, inspiring force. 
So modestly was won and kept this 
position, that the historians of our 
literature may hardly recognize its 
potency in fostering and shaping 
New England letters, and in vindica- 
ting — when it was needful, as at that 
time it was in a measure necessary — 
their claim to a place in the world's 
literatuie. But the most eminent of 
our authors have been readiest to do 
so. Whipple, Whittier, Holmes, Em- 
erson, Lowell, by affectionate inscrip- 
tions of their works, by the allusions 
of their songs, by their estimate of 
his work, as well as by their tributes 
when his ears were closed in death, 
declare the place and power they felt 
was his. He is portrayed in the 
" Tent on the Beach," one of 

"Three friends, the guests of summer-time, who 
Pitched their white tent where sea-winds blew: 

One, with his beard scarce silvered, bore 
A ready credence in his looks, 
A lettered magnate, lording o'er 
An ever widening realm 01 books. 
In him brain-currents, near and far, 
Converged as in a leaden jar; 
The old dead autliors thronged him round about, 
And Elzevir's gray ghosts from leathein graves 
looked out. 

" He knew each living pundit well. 

Could weigh th(i gilts of him or her. 

And well tlip market value tell 

Of poet and philosopher. 

And if he lost, tlie scenes behind 

Somewliat of reverence vague and blind. 

Finding the actors human at the best, 

No readier lips than Ids the good he saw confessed. 

" His boyhood fancies not outgrown, 
He loved himself tlie singer's art; 
Tenderly, gently, by his own, 
He knew and judged an author's heart. 



No Rhadamanthine brow of doom. 
Bowed the dazed pedant from his room; 
And bards whose name is legion, if denied. 
Bore off alike intact their verses and their pride. 

" Pleasant it was to roam about 
The lettered world as he had done. 
And see the lords of song without 
Their singing robes and garlands on: 
With Wordsworth paddle Kydal Mere, 
Taste rugged Elliott's home-brewed beer. 
And with the ear of Rogers, at four score. 
Hear Garrick's buskined tread and Walpole's wit 
once more." 

This, however, was written in 1867, 
a score of years later than this period 
of his life of which we are now writ- 
ing. In 1847, after the death of 
Mary Willard, his betrothed, he sail- 
ed for Europe. This journey was the 
first of several European trips, some 
of them extended ones, and during 
this visit he formed the beginning of 
many friendships with trans-Atlantic 
authors, — men and women wliose 
names ai-e household words, — some 
of them belonging to an older gener- 
ation, and indeed to an earlier period 
of English liteiature. He became the 
friend of and was entertained by 
Bryan W. Procter (Barry Cornwall), 
William and Mary Howitt, Mr. and 
Mrs. John S. C. Hall, Mr. John Ken- 
yon, and others, all of whom became 
his life-long friends. There, too, be- 
gan his long, intimate acquaintance 
with Miss Mary R. Mitford, a friend- 
ship whose pleasant privileges he so 
l)leasantly shares with us in his rec- 
ollections of the author of " Our Vil- 
lage." He visited the home and bur- 
ial-place of Sir Walter Scott, — "a 
spot," he said, " no change can ever 
wipe from my memory." 

In 1850 he married a younger sis- 
ter of Mary Willard, his lost love. 
She died, however, within two years 
after their marriage. 

Meantime he was rising into fame 



'James T. Fields. 



293 



as an eminently successful and saga- 
cious publislier, tbe friend of the most 
eminent at liome and abroad, an able 
student of belles-lettres, and a distin- 
guished literateur and traveller. " His 
correspondence at this period," writes 
his biographer, " includes almost 
without exception all the men and 
women of any literary note in Amer- 
ica." 

In November, 1854, James T. 
Fields married Miss Annie Adams. 
It is recorded that " when at last the 
doors of home opened to him, he en- 
tered reverently, and with a tender- 
ness which grew only with the years." 
This home was one of many charms 
and of singular attractiveness. Here 
this always genial man was at his 
best. His library — of ten thousand 
or more volumes — was overrunning 
with choice editions, manuscripts, 
portraits, and mementoes. An "au- 
thor's chamber" in the fourth story, 
with a study adjoining, sheltered 
from time to time Hawthorne, Whit- 
tier, and Charles Sumner, Dickens, 
McDonald, Thackeray, and Kingsley, 
besides many others. In after years 
he built a summer home at Manches- 
ter-by-the-sea. 

Writing and publishing from his 
youth, — though always perhaps with 
a too modest estimate of his own 
abilitv, and with a singular reticence 
consideiing his own admirable and 
delightful style, and the wealth of ma- 
terial which his study, his travels, his 
observations, and his friendship had 
united in furnishing him, — Mr. Fields 
was also winning distinction as an au- 
thor, both here and beyond seas. We 
have many books edited wholly or in 
part by him, and several volumes, 
though far too f ew,of his own writings. 



It is not unlikely that other collections 
might be made of the more fragmen- 
tary writings he published in maga- 
zines and newspapers, which would be 
sure of interested readers. 

Kctii'ing from the publishing house 
in 1870, Mr. Fields gave the best of 
his last years to the preparation and 
delivery of lectures, most of them on 
subjects related to English literature. 
He was in great demand as a lecturer, 
East a'nd West, and the work he did 
in this way must have given him 
peculiar satisfaction, for it was one 
of peculiar importance and benefi- 
cence. 

Doubtless it was the personality of 
the speaker, so potent, so notable, so 
gracious and kindly, so winning and 
inspiring, that constituted the chief 
element in their influence upon all 
classes. For both the learned and 
the unlearned, young students and 
illiterate farmers, in cultured cities, 
popular academies, and raw villages, 
owned the persuasive charm of his 
presence and speech, and acknowl- 
edged their debt to him. As neces- 
sary to the race as its Shakespeares 
and Emersons, its Miltons and Spen- 
sers, its Dantes and Words worths, are 
the men, as great in heart and soul as 
they, it may be, who bring the truths 
these teach to the apprehension of the 
people who would otherwise fail of 
recognizing their heritage of thought. 
In the realm of intellect there can 
hardlv be a higher work than of such 
a teacher. It is a work which Mr. 
Fields well began, for the reading 
public, in his "Yesterdays with Au- 
thors," and certain papers in his 
"Underbrush." " Began," I say, for 
certainly these volumes, beside what 
he might have done had other years 



294 



Cmn^as^e. 



been granted him, are only as a me- which required the expenditure of a 

raorial. good deal of time." 

I have hardly left space to speak Mr. Fields's sympathy with young 
of Mr. Fields as a friend, or of his people was very marked and notice- 
personal character and influence. His able. He was a favorite contributor 
seems to have been a life of notable to the Youth's Companion^ and the 
purity, of singular generosity, of un- articles thus printed were very pleas- 
ostentatious yet abounding benevo- antly characteristic of the man and 
lence. "From the first," we read, the author. 

" he was sufficient not only to take His religious feeling and purpose 
care of himself but others, and, as seem to have been deep, vv^arm, and 
is universally the case with such nat- earnest. One entry (on a Sabbath) 
ures, there were needs enough, pre- in his journal, betrays most signifi- 
seuted early and always continued, to cantly and tenderly the undercurrent 
absorb a large portion of whatever of the life men knew, 
might be his." The cheerfulness of His was a life in which were hap- 
whatever benefaction or kindness pily blended earnestness and gener- 
dropped from his hand, his own un- osity, single-heartedness and open- 
mindfulness of it forever after, his heartedness, diligence and cheerful- 
seeming joy in giving, were a rare grace ness. His devotion to his chosen 
and charm. He used to take exquisite work is an inspiration, yet it is not 
pleasure, while once in London, in sur- without its pathos, the more that so 
prising some hungry gamin with a sup- much he did so toilsomely is lost in 
per at some convenient stall, where others' labors and successes. Yet 
as would often happen Fields was re- perhaps the true dignit}' and glory of 
turning after some evening's pleasure his life lies in this fact, as if his dili- 
on foot to his lodgings. And at gent zeal, his devoted work, were in- 
home, at his place of business, in his deed accepted and used in the intel- 
intercourse with his hosts of friends lectual life and progress of the age, 
and acquaintances, and with stran- with perhaps a deeper, wider, and 
gers, he "was continually doing," more gracious potenc}' than he ever 
said Mr. Whipple, " kindly acts knew. 



CAMPASPE. 
By C. Jennie Swaine. 

The monarch had heard Appeles' name. 

For the speaking canvas had told his fame. 

" Though thy touch be as magic," he softly said, 

"And thy palette with rainbow hues is fed. 

Though true to thy dream of Madonna and Saint, 

Yet Campaspe's beauty thou canst not paint." 

But Appeles said, " From the living streams 
Of beauty my spirit has quaffed in dreams, 



Campaspe. 295 

And to visions of loveliness fairer than earth 
My brush and my canvas have given birth. 
With the laurel's evergreen wreath on ray brow, 
My boasted art shall not fail me now." 

" Try not thy skill — it is sure to fail ; / 
The roses' red flush to her cheek is pale, 
And the violet's tender and liquid hue, 
Aglow in the sunshine, agleam in the dew, 
Nor the soft, sweet blue of the summer skies, 
Can match with their brightness her azure eyes." 

Oampaspe sat in the softened light : 

She lifted her hand, like a lily white, 

And the loosened veil from her head-dress fell. 

And her beauty fell o'er him like a spell, 

While the hand on the canvas left no trace. 

As she mocked his art with her ano;el face. 

Campaspe her dewy eyes upraised. 

And on Appeles she fondly gazed. 

She had worshipped him long through his wondrous art ; 

And she said to her wildlv throbbing heart, — 

" Embodied before me my dream appears ;" 

And the drooping eyelids veiled their tears. 

On his knees Appeles breathed her name, 

And burning words to his white lips came, 

While the king's fair daughter, with smile and tear, 

His passionate wooing bowed low to hear, 

Till her cheek touched his lip, and kingdom and crown 

By the spell of Love laid their barriers down. 

Weary with waiting, the noble king 

Bade his attendants Appeles bring. 

"If thy work is done, the reward is thine." 

"Though my hand be skilled and my art divine," 

Appeles said, "yet I cannot trace 

A single line of so fair a face. 

"Her wonderful beauty has maddened me. 

I know my fate, and it sweet shall be. 

For better is death than life," he cried : 

But with tears in his voice the king replied, 

"Campaspe has loved thee well and long. 

And her cheek lost its bloom and her voice its song;. 

Take her, and Love on thy heart shall trace, 

In deathless beauty, her angel face." 



296 



Windham, N. H. 



WINDHAM, N. H.— Chapter 6. 



By Hon. Leonard A. Morrison, Author of " History of the Morrison Family"" 

AND " History of Windham, N. H." 



BIOGRAVHIE^. 

David Gregg^ was one of the earli- 
est settlers of Wiudham. He was 
born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 
1685, and was the son of John Gregg, '^ 
who was born there in 1665, and who 
was killed by the Catholics about 
1689. This John Gregg was son of 
David Gregg, ^ who was born in Ar- 
gyleshire, Scotland, was a captain 
under Cromwell in 1655, and aided 
in subjugating the rebellious Irish, 
and subsequently settled near Lon- 
donderry, Ireland. Was a tanner, 
and proprietor of thirty acres of land. 
He was finally murdered by the Irish 
in 1689. 

David Gregg^ of Windham married, 
in Ireland, Mary, daughter of Capt. 
Thomas Nevins of London. He came 
to Watertown, Mass., in 1712. lived 
there nine years, and then bought a 
large tract in Windham (then Lon- 
donderry), in November, 1721. This 
was then a wildei-ness abounding in 
wild beasts. The old cellar over 
which his house stood can still be 
seen. He was a Protestant and a 
devout Christian. His mind was 
strong, combined with decision of 
character, and he died at an advanced 
age. He was of gigantic stature, 
his weight was 340 pounds, and he 
possessed marvellous strength. He 
could lift 1,200 pounds with ease. 
His son 

William Gregg,* was born in 1705, 
in Londonderry, Ireland. He mar- 
ried Elizabeth Kyle, of Scotch blood, 
who possessed great personal beau- 



ty. Her husband was a great hunter, 
and made noted inroads upon the 
catamounts, bears, wolves, and deer 
which abounded in the unbroken for- 
ests. He was a leading citizen, and 
often held offices of trust, both polit- 
ical and religious. Was noted for his 
piety and great memory. He was 
resolute in purpose, and adhered to 
his convictions with the pertinacity of 
the Scotch covenanter. He was well 
educated for his time. Though he 
left Ireland when eight years of age, 
yet he could describe with great mi- 
nuteness the old city of Londonderry, 
with its walls and fortifications. He 
could describe the streets as he saw 
them in his boyhood, and would re- 
late what he had seen and heard of 
the extreme distress growing out of 
tiie celebrated defence of the city ; 
distress so great and the gnawings of 
hunger so keen that rats were food 
and had a market price. He died in 
1797, in his 92d year. 



Jolin Cochran was of unadulterated 
Scotch blood, was the son of John 
and ILlizabeth (Arwin) Cochran, of 
Londonderry, Ireland, where he was 
born in 1704. His father shared with 
his Scotch countrymen in the glorious 
defence of the city against the Cath- 
olics in 1688-89. Young Cochran 
came to New Hampshire in 1720, and 
in 1730 located on a swell of land in 
East Windham, which remains to this 
day in possession of descendants. It 
was at that time a wilderness, and he 
displayed the usual amount of endur- 



Windham, N. H. 



297 



ance of the pioneer. He was a lead- 
ing and respected citizen. He mar- 
ried Jenny McKeen,of Londonderry. 
Tlieir married life was long and 
pleasant, and they sleep side by side 
in the " Cemetery on the Hill." They 
are the ancestors of the Cochrans of 
Windham, and of Rev. W. R. Coch- 
rane, historian of Antrim, N. H. 



