Skip to main content

Full text of "The history of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921"

See other formats 


yi%hv<xvp  &£ 


rgricalhirc^ili 


lixberal  Hrfcs 


IBxiecimttlogg 


QTfec  ]&tttt»ersittr 


THE 

History  of  Hillsborough 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE 
1735-1921 


By  GEORGE  WALDO  BROWNE, 

Author  of  "History  of  the   St.   Lawrence   River,"   "The 
River  of  Broken  Waters:  The  Merrimack,"  "Amos- 
keag  Manufacturing  Company,"  "Woodranger 
Tales,"  "Ruel  Durkee,"  "Legends  of  Yes- 
terday," "Far  East  and  New  America," 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TOWN 

Samuel  W.  Holm  an,  William  H.  Story, 

Frank  E.  Merrill,  Fred  Brockway, 

George  W.  Haslet, 
Committee  on  Publication. 


VOLUME  ONE 
History  and  Description. 


Manchester,  N.   H. 
John  B.  Clarke  Company,  Printers. 
1921. 


4 


Copyrighted  1921. 
By  G.  Waldo  Browne. 


DEDICATION 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

THE  SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 

WHO  WERE  THE  MAKERS  OF  ITS  HISTORY; 
TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

JOHN  GOODELL,  M.  D.,  AND  HON.  CHARLES  J.  SMITH, 

ITS  EARLIER   HISTORIANS; 

TO  THOSE  LIVING 

WHO    HAVE    MADE   THIS    PUBLICATION    POSSIBLE, 

THIS  WORK  IS  DEDICATED 

BY   ITS   AUTHOR. 


2> 


v£TOW 


Tovn   of  Hillsborough. 

BAAOrCKO 


BE  Arznis  -Del 

From  a  Drawing  by  B.   E.   Annis. 
Outline  Map   of  the   Town. 


FOREWORD 

At  last,  after  thirty-eight  years  of  anticipation,  the  written 
History  of  Hillshorough  has  come  to  be  a  reality.  Without  apol- 
ogy for  its  delay,  which  in  many  respects  was  unavoidable ;  with- 
out excuse  for  its  many  errors,  which  inevitably  apply  to  a  work 
of  this  kind ;  but  in  the  same  good  faith  with  which  it  was  under- 
taken, and  with  sincere  appreciation  for  the  co-operation  given 
him  by  the  publication  committee  and  citizens,  the  author  now 
offers  his  work  to  the  public,  the  best  he  could  do  under  the 
circumstances.  The  data  has  been  secured  from  varied  sources, 
and  much  of  it  at  the  cost  of  time  that  has  seemed  wasted.  The 
historical  narrative  is,  the  undersigned  believes,  to  be  as  free 
from  mistakes  as  any  work  of  its  kind.  The  errors  are  mainly 
those  that  relate  to  names,  and  these  are  largely  due  to  the  care- 
lessness with  which  they  have  been  recorded^  For  instance, 
among  the  Revolutionary  patriots  appears  the  name  of  "Judge" 
Hall,  anon  "Jude"  Hall,  credited  to  Amherst,  to  Kingston,  and 
then  to  Hillsborough,  making  it  difficult  to  determine  who  he 
really  was  and  where  he  lived.  Since  writing  this  history  I  have 
learned  that  he  was  born  in  Exeter,  was  a  slave  a  part  of  his 
life ;  that  he  lived  a  short  time  in  Hillsborough ;  served  three 
enlistments  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  considered  a  brave  and 
patriotic  soldier.  He  was  known  in  this  state  until  his  death  as 
"Old  Rock." 

This  statement  applies  in  many  cases  to  the  records  of  those 
who  served  in  the  wars.  Mr.  Smith,  in  his  "Annals,"  written 
only  a  little  over  half  a  century  following  the  Revolution,  says 
he  does  not  doubt  that  over  thirty  served  to  the  credit  of  the 
town.  The  undersigned,  at  this  late  date,  has  been  able  to  trace 
over  ninety,  and  believes  there  were  still  others.  The  records  of 
the  recent  wars  are  more  complete,  but  even  these  that  are  offi- 
cial lack  an  occasional  name. 

The  first  action  taken  by  the  town  relative  to  writing  and  pub- 
lishing its  history  was  taken  at  the  annual  meeting  March  13, 
1883,  when  the   following  committee  was  chosen  to  act  in   the 


7 


8  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH 

matter:  John  C.  Campbell,  John  B.  Smith,  Jubal  H.  Eaton, 
Edgar  Hazen  and  Charles  W.  Conn.  This  board  selected  the 
following  persons  to  prepare  and  publish  a  History  of  Hills- 
borough: Brooks  K.  Webber,  James  F.  Grimes,  Cornelius  Cool- 
edge,  John  Goodell,  and  Frank  H.  Pierce,  which  action  was 
ratified  by  the  town. 

Dr.  John  Goodell  was  authorized  "to  gather  data  and  prepare 
a  town  history  in  proper  shape  for  the  printer."  No  doubt  work 
was  begun  soon  after  this  and  continued  through  the  succeed- 
ing years  as  rapidly  as  it  was  possible  for  a  busy  man — espe- 
cially a  country  doctor — to  find  the  time.  But  twenty  years 
passed  without  bringing  any  apparent  results.  Some  of  the  com- 
mittee had  died,  while  Mr.  Webber  declined  to  serve  longer,  so 
at  the  town  meeting  March  10,  1903,  Hon.  John  B.  Smith,  George 
Haslet  and  Samuel  W.  Holman,  Esq.,  were  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancies.  Even  then  no  progress  seems  to  have  been  made,  and 
at  succeeding  elections  the  town  voted  to  dismiss  the  articles  in 
the  warrant  without  action. 

Eventually  the  last  of  the  original  committee  had  passed  away, 
and  those  selected  to  carry  out  the  work  were  Samuel  W.  Hol- 
man, Esq.,  George  W.  Haslet,  William  H.  Story,  Frank  E.  Mer- 
rill and  Fred  Brockway.  This  committee  employed  the  un- 
dersigned to  prepare  the  history  and  work  was  begun  at  once. 
Had  not  the  great  World  War  made  prices  pertaining  to  the 
publication  almost  prohibitive  the  History  would  have  been 
completed  at  least  three  years  ago. 

During  this  delay  the  author  knows  that  considerable  impa- 
tience (not  altogether  without  reason  he  will  confess)  and  fault- 
finding has  been  manifested,  but  only  God  and  the  author  knows 
the  vexatious  procrastinations  and  difficulties  that  accompany  the 
preparation  of  a  town  history.  A  certain  good  man,  in  a  spirit 
of  despair  over  some  disappointment  that  ill  became  his  cloth,  ex- 
claimed: "Would  that  mine  enemy  might  write  a  book!"  More 
pertinent  might  have  been  his  remark,  providing  his  reason  was 
sufficient  to  make  it  as  impressive  as  possible,  had  he  said : 
"Would  that  mine  enemy  might  write  a  Town  History!" 

The  super-critical  may  think  too  much  space  has  been  devoted 
to  the  military  history  of  the  town,  to  the  loss  of  the  triumphs 


FOREWORD.  9 

of  peace.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  records  of  war 
are  written  in  letters  of  crimson  that  burn  bright  on  the  pages 
of  time ;  the  annals  of  peace  touched  with  the  arts  of  love  live  in 
the  cloister  of  the  heart  rather  than  on  the  pen.  Again,  when 
you  come  to  think  of  it,  the  warrior  is  the  peacemaker ;  the  states- 
man, patriot  so  called,  the  one  who  foments  the  strife,  but  seldom 
participates  in  it.  Scanning  the  personnel  of  the  "Spirit  of  '76," 
we  find  a  Henry,  Hancock,  Adams,  Otis,  Franklin,  Jefferson, 
Paine,  Carroll,  and  others,  "Tongues  of  the  Revolution,"  who 
urged  on  the  coming  conflict,  but  not  one  of  whom  met  the  foe 
on  the  battlefield.  This  was  left  to  her  Washington,  Greene, 
Gates,  Arnold,  Stark,  Marion,  Allen,  and  others,  "Silent 
Tongues,"  to  win  the  golden  prize  on  the  fields  of  Mars  and 
camps  of  Valley  Forge.  What  is  true  of  this  war  is  confirmed 
by  all  others.  In  the  final  reckoning  it  is  the  man  with  the 
sword  who  lays  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice  the  laurel  of  Peace.  So 
the  history  of  Hillsborough  has  been  embellished  by  the  deeds 
of  her  martyred  Baldwin,  heroic  Andrews,  gallant  Pierce,  fiery 
McNiel,  and  many  others.  The  winning  of  their  victory  was 
for  you  and  for  me. 

Sources  from  which  this  History  of  Hillsborough  has  been 
drawn  are  too  numerous  to  be  even  mentioned  here.  Unfortu- 
nately the  original  documents  and  records  of  the  grant  and  set- 
tlement of  Old  Number  Seven  cannot  be  found  today,  though 
they  were  known  to  be  in  existence  as  late  as  181 5,  in  the  pos- 
session of  Sarson  Belcher,  a  son-in-law  of  Colonel  John  Hill  and 
the  executor  of  his  will.  These  papers  also  contained  records  of 
the  towns  of  Weare,  Peterborough,  New  Boston  and  Rindge. 
The  early  records  of  these  towns  were  recorded  at  Cambridge, 
Mass. 

Fortunately  the  Town  Books,  which  contain  the  records  since 
the  incorporation,  are  as  complete  as  can  be  found  among  the 
archives  of  almost  any  town.  Hillsborough  has  been  favored 
with  having  clerks  in  both  town  and  church  affairs,  who  have 
recorded  the  doings  of  her  citizens  with  care.  These  records 
are  in  a  fairly  good  state  of  preservation,  particularly  those  re- 
lating to  public  proceedings.  It  is  only  the  proprietors'  records 
that  are  missing. 


IO  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH 

Scarcely  less  than  to  the  Town  Records  is  the  historian  of  the 
town  indebted  to  the  editors  and  compilers  of  the  Provincial, 
State,  and  Town  Papers. 

"The  Military  History  of  New  Hampshire,"  by  Hon.  Chandler 
E.  Potter,  is  valuable  for  its  accounts  of  the  military  actions  of 
the  citizens  of  the  town. 

The  Press  of  Hillsborough,  in  its  regularly  issued  newspapers 
for  more  than  half  a  century  is  a  source  of  information  covering 
considerable  of  the  proceedings  of  the  town  day  by  day.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  the  Town  Library,  or  even  the  newspaper  of- 
fice, has  not  a  complete  file.  The  undersigned  was  fortunate  in 
finding  here  and  there  some  of  the  missing  volumes. 

"The  Annals  of  Hillsborough,"  a  published  address  by  Charles 
J.  Smith,  delivered  at  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  first  set- 
tlement of  the  town,  contains  much  information  that  would  have 
been  impossible  to  obtain  elsewhere  at  this  date.  Though  a  young 
man  of  twenty-one  at  that  time,  he  showed  a  work  of  wide  re- 
search that  would  have  done  credit  to  an  older  person.  Lyman 
W.  Densmore's  account  of  the  "Old"  Meeting  House  at  the 
Centre  is  another  valuable  monogram  covering  that  particular 
subject.  The  author  is  also  indebted  to  an  excellent  article  by 
Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  M.  A.,  in  the  "History  of  Hillsborough 
County."  Besides  these,  many  miscellaneous  pamphlets  and 
sketches  have  been  consulted,  not  the  least  among  these  being 
an  article  written  by  Colonel  Frank  H.  Pierce,  a  nephew  of  ex- 
President  Franklin  Pierce. 

Among  the  individuals  who  have  so  kindly  rendered  such 
assistance  as  they  could,  to  all  of  whom  the  author  expresses  his 
sincere  thanks,  he  feels  under  the  most  obligation  to  the  papers 
left  by  the  late  Dr.  John  Goodell,  who  should  have  been  the  his- 
torian of  the  town.  At  least  two  of  his  articles  have  been  em- 
bodied in  this  work,  with  credit  given  to  him.  Last,  but  not 
least,  I  desire  to  return  my  thanks  to  the  Committee  on  Publi- 
cation. 

A  companion  volume  is  to  follow  this,  devoted  to  Biographical 
Sketches  and  Genealogies  of  about  five  hundred  families. 

G.  WALDO  BROWNE. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter.  Page. 

Foreword    7 

I.  A   General    Survey   of   the   Town,    Past   and 

Present    17 

II.  In  the  Days  of  the  Colonists 28 

III.  Founders  of  Number  Seven 39 

IV.  Pioneering  in  Old  Number  Seven 55 

V.  The  Interval  of  Indian  Wars 71 

VI.  The   Second    Settlement 81 

VII.  The  War  for  Independence 94 

VIII.  Reconstruction    Period    152 

IX.  The  Story  of  Campbell's  Gore 180 

X.  The   Town    Church 1 88 

XL                  "The  Old  Meeting  House" 207 

XII.  An  Old-Time  Town  Meeting 223 

XIII.  Military  History,  1781  to  i860 242 

XIV.  Hillsborough  in  the  Civil  War 267 

XV.  Highways,  Byways  and  Bridges 295 

XVI.  Stage  Coach  Days 313 

XVII.  The  Farms  and  Farmers  of  Yesterday 321 

XVIII.  The   Baptist   Church 333 

XIX.  The  Congregational  Church  at  Bridge  Village  347 

XX.  The  Methodist  Church 356 

XXI.  The  Catholic  Church  and  Other  Denomina- 

tions      363 

XXII.  Story  of  the  Schools 365 

XXIII.  Industrial    Pursuits    376 

XXIV.  Miscellaneous   Enterprises    385 

XXV.  Professional,  Fraternal  and  Social  History. .  407 

XXVI.  Political    History    448 

XXVII.  The  Hamlets  of  Hillsborough 461 

XXVIII.  Byways  of  History 477 

XXIX.  The  Recent  Wars 494 

XXX.  Official   Roster    cqq 

Personal  Index  cXq 

General  Index err 

11 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Hillsborough   Bridge   Village Frontispiece 

Map  of  Hillsborough Page     5 

Steel  Bridge,  Henniker  Road Opp  Page  33 

North  Branch  Contoocook  River "  33 

Gleason's   Falls   Bridge "  "  48 

Loon  Pond "  "  64 

Contention  Pond "  64 

The   Merrill   Homestead "  "  80 

Plan  of  Hillsborough,  1765 "  "  88 

The  Old  Bridge  and  Mills "  "  96 

Old  School  House,  River  Street "  112 

Taggart  Block,    1866 "  "  112 

West   Main   Street "  "  128 

Central  Square    "  "  128 

Bible  Hill  Burial  Ground "  "  144 

The    Jones    Bridges "  "  160 

Kitchen  in  Old  Gilbert  House "  "  176 

John  Gilbert  Homestead "  "  176 

Old   Town   House   and   Congregational    Church, 

Centre    "  "  193 

Interior,  Old  Town  House "  "  208 

High  School  Building "  "  224 

Twin    Bridges    "  "  240 

McNiel  Leading  His  Men  at  Chippewa "  "  249 

Fire  Station   "  "  256 

Baker's   Block    "  "  256 

Muster  Day  as  an  Oldtime  Artist  Saw  It "  "  264 

The  Brockway  Homestead "  "  272 

Maplewood  Farm,  Homestead  of  Walter  E.  Gay.  "  "  288 

The  New  Stone  Bridge "  "  304 

The  Vendue,  Manahan,  Auctioneer "  "  320 

Old  Baptist  Church "  "  336 

Chapel,    Lower  Village "  "  336 

Smith  Memorial  Church "  "  347 

Governor    Smith    Residence "  "  352 


13 


14 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH 


St.  Mary's  Church Opp.  Page  360 

Methodist  Episcopal   Church "  "  360 

Old  Academy,  Hillsborough  Bridge,  About  1880  "  "  368 

Hillsborough  Woolen  Mills "  "  376 

Contoocook  Mills    "  "  376 

Valley  Hotel,  1921 "  "  401 

American  House   "  "  417 

Rumrill  Block   "  "  417 

First  National  Bank  Building "  "  432 

Odd  Fellows'  Block,  Central  Square "  "  432 

Merrill's  Orchestra "  "  440 

Front  Room  in  President  Pierce  House "  "  448 

The  Old  Oven,  Pierce  Barbecue "  "  454 

Congregational  Church,  Centre  Village "  "  461 

Barnes    House,    Centre "  "  461 

President  Pierce  Mansion "  "  465 

Captain  Carr  Homestead,  Lower  Village "  "  480 

The   Old   Pound "  "  480 

Memorial  Tablet  to  Soldiers  of  the  World  War  "  "  497 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 
NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


CHAPTER  I. 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Town,  Past  and  Present. 

Grant  of  the  Township — The  Aborigines — Boundary  of  the  Town — 
Area — Rivers — Loon  Pond — Legend  of  the  Lily — Indian  Name — 
Contention  Pond — A  Disappearing  River — Campbell  or  Gould 
Pond — Landscape — Stowe  Mountain — The  Centre  Village — View 
from  the  Hills — Lowest  Point  in  Town — Soil — Crops — Flora — 
Fauna — Birds — Origin  of  the  Town  Name — Honor  to  Its  Founder, 
John  Hill — Various  ways  of  Spelling  the  Name. 

The  courts  of  Massachusetts  January  16,  1735-36,  granted  to 
Col.  John  Hill,  Boston,  Mass.,  a  man  of  considerable  wealth  and 
influence,  who  was  interested  in  the  settlements  of  other  town- 
ships in  New  Hampshire,  a  tract  of  country  "about  six  miles 
square,"  in  the  heart  of  a  primeval  wilderness  then  unsurveyed 
and  unexplored  by  a  white  man.  At  least  this  seems  to  have  been 
the  intent  of  the  instrument  issued  to  him,  but  a  body  of  men 
styled  "Plymouth  Gentlemen"  apparently  had  already  acquired 
about  one-eighth  of  this  territory,  which  he  promptly  obtained  by 
the  payment  of  certain  sums  of  money  by  himself  and  a  Boston 
trader  named  Gershom  Keyes.  Before  giving  a  history  of  these 
transactions  and  the  following  events,  it  seems  pertinent  to 
describe  briefly  in  the  past  and  present  tense  the  country  about  to 
be  opened  by  the  incoming  settlers. 

17 


l8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Over  this  scene,  the  Thessally  of  New  England,  had  roamed 
from  time  immemorial  the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  fishing  in  its 
streams,  hunting  on  its  hillsides  and  in  its  valleys,  when  not  at 
war  with  some  rival  tribe.  These  Indians  belonged  to  a  con- 
federacy known  as  the  "Penacooks."  Tradition  gives  no  account 
of  this  immediate  vicinity  having  been  a  battleground  between 
the  early  races,  but  beyond  doubt  the  warcry  rang  over  its  solitude 
with  frequency  and  the  signal  fires  of  the  warlike  people  lighted 
time  and  again  the  hilltops. 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Smith,*  in  his  centennial  discourse  of  the  town, 
1841,  in  commenting  upon  this  natural  situation,  says  very  truly: 
"The  country  for  many  miles  around  was  a  dreary  wilderness, 
where  the  untutored  savage  roamed  in  undisturbed  security 
through  the  thick  forests,  or  glided  in  his  light  canoe  over  the 
lonely,  silent  waters.  .  .  The  forests  were  alive  with  every  species 
of  wild  game ;  the  waters  abounded  with  salmon,  trout,  pickerel, 
and  other  specimens  of  the  finny  tribes  delightful  to  the  palate. 
The  whole  northern  and  western  parts  of  the  county  of  Hills- 
borough was  then  an  uncovered  solitude,  untrodden  by  civilized 
man — wild  and  uncultivated  as  when  it  came  from  the  Creator's 
hand."  Let  this  be  as  it  may,  at  the  appearance  of  the  vanguard 
of  settlement  under  the  guidance  of  Colonel  Hill  and  Gershom 
Keyes,  saying  nothing  of  the  warlike  deeds  that  followed,  com- 
parative peace  reigned  over  this  region. 

Considering  the  territory  as  it  represents  the  town  to-day,  it  is 
in  latitude  43°5'  north,  and  in  longitude  5°5'  east  of  Washington. 
Beginning  at  the  northeast  corner  next  to  Henniker  the  line  runs 
5°3o'  from  due  west,  while  the  opposite  line  has  the  same 
deflection,  so  that  with  the  lines  on  the  north  and  the  south 
running  at  about  the  same  angle  gives  the  town  the  shape  of  a 
diamond  upon  the  map  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Henniker ;  on  the  south  by 
Deering  and  Antrim ;  on  the  west  by  Windsor  and  Washington ; 
on  the  north  by  Washington  and  Bradford.  In  area  it  comprises 
27,320  acres  of  which  15,945  acres,  more  than  half,  was  improved 


*Mr.  Smith  was  at  that  time  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Franklin 
Pierce,  and  his  work  enlarged  and  amplified  from  his  address,  was  the  first  and 
most  successful  effort  towards  giving  a  historical  sketch  of  the  town.  For  further 
particulars  of  this  author  see  Vol.  II.,  Genealogical  sketches  of  the  families. — 
Author. 


CONTOOCOOK  RIVER.  1 9 

land,  according  to  the  surveys  of  1870.  With  no  great  elevation, 
the  landscape  is  diversified  by  hills  and  valleys,  so  much  so  that  it 
has  been  thought  by  many  that  its  name  came  from  this  fact, 
though  it  was  really  given  in  honor  of  its  founder  and  early 
benefactor. 

Hillsborough  is  well  favored  with  running  waters.  The  largest 
and  most  important  of  its  rivers  is  the  Contoocook,  which  crosses 
its  territory  in  a  northeasterly  direction  near  the  corner  of  the 
towns  of  Deering  and  Antrim,  where  the  confluence  of  the 
streams  known  as  the  South  and  North  Branch  unite  to  form  this 
river.  The  larger  of  these  tributaries,  the  South  Branch,  has  its 
source  in  the  swamps  of  the  highlands  of  Rindge.  This  stream 
is  increased  by  numerous  smaller  water-ways  flowing  from  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  Monadnock  Mountain,  with  the  drainage 
of  the  towns  along  its  course.  The  North  Branch  rises  in  Horse 
Shoe  or  Half  Moon  Pond  on  the  west  slope  of  Lovell's  Mountain, 
in  Washington,  and  after  deploying  in  Stoddard  so  as  to  form 
Long  Pond,  it  winds  through  the  town  of  Antrim,  christening  a 
village  with  its  name,  flows  into  this  town  above  Lower  Village, 
and  after  receiving  the  offering  of  Hillsborough  River  just  below 
the  last-named  hamlet,  it  joins  South  Branch,  as  has  already  been 
mentioned,  to  help  build  the  dusky  hunter's  Contoocook,  "Great 
Place  for  Crows." 

The  tributary  of  North  Branch  designated  as  Hillsborough 
River,  in  early  times  Called  North  Branch,  enters  the  town  on  the 
northwest  to  find  a  somewhat  tortuous  course  for  about  seven 
miles  before  joining  the  larger  stream.  It  receives  several  small 
streams  as  tributaries,  the  largest  of  which  is  Shedd  Brook,  which 
receives  the  drainage  of  the  eastern  slopes  of  Washington  and 
Windsor.  This  stream  and  its  tributary  from  Black  Pond  in 
Windsor  affords  the  water  power  at  Upper  Village.  Three  or 
four  small  streams  unite  among  the  hills  of  the  eastern  section  to 
enter  Gould  Pond,  the  outlet  of  which  finds  its  way  into  the 
Contoocook  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Henniker  line. 

The  Contoocook  River,  which  receives  the  drainage  of  an 
extent  of  territory  comprising  more  than  734  square  miles  of 
country,  becomes  an  important  waterway  among  the  rivers  of 
the  state.    Carrying  an  unfailing  supply  of  water  and  following 


20  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

a  tortuous  and  rapid  course  which  gives  it  an  amount  of  power 
capable  of  running  a  great  number  of  water  wheels  or  affording 
privileges  for  creating  a  vast  voltage  of  electrical  force,  it  has 
been  the  incentive  in  building  up  enterprises  of  various  kinds 
along  its  banks.  A  good  example  of  what  has  been  done  is  to  be 
seen  at  Bridge  Village  with  its  wooden  mill,  hosiery,  underwear, 
lumber  mills  and  other  manufactures.  After  leaving  this  village 
it  wanders  in  a  northeasterly  direction  into  the  town  of  Henniker, 
and  from  thence  through  the  northwest  corner  of  Hopkinton,  by 
its  water  power  there  laying  the  foundation  for  the  industries  of 
the  village  that  gets  its  name  from  this  stream.  It  finally  joins 
the  Merrimack,  as  one  of  its  important  tributaries,  at  the  inter- 
vales of  Penacook,  where  it  became  known  to  the  Indians  as 
"the  crooked  place."  Another  designation  bestowed  upon  it  by 
the  red  men  was  that  of  "the  long  river,"  while  the  early  settlers 
frequently  spoke  of  it  as  "the  great  river."  In  some  of  the  earlier 
records  it  is  referred  to  as  "the  Connecticut  River."  The  Con- 
toocook  and  its  tributaries  flow  from  the  water  sheds  of  thirty- 
two  different  towns  situated  in  five  counties  and  has  an  available 
horse  power  of  over  twelve  thousand,  a  little  more  than  one-half 
of  which  is  utilized.  From  its  starting  point  in  the  little  pond  on 
Rindge  highlands  to  the  meadows  of  the  Brave  Lands  where  it 
joins  its  fortunes  with  the  Merrimack  River,  the  Contoocook  has 
a  descent  of  over  eight  hundred  feet. 

The  largest  and  most  picturesque  body  of  still  water  in  town 
is  the  Indian's  Che-sehunk-auke,  meaning  "great  place  for  loons/' 
which  was  immediately  Englished  by  the  white  settlers  as  "Loon 
Pond,"  as  they  found  a  large  number  of  that  fowl  in  this  vicinity. 
It  lies  a  little  northwest  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  two  miles 
in  length  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  breadth,  at  its  widest 
place.  In  these  days  of  enlarged  ideas  it  is  not  surprising  that  it 
is  occasionally  mentioned  in  the  local  vocabulary  as  a  "lake."  Its 
waters  are  deep,  clear  and  cool  in  the  hottest  summer  day.  In  its 
primeval  days  it  was  well  stocked  with  fish,  pickerel,  perch,  pouts, 
etc. ;  to-day  there  are  bass,  pickerel,  perch  and  pouts. 

In  the  summer  season  considerable  of  its  surface  is  jeweled 
with  that  sweet  and  beautiful  flower,  the  water  lily.  The  Indians 
had  a  legend  that  a  beautiful  maid,  Winnewawa,  sought  escape 


LOON  POND.  21 

from  love's  cruel  disappointment  by  plunging  beneath  its  placid 
bosom,  and  lo !  wherever  a  ripple  stirred  the  water  a  white  lily, 
typical  of  her  life  and  beauty,  blossomed  and  has  blossomed  ever 
since,  so  that  whoever  looked  in  this  mirror  of  waters  saw  her 
sweet  vision  reflected  as  a  reminder  of  her. 

Let  the  legend  be  true  or  merely  a  fancy,  Loon  Pond  was  a 
frequent  meeting-place  of  the  Indians  in  their  journeys  hither 
and  yon,  for  it  must  be  known  that  the  wildwood  was  as  familiar 
to  them  as  the  country  is  to-day  to  their  civilized  successors. 
Over  its  burnished  surface  have  flitted  the  light  skiffs  of  the  dusky 
fisherman,  or  flown  with  a  wilder  speed  flotillas  of  canoes  manned 
by  warring  factions  fighting  for  life  and  liberty  as  dear  to  them 
as  to  us.  Under  the  sheen  of  the  lover's  moon,  wafted  with  the 
silence  of  shadows  over  its  silvery  pathway,  has  come  and 
vanished  the  white  canoe  of  the  Indian  maid,  while  disappeared 
long  since  from  the  overhanging  curtain  of  its  shores  the  dark- 
hued  lover,  wooing  his  forest  mate. 

In  place  of  these  now  comes  the  summer  vacationist  seeking 
rest  and  quiet  from  the  city's  busy  round  of  duty.  As  well  as 
being  a  beautiful  resort  for  the  pleasure-seeker,  the  water  of 
Loon  Pond  is  now  conveyed  by  artificial  conduits  to  Bridge 
Village,  and  there  becomes  the  natural  beverage  used  in  the 
homes,  while  it  is  utilized  as  a  means  of  protection  in  case  of  fire. 

Loon  Pond  formerly  had  two  outlets,  one  a  tributary  to  Beard 
Brook,  now  known  as  Hillsborough  River,  and  the  other  a  smaller 
stream,  running  into  Contention  Pond,  but  which  became  dry 
some  time  ago,  while  the  former  outlet  owing  to  the  drain  made 
upon  this  pond  of  its  flood  by  man  to  meet  his  need,  has  so  far 
lost  its  volume  that  during  most  of  the  year  its  bed  is  quite  dry, 
and  the  time  does  not  seem  far  distant  when  this  silvery  thread 
connecting  the  two  bodies  of  water  shall  have  completely  faded 
from  the  landscape.  Loon  Pond  has  no  considerable  inlet,  but  is 
fed  by  springs.  Contention  Pond,  so  named  from  a  protracted 
and  bitter  contention  over  certain  boundary  lines  relating  to  it, 
lies  less  than  a  mile  northwest  from  Loon  Pond,  and  though 
more  niggardly  considered  than  the  other  has  considerable  natural 
attraction,  being  once  a  favorite  resort  of  the  beaver,  and  was 
known  to  the  Indians  as  "great  place  for  beavers. " 


22  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Campbell  Pond,  so  called  for  its  discover,  Daniel  Campbell, 
Esq.,  of  Amherst,  who  made  the  survey  of  the  township  at  the 
time  of  its  incorporation,  is  the  third  and  last  sheet  of  water  in 
the  town  that  deserves  mention.  This  is  near  the  Henniker  line, 
and  seen  from  Monroe  Hill  is  a  beautiful  gem  in  one  of  the 
fairest  landscape  views  in  town.  It  is  better  known  to-day  as 
Gould  Pond. 

If  the  surface  of  the  town  is  very  uneven,  like  most  of  New 
Hampshire  towns,  there  is  not  an  elevation  that  really  deserves 
the  name  of  mountain.  The  highest  point  of  land  is  in  the  north- 
west section,  dignified  by  the  name  of  Stowe's  Mountain.  This 
elevation  perpetuates  the  memory  of  Dea.  Joel  Stowe,  who  lived 
on  the  southeast  slope  for  many  years.  The  highest  dwelling  on 
this  sunny  height,  also  the  highest  in  town,  was  the  home  of 
Justus  Pike,  but  sometime  since  fallen  to  ruin.  From  his  thres- 
hold a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country  was  unfolded  to  the 
gaze.  Here,  to-day,  he  who  cares  to  wend  his  way  thither,  looks 
down  with  pleasure  and,admiration,  if  he  is  on  good  terms  with 
God  and  mankind,  upon  one  of  the  grandest  panoramas  of 
diversified  landscapes  to  be  seen  in  southern  New  Hampshire 
where  no  outlook  offers  a  disappointment.  This  eminence  of  land 
rises  1,200  above  sea  level. 

It  is  "high  ground"  at  "the  Centre,"  where  it  pleased  some  of 
the  earliest  comers  to  believe  the  spot  was  to  be  the  hub  around 
which  the  township  was  to  revolve.  In  truth  this  place  was  the 
capital  for  many  years,  until  the  coming  of  a  new  power  dis- 
mantled the  old  and  the  rumble  of  the  factory  wheel  proclaimed 
the  building  of  a  rival  hamlet.  If  the  early  builders  were  dis- 
appointed in  their  dreams,  none  of  the  beauties  of  the  landscape 
went  with  the  changing  current  of  population,  so  the  scene  has 
not  lost  a  star  in  its  firmament  nor  a  rock  from  its  broken  slopes. 
Going  eastward  towards  Henniker  the  country  winds  over  hills 
that  afford  a  sightly  cyclorama  of  country.  On  a  clear  day  in 
summer  the  horizon  is  fret-worked  by  a  circle  of  hills  and  moun- 
tains, beginning  on  the  northeast  with  the  Blue  Hills  of  Strafford, 
Pawtuckaway  Mountain  of  Deerfield,  and  Nottingham,  Unca- 
noonucs,  the  twins  of  Goffstown,  the  Deering  Hills,  Pack  Monad- 
nock   and   Crotchet   Mountain   in   the   southwest,   Gibson's   and 


NATURAL   RESOURCES.  23 

Hedgehog  highlands,  Lovell's  Mountain  in  Washington,  Suna- 
pee's  long  blue  ridge,  Kearsarge's  great  dome,  Cardigan's  bald 
head,  Mount  Carr's  arched  bow,  Franconia's  lofty  sentinels  over- 
watched by  the  Old  Man  of  the  Mountains,  while  above  al\  of 
these  and  hundreds  of  lesser  peaks  Mount  Washington  lifts  in  the 
white  haze  of  the  distance  its  snowy  forehead. 

The  lowest  altitude  in  Hillsborough  is  the  valley  a  little  east 
of  Bridge  Village,  known  in  the  early  vernacular  as  "Falls  Vil- 
lage";  the  highest  is  Stowe  Mountain;  the  mean  altitude  of  the 
town  one  thousand  feet. 

Like  all  New  England  towns  the  soil  of  Hillsborough  varies 
according  to  altitude  and  presence  or  lack  of  water.  Along  the 
rivers  and  smaller  streams  are  frequently  found  an  alluvial  soil, 
but  there  are  no  level  tracts  of  any  size,  and  little  pine  or  light 
land  in  town.  The  early  settlers  had  generally  a  keen  eye  for  the 
most  promising  sections  suited  to  cultivation,  and  many  of  their 
farms  were  laid  out  on  the  fertile  side  hills.  As  a  rule  the  soil 
is  hard  to  cultivate,  but  it  yields  a  reasonable  return.  Among  the 
grains,  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  rye  have  been  successfully 
raised,  while  potatoes  and  garden  vegetables  thrive  well.  It  lies 
in  a  good  apple  belt,  and  much  of  the  early  growth  of  timber 
consisting  of  rock  maple  there  have  been  large  sugar  orchards  in 
town,  but  these  have  nearly  vanished  now. 

The  flora  of  this  vicinity  was  not  unlike  that  of  the  neighbor- 
ing towns,  and  consisted  of  mixed  growths  of  hard  and  soft  woods. 
Foremost  among  the  latter,  and  one  of  the  greatest  assets  of  the 
town,  was  the  pine,  the  last  specimens  of  these  "noblemen  of  the 
forests"  disappearing  long  since,  while  their  descendants  are  being 
too  closely  pursued  by  the  modern  sawmill  to  ever  rival  their 
ancestry  either  in  size  or  quality.  The  magnificent  monarchs  of 
the  woods,  as  well  as  attracting  the  pioneer,  appealed  to  the  greed 
of  the  king  of  England,  though  it  proved  a  thorn  in  the  flesh 
rather  than  a  blessing  to  him  in  his  turbulent  fortunes.  In  the 
days  of  the  early  settlers  hemlock,  spruce,  fir  balsam,  several  kinds 
of  oak,  beech,  ash,  elm,  several  specimens  of  birch  and  as  many  of 
maples  abounded.  Then  there  were  the  butternut,  cherry,  with 
a  dozen  of  smaller  growths,  not  the  least  to  the  Indian  being  the 
sumach.    Here  and  there  an  aged  sycamore — a  sycamore  is  always 


24  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

aged — lifted  its  depleted  crest  high  into  the  air  a  suitable  pillar 
for  some  owl  to  make  its  perch,  while  it  doled  forth  its  weird 
greeting  to  the  coming  night. 

The  poplar  was  quite  common  on  the  rocky  slopes  of  the 
highlands,  a  companion  of  the  hornbeam  and  lever  wood,  while 
along  the  banks  of  the  streams  and  in  the  swampy  places  the  wil- 
low and  alder  abounded,  the  first  heralding  the  coming  of  spring 
with  its  white  tassels  and  the  latter  marking  the  advance  of  the 
seasons  into  the  days  of  frost  by  its  red  clusters  of  ripening  buds. 
An  occasional  apple  tree,  more  than  any  other  of  the  forest 
people,  foretold  the  coming  of  the  new  order  of  men. 

Besides  the  charm  of  flowers  that  was  bestowed  upon  many 
of  the  trees  both  in  the  seasons  of  buds  and  fruits,  there  was  a 
liberal  gift  of  wild  blossoms  which  gemmed  the  hillsides  and  low- 
lands, the  daffodil  modestly  illuminating  some  sunny  spot  even 
before  the  snow  had  vanished  from  the  shady  dell,  the  trailing 
arbutus  with  its  pink  buds  and  fragrant  flowers,  the  violets  that 
adorn  our  fields  with  a  gentle  beauty,  the  wake  robin,  the  anemone 
or  wind  flower,  the  strawberry  beautiful  in  its  flowering  period 
and  the  days  when  its  rich,  luscious  fruit  gives  it  first  rank  among 
the  wild  kindred  of  the  fruit  and  flower.  Less  favored  with 
notice  is  the  checkerberry  with  its  fragrant  leaf  and  round  red 
globes  of  fruit.  More  beautiful  and  fragrant  than  these  is  the 
swamp  pink,  while  later  comes  the  queen  of  her  season  the  water 
lily,  followed  by  the  cardinal  flower,  the  arrow  head,  the  iris, 
called  frequently  blue  flag,  until  the  autumn  is  made  gay  and 
cheerful  by  the  golden  rod  and  aster,  till  the  frost  weed  with  its 
gorgeous  flowering  stalks  lends  the  final  touch  to  Nature's  round 
of  leaf  and  blossom.  So  through  our  valleys  and  on  our  hills, 
each  vested  with  its  own  peculiar  grace — 

"Everywhere  about  us  they  are  glowing, 

Some  like  stars  to  tell  us  spring  is  born ; 
Others  their  blue  eyes  with  tears  o'ern owing, 
Stand  like  Ruth  amid  the  golden  corn." 

The  list  of  herbs  and  plants  that  are  useful  and  valuable  for 
their  medicinal  qualities  are  the  pennyroyal,  mints,  spikenard, 
sarsaparilla,  lobelia,  cohosh,  called  by  the  red  man  papoose  root, 
elecampane,  with  others  quite  as  worthy  of  mention. 


DENIZENS  OF  THE  FOREST.  25 

In  the  days  of  "the  forest  primeval"  wild  animals  were 
numerous  in  this  vicinity,  the  most  lordly  of  these  being  the 
moose,  whose  flesh  was  highly  esteemed  as  food.  More  common 
was  the  deer,  the  one  creature  of  the  denizens  of  the  wildwood 
that  the  pioneers  sought  to  protect  on  account  of  its  value  as  meat 
for  the  table.  Common  at  the  outset  and  remaining  after  many 
of  the  other  animals  had  disappeared  was  the  bear,  sometimes 
troublesome  and  anon  retreating  into  the  deeper  forest  as  the 
settlers  enlarged  their  clearings.  They  were  especially  dangerous 
to  cattle  and  sheep,  often  slaughtering  whole  flocks  during  the 
season.  The  region  about  Stowe  Mountain  was  noted  as  a 
rendezvous  for  them.  From  hence  also  came  the  wildcat  much 
dreaded  where  there  were  children.  Bounties  were  paid  for 
the  destruction  of  these  stealthy  vindictive  marauders  of 
the  woods  until  within  about  a  hundred  years.  Among  the  out- 
laws of  the  wilderness  and  more  hated  than  any  of  the  others  was 
the  wolf,  whose  hunger  call  was  feared  by  the  unarmed  and 
belated  traveler.  On  his  head,  too,  a  bounty  was  paid  until  the 
last  of  his  kind  had  vanished. 

Pleasanter  types  of  animals  were  the  otter  and  the  beaver 
both  of  which  must  have  been  plenty  in  the  days  of  yore.  Loon 
Pond  might  just  as  well  and  as  appropriately  been  called  Beaver 
Pond,  so  numerous  were  these  industrious  creatures  in  that 
vicinity,  where  traces  of  their  work  are  still  to  be  seen.  In  build- 
ing their  curiously  constructed  dams,  ponds  were  frequently 
brought  into  existence  where  none  had  existed,  while  those  that 
already  rested  like  mirrors  on  Nature's  breast  were  enlarged  by 
them.  The  openings  called  meadows  by  the  early  settlers  which 
afforded  such  rich  pasturage  for  their  neat  kine  were  made  by 
them.  The  mink  and  the  muskrat  lived  along  the  streams,  a  few 
of  their  descendants  being  with  us  to-day,  while  the  fox  is 
another  denizen  of  the  early  scenes  that  has  outlived  the  shifting 
years  to  still  fly  over  our  hills  before  the  fleet-footed  hound  of 
the  hunter  as  his  ancestors  fled  in  early  days  before  some  dusky 
Robin  Hood.  Other  dumb  inhabitants  of  the  woods,  which  are 
conspicious  to-day,  are  the  grey,  red,  striped  and  flying  squirrels, 
rabbits,  woodchucks  and  the  lowly  hedgehog. 


26  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  eagle  frequently  seen  in  those  days,  and  easily  the  king 
of  the  air,  has  practically  vanished,  though  its  far-removed  cousin 
the  hawk,  still  haunts  the  sky  occasionally,  especially  if  there  is 
a  yard  of  well  fed  chickens  under  its  range  of  vision.  The  crow 
was  here  when  the  white  man  came  waiting  for  his  planting  of 
corn,  finding  the  new-comer  less  generous  than  the  Indian  who 
gladly  set  apart  certain  allowances  for  this  dark-hued  visitant  of 
the  silent  wood  and  open  sky.  The  partridge  drummed  its  wel- 
come to  the  earliest  pioneer  as  it  had  played  its  symphony  to  the 
race  already  here.  The  owl  was  the  bird  of  wisdom  to  the  red 
man,  figuring  conspicuously  in  many  a  council  of  war  or  treaty 
of  peace.  The  wild  bee,  of  all  the  insects,  .afforded  the  Indian 
the  greatest  satisfaction  in  yielding  up  its  stores  of  honey.  The 
noblest  of  all  the  feathered  denizens  of  the  wilderness,  living 
shyly  in  its  thickets,  was  the  wild  turkey.  When  in  full  plumage 
he  was  remarkably  beautiful,  and  it  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  the 
leader  of  a  flock  of  a  dozen  or  more,  an  old  gobbler  that  may 
have  seen  a  decade  of  summers  and  winters,  marshal  in  single  file 
his  brood  along  some  forest  aisle,  forever  on  the  alert  for  danger 
and  at  a  single  note  of  alarm  sending  his  followers  into  covert  in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Often  weighing  between  thirty  and  forty 
pounds,  next  to  beaver  tail,  the  most  delicious  meat  obtainable 
in  those  days,  small  wonder  he  and  his  flock  were  hunted  with 
zeal  by  the  Indians.  These,  with  wild  ducks,  swans  and  geese 
that  nested  and  brooded  by  the  shores  of  the  pristine  sheets  of 
waters,  disappeared  almost  before  the  coming  of  the  whites. 
This  short  catalogue  included  practically  all  of  their  kind,  and 
among  them  all  the  nearest  approach  to  a  songster  was  the  whip- 
poor-will,  sending  up  its  mournful  monotone  from  near  some 
stagnant  water  at  the  close  of  a  summer  day. 

About  the  time  of  the  advent  of  the  white  man  upon  his  new 
possessions  the  wild  pigeon  came  in  mighty  flocks,  seeming  to 
number  thousands  upon  thousands,  flying  in  great  clouds  across 
the  sky,  miles  wide  and  so  dense  that  the  sunlight  would  be  shut 
out  for  hours  together.  These  were  migratory  birds,  coming 
from  the  southland,  and  keeping  up  their  annual  visitations  for 
about  a  hundred  years,  when  they  abruptly  ceased  their  summer 
calls,  having  followed  man  westward  in  his  march  of  civilization. 
They  were  caught  by  wholesale  in  nets  and  made  good  eating. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE   NAME.  2J 

As  singular  as  it  may  seem,  nearly  all  of  the  birds  with  us. 
now  came  with  or  since  our  forefathers,  a  few  early  comers  hav- 
ing departed  from  our  midst,  as  if  they  did  not  like  our  company. 
The  most  noticeable  of  these  being  the  bobolink,  as  he  was 
fraternally  called. 

A  long  list  of  the  creatures  of  field  and  forest,  earth  and  air, 
might  be  given,  but  in  this  respect  Hillsborough  does  not  differ 
materially  from  her  surrounding  towns,  and  it  does  not  seem 
necessary  to  enlarge  upon  this  subject  in  a  work  of  this  kind. 

The  town  gets  its  name  from  that  of  its  founder,  Col.  John 
Hill  of  Boston,  and  was  not  christened  as  the  county  was  for  the 
Earl  of  Hillsborough,  England.  The  name  was  originally  spelled 
without  the  j — Hillborough.  In  written  and  spoken  language  the 
name  has  been  variously  rendered  as  Hillsburg,  Hillsberry,  Hills- 
bury,  Hillborough  and  finally  Hillsborough.  A  few  years  ago, 
in  answer  to  a  petition  sent  to  Washington,  the  government 
sanctioned  the  omission  of  the  last  three  letters,  so  in  the  postal 
directory  it  became  Hillsboro.  The  railroad  had  already  recog- 
nized this  form  of  spelling,  but  the  name  has  never  been  legally 
changed  so  on  all  official  documents  it  is  given  as  Hillsborough, 
and  in  this  form  it  is  a  better  balanced  word. 


CHAPTER  II. 
In  the  Days  of  the  Colonists. 

New  Hampshire  Colonists  of  Four  Nativities — None  Related  to  the 
Others — The  London  Fishermen,  Who  Game  First  to  This  Province 
— The  Puritans,  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony — The  Yorkshire 
Farmers,  Who  Settled  in  the  Merrimack  Valley — The  Scotch-Irish, 
Founders  of  Londonderry,  N.  H. — Pioneers  of  Hillsborough  From 
the  Last  Two  Classes — Crowded  in  the  Wilderness  ! — The  Gardner 
Survey — A  Descendant  of  the  Surveyor  Living  in  Hillsborough — 
King  Philip's  War — A  Hundred  Years  of  Conflict — King  William's 
War — Queen  Anne's  War — Indian  Warfare — Scouting  Parties — 
The  Contoocook  Valley  Scout — Its  Memorial,  Lovell's  Mountain — 
Lovewell's  War — "Peace  of  Boston" — Boundary  Dispute — Grants 
of  Townships — From  the  Merrimack  to  the  Connecticut — Two 
Tiers  of  Towns  Twelve  Miles  Wide — List  of  Grants — Frontier  Line 
Across  the  State — Hillsborough  on  the  Border — Only  Hunters  and 
Indian  Scouts  in  This  Vicinity — Contoocook  a  Favorite  Retreat — 
The  Lost  Legion — Indian  Relics  Found  Here — Pompanoosick,  Last 
of  His  Race — Original  Records  of  the  Town's  Settlement  Lost — 
Colonel  Hill's  Grant— The  Isaac  Little  Deed — Church  Deed  to 
Joseph  Mason — Rival  Factions  Seek  to  Govern  New  Hampshire — 
Origin  of  the  Name — Provincial  Government — After  This  Local 
History. 

Colonization  in  New  Hampshire  came  from  four  sources, 
each  independent  of  one  another  and  entirely  dissimilar.  Con- 
temporary with  the  settlement  by  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth,  if 
not  earlier,  came  certain  hardy  colonists  from  London  and 
Central  England,  who  established  themselves  on  the  coast  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Pascataqua  River,  soon  pushing  their  way  inland 
until  they  had  effected  permanent  colonies  at  Dover,  Strawberry 
Bank  (Portsmouth),  Hampton,  Exeter,  and  elsewhere,  laying  to 
a  considerable  extent  the  foundation  of  New  England's  civic  and 
military  power.  Of  this  party  the  history  of  Western  New 
Hampshire,  including  especially  Hillsborough  County,  has  very 
little  association.  Neither  do  the  Pilgrims  figure  to  any  extent 
in  her  colonization. 

28 


THE  EARLY  COLONISTS.  29 

Fifteen  years  following  the  wintry  advent  of  the  Pilgrims 
began  to  appear  upon  the  scene  about  Boston  and  northward  a 
body  of  men  and  women  who  styled  themselves  "The  Massachu- 
setts Bay  Colonists,"  better  known  as  "The  Puritans."  Within  a 
few  years  yet  another  class,  with  no  distinctive  designation  or 
real  grievance  at  heart  as  an  incentive  to  found  homes  in  the 
wilderness  of  a  new  country,  entered  the  field  of  conquest.  This 
honest  company,  seeking  to  improve  its  social  and  fiancial  con- 
dition, for  the  want  of  a  better  name  might  be  called  "The  York- 
shire Yeomanry,"  as  it  came  largely  from  that  district. 

Coming  later  than  any  of  the  preceding  bodies,  and  flying 
before  such  civil  and  religious  persecution  as  seldom  falls  to  the 
lot  of  men,  were  a  goodly  number  of  immigrants  with  a  Scottish 
lineage  but  acknowledging  Ireland  as  their  birthplace.  These 
pioneers  began  their  colonization  in  New  England  in  1718,  nearly 
a  hundred  of  them  coming  to  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  in  the  spring 
of  1719-  To  distinguish  these  people  from  those  coming  from 
Southern  Ireland,  the  historian  has  designated  them  as  "Scotch- 
Irish.-"  In  writing  the  history  of  Hillsborough  these  sturdy 
settlers  and  their  descendants  occupy  a  first  place,  with  the 
Yorkshire  husbandmen  coming  a  good  second,  followed  by  a  few 
of  the  Puritanical  faith. 

As  inconsistent  as  it  may  be  and  seem,  within  five  years  of 
their  arrival  the  colonists  of  Massachusetts  Bay  began  to  com- 
plain of  being  crowded !  With  a  view  of  enlarging  their  planta- 
tion, a  survey  of  the  Merrimack  River  was  made  in  the  summer 
of  1638,  and  the  first  rude  plan  of  the  inland  country  returned  to 
the  courts  of  Massachusetts  by  John  Gardner,  who  had  a  descen- 
dant living  in  Hillsborough,  which  fact  links  the  history  of  our 
town  very  clearly  with  the  early  colonization  of  the  state.  The 
people  began  to  look  northward  for  homes,  and  actual  settlers 
pushed  as  far  north  as  Old  Dunstable,  when  an  outbreak  with  the 
Indians  checked  the  advance.  This  struggle  became  known  as 
King  Philip's  War,  and  lasted  from  1662  to  1678,  in  which  the 
Indians  of  Southern  New  England  were  so  completely  crushed 
that  they  never  rallied  sufficiently  to  offer  further  resistance. 
This  was  a  purely  colonial  struggle  between  the  incoming  white 
man  and  the  outgoing  red  man. 


3°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

However,  if  the  outcome  had  been  highly  satisfactory  to  the 
Puritan  and  Pilgrim,  the  strife  had  only  been  begun.  In  the 
north  a  new  element  entered  into  the  conflict,  prolonging  it  for 
more  than  three-fourths  of  a  century,  making  the  entire  warfare, 
with  brief  intervals  of  peace,  one  of  a  hundred  years'  duration. 
One  explanation  for  this  is  the  fact  that  during  the  long  period 
England  and  France  were  almost  continually  at  war,  and  without 
failure  these  quarrels  were  transmitted  to  their  colonies  in 
America.  Thus  the  colonists  of  Canada  or  New  France,  and 
New  England  were  constantly  pitted  against  each  other,  with  the 
unsophisticated  red  men  as  the  targets  of  war. 

The  beginning  of  the  conflict  between  the  French  and  the 
English  in  this  country  was  better  known  as  "King  William's 
War,"  though  often  referred  to  as  "St.  Castin's  War/'  from  the 
fact  this  French  leader  had  aroused  the  English  colonists  by  his 
steady  and  persistent  encroachments  on  their  territory.  At  this 
time  the  Governor  of  New  France  began  to  systematically  organ- 
ize and  train  the  so-called  Christian  Indians  to  wage  a  predatory 
warfare  upon  the  colonists  of  New  England.  This  war  ended 
with  the  peace  of  Ryswick,  September  20,  1697,  without  actually 
settling  any  of  the  mooted  points  between  the  Old  World  nations. 

Less  than  five  years  of  restless  peace  followed,  when  May 
4,  1762,  England  declared  war  against  France  and  Spain,  and 
what  was  known  in  Europe  as  the  "War  of  Spanish  Succession" 
ensued.  In  America  this  struggle  was  styled  "Queen  Anne's 
War,"  and  it  lasted  until  the  "Peace  of  Utrecht,"  in  April,  1713. 
By  the  terms  of  this  settlement  Great  Britain  obtained  New 
Foundland,  Acadia  and  Hudson  Bay  Territory,  and  it  was  be- 
lieved permanent  peace  had  been  secured. 

If  the  European  Powers  had  succeeded  in  closing  the  drama 
of  arms  for  a  time,  the  colonists  in  America  continued  to  wage 
their  intermittent  warfare  upon  local  issues.  On  the  one  hand 
was  usually  a  dispute  relative  to  some  boundary  line,  as  witness 
the  cause  of  King  William's  War.  Not  so  inclined  to  make  for 
themselves  permanent  settlements  as  the  English,  with  a  wonder- 
ful ability  to  cover  a  vast  extent  of  country  with  a  few  numbers, 
the  French  established  their  outposts  and  claimed  nearly  half  the 
territory  now  included  in  the  United  States.    The  fisheries  of  the 


FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WARS.  31 

Atlantic  coast  was  a  bone  of  contention  long  after  the  earlier 
quarrels  had  been  adjusted.  Then,  there  was  the  rich  fur  trade, 
a  matter  of  no  slight  interest,  and  which  both  the  French  and  the 
English  wanted  to  monopolize.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  pur- 
pose, the  French  built  their  forts  in  the  distant  wilderness,  and 
sent  their  voyageurs  on  long  journeys  into  the  pathless  regions 
of  "summer  snows,"  until  checked  in  a  measure  by  that  mighty 
corporation  of  the  English  known  as  "The  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany." Last,  but  not  least  in  its  sinister  influence  among  the 
colonists,  was  the  difference  in  religious  views.  With  all  of  these 
influences  at  work  it  is  not  strange  if  the  two  parties  were  ever 
lying  in  wait  for  each  other,  and  always  the  unfortunate  red  man, 
his  untutored  mind  embittered  with  real  and  fancied  wrongs,  was 
the  uncertain  and  disturbing  element  hovering  over  the  scenes  like 
a  shadowy  Nemesis. 

So,  while  the  Old  World  bivouacked  her  armies,  the  colonists 
of  New  France  constructed  their  missionary  strongholds  in  the 
wilderness,  and  encouraged  their  dusky  neophytes  to  carry  terror 
to  the  hearts  of  the  Pioneers  of  New  England  by  a  series  of 
attacks  upon  their  defenseless  homes,  applying  the  torch  to  their 
dwellings  and  slaying  the  tender  and  bleeding  and  helpless  in 
cold  blood,  or  bearing  them  away  to  a  fate  worse  than  death. 
Driven  to  frenzy  by  these  repeated  cruelties,  which  if  not  checked 
would  result  in  complete  disaster,  the  English  from  time  to  time 
sent  numerous — over  twenty— scouting  parties  over  the  great  belt 
of  country  lying  between  the  warring  factions,  now  and  then 
bringing  back  bloody  trophies  of  the  wartrail.  One  of  these  ex- 
peditions passed  down  the  valley  of  the  Contoocook  through  the 
present  territory  of  Hillsborough,  where  then  the  only  beacon 
light  was  the  signal  fire  of  the  dusky  enemy,  and  gave  the  name 
of  the  leader  to  Lovell's  Mountain. 

The  climax  in  these  warlike  marches  was  reached,  when 
Harmon  at  the  head  of  his  scouts  in  the  summer  of  1724  routed 
the  religious  garrison  of  the  French  at  Norridgewock,  near  where 
now  stands  the  town  of  Farmington,  Me.,  and  completed  their 
work  by  killing  the  insistent  missionary,  Father  Rasle.  This 
crushing  blow  was  followed  by  Lovewell's  memorable  expedi- 
tions, the  third  and  last  of  which  culminated  May  5,  1725,  in 


S2  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  life  and  death  struggle  with  the  Sokoki  Indians  on  the  shores 
of  Uncannebe  in  the  valley  of  the  Saco  River  not  far  from  the 
site  of  the  town  of  Fryeburg,  Me.  This  battle,  while  disastrous 
to  the  immediate  parties  engaged  in  it,  brought  about  "The  Peace 
of  Boston,"  signed  by  certain  Abnaki  chiefs,  and  giving  to  the 
English  the  longest  cessation  of  hostilities  they  had  ever  enjoyed. 

As  if  their  other  troubles  were  not  sufficient,  a  dispute  had 
arisen  between  the  colonists  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire in  regard  to  the  boundary  line.  It  had  been  stated  in  the 
charter  of  the  Massachusett  Bay  Company  that  the  northern 
boundary  of  its  grant  should  be  a  line  three  miles  north  of  the 
Merrimack  "as  the  river  runs  in  any  and  every  part  thereof." 
As  far  as  the  early  surveyors  had  penetrated  the  river  had  flowed 
from  the  west,  and  that  was  the  reason  it  was  supposed  to  be  its 
continuous  course.  When  it  became  evident  that  a  mistake  had 
been  made,  rather  than  yield  to  its  sister  province,  towards  whom 
there  was  anything  but  a  kindly  feeling,  east  was  made  to  stand 
for  north,  and  Massachusetts  claimed  all  territory  to  the  west  of 
the  river  and  a  strip  three  miles  wide  on  the  east,  continuing  to 
three  miles  north  of  the  head  of  the  stream,  "wherever  that  might 
be."  This  claim  was  stubbornly  fought  in  and  out  of  the  courts 
for  nearly  a  hundred  years,  and  it  was  pushed  with  renewed 
activity  the  moment  the  difficulties  with  the  French  and  Indians 
had  been  checked. 

Aware  that  her  demands  upon  the  debatable  country  lying  to 
the  west  of  the  Merrimack  River  was  to  be  seriously  combated 
by  the  court  of  New  Hampshire,  and  believing  in  the  old  saying 
that  "possession  is  nine  points  in  law,"  Massachusetts  began  to 
grant  townships  and  homesteads  in  that  section  to  those  who 
would  promise  to  become  actual  settlers.  In  doing  this  she  gave 
two  reasons:  One  was  to  form  a  cordon  of  settlements  on  a  more 
northern  frontier  than  before,  as  a  protection  against  any  possible 
uprising  from  the  Indians  in  the  future,  and  the  other  excuse  was 
to  reward  her  soldiers  in  the  previous  wars.  Acting  upon  this 
assumption  a  belt  of  territory  three  miles  wide  and  six  miles  long 
was  granted  in  April,  1735,  to  the  survivors  and  heirs  of  that 
body  of  troops  led  by  Capt.  William  Tyng  in  the  winter  of  1702- 
1703  known  as  the  "Snow-shoe  Scouts,"  the  grant  made  under 


STEEL  BRIDGE,  HEXXIKER  ROAD. 


Photograph  by  Maxah.w. 

XORTH  BRANCH,  COXTOOCOOK  RIVER. 


GRANT  OF  THE  TOWNSHIP.  33 

the  name  of  Tyng  Township.  Another  township  on  the  east  side 
was  granted  to  Lovewell's  men  under  the  title  of  "Lovewell's 
Town."  The  first  grant  is  now  included  in  the  City  of  Man- 
chester, and  the  second  in  the  Town  of  Pembroke. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Merrimack  the  lower  province  was 
more  ambitious,  as  she  was  supposed  and  had  need  to  be.  In 
this  direction  she  caused  to  be  mapped  out  two  tiers  of  towns 
between  the  above-named  river  and  the  Connecticut,  the  northern 
line  running  from  Penacook,  now  Concord,  to  the  "Great  Falls" 
of  the  last  river,  and  now  known  as  Bellows  Falls.  This  band  of 
wild  country  was  twelve  miles  in  width,  the  townships  being  each 
six  miles  square.  The  names  and  dates  of  the  grants  of  the 
lower  section  is  as  follows : 

Bow,  May  10.  1727  ;  Amherst,  as  Narragansett,  No.  3,  December  18, 
1728 ;  Boscawen,  as  Contoocook,  Dec.  8,  1732  ;  Goffstown,  as  Narrag-an- 
sett, No.  4,  Feb.  9,  1733-4;  Bedford,  as  Narragansett,  No.  5,  February 
12,  1733-4 ;  Lyndeborongh,  as  Salem-Canada,  June  19.  1735 ;  Dumbar- 
ton, as  Starkstown,  June  19,  1735;  We  a  re,  as  Beverly-Canada,  June 
19,  1735;  New  Boston,  January  14,  1735-6. 

In  the  second  tier  eight  towns  were  granted  in  the  succeeding 
order : 

No.  1  Warner,  January  16,  1735-6  ;  No.  2,  Bradford,  January  16, 
1735-6;  No.  3,  Walpole,  November,  1736;  No.  4,  Alstead ;  No.  5,  Hop- 
kinton ;  No.  6,  Henniker ;  No.  7,  Hillsborough ;  No.  8,  Washington ; — 
all  of  the  five  last-named  granted  January  16,  1735-6. 

The  frontier  line  at  this  period  if  drawn  from  east  to  west 
would  have  extended  from  Rochester  through  Barrington  to 
Boscawen,  then  known  as  Contoocook,  Concord,  then  called  Rum- 
ford,  through  Hopkinton,  Henniker,  Hillsborough  and  Peterbor- 
ough to  Swanzey,  Keene,  Winchester,  and  Hinsdale.  The  entire 
northern  and  western  country  to  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  save  for  a  few  families  located 
upon  the  "Great  Meadows"  of  Westmoreland  or  near  the  garrison 
at  Number  Four,  now  known  as  Charlestown. 

Contemporary  with  the  grants  of  these  towns  it  is  not  certain 
there  was  a  single  inhabitant  within  the  entire  extent  of  territory, 
though  tradition  does  credit  two  squatters  with  having  erected 
rude  cabins  and  making  small  clearings.     One  of  these  named 


34  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Keyes  had  pitched  his  tent  within  the  grant  of  Weare,  and  the 
other  within  the  bounds  of  old  No.  7,  as  Hillsborough  was 
originally  known.  Mention  of  this  couple  will  be  more  definitely 
made  later  on. 

As  late  as  1713,  but  a  little  over  twenty  years  before  these 
grants  were  made  the  only  settlement  in  Hillsborough  County  was 
in  that  part  of  Old  Dunstable  now  included  in  Nashua.  But 
within  seven  or  eight  years  adventurous  settlers  had  penetrated 
into  the  deeper  woods  and  established  homes  in  Hollis,  Litchfield, 
Merrimack,  and  Amherst.  From  these  outposts  hunters  and 
trappers,  eager  to  secure  the  pelts  of  the  bear,  deer,  beaver,  or 
other  fur-bearing  animals,  ranged  the  valleys  of  the  Pascataquog 
and  Contoocook  rivers.  Thus  from  171 5  to  1735  the  beautiful 
valley  of  the  Contoocook,  if  not  inhabited  by  an  actual  settler, 
was  well  known  to  scouts  and  hunters,  who  saw  in  the  densely 
wooded  intervales  and  the  heavily  timbered  uplands  bright  pros- 
pects for  the  future  husbandman. 

The  Contoocook  River  was  a  favorite  stream  among  the 
Indians,  and  its  name  is  a  memory  of  them,  one  meaning  being 
"great  place  for  crows."  The  Penacook  family  or  tribe,  whose 
chief  lodgment  was  near  where  this  river  united  with  the  Merri- 
mack, held  sway  over  the  country,  the  dusky  warriors  flitting 
hither  and  yon  like  shadows  in  the  forest.  Along  this  stream 
they  had  hunted  and  fished  from  time  immemorial — unnumbered 
generations.  Over  this  route  went  and  came  many  of  the  war- 
parties  sent  out  by  their  sachem  to  meet  their  enemies  in  life  and 
death  grapples.  It  was  somewhere  in  this  vicinity  that  the  ancient 
and  half-mythical  chieftain,  Kenewa,  went  forth  to  battle  with 
the  fiery  Mohawks  in  one  of  their  invasions,  to  disappear  as  com- 
pletely as  did  Varus  and  his  Roman  legions  in  the  dark  Germanic 
forests. 

Many  relics,  such  as  spoons  or  ladles,  spear-heads,  arrow 
points,  tomahawks,  pestles  and  mortars  used  in  grinding  maize, 
with  similar  devices  fashioned  out  of  stone  by  the  rude  yet  cun- 
ning hand  of  the  dusky  artisan  have  been  found,  showing  that  at 
one  time  they  must  have  been  numerous  in  this  vicinity.  Almost 
within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant  has  come  hither  the 
aged  Pompanoosick,  last  of  the  renowned  chieftains  of  his  race, 


«<___„.,_   _^  „,  ,r,,_T»_TT  >» 


PEOPLE  OF  PLYMOUTH.  35 

to  bid  his  farewell  to  the  scenes  of  his  ancestors,  the  unbidden 
tears  springing  to  his  bronzed  cheek  in  spite  of  the  stoicism  of 
generations  of  warriors. 

These  warlike  denizens  of  wood  and  water,  flitting  hither 
and  thither  in  the  dim  aisles  of  the  old  forest  or  gliding  like 
shadows  along  the  winding  river,  left  a  history  written  only  in 
the  deeds  of  their  conquerors,  and  not  always  with, a  fairness 
that  has  done  them  justice.  As  has  been  stated,  at  this  period 
few  were  left  to  molest  the  people  who  had  taken  up  their  land 
without  hesitation  or  compunction. 

Owing  to  the  loss  or  disappearance  of  certain  records  and 
private  papers  belonging  to  the  original  proprietor  of  this  town- 
ship, there  is  some  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  action  in  the  grant 
or  grants  of  the  territory  comprising  the  present  town  of  Hills- 
borough. The  courts  of  Massachusetts  on  January  16,  1735-6, 
granted  to  Col.  John  Hill,  of  Boston,  a  man  of  considerable 
ability,  wealth  and  influence,  who  was  interested  in  the  settlements 
of  other  townships  in  New  Hampshire,  a  tract  of  country  "about 
six  mile  square"  in  the  heart  of  an  unsurveyed  wilderness. 

This  conveyance  does  not  state  that  others  were  interested 
in  this  grant,  nor  even  that  Col.  John  Hill  had  a  partner,  and  yet 
before  the  close  of  the  year  papers  were  drawn  up  which  seem  to 
show  that  a  body  of  men,  the  list  headed  by  the  name  of  Isaac 
Little,  and  known  as  the  "People  of  Plymouth"  had  obtained  a 
grant  of  "eight-sixty  thirds"  of  this  land,  as  witness  the  following 
instruments  executed  by  these  grantees : 

Deed  of  Conveyance  of  Isaac  Little  and  Others. 

To  all  People  to  whom  these  presents  shall  or  may  come  Greeting 

Know  ye  that  we  Isaac  Little  of  Pembroke  John  Cushing  Junr 
of  Scituate  and  James  Warren  of  Plymouth  all  in  the  County  of 
Plymouth  Esq"  Thomas  Church  of  Little  Compton  Job  Almy  of  Tiv- 
erton and  Charles  Church  of  Bristol  all  in  the  County  of  Bristol  Esq' 
and  Shuball  Goreham  of  Barnstable  Esqr  and  the  said  Charles  Church 
as  assignee  of  Joseph  Mason  of  Swansey  in  the  County  of  Bristol 
Esqr  for  a  valuable  consideration  to  us  paid  by  John  Hill  Gen*  and 
Gershom  Keyes  Trader  both  of  Boston  in  the  County  of  Suffolk  and 
therefore  do  by  these  present  fully  and  absolutely  Grant  bargain  sell 
aliene  transfer  convey  and  confirm  to  them  the  said  John  Hill  and 
Gershom  Keyes  in  equal  halves  or  Shares  and  to  their  heirs  and  as- 


36  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

signs  forever  eight  Single  Shares  or  eight  Sixty  third  parts  of  a  new 
Township  lying  on  the  Line  of  Towns  between  Connecticot  and  Mer- 
rimack Rivers  being  the  Township  Number  Seven  bounding  East  on 
the  Township  Number  Six  and  West  on  the  Township  Number  Eight 
into  which  township  we  have  been  admitted  in  pursuance  or  conse- 
quence of  our  Petition  preferred  to  the  Great  and  Generall  Court  of 
the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  namely  by  the  Committee  of 
said  Generall  Court  as  also  our  associates  of  which  the  said  John 
Hill  and  Gershom  Keyes  are  a  part  To  have  and  to  hold  The  said 
Eight  rights  or  Shares  or  Eight  Sixty  thirds  parts  of  said  Township 
Number  Seven  to  them  the  said  John  Hill  and  Gershom  Keyes  and  to 
their  heirs  and  assigns  forever  free  and  clear  from  all  incumbrances 
by  us  made  or  suffered  to  be  made  and  done  to  be  held  by  them  the 
said  Keyes  and  Hill  and  their  heirs  executors  and  administrators  or 
assigns  in  equal  halves  or  Shares  as  aforesaid  always  subject  to  the 
Terms  and  conditions  of  Settlement 

In   Wittness   whereof   we  hare   hereunto   set    our   hands    and    Seals 
this  22d  day  of  December  Anno  Dom :  1736 

Isaac  Little  and  Seal 
John  Gushing-  Junr  and  Seal 
James  Warren  and  Seal 
Thomas  Church  and  Seal 
Job  Almy  and  Seal 
Charles  Church  and  Seal 
Shuball  Gorham  And  Seal 
Signed  Sealed  and  Delivered  in  presence  of  us 

Richard  Hubbard 
Luke  Hardy 
Suffolk  ss  Boston  Decern  30  1736 

Isa^ic  Little  John  Gushing  Junr  James  Warren  Thomas  Church 
Job  Almy  Charles  Church  and  Shubel  Gorham  Esqrs  the  above  Sub- 
sribers  personally  appearing  freely  acknowledged  the  foregoing  in- 
strument to  be  their  Act  and  Deed 

William  Dudley  J;  P: 
Reed  ye  Day  above  said  the  instrument  by  which  it  appears  the 
aforesaid  Charles  Church  Esq1-  assignee  to  Joseph  Mason  Esq1"  and  the 
same  is  annexed 

John    Hill 

Gershom  Keyes 
(Middlesex  Co.  Deeds,  vol.  38,  p.  24.) 

Deed  of  Joseph  Mason  to  Charles  Church. 

To  all  Persons  to  whom  these  presents  may  come  know  ye  that 
where  as  I  Joseph  Mason  of  Swansey  in  the  County  of  Bristol  Esq. 
was  one  of  the   Subscribers  to  a  petition  Signed  by  Isaac  Little  and 


EARLY  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  37 

others  for  a  Township  in  some  of  the  unappropriated  Lands  of  the 
Province  which  petition  was  so  far  granted  that  said  petitioners  might 
have  one  of  the  Townships  in  the  Line  of  Towns  and  in  as  much  as 
it  is  so  very  remote  from  where  I  now  dwell  I  do  by  these  presents 
bargain  Sell  and  confirm  unto  Charles  Church  of  Bristol  in  the  County 
of  Bristol  Esqr  and  to  his  heirs  and  assigns  for  ever  all  my  right  and 
title  to  said  Township  be  the  same  more  or  less  having-  received  a 
valluable  consideration  for  said  right  or  Share  in  said  Township 

In  Witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  this 
twenty  Seventh  day  of  December  Annoque  Domini  One  Thousand 
Seven  Hundred  and  Thirty  Six 

Joseph  Mason  and  Seal 
In  presence  of  us  John  Mason  Barbara  Mason. 

Recorded  May  9,  1737 
(Middlesex  Co.  Deeds,  Vol.   38,   p.   24.) 

To  understand  the  perplexing  situations  that  follow  it  should 
be  remembered  that  the  settlement  of  New  England  while  begun 
under  a  single  grant  was  very  soon  divided  and  rival  factions 
came  to  the  front.  One  of  these,  known  as  the  Masonian  Pro- 
prietors, secured,  in  a  measure,  the  ownership  of  much  of  the 
northern  area,  including  most  of  New  Hampshire  and  a  part  of 
Maine,  under  the  title  of  Laconia.  The  parties  interested  in  this 
plantation  were  influential  men  of  London.  The  rights  of  the 
Massachusetts  grantees  apparently  were  not  considered.  Under 
this  condition  New  Hampshire,  which  had  no  charter  from  the 
English  parliament  and  whose  governors  were  appointed  by  the 
King,  was  known  as  a  "royal  province."  Of  this  class  were  also 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia.  Almost  all  of  these  were  originally  proprietary  govern- 
ments, and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  King  when  these  proprietors 
relinquished  or  for  any  reason  lost  their  claims. 

Distinct  from  this  purchase  of  "Laconia,"  but  somewhat  sim- 
ilar in  purpose,  certain  gentlemen  of  wealth  and  influence  under 
the  name  of  the  "Plymouth  Company"  had  obtained  from  the 
English  courtsa  grant  covering  five  colonies  or  territorial  settle- 
ments designated  as  Plymouth,  Massachusetts  Bay,  Connecticut, 
New  Haven,  Providence,  Rhode  Island  and  New  Hampshire.  It 
was  with  members  of  this  body  of  speculators  that  Colonel  Hill 
had  to  deal.     During  the  long  years  of  colonization  and  frontier 


38  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

perils  ever  the  question  of  right  of  domain  over  New  Hampshire 
by  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company  was  agitated.* 

The  provincial  government  of  New  Hampshire  in  1745, 
during  the  interval  of  the  first  settlement  in  Hillsborough  consisted 
of  a  royal  governor,  council  and  assembly.  Benning  Wentworth 
was  governor  and  his  council  was  composed  of  ten  gentlemen, 
who  represented  the  wealth  and  aristocracy  of  the  day.  The 
assembly,  as  it  was  convened  on  January  24,  1745,  had  represen- 
tatives from  thirteen  towns,  viz. :  Portsmouth,  three  members ; 
Dover,  three;  Hampton  and  Hampton  Falls,  three  together; 
Exeter,  two ;  and  one  for  each  of  the  following  towns,  Stratham, 
New  Castle,  Rye,  Kingston,  Greenland,  New  Market,  Newington, 
Durham  and  Londonderry.  The  representative  from  Newington 
was  dismissed,  but  later  another  person  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  populous  (if  such  a  term  could 
be  used  at  that  period)  portion  of  the  province  was  very  limited 
in  its  area,  and  did  not  come  very  far  towards  the  western  section 
of  the  territory. 


*The  name  New  Hampshire  comes  from  two  words  meaning  "borne  place"; 
that  is,  the  syllable  Ham  is  the  Scotch  form  for  "home,"  and  slura  denotes  a  place 
or  locality.  In  England  it  was  broadened  so  as  to  have  a  signification  very 
nearly  to  our  "county."  The  letter  "p"  seems  to  have  been  added  in  the  16th 
century.  So,  from  representing  a  solitary  homestead  or  farmhouse,  it  was  made 
to  cover  a  village  (hamlet),  town,  province  and  anon  a  state,  a  very  applicable  name 
and  one  that  commands   our  respect. — Author. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Founders  of  Number  Seven. 

Easier  to  Get  the  Grant  of  a  Town  Than  to  Find  Settlers — First  Con- 
veyance of  Land  Made  to  Samuel  Gibson  of  Boston — Other  Pur- 
chasers of  Lots — Deeds  to  Isaac  Baldwin — Deed  to  John  Traill 
and  Jeremiah  Green— Deed  of  Keyes  to  Huntington — A  Title  that 
Outlived  Many  of  the  Others — Keyes  to  Samuel  Brown — Boundary 
Dispute  Finally  Submitted  to  the  King  and  Council — Line  Fixed 
in  1740 — Hard  Lines  on  Colonel  Hill — But  He  Was  not  the  Only 
Sufferer — Petition  of  Samuel  Brown — Contains  an  Important 
Date  Relating  to  the  Time  of  Settlement — Court  Allows  Him  Re- 
dress— Undaunted  Colonel  Hill  Continues  His  Battle — Deeds  and 
Mortgages  Relating  to  the  Settlement  of  the  Town. 

All  grants  of  territory  in  New  England  imposed  upon  the 
grantees  certain  obligations  which  they  were  in  duty  bound  to 
perform.  While  Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  had  not  found  it  very 
difficult  to  secure  the  grant  of  Number  Seven,  by  purchase  of  the 
Plymouth  grantees  and  by  action  of  the  court,  it  was  not  so  easy 
a  task  to  find  persons  willing  to  take  up  lots  in  the  unknown 
woods  so  far  removed  from  Boston  which  even  then  was  the 
"hub"  of  New  England,  though  the  colonists  of  the  new  country 
had  come  hither  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  adventure  and  pre- 
pared to  meet  hardships  of  almost  any  degree  that  they  might 
establish  themselves  in  a  free  land. 

Colonel  Hill  was  a  man  of  wide  and  influential  acquaintance, 
while  his  partner  had  become  familiar  with  the  region  by  an 
actual  attempt  at  settlement.  The  first  man  they  seemed  to  have 
found  willing  to  make  the  venture  was  Samuel  Gibson,  a  sturdy 
Scotchman  not  long  since  come  to  Boston.  So  the  first  convey- 
ance of  land  in  the  grant  of  which  record  has  been  found,  and 
which  was  dated  nearly  two  years  after  the  initial  grant,  and 
attendant  movement,  under  date  of  December  29,  1737,  reads  as 
follows : 

John   Hill    Esq.    &   Gershom   Keyes,    Trader,   both    of    Boston    for 
£  100  convey  to  Samuel  Gibson  of  Boston,  Labourer,  a  Certain  Lott  of 

39 


40  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Land  in  a  Township  Granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esqr  and  others  of  Old 
Plymouth  Colony  and  their  Associates  which  Township  is  Called  No.  7 
in  the  line  of  Towns  between  Merrimack  &  Connecticut  River  said  lott 
of  land  Contains  Seventy  Acres  and  lyeth  in  the  north  range  being  the 
house  lot  No.  49  which  was  surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr  Bounds 
north  on  Lott  No.  48  and  South  on  Lott  No.  50,  it  butts  on  undevided 
land,  it  began  at  a  Stake  and  Stones  at  the  north  west  angle,  from 
thence  ran  east  one  hundred  and  Sixty  to  a  grey  oak  at  the  north  East 
angle,  from  thence  it  ran  South  Seventy  rods  to  a  stake  and  Stones 
to  the  South  east  Seventy  rods  to  a  stake  and  Stones 
to  the  South  east  angle  from  thence  it  ran  west  one  hundred  and 
Sixty  rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  South  west  angle  and  from 
thence  it  ran  straight  to  where  it  began.  Also  One  hundred  acres 
more  lying  in  Common  and  undivided  land  being  the  sixtieth  part  of 
Six  thousand  acres  lying  in  equal  wedth  upon  the  westerly  side  of 
said  Township  No.  7.  Said  Six  thousand  acres  adjoining  on  a  Town- 
ship Called  No.  8  and  to  be  an  Equal  wedth  acrost  the  Township  No.  7. 
To  Have  and  to  Hold,  etc. 

Providing  that  before  June  1,  1740  said  Samuel  Gibson  shall  settle 
said  lot  No.  49  according  to  the  Grant  of  the  great  &  General  Court 
which  is  that  the  Said  Samuel  Gibson  his  heirs,  Executors  or  Admin- 
istrators Shall  build  a  Dwelling  house  of  eighteen  feet  square  &  Seven 
feet  wide  &  seven  Feet  Stud  at  the  least  and  fence  in  and  break  up 
for  plowing  or  clear  and  Stock  with  English  grass  five  acres  of  Land 
upon  the  aforesaid  Lot  Number  49  and  Settle  a  family  thereon  at  or 
before  the  first  day  of  June  anno  Domini  1740  afore  mentioned. 
Likewise  pay  the  sixtieth  part  of  Settling  a  minister  in  said  Township 
of  which  Conditions  if  the  said  Samuel  Gibson  .  .  .  shall  fail  .  .  . 
then  the  aforesaid  Deed  ....  to  be  null  and  void  and  of  none  Effect. 

September  23,  1738,  apparently  not  satisfied  with  the  amount 
of  land  he  had  secured,  Mr.  Gibson  acquired  an  additional  interest 
in  the  township  upon  the  same  conditions  as  the  preceding  instru- 
ment. 

Now  that  a  beginning  had  been  made  it  seemed  easier  to  find 
customers,  and  deeds  of  conveyance  are  found  quite  frequently 
among  the  early  records.  As  these  were  usually  made  under  the 
same  stipulation  and  condition,  though  the  prices  varied,  it  does 
not  appear  necessary  to  give  the  conveyances  in  full.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  at  this  early  date  considerable  discrimination  was 
made  in  reference  to  the  values  of  the  lots  even  if  unimproved. 
At  that  time  it  was  customary  to  deed  lots  sufficiently  large  for 
homesteads,    and    then    convey    them    portions    of    "common 


EARLY  PROPRIETORS.  41 

land"  so  called.  Frequently  these  last  were  lowlands  or  meadows 
where  wild  grass  could  be  secured  to  feed  the  stock  during 
winter.  Often  these  sections  had  been  cleared  by  the  beavers 
damming  the  waters  and  the  overflow  killing  out  the  trees.  In 
pioneer  days  some  of  these  localities  yielded  a  great  burden  of 
fairly  good  fodder  for  the  cattle.  The  following  were  purchasers 
of  lots  in  the  township : 

Alexander  Turner,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  husbandman,  bought 
"a  farm  for  £100  containing  fifty  two  acres,  which  Lott  is  number 
thirty  two. . .  and  one  hundred  lying  in  common  and  undivided 
lands,"  August  5,  1738. 

James  Meyer,  of  Boston,  purchased  November  21,  1738,  "a 
farm  containing  two  hundred  acres . . .  Sied  Farm  on  the  South 
side  of  the  great  river  lyes."  Mr.  Meyer  was  a  "Shaymaker," 
and  he  paid  £60,  upon  the  same  condition  of  settlement. 

Jabez  Huntington,  Norwich,  Conn.,  purchased  November  22, 
1738,  "a  certain  Lott  of  land  containing  seventy  acres  and  is 
House  Lot  Number  50. . .  Also  one  hundred  Acres  more  lying 
in  Common  and  undevided  land." 

James  Maxwell,  of  Stow,  Mass.,  husbandman,  bought  for 
£100  "Lott  No.  20  of  fifty  acres. . .  their  being  an  allowance  of 
a  highway  a  crost  the  west  End  and  south  side.  Also  one  hundred 
acres  lying  in  common  an  undivided  land." 

The  succeeding  conveyance  varies  so  much  from  the  others 
that  it  is  given  in  full: 

Baldwin  Deeds. 

John  Hill  Esq.  &  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston  con- 
vey to  Isaac  Baldwin  of  Sudbury,  Housewright,  for  £  100  a  certain 
Lot  of  Land  in  a  Township  granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esqr  and  others  of 
old  Plymouth  Colony  and  their  Associates  which  Township  is  called 
No.  7  in  the  Line  of  Towns  between  Merrimack  and  Connecticut 
River  Said  Lot  of  Land  contains  fifty  Acres  and  forty  rods  being 
the  House  Lot  No.  6  which  was  Surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr  and 
bounds  Northwest  on  undivided  land  and  South  East  on  Lot  No.  5. 
It  butts  Eastwardly  on  Lott  No.  7.  and  Southwest  on  No.  9  It  be- 
gan at  a  Beach  at  the  North  East  Angle  thence  it  ran  South  Forty 
Degrees  and  thirty  minutes  west  one  hundred  and  eighty  rods  to  a 
beach  to  the  Southwest  Angle  from  thence  it  ran  East  forty  Degrees 
and  thirty  minits  South  fifty  rods  to  a  stake  and  Stones — to  the  South- 
east Angle,  from  thence  it  ran  North  forty  Degrees  and  thirty  min- 
its East  one  hundred  and  eighty  rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the 


42  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

North  East  Angle  and  from  Thence  it  ran  straight  to  where  it  began. 
Also  one  hundred  Acres  more  lying  in  Common  and  undivided  Land 
being  the  Sixtieth  part  of  Six  thousand  acres  lying  in  equal  wedth 
upon  the  Westly  Side  of  Said'  Township  No.  7  Said  Six  thousand  Acres 
in  adjoining  on  a  Township  called  No.  8  and  to  be  of  an  equal 
wedth  acrost  the  Township  called  NO.  7  To  have  and  to  hold  Dated 
Dec.  5,  1739 

Witness  Stephen  Willis 
Josiah   Flagg 

Provided  that  before  June  1,  1740,  said  Isaac  Baldwin  shall  settle 
same 

according  to  the  Grant  of  the  great  General  Court  which  is  that 
the  said  Isaac  Baldwin  his  heirs  Executors  or  Administrators  shall 
build  a  Dwelling  house  of  eighteen  feet  Square  and  Seven  feet  stud 
at  the  least  and  fence  in  and  break  up  for  plowing  or  clear  and 
Stock  with  English  grass  five  acres  of  Land  upon  aforesaid  Lot  Num- 
ber Six  and  Settle  a  family  thereon  at  or  before  the  first  day  of 
June  anno  Domini  1740  aforesaid  and  mentioned  Likewise  pay  the 
Sixtieth  part  of  Settling  a  minister  in  said  Township  of  which 
Conditions  if  the  said  Isaac  Baldwin  .  .  .  shall  fail  .  .  .  then  the 
aforesaid  Deed   .    .    .   to  be  null  and  void  and  of  none  Effect. 

In  less  than  two  weeks  the  grantee  of  the  foregoing  lot  made 
another  purchase,  as  witness  the  following  deed : 

To  All  People  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come  Greeting. 

Know  Ye  that  we  John  Hill  Esquire  and  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader, 
both  of  Boston  in  the  County  of  Suffolk  and  Province  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay  in  New  England,  for  and  in  consideration  of  five  pounds  to 
us  in  hand,  well  and  truly  paid  by  Isaac  Baldwin  of  Sudbury  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex  Housewright,  the  receipt  whereof  we  hereby 
acknowledge,  have  given,  granted,  bargained,  Sold,  aliened,  Euseokied, 
released,  quitclaimed  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  Presents  do  freely, 
clearly  and  Absolutely  give,  grant,  bargain,  Sell,  aliene,  Ouseokie, 
release,  quitclaim  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Isaac  Baldwin,  and  to 
his  heirs  and  Assigns  forever,  a  certain  Lot  of  Land,  containing  eighty 
six  acres  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  eight  Bods,  and  it  is  the  Lot 
Number  two.  In  a  Township  called  Hillsberry,  or  No.  7,  in  said 
Line  of  Towns  between  merrimack  River  and  Connecticut  river,  said 
Township  was  granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esquire  and  others  of  Old 
Plymouth  Colony  and  their  Associates.  Said  Lot  is  bounded  North- 
west, on  the  Lot  No.  1,  and  undivided  Land,  and  Southeast  on  the  lot 
No.  32  and  undivided  Land,  it  begins  at  a  Stake  and  Stones,  the  South- 
west Angle  and  from  thence  it  Buns  East  one  hundred  Bods  to  a 
Stake  and  Stones,  and  then  it  turns  an  obtuse  Angle  and  runs  East 
fourty  Degrees  and  thirty  minutes  North,  one  hundred  and  Sixty  six 


DEED   OF   NORTHEAST   SECTION.  43 

Bods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones,  in  the  meadow  being  the  North  East 
Angle,  and  from  thence  it  turns  and  runs  North  fourty  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes  West  seventy  rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones,  being  a  North 
east  Angle,  and  from  thence  it  runs  strait  to  where  it  begun.  To  have 
and  to  hold  the  aforesaid  Lot  No.  2,  with  the  Buildings,  Fences,  and 
Improvements,  Appurtenances,  Privileges  and  Commodities  to  the  said 
Lot  belonging  (Except  hereby  all  after  divisions)  unto  him  the  said 
Isaac  Baldwin,  and  to  his  heirs  and  Assigns  forever,  to  his  and  their 
only,  sole,  and  proper  use,  benefit  and  behoof  from  henceforth  and 
for  ever,  absolutely  without  any  manner  of  Condition,  Bedemption.  or 
Bevocation  in  any  wise,  so  that  to  and  from  all  right,  Estate,  Title, 
Interest,  Beclaims,  Challenge  or  Demand  whatsoever,  to  be  by  us  the 
said  John  Hill  and  Gershom  Keyes  our  heirs  or  assigns  at  any  time 
hereafter  had  made  or  claimed  of  in  or  to  the  said  granted  and  re- 
leased Land  and  Premises,  we  and  they  and  Each  of  them  shall  and 
will  be  utterly  debarred  and  forever  excluded  of,  and  from  the  Same, 
by  force  and  vertue  of  these  Presents. 

In  Witness  whereof  we  the  said  John  Hill  and  Gershom  Keyes 
have  hereunto  set  our  hands  seals  this  sixth  day  of  December  Anno 
Domini,  one  thousand  and  seven  hundred  and  thirty  nine,  and  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  the  Beign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord,  George  the 
Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Brittain,  France  and  Ireland. 
King,  Defender  of  the  Faith  &c. 

John  Hill  and  Seal 
Gershom  Keyes  and  Seal. 
Witness  by  William  Moore,  Jona  Chandler 

— Middlesex  County  Deeds,  Vo.   40,  p.  343. 

The  sales  of  land  in  Township  No.  7  seemed  then  to  move 
slowly  for  the  next  deed  is  dated  April  2,  1740,  and  conveyed  for 
seven  hundred  pounds  a  larger  tract  to — 

John  Trail,  Merchant,  and  Jeremiah  Green,  distiller,  both  of  Bos- 
ton, "A  certain  Farm  containing  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  Land, 
lying  In  the  North  East  Corner  of  the  Township  Number  Seven  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex  in  the  Line  of  Town's  which  Township  was 
granted  to  Isaac  Little  the  Esquire  and  Others  of  the  Plymouth  Col- 
ony and  their  Associates,  said  Land  is  bounded  as  f  olloweth  vizt. : 
beginning  at  the  North  East  Corner  of  said  Farm,  which  is  the  north 
corner  of  said  Township,  from  thence  it  runs  on  the  North  line  of 
said  Township,  South  Eighty  four  degrees  and  thirty  west  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  one  Bods,  from  thence  iSouth  fifteen  Degrees  East  four 
hundred  and  ninety  seven  Bods,  by  Land  now  belonging  to  Samuel 
Brown,   from   thence   North   eighty   four   degrees   and   thirty   minutes 


44  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

and  thirty  minutes  East  Four  hundred  and  fifty  One  Rods  by  Land 
belonging  to  said  John  Hill  to  the  east  line  of  said  Township  and 
from  thence  North  fifteen  Degrees  West  four  hundred  and  ninety 
seven  Rods  on  said  East  line  to  the  first  mentiond  bounds." 

This  deed  has  attached  the  surveyor's  plan  of  the  tract,  and 
is  the  only  one  that  has  such  an  instrument.  It  is  unfortunate 
that  while  the  name  of  the  surveyor,  Joseph  Wilder,  Jr.,  is  fre- 
quently mentioned,  the  plan  of  his  survey  has  not  been  found, 
and  it  is  probable  that  it  disappeared  with  other  of  Colonel  Hill's 
papers  that  would  prove  of  great  value  in  making  it  easy  to  locate 
these  early  lots  now.  Though  there  is  nothing  to  show  it,  Colonel 
Hill  and  his  associates  early  made  a  division  between  themselves 
of  their  new  possessions. 

Before  the  giving  of  the  above  deeds  by  Colonel  Hill  his 
partner  made  the  following  conveyance : 

Deed  of  Keyes  to  Huntington. 

•Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  merchant,  for  £918 — 9s.  conveys  to 
Joshua  Huntington,  merchant,  Norwich,  Conn.,  all  that  my  part  or 
parcel  of  land  which  is  lying  and  being  in  the  Township  Number 
Seven  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  and  is  by  Estimation  six  hundred 
and  eighty  Acres  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  rods  of  land  bounded 
as  followeth  beginning  on  the  Southeast  Side  of  the  great  river  and 
bounds  on  the  Lots  Number  43  and  63  and  partly  on  the  River  and 
then  on  a  farm  and  on  the  Lot  Number  44  and  then  on  the  river 
to  the  Town-line  It  began  at  a  Stake  by  the  river  the  Southeast 
Corner  of  the  Lot  Number  44  and  from  thence  it  runs  East  32  De- 
grees South  40  rods  to  the  Southeast  corner  of  the  lot  44  from 
thence  it  runs  North  on  the  lot  and  the  farm  two  hundred  and  sixty 
Hods  to  stake  the  Northeast  Corner  of  the  farm  and  from  thence 
it  runs  west  thirty  two  Deg°  North  one  hundred  and  sixty  five  rods 
to  the  river  and  then  runs  South  fifteen  Degrees  East  forty  Rods  to 
the  Southeast  corner  of  the  Lot  43  and  from  thence  East  fifteen  De- 
grees -South  eighty  rods  across  the  heads  of  the  lots  Number  43  and 
63  to  the  Town  line  &  from  thence  with  the  Town  line  to  the  south- 
east Corner  of  the  Town  and  of  this  town  and  from  thence  west 
five  Degrees  and  thirty  minits  South  with  the  Town  line  to  the  river 

where  it  began  Item  with  the  Moiety  or  half  part  of  a  large  Tract 
of  land  containing  one  thousand  and  eight  hundred  acres  which  I 
have  in  Common  w«>  Major  John  Hill  of  Boston  in  the  County  of 
Suffolk  excepting  one  hundred  Acres  of  said  Eighteen  hundred  Acres 

to  be  taken  off  from  said  Tract  on  the  west  side  to  be  of  an  equal 
wedth   all   of   the   whole   length    or   bredth   of   said   Eighteen   hundred 


DEED  OF  KEYES  TO  BROWN.  45 

acres  is  bounded  out  as  followeth  and  is  lying  in  the  Township  Num- 
ber Seven  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  it  is  abutting  East  on  the  Town 
Line  and  West  on  the  undevided  lands  it  butts  North  on  the  farm 
and  south  partly  on  the  Lot  Number  thirty  three  and  partly  on  a 
farm  and  on  the  lot  Number  sixty  two  and  on  the  river  it  began  at 
a  pitch  pine  tree  the  south  East  angle  and  from  thence  it  runs  North 
fifteen  Degrees  West  Six  hundred  and  twenty  two  Rods  to  a  Stake 
and  Stones  The  North  East  angle  and  from  thence  it  runs  West  five 
Deg°  and  thirty  Minits  South  five  hundred  and  five  rods  to  the 
Letter  D  and  E  on  a  Beach  tree  thence  it  runs  South  fifteen  Degrees 
six  hundred  Rods  to  the  Letter  F  on  a  iSpruce  tree  the  southwest 
angle  and  from  thence  East  on  a  Lot  Number  33  one  hundred  and 
sixty  rods  on  a  farm  and  from  thence  it  runs  North  on  the  head  of 
the  Lots  Number  61  and  62  eighty  eight  rods  and  from  thence  it 
runs  East  ten  Degrees  North  one  hundred  and  eighty  rods  to  the 
river  and  on  the  River  to  whence  it  first  began  be  the  same  more  or 
less     To  have  and  to  hold. 

Dated  Nov.  24,  1738. 
Witnessed    by    Samuel    Brown, 
Sophia    Thomas. 

— ^Middlesex  Co.  Deeds,   Vol.  29,   p.  449. 

Deed  of  Reyes  to  Brown. 

Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  Trader,  for  £500  conveys  to  Samuel 
Brown  of  Leicester,  Worcester  County.  A  certain  farm  of  land  con- 
taining one  thousand  Acres  lying  in  the  township  Number  Seven  in 
the  Line  of  Towns  which  Township  was  granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esq. 
and  others  of  the  old  Plymouth  Colony  Said  farm  lies  upon  the  North 
side  of  said  Township  The  Courses  and  Bounds  of  Said  Farm  are  as 
followeth  Vizt  beginning  at  North  East  Corner  upon  the  Line  of  the 
North  side  of  said  of  said  Township  four  hundred  fifty  one  rods  from 
the  North  Side  of  Said  Township  from  thence  to  extend  upon  the  said 
Township  Line  S  64°  :  30'  W  two  hundred  Seventy  eight  rods  from 
thence  S  15°  :  00'  E  Six  hundred  and  twenty  rods  by  undevided  land 
from  thence  N  84°  :  30°  E  two  hundred  thirty  three  rods  by  undivided 
land  to  the  West  line  of  a  farm  called  number  three  from  thence  N 
15°  :  00'  W  two  hundred  and  sixty  rods  by  the  said  line  of  the  farm 
Number  three  to  the  Northwest  Corner  of  it  from  thence  N  84°  :  3(f 
E  forty  five  rods  to  the  southern  Corner  of  this  farm  now  describing 
and  from  thence  N  15°  :  00'  W  three-hundred  and  sixty  rods  by  a 
farm  containing  one  thousand  acres  to  the  first  mentioned  corner 
To  have  and  to  hold 

Dated  Dec.  20,  1759.     Wife  Sarah  released  dower. 
Witnessed   by   Joseph   Badger,   Sophia   Thomas. 


46  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

In  1737,  when  Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  were  trying  to  find 
settlers  for  their  grant  then  assumed  to  be  in  Middlesex  County, 
Province  of  Massachusetts,  a  board  of  fifteen  commissioners  were 
appointed  by  the  King  to  settle  the  dispute.  But  it  proved  easier 
to  select  the  commission  than  to  get  its  members  together,  though 
finally  nine  of  them  met  at  Salem,  Mass.,  to  try  and  come  to  an 
understanding.  This  was  a  fitting  place  for  the  conference,  as 
the  legislature  of  the  rival  provinces  were  at  that  identical  time  in 
session  within  a  few  miles  of  this  meeting  place :  one  at  Hampton 
Falls,  N.  H.,  and  the  other  at  Salisbury,  Mass.  The  represen- 
tatives of  the  former  province,  without  seeming  to  realize  the 
actual  rights  and  prerogatives  that  belonged  to  them,  offered  to 
arbitrate  by  fixing  the  line  starting  at  the  Atlantic  Ocean  three 
miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack  River,  and  running 
due  west  pass  through  the  village  of  Amesbury,  Mass.,  cross  the 
river  a  little  south  of  Reed's  Ferry,  in  the  town  of  Merrimack, 
N.  H.,  keeping  on  westward  so  as  to  run  a  little  north  of  Monad- 
nock  and  south  of  Keene.  The  Massachusetts  men  were  still  per- 
sistent in  claiming  the  three  mile  strip  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Merrimack  to  the  Junction  of  the  Pemigewasset  and  Winnepesau- 
kee  rivers,  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Franklin,  N.  H.,  and  from 
thence  due  west  to  cross  the  Connecticut  River  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  below  Windsor,  Vt. 

The  commission  seems  to  have  been  quite  reasonable,  but 
Governor  Jonathan  Belcher,  who  had  jurisdiction  over  both  pro- 
vinces, was  determined  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  Massachusetts. 
Accordingly,  when  the  matter  had  been  well  threshed  out,  and  it 
was  decided  to  offer  both  interpretations  to  the  King  and  Council, 
with  the  condition  that  each  legislature  of  the  rival  provinces 
should  have  six  weeks  in  which  to  frame  any  objection  it  might 
have  against  the  opposing  plan,  Governor  Belcher,  prorogued  the 
New  Hampshire  Assembly  for  six  weeks,  but  kept  the  Massa- 
chusetts Assembly  open.  The  commission,  with  a  higher  sense  of 
justice  than  Governor  Belcher,  upon  reassembling  waited  for  the 
New  Hampshire  court  to  act  if  it  chose.  This  aroused  intense 
feelings  on  the  part  of  the  Governor's  friends,  but  it  finally  was 
made  plain  to  the  King  and  his  advisers  that  it  must  be  a  poor 
cause  which  required  such  doubtful  tactics  to  win.  At  any  rate, 
the  King  in  Council,  on  August  5,  1740,  adjudged  and  decreed: 


THE  BOUNDARY  DISPUTE.  47 

"That  the  Northern  Boundary  of  the  said  Province  of  the 
Massachusetts  Bay,  are,  and  be,  a  similar  Curve  line ;  Pusuing 
the  course  of  the  Merrimack  River  at  three  Miles  Distance  on 
the  North  side  thereof,  beginning  at  the  Atlantic  Ocean  &  Ending 
at  a  Point  due  North  of  a  place  (in  a  plan  returned  by  s'd 
Commissioners)  called  Pawtucket  Falls,  &  a  strait  line  drawn 
from  thence  due  West  cross  the  sd  river  till  it  meet  with  His 
Majesties  other  Governments." 

This  decision  was  a  great  disappointment  to  Massachusetts, 
as  she  lost  over  thirty  townships  and  parts  of  townships  which 
had  been  granted  to  her  people  and  in  many  settlements  already 
begun.  These  inhabitants,  as  a  rule,  were  her  staunch  supporters 
and  partisans,  and  they  immediately  joined  with  the  mother  pro- 
vince in  an  effort  to  have  this  action  revoked.  But  before  any- 
thing could  be  accomplished,  the  Indians  renewed  hostilities,  and 
another  war  with  France,  called  "King  George's  War,"  or  "Go- 
vernor Shirley's  War"  broke  out.  In  fact,  there  was  little  rest 
from  the  strife  until  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  War  in 
1763.  By  that  time  the  internal  disturbances  which  resulted  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  with  the  mother  country  put  an  end  to 
the  controversy  for  another  long  period.  Thus  jolted  and  jarred 
by  one  interference  or  another,  the  boundary  dispute  was  not 
actually  settled  until  within  fifty  years  ago. 

In  all  of  this  delay,  litigation  and  bitterness  of  feeling  Hills- 
borough had  no  part,  except  so  far  as  it  affected  the  two  men  who 
had  begun  its  settlement  under  a  Massachusetts  title  though  the 
courts  eventually  decided  it  was  New  Hampshire  territory.  If 
anticipating  this,  and  realizing  that  their  claim  was  void  or  void- 
able under  the  new  dispensation,  the  enterprising  leaders  of  the 
undertaking  to  establish  a  town  in  the  wilderness  were  fully  re- 
solved to  hold  their  domains  by  having  actual  settlers  within  its 
territory  before  the  dispute  was  actually  settled.  So,  with  a 
courage  that  was  commendable,  they  set  themselves  about  the 
Herculean  task. 

Something  of  the  vexations  and  loss  of  the  undertaking  is 
shown  in  the  case  of  Samuel  Brown  already  having  been  noted  as 
buying,  in  1739,  one  thousand  acres  of  land  of  Colonel  Hill  for 
five  hundred  pounds.     Later,  selling  the  same  to  another  party 


48  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

for  an  advance  of  fifty  pounds,  he  seems  to  have  brought  himself 
trouble  financially,  as  witness  the  following: 

Petition  of  Samuel  Brown,  1768. 1 

To  His  Exelency  Francis  Barnard  Esqr  Captain  General  &  Com- 
mander in  Cheif  in  &  Over  his  Majesties  Province  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Bay  the  Honourable  the  Council  and  House  of  Representatives 
in  General  Court  assembled  Jany  1768. 

The  petition  of  Samuel  Brown  of  Stockbridge  Humbly  Sheweth 

That  Whereas  the  General  Assembly  of  this  Province  Some  Time 
before  the  Year  A.  D.  1739  Granted  to  the  people  of  Plymouth  a 
Township  of  Land  Called  NO.  7,  in  the  Line  of  Towns.  Since  Called 
by  the  Name  of  Hillsburg  which  Township  was  Since  Sold  To  Coll. 
John  Hills  &  Gershom  Keyes  than  of  Boston  by  Said  Grantees,  & 
Hills  &  Keyes  afore  Sd  became  Obliged  to  Do  the  Duty  of  Settlement 
in  Sd  Township  as  Injoynd  by  the  General  Assembly  as  the  Condi- 
tion of  Sd  Grant  in  pursuance  whereof  Said  Hills  &  Keyes  (Soon  after 
built  a  meeting-  house  &  mill  or  mills  in  Sd  Township  &  also  Gave 
a  Considerable  part  of  Sd  Township  to  a  proper  Number  of  persons 
to  go  on  &  settle  the  Same  according  the  Courts  act  whereby  the 
whole  Duty  of  Settlement  was  Securd  to  be  Done  &  Save  the  Remain- 
ing part  of  Sd  Lands  of  Sd  Township  free  of  Charges  after  which 
(viz)  in  the  year  A.  D.  1739,  your  Petitioner  in  Consideration  of  the 
afore  mentioned  things  Respecting  the  (Settlement  of  Sd  Township 
being  done  &  also  Esteeming  the  Grant  of  General  Court  a  Good 
Title,  Your  Petitioner  Purchased  One  Thousand  Acres  of  land  of 
Sd  Keyes  as  being  free  of  Duty  at  the  Price  of  £500'  Cash  in  hand  of 
the  than  Currancy  of  the  province  and  soon  after  Sold  the  Same 
for  £550,  the  same  Currancy  and  warranted  the  Same,  but  Since  that 
time  the  line  between  the  Province  &  New  Hampshire  being  Settled. 
Sd  Township  by  Sd  Line  is  Taken  from  this  province  &  included  in 
Newhampshire  and  although  Some  part  of  Sd  Township  has  been  Re- 
leased to  Sundry  Persons,  by  the  proprietors  of  Newhampshire. 
Yet  they  uterly  Refuse  to  Release  any  to  your  petitioner,  but  hold 
that  Individual  Tract  of  land  one  Thousand  Acres  aforementioned 
from  your  petitioner  although  full  &  proper  Application  has  been 
made  therefor,  wherefore  your  petitioner  is  Damaged  the  Valine  of 
£550.  as  afore  sd  &  now  Obliged  to  pay  ye  Same  with  Sink  of  money 
&  interest  to  this  time  &  Till  it  be  paid  which  to  this  time  by  the 
Computation  of  one  of  our  prinsaple  Gentlemen  in  the  Law  amounts 
to  the  Sum  of  more  than  Two  thousand  pounds  old  Tennor,  where- 
fore Your  Petitioner  Humbly  Prajrs  Your  Exelency  &  Honnours  would 
be  pleased  to  take  your  petitioners  Case  into  your  wise  &  Juditious 
Consideration  &  Grant  to  him   an   Equivalent   in  Lands   in  the  West- 

1N.   H.    State  Papers,  Vol.   24,   pp.    140-2. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 

GLEASON'S  FALLS  BRIDGE. 


RECOMPENSE  TO  SAMUEL  BROWN.  49 

ern  part  of  the  province  or  Some  other  way  make  up  to  your  peti- 
tioner his  Damages  as  in  your  Great  wisdom  &  Goodness  Your  Exel- 
ency  &  honnours  Shall  think  fitt  and  your  Petitioner  as  in  Duty 
bound  Shall  Ever  pray  &c 

Sam  Brown 

The  Court's  Reply.* 

In  the  House  of  Representatives  Febr  3   1768 

It  Appearing  by  a  Report  of  a  Comtee  of  this  Court  made  in  the 
year  1765  Accepted  by  the  House  &  Concurred  by  the  Honble  Board 
tho  not  Signed  by  his  Excely  the  Governor  there  was  allowed  to  Colo 
Hill  &  others  Seventeen  Hundred  Acres  of  Land  Lost  by  running  the 
line  of  New  Hampshire  A  Thousand  Acres  part  thereof  of  right  be- 
longs to  the  petr  Saml  Brown  his  heirs  &  Assigns  One  thousand  Acres 
of  the  Unappropriated  Lands  of  the  province  lying  in  the  County  of 
Hampshire  or  Berkshire  to  be  laid  out  in  one  peice  adjoining  to  some 
former  Grant  and  that  he  return  a  plan  thereof  In  twelve  months 
for  Confirmation 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence  T   Cushing  Spkr 

In   Council   Feb'   4th   1768 

Read    &    Concurred  Jno  Cotton  D.  Secr'y 

Consented  to  Era.  Bernard 

(Mass.  Archives,  Vol.   118,  p.  323.) 

Deeds  and  Mortgages  Relating  to  the  Settlement  of 

Hillsborough. 

The  following  abstracts  of  Deeds  and  Mortgages  given  by 
Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  certain  individuals  interested  in  the 
settlement  of  the  town  have  been  copied  from  Middlesex  County, 
Mass.,  Records,  and  have  an  important  bearing  on  the  settlement 
of  the  grant  of  Number  Seven : 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  David  Baldwin. 

Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  Trader  for  £  600,  conveys  to  David 
Baldwin  of  Sudbury,  Gent.,  my  farm  of  300  acres  that  I  lately  pur- 
chased from  Jonathan  Butterfield  of  Chelmsford  which  was  granted 
to  him  by  the  General  Court,  Dec.  1737,  bounded  and  Described  as 
follows  that  is  to  Say  adjoyning  to  the  Township  Number  seven  in 
the  Line  of  Towns,  beginning  at  a  hemlock  Tree  marked  with  the 
Letter  A,  standing  in  the  south  line  of  the  said  Township  Number 
seven,  three  miles  from  the  south  east  Corner  and  from  thence  run- 
ning  south   eleven   Degrees   and   thirty   Minutes    west   by    a   Line    of 


*N.  H.  State  Papers,  Vol.  24,  pp.  140-2. 


50  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

marked  trees,  three  hundred  and  twenty  rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones 
to  the  Letter  B  from  thence  east  five  Degrees  and  thirty  Minutes 
north  one  hundred  and  Sixty  rods  by  a  Line  of  marked  Trees  to  a 
hemlock  tree  to  the  Letter  C  from  thence  north  eleven  Degrees  and 
thirty  Minutes  East  three  hundred  and  Twenty  rods  by  a  Line  of 
marked  Trees  to  a  Stake  and  heap  of  Stones  in  the  aforesaid  Town 
to  the  Letter  D  and  from  thence  with  said  Line  to  where  it  began 
in  the  lines  aforesaid,  ten  acres  is  allowed  for  a  Sway  of  Chain,  als* 
six  acres  lying  in  the  aforesaid  Township  Number  seven  on  the  west 
Side  of  the  southerly  Branch  of  Contoocook  river  Bounded  south  on 
the  aforesaid  Farm  east  on  the  said  Branch  north  on  a  farm  belong- 
ing to  William  Moore  and  west  on  Lot  No  forty  six  in  said  Town- 
ship No  seven  also  Ninety  four  acres  to  be  Taken  of  from  the  south 
end  of  the  House  lotts  Number  forty  five,  forty  seven  and  Number 
forty  six  upon  an  equal  Wedth.  in  the  afore  mentioned  Township 
number  seven,  said  three  lotts  adjoyn  on  the  south  line  of  said  Town- 
ship with  all  the  Rights  etc. 

Dated  Jan.  4,  1741.    Witnessed  by  Isaac  Baldwin,  Francis 
Keyes. — Vol.  42,  p.  398. 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  Samuel  Gibson. 

John  Hill,  Esq.  &  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston  for 
100  £  convey  to  Samuel  Gibson  of  Boston,  Labourer,  a  Certain  Lott 
of  Land  in  a  Township  Granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esqr  and  others  of  Old 
Plymouth  Colony  and  their  Associates  which  Township  is  Called  No 
7,  in  the  line  of  Towns  between  Merrimack  &  Connecticut  Biver  said 
lott  of  land  Contains  Seventy  acres  and  lyeth  in  the  north  range 
being  the  house  lott  N°  49  which  was  Surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder 
Junr  Bounds  north  on  Lott  No  48,  and  South  on  lott  N°  50.  it  butts  on 
undevided  land  it  began  at  a  Stake  and  'Stones  at  the  north  west 
angle  thence  it  ran  east  one  hundred  and  Sixty  rods  to  a  grey  oak 
at  the  north  East  angle,  from  thence  it  ran  South  Seventy  rods  to 
a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  South  east  angle  from  thence  it  ran  west 
one  hundred  and  Sixty  rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  South  west 
angle  and  from  thence  it  ran  Streight  to  where  it  began  Also  one 
hundred  acres  more  lying  in  Common  and  undivided  land  being  the 
sixtieth  part  of  iSix  thousand  acres  lying  in  equal  wedth  upon  the 
westerly  side  of  Said  Township  No  7.  .  Said  Six  thousand  acres  ad- 
joyning  on  a  Township  Called  No  8.  and  to  be  of  an  Equal  Wedth 
across  the  Township  No  7  To  Have  and  to  Hold". 

Dated  Dec.  29,   1737.     Same  conditions   as  Baldwin  deed 

40:326.    Witnessed  by  William  Knox,  Francis  Keyes. — Vol.  42, 

P-  398. 


'also   (sic) 


THE  HUNTINGTON  TRACT.  5 1 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keves  to  Jabez  Huntington. 

John  Hill,  Esq.,  and  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston,  for 
£  100,  convey  to  Jabez  Huntington  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  "A  Certain 
Lott  of  land  Containing  seventy  acres  and  is  the  House  Lott  Num- 
ber 50  lying-  and  being  in  a  Township  called  Number  Seven  in  the 
line  of  Towns  which  runs  across  the  country  from  Merrimack  River 
to  Connecticut  River  which  Township  was  granted  to  Isaac  Little 
Esq1-  and  others  of  old  Plymouth  Colony  and  their  associates  Said 
lot  of  land  is  butted  and  bounded  as  followeth  lying  in  the  North 
range  of  lots  and  bounds  north  on  the  lot  N°  49  South  on  the  Lot  N° 
51  East  &  West  on  undivided  land  it  begins  at  a  stake  and  Stones 
the  Northwest  angle  and  thence  it  runs  South  Seventy  rods  to  a 
a  Stake  and  Stone  to  the  South  east  angle  from  thence  it  ran  west 
one  hundred  and  sixty  rods  to  a  stake  and  stones  the  southwest 
angle  and  from  thence  North  to  where  it  began  Said  lot  was  Sur- 
veyed by  Joseph  Wilder  Jun'  Also  one  hundred  Acres  more  lying  in 
Common  and  undivided  land  being  the  sixtieth  part  of  Six  thousand 
acres  lying  in  equal  Wedth  upon  the  Westerly  Side  of  Said  Township 
and  to  be  of  an  equal  wedth  across  Said  Township  N°  7  Said  Six 
thousand  acres  is  adjoining  on  the  Township  N°  8  To  have  and  to 
hold" 

Same  condition  as  in  Baldwin  deed  40 .326.  Dated  Nov.,  22, 
1738.  Witnesses  Samuel  Adams  Jr.  Samuel  Adams. — Vol.  39, 
P- 447- 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  James  Maxwell. 

John  Hill  Esqr  &  Gershom  Reyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston  for 
£  100,  convey  to  James  Maxwell  of  Stow,  husbandman,  "A  Certain 
Lott  of  land  In  a  township  granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esqr  and  others 
of  old  Plimouth  Colony  and  their  associates  which  Township  is 
Called  N°  7  In  the  Line  of  towns  Between  Merrimack  and  Connecti- 
cut River  said  Lott  Contains  fifty  acres  being  the  house  Lott  N° 
20  which  was  Surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr  and  Bounds  north  on 
N  19  and  South  on  Lott  N"  21  it  buts  East  on  Lott  N°  29  and  west 
No  13  it  began  at  a  stake  and  Stones  at  the  north  west  angle  thence 
it  run  East  one  hundred  and  sixty  five  Rods  to  a  beach  to  the  north 
East  angle  from  thence  it  ran  South  fifty  five  Rods  to  a  stake  and 
stones  to  the  South  East  angle  from  thence  it  ran  west  one  hundred 
and  Sixty-five  rods  to  a  stake  and  Stones  to  the  South  west  angle 
and  from  thence  it  ran  Strait  to  where  it  begun — fifty  five  rods  their 
being  an  allowance  for  a  highway  across  the  west  End  and  south 
side — Also  one  hundred  acres  more  Lying  in  Common  and  undivided 
Land  being  the  Sixtyeth  Part  of  Six  thousand  acres  Lying  In  Equal 
wedth  upon  the  westerly  side  of  said  township  No  7.  said  Six  thous- 


52  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

and  acres  adjoying  on  a  township  Called  N°  8  and  to  be  of  an  Equal 
wedth  a  Crost  the  township  No  7     To  Have  and  To  Hold" 

Same  condition  as  in  Baldwin  deed,  40:326.  Dated  Nov.  1, 
1739.  Witnessed  by  John  Tuckerman,  Jr.,  Lydia  Hall. — Vol.  40, 
p.  456. 

Gershom  keyes  to  John  Hill. 
Dec.  22,  1739,  Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  Trader,  mortgages  to 
John  Hill  of  Boston,  Esq.  for  security  for  the  payment  of  £360,  "a 
fifty  acre  House  Lot  lying  by  the  Meeting  house  with  a  House  and 
Barn  erected  thereon  lying  in  a  Township  called  Hillsbury  or  Number 
Seven  in  the  line  of  Towns  which  Township  was  granted  to  Isaac 
Little  Esqr  and  others  of  old  Plymouth  Colony  with  all  the  said 
Keyes's  Interest  in  the  Saw  Mill  and  Dam  erected  on  Contoocook  River 
in  said  Township  with  the  benefit  of  half  the  Stream  and  all  the 
Appurtenances  whatsoever  belonging  to  said  Mill  whereof  he  is  one 
half  owner  together  with  all  his  other  Lands  in  said  Township  in 
Common  with  said  Hill  yet  to  be  divided  whereof  the  said  Keyes  is 
one  half  owner  at  this  day  (excepting  and  reserving  all  his  Interest 
in  fifty  nine  house  Lots  that  are  to  be  Settled  with  Six  thousand  acres, 
upon  an  equal  wedth  lying  on  the  west  Side  of  Said  Township  Number 
seven  also  the  said  Keyes  doth  except  and  reserve  all  his  Interest  in 
four  farms  lying  upon  the  East  side  of  said  Township  and  one  lying 
upon  the  river  below  the  sawmill  containing  Six  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  all  the  Said  farms  were  Surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr)  to 
gether  with  all  and  singular  Houses  Edifices  Buildings  Easements 
fences  on  all  the  said  Keyes's  interest  in  said  Township  Standing, 
Ways  Passages  Waters  Watercourses  Rights  Members  Profits  privileges 
and  appurtenances  whatsoever  thereunto  belonging  xxx  To  have  and 
to  hold" 

Signed  by  Gershom  Keyes  and  wife  Sarah  who  released  her 
dower.  Witnessed  by  Solomon  Keyes  and  Francis  Keyes. — Vol. 
40,  p.  360. 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  Alexander  Turner. 
John  Hill  Esq.  &  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston  for  £100, 
convey  to  Alexander  Turner  of  Worcester,  husbandman,  "A  farm  con- 
taining fifty  two  Acres  lying  in  the  Township  called  number  seven  in 
the  line  of  Towns  which  was  granted  to  Isaac  Little  and  others  of  old 
Plymouth  Colony  and  their  associates  which  Lott  is  number  thirty 
two  in  said  Township  and  measured  and  bounded  as  followeth,  Viz. 
north  partly  on  the  undevided  land  and  partly  on  Lott  number  one 
and  south  on  Lott  number  31.  abuts  west  on  the  lott  number  17.  and 
east  on  N°.  33.  it  begins  at  a  Stake  and  iStones  on  the  north  west  angle 
thence  it  runs  east  one  hundred  and  sixty  five  rods  to  a  Stake  and 
Stones  to  the  north  east  angle  from  thence  it  runs  south  fifty  two 


MAYES  AND  TRAIL  LOTS.  53 

Rods  to  a  Beach  to  the  south  east  Angle  from  thence  it  runs  west  one 
hundred  and  Sixty  five  Rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  south  west 
Angle  and  from  thence  it  runs  to  where  it  began  being  the  House  lott 
and  surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr  also  one  hundred  Acres  more 
lying  in  common  and  undevided  lands  being  the  sixtieth  part  of  six 
thousand  acres  adjoyning  on  a  Township  called  number  8  and  to  be  of 
an  equall  weadth  upon  the  westerly  side  of  said  Township  No  7  To 
have  and  to  hold." 

Same  condition  as  Baldwin  deed  40:326.     Dated  Aug.  25, 

1738.    Witnessed  by  John  Healy,  Jona  Chandler. — Vol.  41,  p.  240. 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  James  Mayes. 
John  Hill  Esq.  and  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston,  for 
£50  convey  to  James  Mayes  of  Boston,  "Shay-maker,"  "a  Farm  con- 
taining two  hundred  Acres  lying  in  a  Township  granted  to  Isaac 
Little,  Esqr  and  others  of  old  Plimouth  Colony  and  their  associates 
which  Township  is  called  Number  Seven  in  the  Line  of  Towns  between 
Merrimack  and  Connecticut  Rivers  Said  Farm  lies  on  the  South  East 
Side  of  the  great  river*  and  is  bounded  as  follows  viz*  Northeast  on 
the  River  South  East  on  a  Farm  butts  Southwest  on  the  Lot  Number 
44  &  Northeast  on  undivided  land  and  begins  at  an  Hemlock  Standing 
by  the  River  and  from  thence  it  runs  East  thirty  two  degrees  South 
one  hundred  and  Sixty  two  Rods  to  a  Beech  Tree  to  the  Southeast 
angle  from  thence  it  runs  North  thirty  two  degrees  East  Two  hundred 
rods  to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  North  East  angle  from  thence  it 
runs  west  thirty  two  degrees  North  one  hundred  and  Sixty  Seven  rods 
to  the  river  to  the  Northwest  Angle  and  from  thence  it  runs  on  the 
River  to  the  Hemlock  on  the  river  Bank  where  it  began,  To  have  and 
to  Hold" 

Same  condition  as  in  Baldwin  deed,  40:326.  Dated  Nov.  21, 
1738.    Witnessed  by  Sophia  Thomas,  Lucretia  Keyes. — Vol.  40, 

P-  370- 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  John  Trail. 

John  Hill  Esq.  and  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston, 
for  £700  convey  to  John  Trail,  merchant,  and  Jeremiah  Green- 
distiller,  both  of  Boston, 

"A  certain  Farm,  containing  fourteen  hundred  Acres  of  Land,  ly- 
ing In  the  North  East  Corner  of  the  Township  Number  Seven  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex  in  the  Line  of  Towrie's,  which  Township  was 
granted  to  Isaac  Little  Esquire  and  Others  of  the  old  Plimouth  Colony 
and  their  Associates  said  Land  is  bounded  as  followeth,  viz*  beginning 
at  the  North  East  Corner  of  said  Farm,  which  is  the  north  East  Corner 


*The  Contoocook. 


54  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  said  Township,  from  thence  it  runs  on  the  North  line  of  said 
Township,  South  Eighty  four  degrees  and  thirty  minutes  west  four 
hundred  and  fifty  One  Rods  from  thence  South,  fifteen  Degrees  East 
four  hundred  and  ninety  seven  Rods  by  land  now  belonging  to  Samuel 
Brown,  from  thence  North,  Eighty  four  degrees  and  thirty  Minutes 
East.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  One  Rods  by  Land  belonging  to  said 
John  Hill  to  the  East  line  of  said  Township  and  from  thence  North 
fifteen  Degrees  West,  four  hundred  and  ninety  seven  Rods  on  said 
East  line  to  the  first  mentioned  Corner  bounds." 

Elizabeth  Hill,  wife  of  John,  and  Sarah  Keyes,  wife  of  Ger- 
shom  released  dowers.  Dated  April  2,  1740.  Witnessed  by 
Ebenezer  Flagg,  Francis  Keyes. — Vol.  40,  p.  498. 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  Samuel  Gibson. 

John  Hill,  Esq.,  and  Gershom  Keyes,  Trader,  both  of  Boston, 
for  £100,  convey  to  Samuel  Gibson  of  Boston 

"A  Certain  Lott  of  Land  in  a  Township  Granted  to  Isaac  Little 
Esqr  and  Others  of  Old  Plymouth  Colony  and  their  associates  which 
Township  is  Called  N°  7  in  the  Line  of  Towns  between  Merrimack  and 
Connecticut  River  Said  Lott  of  Land  Contains  fifty  acres  being  the 
house  lott  No  35  which  was  Surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr  Bounds 
north  on  the  lott  N°  34  and  South  on  lott  N°  36  it  butts  East  on  a 
farm  and  west  on  the  lott  N°  30  it  begins  at  a  Stake  and  Stones  at 
the  northwest  angle  and  from  thence  it  runs  East  One  hundred  and 
Sixty  five  rods — to  a  Stake  and  Stones  to  the  northeast  angle  from 
thence  it  runs  South  fifty  rods  to  a  stake  and  stones  to  the  southeast 
angle  from  thence  it  runs  west  one  hundred  and  Sixty  five  rods  to  a 
Stake  and  Stones  to  the  South  west  angle  and  from  thence  it  runs 
North  to  where  it  began  Also  one  hundred  acres  more  lying  in  Com- 
mon and  undevided  land  being  the  Sixtieth  part  of  Six  thousand  acres 
lying  in  equal  wedth  upon  the  westerly  Side  of  Said  Township  N°  7 
Said  Six  Thousand  Acres  adjoyning  to  a  Township  Called  N°  8  and  to 
be  of  an  equal  Wedth  a  Cross  the  Township  No  7.  To  have  and  to 
Hold" 

Same  condition  as  Baldwin  deed  40:326.  Witnessed  by 
Sophia  Thomas,  Lucretia  Keyes.  Dated  Sept.  23,  1738. — Vol. 
42,  p.  393- 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Keyes  to  Anthony  Caverly. 

Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  Trader,  as  security  for  the  pay- 
ment of  £1000,  mortgage  to  Anthony  Caverly  of  Boston,  distiller, 
mortgaged  a  50  acre  house  lot  in  Hillsberry  Jan.  20,  1739.  Same 
property  mortgaged  to  John  Hill  40:360.  Description  exactly  the 
same. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Pioneering  in  Old  Number  Seven. 

An  Error  in  Date— Hillsborough  Settled  Earlier  Than  Usually  Believed 
— First  Arrivals — A  Stirring  Scene — The  Pioneers — Names  of  the 
New-Comers — No  Evidence  There  Was  a  Woman  Among  Them — 
Philip  and  Mary  Kiley,  Pioneers  of  Pioneers — A  Yoke  of  Oxen? — 
First  Night  "Under  the  Shadows  of  a  Great  Rock" — Locations  of 
Lots  of  First  Settlers — Hillsborough,  the  Outpost  of  Civilization 
■ — The  First  Mill  on  the  Contoocook — The  Meeting  House — Cabin 
Homes — Work  In  the  Clearings — Mr.  Keyes  Borrows  Money  and 
the  Dates  of  His  Securities  Proves  the  Time  of  the  Settlement  of 
Number  Seven — Deeds  by  Keyes  to  Caverly — Old  and  New  Styles 
of  the  Calendar — The  Meeting  House  Bell — Only  Two  Inhabitants 
During  the  Winter — Eeturn  of  the  Colonists  the  Following  Spring 
— A  Midnight  Adventure — The  Second  Arrival — A  Prayer  of 
Thanksgiving — First  Home — The  Summer's  Work — Coming  of  Mrs. 
Gibson  with  Four  Children — Robert  Fletcher  Settles  on  West  Hill 
— First  Bride  in  Town — First  Birth  in  Town — Little  John  Has  a 
Fair  Rival  for  Honors — First  Death  in  Town — The  Shadow  of  War 
— A  Border  Ballad — Indian  Attack  at  Henniker — Flight  of  the 
Pioneers  of  Number  Seven — A  Deserted  Town. 

Hillsborough  observed  its  centennial  anniversary  in  1841,  but 
from  documentary  evidence  available  now  this  observation  should 
have  taken  place,  dating  from  the  day  the  woodman's  ax  first 
proclaimed  the  coming  of  a  new  race  to  inhabit  these  wilds,  at 
least  three  years  before  that  date,  or  if  it  is  preferable  to  consider 
the  beginning  of  a  settlement  when  women  and  children  appeared 
upon  the  scene  to  complete  the  home  circle,  two  years  earlier. 

However  this  may  be  considered  it  is  certain  that  as  soon  as  the 
spring  of  1738  had  fairly  opened,  half  a  dozen  sturdy  husbandmen 
appeared  in  the  valley  of  the  Contoocook  not  far  from  where  the 
present  industrial  activities  of  Bridge  Village  are  centered.  With 
what  feelings  of  mingled  loneliness  and  determination  to  carry 
out  their  self-imposed  task  of  fulfilling  the  obligations  of  Colonel 
Hill  and  themselves  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  town  in  this  un- 
broken wilderness,  may  be  imagined  but  has  not  been  described. 
Standing  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  where  they  seemed  to  have  ap- 

55 


56  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

proached  their  field  of  future  conquest,  the  river  swollen  by  the 
spring  freshets — greater  in  volume  than  it  has  been  in  recent 
years — tumbling,  foaming,  roaring  in  between  and  over  the  huge 
bowlders,  with  the  banks  overhung  with  lichen-covered  bushes 
bare  of  leaves  but  tasseled  with  white  and  yellow  fringes  of  last 
summer's  foliage,  back  from  the  banks'  majestic  pines  and  lordly 
oaks,  graceful  elms  and  widespreading  maples,  little  wonder  if 
they  stood  with  uncovered  heads  for  sometime  in  silence. 

Then  the  leader  spread  out  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  the 
rude  map  or  plan  of  the  territory  whither  they  had  come — some 
of  them  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles — to  make  their  homes.  To 
the  uninitiated  it  would  have  afforded  little  guidance  or  satisfac- 
tion. It  is  true  the  river  was  defined,  even  the  waterfall  and  the 
bend  where  it  swerved  in  its  tortuous  course. 

"We  must  cross  the  river,"  declared  the  leader  and  spokes- 
man, "and  as  the  day  is  nearly  spent  build  us  a  bough  house  for 
the  night.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  we  shall  be  better  able  to  ford 
the  stream  a  little  distance  below  here." 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  names  of  all  of  these  pioneers 
cannot  be  given.  Mr.  Charles  J.  Smith  in  his  excellent  address 
delivered  at  the  centennial  celebration  already  mentioned  gives  the 
names  of  the  first  settlers  of  Number  7  as  Samuel  Gibson,  James 
McColley  and  his  wife  Margaret  Moore,  Robert  McClure  and 
James  Lyon,  all  from  Litchfield.  But  the  information  obtainable 
at  that  time  jumbled  somewhat  the  arrivals  for  the  first  and 
second  year.  It  also  ignores  the  leading  spirits  in  the  under- 
taking. The  pioneer  of  these  pioneers  was  Gershom  Keyes,  who 
had  already  experienced  the  hardships  of  opening  up  the  wilder- 
ness in  the  grant  of  Halestown,  now  known  as  Weare.  He  had  a 
greater  pecuniary  interest  in  the  venture  than  any  other  man, 
next  to  John  Hill,  and  was  here  to-day,  not  with  any  fixed  idea 
of  making  a  home,  but  to  "build  a  meeting  house  and  to  erect 
Dwellings  before  June  1,  1740,"  as  all  the  titles  called  for. 
Following  him  were  Samuel  Gibson,  Isaac  Baldwin,  Andrew 
Bixby,  and  James  Mayer,  all  of  Boston;  Alexander  Turner  of 
Worcester,  James  Maxwell  of  Stow,  who  was  also  there  to  look 
after  the  interest  of  Jabez  Huntington  of  Norwich,  Conn. ;  James 
McColley,  Robert  McClure  and  James  Lyon  of  Litchfield.    Mrs. 


JOHN  CARSON  AND  PHILIP  RILEY.  57 

McColley  may  have  been  among  these  first-comers,  but  it  is  very 
doubtful. 

While  the  information  concerning  him  during  those  years  is 
meagre,  it  is  quite  certain  John  Carson  was  among  the  earliest 
comers  to  Number  Seven.  He  was  an  adventurous  Scotchman, 
who  had  come  to  New  England  only  a  short  time  before. 
He  was  a  capable  man,  of  great  powers  of  endurance,  and  what 
was  of  equal  importance  to  Gershom  Keyes  and  his  associate,  he 
was  a  carpenter  and  millwright.  He  remained  here  until  finally 
the  little  band  of  pioneers  decided  to  abandon  their  interests  here, 
at  least  until  the  Indian  troubles  had  been  settled.  According  to 
tradition,  with  such  articles  of  value  as  they  could  not  take  with 
them,  Carson  buried  the  mill  crank  in  the  mud  near  by  the  river 
bank,  and  marched  away  with  the  self-exiled  pioneers. 

When  the  cloud  of  war  was  lifting,  John  Carson  wandered 
back  to  the  wilderness  comprised  in  the  grant  of  Francestown  at 
a  spot  since  known  as  "Meadow  Point,"  where  he  builded  him  a 
small  cabin  of  logs  as  early  as  1758.  Nor  was  he  alone,  for  his 
family  seems  to  have  been  with  him.  Carson  never  came  back 
to  Number  Seven,  except  to  take  away  the  mill  crank  which  he 
concealed  from  the  prying  eyes  of  the  red  men  in  the  retreat  from 
the  first  settlement. 

While  it  does  not  diminish  the  honorable  record  of  this  little 
band  of  pioneers,  probably  the  earliest  to  seek  permanent  homes 
in  the  Contoocook  valley,  mention  should  be  made  of  yet  others 
who  had  come  still  earlier  to  found  them  a  home  in  this  region  of 
rivers,  and  had  settled  not  so  far  away  but  the  sound  of  the  ax, 
the  pioneer's  first  weapon  of  offense  in  a  peaceful  occupation, 
would  mingle  the  clarion  note  of  the  new-comers.  The  names  of 
this  couple  were  Philip  and  Mary  Raleigh  or  Riley  as  the  old 
records  give  it.  If  Mr.  Raleigh  came  as  a  squatter  or  grantee  no 
evidence  has  been  found  to  show.  But  there  is  ample  proof  to 
place  his  name  and  that  of  his  good  wife  among  the  first,  if  not 
the  very  first,  to  make  a  home  in  Hillsborough.  There  is  little, 
however,  to  show  that  they  associated  very  much  with  the  gran- 
tees of  the  town.  See  Genealogical  sketches  in  Vol.  II  for  a  more 
extended  account  of  the  family. 


5§  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

No  doubt  the  lost  records  of  this  first  settlement  of  Hillsbor- 
ough would  throw  light  upon  scenes  of  those  days  which  are 
somewhat  obscured  behind  such  fragments  of  description  as  we 
have  left.  No  written  evidence  has  been  found  to  show  under  just 
what  condition  this  little  party  of  pioneers  appeared  at  tne  curse 
of  that  May  day  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Contoocook,  but  when 
it  is  remembered  that  they  came  not  as  explorers  but  as  actual 
settlers  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  they  came  prepared  to  meet 
definite  ends.  Not  only  were  they  expecting  to  build  houses  into 
which  they  were  to  move  their  families,  but  it  was  a  part  of  their 
contract  to  erect  a  meeting  house  and  a  saw-mill.  The  last,  of 
necessity,  would  require  certain  machinery  to  make  it  useful, 
while  a  few  tools,  axes,  hoes,  saws,  etc.,  together  with  grain,  pro- 
visions, seed  for  the  planting,  etc.,  would  also  be  necessary  to 
begin  operations  on  the  land.  Hence,  in  order  to  carry  on  their 
heavy  work,  it  seems  certain  they  must  have  brought  with  them 
a  yoke  of  oxen.  This  we  are  fain  to  accept  as  a  fact  in  explana- 
tion of  the  rapidity  with  which  they  accomplished  their  under- 
taking. 

Gershom  Keyes  must  have  been  somewhat  familiar  with  the 
country,  having  been  with  the  surveyor,  Daniel  Campbell,  in 
running  out  the  township,  and  he  now  led  the  way  across  the 
river  to  the  side  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  stream,  selecting  as 
their  camping  place  for  the  night  beside  a  huge  bowlder  which 
was  removed  within  the  memory  of  a  few  of  the  oldest  inhab- 
itants in  town.  Sheltered  by  this  and  such  barriers  of  brushwood 
as  they  could  hastily  cut,  they  built  the  fire  with  which  to  cook 
their  simple  supper  and  finally  rolled  themselves  in  their  blankets 
to  pass  their  first  night  in  their  new  domains.  The  following 
morning  it  is  assumed  they  were  astir  early  to  begin  the  settle- 
ment of  a  new  town.  It  is  evident  they  had  chosen  the  locations 
for  their  future  homes  so  as  to  be  as  nearly  together  as  it  was 
practical  in  order  to  better  protect  themselves  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  a  marauding  enemy. 

Tradition,  if  not  history,  locates  James  McColley  in  what 
is  now  near  the  centre  of  Bridge  Village,  upon  the 
site  of  the  Marcy  block,  standing  to-day,  and  beside  the  big  rock 
already  mentioned.*    Samuel  Gibson  built  his  cabin  on  the  west 


*This  big  bowlder  was  removed  about  1850. 


THE  FIRST  DWELLING.  59 

hand  of  the  path  blazed  by  this  little  body  of  men  and  leading  to 
the  highlands  soon  denominated  as  "The  Centre,"  a  name  that 
clings  to  the  hamlet  to  this  day.  Mr.  Gibson's  humble  dwelling 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  Baker  farm,  and  the  depression  in  the 
earth  left  by  the  pioneer's  cellar  was  distinguishable  not  many 
years  since.  Isaac  Baldwin's  "lott"  included  the  Dutton  farm  of 
more  recent  time.  The  lots  belonging  to  Alexander  Turner  and 
James  Maxfield  were  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Bible  Hill,  as  it 
became  known  afterwards,  but  in  those  days  was  called  "West 
Hill."  Robert  McClure  and  James  Lyon  both  settled  on  top  of 
the  hill  now  known  as  the  Centre.  James  Mayer  pitched  his  tent 
between  the  Gibson  lot  and  McClure's.  The  location  of  the 
Bixby  lot  is  more  uncertain,  and  there  is  a  possibility  that  he  did 
not  come  with  this  first  party,  though  most  of  the  early  writers 
think  he  did. 

This  settlement  was,  with  the  exception  of  the  little  garrison 
at  Number  4,  now  Charlestown,  the  most  northerly  outpost  in 
New  Hampshire,  a  fact  that  wants  to  be  taken  into  consideration 
when  coming  to  the  sequel  of  the  bold  venture.  The  nearest 
settlements  on  the  east  and  south  were  Hopkinton  and  New 
Boston. 

Very  little  was  placed  on  record,  or  at  least  has  been  pre- 
served, to  show  where  and  how  the  initial  blow  was  struck  in 
founding  the  town.  While  the  lines  of  the  township  had  been 
run,  as  has  been  said,  and  the  homestead  lots  in  the  eastern  and 
southern  section  had  been  laid  out,  no  movement  had  been  made 
to  establish  a  form  of  government  at  this  early  stage.  There 
would  be  time  enough  for  such  action  when  the  handful  of  new- 
comers had  established  themselves  in  their  new  homes. 

It  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  first  building — a  log 
cabin — was  built  on  the  site  of  James  McColley's  homestead.  Let 
it  be  understood  that  this  was  a  community  settlement,  as  all 
pioneer  hamlets  were  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent.  There  was 
much  that  required  the  united  efforts  of  all.  This  was  espe- 
cially true  in  relation  to  building  the  meeting  house  and  parsonage, 
while  every  one  joined  in  toward  building  the  saw  mill,  though 
some  arrangement  was  made  whereby  this  became  the  personal 
property  of  Mr.  Keyes.    Beyond  doubt  it  stood  on  the  north  bank 


60  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  the  river  nearly  if  not  quite  where  the  Taggart  mill  stood 
when  it  was  the  nucleus  around  which  Bridge  Village  was  built. 
This  was  the  bridge  probably  above  and  on  the  site  of  the  "new 
mill"  and  a  wing  dam  was  built  out  to  the  middle  of  the  river,  a 
plan  that  was  followed  in  the  erection  of  most  of  the  early  mills, 
where  the  stream  was  of  considerable  size,  or  different  parties 
owned  the  respective  banks.  Of  course  this  was  a  rude  structure, 
at  first  little  more  than  a  hewn  frame,  a  rough  flooring,  a  carriage 
for  the  logs  and  the  old-fashioned  up  and  down  saw  located  near 
the  middle  of  the  building.  Let  it  be  ever  so  humble  great  pride 
was  felt  in  its  construction,  and  more  or  less  quiet  rejoicing 
expressed  when  the  first  board  was  sawed  from  this  mill,  the  first 
to  utilize  the  power  of  the  Contoocook  from  its  source  to  its 
entrance  into  that  larger  stream  the  Merrimack.  A  very  decisive 
blow  had  been  struck  in  the  beginning  of  Hillsborough. 

We  can  readily  imagine  that  the  next  movement  was  towards 
the  building  of  a  meeting  house,  which  work  was  greatly  facil- 
itated by  the  mill.  A  parsonage  or  house  for  the  prospective 
minister  was  also  built  that  summer,  arising  like  a  beacon  of  light 
in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness.  This  house  of  worship  stood  on 
the  west  side  of  the  road  to  the  Centre  on  what  has  since  been 
known  as  "the  Clark  Farm,"  and  where  Mr.  George  Russell  and 
his  family  now  live.  The  parsonage  stood  just  above  the  present 
buildings  on  the  place.  In  addition  to  these  buildings,  the  mill 
and  the  meeting  house,  half  a  dozen  dwellings,  humble  yet  habit- 
able, had  been  constructed  before  the  gray  days  of  November 
began  to  remind  them  of  the  approaching  winter.  There  were 
no  laggards  among  the  pioneers  of  Hillsborough. 

While  constructing  these  dwellings  several  clearings  of  some 
size  had  been  made  and  corn,  potatoes  and  a  few  vegetables  had 
been  grown,  while  patches  of  winter  rye  were  sown  to  furnish 
grain  another  summer.  Altogether  they  had  made  a  satisfactory 
beginning,  and  now  most  of  them  prepared  to  return  to  their 
families.  At  least  two  remained  through  the  winter,  Robert 
McClure  and  James  Lyon. 

Leaving  a  description  of  the  experiences  of  a  long,  bitter 
winter  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader,  we  will  now  offer  the 
proof  of  the  undertaking  hastily  sketched.    Gershom  Keyes  was 


PROOF    OF   DATE    OF    SETTLEMENT.  6 1 

a  trader  and  a  speculator  and,  as  we  have  already  said,  did  not 
pitch  his  tent  in  the  wilderness  expecting  to  occupy  it  for  any 
length  of  time.  His  purpose  rather  was  to  encourage  the  others, 
so  the  stipulations  of  the  several  deeds  given  might  be  carried  out, 
thinking  no  doubt  to  make  an  honest  dollar  by  the  transaction. 
Besides  unloading  as  rapidly  as  possible  his  burden  of  unimproved 
real  estate,  Mr.  Keyes  was  raising  money  upon  it  by  borrowing 
upon  mortgage  notes.  On  December  22,  1739,  which  must  have 
been  soon  after  his  return  from  Number  7,  he  gave  a  mortgage 
deed  to  John  Hill  to  secure  the  latter  for  the  sum  of  £360.  In  this 
document  the  mill  and  certain  houses  and  lots  that  he  owned  were 
specifically  described.  This  paper  was  legally  executed  and  can ' 
be  found  in  Middlesex  County  Deeds,  Vol.  40.  Less  than  a 
month  later  he  gave  the  following  mortgage  deed : 

Mortgage  Deed  by  Gershom  Keyes. 

Gershom  Keyes  of  Boston,  Trader,  as  security  for  the  pay- 
ment of  £1000  mortgage  to  Anthony  Caverly  of  Boston,  distiller,  a 
50  acre  house  lot  lying  in  by  t'^e  Meeting  house  with  a  house  and 
Barn  erected  thereon  lying  in  a  Township  called  Hillsbury  or 
Number  Seven  in  the  line  of  Towns,  which  Township  was  granted 
to  Isaac  Little  Esqr  and  others  of  old  Plymouth  Colony,  with  all 
the  said  Keyes's  interest  in  the  Saw  Mill  and  Dam  erected  on  the 
Contoocook  River  in  said  Township,  with  the  benefit  of  half  of 
the  Stream,  and  all  the  appurtenances  whatsoever  belonging  to 
said  whereof  he  is  one  half  owner,  together  with  all  his  other 
Lands  in  said  Township  in  Common  with  John  Hill  yet  to  be 
divided  whereof  the  said  Keyes  is  one  half  owner  at  this  day ; 
(excepting  and  reserving  all  his  interest  in  fifty  nine  house  lots 
that  are  to  be  settled  with  Six  thousand  acres  upon  an  equal  width 
lying  on  the  west  side  of  said  Township  Number  Seven  also  the 
said  Keyes  doth  except  and  reserve  all  his  interest  in  four  farms 
lying  upon  the  East  side  of  said  Township  and  one  lying  upon  the 
river  below  the  sawmill  containing  Six  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
all  the  said  farms  were  surveyed  by  Joseph  Wilder  Junr)  to- 
gether with  all  and  singular  Houses,  Edifices,  Buildings  Ease- 
ments, fences  on  all  the  said  Keyes's  Interest  in  said  Township 
Standing,  Ways  Passages  Waters  Water  courses  Eights,  Mem- 


62  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

bers  Profits  privileges  and  appurtenances  whatsoever  thereunto 
belonging  .... 

This  deed  was  legally  executed  and  dated  January  20,  1739. 
(See  Middlesex  Co.  Deeds,  Vol.  40,  p.  459.)  The  italics  are  our 
own  and  given  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Messrs.  Hill  and 
Keyes  must  have  begun  immediately  to  build  a  sawmill  and  then 
a  meeting  house  early  in  1739  if  not  the  year  before.  Further 
proof  of  this  is  found  in  the  document  executed  by  "Sam  Brown" 
as  stated  in  last  chapter,  either  one  of  which  would  seem  to 
establish  the  date  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  beyond 
question.  In  connection  with  the  date  of  the  mortgage  given  by 
Mr.  Keyes  to  Mr.  Caverly,  January  20,  1739,  ^  must  be  under- 
stood that  then  time  was  computed  in  New  England  by  the  "Old 
Style"  or  Julian  Year,  which  began  March  25.  The  "  New  Style" 
or  Gregorian  system  used  to-day  was  established  among  the 
Protestant  people  by  the  British  Parliament  in  1752.  Thus  the 
Keyes's  deed  was  executed  really  January  20,  1740,  only  a  few 
months  before  the  limit  in  which  the  grantees  were  to  make  their 
settlement. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Keyes  seems  to  have  parted  with  most 
of  his  interest  in  the  settlement  of  Number  Seven,  and  Colonel 
Hill  again  became  the  main  owner,  outside  of  the  land  that  had 
been  sold.  No  doubt  he  visited  the  town  during  the  summer  and 
time  of  building  the  meeting  house,  though  there  is  no  record  to 
show  it.  He  did  buy  a  bell  for  the  church,  but  it  was  never  sent 
there  on  account  of  threatened  molestations  from  the  Indians,  and 
it  was  finally  sent  to  Groton,  Mass.,  where  it  did  long  and  faithful 
service. 

While  the  beginning  had  been  auspicious  the  sanguinary 
proprietor  must  have  felt  that  although  well  satisfied  with  the 
work  so  far,  yet  a  shadow  hung  over  the  forest-girt  hamlet  and 
that  was  ever  the  skulking  figure  of  the  savage.  If  new  bidders 
for  homes  in  this  corner  of  the  wilderness  came  forward  slowly, 
let  it  be  said  that  not  one  of  the  leaders  weakened  in  his  purpose. 

As  soon  as  the  winter  snow  had  fairly  melted  away  in  the 
forest,  early  in  the  following  May  the  little  party  of  Argonauts 
set  forth  upon  their  long  and  arduous  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness to  their  new  homes.     The  Scotch-Irish  portion,  at  least, 


THE  FOREST  TRAIL.  63 

started  from  the  home  of  Alexander  McColley,  a  brother  to 
James,  in  Litchfield.  James  McColley's  wife,  Margaret  Moore, 
was  determined  to  accompany  him,  though  she  had  two  small 
children,  one  a  babe  in  her  arms.  Mrs.  Gibson  concluded  to 
remain  until  later  in  the  season  before  going.  Mrs.  McColley 
was  the  only  woman  in  the  party. 

James  Lyon  had  returned  a  few  days  previous,  to  see 
a  certain  young  lady  who  will  figure  in  the  new  settlement  later 
on.  Besides  Mr.  McColley  and  Samuel  Gibson  there  were  three 
other  men  in  the  company.  Mr.  McColley  was  taxed  that  year 
for  two  cows  in  Litchfield,  but  these  he  left  with  his  brother  at 
this  time,  returning  for  them  later  in  the  season.  None  of  them 
were  taxed  for  horses,  so  the  journey  was  made  on  foot.  A  few 
household  goods,  with  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  completed  the 
outfit  of  the  party. 

The  distance  lying  ahead  of  them  must  have  been  over  forty 
miles  as  the  trail  ran,  and  the  last  dwelling  they  passed  was  that 
of  an  adventurous  pioneer  in  the  town  of  Merrimack,  where  it  is 
probable  they  stopped  over  night.  Beyond  this  they  entered  the 
tenantless  woods,  where  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  comprehend 
the  hazard  and  peril  that  confronted  them.  No  historian  has 
recounted  the  particulars  of  that  long,  lonely  journey,  where  the 
wild  creatures  peered  from  their  coverts  upon  what  must  have 
seemed  to  them  a  strange  sight,  or  lingered  stealthily  on  their 
trail.  They  saw  no  signs  of  Indians,  but  there  is  a  family  tradi- 
tion that  on  the  second  night  an  adventure  befell  the  party  which 
was  not  speedily  forgotten,  while  it  portended  something  of  the 
experiences  ahead  and  at  the  same  time  proved  the  courage  and 
confidence  of  a  woman  of  the  frontier. 

It  was  the  custom  for  one  of  the  party  to  maintain  a  watch 
during  the  hours  of  the  night,  lest  they  be  surprised  by  nocturnal 
beasts  of  prey.  On  this  particular  occasion  it  was  James  Lyon's 
turn  at  keeping  vigil,  but  growing  drowsy  toward  morning  he  fell 
asleep  at  his  post.  Of  course  he  may  not  have  slept  long — prob- 
ably he  did  not —  but  it  was  long  enough  for  a  spirited  adventure 
to  take  place.  If  he  was  neglectful  of  his  duty,  Mrs.  McColley, 
awakened  by  the  restlessness  of  the  child  in  her  arms,  suddenly 
became  conscious  of  the  approach  of  a  stealthy  figure  through 


64  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  undergrowth,  and  then  she  discovered  a  pair  of  gleaming 
eyes  making  two  bright  spots  in  the  wall  of  darkness  surrounding 
them.  The  campfire  had  burned  low,  while  the  sky  was  obscured 
by  clouds,  so  not  a  star  scintillated  down  through  the  canopy  of 
the  forest.  A  deathlike  stillness  hung  over  all,  and  in  imagina- 
tion if  not  reality  Dame  McColley  saw  the  lissom  form  of  a 
panther  or  wildcat  crouching  in  the  darkness  while  it  prepared 
to  spring  upon  them !  Nothing  daunted  by  this  startling  situation, 
knowing  that  to  arouse  the  men  would  be  to  precipitate  a  crisis 
that  might  prove  disastrous,  she  reached  quickly,  but  silently,  for 
the  ever-handy  musket  resting  by  the  side  of  her  husband.  As 
she  lifted  the  weapon  she  pressed  the  hammer  back,  the  sharp 
click  of  lock  arousing  the  cautious  brute,  which  gave  a  low  growl 
of  rage,  at  the  same  moment  stirring  the  underbrush  where  it 
crouched.  Realizing  the  importance  of  prompt  action,  Mrs. 
McColley  took  quick  aim  at  one  of  the  blazing  orbs,  and,  with  a 
prayer  upon  her  lips,  fired  point  blank  at  the  beast. 

The  report  of  the  firearm  was  blended  with  a  cry  of  pain 
and  madness,  while  the  form  of  the  enraged  creature  came  crash- 
ing through  the  thicket  and  struck  at  her  feet !  So  closely  did  the 
brute  come  that  its  sharp  claws  tore  a  rent  in  her  skirt,  and  for 
a  moment  her  fate  seemed  sealed.  But  the  leap  of  the  wounded 
cat  had  been  its  death-struggle,  and  with  another  snarl  of  rage 
the  creature  expired  within  reach  of  her  hand. 

By  this  time  the  men  were  awake  and  on  their  feet,  for  a 
moment  fearing  an  attack  from  an  unknown  enemy.  But  a  few 
words  from  the  brave  woman  and  the  body  of  the  dead  cat 
explained  the  cause  of  the  alarm.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
campfire  was  replenished  and  that  James  Lyon  slept  no  more  at 
his  post  that  night.  In  fact,  though  this  was  no  uncommon  ex- 
perience, none  of  them  thought  of  sleeping. 

The  third  day  was  drawing  to  a  close — a  beautiful  spring 
afternoon — as  the  little  party  stopped  on  the  bank  of  a  swiftly- 
flowing  stream,  now  running  furiously  with  the  aftermath  of 
winter. 

"Are  we  almost  there,  James?"  asked  Mrs.  McColley,  scan- 
ning sagely  his  countenance  that  she  might  read  there  some 
inkling  of  the  answer  she  desired. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 


LOOX    POXD. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 


CONTENTION  POXD. 


FOUNDING  THE  FIRST  HOME.  65 

"Almost  there,  Maggie.  Here  is  where  we  crossed  last  year, 
and  see,  Robert  has  felled  other  trees  to  make  a  bridge  for  us  to 
cross  over.    At  the  top  of  the  hill  our  journey  has  been  reached.,, 

"Yes,  and  look,  James !  there  he  comes  to  welcome  us." 

Fifteen  minutes  later  the  entire  party,  now  joined  by  the 
overjoyed  Robert  McClure  from  his  lonely  cabin  where  he  had 
passed  the  winter,  halted  for  the  last  time  before  the  rough,  but 
comfort-promising  cabin  by  the  big  rock,  that  was  to  be  their 
home,  standing  under  the  canopy  of  an  aged  oak  lifting  its  arms 
over  them  like  a  Druid  bearded  and  saintly. 

"Our  home,  Maggie,"  said  James  McColley,  simply;  "at 
last!" 

"At  last,"  she  repeated.    "James,  let  us  pray." 

Then  and  there,  under  that  forest  sanctuary,  the  ancient  oak, 
was  sent  up  the  first  humble  petition  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  ever 
offered  in  the  town,  and  though  others  may  have  come  from  more 
finished  temples  of  worship  it  is  doubtful  if  a  more  devout  prayer 
was  ever  uttered,  or  under  more  striking  and  appropriate  environ- 
ment. 

That  evening  the  first  home  in  Hillsborough  enlivened  and 
sanctified  by  the  presence  of  mother  and  children  was  founded, 
and  we  can  safely  say  the  beginning  was  auspicious. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  only  fragmentary  records, 
enlivened  here  and  there  with  flashes  of  tradition,  from  which  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  few  following  years.  Built  against  such  a 
background  their  history  would  have  all  the  interest  of  romance. 
There  were  certainly  no  laggards  among  these  pioneers,  and 
without  the  loss  of  a  day's  time  the  season's  work  was  begun  on 
the  succeeding  morning,  each  man  going  to  his  abode  with  a  deter- 
mined purpose  to  make  his  particular  homestead  to  blossom  "like 
a  rose  in  the  wilderness,"  though  he  may  have  expressed  it  in  a 
more  homely  phrase.  So  the  summer  waxed  and  waned,  bringing 
back  the  Massachusetts  colonists  who  had  come  the  year  before, 
all  except  Mr.  Keyes.  In  addition  to  the  original  number  came  a 
Robert  Fletcher,  who  had  taken  a  lot  located  on  West  Hill  or 
Bible  Hill  as  it  has  since  been  called.  There  are  no  records  of 
others  coming,  excepting  that  the  first  week  in  September  Mrs. 
Samuel  Gibson  came  with  her  four  children,  so  it  could  no  longer 


66  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

be  said  that  Mrs.  McColley  was  the  only  woman  at  the  settlement. 
Still  all  honor  to  Margaret  McColley,  who  had  dared  to  brave  the 
perils  and  the  hardships  to  do  her  part  in  the  founding  of  the 
new  town.  As  the  oldest  of  the  Gibson  children  was  barely  six, 
of  youngsters  at  play  there  were  a  merry  group. 

While  it  could  not  have  been  an  unexpected  event  to  the  wise 
ones,  and  who  is  not  wise  in  regard  to  his  neighbor's  business,  in 
the  fall  James  Lyon,  as  soon  as  his  crops  were  harvested,  hied 
himself  away  and  was  gone  two  weeks,  but  when  he  came  back 
he  was  not  alone  and  yet  two  came  as  one,  and  the  better  half 
was  Mary  Lyon,  the  first  bride  to  come  to  Hillsborough.  You 
may  be  certain  there  was  a  grand,  if  simple,  reception  when  the 
newly  wedded  couple  went  to  their  home  at  the  Centre.  There 
were  now  at  least  three  women  in  town,  and  at  least  three  full- 
fledged  homes.  How  honest  John  Hill's  heart  must  have 
throbbed  when  he  heard  the  news. 

The  winter  for  1740-41  came  in  early,  before  Thanksgiving, 
but  our  pioneers  had  anticipated  it  by  such  preparations  as  they 
could  make.  The  summer  had  been  quite  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  their  crops,  and  we  do  not  imagine  there  was  any  excessive 
suffering.  Anyway  midwinter  was  brightened  by  an  event  some- 
time expected  and  yet  bringing  much  rejoicing.  This  was 
nothing  less  than  the  appearance  upon  the  scene  of  a  new  mem- 
ber of  the  McColley  family.  He  was  straightway  christened 
John,  and  his  after  life  proves  that  he  was  a  bright  boy,  worthy 
of  being  the  joy  of  any  mother's  heart.  It  might  now  truly  be 
said  that  the  population  of  Number  Seven  had  begun  to  grow. 

If  proudly  toasted  and  boosted  as  the  "uncrowned  king," 
Master  John  McColley  was  soon  to  have  a  fair  rival,  for  four 
months  and  a  day  later,  May  19,  1741,  a  child  was  born  into  the 
Gibson  family,  and  very  appropriately  a  daughter,  who  was 
named  Elizabeth.  Happiness  now  reigned  supreme  in  at  least 
two  families. 

The  following  summer  the  wives  and  children  of  others  of 
the  men  in  town  must  have  come  hither  to  make  more  cheerful 
the  bachelor  homes.  Though  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove  it,  it 
seems  apparent  that  James  McColley's  brother  John  joined  the 
numbers.     His  name  disappears  from  the  records  of  Litchfield, 


FIRST  FUNERAL.  67 

though  we  know  he  was  not  dead.  The  live  stock  of  the  brothers 
is  no  longer  on  the  inventory.  By  this  time  Number  Seven  must 
have  had  a  population  approaching  forty,  counting  adults  and 
children. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  religious  people  would  allow 
their  meeting  house  to  remain  unopened  during  those  years,  and 
probably  services  were  held  at  various  times  under  the  auspices 
of  a  Mr.  Grayson  of  Amherst,  and  possibly  other  ministers.  But 
it  is  certain  there  was  no  settled  minister,  nor  does  there  seem 
to  have  been  any  effort  made  to  settle  one.  The  fact  was,  as  has 
already  been  hinted,  wars  and  rumors  of  warfare  with  the 
Indians  ever  gave  uneasiness  to  the  minds  of  the  colonists.  This 
constant  threat  kept  others  from  joining  them,  as  well  as  casting 
a  gloom  over  their  lives. 

In  December,  1741,  death  for  the  first  time  visited  the  fron- 
tier hamlet,  when  the  infant  child  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Lyon 
found  early  surcease  from  life's  toil.  Three  days  later  the  first 
funeral  in  town  was  held,  and  in  a  biting  storm  a  little  form 
was  laid  away  in  an  unmarked  grave  in  the  Centre  cemetery,  long 
since  lost  to  identification,  not  stopping  long  enough  here  to  leave 
more  than  a  date  line. 

Three  years  then  passed  silently  without  so  much  as  leaving 
a  pen  mark  on  the  historic  page*  though  there  were  two  if  not 
other  births  and  one  life  went  out  during  the  interval.  Word 
was  brought  up  from  the  lower  settlements  that  war  was  again 
being  waged  between  the  French  and  English,  while  far  and 
wide  the  Indians  were  committing  deeds  of  atrocity.  The 
pioneers  of  Number  Seven  now  realized  they  had  made  a  mistake 
in  settling  over  such  a  wide  territory.  In  other  places,  where  the 
hamlets  were  more  compact,  garrison  houses  had  been  constructed 
whither  the  inhabitants  could  flee  for  safety  upon  an  alarm  of 
danger.  But  this  was  not  practical  with  the  distances  that  inter- 
vened between  the  settler  fartherest  on  the  west,  east  and  south. 


*It  does  not  seem  probable  that  these  earlier  citizens  of  Number  Seven  at- 
tempted any  regular  form  of  government,  as  this  was  hardly  necessary.  Their 
very  environments  served  to  unite  them  in  the  single  endeavor  to  improve  their 
condition.  So  there  were  really  no  records  kept  of  those  trying  years'  experi- 
ences. This  was  not  unusual.  Upon  the  second  settlement,  made  under  leas 
hazardous  conditions,  it  was  ten  years  before  an  effort  at  incorporation  as  a 
township  was  attempted  and  a  board  of  town  officers  chosen.  With  the  election 
of  a   clerk  an  official  record  begins. — Author. 


68  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Number  Seven  had  not  been  planned  to  be  a  frontier  outpost, 
which  it  was  in  reality  if  not  so  intended.  Mr.  Smith  says  there 
were  about  twelve  families  in  the  town,  but  this  calculation  might 
be  safely  increased  by  three.  But  twelve  or  fifteen  or  twenty, 
the  odds  of  a  few  families  did  not  matter.  Already  word  had 
come  that  settlers  not  as  removed  as  they  had  begun  to  seek  the 
protection  of  more  densely  populated  sections.  Everywhere 
among  the  scattered  settlements  of  Northern  New  England  it 
was  the  same.  "The  husbandman  cleared  and  tilled  his  soil 
under  the  protection  of  a  guard,  uncertain  whether  the  seed  he 
committed  to  the  ground  might  be  watered  by  his  blood  or  that 
of  his  enemy."  A  balladist  of  that  period  in  the  quaint  language 
peculiar  to  the  time  describes  vividly  the  situation: 

"England   and  France   a  cruel  war, 
Had  with  each  other  waged ; 
Woe  to  the  colonies !  for  there 
Its  bloodiest  contest  raged. 

5 
The  fierce  Canadian  (Frenchmen  they) 

Had  set  the  Indians  on; 
'Twas  sad  to  see  for  many  a  day, 
The  mischief  that  was  done. 

Houses  were  burnt  and  cattle  slain, 
And  smiling  fields  laid  waste ; 

To  seek  the  lurking  foe  was  vain, 
His  steps  might  not  be  traced ; 

For  the  dark,  trackless  woods  conceal'd 
Him,  issuing  whence  he  seized 

The  unwary  laborer  in  his  field, 
A  captive  if  he  pleased ; 

Or  else  more  merciful  dispatched 

Him  at  a  single  blow, 
Then  his  defenceless  home  attacked, 

And  laid  his  loved  ones  low ; 

Or  led  into  captivity 

The  children  and  the  wife, 
In  hardship,  pain  and  misery, 

To  drag  a  weary  life. 


FLIGHT  OF  THE  PIONEERS.  69 

Such  scenes  as  these,  we  understand 

Were  acted  o'er  and  o'er, 
Beginning  first  at  Westmoreland, 

Not  far  from  Number  Four. 

In  both  these  towns,  in  Keene  likewise, 

Were  killed  and  taken  some ; 
And  then  eight  persons  by  surprise, 

They  took  in  Hopkinton. 

Oh!  faces  gathered  paleness  then, 

Hearts  trembled  with  dismay ; — 

Of  foes  without,  the  fears  within, 
Disturbed  them  night  and  day." 

The  attack  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Hopkinton,  mentioned 
above,  occurred  on  the  morning  of  April  22,  1746,  and  brought 
the  terror  very  close  to  the  homes  in  Number  Seven.  The  report 
said  that  a  party  of  Indians  armed  with  muskets,  tomahawks  and 
knives  entered  one  of  the  fortified  houses  while  its  inmates  slept, 
the  door  having  been  left  open  by  one  who  had  gone  out  early  to 
hunt,  and  captured  eight  persons  before  they  could  rally  to 
resist.  Immediately  a  messenger  hastened  to  warn  Colonel  Hill's 
colony  of  the  peril  of  their  situation.  To  add  to  their  trepidation 
that  very  day  a  party  of  red  men  were  seen  prowling  about  the 
Contoocook  falls,  and  to  all  appearance  a  warparty.  Small 
wonder  if  even  such  men  as  Samuel  Gibson,  Isaac  Baldwin,  and 
James  McColley,  and  others,  all  of  them  inured  in  Indian  fight- 
ing, thinking  of  the  danger  to  their  families,  should  quickly  decide 
that  flight  was  their  only  expedient. 

So,  in  haste  and  with  many  misgivings,  they  buried  the 
heavier  articles  of  their  households  and  implements  of  husbandry, 
to  prepare  to  seek  a  place  of  greater  safety  until  the  war-cloud 
should  blow  over.  When  it  should  be  safe  for  them  to  do  so, 
they  would  return  to  take  up  the  burdens  of  husbandry  where 
they  had  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  laid  them  down. 

The  men  collected  their  livestock  together  and  drove  the 
cattle  and  the  hogs  before  them,  while  the  women  took  charge  of 
the  children,  and  along  with  these  the  house  cats  and  other  pets. 
It  was  a  solemn  band  of  self-exiled  pioneers  that  moved  slowly 
down  the  forest  pathway,  now  well-known  to  most  of  them  and 


70  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

leading  to  a  haven  of  protection.  There  were  many  backward 
glances,  and  perhaps  a  few  tears  in  eyes  unaccustomed  to  weep, 
but  like  the  Acadians  sent  into  exile  that  very  summer,  each 
carried  in  his  or  her  heart  a  prayer  for  a  speedy  return  to  the 
beloved  homes  they  were  forced  to  desert.  None  of  the  Acadians 
ever  returned  to  the  scenes  of  their  loves  and  hopes,  while  of 
these  forty-odd  fugitives  of  old  Number  Seven  few,  very  few, 
ever  came  back,  and  these  only  after  long  years,  to  find  their 
homes  fallen  in  ruins  and  the  sunlight  shut  out  from  their  clear- 
ings by  a  new  growth  of  forest.  The  Indian  had  fled  to  the 
happy  hunting  grounds  of  his  fathers,  but  the  shadows  of  solitude 
brooded  in  silence  over  a  scene  once  merry  with  the  laughter  of 
children  and  the  rejoicings  of  the  inmates  of  hopeful  homes. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Interval  of  Indian  Wars. 
1745-1762. 

Capture  of  Louisburg  by  New  England  Troops — Its  Importance  Not 
Appreciated  by  Great  Britain — Awakening  of  a  Feeling  of  Resent- 
ment which  Developed  the  Spirit  of  '76 — Enemies  of  '45  Become 
Allies  in  '76 — Colonel  Hill  Buys  Back  His  Interest  in  Number 
Seven — So  Saves  the  Early  Settlers  from  Loss — Seeks  Protection 
from  the  Indians — Petition  from  the  Inhabitants  of  Merrimack — 
Masonian  Proprietors — Colonel  Hill  Petitions  for  Relief — Gets 
Quit-Claim  Deed  to  Hillsborough — Has  to  Allow  Reserved  Lots — 
Royal  Society  Land — "Cumberland" — Breaking  Out  of  the  Seven 
Years  War — Rogers  Rangers — Men  From  Number  Seven  Who  Were 
Active — Result  of  War  and  Forecast. 