James Betton was born in Scotland 
in 1727-'28. He came to Windham 
about 1753, and died March 18, 1803. 
He settled in the north part of the 
town, and was a very active, popular, 
and influential citizen. He was for 
the time well educated ; was an auc- 
tioneer, surveyor, and justice of the 
peace. He filled all the prominent 
positions in town, and was in 1777 an 
agent from the state of New Hamp- 
shire to the seat of the national gov- 
ernment at Baltimore, and brought to 
New England a large amount of 
money with which to prosecute the 
Revolutionary war. He was the fa- 
ther of Hon. Silas Betton, who was 
born in Windham, Aug. 26, 1767. 
He graduated at Dartmouth college 
in 1787. Was a member of the house 
and state senate several years, mem- 
ber of congress from 1803 to 1807, 
and high sheriff of Rockingham coun- 
ty from 1813 to 1819. 



Lieut. Samuel Morison'^ was born 
in Ireland, at or near Londonderry, 
He was of Scotch blood, and his 
parents were C/mrier James Morisou,^ 
of Londonderry, N. H., and Mary 
Wallace. His grandfather, John Mor- 
ison,^ was born in Scotland, and emi- 
grated to Ireland previous to 1688, 
and resided at or near Londonderry. 
He and his sons and family were of 



the number of Scotch Protestants 
who during the famous siege and de- 
fence of that city in 1688-'89 were by 
the inhuman order of Gen. Conrad de 
Rosen, the French commander, driv- 
en beneath tiie walls of the city, suf- 
fering the pangs of starvation, and 
exposed to the missiles of death from 
the besieged and besiegers. They 
suivived, and were admitted into the 
city. He died in Londonderry, N. 
H., in 1736. 

Lieut. Samuel Morison came to 
Londonderry, N. H., when a lad of 
15 years. He located in Windham 
about 1730, and his home farm is 
still in possession of a descendant, 
its bounds unchanged. He is the an- 
cestor of the Morisons of Windham. 
He was well educated in Ireland, and 
became an influential man in this set- 
tlement. He presided in the first 
town-meeting, and in thirty subse- 
quent meetings of the free-holders, 
the last time in 1775. It may be of 
interest to state that the person who 
acted as moderator at the last annual 
meeting is a great-grandson of Sam- 
uel Morison, who acted as moderator 
of the first annual meeting 141 years 
ago. He was a member of the first 
board of selectmen, and acted in that 
capactity for seven years, and was 
clerk for four years. His intellectual 
power was robust and strong. His 
mind was broad, and his heart sensi- 
tive to the calls of the needy and un- 
fortunate. He was noted for his 
piety, and was held in the highest es- 
teem. He was a lieutenant in a Mas- 
sachusetts regiment, at Fort Cumber- 
land. N. S., in 1760. 

He was a rigid Presbyterian, and 
was an elder in that church. In the 
town records he is alluded to as 



298 Whitefield. 

"Samuel Morison, Gent," also in acres. He was the ancestor of the 

many deeds. He was much engaged Campbells of Windham, of Hon. 

in public business. He married Mar- Charles H. Campbell of Nashua, and 

tha, daughter of Samuel Allison, of of James Madison Campbell, late of 

Londonderi-y. She was born March Manchester. 

31, 1720, and was the first female 

child of European extraction born in John Dinsmoor, son of John Dins- 
that town. She died Dec. 3, 1761. moor of Scotland, came to London- 
He died Feb. 11, 1776, and in the derry in 1723, and is ancestor of the 
cemetery overlooking the bright Dinsmoors here. His house was in 
sparkling waters of Cobbett's pond Londonderry, the front door-stone 
they sleep their last sleep. being on the line between Windham 

and Londonderry. He died in 1741. 

Henry Campbell was here in 1733. His grandson, William Dinsmoor, was 
He was born in Londonderry, Ireland, a man of parts, and possessed quite 
in 1697, and married Martha Black a poetical gift. The latter was fa- 
in 1717. He was son of Daniel ther of the elder Gov. Samuel Dins- 
Campbell, born in 1660 at Argyle, moor of Keene, of Robert Dinsmoor 
Scotland. He located in the west (the " rustic bard "), and an uncle of 
side of the town, and his descendants Col. Silas Dinsmoor, the noted Ind- 
live to this day upon the ancestral ian agent. 



WHITEFIELD. 

Extract from an Unpublished History. 

By Levi W. Dodge. 

Error as to the spelling of the name ignorance of the oiigin and true ap- 
of the town crept in early, and this plication of the title, 
has given rise to doubts expressed by To call it " Whitefields" in 1774 
some as to the origin of the title ; would have been a misnomer, as there 
or, — as there is a reason for every was no place for a field of white 
established fact, — its why and its throughout all the dark evergreen 
wherefore. It is true that in the wilderness within its borders. No 
original grant, as copied, the name intervales existed suggestive of what 
has a plural ending, and also many might become white fields by a sum- 
times thus appears in some of the mer's product of daisies or a winter's 
earlier records ; but it was clearly, as burden of snow. Black forests every 
we think, on account of a clerical where abounded, save upon the high- 
lapSHs pennoi, or extravagant end- lands thickly covered with the decid- 
ing of the cl in the original petition, uous growth, 
or subsequent use of the name, and The writer has in his possession 



W/nieficld. 



299 



several musty doeuments relating to 
the early affairs of the town, of dates 
from 1774 to 1802, and in most cases 
the name is spelled without the plural 
ending. One of these is a deed from 
one Stephen Cogan, conveying the 
" right of huid in townslii[) of White- 
Jield, so called, being the same I pur- 
chased of Timothy Nash." This 
Nash was one of the original gran- 
tees, only two of whom ever resided 
in the vicinity ; he settled about 1764 
upon the Connecticut, in the present 
town of Lunenburg, and doubtless 
knew that the land he was granted, 
and which he was reconveying, lay 
in Whitetield without an s. 

There were then, we believe, but 
three towns in all New Hampshire 
whose titles were not sugiyested bv 
the parties interested, either from the 
names of older places, or in memory 
or in honor of individuals or families. 
Nor is Whitefield the only one that lias 
borne a miss-spelled title or misinter- 
pretation. Bretton Woods, now Car- 
roll, on our southern border, was 
originally granted to Sir Thos. Went- 
worth, Bart., and others. The coun- 
try seat of Sir Thomas was known as 
"Bretton llall," at Bretton, P:ng- 
land. Gov. Wentworth designed to 
name this new wild grant after the 
English counti'V home of his kinsman, 
and so called it " Bretton Woods;" 
but a careless clerk dotted the e, and 
Britton Woods it became. 

" Lloyd Hills," now Bethlehem, is 
spelled in Willey's ''Early History of 
the White Mountains" Lord's Hill, 
and it was thus known by the first 
settlers, which may have suggested 
the present title. The suggestion for 
the original name of the grant was 
clearly this. About twenty thousand 



acres of the township were patented 
to one Joseph Loring, whose wife 
was a daughter of Rev. Henry Lloyd, 
at one time a contractor for the royal ^ 
army. They followed Gov. Went- 
worth into exile in 177G, being both 
firm supporters of tiie King's cause, 
and were accordingly prosd\-il)ed and 
banished by the act of 1788. Lloyd 
died in London in 179G, and Loring 
in 1789, al«o in fCngland. 

The Lorings had one son born to 
them, in Dorchester, Mass., who took 
the name of John Wentworth Loring, 
by the pleasure of the provincial gov- 
ernor of New Hampshire, and this 
young scion of the house of Loring 
would have been the heir presumptive 
to his father's Lloyd Hills estate had 
it not been forfeited by acts of dis- 
loyalty. Thus did Gov. Wentworth 
think to perpetuate the name of iiis 
friend l)y a grant of a township to the 
family, and by the attachment of the 
family name to the township. 

The addition of the plural s to 
Whitefield was no stranger error than 
has occurred in that of the spelling of 
sevei'al otlier towns. The petitioners 
for those grants, as is well known, 
were not well versed in orthography, 
especially of proper nouns, and fre- 
quently wrote their own individual 
names with amazing incorrectness. 
Swansey, in its early records, was 
sometimes written with an s, and at 
other times with a 2, when in fact it 
was named for that old Welsh town 
Swansea — a greater error by far than 
an s to Whitefield. Stewartstown 
was granted to John Stuart and oth- 
ers of London, and was named 
Stuarttown, an obvious derivation ; 
it was first incorporated Stuart, but 
afterwards changed to its present ren- 



300 



White-field. 



dering. The first name of Stark was 
Percey, from Thomas Percey, at that 
time chaplain to the king ; but in the 
act of incorporation an evident cleri- 
cal error occurred of introducing an 
i, and thus was it put on record — 
Piercy. 

The p^itioners in the case of the 
town of Windsor asked to be incor- 
porated by the name of Winsor ; but 
during the passage of the act a d was 
inserted, and thus it is. 

In relation to the present town of 
"Wolfeborough : In the Journal of the 
House it is Wolfsborough ; and in 
the council records the / is omitted. 
Which is the right? 

The town of Plaistow was incor- 
porated witiiout the use of the i — 
Plastow. The present spelling is 
probably without authority. 

When, in 1804, the pioneers of 
"Whitefield petitioned the general 
court to be incorporated as a town, 
with intent to settle any complications 
that might arise from the dual orthog- 
raphy, and to inform the rest of the 
world that Whitefield was the proper 
and desired title, they asked to have 
the insinuating s forever dropped 
from its name, which was accorded 
Dec. 1, 1804. 

The idea has always prevailed 
among those interested, and the 
writer has no doubt it was the inten- 
tion of tiie grantor, either in accord- 
ance with his own or the expi'essed 
wishes of some of those upon whom 
this grant was bestowed, that the 
name thereof was to commemorate 
that of the Rev. George AVhitefield, 
the light of whose life had been but 
recently extinguished, and whose 
name was even then a household 
word throughout all New England. 



It is a fact that he was a welcome 
guest at the Wentworth mansion, and 
that the governor held the itinerat- 
ing ecclesiastic in high esteem, al- 
though he was proselyting followers 
from the established church. The 
last week of the great preacher's life 
was passed in New Hampshire, dur- 
ing which he preached four of his 
unique sermons, delivered in the open 
air, for there was no church large 
enough to hold the crowds who came 
to see and hear him ; and, in fact, 
many of the houses of Sabbath wor- 
ship were closed against him. 

His last discourse was at Exeter, 
the day before his death, where, in 
God's free, vast temple, he preached 
for two long hours to a crowd of in- 
terested listeners. At Newbury port, 
upon the following day, was his next 
appointment ; but during the night 
he was seized with an asthmatic par- 
oxysm, of which he died suddenly, in 
his 56th 3'ear. 

Mr. Whitefield was born in Glouces- 
ter, England. He took the degree 
of A. B. from Pembroke college, 
and was ordained in 1736 by the 
bishop of Gloucester, and in 1740 
was admitted to pi-iestly orders. He 
made seven different voyages between 
England and America, always in the 
cause of religion and humanity. It 
was said of him that " no clergyman 
ever possessed the powers of oratory 
in a -higher degree, or led a more 
useful or virtuous life." 

Upon the day of his death, Sept. 
30, 1770, all the bells of Portsmouth 
tolled from 11 o'clock till sunset. 

The house where Whitefield died is 
still standing upon School street in 
Newburyport. and is pointed out to 
visitors as one of the objects of inter- 



Origin and Meaning of Profer Names. 



301 



■est in that historic old town. The by, and a cenotaph placed above the 

•church beneath whose sanctuary lie dead by an eminent friend of the 

the ashes of this founder of the C"al- ardent j)reacher tells the story of his 

vinistic order of Methodists is hard life, labors, and virtues. 



ORIGIN AND MEANING OF PROPER NAMES. 
By Edwin D. Sanborn, LL. D. 



A man without a name is as near 
nobody as we can well imagine. If 
lie does anything, says anything, or 
•even thinks anything worthy of note, 
he will be observed and named from 
his prominent characteristics. '■'Sine 
nomine homo non est," says a Latin 
proverb. From the beginning, there- 
fore, men have always borne at least 
■one significant name. " The first man 
is of the earth earthy." Adam took 
his name from the earth, of which he 
was formed. The Hebrew word means 
"red earth." The Latin ''homo" is 
dissociated with "humus," and with 
the Roman's " humilis," humble, 
meant lowly, of the earth. These 
names point to man's origin — from 
the dust. 

Proper names designate individuals. 
Originally men had but one name, as 
Adam, David, Niuus, Cyrus, Socrates, 
Plato, Cicero, Cato, Paul, and .John. 
Names were generally imposed to in- 
dicate some quality or attribute of the 
infant or some circumstance attend- 
ing his birth. The Jews named their 
children eight days after birth. The 
Romans named their daughters imme- 
diately after birth ; their sons on the 
ninth day, and held a feast called 
'"'•nominalia." The Greeks usually 
naraed their children on the tenth day 



after birth, and consecrated the day 
to sacrifices and feasting. 

Hebrew names very often were his- 
torical. Moses means " drawn out of 
the water;" Isaac means "laughter," 
referring to the levity of the mother 
when his birth was announced by 
the angel. Another parent named 
her child Gad, for she said "A 
troop cometh." David was the "well 
beloved," the youngest and the hope 
of the house, the flower of the familv. 
The dying Rachel named her infant 
" Benoni," the son of ray sorrow ; but 
Jacob called him "Benjamin," the 
son of my strength. Other children 
were named from peculiarities of form, 
features, or complexion. The Greeks 
and Romans were careful to impose 
upon persons and places names of 
good omen. With the Romans such 
names as Victor, Castor, Faustus, and 
Probus were called " bona nomina," 
or " fausta nomina." Tiiey sought 
men with good names to offer their 
sacrifices, found colonies, and lead 
armies." Hence the proverb, " Bo- 
num nomen, bonum omeu." The fair 
sounding name was a presumption of 
success. With the Greeks warlike 
terms are often incorporated in the 
names of their heroes. 

Here we mav ask. Did the name 



302 



Origin and Meaning of Prefer Names. 



imposed in infancy determine the pur- zen, Polycletes the sculptor, Diogenes 
suits of the adult? or, Were the par- the cynic, and Nero the tyrant. These 
ents so confident of the powers of their are very convenient epithets to indi- 



sons as to anticipate their history, and 
name them by way of prolepsis? The 
word -iVf-ziiMq., war, derived by some 
from -dknz. much, and 'a;,".'/, blood, 
appears in many a warrior's name, as 
Tlepolemus and Archepolemus. Tiie 
words /M/'^i, battle, and v"^?, mind, 
and other words indicating strength, 
speed, glory, and counsel, often con- 
stituted elements in the names of illus- 
trious men. When tliese names, sig- 
nificant of future renown, were given. 



cate the person referred to. The 
Greeks used patronymics ending in 
ides and ades to designate sons, as 
Prianides the son of Priam, Atlauti- 
ades, the son or descendant of Atlas. 
The termination "ing" in Anglo- 
Saxon is equivalent to '•'•tdrj^" in 
Greek, Ea,dgaring=:the son of Ed- 
gar ; Eadbehrt Eadgaring^Edbert 
Edgarson. Possibly Bering, Brown- 
ing, and Whiting may be equivalent 
to dear, brown, and white darling ; 



the parents were wont to pray that and darling is from deor — dear and 

ling — condition. The Russians affix 
''witz," the Poles "sky," to the fa- 
ther's name to indicate what we mean 
by son, as Paulowitzz^Paul's son ; Pe- 
trowskv=Petersou. From the Welch 



those that bore them might deserve 
the title. When Grunthram, king of 
France, named Clotharius at the fort, 
he said, " Crescat puer et punjus sit 
nominis executor." So the Roman 



emperors Severus, Probus, and Aure- prefix "Ap," meaning sou, as Ap- 
lius are called "sui nominis impera- 
tores." They were rightly named. 
They fulfilled their destiny as it was 
foreshadowed at their christening. 

Those names which denoted per- 
sonal defects or deformities, as //">- 
-oc, eagle-nose, or "Flaccus," flap- 
eared, must have been given as sobri- 
quets ; but such names as IiaXAt/j-oxoc, 
renowned for victory, or 'E'/spylrrj-:, a 
benefactor, seem to have been given 
to infants. 

As men multiplied, there was need 
of more names to distinguish one 
from another. The most obvious dis- 
tinction would be the use of the fa- 
ther's name with the son's ; next, the 
place of residence, office, or employ- 
ment. Patronymics in the most sim- 
ple form are written in full, as Ixapoq 
Tiiu Aai(h/jiu, or Solomon the son of 
David. We also read of Dionysius 
of Halicarnassus, Gregory, Nazian- 

4 



Richard, Ap-Rice, we have Pritchard 
and Price. A still stranger corrup- 
tion is that of Peter Gower, from 
Pythagoras (French — Pythagore), or 
Benjamin P2aton, from the Spanish 
"Benito," Latin Benedictus. 

The Romans were more prodigal of 
names than the Greeks. They fre- 
quently used three names, and some- 
times four, to describe a single per- 
son. Cicero's gentile name was Tul- 
lius, his whole name Marcus Tullius 
Gicero. The last was called the cog- 
nomen : the first distinguished the in- 
dividual who bore it from other mem- 
bers of his gens or house. The whole 
republic was divided into gentes or 
houses, and these were subdivided 
into familite or families. According- 
ly several distinguished families might 
belong to the same gens. This term 
may have denoted consanguinity at its 
origin, but in process of time it be 



Origin and j\fcaiii)ig' of Proj)cr JVames. 



303 



came the name of an association hav- 
ing common religious rites. 

Some illustrious men received addi- 
tional names or titles from the coun- 
tries they conquered or the victories 
they won, as Africanus, Asiaticus, 
Torquatus. In familiar address the 
prse nomen was used. Horace says, 
"gaudent praenomine molles Auricu- 
lae." So with us, lovers, parents, and 
boon companions use the Christian 
name or a diraintitive of it. 

There is probably a difference in 
meaning between sirnarae and sur- 
name. Sir, or Sire, is an abbrevia- 
tion of seigneur : hence sirname or 
si rename is simply the father's name 
added, as Mac Allan, Fitz Herbert, 
and Ap-JCvan are sireuames meaning 
the son of Allan, Herbert, and Evan. 
All nations resort to this usage. The 
Highland Scotch and Irish use Mac 
for son, as Mac Neil. The Irish also 
prefix 'S<r/' orO', meaning grandson, 
as O'Hara, O'Neale. O' and Mack 
now are common Irish prefixes, which 
is indicated in the following humorous 
stanza : 

" By Mac and O 

You '11 always know 
True Irishmen, they say ; 

For if they lack 

Both O and Mac, 
No Irishmen are they." 

Titles among the ancients were fre- 
quently mistaken for proper names, as 
Cyrus in Persia, Pharaoh in Egypt, 
Lucumo in Etruria, Brennus in Gaul, 
and Coesar in Rome. Possibly these 
appellations may have belonged to 
individuals at first, who, owing to 
their distinction, transmitted their 
names, with tlieir honors, to their 
successors. So the first twelve Ro- 
man emperors were called Ctesars 
from the first, who gave his cognomen 



to the oilice he created. So the em- 
peror of Russia is still styled the 
"czar," probably from the recollec- 
tions of the Roman imperial title. 
Some modern critics, I am aware, lind 
the origin of that word in the Russian 
tongue. Several of the royal families 
of England and Europe can trace their 
names to a more inolorious origin. 
Such are the ro^'al lines of Plantage- 
net, Tudor, Steward or Stuart, Valois, 
Bourbon, Oldenburg, and Hapsburg. 
The Medici of F'lorence, the city of 
flowers, it is said, derive their name 
from the profession of the founder of 
that illustrious house. He was a piiy- 
sician, '•'medicus •/' and his descend- 
ants becoming bankers and brokers, 
adopted the three golden balls as their 
sign to indicate that their founder was 
a maker and vender of jnlls^ or a Doc- 
tor of Medicine. 

Surnames are over names, because, 
as Du Cange says, ''They were at 
first written not in a direct line afler 
the Christian name, but above it be- 
tioeeii the lines ;" and hence they were 
called in Latin supra uomina ; in Ital- 
ian, supra uome ; in French, suriioms, 
over-names. When the feudal sys- 
tem declined, and the undistinguished 
and undistinguishable serfs began to 
emerge into that political body called 
the nation, subject to enrolment and 
taxation, every individual must then 
have " a local habitation and a name," 
however much his social and polit- 
ical rights might hitherto have resem- 
bled "airy nothings." As late as the 
fifteenth century the king of Poland 
persuaded his barbarian subjects to 
adopt Christianity as their national 
religion. The nobles and warriors 
were baptized separately : the multi- 
tude were divided into companies, and 



304 



Origin and Meaning of Prober Names. 



a single name and a single baptism 
sufficed for each company. But such 
parsimony in hoi}' water and Christian 
names did not long answer the de- 
mands of the times. Whoever was 
distinguished in body, mind, or estate 
had a name. — a surname, — given him 
to apprise the world of his superiority. 
Surnames existed among the Anglo- 
Saxons : they came into general use 
under the Normans. Before the con- 
quest patronymics were often formed 
by appending to the father's name the 
word son, as Richardson, Johnson, 
Jackson, Willson, &c. The oldest 
surnames in Domesday-Book are tak- 
en from places or estates, as Godfre- 
dius de Mannevilla, Walterus de Ver- 
non, and Robertus de Oily. Others 
were derived from their fathers, as 
Guhelmus, filius Osberni ; others were 
taken from offices, as Eudo, Dapifer, 
Guhelmus Camerarius or Gislebertus, 
Cocus. Many common people have 
no surnames. These were regarded 
as a luxury, and could be enjoyed 
only by the rich and nobles. Once a 
single name was deemed sufficient for 
the mightiest conqueror. To assign 
any additional name to Alexander, 
Cyrus, Caesar, or Alfred would de- 
tract from their fame. Now it requires 
a fair degree of culture and a good 
memory for a young princess to recite 
and spell her own names. Kings are 
generally known by one name, though 
they enjoy in private half a dozen. It 
deserves notice, that men who affect 
greatness bolster themselves up with 
names and titles just in proportion as 
they are deficient in native endow- 
ments and moral qualifications. In 
speaking of the truly great men of 
our own country we say Washington, 
Webster, or Clay, without even prefix- 



ing a mister or an honorable. Some- 
times we use the Christian name to 
indicate a familiar household rever- 
ence for our patriots, and say Patrick 
Henry, James Otis, John Adams, or 
John Hancock. If we wish to be 
peculiarly respectful, we prefix an ad- 
jective, as old Sam Adams, old John 
Adams, or old Tom Jefferson ; but 
when we come to our village worthies, 
whose greatness is nominal and offi- 
cial, we use freely tbe titles of presi- 
dent, judge, colonel, general, honora- 
ble, and esquire. 

The Anglo-Saxons are a conquering 
people, and yet they are the greatest 
promoters of the arts of peace. They 
have inherited their personal inde- 
pendence, their hatred of oppression, 
their aggressive spirit, their love of 
adventure, and their fondness for mil- 
itary titles from their earliest ances- 
tors. 

The Germans derived their national 
appellation from their warlike habits. 
The word German is from "ger," a 
spear, and '-mann," a man, signify- 
ing " si)earman." Others derive it 
from an old root meaning war : hence 
tlie whole word would indicate a hero. 
This name, as Tacitus informs us, was 
chosen by themselves to inspire terror 
in their enemies. They called them- 
selves '•'•wQirmen" or fighters by pro- 
fession, to alarm their foes. They are 
also called the Teutonic race. This 
epithet is derived from their founder, 
who doubtless was a hero — a slayer 
of men and a destroyer of cities. Tac- 
itus says the Germans worshipped 
Tuisco, or Tuisto, and his son Man- 
nus, as the origin and founders of their 
race. The god and his offspring 
'■'■mem" are here associated. Their 
tradition ascends not above the name 



Origin and Meaning of Proper Names. 



305 



and fame of their first hero. He re- 
ceived divine honors. The day on 
which Tuisco was specially honored 
was named Tuesday, and the people 
who paid him divine honors were 
called "■Teutones," whence we ob- 
tain the modern words Teutsch and 
Dutch, Teutonic and Germanic ; there- 
fore are the sacred and military names 
of the same people both derived from 
hei-oes. 

The same race are sometimes called 
Goths. This word means brave or 
good in war, as among all early na- 
tions valor is equivalent to goodness. 
The bravest fighter was the best man : 
so among our ancestors Goth, Gott, 
God, and good are but one and the 
same word differently spelled. When 
ap|)lied to a deity, a tribe or nation, 
it meant hrave or fierce^ not kind or 
beneficent^ as in modern use. It was 
a title of Odin, or Woden, the bloody 
warrior of the North, who swept over 
nations from the Indus to the North- 
ern ocean like a hyperborean tem- 
pest, and was literally the god of hosts. 
From him the fourth day of our week 
is named Wednesday or "Woden's 
day." 

It has been said by an eminent crit- 
ic that "Odin or Woden, the former 
Scandinavian in its origin, from the 
Norse ' odr,' the latter Germanic, 
from ' wod,' raging, mad, wooe, de- 
notes one possessed with fury." The 
Scandinavian Odin and the German 
Woden were the same god, whose 
name indicates his character. The 
Goths, or braves, were divided into 
Ostro-Goths and Visi-Goths, or East- 
ern and Western Goths. The Wes- 
tro- or Visi-Goths, in the early part 
of the fifth century, under Alaric or 
Al-ric, '■'■all rich," or very rich, enter- 



ed Italy and pillaged Rome. In their 
subsequent conquests they formed a 
union with the Vandals, who are com- 
monly supposed to be a Gothic tribe 
deriving their name from the Teutonic 
word " wenden," to turn or wander, 
denoting a collection of roving tribes 
or wanderers like the Asiatic Nomads. 
Dr. Latham thinks the word Vandal 
is the same as Wend, which is the 
German name for Slavonian. Car- 
lyle speaks of the northern llaltic 
countries being vacated by the Goths 
and occupied by immigrating Sclaves 
called Vandals or Wends in the fourth 
century, and adds, the word '■'■slave," 
in all our Western languages, means 
captured Sclavonian. 

The Vandals, under Geuseric. Gans- 
ric, "wholly rich," conquered Mau- 
ritania in 429. In their victorious 
march into Africa they conquered 
Spain, and named the province as- 
signed to them from themselves Van- 
dalitia, which in process of time was 
softened into Andalusia. 

The etymological history of Euro- 
pean names of places and of men 
points directly to the j^eculiarities of 
both. Our ancestors were warlike : 
their national, local, and individual 
names show it. The Greeks gave the 
general appellation of Scythian to all 
the tribes north of the Black sea. 
Some suppose this to have been a 
Teutonic word assumed by themselves, 
and borrowed by the Greeks from the 
verb "schiitten," to shoot, because 
they were expert bowmen. The word 
Saxon is supposed to be affiliated with 
the primitive "seax," a sword, be- 
cause the Saxons were good swords- 
men. In like manner the Angles are 
associated with the word "angel" or 
" angl," a hook or barbed weapon 



3o6 



Origin and Meaning of Pro'per JVames. 



which they wielded with great dexter- 
ity, as the sea-kings, their bold de- 
scendants, hurl a harpoon. 