The  war  that  devastated  New  England  at  the  time  of  the 
flight  of  the  pioneers  of  Number  Seven  was  known  abroad  as 
"The  War  of  the  Austrian  Succession,"  but  here  as  "Shirley's 
War,"  that  being  the  name  of  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  at 
the  time.  On  account  of  the  capture  by  the  raw  New  England 
troops  under  Pepperell  of  the  French  stronghold  on  the  Island 
of  Breton,  it  has  also  been  called  "Cape  Breton  War."  But  the 
name  matters  little.  Though  this  particular  struggle  was  not  an 
Indian  war,  the  red  men  were  everywhere  aroused,  and  the 
English  settlers  in  this  county  trembled  for  their  safety.  Fortu- 
nately the  conflict  of  which  we  have  spoken  was  short  and  sharp, 
and  in  1747  peace  was  again  declared.  Still  the  respite  was 
doubtful. 

While  the  capture  of  Louisburg  by  raw  New  England  troops 
seems  of  small  importance  to  the  historian  of  the  mightier  con- 
quests of  the  world,  yet  it  was  portentious  of  future  events  in 
more  ways  than  one.  In  the  first  place  it  was  the  beginning  of 
that  wider  endeavor  which  made  England  "mistress  of  the  sea." 
Again  it  suggested  to  Pitt  and  other  British  leaders  the  reason- 
ableness of  wresting  Canada  from  their  oldtime  enemy  France. 
This  dream  was  realized  fourteen  years  later. 

71 


72  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  contempt  with  which  their  success  at  Louisburg,  then 
known  as  the  "Dunkirk  of  America,"  by  the  British  council 
showed  to  the  New  England  colonists  that  their  affairs  were  of 
minor  consequence  in  their  homeland.  Their  loyal  love  and 
faith  received  then  their  first  shock,  and  from  that  day  may  be 
dated  the  beginning  of  that  rebellious  spirit  which  eventually 
found  expression  in  the  Revolution.  It  was  also  the  awakening 
of  conquest  upon  the  sea,  led  by  Paul  Jones  within  twenty-five 
years.  By  an  extraordinary  outcome  of  destiny  the  French,  from 
whom  they  won  the  victory  of  Louisburg  in  '45,  were  their  allies 
in  '76,  helping  them  to  establish  their  independence,  while  the  old 
French  colonies  in  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  remained 
as  vassals  of  Great  Britain.  Another  link  that  connects  Louis- 
burg with  the  Revolution  was  the  fact  that  Gridley,  the  man  who 
planned  the  trenches  and  parallel  lines  of  that  stronghold,  laid  out 
the  fortifications  of  Bunker  Hill. 

The  pioneers  of  Number  Seven  all  returned  to  their  former 
homes,  and  took  up  life  anew  as  if  the  fearful  experience  was 
only  a  dream.  With  his  characteristic  honesty  of  purpose  Colonel 
Hill  came  forward  and  very  generously  bought  out  the  interests 
of  all  who  had  undertaken  the  founding  of  his  town.  Thus  he 
was  again  sole  proprietor;  that  is,  as  far  as  his  Massachusetts 
title  went.  Ever  on  the  alert  for  the  safety  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  outlying  towns,  we  find  him  petitioning  the  governor  and 
general  court  as  follows : 

Protection  from  the  Indians,  1744. 

To  His  Excellancy  Benning  Wentworth  Esq.  Capt.  General  & 
Governor  in  Chief  in  and  over  his  Majesty®  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, to  the  Hon.Me  his  Majesties  Council  °3T  House  of  Representatives 
in  General  Court  Assembled. 

Jno  Hill  in  behalf  of  himself  &  and  other  proprietors  of  a  Town- 
ship NO.  7  in  the  line  of  Towns  commonly  called  Hillborough  &  another 
Township  called  Peterborough  both  in  the  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, humbly  shows  That  your  Petitioners  &  the  other  sd  proprietors 
have  been  at  great  Charge  and  Expence  in  settling  &  bringing  forward 
ye  sd  Townships  to  their  present  circumstances,  there  being  near  40 
families  that  would  not  be  in  Each  of  sd  Towns  but  are  discouraged 
by  the  danger  of  an  Indian  War,  &  are  now  ready  to  go  on  if  they 
can  be  protected  in  their  settlement.     Wherefore  your  Petitioners  in 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  PROTECTION.  73 

behalf  of  himself  &  the  other  proprietors  pray  in  Consideration  of  the 
gTeat  Expence  they  have  been  at  in  the  settlements  and  the  manifest 
advantage  that  will  accrue  to  the  Province  from  them,  that  being 
Frontier  Towns  thay  may  be  Defended  &  protected  by  this  Government 
as  Your  Excellency  &  Hounds  shall  seem  meet  &  your  Petitioners  shall 
ever  pray  &c. 

John  Hill. 

Petition  foe  Protection  from  Merrimack,  1747. 

To  His  Excellancy  Benning  Wentworth  Esqr  Gov.  &c  The  Hon.  his 
Majestys  Council  &  House  of  Representatives  in  the  Generall  Assembly 
Convened  May  13th  1747. 

The  Petition  of  us  Subscribers  Inhabitants  of  the  Souhegan  West 
Humbly  Sheweth  that  there  is  Settled  and  now  remains  in  this  planta- 
tion thirty  five  familys  in  which  is  about  Fifty  eight  men  upwards  of 
sixteen  years  old.  That  when  we  began  our  settlement  we  ap- 
prehended no  danger  of  our  ever  being  a  frontier,  there  being  at  that 
time  so  many  above  us  begun  and  obligated  to  fulfill  the  conditions 
of  the  Massachusetts  grants,  which  occasioned  us  to  settle  scattering, 
only  Regarding  the  advantages  of  Good  and  Compact  Farms.  That 
the  difficulty  of  War  happening  so  early  on  her  Settlements,  and  the 
Defenceless  Condition  they  was  in,  has  obliged  them  all,  viz :  Peters- 
borough,  Salem-  Canada,  New  Boston  and  Hillsborugh  (so  called) 
Intirely  to  draw  off  as  well  as  the  forts  on  the  Connecticut  River  left 
naked.  Whereby  we  are  left  as  much  exposed  as  any  of  the  Frontiers 
on  the  Merrimack  River. 

Wherefore  Your  Petitioners  most  Humbly  Pray  that  your  Ex- 
cellency &  Hours  would  so  far  Comiserate  our  Present  Difficult  Cir- 
cumstances as  to  Grant  us  so  many  Soldiers  as  your  Excellency  & 
Honrs  may  Judge  of  Necessity  for  Our  Defence  and  your  Petirs  as  in 
Duty  bound  Shall  Pray  &c. 

Daniel  Wilkins  William  Howard 

John  Shepard  Jacob  Wellman 

his  his 

Joseph  X  Wilkins  David  X  Hartsorn 

mark  mark 

Benj  Cheever  Andrew  Bixbe 

John  Davis  Andrew  Beeton 

James  Cofren  William  Bradford 

Samuel  Walton  Ebenezer   Ellinwood 

William  Peabody  Thomas  Clark 

Solomon  Hutchinson  John  Seetown 

Daniel  Wilkins  Junr  Ebenezer  Lyon 

Benjamin   Cheever  Junr  Caleb  Stiles 
Israel  Towne 


74  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

In  Council  May  13th  1747  read  &  ordered  to  be  sent  Down  to  the 
HonWe  House. 

Theodobe  Atkinson  Secy. 

Succeeding  events  prove  that  the  prayer  was  not  heeded,  or 
at  least  the  government  was  powerless  to  assist  the  endangered 
inhabitants.  Other  petitions  and  supplications  were  forwarded  at 
this  and  later  periods  which  show  the  situation  as  it  existed  at  the 
time. 

Masonian  Proprietors. 

In  1746  John  Tufton  Mason,  who  represented  the  Masonian 
claimants,  sold  out  his  interest  for  £1,500  to  a  company  that  be- 
came known  as  the  Masonian  Proprietors.  The  interest  was 
divided  into  15  shares  owned  as  follows: 

Theodore  Atkinson    3  shares 

Mark  H.  Wentworth 2 

Richard   Wibird    1  share 

John  Wentworth    1         " 

George  Jaffirey    1         " 

Nathaniel   Wentworth    1         " 

Thomas    Parker    1         " 

Thomas    Wallingford    1         " 

Jotham   Odiorne    1         " 

Joshua  Pierce  1         " 

Saanuel    Moore    1         " 

John  Moffatt   1 

15  shares 

Before  granting  townships  3  shares  were  added,  and  9  new 
members : 

John  Range  Joseph  Blanchard  Daniel  Pierce 

John  Tufton  Mason        John  Tomlinson  Matthew  Livermore 

William  Parker  Samuel   Selley  Clement  March 

All  were  Portsmouth  men,  excepting  Joseph  Blanchard. 

Reasonable  in  their  claims,  quitclaiming  their  title  to  these 
who  had  come  into  actual  possession,  this  company  soon  removed 
the  bitterness  of  feeling  which  had  arisen  previously. 


MASONIAN    QUIT-CLAIM.  75 

With  indefatigable  purpose,  realizing  that  his  title  from 
Massachusetts  was  void,  Colonel  Hill  early  in  1749,  according  to 
the  present  calendar,  petitioned  to  the  Masonian  Proprietors  as 
follows : 

Petition  of  Col.  John  Hill,  1748-9. 

To  the   Proprs  Purchasers  of  the  Grant  made  to  Capt.  Jon  Mason 
March   1    in   London  by  the   Council  of   Plimouth  Lying  on  the 
Province  of  New  Hampshire  in  New  England 
Gentn 

I  purchased  of  Sundry  Proprs  who  had  their  Grant  from  the 
Massachusetts  Government  a  Township  in  the  line  towns  (called  No.  7 
or  Hillboro)  &  Lately  I've  been  Informed  that  Township  falls  within 
the  Limits  of  Sd  Masons  Grant.  Against  whome  I've  no  Inclination 
to  Dispute- 
Therefore  Gentlemen  if  it  be  the  Case  the  Sd  Lands  are  Situated 
within  your  property  I  would  gladly  assist  you  and  Acquaint  you  that, 
free  from  designs  of  Injuring  any  Body  but  with  a  view  to  Serve  my 
Country  and  my  Self  Have  in  Bringing  forward  a  Settlement  of  a 
town  in  the  most  usefull  man'er  for  the  Public  Service ;  Have  been  at 
near  2220;  if  within  your  property  I  would  gladly  Acquaint  you  that, 
free  from  design  of  Injuring  any  Body  but  with  a  view  to  Serve  my 
Country  and  my  Self  Have  in  Bringing  forward  a  Settlement  of  a  town 
in  the  most  useful  maner,  if  within  it  is  at  the  Extreme  parts  of  your 
Grant  the  Attempt  of  Setting  of  that  Bemote  Wilderness,  Opening 
Boads  Discovering  the  Country  and  being  a  Barricord  Previous  to  the 
entry  on  ye  Lands  within,  Has  bin  of  Supr  Service  (be  it  within  your 
Claim)  to  Any  Becompence  you  have  in  your  Generosity,  Accept  from 
Sundry  of  your  Near  grants  &  Shall  in  that  way  further  prosecute  any 
Duty  of  Settlement  you  think  advisable  for  publick  Service  on  that 
Land  and  Esteem  it  a  favour  for  your  Quit  claim  to  those  Lands  that 
I  may  pursue  my  Settlement  free  from  debate  &  with  Incouragement 
to  Industry  Shall  Beadily  Submitt  my  self  to  your  Compassion  And 
order  therein.     I  am  Gentlemen 

Your  Most  Obedient  Humble  servant 

John  Hill 

The  Masonian  Proprietors,  as  they  had  done  in  other  cases, 
readily  granted  the  request  of  Colonel  Hill  and  promptly  sent  him 
the  following: 

Quit-Claim  to  Hillbobough,  1748-9 

Upon  Beading  &  Considering  the  Bequest  &  Petition  of  Coll0  John 
Hill  of  Boston  Esqr  to  have  a  Quit  Claim  from  the  Said  Proprietors 


76  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  their  Big-tit  to  that  Tract  of  land  Commonly  called  Hillborough  to 
him  the  Said  John  Hill  for  the  Eeasons  Set  forth  in  his  Petition  on  file 
Voted  That  the  Said  Proprietors  first  Reserving  to  themselves  their 
Heirs  &  assigns  the  Quantitjr  of  Seventeen  hundred  Acres  of  the  said 
tract  of  land  to  be  laid  out  as  the  Said  John  Hill  shall  think  most 
Convenient  for  promoting  the  Settlement  there  but  not  to  be  Subject 
to  any  Charge  or  Tax  untill  improved  by  Said  Proprietors  or  those 
who  hold  under  them  or  any  of  them  have  and  hereby  do  grant  (on 
the  Terms  &  Conditions  hereafter  mentioned)  all  their  Right  Title 
Estate  Interest  &  Property  unto  the  Said  Tract  of  land  called  &  known 
by  ye  name  of  Hillborough  to  him  ye  Said  John  Hill  his  heirs  and 
Assigns  forever  he  Returning  to  the  Proprietors  a  Plan  of  the  Said 
Seventeen  Hundred  Acres  are  laid  out — also  reserving  all  Pine  Trees 
for  his  Majesty's  Use  fit  for  masting  for  the  Royal  Navy. 

As  there  was  a  long  delay  in  establishing  the  second  settle- 
ment and  in  making  a  survey  of  the  township,  Colonel  Hill's 
reply  to  the  Proprietors  was  not  made  until  the  end  of  sixteen 
years.  Although  it  does  not  come  here  in  chronological  order,  it 
may  be  better  understood  if  presented  at  this  time. 

John  Hill  to  Masonian  Pboprietobs,  1765. 

Boston  May  22,  1756. 
Sir: 

I  here  Inclose  a  plan of  Hillborough  the  Reservations  of 

the  Grant  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  Lands  purchased  of  John  Tufton 
Mason  Esqr  are  marked  and  described  on  Each*  Plan — which  pleas  to 
present  to  Said  proprietors  with  my  Compliments  and  dutifull 
Begards  to  them — and  Youll  Very  Much  oblige 

Your  Most  Humble  Sert 

John  Hill 

P.  S.    Please  to  Acquaint  me  with  the  Eeceipt  of  the  Same. 
To  George  Jaffrey  Esqr 

Eeserved  Lots,  1779. 
State  of  New 

Hampshire  Portsmouth  February  22d  1779  Monday  ten  of 

the  clock  before  noon  at  the  House  of  Mr.  John 

Penhallow  improved  by  him  as  a  store,  the  Proprietors  meet  according 

to  adjournment    . . .    Whereas  John  Hill  Esqr  hath  returned  to   Said 

Proprietore    a    Plan    of    Hillsborough    with   the    reserved    Seventeen 

hundred  acres  to  said  Proprietors,  laid  out  in  form  two  hundred  Acre 

Lotts,  numbered  on  said  plan  No.  27  No.  28  No  29  No  30,  and  three 

hundred  Acre  Lotts  numbered  41,  42,  43,  which  Said  Lotts  are  presumed 

to  contain  the  number  of  Acres  in  each  Lott  as  expressed  in  Said 


*  The  second  plan  referred  to  Peterborough. 


SOCIETY  LAND. 


77 


Plan  . . .  therefore  voted  that  each  of  the  Said  two  hundred  Acre  Lotts 
be  divided  into  two  equal  parts  and  numbered  on  Said  Plan  from  1  to 
8,  and  that  the  Said  three  three  hundired  Acre  Lotts  be  divided  into 
thfree  equal  parts  on  the  Plan  and  be  numbered  9  to  17,  and  that  a 
draft  of  all  of  Said  lotts  be  now  drawn  to  the  Rights  of  each  of  the 
fifteen  Proprietors  Shares  and  the  low  Lotts  No  1  &  No.  2  and  being 
drawn  to  said  Rights  and  entered  on  Record  shall  be  a  Severance  of 
the  Same  to  Said  Proprietors  &c 

The  Draft  of  the  Said  Lotts  were  drawn  as  follows  Vizt 

1st  To  John  Eindge  No.     1  in  No.  27 

2nd  To  Theodore  Atkinson  Esqr  No.     7  in  No.  30 

3rd  Thomlinson  &  Mason  No.     2  in  No.  27 

4th  Mark  Hg  Wentworth  Esqr  No.  11  in  No.  30 

5th  Law  lott  No.  2  No.     8  in  No.  30 

6th  Solly  &  March  No.  17  in  No.  43 

7th  Geo :  Jaffrey  No.  15  in  43 

8  Thos.  Packer  Esqr  No.  14  in  No.  42 

9  Pierce  &  Moore  No.  12  in  No.  42 

10  Blanchard  Meserve  &  Co  No.     5  in  No.  29 

11  Jotham  Odiorne  Esqr  No.     6  in  No.  40 

12  Richd  Wibird  Esqr  No.  10  in  No.  21 

13  Josha  Peirce  Esqr  No.     4  in  No.  26 

14  Thos  Walingford  Esqr  No.  16  in  No.  43 

15  Law  Jott  No.   1  No.  13  in  No.  42 

16  Jon  Wentworth  Esqr  No.     3  in  No.  28 

17  John  Moffatt  Esqr  No.     9  in  No.  41 

The  lots  designated  in  the  preceding  document  were  located 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  lots  27,  28,  and  41  bordering  on 
the  town  of  Bradford. 

In  1753  there  remained  in  the  Contoocook  valley  quite  an 
area  of  wild  land  that  had  not  been  included  in  any  of  the  grants. 
This  was  then  divided  into  fifteen  shares  consisting  of  two  lots 
each,  one  of  intervale  land  and  the  other  of  upland.  This  ex- 
tensive territory  prior  to  the  early  stages  of  the  Revolution  was 
known  as  "Royal  Society  Land,"  and  later  on  simply  as  "Society 
Land."  Before  the  closing  of  the  War  for  Independence  there 
seems  to  have  an  organization  respecting  the  conduct  of  the 
ownership  of  this  large  tract  of  ungranted  country,  though  the 
first  meeting  of  this  body  of  which  we  have  any  record  was  held 
on  March  25,  1782. 

However  this  may  have  been  action  had  already  been  taken 
regarding  the  placing  of  this  territory,  for  we  find  that  Frances- 


7§  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

town  had  "absorbed"  Lots  8,  9,  10,  in  1772;  Deering,  Nos.  11,  12, 
13,  14,  and  15  in  1774;  Antrim,  Nos.  4,  5,  6,  and  7  in  1777; 
Hancock,  Nos.  I,  2,  and  3,  with  most  of  a  "mile  square  lot"  that 
had  been  granted  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard  for  assistance  to  Robert 
Fletcher  in  surveying  the  tract  in  colonial  days,  in  1779.  A 
portion  still  undivided  was  added  to  Greenfield  in  1791. 

Even  then  a  section  between  the  river  and  Crotchet  Moun- 
tain remained  unchartered  until  1842,  when  the  town  of  Benning- 
ton was  incorporated.  This  whole  tract  for  a  considerable  period 
was  designated  as  "Cumberland." 

Having  secured  by  honorable  means  a  valid  title  to  his  grant, 
which  was  already  proving  an  expensive  investment,  Colonel  Hill 
now  turned  his  attention  resolutely  to  improving  his  township. 
But  another  Indian  war  was  driving  at  the  very  heart  of  New 
England — a  war  more  pronounced,  prolonged  and  more  terrific 
than  any  it  had  experienced,  for  this  was  the  life  and  death 
grapple  between  the  French  and  Indians  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
English  colonists  on  the  other.  In  the  hands  of  the  master  of 
this  war  rested  the  fortune  of  New  England,  French  or  English. 

While  the  previous  Indian  wars  had  found  the  New  England 
colonists  poorly  prepared  to  meet  their  foes,  the  "Seven  Years' 
War"  opened  with  them  in  readiness  for  the  enemy  that  would 
never  rest  until  thoroughly  conquered.  As  early  as  1752  several 
attacks  were  made  by  the  red  men,  and  children,  women  and 
even  men  were  taken  into  captivity.  The  most  noted  and  far- 
reaching  in  its  influence  was  the  surprise  of  a  hunting  party  of 
four  who  had  been  trapped  while  hunting  in  what  is  now  Rumney, 
N.  H.  This  quartette  consisted  of  William  and  John  Stark,  Ben- 
jamin Eastman  and  David  Stinson,  all  from  the  towns  in  the 
Merrimack  valley. 

The  surprise  took  place  on  the  morning  of  April  28,  1752, 
while  two  of  the  number  were  absent  from  camp  looking  after 
their  traps.  In  the  course  of  the  attack  Stinson  was  killed,  while 
John  Stark  and  Eastman  were  made  prisoners,  William  Stark 
alone  escaping.  The  captives  were  taken  to  St.  Francis,  where 
they  remained  until  in  August  a  ransom  was  effected  for  their 
release.  The  Stark  brothers  both  became  prominent  scouts,  or- 
ganizers and  leaders  throughout  the  war.     William  was  at  the 


seven  years'  war.  79 

head  of  the  New  England  Rangers  with  Wolfe  in  the  capture  of 
Quebec,  while  John,  in  the  Revolution,  became  more  distinguished 
as  the  hero  of  Bennington. 

Immediately  following  this  affair,  expecting  others  of  a  simi- 
lar nature  to  come,  such  militia  laws  as  then  existed  were  en- 
forced, frequent  scouts  were  made  into  the  wilderness.  Bred  as 
hunters  and  trappers,  as  well  as  participants  in  Indian  warfare, 
it  was  nothing  strange  that  these  men  became  thoroughly  versed 
in  trailing  the  wily  enemy  of  the  forest  or  meeting  his  cunning 
devices  with  others  quite  as  effective. 

Open  hostilities  began  in  the  spring  of  1754  when  a  body  of 
French  and  Indian  troops  seized  an  unfinished  English  fort  at 
the  forks  of  the  Monongahela  and  Allegany  rivers  on  May  17. 
The  French,  who,  as  in  previous  wars,  had  coerced  the  Indians 
into  it,  finished  the  fort  and  called  it  "Fort  du  Quesne."  The 
news  of  the  outbreak  spread  far  and  wide  over  the  country,  but 
everywhere  it  found  the  English  as  well  prepared  to  meet  their 
foes  as  it  was  possible  under  the  conditions  of  the  times.  It  was 
a  sanguinary  struggle  from  beginning  to  end,  each  party  of  the 
three  drawn  into  it,  the  Indians,  the  French  and  the  English, 
realizing  that  it  meant  its  fate  in  New  England. 

During  this  exciting  period  not  a  home  fire  was  known  to  be 
burning  in  old  Number  Seven,  or  Hillsborough,  where  the  red 
men  roamed  at  will  on  the  wartrail,  but  from  the  homes  to  which 
they  had  fled  for  the  safety  of  their  loved  ones,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  every  man  who  had  helped  lay  the  foundation  of  the  town 
in  the  wilderness,  who  was  physically  able  to  do  so,  performed 
his  part  in  the  long  and  anxious  struggle. 

Among  those  who  participated  in  the  war  and  who  were 
either  members  of  the  first  body  of  colonists  or  were  a  portion 
of  the  second  comers  were  Samuel  Houston,  Simon  Beard,  Josiah 
Parker  and  James  McNeil  of  Londonderry,  and  Merrimack. 
They  were  among  the  troops  posted  in  the  Connecticut  valley  to 
protect  the  scattered  inhabitants  there  and  were  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major  Bellows,  doing  duty  at  Walpole  and  Old  Number 
Four,  now  Charlestown. 

James  McNeil  was  the  brother  of  John  McNeil,  both  of 
whom  served  under  Colonel  John  Moore  in  the  Louisburg  expedi- 


80  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

tion  in  1745.  It  was  John's  son  Daniel  who  moved  to  Hillsbor- 
ough in  1771,  and  who  was  drowned  in  the  Contoocook  River  at 
the  falls  near  the  bridge.  His  son  John  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  while  his  grandson,  also  named  John,  was  in  the 
Eleventh  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Chippewa  in  the  war  of  1812. 

While  it  has  been  claimed  with  indisputable  truth  that  New 
Hampshire  contains  no  battle-field  of  any  war,  yet  during  this, 
the  Seven  Years'  War,  this  colony  furnished  every  leader  of  note 
that  fought  in  that  sanguinary  struggle;  Robert,  Richard  and 
James  Rogers,  William,  John  and  Archie  Stark,  John  Moore, 
Joseph  Blanchard,  Ephraim  Stevens,  and  not  least  among  these 
Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin  and  Col.  Robert  Fletcher  and  Lt.  John  Mc- 
Colley  of  Old  Number  Seven,  now  Hillsborough.  Under  these 
chieftains  was  formed  that  bulwark  of  soldiery  which  stemmed 
the  invasion  of  the  allied  foes  at  the  Horicon  and  saved  New 
England  to  the  British — and  the  Revolution. 

The  result  of  the  Seven  Years'  War  was  disastrous  to 
France.  It  gave  to  England  the  strong  right  arm  of  the  sea,  and 
with  this  prestige,  it  gave  her  India  and  New  France,  while  start- 
ing her  on  the  way  of  being  the  greatest  colonizing  government  in 
the  world.  But  this  rapid  advance  was  not  without  its  drawback, 
as  it  foretold  the  loss  of  her  most  valuable  prize,  which  her  wisest 
prophets  read  in  the  forecast  of  the  future. 


W 

w 

HH 
I"! 

hi 

o 

fas' 

3 

H 
> 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Second  Settlement. 

When  the  Clearing  of  Wild  Land  Became  Popular — Changes  in  Fifteen 
Years — Philip  Riley's  Return — A  Lost  Settler — First  Comers  in 
the  Second  Settlement  of  Number  Seven — A  Pioneer  Woman's 
Experience — Daniel  Campbell's  Survey  of  the  Township — A 
Frontier  Love  Affair — Early  Families  in  Second  Settlement — Only 
One  Who  Came  Back  from  the  First  Attempt,  Captain  Isaac  Bald- 
win— But  the  Gibsons  and  McColleys  Were  Represented — All  Were 
Tillers  of  the  Soil— A  New  Mill  Built— A  Public  Inn  Opened— 
Church  Meetings  Held — Need  of  Town  Government  Felt — Taxes 
Already  Levied — Petition  for  a  Charter — Colonel  Hill  Active — 
The  Charter — Warning  for  First  Town  Meeting — First  Election. 

The  Seven  Years'  War,  which  resulted  in  the  conquest  of 
Canada  by  the  British,  and  the  complete  overthrow  of  the 
French  power,  so  desintegrated  the  Indian  alliances  that  the 
English  suffered  no  more  at  their  hands.  During  this  war  the 
New  England  colonists  who  had  engaged  in  it,  and  not  many 
escaped  a  part,  in  their  marches  hither  and  thither  had  become 
well  acquainted  with  the  uninhabited  territory  waiting  the  hand 
of  improvement,  and  been  so  strongly  impressed  with  the 
thousands  of  fertile  acres  awaiting  the  husbandman,  that  a  new 
impetus  was  given  the  settlement  of  the  border  towns.  From  this 
day  the  clearing  of  wild  land  and  the  establishment  of  homes 
where  before  the  wild  beast  had  found  its  lair  went  on  without 
serious  interruption. 

In  the  fifteen  years  that  had  elapsed  since  the  first  settlers 
had  abandoned  a  hopeless  undertaking  the  hand  of  desolation  had 
sprung  up,  obliterating  the  cornfields  and  the  plots  of  green  grass. 
The  primitive  homes  had  fallen  into  decay  or  been  burned  by  the 
prowling  red  men  eager  to  show  the  spirit  of  revenge  upon  those 
who  had  come  as  despoilers  of  their  game  ranges.  The  saw  mill 
had  tumbled  down  and  the  saw  rusted  on  its  carriage;  the  meet- 
ing house  remained  for  a  time,  as  if  the  savage  had  too  great  rever- 
ence for  it  to  apply  the  torch.    In  this,  they  showed  more  respect, 

81 


82  HISTORY  OF  ^HILLSBOROUGH. 

if  not  humanity,  than  the  white  man.  It  is  related — how  much 
truth  there  is  in  the  story  I  cannot  say — that  one  Keyes  of  Weare, 
in  passing  that  way  saw  the  building  standing,  and  after  removing 
the  glass,  which  he  buried  near  by,  he  set  fire  to  the  sacred  edifice, 
and  if  he  did  not  dance  while  it  burned,  he  looked  on  with  wanton 
glee.  He  claimed  afterwards  he  had  done  it  so  as  to  cheat  the 
Indians  of  the  pleasure.  Let  him  have  the  benefit  of  the  doubt, 
though  where  the  difference  lies  is  not  easy  to  tell.  The  glass  was 
afterwards  found  by  the  builders  of  the  second  church,  which  is 
a  sort  of  circumstantial  evidence  that  he  had  not  lied.  The 
parsonage,  of  all  the  early  buildings,  remained  to  welcome  the 
new-comers. 

In  1 76 1  the  energetic  and  unintimidated  Philip  Riley,  with 
his  good  wife,  returned  from  Sudbury,  Mass.,  to  pick  up  the 
threads  of  his  early  undertaking  where  he  had  so  abruptly 
dropped  the  fabric.  He  found  his  cabin  standing,  though  scarcely 
habitable,  and  his  clearing  was  overgrown  with  saplings.  The  ax 
and  household  utensils  which  he  had  hastily  hidden  from  the 
sharp-eyed  savages  were  found  as  he  had  left  them, — a  little 
rusty  it  may  be,  but  still  of  use.  His  ax  soon  made  the  wooded 
welkin  ring  with  a  joy  it  had  never  echoed  to  before,  and  Number 
Seven  had  a  close  neighbor  if  not  a  settler. 

Mr.  Matthew  Patten  in  his  survey  of  Henniker  under  date 
of  Sept.  24,  1752,  makes  this  entry  in  his  diary:  "Set  out  and 
Measured  three  miles  and  180  Rods  to  Contoocook  River  Being 
four  miles  from  the  North  West  Corner  (of  Henniker)  in  all  to 
the  River,  having  a  Rainy  Night  Before  and  a  great  Shower 
about  one  of  the  Clock  and  Between  two  and  three  another  Great 
Shower  acompaneyed  with  thunder  and  was  Obliged  to  Camp  at 
Mr.  John  Maclaughlin's  house  Just  in  Number  Seven  line"  (Hills- 
borough). 

This  statement  of  Mr.  Patten  locates  MacLaughlin  near  the 
point  where  the  Contoocook  River  crosses  the  line  from  Hillsbor- 
ough into  Henniker.  As  no  further  mention  is  made  of  him  he 
was  probably  only  a  "trancient"  settler.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  know  more  of  this  man. 

Sanguine  as  ever  of  success  Colonel  Hill  now  became  more 
active  to  open  up  his  grant,  the  incursions  of  the  Indians  forever 


A   LONELY  VIGIL.  83 

stayed.  He  made  frequent  trips  between  Boston  and  Number 
Seven,  until  it  was  a  well  known  route  to  him.  He  was  willing 
to  offer  almost  any  inducement  to  begin  a  new  settlement,  volun- 
teering to  sell  the  land  for  fifty  cents  an  acre.  Fortunately  he 
finally  met  a  man  as  equal  to  the  task  of  leading  the  way  as 
Samuel  Gibson  had  been  in  that  earlier  period,  and  as  before, 
he  found  his  captain  in  the  race  of  Scotch-Irish,  and  his  name  was 
Daniel  McMurphy.  He  lived  in  Chester,  or  Cheshire  as  it  was 
called  then,  and  his  wife  being  willing  to  accompany  him  on  his 
lonely  journey,  the  couple  began  to  make  preparations  at  once  to 
start.  So,  in  the  early  summer  of  1762,  twenty-three  years  after 
the  first  attempt  had  been  made  by  the  first  colony,  Daniel  Mc- 
Murphy and  wife  performed  the  journey  from  Chester  to  Num- 
ber Seven,  and  they  selected  as  the  site  of  their  home  the  clearing 
made  by  Robert  Fletcher  on  "West  Hill."  It  is  true  the  country 
was  being  opened  on  every  hand,  but  as  far  as  they  were  con- 
cerned in  the  companionship  that  could  afford  them  either  solace 
or  assistance,  was  only  that  of  Philip  Riley  and  wife,  living  some 
three  miles  distant. 

The  experience  of  this  hardy  couple  could  not  have  been 
materially  different  from  that  of  hundreds  of  others,  the  heavier 
of  the  burden  falling,  as  usual,  on  the  woman.  Not  only  was  she 
obliged  to  help  him  in  his  mighty  task  of  breaking  the  wilderness, 
but  hers  was  the  more  lonely  part.  He  was  obliged  to  make  trips 
away  from  home,  and  leave  her  alone.  Upon  one  occasion  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  return  to  their  former  home  in  Chester,  and 
though  he  had  not  intended  to  be  gone  more  than  a  week,  it  was 
fifteen  days  before  he  re-appeared  to  his  anxious  wife.  Her 
feelings  of  helplessness  and  loneliness,  constantly  menaced  by 
dangers  not  easily  foreseen  and  difficult  to  escape,  are  not  easily 
imagined.  In  speaking  of  it  in  after  years  she  confessed  it  was 
the  most  dreary  two  weeks  she  had  ever  experienced.  At  night- 
fall such  a  stillness  and  ominous  silence  fell  upon  the  scene  as  to 
almost  drive  her  to  despair.  On  one  uncommonly  dark  and 
dreary  night,  unable  to  sleep  or  to  lie  quiet,  with  the  dismal  howl 
of  a  distant  wolf  falling  with  appalling  dread  upon  the  awful 
stillness,  and  the  mournful  sighing  of  the  wind  through  the  tree- 
tops,  she  finally  arose  from  her  couch  and  going  to  the  door  of 


84  HISTORY  0F\  HILLSBOROUGH. 

her  humble  hut  at  midnight,  she  opened  it  wide,  as  if  to  defy  the 
discordant  note  of  the  hungry  wolf,  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  her 
voice  a  meaningless  challenge  to  the  legion  of  terrors,  again  and 
again,  waiting  between  each  cry  for  the  welcome  echo  of  her  own 
voice,  resounding  from  up  the  shadowy  avenues  of  the  dim  old 
forest.  With  such  relief  of  oppression  as  she  had  not  known  for 
days,  she  returned  to  her  couch  to  sleep  the  rest  of  the  night. 
She  had  silenced  the  wolf,  and  even  the  pine  had  seemed  to  take 
on  a  more  cheerful  tune  to  its  everlasting  monotone. 

For  some  reason  Mr.  McMurphy  did  not  remain  long  in  his 
new  home.  Perhaps  those  who  were  expected  to  join  him  were 
slower  in  coming  than  his  impetuous  nature  could  brook.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  the  next  year  he  removed  to  Hill,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  and  respected  citizen. 

In  1763  Colonel  Hill  employed  Daniel  Campbell,  Esq.,  of 
Amherst,  to  survey  the  town  into  lots,  and  this  work  was  done 
with  uncommon  accuracy,  according  to  the  surveys  of  that 
period.  By  it  Philip  Riley  found  he  was  not  living  in  Number 
Seven,  but  in  Antrim  township. 

In  his  trips  between  his  home  in  Boston  and  Hillsborough 
Colonel  Hill  sometimes  went  by  the  way  of  Litchfield.  On  one 
of  these  occasions  he  met  John  McColley  and  Elizabeth  Gibson, 
who  it  will  be  remembered  were  the  first  children  born  in  the 
town.  Knowing  this  and  upon  learning  that  they  were  lovers,  he 
suggested  that  they  get  married  and  settle  in  his  town,  promising 
them  one  hundred  acres  of  land  if  they  would  do  so.  The  offer 
was  quickly  accepted,  the  two  were  married,  and  were  among 
the  foremost  to  begin  the  second  settlement  on  West  Hill.  With 
them  came  Samuel  and  John  Gibson,  her  brothers,  then  young 
men  with  their  wives.  These  brothers  had  come  with  their 
parents  at  the  first  settlement,  aged  respectively  two  years  and 
two  months. 

About  a  dozen  families  came  in  1764,  most  of  them  from 
Massachusetts,  and  from  this  time  the  work  of  improvement  went 
merrily  ahead.  Other  families  followed  until  three  years  later 
there  were  twenty,  if  not  more,  families  in  town,  the  following 
being  an  incomplete  record : 

Lieut.  John  McColley,  who  took  up  his  homestead  on  the 
road,  from  the  Centre  to  Washington. 


PIONEERS  OF   SECOND  SETTLEMENT.  85 

Samuel  Gibson,  who  had  married  Elizabeth  Stewart, 

John  Gibson,  who  had  married  Elizabeth  McMullen. 

Capt.  Samuel  Bradford,  Sen.,  who  had  moved  hither  from 
Middleton,  Mass.,  to  settle  in  1766,  his  house  being  the  first 
public  hostelry  in  Hillsborough.  He  built  the  first  saw  and  grist 
mill  in  that  part  of  the  town,  located  on  Beard  Brook,  remains  of 
which  were  to  be  seen  as  late  as  1850.  He  was  active  in  forming 
the  first  company  of  militia  in  town,  and  was  its  Captain.  He 
died  in  August,  1776,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  The  first 
town  meeting  was  held  at  his  house.  He  had  a  son,  Samuel,  Jr., 
who  was  prominent  in  public  affairs. 

Lieut.  Samuel  Bradford,  a  native  of  Middleton,  Mass.,  but 
coming  to  settle  on  West  Hill  in  1764,  was  probably  a  cousin  of 
"Captain  Sam,  Jr."  He  received  his  commission  in  the  16th 
Regiment,  N.  H.  Militia,  serving  under  Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin.  He 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  but  removed  to  Antrim,  where 
he  died. 

Jonathan  Durant,  from  Billerica,  Mass.,  He  settled  on  the 
farm  in  the  northwest  section  of  the  town. 

Joshua  Easty,  or  Estey  as  it  is  now  spelled,  came  here  with 
Captain  Bradford,  from  Middleton,  and  left  descendants. 

Timothy  Wilkins  settled  in  1764  on  a  farm  owned  in  1841 
by  Ebenezer  Jones.  He  was  from  Carlisle,  Mass.,  where  he 
eventually  returned  and  died. 

William  Williams  was  from  Sudbury,  Mass.,  and  he  lived 
on  the  where  he  died  in 

William  Pope  was  another  native  of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  coming 
to  Hillborough  previous  to  1766,  and  settling  on  the  Worthly 
farm.  He  was  interested  in  the  raising  of  apples ;  he  and  his  wife 
were  active  in  forming  the  first  church  society ;  he  was  a  member 
of  the  first  board  of  Selectmen  and  was  Town  Clerk  in  1780.  He 
removed  to  Clarendon,  Vt,  where  he  died. 

Benjamin  Lovejoy  came  from  Amherst  in  1765,  to  settle 
on  the  Jones  farm,  but  in  1778  he  removed  from  this  town  to 
Westminster,  Vt.,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 


86  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Jonathan  Sargent  was  from  Bradford,  Mass. 

Isaac  Andrews,  who  became  not  only  the  founder  of  one  of 
the  leading  families  here,  but  was  himself  an  active  and  influential 
man  in  the  new  town,  came  from  Carlisle  in  1764  and  came  with 
his  friend  and  neighbor. 

William  Taggart,  or  Taggard  as  it  was  spelled  in  those  days, 
belonged  to  a  Scotch-Irish  family  of  Londonderry,  where  his 
father,  James  Taggart,  was  constable  as  early  as  1737.  At  the 
time  of  the  incorporation  of  Derryfield,  1753,  he  was  living  in 
that  section  which  was  taken  to  form  the  latter  township.  From 
that  town  William  came  to  Hillsborough  before  the  Revolution. 

Moses  Steel  was  also  from  Londonderry,  of  Scottish  an- 
cestry, His  grandfather,  Thomas  Steel,  was  among  the  original 
proprietors  of  Londonderry,  and  came  hither  from  the  north  of 
Ireland  in  1718.  Moses  was  probably  the  son  of  Thomas,  Jr., 
and  Martha  Steel,  and  came  here  when  a  young  man. 

Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken,  and 
of  whom  we  shall  have  considerable  more  to  say  in  succeeding 
chapters. 

Immediately  the  new-comers  began  to  hold  religious  meetings 
in  private  houses  in  winter,  and  barns  in  summer.  At  these 
meetings  such  civil  conduct  of  public  affairs  as  became  necessary, 
were  instituted.    As  Cromwell  said  of  his  Ironsides: 

"I  raised  such  men  as  had  the  fear  of  God  before  them,  and 
made  some  conscience  of  what  they  did,  and  from  that  day  for- 
ward I  must  say  to  you  they  were  never  beaten."  The  type  of 
such  men  as  these  settled  the  slopes  of  Hillsborough  from  Con- 
cord End  to  Stowe  Mountain. 

The  first  settlers  thought  only  of  tilling  the  soil  as  a  means 
of  sustenance.  In  truth,  it  was  all  they  could  do,  until  the  time 
had  come  to  open  other  industries.  They  gave  no  thought  to  the 
power  of  the  river  to  lift  them  into  prosperity.  They  had  no  use 
for  its  tumbling  waters,  to  them  a  source  of  inconvenience  in 
crossing  the  angry  stream,  as  they  must  in  intercourse  with  their 
fellow-beings  living  elsewhere.  They  sought  rather  for  the  hill- 
sides, where  the  sunlight  could  send  its  earliest  beams  and  help 
quicken  the  crops.     The  valleys  in  those  days  were  not  inviting 


MOVE  FOR  A  CHARTER.  87 

spots,  not  only  on  account  of  their  being  so  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  the  world,  but  as  much  from  their  dampness.  So  such 
elevated  places  as  constituted  the  hamlet  of  Bible  Hill,  the  Centre, 
and  others  attracted  them.  On  these  hilltops  were  laid  the 
foundation  of  New  England's  welfare. 

Eventually  the  change  came,  just  as  change  after  change  has 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  succeeding  days,  and  are  continuing 
to  come  and  go.  Mills  were  needed,  and  the  possibilities  of  the 
river  began  to  assert  themselves. 

Finally  it  was  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when  a  movement 
should  be  made  to  secure  the  incorporation  of  a  town.  Accord- 
ingly a  meeting  of  the  heads  of  the  freeholders  in  the  territory 
was  called  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Andrews,  Esq.,  on  West  Hill, 
Isaac  Baldwin  was  made  moderator  and  Isaac  Andrews,  clerk. 
It  was  found  that  there  were  twenty-two  qualified  to  vote  in  the 
territory  comprised  in  the  grant  of  Colonel  Hill,  and  by  unanimous 
decision  it  was  voted  to  ask  for  a  charter,  and  Squire  Andrews 
was  chosen  as  agent  to  act  for  the  community.  He  was  a  man  to 
attend  promptly  to  his  duties,  and  he  immediately  employed  the 
Rev.  John  Scales,  the  first  minister  of  Hopkinton  and  who  had 
occasionally  preached  here,  to  draft  a  petition  to  the  Governor 
and  Council.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  instrument,  with  the 
names  of  its  signers: 

Petition  fob  an  Act  of  Incorporation. 

To  His  Excellency  John  Wentworth  Esq  Captain  General,  Governor 
and!  commander  in  chief  In  and  over  his  Majestys  Province  of 
New  Hampshire,  And  to  the  Honourable  his  Majestys  Council  of 
said  Province. 

The  Petition  of  the  subscribers  Inhabitants  of  a  Township  called 
Hillsborough  in  the  Province  aforesaid,  Humbly  sheweth,  That  we 
have  been  subjected  to  the  payment  of  Province  and  County  Taxes  as 
fully  as  the  inhabitants  Of  towns  in  this  Province,  but  have  not  en- 
joyed equal  privileges.  We  are  humbly  of  opinion  that,  Collecting  of 
Taxes  would  be  facilitated  to  us,  good  order  maintained,  the  culture 
of  our  land  Encouraged,  and  many  inconveniences  removed  and  good 
purposes  answered  by  an  incorporation.  Therefore  we  pray  that  said 
Township  Butted  and  Bounded  as  follows  viz.  Beginning  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  a  Beach  Tree  marked  Seven,  from  thence  South 
Eighty  four  degrees  &  30  minutes  west  about  six  miles  by  the  Society 


88  HISTORY  OF.  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Lands  so  called  to  a  Beach  tree  marked  7  &  8,  from  thence  north  fif- 
teen degTees  West  about  six  miles  by  common  Land  so  called  to  a 
Beach  Tree  marked  7  &  8  from  thence  Xorth  Eighty  four  degres  & 
30  minutes  East  about  six  miles  to  a  Beach  tree  marked  7,  from 
thenee  about  six  miles  by  the  Town  of  Henniker  to  the  Bounds  first 
mentioned  may  be  erected  and  incorporated  a  Body  politic  infran- 
chised  with  the  same  powers  &  privileges  that  other  Towns  in  this 
Province  have  and  enjoy,  And  your  Petitioners  as  in  Duty  bound  will 
ever  Pray. 

Jonathan  Duren  William  Jones 

Timothy  Wilkins  Benjamin  Lovejoy,  Jr. 

Abijah  Lovejoy  John   Gibson 

John  Sargent  William  Pope 

John  Steel  Williams   Williams 

Archibald  Taggart  Isaac   Baldwin 

James  Gibson  Daniel  McNeall 

William  Taggart  Joseph  Clark 

John  McCalley  Isaac  Andrews 

George  Bemaine  Alexander  MeClintock 

William  Clark  Samuel  Bradford 

Though  his  name  does  not  appear  on  the  petition,  not  being 
a  resident,  Colonel  Hill  was  the  first  to  suggest  this  move,  and 
naturally  as  its  founder  he  felt  anxious  to  have  his  name  affixed 
to  the  territory  in  which  he  had  taken  so  much  interest  and  spent 
so  much  money  in  developing,  so  he  offered  Governor  Wentworth 
a  fee  that  in  our  money  would  amount  to  fifty  dollars  for  signing 
the  charter,  providing  the  new  town  should  be  given  the  name  of 
Hillborough.  Though  of  late  frequently  spoken  of  as  "Hill's 
Town,"  the  place  still  retained  the  signification  of  Number  Seven. 
The  Governor  was  favorably  impressed  by  Hill's  request,  and  as 
Hillborough  the  new  town  is  designated  in  the  Charter,  and  this 
name  has  never  been  legally  changed.  Still  within  ten  years  it 
was  being  termed  Hillsborough,  perhaps  because  it  was  more 
easily  uttered,  and  as  such  it  was  soon  referred  to  in  the  records. 
It  might  seem  that  the  addition  of  the  "s"  was  in  a  measure 
brought  about  by  the  fact  that  the  county  was  so  known  in  honor 
of  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough,  Great  Britain.  It  was  perfectly 
natural  that  strangers  should  suppose  the  spelling  of  the  town 
would  be  the  same,  and  the  town's  people  accepted  it  without 
dissent. 


CD 
t- 


§> 
o 
S» 

a 

<3 


'5  J3 

c  o. 
o  .. 
U  a 

"I 
To 

O    U_i2 

a>  _  W  E 

0>f    3    O    u 

<i>  oj  o  Js 


a 


<* 


n  v 


E  -o 


a 
o 


~    &>   nl 
o  «tj  » 
N  >^  W 

rt  *-•  O*  O 

til  W 

H      D      L    W 

•I   "   -S 
o  o  3c 

0  -3  M 
<~>—  «  a 

1  ogj; 
0.3  F  o 

V  >  ,3  -> 
i  ^>  ^—  t^, 

co       a  o 
n  52  o  JL 

i  •£  o  "a 

o    ""    Wlj3 
•7    C     3    o 

M    5    fa    3 

->u  =  -3 

.C  <~  •-< 

rt  CO    3 
c    c    S    o 

ir  to  fc-1  .-. 

r?    rt  — ,    £ 

•  H^2  §• 
•&  -a  co  B, 

2  .*   c   <u 
£   i-  —  j: 

ilgo 
.2  ~  c  " 

—     O     c  T3    *?> 

MJ  l|  «l>0 
^Jh    ,—,     *_■     ^    t^ 

Oh    w  .«    rt 

.2  <  'S3  J3  c 
«.  o  o  °-2 
S  p£  .2  g 

H  :>£■£« 

•5  ft 

rt  fa 
W«2 


town  charter.  89 

Charter. 

George  the  Third  by  the  Grace 
rrovence  of  of  God  of  Great  Britain  France 

New  Hampshire        and  Ireland 

i#$j>$$$$$0$0§#0$0$$0$  King  Defender  of  the  Faith  and 

o-  8  soforth 

<j.  TO 

JL.    b.  %  To   all   People   to    whom   these 

•Q"  %  presents  shall  come 

Greeting 
Whereas  our  Loyal  Subjects  Inhabitance  of  a  Tract 
-of  Land  within  our  prouince  of  New  Hampshire  afore  Said, 
Commonly  Called  and  known  by  the  Name  of  Hillborough 
Containing  by  estimation  about  six  miles  Square — have 
humbly  Petitioned  and  requested  us  that  they  may  be  Erected 
and  Incorporated  into  a  Township,  and  infranchised  with  the 
same  Powers  and  priviledges  which  other  towns  within  our  said 
prouince  by  Law  have  and  Enjoy  and  it  appearing  unto  us  to 
be  conducive  to  the  General  Good  of  our  said  Prouince  as  well 
as  of  the  said  Inhabitance  in  perticuler,  by  maintaining  Good 
order  &  encouraging  the  culture  of  the  Land  that  the  Same  Should 
be  done  Know  Ye  that  that  we  our  speceal  Grace  certain  knoledge 
and  for  the  encoragement  and  promotion  of  the  Good  Purposes 
&  Ends  aforesaid  by  and  with  advice  of  our  trusty  and  well 
beloued  John  Wentworth  Esquire  our  Gouernor  and  Commander 
in  Chief  of  our  Said  Province  and  o  four  Council  of  the  same 
have  erected  and  ordained  and  by  these  Presents  for  us  our  Heirs 
and  Successors  do  will  and  ordain  that  the  Inhabitance  of  the 
said  tract  of  Land  &  others  who  shall  Improue  and  Inhabit  there 
on  hereafter  the  Same  being  buted  and  bounded  as  follows.  Viz. 
Beginning  at  the  South  East  Corner  at  a  Beech  Tree  marked.  7. 
from  thence  South  Eighty  Four  Degrees  and  thirty  minutes  west 
about  six  miles  by  the  Society  Lands  so  Called  to  a  Beech  tree 
marked.  7.  and  8.,  from  thence  North  Fiftean  degres  west  about 
six  miles  by  Common  Land  Land  so  Called  to  a  beech  Tree  7. 
and  8  marked,  from  thence  North  Eighty  Four  degrees  and 
Thirty  minuts  East  about  Six  miles  to  a  Beech  Tree  marked  7 ; 
from  thence  about  six  miles  by  the  Town  of  Henniker  to  the 
bounds  first  mentioned  be  and  they  are  hereby  declared  to  be  be  a 
Town  Corporate  by  the  Name  of  Hillborough  to  have  Continu- 


9°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

ance  for  Ever  with  all  the  Powers  and  authorities  Priviledges,  lm- 
munitiees  and  Franchises  which  any  other  towns  in  said  province 
by  Law  hold  hold  &  enjoy  to  the  said  Inhabitance  or  those  who 
shall  hereafter  inhabit  there,  and  to  their  Successors  for  Ever 
aloways  reserving  to  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  all  white  Pine 
Trees  that  are  or  shall  be  found  being  and  growing  within  and 
upon  said  Tract  of  Land  fit  for  the  use  of  our  Royal  Navy  Re- 
serving also  to  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  the  power  of  Devid- 
ing  Said  town  when  it  shall  appear  necessary  &  Convenient  for 
the  Inhabitance  thereof  Provided  nevertheless  and  'tis  hereby 
declared  that  this  Charter  and  Grant  is  Not  intended  and  shall 
and  shall  Not  in  any  manner  be  Construed  to  affect  the  private 
property  of  the  soil  with  in  the  Limits  aforesaid  and  as  the 
several  towns  within  our  Said  Province  are  by  the  Laws  thereof 
enabled  and  authoriz  assemble  and  by  the  majority  of  the  voters, 
present  to  chuse  all  officers  &  transact  such  affairs  as  in  the  Said 
Laws  are  declared.  We  do  by  these  presents  nominate  and  ap- 
point Mr.  Isaac  Baldwin  H  H  to  call  the  first  Meeting  of  said 
Inhaitants  to  be  held  within  the  said  Town  at  any  time  within 
thirty  Days  from  the  Date  hereof,  giving  Legal  Notice  of  the 
time  and  design  of  holding  such  meeting;  after  which  the  annual 
meeting  for  said  Town ;  Shall  be  held  for  the  choice  of  said 
officers  and  the  porposes  aforesaid  on  the  last  thursday  of  March 
annually. 

In  Testimony  whereof  we  have  Caused  the  Seal  of  our  Said 
prouince  to  be  hereunto  affixed  Witness  our  aforsaid  Gouerner  & 
Gomander  in  Cheif  the  fourth  day  of  Nouember  in  the  Thirteenth 
year  of  our  Reign  annoqus  Domini  1772 

J.  Wentworth  By 

By  his  ExcellCJ8  Command 

with  advice  of  Council 

Theodore  Atkinson  Sec.17 

prouince  of  New  Hampshire  14th  novenf"  1772 

Recorded  in  the  Sec178  office  Book  4th  Page  120 

Theodore  Atkinson  Se17. 

Coppy  Examened  pr  Isaac  Andrews  Town  Clark 


SETTLEMENT   OF    MR.    BARNES. 


91 


Under  authority  of  the  foregoing  instrument  Isaac  Baldwin 
issued  the  following  warrant : 

Hillborough  Novemr  24th  1772 

At  A  church  meeting  it  was  voted  unanimously  that  Mr 
Jonathan  Barnes  take  the  Charge  and  oversight  of  the  Church 
and  flock  of  Christ  in  this  town  aforesaid,  and  that  he  settle  with 
us  in  the  work  of  the  Gospell  Ministry  according  to  the  platform 
of  Church  Disapline  Comanly  Called  Cambridge  platform  so  far 
as  it  agrees  with  the  word  of  God  or  the  Sacred  Scripture  .... 

Voted :  that  they  will  Give  him  thirty  pounds,  Lawf  ull  money  by  way 
of  Settlement,  and  they  give  him  thirty  pounds  Lawfull  money  a 
year  for  the  first  fore  years,  and  that  they  will  give  him  thirty 
five  pounds  Lawfull  a  year  for  the  next  four  year  and  then  forty 
pounds  a  year  untill  there  be  70  famelys  in  town,  and  when  there 
is  Seventy  famelys  in  town  he  is  to  be  Intietled  to  fifty  pounds  a 
year  Sooner  or  Later,  and  is  to  be  fifty  pounds  a  year  from  the 
time  of  .70  famelys  Coming  in  to  town  till  there  be  ,90  famelies, 
and  after  there  is  90  families  itisto  be  sixty  pounds  a  year  untill 
there  is  won  hundred  and  ten  families  in  town  and  after  their  is 
-110-famelies  in  town  it  is  to  be  sixty  pounds  thirteen  shillings 
and  fore  pence  anerely  so  long  as  he  shall  continue  in  the  ministry 
among  us,  and  furthermore  that  we  will  allow  him  two  or  three 

Sabbaths  in  a  year  to  visit  his  frinds 

the  Sam  Day  Directly  after  the  Church  meeting  the  Town  meet 
and  concored  with  the  Church  in  Giving  Mr  Jonathan  Barnes  a 
Call  to  Setle  them  in  the  work  of  the  Gospell  Ministry  and  would 
Give  him  a  Settlement  as  Salary  above  mentioned  and  there  was 
Not  one  opposing 

John   Sargent  Timothy  wilkins 

Nehemiah  wilkins  Joseph  Clark 

Anthony  moriss  Benjn  Lovejoy 

Willm  Williams  Sam"  Bradford 

archable  Taggart  John  mead 

Jonathan  Durant  George  booth 

Isaac  Andrews  Joshua  Esty 

will™  Pope 


Baxter  how 
willm  Jones 
andrew  wilkins 
Sam"  Bradford  3d 
Isaac  Baldwin 


Sam1  Bradford  Jun' 
timothy  Bradford 

Sam11  Bard  ford 
Isaac  Andrews 
Isaac  Baldwin 


>■  the  church 


Chose  as  a  Oommitty 
to  present  there  call 
to  the  person  elect 


*     the  Congregation 


92  history  of  hillsborough. 

Warrant  for  First  Town  Meeting. 

Provens  of  New  Hampsheir        i  to  the  Constable   of  the  town  of 

and  County  of  Hillborough       j     Hillborough  in  Said  County  Greeting 

In  his  maiestys  Name  you  are  hereby  Kequiered  forthwith  to  warn 
the  freeholders  and  other  inhabitanee  of  said  Hillborough  that  are 
Duly  Qualified  to  Vote  in  town  meeting  to  meet  at  the  House  of  Sam11 
Bradford  Junr  in  said  town  on  thursday  the  25th  Day  march  instant 
persuant  to  our  Charter  from  the  Governor  and  Counsel,  at  ten  of  the 
Clock  in  the  fore  Noon  for  the  following  porposes :  uiz : 

1st  to  Chuse  a  moderator,  town  Clark,  Selectmen  and  all  Comen  and 
ordenary  town  offecers 

2ly  to  see  if  the  town  will  agree  to  buld  a  meeting  house  for  the 
Publick  worship  of  God  in  said  town 

3ly  to  see  where  the  town  will  agree  to  set  said  house,  and  also  to 
gains  the  dementains  how  Large  to  buld,  and  Chuse  a  Comety  to 
buld  said  house,  see  when  it  shall  be  bult 

Aly  to  see  if  they  will  Ratify  Establish  and  Confirm  the  several  maters 
and  things  voted  at  their  meeting  held  on  the  24th  Day  of  Novem' 
Last  past 

5ly  to  see  if  they  will  buld  a  pound,  and  where  to  buld  it 

6ly  what  they  will  Eais  to  Defray  Corant  Charges 

lly  to  hear  the  town  accounts  to  see  if  they  will  alow  or  Disalow  them 
hereof  fail  not  and  mak  Due  Return  Given  Under  my  hand  and 
seal,  this  Eighth  Day  of  march  A  1773  and  in  the  thirtenth  year 
of  of  the  Reign  of  our  soveran  Lord  George  the  third  King  of 
Grate  Britain  &c 
By  order  of  the  selectmen 

Cope  atested  Isaac  Andrews  town  Clark 

in  obediance  to  the  above  warant  I  have  warned  all  the  free  holders 
and  other  inhabitanee  Qalified  acording  to  Law  to  Vote  to  meet  at 
time  and  place  above  mentioned 

Samii  Bradford  3d  Constable 
Copy  atested  Isaac  Andrews  town  Clark 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  province  had  already  assessed 
taxes  on  the  inhabitants  of  this  isolated  community  before  its 
unification  into  a  township,  and  no  doubt  Samuel  Bradford  had 
teen  constable  to  collect  the  money,  so  it  will  be  seen  that  taxes 


COLONEL  HILL  MEETS  WITH  LOSSES.  93 

entered  into  affairs  even  before  official  action,  which  goes  to 
prove  that  taxes  cannot  be  escaped  early  nor  late.  It  is  certain 
that  community  meetings  had  been  held,  as  witness  the  fact  that 
Samuel  Bradford,  3rd,  had  been  directed  to  "warn  the  town 
meeting"  as  Collector,  and  also  by  the  vote  "to  Renew  their  call 
to  Air.  Jonathan  Barns  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel 
Ministry."  These  earlier  meetings  were  probably  religious  meet- 
ings ;  that  is,  the  getting  together  of  the  inhabitants  to  establish 
a  church.  At  this  early  stage  it  was  necessary  to  have  moderators 
and  clerks  of  the  meetings,  and  then  collectors  to  gather  in  the 
money  needed  to  support  public  movements.  This  church  history 
will  be  given  in  another  chapter. 

Colonel  Hill  showed  his  good  intentions  towards  the  new 
town  by  giving  ten  acres  of  land  near  the  Centre  for  the  site  of  a 
meeting  house,  a  burial  ground  and  a  common.  He  reserved 
nearly  three  hundred  acres  of  land  as  a  gift  to  the  first  settled 
minister.  No  doubt  he  would  have  assisted  the  town  very  much 
more,  but  he  had  begun  to  meet  with  reverses  of  fortune,  and 
these  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  make  further  benefactions. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
The  War  for  Independence. 

Causes  that  Led  to  the  American  Revolution — Hardships  Laid  upon 
Trade  and  Manufacture — Troops  Sent  to  "Protect"  the  People — 
Stamp  Act — Its  Enforcement  a  Day  of  Mourning — Tolling-  of  the 
Bells  in  Hillsborough — "A  Liberty  Funeral"  in  Portsmouth — The 
Boston  Eiot — First  Blood  Shed  in  the  Revolution — Tea  Party — 
Beginning  of  Organized  Resistance — Pine  Tree  Act — Patriots  of 
the  Pines  at  Riverdale — Capture  of  Fort  William  and  Mary — Still 
more  Troops  and  Oppression — The  Concord  and  Lexington  Fight — 
Action  of  Citizens  of  Hillsborough  Always  Loyal  and  Harmonious 
— First  Committee  of  Safety  in  Town — How  the  News  of  the 
Concord  Fight  Was  Brought  to  Hillsborough — Captain  Baldwin's 
Volunteers — March  to  Cambridge — Captain  Baldwin's  Company  at 
Bunker  Hill — Battle  of  Bunker  Hill — Fall  of  Captain  Baldwin — 
Major  McClary's  Fate — List  of  Larum  Men  in  Hillsborough  in 
1776 — Names  of  Militia  Men — Tax  List  for  1776 — Number  of 
Military  Age — Association  Test  and  Signers — Excerpts  from  Town 
Records — Soldiers  in  the  War — Arnold's  Expedition — Hillsbor- 
ough's Part  in  It — Lieutenant  Ammi  Andrews — Dark  Days  of  the 
Revolution — Battle  of  Long  Island— White  Plains — Trenton — 
British  Hold  New  York — Retreat  Across  the  Delaware — The 
Winter  at  Valley  Forge— Burgoyne  Prepares  to  Invade  New  Eng- 
land— Vermont's  Appeal  to  New  Hampshire — The  Answer — Stark's 
Independent  Command — Battle  of  Bennington — Hillsborough  Men 
at  Bennington — Hillsborough  Men  in  the  Rhode  Island  Expedition 
— Absentees  from  the  Army — 'Hillsborough  Bounties — Hillsborough 
Men  Credited  to  Other  Towns — War  Rolls — Soldiers  of  Hillsbor- 
ough and  Abstracts  from  Their -Records. 

The  "Seven  Years'  War"  with  the  French  and  Indians  had 
barely  drawn  to  a  close — a  satisfactory  conclusion — and  the 
pioneers  of  the  second  settlement  in  Hillsborough  had  not  ad- 
vanced very  far  in  their  work  of  breaking  the  wilderness  than  the 
rumblings  of  another  and  greater  storm  began  to  be  heard.  At 
first  these  ominous  sounds  were  merely  the  mutterings  of  a 
people  that  felt  the  hand  of  oppression  being  laid  upon  them ;  not 
severely  at  first,  but  with  increasing  heaviness.     The  underlying 

94 


CAUSES  THAT  LED  TO  THE  REVOLUTION.  95 

cause  of  this  hardship  placed  upon  the  colonists  by  the  mother- 
land was  the  fact  that  England  had  come  out  of  her  long  series  of 
wars  with  France,  Spain  and  other  nations  with  a  depleted  treas- 
ury. Now  she  came  back  to  New  England  in  actions  that  spoke 
plainer  than  words  that,  as  she  had  fought  New  England's  wars 
and  won  her  victories,  the  recipient  must  pay  the  cost.  In  doing 
this  England  forgot,  or  what  was  worse  ignored,  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  raw  New  England  troops  that  had  given  her  that  French 
stronghold  Louisburg;  forgot  that  it  was  the  forest  soldiery  of 
the  colonies  that  had  stemmed  the  tide  of  French  invasion  on  the 
shores  of  the  Horicon  and  saved  to  her  New  England ;  forgot 
that  it  was  New  England  troops  that  had  made  the  capture  of 
Quebec  and  Canada  possible. 

Anyway,  immediately  the  arms  of  New  England  were  not 
needed  to  help  fight  her  battles,  England  began  to  replenish  her 
treasury  from  the  scanty  stores  of  her  dependents.  It  can  be 
truthfully  said  that  she  had  been  doing  this  quietly  and  stealthily 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  All  of  the  exports  of  the 
colonists  had  to  be  carried  to  her  markets,  and  did  they  import 
goods  straightway  a  duty  was  imposed  which  made  them  unduly 
expensive.  More  galling  than  all  of  this  were  the  restrictions 
laid  upon  home  manufactures,  and  so  minute  and  far-reaching 
that  they  became  tyrannical.  Her  own  Pitt  frankly  acknowl- 
edged that  "the  colonies  are  not  allowed  to  manufacture  a  hob- 
nail." Parliament  in  1750  forbade  the  colonists  from  the  manu- 
facture of  steel  and  refused  to  let  them  erect  iron  works.  The 
manufacture  of  cloth  was  restricted,  and  the  very  clothes  on  their 
backs  were  ordered  to  be  bought  in  the  old  country.  Perhaps 
not  easily  aroused  the  inhabitants  here  quietly  submitted,  excus- 
ing the  act  by  the  claim  that  New  England,  having  been  benefited 
by  the  overthrow  of  the  French  and  Indians,  should  be  willing 
to  bear  their  portion  of  the  cost. 

The  powers  overseas  did  not  stop  there,  and  this  fact  reflects 
the  spirit  of  the  times.  The  colonists  were  making  such  rapid 
strides  in  growth  and  prosperity,  and  there  were  those  in  Great 
Britain,  overzealous  for  their  king,  who  began  to  whisper  that  it 
would  not  be  long  before  the  American  colonies  would  be  looking 
for  their  freedom  from  the  mother  government.  In  the  expecta- 
tion of  checking  any  such  movement  troops  were  sent  here  under 


96  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

pretence  of  protecting  the  people,  the  expense  of  supporting  these 
soldiers  thrown  upon  the  very  ones  they  were  ordered  to  over 
awe.  Then  followed  the  Stamp  Act  of  1764,  which  was  expected 
to  "execute  itself."  The  fallacy  of  this  effort  was  soon  shown. 
The  American  people,  while  scattered  and  unorganized,  began  to 
awaken  to  their  situation.  The  result  was  heavy  duties  upon 
goods  which  were  evaded  by  contraband  trade ;  English  cloths 
gave  place  to  domestic  manufactures ;  the  rich  sacrificed  their 
luxuries ;  the  poor,  their  comforts.  The  interruption  of  trade 
injured  England,  while  the  Stamp  Act  called  forth  such  organiza- 
tions as  "The  Sons  of  Liberty." 

The  day  upon  which  this  obnoxious  measure  was  to  go  into 
effect,  November  1,  1765,  was  proclaimed  to  be  a  day  of  mourning. 
Even  in  obscure  little  Hillsborough  feelings  of  resentment  pre- 
vailed, the  inhabitants  moved  moodily  about  their  work.  In 
Portsmouth  a  public  funeral  was  held,  and  the  coffin  supposed 
to  contain  the  object  of  the  ceremonies,  inscribed,  "Liberty  aged 
145,  stampt,"  was  borne  slowly  and  solemnly  to  the  burial  plot, 
followed  by  a  long  line  of  mourners.  Upon  reaching  the  place 
the  procession  halted,  the  inscription  was  replaced  by  that  of 
"Liberty  revived,"  when  the  throng  marched  back  with  a  quicker 
and  prouder  step. 

In  New  Hampshire  business  papers  were  exchanged  without 
any  regard  to  the  law  demanding  stamps,  and  everywhere  the 
feeling  was  so  intense  and  vehement  that  on  March  18,  1766,  the 
act  was  repealed,  followed  by  a  day  of  rejoicing  among  the 
colonists.  But  this  respite  was  of  short  duration,  and  when  the 
sun  set  again  it  left  the  night  blacker  than  ever.  Pitt  and  other 
friends  in  England,  who  had  made  a  gallant  fight  for  the  American 
cause,  were  now  overruled.  More  missed  than  all  of  the  others, 
Pitt,  the  champion  of  freedom  in  America,  whose  voice  had 
"rung  across  the  seas  and  continents  in  defense  of  personal 
liberty  had  become  weak ;  the  eagle  eye  which  could  gaze  un- 
blenched  upon  the  sun  of  power,  had  lost  its  lustre ;  that  manly 
form,  whose  presence  could  awe  the  most  august  legislative  body 
on  earth,  was  bowed  with  age  and  disease.  Pitt  was  no  longer 
master  of  the  occasion."  Under  the  changed  condition  a  bill  was 
passed  to  tax  the  colonists  for  the  glass,  paper,  painter's  colors 
and  the  tea  one  and  all  used. 


O 
3 


O 
F 

O 

w 


FIRST  VICTIMS   OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  97 

This  act  was  followed  by  the  landing  at  Boston  of  seven 
hundred  British  troops  from  Halifax.  If  it  were  thought  they 
would  be  needed  to  enforce  the  new  hardship  about  to  be  placed 
upon  the  people,  their  presence  served  to  arouse,  not  to  intimi- 
date, them.  Mobs  overran  the  streets  of  Boston,  and  led  to  riots. 
Four  men,  the  first  to  sacrifice  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  Amer- 
ican liberty,  were  shot  down  by  the  British  soldiers.  Beginning 
to  understand  the  quicksand  upon  which  they  were  building,  the 
English  statesmen  sought  to  retreat  by  repealing  the  duties  except 
upon  tea.  This  was  retained  to  show  that  the  mother  country 
had  not  lost  her  power  as  yet.  Every  schoolboy  knows  the  result. 
In  Boston  the  tea  was  destroyed  by  a  party  of  men  at  night.  At 
Portsmouth  it  was  reshipped  without  disorder.  Everywhere  the 
colonists  were  strongly  opposed  to  the  hardship  of  "taxation  with- 
out representation."  Some,  generally  men  of  wealth  who  felt  it 
was  for  their  personal  interest  to  do  so,  dared  to  uphold  the  king. 
This  party,  styled  Loyalists  or  Tories,  were  not  numerous 
enough  to  create  much  trouble,  once  the  sentiment  of  freedom 
was  fairly  awakened. 

The  leaders,  seeing  the  political  breakers  ahead,  consulted 
with  each  other  and  it  was  decided  to  create  a  Continental  Con- 
gress as  soon  as  possible  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  then  the  most 
central  and  important  city  in  the  country.  Colonial  assemblies  in 
several  provinces  appointed  "Committees  of  Correspondence," 
whose  duty  it  was  to  ascertain  the  state  of  public  opinion  and  keep 
their  constituents  informed.  Determined  not  to  be  behind  the 
others,  in  May,  1774,  New  Hampshire  appointed  a  similar  body. 
Learning  of  the  move  on  foot  the  royal  Governor  appeared  and 
ordered  the  sheriff  to  dissolve  the  assembly,  hoping  thus  to  defeat 
the  object  of  the  gathering.  Retiring  without  showing  any  resent- 
ment the  members  adjourned  to  another  building,  where  it  was 
voted  to  ask  all  the  towns  in  the  province  to  send  delegates  to 
Exeter  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  two  representatives  to  the 
general  congress  about  to  convene  in  Philadelphia.  There  is  no 
vote  on  record  to  show  that  Hillsborough  responded  to  this  ap- 
peal, though  it  is  not  only  possible  but  probable  that  Captain  Isaac 
Baldwin  and  Lieutenant  Samuel  Bradford  attended.  Nathaniel 
Folsom  and  John  Sullivan  were  chosen  delegates  to  represent 


9§  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

New   Hampshire  in  the  proposed  congress,  which  met  in  the 
following  September. 

In  the  midst  of  this  patriotic  uprising  an  incident  took  place 
which  brought  the  storm  of  resentment  very  close  to  the  people 
of  Hillsborough. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  charter  of  Hillsborough,  as 
in  other  towns,  there  was  a  reservation  made  of  all  pine  trees 
suitable  to  be  used  in  the  Royal  Navy  of  Great  Britain.  So, 
before  the  pioneer  was  allowed  to  begin  his  work  of  clearing  the 
land  he  had  been  granted,  the  King's  agent  was  sent  to  mark  those 
pines  of  sufficient  size  to  make  masts  for  74-gun  ships  of  war 
with  what  was  known  as  "The  King's  Arrow."  This  symbol  was 
really  a  huge,  inverted  V  about  four  feet  in  length  and  cut  deep 
into  the  bark.  Should  one  dare  to  molest  one  of  these  reserves 
it  would  cost  him  dear.  During  the  winter,  when  the  snow  lay 
deep  upon  the  earth,  men  were  employed  by  the  provincial  govern- 
ment to  cut  these  trees  and  team  them  to  the  nearest  point  where 
they  could  be  prepared  for  the  purpose  designed,  and  then  trans- 
ported to  the  nearest  port.  The  majority  of  these  lumbermen 
and  teams  were  from  the  towns  along  the  coast,  the  leader  of 
them  having  made  a  contract  to  deliver  so  many  trees  for  a 
certain  sum.  The  men  would  build  for  themselves  cabins  in  the 
wilderness,  where  a  number  of  these  trees  were  to  be  found. 
Many  of  the  giants  were  drawn  in  the  round  log  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  feet  in  length  all  the  way  to  Newburyport,  a  favorite 
destination  for  the  majority.  Along  the  Contoocook  what  was 
the  "Mast  Yard"  was  an  objective  point,  which  spot  was  near  the 
railroad  station  which  keeps  alive  the  name.  These  huge  logs 
were  generally  floated  down  the  river. 

It  is  related  that  one  of  these  mighty  monarchs  of  the  forest 
was  cut  in  the  Contoocook  valley  which  required  fifty-five  yokes 
of  oxen  to  draw  to  the  river  bank.  There  is  no  record  to  show 
how  large  it  was  at  the  foot,  but  at  the  top  of  a  hundred  and  ten- 
foot  log  it  measured  three  feet  in  diameter!  Is  it  any  wonder 
the  man  who  had  secured  this  prize  for  his  king,  boasted  loudly 
of  his  undertaking.  Captain  Chamberlain  did  not  dare  risk  his 
giant  captive  to  the  rocky  course  of  the  Contoocook,  so  he  hauled 
it  with  his  big  team  all  the  way  to  Concord,  where  it  was  rolled 


THE  GREAT  PINE.  99 

into  the  Merrimack.  But  it  had  been  a  trying  passage  so  far, 
uphill  and  down,  sometimes  the  lives  of  his  best  oxen  imperiled 
when  working  their  way  over  some  sharp  summit  or  down  a  rocky 
declivity,  but  the  master  mover  breathed  easily  as  he  saw  his 
mighty  trophy  borne  merrily  in  the  swollen  waters  of  the  Merri- 
mack. All  did  go  the  king's  benefit  until  Amoskeag  Falls  were 
reached.  Here,  as  the  great  monster  swung  over  the  jagged 
brink  of  the  cataract  it  caught  on  the  ragged  edge  of  rock.  For 
a  moment  it  hung  half  suspended  above  the  boiling  flood,  and  then 
it  snapped  in  twain  like  a  pipe  stem!  Captain  Chamberlain,  who 
had  been  following  on  horseback  along  the  bank  of  the  river, 
witnessed  this  mishap  with  a  look  of  horror.  Throwing  up  his 
hands  he  shouted,  so  his  voice  was  heard  above  the  roar  of  the 
cataract,  "My  God!  I'm  a  ruined  man!"  Putting  spurs  to  his 
horse,  he  rode  madly  down  the  valley,  and  was  never  seen  in  this 
vicinity  again,  very  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  workmen 
whom  he  was  owing  for  all  their  hard  work. 

Occasionally  one  of  these  forest  monarchs  escaped  the  king's 
lumbermen  and  lived  on  for  a  hundred  years  or  more,  to  be 
remembered  by  the  generation  just  gone  before  us.  Mr.  Joseph 
Barnard  of  Hopkinton  described  one  of  these  relics  which  stood 
in  his  day.  The  top  of  this  tree  had  been  blown  off  fifty  feet 
above  the  ground,  and  it  was  finally  cut  down  by  coon  hunters. 
Fifteen  feet  from  its  base  it  measured  fifteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference. It  was  estimated  to  have  contained  more  than  six 
thousand  feet  of  lumber.  It  was  supposed  to  have  been  more  than 
400  years  old,  and  so  was  standing  when  Columbus  discovered 
America. 

This  reservation  of  the  best  pine  trees  for  the  use  of  the 
royal  government  became  no  small  bone  of  contention  between 
the  colonists  and  the  British  officials.  In  fact  it  was  one  of  the 
causes  that  finally  led  to  the  open  rebellion  of  the  men  of  New 
England. 

Some  innocently,  others  wilfully  it  may  be,  now  and  then  cut 
some  of  the  pines  marked  with  the  king's  arrow.  As  often  as 
they  were  detected  these  offenders  were  haled  into  court  and  made 
to  pay  a  fine.  In  some  cases  these  fines  were  large  and  paid 
under  protest. 


100  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

I  have  not  found  that  any  culprits  were  caught  in  this  town, 
but  a  deputy  "Surveyor  of  the  King's  Woods"  making  a  raid 
upon  the  mills  in  Pascataquog  valley  early  in  the  spring  of  1772, 
among  others  at  mills  elsewhere,  laid  an  attachment  upon  nearly 
three  hundred  logs  at  Clement's  mills  at  Oil  Mills  village,  now 
Riverdale,  and  swore  a  good  round  oath  that  the  offenders  should 
be  punished  to  the  fullest  extent  of  the  law,  if  they  did  not  pay 
the  fine  that  might  be  exacted  of  them. 

The  "culprits"  at  other  mills  went  forward  and  paid  the  fines 
assessed  against  them  and  retained  the  logs,  which  were  really 
theirs  by  right  of  domain.  But  the  men  of  Clement's  mills 
resolved  that  they  would  not  humble  themselves  to  the  British 
officer.  So  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  notice,  and  quietly 
awaited  the  result. 

In  due  course  of  time  a  warrant  was  made  out  agains^ 
Ebenezer  Mudgett,  known  to  be  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  affairs, 
and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Sheriff  Benjamin  Whiting  of  Hollis 
to  serve.  This  redoutable(  ?)  officer,  took  along  his  deputy, 
John  Quigley  of  Francestown,  and  this  precious  pair,  both  prov- 
ing tories  when  the  war  broke  out,  went  in  quest  of  their  victim. 
They  had  no  trouble  in  finding  Mr.  Mudgett,  and  with  better 
grace  than  they  had  expected  the  prisoner  accompanied  them  to 
the  village  inn  kept  by  one  Aaron  Quimby. 

It  was  then  nearly  night,  and  Mr.  Mudgett  declared  that  he 
would  furnish  any  reasonable  bail  before  morning.  So,  elated 
over  the  ease  with  which  they  had  secured  the  principal  offender, 
and  deciding  the  whole  crowd  was  a  set  of  "hoodlums  with  no 
more  spine  than  rabbits,"  they  sought  their  couches  at  an  early 
hour  so  as  to  take  a  good  start  in  the  morning. 

Meanwhile  the  friends  of  Mudgett  had  arranged  to  carry 
out  a  dare-devil  plot  that  possibly  had  been  premeditated  for 
sometime.  Anyway,  while  the  sheriff  was  sleeping  peacefully  in 
the  quiet  hours  of  morning,  dreaming  no  doubt  of  the  fat  fee  he 
would  receive  for  his  work,  the  door  was  thrown  open  and  in 
stalked  half  a  dozen  grim-visaged  men  intent  on  his  harm !  Before 
he  could  offer  resistance,  if  he  had  had  the  mind  to  do  so,  he  was 
dragged  from  his  warm  nest  into  the  cold  air,  to  be  given  a  severe 
drubbing.     If  he  begged  off,  and  he  showed  himself  to  be  an 


FORT  WILLIAM   AND  MARY.  IOI 

arrant  coward,  the  blows  fell  thicker  and  faster,  while  no  one 
answered  his  appeals  for  help.  Finally  he  was  hustled  out  of 
the  house  and  tossed  upon  the  bare  back  of  his  horse,  seated  so 
he  was  looking  backward  instead  of  ahead.  Here  he  was  bound 
by  greenhide  thongs.  The  horse  had  been  ignominiously  shorn 
of  its  mane  and  tail  and  decorated  with  pine  boughs. 

In  this  lamentable  condition  for  a  High  Sheriff  the  victim 
was  escorted  out  of  town,  amid  the  jeers  and  hoots  of  his  per- 
secutors and  the  eye-witnesses  to  this  audacious  performance,  all 
of  which  shocked  a  few  more  sober-minded  of  the  village  people, 
who  foresaw  direful  results  from  this  reckless  adventure.  Of 
course  the  sheriff  within  a  few  days  entered  his  complaint  and  the 
perpetrators  of  the  outrage  were  haled  into  court.  But  already 
public  opinion  was  with  the  audacious  culprits — at  least  so 
strongly  had  the  tide  set  in  that  direction  that  a  decision  was  not 
reached  in  the  first  trial,  and  armed  resistance  elsewhere  put  an 
end  to  the  proceedings  so  that  judgment  was  never  rendered,  the 
incident  passing  into  history  as  one  of  the  opening  acts  of  the 
war  which  was  inevitable. 

Great  Britain,  already  awakening  to  the  possibility  of  the 
coming  outbreak,  but  still  blindly  resolved  to  hold  it  in  abeyance 
by  sheer  defiance,  prohibited  the  exportation  of  gunpowder  to 
America,  and  a  ship  of  war  was  sent  forthwith  to  take  possession 
of  Fort  William  and  Mary,  the  key  to  Portsmouth.  If  news 
flew  slowly  in  those  days,  this  movement  was  anticipated  by  the 
inhabitants  about  the  vicinity,  and  under  the  leadership  of  Captain 
Thomas  Pickering,  with  those  staunch  supporters  Major  John 
Sullivan  and  John  Langdon,  a  body  of  men  surprised  the  officers 
of  the  fort  on  the  night  of  December  15,  1774,  took  the  com- 
mander and  five  soldiers  prisoners,  and  carried  away  one  hundred 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  ammunition  afterwards  used  at  Bunker 
Hill.  The  next  day  another  company  removed  fifteen  cannon, 
with  small  arms  and  stores  from  the  fort,  all  of  which  was  suc- 
cessfully secreted  at  different  places  in  adjoining  towns.  This 
bold  act  was  one  of  the  most  daring  achievements  in  the  Revo- 
lution. 

The  next  hostile  movement  by  the  enemy  was  taken  in  the 
following  spring,  or  within  four  months  of  the  capture  of  Fort 


102  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

William  and  Mary.  The  British  government  acted  upon  the 
principle  that  the  King  of  England  "had,  hath  and  of  right  ought 
to  have,  full  power  and  authority  to  make  laws  and  statutes  of 
sufficient  force  and  validity  to  bind  the  colonies  and  people  of 
America  in  all  cases  whatsoever.'"  On  the  other  hand  the 
colonists  maintained  there  should  be  no  taxation  without  repre- 
sentation. In  some  respects  the  older  country  yielded,,  and  the 
burden  of  the  expense  was  lightened,  but  so  long  as  a  penny  was 
demanded  the  now  thoroughly  aroused  colonists  claimed  the  un- 
derlying intention  remained  unchanged,  and  that  additional  hard- 
ship might  be  placed  upon  them  at  any  time,  a  declaration  that 
could  not  be  honestly  denied.  Unable  to  ensnare  the  colonies  with 
their  promises,  while  still  keeping  armed  forces  upon  New  Eng- 
land soil,  Great  Britain  finally  resolved  to  subdue  the  people  she 
could  not  coerce,  a  fatal  mistake  as  she  eventually  learned.* 

The  opening  of  the  year  1775,  the  darkest  in  the  history  of 
the  New  England  colonists,  found  Boston  invested  with  three 
thousand  royal  troops  under  General  Gage.  This  fact,  taken 
with  the  demoralized  condition  of  the  situations  elsewhere  and 
the  pervading  feeling  of  the  coming  conflict  overshadowing  the 
people  caused  a  stagnation  in  business  affairs,  with  an  uncer- 
tainty of  the  result  that  the  bravest  dared  not  contemplate  with 
confidence  .  .  .  The  inhabitants  of  beleaguered  Boston  began 
to  suffer  for  food  and  begged  for  assistance  from  their  friends. 
While  sending  food  and  supplies  to  their  distressed  countrymen, 
the  pioneers  of  liberty  were  secretly  and  silently  gathering  such 
stores  of  food  and  ammunition  as  they  could  for  the  inevitable 
strife.  Concord,  Mass.,  was  selected  as  the  headquarters  for  the 
munitions  of  war  and  a  body  of  provincial  militia  was  raised 
to  protect  same. 

General  Gage  considered  it  to  be  a  fine  beginning  to  seize  this 


•Professor  Sanborn,  in  his  History  of  New  Hampshire,  says  very  truthfully,  "There 
can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  seven  years  of  patient  waiting  instead  of  seven  years  of 
fighting;,  with  the  ablest  statesmen  and  orators  of  England  as  friends  of  America, 
might  have  secured  to  colonists  absolute  equality  of  political  rights.  Had  the  patriots 
of  that  age  so  waited,  and  so  acted,  we,  their  descendants,  might  today  have  been 
the  subjects  of  a  hereditary  monarch.  Our  counties  might  have  been  the  property 
of  counts  and  our  independent  yeomen,  who  own  their  farms  and  till  them,  who 
choose  their  pastors  and  support  them,  who  make  their  laws  and  obey  them,  might 
have  been  the  dependents  of  some  'born  gentleman'  like  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  who 
with  great  condescension  visits  his  peasants  twice  a  year  and  gives  them  advice, 
builds  roads  and  allows  them  to  walk  in  them,  founds  churches  and  sends  them  rec- 
tors, provides  cottages  and  requires  of  the  tenants  a  rent  which  abridges  the  com- 
monest comforts  of  life." — Author. 


BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.  IO3 

store  and  teach  the  people,  by  doing  it,  a  lesson  that  they  might 
profit  by  it.  Accordingly  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  an  im- 
portant date  in  American  history,  he  sent  a  body  of  troops  to 
chastise  these  audacious  subjects,  and  incidentally  to  add  to  the 
supply  of  stores  at  Boston.  Upon  reaching  Lexington  this  armed 
force,  advancing  with  something  of  the  spirit  of  troops  on  dress 
parade,  was  met  by  the  provincial  militia.  Major  Pitcairn,  the 
pompous  British  commander,  rode  forward  and  brandishing  his 
sword  with  an  air  of  bravado,  exclaimed:  "Disperse,  ye  rebels! 
Lay  down  your  arms  and  retire." 

His  order  was  unheeded.  Chagrined  that  this  small  body  of 
untrained  men  and  youths  should  have  dared  to  hesitate  in  their 
reply,  the  British  officer  ordered  his  men  to  fire.  Seven  men  fell 
before  that  deadly  volley,  while  nine  were  wounded.  This  was 
the  first  blood  spilled  in  the  War  for  American  Independence, 
and  the  reply  was  the  shot  that  was  "heard  around  the  world!" 
Finding  themselves  outnumbered  the  patriots  retreated,  but  all 
through  the  morning  kept  up  a  warfare  upon  the  enemy,  making 
the  supplies  they  captured  cost  them  dear.  Before  returning  to 
Boston  their  numbers  were  reduced  by  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  men  killed,  wounded  and  missing!  The  patriots  lost  eighty- 
eight,  not  a  large  number,  but  enough  to  arouse  the  whole  country 
and  the  burning  words  of  Henry,  "Give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death!,"  became  the  watchword  everywhere.  The  news  spread 
over  New  England  like  wildfire.  Hilltops  blazed  with  beacon 
fires ;  valleys  and  hamlets  rang  with  drum  beats,  and  bells  were 
rung  to  awaken  the  people  to  their  peril. 

Among  those  who  figured  in  the  fight  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton, who  afterwards  became  citizens  of  Hillsborough  or  were 
ancestors  of  those  already  settled  in  the  "town  on  the  hilltops," 
were  at  least  the  following,  and  how  many  more  cannot  be  easily 
ascertained  at  this  day: 

Ensign  Robert  Monroe  of  Captain  Parker's  company,  Lexington. 
Silas  Spaulding,  Bejamin  Pierce,  Joshua  Durant  of  Capt.  Oliver 
Baron's  company. 

Levi  Flint  of  Capt.  John  Bachiller's  company. 

Silas  How  and  David  How  of  Capt.  Aaron  Hayne's  company. 

Abraham  Andrews  in  Capt.  Joshua  Walker's  company  at  Concord. 


104  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Capt.  Joseph  Bobbins,  Capt.  Samuel  Farrah,  Edward  Flint  and 
Sergt.  David  Hartwell  at  Concord. 

Benjamin  Beard  of  Lt.  Oliver  Crosby's  company. 

Thomas  Baldwin,  Isaac  Beard,  Benjamin  Dutton  and  John  Bell  of 
Capt.  Edward  Farmer's  company. 

Elijah.  Danforth  of  Capt.  Jonathan  Stickney's  company. 

Josiah  Gilbert  of  Stow,  Mass. 

John  Killom  of  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Corp.  Samuel  Murdough  at  Lexington. 

It  is  difficult  to  verify  all  of  these  names,  and  there  are 
doubtless  errors  as  well  as  omissions. 

The  historian  of  a  town  cannot  describe  to  any  extent  events 
outside  of  his  immediate  field  of  action,  so  in  this  work  the  battles 
of  the  Revolution  can  be  treated  only  so  far  as  they  concerned 
the  fortunes  of  the  men  from  this  place,  and  even  then  in  a  brief 
manner.  These  general  facts  can  be  gleaned  from  other  histories, 
local  and  national,  while  we  follow  the  scenes  at  home  which 
others  have  not  done.  The  steady-going,  law-abiding  inhabitants 
of  Hillsborough  were  not  in  the  habit  of  calling  a  town  meeting 
at  every  trifling  matter  that  came  up,  so  the  records  are  not 
filled  with  accounts  of  petty  differences  and  neighborhood 
quarrels.  Though  men  of  decided  opinions  there  were  no  religious 
discussions  they  could  not  settle  within  the  sanctuary,  nor  po- 
litical sentiment  they  could  not  agree  to  leave  to  another  day. 
Hence  not  a  town  meeting  was  held  wherein  any  part  of  the 
business  transacted  was  not  promptly  decided  without  argument. 
The  course  of  action  followed  by  the  town  during  the  seven  years 
War  for  Independence  is  characterized  by  calm  consideration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  day,  always  tempered  with  an  honest  handling 
of  each  question  regarding  the  well-being  of  its  townsmen  and  its 
duty  to  its  country. 

At  the  annual  meeting  March  30,  1775,  it  was  voted  to  pur- 
chase a  stock  of  ammunition. 

June  14,  1775,  three  days  before  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
the  inhabitants  met  and  chose  a  Board  of  Inspection  or  Committee 
of  Safety,  as  it  became  better  known.  The  members  consisted  of 
three  of  the  oldest  and  staunchest  citizens  of  the  town,  Captain 
Samuel  Bradford,  Lieut.  Samuel  Bradford  and  Timothy  Wilkins. 
This  board  was  re-elected  in  1776,  but  Captain  Bradford  dying 


MINUTE  MEN  OF  HILLSBOROUGH.  IO5 

in  the  summer,  at  a  special  meeting  held  September  23,  1776, 
Nathaniel  Cooledge,  a  veteran  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  was 
chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

Removed  as  this  town  was  from  the  general  routes  of  public 
information  the  news  that  hostilities  had  begun  and  war  was 
imminent  flew  hither  with  the  celerity  of  a  winged  messenger. 
Nor  is  this  to  any  great  extent  a  figure  of  speech.  Three  or  four 
of  the  men  then  living  in  Hillsborough  had  fought  throughout  the 
Seven  Years'  War  side  by  side  with  the  Monroes,  Haradons  and 
others  of  the  Minute  Men  of  Lexington.  The  most  conspicuous  of 
these  was  Captain  Baldwin,  and  no  sooner  was  the  fight  over  than 
some  of  the  leaders  there  dispatched  a  man  mounted  upon  a  fleet 
horse  to  apprise  him  of  the  impending  danger.  It  is  needless  to 
say  perhaps  that  messengers  were  sent  in  every  direction. 

Though  a  peace-loving  people  there  was  probably  not  a  man 
in  town  who  had  not  done  his  part  in  all  previous  wars,  providing 
he  had  been  old  enough  to  carry  a  musket.  They  were  equally 
as  ready  now  to  shoulder  the  "old  queen's  arm"  in  defence  of  their 
country.  Putnam  unhitching  his  horse  from  the  plow  to  mount 
him  and  ride  to  the  front ;  Stark  leaving  the  mill  log  upon  its 
carriage  to  start  in  hot  haste  to  Cambridge,  show  no  more  prompt 
action  or  clear-cut  patriotism  than  did  Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin  when 
told  the  startling  news.  He  was  framing  a  barn  in  Deering  when 
the  tidings  from  Lexington  reached  him.  Realizing  what  this 
meant,  the  hero  of  more  than  twenty  battles  in  the  French  and 
Indian  wars  laid  aside  his  tools  in  the  midst  of  his  work  and 
hastened  to  his  home.  Within  twenty-four  hours  he  had  raised 
a  body  of  volunteers  to  go  with  him  to  the  front.  Stopping 
barely  long  enough  to  express  a  few  hasty  good-byes  to  their 
loved  ones,  this  redoutable  little  company  of  patriots,  others  join- 
ing them  as  they  advanced,  started  on  their  way  towards  the  scene 
of  war.  The  names  of  the  members  of  this  Spartan  band,  as  far 
as  can  be  enumerated  now,  were : 

Ammi  Andrews,  Samuel  Bradford, 

Isaac  Baldwin,  Captain  Silas  Cooledge, 

David  Brooks,  Isaac  Andrews, 

Andrew  Wilkins,  John  Brown, 

Airumi  Andrews,  Jr.,  Samuel  Symonds. 


io6 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


This  number  comprised  about  one-fourth  of  the  able-bodied 
men  in  town,  and  at  no  time  was  there  a  smaller  number  at  the 
front.  At  times  there  was  a  larger  percentage  serving  their 
country. 

Upon  reaching  Hollis  Captain  Baldwin  was  informed  that  a 
British  fleet  had  begun  an  attack  on  Portsmouth,  and  feeling  it 
his  duty  to  go  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison  there,  he  changed  his 
course.  But,  upon  coming  to  Thornton's  Ferry,  the  rumor  was 
denied,  and  he  again  pushed  on  towards  Boston. 

This  was  on  Saturday  and  the  following  day  they  reached 
Billerica,  Mass.,  in  season  to  attend  divine  worship,  where  they 
listened  to  a  patriotic  discourse  delivered  by  Rev.  Henry  Cum- 
mings.  They  remained  in  this  town  until  Monday  morning,  when 
they  resumed  their  march,  arriving  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
American  army  at  Cambridge,  where  they  were  received  with  a 
hearty  welcome.  Captain  Baldwin  was  well  known  to  many  of 
the  officers  in  command  here  and  a  large  company,  composed 
mainly  of  men  of  his  vicinity,  Hillsborough,  Henniker  and  Hop- 
kinton,  was  enrolled  under  him. 

Pay  Roll  of  Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin's  Company  at  Bunker  Hill. 


Isaac  Baldwin*,  Captain, 

John  Hale,   Captain, 

John  Hale,  Lieutenant, 

Stephen  Hoit,  ditto. 

Andrews  Wilkins*,   Sergeant, 

Moses  Bailey,  ditto, 

Reuben  Kimball,  ditto, 

Henry  Blake,  Fifer, 

Moses  Darling1,  Private, 

Silas  Cooledge*, 

Robert  Taggart*, 

Ammy  Andrews,  Jr.*, 

John  Putney, 

Phinehas  Kimball, 

Peter  Howe,* 

Moses  Jones,* 

Ephraim  Hadley, 

Duty  Stickney, 

Richard  Straw, 

Timothy  Clemment, 

John  Stanley, 


Stephen  Hoit,  2d  Lieutenant, 
Ammy  Andrews,*  2d  ditto, 
Ammy  Andrews,*  Sergeant. 
Moses  Kimball,  ditto, 
Moses  Eastman,   Sergeant, 
Moses  Connet,   ditto, 
John  Brown*,  Drummer, 
Isaac  Andrews*,  Private, 
John  McNiel,* 
David  Brooks*, 
Samuel  Simonds*, 
Robert   Cunningham, 
Collins  Eastman. 
Samuel  Hildreth, 
Enoch  Eastman, 
Noah  Parsons, 
Moses  Trussell, 
Joseph  Shattuck, 
Joseph  Presbe3r, 
Benjamin  Stanley, 
Thomas  Hills, 


DEATH  OF  BALDWIN  AT  BUNKER  HILL.  IO/ 


Thomas  Eastman, 

Daniel  Cressy, 

Peter  Lovejoy, 

Clifford  Chafey, 

Asahel  Putney, 

Isaac   Cates, 

Jonathan  Durant*, 

Samuel  Bradford,  Sergt, 

James  Gibson*, 

Joseph  Putney,  Private, 

George  Bemaine*, 

Samuel  Barrowcliff. 

Major* 


A  study  of  the  above  roll  shows  that  in  addition  to  the  ten 
men  who  enrolled  under  Captain  Baldwin  at  home  eight  others 
must  have  followed  him  and  so  joined  the  army  at  Cambridge. 
Thus  Hillsborough  had  at  least  eighteen  men  then  in  the  army, 
and  it  is  not  only  possible  but  probable  there  were  others. 

To  the  great  satisfaction  of  all  Captain  Baldwin's  company 
was  assigned  to  Col.  John  Stark's  regiment.  The  night  of  June 
17th  they  were  quartered  at  Medford,  and  were  sent  with  several 
other  companies  on  the  following  morning  to  participate  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

The  story  of  that  memorable  day's  sanguinary  fight  has  been 
imperfectly  told,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  at  this  distant  day  New 
Hampshire  troops  will  receive  ample  credit  for  the  part  they  per- 
formed. The  company  whose  names  have  been  listed  certainly 
acted  a  valiant  part,  being  from  first  to  last  in  the  thick  of  the 
battle.  Near  noon  the  gallant  McClary  from  Epsom  had  com- 
mand of  this  division,  and  about  one  o'clock,  as  he  was  forming 
his  men  for  an  attack,  Captain  Baldwin  fell  pierced  by  a  musket 
ball.  Two  of  his  townsmen,  Lieut.  John  McNiel  and  James 
Gibson,  witnessing  this  unfortunate  fate  of  their  leader,  sprang 
forward  and  bore  him  to  a  more  retired  position.  And  there, 
with  a  little  knot  of  weeping  comrades,  the  life  of  the  hero  ebbed 
away,  so  he  breathed  his  last  about  sunset. 

Already  the  tide  of  battle  had  set  in  against  the  patriots.  At 
the  beginning  of  a  retreat  the  brave  General  McClary  had  fallen, 
and  in  the  death  of  Major  Andrew  McClary  and  Capt.  Isaac 
Baldwin  the  Americans  lost  two  men,  who,  if  their  lives  had  been 
spared,  would  have  undoubtedly  won  high  distinction  in  the  war. 

Mr.  Smith,  in  describing  his  untimely  death  says  most  truth- 
fully: "The  intelligence  of  Captain  Baldwin's  death  filled  the 
peaceful  community  where  he  resided  with  grief  and  mourning. 


•From  Hillsborough. 


Jo8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

He  was  emphatically  the  pride  of  this  townsmen.  His  kind  heart, 
cheerful  disposition  and  amiable  manners  had  greatly  endeared 
him  to  his  fellow-citizens." 

Captain  Baldwin  left  a  widow  who,  before  her  marriage,  was 
Eunice  Jennison  of  Natick,  Mass.,  and  four  children,  while  a  fifth 
was  born  a  few  weeks  after  his  decease.  The  fatal  bullet  was 
extracted  by  Lieutenant  Ammi  Andrews,  who  afterwards  pre- 
sented it  to  the  widow  as  a  sad  memento  of  the  day.  Captain 
Baldwin  was  interred  in  a  burial  ground  in  Medford,  Mass. 

Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin  was  born  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  in  1736, 
and  he  was  the  head  of  the  fifth  family  that  came  into  the  town  in 
1766  during  the  second  settlement.  As  has  been  already  men- 
tioned, he  had  been  very  active  in  the  French  and  Indian  War  as 
a  companion  of  William  and  John  Stark  and  Robert  Rogers. 
Everett,  in  his  life  of  John  Stark,  says  that  Captain  Baldwin  had 
been  in  more  than  twenty  battles,  and  was  a  man  of  undoubted 
bravery. 

A  little  less  than  six  weeks  after  Captain  Baldwin  and  his 
men  had  started  for  the  front,  the  following  return  was  made 
to  the  state,  and  these  seem  to  have  been  practically  all  of  the 
able-bodied  men  left  at  home: 

List  of  Larum  Men  in  Hillsborough,  1776. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Barnes,  George  Booth, 

Capt.  Samuel  Bradford,  Joseph  Clark, 

Lieut.  David  McNeal,  Timothy  Wilkins. 

Ens.    Timothy    Bradford,  Andrew  Bixby, 

Dea.  John  Meed,  Joshua  Estey, 

Nathan    Cooledge,  William  Jones, 

William  Taggart,  Thomas  Murdough, 

Capt.  Joseph   Symonds,  William   Hutchinson, 
Lieut.   Saml.   Bradford,  (17) 

Association   Test. 

Congress  on  March  14,  1776,  owing  to  evident  signs  of  disaffecta- 
tion  among  certain  persons  in  the  colonies  passed  the  following  act : 

Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  Several  Assemblies,  Con- 
ventions, and  Councils,  or  Committees  of  Safety  of  the  United  Col- 
onies, immediately  to  cause  all  Persons  to  be  disarmed,  within  their 
Respective  Colonies,  who  are  notoriously  disaffected  to  the  cause  of 


SIGNERS  OF  ASSOCIATION  TEST. 


IO9 


America,  or  who  have  not  associated,  and  refuse  to  associate,  to  defend 
by  Arms,  the  United  Colonies,  against  the  Hostile  attempts  of  the 
British  Fleets  and  Armies. 


(Copy) 


Extract  from  the  Minutes 

Charles  Thompson,  Secy 


In  consequence  of  the  above  Resolution  the  General  Assembly 
of  New  Hampshire,  as  other  provinces  did,  recognized  the  same 
April  12,  1776,  by  indorsement  and  passage  of  what  became 
known  as  the  Association  Test: 

In  order  to  carry  the  underwritten  Resolve  of  the  Hon'ble 
Continental  Congress  into  Execution,  you  are  requested  to  desire 
all  males  above  Twenty  one  years  of  age  (Lunaticks,  Idiots,  and 
Negroes  excepted)  to  sign  to  the  Declaration  on  the  Paper;  and 
when  so  done,  to  make  return  thereof,  together  with  the  Name  or 
Names  of  all  who  shall  refuse  to  sign  the  same,  to  the  General 
Assembly  or  Committee  of  Safety  of  this  Colony. 

M.  Weare,  Chairman. 

The  Test. 

"We,  the  Subscribers,  do  hereby  solemnly  engage,  and  promise,  that 
we  will,  to  the  utmost  of  our  Power,  at  the  Risque  of  our  Lives  and 
Fortunes,  with  Arms,  oppose  the  Hostile  Proceedings  of  the  British 
Fleets  and  Armies  against  the  United  American  Colonies.' 


Signebs  of  Association  Test. 


Joseph  Symonds 
Isaac    Andrews 
Archibald  Taggart 
Samuel  Preston 
Jedidiah   Preston 
Timothy   Bradford 
John  Nichols 
James  Taggart 
"William  Pope 
Daniel  Eolf 
Samuel  Bradford 
Samuel    Symonds 


William  Jones  Jr 
John  MeClintock 
Alexander   MeClintock 
Asa   Dresser 
Samuel  Jones 
Andrew  Bixbe 
William  Love 
John   Gibson 
John  Mead 
Jonathan  Barns 
Timothy    Wilkins 
Jacob  Flint 


Jonathan  Durant  refuses  to  sign.     1 

William  Pope 


John  McCalley 
Daniel  Gibson 
John   Graham 
William  Jones 
William   Taggart 
William  Hutchinson 
Benjamin  Lovejoy 
Lot  Jenison 
George  Booth 
Nehemiah  Wilkins 
Daniel  Mc'neall 


1 


Archibald  Taggart  [ 


Selectmen. 


HO  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

This  Association  Test,  as  it  was  called,  might  well  have  been 
termed  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  people,  for  it  is 
difficult  to  find  an  expression  of  defiance  to  the  enemy  more  firmly 
stated  than  in  this  article.  Friends,  or  Quakers,  and  non-com- 
batants were  exempt  from  signing  it,  if  it  were  their  wish.  A  few 
here  and  there,  declined  to  sign,  but  there  was  only  one  in  Hills- 
borough. The  exception  in  Hillsborough  was  a  member  of  that 
religious  body  known  as  Friends,  but  if  so  he  had  already  par- 
ticipated in  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  he  bore  arms  through- 
out the  war. 

The  following  men  were  credited  as  belonging  to  the  training 
band  of  Hillsborough  in  1776: 

Alexander  MoClintock,  Samuel   Murdough,  John  'MeClintock, 

William  Symonds,  James  Gibson,  William  Booth, 

Jonathan  Durant,  Nathaniel  Howard  John  Gibson, 

Benjamin  Kuff,  Nehemiah  Wilkins,  Joseph  Tagart, 

Daniel  Gibson,  Thomas  Mnrdough,  Jr.,  Lot  Jennison, 

Jedediah  Preston,  William  Love,  Jonathan  Sargent, 

Benjamin  Lovejoy,  Abel   Wilkins,  Andrew  Bixby, 

Jonathan  Graham,  Elias    Cheney,  Nathan  Taylor    (24) 

Last  five  recently  added  to  the  list. 

Honered  Sir.  Among  these  above  named  we  have  about  twenty 
guns  and  seven  of  them  not  fit  to  go  into  the  war.  the  best  of 
our  guns  are  gone  in  the  war  either  sold  or  our  men  with  them. 
I  should  have  sent  your  Honor  a  List  before  this  time  but  Could 
not  without  sending  on  purpose 

Sr    I  am  your  Hons.  most  Huml  Ser 
Isaac  Andrews 
June  the  3d  1776 

To  Honored  Coln  Stickney  living  in  Concord 

The  list  of  taxpayers  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution 
affords  an  interesting  sidelight  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
and  is  here  reproduced  from  the  Town's  Book : 

Tax  List  for  1776. 

Capt.  Isaac  Andrews,  Lieut.  Ammi  Andrews, 

Widow  Mary  Bradford,  Widow  Eunice   Baldwin, 

Capt.  Joseph  Symonds,  Lieut.    Samuel    Bradford,   Jr., 

Lieut.  Samuel  Bradford,  Ens.  Timothy  Bradford, 


MILITARY  MEN  IN  HILLSBOROUGH.  I  1 1 

Timothy  Wilkins,  Nathaniel  Coolidge, 

George  Booth,  Jonathan  Durant, 

Asa  Dresser,  Joshua  Estey, 

Jacob  Flint,  Cornet  John  Grimes, 

John  Gibson.  James  Gibson, 

William  Jones,  Daniel  Gibson, 

Lieut.  Baxter  Howe,  Nathaniel  Hayward, 

"William  Hutchinson,  Lot  Jennerson, 

Samuel  Jones,  William  Jones,  Jr., 

Benjamin  Lovejoy,  Dea.   John   Meade, 

Lieut.  Daniel  McNiel,  Lieut.  John  McColley, 

Thomas  Murdough,  Lieut.  William  Pope, 

John  MeClintock,  Alexander  McClintock 

John  Nichols,  Daniel  Rolf, 

Jedediah  Preston,  Jonathan  Sargent, 

Moses  Steele,  William  Taggart, 

Ens.  Archibald  Taggart,  James  Taggart, 

William  Taggart,  Jr.,  Nehemiah  Wilkins, 

William  Love,  Andrew  Bixby, 

William  Booth,  David  Blanchard, 
Major  Raley,  Riley  or  Raleigh. 

An  examination  of  this  list  made  nearly  a  year  after  the  battle 
of  Lexington  shows  that  there  were  then  forty-nine  taxpayers  in 
town,  but  two  of  these  were  women,  the  widows  of  Captain 
Baldwin,  killed  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  Captain  Samuel  Bradford, 
who  died  that  summer.  Of  the  forty-seven  men  eighteen  were 
over  fifty  years  of  age,  and  beyond  the  military  limit,  though  this 
did  not  deter  the  most  of  them  from  entering  the  service  some- 
time during  the  war.  This  leaves  twenty-nine  liable  to  military 
duty,  providing  they  were  able  physically,  while  there  must  have 
been  sixteen  youths  between  sixteen  and  twenty-one  capable  of 
doing  military  duty,  for  according  to  the  returns  of  the  towns 
made  to  the  province  Hillsborough  was  credited  with  forty-three 
men  between  16  and  50  years  able-bodied.  At  this  same  time  the 
nearby  towns  numbered  respectively  as  follows :  Deering,  40 ; 
Henniker,  76;  Hopkinton,  202;  New  Boston,  118;  Weare,  149; 
Francestown,  46;  Peterborough,  102;  Washington,  35. 

Under  date  of  August  17,  1776,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Barnes, 
"Considering  the  diffecoltys  that  we  now  laber  under,"  relin- 
quished a  portion  of  his  salary  to  the  town. 


112  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  same  year,  1776,  September  2,  it  was  voted  to  raise 
fifteen  pounds  in  order  to  purchase  a  stock  of  ammunition,  and  at 
a  special  meeting  December  10,  it  was  voted  to  raise  nine  pounds 
for  ammunition. 

The  pay  roll  of  Capt.  Timothy  Clement  in  Col.  Peirce  Long's 
regiment  mustered  August  7,  1776,  for  service  at  New  Castle, 
and  mustered  out  December  7,  1776,  gives  the  names  of  two 
soldiers  from  Hillsborough,  William  Taggart,  Sergeant,  advanced 
to  Master  Sergeant,  mustered  in  October  22,  and  Joseph  Taggart, 
mustered  in  September  13. 

A  return  of  the  men  enlisted  in  the  First  New  Hampshire 
regiment,  1776,  enlisted  for  during  the  war,  contains  the  name  of 
Nathaniel  Graham,  Hillsborough. 

A  list  of  the  officers  of  the  different  battalions  of  New 
Hampshire  troops  serving  in  the  Continental  army,  with  dates  of 
their  commissions  include  the  names  of — 

Baraillai  How,  2d  Lieutenant  of  First  Battalion,  his  commis- 
sion dating  November  7,  1776;  Colonel  Joseph  Cilley. 

Williams  Taggert,  Ensign,  2d  Battalion,  Nathan  Hale, 
Colonel.  Date  of  commission,  November  7,  1776. 

The  rolls  of  men  enlisted  for  three  years  or  during  the  war, 
and  belonging  to  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire  Militia 
to  complete  the  three  battalions  of  the  Continental  Army,  con- 
tained the  names  of  the  following  five  men  from  Hillsborough : 

Nathaniel  Taylor,  Thomas  Murdough,  William  Pope, 
Ebenezer  Sargent,  Joseph  Taggart. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  picturesque  and  remarkable  cam- 
paign in  the  entire  war,  in  which  Hillsborough  was  nobly  repre- 
sented. At  the  beginning  of  hostilities  it  was  believed  among  the 
American  colonies  that  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  Canada 
were  in  sympathy  with  them,  and  that  it  would  not  require  much 
of  an  effort  to  secure  them  as  an  ally.  In  order  to  accomplish 
this  purpose  it  was  thought  best,  if  not  necessary,  to  capture  the 
French  stronghold,  Quebec,  which  was  the  key  to  the  situation. 
Among  the  most  ardent  supporter  of  this  daring  project  if  not  its 
author,  was  that  young,  fiery  American  commander,  Benedict  Ar- 
nold. The  idea  appealed  to  General  Washington  at  once,  and  in 
August,  following  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  in  June,  plans  were 


From  an  G'ld  Drawing. 

OLD  SCHOOL  HOUSE,  RIVER  STREET. 


i  irNEWYC 


»    r    ft     I 

fill 


II  II 


aaa 


.  «  u  man  N 
U'OTIIKCAIUIIS. 


TAGGART  BLOCK.   1866, 
CORNER   MAIN   AND   SCHOOL    STREETS. 


ARNOLD  S  EXPEDITION.  113 

laid  to  undertake  the  expedition.  Planned  in  secrecy  it  was 
thought  to  take  Quebec  by  surprise,  and  to  do  this  effectually  the 
trip  was  designed  to  be  made  overland  through  the  wilderness  of 
Maine  up  the  Kennebec  River  to  its  source,  then  over  the  high- 
lands known  to  the  Indians  as  "the  great  carrying  place"  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  River  Chaudiere  and  down  that  stream  to  its 
junction  with  the  St.  Lawrence  about  four  miles  above  Quebec. 

The  detachment,  says  the  Editor  of  the  State  Papers,  was 
composed  of  men  enlisted  for  that  duty  from  the  troops  stationed 
in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Benedict  Arnold,  with  Lieut.-Col.  Roger  Enos-as  second  in  com- 
mand. They  were  relieved  from  duty  in  the  several  organizations 
to  which  they  had  belonged,  and  ordered  to  Cambridge  common 
on  the  8th  and  9th  of  September,  where  they  were  assigned  to  two 
battalions  of  about  1,100  men  each.  On  the  evening  of  the  13th 
they  marched  to  Medford,  and  sailing  from  Newburyport  on  the 
19th  reached  the  Kennebec  on  the  following  day,  landing  about 
three  miles  below  Fort  Western,  which  was  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Augusta.  From  that  place  the  detachment  marched  in 
four  divisions,  with  rations  for  forty-five  days.  On  the  morning 
of  the  27th  of  October  Lieutenant-Colonel  Enos,  listening  to  the 
discouraging  expression  of  his  men,  lost  faith  in  the  success  of 
the  expedition.  Fearing  that  his  cowardice  would  make  others 
uneasy,  Arnold  gave  him  permission  to  return  if  he  wished,  so  the 
faint-hearted  officer  returned  to  Cambridge  at  the  head  of  three 
companies.  And  the  worst  of  it  was  the  fact  the  retreating  troops 
took  its  share  of  the  rations  with  them. 

With  commendable  fortitude  the  rest  of  the  force  pushed  on 
with  Colonel  Arnold,  following  an  old  Indian  trail  through  almost 
impenetrable  swamps,  and  wading  streams  of  ice-cold  water,  for 
winter  had  set  in  early  in  the  season.  Their  provisions  were 
exhausted  long  before  they  reached  the  Canadian  settlements, 
while  their  clothes  became  so  dilapidated  as  to  be  little  protection 
from  the  rigor  of  a  northern  winter,  it  being  evident  now  that 
they  had  started  too  late  in  the  season.  Many  of  the  soldiers  were 
barefooted  for  days  before  they  came  in  sight  of  Quebec  on  the 
8th  of  November.  The  sufferings  of  this  band  of  heroes  cannot 
be  adequately  expressed,  and  could  not  have  been  endured  only 


114  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

by  a  class  of  men  inured  to  exposure  and  hardship  and  fired  with 
a  patriotism  which  prompts  its  possessor  to  win  the  victory  or 
perish  in  the  attempt. 

Colonel  Arnold,  with  his  band  of  tattered  soldiery,  was  to 
meet  General  Montgomery,  at  the  head  of  a  larger  body  of  men, 
who  had  hastened  from  Montreal  to  join  in  an  undertaking  that 
he  knew  was  extremely  hazardous  but  which  met  his  hearty 
approval.  But  if  it  had  been  expected  of  the  Canadians  to  rally 
to  the  assistance  of  the  American  troops,  the  results  proved  any- 
thing else.  Nothing  discouraged  by  this  disappointment  the 
American  leaders  besieged  the  citadel  upon  the  rock. 

Then  a  respite  followed,  while  Montgomery  planned  to  sur- 
prise the  British  by  night.  Having  a  personal  knowledge  of  the 
situation  of  the  enemy,  this  maneuver  was  engineered  largely  by 
Arnold,  but  the  intentions  of  the  Americans  were  betrayed  by  a 
traitor,  so  Carleton,  the  British  commander,  was  prepared  to  meet 
the  desperate  assault  flung  against  him  early  on  the  morning  of 
December  31,  1775.  A  blinding  snowstorm  was  raging  with 
Canadian  fury,  a  fitting  night  for  such  a  wild  venture.  Arnold 
led  his  column  along  the  St.  Charles  River  through  the  suburb 
of  St.  Roch.  During  the  bitter  fight  that  ensued  he  was  wounded, 
and  the  enemy  getting  in  the  rear  of  his  troops  about  four  hundred 
were  captured,  and  the  rest  driven  back. 

General  Montgomery  was  even  less  fortunate  than  Arnold. 
He  sought  to  gain  the  city  by  a  narrow  defile  known  as  Pres-de- 
villa,  near  what  is  now  Champlain  Street.  Here,  with  a  precipice 
running  down  to  the  river  upon  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the 
scarped  rock  rising  above  him,  he  was  confronted  by  a  battery  of 
three  pounders  manned  by  a  squad  of  Canadians  and  British 
militiamen.  Still  believing  he  was  going  to  effect  a  surprise,  the 
American  commander  urged  his  men  forward  in  face  of  the 
pelting  storm,  and  the  yet  more  deadly  hail  of  grape  that  instantly 
swept  the  narrow  pass.  Montgomery  fell,  with  two  officers  and 
ten  of  his  brave  men,  while  the  others  beat  a  precipitous  retreat. 
Over  the  body  of  General  Montgomery,  worthy  of  a  nobler  end, 
the  falling  snow  quickly  threw  a  white  shroud  as  if  in  compassion 
for  his  untimely  fate. 


A  HERO  OF  HILLSBOROUGH.  115 

The  command  now  devolved  upon  Arnold,  who  maintained 
a  siege  until  spring,  when  as  the  St.  Lawrence  broke  up  a  British 
warship  was  seen  coming  up  the  river,  the  Americans  abandoned 
all  hope  of  capturing  the  city.  In  the  retreat  that  succeeded  they 
were  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  about  four  hundred  of  the 
American  troops  were  captured.  The  retreat  was  now  turned 
into  a  rout.  May  6,  1776,  repulsed  in  an  attack  on  Three  Rivers 
after  a  bitter  battle,  Arnold  withdrew  to  Lake  Champlain  with 
the  remnant  of  his  little  army,  where  he  guarded  the  inland  gate- 
way between  the  Hudson  and  the  St.  Lawrence  until  the  following 
autumn.  Thus  ended  in  disaster  the  most  memorable  military 
expedition  in  American  history  through  no  fault  of  its  leader  or 
its  men.  Had  no  untoward  circumstance  turned  the  tide  of 
fortune  against  him,  it  would  have  secured  the  fame  of  General 
Arnold  for  all  time. 

In  Arnold's  detachment  there  were  at  least  88  men  from 
New  Hampshire,  as  shown  by  the  war  rolls,  all  but  eight  serving 
under  Capt.  Henry  Dearborn.  Of  these  soldiers  three  postively 
and  probably  four  were  from  the  little  town  of  Hillsborough. 
The  names  of  this  quartette  were  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Hutchin(son), 
Ensign  Ammi  Andrews,  Jr.,  Serg.  James  Taggart  and  private 
William  Taylor.  One  member  of  these  four  whose  place  of  na- 
tivity is  in  doubt  is  Lieutenant  Hutchins,  who  is  credited  to  Hop- 
kinton  in  some  of  the  rolls.  Regarding  the  other  three  there  is 
no  doubt. 

Lieut.  Ammi  Andrews,  the  most  active  of  this  trio,  was  born 
in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  but  came  to  Hillsborough  when  a  young  man 
and  settled  at  the  Upper  Village.  In  fact,  at  one  time  he  owned 
the  whole  site  of  the  village  and  much  adjacent  land.  He  was 
active  in  local  affairs,  and  when  the  Revolution  broke  out  he  was 
among  the  first  to  join  Captain  Baldwin's  company.  After  partici- 
pating in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  with  James  Taggart  and 
William  Taylor,  he  was  enrolled  in  Arnold's  troop  and  endured 
the  fatigue  and  hardships  of  that  memorable  march  over  the 
wintry  trail  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  conquer  Canada. 

Upon  this  hazardous  expedition,  as  well  as  at  all  times,  he 
acquitted  himself  with  great  personal  valor,  and  many  incidents 
of  his  bravery  are  told.     Among  these  is  the  following  deed, 


Il6  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

vouched  for  by  authentic  records.  While  encamped  within  three 
miles  of  Quebec,  and  anxious  to  ascertain  the  strength  and  situa- 
tion of  the  garrison,  Colonel  Arnold  intimated  to  a  squad  of  his 
soldiers  his  desire  to  effect  the  capture  of  a  British  sentinel. 
Lieutenant  Andrews  was  present,  and  immediately  volunteered  his 
services,  declaring  that  he  believed  it  could  be  accomplished.  His 
comrades  shook  their  heads,  while  Colonel  Arnold  admonished 
him  to  be  certain  of  his  firearms.  "Do  you  want  your  man  living 
or  dead  ?"  demanded  the  young  officer.  "Why,  living  of  course," 
replied  Arnold.  "Then  I  do  not  wish  to  be  encumbered  with  a 
gun.  Have  no  concern  for  me.  I  will  be  back  before  morning 
with  my  man." 

The  brave  lieutenant  immediately  prepared  to  carry  out  his 
hazardous  venture,  stealing  out  of  camp  under  cover  of  the  dark- 
ness and  veiled  by  the  same  friendly  mantle  he  slowly  and 
cautiously  scaled  the  rocky  breastwork  nature  had  thrown  around 
the  stronghold  of  the  enemy.  Eventually  he  came  within  sound 
of  the  steady  tread  of  a  sentinel  pacing  back  and  forth  on  his 
lonely  beat,  armed  with  a  musket  and  alert  for  the  least  suspicious 
sound.  Creeping  upon  the  sentry,  foot  by  foot,  Lieutenant  An- 
drews finally  reached  a  point  where  he  had  seen  the  man  come  a 
short  time  before.  Never  dreaming  of  the  close  proximity  of  an 
enemy,  the  British  soldier  walked  slowly  and  unconcernedly  back 
to  his  starting  point,  only  to  find  himself  suddenly  seized  in  a 
vise-like  grip.  "A  word  and  you  are  a  dead  man !"  whispered  the 
captor,  as  he  placed  his  hand  over  the  sentinel's  mouth.  A  moment 
later  the  American  was  hastening  towards  the  brink  of  the  pre- 
cipice with  his  captive  marching  before  him,  slowly  but  without 
a  mishap  descending  the  declivity  until  the  foot  was  reached. 
Then  a  three-mile  tramp  through  the  snow  was  made  to  Arnold's 
camp,  where  Lieutenant  Andrews  turned  over  his  prisoner  in 
triumph.  The  exploit  was  the  talk  of  the  camp,  while  the  highly 
elated  commander  got  just  the  information  he  wanted. 

Lieutenant  Andrews  served  throughout  the  war,  seeing  much 
service  and  never  flinching  in  doing  his  duty.  When  the  war  was 
over  he  retired  to  his  spacious  home  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the 
well-earned  peace,  living  to  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-seven 
years,  dying  March  30,  1833,  an  honored  and  useful  citizen. 


dark  days  of  the  revolution.  117 

Hillsborough  Men  at  Bennington. 

We  now  come  to  the  discouraging  period  of  the  war,  the 
summer  of  1777,  or  two  years  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
There  had  been  considerable  fighting,  north  and  south,  and  while 
the  British  had  won  no  signal  victory,  everywhere  it  was  evident 
they  were  slowly  wearing  out  the  colonists,  who  had  been  ill- 
prepared  for  the  conflict.  The  available  funds  of  the  patriots  had 
apparently  been  exhausted,  and  efforts  to  furnish  further  troops 
well-nigh  ended.  The  reason  for  this  forlorn  situation  can  be 
summed  up  in  a  few  words.  March  17,  1776,  the  enemy  evacu- 
ated Boston,  and  soon  after  Washington  transferred  his  army  to 
New  York.  July  4,  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence, 
which  first  designated  the  scattered  colonies  as  "The  United  States 
of  America,"  was  signed  and  the  colonists  were  finally  united  in 
a  common  cause. 

The  war  may  be  said  to  have  been  opened  in  earnest  now,  and 
on  August  27,  the  American  forces  met  their  first  real  defeat  at 
the  battle  of  Long  Island,  sustaining  a  heavy  loss  in  comparison 
to  the  numbers  engaged.  Forced  to  abandon  this  position  the 
surrender  of  the  city  of  New  York  to  the  enemy  was  inevitable, 
and  the  British  placed  in  command  of  their  troops  stationed  there 
Col.  William  Stark,  a  brother  of  John  Stark,  who  had  espoused 
the  English  cause  on  account  of  misuse  on  the  part  of  the  New 
Hampshire  courts.  October  28th  the  Americans  were  unsuccess- 
ful at  the  battle  of  White  Plains.  Early  in  December  Washington 
was  obliged  to  retreat  beyond  the  Delaware,  his  army  now 
dwindled  to  3,000  men.  About  this  time  the  British  captured 
Rhode  Island.  On  the  night  of  December  25th  Washington 
crossed  the  Delaware  River  with  two  thousand  men  in  open  boats, 
and  falling  upon  the  British  at  Trenton  captured  a  thousand 
Hessians,  thanks  largely  to  New  Hampshire  troops  under  Stark. 

January  3,  1777,  Washington  was  again  successful,  throwing 
a  glimmer  of  light  into  the  hearts  of  the  patriots  by  the  battle  of 
Princeton.  But  his  situation  was  precarious,  and  the  British 
threatening  Philadelphia  he  was  compelled  to  move  south,  so  New 
England  was  virtually  unprotected.  To  make  the  prospect  yet 
more  gloomy,  the  continental  congress  had  behaved  badly,  and 
John  Stark,  than  whom  no  one  could  have  been  lost  with  more 


Il8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

seriousness  to  the  Americans,  returned  to  his  home  in  the  valley 
of  the  Merrimack  and  declared  he  had  forsaken  the  cause  until 
justice  had  been  done  him. 

Meanwhile  a  British  army  of  7,500  strong,  commanded  by 
General  Burgoyne,  advanced  from  Canada  by  Lake  Champlain, 
wresting  almost  without  an  effort  from  the  Americans  Ticon- 
deroga,  Fort  Independence  and  Whitehall.  The  triumphant 
enemy,  confident  of  an  easy  conquest,  then  turned  to  invade  New 
England. 

At  this  critical  moment  the  patriotic  leaders  of  New  England 
rose  equal  to  the  task  before  them,  though  they  may  not  have 
realized  the  importance  of  the  movement.  First,  led  by  Ira  Allen 
and  others  poetically  styled  the  "Green  Mountain  Boys,"  them- 
selves closely  confronted  by  this  daring  menace,  resolved  to  make 
an  appeal  to  their  brothers  in  arms  in  New  Hampshire,  many  of 
whom  they  knew  personally.  In  a  ringing  letter  Ira  Allen 
addressed  the  General  Court  of  New  Hampshire  then  in  session, 
and  which  was  laid  before  that  body  on  the  18th  of  July,  only 
twelve  days  after  the  surrender  of  Ticonderoga,  in  which  the 
writer  said,  "the  defenceless  inhabitants  on  the  frontier  of  Ver- 
mont are  heartily  disposed  to  defend  their  liberties — and  make  a 
frontier  for  your  state  with  their  own.  .  .  .  You  will  naturally 
understand  that  when  we  cease  to  be  a  frontier  your  state  must 
take  it." 

The  appeal  was  not  in  vain.  That  sterling  patriot,  Speaker 
John  Langdon,  immediately  put  at  "the  service  of  the  state"  his 
worldly  goods  which  guaranteed  the  payment  of  such  expenses  as 
an  undertaking  of  that  kind  was  certain  to  incur,  closing  his 
stirring  speech  with  the  prophecy : 

"We  can  raise  a  brigade,  and  our  friend  Stark,  who  so  nobly 
sustained  the  honor  of  our  arms  at  Bunker  Hill,  may  be  safely 
entrusted  with  the  command,  and  we  will  check  Burgoyne." 

With  this  pledge  and  prophecy  New  Hampshire  began  her 
share  in  the  campaign  which  placed  Bennington  among  the  deci- 
sive battles  of  the  world. 

Not  in  the  history  of  our  country  is  there  another  such  a 
daring  declaration  as  that  voted  by  this  legislative  body.  By  its 
prompt  and  decisive  action  an  independent  body  of  troops,  un- 


STARK  S  INDEPENDENT  COMMAND.  II9 

sanctioned  by  the  higher  court  of  the  country,  was  created,  and 
John  Stark,  self-exiled  from  active  duty,  made  its  commander. 
Surely  a  most  fitting  leader  to  such  an  independent  command. 
There  was  no  mustering  of  the  men  at  home,  but  word  was  sent 
out  for  volunteers  to  meet  at  Old  Number  Four,  now  Charlestown 
to  unite  under  Stark.  There  may  have  been  magic  in  his  name ; 
there  was  certainly  magnetism  in  the  call,  for  every  man  under- 
stood what  it  meant.  The  time  was  short  and  the  means  and 
ways  of  travel  meagre,  but  hither  volunteers,  singly  or  in  detach- 
ments, hastened  with  alacrity,  until  five  hundred  had  reached  the 
rendezvous.  With  these  troops  Stark  went  ahead  to  Manchester, 
Vermont,  leaving  orders  for  others  to  follow.  That  town  was 
reached  August  7th,  where  the  New  Hampshire  volunteers  were 
joined  by  a  body  of  "Green  Mountain  Boys"  under  Seth  Warner. 
Word  was  here  received  that  Burgoyne  was  about  to  start  for 
Bennington.  Hence  Stark  moved  with  his  characteristic  prompt- 
ness so  that  Bennington  was  reached  on  the  9th.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  swiftness  and  energy  of  this  rally  infused  new  life 
and  hope  into  the  hearts  of  the  volunteers  who  fairly  rushed, 
some  of  them  from  long  distances,  to  the  support  of  their  old 
leader.  Burgoyne's  advance  was  correspondingly  slow.  On  the 
16th,  before  he  had  reached  his  destination,  he  was  surprised  by 
the  little  army  of  Americans  at  Walloomsac,  where  the  prophecy 
of  Langdon  was  fulfilled  by  the  important  victory  known  in 
history  as  the  "Battle  of  Bennington,"  though  it  was  really  fought 
some  five  miles  from  that  town. 

Says  Professor  Foster,  in  his  admirable  account  of  "Stark's 
Independent  Command,"  "The  Bennington  campaign  brings  out 
sharply  the  strength  and  weakness  of  the  Revolutionary  era,  when 
the  newly  born  American  nation  was  passionately  devoted  to  the 
idea  of  Liberty,  but  had  not  yet  learned  to  understand  and  love 
the  idea  of  union.  It  was  in  the  next  generation  that  a  son  of 
one  of  Stark's  captains*  knit  the  two  ideas  together  and  kindled 
man's  imagination  with  the  conception  of  liberty  and  union." 

In  that  heroic  battle  for  the  first  time  the  untried  and  un- 
trained settlers,  fighting  for  home  and  liberty,  won  a  decisive 
victory  over  the  veteran  soldiery  of  Europe.    Burgoyne  gave  as 


*Danie]  Webster. 


120  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  strength  of  his  force  engaged  here  as  one  thousand  and  fifty, 
and  as  the  Americans  killed  or  captured  over  nine  hundred,  seized 
several  hundred  muskets  and  all  the  British  cannon,  "the  over- 
whelming character  of  the  victory  is  apparent."  Its  effect  upon 
the  morale  of  the  American  troops  was  greater,  however,  than  its 
immediate  physical  results.  It  not  only  "checked  Burgoyne"  and 
saved  Northern  New  England,  but  everywhere  the  colonists  re- 
covered somewhat  their  lost  spirits,  and  renewed  their  efforts 
with  a  confidence  unknown  before.  Not  the  least  among  the  ad- 
vantages coming  from  this  victory  was  the  national  agreement 
of  France  to  join  in  an  alliance  with  the  struggling  American 
colonies,  which  to  this  date  it  had  not  done.  Lafayette,  on  his 
own  responsibility,  had  given  his  sword  to  the  cause,  but  France 
had  not  the  confidence  in  the  forlorn  conflict  to  come  to  the 
rescue  until  the  Battle  of  Bennington  convinced  them  of  the 
inevitable  result. 

While  Hillsborough  had  twenty -odd  men  in  the  patriot  army 
when  the  call  for  volunteers  to  join  Stark  was  sent  out,  the  town 
furnished  nine  men  whose  names  are  so  recorded,  and  it  is  quite 
likely  there  were  others.    The  list  contains  the  following  names : 

Solomon  Andrews,  William  Booth,  Asa  Dresser,  James  Gib- 
son, John  Gibson,  John  McNiel,  William  Pope,  Samuel  Preston, 
William  Symonds. 

Following  the  victory  at  Bennington  the  spirits  of  the  people 
buoyed  up  with  new-found  hope,  a  call  for  volunteers  was  made 
to  reinforce  that  branch  of  the  American  army  in  New  York  and 
around  Albany,  N.  Y.,  which  was  distinguished  as  the  "Northern 
Continental  Army."  Though  this  vicinity  was  already  well  rep- 
resented, when  we  take  into  consideration  those  soldiers  with 
Stark,  at  least  fifteen  joined  the  new  troop  from  Hillsborough 
and  adjoining  districts. 

Hillsborough  Soldiers  in  the  Rhode  Island  Expedition. 

In  the  summer  of  1778  it  was  planned  to  reinforce  the 
Continental  army  in  Rhode  Island,  it  being  expected  that  a  power- 
ful French  fleet  commanded  by  Admiral  Count  D'Estaing  would 
lend  cooperation  so  as  to  make  a  successful  attack  upon  the 
British  then  in  control  of  the  situation.    Hence  the  summons  for 


HILLSBOROUGH  MEN  IN  R.  I.  EXPEDITION.  121 

troops    to    engage    in    this    campaign    was    sent    through  New 
England,  and  Hillsborough's  part  in  the  undertaking  is  partially 

shown  by  the  following  report  of  the  Selectmen  at  that  time : 

Hillsborough  Agust  8,  1778 

By  orders  Esued  from  the  Commitey  of  Safety  of  this  State  This 
May  Sartify  that  we  the  Select  men  of  Hillsborough  have  Dron  out  of 
Archrbal  Taggart  hand  Constable  for  the  year  1777  Eightty  Pounds 
Lawfull  money  which  we  have  Paid  to  the  Volinteers  which  Torned  out 
of  this  Town  for  the  Experdishon  to  Proverdance  or  Rodisland 

Ten  Pounds  to  John  Graham  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Archibel  Tagart  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Willm  Pope  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  William  Gammell  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Alexander  McCiintock  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Daniel  Gibson  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Samuel  Preston  10,0,0, 

Ten  Pounds  to  Solomon  Andrews  10,0,0, 
Atest 

Samuel  Bradford   1 

_,.  „  ,      >        Select  men 

Ti  m°  Bradford      f 

Unfortunately  the  French  encountered  a  furious  storm  in 
mid-ocean  which  rendered  such  havoc  that  it  failed  to  participate 
in  the  conflict  here,  and  thus  the  campaign  resulted  in  a  complete 
failure  so  far  as  the  plans  had  been  laid.  But  the  successes  of 
the  American  troops  elsewhere,  noticeably  that  of  Monmouth  a 
little  over  a  month  before,  served  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the 
Americans. 

Additional  light  is  shed  upon  the  part  Hillsborough  played 
in  the  sanguinary  Rhode  Island  expedition  by  the  following 
scraps  of  records : 

Pay  Roll  of  Captain  Jonas  Bowman's  Company  in  Colonel  Moses 
Kelly's  Regiment  of  Volunteers  which  Regiment  marched  from  the 
State  of  Xew  Hampshire  and  joined  the  Continental  Army  Aug  1778 
On  Rhode  Island 

William  Pope.   Ensign  Daniel  Gibson,  Private, 

Samuel  Preston,  Sergeant,  William  Gammell,  do 

Archibald  Taggart,  Private,  Alexander  McCiintock,  do 

Tillie  How,  Corporal,  Solomon  Andrews,  do 

Robert  Campbell,  Private  Joseph  Spaulding,  do 


122  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Colonel  Kelley  was  from  that  section  of  Manchester  which  then 
belonged  within  the  territory  of  Goffstown.  Lieutenant  Bowman  was 
from  Henniker. 

Hiixsbobough  Bounties.* 

Hillsborough  August  ye  8  1778 

We  the  Subscribers  Volunteers  of  the  Town  of  Hillsborough  for 
the  Expedition  to  Providence  have  received  of  the  Selectmen  Each  of 
us  Ten  Pound  We  say  received  by  us — 

John  Graham   (?)  Solomon   Andrews  William   Pope 

William  Gammell  Alexander  McClintock    Daniel  Gibson 

Samuel    Preston  Archibald  Taggart 

September  26th  1778  Reed  an  order  on  the  treasurer  for  eighty 
pounds  in  behalf  of  the  selectmen  of  Hillsborough 

Wm  Taggart 

Campaigns  of  the  First  New  Hampshire  Regiment. 

As  more  Hillsborough  men  figured  in  the  checkered  fortunes 
of  the  First  New  Hampshire  Regiment  than  in  any  other,  it  seems 
fitting  that  we  describe  somewhat  briefly  its  part  in  the  war.  The 
original  of  this  body  of  troops  was  formed  at  Cambridge  by  the 
Massachusetts  Committee  of  Safety  and  John  Stark,  with  the 
commission  of  Colonel,  was  placed  in  command.  Eight  hundred 
men  were  enlisted  "from  the  tap  of  the  drum."  Captain  James 
Reed  of  Keene  and  Captain  Paul  Dudley  Sargent  of  Amherst, 
were  also  given  commissions.  Colonel  Stark's  high  reputation  as 
an  officer  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  having  a  wide 
acquaintance,  he  soon  raised  fourteen  companies,  while  Reed  and 
Sargent  each  raised  four  companies.  A  spirit  of  rivalry  im- 
mediately entered  into  affairs,  and  when  the  New  Hampshire 
assembly  came  to  act,  Stark  was  made  commander  of  what  was 
to  be  known  as  the  First  New  Hampshire  Regiment. 

Probably  all  of  the  Hillsborough  soldiers  fought  under  him 
at  Bunker  Hill,  and  several  were  with  him  during  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  1775  when  stationed  at  Winter  Hill.  After  the  evacua- 
tion of  Boston  by  the  British  in  March,  1776,  Colonel  Stark  was 


*  Original  in  Pension  Bureau,  Washington,  D.  C. 


STARK  AT  TRENTON.  1 23 

ordered  with  his  regiment  to  New  York,  and  during  that  summer 
participated  in  an  expedition  to  Canada  to  the  relief  of  Arnold. 
On  the  return  of  this  army  they  marched  to  Philadelphia  and 
formed  a  part  of  General  Sullivan's  brigade  under  Washington. 

This  was  one  of  the  critical  periods  of  the  American  army, 
which  had  been  discouraged  by  ill  success  before  the  more  power- 
ful forces  of  Howe  and  Cornwallis  and  compelled  to  retreat 
across  New  Jersey  leaving  that  province  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  But  a  greater  reason  for  this  discouragement  was  the 
poor  pay,  scanty  rations  and  equipments.  To  add  to  the  hazards 
of  the  trying  situation  the  time  of  the  enlistment  of  the  New 
England  troops,  on  whom  Washington  relied  largely,  had  expired. 
It  was  natural  these  ill-clad,  poorly  fed,  and  unpaid  soldiers 
should  hesitate  about  remaining  in  an  army  with  such  an  outlook. 
In  this  emergency  Stark  proved  himself  as  efficient  as  in  battle. 
A  man  of  few  words  he  graphically  told  them  of  the  disastrous 
result  should  they  leave  then,  and  gave  his  pledge  that  every  man 
should  be  paid.  Upon  being  assured  of  this,  they  promised  to 
stay  three  months  longer. 

Encouraged  by  this  action  Washington  resolved  to  cross  the 
Delaware  and  attack  the  British,  who  believing  by  the  current 
reports  that  the  American  army  was  too  weak  tp  resume  the  war- 
fare, were  resting  in  fancied  security.  The  patriot  army  was 
divided  into  three  divisions,  one  of  which,  made  up  mostly  of  New 
England  troops,  he  was  to  command.  The  plan  was  to  cross  the 
river  nine  miles  above  Trenton  on  Christmas  Eve,  1776,  when  it 
was  believed  the  enemy  would  be  occupied  with  their  festivities. 
Of  the  three  Washington's  was  the  only  division  that  succeeded  in 
crossing  the  swollen  stream  in  the  teeth  of  the  bitter  December 
night.  Neither  rain,  nor  snow,  nor  ice  could  stop  the  men  from 
New  England,  any  more  than  the  surprised  enemies  could  stop 
them  at  Trenton  where  the  lion's  part  of  the  battle  was  fought  by 
Colonel  Stark  and  his  men.  Washington  was  able  to  recross  the 
Delaware  after  having  won  a  victory  that  aroused  the  drooping 
spirits  of  the  Americans.  The  victory  at  Trenton  was  followed 
by  the  battle  of  Princeton  a  few  days  later,  in  which  New 
Hampshire  men  figured  a  leading  part,  and  among  these  were  the 
volunteers  from  Hillsborough.    Sullivan,  in  his  reports,  declared 


124  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

that  six  hundred  Yankees  had  won  the  battle,  and  that  nothing 
could  stop  them. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Princeton  Colonel  Stark  came 
home  to  recruit  another  regiment,  a  task  that  probably  no  other 
man  could  have  accomplished.  As  usual  he  succeeded,  but  his 
men  had  hardly  enlisted  when  Congress  in  appointing  a  Brigadier 
from  New  Hampshire,  as  it  was  in  duty  bound  to  do,  selected — 
not  Stark,  whom  many  believed  was  entitled  to  the  promotion — 
but  Enoch  Poor.  Stark  was  offended  by  this  action,  and  resigned 
his  commission.  Joseph  Cilley  of  Nottingham  was  his  successor 
in  the  command  of  the  First  regiment,  and  from  this  time  on  the 
men  from  Hillsborough  served  under  this  brave  and  efficient 
officer,  who  had  served  under  Stark  as  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

Prior  to  this  Colonel  Cilley,  then  Major  and  anon  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  had  seen  some  arduous  duty  in  an  expedition  to  Canada, 
sent  to  rescue  the  fleeing  army  under  General  Thomas,  which 
comprised  the  remnant  of  Montgomery's  forces  that  went  to 
assist  Arnold  in  the  unfortunate  attack  on  Quebec.  The  Amer- 
ican troops  sent  to  the  assistance  of  the  army  in  Canada  under 
General  Sullivan  left  New  York  on  April  22,  1776,  going  up  the 
Hudson  River  and  crossing  overland  to  Ticonderoga,  thence  down 
Lake  Champlain  to  the  River  Sorel,  and  down  that  stream  to  the 
St.  Lawrence  until  meeting  General  Thomas'  army,  the  leader 
having  died  a  few  days  before  Sullivan's  timely  appearance.  Then 
began  one  of  the  most  memorable  retreats  in  the  history  of  the 
war.  In  addition  to  being  harassed  by  the  foe  disease  broke  out 
among  the  troops — many  dying  of  small  pox — and  the  bravery 
and  suffering  of  the  men  was  equaled  only  by  the  skillful  manner 
in  which  General  Sullivan  and  his  officers  conducted  the  retreat 
to  Ticonderoga.  When  the  sorely-tried  troops  went  into  camp  at 
Crown  Point,  Colonel  Trumbutt,  who  took  a  look  at  them,  said: 
"I  did  not  look  into  a  tent  or  hut  in  which  I  did  not  find  either  a 
death  or  a  dying  man." 

At  least  four  men  from  Hillsborough  participated  in  this 
arduous  campaign,  namely:  John  Glover,  who  died  in  the  service; 
Lt.  Barzilla  Howe,  Tinnie  (Timothy)  Howe,  and  Archibald 
Taggart. 


WITH  CILLEY  IN  CANADA.  125 

Sickness  generally  prevailed  in  the  American  armies.  Wash- 
ington's army  of  about  20,000  was  reduced  by  fully  one-fifth  from 
sickness.  This  prevalence  of  disease  was  probably  due  in  a  large 
measure  to  the  poor  food  and  scanty  raiment  of  the  troops. 

February  22,  1777,  Colonel  Cilley  was  promoted  to  Command 
of  the  First  New  Hampshire,  Stark's  own  regiment,  and  other 
Hillsborough  men  came  under  him.  He  was  then  at  Morristown, 
N.  J.,  with  his  troops,  but  he  was  soon  ordered  to  march  with  his 
man  to  Ticonderoga,  as  a  part  of  General  Poor's  brigade.  This 
move  was  considered  necessary  as  the  British  forces  in  Canada 
were  even  then  advancing  from  the  north  by  the  way  of  Lake 
Champlain  to  Crown  Point.  This  was  done  to  try  and  head  off 
the  aim  of  the  British  to  capture  New  England. 

Colonel  Cilley  was  stationed  with  his  troops  on  "the  Old 
French  Lines"  in  May,  having  tents  for  their  abodes.  Here  he 
was  joined  by  Colonels  Scammell  and  Dearborn,  with  their  men, 
composed  largely  of  volunteers  from  southern  New  Hampshire. 
Here  the  American  troops  were  allowed  to  rest  and  recuperate  in 
this  beautiful  retreat  for  a  little  over  a  month,  when  the  enemies 
began  to  make  their  appearance.  On  June  17,  1777,  the  second 
anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  First  New  Hamp- 
shire regiment,  which  had  played  such  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
former  fight  opened  the  campaign  in  that  section,  but  with 
Colonel  Cilley  in  command  in  place  of  their  beloved  Stark.  But 
their  new  leader  was  a  good  officer  of  long  experience,  brave  and 
skillful. 

The  British  were  already  mustering  their  forces  to  invade 
New  England,  and  the  First  New  Hampshire  regiment,  along 
with  others,  had  a  checkered  fortune  that  summer,  meeting  the 
enemy  in  several  lively  skirmishes,  now  repelling  the  enemy, 
anon  retreating.  A  few  of  the  soldiers  fell,  but  none  from  Hills- 
borough. A  few  were  taken  prisoners,  among  them  Colonel 
Cilley's  son,  a  boy  of  fifteen,  who  was  serving  as  an  aide  on  his 
father's  staff.  Another  on  Colonel  Cilley's  staff  was  Adjutant 
Caleb  Stark,  a  son  of  the  regiment's  former  commander.  Ticon- 
deroga had  to  be  abandoned,  when  Cilley's  regiment  marched  to 
the  Hudson  River,  along  the  banks  of  which  they  saw  some  hard 
work,  though  seeing  no  real  fighting  for  a  few  days.    On  the  12th 


126  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  September  they  marched  three  miles  up  the  river,  and  fortified 
on  high  ground  known  as  Bemis  Heights,  the  enemy  being  then  at 
Saratoga.  Our  regiment  on  the  19th  participated  in  the  first 
great  battle  with  Burgoyne. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  hotly  contested  battles  of  the  whole 
war  in  which  Colonels  Cilley,  Dearborn  and  Scammell  of  the 
New  Hampshire  regiments,  with  Colonel  Daniel  Morgan  and  his 
famous  regiment  of  riflemen,  performed  such  valiant  parts,  a 
battle  that  was  won  by  Arnold's  valor,  but  against  the  orders  of 
his  superior  officer,  General  Gates,  so  the  hero  got  rebuke  rather 
than  praise,  received  the  sting  of  resentment  which  rankled  in 
his  breast  until  it  culminated  in  his  ruin. 

Most  of  the  men  of  Hillsborough  in  the  service  at  that  time 
were  here,  and  most  of  Arnold's  troops  that  he  led  to  victory 
were  from  New  England. 

The  next  move  of  the  brigade  under  General  Sullivan,  and 
to  which  the  First  New  Hampshire  belonged  was  to  Whitemarsh, 
about  13  miles  from  Philadelphia,  and  finally,  on  December  16, 
1777,  marched  to  Valley  Forge.* 

The  Winter  at  Valley  Forge. 

Very  little  fighting  was  done  by  the  armies  during  the  winter. 
The  American  soldiers  were  poorly  prepared ;  the  British  shivered 
under  the  bitter  exactions  of  this  rigorous  climate.  With  plenty 
of  gold  to  buy  them  the  comforts  of  life  the  latter  sought  the 
larger  places  and  passed  the  long  months  in  riotous  luxury.  The 
Americans  were  only  too  glad  to  obtain  the  doubtful  shelter  of 
huts  and  camps,  while  on  curtailed  rations  and  in  ragged  attire 
they  eked  out  a  period  of  suffering  and  anxious  waiting  that  must 
have  discouraged  less  brave  hearts. 

One  of  the  most  notable  examples  of  wintry  endurances  was 
that  experience  by  the  remnant  of  Washington's  army  in  the 
dismal  camp  at  Valley  Forge  1777-78.  Here  the  soldiers  lived 
in  huts  thatched  with  boughs,  on  a  meagre  supply  of  the  coarsest 


*Valley  Forge  is  six  miles  from  Norristown,  Penn.,  and  is  a  deep,  rugged 
hollow  at  the  mouth  of  Valley  Creek  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Schuylkill  River, 
flanked  by  the  mountain  that  runs  along  this  stream.  In  earlier  times,  an  ad- 
venturous smithy  had  his  forge  here,  hence  the  name  which  bears  so  much  his- 
toric importance.  On  account  of  its  seclusion,  during  the  winter  of  1777-78,  the 
gloomiest  period  of  the  Revolution,  Washington  established  his  winter  headquar- 
ters here,  during  which  time  he  was  making  his  futile  appeals  to  Congress  for 
■assistance. 


HARDSHIPS  OF  VALLEY   FORGE.  127 

food.  It  is  said  there  was  not  a  whole  pair  of  shoes  nor  a  decent 
suit  of  clothes  among  them.  "Barefoot  they  tracked  in  blood 
through  the  snow  for  firewood  and  food.  All  were  in  rags,  and 
many  sat  shivering  through  the  whole  night  by  the  fires,  for  they 
could  not  lie  on  the  bare  ground."  Some  died  of  the  hardship 
and  privation;  a  few  deserted — not  many — and  these  came  back 
in  the  spring. 

Valley  Forge  had  been  chosen  as  a  resort  of  Washington's 
army  for  the  winter  because  it  was  considered  one  of  the  safest 
places  against  an  attack  of  the  enemy,  but  it  could  here  afford 
most  easily  protection  for  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  then  sit- 
ting at  York,  having  been  driven  out  of  Philadelphia,  which  was 
occupied  by  the  British  army.1  And  this  was  the  same  congress 
which  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  appeals  of  the  commander  in 
chief  for  relief  to  his  men.  Upon  receiving  a  remonstrance  from 
this  body  for  daring  to  ask  such  a  favor (  ?),  Washington  was  led 
to  exclaim: 

"For  want  of  a  two-days'  supply  of  provisions,  an  oppor- 
tunity scarcely  ever  offered  of  taking  an  advantage  of  the  enemy, 
that  has  not  been  either  totally  obstructed  or  greatly  impeded. 
Men  are  confined  in  hospitals  or  farmers'  houses  for  want  of 
shoes.  We  have  this  day  (Dec.  23)  no  less  than  2,873  m  camp 
unfit  for  duty  because  they  are  barefooted  and  otherwise  naked. 
Our  whole  strength  in  continental  troops  amount  to  no  more  than 
8,200  men  in  camp  fit  for  duty.  Since  the  4th  instant  our  num- 
bers fit  for  duty,  from  hardships  and  exposures,  have  decreased 
nearly  2,000  men.  Numbers  are  still  obliged  to  sit  all  night  by 
campfires  to  keep  from  freezing.  Gentlemen  reprobates  going 
into  winter  quarters  as  much  as  if  they  thought  the  soldiers  were 
made  of  sticks  or  stones.  I  can  assure  these  gentlemen  that  it  is 
a  much  easier  and  less  distressing  thing  to  draw  remonstrances  in 
a  comfortable  room,  by  a  good  fireside,  than  to  occupy  a  cold, 
bleak  hill,  and  sleep  under  frost  and  snow  without  clothes  or 
blankets.  From  my  soul  I  pity  the  men  suffering  these  miseries 
which  is  neither  in  my  power  to  relieve  nor  prevent." 


iThis   retreat   was   reached   on   the    18th   of   December,    1777,    the   trail   of   the 

forlorn    army    marked,    say    the    historians,    "by    the    blood    of    their    feet,    as    the 

battle-worn    men    marched    barefooted    over    the    frozen    ground."      Within    a    few 

years,   a  society  has   been   formed   to   preserve  the   grounds   as   a   memorial   of   that 

trying  winter's  experience. — Author. 


128  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

That  is  what  General  Washington  said,  and  thus  we  have 
the  picture  of  the  scenes  and  conditions  which  Colonel  Cilley  and 
his  soldiers  had  to  endure  until  the  warm  weather  of  spring.  On 
May  6  a  great  rejoicing  prevailed  in  the  camp  on  account  of  the 
news  of  the  Alliance  of  France.  Washington  ordered  all  the 
prisoners  to  be  released  that  were  then  in  confinement  in  the  Con- 
tinental Army.  The  whole  army  was  drawn  up  in  two  lines  and 
fired  a  volley,  from  right  to  left  of  the  front,  and  then  from  left 
to  right  of  the  rear  lines ;  which  was  repeated  three  times.  It  was 
a  day  of  great  rejoicing,  especially  for  Colonel  Cilley's  regiment 
whose  men  had  suffered  severely  from  sickness,  but  had  now 
largely  recovered. 

"In  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  which  followed  on  June  28, 
Colonel  Cilley's  regiment  was  closely  engaged,  and  it  behaved 
with  such  bravery  that  General  Washington  bestowed  his  ap- 
probation upon  General  Cilley  and  his  men. 

The  First  New  Hampshire  regiment  saw  but  little  real  fight- 
ing during  the  rest  of  the  season.  In  fact,  it  was  too  much  on  the 
move,  as  it  marched  by  various  routes  through  New  Jersey,  New 
York,  to  Redding,  Conn.,  where  it  arrived  December  2,  built  huts 
and  went  into  camp  for  the  winter.  The  following  April  the 
troops  marched  to  the  highlands  of  the  Hudson,  from  whence  in 
May  another  move  was  made  to  Easton,  Penn.  General  Sullivan 
now  came  into  command  of  the  western  army,  and  the  order 
came  from  Washington  to  rout  the  Five  Nations,  the  Indian  con- 
federacy in  the  Genesee  valley,  where  the  red  men  had  made  great 
strides  in  agriculture  and  established  a  flourishing  settlement. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  thrilling  campaigns  of  the  entire 
war,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  follow  it  day  by  day.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  Colonel  Cilley  and  his  brave  New  Hampshire  men  were 
ever  in  the  front  of  the  expedition.  When  volunteers  were  called 
for  to  carry  an  important  message  through  the  trackless  forest, 
three  men  from  the  First  undertook  the  arduous  and  perilous 
work,  performing  it  successfully.  When  it  was  thought  best  to 
undertake  the  capture  of  an  Indian  town,  and  all  others  hesitated, 
declaring  it  was  too  risky  as  it  would  have  to  be  undertaken  in 
the  night,  Colonel  Cilley,  sitting  on  his  horse  and  listening  im- 
patiently to  the  conversation  with  General  Sullivan  and  his  offi- 


WEST   MAIN  STREET. 


Photograph  by  JIaxahan. 


CENTRAL    SQUARE. 


THE    SULLIVAN    CAMPAIGN.  129 

cers,  straightened  himself  in  his  stirrups  and  exclaimed  in  his 
forceful  way : 

"General  Sullivan,  give  me  leave  and  I  will  take  the  town 
with  my  regiment  alone!" 

Looking  keenly  at  the  indomitable  colonel  a  moment,  the 
commander  gave  the  order,  and  Colonel  Cilley's  bugle  call  quickly 
brought  his  regiment  into  battle  array.  It  was  dusk  before  the 
journey  was  half  accomplished  and  soon  it  became  so  dark  the 
soldiers  were  forced  to  take  hold  of  each  other's  hand  to  keep  in 
line  and  not  get  separated.  The  expedition  proved  less  dangerous 
than  had  been  expected,  for  the  Indians  had  learned  of  the  close 
proximity  of  the  white  man  and  the  majority  had  flown.  The 
remnant  of  the  enemies  was  routed  .and  their  town  burned. 

Within  a  few  days  the  capital  of  the  Five  Nations,  Big  Tree, 
was  reached,  and  the  power  of  this  confederacy  of  Indians,  which 
had  greatly  aided  the  British  since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  was 
forever  crushed.  The  town  contained  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  houses  and  wigwams,  while  surrounding  it  were  acres  of  corn 
ripening  in  the  summer  sun  and  great  orchards  laden  with  fruit. 
The  extent  of  the  acreage  of  corn  will  be  understood  when  it  is 
told  that  it  took  over  four  thousand  soldiers  a  day  and  a  half  to 
harvest  it.  The  order  then  to  destroy  the  village  so  as  to  make 
"a  desert  of  the  place"  was  given,  and  the  most  of  the  troops 
retiring  to  a  hilltop  witnessed  one  of  the  wildest  scenes  in  all  the 
war.    Mr.  John  Scales,  in  his  life  of  Colonel  Cilley  says  aptly : 

"Soldiers  had  been  stationed  at  each  house  with  torches.  At 
the  firing  of  a  signal  gun,  every  house  was  set  on  fire,  and  all 
were  consumed  with  the  contents,  leaving  only  huge  heaps  of 
roasted  corn.  Colonel  Cilley  was  accustomed  to  say  in  after 
years,  that  the  sight  of  so  many  buildings  on  fire,  the  massy 
clouds  oi  black  smoke,  the  curling  pillars  of  flame  bursting 
through  them,  formed  the  most  awful  and  sublime  spectacle  he 
ever  witnessed. 

This  campaign,  one  of  the  most  arduous  and  the  most 
revengeful  of  the  whole  war,  has  been  condemned  by  many  writers 
and  it  does  seem  to  have  been  hardly  in  keeping  with  civilized 
warfare ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Indians  had  been  ex- 
ceedingly troublesome  and  it  doubtless  required  desperate  meas- 


I30  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

ures  to  stop  them.    Be  that  as  it  may  the  onset  completely  crushed 
the  dusky  nation  so  it  never  recovered  from  the  blow. 

The  triumphant  avengers  returned  in  anything  like  the  con- 
dition of  conquerors.  Allowed  to  carry  no  more  clothing  than 
they  were  wearing,  which  consisted  of  a  short  rifle  frock,  vest, 
shirt,  tow  trousers,  stockings,  shoes  and  blanket,  and  marching 
nearly  the  whole  time  in  the  woods  among  thick  underbrush,  their 
whole  suit  became  fearfully  worn.  Many  of  the  men  returned 
barefooted,  and  became  very  footsore.  Thus  in  rags  and  tatters 
they  arrived  at  the  fort,  having  completed  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable campaigns  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Absentees  from  the  Army. 

A  Size  Roll  of  the  Absentees  Belonging  to  the  First  New 
Hampshire  Regiment  Commanded  by  Col.  Joseph  Cilley — 

Among  many  others  are  the  names  and  particulars  of  two 
Hillsborough  soldiers  who,  for  some  reason  unknown,  were 
among  the  missing  at  the  time  of  the  notice: 

John  Taylor,  Captain  Emerson's  company,  Hillsborough,  Aged  25, 
Stature  5.  10 ;  complexion,  dark ;  color  of  hair,  dark ;  eyes, 
black;  where  left,  not  joyned. 

A  Size  Roll  of  the  Absentees  belonging  to  the  2nd  Battn 
N.  H.  Troops  Commanded  by  Colo.  Nathan  Hale,  contains  the 
name  of  one  Hillsborough  soldier,  viz. : 

Thomas  Murdough,  age  20;  statue,  5.  10;  complexion,  light;  color 
of  eyes,  blue ;  where  left,  H.  Town ;  cause  of  absence,  missing,  Note. 
Colonel  Hale  was  at  this  time  a  prisoner  of  war  in  New  York. 

Return  of  Muster  Order. 

Hillsborough  July  14,  1779. 

Pursuant  to  orders  Recd  from  your  Hon.  I  have  herewith  ordered 
William  Hutcheson  to  appear  at  Concord  in  order  for  passing  muster 
— Beg  the  favor  he  may  Return  to  Hillsb  h  a  few  days  before  he 
inarches  for  Rhodisland — These  from  your  Humble  Ser 

Isaac  Andrews  Capt 

To  the  Honl  Thos  Stickney  Coll.  at  Concord  in  New  Hampshire 


MEN  SERVING  FOR  OTHER  TOWNS.  I3I 

Hillsborough  Bounties. 

'Hillsborough   August   ye    9    1778 

We  the  Subscribers  Volunteers  of  the  Town  of  Hilllsborough  for 
the  Expedition  to  Providence  have  received  of  the  Selectman  Each 
of  us  Ten  Pounds  We  say  received  by  us — 

John  Graham    (Grimes)  (?)  Alexander  CVfcClintock 

William  Gammell  Archibald  Taggart 

Samuel  Preston  William  Pope 

Solomon  Andrews  Daniel  Gibson 

September  26th  1778  Reed  an  order  on  the  treasurer  for  eighty 
pounds  in  behalf  of  the  selectmen  of  Hillsborough 

Wm  Taggart 

As  is  usually  the  case,  several  men  from  Hillsborough  en- 
listed from  other  towns,  so  that  we  find  Henniker  credited  with 
soldiers  from  Hillsborough,  viz.  :* 

George  Bemaine,  Fry  Andrews. 

Two  soldiers  from  this  town  enlisted  in  Amherst  in  Colonel 
Cilley's  regiment  for  a  period  during  the  war: 

John  Taggart,  1777,  Silas  Cooledge,  1777. 

Another  soldier  to  enter  the  service  for  another  town  was 
John  Bixby,  who  was  credited  to  Deering. 

A  list  of  names  of  soldiers  raised  by  the  State  of  New  Hamp- 
shire to  fill  recruit  the  Continental  Army  in  1779,  contains  the 
names  of — 

Benjamin  Dodge,  enlisted  July  23,  1779,  for  one  year. 

Stephen  Andrews,  enlisted  July  23,  1779,  for  one  year. 

Among  over  20  others  who  enlisted  on  July  5,  1779,  for  six 
months,  was  Hugh  Graham,  Hillsborough. 

The  following  soldiers  from  Hillsborough  belonged  to  Cap- 
tain Clay's  company,  in  Colonel  Poor's  regiment: 

Nathan  Taylor,  Thomas  Murdough,  William  Pope,  Ebenezer 
Sargent,  Joseph  Taggart. 

July  20,  1779,  at  a  special  meeting  James  McCalley,  Joseph 
Symonds  and  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr.,  were  chosen  to  secure  two 
men  for  the  Continental  Army.  There  is  no  record  to  show  the 
result  of  the  efforts  of  this  committee. 


*G'riginal  in   Pension   Bureau,   Washington,   D.   C. 


I32  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

September  4,  1780,  the  town  voted  to  choose  a  committee  to 
bring  the  service  done  in  the  present  war  to  an  average.  Then 
the  matter  rested  until  another  meeting  held  September  21,  when 
Capt.  Joseph  Symonds,  Mr.  Zebediah  Johnson,  Lt.  John  McClary, 
Lt.  Samuel  Bradford  and  Calvin  Stevens  were  chosen  to  act  in 
regard  to  the  matter  as  follows : 

3d  Voted  3d  Committee  be  instructed  to  make  Search  for  the  Val- 
uation or  invoices  for  five  years  past  and  if  they  cannot  be  found  to 
take  new  ones  for  the  sd  five  years  past. 

4th  Voted  3d  Committee  be  instructed  to  alow  the  whole  of  those 
men  who  ware  in  the  eight  months  service  in  the  year  one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  seventy  five  mens  time  and  all  that  have 
been  in  the  service  Since  to  be  allowed  their  whole  time. 

5th     Voted  to  set  the  time  at  Eighty  pounds  per  month. 

Upon  further  consideration  the  action  on  the  4th  article  was  an- 
nulled. 

War  Rolls. 

Among  the  Records  of  Town  Returns  given  in  the  State 
Papers  Vol.  XVI,  Revolutionary  War  Rolls  Vol.  3,  we  find  the 
following  soldiers  credited  to  Hillsborough : 

Stephen  Andrews  Nathan  Taylor,  r  1781,  April  6 

Robt.  Finne  r.  1781  March  22  Thomas  Kimball  Negro 

Wm.  Jones  1782  July  15 

In  connection  with  the  above  the  Pay-Roil  for  recruits  in 
Continental  regiments,  1780,  contains  the  names  of — 

Joel  Jones  in  the  service  from  June  30,  1760,  to  December 
31,  6  months  and  14  days,  which  was  allowed  in  full. 

Robert  Finney  July  1  to  December  4  but  amount  of  wages 
including  expenses  not  given  though  companion  soldiers  are  so 
credited.    Recruits  mustered  by  Maj.  William  Scott. 

Scattered  Records. 

The  following  items  are  taken  from  the  State  Papers,  edited 
by  Isaac  Hammond,  and  throw  some  light  on  the  history  of  the 
men  from  this  town  serving  in  the  Revolution. 


EXPENSES  OF  THE  WAR.  1 33 

State  of  New  Hampshire     To  the  Selectmen  of  Hillsborough    Dr. 

1779  July  15  Paid  Hugh  Graham  a  Soldier  inlisted  in  Colo  Mooney's 
Reg.  Raised  for  the  defence  of  Ehode  Island  and  mustered 
by  Colo  Thomas  Stickney — by  receipt 

Bounty  £30     Travel   to   Providence   £15     Total   £45,   0  s.   0  d. 
Errors  excepted  in  behalf  of  the  Selectmen  of  Hillsborough 

P    James  McCalley 

In  Committee  on  Claims,  Exeter  April  24  1780 
The  above  account  is  right — 

Examd   Per  Josiah  Gilman  Jur 

Reed  an  order  on  the  Treasurer  for  forty  five  pounds 

James  McCalley 

September  22,  1730,  it  was  voted  to  assess  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  to  purchase  beef  for  the  American  army,  to  the  amount 
of  nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  two  pounds. 

December  8,  1780, 

Voted  to  hire  men  to  go  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
and  in  to  the  service  of  this  state  by  a  tax  on  the  poles  and  estates 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  and  the  Land  of  the  non-residents  ly- 
ing in  town  for  the  future. 

State  of  New  Hampshire     To  the  Selectmen  of  Hillsborough     Dr. 

1779  July  22  To  Cash  paid  Benjamin  Dodge  a  Soldier  inlisted  in  the 
Continental  Service  for  one  year 

State  bounty  £60,  0  s.  0  d. 

28th     To  Ditto  Paid  Stephen  Andrews       do  do  60.do 


£120. 

In  Committee  of  claims,  Exeter  14th  February — 

The  above  men  were  mustered  by  Colo  Thomas  Stickney  and  the 
receipts  are  lodged  in  this  office — 

J.  GIDMAN 

Reed  an  order  on  the  Treasurer  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  Pounds 

James  McCalley 

Copy  N.  Parker 


134  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Hillsborough  June  4,  1781. 