The Celts, who immediately pre- 
ceded the conquering Goths in the 
west of Europe, show a different taste 
in their civil and geographical nomen- 
clature. Klipstein observes, — " The 
Keltae, Keltici, or Celtic Celtici, A^/- 
r«f', /'«/«-rf/i, Galli, Galatje, the Kelts 
or Celts, Gauls, Gaels, and Galatians 
may all be considered one and the 
same people under different branches 
and relations. It may be as well to 
observe that the Greeks termed the 
Roman Gallia Galatia, from the Kel- 
tic name Galtachd, or Gaeltachd, Ihe 
land or country of the Gauls or Gaels^ 
and sometimes to distinguish it from 
the kingdom of Galatia, founded at a 
later day by the same people in Phryg- 
ia and called Keltike and Kelto-Gala- 
tia. The origin of all these terms is 
found in the word 'ceilt' or 'ceiltach,' 
signifying '•inhabitant of a forest,' and 
Galtachd or Gaeltachd itself would 
therefore denote a. forest country^ ' ceil,' 
'gael,' 'gall,' meaning n forest." 

How remot^ in time and culture 
were these wild woodsmen from their 
descendants, the polished Parisians ! 
The earliest inhabitants of Great Brit- 
ain were Celts. The Highland Scotch, 
the i)rimitive Irish, and the Welsh are 
supposed to be their descendants. The 
whole country bears traces of their 
occupancy in the existing names of 
places. The earliest known name of 
the island, Albion, is derived from 
the Celtic ''alb," white, and " in" or 
"iiinis," an island. Pliny says, — 
"Albion sic dicta ab albis rupibus 
quas mare allnit." Britain is sup- 



posed to be derived from the name 
of a Celtic king, " Prydaiu, the son 
of Aedd the Great." Others sive 
" Brit-daoine," painted people, or 
" Bruit-tan," tin-land. Caledonia, by 
Klipstein, is derived from the Celtic 
Cel-y-ddon, Kelts of the mountain, 
" tun " or " ddun " being a mountain ; 
and Irene of the Greeks, Hebernia of 
the Romans, and Ireland of the Eng- 
lish, is from ''Erin," the west, and 
•'in," an island, meaning the itsland 
of the west, which to the native is 
" sweet Erin." 

The Celts and Romans, who succes- 
sively inhabited England, have left 
but few traces of their residence tiiere 
except monuments and names of 
places. England was named Angle- 
laud from the Angles, who probably 
were the most numerous of the six 
different colonies of Germans tliat 
settled in Britain between A. D. 449 
and 547. The first German invaders, 
under Hengist and Horsa, who called 
themselves Jutes, settled and founded 
the kingdom of Kent. The second 
invasion, led by Aella, A. D. 477. was 
made by Saxons, who established the 
little kingdom of Sussex or South 
Saxons. 'I'he third invasion, under 
Cerdic, A. D. 495, was made by Sax- 
ons. They founded the kingdom of 
Wessex, or the West Saxons, on the 
coast of Hampshire. In the year 530 
another horde of Saxons landed in 
Essex, the home of the East Saxons. 
The date of the fifth settlement is not 
known. The invaders were Angles, 
and occupied Norfolk and Suffolk, — 
that is. North folk and South folk, or 
people. 

[To be continued.] 



A)no)ig the Ilayniuikcrs. 



307 



AMONG THE HAYMAKERS. 
By Arthur E. Cotton. 



The smell of new-mown hay is in 
the air, and the music of whetting 
scvthe. Who that was born and bred 
in the country does not remember the 
exhilarating boy pleasures of haying, 
with its prized freedom from the de- 
tested school-books and tasks, with 
its delicious draughts of home-brewed 
beer and the exhaustless supplies of 
good things from mother's exquisite 
lai-(ler? How cool the damp grass 
feels to our bare feet as we spread the 
green swaths ! Load-making on the 
ox-rack, and storing away in the mow 
of t[)e old barn — who shall tell the 
joys thereof.^ 

And what have we here? A ground 
sparrow's nest with two fledgelings. 
"We shall remember this so as to visit 
it at more leisure, and we shall re- 
member, too, that hornet's nest when 
we come to rake. 

Daniel Webster, who was once a 
New Hampshire farmer boy and 
worked at haying on one of these hill 
farms, said a scythe always hung to 
suit him when it hung in a tree. Pitv 
Daniel never lived to see his way to 
become practically adopted by the 
agricultural world at large. 

Under the old style all hands had 
to be in the field by four o'clock and 
mow till seven, without a particle of 
food. Men were reckoned for hardi- 
hood of physical endurance. The 
demijohn stood under a tree, and 
from frequent reference to it the 
" hands " would become noisy and 
quarrelsome. Then it took a half 
dozen stout men a month to cut a 
large farm. Now one man and a boy 
will do the same work in a week on 



nothing stronger tiian iced coffee. 
The unadulterated Yankee is passing 
away, and with him his crude habits 
of toil. Once in a great while we 
meet with an old-fashioned fellow, 
way back under the hills, who has 
not heard of the improved means of 
agriculture, or having heard of them, 
disbelieves in them, and jogs along 
at the old pace with hook and loafer, 
hauling his last load in on the snow. 
These are few. They have outlived 
their generation and their usefulness. 
But it is thickening up in the west, 
and to-morrow will be foul weather. 
All hands can go a-flshing. Early in 
the morning the angle-worms are se- 
cured, the bay mare hitched to the 
lumbering farm wagon, pipes are 
loaded and lighted, the luncheon pail, 
the fishing tackle, which includes a 
suspicious looking jug done up in a 
blanket and hidden under the seat (that 
was the time of the vigorous enforce- 
ment of the Maine law), are put 
aboard, and we are off for Bennett's 
Bridge and the famous fishing 
grounds. At the pond we get plenty 
of mosquito bites, but no fish bites. 
After waiting in vain for nibbles, and 
gesticulating frantically at the nios- 
quitoes, during which time we may 
have used some unnecessary exple- 
tives, our patience is finally spent, 
and we unanimoush^ vote it dull 
music, except the experienced Nim- 
rod of the party, whose waiting pow- 
er is composed of sterner stuff. He 
sticks to the boat : the rest adjourn to 
the shore, leaving old Piscator at his 
task, who, truth to tell, had won- 
drous good luck after we left him, 



3o8 



Among- the Haymakers. 



and pulled in a nice string of pickerel 
that was fair to see, and eat, too. 
Pluck will win, even at the end of an 
old fish-pole. Thus ended the fishing 
excursion. All wet outside — oh, 
my ! how it did rain — and probably 
some of us something so innerly. 
Shades of Izaak Walton ! Are such 
the real joys of angling you have be- 
siuiled us with so many hours ? 

Brio-ht visions of hunting four- 
leaved clover with the farmer's red- 
cheeked daughter, who, as we recol- 
lect, could do her share of raking 
h'ay, loom up in the memory. It hap- 
pened, too, on some Sunday when we 
truants ought to have been at church. 
I wonder what has become of that 
little blue-eyed maiden we made love 
to in those olden summer days? Is 
she yet single, or did she marry a 
man for his money and then divorce 
him? 

It was considered lucky to hire at 
a place where they had plenty to eat, 
for at some they notoriously skinched 
the help. Uncle Zeke's was one of 
the good ones. The old man would 
bring a panful of doughnuts out 
into the field. The men would take 
a doughnut in one hand and drag a 
loafer with the other. When they 
came to the barn with hay, Aunt Mar- 
tha gave them each a piece of mince 
pie to eat on the way to the field. 
No time was wasted there, not even 
in eating. "The idee is, it pays to 
feed well," he would say with a pe- 
culiar wink of the left eye. He did 
get a "sight" of work out of his 
help. He was a deacon and a tem- 
perance man, swore as deacons do, 
and drank in the orthodox way. He 
put into liis cellar every fall ten bar- 
rels of cider. He did not sell it, 



never gave away any. It was an un- 
solved mystery what became of it, 
the most reasonable theory being that 
it leaked into the cellar. He was a 
great meeting hand — punctual in his 
pew on Sunday, where he enjoyed a 
comfortable nap, but he never con- 
sidered it wicked for his men to mend 
fence in the afternoon, provided they 
had attended church. 

Your farmer is generally weather- 
wise, and just enough superstitious 
to make him interesting. If the cows 
come to the barn before night, if the 
moon has a circle around it, if the 
water boils away in the kettle, if the 
young robbins twitter in the branches, 
if the tree-toad or loon halloos, they 
are, to these credulous people, infal- 
lible sio;ns of rain, and all hav fit to 
be housed is hurriedly got to the 
barns. 

The "big day" in haying was 
when the meadow was cut, especially 
if you worked in water up to your 
knees — the early ride over the rough 
country road while the fresh smell of 
morning lingered on every green 
thing around, and the silver web of 
gossamer glistened by the wayside, 
the noon lunch eaten in the delicious 
shade of some tree, the ride home at 
night on the hay. 

How many times have I come from 
the singing meadows as the dews of 
night were falling, — albeit we were 
tired as dogs, wet as drowned rats, 
and hungry as bears : still those days 
had their pleasant side. The least 
eventful life furnishes the most eu- 
joyment after all. And as we look 
back to tlie quiet single years, we can 
almost wish to live that life over 
anew, and be a barefoot boy again 
on that little hillside farm. 



Boundary Line. 



309 



BOUNDARY LINE. 



Civil Engineer Nelson Spofford, of 
Haverhill, boundary line surveyor on 
the part of Massachusetts in the pres- 
ent controversy with New Hampshire, 
is in receipt of valuable and important 
copies of maps and other documents 
relative to this subject from the Pub- 
lic Records office of England. 

As long ago as 1883 Mr. Spofford 
made inquiries of Minister Lowell as 
to the necessary proceedings in order 
to ascertain what documents might 
be found on record relative to the 
settlement of the boundary li)ie con- 
troversy in 1741. In reply. Minister 
Lowell directed him to Mr. B. F. 
Stevens, of London, as a person eve- 
ry way qualified to render any assist- 
ance that might be necessary. Conse- 
quently Mr. Stevens was employed to 
search the records, and he forwarded 
to Mr. Spofford a list of twenty-five 
documents and maps relating to this 
subject, with the cost of copying ; and 
here the matter rested until the Boun- 
darv Line Commission was organized, 
in 1885, when Mr. Spofford was di- 
rected to order copies of such docu- 
ments as might appear to be of the 
most importance, but owing to delays 
from various causes these documents 
have been but recently received. 

The list embraces some three hun- 
dred pages foolscap of closely writ- 
ten matter, and copies of three maps. 
Among the documents appear the 

following : 

No. I. 

Public Record Office of England. 

Colonial Correspondence Bd. of Trade 
Xew England. 

Oreder of the King in Coinicil. 
9 April 1740 



Indorsed, New England, Massachusetts Bay 
New Hampshire Order of Coun- 
cil dated April 9th 1740 direct- 
ing the Board to prepare an In- 
struction to the Governor of the 
Massachusetts Bay and New 
Hampshire for settling the 
Bounds of these Provinces pur- 
suant to a report of the Comnut- 
tee of Council. 

At the Court of St. James 

the 9th. April 1740 
Present 
The Kings most Excellant Majesty 
in Council 

Whereas : His Majesty was this day 
pleased by his order in Council, to signi- 
fy his approbation of a Rej)ort made by 
the Lords of the Comnuttee in Council 
upon the respective Appeales of the Prov- 
inces of the Massachusetts Bay and New- 
Hampshire for the Determination of the 
Commissioners — appointed to settle the 
Boundarys between the said Provinces, 
and to direct in what manner the said 
Boundarys should be settled, and also to 
require the Governor and the respective 
Councils and Assemblys of the said Prov- 
inces to take especial care to carry His 
Majestys commands thereby signified 
into due execution as by a copy of the 
said Order hereto annexed, may more 
fully appear. And His ]\Iajesty being de- 
sirous to remove all further pretence for 
continuing the Disputes which have sub- 
sisted for many years between the said 
Provinces on Account of the said Boun- 
darys, and to prevent any delay in ascer- 
taining the Boundary pursuant to the 
said order in Council, Doth Hereby Or- 
der that the Lords Commissioners for 
Trade and Plantations do prepare the 
Draught of such an instruction as tliey 
shall conceive proper to be sent to the 
Governor of those Provinces, for enforc- 
ing the due execution of the said order 
and requiring him in the strongest terms 



3IO 



Boundary Line. 



to cause His Majestys Commands in this 
behalf to be executed in the most effec- 
tual and expeditious manner, to the end 
that his Majestys Intentions for promot- 
ing the Peace and Quiet of the said Prov- 
inces, may not be frustrated or delayed. 
And they are to lay the said Draught 
before the Right Honorable the Lords of 
the Committee of Council for Plantation 
Affairs. — 

(Signed) Temple Stanyan 

No. ir. 

Order of Committee of Council 
9 April 1741 

Indorsed (with petitions) Massachusetts 
Oreder of the Lords of ye Com- 
mittee of Council dated ye 9th of 
April 17-11 referring to this board 
ye Petition of Thomas Hutchin- 
son of Boston Esq. praying his 
Majesty to direct that the several 
Line Townships which by the 
Line directed to be run by his 
Majestys Order in Council of ye 
9th* April 1740 will be cut off from 
the Province of Massachusetts 
Bay may be united to that Prov- 
ince. 

At the Council Chamber White- 
hall 

the 9th. of April 1741 By 
the Right Honorable the 
Lords of the Committee of 
Council for Plantation Af- 
fairs. 

His Majesty, having been pleased by 
his order in Council of the 19th of Feb- 
ruai"y last, to refer unto this Connnittee 
the humble petition of Thomas Hutchin- 
son of Boston in his Majesty Province 
of Massachusetts Bay Esqr. humbly 
praying that His Majesty will be gracious- 
ly pleased to direct that the several Town- 
ships, commonly known by the name of 
the line townships, which by the Line 
directed to be run by his Majestys Order 
in Council of the 9th of April 1740, will 
be cut off from the said Province of Mas- 
sachusetts Bay may be United in that 



Province — The Lords of the Committee 
this day took the said petition, together 
with several others thereto annexed, from 
the said Township into Consideration, 
and are hereby pleased to refer the same 
to the Lords Commissioners for Trade 
and Plantations, to examine into the said 
Petitions, and report their Opinion there- 
upon to this Committee 

(Signed) Temple Stanyan. 

Benning Wentworth to the Board of 
Trade 8th December 1742 

Indorsed New Hampshire Letter from 
Mr. Wentworth Governor of New Hamp- 
shire to the Board, dated Portsmouth 
ye 8th December 1742 

Bennino; Wentworth, it will be re- 
membered bv those familiar with the 
history of New Hampshire, was the 
first governor of the separate prov- 
ince of New Hampshire, and succeed- 
ed the deposed Belcher who had been 
governor of botli New Hampshire and 
Massachusetts Bay. Referring to the 
petitions of the inhabitants who had 
without their consent been summarily 
transferred from the jurisdiction of 
Massachusetts to that of New Hamp- 
shire, and who liad petitioned the 
kino; to be returned to Massachusetts, 
Wentworth says, — 

And unless it should be His Majesty's 
pleasure to put an end to Applications of 
this Nature, It will be impossible for me 
to carry his Roj'al Instructions into Exe- 
cution. 

New Hampshire sits down by his 
majesty's determination, and has 
showed the greatest obedience thereto 
by paying the whole expense of run- 
ning and marking out the boundaries 
in exact conformity to the royal de- 
termination, and therefore thinks it 
a great hardsliip that Massacluisetts 
should lead them into any new charge, 
in a dispute that had subsisted near 



Boimdarv Line. 



311 



four score years, and which has been 
so solemnly determined. 

And it may be added here, also, that 
the legislature of New Hampshire 
stiifiilemented the above appeal of 
Gov. Wentworth with a prayer to the 
king, never, under any circumstances, 
to admit of the slightest infraction of 
the boundary line, thus determined 
and established according to his royal 
will and pleasure ; and to the credit 
of that province and state it may also 
be stated here that that work, the 
boundary line as then established and 
recorded, has never been called in 
question by either. 

Newspaper correspondents and oth- 
ers have agonized over the matter 
more or less, but the state has never 
gone back on her own record. 

Jonathan Belcher to the Board of Trade. 
7 Slay 1741. 

Indorsed Massachusetts, new Hampshire 
Letter from Mr. Belcher Governor of Xew 
England, dated at Boston ye 7th of May 
1741, concerning a difficulty, arisen upon 
ye construction of His Majesty's Judg- 
ment respecting ye Boundaries betwixt 
ye Province of Massachusetts Bay and 
that of New Hampshire. 

This is a very important document, 
and, as will be seen, effectually dis- 
poses of all claims New Hampshire 
may have been supposed to have to a 
slice of Massachusetts, and forms a 
very valuable and important state 
paper. 

In connection with these documents 
Ml-. Spofford has also received copies 
of three very important and valuable 
maps relating to the boundary line 
controyers}' of 1741. 

No. 1 is a map of Merrimack river 
and the boundary line at three miles 
distant on the north side thereof, by 



George Mitchell, surveyor. This map 
is about 18x24 inches, and bears the 
following inscription on the upper 
left hand corner, enclosed in scroll 
work : 

To 

His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. 
Captain General & Commander in Cbief over His 
Majesty's Province of New Hampsiiire 
Tills Map is Humbly Inscribed by 
His Excel lencys 

Most Obdt. Servt. 
George Mitchell Surv'r. 

And immediately under this we find 
the following note : 

By Lines drawn on the North side of 
ye River there is as much land as water, 
which have their corresponding parallels 
at three miles distance ; but as ye Sudden 
Bends renders it impracticable to come 
up to the Truth, the difference is divided 
equally in (ieneral. 

In the lower left hand corner is the 
following note : 

Received April 20th, with Governor 
Wentworth's Letter dated at Portsmouth 
in New Hampshire 6th March 1741 &2 

In the Lower right hand corner is 
the title enclosed in scroll work. 

A MAP 

Of the River Merrimack 
from the Atlantick Ocean 
to Pawtucket Falls de- 
scribing Bounds between 
His Majesty's Province of 
New Hampshire and the 
Massachusetts Bay, agree- 
able to His Majesty s Or- 
der in Council 1741 

On the back of the map we find the 
following sworn statement : 

George Mitchell makes Oath, that this 
survey made by him of the River Merri- 
mack, from the mouth of said River to 
Pawtucket Falls, is true and exact to the 
best of his skill and knowledge, and that 
the line described in the plan is as con- 



312 



Boundary Line. 



formable to His Majestys determination in 
Council, as was in his power to draw, but 
finding it impracticable to stick to the 
letter of said determination, has in some 
places taken from one Province, and 
made ample allowance for the same in 
the next reach of the River. 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 8th, 
1741. 

George Mitchell, 

Sworn ( Jothani Odiorne ~) Jus. 
J S of the 

Before \ H. Sherburne ) Peace 

Thus it will be seen that Mitchell 
was no tool or emissary of Belcher's, 
but he drew the boundary line accord- 
ing to his interpretation of the King's 
Decree, as it appears from examina- 
tion of the map that he surveyed the 
river, made his plan, and then pro- 
ceeded to lay off a strip of land three 
miles wide on the north side thereof. 
This he did by first drawing straight 
lines along the north shore of the 
river, passing so as to take one half 
of the river into his estimate, project- 
ing these lines from the ocean to 
Pawtncket falls, and then draws the 
boundary line at three miles distance 
from these straight lines. Conse- 
quently no part of his line appears on 
the south side of the river. Mitchell 
does not seem to have understood the 
gymnastics of modern surveying. 

This map shows no small degree of 
artistic ability in the surveyor who 
projected it, so much so that Mr. 
Spofford already has applications for 
copies from parties interested in 
works of this description. 

But this map not only indicates a 
superior draughtsman, but a remark- 
ably skilful and accurate surveyor. 

His plan of the river, reduced by 
pantograph to the scale of the map 
accompanying the recent report of 



the New Hampshire Commissioners 
to the legislature of that state, shows 
the survey to have been made and 
platted with a wonderful degree of 
accuracy. 

This latest survey and plan were 
executed with the very best of modern 
appliances, by a skilful and expe- 
rienced surveyor but recently from 
the United .States Government survey 
of the Mississippi river, and neither 
time nor expense was spared to make 
it as accurate as could be platted on 
a scale of 2,500 feet to one inch ; still, 
on comparing this latest product of 
modern skill, it is little more than a 
fac simile of Mitchell's work done 
with the rude instruments of a century 
and a half ago. 

MAP NO. 3. 

This map is on a sheet about 24x36 
inches, and is the work of the same 
surveyor, and executed in the same 
o;eneral style as No. 2. The title 
reads as follows : 

A Plan of the Rivers and Boundary 
Lines referred to in the Proceedings and 
Judcrment to which this is annexed. 

Geo. Mitchell Surveyor 

Note 

Reed Dec 20 1737 with Letter from ye 
Commissioners for settling the Boundary 
Lines between ye provinces of Massachu- 
setts Bay & New Hampshire 

Cenr 79 

The commission of 1737, it will be 
remembered by persons familiar with 
this question, reported in substance 
as follows : 

That if the second charter of the 
Province of Massachusetts Bay cov- 
ered all the territory that the first 
charter covered, then the line should 
commence at the Atlantic ocean, 



JVew Hampshire Men in Michigan. 



313 



three miles north of the mouth of the 
Merrimack river, and thence running 
westerly and northerly, keeping at 
three miles' distance from the river to 
the junction of the Winnipiseogee 
and three miles further north, thence 
due west to his majesty's other do- 
minions ; but if it did not, then the 
dividing line should begin at a point 
three miles north of tlie Black Rocks 
and thence due west to his majesty's 
other dominions. These lines are all 
shown on the plan. 

But both parties appealed from this 
decision, and the matter was carried 
before the king in council. This au- 
gust body seems lo have been run by 
New Hampshire's paid agent, one 
George Tomlinson, and the line was 
established at three miles north of the 
river to Pawtucket falls, and thence 
due west, etc. This gave New Hamp- 
shire some 700 square miles of Mas- 
sachusetts more than that Province 
had ever claimed, consequently her 
willingness to pay all the expenses of 
running the lines that make the area 
of that state to-day 1,400 square 
miles larger than Massachusetts. 

These records and maps are not 
only interesting historical documents, 



but they show past all controversy that 
the boundary line matter was settled 
by the king's decree, that the execu- 
tion was served, the land set off, the 
lines run and marked on the ground, 
the plans returned, accepted, and re- 
corded, and the whole business exe- 
cuted as perfectly and thoroughly as 
it was possible to fix any division line 
anywhere at that time. It was all 
done with the cordial assent and con- 
currence of New Hampshire. Massa- 
chusetts protested against it, but 
without avail. The line thus estab- 
lished has been the line of jurisdic- 
tion ever since. Massaclmsetts set 
the bounds stones at the angles in 
1<S27 : they are all thereto-day, and 
mark the angles in the line. I\Ir. 
Spofford has run on the ground, and 
there is not the slightest doubt of its 
correctness substantially, and why any 
person should now suppose for a sin- 
gle moment that a boundary line 
thus established by both parties can 
be changed at the option of one, and 
without the consent and against the 
wishes of the inhabitants livino- near 
it, is a mystery we shall not attempt 
to solve. — Exchange. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE MEN TN MICHIGAN.— No. 7. 
By Mary M. Culver, Yasser, Mich. 



Rev. John D. Peirce. 
Rev. John D. Peirce was born in 
Chesterfield, N. H., Feb. 18, 1797. 
His father, Gad Peirce, died while he 
was a child, and he went to reside 
with a paternal uncle. During his 
boyhood he was permitted to attend 
school two months each year. After 
his twentieth birthdav his uncle al- 



lowed him to work as a farm hand 
near home ; and with one hundred dol- 
lars saved from his wages, and a like 
sum left him by his grandfather, he 
determined to get an education. Rev. 
Enoch Pond was his instructor in the 
preparatory studies required for ad- 
mission to Brown University, which 
he entered in 1818 and ofraduated 



314 



New Ham^shh-e 3fcn in Michigan. 



from in 1822 with high honors. Hav- 
ing secured university honors, he 
taught in the academy at Wrentham; 
Mass., one year, and began theologi- 
cal studies at Princeton in 1823. In 
1825 he was licensed to preach, and 
took charge of a Congregational 
church in Sangerfield, N. Y., where 
he remained four years. At this 
time the agitation against secret socie- 
ties was at its height, and Mr. Peirce 
being a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, his congregation and himself 
could not harmonize. He resigned 
his pastorate, and for a while left the 
active work of the ministry. After 
teaching a while in Goshen, Conn., as 
principal, he left for Michigan in 
1831, having been appointed by the 
Home Missionary Society for work in 
the (then) territory of Michigan. 
His first missionary work was in Mar- 
shall, Calhoun county, in July, 1831. 
In May, 1832, the Congregational 
church of Marshall was organized 
with five members, one of them being- 
Mrs. Peirce, the wife of the pastor. 
Mr. Peirce is remembered for his kind- 
liness of speech and manner, his self- 
sacrifice, and his truly Christian life. 
His thorough acquaintance with the sa- 
cred writings made his labors as pastor 
eminently successful. His missionary' 
labors were brought to a close in July, 
1838, when he was appointed super- 
tendent of public instruction at the 
organization of Michigan as a state. 
He had been nominated to this office 
in 1832, but his nomination was not 
confu-med by the legislature until 
July 26, 1836. Previous to this time 
vei-y little attention had been paid to 
education in Michigan. Most of the 
new settlers were [xjor, and their time 
was fully occupied in clearing up their 



land and providing for their families. 
Some of the leading men had held 
discussions on the subject, but no 
authorized system of education yet 
existed. Among those who were be- 
coming interested in educational mat- 
ters. Gen. Isaac PL Crary, a gradu- 
ate of an Eastern college, and Mr. 
Peirce were the most prominent. 
They met frequently, and earnestly 
discussed the theme with increasing 
interest. They agreed to make an 
effort to have the education of the 
youth of Michigan a distinct branch 
of the government, and that its affairs 
should be in the hands of an officer, 
and thus give it an importance it 
could not otherwise gain. They pre- 
pared an article on the subject, which 
was presented to the convention, and, 
by its adoption, became the organic 
law. The law thus adopted provided 
for a state superintendent of instruc- 
tion. In the creation of this office, 
Michigan was alone ; and to these 
men, Messrs. Crary and Peirce, be- 
longs the credit of the formation of a 
bureau of education in the (then) 
new state. The office came to Mr. 
Peirce unexpectedly, although he had 
for a long time been satisfied that the 
interests of the school system, then 
in its incipiency, demanded such an 
otficer. He had no thought of the 
office for himself, but was expecting 
to busy himself in missionary work. 
He soon found his new position gave 
him plenty of work. At the July ses- 
sion of the legislature an act was 
passed requiring him to prepare and 
submit i)laus for the organization and 
support of primary schools, a plan 
for a university and branches, and 
for the disposition of primary school 
and university lauds, to the legislature. 



New Hampshire Men in Michio-an. 