To  the  Hon'ble  and  The  Secretary  for  the  State  of  Newhampshire 

a  Keturn  of  the  men  in  the  Continental  armey  before  the  year 
1781— 

Stephen    Andrews  George    Bemain  Nathan    Grimes 

Listed  dur    the  war — 

a  Return  of  the  men  procured  agreeable  to  an  act  passed  Jany 
11th   1781 

Nathan  Taylor 

inlisted  for  three  years 
Robert  Finne 

Isaac  Andrews 

Calvin  Stevens      \-        Selectmen 

John  Dutton 

Hillsborough  May  10th  1782 — Pursuant  to  the  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire  passed  the  21st  of  March 
1782 — We  have  now  one  man  in  the  army  who  was  hired  from  this 
Town  by  the  Town  of  Dering  for  the  term  of  three  years,  which  Term 
has  expired,  one  year  last  April,  who  by  right  is  now  in  our  servis. 
His  name  is  Nathaniel  Graham — 

one  lately  hired  by  this  Town,  now  in  the  army — his  Name  is 
Thomas  Kimball — one  ingaged  from  this  Town  into  the  Bay  Servis 
for  Town  of  Marbelhead  his  Name  is  Daniel  Richardson — one  hired 
from  this  Town  in  the  Bay  State  for  the  Town  of  Reding  his  name 
is  Nathaniel  Johnson — also  George  Bemaine  from  this  Town  in  the 
Bay  servis  is  by  right  ours  for  two  years  past 

Isaac  Andrews 

John  Dutton  ■       Selectmen 

Arch  Taggart 

To  the  Honl  the 

Committee  of  Safety 

War  Measures,  1780. 

September  22,  1780,  it  was  voted  to  assess  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  to  purchase  beef  for  the  American  army  to  the  amount 
of  nine  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  two  pounds. 

December  8,  1780,  at  a  special  meeting  it  was  voted  "to  hire 
men  to  go  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  and  in  the  ser- 
vice of  this  state  by  a  tax  on  poles  and  estates  of  the  inhabitants 


WAR   ROLLS.  135 

of  this  town  and  the  Land  of  the  non-residents  lying  in  town  for 
the  future." 

In  summing  up  the  part  Hillsborough  performed  in  the  War 
for  Independence  the  records  show  that  this  town,  without  a 
hint  of  Toryism,  was  patriotic  to  a  man.  From  the  Concord  and 
Lexington  fight,  on  that  memorable  April  morn,  when  the  shot 
was  fired  which  was  heard  around  the  world,  to  the  closing  scene 
at  Yorktown,  over  ninety  men  were  in  the  service,  and  there  were 
not  many  battles  in  which  one  or  more  did  not  participate.  With 
but  forty-three  men  under  fifty  and  youths  over  sixteen  able  to 
bear  arms  at  the  time  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  surely  the 
record  could  not  be  better.  It  is  probable  that  at  some  period  or 
other  during  the  long  and  sanguinary  struggle  every  man  bore 
arms  who  could. 

The  records  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  are  very  meagre 
and  unreliable,  both  as  to  the  names  of  the  persons  and  the  towns 
that  should  receive  credit  for  their  services.  The  following  list 
with  terms  of  service  has  been  prepared  after  diligent  search  and 
is  believed  to  be  complete  and  as  accurate  as  can  be  obtained. 

War  Rolls. 

ANDREWS,  AMMI,  Lieutenant.  Private  in  Captain  Baldwin's  com- 
pany, Colonel  John  Stark's  regiment  at  Bunker  Hill ;  Lieutenant 
in  Captain  Henry  Dearborn's  company,  under  Colonel  Arnold  in 
expedition  to  Quebec.  He  must  have  seen  nearly  continuous  serv- 
ice throughout  the  war. 

ANDREWS,  AMMI,  Jr.  Enlisted  November  21.  1776,  for  three  years ; 
discharged  November  21,  177&.  He  served  in  the  First  New  Hamp- 
shire regiment  under  Colonel  Cilley,  and  was  therefore  at  Valley 
Forge,  in  the  Sullivan  expedition  and  other  actions  in  which  that 
regiment  did  a  valiant  part.  He  reinlisted  in  1782  for  during  the 
war,  credited  to  Deering.  Received  bounty  by  the  town  July  15, 
1782. 

ANDREWS,  ISAAC,  Jr.,  Major.  Served  under  Stark,  at  Bennington. 
Was  in  Captain  Hale's  company,  Colonel  Gerrish's  regiment  in 
the  Northern  Continental  army  at  Saratoga,  1777.  Was  in  Colonel 
Thomas  Stickney's  and  Colonel  David  Oilman's  regiments.  Dis- 
charged December  31,  1782. 

ANDREWS,  SOLOMON.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  volunteered  for 
three  years  or  during  the  war  in  1777,  in  Captain  Elijah  Clay's 
company,  Colonel  Nathan  Hale's  regiment.  Previous  to  this  he 
had  served  with  Stark  at  Bennington. 


I36  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

ANDREWS,  STEPHEN.  Enlisted  July  8,  1779,  when  a  youth  of  barely 
sixteen  for  three  years  or  during  the  war,  in  Captain  William 
Ellis'  company,  Colonel  Alexander  Scammell's  regiment,  Third 
Battalion,  New  Hampshire  troops.  Transferred  December  27, 
1779,  to  Captain  Hawkins'  company,  and  later  to  Captain  David 
McGregor's  company.  His  services  were  credited  to  Weare.  He 
re-inlisted  for  one  year  in  Hillsborough's  quota. 

ANDREWS,  JERRY  (?).  Under  this  name  he  is  credited  to  Hillsbor- 
ough, but  his  record  is  very  obscure.  His  name  was  probably 
Jabez,  and  he  was  a  brother  of  Stephen,  and  he  came  into  the  serv- 
ice during  the  closing  years  of  the  war.* 

ANDREWS,  FRY.  Credited  to  Henniker  from  Hillsborough  in  the 
Rhode  Island  Ex.  in  1778.     May  have  seen  further  service. 

BALDWIN,  CAPT.  ISAAC.  This  brave  and  efficient  officer  served  with 
unfaltering  zeal  through  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  participat- 
ing in  over  twenty  battles  under  Rogers  and  Stark,  declares  Ever- 
ett in  his  Life  of  John  Stark.  As  has  been  described,  immedi- 
ately upon  receiving  the  news  of  the  fight  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton, he  mustered  a  company  of  men  from  Hillsborough  and 
adjoining  towns  and  marched  to  the  front.  He  gave  his  life  to 
the  cause  he  had  so  nobly  espoused  at  Bunker  Hill.  No  doubt  had 
his  life  been  spared  he  would  have  been  found  among  the  leaders 
of  the  Revolution. 

BEMAINE,  GEORGE.  Teaching  the  first  school  in  Hillsborough  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  volunteered  at  once  in  the  patriot 
army,  though  I  do  not  find  that  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Smith  and  other  early  writers  say  he  was  killed  at  the  bat- 
tle of  White  Plains  in  1776.  This  could  not  have  been  true,  for 
in  17'78  he  was  in  the  Continental  army  serving  to  the  credit  of 
Henniker.  While  filling  this  enlistment  he  was  with  the  soldiers 
from  Henniker  and  two  others  from  Hillsboroughf  who  were  in 
Capt.  Daniel  Wilkin's  Co.,  that  ill-starred  expedition  sent  in  the 
summer  of  1776  to  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  contingent  of 
Americans  retreating  from  that  disastrous  campaign  against 
QuebecJ      The   Hillsborough   records   for    1782    claim   George    Be- 


*Tn  an  original  muster  roll  in  the  Pension  Bureau  at  Washington  his  name 
and  that  of  Solomon  Andros  appear  among  the  men  making  the  company  of  New 
Hampshire  militia,  1781,  commanded  by  Captain  Nathaniel  Head,  Colonel  Raynolds' 
regiment. — Author. 

t  John  McNiel  and  Silas  Cooledge. 

t  This  relief  corps,  after  a  tedious  march  into  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
succeeded  in  reaching  on  the  19th  of  May  a  fort  called  the  "Cedars,"  where  a 
portion  of  Colonel  Bedel's  regiment  stopped  for  a  few  days'  needed  rest.  An  at- 
tack being  threatened  by  the  Canadians,  "Colonel  Bedel  went  to  Montreal,  forty- 
five  miles  distant,  for  reinforcements,  leaving  the  fort  under  the  command  of 
Major  Isaac  Butterfield,  who,  on  the  19th  day  of  May,  surrendered  his  force  of 
about   400   men   to   the   British   and   Indians,   about   500    in   number,   undor   the   com- 


WAR  ROLLS — CONTINUED.  1 37 

maine  "from  this  town  in  the  Bay  servis  is  by  right  ours  for  two 
years  past."  An  Englishman  by  birth  he  yet  had  an  intense 
dislike  for  his  native  land,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  he  did  valiant 
part  for  his  adopted  country. 

A  scholar,  a  gentleman,  a  patriot,  the  memory  of  George  Be- 
maine  should  be  revered  by  the  inhabitants  of  Hillsborough  for  all 
time  and  the  site  of  the  house  where  he  taught  the  first  school  in 
town  should  be  marked  with  an  enduring  memorial. 

BIXBY,  JOHN.  Marched  in  Col.  Thomas  Stickney's  regiment  of  mili- 
tia to  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga  on  the  alarm  July  5,  1777,  but 
news  of  the  evacuation  of  the  garrison  stopped  the  troops  after 
a  march  of  seventy  miles.  On  July  20.  1779,  he  was  mustered  into 
a  regiment  of  militia  completing  the  Continental  Battalions  raised 
for  the  defense  of  Rhode  Island.  Though  living  in  Hillsborough 
he  was  credited  to  Deering  in  this  campaign.  He  enlisted  for  one 
year,  and  Deering  paid  this  town  a  bounty  of  sixty  pounds  on  his 
account  December  23,  1779.  No  doubt  but  Mr.  Bixby  saw  further 
service. 

BOOTH,  GEORGE.  Served  in  old  French  and  Indian  War  and  in  Ex. 
to  Louisburg  in  1745.  He  was  blown  up  by  explosion  of  a  mine 
being  badly  burned  and  losing  sight  of  one  eye.  He  was  an  ar- 
dent patriot,  but  1  have  found  no  record  to  show  he  was  at 
the  front  during  the  Revolution. 

BOOTH,  WILLIAM.  Was  on  the  pay  roll  of  Capt.  Ebenezer  Webster's 
company,  the  regiment  having  been  made  from  the  New  Hamp- 
shire militia  in  Jul}',  1777,  and  joined  the  Northern  Continental 
army  at  Bennington  and  Stillwater.  He  also  served  for  a  time  In 
the  First  New  Hampshire  regiment.  He  belonged  to  Capt.  Bald- 
win's Co.,  and  went  to  Bunker  Hill,  but  detailed  to  look  after  the 
horses  so  did  not  participate  in  the  battle.  He  was  noted  as  a 
scout  and  woodsman.  He  was  one  of  a  scouting  party  detailed 
by  Oen.  Stark  to  reconnoiter  the  enemies'  position  before  battle 
of  Bennington,  and  gave  the  signal  which  prompted  Stark  to  open 
attack. 

BRADFORD,  ANDREW.  Enlisted  in  1780  under  Capt.  William  Barron, 
and  re-enlisted'  in  1782,  for  three  years  or  during  the  war. 

BRADFORD,  Lieut.  SAMUEL.  In  a  petition  dated  January  2,  1782,  he 
stated  that  he  "engaged  in  the  Service  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  Novt  1776  as  Lieutenant  in  the  Second  New  Hampshire 
Regiment  and  continued   in  said   service   until   the   13th  of   Sept. 


mancl  of  Capt.  George  Foster.  After  the  surrender  the  prisoners  were  treated  in 
an  inhuman  and  barbarous  manner,  stripped  nearly  naked,  and  some  were  mur- 
dered. A  reinforcement  of  100  men,  under  Major  Sherburne,  was  captured  by  the 
enemy,  after  a  desperate  fight,  on  the  day  following  and  received  the  same  treat- 
ment. These  prisoners  were  transported  to  an  island  in  a  lake  near  the  "Two 
Mountains,"  and  kept  there  nearly  naked,  without  shelter  and  with  scant  rations, 
for  eight  days,  when  they  were  released  on  a  cartel  agreed  to  between  General 
Arnold   and   Captain   Forster. —  (Am.   Archives.) 


I38  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

1778."  He  was  at  that  time  sick  and  received  a  furlough  from 
General  Enoch  Poore,  and  he  did  not  again  enter  the  service. 
When  the  regiments  were  re-organized  he  was  left  out  on  account 
of  his  disability.  He  served  in  Captain  Clay's  company,  Colonel 
Hale's  regiment  in  1777.  He  came  to  Hillsborough  from  Amherst 
and  removed  to  Antrim  in  his  later  years,  where  he  died. 

BRADFORD,  Capt.  SAMUEL,  Jr.  This  Samuel  was  the  son  of  Capt. 
iSamuel  Bradford  who  kept  the  first  hotel,  and  he  was  a  cousin 
of  Lieutenant  Samuel.  At  the  organization  of  Captain  Baldwin's 
company  to  march  to  Cambridge  following  the  fight  at  Lexington, 
though  only  seventeen  he  enlisted  as  an  orderly  sergeant,  perform- 
ing a  creditable  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  being  promoted 
to  ensign.  He  remained  with  the  First  New  Hampshire  under 
Stark  and  Cilley,  throughout  the  war,  retiring  as  Captain.  He 
was  at  Ticonderoga,  Trenton,  White  Plains,  Valley  Forge,  in  the 
Snllivan  expedition,  and  in  other  memorable  campaigns.  He  died 
in  Acworth  July  23,  1833. 

BROOKS.  DAVID.  Entered  Captain  Baldwin's  company  April  23,  1775, 
and  fought  under  Stark  at  Bunker  Hill.  In  1777  he  is  credited 
to  Rindge  and  he  served  for  two  years  under  Colonel  Hale  in  Cap- 
tain Clay's  company.  The  record  of  this  soldier  is  very  incom- 
plete. It  is  possible  and  quite  probable  that  he  removed  to 
Rindge  during  the  war. 

BROWN,  JOHN.  A  youth  by  this  name  served  under  Captain  Baldwin 
as  a  drummer,  and  is  credited  to  Hopkinton  by  some  authorities. 
Hardly  a  town  in  the  province  that  did  not  have  a  soldier  by  this 
name. 

BURBANK,  MOSES.  Served  in  Capt.  Joshua  Abbott's  company,  Col. 
John  Stark's  Regiment  in  the  summer  of  '75  (May  6  to  Aug.  1), 
and  must  have  been  in  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Was  also  in  Col. 
Loammi  Baldwin's  Regiment,  raised  to  reinforce  Continental 
Army  in  New  York  Sept.  20,  1776.  Enlisted  Feb.  14,  to  March  31, 
1778,  as  Sergeant  in  Col.  Timothy  Bedel's  Regiment  for  an  expe- 
dition against  Canada.  Served  in  Rhode  Island  expedition  in  fall 
of   1778,  and  probably   elsewhere. 

COOLEDGE,  SILAS.  Served  in  Captain  Baldwin's  company  at  Bun- 
ker Hill.  Enlisted  under  Capt.  William  Harper  in  Col.  Isaac 
Wyman's  regiment  to  be  sent  to  reinforce  the  army  in  Canada,  in 
June,  1776.*  In  1777,  he  enlisted  in  Colonel  Nichols  regiment  of 
militia,  under  Cilley,  for  three  years  and  served  in  the  campaigns 
of  the  First  New  Hampshire  regiment  to  the  credit  of  Amherst. 


*In   the   same   battalion   as    George   Bemaine,    also   from   Hillsborough,    but    not 
in  the  regiment  that  surrendered  at  the   "Cedars." — Author. 


WAR  ROLLS — CONTINUED.  I39 

CARR,  JAMES.  Was  1st  Lieut,  in  8th  Co.,  2nd  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment in  1775.  He  had  served  as  private  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War. 

CARE,  ROBERT.     Saw  service,  but  have  not  found  his  record. 
CARR,  THOMAS  (twin  of  Robert).     Served  and  was  present  and  was 
within  50  feet  of  the  gallows  when  Major  Andre  was  executed. 

CARTER,  JAMES,  Sen.  Served  in  Capt.  Timothy  Walker's  Co.,  Col- 
onel Green's  Reg.,  which  marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775, 
and  probably  saw  further  service,  but  all  before  he  came  to 
Hillsborough. 

DODGE,  BENJAMIN.  Lived  a  part  of  the  time,  if  not  all,  in  Deering. 
but  enlisted  July  23,  1779,  in  Colonel  Stickney's  regiment  for  one 
year  to  the  credit  of  Hillsborough.  Do  not  find  any  further  rec- 
ord. 

DURANT,  JOHN.  The  only  man  in  town  to  refuse  to  sign  the  Associa- 
tion Test,  yet  among  the  first  to  volunteer  in  Captain  Baldwin's 
company,  and  he  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  October  4,  1775,  was  en- 
rolled in  Captain  Hale's  company,  Col.  John  Stark's  regiment. 

DRESSER,  ASA.  Private.  Volunteered  for  the  campaign  to  Benning- 
ton July  26,  1777,  and  served  under  Stark  at  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington, to  be  disharged  September  20,  1777.  Following  this  he 
joined  the  Northern  Continental  Army  at  Bennington  and  served 
under  Captain  Ebenezer  Webster,  Colonel  Stickney's  regiment. 
Was  in  the  service  over  two  years  and  it  may  be  longer.  When 
the  boundary  for  Windsor  was  fixed  in  1797,  he  was  found  to  be 
living  within  that  part  of  Hillsborough  included  in  the  new  town- 
ship. 

FARRAR,  ISAAC,  served  in  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  War  of  1812. 
He  served  at  one  time  in  Capt.  Chase  Taylor's  Company,  Col. 
Thomas  Stickney's  Regiment,  General  Stark's  Brigade,  which 
joined  the  Northern   Continental   Army   in    1777. 

FISK,  ELIJAH.  The  family  records  show  he  served  throughout  the 
war  in  a  Mass.  regiment.     He  came  to  Hillsborough  in  1782. 

FLINT,  JACOB.  Enlisted  as  private  (afterwards  promoted  to  Cor- 
poral) in  Capt.  Timothy  Clement's  company,  Col.  David  Gilman's 
regiment,  April  15,  1776,  with  six  others  from  Hillsborough.  His 
name  afterwards  appears  in  a  petition  for  pay  due  him  and 
others,  but  the  record  of  his  service  is  scanty.  Was  in  Canadian 
expedition  summer  of  1776. 

FOSTER,  EPHRAIM.  Volunteered  in  Col.  Thomas  Stickney's  regi- 
ment, Stark's  brigade,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Bennington.  No 
further  record. 


I40  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

FINNEY,  PHENNY,  TIERNEY  OR  TINNEY,  ROBERT.  The  record  of 
this  soldier  is  somewhat  clouded  or  contradictory.  As  a  youth 
under  16  he  enlisted  July  1,  1780,  and  served  five  months  and 
sixteen  days,  under  Major  William  Scott  to  the  credit  of  Hills- 
borough. March  14,  1781,  he  let  himself  as  a  substitute  to  John 
Wilkins,  as  witness  the  following  excerpts  from  the  town  records. 

Relative  to  Robert  Finney: 

To  the  Honbie  Sennate  and  honble  house  of  Representatives  in  Grand 
Assembly  Conveined  for  the  State  of  New  Hamp 

The  Petition  of  the  Select  men  of  Hillsborough  in  the  county  of 
Hillsborough  and  other  of  the  Inhabitants  of  said  Town  Humbly 
shews — That  the  Selectm  for  sd  Town  in  the  year  1781,  by  the  names 
of  Samuel  Bradford  and  John  McColley  (Signed  a  note  of  hand  bearing 
date  March  ye  14th  1781  thereby  promising  to  pay  one  John  McClin- 
tock  or  order  one  hundred  and  ninety  two  Bushells  of  Good  Merchant- 
able Indian  Corn  or  as  much  money  as  will  purchase  it,  at  or  before 
the  fourteenth  day  of  March  then  next  with  Interest  till  paid 
&c — That  the  above  note  was  Given  to  the  Said  McClintock  for  the 
hire  of  a  Certain  Robert  Finney  who  the  said  McClintock  had  procured 
to  enlist  into  the  Continatal  Army  said  year  as  a  man  for  the  said 
Town  of  Hillsborough — That  notwithstanding  the  Said  Note  was 
given  to  the  s<*  McClintock  as  hire  for  said  Soldier  immediately  after 
his  Muster  Diserted  and  Never  Joined  the  Army  at  all  and  your  peti- 
tioners vehemently  Suspect  that  this  Disertion  was  advised  and 
Countinanced  by  the  sd  McClintock  That  the  Town  of  Hillsborough 
were  so  Well  Satisfyed  that  the  said  McClintock  was  not  entitled  by 
either  Law  or  Equity  to  the  corn  or  money  promised  by  the  sd  note 
that  they  universally  discountinanced  the  paymint  there  of  and  suf- 
fered a  suit  to  be  brought  against  the  Signers  of  the  said  Note  intend- 
ing to  dispute  the  same  before  the  Superior  Court  of  this  State  but 
by  the  inattention  of  one  of  the  Signers  to  the  said  Note  when  the 
tryal  came  on  before  the  inferior  Court  for  the  County  of  Hillsborough 
which  was  held  at  Amherst  the  4th  day  Aug*  1782 — a  Default  issued, 
and  Judgement  entered  against  the  Persons  who  Signed  the  said  note 
for  the  sum  of  47  16  8d  Damage  and  3  13  8d  Cost  of  Court  as  ap- 
pears of  Record — Both  which  Sums  has  since  been  paid  to  the  said 
John  McClintock  by  the  said  Town  of  Hillsborough  notwithstanding 
the  said  Tinney  never  Served  in  the  Army  one  day  in  Consequence  of 
this  Hire — 

Your  Petitioners  therefore  humbly  pray  that  your  Honers  will  Or- 
der the  said  McClintock  to  return  the  said  money  he  has  received  as 
aforesd  or  Order  a  New  Legal  in  such  a  way  or  manner  as  the  nature 
of  the  said  Contract  made  with  the  sd  McClintock  may  be  enquired 
into   by  some   Cours — 'proper   to   Try   the   same   that    Justice    may   be 


WAR   ROLLS — CONTINUED. 


141 


done  in  the  premises — or  in  any  way  that  shall  Seem  to  your  Excell? 
and  honers — and  Your  Petitioners  as  in  Duty  Bound  shall  ever  pray 
&e 

Dated  at  Hillsborough     Octot>  20th  1785 


Isaac  Andrews 

John  Dutton 

Wm  Taggart  June1 


Selectmen 


Andrew   Bixbe 
William   Parker 
Samuel  Danforth 
Nehemiah   "Wilkins 
William  Love 
John   Gibson 
Joseph  Symonds 
Benja  Dutton 
Jonathan  Sargent 
Daniel  Rolf 
William  Taggart 
John  mead 
James  mcCalley 
James  Jones 
Perkins  Andrews 
William  Hutchinson 


Otis  Howe 
Benja   Kimball 
Daniel  Killom 
John  Shed 
Timothy  Gray 
William  Symonds 
Samuel  Bradford 
David   Marshall 
George  Booth 
Joshua  Estey 
Eliphalet   Bradford 
Benja  .Gould 
Paul  Cooledge 
Elijah  Beard 
William  Little 
Samuel  Symond 


David  Wright 
Jonathan  Danforth 
Calvin  Stevens 
John  moNeall 
Solomon   Andrews 
Nath11  Symonds 
James  Dutton 
Uriah  Cooledge 
William  Booth 
Jedidiah   Preston 
John  Hartwell 
Ephraim  Train 
William  Jones 
Isaac  Andrews 
Moses  Steel 


1 


There  is  no  record  that  the  "General  Assembly"  took  any 
action  upon  the  foregoing  petition,  but  at  a  legal  meeting  held  on 
June  12,  1786,  it  was  "voted,  Joseph  Symonds  William  Taggart 
John  Bradford  be  a  Committee  to  Settle  with  sd  McClintock  he 
the  sd  McClintock  paying  the  one  half  of  what  he  was  Received 
of  the  town  provided  it  be  a  final  Settlement  on  account  of  the 
aforesaid  finney."  A  warrant  calling  a  town  meeting  to  be  held 
Aug.  21,  1786,  contained  the  following  article:  "2ly  to  see  if  the 
town  will  Comply  with  the  proposals  which  Mr.  John  McClintock 
for  a  settlement  on  acount  of  Robert  Finne — and  if  not  Compeyed 
with  to  see  what  method  thay  will  take."  on  which  article  it  was 
"voted  to  Serve  the  Matter  Deseresena — rely  with  the  Select- 
men." As  no  further  reference  is  made  to  this  matter  it  was 
probably  amicably  adjusted. 

GAMMELL,  WILLIAM.  In  Rhode  Island  Expedition  1778  enlisting  for 
3  years  or  during  the  war.  and  with  American  Army  at  Lake 
Champlain     one     winter.      Private     in     Capt.     Joseph     Bowman's 


142  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

army,  Col.  Moses  Kelley's  Reg.  of  Vol.  which  marched  from  state 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  joined  Cont.  Army  August,  1778,  in  Rhode 
Island  Ex.,  entered  Aug.  6,  1778,  dis.  Aug.  27. 

GIBSON',  DANIEL.     In  Rhode  Island  Expedition  1778-9. 

GIBSON,  JAMES.  Served  at  Fort  William  and  Mary,  April  1,  1772,  to 
April  1,  1773.  At  Bunker  Hill  in  Capt.  Ebenezer  Webster's  Com- 
pany, Col.  Thomas  Stiekney's  Regiment,  General  Stark's  Brigade, 
raised  out  of  the  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  Militia  July,  1777, 
which  company  joined  the  Northern  Continental  army  at  Benning- 
ton and  Stillwater. 

GIBSON,  JOHN.     Under  Stark  at  Bennington. 

GLOVER,  HENRY.  There  were  at  least  two — perhaps  three — soldiers 
by  this  name,  and  their  records  are  conflicting.  It  is  certain  a 
Henry  Glover  lived  in  H.  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  he 
served  in  Captain  John  Moore's  Co.,  Stark's  Regt.,  at  Bunker  Hill 
as  drummer.  He  was  killed  in  this  battle.  A  soldier  by  this 
name  was  credited  to  New  Boston  at  a  later  date.  Henry  Glover's 
name  does  not  appear  in  the  Hillsborough  records  after  1776,  so 
he  was  probably  the  one  who  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill.  A  Henry 
Glover  from  this  vicinity  d.  at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1779. 

GOULD,  BENJAMIN.  In  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  saw  further 
service  in  the  Revolution. 

GRAHAM,  HUGH.  Enlisted  for  six  months  July  8,  1779,  in  Col. 
Tliomas  iStiekney's  Regiment  and  served  in  the  Rhode  Island  Ex- 
pedition. 

GRAHAM,  JOHN.     In  Rhode  Island  Expedition  1778.     Wounded. 

GRAHAM,  NATHANIEL.  Enlisted  for  3  years  or  during  the  war  in 
1776  under  Captain  Morrill,  1st.  regiment,  Nov.  7.  Served  in  the 
campaigns  commanded  by  General  Sullivan  and  saw  much  fighting 
and  hardship.  May  have  lived  in  Deering,  but  served  to  the 
credit  of  Hillsborough. 

GRIMES,  JONATHAN.  Enlisted  Sept.  8,  1777,  for  3  years  in  Colonel 
Jackson's  reg.  Mass.  vols.     See  Mass.  Rolls,  Vol.  VI,  Page  897. 

HAUL,  JUDGE.  Enlisted  from  Hillsborough  to  the  credit  of  Amherst 
for  3  years  in  Col.  Moses  Nichol's  Regiment  under  Col.  Cilley 
from  the  5th  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  Militia  and  seems  to 
have  served  his  term.  Mr.  Spaulding,  in  his  history  of  Amherst, 
does  not  credit  "Judge  Hall"  of  Hillsborough  with  this  service 
but  he  does  include  Jude  Hall  of  Kensington,  negro,  in  Col. 
Richard's  Regiment,  Cilley  commander.  The  name  of  either  does 
not  appear  in  the  inventories  of  those  years,  but  that  is  not  proof 
that  he  did  not  live  in  Hillsborough,  as  he  may  have  been  a  minor 
or  a  negro,  the  latter  probably  being  the  case. 


WAR  ROLLS — CONTINUED.  I43 

HAMLIN,  EUROPE.  Served  with  his  brothers,  Africa  and  America, 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  in  his  father's  company.  He  also  served 
in  Capt.  William  Sawyer's  Co.  in  Shay's  Rebellion.  All  in  Mass. 
service.     He  came  to  H,  in  1798. 

HOITT,  THOMAS.  Was  Ensign  in  Colonel  Stickney's  regiment, 
Stark's  independent  command  at  Bennington  in  July  and  Au- 
gust, 1777.     He  probably  saw  further  service. 

HOLDEX,  CAPT.  ISAAC.  Born  in  Harvard,  Mass. ;  was  a  Sergeant  in 
a  company  of  Capt.  Davis  which  marched  in  the  Lexington 
alarm  to  Cambridge.  He  served  throughout  the  Revolution,  but 
in  the  Mass.  service,  as  he  did  not  come  to  H.  until  after  the 
close  of  the  war. 

HOWE,  LIEUT.  BARZILLA.  Was  given  commission  of  Second  Lieu- 
tenant under  Colonel  Stark,  November  7,  1776.  'When  Stark  re- 
signed and  Colonel  Joseph  Cilley*  came  into  command  of  the  First 
New  Hampshire  regiment,  he  retained  the  same  position,  and 
served  during  the  war.  Lieutenant  Howe  seems  to  have  been  a 
brave  soldier  and  he  figured  in  many  battles  and  minor  engage- 
ments, among  them  Bunker  Hill,  Saratoga,  Trenton,  Brandy  wine, 
Monmouth,  Germantown,  and  was  in  the  Sullivan  expedition 
against  the  Five  Nations  in  that  arduous  campaign  of  the  summer 
of  1777. 

HOWE,  BAXTER.  Served  in  Capt.  Josiah  Fay's  Company,  Thirty-Sec- 
ond Massachusetts  regiment.  Was  at  Winter  Hill,  Oct.  7.  1775. 
(See  Mass.  Rolls  Vol.  VIII.,  Page  328.) 

HOWE,  PETER.  Was  sergeant  in  Col.  Thomas  Stickney's  Regiment, 
which  marched  from  Hopkinton  in  July,  1777,  and  joined  the 
Northern  Continental  Army  in  New  York;  engaged  July  21,  and 
discharged  Sept.  26,  1777,  serving  two  months  and  five  days.  He 
may  have  seen  further  service. 

HUTCHINSON,  WILLIAM.  In  Arnold  Expedition,  which  has  been  de- 
scribed.    Probably  saw  further  service  during  the  war. 

JACKSON,  GRIDLEY.  Served  during  the  Revolution,  and  at  one  time 
in  the  Northern  Army,  but  his  records  are  very  incomplete  and 
unsatisfactory,  though  he  was  on  the  pension  rolls  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.     There  is  no  evidence  to  show  when  he  came  to  H. 

JONES,  JOEL.  A  recruit  in  1780.  Paid  off  July  16,  1782,  was  only 
17  years  of  age — among  soldiers  mustered  by  Major  William 
Scott  in  1780.  Was  six-month  soldier  who  re-enlisted  at  close  of 
year. 


*Colonel  Joseph  Cilley,  in  command  of  the  First  New  Hampshire  regiment,  was 
from  Nottingham,  and  became  the  successor  of  Stark,  who  resigned  on  March  23, 
1777,  receiving  his  promotion  April  2,  1777. — Author. 


144  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

J  ONES,  MOSES.  At  Bunker  Hill.  Private  in  Capt.  Isaac  Baldwin's 
Co.,  Col.  John  Stark's  Regiment;  entered  April  23,  1775;  dis- 
charged Aug.  1,  1775  ;  served  3  months  and  16  days.  In  July,  1777, 
in  Capt.  Joshua  Bayley's  Co.,  Col.  Thomas  Stickney's  Regiment, 
Gen.  John  Stark's  Brigade  of  N.  H.  Militia.  He  marched  from 
Hopkinton,  July,  1777,  and  joined  the  Northern  Continental  Army. 

JOHNSON,  NATHANIEL.  Belonged  to  Hillsborough.  Was  hired  by 
the  town  of  Reading,  Mass.  for  Bay  State  service.  He  served  at 
least  3  years.     See  town  book,  1782. 

JONES,  WILLIAM.  Paid  off  July  16,  1782;  returned  to  credit  of 
Hillsborough,  July  15,  1782. 

JOHNSON,  ZEBIDIAH.  He  was  the  father  of  Nathaniel  and  came 
<to  Hillsborough  before  the  Revolution  and  entered  the  service  soon 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  was  at  one  time  sergeant 
under  Capt.  Joseph  Parker  in  Col.  Hale's  Regiment  and1  joined  the 
Northern  Continental  army  at  Ticonderoga  in  1776.  The  name 
was  sometimes  spelled  Johnston.  He  died  at  Concord,  March  23, 
1815,  aged  73  years. 

KELLOM,  DANIEL.  .Served  in  the  Revolution  from  Wilmington, 
Mass.,  and  afterwards  settled  in  Hillsborough. 

KELLOCVf,  THOMAS,  Jr.  He  was  a  brother  of  Daniel  and  served  in 
the  Revolution  from  Wilmington,  Mass.,  before  he  came  to  Hills- 
borough. 

LITTLE,  JAMBS.  Tradition  says  he  served  in  the  Revolution  to  the 
credit  of  this  town,  but  have  not  found  the  records  to  prove  it. 

LITTLE,  WILLIAM.  This  man  was  certainly  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
but  it  is  not  certain  he  served  from  H.,  though  he  was  here  as 
early  as  1780  and  possibly  in  1779.  He  lived  on  the  Bear  Hill  road 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  Henniker  line. 

LOVE,  WILLIAM.  A  Scotch-Irish  man  by  birth  and  coming  to  Hills- 
borough at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  there  are  reasons  to  think 
that  he  served  in  the  Revolution  from  this  town,  but  the  writer 
has  not  been  able  to  verify  this  statement. 

McCALLEY  (McColley),  JAMES.  In  Col.  Daniel  Moore's  regiment  of 
volunteers  who  marched  from  Lyndeborough  in  September,  1777, 
and  joined  the  Northern  Continental  army  at  Saratoga  on  the 
Hudson  River. 


BIBLE  HILL  BURIAL  (J ROUND. 


WAR  ROLLS — CONTINUED.  1 45 

McCALLEY,  JOHN.  Enlisted  in  Lieut.  Col.  Henry  Gerrish's  regiment 
that  marched  from  Hopkinton  and  adjacent  towns  in  September, 
1777,  and  joined  the  Northern  Continental  army  at  Saratoga.  Six 
other  Hillsborough  men  were  in  this  regiment. 

McCLINTOCK,  ALEXANDER.  Saw  service  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war  in  1755-1760.  Enlisted  in  the  Kevolutionary  Army  August 
6,  1778,  and  mustered  out  August  27th.  In  the  Rhode  Island  ex- 
pedition. 

McCLUEE,  JAMES.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Robert,  Sen.,  and  served 
two  or  more  years  in  the  war,  though  it  is  doubtful  if  all  of  this 
service  was  to  the  credit  of  this  town,  as  he  removed  To  Acworth. 
in  1777. 

MoCLURE,  ROBERT,  Sen.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  and  was  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Old  Number  7.  Though  60  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  enlistment,  he  was  of  stalwart  frame  and  served 
throughout  the  war  with  conspicuous  valor.  He  served  under 
Cols.  John  Stark  and  George  Reid. 

MoCLURE,  ROBERT,  Jb.  He  was  the  son  of  the  above.  He  evidently 
performed  good  service  in  the  war,  though  his  record  is  not  as 
complete  as  one  could  wish. 

McNIEL,  DANIEL.  He  was  the  son  of  John  MoNiel,  who  served  with 
his  brother  James  under  Col.  Samuel  Moore  in  the  Louisburg  ex- 
pedition in  1745.  Daniel  came  to  Hillsborough  in  1771,  and  served 
at  least  two  years  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Henry  Dearborn's  company  in  1776.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  though 
he  must  have  served  almost  continuously  through  the  earlier 
period  of  the  war. 

McNIEL,  DANIEL,  Jb.  Too  young  to  participate  in  the  first  of  the 
war,  he  was  active  in  its  closing  years,  and  was  in  the  unfortu- 
nate expedition  sent  to  the  relief  of  that  other  ill-starred  body  of 
troops  under  Arnold,  and  he  suffered  the  ignominy  and  hardships 
of  the  "Cedars." 

McNIEL,  JOHN.  Scarcely  past  his  18th  birthday,  he  joined  Captain 
Baldwin  in  the  march  to  the  front  and  fought  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  He  was  near  Captain  Baldwin  when  that  officer 
fell  mortally  wounded.  He  was  with  Stark  at  Bennington,  and  in 
September,  1777,  joined  the  Northern  Continental  army  at  Sar- 
atoga. He  was  among  the  victims  of  an  officer's  cowardice  at  the 
"Cedars." 


I46  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

MEAD,  JOHN.  Enlisted  in  Capt.  John  Hale's  company,  Col.  Henry 
Gerrish's  regiment,  N.  H.  Vols.,  which  marched  from  Hopkinton 
and  vicinity  in  (September,  1777,  and  joined  the  Northern  Conti- 
nental army  at  Saratoga.  Discharged  October  25,  after  27  days' 
service.     Be-inlisted  July  5,  1780,  and  discharged  October  24,  1780. 

MONROE,  THADDEUS.  In  Captain  Hale's  company,  Colonel  Gerrish's 
regiment  which  joined  the  Northern  Continental  army  in  Septem- 
ber, 1777.    His  name  is  given  as  Eowe  in  the  returns. 

MURDOUGH,  SAMUEL.  Enlisted  in  1777  for  three  years  or  during 
the  war.  Served  in  Capt.  Benjamin  Sias'  company,  Col.  David 
Oilman's  regiment,  which  belonged  to  the  Northern  Continental 
army  in  New  York. 

MUEDOUGH,  THOMAS.  Enlisted  for  three  years  or  during  the  war 
in  the  4th  regiment,  3rd  battalion,  in  1777.  He  was  reported 
absent  from  his  regiment  in  the  fall  return  of  1778.  His  com- 
mander, Colonel  Hale,  was  at  that  time  a  prisoner  of  war  in 
New  York,  and  it  is  possible  he  shared  a  similar  fate.  Later  rec- 
ords speak  of  his  absence  from  the  ranks.  At  another  time  he  is 
reported  as  belonging  to  Captain  Clay's  company,  Colonel  Poor's 
regiment. 

PIEECE,  BENJAMIN.  Though  not  at  the  time  a  resident  of  the  town, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  he  came  to  Hillsborough  at  the  close  of 
his  ten  years  of  service  in  the  American  army  and  became  so  im- 
portant a  factor  in  its  history,  it  seems  eminently  fitting  he  should 
be  included  in  this  list.  [See  sketch.]  Associated  with  so  many 
of  his  fellow  patriots,  as  he  was,  in  this  town,  "On  the  26th  of  De- 
cember, 1825,  it  being  his  sixty-seventh  birthday,  Gen.  Benjamin 
Pierce  prepared  a  festival  for  his  comrades  in  arms,  the  survivors 
of  the  Eevolution;  twenty-two  of  them  all  inhabitants  of  Hills- 
boro',  assembled  at  his  house.  The  ages  of  these  veterans  ranged 
from  fifty-nine  up  to  the  patriarchal  venerableness  of  nearly 
ninety.  They  spent  the  day  in  festivity,  in  calling  up  remi- 
niscences of  the  great  men  whom  they  had  known,  and  the  great 
deeds  they  had  helped  to  do,  and  in  reviving  the  old  sentiments 
of  the  era  of  seventy-six.  At  nightfall,  after  a  manly  and  pa- 
thetic farewell  from  their  host,  they  separated,  'prepared,'  as 
the  old  general  expressed  it,  'at  the  first  tap  of  the  shrouded  drum, 
to  move  and  join  their  beloved  Washington  and  the  rest  of  their 
comrades  who  fought  and  bled  at  their  side.' " 


WAR  ROLLS — CONTINUED.  147 

Fortunately  the  names  of  those  who  were  present  on  this  noted 
occasion  have  been  preserved,  and  are  as  follows : 

Name.  Birthplace. 

Ammi  Andrews,*  Ispwich,  Mass. 

John  McColley,*  Hillsborough,  N.  H.    - 

James  Taggart,f  Londonderry,  N.  H. 

William  Johnson,f  Billerica,  Mass. 

William  Gammell,f  Boston,  Mass. 

James  Carr,t  Litchfield,  N.  H. 

William  Taggart,  Merrimack,  N.  H. 

William  Parker,  'Chelmsford,    Mass. 

Thaddeus  Monroe,f  Billerica,  Mass. 

Thaddeus  Goodwin,t  Leominister,  Mass. 
Nathaniel   Parmenter,f      Spencer,  Mass. 

William  Dickey.f  Londonderry,  N.  H. 

Daniel  Russell,  Andover,  Mass. 

John  Shedd.t  Dunstable,  N.  H. 

Isaac  Andrews,f  Ispwich,  Mass. 

Daniel  Killam,  Wilmington,  Mass. 

Robert  Carr,  Litchfield,  N.  H. 

Zachariah  Robbins,t  Westford,  Mass. 

Benjamin  Pierce.f  Chelmsford,    Mass. 

David  Livermore,  Sudbury,   Mass. 

Samuel  Morrill,  Derryfield,  now  Manchester,  N.  H.    59 

Nathaniel  Johnston,  Andover,  Mass. 

POPE,  WILLIAM.  From  the  returns  given  in  Hammond's  Revolu- 
tionary War  Rolls,  we  glean  the  following  facts  of  the  service 
of  this  soldier: 

Vol.  I,  Lieut,  of  Commissioned  Officers  in  Col.  Thomas 
Stickney's  Reg.,  Mar.  5,  177'6,  p.  161 ;  Continental  sol- 
dier enlisted  for  3  yrs,  or  during  the  war  in  Col.  Stick- 
ney's  Reg.,  p.  568  on  muster  roll  of  Capt.  Elijah  Clay's  Co., 
in  Col.  Nathan  Hale's  Reg.  in  1777,  p.  633. 

Vol.  II,  Ensign  in  an  account  of  rations  due  the  offi- 
cers in  Col.  Stickney's  Reg.,  Gen.  Stark's  Brigade,  p.  163 ; 
Ensign  on  the  pay  roll  of  Capt.  Ebenezer  Webster's  Co.  in 
Col.  Stickney's  Reg.  July,  1777,  p.  164 ;  Ensign  on  the  pay 
roll  of  Capt.  James  Barman's  Co.  in  Col.  Moses  Kelly's 
Reg.  Aug.  8,  1778,  p.  516 ;  on  list  of  soldiers  in  Capt.  Clay's 
Co.,  Col.  Poor's  Reg.  Mar.  12,  1778,  p.  610 ;  Priv.  in  6th  Co. 
in  Reg.  commanded  by  Col.  George  Reid  in  the  yrs.  1777, 
1778,  1779,  p.  723. 

Vol.  IV,  on  list  of  subscriptions  Vols,  who  recovered 
their  bounty  from  the  Selectmen  of  Hillsborough,  p.  259. 


Age. 
89  Years 

83 

(1 

81    ' 

t 

77 

< 

74 

1 

73 

u 

73 

n 

72 

t 

71 

EC 

70 

EC 

70 

4 

70 

i 

70 

i 

70 

i 

69 

< 

69 

< 

68 

< 

68 

« 

66 

c 

62 

c 

SQ     < 

c 

*Served  i*i   French  and  Indian  War. 
fWas   in   Battle   of  Bunker  Hill. 


I48  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

PRESTON,  SAMUEL.    In  Rhode  Island  Expedition  and  at  Bennington. 

RICHARDSON,  DANIEL.  Served  for  Marblehead,  Mass.,  in  the  Bay 
State  Service. 

ROLF,  JESSE.  Served  in  Capt.  Benjamin  Emery's  company,  Colonel 
Baldwin's  regiment  raised  to  reinforce  the  Continental  Army  at 
New  York  September  20,  1776. 

BOBBINS,  PETER.  The  pay  roll  of  Capt.  James  Ford,  in  Col.  Moses 
Nichols'  regiment,  Stark's  brigade,  contains  his  name  enlisted 
July  20,  1777,  and  discharged  September  18,  nine  days  allowed  for 
travel  home.  This  soldier  doubtless  saw  further  service.  His 
sons,  Curtice  and  Lyman,  were  in  the  War  of  1812  at  Portsmouth. 

SARGENT,  EBENEZER.  Mustered  in  for  three  years  or  during  the 
war  December  17,  1777,  in  Captain  Clay's  company,  under  Colonel 
Poor;  December  17,  he  was  assigned  to  Captain  Clough,  Colonel 
Cilley's  regiment  in  Sullivan's  command.  Again,  in  1780,  he  was 
transferred  to  Colonel  George  Reid's  regiment,  so  he  must  have 
seen  continuous  service  during  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  war. 

SARGENT,  JONATHAN.  Served  in  R.  I.  expedition.  Enlisted  July  1, 
1777,  in  Capt.  Simon  Marston's  Co.,  Col.  Joseph  Senter's  Reg.;  dis- 
charged Jan.  7,  1778  ;  served  6  months  7  days. 

SARGENT,  SAMUEL.  He  was  a  private  in  Capt.  John  Parker's  Co., 
Col.  Timothy  Bedell's  Keg.  raised  by  N.  H.  and  joined  to  the 
Northern  Division  Cont.  Army  under  General  Montgomery,  1775. 
Was  with  troops  sent  to  succor  Arnold  at  Quebec,  and  discharged 
Dec.  31,  or  immediately  after  the  disaster  of  that  campaign.  Fol- 
lowing the  sad  experiences  of  the  Canadian  campaigns,  not  the 
least  of  which  was  the  surrender  at  the  Cedars  in  1776,  under  the 
urgent  appeals  of  Ethan  Allen,  a  battalion  was  re-enlisted  from 
Col.  Bedell's  men  whose  term  expired  Dec.  31,  1775,  and  Sergt. 
Samuel  Sargent  was  among  53  men  who  joined  from  Col.  Bedell's 
Reg.  and  he  remained  with  them  until  May,  1776.  The  battalion 
formed  a  portion  of  that  sturdy  band  of  troops  which  became 
widely  known  as  the  Green  Mountain  Boys.  Samuel  Sargent 
ranking  then  as  1st  Lieut,  belonged  to  Captain  Estabrook's  Co. 
and  was  among  the  troops  which  surrendered  at  the  Cedars  May 
21,  1776.     He  saw  further  service  during  the  war. 

SHEDD,  JOHN,  Jr.  Served  in  Capt.  Joseph  Pettingill's  company  un- 
der Col.  Loammi  Baldwin. 

SIMOND     (SYMOND)     SAMUEL.     In     Captain    Baldwin's     company, 
Stark's   regiment   at   Bunker  Hill,   as   per   pay   roll   of   August    1, 
1775.     On   roll   of   Captain   Hale's   company  October   4,   and   Capt. 
Timothy  Clement's  Co.,  Apr.  15,  '76.     Was  in  the  Canadian  expedi- 
tion. 


WAR  ROLLS CONTINUED.  I49 

SIMONDS  (Symonds)  WILLIAM,  in  Capt.  Ebenezer  Webster's  Co., 
Col.  Thomas  Stickney's  regiment,  July  5,  1777,  marched  to  relief 
of  garrison  at  Ticonderoga  70  miles,  when  news  of  the  evacuation 
reached  them.  (Three  others  from  Hillsborough  were  in  this 
expedition.)  Was  1st  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  William  Humphrey's 
Co.  in  the  Northern  Army. 

SYMONDS,  NATHANIEL,  son  of  Deacon  Joseph.  In  Battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill. 

SPAULDING,  SAMUEL.  In  Col.  Mooney's  reg.  for  defence  of  R.  I.  in 
'78  to  credit  of  Deering  which  town  paid  42  £  for  said  service. 
Paid  July  22  &  28,  1779. 

STEELE,  MOSES,  in  Capt.  Timothy  Clement's  Company  July  1776,  and 
saw  further  service. 

STEVENS,  CALVIN— Was  at  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  served  other- 
wise in  war,  though  his  name  does  not  appear  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  rolls  as  published  in  the  State  Papers.  He  came  to 
Hillsborough  in  1776  and  besides  his  service  in  the  army  he  was 
very  active  at  home. 

TAGGART,  ARCHIBALD.  In  Rhode  Island  ex.  1778.  Entered  Capt. 
Clay's  company,  Col.  Hale's  regiment  for  3  years,  Sept.  20,  1777. 
Was  ensign.  Was  paid  off  and  discharged  Oct.  25,  following.  He 
was  ensign  in  Lt.  Col.  Henry  Gerrish's  regiment.  Capt.  John  Hale 
of  Hopkinton,  which  marched  from  Hopkinton  and  adjacent  towns 
in  Sept.,  1777,  to  join  the  Northern  Continental  Army  at  Sar- 
atoga. 

TAGGART,  CORP,  JAMES.  Was  at  Bunker  Hill ;  under  Captain  Dear- 
born in  Arnold  expedition ;  remained  in  the  army  during  the  war. 
Was  made  Second  Lieutenant  but  resigned  August  25,  1778.  Was 
at  Valley  Forge. 

TAGGART,  JOHN.  Served  in  Captain  Wait's  company  under  Colonel 
Cilley,  and  was  in  the  Sullivan  expedition.     Rem.  to  Maine. 

TAGGART,  JOSEPH.  In  Capt.  Timothy  Cleveland's  company,  Col. 
Pierce  Long  at  Portsmouth  from  February  3,  1776,  to  December  7, 
1776.  Enlisted  in  Fourth  regiment,  Third  battalion  in  April,  1777, 
for  three  years  or  during  the  war. 

TAGGART,  ROBERT.  Served  in  the  French  and  Indian  war  and  was 
at  Bunker  Hill  under  Baldwin. 

TAGGART,  WILLIAM.  Enlisted  in  Captain  Clay's  company  under 
Colonel  Hale.    Was  made  Ensign. 


I50  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

TAYLOR,  JOHN.     Enlisted  in  Captain  Emerson's  company  under  Col- 
onel Cilley,  but  was  reported  absent,  reason  not  given.    He  was 
described    as    dark    complexion,    dark   hair,   black   eyes,    five    feet 
ten  inches,  25  years  old.     Served   also  as  private   in  Mass.  Reg. 
(See  Mass.  Rolls,  Vol.  XV,  page  374.) 

TAYLOR,  NATHANIEL.  Enlisted  November  7,  1776,  for  during  the 
war  in  Colonel  Stickney's  regiment,  but  was  transferred  in  1777 
to  Colonel  Hale's  regiment,  Third  battalion  of  the  Continental 
army.     Returned  April  6,  1781. 

TAYLOR,  WILLIAM.     At  Bunker  Hill  and  in  Arnold  expedition. 

TOWNE,  ARCHELAUS,  Jr.  He  served  in  the  Revolution  to  the  credit 
of  Amherst  before  coming  to  H.  in  1787.  His  father  died  in  the 
service  at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  5,  1779.  He  acted  as  a  scout  and 
saw  much  active  duty. 

WHEELER,  OLIVER.  Enlisted  in  the  4th  Hampshire  Co.;  served  in 
Continental  army  for  term  of  three  months  agreeable  to  order  of 
General  Court  of  June  22,  1780i,  as  returned  by  Col.  Elisha  Porter, 
Capt,  Hooker's  Co. 

WILKINS,  ANDREW7.  Entered  the  army  under  Captain  Baldwin, 
April  23,  1775,  and  served  until  Aug.  1,  3  months  and  16  days,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Records  are  not  clear 
after  that  date  relative  to  this  soldier. 

WILKINS,  ASAPH.  Served  to  the  credit  of  Amherst  in  Scammel's 
Regiment,  Prye's  Company,  for  3  years.  Name  appears  on  the  rec- 
ords as  Asa. 

WILKINS,  LIEUT.  ROBERT  BRADFORD.  A  native  of  AmherstT  he 
came  to  H.  when  a  young  man  and  was  better  known  as  "Bob 
Wilkes."  He  served  throughout  the  war  to  the  credit  of  Amherst 
first  and  then  H.  He  became  known  to  Lafayette  and  a  strong 
friendship  existed  between  them. 

WINCHESTER,  SAMUEL,  family  records  show,  fought  at  the  Battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  and  may  have  seen  further  service.  He  died  in 
Dan  vers,  Mass.,  aged  101  years.  Elias  Cheney,  son  of  Dea.  Tris- 
tram Cheney,  married  2d  Deborah,  b.  in  1777,  in  Hillsborough,  dau. 
of  Samuel  Winchester,  but  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  how 
much  later  he  lived  in  this  town.  Deborah's  marriage  took  place 
about  1797,  and  her  residence  is  recorded  as  Hillsborough. 

WYtMAN,  STEPHEN.  Marched  from  Deering  to  Acworth  to  the  as- 
sistance of  Ticonderoga,  July  1,  1777  ;  returned  the  3rd  day,  same 
month,  word  having  been  received  that  the  fort  had  capitulated. 
He  was  in  the  muster  roll  of  Capt.  Ninian  Aiken's  Company,  Col. 
Daniel  Moore's  Regiment.  He  lived  in  territory  that  eventually 
was  included  in  Windsor. 


war  rolls — concluded.  1 5 1 

Revolutionary  Pensioners. 

The  following  Revolutionary  pensioners  were  living  in  Hills- 
borough June  I,  1840: 

William  Dickey,  age  85  years ;  David  Livermore,  age  78 
years;  Mary  Gould,  living  with  George  Gould,  age  79  years; 
Martha  Mann,  79;  Thomas  Kellom,  80;  Daniel  Kellom,  84;! 
Nathaniel  Parmenter,  85 ;  Isaac  Farrar,  79 ;  Thaddeus  Goodwin, 
87;  Isaac  Andrews,  84;  William  Parker,  84;  Daniel  Russell,  age 
not  given ;  Abigail  Robbins,  living  with  Charles  D.  Robbins ;  Lucy 
McNiel,  living  with  Solomon  McNiel. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Reconstruction  Period. 

Surrender  of  Cornwallis — End  of  the  Revolutionary  War — A  Day  of 
Rejoicing — The  Hardships  That  Followed  War — The  Matter  of 
Money — When  Grain  Was  Legal  Tender — Depreciation  of  Currency 
— Great  Suffering — An  Open  Rebellion  Suppressed — Taxes  of  Non- 
Residents — Bridge  Across  the  Contoocook  River — When  Silver  Coin 
Was  a  Boon — "Old"  and  "New"  Tenor  English  Terms  for  Money — 
Tax  List  1782 — Land  Titles — Drawing  Town  Lots — Change  in 
Date  of  Town  Meetings — First  Name  With  a  Middle  Letter — 
Signing  of  Constitution— "Bob"  Wilkins— State  Militia  of  1792— 
Hillsborough's  Allotment — The  Condition  of  a  Country  Town — 
The  Social  Attractions — Wild  Animals — 'Wolves — Moose — Wild 
Turkies — Bear  Stories — Signs  and  Portents — Capt.  Bowman's 
Warning — Witchcraft — Aunt  Jenny's  Power  Over  the  People — 
Heads  of  Families,  1790— Valuation  of  Hillsborough,  1795— Out  of 
the  Old  Into  the  New. 

The  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  command  of  the 
British  forces  established  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  nearly  three  months 
before,  on  October  19,  1781,  virtually  closed  the  War  for  Amer- 
ican Independence.  In  this  battle  the  French  combined  with  the 
colonists  under  Washington  to  bring  about  this  happy  ending  of 
nearly  seven  years  of  warfare.  So  slowly  did  the  news  travel 
in  those  days  that  it  was  nearly  a  week  before  the  glad  tidings 
reached  our  remote  hamlet  on  the  hills.  Great  rejoicings  followed 
and  men,  women  and  children  joined  in  the  festivities  of  a 
holiday,  the  first  they  had  known  for  a  long,  long  time.  Nor  did 
it  really  seem  possible  that  the  arch  enemy  of  liberty  had  been 
overcome  and  the  united  colonies  were  free.  The  older  and  wiser 
ones  even  now  shook  their  heads,  for  past  experiences  had  shown 
and  forecasts  of  the  future  admonished  them  that  trials  and  hard- 
ships still  threatened  them,  if  not  with  powder  and  bullet  with  the 
hardships  that  inevitably  follow  in  the  wake  of  war  during  the 
reconstruction  period. 

Happily  Hillsborough  had  been  free  of  that  element  de- 
signated as  "Tories"  all  through  the  struggle.     This,  to  the  stu- 

152 


UNION  ONLY  IN   NAME.  1 53 

dent  of  the  trying  scenes,  was  somewhat  remarkable.  At  this  late 
day  we  can  view  dispassionately  the  influences  of  that  period  and 
its  outcome,  fraught  with  so  much  of  passion  and  recklessness. 
It  is  probably  true  that  no  war  of  such  great  and  lasting  results 
was  ever  fought  out  under  more  adverse  circumstances  or  with 
less  actual  previous  preparation  or  unification  of  forces  or  con- 
centration upon  leadership.  In  reality  it  was  a  war  where  and 
when  a  minority  won  against  not  only  superior  numbers  but 
against  the  wealth  of  the  country.  It  was  natural  the  men  of 
property  should  be  loyal  to  that  government  which  had  stood  by 
them  in  the  days  of  aggression  by  a  foe  that  never  slept,  even  if 
that  government  pressed  upon  them  unreasonably. 

The  rebellion  was  poorly  conceived  and  weakly  conducted, 
but  sprang  from  the  hearts  of  men  who  would  not  brook  tyranny, 
the  men  who  were  the  sons  of  fathers  who  had  fled  from  an 
overbearing  king  to  the  wilderness  of  America,  not  only  to  wor- 
ship "according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  will,"  but  incidentally 
to  set  up  a  form  of  government  the  peer  of  all  governments  and 
the  moulding  power  of  progressive  civilization  which  has  outlived 
monarchies  and  proven  that  a  government  of  the  people  by  the 
people  is  the  only  executive  and  legislative  union  that  approaches 
perfection  and  perpetuation.  And  yet,  had  a  ballot  been  taken  at 
the  time  of  the  uprising  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  war  would 
have  been  voted  down,  and  if  not  abandoned  been  delayed  for 
many  years — probably  forever.  For  the  good  of  humanity  it  may 
have  been  better  as  it  were.  Let  that  be  as  it  may  it  came  and 
passed  like  a  winter  storm  in  the  march  of  time,  while  we  of  to- 
day have  only  a  vague  conception  of  the  hatred  and  bitterness 
that  was  associated  with  the  mere  utterance  of  those  antagonistic 
terms  "Tory"  and  "Rebel !" 

Usually  the  peace  that  follows  war  has  its  burdens  that  weigh 
heavily  for  sometime,  but  it  is  seldom  a  victorious  force  comes 
out  the  furnace  of  fate  with  more  serious  handicap  than  the 
irregular  chain  of  colonies  stretched  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from 
New  Hampshire  to  Georgia.  A  union  existed  only  in  name,  and 
it  was  not  until  1789  that  a  sufficient  number  of  this  league  of 
states  had  signed  the  constitution  of  this  new  government  and 
placed  it  among  the  nations  of  the  world — a  Republican  experi- 


154  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

ment.  New  Hampshire  has  the  honor  of  casting  the  vote  which 
confirmed  the  constitution,  thus  becoming  the  ninth  star  in  the 
grand  galaxy  of  that  banner  which  has  since  been  augmented  to 
forty-eight  stars.  Professor  Fiske  very  aptly  designated  this  as 
"the  critical  period  of  the  American  republic,  which  the  wisest 
statesmen  of  the  Old  World  predicted  could  not  long  endure." 

All  through  the  trying  period  of  more  than  twenty  years' 
duration,  beginning  in  the  early  stages  of  the  war,  the  matter  of 
money  as  an  exchange  for  such  commodities  as  were  needed  was 
a  serious  problem.  During  the  war  the  circulating  medium  had 
been  Continental  paper  money  issued  by  congress  or  the  bills  of 
credit  by  the  state.  With  no  stable  government  behind  it,  or 
assured  promise  of  redemption  this  currency  soon  began  to 
depreciate.  To  make  matters  worse,  as  if  value  depended  on 
quantity,  both  state  and  congress  issued  this  apology  for  "value 
received"  in  such  extravagant  amounts  that  even  its  commonness 
detracted  from  its  face  value.  So  rapidly  was  this  depreciation 
that  in  1777  the  wages  of  the  soldiers  in  the  army  was  nominally 
double  what  they  were  two  years  before. 

Under  this  threatening  situation  the  New  Hampshire  legisla- 
ture in  the  spring  of  1777  endeavored  to  establish  the  prices  of 
the  common  articles  of  everyday  consumption.  Among  the  prices 
named  were  the  following : 

s.  d. 

Wheat  per  bushel  7,  6.  Wool       per  lb. 

Indian  Corn    "  3,  6.  Cotton      "      " 

Oats                   "  2,  0  Beef          "      " 

Beans                "  6,  0  Flannel  per  yard 

Butter    per  lb.  0,  10  Molasses  per  gal. 

Cheese      "      "  0,  &  N.  E.  Rum"       "                   3,     10 

Within  a  year  Washington  was  writing  "Our  affairs  are  in  a 
more  distressed,  ruinous  and  deplorable  condition  than  they  have 
been  since  the  commencement  of  the  war."  Soon  after,  as  if  in 
desperation,  Congress  issued  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  million 
dollars  in  Continental  bills.  The  very  volume  of  this  vast  output 
— for  that  day — defeated  its  own  aims.  Again  Washington 
wrote,  this  time  to  the  President  of  Congress:  "A  wagon  load  of 
money  will  not  purchase  a  wagon  load  of  provision." 


s. 

d. 

2, 

2 

3, 

0 

0, 

3 

3, 

6, 

4, 

0 

DEPRECIATION  OF  CURRENCY.  1 55 

The  depreciation  in  the  currency  continued  to  increase,  so 
during  the  year  1779,  the  purchasing  power  of  a  dollar  shrunk 
five-fold;  in  other  words,  at  the  end  of  the  year  it  required  five 
dollars  to  purchase  as  much  as  one  dollar  twelve  months  before. 
Naturally  this  condition  discounted  the  credit  of  the  country,  so 
it  came  out  of  the  war  without  a  bank,  without  "hard  money," 
without  credit.  It  is  readily  understood  that  money  which  could 
not  be  redeemed  was  very  unstable  currency. 

The  Historian  of  Newbury,  Vermont,  says  very  truthfully: 
"There  was  great  distress  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Many 
became  impoverished  by  the  war ;  many  left  their  native  towns 
hoping  to  improve  their  conditions  elsewhere.  A  few  seized  upon 
the  opportunity  to  acquire  wealth.  Taxes  were  excessively  high, 
and  those  who  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  own  wild  land,  that  in 
a  few  years  might  be  valuable,  could  not  sell  then  for  little  more 
than  to  pay  the  taxes  imposed  upon  it.  Many  who  owned  farms 
were  forced  to  sell  them  to  men  with  more  means  than  they.  So 
many  became  large  land-owners  during  that  period,  while  a  cor- 
responding number  came  out  of  the  financial  ordeal  with  smaller 
homesteads  or  none  at  all." 

So  oppressive  was  the  situation  upon  the  common  people — 
and  the  great  majority  were  in  that  class  in  those  days — that  the 
feeling  against  those  in  power  became  intensely  bitter,  a  bitter- 
ness that  finally  found  expression  in  open  rebellion  in  certain 
sections  of  the  state,  so  that  a  civil  war  seemed  eminent.  In  this 
dilemma  Colonel  Reid,  living  in  Londonderry  which  was  the 
scene  of  much  of  this  uprising,  was  made  Bridgadier  General  and 
ordered  to  suppress  the  rebellion  by  arms  if  necessary.  General 
Reid  proved  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  quiet  was  quickly  restored 
though  the  suffering  was  not  mitigated. 

Still  the  paper  money  in  circulation  continued  to  grow  less 
and  less  valuable,  until  January  1,  1780,  it  required  twenty 
paper  dollars  to  equal  one  in  silver,  and  within  nine  months  this 
ratio  had  reached  the  startling  comparison  of  72  to  1.  Money 
is  usually  plenty  when  it  is  depreciated  in  value,  and  there  was 
enough  of  it,  but  this  very  abundance,  as  paradoxical  as  it  may 
seem,  proved  the  ruin  of  many  men. 


I56  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  little  silver  in  circulation  it  must  be  remembered  was  not 
coined  in  this  country,  which  did  not  issue  silver  until  1792,  all 
bore  a  foreign  imprint.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  a  sum  of 
money  of  only  one  hundred  pounds  sterling  five  nations  were 
represented.  To  add  to  the  hardships  of  a  depreciated  currency 
a  considerable  amount  of  counterfeit  coin  was  thrust  upon  the 
people.  More  simple  in  design  than  the  currency  of  to-day  it  was 
much  easier  to  imitate.  Hillsborough  was  comparatively  free 
from  this  evil  at  that  time,  though  in  more  recent  years,  as  will 
be  described,  it  had  its  share  of  this  kind  of  trouble. 

In  this  state  of  uncertain  monetary  value  something  had  to 
be  accepted  as  a  standard,  and  one  of  the  most  commonly  accepted 
units  was  that  staple  product  in  those  days,  a  bushel  of  wheat. 
There  was  a  steady  demand  for  it  and  it  varied  but  slightly  in 
price  from  year  to  year.  So  it  became,  among  the  agricultural 
class,  the  standard  by  which  values  were  computed.  It  went  to 
pay  the  taxes ;  upon  it  was  regulated  the  salary  of  the  minister, 
and  the  wages  of  the  laborer.  Thus  in  those  days,  the  hillsides 
and  meadows  of  the  pioneer  farmers  contributed  not  only  to  the 
wealth  of  the  grower  in  abundance,  but  they  regulated  the  prices 
of  the  day. 

Never  an  easy  fee  to  collect  it  became  no  easy  matter  to 
secure  the  taxes  from  the  citizens  of  the  town,  even  though  under 
the  great  stress  of  the  situation  money  was  not  always  exacted, 
as  witness  the  following  quoted  from  a  warrant  issued  to 
Alexander  McClintock  in  the  year  1782,  which,  after  certain  con- 
ditions which  need  not  be  repeated,  goes  on  to  say:  "the  said 
money  must  be  paid  in  the  following  manner,  viz.)  in  silver  or 
gold,  the  Treasurers  sertificates  for  intrist  Due  on  Publick 
Securitys  orders  on  the  Treasurer  Drawn  by  the  President  of  the 
Counsel — in  favor  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  three  and  six 
months  servis,  or  in  like  orders  in  favour  of  any  town  parish 
bountys  to  soldiers  or  supplies  to  their  families  up  to  the  last  of 
the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  nine  or  in  the 
following  specific  articles — viz — Good  new  England  Rum  at  two 
shillings  pr  Gallon.  Beef  Cattle  at  the  first  peread  at  three  pence 
half  penny  pr  pound  weight,  the  second  period,  at  three  pence 
pr  pound,  the  third  and  Last  period  two  pence  half  pence — pr — 
pound.     Mens  Neat  Leather  shoes  a  Good  Quality  six  shillings 


NON-RESIDENT  TAXES.  1 57 

pr  pare,  mens  yarn  Stockings  of  the  best  quality  five  shillings 
pr  pair,  others  in  proportion.  Cotton  and  Cotton  and  Linen 
Cloath,  seven  eights  of  a  yard  wide  of  the  best  quality  two 
shillings  pr  yard — Good  yard  wide  tow  and  Linen  Cloath  at  one 
shilling  and  six  pence  pr  Yard."  After  specifying  several  other 
lines  of  goods  the  order  ends  by  saying  that  the  commodities  shall 
be  delivered. 

Considerable  trouble  was  caused  through  the  collection  of 
taxes  from  non-resident  land-holders,  of  whom  Hillsborough 
seemed  to  have  more  than  her  share. 

Petition  fob  Authority  to  Tax  Non-Residents,  1780. 

(State  of  New  Hampshire 
To  the  Honourable  the  Council  and  Assembly  of  Sd  State  in  general 
Court  Conveaned 

May  it  Please  your  Honors  we  the  Subscribers  freeholders  in  the 
town  of  Hillsborough  in  Sd  State  Beg  Leave  to  Petitions  that  whereas 
the  Late  John  Hill  Esqr  Boston  who  was  Sole  Proprietor  in  this  town 
Did  Before  the  Commencement  of  the  present  war  Promise  to  give 
one  hundred  Acres  of  Land  towards  Buildings  a  Bridge  over  the  Con- 
necticut River  So  Called  in  this  town  which  Bridge  we  should  have 
Built  foore  or  five  years  a  goe  had  it  not  Ben  for  this  unhappy  War 
but  at  Last  we  have  Compleated  s<J  Bredg  and  the  Shairs  of  the  sd 
Jhon  Hill  Est  Have  Ben  Solisted  to  Make  good  their  fathers  Promises, 
but  refuses  we  therefore  humbly  petition  that  yoore  Honnours  would 
order  a  tax  to  be  Levied  on  the  Non  Risidents  Land  lying  in  town  to 
dyfree  the  Charges  of  building  sd  Bridge  as  we  Labour  under  heavy 
Burdens  in  town  and  sd  Bridge  will  be  of  grate  Sarvis  not  ondly 
to  this  town  but  also  to  the  Publick  as  sd  Bridge  cost  us  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  three  poond  as  Money  was  Last  October  and  if 
yoore  honours  shall  in  yoore  wisdom  Se  fit  to  grant  this,  our  Petition 
we  as  duty  Bound  Shall  ever  Pray 

Hillisborough  the  Eighth  Day  of  May  Anoq  Dod  1761 

Samuel  Bradford  jur  Zebediah  Johnson  Jacob  flint 

wm  taggart  archibald  taggart  Joseph  taggart 

Calven  Stevens  George  Willy  Samu1    Bradford 

David  wright  Isaac    Andrews  william  Pope 

Nathaniel  Haywood  Sam1  Jones  James  Jones 

James  Dutton  Isaac  Andrews  Jun  William  Jones 

Benim  Jones  John  Dutton  Benjamin  Dutton 

thadeus   monroe  John  Shedd  Nemiah  wilkins 


i58 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


John  Mead 
Lot  Jennison 
Jesse  Rolf 
Jonathen  Durant 
Joshua  Easty 
James  taggart 
Joseph  Symonds 
Daniel  Gibson 
John  m<Calley 
Andrew  Bixby 
Alexander  m°Clintock 


timothy  Bradford 
Daneeil  Eolf 
William  Booth 
Andrew  Wilkins 
Benjmin  Kimball 
William  Gammett 
Samuel  Symonds 
tristram  Cheney 
Willial   Hutchinson 
John  mcClary 
John    moClintock 


William  Grout 
Smith  Robertson 
Jonathan  Sargant 
George  Booth 
william  taggart  Junr 
Nathanell  Colledge 
Robert  Taggard 
John  Cheney 
John  Gibson 
Wm  Jones  Junr 
Fortunatus  Wheeler 


In  1782  it  took  one  hundred  dollars  in  paper  money  to  get 
the  value  of  one  dollar  in  silver.  As  an  illustration  the  price  of 
a  meal  of  pork  and  potatoes  was  fifty  dollars.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Barnes'  salary  was  only  sufficient  to  pay  for  a  pig  and  not  a  very 
large  one  at  that.  We  are  glad  to  note  that  the  town  made  up 
for  this  deficiency.  Rye  sold  at  $75.00  a  bushel.  Eventually,  as 
the  country  proved  that  it  could  meet  even  this  trying  ordeal, 
loans  from  Europe  introduced  silver  in  greater  volume.  Then 
the  government  began  to  coin  money  under  its  own  seal  and  paper 
currency  ceased  to  circulate.  While  this  kind  of  money  had  af- 
forded uncertain  relief  when  it  was  a  last  resort,  it  swiftly  fol- 
lowed a  downward  course,  leaving  $200,000,000  loss  in  its  wake, 
and  then  passed  out  of  sight  if  not  memory. 


"Old  Tenor"  and  "New  Tenor." 

Frequently  in  the  old  records  and  histories  we  find  such 
terms  as  "Old  Tenor,"  "Middle  Tenor,"  "New  Tenor,"'  "Ster- 
ling," "Lawful  Money,"  "Continental  Money,"  and  "Bills  of 
Credit."  A  brief  explanation  of  these  expressions  may  interest 
some.  The  first  mentioned  was  paper  issued  by  Massachusetts 
about  1737,  and  by  Rhode  Island  in  1740.  In  1741  Massachusetts 
put  out  what  became  known  as  "New  Tenor,"  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  first,  now  called  "Old  Tenor."  Between  these  two  was 
issued  what  was  later  denominated  as  "Middle"  issue.  As  these 
became  depreciated  in  purchasing  value  finally  money  was  issued 
which  law  stated  was  a  legal  tender  for  debts  and  dues,  hence 
the  term  "Lawful  money."  The  effort  of  Congress  to  bridge  the 
financial  stream  during  the  Revolution  by  issuing  "Continental" 


TAX  LIST,  I782. 


159 


money  has  been  spoken  of,  and  when  we  realize  how  rapidly  and 
completely  it  lost  its  value  we  can  appreciated  the  oft-quoted  ex- 
pression of  a  sometime  since  "Not  worth  a  continental!"  The 
term  "sterling"  belonged  to  the  English  system  of  fixing  standard 
weight  and  fineness  so  that  it  was  always  worth  its  face  value. 
The  terms  belonging  in  the  English  currency,  pounds,  shillings 
and  pence,  continued  to  be  used  in  this  country,  more  or  less, 
until  about  1850,  though  our  decimal  designations  of  dollars  and 
cents  was  inaugurated  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Even  to-day  we  occasionally  hear  such  expressions  as 
"four  pence  ha'  penny,"  which  was  six  and  one-half  cents ;  "nine 
pence,"  meaning  twelve  and  one-half  cents ;  or  "nine  shillings,"  or 
one  dollar  and  a  half. 

Tax  List,  1782. 
The  growth  of  the  town  in  population  and  change  in  the 
names  of  its  inhabitants  is  shown  by  a  comparison  of  the  tax  lists 
for  1776  and  1782,  following  the  close  of  the  Revolution. 


£ 

s 

d 

£ 

s 

d 

Isaac  Andrews 

3 

11 

5 

George  Bishop 

1 

9 

1 

Joseph  Symonds 

4 

15 

3 

Nehemiah  Wilkins 

2 

3 

2 

Samuel  Bradford 

2 

16 

6 

Timothy  Wilkins 

7 

3 

Otis  How 

2 

11 

10 

Smith  Bobeson 

10 

Mary  Bradford 

1 

15 

7 

Calvin  Stevens 

1 

2 

William  Jones 

1 

17 

0 

Elephelet  Bradford 

12 

Benjamin  Jones 

2 

1 

0 

Jacob  Flint 

12 

Daniel  McNeal 

2 

9 

5 

David  Blanchard 

1 

4 

7 

George  Wiley 

1 

14 

2 

Isaac  Andrews,  Jr. 

19 

6 

Daniel  Bolf 

1 

4 

4 

Solomon  Andrews 

14 

6 

William  Booth 

2 

12 

2 

Nathaniel  Colledge 

3 

9 

3 

Jonathan  Sargent 

15 

8 

Lot  Jenison 

1 

6 

5 

David  Wright 

17 

1 

William  Grout 

1 

8 

5 

Joshua  Estey 

14 

Timothy  Bradford 

1 

9 

10 

David  Clark 

2 

Joseph  Garcy 

19 

8 

Jedidiah  Preston 

1 

3 

2 

Thadeus  ISFRow 

1 

7 

2 

John  Glin 

12 

Olever  Wheler 

1 

7 

7 

Samuel  Bradford,  Jr. 

15 

9 

John  Hartwell 

14 

7 

William  Taggart 

18 

10 

Nathaniel  Hawood 

1 

11 

3 

James  Taggart 

1 

3 

1 

John  Mead 

0 

16 

4 

Archabld  Taggart 

1 

11 

8 

John  McC  alley 

1 

10 

5 

Benjamin  Dutton 

16 

7 

Thomas  Millor 

2 

11 

John  Dutton 

16 

James  Dutton 

1 

1 

Andrew  Wilkins 

1 

6 

2 

Samuel  Symonds 

0 

19 

1 

William  Gammel 

1 

1 

Asa  Barns 

18 

6 

i6o 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Daniel  Killom 

14 

3 

Siles  Colledge 

1 

0 

6 

Timothy  Gray- 

15 

6 

Joseph  Taggart 

0 

14 

6 

Thomas  Murdough,  Jr 

12 

Zebediah  Johnson 

1 

7 

5 

Jese  Kolf 

13 

John  McNeal 

1 

4 

Jonathan  Danforth 

14 

6 

John  McClintock 

2 

18 

6 

John  Nichols 

1 

2 

2 

Alexander  McClintock 

:  1 

15 

9 

Joseph  Nichols 

17 

2 

Samuel  Jones 

1 

04 

2 

Benjamin  Kimbol 

1 

1 

William  Jones,  Jr. 

1 

17 

5 

Ephram  Train 

16 

James  Jones 

1 

3 

6 

paul  Colledge 

1 

9 

fortenatus  Wheler 

14 

6 

Lemuel  Jones 

16 

Thomas  Murdough 

1 

9 

7 

Tristram  Chaney 

10 

Samuel  Murdough 

19 

6 

Equillea  Wilkins 

1? 

8 

John  McClarey 

1 

7 

11 

Daniel  Bacon 

13 

Samuel  preston 

17 

3 

WiDiam  Pope 

17 

6 

Thomas  Town 

18 

3 

Ammi  Andrews 

2 

5 

6 

Thomas  Stickney 

18 

3 

Andrew  Bixbe 

3 

7 

9 

Samuel   Stuart 

18 

8 

William  Love 

1 

14 

10 

James  McCalley 

2 

0 

9 

John  Gibson 

1 

18 

0 

Thomas  Kenn 

17 

6 

John  Shed 

17 

James  Kerr 

14 

3 

William  parker 

16 

Menasa  Stow 

14 

6 

Daniel  Gibson 

19 

4 

David  Green 

19 

5 

William  Hutcheson 

16 

6 

James  alld 

1 

2 

5 

Moses  Steel 

2 

9 

Kimbol  &  Willson 

6 

6 

William  Taggart,  Jr. 

12 

10 

The  inhabitance  total  131 

2 

4 

j 

Valuation  N 

.  Eesidents. 

£ 

s 

d 

£ 

s 

d 

William  Hill 

3 

3 

10 

John  Hill 

3 

3 

4 

Widow  (March 

3 

4 

2 

Garven  Brown 

1 

13 

10 

Sarson  Belcher 

3 

4 

1 

Joshua  Hinshaw 

2 

13 

7 

James  Bodwin 

2 

15 

1 

Widow  More 

6 

9 

John  ford 

2 

8 

Joshua  Jones 

4 

6 

Widow  Luis 
Josiah  Stow 

2 
2 

Q 

Tufton  &  Mason  Land 
Lord  proprietors 

0 

3 

3 

12 

Ebenezer  flint 

2 

3 

Daniel  M.  Miler 

4 

6 

William  Walton 

2 

3 

Heirs  of  Josiah  Colledge 

2 

3 

Thomas  Killom 

9 

3 

paul  D.  Sergent 

2 

3 

Heirs  of  John  Carson 

3 

o 

Peabody  &  Choat 

11 

3 

Colln  Huntington 

2 

18 

6 

Jeremiah  Green 

3 

12 

Enwood 

4 

6 

Rachel  Johnson 

2 

2 

3 

Jonathan  putnam 

4 

6 

John  perkins 

6 

9 

Graves  &  Upton 

9 

Mr  Clark 

4 

6 

Widow  Gray 

13 

6 

Kimbel  &  Wilson 

15 

6 

Widow  Nick 

5 

5 

Majer  Riley 

2 

3 

John  Chaney 

1 

8 

Hamon 

4 

6 

Guile 

4 

6 

Heirs  of  Abrm  Coughrin 

2 

.3 

David  (M-Clarey 

4 

6 

N  Eesidents  Total 

36 

11 

4 

UNEASINESS  OF  THE  INHABITANTS.  l6l 

While  Col.  John  Hill  had  dealt  squarely  and  fairly  with  the 
residents  of  the  town,  making  sacrifices  that  all  might  have  good 
titles  to  their  land,  there  was  from  the  first  an  uncertainty  in  the 
situation  that  gave  not  a  little  uneasiness  to  the  inhabitants.  The 
Mason  heirs  had  quitclaimed  their  interest  in  the  Hillsborough 
grant,  yet  there  stalked  in  the  background  the  shadow  of  the 
Allen  Proprietors,  as  a  certain  body  of  men  was  known  and  who 
were  the  heirs  of  the  late  Gov.  Samuel  Allen,  and  who  had  been 
vested  with  far-reaching  rights  of  territory  in  his  days.  These 
gentlemen  laid  claim  to  a  large  portion  of  the  unappropriated 
lands  in  the  Masonian  grant.  The  people  in  this  vicinity  were 
greatly  excited  and  committees  were  chosen  to  investigate  and 
consider  the  best  course  to  pursue.  Accordingly  the  citizens 
appealed  to  the  General  Court  for  assistance,  as  witness  the 
following : 

Relative  to  Drawing  Town  Lots,  1784. 

State  of  New  Hampshire 
To  the  honorable  the  Council  &  House  of  Representatives  now  sitting 
at  Portsmouth  within  &  for  the  said  state  of  New  Hampshire 
Humbly  Shew  the  Subscribers  that  at  the  time  of  settleing  the 
town  of  Hillsborough  in  the  County  of  Hillsborough  &  State  aforesaid 
many  of  your  petitioners  received  Deeds  from  John  Hill  Late  of  Bos- 
ton in  the  County  of  Suffolk  &  Commonwealth  of  Massa  Esqr  Deeesd 
of  Lots  of  in  the  first  Division  insaid  town  &  after  settleing  the  Lots 
in  the  first  Division,  Drew  by  virtue  of  said  Deeds  which  also  con- 
veyed them  an  undivided  Share  in  the  residue  of  said  Town  other  Lots 
in  the  Second  Division  annexed  to  their  first  Number,  &  that  those 
of  your  petition  who  did  not  purchase  from  said  Hill  purchased  from 
others  who  held  under  him  as  before  as  aforsd  That  on  the  Severance 
of  the  Second  Division  as  aforesd  a  plan  was  made  of  said  Division,  & 
Entries  made  by  said  Hill  of  the   Numbers   Drawn  to   each   original 
Lot  &  the  persons  Interested  Entered  into  the  same  have  cultivated 
improved   &  they  &  those  who   purchased   from  them  have  held   and 
possessed   the   same   severally  to   this   Day   agreably  to   the   Division 
plans  &  Drawing  aforesd  that  the  said  Hill  at  the  time  possessed  him- 
self of  the  plan  &  minutes  aforesd  &  held  the  same  time  in  his  posses- 
sion untill  his  Death  &  from  his  Decease  the  same  have  come  to  the 
hands  &  possession  of  his  heirs  &  Executors  who  have  Suppressed  the 
same    &    now   claims    the    Lands    against    your    petitioner    who    have 
nothing  but   oral  Testimony  to   prove  the  Severance   aforesaid   or  to 
Secure  to  them  the  fruits  of  their  Labor  for  many  years  past  expended 
upon  their  several  possessions  wherefore  they  most  Humbly  pray  that 


1 62  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

on  their  producing  to  your  honour  clear  and  indisputable  proof  of  the 
facts  aforesaid  that  your  honors  will  by  an  Act  Establish  the  afore- 
said Severance  &  Secure  to  them  theif  possessions  or  give  them  such 
other  relief  as  to  your  honors  in  your  great  wisdom  Shall  appear  Just 
&  Equitable 

Robert  m^Clurer  John  McCalley  John  Gibson 

James  mcCalley  Andrew  Bixbe  James  Taggart 

L  William  Pope 

In  House  of  Representatives,  February  17,  1785,  the  fore- 
.going  petition  was  granted. 

Relative  to  Date  of  Annual  Meeting,  1785. 

State  of  Newhampshire 

To  the  HonMe  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
assembly  Convened  at  Concord  the  third  Wednesday  of  octobr  Anno 
Domini  1785 

The  Petition  of  the  select  men  &  other  inhabitants  of  the  Town 
of  Hillsborough  in  the  County  of  Hillsboro11  and  state  of  New  Hamp- 
shire aforesaid — 

Humbly  sheweth  that  our  annual  meeting  being  held  on  the  Last 
thursday  of  march  Discommods  us  sum  times  it  happens  to  be  on  the 
Last  Day  of  march  the  Town  officers  not  being  sworn  on  that  Day 
we  are  obliged  to  adjourn  our  annual  meeting  into  april ;  which  is 
attended  with  much  Difficulty  on  aect  Gf  taking  our  invoice  early  in 
the  month  of  april  and  by  Reason  of  many  Conveyances  being  made 
between  the  first  Day  of  april  and  the  time  of  taking  the  invoice  it 
is  Defect  matter  to  take  the  invoice  so  that  Every  person  may  have 
Justice. 

Your  Petition  therefore  pray  that  our  annual  meeting  may  be 
held  on  the  first  monday  of  march  annually  for  the  future  insted  of 
the  Last  thursday 

and  your  petitioners  as  in  Duty  bound  will  ever  pray  &c — 

October  20th  1785 


Isaac  Andrews 


John  Dutton  L  of 


Select  men 


Hillsborough 


Wm.  Taggart  Juner 

Jedidiah  Preston  William  Parker  Beni  Kimball 

William  Taggart  Eliphalet  Bradford  John  Hartwell 

John  mead  Andrew  Bixbe  Otis  Howe 

David  Wright  Jonathan  Sargent  Gorge  Booth 

William  Booth  Daniel  Rolf  Joshoa  Estey 

Joseph   Symonds  Samuel  Bradford  James  Dutton 

Benjamin  Dutton  David  Marshall  Uriah  Cooledge 

Jonathan  Danforth  Benja  Gould  Samuel  Danforth 


THE  MIDDLE  NAME.  163 

Daniel   Killam  Ephraim  Train.  James  meCalley 

Paul  Cooledge  William  Jones  James  Jones 

Elijah  Beard  Isaac  Andrews  Perkins  Andrews 

William  Little  Calvin  Stevens  Nehemiah  Wilkins 

John  Shedd  John  mcXeall  Moses   Steel 

William  Hutchinson  Samuel  Symonds  William  Love 

Timothy  Gray  Solomon  Andrews  John  gibson 

William  Symonds  Nathu  Symonds 

In  House  of  Representatives,  October  31,  1785,  the  fore- 
going petition  was  granted. 

The  legislature  looked  with  favor  upon  this  request,  so  the 
following  year,  1786,  the  annual  meeting  was  held  on  the  first 
Monday  in  March,  which  came  on  the  6th  instant.  In  1788  the 
time  was  again  changed  to  the  second  Tuesday  in  March,  as  it  is 
to-day. 

At  this  election,  1786,  the  town  voted  ten  dollars  bounty  on 
wolves,  which  proves  that  this  troublesome  animal  must  have 
been  very  obnoxious. 

In  1787  for  the  first  time  a  name  appears  on  the  tax  list  with 
a  middle  letter,  viz.:  Robert  B.  Wilkins.  In  those  days  middle 
names  were  seldom  known,  and  it  was  not  until  into  the  19th 
century  that  they  became  what  might  be  termed  common.  In  the 
Revolutionary  War  Rolls  one  of  Hillsborough's  soldiers  appears 
as  John  Caldwell  McNiel,  though  the  third  name  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  considered  necessary  at  all  times.  Among  the 
grantees  of  Marlow,  1761,  was  Samuel  Holden  Parsons.  This 
distinction,  if  such  it  deserves  to  be  called,  rather  belonged  to  the 
more  wealthy  class,  just  as  the  title  "Mister,"  commonly  ab- 
breviated to  "Mr.,"  and  now  bestowed  promiscuously,  was  in- 
tended as  a  title  of  honor  to  the  few  rather  than  respect  for  the 
many.  In  those  days  the  term  "Goodman"  was  often  used  in 
referring  to  the  average  person.  Mr.  was  almost  invariably 
placed  before  the  name  of  the  minister. 

In  those  days  all  men  kept  their  faces  smoothly  shaven,  or 
reasonably  so,  and  the  fashion  of  letting  the  beard  grow  to  some 
length  was  made  popular  by  the  '49er,  who  was  too  busy  seeking 
the  golden  nugget  that  was  to  lift  him  into  opulence  to  stop  to 
look  after  his  personal  appearance. 


164  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  convention  which  adopted  the  national 
constitution  in  1788  Hillsborough  was  classed  with  Henniker  and 
both  towns  were  represented  by  Lt.  Robert  Wilkins,  often  fa- 
miliarly called  "Bob"  Wilkins.  He  was  a  native  of  Amherst,  but 
removed  to  Henniker  with  his  parents  when  he  was  young.  He 
was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  at  16,  and  was  wounded.  Re- 
covering he  enlisted  in  Colonel  Scammel's  regiment,  was  promoted 
for  gallant  conduct  to  a  lieutenancy,  and  served  under  General 
Lafayette,  whom  he  greatly  admired.  On  the  visit  of  Lafayette 
to  Concord  in  1825,  Bob  Wilkins  was  present,  and  recognized  by 
the  distinguished  visitor  was  given  a  cordial  welcome.  Lieutenant 
Wilkins  died  in  Boston  in  August,  1832,  aged  JJ  years. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1792,  a  new  constitution  was  adopted 
by  the  state,  and  under  its  provisions  a  militia  was  organized. 
By  this  movement  the  towns  were  grouped  and  so  their  companies 
should  help  to  form  battalions  and  that  two  battalions  should 
constitute  a  regiment.  In  this  arrangement  Hillsborough  was 
classed  with  Antrim,  Deering,  Henniker  and  Campbell's  Gore 
(now  Windsor),  and  their  companies  to  make  up  the  first  bat- 
talion ;  the  companies  in  the  town  of  Hancock,  Francestown, 
Greenfield,  Lyndeborough  and  Society  Land  (now  Bennington) 
should  form  the  2nd  battalion,  which  constituted  the  Twenty- 
sixth  regiment. 

Until  the  close  of  the  18th  century,  when  cotton  manufacture 
and  other  industries  that  began  to  call  the  people  together  so  as 
to  form  industrial  centres  attracted  the  attention  of  many,  Hills- 
borough, like  other  towns  removed  from  the  seacoast,  where 
fishing  was  the  chief  interest,  was  strictly  a  farming  community. 
The  inhabitants  were  scattered  with  their  homesteads  dotting 
hills  and  valleys.  Communication  with  each  other  was  limited 
both  as  to  distance  and  conveyance,  so  they  lived  largely  in  the 
associations  of  their  respective  families.  This  must  not  be  un- 
derstood to  mean  anything  like  hermit  lives,  for  there  was  really 
more  sociability  among  them  than  probably  exists  to-day,  as 
there  were  diver  diversions  to  call  them  into  public  gatherings,  in 
their  seasons,  such  as  the  corn  festival,  the  apple  bee,  the  sewing 
circle,  the  quilting  match,  the  town  fair,  election  day,  Fourth  of 
July,  Thanksgiving,  an  occasional  auction,  singing  school,  spelling 
bee,  prayer  meeting,  etc.,  etc.,  with  above  all  others,  the  church, 


BOUNTIES  ON   WOLVES.  1 65 

which  called  the  sections  of  the  town  together  with  unfailing 
certainty  on  the  Sabbath.  But  for  obvious  reasons  progress  was 
slow,  when  measured  by  the  swiftly-moving  forces  that  are  shap- 
ing to-day,  for  good  or  ill,  human  destiny.  In  a  hundred  years 
the  candle  dip  that  shadowed  all  it  lighted  has  been  supplanted  by 
the  electric  orb ;  the  plow-horse  by  the  motor  car. 

To-day  we  are  protecting  the  deer,  looking  not  with  askance 
upon  the  bear,  and  restocking  our  streams  with  the  finny  tribe 
that  our  would-be  sportsmen  may  enjoy  a  day's  outing  in  woods 
of  a  second  growth. 

Wolves. 

Hillsborough  with  her  sister  towns,  suffered  greatly  from 
the  depredations  of  wolves  during  the  years  1782-83-84-85,  when 
these  everhungry  tormentors  were  vanquished.  Cochrane  in  his 
History  of  Antrim,  says:  "During  the  long  winter  of  1784-85, 
the  winter  being  very  cold  and  the  snow  deep,  the  settlers  were 
often  awakened  in  the  night  by  the  howling  of  wolves  at  the  door, 
or  about  the  barns  where  their  little  flocks  were  sheltered.  To- 
wards sunset,  when  the  men  began  to  hear  their  yelping  in  the 
woods  or  on  the  hills,  they  left  work  and  hurried  home.  Flocks 
were  sheltered  and  the  doors  closed  at  dark."  Fortunately  this 
condition  did  not  last  long.  The  state  offered  generous  bounties, 
often  supplemented  by  the  towns  to  get  rid  of  these  troublesome 
enemies,  and  finally  the  dismal  wail  of  these  detested  denizens  of 
the  forest  ended. 

Bounties  were  offered  for  wolf  scalps  by  the  town  as  late  as 
1788.  Tradition  says  the  last  wolf  killed  in  town  was  about  the 
year  1790,  and  that  the  slayer  was  Major  Isaac  Andrews.  He  had 
discovered  wolf  tracks  in  his  sheep-fold,  and  to  rid  himself  of  his 
dangerous  visitors,  for  it  proved  there  were  three,  he  set  a  fox 
trap  for  the  wary  animals.  On  the  third  morning  he  found  that 
he  had  caught  one  of  the  wolves,  but  the  old  fellow  had  escaped 
with  the  encumbrance.  The  snow  lay  deep  upon  the  ground, 
and  putting  on  his  snow-shoes  he  gave  pursuit,  armed  with  a  gun. 
During  the  chase  that  succeeded  he  realized  that  the  other  wolves 
were  in  company  with  the  one  lugging  the  trap,  and  so  crooked 
was  this  pursuit,  that  the  wolves  crossed  and  recrossed  his  path 
three  or  four  times,  before  finally  he  came  upon  the  entrapped 


1 66  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

animal  on  the  low  ground  south  of  the  home  of  Isaac  Baldwin. 
Though  he  realized  that  the  companions  of  this  wolf  were 
lying  in  wait  near  by  he  fired  at  the  snarling  brute.  His  first 
shot  only  seemed  to  enrage  the  creature,  which  struggled 
furiously  to  reach  him.  Reloading  his  weapon  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, the  second  charge  ended  the  conquest.  The  other  wolves 
did  not  appear  and  Major  Baldwin  never  saw  anything  more  of 
them.  A  wolf  was  started  from  its  lair  a  few  years  after  this, 
and  the  hunter  followed  it  several  days  to  finally  run  it  down  and 
shoot  it  in  Goshen. 

A  moose  was  killed  in  Antrim,  a  little  over  the  town  line, 
in  1790.  Bears  were  in  town  quite  a  number  of  years  after  the 
wolves  had  been  exterminated,  and  the  last  deer  seen  was  about 
1820,  though  of  late  years  under  the  protection  of  the  law  they 
have  been  not  uncommon  visitors  in  town. 

Wild  turkeys  were  shot  in  town  as  late  as  1803,  while 
beavers  and  otters  were  occasionally  seen  as  recently.  The 
meadow  south  of  Loon  Pond  was  at  one  time  flowed  by  beavers 
who  had  constructed  a  high  dam  at  its  lower  end. 

Bear  stories  were  more  popular  than  any  other,  even  fish 
stories. 

James  Carr,  living  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  was  by 
"profession"  a  bear  trapper  and  he  had  a  string  of  bear  yarns 
that  could  keep  most  any  live  boy  awake  all  night  with  the  telling. 
On  an  occasion  going  to  his  traps  in  the  morning  he  found  one  of 
them  gone.  With  his  old  queen's  arm  musket  he  followed  the 
track  made  by  an  entrapped  bear,  until  at  the  end  of  a  mile  he 
discovered  the  animal.  He  laid  down  his  gun,  believing  he  could 
overpower  the  bear  with  a  club.  But  he  over-rated  his  chances, 
and  while  the  brute,  with  one  paw  sent  his  missile  flying  a  rod 
away,  Mistress  Bruin  closed  her  powerful  jaw  upon  Carr's  left 
arm.  Aroused  to  desperation  now  the  trapper  managed  to  draw 
a  pocket  knife  and  he  slashed  the  bear  until  it  was  glad  to  drop 
his  arm,  and  having  freed  itself  from  the  trap  retreated  to  a  ledge 
near  by  where  it  had  its  den  no  doubt.  Though  suffering  from 
the  wound  upon  his  right  arm,  Carr  now  caught  his  firearm  and 
pursued  his  victim.  With  his  second  shot  the  animal  succumbed, 
and  the  Carr  family  lived  on  bear  meat  for  some  time  to  follow. 


BEAR  STORIES.  1 67 

Moses  Steele  once  went  on  a  hunting  trip  with  John  Burns 
of  Antrim,  who  later  removed  to  New  Boston  and  more  recently 
to  Whitefield.  Steele  crossed  the  river  to  the  north  bank  while 
his  companions  remained  on  the  other  side.  Almost  immediately, 
Steele  was  discovered  by  a  huge  bear  that  started  towards  him  at 
a  lumbering  pace.  Steele  turned  to  fire  on  the  aroused  brute  but 
cocking  his  gun  the  flint  fell  into  the  water  leaving  him  at  the 
mercy  of  the  animal.  Burns  was  a  dead  shot  and  fired  across  the 
stream,  his  bullet  passing  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  his  imperilled 
companion.    He  killed  the  bear  when  it  had  almost  reached  Steele. 

Jonathan  Sargent,  leading  his  dog  by  the  string,  while  on  a 
hunting  trip,  called  upon  the  friend  by  the  name  of  Huse,  and 
who  lived  just  over  the  town  line  in  Henniker.  As  he  was  about 
to  start  for  home  he  heard  a  great  commotion  outside  the  house, 
and  upon  rushing  out  found  that  Mrs.  Huse  had  set  the  dog  upon 
the  bear  that  had  appeared  on  the  scene.  The  dog  and  the  bear 
were  having  a  tough  tussle  for  the  mastery,  but  upon  cocking  his 
gun  he  dared  not  fire  for  fear  of  hitting  his  dog.  At  that  moment 
the  fearless  woman  made  a  dash  to  the  rescue  of  the  dog,  and 
before  he  could  reach  the  spot  she  and  his  pet  had  killed  Mistress 
Bruin,  actually  kicked  the  animal  to  death  with  her  bare  feet,  as 
the  story  has  been  told.  The  locality  is  known  as  "Bear  Hill"  to 
this  day. 

Wild  turkeys,  the  gamest  of  all  game,  affording  the  most 
delicious  of  meat  and  the  keenest  lure  of  the  chase  were  shot  in 
town  as  late  as  1802,  the  last  known  victim  falling  before  the  aim 
of  the  unfeeling  marksman  not  far  from  the  south  shore  of  Loon 
Pond.  Salmon  were  abundant  in  the  Contoocook  River  until  the 
dams  of  the  mills  on  the  Merrimack  stopped  their  passage  up  that 
river  and  so  they  disappeared  from  the  tributary  streams. 

Signs  and  Portents. 

Living  in  a  large  measure  isolated  lives,  and  in  such  close 
communion  with  Nature  every  articulation  of  their  environments 
awoke  a  feeling  of  the  unreal,  any  phenomena  unusual  stirred  the 
beholder  with  a  belief  that  it  portended  him  good  or  evil,  as  the 
influence  might  dictate.  So  the  people  of  that  day  were  believers 
in  signs  and  omens,  warnings  and  precautions. 


l68  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Beekeepers  believed  that  bees  would  leave  if  at  the  death  of 
a  member  of  the  family  of  the  owner  crape  was  not  placed  on  the 
hive.  Nothing  must  begin  on  Friday  if  the  doer  wished  to  es- 
cape disappointment  or  it  might  be  dire  disaster.  To  meet  a 
funeral  train  indicated  sickness  or  death  to  the  person  within  a 
twelfth  month.  The  howling  of  a  dog  portended  evil.  The  find- 
ing of  a  horse-shoe  promise  good  fortune  and  to  hang  same  over 
the  door  was  to  insure  good  fortune  to  the  occupants  of  the 
home.  Ringing  in  ears  or  burning  of  the  ears  warned  that  some- 
body was  talking  about  you.  The  birth  of  twin  calves  foretold 
death  in  the  family  within  one  year.  A  rainbow  seen  in  the 
morning,  sailors  take  warning;  rainbow  at  night,  sailor's  delight. 

The  new  moon  seen  over  the  left  shoulder  portended  harm 
within  a  month ;  seen  over  the  right  shoulder  augured  well  for 
the  person.  The  hunter  refrained  from  shooting  a  snake,  believ- 
ing if  he  did  that  his  gun  would  ever  after  miss  the  mark.  To 
break  a  mirror  meant  death  in  the  family  and  seven  years  of  bad 
luck. 

To  put  a  garment  on  wrong  side  out  was  a  sign  of  good  luck 
for  the  day,  unless  the  wearer  should  change  it  when  his  good 
fortunes  would  end  in  some  misfortune.  Did  "the  swallow  fly  low 
this  morning  it  told  of  rain  ere  noon.  As  a  specimen  of  the 
warnings  that  sometimes  came  to  persons,  Mr.  Coggswell,  in  his 
History  of  Henniker,  relates  the  following  incident  which  has  a 
certain  interest  for  residents  of  this  town : 

Capt.  Thomas  Bowman,  under  whom  many  Hillsborough 
soldiers  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  on  a  terribly  dark, 
stormy  night,  shortly  after  the  settlement  of  the  township,  was 
wakened  from  sleep  by  a  loud  rap  upon  his  cabin  door,  and  a 
voice  exclaimed:  "A  man  has  been  drowned  in  the  river!"  Mr. 
Bowman  arose,  lighted  a  pine  torch,  opened  the  only  door  to  his 
little  cabin,  but  no  one  was  to  be  seen.  He  investigated  around 
the  door,  but  no  footprints  were  visible.  He  entered  his  cabin, 
looked  at  his  clock,  the  fingers  of  which  pointed  at  twelve,  and 
thinking  it  too  dark  and  stormy  to  venture  out,  he  lay  down 
again,  but  not  to  sleep. . .  In  the  morning  he  sought  his  neigh- 
bors, and  together  they  went  down  to  the  ford  of  the  river,  where 
they  discovered  the  dead  body  of  a  man,  who  had  evidently 


BELIEF  IN  WITCHCRAFT.  169 

drowned  in  an  attempt  to  cross  the  stream.  The  body  proved  to 
be  that  of  Nathan  Reed,  of  Hopkinton,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
visit  some  of  his  friends  in  Hillsborough. 

Naturally  an  illustration  of  this  kind  went  far  to  convince 
the  beholders  of  the  truth  of  dreams  and  omens,  and  to  be  con- 
tinually on  the  watch  and  guard  against  mischance. 

Witchcraft  and  Folklore. 

The  educated  man  removed  from  the  scenes  of  civilization 
and  placed  for  an  indefinite  period  in  the  solitude  of  the  wilder- 
ness, in  communion  only  with  nature  and  himself,  soon  becomes 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  loneliness  that  pervades  his  environ- 
ments. Locked  within  himself  he  comes  to  look  with  suspicion 
upon  each  changing  form  of  life.  The  silence  masters  him  and 
he  sees  in  each  shifting  portent  a  mystery,  and  reads  in  each 
mystery  a  sign.  He  peoples  the  space  with  invisible  images,  and 
so  sees  unaccountable  shapes  in  the  realm  of  his  vision,  until  its 
horizon  is  fringed  with  the  twilight  of  reason.  His  own  voice 
tells  him  of  his  loneliness  ;  his  own  hands  of  his  weakness.  Alone 
with  nature,  one  or  the  other  must  surrender,  and  invariably  it  is 
man ;  with  his  kind  invincible,  alone  helpless.  So  the  closer  one 
lives  to  nature  the  closer  he  lives  to  life,  which  is  but  a  synonym 
for  mystery,  with  the  mind  forever  trying  to  solve  its  secrets. 

All  pioneer  people,  isolated  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent,  are 
prone  to  believe  in  portents,  and  to  mingle  with  living  objects  the 
phantoms  of  a  creative  mind.  To  account  for  things  they  have 
neither  the  time  nor  the  capacity  to  understand  as  substantial 
objects  they  attribute  to  them  the  imaginary  powers  of  an  un- 
solved mystery.     Pioneers  are  the  children  of  the  races  of  men. 

While  at  this  late  day  we  may  wonder  that  as  intelligent  and 
open-hearted  people  as  settled  in  Hillsborough  should  have  fallen 
under  the  influence  of  superstition  so  far  as  to  take  any  credence 
in  witchcraft  the  evidence  of  the  case  compels  us  to  accept  the 
fact.  Nor  was  this  so  very  strange,  when  the  social  influences  of 
the  times  are  taken  into  consideration.  Whoever  may  have  been 
their  ancestors,  it  was  an  inheritance.  Belief  in  witchcraft  and 
demonology  is  as  old  as  the  history  of  man.  Very  early  in  the 
Bible  we  read  the  admonition :  "Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to 
live !"    A  witch  was  believed  to  be  a  woman  who  had  made  a  pact 


170  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

with  the  devil  to  ride  through  the  air  to  meetings  of  kindred 
spirits.  European  history  is  replete  with  accounts  of  the  burning 
of  witches.  As  early  as  the  middle  of  the  17th  century  there  were 
cases  of  so-called  witchcraft  in  Essex  County,  Mass.  The  col- 
onists of  New  Hampshire  fortunately  were  freer  of  this  uncanny 
belief  than  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut. 

The  good  people  of  Hillsborough,  with  their  sterling  qualities 
and  faces  set  toward  the  rising  sun  of  progress,  were  not  wholly 
free  from  this  vagary,  though  it  did  not  reach  a  violent  stage.  At 
one  time,  as  Deacon  Symonds,  or  it  may  have  been  some  other 
good  man  of  the  church — we  will  not  spoil  a  good  story  by  a  name 
— was  urging  his  ox  team  to  climb  Bible  Hill  with  a  huge  load  of 
pine  logs,  the  load  suddenly  became  stationary.  Shout  as  he 
would  to  the  faithful  oxen,  and  sting  them  with  the  sharp  brad, 
they  could  not  or  would  start  the  sled.  His  neighbors  quickly 
began  to  gather  about  the  place,  one  and  all  devoutly  believing 
it  was  the  work  of  some  witch — doubtless  "Aunt  Jenny,"  who 
lived  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town.  The  deacon  was 
rather  prone  to  disbelieve  this,  but  eventually,  after  nearly  half 
an  hour's  struggling  in  vain  to  move  the  load,  he  agreed  that  it 
must  be  Aunt  Jenny  had  some  spite  against  him  and  was  taking 
this  way  to  "get  even  with  him."  It  was  a  puzzling  situation.  The 
snow  was  hard-trodden,  the  road  as  smooth  almost  as  glass,  the 
oxen  sharp-shod,  the  deacon  one  of  the  best  teamsters  in  town, 
his  cattle  the  best  trained,  so  there  was  no  reason  under  the 
light  of  the  sun  that  the  load  should  not  move,  except  that  latent 
and  malevolent  power  of  poor  old  Aunt  Jenny.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances, what  could  be  done?  Some  suggested  one  thing, 
others  different  treatment,  until  the  victim,  one  of  the  most  sober 
and  industrious  men  on  Bible  Hill,  or  any  other  hill  for  that 
matter,  became  quite  unstrung.  Finally  it  was  proposed  that  a 
horse  shoe  be  heated  to  a  fiery  temperament  and  thrown  under 
the  sled  runner. 

So  a  shoe,  and  it  must  be  a  new  one,  was  obtained  and  laid 
upon  the  bed  of  coals  in  the  deacon's  own  fireplace.  When  it  had 
been  heated  to  the  proper  pitch  one  of  the  young  men  ran  at  the 
top  of  his  speed  with  the  red-hot  charm  held  firmly  in  the  jaws 
of  a  pair  of  huge  tongs.    The  shoe  was  then  dropped  about  mid- 


WITCH    STORIES.  171 

way  along  the  side  of  the  off  runner,  and  left  to  sizzle  and  sputter 
as  if  in  combat  itself  with  an  evil  spirit.  Once  more  the  deacon 
shouts  to  his  oxen,  this  time  with  a  ring  of  confidence  in  his 
voice ;  once  more  he  plies  the  cruel  spur  in  the  end  of  his  six-foot 
goad ;  once  more  the  faithful  oxen  spring  to  their  yokes  as  if  to 
do  or  die !  Lo !  the  sled  moves !  The  horse  shoe  had  broken  the 
spell.  Amid  the  encouraging  cries  of  the  spectators,  the  load  is 
drawn  to  the  top  of  the  hill  before  the  panting  oxen  are  allowed 
to  stop.  Some  of  the  younger  men  of  the  party  rush  post-haste 
to  see  if  Aunt  Jenny  was  suffering  from  any  burns  or  pains 
resulting  from  the  conflict  with  a  hot  shoe.  Deponent  doth  not 
say  if  the  poor  old  lady  cursed  with  evil  powers  was  found  suffer- 
ing any  ill  effects  from  the  affair  or  not,  but  tradition,  which  may 
not  be  true,  does  say  that  two  horse  shoes  were  found  where  only 
one  had  been  known  to  lie.  The  second,  or  strictly  speaking  the 
first,  for  it  had  a  prior  claim  to  the  place,  was  found  to  have  been 
firmly  imbedded  and  frozen  into  the  ice,  with  its  corks  up !  These 
sharp  pointed  instruments  had  caught  deeply  into  the  wood  of  the 
shoe  to  the  sled,  and  been  held  immovable  until  the  red-hot  shoe 
had  melted  the  other  free,  all  of  which  goes  to  prove  that  a  horse 
shoe  heated  very  hot  has  the  power  to  allay  the  mischief  of  a 
witch. 

A  young  woman  had  incurred  the  enmity  of  Aunt  Jenny 
without  knowing  it,  and  upon  one  occasion  she  remarked  to  her 
that  she  was  going  to  ride  over  to  her  sister's  that  afternoon,  the 
day  was  so  beautiful.  Aunt  Jenny,  with  her  peculiar  manner  of 
speech,  replied,  "Meb-be  ye'll  nae  gie."  The  horse  the  young  lady 
was  intending  to  ride  was  in  the  barn,  and  with  a  laugh  at  what 
she  considered  the  old  woman's  foolishness,  she  ran  home  to  put 
the  saddle  upon  the  animal  and  start  so  as  to  get  back  before  the 
day  was  too  far  spent.  Upon  entering  the  barn  the  horse,  usually 
as  docile  as  a  lamb,  was  dashing  madly  about,  gnashing  its  teeth 
and  withal  acting  so  furious  that  she  dared  not  enter  the  build- 
ing. Opening  the  door  a  second  time,  after  the  horse  had  be- 
come a  little  more  quiet,  the  animal  resumed  its  wild  antics  and 
in  the  midst  of  them  flew  out  of  a  small  window  and  ran  down 
the  road  at  a  terrific  speed.  It  required  half  a  dozen  nearly  all  of 
the  afternoon  to  catch  the  creature,  and  as  it  was  then  too  late 
for  its  mistress  to  go  on  her  journey,  it  became  as  docile  as  ever. 


172 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Aunt  Jenny,  whose  name  was  Mrs.  Jenny  Gilchrist,  has  been 
described  as  "a  small,  lean,  sallow,  shrivelled  old  woman,  whose 
later  life  had  been  embittered  by  some  loss  or  wrong  done  her  in 
her  younger  years."  Surely  she  must  have  been  an  ideal  witch. 
The  unfortunate  woman  seems  to  have  been  a  victim  of  her  own 
evil  ogries.  One  of  the  sheep  of  a  neighbor's  flock  showed  sign 
one  day  of  symptoms  of  hydrophobia,  and  the  owner  resolved  to 
put  the  creature  out  of  its  suffering  by  the  use  of  a  heavy  club. 
No  sooner  had  he  dealt  the  fatal  blow  than  Aunt  Jenny  fell  prone 
upon  the  floor  and  was  taken  violently  ill.  A  woman  went  to 
watch  with  her  that  night,  but  was  admonished  by  friends  not  to 
leave  the  sick  one  out  of  her  sight  for  a  moment,  as  witches 
were  believed  never  to  allow  any  one  to  witness  their  death.  Near 
midnight,  however,  something  happened  to  draw  the  attention 
of  the  watcher  to  another  part  of  the  room,  and  when  she  looked 
back  the  spirit  of  Aunt  Jenny  had  fled.    Peace  to  her  ashes ! 

There  were  other  reputed  witches  in  this  vicinity,  and 
numerous  other  cases  similar  to  the  ones  given  might  be  cited 
to  prove  their  existence.  But  it  is  not  a  pleasant  phase  of  life, 
though  this  delusion  under  a  milder  form  and  different  names 
exists  to-day  with  the  human  race ;  always  will,  till  man's  mind  is 
freed  of  the  grossness  of  earth. 

Heads  of  Families. 
The  taking  of  the  first  census  was  quite  an  event  in  local 
communities  and  no  doubt  was  not  very  complete.    The  following 
was  the  return  for  Hillsborough  of  the  census  taken  in  1790. 


Kerr,  Robert 
MoClary,  John 
McClintock,  John 
McClintock,    Alexander 
Wiley,  Timothy 
Taggart,  Robert 
Eaton,  Abnathan 
Clark,  Silas 


.(BO*1 

2  5  .« 

i»    a    CO 

2<o  g  2 


1 

1 
1 

1 
1 

1 


m  oa 
1   u 

fa 


2 
5 
2 

3 
2 


DO 

£H* 


5 
5 

4 
4 
1 
3 

2 


Rolph,  Daniel  1  i 

Robinson,  Samuel  1 

Richardson,  Jonas  1  i 

Symonds,  Joseph  1  i 

Symonds,  Nathaniel  1 

Sargent,  Jonathan  1  3 


Sprague,  John  1  j 

Shattuck,  Abiel  1 


a 


HEADS  OF  FAMILIES,  I79O.  1 73 


§•§11    h     mn 

.t;  <o  .5  *<  .«  >h  *  .£  >m 

■g  s  » °        f  p  a        *  -  ° 

Ayers,  William  14                 3 

Hartwell,  Samuel  13                 3 

Jones,  Moses  1                    IB 

Kendall,  Joshua  1                                    3 

Killam,  Daniel  2                    3                  1 

Kimball,  Benjamin  2                   3                 5 

Little,  Ezekiel  1                                      1 

Little,  <George  12                 5 

Lacy,  Samuel  2                                    1 

Morrill,  John  13                 1 

Monroe,  Thaddeus  13                 1 

Meads,  Benjamin  112 

Meads,  John  1                                      1 

Murdough,  Samuel  13                 3 

Mc  Niel,  Jane  5 

McXiel,  Daniel  12                 2 

Nelson,  Moses  114 

Nichols,  John  2                                      2 

Nichols,  Joseph  12                 5 

Preston,  Jedidiah  2                   3                 3 

Parmiter,  Nathaniel  12                 4 

Bobbins,  Peter  2                   12 

Robbins,  Zaccheus  12                 2 

2 
1 
3 
6 


5 
1 
3 
Taggart  William  2  2  4 

Taggart,   James  1                   3  3 

Train,  Ephraim  1                   3  1 

Wilkins,   Nehemiah  13  5 

Jones,  Joel  2                   2  3 

Wilkins,  Andrew  2                   3  4 

Wheeler,  Oliver  14  5 

Wilkins,  Asaph  112 


174  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


*  *  .3  2  «  id  '3 

fee  -S  s  5"° 

£  i-H   -J  ._,  .»,  t,   3  O  u  B* 


Andrews,  Solomon  12  1 

Barnes,  Asa  12  5 

Bixby,  Andrew  3  1 

Bixby,  John  112 

Elliott,  Roger  1  1 

Fick,  Elijah  13  1 

Gibson,  John,  Jr.  2 

Gibson,  John  2  3  5 

Goodell,  David  2  2  3 

Gray,  Ephraim  3  13 

Green,  David  1  3 

Hutchinson,  William  2  13 

Jones,  Benjamin  3  3  4 

Jones,  Abel  1  3 

Karr,  James  12  3 

Karr,  Thomas  1  2 

Karr,  Thomas,  Jr.  1  2 

Livermore,  David  112 

Little,   William  12  3 

McCally,  John  114 

Miller,  Thomas  2  2  6 

McNiel,  John  2  2  2 

McCally,  James  3  3 

Murdough,  Thomas  1  2 

Marshall,  David  114 

*Pierce,  Benjamin  1  13 

Parker,  William  12  2 

Patton,  Robert  1  1 

Preston,  Samuel  2  2  4 

Pope,  Samuel  13  2 

Parker,  Silas  111 

Richardson,  Parker  2  2  3 

Stowe,  Mary  1  3 

Stevens,   Calvin  14  4 

Smith,  John  113 

Shedd,  John  112 

Steele,  Moses  2  2 

Taylor,  Samuel  13  4 


*N0TE. — Besides   those   listed   above,   there   was   one  free   negro,    who   lived  with 
Benjamin  Pierce. 


VALUATION  OF  TOWN,   1795- 


175 


Town,  Enos 
Taggart,  Archibald 
Taggart,  Joseph 
Talbert,  William 
Temple,  Benjamin 
Wheeler,  Fortunatus 
Miller,  Farrar 
Wiley,   George 
Love,   William 
Jones,  William 
Wiley,  John 


CD  e  "O   O 

s     ° 
■s  2  « •«  k: 

SS  111 


1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
l 
1 
1 
1 


ca  x 

1    bfi  t* 

a;  u 
"3  ■ 

CO     4j 

s  * 

&  ah 

1's 

<u  co 

-^  0  ••■« 

«  r-l 

0 

be 
03 

co 

CD  *d 

-'S 

8  6.3 

0  c 

O 

&. 

£ 

2 

2 

1 

6 

2 

4 

1 

5 

1 

1 

3 

2 

3 

1 

1 

2 
1 

1 

2 

Valuation  of  Hillsborough   for  the  Year  1795. 


Jacob  Spaulding  1 

Jonathan  Dwinnell 
Jonathan  Knights 
Samuel  Ellinwood  1 

Abiel  Shattuck  1 

William  Shattuck  1 

Ebenezer  Harriman 
Zebediah  Shattuck 
Timothy  Burnham 
Joseph  Garey  2 

Thaddeus  Munroe  1 

Darius  Abbott  1 

Calvin  Abbott 
Nathaniel  Cooledge        1 
Nathaniel  Cooledge,  Jr. 
Isaac  Chandler,  Jr. 
James  Taggard  1 

John  Nichols  1 

Aaron  Foster  1 

Joseph  Nichols  1 

Samuel  Lacy 
Daniel  Holden  1 

Jonathan  Sargent  2 

David  Green 
David  Green  Jr.  1 


£ 

s 

d 

James  Eaton 

2 

1 

6 

George  Little 

4 

15 

1 

Ezekiel 

6 

11 

Isaac  Holden 

1 

8 

1 

Timothy  Wiley 

1 

1 

5 

Daniel  Bennett 

1 

7 

5 

William  Coughlin 

16 

10 

John  Craige 

8 

Jedidiah  Preston 

1 

14 

2 

Joshua  Easty 

1 

19 

9 

William  Easty 

2 

Johnathan  Easty 

10 

3 

Daniel  Bolfe 

5 

4 

Smith  Robertson 

11 

2 

George  Booth 

1 

4 

6 

William  Booth 

1 

12 

6 

Edmund  Perkins 

1 

5 

9 

Asaph  Wilkins 

14 

6 

Moses  Nelson 

1 

3 

3 

John  Curtis 

1 

14 

2 

Samuel  Lacy,  Jr. 

8 

Benjamin  Kimball 

1 

6 

Abraham  Kimball 

12 

3 

Asa  Barnes 

18 

3 

Joseph  Taggart 

1 

16 

3 

s 

2 

13 

17 


d 

6 
2 
6 


3 
8 

2 
4 


12  10 

13  8 
18 

1 
12 
15 
16 
15 

8 

8 

9       5 
12 

2 

7       8 

1       4 
1 
3 
12 

6       7 

6       5 

8 
15       3 


176 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


£ 


Joel  Stowe 

1 

2 

Reuben  Killicut 

1 

14 

3 

Thomas  Murdough,  Jr 

. 

14 

William  Ayer 

1 

7 

4 

Thomas  Murdough 

2 

Josiah  Stowe 

3 

Samuel  Murdough 

1 

9 

6 

Elijah  Fish 

1 

10 

8 

Samuel  Pope 

19 

3 

Nathaniel  Parmenter 

1 

1 

Archelaus  Towne 

1 

8 

2 

Stephen  Styles 

15 

John  Towne 

1 

2 

8 

Elijah  Beard 

1 

4 

9 

Abrham  Jones 

15 

6 

David  Marshall 

15 

5 

Joel  Jones 

2 

12 

10 

Edward  Sargent 

1 

2 

11 

Daniel  Kellom 

1 

2 

8 

William  Dickey 

1 

14 

2 

Timothy  Gray 

1 

10 

11 

John  McNiel 

2 

11 

10 

Samuel  Danforth 

12 

7 

William  Little 

19 

2 

Paul  Cooledge 

1 

5 

7 

John  Taylor 

15 

5 

Ephraim  Train 

1 

13 

1 

Roger  Elliott 

19 

11 

David  Bacheldor 

15 

5 

John  Smith 

1 

5 

5 

Kneeland  Abbott 

1 

9 

5 

Samuel  McAdams 

1 

12 

3 

Uriah  Cooledge 

1 

8 

6 

Samuel  Gibson 

1 

17 

2 

Moses  Abbott 

4 

Alexander  Cunning- 

Jesse Kendall 

18 

ham 

1 

1 

William  Hooper 

8 

4 

William  Parker 

10 

11 

Calvin  Stevens 

2 

3 

9 

John  Shedd 

2 

5 

Jones  &  A  Blood 

1 

14 

WUliam  Hutchinson 

1 

14 

11 

Benjamin  Smith 

1 

3 

1 

Thomas  Miller 

1 

4 

3 

Widow  McColley 

4 

James  Wilson 

1 

1 

8 

Jonathan   Danforth 

1 

3 

Thomas  Kellom 

1 

6 

Benjamin  Gould 

17 

1 

Asa  Andrews 

1 

2 

6 

Elisha  Goodell 

8 

William  Talbert 

1 

5 

9 

Luther  Smith 

8 

Andrew  Jones 

9 

Bray  Wilkins 

5 

5 

Jacob  Gould 

2 

1 

Nehemiah  Wilkins 

1 

17 

11 

Nathan  Howe 

2 

6 

10 

John  Dutton 

3 

18 

11 

Samuel  Bobbins 

7 

9 

Benjamin  Dutton 

1 

18 

11 

Eliphalet  Bradford 

1 

17 

1 

Fisher  Gay 

11 

4 

John  Wiley 

9 

Benjamin   Mead 

1 

9 

9 

Joshua  Kendall 

1 

6 

4 

John  Mead 

8 

Samuel  Taylor 

1 

3 

11 

Nathaniel  Heywood 

1 

14 

3 

John  Gibson 

1 

18 

9 

Joseph  Symonds 

2 

3 

6 

Moses  Steele 

5 

14 

1 

William  Symonds 

2 

3 

7 

William  Love 

3 

1 

4 

Samuel  Bradford 

1 

6 

10 

John  McClary 

1 

19 

9 

Samuel  Bradford,  3d 

1 

1 

11 

Benjamin  Jones 

1 

64 

4 

Samuel  Bradford,  Jr. 

1 

1 

11 

Nathan  Kendall 

3 

4 

Daniel  McNiel 

2 

5 

9 

David  Wright 

8 

Isaac  Andrews 

1 

13 

2 

Ebenezer  Nichols 

1 

1 

3 

John  Andrews 

1 

13 

2 

John  Gibson,  Jr. 

8 

Abraham  Andrews 

17 

2 

Enos  West 

8 

Photograph  by  Manahan. 

KITCHEN  IN  OLD  GILBERT  HOUSE. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 

JOHX  GILBERT  HOMESTEAD. 


NON-RESIDENT — PROPERTY,    1 795. 


177 


£ 

s 

d 

£         s 

d 

James  Miller 

3 

8 

9 

William    Fowler 

8 

Benjamin  Pierce 

3 

13 

9 

John  Sprague 

9 

6 

John  McColley 

1 

8 

1 

Isaac  Chandler 

8 

Farrah  Miller 

8 

Joshua   Atherton 

2     10 

William  McClary 

11 

John  Campbell 

10 

Gideou  Knowlton 

9 

9 

Samuel  Patten 

2 

William  McColley 

11 

4 

John  Stewart 

4 

Total  valuation  of  the  inhabitants  is  £258  10  s.  6  d. 

A  true  Coppey 


Calvin  Stevens, 
James  Eaton, 
Samuel  Bradford,  3d 

Selectmen. 
Pr  Calvin  Stevens  T  Clerk 


Valuation  of  the  Non-Residents,  1795. 


Peter  Hill 
David  Williams 
Parker  Richardson 
Edward  Fugger 
Nathan  Kerr 
Widow  Marsh 


Nathan  Austin 


3d  Div.  West  End  of  No.  44  85  acres 
3d  Div.  Part  of  No.  42  50  acres 

3d  Div.  50  acres 

3d  Div.  14  in  42  10O  acres 

60  acres 
2d  Div.  No.  31  100  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  10  200  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  16  West  End      30  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  45,  North  part   146  acres 

50  acres 

Heirs  of  Abraham  Coughlin 

2d  Div.  No.  17  50  acres 

Heirs  of  Sarson  Belshor 

2d  Div.  No.  57  East  part      50  acres 
2d  Div.  No.  52  400  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  32  20O  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  9  200  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  14,  West  part  100  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  26  South  part  100  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  12  in  42  100  acres 

3d.  Div.  No.  12  100  acres 

2d  Div.  No  57  East  half       50  acres 
2d  Div.  No.  45  10O  acres 

2d  Div.  No.  2  100  acres 

2d  Div.  No.  52  100  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  31  200  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  11  200  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  4  West  half     100  acres 


Joseph  Henshaw 


3 
2 
2 

4 
2 
4' 
9 
1 
6 
2 


9 
3 
3 
6 
8 
6 

3 

8 
3 


2 

3 

4 

6 

9 

9 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

2 

3 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

9 

4 

6 

i;8 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Heirs  of  James   Bowdwin  farm 
reabody  &  Choate 
John  Rindge  3d  Div.  No. 


Tomlinson  &  Mason  3d  Div. 

3d  Div, 
3d  Div, 
3d  Div 
3d  Div, 
3d  Div 


No. 
No. 


1 

2  in  47 

8  in  30 


No.  15  in  45 


William  Parker 

George  Jaffrey 

Pierce  &  Moore 

Joseph  Pierce 

John  Moffatt 

George  Atkinson 

M.  H.  J.  Wentworth 

Solley  &  Marsh  3d  Div, 

Richard  Wibird  3d  Div. 

Mr.   Bridge  3d  Div.  No.  33  West   part  100  acres 

Widow  Moore  middle  part  of  the  farm  52  acres 

Jeremiah  Green  877  acres 

Isaac  Jones  part  of  the  Green  farm  100  acres 


12  in  42 
4  in  28 

9  in  41 
No.  7  in  30 
No.  11  in  41 

17  in  43 

10  in  4 


No. 
No. 

No. 


No. 

No. 


1,222  acres 
125  acres 

2,700  acres 
100'  acres 
100  acres 
110  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 
100  acres 


Henry  iSpaulding 
Joseph   Towne 
Brown  Burt 
John  Perkins 
Ebenezer  Weston 
Daniel  Nichols 


15 

1 

5 

7 

4 

G 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

4 

6 

2 

4 

10 

4 

4 

6 

8 

8 

4 

6 

4 

6 

6 

9 

4 

6 

192  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  23  North  part  100  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  6  100  acres 

2d  Div.  No.  20  and  21  150  acres 

2d  Div.  No.  55  100  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  12  North  part   63  acres 
3d  Div.  North  part  63  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  16  100  acres 

3d  Div.  No.  15  North  part    40  acres 
3d  Div.  No.  6  West  part       70  acres 

Total      376  acres         12       4 
Total  valuation  of  Non-Residents  amounts  to  £15     10s  lid 

Calvin  Stevens 
James  Eaton 
Samuel  Bradford,  3d 

Selectmen. 
A  true  Coppey  Pr  Calvin  Stevens  T.  Clerk 

The  holders  of  the  larger  percentage  of  the  non-resident 
land  in  Hillsborough  were  creditors  of  John  Hill.  Among  these 
were  Ex-Governor  James  Bowdoin,  1,400  acres;  Oliver  Peabody, 
300  acres;  Col.  Jabez  Huntington,  Conn.,  1,400  acres;  Jeremiah 
Green,  Boston,  1,700  acres;  Lord  Proprietors,  1,600  acres;  be- 
sides several  smaller  owners  of  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  acres. 

Besides  these  creditors  were  the  heirs  and  family  creditors 
as  follows :  William  Hill,  Esq.,  son,  of  North  Carolina,  2,842 
acres;    Widow    March,    daughter,    1,426    acres;    Mrs.    Garven 


TITLES  OF  NON-RESIDENTS.  1 79 

Brown,  daughter,  1,026  acres;  Capt.  Sarson  Belcher,  Boston,  and 
Joshua  Henshavv,  sons-in-law,  respectively  1,622  and  1,390  acres. 
In  all  these  amounted  to  15,000  acres. 

John  Hill  had  always  offered  the  land  in  Hillshorough  to 
actual  settlers  at  the  nominal  price  of  fifty  cents  an  acre,  and  it 
is  very  doubtful  if  his  activities  here  really  afforded  him  any 
great  financial  benefit.  In  order  to  carry  on  his  various  specula- 
tions he  had  been  obliged  to  realize  money  on  the  unsold  land  that 
he  had  a  few  years  before  his  death.  Upon  his  decease  this  land 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  creditors,  as  mentioned  above. 

In  the  end  many  of  these  properties  held  by  non-residents 
did  not  prove  very  profitable.  Following  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion there  seems  to  have  been  a  "cleaning  up"  of  many  titles. 
Among  these  we  find  a  Colonel  Wallingford's  rights  were  ad- 
vertised and  sold  for  a  small  sum  by  John  Costello,  of  Berwick, 
Me.,  December  16,  1780.  Stephen  Holland's  title  in  Hillsborough 
was  confiscated  and  sold  in  Londonderry,  January  4,  1781.  Heirs 
of  John  Hill  brought  a  suit  against  Joel  Stow  and  Joseph  Taggart 
relative  to  titles  to  land,  and  the  town  chose  Benjamin  Pierce, 
Esq.,  agent  to  defend  the  town.  Nothing  seems  to  have  come  of 
this  claim.  The  last  trace  of  these  titles  of  non-residents  disap- 
peared within  the  memory  of  men  living  to-day. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Story  of  Campbell's  Gore. 

Hillsborough's  Part  in  the  Settlement  of  Windsor— When  Surveyors 
Fell  Short — How  the  Grant  of  a  Township  was  Lost — James  Camp- 
bell's Plight — His  Loss  the  Gain  of  Others — Appeals  for  Incorpora- 
tion Ignored — Hillsborough  Expected  to  Give  of  Her  Territory- 
List  of  Signers  from  Both  Localities — Objections — Voters  in 
Campbell's  Gore — Finally  an  Act  of  Incorporation — A  Title  that 
Came  Too  Late. 

During  the  interval  between  the  closing  of  the  Revolution 
and  the  beginning  of  the  new  century,  when  affairs  both  local  and 
national  had  so  far  shaped  themselves  as  to  form  a  tangible 
government,  here  and  elsewhere,  a  matter  of  interest  and  im- 
portance to  Hillsborough  was  being  agitated  by  a  considerable 
portion  of  its  inhabitants,  as  well  as  others  who  were  outsiders. 
The  subject  was  a  small  section  of  country  lying  on  the  southwest 
border,  which  had  been  an  object  of  anxiety,  expense  and  sus- 
pense to  a  small  group  of  people  for  over  half  a  century.  At  this 
distant  day  it  might  be  difficult  to  find  the  original  records,  and 
the  early  historians  fail  to  mention  it,  but  it  is  evident  there  was 
a  promise  made  if  not  a  grant  to  James  Campbell  of  London- 
derry and  others  of  that  and  adjacent  towns  of  a  tract  of  land 
designated  as  Number  Eight,  which  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  early  deeds  of  Hillsborough.  This  tract  was  better  known  as 
Campbell's  Gore.  The  reason  for  this  was  the  fact  that  when  the 
adjoining  grants  had  been  made  only  a  very  limited  section  was 
left.  No  one  had  stolen  a  township,  nor  had  any  wrong  been  at- 
tempted, but  the  loss  of  territory  was  due  to  the  fact  that  in 
mapping  out  the  different  townships  two  surveyors  were  em- 
ployed, one  starting  at  the  Maine  line  on  the  east  and  the  other 
at  the  Connecticut  River  on  the  west.  This  couple  in  running 
their  lines  met  at  Hillsborough  or  Number  Seven,  when  it  was 
found  that  only  a  small,  three  cornered,  wedge-shaped  gore  of 
land  was  left!  The  bit  of  left-over  real  estate  which  should 
have  been  a  respectable  township  to  be  placed  on  the  map  as 

180 


PLIGHT  OF   JAMES   CAMPBELL.  l8l 

Number  Eight,  was  designated  as  "Campbell's  Gore,"  an  apology 
for  a  township  grant.  Of  course  the  honorable  surveyors  might 
have  done  worse  and  not  left  enough  of  these  hills  and  valleys  on 
which  the  grantee  could  have  written  his  name. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  in  the  midst  of  the  border  wars  which  so 
startled  the  few  inhabitants  of  Number  Seven  that  they  were 
glad  to  get  away,  Mr.  Campbell,  after  more  than  ten  years  of 
patient  waiting,  petitioned  the  General  Court  as  follows : 

Petition  of  James  Campbell,  1748. 

Portsmouth  October  20th  1748 

To  the  Gentlemen  Proprietors  of  Mason's  Right  in  Lands  in  ye 
Provs  of  New  Hampshire  Gentm 

I  the  Subscriber  in  behalf  of  my  selfe  and  others  Inhabitants  of 
Chester  &  Londonderry  do  petition  your  favour  to  grant  to  such  a 
Number  of  us  and  in  Such  manner  as  shall  Seem  meet  to  you  a  tract 
of  Land  or  Such  part  thereof  as  you  shall  think  fit  Scituated  &  ly!ng 
Chiefly  to  ye  North  of  ye  road  leading  from  New  Boston  So  called  to 
Hillsborough  So  called ;  and  in  order  thereto,  do  propose  to  preferr  to 
the  Said  Proprietors  a  plan  of  ye  Scituation  &  extent  of  the  Said  tract 
of  Land  with  a  List  of  the  men's  Names  who  will  be  Your  Petitioners, 
by  ye  Second  day  of  November  next,  in  ye  mean  time  pray  the  Said 
tract  of  land  may  nor  be  otherwise  disposed  of  and  you  will  greatly 
Oblige  me  &  others  your  friends  &c 

James  Campbell 

Masonian  Papers,  Vol.  8,  p.  132. 

For  some  reason  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  supplications 
of  the  grantees  of  the  little  plot  of  land  they  had  fondly  hoped  to 
possess,  notwithstanding  the  expenses  which  had  been  incurred 
in  surveys  and  laying  out  lots,  and  the  grant  of  Number  Eight 
was  unrecognized,  so  another  attempt  was  made  to  secure  the 
desired  territory,  which  met  with  no  better  success. 

Unfortunately  the  early  records  of  Windsor,  and  such  papers 
as  related  to  the  original  tract  denominated  Campbell's  Gore, 
were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1850,  so  the  historian  has  to  grope  his 
way  in  darkness  in  trying  to  ascertain  the  course  of  affairs  fol- 
lowed by  the  pioneers.  It  is  certain  that,  notwithstanding  the 
inattention  made  to  their  appeals  for  assistance,  several  families 
settled  here  within  three  years  after  James  Campbell  sent  his  last 
petition. 


l82  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Throughout  this  period  would-be  purchasers  of  land  in  this 
district  seemed  quite  numerous,  as  it  was  looked  upon  as  very- 
desirable  land.  In  keeping  with  the  grasping  nature  of  those  in 
control  before  the  Revolution,  28  lots  in  this  small  tract  of  land 
had  been  reserved  for  them,  two  lots  to  fifteen  beneficiaries,  the 
two  lots  needed  to  make  up  the  full  number  being  taken  from 
Bradford.  But  all  of  these  titles  vanished  as  "scraps  of  paper" 
when  the  War  for  American  Independence  turned  in  favor  of  the 
colonists.  There  were  then  about  ten  families  in  this  section,  and 
during  the  Revolution  the  handful  of  inhabitants  did  their  duty, 
the  following  men  serving  to  the  credit  of  adjoining  towns:  Joel 
Richards,  Stephen  Wyman,  Thomas  Stickney,  Jonathan  Swett, 
Asa  Dresser,  Nathan  Barker  and  John  Gordon.  Doubtless  there 
were  others. 

The  character  of  the  settlers  and  the  situation  in  the  Gore  is 
well  illustrated  by  the  words  of  Col.  John  Goffe,  that  veteran 
scout  and  trainer  of  Rogers  and  the  Starks  in  their  preparation 
for  the  border  wars,  who  in  an  appeal  to  the  proprietors  in  1779, 
declared  them  to  be  "resolute  fellows  that  could  give  Mason's 
proprietors  no  better  name  than  Tories." 

The  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  found  the  few  rugged 
families  in  Campbell's  Gore,  if  relieved  of  the  sufferings  of  strife, 
still  laboring  under  certain  difficulties  from  which  regularly  in- 
corporated towns  were  free.  It  is  true  they  were  law-abiding 
citizens  and  hence  could  get  along  peacefully  without  a  govern- 
ment, but  troubles  from  many  sources  arose,  not  the  least  being 
that  with  non-residents,  so  a  petition  was  signed  by  a  dozen  of  the 
citizens  and  sent  into  the  General  Court  asking  for  authority  to 
tax  outsiders,  to  enable  them  to  build  a  much  needed  bridge. 

No  attention  seems  to  have  been  paid  to  this  petition,  but 
the  inhabitants  had  already  organized  themselves  into  a  com- 
munity government,  levied  taxes,  not  forgetting  on  this  special 
occasion  the  outsiders  or  non-residents  who  owned  land  within 
the  territory,  so  the  bridge  was  built,  the  first  one  of  importance 
in  town.  After  considerable  discussion  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  southwestern  part  of  Hillsborough  and  those  of  the  unfortu- 
nate little  plot  of  country  granted  to  a  man  who  had  not  lived  to 
enjoy  its  fruitage,  the  following  document  was  sent  to  the  General 
Court  in  1790: 


PETITION   FOR   INCORPORATION.  183 

Petition  of  Inhabitants  of  Campbell's  Gore  and  Part  of  Hills- 
borough for  Incorporation,  1790: 

To  the  Honourable  Senate,  and  house  of  Representatives  in  Gen- 
eral Assembly  convened  at  Portsmouth,  within  &  for  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire — 

The  Petition  of  us  the  Subscribers  being  Inhabitants  of  a  track 
of  Land,  called  Campbell's  Gore — and  also  of  Sundry  of  the  Inhabi- 
tants, living  in  the  Southwest  part  of  the  town  of  Hillsborough — Most 
humbly  Shews— That  the  said  track  of  Land  first  Mentioned,  con- 
taining but  About  3000  Acres,  which  is  to  small  ever  to  become  a  town 
or  parish  Sufficient  to  Maintain  the  Gospel  or  carry  on  Publick 
business,  and  its  .Situation  is  such,  that  it  cannot  be  Joined  to  any 
Lands  for  its  Relief,  except  a  track  of  Land,  Lying  in  the  southwest 
part  of  said  Hillsborough  on  which  a  number  of  your  Petitioners  reside, 
and  are  desirous  of  being  United  with  the  Inhabitants  of  Campbell's 
Gore,  by  an  Incorporation  vesting  them  with  such  town  privileges  and 
Immunities  as  other  towns  in  the  iState  hold  and  do  enjoy — That  the 
whole  town  of  Hillsborough  contains  about  26000  Acres,  and  the  part 
hereby  requested  to  be  Joined  to  the  said  Gore  contains  only  a'bout 
6000  Acres — That  should  the  prayer  of  this  petition  be  granted  will 
then  contain  about  20000  Acres,  a  Quantity  Sufficient  to  afford  Ample 
support  for  a  Minister  &  remain  a  respectable  town,  and  we  cannot 
see  any  111  convenience  that  will  attend  the  granting  this  Request, 
as  the  town  of  Hillsborough  have  Erected  a  new  Meeting  house  and 
have  Setttled  a  Minister  of  the  Congregational  Standing,  the  old 
parish  of  Hillsborough  being  the  greatest  Majority  carries  all  Votes 
to  their  Liking,  &  we  being  Presbyterians  cannot  Join  with  them- 
Although  we  have  helped  to  defray  all  charges,  and  not  willing  to 
make  any  Difficulty  in  a  new  Country,  and  as  Opportunity  now 
presents  to  Join  said  Gore,  to  be  releaved  from  our  present  bondage, 
we  trust  they  will  make  no  Opposition  in  this  our  request,  which  we 
hope  will  appear  to  your  honours  very  Reasonable  &  draw  a  small 
part  of  your  Attention  on  the  Premises — Your  petitioners  therefore 
most  humbly  pray,  that  an  Act  may  pass  the  Honourable  Assembly, 
Incorporating  into  a  town  the  said  Gore,  with  the  Southwesterly  part 
of  Hillsborough,  according  to  the  following  Directions  and  Boundaries 
(Viz)  Beginning  at  the  Southeast  corner  of  Lot  No  39  in  the  third 
Division  (so  called)  being  the  south  bounds  of  said  Hillsborough, 
thence  North  about  15  Degr  West,  in  the  east  bounds  of  the  Wester- 
most  range  of  the  said  third  Division,  Lots  to  the  Northeast  corner 
of  Lot  No  6  in  said  Division,  thence  south  Eight  Degr  and  an  half 
West,  to  the  North  West  corner  of  said  Lot  N°  6  thence  Northerdly 
about  30  Rods  to  the  Northeast  Corner  of  Lot  No  58  in  the  Second 


1 84 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Division,  thence  Westerdly  in  the  North  bounds  of  said  Lot  N°  58, 
N°  27  and  N°  16  to  the  West  bounds  of  said  Hillsborough — Then  pur- 
suing the  North  west  and  South  Lines  of  said  Gore  as  the  same  are 
now  reputed  to  be,  till  it  shall  come  to  the  South  west  Corner  bound 
of  said  Hillsborough,  thence  Easterdly  in  the  "South  Line  of  Hills- 
borough to  the  place  of  beginning — Your  petitioners  therefore  most 
humbly  pray,  that  a  Committee  be  sent  on  said  premises  viewing  our 
Situation,  and  setting  of  so  much  as  said  Boundaries  specifies,  or  any 
other  Lines,  as  they  in  their  Wisdom  sees  fit — And  Your  petitioners  as 
in  Duty  bound  will  ever  fervently  Pray  &c  &c  &c — 

Dated  January  6th,  1790. 

Names  of  the  Signers  belonging  to  Hillsborough : 


David  Goodell 
John  mcClintock 
John  M°Cleary 
Andrew  Bixbee 
Moses  Steele 
Thomas   murdough, 
John  Bixbe 
Joseph  Taggart 
Alexander    mcClintok 
Fortuns    Wheeler 
Solomon  Andrews 


William  Love 
David  Livermore 
Samuel  Pope 
Tssachar  Andrews 
benjamin  Jones 
benjamin  Jones  Jun 
John  Gibson 
Archibald   Taggart 
I    william    Hutching- 
son      has      nothan 
against    being    sot- 
of— 


Tho  miller  Miller 

James  Miller 

William  Tallant 

Samuel  Preston 

Robert   patten 

I  John  McNeaill  has 
nQthan  against  be- 
ing Sat  of — 

hugh  Smith 


Names  of  the  Signers  belonging  to  Campbell's  Gore 


Josiah  Swett 
David   Perkins 
Stephen  Wyman 
John  Goodell 
Nathan   Barker 
Joshua   Jones 


Daniel   Bixbe 
Josiah  Swett  Jun 
James    Jones 
John  Boche 
John  Roach  Jr 
James   Roche 
Jonathan   Swett 


Asa  Dresser 
Ebenr  Curtice 
Daniel  Gibson 
Henry  Bagley 
William  Jones 
Daniel  Gordon 


In  House  of  Representatives,  January  16,  1790,  Robert 
Wallace,  of  Henniker,  Ninian  Aiken,  of  Deering,  and  Capt. 
Daniel  Miltimore,  of  Antrim,  were  appointed  as  a  committee  "to 
view  the  situation"  and  report  to  the  next  session.  Council  non- 
concurred. 

Another  petition  dated  May  28,  1790,  and  signed  by  eighteen 
men  in  Hillsborough  and  sixteen  in  Campbell's  Gore,  was  sent  to 
the  court,  which  was  looked  upon  with  favor  by  the  House  of 


PRAYERS   MADE   IN   VAIN.  1 85 

Representatives,  but  this  called  forth  the  following  remonstrance 
against  being  incorporated  with  "any  part  of  Washington  or 
Stoddard" : 

The  Petition  of  Sundry  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Campbells  Gore, 
humbly  Sheweth,  that  whereas  there  is  a  Petition,  now  laying  before 
your  Honours  the  Prayer  of  which  is— that  Campbells  Gore  part  of 
Hillsborough  and  other  Lands  be  Incorporated  into  a  town — the  Order 
already  taken  on  said  Petition  now  lays  in  the  Report  of  your 
Honours  Committee  and  Appointed  for  a  day  of  hearing,  and  as  it 
Appears  to  us  your  Petitioners  that  if  the  Report  of  said  Committee 
Should  be  that  we  are  to  be  Annexed  with  any  part  of  Washington  or 
Stoddard  it  would  be  much  more  to  our  Disadvantage,  than  to  be  as 
we  are — We  your  petitioners,  therefore  humbly  Pray,  that  we  may 
not  be  Incorporated  into  a  Town,  with  any  part  of  Washington  or 
Stoddard — All  which  is  humbly  submitted  to  your  honours  to  do  as  in 
your  great  Wisdom  may  see  meet — 

And  your  petitioners  as  in  duty  bound  shall  ever  Pray — 
Given  at  Campbells  Gore 
Feb?  23d  1791— 

Jonathan   Swett  William  Jones  Junr       Danill  Gordon 

David  Perkins  Sam1    Bradford    Juner  Benjamin  Jons  Jr 

Saml  Jones  Jun'  James  Roche  John  Roche  Jr 

Nathan  Barker  Abiathar  Eaton  Stephen  Wyman 

Josiah   Proctor   Jur  Joel   Richards  Isace   Curtice 

The  petition  referred  to,  following  its  preamble,  had  said : 

The  petition  of  us  the  Subscribers,  being  Inhabitants  of  a  track 
of  Land  called  Campbell  Gore — and  also  of  Sundry  of  the  Inhabitants 
living  in  the  South  west  part  of  the  town  of  Hillsborough — 

Most  humbly  Shews — 

That  the  said  track  of  Land  first  Mentioned,  containing  between 
3  and  4000  Acres,  which  is  to  small  ever  to  become  a  town,  or  parish 
sufficient  to  maintain  the  Gospel,  or  carry  on  publick  business,  and  its 
Situation  is  such,  that  it  cannot  be  Joined  to  any  Lands  for  its  relief, 
except  a  track  of  Land,  lying  in  the  South  West  of  said  Hillsborough, 
on  which  a  number  of  your  petitioners  reside,  and  are  desirous  of 
being  United  with  the  Inhabitants  of  Campbells  Gore  by  an  Incorpora- 
tion vesting  them  with  such  town  privileges  and  Immunities  as  other 
towns  in  the  State  hold  and  do  Enjoy — 

That  the  whole  town  of  Hillsborough  contains  about  the  Quantity 
of  26000 — and  part  hereby  requested  to  be  Joined  to  the  said  Gore 
Contains  only  about  6000  Acres— Your  petitioners  therefore  most 
humbly   pray,  that  an  act   may  pass  the  honourable   Assembly — In- 


1 86  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

corporating  into  a  town  the  said  Gore,  with  the  South  West  part  of 
Hillsborough,  according  to  the  following  Description  &  Boundaries 
(Viz)  Beginning  at  the  South  east  Corner  of  Lot  N°  39  in  the  third 
Division  (so  called)  being  the  south  bounds  of  said  Hillsborough 
thence  North  about  15  Degrees  West,  in  the  east  bounds  of  the  Wester- 
most  range  of  the  said  3d  Division  Lots,  to  the  Northeast  Corner  of 
Lot  iN°  6  in  said  Division,  thence  south  Eight  Degree  and  an  half  West, 
to  the  North  West  Corner  of  said  Lot  N°  6,  thence  Northerdly  about 
30  Bods  to  the  North  east  Corner  of  Lot  N°  58  in  the  second  Division, 
thence  Westerdly  in  the  North  bounds  of  Hillsborough,  Then  pursuing 
the  North  West  and  South  Lines  of  said  Gore  as  the  same  as  are  now 
reputed  to  be — till  it  shall  come  to  the  South  West  cornerbounds  of 
said  Hillsborough — thence  easterdly  in  the  south  Lines  of  Hillsbor- 
ough to  place  of  beginning. 

Voters  in  Campbell*  s  Gore,  1791. 

A  trew  Becord  of  the  inhaberance  of  Campbels  Gore  being  Voters 
at  the  Prescent  Day 

John  Boch  Juner  Joel  Bichards  James  Boch 

James  Jones  Nathan   Barker  Danil  Gibson 

Danill  Gorden  Isaacher    Andrews  Ebenezer   Curtis 

William  Jones  Jun*       Joshua  Jones  John    Curtis 

Benjamin   Jones  Juner  Stephen  Wyman  Isace  Curtis 

Josiah  Swett  Juner        Davod  Pirkins  David  Morrison 

Sam1  Jones  Asa  Dresser  Henry  Bagly 

Josiah   Proctr  Jonathan    Swett  Sam1   Bradford 

Isaac  Dodge  John  Boch  Abither  Eaton 

A  trew  Coppy  of  the  above  inhabetance 

by  me 

Joel  Bichards  T :  Cleark 

Campbels  Gore  June  the  9  yr  1T91 

The  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Campbell's  Gore  increased, 
a  regular  town  government  was  established  and  seems  to  have 
flourished  fairly  well,  but  it  was  not  until  December  27,  1798, 
that  a  town  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Windsor.  It 
was  one  of  the  smallest  towns  in  the  state  in  area,  while  its  in- 
habitants number  only  sixty-five.  June  21,  1797,  a  small  tract 
of  land  lying  next  to  Washington,  known  as  Wheeler's  Gore,  had 
been  annexed,  so  the  new  township  contained  five  thousand,  three 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres.  Joshua  Lovejoy  was  authorized 
to  issue  a  warrant  for  the  first  town  meeting  in  January,  1799, 
which  was  held  in  his  house.  The  soil  and  physical  features  of 
the  new  town  were  considered  favorable  for  its  growth,  but  its 


DESERTED  HOMESTEADS.  187 

pioneers,  for  reasons  of  their  own,  settled  far  apart,  and  the 
corporation  never  had  a  collection  of  dwellers  of  sufficient  num- 
bers to  deserve  the  name  of  a  "village."  Its  isolated  situation 
was  against  any  permanent  extension  of  business,  and  whenever, 
for  any  reason  either  by  death  or  removal,  a  family  abandoned 
one  of  the  homesteads  no  one  was  ready  to  continue  its  cultiva- 
tion, so  one  by  one  the  farmsteads  were  deserted,  until  to-day 
only  a  very  few  remain  to  remind  us  of  the  original  grantees  with 
their  trials  and  disappointment.    Its  title  had  come  too  late. 


CHAPTER  X. 
The  Town  Church. 

First  Ministers  in  Hillsborough — Organization  of  the  First  Church  So- 
ciety— When  Meeting  Houses  were  Built  by  the  Town — Religious 
Elements  in  Town — Congregationalist — Presbyterian — Ancestors 
of  the  Early  Settlers — Yorkshire  Men — Scotch  Irish — Colonel 
Hill's  Gift  to  the  Town— Settling  a  Minister — Building  the  Sec- 
ond Meeting  House — The  Reverend  Jonathan  Barnes — The  Ordi- 
nation—'Growth  of  Town— First  Warning  "to  Meet  at  the  Meeting 
House"-^How  War  Retarded  Religious  Work— The  Glass  Saved 
from  First  Meeting  House  Used  for  Second— The  People  Outgrow 
the  Meeting  House — Removed  for  a  Larger  and  Handsomer  Edifice. 

The  first  minister  to  hold  meetings  in  town  in  the  pioneer 
meeting  house  of  Number  Seven  was  the  Rev.  Daniel  Wilkins  of 
Amherst,  a  sturdy  disciple  of  the  gospel.  There  is  no  record  to 
show  how  often  he  came  nor  if  other  preachers  came  to  the 
isolated  settlement  striving  to  make  a  place  for  itself  on  the  map. 
The  earliest  ministers  to  visit  Hillsborough  in  the  churchless 
days  of  the  second  settlement  in  the  wilderness  were  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  William  Houston  of  Bedford  and  Samuel  Cotton  of 
Litchfield  and  James  Scales  of  Hopkinton.  They  assisted  in  the 
organization  in  the  first  church  society  in  1769,  which  accepted 
the  Congregational  mode  of  church  government,  though  there 
were  several  earnest  Presbyterians  among  the  inhabitants. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  formation  of  the  religious 
society  in  the  town  and  the  building  of  what  was  practically  the 
first  meeting  house,  we  cannot  or  should  not  fail  to  remember 
the  shadow  under  which  it  was  accomplished — the  shadow  of  a 
great  war  and  the  wonder  becomes  that  they  should  have  per- 
formed their  task  as  well  as  they  did.  This  is  explained  in  part 
by  the  words  of  Mr.  Lyman  W.  Densmore  in  his  excellent 
monograph  on  the  "old"  meeting  house  so  called : 

"My  readers  of  New  England  birth  do  not  require  to  be 
told  that  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  colonies  provision 
for  public  worship  and  the  building  of  'meeting  houses'  was 

188 


RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER  OF  THE  SETTLERS.  189 

strictly  the  business  of  the  town  as  a  body  politic,  and  that  until 
the  increased  wealth  of  the  struggling  communities  justified  the 
erection  of  town  halls  the  practice  generally  was  to  hold  town 
meetings  in  them.  The  term  'church'  as  applied  to  houses  of 
divine  worship,  was  universally  tabooed  by  public  sentiment,  the 
rural  population  being  almost  entirely  non-conformists,  and  hold- 
ing the  practices,  as  well  as  the  designation  of  things  connected 
with  the  worship,  of  the  English  church  in  utter  abhorrence. 
Hence,  always  'meeting  house,'  never  'church'." 

The  early  settlers  of  Hillsborough  were  composed  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  sturdy  yeomanry  that  composed  the  predominat- 
ing inhabitants  of  the  Merrimack  valley,  and  the  equally  sterling 
refugees  of  northern  Ireland,  whose  ancestors  had  emigrated 
previously  from  Scotland.  The  first  class,  who  were  somewhat 
in  the  majority,  without  the  austerity  of  the  Pilgrim  or  the 
aristocracy  of  the  Puritan,  were  men  and  woman  who  had  come 
to  New  England  mostly  from  Western  England  with  the  avowed 
purpose  of  founding  for  themselves  homes  in  the  wilderness  and 
to  better  their  conditions.  Their  leading  trait  was  a  love  of 
liberty,  tempered  with  an  unswerving  fidelity  in  their  social  rela- 
tions. They  were  preeminently  a  home-making  people.  They 
were  Protestants  of  the  Orthodox  faith.  Unlike  the  two  ele- 
ments already  mentioned,  they  did  not  nurture  in  their  hearts  a 
religious  grievance,  but  they  came  here  with  a  desire  to  improve 
their  condition  in  life.  They  were  the  progressive  pioneers  of 
New  England.  Scarcely  a  town  granted  in  New  Hampshire  that 
was  not  made  up  largely  of  these  people.  In  the  cosmopolitan 
make-up  of  the  English-speaking  races  these  colonists  could 
claim  a  remote  kinship  with  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans,  but  far 
enough  removed  to  have  moulded  a  new  type  of  citizenship 

Possessing  as  rugged  virtues  as  the  others,  and  bearing  a 
yoke  of  religious  persecution  that  made  the  loads  of  the  Pilgrims 
and  Puritans  seem  light,  the  Scotch-Irish  colonists  belonged  to  an 
entirely  different  ancestry.  A  complete  analysis  of  their  fore- 
bears would  require  more  space  than  could  be  given  here.  In 
the  remote  past  their  distant  ancestors  had  entered  Ireland,  and 
driving  the  native  population  known  as  Celts  from  their  pathway, 
they  crossed  the  island,  giving  their  names  and  titles  to  the  race 
they  had  subjugated  to  a  certain  extent.     In  626  certain  ones  of 


I90  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

this  uneasy  body  of  Milesians  or  Scots  crossed  over  the  North 
Channel  into  Ancient  Caledonia  to  overpower  the  Picts  on  the 
highlands  and  the  Saxons  on  the  lowlands,  as  they  had  the  Celts 
in  Ireland.  Then  the  country  became  known  as  Scot's  Land 
or  Scotland. 

Scarcely  had  the  new-comers  become  located  in  their  adopted 
land  than  they  found  themselves  environed  by  perils  and  hard- 
ships. One-half  of  the  land  of  a  poor  nation  had  been  engrossed 
by  its  lords  and  bishops.  The  churches  and  cathedrals  glittered 
with  wealth  taken  from  the  hovels  and  cottages  of  the  peasants, 
so  the  great  majority  of  the  people  grovelled  in  poverty.  The 
Moses  to  bring  light  to  the  benighted  land  was  a  young  student  at 
Wurtenburg,  Patrick  Hamilton,  who  had  listened  to  the  inspired 
teachings  of  Martin  Luther.  Upon  returning  to  his  native  coun- 
try to  declare  the  doctrine  of  the  new  religion  he  was  met  with  a 
cordial  reception  from  the  "Scotch-Irish,"  as  the  newcomers 
into  Scotland  were  denominated  for  the  first  time. 

Young  Hamilton  and  scores  of  others  equally  as  brave  and 
patriotic  lost  their  lives,  while  hundreds  of  years  of  bitter  battling 
followed.  Often  the  brave  Presbyterians  were  so  hard  pressed 
that  their  cause  seemed  hopeless.  But  the  fire  kindled  by 
Hamilton  would  not  be  quenched,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  spec- 
tacle to  see  hundreds  of  the  outlawed  people  coming  out  from 
their  concealment  to  listen  under  some  wide-spreading  tree  to  the 
fervid  pleadings  of  a  spiritual  leader  upon  whose  head  at  that 
moment  even,  was  a  heavy  reward.  In  the  early  part  of  this  long 
interval  of  semi-darkness  a  considerable  number  of  the  Scottish 
Covenanters  returned  across  the  Channel  into  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, which  since  the  departure  of  their  ancestors  had  been 
terribly  ravaged  by  the  English,  so  that  the  land  was  deserted  of 
its  inhabitants  and  despoiled  of  its  wealth.  Under  this  most 
depressing  situation,  after  more  than  a  thousand  years,  the 
descendants  of  the  early  Scots  of  Ireland  returned  to  the  scenes 
of  their  forefathers.  With  no  open  arms  to  receive  them,  they 
set  about  to  repair  their  shattered  fortunes.  It  is  well  to  remem- 
ber that  in  the  long  period  between  the  exit  of  the  fathers  and  the 
return  of  the  sons,  the  Scots  had  mingled  more  freely  with  the 
Picts  and  Saxons  than  they  had  ever  done  with  the  Celts,  and 


FIRST  CHURCH  SOCIETY  IN  TOWN.  191 

that  over  thirty  generations  of  this  mixed  product  had  appeared 
and  vanished  during  an  interval  long  enough  to  have  obliterated 
many  racial  characteristics ;  aye,  to  have  created  a  new  race  in  the 
crucible  of  destiny. 

If  these  earnest  Presbyterians  had  hoped  to  escape  persecu- 
tion by  their  flight  to  Ireland,  they  were  woefully  mistaken. 
Zealous  Protestants,  in  the  days  of  James  the  Second  of  England, 
they  supported  William  of  Orange  against  his  tyranny.  In 
the  fierce  struggle  that  ensued  they  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten 
by  their  English  ally,  who  in  truth  had  all  on  hand  he  could 
attend  to  at  home,  so  the  oppressed  refugees  were  obliged  to 
intrench  themselves  within  the  walls  of  Old  Londonderry.  Then 
followed  that  siege  which  forms  one  of  the  most  stirring  chapters 
of  famine,  torture  and  fortitude  that  history  records,  until,  when 
it  was  almost  too  late,  relief  came. 

Soon  after  the  closing  scene  in  this  drama  of  warfare,  in 
1689,  or  within  twenty-five  years,  these  oppressed  people  began 
to  come  to  New  England.  Obtaining  a  grant  of  New  Hamp- 
shire ten  miles  square,  which  they  named  Londonderry,  they 
rapidly  settled  that  section  and  pushed  into  the  adjoining  towns. 
From  that  vicinity  came  the  Scotch-Irish  pioneers  of  Hillsbor- 
ough and  adjacent  towns. 

This  in  brief  is  the  story  of  the  ancestries  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Hillsborough,  and  who  were  now  ready  to  unite  in 
forming  a  church  society  and  building  a  meeting  house.  The 
first  actual  move  made  with  that  object  in  view  was  the  formation 
of  a  Congregational  society  in  1769.  No  doubt  the  disturbing  in- 
fluences of  the  brooding  Revolution  to  a  considerable  extent 
delayed  decisive  action,  as  the  coming  war  interfered  with  the 
building  of  the  church. 

Church  and  State. 

The  colonists  of  Hillsborough  and  their  children,  while  not 
as  rigid  in  their  religious  views  as  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans, 
were  still  zealous  adherents  to  the  tenets  of  the  church  and  lived 
devoutedly  Christian  lives,  feeling  the  influence  of  their  religion 
upon  the  working  days  as  well  as  upon  the  Sabbath.  As  has 
been  remarked  by  far  the  largest  percentage  of  them  preferred 
the   ancient   Congregational   mode   of   church   government   and 


I92  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

discipline.  Out  of  respect,  however,  to  the  minority  the  leaders 
consented  to  what  was  known  as  "Half  Way  Covenant,"  a 
modified  form  of  the  Congregational  faith.  Faded  and  time- 
eaten  sheets  of  an  old  record  book  contains  all  that  comes  to  us 
of  the  written  words  of  that  important  occasion,  as  follows : 

"In  Hillborough. 
"A  Convenant  was  signed  &  a  Church  imbodied  October  12th  1769. 

Church  Covenant. 

"Whereas  it  hath  pleased  the  great  &  glorious  God  of  his  free 
&  rich  grace  to  call  &  except  us  sincere  &  unworthy  creatures  into 
covenant  with  his  majesty  in  christ :  we  do  therefore  in  a  deep  sense 
of  out  unworthiness  &  and  with  an  humble  dependance  on  divine  grace 
for  assistance  &  acceptance ;  solemnly  prefessing  our  firm  belief  of  the 
christian  faith  according  to  the  Doctrine  of  the  holy  Scripture,  avering 
that  God  whose  Name  alone  is  Jehovah,  father  son  and  Holy  Ghost,  to 
be  our  God  and  the  God  of  our  seed. 

"Particularly  we  profess  the  Doctrine  of  the  (not  legible)  &  guilt 
brought  upon  all  the  Natural  Posterity  of  the  first  Adam  by  his  sin  in 
eating  the  forbidden  fruit  &  of  the  Doctrine  of  free  justification  & 
salvation  of  all  if  are  chosen  to  salv,  by  union  to  save  thro  his  merits, 
meditation  &  interception  without  any  merits  of  their  own. 

"Also  the  Doctrine  of  the  Church  Membership  of  the  infant  Seed 
of  Visabl  Believers  &  their  Right  thro,  the  gracious  grant  of  God  to 
ordances  of  Baptism  &  of  Baptism  by  sprinkling  is  sufficient  &  Natural 
&  that  it  is  ye  Duty  of  all  persons  who  expect  ,Salv  by  Christ  to  be 
subject  to  him  &  to  wak  in  all  his  commandents  &  Ordinances  Blaim- 
less  We  do  therefore  make  afirm  Covanant  with  God  &  Christ 
acknowledging  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be  our  Prophet  Priest  &  King 
promising  by  his  gracious  assistance,  to  submit  to  his  government ;  to 
all  his  Holy  Laws  &  ordinances,  to  shun  all  errors  with  al  ungodlyness 
&  unrighteousness ;  to  keep  up  &  practice  Religion  in  our  families,  to 
bring  up  out  Children  in  his  fear  &  service,  &  to  Walk  before  him  all 
things  according  to  his  word. 

"We  also  promis  to  walk  together  as  a  Congregational  Church  in 
the  faith  &  order  &  fellowship  of  this  Gospel  in  mutual  Love  &  watch- 
fulness for  the  regular  carrying  on  of  worship  &  ordinances  of  God ; 
according  to  his  instruxion  &  promoting  our  mutual  edification  in  faith 
&  holiness  according  to  the  Ruless  of  Government  &  Descipline 
mentioned  in  the  Cambridge  Platform." 

There  is  no  list  of  members  appended  to  this  document,  and 
nothing  to  indicate  of  whom  or  how  many  it  was  composed,  nor 
is  there  any  record  of  any  church  meeting  for  more  than  three 


MEETING  HOUSE  HILL.  I93 

years,  when  the  call  was  made  for  Mr.  Barnes  to  preach.  How- 
ever, John  Mead,  h  id  been  chosen  to  the  office  of  Deacon,  and  in 
1775,  May  15,  Tristram  Cheney  was  chosen  to  the  same  office. 

Col.  John  Hill  who  had  so  generously  aided  and  encouraged 
the  upbuilding  of  the  religious  interest  and  construction  of  the 
meeting  house  for  the  first  party  of  pioneers,  was  no  less  friendly 
to  this  second  band.  Unfortunately  for  some  of  these  settlers,  as 
well  as  for  himself,  he  had  met  with  financial  reverses  so  that 
he  was  unable  to  lend  the  assistance  he  would  otherwise  have 
given.  As  it  was,  he  donated,  or  set  apart  from  his  reserve  of 
land,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  for  the  benefit  of  the 
first  settled  minister.  He  also  gave  the  inhabitants  a  ten-acre 
plot  of  land  for  a  bi  ilding  lot  and  yard  as  a  suitable  site  for  the 
forthcoming  meeting  house. 

The  meeting  hoase  lot  was  situated  on  the  summit  of  a 
commanding  elevation  of  ground  nearly  three-eights  of  a  mile 
southeast  of  the  exact  centre  of  the  town,  but  geographically  as 
well  located  for  the  people  as  could  be  secured.  As  far  as  its 
natural  attractions  were  concerned,  a  happier  location  could  not 
have  been  selected.  Rising  over  five  hundred  feet  above  the 
banks  of  the  Contoocook  River  which  appeared  here  and  there 
through  the  rifts  in  the  forest  like  links  of  silver  on  the  green 
mantle  of  the  wildwood,  the  view  westward  was  stopped  only  by 
the  dividing  ridge  of  highlands  running  parallel  with  the  Con- 
necticut valley ;  on  the  south  the  beholder  saw  grand  old  Monad- 
nock  at  his  best,  while  swinging  towards  the  east  and  round  to  the 
north  the  panorama  embraced  "the  hundred  hills"  of  the  Merri- 
mack valley  and  the  cordon  of  highlands  and  mountains  more 
than  fifty  miles  away.  Small  wonder  if  "Meeting  House  Hill," 
as  it  became  known,  won  a  wider  reputation  than  local  circles, 
and  "beautiful  for  situation  was  the  joy  of  Hillsborough." 