3T5 



which would convene the first Monday 
in January, 1S37. ]\Ir. Peiree had a 
clear field for action and five months' 
time in which to prepare his report. 
He immediately went East and con- 
sulted such men as John A. Dix, 
Gov. Marcy of New York, President 
Humphrey of Amherst college. Gov. 
Everett of Massachusetts, President 
Day of Yale college, and other emi- 
nent men. He also attended the 
American Institute of Instruction held 
at Worcester, Mass., and the college 
of professional teachers at Cincinnati. 
During this pilgrimage among educa- 
tors and schools, Mr. Peiree was a 
close observer of the systems exam- 
ined, as he deeply appreciated the re- 
sponsibility imposed upon him by the 
government, wiiich had appropriated 
over a million acres of land for carr}'- 
ing out the system he was expected 
to recommend. The report, covering 
all the ground requested by the act 
of the legislature, was submitted, and 
was adopted by the legislature with 
scarcely a dissenting voice. His next 
move, in the cause of education in 
Michigan, was the devising a plan for 
the establishment of a universit}^, 
which proved a very perplexing busi- 
ness, as it was then believed that the 
maintenance and success of a state 
institution was impracticable. It was 
suggested that the private academies 
then in existence should be named 
the University of Michigan, and the 
fund set apart for the university 
should he divided among them in 
proportion to the number of students 
in attendance. This scheme was fa- 
vored by manv throusjhout the state, 
but was vigorously opposed by Mr. 
Peiree, who brought to bear, in its 
defeat, all the iufiuence he could con- 



trol. The measure passed the Senate^ 
and was defeated in the house by 
only one vote. The opposition to 
the scheme of Mr. Peiree was s^xy 
bitter ; but accomplished facts have 
demonstrated the wisdom of his posi- 
tion in the matter, as Michigan now 
boasts of a University whose fame, 
with its fifteen hundred students, is 
world-wide. In his opposition to the 
confederation of the academies, he 
was seconded by many distinguished 
educators, who, like him, clearly saw 
the impracticability of the scheme, and 
the waste of time and energy that its 
adoption would bring. Again were 
his shrewdness and foresight shown 
in opposing the appropriation of 
$500,000 that had been made for the 
erection of buildings. Mr. Peiree 
believed that such au amount used at 
that time would seriously cripple the 
future of the university, which he l)e- 
lieved should develop naturally. It 
will thus be seen that his efforts for 
the establishment of the educational 
system covered many of the best 
years of his life. And to quote the 
words of anotlier, " to John D. Peiree, 
Michigan owes her present admirable 
school system, of which every citizen 
is justly proud. Among other impor- 
tant measures originated by him was 
the homestead exemption law, by 
which many of the residents of the 
state are now owners of fine farms 
and comfortable homes. The provi- 
sions for the support of the pulilic 
schools and the homestead exemption 
measure were, through his efforts, in- 
corporated in the constitution of the 
state in 1850. In 1842 Mr. Peiree 
again took up the ministry, and in 
1847 he was elected to the state legis- 
lature. He was ever a strong anti- 



3i6 



New Ha^npshii'e Men in Michigan. 



slavery man, and, as chairman of the 
committee on federal relations, he in- 
troduced a resolution instructing the 
Michigan delegation in congress to 
oppose the introduction of slavery 
into the territories. A few years 
since he took up his abode in Ypsilan- 
ti, where he resided until the sum- 
mer of 1880, when, having a serious 
illness, his daughter, Mrs. Emerson, 
of Medway, Mass., was summoned to 
Ypsilanti. As soon as he was able to 
travel she persuaded him to return 
with her to Massachusetts, where he 
spent the evening of his days in the 
companionship of his only surviving 
child. Mr. Peirce resided with his 
daughter until March, 1882, when he 
was seized with a sudden illness, 
which terminated fatally in one week 
after his seizure. He died March 30, 
1882. At his urgent request his re- 
mains were brought to Marshall for 
interment. During his illness his 
mind was strong, active, and uncloud- 
ed. That he might feel the approach 
of death, and enjoy the company of 
dear friends to the last, he refused 
opiates of any description. When 
death claimed him, he calmly went to 
the reward which he had earned by a 
long life of service as a benefactor of 
the human race. He was an ardent 
lover of Michigan, her institutions 
and her people. It was in Michigan 
that his greatest and best labors were 
performed. Here he had very many 
warm admirers and personal friends ; 
and his dying request was that he 
might be buried in the soil of his " be- 
loved Michigan," and near the graves 
of those who had sliared with him the 
burdens of pioneer life. Around the 
little mound of eartii that marks his 
last resting-place are the graves of 



honored men and women who were his 
co-laborers in the grand work of 
building up a civilization upon a 
foundation of morality and intellec- 
ual worth, the certain fruitage of his 
broad and philanthropic ideas of uni- 
versal education ; and as long as the 
present system of public education 
lasts, every school-house in the state, 
and especially the University of Michi- 
gan, will be a monument to John D. 
Peirce and the noble baud of workers 
of which he was the central figure. 
Memorial services were held in Mar- 
shall at the High .School, at which all 
the schools in the city participated. 
Every honor was (laid to the memory 
of " Father Peirce " that affection, 
gratitude, and respect could devise. 
Beautiful floral tributes were brought 
by the pupils of the different schools ; 
the most distinguished men of Mar- 
shall and the surrounding towns were 
l)resent, and many of them made 
speeches, and seemed to vie with each 
other in bearing testimony to the 
worth of their deceased benefactor 
and friend. Many letters were read, 
sent by persons who could not be 
present, but who wished to offer their 
tribute of respect to his character and 
work in the cause of education. Both 
speakers and writers expressed a 
hope that these memorial services 
would assist in perpetuating the his- 
tory of this great and good man, that 
future generations might be benefited 
by his example. One gentleman, a 
physician, who had practised in his 
family, and knew him in private as 
well as in public life, said of him, — 
" No man could know Mr. Peirce for 
an^' length of time without becoming 
a better man himself." He was 
greatly beloved throughout the state. 



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Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



317 



FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL. 



During the siirainer last passed, 
while at Boar's Head hotel, we were 
informed by Gen. Edward F. Noyes, 
ex-governor of Ohio, and late U. S. 
minister to France, that the Fifth 
Avenue hotel of New York city was 
in all respects the leading hotel in 
the world. His extensive acquain- 
tance, not only with this country' but 
with the cities of Europe, gives to his 
opinion great authority. 

The name of no street in New 
York is better known than Fifth 
avenue — not even Broadway. Where 
Fifth avenue and Broadway intersect 
is about the centre of population in 
the metropolis, and at the intersec- 
tion stands the Fifth Avenue hotel. 
The location of this house is the finest 
in the great metropolis, and is sira- 
pW perfect. It is on the Fifth 
avenue side of the beautiful Madison 
square, between Twenty-third and 
Twenty-fourth streets, and is so cen- 
tral and convenient that every person 
visiting the cit}' must go to it or pass 
\>y it, whether out for pleasure or for 
iDusiness. It is the central point 
whence one can easily turn to elegant 
homes, churches, galleries, theatres, 
shoi)s, and all places of interest in 
the city. 

When the Fifth Avenue hotel was 
started in 1859 it was regarded as a 
•doubtful venture, because it was so 
far up town, and then out of the way 
of the throng of travel and traffic. 
It is now the very focus of a living 
maelstrom, and the central jewel of a 
■cluster of great hotels, which have 
sprung up above, below, and all 
around. Of necessity it will always 
<be near the centre of business in 



New York, and its location gives it 
command of rapid transit in all di- 
rections to the most remote sections 
of the city. Now, as when this 
grand hotel was opened to the public, 
the style of the firm is Hitchcock, 
Darling «fe Company. Mr. A. B. Dar- 
ling is a native of Burke, Vt. He is 
prominent in New York, and has a 
fine country seat at Darlington, N. J. 
Mr. Hiram Hitchcock is a native of 
Clareraont. His hospitable summer 
residence is at Hanover, and he takes 
great interest in New Hampshire mat- 
ters in general, and in the affairs of 
Dartmouth college in particular. 

During a late visit to New York 
we had the pleasure of inspecting a 
part of this great hotel. The build- 
ing is of white marble, and is a plain 
and simple but impressive Corinthian 
structure, designed b}' the late Mr. 
Thomas. The interior is of a more 
ornate character of Corinthian archi- 
tecture, and was most admirably and 
effectively designed and arranged hy 
that veteran architect, William Wash- 
burn, Esq., of Boston, cooperating 
with the late Col. Paran Stevens. 
Mr. Washburn gave his personal at- 
tention to tiie convenient arrange- 
ment of apartments, to the deafening 
of all floors from one sub-divison wall 
to another, making the building prac- 
tically fire-proof, to the ventilation, 
plumbing, and drainage of the entire 
house, resulting in what the public 
have long considered the safest, most 
healthy, and most comfortable hotel 
in the world. 

" Entering the main hall, the ceil- 
ing is in carton piei're, a composition 
which is fire and water proof. The 



3i8 



Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



general st3'le of decoration is Louis 
XIII, or of the last epoch of the 
French renaissance. The ground is 
divided into tiles of a fine relief draw- 
ing The colors are of a gray lavender, 
brought out witli old gold and silver. 
Skirting this tiling is a large frieze 
of characteristic design, which frames 
tlie ground. The frieze is treated in 
four shades of bronzed metal and 
copper. Mouldings and consols fin- 
ish the ceiling, and are treated in the 
same general style. The frieze is 
grand and imposing, and is a very 
effective design. The colors, which 
are in imitation of metal, are on an 
azurine blue ground, and make a 
strong and very rich contrast with 
the real bronze of the ceiling. The 
transparency of the colors on this 
border has a pleasing effect, and re- 
minds one of those grand vestibules 
of the old European palaces. The 
columns are decorated in the seven- 
teenth centur}^ style, and are in Dam- 
asquiner work, which gives them the 
strong Middle Age character, adding 
to the imposing general ensemble, and 
making the decorations severe and 
grand. The wood-work throughout 
is of San Domingo mahogany. The 
flooring is white Italian veined mar- 
ble, with colored border. The wain- 
scoting, base, and caps are Italian 
bardiglio, the mouldings of yellow si- 
enna, the panels American bardiglio, 
and the staircase, steps, and risers are 
of Italian white veined marble. 

"The reading-room decoration is in 
Italian renaissance. All of the trim- 
mings and wainscoting are of blue 
Fleure marble. The doors are of 
San Domingo mahogany. All of the 
work is treated severely, and is very 
appropriate for a reading-room. 



" The bar-room ceiling, like the 
main hall, is in carton pierre^ deco- 
rated in the Elizabethan style. The 
frieze is in detached shell relief work, 
and the walls are treated in gilt, with 
a hammered gold effect. The idea 
of the artist was to produce some- 
thing new and not heretofore intro- 
duced, and one is very favorably im- 
pressed with its origiuality, line 
colors, and good taste. The effect 
is new, and is much praised. The 
marbles introduced in this superb 
room are as follows • Architraves to 
doors, and the window and mirror 
frames, are ophite green ; the counter 
and pedestals under columns are 
Alps green and French griotte ; the 
wainscoting, panels, base, and caps 
are ophite green ; and the mouldings 
are Italian Verona red. The wood- 
work is San Domingo mahogany, of 
a wonderfully fine grain and fibre. 

" On the main hall, or easily ac- 
cessible to it, are the official depart- 
ments of the hotel, which are so fa- 
mous for their completeness. They 
include, besides the general office, 
the postal office, the telegraph and 
railway ticket offices, the newspaper, 
book stand, and theatre ticket office, 
stock and exchange telegraph, car- 
riage and package offices, coat-room, 
billiard-room, barber-shop, and va- 
rious committee-rooms. The pas- 
senger elevator is also entered from 
the main hall, and is a model of com- 
fort and safety. 

"• One flight from the main floor we 
reach the grand hall, from which 
open the drawing-rooms, dining- 
rooms, waiting-rooms, and corridors 
of the first floor. The decoration is 
rich and elegant in character, re- 
lieved by carpetings and hangings of 



Kifth Avenue Hotel. 



319 



scarlet and wine color. The draw- 
ing-room is an almost perfect exam- 
ple in furnishing and decoration of a 
Louis XIV apartment. The decora- 
tion is by M. PoUier, and the carpets 
are by Mr. Temi)leton, of Glasgow. 
The grand dining-room is, i)erhaps, 
the finest Corinthian a[)artment in 
the country. The pedestals are of 
mahogany and black marble, the col- 
nmns are red French marble and gold, 
and the ceiling is a very effective open 
sky. One of the dining-rooms — the 
finest of the kind in the country — is 
of the period of Queen Anne, after 
designs by Mr. MacPherson, of Bos- 
ton ; and the tea-room is too lovely to 
describe. The apartments through- 
out the house are arranged single and 
en suite., and are models of elegance, 
cleanliness, comfort, and conven- 
ience." 

The great extent of the accommo- 
dations of this substantial and pala- 
tial hotel, the completeness of its 
appointments, the excellence of its 
service and the luxury of its living, 
the protection and courtesy extended 
to guests, and the fairness and uni- 
formity of charges, conspire to make 
it the great representative hotel of 
the American system. The patrons 
of the hotel are people of worth and 
distinction from all walks in honor- 
able life, and they require great abil- 
ity and integrity on the part of the 
proprietors, whose fame has fortu- 
nately gone hand in hand with that 
of tiieir guests, and who are always 
ready to do all in their power to make 
old friends feel entirely at home, and 
to welcome new ones. 

The patronage, from the crowded 
days of the contest for the presidency 
in 1860, with the presence of His 



Royal Highness the Prince of Wales 
and suite, has steadily increased, and 
in no iiotel history has there been so 
distinguished a list on any register as 
at this house. 

In the evening the corridors may 
be rciiarded as the social and busi- 
ness exchange of the metropolis. 
The flow of peo[)le is incessant, and 
even a stranger would not fail to note 
a friend or a familiar face. 