It  was  ten  years,  however,  after  the  coming  of  Daniel  Mc- 
Murphy  and  his  good  wife  to  lay  the  foundation  for  the  second 
settlement  before  the  inhabitants  felt  equal  to  building  a  house. 
During  the  interval  services  were  held  with  as  much  regularity  as 
is  possible  with  one  or  another  of  the  families.  When  the  weather 
would  permit,  the  meetings  were  called  in  some  one's  barn,  where 
a  greater  space  for  the  audience  could  be  obtained,  the  women 


194  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

being  allowed  seats  in  the  center.  In  the  colder  or  stormy 
seasons  the  worshippers  met  in  one  of  the  dwelling  houses. 
There  was  no  settled  minister,  and  the  names  of  only  a  few  of 
those  who  ministered  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  have 
been  preserved.  Among  these  were  the  names  of  Rev.  Jonathan 
Barnes  of  Amherst. 

In  order  to  accomplish  the  permanent  establishment  of  a 
religious  society  and  build  a  meeting  house,  it  was  almost  neces- 
sary to  effect  an  organization  and  to  incorporate  a  township. 
This  matter  began  to  be  seriously  discussed  in  1771,  and  definite 
action  was  taken  the  following  year,  as  has  been  described  else- 
where. 

November  9,  1772,  Mr.  Isaac  Baldwin,,  who  had  been  selected 
by  Governor  John  Wentworth  to  lead  in  the  organization  of  the 
new  town,  issued  the  warrant  for  the  first  town  meeting,  fixing 
the  date  as  November  24th,  in  the  house  of  Capt.  Samuel  Brad- 
ford, innholder. 

Simultaneously  with  this  call  there  seems  to  have  been 
another  for  the  inhabitants  to  convene  at  an  earlier  hour  to  con- 
sider the  proper  course  to  pursue  relative  to  settling  a  minister. 
The  records  of  this  meeting,  dated  5  years  after,  read  as  follows : 

Hillsborough,  November  24th,  1777. 

At  a  Church  meeting  it  was,  voted  unanimously  that  Mr.  Jonathan 
Barnes  take  the  Charge  and  oversight  of  the  Church  and  flock  of  Christ 
in  this  Town  aforesaid  and  that  he  settle  with  us  in  the  work  of  the 
gospell  Menestry  according  to  the  platform  of  Church  disapline 
Comanly  Called  Cambridge  platform,  so  far  as  it  agrees  with  the  word 
of  God  or  the  sacred  Scripture. 

Voted :  that  They  will  give  him  thirty  pounds  Lawf ull  money  by 
way  of  settlement,  and  that  they  will  give  him  thirty  five  pounds 
Lawful  a  year  for  the  next  four  year,  and  then  forty  pounds  a  year 
untill  there  be  70  famelys  in  Town,  and  when  there  is  seventy  famelys 
in  Town,  he  is  to  be  intitled  to  fifty  pounds  a  year  wether  sooner  or 
Later,  and  is  to  be  fifty  pounds  a  year  from  the  time  of  70  famelys 
Coming  in  to  the  Town  till  there  be  90  families,  and  after  there  is 
90  families,  it  is  to  be  sixty  pounds  a  year  untill  there  is  won  hundred 
and  ten  famelies  in  Town,  and  after  there  is  110  famelies  in  Town  it 
is  to  be  sixty  six  pounds  thirteen  shillings  and  fore  pence  aneuely  so 
long  as  he  shall  continue  in  the  minestry  among  us,  and  forthermore 
that  we  will  alow  him  two  or  three  sabbaths  in  a  year  to  visit  his 
frinds. 


CHURCH  AND  TOWN   MEETINGS. 


195 


The  same  day  Directly  after  the 
Church  meeting  the  Town  meet  and 
Concored  with  the  Church  in  giving 
Mr.  Jonathan  Barns,  a  Call  to  settle 
with  them  in  the  work  of  the  Gospell 
Menestry  and  would  Give  him  a  Settle- 
ment as  Salerey  aboue  mentioned  and 
there  was  Not  one  opposing 
Timothy  Wilkins 
Joseph    Clark 

Bejn  Lovjoy  the 

John  Mead  Congregation 

George  Booth 
Isaac  Andrews 
Joshua  Estey 


Willm  Pope 
Saml  Bradford  Junr 
Timothy  Bradford 
willm  Jons 
andrew  wilkins 
Samll  Bradford  3d 
Isaac  Baldwin 
John  Sargent 
Nehemiah  wilkins 
Anthony  morin 
Willm  Williams 
archable  Taggart 
Jonathan  Durant 
Baxter  how 


Sam1!  Bradford 
Isaac  Andrews 
Isaac  Baldwin 


Chose  as  a  Committy  to 
present  there  Call  to 
The  person  Elect 


The  church  meeting  dissolved  the  town  meeting  was  called 
to  order  by  the  moderator,  Mr.  Isaac  Baldwin,  at  ten  o'clock,  the 
same  place  and  day,  when  the  provisions  of  the  Governor  in 
granting  the  town  charter  were  considered  and  accepted.  After 
disposing  of  the  first  three  articles  in  the  warrant,  which  related 
to  the  charter  and  election  of  a  board  of  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year,  action  was  taken  upon  the  4th  article,  viz. : 

To  se  if  the  Town  Wil  Confirm  and  Establish  what  they  done 
with  Regard  to  settling  Mr.  Jonathan  Barns  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel 
Ministry 

Voted  on  the  4th  article  to  Eenew  the  Call  to  Mr.  Jonathan  Barns 
to  setle  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry 

Voted  that  Capt  Samll  Bradford  should  keep  the  Counsel  at  the 
ordenation 

The  town  meeting  then  adjourned  to  a  date  in  December, 
when  the  newly  elected  board  of  town  officials  were  sworn  to 
their  duties. 

The  preliminaries  must  have  been  attended  to  and  Mr.  Barnes 
been  prepared  for  the  call,  as  the  ordination  took  place  the  day 
following  the  first  town  meeting.  It  must  have  been  an  un- 
common event,  in  more  ways  than  one,  for  the  newly  fledged 
town,  probably  the  most  noteworthy  the  community  had  ever 


I96  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

known.  In  those  days,  when  ministers  were  in  many  instances 
the  only  publicly  educated  men  in  a  community,  they  were 
esteemed  as  among  the  elect.  Not  infrequently  they  wore 
magnificent  wigs  and  were  distinguished  for  their  faultless,  if 
not  courtly,  attire.  In  many  cases,  where  it  was  possible,  a 
candidate  going  to  the  place  of  ordination  was  escorted  by  a  large 
proession  led  by  a  band  playing  martial  music  in  military  spirit, 
till  the  marching  column  had  reached  the  meeting  house  or  the 
scene  where  the  exercises  were  to  take  place.  Sometimes  the 
newly-elected  minister  preached  the  ordination  sermon,  but  when 
convenient  another  divine  performed  this  part  of  the  service. 

Only  traditions  of  that  faraway  day  in  1772  come  down  to 
us  of  the  manner  in  which  the  young  minister  from  Amherst  was 
inducted  into  his  noble  office,  but  these  are  sufficient  to  show  us 
the  elaborate  preparations  that  were  made  for  the  solemn,  yet 
happy,  occasion.  In  order  to  accomodate  the  crowd,  for  every 
able-bodied  person  within  a  radius  of  at  least  ten  miles — and 
many  from  a  longer  distance  — was  expected  to  be  present,  Lieut. 
Samuel  Bradford's  commodious  barn  at  his  homestead  on  Bible 
Hill  was  made  ready  for  the  meeting.  The  home  made  brooms 
in  dexterous  hands  swept  the  floors  clean,  and  when  the  dust  had 
settled  the  beams  and  walls  were  decorated  with  vines  and  ever- 
green gathered  by  the  young  people  eager  to  do  their  part,  until 
the  roughness  of  the  interior  of  the  building  was  concealed 
beneath  the  festoons  and  mantles  of  foliage.  Benches  were  ar- 
ranged to  accomodate  the  congregation,  there  being  reserved  seats 
in  the  center  for  the  women,  while  at  the  upper  end  was  a  raised 
dais  for  the  ministers  and  deacons  who  were  to  assist  in  the  in- 
duction of  the  young  pastor  into  his  new  pastorate. 

While  this  work  was  being  done  Captain  Bradford  had  sent 
a  proper  escort  to  accompany  the  candidate  to  receive  his  honors, 
and  when  the  young  minister  came  upon  the  scene  you  may  be 
assured  he  was  received  with  proper  decorum  that  did  not  de- 
preciate the  glad  welcome  of  one  and  all.  It  was  noticed  that  he 
appeared  somewhat  nervous,  as  if  shrinking  from  the  publicity 
of  the  ordeal,  but  his  handsome  features,  pale  as  a  student  fresh 
from  his  studies,  denoted  a  firmness  of  character  that  won  the 
confidence  of  all. 


REV.  JONATHAN  BARNES.  197 

The  Rev.  James  Scales  of  Hopkinton  seems  to  have  preached 
the  ordination  sermon,  but  beyond  this  meagre  fact  we  get  no 
particulars.  But  nothing  marred  the  even  tenor  of  the  promising 
ceremonies,  and  with  great  expectations  on  the  part  of  his  parish- 
ioners Rev.  Jonathan  Barnes,  on  that  gray  November  day  in  1772, 
came  to  the  pastorate  at  the  call  of  the  church  and  town,  the  first 
settled  minister  in  Hillsborough. 

He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  a  young  man  with 
the  spirit  and  vigor  of  twenty-three  years,  earnest  and  full  of 
promise  for  the  future.  He  had  already  taken  unto  himself  a 
wife,  who  was  a  fit  companion  and  helpmeet  for  such  a  man.  His 
induction  into  the  ministry  here  had  been  on  Wednesday,  and 
that  very  week  the  household  goods  of  the  young  couple  were 
moved  hither  from  Amherst  over  the  road  that  has  since  become 
a  noted  highway  of  travel.  Its  condition  at  that  time  may  be 
understood  when  it  is  known  that  it  required  three  men  to  main- 
tain the  equilibrium  of  the  vehicle  bearing  the  household  goods  of 
the  new  minister,  and  it  may  be  easily  imagined  these  were  not 
very  abundant. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  moved  into  a  house  which  had  been 
provided  for  them,  in  1774,  and  he  took  possession  of  the  260 
acres  of  land  Colonel  Hill  had  so  generously  allotted  the  first 
minister,  so  in  case  his  salary  should  not  prove  adequate  to  sup- 
port his  family  he  could  be  farmer  as  well  as  minister,  which  he 
proved  himself  capable  of  becoming.  He  was  fortunate  in  that 
respect,  as  the  salary  allowed  him,  of  necessity  was  meagre  and 
curiously  hedged  in  with  conditions  and  expectations,  as  witness 
the  quaint  language  of  the  vote  as  recorded  in  the  Town's  book. 

Mr.  Barnes  possessed  "a  generous,  sympathetic  heart,  and 
an  open  hand ;  need  and  sorrow  found  in  him  a  ready  helper. 
Earnest  and  impressive  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  of  an  unsectarian 
liberality  of  view,  and  of  a  Christian  catholicity  of  feeling  towards 
those  who  could  not  believe  as  he  did,  quite  uncommon  in  his  day. 
As  a  citizen  he  exerted  a  commanding  influence  in  maintaining 
social  order,  preserving  unanimity  of  feeling,  and  otherwise  ad- 
vancing prosperity  of  the  town."  The  benefit  of  the  service  of 
such  a  person  under  the  situation  of  that  trying  period  cannot 
be  over-estimated. 


I98  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Winter  was  now  close  at  hand,  and  the  religious  services 
held  by  the  new  minister  were  of  necessity  given  in  a  dwelling 
house,  most  of  the  time  in  that  of  Captain  Bradford  on  Bible  Hill. 

It  was  nothing  unusual  to  hold  religious  services  in  barns, 
the  weather  permitting,  and  no  more  earnest  audiences  have  ever 
been  found  under  more  attractive  environments.  But  the  in- 
habitants of  Hillsborough  had  no  intention  of  letting  the  situation 
rest  under  these  conditions.  During  the  winter  plans  were  dis- 
cussed relative  to  building  a  house  of  worship  the  following 
summer.  So  in  the  warrant  for  the  town  meeting  called  for 
March  25th,  1773,  the  following  articles  appear  as  the  real  ob- 
ject of  the  occasion : 

21y,  to  see  if  the  town  will  agree  to  build  a  meeting  house  for  the 
Publick  worship  of  God  in  said  town. 

31y.  to  see  where  the  town  will  agree  to  set  said  house,  and  also 
to  give  the  Dementions  how  Large  to  buld,  and  Chuse  a  Comety  to 
buld  said  house,  see  where  it  shall  be  bult. 

Action,  for  some  reason  not  indicated,  was  unfavorable,  as 
it  was — 

Voted  the  article  Concarning  bulding  meeting  house  be  Dismissed 
for  this  time 

As  far  as  related  to  the  ministry  in  the  town  the  voters  were 
unanimous  in  their  support : 

Voted,  and  hereby  Do  Eatfy  Extablish  and  Confirm  all  and  every 
artele,  voted,  the  24th  of  Noumbr  Last  past  as  mentioned  in  this 
warrent  Relative  to  the  Revd  iMr.  Jonathan  Barnes  as  now  upon 
record 

The  meeting  was  finally  adjourned  to  the  15th  of  the  follow- 
ing April,  but  that  date  falling  upon  Fast  Day  another  adjourn- 
ment was  made  to  the  4th  of  May,  at  which  time  definite  action 
was  taken  relative  to  the  matter. 

Voted  21y  to  buld  a  meeting  house  this  year — the  Length  35  feet 
Bredth  30  feet  and,  9  feet  stud 

Voted  to  set  the  meeting  house  on  the  Land  Colin  Hill  Gave  for 
that  purpose 


FIRST  ROADS  IN  TOWN.  199 

Voted,  to  Chuse  a  Commite  for  Carying  on  the  work  of  bulding 
the  above  said  house 

Isaac  Andrews 
Voted  John  McCalley  the  Cometty 

Timothy  wilkins 

Voted  to  alow  Captt  Samll  Bradford  his  account  for  keeping  the 
Counsel  at  the  ordenation  of  the  Revd  mr.  Jonathn  Barnes  which 
acount  was  9 — & — 8  Lawfull  money 

Voted  to  alow  the  Settlement  of  the  Rvd  Jonathan  Barnes :  which 
was  30—0 — 0 

At  last  definite  action  had  been  taken  in  regard  to  building 
the  proposed  meeting  house  and  the  site  fixed  by  the  gift  of 
Colonel  Hill  ratified.  The  records  do  not  show  that  any  opposi- 
tion to  the  selection  was  made  by  the  voters,  though  it  is  possible 
there  were  those  who  would  have  preferred  to  have  had  the  new 
edifice  built  on  Bible  Hill,  as  they  readily  foresaw  that  once  the 
church  was  established  elsewhere  it  would  lose  its  chief  attraction. 
Still  very  little,  if  any,  selfishness  was  displayed  in  the  matter. 
As  Mr.  Densmore,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  considerable  of  my 
information,  says :  "To  them  Meeting  House  Hill  was  in  anticipa- 
tion the  Mount  Zion,  to  which  their  hearts  at  once  began  to 
turn,  and  of  which  they  were  ready  to  say  with  the  Psalmist, 
'Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth  is  Mount 
Zion'  .  .  .  'and  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  come,  let 
us  go  up  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.'  For  years  to  come  nearly 
all  of  the  tribes  of  the  town  did  go  up,  some  on  horseback,  more 
on  foot,  coming  from  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  town,  some- 
times following  the  few  roads  scarcely  yet  begun,  to  be  rendered 
passable  only  in  coming  years,  oftener  finding  their  way  through 
dense  forests  in  paths  marked  by  blazed  trees." 

During  the  interval  that  had  elapsed  between  the  ratification 
of  the  town  charter  and  the  official  selection  of  the  site  for  the 
meeting  house,  the  selectmen  had  laid  out  three  roads  and  eight 
more  followed  with  the  location  of  the  church  edifice  in  some  way 
connected  with  their  destination.  Not  always  was  this  clearly 
defined  to  him  unfamiliar  with  the  topography  of  the  country, 
but  not  to  be  mistaken  by  those  who  had  the  situation  fixed  in 
their  hearts. 


200  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

There  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  unnecessary  loss  of 
time  in  beginning  work  upon  the  new  meeting  house  and  before 
fall  the  frame  was  raised.  But  funds  were  lacking,  to  carry  on 
the  work,  and  at  a  special  meeting  held  November  i,  1773,  it 
was — 

Voted,  to  Raise  30  pounds  Lawfull  towards  bulding  the  meeting 
House 

Work  evidently  continued  on  the  structure,  and  at  the  annual 
town  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Baxter  How,  innholder, 
on  March  31,  1774,  the  9th  article  in  the  warrant  read, 

"To  see  if  the  town  will  impower  the  Committee  Chosen  for 
Carying  on  the  work  of  the  Meeting  House  to  sell  the  pew  ground 
except  one  for  Mr.  barns  and  Dispose  of  the  Efekts  towards 
finishing  the  House." 

The  matter  was  dismissed  at  this  time,  but  a  special  meeting 
was  called  for  April  27,  when  it  was  given  full  consideration. 
It  was  then — 

Voted — the  Comitte  to  sell  the  pew  Ground  at  Publick  Vandew 
and  Dispose  of  the  efects  for  the  use  of  the  House 

Voted  the  Eeverand  Mr.  Barnes  have  the  improvement  of  the 
town's  Land  at  the  meeting  House  this  year 

Voted  to  Vew  the  Ground  at  the  Meeting  House  spot  for  a  burying 
place 

Voted :  Timothy  wilkins  Daniel  McNeal  the  Committe  to  Vew  the 
■Ground  for  a  burying  and  make  Return  to  the  town  at  the  Next 
meeting 

Isaac  Andrews  Town  Clerk 

At  the  annual  meeting  it  was  voted  to  "set  the  Pound  as 
near  to  the  meeting  house  as  would  be  convenient." 

The  warrant  for  the  next  special  meeting  called  for  Novem- 
ber 14,  1774,  contained  an  interesting  item  in  the  notice  "  to 
Meet  at  the  Meeting  House  in  said  town."  Though  there  is  no 
record  to  prove  it  in  existence  it  is  probable  that  religious  ser- 
vices had  already  been  held  in  the  house,  while  it  was  still  un- 
finished. It  was  so  occupied  whenever  the  weather  would  permit, 
and  generally  the  town  meetings  were  held  here.  It  must  have 
been  far  from  rain  proof,  as  it  is  related  that  on  one  occasion 
while  Mr.  Barnes  was  preaching  through  a  shower  his  boots  were 
filled  with  water  and  he  was  severely  drenched. 


a  minister's  meagre  salary.  201 

At  this  meeting  on  the  14th  of  November  for  the  first  time 
the  designation  of  "dollar"  is  given  in  reckoning  the  currency  of 
the  day.  Hitherto  the  currency  in  circulation  had  been  in  the 
English  denomination  of  pounds,  shillings  and  pence.  After  this 
date  the  accounts  of  the  country  were  still  computed  in  English 
form. 

It  had  now  been  over  eighteen  months  since  the  first  vote 
had  been  taken  relative  to  building  a  meeting  house,  and  the 
structure  was  still  far  from  completion.  As  slow  as  the  progress 
had  been  thus  far,  it  moved  yet  slower  in  the  years  to  come. 
That  was  in  truth  a  period  when  there  was  a  dullness  in  business 
everywhere.  Ominous  signs  and  indications  predicted  the  coming 
of  an  earnest  struggle  the  real  depth  and  breadth  of  which  no 
man  could  foresee.  The  annual  meeting  for  1775  contained  no 
mention  of  the  meeting  house. 

A  subtle  hint  at  the  stringent  situation  of  the  day  is  shown  in 
the  following  record  expressed  in  the  quaint  language  of  the 
times : 

August  ye  17th  1775 
Hillborough.    .    this  may  Sartiphy  that  Considering  the  exteron- 
nary  diffecoltys  that  we  now  labor  under  I  do  give  to  the  six  dollars 
as  a  free  gift  out  of  the  present  years  Sallory 

In  confirmation  of  the  above  I  hereunto  set  my  Hand 

Jona  Barns 

This  was  exactly  two  months  after  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Mr.  Barnes'  generosity  did  not  end  with  this  gift,  for  he 
gave  freely  of  his  meagre  pittance,  notwithstanding  the  straitened 
condition  of  his  own  family.  Mrs.  Barnes,  who  proved  herself 
worthy  of  so  noble  a  man,  in  later  years  told  the  grandmother  of 
Mr.  Lyman  W.  Densmore  that  "their  circumstances  were  so 
narrow  that  when  ministers  from  abroad  were  expected  as  guests 
of  her  husband,  she  was  compelled  to  hide  her  loaves  of  brown 
bread,  the  best  she  could  afford,  to  keep  her  hungry  children  from 
picking  at  them  between  meals,  and  making  them  unpresentable 
at  the  table !  At  another  time  it  took  the  entire  amount  of  Mr. 
Barnes'  salary,  as  fixed  by  contract,  to  buy  a  pig,  with  the 
depreciated  currency  then  in  use." 


202  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  previous  winter  had  been  unusually  severe,  and  at  the 
March  town  meeting  a  vote  was  taken  to  see  if  the  church  meet- 
ings should  not  be  held  in  the  dwelling  of  Deacon  John  Mead. 
But  the  motion  did  not  prevail,  and  the  meetings  were  continued 
in  the  unfinished  meeting  house. 

At  a  special  meeting  held  April  22,  1776,  George  Booth, 
Samuel  Bradford,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  Murdough  were  chosen  a 
committee  "to  finish  the  meeting  house." 

Capt.  Samuel  Bradford,  who  had  been  very  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  church,  had  died  since  March  and  his  son  and 
namesake  now  came  forward  to  take  his  place. 

September  23,  1776,  at  a  special  meeting,  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  Lt.  Daniel  McNiel,  William  Jones,  and  Ens.  Timothy 
Bradford  was  chosen  to  see  how  accounts  stood  in  regard  to 
finishing  the  meeting  house.  At  this  same  meeting  it  was  meant 
to  hold  the  meetings  in  the  meeting  house  by  refusing  to  have 
preaching  at  the  house  of  Capt.  Joseph  Symonds.  At  this  time 
Lieut.  Daniel  McNiel,  Lieut.  Samuel  Bradford,  and  William  Pope 
were  selected  as  a  Committee  to  settle  with  the  first  committee  to 
build  the  meeting  house. 

Here,  as  far  as  the  records  show,  the  matter  rested  for  this 
year.  The  gravity  of  the  situation  was  increasing  rather  than 
growing  more  hopeful.  With  less  than  fifty  rateable  polls,  the 
number  of  able-bodied  men  was  considerable  less,  while  from 
among  these  at  one  time  or  another  more  than  a  majority  were 
in  the  army.  The  expense  incurred  in  carrying  on  the  war 
amounted  to  more  than  five  times  as  much  as  the  cost  of  main- 
taining affairs  at  home.  This  burden  was  more  than  trebled  by  a 
depreciated  currency  and  the  almost  total  absence  of  gold.  In 
addition  to  this  there  were  roads  to  lay  out,  build  or  repair,  and 
bridges  to  construct,  all  of  which  meant  much  hard  work  and 
more  or  less  financial  outlay.  With  all  of  this  there  were  the 
duties  of  home,  the  improvements  on  the  rocky  farms,  the  upkeep 
of  the  buildings  and  the  ministration  to  the  needs  of  the  family, 
if  simple  not  to  be  overlooked. 

Despite  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  the  perplexing  affairs  of 
the  world,  the  interest  in  spiritual  matters  continued  to  absorb 
to  a  considerable  extent  the  minds  of  the  people.  Somehow,  if 
not  by  official  report  (the  records  show  none)  the  actual  condi- 


WORK  ON  THE  MEETING  HOUSE.  203 

tions  regarding  the  meeting  house  was  understood  and  "Vbtted 
to  Chuse  John  McClintock,  Nathanel  Cooledge  and  Samuel 
Preston  for  a  committee  to  finish  the  meeting  house." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  these  were  new  men  for  the  task,  but 
that  does  not  signify  that  the  previous  members  had  been  derelict 
in  their  duties,  for  they  were  now  in  the  army. 

May  28,  1777,  another  committee  was  chosen  to  look  into  the 
situation  in  connection  with  the  building  of  the  meeting  house, 
the  board  consisting  this  time  of  Lt.  Daniel  McNiel,  Lt.  Samuel 
Bradford  and  William  Pope  "to  Settel  with  the  first  meeting 
house  committee." 

Votted  to  Raise  twenty  four  Pounds  to  be  Laid  out  on  the  meeting 
house 

The  committee  chosen  at  this  meeting  to  investigate  the  ac- 
count of  the  building  committee  reported  very  promptly,  as 
follows : 

the  Committe  Chosen  to  Settle  with  the  first  meeting  house  Report 
that  they  find  in  their  hands  as  follows  Viz  money  four  pounds  four 
teen  shillings  and  one  penny  Double  tens  one  thousand,  Linseed  oil 
one  Gallon  white  Lead  four  pounds,  Spanish  white  fourteen  Pounds, 
board  nails  Six  hundred 

Hillsborough  June  ye  25,  1777 

Daniel  McNeal 
William  Pope 
Daniel  Bradford 

Committe 
A  true  Copy 

Attest 

William  Pope  town  Clerk 

The  work  on  the  meeting  house  was  now  happily  nearing  its 
completion.  On  the  third  article  in  the  warrant  for  a  special 
meeting  held  on  September  29,  1778, 

31y  to  be  if  the  Towne  Will  Chouse  one  man  and  Impour  him  to 
look  up  the  former  meeting  house  glass  which  Coin  Hill  gave  to  this 
town  which  glass  has  been  Saut  out  in  Severall  Places  and  Impower 
Him  to  Prousecute  as  needs  be. 

31y  Isaac  Andrews  Esq  Chosen  to  Loock  up  the  former  Meeting 
house  glass  and  So  the  meeting  Desolved 


204  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  glass  to  the  windows  of  the 
early  meeting  house  built  in  1739  was  buried  for  safety  when  the 
house  was  burned.  Upon  the  beginning  of  the  second  settlement 
this  had  evidently  been  recovered  and  kept  all  of  this  time  for 
possible  use. 

At  the  annual  meeting  hold  on  March  25,  1779,  a  request 
from  Mr.  Barnes  for  permission  to  fence  and  improve  the  cleared 
land  south  of  the  meeting  house,  leaving  room  for  a  highway, 
for  some  reason  was  denied. 

March  25,  and  again  April  20,  of  the  same  year,  it  was  voted 
to  sell  the  pew  grounds  at  public  auction.  September  4,  1780, 
the  selectmen  were  impowered  to  glaze  the  windows  of  the  meet- 
ing house.    At  the  annual  town  meeting  March  29,  1781,  it  was — 

Voted  to  alow  Isaac  Andrews  and  Nathaniel  Coolidge  14  times  as 
their  accounts  stands  at  where  the  work  was  done  by  them  to  finish 
the  meeting  house. 

This  wide  margin  was  allowed  on  account  of  the  great 
shrinkage  in  the  purchasing  power  of  the  currency  of  that  day. 

With  this  vote  the  accounts  of  the  first  church  on  Meeting 
House  Hill  closes  as  far  as  the  town  records  are  concerned  in  its 
construction.  No  doubt  it  was  a  source  of  an  honest  pride  to  its 
builders,  and  the  hardships  its  construction  had  incurred  were 
forgotten.  Better  yet  peace  had  come  to  the  country,  and  where 
had  flashed  the  soldier's  sword  the  ploughshare  now  glistened 
under  the  guidance  of  the  hands  of  the  husbandman,  and  peace- 
ful industry  and  prosperity  went  hand  in  hand.  A  new  form  of 
government  was  established  and  under  its  benign  influence  Hills- 
borough, like  other  New  England  towns  increased  in  population 
and  expanded  in  religious  as  well  as  political  liberty. 

For  nearly  twenty  years,  considering  the  first  meeting  held 
within  its  unfinished  walls  to  the  closing  of  its  doors  in  1794,  the 
old  meeting  house  received  the  sober  worshippers  at  its  shrine 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  while  the  town's  people  gathered  here  to 
conduct  the  civil  affairs  of  the  community.  But  in  all  that  long 
period  it  had  no  facility  for  heating,  and  when  the  weather  be- 
came too  severe  for  the  devout  listeners  to  withstand  the  cold 
through  two  long  sermons  and  singing  and  praying  to  match  in 
corresponding  length  of  time,  they  would  adjourn  to  the  pastor's 


BECOMES  A      NOON  HOUSE.  205 

house.  Finally  the  day  came  when  the  audiences  had  outgrown 
the  capacity  of  the  old  building,  and  it  may  be  a  pride  in  some- 
thing more  attractive  if  not  more  holy  gradually  discounted  the 
virtues  of  the  old  house  of  refuge. 

The  historian  of  the  church  that  was  to  follow,  and  from 
whom  I  have  already  quoted  quite  liberally,  remarking  upon  the 
situation  says :  "it  was  a  commanding  elevation  something  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  southeast  of  the  geographical  centre  of 
the  town,  early  designated  as  the  most  suitable  location  for  public 
business  and  divine  worship,  elevated  more  than  500  feet  above 
the  Main  street  in  the  Bridge  village,  commanding  a  view  to  the 
eastward,  beyond  the  Merrimack  valley,  southward  nearly  to  the 
Massachusetts  line,  including  grand  old  Monadnock  in  all  its 
majesty  of  proportion,  westward  to  the  height  of  land  between 
Merrimack  and  Connecticut  rivers,  only  limited  as  to  the  northern 
outlook  by  the  Bradford  hills,  it  was  and  is  'beautiful  for  situa- 
tion, the  joy  of  the  sons  of  Hillsborough'  scattered  over  the  face 
of  the  earth." 

The  first  meeting  house  at  the  Centre  was  replaced  by  the 
larger  house  in  1794.  An  outcast  now  the  smaller  building  by 
vote  of  the  town  was  sold  at  "vendue"  April  28,  1795,  Benjamin 
Pierce,  Esq.,  being  the  highest  bidder  at  twenty-five  dollars  and 
fifty  cents,  became  its  owner.  The  stipulation  was  that  it  should 
be  removed  before  the  last  day  of  the  following  June,  but  for 
some  reason  the  owner  failed  to  carry  out  his  condition,  so  the 
town  granted  him  further  time,  and  on  September  3,  at  a  special 
meeting  it  was  voted  "that  the  purchasers  of  the  old  meeting 
house  be  permitted  to  remove  the  same  partly  into  the  grave  yard 
and  east  near  the  wall,"  this  being  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
"grave  yard."  Here  the  building  was  fitted  up  for  a  "Noon 
House,"  as  it  was  called.  This  means  that  arrangements  had 
been  made  to  warm  the  house  on  extremely  inclement  weather  in 
winter,  and  other  accomodations  made  for  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience for  those  who  cared  to  improve  the  opportunity.  This 
innovation  was  hailed  with  joy  by  those  who  were  obliged  to  ride 
in  open  vehicles  for  several  miles  over  the  hills  in  cold  or  stormy 
weather,  while  they  were  glad  to  eat  their  lunch  during  the  noon 
intermission,  after  their  journey  hither  and  listening  to  a  two- 


206  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

hour  sermon  with  the  knowledge  that  another  siege  of  the  same 
kind  was  ahead  of  them  for  the  afternoon.  Their  tin  "foot 
stoves"  were  filled  from  the  coals  of  the  fire  in  the  big  fireplace 
and  taken  back  to  the  church  to  keep  them  measureably  warm 
while  listening  to  the  discourse  of  the  minister.  A  stove  was  not 
put  into  the  meeting  house  until  the  fall  of  1823. 

In  1797  the  town  voted  that  William  Taggard  and  Jacob 
Spaulding  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  building  a  house  on  the 
common  for  the  benefit  of  their  families  on  Sundays.  This  house 
stood  where  the  school  house  now  at  the  Centre  stands.  There 
does  not  seem  to  be  any  records  to  show  when  the  old  meeting 
house,  now  a  "Noon  House,"  was  destroyed  or  removed.  But 
this  was  probably  about  the  time  a  stove  was  put  into  the  house 
that  replaced  it  and  it  was  torn  down.  So,  its  history  replete  with 
good  action  and  story  of  the  first  active  church  in  Hillsborough 
has  been  handed  down  to  us  in  fragments  and  is  the  foundation 
upon  which  the  religious  history  of  the  town  stands. 


CHAPTER  XL 
"The  Old  Meeting  House." 

Story  of  the  Third  Meeting  House — Need  of  the  "New"  House  on 
Meeting  House  Hill — First  Action  by  the  Town — Plan  Accepted — 
The  Building  of  the  House — The  Symonds  Gift — Provisions  for  the 
Eaising — An  Event  in  Town  History — Description  of  the  Inside 
of  the  House — The  Symonds  Monument — Particulars  of  the 
Symonds  Farm — Sale  of  Meeting  House  Pews — Plan  of  Pews — 
Location  of  House — Horse  sheds — 'Officers  to  Look  after  Dogs — 
Eev.  Jonathan  Barnes — The  Church  and  State — Rev.  Seth  Chapin 
— Not  as  Liberal  as  Mr.  Barnes  in  His  Eeligious  Teaching — His 
Way  Became  more  Thorny — Separation  of  Church  and  State — 
Regime  of  Rev.  John  Lawton — Many  New  Members  Added  to  the 
Church — Pirst  Sunday  School  in  Town — 'Another  "New"  Meeting 
House  at  the  Centre — The  Old  Church  Becomes  a  "Town  House" — 
Methodists  Hold  Services  in  It — Work  of  Destruction  Begun — 
Abandonment  of  the  "Old"  Building  as  a  Town  House — Becomes 
the  Prey  of  "Relic"  Hunters — Extent  of  Ruin — Effort  Made  to 
Preserve  the  Wreck — Final  Fate  of  the  "Old  Meeting  House." 

Commonly  referred  to  as  the  "Old  Meeting  House  at  the 
Centre"  we  now  come  to  the  history  of  what  was  really  known  in 
its  earlier  days  as  the  "New  Meeting  House,"  and  which  was  the 
second  building  of  the  kind  on  "Meeting  House  Hill,"  and  the 
third  in  town.  Though  there  are  no  definite  figures  to  show  what 
the  increase  in  population  had  been  during  the  existence  of  the 
house  of  worship,  the  return  of  the  rateable  polls  indicate  that 
it  must  have  trebled. 

The  tax  list  for  1776,  the  first  made,  contains  49  names, 
most  of  them  heads  of  families.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the 
number  had  increased  to  over  one  hundred,  so  that  the  capacity 
of  the  first  meeting  house  was  crowded  to  its  utmost.  However, 
as  is  usually  the  case,  the  matter  had  to  be  discussed  and  con- 
sidered for  a  few  years  before  the  result  could  be  reached.  In 
the  warrant  for  a  special  meeting  called  for  November  4,  1788, 
Articles  2,  3  and  4  ran  as  follows : 

207 


208  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

"2iy  to  see  if  the  town  will  Build,  board  and  shingle  a  Meeting 
house  in  said  town  in  Eighteen  Months  from  the  Date;  on  certain 
proposels  that  shall  be  exhibited  in  said  Meeting— or  any  other  way 
that  the  town  shall  think  more  proper 

3iy — To  Draft  a  plan  for  said  house  or  Chuse  a  Committe  for  that 
purpose 

4iy — to  Prescribe  Methods  for  Building  sd  house  and  act  accord- 
ingly thereon." 

At  this  meeting  is  was  voted : 

2iy  voted  to  Build  a  Meeting  house  within  Eighteen  Months 
agreeable  to  the  proposels  made  by  Deacon  Joseph  Symonds — 

3iy — Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  Draft  a  plan  for  said  house 
Voted  the  Committee  consist  of  five  Men  (Viz) — Rvd  Jona 
Barnes  Daries  Abbot  John  Dutton  Benjamin  Pierce  Isaac 
Andrews  Junr — Committee — 

4iy — Voted  to  Build  said  house  Sixty  two  feet  in  length  and  fifty 
in  wedth  with  three  porches. 

Voted  when  the  plan  of  said  house  is  drawn  to  sell  the  Pew 
ground  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  Nails,  timber  of  every  kind  for 
said  house  Boards  Shingles  and  stones  for  underpining  of  said  house, 
and  that  a  purchaser  of  each  pew  pay  Eighteen  shillings  in  cash  at  a 
Certain  time  which  shall  hereafter  be  affixed  by  a  Committee,  and  if 
the  above  mentioned  Meterials  are  not  procured  at  the  time  that  shall 
be  set  them  by  the  Committee,  then  the  cash  to  be  paid  the  Committee 
for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  said  Materials  and  in  case  the  Pew 
grounds  Does  not  more  than  purchase  the  Meterials  which  have  been 
[Mentioned — then  the  purchasers  of  said  pews  to  turn  in  Neat  Stock  or 
grain  to  pay  of  the  workmen. 

Voted  to  Choose  a  Committee  to  carry  on  the  work  of  said  house. 

Voted  the  Committee  consist  of  five  men  (viz) — Major  Benj  Pierce 
Isaac  Andrews  Junr  John  Dutton  Wm  Taggart  Paul  Cooledge — Com- 
mittee 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  November  13  the  Plan  sub- 
mitted by  the  committee  was  accepted,  and  new  members  added  to 
the  board  to  help  carry  on  the  work.  The  new  names  were — 
Daries  Abbot,  Otis  How,  John  McCalley,  Calvin  Stevens.  Among 
other  things  decided  it  was  voted  to  lessen  the  number  of  porches 
by  one,  and  that  the  house  should  be  "set  fronting  to  the  South." 
The  omission  of  a  porch  as  voted  was  from  this  side  of  the 
building. 


o 


> 
> 


THE  SYMONDS  GIFT.  2CX) 

Other  meetings  were  held  to  consider  the  details  of  building 
the  house,  and  the  work  seems  to  have  progressed  as  rapidly  as 
could  have  been  expected.  The  winter  season  was  at  hand,  when 
the  farmers  have  most  leisure.  First  of  all  the  timber  had  to  be 
cut  and  hauled  to  the  mill,  such  of  it  as  was  to  be  sawed,  some  of 
the  larger  timbers  such  as  sills  and  posts  being  hewn  by  the  men 
adept  in  that  kind  of  work.  It  is  said  the  first  stick  of  timber 
was  hauled  to  the  mill  by  a  pair  of  steers,  owned  and  driven  by 
John  Hartwell,  a  boy  of  fourteen,  accompanied  and  assisted  by 
two  of  the  boys  of  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes.  Dea.  Ephraim  Barker  of 
Amherst  was  the  "master  workman,"  who  superintended  the 
framing  of  its  massive  oaken  timbers,  though  there  is  no  record 
who  his  immediate  assistants  were.  It  is  probable  that  nearly 
every  man  in  town  had  a  hand  in  its  building,  for  in  those  days 
most  men  were  adept  in  the  use  of  carpenter's  tools. 

The  Symonds  Gift. 

The  following  are  the  proposals  alluded  to  in  the  warrant 
for  the  meeting  on  November  4,  and  upon  which  generous  pro- 
position the  town  voted  to  build  the  meeting  house : 

I  Joseph  Symonds  of  Hillsborough  in  the  County  of  Hillsborough 
and  State  of  New  Hampshire,  Do  now  give  the  home  farm  of  Samuel 
Symonds  Late  of  Hillsborough  Deceased  with  all  the  priviledges  and 
appurtenances  thereto  belonging,  as  a  free  gift,  agreeable  to  the 
desire  of  his  Son  Deceased,  provided  that  this  town  Build  Board  and 
Shingles  a  Meeting  house  in  Said  town  in  Eighteen  'Months  from  the 
Date  of  this  Meeting  caled  to  hear  and  act  upon  said  proposals ;  said 
house  to  be  set  upon  the  Land  that  had  been  appropriated  for  that 
use  by  Col :  Hill  and  Likewise  in  finishing  sd  House  that  they  Build 
a  Convenient  seat  in  the  forepart  of  the  front  Gallery  and  always 
reserveing  that  the  town  bind  and  obligate  themselves  in  case  the  said 
Samuel  Symonds  other  Lands  together  with  his  effects  Do  not  pay  his 
Debts  and  funeral  Charges  the  town  shall  cause  the  same  to  be  paid 
— Likewise  that  the  town  free  me  the  sd  Joseph  Symonds  My  Heirs 
and  assigns  forever  from  any  suit  or  suits  at  Law  which  may  hereafter 
arise  by  Reason  of  any  Land  Titles  which  the  sd  Samuel  Symonds 
either  gave  or  Received  provided  sd  Suit  or  suits  at  Law  Do  do  not 
amount  to  more  than  the  value  of  the  said  home  farm,  and  also  that 
I  the  said  Joseph  Symonds  Do  engage  for  myself  my  heir  and  assigns 
to  bear  an  equal  proportion  according  to  what  I  have  received  out  of 


2IO  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  said  Samuel  Symond's  Estate — furthermore  it  is  always  to  be 
remembered  the  improvement  of  the  said  farm  until  the  Eighteen 
Months  above  mentioned  are  expired,  and  also  reserving  the  boards 
upon  the  back  side  Roof  of  the  barn  and  also  some  loose  boards  and 
plank  on  sd  farm  otherwise  the  town  pay  the  same,  These  pro- 
posals agreed  to  and  Ratified  by  said  town  to  remain  in  full  force  and 
virtue  otherwise  to  be  void  and  of  none  effect. 

Given  under  my  hand  this  fourth  Day  of  November  A.  D.  1788. 
Attest  Isaac  Andrews  Joseph  Symonds 

John  Dutton 

A  special  town  meeting  was  called  for  Aug.  31,  1789  "to  see 
what  provision  and  in  what  way  and  Manner  they  will  provide  for 
the  Raising  of  the  Meeting  house  proposed  to  be  Built  in  said 
town"  at  which  it  was  "Voted  there  be  provision  Made  on  the 
Spot  near  the  Meeting  house  for  spectators  as  those  employed  in 
Raising  said  house."     It  was  also  "Voted  to  Raise  sixty  pounds 
for  the  purpose  of  Raising  said  Meeting  house  in  said  town  in 
produce  as  follows  (vis)     Beef  and  Mutton  at  twenty  shillings 
per  hundred,   Merchantable  Rey  at  four  shillings  per  bushels, 
indian  corn  three  shillings  per  bushel."   (This  vote  was  recon- 
sidered at  a  later  special  meeting  held  Dec.  6  the  same  year.) 
"Voted  the  Committee  appointed  to  carry  on  the  work  of  said 
house    be    a    Committee    for    the    Raising    said    house."      The 
"Raising"  was  accomplished  Sept.  17,  1789.    The  reason  for  the 
preceeding  votes  of  the  town  is  accounted  for  not  only  by  the 
fact  that  the  undertaking  required  the  united  assistance  of  all, 
or  nearly  all,  the  able-bodied  men  in  town  to  accomplish  it,  but 
the  further  fact  that  it  being  a  matter  of  universal  interest  it 
would  call  together  the  families  of  those  engaged  in  the  labor,  as 
well  as  people  from  adjourning  towns,  hence  the  necessity  of 
providing  a  vantage  ground  of  observation  and  for  their  "Crea- 
ture Comforts"  as  well.    Tradition  informs  us  that  four  bbls.  of 
N.  E.  Rum  were  provided  for  the  occasion.    The  following  de- 
scription of  the  inside  of  the  house  is  taken  from  "A  Memoir, 
Hillsborough  Old  Meeting  House"  by  L.  W.  Densmore:  "The 
house  is  sixty-four  feet  eight  inches  in  length,  and  forty-eight 
feet,  six  inches  in  width.     Height  to  ceiling  inside  twenty-eight 
feet,  height  to  gallery  ten  feet  and  a  half,  paneled  and  moulded 
front  five  feet  high,  panels  showing  24X54  inches.    The  southern 


THE  SYMONDS  MEMORIAL.  211 

entrance  with  double  doors,  is  four  feet  ten  inches,  by  nine  feet. 
East  and  west  entrances  three  feet  four  inches  by  six  feet  five 
inches,  doors  to  audience  three  feet  nine  inches  by  six  feet  seven 
inches.  The  aisles  separating  the  body  pews  from  those  next  the 
walls  were  elevated  71-2  inches  above  the  central  aisles  a  similar 
ascent  leading  into  the  wall  pews.  Pew  doors  22  inches  wide, 
height  of  pews  40  1-2  inches  of  plain  paneled  work,  surmounted 
by  a  rail.  Most  of  the  pews  had  seats  on  three  sides,  some 
having  seats  on  all  sides,  elevated  17  inches  above  the  floor  and 
hinged  to  allow  of  being  raised  while  their  occupants  stood  during 
prayer  and  the  singing  service.  The  pulpit  was  reached  by  a 
flight  of  steps  with  an  abrupt  ascent  to  a  landing  whence  a  couple 
more  of  steps  lead  to  the  platform.  The  reading  desk  was  semi- 
octagonal  in  form.  Over  it  hung  the  antique  board,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  7  feet  above  the  platform,  octagonal  in  shape  5  ft.  9  in 
across  and  13  ft  4  1-2  in  below  the  ceiling.  Under  the  pulpit 
were  two  receptacles,  closed  by  sash  and  glass,  one  of  which  con- 
tained the  vessels  used  in  the  communion  service,  the  other  filled 
with  a  small  library  of  religious  books  including  several  volumes 
of  sermons,  from  which,  on  the  Sabbath  when  the  society  were 
without  regular  preaching,  sermons  were  read  by  different  per- 
sons appointed  by  the  deacons.  Above  the  pulpit  was  placed 
a  tablet  commemorating  the  generous  gift  made  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Symonds  which  bore  the  following  inscription : 

This  MONUMENT  in  memory  of 

<Jll        e)amuel     o)ymonas, 

who  departed  this  life  2d  of  October  A.  D.  1788.  in  the 
34th  year  of  his  age.  Who  gave  £120  towards  building  this 
House,  which  was  finished  July  1794. 

Hte  hands  while  they  his  Gift  This  sweet  remembrance,  it  is  just 

bestowed  Should  flourish  while  he  sleeps  in 

His  glory's  future  harvest  sow'd.  dust. 

The  east  and  west  porches  were  14  feet  long  and  14  1-2  feet 
wide  each  having  entrances  at  the  end  and  on  the  South  face  and 
a  flight  of  stairs  nearly  four  feet  in  width  with  landing  and  return 


212  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

to  reach  the  galleries  in  the  body  of  the  house.  The  gallery  fronts 
were  supported  on  columns,  each  turned  out  of  a  solid  piece  of 
timber.  *  *  *  The  Choir  occupied  the  front  of  the  South  gallery, 
facing  the  pulpit.  *  *  *  "A  detailed  account  of  subsequent  action 
on  the  part  of  the  town  for  the  "Finishing  of  the  Meeting  house" 
is  not  necessary  for  a  full  understanding  by  the  general  reader. 
A  summary  will  suffice.  At  a  special  town  meeting  April  26, 
1790,  "Revd  Jona.  Barnes  and  John  Dutton"  were  chosen  Agents 
to  "Dispose  of  the  Donation  or  farm"  bequeathed  the  town  by 
Mr.  Samuel  Symonds.  (This  farm  is  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  on  the  "beard  Road."  now  (1904)  owned  by  heirs  of  the 
late  A.  B.  Kimball.)  At  the  annual  meeting  in  March  1791  it 
was  "Voted  the  Committe  appointed  to  Build  and  finish  the  meet- 
ing house  in  said  town  be  dismissed  and  one  other  Committee  be 
Chosen  in  Lieu  of  them."  This  Committee  consisted  of  John 
Dutton,  Isaac  Andrews,  jr.,  and  William  Taggart.  At  the  same 
meeting  it  was  "Voted  to  raise  40  pounds  for  the  use  of  finishing 
the  Meeting  house,"  and  at  a  special  meeting  June  25,  1792,  one 
hundred  pounds  more  was  voted  for  the  same  purpose,  but  it  was 
not  until  July,  1794,  that  the  house  was  finished  as  attested  by 
the  Symonds  tablet,  the  only  official  declaraion  of  the  fact. 

According  to  the  original  plan  the  ground  floor  contained 
54  pews  besides  reserving  space  covering  four  pews  in  front  of 
the  pulpit  for  aged  persons.  (These  seats  were  subsequently 
taken  out  and  pews  made  in  their  place.)  Pew  No.  1  was  re- 
served for  "the  parsonage  pew."  Forty  nine  of  them  were  sold 
at  "public  vendue"  on  Nov.  20,  1788,  ranging  in  price  from  £13 
for  the  highest  to  £8.  The  remaining  pews  in  the  gallery  were 
sold  June  17,  1794.  The  combined  amount  of  the  sales  was 
£656  5  shillings;  to  which  add  the  Symonds  bequest  £120  and 
the  £140  appropriated  by  the  town  and  we  find  that  the  total  cost 
of  the  house  £916  5  shillings.  Many  of  the  pews  changed  owners 
in  after  years  at  reduced  prices,  although  some  of  them  brought 
more  than  the  original  cost.  There  is  one  instance  on  record 
when  the  owner  mortgaged  his  pew  for  thirty  five  dollars. 

This  house  was  located  a  few  rods  in  front  of  the  first 
described  one,  just  outside  the  limits  of  the  graveyard,  upon  a 
nearly  level  spot,  the  foundation  being  a  solid  ledge  sloping 
slightly  towards  the  east.    At  the  entrance  of  the  east  porch  was 


UNTIMELY  DEATH  OF  MR.  BARNES.  213 

a  large  flat-topped  granite  boulder  raised  to  a  sufficient  height  to 
serve  as  an  imperishable  horse-block  upon  and  from  which  the 
women  folk  could  conveniently  dismount  and  mount  from  saddle 
and  pillion  before  the  days  of  carriages. 

An  appendage  of  much  importance  for  the  protection  and 
comfort  of  animals  in  stormy  or  inclement  weather,  were  horse- 
sheds.  At  the  annual  meeting  March,  1795,  it  was  "Voted  that 
Joseph  Symonds,  Isaac  Andrews  John  Dutton,  William  Taggard 
&  Thomas  Kerr  be  a  committe  to  Examine  the  Common  and 
report  were  Horsesheds  Shall  be  Built: 

"The  committe  reported  That  Horse  Sheds  May  be  set  east  of 
those  on  the  east  of  the  Meeting  House  West  from  the  Graveyard  gate 
as  near  The  Corner  of  the  wall  as  can  be  convenient  for  the  road,  and 
also  from  the  Southeast  corner  of  the  pound  and  west  of  the  Meeting 
House  by  the  side  of  the  Hill." 

In  the  Warrant  for  March  meeting,  1797,  was  an  article  to 
see  if  "in  addition  to  the  customary  Town  officers,  the  Town 
think  proper  to  choose  a  man  or  men  whose  office  it  shall  be  to 
keep  the  Meeting  house  Clear  from  dogs  on  Sundays  the  insuing 
year  by  killing  the  same  if  found  in  the  meeting  house" — Voted 
to  dismiss. 

In  the  absence  of  Church  records  as  before  stated,  we  are 
obliged  to  rely  upon  other  authorities  for  a  period  of  25  years. 

In  1803  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes,  while  riding  on  horse  back  was 
prostrated  by  a  stroke  of  lightning  which  so  paralized  his 
energies  as  to  disqualify  him  for  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral 
duties,  consequently  he  resigned  them  and  he  was  dismissed.  He 
survived  two  years  and  died  August  3,  1805.  Mr.  Charles  J. 
Smith  in  "Annals  of  Hillsborough"  says  of  him: 

"He  was  a  man  of  very  respectable  talents,  possessed  a  vigorous 
and  discriminating  mind  and  a  lively  and  well  cultivated  imagination. 
He  had  a  strong,  sonorous  voice,  and  an  emphatic  delivery.  His 
manners  were  eminently  dignified,  polished  and  agreeable,  a  model  of 
clerical  urbanity.  He  was  a  charitable  man  with  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  need,  he  was  familiarly  acquainted,  making  it  an  object 
to  seek  out  the  children  of  sorrow,  and  administered  to  their  neces- 
sities, and  by  such  he  was  regarded  with  the  warmest  affection.  As  a 
citizen,  he  exerted  a  commanding  influence,  in  maintaining  social 
order,  preserving  unanimity  of  feeling,  and  otherwise  advancing  the 


214  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

prosperity  of  the  town.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  supposed  to  have 
been,  what  was  at  that  time  styled  an  Arminian,  that  is  a  man  of 
liberal  views.  He  was  not  a  rigid  sectarian,  but  cherished  a  truly 
catholic  and  liberal  spirit  toward  those  who  differed  from  him  in 
sentiment." 

As  the  inhabitants  became  more  numerous  and  found  greater 
leisure  for  study  and  mingle  more  freely  with  their  fellowmen  a 
growing  dissatisfaction  was  manifest  among  them  in  regard  to 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  state  over  the  church.  While  a  majority 
still  believed  it  was  eminently  proper  for  the  state  to  maintain  its 
guardianship  and  sustain  it,  the  growing  minority,  holding 
different  religious  tenets,  chafed  under  the  obligation  to  help 
support  a  church  not  wholly  in  harmony  with  their  ideas  of 
worship.  Though  they  climbed  the  selfsame  hills  their  fathers 
had  trod,  singly  or  together,  they  began  to  discover  new  paths  by 
which  to  ascend  the  height  of  Calvary. 

Before  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century  this  feeling  of 
rebellion  began  to  make  itself  manifest,  and  as  early  as  1790 
several  claimed  exemption  from  the  minister's  tax  which  had 
hithertofore  been  assigned  by  the  town  and  directly  for  the 
dominating  religion.  Article  10,  in  the  warrant  June  27,  read 
as  follows:  "to  see  if  they  (the  town)  will  abate  the  minister  tax 
for  the  present  year  of  persons  hereafter  mentioned  or  any  one  of 
them  (viz)  Moses  Steel,  Robert  Patten,  John  McClary,  John 
McClintock,  Alexander  McClintock,  Thomas  Murdough,  Joseph 
Taggart,  John  Bibson,  James  McCalley,  Elijah  Fiske,  John  Bix- 
bee,  David  Goodel,  Jedidiah  Preston,  Ezekiel  Little." 

This  article  was  dismissed,  but  one  similar  was  inserted  in 
each  succeeding  warrant  regularly,  always  meeting  with  the  same 
fate,  until  some  of  the  parties  resisted  the  payment  of  such  tax, 
to  test  the  validity  of  this  action.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
defend  these  suits  and  reported  a  settlement,  but  carefully  with- 
held the  methods  or  extent  of  settlement.  We  get  an  inkling  of 
the  result  obtained  from  the  fact  that  henceforth  an  ever-increas- 
ing number  of  tax  payers  were  exempted  from  the  "minister's 
tax." 

At  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Rev.  Seth  Chapin  in  1805 
as  minister  over  the  Congregational  Church  a  decided  opposition 
was  shown  in  the  vote  at  the  annual  town  meeting  which  stood 


A  STUBBORN   MINISTER.  21  5 

107  in  the  affirmative  and  69  in  the  negative.  The  opposition  was 
very  active  too.  At  this  time  the  Universalist  society  had  become 
quite  strong,  and  was  probably  the  most  energetic  of  those  seek- 
ing a  share  of  the  town  support,  declaring  with  an  indisputable 
truth  that  one  division  of  the  church  people  deserved  assistance 
from  the  public  treasury  in  equal  proportion  with  another.  Be- 
sides this  society  were  the  Baptist  and  Christian  denominations. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  names  protesting  against  paying 
the  minister's  tax  were  largely  Scotch-Irish,  and  would  have  been 
expected  to  be  Presbyterians,  yet  this  society  never  asserted  itself 
distinctly  in  Hillsborough.  The  denomination  had  a  strong 
society  in  Antrim,  and  probably  some  of  the  same  belief  in  Hills- 
borough were  affiliated  with  this  organization. 

In  speaking  of  the  churches  the  word  Christian  is  given  in 
the  calculation  of  the  denominations.  As  early  as  1781  an  effort 
was  made  to  abolish  the  religious  test  for  office,  and  to  substitute 
in  the  Sixth  Article  of  the  Bill  of  Rights  the  word  "Christian" 
for  "Protestant,"  hence  the  derivation  of  the  term.  It  was  not 
until  1877  tne  religious  test  was  removed,  when  Roman  Catholics 
were  allowed  for  the  first  time  to  hold  office  legally. 

Upon  taking  a  vote  the  town  chose  a  committee  of  some  of 
its  leading  citizens,  headed  by  Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce,  to  confer 
with  the  dissatisfied  ones  and  bring  about  harmony  if  possible. 
A  protest  was  made  signed  by  a  goodly  number  of  townsmen  and 
filed  with  the  clerk.  This  article  contained  the  names  of  such 
influential  citizens  as  Timothy  Wyman,  James  Alcock,  John 
Eaton,  Benjamin  Bradford,  Amos  Hartwell,  and  others. 

Added  to  this  growing  sentiment  Mr.  Chapin's  rigid  views 
of  orthodoxy  following  Mr.  Barnes'  more  liberal  teachings,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  widely  different  personal  bearing  of  the  two 
men,  was  like  heaping  coals  of  fire  upon  the  slumbering  embers 
of  the  religious  altar.  It  should  not  have  taken  a  minister  with 
more  far-seeing  gaze  than  that  of  this  Puritanic  disciple  to  read 
the  signs  on  the  church  wall. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Barnes  the  "half  way  covenant," 
as  already  mentioned,  was  practiced.  This  meant  that  the 
children  of  those  who  were  not  members  of  the  church  could  be 
admitted  to  the  rite  of  baptism.     Nor  did  the  society  stop  here, 


2l6  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

for  eventually  persons  were  admitted  to  the  church  with  no 
particular  confession  of  faith.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  discipline 
of  the  church  was  endangered,  and  the  doctrines  of  the  Unitarian 
faith  promised  to  supplant  the  more  rigid  teachings  of  the 
Calvinists.  Only  a  man  of  Mr.  Barnes'  ability  and  clerical 
urbanity  could  have  carried  this  matter  so  far  without  disin- 
tegrating the  church.  A  man  of  good  talents,  of  fine  physique, 
a  vigorous  mind,  well-stocked  from  the  best  in  literature,  a 
vivid  imagination,  a  clear  voice  with  emphatic  enunciation,  and 
a  pleasing  address  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  maintain  any  line 
of  work  that  interested  him. 

Though  incapacitated  from  active  work  following  the  attack 
to  his  physical  being,  Mr.  Barnes  continued  to  hold  his  position 
nominally  during  an  interval  when  several  clergymen  preached 
here  as  candidates  or  supplies.  Among  the  former  was  a  Rev. 
Josiah  Moulton,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  settle  him.  There 
being  54  members  against  him  to  57  in  favor,  the  attempt  was 
abandoned. 

In  June,  1805,  town  and  church  concurring,  the  Rev.  Stephen 
Chapin  was  accepted  and  ordained  June  18,  1805,  at  a  salary  of 
$400.00,  and  allowed  four  Sabbaths.  The  ordination  sermon  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  Nathaniel  Emmons  of  Medway,  Mass. 

Mr.  Chapin  proved  the  very  opposite  of  Mr.  Barnes  in  his 
administration  of  the  church  affairs.  The  plan  of  the  half 
covenant  was  abandoned,  and  an  experimental  acquaintance  with 
religion  demanded  as  a  qualification  for  admission,  while  an 
Orthodox  confession  of  faith  and  covenant  was  adopted.  As 
might  be  expected  this  awakened  a  vigorous  opposition  from 
those  who  had  been  faithful  adherents  of  the  policy  of  the 
previous  pastor.  The  result  was  that  the  talented  but  erratic 
Mr.  Chapin  had  a  stormy  pastorate  until  his  dismissal  July  30, 
1809.  The  number  added  to  the  church  during  his  pastorate  was 
38,  and  though  not  large  was  an  important  acquisition.  It  was 
generally  acknowledged  that  he  was  a  minister  of  able  qualities 
and  good  morals.  No  doubt  the  troubles  engendered  during  his 
brief  pastorate  were  due  as  much  to  the  liberal  ideas  fostered  by 
the  previous  administration  as  to  his  more  rigid  doctrines. 

After  leaving  Hillsborough  he  filled  half  a  dozen  pastorates 


SEPARATION  OF  CHURCH  AND  STATE.  2\J 

in  different  New  England  towns,  and  then  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  President  of  the  Columbian  College,  Washington,  D.  C, 
being  inaugurated  in  that  office  March  n,  1829,  filling  the  im- 
portant position  for  several  years  with  distinguished  ability. 

A  committee  of  compromise  was  chosen  to  attempt  to  unite 
the  members  of  the  church  which  was  partially  successful,  inso- 
far as  to  patch  up  the  differences  and  allow  the  situation  to 
remain  with  little  change.  Following  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Chapin 
in  1809  it  was  impossible  to  unite  the  diverging  sentiments  enough 
to  settle  a  permanent  pastor  over  any  denomination. 

After  three  years  without  a  regular  minister  an  invitation 
was  extended  to  Rev.  Seth  Chapin  of  Mendon,  Mass.,  no  relative, 
except  in  name  to  his  predecessor.  He  accepted  and  was  or- 
dained January  1,  1812.  The  exercices  upon  this  occasion  con- 
sisted of  an  introductory  prayer  by  Rev.  Moses  Sawyer  of  Hop- 
kinton ;  sermon  by  Rev.  Ephraim  P.  Bradford  of  New  Boston ; 
ordaining  prayer  and  charge  by  Rev.  Reed  Paige  of  Hancock ; 
the  Right  Hand  of  Fellowship  by  Rev.  John  M.  Whiton  of 
Antrim;  concluding  prayer  by  Rev.  Lemuel  Bliss  of  Bradford. 
The  church  affairs  moved  in  an  even  tenor  until  Mr.  Chapin  was 
dismissed  June  26,  1816. 

At  the  annual  Meeting  March  8,  1814,  the  matter  of  allowing 
the  different  religious  denominations  a  proportionate  share  of 
money  and  privileges  in  the  use  of  the  meeting  house  was  acted 
upon,  and  a  committee  chosen  to  consider  the  situation.  This 
board  consisted  of  Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce,  Calvin  Stevens,  Esqr., 
Messrs.  George  Little,  James  Wilson,  Samuel  Ellinwood,  Dr. 
Paul  Cooledge,  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Smith.  This  was  an  influential 
board  of  arbitrators,  but  the  volcano  was  too  near  the  surface  to 
allow  of  suffocating  much  longer.  Two  years  later,  1816,  out  of 
373  persons  assessed  for  taxes  153,  nearly  one-half,  were  exempt 
from  a  minister's  tax.  And  this  was  the  last  time  any  reference 
was  made  to  the  matter  in  the  town  records.  At  last  the  church 
and  the  state  had  been  separated,  and  the  salary  of  the  preacher 
was  raised  by  subscription.  Following  the  dismissal  of  this 
second  Chapin,  in  the  language  of  Rev.  Harry  Brickett  in  writing 
of  the  situation,  "the  church  lived  from  hand  to  mouth  ;  licentiates 
from  seminaries  came  and  went." 


2l8 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Finally,  in  1820,  Rev.  John  Lawton  settled  here  and 
preached  regularly  here  a  year,  when  he  was  ordained  in  Novem- 
ber, 1821.  He  held  a  very  successful  pastorate  here  for  fourteen 
years,  adding  150  members  to  the  church.  Then  he  incurred  the 
enmity  of  several  of  his  parishioners  by  his  earnest  advocacy  of 
temperance,  a  question  at  that  time  beginning  to  agitate  the  minds 
of  men.  He  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request  in  1834.  He  had 
married  in  February  9,  1826,  Abigail,  only  daughter  of  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Jonathan  Barnes.  He  was  reluctantly  dismissed  and  his 
wife  dying  about  this  time,  he  left  town  to  become  the  principal 
of  an  academy  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  soon  after  seeking  new 
fields  of  endeavor. 

The  summer  preceding  Mr.  Lawton's  removal  the  first 
Sunday  School  in  town  was  conducted  by  Frank  W.  Symonds, 
his  sister  Sarah  and  Maria  Johnson. 

Rev.  Milton  Ward  was  the  next  settled  minister  to  preach 
in  the  old  meeting  house,  but  his  stay  was  short,  as  he  was 
dismissed  at  his  own  desire,  he  having  changed  his  religious 
belief. 

Next  came  the  most  promising  of  them  all,  Rev.  Seth  Farns- 
worth,  ordained  in  November,  1836,  but  falling  a  victim  to  lung 
fever  the  following  March,  "  in  the  full  tide  of  his  usefulness, 
abundant  in  labors,  with  bright  prospects  for  the  future." 

His  successor  was  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Tenney,  ordained  July  4, 
1838,  just  as  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  "Old  Meeting  House" 
was  apparent.  The  time  had  come  when  the  territory  about  the 
Centre  no  longer  furnished  a  majority  of  the  worshippers,  and 
the  members  living  in  or  near  the  hamlet  at  the  falls  demanded  a 
division  of  the  church,  so  they  could  have  a  house  at  Bridge 
Village.  All  this  ultimately  obtained,  as  is  described  in  another 
chapter. 

As  if  the  honest  old  structure  had  not  received  sufficient 
opposition,  in  1859  a  new  and  smaller  house  of  worship  was  built 
a  little  southeast  of  the  "Mother  Church."  This  was  a  neat  and 
elegant  house,  constructed  of  wood,  painted  white,  with  green 
Venetian  window  blinds,  the  building  surmounted  by  a  beautiful 
tower. 


THE  CHURCH  BELL.  2IO, 

In  this  tower  was  placed  a  fine-toned  bell,  which  could  be 
distinctly  heard  in  any  part  of  the  town.  One  of  the  donors  of 
this  bell  was  Enoch  Train  of  Boston,  formerly  of  Hillsborough, 
who  had  not  lost  interest  in  his  native  hamlet  upon  moving  away. 

The  bell  was  considered  an  important  adjunct  to  the  country 
meeting  house.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Colonel  Hill  presented 
the  first  house,  the  one  built  by  the  original  settlers  of  the  town 
then  "Old  Number  Seven,"  with  such  a  useful  adornment,  but  it 
never  got  any  nearer  its  destination  than  Groton,  Mass.,  where  it 
rendered  excellent  service  for  many  years.  The  first  house  at  the 
Centre  had  a  bell,  but  its  successor  did  not  have  one. 

Isolated  as  the  early  settlers  were  and  time  pieces  not  as 
common  as  they  are  to-day  when  a  clock  can  be  bought  for  a 
small  sum,  it  was  perfectly  natural  the  people  should  desire  to 
have  a  meeting  house  bell.  There  is  no  music  sweeter  or  filled 
with  a  higher  cadence  than  the  notes  of  a  church  bell  pealing 
forth  His  morning  messages  over  hill  and  valley  upon  a  New 
England  Sabbath.  What  more  beautiful  picture  can  be  imagined 
than  the  sight  of  its  humble  followers  coming  from  every  quarter 
with  sedate  countenance  and  quiet  steps  towards  the  open  door 
of  the  sacred  edifice  the  central  magnet  of  all  points  of  the 
compass. 

For  the  following  twenty  years  the  "Old  Meeting  House" 
was  simply  a  town  house,  where  the  voters  of  the  town  con- 
gregated to  settle  their  political  differences  wih  very  little  regard 
for  any  religious  obligation. 

Eventually  the  new  house  was  without  a  pastor,  when  a 
struggling  Methodist  society  obtained  permission  to  hold  its  meet- 
ing there  in  i860.  This  served  to  awaken  the  lagging  interest  of 
the  Congregationalists,  who  rallied  to  the  support  of  a  minister. 
Without  a  house  of  their  own,  the  Methodists  held  their  meetings 
in  the  old  house. 

Soon  it  came  about  that  the  Methodists  had  secured  a  very 
promising  young  preacher,  who  demurred  at  occupying  the  high, 
old-fashioned  pulpit,  declaring  he  felt  too  much  as  if  he  were  in 
a  box!  Immediately  the  premission  of  the  selectmen  was  ob- 
tained, and  carpenters  (spare  the  term)  "with  a  strange  lack  of 
appreciation  of  the  fitness  of  things,  proceeded  to  cut  away  the 


220  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

reading  desk,  to  suit  the  whim  of  a  stranger  to  the  associations 
connected  with  the  hallowed  spot,  from  which  the  gospel  had 
been  proclaimed  to  hundreds  of  worshippers  in  the  preceding 
century,  scarcely  one  of  whom  was  then  living  to  rebuke  the 
unseemly  act." 

This  work  of  despoilation  was  followed  by  one  equally,  if 
not  more  reprehensible  in  the  course  of  a  few  years.  The  Con- 
gregational Society  being  about  to  give  an  entertainment  in  the 
old  building,  some  of  the  young  folks  thought  it  would  be  a  great 
improvement  to  cut  away  some  of  the  pews,  so  as  to  give  more 
floor  space.  That  night  a  party  of  men  entered  the  sacred 
precinct  and  demolished  the  pews  north  of  the  east  and  west 
central  aisle. 

The  changes  in  population  as  the  years  passed  brought  pre- 
judices against  the  building.  Perhaps  not  as  much  against  the 
hallowed  structure  as  against  its  location,  which  had  once  been 
selected  with  great  equanimity.  The  enterprises  at  Bridge  Vil- 
lage, with  ever-increasing  number  of  inhabitants,  made  the  old 
house  an  undesirable  place  for  them  to  go  even  once  a  year  to  the 
annual  town  meetings.  At  the  March  meeting  in  1872  an  attempt 
was  made  to  remove  the  town  meetings  to  the  factory  village. 
The  persons  working  for  this  end  failed  to  get  a  majority  this 
time,  but  two  years  later,  in  1874,  it  was  voted  to  abandon  the 
"Old  Town  House,"  as  it  was  now  known,  and  to  hold  the  town 
meetings  at  Bridge  Village,  where  certain  enterprising  individuals 
had  agreed  to  furnish  a  suitable  hall  free  of  expense  to  the  town 
for  ten  years. 

So  after  four-score  years  .the  house  built  with  so  much  of 
sacrifice,  generosity  and  pride  was  abandoned,  a  lonely  landmark 
of  the  changes  of  time.  Almost  immediately  it  became  the  victim 
©f  vandals,  men,  women  and  children  who  seemed  to  have  for- 
gotten the  dignity  and  sanctity  of  the  ancient  building  and  im- 
proved every  opportunity  to  cut  away  and  carry  off  "relics"  of 
the  time-honored  structure.  I  do  not  know  what  the  punishment 
will  be,  but  somewhere  and  sometime,  if  there  is  a  retributive 
justice,  not  a  few  persons  will  have  to  answer  for  the  sins  com- 
mitted under  that  innocent  term,  "Relics !"  Save  the  mark  !* 


*L.  W.  Densmore. 


FATE   OF   THE   "OLD    MEETING    HOUSE."  221 

Seeing  there  would  soon  be  nothing  left  of  the  old  building 
but  its  walls,  a  movement  was  started  by  some  of  the  more 
patriotic  citizens  to  see  if  something  couldn't  be  done  to  save  the 
structure  in  a  manner  "which  would  be  alike  creditable  and  profit- 
able to  the  town."  This  was  in  1883,  and  a  committee  was  chosen 
consisting  of  William  H.  Manahan,  James  M.  Wilkins,  Jacob  B. 
Whittemore,  Walter  P.  Straw  and  Charles  W.  Conn,  to  in- 
vestigate and  report  as  to  what  might  be  done. 

This  committee  apparently  was  not  very  active,  as  there  is 
nothing  to  show  what  they  did  until  a  report  was  rendered  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  March,  1886,  when  it  was  voted  to  accept  the 
return  and  to  raise  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars  "to  repair 
the  town  house  at  the  centre,  and  that  the  selectmen  act  as  a  com- 
mittee to  carry  out  the  vote  in  regard  to  repairing  the  same." 

Evidently  the  Selectmen  were  not  in  accord  with  the  vote,  or 
public  sentiment  was  too  strongly  opposed  to  such  action,  for 
nothing  further  was  done  to  save  the  building,  not  even  to  raise 
the  money  to  preserve  it. 

In  1889  an  article  in  the  warrant  "to  see  if  the  town  will  take 
any  action  on  repairing  or  disposing  of  the  old  town  house"  was 
dismissed.  The  following  year,  however,  the  town  voted  to  raise 
the  money  to  repair  the  house. 

Just  what  action  would  have  followed  this  vote  cannot  be 
told,  for  soon  after,  an  unexpected  denouement  most  interesting 
and  possibly  most  important  closed  the  chapter  in  the  history  of 
the  town.  On  the  morning  of  June  19,  1892,  it  was  discovered 
to  be  in  flames,  and  despite  the  desperate  efforts  that  were  made 
to  save  it,  the  venerable  meeting  house  perished  in  the  tempest  of 
its  own  flames.  So  the  old  structure  went  out  in  a  halo  of  its  own 
light,  the  torch  of  its  burning  timbers,  leaping  high  towards  the 
sky,  seen  for  more  than  fifty  miles. 

This  fire  was  supposed  to  have  been  set  by  an  incendiary, 
but,  if  so,  the  culprit  was  never  apprehended.  And  this  was  the 
fate  of  the  "venerable  house  to  which  one  hundred  years  ago  our 
ancestors  gladly  thronged  to  hear  the  word  of  God ;  where  their 
children  were  baptised,  from  whence  their  young  men  and 
maidens  set  out  on  the  journey  of  life,  and  through  whose  doors 
so  many  have  passed  to  the  narrow  house  appointed  to  all  men. 
Its  walls  in  years  gone  by  echoed  to  the  tread  of  future  chief 


222  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

magistrates,  senators,  jurists,  soldiers  of  distinction,  missionaries 
who  spent  their  lives  in  foreign  lands,  men  of  action  in  the  busy 
affairs  of  life,  most  of  whom  have  passed  away."  What  a 
centennial ! 

The  "Old  Meeting  House,"  as  it  was  most  commonly 
designated,  was  a  spacious  structure  without  steeple  or  bell.  /The 
exterior  of  the  building,  when  in  a  state  of  good  repair,  was 
painted  white,  while  the  roof  was  red.  Standing  upon  its  lofty 
site,  it  was  seen  at  a  great  distance  from  the  surrounding  towns, 
and  presented  a  good  specimen  of  the  style  of  church  architecture 
prevailing  in  New  England  at  the  time. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
An  Oldtime  Town  Meeting. 

A  New  England  Institution — Immigrants  from  1630  to  1650 — Country 
Gentlemen — Contrast  of  Character  as  to  the  Virginians — Original 
Townships— Early  Meeting  Houses— "Old  Centres"— First  Town 
Meeting  in  New  England — Selectmen — Freemen — Clerks — Con- 
stables— "Vandue"  of  Taxes — Other  Officials — Meaning  of  Term 
"Town" — Society  Land — Early  New  Hampshire  Government — A 
Town  Meeting  Held  in  the  Meeting  House  at  the  Centre  in  1779 — 
The  Warrant — Leading  Citizens — The  Man  who  Was  Always  First 
— "Little  Dan"  Kellom — Captain  Symonds — Major  Andrews — 
Lieutenant  Bradford — Daniel  Gibson — Eobert  Taggard — Thaddeus 
Monroe— McClintoeks— And  Others — Spirit  of  '76 — Meeting  Opened 
with  Prayer  by  Parson  Barnes — Town  Clerk's  Record — Voting 
without  a  Checklist — Economies  in  Salaries — ^Committee  of  Safety 
— Constable — Treasurer — Tithing  Man — Hayward — Field  Driver  or 
Hog  Reeve — Cattle  Marks — Deer  Reeve — When  the  Meeting  Place 
Was  Changed  to  Bridge  Village — Fairs  and  Public  Markets — 
Warning  Strangers  Out  of  Town. 

The  town  meeting  is  peculiarly  a  New  England  institution, 
and  marks  the  establishment  of  a  government  by  the  people  for 
the  people.  It  is  true  it  had  its  example  to  a  certain  extent  ad- 
vanced in  the  mother  land,  but  the  men  who  came  here  between 
1630  and  1660  were  the  fathers  of  local  government  in  its  highest 
degree.  The  Pilgrims,  strictly  speaking,  and  we  are  relating  to 
those  who  came  in  1620  and  immediately  after,  the  men  and 
women  who  had  fled  from  Nottinghamshire,  Eng.,  to  Holland, 
and  those  closely  associated  with  them,  said  nothing  of  civil 
government,  but  fled  the  country  to  escape  religious  persecution, 
and  in  their  earnest  endeavors  to  secure  church  freedom  ignored 
personal  liberty. 

Thus  this  accomplishment  was  left  to  those  who  came  later 
from  Lincolnshire,  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  Dorset,  Devonshire,  York- 
shire and  adjoining  sections  mainly  between  1630  and  1650,  their 
paths  made  easier  and  clearer  by  the  pioneers  in  their  faith  who 

223 


224  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

had  so  far  asserted  themselves  as  to  be  already  felt  as  a  power. 
These  leaders  were  mostly  country  gentlemen  of  considerable 
means,  and  with  good  education  and  high  ambition.  They  belonged 
largely  to  the  class  of  Hampden  and  Cromwell.  Their  followers, 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  New  England  colonists,  were  intelligent 
and  ambitious  to  improve  their  social  and  financial  condition. 
And,  let  it  be  said  to  their  credit,  they  came  with  little  or  no 
bitterness  towards  the  mother-land.  There  were  few,  if  any, 
dependents  or  vicious-minded  among  them ;  no  idle,  nor  shiftless, 
nor  disorderly  persons.  With  these  sturdy,  God-fearing  men 
came  their  wives,  daughters,  sisters  and  sweethearts  to  soften  the 
rougher  elements  in  their  rugged  characters.  All  of  this  was  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  colonists  of  Virginia,  made  up  mainly  of 
outcasts,  adventurers  and  prison  birds,  without  a  woman  to  leaven 
the  loaf,  until  she  was  sent  without  her  wish  to  be  bidden  off  at 
auction  by  the  lawless  seekers  for  wives  as  you  would  buy  cattle. 
Let  it  be  said  to  her  credit,  she  surrendered  gracefully,  and  by 
her  influence  established  good  society. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  we  find  the  New  England  colonists 
immediately  uniting  in  the  formation  of  religious  society  and 
asserting  the  principles  of  a  democratic  government.  For  the 
accommodation  of  the  first  a  meeting  house  was  erected  as  soon 
as  might  be,  and  for  the  convenience  of  the  second  this  same 
house  of  worship  became  the  hall  for  these  town  meetings  which 
were  at  once  the  wonder  and  the  making  of  New  England. 

Patterning  somewhat  after  the  old  country  the  territory  was 
first  divided  into  certain  dimensions  called  townships,  these  being 
usually  about  six  miles  square,  though  many  of  the  earlier 
districts  were  considerably  larger,  sometimes  being  ten  miles 
square.  Usually  about  the  centre  of  this  territory  a  meeting 
house — mind  you  it  was  not  called  a  "church"  in  those  days — 
was  erected,  and  this  attraction  generally  drew  the  people  here 
until  a  village  of  considerable  size,  in  many  cases,  sprang  into 
existence.  In  the  changes  of  the  rolling  years  few  of  these  "Old 
Centres"  are  to-day  invested  with  the  life  they  knew  and  were 
a  part  of  a  century  ago.  The  site  did  not  always  prove  ad- 
vantageous to  continued  growth,  when  the  town  and  the  church 
were   divorced   and   the   husbandman   lost   his   prestige   as   the 


o 

O 
P 


> 

» 
> 


w 
S 

M 

CO 

O 

I 


FATHERS  OF  THE  TOWN.  225 

dominating  figure  of  industry.  Some  waterfall  in  a  remote 
quarter  of  the  town,  which  gave  an  impetus  to  manufacture,  or 
a  railroad  station  became  the  scene  of  traffic,  either  of  which  was 
a  disturbing  factor  in  rural  life  and  created  new  centres  of 
population. 

As  early  as  1635  a  warrant  for  the  first  town  meeting  was 
posted  and  the  good  people  gathered  at  the  meeting  house  to 
provide  suitable  rules  and  regulations  to  shape  the  conduct  of 
public  affairs.  It  was  originally  intended  to  hold  these  meetings 
monthly,  but  this  soon  proved  too  great  a  demand  upon  the  time 
of  a  busy  class  of  citizens,  and  the  meetings  were  called  less  and 
less  frequently.  This  could  be  safely  done  as  a  board  of  officers 
known  as  "Select  Men,"  usually  consisting  of  five  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  the  community,  were  chosen  to  look  after 
matters  in  the  intervals.  Finally  these  came  to  be  elected  for  a 
year,  and  the  meetings  were  made  annual,  unless  some  uncommon 
subject  demanded  a  special  meeting,  and  March,  the  least  busy 
period  of  all  the  year  for  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  was  selected  as 
the  month  in  which  to  hold  these  gatherings.  Soon  the  Selectmen 
became  known  as  "The  Fathers  of  the  Town,"  a  very  apt  term, 
considering  that  they  were  in  truth  masters  of  the  situation  and 
lawmakers  as  well  as  lawgivers. 

At  first  only  "Freemen"  were  allowed  to  vote  at  town  meet- 
ings, and  by  this  term,  we  must  understand  that  the  person  had 
been  admitted  on  account  of  his  influence  and  standing  in  the 
community  to  take  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  church,  but  before 
the  end  of  the  17th  century  this  rule  was  abolished  by  the 
Provinces  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  while  no  other 
province  ever  accepted  this  rule. 

The  next  officer  of  importance  to  the  Selectmen,  and  we  are 
not  unmindful  of  the  Moderator,  who  must  have  been  the  oldest 
official,  was  the  person  who  was  intrusted  with  the  keeping  of  the 
records,  the  Clerk.  He  was  understood  to  be  a  person  of  more 
than  average  education  and  a  good  penman,  though  we  must 
confess  that  many  of  them  fell  far  short  of  these  acquirements. 
There  had  to  be  men  to  keep  the  peace,  and  the  restrictions  were 
very  rigid  in  those  days,  and  these  officers  were  called  "Con- 
stables."   As  soon  as  the  time  came  when  money  was  needed  to 


226  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

finance  the  public  business  taxes  had  to  be  assessed,  which  called 
for  "Assessors,"  though  the  Selectmen  usually  performed  this 
duty,  and  do  until  this  day  in  most  country  towns.  In  order  to 
obtain  these  taxes,  men  had  to  go  out  and  collect  them,  for  even 
then  money  was  not  paid  over  until  called  for,  and  this  duty  was 
performed  for  a  time  by  the  Constable.  Eventually  the  collection 
of  taxes  was  bid  off  by  some  reliable  person  at  a  public  "vendue," 
an  old  term  for  auction,  the  lowest  bidder  carrying  off  the  prize, 
which  frequently  proved  anything  than  what  the  name  indicates. 
As  highways  were  laid  out  and  bridges  built  it  became  necessary 
to  look  after  these,  so  "Highway  Surveyors"  were  chosen.  As 
schools  were  established  men  were  required  to  look  after  these, 
hire  the  teachers,  care  for  the  houses,  and  see  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  these  institutions,  so  "Prudential  School  Committees" 
were  chosen.  As  the  system  of  education  broadened  "Super- 
intendents of  Schools"  were  chosen  or  appointed  by  the  Select- 
men. As  eventually  the  poor  came  among  others,  "Overseers  of 
the  Poor"  were  elected  to  look  after  these.  So,  one  by  one,  as  the 
system  of  public  government  widened  and  the  towns  became 
more  populous,  other  officials  came  into  existence,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  with  the  change  that  followed  certain  offices  became 
obsolete. 

It  is  only  in  New  England  that  we  find  the  town  system 
complete.  It  is  true  there  are  copies  of  it  to  be  found  in  the 
South  and  West,  but  there  considerable  of  the  county  is  mixed 
with  the  purely  local  community  government.  The  designation 
"Town"  meant  originally  an  inclosure  within  a  hedge,  or  an  area 
that  was  set  apart  by  some  dividing  line.  The  word  "Common" 
used  to  denote  a  plot  of  land  frequently  found  in  or  near  the 
centre  of  a  hamlet  comes  from  the  custom  of  cultivating  land  in 
common ;  that  is,  where  a  community  works  together  towards  its 
support,  and  the  unit  is  swallowed  up  in  the  general  management 
of  neighborhood  affairs.  This  condition  prevailed  largely  through 
the  reign  of  the  Norman  kings  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  theory 
became  current  that  in  every  township  the  waste  or  common 
land,  that  is,  the  ungranted  land,  belonged  to  the  lord  overruling 
that  district,  and  the  landholders  were  the  lord's  tenants.  Some- 
thing of  this  right  was  exemplified  in  New  England  where  the 


FIRST  GOVERNMENT  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.  227 

granting  power — the  Governor — held  unto  himself  and  his  ad- 
visors certain  lots  or  tracts  of  land.  This  may  roughly  apply  to 
the  Society-Land  of  which  mention  has  been  made. 

In  the  preservation  of  local  self-government  lies  the  main- 
tenance of  national  government.  It  is  true  a  stage  is  reached 
when  the  simpler  form  of  town  government  must  yield  to  broader 
forms  of  city  control,  but  there  is  a  danger  underlying  this,  when 
the  power  of  the  people  becomes  vested  in  the  hands  of  a  few ; 
when  the  individual  surrenders  his  unalienable  rights  to  the 
political  baron  holding  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand  the  fortunes  of 
the  many.  There  were  other  barons  in  the  days  of  old  which  the 
town  meeting  sought  to  overthrow,  just  as  there  are  political 
barons  to-day  trying  to  trample  under  feet  the  high  ideals  of 
the  New  England  town  meeting  of  yesterday. 

Until  1 641  the  early  settlements  of  New  Hampshire  had  no 
general  government,  when  at  their  own  request  the  inhabitants  of 
New  Hampshire  were  admitted  to  the  protection  and  jurisdiction 
of  Massachusetts,  being  made  a  part  of  Old  Norfolk  County. 
This  arrangement  afforded  satisfaction  to  all  concerned  inasmuch 
as  the  welfare  of  four  independence  communities  consisting  of 
Dover,  Portsmouth,  Hampton,  and  Exeter  comprised  the  extent 
of  the  inhabited  portions  of  the  province.  Finally,  as  the  popula- 
tion increased,  and  scattered  homes  were  being  founded  else- 
where, discontent  began  to  appear,  and  in  the  hope  of  quieting 
this  New  Hampshire  was  made  a  separate  royal  province. 
Richard  Waldron  was  made  Deputy  President,  and  the  govern- 
ment of  this  province  was  intrusted  to  a  deputy  or  lieutenant 
Governor,  until  the  administration  of  Governor  Belcher,  who  was 
the  last  one  to  hold  administration  over  both  provinces,  with  his 
lieutenants  looking  after  the  interests  of  New  Hampshire.  It  was 
under  this  government  that  Col.  John  Hill  secured  his  grant  of 
the  territory  comprising  old  Number  Seven. 

While  a  separate  province  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
government  of  New  Hampshire  in  every  branch  was  subject  to 
the  whim  and  caprice  of  the  mother  country,  until  July  i,  1774. 
Before  this  time,  on  May  24,  of  the  same  year,  it  had  been  voted 
that  a  committee  of  seven  responsible  men,  who  were  among  the 
leaders  of  the  day,  should  investigate  and  formulate  some  form 


228  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  government  that  should  make  the  province  into  a  state  that  it 
might  better  control  its  civil  and  industrial  affairs.  The  result 
of  the  action  of  this  committee  was  a  call  for  an  election  of 
delegates  from  the  several  towns  to  meet  at  Exeter  on  the  21st  of 
July.  This  became  known  as  the  Provincial  Congress.  Hills- 
borough had  not  reached  that  stage  in  which  she  felt  like  taking 
an  active  part,  and  sent  no  delegate.  This  convention,  as  it  was 
more  frequently  called  then,  was  succeeded  by  four  others,  the 
fifth  or  last  convening  Dec.  21,  1775,  and  on  the  5th  day  of  the 
following  January  it  resolved  itself  into  a  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  adopted  a  constitution.  This  act  marks  the  begin- 
ning of  the  government  of  New  Hampshire  as  an  independent 
state. 

We  cannot  better  illustrate  the  workings  of  an  oldtime  town 
meeting  than  by  following  somewhat  closely  one  held  in  the  "Old 
Meeting  House"  at  Hillsborough  Centre  on  March  25,  1779,  with 
occasional  glimpses  of  other  meetings  held  at  various  times.  The 
cloud  of  the  Revolution  still  hung  over  the  meeting,  which  was 
very  real  in  its  actions  as  in  its  intentions.  The  warrant  was 
laboriously  drawn  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen, 
who,  according  to  the  custom  of  those  days,  was  also  Town  Clerk, 
so  that  officer  was  indeed  an  important  dignitary  in  the  com- 
munity. The  entire  document  is  reproduced  here  in  its  original 
and  quaint  wording,  as  nearly  as  may  be  in  type : 

Warrant  for  Town  Meeting  March  25,  1779. 

State  of  Nuhapshear  to  nehemiah  Wilkins  Constabel  of  the 

Countey  of  Hillborough  Ss  town  of  Hillboroug  greatten 

Sel  Tn  the   name  of  the   government   and  People  of  this 

State  you  are  Hear  by  Eequiered  forth  with  to  warn 
all  the  freeholders  and  outher  inHabetence  of  the 
Town  of  Hillboroug  qualifyde  to  Vote  in  town  meetens  to  meet  at  the 
meetten  house  in  sd  town  on  thursday  the  Twenty  finth  Day  of  March 
next  at  Ten  oclock  in  the  forenone  than  and  thare  to  act  as  foloers 
viz 

first  to  Chuse  a  moderator  to  Regulate  Said  meetten.    .    . 
21y     to  See  if  the  Town  will  alow  the  Seelectmen  and  Town  Clark 

Resenable  Pay  for  thair  Sarves  this  Prastnt  year.    .    . 
31y     to  Chouse  Town  Clark  Select  men  Committey  of  Safety  and  all 
other  Common  and  ordenary  Town  offises  .    .   . 


OLDTIME  TOWN  MEETING.  229 

41y     to  See  if  the  town  will  make  additton  to  the  Beverent  mr  Barnses 

Salery  this  Pryear  and  How  much  .   .   . 
5ly     to  See  if  the  town  will  agree   to   Buld   a  bridg   over   Contucook 

rever  so  Called  this  Prasent  year 

if  agree  to  buld  a  bridge  to  See  if  the  Town  will  Chouse  a  Com- 

mittey  to  Look  out  a  Plase  to  buld  Said  Bridge  &  to  oversee  and 

Gary  out  Sd  work — 
61y     to  See  how  much  money  the  Town  will  Base  to  Clear  and  Repair 

the  Hiwayes  this  prasint  year  and  How  much  thay  will  alow  a 

man  per  Day  and  How  much  for  a  yoke  of  oxen  with  ample- 

ments  fit  to  work  at  the  wayes  .    .    . 
71v     to  See  if  the  town  will  give  the  revrnt  Mr.  barns  the  Prevlege  of 

fancing  and  improving  the  Cleared  Land  South  of  the  meetten 

hous  this  Prasint  year  with  his  leaving  Proper  roome  for  the  hi- 

way.    .    . 
8ly     to  See  what  the  town  will  Du  with  the  Pue  ground  in  the  metten 

house 
91y     to   See    if   the   town  will  give   mr   barns   the   Pue   wast   of    the 

pulpit  which  is  allredy  bult  .    .    . 
lOly    to  See  what  the  town  will  Du  with  the  fary  this  Prasint  year. 
Illy    to  See  How  much  money  the  town  will  rase  to  Defray  town 

Charges  the  Prasint  year 
121y     to  hear  the  town  aCompts 

Hear  of  fale  not  and  make  Du  retorn  of  this  warint  with  your 

Duings  to  us  at  or  before  Sd  Day  given    Timt  Bradford 

Select 
under  our  hands  and  Seall  this  twenty    Daniel  mcneall 

Sixth  Day  of  febauary  A  D  1779  .    .    .       Samuel  Bradford  Men 

Persuant  to  orders  I  have  worned  the  Inhabetence  of  the  town  of 

Hillborough  to  meat  at  time  and  Plase 

Nehemiah  Wilkins  Corstabel 

atest  Timothy  Bradford  Town  Clark 

Though  the  fury  of  March  weather  was  nearly  spent,  it 
being  then  in  the  last  week  of  the  month,  we  can  still  imagine 
that  the  snow  had  not  yet  melted  away  in  the  shaded  places,  and 
that  there  were  deep  snow  drifts  on  the  road  leading  up  to  the 
Centre  from  Concord  End,  as  well  as  places  of  deep  mud,  as 
witness  the  hale  and  hearty  greeting  of  Dea.  John  Hartwell : 
"Zounds,  boys !  'tween  the  snow  and  the  mud  I  thought  mebbe 
I'd  never  get  here.  Couldn't  get  a  hoss  through  to  save  your 
neck." 

Good  traveling  or  bad  the  steady-going  voters  of  the  town, 
to  a  man,  always  managed  to  get  there  on  time,  save  a  few  who 


23O  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

were  compelled  to  tarry  at  home  a  little  longer  than  their  neigh- 
bors to  finish  the  chores.  If  the  men  were  busy,  so  were  the 
women,  for  this  was  as  much  their  day  as  that  of  the  men.  While 
their  liege  lords  were  at  town  meeting  mingling  votes  with  gossip, 
they  were  visiting  friends  plying  tongues  that  never  seemed  to 
tire  any  more  than  the  knitting  needles  that  kept  time  to  their 
words  with  an  incessant  clicking. 

The  meeting  was  warned  at  ten  o'clock,  and  as  early  as  nine 
the  men  began  to  gather  in  front  of  the  old  town  house,  as  it  was 
on  this  day,  though  only  two  days  since  it  was  "the  meeting 
house,"  when  good  Parson  Barnes  preached  his  double  sermons 
that  reached  into  the  tenthly,  etc. 

The  first  man  on  the  grounds,  and  he  proudly  claimed  that  he 
had  not  missed  the  honor  since  the  earliest  town  meeting  had 
been  held  in  November,  1772,  was  Daniel  Kellom,  "Little  Dan," 
as  he  was  generally  known.  Having  as  far  to  come  as  any  person 
there,  and  not  known  to  have  any  ambition  for  an  office,  with 
little  to  say  or  do  after  he  had  reached  the  goal,  no  one  really 
ever  understood  just  why  Dan  possessed  this  single  ambition. 
After  all  we  cannot  help  having  a  high  regard  for  Dan  Kellom, 
for  it  is  the  prompt  man  who  usually  wins  out.  At  any  rate  he 
was  on  hand  early  this  particular  March  election,  with  a  cheery 
greeting  for  those  who  came  after  him. 

Capt.  Joseph  Symonds,  tall  and  erect  of  carriage,  his  neck 
decked  in  the  high  dickey  and  cravat  of  his  day,  was  another 
early  comer.  He  was  deacon  of  the  church,  and  was  expecting 
to  be  re-elected  Moderator  for  this  meeting.  With  his  courteous 
address  and  deep,  sonorous  voice,  that  made  him  a  telling  speaker 
at  a  prayer  meeting,  he  presented  a  commanding  figure  as  a 
presiding  officer.  In  fact,  when  you  come  to  think  of  it,  Hills- 
borough may  be  proud  of  her  long  list  of  Moderators,  thirty-two 
in  her  144  years  of  political  life,  and  not  a  weak  official  among 
them.  Where  can  one  find  a  more  illustrious  group  than  the 
following  names  selected  at  random:  Capt.  Joseph  Symonds,  Maj. 
Isaac  Andrews,  Gov.  Benjamin  Pierce,  who  held  the  office  over 
twenty  years,  Hon.  John  Burnam  (eight  years),  Dr.  Reuben 
Hatch  (three  years),  Hon.  Franklin  Pierce  (since  President  of 
the  United  States),  Col.  Hiram  Monroe,  the  Wilsons,  father  and 


SOME  OF  THE  EARLY   CITIZENS.  23I 

son,  Hon.  Henry  D.  Pierce,  Hon.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  not  to 
mention  those  who  are  living  but  whose  modesty  forbids  me 
from  calling? 

Another  early  comer  was  Maj.  Isaac  Andrews,  tall,  slim  and 
straight  as  an  arrow,  dignified  and  courteous  to  a  marked  degree, 
and  whose  every  step  and  movement  told  of  his  military  training 
that  made  him  dignified  to  the  border  of  austerity. 

Behind  him,  and  almost  his  opposite  in  appearance  and 
deportment  came  Lt.  Samuel  Bradford,  shorter,  stouter,  florid- 
faced,  and  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  blue  eyes,  and  a  hearty 
"how'd-ye-do"  on  his  lips.  He,  too,  had  been  on  the  firing  line, 
and  never  flinched  where  duty  called  him. 

Another  of  the  pioneers  was  Thaddeus  Monroe,  tall,  broad- 
shouldered,  stern  and  firm  as  the  rock-ribbed  hills  of  Concord 
End,  as  well  he  might  be  coming  of  a  long  lineage  of  warriors 
and  defenders  of  the  faith  running  back  to  the  dark  days  of  the 
Scottish  Chiefs  and  down  through  the  Cromwellian  era  to  New 
England's  Lexington  and  Bennington.  A  man  of  few  words  he 
was  always  to  be  counted  upon  where  a  good  man  was  needed. 

Ha!  here  comes  James  McColley,  who  has  walked  up  from 
the  Contoocook  village,  an  early  name  for  the  hamlet  since  called 
"Bridge  Village,"  and  who  can  truly  claim  he  is  the  only  person 
present  who  was  among  the  original  pioneers  of  Old  Number 
Seven,  he  having  come  in  the  arms  of  his  parents  when  he  was 
three  years  old,  and  returned  upon  the  re-establishment  of  the 
colony  in  the  town  in  1763.    He  was  a  respected  citizen. 

Side  by  side  with  the  last  came  Daniel  Gibson,  son  of  the 
leader  of  the  men  of  '39,  he  himself  having  come  as  a  child  with 
his  mother  the  following  autumn.  He  was  not  given  to  an  over- 
abundance of  speech,  but  when  he  diT5  speak  men  listened. 

Next  came  Robert  Taggard  and  four  others  by  his  name, 
all  from  Taggard's  Farm,  a  name  once  covering  considerable 
of  the  territory  of  Bridge  Village.  The  Taggarts,  as  the  name 
is  spelled  now,  were  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage,  a  fact  borne  out 
by  their  speech  and  appearance,  and  the  unshakeable  manner  in 
which  they  always  stood  together  upon  any  question  that  arose 
from  a  dog  fight  to  the  question  of  personal  liberty. 


232  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Another  Scotch-Irish  family,  four  strong,  were  the  Mc- 
Clintocks,  always  eager  for  an  argument,  but  never  ready  to  give 
up.  They  were  a  stalwart  race,  though  not  as  tall  as  the  Monroes 
or  as  slim  as  the  Andrews.  The  Gammells,  living  near  by,  found 
it  no  great  task  to  be  promptly  on  hand,  though  never  seeking  an 
office.  Another  nearby  representative  was  Benjamin  Kimball, 
hale  and  hearty  for  his  years,  walking  as  erect  almost  as  in  the 
days  of  his  youth. 

There  were  James  Karr,  Thomas  and  William  Murdough, 
and  young  Thomas,  George  and  William  Booth,  Lot  Jennison ; — 
they  are  coming  too  fast  to  even  call  them  by  name  90W.  Word 
has  been  given  out  that  Parson  Barnes  is  about  to  open  the  meet- 
ing, after  true  New  England  style,  with  a  prayer,  and  we  know 
that  his  prayer  will  be  broad  enough  to  include  all  mankind,  so 
with  the  rest  we  will  enter  the  sacred  sanctuary  not  desecrated  a 
bit  by  this  worldly  meeting  pervaded  with  the  spirit  of  the  Holy 
communion  of  the  Sabbath.  Again  a  spirit  of  solemnity  hangs 
over  the  scene  from  the  fact  that  of  the  eighty  persons  who  could 
claim  the  night  of  franchise  more  than  twenty  would  not  be 
present  to  claim  the  privilege,  for  the  reason  that  they  were  in 
the  American  army  fighting  the  battles  of  the  country.  So  slowly 
did  the  news  travel  in  those  days  that  the  sufferings  of  Valley 
Forge  was  still  a  topic  of  conversation,  and  for  all  they  knew 
Washington  and  his  troops  may  have  been  swallowed  up  by  the 
enemies.  Is  it  a  wonder  if  it  was  a  sober,  sedate  crowd  that  filed 
into  the  town  house  and  took  seats  on  the  sides  or  stood  in  the 
broad  aisle  as  their  inclinations  determined,  while  the  Chairman 
of  the  Selectmen  rapped  for  order,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes  began 
his  prayer,  every  listener  bowing  an  uncovered  head  ? 

The  following  is  the  Clerk's  record  of  this  particular 

Town  Meeting. 

Att  a  legale  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Hillborough 
held  at  the  meeting  house  in  Said  town  on  thursday  the  25th  Day 
of  march  1779 
lly    Capt  Joseph  iSymonds  Moderator  of  Sd  meeting 
21y     Voted  to  aJon  the  Meeting  to  the  house  of  the  Reverent  Mr  Barns 
31y     Voted  Not  to  a  low  the  Selectmen  Pay  for  their   Sarveses  this 
Present  year 


CLERK  S  RECORD  OF  MEETING.  233 

4ly     Samuel  Bradford  Ju  Chose  fo  town  Chirk  Votted 

51y     Samuel  Bradford  Ju  Leiut  Ammi  Andrews  Capt  James  McCalley 

Chouse  Selectmen     Voted 
6Iy     Capt  Joseph   Symonds   William  Jones   Xathaneil    Colidge   Chose 

Committee  of  Safety    Voted 
71y    John  McClintoek  Chouse  Constebel    Voted 
81y     Capt  Joseph  Symonds  Chouse  town  treshuer     Voted 
91y     William  Hutchsion  Lt  Samuel  Bradford  Lt  William  Poop  thomas 
Murdough  Thadas   Munrow  John  Nichols   Samuel  Symonds  Wil- 
liam Booth  Chouse  Savars     Voted 
10.     Timothy  Bradford  William  Pope  Chouse  tything  men 
Illy     Samuel  Jones  James  Jones  Haywards     Voted 
121y    Lt  William  Pope  Chouse  Seler  of  Lather    Voted 
131y    Jacob  Flint  Jadiah  Preston  Willm  Booth  Chouse  feild  Drivers 

Voted 
14ly     Jadiah  Preston  Chouse  iSevare  of  Lumber  Voted 
151y    the  Selectmen  Chouse  Prisers  of  Damages  and  fance  vuers  and 

assorses     Voted 
161y     Capt  Joseph  Symonds  Chouse  Clark  of  the  'Market    Voted 
171y     Voted  to  Dismiss  the  4th  Artickel  in  the  warant 
181y     Voted  to  Buld  a  Brige  over  the  Rever  this  Present  year 
191y     Voted  to  Chouse  a  Committe  to  Look  out  a  place  to  Buld  Sd 
Bridge  to  over  see  and  Carey  on  Said  wor 

20  LtMcNeill  Samuel  Bradford  Ju  Archibald  taggart  Nathaniel  how- 

ard  thadeus  (Munrow  Chouse  a  Committe  to  Look  out  a  Place  to 
Buld  Said  Bridge  and  to  over  See  and  Carey  on  iSaid  work  Voted 

21  Voted  to  Rais  Six  hundred  Pounds  to  Clear  and  Repair  highways 

this  Present  year. 

22  Voted  three  Pounds  pr  Day  for  aman  and  the  Same  for  a  yoke 

of  oxen  with  Emplements  fit  to  work 

23  Voted  to  Dismis  the  7th  artickel  in  the  warrant 

24  Voted  to  Seet  the  Pue  ground  in  the  meeting  house 

25  Voted  that  the  Selectmen  take  Care  of  the  ferrey  the  Present  year 
2|9     Voted  to  Rais  one  hundred  and  Eighty  Pounds  to  Defray  towns 

Charges  the  Present  year 
27     Heard  the  town  a  Counts  &  So  the  Meeting  Dissolved 

atst  Samuel  Bradford  T  Clark 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  meeting  was  held  in  the 
original  meeting  house  at  the  Centre,  and  second  house  of  worship 
in  the  town.  This  was  somewhat  smaller  than  that  other  building, 
which  was  standing  within  the  memory  of  many  now  living,  and 
which  was  somewhat  wrongfully  designated  as  "The  Old  Meet- 
ing House."    It  will  be  noticed  that  Captain  Symonds  was  chosen 


234  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Moderator  for  a  second  term,  and  as  far  as  we  know  without  a 
dissenting  vote.  By  the  way,  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  in 
those  elections  the  check  list  was  not  in  use,  every  man  voting  on 
his  honor.  There  is  no  record  of  any  complaint  of  the  abuse  of 
this  privilege.  There  was  very  little,  if  any,  political  intrigue; 
in  truth,  politics  was  not  then  a  known  quantity. 

June  23,  1813,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  requiring  towns 
to  prepare  a  checklist  for  voting  purposes,  and  the  names  made 
up  from  this  afforded  the  foundation  for  the  tax  list.  Previous 
to  this  every  man  voted  "upon  his  honor"  his  name  recorded  as 
he  voted,  and  this  making  the  foundation  for  the  tax  list. 

There  was  an  adjournment  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Barnes  for 
the  reason  there  was  no  stove  in  the  meeting  house,  and  no  doubt 
it  was  chilly  standing  round.  It  is  very  likely  the  balance  of  the 
meeting  took  place  in  this  house.  While  noted  as  a  hardy  race  no 
people  enjoyed  to  a  greater  extent  the  comforts  of  the  chimney 
corner  than  our  ancestors,  and  seated  in  the  great  armed  chair 
with  a  mug  of  cider  flip  handy  many  an  evening,  when  Old 
Boreas  reigned  without  with  a  furious  whip,  was  whiled  away  in 
peaceful  contentment. 

In  Art.  3  it  was  "Voted  not  to  alow  the  Selectmen  Pay  for 
their  Sarveses  this  Present  year."  This  action  was  not  uncom- 
mon, and  it  was  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  that  these 
important  officials  serve  without  remuneration.  In  the  early  days 
of  town  government  strictest  economy  was — in  some  instances 
had  to  be — practiced.  We  can  imagine  the  protest  that  was 
raised  by  a  few,  and  how  Timothy  Bradford,  the  chairman  and 
Clerk  of  the  town,  arose  in  his  brusque  manner  and  few  words 
entered  a  dissent  against  serving  for  nothing  again.  The  records 
are  silent  in  regard  to  his  salary  as  Clerk,  and  probably  he 
received  a  blank  sum  for  this  also.  At  any  rate,  he  was  not  re- 
elected to  either  office.  A  few  years  later,  when  the  towns  came 
to  elect  Representatives  to  the  General  Court  each  man  had  to 
bear  his  own  expense,  and  hence  only  men  of  means  could  afford 
the  honor.  In  some  instances  the  town  paid  the  bill,  and  when 
the  little  commonwealth  felt  too  poor  to  do  so,  it  "voted  not  to 
send."  To  remedy  this  the  state  finally  came  to  rescue,  though  it 
was  not  until  1800  the  cost  of  the  legislation  was  borne  in  a 
moderate  way  by  the  state. 


TOWN  OFFICERS.  235 

The  records  do  not  say  how  many  ballots  were  required  to 
secure  a  board  of  Selectmen,  but  finally  three  of  the  strongest 
men  in  town  were  chosen,  and  with  or  without"  salary  it  was  safe 
to  suppose  that  the  affairs  would  be  conducted  in  a  satisfactory 
manner. 

The  Committee  of  Safety,  an  important  office  in  those  trying 
days,  was  filled  by  three  strong  men  of  undoubted  patriotism. 

John  McClintock  was  chosen  Constable,  the  most  important 
office  in  town.  It  was  not  only  his  duty  to  maintain  peace,  but 
he  performed  the  functions  of  sheriff  and  collector  of  taxes.  No 
town  meeting  could  be  called  without  his  signature  to  the  warrant, 
and  altogether  it  was  the  most  difficult  office  to  fill.  Not  infre- 
quently persons  chosen  to  the  positions  refused  to  serve,  and  the 
Selectmen  had  to  find  some  one  willing  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Some- 
times the  man  elected  was  compelled  to  find  a  substitute.  The 
reward  for  filling  the  round  of  arduous  duties  was  slight. 

Captain  Symonds  was  the  first  Town  Treasurer,  and  he 
served  for  a  long  time  in  that  capacity,  though  not  in  consecutive 
order.  Eight  surveyors  of  roads  were  chosen,  but  their  duties 
could  not  have  been  onerous  according  to  the  records,  for  not 
much  activity  was  displayed  in  opening  new  highways,  or  even 
in  keeping  the  old  ones  in  repair.  There  was  neither  time  nor 
money,  nor  a  great  amount  of  travel  to  call  for  this. 

The  office  of  Tithing  Man  was  created  early  in  the  conduct 
of  religious  affairs  in  New  England,  and  the  duties  of  the  office 
were  decidedly  of  a  religious  character.  For  this  reason  generally 
the  best  men  in  the  community  were  chosen  to  the  position. 
Their  duty  was  to  maintain  order  and  decorum  in  the  meetings, 
to  see  that  the  Sabbath,  which  began  at  six  o'clock  Saturday 
evening  and  ended  at  the  same  hour  Sunday,  was  strictly  observed 
not  only  in  the  matter  of  attending  divine  worship  by  the  people 
of  the  locality  but  to  see  that  no  stranger  infringed  upon  the 
sacredness  of  the  "Lord's  Day."  It  is  related  that  a  certain  man 
living  not  far  from  this  town  house  was  discovered  to  be  riding 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  he  was  quickly  stopped  by  the  nearest 
Tithing  Man,  who  demanded  why  he  was  abroad  on  this  holy  day 
and  what  his  errand  might  be.     He  declared  that  he  was  out  of 


23&  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

grain,  and  having  nothing  upon  which  to  feed  his  family,  he  had 
set  out  for  the  nearest  mill  hoping  to  get  a  supply.  The  Tithing 
Man,  with  a  spark  of  humanity  as  well  as  the  authority  of  his 
office,  pointed  out  to  him  the  sinfulness  of  his  action  and  bade 
the  other  to  tarry  with  him  until  sundown.  Then  he  let  the  man 
have  some  of  his  own  corn,  gave  him  a  generous  swig  of  New 
England  rum  to  keep  up  his  spirits  while  riding  homeward,  and 
saw  him  started  on  his  return  trip.  Another  man,  living  in  Hop- 
kinton,  thought  to  visit  a  friend  living  in  Hillsborough,  but  he 
failed  to  escape  the  watchful  eye  of  one  of  Henniker's  Tithing 
Men,  so  he  was  haled  on  the  road  and  compelled  to  remain  there 
until  dark,  when  it  was  too  late  to  make  his  journey  and  went 
back  to  his  home  a  disappointed  if  not  a  wiser  man.  In  the 
course  of  time  the  power  of  the  office  was  somewhat  abused,  and 
a  special  act  of  the  legislature  in  1814,  when  party  spirit  ran 
high,  caused  many  over-zealous  officers  to  overstep  the  bounds  of 
their  good  intentions.  The  law  remained  upon  the  statues  until 
1834,  but  was  a  dead  letter  for  many  years.  In  fact,  with  the 
separation  of  church  from  public  affairs,  the  office  ceased  to  be 
filled.  The  badge  of  the  official  was  a  stick  a  yard  long  tipped 
with  brass  or  pewter. 

The  next  officer  chosen  was  "Hayward."  This  term,  some- 
times given  as  "Haywarden,"  is  found  among  the  old  English 
records  in  association  with  "Hedge-ward,"  "Fence-ward,"  and 
similar  terms.  It  was  there,  as  it  became  among  the  New  Eng- 
land colonists,  the  official  title  of  a  town  officer  whose  duty  it  was 
to  impound  stray  cattle  and  field  them  until  they  were  redeemed 
by  their  owners.  In  a  few  years  these  officers  came  to  be  known 
as  "pound-keepers,"  and  the  old  stone  inclosure  at  the  Centre  is 
still  standing  as  a  reminder  of  the  days  when  cattle,  horses,  sheep 
and  hogs  wandering  at  will  were  seized  and  imprisoned  here. 
See  list  of  pound-keepers  for  further  particulars. 

Art.  13  records  the  election  of  three  good  citizens  as  "field- 
drivers,"  a  title  which  soon  was  substituted  by  that  of  hog-reeves. 
These  officials  were  in  close  touch  with  the  haywardens  or  pound- 
keepers,  as  it  was  their  duty  to  see  that  no  animals  were  found 
loitering  or  feeding  by  the  roadside  or  in  any  inclosure  not 
belonging  to  the  owner.  At  this  day  it  seems  preposterous  that 


TOWN    OFFICERS — CONTINUED.  237 

the  duty  could  have  been  very  irksome,  but  this  was  often  the 
case.  There  is  not  a  record  of  a  town  meeting  down  to  a  com- 
paratively recent  date  where  this  subject  did  not  vex  the  action 
of  the  voters.  About  the  time  this  office  began  to  fall  into  disuse, 
through  some  suggestion  never  explained,  as  far  as  the  writer 
knows,  it  became  the  custom  to  bestow  this  office  upon  the  newly 
married  men  of  the  town,  as  if  they  did  not  have  sufficient  to 
harass  them  without  it,  as  witness  the  vote  taken  in  Antrim  under 
date  of  March  9,  1813:  "Voted  Alexander  Witherspoon,  James 
Jameson,  James  Campbell,  and  all  other  newly  married  men  be 
hog  reeves."  There  is  no  record  of  a  vote  of  this  kind  in  Hills- 
borough, but  there  is  no  doubt  of  its  intent  being  carried  out. 
This  idea  generally  prevailed  in  the  different  towns  until  the  office 
was  abolished  some  twenty-five  years  ago,  more  or  less.* 

In  addition  to  the  pound,  which  was  sometimes  known  as 
"cow  pen,"  or  "wolf  pen,"  was  an  inclosed  tract  of  larger  size 
known  as  "the  night  pasture,"  where  stray  animals  could  be 
turned  loose  without  allowing  them  to  wander. 

Occupied  as  the  farmers  were  in  those  days  in  tilling  the  few 
acres  under  cultivation,  increasing  these  and  improving  their 
habitations,  they  found  little  time  to  build  fences,  even  had  there 
been  inviting  grazing  plots  to  inclose,  which  there  were  not.  The 
places  affording  the  sweetest  grasses  for  the  cattle  were  about 
the  buildings  and  along  the  roads,  so  it  was  the  rule  to  make  the 
most  of  these  localities.  Prone  as  these  creatures  are  to  wander, 
knowing  no  bounds,  it  became  a  matter  of  little  wonder  if  the 
trespass  of  a  neighbor's  neat  stock  did  not  become  an  affair  to 
be  voted  upon  at  town  meeting,  and  steps  were  frequently  taken 
to  mitigate  the  evil.  The  writer  has  in  the  mind  a  town  that 
received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  had  become  the  pasture 
for  cattle  whose  owners  lived  five  or  six — yes,  ten  miles — away 
in  another  township. 

In  order  for  each  owner  to  recognize  and  prove  his  property  it 
became  the  custom  for  him  to  place  his  peculiar  mark  upon  such 
sheep,  cattle  and  horses  he  possessed,  and  to  publish  the  character 


*Reeve  comes  from  an  old  English  syllable  reve,  and  affixed  to  shire-reve  be- 
comes in  modern  English  "sheriff."  Hence  hog-reeve  becomes  "hog-riff"  and 
meant   "one  to  look  after  hogs." 


238  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  these  distinguishing  marks  in  the  Town's  Book.    The  follow- 
ing are  some  of  these  entries : 

"A  Record  of  the  artificial  mak  of  Cattle  and  sheep  of  this  town: 

"Isaac  Andrews  mark  a  slant  of  the  under  side  of  Left  ear 

"William  Uitchson  mark  a  Swallow  taill  in  the  right  ear. 

"Abraham  Andrews'  Sheep  mark  a  crop  off  from  the  left  ear  &  a 
swallow  tail  in  the  right  ear. 

"Eliphalet    Bradford's   Sheep  &   cattle   marked   with   a  half   crop 
from  the  right  ear. 

"March  3<i  1799. 

"True  Coppy  as  directed 

"Calvin  Stevens  T.  C 

"William  Parker's  Sheep  marked  with  a  slit  in  the  off  ear  and  a 
half  penny  from  the  Near  ear. 

"As  directed     Calvin  Stevens  T  C" 

Though  the  records  of  Hillsborough  do  not  show  any  action 
of  the  kind,  most  of  the  towns  chose  annually  a  "deer  reeve," 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  those  animals  were  not  wantonly 
slaughtered  "out  of  season."  This  was  not  done  purely  out  of  any 
humane  feeling,  but  venison  was  looked  upon  with  favor  by  the 
early  settlers,  and  very  often  it  came  in  handy  when  domestic 
meat  was  not  abundant.  So  to  kill  deer  in  the  warm  months 
was  looked  upon  as  a  waste  of  provision  that  might  be  needed  in 
the  future. 

Lt.  William  Pope  was  chosen  sealer  of  leather,  and  as  con- 
siderable tanning  was  done  here  in  those  days  this  was  a  position 
of  considerable  importance.  In  fact,  there  was  not  an  office  in 
the  entire  list  that  did  not  require  good  business  tact  and  a  con- 
stant attendance  to  its  duty,  as  useless  as  most  of  them  seem 
to-day.  At  this  meeting  the  first  consideration  was  given  the 
matter  of  bridging  the  Contoocook  River,  which  is  treated  fully 
elsewhere.  Hitherto  the  river  was  forded  or  crossed  by  ferry, 
which  was  located  just  below  the  rapids,  and  this  ferry  was  of 
sufficient  importance  to  demand  the  watchful  attention  of  the 
Selectmen.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  in  estimating  the  amount 
of  money  raised  for  town  charges,  that  the  currency  of  the  day 
had  greatly  depreciated,  so  that  sums  of  good  size  in  reality 
proved  very  small  when  considered  in  their  true  value. 


TOWN  MEETINGS. 


239 


Town  meetings  were  held  at  the  Centre  for  over  a  hundred 
years — a  long  period — and  then  the  gravity  of  population  had  so 
changed  that  it  was  no  longer  a  convenient  meeting  place  for  the 
citizens  of  the  town.  After  three  or  four  years  of  agitation,  at 
the  annual  election  held  March  9,  1874,  it  was  recorded. .  . 

Art.  10th.  Voted  that  the  elections  be  held  hereafter  at  the 
Bridge  Village  in  accordance  with  the  following  agreement : 

Agreement 

If  the  town  of  Hillsborough  will  vote  to  hold  hereafter  their  town 
meeting  and  elections  at  the  Bridge  Village  in  said  town  we  the  under- 
signed hereby  jointly  and  severally  agree  that  we  will  see  that  a 
suitable  place  for  holding  such  meeting  and  elections  is  provided  and 
furnished  at  said  Bridge  Village  free  of  expense  to  said  town  for  the 
term  of  ten  years  next  following  said  vote. 

Hillsborough,  N.  H.,  March  9,  1874. 


James  S.  Butler 
George  W.  Cook 
George   D.   Peaslee 
H.  Marcy 

Edward  S.  Kendall 
R.  F.  Lovering 
J.  F.  Grimes 
S.  Dow  Wyman 
Orlando   Sargent 
R.  E.  Lovering 
Eli  L.  Smith 
George  A.  Nichols 
B.  F.  Upton 
Norman    Bobbins 
S.  O.  Bowers 
J.  H.  Lovering 
James  H.   Forsaith 


W.  B.  Prichard 
Charles   Kimball 
James  Newman 
Edward   Grace 
S.  McNiel 
Ephraim   Dutton 
W.  H.  Bean 
J.  C.  Campbell 
Albert  0.  Cutter 
Levi  W.  Bixby 
Dr.  Israel  B.  Chase 
Baxter  Codman 
George  H.  Stewart 
G.  F.  Sleeper 
S.   A.  Brown 
Edward    Kellom 
Charles   F.   McClary 
O.  P.  Greenleaf 


I.  S.  Wilkins 
Brooks  K.  Webber 
O.  Abbott 
D.  W.  C.  Newman 
Edwin  B.  Morse 
D.  D.  Bailey 
Francis   Grimes 
C.  F.  Greenleaf 
Charles   Wyman 
J.  B.  Whittemore 
Walter   P.    Straw 
Cyrus  P.  McAdams 
B.  F.  Burtt 
L.  S.  Eaton 

William  B.  Whittemore 
Warren  W.  Hill 
John  F.  Glawson 


The  conditions  of  this  agreement  were  satisfactorily  filled, 
and  without  any  bitterness  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  those  who 
had  lost  in  the  part  taken,  the  town  meetings  began  to  be  held  at 
the  Bridge  Village,  and  so  continue  to  this  day. 


24o  history  of  hillsborough. 

Clerk  of  the  Market. 

Among  the  ideas  and  customs  that  the  early  settlers  of  New 
England  brought  with  them  from  the  old  country  was  the  provi- 
sion made  in  most  of  the  original  charters  for  a  fair  to  be  held 
once  or  twice  a  year,  as  soon  as  "fifty  families  resident  and 
settled  in  town."  In  England  and  Ireland  this  practice  had  ob- 
tained a  firm  hold,  which  the  years  since  have  not  entirely 
obliterated.  These  fairs  were  intended  as  a  season  for  trade, 
traffic,  the  exchange  of  commodities  by  the  inhabitants,  and  in  a 
measure  occupied  the  place  more  recently  filled  by  the  local 
merchant.  There  is  no  record  to  show  that  these  fairs  were  held 
in  Hillsborough,  though  many  of  its  pioneers  had  come  from 
Londonderry,  which  was  the  "mother  of  fairs"  in  this  state. 

Another  feature  in  close  association  with  this  was  the  provi- 
sion for  a  weekly  market  day,  and  of  course  had  its  origin  in  the 
same  source  as  the  other.  This  action  made  it  necessary  to  have 
an  official  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  regulate  affairs  connected 
with  it,  and  to  see  that  proper  order  was  maintained ;  hence  there 
was  elected  annually  a  "Clerk  of  Market."  Hillsborough  carried 
out  this  part  of  the  schedule  until  about  1800,  but  I  have  not  seen 
any  record  to  show  that  market  day  was  ever  observed  in  Hills- 
borough, though  it  may  have  been.  In  considering  these  civil  and 
social  functions  and  their  performance  it  must  always  be  borne 
in  mind  that  with  the  New  England  colonists  there  was  ever  a 
disturbing  factor — the  Indians,  wars,  and  minor  difficulties  that 
always  arise  in  the  settlement  of  a  new  country — to  pervert,  if 
not  change,  the  policy  of  a  people. 

Warning  Out  of  Town. 

Early  in  the  history  of  colonization  of  New  England  the  in- 
habitants showed  their  utter  contempt  for  a  lazy  or  indigent 
person.  Owing  either  to  personal  shiftlessness  or  an  overruling 
destiny  that  they  could  not  apparently  combat,  the  numbers  of 
indigent  persons  had  increased  so  far  that  a  law  was  enacted  in 
1692-3,  by  which  towns  were  ordered  to  warn  by  public  proclama- 
tion all  strangers  to  leave  the  town  within  three  months.  It  will 
be  noticed  a  certain  degree  of  respect  was  shown  to  those  against 


cr 
o 
p* 

o 
'-- 

—. 
T 

— 

H) 
> 


WARNING  OUT  OF  TOWN.  24I 

whom  this  was  directed.  Not  only  in  Massachusetts  but  in  New 
Hampshire  this  law  was  enforced,  and  many  towns  in  the  latter 
province  have  on  their  records  notices  where  sundry  persons  were 
asked  to  "move  on"  lest  they  become  a  burden  to  the  community. 

I  have  not  found  such  a  vote  on  Hillsborough  record  books. 

Not  always  did  the  persons  thus  warned  out  of  town  really 
leave,  nor  was  it  expected  of  them,  but  the  measure  was  a  means 
of  legal  safety  to  escape  the  support  of  any  strangers  that  might 
come  into  town  unable  to  provide  for  themselves,  and  the  town 
from  which  they  had  come  were  held  responsible  for  their 
keeping. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Military  History,  1781  to  i860. 

The  Military  Spirit  That  Follows  War — Military  Leaders  in  Hills- 
borough— Organization  of  the  Militia — Previous  Code  Had  Been 
Indian  Tactics — First  Cavalry  Troops — The  Twenty-Sixth — Roll 
of  First  Artillery  Company — War  of  1812 — Scenes  at  the  Front — 
Dark  Days  of  '14 — Victories  on  the  Sea — The  Alarm  at  Ports- 
mouth— 'Chippewa  and  Niagara — "I  Will  Try,  Sir" — Close  of  the 
War — Roll  of  Hillsborough  Men — Florida  War — Colonel  Pierce  in 
the  Florida  Campaign — Death  of  Lieut.  J.  W.  S.  MeNiel — ■ 
Letter  Lieutenant  McNiel — Reorganization  of  Militia  in  1840 — • 
Hillsborough's  Officers — The  Mexican  War — General  Pierce  and 
'Major  Steele — iA  Trying  Campaign — The  Gallant  Ninth — Cork 
Musters — 'Carter  Guards — Smith  Rifles. 

During  the  French  and  Indian  War  the  colonists  of  New 
England  had  met  the  allied  forces  in  tactics  based  upon  Indian 
warfare.  This  system  while  seeming  to  lack  all  form  of  military 
training,  according  to  Old  World  ideas,  yet  required  a  rigid 
discipline  peculiarly  its  own,  and  succeeded  where  the  best 
soldiers  of  England  failed  miserably.  Out  of  this  strategic 
system  evolved  the  crude  form  of  militia  law  which  existed  before 
the  Revolution.  Not  finding  this  sufficiently  strong  the  Provincial 
Congress,  in  1774,  enacted  a  statue  providing  that  no  able-bodied 
man  should  be  exempted  from  military  duty.  It  was  ordered  that 
troops  should  be  organized  in  each  locality  under  competent 
officials  and  to  be  called  out  at  least  four  times  a  year  for  training 
and  exercise.  Any  attempt  to  evade  the  law  meant  serious  con- 
sequence to  the  delinquent. 

The  Revolutionary  War  was  fought  by  the  men  and  the  sons 
of  the  men  who  had  fought  the  Indian  wars  without  special  or 
organized  training,  and  vanquished  the  best  soldiery  of  Europe! 
Though  victorious  the  survivors  of  that  struggle  at  the  close  of 
the  war  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when  it  was  necessary  to  train 
men  in  the  militia,  and  this  became  an  important  element  in  every- 
day life.  The  militia  laws  of  the  state,  passed  in  1792  and 
remodeled   in    1808,    remained   without   essential   alteration    for 

242 


COMPANY  OF  CAVALRY.  243 

nearly  forty  years.  Colonel  Potter,  in  his  work  upon  Military 
History  of  the  State  says  very  aptly:  "Our  militia  was  never 
better  organized  or  in  a  more  flourishing  condition." 

With  such  military  leaders  in  the  field,  from  time  to  time,  as 
the  Andrews,  Baldwins,  Bradfords,  McNiels  and  others  of  not 
less  prestige,  it  would  seem  strange  if  Hillsborough  did  not  stand 
among  the  foremost  in  military  tactics.  Here,  men  were  at  its 
head  who  had  had  experience  in  former  wars,  and  carried  out  the 
maxim  of  "in  time  of  peace  prepare  for  war." 

The  militia  was  arranged  into  companies,  battalions,  regi- 
ments, brigades  and  divisions.  In  1796  the  militia  was  organized 
and  twenty-seven  regiments  formed,  and  Benjamin  Pierce  of 
Hillsborough  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  commandant  of 
the  twenty-sixth.  This  regiment,  which  became  quite  noted 
among  the  militia  of  the  state  included  men  from  the  towns  of 
Henniker,  Hillsborough,  Antrim,  Deering  and  Campbell's  Gore 
(now  Windsor),  as  First  Battalion;  with  Hancock,  Lyneborough, 
Francestown,  Greenfield,  and  Society  Land  (now  Bennington), 
Second  Battalion,  the  combined  battalions  making  the  regiment 
complete. 

In  the  military  organization  of  the  State  of  1812,  Lieut- 
Colonel  David  McClure  of  this  town  was  made  commandant. 
Not  satisfied  with  the  good  name  already  won,  in  the  summer  of 
1806  a  movement  was  started  to  organize  a  company  of  cavalry 
to  augment  this  regiment,  and  the  following  action  taken : 

Henniker,  July  8,  1806 

We  the  subscribers  Voluntarily  enlist  in  the  Company  of  Cavalry 
annexed  to  the  twenty-sixth  regiment  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire 
commanded  by  Sam1  Wilson  of  said  Henniker  promising  to  equip 
ourselves  according  to  Law  with  Arms  and  Accoutourments,  also  to 
Uneform  ourselves  with  a  scarlet  Red  Coat  faced  with  yellow  buff, 
gilt  Buttons,  other  trimmings  and  fustion  the  same  as  the  former 
coats  we  have  worn,  also  to  have  a  white  Feather  about  nine  inches 
long  with  about  two  inches  of  red  on  top  and  a  Red  sash  round  our 
caps  instead  of  Green — the  other  uniforms  the  same  as  we  in  the 
Company  have  lately  worn,  to  have  this  new  Uniform  by  the  first  day 
of  September  next. 

And  we  Also  promise  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  above  named 
commanding  officer  and  all  the  Officers  in  subordination  to  him  in  said 


244 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


Company  To  have  Bridles  with  ornaments,  with  Yellow  Saddle  Cloth 
Leather  Valance  Please  to  take  notice  the  above  mentioned  uniform  is 
appointed  by  the  Governor  himself. 


Samuel  Barnes 
David   Goodale,  Jr. 
John  Mead 
Joseph  Chapman 
Stephen  Chapman 
Benjamin  Farrar 
Silas   Marsshall 
Benjamin  Alcock 
Jonathan  Sargent 
Abraham  Andrews 
Joseph  Dickey 
Sutherick  Weston 
John  Caldwell 


David  McC alley 
Solomon  Hopkinson 
Zacheus  Dustin 
William  Booth 
Ebeneser  Goodhul 
Jonathan  Car 
Eli  Wheeler 
Samuel  Sargent 
Luther  Fuller 
Josiah    Cunningham 
William  Jones 
Justin  Houston 
Thomas  Wilson 


Lieut.    Joseph  Curt  Barnes — Hillsborough 

The  cavalry  or  "troop"  of  the  26th  Regiment  was  usually 
mustered  at  Cork  Plain,  West  Deering,  and  became  known  as  one 
of  the  finest  drilled  body  of  men  in  the  state.  It  was  at  its  zenith 
during  the  command  of  Capt.  John  C.  Proctor  of  Henniker,  a 
superior  drill  officer. 

Not  only  was  Hillsborough  interested  in  the  infantry  and 
cavalry  of  the  26th,  but  the  town  had  also  active  supporters  of 
the  artillery  as  witness  the  following  action  taken  by  some  of  the 
leading  citizens. 

Boll  Book 
Of  the  First  Artillery  Company  in  Hillsborough : 
Sergeants : 

John  Goodale,  1st 

B.  F.  Leanard,  2nd 

C.  A.  Priest,  3rd 
B.  P.  Moor,  4th 


Officers : 


C.  A.  Priest 
G.  Clement 
H.  Bigelow 
C.  Eaton 
H.  Hartwell 
M.  Cooledge 
A.  Heath 
H.  Killom 


S.  Murdough 
John  Johnson 
Harvey  Jones 
Eben  Jones 
E.   Baxter 
George  Taylor 
J.  Murdough 
J.  Breed 


F.  B.  Dutton,  Capt. 

S.  C.  Barnes,  Lieut. 

A.  iSargent 
F.  Bobbins 


W.  Cooledge 
H.  Murdough 
T.  Murdough 
J.  Powers 
F.  Means 


MEN  IN  WAR  OF   l8l2.  245 

So  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  1812  found  the  militia 
of  the  state  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Men  were  at  its  head  who 
had  had  experience  in  the  Revolution. 

The  questions  leading  up  to  this  war  were  a  bone  of  conten- 
tion at  home  as  well  as  abroad,  and  many  in  this  country  con- 
sidered its  beginning  unnecessary.  At  this  late  day — and  long 
ago  for  that  matter —  it  has  been  clearly  shown  that  the  war  was 
inevitable.  While  England  was  fairly  whipped  upon  land  in  the 
Revolution,  she  had  not  been  conquered  at  sea,  and  it  was  still 
her  boast  that  she  was  "mistress  of  the  ocean,"  and  the  world. 
Believing  she  was  now  capable  of  subduing  the  poorly  united 
colonies,  she  seemed  to  improve  every  opportunity  to  injure  and 
insult  the  American  government.  Finally  her  manner  had  be- 
come so  insolent  that  an  extra  session  of  Congress  was  called  in 
November,  181 1,  by  President  Madison,  who  recommended  in  his 
message  that  preparations  for  war  be  commenced  at  once.  It  was 
six  months  later,  June  18,  1812,  however,  when  war  against  Great 
Britain  was  declared. 

As  has  been  shown  elsewhere  New  Hampshire,  as  far  as  her 
militia  was  concerned,  was  well  prepared  for  action,  and  no  town 
in  the  state  better  equipped  than  Hillsborough.  So,  while  her 
record  in  the  War  for  Independence  is  an  exceedingly  bright  one, 
that  for  the  Second  War  with  Great  Britain  shines  with  equal 
brillancy,  while  on  the  field  of  mars  glistens  the  stars  of  two 
distinguished  officers.*  Unfortunately  the  records  of  this  war 
are  not  found  complete,  and  beyond  doubt  the  following  roll  for 
Hillsborough  is  lacking  several  names: 

Men  in  Wab  of  1812. 

Baldwin,  Isaac,  Jr.,  Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for  60  days. 
Bixby,   Sergt.  Kansom.      Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.   13,   1814   for 

3  mos. 
Bradford,    Capt.    Benjamin.      Service    at    Portsmouth,    Apr.    1,    1813, 

60  days ;  also  in  the  Northern  Army. 

While  the  records  are  not  available  this  officer  saw  con- 
siderable service  during  the  war,  as  witness  an  excerpt  from  a 
letter  written  to  his  wife  then  living  at  Hillsborough. 


*See    Chapter   on    Political   History   for    a    more    comprehensive    meaning. — Au- 
thor. 


246  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Burlington,  Vt. 
Mrs.  Mary  Bradford, 

Hillsborough,  N.  H. 

I  reed  your  letter  as  I  came  to  Plattsburg  I  was  very  glad  to  get 
it  you  mentioned  something-  respect  hardships  at  the  time  I  wrote  you 
before  I  knew  nothing  about  hardships  but  if  I  could  see  you  now  I 
could  tell  you  something  about  them  the  latter  part  of  our  Campain 
has  been  very  fautigueing  we  were  so  situated  when  twenty  five  miles 
advanced  in  the  enemy's  Country  in  the  Low  province  of  Canada  we 
was  obliged  to  go  eight  days  on  four  days  ration  in  the  hardest 
fatigue  no  sleep  to  our  eyes  nor  slumber  to  our  eyelids  was  alowed  us 
for  seventy  two  hours  continual  alarms  and  some  hand  fiting  the 
tommy  hawk  Company  beating  about  our  camps  especially  in  the  nite 
at  the  experation  of  this  time  there  was  a  Council  of  war  held  with 
the  general  and  field  officers  and  was  promulgated  to  us  a  retrograde 
movement  into  the  U  S  in  consequence  of  Gen  Wilkinsons  not  coming 
down  the  river  St.  Lawrence  as  was  expected  since  that  we  have 
returned  to  Chataugee  from  thence  to  Shasey  from  thence  to  Platts- 
burg to  winter  quarters  for  my  part  I  have  been  at  Burlington  three 
weeks  on  account  of  being  out  of  health  I  left  the  mane  army  at 
Plattsburg  I  have  had  a  severe  turn  of  the  jaundice  but  am  getting 
better.  Gen  Wilks  army  winters  at  the  franch  Mills  sixty  miles  west 
of  Hampton's  at  Plattsburg.  Gen  Harrison's  at  Sacket's  Harbour.  I 
think  I  rote  you  that  I  should  not  be  at  holme  untill  my  time  was 
expired  you  must  not  think  strange  if  I  dont  for  no  furlow  is  alowed 
here  nor  leaves  of  absence  dont  think  strange  however  if  you  see  me 
in  ten  days  for  I  some  expect  to  be  at  holm  on  the  recruiting  service 
soon. 

I  will  further  state  in  respects  to  our  hardships  we  only  count 
ourselves  eating  the  pleasant  end  of  the  cucumber  that  our  fathers 
bit  the  bitter  end  off  in  the  year  seventy  five  thank  God  as  we  have 
not  eat  it  all  I  dont  know  but  I  shall  feast  upon  it  another  year  tell 
my  friends  that  have  relations  with  me  that  I  have  not  a  man  sick 
in  the  hospital  neither  have  I  lost  a  man  since  I  left  new  hampshire 
my  health  was  very  good  through  the  campain  except  a  little  tutch 
of  the  rumitism  our  loss  at  Armstown  Battle  was  from  seventy  to 
eighty  men  something  of  a  number  of  officers  was  wounded  and  men 
the  British  loss  not  asertained  we  have  about  one  hundred  British 
prisoners  here  which  are  the  greatest  society  for  the  peace  party  but 
in  consequence  of  the  bad  treatment  towards  our  prisoners  in  Canada 
the  former  is  this  day  ordered  into  Close  Confinement  Gen  Hampton 
is  very  unpopular  here  Gen  Wilkin  verry  much  to  the  reverce. 
nothing  more  at  present. 

Verry  respectfully  your 
Dec  11,   1813.  Benj.  Bradford 

U  S  Infantry  at  Burlington 


MEN  OF  WAR  OF   l8l2 CONTINUED.  247 

Carter,  James,  Jr.     Capt.  William  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814,  60  days. 
Carter,  Nathan.     Capt.  William  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814,  60  days  at 

Portsmouth.     Soon  after  removed  to  Henniker. 
Dascomb,  George.    Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  .Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  mos. 

Ellinwood,  Daniel— Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814,  60  days. 
Enlisted  as  Allenwood — was  legal  voter  in  1814.  Previously  in 
iCapt.  Ben.  Bradford's  Co.,  Apr.  1,  1813—60  days. 

Farrar,  Isaac — 'Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  iSept.  13,  1814  for  3  mon.    Pre- 
viously in  Capt.  Ben.  Bradford's  Co.,  Apr.  1,  1813  for  60  days. 
Farrar,  Noah — Capt.  Ben.  Bradford's  Co.,  Apr.  1,  1813  for  60  days. 
Flint,  Ebenezer — Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  months. 

Green  David,    Name  not  on  check  list ;  but  he  is  credited  with  service. 
Hatch,  Martin (?)— Lieut.  V.   R.  Goodrich's  Co.,  Feb.   18,   1813    for   3 
years. 

Heartley,  Samuel (?)— Lieut.  V.  R.  Goodrich's  Co.,  Feb.  18,  1813— 
5  years. 

Huntley,  Elisha— Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for  60  days. 

Hutchinson,  Cyrus — Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for  60  days. 

Jones,  Simeon  (?)  Lieut.  V.  R.  Goodrich's  Co.  Feb.  18,  1813  for  5  years, 

McClintock,  Moses,— Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3 
months,  died  Nov.  4,  1814. 

Merrill  Samuel,  Lieut.— Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  iSept.  27,  1814  for 
60  days. 

McNiel,  Daniel,  Sergt.— Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for 
60  days. 

McNiel,  John,  Capt. — Among  her  military  heroes  Gen.  John  McNiel 
holds  an  honored  and  distinguished  position.  Entering  the  service 
as  Captain  in  the  Eleventh  Regiment  of  infantry  March  12,  1812, 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major,  August  15,  1813,  breveted 
a  Lieut.  Colonel  July  5,  1814  "for  his  intrepid  behavior  on  the  5th 
day  of  July  in  the  battle  of  Chippewa,"  receiving  a  second  brevet 
as  Colonel,  July  25,  1814  "for  his  distinguished  valor  as  com- 
mander of  the  Eleventh  regiment  of  infantry  on  the  25th  of  July 
in  the  battle  of  Niagara,"  was  rapid  rising  in  the  ranks.  Retained 
in  the  Peaee  establishment  as  Major  of  the  5th  infantry  to  rank 
15th  of  August,  1813,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieut. 
Colonel  1st  regiment  of  infantry  February  24,  1818,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Colonel  April  28,  1824,  and  breveted  Brigadier 
General  July  25th,  1824,  for  ten  years  faithful  service  in  the 
grade  of  bret  Colonel.  He  was  appointed  Surveyor  of  the  Port  of 
Boston  in  April,  1830,  and  resigned  and  retired  from  service. 


248  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Pierce,  Benjamin  K. — Major  Benjamin  Kendrick  Pierce  was  the  eldest 
son  of  'Gov.  Benjamin  Pierce,  and  was  born  at  H.,  Aug.  29',  1790. 
He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  at  Philip's  Exeter  Academy, 
and  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  the  fall  of  1807,  and  continued 
in  that  institution  for  three  years,  when  he  commenced  the  study 
of   the   law   with   David   Starrett,   Esq.,   of   H.     He   continued   in 
Starrett's  office  until  the   commencement  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain,  when  he  entered  the  regular  army  as  lieutenant  of  ar- 
tillery.   In  August,  1813,  he  was  appointed  to  a  captaincy;  in  June 
1836,  he  was  promoted  to  Major  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Artillery, 
and  ordered  to  Florida.    Oct.  15,  1836,  he  was  made  "Lieutenant- 
Colonel  by  brevet,  for  distinguished  services  in  the  affair  of  Fort 
Drane ;"   and,   the   same   month,   was   appointed   by   Gov.  Call,  of 
Florida,  Quartermaster-General,  and  Colonel  of  the  regiment  of 
Creeks   attached   to   his   army.     In   consequence   of   his    arduous 
duties  and  the  sickly  climate,  Col.  Pierce's  health  became  greatly 
impaired,  and  he  was  ordered  North  for  duty.     He  was  stationed 
at  Plattsburg  with  his  regiment,  and  subsequently  at  Houlton,  and 
New  York  City.     Subsequent  to  his  return  North  in  1838,  he  was 
appointed   Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the   Eight   Regiment   of   the  In- 
fantry,   and  his    appointment   confirmed   by  the    Senate ;    but   he 
declined  the  appointment,  preferring  the  arm  of  service  in  which 
he  had  served  so  long.     Change  of  climate,  however,  did  not  im- 
prove his  health ;  and  he  died  of  disease  of  the  brain,  at  New  York, 
in  1849,  aged  fifty-nine  years. — Potter's  Military  History  of  New 
Hampshire. 

Pierce,  Merrill — Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  months. 

Richardson,  Stephen — Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27  1814  for  60  days. 

Rabbins,  Caleb — Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for  60  days. 

Robbins,  Curtis — Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  months. 

Robbins,  John — 'Capt.  Ben.  Bradford's  Co.,  April  1,  1813  for  60  days. 

Robbins,  Lyman — Capt.  Ben.  Bradford,  April  1,  1813  for  60  days.     Also 
Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  months. 

Rumrill,  Wm. — Capt.  Ben.  Bradford's  Co.,  April  21,  1814  for  1  year  or 
during  the  war. 

Smith,  David.     Served  under  Capt.  Benjamin  Bradford  until  the  close 
of  the  war. 

Straw,  James — 'Capt.  Wm.  Gregg's  Co.,  Sept.  27,  1814  for  60  days. 

Taggart,    James(?) — 'Capt.    Ben.    Bradford's    Co.,    April    1,    1813    for 
60  days. 

Templeton,  David  (?) 

Templeton,  Daniel,  Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,  Sept.  13,  1814  for  3  months. 

Templeton,  Matthew(?) 

Wheeler,  Reuben,   Corp. — Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.,   Sept.   13,   1814  for 
3  months. 

Wilkins,  Ira.    In  Capt.  Hugh  Moore's  Co.    He  also  served  on  transport 
from  Tampico  to  New  Orleans  during  Mexican  war. 


K 


Z 

02 


C3 
Z 

P 


i — 
.  z 


o 


MAJOR  M  NIEL  IN  COMMAND.  249 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  defense  along  the  sea  coast,  Ports- 
mouth was  early  fortified  and  garrisoned  by  troops  under  Major 
Bassett  and  later  by  very  large  levies  from  the  militia  of  the 
state.  So  anxious  was  the  situation  here  that  an  alarm  at  one 
time  of  the  landing  of  the  enemy  at  Rye,  threw  the  staid  old  town 
into  consternation. 

The  campaign  of  1814  opened  with  disastrous  results  to  the 
American  army,  due  to  the  repulse  of  General  Wilkinson's 
division  at  the  stone  mill  on  the  La  Colle  River,  in  Canada,  this 
was  the  part  of  the  national  forces.  So  the  campaign  waned 
until  into  July.  On  the  first  of  that  month  General  Brown  crossed 
the  Niagara  and  took  possession  of  Fort  Erie  without  any  deter- 
mined resistance  from  the  British  army  which  was  entrenched 
only  a  few  miles  away  at  Chippewa,  where  they  had  resolved  to 
make  a  stand.  The  site  of  this  place,  destined  to  be  an  important 
battlefield  was  upon  a  peninsular  formed  by  the  Chippewa  and 
Niagara  Rivers  and  a  smaller  stream  called  Sweet's  Creek. 
General  Scott  in  command  of  the  brigade  consisting  of  the  Ninth, 
Eleventh,  and  Twenty-fifth  Regiments  was  ordered  by  Brown  to 
advance  from  Fort  Erie  to  the  Chippewa  where  he  would  join 
him  later  with  further  forces.  After  a  considerable  maneuvering 
on  the  part  of  the  rival  forces,  the  entire  British  forces  finally 
formed  a  battle  line  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 

In  the  midst  of  a  furious  fire  from  the  enemy,  Scott  was 
ordered  to  advance  with  his  brigade  and  Towson  artillery  to  meet 
the  foe.     Colonel  Potter  in  his  description  of  the  fight  says : 

"Major  Leavenworth,  at  the  head  of  the  Ninth  and  Twenty- 
second,  led  the  column ;  Colonel  Campbell,  in  command  of  the 
Eleventh,  occupied  the  centre;  and  the  Twenty-fifth,  under  com- 
mand of  Major  Jessup,  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  column.  Upon 
crossing,  Major  Leavenworth  took  position  in  front  of  the 
enemy's  left  by  an  advance  down  the  river;  Colonel  Campbell, 
with  the  Eleventh,  advanced  to  form  at  his  left  and  nearly  op- 
posite the  enemy's  centre ;  and  Major  Jessup,  with  the  Twenty- 
fifth,  advanced  by  an  oblique  movement  through  the  wood,  to 
form  upon  the  left  of  the  line  and  attack  the  enemy's  right. 

"Soon  after  crossing  the  bridge,  Colonel  Campbell,  in  com- 
mand of  the  Eleventh,  fell,  and  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  upon  Major  McNiel,  who  took  the  head  of  his  regiment 


250  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

with  alacrity.  The  Ninth  formed  with  precision,  and,  advancing, 
received  and  returned  the  fire  of  the  enemy  with  spirit.  The 
Eleventh  formed  on  their  left  under  the  command  of  Major 
McNiel,  and  advanced  at  Shoulder  arms  and  with  quick  step, 
leaving  the  Ninth  to  the  right  and  in  the  rear,  until  it  was  within 
fifteen  rods  of  the  enemy's  line,  receiving  a  heavy  fire  from  the 
foe,  during  the  entire  advance,  without  wavering  or  breaking. 
The  Eleventh  then  opened  a  most  destructive  fire  upon  the 
British  line,  and  at  the  same  time  were  supported  by  a  deadly  fire 
from  the  Twenty-fifth,  under  Major  Jessup,  who  had  obtained 
an  advanced  position. 

"The  enemy  stood  this  fire  for  a  moment,  when  they  rushed 
on  to  charge  the  Ninth,  which  was  in  their  front,  and  not  yet  up 
to  the  line  with  the  Eleventh  Regiment.  This  movement  of  the 
enemy  would  have  carried  them  directly  past  the  Eleventh,  but, 
as  they  were  executing  it,  Major  McNiel,  seizing  his  advantage, 
gave  the  command : 

"  'Eleventh  form  line  to  the  front  on  the  right  platoon.' 

"The  order  was  executed  immediately,  and  the  regiment 
poured  a  deadly  flank  fire  into  the  ranks  of  the  charging  enemy. 
Thus  hotly  pressed  in  flank  and  front,  the  British  column 
wavered,  broke,  and  fled,  and  the  utmost  efforts  of  their  officers 
could  not  rally  them.  The  rout  became  general ;  and  the  enemy 
did  not  stop  in  their  precipitous  flight  until  they  had  gained  the 
protection  of  their  fortifications,  and  their  batteries  had  checked 
the  ardent  pursuit  of  the  American  troops. 

"In  this  important  battle  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  of  the  fact 
that  the  flank  movement  of  the  Eleventh  Regiment,  under  the 
command  of  the  gallant  McNiel,  turned  the  fortune  of  the  day, 
and  gave  the  victory  to  the  Americans.  This  decisive  victory 
greatly  revived  the  spirits  of  the  American  people ;  and  another 
that  soon  followed  convinced  them  that  all  our  soldiers  wanted 
was  leaders,  to  make  us  as  successful  upon  land  as  upon  ocean." 

While  victorious  at  Chippewa,  the  situation  of  the  American 
troops  was  anything  but  favorable.  The  American  fleet  upon  the 
lake  was  expected  to  lend  assistance,  but  the  Commodore  was  ill 
with  fever,  and  the  promised  re-inforcement  failed  to  materialize. 
In  this  dilemma  General  Brown,  the  American  commander,  fell 


MAJOR   MNIEL  S   HEROISM.  251 

back  upon  the  Chippewa  River.  At  this  critical  period  the  enemy 
appeared  in  considerable  numbers  at  Queenstown,  while  the 
British  fleet  of  four  vessels  had  come  to  anchor  near  Fort 
Niagara.  General  Scott  was  immediately  ordered  to  hasten  with 
the  First  Brigade,  Towson's  Artillery  and  all  the  dragoons  and 
mounted  men  to  the  relief  of  Queenstown.  Upon  reaching  the 
Falls  the  Americans  found  the  enemy  under  General  Riall 
drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  upon  a  ridge  of  land  about  a  mile 
below  known  as  Lundy's  Lane.  General  Scott  decided  upon  an 
immediate  and  furious  attack. 

Major  McNiel,  at  the  head  of  the  gallant  Eleventh,  had  the 
honor  of  leading  the  brigade  into  action.  The  British  outnumbered 
the  Americans,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  extend  their  lines  farther 
and  to  make  flank  attacks.  To  meet  this  advantage  our  troops 
fought  in  detachments  and  charged  in  column.  For  a  consider- 
able time,  until  General  Brown  was  able  to  come  up  with  the 
remainder  of  the  forces,  the  commanding  officers  each  fought 
upon  his  own  responsibility,  striking  wherever  he  could  and  with 
all  the  force  at  his  command.  Throughout  the  battle  the  strife 
was  bitter  and  dearly  paid  for  with  the  loss  of  life.  The  British 
were  driven  at  every  point  by  the  impetuous  Americans,  and  yet 
their  batteries  were  working  with  deadly  effects.  In  the  midst  of 
the  fighting,  while  covered  with  smoke  and  wild  with  excitement 
of  the  awful  scene,  the  Americans  were  greeted  with  a 
tremendous  cheer,  which  was  answered  and  reiterated  with  glad 
acclaim.  Ripley's  Brigade  had  formed  for  evening  parade  beyond 
the  Niagara,  three  miles  away,  when  the  booming  of  cannon 
warned  them  that  Scott  had  found  the  enemy.  General  Brown 
at  once  ordered  the  brigade  to  hasten  to  the  front,  and  followed 
himself  with  Porter's  Brigade.  Ripley's  Brigade  started  at  quick 
step,  but  the  ardor  and  enthusiasm  of  the  troops  was  such  that 
the  quick  step  quickened  into  a  rush  and  they  actually  ran  the 
three  miles  between  the  camp  and  the  battlefield.  It  was  this 
brigade  that  answered  cheer  for  cheer  and  raised  the  drooping 
spirits  of  the  men  in  the  death  grapple.  Thus  re-inforced  the 
Americans  renewed  the  battle,  but  the  battery  upon  the  hill  made 
tremendous  havoc  among  them. 

In  the  midst  of  this  terrific  scene  the  horse  of  Major  McNiel 
was  killed  under  him  by  a  cannon  ball,  while  he  was  wounded  in 


252  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  leg  by  a  cannister  shot,  a  six-ounce  ball  passing  through  his 
right  knee,  shattering  the  bone  and  nearly  carrying  away  the 
entire  limb.  But  even  this  wound,  causing  him  intense  pain, 
could  not  drive  the  hero  of  Chippewa  from  the  field,  and  he  led 
his  men  on  to  "distinguished  valor,'"  until  weak  from  loss  of 
blood  his  condition  was  discovered  by  others  and  he  was  borne 
from  the  field,  having  added  fresh  honor  to  his  name. 

In  the  meantime  General  Brown  had  taken  command  in 
person,  and  he  saw  that  the  British  battery  must  be  carried  in 
order  to  secure  success.  Wheeling  about,  he  shouted  to  Colonel 
Miller: 

"Colonel  Miller,  take  your  regiment  and  storm  that  work 
and  take  it !" 

Probably  the  general  was  unaware  of  the  fact  that  the 
doughty  officer  had  under  him  at  that  moment  less  than  three 
hundred,  but  the  reply  was  to  his  liking,  brief  and  laconic : 

"I  will  try,  sir." 

Colonel  James  Miller  was  born  in  Temple,  and  he  owed  his 
advancement  in  the  army  to  Gen.  Benjamin  Pierce  of  Hillsbor- 
ough, who  had  foreseen  in  the  courtly  Captain  Miller  the  making 
of  an  officer  of  high  rank  and  did  not  rest  until  he  had  seen  the 
gallant  young  officer  started  on  his  way  to  future  glory.  On  this 
day,  at  Lundy's  Lane,  Colonel  Miller  was  to  prove  the  adeptness 
of  his  superior's  judgment. 

At  the  head  of  his  handful  of  men  Miller  advanced  against 
the  open  mouths  of  those  deadly  pieces  of  cannon,  to  what  seemed 
certain  death.  Good  fortune  seemed  to  abide  with  this  small 
body  of  New  Hampshire  troops,  and  as  a  rail  fence  had  done 
good  service  for  Stark  and  his  men  at  Bunker  Hill,  so  Miller  and 
his  men  approached  the  enemy  under  cover  of  the  shrubbery  over- 
growing an  old  fence,  undiscovered  by  the  British  gunners  until 
they  had  got  within  two  rods  of  the  cannon's  mouth.  Halting  his 
men,  and  ordering  them  to  rest  their  firearms  upon  the  fence,  and 
take  certain  aim,  he  gave  the  signal  to  fire.  Not  a  man  was  left 
at  the  British  guns,  and  before  others  could  rally  to  turn  the 
cannon  upon  them  Miller  led  his  little  band  over  the  fence  into 
the  centre  of  their  park.    Reaching  this  position  a  line  of  British 


CRISIS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  l8l2.  253 

soldiery  opened  a  furious  flank  fire,  but  despite  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  Americans,  in  proportion  to  their  number,  were  killed  the 
works  were  finally  carried,  and  the  battle  won. 

These  battles,  with  some  sharp  fighting  that  followed,  in 
which  New  Hampshire  men  played  so  prominent  a  part,  crushed 
the  hopes  of  the  British  in  this  vicinity.  It  is  to  be  regretted  the 
names  of  Hillsborough  men  who  figured  in  this  campaign,  with 
two  leaders  from  this  section,  cannot  be  given. 

The  Dark  Days  of  '14. 

There  follows  in  the  wake  of  every  war  its  dark  days,  and 
these  came  in  the  War  of  1812  during  the  year  1814.  The  cul- 
minating crisis  centered  about  the  latter  half  of  this  period,  send- 
ing desperation  bordering  upon  despair  to  the  stout  heart  of 
Jefferson,  more  than  any  other  man  the  hope  and  guide  of  the 
dominant  party  responsible  to  a  considerable  extent  for  the 
struggle  then  rending  the  country  and  threatening  the  very  exist- 
ence of  our  national  liberties !  In  every  direction  lay  darkness 
and  apparent  futility  of  hope.  The  towns  along  the  New  Eng- 
land coast  had  been  ravaged  and  despoiled,  exposed  to  hostile 
invasions  by  the  British  naval  forces.  From  the  south  came  news 
of  British  victories,  and  the  west  trembled  beneath  the  iron  heel 
of  the  invader.  The  national  capital  lay  in  ashes.  Everywhere 
the  country  was  groaning  under  the  burden  of  excessive  taxation, 
and  the  depreciation  of  values  to  a  vanishing  point. 

In  its  dilemma  the  national  government  had  been  forced  to 
withdraw  all  support  to  the  protection  of  individual  states,  so 
each  was  obliged  to  raise  bodies  of  troops  to  protect  itself,  guard 
the  imperilled  towns  and  prepare  for  the  defense  when  the  great 
crisis  should  come.  Besides  obliging  the  states  to  support  their 
own  militia,  they  were  forced  to  support  their  own  men  in  the 
national  service.  All  this  was  done  at  a  sacrifice  never  paralleled 
in  the  darkest  days  of  the  Revolution.  Small  wonder  if  even 
those  towns  where  the  liberties  for  which  one  war  had  been 
waged  to  preserve,  should  begin  to  hesitate  and  to  talk  openly  of 
state's  rights.  During  that  period  were  laid  the  seeds  of  secession 
which  sprang  into  life  and  fomented  the  great  civil  war  half  a 
century  later. 


254  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

To  add  to  the  uncertainties  and  gloom  of  the  situation,  Great 
Britain,  with  the  same  arrogance  that  had  thrust  the  war  upon 
the  country,  believing  that  she  held  her  young  rival  by  the  neck, 
would. not  give  satisfactory  terms  in  the  peace  negotiations  then 
being  promulgated.  And  it  truly  seemed  that  the  war,  which  in 
the  course  of  two  years  and  a  half  had  cost  the  United  States 
nearly  fifty  thousand  lives  and  more  than  a  hundred  million 
dollars — large  sums  for  those  days — had  been  fought  in  vain. 

Hillsborough,  in  sympathy  with  the  national  government, 
and  with  two  of  her  sons  occupying  prominent  and  responsible 
positions  at  the  front  remained  loyal  to  her  views.  Among  the 
leading  spirits  in  town  were  Andrew  Sargent,  James  Wilson, 
Samuel  Gibson,  George  Dascomb,  Nehemiah  Jones,  David  Steele, 
Thaddeus  Monroe,  Benjamin  Pierce,  Elijah  Beard  and  Calvin 
Stevens. 

November  9,  1814,  the  town  voted  to  pay  the  soldiers  twelve 
dollar  a  month  for  their  service  in  addition  to  what  the  govern- 
ment paid. 

This  period  proved  to  be  the  darkness  that  preceded  the 
dawn.  If  the  warfare  on  land  had  proved,  on  the  whole,  dis- 
couraging to  the  Americans,  that  on  the  sea  had  been  corres- 
pondingly bright.  Everywhere  American  ships,  privates  as  well 
as  government  war  ships,  had  been  successful  and  Great  Britain 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  she  was  no  longer  "mistress  of  the  sea."* 

A  treaty  of  peace  pending  at  Ghent  was  brought  to  a  rather 
sudden  conclusion  through  this  result  and  was  signed  before  the 
war  was  really  won  on  the  continent.  But  the  end  was  in  sight, 
for  while  the  important  document  was  on  its  way  General 
Jackson  met  the  enemy  at  New  Orleans  and  won  the  most 
splendid  victory  of  the  war.  The  rejoicing  over  this  triumph  was 
doubled  by  the  glad  news  of  the  signing  of  the  peace  treaty  at 
Ghent  in  December,  and  everywhere  joy  reigned  triumphant. 

New  Hampshire's  sea  history  has  never  been  fittingly  told  but 

*In  the  war  with  Tripoli  a  few  years  previous.  United  States  ships  had 
shown  their  superiority  over  the  English  warships,  very  much  to  the  surprise  of 
the  lordly  Briton,  who  had  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  considered  himself 
master  of  the  high  seas.  Encouraged  by  their  success  in  the  prior  struggle,  upon 
the  breaking  out  of  this  second  war  the  soldiers  of  the  sea  entered  the  contest 
with  a  vim  and  not  only  did  the  government  vessels  by  their  brilliant  maneuvers 
sustain  the  national  character  for  skill  and  courage,  but  the  numerous  privateers 
mostly  putting  out  from  New  England  ports  hovering  over  every  sea,  added  vastly 
to  the  nautical  fame  of  the  country.  And  so  her  victories  won  by  her  naval 
forces,  crowned  with  Jackson's  victory  at  New  Orleans,  won  the  respect  and  fear 
of  Europe,   if  these  were  not  gained  by  the  treaty. 


THE  FLORIDA  WAR. 


255 


when  it  is  we  shall  find  a  brilliant  chapter  of  heroic  service.  On 
the  sea  it  was  equally  as  bright  as  the  records  of  the  days  of  '76. 
Hillsborough  furnished  her  share  of  men  in  this  service. 

'Thus  ended,"  says  Ramsay,  "the  first  considerable  war  in 
which  the  nation  had  been  engaged  since  the  adoption  of  that 
constitution  which  secured  to  them  the  blessing  of  a  mild  and 
comparatively  efficient  form  of  government,  and  promised  by  its 
impartial  influence  to  render  them  a  united  and  happy  people." 

List  of  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812  who  lie  buried  in  the 
cemeteries  in  town: 

Simon  Robbins,  Eli  Wheeler,  Jonathan  Danforth,  David 
Livermore,  Luke  G.  Hosley,  Capt.  Ransom  Bigsbee,  Captain 
Dickey,  Stephen  Richardson,  William  Pope,  Benjamin  Putney, 
John  Adkins,  David  Roach,  William  Burrill,  George  Dascomb, 
William  H.  Heath,  Richard  Gould,  Harvey  Hubbard,  Isaac 
Murdough. 

A  military  spirit  pervaded  the  country  following  the  close 
of  the  war  and  everywhere  drills  and  musters  were  of  common 
occurrence.  According  to  the  organization  of  the  state  militia  in 
1820,  there  were  thirty-eight  regiments,  and  Solomon  McNiel  of 
Hillsborough  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  26th.  A  re- 
organization in  1830  resulted  in  a  promotion  for  Col.  McNiel, 
when  he  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  the  Third  Division, 
Fourth  Brigade.     (For  sketch  see  Volume  II.) 

Little  of  general  interest,  as  far  as  the  history  of  the  town 
was  concerned  occurred  until  the  breaking  out  of  what  was 
denominated  in  the  North  as  the  Florida  War,  but  which  was 
known  in  the  South  as  the  Seminole  War,  for  reasons  that  will 
be  obvious.  That  was  a  period  when  Indian  troubles  came  thick 
and  fast,  and  one  of  the  worst  Indian  wars  in  the  country  raged 
for  thirteen  years,  1835  to  1848,  costing  many  lives  and  the 
destruction  of  considerable  property.  It  was  against  the  Sem- 
inole Indians,  and  the  darkest  feature  of  the  whole  affair  was  the 
fact  that  the  government  was  the  more  or  less  to  blame  for  the 
causes  which  led  to  it. 

Hillsborough  is  especially  interested  in  the  long-drawn  out 
affair  for  the  reason  she  had  two  sons  belonging  to  prominent 
families  in  town  connected  with  it. 


256  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

One  of  these  was  the  oldest  son  of  Governor  Pierce,  Major 
Benjamin  Kendrick  Pierce,  of  the  artillery  who  was  connected 
with  the  regular  army.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  had  been 
ordered  from  Fort  Mitchell  to  the  command  of  Fort  Micanopy, 
in  the  interior  of  Florida,  in  the  summer  of  1836. 

For  a  year  or  more  the  army  had  been  waging  an  unequal 
fight  where  military  science  and  skill  were  of  little  account 
against  a  foe  upon  their  own  soil,  and  that  soil  producing  spon- 
taneously for  their  subsistance,  while  every  bush  was  covert, 
every  hummock  a  natural  earth  work  and  every  everglade  a 
natural  fortification.  "In  such  a  war,"  says  one  of  its  historians, 
"few  laurels  were  to  be  won,  yet  its  hardships,  its  labors,  its  risks 
and  responsibilities,  were  far  greater  than  those  of  the  legitimate 
wars  of  civilized  life." 

When  the  tide  of  war  was  at  low  ebb  Major  Pierce  arrived 
upon  the  scene,  and  soon  after,  learning  that  the  dusky  enemy 
was  growing  bolder  and  more  numerous  ordered  an  attack  upon 
Fort  Drane,  about  ten  miles  from  his  station.  So  adroitly  was 
this  campaign  planned  the  redmen  were  taken  by  surprise,  and 
though  commanded  by  their  astute  leader,  the  noted  Osceola,  and 
outnumbering  the  whites,  they  were  put  to  rout.  This  victory, 
won  with  small  loss  of  life  gave  renewed  hopes  to  our  troops  in 
Florida,  and  was  received  with  joy  throughout  the  country.  It 
proved  over  again  that  an  energetic  and  skilled  commander  could 
succeed  where  weaker  leaders  would  inevitably  fail.  The  receipt 
of  the  news  of  this  battle  brought  from  the  commander  in  chief 
the  following  letter  of  appreciation: 

"Tallahasse,  Sept.  6,  1836. 
"Sir, — I  have  received  through  Col.  Crane  a  copy  of  your  official 
report  of  the  battle  of  Fort  Drane.  Your  conduct  and  that  of  the 
officers  and  men  in  under  your  command,  on  that  occasion,  reflects  on 
3rou  and  upon  them  the  highest  credit.  To  have  beaten  Powell 
(Osceola)  with  one  third  of  his  force  was  a  proud  achievement;  and 
I  take  this  occasion  to  tender  my  acknowledgements  to  you  and  to 
your  command  for  this  gallant  service. 
"I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

"Your  obedient  servant, 
R.  K.  Call, 
Commander-in-chief." 
"Maj.  B.  K.  Pierce,  United  States  Army." 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 


FIRE   STATION. 


Photograph  by  Maxahax. 


BAKER'S  BLOCK. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  MAJOR  PIERCE.  257 

I 

I 

The  head-quarters  of  the  army  at  Washington  made  this 
action  a  general  order  of  congratulation  in  the  following  terms: 

"Headquarters  of  the  Army,  Adjt.-General's  Office, 

"Washington,  Sept.  16,  1836. 
"General  Order  No.  61. 

"I.  The  Major  General  Commanding-in-Chief  has  received  the 
official  account  of  the  attack  made  on  the  21st  of  August,  by  Maj. 
Pierce,  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Artillery,  on  a  large  body  of  Indians 
collected  on  the  site  of  the  old  Fort  Drane,  in  which,  with  the  force 
of  only  110  men,  he  completely  surprised  and  routed  about  300  war- 
riors, and  killed  and  wounded  a  considerable  number  of  them. 

"II.  The  conduct  of  officers  and  men  engaged  in  this  enterprise, 
like  those  who  attacked  a  superior  force  at  Micanopy  under  the  gallant 
and  much-lamented  Lieut.-Col.  Heileman,  is  deserving  of  the  highest 
praise. 

(III.  "It  is  with  much  satisfaction  that  the  Major-General  recurs 
to  the  conduct  on  all  occasions  of  the  troops  of  the  regular  army  who 
have  been  serving  in  Florida  against  the  iSeminoles.  Wherever  they 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  meeting  the  enemy,  they  have  acted  with 
a  spirit  of  gallantry  worthy  of  a  nobler  field;  and  the  Major-General 
cannot,  without  deep  sensibility,  contemplate  the  sacrifices  and  suffer- 
ings which  they  have  experienced  in  the  arduous  duties  imposed  on 
them;  all  which  they  have  borne  with  a  fortitude  and  submission  to 
discipline  which  reflect  honor  on  the  character  of  the  American  army, 
and  entitle  them  to  the  approbation  and  regard  of  their  government 
and  country. 

"By  order  of 

"Maj.-<Gen.  Macomb, 
"Major-General  Commanding-in-chief. 
"  S.  Cooper,  Acting  Adjutant-'General." 

Following  the  advantage  gained  at  Fort  Drane  General  Call 
ordered  an  expedition  into  the  Indian  country  from  the  Suwanee 
River,  and  Major  Pierce  was  appointed  Quartermaster-General, 
with  1,400  mounted  men  from  Tennessee  and  Florida.  In  order 
to  undertake  this  expedition  it  was  necessary  certain  provisions 
then  at  Battle  Creek,  sixty-five  miles  away  should  be  brought  to 
Fort  Drane  as  soon  as  possible.  This  was  on  the  fourth  of 
October,  and  starting  at  midnight  with  his  train  of  provision  the 
task  was  accomplished  before  the  eve  of  the  sixth. 

In  order  to  make  the  surprise  of  the  Indians  complete  a  new 
route  was  taken,  Major  Pierce  at  the  hea'd  of  two  hundred  men, 
cutting  a  road  through  the  Florida  forest  for  fifty  miles,  and, 


258  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

despite  the  fatigue  of  the  men,  surprised  the  Indians  on  the 
morning  of  the  12th  and  routed  them.  Major  Pierce  was  made 
Colonel  of  the  regiment  for  this  feat  of  war. 

This  victory  was  followed  by  the  campaign  of  Wahoo 
Swamp,  where  Colonel  Pierce  was  also  successful,  and  received 
great  praise  for  his  skill  and  bravery. 

The  Florida  War  cost  Hillsborough  the  life  of  one  of  her 
most  promising  sons,  Lieut.  John  W.  S.  McNiel,  the  oldest  son  of 
Gen.  John  McNiel,  who  was  mortally  wounded  while  leading  an 
attack  upon  an  Indian  camp  in  Florida  on  the  morning  of 
September  10,  1837.  He  was  an  officer  of  great  promise,  and  had 
he  been  spared  would  undoubtedly  have  risen  high  in  military 
honors.  With  a  nature  susceptible  to  every  noble  and  generous 
impulse  he  was  a  universal  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him. 

He  died  September  11,  1837,  from  the  effects  of  a  wound 
received  the  preceding  day  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians  under 
the  noted  Seminole  chief  Euchee  Billy.  As  Lieut.  McNiel  ad- 
vanced at  the  head  of  his  men  to  charge  the  Indians,  Euchee  Billy 
levelled  his  rifle  at  him  and  before  young  McNiel  could  discharge 
his  pistol,  the  bullet  of  his  enemy  passed  through  his  right  hand, 
lodging  in  his  abdomen.  But  he  remained  upon  the  field  during 
the  battle  and  was  then  removed  to  camp  on  a  litter. 

The  following  day  the  command  started  for  St.  Augustine, 
but  McNiel  died  on  the  way  at  10  o'clock  on  Monday  night.  The 
body  was  taken  to  St.  Augustine,  and  buried  with  the  honor  of 
war. 

The  following  letter  written  a  short  time  before  his  untimely 
death  possesses  a  pathetic  interest : 

Garreys  ferry  Florida 
January  16th  10  oclock  at  night 
Dear  Father 

We  arrived  here  this  morning  &  found  orders  to  proceed  to 
Volusice  to  join  the  Army.  We  start  to-morrow.  I  saw  William, 
Uncle  Benjamin's  boy,  when  we  landed.  Col.  Pierce  has  gone  to 
Savannah  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  it  is  expected  he  will  return 
in  the  course  of  2  or  3  weeks.  I  have  packed  everything  that  I  shall 
carry  with  me  into  a  pair  of  saddle  bags.  I  shall  leave  my  trunk  here 
or  send  it  to  Charlestown.  I  am  in  fine  health.  If  you  do  not  hear 
from  me  again  in  a  month,  do  not  feel  at  all  alarmed  for  it  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  carry  any  writing  material  with  us,  but  I  shall 


COMMENDATION    OF   LIEUTENANT    M  NIEL.  259 

write  every  opportunity  &  if  anything  happens  I  shall  get  somebody 
to  write  immediately.  As  for  Florida  it  is  the  last  place  on  the  face 
of  the  Globe.  I  had  not  the  least  conception  of  its  being-  such  a  place 
as  it  is,  &  from  the  accounts  of  others,  I  have  not  seen  any  of  it  yet. 
You  can  write  if  you  choose  &  direct  your  letters  to  Whitesville,  but 
it  is  doubtful  whether  I  get  them.  As  soon  as  we  join  Gen.  Jessup  we 
shall  be  on  the  tramp  all  over  Florida.  It  is  thought  here  that  the 
War  will  not  be  closed  in  less  than  a  year  if  it  is  then.  In  haste. 
Love  to  all.     Your  aff.  son 

J.  W.  S.  McNiel 
Genl.  John  McNiel 

Lieut.  John  W.  S.  McNiel  was  the  son  of  Gen.  John  McNiel 
and  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Macinaw  February  17,  1817.  He 
was  educated  at  West  Point  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  at 
Hillsborough  in  the  office  of  his  uncle  fton.  Franklin  Pierce, 
June  8,  1836.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Indian  disturbances  in 
the  South  that  year  he  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  in  the 
Second  Regiment  United  States  Dragoons,  and  was  stationed  at 
Carbondale,  Penn.,  on  recruiting  service  through  the  summer.  In 
the  winter  he  was  ordered  to  join  his  regiment  in  Florida. 

He  was  in  several  skirmishes  during  the  summer  of  1837,  in 
command  of  his  company. 

Commendation  of  Lieutenant  McNiel. 

The  following  letter  announcing  the  death  and  commending 
the  service  of  Lieutenant  McNiel  was  received  by  his  parents  at 
Hillsborough. 

To 

Gen.  John  McNiel : 
My  dear  Sir, 

It  has  become  my  duty  to  communicate  the  painful  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  your  brave  and  gallant  son  Lieut.  John  W.  S.  McNiel. 

He  expired  on  the  evening  of  the  11th  Instant,  between  the  hours 
of  nine  and  ten.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  previous  day,  while 
leading  a  charge  at  the  head  of  his  company  against  a  body  of  hostile 
Indians,  he  received  a  mortal  wound  from  the  rifle  of  their  chief  the 
celebrated  Euchee  Billy. 

Lieut.  McNiel  with  his  company  of  Dragoons  constituted  a  part  of 
an  attachment  of  about  170  men  composed  of  regular  troops  and 
militia — the  whole  under  the  immediate  command  of  Brig.  Gen. 
Hernandez.  This  force  marched  from  the  vicinity  of  St.  Augustine  on 
the  7th  Instant — and  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  succeeded  without  loss 
in  capturing  a  body  of  Indians  and  negroes  near  Dun  Lawton  Sixty 


20O  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

miles  from  this  city.  From  the  captured  party  information  was  ob- 
tained of  another  body  of  Indians  with  Euchee  Billy  and  the  well 
known  chief  Philip  at  their  head.  This  party  was  distant  about  ten 
miles,  and  sheltered  within  the  covert  of  swamps  and  of  a  scrub  almost 
impenetrable — These  obstacles  however,  by  the  guidance  of  one  of 
the  captured  party  were  passed  in  the  course  of  the  night,  through 
narrow  cut  ways  which  had  previously  been  made  by  the  Indians  for 
their  own  ingress  and  egress — and  at  the  dawn  of  the  next  morning, 
being  the  10th  Instant,  the  attack  was  made  in  two  columns,  one  of 
which  was  led  by  your  son,  with  great  success,  and  this  whole  party, 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  Indian,  was  also  captured  without  loss 
or  injury,  save  alone  the  unfortunate  and  fatal  wound  of  your  son — 
As  he  was  advancing,  he  saw  Euchee  Billy  levelling  his  rifle  against 
him,  and  at  the  moment  of  raising  his  own  pistol  was  struck  by  the 
ball  of  the  savage,  which  passing  through  his  right  hand  lodged  in 
his  right  breast. 

The  wound  was  not  supposed  to  be  dangerous,  and  your  son 
returned  with  the  detachment  to  within  20  miles  of  this  place,  where 
all  encamped  for  the  night.  At  the  time  of  encamping  no  one  I  am 
told  anticipated  danger,  or  at  least  not  immediate  danger  from  the 
wound — and  he  himself  appeared  to  entertain  no  fears  on  account 
of  it.  His  mind  seemed  to  be  occupied  with  care  for  the  welfare  and 
safety  of  his  men,  and  he  expressed  himself  anxiously  in  regard  to 
them,  but  a  very  short  time  he  ceased  to  breathe.  It  was  on  Sunday 
morning  that  he  received  the  wound — and  on  Monday  evening,  the 
11th  Instant,  at  about  half  past  nine  he  expired. 

His  remains  were  brought  to  this  city,  and  at  5  o'clock  this  after- 
noon interred  with  military  honours  in  the  Protestant  Church  yard. 
The  funeral  escort  composed  of  the  returned  detachment  and  of  Capt. 
Webster's  company  of  U.  S.  Artillery  formed  in  front  of  the  dwelling 
house  of  Gen.  Hernandez  where  the  body  was  received  for  the  purpose 
of  yielding  to  it  the  last  sad  tribute  of  military  honour. 

What  more,  my  dear  friend,  can  I  say,  I  have  this  moment  re- 
turned from  the  funeral  of  your  son  and  I  find  your  letter  of  the 
30th  Ultimo  upon  my  table  filled  with  affectionate  paternal  inquiries 
concerning  him  ...  I  may  indeed  add  that  which  should  soothe 
your  feelings,  and  cause  both  you  and  Mrs.  McNiel,  while  grieving  for 
him,  to  be  proud  of,  and  to  exult  in  his  memory.  All  concur  in  hear- 
ing testimony  in  his  favor — all  say  that  he  was  brave  and  intrepid — 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  military  duties,  and  moral  and  correct 
in  his  conduct  and  deportment.  He  was  beloved  by  his  men,  and 
esteemed  by  his  fellow  officers. 

To  lose  such  a  son,  in  the  very  morning  of  his  life  I  know  must 
be  grievous  to  his  parents — but  that  he  was  such  a  son  should  be  to 
them,  while  memory  lasts,  a  most  heartfelt  consolation. 


MILITARY  HONORS  FOR  TOWNSMEN.  26l 

Mrs.  Smith  unites  with  me,  in  tending  both  to  you  and  to  Mrs. 
McNiel  expressions  of  sincere  sympathy  and  condolence  for  your  loss, 
and  I  need  not  add,  that  in  anything  in  respect  to  the  remains  of  your 
son  or  of  his  memory  you  may  at  all  times  command  me. 
I  remain  Dear  Sir 

Truly  yours, 

Joseph  L.   Smith. 

In  1840  there  was  another  revision  of  the  statutes  and  Hills- 
borough was  classed  with  Antrim,  Deering,  Hancock,  Frances- 
town,  Greenfield,  Bennington,  and  Windsor  in  making  up  the 
26th  regiment.  Hillsborough  was  very  much  interested  in  this 
re-organization,  as  the  town  was  well  represented.  Among  the 
Aides  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  His  Excellency  Henry 
Hubbard  was  Henry  Dearborn  Pierce,  a  son  of  Governor  Ben- 
jamin Pierce,  ranking  Colonel.  He  had  been  appointed  Lieutenant 
of  a  company  of  cavalry  in  the  26th  regiment  January  27,  1836, 
and  promoted  to  Captain  December  8,  1838,  Colonel  Pierce  rep- 
resented the  town  in  legislature  in  1841  and  1842,  and  was  an- 
nually elected  Moderator  of  the  town  for  nineteen  years. 

Samuel  Andrews  was  Brigadier-General  of  the  Fourth 
Brigade;  Benjamin  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Brigadier  Inspector;  and  Benja- 
min P.  McNiel  was  Brigade  Charter  Master,  all  of  Hillsborough. 

General  Andrews  was  born  in  Hillsborough  October  9,  1813. 
He  was  appointed  Ensign  of  the  First  Company  of  Infantry  in 
the  26th  Regiment,  January  23,  i836;  Lieutenant,  January  11, 
1837;  and  Captain,  March  2,  1838.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  26th  Regiment  June  2J,  1839;  Colonel,  July  2, 
1840.  He  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  the  Fourth 
Brigade  July  18,  1842;  and  Major-General  June  30,  1845. 

General  Tuttle  was  born  in  Hillsborough  April  27,  181 1,  and 
for  several  years  he  was  Deputy  Sheriff  for  Hillsborough  and 
adjacent  counties.  He  was  Brigade  Inspector  on  General 
Andrew's  staff  in  1842  and  1843.  He  represented  the  town  in  the 
legislature  in  1856  and  1857. 

Maj.  Benjamin  Pierce  McNiel  was  a  son  of  Gen.  John 
McNiel  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  was  born  at  Hillsbor- 
ough, Jan.  20,  1825.  He  was  appointed  as  Brigade  Quartermaster 
upon  General  Andrew's  staff,  Aug.  11,  1842;  Major  of  the 
Twenty-Sixth  Regiment,  Dec.  15,  1843;  an^  Division-Inspector 


262  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  Third  Division,  Aug.  26,  1845.  He  read  law  with  George 
Barstow,  Esq.,  at  Hillsborough,  and  Hon.  Ira  Perley,  of  Concord. 
He  was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  Third  United  States 
Artillery,  March  8,  1847  5  and  First  Lieutenant  in  same,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1847.  He  died  at  Boston,  June  19,  1853,  in  the  twenty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age. 

The  Mexican  War. 

Difficulties  which  had  existed  for  several  years  between  the 
American  and  Mexican  governments  reached  a  crisis  in  1846,  and 
war  was  declared  between  the  countries  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 
Like  all  wars  this  was  not  popular  with  the  people.  New  Hamp- 
shire, situated  so  far  from  the  scene  of  strife,  furnished  but  few 
troops.  These  belonged  mainly  to  two  companies,  "C"  and 
"H,"  recruited  mostly  from  this  state,  and  were  joined  to  the 
Ninth  regiment. 

While  Hillsborough  did  not  furnish  a  man  in  the  ranks  as 
enlisted  from  this  town,  she  was  represented  by  one  of  the  fore- 
most commanding  officers.  February  16,  1847,  Franklin  Pierce, 
son  of  Ex-governor  Benjamin  Pierce,  was  appointed  Colonel  of 
the  Ninth  United  States  Infantry,  and  when  ten  regiments  had 
been  raised  he  was  made  Brigadier-General,  March  3,  1847. 

General  Pierce  and  his  troops  saw  some  arduous  marches 
and  trying  experiences,  while  bravely  fighting  the  enemy  in  their 
guerilla  warfare,  this  being  no  more  hazardous  or  deadly  than 
the  combats  fought  out  individually  with  the  grim  fiend  disease 
that  infests  a  tropical  clime. 

The  campaign  of  the  early  fall  in  1847  was  deeply  over- 
shadowed with  gloom.  It  is  true  General  Scott  had  won  recent 
victories,  but  they  had  cost  two  thousand  lives,  and  the  enemy 
still  retained  possession  of  one  of  the  keys  to  the  situation,  the 
city  and  heights  of  Chepultepec.  In  the  seige  of  this  important 
position  the  men  from  New  Hampshire  and  her  commander 
played  a  conspicuous  part. 

The  bombardment  began  on  September  12,  and  continued 
through  the  day  with  but  little  result  to  show  for  the  action. 
General  Pierce  during  this  bombardment  was  at  the  head  of  the 
First  and  Third  Brigades  of  the  division,  and  gallantly  held  in 


HILLSBOROUGH   IN   THE   MEXICAN    WAR.  263 

check  a  large  body  of  lancers  on  the  left.  In  the  afternoon 
General  Pillow  rode  up  to  where  the  Ninth  regiment  was  resting 
from  a  furious  attack  it  had  met  a  few  minutes  before.  Raising 
his  right  arm  and  pointing  with  his  sword  towards  the  heights 
they  were  storming,  he  exclaimed : 

"To-morrow,  if  you  say  it,  the  star  spangled  banner  floats 
up  yonder.  If  New  England  would  place  her  name  on  the  bright 
page  of  history,  now  is  the  time.  You  of  the  Ninth,  if  you  will, 
shall  lead  the  charge,  but  none  need  volunteer  who  will  not  enter 
that  castle  yonder,  or  die  in  the  attempt." 

Few  there  were  in  the  gallant  Ninth  who  did  not  instantly 
volunteer.  The  order  for  the  charge  came,  and  in  half  an  hour 
the  starry  flag  floated  in  triumph  over  the  castle  walls.  As  soon 
as  the  castle  had  surrendered,  finding  that  the  enemy  was  making 
a  desperate  stand  at  the  city  gate,  the  triumphant  Americans 
pushed  forward,  to  carry  the  day  after  a  stubborn  fight.  In  the 
midst  of  the  firing  night  settled  upon  the  scene,  the  sentinel  stars 
looking  down  upon  the  closing  scene  of  one  of  the  bloodiest 
battles  fought  in  the  war.  The  gallant  Ninth  had  paid  for  the 
part  it  had  done  in  this  victory  with  the  lives  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  her  men,  numbering  among  them  its  commanding 
officer,  Col.  Trueman  Ransom,  who  fell  about  half  way  up  the 
heights  shot  through  the  head  with  a  musket  ball.  On  the  14th 
the  stars  and  stripes  floated  in  triumph  over  the  national  Palace. 
Colonel  Potter  in  closing  his  account  of  the  war  says : 

"And  after  this  wise  was  it  that  the  American  army  gained 
possession  of  the  'Venice  of  Mexico,'  and  dictated  terms  of  peace 
in  the  'halls  of  Montezuma." 

If  this  town  had  no  enlisted  man  at  the  front,  a  former 
citizen  of  hers  was  fighting  manfully  up  from  the  ranks  to  become 
a  Major  in  his  regiment.  And  the  record  of  these  two  officers, 
Gen.  Franklin  Pierce  and  Major  David  Steele  comprises  the  part 
Hillsborough  furnished  in  the  Mexican  War.  Besides  this 
couple,  while  not  in  active  fighting,  Ira  Wilkins  of  Hillsborough 
was  doing  duty  on  a  transport  running  between  Tampico  and 
New  Orleans  during  the  war. 


264  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

No  military  history  of  the  town  would  be  complete  without 
mention  of  the  oldtime  musters,  and  especially  a  particular  ac- 
count of  one  of  those  musters  held  on  Cork  Plain,  West  Deering. 

Cork  Muster. 

And  then  the  musters  in  the  fall, 

When  all  the  shows  assembled, 
When  bugles  blowed,  when  fiddles  squeaked, 
And  air  with  frolic  trembled. 

— Old  Song. 

The  musters  were  an  event  in  the  local  affairs  of  a  com- 
munity. If  a  heritage  of  war,  coming  at  a  period  when  holidays 
were  far  less  frequent  than  in  these  days,  it  readily  and  naturally 
became  the  one  great  pastime  of  the  year. 

For  days,  ay,  for  weeks  before  the  day  set  for  the  demon- 
stration preparations  were  made  to  attend  from  far  and  near. 
Every  able-bodied  man  between  18  and  45  years  was  supposed  to 
be  enrolled  and  liable  to  be  called  upon  to  do  duty,  unless 
exempted  by  law.  Each  company  was  required  to  "train"  on  the 
third  Tuesday  of  May  each  year,  and  again  for  inspection  and 
drill  upon  order  of  the  Captain,  "armed  and  equipped  as  the  law 
directs."  The  annual  regimental  muster  occurred  in  the  fall, 
usually  in  September.  "The  call  or  order  for  these  affairs  declared 
that  "each  enrolled  man  should  be  armed  with  a  flint  lock,  two 
spare  flints,  with  steel  or  iron  ramrod,  a  bayonet,  scabbard  and 
belt,  a  priming  wire  and  brush,  a  knapsack  and  canteen,  and  a 
cartridge  box  that  contains  twenty-four  cartridges. " 

The  muster  about  to  be  described,  the  last  I  think  ever  held 
on  Cork  Plain,  had  awakened  uncommon  interest,  which  was 
shown  at  a  preliminary  meeting  held  at  the  tavern  of  J.  M. 
Appleton,  Esq.,  West  Deering.  Over  forty  persons  were  present, 
every  one  of  them  noted  for  their  military  spirit  in  past  years. 
Among  them  were  found  Gen.  Samuel  Andrews,  General 
Michael  McCoy,  Col.  J.  R.  Dane,  Col.  Samuel  Densmore,  Col. 
Henry  D.  Pierce,  Col.  H.  Gove,  Maj.  James  M.  Appleton,  Capt. 
John  P.  Richardson,  Capt.  H.  Chase,  Francis  N.  Blood,  and 
others. 


< 

H 
< 


o 

_j 
o 

z 
< 

< 

< 

a 

oc 

LU 
H 
V) 

D 

c 


ft  5      J  -  "  l- 

*Ia|I  * 

«6aStiHl; 


e  S  I  £  fc  E 

to 

n  •  *■  s 

5  S~  S 
S  ^  - 

£  c 
w  3  e 
-a  5J  -.  - 

~  ..3  g  £2 


O    E 

IP- 55 

c  3  —  S  • 


THE  LAST  CORK  MUSTER.  265 

Colonel  Pierce  was  called  to  the  chair  and  Francis  N.  Blood 
was  appointed  secretary.  Reports  were  made  through  delegates 
from  more  than  twenty  towns,  which  were  so  favorable  that  it 
was  voted  unanimously  to  hold  an  "old-fashioned  Cork  Muster" 
on  Tuesday,  October  12,  1858. 

The  day  dawned  auspiciously  and  the  crowd  began  to  gather 
early  in  the  morning.  In  fact  many  had  appeared  on  the  spot 
the  day  before.  Hillsborough  had  sent  one  hundred  men  dressed 
as  Indians  and  mounted  on  horses.  Antrim  sent  a  company  of 
seventy  men  in  citizen's  dress,  under  Captain  Mclllvin.  Benning- 
ton sent  a  company  of  fifty  men;  Francestown  a  company  of 
"Indians,"  and  Stoddard  the  same  number  in  citizen's  clothes. 
Artillery  companies  came  from  New  Boston,  Hancock  and 
Lyndeborough.  Bradford,  Henniker,  Goffstown,  Washington  and 
Windsor  were  well  represented,  while  a  fire  company  and  a 
cornet  band  came  from  Manchester. 

The  troops  were  reviewed  by  General  Andrews.  In  the 
afternoon  an  "old-fashioned  sham  fight"  took  place  between  the 
Indians  of  Hillsborough  and  other  towns  led  by  their  Chief, 
Colonel  Pierce,  and  "white"  troops  under  Col.  Lewis  Richardson 
of  Greenfield.  Before  the  battle  was  over  it  threatened  to  be 
anything  but  a  "sham"  fight,  and  it  is  certain  not  a  little  blood 
was  shed.  However,  each  side  took  it  good-naturedly,  as  far  as 
might  be,  and  when  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared,  the  Indians 
having  proved  the  winner,  a  reconciliation  took  place  between 
the  "enemies."  All  then  partook  of  a  hearty  spread  of  food, 
following  which  speeches  were  made,  Francis  N.  Blood  speaking 
for  the  Indians,  and  Doctor  Richards  of  Greenfield  and  William 
H.  White  offering  mingled  praise  and  consolation  for  the  van- 
quished warriors.  Other  forms  of  festivities  followed  each  other 
in  rapid  succession,  until  the  westering  sun  brought  the  day's 
semi-military  proceedings  to  a  close.  No  doubt  many  went  home 
happy  that  night,  even  if  their  token  was  a  blackened  eye.  That 
was  beyond  doubt  the  most  famous,  as  well  as  the  last  muster, 
ever  held  on  Cork  Plain,  the  county's  famous  muster  ground. 

The  heyday  of  the  muster  had  already  passed.  From  1820 
to  1850  the  militia  of  the  state  was  at  its  best,  numbering  annually 
upwards  of  thirty  thousand  well  organized  and  disciplined 
soldiers,  but  from  the  latter  date  its  deterioration  was  rapid,  so 


266  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  it  could  muster  only  one 
regiment,  the  First,  and  twelve  independent  companies !  A 
deplorable  condition  at  the  opening  of  the  greatest  struggle  the 
country  had  ever  known. 

Hillsborough,  which  has  ever  seemed  the  natural  parade 
ground  of  military  bodies,  has  had  several  military  and  semi- 
military  organizations,  among  these  the  most  ambitious  was  the 
Carter  Guards  formed  in  1879.  At  a  meeting  of  the  company 
September  12,  1883,  it  was  voted  to  change  its  name  to  that  of 
Smith  Rifles.  This  was  done  out  of  deference  to  the  assistance 
given  by  Gov.  John  B.  Smith.  On  June  19,  1884,  he  presented 
the  organization  with  fifty  very  fine  fatigue  coats.  The  officers 
commanding  the  company  at  this  time  were  Orlando  S.  Burt, 
Emmons  C.  Newman,  and  James  F.  Adams.  In  more  recent 
years  it  became  known  as  Co.  K,  2nd  Reg.,  N.  H.  N.  G. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HlLLSBOROUCH  IN  THE  ClVIL  WAR. 

Hillsborough's  Kecord  in  Previous  Wars — Actions  of  the  Town — 
Opening  of  the  War — First  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry — Roll — 
Second  Regiment — Roll — Third  Regiment — Roll — Fourth  Regiment 
—Roll— Fifth  Regiment— Roll— Sixth  Regiment— Roll— Seventh 
Regiment — Roll — Eighth  Regiment — Roll — Ninth  Regiment — Roll 
— Tenth  Regiment — Roll — Eleventh  Regiment — Roll — Thirteenth 
Regiment — Roll — Fourteenth  Regiment — Roll — Sixteenth  Regiment 
— Roll — Seventeenth  Regiment — Roll — Eighteenth  Regiment — Roll 
— Other  Branches  of  the  Army — Veteran  Reserve  Corps — United 
States  Colored  Troops — Dartmouth  Cavalry — United  States  Navy 
— Men  Who  Served  in  Other  States — Summary  of  Service — Moral 
Results  of  War. 

As  she  had  in  preceding  wars  Hillsborough  did  fully  her 
share  in  the  Civil  War,  1861  to  1865,  and  her  soldiers,  sent 
promptly  to  the  front,  fought  bravely  on  all  of  the  principal 
battle-fields  of  the  sanguinary  struggle.  None  were  more  loyal ; 
none  were  more  brave  than  her  sons  who  offered  freely  their  lives 
on  many  a  hard-fought  field.  Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  in  an  excellent 
article  on  this  town,  well  said:  "In  all  the  wars  in  which  the 
nation  has  been  involved  Hillsborough  has  had  a  full  part ;  her 
men  have  fought  in  the  field,  their  blood  has  been  shed  and  lives 
have  been  sacrified.  Hillsborough  has  furnished  a  full  share  of 
brave  officers  who  led  "to  victory  or  death." 

The  resume  of  this  valor  and  the  part  Hillsborough  acted  in 
the  Civil  War  has  been  so  well  expressed  by  one  of  her  sons, 
Col.  James  F.  Grimes,  that  I  shall  include  his  eloquent  words  as 
most  appropriate:  "In  the  lapse  of  years  there  came,  and  has 
gone,  a  greater  war  than  the  Revolution — that  for  the  Union.  In 
the  latter  struggle  Hillsborough  did  not,  through  remissness,  blur 
her  fair  record  of  achievement  in  the  former.  The  spirit  of  the 
Fathers  still  moved  the  sons  nobly  to  do  and  dare  as  in  the  older 
days.  Her  men  were  in  nearly  every  regiment  of  volunteers  sent 
from  New  Hampshire  to  the  'ensanguined  field/  as  well  as  in 
other  branches  of  the  service,  including  the  regular.    They  fought 

267 


268 


HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


as  well  in  this  war  as  had  an  Andrews,  a  Bradford,  or  a  McNiel 
in  the  other,  and  Merrill,  Reed,  Templeton,  and  Wilson  died  as 
nobly  as  had  Baldwin." 

While  filling  her  quotas  of  men  promptly,  as  they  were  called 
for  the  citizens,  men  and  women,  at  home  were  equally  loyal  to 
each  and  every  duty. 

November  15,  1861,  town  voted  to  adopt  the  act  to  aid  the 
parents  and  families  of  volunteers  or  members  of  the  enrolled 
militia  of  the  state. 

August  12,  1862,  town  voted  to  pay  each  volunteer  $150  until 
quota  from  town  was  filled. 

March  10,  1863,  it  was  voted  to  raise  $1000  in  addition  to 
that  already  raised  to  benefit  families  of  volunteers. 

In  1864  the  town  voted  unanimously  to  give  the  Selectmen 
unlimited  power  to  help  "cary  on  the  war  to  a  successful  ter- 
mination at  whatever  cost." 

Opening  of  the  War. 

The  beginning  of  hostilities  was  sudden  and  to  the  people 
quite  unexpected.  On  the  morning  of  April  12,  1861,  Confederate 
forces  under  General  Beauregard,  numbering  several  thousand 
men,  opened  fire  upon  Fort  Sumter,  defending  Charleston  harbor, 
S.  C,  at  the  time  commanded  by  Major  Robert  Anderson  with 
about  seventy  United  States  soldiers  under  him.  Major  Anderson 
could  do  no  better  than  to  capitulate  the  next  day,  and  the  im- 
pending crisis  had  developed  into  a  civil  war  the  magnitude  of 
which,  few,  North  or  South,  realized  in  its  stern  reality. 

President  Lincoln  acted  promptly,  and  April  15,  he  issued 
his  memorable  proclamation  which  called  for  seventy-five 
thousand  volunteers  for  the  short  service  of  three  months,  as  it 
was  hopefully  believed  that  within  that  brief  period  peace  could 
be  established.  New  Hampshire's  assignment  was  one  regiment. 
The  names  of  the  men  who  enlisted  for  this  service,  as  well  as 
those  who  joined  the  succeeding  regiments  are  given  in  the  fol- 
lowing lists,  together  with  a  brief  record  of  each  soldier. 


first  and  second  regiments.  269 

First  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

New  Hampshire  responded  to  the  call  of  President  Lincoln 
with  a  readiness  unsurpassed  by  any  other  state,  and  between 
April  17  and  30th  2,004  men  were  enlisted.  The  balance,  after 
filling  the  First  Regiment,  were  given  their  choice  to  enlist  in  the 
prospective  Second  Regiment  or  serve  three  months  at  Fort  Con- 
stitution at  Portsmouth  harbor.  Four  hundred  and  ninety-six 
chose  the  first  alternative,  while  the  remainder  went  to  Ports- 
mouth. 

The  First  Regiment  rendezvoused  on  the  Fair  Grounds  at 
Concord,  the  place  being  christened  "Camp  Union."  So  rapidly 
was  the  equipment  effected  that  on  May  28th,  at  1.30  o'clock  a.  m., 
the  regiment  arrived  in  Washington  and  immediately  marched  to 
Camp  Cameron.  Reviewed  from  the  porch  of  the  White  House 
by  President  Lincoln,  he  was  so  pleased  at  its  appearance  he  sent 
a  messenger  to  the  colonel  informing  him  that  his  was  the  best 
appointed  regiment  which  had  so  far  come  into  Washington. 

While  the  First  Regiment  was  not  called  upon  to  do  any 
fighting,  except  the  exchange  of  shots  at  Conrad's  Ferry,  it  did 
its  duty  as  faithfully  as  any,  and  possibly  as  much  good.  Not  less 
than  five  hundred  of  these  soldiers  re-enlisted  in  succeeding 
regiments. 

Koll. 

Mustered  into  service  at  Concord  May  1  to  7,  1861 ;  mustered  out 
August  9,  1861,  every  man  a  volunteer  for  three  months. 
Andrews,  Chables  J.,  priv.  Co.  C. ;  b.  H.,  age  19;  res.  Manchester;  enL 

Apr.  20,  must,  in  May  2,'61 ;  must,  out  Aug.  9,  '61.    See  3  N.  H.  V. 
Green,  Gilman.  priv.  Co.  D. ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  28;  res.  Wilmot;  enl.  Apr 

22,  '61 ;  must.  May  2 ;  must,  out  Aug.  9,  '61.  See  5  and  10  N.  H.  V. 
Putney,  John  L.  priv.  Co.  D. ;  b.  H. ;  age  44;  res.  Greenfield;  enl.  May 

22,  '61 ;  must,  in  May  23,  '61 ;  app.  sergt.  May  23 ;  must,  out  Aug. 

9,  '61.    See  8  N.  H.  V. 

Second  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

A  considerable  number  of  this  regiment  was  made  up  of  the 
recruits  who  enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment  of  three  months'  men. 
The  order  had  come  to  stop  taking  men  for  the  short  period,  so 
those  who  re-enlisted,  as  well  as  the  new  volunteers,  were  mustered 
in  for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  Early  in  May  the  regiment 
went  into  camp  at  Portsmouth,  but  left  here  the  first  of  June  and 


270  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

arrived  in  Washington  on  the  23d  of  June.  It  was  immediately 
attached  to  Second  Brigade  of  Hunter's  division,  its  commander 
being  Col.  Ambrose  E.  Burnside.  This  regiment  saw  active  ser- 
vice almost  at  once,  for  on  July  21st  it  was  engaged  in  the  furious 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  where  7  were  killed,  56  wounded,  46  missing. 
A.mong  the  second  class  was  Col.  Gilman  Marston,  who  was 
severely  injured.  With  this  energetic  beginning  the  Second  saw 
its  share  of  fighting  being  in  22  battles  including  Bull  Run, 
Malvern  Hill,  Second  Bull  Run,  Chantilly,  Fredericksburg, 
Gettysburg,  Dreury's  Bluff,  Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg,  except- 
ing Gettysburg,  all  in  Virginia.  The  organization  was  completed 
June  10th,  1861,  and  the  recruits  and  re-enlisted  men  were 
mustered  out  December  19th,  1865,  at  City  Point,  Va. 

Roll. 

Abcheb,  William.  Priv.  Co.  A.;  b.  in  England;  age  28;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  Nov.  16,  '63 ;  must,  in  Dec.  2,  '63 ;  des.  Apr.  7,  1864,  Pt  Look- 
out, Md. 

Andrews,  James  H.  Priv.  Co.  H. ;  b-  in  H. ;  age  18;  res.  H. ;  enl.  May 
16,  '61 ;  must,  in  June  5,  '61 ;  app.  Corp.  Nov.  1,  '&2 ;  reenl.  and 
must,  in  Jan.  1,  '64 ;  cred.  to  Portsmouth ;  app.  Sergt.  Jan.  1,  '64 ; 
1st  Sergt.  July  1,  '64 ;  2d  Lieut.  Co.  E,  June  1,  '65 ;  res.  Oct.  26,  '65. 

Bauer,  Albert.  Priv.  Co.  A ;  b.  in  New  York ;  age  19  ;  cred.  to  II. ;  enl. 
and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  disch.  June  29,  '65,  Norfolk,  Va. 

Brown,  John.  Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  in  Germany;  age  29;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 
and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  tr.  to  U.  iS.  navy  Apr.  30,  '64  as  an  Ord. 
Seaman;  served  on  U.  'S.  S.  "State  of  Georgia,"  "A.  D.  Vance," 
"Potomac,"  and  "Arthur" ;  disch.  Oct.  13,  '65,  N.  Y. 

Brown,  James  Priv.  Co.  C ;  b.  in  North  Caroline;  age  26;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  des.  at  Williamsburg,  Va.,  Apr.  24, 
'64. 

Brown,  John.  Priv.  Co.  A;  b.  England;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 
must,  in  Nov.  16,  '63 ;  tr.  to  U.  S.  Navy  Apr.  28,  '64,  as  a  Seaman ; 
served  on  the  U.  S.  S.  "Florida,"  "Quaker  City,"  and  "0.  H. 
Lee" ;  disch.  on  reduction  of  naval  force  Aug.  18,  '65,  from  receiv- 
ing ship  Philidelphia,  Pa. 

Clark,  William.  Priv.  Co.  D;  b. :  New  York;  age  22;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 
and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  des.  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  9,  '64. 

Clinton,  Charles.  Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  England;  age  20;  sub.  for  William 
Merrill ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  3,  '64 ;  des.  upon  reaching  Boston, 
Dec.  10,  '63. 

Cooledge,  William  P.  Band;  b.  in  H. ;  age  23;  res.  in  Peterborough; 
enl.  July  22,  '61;  must,  in  Aug.  7,  '61;  as  2d  class  Muse;  must,  out 
as  1st  class  Muse.  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 


ROLL,   SECOND  REGIMENT,    CONTINUED.  2*]l 

Danforth,  Charles  H.    Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  Weare;  age  26;  res.  in  H;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Aug1.  9,  '62 ;  disch.  at  Fort  Monroe,  Va.,  June  6,  '65. 
Dascomb,  Edmund.    Corp.  Co.  G;  b.  in  H. ;  age  23;  res.  in  Greenfield; 

enl.  May  15,  '61 ;  must,  in  June  5,  '61 ;  app.  2d  Lieut.  Sept.  1,  '62 ; 

wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  '63 ;  d.  of  wds.  July  13,  '63. 
Day,  Freeman.     Priv.  Co.  D;  cred.  to  H. ;  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '©3 ;  des. 

from  hospital  Sept.  6,  '64. 
Grandley,  John.    Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  in  Halifax;  age  22;  cred.  to  H. ;  sub- 

for  Horace  J.  Clark ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  2,  '64 ;  des.  at  Boston, 

Mass.,  Dec.  10,  '64. 
Graper,  Frederick.    Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  in  Germany;  age  20;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  16,  163 ;  tr.  to  U.  S.  Navy  Apr.  30,  '64 ;  as  an 

Ord.  Seaman;  des.  from  U.  S.  S.  "Calypso"  Nov.  11,  '64. 
Hall,  Frederick.    Priv.  Co.  E  ;  b.  in  England  ;  age  21 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  des. 

at  New  York  July  20,  '64. 
Harpell,  John.    Priv.  Co.  R;  b.  in  Nova  Scotia;  age  19;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  des.  while  on  a  furlough  Mar.  1,  '65. 
Hoyt,  Hugh.    Priv.  Co.  H. ;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  22 ;  enl.  May  7,  '61, 

for  3  mos- ;  not  must,  in ;  re-enl.  for  3  yrs.  May  9,  '61 ;  must,  in 

June  5,  '61 ;  disch.  at  Blandensburg,  Md.,  disab.,  Sept.  20;  '61. 
Justice,  Robert.    Enl.  but  not  assigned.    See  3  N.  H.  V. 
Kelley,  John.    Priv.  Co.  A ;  cred.  to  H. ;  must.  Sept.  8,  '64.    See  10th  N. 

H.  V. 
Lantos,  Dalfis.    Priv.  Co.  F;  b.  in  Canada;  age  18;  res.  in  Canada; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 

I/ast  known  was  living  in  Attleborough,  Mass. 
Long,  Charles.    Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  New  Jersey;  age  31;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  des.  at  Lookout  Point,  Md. ;  Dec.  4,  '63. 
McDonald,  John.    Priv.  Co.  K;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  24;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63  ;  no  further  record. 
McEvoy,  John.     Priv.  Co.  F;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  killed  at  Petersburg  May  14,  '64. 
McMillan,  Thomas.     Priv.  Co.  F ;  b.  in  Ireland ;  age  33 ;  cred.  to  H  ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  16,  '68 ;  tr.  to  U.  (S.  Navy  Apr.  30,  '64,  as 

Ord.  Seaman  served  on  U.  S.  »S.  ""Calypso" ;  des.  Dec.  23,  '64. 
McPherson,  John.     Priv.  Co.  F;  b.  in  Nova  Scotia;  age  33;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Nov  16,  '6>3 ;  captured  by  enemy  Oct.  28,  '64 ; 

released ;  d.  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  Mar.  4,  '65. 
Miller,  John.     Priv.  Co.  F;  b.  in  England;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  must,  out  Dec.  5,  1865. 
Morierty,  Cornelius.    Priv.  Co.  G ;  complete  record  see  10th  regiment. 
Parker,  Geobge.    Priv.  Co.  A ;  b.  in  England ;  age  38 ;  cred.  to  H  ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63  ;  tr.  to  U.  S.  Navy  Apr.  28,  '64,  as  a  Sea- 
man;  served  on  U    S.  S.  "State  of  Georgia"  and  "A.  D.  Vance"; 

disch.  for  disab.  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  Apr.  24,  '65. 


2"J2  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Riley,  John.    Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  29;  cred.  to  H. ;  sub.  for 

Edgar  Hazen ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  5,  '64 ;  disch.  at  Concord  Dec. 

19,  '65. 
Sanford,  John  F.    Priv.  Co.  I ;  b.  in  Canada ;  age  29  ;  cred.  to  H. ;  sub  S. 

G.  Elanchard ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  6,  '64 ;  must,  out  Dec  19,  '65. 
Smith,  William  G.     Priv.  Co.  G;  b.  in  H. ;  age  44;  cred.  to'H. ;  enl. 

Aug.  25,  '62 ;  must,  in  Sept.  3,  '63 ;  disch.  for  disab.  Dec.  25,  '64. 
Wendell,  Henby.    Priv.  Co.  G.    See  record  10th  Reg. 
Wilson,  Stephen  D.    Priv.  Co.  G;  b.  Lyndeborough ;  age  18;  res.  in  H. ; 

enl.  May  18  '61;  for  3  mos. ;  not  must,  in;  re-enlisted  May  15  for 

3  yrs. ;  must,  in  June  5,  '61 ;  disch.  disb.  Aug.  3,  '61,  at  Washington, 

D.  C.     Supposed  to  be  the  soldier  by  same  name  in  Co.  I,  5th 

Peg.  N.  H.  V. 
Wylie,  Edward.     Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  New  York;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Nov.  16,  '63 ;  app.  Corp.  Jan.  1,  '65 ;  sergt.  Sept.  1,  '65 ; 

must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 

Third  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

This  regiment  was  organized  and  mustered  in  August,  1861, 
at  Concord,  and  was  made  up  largely  of  men  from  other  parts  of 
the  state  rather  than  from  the  vicinity  of  Hillsborough,  hence 
very  few  of  its  citizens  were  enrolled  in  its  ranks.  In  1864  this 
regiment  was  mounted  and  designated  as  "Third  New  Hampshire 
Mounted  Infantry."  Sent  to  Florida  in  April,  later  a  portion  was 
ordered  to  Virginia  in  May.  Counting  the  recruits  and  additions, 
1,769  men  belonged  some  time  during  the  war  to  this  regiment. 
It  served  throughout  the  Fort  Wagner  assaults,  the  siege  of  Fort 
Sumter  in  1863  and  1864,  was  at  Dreury's  Bluff,  Bermuda 
Hundred,  siege  of  Petersburg,  and  several  other  battles  and  cam- 
paigns. 

Roll. 

Andrews,  Charles  J.    Priv.  Co.  K;  b.  H.;  age  191;  res.  in  Manchester; 

enl.  Aug.  12,  '61;  must,  in  Aug.  24,  '61;  app.  Corp.  Oct.  17,  '61; 

resigned  Dec.  1,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  B.,  1st  Art.,  U.  S.  A.,  Nov.  15,  '62 ; 

re-enl.  Feb.,  '64;  des.  Aug.  18,  '65,  Richmond,  Va.    See  1  N.  H.  V. 
Brown,  Thomas  H.     Priv.  Co.,  sub.  for  J  Danforth;  b.  in 

Ireland ;  age  23 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Dec.  17,  '64 ;  must,  in  Dec.  17, 

'64 ;  des.  Mar.  20,  '65,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 
Campbell,  Nathaniel  J.    Priv.  Co.  K ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  34 ;  Res.  Strafford ; 

enl.  Aug.  5,  '61 ;  must,  in  Aug.  24,  '61,  as  Sergt. ;  reduced  to  ranks 

May  3,  '63  ;  re-enl.  and  must,  in  Feb.  13,  '64;  killed  May  13,  '64,  at 

Dreury's  Bluff,  Va. 


FOURTH  REGIMENT.  273 

Cabb,  Thomas  M.    Priv.  Co.  H ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  20 ;  res.  in  H. ;  enl.  Aug. 

14,  '61;  must,  in  Aug.  23,  '61;  wounded  June  16,  '62,  Seeessionville, 
S.  C ;  app.  Corp.  Nov.  1,  '63 ;  Sergt.  Dec.  3,  '63  ;  re-enl.  and  must,  in 
Mar.  17,  '64 ;  killed  Oct.  27,  '64,  near  Richmond,  Va. 

Bebnasconi,    Robebt.      Priv.    Co.    F ;    sub.    for    W.    B.    Gould ;    b.    in 
Switzerland;  age  21;  cred.  to  H.;  enl.  Dec.  15,  '64;  must,  in  Dec. 

15,  '64  ;  app.  must.  Mar.  1,  '65  ;  must,  out  July  20,  '65. 
Febbagallino,  Castbunion.    Priv.  Co.  F ;  sub.  for  George  W.  Burnbam ; 

b.  in  Italy;  age  25;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Dec.  17,  '64;  must,  in  Dec.  17, 

'64 ;  must,  out  July  20,  '65. 
Habity  Rodman.     Priv.  Co.  C ;  sub.  for  David  Kimball ;  must,  in  Dec. 

17,  '64;  des.  at  Wilmington,  N.  C,  or  killed  May  17,  '65.     (Ayling's 

Register  does  not  contain  his  name.) 
Kelley,  Patbick.     Priv.  Co.  H ;  sub.  for  ;  b  in  Ireland ; 

age  24  ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Dec.  14,  '64 ;  must,  in  Dec.  14  '64 ;  wounded 

at  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  N.  C,  Feb.  11,  '65 ;  disch.  at  York,  Pa., 

May  25,  '65. 
Monahan,  Babney.     Priv.  Co.  K;  sub.  for  Edward  Kimball;  b.  in  Ire- 
land ;  age  25 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  24,  '64 ;  des.  at 

Wilmington,  N.  C,  Mar.  8,  '65. 
Putney,  Jacob  A.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  43  ;  res.  H. ;  enl.  July  27, 

'61 ;  must,  in  Aug.  22,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  G,  11th  V.  R.  C,  May  31,  '64; 

disch.  Aug.  23,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C,  tm.  ex. 
Watson  Fbank.     Priv.;  sub.  for  J.  H.  Fisher,  cert,  signed  by  Provost 

Marshall ;  must-  in  Dec.  19,  '64.     (Name  not  in  Ayling's  Register  of 

New  Hampshire  Soldiers  in  the  Rebellion.) 

Fourth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Two  hundred  men  were  left  over  from  the  organization  of 
the  Third  Regiment,  and  these  were  accepted  to  form  the  nucleus 
of  another — the  Fourth  Regiment.  This  regiment  was  mustered 
into  service  at  Manchester  Sept.  18th,  just  two  weeks  after  the 
Third  had  started  for  Washington.  Nine  days  later  this  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  the  national  capital,  and  then  to  Hilton 
Head,  thence  on  an  expedition  to  the  southern  coast.  This  regi- 
ment was  commanded  by  the  gallant  Col.  Louis  Bell,  mortally 
wounded  at  Fort  Fisher,  where  he  died  Jan.  16,  1865,  and  by 
Lieut.-Col.  Francis  W.  Parker,  since  the  war  a  noted  educator. 
The  men  were  mustered  out  at  Concord  August  23,  1865. 

Among  the  battles  were  James  Island,  S.  C,  June  10,  1862 ; 
siege  of  Fort  Wagner  and  Morris  Island  July  10  to  September  6, 
i863;   Dreury's   Bluff,   Va.,   May   14-16,  20th,    1864;   Bermuda 


274  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Hundred,  Va.,  May  17-19,  21-28,  1864;  siege  of  Petersburg,  Va., 
June  23  to  July  29,  1864;  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C,  June  15,  1865. 

Roll. 
Beabd,  'George  F.     Priv.  Co.  F;  b.  in  H. ;  age  20;  cred.  to  Goffstown; 

enl.  Mar.  16,  '65,  for  1  year ;  must,  in  Mar.  16,  '65 ;  must,  out  Aug. 

23,  '65. 
Bumfobd,  Solomon  C.    Priv.  Co.  H ;  age  36 ;  b.  in  Alexandria ;  cred.  to 

H.,  where  he  lived ;  enl.  Sept.  5,  '61 ;  must,  in  Sept.  18,  '61 ;  taken 

by  the  enemy  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  Mar.  24,  '62 ;  par.  Oct.  19>,  '62  ; 

exchanged,  re-enl.  and  must,  in  Jan.  1,  64 ;  app.  Corp.  Mar.  1,  '65 ; 

must,  out  Aug.  23  '65 ;  died  June  26,  '71,  Bradford. 
Downey,  Mubphy.    Priv.  Co.  (unas'd)  ;  b.  Ireland;  age  24;  sub.  for  J. 

C.  Campbell;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Jan.  7,  '65;  no  further 

record. 
Downing,  Henry  J.    Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  in  Boston;  cred.  to  H. ;  age  18; 

res.  in  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  12  and  must,  in  Sept.  18,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  B., 

1  Art.  U.  S.  A.,  Nov.  1,  '62 ;  disch.  Pt.  of  Rocks,  Md.,  Sept.  5,  '65. 
Boyden,  George  W.    Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  Grafton,  Mass.;  age  20;  res.  H. ; 

enl.  Sept.  8,  and  must,  in  'Sept.  18,  '61 ;  trs.  to  69th  Co.,  2  Batt'l, 

I.  C,  Dec.  10,  '63 ;  disch.  Sept.  20,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C- 
Flood,  Fbancis.     Priv.  Co.  D ;  sub.  for  S.  Dow  Wyman ;  b.  in  Ireland ; 

age  26 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Jan.  6,  '65 ;  des.  at  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C,  Feb.  15,  '05 ;  apph. ;  des.  again  at  Raleigh,  N.  C,  Apr. 

18,  ''66. 
Fbazeb,  Charles.    Priv.  Co.  D ;  sub.  ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Jan.  6,  '65 ;  must  out  Aug.  23,  '65. 
Geobge,  Edwin  M.     Priv.  Co.  C ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  20  ;  res.  in  Bennington ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  .Sept.  18,  '61 ;  disch.  for  disab.  Hilton  Head,  S.  C, 

Jan.  12,  '62 ;  d.  in  Bennington  Mar.  3,  '62. 
Lee,  Patbick.     (See  Patrick  Mclntre.) 
McAllister,  Joshua  H.    Priv.  Co.  H ;  b.  in  H. ;  res.  in  H. ;  age  41 ;  enl. 

Aug.  28,  '61 ;  must,  in  Sept.  18,  '61 ;  disch.  for  disab.  at  Beaufort, 

S.  C,  Mar.  12,  '63.    See  1  N.  H.  Cavalry. 
McIntre,  Patrick,  alias  Patrick  Lee.    Priv.  Co.  F;  sub.  for  Judson  W. 

Gould;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  21;  enl.  and  must,  in  Jan.  2,  '65;  must 

out,  Aug.  23,  '65.    Died  at  North  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  Mar.  7,  '67. 
McQueston,  Charles  A.    Priv.  Co.  H. ;  b.  in  Washington ;  age  23  ;  res. 

in  H. ;  enl.  Aug  28,  '61 ;  must,  in  Sept.  18,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  H.,  24,  I. 

C,  Dec.  10,  '63 ;  re-enl. ;  disch.  Jan.  19,  '66,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
Muller,  August.     Priv.  Co.  F ;  sub.  for  George  A.  Gibson ;  b.  in  Ger- 
many; age  20;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Dec.  29,  '04;  disch. 

disab.  July  20,  '65. 
Richardson,  Milton.    Priv.  Co.  C ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  38 ;  res.  in  and  cred.  to 

Nashua ;  enl.  Sept.  16,  '61 ;  must,  in  Sept.  18,  '61 ;  disch.  for  disab. 

at  Beaufort,  S.  C,  Oct.  2<6,  '62.    Died  Feb.  11,  '81,  at  Nashua. 


FIFTH  REGIMENT.  275 

Sanders,  Andbew.  Priv.  Co.  E ;  b.  Liverpool,  Eng. ;  cred.  to  H.,  sub. 
for  D.  Davis;  enl.  and  must-  in  Dec.  21,  '64;  must,  out  Aug.  23,  '65. 

Fifth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
The  Fifth  Regiment  was  organized  at  Concord,  with  men 
enlisted  for  three  years.  The  regiment  received  its  colors  Octo- 
ber 28,  1 86 1,  and  the  next  day  left  for  the  front,  arriving  at 
Bladensburg,  Md.,  the  31st.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
First  Brigade,  Sumner's  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  Novem- 
ber 27,  1861.  Edward  E.  Cross  was  appointed  colonel,  and  an 
experienced  Indian  fighter,  having  seen  service  in  Mexico,  was 
of  great  assistance.  "The  Fighting  Fifth"  experienced  more  than 
its  share  of  active  campaigning,  and  was  in  about  twenty-five 
bitter  encounters,  among  them  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  1,  1862; 
Malvern  Hill,  Va.,  July  1,  1862;  Antietam,  Md.,  September  15, 
1862;  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1862;  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  1-5,  1863 ;  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  3,  1863. 

ROLL. 

Atwood,  Samuel  H.  Priv.  Co.  K ;  b.  in  H. ;  res.  in  Antrim  ;  age  18  ;  enl. 
Sept.  16,  '6H;  must,  in  Oct.  12,  '61;  wd.  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  1, 
'62 ;  wd.  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  '63  ;  re-enl.  and  must,  in  Jan. 
1,  '64 ;  tr.  to  Co.  I ;  wd.  again  at  Dinwiddie  Court  House,  Va.,  Mar. 
31,  '65 ;  disch.  for  disab.  at  Washington,  D.  C,  July  18,  '65 ;  res.  in 
Henniker  after  the  war. 

Bailey,  Charles  H.  Priv.  Co.  K ;  b.  Andover,  Mass. ;  res.  in  H. ;  age  19 ; 
enl..  Sept.  2,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  12,  ^61 ;  died  Nov.  14,  '62. 

Cabpenteb,  William  K,  Priv.  Co.  K;  b.  in  Lempster;  res.  in  H. ;  age 
20 ;  enl.  Sept.  16,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  12,  '61  wd.  at  Fredericksburg, 
Va.,  Dec.  13,  '62 ;  d.  of  wounds  at  Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  13,  '63. 

Geeen,  Oilman.  Sergt.  Co.  H ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  28 ;  res.  in  Wilmot ;  enl. 
Sept.  10,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  19,  '61 ;  app.  Sergt. ;  wd  at  Antietam, 
Md.,  Sept.  17,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Dec.  20,  '62,  Philadelphia.  See  1 
and  10  N.  H.  V. 

Wilson,  Stephen  D.  Priv.  Co.  I ;  b.  Lyndeborough ;  age  19  ;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl-  Sept.  25,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  15,  '61 ;  des.  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
Aug.  30,  '63.  Supposed  to  be  identical  with  Stephen  D.  Wilson  Co. 
G.,  2d  Peg.  N.  H.  V.,  and  who  had  previously  enl.  in  1st.  Reg.  for 
3  mos. 

Wilson,  Benjamin  S-  Priv.  Co.  K;  b.  Pepperell,  Mass.;  age  19;  res. 
H. ;  enl.  Sept.  19,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  12,  '61 ;  app.  Sergt.  Maj.  Oct.  27, 
'63 ;  disch.  Apr.  20,  '64,  to  accept  promotion.  See  Miscl.  Organiza- 
tions 


276  history  of  hillsborough. 

Sixth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Keene  in  November,  1861, 
and  camped  on  Cheshire  Fair  Grounds,  "Camp  Brooks."  Left 
Keene  December  25,  to  reach  Washington,  D.  C,  January  6,  1862. 
The  Sixth  had  a  severe  experience  throughout  its  campaigning. 
At  Bull  Run  on  the  afternoon  of  July  29  the  First  Brigade,  to 
which  it  belonged,  was  ordered  to  attack  the  enemy  posted  in  the 
woods.  The  Sixth  with  the  Second  Maryland  on  its  right,  made 
a  gallant  attack.  But  the  Forty-Eighth  Pennsylvania,  on  its  right, 
failed  to  hold  its  position,  which  left  the  Sixth  exposed  to  a 
murderous  fire  on  its  flank.  The  regiment  was  then  compelled 
to  fall  back,  but  not  until  it  had  lost  in  killed,  wounded  or  missing 
almost  every  second  man  of  the  450  who  went  into  the  battle. 
During  its  term  of  service  the  Sixth  served  in  seventeen  different 
states,  and  its  record  added  a  brilliant  chapter  to  the  history  of 
New  Hampshire  in  the  Civil  War. 

Its  widely  scattered  battlefields  of  over  a  score  in  number,  in- 
cluded Bull  Run,  Va.,  Aug.  29,  30,  1862 ;  Antietam,  Md.,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1862;  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862;  Siege  of 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  14  to  July  4,  1863 ;  Wilderness,  Va.,  May 
6,  1864;  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  8  to  20,  1864;  Siege  of  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  June  16,  1864,  to  April  3,  1865. 

Roll. 

Beckwith,  Bybon  A.    Priv.  Co.  A;  b.  in  Lempster;  res.  in  H. ;  age  30; 

enl.  Oct  12,  '61 ;  must,  in  Dec.  6,  '61 ;  wd.  at  Bull  Run,  Va.,  Aug.  29, 

'62 ;  app.  Sergt. ;  wd.  and  capt'd  Sept.  30,  '64,  Poplar  Springs,  Va. ; 

d.  Salisbury,  N.  C,  Feb.  26,  '65. 
Bright,  John.     Priv.  Co.  G. ;  enl.  June  21,  '61;  tr.  to  9th  Reg.,  which 

see. 
Hebebt,  Joseph.    Priv.  Co.  K ;  sub.  for  C.  Gibson ;  b.  Canada ;  age  28 ; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  May  24,  '64 ;  taken  pris.  at  Poplar 

Springs,  Va.,  Sept.  30,  '64 ;  no  further  record. 
Jones,  Thomas.     Priv.  Co.  A ;  sub. ;  b.  Canada ;  age  34 ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  May  24,  '64 ;  must,  out  July  14,  '65.    Rem.  to  St. 

Johnsbury,  Vt. 
Robbins,  Augustus.     Priv.  Co.  A;  b-  Mason;  age  34;  res.  in  H. ;  enl. 

Oct.  16,  '61 ;  must,  in  Dec.  6,  '61 ;  wd.  at  Bull  Run,  Va.,  Aug.  29,  '62 ; 

des.  Apr.  7,  '63,  Lexington,  Ky. ;  Apprh.,  and  last  reported  July  17, 

'63,  as  absent  in  arrest. 


SEVENTH   REGIMENT.  277 

Sebalts,  August.    Priv.  Co.  K ;  sub. ;  b.  in  France ;  age  33  ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63;  wd.  at  Battle  of  Wilderness,  Va., 

May  6,  '64  ;  no  further  record. 
Tenney,  Henby  A.     Priv.  Co.  E;  b.  in  Lempster;  age  18;  res.  in  H.; 

enl.  Nov.  13,  '61 ;  must,  in  Nov.  28,  '63 ;  d.  of  dis.  at  Newport,  Va., 

Sept.  8,  '62. 

Seventh  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

The  Seventh  Regiment  was  raised  and  organized  under  con- 
ditions different  from  that  of  any  other  regiment.  Credited  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  filled  with  New  Hampshire  men,  all  of  the 
appointments  were  by  order  of  the  War  Department  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  under  date  of  September  2,  1861.  The  command  was 
given  to  Joseph  C.  Abbott,  who  was  and  had  been  for  some  time 
Adj.  General  of  the  State.  The  state  authorities  were  merely 
asked  to  pay  the  ten  dollars  bounty  it  had  been  paying  other 
regiments,  which  it  did.  General  Abbott  waived  his  claim  to 
the  colonelcy  on  the  condition  that  a  West  Point  man  be  ap- 
pointed, and  Haldiman  S.  Putnam,  considered  to  be  the  most  ac- 
complished soldier  commissioned  from  New  Hampshire,  was 
given  the  command.  The  regiment  camped  for  a  month  in  Man- 
chester, on  the  Fair  Grounds,  which  is  said  to  have  inspired 
Walter  Kittredge  to  write  his  immortal  "Tenting  on  the  Old 
Camp-Ground."  Leaving  Manchester  on  January  14,  1862,  the 
regiment  proceeded  to  New  York,  where  it  stayed  a  month,  and 
then  went  on  to  the  front.  In  some  respects  this  regiment  was 
favored,  but  on  the  whole  performed  its  share.  Three  hundred 
and  twenty  men  and  twenty-two  officers  returned,  but  of  these 
less  than  a  hundred  were  among  those  who  had  left  the  state  in 
'61.    Of  the  original  field  and  staff  only  one  remained. 

The  regiment  is  indelibly  associated  with  the  sieges  and 
assaults  at  Morris  Island  and  Fort  Wagner.  It  was  at  Dreury's 
Bluff,  Va.,  May  13-16,  1864;  fought  at  Bermuda  Hundred  May 
18,  20,  21,  June  2-4,  18,  1864;  at  the  Siege  of  Petersburg,  Va., 
August  24  to  September  28,  1864,  and  in  many  other  engagements. 

Roll. 

Adsit,  John  W.  Priv.  Co.  K;  b.  Saratoga,  N.  Y. ;  age  4*;  res.  H. ;  enl. 
Sept.  14,  '61;  must,  in  Dec.  11,  '61 ;  d.  of  dis.  at  St.  Augustine  Fla., 
Oct.  8,  '62. 


278  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Baekee,  David  G.    Priv.  C.  A;  b.  in  H. ;  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  22;  enl. 

Oct.  11,  '61;  must,  in  Oct.  29,  '61;  disch.  for  disab.  at  Ft.  Jefferson, 

Fla.,  July  20,  '62 ;  d.  at  H.  Sept.  8,  '88. 
Bubtt,  Harmon.     Priv.  Co.  A;  b.  in  H. ;  age  35;  res.  in  Hopkinton; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov  12,  '61 ;  disch.  for  disab.  Ft.  Jefferson,  Fla., 

July  17,  '62 ;  res.  in  Henniker. 
Bubtt,  Orlando  G.    Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  20 ;  enl.  Sept. 

24,  '61 ;  must,  in  Nov.  6,  '61 ;  app.  Corp.  Nov.  14,  '62 ;  wd.  at  Morris 

Island,  S-  C,  .Sept.  27,  '63 ;  must  out  Dec.  27  '64. 
Care,  Edwin  L.    Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  18 ;  enl.  Sept.  24, 

'61;   must,  in  Nov.   6,   '61;  captd.   at  Olustee,   Fla.,   Feb.   20,  '64; 

released  Mar.  1,  '65,  in  Andersonville,  Ga. ;  disch.  May  8,  '65,  Con- 
cord, ex.  of  term. 
Dunfield,  Welliam.     Priv.  Co.  A;  b.  New  Brunswick,  N.  S. ;  age  44; 

res.  in  H. ;  enl.  Oct.  16,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  29,  '61 ;  disch.  disab.  New 

York  City,  Jan.  13,  '63. 
Fausett,  John.  .Priv.  Co.  I;  sub.;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  3®;  res.  in  Graf- 
ton, Mass. ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63 ;  capt.  at 

Olustee,  Fla.,  Feb.  20,  '64;  d.  of  dis.  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  Aug. 

10,  '64. 
Emery,  Leander.    Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  in  H. ;  res.  H. ;  enl.  Oct.  10,  '61 ;  must. 

in  Nov.  6,  "©I ;  app.  Corp.  Mar.  28,  '62 ;  wd.  at  Ft.  Wagner,  S.  C, 

July   18,  '63  ;  disch.  disab.  Jan.  27,  '65,  at  Pt.  of  Rocks,  Va.  tm. 

ex. ;  rem.  to  Antrim. 
Gammell,  Pliny  F.    Priv.  Co.  A. ;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  19 ;  enl.  Oct.  25, 

'61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  29,  "61 ;  wd.  at  Ft.  Wagner,  S.  C,  July  18,  '63 ; 

re-enl.  and  must,  in  Feb.  29,  '64;  app.  Corp.  Dec.  17,  '64;  must,  out 

July  20,  '65. 
Green,  David.    Priv.  Co.  A ;  b-  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  24 ;  enl.  Oct.  14,  '61 ; 

must,  in  Oct.  29 ;  disch  for  disab.  at  Beaufort,  S.  C,  July  28,  '62. 
Hoyt,  Alonzo  C.    Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  18 ;  enl.  Oct.  9,  '61 ; 

must,  in  Nov.  6,  '61 ;  wd.  at  Lempster  Hill,  Va.,  May  10,  '64 ;  must. 

out  Dec.  27,  '64. 
Love,  Charles.    Priv.  Co.  I ;  sub. ;  b.  in  Switzerland ;  age  22  ;  sub. ;  enl. 

res.  Boston,  Mass. ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63 ;  des. 

Gloucester  Point,  Va.,  Apr.  28,  '64 ;  ret.  Apr.  4,  '65,  and  must,  out 

July  20,  '65. 
Martin,  Charles.    Priv.  Co.  A. ;  sub. ;  b.  in  England ;  age  29 ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63  app.  Corp.;  killed  June  18,  '64, 

near  Bermuda  Hundred,  Va. 
Murphy,  Patrick.    Priv.  Co.  A;  sub.;  b.  Ireland;  age  19;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63;  disch.  for  disab.  at  Pt.  Lookout,  Md., 

Nov.  22,  '<54. 
Patten,  James  G.     Priv.  unas'd ;  cred.  to  Concord  by  mistake ;  b.  in 

Nashua ;  res.  in  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  11,  '62 ;  disch.  for  disab. 

at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  Nov.  25,  '62. 


EIGHTH  REGIMENT.  279 

Keed,  John.  Pri.  C.  D;  b.  in  Nova  Scotia;  age  23;  res.  in  H.;  enl. 
Sept.  21,  '61;  must,  in  Nov.  6,  '61;  app.  Sergt. ;  died  of  dis.  at 
Beaufort,  S.  C,  Oct.  21,  '62. 

Eighth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

The  Eighth  as  well  as  the  Seventh  Regiment  seemed  to  have 
been  a  favorite  organization  for  the  boys  of  Hillsborough,  though 
if  they  had  anticipated  at  the  outset  that  almost  the  whole  of  its 
term  of  service  was  to  be  passed  in  an  extreme  southern  state, 
making  it  exceedingly  trying  to  a  northern  man,  it  might  have 
been  different.  Enlistments  began  early  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, 1861,  and  on  the  9th  of  December  its  quota  was  full.  It  went 
into  "Camp  Currier,"  Manchester,  and  on  January  25,  1862,  it  was 
transferred  to  Fort  Independence,  Boston  Harbor.  This 
regiment  destined  for  the  "Butler  Expedition,"  was  sent  south, 
and  on  March  18,  1862,  after  a  very  stormy  voyage,  the  last  of 
the  regiment  reached  Ship  Island  in  Mississipi  Sound.  On  April 
9  the  regiment,  with  fourteen  thousand  troops  was  passing  in 
review  before  General  B.  F.  Butler  commanding.  Its  action 
throughout  the  war  was  important,  and  it  was  not  mustered  out 
of  service  until  at  the  expiration  of  three  years,  ten  months,  and 
nineteen  days. 

The  most  noteworthy  of  its  battles  and  engagements  were  at 
Port  Hudson,  La.,  March  14,  1863;  Siege  of  Port  Hudson  March 
23  to  July  9,  1863;  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  La.,  April  8,  1864; 
Monett's  Ferry,  La.,  April  23,  1863;  Alexandria,  La.,  April  26, 
i863 ;  and  last  at  Yellow  Bayou,  La.,  May  18,  1864. 

Roll. 
Alexander,  Charles.     Priv.  Co.  E ;  sub. ;  b.  in  New  Jersey ;   res.  in 

New  York ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '61 ;  app.  Corp. ; 

des.  at  Carrollton,  La.,  June  26,  '64. 
Anderson,  Edwin  P.     Priv.  Co.  H;  sub.;  b.  in  Ohio;  age  20,  res.  in 

Michigan ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  C, 

Vet.  Battl.,  8  N.  H.  V.,  Jan.  1,  '65;  des.  Apr.  6,  '65,  while  on  a 

furlough. 
Avery,  Gideon  H.    Priv.  Co.  H. ;  sub. ;  b.  in  Strafford ;  age  24 ;  res.  in 

Strafford ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '61 ;  des.  at  New 

Orleans,  La.,  Aug.  3,  '64. 
Barry,  William.    Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Sept.  5,  '61 ;  tr.  to  Co.  B,  Vet.  Battl.,  8  N.  H.  V.,  Jan. 

1,  '65 ;  must,  out  Oct.  28,  '65. 


280  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Blum,  Max.    Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  in  Prussia  ;  age  24  ;  cred.  to  Hillsborough ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  14,  '63 ;  des.  at  Franklin,  La.,  Jan.  1,  '64. 
Beown,  Hugh  P.    Priv.  Co.  E;  b.  in  Canada;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Aug.  5,  '64 ;  no  further  record. 
Casper,  Kobebt  T.    Priv.  Co.  L>;  b.  in  New  Castle;  age  21;  cred.  to  H-; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  5,  '64 ;  no  further  record. 
Cavanaugh,  William.     Unas'd;  b.  Canada;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Aug.  5,  '64 ;  no  further  record. 
Debinney,  William.    Priv.  Co.  E;  sub.;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  20' ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63  ;  killed  accidentally  by  being  run 

over  by  a  team  at  Cane  River,  La.,  Mar.  24,  '64. 

Gbeenlow,  Fbedebick.  Priv.  Co.  H ;  sub. ;  b.  in  New  Hampshire ;  age 
22 ;  res.  Somersworth ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63 ; 
des.  at  New  Orleans,  Mar.  1,  '64. 

Jones,  Henry.  Priv.  Co.  F ;  b.  New  Castle,  Del. ;  age  21 ;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  5,  '64 ;  del.  to  regimental  headquarters 
Concord  Aug.  29,  '64,  but  no  further  record  of  him. 

Lincoln,  Daniel  A.  Sergt.  Co.  A;  b.  in  H.;  age  23;  res.  in  H. ;  enl. 
Oct.  3,  '61;  must,  in  Aug.  25,  '61,  as  Sergt.;  died  of  dis.  at  Carroll- 
ton,  La.,  Nov.  29',  '62. 

Rine,  or  Bines,  John.  Priv.  Co.  K;  sub.;  b.  in  Italy;  res.  in  New 
York ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63 ;  des.  while  on  way 
to  New  Orleans. 

Scott,  William.  Priv.  Co.  I  sub.;  b.  in  New  York;  age  20;  res.  in 
Willsborough,  N.  Y. ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  7,  '63 ;  tr. 
to  Co.  C,  Vet.  Battl.,  8  N.  H.  V.,  Jan.  1,  '65;  must,  out  with  a 
creditable  record  Oct.  8,  '65. 

Story,  William  H.  Corp.  Co.  A ;  b.  Croydon ;  age  22 ;  res.  at  H. ;  enl. 
Sept.  17,  '61 ;  must,  in  Oct.  25,  '61;  disch.  for  disab.  at  Algiers,  La., 
Mar.  6,  '63.  After  receiving  discharge  he  remained  with  the  army 
before  Port  Hudson  for  several  months  as  Citizen  Clerk  in  the 
Dept.  of  Commissary  of  Subsistence  in  General  Neal  Dow's 
Brigade. 

Sanders,  Charles.    Priv.  Co.  F ;  b.  in  New  Castle,  Del. ;  age  24 ;  cred. 

to  H. ;    enl.    and   must,    in   Aug.    5,    '64;   delivered    at    regimental 

recruiting  depot  Concord  Aug.  29,  '63,  where  all  records  end. 
Milliken,  Nathan.    Priv.  Co.  H;  sub.;  b.  in  Waterford,  Me.;  age  22; 

res.  Reading,  Mass.;  cred.  to  H.;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '63; 

drowned  by  foundering  of  transport  North  America  Dec  22,  '64. 
Putney,  John  L.    Corp.  Co.  D;  b.  in  H. ;  res.  and  cred.  to  Greenfield; 

age  45;  enl.  Oct.  2,  '61;  must,  in  Dec.  20,  '61;  as  Corp.;  killed  at 

Labadieville,  La.,  Oct.  27,  '62.    See  1  N.  H.  V. 


ninth  and  tenth  regiments.  28l 

Ninth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
"The  record  of  the  Ninth  New  Hampshire,"  says  its  his- 
torian, Sergt.  George  L.  Wakefield,  "is  one  of  arduous  campaigns, 
followed  by  comparative  rest.  It  suffered  in  battle  at  Antietam 
and  Fredericksburg,  and  in  the  mud  at  Falmouth ;  was  cheered 
by  the  comforts  of  Newport  News,  and  feasted  in  Kentucky ;  had 
its  ranks  depleted  by  disease  in  Mississipi,  and  returning  to  the 
Blue  Grass  region,  recuperated  for  the  hazardous  march  over 
the  mountains  of  East  Tennessee.  At  Annapolis  it  welcomed 
recruits  and  convalescents,  in  preparation  for  the  bloody  ordeals 
of  Spottsylvania.  the  Mine  and  Poplar  Springs  Church,  and  for 
the  wearisome  waiting  before  Petersburg."  Only  four  volunteers 
and  one  substitute  joined  this  regiment  from  Hillsborough. 

Roll. 

Ford,  George  A.  Priv.  Co.  G ;  b.  in  H. ;  res.  in  H.;  age  18 ;  enl.  Aug.  11, 
'62  ;  must,  in  Aug.  14,  '62  must,  out  June  10,  '65 

Posteb,  Thatcheb  B.  Priv.  Co.  G ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  18;  res.  H. ;  enl.  Aug. 
18,  '62;  must,  in  Aug.  18,  '62;  Captd.  July  30,  '©4,  at  Mine  Ex- 
plosion, Petersburg,  Va. ;  released ;  died  of  dis.  at  Annapolis,  Md. 
Nov.  1,  '64. 

Habnden,  Charles  A.  Priv.  Co.  G ;  b.  in  Stoddard ;  age  23 ;  res.  in  H.; 
app.  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  10,  '62 ;  must,  in  Aug.  19,  '62 ;  wd.  Fredericks- 
Iburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  '62 ;  app.  1st  Lieut.  Co.  E,  Jan.  1,  '63 ;  disch. 
disab.  July  29,  '63  ;  d.  in  H.  Apr.  14,  '73. 

Johnson,  William.  Priv.  Co.  I;  sub.  for  George  Jones;  b.  in  Ohio; 
age  18;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  June  22,  '64;  des.  Feb.  10, 
'65,  at  City  Point,  Va.,  while  on  way  to  regiment. 

Wilkins,  Isaac  P.  Priv.  Co.  G  ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  31;  res.  in  and  cred.  to 
H. ;  enl.  Aug.  8,  '62;  must,  in  Aug.  18,  '62;  wd.  at  Fredericksburg, 
Va.,  Dec.  13,  '62 ;  must,  out  June  10,  '65.  He  was  Captain  in  N.  H. 
Militia,  1851-52. 

Tenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Hillsborough  has  the  credit  of  five  men  in  this  regiment. 

Roll. 
Green,  Gllman.  Priv.  Co.  E ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  30;  cred.  to  Wilmot ;  enl. 
Dec.  7,  '63  ;  must,  in  Aug.  14,  '63  ;  captd.  Oct.  27,  '64,  Fair  Oaks,  Va. ; 
confined  at  Richmond,  Va. ;  sent  Nov.  4,  '64,  to  Salisbury,  N.  C.  N. 
f.  r.  A.  G.  O.  See  1  and  5  N.  H.  V. 
Kf.t.t.ey,  John.  Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  St.  John,  N.  B.;  age  22;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  8,  '64  ;  tr.  to  Co.  A.,  2  N.  H.  V.,  June  21,  '65 ; 
must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 


282  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Mobiety,  Cobnelius.     Priv.  Co.  F ;  b.  in  Ireland ;  age  27 ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  Aug-.  6,  '62 ;  must,  in  Sept.  1,  '62 ;  tr.  to  Co.  G.,  2  N.  H.  V. ;  must. 

out  Dec.  19,  '65. 
Stein,  William.    Priv.  Co.  H;  b.  Charleston,  Vt. ;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  7,  64 ;  des.  at  Chaffin's  Farm,  Va.,  Nov.  9,  '64. 
Wendell,  Heney.    Priv.  Co.  E ;  sub. ;  b.  Hingham,  Mass. ;  age  44  ;  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  19,  ''63 ;  wd.  sev.  June  3,  '64,  Cold 

Harbor,  Va. ;  tr.  to  Co.  <G,  2  N.  H.  V.,  June  21,  '65 ;  must,  out  Dec. 

19,  '65 ;  died  May  13,  '86,  Woburn,  Mass. 

Eleventh  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 

The  Eleventh  Regiment  was  recruited  in  August,  1862.  and 
consisted  of  1,000  officers  and  men.  In  this  regiment  Hillsbor- 
ough was  well  represented.  Upon  reaching  Baltimore,  Md., 
on  Sunday,  September  14,  1862,  it  was  assigned  to  the  Second 
Brigade  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps.  Its 
first  participation  in  actual  warfare  was  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  on  the  13th  of  December,  1862.  It  was  also 
active  in  the  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  15,  to  July  4,  1863 ; 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864;  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  9-18. 
1864;  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  5-12,  1864;  and  the  sieges  of 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16,  1864,  to  April  3,  1865,  besides  half  a 
score  other  engagements. 

Roll. 
Bbiggs,  James  F.    F.  and  S. ;  b.  Bury,  Eng. ;  age  34;  res.  and  cred.  H. ; 

app.  Q.  M.  Aug.  22,  '6>2';  must,  in  Aug.  22,  '62;   res.  Dec.  29,  '62; 

reapp.  Jan.  28,  '63 ;  must,  in  Feb.  4,  03 ;  disch.  Aug.  1,  '3.    Eem.  to 

Manchester,  where  he  died. 
Cabteb,  Alonzo  E.     Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  H. ;  age  18;  cred.  to  Mason;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Dec.  12,  '63;  wd.  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  27,  '64; 

disch.  disab.  June  7,  '65. 
Clapp,  William  N.     Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  Taunton,  Mass.;  age  34;  res.  and 

cred.  H. ;  enl.  Aug.  14,  '62 ;  must,  in  Aug.  29 ;  disch.  disab.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  Jan.  16,  '63 ;  d.  in  H.  Nov.  8,  '76. 
Cbookeb,  Andeew  J.    Priv    Co.  D;  b.  Bath,  Me.;  age  29;  res.  and  cred. 

H. ;  enl.  Aug.  14,  '62 ;  must   in  Aug.  29 ;  wd.  at  Fredericksburg,  Va., 

Dec.  13,  '62 ;  again  wd.  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  Aug.  7,  '64 ;  disch. 

May  20,  '65. 
Dutton,  Fbank.    Priv.  Co.  I ;  b.  Nashua ;  age  18  ;  res.  and  cred.  H. ;  enl. 

Sept.  4,  and  must,  in  Sept.  6,  '62;  tr.  to  Co.  E,  2  Art.,  U.  S.  A.; 

retr    May  26,  '65;  disch.  June  12,  '65;  rem.  to  Whitefield. 
Faebah,  Alden  P.    Priv.  Co.  D;  b.,  res.  cred.  H. ;  age  24;  enl.  Aug.  15, 

and  must,  in  Aug  29,  '62 ;  must,  out  June  4,  '65. 


ELEVENTH   REGIMENT.  283 

Gibson,  Samuel  O.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  tx,  res.  cred.,  H. ;  age  21 ;  enl.  Aug.  14, 
'62;  must,  in  Aug  29;  wd.  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  '62; 
app.  Corp. ;  wd.  Bethesda  Church,  Va.,  June  2,  '64 ;  severely  wd. 
near  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16,  '64;  disch.  June  3,  '65. 

Hall,  Charles  G.  Priv.  Co.  D. ;  b.  H. ;  age  30;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  Aug.  14  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  disch.  disab.  Hamp- 
ton, Va.,  May  6,  '63;  d.  in  Hillsborough  Aug   24,  1869. 

Hoyt,  Charles  D.  Priv.  Co.  D;  b.,  res.  cred.  H.;  age  21;  enl.  Aug.  14, 
and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  app.  Corp. ;  disch.  disab.  June  2,  '65 ; 
rem.  to  St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Leslie,  Chart.es  W.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b  Henniker ;  age  43 ;  res.  and  cred. 
to  H. ;  enl.  Aug.  14,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62;  disch.  disab.  at 
Hampton,  Va.,  May  5,  '63 ;  d.  at  Chelsea,  Mass.,  July  9,  '84. 

Merrill,  Geoege  F.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  H. ;  age  20 ;  enl.  Aug. 
16,  and  must,  in  Sept  2,  '62 ;  app.  Corp. ;  killed  in  Mine  Explosion, 
Petersburg,  Va.,  July  30,  '64. 

Miller,  Alfred  A.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.,  res-,  cred.  H. ;  enl.  Aug  15,  and 
must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  must,  out  June  4,  '65  ;  rem.  to  Antrim. 

Pritchard,  George  H.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  New  Ipswich ;  res-  and  cred.  to 
H. ;  enl.  Aug.  12,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  wd.  at  battle  of  the  Wil- 
derness, Va.,  May  6,  '64;  wd.  sev.  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16, 
'64;  disch.  disab.  at  Washington,  D.  C,  Oct.  25,  '64;  d.  Aug.  19,  '84, 
in  Hillsborough. 

Reed,  George  F.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  Washington ;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 
Aug.  20,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62;  tr.  to  12  I.  C.  Jan.  15,  '64;  disch. 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  28,  '65 ;  d.  May  24,  '71. 

Smith,  John  W.  Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  Henniker;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 
Aug.  14,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  killed  at  Fredericksburg,  Va., 
Dec.  13,  '62. 

Templeton,  Madison.  Priv.  Co.  D;  b.,  res.,  cred.  to  H. ;  age  32;  enl. 
Aug.  16,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  app.  Corp. ;  disch.  disab.  Fal- 
mouth, Va.,  Dec.  3,  '62 ;  died  Apr.  20,  '64,  Worcester,  Mass. 

Templeton,  Whxard  J.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.,  res-,  cred.  to  H. ;  age  20 ;  enl. 
Aug.  14,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  wd.  iSpottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12, 
'64;  killed  Mine  Explosion,  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  30,  '64. 

Wood,  Ziba  S.  Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  Deering ;  age  19 ;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  Aug.  15,  and  must,  in  Aug.  29,  '62 ;  disch.  June  1,  '65 ;  rem.  to 
Henniker. 

Note. — 'Hillsborough  furnished  17  men  in  the  Eleventh  Regiment, 
and  not  one  a  substitute.  The  seriousness  of  the  campaigning  of  this 
regiment  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  only  five  men  came  through  with- 
out wounds  or  disease.  Eight  were  discharged  for  disability ;  one  died 
of  disease,  and  three  were  killed. 


284  history  of  hillsborough. 

Thirteenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Hillsborough  had  no  men  in  the  Twelfth  Regiment  and  only 
three  in  the  Thirteenth,  and  all  of  these  substitutes.  In  the 
summer  of  1862  the  war  was  on  in  earnest,  and  everywhere  the 
recruiting  officers  were  busy.  Between  September  11  and  15, 
of  that  year  the  men  comprising  this  sturdy  body  of  troops  went 
into  camp  just  out  of  Concord  at  "Camp  Colby."  These  were 
three  years'  men,  and  saw  their  share  of  hardship  and  fighting. 
They  were  at  Fredericksburg,  Dreury's  Bluff,  Bermuda  Hundred, 
Cold  Harbor,  siege  of  Petersburg,  at  Fair  Oaks,  and  its  colors 
were  the  first  to  enter  Richmond. 

Roll. 

Holland,  Peteb.     Priv.  Co.  H ;  sub.  for  J.  P.  Gibson ;  b.  in  Ireland ; 

age  22 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  2,  '63 ;  tr.  to  U.  &.  Navy 

Apr.  30,  '64,  as  an  Ord.  Seaman ;  served  on  U.  S.  S.  "Tecumseh," 

and  "Antona" ;  diseh.  on  reduction  of  naval  force  Aug.  5,  '65,  as 

1st  Class  Fireman. 
Schneidee,  John.    Priv.  Co.  I;  sub.  for  H.  J.  Burnham;  b.  Germany; 

age  23 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  2,  '63 ;  des.  Mar.  23, 

'65,  while  on  furlough. 
Scott,  James.    Priv.  Co.  I ;  sub.  for  Joel  Temple ;  b.  Scotland ;  age  2<5  ; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  2,  '63 ;  des.  Nov.  8,  '64,  while  on 

a  furlough. 

Fourteenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Hillsborough  sent  only  one  man  to  the  front  in  the  Fourteenth 
Regiment,  and  he  was  a  substitute  for  Frank  J.  Smith.    This  was 
the  last  regiment  enlisted  for  three  years  or  more. 

Roll. 
Hines,  Andrew  J.    Priv.  Co.  F. ;  sub. ;  b.  in  Iowa ;  age  25  ;  cred.  to  H. ; 
enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  5,  '64;  reported  on  roll  dated,  Galloup's 
Island,  B.  H.,  Mass.,  as  sent  to  regiment,  and  there  the  record 
ends. 

Sixteenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
(Nine  Months.) 

The  historian  of  this  regiment  says :  "Many  of  its  members 
were  young — sons  of  those  already  at  the  front.  More  were  of 
middle  age,  and  quite  a  large  number  of  mature  years.  Nearly 
all  were  sons  and  citizens  of  New  Hampshire.    If  only  a  few  men 


SIXTEENTH  REGIMENT.  285 

from  Hillsborough  had  gone  to  the  front  since  the  mustering  of 
the  Eleventh,  the  town  was  well  represented  in  the  Sixteenth. 

Roll. 

Bubnham,  Obamus  W.    Lieut.  Co.  B. ;  b.  Antrim ;  age  35 ;  res.  and  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62,  as  Priv. ;  app.  1st.  Lieut.  Nov.  4,  '62 ;  must. 

in  to  date  Oct.  29,  '64;  resigned  Feb.  4,  '63.    Rem.  to  Nashua. 
Caldwell,  Levi.     Priv.  Co.  G;   b.  New  Boston;   age  28;  res.  in  New 

Boston ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Oct.  22,  '62 ;  must,  in  Nov.  5 ;  disch.  disab. 

New  York  city,  Dec.  26,  '62. 
Cabpenteb,  Luke  O.    Priv.  Co.  G ;  b.  Alexandria ;  age  26  ;  res.  and  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  13  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Oct.  20,  '63. 
Colby,  Chables  G.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Deering ;  age  39 ;  res.  and  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  Sept.  13,  '62;  must,  in  Nov.  24;  died  of  disease  at  Marine 

Hospital,  New  Orleans,  La.,  June  20,  '63. 
Cooledge,  Cybus.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  H. ;  age  20 ;  enl.  Sept.  13, 

and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62  ;  must,  out  Oct.  20,  ,|6'3. 
Dunfield,  Geobge  T.     Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  Washington;   age  22;  res.  and 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  2,  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20, 

'63. 
Eaton,  Leandeb  H.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  res.,  cred.,  H. ;  age  18 ;  enl.  Sept. 

19,  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Foley,  Bartholomew.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Ireland ;  age  25 ;  res.  and  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Sept.   19,  and  must,  in  Oct.  27,  '62  ;  died  dis.  in  New 

Orleans  marine  hospital,  June  7,  '63. 
Fobsaith,  Squiebs.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Deering ;  age  23  ;  res.  and  cred.  H. ; 

enl.  Sept.  19,  and  must,  in  Oct.  27,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63  ; 

rem.  to  Antrim. 
Gould,  Enoch  I.    Priv.  Co.  B. ;  b.  Greenfield;  age  42;  res.  and  cred.  H. ; 

enl.  Oct.  2,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Hoyt,  Chables  C.    Priv.  Co.  B;  b.,  res.  cred.  H. ;  age  29;  enl.  Sept.  19, 

and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Mabtin,  Henby  R.     Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  Boscawen;  age  22;  res.  and  cred» 

H.;  enl.  Sept.  15,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62.;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
McAdams,   Sumneb   C.     Priv.   Co.   B;   age  28;   b.,  res.,  cred.   H. ;   enl. 

Sept.  13,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
MoClintock,  Chables.     Corp.  Co.  B;  b.,  res.,  cred.  H. ;  age  20;   enl. 

Sept.  16,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  dis.  July  16>,  '63,  at  New  Orleans, 

La. 
Mubdough,  James  J.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  tr.  cred.  to  H. ;  age  33 ;  enl.  Sept. 

6,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62  ;  must-  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Newman,  Fbancis  H.    Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  Brighton,  Mass.;  age  18;  res.  and 

cred.  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  19,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62;  must,  out  Aug.  20, 

'63.    Supposed  identical  with  Frank  H.  Newman  Co.  F.,  18th  N.  H. 

V. 


286  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Noyes,  Cyrus  F.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Plaistow  ;  age  18 ;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  Sept.  18,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Noyes,  Edward  F.     Priv.  Co.  B. ;  b.  Plaistow;  age  20;  res.,  and  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  25,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,   '62;   must,  out  Aug. 

20,  '63. 
Bobbins,  Francis  W.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  to  H. ;  age  27 ;  enl. 

Sept.  19,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62;  died  Aug.  9,  '63,  Cairo,  111. 
Robertson,  George  H.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Boston,  Mass. ;  age  20 ;  res.  and 

credit  to  H. ;  enl.  Aug.  30,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '63 ;  died  Aug.  22, 

'63,  Mound  City,  111. 
Rumrill,  Obadiah  F.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  to  H. ;  age  24 ;  enl. 

Sept.  3,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62,  as  Sergt. ;  dis.  to  date  Aug.  '63  ; 

died  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Sept.  10,  '63. 
Sanborn,  Russell.    Priv.  Co.  E;  res.  and  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must. 

in  Nov.  10,  '62 ;  des.  Nov.  10,  '62. 
Sargent,  Frank  B.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  New  London ;  age  18 ;  res.  New 

London ;  cred.  to  H. ;  'enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  10,  '62 ;  app.  Corp. 

June  19,  '63;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63.    See  Ninth  N.  H.  V. 
Straw,  Walter  P.    Priv.  Co.  B. ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  to  H. ;  age  44 ;  enl.  Sept. 

20',  and  must,  in  Oct.  23  ;  must,  out  Aug.  20>,  '63. 
Watson,  Henry  W.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.,  res.,  cred.  H. ;  age  32 ;  enl.  Sept. 

4  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62,  as  Corp. ;  app.  Sergt.  Apr.  16,  '63 ;  must. 

out  Aug.  20,  '63. 
Whey,  Edward  J.    Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Francestown ;  age  44 ;  res.  and  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Sept.  13,  and  must,  in  Oct.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20, 

'63     Volunteered  for  storming  party  at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  under 

G.  O.  No.  49,  Headquarters  Dept.,  of  the  Gulf  June  15,  '63.     See 

Seven  and  Twelve  of  N.  H.  V. 

Seventeenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
(Nine  Months.) 
Mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  November  13, 
1862,  to  January  10,  1863,  by  Charles  Holmes,  Captain  17  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.  Organization  not  completed  on  April  16,  1863,  the 
officers  and  non-com.  officers  were  mustered  out,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  men  were  transferred  to  the  Second  Regiment, 
N.  H.  V.  Inf. 

Roll. 
Casey,  Richard.  Priv.  Co.  A;  b.  Ireland;  age  31;  res.  Concord;  cred. 
to  H. ;  enl.  Nov.  17,  and  must,  in  Nov.  22,  '62 ;  tr.  to  Co.  H  2d  N.  H. 
V.,  Apr.  16,  ^63 ;  wd.  July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg,  Pa. ;  must,  out  Oct.  9, 
'63. 
Lewis,  Cornelius.  Priv.  Co.  A  ;  b.  Cork,  Ireland  ;  age  40 ;  res.  Concord  ; 
cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  Nov.  21,  and  must  in  Nov.  29,  '62 ;  tr.  to  Co.  I ;  2 
N.  H.  V.,  Apr.  16,  '63 ;  disch.  disab.  May  16,  '63. 


other  branches  of  the  army.  287 

Eighteenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry. 
(One  and  Three  Years.) 
The  Eighteenth  Regiment  was  mustered  into  service  Septem- 
ber 16,   1864,  to  April  6,   1865,  and  mustered  out  during  the 
summer    of    1865.      Hillsborough    had   only    four    men   in   this 
regiment,  and  one  of  these  a  substitute. 

Roll. 
Arling,  Charles.     Corp.  Co.  A;  b.  Barrington ;  age  18;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  Sept.  5,  and  must,  in  Sept.  13,  18>64,  as  Corp. ;  disch.  June  16, 

^65. 
Foster,  Silas  E.    Priv.  Co.  H ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  37  ;  cred.  to  Bradford ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Feb.  15,  '65,  for  3  years ;  must,  out  July  29,  '65. 
Jones,  Thomas.    Priv.;  must,  in  Nov.  11,  '64! ;  sub.  for  C.  E.  Gould.    As 

there  is  no  further  record  of  this  man,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  per- 
formed service. 
Wallace,  John.  Priv.  Co.  A.;  b.  Henniker;  age  23;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

Sept.  2,  and  must,  in  Sept.  13,  '64;  must,  out  June  10,  '66.    Rem.  to 

Deering. 

Other  Branches  of  the  Army. 
Hillsborough  was  represented  by    men    in    the    following 
branches  and  division  of  the  U.  S.  Army  other  than  the  Infantry : 

New  Hampshire  Battalion. 

In  1862  was  organized  the  First  Regiment  New  England 
Volunteer  Cavalry,  composed  of  three  battalions.  The  First  and 
Third  were  enlisted  in  Rhode  Island ;  the  Second  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Roll. 

Robbins,  Geobge  A.  Corp.  Co.  I;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  21;  enl.  Oct.  11, 
'61 ;  must,  in  Dec.  17,  '61,  as  priv.;  app.  Corp.  July,  '62;  app.  Sergt. 
Aug.  8,  '62 ;  reported  missing  June  18,  '63,  near  Middleburgh,  Va. ; 
regained  from  missing;  app.  1st  Lieut.  Co.  C  Oct.  1,  '63;  1st  Lieut. 
Co.  L  (IN.  H.  Cav.)  July  15,  '64 ;  disch.  Dec.  17,  '64,  time  expired. 
See  1  N.  H.  Cav. 

First  Regiment  N.  H.  Volunteer  Cavalry. 

In  February,  1864,  the  four  companies  of  cavalry  from  New 
Hampshire  which  had  been  attached  to  the  First  Rhode  Island 
Cavalry,  returned  to  Concord  to  recruit  a  regiment,  and  as  soon 
as  the  old  battalion  and  Companies  A,  B,  and  C  were  mustered, 


288  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  seven  companies  were  ordered  to  Washington,  reaching  there 
April  25,  1864,  going  into  camp  at  Camp  Stoneham,  Giesboro 
Point.  This  regiment  experienced  a  lively  career,  and  during  the 
year  or  more  of  its  existence  it  took  part  in  thirty  engagements. 

Hillsborough  Men. 
Ambrose,  George.     Priv.  Co.  H. ;  b.  Allenstown,  Pa. ;  age  25 ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  1,  '64 ;  des.  at  Camp  Stoneham,  D.  C, 

Sept.  1,  '64 ;  appreh.  Sept.  5,  '64,  and  reported  in  muster  roll  as 

under  arrest,  where  all  records  stop. 
Bates,  George.    Priv.  Co.  A  ;  b.  Derby,  Vt. ;  age  19 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Mar.  11,  '64 ;  killed  while  on  picket  at  Cox's  Hill,  Va.,  July 

18, '64. 
Bell,  John.    Priv.  unas'd ;  b.  Ireland;  age  21;  cred.  H. ;  enl.  and  must. 

in  Aug.  2,  '64 ;  des.  while  en  route  to  regiment. 
Clark,  Andrew  J.     Priv.  Co.  D;  b.  Nottingham;  age  19;  res.  Notting- 
ham; cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  3,  '64;  must  out  July  15, 

'65 ;  ret.  to  Nottingham. 
Howard,  Aramel  A.     Priv.  Co.  A ;  b.  in  Massachusetts ;  age  21 ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Mar.  11,  '64;  died  at  Readville,  Mass.,  of  dis. 

Oct.  19,  '64. 
Howard,  William.    Priv.  Co.  D ;  b.  St.  John,  N.  B. ;  age  24  ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  1,  '64 ;  des.  at  Camp  Stoneham,  D.  C,  Sept. 

7,  '64. 
Landabbush,  Akin.     Priv.  Co.  D ;  b-  Canada ;  age  39 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  for  1  year  Feb.  21,  '65  ;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 
Lyons,  John.     Priv.  unas'd;  b.  Ireland;  age  34;  cred.  to  H ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Nov.  16,  '63 ;  no  further  record,  supposed  to  have  des. 
McAllister,  Joshua  H.    Priv.  CO.  I ;  b.  in  H ;  age  43  ;  cred.  to  Rumney  ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Feb.  29,  '64 ;  must,  out  July  15,  '65 ;  died  Oct.  18, 

'74,  Nat.  Home,  Togus,  Me.    See  4th  N.  H.  V. 
Robbins,  George  A.     Corp.  Co.  L;  b.  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  25;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Mar.  27,  '65  ;   app.  Capt.  Co.  K,  Mar.  28,  '65  ;   must,  out 

July  15,  '65.    See  1  N.  E.  Cav. 
Rogers,  James.     Priv.  unas'd;  b.  Camden,  N.  J.;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Nov.  16,  '<33 ;  no  further  record. 
Smit,  John.     Priv.  unas'd;  b.  Holland;  age  21;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Nov.  16,  '63;  sent  to  regiment  but  no  further  record. 

Wood,  Henry.  Priv.  unag'd  ;  b.  England ;  age  30 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 
must,  in  Aug.  2,  '64 ;  des.  at  Camp  Stoneham,  D.  C,  Aug.  27,  '64. 

Wood,  Sylvester.  Priv.  Co.  D;  cred.  to  H ;  8nl.  and  must,  in  Jan.  18, 
'63;  disch.  for  disab.  Dec.  2,  '63;  Ayling  did  not  include  him  in 
Register  of  N.  H.  Soldiers,  and  the  record  is  vague. 


w 

o 

s 

M 

72 

g 

M 

t» 

> 

- 

0 
0 

t"1 
0 

3 

0 
0 

f 

*l 

H 

> 

H 

a 

W 

&»< 

H»l 

H 

O 

► 

*< 

battery  and  artillery.  289 

First  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Light  Battery. 

New  Hampshire  furnished  only  one  light  battery  during  the 
war  which  was  recruited  wholly  in  Manchester  by  Frederick  M. 
Edgell  and  Edwin  H.  Hobbs  in  the  autumn  of  1861.  It  was 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  September  26, 
1 861,  by  Lieut.  Ingham,  U.  S.  A.,  for  three  years.  It  served  its 
full  term  of  enlistment,  and  fought  in  28  engagements,  including 
Rappahannock  Station,  Va.,  Aug.  22,  '62 ;  Bull  Run,  August  30, 
1862;  Antietam,  Md.,  September  17,  1862;  Fredericksburg,  Va., 
December  12-15,  1862,  May  2,  1863;  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May 
3,  4,  1863 1  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  3,  1863 ;  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  6,  1864;  siege  Petersburg,  Va.,  1st,  2d  and  3d,  1864-1865. 

Hillsborough  Men. 
Griffin,  Michael.    Priv. ;  b.  in  Ireland;  age  19;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

and  must,  in  Sept.  6,  '64 ;  must,  out  June  9,  '65. 
Richards,  Henry.     Priv. ;  b.  Coffstown ;  age  21 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Sept.  5,  '64 ;  must,  out  June  9,  '65. 
Williams,  James.     Priv.;  b.  Liverpool,  Eng. ;  age  37;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  Sept.  5,  '64 ;  must,  out  June  9,  '65. 

Second  Company  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Heavy 

Artillery. 

(Three  Years.) 

This    division   was    mustered    into    service   August    18,   to 

September  17,  1863,  for  three  years.    It  became  known  as  Co.  B. 

Hillsborough  had  no  men  in  the  first  company  and  only  two  in 

this. 

Hillsborough  Men. 
Bacon,  Levi.     Priv.  Co.  B ;  b.  Canada ;  age  37 ;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and 

must,  in  Sept.  6,  '64;  must,  out  Sept.   11,  '65.     Died  in  Bumney, 

Jan.  23,  '91. 
Fubnham,  John  S.     Priv.  Co.  B;  b.  Boston;  age  20;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl. 

and  must,  in  'Sept.  6,  '64;  must,  out  Sept.  11,  '65. 

First  Regiment  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Heavy 

Artillery. 
The  organization  of  this  regiment  was  completed  October  17, 
1864.     For  a  full  detail  of  the  changes  made  in  effecting  this 
regiment  the  reader  is  referred  to  Ayling's  "Register  of  New 
Hampshire  in  the  Rebellion." 


29O  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

HlLLSBOBOUGH  MEN. 

Bacon,  Levi.    Priv.  Co.  H.    See  2  Co.  N.  H.  H.  Art. 
Fubnham,  John  S.    Priv.  Co.  B.    See  3  Co.  N.  H.  H.  Art. 
Spaulding,  Wabben  F.     Priv.  Co.  F ;  b.  H. ;  age  23 ;  cred.  to  Nashua ; 
enl.  Aug.  29,  '64  for  1  year ;  must,  in  Sept.  6,  '64 ;  disch.  May  26,  '65. 

First  Regiment  United  States  Volunteer  Sharpshooters. 
(Company  E.    Three  Years.) 

Mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  September  9, 
1861,  at  Concord,  by  George  T.  Ingham,  1st  Lieut.  11  Inf.  U.  S. 
A.  The  original  members  who  had  not  re-enlisted  were  mustered 
out  Sept.  9,  1864.    Hillsborough  had  one  man  in  this  division. 

Hhxsbobough  Men. 

Bubtt,  Edwin  A.  Priv.  Co.  E ;  b.  Bennington ;  age  27 ;  res.  H. ;  enl. 
Sept.  4,  and  must,  in  Sept  9,  '61 ;  disch.  for  disab.  Feb.  9,  '62 ;  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ;  died  at  Hinsdale,  111.,  Dec.  28,  '83. 

!-  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Under  the  provisions  of  General  Orders  an  Invalid  Corps 
was  organized  to  consist  of  such  officers  and  enlisted  men  of 
commands  then  in  the  field  as  were  unfit  for  active  field  service 
by  reasons  of  wounds  or  disease  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty, 
and  such  officers  and  men  as  had  been  honorably  discharged 
by  reason  of  wounds  or  disease  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty 
who  desired  to  re-enter  the  service,  they  being  physically  qualified 
and  able  to  do  garrison  or  other  light  duty,  the  term  of  enlistment 
being  for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  These  men  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war. 

HlLLSBOBOUGH  MEN. 

Austin,  William  H.  H.    Priv.  Co.  B,  24th  Reg. ;  b.  Exeter,  Me. ;  age  22 ; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  17,  '64 ;  disch.  Nov.  13,  '65 ;  died 

May  10,  '87,  Suncook.    See  4  N.  H.  Vol. 
Fosteb,  Robert  E.     Priv.  Co.  D,  24th  Reg. ;  b.  Newmarket ;  age  "27" ; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  2,  '64 ;  disch.  Dec  2,  '65.    See 

3  N.  H.  Vol. 
Fox,  John  F.    Priv.  Co.  F,  13  Regt. ;  b.  Milton,  Pa.;  age  21 ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  3,  '64 ;  disch.  Nov.  14,  '65.     Prior  service 

in  Co  D,  150  Pa.  Inf. 


DARTMOUTH  CAVALRY.  29 1 

Mubphy,  John.    Priv.  Co.  E,  24  Regt.;  b.  Ireland;  age  34;  cred.  to  H.; 

enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  1,  '64 ;  disch.  Nov.  14,  '65.    Prior  service  in 

Co.  A.  16  Mass.  Inf. 
Poob,  Geobge  M.     Priv.  Co.  G,  24  Regt. ;  b.  Hooksett ;  age  22 ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  17,  '64 ;  disch.  Nov.  15,  '65.    See  5  N.  HI 

V.;  killed  by  accident  Sept.  25,  '89,  at  West  Henniker. 
Rowe,  James  C.    Priv.  Co.  G,  24  Regt. ;  b.  Boscawen ;  age  22 ;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Aug.  1,  '64 ;  disch.  Nov.  15,  '65 ;  rem.  to  Hop- 

kinton.     See  16  N.  H.  V. 
Tdckeb,  Edwabd  M.    Priv.  Co.  I,  44  Regt. ;  b.  Springvale,  Me. ;  age  25 ; 

cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  8,  '64 ;  tr.  to  1  Independant 

Company,  V.  R.  C. ;  disch.  Dec.   18,  '65,  to  re-enlist  as  Hospital 

Steward,  U.  S.  A.    Prior  service  in  Mass.  Battery. 
Winston,  James.     Priv.  Co.  I,  24  Regt.;  b.  Ireland;  age  42;  cred.  to 

H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  2^  '64 ;  disch.  Sept.  5,  '65. 
Woodbubt,  Chables  F.  H.     Priv.  Co.  I,  24  Regt.;  b.  Haverhill,  Mass.; 

age  31;  cred.  to  H. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Sept.  2,  '64;  disch.  disab- 

Jan.  1,  '66.    See  7  N.  H.  V.  Rem.  to  Warner. 

United  States  Colored  Troops. 
New  Hampshire  had  no  regiment  of  colored  troops,  but 
nearly  three  hundred  men  were  enlisted,  credited  to  the  quota  of 
the  state,  and  sent  to  the  proper  recruiting  rendezvous.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  more  than  one  hundred  officers  and  enlisted  men  ofi, 
New  Hampshire  regiments  received  commissions  in  the  United 
States  Colored  Troops.  The  records  of  these  troops  are  very 
incomplete,  but  Hillsborough  furnished  at  least  one  man  in  the 
last-named  class : 

Robbins,  John  G.  Co.  H,  14  Inf.,  Corps  d'Afrique  (became  86  U.  S.  C. 
Inf.)  ;  b.  in  H.,  and  res.  in  H. ;  age  3il ;  must,  in  Sept.  28,  '63,  as 
1  Lieut. ;  must,  as  Capt.  Co.  C,  Nov.  9,  '64 ;  disch.  Apr.  12,  '66.  Died 
at  H.,  Sept.  8,  '67.     Served  in  other  branches  of  the  army. 

Watson,  Fbank.  Unas'd,  21  Inf.;  sub.;  b.  Halifax;  age  22;  cred.  to 
H. ;  enl.  Dec.  19,  '64 ;  must,  in  as  Priv.  Dec.  19,  '64 ;  name  on  muster 
roll  Dec.  20,  '64,  but  no  further  record. 

Dartmouth  Cavalry. 
Dartmouth  was  the  only  college  that  furnished  a  body  of 
troops  from  among  its  students  during  the  Civil  War.     This 
company  was  united  with  the  Rhode  Island  Volunteer  Cavalry 
as  Company  B,  Seventh  Squadron. 


292  history  of  hillsborough. 

United  States  Navy. 
The  records  of  New  Hampshire  men  in  the  navy  is  very 
incomplete,  and  it  is  not  only  likely  but  quite  probable  that  others 
than  those  recorded  here  served  to  the  credit  of  the  town. 

Gardner,  William.     Sub.  for  J.  M.  Wilkins;  b.  Germany;  age  21;  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Nov.  22,  '64,  for  3  years,  as  a  Seaman ;  served  on  U.  S. 

S  "Vandalia,"  "Ohio,"  "Potomac,"  and  "Kickapoo,"  des.  from  last 

May  23,  '65. 
Wall,  Martin.    B.  Ireland ;  age  24 ;  sub.  for  J.  M.  Curtis ;  cred.  to  H. ; 

enl.  June  22,  '64,  for  3  years,  as  an  Ord.  Seaman ;  served  on  U.  S.  S. 

"Vandalia,"  and  "Shawmut";  des.  Mar.  28,  '65,  from  "Shawmut." 
Oaedena,  Juan  J.     Sub.  for  C.  W.  Conn ;  b.  Ecuador,  S.  A. ;  age  22 ; 

credited  to  H. ;  enl.  Dec.  6,  '64,  for  3  years,  as  an  Ord.  Seaman ; 

serv.  on  U.  S.  S.  "Vandalia" ;  des.  Sept.  20,  '65. 
Watson,  James.     Sub.  for  Henry  C.  Morrill;  b.  Canada;  age  36;  cred. 

to  H. ;  enl.  Dec.  9,  '64,  for  3  years;  as  2d  class  Fireman;  serv.  on 

U.  S.  S.  "Vandalia,"  "De  Soto,"  "Wyandotte,"  "Vermont,"  and  "New 

Hampshire"  ;  disch.  Jan.  19,  '67,  from    receiving   ship,  Boston,  Mass. ; 

furnished  a  substitute. 

Hillsborough  Men  Who  Served  in  Other  States. 
The  compiler  is  aware  that  this  list  is  far  from  complete, 
owing  to  the  difficulty  in  securing  the  records  from  the  scattered 
rolls,  and  it  is  offered  with  this  understanding. 

Roster. 

Andrews,  Christopher  C,  having  recruited  part  of  a  company,  was 
mustered  into  service  Oct.  11,  1861,  at  Fort  Snelling,  Minn.  On 
the  filling  up  of  his  company,  he  was  commissioned  as  Captain  of 
Company  I,  Third  Beg.  Minn.  Vol.  Inf.,  Nov.  4,  1861.  He  saw  much 
active  service  and  rose  by  promotions  to  Brig.-General  and  brevit 
Major-General  U.  S.  Vols.  Mustered  out  Jan.  15,  1S6'6,  and  during 
his  nearly  four  years  of  service  was  not  off  duty  over  ten  days, 
except  during  the  period  when  he  was  a  prisoner.  See  sketch, 
Vol.  II. 

Brodeur,  Joseph.  Priv.  Co.  M.,  3  Mgss.  Cavalry ;  age  20 ;  res.  in  H. ;  enl. 
and  must,  in  Nov.  30,  '61 ;  disch.  disab.  Sept.  2,  '63. 

Clement,  John  H.  Priv.  Co-  L,  Mass.  Cav. ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  22;  res.  in  H. ; 
cred.  to  Roxbury,  Mass. ;  enl.  and  must,  in  Mar.  14,  '64  ;  died  at 
New  Orleans,  July   14,  '64. 

Cooledge,  Walter  Scott.    Served  as  Captain  of  7th  Californian  Inf. 

Fletcher,  Lester.  Priv.  Co.  M,  2  Mass.  Cav. ;  b.  in  Roxbury,  Vt. ;  age 
21;  res.  in  H. ;  cred.  to  Lynn,  Mass.;  enl.  for  3  years,  and  must,  in 
Feb.  20,  ^5 ;  must,  out  July  20,  '65. 


HILLSBOROUGH    IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR,    SUMMARY.  293 

Grimes,  James  F.    Major  17th  Inf.,  U.  S.  A. ;  b.  in  H. ;  age  26 ;  res.  H. ; 

app.  Captain  Aug.  5,  '61 ;  tr.  to  26th  Inf.  Sept.  21,  '66;  to  10th  Inf. 

May  19,  '69  ;  unas'd  June  2,  '70 ;  disch.  Dec.  31,  '70.     Bvt.  Major  to 

date  Aug.   1,  '64,  for  gallant  service  at  Spottsylvania  and  during 

the   campaign   before  Richmond,   Va.     Bvt.  Lt-   Col.  Mar.   13,   '65, 

for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  during  the  war. 
Bobbins  Charles  T.,  13th  Mass.  Reg. 
Bobbins,  John  G.    .Sergt.  Co.  D,  26  Mass.  Inf ;  b.  H.;  age  29  ;  resTin  H.; 

enl.  and  must,  in  as  Priv.,  Sept.  17,  '61 ;  app.  Corp.  Aug.  25,  '62  ; 

Sergt.  June  5,  '68 ;  app.  1st  Sergt.  disch.  to  accept  promotion.    See 

U.  S.  C.  T. 
RoYLEiGH,  Hiram  B.    Priv.  Co.  E  ;  b.  Pittsburgh ;  age  21 ;  res.  in  H. ;  enl. 

Mar.  12,  '62,  for  3  years;  disch.  Mar.  11,  '65.     Bern  to  Antrim. 
Ward,  John  C.     Priv.  Co.  F,  1st  Mass.  Cav. ;  b.  Bangor,  Me.;  age  18; 

res.  in  H. ;  cred.  to  Boxbury,  Mass. ;  enl.  for  3  years  and  must,  in 

Mar.  24,  '64 ;  disch.  to  date  Nov.  16,  '64. 
Young,  Thomas.     Priv.  Co.  F,   1st   Batt'l,   17th   Inf.,  U.  S.  A.;  b.  in 

Maine ;  age  30 ;  res.  in  H. ;  enl.  Mar.  25,  '62 ;  tr.  to  Co.  A,  1st  Batt'l, 

17  Inf.,  U.  ,S.  A.;  disch.  for  disab.  Feb.  14,  '63,  Baltimore,  Md. 

In  summing  up  the  part  Hillsborough  acted  in  the  Civil  War 
we  find  that  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  conflict  the  town  had  272 
men  capable  of  bearing  arms.  From  these  there  entered  the  ser- 
vice during  the  struggle,  terms  running  from  three  months  to 
three  years  or  during  the  war,  43  who  were  natives  of  the  town 
and  lived  here  at  the  time ;  94  who  were  born  elsewhere  but  were 
residents  of  the  town  or  served  to  its  credit ;  31  soldiers  who  were 
born  here  but  served  to  the  credit  of  other  places.  This  makes 
168  men  who  performed  war  duty  on  sea  or  land,  who  were 
directly  connected  with  the  town.  Besides  this  number  certain 
individuals  furnished  substitutes  to  the  number  of  41  men.  This 
makes  a  total  of  209  persons.  Of  this  number  1 1  were  killed ; 
17  died  of  wounds  or  disease;  27  were  discharged  for  disability. 
At  least  25,  most  if  not  all  of  them  substitutes,  deserted. 

The  Rev.  Frederic  W.  Burrows,  in  a  memorial  sermon,  said 
those  who  sacrificed  their  lives  for  the  cause  "lie  in  graves 
scattered  all  the  way  along  the  line  from  New  Orleans  and  Jack- 
sonville to  Petersburg  and  Richmond.  Nine  of  them  came  home 
to  die."  There  are  living  in  town  to-day  eight  veterans  and  the 
year  is  not  far  away  when  the  last  will  have  answered  the  final 
roll  call  and  the  tap  of  the  drum  shall  be  silenced. 


294  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Quoting  from  Mr.  Burrows  again:  "Every  great  movement 
in  its  last  analysis  is  a  list  of  names,  so  is  every  great  duty  at  the 
sacrifice  of  lesser  and  apparent  duties.  The  cause  sanctifies  the 
individual  and  neither  a  nation  or  an  individual  can  be  devoted 
to  a  great  cause  without  undergoing  a  profound  moral  and  spir- 
itual change." 

So  every  great  war  brings  its  changes  in  the  lives  and  habits 
of  a  people.  Not  only  does  it  leave  memories  of  sorrow  in  its 
path,  but  it  leaves  new  ideas  and  different  methods  of  living 
among  its  survivors.  Hillsborough  experienced  her  part.  The 
closing  of  the  great  Civil  War  witnessed  the  beginning  of  the 
decline  of  rural  life  in  New  England.  Drawing  largely  from  the 
country,  the  young  and  the  strong,  and  returning  but  a  remnant 
of  them  grown  prematurely  aged  in  the  service  it  could  not  be 
otherwise.  From  that  day,  for  good  or  ill,  a  new  element  came 
into  the  life  of  the  Republic,  an  element  which  had  an  influence 
that  was  felt  in  every  town  and  every  hamlet  in  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Highways,  Byways  and  Bridges. 

Wncn  Roads  Were  Bridle  Paths — Cost  of  Early  Road — "Society  Land" 
Roads — Petitions  in  Relation  to  Roads  in  Society  Lands — First 
Bridge  Built,  1779 — Other  Bridges — Establishment  of  Post  Offices 
— Methods  of  Distribution  of  Mail — 'First  Building  of  Post  Roads 
— Rapid  Growth  of  Highways — Hillsborough's  Two  Post  Roads — 
Petition  for  a  Turnpike  Road — "The  Turnpike  Craze" — Stimula- 
tion of  Trade  As  Result  of  Two  Turnpikes — Accomodation  of 
Stage  Coaches — Building  of  Taverns — Roads  Benefit  to  Public; — 
Not  Profitable  to  Builders — Routes  Surrendered  to  Towns,  1837 — 
"New  Road  to  Keene,"  1831 — Noted  Stage  Road — Gradual  Increase 
of  Roads — The  Ox  Team  and  Stage  Coach  Things  of  the  Past — 
Oldtime  Bustle  Replaced  by  Automobiles — "Old  Roads  and  Trails 
of  Hillsborough." 

The  roads  in  town  before  the  Revolution  were  little  better 
than  cart  paths  and  none  of  them  had  been  built  with  anything 
approaching  the  modern  idea  of  road  construction.  There  was 
very  little  teaming  to  be  done  between  towns  and  comparatively 
nothing  to  market.  So  far  the  inhabitants  had  been  busy  felling 
the  trees  and  breaking  the  new  land  so  it  could  afford  the 
sustenance  of  life.  There  were  no  carriages,  the  nearest  approach 
being  an  ox  cart,  so  why  should  roads  be  leveled  and  graded? 
The  more  ambitious  rode  on  horseback,  the  rest  went  on  "shank's 
mare."  There  was  a  beaten  path  to  Litchfield  and  Merrimack, 
and  another  to  Amherst.  New  Boston  and  Henniker  were 
reached  by  bridle  paths.  Over  these  primitive  roads  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  old  Number  Seven,  and  the  earlier  comers  in  the 
Second  Settlement  during  the  long,  bitter  winters  dragged  on 
sleds  the  provisions  or  whatever  was  needed,  while  at  other  times 
and  seasons  the  horse  or  the  slower  moving  oxen  were  made  to 
accomplish  this  task.  With  the  river  frozen  over  this  became 
a  highway  of  travel,  so  on  the  whole  men  came  and  went  perhaps 
as  well  satisfied  with  their  simple  ways  and  means  as  we  of 
to-day  who  ride  behind  the  iron  horse  or  the  automobile. 

295 


296  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Previous  to  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  the  inhabitants 
improved  such  unfinished  roads  as  they  had  opened  up  by  travel 
without  any  apparent  disagreement  among  themselves,  but  out- 
side elements  gave  them  cause  for  complaints.  So  before  any 
records  were  made  by  the  clerk  in  the  Town's  Book  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  legislature  and  the  courts  contained  petitions  and 
claims  that  showed  the  grievances  of  the  people.  These  troubles* 
came  mostly  from  the  scattered  settlers  of  a  considerable  tract 
of  country  lying  to  the  west  and  southwest  and  denominated 
"Society  Land."  This  territory  consisted  of  sections  that  had 
not  been  included  in  the  township  grants  and  were  held  by  a 
certain  company  of  gentlemen,  with  one  exception,  living  in 
Portsmouth.  These  holdings  were  considerable  at  one  time, 
which  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  town  of  Bennington,  and  a 
portion  of  Hancock  were  taken  from  this  territory.  It  was 
known  at  one  time  as  Cumberland.  Prior  to  the  early  stages  of 
the  Revolution  it  was  dignified  with  the  term  of  Royal  Society 
Land.  So  burdensome  had  the  expense  become  in  the  matter 
of  roads  leading  into  or  through  this  district,  that  five  years 
before  the  Revolution  we  find  the  inhabitants  of  Hillsborough 
making  the  following  appeal  to  the  Governor  and  Council  for 
relief : 

Petition  in  Relation  to  boads  in  Society  Lands. 

Province  of 
New  Hampshire. 

To    His    Excellency     John     Wentworth     Esq. 

Captain    General,   Governor   &    Commander 

in  chief  and  over  said  Province  The  Honble 

his  Majestys  Council  and  the  Honb'e  the  House  of  Representatives  for 

said  Province  in  General  Assembly  to  be  convened  at  Portsmouth  in 

said  Province  on  the  20  Day  of  march  next. 

The  Petition  of  Divers  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Hillsborough  in  said 
Province  Humbly  sheweth  that  the  Inhabitants  of  said  Hillsborough 
were  obliged  to  cut  and  clear  a  road  through  a  Tract  of  Land  call'd 
the  .Societys  Land  near  eight  miles  in  length  which  road  has  cost  us 
a  great  sum  of  money  and  for  two  years  past  we  have  been  obliged 
to  pay  province  Taxes — Wherefore  we  Humbly  pray  your  Excelency 
and  Honours  would  please  to  make  an  act  to  oblige  the  proprietors  & 
owners  of  said  Societys  Land  to  maintain  and  keep  said  Road  in 
repair   for   the   benefit   of   themselves   the   Inhabitants   of   said   Hills- 


ROADS  IN  SOCIETY  LANDS.  297 

borough  &  Inhabitants  of  the  country  around  us,  your  petitioners  in 
duty  Bound  will  ever  pray. 

Hillsborough  Feby,  15th  1770. 
Samuel  Bradford  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr 

Timothy  Bradford  William  Williams 

Henry  Codd  Isaac  Andrews 

Anthony  Morin  John  Mead 

Samuel  Bradford  Abijah  Lovejoy 

Peter  Codd  Benjamin  Lovejoy 

John  McCalley  Benjamin  Lovejoy,  Jr. 

James  Gibson  Isaac  Baldwin 

John  Gibson  Nathan  Taylor 

Josiah  Colledge  James  Taggart 

William  Pope  Archibald  Taggart 

Moses  Steel  Joshua  Estey 

Jonathan  Durent  William  Taggart  Jr 

Daniel  McMurphy  Robert  Taggart 

Timothy  Wilkins  John  Taggart 

Nehemyer  Wilkins 
In  Council  March  28th  1770 

The  within  Petition  was  read  &  ordered  to  be  sent  down  to  the 
HonWe  Assembly. 

Geo :  King,  D.  Secry 
Province  of  In  the  House  of  Representatives  March  28th  1770. 

New  Hampsr 

Voted,  That  the  Petitioners  be  heard  on  their  Petition  on  the 
third  day  of  the  siting  of  the  General  Assembly  after  the  first  day  of 
May  next  and  that  they  cause  the  Substance  of  their  Petition  and  this 
Order  of  Court  to  be  Published  two  weeks  successively  in  the  New 
Hampshire  Gazett  that  any  person  may  shew  cause  why  the  Prayer 
thereof  should  not  be  granted. 

M.  Weare,  Clr. 

Accompanying  this  petition  were  depositions  signed  by  John 
McCalley  and  others  showing  that  the  town  of  Hillsborough 
built  the  bridge  mentioned,  but  I  have  not  found  any  record  to 
show  that  the  inhabitants  were  reimbursed  though  the  considerate 
reception  given  the  petition  would  indicate  favorable  action. 

If  not  fully  successful,  the  petitioners  obtained  the  authority 
of  the  legislature  to  demand  that  the  settlers  of  Society  Land 
maintain  a  road  granted  April  16,  1770.  Still  the  parties  in 
question  evidently  were  indifferent  to  their  duty,  for  January  1, 
1771,  another  petition  to  the  General  Court  was  made  asking  for 
power  to  compel  them  to  maintain  roads. 


2gS  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

These  settlers  were  mainly  squatters  and  given  somewhat 
to  lawlessness  as  witness  to  a  letter  from  Col.  John  Goffe  to 
Gov.  Wentworth  relative  to  Trespasses  made  by  settlers  (?)  on 
the  Society  Land. 

Derryfield,  September  1st,  1766. 
May  it  please  your  Excellency 

I  went  at  the  Request  of  Masons  Proprietors  to  the  Society  Land 
between  Petterborah  &  Hillsborah  to  see  where  the  Trespassers  had 
been  at  work  &  whose  Lots  they  had  Improved  upon  &  found  thy  had 
cleared,  at  least  cut  a  grate  deal  of  timber  down,  had  built  a  camp 
upon  Solly  &  Marches  &  on  Meservey  &  Blanchards  and  your  Ex- 
cellencys  Lots  on  the  west  side  of  Contucook  River  they  have  done  a 
grate  deal  of  work  fenced  it  all  in  with  a  Considerable  Good  Runing 
fence  have  built  a  camp  on  it  &  and  altho'  no  body  was  their  when  we 
were  their  yet  we  are  prity  sure  that  Doct  Perry  is  the  man  that  has 
Trespassed  upon  your  lot  and  petty  it  is  that  he  should  not  b|e 
prosecuted  as  he  is  the  Ringleader  of  all  the  Rest,  the  (re),  and  as 
soon  as  they  Git  to  to  work  again  I  have  2  men  Ingaged  to  see  them 
at  work  &  acquaint  me  with  their  names- — The  Land  is  Exceeding 
Good  but  I  think  your  Excellencys  is  superior  to  any  at  that  part  of 
the  Society  Land  and  that  maid  them  fellows  Covet  it  it  is  certainly 
worth  money — I  intended  to  have  wated  upon  your  Excellency  when 
the  Infer1  Cort  set  but  I  myself  when  up  their  with  heat  and  laying 
out  in  the  Wet  so  that  I  have  not  ben  well  sence  I  came  from  their 

I  am  your  Excellencys  most  Humble 
&  Devoted  Servant 

John  Goffe 

His  Excellency  Governor  Wintworth 

At  the  same  meeting  it  was  "voted  sixty  pounds  to  repair 
highways.  Five  pounds  to  defray  town  charges  this  year.  Voted 
to  lay  the  roads  two  rods  wide. 

"Voted  to  send  a  petition  to  sessions  for  a  'Rode  through 
Francis  town'."  Isaac  Andrews  was  chosen  to  present  the 
petition. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  on  April  27,  1774,  it  was  voted 
that  the  wages  for  a  man  on  the  highways  be  fixed  at  three 
shillings  a  day,  and  the  same  for  a  yoke  of  oxen. 

March  30,  1775,  on  the  eve  of  the  Revolution,  the  matter  of 
bridging  the  Contoocook  at  the  Taggart  hamlet  since  developed 
into  Bridge  Village,  it  was — 


FIRST   BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  CONTOOCOOK.  299 

"Voted  to  reserve  one  third  part  of  the  Highway  Rate 
towards  getting  or  procuring  timber  to  build  a  bridge  over  the 
Contoocook  River  if  Col  Hill  will  give  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
or  one  hundred  dollars  towards  building  Said  Bridge."  At  this 
time  there  seems  to  have  been  considerable  opposition  to  paying 
the  town  officials  any  salary,  but  it  was  voted  to  allow  the  accounts 
of  the  selectmen  for  the  time  they  had  spent  in  laying  out  roads, 
and  for  whatever  money  they  had  paid  out. 

Nothing  came  of  the  vote  for  building  the  much-needed 
bridge,  but  on  April  22,  1776,  "Saml  Bradford,  Archibald 
Taggart  Asa  Draser  were  chosen  to  Prepare  a  Bote  and  to  a 
Gree  with  a  man  to  Tend  the  farrey  over  Hillsborough  River 
this  year." 

At  the  annual  meeting  March  27,  1777,  William  Jones,  Lt. 
Samuel  Bradford  and  Isaac  Andrews  were  chosen  a  committee 
to  take  care  of  the  ferry  for  that  year.  The  following  year  Ben- 
jamin Kimball,  Archibald  Taggart  and  Joshua  Estey  were  chosen 
to  care  for  the  ferry,  but  nothing  was  done  officially  in  regard 
to  highways,  the  war  being  now  the  absorbing  topic.  But  the 
bridge  had  to  come  and  it  was  built  in  1779,  in  accordance  to  a 
vote  made  at  the  annual  meeting  on  March  25th.  Lieutenant 
McNeil,  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr.,  Archibald  Taggart,  Nathaniel 
Howard  and  Thaddeus  Monroe  were  chosen  a  committee  "to 
Look  out  a  Place  to  Buld  Said  Bridge  and  over  See  Carey  on 
Said  work."  Voted  to  build  bridge  across  Contoocook  river 
Sept.  23,  1779.  Com.  Isaac  Andrews,  Esq.,  Lieut.  Daniel  Mc- 
Neal,  Lieut.  Samuel  Bradford,  Ens.  Archibald  Taggart, 
Nathaniel  Coolidge. 

This  was  a  wooden  structure  spanning  the  stream  at  about 
the  same  place  as  the  present  bridge,  but  proving  unsafe  it  was 
reconstructed  in  1796.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  remove  the 
old  bridge  and  build  a  new  one  to  be  completed  by  "Sept.  20,  at 
Bridge  Village  this  year."  Bridge  to  be  was  set  up  at  auction  in 
two  parts  and  struck  off  to  the  lowest  bidders.  First  section  was 
bid  off  by  a  man  named  Ashby  for  $19.50;  second  half  to  James 
Miller  for  $19.00,  to  be  finished  in  25  days.  Thirteen  years  later, 
in  1809,  it  was  again  rebuilt,  Daniel  McNeil  being  the  architect 
at  that  time. 


3°°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

This  not  meeting  the  wants  of  the  people,  it  was  voted  to 
have  a  stone  bridge,  which  was  built  of  split  stone  by  the  town 
in  1824,  with  the  exception  of  forty  feet  in  the  middle  which  was 
constructed  of  wood.  Mr.  Squires  F.  Clement  was  the  builder. 
In  1839,  tne  bridge  was  again  reconstructed,  raised  5  feet  and  a 
granite  arch  thrown  over  the  centre  of  the  river  in  place  of  the 
wooden  section.  This  at  the  time  was  a  highly  satisfactory  piece 
of  work,  and  it  was  considered  that  the  work  was  done  for  all 
time.  The  contractors  were  Messrs.  Reed  and  Thomson  of 
Keene. 

Preparations  were  made  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the 
new  bridge  to  make  it  a  gala  occasion.  A  band  was  present  to 
furnish  music,  and  the  exercises  were  varied  and  suitable  to  the 
event.  Among  the  other  attractions  a  speaker,  a  young  lawyer 
from  an  up-country  town,  was  present  to  give  an  address. 
Finally,  after  a  somewhat  lengthy  introduction  by  the  chairman, 
in  which  his  eloquence  was  pictured  in  somewhat  glowing  terms, 
the  young  lawyer  rose  to  deliver  his  speech  over  which  he  had 
labored  several  days,  and  he  started  off  bravely  with — 

"Fellow  Citizens:  Two  hundred  years  ago  this  valley  was 
a  howling  wilderness  .  .  .  " 

Here  he  paused.  The  sight  of  so  many  people  seemed  to 
daze  him.  Memory,  ever  a  fickle  goddess,  deserted  him.  The 
words  which  had  come  to  him  so  readily  at  home  fled  from  him! 
Not  willing  to  give  up  without  another  trial,  he  cleared  his  throat 
and  began  again : 

"Fellow  Citizens:  Two  hundred  years  ago  this  valley  was 
a  howling  wilderness  ..."  Unable  to  add  another  word,  he 
leaped  from  the  platform,  crying,  "I  wish  it  was  now!"  and 
disappeared  in  the  crowd. 

Bridges  more  than  roads  occupied  the  minds  of  the  people, 
for  while  they  could  move  by  blazing  paths  it  was  not  so  easy 
a  matter  to  ford  streams,  so  at  the  meeting  April  20,  1779,  a 
bridge  was  proposed  at  the  north  branch  of  Hillsborough  River, 
but  it  was  finally  voted  not  to  build  one  across  the  river  here. 
However,  it  was  voted  to  build  a  bridge  over  Contention  Pond 
Brook  this  year.  But  this  vote  was  rescinded  at  a  meeting 
August  5,  same  year.    Work,  however,  was  done  on  the  bridge, 


THE  OLD  COVERED  BRIDGE.  3OI 

for  on  September  4,  1780,  the  selectmen  were  refused  power  to 
complete  the  bridge,  but  December  8,  though  no  money  was 
voted  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools,  it  was  decided  to  finish  the 
bridge  which  had  been  a  subject  of  contention,  expense  and 
effort  for  over  ten  years,  due  of  course  to  the  war.  Joseph 
Symonds  and  Timotny  Bradford  were  made  a  committee  to  see 
the  work  was  properly  done. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1781,  interest  in  the  roads  began 
to  come  to  the  front  again  and  it  was  voted  to  allow  a  man  or 
yoke  of  oxen  twelve  pounds  a  day  for  work  on  the  roads. 

March  31,  1785,  at  last  the  town  voted  to  build  a  bridge  over 
the  North  Branch  near  the  house  of  Daniel  McNeil,  the  town  to 
pay  one  half  of  the  cost  and  Mr.  McNeil  to  pay  the  balance  and 
keep  the  structure  in  repair.  October  3,  he  bonded  himself  to 
keep  the  bridge  in  repair  for  six  years.  The  following  year  thisi 
vote  was  rescinded  and  it  is  doubtful  just  what  was  done  at  the 
time,  though  the  bridge  was  eventually  built. 

There  are  current  fashions  in  bridge  building  just  as  there 
is  in  the  cutting  of  a  coat,  or  the  style  of  the  bonnet,  and  each 
successive  period  of  time  has  left  behind  its  specimen  to  mark 
that  particular  era.  Seventy-five  years  or  more  ago  the  larger 
streams  in  northern  New  England  were  spanned  by  wooden 
bridges  with  roofs  to  protect  the  traveler  from  storms,  with  no 
doubt  the  expectation  that  such  protection  would  prolong  the 
life  of  the  structure  itself.  Few  of  these  are  left  to-day,  pic- 
turesque relics  of  years  and  customs  strange  to  us.  Hillsborough 
had  but  one  of  these  bridges,  and  this  was  across  the  Contoocook 
on  the  road  to  Henniker,  where  the  steel  bridge  now  spans  the 
stream.  The  wooden  structure  was  built  by  Whitney  and  Childs 
of  Henniker  at  a  cost  of  $1,097.66,  and  the  stone  work  done  by 
Daniel  Reed  of  the  town  for  $420.00.  This  was  in  1844,  and  the 
old  bridge  did  faithful  work  until  Sunday,  July  2,  1899,  ^  was 
burned,  the  cause  of  the  fire  being  unknown. 

That  year,  1899,  a  new  bridge,  with  one  span,  of  134  feet, 
a  steel  truss  23  feet  in  height  on  centres,  a  roadway  of  eighteen 
feet,  was  built.  The  builders  were  the  Berlin  Bridge  Company, 
while  C.  A.  Bailey  of  Suncook  put  in  the  stone  work.    The  total 


2>02  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

cost  was  $7,147.48  and  it  was  formally  opened  to  the  public 
October  28,  1899. 

Early  in  the  19th  century  a  bridge  of  an  entirely  different 
construction  was  a  favorite  here,  and  nearly  all  of  the  crossings 
in  town  were  of  this  pattern,  made  of  stone  and  earth  with  one 
or  two  archways  in  the  centre.  The  town  has  built  at  different 
intervals  eleven  of  these  bridges  with  graceful  arches  curving  the 
larger  streams.  Hiram  Monroe,  during  that  period  active  in 
the  affairs  of  the  town,  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  this  style  of 
bridges,  and  did  more  than  any  other  man  towards  their  con- 
struction, claiming  they  were  cheaper  in  the  end  than  the  wooden 
structure,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  judgment  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  they  have  withstood  the  wear  and  tear  of  years  with  com- 
paratively little  expense  in  repairs,  while  their  contemporaries  of 
wooden  construction  have  been  replaced  by  new  ones  several 
times.* 

In  1917,  1918,  and  1919  the  town  built  eight  miles  of  asphalt 
and  gravel  highway,  in  connection  with  state  aid,  constituting  a 
link  in  the  Contoocook  Valley  highway  from  Concord  to  Rindge, 
connecting  the  Merrimack  Valley.  Another  section  is  on  the 
Cheshire  highway  trunk  line  from  Keene  to  Concord.  The  town 
owns  the  entire  outfit  for  building  these  roads,  and  the  work  was 
done  under  the  supervision  of  Fred  B.  Monroe,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  selectmen. 

During  the  years  of  reconstruction  following  the  Revolution, 
with  an  ever  increasing  number  of  schools  the  people  began  to 
care  more  for  the  dissemination  of  news  of  the  day.  Con- 
sequently newspapers  multiplied  and  letter  writing  became  more 
common.  Post-offices  were  established  at  greater  frequency,  and 
the  transmission  of  mail  received  more  and  more  attention.  To 
distribute  this  mail  matter  regular  couriers  or  post  riders,  as  they 
were  called,  were  given  regular  employment.  These  carriers 
usually  rode  on  horseback,  but  even  in  that  case  improved  roads 


*The  first  stone  arch  bridge  in  this  country  stands  today,  strong  and  pictur- 
esque, in  the  town  of  Ipswich.  Mass.,  a  monument  to  its  builder.  It  was  planned 
by  Col.  John  Choate  of  that  town,  and  he  was  looked  upon  as  crazy  in  his  idea. 
He  succeeded  after  a  somewhat  stormy  discussion  in  having  the  bridge  built,  and 
it  was  inscribed  in  the  quaint  letters  of  that  time  as  "Choate  Bridge.  Built  by 
Town  and  County,   1704."  .  ...  .      v   .„ 

It  spans  the  river  in  two  arches,  after  the  style  of  the  twin  bridges  on 
the  Flats  near  Lower  Village,  Hillsborough,  and  the  old  stone  work  and  masonry 
looks  well  today,  after  over  150  years  of  traffic. — Author. 


POST   ROADS.  303 

were  needed  and  the  streams  spanned  by  better  bridges.  If  that 
seems  like  a  slow-going  age  when  compared  to  this,  then  it  must 
be  taken  into  account  that  thrift  and  speed  were  just  as  much 
determining  factors  as  they  are  to-day.  Post-riders  vied  with 
each  other  in  their  efforts  to  deliver  to  the  proper  persons  the 
goods  delivered  into  their  care,  and  many  a  merry  race  was  made 
by  these  doughty  riders. 

The  matter  of  suitable  roads  for  these  gallant  horsemen  was 
carried  into  general  court,  and  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 
Saturday,  February  5,  1791,  a  bill  which  had  been  introduced 
relative  to  mail  routes  was  reported  upon  favorably,  and  it  was 
voted  there  should  be  four  post  roads  in  New  Hampshire.  These 
were  to  be  loop  lines,  to  start  from  Concord  and  return.  The 
first,  which  interests  us,  was  as  follows :  Beginning  at  Concord 
from  thence  through  Weare  to  New  Boston,  Amherst,  Wilton, 
Temple,  Peterborough,  Dublin,  Marlborough,  to  Keene,  and 
then  returning  by  way  of  Westmoreland,  Walpole,  Langdon, 
Acworth,  Charlestown,  Claremont,  Newport,  Lempster,  Wash- 
ington, Hillsborough,  Henniker,  Hopkinton  to  Concord,  its 
starting  point. 

Four  days  were  allowed  in  which  to  make  this  route,  and  it 
may  be  said,  and  easily  imagined  that  there  was  no  loitering  by 
the  way.  Relief  horses  were  in  readiness  every  twenty  miles, 
and  changing  mail  sacks  in  a  twinkling  the  rider  would  swing 
from  one  saddle  into  the  other,  and  with  a  merry  crack  of  the 
whip  and  a  good-natured  raillery  to  the  bystanders  he  was  off 
and  away.  This  route,  it  is  needless  to  say,  went  over  the  hills 
to  the  Centre,  where  the  coming  of  the  post  rider  once  a  week 
was  hailed  as  an  important  event  in  the  quiet  lives  of  the  public. 

Scarcely  a  year  passed  which  did  not  witness  the  laying  out 
of  a  new  highway  or  mending  some  broken  link,  all  of  which 
makes  interesting  reading  but  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  be 
given  space  here.  The  general  trend  of  the  roads  was  westward 
towards  Washington  or  eastward  towards  Henniker,  and  New 
Boston.  What  were  known  as  cross  roads  intersected  with  these, 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  being  the  road  which 
crossed  the  Washington  route  about  a  mile  above  Bridge  Village 
and  wound  over  Bible  Hill  past  fertile  farms,  then  well  cul- 


304  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

tivated,  and  into  the  valley  to  make  another  ascent  which  ter- 
minates at  the  Centre.  This  place  was  the  common  magnet  for 
all  the  highways  and  byways,  and  over  them,  when  the  town  had 
but  one  house  of  worship,  all  of  the  inhabitants  wended  their 
way  on  foot  or  by  horse  on  each  succeeding  Sabbath,  rain  or 
shine,  to  listen  to  the  word  of  God  as  spoken  by  Parson  Barnes 
or  his  successors. 

Eventually  Hillsborough  had  two  post  routes.  Besides  the 
one  mentioned  running  from  Concord  to  Keene,  the  second  ran 
from  Nashua  to  Claremont,  thus  connecting  the  North  Country 
with  Boston.    Both  of  the  roads  went  through  Lower  Village. 

In  the  warrant  for  a  special  meeting  to  be  held  in  Hills- 
borough November  18,  1799,  was  the  following  article: 

Article  3d  To  see  what  order  the  Town  will  Take  Respecting  a 
petition  which  will  be  laid  before  sd  Town — praying  for  the  privilege 
of  a  Turnpike  road  from  the  Easterly  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river 
in  Cornish  through  this  Town  to  Amherst  Courthouse. 

The  subject  of  building  this  new  road  had  been  the  common 
theme  of  conversation  for  several  months.  Besides  being  con- 
sidered an  important  highway,  promising  as  it  did  a  renovation 
or  radical  change  in  the  manner  of  road  building.  Hithertofore 
the  roads  had  been  built  flat,  or  nearly  so ;  that  is  the  centre  had 
not  been  raised  above  the  shoulders.  The  new  style,  from  which 
it  derived  its  name,  was  "piked"  or  rounded,  so  it  could  shed  the 
water  after  the  manner  of  a  roof.  There  was  a  better  bed  made 
by  filling  in  with  rocks  or  gravel.  The  turnpike  was  really  the 
beginning  of  modern  methods  of  road  building.  The  public 
speakers  of  the  town,  both  those  who  were  the  "watchdogs"  of 
the  treasury  and  those  who  were  always  eager  to  take  a  step 
forward  in  progress,  were  on  their  feet  arguing  pro  and  con  for 
the  new  enterprise.    Finally  it  was  voted : 

That  the  Turnpike  road  might  be  of  public  utility  and  not  burden- 
some to  the  Inhabitants  of  any  Town  through  which  the  same  may 
pass — provided  the  following  guard  was  annexed.  To  the  laws  com- 
monly made  on  such  occasions — viz — that  the  proprietors  shall  not 
cover  the  old  road  now  occupied. 

2d — That  in  case  the  owner  of  the  land  through  which  the  Road 
may  pass  and  the  proprietor  of  sd  Turnpike  cannot  agree  on  Damages, 
it  shall  be  determined  by  a  committee  chosen  by  the  parties. 


THE  TURNPIKE  CRAZE.  305 

3d  In  case  the  proprietors  shall  erect  a  gate  in  the  interior  part 
of  said  town  the  citizens  of  the  same  town  shall  not  be  holden  to  pay 
a  Tole  for  passing  sd  gate  provided  they  do  not  go  out  of  Town. 

— Town  Eecords,  Vol  2,  pp.  162,  163. 

The  building  of  this  new  style  of  highway  was  looked  upon 
at  the  time  by  many  as  an  expensive  experiment  and  was  de- 
risively termed  "The  Turnpike  Craze."  Within  not  a  very  long 
period  New  Hampshire  came  in  for  four  of  these  lines  of  roads, 
which  were  as  much  talked  about  as  is  said  today  in  regard  to  the 
great  trunk  lines  and  auto  boulevards  that  are  being  built  now. 
Their  accomplishment  also  proved  that  corporate  enterprise  is 
not  peculiar  to  the  present  hustling  age,  for  the  undertakings  of 
such  enterprises  in  the  closing  years  of  the  17th  century  was 
quite  as  much  to  the  credit  of  their  promoters  as  anything  in  that 
direction  of  to-day.  All  credit  then  to  the  old  turnpike,  the 
pioneer  of  good  roads. 

The  object  of  these  roads  was  to  develop  the  resources  of 
the  State  and  to  open  a  better  way  of  travel  to  Boston  and  other 
big  cities.  This  of  course  was  expected  to  improve  the  con- 
ditions of  the  towns  through  which  the  turnpike  passed.  Hence 
the  towns  were  expected  to  lend  a  financial  hand  to  the  under- 
taking. The  construction  of  the  Second  Turnpike  was  pushed 
with  such  vigor  that  it  was  built  during  the  year  1800  and 
opened  to  the  public  in  1801.  The  road  entered  Hillsborough 
near  the  Albert  Gray  place  above  the  Upper  Village,  and  passed 
in  nearly  a  direct  line  to  Antrim  boundary  at  the  Colby  place. 
Here  was  another  feature  in  road  building  introduced  by  the 
turnpike.  While  previously  roads  had  been  built  largely  without 
regard  to  directness,  winding  over  long  and  tedious  hills  to 
accomodate  some  isolated  farmer  or  making  wide  detours  to 
avoid  some  swampy  district,  the  new  highway  took  very  nearly 
a  bee  line,  hills,  which  were  frequently  leveled  and  swamps  that 
were  corduroyed  with  logs  covered  with  a  layer  of  earth,  had  no 
terrors  for  these  builders.  In  the  end  the  public  were  greatly 
benefited  by  this  innovation.  Dr.  Goodell,  in  his  notes,  says 
truthfully :  "What  an  undertaking  to  build  70  miles  of  such  road 
with  the  primitive  implements  of  those  days,  through  a  rough, 
rocky  and  wooded  country !    Hand  drills  and  gun  powder  to  blast 


306  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  numerous  bowlders,  oxen  for  stump  lifters,  plow  and  shovel 
to  make  the  roadbed.  Selections  were  let  out  to  individuals  to 
build.  A  strip  of  land  four  rods  wide  was  purchased  and  there 
is  no  record  or  tradition  that  there  was  any  controversy  over  the 
settlement  of  damages." 

Its  construction,  as  was  intended,  stimulated  trade.  Teams 
of  six  and  eight  horses  made  regular  trips  to  Boston,  carrying 
lumber  and  farm  products  and  returning  with  groceries  and 
general  merchandise  for  the  towns  along  the  line,  and  scores  of 
small  teams  particularly  in  the  winter.  Stage  coaches  were  soon 
put  on  to  accomodate  the  public  and  ran  with  as  much  punctuality 
as  the  cars  of  the  present  day. 

Taverns  were  built  to  entertain  the  regular  and  transient 
travel,  on  an  average  of  about  two  miles  apart.  A  gate  was  first 
erected  at  the  tavern  of  Dea.  James  Eayrs,  called  the  Heart  and 
Hand,  and  his  swinging  sign  was  in  the  shape  of  a  heart  with  a 
hand  painted  on  it  holding  a  decanter. 

As  much  of  the  lighter  travel  continued  over  the  old  road  to 
save  toll,  the  gate  was  moved  to  Upper  Village  near  the  junction 
of  that  road.  Benjamin  Wilkins  was  gatekeeper  for  many  years, 
and  after  its  discontinuance  in  1837,  when  the  road  passed  to  the 
town,  the  gate  house  was  moved  back  and  was  for  many  years 
the  residence  of  Wirt  K.  Fuller,  one  of  the  noted  tanners  of 
Hillsborough. 

Notwithstanding  its  high  promise  of  usefulness  the  road  did 
not  prove  profitable  as  a  financial  investment  to  its  builders, 
though  a  great  public  benefit,  so  it  was  surrendered  to  the  towns 
through  which  it  passed  in  1837. 

The  court  in  1831  laid  out  what  was  called  for  a  long  time 
the  "New  Road  to  Keene,"  which  ran  from  Hillsborough  Bridge 
by  Branch  Village  to  Stoddard  line,  and  thence  by  Box  tavern 
and  North  Nelson  to  Keene.  This  was  a  noted  stage  road  and 
at  one  time  considerable  travel  followed  this  route.  Three  years 
later,  in  1834,  the  court  laid  out  a  road  from  Bridge  Village  by 
South  Village,  running  to  Hancock  factory.  This  was  built 
immediately  after.  The  same  year  the  famous  stage  route  the 
Forest  Road  was  built,  connecting  Charlestown  with  Nashua, 
passing  through  Stoddard,  Hancock  and  Greenfield.     This  was 


OLD  ROADS  AND  TRAILS.  307 

laid  out  without  particular  regard  for  the  convenience  of  the 
people  living  along  the  route,  and  ran  for  miles  at  a  stretch 
through  woods  hence  its  name. 

At  the  annual  meeting  March  7,  1796,  William  Taggart, 
William  Symonds,  Otis  Stowe  were  chosen  a  committee  to  build 
the  "Great  Bridge,"  and  the  carrying  out  of  the  undertaking  was 
decided  at  auction,  when  Daniel  McNeil  was  the  lowest  bidder 
for  the  contract,  his  price  being  $95,  the  work  to  be  done  so  the 
structure  would  be  passable  by  September  20,  or  twenty-five  days 
after  the  removal  of  the  last  of  the  old  timbers. 

According  to  the  changes  in  population  and  business,  like 
people,  other  roads  have  come  and  gone,  while  some  of  the  old 
ones  are  still  with  us,  as  they  were  with  our  ancestors.  The  roads 
of  Hillsborough  for  the  most  part  are  hilly  and  require  constant 
watchfulness  and  endeavor  to  keep  in  repair.  The  exception  is 
the  valley  road  leading  from  Henniker  to  Peterborough  and 
cutting  across  a  corner  of  this  town  at  the  lower  part  of  Bridge 
Village.  The  hilliest,  as  well  as  the  oldest  in  town,  is  the  road 
leading  from  Bridge  village  to  the  Center.  On  the  whole  a 
noted  change  has  come  and  where  erstwhile  the  ox-team  and 
the  stage  coach  wound  their  way,  an  automobile  is  to  be  more 
frequently  seen  in  the  summer  days,  but  when  winter  folds  her 
white  mantle  over  the  hills  and  valleys  there  is  little  of  the  old- 
time  bustle  to  speak  of  the  liveliness  of  country  life.  I  cannot 
better  close  this  rather  rambling  chapter,  constructed  after  the 
style  of  the  old  roads,  than  by  quoting  the  following  excellent 
article  prepared  December  11,  191 5,  by  Mrs.  William  H.  Story: 

Old  Roads  and  Trails  of  Hillsborough. 

There  is  an  old  road  scarcely  more  than  a  trail  and  upon  this 
you  enter  upon  the  Beard  or  East  Washington  highway,  a  short 
distance  beyond  the  Thomas  Goodale  place — turning  to  the  left 
you  come  to  a  point  where  there  are  two  roads,  again  take  the 
left  of  these;  and  still  follow  in  that  direction,  at  length  you 
arrive  at  what  you  feel  assured  is  indeed  a  veritable  trail.  Re- 
cently parties  undertook  to  make  this  trip — found  the  path  or 
road  in  places  nearly  impassable — as  the  branches  of  the  trees 
and  rank  bushes  were  grown  nearly  even  with  the  horse's  back ; 


3<>8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  road  altogether  unworked.  This  district  was  formerly  a 
prosperous  community  of  thrifty  farmers,  there  being  four  or 
five  large  farms  under  good  cultivation ;  one  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  Smith — hence  the  name  of  the  pretty  little  pond  snuggled 
between  her  surrounding  hills — and  also  the  name  of  the  road 
through  the  terminal  connecting  with  the  main  road  leading  to 
Washington  Centre  coming  out  near  Dole  Hill.  Another  seldom 
used  road,  which  may  be  very  properly  termed  a  trail,  is  the 
Sulphur  Hill  road.  This  you  enter  just  east  of  the  Cook  place  at 
the  Lower  Village,  past  cellar  holes  and  a  few  old  buildings. 
This  was  a  farming  district  of  many  of  Hillsborough's  most 
worthy  citizens.  Part  way  up  the  hill  there  is  a  "parting  of  the 
ways."  Now  take  the  left  hand  division  and  after  a  short  drive 
over  a  still  deserted  region,  you  come  to  the  Antrim  North 
Branch  road ;  follow  till  you  come  to  the  Bowling  farm,  on  the 
left  hand  side  of  the  road  a  few  rods  beyond,  pass  through  an 
inclosure  and  you  will  discover  the  site  of  the  old  Governor 
Pierce  homestead.  Return  to  the  place  on  Sulphur  Hill,  where 
the  road  divided,  then  take  the  right  trail;  ascend  the  hill,  and 
while  passing  you  will  discover  on  the  left  hand  the  decaying 
sills  of  an  old  schoolhouse;  then  you  will  soon  come  to  the 
homestead  of  Enoch  Sawyer,  at  the  crest  of  the  hill ;  follow  the 
trail  and  you  will  find  yourself  at  the  Upper  Village,  just  west  of 
the  Carter  place.    This  old  road  is  called  the  Hall  road. 

A  short  and  wild  trail  may  be  found  leading  into  Stow 
Mountain,  by  taking  the  right  hand  road  at  the  Wall  place,  on 
the  Washington  road;  after  passing  a  number  of  cultivated 
farms,  you  come  to  the  old  Huntley  place ;  then  following  an 
indistinct  path  up  the  hill,  you  find  yourself  literally  upon  Stow 
Mountain.  The  trail  is  only  marked  by  cellar  holes  and  broken 
stone  walls.  We  were  informed  by  one  of  our  oldest  inhabitants 
that  when  a  boy,  he  with  some  of  his  companions  followed  that 
road  blackberrying,  and  found  that  the  end  of  the  road  was  at 
the  summit  of  the  hill,  where  there  were  farm  buildings  owned 
by  Mr.  Pike.  Younger  generations  inform  us  that  at  the  present 
time  there  is  a  trail — perhaps  a  wood  road — passing  quite  over 
the  mountain. 


BOG  ROAD.  309 

An  old  road  which  particularly  interested  your  committee  is 
at  the  present  time  used  only  for  reaching  fields  and  pastures. 
The  entrance  is  a  short  distance  north  and  beyond  the  site  of  the 
old  Stephen  Farrar  homestead.  One  lovely  October  day  a  few 
years  ago  your  writer,  in  company  with  Mr.  Story,  took  a  carriage 
ride  over  this  deserted  trail,  determined  to  explore  to  the  very 
end  of  the  path,  not  knowing  where  we  might  find  ourselves  at 
last.  The  traveling  proved  to  be  very  rough  and  hilly ;  the  track 
overgrown  with  stubby  grass  much  of  the  way;  in  other  places 
pebbles  and  sizable  rocks ;  but  we  were  not  to  be  discouraged. 
The  forest  views  far  and  near  were  dazzling,  in  the  gorgeous 
autumnal  colorings  of  scarlet,  yellow,  and  rich  shading  of  brown ; 
as  usual  we  passed  deserted  homes,  neglected  orchards,  broken 
walls  and  the  inevitable  cellar  holes,  indeed  a  shadow  of  sadness 
came  to  us,  thinking  of  what  had  been,  knowing  that  noble  and 
brave  people  had  gone  from  their  mountain  homes. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  delightful  shade  near  a  babbling 
brook;  in  this  place  we  chose  to  partake  of  our  lunch,  feed  our 
faithful  horse,  and  enjoy  a  rest  in  one  of  Nature's  beauty  spots. 
After  which  we  continued  our  tour  of  investigation  always 
wondering  where  we  were  at.  After  a  number  of  miles  farther 
we  were  greatly  surprised  in  finding  ourselves  at  West  Henniker. 
This  is  the  oldest  road  from  the  north  part  of  Hillsborough  to 
Henniker. 

From  the  old  John  Dane  place,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
there  was  a  short  road,  and  at  that  time  very  convenient  and 
necessary  for  the  public  good  called  the  "Bog  road."  This  term 
does  not  apply  correctly  to  the  road  now  called  by  that  name. 
From  the  Dane  farm,  this  old  road  or  trail  passed  through 
pastures  and  fields  towards  the  northeast,  until  it  came  to  a 
swamp  that  could  not  be  crossed  in  safety,  consequently  our  good 
old  ancestors  considered  ways  and  means  and  finally  decided 
to  overcome  the  difficulty  by  building  a  corduroy  road  to  reach 
from  shore  to  shore,  which  for  the  time  being  fully  answered 
the  purpose  of  a  more  permanent  bridge.  This  road  led  to  the 
top  of  the  hill,  where  lived  and  thrived  Amos  Kimball.  All 
traces  of  this  road  are  now  lost.  Now  a  wooden  bridge  spans 
the  bog  or  swamp  in  place  of  the  corduroy.     (This  item  was 


3IO  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

contributed  by  Isaac  Wilkins.)  Another  trail  starting  from  the 
ruins  of  the  farm  buildings  of  Clark  Kimball  is  an  old  road  now 
seldom  used,  leading  towards  the  east,  crosses  the  road  which 
passes  the  old  Fanny  Batchelder  house;  leads  down  the  hill 
towards  Campbell  Pond  sometimes  called  Gould  Pond ;  then 
taking  the  first  left-handed  trail,  which  follows  the  crest  of  the 
hill  for  some  distance,  passing  through  two  or  three  old  farms, 
one  owned  by  a  Mr.  Patten,  another  by  a  Mr.  Campbell,  pre- 
sumably Mr.  C.  gave  his  name  to  the  pond  as  it  was  first 
known  by  that  name.  Following  this  almost  mythical  trail  you 
come  to  the  site  of  the  Amos  Kimball  farm  buildings  now  in 
ruins.  The  last  portion  of  this  trail  is  nearly  lost  and  can  only 
be  traced  with  uncertainty,  as  we  were  informed  by  one  who  was 
familiar  with  the  route  in  boyhood  days. 

The  Dane  Hill!     What  is  now  a  mere  cow-path  leading  to 
valuable  pasturage,  was  in  the  days  of  long  ago  an  important 
thoroughfare  for  influential  and  worthy  people;  namely,  Zacha- 
riah  Robbins,  Eben  Griffin,  Timothy  Dane,  William  Stow,  Daniel 
Griffin,  and  Parker  Kimball,  all  of  whom  have  long  since  passed 
to  their  reward.    This  trail  is  found  by  taking  the  Hillsborough 
Centre  road,  past  the  historical  Bond  homestead  also  the  James 
Wilkin's  farm ;  follow  the  first  left  hand  road  you  come  to  which 
leads  you  up  hill  and  down  vale  for  quite  a  long  distance,  passing 
old  orchards,  cellar  holes  and  ruinous  walls  and  fences,  until  you 
descend  a  long  hill  at  the  foot  of  which  there  is  an  abrupt  turn  to 
the  right ;  pause  right  there  and  look  straight  ahead  before  taking 
the  right  hand  road,  for  on  the  hill  before  you,  you  can  see  un- 
mistakable signs  of  an  old  road,  the  broken  chain  of  walls  each 
side  of  the  grass  and  weed  grown  trail  plainly  showing  you 
where  once  the  first  surveyed  road  from  Hillsborough  to  Brad- 
ford was  made  and  much  traveled  in  those  far-away  days.    Now 
turn  at  the  sharp  bend  of  the  road  eastward,  previously  spoken 
of,  which  will  take  you  onto  a  strip  of  road,  connecting  Dane 
hill  with  the  Elmwood  district;  on  this  road  once  lived  several 
families  one  of  whom  was  David  Kimball,  an  ancester  of  Vernor 
Kimball ;  another  place  marked  by  a  cellar  hole,  once  the  home 


OLD  MOOKE  ROAD.  311 

of  Phineas  Holden,  whose  son  Horace  Holden  suffered  so  ter- 
ribly at  the  hands  of  the  cannibals,  following  a  disastrous  ship- 
wreck. 

Continue  to  follow  this  trail,  turn  directly  to  the  first  left 
hand  path,  follow  the  brook  road  and  you  come  to  the  termination 
of  the  old  trail,  where  once  lived  the  Elmwoods. 

A  trail  more  interesting  than  any  other  to  the  D.  A.  R. 
Chapter  is  that  of  the  old  Moore  road.  In  the  earlier  times  of 
this  town,  Bible  Hill  was  a  central  location  for  the  few  pioneers 
who  had  ventured  thus  far  into  the  wilderness.  It  was  the 
meeting  place  for  their  religious  gatherings,  and  for  important 
business.  Accordingly  a  road  was  surveyed  starting  from  the 
Lower  Village  at  a  point  between  the  John  Dickey  place  and 
where  lives  Ira  Jackman,  the  route  passed  back  of  those  homes 
towards  the  east,  by  the  Augustus  Kimball  place,  across  the 
Beard  road,  then  followed  up  the  Bible  Hill  road  to  the  Samuel 
Bradford  tavern  which  was  the  halting  place  for  the  stage  coach 
carrying  the  mail  and  travelers  if  by  chance  any  wished  to  visit 
so  lonely  and  bleak  a  country  place.  Only  a  few  families  were 
there  at  that  retreat  in  the  wilderness ;  one  of  prominence  was 
Samuel  Symonds,  who  brought  the  bible  with  him,  the  first  in 
the  settlement.  The  Bradford  tavern  is  yet  standing;  the  house 
lately  occupied  by  George  Tuttle  and  family.  One  of  the  original 
floors  remain,  the  boards  of  which  are  held  down  by  wooden 
pegs,  the  heads  of  which  are  an  inch  square  .  .  .  (Authority, 
Mrs.  George  Tuttle.) 

Now  to  follow  the  trail  from  the  tavern,  continue  on  the 
way  by  entering  where  are  now  the  bars  of  George  Tuttle's  cattle 
pasture,  cross  intervening  pastures  and  woodland,  finally  the 
trail  connects  with  the  Centre  road  a  few  rods  below  the  old 
Samuel  Baker  place.  At  this  junction  was  a  dwelling  house, 
owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Nichols.  The  location  is  distinctly 
marked  by  the  cellar  hole.  There  were  families  along  this  road 
between  the  Bradford  tavern  and  the  Nichols  place,  among  whom 
were  Jonathan  Durant  and  Isaac  Baldwin,  our  martyr  patriot, 
also  William  Pope,  who  owned  much  land — a  large  section  of 
which  is  called  the  "Pope  Lot."    It  is  with  difficulty  that  this  trail 


3I2  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

can  be  accurately  marked,  because  of  the  displacement  of  walls 
and  the  growth  of  shrubs  and  trees.  November  2,  1896,  Mrs. 
James  Butler,  Mrs.  Clinton  Newman,  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Story 
made  a  trip  over  a  portion  of  this  trail,  from  the  Beard  road 
to  the  present  road  which  now  passes  over  Bible  Hill.  This 
Moore  road  was  surveyed  and  worked  long  before  the  present 
road  was  laid  out. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Stage  Coach  Days. 

Development  of  Travel — First  Mail  Traveler — Jacob  Smith — Three 
Papers  Published  Prior  to  1812 — Method  of  Circulation— The 
Mounted  Post  Eider — A  Picturesque  Character — Post  Rider  Suc- 
ceeded by  Stage  Driver — Passengers  Carried  as  Well  as  Mail — 
First  Stage  Driven  by  Horace  Hubbard — Famous  Concord  Stage — 
Manufactured  by  Lewis  Downing — Rapid  -Growth — Five  Stage 
Lines  in  Hillsborough — The  Runaway  Coach — Stage  Drivers — How 
Hatch  Burnham  Earned  Two  Gold-mounted  Whips — Spirit  of  the 
Days  of  the  Stage  Coach. 

While  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  towns  throughout  the 
state  acted  slowly  in  co-operating  so  as  to  extend  the  roads 
beyond  the  bounds  of  their  bailiwick,  outside  influence  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  development  of  travel.  This  was  the 
government  and  the  object  behind  this  move  was  the  carrying 
of  the  post,  as  scarce  as  letters  were  in  those  days  and  as  few  as 
were  the  papers.  Yet  the  people  were  awaking  to  the  fact  that 
they  had  friends  beyond  their  narrow  orbit  of  association.  Thus 
the  social  question  called  for  wider  action.  More  important  than 
this  was  the  matter  of  business,  hence  one  and  all  grasped  easily 
at,  what  seemed  to  them,  the  most  wonderful  undertaking  of  the 
post  rider.  No  man  in  the  entire  country  did  more  towards 
establishing  post  routes  and  post  offices  than  Benjamin  Franklin. 

As  has  been  stated  government  established  a  post  route 
from  Concord  through  Hillsborough  to  Charlestown  on  the  Con- 
necticut, with  the  provision  that  the  people  should  pay  for  carry- 
ing the  mail.  The  first  mail  carrier  on  this  line  was  Jacob  Smith, 
who  made  the  round  trip  weekly.  With  what  pleasure  and 
interest  this  rider  was  received  along  his  route  may  be  imagined. 
His  salary  the  first  year  was  fifty  dollars  but  the  second  year  he 
received  a  hundred  dollars  and  he  was  paid  by  the  government. 
Some  time  in  the  second  year  Mr.  Smith  was  succeeded  by  John 
Philbrick,  who  continued  on  the  route  for  twelve  years,  and  he 

313 


314  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

was  as  punctual  as  the  railroads  of  today.  His  course  through 
Hillsborough  was  by  the  way  of  the  Centre,  and  the  clarion  note 
of  his  horn  could  be  heard  on  clear  mornings  when  he  was  half 
a  mile  away.  This  warning  note  was  given  that  the  postmasters 
might  have  their  mail  ready  for  him  so  as  to  allow  of  the  shortest 
stop  possible  with  good  service.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  every- 
body knew  him  along  his  route  and  that  he  was  very  popular. 

Prior  to  1812  there  were  three  papers  taken  in  town,  and 
these  were  Farmer's  Cabinet,  published  at  Amherst ;  Hill's  Patriot 
and  Tuttle's  Concord  Gazette,  both  at  Concord.  These  publica- 
tions were  not  entered  as  mail  matter,  but  were  circulated  by 
their  subscribers.  The  publishers  notified  these  post  carriers  by 
writing  upon  their  papers  when  the  time  came,  "Your  turn  next." 
The  person  receiving  this  notice  rode  the  following  week  on 
horseback  to  the  office  and  brought  back  the  papers  directed  to 
each  subscriber. 

A  more  sightly  or  picturesque  character  than  the  mounted 
post  rider  could  not  well  be  imagined,  as  he  swept  over  some 
elevated  section  of  the  highway  where  the  wintry  wind  laughed 
with  cutting  scorn  at  his  reckless  riding.  With  the  graceful  poise 
of  an  old  cavalryman  he  bestrode  his  gallant  steed,  its  nostrils 
and  flanks  white  with  the  morning  frost,  while  his  tight-fitting 
jacket  was  buttoned  closely  about  his  stalwart  form,  his  fur  cap 
pulled  down  over  his  ears,  half  concealing  his  clear-cut,  good- 
natured  countenance,  and  the  flowing  ends  of  his  crimson  scarf 
streaming  in  the  air  like  the  pennons  of  a  ship  stemming  the  gale. 

Add  to  his  picture  the  blare  of  his  bugle  horn,  the  clouds  of 
snow-dust  that  ever  and  anon  enveloped  himself  and  steed,  with 
the  expectant  looks  upon  the  faces  of  the  watchers  peering  out  of 
the  windows  along  his  course  as  he  sped  by,  flinging  to  one  a 
letter  and  another  a  paper,  calling  back  cheerily  as  he  disappeared 
like  a  spectre  of  the  road : 

"A  piping  morning !  Snow  to-morrow !  Bill  Robbins  has 
heard  from  his  brother  in  South  America.  The  bridge  has  gone 
down  across  the  Contoocook  in  Hopkinton!" 