From a late issue of the Nev^ York 
Tribune we make the following ex- 
tracts, which may interest our read- 
ers : 

Occasionally in the spring, autumn, or 
mid-winter there comes to the Fifth 
Avenue hotel such a concourse of promi- 
nent men as can be seen no where else in 
the country. Scores of diverse and oppo- 
site interests may have brought them 
under the same roof, but they meet and 
mingle in a general gathering, like law- 
yers who have closed their cases in court, 
and, after abusing each other roundly to 
the jury, are ready to go and have a 
" pipe " or a " glass " together. One of 
these remarkable assemblages has taken 
place within forty-eight hours. The 
meetings of the Peabody Education Fund 
trustees, the directors of the National 
Wool Growers' Association, the Xational 
Steam Navigation Board, the Democratic 
State Connnittee, and the Xfftional Bolt 
and Xut Manufacturers' Association, were 
among the caixses that brought prominent 
men here. Foremost in the list was ex- 
President Rutlierford B. Hayes, whose 
ripening years are leaving light impress. 
j\Ir. Hayes devotes a large share of his 
time and attention to educational and 
philanthropic labors. He has taken deep 
interest in prison reform and in the edu- 
cational development of the black race, 
and in both directions is doing a quiet 
but noble work. Chief-»Justice Morrison 
R. Waite, looking like a rugged and 
stubborn-mmded Puritan, with a face of 



320 



Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



strongly marked characteristics, but 
beaming with good nature, was here with 
Mrs. Waits. Like Mr. Hayes, he is en- 
gaged in educational work when his 
judicial duties will permit him to do so. 
He is a member of the Peabody and Slater 
Fund boards. A remarkable figure and 
character were those of the venerable and 
honorable Robert C. Winthrop, of Massa- 
chusetts, whose form is bending slightly 
under the weight of years that have been 
full of honors, and whose hair is whitened 
by time. Over his tall figure he had 
usually a long, old-fashioned black cloak, 
by which he was made still more con- 
spicuous. Equally noticeable was Bishop 
Whipple, of Minnesota, by reason of his 
great height, exceeding spareness, and 
black garb. He dresses entirely in black 
broadcloth. His coat has a clerical cut 
at the neck, is single-breasted, and the 
skirts reach below the knees. His hat is 
a soft Western felt, worn like an itinerant 
preacher's. With a lean and sallow, 
smooth-shaven face, and long straggling 
locks of once jet black but now iron 
gray hair falling on his shoulders, the 
eloquent prelate looks like one of the 
gaunt fathers of Xew England who came 
over in the Mayflower. A portion of his 
work in late years has been among the 
Indians of the Xorth-west, over whom he 
has acquired much influence. 

Two men standing by the office coun- 
ter in conversation are almost identical 
in height aiid general appearance, except 
facial expression. They are tall, well 
formed, aristocratic. You would know 
them to be Southerners from their bear- 
ing. They are ex-Go v. Brown and ex- 
Gov. Porter, of Tennessee. The former 
is a receiver of the Texas I'acific Pail- 
road. He has a face marked and scarred 
and bronzed, like a veteran warrior. Gov. 
Porter's skin, on the contrary, is soft and 
white. Gov. Porter was assistant secre- 
tary of state under Mr. Bayard, but re- 
signed Lilliputian diplomacy to return to 
a lucrative law practice. A historic figure 
is that of A. H. H. Stuart, of Virginia. He 



was called to the interior department port- 
folio in the cabinet of Franklin Pierce, be- 
fore any other selection was made. He was 
then a power in Virginia and the South, 
whose foi'tunes he followed in 1860, and 
has since l)een retired from active life. 
The present United States minister to 
Mexico and his immediate predecessor 
are in the house — Judge Thomas C. Man- 
ning, of Louisiana, and Gen. Henry E,. 
Jackson, of Georgia. Coming down the 
stairway of the ladies' entrance to take a 
carriage was seen Daniel Manning, ex- 
secretary of the treasury. It gives one 
positive pain to observe his slow and 
weary movement, with one foot dragging 
after the other, and to observe with the 
ixnhealthy color of his large round face 
that look of anguish which comes to 
strong men when stricken by a malady 
that impairs their powers. 

It is always amusing to watch the 
crowed in the corridors as " Old Tecum- 
seh " comes through to get his letters. 
They turn and stare after his weather 
beaten frame, reddish face, and grizzled 
whiskers. One touches another and 
whispers "There's Sherman," until every 
one has got a look at the hero, who goes 
ambling away on a sort of quick step, 
utterly oblivious of the commotion. 

A very distinguished looking group of 
men (some of them of stalwart frame) 
stands for a moment on the corridor, and 
then passes out. It is Gov. Sawyer of 
Xew Hampshire, and judges of the X. H. 
supreme court and others, who are re- 
turning from the great constitutional 
centennial. 

A man with a statesmanlike face, 
smooth-shaven and pallid white, Mith 
firm set lips and twinkling eyes, is Gen. 
Xathan Goff, of West Virginia. Senator 
D. ^I. Sabin, of ^linnesota, ^^ith the 
plump rotundity that belongs to a United 
States senator, raven black hair, black 
eyes, and business attire, comes down 
from the dining-room with a tooth-pick 
protruding from under his big black 
moustache, and falls into conversation 



Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



321 



with Irvino- A. Evans, of Boston. "S\x. 
Evans is a l)roker, who let Ives & Stayrer 
have a large loan. He is a man of me- 
dium size, with a large browm moustache, 
who wears a silk hat, and would be mis- 
taken for a Xew Yorker from his nervous 
movements and his attire. He is an in- 
vestor in Senator Sabin's corporation, 
the Minnesota Thresher Company. Mr. 
Evans is known as "Nervy" Evans on 
the Boston Stock Board, from his push 
and dash. Two influential capitalists 
are talking together near by. They are 
J. Pierpont IMorgan, of New York, and 
A. J. Drexel, of Philadelphia. The for- 
mer is large and fine looking, with an 
extremely ruddy complexion. The latter 
has a square-shaped head and iron gray 
moustache. 

New York politicians are like " leaves 
in Vallombrosa." Ex-Senator Warner 
Miller, with his left hand in his trousers 
pocket and his right full of letters and 
papers, is engaged in earnest conversation 
with the stout and gray-headed congress- 
man from the Saratoga district, George 
West; the irrepresf.ible and nervously 
active ex-congressman from Whitehall, 
H. G. Burleigh; and his faithful right 
hand man in politics. Clerk John C. 
Vrooman, of the state senate. Mr. Miller 
has shown a philosophic temper under 
defeat that is winning admiration alike 
from frieiids and opponents. The man 
whom he succeeded, and who defeated 
him for reelection, walks by on his way 
to the state committee rooms, ex-Senator 
Thomas C. Piatt. He has not the slightest 
resemblance to the popular conception of 
a powerful political organizer. He looks, 
indeed, as though a breeze much less than 
a Western cyclone could blow him away. 
Cornelius N. Bliss, with his round, plump 
figure, English face and mutton chop 
whiskers, accompanied by Col. S. V. R. 
Cruger, tall, commanding, and military 
in his air, comes in from the street and 
joins Gen. John N. Knapp, whose fiery 
red whiskers are only equalled by his 
fiery Republicanism. Among others upon 



whom the eye of the observer falls are 
ex-Senator Charles H. Knapp of Lewis 
county, Col. William F. Shaffer, ex-Con- 
sul Mahlon Chance, Port Warden Clarence 
V. Mead, Dvvight Lawrence, John J. 
O'Brien, ex-Marshal John I. Davenport, 
and Gen. Charles K. Graham. 

Secretary Endicott, with a white over- 
coat on his back and a lady's sacque on 
his arm, looking the beau-ideal of a gen- 
tleman, comes to the office to order a 
coupe, and drives away with his wife on 
a shopping tour. Not ten steps away is 
the giant-like frame and big, broad face 
of S. B. Elkins, who has come to call on 
a friend, and is immediately surrounded 
by political and social acquaintances. 
Adj't-Gen. R. C. Drum, on whom the 
Democrats attempted to place the odium 
and responsibility of President Cleve- 
land's rebel flag order, accompanied by 
Gen. George A. rorsji;h, who was for- 
merly on Gen. Hancock's staff, but is 
now stationed on the frontier, go out on 
Broadway together, their erectness mark- 
ing their military service. 

T. D. Basselin, the fat and jolly fores- 
try commissioner, Isaac V. Baker, the 
energetic prison superintendent, and John 
D. Kernan, the shock-haired railroad 
commissioner, three state officials, are 
seen in a group near the door. 

Then the eye rests on two noted char- 
acters, story-tellers, wits, and hail fellows 
well met,— Gen. George A. Sheridan, of 
Louisiana, and Col. Thomas Porterhouse 
Ochiltree. The general has come l)ack 
from a New England lecture tour with 
his wallet stuffed full of greenbacks and 
his long hail" uncombed for forty-eight 
hours. 

Then the observer discovers es-United 
States Civil Service Commissioner Dor- 
man B. Eaton in earnest conversation 
with a friend on a sofa. Mr. Eaton is 
using his left hand as a map and his 
right forefinger as a pointer to lay down 
some energetic propositions. He passes 
out through the throng a moment later. 
As he goes he expresses his opinion that 



322 



Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



Senator William B. Allison, of Iowa, 
should be the Republican nominee for 
president. He describes him as a man 
of great executive ability and fine quali- 
ties, who would be supported by the 
Mugwumps, carry New York, and be 
elected. 

There are scores besides these who are 
well known in various parts of the coun- 
try. Such are ex-Secretary Columbus 
Delano, who presided over the interior 
department in Gen. Grant's cabinet ; Da- 
vid Harpster, of Ohio, one of the largest 
wool-growers in America; Thomas M. 
Nichol, better known as " Hard ]Money " 
Nichoi, who has been wasted nearly to a 
shadow by illness ; A. C. Cheney, presi- 
dent of the Garfield National Bank and 
chairman of the National Board of Steam 
Navigation; Capt. F. AV. Vosburgh, the 
popular Hudson river steamboatman ; 
Capt. R. C. Gray, of Pittsburgh, the vet- 
eran and grizzled Ohio river steamboat- 
man ; Gen. James S. Negley, of Pitts- 
burgh, with his curling hair, his French 
moustache and goatee, and distinguished 
appearance ; Gen. Newton, the commis- 
sioner of public works ; Stilson Hutchins, 
of The Washingto7i Post; E. H. Ammi- 
down, president of the American Protec- 
tive Tariff League ; Robert P. Porter and 
A. M. Garland, its secretaries, who were 
members of the old Tariff Commission ; 
Gen. O. E. Madden, of Boston, who is 
heavily engaged in electrical invention 
and improvement ; Col. A. Piper, IT. S. A., 
who was for years an instructor at West 
Point; William Plankinton, the athletic 
son of the wealthy proprietor of the 
Plankinton house at Milwaukee, who has 
just returned from Europe ; Mayor D. R. 
Haddon, of IVlemphis, who has been ill at 
the hotel for a month, and is creeping 
around on crutches ; big-headed Burke 
Cockran, the Tammany orator and coun- 
sel for Jacob Sharp, who has called for a 
friend ; ex-Gov. Samuel Ilauser, of Mon- 
tana, who conceals his wealth under the 
most unassuming appearance ; W. F. 
Proctor, the Singer sewing machine mill- 



ionaire ; Horace L. Hotchkiss, the broker, 
who mingles literature with business and 
enjoys both; Capt. T. W. Collier, for- 
merly owner of The Santa Fe New Mex- 
ican  and James Bell, the sandy-whis- 
kered and disappointed owner of the 
yacht Thistle. 

From the Nev) York Snn we quote 
a few facts about the underneath 
world in this great hotel. The kitclien 
is one hundred by tlfty feet. lu the 
early morning this was what the re- 
porter saw : 

The six fires in the mighty range were 
burning briskly now, and cast a ruddy 
glare upon the walls whenever the cook 
uncovered that at which he was engaged. 
Fantastic shadows danced upon the dark 
stone floor, and ihe polished utensils on a 
long table in the centre of the room 
flashed back the glare defiantly. The 
range for forty feet stretched away a 
black monster, while beyond rose the 
great chimney, the open firepkce, and the 
spit. Upon the opposite side of the 
kitchen the long vegetable range, serving 
table, and various other appurtenances 
were lost, except for outline, in the 
shade. 

It is broad daylight now, and the 
kitchen apparatus has put off its ghost- 
like air. At one corner of the big room 
is a door leading to what is known as the 
cook's room, because here are prepared 
the meats, &c., before they are introduced 
to the range. Along one side of this 
smaller apartment runs the immense re- 
frigerator, divided into compartments, 
into which are packed enough prepared 
cuts and fowl to feed an army. And 
here Gustav and Pierre were busy, while 
their comrades were arranging other de- 
tails of breakfast in the main room — two 
of them being engaged at huge boilers? 
from which arose delicious odors of coffee 
and tea. 

The chef strode into the steward's 
room, where the latter was looking over 
his accounts. 



Fifth Aventce Hotel. 



323 



" IIow many mouths to-day?" asked 
the chef, who has a way of getting down 
to business at once, because he has plenty 
of business to get down to. 

" Get ready for live hundred ; here's 
your stock," said the steward, handing 
over a slip of paper. 

Things were growing lively in the 
kitchen. Through the door leading- 
tow ard the ordinary a dozen waiters were 
trooping at once, laden with savory bur- 
dens. 

" I thought all the meats and vegetables 
were prepared and kept warm in the 
carving-room, next the ordinary?" 

" 80 they are, for dinner ; but Monsieui- 
must know that in every good hotel each 
breakfast is prepared to order. Yes, the 
meats and fowl are j>repared the day be- 
fore, and packed away in the refrigerator. 
Monsieur may see the provisions coming 
in now." 

And coming they were. It being past 
nine o'clock, the rush of waiters for 
breakfast was diminishing gradually, and 
a detachment of cooks were bringing in 
the suj)plies for the ensuing twenty-four 
hours. Ill a small room just off the 
kitchen, devoted to the production of ice 
cream, was a small elevator leading to 
the ground floor below. Beside it stood 
a stalwart fellow superintending the ma- 
noeuvres. 

" Come, wake up, below there," he 
shouted to a blue-aproned butcher, who 
loitered in the rear of a truck which had 
been driven in from Twenty-fourth street, 
and was backed against the elevator. 
" I can't give you a whole day. Hoist 
away." 