Early  in  the  18th  century  the  post  rider  was  succeeded  by 
the  stage  driver.  By  this  time  it  was  seen  that  as  well  as  carrying 
the  mail  passengers  might  be  transported  and  thus  add  to  the 


HEYDAY  OF  THE  STAGE  COACH.  315 

profit.  The  first  stage  to  pass  through  Hillsborough  followed 
almost  identically  the  route  of  the  post  rider,  and  came  front 
Concord  through  to  Charlestown.  The  wagon  was  two  seated 
and  had  a  canvas  cover  to  protect  the  passengers  from  the 
weather.  It  was  drawn  by  two  horses  driven  by  Horace  Hub- 
bard, who  owned  an  interest  in  the  outfit. 

With  the  improvements  made  in  the  roads  travel  by  stage 
increased  rapidly,  until  the  country  was  crossed  and  cris-crossed 
by  a  network  of  coach  routes.  Taverns  to  accomodate  the  travel- 
ing public  sprang  up  at  almost  every  corner.  In  truth  they  did 
stand  at  every  two  mile  distance  and  did  a  thriving  business. 

Not  only  were  there  many  local  lines  but  so  extensive  had 
the  undertaking  become  that  there  was  a  line  of  stages  established 
from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia,  which  plied  regularly  and 
besides  the  traffic  in  passengers  carried  several  mails  by  order 
and  permission  of  Congress.  Piping  days  for  the  stage  coach 
developed,  though  this  cannot  be  said  to  have  actually  arrived 
until  the  introduction  of  the  Concord  wagon,  with  its  body  hung 
on  thoroughbraces,  this  invention  eliminating  the  hardship  of 
riding  in  wagons  whose  bodies  were  placed  directly  upon  the 
axles.  Travel  in  one  of  these  vehicles  has  been  described  as  a 
nightmare. 

The  manufacture  of  the  famous  Concord  stage  coach  was 
begun  by  Lewis  Downing  of  Concord  in  1813,  and  within  a  few 
years  these  carriages,  known  and  used  the  country  over,  helped 
carry  civilization  from  the  Atlantic  shores  to  the  Pacific.  They 
were  seen  moving  merrily  across  the  western  plains  or  thread- 
ing as  the  needle's  eye  the  passes  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  So 
rapidly  did  the  enterprise  flourish  that  within  fifteen  years 
twenty-five  stage  coaches,  loaded  with  passengers  and  carrying 
the  news  of  the  day,  departed  every  morning  from  Concord  and 
as  many  arrived  there  every  evening. 

The  oldtime  stage  made  its  trips  with  clock-like  regularity, 
and  could  be  counted  upon  to  make  them  with  safety  and  cer- 
tainty. A  great  number  of  people  were  transported  in  these 
vehicles,  and  if  these  journeys  were  attended  with  more  or  less 
discomfort,  there  was  withal  a  generous  amount  of  pleasure  in 
the  old-fashioned  way  of  traveling. 


316  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

In  stage  coach  days  a  large  amount  of  heavy  teaming  was 
done,  this  traffic  moved  mostly  by  ox  teams,  though  not  infre- 
quently great  wagons  drawn  by  four,  six,  or  eight  horses  pulled 
the  ponderous  loads  over  the  hills  and  through  the  valleys  en 
route  to  Boston  or  some  other  market  near  the  sea  coast.  These 
teams  usually  loaded  both  ways,  on  the  downward  trip  bearing 
produce  of  the  farm,  or  manufactured  articles,  and  bringing  back 
provisions  as  were  needed  in  household  life.  The  horse  team 
averaged  about  twenty-five  miles  a  day;  the  oxen  a  little  less, 
but  there  was  not  as  much  difference  as  might  at  first  be 
supposed. 

In  all  this  bustle  and  activity  Hillsborough  knew  and  did  her 
part.  At  one  period  or  another  there  were  at  least  five  stage  lines 
running  through  the  town,  two  of  these  starting  from  the  Lower 
Village  which  was  then  the  industrial  centre  of  the  town.  One 
of  these  routes  led  to  Lempster,  then  a  thriving  travel  point,  and 
the  other  made  a  direct  route  to  Keene.  One  route  came  from 
Washington,  one  from  Deering  and  the  last  ran  through  the 
Centre  to  East  Washington.  The  Concord  line  to  Keene  had 
then  been  discontinued.  Yet  another  line  came  from  Amherst 
through  Mont  Vernon,  a  corner  of  New  Boston  and  Lyndebor- 
ough,  through  Francestown,  Antrim  to  Hillsborough  Lower 
Village.  This  coach  was  driven  for  a  considerable  time  by  an 
old  favorite,  Edwin  Foster.  It  is  related  that  when  on  one  of 
these  trips  the  stage  stopped  as  usual  at  the  post-office  at  Frances- 
town.  It  took  longer  than  common  to  change  the  mail,  or  the 
driver  had  an  extra  story  to  tell,  for  the  three  spirited  spans  of 
horses  became  uneasy,  and  started  off  at  the  top  of  their  speed 
with  eight  or  ten  passengers  aboard.  Upon  hearing  the  thunder- 
ing of  the  wheels  the  driver  rushed  out  of  the  post-office  to  see 
the  coach  just  disappearing  behind  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  distance. 
Without  hesitation  Foster  commandeered  the  nearest  team  from 
among  the  dozen  or  more  hitched  in  the  yard,  and  gave  furious 
pursuit.  It  proved  he  had  taken  a  fleet  horse,  but  do  the  best 
he  could  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  get  near  enough  to  stop  the 
runaways  until  Gibson's  tavern  had  been  reached,  fully  three 
miles  on  the  route.  According  to  custom  the  well  trained  stage 
horses  turned  into  the  yard  and  swung  as  accurately  along  side 


OLDTIME  STAGE  DRIVER.  317 

of  the  stone  steps  as  if  they  had  been  guided  by  their  master. 
There  they  stopped  with  their  usual  abruptness,  and  not  one  of 
the  passengers  knew  of  the  runaway  until  told. 

It  would  be  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  obtain  a  complete 
list  of  the  stage  drivers  who  drove  the  stages  of  Hillsborough. 
Among  the  scattered  records  and  traditions  handed  down  from 
those  days  have  been  preserved  the  names  of  the  following 
drivers  around  whose  service  cling  distinctive  memories:  Horace 
Hubbard,  Matthew  Parker,  John  Dane,  Robert  Moore,  Silas 
Gibson,  Samuel  Keith  (father  of  B.  F.  Keith  of  theatre  fame), 
Solomon  Gee,  George  Way,  Billy  Ordway,  Milo  Smith  and  Hatch 
Burnham.  Not  all  of  these  were  natives  of  Hillsborough,  while 
it  is  very  doubtful  if  they  are  given  in  chronological  order. 

In  the  50s  the  stage  out  of  Lower  Village  was  driven  by 
Billy  Ordway,  who  hailed  from  somewhere  in  the  vicinity.  Billy 
was  one  of  the  best  reinsmen  who  ever  pulled  the  "ribbons"  over 
the  backs  of  a  spanking  team  of  six  sleek  horses.  When  the 
railroad  came,  like  hundreds  of  others,  Billy  found  himself  out 
of  a  job  but  took  up  with  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  anticipating 
it  before  it  was  given,  by  going  west  and  becoming  a  famous 
driver  on  one  of  the  Overland  stages.  His  route  took  him  out 
of  Denver  into  the  mountain  region,  dangerous  at  many  places. 
Noted  for  his  clear  head  it  was  his  boast  that  during  that  fifteen 
years  he  never  missed  a  trip  nor  lost  a  life,  let  the  storm  rage 
however  bitter  or  the  winding  road  be  ever  so  coated  with  a 
treacherous  mail  of  ice.  Neither  did  the  strong  box  intrusted 
to  his  care  ever  fall  into  the  hands  of  some  daring  and  desperate 
road-agent. 

Billy's  favorite  team  was  composed  of  five  splendid  bay 
mares,  known  as  the  "Mountain  Maids,"  and  an  equally  trusty 
horse  called  "Old  Joe."  Six  nobler  animals,  as  fleet  as  the  wind, 
as  sure  footed  as  the  mountain  cat,  as  spirited  as  a  well-fed 
equine,  never  drew  stage  over  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  They 
knew  their  master's  voice  on  the  instant,  and  were  certain  to 
obey  him  with  a  promptness  somewhat  marvelous. 

Billy  was  driving  this  team  in  1868,  when  he  made  a  trip  that 
became  memorable,  taking  as  his  passengers  Generals  Grant, 
Sheridan  and  Deat  from  the  summit  of  Guy  Hill  to  Golden  City, 


3l8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

a  distance  of  nine  miles  in  thirty-six  minutes  by  Sheridan's 
watch.  Grant  never  forgot  that  ride,  nor  ceased  to  praise  the 
beauty  of  the  horses,  or  Billy's  skill  in  managing  them.  To  the! 
grizzled  stager  it  was  the  proudest  day  of  his  life,  when  the  great 
commander  sat  beside  him  on  the  box  and  extolled  the  virtues 
of  his  "Mountain  Maids."  Like  his  comrades  in  the  East,  Billy 
finally  lost  his  line  and  was  driven  from  his  calling  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  iron  horse,  but  to  his  dying  day,  nothing  suited! 
him  better  than  to>  relate  some  of  his  adventures  in  the  period 
when  he  ranked  high  among  the  overland  stage  drivers. 

One  of  the  last  of  the  Hillsborough  stage  drivers  and  the 
best  remembered  by  those  living  to-day  was  Hatch  Burnham,  a 
brother  of  Dr.  Abel  C.  Burnham,  who  drove  the  stage  for  several 
years  between  Hillsborough  and  Keene.  He  lacked  the  peculiar 
dignity  that  belonged  to  the  typical  stage  driver  of  the  old  school, 
was  brusque  in  his  manner  and  a  man  of  few,  crusty  words  yet 
withal  he  had  a  kind  heart.  A  pet  dog  usually  met  him  on  his 
return  from  these  trips  and  springing  to  the  seat  would  sit  bolt 
upright  on  the  seat  beside  him  whatever  the  weather.  When  the 
dog  became  too  feeble  to  mount  to  his  accustumed  place  his 
master  would  stop  his  team,  clamber  down  to  the  ground  and  lift] 
him  up  as  carefully  as  one  might  a  child.  The  old  stager  staid 
over  each  alternate  night  in  Keene  and  over  Sunday,  and  so 
keenly  did  this  intelligent  dog  keep  the  passage  of  time  that  he 
never  missed  the  day  nor  hour  on  which  his  master  was  due,  noi* 
did  he  ever  go  to  meet  him  on  Sunday. 

Hatch  was  the  fortunate  possessor  of  two  gold-mounted 
whips,  which  he  ordered  to  be  buried  with  him.  These  prized 
instruments,  which  he  owned  with  a  great  deal  of  pride,  were  both 
given  him  for  acts  of  humane  benevolence  that  gave  him  the  ear- 
marks of  a  hero.  At  one  time  he  made  a  wintry  drive  when  the 
snow  lay  deep  and  drifted  along  the  way,  so  that  finally  he  was 
obliged  to  unhitch  his  horses  and  plunge  ahead  on  foot.  He  had 
one  passenger  on  this  trip,  an  oldish  man,  who  soon  was  unable 
to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  horses,  though  Hatch  had 
trampled  down  the  snow  ahead  of  the  animals.  The  old  stager 
then  helped  the  man  onto  the  back  of  one  of  the  horses,  but 
obliged  to  hold  him  there  Hatch  was  unable  to  make  a  path  for 


HATCH  BURNHAM.  319 

the  horses,  which  came  to  a  standstill  after  going  some  rods.  It 
was  a  bitter  winter  day,  the  wind  blowing  a  gale  and  filling  the 
air  with  the  blinding  particles  of  the  storm.  Unable  to  proceed 
further  as  he  was,  Hatch  had  the  man  slip  from  his  seat  into  his* 
arms,  and  leaving  the  horses  to  follow  at  will  the  doughty  old 
driver  resolutely  plunged  through  the  deep  snow  on  towards  a 
farmhouse  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead.  How  nearly  exhausted  he 
was  when  he  staggered  up  to  the  door  of  the  farmer  to  be 
received  with  his  burden  with  wide-opened  arms,  Hatch  Burnham 
never  told.  But  he  had  saved  the  life  of  his  passenger,  and  later 
the  latter  presented  him  with  one  of  the  beautiful  whips,  and 
along  with  it  the  tidy  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars.  The  other 
whip  was  won  by  an  equally  humane  and  difficult  deed.  So,  if 
brusque  and  taciturn  to  uncivility  even  to  his  friends,  a  kind 
heart  beat  under  the  jacket  of  Hatch  Burnham. 

Ah,  those  knights  of  the  ribbon  belonged  to  a  distinct  class  of 
men.  The  steam  horse  may  get  us  there  in  shorter  time,  or  the 
automobile  swifter  yet,  but  still  both  lack  the  keen  interest,  the 
good-natured  enthusiasm,  the  attraction  that  drew  a  crowd  equal 
to  the  good  old  Concord  coach  drawn  by  six  spirited  horses, 
managed  by  some  grizzled  sun-tanned  veteran  of  the  whip  and 
filled  to  over  flowing  with  a  merry  party  of  travelers.  Everyone 
knew  when  to  expect  the  stage,  and  before  the  hour  for  its  arrival 
drew  near  a  crowd  wouid  begin  to  assemble  at  the  store  where 
the  post  office  was  kept.  Suddenly  the  conversation  upon  the 
every-day  topics  of  the  weather,  crops,  etc.,  and  all  arguments, 
political  or  otherwise,  would  be  hushed  as  one  of  the  number 
would  exclaim: 

"There  she  comes!  Milo  is  on  time  to-night,"  as  if  every 
one  did  not  expect  he  would  be.  The  rumble  of  heavy  wheels 
would  then  be  heard,  and  a  little  later  the  old  Concord  coach, 
rocking  on  its  thorough-braces  under  its  score  of  passengers, 
drawn  by  six  well-groomed  horses  would  loom  into  view  against 
the  evening  sky,  above  the  din  of  rolling  wheels  and  the  ring  of 
steel-shod  heels  the  loud  crack  of  the  long  blacksnake  whip  would 
hiss  and  snap.  The  intelligent  horses  seemed  to  understand 
what  was  expected  of  them,  and  they  would  settle  into  a  smart 
canter  on  this  their  last  lap,  the  coach  swaying  to  and  fro  as  if 


320  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

keeping  time  to  the  merry  music  of  the  wheels.  The  passen- 
gers, those  inside  the  vehicle  and  the  half-dozen  or  more  perched' 
upon  the  top,  all  seemed  to  have  caught  the  spirit  of  the  home- 
coming and  they  waved  their  hats  or  gave  expression  to  their 
exuberance  of  spirits  by  other  manifestations  of  delight,  swinging 
gracefully  around  the  curve  leading  into  the  yard  at  a  spanking 
gait  which  seemed  to  threaten  a  further  flight  before  they  could 
be  brought  to  a  halt.  But  the  loud  "whoa !"  from  their  master 
would  be  scarcely  uttered  before  the  intelligent  creatures  would 
come  to  a  stop  at  exactly  the  usual  point.  Then  calmly  winding 
the  reins  about  the  whipstock,  the  driver  would  step  down  from 
his  lofty  perch  as  quietly  as  if  ft  were  an  every-day  occurrence. 
In  truth  it  was,  but  not  of  an  ordinary  order. 

"These  old  stage  drivers  they  have  gone  their  ways, 
The  old  stage  drivers  with  their  dash  and  trust ! 
These  old  stage  drivers  they  have  gone  their  ways, 
But  their  deeds  live  on,  though  their  bones  are  dust." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Farms  and  Farmers  of  Yesterday. 

From  Trail  to  Highway — When  Hillsborough  Was  Strictly  a  Farming 
Town — The  Effect  of  the  Civil  War  upon  Country  Communities— 
The  Farmer  a  "Jack  at  all  Trades" — The  Industrious  House- 
Wife  Equally  as  Thrifty— A  Pen  Picture  of  the  "Good  Old  Days"— 
Going  to  Church  on  the  Sabbath — Suppressed  Excitement  Which 
Threatened  the  Equilibrium  of  Our  Religion — A  Parson's  Peculiar 
Predicament — "The  Devil  is  in  my  Breeches !" — A  Sunday  Dinner 
Salting  the  Cattle — Home  Manufactures — "Tapping"  the  Maples — 
Soap  Making — 'Gathering  Herbs — Destruction  of  the  Forest — 
"Modern  Conveniences" — Linen  Manufacture — The  Well — The 
Prospect  Today. 

The  road  from  Bridge  Village  to  the  Centre  is  a  pleasant 
walk  for  a  strong-limbed  pedestrian,  and  as  we  slowly  follow  the 
well-oiled,  hard-crusted  way  over  which  the  modern  car  rolls 
with  surprising  rapidity — we  would  fain  go  slowly,  for  the  scene 
is  too  attractive  to  move  otherwise — we  pity  the  man  hurrying 
past  in  his  lightning  vehicle,  as  if  the  Old  Harry  was  after  him, 
which  he  may  be !  It  was  over  this  same  route,  guided  by  blazed 
trees  and  the  footsteps  of  wild  beasts,  that  the  McColleys,  Gib- 
sons, Lyons  and  their  comrades,  the  rugged  masculineness  of 
their  presence  softened  by  the  companionship  of  a  single  woman, 
marched  on  the  day  before  yesterday. 

Vanished  are  the  trees  they  blazed ;  gone  are  the  cabins  they 
built ;  long-since  snuffed  out  in  smoke  the  house  of  worship  they 
erected  as  a  temple  in  the  wilderness.  But  their  clearings  remain, 
and  the  example  of  their  industry  and  heroism  live  as  a  guiding 
star  to  those  who  travel  the  self-same  route,  the  self-same  round 
of  life,  enlarged  with  the  increasing  horizon  of  an  expanding 
civilization.  Perhaps  no  man  in  his  calling  has  been  more  mis- 
judged and  cared  so  little  about  it  as  the  farmer.  Until  only  a 
few  years  since  he  was  not  only  a  feller  of  trees  and  tiller  of  the- 
soil,  but  he  was  of  necessity  a  mechanic,  a  smith,  his  own  lawyer, 

321 


322  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

when  one  was  needed,  thanks  to  the  good  mother  of  the  house- 
hold, his  own  doctor,  and  his  own  manufacturer. 

The  agricultural  history  of  a  country  town  is  really  its  most 
interesting  and  important  phase.  Other  industries,  such  as 
manufacturing  of  various  kinds,  inventions  of  improved  pro- 
ducts, have  succeeded  the  more  labored  efforts  of  the  tillers  of  the 
soil,  yet  after  all  he  made  these  possible — was  the  pioneer  of  all 
achievements.  While  Hillsborough  did  not  prove  an  Eden  of 
fertility  (what  town  ever  did?)  there  was  much  good  land  in  the 
territory  originally  covered  by  Colonel  Hill's  deed.  We  have 
become  familiar  enough  with  its  history  to  know  that  these  were 
developed  with  marked  certainty  if  not  with  a  great  degree  of 
speed. 

The  largest  numbers  of  acres  under  cultivation  existed  at  the 
time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  when  Hillsborough 
had  fewer  acres  overshadowed  with  wild  growth  than  the 
majority  of  towns. 

Farms  of  Yesterday. 

Mr.  Frank  French,  the  artist,  in  an  article  upon  life  in  th^ 
days  when  a  certain  room,  usually  unfinished,  was  set  apart  as 
the  weave-room,  says  very  aptly:  "The  Widow  Bussiel's  weave- 
room  was  an  enchanting  place.  There  was  a  mystery  about  the 
ponderous  machine  that  excited  our  boyish  imagination,  and 
responsive  sympathy  in  the  face  of  the  weaver  that  appealed  to 
our  hearts.  As  she  sat  upon  her  rude  bench  her  head  was  sil- 
houetted against  the  light  of  a  cob-webbed  window  and  framed 
in  by  the  shadowy  posts,  beams  and  braces.  The  cords  of  the 
harness  and  the  threads  of  the  warp  were  illuminated,  and  the 
light  glinted  upon  the  reed  as  it  jerked  sharply  forward,  driving 
the  thread  of  filling  home  with  a  thud;  and  upon  the  polished 
shuttle  as  it  was  deftly  thrown  back  and  forth  by  the  weaver's 
hands  between  the  crossed  ranks  of  the  warp,  whose  positions 
were  reversed  by  squeaky  pedals  after  receiving  the  weft  from 
the  shuttle.  The  widow  wove  an  occasional  web  of  cloth,  a  rag 
carpet  or  a  bed  tick  for  home  use  or  for  a  neighbor. 

"Nothing  was  thrown  away  in  those  days.  Every  wornout 
dress  or  apron  was  cut  in  strips,  which  were  sewed  together  at 
the  ends  and  wound  in  balls  for  rag  carpet.    Scraps  too  small  for 


THE  FARMER  S  SUNDAY.  323 

carpet  rags  were  put  in  the  rag-bag  to  be  exchanged  with  the 
peddler  for  tinware. . .  All  the  sewing  was  done  at  home,  except 
an  occasional  Sunday  suit  made  by  the  traveling  tailor.  Stock- 
ings, mittens  and  tippets  were  knitted  from  yarn  spun  at  home. 
Apples  were  cut,  strung  and  dried  and  boiled  cider  apple  sauce', 
made.  Milk  had  to  be  cared  for  daily,  and  butter  and  cheese 
called  for  attention.  The  tallow  dip,  which  was  the  staple  light 
of  the  household,  was  manufactured  at  home.  Chickens  and 
turkeys  were  killed  and  picked,  and  the  feathers  carefully  sorted 
for  beds  and  pillows.  Very  little  was  bought  from  the  butcher 
and  nothing  from  the  baker.  Saturday  was  baking  day.  What 
an  appalling  task  it  must  have  been  to  prepare  for  those  savage 
appetites,  in  the  heat  of  summer  a  host  of  apple,  pumpkin  and 
custard  pies,  a  pot  of  pork  and  beans,  a  great  loaf  of  brown  bread 
and  many  loaves  of  wheat,  a  large  Indian  or  apple  pudding, 
gingerbread,  cookies,  cup  custards,  etc. !  Moreover  the  great 
oven  had  to  be  heated  and  cleaned  to  receive  them.  Need  one 
wonder  that  the  Sabbath  was  eagerly  looked  forward  to  in  those- 
days  of  toil? 

"It  can  be  hardly  said  that  the  boys,  brimming  over  with  fun 
and  spirits,  shared  with  their  elders  this  longing  for  the  quiet 
peace  of  Sunday.  All  forms  of  play  were  sternly  repressed,  but 
we  enjoyed  the  respite  from  work.  In  a  long  closet  off  the  spare 
room  hung  the  Sunday  clothes  and  hats,  while  the  Sunday  shoes 
were  in  orderly  row  upon  the  floor.  These  articles  of  apparel 
were  seldom  put  on  except  upon  the  Sabbath,  and  some  of  them 
had  descended  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest.  Father  always 
maintained  an  air  of  extreme  gravity  as  we  rode  over  the  three 
miles  of  hill  road  to  the  Centre  meeting  house,  but  I  have  no 
doubt  it  was  a  matter  of  secret  pride  to  him  to  drive  up  to  the 
meeting  house  with  two  wagon  loads  behind  such  likely  looking 
horses.  As  we  walked  up  the  uncarpeted  aisle  our  stiff  Sunday 
shoes  embarassingly  announced  our  presence  and  their  infrequent 
use.  There  was  a  long  morning  service,  followed  by  a  half-houf 
intermission  during  which  we  went  over  to  the  horse-shed  and 
ate  our  luncheon.  Then  we  walked  over  to  the  grave  yard,  back 
of  the  meeting  house,  holding  silent  communion  with  those  sleep- 
ing there.     Returning  to  Sunday  School,  we  stopped  at  Blake 


3^4  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Martin's  well-sweep  for  a  drink  of  water,  and  my  mother  and 
sister  gathered  sprigs  of  spearmint  and  heads  of  caraway  for  the 
sleepy  boys  to  brouse  upon  during  the  long  afternoon  service 
which  immediately  followed  Sunday  School. 

"Any  little  incident  which  might  relieve  the  tediousness  of 
the  service  was  anxiously  looked  for,  and  a  very  slight  occurrence 
was  sufficient  to  excite  our  sense  of  the  ridiculous  to  the  point 
of  explosion  from  which  we  were  saved  by  a  glance  at  father's 
stern  face  at  the  end  of  the  pew.  Perhaps  at  a  solemn  moment 
the  neighs  of  two  horses  which  had  been  tied  close  together 
would  pierce  the  Sabbath  stillness  ;  or  a  wasp  would  come  through 
the  window,  trailing  his  long  black  legs  just  above  the  flower- 
decked  hat  of  a  girl  and  cause  her  to  cower  in  fright ;  or  weary 
old  Deacon  Stephens  would  nod  lower  and  lower  till  the  strain 
upon  his  neck  would  awaken  him  with  a  start." 

A  ludicruous  affair  that  occurred  some  years  before  Mr. 
French's  time,  seems  worthy  of  place  here.  A  certain  divine,  who 
shall  be  nameless  here,  out  of  respect  to  his  memory,  one  balmy 
June  morning  came  to  perform  his  part  in  the  worship  decked 
out  in  his  buckskin  suit  for  the  first  time  that  season.  According 
to  custom  this  suit  during  the  interval  since  cast  aside  the  previous 
summer  had  been  hanging  in  the  attic  chamber.  Here  a  colony  of 
hornets  had  found  a  way,  and  finding  no  likelier  receptacle  for 
their  abiding  place,  had  taken  possession  of  the  parson's  unmen- 
tionables. Unaware  of  these  unsolicited  tenants  the  good  man 
had  hastily  donned  the  garments  on  this  particular  Sabbath 
morning,  and  his  mind  engrossed  with  clerical  duties  he  entered 
the  pulpit,  feeling  no  doubt  a  pardonable  pride  in  his  summer 
raiment.  But,  as  he  warmed  with  the  subject  matter  of  his  dis- 
course, the  merry  little  occupants  of  his  nether  garments  began 
also  to  feel  the  thrill  of  new  life,  and  so  began  to  move  about 
very  much  to  the  Parson's  surprise  and  wonder.  Surreptitiously 
placing  his  hand  somewhat  heavily  over  the  scene  of  action  he 
was  horrified  to  feel  a  sharp  prick  as  if  a  needle  had  been  thrust 
into  his  limb.  Nor  did  the  disturbance  stop  here,  but  immediately 
a  complete  storm  of  attacks  made  him  fairly  writhe.  Still  in  the 
dark  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  warfare  waged  at  this  most  un- 
propitious   moment,   he  turned   an  agonizing  look  towards  his 


SALTING   THE    CATTLE.  325 

parishioners,  crying  out:  "Bretheren  and  Sisterens,  there  will 
have  to  be  a  halt  in  our  services !  While  the  word  of  the  good 
Lord  is  in  my  mouth,  the  devil  is  in  my  breeches!" 

Resuming  Mr.  French's  narrative :  "The  long  sermon  would 
end  at  last,  and  amid  the  rustle  of  silk  brocade  and  bombazine 
the  congregation  would  arise  and  face  about  to  the  choir  with  a 
flutter  of  relief.  On  our  return  home  the  Sunday  dinner  of  pork 
and  beans  and  brown  bread,  which  had  gained  richness  and 
ripeness  of  flavor  from  twenty-four  hours's  exposure  to  the  heat 
of  the  old  brick  oven,  was  served. 

"After  dinner,  during  the  rush  of  haying,  we  were  allowed  to 
go  to  a  distant  pasture  on  Sunday  to  salt  the  cattle.  This  pleasant 
duty  belonged  by  custom  to  Saturday  afternoon,  but  was  doubly 
enjoyed  on  the  Sabbath,  as  it  filled  most  pleasurably  a  portion  of 
the  day  which  otherwise  would  have  been  given  up  to  the  house 
and  religious  reading.  With  what  a  sense  of  joyous  freedom  we 
walked  down  the  shady  hillside,  where  the  green  and  red  berries 
of  spikenard  glistened  like  glass  beads ;  then  up  and  down  the 
steep  ledgy  pitches  of  the  blackberry  and  raspberry  bordered 
road,  where  yarrow,  daisies,  Queen  Ann's  lace  and  jewel  weed 
mingled  their  many  hued  blossoms  with  the  tangled  vines  and 
the  rich  red  pompon  of  sumach  held  their  smouldering  torches 
above. 

"These  visits  to  the  cattle  were  to  us  like  intercourse  with 
friends.  We  had  cultivated  close  relationship  with  them  during 
the  long  winter  and  knew  their  habits,  their  characters  and  dis- 
positions, even  their  voices,  as  well  as  those  of  our  playmates. 
There  was  always  a  pleasant  leave-taking  at  the  bars,  where  the 
calves  rasped  our  bare  feet  with  their  tongues,  and  the  cossett 
sheep  nibbled  at  our  jackets,  and  the  colts  put  their  noses  over  our 
shoulders  to  be  caressed.  We  might  have  chosen  to  go  with  them 
to  the  dark  cool  woods  rather  than  to  prayer-meeting  at  the 
schoolhouse  in  Deacon  Dascomb's  district  in  the  evening. 

"As  I  observe  the  success  of  many  of  the  sons  of  New  Eng- 
land who  have  gone  into  larger  fields  of  endeavor,  which  has 
depended  on  sterling  character,  tenacity  of  purpose  and  self-help, 
I  feel  they  owe  much  to  the  New  England  Sabbath ;  to  encouraged 


326  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

habits  of  industry  and  thrift,  and  much,  very  much,  to  the  early 
discipline  that  was  so  rigidly  enforced." 

In  this  day  of  general  manufacture,  when  the  implements 
used  upon  the  farm  are  bought  ready  made,  and  the  farmer  pays 
little  heed  to  the  construction  of  the  tools  and  machinery  that 
assist  him  in  his  labors,  it  was  only  yesterday  he  was  making 
these,  or  those  of  more  simple  design  which  answered  a  place  in 
his  unending  round  of  duties.  His  carts,  his  wheel-barrows,  his 
ax-helves,  ox-yokes,  goad  sticks,  sleds,  etc.,  practically  every  tool 
and  machine  needed  on  the  farm  were  made  by  him  upon  stormy 
days,  evenings,  and  during  the  long  winters  when  he  was  not 
obliged  to  be  in  the  wood  lot.  One  of  the  stints  for  the  boys, 
when  not  employed  at  more  steady  occupation,  was  to  pound 
green  ash  logs  with  heavy  mallets  until  the  annual  growths  of 
wood  were  separated  so  as  to  form  long,  thin  strips  of  the  pliant 
wood,  and  these  slender  bands  were  woven  into  the  baskets  used 
on  the  farm.  Even  the  shingles  covering  the  roof  over  his  head 
were  riven  from  blocks  of  pine  logs  and  shaved  thin  by  the  draw- 
ing knife.  The  iron  work  of  all  of  these  tools  were  fashioned,  if 
rudely,  well  tempered,  at  the  farm  smithy. 

Early  in  the  spring,  usually  in  March,  the  rock  maples  on 
the  farm  were  "tapped"  by  boring  a  half  inch  hole  in  the  trunk 
to  the  depth  of  about  an  inch,  and  "spouts"  made  of  the  sumach, 
the  pith  carefully  scraped  out  so  as  to  form  a  channel  nearly  the 
length,  and  one  end  rounded  to  the  proper  size  to  fit  the  augur 
hole.  From  the  sap  thus  obtained  a  supply  of  syrup  and  sugar 
of  finest  quality  was  secured  by  boiling  the  liquid  in  great  iron 
kettles  attached  to  cross  beams  over  a  hot  fire.  This  method  of 
obtaining  sweets,  sometimes  enough  to  last  the  family  a  year,  was 
a  legacy  of  the  red  man,  who  boiled  the  sap  he  had  secured  by 
heating  stones  and  dropping  them  in  the  earthen  vessel  that  he 
had  made  but  which  would  not  stand  the  elements  of  the  fire. 

Another  oldtime  custom,  not  abandoned  so  very  long  since, 
was  the  task  of  making  the  soap  for  the  family  use  during  the 
coming  year.  This  was  usually  done  in  the  spring.  All  of  the 
refuse  fat  during  the  year  was  saved  and  the  wood  ashes  kept 
until  the  good  housewife  was  expected  to  perform  one  of  the 
hardest  tasks  of  her  life,  soap-making.    Two  posts,  with  notches 


FARM   THRIFT  AND  FRUGALITY.  327 

or  branches  at  the  top  to  receive  the  cross-bar,  were  driven  firmly 
into  the  ground,  and  an  old  iron  kettle,  holding  perhaps  four 
gallons,  was  suspended  from  this  beam  by  a  section  of  some 
broken  chain.  Into  this  vessel  was  placed  the  soap  grease  and  a 
fire  kindled  under  it.  Nearby  a  half  molasses  hogshead  was 
placed  upon  a  raised  platform  and  filled  with  the  ashes,  which 
were  saturated  with  pails  of  water  brought  from  the  spring. 
When  the  water  had  had  time  to  permeate  the  ashes  the  strong 
liquid  called  lye  was  drawn  out  by  a  spiggot  at  the  bottom,  and 
pouring  this  upon  the  boiling  matter  in  the  kettle  made  the  old- 
fashioned  soft  soap,  strong  enough  to  remove  the  most  obstinate 
coating  of  dirt  if  it  did  not  obliterate  the  material  itself  or  remove 
the  skin  from  the  hands  of  the  user.  Until  within  comparatively 
a  few  years  this  was  the  only  kind  of  soap  used  among  the 
country  people  of  New  England. 

Not  only  were  the  spare  moments  utilized  in  making  the 
implements  needed  in  the  farm  and  house  work,  but  the  young 
were  taught  lessons  of  frugality  and  providence  for  the  future 
in  laying  by  stores  for  winter  of  almost  everything  that  grew. 
Herbs  of  all  kinds  from  spearmint  to  the  swamp  onion  were 
gathered  before  dog  days  had  set  in  and  were  carefully  hung  over 
the  cross  beams  of  the  unfinished  kitchen  or  chamber,  ready  for 
use  in  times  of  sickness ;  hazelnuts,  beechnuts,  butternuts,  chest- 
nuts, walnuts,  etc.,  were  stored  away  for  winter  evenings,  when 
with  pop  corn  and  a  mug  of  cider  for  the  older  ones,  made  a 
feast  of  pleasure.  The  enumeration  might  be  continued  almost 
indefinitely  to  show  there  were  really  no  "spare  moments"  in 
farm  life  as  conducted  a  generation  or  so  ago,  when  the  manly 
art  of  self-reliance  and  development  of  resources  were  uncon- 
sciously taught  in  every  act  of  daily  life. 

Farm  work  during  that  period  required  strong  limbs  and 
muscular  arms.  All  of  the  work  on  the  farm  was  done  by  hand, 
except  breaking  the  greensward  which  was  done  by  a  wooden 
plow  as  late  as  1830.  Think  of  tearing  up  the  rock-bound  sod  of 
Hillsborough  with  a  clumsy  wooden  plow ! 

Linen  was  the  favorite  material  for  clothes,  and  flax  was 
grown  in  quantities  sufficient  to  supply  the  family,  which  usually1 
consisted  of  six  or  eight  members.     This  added  greatly  to  the 


3^8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

work  performed  in  the  house  as  well  as  in  the  fields.  When 
grown,  the  flax  was  pulled  by  hand  a  slow  and  tedious  operation. 
It  then  had  to  be  exposed  to  the  weather,  until  it  had  been 
properly  cured,  after  which  it  was  moved  into  the  barn  or  some 
other  building,  where  it  was  left  until  it  was  convenient  for  the 
farmer  and  his  boys  to  break  and  dress  the  flax,  which  called  for 
the  removal  of  the  outside  or  woody  part  of  the  stalks  and  the 
preparation  of  the  fibre  for  spinning.  By  working  hard  and 
making  a  long  day  at  his  task,  a  man  could  dress  about  twenty 
pounds  of  flax  a  day.  It  then  went  to  the  women  of  the  family 
to  be  spun  on  foot-wheels  and  to  be  woven  on  the  old  hand  looms. 
The  flax  industry,  due  to  the  increase  in  the  factories,  in  the  out- 
put of  woolen  and  cotton  goods,  practically  ceased  about  1825. 
The  hand  spinning  of  wool  and  the  knitting  of  stockings  con- 
tinued for  half  a  century  later. 

The  Well. 

Originally  of  course  the  settlers  sought  the  springs  and 
streams  for  their  supply  of  water,  often  being  obliged  to  carry 
the  much-desired  fluid  in  the  heavy  pails  of  the  times  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.  This  proving  no  slight  task  on  many  home- 
steads, especially  in  winter  time,  wells  were  dug  nearer  thq 
houses.  To  facilitate  the  lifting  of  this  precious  water  from  its 
prison  in  the  ground,  and  some  of  these  wells  were  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  in  depth,  a  stout  post  was  set  not  far  from  the  rim 
or  opening  where  usually  a  curbing  had  been  built,  and  from  this 
upright  a  long  cross  arm  was  fastened  about  midway  and  so 
balanced  that  when  the  bucket  was  filled  with  water  it  could  be 
easily  raised  to  the  top  of  the  frame  work. 

Sometimes  the  digging  and  stoning  of  one  of  these  wells 
was  no  slight  task,  as  it  has  been  described  by  an  old  resident  and 
published  fifty  years  ago:  "He  bores,  he  digs,  he  digs  and  he 
bores!  through  strata  after  strata  of  various  depths  and  forma- 
tion. But  he  makes  slow  progress ;  he  finds  no  water  as  yet,  nor 
does  he  make  any  miraculous  discovery,  for  he  has  not  reached 
any  of  the  antedeluvian  formation  though  at  the  close  of  each  day 
he  is  a  little  farther  from  home  and  a  little  nearer  the  antipodes. 
His  labor  is  irksome,  tiresome,  a  cloud  of  melancholly  over- 


EXCITEMENT  IN  DIGGING  A  WELL.  329 

shadows  him  and  he  gets  a  fit  of  the  blues,  and  desponding  until 
nearly  despairing  of  success,  he  thinks  that  some  strange  fate  holds 
the  undertaking  in  its  luckless  grasp.  He  is  so  nearly  discouraged 
he  is  about  to  abandon  the  job,  when  a  neighbor,  Nathaniel 
Cooledge,  approached  the  spot  and  engaged  in  conversation  ap- 
propriate to  the  day  and  occasion,  thus  cheering  the  heart  and 
encouraging  the  hand  of  the  laborer.  At  the  same,  time  he  was 
talking  the  new-comer  watched  with  eagle  eye  the  progress  of 
the  work  as  though  inspired  with  the  thought  that  something  un- 
usual was  about  to  come  forth  at  the  stroke  of  the  pick.  Nor  was 
this  expectation,  if  such  he  had,  long  deferred  in  its  realization  for 
very  soon  in  response  to  a  well  directed  blow  of  the  pick,  a  large 
mass  of  earth  and  debris  was  broken  from  the  irregular  wall  and 
fell  at  the  workman's  feet.  As  it  tumbled  from  its  place  the  leg 
of  an  iron  pot  was  disclosed.  The  watchful  eye  of  Cooledge  saw 
this  object  before  the  laborer,  and  his  imagination  quickly  fired 
with  stories  of  hidden  treasures,  he  shouted  in  stentorian  tone, 
just  as  the  other  was  about  to  deal  the  thing  a  smashing  blow : 
"Hold  on!  save  the  pot  for  yourself,  but  the  money  is  mine." 

Half  frightened  by  this  unexpected  command  the  laborer 
suddenly  stopped  in  his  work,  while,  with  that  strange  telegraphy 
by  which  such  news  is  sent  broadcast,  a  crowd,  wondering  and 
curious,  began  to  collect  at  the  brink  of  the  embankment,  looking 
down  with  strained  eyes  upon  the  mysterious  vessel,  which  pos- 
sibly had  been  buried  there  by  some  Captain  Kid.  Pushing  the 
point  of  his  pick  under  one  side  the  man  carefully  turned  the 
precious  object  over,  prepared  to  meet  with  any  sight  that  might 
be  revealed  to  him,  the  while  Cooledge  was  oblivious  of  every- 
thing else.  Alas !  for  human  hopes,  all  the  ancient  vessel  con- 
tained was  some  rather  darkly  colored  earth  and  a  little  iron  rust 
— nothing  more — an  old,  broken,  discarded  pot  belonging  to  an 
early  settler — just  that.  Water  of  excellent  quality  and  in 
abundance  was  found  the  next  day,  a  fountain  which  has  not 
failed  to  this  day. 

There  were  no  close-cropped  "lawns"  about  these  old- 
fashioned  farm-houses,  but  the  spacious  grounds  bore  the  more 
plebeian  name  of  "door  yard."  One  of  these  was  large  enough 
to  contain  the  year's  supply  of  fire-wood,  which  was  no  small 


33°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

quantity,  as  witness  one  of  the  huge,  conical-shaped  piles  reaching 
above  the  eaves  of  the  ell,  besides  the  full  catalogue  of  farm  tools 
and  vehicles,  some  of  which  had  long  outlived  their  usefulness. 
Left  promiscuously  here  and  there  the  effect  was  not  altogether1 
pleasing  nor  profitable. 

Every  great  war  leaves  in  its  wake  certain  changes  in  popula- 
tion, in  business  efforts  and  in  society.  So  it  was  with  America's 
great  Civil  War.  Drawing  its  forces  largely  from  the  country 
towns,  as  it  did,  these  reservoirs  of  population  and  industry 
naturally  felt  the  effects  first  and  most.  The  war  marked  the 
beginning  of  the  decline  of  rural  live  as  a  factor  in  the  progress 
of  the  nation. 

In  common  with  her  sister  commonwealths,  Hillsborough 
sent  every  other  of  her  able-bodied  men  into  the  field  of  action, 
and  suffered  accordingly.  A  considerable  percentage  of  these 
never  came  back.  Those  were  spared  to  return  came  with 
wounds,  broken  in  health,  or  if  not  physically  disabled  prema- 
turely aged,  unable  to  take  up  the  burden  of  working  for  an 
existence  where  they  had  laid  it  down.  So  from  that  period  dates 
the  decadence  of  country  life  of  the  old  regime. 

To  offset  this  in  a  measure  the  public  meetings  and  open 
discussions  of  the  farmer-politicians  during  the  war  had  proved 
beneficial  in  the  manner  that  hitherto  prone  to  reason  within  him- 
self and  leave  his  neighbor  alone,  now  began  to  broaden  his  ideas 
and  progressive  action  followed.  One  by  one  improvements  in 
farm  work  began;  one  machine  after  another  came.  If  the  num- 
ber of  those  willing  to  follow  the  arduous  round  of  farm  work 
became  less,  fewer  hands  were  required  to  accomplish  the  end. 

Over  this  steady-moving,  hand-to-hand  way  of  living  came 
a  swift  change.  No  more  does  the  farm  boy  follow  his  round  of 
drudgery  from  sunrise  to  sunset;  The  lowing  herds  upon  the 
hillsides  have  vanished,  and  where  the  farmers  yoked  up  twenty 
pairs  of  oxen  and  steers  to  break  out  the  roads,  horses  draw  the 
big  roller.  It  is  true  some  farmers  keep  good-sized  herds  of  cows 
to  furnish  milk  for  the  creamery  or  to  ship  to  some  distant  city 
to  be  peddled  out  by  the  milkman.  He  buys  the  grain  with  which 
to  feed  these  animals,  and  the  oldtime  field  of  ripening  corn  is 
almost  unknown,  for  if  he  does  plant  any  of  the  useful  crop  it  is 


IMPROVEMENTS  ON   THE  FARM.  33 1 

harvested  while  the  milk  is  in  the  stock  and  the  silo,  standing  at 
right  angles  with  the  barn  like  the  tower  of  some  olden  castle, 
receives  the  crop  as  the  winter  feed  for  the  cows.  The  pastures, 
alas!  are  grown  over  with  junipers  and  thriftless  bushes,  where 
once  the  succulent  grass  grew  to  the  ruminating  animal's  knees, 
and  here  and  there  great  patches  of  luscious  strawberries  tempted 
the  palate  of  the  husbandman.  The  great  tracts  of  lofty  pines 
have  fallen  victims  of  the  circular  saw  that  cut  them  in  twain 
with  as  little  compunction  as  a  man  was  beheaded  in  the  days  of 
King  Charles.  A  sadder  phase  than  this  is  the  frequent  cellar 
holes — tombs  of  abandoned  farms — that  greet  the  gaze  of  the 
traveler  along  the  highways  and  even  upon  the  byways,  now  over- 
grown that  erstwhile  echoed  to  the  hoof  of  the  stage  horse. 
Homesteads  once  enlivened  by  throngs  of  merry  life  now  lie 
deserted,  and  silence  broods  by  day  and  night  in  a  lonely  watch 
over  the  dead  and  missing. 

If  this  picture  is  not  pleasant  to  look  upon  turn  it  to  the  wall. 
If  fewer  in  numbers  the  farmers  of  to-day  have  twenty  opportu- 
nities to  turn  an  honest  dollar  where  their  forebears  had  one, 
and  his  day  of  labor  is  not  timed  by  the  sun  but  the  factory 
whistle  or  his  gold  repeater  reminds  him  when  the  modern 
schedule  of  a  day's  work  has  been  measured  off  as  the  store- 
keeper would  run  off  so  many  yards  of  calico.  He  rides  in  his 
sulky  plow  to  turn  the  sod  of  his  fertile  hill  side ;  he  opens,  drops 
and  covers  the  seed  by  machine;  he  stirs  the  soil,  adjusts  the 
tender  shoots  and  gently  lays  the  cool  earth  about  them  by 
machine ;  he  cuts  the  grass,  rakes  the  newly-mown  hay  and  places 
it  away  on  the  high  scaffold  by  machine;  he  even  milks  his  cows 
by  machine,  digs  his  potatoes;  ay,  at  the  pace  he  has  taken  it 
won't  be  long  before  a  neat  little  contrivance  will  grace  his  dining 
table  to  save  him  the  effort  of  lifting  the  food  to  his  mouth. 
Water  is  brought  to  his  kitchen  sink  from  the  spring  on  the  side 
of  the  hill ;  an  electric  light  dispels  the  darkness  of  night  from 
the  road  that  he  travels,  so  it  is  always  day  with  him.  Does  he 
wish  to  go  to  the  town  or  some  further  destination  he  no  longer 
waits  for  the  lumbering  stage  coach  to  bear  him  on  his  way,  but 
he  steps  lightly  into  his  well-cushioned  gasoline  car,  presses  a 
button,  and  lo !  he  is  speeding  like  the  wind  upon  his  way.    Does 


332  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

he  want  anything  at  the  village  store — the  country  store  is  almost 
an  institution  of  the  past,  he  steps  to  the  telephone  and  orders  it 
as  a  king  might.  The  rural  delivery  brings  his  mail  to  the  door ; 
the  baker  his  bread,  the  butcher  his  meat ;  and  while  he  scans  the 
morning  daily  with  keen  avidity  over  the  news  he  seldom  stops 
to  compare  the  present  with  the  past. 

Still,  with  all  these  advantages  and  in  such  close  touch  with 
the  great  round  world,  he  finds  his  neighbors  farther  and  farther 
removed ;  sees  the  farm  of  a  brother  taken  by  some  rich  New  York 
nabob  to  be  transformed  for  a  brief  summer  month  into  a  castle  of 
delights,  awakened  by  the  rhapsodies  of  city  people  going  in 
ecstacies  over  the  rocks  that  abuse  his  machinery ;  the  white  weeds 
that  will  spring  spontaneously  where  he  has  tried  to  coax  the 
green  grass  to  cover  the  rocks ;  the  shattered  hemlock  that  grimly 
reminds  him  of  last  year's  thunder  storm ;  the  mountains  that 
block  the  west  and  the  sunsets  that  at  best  to  him  portend  the 
possibility  of  another  fair  day.  And  then  the  long  white  silence 
of  winter,  when  this  merriment  and  liveliness  has  been  trans- 
planted to  the  bustling  city ;  when  his  automobile  is  housed  and 
himself  sits  in  the  chimney  corner  chewing  the  cud  of  reflection 
and  wondering  if  farming  can  be  made  to  pay  upon  these  old, 
wornout  homesteads.  So  the  picture  fits  the  time,  and  farmers 
as  well  as  others  are  carried  on  the  wave  of  continual  change) 
never  knowing  where  the  end  will  be. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Baptist  Church. 

■Formation  "First  Baptist  Society" — Institution  of  First  Baptist 
Church — Opposition  of  Lower  Village  to  Locate  Meeting  House  at 
Upper  Village — Pierce  Offers  Land  for  Site  of  Meeting  House — 
Terms  and  Location — Non-Acceptance — Other  Plans — Land  Pur- 
chased of  Lieutenant  MeNiel — Rivalry  Between  Lower  and  Upper 
Villages — House  Built — Opening  of  Services — First  Sabbath  School 
— Difference  of  Views — Certain  Opposition  to  the  Pastor — Mr. 
Atwood — Division  of  Church — "Independent  Baptist  Church" — Mr. 
Atwood  Becomes  Pastor — Known  as  "New  Church" — Other  Styled 
"Old  Church" — Elder  Atwood  Leaves  Town — Mr.  Chamberlain, 
Pastor  of  "Old"  Church  Resigns— Both  Churches  Without  Pastors 
— Millerite  Doctrine  Interferes  With  Church  Effort— "Old"  House 
Re-opened — The  Two  Churches  Re-united — "New"  House  Neglected 
— Bell  Removed— Ringers  of  Bell — Disposal  of  Old  Bell — New  Bell 
— Women  Repair  Meeting  House — Money  Raised  for  New  Bell — 
New  Bell  Raising — Organ  Installed — Regular  Services — Church 
Again  Abandoned — Last  Meeting  Held  1891 — Old  Meeting  House 
Left  to  the  "Society  of  Bats  and  Owls." 

Considerable  of  the  material  in  this  chapter  was  prepared 
by  Dr.  John  H.  Goodell  in  his  work  upon  a  history  of  the  churcht 
for  a  town  history. 

The  early  settlers  of  Hillsborough,  in  common  with  those  of; 
other  towns,  were  eminently  a  religious  people  and  the  prevailing 
theological  views  held  by  them,  were  those  of  the  Congregation- 
alists,  the  then  most  common  belief  throughout  New  England. 
Occasional  new  comers  entertained  other  views,  although  for 
many  years  too  few  to  maintain  separate  organizations,  conse- 
quently they  attended  and  helped  to  support  (by  taxation)  the 
regular  organized  church  of  the  town.  The  most  numerous  of 
these  were  Baptists.  As  their  numbers  increased  they  began  to 
hope  to  be  able  to  hold  religious  services  conducted  after  their 
own  faith.  This  sentiment  grew,  and  on  the  21st  day  of  May 
1813  a  few  Baptists  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  established  the 

333 


334  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

"First  Baptist  Society"  in  Hillsborough.  They  had  preaching 
"occasionally"  for  seven  years  by  such  ministers  as  they  could 
procure. 

Under  the  services  of  Elder  Charles  Cummings  of  Sullivan 
quite  an  extensive  revival  resulted.  In  August,  1820,  the  society 
adopted  a  "Declaration  of  Faith  and  Covenant,"  and  on  the  31st 
day  of  that  month  the  "first  Baptist  Church  of  Hillsborough"  was 
instituted  at  the  house  of  David  Goodell.  Elder  Elijah  Willard 
of  Dublin  gave  the  right  hand  of  Fellowship  and  preached  a 
sermon.  Elder  Cummings  delivered  an  address  to  the  newly  con- 
stituted church.  The  other  members  of  the  Council  who  assisted 
and  advised  to  this  action  were  Elder  Forces  Moore,  Bros. ; 
Elias  Hemmingway  and  Jonathan  Metcalf  of  Keene;  Stephen 
Foster  and  Luther  Hemmingway  of  Sullivan,  and  Bro.  Samuel 
Gage  of  Dublin.  There  were  sixteen  charter  members,  seven 
males  and  nine  females.  The  candidates  were  baptised  on  the 
day  of  organization,  who  subsequently  became  members.  At  the 
first  church  meeting  held  September  16,  James  Howe  was  chosen 
Church  Clerk,  and  October  26  following  James  Eayrs  was  chosen 
First  Deacon  and  Fisher  Gay  Second  Deacon.  Deacon  Eayrs 
died  December  23,  1839,  and  though  there  is  no  record  of  the 
fact,  it  is  probable  that  Sandy  Smith  was  made  his  successor.  By 
the  death  of  Deacon  Eayrs  the  church  lost  a  man  of  great  execu- 
tive ability  and  influence,  which  was  always  exercised  for  peace 
in  all  the  "tryals"  of  the  church,  which  were  not  few. 

The  society  enjoyed  a  good  degree  of  prosperity  for  several 
years,  with  almost  constant  preaching  by  Elders  Charles  Cum- 
mings, Thomas  Paul,  and  others.  These  services  were  held  in 
private  houses,  barns  and  school  houses,  many  members  being 
added  to  the  church  by  baptism  and  by  letter,  an  attempt  was 
made  as  early  as  1818  to  build  a  meeting  house,  according  to  the) 
following  report : 

"We  the  undersigned  being  a  Committee  chosen  at  the  annual 
meeting  at  the  First  Baptist  Society  of  Hillsborough  for  the 
purpose  of  finding  a  spot  of  ground  to  erect  a  Meeting  House  on, 
and  forming  a  plan  of  Constitution  for  building  the  same,  Report 
that  they  have  attended  to  said  business  and  that  they  have  drafted 
a  plan  or  Constitution  which  is  herewith  submitted,  and  that  they 


RIVALRY  IN  THE  SOCIETY.  335 

can  obtain  a  spot  of  ground  nearly  opposite  to  Nathaniel  John- 
son's Esqr.  store,  occupied  by  Mr.  Isaac  Jones  to  contain  forty 
six  Poles  for  thirty  dollars. 

/    Benjamin  Smith 
Hillsborough  I 

]    Charles  Pool 
April  20th  /  Committee 

J    David  Goodell,  Jr. 
1818.  / 

\    James  Howe 

There  is  no  recorded  action  upon  this  report,  so  it  would  be 
useless  to  give  the  "Plan  and  Constitution"  submitted.  The  loca- 
tion indicated  was  between  the  houses  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  Judson  Senter  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Emerson  at  the  Upper 
Village.  Four  years  later,  in  1822,  another  effort  was  made  to 
"build  on  this  spot,  enlarged  to  one  and  one-half  acres  for  a 
"Meeting  House  and  Graveyard  and  convenient  Sheads."  The 
plan  provided  for  a  "house  the  size  to  be  forty  four  feet  square 
on  the  ground,  twenty  one  feet  High  in  the  Body  with  lower  and 
upper  storys  containing  forty  one  Pews  in  the  Lower  Story  and 
twenty  one  in  the  Gallery  with  Singers  and  Public  seats,  the 
House  to  be  known  as  the  Baptist  Meeting  House  of  Hillsborough 
to  be  considered  for  the  use  and  privelege  of  Said  Church  and 
Society."  It  was  further  provided  that  the  "whole  cost  of  the 
House  is  to  be  Leved  on  the  Pews  and  the  sale  of  the  Pews  to  be 
made  Previous  to  the  Purchase  of  any  of  the  materials  to  build 
sd  House." 

The  attempt  to  locate  the  house  at  the  Upper  Village  awoke 
a  strong  opposition  from  those  living  at  the  Lower  Village,  and 
the  following  year,  1823,  General  Pierce  (afterwards  governor) 
offered  to  give  the  society  sufficient  land  for  the  site  of  a  meeting 
house  and  a  burying  ground  in  a  convenient  locality  on  the  follow- 
ing terms:  "I  give  to  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Hillsborough, 
the  society  and  owners  of  the  Meeting  House  "The  burying  yard 
to  be  lotted  out  ^  is  to  be  for  the  use  of  the  proprietors  and 
owners  of  the  house  &  %.  to  be  Left  or  lotted  for  the  use  of  those 
that  do  not  belong  to  or  have  an  interest  in  the  house  and  the 
said  Peirce  Reserves  to  himself  a  family  plot  and  also  the  write 


336  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  Mowing  and  taking  of  the  hay  from  said  ground  and  that 
same  ground  is  to  be  kept  always  by  the  proprietors  well  and 
decently  fenced  so  as  to  prevent  Cattle  Horses  or  Sheep  from 
going  into  it  and  that  the  land  before  mentioned  to  be  property 
of  the  owners  of  said  Meeting  house  Forever  and  the  Land  where 
the  Meeting  house  stands  while  said  house  is  occupied  for  the 
use  of  preaching  and  public  and  Religious  worship  that  the  Meet- 
inghouse Common  is  to  be  hansomely  set  out  with  trees  &c.  and 
that  the  wall  on  the  Road  way  be  used  by  the  society  for  the 
fence  the  east  side  of  the  Common  &  Burial  yard." 

The  piece  of  land  offered  by  General  Pierce  was  situated 
about  fifty  rods  north  of  his  dwelling  house  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  road.  A  plan  was  submitted  which  called  for  a  house 
44  X  54  feet,  "a  good  Brick  Building  finished  in  good  stile  with  a 
Bellfree,  the  Pews  to  be  arranged  and  Numbered  agreeable  to  the 
plan  each  to  contain  8  feet  in  length  and  three  feet  in  wedth  all 
to  be  seated  facing  the  Desk  .  .  .  the  Pews  to  be  all  sold  at 
auction  to  the  Highest  Bidder  .  .  .  This  effort  like  those  preced- 
ing failed,  and  another  intervale  of  three  years  elapsed  before 
any  further  effort  was  made  toward  this  desired  object.  A  call 
signed  by  seventeen  citizens  was  issued  "to  meet  at  Thomas 
Wilson's  in  Hillsboro  on  Thursday  the  21st  of  Dec,  1826,  at 
one  o'clock  p.  m.  precisely  and  to  proceed  to  act  on  the  subject 
of  Building  a  Meeting  house." 

At  this  meeting  the  following  articles  were  considered  and 
adopted : 

Art.  1st.  The  house  shall  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  First 
Baptist  meeting  house  in  Hillsborough  and  shall  be  for  the  use  and 
privilege  of  the  first  Baptist  Church  &  Society  in  this  town  at  all 
times  when  ever  they  wish  to  improve  or  occupy  said  House  for 
Preaching  or  for  Church  or  Society  meetings  provided  the  Baptist 
society  shall  not  improve  it  more  than  one  half  the  time  in  equal 
proportion  of  the  season  of  the  year,  if  any  of  the  proprietors  in  said 
House  of  diferent  sentiments  wish  to  improve  the  house  for  the  other 
half  of  the  time,  with  preaching,  and  all  the  time  when  the  proprietors 
do  not  suply  the  house  with  Preaching  the  Baptist  Society  shall  injoy 
the  privilege  of  using  the  House,  and  the  dores  of  the  house  shall  not 
be  closed  by  any  of  the  proprietors  when  they  are  alowed  to  ocupy 


OLD  BAPTIST  CHUECH. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 

CHAPEL,  LOWEE  VILLAGE. 


THE  BAPTIST   MEETING   HOUSE.  337 

the  house  if  they  do  not  suply  the  time  designated  by  the  Church  and 
Society  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  sd  Baptist  Society  to  be  holdin 
at  said  Meeting  house. 

Art.  2nd  The  meeting  house  shall  be  erected  on  the  ground  which 
shall  be  located  by  a  committee  to  be  chosen  by  the  proprietors  and  to 
be  on  the  turnpike  road  between  the  two  villages  in  Hillsboro  and  the 
house  shall  be  built  as  the  proprietors  shall  chuse,  either  by  an 
equality  on  the  proprietor  or  by  a  subscription,  and  the  proprietors 
shall  each  be  considered  to  own  the  amount  of  his  proportion  as  such 
a  share  in  said  House  and  when  the  house  is  completed  to  receive  the 
amount  which  he  has  paid  in  either  in  pews  in  said  house  at  their 
appraisal  or  in  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  pews  in  ratio  according 
as  he  has  paid  in,  and  all  other  articles  necessary  to  be  adopted  to 
Build  and  govern  sd  house  shall  be  drawn  agreeable  to  the  minds  of 
the  proprietors  when  mett  to  proceed  on  the  subject  of  Building. 

Art.  3.  When  ever  there  shall  be  subscribers  obtained  to  the 
amount  of  forty  shares  the  proprietors  shall  proceed  to  chuse  their 
officers  and  committees  in  any  way  the  proprietors  may  think  most 
practicable,  not  inconsistent  with  the  articles  of  the  Constitution. 

Art.  4.  This  consideration  shall  be  considered  to  be  binding  and 
mforce  whenever  there  shall  be  a  Building  committee  chosen. 

Art.  5.  The  vote  by  a  majority  of  the  proprietors  may  alter  or 
amend  any  articles  of  this  consitution  except  the  second  article  which 
may  be  altered  by  a  unanimity  of  the  whole  of  the  proprietors. 

The  first  article  was  subsequently  enlarged  and  provided  that  the 
house  should  be — 

A  good  wooden  Building  finished  in  good  stile  the  size  to  be  54 
feet  in  length  and  40  feet  in  wedth,  a  one  story  Building  with  a 
singers  gallery  and  a  Belfry  to  be  built  by  proprietors  upon  shares  at 
twenty  five  dollars  each,  and  proprietor  shall  be  liable  to  assassment 
according  to  their  proportion  of  shares  and  each  share  shall  be  con- 
sidered and  entitled  to  one  vote. 

To  the  second  article  it  was  added  that : 

The  care  of  the  House  shall  be  vested  in  the  hands  of  a  committee 
of  three  men  chosen  by  the  proprietors  annually  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Baptist  Society,  two  of  which  are  to  be  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Hillsboro. 

If  further  records  were  kept  of  the  building  of  the  house 
and  the  committees  chosen  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to  find 
them.  But  with  the  usual  delays  connected  with  such  enterprises, 
the  house  was  built  in  the  course  of  a  year,  "a  monument  to  the 


33§  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

zeal  and  public  spirit  of  its  builder."  The  original  plan  was  con- 
siderably altered,  modified  so  the  house  was  built  sixty  feet  long 
and  forty  feet  wide,  with  a  twenty-foot  portico,  a  projection  of 
three  feet  from  the  body  of  the  house  on  the  south  end  for  two- 
thirds  of  its  width,  which  helped  to  form  the  ten-foot  vestibule. 
The  house  stood  due  north  and  south  ;  a  belfry  rising  about  fifteen 
feet  above  the  ridge  pole,  which  was  originally  surmounted  by  a 
tall  and  graceful  spire,  with  weather  vane  and  lightning  rod.  It 
could  be  seen  for  miles  in  many  directions,  and  was  a  landmark 
to  the  travellers  for  three  quarters  of  a  century.  In  the  belfry 
was  placed  a  deep,  clear-toned  bell  of  about  1500  pounds  in 
weight,  which  could  be  heard  for  miles  as  it  summoned  the  people 
to  worship,  or  sounded  its  curfew  peals. 

The  house  was  built  and  finished  with  the  best  of  white  pine 
lumber  then  plenty  in  this  vicinity.  The  underpinning  was  of 
hewn  granite  with  the  stone  steps  in  front,  taken  from  a  ledge 
in  Windsor  six  miles  away.  The  building  had  two  entrance 
doors  to  the  vestibule,  and  two  from  that  into  the  audience  room, 
two  aisles  running  the  length  of  the  house,  with  pews  on  each 
side.  There  were  sixty-four  pews,  each  nine  feet  by  two  feet 
eight  inches  in  width,  with  doors  opening  from  the  aisles.  These 
pews  would  seat  five  persons  comfortably,  making  the  seating 
capacity  of  the  house  320.  The  singers'  gallery  was  in  the  south 
end  and  raised  some  fourteen  feet  from  the  ground  floor,  and  was 
entered  by  stairs  from  the  vestibules.  The  gallery  would  seat 
forty  persons.  The  pulpit  was  in  front  of  this  gallery,  raised 
about  eight  feet,  both  facing  the  congregation.  The  house  was 
warmed  in  winter  by  two  large  box  stoves  in  the  vestibule  and 
funnels  running  the  length  of  the  house  to  a  chimney  in  the 
north  end.  This  arrangement  proving  inadequate,  the  stoves 
were  moved  inside  the  room  to  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  pul- 
pit. It  was  lighted  by  three  large  windows  on  each  side,  two  on 
the  north  end  and  two  in  the  gallery,  all  protected  by  blinds. 
After  completion  the  pews  were  appraised  at  $2,154.00,  varying 
from  $20.00  to  $3500  according  to  location.  Premiums  were 
paid  for  choice  of  seats  which  amounted  to  $164.10,  the  cheapest 
pews  bringing  the  highest  premiums.     There  were  eight  pews 


A  VEXED  QUESTION  SETTLED  BY  A  DREAM.         339 

which  appear  to  have  been  sold  for  much  less  than  their  appraised 
value. 

The  land  upon  which  the  house  was  built  was  purchased  of 
Lieut.  John  McNiel,  and  deeded  by  him  to  "James  Eayrs,  his 
associates,  his  and  their  heirs,  or  owners  of  the  House  of  Public 
Worship,  which  is  to  be  built  on  the  land  .  .  .  forever  .  .  .  which 
land  is  to  be  occupied  for  a  House  of  Public  Worship  and  its 
necessary  appendages  and  for  no  other  purpose."  This  location 
was  the  result  of  a  compromise  between  the  interest  of  the  Upper 
and  the  Lower  villages,  and  was  said  to  have  been  brought  about 
in  consequence  of  a  dream  or  vision  by  one  of  the  Baptist  sisters, 
and  it  was  probably  the  best  one  of  the  several  suggested  to  ac- 
comodate all  the  people  who  attended  worship  here,  and  even  then 
some  of  them  had  to  come  five  or  six  miles.  The  average  attend- 
ance was  probably  larger  than  that  of  any  church  in  town  to-day. 

In  its  quaint  language  the  church  records  describes  one  of 
the  most  important  events  in  its  history: 

Thursday  Nov.  6th  (1821)  this  day  this  Little  Church  are  alowed 
to  witness  a  wonderfull  token  of  God's  mercy,  manifest  towards  his 
people  in  this  place,  the  House  which  has  ben  erected  for  a  place  of 
worship,  to  be  ocupyed  by  this  Church  and  people  is  this  day  opened 
for  divine  worship  for  the  first  time  and  dedicated  to  the  service  and 
worship  of  God.  Elder  Joseph  Eliot  preached  on  the  occasion  from 
Isa  66  Chap  and  1  verse,  it  was  truly  a  solemn  and  Interesting  dis- 
course to  a  crowded  and  listening  assembly  may  the  Blessing  of  God 
attend  the  transactions  of  this  day. 

James  Howe  Church  Clerk. 

No  record  has  been  found  of  the  financial  standing  of  the 
society  or  the  number  of  the  members  of  the  church.  In  a  church 
letter  to  the  Milford  Baptist  Association,  October  4,  183 1,  asking 
for  admission  to  membership  in  that  association,  it  is  stated  that 
"we  are  still  some  in  debt,"  and  that  the  church  has  81  members, 
31  males  and  fifty  females.  This  shows  quite  an  increase  in  the 
eleven  years  since  its  formation.  Elder  Charles  Cummings  had 
continued  as  the  most  frequent  preacher  until  1834,  when  Elder 
John  Peacock  became  Pastor.  During  this  year  a  "Protracted 
meeting',  was  held  and  numerous  accessions  made  to  the  church. 
His  pastorate  was  closed  in  less  than  one  year,  however,  and 
Elder  Moses  Cheney  succeeded  him  as  acting  Pastor,  but  he 


34°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

remained  less  than  two  years.  A  study  of  the  records  kept  at 
that  period  shows  that  the  church  experienced  "Many  tryals  and 
want  of  union  among  the  Brethren."  On  invitation  Elder  John 
Atwood  assumed  the  pastorate  February  5,  1837. 

About  this  time  the  first  record  of  a  "Sabbath  School"  was 
made  on  "May  Lord's  day  27,  1838  .  .  .  commenced  for  the 
Season."  This  school  was  held  during  the  noon  hour  between 
the  services  and  was  discontinued  during  the  winter  months. 

After  a  three  years'  pastorate  Elder  Atwood,  in  January, 
1840,  requested  and  received  a  letter  of  dismissal  from  the 
church,  but  two  months  later  he  withdrew  it.  In  this  interval  he 
had  held  a  series  of  meetings  assisted  by  Elder  B.  F.  Remington. 
A  division  of  sentiment  had  arisen  in  regard  to  continuing  Mr. 
Atwood  here.,  He  had  proved  a  useful  man  in  the  community, 
and  was  generally  liked,  but  he  was  not  a  brilliant  speaker.  The 
difference  in  opinion  in  regard  to  keeping  him,  with  other  dis- 
sensions of  more  or  less  account,  awakened  the  old  animosities 
of  feeling.  The  result  was  the  formation  of  a  new  organization 
November  5,  1840,  to  be  known  as  the  "Independent  Baptist 
Church,"  and  comprising  twenty  members,  of  which  Elder  At- 
wood became  pastor.  Soon  this  division  became  popularly  known 
as  the  "New  Church,"  while  the  other  faction  was  styled  the  "Old 
Church."  Elder  Philip  Chamberlain  was  settled  as  Pastor  of  this 
division  in  February,  1841.  He  continued  here  until  August, 
1843,  or  over  two  years.  The  two  church  organizations  occupied 
the  meeting  house  by  turns,  the  New  Church  three-fourths  of  the 
time,  and  the  Old  Church  one-fourth  of  the  Sabbaths.  At  the 
other  times  each  held  its  meetings  in  school  houses. 

In  August,  1843,  Elder  Atwood  removed  to  Concord,  having 
been  appointed  State  Treasurer  and  Chaplain  to  the  State  Prison. 
The  close  of  Mr.  Chamberlain's  pastorate  was  no  doubt  hastened 
by  the  fact  that  a  considerable  number  of  his  parishioners  had 
embraced  the  doctrine  of  William  Miller,  who  had  predicted  the 
final  destruction  of  the  world  that  year.  Mr.  Chamberlain  disap- 
proved of  this  belief  which  gained  a  remarkable  hold  upon  the 
people,  and  he  was  forced  to  relinquish  his  pastorate. 

Tradition  says  that  Franklin  Pierce  read  sermons  to  frequent 
audiences  in  the  old  meeting  house. 


AN  OVER-ZEALOUS  SEXTON.  34I 

Thus,  both  churches  without  pastors,  and  both  too  few  in 
numbers  and  influence  to  support  an  organization,  the  "New 
Church"  ceased  to  exist  without  action.  In  1846,  the  "Old 
Church"  by  advice  of  the  Milford  Association,  to  which  it  be- 
longed, voted  unanimously  to  dissolve.  All  of  which  goes  to 
prove  the  truth  of  the  saying:  "United  we  stand  ;  divided  we  fall." 

If  without  an  organized  church  the  religious  spirit  had 
not  departed,  and  the  Rev.  Levi  M.  Powers  removing  here  from 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  1844,  the  old  meeting  house  was  re-opened  to 
him,  who  preached  here  as  a  missionary,  rather  than  as  a  pastor. 
Those  came  to  hear  him  who  wished — members  of  the  Old  and 
New  Church,  and  those  who  had  strayed  to  follow  a  false 
prophet.  Mr.  Powers  by  his  genial  manner  and  good  work  won 
the  hearts  of  the  community  and  reunited  the  people.  He  was 
followed  by  Elder  Bond,  whose  stay  was  shorter,  but  equally  as 
effective.  In  the  autumn  of  1857,  by  advice  of  a  council  called 
for  that  purpose,  it  was  decided  to  reorganize  a  new  Baptist 
society.  Elder  E\  H.  Smith,  under  whose  guidance  the  scattered 
Baptists  of  this  vicinity  were  brought  together,  was  made  Pastor. 
George  E.  Hoit  was  chosen  clerk.  This  reorganized  church  had 
twenty-two  members,  and  seven  others  were  united  later.  Isaac 
Coolidge  and  David  Smith,  Jr.,  were  chosen  deacons. 

Elder  Smith's  stay  was  short,  his  pastorate  closing  the  fol- 
lowing April.  He  was  succeeded  by  temporary  supplies,  largely 
from  the  Methodist  Seminary  at  Concord,  more  or  less  constantly 
for  ten  years,  when  this  church,  like  its  predecessors,  went  out 
of  existence  without  action. 

During  this  period  of  something  more  than  thirty  years  the 
society  in  whose  charge  the  meeting  house  was  vested  had  not 
kept  up  any  organization.  The  bell  which  had  become  cracked 
during  the  early  40s,  was  replaced  by  a  smaller  one,  but  equally 
good  except  in  size.  The  accident  by  which  the  first  bell  was 
cracked  is  said  to  have  been  caused  by  the  sexton  tolling  the  bell  to 
announce  the  death  of  a  citizen,  as  was  customary  at  that  time. 
This  person  had  repeatedly  said  that  when  he  died  he  wanted  the 
bell  to  be  tolled  loud  enough  so  folks  could  hear  it.  With  this 
thought  in  mind  the  sexton  used  a  much  heavier  hammer  than 
usual,  and  thereby  ruined  the  bell. 


342  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Among  Doctor  Goodell's  papers  the  writer  finds  an  account 
which  refutes  this  tradition,  and  indicates  with  apparent  certainty 
that  the  old  bell  was  broken  before  1835,  and  that  the  new  bell 
was  procured  soon  after.  Apropos  of  the  first  bell  Mr.  James 
Chase,  who  was  one  of  the  committee  to  purchase  a  bell  for  the 
meeting  house,  related  many  years  after  that  this  particular  bell 
was  selected  on  account  of  its  sweet  mellow  tone.  But  the  makers 
warned  the  committee  that  the  bell  was  not  heavy  enough  to  stand 
a  larger  tongue.  "If  complaint  is  made  in  regard  to  its  volume, 
please  remember  the  tongue  is  as  heavy  as  the  bell  can  withstand. 
A  heavier  tongue  will  crack  this  bell  at  once."  Despite  the  warn- 
ing, so  charmed  were  they  with  the  tone  of  this  bell,  the  committee 
decided  to  purchase  it  and  take  the  chances. 

As  foretold  by  the  manufacturers,  the  bell  failed  to  satisfy 
all  of  the  parishioners,  and  the  first  thing  proposed  was  a  heavier 
tongue.  The  purchasers  stoutly  justified  themselves  by  the  fact 
that  the  bell  could  be  heard  throughout  the  westerly  half  of  the 
town,  and  to  the  very  limits  of  the  society.  In  truth,  the  tone 
was  so  pure  and  clear  it  could  be  heard  a  great  distance.  They 
also  repeated  the  warning  of  the  makers  against  using  a  heavier 
tongue.  Still,  the  dissatisfaction  was  not  allayed,  and  finally 
several  of  the  moving  spirits  of  the  village  made  a  night  raid  on 
the  belfry,  and  removing  the  tongue  temporarily  gave  it  a  gener- 
ous coating  of  lead  or  solder,  and  then  returned  it  to  its  positionj 
The  result  was  just  as  had  been  foretold :  the  bell  was  broken  at 
the  very  next  ringing.  There  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  vandals 
were  punished,  except  through  a  guilty  conscience. 

The  new  bell  was  said  to  have  been  as  harsh  and  disagreeable 
as  its  predecessor  had  been  sweet  and  pleasant.  Perhaps  the 
contrast  made  the  distinction  more  pronounced.  At  any  rate  the 
bell  did  not  do  service  very  long,  for  it  was  removed  in  1848, 
cracked  and  useless  as  a  bell. 

Among  the  ringers  of  the  two  older  bells  were  Mr.  Gray  and 
Mr.  Parmenter,  who  was  blind  for  several  years  and  was  guided 
to  the  church  door  by  a  wire  stretched  from  his  own  premises  ita 
the  church  door. 

The  old  meeting  house  was  beginning  to  show  its  neglect 
and  need  of  repairs.    But  factional  difference  still  existed.    There 


WOMAN  S  WIT  AND  DARING.  343 

were  those  who  had  no  sympathy  in  the  movement  to  improve  the 
old  building.  The  old  bell  had  been  pitched  from  the  belfry, 
which  was  believed  not  to  be  strong  enough  to  support  it  longer, 
and  was  left  in  the  porch  for  five  years. 

During  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Mr.  Bond,  in  the  fall  of  1852, 
the  ladies  of  the  society  formed  a  social  circle  for  the  purpose  of 
making  repairs  on  the  meeting  house.  The  leaders  in  the  enter- 
prise were  the  Misses  Lucy  Chase  and  Emily  Hatch.  The  circle 
had  the  following  of  officers:  Mrs.  Bond,  President;  Miss  Eliza 
Brown,  Vice-President;  Miss  Lucy  H.  Chase,  Secretary;  Miss 
Emily  P.  Hatch,  Treasurer. 

Having  no  regular  meeting  place  the  circle  gathered  at  the 
homes  of  the  members,  and  began  the  work  of  raising  the  money/ 
wholly  by  subscription.  A  box  was  passed  by  Miss  Hatch  at 
every  meeting,  and  during  the  season  of  i852-'53  a  sum  sufficient^ 
to  begin  the  work  of  repair  was  realized.  The  plastering,  which! 
had  fallen  off  in  large  patches,  was  restored  and  whitewashed, 
the  inside  work  was  painted,  and  other  improvements  made.  The 
remainder  of  the  fund,  in  conjunction  from  the  sale  of  the  old 
bell,  was  expected  to  purchase  a  new  one.  But  this  balance 
proved  all  too  small,  while  a  somewhat  unexpected  difficulty  was 
raised  when  the  subject  of  buying  a  new  bell  was  broached  in  the 
spring  of  1853.  The  faction  opposed  to  repairs  and  a  new  bell 
claimed  that  the  old  one  could  not  be  sold  to  help  buy  a  new  one^ 
as  they  owned  a  share  in  it.  Furthermore  they  declared  they 
would  resist  any  attempt  to  convert  it  into  a  new  one  of  irre- 
sponsible ownership.  Violent  measures  were  threatened  if  any 
person  or  persons  should  attempt  to  remove  the  old  bell  from  thd 
porch. 

In  this  dilemma  the  two  young  women  already  mentioned  as 
the  most  active,  proved  themselves  equal  to  the  situation.  One 
evening  in  May  Lucy  Chase  and  Emily  Hatch,  accompanied  by 
Solomon  McNiel,  Jr.,  and  John  Gibson,  loaded  the  old  bell  into 
Mr.  Chase's  farm  wagon  and  conveyed  it  to  the  railroad  station 
at  the  Bridge,  no  one  having  had  the  moral  courage  to  interfere 
with  the  young  ladies.  But  the  sum  realized  from  the  sale  com- 
bined with  the  balance  of  the  subscriptions  was  not  sufficient  to 
buy  a  new  bell  of  the  size  desired,  so  one  weighing  536  pounds 


344  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

was  purchased.  With  what  pleasure  the  new  bell  was  finally 
brought  up  from  the  railroad  station  and  deposited  in  Mr.  Chase's 
dooryard  one  Saturday  about  noon  may  be  imagined.  As  late  as 
it  was  in  the  week  plans  were  quickly  laid  to  have  it  in  position 
so  it  could  be  rung  the  next  day.  The  men  who  responded  to  the1 
call  for  assistance  soon  saw  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  ac- 
complish the  raising  in  so  short  a  time.  Accordingly  the  bell  was 
rung  where  it  stood  in  Mr.  Chase's  dooryard  and  suspended  from 
the  frame  in  which  it  had  been  shipped. 

The  raising  took  place  the  following  Wednesday,  which  was 
transformed  into  a  gala  day  for  the  community.  The  bell  was 
swung  into  place  without  mishap,  but  there  was  trouble  in  ad- 
justing the  rope  to  the  wheel  so  it  was  not  rung  to  advantage  for* 
two  or  three  weeks,  or  until  some  one  had  been  found  who 
could  adjust  the  line  properly.  Mr.  Daniel  Smith  had  supervision 
of  the  raising,  as  being  a  seaman  he  understood  manipulating  the 
necessary  tackle. 

The  first  one  to  ring  the  new  bell  was  Mr.  John  Gibson  of 
the  Lower  Village.  The  first  person  for  whom  the  bell  was  tolled 
was  George  Moore,  the  third  son  of  Jotham  Moore,  who  died  a 
few  weeks  after  the  bel)  was  raised.  It  was  tolled  by  Mr. 
Solomon  McNiel,  Jr.  This  bell  was  tolled  for  John  Brown  on 
the  day  of  his  execution,  December  2,  1859,  by  Mr.  John  G. 
Fuller  of  the  Lower  Village. 

As  the  years  rolled  on  the  ravages  of  time  upon  the  old 
meeting  house  became  more  and  more  apparent,  arfd  left  without} 
proper  care,  to  say  nothing  of  repairs,  it  eventually  began  to 
demand  attention  if  its  walls  would  be  saved  at  all.  Again  the 
women  came  to  the  rescue.  This  time  the  organization  known 
during  the  Civil  War  as  the  "Soldiers'  Aid  Society"  was  re- 
established as  the  "Ladies'  Circle"  in  1872-73,  which  comprised 
nearly  all  of  the  ladies  in  that  vicinity.  This  society  turned  its 
efforts  toward  the  repair  of  the  meeting  house.  A  series  of 
"fairs"  were  held,  and  the  proceeds  of  these,  increased  by  the 
generous  subscriptions  of  both  residents  and  non-residents  the 
money  needed  for  the  renovation  was  obtained.  Upon  examina- 
tion it  was  found  that  the  timbers  supporting  the  spire  were  so 
far  decayed  as  to  render  that  part  of  the  structure  unsafe,  and  so 


A  NEGLECTED  CHURCH.  345 

the  graceful  appendage  which  had  added  so  much  to  the  beauty 
and  symmetry  was  necessarily  removed.  The  roof  was  shingled, 
the  blinds  repaired,  the  shattered  glass  removed,  the  outside  re- 
painted, the  plastering,  which  had  fallen  owing  to  the  result  of  a 
leaky  roof,  was  relaid,  the  open  space  between  the  singing  gallery 
and  the  audience  room  was  closed  by  a  partition,  and  many 
smaller  changes  made.  To  accomodate  the  choir  a  platform  was' 
built  over  six  of  the  "body  pews"  at  the  north  end  of  the  house, 
and  the  pulpit  was  lowered  about  four  feet.  To  crown  all  of 
these  and  other  minor  improvements,  a  church  reed  organ  was 
installed. 

Once  more  the  old  house  awoke  to  the  music  of  regular  ser- 
vices during  the  summer  months,  though  it  had  no  settled  minis- 
ter for  about  ten  years.  The  preaching  was  without  denomina- 
tional distinction,  and  among  those  who  preached  here  were  the 
Revs.  Bragdon,  Chandler,  Chapman,  Paul,  Adams  and  Coolidge, 
with  several  others. 

This  laxity  of  the  care  of  the  house  and  the  factional  differ- 
ences of  the  members  of  the  church  had  its  effects.  Some  of  the 
parishioners  affiliated  themselves  with  other  societies ;  deaths  and 
removals  diminished  the  number  of  its  attendants,  until  it  became 
evident  it  was  useless  to  try  and  keep  up  an  unoccupied  and  un- 
cared  for  building.  So  an  effort  was  made  to  sell  the  structure 
and  have  it  meet  a  respectable  fate.  Once  more  opposition,  or  at 
least  a  lack  of  interest,  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  this 
purpose,  and  so  the  last  meeting  was  held  within  its  sacred  walls 
August  26,  1 89 1.  This  was  very  appropriately  a  memorial  ser- 
vice, promoted  by  a  few  whose  earliest  childhoods  recollections 
hovered  around  the  spot.  In  the  quarter  of  a  century  that  has 
intervened  since,  all  of  this  little  band  have  joined  the  "silent 
majority."     The  old  meeting  house  was  left  to  "the  society  of 

bats  and  owls."  * 

i 

Finally,  in  1893  the  house  was  torn  down,  so  only  a  memory 
remained  of  the  sacred  structure  which  had  cost  so  much  of  time, 
money  and  care,  which  outlay  had  been  recompensed  by  the  faith, 
hope  and  hallowed  associations  it  had  brought  to  those  who 
worshipped  at  its  shrine. 


34^  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  worth  of  an  object  is  seldom  realized  until  it  has  been 
lost.  So,  the  old  meeting  house  gone;  the  need  of  a  church  build- 
ing was  found  more  apparent  than  had  been  realized  when  differ- 
ences of  opinion  and  petty  oppositions  had  doomed  the  old  struc^ 
ture.  Efforts  were  accordingly  made  to  build  a  new  and  smaller 
house,  which  was  accomplished  in  1895.  J°bn  W.  Jackman  was 
the  master  builder,  and  it  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  exer- 
cises in  1896. 

It  proved  that  the  bell  of  the  old  meeting  house,  before  the 
demolition  of  the  building,  had  been  purchased  by  Wirt  X.  Fuller 
of  Boston.  This  sacred  object  Mr.  Fuller  generously  presented 
for  use  in  the  new  church  building,  given  in  memory  of  his 
parents,  John  Gibson  Fuller  and  Ann  Jones  Fuller  his  wife. 

This  bell,  it  is  claimed,  has  rung  the  notes  of  victory  at  the 
close  of  three  wars :  In  April,  1865,  when  the  glad  news  of  Lee's 
surrender  came  up  from  the  Southland ;  again  when  the  Spanish- 
American  war  ended;  for  the  third  time,  in  November,  1918^ 
when  it  was  known  that  the  World  War,  mightiest  of  them  all, 
had  been  followed  by  an  armistice  of  peace. 


Photograph  by  Man  ah  an. 


SMITH  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Congregational  Church  at  Bridge  Village. 

When  the  Church  at  Centre  Village  Lost  Its  Prestige — Rev.  Seth  Farns- 
worth  Minister — His  Proposal  of  a  Church  at  Bridge  Village — 
Completion  of  New  Church  Edifice  1836 — Gradual  Decline  of 
Mother  Church — Growth  of  New  Church — Millerism  of  1843 — 
Agitation  of  Social  Life — A  New  Organization  at  Bridge  Village 
— Ministers  of  the  Church — From  Rev.  Mr.  Farnsworth  to  Rev.  Mr. 
Beal — Removal  of  the  Meeting  House  from  its  Early  Site  to  Main 
Street — The  Old  Building  Made  New — Financial  Aid  by  Hon.  John 
B.  Smith — The  Smith  Fund  to  the  Society — Other  Bequests  to  the 
Society — Memorial  Windows — Change  of  the  name  of  the  Society 
to  Smith  Memorial  Church — Two  Names  from  Its  long  List  of 
Members — Present  Prosperity. 

The  sightliness  of  its  prominent  position  and  the  beauties  of 
its  immediate  surroundings,  which  have  been  so  eloquently  pic- 
tured by  its  admirers  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  could  not  in  the 
end  save  it  from  the  dangers  of  its  isolation.  The  Rev.  Mr, 
Wallace,  already  quoted,  says  aptly :  "Geography  seemed  to  have 
been  against  the  likelihood  of  maintaining  a  dominant  church  at 
the  Centre  of  the  town.  The  earlier  settlers  were  farmers,  and 
for  reasons  clearer  to  them  than  to  us  they  located  on  the  hill 
slopes  far  back  from  the  river.  Some  have  thought  it  was  for 
reasonable  safety  from  the  Indians,  whose  canoes  followed  the 
river  as  they  crossed  the  state." 

The  possibilities  in  such  a  stream  as  the  Contoocook  did  not 
seem  to  come  within  the  range  of  the  earlier  settlers'  vision.  But 
in  time,  other  men  saw  these  possibilities,  and  their  dreams  led, 
them  rather  to  the  river  than  to  the  hillside.  Manufacturing,  in 
which  New  England  was  going  to  have  so  conspicuous  a  place, 
brought  men  to  the  stream  who  saw  that  it  would  be  the  potent 
coadjutator  of  their  schemes. 

So,  here  on  the  river's  margin,  men  began  to  make  their 
residences  where  they  found  their  work.    Then  still  more  came, 

347 


34-8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

until  by  1835  there  was  a  considerable  village,  when  the  town  had 
a  population  of  only  1800. 

"The  Rev.  Seth  Farnsworth  was  minister  at  the  Centre,  and 
he  seems  to  have  been  as  judicious  as  he  was  good.  Under  his 
guidance  the  plan  was  proposed  to  arrange  for  an  out  station  of 
the  Mother  church  in  Bridge  Village.  And  it  was  proposed  to 
build  a  meeting  house  here.  This  proposition  met  with  favor 
from  the  villagers,  and  the  year  1836  saw  the  new  church  edificej 
completed  on  the  Church  Street  site,  with  a  good  bell  and  all  at 
the  cost  of  some  $3,300.  Nov.  23,  1836,  the  day  of  Mr.  Farns-I 
worth's  installation  at  the  Centre,  the  new  building  at  the  Bridget 
was  dedicated." 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Seth  Farnsworth,  a  man 
known  far  and  wide  for  his  eloquence,  separate  meetings  were 
held  for  the  accomodations  of  the  parishioners  living  at  the 
Bridge,  and  after  the  dedication  of  the  house  in  the  village  he 
preached  alternate  Sundays  at  the  Centre. 

Unfortunately  in  a  few  months  he  was  stricken  with  pneu- 
monia and  died,  leaving  the  legacy  of  a  life  well  and  lovingly 
spent  to  his  wide  circle  of  friends.  The  D.  A.  R.  placed  a 
memorial  tablet  to  his  memory  in  the  window  of  the  church  at 
the  village. 

In  1837  the  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Tenney  supplied  here,  but  it  was* 
not  until  1839  tnat  an  active  movement  was  made  to  establish  a 
resident  minister.  The  Rev.  R.  W.  Wallace  in  his  address  upon 
the  celebration  of  the  70th  anniversary  of  the  Village  Church 
says  most  fittingly :  "With  sincere  reluctance,  and  yet  in  the  faith 
that  they  were  acting  wisely,  application  was  made  to  the  Mother 
church,  to  dismiss  28  of  its  members  to  form  a  new  church  at  the 
Bridge.  Knowing  fully  what  it  meant  to  itself,  and  reading  to 
some  extent  the  horoscope  of  its  own  future,  the  Mother  church 
complied  with  the  request.  This  was  but  the  beginning  of  her 
losses,  for  soon  she  was  called  upon  to  transfer  ten  other  mem- 
bers. On  May  29,  1839,  the  new  church  was  duly  organized  by 
council,  and  in  its  findings  the  council  voiced  its  deep  sympathy 
with  the  church  at  the  Centre,  while  at  the  same  time  it  bespoke 
its  blessings  on  the  new  church  at  Bridge  Village." 


CAREER  OF  THE   NEW   CHURCH.  349 

The  sacrifices  of  the  old  church  at  the  Centre  were  not  at  an 
end,  for  following  closely  upon  the  other  demands  the  Mother 
church  was  called  to  give  her  minister  to  the  new  institution  at 
the  Bridge.  The  records,  considering  the  importance  of  this  move, 
seem  uncommonly  brief  merely  mentioning  the  fact  that  the  Rev. 
Samuel  G.  Tenney  had  given  up  his  pastorate  here  as  a  resident 
preacher  and  become  the  head  of  the  new  church.  So  for  the 
time  at  least  the  door  of  the  old  church  which  had  been  reared 
under  such  trying  conditions  and  with  such  tremulous  hopes  and 
fears  was  closed.  Let  it  be  said  to  the  credit  of  all  in  the  society 
that  this  change  and  removal  of  religious  headquarters  had  been 
accomplished  with  no  friction  that  appears  upon  the  accounts  at) 
this  day.     (See  Political  History.) 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Tenney  resigned  in  1843  to  the  regret  of  the 
majority  of  his  parishioners,  and  in  the  resolution  of  the  day  he 
is  referred  to  as  "irreproachable  and  exemplary  in  his  morals, 
sound  in  doctrine,  a  faithful  and  able  minister  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment." 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  1843,  by  Rev. 
Jacob  Cummings,  who  remained  fourteen  years  as  the  head  of 
the  church  here,  which  is  sufficient  proof  of  his  ability  and  fitness. 

As  all  churches  have,  this  one  at  the  Bridge  Village  has  had 
its  trials  and  ordeals,  times  when  the  unanimity  of  its  society  was 
threatened.  One  of  these  was  the  days  of  Millerism,  when  that 
doctrine  swept  over  New  England  a  wave  of  religious  excitement 
stirring  the  people  to  uncommon  anxiety.  Fortunately  this  feel- 
ing of  uncertainty  and  unrest  did  not  strike  Hillsborough  very 
perceptibly  and  our  church  escaped  any  serious  disturbance  by  it. 

This  church  was  among  others  in  the  country  to  meet  at 
Francestown  in  1844  to  deliberate  upon  the  subject  of  slavery, 
which  was  then  beginning  to  agitate  social  life  in  New  England, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  public  movements  made  in  that  direction. 

In  1846  a  revival  of  interest  in  the  church  was  undertaken, 
when  a  committee  was  chosen  to  call  upon  all  of  the  families  in 
regard  to  religious  matters.  An  elaborate  report  shows  that 
much  good  resulted  from  this  undertaking  and  that  the  committee 
was  met  with  kindly  receptions  everywhere. 


35°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Two  interesting  events  to  people  in  these  parts  were  partici- 
pated in  by  this  church  in  1847;  one  of  these  was  the  ordination 
of  Rev.  William  Woods  at  Henniker  as  a  foreign  missionary; 
while  a  similar  honor  was  conferred  upon  Rev.  Seneca  Cummings 
at  Antrim  as  a  missionary  to  China.  In  1853  this  church  lent  a 
helping  hand  to  the  organization  of  a  new  church  at  Peterbor- 
ough. 

The  new  organization  at  the  Bridge  Village,  if  small  in  num- 
bers, contained  men  of  representative  and  sterling  qualities. 
Among  these  were  George  Dascomb,  Sen.  and  Jr.,  both  of  strong 
character  and  of  great  good  in  the  community  who  wrought  their 
lives  into  the  foundation  of  the  church.  Another  was  Samuel 
Morrison  of  whom  it  was  said  "For  42  years  this  godly  man 
traversed  the  three  miles  that  separated  his  home  from  the  meet- 
ing house  as  often  as  the  church  was  gathered  together."  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  others  occupying  this  honored 
station  were  Tristam  Sawyer,  Dawson  Russell,  and  Frank  W. 
Symonds.  Hon.  David  Steele  is  not  forgotten  among  these 
founders,  while  his  good  wife  Catherine  Steele,  was  a  woman  of 
great  ability,  force  of  character  and  refinement  as  a  social  leader. 
Among  the  first  to  join  the  new  society  at  Bridge  Village  was 
Clarissa  Stowe,  a  school  teacher  of  bright  mind  and  strong 
religious  convictions,  who  lived  to  an  extreme  age. 

Under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Cummings  the  Hon.  John  B. 
Smith  was  united  with  the  church,  and  from  that  time  he  was 
ever  a  zealous  worker  in  the  cause,  doing  much  in  upbuilding  the 
society,  eventually,  as  his  own  success  in  business  enlarged  giving1 
freely  to  the  church. 

Rev.  Jacob  Cummings  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Harry  Brickett 
who  became  popular  both  in  the  pulpit  and  as  a  worker  among 
the  people.  A  man  of  scholarly  attainments,  having  entered  the 
ministry  in  middle  life,  after  a  successful  experience  as  a  teacher, 
he  won  a  large  place  in  the  affections  of  the  community  outside 
of  the  church.  Under  his  pastorate  it  has  been  well  said,  the 
church  now  strong  in  numbers  and  influence  entered  upon  what 
might  be  called  the  second  period  of  its  existence.  It  was  no 
longer  a  problem  of  existence  but  rather  the  amount  of  good  it 
could  do  as  an  evangelizing  agent.    Mr.  Brickett  served  the  church 


SUCCEEDING  MINISTERS.  35 1 

from  1857  to  1865,  an  anxious  period,  and  from  1876  to  1881,  in 
all  over  twelve  years. 

Rev.  Stephen  Morrill  succeeded  Mr.  Brickett  at  the  close  of 
his  first  pastorate.  Twenty-four  members  were  added  to  the 
church  roll,  among  them  Charles  W.  Conn,  who  became  a  deacon, 
and  Benjamin  Dutton,  who  also  became  a  deacon.  Prof.  Samuel 
T.  Dutton,  who  has  been  designated  as  an  "educator  of  edu- 
cators," was  another  worthy  person  to  join  the  church  during  this 
period. 

In  1866  a  movement  was  started  to  move  the  church  building 
from  its  site  on  Church  Street  to  one  on  Main  Street,  where  it  is: 
at  present  located.  This  change  was  received  with  general  con- 
sent, and  in  1867,  under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Morrill,  the  work 
was  carried  out,  the  structure  thoroughly  repaired  and  a  vestry 
added. 

The  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  was  organized  during  Mr. 
Morrill's  administration.  This  society  has  the  credit  of  doing  a 
good  and  lasting  work  in  the  cause  of  the  church. 

Rev.  Henry  B.  Underwood  was  pastor  for  1871-1872,  and 
though  his  stay  was  short  his  work  was  most  acceptable.  Ammi 
Smith,  father  of  Ex-Governor  Smith,  was  affiliated  with  the 
church  during  this  pastorate,  bringing  to  it,  as  another  has  said : 
"the  weight  of  a  ripe  experience  and  careful  life."  With  the 
assistance  of  his  father,  a  noted  evangelist,  Mr.  Underwood 
aroused  a  revival  which  resulted  in  an  addition  to  the  church  roll 
of  twenty  members. 

Mr.  Underwood  was  followed  by  Rev.  John  Bragdon,  who 
remained  only  two  years,  but  with  evident  satisfaction,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  who  had  already  served 
one  pastorate  here,  1857-1865,  and  was  received  with  great  satis- 
faction. During  Mr.  Brickett's  second  pastorate,  1876-1881, 
several  notable  persons  became  members,  among  them  Miss  Ellen 
Marcy,  who  was  taken  home  early  in  the  promise  of  a  brilliant 
career. 

Rev.  Abram  Quick  answered  the  next  call  to  remain  only 
two  years  when  Rev.  Roderick  J.  Mooney,  of  foreign  birth,  put 
on  the  mantle.  Possessing  a  good  command  of  language,  with  a 
high  degree  of  enthusiasm,  he  was  an  energetic  worker.    During1 


352  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Mr.  Mooney's  term  several  prominent  people  joined  the  church 
among  them  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Grimes  and  her  son  Hon.  James  W. 
Grimes  and  Charles  Wyman. 

Rev.  David  W.  Goodale,  A.  M.,  A.  B.,  Ph.  D.,  held  a 
pastorate  over  the  Congregational  church  at  Bridge  Village  from 
1887-1895.  He  was  educated  at  Monson  Academy,  Amherst 
College  and  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  all  in  Mass.,  and  held 
pastorates  at  Troy,  N.  H.,  from  1878  to  1883 ;  Sudbury,  Mass., 
1884  to  1886,  and  after  leaving  Hillsborough,  in  Suffield,  Conn., 
1895  to  1907.  He  was  an  energetic  preacher  and  a  public  spirited 
citizen,  always  taking  a  great  interest  in  educational  matters.  He 
was  twice  chosen  to  represent  the  State  Conference  in  the 
National  Council,  once  from  New  Hampshire  and  once  from 
Massachusetts  (See  Vol.  II  for  family  history.)  During  Mr. 
Goodale's  pastorate  the  parsonage  on  Myrtle  "Street  was  pur- 
chased, and  earnest  activity  marked  the  three  years  he  was  in 
town. 

The  Senior  Christian  Endeavor  Society  was  organized  in 
1889,  and  has  ever  done  a  good  and  continuous  work  in  behalf 
of  the  cause  it  represents.  This  society  presented  the  church  with 
a  chaste  and  beautiful  communion  set. 

While  Mr.  Goodale  was  pastor  the  Jackman  brothers  united 
with  the  church,  the  musical  ability  of  John  W.  Jackman  adding 
much  to  that  branch  of  the  service.  James  A.  McNight  as 
pastor's  assistant  and  Sunday  School  Superintendent  did  a  most 
effectual  work. 

From  1895  t0  I90I>  Rev-  Frederick  W.  Burrows  occupied 
the  pulpit,  and  a  man  of  excellent  literary  ability  coupled  with  hi9 
eloquence  as  a  speaker,  he  secured  a  strong  hold  on  the  hearts  of 
his  parishioners,  so  the  church  flourished  under  his  administra- 
tion. 

Mr.  Burrows  resigned  his  charge  in  1901,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Charles  L.  Storrs,  a  young  man  of  marked  ability. 

A  Junior  Christian  Endeavor  Society  was  organized  during 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  C.  L.  Storrs,  and  the  branch  Sunday  School' 
was  established  at  the  Lower  Village  in  1897.  During  his  term  of 
service  here  a  Men's  Club  was  organized.  Mr.  Storrs  resigned 
in  1904  with  the  purpose  of  going  to  China  as  a  missionary,  carry- 


CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH   HISTORY.  353 

ing  with  him  the  unanimous  commendation  of  the  church  for  his 
good  work  done  here.  This  church  has  always  paid  one-fifth  of 
his  salary.    He  is  on  his  Sabbatical  year. 

Mr.  Storrs  was  succeeded  (by  Rev.  Charles  R.  Hamlin,  a 
nephew  of  the  missionary  by  that  name,  who  was  installed 
December  10,  1904.  Mr.  Hamlin  was  an  able  speaker,  who  re- 
mained three  years. 

This  seems  to  have  been  a  period  of  church  benefits.  Albe 
Stevenson,  a  native  of  the  town,  made  a  bequest  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  the  sum  being  invested  in  a  clock  in  1907,  which  was  to 
be  known  as  the  "Stevenson  clock." 

Mrs.  Catherine  (Dascomb)  Burnham  gave  the  society  five 
hundred  dollars,  to  be  divided  equally  between  the  church  at  the 
Centre  and  that  at  Bridge  Village. 

In  June,  1907,  Hon.  John  B.  Smith  offered  to  meet  the 
expense  of  repairing  and  remodelling  the  church,  which  was  done 
at  the  cost  of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Smith  also  gave  a 
fund  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  the  income  of  which  was  to  be  used 
towards  the  support  of  the  church. 

Sarah  C.  Fuller  made  a  bequest  of  five  hundred  dollars  for 
the  equal  benefit  of  the  church  at  the  Centre  and  the  one  at 
Bridge  Village.  Charles  A.  Jones  was  appointed  trustee  of  the 
funds. 

April  20,  1908,  the  society  voted  to  sell  the  parsonage  lot  on 
Myrtle  Street. 

December  9,  1908,  the  alterations  and  improvement  upon  the 
meeting  house  having  been  completed  in  a  satisfactory  manner, 
making  the  old  structure  into  a  new  one,  it  was  proposed  to  re- 
dedicate  the  church  to  renewed  usefulness  in  its  wider  field  of 
religious  work.  It  was  a  day  long  remembered  by  those  who 
participated  in  the  movement. 

June  24,  1909,  Hon.  John  B.  Smith  presented  the  society 
with  the  deed  for  the  lot  of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  church, 
thus  enlarging  the  grounds  about  the  house  and  improving  the 
whole  situation. 

Rev.  Mr.  Hamlin  was  followed  by  Rev.  Robert  W.  Wallace, 
who  was  installed  January  20,  1908.  Mr.  Wallace  and  Mrs. 
Wallace  both  left  excellent  records  for  work  in  the  church.     He 


354  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

was  educated  at  McGill  College,  Montreal,  and  had  preached  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  Newport,  R.  I.  Before  his  settlement  here  he 
supplied  the  pulpit  upon  several  occasions.  He  remained  in 
service  here  until  his  death  in  191 5,  after  a  long  illness.  Mrs. 
Wallace  died  within  a  week  of  her  husband,  the  town  feeling  the 
loss  keenly.  Few  of  the  many  ministers  who  have  occupied  the 
pulpits  in  Hillsborough  left  a  more  lasting  or  happy  record  than 
Mr.  Wallace  whose  career  was  cut  short  in  the  midst  of  his  mostf 
useful  years. 

For  several  years  a  change  in  the  name  of  the  society  had 
been  considered  pro  and  con,  and  on  February  17,  1915,  it  was 
voted  to  substitute  in  place  of  the  old  designation  "Hillsborough 
Bridge  Congregational  Society"  the  term  "Smith  Memorial  Con- 
gregational Church,"  by  which  name  it  is  now  known. 

Memorial  windows  have  been  presented  to  the  church,  from 
time  to  time,  as  follows : 

In  the  Memory  of  John  Wesley  Jackman,  by  his  family.  In 
the  Memory  of  Alice  Barnard,  a  remarkably  attractive  child,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Watson.  In  the  Memory  of 
Deacon  Charles  Conn,  by  his  widow.  Another  by  Benjamin  F. 
and  Harry  Dutton  in  the  memory  of  the  Dutton  and  Hatch 
families.  In  1919  the  Smith  Memorial  window  in  memory  of 
Archibald  Lavender  Smith,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  world  war, 
given  by  his  widow. 

Rev.  Mr.  Wallace  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Frank  Peer  Beal, 
who  came  to  town  a  young  man  full  of  promise.  He  immediately 
became  a  favorite  with  the  young  people  of  the  society,  which 
respect  he  has  maintained.  He  served  two  years  in  the  world 
war,  and  then  settled  down  to  earnest  work  in  the  church.  He 
severed  his  connection  with  the  church  in  1921. 

In  its  long  and  successful  career  the  Congregational  Church 
of  Hillsborough  has  been  faithful  to  the  high  ideals  of  religious 
living,  and  many  of  its  members  have  not  only  been  honored  and 
respected  at  home  but  have  received  notable  recognition  abroad. 
To  mention  any  particular  number  of  these  would  not  be  practic- 
able here,  but  they  have  been  spoken  of  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
It  does  seem  permissible  to  mention  at  least  two  whose  memories' 
are  revered  in  the  town  to-day.     Mrs.   Catherine  Steele,  who 


HONORED  MEMBERS  OF  THE  CHURCH.  355 

passed  away  in  January,  1904,  at  the  age  of  102  years,  the  oldest 
person  in  the  state,  was  associated  with  this  church  for  over  sixty 
years,  and  was  noted  for  her  tender  grace  and  Christian  virtues. 

Another  member  ripe  with  years  of  good  work  well  done 
was  Deacon  Jeremiah  Dutton,  for  a  long  period  its  clerk,  winning 
happy  distinction  from  his  excellent  penmanship  and  accuracy 
and  carefully  worded  records,  as  well  as  for  the  nobility  of  his 
character. 

The  successful  church  can  never  be  idle,  and  among  its 
virtues  Smith  Memorial  Church  numbers  that  of  activity,  which 
neither  age  nor  change  of  shepherds  has  ever  checked,  and  to-day 
its  field  of  usefulness  was  never  better  tilled,  nor  its  promise 
brighter. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Methodist  Church. 

When  Methodism  Obtained  its  Independence  in  Hillbsorough — The 
Church  at  Bridge  Village — Promoters  of  the  Society — Meeting 
House  on  School  Street — Removal  to  Henniker  Street — Enlarge- 
ment and  Improvement  of  this  House — New  House  Formally 
Opened — Description — Memorial  Windows — List  of  Pastors — 
Church  at  the  Centre — Leading  Members — When  Politics  Held  the 
Whip  Hand — Methodism  Gains  a  Foothold  at  the  Centre — Meeting 
House  Built — Pastors — Donors — The  House — Tribute  by  Rev.  Harry 
Brickett. 

Though  younger  than  the  societies  that  have  been  mentioned, 
it  has  been  nearly  a  century  since  Methodism  has  been  able  to 
stand  alone  among  the  churches  in  Hillsborough  County,  it  has 
been  over  eighty  years  since  it  gained  its  independence  in  this 
town.  The  records  are  not  as  complete  as  we  could  wish  relative 
to  the  struggles  of  the  early  exponents  of  the  coming  faith. 

As  far  back  as  the  days  when  there  were  dissenters  among 
those  who  paid  their  minister's  tax  and  worshipped  in  a  church 
of  another  denomination,  there  were  believers  in  Methodism 
serving  another  master  under  protest.  Accordingly,  contempo- 
rary with  the  division  of  the  old  Congregational  church  at  the 
Centre,  and  the  building  of  a  new  meeting  house  by  that  society 
at  Bridge  Village  to  accomodate  the  increasing  members  in  that 
vicinity,  it  was  felt  those  of  the  Methodist  faith  should  establish 
a  church  of  their  own  in  town.  The  most  desirable  location 
seemed  to  be  at  the  "new  village,"  which  already  gave  indications 
of  rapid  growth  in  the  coming  years. 

The  site  selected  for  the  building  was  near  that  of  the  Con- 
gregational house,  and  was  on  the  westerly  side  of  School  Street 
nearly  opposite  the  George  H.  Stewart  place,  since  occupied  by 
Harvey  Stacey. 


356 


CHURCH   MOVED  TO  HENNIKER  STREET.  357 

William  Kimball,  one  of  the  foremost  workers  in  the  new 
cause,  gave  the  land  for  the  building,  so  long  as  it  should  be  oc- 
cupied as  a  place  for  worship.  Others  who  were  active  in  the 
propagation  of  the  society  were  Levi  Goodale,  James  Currier  and 
Thomas  Howlett.  This  was  in  1839,  and  the  following  year  a 
modest  structure  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,400.  It  was  without 
spire  or  any  attempt  at  display ;  was  painted  white  and  presented 
a  plain,  unostentatious  appearance. 

If  the  new  church  was  modest  in  its  appearance,  it  served  its 
purpose  well,  and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  families 
of  some  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  town  worshipped  within  its 
walls.  There  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  friction  in  the  con- 
duct of  church  affairs,  and  the  society  grew  in  numbers  as  well 
as  in  usefulness. 

Meanwhile  Bridge  Village  grew  in  the  number  of  its  in- 
habitants, so  the  membership  of  this  church  outgrew  the  capacity 
of  the  house,  when  discussions  arose  as  to  what  could  be  done 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  changed  condition.  The  outcome 
was  a  vote  to  move  the  old  building  to  a  site  on  Henniker  Street, 
add  twelve  feet  to  its  length,  and  build  a  spire  with  a  belfry  for 
a  bell. 

The  committee  chosen  to  carry  out  this  plan  consisted  of 
Daniel  Wyman,  William  H.  Simonson,  Jason  H.  T.  Newell, 
James  W.  Thorpe,  George  Smart,  J.  Currier,  D.  F.  Brown,  J.  L. 
Eaton,  R.  T.  Noyes,  Lyman  Dow,  John  M.  Gage,  James  F. 
Briggs. 

Completely  remodeled  and  furnished  the  new  church  edifice 
standing  on  Henniker  Street  presented  a  very  pleasing  appearance 
to  the  promoters  of  the  good  work.  Here  renewed  life  and  in- 
terest entered  into  the  work  and  the  society  flourished. 

So  well  did  it  progress  that  within  another  quarter  of  a 
century  it  again  became  evident  that  a  larger  building  was  needed 
to  accomodate  the  worshippers  at  this  shrine.  This  was  all  within 
the  line  of  the  growth  of  the  village,  and  in  order  that  the  ever- 
increasing  membership  of  the  Methodist  church  might  keep  pace 
with  its  situation  it  was  decided  to  enlarge  the  structure  and 
make  other  improvements.  The  committee  selected  to  accomplish 
this  undertaking  was  Herman  G.  Brown,  Samuel  D.  Hastings 


35^  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

and  Peter  H.  Rumrill.  Again  the  architect  and  the  carpenter 
were  called  into  activity,  and  such  improvements  and  enlarge- 
ments made  as  to  quite  efface  the  original  house.  The  building 
was  raised  sufficiently  to  allow  of  a  heating  apparatus  to  be 
placed  in  the  basement.  The  old  spire  was  torn  down  and  a  new 
and  handsome  front  was  constructed,  with  a  tower  at  each  corner 
ornamented  with  finials.  In  the  larger  of  these  towers  a  bell  was 
suspended.  The  exterior  of  the  building  reflected  credit  upon  the 
workmen,  and  was  a  source  of  gratification  to  the  society. 

The  enlarged  and  improved  meeting  house  was  formally 
opened  on  March  2,  1894.  The  Messenger,  in  giving  an  account 
of  the  affair,  described  the  house  in  the  following  words : 

"The  audience  room  is  a  most  beautiful  apartment.  The 
floor  as  also  that  of  the  vestry  is  covered  with  a  Lowell  carpet  of 
beautiful  design.  Around  the  walls  to  a  height  of  three  feet 
above  the  floor  is  carried  a  sheathing  of  beaded  ash  and  the  same 
material  is  used  in  a  similar  manner  in  the  vestry,  vestibule  and 
stairways.  The  ceiling  of  the  sides  and  overhead  is  frescoed  in 
harmonious  tints  that  give  it  a  most  beautiful  appearance. 

"From  the  centre  of  the  ceiling  overhead  is  suspended  a 
magnificent  chandelier  that  sheds  abundant  light  for  the  whole 
apartment.  The  windows  are  of  stained  glass  of  beautiful 
pattern.  Opposite  the  main  entrance  is  the  platform  upon  which 
is  placed  the  elegant  pulpit  set.  On  the  right  is  the  choir  gallery, 
also  well  furnished,  while  to  the  left  is  the  pastor's  study.  The 
auditorium,  as  well  as  all  the  other  apartments,  is  heated  by  two 
furnaces  located  in  the  basement.  The  pews  are  of  ash  and  of 
pretty  design,  so  arranged  that  the  occupant  faces  squarely  to  the 
pulpit,  upholstered  with  cardinal  cushions  and  altogether  forming 
very  comfortable  if  not  luxurious  seats.  The  pews  and  wood 
work  of  the  room  are  finished  in  the  natural  wood  and  varnished, 
giving  the  whole  a  pleasing  effect. 

"The  seating  capacity  of  this  room  is  about  225  and  when 
the  vestry  is  thrown  open  with  it  about  100  more. 

"Many  of  the  furnishings  of  the  church  were  donations. 
The  Ladies'  Friendly  League  gave  the  carpets ;  Miss  Lizzie 
Grimes  and  mother,  the  chandelier;  Henry  C.  Morrill,  the  lamp 
for  the  choir  gallery ;  William  H.  Law,  the  vestibule  lamp ;  Maria 


PASTORS   OF    METHODIST    CHURCH. 


359 


Butler,  the  pulpit  set ;  the  chancel  chairs  and  communion  table ; 
Mrs.  Martha  Lovering  and  Mrs.  David  Whittle,  the  altar  lamps ; 
Mrs.  Mary  Morrill  and  Mrs.  Belle  E.  Merrill,  the  Bible;  Mrs. 
George  C.  Noyes,  the  communion  service;  William  Merrill,  the 
collection  bags." 

Four  memorial  windows  were  presented  as  follows :  One  by 
Herman  G.  Brown,  in  memory  of  his  son,  Arthur  L.  Brown ;  two 
by  Mary  Frank  Butler,  in  memory  of  her  mother,  Jane  O.  Butler 
and  sister,  Sarah  Ann  Butler ;  and  the  fourth  by  Russell  T. 
Noyes,  a  former  resident  of  this  town,  in  memory  of  his  wife, 
Mary  N.  Noyes. 

The  history  of  the  church  since  that  day  five  and  twenty 
years  ago  has  been  uneventful,  except  insofar  as  the  history  of  a 
progressive  and  prosperous  church  can  be  written.  It  has  been 
fortunate  in  its  selection  of  pastors  and  harmonious  in  its  con- 
duct of  affairs  so  far  as  it  has  come  under  its  jurisdiction.  The 
following  ministers  have  been  made  shepherds  of  this  flock,  to 
prove  good  and  faithful  servants  of  Methodism : 

Pastors  of  Bridge  Village  Methodist  Church. 

Reverends.  Reverends. 

Lewis    Howard,    appointed,    1839.  Abel  Heath,         appointed,  1845. 

1846.  Daniel  Lee,  1847. 

1850.  Benjamin   C.   Eastman,  1852. 

1855.  Sandford    Van    Benscothen,  1857. 

1858.  William  H.   Simonson,  1862. 

1863.  John  A.  Lansing,  1864. 

1865.  George  W.  Anderson,  1866. 

1867.  Benjamin  W.   Chase,  1868. 

1871.  D.  W.  Downs,  1874. 

1876.  W.   H.   Stuart,  1878. 

1879.  J.  H.  Hillman,  1880. 

1881.  Fred  H.  Corson,  1884. 

1887.  Noble  Fisk,  1888. 

1891.  Thomas   F.    Cramer,  1894. 

1808.  Irving  C.  Brown,  1901. 

1905.  Water  F.  Whitney,  1909. 

1912.  Nathaniel  B.  Cook,  1914. 
1916  and  still  filling  the  position. 

The  Church  at  the  Centre. 
The  story  of  Methodism  in  Hillsborough  has  been  only  half 
told  by  the  foregoing  narrative.    Contemporary  with  the  division 


Henry  Nutter, 
John   English, 
Albert  P.  Dobbs, 
C.  Miller, 
Henry  D.  Kimball, 
C.  C.  Morehouse, 
Henry  Dorr, 
Lucian   W.   Prescott, 
George  N.   Bryant, 
Joseph   W.   Presby, 
J.   A.    Bowler, 
George  C.  Noyes, 
Joseph    Manuel, 
Joseph  Simpson, 
John   L.  Cairns, 
James  Nelson  Seaver, 
Claude  L.  Buehler, 


360  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  the  Congregational  society  at  the  Centre  was  the  beginning 
and  the  upbuilding  of  the  Methodist  church  there.  Hitherto, 
knowing  it  would  be  a  hardship  to  support  two  churches  where 
one  might  meet  the  wishes  of  the  people  opposite  factions  had 
manfully  striven  to  unite  their  efforts  and  their  means.  Among 
the  influential  workers  with  Methodist  inclinations  were  Hiram 
Monroe,  Benjamin  Gay,  Elijah  Blanchard,  Benjamin  Danforth, 
James  Jones,  who  gave  the  society  five  hundred  dollars ;  the  Rays, 
Hartwells  and  others  living  at  or  near  the  Centre.  In  1858  these 
and  their  associates  were  joined  by  two  new-comers,  the  Dens- 
mores,  father  and  son,  Lyman  and  Lyman  W. 

Those  were  trying  days,  when  political  differences  entered 
largely  into  everyday  affairs,  penetrating  deeply  into  religious  dis- 
cussions. As  early  as  1844,  as  nas  Deen  noted  elsewhere,  delegates 
were  sent  from  Hillsborough  church  to  attend  a  conference  at 
Francestown  where  the  subject  of  slavery  was  the  one  theme  to 
be  discussed.  Even  then  this  action  was  construed  by  some  to  be 
a  political  movement.  In  speaking  of  this  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  party  spirit  was  very  much  stronger  in  those  days,  and 
political  prejudice,  with  either  or  any  party,  was  of  a  decidedly 
aggressive  nature. 

The  news  of  the  attack  of  Preston  S.  Brooks  upon  Charles 
Sumner  at  his  desk  in  the  Senate  chamber  on  the  morning  of 
May  22,  1856,  following  a  heated  discussion,  was  taken  by  the 
pastor  at  the  Centre  church,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dobbs,  as  an  ap- 
propriate text  for  a  sermon,  the  minister  expressing  his  opinion 
very  freely.  His  ideas  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  many 
of  the  attendants  in  the  house,  all  of  whom  left  in  a  body,  every 
one  of  these  refused  to  pay  further  minister's  tax,  until  there 
was  a  change  of  pastors. 

Of  course  the  speaker  had  his  supporters,  but  the  disturb- 
ance resulted  in  closing  the  doors  of  the  church  for  some  time. 

While  this  affair  had  little  if  anything  to  do  with  the  trend 
of  some  of  the  church  people  towards  the  village  at  the  Falls,  it 
did  serve  to  awaken  a  stronger  religious  spirit  among  many,  and 
this  brought  out  more  pronounced  views  relative  to  the  different 
denominations.  All  this  aroused  a  determination  among  those 
living  at  the  Centre  to  maintain  a  church  of  their  own. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 


ST.  MARY'S  CHURCH. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


METHODIST  CHURCH  AT  CENTRE.  361 

Finally  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  head  of  the  Theological 
School  at  Concord,  Mass.,  to  send  some  of  the  students  up  there 
to  preach.  This  call  met  with  a  hearty  response,  and  during  the 
winter  of  i860- 1 861  Messrs.  Hatfield,  Porter  and  King  came  here 
and  started  revival  meetings.  The  result  was  a  hundred  converts' 
— a  large  number  for  the  size  of  the  place,  showing  a  very  sub- 
stantial religious  effort. 

While  these  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  Congregational 
meeting  house,  most  of  the  revivalists  were  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Hiram  Monroe  joined  the  society  at  this  time,  while  the 
Danforths,  Gays,  Hartwells,  Rays,  Blanchards  and  others  having 
large  families  wanted  their  children  to  listen  to  Methodist  preach- 
ing, and  above  all  attend  a  Methodist  Sunday  School. 

Accordingly,  those  of  this  belief,  began  to  talk  earnestly  of 
having  a  Methodist  meeting  house  at  the  Centre.  The  discus- 
sions to  this  end  and  the  plans  to  accomplish  this  purpose  were 
all  made  at  meetings  held  in  the  old  town  house. 

In  1861  the  society  was  organized,  with  a  Sunday  School  of 
one  hundred  pupils,  coming  under  the  teachings  of  William 
Fletcher  Hatfield.  Mr.  Hatfield  was  succeeded  by  E.  A.  Smith, 
and  he  by  A.  C.  Coult. 

This  was  in  the  summer  of  1862,  during  the  time  of  the 
Civil  War,  but  the  resolute  brotherhood  drew  their  plans  for  the 
new  house  and  began  to  raise  the  money.  In  this  respect  they 
were  so  successful  that  the  following  spring  work  was  begun  on 
the  house,  and  went  forward  so  that  on  September  10,  1863,  the 
meeting  house  was  dedicated  under  most  auspicious  circum- 
stances. The  minister  in  charge  at  this  time  was  Rev.  Henry  W. 
Ackerly.  Services  were  held  regularly  after  this,  the  preachers, 
in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned  being  Revs.  William  E. 
Tomkinson,  1864;  H.  B.  Elkins,  1865;  A.  J.  Hall,  1866;  W.  H. 
Williams,  1868;  I.  Taggart,  1868;  Samuel  Beadle,  1870;  L.  S. 
Dudley,  1871  ;  J.  Parker,  1874;  H.  Chandler,  1875;  Joseph  W. 
Presby,  1878.  From  this  time  to  the  present  the  same  minister 
preached  at  both  Village  and  the  Centre.  For  the  names  see  list 
already  given. 

Among  the  beneficiaries  have  been  Abigail  Hartwell,  who 
left  a  bequest  of  two  hundred  dollars ;  Mary  Ann  Danforth,  two 


$62  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

hundred  dollars;  Albe  Stevenson,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars; 
Abbie  Murdo,  one  hundred  dollars.  The  gift  of  the  last-named 
person  possesses  an  unusual  interest  from  the  fact  that  the  giver 
was  blind  from  birth,  but  had  earned  the  money  from  her  own 
work.  In  fact,  she  was  noted  as  one  of  the  most  industrious  and 
accomplished  persons  in  town. 

At  the  end  of  nearly  three-score  years  the  modest  edifice, 
with  its  white  walls,  its  shapely  tower,  its  spacious  grounds  and 
inviting  hospitality  still  stands  as  a  gentle  reminder  of  its  builders 
and  their  devout  purpose. 

Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  in  his  excellent  sketch  of  the  town 
written  for  the  county  history,  says  very  aptly  of  the  situation: 
"As  a  rule  the  two  churches  on  the  hill  have  worshipped  side  by 
side  in  peace,  if  not  always  with  brotherly  love.  It  is  sometimes, 
difficult  to  forget  the  causes  of  separation,  or  of  the  attempt  to 
secure,  by  a  majority  of  votes,  the  church  building  of  the  old 
church  for  the  occupancy  of  the  new.  The  generation  that  were 
the  actors  in  the  matter  (this  was  written  thirty-five  years  ago) 
are  most  of  them  with  the  departed,  and  the  newer  generation 
are  coming  up  with  the  most  kindly  feelings  of  the  former. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  the  Methodist  Biblical  Institute 
of  Concord  was  in  full  operation,  and  the  students  ably  supplied 
the  desks.  Among  these  Mr.  Hatfield,  at  the  Centre,  was  the 
most  noted  there,  and  William  Van  Benschoten  at  the  Bridge. 
Others  ranked  high  as  men  of  talent.  Rev.  John  A.  Bowler,  who 
remained  three  years  at  the  Centre  and  at  the  Bridge  proved  him- 
self to  be  a  man  adapted  to  the  place.  The  town  showed  its  ap- 
preciation of  his  abilities  and  worth  by  giving  him  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  schools,  a  work  for  which  he  was  prepared  and 
adapted,  as  he  stood  himself  at  the  head  of  the  profession  as  a 
teacher  before  he  began  to  preach." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
The  Catholic  Church  and  Other  Denominations. 

First  Mass  Celebrated  in  Hillsborough — Building  of  the  Church — 
Christened  for  Mrs.  Mary  Pierce — Names  of  the  Pastors — Success 
of  the  Church — The  Universalists — Never  an  Organized  Body — 
Favorite  Meeting  Place  Child's  Opera  Block — The  Spiritualists — 
An  Organized  Society— A  Long  and  Successful  Becord. 

The  changes  in  population  caused  by  one  reason  and  another 
saw  people  of  religious  belief  differing  from  those  already 
established  in  town.  Foremost  among  these  were  those  firm  in 
the  faith  of  Catholicism,  this  class  increasing  in  numbers  until  it 
was  necessary  to  have  a  house  of  worship. 

The  first  Mass  was  celebrated  in  Hillsborough  by  the  Rev.  E. 
E.  Buckle,  in  1881.  This  mission  was  subsequently  visited  by 
pastors  of  Peterborough  and  East  Jaffrey,  until  the  settlement  of 
the  first  resident  priest,  the  Rev.  David  W.  Fitzgerald,  in  1889. 

Directly  after  assuming  pastoral  charge  Father  Fitzgerald 
secured  a  plot  of  land  on  Church  Street  the  site  of  a  proposed 
new  church  building.  Work  was  begun  upon  the  structure  within 
a  short  time,  Messrs.  Jackman  Brothers  being  engaged  as 
builders.  The  house  is  of  modern  designs;  has  Gothic  windows; 
is  75  feet  by  32  feet  in  dimension ;  32  feet  in  height,  with  a  tower 
of  75  feet,  surmounted  by  a  gilded  cross.  It  can  seat  350  persons. 
Messrs.  Chickering  and  O'Cornell  were  the  architects. 

Named  Saint  Mary's  Church  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Pierce,  wife  of  Hon.  Kirk  D.  Pierce,  the  new  house  of  worship 
was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Bradley  October  29,  1893.  A  rectory 
was  built  the  following  year. 

In  1901  Father  Fitzgerald  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Corcoran,  who  was  followed  in  1905  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  N. 
Coakley. 

The  Rev.  J.  G.  Leclerc  succeeded  Father  Coakley  in  1910  as 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's.     Father  Leclerc  was  instrumental  in  the 


363 


3^4  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

purchase  of  two  lots  of  land  for  cemeteries,  St.  Mary's  Cemetery, 
Hillsborough,  and  Mount  Calvary  Cemetery,  Bennington,  both  of 
which  were  blessed  by  Bishop  Guertin  in  June,  1918. 

The  Rev.  James  H.  Queenan  became  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  in 
August,  1917,  but  he  was  called  into  higher  service  a  little  over  a 
year  later.    He  died  in  November,  1918. 

The  present  pastor  is  the  Rev.  Charles  J.  Leddy.  Father 
Leddy  was  born  in  Epping  and  educated  at  Phillips  Exeter 
Academy.  He  came  to  Hillsborough  from  St.  Joseph  Cathedral, 
Manchester,  and  under  his  care  the  church  has  prospered  and 
promises  to  yield  yet  greater  good  in  the  future. 

Besides  the  fully  organized  churches  already  mentioned, 
other  classes  of  worshippers  have  held  services  in  town  and  per- 
formed their  religious  duties  according  to  their  beliefs.  Child's 
Opera  Block  has  been  the  favorite  meeting  place  for  these  un- 
organized denominations.  At  different  times  the  Universalists 
have  held  meetings  here,  but  have  never  had  sufficient  numbers 
to  form  a  regular  church.  Among  the  preachers  who  have 
presided  here  has  been  Rev.  Mr.  Morrison  of  Laconia. 

The  Spiritualists  have  been  numerous  enough  to  hold  regular 
meetings,  their  favorite  hall  being  in  Colby  Block.  This  society 
has  flourished  for  a  considerable  time,  and  some  of  the  best 
advocates  of  its  doctrines  have  addressed  its  meetings  upon 
special  occasions. 

In  conclusion  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  say  that  those  of  various 
religious  beliefs  dwell  side  by  side  in  harmony,  many  having  but 
little  choice,  a  few  not  any,  though  even  they  do  not  decline  to 
accept  the  truth  of  the  golden  rule. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 
Story  of  the  Schools. 

Early  Action  in  Regard  to  Education — Character  of  Early  Schools  in 
New  England — Teachers— First  School  Districts — First  Super- 
intendents 1827 — Prudential  Committee — First  School  in  Hillsbor- 
ough— George  Bemaine,  Pioneer  Teacher — First  Woman  Teacher — 
First  Money  for  Schools — Town  Divided  into  School  Classes. 

"I  sat  an  hour  to-day,  John, 

Beside  the  old  brook  stream, 
Where  we  were  school-boys  in  old  time, 
When  manhood  was  a  dream. 

The  school  house  is  no  more,  John, 

Beneath  our  locust  trees, 
The  wild  rose  by  the  window's  side 

No  more  waves  in  the  breeze." 

The  beginning  of  an  educational  system  in  New  England  was 
mainly  due  to  the  character  and  mental  training  of  the  founders 
of  each  locality.  The  establishment  of  a  school  in  a  certain  town 
was  governed  therefore  by  the  opinions  and  purposes  of  its  in- 
habitants. Elsewhere  it  has  been  shown  in  this  work  that  the 
early  comers  to  Hillsborough  were  somewhat  different  in  their 
personal  attributes  from  the  Puritans  and  the  Pilgrims  on  the 
one  hand,  and  that  on  the  other  a  portion  of  the  inhabitants  was 
composed  of  citizens  distinct  from  these.  It  can  be  said  to  their 
credit  that  the  matter  of  education  received  early  attention  from 
them,  and  before  the  incorporation  of  the  town  schools,  supported 
by  private  subscriptions,  were  maintained  in  Hillsborough. 

During  the  hundred  years  of  the  18th  century  little  was  ac- 
complished anywhere  in  New  Hampshire  relative  to  education. 
In  considering  this  apparent  apathy  towards  schools  it  must  not 
be  forgotten  that  for  more  than  half  of  the  time  the  colonists  were 
kept  busy  in  their  almost  constant  warfare  with  the  Indians,  and, 
following  the  close  of  this   exciting  drama,  the  ominous   fore- 

365 


3^6  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

bodings  of  the  Revolution,  the  war  itself,  and  the  construction  of 
a  new  form  of  government  employed  the  attention  of  the  people 
to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else. 

In  1789  the  legislature  repealed  all  former  acts  relating  to 
schools  and  definitely  fixed  the  amount  of  money  to  be  raised  by 
towns  for  schooling  at  "five  pounds  for  one  pound  of  public 
taxes  to  the  individual  town."  This  was  to  be  expended  for> 
maintaining  an  "English  grammar  school,"  meaning  schools  for 
teaching  "reading,  writing  and  arithmetic."  The  Selectmen  were 
made  responsible  for  assessing  and  collecting  this  money.  Two 
years  later  the  assessment  was  raised,  making  the  proportion  on 
every  twenty  shillings  to  be  seven  pounds  and  ten  shillings.  By 
the  first  provisions,  which  were  not  changed  in  this  respect  in 
1791,  teachers  were  required  to  furnish  certificates  of  examina- 
tion, and  to  be  of  good  character  and  qualification. 

In  1804  towns  were  empowered  to  tax  non-residents  towards 
the  support  of  the  schools.  In  1805  towns  were  empowered  to 
divide  into  school  districts.  Previous  to  this,  having  no  fixed 
place  for  them,  schools  were  "moveable" ;  that  is,  they  were  kept 
wherever  thought  best  by  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  in  that 
section  of  the  town,  or  it  might  include  the  whole  township,  while 
the  rest  of  the  citizens  did  not  complain  of  unfairness.  The 
school  room  was  sometimes  in  a  barn,  in  an  old  deserted  building 
or  a  private  house.  The  law  of  1805  gave  the  town  power  to 
assess  the  inhabitants  of  a  certain  district  with  which  to  build  a 
house.  The  section  of  the  law  relating  to  school  districts  was 
repealed  in  1885,  leaving  it  optional  with  the  town.  From  time 
to  time  the  rates  have  been  raised,  and  many  modifications  have 
been  made  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  changing  conditions. 
In  1827  the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools  was  created,  and 
two  years  later  that  of  prudential  committee  with  power  to  hire 
the  teacher  in  the  district  in  which  said  officer  lived.  The  revision 
of  the  laws  at  this  time  made  many  improvements  in  the  conduct 
of  the  schools. 

The  legislature  of  191 7  made  radical  changes  in  the  school 
system  establishing  a  state  board  of  education  and  compelled  the 
towns  that  had  not  already  accepted  this  method  to  enter  a  classi- 


GEORGE   BEMAINE.  367 

fication  with  adjoining  towns  and  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
a  superintendent  for  said  district. 

In  respect  to  her  schools  Hillsborough  does  not  rank  inferior 
to  any  of  her  sister  towns.  Within  eight  years  of  the  beginning 
of  the  second  settlement,  from  which  the  history  of  the  town 
really  begins,  and  two  years  before  its  incorporation,  a  school 
was  opened  in  a  log  house  standing  a  few  rods  west  of  the  dwell- 
ing of  Daniel  Templeton  and  on  the  land  more  recently  owned  by 
Henry  Adams.  This  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  main  road 
leading  from  Bridge  to  Lower  Village.  George  Bemaine  was  the 
teacher.  He  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  had  received  a 
good  education.  The  famous  Dilworth,  author  of  the  spelling 
book  so  common  in  those  days,  was  a  classmate  of  his.  He  had 
come  to  New  England  with  his  parents  before  he  was  twenty- 
one.* 

Mr.  Bemaine  proved  to  be  an  excellent  teacher,  and  was 
noted  for  his  good  penmanship.  As  well  as  being  a  scholar  he 
was  a  gentleman  of  fine  appearance  and  liked  by  all.  But  his  stay 
in  Hillsborough  was  not  of  long  duration.  Upon  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolution  he  showed  his  love  for  his  adopted  country 
by  enlisting  in  the  Continental  Army,  where  he  made  a  long  and 
honorable  record,  which  is  given  in  the  chapter  on  the  Revo- 
lutionary War. 

In  addition  to  attending  to  his  church  duties  and  farming, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes  gave  private  instructions  to  several  young 
men,  and  probably  taught  terms  of  private  schools.  It  was  not 
unusual  in  those  days  for  some  of  the  men  and  women — many  of 
whom  even  in  common  walks  of  life — had  fairly  good  educations 
to  tutor  privately  the  children  of  their  neighbors. 


*Mr.  J.  M.  Whiton,  in  his  history  of  Antrim,  has  this  to  say  of  the  school  master, 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  his  account  does  not  agTee  with  the  above  statement. 
In  fact,  it  should  be  said  that  the  history  of  Mr.  Bemaine  is  not  very  complete 
from  such  records  as  can  be  obtained  today.  Mr.  Whiton  says:  ''A  prolonged 
storm  raged  in  January,  1770,  and  the  Contoocook  was  impassable.  Scarcely  had 
the  storm  passed  than  a  stranger  knocked  at  the  door  of  a  pioneer's  home  near 
the  river  in  Antrim.  He  was  a  middle-aged  man,  who  gave  his  name  as  George 
Bemaine,  born  upon  the  seas,  and  he  acknowledged  he  was  a  refugee,  having  de- 
serted an  English  warship  in  the  port  of  Boston  and  penetrated  thus  far  into  the 
wilderness  by  following  spotted  trees.  The  storm  had  treated  him  harshly  and 
he  was  glad  to  find  shelter  and  food.  He  had  found  the  home  of  Deacon  James 
Aiken,  the  pioneer  of  Antrim.  Taking  a  Bible  from  the  devout  settler's  table 
he  remarked  he  had  seldom  seen  a  good  book  for  forty  years.  He  proved  an  ex- 
cellent reader  and  soon  showed  that  he  was  an  educated  man.  He  soon  after 
came  to  Hillsborough,  and  taught  the  first  school  in  town."  Deacon  Aiken  lived 
alone  in   South  Antrim  for  four  years  before  a  neighbor  came. 


368  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  first  woman  to  teach  a  regular  school  of  which  there  is 
any  record  was  a  Mrs.  Sarah  Muzzey,  a  widow  lady  from  Sud- 
bury, Massachusetts,  who  kept  the  school  at  the  Centre  with 
great  satisfaction. 

All  scholars  prior  to  1785  were  supported  by  private  con- 
tributions, though  the  matter  of  town  support  had  been  agitated 
for  several  years  before.  The  first  vote  upon  the  records  relative 
to  the  support  of  schools  was  at  a  special  meeting  held  September 
4,  1780,  when  it  was  voted  not  to  raise  any  money  for  school 
purposes.  On  December  8  this  action  was  ratified  by  another 
vote  against  raising  money  for  that  purpose.  There  was  a  slight 
gain  in  its  favor  and  the  adherents  continued  to  advocate  the 
movement.  In  1784  there  was  an  article  in  the  warrant  to  see 
if  the  town  would  employ  a  "wrighting  master."  This,  notwith- 
standing its  spelling,  was  voted  down. 

It  was  not  until  the  annual  meeting  March  31,  1785,  the  town 
voted  the  first  money  for  schools,  twenty  pounds  or  about  one 
hundred  dollars.  Already  an  organized  system  of  public  schools 
had  been  acomplished  and  from  that  day  the  town  has  been  liberal 
in  her  support  of  the  cause  of  education.  As  another  has  aptly 
stated  it :  "As  the  result  of  all  her  efforts,  her  sons  and  daughters, 
strenghtened  and  panoplied  for  victory  in  the  varied  battles  of 
life  by  the  educational  advantages  she  has  generously  supplied, 
arise  to  call  her  blessed.  In  fine,  with  her  churches  and  her 
schools,  her  library  and  her  newspapers,  Hillsborough  has  ever 
done  her  best  to  enforce  and  practice  the  great  principle  that 
knowledge  and  virtue  are  the  only  safety  of  a  free  people." 

Nothing  further  appears  on  the  records  in  regard  to  schools 
until  March,  3,  1788,  when  it  was  voted  that  the  town  be  divided 
into  five  "classes"  for  school  purposes,  and  "Voted  that  one  half 
of  the  money  raised  for  school  purposes  be  for  a  Man  school,  and 
that  said  money  be  divided  by  families,  and  that  there  be  a  com- 
mittee of  five  men  to  class  said  town,  which  are  as  follows  (viz) 
— John  Dutton,  Joseph  Symonds,  Paul  Coolidge,  John  Bradford, 
William  Taggart." 

The  committee   attended  to   its   duties,  but  changes   in  the 
population,  and  many  persons  not  satisfied  with  the  classification, 


THE  SCHOOLS  IN   1803.  369 

caused  the  warrant  for  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  1796,  to 
contain  the  following: 

Article  11th.  To  see  if  the  Town  will  choose  a  committee  to  Class 
the  town  anew  ;  for  the  better  regulating-  and  if  voted  to  reclass  the 
town  then  see  how  many  classes  the  town  shall  be  divided  into  and 
when  the  first  Class  shall  be  made — Also  to  see  if  the  Town  will  build 
a  school  house  in  each  class  at  the  expense  of  the  Town  in  each  class 
— and  if  voted  to  build  said  school  houses  then  see  when  the  Houses 
shall  be  finished.  Also  see  if  the  Town  will  vote  to  confine  each  within 
the  limits  of  the  class.  Also  see  if  the  town  will  vo'te  that  all  or  any 
part  of  the  money  which  may  in  future  be  assessed  for  the  support  of 
a  school  be  divided  by  pole  and  estate. 

12th  To  see  if  the  Town  w?ill  raise  any  money  for  the  support  of 
a  school  exclusive  of  what  the  law  requires  also  how  much,  and  how 
the  same  shall  be  disposed  of . .  ." 

The  Town  voted  to  confine  each  class  within  the  limits  of  the 
class  for  the  better  Regulating  of  the  schools — 

Voted  to  divide  the  school  money  by  family  as  heretofore. 

Voted  not  to  raise  any  Money  for  the  support  of  a  school  exclusive 
of  what  the  law  requires. 

"The  schools  and  school  houses  occupy  considerable  space 
in  the  town  records  from  this  time  on,  much  discussion  arising  in 
the  classification  of  the  school  districts,  new  ones  being  added 
now  and  then.  April  22,  1803,  the  following  committees  were 
chosen  "to  superintend  the  business  in  each  class,  which  are  to  be 
denominated  the  school  committee :" 

Class  No.  1,  William  Taggard,  George  Dascomb  and  Jedidiah 
Preston,  Bridge. 

Class  No.  2,  Calvin  Stevens,  William  Symonds  and  Europe  Hamlin, 
Centre. 

Class  No.  3,  Benjamin  Pierce,  Samuel  Gibson,  and  William  Hut- 
chinson, Lower  Village. 

Class  No.  4,  Joel  Stowe,  David  Livermore  and  David  Goodell,  Jr_ 
Hazen  Neighborhood. 

Class  No.  5,  John  Dutton,  Elijah  Beard  and  Alexander  Parker. 

Class  No.  6,  Daniel  Flint,  Nathaniel  Symonds  and  Samuel  Ellen- 
wood. 

Class  No.  7,  Abraham  Kimball,  Isaac  Farrah  and  Peter  Clement, 
Farrah  Neighborhood. 

Class  No.  9,  Kobert  Carr,  Paul  Cooledge  and  Thomas  Killom. 

For  some  reason  no  committee  was  chosen  for  Class  No.  8, 
and  the  selectmen  were  empowered  to  act  in  that  capacity.  These 
excerpts  are  pointers  of  what  followed,  year  by  year,  until  the 


3/0  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

pupils,  decreasing  slowly  in  numbers,  the  district  school  lost 
somewhat  that  quality  for  good  to  the  largest  percentage  of 
children  that  was  its  pride  and  honor. 

Affording  a  strong  contrast  to  the  conduct  of  our  schools 
over  a  hundred  years  later  is  the  record  of  the  schools  in  town  at 
the  beginning  of  the  19th  century.  A  folio  record  book  made 
from  eight  losse  sheets  of  paper  sewn  together,  and  labeled  "A 
Record  of  School  Money,"  covers  the  situation  briefly  for  the 
years,  1805,  1806,  1807,  1808.  Opening  at  random  we  quote  trofn 
the  pages  devoted  to  the  year  1807.  There  were  nine  classes  or 
districts,  227  families  in  the  town,  and  $340.50  raised,  the  propor- 
tion being  $1.50  a  family.  The  number  of  pupils  is  not  given,  nor 
are  there  any  records  to  show  just  where  the  boundaries  of  these 
districts  were.  The  name  of  the  agent  or  committee  to  whom  the 
money  was  paid  gives  a  slight  clue  in  some  cases. 
Proportion  of  School  Money  for  1807 
$1.50  per  Family 

Class  Xo.  1,  45  familys  is   $67.50 

Paid  Andrew  Sargent. 

Class  No.  2,  16  families   $24.00 

Name  of  agent  not  given.    Dr    Goodell  thought  this  was  on  Bible  Hill. 

Class  No.  3,  29  families   $43.50 

Paid  to  David  Starrett,  so  was  probably  at  Lower  Village. 

Class  2  in  3,  9  families    $13.50 

Paid  to  John  Gibson,  who  lived  on  Bible  Hill,  where  there  is  not  a 
single  resident  to-day. 

Class  No.  4,  South  part,  22  families   $33.00 

Paid  David  Goodell,  Jr.    This  is  now  Division  No.  9. 

Class  No.  4,  North  part,  16  families   $24.00 

Paid  to  Archleas  Town,  now  Division  8. 

Class  No.  5,  30  families   $45.00 

Paid  to  Elijah  Beard,  who  lived  where  the  sanitarium  is  now_ 

Class  No.  6,  27  families   $40.50 

Paid  to  Abial  Shattuck. 

Class  No.  7,  10  families   $15.00 

Paid  to  J.  Carter  and  Jonathan  Clement,  "Concord  End"  and  Farrab 
division. 

Class  No.  8,  4  families   $6.00 

Paid  to  committee. 

Class  No.  9,  19  families   $28.50 

Cash  paid  to  committee. 

None  of  this  money  seems  to  have  been  paid  until  the  next 


AN   OLDTIME   SCHOOL.  371 

year,  and  that  of  Class  No.  8  not  until  1809.  The  record  for 
1808  shows  that  there  were  eleven  more  families  in  town  and  the 
rate  was  $2.20  to  each  family,  the  sum  total  being  $511.00.  In 
four  of  the  districts  there  were  two  terms  during  the  year,  and 
in  the  other  five  only  one  term. 

Doctor  Goodell,  in  commenting  upon  this  situation  says : 
''The  branches  taught  were  the  three  R's,  spelling,  good  manners, 
and  obedience.  A  few  years  since  geography  was  added,  and 
later  still  grammar  and  history,  fundamentals  only,  'no  frills'.  Is 
it  not  up  to  our  schools  of  today,  with  their  modern  time 
increases  in  educational  advantages,  to  develop  men  and  women 
who  shall  at  least  equal  our  forebears  in  morals,  patriotism, 
industry,  perseverance,  business  capacity  and  all  else  that  pertains 
to  good  citizenship?" 

In  describing  the  schools  of  that  day  it  has  been  said:  "Dil- 
worth's  spelling  book  was  then  the  fountain  of  learning.  The 
Psalter  and  a  simple  treatise  on  arithmetic  were  used  in  some  of 
the  schools. 

"Choosing  sides  and  spelling  once  a  week  was  the  food, 
dinner  and  dessert  of  ambition,  and  the  schoolmaster's  ferule  the 
stimulant.  Saturday  noons  the  little  square  blue  primer,  containing 
the  catechism  and  commandments,  Watt's  cradle  hymns, 
furnished  scholars  with  their  quantum  of  religious  instruction,  and 
with  their  facilities  and  materials,  the  young  mind  was  to  be  ad- 
vanced and  furnished  for  the  business  of  the  world." 

Society  established  on  a  broader  basis,  education  received  a 
creditable  attention.  Especially  was  this  true  of  the  improved 
grade  of  text  books  used  in  the  schools.  The  old  Historical 
Reader  was  introduced  about  1820.  Webster's  spelling  book  had 
come  into  popular  use  before  this  and  Pike's  Arithmetic  was  used 
to  advantage  over  the  former  method  of  having  the  teacher  place 
some  original  example  on  the  board  for  the  pupil  to  work  out. 
This  book  was  destined  to'be  replaced  by  an  improved  work  from 
Dr.  Daniel  Adams,  which  bore  his  name.  This  book  remained 
the  leading  arithmetic  until  about  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  when 
it  was  succeeded  by  Greenleaf's  Arithmetic  about  the  time  of  the 
death  of  the  author  at  Keene  in  1864.    It  is  interesting  to  know 


372  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

that  Dr.  Adams  brought  out  his  arithmetic  while  living  in  a  near- 
by town,  Mont  Vernon. 

In  1828  the  name  Prudential  Committee  was  applied  to  the 
men  overseeing  the  schools  in  the  respective  districts,  of  which 
there  were  nine  at  this  time. 

Did  space  permit  it  would  be  a  pleasant  task  to  trace  the 
Story  of  the  Schools  through  the  succeeding  years  to  the  present 
time,  and  it  would  afford  a  valuable  lesson  to  the  student  of 
history.  No  corner  in  the  field  of  human  progress  is  as  essential 
to  the  development  of  public  affairs  as  the  niche  filled  by  our 
rural  schools.  Upon  the  record  of  these  little  isolated  seats  of 
knowledge  depends  the  intellectual  strength  of  the  people  and 
upon  the  intelligence  of  the  people  rests  the  very  pillars  of  govern- 
ment. Yet  we  review  the  work  briefly.  The  best  and  brightest 
things  in  life  are  those  of  which  we  say  the  least.  So  it  is  with 
the  historyof  our  schools.  Fortunately,  or  unfortunately  as  the 
case  may  be,  their  results  are  written  in  indelible  ink  upon  the 
tablets  of  memory.    If  seldom  mentioned  are  imperishable. 

The  story  of  Hillsborough's  schools  is  not  different  from  any 
other.  It  will  average  with  her  sister  towns.  Her  rural  districts 
have  naturally  fewer  pupils  in  schools  than  before  the  Civil  War, 
over  half  a  century  ago,  which  is  impressively  explained  in  the 
mute  language  of  the  abandoned  farms,  and  emphasised  by  the 
fact  of  decreased  numbers  of  children  in  the  homes  that  remain. 
More  is  expected  in  the  education  of  a  child  than  in  the  days  of 
greater  rural  activity.  If  more  is  being  obtained  the  future,  not 
the  present,  must  show. 

When  the  state,  hoping  to  improve  the  rural  school  situation, 
took  a  firmer  hand  in  the  management  in  191 7,  and  established 
the  State  Board  of  Education,  Hillsborough  had  very  little  to  do 
to  fall  into  line.  No  new  school  houses  have  been  built  for  a 
considerable  period,  for  the  reason  the  need  had  not  been 
manifest.  In  fact,  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it,  Hillsborough 
has  never  been  advance  in  the  construction  of  public  buildings, 
and  her  sons  and  daughters  who  have  prospered  abroad  have 
seemed  to  forget  her  in  this  respect.    Let  us  hope  not  for  always. 

According  to  the  Report  for  1920,  we  find  that  schools  have 
been  maintained  in  six  rural  districts,  as  follows : 


HILLSBOROUGH  ACADEMY.  373 

Hillsborough  Lower  Village,  Mrs.  Deborah  Brown,  teacher, 
31  pupils;  Merrill  School,  Ida  P.  Phelps,  teacher,  18  pupils; 
Hillsborough  Upper  Village,  Edythe  W.  Crooker,  teacher,  16 
pupils ;  Flat  School,  Elizabeth  Thompson,  teacher,  1 1  pupils ; 
Centre  School,  Frances  E.  Barnes,  teacher,  13  pupils;  Goodale 
School,  Mrs.  Nellie  R.  Mellen,  teacher,  12  pupils.  This  record 
shows  a  complete  list  of  101  pupils. 

The  report  for  the  previous  year  shows  that,  in  addition  to 
the  above  list,  schools  were  taught  in  the  Howard  and  Bear  Hill 
districts  and  that  there  were  in  town  a  total  of  112  pupils. 

The  members  of  the  Town  School  Board  for  1920  were  Mrs. 
Lottie  Harvey,  Henry  W.  Adams  and  Leonard  T.  Martin. 

Hillsborough  Academy  and  High  School. 

With  the  district  schools  flourishing  it  soon  became  evident 
that  the  town  could  well  afford  to  support  a  higher  grade  of 
education,  and  as  the  Lower  Village  was  at  that  time  the  centre 
of  business  enterprises  with  considerable  promise  for  the  future, 
it  was  decided  to  erect  a  suitable  building  at  this  hamlet  and 
establish  an  academical  course.  A  brick  building  was  raised  in 
1820,  and  in  1821  the  Hillsborough  Academy  was  incorporated. 

March  11,  1822,  the  following  notice  of  the  new  school  ap- 
peared: "Recently  incorporated,  new  brick  building  near  General 
Pierce's,  instruction  of  Simon  Ingersol  Bard.  Tuition,  $3  per 
quarter.    Highest  price  for  board,  $1.25  per  week." 

Dr.  Bard,  the  first  principal,  was  a  native  of  Francestown 
and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College.  He  was  very  bright  in- 
tellectually, but  of  small  stature.  The  following  anecdote  told  of 
him  illustrates  this  fact :  While  on  his  way  to  the  academy  one 
morning  with  his  books  under  his  arm,  a  stranger  meeting  him 
asked  good-naturedly,  "Hilloa,  sonny,  how  do  you  like  your 
preceptor?" 

After  a  very  successful  career  here  Dr.  Bard  was  succeeded 
by  a  fellow  graduate  of  Dartmouth  and  Andover  Theological 
Seminary  Rev.  William  Clark,  in  1827.  He  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother,  Rev.  Samuel  Wallace  Clark,  while  he  removed  to  Cin- 
cinnatti,  Ohio.  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Clark  was  born  in  Greenland, 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1823,  and  of  Andover  in 


374  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

1827.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Josiah  Peabody,  a  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  in  1825;  Robert  Reed  Heath,  of  Dartmouth,  1825; 
Solomon  Heath,  a  brother  and  graduate  of  Dartmouth  in  1826; 
Benjamin  F.  Wallace,  Esq. ;  Rev.  Ephraim  Taylor,  Albert  Baker, 
Esq.,  and  Francis  Brown  Mussey  of  Amherst. 

In  1840  it  was  thought  advisable  to  move  the  academy  to  the 
Centre,  where  it  was  opened  in  the  old  first  meeting  house  build- 
ing, with  Rev.  Elisha  Thayer  Rowe  as  Principal,  which  position 
he  retained  until  1864. 

In  the  meantime  a  change  had  taken  place  in  the  school  situa- 
tion at  Bridge  Village.  Until  1861  this  growing  hamlet  had  been 
divided  into  two  districts,  the  river  being  the  boundary  line 
between  them.  In  the  fall  of  i860  the  South  School  House,  as 
it  was  called  in  District  No.  2,  was  burned,  and  it  was  then 
decided  it  would  be  better  to  remove  the  old  house  and  build  a 
new  one  large  enough  to  accomodate  the  entire  village.  At  the 
annual  meeting  in  March,  1861,  a  committee  of  four,  James  F. 
Briggs  and  Theron  B.  Newman  representing  the  North  side,  and 
S.  Dow  Wyman  and  Reuben  E.  Loveren  of  the  South  side,  was 
appointed  to  secure  plans  for  a  school  house  not  to  exceed  $2,500 
in  cost  fully  equipped.  Joshua  Marcy,  S.  Dow  Wyman  and 
Daniel  Wyman  were  chosen  a  committee  to  receive  bids,  but  all 
of  the  bids  received  were  above  the  proposed  cost,  and  a  building 
committee  consisting  of  Joshua  Marcy,  Daniel  Wyman  and 
Horace  Eaton  was  selected  to  build  the  house  at  as  reasonable 
price  as  possible.  This  committee  discharged  the  duty  assigned 
it  and  completed  a  new  building  at  a  cost  of  $4,626.36.  The  old 
house  was  sold  for  $175.  This  bill  included  the  cost  of  a  bell, 
which  is  still  in  use. 

Until  then  no  school  in  town  had  been  graded,  but  it  was  now 
thought  to  do  this  at  this  school  in  November.  James  F.  Briggs, 
Harry  Brickett  and  Abel  C.  Burnham  were  chosen  to  undertake 
this  task  and  formulate  rules  for  its  government.  This  com- 
mittee placed  the  pupils  of  twelve  years  of  age  and  upward  in  the 
higher  grade,  and  assigned  the  second  floor  as  their  school  room. 

The  first  term  of  school  in  the  new  building  was  opened  in 
the  winter  of  1861-1862,  the  teacher  of  the  higher  grade  being 
Warren  McClintock,  while  Ellen  Fisher  taught  the  primary  grade. 


HILLSBOROUGH    HIGH    SCHOOL.  375 

At  this  time  Dr.  Abel  C.  Burnham  was  chairman  of  the  super- 
intending school  committee. 

In  1864  the  Aacademy  at  the  Centre  was  removed  to  Bridge 
Village  and  made  a  part  of  the  higher  grade  in  the  school  at  this 
hamlet,  under  the  name  of  the  "Valley  Academy,"  a  tuition 
school.  Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  acting  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Bridge  Village,  with  his  wife  as  assistant,  became  its 
principal,  and  there  were  120  pupils  attending. 

After  sixteen  very  successful  years,  in  1876,  the  name  was 
changed  to  "Union  School,"  and  it  became  in  reality  a  high  school. 
Harry  L.  Brickett,  son  of  the  former  principal,  was  placed  at 
its  head.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  and  under 
his  instruction  the  school  continued  to  prosper. 

In  1879  the  need  of  a  still  larger  building  was  apparent, 
when  provision  for  the  Primary  department  had  to  be  made  out- 
side of  the  building.  In  1880  the  first  Board  of  Education  was 
elected,  its  members  being  John  C.  Campbell,  Brooks  K.  Webber, 
S.  Dow  Wyman,  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  James  F.  Grimes  and  Wil- 
liam H.  Story.  The  membership  of  this  committee  has  since  been 
reduced  to  three,  the  members  for  1920  being  George  W.  Haslet, 
Charles  S.  Perry  and  Delmont  E.  Gordon. 

The  list  of  teachers  and  numbers  of  pupils  for  1919-1920 
were:  Mrs.  Cora  Scruton,  1-2  grades,  67  pupils;  Miss  Eva  W. 
Brown,  3-4  grades,  40  pupils ;  Miss  Flora  E.  Atwood,  4-5  grades, 
42  pupils ;  Miss  Eva  B.  Ash,  6-7  grades,  48  pupils ;  Mrs.  Lottie 
Harvey,  Mrs.  Josephine  Gordon,  Miss  Esther  Crosby,  7-8  grades, 
42  pupils.  In  the  High  School,  with  60  students,  Robert  J.  An- 
derson was  head  master,  with  Laura  L.  Newell,  Blanche  Totman 
and  Dorothy  Cambridge,  assistants ;  Miss  Sarah  L.  Baker,  draw- 
ing ;  Miss  Florence  Lee  and  Mrs.  Doris  Watkins,  music. 

In  conclusion  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  the  Hillsborough 
High  School  has  maintained  a  creditable  standing  among  the 
schools  of  its  grade  in  the  state. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Industrial  Pursuits. 

Keyes  Saw  Mill — Mills  on  Beard  Brook — Beginning-  of  Woolen  and 
Cotton  Manufacturing — First  Complete  Mill — Spinning  Jenny — 
"Father  of  Cotton  Manufacture  in  America" — First  Mill  in  New 
Hampshire — Carding  Mill  in  Deering — First  Cotton  Mill  in  Hills- 
borough—"The  Red  Factory"— Third  Factory  in  the  State— Cook 
and  Waterman  Factory — Marcy  Mill — Contoocook  Mills — Hillsbor- 
ough Woolen  Mills — Other  Industries — Tanneries — Water  Power 
of  the  Contoocook. 

The  beginning  of  industry  in  any  locality  is  usually  the  saw 
mill  and  Hillsborough  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  Hence  industry 
here  may  be  said  to  have  been  begun  in  the  little  old  frame  of  a 
mill  which  must  have  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Contoocook 
above  the  main  falls  and  near  where  the  saw  and  grist  mills  of 
Grimes  and  Walker  stood  in  later  years.  This  saw  mill,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  built  by  Gershom  Keyes  and  his  associates  in 
1739,  and  was  really  the  first  mill  upon  the  entire  length  of  the 
Contoocook  River.  Other  saw  mills  followed,  and  these  were 
built  along  the  same  river  or  upon  some  of  its  tributaries,  Beard 
Brook  having  been  the  favorite  stream.  Charles  Hartwell  owned 
and  operated  a  saw  mill  at  the  foot  of  Loon  Pond.  The  first 
saw  mill  and  grist  mill  at  the  upper  privilege  at  Bridge  Village 
was  built  by  William  Rumrill.  Before  water  power  was 
harnessed  to  the. machinery  of  man  Hillsborough  had  her  share 
of  hand  manufacture  with  other  towns,  description  of  which  has 
been  given  in  farm  life. 

The  story  of  woolen  and  cotton  manufacturing  in  Hillsbor- 
ough starts  from  a  very  small  beginning,  as  in  truth  it  does  in  all 
localities.  The  first  machine  for  carding,  roving  and  spinning 
in  the  United  States  was  made  by  two  brothers  from  Scotland, 
Alexander  and  Robert  Barr,  for  Hon.  Hush  Orr  at  Brid^ewater. 
Mass.,  in  1786.  The  following  year  a  company  in  Beverly  began 
manufacturing  with  very  imperfect  machinery  and  unsatisfactory 

376 


HILLSBOROUGH   WOOLEN  MILLS. 


Photograph  by  Manahan. 


COXTOOCOOK  MILLS. 


LITTLE  S  FACTORY. 


377 


results.  The  combined  operations  of  spinning  and  weaving  were 
not  put  into  successful  operation  until  1813,  in  Waltham,  Mass., 
by  Francis  C.  Lowell  and  Patrick  T.  Jackson,  the  latter  the  in- 
ventor of  the  power  loom.  This  factory  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
in  the  world  to  have  combined  all  the  processes  necessary  for 
converting  raw  cotton  and  finished  cloth. 

Until  1786  England  had  monopolized  the  rude  attempts  at 
cotton  manufacture  and  guarded  zealously  what  she  believed  to 
be  her  exclusive  right.    Cotton  was  first  spun  at  Birmingham  by 
mules  in  1742,  and  from  that  date  no  one  was  allowed  to  leave 
the  country  who  was  supposed  to  have  mastered  the  secret  of 
building   necessary    machinery    for   the    work.      But   the    Barr 
brothers   seemed  to   have  escaped  the  vigilant  watch  of   these 
master  manufacturers.     In  1788  spinning  jennies  were  put  into 
operation  in  Philadelphia  and  Providence.     Still  it  was  left  for 
the  ambitious  youth,  Samuel  Slater,  who  stole  his  passage  over 
to  this  country,  after  having  mastered  the  trade  at  home,   to 
begin  practical  manufacture  at  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  in  1790.     For 
that  achievement  he  has  rightfully  been  styled  "The  Father  of 
cotton  manufacture  in  America,"  and  from  that  date  the  enter- 
prise expanded  and  improved. 

Samuel  Slater's  interests  were  not  confined  to  the  locality 
of  his  beginning,  and  it  was  only  a  few  years  before  he  was 
sending  skilled  workmen  to  other  places  as  pioneers  in  the  work. 
Through  his  assistance  the  erection  of  a  cotton  mill  was  under- 
taken at  New  Ipswich,  in  this  state,  Benjamin  Prichard  being  the 
master  builder.  No  sooner  was  the  machinery  installed  here 
than  Mr.  Prichard  hastened  to  Amoskeag  Falls,  on  the  Merrimack 
River,  and  built  a  mill  so  he  was  enabled  to  place  such  machinery 
as  he  could  obtain  at  that  time  in  motion  in  1805,  this  being  the 
second  mill  in  New  Hampshire. 

Contemporary  with  these  efforts,  and  reflecting  credit  upon 
the  indomitable  will  of  the  man,  Rev.  William  Sleigh  smuggled 
from  England  machinery  for  carding  wool,  which  he  set  up  in 
the  town  of  Deering,  operating  it  by  horse  power  for  about  a 
year.  Then,  about  1806,  it  was  purchased  by  George  Little  of 
Hillsborough,  who  set  it  up  in  a  small  building  nearly  on  the  spot 
where  a  grist  mill  was  later  built.    The  machinery  was  run  by  a 


37&  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

small  breast  wheel,  the  water  being  brought  from  the  canal  in 
a  plank  spout.  Two  or  three  years  later  the  machinery  was 
moved  across  the  river  and  established  in  "the  red  factory," 
which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  silk  mill  raised  July  4,  1812.  The 
canal  on  the  south  side  of  the  stream,  already  mentioned,  was 
dug  in  June,  1805.  Finally  Mr.  Little  sold  his  machinery  to 
Imri  Wood,  who  removed  it  to  West  Henniker,  where  it  was 
burned  a  few  years  later. 

By  this  it  is  seen  that  Hillsborough  has  a  most  respectable 
record  as  a  pioneer  in  manufacture,  and  with  the  excellent  water 
privileges  found  here  it  was  prophesied  that  it  was  destined  to 
become  a  manufacturing  town  of  importance. 

Perhaps  it  is  of  sufficient  interest  to  mention  in  passing  that 
the  first  cotton  mill  in  Maine  was  built  at  Brunswick  in  1809. 
Power  looms  were  first  set  in  operation  in  this  country  at  Wal- 
tham,  Mass.,,  in  1814.  The  first  cotton  factory  in  Lowell,  Mass., 
was  built  in  1822  and  it  was  not  until  1849  that  Lawrence  began 
manufacturing.* 

Mr.  Little  was  followed  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods 
within  six  years  by  two  men  from  out  of  town,  Messrs.  Cook 
and  Waterman,  who  began  work  upon  a  cotton  factory  July  3, 
181 1,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  above  the  bridge  falls  near 
where  the  original  saw  mill  had  been  built.  This  was  the  third 
cotton  factory  in  the  state,  and  is  therefore  worthy  of  special 
mention.  This  mill,  like  others,  did  a  thriving  business  near  the 
outbreak  of  the  War  of  1812,  but  its  wheels  became  nearly  idle 
before  its  close,  and  it  was  not  until  1822  that  it  resumed  normal 
activities.  It  then  continued  to  prosper  and  within  a  few  years 
it  had  1800  spindles  and  40  looms.  The  number  of  operatives 
employed  in  1840  was  sixty. 

Unfortunately  this  factory  was  burned  at  10  o'clock  on  the 
night  of  July  8,  1842,  and  was  never  rebuilt.  The  Cook  and 
Waterman  factory  stood  nearly  opposite  the  present  plant  of  the 
Hillsborough  Woolen  Mill  Company. 


*A    cotton   factory   was   built   at  New   Ipswich  in   1803,  and  aiother  at  Amoskeag 
Falls  in    1804-5. — Author. 


a  pioneer  manufacturer.  379 

The  Marcy  Mill. 

In  the  meantime  another  pioneer  in  the  manufacturing  in- 
dustries had  established  a  mill  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Con- 
toocook  River  below  the  rapids  at  the  bridge.  This  new-comer, 
who  ranks  high  among  the  early  cotton  manufacturers  in  Hills- 
borough was  Joshua  Marcy. 

Mr.  Marcy  was  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Conn.,  but  he  had 
lived  in  Pepperell,  Mass.,  and  Peterborough,  N.  H.,  coming  to 
Hillsborough  from  Peterborough.  At  the  time  he  came  to  this 
town  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  in  this  country  was 
rapidly  awakening  a  keen  interest.  Understanding  this,  and  with 
an  ambition  equal  to  the  opportunity,  Joshua  Marcy  saw  the 
almost  unlimited  possibilities  that  lay  in  the  water  power  of  the 
Contoocook  tumbling  with  headlong  velocity  along  its  rocky 
pathway. 

Immediately  he  purchased  of  James  P.  Barker  the  site  for 
a  mill  on  the  south  bank  of  the  stream,  and  began  at  once  to  build 
the  original  factory  in  that  vicinity.  This  building  was  com- 
pleted so  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion  in  the  fall  of  1828, 
when  he  began  the  spinning  of  cotton  yarn,  and  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  wadding  and  batting.  Eventually  he  added  the  manu- 
facture of  the  first  twine  ever  made,  while  he  also  made  candle 
wicking.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  was  accomplished 
contemporary  with  the  beginning  of  successful  manufacture  on 
the  Merrimack  River,  at  Amoskeag  Falls  and  Lowell.  In  1840 
Mr.  Marcy's  mill  contained  512  spindles  and  employed  sixteen 
operatives. 

In  1845  Mr.  Marcy  built  on  the  north  side  of  the  street  the 
brick  grist  mill  noted  at  the  time  as  the  best  mill  of  its  kind  in  the 
state.  A  saw  mill  connected  with  the  same  water  privilege  also 
came  into  his  possession  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Marcy  continued  active  in  his  business  and  owned  his 
mill  to  the  time  of  his  death  May  5,  1848,  when  his  property 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  These  formed  a  company  and  carried  on  the  business 
for  seventeen  years  with  success. 


380  history  of  hillsborough. 

The  Contoocook  Mills  Corporation. 

In  1865  a  new  impetus  was  given  manufacture  in  Hills- 
borough by  the  appearance  upon  the  scene  of  John  B.  Smith, 
then  a  young  man  filled  with  the  ambition  of  a  young  man  and 
with  the  experience  of  similar  enterprises  elsewhere.  With  a 
predilection  for  that  industrial  pursuit,  Mr.  Smith  had  begun  his 
career  as  a  manufacturer  in  Washington,  but  finding  the  field  too 
small  for  his  satisfaction,  he  removed  to  Weare.  Still  he  was 
not  satisfied  and  he  bought  out  the  Marcy  heirs,  resolved  to 
enlarge  and  improve  the  opportunity  here.  He  built  a  new  mill, 
repaired  those  standing,  and  from  the  first  was  very  successful. 
Devoting  his  time  and  energies  to  the  manufacture  of  woolen 
goods,  and  eminently  fitted  for  this  work,  it  was  here  Mr.  Smith 
laid  not  only  the  foundation  of  his  financial  success  but  of  his 
civil  and  political  prestige.  He  was  assisted  for  several  years  in 
his  manufacturing  interests  by  his  nephew  George  Edward 
Gould. 

Originally  known  as  the  Marcy  Mills,  and  then  as  the  Smith 
Mills,  in  1882  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of 
Contoocook  Mills  Corporation,  by  which  name  it  is  still  known. 

HlLLSEOROUGH    WOOLEN    MlLLS    COMPANY. 

The  success  of  the  mills  already  built  on  the  banks  of  the 
Contoocook  encouraged  others  to  undertake  the  building  of  other 
mills  for  manufacture,  and  in  1880  the  anticipations,  plans  and 
efforts  culminated  in  the  establishment  of  a  company  styled  the 
Hillsborough  Woolen  Mills,  Rufus  F.  Frost  &  Co.,  proprietors. 
John  Kimball  became  the  first  agent.  Known  for  a  long  time  as 
"The  New  Mill,"  and  even  to  this  day  designated  by  many  as 
such,  this  factory  was  a  success  from  the  start. 

Under  date  of  September  26,  1885,  the  following  resolution 
was  adopted  and  signed  by  the  men  whose  names  are  given : 

We  the  undersigned  do  hereby  associate  ourselves  together  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  necessary  land,  power,  buildings,  tene- 
ments, works  for  manufacturing  purposes,  and  for  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  such  goods,  and  fabrics,  as  shall  be  determined  by  the 
majority  in  the  amount  of  the  subscribers  hereto ;  and  we  hereby 
agree  to  constitute  ourselves  a  corporation  under  the  provision  of 
Chapter  152  of  the  general  laws  of  New  Hampshire,  under  the  style 
nnd  the  name  of  the  Hillsboro  Woolen  Mill  Company  and  take   the 


FOUNDRY    AND    MACHINE    SHOP. 


38l 


number  of  shares  set  out  against  our  respective  names,  and  the  prin- 
cipal place  of  business  of  said  corporation  shall  be  at  Hillsboro 
Bridge  Village  in  the  Town  of  Hillsborough,  in  said  State,  and  the 
capital  stock  shall  be  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  divided  into 
shares  of  the  par  value  of  one  hundred  dollars  each  and  that  the 
officers  of  said  corporation  shall  consist  of  a  board  of  Directors, 
not  exceeding  five  nor  less  than  three,  a  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  and 
that  said  capital  stock  shall  be  paid  at  such  a  time  in  such  amounts 
as  said  board  of  Directors  shall  from  time  to  time  order,  and  upon  the 
amount  of  such  capital  stock  being  subscribed,  the  first  meeting  of  the 
association  shall  be  called  by  the  first  subscriber,  he  going  in  hand  to 
each  subscriber,  or  leaving  at  his  last  and  usual  place  of  abode,  or 
sending  to  him  by  mail  a  written  notice  of  the  time,  place  and  object 
of  such  meeting,  three  days  at  least  prior  thereto. 
Signed  by 


Date.  Name 

Sept.  36,  1885  Eufus  S.  Frost 

Sept.  28,  1885  Edward  P.  Tenney 

Sept.  26,  1885  C.  H.  Frost 

Sept.  26,  1885  Eufus  F.  Greeley 

Sept.  26,  1885  Kufus  H.  Frost 

Sept.  29,  1885  Albert  P.  Frost 

A  true  copy 


Residence 
Chelsea,  [Mass. 
Roselle,  N.  J. 
Chelsea,    Mass. 
Chelsea,   Mass. 
Chelsea,    Mass. 
Orange,  N.  J. 


No.  Shares 
240<-24% 
220-22% 
220i-22% 
220<-22% 
50^05% 
50-05% 


Frank  E.  Merrill,  Town  Clerk. 


This  mill  manufactures  woolen  goods,  suitings,  overcoatings 
and  cloakings ;  has  fifteen  sets  of  cards,  and  sixty  looms.  N.  F. 
Greeley,  Boston,  Mass.,  is  treasurer,  and  George  W.  Haslet, 
agent. 

Other  Industries. 

Besides  the  cotton  and  woolen  mills  in  Hillsborough,  there 
have  been  many  minor  industries  which  taken  collectively  have 
done  much  towards  the  prosperity  and  the  progress  of  the  town. 
The  Lower  Village  has  been  the  scene  of  several  enterprises, 
some  of  which  promised  well. 

Foremost  among  these  was  the  foundry  and  machine  shop 
started  as  a  starch  factory  by  a  man  named  Emerson  in  i860. 
In  1861  this  property  was  brought  by  L.  S.  Morse  &  Son,  who 
sold  out  to  Benjamin  P.  Moore  and  Erickson  Burnham  in  1865, 
the  former  being  connected  with  the  enterprise  until  his  death 
September  13,  1870.  Air.  Burnham  continued  alone  until  1878, 
when  he  sold  to  McClintock  and  Son,  and  in  1886  Henry  Martin 


3S2  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

became  associated  with  the  company.  Soon  after  Mr.  Martin 
became  sole  owner,  and  he  continued  the  business  until  he  was 
burned  out  in  1889,  meeting  a  loss  of  three  thousand  dollars. 

At  one  time  Peter  Rumrill  had  a  machine  shop,  getting  water 
through  a  penstock  from  the  Contoocook. 

Tanneries. 

At  one  time  there  were  several  tanneries  in  town  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  The  largest  of  these  were  at  Lower  Vil- 
lage, and  operated  very  successfully  for  several  years  after  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War. 

Early  in  the  '30s  Samuel  Kimball  started  a  tannery  at  this 
village,  which  he  carried  on  until  he  sold  out  to  Elijah  Reid,  who 
came  here  from  Hancock,  and  continued  the  business  until  his 
death  April  4,  1864,  when  Stephen  Tuttle  became  his  successor. 
Mr.  Tuttle  conducted  the  enterprise  until  he  was  burned  out  on 
the  night  of  December  6,  1872,  and  this  place  has  not  been 
rebuilt. 

Stephen  Brown  operated  a  tannery  at  this  village  several 
years  very  successfully,  but  early  in  the  !8os  its  business  declined 
and  it  was  sold  at  auction  by  Manahan  &  Baker  for  $2230.  The 
plant  and  two  houses,  stables,  driveway,  scales,  water-power, 
etc.,  was  bought  by  Harvey  Jones  for  $1338,  while  the  outlands 
were  purchased  by  Samuel  Gibson,  E.  C.  Pendleton,  Andrew  J. 
Crooker  and  William  H.  Manahan  for  $892. 

Jackman  Brothers  operated  a  saw  mill  plant  for  wooden 
manufacturing  for  several  years,  and  did  a  flourishing  business. 
Lowell  White  made  chair  legs  at  this  mill  in  1885,  and  H.  M. 
Bartlett  manufactured  his  racquets  here  as  late  as  1894.  Other 
manufacturing  was  carried  on  here. 

Joshua  Fuller  came  to  this  town  from  Connecticut  and 
started  a  tannery  at  Upper  Village,  meeting  with  marked  success. 
He  was  succeeded  in  this  business  by  his  son  Mark  W.  and  his 
grandson,  John  G.,  and  this  tannery  became  noted  as  the  producer 
of  what  was  known  to  the  trade  as  "Wescott  Calf." 

At  one  time  this  village  was  doing  considerable  manufacture 
in  the  line  of  furniture,  shovel  handles,  etc.  The  Fullers  and 
others  had  prosperous  saw  mills  here. 


WATER  POWER  OF  THE  CONTOOCOOK.  383 

A  tannery  stood  just  below  the  Contoocook  crossing  at 
Bridge  Village  for  several  years.  William  G.  Fess,  from  Wells 
River,  Vt.,  manufactured  shovel  handles  at  this  village  from 
1872  to  1877,  when  he  returned  to  Vermont.  Samuel  A.  Dodge 
manufactured  needles  here  for  some  years.  Other  enterprises 
equally  as  worthy  of  mention  have  been  carried  on  from  time  to 
time,  but  regarding  which  the  data  is  not  at  hand. 

Business  Interests. 

The  business  enterprises  of  the  town  have  been  many  and 
varied,  so  numerous,  in  fact,  that  it  would  be  practically  im- 
possible to  name  them  with  complete  satisfaction.  An  idea  of  the 
growth  and  extension  of  the  different  lines  of  trade  may  be 
obtained  from  the  history  of  the  hamlets  of  the  town  in  Chapter 
XXVII. 

The  water  power  of  the  Contoocook  and  tributaries  in  and 
about  Hillsborough  is  not  nearly  taken  up.  Wrhile  situated  at  the 
head  of  a  section  of  six  and  one-half  miles  rapids,  capable  of 
being  made  to  produce  two  thousand  horse  power  at  a  com- 
paratively small  cost,  above  the  plant  of  the  Henniker-Hillsbor- 
ough  Electric  Light  Company,  the  river  is  capable  of  being 
developed  to  the  extent  of  ten  thousand  horse  power.  Saying 
nothing  of  the  "great  falls"  whose  waters  are  already  made  to 
run  the  machinery  of  the  mills  that  are  the  industrial  life  of  the 
town  and  which  hold  yet  greater  possibilities  above  these  just 
west  of  the  Lower  Village  is  a  basin  that  can  be  made  the  re- 
servoir to  produce  upwards  of  five  thousand  horse  power.  Beard 
Brook,  rising  in  East  Washington  and  receiving  the  drainage 
from  a  watershed  of  five  hundred  acres,  offers  yet  further  pro- 
mise of  increased  usefulness.  So  Hillsborough  is  well  favored 
with  natural  resources  to  produce  either  water  power  or  electrical 
energy. 

It  is  mete  that  the  mills  of  Hillsborough  should  flourish  and 
gain  in  power  and  number  of  operatives  employed,  for  it  was 
these  same  water  privileges  that  called  the  people  from  the  hills 
to  join  together  here  in  building  up  those  enterprises  which  should 
be  the  life  of  the  town.  Not  only  were  these  manufacturing 
interests  the  magnet  to  assemble  a  considerable  percentage  of  the 


384  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

town  folk,  but  they  attracted  hither  others  from  abroad,  until  to- 
day many  races  and  many  lands  are  represented  by  those  who  toil 
and  prosper  here.  Manufacture  calls  people  together,  to  give  us 
our  centres  of  population ;  agriculture  scatters  people  over  the 
hillsides  that  would  be  otherwise  a  wilderness.  Both  classes  have 
their  respective  places  in  the  affairs  of  men,  and  in  Hillsborough 
the  two  walk  hand  in  hand. 

Fortunately  for  the  town  the  water  powers  of  Hillsborough, 
as  far  as  improved,  have  been  developed  judiciously  by  men  well 
fitted  for  the  task.  Among  them  all  there  has  not  been  one  unable 
or  unfitted  to  fulfill  his  purpose.  Hence  the  high  degree  of 
prosperity  and  progress. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Miscellaneous  Enterprises. 

Post  Offices — Postmasters — Change  in  Spelling  of  the  Name  of  Post 
Offices  in  Town — Offices  at  Lower  Village,  Centre,  Upper  Village 
and  Bridge  Village — Three  Discontinued — Telephone — First  News- 
paper— The  Messenger — Frequent  Changes  in  Ownership- -Old 
Social  Library — Fuller  Public  Library — Fuller  Bequest — Water 
Works — Fire  Department — Electric  Light  and  Power  Company — 
Board  of  Trade — The  Railroad — Banks — Business  Interests — Public 
Houses — List  of  Oldtime  Inn  Keepers. 

Post  Offices. 

Though  a  post  office  was  established  at  Portsmouth  May  18, 
1775,  this  benefited  only  a  small  section  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
it  was  not  until  several  years  after  the  Revolution  that  postal 
facilities  were  given  serious  consideration.  As  has  been  de- 
scribed in  the  chapter  on  post  riders,  the  legislature  in  1791 
arranged  four  post  routes,  one  of  which  included  Hillsborough  in 
its  circuit,  these  riders  being  the  original  rural  mail  carriers. 
Amherst  established  a  post  office  that  year,  but  this  town,  as  well 
as  most  of  those  along  the  route,  had  no  general  place  of  leaving 
the  mail,  but  this  was  delivered  at  convenient  places  on  the  way. 

The  opening  of  the  turnpike  through  the  town  and  the  in- 
creasing business  brought  by  the  stage  coach  were  the  reasons 
for  establishing  post  offices  in  one  town  after  another.  Hills- 
borough had  her  turn  in  1803,  when  the  first  post  office  in  town! 
was  opened  in  Lower  Village,  and  David  Starrett  was  appointed 
the  first  postmaster.  This  act  was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction 
to  the  town's  people. 

A  petition  signed  by  some  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  was 
sent  into  the  Post  Office  Department  to  have  the  last  three  letters 
in  the  name  Hillsborough  dropped  so  the  spelling  would  be 
Hillsboro,  and  this  request  was  granted  by  the  government  April 

385 


386  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

24,  1894.  The  spelling  of  the  name  of  the  town,  however  has 
never  been  officially  changed  so  that  remains  in  the  original  form. 
When  the  railroad  station  was  established  the  abbreviated  form 
of  spelling  of  Hillsborough  was  adopted  by  the  company,  so  that) 
corresponds  to  the  name  in  the  postal  directory. 

The  following  is  the  complete  list  of  the  post  offices  in  town 
in  the  order  in  which  they  were  established,  with  the  names  of 
the  postmasters  and  the  dates  of  their  appointment,  each  man 
serving  until  his  successor  was  installed  in  the  office. 

Hillsboro  Lower  Village. 
This  office  was  established  April  1,  1803,  as  Hillsborough; 
spelling  of  name  changed  to  Hillsboro,  June  12,  1894;  changed  to 
Hillsboro  Lower  Village,  February  19,  1908. 

Post  Master  Appointment 

David  Starrett,            April  1,  1803  Braverter  Gray,  April  5,  1834 

John  Burnham,           June  9,  1812  Benjamin  Tuttle,  Jr.  Ap.  28,  1847 

John  Harris,              June  22,  1818  Jotham  Moore,  May  10,  1856 

Benjamin  Pierce,         July  8,  1818  Benjamin  Tuttle,  April  26,  1858 

Silas  Marshall,          June   2,    1827  John  P.  Dickey,  April  13,  1861 

Luther  Cole,       November  3,  1828  John  P.  Gibson,  Nov.  11,  1885 

Samuel  Kimball,         May  7,  1829  Fred  J.  Gibson,  June  12,  1894 
Leonard  M.  Kimball,  July  13,  1830 

Office  discontinued  January  1,  1907. 

Hillsboro. 

A  post  office  under  the  name  of  Hillsborough  Bridge  was 

established  March  6,  1827;  spelling  of  name  changed  to  Hillsboro 

Bridge,  January  8,  1894;  changed  to  Hillsboro,  February  19,  1908. 

Postmasters  Appointment 

Simeon  E.  Bard,      March  6,  1827  Martha  A.  Lovering,      Aug-  3,  1874 

Jonathan  Sargent,     May  21,  1829  De  Witt  C.  Newman,  Jan.  30,  1885 

Daniel    Brown,  May   27,    1834  Charles   Kimball,      Nov.    12,    1885 

William  B.   Whittemore,  DeWitt  C.  Newman,  Aug.  2,  1889 

December  30,  1847  Frank  M.  Parker,  January  8,  1894 

Ephraim  Dutton,  March  30,  1855  James  S.  Butler,  January  14.  1898 

Jason  H.  T.  Newell,  Joseph  F.  Nichols,    Jan.  16,  1902 

March  20,  1861  Jesse  C.  Parker,         Feb.  28,  1906 

William  H.  Story,      July  10,  1867  Frank  E.  Merrill,     April   1,   1916 

Beuben  F.  Lovering,  April  13,  1874  Jesse  C.  Parker.         Jan.  15,  1919 


telephone.  387 

Hillsboro  Centre. 
This  office  was  established  February  21,  1833;  as  Hillsbor- 
ough Centre;  name  changed  by  dropping  the  last  three  letters 
from  the  name,  April  24,  1894. 

Postmasters  Appointment 

Samuel  G.  Barnes,     Feb.  23,  1833     Mrs.  Alonzo  Bobbins, 
Benjamin  Priest,         May  2,  1836  November  12,  1895 

Oramel  Danforth,  July  20,  1861  Lizzie  A.  Bobbins,  Dec.  10,  1895 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nelson,  Ruth  B.  Gammell,     Nov.  15,  1902 

July  13,  1863 
Office  discontinued  January  1,  1917. 

Hillsboro  Upper  Village. 

Established  January  28,  1873;  name  changed  by  dropping 
last  three  letters,  April  24,  1894. 

Postmasters  Appointment 

Charles  W.  Conn,  Jan.  28,  1873  Henry  H.  Bailey,  May  12,  1898 
Hiel  McClintock,  Aug.  27,  1885  Albert  J.  Burnham,  Nov.  17,  1899 
Charles  W.  Conn,  Dec.  9,  1890  Herbert  F.  Dresser,  Dec.  12,  1903 
Sillman  McClintock,  Apr.  24,  1894 

Office  discontinued,  R.  F.  D.  to  East  Washington. 

Telephone. 

The  electric  telephone  was  introduced  into  Hillsborough  in 
1891  by  George  W.  Lincoln  then  having  a  grocery  store  in  the 
block  where  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Tea  Co.  is  now  located. 
Mr.  Lincoln  began  by  running  a  line  from  his  store  to  Jackman 
Brothers'  mill  at  Lower  Village.  This  venture  proving  success- 
ful, in  company  with  Messrs.  Jackman  and  Sillman  M.  Mc- 
Clintock the  line  was  extended  to  Upper  Village  and  Washington 
Centre. 

In  1894  Dr.  Marcellus  H.  Felt  and  Stillman  H.  Baker  be- 
coming interested  in  the  enterprise,  the  Contoocook  Valley  Tele- 
phone Company  was  chartered.  At  this  time  very  few  suburban 
towns  had  telephone  lines,  and  the  undertaking  was  looked  upon 
with  some  doubt  as  to  its  outcome  by  many.  Confident  of  ulti- 
mate success  the  new  company  planned  to  extend  a  line  to  Con-* 
cord,  and  had  built  it  as  far  as  Hopkinton,  when  the  New  England 
Tel.  and  Tel.  Company  purchased  the  plant,  making  Mr.  Lincoln 
local  manager. 


388  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Under  the  new  management  the  telephone  lines  were  ex- 
tended in  every  direction,  and  became  an  important  adjunct  to 
the  extension  of  business  in  town  and  elsewhere.  Finally,  April 
1,  1908,  Mr.  Lincoln  obtained  possession  of  all  the  wires  owned 
and  operated  by  the  company  in  Hopkinton,  Contoocook,  Henni- 
ker,  a  part  of  Deering,  Antrim,  Bennington,  Webster  and  Hills- 
borough, the  central  office  being  in  the  home  town.  This  division 
is  known  by  the  name  given  it  by  its  founders,  The  Contoocook 
Valley  Telephone  Company,  and  continues  very  successfully. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln  established  his  first  line  there  were 
few  if  any  towns  in  the  state  of  the  size  of  Hillsborough  that  had 
telephone  connection.  At  the  time  he  became  sole  owner  there 
were  167  telephones  in  the  territory.  On  January  1,  1921,  there 
were  996  telephone  subscribers. 

Newspapers. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Hillsborough  was  called  The  Hills- 
borough Weekly  News,  and  the  initial  number  was  printed 
December  7,  1859,  Warren  Hagar,  Editor  and  Proprietor.  Among 
the  items  of  local  news  it  contained  was  a  roll  of  the  officers  of 
the  Boys'  Artillery  Company,  which  seems  to  have  been  recently 
organized : 

Captain,  Benjamin  F.  Dutton  ;  Lieutenant,  Samuel  C.  Barnes  ; 
Sergeants,  John  Goodell,  1st;  Benjamin  F.  Livermore,  2nd;  C. 
A.  Priest,  3rd ;  B.  F.  Moore,  4th. 

The  News  was  a  four-page,  quarto  sheet,  of  six  columns  to 
a  page.  It  was  well  printed  for  a  country  paper,  and  seems  to 
have  flourished  fairly  well,  but  was  discontinued  after  four  years. 
During  its  second  volume  it  printed  Mr.  Charles  J.  Smith's 
Annals  of  Hillsborough  by  installments. 

Following  the  discontinuance  of  the  News,  The  Hillsborough 
Messenger  came  into  existence,  1868,  under  the  supervision  and 
ownership  of  Mr.  William  M.  Sargent,  with  an  office  on  Main 
Street,  "near  the  Drug  Store."  This  was  also  a  four-page  sheet 
of  four  columns,  devoted  to  the  news  and  interest  of  the  town. 
Yet,  as  a  contrast  to  the  newsy  matter  of  the  present  day,  the  only 
news  item  in  the  issue  for  November  24,  1870,  was  a  two-line 
notice  of  the  beginning  of  the  winter  term  of  the  district  school. 
There  was,  however,  an  excellent  article  concluded  from  previous 


HILLSBOROUGH   MESSENGER.  389 

numbers  "Recollections  of  the  First  40  Years  of  the  19th  Centu- 
ry," by  a  former  resident  of  the  town.  Among  the  business  cards 
we  are  informed  that  Briggs  &  Harden  were  Attorneys  at  Law 
in  the  Bridge  Village;  John  H.  Locke  was  landlord  of  the  Valley 
Hotel;  Charles  Gillis,  proprietor  of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  at  the 
Lower  Village;  G.  F.  Crowell  &  Co.  were  the  druggists;  Solon 
Newman,  Photographer ;  Brooks  K.  Webber,  Attorney  at  Law ; 
Bell  and  Lovering,  Licensed  Auctioneers  and  Appraisers. 

Mr.  Sargent  continued  to  publish  the  Messenger  for  about 
eight  years,  and  early  in  1877  he  sold  to  Harrison  Perry,  who 
published  the  paper  until  January  1,  1883.  Charles  W.  Hutchins 
became  his  successor,  who  published  the  paper  until  October, 
1886,  when  he  sold  to  Mark  Hadley. 

Mr.  Hadley  was  its  publisher  for  ten  years,  when  he  trans- 
ferred the  "paper,  subscription  list,  good-will,  etc."  to  Messrs. 
Brehaut  &  McPhail  of  Boston.  This  couple  apparently  tired  of 
the  care  and  burden  after  a  brief  experience,  for  at  the  end  o£ 
eleven  months  they  sold  to  Louis  Lincoln  in  1897. 

May  13,  1899,  another  change  in  ownership,  which  proved 
more  permanent  than  any  before  occurred,  when  Charles  S. 
Flanders  and  Joseph  W.  Chadwick  became  its  owners  and  pub- 
lishers. Mr.  Chadwick  at  once  became  the  manager  of  the  enter- 
prise, while  Mr.  Flanders  continued  to  hold  his  position  as  teacher 
in  Dean  Academy,  Franklin,  Mass.,  for  about  four  years,  when 
he  came  to  Hillsborough  to  make  his  home. 

The  Messenger  was  then  a  four-page,  eight-column  sheet, 
but  May  10,  1900,  it  was  changed  to  eight  pages,  six  columns 
each.  When  purchased  by  this  firm  the  plant  was  located  in  the 
basement  of  Odd  Fellows  block,  but  in  July,  1901,  it  was  moved 
to  the  building  on  Henniker  Street  where  it  is  now  published  and 
known  as  Messenger  Block,  which  the  firm  bought  at  the  time. 

May  13,  1916,  Mr.  Chadwick  purchased  his  partner's  halfi 
interest  in  the  concern,  and  remains  owner  of  the  plant.  At  the 
present  time  Mr.  Chadwick  has  been  managing  editor  and  owner 
for  21  years,  and  still  active  in  the  service.  Mark  M.  Hadley  had 
the  longest  ownership  before  him,  having  published  the  paper 
nearly  ten  years. 


39°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

In  1882  Hiram  Smart  came  here  from  Concord  and  started 
the  Hillsborough  Enterprise,  but  abandoned  the  project  after 
about  a  year. 

Library. 

COEPOEATION    OF    THE    SOCIAL   LIBRARY. 

State  of  New  Hampshire  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven 

hundred  and  ninety  seven 

An  Act  to  Incorporate  Certain  persons  by  the  name  of  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  social  Library  in  Hillsborough  in  this  State — 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives  in 
General  Court  covened,  that  Jonathan  Barnes,  James  Eaton,  William 
Taggart,  and  Benjamin  Pierce  and  their  associates  proprietors  of  said 
Library  and  all  such  as  may  hereafter  become  proprietors  of  same,  be, 
and  they  hereby  are  incorporated  into  a  body  Politic,  by  the  name  of 
the  Proprietor  of  the  social  Library  in  Hillsborough,  with  continuation 
and  succession  forever,  and  in  that  name  may  sue  and  be  sued  in  all 
personal  actions,  and  may  prosecute  and  defend  the  same  to  final 
Judgment  and  Execution ;  and  they  are  hereby  vested  with  all  the 
powers  and  privileges  Incident  to  Corporation  of  a  similar  nature,  and 
may  enjoin  Penalties  of  disfranchisement,  or  fine  not  exceeding  three 
Dollars  for  each  offence,  to  be  received  by  said  proprietors  in  an  Action 
of  debt  to  their  uses  in  any  court  in  this  state  proper  to  try  the  same, 
and  they  may  make,  purchase  and  receive  subscriptions  grants  and 
donation  of  personal  Estate,  not  exceeding  the  sum  of  one  thousand 
Dollars,  Exclusive  of  the  Books  belonging  to  said  Library,  for  the 
purpose  of  their  Association. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  said  proprietors  be  and  they  here- 
by are  Authorised  to  Assemble  in  Hillsborough  aforesaid  on  Tuesday 
following  the  first  monday  in  March  annually  to  Choose  all  such 
Officers  as  may  be  found  necessary  for  the  orderly  conducting  the 
affairs  of  said  Corporation,  who  shall  continue  in  Office  until  others 
are  chosen  in  their  room,  and  that  said  Corporation  may  assemble  as 
often  as  may  be  found  necessary  for  filling  up  any  Vacancies  which 
may  happen  in  said  Offices,  and  for  transacting  all  other  business 
except  the  raising  of  Monies,  which  shall  not  be  done  except  at  an 
annual  Meeting,  at  which  Annual  Meeting,  they  are  impowered  to  Vote 
all  such  Sums  as  shall  be  found  necessary  for  defraying  the  annual 
expence  of  preserving  said  Library  and  for  enlarging  the  same,  and 
shall  make  an  enact  such  rules  and  by  Laws,  for  the  Government  of 
aid  Corporation  as  may  from  time  to  time  by  them  be  found  neces- 
sary, providing  the  same  be  not  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  and 
Laws  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States,  and  be  it  further  enacted 
that  Jonathan   Barnes   and   Joseph   Symonds   or  either   of  them  are 


TOWN  LIBRARY. 


391 


hereby  authorised  and  enpowered  to  call  the  first  meeting  of  said 
proprietors  at  such  time  and  place  as  they  may  appoint  by  posting  up 
a  notification  expressing  the  time,  place  and  design  of  said  meeting, 
at  the  public  Meeting  House  in  said  Hillsborough  at  least  fifteen  days 
before  the  time  of  said  meeting,  and  the  said  proprietors  at  said 
Meeting  may  agree  on  the  manner  of  calling  Meetings  in  future  and 
shall  have  all  powers  to  enact  such  by  Laws  and  choose  all  such 
Officeirs  as  they  may  or  can  do,  at  their  Annual  Meeting 
State  of  New  Hampshire  In  the  House  of  Kepresentatives  Dec.  14,  1797. 

The  foregoing  bill  having  had  their  several  reading  passed  to  be 
enacted 

Sent  up  for  concurrence 

William  Plumer    Speaker 

In  Senate  Dec.  15,  1797  this  bill  having  been  read  a  third  time 
voted  that  the  same  be  enacted 

Amos  Shepard     President 

Approved  Dec.  16,  1797 

J.  T.  Gilman     Governor 

A  true  copy      Attest 

Joseph  Pearson      Secry. 

These   social   libraries  became  quite   numerous   during  the 

•missaDons  XjpsiauaS  aj3A\.  pus  'oogi  pun  06Z1  uaaAvpq  apnoap 
They  show  the  spirit  of  the  day,  the  anxiety  to  obtain  reading 
matter,  which  could  not  be  furnished  in  any  other  way.  That 
founded  by  the  good  citizens  of  Hillsborough  was  no  exception 
to  the  rule.  This  library  flourished  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  and 
did  not  cease  to  exist  for  as  many  years  more.  Great  credit  for 
their  enterprise  belongs  to  these  pioneers  of  library  work. 

In  contrast  to  the  reading  matter  afforded  by  the  towni 
library  to-day,  the  titles  of  a  few  of  the  books  listed  in  Hills- 
borough Social  Library  is  appended : 

The  Spectator,  6  vols.,  Fool  Quality,  3  vols.,  Newton  on 
Prophecies,  2  vols.,  Christian  &  Farmers  Magazine,  2  vols.,  View 
of  Religion,  Watts  on  the  Mind,  Franklin's  Works,  Female  Jockey 
Club,  Looking  Glass  for  the  Mind,  Bold  Stroke  for  a  Wife, 
Arabian  Nights  Entertainment,  Religious  Courtship,  Morses 
Geography,  Doddridge  Rise  and  Progress,  Doddridge  Sermons, 
Doddridge  on  Regeneration,  Rassalas  &  Dirabus,  etc.,  etc. 

The  old  "social"  library,  the  original  of  the  public  library, 
having  done  good  work  for  several  years,  the  need  of  a  library 
founded  on  broader  principals  was  felt,  and  finally,  one  of  its 


392  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

native  citizens  upon  his  decease  left  funds  to  establish  what  is 
known  as  the  Fuller  Public  Library,  as  witness  the  action  of  the 
town  at  its  annual  meeting  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  March, 
1877,  Article  10: 

Voted  to  accept  and  adopt  the  following  Resolution 

Whereas  Mark  W.  Fuller  late  a  citizen  of  the  town  of  Hillsborough 
and  state  of  New  Hampshire,  who  died  September  23,  1876,  did  by 
his  last  will  and  testament  bequeath  to  the  Said  Town  of  Hillsborough, 
the  Sum  of  two  Thousand  dolars  upon  two  conditions. 

First  that  Said  Town  Shall  yearly  expend  for  the  benefit  of  Said 
Town  and  its  inhabitants  an  amount  of  Money  equal  to  income  of 
Said  Bequest. 

Second.  That  the  Said  Town  shall  forever  Keep  in  good  and  Suit- 
able repair  and  condition  the  "Fuller  Plot"  in  the  cemetery  between 
the  Upper  and  Lower  Villages  in  Said  Town. 

Therefore.  Resolved  by  the  people  of  the  town  of  Hillsborough 
as  represented  by  the  legal  voters  thereof  in  annual  Town  Meeting 
assembled,  this  thirteenth  day  of  March  1877,  that  said  bequest  be 
and  hereby  is  accepted  upon  the  conditions  set  forth  in  the  will  of 
Said  deceased. 

Resolved  that  in  order  to  provide  for  the  conditions  upon  which 
said  bequest  is  made  and  accepted,  the  Selectmen  of  said  Town  be  and 
hereby  are  instructed  and  empowered  to  invest  Said  Sum  for  the 
benefit  of  Said  Town,  in  the  purchase  of  the  Bonds  of  Said  Town  to 
the  amount  of  Said  Two  Thousand  Dollars  Said  Bonds  to  be  marked 
and  Certified  by  the  Town  Treasurer  as  belonging  to  the  Mark  W. 
Fuller  Fund  of  the  Town  of  Hillsborough  Said  purchase  and  transfer 
to  be  recorded  by  the  Town  Clerk,  and  that  said  Bonds  shall  be  held 
by  Said  Selectmen  as  Trustees  of  second  fund. 

Resolved  that  said  Selectmen  be  and  hereby  are  authorized,  Em- 
powered and  instructed,  annually  and  in  the  month  of  November  of 
each  year,  to  draw  their  warrant  upon  the  Treasurer  of  Said  Town 
for  the  Sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  as  the  income  of  Said 
fund  the  same  to  be  yearly  expended  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Said  Town  in  the  Maintenance  of  a  Public  Library  in  Said  Town 
forever. 

Resolved  that  the  Public  Library  hereby  established  Should  be 
forever  known  as  the  Fuller  Public  Library  of  Hillsborough. 

Resolved  that  the  selectmen  of  Said  Town  shall  forever  be  Trustees 
of  Said  Library,  and  that  two  other  Trustees  shall  be  chosen  by  Said 
Town  by  ballot  as  follows ;  at  the  first  Election  of  Trustees  the  first 
person  so  chosen  shall  serve  two  years  and  the  Second  person  chosen 
shall  serve  one  year,  and  thereafter  one  trustee  shall  be  chosen  an- 
nually who  shall  serve  two  years. 


FULLER  PUBLIC   LIBRARY.  393 

Vacancies  in  said  board  of  Trustees  to  be  filled  be  appointment 
of  Selectmen  and  that  said  Trustees  Shall  have  authority  to  appoint 
Librarian  and  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  management  of 
said  Library  subject  always  to  the  approval,  in  struction  and  control 
of  the  Town  by  vote  at  any  legal  meeting. 

Resolved,  that  the  rules  and  regulations  so  established  shall  be 
printed  and  inserted  in  every  Book  belonging  to  said  Library  together 
with  the  following  statement,  viz.;  The  Fuller  Public  Library  of 
Library  of  Hillsborough,  was  established  in  the  year  1877,  by  request 
of  Mark  Fuller  a  respected  citizen  of  Said  Town  who  died  September 
23d,  1876. 

Resolved,  that,  in  order  to  further  provide  for  the  faithful  fulfill- 
ment of  the  second  condition  is  made  and  accepted,  the  Selectmen  of 
Said  Town  be  and  hereby  are  instructed  and  directed  annually  and  in 
the  month  of  May  of  each  year  to  Visit  the  Fuller  Plat  in  the  Cemetery 
heretofore  named,  to  carefully  examine  the  Same  and  to  see  that  said 
Plat  is  and  forever  shall  be  kept  in  good  and  Suitable  condition,  and 
that  Said  Selectmen  be  and  hereby  are  authorized  and  empowered  to 
draw  their  warrant  upon  the  Treasurer  of  Said  Town  for  such  sum  of 
money  as  may  be  necessary  to  defray  the  expense  thereof 

Resolved  that  the  substance  of  the  last  foregoing  resolution  shall 
be  printed  with  the  rules  and  regulations  of  said  Library  as  here- 
inafter provided 

Resolved  that,  in  order  to  attest  the  good  faith  of  the  Town  in 
accepting  this  bequest  upon  the  stated  conditions ;  in  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  same,  and  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  the  Memory 
of  our  deceased  fellow  townsman,  the  Town  Clerk  is  directed  to  record 
these  resolutions  in  the  Town  records  and  to  deliver  an  attested  Copy 
of  the  same  to  Sarah  C.  Fuller,  widow  of  said  deceased,  and  also  to 
his  nephew  Wirt  X.  Fuller  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Immediate  action  was  taken  to  complete  the  organization, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1877  the  library  was  opened  with  Willis  G. 
Buxton,  Librarian.  From  that  day  the  library  has  been  well 
patronized,  this  patronage  steadily  increasing  year  by  year. 
February  1,  1920,  there  were  6,601  volumes  in  the  library,  with  a 
circulation  for  the  preceding  year  of  8,432  books.  The  financial 
statement  made  by  the  trustees  showed  that  the  income  from  the 
Fuller  Fund  for  the  year  was  $105 ;  from  fines,  $35 ;  town  ap- 
propriation, $395 ;  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year, 
$97.85,  making  the  total  receipts  $632.85. 

The  management  of  the  library  has  been  with  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  consisting  of  two  members  acting  in  conjunction  with 


394  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

the  Selectmen.     One  Trustee  is  elected  biennially  for  a  term  of 
two  years.    The  membership  has  been : 

1877-78,  Eev.  Harry  Brickett.  1887-94,  Marcellus  H.  Felt. 

1877-98,  Charles  W.  Conn.  1895  to  date,  George  W.  Haslet. 

1879-80,  Cornelius  Cooledge.  1897-1902,  John  Goodell. 

1881-86,  Brooks  K  Webber.  1905  to  date,  Leon  S.  Hill. 

Four  persons  have  acted  as  Librarians  during  the  43  years 
since  its  incorporation,  as  follows : 

Willis  G.  Buxton,  from  the  opening  to  the  fall  of  1881. 

Mrs.  Brooks  K.  Webber,  1881  to  1890. 

Mary  Bixby,  succeeding  Mrs.  Webber  and  continuing  until 
the  fall  of  1903. 

Mrs.  Ada  H.  Brown,  1903,  to  the  present  time. 

Water  Supply. 

Hillsborough  has  an  abundant  supply  of  excellent  water,  the 
source  being  Loon  Pond.  October  18,  1886,  Messrs.  Goodhue 
and  Birnie  of  Sprinfield,  Mass.,  gave  a  bond  to  the  town  for  the 
purpose  of  laying  the  pipes  and  constructing  a  system  of  water 
works  for  the  town.  The  work  was  undertaken  and  carried  out, 
the  company  putting  in  an  iron  pipe  cement  lined.  This  system 
was  in  operation  for  ten  years,  when  it  was  purchased  January 
11,  1897,  by  the  Hillsborough  Bridge  Village  Fire  prec'nct  at  a 
cost  of  $45,000.  The  Water  Commissioners  at  this  time  were 
Stephen  Dennison,  Brooks  K.  Webber  and  John  B.  Smith. 

Soon  after  its  purchase  by  the  town  a  reconstruction  of  the 
whole  system  was  begun,  and  this  work  has  been  continued  until, 
a  greater  part  has  been  relaid.  The  main  line  of  pipe  was  reladd 
in  1910  at  an  approximate  cost  of  $26,000.  The  original  cement- 
lined  pipe  has  been  replaced  by  cast  iron.  The  pipe  starts  at 
sixteen  inches,  reduced  to  fourteen  inches,  fire  protection  con- 
sidered, twelve  lines  of  hose  giving  satisfaction.  The  average 
pressure  is  seventy  pounds  to  the  square  inch. 

According  to  the  commissioners'  report  for  1920  the  total 
cost  of  water  works  has  been  to  January  13,  1920,  $76,347.69, 
divided  as  follows: 


VILLAGE  FIRE   PRECINCT.  395 

Construction  Account. 


Original  cost, 

$45,000.00 

Extensions, 

5,182.29 

Excess   renewals, 

24,829.19 

Service  connections, 

609.69 

Building   account    (g 

ate 

house ) , 

160.00 

Meter  account, 

566.52 

Total,  $76,347.69 

The  number  of  hydrants  is  44 ;  number  of  service  connec- 
tions, 427. 

William  Oscar  Story,  Superintendent,  Clerk  and  Manager  of 
the  works  for  twenty-two  years,  recently  resigned  from  the  office, 
deserves  a  large  share  of  the  credit  for  the  success  of  the  water 
works  among  the  best  in  the  state  for  its  size. 

The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  at  the  present  time  com- 
prises Victor  Mosley,  Stillman  H.  Baker,  Alfred  L.  Mansfield, 
Jesse  C.  Parker  and  Charles  A.  Jones. 

Hillsborough  Bridge  Village  Fire  Precinct. 

The  growth  of  Bridge  Village  in  the  number  of  its  in- 
habitants and  increase  in  valuation  of  property  made  it  apparent 
that  precautionary  measures  should  be  taken  towards  fire  protec- 
tion. Accordingly  a  petition  was  circulated  and  signed  by  some 
of  the  leading  citizens  for  the  formation  of  a  fire  department, 
and  the  following  action  taken  by  the  town : 

March  23,  1870,  upon  a  petition  of  twenty-four  legal  voters 
of  Bridge  Village,  it  was 

Voted  "Pursuant  to  the  foregoing  application  of  ten  or  more  of 
the  legal  voters  of  Hillsborough  Bridge  in  the  town  of  Hillsborough, 
we  here  by  fix  by  suitable  boundaries  a  village  fire  district  including 
said  village  to  be  known  as  the  "Hillsborough  Bridge  fire  district,  and 
to  be  bounded  as  follows, 

Beginning  at  the  town  line  between  Hillsborough  and  Deering,  at 
the  corner  of  John  Codman  farm,  and  southwest  corner  of  Hiram 
Grimes  running  northerly  on  said  Codman's  line  to  land  owned  by 
Warren  W.  Hill  (known  as  the  Smith  farm),  thence  northerly  on  said 
Hill's  east  line  to  the  river  crossing  the  river  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  Preston  land  thence  northerly  and  westerly  on  said  Preston 
east  and  north  line  to  the  Henniker  road,  crossing  the  said  road  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  William  T.  Whittle  land  thence  westerly  on  said 


396  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Whittle's  north  line  to  the  old  road  running  by  said  Whittle's  house. 
Thence  northerly  on  said  road  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Abel  C. 
Burnham's  meadow.  Thence  westerly  on  said  Burnham's  north  line  to 
J.  S.  Burtt's  land  to  James  Newman's  land.  Thence  westerly  on  said 
Newman's  north  line  to  Herbert  Kimball's  land.  Thence  westerly,  on 
said  Kimball's  north  line  to  northeast  corner  of  Samuel  M.  Baker's 
land.  Thence  westerly  on  said  Baker's  north  line  crossing  the  road 
leading  from  Bridge  Village  to  Hillsborough  Centre  to  Luke  Mc- 
Clintock  land.  Thence  southerly  on  said  McClintocks  east  line  to  land 
of  Erickson  Burnham.  Thence  easterly  and  southerly  on  said  Burn- 
hams  and  east  line  to  northeast  corner  of  Silas  N.  Sawyers  farm. 
Thence  westerly  on  said  Sawyers  north  line  to  the  Bible  Hill  road. 
Thence  northerly  on  said  road  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Charles  D. 
Bobbins  land,  thence  westerly  on  said  Bobbins  north  line  crossing 
the  Beard  road  and  river  to  the  northwest  corner  of  said  Bobbins  land. 
Thence  southerly  on  said  Bobbins  west  line  to  Antrim  line.  Thence 
easterly  on  Antrim  and  Deering  lines  to  the  bounds  first  mentioned 
Witness  our  hands  first  day  of  July  1870. 

George  Brockway, 
Erastus  Wilson 
George  E.   Hoyt 
A  true  copy  attest 

Wm  B  Whittemore  Town  Clerk 
Above  report  of  the  Selectmen  was  adopted  by  the  town  at  a 
special  meeting  called  in  Newman's  Hall  August  6,  1870. 

Plan  of  Fire  Precinct. 

In  June,  1886,  Mr.  George  C.  Patten  prepared  a  plan  or  map 
of  the  proposed  territory  covering  the  fire  precinct,  the  following 
being  a  copy  of  his  Field  Notes  submitted  to  the  town : 

Field  Notes  and  Description  of  a  Survey  of  the  Fire  Precinct  Hills- 
borough Bridge,  N.  H.,  Surveyed  by  George  C.  Patten,  June,  1886. 

Beginning  on  Deering  line  being  the  north  line  of  said  Deering 
and  the  south  line  of  Hillsborough  at  the  corner  of  land  owned  by 
George  Burnham;  thence  s.  87  W.  following  the  line  of  said  towns  until 
said  lines  intersects  the  westerly  boundary  of  land  owned  by  F.  C. 
Grimes;  thence  north  45  rods;  S.  83  W.  16  rods;  N.  6  W.  37  rods  by 
said  Grime's  land,  to  the  highway  leading  from  Hillsborough  Bridge 
to  Lower  Village ;  thence  N.  70  W.  58  rods  by  said  highway  to  corner 
of  Bower's  land ;  thence  N.  4  E.  17  rods  by  said  Bower's  Land ;  S.  83 
W.  5  rods ;  N.  4  E.  46  rods  to  N.  E.  corner  of  said  Bower's  land  and 
land  of  heirs  of  Ammi  Smith ;  thence  S.  83  W.  56  rods ;  N.  4  E'.  62  rods 
to  Dascomb  lot  by  land  of  said  Smith  heirs ;  thence  S.  85  W.  18  rods ; 


FIRE  AND  WATER  SYSTEMS.  397 

N.  4  E.  40  rods;  N.  83  E.  58  rods  by  said  Dascomb  lot  to  land  of  Dr. 
Burnham;  thence  N.  9  E.  54  rods;  N.  83  E.  18  rods  by  said  Burnham's. 
land  to  land  of  A.  J.  Barney ;  thence  S.  9  W.  8  rods ;  N.  83  E.  68  rods ; 
N.  3  E.  8  rods  by  Burnham  lot  to  corner  of  Marcy  lot;  thence  by  the 
Marcy  lot  N.  83  E.  54  rods  to  the  Centre  Boad  ;  thence  N.  41  W.  92 
rods  by  said  road;  thence  N.  v20  E.  18  rods;  thence  N.  88  E.  110  rods 
by  land  of  Herbert  Flanders  to  the  corner  of  the  Lacy  Lot ;  thence 
same  course  by  land  of  Alvah  Merrill  38  rods  to  land  of  Ed  Gould ; 
thence  N.  10  rods ;  S.  86  1-2  E.  30  rods  and  also  52  rods  by  land  of  said 
Gould  and  Levi  Bixby  to  corner  of  land  of  said  Bixby  and  Seth  Millen ; 
thence  S.  24  E.  60  rods  by  said  Bixby  land  to  old  Henniker  road ;  thence 
by  said  road  S.  14  W.  44  rods  to  land  of  William  Whittle ;  thence  E.  38 
rods ;  S.  6  W.  32  rods ;  thence  S.  75  E.  4  rods  by  land  of  said  Whittle  to 
the  New  Henniker  road ;  thence  N.  15  E.  42  rods  to  corner  of  land  of 
Mrs.  William  E.  Gould;  thence  S.  60  E.  37  rods  by  said  Gould  land  to 
the  railroad  thence  by  the  railroad  N.  38  E.  91  rods  to  the  river  bend  ; 
thence  by  the  river  S.  16  E.  70  rods;  thence  S.  65  1-2  W.  50  rods;  S.  14 
W.  138  rods ;  S.  77  E.  80  rods ;  S.  12  W.  87  ;  S.  87  W.  52  rods  by  the  river 
left  bank;  thence  S.  14  1-2  E.  across  the  river  and  highway  60  rods 
to  the  corner  of  said  George  Burnham  land,  the  place  of  beginning 
and  bounds  first  mentioned — The  whole  of  the  above  description  being 
conformity  to  a  plan  or  map  of  said  precinct  drawn  by  George  C. 
Patten  dated  June,  1886,  to  which  reference  may  be  had  for  more 
particular  description. 

Geobge  C.  Patten,  Surveyor. 

Marcellus  H.  Felt  was  President  of  the  first  meeting  and 
Frank  E.  Merrill  was  made  Clerk,  a  position  the  latter  held  for 
a  considerable  period.  Three  fire  wards,  a  term  which  has  since 
been  changed  to  "commissioners"  were  chosen  as  follows:  Ed- 
win B.  Morse,  Ruthven  Childs  and  Lewis  W.  Gallond. 

The  present  Commissioners  are  John  B.  Tasker,  John  H. 
Grimes  and  Daniel  W.  Cole. 

The  judicious  manner  in  which  this  department  has  been 
managed  during  the  34  years  of  its  existence  is  shown  by  the 
figures  which  place  its  total  indebtedness  at  $26,650.00,  while 
there  was  a  balance  in  the  treasury  January  31,  1920,  of  $530.63, 
leaving  the  net  debt  $26,119.37.     To  over-balance  this  are  the 

unavailable  assets  of  the  department,  viz : 

Water  system,             valued  at  $76,347.69 

Precinct  building  and  lot  5,000.00 

Fire  apparatus  2,000.00 


Total,  $83,347.69 


39§  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

While  Bridge  Village  has,  no  doubt,  had  its  share  of  small 
fires  it  has  not  been  visited  by  a  serious  conflagration,  due  largely 
per  adventure  to  the  effeciency  of  its  fire  department. 

Electric  Light  and  Power  Company. 

In  January,  1894,  the  Hillsborough  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  New 
Hampshire  with  sufficient  capital  to  carry  on  an  extensive} 
business.  The  stockholders  were  Col.  James  F.  Grimes,  Henry 
Emerson,  Dr.  John  Goodell,  David  H.  Goodell,  Wilson  D.  For- 
saith,  Harvey  Jones,  James  S.  Butler,  Henry  C.  Colby,  George 
W.  Lincoln.  Land  and  water  power  on  the  Contoocook  River 
below  the  covered  bridge  in  Henniker  were  purchased  of  John 
C.  Campbell,  George  B.  Codman,  Baxter  Codman  and  William 
Merrill.  A  power  house  and  dam  were  built  just  over  the  line 
between  Hillsborough  and  Henniker,  and  about  half  way  between 
the  villages.  The  power  at  the  falls  here  is  sufficient  to  produce 
double  the  energy  that  is  now  required. 

March  4,  1895,  the  town  contracted  with  the  company  to 
illumine  the  streets  of  the  village  with  sixty-four  electric  lights  of 
twenty-five  candle  power  and  one  of  fifty. 

The  town  paid  the  company  for  lighting  the  streets  during 
the  year  1919,  $2,235.57. 

Board  of  Trade. 
Not  many  years  since  civic  bodies  formed  to  improve  the 
business  conditions  of  a  town  or  hamlet  were  unknown  and  un- 
thought  of,  and  affairs  of  public  interest  were  generally  left  to  be 
looked  after  by  some  public  spirited  individual  or  ignored.  This 
did  very  well  until  public  affairs  became  more  complicated  by  the 
entrance  of  manufacturing  interests,  which  in  turn  created  many 
other  lines  of  industries.  Then  the  Board  of  Trade,  or  an  organ- 
ization composed  of  leading  citizens,  was  formed  to  promote  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  place.  Hillsborough  saw  the  ad- 
vantage likely  to  result  from  such  an  association,  and  about 
twenty  years  ago  formed  its  Board  of  Trade,  William  H.  Mana- 
han,  Jr.,  as  its  first  President.  The  history  of  this  body  of  active 
citizens  does  not  read  very  differently  from  that  of  another  com- 
munity off  its  size  and  character. 


THE  RAILROAD.  399 

In  many,  many  ways  not  only  has  Bridge  Village  but  the 
whole  town  been  benefited  by  its  steady  upbuilding.  Among  the 
things  it  has  accomplished  or  been  largely  instrumental  in  ac- 
complishing has  been  "Merchant's  Week,"  "Clean-Up  Week," 
doing  publicity  work,  encouraging  and  organizing  the  Contoocook 
Valley  Highway  Association,  bringing  into  town  new  enterprises, 
until  to-day  the  Board  of  Trade  represents  the  greatest  factor  for 
public  good  in  town.  The  President  at  the  present  time  is  Charles 
F.  Butler,  who  is  also  Town  Clerk,  and  Daniel  W.  Cole  is 
Secretary. 

The  popular  slogan  of  this  popular  body  of  public  spirited 
citizens  ever  is : 

Come  to  Hillsborough. 

For 

Nestled  'mong  New  Hampshire's  foothills, 

Rarest  jewel  in  her  crown, 

Clothed  in  colors  like  the  morning, 

Proud  of  all  this  wide  renown, 

Is 

Hillsborough. 

The  Railroad. 

The  roads  of  a  country  are  the  arteries  of  business,  and 
according  to  the  facilities  by  which  a  district  may  be  reached  by 
the  traveling  public  or  commodities  moved,  depends  very  largely 
the  success  or  failure  of  such  a  place. 

Hillsborough  is  no  exception  to  this  rule,  and  by  the  ever- 
changing  means  of  transport  is  the  progress  of  the  town  definitely 
marked  on  the  highway  of  time.  If  the  coming  of  the  post  rider1 
was  hailed  with  delight,  the  appearance  of  the  stage  driver  was 
doubly  so.  The  building  of  the  turnpike  denoted  a  still  greater 
stride.  Then  a  mightier  step  was  taken  when  the  whistle  of  the 
iron  horse  rang  up  and  down  the  Contoocook  valley.  The  Con- 
toocook Valley  Railroad  was  incorporated  June  24,  1848,  from 
"any  point  on  Concord  or  Northern  Railroad,  in  Concord,  to  any 
point  in  Peterborough."  Its  terminal,  however,  was  at  Bridge 
Village  for  nearly  twenty  years,  or  until  June  7,  1869,  when  the 
Hillsborough  and  Peterborough  Railroad  was  incorporated  July 
7,  1869.  "From  any  point  in  Center  Village  in  Peterborough  to 


400  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

present  terminus  of  Contoocook  Railroad  in  village  of  Hillsbor- 
ough Bridge."  The  track  from  Concord  to  Bridge  Village  was 
completed  in  December,  1849;  tne  balance  to  Peterborough  in 
June,  1870. 

Banks. 

Valley  (State)  Bank  was  chartered  July,  i860.  The  Pre- 
sident was  John  G.  Fuller ;  cashier,  John  C.  Campbell ;  directors, 
John  G.  Fuller,  Ammi  Smith,  John  G.  Dickey,  James  F.  Briggs, 
Joshua  Marcy,  Stephen  Dow  Wyman,  Francis  N.  Blood.  Pre- 
sident John  G.  Fuller  died  within  a  year,  and  Stephen  Kendrick 
was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  This  bank  was  succeeded  by  the 
National  Bank. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Hillsborough  was  chartered  in 
December,  1868,  and  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000. 
Stephen  Kendrick  was  President  until  his  decease  in  1884,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  James  F.  Briggs,  in  August.  John  C.  Camp- 
bell was  cashier  from  1868  until  his  death.  The  first  board  of 
directors  consisted  of  Stephen  Kendrick,  Stephen  D.  Wyman, 
James  F.  Briggs,  George  Noyes,  Jonas  Wallace,  James  Chase  and 
Edward  P.  Howard. 

Officers  at  the  present  time :  President,  Ruthven  Childs ; 
Vice-President,  Alba  Childs ;  Cashier,  Alfred  L.  Mansfield.  Di- 
rectors: Ruthven  Childs,  Alba  Childs,  Alfred  L.  Mansfield,  An- 
toinette Childs,  John  S.  Childs. 

Hillsborough  Savings  Bank  was  organized  in  1889.  Hon. 
John  B.  Smith  was  its  first  President.  Directors  were :  Samuel 
W.  Holman,  W.  D.  Forsaith,  Alba  Stephenson,  James  F.  Grimes, 
Ruthven  Childs.  The  officers  to-day  are :  President,  Ruthven 
Childs ;  Vice-President,  William  P.  Childs ;  Second  Vice-Pre- 
sident, Alfred  L.  Mansfield ;  Treasurer,  John  S.  Childs.  Directors, 
in  addition  to  the  above  named  officials,  William  D.  Forsaith,  John 
H.  Grimes,  William  H.  Roach. 

Hotels. 

The  most  prominent  resort  in  a  town  in  the  days  of  auld 
lang  syne,  with  the  exception  of  the  meeting  house,  was  the  public 
hostelry,  then  known  as  "The  Tavern."  Here  the  towns  people 
were  wont  to  gather  to  discuss  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  here 


THE  BRADFORD  TAVERN.  401 

gathered  the  strangers  for  entertainment.  Many  of  the  latter 
class  were  travelers  from  afar,  bringing  with  them  the  news  from 
the  outside  world,  which  constituted  almost  entirely  the  intelli- 
gence the  country  people  obtained. 

Situated  as  Hillsborough  has  been,  first  on  the  main  lines  of 
the  stage  coaches,  and  then  on  the  railroad,  the  town  has  been 
fairly  well  represented  by  its  public  houses,  three  of  which  stand 
out  conspicuous  above  the  many  that  have  come  and  gone  with 
the  current  of  the  rolling  years. 

The  first  tavern  in  town  was  opened  on  Bible  Hill  by  Capt. 
Samuel  Bradford  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  second  settlement 
in  the  early  sixties  of  the  18th  century.  Here  were  held  nearly 
if  not  all  of  the  public  meetings  or  gatherings  of  the  members  of 
the  embryonic  town.  Was  it  some  matter  concerning  the 
establishment  of  the  church  in  that  little  corner  of  the  universe, 
the  good  people  came  hither.  Was  it  something  of  moment  relat- 
ing to  the  incorporation  of  a  new  township,  the  stalwart  inhabi- 
tants met  here  ancT  propounded  those  questions  which  arise  upon 
such  occasions.  Here,  perhaps  more  than  at  any  other  place  in 
town  were  discussed  the  trials  and  tribulations  incident  to  the 
carrying  on  of  a  war  that  cast  its  gloom  over  the  land.  In  fact, 
few  indeed  must  have  been  the  matters  that  concerned  the  affairs 
of  the  little  commonwealth  that  did  not  have  their  origin  here. 
Captain  Bradford  must  have  been  an  ideal  landlord. 

No  doubt  the  Bradford  Tavern  brought  in  a  substantial 
income  to  its  genial  owner.  It  was  not,  however,  until  ten  years 
after  the  close  of  the  War  for  Independence  that  taverns  began 
to  be  numerous  in  town,  and  the  keeper  invariably  had  a  license 
to  dispense  the  beverage  which  has  since  been  removed  by 
national  legislation.  The  following  list  has  been  compiled  from 
the  town  records : 

Innkeepers  of  Hillsborough. 
1792-1809. 

1792  James  McColley,  Moses  Steel. 

1793  John    Dutton,    John    Curtice,    William    Taggard,    Enos    Towne, 

George  Descomb,  Jonathan  Herrick,  James  McColley. 

1794  Moses  Steel,  Nehemiah  Jones,  (last  kept  at  Dr.  Joseph  Monroe's 

house),    John    Dutton,    Wiliam    Taggard,    George    Descomb, 
Jonathan  Harrick. 


402  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

1795  Moses  Steel,  John  McClintock,  Nehemiah  Jones,  (at  Dr.  Monroe's 

house),  John  Dutton,  Benjamin  Pierce,  George  Descomb, 
William.  Taggard. 

1796  Moses   Steel,   Nehemiah  Jones,  John   Dutton,  William  Taggard, 

Asahe  Gowing,  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1797  George   Descomb,   William   Tolbert,   John   Dutton,   Moses    Steel, 

Nehemiah  Jones,  William  Taggard,  Going  and  Bichardson. 

1798  John  Dutton,  George  Dascomb,  Nehemiah  Jones,  William  Tolbert, 

Benjamin  Pierce,  William  Tag-gard,  Moses  Steel. 

1799  Moses  Steel,  John  Dutton,  William  Taggard,  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1800  James  Willson,  John  Dutton,  Benjamin  Pierce,  George  Descomb, 

William  Taggard. 

1801  William  Whiting,  John  Dutton,  Benjamin  Pierce,  George  Des- 

comb, William  Tolbert,  William  Taggard,  Jonathan  Easty, 
Thomas  Nichols,  James  Willson,  Lt.  John  McNiel. 

1802  Benjamin  Pierce,  John  Dutton,  Darius  Abbott,  William  Taggard, 

George  Descomb,  James  Wilson,  William  Tolbert,  Jonathan 
Bailey,  Timothy  Wyman  (in  house  lately  occupied  by  James 
Willson,  John  Towne,  Lt.  John  McNiel. 

1803  George  Little,  (near  ''Great  Bridge,"  so  called),  Benjamin  Pierce, 

James  Willson  (at  his  store),  John  Dutton,  Benjamin  Pierce, 
George  Descomb,  William  Tagg'ard,  John  Shed,  Otis  How  (in 
house  lately  occupied  by  John  McClintock),  John  Towne, 
James  Ayers,  (in  house  lately  occupied  by  William  Whiting), 
Timothy  Wyman  (in  his  store),  James  Ayers  (in  a  house 
near  the  turnpike  gate.) 

1804  George  Little,  Benjamin  Pierce,  John  Dutton,  William  Taggard, 

George  Descomb,  John  Shed,  Joseph  Chapman  (sell  liquor  in 
his  store.) 

1805  John  Dutton,  Timothy  Wyman   (sell  liquor  in  his^store.)      Ben- 

jamin Pierce,  George  Descomb,  William  Taggard  (sell  liquor 
in  his  store),  John  McNiel,  William  Tolbert,  John  Gilbert 
(sell  liquor  in  his  house),  Dutton  &  Barnes,  Josiah  Coolidge 
(at  the  store  of  George  Little  at  the  "Great  Bridge,"  so 
called). 

1806  Lt.  John  McNiel,  John  Shed,  James  Eayrs,  Timothy  Wyman  (to 

sell  liquor  in  his  store)  ;  Josiah  Coolidge  (to  sell  liquor  in  his 
store). 

1807  Samuel  Barnes;   also  to  Dutton  and  Barnes    (to  sell  liquor   at 

their  store),  William  Taggard,  Lt.  John  McNiel,  James  Eayers, 
Timothy  Wyman  (to  sell  liquor  at  his  store),  Benjamin  Wilkin 
(at  the  toll  house). 

1808  Dutton  and  Barnes,   (to  sell  liquor  at  their  store),  John  McNiel, 

James   Ayers,   Timothy   Wyman    (sell   at   his   store),    Samuel 


PUBLIC  HOUSES.  403 

Barnes,   Mrs.   Lucy   Coolidge    (to   sell   for   one   month   at   the 
house  lately  occupied  by  Josiah  Coolidge),  John  Dutton. 
1809     James  Ayers. 

Special  Act  of  Town. 

That  there  was  no  prejudice  against  the  use  of  liquor  in 
those  days,  even  upon  religious  occasions  or  at  least  those  as- 
sociated with  religious  endeavor,  is  shown  by  the  following 
privilege  extended  to  two  of  the  townsmen  at  the  ordination  of 
the  minister  at  the  Centre  church ;  while  similar  favors  were 
shown  to  Messrs.  Daniel  Chase  and  Ezekiel  Little  at  the  same 
time  and  place : 

June  17th,  1805.  This  may  certify  that  we  do  allow  John  Taggard 
and  Jonathan  Sargent,  Jr.,  to  sell  spirituous  liquors  at  and  about  the 
time  of  Ordination  on  the  Common  Southeasterly  of  the  Meeting 
house. 

Elijah  Beard, 
Andrew  Sargent, 
Jacob  Spaulding, 

Selectmen. 

In  stage  coach  days,  when  country  travel  was  at  its  zenith 
and  the  merry  crack  of  the  old  stager's  whip  rang  cheerfully  over 
scenes  that  are  now  deserted,  at  least  half  a  dozen  inns  stood  at 
about  equal  distances  apart  on  the  old  turnpike  to  care  for  the 
wayfarers  and  enliven  travel  along  the  broad  highway  of  life.  If 
I  have  been  correctly  informed  the  following  hostelries,  either 
contemporanously  or  otherwise  catered  to  the  comfort  of  man 
and  beast :  Beginning  in  order  at  the  lower  end  of  the  route, 
Colby  Tavern,  St.  Charles  at  Lower  Village,  Carr  House,  Wilson 
House,  Wall  Tavern,  and  McCoy  Inn. 

Nathan  Howe  kept  a  tavern  on  the  Second  New  Hampshire 
turnpike  at  about  equal  distance  between  the  Governor  Pierce 
residence  and  Washington  Centre  for  several  years  prior  to  his 
decease  in  1807. 

Two  of  the  most  noted  public  houses  during  the  days  of  the 
stage  coach  were  the  Pierce  Mansion  and  Wilson  House.  These 
were  both  kept  by  leading  citizens  of  their  day  and  both  received 
a  liberal  patronage. 


404  history  of  hillsborough. 

The  American  House. 

The  American  House  was  opened  about  1810  by  Cyrus  and 
Jonathan  Sargent,  who  seemed  to  have  prospered  here  for  a  little 
over  five  years,  when  they  sold  out  to  another.  The  house  had 
several  owners  the  succeeding  years,  until  1832  it  was  purchased 
by  Daniel  Brown,  who  had  previously  been  living  on  a  farm.  Mr. 
Brown  immediately  became  a  very  popular  landlord,  so  that  his 
patronage  steadily  increased.  The  American  House  became  noted 
for  its  public  gatherings,  balls,  suppers  and  public  meetings.  In 
1834,  July  21,  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  office  he  held 
until  his  death  November  24,  1847. 

Upon  the  decease  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Brown  assumed 
management  of  the  hotel,  a  duty  she  performed  very  creditably 
until  her  marriage  to  James  Forsaith,  who  then  became  its  land- 
lord. He  continued  its  management  until  Freeman  Dow  of  Deer- 
ing  bought  the  property  March  14,  1861. 

Mr.  Dow  rented  the  house  to  John  Ellinwood,  who  kept 
public  house  here  for  perhaps  three  or  four  years.  James  S. 
Butler  succeeded  Mr.  Dow  as  owner.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Perley  kept  the  hotel  at  one  time.  At  another  it  was  kept  by 
George  Stewart. 

This  building  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Post  Office 
block,  and  was  owned  by  Eli  Sargent,  when  the  house  was 
destroyed  by  fire  on  the  night  of  March  10,  1869,  which  closed  a 
very  successful  career. 

The  fire  which  burned  the  American  House,  with  most  of  its 
contents,  caught  in  a  stable  just  below  the  tavern  on  Depot  Street, 
and  it  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  corner,  destroying  as  well  as  the 
building  mentioned,  the  millinery  store  adjoining  the  hotel  stand, 
a  barber  shop  run  by  Horatio  Whittier,  and  the  tailoring  establish- 
ment owned  by  Luther  Eaton. 

Reuben  Lovering  built  the  block  which  now  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  American  House,  and  Mrs.  Lovering  the  building 
where  the  stable  stood  and  where  the  pool  room  is  now  located. 

St.  Charles  Hotel. 

Another  public  house  that  stands  conspicuously  among  the 
hotels  of  the  town  is  the  St.  Charles  built  in  1855  by  Samuel 
Kimball,  and  occupied  as  a  public  hostelry  by  his  brother,  Charles 


THE  VALLEY  HOTEL.  405 

Kimball  in  1856.  Nathan  Carr  soon  succeeded  Mr.  Kimball  as 
landlord  of  the  St.  Charles,  while  he  in  turn  was  followed  in  the 
early  sixties  by  Charles  Gillis. 

The  next  owners  were  Hugh  Daley  and  Willard  Rice ;  then 
the  Hurd  Brothers  kept  the  inn  for  awhile,  when  it  was  sold  to 
Daniel  Butterfield,  and  by  him  to  George  Butterfield,  under 
whose  ownership  it  was  burned  in  1889,  the  fire  starting  from  the 
explosion  of  a  kerosine  lamp.  John  Gibson  purchased  the  site 
and  built  a  dwelling  house  on  the  lot. 

The  St.  Charles  was  well  kept  and  enjoyed  an  excellent 
reputation  as  a  public  house  during  its  third  of  a  century  of 
catering  to  the  welfare  of  the  traveling  public. 

The  Valley  Hotel. 

The  Valley  Hotel,  for  a  time  known  as  the  Railroad  House, 
was  opened  soon  after  the  coming  of  the  railroad  early  in  1850, 
the  laying  of  the  track  being  completed  in  December,  1849.  This 
house  has  received  an  almost  unbroken  business  ever  since,  so  to- 
day it  can  boast  of  being  the  oldest  tavern  in  town,  as  well  as  the 
only  one! 

To  give  a  list  of  its  many  owners  and  landlords  would  be  a 
difficult  task.  "Dr."  Oliver  P.  Greenleaf,  a  character  of  whom 
many  curious  and  (some  of  them)  amusing  stories  are  told  to 
this  day,  seems  to  have  been  the  pioneer  at  this  stand.  "Doctor" 
Greenleaf  was  succeeded  by  a  man  named  Locke,  and  then  fol- 
lowed a  Mr.  Fales  and  Mr.  Course,  though  the  latter  never  lived 
here.  John  Nichols  of  Manchester  was  owner  for  awhile,  and 
then  James  Pearson. 

In  1872  Ruthven  Childs  became  the  owner  and  manager, 
having  a  very  successful  business  for  eight  years,  when  he  sold 
out.  Jackman  had  an  interest  in  the  house  for  a  time,  and  then 
John  Foster  became  its  owner. 

In  1891  Jacob  Whittemore  became  its  proprietor,  but  the 
following  year  he  sold  out  to  his  brother-in-law,  James  H.  Brown, 
who  remained  here  five  years. 

Since  then  several  owners  have  held  their  titles  and  sold  out, 
among  them  O.  W.  Proctor,  succeeded  by  his  son  Leon  O. 
Proctor,    who    at    present    has    a    garage    close    by.      George 


406  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Gould  is  the  present  proprietor.  Located  in  the  heart  of  the 
thriving  hamlet  of  Bridge  Village,  near  the  railroad  station, 
Valley  Hotel  deserves  a  liberal  patronage,  but  like  other  public 
houses  it  has  suffered  a  change  if  not  a  loss  in  business  through 
the  coming  of  the  automobile,  which  has  revolutionized  the  ways 
and  means  of  travel. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
Professional,  Fraternal  and  Social  History. 

Not  All  the  Glory  Belongs  to  the  Military — The  Physicians — Dentists 
— Lawyers — Authors — Educators — Musicians  and  Artists — Secret 
Societies — First  in  Town  in  18401 — Neighborly  Bees  the  Orders  of 
Early  Days —  Society  of  Cincinnati — Hillsborough  Had  One  Mem- 
ber— Masonic  Fraternity — Auxiliaries — Odd  Fellows  and  Auxili- 
aries— Temperance  Society — Daughters  of  the  Kevolution — Grand 
Army  of  the  Eepublic — Women's  Belief  Corps — American  Legion 
— Military  Bands — Hillsborough's  Brass  Band1 — Highland  Band — 
Merrill's  Orchestra— Wahneta  Orchestra — Music  Club — Patrons  of 
Husbandry —  Womens  Club — THE  club — Lyceums  and  Debating 
Societies — Gold  Seekers  of  '49 — Men  Who  Went  to  Klondike. 

While  the  military  history  of  Hillsiborough  fills  many  pages, 
somewhat  to  the  exclusion  of  the  citizens  of  civil  callings,  yet  notj 
all  of  the  glory  belongs  to  the  men  who  bore  arms  or  those  who 
led  their  victorious  troops  into  battle.  We  need  touch  but  briefly 
upon  the  long  list  of  names  belonging  to  the  leaders  of  the  peace- 
ful pursuits,  as  the  majority  of  these  will  be  described  in  the 
succeeding  volume  of  this  work  devoted  to  the  biography  and 
genealogy  of  the  town. 

The  religious  history  of  the  town  has  been  exceptionally 
bright,  due  no  doubt  to  the  high  and  self-sacrificing  character  of 
the  men  and  women  who  upheld  the  welfare  of  the  church  fronl 
Parson  Barnes  and  his  faithful  co-workers  to  the  present  time. 
The  steady  growth  and  progress  of  the  different  societies  |has 
been  marked  with  uniform  harmony  that  is  very  much  to  their 
credit. 

There  are  to-day  five  church  societies  in  town,  the  Congre- 
gationalism Methodist,  Community,  Spiritualist  and  Catholic,  the 
first  two  having  branch  houses  at  the  Centre. 

As  the  history  of  these  churches  has  been  carefully  traced  in 
preceding  chapters,  and  names  and  good  works  of  their  supporters 


407 


408  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

have  been  so  fully  given  there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  that  need 
be  said  here.  It  is  good  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  churches  of  thd 
town  were  never  in  a  more  fit  condition  than  to-day. 

The  Medical  Profession. 

Hillsborough  has  been  especially  fortunate  in  the  number 
and  ability  of  its  physicians,  who  have  not  only  administered  to 
the  ills  of  its  inhabitants  but  have  had  wide  practice  in  adjoining) 
towns.  The  physicians  who  have  lived  here  have  been  able,  up- 
right and  trustworthy  men,  while  being  well  qualified  to  perform 
the  duties  of  their  profession  both  as  regards  a  general  education 
and  a  knowledge  of  the  science  of  medicine,  always  considering 
the  period  in  which  each  lived. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  here  was  Dr.  William  Little,  who 
was  born  in  Peterborough  in  1752,  during  a  temporary  residence 
of  his  parents  there,  and  coming  to  Hillsborough  in  1782.  He. 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Young  of  Peterborough,  and  practiced 
for  a  short  time  in  Washington,  going  from  there  to  Dracut, 
Mass.,  from  which  town  he  soon  after  came  to  Hillsborough.  He 
located  on  the  road  leading  from  the  Lower  Village  to  Bible  Hill. 
A  more  extended  notice  of  him  is  given  in  the  genealogy  of  his 
family. 

In  1784  Dr.  Joseph  Monroe,  a  native  of  Carlisle,  Mass.,  who 
had  fitted  himself  for  the  profession  under  Dr.  Francis  Kittredge, 
of  Tewksbury,  Mass.,  came  to  this  town  taking  up  his  abode  near1 
the  Centre.  He  was  an  estimable  man  and  skillful  physician,  but 
he  was  spared  only  four  years,  dying  quite  suddenly. 

The  third  doctor  to  settle  in  the  town  was  Dr.  Benjamin, 
Stearns,  who  took  up  his  residence  here  in  1797,  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  came  here  from  Walpole,  having  re- 
ceived his  medical  education  under  Dr.  Johnson  of  that  town. 
He  did  not  stay  in  town  many  years,  but  long  enough  to  win  the 
heart  and  hand  of  one  of  Hillsborough's  most  estimable 
daughters,  Mehitable,  youngest  daughter  of  Dea.  Joseph  Sy- 
monds.  After  their  marriage  the  couple  removed  to  Truro,  Nova 
Scotia,  in  1804,  where  he  became  a  very  successful  physician. 
(See  Vol.  II.) 

Dr.  Joshua  Crain,  also  spellel  Crane  by  some  members  of  the 


PHYSICIANS.  4°9 

family,  practiced  medicine  in  town  from  1802  to  181 1.  He  was 
born  in  Alstead,  and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Kittredge  of  Wal- 
pole.  During  his  residence  in  Hillsborough  he  acquired  the 
reputation  of  being  an  able  doctor  and  a  worthy  citizen. 

Dr.  Luther  Smith  came  from  Mont  Vernon  in  1809,  to  settle 
at  Bridge  Village,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1824. 

Following  the  death  of  Dr.  Smith  one  of  his  students  and  the 
first  native  of  the  town  to  enter  upon  the  practice  here  of 
medicine,  Dr.  Thomas  Preston,  became  his  successor.  Dr.  Smith 
had  previously  practiced  in  Deering,  and  while  making  no  claim 
to  being  a  surgeon,  he  was  eminently  successful  as  a  practitioner 
and  built  up  a  large  practice,  which  he  retained  until  obliged  to 
give  up  on  account  of  the  infirmities  of  age. 

The  Hatch  family  of  doctors  was  largely  represented  here 
the  first  half  of  the  19th  century.  The  first  of  these  was  Dr. 
Reuben  Hatch,  a  native  of  Alstead,  but  coming  here  from  New- 
port, located  at  the  Lower  Village,  but  after  a  few  years  he  built 
a  house  about  half  way  between  the  Lower  and  Upper  Villages, 
which  spot  has  been  the  residence  of  a  physician  for  more  than 
a  hundred  years.    In  1835  he  removed  to  Griggsville,  111. 

Dr.  Mason  Hatch,  a  kinsman  of  the  above,  after  having 
studied  with  Dr.  Brooks  of  Alstead  settled  at  the  Centre  Village 
in  1817.     He  built  the  only  brick  house  in  that  village. 

Dr.  Simon  I.  Bard  was  another  skillful  physician,  but  seems- 
to  have  been  of  a  roving  disposition.  He  remained  in  town  less 
than  five  years. 

Dr.  Elisha  Hatch  was  another  of  a  family  of  doctors,  a  native 
of  Alstead  and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  Medical  College,  but 
whose  successful  career  was  cut  short  by  a  fall  from  the  high 
beams  of  his  barn  in  1863,  aged  sixty-six. 

A  student  of  Dr.  Elisha  Hatch,  and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
Medical  College,  Dr.  Abel  Conant  Burnham  opened  an  office  at 
the  Centre  in  1841,  the  only  physicians  in  town  being  Drs.  Hatchj 
and  Preston,  the  last  an  old  man.  Dr.  Burnham  came  to  the 
Centre  in  February  and  in  October  of  the  same  year,  1841,  hd 
removed  to  Bridge  Village,  and  soon  came  into  a  good  practice. 
He  was  married  in  1849  t0  Caroline  M.  Dascomb,  and  that  same 
year  he  bought  the  William  Taggart  homestead  on  Main  Street 


4!0  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

corner  of  Church  Street,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  May 
21,  1896. 

The  next  physician  to  begin  practice  in  town  was  Dr.  John 
H.  Goodell,  who  bought  the  beautiful  home  of  Dr.  Hatch  situated 
between  the  Upper  and  Lower  Villages,  and  entered  upon  his 
extensive  practice  with  success.  Dr.  Goodell  held  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  the  town's  people,  and  was  engaged  several  years  in 
getting  data  for  a  history,  some  of  the  material  which  has  been 
used  to  advantage  by  the  writer.     (See  sketch,  Vol.  II.) 

Dr.  John  Q.  A.  French  came  into  town  soon  after  Dr. 
Goodell  and  settled  at  Upper  Village.  He  soon  secured  a  wide 
patronage,  his  practice  extending  into  Washington.  Dr.  B.  H. 
Phillips  opened  an  office  at  the  Centre  in  December,  1841,  but  left 
in  October,  1842.  These  years  were  witnesses  of  several  changes 
in  the  personnel  of  physicians,  most  of  whom  settled  at  the 
Centre,  and  all  of  whom  died  after  a  short  service.  These 
practitioners  included  a  Dr.  Swett  and  a  Dr.  Wilkins ;  Dr.  Ben- 
jamin Lyford,  who  came  in  1848,  remained  a  few  years  and  went 
away  to  die.  Doctor  Skinner  was  another  who  made  a  short  stay 
and  died.  Dr.  Charles  Hartwell,  a  native  of  the  town,  practiced 
a  few  years  and  died. 

Dr.  George  Priest,  son  of  Benjamin  Priest,  a  resident  of  the 
Centre,  graduated  from  the  academy,  fitted  himself  for  practice 
of  medicine  and  settled  in  Manchester,  Mass.  Another  native  to 
practice  a  few  years  in  town  at  the  Centre  and  Bridge  Village  was 
Dr.  Charles  Gould. 

Dr.  Harvey  Monroe  who  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College 
in  1858,  and  from  the  Medical  Department  in  i860,  practiced  first 
in  town,  but  eventually  settled  in  East  Washington,  where  he| 
died  after  two  years,  aged  thirty-one.  He  bade  fair  to  be  a 
successful  physician.  After  his  death  his  widow,  Mrs.  Monroe, 
studied  the  science  of  medicine,  attended  medical  lectures  and 
became  a  successful  practitioner,  the  first  woman  to  take  up  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  this  vicinity,  but  like  her  husband  she  was 
not  spared  for  the  work. 

Dr.  Joseph  Parsons  opened  an  office  at  Bridge  Village  in 
1856,  and  secured  a  good  practice,  which  was  ended  by  his  death 
in  i860.    He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Constantine  C.  Badger,  who 


PHYSICIANS — CONTINUED.  411 

practiced  a  few  years  and  died,  all  of  which  seems  to  go  to  prove 
that  the  climate  of  Hillsborough  has  not  been  conducive  to  thej 
longevity  of  physicians. 

Dr.  Edward  P.  Cummings,  son  of  Rev.  Jacob  Cummings,  at 
one  time  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Bridge  Village, 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  the  Bridge  in  1855,  but  in  1858' 
removed  to  Francestown.  Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  enlisted  as  a  surgeon  in  the  navy.  Here  his  service 
was  cut  short  by  his  untimely  death. 

Dr.  James  P.  Whittle,  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Chase) 
Whittle  of  Weare,  came  here  in  i860,  remained  three  years, 
married  Hattie  A.  Hayward,  Akron,  Ohio ;  removed  to  Manches- 
ter, where  he  practiced  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  his  native 
town,  where  he  enjoyed  a  large  practice  until  his  decease  a  few 
years  since. 

Dr.  Israel  P.  Chase  began  a  practice  covering  over  thirty 
years  in  the  early  sixties.  He  was  at  one  time  editor  and  pubJ 
lisher  of  the  Hillsborough  Messenger,  the  product  of  his  work 
showing  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  fine  literary  attainment.  He 
had  been  editor  of  a  paper  in  Manchester,  went  to  California  iri 
the  early  days ;  returning  to  New  Hampshire  he  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  James  Peterson  of  Weare ;  he  was  a  graduate  of  Hahne- 
mann College,  Cleveland,  Ohio ;  practiced  medicine  for  several 
years  in  Virginia,  when  he  returned  to  New  England  to  open  an 
office  in  Henniker.  From  this  town  he  came  to  Hillsborough, 
where  he  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice.  He  resided  here 
until  his  death  in  1890. 

Dr.  George  W.  Cook  began  a  practice  here  in  1873,  to  be 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  so  the  medical  force  in  Hills- 
borough now  became  Drs.  Burnham,  Chase,  Goodell,  French  and 
Felt,  skillful  physicians  all,  a  power  in  town  that  was  respected 
for  many  years.  These  genial  representatives  of  the  "old! 
School"  of  physicians  all  continued  active  in  their  profession, 
until  finally  the  day  came  they  were  compelled  to  lay  aside  their 
burdens  as  the  destiny  of  humanity  demands. 

It  was  several  years  before  a  break  came  and  new  candidates 
for  public  favor  appeared  upon  the  scene,  one  by  one,  and  to-day 
the  ills  to  which  the  human  is  heir  is  faithfully  administered  to 


412  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

by  Drs.  William  P.  Grimes,  William  L.  Kelso,  Charles  B.  Abbott, 
George  S.  Bailey,  each  enjoying  a  medical  parish  of  his  own  and 
without  envy  or  rivalry  for  his  professional  brothers  goes  his 
round  of  duty  in  harmony.     (See  Vol.  II,  for  family  sketches.) 

Native  Born  Doctors. 

Among  the  natives  of  the  town  who  have  acquired  com- 
mendable practice  in  their  profession  was  Dr.  Thomas  Preston. 

Dr.  Silas  McClary,  son  of  John  McClary,  born  July  29,  1792, 
acquired  his  medical  education  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  after 
practicing  several  years  in  Canada,  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he 
was  very  successful. 

Dr.  John  Herbert  Foster,  second  son  of  Aaron  Foster,  born 
March  8,  1796,  studied  his  profession  with  Dr.  Reuben  Muzzey  at 
Hanover,  graduated  at  the  medical  school  connected  with  Dart- 
mouth College,  in  1821,  began  practice  in  New  London;  after  a 
few  years  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  from  thence  to  Mo- 
bile, Ala.,  and  in  1832  to  Michigan,  where  he  seems  to  have  spent 
the  rest  of  his  days. 

Dr.  Samuel  Sargent,  son  of  Jonathan  Sargent,  born  March 
13,  1790,  practiced  elsewhere  with  marked  success. 

Dr.  Horace  G.  Pike,  born  at  Bridge  Village  January  24, 
1825,  son  of  Justus  and  Charlotte  (Blodgett)  Pike,  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1859,  removed  to  Hopeland,  California,  where  he  en- 
joyed a  lucrative  practice  in  his  chosen  profession  until  his  death 
November  4,  1888.     (See  Pike  family,  Vol.  II.) 

Dentists. 

The  history  of  dental  surgery  in  town  contains  the  names  of 
several  skillful  dentists.  The  pioneer  in  this  particular  field  wasi 
Dr.  Samuel  Ball,  a  gentleman  and  skilled  in  his  profession.  He 
came  here  about  i860,  and  remained  ten  years,  to  be  followed 
by  Dr.  Frank  P.  Carey,  who  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  and 
then  moved  out  of  town.  Dr.  Frank  P.  Newman  had  an  office 
at  Bridge  Village  for  several  years  with  a  wide  circle  of  patrons. 

The  dean  of  the  profession,  however,  is  Dr.  Samuel  O. 
Bowers,  who  opened  an  office  at  Bridge  Village,  where  he  has 
practiced  his  profession  ever  since,  over  fifty-five  years,  a  long 
period  in  which  to  carry  on  any  particular  line  or  vocation.  Dur- 
ing the  long  period  Dr.  Bowers  has  seen  radical  changes  and  great 


AND    NOW,    LAWYERS.  413 

improvement  in  dental  surgery  as  an  art.  One  of  the  advances 
in  the  profession  is  the  now  general  use  of  anaesthetics  in  the 
extraction  of  teeth  and  so  avoiding  the  suffering  which  was  in- 
evitable under  the  old  regime.  Dr.  Bowers  has  had  a  branch 
office  in  Henniker  for  fifteen  years,  and  another  in  Antrim  for 
about  half  that  time. 

His  son,  Dr.  Elgen  Bowers,  after  several  years  of  practice  in 
Peterborough  and  Antrim,  has  an  office  at  Bridge  Village,  where 
he  is  gaining  a  patronage  that  extends  into  adjoining  towns. 

Rapid  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  methods  of  den- 
tistry, so  that  to-day  it  is  far  easier  for  the  patient  than  the  times' 
when  the  regular  doctor  performed  this  part  of  his  duties  with 
evident  relish,  using  the  old-  fashioned  "cant-hook"  and  after  it 
had  slipped  off  half  a  dozen  times  more  or  less,  and  he  had  pulled 
and  twisted  the  head  of  his  victim  until  he  was  about  ready  to  give 
up,  the  tooth  came — perhaps  all  of  it,  but  more  likely  the  exposed 
part,  leaving  a  root  to  be  dug  out  or  endured,  as  the  patient 
preferred. 

Lawyers. 

David  Starrett  was  the  pioneer  of  the  lawyers  to  establish 
himself  in  this  town.  Born  in  Francestown  April  21,  1774;  grad- 
uated at  Dartmouth  in  1798,  he'  studied  law  with  the  Hon. 
Samuel  Bell,  then  at  Francestown,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Hills- 
borough County  bar  at  Hopkinton  in  September,  1802.  He  com- 
menced practice  at  the  Lower  Village  the  same  year,  and  con- 
tinued his  practice  here  until  in  March,  1812,  when  he  left  his 
home  without  declaring  his  purpose  and  never  returned.  (See 
sketch  in  Vol.  II.)  While  he  was  not  a  forcible  speaker,  he  was* 
one  of  the  best  read  lawyers  of  his  day  and  possessed  a  host  of 
friends. 

The  second  lawyer  and  successor  of  the  unfortunate  Starrett 
was  John  Burnam,  a  native  of  Dunbarton,  who  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  in  1807,  to  begin  the  study  of  law  with  the  Hon. 
Samuel  Bell,  of  Francestown,  but  completed  his  course  with  David 
Starrett,  Esq.,  at  Hillsborough  Bridge.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Amherst  in  February,  181 1,  and  came  to  Hillsborough  the 
following  year.  He  married  Sarah  W.,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Appleton,  of  North  Brookfield,  Mass.  and  sister  of  the 


414  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

wife  of  David  Starrett,  Esq.  Mr.  Burnam,who  taught  school  at 
the  old  academy  for  a  time,  possessed  a  keen  intellect, 
which  had  been  broadened  and  refined  by  his  studies  of  ancient 
and  modern  literature.  He  died  April  3,  1826,  at  the  age  of  46 
years,  leaving  five  children. 

David  Steele,  Esq.  was  another  descendant  of  the  Scotch- 
Irish  colonists  at  Londonderry,  and  his  ancestor  by  the  same 
name  was  among  the  early  comers.  He  was  the  son  of  Deacon 
David  Steele,  of  Peterborough,  and  was  born  in  that  town 
September  30,  1787.  He  graduated  from  Williams  College  in 
1810,  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  James  Walker, 
Esq.,  Francestown,  but  finished  under  the  auspices  of  the  Hon. 
Charles  G.  Atherton,  at  Amherst.  Admitted  to  the  practice  of 
law  at  Amherst  in  September,  1813,  he  began  practice  in  Hills- 
borough the  following  October  of  the  same  year.  He  was  a 
lawyer  of  good  standing  and  active  in  church  work.  He  finally 
removed  to  Peterborough,  where  he  died  about  1866.  He  married 
in  middle  life  Catherine  Kendall,  of  Amherst,  (See)  who  sur- 
vived him.    They  had  no  children. 

Timothy,  the  eldest  son  of  Hon.  Joshua  Darling  of  Hen- 
niker,  prepared  for  college  in  1822.  He  studied  law  with  Artemas 
Rogers,  Esq.  at  Henniker,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law 
at  Hillsborough,  as  successor  to  John  Burnam,  Esq.,  in  1826. 
He  remained  in  town  only  a  year,  as  he  had  another  object  than 
the  law  already  in  his  mind.  A  little  later  he  began  a  course  of 
Theological  study,  and  eventually  settled  as  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter in  western  New  York,  where  the  balance  of  his  biography  {is 
found. 

The  next  and  foremost  among  Hillsborough's  lawyers  stands 
Hon.  Franklin  Pierce,  the  Fourteenth  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  pleaders  at  the  bar  the  coun- 
try has  ever  known.     (See  sketch  in  Vol.  II.) 

Albert  Baker  was  born  in  Bow,  N.  H.,  Feb.  5,  1810.  He 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1834  with  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  finest  students  who  had  ever  attended  that  in- 
stitution. He  immediately  came  to  Hillsborough  and  commenced 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Franklin  Pierce,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  two  years,  and  for  one  year  was  in  the  office  of 


LAWYERS CONTINUED.  415 

Hon.  Richard  Fletcher  of  Boston,  Mass.  In  1837  he  began 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Hillsborough,  in  the  office  where 
he  commenced  his  study,  Mr.  Pierce  having  removed  to  Concord. 
In  1839  ne  was  chosen  Representative  to  the  Legislature  and  re- 
elected in  1840  and  1841.  He  died  Oct.  17,  1841.  In  an  ap- 
preciative review  of  his  brilliant  career  Gov.  Isaac  Hill  in  the 
N.  H.  Patriot,  said  of  him  among  other  things :  "Mr.  Baker  was 
a  man  of  uncommon  promise,  gifted  with  the  higher  order  of 
intellectual  powers,  he  had  trained  and  schooled  them  by  an 
intense  and  almost  incessant  study  during  his  short  life.  Had  life 
and  health  been  spared  him,  he  would  have  made  himself  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  country." 

Col.  Benamin  Kendrick  Pierce  was  the  eldest  son  of  Gov. 
Benjamin  Pierce,  b.  August  29,  1790.  He  received  his  education 
preparatory  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter,  and  entered 
Dartmouth  College  in  1807,  remaining  there  three  years  when  he 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  David  Starrett,  Esq.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  1812,  he  entered  the  army  wuth 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant  in  the  Third  Regiment  of  Artillery. 
Though  he  had  intended  at  the  outset  to  continue  his  study  of  the 
law  as  soon  as  the  term  of  service  in  the  army  should  expire,  he 
abandoned  this  purpose  and  advanced  from  the  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant to  that  of  Colonel,  proving  an  able  and  distinguished 
officer,  receiving  especial  notice  in  the  Florida  War. 

Samuel  H.  Ayer  was  born  at  Eastport,  Me.  in  1819,  and  was 
educated  at  Bowdoin  College ;  read  law  with  Messrs.  Pierce  and 
Fowler,  at  Concord ;  was  admitted  to  the  Hillsborough  County 
bar  in  1841,  and  immediately  settled  in  Hillsborough,  becoming  a 
very  successful  lawyer.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  state 
legislature  1845-1848,  being  Speaker  of  the  House  the  last  two 
years.  He  was  Judge  Advocate  Fourth  Brigade,  N.  H.  Militia 
under  Gen.  Samuel  Andrews,  and  was  appointed  Solicitor  for  the 
County  in  1847.  In  1850  he  removed  to  Manchester,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  commission  for  revising  the  Statutes  of  the  State.  H£ 
died  suddenly  in  Manchester,  October  10,  1858. 

John  McFarland  was  the  next  lawyer  to  come  to  town, 
opening  an  office  in  the  Upper  Village,  where  he  continued  his 
practice    until    he    died    of    consumption    July    19,    1819,    aged 


416  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

31  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Antrim,  studied  with  David  Starrett 
and  John  Burnam,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Amherst.  He 
never  married. 

Rev.  Harry  Brickett,  in  an  excellent  article  on  the  town  says 
very  aptly,  "There  have  followed  these  advocates,  men  of  brilliant 
talents,  George  Barstow,  a  native  of  Haverhill,  a  man  of  good 
mind  and  scholar-ship,  a  member  of  Dartmouth  College,  but  who 
left  before  graduating.  He  succeeded  as  a  man  of  letters  rather 
than  as  a  lawyer.  He  remained  but  a  short  time  in  town.  (He 
was  the  author  of  a  History  of  New  Hampshire.)  Francis  B. 
Peabody  was  also  in  Hillsborough  for  a  short  time.  Of  him  but 
little  is  known.  Francis  N.  Blood,  a  Hillsborough  boy,  had  an 
office  and  dwelling  house  at  the  Lower  Village.  He  was  regarded 
as  a  good  lawyer,  and  an  upright  and  honorable  man.  He  died  of 
consumption,  leaving  a  good  property,  which  he  had  gained  in  his 
profession." 

Hon.  James  F.  Briggs,  of  English  parentage, — a  distinguished 
counselor  at  law,  later  a  member  of  Congress — practiced  at  the 
Bridge  several  years,  until  his  removal  to  Manchester,  where  he 
died  a  few  years  ago.  Charles  A.  Harnden  succeeded  Esquire 
Blood.  He  remained  in  Hillsborough  but  a  short  time  after  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Brooks  K.  Webber  opened  an  office  at 
Bridge  Village,  following  the  removal  of  Esquire  Briggs.  He 
had  a  good  practice.  Andrew  B.  Spalding,  of  Lyndeborough, 
began  the  practice  of  law  the  latter  part  of  1876,  but  remained  a 
little  less  than  two  years.  He  left  under  a  cloud,  but  has  since 
died.  Willis  G.  Buxton  studied  law  with  Brooks  K.  Webber,  and 
in  the  Boston  Law  School.  After  continuing  in  practice  in  Hills- 
borough for  several  years,  he  removed  to  Penacook,  where  he  is 
still  located  and  enjoys  a  good  clientage. 

Chandler  E.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ann  (Drake)  Potter,  was 
born  at  East  Concord,  March  7,  1807,  and  he  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Pembroke  Academy,  graduating  from 
Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  1827.  He  taught  high  school 
at  Concord  and  Portsmouth,  while  studying  law.  He  practiced 
his  profession  at  Concord,  but  in  1843  removed  to  Manchester, 
where  he  became  editor  of  the  "Manchester  Democrat",  and  in 
1852  and   1853  was  editor  of  "The  Family   Monthly  Visitor," 


AMERICAN  HOUSE. 


EITMRILL  BLOCK. 


LAWYERS,   CONTINUED.  417 

during  which  period  he  contributed  for  each  number  an  historical 
article  of  great  interest  and  which  attracted  wide  attention.  He 
was  a  writer  of  marked  power  and  wide  research,  becoming  noted 
for  his  Indian  knowledge,  contributing  an  article  for  School- 
craft's work  upon  the  Indians.  In  1856  he  wrote  and  published  a 
History  of  Manchester,  which  was  a  little  storehouse  of  historical 
information  relating  not  only  to  his  adopted  city  but  to  the  state. 
Upon  completing  that  he  wrote  "The  Military  History  of  New 
Hampshire."  which  was  published  by  the  state. 

For  several  years  he  was  Judge  of  the  Police  Court,  and 
acquired  a  reputation  for  the  ability  and  impartiality  in  which  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  that  office. 

He  became  commander  of  the  Amoskeag  Veterans,  which 
gave  him  his  official  standing,  and  added  much  to  his  reputation 
by  the  efficient  manner  in  which  he  conducted  himself  in  connec- 
tion with  this  body. 

The  Pierce  brothers,  Colonel  Frank  H.  and  Kirk  D.,  nephews 
of  President  Pierce,  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice  at  the  Lower 
Village  for  several  years,  until  the  former  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  United  States  consul  to  Matanzas,  Cuba,  by  President 
Cleveland.  Kirk  D.  removed  to  an  office  in  Post  Office,  where 
he  is  still  located  and  enjoys  a  good  patronage,  the  oldest  lawyer 
now  in  town. 

Judge  Samuel  W.  Holman  opened  an  office  in  Opera  Block 
in  1878  and  has  remained  here  ever  since,  enjoying  a  lucrative 
practice.  Upon  the  establishment  of  a  probate  court  herein,  he 
was  made  Judge,  which  office  he  is  still  holding. 

The  latest  comer  of  the  legal  fraternity  is  Ralph  G.  Smith, 
who  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Holman  under  the  firm 
name  of  Holman  &  Smith.  Mr.  Smith  has  rapidly  acquired  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  public,  so  he  ranks  to-day  among 
the  leading  lawyers  of  the  county. 

Among  those  who  have  spent  a  shorter  period  in  town  prac- 
ticing his  profession  was  Jay  Calwyn  Browne,  a  young  lawyer  of 
great  promise  and  eloquence  as  a  public  speaker.  He  had  an 
office  with  Kirk  L>.  Pierce  at  Bridge  Village,  while  he  had  a  branch 
office  at  Henniker.  He  removed  to  Lebanon,  after  two  years 
here. 


4l8  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

J.  Willard  Newman,  son  of  James  Newman,  studied  law 
under  the  direction  of  Brooks  K.  Webber,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  established  an  office  in  Chicago,  where  he  was  successful 
in  his  chosen  profession. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Hillsborough's  long  list  of  attorneys  is  a 
very  respectable  one,  which  may  account  for  the  fact  that  the 
town  has  suffered  very  few  lawsuits  of  any  magnitude.  This 
may  be  explained  by  the  truth  that  her  lawyers  have  been  safe 
advisers,  and  usually  counseled  a  client  to  avoid  the  expense  of  a 
lawsuit  if  it  could  be  accomplished  by  an  amicable  settlement. 
And  this  is  the  highest  ethics  of  law. 

Educators. 
Hillsborough's  educational  record  is  very  creditable  to  the 
town  and  has  reflected  honor  and  the  good  name  of  the  town  far 
and  wide.  Few  towns  of  its  size  can  furnish  a  longer  or  more 
distinguished  list  of  men  and  women  who  have  sought  higher 
advantages  than  could  be  secured  at  home. 

College  Graduates. 

Only  brief  mention  will  be  made  of  those  who  are  noticed 
elsewhere  in  this  History,  while  others  come  in  for  a  more  ex- 
tended description.  First  on  the  roll  of  collegiates  was  Abraham 
Andrews,  who  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1811,  and 
became  an  eminent  teacher. 

Col.  Benjamin  Kendrick  Pierce,  entered  Dartmouth  as  a 
classmate  of  Abraham  Andrews,  but  at  the  end  of  his  third  year 
he  left  college  to  take  up  the  study  of  law,  which  he  abandoned 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  won  distinguished 
military  honors. 

Francis  Danforth  was  the  son  of  Jonathan  Danforth,  born 
February  28,  1793.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover,  Mass.,  and  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1819, 
to  begin  his  studies  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  Andover,  Mass., 
graduating  in  1822.  The  following  year  he  was  ordained  pastor 
of  the  first  Congregational  Church  in  Greenfield,  July  II,  1823, 
remaining  here  until  1831.  After  a  pastorate  here  of  eight  years, 
he  was  installed  at  Hadley,  Mass.,  December  11,  1839,  and  was 
there  in  1841. 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  419 

Amasa  Symonds  was  born  September  9,  1799,  the  son  of 
Eliphalet  Symonds,  and  prepared  for  college  at  North  Andover, 
and  Phillips  Academy,  South  Andover,  Mass.  He  entered  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1821.  He  had  barely  entered  upon  his  second 
year,  when  he  was  obliged  to  come  home  on  account  of  illness,  to 
which  he  succumbed  November  8,  1822,  a  young  man  of  excellent 
promise. 

Rev.  Aaron  Foster,  born  July  15,  1804,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1822;  entered  Andover  Theological  Seminary 
in  1825 ;  became  a  home  missionary,  and  died  at  thirty-seven. 

Lieutenant  Amos  B.  Foster,  born  July  15,  1804,  was  educated 
at  West-Point,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1827.  He  joined  the 
regular  army,  and  while  performing  his  duty  at  Fort  Howard, 
Green  Bay,  he  was  shot  by  a  private  whom  he  had  reprimanded 
for  disorderly  conduct.    This  tragedy  is  described  elsewhere. 

Hon.  Franklin  Pierce  was  the  next  collegiate,  who  graduated 
from  Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick,  Me.,  in  1824.  Rev.  Harry 
Brickett,  in  speaking  of  this  says :  "He  obtained  from  the  college 
not  only  a  good  liberal  education  and  the  president's  name  to  his 
diploma,  but  something  which  he  regarded  of  vastly  greater 
value,  the  heart  and  hand  of  the  president's  youngest  daughter, 
Miss  Jane  M.  Appleton,  who  proved  to  be  both  the  ornament  and 
the  honor  of  his  home,  whether  in  his  unostentatious  one  at  Hills- 
borough or  in  the  more  conspicuous  one  at  the  White  House  at 
Washington." 

Rev.  Henry  Jones,  son  of  Benjamin  Jones,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1804,  prepared  for  college  at  Union  Academy,  Plain- 
field  ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1835 ;  married  Betsy,  daughter 
of  Eliphalet  Symonds  in  April  1836,  and  became  preceptor  of  an 
academy  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Williard  Jones,  a  brother  of  Henry,  was  born  July  .17,  1809. 
He  was  fitted  for  college  at  Union  Academy,  Plainfield,  grad- 
uated from  Dartmouth  in  1835.  He  acquired  a  Theological 
education  at  the  Lanes  Seminary,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  at  the 
Theological  Seminary,  Andover,  Mass.  He  was  ordained  as  a 
missionary  at  North  Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  on  the  same  day  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Meriam  Pratt,  of  that  town.     The 


420  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 

Rev.    Mr.    and   Mrs.   Jones   went   to   the   missionary   station   m 
Oeroomiah,  Persia. 

Abraham  Andrews,  son  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  Andrews, 
born  December  14,  1786,  prepared  for  college  under  the  direction 
of  his  uncle,  the  Rev.  Ephraim  P.  Bradford,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  181 1,  and  was  for  many  years  an  eminent  in- 
structor at  Charlestown  and  Boston,  Mass. 

John  Appleton  Burnham  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in 
1833,  gave  up  a  profession  for  the  manufacturing  business  and 
became  the  Agent  of  Stark  Mills,  Manchester,  which  position  he 
filled  with  signal  success  for  many  years. 

Jeremiah  Stowe  was  the  oldest  son  of  Dea.  Joel  Stowe,  an 
enterprising  citizen  of  Hillsborough,  born  February  15,  1795.  He 
followed  the  course  taken  by  his  fellow-students  of  his  day, 
prepared  for  admission  to  college  at  Union  Academy,  Plainfield, 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1822 ;  and  from  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  in  1825.  He  was  employed  as  a  home 
missionary  for  several  years,  but  finally  settled  in  the  ministry  at 
Livonia,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  much  loved  and  respected.  He  fell 
a  victim  to  consumption  November  15,  1832,  in  his  37th  year.  He 
married  July  26,  1826,  Miss  Austress,  daughter  of  David  Stewart 
of  Amherst,  who  survived  him. 

Joel  Buchanan  Stowe,  the  son  of  Dea.  Joel  Stowe,  was  born 
June  30,  1813.  He  graduated  from  the  Teacher's  Seminary,  An4 
dover,  Mass.,  to  become  an  instructor  at  Plymouth,  N.  H. 
Eventually  he  went  to  a  higher  position  in  Cincinnattl,  Ohio, 
where  he  became  a  noted  teacher. 

Clark  Cooledge,  son  of  Lemuel  Cooledge,  entered  Wesleyan 
University,  Middletown,  Conn.,  but  died  in  July,  1840,  a  promis- 
ing young  man. 

George  Harvey  Monroe,  already  mentioned  among  the  phy- 
sicians, son  of  Col.  Hiram  Monroe,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  1858,  possessing  rare  scholarship  and  the  promise  of  un- 
usual success,  which  was  overthrown  by  an  early  death. 

Alfred  B.  Dascomb,  son  of  George  and  Mary  Dascomb, 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1858.  He  became  a  teacher, 
which  profession  he  finally  gave  up  to  enter  theology,  to  become  a 


COLLEGE  GRADUATES,  CONTINUED.  42 1 

Congregational    minister,    having    pastorates    in    Vermont    and 
Massachusetts,  highly  successful  in  his  calling. 

Gov.  John  B.  Smith  fitted  for  college  at  Francestown, 
Academy,  intending  to  follow  a  collegiate  course  but  chose  instead 
to  devote  his  mind  and  energies  to  industrial  pursuits,  with  a 
success  that  warranted  him  in  his  choice. 

Warren  McClintock  and  his  brothers  Charles,  James  H.,  and 
John  C,  sons  of  Luke  McClintock,  afford  a  sad  case  of  a  family 
inheritance  of  that  dread  scourge  consumption.  The  first  namecj 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1864,  and  entered  at  once 
upon  the  work  of  teaching  as  his  life  calling.  Of  great  promise,  he 
died  in  1871,  aged  thirty-one.  His  brother  Charles  was  fitted  fop 
college,  but  stopped  there  and  enlisted  to  serve  three  years  in  the 
Civil  War.  Suffering  with  malaria  at  the  time  he  was  mustered 
out,  he  died  on  his  way  home  and  his  body  was  given  burial  in  a 
Southern  field  where  he  sleeps  to-day  in  the  land  he  helped  to 
save.  The  younger  brother  mentioned  thought  to  avert  the  fate 
that  overhung  his  family,  by  choosing  an  open  air  life,  only  to 
fall  a  victim  to  the  fatal  disease  in  early  manhood. 

Abby  Sawyer  McClintock,  a  sister  to  the  above  brothers, 
graduated  at  Appleton  Academy,  New  Ipswich,  but  she  fell  early 
by  the  wayside,  as  did  three  of  her  sisters. 

Frank  H.  Pierce  was  a  graduate  at  Princeton  College,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  twenty-three. 

Harry  L.  Brickett,  son  of  Rev.  Harry  and  Eliza  C.  Brickett, 
fitted  for  college  and  graduated  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  in 
1875,  and  entered  at  once  upon  teaching  and  taught  two  years, 
1875  and  1876,  at  Schroon  Lake,  N.  Y.  In  1876  he  came  to 
Hillsborough  as  principal  of  the  Valley  Academy  and  Union 
School  at  Bridge  Village.  He  remained  here  three  years  when  in 
1879,  he  entered  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  to  graduate  in 
1882.  While  in  his  senior  year  he  was  called  to  preach  at  Lynn- 
field  Centre,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  several  years.  He  is  now 
settled  at  Southboro,  Mass. 

Ellen  J.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Harry  and  Eliza  C.  Brickett, 
graduated  from  the  Ladies  Literary  Department  of  Oberlin  Col- 
lege in  1875.  That  year  she  began  to  teach  with  her  brother, 
Harry,  at  the  Valley  Academy  and  Union  School  at  Bridge  Vil- 


422  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

lage,  finishing  here  in  1879,  wnen  she  taught  at  Deering  Academy 
1879-1880.  Miss  Brickett  next  taught  in  the  grammar  school  at 
Hooksett.     She  resides  in  Manchester. 

Julia  E.,  second  daughter  of  Rev.  Harry  and  Eliza  C. 
Brickett,  graduated  at  East  Lake  George  Academy,  N.  Y.,  in 
1875,  but  died  at  Hillsborough  the  next  year  aged  seventeen. 

Mary  I.,  youngest  in  the  family,  graduated  at  Abbott  Aca- 
demy, Andover,  Mass.,  in  1884. 

Several  in  the  Dutton  family  have  won  distinction  as  teachers 
and  educators.  Samuel  T.,  son  of  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Jeremiah 
Dutton  was  a  graduate  at  Yale  College,  became  a  successful 
teacher ;  was  superintendent  of  schools  in  New  Haven,  Conn., 
and  accomplished  much  in  educational  work. 

Silas  Dutton,  brother  of  Samuel  T.,  was  a  student  at  Yale 
College,  standing  high  in  scholarly  accomplishments,  but  fell  a 
victim  to  disease  early  in  his  career. 

Jacob  B.  Whittemore,  son  of  William  B.  Whittemore,  fitted 
at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  and  was  for  a  time  a  student  at  Yale 
College. 

Sarah  Ellen  Whittemore,  sister  of  above,  graduated  at  Brad- 
ford Academy,  Bradford,  Mass.,  to  follow  teaching  for  several 
years  with  marked  success.  She  taught  at  Bradford,  N.  H.,  and 
at  Hillsborough  Bridge.  She  married  James  H.  Brown,  and 
their  daughter,  Eva,  is  an  accomplished  teacher  in  the  Union 
school  at  Bridge  Village. 

Ellen  Eliza  Marcy  graduated  from  Mount  Holyoke  College 
in  1862;  taught  at  Washington  Heights,  N.  Y. ;  Irvington-on-the 
Hudson,  N.  Y. ;  and  Jersey  City  Heights,  where  she  was  Principal 
of  No.  14  Primary  school  for  ten  years,  and  until  her  death  in 
1879  a*  tne  abe  °f  39  years.  Miss  Marcy  was  a  proficient  and 
faithful  teacher,  loved  and  respected  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 
She  was  a  singer  in  the  Dutch  Reform  church  and  Sunday  school 
teacher. 

Sarah  Fuller  (Bickford)  Hafey,  teacher  and  author,  the 
only  daughter  of  James  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Conn)  Bickford,  was 
doubly  esteemed  in  her  chosen  professions.  She  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools  and  the  academies  of  Washington  and  Fran- 
cestown,  both   of   which   institutions   were   regarded  with  great 


AUTHORS. 


423 


favor  in  their  day,  and  while  not  aspiring,  perhaps,  to  such  lofty 
ideals  as  the  high  schools  of  to-day,  nevertheless  graduated  pupils 
fully  as  well  fitted  for  the  practical  duties  of  their  lives  as  is 
bestowed  by  the  modern  diplomas.  She  taught  in  such  institu- 
tions as  Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind  and  Laselle  Seminary. 

As  a  writer  of  prose  and  verse,  she  attained  a  wide  recognii 
tion  as  an  author,  contributing  to  many  of  the  leading  magazines 
and  periodicals.  She  married  Charles  M.  Hafey,  a  lawyer  in 
New  York  city,  but  broken  in  health  returned  to  her  early  home, 
where  she  passed  away  January  31,  1920.  She  sleeps  as  this  is 
written  in  Maplewood  churchyard,  the  silent  city  under  the  hill 
where  rest  so  many  of  the  town's  departed  sons  and  daughters. 

Adah  Buxton,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Buxton, 
graduated  at  Tilton  Seminary,  in  1884.  She  became  a  successful 
teacher  for  several  years  and  has  since  been  librarian  of  the  town 
library.     She  married  Herman  G.  Brown. 

Reuben  W.  Lovering,  son  of  Reuben  and  Martha  A.  Lover- 
ing,  was  another  young  man  with  a  most  promising  future,  stand- 
ing foremost  in  scholarship  and  manly  exercises  at  school,  but 
succumbing  to  disease  almost  immediately  upon  his  graduation 
at  Harvard  University  in  1880. 

Authors. 

Hillsborough  has  been  noted  for  its  industrial  and  military 
rather  than  its  literary  activity.  Among  those  who  have  written 
for  the  press  with  success  have  been  Mary  Adelaide  Farrar, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Isaac  Farrar.  She  contributed  regularly  to  the 
contemporary  papers,  among  them  the  Boston  Traveler. 

Archibald  Robbins,  was  the  author  of  a  volume  of  275  pages 
published  in  1818,  entitled  "A  Journal  of  an  Account  of  the 
Slavery  and  Sufferings  of  the  Author  and  the  Rest  of  the  Crew 
of  the  Brig  Commerce  upon  the  Desert  of  Zahara  in  the  Years 
1815-1817."  This  is  a  highly  interesting  work  upon  the  customs 
of  the  Arabs  and  other  peoples. 

J.  Stanley  Grimes,  counsellor  at  law  and  president  of  the 
Western  Phrenological  Society  and  Professor  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence in  the  Castleton,  Mass.,  Medical  College,  wrote  a 
treatise  on  Phreno-Philosophy  and  another  on  "Mesmerism  and 


424  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Magic  Eloquence,"  in  1849.  This  work  was  well  received  and  he 
was  popular  as  a  lecturer  on  those  and  kindred  subjects.  These 
volumes  of  nearly  400  pages  were  reprinted  in  London. 

Adeline  Dutton  Train  Whitney,  granddaughter  of  Silas  and 
Nancy  (Tobey)  Dutton,  contributed  with  marked  success  and 
became  a  well-known  author  of  articles  for  the  magazines  and 
books  of  high  literary  merit.    She  died  a  few  years  since. 

Among  the  authors  of  local  repute  is  Mrs.  Florence  Kimball 
Favor,  who  has  written  many  poems  for  the  local  papers  and 
recently  published  a  volume  of  poetical  selections  entitled,  "Songs 
of  the  Field." 

Emma  Burnham  Warne  has  contributed  considerable  to 
periodicals  and  magazines,  and  has  written  a  work  upon  the  Con- 
toocook  River,  entitled  "The  River  of  a  Hundred  Waterfalls," 
which  is  in  the  publisher's  hands. 

Mrs.  Alice  D.  O.  Greenwood,  at  the  present  time  a  resident 
of  Hillsborough,  though  not  a  native,  has  written  numerous 
poems  of  high  merit  for  papers  and  magazines,  and  has  had  two 
volumes  of  poems  published,  "Husks  and  Nubbins,"  "Cawn 
Dodgahs,"  while  she  has  a  third  volume  that  is  to  be  published 
soon,  entitled  "Along  the  Byways." 

As  if  one  poet  in  the  family  was  not  sufficient  Mr.  Albert  O. 
Greenwood,  has  written  some  very  acceptable  poems  and  ballads, 
which  have  the  ring  of  Will  Carleton  in  their  rhyme  and  rhythm. 
He  has  written  what  is  probably  the  best  Life  of  Tecumseh  that 
has  been  told. 

Dana  Smith  Temple  is  another  native  of  Hillsborough  who 
has  written  considerable  for  the  periodical  press,  mostly  verse. 

Mrs.  Agnes  Barden  Dustin  came  to  Hillsborough  from 
Lebanon  nine  years  ago,  and  has  a  beautiful  home  on  Pleasant 
Heights.  She  has  written  for  periodicals  and  magazine  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years,  among  them  being  The  Youth's  Com- 
panion, American  Boy,  Woman's  Home  Companion,  Farm  and 
Fireside,  Wellspring,  the  David  Cook  publications  and  nearly 
all  of  the  Sunday  School  publications.  Her  writings  carry  very 
much  of  the  outdoor  spirit. 


fraternal  notes.  425 

Musicians. 

Edward  Robbins  Johnson,  born  July  28,  1810,  prepared  for 
college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  at  Boscawen 
Academy.  He  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  1830,  but  abandoned 
the  course  after  two  years  to  begin  the  study  of  law.  This  he 
also  gave  up  and  became  an  instructor  of  music,  winning  a  high 
standing  in  this  profession.    He  removed  to  Hartford,  Conn. 

Miss  Josie  Burtt,  daughter  of  Kneeland  Burtt,  showed  an 
early  talent  for  music  and  became  a  noted  cornetist. 

Among  the  noted  musical  composers  of  the  country  Mrs. 
H.  H.  A.  Beach  (Amy  Marcy  Cheney),  a  resident  of  Hillsbor- 
ough, takes  high  rank.  From  earliest  childhood  Mrs.  Beach 
displayed  her  unusual  musical  gifts,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
made  her  first  public  appearance  in  Boston.  Many  honors  have 
fallen  to  the  share  of  this  gifted  woman,  both  abroad  and  at 
home,  and  she  has  cordially  been  recognized  as  a  musical  authority 
by  eminent  musicians  and  musical  organizations.  (For  a  more 
extended  sketch  see  Vol.  II.) 

Secret  Societies. 

While  secret  societies  and  fraternal  orders  have  existed  in 
one  form  or  another  in  limited  numbers  from  time  immemorial, 
it  has  been  only  within  comparatively  recent  years  that  they  have 
flourished  so  abundantly  that  frequently  a  person  belongs  to  so 
many  he  cannot  remember  their  passwords  so  he  could  get  into 
one  of  their  meetings  without  help.  Before  the  Revolution  men 
and  women  were  kept  too  busy  building  their  homes  in  the 
wilderness  and  in  caring  for  their  large  families  to  find  time  to 
have  many  "evenings  out."  It  was  enough  that  they  were  on 
friendly  terms  with  their  neighbors,  and  neighborly  meetings 
came  next  to  going  to  church  with  them. 

Following  the  close  of  the  Revolution  a  few  of  General 
Washington's  officers,  himself  at  the  head,  formed  the  Order  of 
Cincinnati,  and  one  of  Hillsborough's  Revolutionary  veterans, 
Col.  Benjamin  Pierce,  was  an  honored  member,  a  Vice-President 
at  the  time  of  this  death.  No  one  could  belong  to  this  select 
society  who  was  not  an  officer  or  the  son  of  an  officer  in  thd 
struggle  for  Independence. 


426  history  of  hillsborough. 

Masons. 
Finally  a  few  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  decided  to 
organize  a  body  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  accordingly  Har- 
mony Lodge,  No.  38,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  was  constituted 
by  virtue  of  the  following  Dispensation: 

By  the  authority  vested  in  me  as  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  and 
throughout  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. — Be  it  known  that  I,  Joshua 
Darling,  on  application  and  recommendation  of  George  Dascomb,  David 
Fuller,  John  Burnam,  and  others,  all  Master  Masons,  for  a  new  Lodge 
to  be  holden  at  Hillsborough,  in  this  State,  do  hereby  empower  said 
Brethren  and  others  to  assemble  at  Hillsborough  as  a  Lodge  of  Masons 
to  perfect  themselves  in  the  several  duties  of  Masonry,  to  make  choice 
of  officers,  to  make  regulations  and  By-laws  and  to  admit  candidates 
in  the  first  degree  of  Masonry,  all  according  to  the  ancient  customs  of 
Masonry  and  to  be  called  Harmony  Lodge. 

This  warrant  of  Dispensation  is  to  continue  in  full  force  for  one 
year,  un]ess  sooner  installed. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  Seal  of  the  Grand  Lodge  this  14th 
day  of  June,  A.  L.  5821. 

Josuah  Darling,  Grand  Master. 
Thomas  Beede,  Grand  Secy. 

A  true  copy  examined  by 

Reuben  Hatch. 
The  first  regular  meeting  of  the  Lodge  was  held  July  16, 
A.  L.  5821  (1821),  with  George  Dascomb  as  W.  M.,  David 
Fuller,  S.  W.,  and  John  Burnam,  J.  W.,  and  they  chose  as  officers 
at  that  meeting,  Bros.  Samuel  Barnes,  Treas.,  Reuben  Hatch, 
Secy.,  Silas  Marshall,  Sr.  Dea.,  Hugh  Jameson,  Jr.  Dea.,  William 
Sargent  and  Daniel  Priest,  Stewards,  Moses  Woods,  Tyler,  John 
Lawton,  Chaplain,  Ezra  Woods,  Marshal,  Thomas  Wilson, 
Mason  Hatch  and  Jacob  Gibsen,  Select  Committee.  This  meeting 
was  held  at  Brother  Samuel  Kimball's  at  the  Lower  Village. 
There  is  no  record  to  show  who  were  the  Charter  Members  of 
the  Lodge,  or  who  were  present  at  this  meeting,  except  as  their 
names  appear  as  Officers  or  members  of  Committees,  of  which  no 
less  than  fifteen  were  chosen  mostly  to  make  the  necessary 
preparations  and  arrangements  for  Installment,  and  the  13th  of 
the  following  September  was  fixed  upon,  as  the  time  for  that 
ceremony.  The  following  is  the  list  of  the  names  of  the  Brethren 
whose  names  thus  appear.    George  Dascomb,  David  Fuller,  John 


THE   MASONS.  427 

Burnam,  Samuel  Barnes,  Reuben  Hatch,  Silas  Marshall,  Hugh 
Jameson,  William  Sargent,  Daniel  Priest,  Moses  Woods,  John 
Lawton,  Ezra  Woods,  Thomas  Wilson,  Mason  Hatch,  Jacob 
Gibson,  John  Lewis,  Samuel  Kimball,  Joseph  Bickford,  Alexan- 
der Parker,  Stephen  Rolf,  Stephen  Wyman,  John  Foster,  John 
G.  Flint,  "Tim"  Wyman,  John  Towns,  Thomas  Cheney,  Timothy 
Kendall,  Nathaniel  Johnson,  Abraham  Andrews,  and  Joseph 
Minot.  Benjamin  Wilkin's  name  also  appears  upon  the  record 
of  the  first  meeting,  but  as  he  is  admitted  to  member  December 
3rd  A.  D.,  1821,  he  could  not  have  been  a  Charter  Member  and 
the  names  of  Foster,  Johnson  and  Minot  are  not  appended  to 
the  first  Code  of  Bylaws.  All  these  Brethren  except  seven,  Bros. 
Foster,  Wyman,  Johnson,  Minot,  Burnam,  Gibson,  and  Kendall 
were  members  of  Mount  Vernon  Lodge  then  located  at  Wash- 
ington, and  received  their  degrees  in  whole  or  part  in  that  Lodge. 
The  oldest  (masonically)  was  Brother  John  Towns  who  was 
initiated  March  8th,  1803,  and  the  youngest  Bro.  John  G.  Flint 
who  was  raised  to  the  third  degree  April  16,  1821. 

At  this  first  meeting  the  application  of  John  Sargent  to  be 
made  a  mason  was  received,  they  also  voted  to  accept  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Bylaws  to  purchase  jewels,  badges,  and 
the  necessary  "wood  furniture." 

A  Fellow  Craft's  Lodge  was  opened  for  the  first  time,  Octo- 
ber 8,  A.  L.  5821,  and  that  degree  conferred  upon  Alpheus 
Crosby,  but  it  was  not  until  November  5,  1821,  that  a  "Master's 
Lodge  was  opened  in  Due  and  Ancient  Form"  and  Brother  Crosby 
was  raised  to  Sublime  Degree  of  Master  Mason  therein.  Masonic 
custom,  as  practised  in  Harmony  Lodge  at  that  time,  was  that 
proposals  for  initiation,  balloting  for  the  same  was  done  in  an 
entered  Apprentice  Lodge.  Proposals  for  Fellow  Craft  degree 
and  the  ballot  upon  the  same  in  a  Fellow  Craft's  Lodge  and  only 
proposals  for  the  Masters  degree  and  for  membership,  were 
made  or  acted  upon  in  a  Master's  Lodge.  The  first  Code  of 
Bylaws  contained  the  following  section : 

The  regular  fee  for  the  three  degrees  was  fifteen  dollars, 
divided  as  follows : 

Accompanying  the  application,  $3.00;  for  conferring  the? 
Apprentices  Degree,  $9.00;   for  conferring  the   Fellow   Craft's 


428  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Degree,  $1.00;  for  conferring  the  Master's  Degree,  $2.00. 

The  year  1822  was  one  of  prosperity,  seven  being  initiated, 
seven  passed  to  the  degree  of  Fellow  Craft,  six  raised  to  th|e> 
sublime  degree  of  Master  Mason,  and  seven  admitted  to  the 
Membership. 

Brother  Barnes  died  that  year  and  was  probably  buried  with 
Masonic  honors  as  a  Committee  was  chosen  "to  express  the 
thanks  of  this  Lodge  to  the  wife  of  our  late  Brother  Samuel 
Barnes  for  her  particular  attentions  at  the  funeral  of  her  late 
Husband." 

Another  meeting  was  now  held  and  Major  John  Lewis  was 
chosen  Master  at  the  annual  meeting.  The  Bylaws  were 
amended  so  that  one  blackball  should  not  only  exclude  from  the 
degrees  and  form  membership,  but  the  Brother  casting  it  should 
not  be  questioned  as  to  his  reasons  for  so  doing.  They  also 
changed  the  time  of  meeting  from  Monday  on  or  preceding,  to 
Wednesday,  on  or  preceding,  each  full  moon  at  2  o'clock,  p.  m. 
Nothing  further  worthy  of  note  occurred  during  this  year,  the 
average  attendance  was  23^2. 

At  the  Regular  Communication  of  Jan.  A.  L.  5824  the  Select 
Committee  reported  the  Lodge  out  of  debt  and  a  balance  of  $94.04 
in  the  treasury,  although  some  of  the  claims  were  not  actually 
paid  till  some  time  afterwards. 

In  the  year  1825  six  were  admitted  to  membership  and  ac- 
cording to  the  records  peace  pervaded  the  Hall. 

In  April  it  was  voted  to  approbate  the  formation  of  Aurora 
Lodge  in  Henniker.  Twelve  members  were  admitted  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  year  1826  which  is  probably  the  largest  number 
at  any  one  time  in  the  history  of  the  Lodge. 

In  May  it  was  voted  to  approbate  the  formation  of  Pacific 
Lodge  at  Francestown. 

At  the  annual  meeting  holden  May  28,  1828,  a  new  Code  of 
Bylaws  was  adopted  under  an  act  of  incorporation  from  the 
Legislature  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  names  of  forty-eight 
members  are  appended  to  it,  in  their  own  handwriting.  This  was 
the  last  full  Code  adopted  until  January  5853  (1853),  but  there 
were  several   Brethren   who   were  not   admitted  to  membership 


THE  MASONS,  CONTINUED.  429 

until  long  after  the  adoption  of  this  new  Code,  who  signed  the  old 
one. 

The  following  year,  1829,  there  was  practically  no  work 
done,  the  attendance  was  much  smaller,  averaging  only  eleven, 
and  the  tide  of  public  opinion  was  very  strongly  Anti-Masonic,  in 
consequence  of  the  excitement  which  followed  the  disappearance 
of  William  Morgan,  said  to  have  been  abducted  and  drowned  in 
Lake  Ontario  by  Free  Masons  for  exposing  the  secrets  of  the 
Maeons.  Brother  Robert  Morris  wrote  a  book  in  which  he 
claimed  those  accusations  false,  but  whether  true  or  false,  it  had 
the  effect  to  nearly  or  quite  prostrate  the  Fraternity  throughout 
the  country  for  a  series  of  years.  Still  Harmony  Lodge  passed, 
raised  and  admitted  to  Membership,  one  candidate,  Brother 
Nathaniel  George  in  1830,  the  last  work  of  which  there  is  any 
record  until  Sept.  22,  1852,  a  period  of  twenty-two  years  when 
Brother  Edward  C.  Cooledge  was  initiated.  But  regular  meetings 
were  continued  for  a  year  longer.  Communications  were  held 
from  one  to  three  months  apart  with  an  attendance  of  from  five 
to  nine  members  although  at  one  meeting  June  15,  1832,  the 
record  shows  that  Brother  Silas  Dinsmore  then  W.  M.  was  the 
only  one  present. 

From  1839  for  the  next  five  years,  meetings  were  held  more 
frequently,  sometimes  monthly,  but  a  record  of  one  is  a  record 
of  all.  From  May  21,  1845,  to  May  2,  1849,  another  period  of 
four  years,  there  is  no  record  and  the  meeting  of  this  last  date, 
is  the  only  one  until  Aug.  25,  1852,  when  an  application  was 
received  and  the  three  degrees  were  conferred  upon  Brother 
Edward  C.  Cooledge  in  due  form  and  order,  the  first  time  in 
twenty-two  years  as  before  stated. 

Another  two  years  of  inactivity  followed,  with  irregular 
meetings  and  a  small  attendance,  but  upon  October  4,  1854,  the 
sons  of  Free-Masonry  again  arose  and  cast  some  rays  of  light 
upon  Harmony  Lodge. 

On  December  30th,  1857,  it  was  voted  to  appoint  a  committee 
to  see  about  moving  the  Lodge  to  the  Bridge  Village,  and  at  the 
next  meeting  held  January  27th,  1858,  it  was  voted  to  move  to 
Joshua  Marcy  &  Co's  Hall  which  was  located  on  the  south  side 


430  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  the  river,  the  building  now  used  as  a  dwelling  house  on  the 
hill  above  the  Mosley  Store. 

For  some  reason  or  other  this  place  of  meeting  did  not  meet 
the  needs  of  the  Fraternity  for  during  '60  and  '61  several  different 
committees  were  appointed  to  procure  another  place  of  meeting 
and  on  Februray  12th,  1862,  James  Newman  proposed  to  the 
Lodge  that  he  would  build  a  Hall  that  the  Masons  could  have 
for  their  own. 

On  May  ythl  1862,  it  was  voted  to  do  no  more  work  in  their 
present  quarters  and  the  next  record  shows  that  about  thirty-five 
brethren  together  with  five  candidates  went  to  Henniker  and 
used  the  hall  of  Aurora  Lodge  to  confer  the  degrees. 

During  this  period  of  unrest  and  warfare  although  meetings 
were  held  quite  regularly  the  attendance  was  very  small. 

On  December  3,  1862,  it  was  voted  to  move  to  the  hall  of  O. 
P.  Greenleaf  &  Co  which  was  in  what  is  now  the  Valley  Hotel. 
Here  they  met  until  May,  1864,  when  they  moved  to  the  building 
James  Newman  had  promised  to  build,  which  we  now  know  as 
the  Colby  Block. 

Immediately  following  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  Masonry 
in  Harmony  Lodge  enjoyed  a  period  of  growth  and  prosperity, 
and  almost  yearly  we  find  that  Festivals  were  voted  to  be  held 
but  the  records  do  not  reveal  in  what  manner  they  were  con- 
ducted. 

In  1878  the  brethren  then  residing  in  Antrim  petitioned  the 
Grand  Lodge  for  a  charter  but  this  petition  failed. 

The  membership  for  the  next  twenty  years  continued  to 
increase  and  in  1889  it  seemed  necessary  that  more  commodious 
quarters  be  secured  and  it  was  proposed  that  the  new  hall  over 
James  S.  Butler's  store  be  hired  but  this  was  not  done  and  they 
continued  to  meet  in  the  Colby  Block  until  in  1892  when  Peter 
H.  Rumrill  started  to  build  his  brick  block  he  agreed  to  finish  off 
the  upper  story  in  conformity  with  the  wants  of  the  Masons  and 
consequently  they  now  enjoy  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  con- 
venient places  of  meeting  possible. 

The  new  Hall  was  fitted  up  with  new  furniture  throughout 
and  at  a  special  meeting  held  May  7th,   1894,  it  was  dedicated 


ORDER   EASTERN    STAR.  43  I 

with  appropriate  ceremony  attended  by  over  ioo  Masons  and  200 
invited  guests  including  the  Grand  Master  of  New  Hampshire 
and  his  official  Suite. 

George  W.  Haslet  was  the  Worshipful  Master  at  this  time. 

From  that  time  on  to  the  present  day  the  Lodge  has  been  a 
continued  strength  in  the  community  honoring  and  honored  by 
those  who  were  admitted  to  its  membership  and  as  it  now  ap- 
proaches its  100th  anniversary  the  members  review  with  pride 
the  historical  and  fraternal  part  that  Harmony  Lodge  has  linked 
so  plainly  to  the  civil  and  social  developement  of  the  town  and 
one  hundred  fifty  strong  stand  on  the  brink  of  another  hundred 
years  ready  to  uphold  the  high  standard  of  the  Fraternity. 
Portia  Chapter,  No.  14,  O.  E.  S. 

In  Masonic  Hall  on  the  evening  of  October  19,  1892,  Portia 
Chapter,  No.  14,  Order  Eastern  Star,  was  instituted.  The  ritual- 
istic work  was  exemplified  by  the  officers  of  Martha  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  6,  of  Goffstown,  and  the  following  officers  were 
installed : 

Ada  H.  Buxton,  Worthy  Matron;  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Worthy 
Patron;  Mollie  C.  Grimes,  Associate  Matron;  Fred  S.  Piper, 
Secretary;  Sillman  McClintock,  Treasurer;  Emma  J.  Burnham, 
Conductress;  Angie  I.  Marcy,  Associate  Conductress;  Hiram  J. 
Gage,  Marshal ;  Abbie  R.  Wyman,  Organist ;  Cora  L.  Peaslee, 
Ada;  Elsie  C.  Woodhead,  Ruth;  Mabel  S.  Piper,  Esther;  Clara 
Webber,  Martha;  Mary  H.  Newman,  Electa;  Ella  L.  Danforth, 
Warden ;  Charles  H.  Danforth,  Sentinel. 

The  charter  members  are  as  follows :  Elsie  Woodhead 
Aldrich,  Ada  Buxton  Brown,  Ella  L.  Danforth,  Charles  H.  Dan- 
forth, Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Alice  C.  Farley,  Susan  A.  Freeman, 
Charles  M.  Freeman,  Mina  S.  Gage,  Hiram  J.  Gage,  Minnie 
Gage,  Angie  I.  Marcy,  Nellie  McClintock,  Sillman  McClintock, 
Mary  H.  Newman,  Mabel  I.  Piper,  Fred  S.  Piper,  William  H. 
Roach,  Cora  L.  Peaslee  Scruton,  Mollie  Grimes  Thornton,  Abbie 
R.  Wyman,  Emma  J.  Burnham,  Clara  S.  Webber. 

Portia  Chapter  has  been  honored  by  the  selection  by  officials 
from  its  ranks  by  the  Grand  Lodge.  Its  Past  Matrons  are  Ada 
H.  Brown,  Angie  I.  Marcy,  Susan  A.  Freeman,  Mary  G.  Thorn- 


432  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

ton,  Clara  F.  Harris,  Mary  W.  Van  Dommele,  E.  Estella  Shedd, 
Mary  H.  Newman,  Alma  C.  Wellman,  Alzira  F.  Gove,  E.  Lena 
Brown,  Bartha  M.  Brown,  Helen  J.  Buzzell,  Sarah  A.  Grove, 
Frances  L.  Tierney,  Maude  B.  Proctor. 

The  Past  Patrons  are  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Josiah  W.  Elery, 
Hiram  J.  Gage,  Andrew  J.  Van  Dommele,  Charles  M.  Freeman, 
William  H.  Roach,  William  P.  Prescott,  Leon  B.  Proctor. 

For  many  years  Portia  Chapter  enjoyed  prosperity,  but  the 
time  came  when,  like  most  country  chapters,  it  suffered  from  loss 
in  membership.  In  191 7  the  Chapter  had  lost  so  many  members 
through  removal  and  death  it  seemed  so  it  must  surrender  its 
charter,  but  owing  to  the  efforts  of  the  faithful  survivors  in  1919 
the  Chapter  began  to  take  on  new  life,  and  the  membership  was 
doubled  during  that  year.  The  Reviving  Chapter  was  recognized 
by  the  appointment  of  Mrs.  Maude  B.  Proctor  as  Grand 
Representative  of  Tennessee. 

On  October  19,  1920,  Portia  Chapter  observed  its  29th 
anniversary  by  inviting  Themis  Chapter  of  Peterboro,  Martha 
Washington  of  Goffstown  and  Atlantic  of  Francestown  to  be  its 
guests.  At  the  same  time  Grand  Matron  Mrs.  Florence  T.  Davis 
and  her  suite  made  an  official  visit.  There  were  nearly  two 
hundred  present. 

January,  1921,  Mrs.  Maude  B.  Proctor  Grand  Martha,  Mrs. 
Edith  Perham  of  Atlantic  Chapter  and  Mrs.  Helen  Bunnell  in- 
stalled the  following  officers:  Miss  Isabel  Bowers,  Worthy 
Matron ;  Leon  B.  Proctor,  Worthy  Patron ;  Mrs.  Emma  Whelply, 
Associate  Matron ;  Mrs.  Mary  MacGregor,  Secretary ;  Mrs.  Ada 
H.  Brown,  Treasurer ;  Mrs.  Emily  Flanders,  Conductress ;  Mrs. 
Lottie  Harvey,  Assistant  Conductress ;  Mrs.  Emma  Locke,  Chap- 
lain ;  Miss  Angie  Marcy,  Marshal ;  Mrs.  Grace  Perry,  Organist ; 
Miss  Eva  Brown,  Ada ;  Mrs.  Dorris  Beane,  Ruth ;  Mrs.  Belle 
Bennett,  Esther;  Miss  Etta  Gile,  Martha;  Mrs.  Inez  Cole,  Electa; 
Miss  Marie  Fisher,  Warden;  William  H.  Roach,  Sentinel. 

During  the  two  previous  years  Portia  Chapter  had  been 
increased  from  43  members  to  127.  Two  were  dimited  and  two 
lost  by  death,  John  C.  Coggswell  and  Harold  C.  Tucker.  The 
Chapter  promises  now  many  years  of  prosperity. 


FIRST   NATIONAL   BANK   BUILDING. 


ODD  FELLOWS'  BLOCK.  CENTRAL  SQUARE, 
BUILT  18716. 


ODD    FELLOWSHIP.  433 

Valley  Lodge  No.  43,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Valley  Lodge  No.  43,  I.  O.  O.  F.  was  instituted  in  Hills- 
borough, April  9,  1858,  by  Grand  Master  William  R.  Tapley  of 
Dover.  Seven  resident  members  of  the  fraternity  connected  with 
lodges  in  Manchester  and  elsewhere  became  its  charter  members. 
They  are  as  follows :  Henry  W.  Watson,  E.  P.  Cummings, 
Charles  H.  Greenleaf,  E.  W.  Codman,  W.  H.  Hubbard,  E.  B. 
Carter,  John  M.  Codman. 

Nine  residents  of  the  town  were  initiated  that  night,  giving 
the  lodge  a  membership  of  16.  The  initiates  were:  R.  D.  Bruce, 
M.  P.  Perley,  William  B.  Pritchard,  Luke  Thompson,  J.  H.  T. 
Newell,  Samuel  C.  Barnes,  Edward  Kellom,  J.  W.  Thorpe, 
Theron  B.  Newman. 

At  that  meeting  the  first  officers  were  elected  and  installed 
as  follows :  John  M.  Codman,  Noble  Grand ;  Henry  W.  Watson, 
Vice-Grand ;  E.  P.  Cummings,  Secretary ;  Charles  H.  Greenleaf, 
Treasurer;  E.  W.  Codman,  W.  H.  Hubbard,  C.  B.  Carter, 
Trustees. 

The  lodge  was  instituted  in  a  small  hall  at  the  junction  of 
Depot  and  Henniker  Streets,  where  its  meetings  were  held  for 
about  fourteen  years.  Then  it  removed  to  more  commodious 
quarters  in  the  Whittemore  Block.  What  is  known  as  Child's 
Opera  House  was  built  in  1877.  The  Order  encouraged  the 
building  of  this  block  and  in  the  fall  of  the  next  year  removed 
to  its  present  quarters  which  were  better  suited  to  accomodate  its 
growing  membership. 

It  was  incorporated  according  to  the  Laws  of  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire,  December  21,  1872,  as  Valley  Lodge,  No.  43, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

Several  members  have  withdrawn  to  become  charter  mem- 
bers of  Massasecum  Lodge,  No.  34,  Bradford ;  Waverly  Lodge, 
No.  59,  Antrim ;  Crescent  Lodge,  No.  60,  Henniker,  and  Forest 
Lodge,  No.  69,  Marlow. 

During  the  Civil  War  a  great  many  of  its  members  went  into 
the  army  and  the  lodge  suffered  so  severely  that  for  a  time  its 
existence  was  threatened  but  afterwards  it  quickly  recovered. 

In  the  World  War  its  members  did  all  they  could  to  assist 


434 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


their  country.  Fifteen  saw  actual  service  and  one,  Brother 
Everett  M.  Heath,  gave  his  life  that  the  world  might  be  safe  for 
democracy  and  to  uphold  the  principles  of  Friendship,  Love  and 
Truth. 

At  no  time  in  the  history  of  the  lodge  has  it  been  as  prosper- 
ous and  done  as  much  good  as  at  present. 

With  a  bright  record  in  the  past,  it  looks  into  the  future  with 
every  promise  of  a  long  continued  usefulness  and  successful 
maintenance  of  those  noble  principles  upon  which  it  has  been 
reared. 

Hope  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  20. 
Hope  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  20,  was  instituted  December  18, 
1883,  by  Horace  A.  Brown,  Grand  Master  and  Joseph  Kidder, 
Grand  Secretary.     It  has  the  distinction  of  having  forty-four 
charter  members.     They  are: 


John  W.  Craine    (Deceased) 

Lottie  A.  Craine   (Deceased) 

H.  Etta  Abbott   (Deceased) 

Fred  Abbott   (Deceased) 

Etta  E.  Hoyt 

C.  H.  Quinn    (Deceased) 

Helen  M.  Quinn    (Deceased) 

Henry  C.   Morrill    (Deceased) 

Mary  M.  Morrill   (Deceased) 

Frank  Bennett 

Edward  Kellom    (Deceased) 

Francis   G.    Smith    (Deceased) 

Albert  L.  Pillsbury 

Estella  E.  Pillsbury 

Gardner    Towne    (Deceased) 

Cynthia  Towne 

Samuel  D.  Hastings   (Deceased) 

Pebeeca  S.  Hastings    (Deceased) 

William  B.  Pritchard  (Deceased) 

Nathan  B.  Peaslee 

Fannie   S.  Peaslee    (Deceased) 

Herbert  D.  Millett    (Deceased) 


Charles   Wilkins 

Wealtha  Wilkins   (Deceased) 

George   H.  Travis 

Lettie  J.  Travis 

John  Jackman    (Deceased) 

Ida  E.  Jackman 

Orlando   Sargent 

Julia  E.  Sargent  (Deceased) 

L.   Frances  White    (Deceased) 

Baxter   Codman    (Deceased) 

May   Codman 

Flora   Allen    (Deceased) 

Sarah  M.   Story 

Mary  A.  Smith 

Henry  P.  Whitaker    (Deceased) 

Eliza   A.  Whitaker    (Deceased) 

M.  Lizzie  Holman    (Deceased) 

Scott  Hoyt 

Maria  D.  Hoyt 

Levi  Pike 

Augusta  A.  Millett    (Deceased) 

Alice  G.  Millett    (Deceased) 


Henry  P.  Whittaker  had  the  honor  of  being  first  Noble 
Grand ;  Sarah  M.  Story  was  first  Treasurer  and  Lottie  M.  Craine 
was  first  Chaplain. 


NORTH  STAR  ENCAMPMENT.  435 

Hope  Lodge  has  grown  steadily  and  now  has  a  membership 
of  two  hundred  and  forty-eight. 

North  Star  Encampment  No.  ii,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

The  North  Star  Encampement  No.  n,  I.  O.  O.  F.  was  in- 
stituted July  15,  1868,  by  Grand  Patriarch  Jonathan  D.  Stratton. 
The  following  Brothers  were  the  founders :  Horace  Eaton,  Daniel 
Herrick,  Alvah  Merrill,  William  B.  Pritchard,  Charles  Upton, 
Luther  S.  Eaton,  Luke  Thompson,  Edward  Watson,  E.  M.  Cod- 
man,  John  H.  Locke,  C.  E.  Hill,  R.  F.  Noyes,  H.  W.  Watson. 

Since  its  institution  224  members  have  been  admitted.  Its 
present  membership  is  124.  Ten  withdrew  to  become  charter 
members  of  Mt.  Crotchet  Encampment  of  Antrim.  Seventy 
have  died  and  the  other  twenty  have  left  the  order  for  various 
causes. 

For  the  first  twenty-five  years  its  growth  was  slow  but  since 
then  it  has  progressed  rapidly  and  especially  so  since  1916. 

Two  important  dates  in  the  history  of  the  Encampment  were 
May  8,  1907  and  May  8,  1912  when  the  Grand  Encampment  of 
New  Hampshire  held  its  Annual  Sessions  in  Hillsborough. 

At  the  session  of  1912  one  of  the  members  of  North  Star 
Encampment,  Bert  L.  Craine,  was  elected  and  installed  Grand 
Patriarch.  He  was  also  elected  Grand  Representative  to  the 
Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  in  the  year  1913  and  attended  the  sessions 
of  that  body  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  in  191 3  and  at  Atlantic 
City,  N.  J.,  in  1914. 

At  the  present  time  it  is  considered  one  of  the  best  Encamp- 
ments in  the  state  and  is  noted  for  its  excellent  degree  work.  It 
has  conferred  the  degrees  in  several  other  Encampments  in  the 

state. 

Improvement  Club. 

The  Improvement  Club  is  composed  of  the  ladies  of  Hope 
Rebekah  Lodge.  It  was  formed  about  twenty-five  years  ago  with 
the  aim  to  improve  the  town  or  any  of  its  activities. 

No  record  was  preserved  prior  to  1900. 

Ella  A.  Gove  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  President  and 
served  in  this  office  faithfully  for  three  years. 

The  Club  is  now  flourishing  with  Lottie  Harvey  as  president. 


436  history  of  hillsborough. 

Daughters  of  American  Revolution. 

The  Eunice  Baldwin  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  was  organized 
January  8,  1898,  and  named  January  22,  1898.  The  Charter 
members  were : 

■Miss  Mary  C.  Grimes,  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  C.  Kimball, 

Miss  Clara  F.  Grimes,  Miss  Emma  W.  Mitchell, 

Mrs.  Josephine  M.   Brown,  Miss  Cora  I.  McKellips, 

Miss  Flora  B.  Eastman,  Mrs.  Eliza  H.  Haslet — A  real 
Miss  Minnie  C.  Eastman,  daughter, 

Miss  Lenora  B.   Gould,  Miss  Mary  J.  Haslet, 

Mrs.  Ella  G.  Foster,  Miss  Emily  Z.  Kendall, 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Holman,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Grimes. 
Mrs.  Mary  E.    (Andrews)    Kimball, 

The  officers  elected  for  the  first  year  were : 

Regent,  Miss  Mary  C.  Grimes,  appointed  by  the  National  Society 
at  Washington ;  Vice-Regent,  Miss  Mary  J.  Haslet ;  Secretary,  Miss 
Flora  B.  Eastman ;  Treasurer,  Miss  Cora  I.  McKellips ;  Registrar,  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Holman ;  Historian,  Mrs.  Josephine  M.  Brown. 

Board  of  Managers: 

Miss  Emima  W.  Mitchell,  Miss  Emily  Z.  Kendall,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Kim- 
ball, Mrs.  Eliza  J.  C.  Kimball,  Miss  Leonora  Gould. 

A  Loan  Exhibit  of  curious  and  old  articles  was  held  August 
29  and  30,  1900,  and  a  good  sum  of  money  realized.  Some  in- 
teresting things  belonging  to  Ex-President  Pierce  were  among 
the  many  articles  exhibited.  The  same  year,  1900,  work  on  Bible 
Hill  Cemetery  was  done — 41  headstones  reset,  bushes  and  trees 
cut,  lots  graded ;  18  days  put  into  the  labor,  and  the  society  is  still 
trying  to  keep  the  yard  in  order.  June  11,  1904,  tablets  were 
placed  in  Smith  Memorial  Church  to  first  minister,  Rev.  Seth 
Farnsworth,  and  at  Centre  Cong,  church, — to  Rev.  Jonathan 
Barnes  and  wife.  A  tablet  was  placed  on  Town  House  boulder, 
and  one  for  Pierce  Homestead  in  July,  1905.  Also  tablet  to 
"Unknown  Dead  Soldiers"  on  boulder  in  wall  of  Centre  Cem- 
etery, one  on  "Old  Oven"  of  Pierce  fame.  The  Pound  at  Centre 
was  marked  and  cleared  of  trees  and  bushes. 

In  May,  1906,  markers  for  the  graves  of  the  Revolutionary 
soldiers,  33  in  number,  and  for  the  soldiers  of  1812,  22,  were  pur- 
chased and  erected.    These  graves  are  decorated  each  year. 


GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC.  437 

The  officers  for  the  year  192 1  are: 

Regent,  Miss  Mary  K.  Pierce;  Vice-Regent,  Miss  Emma  W. 
Mitchell ;  Secretary,  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Holden ;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Lucy  A. 
Macalister ;  Registrar,  Mrs.  May  G.  MacGregor ;  Historian,  Mrs.  Mabel 
A.  Crosby ;  Chaplain,  Mrs.  Almira  C.  Watson. 

Managers : 

Miss  Cora  I.  McKellips,  Mrs.  Ethel  A.  Peaslee,  Mrs.  Bertha  M. 
Chadvvick,  Miss  Leslie  M.  Allen,  Mrs.  Katie  V.  Gregg. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

With  the  number  of  men  furnished  in  the  Civil  War  by  this 
town,  the  list  exceeding  two  hundred  soldiers,  it  was  to  be  ex- 
pected that  it  would  establish  a  strong  post.  During  the  summer 
of  1876  a  dozen  stalwart  veterans  signed  the  charter,  and  on 
October  5,  1876,  Reynolds  Post  No.  29,  was  organized. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  1877,  special  efforts  were 
made  to  locate  all  of  the  graves  of  deceased  soldiers  who  had 
been  buried  in  the  town,  and  also  in  the  cemetery  which  lies  just 
over  the  line  in  Deering.  Thirty-two  graves  were  found  at  this 
time,  and  these,  with  the  graves  of  the  veterans  of  other  wars, 
were  decorated  with  flags  and  wreaths  of  flowers,  which  pretty 
custom  has  been  continued  ever  since. 

The  names  of  the  soldiers  buried  here  previous  to  1877  are 
Hazen  B.  Monroe,*  Francis  W.Robbins,  Charles  P.  Baldwin,  John 
H.  Clement,  Capt.  Benjamin  S.  Wilson,  Capt.  Samuel  O.  Gibson, 
William  N.  Clapp,  William  Smith,  Charles  G.  Hall,  Capt.  George 
Robbins.  Solomon  Bufford,  John  B.  Raleigh,  A.  H.  Wood,  Edwin 
Lewis,  Leonard  Lewis,  David  Lewis,  Charles  T.  Robbins,  John 
Adsit,  William  Burrill,  Jr.,  Sergt.  John  Reed,  Ingalls  Gould, 
Leonard  S.  Burtt,  Obadiah  Rumrill,  George  Vose,  Leander 
Eaton,  Summer  C.  McAdams,  Thomas  M.  Carr,  John  Morrill, 
William  P.  Cooledge,  A.  Fairbanks,  Richard  D.  Gould. 

On  June  12,  1878,  the  name  of  Pierce  was  substituted  for 


*Since  writing  the  record  of  Hillsborough  men  in  the  Civil  War  the  author  has 
been  able  to  secure  the  return  of  Hazen  B.,  son  of  Hiram  Monroe,  who  enlisted  at 
Springfield,  Vt.,  June  1,  1861,  as  a  private  in  Co.  "A,"  Third  Regiment,  Vermont 
Volunteers,  for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  Mustered  in  July  16,  at  St.  Johns- 
bury,   Vt. ;    age,   20   years.      Died  of  disease  January   10,    1862. — Author. 


43&  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

that  of  Reynolds,  so  it  became  "Pierce  Post,  No.  25,"  in  honor  of 
Governor  Pierce. 

Again  it  was  thought  advisable  to  change  the  name  of  the 
Post,  and  this  time  it  was  done  in  honor  of  a  son  of  Hillsborough 
who  won  special  recognition  for  meritorious  conduct  during  the 
war,  and  since  August  24,  1881,  it  has  been  known  as  "Senator 
Grimes  Post,  No.  25/' 

Senator  Grimes  Post  has  been  active  in  the  years  along  the 
line  of  duty  which  it  accepted  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  but 
the  Lord  of  Host  in  the  days  of  peace  has  been  more  destructive 
to  human  lives  than  even  the  leaden  hail  of  its  enemy  in  the  times 
of  war,  so  that  today  only  nine  members  survive  to  represent  this 
little  branch  of  the  Army  of  the  Republic.  The  names  of  these 
are: 

Lieut.  Pliny  Gammell,  Isaac  F.  Wilkins, 

Orlando  Sargent,  Edwin   Carr, 

Amos  Wyman,  William    H.    Story, 

Alonzo  Carter,  Orlando   G.   Burtt, 

Charles  C.  Hoyt,  in  Manchester. 

Women's  Relief  Corps. 
A  Women's  Relief  Corps  was  organized  October  5,  1894, 
under  the  name  of  "Senator  Grimes  Relief  Corps,  No.  80."    The 
membership  of  this  body  of  loyal  women  at  one  time  reached 
nearly  one  hundred. 

Sons  of  Veterans. 

There  is  an  active  Camp  of  Sons  of  Veterans  organized. 

Thomas  M.  Carr,  Camp  No.  15,  Sons  of  Veterans,  was 
mustered  on  February  17,  1902,  by  Division  Commander  Lin- 
wood  B.  Emery  of  Troy,  N.  H.,  with  thirty-two  charter  mem- 
bers. Wilfred  M.  Watson  was  made  the  first  commander  of  the 
Camp. 

The  Camp  was  named  for  Thomas  M.  Carr,  Sergeant  Co. 
H.,  Third  N.  H.  Vol.  Regiment,  who  was  killed  in  action  near 
Richmond,  Va.,  October  27,  1864.  At  the  present  time  the  Camp 
has  thirty-one  members.  Fred  B.  Ives  is  the  present  commander. 
The  Camp  has  been  represented  in  the  Division  a  number  of 
different  times,  and  the  present  year  a  member  of  the  Camp  is 
Junior  Vice  Division  Commander. 


HILLSBOROUGH    BRASS   BANDS.  439 

Thomas  M.  Carr  Auxiliary  No.  7  of  Camp  No.  15  was 
organized  June  11,  1914,  by  Division  President  Anna  Cummings 
of  Nashua,  with  twenty  charter  members.  Mrs.  Almira  Watson 
was  chosen  first  president.  The  Auxiliary  has  been  represented 
in  the  Division  every  year,  and  this  year  it  has  a  Division  Vice- 
President,  Second  Division  Council,  Chief  of  Staff  and  Sons  of 
Veterans  Aid.  Mrs.  Lizzie  M.  Crooker  is  President,  and  the 
Auxiliary  has  twenty-eight  members  at  the  present  time. 

American  Legion. 
A  branch  of  the  American  Legion  was  organized  in  Hills- 
borough October  17,  1919,  under  the  name  of  Gleason  Young 
Post  in  honor  of  the  first  soldier  from  this  town  to  fall  in  the 
great  conflict  overseas.  Its  first  Commander  was  John  S.  Childs, 
and  Wilbur  H.  Heath  was  chosen  Secretary.  The  Post  has  65 
members. 

Hillsborough  Brass  Bands. 

Hillsborough  probably  has  a  larger  percentage  of  musicians 
and  musical  organizations  than  any  other  town  in  the  state  in 
proportion  to  its  population.  As  far  back  as  1825  a  special  act  of 
the  legislature  was  passed  to  incorporate  the  Hillsborough  In- 
strumental Band.  The  charter  members  of  the  original  band 
were  Ephraim  Codman,  leader;  Jonathan  Beard,  Charles  Bald- 
win, Daniel  Priest,  Charles  Campbell,  Ephraim  Dutton,  Elnathan 
Codman,  Nicholas  Hoyt,  Thomas  P.  Wilson,  Daniel  Hoyt,  Enos 
Baxter,  Jonathan  Baxter,  James  D.  Bickford,  Nathan  Kendall, 
Abraham  Francis  and  Charles  Flint. 

This  was  the  first  band  and  for  a  long  time  the  only  one  in 
the  state,  and  probably  the  only  one  ever  chartered  by  a  special 
act  of  the  legislature,  therefore  it  was  associated  with  much  of 
the  early  history  of  New  Hampshire. 

Its  laws  required  that  it  should  meet  at  least  once  a  month, 
and  the  early  records,  which  are  now  in  existence  show  how 
faithfully  the  laws  were  obeyed.  Some  of  the  original  instru- 
ments remain. 

One  of  the  band's  early  engagements  was  to  take  part  in  the 
celebration  when  Lafayette  visited  Concord  in  1828.  It  did  duty 
for  nearly  all  of  the  military  gatherings  in  its  section. 


440  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

When  Benjamin  Pierce  was  governor  he  had  many  distin- 
guished callers  at  his  home  in  Hillsborough  and  the  band  was 
always  brought  out  for  a  serenade. 

When  President  Jackson  visited  Concord  in  1833,  the  musi- 
cians did  escort  duty.  Benjamin  Pierce  was  chairman, 
and  Franklin  Pierce  chief  marshal.  As  the  President  was  to 
arrive  by  coach,  the  band  went  to  Concord  two  or  three  days  in 
advance  and  spent  its  time,  night  especially,  in  serenading  folks, 
Governor  Densmore  among  the  rest. 

After  escorting  the  President  into  Concord,  and  playing  a 
few  pieces,  among  them  "Jackson's  Quickstep,"  ex-Governor 
Pierce  introduced  the  band  to  the  President  as  belonging  to  "my 
band."    Jackson  shook  hands  with  each  member. 

At  one  of  the  trainings  Messrs  Baldwin,  Beard,  Bickford 
and  Flint  were  selected  by  thirteen  companies,  a  special  mark  of 
honor,  to  march  them  on  to  the  grounds  before  breakfast  and 
were  treated  by  each  company. 

The  uniform  was  a  gray  coat,  white  trousers  and  a  leather 
cap.  The  cap  was  bell  shaped,  very  high,  made  of  heavy  cowhide 
leather  and  had  a  big  plume  in  front. 

Mr.  L.  F.  Gay  compiled  the  names  of  those  who  played  in 
the  Old  Incorporated  Band  of  Hillsborough  founded  by  Ephraim 
Codman  and  Joel  Stow  in  1819,  as  follows: 
Charles  Flint,  bugle ;  Nathan  Kendall,  bassoon  ; 

James  Ellenwood,  bassoon ;  George  Nelson,  clarinet ; 

Kneeland  Burtt,  trombone  ;  Josuah  Marcy,   clarinet ; 

Reuben  Loveren,  trombone ;  Gilman  Barnes,  serpent ; 

Isaac   Marcy,  bugle ;  Peter  Codman   ; 

George  Woods,  clarinet ;  Thomas   Burtt,  trombone ; 

John  Codman,  E  flat  bugle ;  James   Bennett,   cymbals   and 

Stephen  Baldwin,  clarinet ;  bassoon ; 

William   Merrill,   bugle ;  Abraham   Francis,  drum  ; 

Frank    Burtt,    drum ;  Enos    Baxter,    clarinet ; 

Joel   Stow,   clarinet ;  Mark  Wilson,  E  flat   clarinet ; 

Nathan   Baldwin,  drum  ;  Ephraim  Codman,  clarinet ; 

Ephraim  Dutton,  French  horn  ;  Jonathan    Beard,    clarinet ; 

Alonzo  Codman,  bugle ;  Charles   Baldwin,  French  horn  ; 

Daniel   Campbell,  bugle ;  Edward   Johnson,   bugle  ; 

James   Bickford,   clarinet ;  Amasa  Symonds,  clarinet ; 

Nicholas  Hoyt,  French  horn  ;  Henry  N.  Gay,  E  flat  clarinet ; 


t-<  n 


3  ~ 


w  ^ 


U2 


2 

CO 

o 

2 


K     - 
5S     - 


2    O 
1     I 


- 


a 


3| 

g    K 

2     » 


"the  band  that  bijah  led."  441 

Clark  Wright,  bugle  ;  Daniel  Hoyt,  clarinet ; 

Moses  Nelson,  clarinet  and  drum ;   L.  F.  Gay,  trombone  and  bugle ; 

Elhandon    Codman,    clarinet;  Lorenzo  Whitcomb,  E  flat  horn. 

Music  changed  from  C  to  B  and  E  flat  in  1834.  Organization 
disbanded  in  1849. 

The  loss  of  the  old  band  was  felt  keenly  in  town,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  there  was  an  effort  made  to  start  a  new  band, 
which  was  rewarded  with  success  early  in  the  50s.  One  of  the 
most  active  movers  in  the  enterprise  was  Squiers  Forsaith,  and 
he  was  made  its  leader,  a  position  for  which  he  was  well  fitted. 
This  band  was  very  successful,  but  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  in  '61  several  of  the  members  joined  the  army,  among  them 
leader  Forsaith. 

Upon  the  return  of  Comrade  Forsaith  from  the  military 
ranks,  he  was  restored  as  leader  of  the  band,  and  held  the  position 
until  his  removal  to  Antrim  in  1872,  when  Frank  E.  Merrill  was 
made  its  leader,  which  leadership  he  held  for  28  years,  or  until 
1900. 

While  it  may  not  have  been  as  famous  in  certain  ways  as 
the  original  Hillsborough  Brass  Band,  this  successor  became 
well-known  out  of  town  as  well  as  in,  and  played  before  many 
historic  gatherings.  Something  of  the  spirit  of  the  organization 
is  shown  in  the  following  poem  written  by  one  of  its  oldest  mem- 
bers. The  "Bijah"  referred  was  the  nick  name  of  the  band's 
leader. 

The  Band  that  Bijah  Led. 
By  W.  H.  Patten. 

One  afternoon  in  August,  in  eighteen  seventy-five, 

When  I,  a  youth  of  twenty-one,  o'er  Deering  hills  did  drive ; 

Down  to  the  Bridge  I  made  my  way,  to  early  be  on  hand, 
For  then  I  was  to  have  a  place  in  Bijah's  famous  Band. 

Next  to  the  meeting  place  I  went  about  the  hour  of  eight ; 

The  members  then  were  coming  in,  T  didn't  have  long  to  wait; 
We  played  awhile,  they  took  the  vote,  and  then  to  our  homes  we  sped, 

For  now  I  was  a  member  of  the  Band  that  Bijah  led. 


442  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Bundy  and  Bingo  were  in  their  prime,  Joe  Potter  at  his  best, 

While  Codman,  Abbott,  Dutton,  Clark,  helped  to  make  the  rest. 

When  Bundy  on  occasion  rose,  his  little  speech  to  make, 
His  famous  turkey  gobbler  was  sure  to  take  the  cake. 

Joe  Potter  with  his  solemn  face,  with  now  and  then  a  smile, 
And  Bingo  with  his  funny  talk  a  going  all  the  while ; 
But  now  'tis  hushed  forever  for  all  of  them  are  dead, 

These  were  some  of  the  gay  old  boys  in  the  Band  that  Bijah  led. 

Bijah  no  longer  the  baton  wields ;  he's  dropped  out  of  the  race, 

But  Hillsboro's  band  still  marches  on  and  Hill  now  sets  the  pace. 

Thirty  and  two  years  have  come  and  gone,  my  head  is  tinged  with  gray 
But  I've  kept  the  faith  still  in  the  band,  down  to  the  present  day. 

My  old  cornet  I've  laid  aside,  a  horn  of  great  renown ; 

No  more  you  hear  it's  shrill  high  C,  when  marching  through  the 
town. 
A  monster  bass,  Conn's  double  B,  I  carry  now  instead, 

But  I'm  the  last  old  boy  now  in  the  ranks  of  the  Band  that  Bijah 
led. 

Bands  are  not  apt  to  live  much  beyond  the  active  days  of  the 
players  who  founded  them,  and  so  it  has  proved  with  the  musical 
functions  of  Hillsborough.  "Bijah's  Band"  gave  its  last  concert 
and  played  its  farewell,  honorably  and  gracefully.  Many  of  its 
members  are  living  to  enjoy  the  remembrance  of  its  halcyon  days, 
when  it  earned  well  the  applause  of  the  crowd. 

Mechanic's  Band,  Scott  J.  Appleton  Leader,  came  to  succeed 
it,  as  that  was  followed  by  Hillsborough's  Military  Band,  Frank 
G.  Rumrill,  Manager.  The  headquarters  of  all  of  these  bands 
was  at  Bridge  Village. 

In  March,  1888,  a  brass  band  of  sixteen  pieces  called  the 
Highland  Band  was  organized  at  the  Lower  Village,  under  the 
leadership  of  John  W.  Jackman.  The  officers  and  members  were 
John  W.  Jackman,  President;  George  Morse,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer ;  Fred  J.  Gibson,  Leader ;  Messrs.  Kneeland  Mc- 
Clintock,  Wilbur  Proctor  and  Stillman  McClintock,  Executive 
Committee.  After  playing  a  little  over  a  year  this  band  dis- 
banded in  the  fall  of  1889,  owing  to  the  removal  from  the  town 
of  so  many  of  its  original  members. 


orchestra  and  music  club.  443 

The  Wahneta  Orchestra. 

The  Wahneta  Orchestra  succeeded  the  Orpheus,  which  was 
organized  by  J.  J.  Gillispee  of  Boston  having  the  following  mem- 
bers :  J.  J.  Gillispee,  first  violin ;  F.  G.  Rumrill,  second  violin ;  G. 
B.  Codman,  cornet;  George  H.  Putney,  trombone;  Kneeland  Mc- 
Clintock,  clarinet ;  Frank  Chase,  bass. 

The  Wahneta  was  organized  in  September,  18S9,  with  the 
following  members :  F.  G.  Rumrill,  first  violin ;  C.  A.  McAllister, 
second  violin  and  viola;  P.  D.  Gould,  clarinet;  G.  B.  Codman, 
cornet ;  W.  E.  Newman,  trombone ;  F.  W.  Hardy,  bass. 

The  orchestra  has  played  for  every  graduating  class  of  Hills- 
borough High  School  since  1890  to  the  present  time  and  in  about 
every  town  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  also  at  Sunapee 
Lake  on  the  steamer  Winona  in  the  seasons  of  1897  and  1898. 

Members  who  have  belonged  at  different  times  include  the 
following:  Ervin  McAdams,  F.  E.  Merrill,  E.  C.  Gage,  B.  E. 
Newman,  B.  T.  Pike,  L.  W.  Dennisson,  H.  S.  Appleton,  J. 
Merrity. 

The  members  at  present  time  include  the  following :  F.  G. 
Rumrill,  first  violin  and  leader ;  Bell  Spaulding,  first  violin ;  L.  S. 
Hill,  flute  and  piccolo;  Hamilton  Rumrill,  clarinet;  W.  P. 
Grunler,  cornet;  E.  C.  Rumrill,  cornet;  H.  C.  Bailey,  trombone; 
W.  H.  Roach,  bass ;  Ruth  Rumrill,  piano ;  George  Abbott,  drums 
and  taps. 

The  Hillsborough  Music  Club. 