A creaking and a grinding, and the 
lift appeared, laden with great piles of 
meat, which was quickly transferred to 
the care of the men, who trooped off with 
it through the kitclien and into the cook's 
room. AVhen this was over the same 
process was repeated with vegetables, 
until it would seem that the entire animal 
and vegetable production of a New Jersey 
comity had been swallowed up. 



"I say, Pierre, give me a hand for a 
minute on this quarter of beef." 

The speaker's head was just visible 
above a mountain of meat at one end of 
the long table in the cook's room, where 
half a dozen men were carving and cut- 
ting all along the line. The mountains 
became mole hills, as in the dissected 
state they were rapidly packed away. 

" We 're ready for you, girls," shouted 
the chef's assistant. " Get those vege- 
tal)les out of the way as soon as you can. 
AYe 're a little behindhand to-day." 

The late breakfasters had come and 
gone, and a lull was apparent in the 
kitchen. The acting had been transferred 
to the cook's room, and the " dreadful 
note of preparation " went on. In the 
knife-cleaning and dish-rooms a minor 
activity was visible. 

" AVhat on earth is that — a beer A'at ? " 

Indeed, the great copper vessel looked 
as though it might be, and the cook as 
though he would like it to be. 

" That 's the soup stock. We fill that, 
and from it make two kinds of soup every 
day." 

" How much does it hold ? " 

" One hundred and two gallons exactly. 
But it doesn't take long to empty it. 
Those two boilers next to it are for mak- 
ing the two soups. From them it is 
draMii and kept hot in quantity in the 
carving-room." 

At two o'clock the kitchen began to 
wake up again. At every step a new 
odor greeted the nostrils, and not one 
which was not appetizing. It was a de- 
licious conglomeration of smells. One 
man seemed more active than others, and 
breathed a dignity born only of author- 
ity. 

All the cooks and girls had now re- 
turned to the kitchen, and the place 
looked a mammoth bee-hive. People 
were arriving in the main dining-room 
for dinner, but few waiters were visible. 
At the great range five men were busy, 
each with a fire of his own. Beyond and 
in the corner the great spit was at work, 



324 



Fifth Avenue Hotel. 



revolved by a small stationary engine 
near by. Six large turkeys were being 
deliciously browned before a glowing fire, 
under the eye of a gentleman who appar- 
ently revelled in a temperature of 120° in 
the shade. At the end of the room sev- 
eral immense boilers were operating upon 
fish and meat, while at the second row of 
ranges on the other side of the room 
seven or eight women were tiirning out 
vegetables of all sorts ready for the table. 
Down the centre of the apartment ran a 
long table, on which were all sorts of 
culinary utensils, and at one end of this 
a steam apparatus for keeping warm the 
sauces and entrees. The whole scene 
was one to make an epicure smile or a 
tramp weep. 

The carving-room was about fifty feet 
by thirty, and on two sides the walls and 
tables were hidden by crockery, glass- 
ware, and cutlery ready for use. Nearest 
the dining-room was a long, heavily built 
table, in which were sunk the heating 
vessels for roasts and boils, as well as the 
soups. Opening off this apartment was 
the fruit-room, presided over by a young 
woman. As she moved about among the 
luscious piles, the combination formed by 
far the prettiest picture to be seen within 
these precincts of mystery. In and out 
of the carving-room rushed the waiters, 
bearing steaming dishes to make the 
mouth water. 

" Where do the waiters get the bread 
and pastry ? I do n't see it here." 

" The bread they get from an elevator 
in the kitchen, where it is sent up from 
the bakery ; but they have to go down 
for the pasti-y." 

" Is it all made in the house ? " 

" Yes, sir ; there 's half a dozen bakers 
at work down there all the time. People 
in a hotel eat more pastry than people at 
home. I do n't know why, but they do." 

Chef Feraud, who has been going this 
daily round of life in the same house for 
over a quarter of a century, is a difficult 
man to disconcert in the feeding of a 
fashionable army. 



" How do you start your day so as not 
to get muddled?" he was asked. 

" Oh ! it 's simple enough. The steward 
gets from the clerk a calculation of the 
number of guests to be cared for, which 
may be anywhere between three hundred 
and six hundred. He orders his stock 
according to this, and turns over to me 
a list of the stock on hand in the morn- 
ing. From this list I make up my bill 
of fare, set my men to work, as you have 
seen, and there yovi are." 

" But do not people sometimes call for 
extraordinai-y dishes or things which you 
have not got on your bill of fare or stock 
list?" 

" Of course they do — and they get them. 
If a man chooses to insist on having 
something not down on the bill, instead 
of raising a row we give it to him. If it 
is not in the house, we send out and get 
it, if he is willing to wait awhile to be 
pleased. As to extraordinary dishes, 
many are called for, but its a very extra- 
ordinary dish, indeed, that we cannot get 
up in here." 

" Can you give any idea of what con- 
sumption of provisions there is in a 
day?" 

" Well, there were about five hundred 
guests here to-day, and as an illustration 
of the provision necessary, we used up, 
among the fowl, forty turkeys and sixty- 
five chickens, and we served up eight hun- 
dred and sixty pounds of beef and thirty- 
six sides of mutton, besides eighty pies, 
and two hvmdred or three hundred loaves 
of bread. Perhaps that will give you an 
idea." 

" Is there much waste ? " 

" Very little. What is not served is 
consumed by the employes, and then what 
is left goes to some charity, such as the 
Little Sisters of the Poor, and that is n't 
waste, you know." 

"I suppose a man must love this pro- 
fession to become an expert at it, the 
same as in other artistic callings ? " 

" You are right. A chef should be a 
proud man. Place the artist who pleases 



October. 



325 



the eye and the artist who pleases the 
stomach, and stomach will win every 
time. It's human nature. 

We close this description with 
another extract from an article writ- 
ten after the recent repairs were com- 
pleted. 

The first house of this engrossing, com- 
manding kind the country had seen when 
erected, it remains to-day the leading 
hotel of the world, crowned with the ap- 
probation of two continents, and wholly 
worthy of the enthusiastic encomiums 
showered on it from every quarter. It 
must be confessed that Americans regard 
luxurious hotel-living as a divine right, 
but it should not be forgotten that the 
Fifth Avenue gave them their first lesson 
by showing they could expect absolute 
perfection. When the architect, Mr. 
William Washburn, of Boston, designed 



the house, he aimed at not only making 
it simple and elegant in structui'e, but 
absolutely fire-proof; and since then 
improvements have added to its safety 
as well as to its interior beauty. No one 
with eyes to see, who enters the Fifth 
Avenue hotel to-day, but will pause to 
note the witchery of the modern taste for 
decoration, or to look with admiration at 
the changes which have fallen like a 
beautiful mantle over the once familiar 
places. The trite, conventionalized hotel 
ornamentation has passed away forever. 
In its stead are visions of Aladdin's jjal- 
ace, or what imagination calls such, 
though it is doubtful if Aladdin ever 
conjured from his lamp so splendid or so 
complete a residence. The refinement 
and elegance of the new decorations 
would be noticeable in the private house 
of a millionaire with whom good taste 
was a cardinal virtue. 



OCTOBER. 



By Mary R. P. Hatch. 



October, October ! 

Say not that 't is sober ; 

Say not that 't is dreary, - 
The soul's intuition 
Sees joy and fruition 



't is not so to me. 



In the o;lorious clothing of hillside and tree. 



October, October ! 

Say not that 't is sober ; 

The yellow's for gladness all the vear throngh. 
The purple 's for wealth, 
The red is for health, 

And the blue of the sky tells us friends shall be true. 



Fulfilment, perfection I 
The soul's resurrection, 

Are some of its promises lasting and dear. 
October, October ! 
Say not that 't is sober ; 

To me 't is the sweetest of all the glad 3'ear. 



326 



Intolerance in New Hampshire. 



INTOLERANCE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
By M. V. B. Knox, Ph. D. 



The first settlers in New Hamp- 
shire, as early as 1633, ten years af- 
ter commencing their improvements, 
attempted at Dover to organize a 
church, but witli poor success. Bad 
or incompetent ministers, a sharp 
rivalry between the Puritan and Epis- 
copal members of the community, 
tended to impair the success of the 
attempts. Finally, in 1G38, a church 
was organized, a house of worship 
located and built three or four miles 
from the present city of Dover. The 
hostility between the two opposing 
elements became so sharp that it is 
said an appeal was made to arms. In 
1638, at Hampton, also, a few months 
earlier than at Dover, Rev. Stephen 
Bachiler founded a church, and at 
Exeter one was established the same 
year by an ecclesiastical fugitive 
from Boston. Fift}' acres of land at 
Portsmouth in 1640 were granted to 
support an Episcopal church. 

Continual disagreements seem to 
have made the course of religious life 
very checkered : ministers were found 
unworthy, the sharp opposition by 
Puritan people to others bore its fruit, 
and many obstacles incident to a new 
country were in the way. In some 
instances, other than that gift at Ports- 
mouth, land was set aside for the sup- 
port of the ministry. In 1641, when 
the New Hampshire settlements were, 
for the time being, included in Massa- 
chusetts, the intolerant laws of the 
latter were set in motion, some Qua- 
kers and witches harried, but no 
great injury was done them. Three 
Quaker women, in 1G62, were com- 



manded by the constables of the town 
to be made fast to the tail of a cart, 
drawn through the streets, whipped 
not to exceed ten stripes^on the bare 
back in each town, and so taken out 
of the colony. This sentence was 
carried out, at least in Dover. 

Some concessions seem to have 
been granted New Hampshire, for 
the decree of the General Court of 
Massachusetts in 1642 was that each 
town of New Hampshire should send 
a deputy to that body, though they 
might not" be church members. In 
1659 a law was passed by the Gen- 
eral Court against the festival of 
Christmas and kindred ones, super- 
stitiously kept, it said. The next 
3^ear a law passed that a suicide must 
be buried in the highway, the privi- 
lege being denied of burial in a 
churchyard, and that a heap of stones 
be piled above his grave as a brand 
of infamy. This law was copied from 
old English ones. People absent 
from church, in 1662, were fined five 
shillings for each absence, and one 
woman was i)ut into the stocks an 
hour on her husband's refusing to pay 
her fine for such absence. One man 
was fined forty shillings for entertain- 
ing some Quakers four hours in one 
day. 

In 1680 Charles Second issued a 
commission constituting a council to 
govern New Hampshire. In tiiis doc- 
ument he is careful to insist that vir- 
tue and good living be encouraged, 
" that by such example ye infidle may 
be invited and desire to partake of ye 
Christian Religion." Libertv of con- 



Intolerance in JVezv Hampshire. 



327 



science was expressl}' to be allowed 
to all Protestants, — " yt such espe- 
cially as shall be conformable to ye 
rites of ye Church of P^iig'd shall be 
paiticularly countenanced and encour- 
aged." 

IG80 the provincial governor, Cran- 
field, issued an order for the adminis- 
tration of the sacrament in the prov- 
ince according to the mode of the 
Church of P^ngland, and one dissen- 
ter, at least, Rev. Joshua Moody, 
was imprisoned some time at Great 
Island for violating this order. Rev. 
Seaborn Cotton, owing to Cranfield's 
threat to come and do at Hampton 
what he had done with Moody at 
Portsmouth, was frightened away 
from that town to Boston. But these 
oppressive orders had little effect on 
the stern Puritan settlers, and other 
sects than their own had a poor 
chance. Each town governing itself 
could generally liave its own way in 
church matters, and on the whole the 
sentiment was more liberal than in 
Massachusetts. Until 1G86, when 
Gov. Dudlev gave the authority, no 
minister had the power to marry per- 
sons, since marriage was deemed 
wholly a civil contract. 

At least as early as 1714, while 
New Hampshire was still a colony, a 
law was passed by the General Court 
that the freeholders of any town could 
make choice of a minister for that 
town, and name the salary to be al- 
lowed him. The selectmen were re- 
quired to make out rates and assess- 
ments upon the inhabitants of the 
town, and these assessments were to 
be collected like any tax. A meeting- 
house and the minister's dwelling- 
house were to be paid for in the same 
way. It was, however, specifically 



stated that this must not interfere 
with liberty of conscience, nor was 
any person, under pretence of being 
of another persuasion, to be excused 
from paying the settled minister. 
Yet such as conscientiously and con- 
stantly attended worship according to 
their own persuasion, and they only, 
were to be excused from paying for 
the support of the minister of the 
town. Each town was considered to 
be under moral obligation to provide 
for insti'uetion in religion and morali- 
ty. Five years later than the first 
enactment the same law, substantially, 
was confirmed. This seems to have 
been the general condition of things 
through the decades to the Revolu- 
tionary war, when the royal governor, 
Wentworth, having fled, the people 
in 1776 organized a provisional gov- 
ernment, when no reference in their 
records is made to religious matters. 
In 178-4 the bill of rights was adopted, 
after two or three failures, on submit- 
ting a plan to the people. That bill 
recognized the natural rights of con- 
science and the worship of God, and 
empowered the legislature to author- 
ize towns, parishes, bodies corporate^ 
or religious societies, to make provi- 
sion for the maintenance of public 
Protestant service of piety, religion, 
and morality. It provided that these 
bodies named should have the exclu- 
sive right of electing their own pub- 
lic teachers and providing for their 
maintenance ; and no person of any 
particular sect or denomination should 
ever be compelled to pay toward the 
supi)ort of the ministry of another 
sect or denomination. In the form of 
government instituted at that same 
time, no one was made eligible to the 
oflfice of governor, state senator, or 



328 



Intolci'ance in JVew Hampshire. 



representative, who was not of the 
Protestant religion. While this was 
treated most of the time as a dead 
letter, with a failure or two of at- 
tempted repeal, it was finally expung- 
ed from the constitution in 1877. 
This clause against Romanists, in the 
constitutions of 1779 and of 1792, was 
equalled also by anotlier as positive 
against F'rench infidelity and deism