The  Hillsborough  Music  Club,  with  the  object  to  keep  up  the 
standard  and  cultivate  the  taste  for  music,  was  organized  in  1905, 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Lathe,  with  Mrs.  Emma  Thompson  one  of  its  lead- 
ing members,  as  President.  This  little  band  of  lovers  of  good 
music  performed  a  creditable  part  and  did  much  good.  Its 
Presidents  from  its  formation  to  the  present  time  have  been : 

1905,  Mrs.  Emma  F.  Thompson;  1906,  Mrs.  Mary  Lathe; 
1907,  Mrs.  Mary  Lee ;  1908,  Mrs.  Grace  Perry ;  1909,  Miss  Mary 
Powell;  1910,  Mrs.  Ethel  Manahan ;  191 1,  Mrs.  Mary  Van  Horn; 
1912,  Mrs.  Josephine  Fuller;  1913,  Miss  Florence  Lee;  1914, 
Miss  Leolyn  Annis ;  191 5,  Miss  Ruth  Wallace;  1916,  Mrs.  Maude 


444  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Proctor;  1917,  Miss  Ruth  Rumrill ;  1918,  Mrs.  Cornelia  Currier; 
1919,  Miss  Elizabeth  Thompson;  1920,  Mrs.  Lillian  McNally. 

Temperance  Society. 
July   5,    1830,   the   Hillsborough   Temperance    Society   was 
formed  with  Deacon  George  Dascomb  as  President.     This  as- 
sociation proved  a  live  issue  and  it  grew  in  the  number  of  its 
members  so  that  ten  years  later  it  had  over  400  members  in  all. 

Historical  Lyceum. 

The  earliest  literary  and  educational  society  of  which  I  have 
found  any  record  was  The  Historical  Lyceum,  which  appears 
to  have  been  organized  sometime  prior  to  the  centennial  of  the 
town  in  1841,  if  not  at  that  time,  for  the  observation  of  the 
centennial  of  the  town  was  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  association, 
and  its  President,  Mr.  Charles  J.  Smith,  gave  the  oration,  which 
is  the  most  valuable  contribution  to  the  early  history  of  the  town 
that  has  been  published. 

This  society  had  its  home  at  Bridge  Village,  and  was  com- 
posed of  about  twenty  members.  It  is  to  be  regretted  their  names 
have  not  been  preserved. 

As  the  town  has  been  particularly  in  favor  with  a  representa- 
tion of  public  speakers,  lyceums  and  dramatic  clubs  have  found 
here  cordial  support.  In  1870  a  lyceum  was  organized  at  Lower 
Village  worthy  of  mention.  Meetings  were  held  at  the  old  brick 
school-house,  the  St.  Charles  house  and  elsewhere.  The  enter- 
tainments consisted  of  exercises  of  a  general  nature,  though  dis- 
cussions of  the  questions  of  the  day  and  other  subjects  of  interest 
were  a  marked  feature  of  those  occasions.  Prominent  among  the 
disputants  were  Henry  D.  Pierce,  William  H.  Manahan,  Brooks 
K.  Webber,  Charles  Gillis,  Enoch  Sawyer,  Andrew  Crooker, 
Edgar  Whipple  and  others.  George  Barnard  was  the  leading 
dramatist,  while  John  W.  Jackman  figured  foremost  in  the  mu- 
sical programs. 

Another  lyceum  known  as  the  Bridge  Village  Lyceum  was 
well  patronized.  The  leading  speakers  here  were  James  F. 
Briggs,  Esq.,  afterwards  member  of  Congress,  Reuben  Lovering, 
Frank  Hatch,  and  a  Mr.  Cheney  of  Deering. 

Other  Clubs  and  Societies. 
The  Woman's  Club  was  organized  in  1897;  federated,  1898. 


the  gold  seekers  of  49.  445 

Fortnightly  Club. 
The  Fortnightly  Club  was  formed  in  April,  1899;  federated 
in  April  1906. 

The  Club. 

Having  for  its  object  the  social  uplift  of  its  members,  The 
Club  was  organized  in  1904,  with  25  charter  members,  of  whom 
only  eight  are  now  living.  The  first  President  was  Raymond  C. 
Marshall;  Secretary,  Leon  B.  Proctor;  Treasurer,  John  L. 
Mosely.  The  club  met  for  a  time  in  Whittemore  block,  but  now 
holds  its  meetings  in  Butler  Block,  corner  Main  and  School 
streets,  and  has  very  pleasant  quarters.  The  club  has  now  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  members,  numbering  among  them 
some  of  the  best  citizens  in  town.  The  present  President  is 
Harry  Hoyt ;  Secretary,  Robert  Connor ;  Treasurer,  George  Van 
Dommele. 

Twenty  members  of  the  Club  were  in  the  service  during  the 
World  War,  and  one,  Christopher  Dougherty,  gave  his  life  for 
the  cause.  The  Club  was  the  first  organization  in  the  Country 
after  war  was  declared  to  offer  its  services,  and  the  club  has  a 
personal  letter  from  President  Wilson  in  acknowledgment  and 
thanks  for  same. 

Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

Valley  Grange,  P.  of  H.,  Number  63,  was  organized  at  Hills- 
borough Bridge  Village  June  26,  1875,  with  25  charter  members. 
Edgar  Hazen  was  chosen  first  master.  This  branch  of  the  order 
flourished  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  changes  in  popula- 
tion and  a  waning  interest  in  agricultural  affairs  caused  a  gradual 
lessening  of  the  membership,  until  in  1918  its  charter  was  re- 
linquished. 

Hillsborough,  P.  of  H.,  Number  274,  located  at  the  Upper 
Village,  was  organized  in  March,  1899,  with  Sillman  McClintock 
for  master.  The  field  here  proved  too  small  to  support  a  grange 
successfully,  so  after  a  few  years  it  was  abandoned. 

The  Gold  Seekers  of  '49. 
In  the  fall  of  1848  reports  began  to  circulate  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  the  newly  acquired  territory  of  California.     No  word 


446  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

in  the  English  language  will  awaken  a  deeper  interest  than  this 
short  monosyllable,  and  almost  instantly  even  the  isolated  town 
of  Hillsborough  was  aroused  to  a  pitch  of  excitement,  many 
resolving  to  leave  home  and  some  established  occupation  to  hazard 
the  hardships  of  a  life  in  the  New  Eldorado  in  the  hope  of  better- 
ing their  fortunes.  From  among  these  the  following  actually 
undertook  the  conquest,  some  going  by  sea  and  others  overland : 

Coolidge,  Walter  Scott.  He  went  by  the  overland  trail,  and  settled  at 
Sutters  Creek.  Was  quite  successful  in  the  mines,  and  in  1861, 
1862  was  Sheriff  of  the  County;  afterwards  became  a  cotton 
manufacturer. 

Coolidge,  Cornelius.,  Arrived  in  California,  San  Francisco,  Aug.  17, 
1849,  in  the  Barque  Oxford  from  Boston  via  Cape  Horn  after  a 
passage  of  222  days. 

Coolidge,  Lemuel.  Brother  of  Cornelius.  A  trader  in  California ;  suc- 
ceeded and  became  rich. 

Dane,  John.  Went  to  California  in  1849,  was  taken  sick  and  died 
there. 

Jones,  George.    Went  in  1850,  and  entered  the  mines. 

Lovering,  Joseph.    Came  back  and  finally  lived  here. 

Marcy,  Chester.  Went  by  the  Overland  Trail,  but  cholera  breaking 
out  in  the  train,  he  remained  behind  at  Fort  Independence  to  care 
for  others,  and  took  the  fever  himself  and  died. 

Merrill,  Luke.  Went  around  the  Cape  and  returned  by  the  Isthmus. 
Became  a  farmer. 

Miller, 

Murdough,  Dutton 

Savory,  Samuel  C.  and  brother.  Were  active  in  the  mines  and 
acquired  considerable  of  the  precious  metal.  It  is  related  that  he 
and  another  miner,  as  a  joke,  cut  off  a  Chinaman's  pigtail,  and  the 
poor  fellow  was  so  grieved  that  he  committed  suicide. 

Wilkins,  B.  Frank.  Sailed  on  the  vessel  Capital  by  way  of  Cape 
Horn,  starting  December  25,  1849.     He  returned  in  two  years. 

Wilkins,  James.  Accompanied  his  brother,  B.  Frank,  going  by  Cape 
Horn,  and  returning  after  two  years. 

The  Klondike  Gold  Seekers. 
The  gold  fever  of  '49,  while  not  equaled  in  its  fervor  by  thfet 
of  '98,  had  yet  a  worthy  rival  in  those  days  within  the  memory  of 
most  of  us.  This  time  the  talismanic  word  was  sent  across  the 
continent  from  the  far-distant  Northland,  more  than  8,000  miles 
away.     Nothing  daunted,  however,  by  the  distance  or  the  biting 


THE    KLONDIKE    GOLD   SEEKERS.  447 

blasts  of  that  frozen  zone,  a  party  of  twelve  persons  organized 
themselves  into  a  body  under  the  designation  of  "  The  Concord 
Alaska  Mining  Company,"  and  the  start  was  made  June  6,  1898. 
Of  this  little  band  of  hardy  fortune-seekers  Hillsborough 
furnished  two,  Henry  C.  Morrill,  now  dead,  and  William  H. 
Harmon.  Mr.  Morrill  though  in  his  66th  year,  undertook  the  ex- 
pedition and  carried  it  through  with  the  enthusiastic  endurance 
that  a  younger  man  might  have  envied.  While  the  expedition  did 
not  "pan  out"  as  well  as  had  been  hoped  the  experience  was  worth 
quite  an  undertaking,  and  none  of  the  party  lost  their  lives. 
Messrs.  Morrill  and  Harmon  returned  to  Hillsborough  in  the 
summer  of  1899. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Political  History. 

Before  the  Days  of  Party  Spirit — Then  Federalists  and  Republicans — 
Vote  in  Town  1788 — War  of  1812,  a  Party  Issue — Political  Contro- 
versies^— Second  War  of  Independence — First  Political  Rallies — 
When  the  Federalists  Lost — JacksonMen — AdamsMen — Vote  in  1824 
— Leading  Politicians,  1828 — Benjamin  Pierce,  Governor — Franklin 
Pierce  Comes  to  the  Front — Elected  to  Congress — Whigs — Free 
Soilers — John  McNiel,  Presidential  Elector — Franklin  Pierce  for 
President — The  Great  Barbecue — Campaign  Song — American  Party 
— Political  Leaders,  1856 — Civil  War — Town  During  the  Conflict 
— First  Break  in  the  Democratic  Ranks — Republicans  Win  Out  in 
1886 — In  Power  Ever  Since — John  B.  Smith  Comes  to  tne  Front — 
Presidential  Elector  in  1884 — Governor  in  1892 — The  Great  Smith 
Demonstration  Rivals  the  Pierce  Barbecue — Vote  in  Town,  1892 — 
General  Notes — Warrants  for  Town  Meetings — Dates  of  Holding 
Election — Legislature. 

With  the  number  of  active  and  prominent  men  among  its 
citizens  it  was  natural  that  the  town  should  have,  from  time  to 
time,  political  figures  whose  influence  should  be  felt  outside  of  the 
local  circle.  At  home  these  were  naturally  men  of  unflinching 
fidelity  to  the  principles  they  espoused  and  were  often  aggressive 
in  their  work,  generally  without  the  petty  weaknesses  of  many 
politicians. 

Until  near  the  close  of  the  18th  century  party  spirit  had  not 
crystalized  and  whatever  opposition  was  manifested  in  the  elec- 
tion was  purely  of  a  personal  nature.  In  1788  party  designations 
came  into  existence,  and  the  terms  Federalist  and  Republican 
were  recognized  as  watchwords  for  the  opposing  elements.  One, 
inheriting  the  imperial  ideas  of  Hamilton,  believed  in  a  stronger 
government,  while  others,  the  Republicans,  professed  to  be  the 
party  of  the  people.  The  men  of  the  former  represented  to  a 
greater  extent  the  wealth  of  the  country,  and  what  was  of  equal 
potency  it  wore  the  mantle  of  the  illustrious  Washington.     Un- 

448 


o- 


a 
> 


DAYS  OF  LANGDON   AND  SULLIVAN.  449 

fortunately  for  the  party  no  one  had  arisen  to  wear  this  with  a 
degree  of  permanent  success.  It  is  true  the  elder  Adams  had 
succeeded  the  Father  of  his  Country,  but  even  he  was  not  able  to 
hold  it  against  Jefferson,  the  idol  of  his  party.  And  Jefferson 
was  succeeded  by  Madison  and  the  War  of  1812. 

The  successful  presidential  electors  from  New  Hampshire 
were  chosen  by  the  Federalists  in  1788,  1792,  and  1796.  Four 
years  later,  1800,  the  term  Republican  Democrat  came  into  being 
and  Thomas  Jefferson,  strongest  supporter,  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  .— --'~! 

In  this  state  John  Sullivan  was  the  leading  Federalist  and 
John  Langdon  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Democrats  or  Repub- 
licans, as  they  were  then  known.  So  closely  were  these  two 
parties  matched  that  at  the  state  election  in  1788  Langdon  was 
elected  Governor  over  Sullivan  by  the  small  majority  of  two 
votes.  The  first  named  had  already  served  one  term  in  that  office 
and  the  latter  two  terms. 

At  this  election  held  on  March  3,  1788,  the  vote  in  Hillsbor-1 
ough  stood: 

John  Langdon,  thirty  votes ;  John  Sullivan,  six  votes. 

Immediately  the  financial  situation  in  the  country  had  become 
ironed  out,  to  a  certain  extent,  politics  began  to  shape,  and  in- 
fluence public  affairs.  Before  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of 
1812  the  Federalists  and  Republicans  had  become  strongly  en- 
trenched against  each  other.  Madison,  a  Republican,  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  country,  while  in  New  Hampshire  a  Federalist,  John 
T.  Gilman,  was  Governor.  This  last  fact  blunted  the  enthusiasm 
in  this  state  for  the  war  which  might  have  been  manifested  had 
Governor  Plumer  remained  as  chief  executive  here.  All  in  all, 
elsewhere  as  well  as  in  this  state,  the  war  was  not  a  popular  one: 
Still  it  reflected  great  efficiency  and  heroism  on  the  part  of  her 
men,  both  leaders  and  privates. 

The  Federalists  took  the  ground  that  war  was  unwarranted 
and  unnecessary,  and  forthwith  withheld  to  a  considerable  extent 
its  support.  The  opening  campaign  was  in  the  north — an  intended 
invasion  of  Canada  which  failed  lamentablv. 


450  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  Federalist  papers  immediately  seized  upon  this  as  due  to 
woeful  lack  of  intelligent  action  at  Washington,  which  was  in  a 
measure  true.  An  example  of  this  inefficiency  was  the  sending 
of  the  declaration  of  war  with  Great  Britain  to  General  Hull  in 
command  at  Detroit.  In  the  backwoods  as  he  was,  he  did  not 
get  the  message,  until  several  days  after  similar  information  had 
reached  the  British  commander.  The  disastrous  results  of  Hull's 
campaign  was  due  partly  to  this.  Other  reasons  might  be  cited. 
On  the  other  hand  the  Federalists,  wherever  they  were  in  the 
majority,  voted  against  enlistments  and  did  all  they  could  to  keep 
men  out  of  the  service,  and  never  contributed  a  cent  toward  the 
expense  of  the  war. 

The  spirit  of  the  opposition  to  the  government  is  shown  in 
the  following  article  which  appeared  in  the  strong  Federal  organ, 
"The  Boston  Gazette,"  during  the  dark  hours  of  the  war : 

"Every  hour  is  fraught  with  doleful  tidings ;  humanity 
groans  from  the  frontiers ;  Hampton's  army  is  reduced  to  about 
2,000;  Wilkinson's  beat  up  and  famished;  crimination  and  re- 
crimination the  order  of  the  day ;  Democracy  has  rolled  herself 
up  in  the  weeds  and  laid  down  for  its  last  wallowing  in  the  slough 
of  disgrace ;  Armstrong,  the  most  cold-blooded  of  all  of  this,  is 
chapfallen." 

In  answer  to  this  and  other  sweeping  charges  made  by  the 
Federalists,  Isaac  Hill,  editor  of  the  "Patriot"  says  in  his  paper: 

"Is  it  our  government — is  it  the  Republicans  (Democrats), 
who  have  done  everything  to  provide  means  for  prosecuting  the 
war  with  energy —  or  is  it  the  Federalists,  who  possessing  all  the 
property,  as  well  as  all  the  religion,  have  never  prayed  for  the 
success  of  our  arms — never  contributed  one  cent  towards  procur- 
ing the  means  for  asserting  our  rights,  but  have  discouraged  en- 
listments, discouraged  everything?" 

"The  political  controversies,  bitter  and  unreasonable  as  they 
were,"  says  Edward  J.  Burnham,  in  "  New  Hampshire  in  the 
War  of  1812,"  "had  been  great  educators  of  the  people,  and 
while  the  embargo  and  the  growing  estrangement  with  Great 
Britain  had  already  led  to  the  establishment  of  many  new  in- 
dustries, the  Americans  were  beginning  to  rely  upon  themselves. 
This  was  one  reason  why  it  had  been  called  the  second  war  of 
independence." 


POLITICAL  SPIRIT  OF   l8l2.  45 1 

Fortunately  the  reverses  in  the  northern  campaign  served 
to  arouse  the  people  to  their  duty  as  citzens  of  the  republic. 

Hillsborough,  with  a  good  working  Democratic-Republican 
majority,  always  stood  squarely  behind  the  government,  both  in 
finances  and  men.  She  furnished  two  of  the  most  dashing, 
courageous  and  efficient  officers  in  the  service,  while  a  neighboring 
town,  Peterborough,  gave  another,  General  Miller,  three  officers 
who  lent  glory  to  the  records  of  their  native  towns. 

A  line  of  action  that  was  encouraged  during  this  war  was  the 
holding  of  rallies  or  mass  meetings,  something  unknown  during 
the  Revolution,  when  speakers  would  be  invited  to  address  the 
meetings  and  often  great  excitement  would  prevail,  names  would 
be  offered  for  enlistments  and  petitions  sent  to  congress.  This 
was  really  the  beginning  of  public  campaigning  which  has  been 
kept  up  ever  since. 

Hillsborough  had  at  least  two  of  these  gatherings,  one  held 
on  September  12,  1812,  being  highly  successful  judged  by  the 
glowing  accounts  given.  Speakers  were  present  who  boldly 
declared  their  confidence  in  the  administration,  their  expression 
of  the  unavoidable  necessity  of  the  war,  and  their  denunciations 
against  the  attitude  of  the  Federalists.  Women  were  present  and 
men  and  women  from  adjoining  towns,  so  the  meeting  numbered 
over  five  hundred  persons. 

The  Federalists  held  few  public  meetings,  but  they  did  paste 
the  state  with  placards  announcing  their  men  and  principles. 

Now  under  the  leadership  of  Plumer,  an  ardent  Republican, 
and  under  Gilman,  as  unrelenting  a  Federalist,  New  Hampshire 
vacillated  between  the  two  great  dominating  political  powers, 
neither  of  which  had  fairly  formed  their  future  policy.  Hills- 
borough, in  sympathy  with  the  national  government,  and  with  two 
of  her  sons  occupying  prominent  responsible  positions  at  the 
front,  did  not  waver. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  prestige  of  the  Federal  party 
began  to  wane,  and  in  1816  it  was  so  completely  overthrown  thajt 
it  never  recovered  its  lost  power.  With  the  exception  of  the  tem- 
porary triumph  of  the  Whigs  in  1846,  electing  Anthony  Colby, 
Governor,    the    Jeffersonian    Republicans    (Democrats)    elected 


452  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

every  governor  until  the  sudden  rise  of  the  American  party  in 
1855  ended  their  reign. 

In  1809,  three  -years  before  the  war,  the  vote  in  Hillsborough 
was  189  votes  for  John  Langdon,  Republican;  35  votes  for 
Jeremiah  Smith,  Federalist,  candidates  for  Governor.  For  Coun- 
cilor, Samuel  Bell  had  163  votes,  and  John  Orr  had  23  votes.  At 
the  election  in  1812  Hillsborough  gave  William  Plumer,  Repub- 
lican, 196  votes,  and  John  Taylor  Gilman,  Federalist,  40  votes. 
The  latter  was  elected  Governor  by  the  narrow  margin  of  two 
votes.  In  1814  these  same  candidates  received  260  and  60  votes 
respectively,  in  Hillsborough. 

The  leading  politicians  in  town  during  this  period  were  Ben-J 
jamin  Pierce,  Andrew  Sargent,  James  Wilson  (Representative), 
Thaddeus  Monroe,  Elijah  Beard,  Lemuel  Coolidge,  William  Tag- 
gart,  John  Gilbert,  John  Town,  James  McCalley  and  Isaac 
Baldwin. 

The  writer  regrets  that  he  has  been  unable  to  obtain  the 
names  of  the  leaders  of  the  minority.  There  is  no  doubt  there 
were  just  as  substantial  citizens  in  the  ranks  as  the  others. 

In  1824  the  Federal  party  lost  its  identity  and  the  rival 
political  factions  at  this  time  became  arrayed  under  the  respective 
leaders,  Jackson  and  Adams,  and  were  known  as  "Jackson  men/' 
or  "Adams  men."  The  partisan  contests  that  followed  grew  more 
bitter  than  ever  before.  It  is  perhaps  needles  to  say  that  Hills- 
borough stood  stubbornly  for  Jackson,  as  witness  the  following 
vote  at  the  National  election  in  November,  1824: 
For  President,  Andrew  Jackson,  66  votes. 
For  President,  John  Quincy  Adams,  1  vote. 

There  had  been  a  slight  change  in  the  leadership  of  the 
dominant  party  since  the  last  record.  Andrew  Sargent  was  now 
Representative.  Among  those  nearest  him  were  James  and 
Thomas  Wilson,  Reuben  Hatch,  John  Grimes,  James  Butler  and 
George  Dascomb. 

In  1826,  1827,  1828,  1829  Benjamin  Pierce  of  Hillsborough 
was  a  candidate  for  Governor,  and  elected  in  1827  and  1828,  in 
the  former  year  by  the  phenominal  vote  of  23,695  out  of  27,411. 
He  ranked  as  a  "Jackson  man." 


JACKSON   DEMOCRATS.  453 

The  vote  for  Governor  in  1828  stood:  Benjamin  Pierce,  227; 
John  Bell,  Whig,  90  votes. 

In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1832  Andrew  Jackson  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election  to  the  Presidency,  while  Henry  Clay  was 
the  opposing  candidate.  The  term  Democrat  had  now  come  into 
common  use,  and  the  man  who  voted  for  the  first-named  can- 
didate was  a  "Jackson  Democrat,"  a  designation  which  has  out- 
lived the  political  successes  and  reverses  of  several  generations 
of  voters.  The  supporters  of  Clay  were  denominated  "Whigs." 
The  ballot  of  Hillsborough  at  this  election  stood : 

For  President,  Andrew  Jackson,  295  votes. 

For  President,  Henry  Clay,  JJ  votes. 

The  political  lights  of  the  town  at  this  time  were,  among  the 
Democrats,  Hiram  Monroe,  Benjamin  Pierce,  Isaac  Andrews, 
Jonathan  Beard,  Ransom  Bixby,  and  Franklin  Pierce,  who  was 
that  year  elected  Representative  to  the  State  Legislature.  The 
future  President  had  come  rapidly  to  the  front  with  the  past  six 
years. 

Hillsborough's  first  appearance  upon  the  national  political 
map  was  in  1833,  when  Franklin  Pierce  was  elected  to  the  23rd 
Congress,  his  native  town  voting  226  to  one  in  his  favor. 

In  1835  Franklin  Pierce  was  re-elected  to  Congress,  and  in 
March  4,  1837,  ne  was  elected  by  the  State  Legislature  to  succeed 
John  Page  in  the  United  States  Senate,  which  office  he  held  until 
he  resigned  in  1842. 

The  Presidential  campaign  of  1840  brought  into  opposition 
to  the  Democrats  and  Whigs  a  new  party,  the  Free  Soilers  or 
Abolitionists.  At  this  election  the  vote  of  Hillsborough  showed 
that  the  town  still  represented  the  political  spirit  of  its  early 
leaders. 

At  the  annual  election  this  year  the  vote  for  Governor  was 
John  Page,  Democrat,  289;  Enos  Stevens,  Whig,  JJ.  At  the 
National  election  in  November  Hillsborough  voted  336  for 
Martin  Van  Buren,  Democrat;  96  for  William  H.  Harrison, 
Wrhig,  with  two  voting  the  Free  Soil  ticket. 


454  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

In  1844  John  McNiel  of  Hillsborough,  Democrat,  was 
chosen  Presidential  Elector  by  the  largest  vote  of  any  one  on  the 
ticket. 

In  1852,  the  campaign  of  Franklin  Pierce,  found  him  op- 
posed by  Whigs  and  Free  Soilers.  Democratic  Electors  were 
chosen  in  the  State  over  the  divided  opposition,  while  his  native 
town  stood  loyally  by  her  son. 

The  Pierce  Barbecue. 

The  Pierce  campaign  was  an  exciting  one,  as  were  all  of 
those  during  the  period  verging  upon  the  great  Civil  War.  Hills- 
borough, the  home  town  of  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the 
high  office,  felt  in  duty  bound  to  do  her  honored  son  fitting  re- 
cognition. Accordingly  there  was  planned  and  carried  out  with- 
out a  discordant  note  what  proved  to  be  the  greatest  demonstra- 
tion, considered  in  respect  to  the  number  present  and  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  crowd,  ever  held  in  the  town,  and  possibly  in 
the  state.  Some  of  the  most  noted  men  in  the  country  were 
among  the  invited  guests,  several  coming  from  California,  which 
was  a  far-away  place  in  those  days.  The  orator  of  the  day  was 
from  Georgia,  while  there  were  speakers  from  New  York,  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland,  Kentucky,  California,  not  to  mention  New 
England  representatives.  As  singular  as  it  may  seem,  the 
nominee  was  not  present. 

A  huge  oven,  which  has  been  repaired  through  the  efforts 
of  the  D.  A.  R.  society  in  town,  remains  to-day  as  a  reminder  of 
that  gala  day,  when  an  ox  was  roasted  whole  to  help  feed  the 
crowd.  The  speakers'  stand  was  under  an  oak  tree  near  the 
River  Road,  and  the  entire  side  of  the  hill  and  valley  where  the 
railroad  now  runs  was  completely  filled  by  the  mob.  At  that  time 
only  three  houses  stood  within  the  territory,  two  at  the  upper  end 
and  one  at  the  lower  end.  It  was  estimated  that  twenty-five 
thousand  people  were  present,  which,  considering  that  it  was 
before  the  day  of  railroad  conveniences,  was  truly  remarkable. 
Very  many  came  the  day  before  and  camped  out  that  night. 

S.  Dow  Wyman  was  President  of  the  day,  while  among  those 
active  with  him  were  Samuel  H.  Ayers,  Esq.,  Levi  Goodale, 
Edgar  Hazen,  Benjamin  Tuttle,  James  Bickford,  Ransom  Bixby, 
Charles  Gibson,  and  William  Merrill. 


K 


- 

- 

-- 

- 

s 

cj 


the  pierce  campaign.  455 

Campaign  Song. 
The  spirit  of  the  occasion  is  shown  by  the  following  extracts 

from  a  campaign  song  entitled — 

The  Old  Granite  State. 
Come,  let's  put  the  ball  in  motion, 
Let  us  raise  a  great  commotion, 
For  the  Democratic  notion 

From  the  old  Granite  State. 
Oh,  come  forth  from  hill  and  valley, 
From  the  mountains  let  us  sally, 
Round  our  candidate  we'll  rally, 
From  the  old  Granite  State. 
We're  a  band  of  locos,  we're  a  band  of  locos, 

We're  a  band  of  locos,  and  we'll  shout  for  Pierce  and  King. 

*  *     *     * 

Franklin  Pierce's  nomination 
Meets  the  people's  approbation. 
'Twas  the  nicest  calculation 

Of  the  old  Virginia  State. 
Oh,  the  Whigs  are  getting  weary, 
For  their  prospects  are  but  dreary, 
There  is  nothing  for  them  cheery 

From  the  old  Granite  State. 

We're  a  band  of  locos,  (fee. 

*  *     *     # 

Franklin  Pierce's  elevation 
Will  do  honor  to  the  nation, 
For  he  bears  that  reputation 

In  the  old  Granite  State. 
While  this  story  we  are  telling, 
Oh,  we  know  with  rage  you're  swelling, 
But  the  Empire  keeps  propelling 

For  the  old  Granite  State. 

We're  a  band  of  locos,  &c. 

*  #     *     * 

For  the  Union  we're  united, 

And  to  that  our  faith  is  plighted, 

For  they've  sworn  to  see  it  righted 

In  the  old  Granite  State. 
So  you  may  as  well  retire, 
For  into  your  rear  we'll  fire, 
Old  Virginia  never  tires 

With  the  old  Granite  State. 
We're  a  band  of  locos,  &c. 


456  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

This  was  a  period  of  political  unrest,  and  in  1854  another 
spoke  in  the  partisan  wheel  was  added  when  the  Knownothing 
or  American  party  sprang  suddenly  into  existence.  The  origin  of 
this  name  so  common  at  the  time  came  from  the  fact  that  the 
new  child  of  political  aspiration  was  conceived  and  nurtured 
behind  the  closed  doors  of  secret  organization,  and  its  members 
were  pledged  to  silence  and  service. 

Ralph  Metcalf,  one  of  its  exponents,  was  elected  Governor 
of  New  Hampshire,  over  all  opposition.     Hillsborough  was  hit- 
hard  by  this  doctrine,  as  witness  the  vote  for  1855  : 
For  Governor,  James  Bell,  Whig,  had  5  votes. 
For  Governor,  Ralph  Metcalf,  American,  had  155  votes. 
For  Governor,  Nathaniel  B.  Baker,  Democrat,  had  221  votes. 
The  following  year,  1856,  Metcalf  failed  of  an  election  by 
the  people,  but  he  was  seated  by  the  State  Senate.    Hillsborough 
voted  at  the  annual  election  about  as  she  had  done  at  the  previous 
election,  John  S.  Wells,  Democrat,  got  238  votes ;  Ralph  Metcalf, 
American,  153  votes,  while  the  Whig  candiadte,  Icabod  Goodwin 
got  only  four  votes. 

The  Knownothing  party  was  abandoned  in  1856  as  suddenly 
as  it  had  come  into  existence,  taking  with  it  the  Whig  and  Free 
Soil  political  factions,  and  from  the  re-organized  principles  of  this 
trio  was  formed  the  Republican  party.  At  the  Presidential  elec- 
tion in  November  this  town  voted  for  Electors,  Democratic,  247 ; 
Republican,  181  votes. 

The  Democratic  party  was  supported  by  such  men  as  Henry 
D.  Pierce,  Edgar  Hazen,  John  Coolidge,  Charles  C.  Smith,  Elisha 
Hatch,  Benjamin  Tuttle,  Jr.,  and  William  B.  Whittemore.  The 
new  party  was  championed  by  Samuel  M.  Baker,  John  C.  Briggs, 
John  G.  Dickey,  Joshua  Marcy. 

James  Buchanan,  Democrat,  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States,  but  at  the  following  March  election  William  Haile, 
Republican,  was  chosen  Governor  of  the  State.  This  party 
elected  its  candidates  for  Governors  regularly  until  1871,  when  a 
Democrat,  James  A.  Weston,  was  chosen,  and  he  was  re-elected 
in  1875.  Hillsborough  was  still  Democratic,  John  C.  Campbell 
and  Luke  McClintock  were  elected  Representatives  by  228  and 
221  respectively,  with  an  opposition  of  179  and  178  votes. 


WHEN  PARTISAN  SPIRIT  RAN  HIGH.  457 

During  the  trying  years  of  the  Civil  War  political  spirit  was 
strong,  as  it  was  in  other  towns.  There  were  those  who  did  not 
helieve  in  the  conflict  being  waged,  and  there  was  at  least  one 
meeting  held  when  it  was  voted  by  those  present  condemning 
the  action.  But  this  course  of  action  was  checked,  and  there  is 
a  vote  recorded  upon  the  town  records  wherein  it  is  stated  that 
"we  unanimously  pledge  our  support  to  carry  on  the  war  to 
victory."  One  half  of  the  able-bodied  men  in  town,  and  some 
who  were  not  obliged  to  do  it,  were  in  active  service.  The  Select- 
men during  that  period,  1861  to  1865,  were  Cornelius  Cooledge, 
Horace  Eaton,  Edgar  Hazen,  David  B.  Gould  and  David  Starrett. 

The  perturbed  state  of  the  public  mind  at  the  time  was  very 
easily  aroused  into  real  or  fancied  grievance,  as  is  shown  by  the 
following  veracious  incident : 

The  news  of  the  attack  of  Preston  S.  Brooks  upon  Charles 
Sumner  at  his  desk  in  the  Senate  chamber  on  the  morning  of  May 
22,  1856,  following  a  heated  discussion,  was  taken  by  a  pastor  at 
a  Centre  church  as  an  appropriate  text  for  a  sermon,  the  minister 
expressing  his  opinion  very  freely.  His  ideas  did  not  meet  with 
the  approval  of  many  of  the  attendants  of  the  house,  all  of  whom, 
left  in  a  body.  Every  one  of  these  refused  to  pay  further 
minister's  tax,  until  there  was  a  change  of  pastors. 

Of  course  the  speaker  had  his  supporters,  but  the  disturbance 
resulted  in  closing  the  doors  of  the  church  for  some  time. 

In  1877  the  vote  for  Representative  stood:  Frank  H.  Pierce, 
Democrat,  265;  David  F.  Whittle,  Republican,  182  votes.  For 
second  Representative,  Henry  J.  Clark,  Democrat,  had  263  votes ; 
John  Goodell,  Republican,  had  181  votes. 

At  the  State  and  National  election  November  4,  1884,  the 
first  break  in  the  Democratic  ranks  since  the  beginning  of  political 
power  under  Jefferson  was  made  when  William  H.  Manahan  was 
elected  Representative  on  the  second  ballot,  which  stood : 

Whole  number  of  ballots,  494. 

Necessary  for  a  choice,  248. 

George  F.  Saltmarsh,  Independent,  18. 

John  Q.  A.  French,  Democrat,  227. 

William  H.  Manahan,  249. 


45$  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

And  Mr.  Manahan,  Republican,  was  declared  elected  by  a 
majority  of  two  votes.  The  balance  of  the  ticket  was  elected 
Democratic. 

In  1884  John  B.  Smith  of  Hillsborough  was  chosen  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and  with  his  associates  voted  for  Hon.  James  G. 
Blaine,  though  Cleveland  and  Hendricks  were  elected. 

Two  years  since,  however,  in  1886,  the  leaders  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  organized  with  the  purpose  of  winning,  and  aided  by 
a  disaffection  in  the  opposing  party  succeeded  in  electing  their 
candidates,  the  vote  for  Moderator  being: 

Mark  M.  Hadley,  1  vote. 

Cornelius  Coolidge,  Dem.,  225  votes. 

William  H.  Manahan,  Rep.,  251  votes. 

Stephen  A.  Brown,  Republican,  was  elected  Representative, 
with  the  balance  of  the  ticket.  The  Democrats  have  never  been 
able  to  recover  their  lost  prestige  in  town. 

The  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  at  this  period  were 
Cornelius  Coolidge,  Dr.  John  Q.  A.  French,  Edgar  Hazen,  John 
Gibson,  Jacob  Whittemore,  George  H.  Clark,  Frank  E.  Merrill, 
John  L.  Shedd,  and  James  Bickford.  Among  the  foremost  Re- 
publicans were  Hon.  John  B.  Smith,  William  H.  Manahan,  Esq., 
Dr.  John  H.  Goodell  and  Charles  Conn. 

Since  that  day  while  other  leaders  have  come  to  the  front 
in  both  parties,  the  town  has  remained  steadfastly  Republican. 

In  1892  the  name  of  Hillsborough  again  appeared  pro- 
minently upon  the  political  map,  when  one  of  her  citizens,  Hon. 
John  B.  Smith,  was  placed  in  nomination  for  the  office  of 
Governor. 

During  this  campaign  the  town  inaugurated  and  carried  a 
second  political  demonstration  that  rivaled  the  first  in  the  days 
of  Pierce  and  Democracy.  Some  of  the  ablest  speakers  in  the 
state  and  country  were  present,  and  the  town  was  thronged  with 
the  visitors  who  had  gathered  to  voice  their  support  of  her 
favorite  son. 

Mr.  Smith  won  out  handsomely  in  the  state,  and  wa£ 
eminently  successful  through  his  administration.  The  election 
took  place  November  8,  1892,  and  the  vote  in  Hillsborough  stood: 


GENERAL  NOTES.  459 

For  Governor : 
Whole  number  of  tickets  given  in  641 

John  B.  Smith  had  372 

Luther  F.  McKinney  had  258 

Edgar  L.  Carr  had  10 

William  O.  Noyes  had  1 

For  Senator : 
Whole  number  of  tickets  cast  621 

George  C.  Preston  of  Henniker  had  359 

Jay  C.  Browne  of  Henniker  and  Hillsborough  250 

Charles  W.  Coolidge  12 

For  Representatives : 
Stillrnan  H.  Baker,  Republican,  had  346 

Harvey  Jones,  Democrat,  had  265 

Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Republican,  had  332 

Jacob  B.  Whittemore,  Democrat,  had  274 

Since  the  election  when  the  change  in  political  power  in  the 
town  was  effected,  Hillsborough  has  remained  steadfastly  Repub- 
lican, with  one  exception  when  Isaac  Wilkins,  Democrat,  was 
chosen.  Much  of  the  oldtime  partisan  feeling,  however,  has 
passed  with  the  rolling  years,  and  the  number  of  independent 
votes  is  on  the  increase. 

General  Notes. 

The  warrant  for  the  first  town  meeting  in  Hillsborough, 
called  November  19,  1772,  was  headed  "Provence  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, County  of  Hillborough,  To  Samuel  Bradford  the  3d  Col- 
lector of  the  town  of  Hillborough  Greeting."  The  warrant  for 
the  election  of  town  officers  and  conduct  of  business  called  March 
8,  1773,  was  addressed  to  the  Constable,  and  following  meetings 
were  warned  by  the  constables. 

The  annual  meeting  called  in  March,  1776,  was  headed 
"Colony  of  New  Hampshire,  Hillsborough  SS."  February  1, 
1777,  the  warrant  was  headed  "State  of  New  Hampshire,  County 
of  Hillsborough,  ss,"  which  has  been  the  style  ever  since. 

New  Hampshire  was  called  a  Province  in  the  legal  papers 
until  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  April  19,  1775,  when  it  was 
designated  as  a  Colony.  It  retained  this  title  until  September  10, 
1776,  when  it  was  distinguished  as  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. 


460  history  of  hillsborough. 

Dates  of  Holding  Elections. 

Originally  the  date  of  holding  the  annual  elections  in  Hills- 
borough was  on  the  last  Thursday  in  March,  but  on  October  20, 
1785,  the  town  petitioned  to  the  General  Court  to  change  the  day 
of  election  to  the  first  Monday  in  the  month,  and  the  request  was 
granted.  Tihe  reason  claimed  was  that  it  was  a  busier  season  at 
the  former  time.  The  following  year,  the  meeting  was  called 
the  first  Monday  in  March,  which  came  that  year  on  the  6th  inst. 
This  date  did  not  suit  all,  and  another  change  was  made  in  1788, 
when  the  second  Tuesday  in  March  was  selected,  and  this  day 
has  been  in  effect  ever  since. 

The  election  of  national  officials  has  always  been  the  first 
Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November,  and  those  for  the 
state  officers  were  changed  under  the  revised  constitution  in  1878 
from  the  second  Tuesday  in  March  to  the  first  Tuesday  after  the 
first  Monday  in  November. 

The  elections  for  state  officials  were  held  annually  until  1879, 
when  they  were  changed  to  biennial,  as  they  are  at  the  present 
time. 

The  Provincial  legislature  or  General  Court  convened  at 
Portsmouth  and  Exeter  until  the  close  of  1775.  What  were  known 
as  sessions  of  the  House  of  Representatives  for  the  Colony  were 
held  at  Exeter,  until  September  20,  of  that  year.  This  body 
designated  as  the  State  Legislature  convened  from  time  to  time 
at  Exeter,  with  occasional  sessions  at  Portsmouth,  until  March 
13,  1782,  when  the  first  session  was  held  at  Concord.  This  city 
became  its  permanent  meeting  place  June  3,  1807,  and  the  first 
Wednesday  in  June  the  date  for  the  regular  sessions.  The  re- 
vision in  the  Constitution  in  1878,  made  the  elections  biennial  to 
take  effect  in  1879.  The  date  of  opening  the  Legislature  was 
changed  from  the  first  Wednesday  in  June  to  the  first  Wednes- 
day in  January  following  the  election  in  November  in  1892. 


Photograph  by   Max  uian. 

CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH,    HILLSBOROUGH    CENTRE. 


BARNES'  HOUSE,  OLDEST  HOUSE  IX  TOWN-CENTRE. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
The  Hamlets  of  Hillsborough. 

The  Centre — Its  Characteristics  and  Memoriams — Families — The  Far- 
rar  Neighborhood — A  Deserted  Hamlet — Concord  End — Lower  Vil- 
lage— Upper  Village — Bridge  Village — Sulphur  Hill — Growth  and 
Activity — Colonial  Settlers — Contoocook  River — First  Mill  Built  on 
the  Contoocook — Village  Destined  to  Become  Important  Business 
Corner  of  Town — A  Vision  of  this  Vicinity — Natural  and  Historical 
Interest — Residences  and  Stores  of  that  Time — Merchants  and 
Customers — A  Butter  Story — "One  Good  Turn  Deserves  Another" 
—Dams  Across  the  River  on  the  South — "Infant  Earthquake" — An 
Abundance  of  Fish— Two  "Fish"  Stories— A  Walk  up  the  Hill  From 
the  South  End  of  the  Bridge — Other  Rambles  Around  the  Village 
— Saw  and  Grist  Mill — First  Framed  House  Built  in  Antrim,  1769 
— Business  Situation  To-day. 

The  material  used  serially  in  this  chapter  might  well  have 
been  embodied  in  the  respective  parts  of  the  preceding  pages,  and 
yet  each  hamlet  of  a  town  has  an  interest  peculiar  in  itself,  in 
harmony  with  the  others  but  differing  in  material  things.  So  here 
we  will  speak  of  each  section  of  the  town  as  if  it  were  an  in- 
dividual and  having  a  personal  figure.  Who  can  say  it  is  other- 
wise? 

The  Centre. 

Though  the  first  rude  dwelling  in  town  was  not  built  here,  it 
seems  very  fitting  to  begin  with  this  hamlet,  the  hub  as  it  were  of 
the  early  settlements,  the  roads  winding  over  the  hills  to  the 
respective  quarters  radiating  from  thence  like  the  spokes  of  a 
mighty  wheel. 

Hither  at  least  one  day  of  the  week  came  the  good  folks  from 
far  and  near  to  join  in  divine  worship  in  the  only  meeting  house 
within  a  considerable  circuit. 

Situated  a  little  southeast  of  the  exact  centre  of  the  town 
upon  a  summit  that  overlooks  a  wide  expanse  of  country  typical 
of  New  England  scenery,  a  landscape  of  hills  and  valleys,  dotted 

461 


462  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

here  and  there  with  deep  mirrors  of  water  and  rivers  and  rivulets 
winding  down  from  the  highlands  like  bands  of  silver  on  the 
ground  work  of  green  Meeting  House  Hill,  as  it  was  once  de- 
nominated, commanded  one  of  the  best  panoramas  the  country 
affords.  Fifty  years  ago  it  was  an  enterprising  little  hamlet  of 
ten  substantial  dwellings  occupied  by  as  many  or  more  families 
of  the  good  old  stock  that  had  founded  a  town.  Here  lived  at 
that  period  the  families  of  Barnes.  Lyon,  Gilbert,  Sturtevant, 
Robbins,  Gammell,  Miller,  Parker,  Nelson  and  other  leading 
families. 

At  the  north  end  of  the  village,  within  the  shade  of  venerable 
elms  and  fronted  by  a  green  lawn  in  the  summer,  stands  as  a 
monument  of  the  days  of  promise  and  prosperity  the  stately 
dwelling  of  the  first  minister  of  the  town,  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Barnes,  who  did  so  much  for  the  uplift  of  the  place. 

In  no  section  of  the  town  is  the  memory  awakened  with 
keener  contrast  than  here,  where  the  early  pioneers  were  attracted 
and  where  so  much  of  earnest  endeavor  was  consummated  in  the 
lives  of  those  who  rest  to-day  amid  the  scenes  they  loved,  un- 
disturbed by  the  wonderful  changes  that  have  been  wrought  on 
the  anvil  of  time,  peace  to  their  ashes,  for  their  rest  is  well- 
earned. 

Within  a  few  years  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  town  who 
have  gone  away  to  mingle  in  the  commercial  strife  of  cities  have 
come  to  find  a  relief  from  the  ceaseless  turmoil  during  a  summer 
vacation  here.  Strangers,  too,  have  been  lured  hither  by  its  varied 
attractions,  so  the  summer  days  pass  merrily  away  as  they  did  in 
other  years.  In  this  respect  at  least  the  little  old  hamlet  will  take 
on  new  life  and  keep  the  lamp  of  progress  burning. 
The  Farrar  Neighborhood. 

Behind  the  hills  of  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  town, 
erstwhile  honored  by  the  presence  of  some  of  the  foremost  fam- 
ilies in  town,  the  Carters,  Holdens,  Kimballs,  Ellinwoods, 
Clements,  Farrars,  and  Griffins  making  seventeen  homesteads — 
some  say  twenty — lies  in  silence  to-day,  a  one-time  lively  and 
promising  school  district  of  forty  pupils,  a  deserted  hamlet  peopled 
only   with    the    imagination,    the    Farrar   Neighborhood.      Even 


CONCORD  END.  463 

Nature  is  not  to  blame  for  this  desertion,  until  only  a  small 
portion  of  this  fertile  land  is  left  even  for  grazing.  The  slogan 
"westward  the  star  of  empire  makes  its  way,"  has  changed  to 
"mill ward  the  people  wend  their  way,"  while  the  industries  of 
the  manufacturing  village  calls  in  no  uncertain  tone.  On  this 
side  of  the  summit  overlooking  this  beautiful  valley,  and  a  fairer 
pastoral  scene  never  met  the  gaze  of  an  Ettrick  shepherd,  live 
two  families,  descendants  of  the  first  comers,  Nathan  Farrar  and 
James  O.  Murdough,  while  a  new  comer,  George  Dorr,  lives  on 
the  old  Ellinwood  place. 

Concord  End. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  several 
families  from  the  adjoining  town  of  Concord  secured  land  in 
Hillsborough  from  what  was  known  as  the  Boardman  tract,  this 
land  having  been  conveyed  by  John  Hill  to  certain  of  his 
creditors.  It  consisted  largely  of  a  valley  to  the  east  of  the  Centre 
and  became  early  known,  for  reasons  that  are  obvious,  as  "Con- 
cord End." 

The  early  comers  here  were  Thaddeus  Monroe,  who  lived 
where  Noah  Murdough  now  resides ;  Oliver  Wheeler,  John  Hart- 
well,  whose  farms  are  now  deserted ;  Simon  Hartwell,  who  cleared 
the  homestead  where  James  M.  Ray  now  lives ;  Daniel  and  Eben 
Flint,  both  places  now  owned  by  Thomas  Devoy,  who  lives  upon 
the  former  homestead;  William  Simons,  the  land  now  owned  by 
James  M.  Ray. 

Thaddeus  Monroe  and  the  Hartwell  brothers  were  known 
as  the  redemptioners,  men  whom  the  British  government  had 
seized  and  bound  out  until  certain  sums  of  money  had  been  paid' 
for  their  freedom.  The  seizure  of  such  men  by  the  government 
was  usually  for  service  in  the  army  or  navy,  generally  the  latter. 

In  this  historic  section  of  the  town  live  to-day  Mark  Mur- 
dough, Noah  Murdough,  Clifford  Murdough,  James  M.  Ray,  Fred 
Hearty,  Thomas  Devoy,  all  descendants  of  old  families  except  the 
two  last  named. 

Bible  Hill. 

The  first  settlers  to  be  located  in  this  section  of  the  town, 
then  known  as  West  Hill,  were  Alexander  Turner  and  James 


464  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Maxfield.  This  was  in  the  days  of  Old  Number  Seven.  When 
the  Second  Settlement  was  undertaken  the  lot  of  the  pioneer, 
Daniel  McMurphy,  lay  in  this  vicinity.  Hither  came  others 
of  this  period,  Capt.  Samuel  Bradford,  who  opened  the  first 
tavern  in  town,  and  Dea.  Joseph  Symonds,  the  pioneer  of  religious 
activity  in  the  new  township.  From  the  fact  that  here  was  to  be 
found  a  copy  of  the  Good  Book,  the  locality  was  named  Bible 
Hill.  This  district  is  said  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  church  which 
was  finally  established  at  the  Centre. 

In  the  dark  and  tangled  forest, 

Where  Passaconnaway's  feet  had  trod, 
Stalwart  men  and  loyal  women 
Met  of  old  to  worship  God. 

From  a  single  battered  volume 

Sought  the  Heavenly  Father's  will, 
And  they  called  the  place  of  meeting, 
Reverently,  "Bible  Hill." 

Homely  was  the  garb  that  covered 
Many  a  fair  and  graceful  form ; 

Homely  dwellings  often  sheltered 

Hardy  dwellers  from  the  storm. 

While  the  prowling  wolf  was  howling, 
And  the  panther's  cry  was  shrill, 

Hymns  and  praises  were  ascending 
To  the  throne  from  Bible  Hill. 

Albert  Greenwood. 

It  was  for  a  period  the  most  noted  section  in  the  town,  and 
was  considered  to  have  included  in  the  territory  the  half-dozen 
farms  on  the  road  from  West  Deering  running  north  and  south 
over  a  beautiful  ridge  of  land  a  little  over  a  mile  west-north-west 
of  Bridge  Village. 

Lower  Village. 

Situated  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Bridge  Village 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  The  Centre  due  southwest,  is 
the  pretty  little  hamlet  known  as  Lower  Village  at  one  time  bid- 
ding fair  to  be  the  leading  industrial  section  of  the  town.     This 


o 

I— I 
CO 

< 

s 

w 

I— I 


p 

I— I 
GO 

Ah 


w 
a 


ft 


O 


LOWER  VILLAGE.  465 

designation  was  given  it  to  distinguish  it  from  the  hamlet  two 
miles  above  on  the  same  road  and  called  "The  Upper  Village." 

Lower  Village  stands  on  a  gentle  swell  of  land  on  both  sides 
of  the  old  turnpike,  and  in  good  old  stage  coach  days  was  a 
lively  place.  There  were  then  two  taverns  in  flourishing  condi- 
tion, one  store,  an  academy,  a  lawyer's  office,  post-office  and  about 
twenty  occupied  dwellings. 

At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  village,  and  commanding 
a  fine  view  of  the  street,  was  the  magnificent  residence  of  Gov- 
ernor Benjamin  Pierce,  one  of  the  town's  most  active,  able  and 
respected  citizens,  and  the  home  of  his  illustrious  son,  President 
Franklin  Pierce.  This  elegant  piece  of  property  after  the  death 
of  Governor  Pierce  became  the  homestead  of  General  John  Mc- 
Niel,  his  son-in-law,  and  passed  from  him  into  the  possession  of 
Judge  Chandler  E.  Potter,  who  married  a  daughter  of  General 
McNiel.  Judge  Andrews,  Charles  Wilkins  and  Mrs.  Katie  Curtis 
have  been  more  recent  occupants. 

In  August,  1917,  Mr.  Frank  P.  Carpenter  of  Manchester, 
with  associate  members  of  a  committee  chosen  for  that  purpose, 
purchased  the  estate  and  proposes  to  have  the  mansion  restored 
to  its  original  appearance  and  presented  to  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire  as  a  Pierce  memorial. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  and  a  few  rods  below  stands 
the  residence  of  President  Franklin  Pierce  after  his  marriage. 
This  is  a  plain,  commodious  house  of  two  stories,  and  is  to-day 
occupied  by  Kirk  Pierce,  Esq.,  a  nephew  of  the  President,  and  his 
two  daughters.  The  house  contains  many  rare  documents, 
pictures  and  relics  of  the  original  owner.  Near  by  the  dwelling 
is  a  small  building  which  was  the  law  office  of  President  Pierce 
and  which  was  occupied  by  his  nephews  Frank  and  Kirk  Pierce, 
until  the  death  of  the  former.  To-day  the  latter  has  an  office  in 
the  Post  Office  building  at  Bridge  Village. 

A  branch  of  the  Hillsborough  River  affords  good  water 
privileges  for  this  village,  and  when  men  began  to  turn  somewhat 
from  clearing  the  forest  and  tilling  the  virgin  soil,  they  were 
attracted  hither  by  the  water  power  running  to  waste  along  this 
section  of  the  river.  Saw  mills  and  grist  mills  were  needed  first, 
to  be  followed  by  other  industries.  Among  these  were 
numbered  carriage  and  furniture  manufacturies,  a  foundry  and 


466  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

a  tannery,  all  of  which  are  described  in  the  chapter  on  local  in- 
dustries. 

Sulphur  Hill.* 

This  is  another  neighborhood  or  district,  which  at  one  period 
contained  several  of  the  noted  and  active  families  in  town.  The 
road  leading  to  this  settlement  leaves  Lower  Village  just  east  of 
the  Cook  place  and  winds  over  the  hills  into  an  unsettled  country, 
as  it  is  to-day,  though  the  numerous  cellar  holes  the  old  way 
leads  past  speak  in  eloquent,  if  silent,  language  of  a  day  when 
this  was  different.  This  was  a  farming  district,  and  after  a  short 
drive  over  the  hills  the  road  diverges  and  the  left  hand  branch 
leads  towards  North  Antrim.  A  few  rods  on  this  road,  a  little 
removed  from  the  old  highway,  is  the  site  of  the  old  Governor 
Pierce  homestead,  where  he  settled  when  he  came  to  town  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  home  he  literally  hewed  out 
of  the  wilderness.  This  was  really  the  birthplace  of  his  son, 
President  Franklin  Pierce. 

Coming  back  and  following  the  right  branch  of  the  road  up 
the  hill  we  come  into  the  neighborhood  of  some  of  Hillsborough's 
most  rugged  farmers  in  the  days  of  building  up  the  agricultural 
interests  of  the  town.  In  this  vicinity,  at  the  crest  of  the  hill, 
was  the  Enoch  Sawyer  homestead.  Among  his  neighbors  were 
David  Jones  and  others  of  this  time-honored  surname,  Alonzo 
Wilson,  Hugh  Smith,  Clark  McColley,  and  before  him  John  Gib- 
son, Asa  Goodale,  where  Simon  Perkins  has  since  lived,  John 
Houston,  Simon  Atwood  and  John  Hall.  We  are  now  on  the  Hall 
Road,  so  called,  which  comes  out  at  the  Upper  Village  near  the 
Carter  place. 

Upper  Village. 

One  mile  and  a  half  to  the  northwest  on  the  turnpike  lies 
the  "Upper  Village  of  Hillsborough,"  with  a  greater  number  of 
dwellings  than  the  Lower  Village,  there  being  twenty-two  oc- 
cupied houses,  two  stores,  a  tavern,  post-office,  and  more  or  less 
manufacturing.  This  hamlet  is  also  on  the  Hillsborough  River, 
and  has  good  mill  power,  which  is  utilized  in  the  manufacture  of 
carriages,  furniture,  and  so  forth. 


*This   name   is   said    to   have   originated     from    the    fact    that    a    certain    resident 
there    bought    so   much   sulphur   to    cure   the   itch. — Author. 


hillsborough  largest  village.  467 

Bridge  Village. 

The  largest  and  most  picturesque  of  the  four  villages  com- 
prising the  bulk  of  the  inhabitants  of  Hillsborough  and  the 
greater  percentage  of  its  industries  is  the  thriving  hamlet  built 
upon  both  banks  of  the  Contoocook  River  in  the  extreme  south- 
east corner  of  the  town.  The  secret  of  the  growth  and  activity 
of  this  section  lies  in  its  water  privileges.  Here  came  the  first 
settler  in  colonial  days,  James  McCalley  and  his  wife,  pitching 
their  tent  the  first  night  in  the  wilderness  here  in  nearly  the  hearti 
of  the  present  hamlet.  The  principal  portion  of  the  village  is 
built  upon  two  eminences  of  land  rising  abruptly  from  the  river 
between  sixty  to  seventy-five  feet. 

This  village  is  near  the  northern  line  of  Deering  and  on  the 
railroad  between  Concord,  Contoocook  and  Peterborough  and 
other  places  to  the  south.  It  is  three  miles  southeast  of  the 
Centre  Village,  and  two  miles  nearly  east  of  the  Lower  Village. 

The  Contoocook  in  pursuing  its  tortuous  course  plunges 
down  two  series  of  rapids  or  falls.  The  river  near  the  lower 
descent  is  contracted  by  its  stone  boundaries  so  it  is  spanned  by  a 
bridge  of  a  single  arch.  Here  the  water  of  the  stream  when 
swollen  by  spring  rains  or  summer  freshets,  becomes  a  mass  of 
swirling  waters  of  tempestuous  appearance. 

There  are  several  excellent  sites  for  mills,  and  the  early 
comers  were  quick  to  improve  the  advantage  by  erecting  a  saw 
mill  here  as  early  as  1738,  the  first  mill  on  the  Contoocook. 

It  must  have  been  early  in  the  progress  of  settlement  that 
this  locality  was  destined  to  become  the  business  corner  of  the 
town,  and  so  as  these  advantages  were  improved  the  number  of 
dwellings  and  business  blocks  increased,  until  it  was  prophesied 
by  one  of  its  historians  that  Hillsborough  might  rival  some  of 
the  cities  on  the  Merrimack. 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Smith,  in  his  excellent  monograph  of  the 
town,  which  was  written  in  1841,  says:  "There  are  fifty-six 
dwelling  houses,  two  churches,  three  stores,  two  hotels,  two  cotton 
factories,  two  grist  mills,  two  saw  mills,  two  stores,  one  trip- 
hammer and  axe  manufactory,  one  lawyer,  one  physician,  a  post- 
office,  &c.    Many  of  the  dwellings  are  handsome,  especially  those 


468  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  recent  construction  and  a  number  of  them  exhibit  much  neat- 
ness and  taste  in  their  architecture,  yet  the  beauty  of  the  village 
is  considerably  diminished  by  the  irregularity  in  the  arrangement 
of  its  buildings  and  the  narrowness  of  its  streets." 

There  is  no  better  retrospective  view  of  this  thriving  village 
and  surroundings  than  that  obtained  through  the  vision  of  one 
who  was  born  in  this  vicinity,  Dr.  J.  Putnam  Whittemore,  who 
was  a  part  of  its  activities  in  1830-1840.  After  conjecturing 
between  the  rugged  virtues  and  stalwart  manhood  and  woman- 
hood of  that  period  and  the  then  present  (1870)  he  says : 

"We  will  suppose  ourselves  standing  upon  the  old  wooden 
bridge  which  spanned  the  river  at  or  near  the  site  of  the  present 
one  looking  up  the  hill  towards  the  north.  The  bridge,  which  was 
of  wooden  structure  throughout,  was  of  antique  pattern  and 
venerable  with  age.  It  was  built  and  mostly  used  for  the  purpose 
of  facilitating  trade  from  one  side  of  the  stream  to  the  other,  but 
upon  its  removal  about  this  time  it  was  found  to  have  been  used 
for  banking  purposes,  its  abutments  and  recesses  for  vaults  and 
private  offices.  For  some  unknown  reasons  these  officers  upon 
vacating  the  premises  left  a  large  amount  of  bills  and  money 
ready  for  circulation  behind,  which  they  never  called  for.  At 
the  north  end  of  the  structure  on  the  right  is  a  two-story  wooden 
building,  100  feet  long  by  25  feet  wide,  designed  for  a  factory 
but  as  yet  only  partially  occupied. 

"In  front  of  this,  across  the  road,  is  a  large,  unfinished  house 
erected  for  a  boarding  house,  and  at  present  occupied  by  George 
Little,  Esq.,  and  is  known  as  the  Little  house  in  the  future.  On 
the  top  of  the  hill,  to  the  right  of  the  square  is  an  upright  house) 
occupied  by  Captain  Benjamin  Bradford.  This  was  burned 
about  (1816)  ?  I  think  another  one  was  soon  erected  which  was 
the  centre  piece  of  the  late  American  House.  Across  the  Hen- 
niker  road  stood  the  Taggard  store,  late  the  apothecary  shop  and 
now  millinery. 

"Up  the  road  north  was  the  farm  and  dwelling  house  of 
Lieutenant  Taggart.  A  little  farther  north  was  the  farm  house 
and  blacksmith  shop  of  Deacon  Jacob  Spaulding.  Again  a  little 
farther  up  was  an  antique  and  dilapidated  structure  where  Uncle 


BRIDGE  VILLAGE,  IN  184O.  469 

Bill  Johnson  lived.  Herbert  Kimball  now  occupies  the  place 
which  is  in  a  much  improved  state.  Returning  to  the  square  we 
find  on  the  corner  to  the  right  the  dwelling  house  of  the  late 
James  Butler,  Esq.  Up  the  River  road  a  few  rods  was  the  house 
of  Captain  Seth  Holden,  the  most  pretending  one  in  the  village, 
now  Mr.  Town's.  A  little  farther  up  is  the  two-story  house  of 
Jonathan  Fulton,  now  Esquire  Campbell's,  with  a  store  in  one 
end  of  it.  Nearly  opposite  is  the  cottage  home  of  Mr.  Mattoon. 
A  little  way  above  this  is  the  saw  and  grist  mill  of  William  Rum- 
rill,  Esq.,  recently  built. 

"On  our  way  to  the  square  again  we  pass  a  one-story  house 
near  the  hay  scales,  built  for  or  made  into  a  bakery  by  Captain 
Zebediah  Shattuck.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  at  our  right  as  we 
approach  the  square  is  a  large  unfinished  wooden  building  in- 
tended for  a  dwelling  house.  In  the  only  finished  room  upon  the 
ground  floor  dwells  a  Mr.  Hoyt  and  family.  In  a  small  room 
above  finished  for  the  purpose  Mr.  Hoyt  and  son  transact  the 
shoe  business.  Here  the  writer  remembers  having  his  shoe  work 
done,  and  recollects  going  there  with  a  pair  of  boot  legs  to  have 
them  transformed  into  a  pair  of  summer  shoes,  and  as  distinctly 
remembers  going  a  week  later  for  the  finished  articles,  but  will 
not  attempt  to  describe  his  thoughts  and  feelings  as  he  walked 
out  of  the  village  toward  home  with  his  new  shoes  on. 

"On  the  knoll,  a  few  rods  below  the  Taggard  store,  stood  a 
cottage  house  occupied  by  Samuel  Taggard,  Esq. ;  a  few  rods 
below  this  was  the  village  school  house.  It  was  then  of  modern 
aspect,  not  clapboarded  or  painted,  with  a  large  fireplace,  two 
rows  of  seats  which  reached  across  the  house  and  covered  about 
two-thirds  of  the  floor.  This  was  the  only  public  institution  in 
the  place,  and  meagre  and  small  as  it  might  now  seem  to  some 
of  the  young  academicians  and  collegiates  it  had  really  some  able 
scholars,  not  a  few  men  and  women  of  mark  and  character, 
merchants,  mechanics,  lawyers,  clergymen,  doctors,  teachers  and 
legislators.  And  if  they  have  not  graduated  here  with  as  much 
of  Greek  and  Latin,  in  heir  heads,  they  may  have  had  that  which 
was  practically  as  useful,  a  good  sense  of  propriety  and  self- 
reliance,  weapons  of  good,  practical  value  in  the  warfare  of  life. 


4/0  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

"In  the  rear  of  the  American  House  stood  the  residence  of 
Dr.  Luther  Smith.  These,  I  think,  are  all  or,  nearly  all  of  the 
buildings  or  dwellings  that  stood  in  the  village.  In  these  build- 
ings, or  closely  connected  therewith,  were  two  or  three  shops  or 
stores  and  perhaps  a  tavern,  though  of  that  I  am  not  certain. 
And  these  several  places  constitute  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  chief 
places  of  interest,  if  we  accept  a  great  rock  or  bowlder  on  the 
left  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  behind  the  Hoyt  house  before 
mentioned.  (It  was  near  this  rock  the  well  described  in  another 
chapter  was  dug,  and  this  was  undoubtedly  the  rendezvous  where 
Kenewa  at  the  head  of  his  Lost  Legion,  perished  in  battle  as 
described  in  Chapter  II.) 

"Of  the  stores  of  that  day,  if  not  imposing  with  huge  stocks 
of  goods  bought  upon  credit,  they  were  adapted  to  the  tastes  and 
capacity  of  the  day.  Their  trade  was  not  small,  nor  as  restricted 
as  might  appear  at  first  thought.  They  commanded  the  business 
of  the  surrounding  districts  of  farms,  while  there  was  no  Man- 
chester, Nashua,  Concord,  or  Lawrence  to  draw  their  trade  away, 
nor  had  Francestown  yet  dawned  into  mercantile  existence. 

"The  merchants  of  that  day  were  shrewd,  keen  at  trade,  but 
honest  and  sincere  as  the  world  moves.  The  same  might  be 
truthfully  said  of  their  customers,  while  neither  one  party  nor 
the  other  was  unafraid  to  make  a  sharp  deal,  providing  it  did  not 
ruffle  the  even  tenor  of  their  business  integrity.  The  following 
incident  of  actual  occurence  illustrates  this  position:  A  female 
of  some  apparent  pretensions  called  upon  one  of  the  traders  with 
butter  for  sale.  She  had  four  or  five  pounds  of  fine  quality  and 
she  must,  of  course,  have  an  extra  price  for  it — at  least  i2y2 
cents  a  pound,  which  was  a  good  price  at  that  time.  The  trader 
took  the  butter  and  paid  her  price  .  It  looked  so  good  he  took  it 
to  his  own  house  for  home  consumption.  Upon  cutting  open  the 
lumps,  quite  unexpectantly,  he  found  each  one  to  contain  in  the 
centre  a  nice,  clean  little  pebble,  weighing  three  or  four  ounces ! 
These  he  carefully  saved  but  kept  his  own  counsel.  In  due  course 
of  time  the  woman  came  to  the  store  to  purchase  some  cotton 
wool  worth  seventy-five  cents  a  pound.  Upon  weighing  out  the 
cotton  wool  the  trader  added  the  stones,  and  the  customer  took 


BRIDGE  VILLAGE,  SOUTH  SIDE.  47 1 

the  parcel,  paid  for  it  and  went  her  way.  What  her  feelings 
were  upon  opening  the  bundle  is  not  known,  for  nothing  has  been 
heard  from  the  transaction  since. 

"So  far  we  have  spoken  of  the  village  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  but  now  we  are  to  cross  the  stream  and  describe  the 
south  village.  The  dam  originally  across  the  river  at  this  place  was 
but  a  few  feet  above  the  bridge,  and  the  present  one  built  some 
thirty  years  since,  occupies  nearly  the  same  spot.  It  is,  I  think, 
some  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  high,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  scene 
which  is  presented  at  the  time  of  spring  and  autumn  freshets,  by 
the  water,  as  it  rolls  in  one  vast  sheet  over  the  dam,  and  pitches 
into  the  boiling,  seething  abyss  below,  and  then  rising  and  rush- 
ing onward  and  downward  presents  a  view  which  is  not  a  feeble 
parallel  with  Niagara.  The  depth  of  the  water  under  the  bridge 
is  said  to  be  forty  feet ;  whether  this  is  owing  to  a  fissure  in  its 
rocky  bed,  the  result  of  some  geological  upheaval,  or  was  oc- 
casioned by  the  constant  wear  of  the  water,  as  it  formerly  dashed 
over  the  precipice,  now  made  greater  by  the  dam,  is  a  matter  of 
uncertainty  and  of  no  great  moment.  Soon  after  the  erection  of 
the  present  dam  the  people  were  disturbed  and  some  even  alarmed 
by  what  seemed  to  be  and  was  quaintly  styled  an  infant  earth- 
quake, or  more  like  the  rumbling  which  preceded  one.  The 
disturbance,  however,  consisted  in  the  rattling  of  the  windows 
this,  after  a  short  time  was  found  to  be  occasioned  by  the  fall  of 
water  which,  when  at  moderate  height  only  would  fall  over  the 
breast  of  the  dam,  in  so  thin  a  sheet  that  it  would  often  break 
before  it  reached  the  rocks  below,  perhaps  several  times,  and  this 
produced  such  a  constant  succession  of  light  atmospheric  shakes 
that  windows  were  effected,  and  would  rattle  and  frighten  the 
timid  for  a  mile  or  two  around  by  night  or  day,  without  regard 
to  the  feelings  or  fancy. 

"That  this  stream  was  abundantly  supplied  with  salmon  in 
primeval  days  there  is  no  doubt,  and  not  until  its  waters  were 
made  use  of  for  manufacturing  purposes,  and  the  passage  of 
these  fish  up  the  stream  obstructed  by  dams  across  it  did  they 
finallv  abandon  its  waters.  The  early  settlers  seemed  aware  of 
this  threatened  calamity,  and  when  the  original  dam  was  built  an 


4J2  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

opening  some  two  feet  in  diameter  was  left  in  it  for  the  fish  to 
pass  through,  up,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  they  accepted  the  terms  or 
used  the  privilege,  which  they  must  have  regarded  as  too  narrow 
dimensions,  or  the  fight  against  the  current  of  the  water  focused 
here  too  strong  to  combat.  Why  should  they  accept  so  narrow  a 
pike  when  they  could  roam  undisputed  in  the  unlimited,  bound- 
less waste  of  other  waters.  Should  they  choose  they  could  em- 
ploy their  own  elastic  powers  and  leap  over  all  obstacles  into 
their  free  element  above.  I  have  myself  heard  Mr.  Bennett,  who 
lived  a  mile  below,  say  that  he  had  stood  upon  this  bridge  and 
himself  seen  the  salmon  jump  over  this  dam.  And  I  have  heard 
Major  Riley,  who  lived  in  a  cabin  at  the  foot  of  Cork  Mountain, 
and  was  the  son  of  Philip  Riley,  who  commenced  a  settlement 
before  the  French  and  Indian  wars  on  the  homestead  of  the  late 
Jacob  Whittemore  of  Antrim,  now  the  residence  of  Captain  Reed 
P.  White,  say  that  he  could  recollect  that  when  a  boy  he  had 
known  a  half  barrel  of  salmon  to  be  taken  in  half  a  day  between 
his  father's  farm  and  the  junction  of  the  Contoocook  and  Hills- 
borough rivers,  now  known  as  the  "Crotch." 

"But  I  am  wandering  from  the  subject  I  had  in  mind  and 
will  return.  At  the  south  end  of  the  bridge  is  a  small,  unpreten- 
tious cottage  owned  or  occupied  by  a  Widow  Preston.  A  few  feet 
up  the  hill  and  a  little  back  is  the  dwelling  house  of  Joseph 
Alcock  later  Joseph  Phipps.  In  this  house  Mrs.  Phipps  opened  a 
millinery  store  which  was  for  years  the  emporium  of  fashion  for 
miles  around.  A  little  further  up  the  hill  is  the  residence  of 
Retire  Kimball,  a  tanner  by  trade  who  moved  into  the  village, 
soon  became  quite  popular  as  a  military  man,  and  rose  rapidlv 
to  the  Colonelency  of  the  26th  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire 
Militia.  The  Colonel  was  not  a  man  ambitious  for  place  and 
honor,  never  sought  or  courted  them,  and  only  accepted  the  situa- 
tion of  a  military  officer  because  he  was  urged  to  do  so ;  neither 
was  he  an  expert  horseman,  but  would  have  as  soon  ridden  on 
a  bull's  hide  for  a  saddle  as  on  one  of  the  gayest  McClellan 
patterns.  Should  this  article  be  read  by  anyone  who  ever  saw 
Colonel  Kimball  sitting  upon  his  horse  on  muster  day,  in  front 
of  his  regiment,  in  his  full  uniform,  methinks  they  could  draw  a 


BRIDGE   VILLAGE — CONTINUED.  473 

striking  resemblance  between  him  and  General  Grant  as  he  sat 
upon  his  horse  at  the  surrender  of  Lee,  with  one  leg  over  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle  and  both  hands  in  his  breeches  pockets  as 
described  by  Governor  Chamberlain  in  his  lecture  upon  that 
feature  of  the  war ;  each  alike  entirely  oblivious  of  their  con- 
spicuous positions,  indifferent  and  unconscious  of  every  thing 
but  their  own  weight  of  responsibility.  One  thing  only  is  lacking 
to  complete  the  analogy:  Colonel  Kimball  did  not  smoke,  while 
General  Grant  was  always  puffing  a  cigar. 

"The  house  of  Colonel  Kimball  was  the  last  one  on  this  side 
of  the  road  for  some  distance;  then  comes  Mr.  John  Eaton,  a 
little  farther  Mr.  J.  Smiley's  and  farther  still  the  residence  of 
Judge  Alcock,  a  gentleman  of  English  birth,  I  think,  and  a  man 
possessing  many  qualities  of  sterling  worth. 

"Returning  to  the  bridge  we  again  ascend  the  hill,  and  on  the 
left  near  the  top,  we  find  the  homestead,  inn  and  store  of  Timothy 
Wyman,  Esq.  Here  for  many  years  previous  was  the  centre 
of  trade,  the  only  apothecary  and  the  only  inn  of  importance  in 
the  village.  Clustered  around  this  estate  is  a  little  hamlet  of 
tenement  cottages,  all  painted  red,  with  light  doors,  all  numbered ; 
they  are  a  pattern  of  order  and  neatness  as  was  the  proprietor, 
in  his  person  and  in  his  appointments.  Squire  Wyman  was  a 
man  of  great  good  sense,  a  strong  politician,  an  acute  observer 
of  human  nature,  and  we  are  happy  to  learn  his  son,  heir  and 
successor  to  his  broad  acres,  wears  his  mantle  worthily  and 
gracefully. 

"Going  back  to  the  square  as  we  go  down  the  Henniker  road 
we  pass  on  the  left  the  oldest  if  not  the  first  mill  in  the  place.  On 
the  right  is  the  tannery  of  Colonel  Kimball  already  mentioned. 
We  find  no  more  buildings  for  half  a  mile,  and  then  comes  Uncle 
Peter  Codman's  on  the  right.  Farther  on  at  the  left  is  the  home 
of  Mr.  Daniel  Bennett,  one  of  the  oldest  and  firmest  men  in  town 
Ascend  the  hill  and  we  come  to  the  home  and  estate  of  Father 
Howlett,  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Methodist  Church,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  most  tasty  and  successful  farmers  in  this  region.  He 
raised  the  most  and  best  wheat  and  corn,  had  the  spryest  and 
sleekest  horses,  the  best  stock,  the  largest  hogs  in  the  place.    Mrs. 


474  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Howlett  made  excellent  butter  and  cheese,  all  of  which  was  sold 
for  the  highest  prices  the  market  affords." 

There  was  a  saw  and  gristmill  at  Bridge  Village  as  early 
as  1769  for  it  is  recorded  that  the  first  framed  house  built  in 
Antrim  (1769)  was  constructed  from  trees  felled  near  the  Falls 
and  sawed  into  boards  and  planks  by  the  mill  standing  here.  The 
lumber  was  drawn  on  sleds  over  the  ice  of  the  frozen  river. 

As  late  as  1782  there  was  no  road  between  Deering  and 
Henniker  except  that  passing  through  the  corner  of  Hillsborough 
known  as  Falls  Village.  At  that  time  it  was  made  up  mostly  of 
the  farms  of  Taggards,  Thorps  and  Bradfords. 

Business  Situation. 

To-day  the  following  rough  sketch  briefly  describes  the 
situation. 

Including  the  business  section  of  the  village,  and  starting  at 
Colby  block  on  the  brink  of  the  hill,  Main  Street,  and  going  east, 
the  first  store  was  occupied  by  H.  J.  &  E.  C.  Gage  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  is  now  known  as  "The  Red  Front,"  general  gro- 
ceries, by  Atlantic  and  Pacific  store ;  the  other  half  is  occupied 
by  W.  E.  Newman,  plumber,  who  succeeded  Henry  Colby  twenty- 
five  years  ago.  On  the  second  floor  is  the  Manahan  studio  and 
hall  of  the  Spiritualist  society. 

The  next  building,  which  was  once  the  home  of  the  old 
National  Bank,  has  known  frequent  changes  in  occupants  during 
the  past  twenty  years,  including  shoe  repairing  shops,  Ennis 
harness  shop  and  other  lines,  and  is  now  headquarters  of  Hills- 
borough Dairy  Company,  milk  business.  Upstairs  were  the  offices 
of  Brooks  K.  Webber  and  James  F.  Briggs.  Next  comes  the 
Valley  Hotel,  mention  of  which  is  made  in  another  chapter,  but 
in  this  building  Frank  G.  Rumrill  has  had  a  barber's  shop  for 
some  years.  Chestley  Favor  conducts  a  barber's  shop  in  the 
old  Marcy  building.  This  is  in  the  Marcy  block,  where  Charles 
Sleeper  has  a  clothing  store,  while  in  the  basement  facing  on 
Bridge  Street,  George  W.  Boynton  has  a  grocery  store.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  this  street  and  a  little  removed  from  Main  Street 
Proctor  has  a  bakery  and  across  the  river,  Mosley  and  Son, 
a   grocery   store.      Coming  back   to    Main   Street    Miss   Dickey 


BRIDGE  VILLAGE,  I92O.  475 

has  a  corset  store  on  the  corner  in  the  Whittemore  block ;  then 
Cook's  restaurant,  and  next  comes  Moxley's  drug  store.  Upstairs 
in  the  same  block  Dr.  S.  O.  Bowers  has  a  dentistry. 

The  Post  Office  building  fronts  the  square,  where  the  mail 
station  has  been  since  early  in  the  80s.  Besides  this  business  the 
Farrar  Sisters  kept  a  millinery  store  for  several  years  but  it  is 
now  occupied  by  Robertson's  restaurant.  On  the  second  floor 
Kirk  D.  Pierce  has  a  law  office.  John  W.  Bradshaw  occupies 
the  next  place,  a  harness  shop.  Lovering  house  comes  next 
and  then  Dreamland  theatre  managed  by  Everett  Bean.  J.  B. 
Tasker  has  a  clothing  store  in  the  Baker  Block.  Stillman  Baker 
now  occupies  the  opposite  store  in  the  furniture  business.  On 
the  second  floor,  Baker's  block,  Dr.  Elgin  Bowers,  dentist,  has 
his  office.    In  the  basement  are  the  town  offices  and  vault. 

Situated  at  the  fork  of  Depot  and  Henniker  streets,  and 
facing  the  square  is  Halladay's  sporting  goods  store.  Beginning 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  is  the  office  of  the  Hillsborough 
Messenger,  published  by  Joseph  W.  Chadwick.  The  next  building 
is  the  Methodist  church,  and  then  comes  Child's  opera  block,  oc- 
cupied by  the  following  tenants :  Hillsboro  Dry  Goods  Co.,  Frank 
E.  Merrill's  general  store  since  1878,  Charles  F.  Butler's  news 
store,  on  the  corner  of  School  street.  On  the  second  floor  are  the 
offices  of  Holman  &  Smith,  Attorneys  at  Law.  The  town  hall  is 
in  this  building.  A  short  distance  up  the  street  is  the  building  of 
the  First  National  and  Savings  banks  in  a  brick  building. 

On  the  opposite  side  is  the  Butler  Block,  a  brick  building, 
occupied  by  Arthur  Duval,  shoe  repairer,  American  Express 
Office,  D.  E.  Gordon,  Jeweler.  Upstairs  is  the  library.  In  the 
basement  on  the  corner  is  the  Boston  Fruit  Store,  and  facing  on 
Main  Street  is  Charles  S.  Perry's  drug  store,  while  over  this  is 
the  "The"  club,  and  in  the  same  building  is  Bruce  &  Rumrill's 
Millinery  store.  Butler's  old  store  is  occupied  by  H.  G.  Yeaton's 
general  merchandise  store.  Next  is  the  antique  shop  of  Cleaves 
McAllister,  where  William  H.  Story  had  a  jewelry  store  for 
many  years,  and  town  clerk's  office. 


47^  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

A  barber's  shop  comes  next,  and  then  the  millinery  store  of 
Clara  Lovering's.  The  ground  floor  of  the  Rumrill  block  is 
occupied  by  Kimball  &  Roach,  Clothiers.  Upstairs  is  the  home 
of  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  Telephone  Office. 
Roy  Gordon  has  been  a  dealer  in  grain  in  the  old  Dutton  Block 
for  several  years ;  on  the  second  floor  Dr.  Bailey  has  an  office. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Byways  of  History. 

Changes  in  Population — Inventory  of  Hillsborough,  1919 — Pounds  and 
Pound-Keepers — The  "Hard  Winter" — Year  Without  a  Summer — 
Dark  Day — Cold  Friday — Shooting  Stars — Marriage  Ceremony — 
The  Story  of  a  Simple  Life — Anecdote — Counterfeit  Money — Items 
of  Interest — The  Big  Ash — Casualties  and  Fatalities — Fires. 

In  gathering  up  the  odds  and  ends  of  the  history  of  the  town 
one  finds  many  little  incidents  that  are  small  in  themselves  and 
yet  each  one  has  played  an  important  part  in  some  life,  reminding 
us  of  the  great  truth  that  the  big  events  is  made  up  of  small 
things,  just  as  the  universe  is  composed  of  ''little  grains  of  sand, 
little  drops  of  water."  So  the  miscellany  of  this  chapter  is  placed 
on  record. 

Population. 

The  population  of  Hillsborough  from  the  first  enumeration 
in  1766  to  the  present  time  is  given  for  intervals  in  the  following 
table,  and  as  a  comparison  adjoining  towns  are  included  in  the 
returns : 


1790 


1820 


1850 


1880 


1900 


1920 


Hillsborough 

798 

1982 

1685 

1646 

2254 

3229 

Deering 

928 

1415 

890 

674 

486 

287 

Francestown 

982 

1479 

1114 

937 

693 

385 

Antrim 

528 

1330 

1143 

1172 

1366 

1052 

Hancock 

634 

1178 

1012 

689 

642 

531 

Windsor 

120 

237 

172 

65 

38 

21 

Henniker 

1127 

1900 

1688 

1326 

1507 

1344 

Bradford 

217 

1318 

1341 

950 

805 

580 

Stoddard 

701 

1203 

1105 

553 

367 

213 

Washington 

545 

992 

1053 

682 

464 

308 

477 


47§  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  1790  Deering,  Francestown  and 
Weare,  strictly  farming  towns,  were  among  the  largest  towns  in 
this  section,  either  of  them  being  much  larger  than  Hillsborough. 
All  the  towns  gained  from  1790  to  1820,  and  that  everyone  lost 
in  population  from  that  time  until  1880,  and  since  1880  it  has  been 
only  the  manufacturing  towns  that  have  gained  while  the  others 
have  been  steadily  losing. 

The  population  of  Hillsborough  as  returned  in  October, 
1773,  was  as  follows: 

Unmarried    men,    16    to  60                  16 

Married  men,            16  to  60                  27 

Boys,   16   and  younger  34 

Men  60  years  and  over  3 

Females  unmarried  44 

Females   married  29 

Whole  number  153 

At  this  time  it  was  estimated  Henniker  had  338 ;  Hopkinton, 
943;  Peterborough,  514;  Temple,  418;  New  Boston,  410;  Wash- 
ington, 504. 

In  1756  there  were  fifty  six  persons  living  in  the  town. 
These  comprised  31  men,  27  women,  9  males  under  fourteen, 
and  10  females  under  fourteen.  At  this  time  there  were  one 
saw  mill  and  one  grain  mill  in  town.  The  first  minister  was 
settled  in  February,  1767,  the  Rev.  Solomon  Moore  of  Newton, 
Mass. 

In  1870  Hillsborough  supported  five  churches,  and  not  one 
of  them  but  what  was  well  attended.  There  were  seventeen 
school  houses,  three  post-offices,  five  hotels,  six  stores,  two  cotton 
factories,  one  woolen  factory,  two  fulling  mills,  seven  saw  mills, 
three  grist  mills,  five  tanneries,  one  starch  factory. 

The  total  annual  valuation  of  the  town  according  to  the 
assessors'  returns  was  $816,585,  which  meant  about  two-thirds 
of  its  actual  valuation,  or  a  true  valuation  of  $1,219,877.  The 
amount  of  capital  invested  in  manufactures  was  about  $55,000. 


POUNDS    AND    POUND    KEEPERS. 


479 


Inventory  of  Hillsborough,  1919. 

Horses,    285 

$35,200.00 

Oxen,   28           

3,725.00 

Cows,    342 

26,889.00 

Neat   stock,   193         

10,640.00 

Sheep,    63 

441.00 

Hogs,    3 

95.00 

Fowls, 

150.00 

Carriages  and   autos, 

52,150.00 

Portable    mills, 

3,300.00 

Wood  and  lumber, 

27,300.00 

Stock  in  trade, 

123,049.00 

Money  at   interest, 

21,334.00 

Stock  in   banks. 

50,000.00 

Mills  and  machinery, 

186,400.00 

Real   estate, 

1,098,845.00 

Total  valuation  of  the  town 

$1,639,518.00 

Valuation  off  village  precinct 

$1,147,713.00 

Valuation  outside  of  precinct 

$491,805.00 

Pounds. 

The  necessity  of  caring  for  stray  animals  seemed  to  demand 
early  action  on  the  part  of  the  town,  owing  to  the  fact  there  were 
few  fences  in  those  days.  The  clearings  were  limited  in  extent, 
too,  so  it  became  the  custom  to  a  considerable  extent  to  allow 
cattle  and  horses  to  graze  along  the  highways.  At  the  first  annual 
meeting  held  March  25,  1773,  it  was  "Voted  not  to  build  a  pound, 
but  to  make  the  Est  Lenter  of  Isaac  Andrews  Barn  be  the  pound 
for  this  year."  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1774  it  was  "Voted  to 
set  the  pound  as  Near  the  meeting  House  as  would  be  convenient : 
Voted  Elijah  Fuller  keeper  of  the  pound,  he  being  the  first 
regularly  chosen  officer  for  that  position.  In  1776  a  part  of  Cap- 
tain Bradford's  barn  was  used  for  a  pound,  which  would  indicate 
that  the  former  vote  had  not  been  carried  out. 

The  matter  of  building  a  pound,  however,  had  become  of 
such  importance  that  a  special  meeting  of  the  legal  voters  of  the 
town  was  called  for  August  12,  1778,  for  this  purpose  and  to  fill 
a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  highway  surveyor. 

"3ly  to  see  if  the  towne  will  build  the  Pound  upon  thire  one 
Labor  or  allow  the  Seelect  men  to  Duit  whan  and  whare." 


480  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Upon  this  article  it  was  "Voted  to  buld  the  Pound  by  thair 
one  Labor.  4thly  Voted  to  Set  the  Pound  at  the  Northwast 
Corner  of  Esqr  Andrews  Hupyard  the  one  Half  upon  Esqr 
Andrews  the  other  half  upon  Mr  will  Jones  and  So  the  Meeting 
Desolved." 

For  a  number  of  years  what  was  known  as  a  "night  pasture" 
was  set  apart  to  keep  stray  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs  in.  This  was 
abandoned  at  some  unknown  date. 

Pound  Keepers. 

The  list  of  pound  keepers  contains  the  names  of  some  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  town,  to  wit.:  In  1774,  Elijah  Fuller; 
1775,  Isaac  Andrews;  1776  to  1781,  Lt.  Samuel  Bradford;  others 
of  equal  note  to  1825;  to  1855,  John  Gilbert;  1856-1859,  Ben- 
jamin Priest;  i860,  Langdon  F.  Gay;  1861,  Parker  Kimball; 
1862-1863,  Henry  Andrews;  1864,  David  G.  Gould;  1865,  Ben- 
jamin Priest;  1866,  Oramel  Danforth ;  1867-1869,  James  H.  Ray; 
1870-1872,  David  B.  Gould;  1873,  James  H.  Ray;  1874,  Parker 
Kimball,  last  chosen. 

Left  to  neglect  the  pound  became  overgrown  with  bushes, 
the  wall  broken  down  and  the  place  almost  lost  to  recognition. 
Considering  it  an  object  worthy  of  preservation  as  a  relic  of  early 
days,  the  Eunice  Baldwin  Chapter  D.  A.  R.,  carefully  restored 
the  historic  spot  at  the  Centre  to  its  old  appearance ;  the  wall  was 
rebuilt,  a  new  gate  furnished,  trees  and  bushes  removed  from 
about  the  place,  making  it  very  attractive.  A  marble  slab  was 
cemented  into  the  wall  upon  a  natural  shelf  of  rock  with  the 
following  inscription : 

The  Pound  built  1774 

Elijah  Fuller 

Pound  Keeper 

Erected  by  Eunice  Baldwin 

Chapter,  D.  A.  P. 

"The  Hard  Winter." 
Frequent  mention  is  made  of  "the  old-fashioned  winter"  of 
snow  and  cold  weather,  when  "the  eaves  did  not  drop  for  thirty 
days."  It  does  seem  true  that  to  those  who  can  remember  when 
winter  snows  of  cold  weather  set  in  almost  generally  at  Thanks- 
giving week,   and   lasting   until    into   March,   a   contrast   to   the 


i  igraph  by  Manahan. 

CAPTAIN  CAKE  HOMESTEAD,  LOWER  VILLAGE 


Photograph  by  J!axaha». 


THE  OLD  POUND. 


THE  YEAR  WITHOUT  A  SUMMER.  48 1 

winters  that  we  have  now,  as  if  the  seasons  had  changed  or 
modified  in  a  marked  degree.  Then,  too,  as  a  sort  of  a  counter- 
balance to  the  rigors  of  winters,  the  summers  had  more  excessive 
heat. 

In  stronger  contrast  than  these  every  year  occurrences  were 
the  cold  seasons  that  came  now  and  then  and  afforded  ample  topic 
for  conversation  for  years  to  follow.  The  winter  of  1779-17S0 
passed  into  history  as  a  "hard  winter."  There  was  the  proverbial 
six  weeks  of  cold,  when  Boston  harbor  froze  over  so  sleighs 
could  drive  over  the  glassy  surface,  when  rivers  of  New  England 
were  ice-blocked,  and  the  snow  lay  five  feet  deep  on  the  level,  and 
many  times  that  depth  where  the  wind  had  furrowed  it  into 
drifts.  The  only  way  to  get  about  was  on  snow  shoes.  It  was 
nothing  unusual  to  find  one  of  the  log  houses  of  the  frontier  to 
look  no  more  than  a  huge  white  wart  on  the  whitened  surface  of 
the  country.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  with  many  families  the 
suffering  for  food  was  felt  severely,  and  the  firewood  had  to  be 
drawn  on  handsleds  in  cases  where  the  father  was  in  the  army  by 
the  children  or  the  overworked  mother.  It  is  related  that  at  one 
place  in  New  Hampshire  a  flock  of  nearly  one  hundred  sheep  were 
storm-bound,  to  be  dug  out  of  a  huge  snow  bank  in  the  spring  by 
their  owner,  the  few  living  having  subsisted  upon  the  wool  of 
their  dead  companions.  The  Journal  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Legislature  has  this  entry  March  8,  1780,  in  proof  of  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather: 

"Resolved  to  enable  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  the 
County  of  Hillsborough  to  take  up  and  finish  sundry  matters 
pending  at  said  Court  at  their  next  term,  the  last  term  being  lost 
by  reason  of  the  stormy  weather." 

The  members  of  the  scattered  homes  in  Hillsborough  shared 
with  others  the  hardships  of  this  trying  period. 

The  Year  Without  a  Summer. 

The  year  1816  was  known  throughout  the  United  States  as 
the  coldest  then  experienced  by  any  person  living.  January  and 
February  were  mild,  and  March  was  not  severe,  but  the  first  of 
May  there  was  a  temperature  like  the  first  of  winter,  with  plenty 
of  snow  and  ice.    Ice  formed  on  ponds  and  rivers  to  the  thickness 


482  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

of  half  an  inch,  and  of  course  corn  and  other  crops  were  killed. 
Birds  were  frozen  to  death  and  the  last  day  of  the  month  all 
vegetation  had  been  killed  by  the  cold.  In  June  crops  were  re- 
planted to  be  killed  by  the  frost;  and  another  attempt  was 
equally  as  vain.  In  fact  nothing  susceptible  to  the  cold  would 
grow.  A  snow  storm  on  June  1  covered  Stow  Mountain  with  a 
mantle  as  deep  almost  as  in  winter.  This  gradually  melted  away 
in  the  exposed  places  but  on  the  16th  the  temperature  fell  below 
zero,  and  then  moderated  on  the  17th,  when  a  terrific  snow  storm 
set  in,  the  wind  piling  the  white  fluffy  mass  in  deep  drifts  at 
places. 

Some  of  the  farmers  had  turned  their  stock  out  to  pasture, 
but  the  great  change  in  the  weather  made  some  of  them  anxious 
for  the  safety  of  the  young  cattle.  A  Mr.  Starling,  living  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  started  out  to  drive  his  flock  in,  but  the 
storm  raged  so  bitter  that  he  lost  his  way  and  wandered  in  the 
woods  all  the  afternoon  and  evening  unable  to  do  more  than  to 
keep  from  freezing.  It  was  not  until  daylight  the  following 
morning,  more  dead  than  alive,  he  reached  his  home  to  find  a 
searching  party  about  to  start  to  look  for  him. 

July  came  in  with  snow  and  ice,  killing  the  last  planting  of 
corn  and  eliminating  the  last  hope  of  the  farmers.  Then  August 
followed,  if  possible,  in  worse  form  than  the  preceding  months. 
The  only  corn  raised  in  town,  and  this  small  and  poorly  ripened, 
grew  on  sunny  hillsides  and  was  protected  from  the  inclemency 
of  the  season  by  forest.  Fish  and  game  were  the  principal  food 
of  the  inhabitants. 

The  Dark  Day. 

May  19,  1780,  dawned  with  usual  brightness,  but  before  ten 
o'clock  a  peculiar  darkness  began  to  close  down  upon  the  earth, 
and  deepened  until  it  became  so  intense  that  a  person  could  not 
distinguish  an  object  any  distance.  The  birds  sang  their  evening 
songs  and  flew  to  their  nests  in  the  woods ;  the  domestic  fowl 
hurried  to  tiheir  roosts ;  the  cattle  in  the  clearings  made  a  rush  for 
their  stalls,  while  the  sheep  huddling  together  made  piteous  bleat- 
ings.  Women  and  children,  and  men,  too,  were  frightened,  many 
believing  the  end  of  the  world  had  come.    A  local  physician  made 


INCLEMENT  WEATHER.  483 

quite  extended  inquiries  to  learn  that  the  greatest  darkness 
prevailed  in  western  Maine,  in  southern  New  Hampshire  and 
northern  Massachusetts.  It  extended  westward  into  New  York 
state,  but  in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  it  was  not  so  deep.  ItJ 
will  thus  be  seen  that  Hillsborough  was  in  the  belt  of  the  extreme 
darkness,  and  as  long  as  the  inhabitants  lived  they  never  forgot 
that  day  of  1780. 

The  Yellow  Day. 
While  differing  in  some  phases  from  the  Dark  Day  of  1780 
the  Yellow  Day  of  1888  was  almost  as  memorable.  The  extra- 
ordinary appearance  of  the  sky,  the  deepening  yellowish  haze 
which  overspread  the  earth  was  unlike  anything  in  the  memory 
of  the  oldest  person.  At  first  it  was  thought  to  portend  a  storm 
of  unusual  violence,  but  as  the  day  wore  on  this  fear  vanished,  but 
generally  work  was  suspended.  In  Hillsborough  most  of  the 
schools  were  closed,  and  lamps  were  lighted  in  the  homes.  The 
birds  flew  low  and  the  insects  sounded  their  evening  notes.  The 
atmosphere  had  a  yellowish  tint,  at  times  more  dense  than  others, 
as  if  a  great  smoke  cloud  was  rolling  overhead.  The  following 
day  was  as  clear  as  usual. 

Cold  Friday. 
"Cold  Friday,"  January  19,  1810,  was  a  memorable  day  in 
the  history  of  Hillsborough,  when  the  entire  town  was  locked  in 
the  frozen  arms  of  winter.  Wednesday  and  Thursday  preceding 
had  been  excessively  cold,  but  the  temperature  reached  its  lowest 
point  on  Friday.  There  was  no  snow  on  the  ground,  in  fact  no 
snow  fell  that  winter  until  the  20th  of  February,  but  a  biting  wind 
swept  over  the  frost  bound  earth  making  it  seem  even  colder  than 
it  might  had  a  deep  snow  covered  the  ground.  The  cold  was 
so  intense  that  several  persons  perished  though  the  records  do 
not  show  that  any  died  in  town.  The  severity  of  temperature  ex- 
tended all  over  New  England,  and  passed  into  history  as  "Cold 
Friday,"  with  a  record  that  has  not  been  broken  or  even  rivaled 
since. 

An  October  Snowstorm. 
October  7,  1804,  a  sudden  change  in  the  temperature  was 
followed  by  a   fall  of   snow   in  town   of   over  a   foot.     Little 


484  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

harvesting  had  been  done,  so  the  greater  part  of  the  potato  crop 
and  much  of  the  corn  was  covered  by  snow.  Winter  did  not  set 
in  immediately,  the  snow  melted  away  slowly,  but  in  secluded 
places  where  the  sunlight  did  not  penetrate  it  remained  until 
spring.  Acres  of  potatoes  in  town  were  not  dug  until  the  plow 
turner  them  out  the  next  spring.  Most  of  the  apples  were  so 
chilled  that  they  perished  early  in  the  winter. 

Shooting  Stars. 

On  November  13,  1833,  occurred  the  "night  of  shooting 
stars,"  as  a  certain  display  of  the  lights  of  the  heaven  were 
denominated.  In  the  early  morning  there  was  a  meteorical  event 
that  both  interested  and  startled  the  beholders,  some  of  whom 
anticipated  the  end  of  the  world  was  near. 

Marriage  Ceremony. 

The  marriage  ceremony  was  usually  performed  at  the  house 
of  some  celergyman,  after  which  the  newly  married  couple 
mounted  upon  horse  and  rode  away  to  their  new  home,  to  begin 
life  anew  without  further  ado.  Frequetly,  among  the  Scotch- 
Irish  people,  as  they  rode  along  they  were  saluted  from  the  dwell- 
ings of  their  friends  by  the  firing  of  muskets.  At  their  home  they 
would  be  met  by  a  party  of  their  friends,  who  had  prepared  a 
sumptuous  repast  and  the  evening  would  be  passed  amid  the 
scenes  of  festivities. 

The  Story  of  a  Simple  Life. 

The  following  simple  recital  found  among  the  papers  of  the 
late  Dr.  Goodell  seems  too  good  to  be  consigned  to  the  waste 
basket,  so  it  is  given  place  here  in  the  words  of  the  narrator, 
whose  identity  is  unknown  to  me. 

Hannah  Hackett  died  January  14,  1868,  aged  ninety-eight  years. 
"Asleep  in  Jesus."  This  simple  inscription  upon  a  modest  stone, 
erected  by  a  friend  in  the  cemetery  upon  the  Turnpike,  marks  the 
resting-place  of  one  of  whose  early  history  but  little  is  known,  except 
by  tradition.  She  is  said  to  have  been  of  Portuguese  descent,  her  father 
supposed  to  have  been  an  officer  in  the  Navy  of  that  country. 

She  was  brought  to  this  town  from  Portsmouth  when  a  mere 
child  by  Thomas  Murdough,  who  commenced  the  settlement  of  the 
present  town  farm  and  was  brought  up  in  his  family.  She  repaid  the 
care  and  protection  given  her  in  childhood  by  tenderly  nursing  Mrs 
and  Mrs.  Murdough  in  their  declining  years. 


ANECDOTE.  485 

She  acquired  so  good  a  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  education 
that  she  used  to  keep  school  and  also  engaged  in  trade  in  a  small  way 
in  Windsor,  where  she  kept  for  sale  a  few  groceries  and  small  wares. 
Also  the  universal  New  England  beverage,  New  England  rum.  The 
writer  has  heard  many  old  people  speak  in  high  terms  of  the  delicious 
aroma  of  the  toddy  she  mixed. 

By  industry  and  economy,  she  accumulated  a  small  sum  of  money 
and  afterward  bought  the  law  office  built  by  Esquire  McFarland  at  the 
Upper  Village,  where  she  made  her  residence  for  many  years.  She 
was  extremely  indignant  that  "a  poor  old  woman  should  be  taxed,"  and 
used  to  appear  upon  the  highway  with  her  hoe  in  hand  and  insist  upon 
her  right  "to  work  out  her  highway  tax  as  others  did."  When  from 
age  she  became  incapacitated  for  work,  she  used  to  visit  for  weeks  at 
a  time  among  the  descendants  of  the  families  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town  where  her  active  life  was  spent.  Finally,  when  too  feeble  to  do 
this,  she  surrendered  the  remnant  of  her  fortune  to  the  town  farm 
where  she  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  Mrs.  David  B.  Gould  who  was 
then  matron.  She  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life  upon  the  very  spot 
where  she  was  reared,  her  mind  was  clear  and  active,  she  was  quick 
at  repartee  and  replete  with  reminiscence.  When  she  told  a  story  her 
small  black  eyes  would  sparkle  and  her  quiet  chuckle  of  a  laugh  was 
infectious.  How  many  times  when  a  boy  have  I  teased  the  old  lady 
to  tell  the  story  of  the  bear  which  was  as  follows :  When  Mr.  Mur- 
dough  first  came  to  town  he  was  obliged  to  pasture  his  cow  in  summer 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry  Andrews  and  Mrs.  Murdough  used 
to  go  daily,  by  marked  trees,  to  milk.  She  was  accustomed  to  take  the 
child  then  not  more  than  six  years  old  with  her  and  used,  some  times, 
to  leave  her  on  the  way  to  pick  berries.  On  one  occasion  a  large 
black  bear  came  out  of  the  woods  and  reared  himself  upon  his  hind 
legs.  Hannah  was  too  frightened  to  run  but  caught  off  her  old 
calico  sun-bonnet  and  swinging  it  in  the  air  began  to  scream  for  help 
which  so  frightened  the  bear  that  he  took  to  the  woods  again. 

She  was  a  Christian  woman  and  never  married.    Rest  to  her  ashes. 

Anecdote. 
A  certain  trader  at  the  Lower  Village  in  the  halcyon  days 
of  the  country  store  kept  his  account  on  a  door,  and  as  soon  as 
they  were  settled,  erased  them.  His  good  wife  in  cleaning  up  the 
store,  made  a  hasty  day  of  settlement  by  washing  out  the  whole1 
record,  without  dreaming  of  the  mischief  in  this  style  of  book- 
keeping she  might  be  the  innocent  cause.  Upon  discovering  what 
she  had  done,  her  husband,  with  a  sharp  reprimand,  began  to 


486  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

restore  the  accounts,  saying  after  he  had  labored  a  long  hour  at 
the  work : 

"Wal,  I  am  a  leetle  uncertain  about  the  names,  but  I've  got 
the  sums  big  enough,  if  I  ain't  got  the  names  right  I've  got  better 
men !" 

Counterfeit  Money. 

While  engaged  in  tearing  down  the  old  Barden  house  the 
workmen  discovered  above  the  door  and  in  the  cornice  in  rat's 
nests  what  purported  to  be  paper  money  of  the  old  state  bank 
denomination.  Upon  a  more  full  examination  they  proved  to  be 
counterfeit  two-dollar  bills.  Although  badly  mutilated  yet  enough 
could  be  distinguished  amounting  to  nearly  a  hundred  dollars. 
The  criminal  history  of  our  county  shows  that  once  men  lived 
here  who  dealt  in  the  "queer"  and  could  we  recall  the  voices  of 
the  past  they  would  explain. 

When  the  old  bridge  at  the  falls  was  torn  down  a  consider- 
able sum  of  counterfeit  money  was  found  stowed  away  in  a  niche 
in  the  wall,  while  a  room  had  been  cut  out  of  the  embankment 
that  was  evidently  used  as  a  rendezvous  for  these  outlawed 
financiers.  This  business,  if  it  can  be  called  such,  reached  a  width 
and  scope  of  action  which  involved  some  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  this  and  adjacent  towns  a  fact  that  is  attested  to  by  a  list  of 
persons  the  writer  has  been  able  to  obtain,  but  which  is  not  pub-1 
lished  for  obvious  reasons. 

Items  of  Interest. 

The  saw  mill  erected  by  Gershom  Keyes  in  1738  was  the  first 
mill  on  the  Contoocook.  It  was  of  necessity  a  rude  affair,  with  an 
up  and  down  saw,  capable  of  cutting  out  not  over  two  thousand1 
feet  a  day. 

The  first  barrel  of  flour  brought  to  town  and  placed  on  sale 
was  at  the  time  of  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Stephen  Chapin,  by 
Silas  Dutton  and  Luther  Barnes,  traders  at  the  Centre  in  June, 
1805.  The  flour  was  sold  in  small  quantities  to  families  who  had 
none  for  the  particular  occasion  near  at  hand. 

The  big  rock,  which  stood  as  a  monument  by  the  first  house 
built  in  Hillsborough  was  blasted  in  1824. 

Voted  taxpayers  shall  make  oath  to  taxable  property  in  1824. 


ITEMS  OF  INTEREST.  487 

The  elm  tree  near  Horace  Marcy's  house  was  set  by  Perkins 
Coolidge  and  William  Hartwell  in  April,  1836,  for  Captain  Ben- 
jamin Bradford. 

First  action  taken  in  regard  to  a  town  farm  by  voting  against 
such  movement,  1823. 

The  first  rock  cart  in  Hillsborough  was  built  by  Moses 
Bennett  of  Massachusetts  for  George  Nelson  in  1835. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1841  the  town  voted  that  the  select- 
men "erect  suitable  post  guides  at  all  angles  of  the  roads  in  town." 
At  the  same  meeting  it  was  voted  to  dismiss  the  article  to  cease 
ringing  the  meeting  house  bells  in  town. 

First  town  meeting  held  at  Bridge  Village  was  in  the  vestry 
of  the  Congregational  Church  March  9,  1876. 

In  the  summer  of  1883  Mr.  Edmund  Wood,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Deering  and  living  on  a  farm  four  miles  from  Bridge 
Village  near  the  Henniker  Line,  after  coming  to  this  village  to 
do  some  trading  in  the  evening  returned  to  his  home,  and  was 
found  in  his  barn  next  morning  murdered  by  an  unknown  person. 
Hillsborough  has  fortunately  been  free  from  scenes  of  murder, 
no  crime  of  this  kind  having  been  committed  within  its  territory. 

The  first  potato  bug  arrived  in  Hillsborough  on  special  train 
and  in  full  uniform  in  May,  1883,  and  he  has  remained  faithfully 
on  duty  ever  since,  a  loyal  scout. 

"Aurora,"  the  steamboat  owned  by  Walter  J.  Farrah,  and 
which  plied  for  several  seasons  on  the  Contoocook  river,  was  sold 
by  him  in  July,  1890,  to  a  man  of  Farmington  to  run  on  Lake 
Winnepesaukee. 

March  31,  1891,  the  stately  elm  that  stood  on  Bridge  street 
by  the  residence  of  John  L.  Farwell,  was  cut  down.  It  was  one 
hundred  years  old,  measured  three  feet  in  diameter  and  afforded 
three  cords  of  wood. 

August  6,  1893,  a  furious  hailstorm  passed  over  the  town 
doing  considerable  damage  to  the  crops.  Loss  estimated  to  be 
more  than  a  thousand  dollars. 

First  notice  of  direct  primary  September  6,  1910. 


488  history  of  hillsborough. 

The  Big  Ash. 
A  white  ash  standing  on  the  John  L.  Shedd  lawn  measures 
fourteen  feet  in  circumference.  From  this  site  one  can  look  into 
six  towns,  Henniker,  Deering,  New  Boston,  Francestown,  An- 
trim, and,  of  course,  Hillsborough.  The  ell  section  of  this  house 
built  in  1780,  has  been  in  the  family  for  140  years. 

Casualties  and  Fatalities. 

Accidents  do  not  make  pleasant  reading;  neither  do  wars. 
If  it  is  true  there  is  a  skeleton  in  every  closet,  a  tragedy  in  every< 
life,  certainly  no  community,  possibly  no  life,  has  escaped  its 
ills  of  flesh.  "Safety  first"  is  indeed  a  good  motto  to  place  upon 
your  street  cars ;  ay,  upon  your  cellar  door,  for  ninety-eight  per 
cent,  of  accidents  might  have  been  averted.  So,  under  the  ap- 
plication of  the  same  rule,  we  may  have  lost  many  of  the  good 
things  of  life.  Dropping  the  word  accident  which  neither  has  a 
meaning  nor  an  explanation,  we  find  there  have  been  several 
untimely  deaths  in  Hillsborough  resulting  from  falling  trees, 
drowning,  burning  to  death  and  being  killed  by  lightning. 

Among  the  fatalities  that  have  occurred  in  town  there  have 
not  been  many  if  any  that  was  a  greater  shock  to  the  community 
than  the  fatal  incident  that  happened  on  the  railroad  at  "long 
woods"  at  five  o'clock,  Tuesday,  August  19,  1884.  A  fire  had 
been  raging  in  the  forest  since  Monday  noon,  and  early  this 
morning  the  call  was  made  for  help,  and  Messrs  George  H. 
Prichard,  George  A.  Nichols  and  Frank  J.  Smith,  started  for  the 
scene  upon  a  handcar.  After  investigating  the  fire  they  started 
to  return  to  the  station  at  Bridge  Village.  They  did  not  turn  the 
car,  but  started  it  backwards  towards  their  destination,  and  upon 
reaching  the  down  grade  above  the  woolen  mills,  the  car  car- 
ried on  by  its  own  power,  Nichols  and  Smith,  who  were 
working  the  crank,  ceased  labor,  and  the  car  shot  rapidly  forward 
into  a  fog  that  lay  upon  the  track  so  dense  that  the  mills  could 
not  be  seen. 

Suddenly  the  puffing  of  an  engine  was  heard,  and  the  three 
realized  the  deadly  peril  into  which  they  were  running.  Smith 
shouted  to  his  companions  to  jump  for  their  lives,  and  attempted 


FATE   OF   JOHN    M'NIEL.  489 

to  save  Nichols,  who  was  standing  beside  him.  But  the  latter 
seemed  too  dazed  to  move,  while  the  former  sprang  out  over  the 
track  and  escaped  serious  injury.  Prichard  was  seated  in  the 
front  part  and  could  not  leave  the  car  in  season  to  save  himself. 

Engineer  Pillsbury,  upon  the  engine,  who  had  been  sent  to 
see  if  the  track  was  clear  above,  reversed  his  lever  and  brought 
the  engine  to  a  stop  within  two  rods,  but  the  handcar  kept  on  at 
its  terrific  speed  and  the  impact  was  terrible.  Nichols  was  thrown 
ten  feet  into  the  air  and  fell  into  the  river,  from  which  his  body 
was  later  brought  to  land,  but  he  was  dead.  Prichard  was  im- 
paled on  the  handcar,  receiving  fatal  injuries  about  the  head.  The 
density  of  the  air  from  the  smoke  of  the  fire  made  it  impossible 
to  see  but  a  very  few  feet  ahead,  otherwise  the  accident  might 
have  been  avoided,  or  might  not  have  been  so  fearful  in  its  results. 
Mr.  Prichard  was  about  fifty-four  years  of  age,  and  Mr.  Nichols 
about  thirty-four.    The  latter  left  a  wife  and  a  daughter. 

John  McNiel,  a  former  townsman,  met  his  death  at  Win- 
chester, Mass.,  on  the  evening  of  April  8,  1885,  in  crossing  the 
railroad  track,  he  was  struck  by  a  passing  express  train  and  in- 
stantly killed.  He  was  born  in  Hillsborough  in  1822,  son  of 
Solomon  McNiel.  For  years  he  lived  on  the  farm  in  Hillsbor- 
ough formerly  occupied  by  his  grandfather  and  father.  He 
studied  law  with  Hon.  Tappan  Wentworth  at  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  and  afterwards  practiced  law  in  Antrim,  New 
Hampshire.  He  represented  the  town  of  Hillsborough  in 
the  Legislature  in  1864-1865.  In  1868  he  moved  to  Concord, 
this  state,  where  he  and  his  family  resided  for  several  years,  then 
moved  to  Winchester  where  he  lived  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Fish  and  Game  League  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  several  years  ago  at  its  annual  meeting,  he  delivered 
an  address  of  such  marked  ability,  that  the  suggestions  it  con- 
tained have  been  adopted  from  that  time  by  the  fish  commis- 
sioners of  the  state.  It  was  an  address  replete  with  practical 
thoughts  and  showing  a  complete  mastery  of  the  subject.  His 
remains  rest  in  the  little  plot  of  the  family  by  the  side  of  his 
father  and  mother,  near  the  old  house  around  which  clusters  so 
many  pleasant  memories. 


49°  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

Humphrey  Jackman,  working  in  the  Contoocook  mills,  had  his 
arm  caught  in  a  picker  and  fearfully  mangled,  December  12,  1883. 
Lockjaw  ensued  and  he  died,  December  15,  1883. 

Lydia,  wife  of  Aaron  C.  Smith,  fell  into  a  fire  and  died  from 
the  effects  of  the  burns  in  1872.  Her  brother,  Abner  Codman, 
was  burned  to  death  in  his  house  in  1865. 

Manassa  Stow  was  killed  while  felling  trees  on  the  "Warren 
Spaulding  farm"  June  27,  1790. 

On  February  28,  1898,  Edward,  the  four  year  old  son  of 
James  Clark,  was  drowned  in  the  Contoocook  river  just  above  the 
Woolen  Mill  dam. 

Irving  P.,  son  of  Harrison  and  Harriet  Washburn,  born  in 
Middleboro,  Massachusetts,  was  so  terribly  gored  by  a  bull  July 
12,  1906,  that  he  died  four  days  later,  aged  about  thirty-six  years. 
He  had  lived  in  town  about  ten  years. 

Spotted  Fever. 

An  epidemic  of  "Spotted  Fever"  (Spinal  Meningitis,  as  we 
should  call  it  now)  pervaded  this  town  and  vicinity  in  1812.  It 
was  of  unusual  severity,  and  many  persons  died  from  the  disease. 
Many  of  those  who  recovered,  only  after  a  protracted  illness, 
suffered  from  its  effects  during  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Fires. 

Very  fortunately  Hillsborough  has  never  suffered  from  a 
serious  conflagration,  though  she  has  had  her  share  of  small  fires, 
each  one  of  which  meant  loss  to  some  one.  Among  these  I  have 
been  able  to  collect  the  following  list,  arranged  in  chronological! 
order: 

1822.  Buildings  of  Samuel  Lacy  burned,  the  event  being 
made  peculiarly  sad  from  the  burning  of  his  mother's  body  lying 
in  the  house  at  the  time. 

In  July,  183 1.  James  Jones  lost  a  valuable  barn  which  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  burned  to  the  ground  with  its  contents  of 
hay,  and  many  of  his  farming  tools. 

In  October,  1836.  The  extensive  smith's  shop  and  axe  manu- 
factory belonging  to  Messrs.  Peaslee  and  Whittemore,  was 
destroyed  by  fire. 


LIST  OF  FIRES.  49 1 

October  27,  1838.  At  midnight  the  spacious  house  of  George 
Nelson  was  discovered  by  Mrs.  Nelson  to  be  on  fire.  She  im- 
mediately aroused  her  husband,  who  started  at  once  to  call  their 
son,  who  slept  in  the  chamber.  After  doing  this  he  passed 
through  the  kitchen  and  opened  a  door  leading  to  the  small  back 
room  connected  with  this.  The  moment  he  did  this  a  current  of 
hot  air  and  smoke  struck  him  with  so  much  force  that  he  was 
felled  to  the  floor.  He  then  tried  to  find  his  way  to  the  entry 
door,  but  he  was  so  bewildered  that  he  soon  found  himself  in  the 
parlor.  Throwing  up  one  of  the  windows  he  dropped  out  upon 
the  ground,  more  dead  than  alive.  He  was  told  that  his  daughter 
had  escaped  and  that  his  son  was  rescuing  an  old  lady  who  was 
stopping  with  them  at  the  time.  It  was  then  discovered  that  Mrs. 
Nelson  was  missing.  He  rallied  instantly  and  started  to  find  her. 
After  stumbling  in  the  dark  until  he  was  nearly  overcome  a 
second  time,  he  found  her  lying  across  the  threshold  of  the  same 
door  he  had  opened  earlier  in  the  scene.  She  was  insensible,  hav- 
ing been  overcome  just  as  he  had  been  by  the  currents  of  hot  air 
pouring  in  from  the  adjoining  shed.  He  carried  her  in  his  arms, 
across  the  road  to  a  neighbor's  (house.  On  the  way  she  revived, 
but  she  was  so  scalded  internally  and  externally  that  neither 
medical  skill  nor  anxious  care  could  save  her  life.  She  died  on, 
the  morning  of  November  1,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  her 
last  words  being,  "Peace  be  still  with  you." 

1863,  January  12.  Greenleaf's  hotel  stable  was  burned  at 
Bridge  Village. 

This  same  year  the  house  of  Abner  Gould  was  burned  and 
he  perished  in  the  flames. 

1869,  in  March.  A  fire  catching  in  a  stable  on  Depot  street 
spread  so  the  American  House  standing  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Post  Office  building  was  burned  to  the  ground,  together  with  the 
Whittemore  block. 

1871,  May  14.     David  Johnson's  house  was  burned. 

1871,  June  13.     Joel  Temple's  barn  was  struck  by  lightning. 

1872,  December  6.    Stephen  Tuttle's  tannery  burned. 
From  1875  to  1885  the  Widow  Lawton's  house,  the  Keyes 

house  and  Edward  Jones  house  were  burned.    During  a  thunder 


492  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

shower  the  lightning  struck  the  two  barns  of  Hiram  Davis  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town  doing  considerable  damage. 

1889.  Hotel  at  Lower  Village,  owned  by  George  Butterfield, 
burned.  The  fire  started  by  the  explosion  of  a  kerosene  lamp. 
Same  summer,  fire  at  north  Branch. 

1890.  June  28.  The  foundry  and  machinery  at  the  Lower 
Village  was  burned,  caused  from  melting  metal.  The  loss  was 
$3,000.     It  was  occupied  by  Henry  Martin. 

1890,  July  28.  The  Lake  View  House,  a  summer  resort,  on 
shore  of  Loon  Pond  was  burned  that  Wednesday  night.  It  was 
owned  by  E.  C.  Hoyt  &  Son.  Only  three  boarders  were  there. 
The  fire  was  started  in  a  stable  in  the  northwest  corner,  a  wind 
blowing  smartly  made  it  burn  rapidly.  Loss :  4  horses,  2  hogs,  7 
carriages,  3  sleighs,  9  harnesses,  29  chamber  sets,  1  piano.  The 
loss  was  $8,000,  insurance,  $4,200.  The  cottage  owned  by  Mrs. 
Alonzo  Robbins  was  also  burned  with  a  loss  of  $1,000  on  the 
buildings  with  no  insurance ;  on  furniture,  $500. 

1892,  April  8.  The  barn  on  the  old  Gould  place  on  Stow/ 
Mountain  owned  by  F.  N.  Blood  was  burned  with  its  contents, 
having  caught  from  a  brush  fire  burning  in  the  vicinity.  The 
house  was  saved  with  great  effort. 

1892,  June  19.  The  old  meeting  house  burned  valued  at 
$3,000,  insurance  $1,000.  It  was  supposed  to  have  been  set  by 
an  unknown  person.  At  that  time  there  was  an  effort  being  made 
to  have  the  building,  which  was  falling  to  decay,  repaired  and 
maintained  as  a  landmark. 

1893,  January  26.  The  town  farm  buildings  were  burned, 
the  fire  originating  from  a  defective  chimney  in  the  ell.  The 
agent  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grinnell,  with  four  occupants, 
Edward  Kendall,  Frank  Burtt,  Joseph  Ferry  and  Lucinda  Fran- 
cis barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  The  house  had  been  repaired 
three  years  before.    Stock  and  hay  were  sold,  January  30,  1893. 

1893,  August  25.  During  a  terrific  thunder  storm,  the  fine 
barn  of  Mrs.  Emma  Lock  on  the  Alvah  Merrill  farm  was  struck 
by  lightning  and  the  building  with  its  contents,  hay  and  crops, 
was  burned. 


LIST    OF    FIRES CONTINUED.  403 

1893,  December  14.  The  unoccupied  house  of  Herbert  Flan- 
ders was  burned. 

1897,  October  14.  The  dwelling  house  of  Robert  G.  Crooker 
was  discovered  to  be  on  fire  by  two  little  girls,  and  they  im- 
mediately gave  the  alarm.  Through  the  prompt  response  of 
neighbors  and  their  energetic  efforts,  the  fire  was  confined  to  the 
main  house  and  ell,  so  that  an  adjoining  shed  filled  with  wood 
and  a  barn  being  built  just  beyond,  as  well  as  other  barns  across 
the  street,  were  saved.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crooker  were  away  froni 
home,  and  the  cause  of  the  fire  is  unknown.  The  loss  was  heavy, 
but  partially  covered  by  insurance. 

1898.  Dwelling  owned  by  Lyman  Densmore  was  burned 
with  a  loss  of  $200. 

1914,  August  2.  The  dwelling  owned  and  occupied  by) 
Walter  J.  Farrah  was  struck  by  lightning  and  burned. 

191 5,  August  8.  George  M.  Russell's  house  was  struck  by 
lightning. 

1916,  August  27.  The  farm  buildings  of  Fred  McClintock 
were  struck  by  lightning  and  burned. 

1918,  May  18.  The  unoccupied  dwelling  owned  by  George 
W.  Lincoln  was  burned  due  to  carelessness  of  smokers.  The  loss 
amounted  to  $5000  partially  covered  by  insurance. 

1918,  May  18.  The  dwelling  of  Charles  A.  Jones  was 
burned,  supposed  to  be  caused  by  carelessness  of  smokers.  It  was 
valued  at  $5,000.    $2,500  of  the  total  loss  covered  by  insurance. 

1918,  September  26.  The  dwelling  owned  and  occupied  by 
James  Witt  was  burned  caused  by  a  defective  chimney.  It  was 
valued  at  $1,000  and  the  insurance  amounted  to  $700. 

1921,  February  2.  House  of  Frank  Brockway  on  Windsor 
road,  burned  with  good  barn.  He  had  recently  sold  the  place  but 
papers  had  not  been  signed. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Recent  Wars. 

The  Spanish-American  War — Precipitated  by  the  Explosion  of  the 
Battleship  "Maine"— The  Boys  of  '98— Cutting  the  Cable  at  Cien- 
fuegos — One  of  Heroic  Deeds  of  the  War — The  World  War — A 
Glance  at  its  Horrors — Service  Lists  of  Hillsborough  Men  in  the 
Army — In  the  Navy — Conclusion. 

National  differences  had  arisen  between  Spain  and  this 
country  late  in  the  19th  century,  but  it  was  beginning  to  look  as 
if  these  might  be  adjusted  by  peaceful  arbitration,  when  a  most 
unexpected  and  terrible  disaster  happened  which  precipitated  a 
war.  The  affair  which  suddenly  ended  all  peace  talk  was  the 
destruction  of  the  battleship  "Maine"  at  rest  in  the  harbor  of 
Havana  on  the  morning  of  February  15,  1898.  It  was  believed 
at  the  time  to  have  been  the  work  of  the  Spanish,  but  it  has  sinco 
been  shown  to  have  been  an  internal  explosion  of  which  no  one 
seems  to  have  been  to  blame.  The  accident  cost  the  lives  of  264 
seamen  and  a  swift  and  bloody  war,  the  result  of  which  was 
the  surrender  of  the  Philippines  to  the  United  States,  and  jurist 
diction  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  given  to  this  country  for  a  certain 
period.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  outcome  was  beneficial  to 
Spain,  to  the  United  States  and  to  the  world.  As  ever  the  price 
paid  was  human  lives,  suffering  and  endeavor  which  has  not 
ceased  yet.  Hillsborough's  record,  as  nearly  complete  as  may  be, 
follows: 

Spanish-American  War  Veterans. 

Ash,  Moses  E.    Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers. 

Atwood,  George  E.     Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers. 

Batchelder,  John.  Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  Re- 
enlisted  in  the  Regular  army;  saw  service  in  the  Philippines. 

Chambers,  Martin.  Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  Rej 
enlisted  in  the  Regular  army,  9th  Infantry.  Saw  service  and  was 
killed  in  the  Philippines. 

Douglass,  Earl  W.     Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers. 


494 


CUTTING  THE  CABLE  AT  CTENFUEGOS.  495 

Jaques,  Feliz.     Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.     Re-enlisted  in 

Regular  army. 
Meerits,  John  W.    Enl.  in  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.    Re-enlisted 

in  Regular  army,  22nd  Infantry   (now  dead). 
Wood,  George.    Enl.  in  the  1st  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.    Re-enlisted 

in  the  Regular  army,  17th  Regiment. 

Marine. 
West,  Walter  S. 

Walter  Scott  West. 

With  its  long  line  of  military  heroes  and  leaders  belongs  the 
record  of  Walter  Scott  West,  a  young  man  from  Hillsborough 
who  enlisted  in  the  regular  U.  S.  naval  service  May  n,  1897,  just 
before  the  declaration  of  war  with  Spain.  He  had  been  in  the 
service  one  year,  and  was  one  of  the  crew  on  the  battleship 
"Marblehead,"  then  lying  off  Cienfuegos,  Cuba.  The  order  had 
come  for  a  small  party  of  regulars  to  be  dispatched  in  the  boat 
to  cut  the  cables  at  this  harbor,  and  by  so  doing  destroy  com-! 
munication  from  this  place.    One  was  killed. 

It  was  an  extremely  hazardous  undertaking,  and  only  a 
certain  number  of  picked  men  were  to  be  allowed  to  make  the 
venture,  and  these  with  a  full  realization  of  the  danger  they  were 
incurring.  Only  volunteers  were  to  be  taken.  Young  West  was 
among  these,  but  the  quota  was  filled  before  he  was  reached. 
Disappointed  he  quickly  resolved  that  he  would  be  one  of  the 
party  in  spite  of  all  opposition. 

Watching  for  his  opportunity  he  leaped  overboard  as  the 
boat  containing  his  comrades  was  putting  away  from  the  battle- 
ship. It  was  a  desperate  chance,  but  the  young  sailor  had 
weighed  all  this  and  taken  his  life  in  his  hand. 

Fortunately  he  was  a  good  swimmer,  but  he  was  nearly 
spent  with  buffeting  the  waves  before  he  was  discovered  by  the 
boat's  crew.  Here  was  an  unlooked  for  dilemma  on  the  part  of 
the  brave  adventurers  approaching  the  raking  fire  of  the  enemy. 
But  it  seemed  too  much  like  savagery  not  to  save  the  life  of  the 
swimmer  making  a  determined  effort  to  reach  them.  The  boat 
lay  to  and  the  nearly  exhausted  sailor  was  picked  up. 

The  little  craft,  with  its  brave  seamen,  now  resumed  its 
hazardous  undertaking,  and,  in  spite  of  the  deadly  hail  of  the 

Note. — Those  who  served  only  under  enlistment  of  New  Hampshire 
Volunteers  for  the  war  did  not  see  service  at  the  front  but  were 
discharged   at  Chickamauga. 


496  HISTORY  OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 

enemy,  accomplished  its  daring  purpose.  The  cable  was  cut  and 
communication  between  this  port  and  the  outside  world  ended 
for  the  time.    One  of  the  brave  little  band  lost  his  life. 

For  his  part  in  this  deed  of  valor  Mr.  West  received  a  medal 
by  vote  of  the  United  States  Congress,  "for  heroism  and  gallantry 
when  under  fire."  Nor  did  his  service  to  his  country  end  here, 
for  Seaman  West  was  engaged  in  at  least  two  further  encounters 
where  he  displayed  unusual  bravery,  and  before  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  voted  a  second  medal  for  deeds  of  valor  at  Guan- 
tanimo  and  at  Manzanillo.  He  was  also  given  a  medal  for  marks- 
manship. 

Upon  the  surrender  of  Admiral  Cevera,  in  command  of  the 
Spanish  forces  at  Santiago  on  July  3,  1898,  Walter  Scott  West 
was  among  those  delegated  to  be  keepers  over  the  illustrious 
prisoner  while  he  was  detained  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

The  World  War. 

Since  work  upon  this  history  has  been  begun  another  war 
more  terrible  and  wide-spread — a  world  war  in  truth — has  been 
thrust  upon  innocent  and  unsuspecting  peoples,  costing  many  mil- 
lions of  lives  and  the  loss  of  property  beyond  estimate,  and 
fought  to  a  conclusion.    Let  us  hope  to  the  eternal  end  of  war. 

In  this  struggle  Hillsborough  did  her  part,  bore  her  degree 
of  sacrifice,  paid  her  portion  of  the  price  in  the  sons  she  sent  to 
the  front  and  the  daughters  who  did  their  duty  at  home  and 
abroad.  This  can  be  told  in  print,  and  a  long  list  of  names  given, 
but  the  honor  of  it  all  remains  only  in  the  minds  of  its  survivors. 
In  the  years  to  come  those  who  have  read  about  the  Great  War 
will  visit  the  scenes  of  the  awful  conflict  and  in  imagination 
review  its  stupendous  cost.  But  they  may  never  know  its 
horrors.  "They  will  see  the  twisted  trees  of  Belleau  Woods  but 
they  won't  see  the  sprawling  forms  beneath  them.  They  will  see 
the  bullet  bitten  rocks,  but  they  can  never  feel  the  trembling 
horror  of  lying  in  those  crevices  while  the  German  guns  spat 
their  death  through  the  grass.  They  may  wander  through  the 
little  villages  in  the  valleys,  and  see  their  strange,  sad  windows 


yj^sM 


->•  HONOR  ROLL  <- 

1914 -WORLD  WAR~  1918 
WaLSBORO  -  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


BEAL.FRANKP. 

—  ARsiMV 

CHAPLAIN 

APPLETON  ARTHUR  C 

i   GRAY  WILLIAM   A 

ASHFORD  HARRY 

GRIMES  HARVEYJ 

1 

4 

RREN  C 

*                 EVERETT  M. 
HEAT) 

. 

i  HOYT.  HENRY  T. 

JON,  LLEWELLYN  H  JR 

JOHNSON.  ABEL  R. 

* 

CLARK   hi. 

KEMP.  LEON  E 

CLARK 

KENDALL.  ROBERT 

COB  B.JOSEPH  W  JR 

KENDALL.  SCOTT  W 

COLBURN  HAROLD  E, 

KING.  WILDER  H 

CONNOR.  LESLIE  A. 

KULBACKI  K  A 

COTA.  LOUIS  J. 

KULBACKI   LEOPOLD 

DOBLE,  HAROLD  B 

LAMBERT.  JOHN  B 

*D0UGH£RT 

LAUGHLIN.VERTNOR  L 

DOW  ARC- 

*LEGASSE.  ALBERT  J 

DRESSER. FRANK  M. 

MAC  GREGOR.ART' 

DUVAL.  ROMEO 

M'ALPINE.AVERU 

FALARDEAU  EMILJ. 

McCLINTOCK.MARK  E 

FAVOR. GEORGE  E. 

MCCORMACK  LAWRENCE  A 

1  WHITNEY  HENRY  L. 

FLANDERS  CHARLES 

M^GREEVYJOHN  J 

DBURY.  PHILIP  J 

FOSTER.  FREDERICK  W. 

MERRILL  GEORGE  H 

I  YEATON  WILLIAM  B 

GEORGE.  CECIL  A 

MERRILL.  WILLIAM  E 
FREEMAN.  GEORGE 

»         NG.GLEASONW. 

;rt  h 

cNLER.ALBAN  K 

*HICKS. LESTER 

s  STILL   WILLIAM  H. 

PYE   JOHN  E 

COH- 

\     '                                i :   ' ,'  1 

PARKER.  DONALD 

ELGA 

^-ER  FREDERICK  N 

ELGA 

GODDARD.  HOWARD 

MARC 

,  WOW  . 

MEMORIAL   TABLET. 

Given  by  George   W.   Haslet. 


SERVICE  LIST.  497 

that  look  out  across  fresh  meadows  like  staring,  blinding  eyes, 
but  they  cannot  see  the  grim  shadows  of  crime  that  lurk  in  the 
background. 

"The  horror  has  been  hallowed.  The  mystery  has  become 
picturesque ;  the  crime  turned  to  romance.  Nobody  under  God's 
great,  tranquil  skies  can  tell  of  the  rottenness  of  war  save  the  men 
who  suffered  through  it." 

Service  List. — Army. 

Appleton,  Arthur  C.    Born  in  H. ;  age  27  years ;  ent.  ser.  July  14,  1917, 

at  H.  Battles ;  Xuray,  June  16,  1918 ;  Aisne-Marne,  July  18,  1918 ; 

wounded. 
Ashford,  Harry.     Born  in   New  Brunswick;   age  26;   res.   in  H. ;   ent. 

ser.  July  27,  1918,  in  engineers  dept.  and  went  to  Quebec. 
Babkirk,  James  A.     Born  ;  enl.  in  old  state  guard,  then  Bat. 

A;  went  to  Concord,  July  25,  1917;  Bat.  D,  103rd  F.  A.;  went  to 

France  in  Dec. ;  transferred   from  priv.  to   sig.  ser.  as  telephone 

operator. 
Bailey,    Percy    H.      Born    Apr.    7,    1897,    Lancaster,    Mass.;    cred.    to 

H. ;  ent.  ser.  July  6,  1918  ;  died  of  disease  Oct.  9,  1918. 
Beal,  Bev.  Frank  Peer.    Born  in  1883  in  Boehester,  N.  Y. ;  res.  in  H. ; 

ent.  ser.  in  fall  of  1917  in  Y.  M.  C.  A. ;  sent  to  Italy,  and  later  to 

France.     (See.) 
Bemis,  Frank  O.     Born  ;  res.  in  H. ;  killed  in  action. 

Bosley,  William  Perley.     Born  Jan.  28,  1897,  in  Sharon;  ent.  Coast 

Artillery  Corp,  Jan.  8,  1918  ;  Battery  E.  Battles :  St.  Mihiel,  Sept. 

12,  1918;  Argonne  Salient,  Nov.  11,  1918;  disch.  Nov.  15,  1918. 
Bossie,  Alfred  J.     Born  in  Belmont;  age  22;  ent.  ser.  Oct.  23,  1917,  at 

Fort  Slocum,  N.  Y. ;  in  Am.  Ex.  Forces ;  entl.  to  two  gold  chevrons ; 

disch.  Dee.  6,  1918. 
Bossie,  Dennis  J.     Born  June  15,  1891,  St.  Patrick  Hill,  Can.;  res.  in 

H.    7    years ;    saw    ser.    at    Mexican   border   where    he   was   made 

Corporal ;  ent.  ser.  from  Nashua,  July  25,  1917 ;  went  to  Concord 

and   made   Sergeant  ;   killed   in   action    in   France,   July   17,   1918 ; 

family  awarded  medal  of  honor. 
Boutelle,  Forrest.     Born  in  Antrim;  age  24;  ent.  ser.  Sept.  5,  1918; 

1st  cl.  priv.,  151  Brigade ;  served  in  France ;  disch.  Nov.  15,  1918  ; 

arrived  in  U.  S.  Feb.  15,  1919. 
Boutelle,  Herman  H.     Born  in  Antrim;  age  21;  priv.  3rd  Truck  Co., 

60th  Am.  Train,  U.  S.  A. 
Boutelle,  Sumner  E.     Born  in   Antrim;   age  25;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser. 

Nov.  3,  1917;  priv.  6th  Co.  Portsmouth  of  Provisional  Battn. ;  disch. 

for  disability. 


49§  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Bruce,  Rufus  J.  Born  in  Laconia ;  age  25 ;  res.  in  H. ;  Sergt.  in  Med. 
Dept. ;  disch.  Nov.  21,  1918. 

Buttrick,  Harold  F.  Born  in  H. ;  age  21;  1st  el.  priv.  Co.  F,  108  Eng. 
Att.  Group  2  ;  disch.  Nov.  15,  1918. 

Carter,  Leslie  F. 

Chambers,  Martin  A.  Did  not  go  from  H.  but  was  b.  and  spent  early 
life  here  ;  enl.  in  2nd  Connecticut  Beg.  in  1906  and  was  with  Conn, 
troops  in  France ;  was  trained  at  Plattsburg  and  became  2nd 
Lieut,  in  U.  S.  Reserves.  Before  leaving  for  France  and  after  war 
was  declared  he  was  in  charge  of  a  company  which  took  possession 
of  one  of  the  big  German  liners  that  was  tied-up  in  Boston. 

Childs,  John  S.  Born  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  May  5,  1917,  at  Laconia;  avia- 
tion ;  2nd  Lieut. ;  disch.  Jan.  13,  1919,  at  Langley  Field,  Hampton, 
Va. 

Clark,  Raymond  W.  Born  July  25,  1896,  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  August.  1917; 
Battery  A,  102  Field  Artillery ;  overseas. 

Clark,  Wilbur  E.     Born  ;  ent.  ser.  ;  Co.  F,  103  Reg., 

Camp  Bartlett. 

Cobb,  Joseph  W.,  Jr.  Born  Sept.  29,  1897,  in  Dorchester,  Mass. ;  res. 
in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  Apr.  16,  1917,  at  Manchester;  ser.  in  Co.  F.,  103 
Inf.,  France  Battles :  Xuray,  June  16,  1918  ;  Aisne-Marne,  July  18, 
1918;  St  Mihiel,  Sept.  12,  1918;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  16  to  Nov.  11, 
1918;  disch.  Nov.  21,  1918. 

Colburn,  Harold  E.  Born  in  H. ;  age  18 ;  ent.  ser.  May  2,  1917 ;  1st  cl. 
priv.  Co.  F. ;  103  U.  S.  Inf.  Battles :  Ohemin-des-Dames,  Feb.  7,  to 
Mar.  20,  1918 ;  Toul  Sector,  Apr.  12  to  18,  1918 ;  Aisne-Marne,  July 
12  to  25,  1918;  St.  Mihiel,  Sept.  12-13,  1918;  attack  on  Rieville, 
Sept.  26,  1918;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  14,  1918,  to  Nov.  11,  1918; 
disch.  Nov.   21,   1918. 

Connor,  Leslie  A.  Born  in  Henniker;  age  25;  ent.  ser.  July  30,  1918, 
at  Milford;  Corp.  22nd  Oi'd.  Guard  Co.;  disch.  Feb.  3,  1919. 

Cota,  Louis  J.  Born  in  Lebanon;  age  21;  ent.  ser.  May  15,  1917;  priv. 
in  Battery  B,  73  Art.  Coast  Art.  Corps;  A.  E.  F.  Sept.  21,  1918,  to 
Dec.  22,   1918;  disch.  Dec.  30,   1918. 

Doble,  Harold  B.  Born  in  Beverly,  Mass.;  age  30;  ent.  ser.  Sept.  5, 
1918;  in  France  with  2nd  Co.,  Heavj'  Coast  Art.,  2  months;  disch. 
Jan.  14,  1919. 

Dougherty,  Christopher  L.  Born  in  Bronx  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  age  22 ;  ent. 
ser.  Apr.  16,  1917;  Co.  F,  103  Inf.,  France;  killed  in  action,  July  17, 
1918,  at  Chateau  Thierry. 

Dow,  Archie  C.  Born  in  Fitchburg,  Mass. ;  age  30 ;  ent.  ser.  July  14, 
1917,  at  H.;  served  in  A.  E.  F.  Co.  F,  103  Inf.,  France,  Sept.  24, 
1917;  wounded  by  shrapnel,  July  18,  1918;  arrived  in  U.  S.  June  19, 
1919. 


SERVICE   LIST — CONTINUED.  499 

Dresser,  Frank  M.    Born  in  H. ;  age  24;  ent.  ser.  July  14,  1917,  at  H. ; 
priv.  Co.  F,  103  U.  S.  Inf.     Battles:     Xuray,  June  16,  1918;  Aisne- 
Marne,  July   18,   1918;   St.   Mihiel,  Sept.   12,   1918;  Meuse-Argonne, 
Oct.  16,  to  Nov.  11,  1918 ;  disch.  Nov.  27,  1918. 
Duval,  Romeo.    Born  in  Manchester ;  age  19 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  Oct. 
15,  1918 ;  private,  Co.  E.     Students'  Army  Training  Corps,  N.  H. 
College ;  disch.  Nov.  26,  1918. 
Falardeau,  Emtle  J.    Born  in  Laurette,  Can. ;  age  24 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent. 
ser.  May  8,  1917,  at  Laconia ;  in  A.  E.  F.  Sept.  21,  to  Dec.  22,  1918. 
Corporal,  Dec.  13,  1917;  Sergt.,  Aug.  2,  1918,  to  Oct.  18,  1918;  disch. 
Dec.  24,  1918. 
Favor,  George  E. 
Flanders,  Charles.    Born  in  Warner;  age  31;  ent.  ser. 

Co.  B,  504  Eng. ;  disch.  Nov.  15,  1918. 
Foster,  Frederick  W.     Born  in  H. ;  age  29 ;  ent.  ser.  Apr.  26,  1918,  at 
Milford ;  priv.  Co.  C,  309th  Inf.    Battles :  St.  Mihiel,  Sept.  12  to  16, 
1918;  Linney  Sector,  Sept.  16,  to  Oct.  4,  1918;  disch.  Nov.  15,  1918. 
George,  Cecil  A.    Born  Aug.  25,  1894,  in  H.;  ent.  ser.  Apr.  9,  1917  ;  1st 
cl.  priv.,  291  Co.  Mil.  Police  Corps;  went  to  Concord,  then  to  Wake- 
field where  he  was  merged  into  the  103  Inf.,  Co.  K,  26th  Div.  and 
served  in  France  Sept.  27,  1917,  to  Oct.  20,  1919;  dis.  Nov.  4,  1919. 
Gray,  William  A.     In  the  national  army. 

Gruenler,  Arthur  J.  Born  in  Germany  in  1896 ;  ent.  service  103  Inf., 
26th  div. ;  overseas  from  Sept.  26,  1917,  to  Apr.  2,  1919  ;  served  in 
the  defensive  sector  at  Champagne  Marne,  Aisne-Marne,  St.  Mihiel 
and  Argonne.  Held  grade  of  Sergeant ;  was  slightly  wounded  July 
22,  1918.  Honorably  discharged  May  30,  1919, 
Grimes,  Warren  C.  Born  in  Beading,  Mass.;  age  21;  ent.  ser.  May  7, 
1917  at  Laconia;  com.  Corporal,  Oct.  14,  1918;  disch.  Nov.  23,  1918. 
Grimes,  Harvey  J.     Born  ;  ent.  ser.  26th.  div.;  Ambu- 

lance Corps,  France. 
Hamblin,  Maxwell  0.    Born  Oct.  28,  1898,  in  Framingham ;  res.  in  H. ; 
ent.  ser.  March  30,   1917,  in  Battery,  79th  Beg.,  6th  Corps.     Went 
to  Camp  Fort  Slocum,  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  and  Camp  McLellan, 
Ala. ;  saw  service  overseas. 
Hardy,  Scott  Sargent.     Born  Aug.  28,  1887,  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  in  317th 
Field  Signal  Battalion,  France ;  took  part  in  battles  of  St.  Mihiel 
and  Meuse,   Argonne    offensive.     His   battalion   was   twice   cited. 
Discharged  June  21,  1919,  being  overseas  one  year. 
Harrington,  Claire  S.    Born  Dec.  31,  1890,  in  Moretown,  Vt.;  ent.  ser. 
June  27,  1917;  Corp.  U.  S.  A.  Signal  Reserve  Corps;  went  to  Camp 
Upton,  Yahank,  L.  I.  on  Oct.  20;  promoted  Dec.  21  to  Sergt  Co.  C; 
302nd  Field  Signal  Battery;  served  in  France  from  Apr.  14,  1918, 
to  April  21,  1919.     Battles:  Baccarat  Sector;  Vesle  Sector;  Aisne 
off. ;   Meuse-Argonne   off. 


500  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Habvey,  Fbed  K.  Born  in  H. ;  age  22;  ent.  ser.  Feb.  13,  1918,  at  Mil- 
ford  ;  A.  E.  F.  Med.  Dept.  June  8,  1918,  to  Jan.  19,  1919 ;  disch.  May 
27,  1919. 

Heath,  Everett  M.  Born  in  Orange;  age  29;  ent.  ser.  May  25,  1918; 
priv.  Battles :  St.  Mihiel ;  Argonne  Forest.  Killed  in  action  Oct. 
10,  1918,  in  Argonne  offensive ;  buried  in  Nat.  Cem.  at  Komagne. 

Heath,  WIlbue  H.  Born  in  Grafton ;  age  22  ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  May 
25,  1918,  at  H. ;  Inf.  1st  enl.  period;  saw  ser.  in  France.  Battles: 
St.  Mihiel,  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  4,  to  12,  and  Nov.  1,  to  8,  1918; 
disch.  Nov.  15,  1918. 

Hoyt,  Henry  T.  Born  in  H. ;  age  31;  ent.  ser.  May  25,  1918,  priv.  5th 
Co.  Bn.,  151st  Depot  Brigade  at  Camp  Devens;  sent  to  France  in 
302nd  Reg.  Battles :  Meuse-Argonne  off.  Oct.  24,  to  Nov.  11,  1918  ; 
disch.  May  9,  1919. 

Huntoon,  Llewellyn  H.,  Jr.  Born  in  Madison,  Me. ;  age  25  ;  ent.  ser. 
Dec.  21,  1917,  at  McKinley,  Me.;  1st  cl.  priv.  25th  Co.,  C.  A.  C, 
Battery  F;  disch  Mar.  14,  1919;  overseas. 

Johnson,  Abel  R.  Born  in  H. ;  age  32;  ent.  ser.  May  10,  1917,  at  Con- 
cord ;  priv.  6th  Co.  Portsmouth  Coast  Art.  from  May  10,  1917, 
to  July  10,  1918  ;  served  in  Battery  B,  73rd  Art.  C.  A.  C.  from  July, 
1918,  to  March,  1919  ;  disch.  March  6,  1919. 

Kemp,  Leon  E.     Born  ;  ent.  ser.  Co.  F,  103rd 

Inf.,  France. 

Kendall,  Eobert.  Born  in  H. ;  age  24;  ent.  ser.  May  16,  1918;  priv.; 
non-com.  Corp.,  July  21,  1918,  24th  Co.,  7th  Bee.  Bath,  151st  Depot 
Brigade. 

Kendall,  William  Scott.  Born  Oct.  4,  1891,  in  H. ;  priv.  in  Base  Hos- 
pital No.  6,  stationed  at  Bordeaux,  France ;  at  the  time  of  his 
discharge,  April,  1919,  he  held  the  rank  of  Sergeant. 

King,  Wilder  H.    Born  in  Sutton ;  age  22 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  May  7, 

1917,  at  Laconia;  Corp.  Dec.  13,  1917;  A.  E.  F.  Sept.  24,  to  Dec.  22, 
1918. 

Kulbacki,  Leopold.  Born  in  Webster,  Mass. ;  age  22 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent. 
ser.  June  24,  1918,  at  Milford  ;  priv.  Co.  D,  42nd  Inf.  from  Aug.  1, 

1918,  to  Jan,  1919  ;  disch.  Jan.  23,  1919. 

Lambebt,  John  B.     Born  Central  Falls,  R.  I. ;  age  24 ;  res.  in  H. ;  1st 

cl.  priv.,  Co.  K,  42nd  Inf.;  disch.  Nov.  21,  1918. 
Legasse,  Albebt  J.  Nat.  Army,  Camp  Devens;  saw  service 

in  France ;  killed  in  action. 
Laughlin,  Vebtneb  W.     Born  in  Marlow ;  age  24 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser. 

Oct.  3,  1917,  at  Milford;   1st  cl.  priv.  76th  Div. ;  tr.  to  101st  F.  S. 

Bat.,  France;  disch.  Nov.  21,  1918. 


SERVICE    LIST — CONTINUED.  501 

Marshall,  Eugene.  Born  in  H. ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  to  credit  of  Wash- 
ington, N.  H.     Killed  in  action. 
Mathews,  Elton  Roy.     Born  March  1,  1895,  in  Henniker ;  res.  in  H. ; 

ent.  ser.  July  30,  1917,  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  in  Co.  A,  49th  U.  S.  Inf. ; 

made  Lance  Corp.  Jan.  21,  1918 ;  stationed  at  Camps  Syracuse,  N. 

Y. ;  Merritt,  Tenafly,  N.  J.,  and  Bush  Terminal,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
McClintock,  Mark  E.     Born  in  H. ;  age  21 ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  Aug. 

7,  1918,  at  Milford;  priv. ;  disch.  May  21,  1919. 
McCormack,  Lawrence  A.     Born  in  Gloucester,  Mass. ;  age  33 ;  res.  in 

H. ;  ent.  ser.  in  the  aviation  corps  as  an  aerial  photographer,  Feb. 

22,  1918,  and  was  sent  to  Kelly  Field,  Antonio.     He  was  with  the 

British  recruiting  staff   under  Major  Boyer  in  Manchester   for   3 

months.;   disch.  Nov.   15,   1918. 
McGreevy,  John  J.    Born  in  H. ;  age  29  ;  ent.  ser.  Feb.  6,  1918 ;  1st  cl. 

priv. ;  disch.  Nov.  14,  1918. 
McGregor,  Arthur  Thomas.    Born  in  1872,  in  Montreal,  Canada ;  with 

Eng.  army ;  in  R.  A.  M.  C.  Hospital  Corps ;  saw  service  in  Russia 

taking  active  part   in  the  campaign  there;  discharged   Sept.   15, 

1919. 
Merrill,  George  H.     Born  in  H. ;  age  28;  ent.  ser.  Sept.  5,  1918;  priv. 

4th  Co.  C.  D.  L.  I.  S. ;  disch.  Dec.  11,  1918. 
Merrill,  William  E.    Born  in  H. ;  age  30;  ent.  ser.  May  25,  1918;  priv.; 

disch.  June  23,  1918,  for  disability. 
Murdough,  Clarence  A.     Born  in  H. ;  age  30;  ent.  ser.  Sept.  5,  1918; 

priv.  Q.  M.  C;  disch.  July  9,  1919. 
Nelson,  Guy  Leslie.     Born  in  H. ;  age  30 ;  ent.  ser.  Apr.  26,  1918,  at 

Camp  Dix;  engineer;  disch.  Mar.  6,  1919.     Record  incomplete. 
Nelson,  Harry  Earl.     Born  May  20,  1893,  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  May  8,  1917 ; 

1st  cl.   priv.   Battery  D.,   103  Field  Art.     Battles :   Aisne  Sector ; 

Chemin  des  Dames,  Feb.  to  Mar.  17,  1918  ;  Toul  Sector,  Apr.  20-21, 

1918;  Aisne-Marne,  Sept.  12  to  15,  1918;  Verdun  Sector,  Sept.  12, 

to  Oct.  13,  1918 ;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  15,  to  Nov.  11,  1918 ;  disch. 

Nov.  21,  1918. 
Odell,  Wayne  Harold.     Born  in  Stafford,  Conn. ;  age  21 ;  res.  in  H. ; 

ent.  ser.  Sept.  19,  1918,  at  Milford;  priv.;  disch.  Oct.  29,  1919. 
Powers,  Winfred  C.     Born  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  Nov.  20,  1917 ;  disch.  Nov. 

26,  1917,  for  disability. 
Read,  Ambrose  Irvin.    Born  Sept.  26,  1891.  in  H. ;  enl.  in  6th  Co.  N.  H. 

N.  G.  Coast  Art.  Corps,  and  was  sent  overseas  in  Battery  B,  73rd 

Co.  C.  A.  C. ;  disch.  Dec.  31,  1918. 
Reece,  Raymond  A.    Born  Dec.  19,  1898,  in  Charlestown,  Mass. ;  age  18  ; 

ent.  ser.  May  12,  1917;  non  Com.  Corp.;  Co.  F,  103rd  Inf.,  France. 

Battles:  Xuray,  July  18,  1918;  Aisne-Marne;  St.  Mihiel,  Sept.  12, 

1918;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  16,  to  Nov.  11,  1918;  disch.  Apr.  28,  1919. 


502  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Richardson,  Allen  H.     Sub.  Unit,  Can. ;  Lum.  Unit,  Ore. 

Kichardson,  Bert  L.  Born  Oct.  21,  1891,  in  Dublin;  res.  in  H. ;  ent. 
ser.  May  9,  1917,  in  1st  Beg.  N.  H.  N.  G. ;  stationed  at  Concord, 
later  103rd  U.  S.  Infantry,  Westfield,  Mass. ;  went  to  France ; 
severely  wounded,  June  16,  1918 ;  returned  to  U.  S.  Mar.  23,  1919. 

Scruton,  Fatjl  Stephen.  Born  in  H. ;  age  24 ;  ent.  ser.  July  25,  1918 ; 
1st  cl.  priv.  10th  Bat.  151st  Inf.;  disch.  Jan.  22,  1919. 

Shutts,  Claude  B.  Born  in  Deering;  age  21;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  Oct. 
22,  1918,  at  Wilford;  disch.  Dec.  13,  1918,  at  Fort  Constitution, 
N.  H. 

Smith,  Archibald  L.  Born  in  H. ;  age  28 ;  ent.  ser.  Aug.  7,  1917,  in 
Quartermasters'  Dept.,  attached  to  301st  Co.,  Motor  Supply  Train 
401 ;  Lieut. ;  went  to  France  in  December  and  died  at  Tours, 
France,  August  21,  1918;  body  first  interred  in  France;  brought  to 
this  country  and  placed  in  Smith  Mausoleum,  Manchester,  Sept. 
25,    1920. 

Smith,  Bertram.  Born  in  England;  ent.  ser.  Corp.  Co.  C,  159th  Inf., 
France. 

Spaulding,  Chester  A.  Born  in  Salisbury ;  age  18 ;  ent.  ser.  July  25, 
1917,  Co.  K,  103rd  Inf.,  France.  Battles :  Chemin  des  Dames,  Feb. 
8,  to  Mar.  20,  1918  ;  Toul  Sector ;  Xivray  Baid,  June  16,  1918  ;  Aisne- 
Marne  off.,  July  18,  to  25,  1918;  St.  Mihiel  off.,  Sept.  12,  to  25, 
1919;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  17,  to  Nov.  11,  1918;  disch.  Apr.  28, 
1919. 

Stanton,  Patrick  J.  Born  in  Quincy,  Mass.,  Aug.  10,  1897 ;  entered 
the  service  of  Hillsborough,  in  the  26th  Division.  Overseas,  parti- 
cipating in  the  battles  of  Xivray,  June  16,  1918 ;  Aisne-Marne,  July 
18;  St.  Mihiel,  Sept.  12;  Meuse-Argonne,  Oct.  16-Nov.  11,  1918. 
Was  wounded  three  times.  Discharged  Camp  at  Devens,  April  28, 
1919. 

Tasker,  John  Baker,  Jr.  Born  in  Hillsborough;  ent.  serv.  Oct.  1, 
1918 ;  age,  19 ;  at  Providence,  E.  I.,  where  he  was  discharged  Dec. 
19,  1918. 

Thompson,  Joseph  Claire.  Born  Nov.  20,  1897,  Charlton  City;  ent. 
ser.  Dec.  8,  1917 ;  Signal  Corps,  Aviation  Section  at  Camp  Lee, 
Petersburg,  Va. 

Travis,  Luke  Shirley.  Born  Dec.  22,  1895 ;  ent.  ser.  May  7,  1917 ;  July 
25th  asst.  Engineer  with  rank  of  Sergt.,  at  Fort  Banks,  was 
detailed  to  the  U.  S.  Eeservation  at  Nahant  in  charge  of  Search 
Light  Squad. 

Tucker,  Charles  H.  Born  in  H. ;  age  18;  ent.  ser.  Aug.  14,  1917,  at 
Camp  Keyes,  Concord ;  assigned  to  Co.  F,  1st  N.  H.  Inf. ;  disch. 
Sept.  25,  1917,  for  disability. 


SERVICE    LIST — CONTINUED.  503 

Van  Dommele,  George  W.  Born  in  H. ;  age  21;  res.  at  H. ;  ent.  ser. 
May  7,  1917,  at  Laconia;  1st  cl.  priv. ;  disch.  Apr.  4,  1919,  for  dis- 
ability. 

Wallace,  Charles  W.  Born  in  Tamworth;  age  20;  ent.  ser.  May  17, 
1917,  at  Laconia;  res.  in  H. ;  Sergt.  Med.  Dept.  Non.  Com.;  C.  A. 
C,  Springfield;  disch.  June  21,  1919. 

Weaver,  Charles  V.  Born  in  New  Brunswick,  P.  Q.,  Mar.  23,  1891 ; 
oame  to  H.  when  he  was  9  years  old ;  enl.  in  Battery  D.,  103rd 
Inf. ;  saw  service  oversea.  Was  in  battles  of  Seicheprey,  Chateau 
Thierry,  St.  Mihiel  and  Soissons.   Disch.  Jan.  16,  1919. 

Weaver,  Herbert  G.  Born  Jan.  6,  1892,  in  Bartlett ;  came  to  H.  in 
1900,  but  went  to  Lewiston,  Me.,  9  years  ago  where  he  enl.  in  the 
Supply  Co.,  naval  military  relief ;  went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  and  Dec. 

1917,  to  Fort  Sam  Houston,  Texas,  Kelley  Field,  No.  1,  Line  58  for 
training ;  ent.  new  army  in  Co.  F  and  saw  service  overseas. 

West,  Frank  E.  Born  Aug.  13,  1895,  in  H. ;  age  22 ;  ent.  ser.  Apr.  26, 
1918 ;  priv.  Co.  D,  309th  Inf.,  France.  Battles :  Argonne  Forest, 
Sept.  1,  to  24,  1918  ;  disch.  Jan.  23,  1919. 

Whitney,  Harry  L.  Born  in  H. ;  age  24;  ent.  ser.,  Mar.  5,  1918;  disch. 
Dec.  14,  1918,  at  Fort  Wright,  N.  Y. 

Woodbury,  Philip  J.  Born  April  19,  1896,  in  Somerville,  Mass.;  enl. 
at  Fort  Constitution,  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Aug.  7,  1917,  in  Coast 
Artillery  Corp.  and  Feb.  20,  1918,  was  transferred  to  the  Aviation 
Section,  Signal  Corp.  Entered  U.  S.  School  of  Aeronautics,  Cornell 
University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  March  4,   1918,  and  graduated  June  1, 

1918.  Reported  at  Souther  Field,  Americus,  Ga.,  June  5,  1918,  U. 
S.  Flying  School ;  graduated  with  commission  as  2nd  Lieutenant 
R.  M.  A.  Air  Service  Aeronautics  U.  S.  A.,  Aug.  20,  1918 ;  graded 
for  Pursuit  Pilot;  sent  to  Wilbur  Wright  Field,  Fairfield,  Ohio, 
Aug.  30,  1918,  for  special  course  in  Aerial  Gunnery;  sent  to  Payne 
Field,  West  Point,  Miss.,  Sept.  28,  1918  ;  ordered  to  W.  S.  Pursuit 
School,  Charlestown  and  Dorr  Field,  Arcadia,  Florida,  Oct.  9,  1918  ; 
received  full  fledge  pursuit  training  and  qualified  for  front  line ; 
disch.  Jan.  18,  1919,  at  Arcadia,  Fla. ;  received  com.  in  Officers' 
Reserve  Corps  Aviation  Section  (Flying  Status)  as  2nd  Lieut., 
Apr.  5,  1919. 

Yeaton,  William  Bryan.  Born  Oct.  12,  1893,  in  Des  Moines.  la, ;  age 
24  ;  res.  in  H. ;  ent.  ser.  May  7,  1918  ;  foreign  service  in  France  and 
Germany ;  left  U.  S.  for  France,  July  6,  1918 ;  arrived  in  U.  S.  July 
12,  1919.  Entitled  to  2  gold  chevrons;  disch.  July  18,  1919,  at 
Mitchell  Field,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. 

Young,  Gleason  W.  Born  Feb.,  1898 ;  ent.  ser.  Aug.  25,  1917 ;  Co.  Fr, 
103rd  Inf.,  France.  Killed  in  action  July  17,  191S,  at  Chateau 
Thierry.     Post  named  in  his  memory. 


504  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Service  List — Navy. 

Abbott,  Harold  Beece.  Enl.  Apr.  9,  1917  for  4  years  at  Boston,  Mass. ; 
seaman  g-unner ;  LT.  S.  S.  Illinois. 

Baker,  Albert  H.    Coast  Patrol  duty,  Newport,  E.  I. 

Connor,  Boger.     Merchant  Marine. 

Dudley,  Bert  M.  Born  Feb.  5,  1891,  in  Bradford;  res.  in  H.;  ent.  navy 
Aug.   1,  1916  ;  abd.  Arkansas. 

Elgar,  Albert.    Merchant  Marine.    0-  Depot. 

Fletcher,  Norman  Waldo.  Born  Aug.  10,  1898,  in  E.  Washington;  ent. 
U.  S.  navy  Oct.  1,  1917  ;  went  to  Norfolk  Va.  on  U.  S.  S.  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Freeman,  George.     Served  on  torpedoboat?  wounded? 

Harrington,  Bay  Orcas.     Merchant  marine. 

Mabcy,  Philip  Barrett.    Born  in  H.,  age  30 ; 

Parker,  Donald.    Merchant  Marine. 

Pye,  John  H.    Abd.  U.  S.  S.  Illinois. 

Skinner,  Frederick  N.     Merchant  Marine  in  Vt. 

Still,  William  H.    U.  S.  S.  Minnesota.  Steven  Whitney. 

Hillsborough  in  the  Wars. 

So  much  space  in  our  histories  is  filled  with  descriptions  of 
wars  that  the  accomplishments  of  peace  find  little  more  than  brief 
mention.  So  we  are  constantly  reading  of  heroes  and  heroines, 
while  almost  unheard  of  are  the  patriots  of  peace.  The  sons  of 
Hillsborough,  in  times  of  war,  never  failed  to  do  their  duty,  and 
there  has  not  been  a  campaign  of  any  importance  in  which  the 
town  has  not  been  honorably  represented,  and  if  the  period  came! 
before  its  settlement,  her  ancestors  names  helped  to  make  the  roll 
of  honor. 

Among  Captain  Tyng's  "Snow-Shoe  Scouts,"  1 701  -1702, 
were  a  Spalding,  Blood,  Richardson  and  Pierce,  all  names  fam- 
iliar in  early  Hillsborough. 

In  Lovewell's  War,  1725,  were  ancestors  of  the  Keyes  and 
Robbins. 

In  1739,  ^e  year  of  the  first  settlement  in  Number  Seven, 
when  Great  Britain  declared  war  against  Spain,  and  in  answer  to 
the  call  of  the  mother  country,  Massachusetts  sent  five  companies 
of  one  hundred  men  each,  to  Cuba,  Ephraim  Fletcher  of  West- 
ford,  aged  30,  enlisted  and  of  the  50  of  these  500  who.  lived  to 
return  he  was  one.     Soon  after  he  settled  in  Hillsborough,  then 


HILLSBOROUGH   IN   THE   WARS.  505 

Number  Seven.  Two  others,  whose  descendants  settled  in  the 
town,  were  William  Skinner  and  Oliver  Spalding,  who  signed 
receipts  for  bounty,  and  went  with  the  little  army  that  never  came 
back. 

In  the  first  expedition  against  Cape  Breton,  1745,  were  two 
from  among  the  fugitives  of  old  Number  Seven,  Stevens  and 
Mayhew. 

In  the  French  and  Indian  War,  1754  to  1762,  Captain  Bald- 
win and  others  figured  conspicuously.  For  the  Crown  Point 
expedition  of  1757  were  three  men  who  soon  after  settled  in 
Hillsborough,  James  Taggart,  John  Carr  and  Alexander  Mc- 
Clure.  In  another  company  were  James  McColley,  Thomas 
Lancy,  Samuel  Gibson,  Josiah  Parker.  A  part  of  the  regiment 
consisted  of  one  hundred  carpenters  and  three  companies  of 
Rangers  sent  to  Halifax  to  serve  under  Earl  of  Loudon  were 
Samuel  Bradford,  William  McNiel,  James  Ellingwood,  Daniel 
Wilkins  and  John  Dutton. 

In  the  Revolution  she  gave  her  Baldwin  and  others. 

In  the  War  of  1812  her  General  McNiel  was  among  the 
leaders. 

The  Florida  War  she  furnished  a  Pierce  and  a  McNiel,  the 
last  giving  his  life. 

In  the  Mexican  War  her  favorite  son,  Gen.  Franklin  Pierce, 
won  distinction. 

In  the  Civil  War  the  names  of  Grimes  and  others  stand  out 
conspicuously. 

Numbered  among  the  heroes  of  the  Spanish-American  War 
is  the  name  of  Walter  Scott  West. 

In  the  recent  World  War  the  golden  stars  stand  for 
Lieutenant  Smith,  and  Privates  Bailey,  Bemis,  Dennis  J.  Bossie, 
Dougherty,  Heath,  Legasse,  Marshall  and  Young. 

An  honorable  record  truly. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Official  Roster. 

Moderators — Clerks — Selectmen — Treasurers — Collectors — Representa- 
tives— Supervisors — Superintendents  of  Schools  and  Committees. 


Moderators. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  Biennial  elections  in  1886,  the 
same  Moderator  served  in  both  the  fall  and  annual  elections. 
There  were  special  meetings  held  at  various  times,  of  which  no 
mention  is  made  here  of  the  Moderator. 


1772. 

Nov.  24,  annual  meet- 

1834. 

ing  to   1774.     Isaac 

1835. 

Baldwin. 

1836. 

1775. 

Joseph  Symonds. 

1837-1840. 

1776. 

Daniel  McNiel. 

1841. 

1777. 

Andrew  Bixby. 

1842-1844. 

1778- 

■1781. 

Capt.  Joseph  Symonds. 

1845. 

1782. 

James  McColley. 

1846. 

1783- 

■1788. 

Capt.  Joseph  iSymonds. 

1847. 

1789- 

-17i90. 

Isaac    Andrews. 

1848. 

1791. 

Joseph  Symonds. 

1849. 

1792- 

■1797. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1850. 

1798. 

Maj.  Isaac  Andrews. 

1851. 

1799- 

■1800. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1852. 

1801. 

Otis  Howe. 

1853-1855. 

1802. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1856-1857. 

1803. 

John  Dutton. 

1858. 

1804- 

-1809. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1859-1867. 

1810. 

David  Starrett. 

186'8-187'0. 

1811- 

-1813. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1871-18&6. 

1814. 

Nehemiah  Jones. 

1887. 

1815- 

-18122. 

John  Burnam. 

1888. 

1823. 

Dr.  Luther  Smith. 

1889-1901. 

1824. 

John  Burnam. 

1902-1904. 

1825- 

-1827. 

Dr.  Reuben  Hatch. 

1905  to  date 

1828- 

-1833. 

Hon.  Franklin  Pierce. 

Amos  Flint. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
Nahum  Foster. 
Hiram  Monroe. 
Albert  Baker. 
Amos  Flint. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Amos  Flint. 
Thomas  P.  Wilson. 
Amos  Flint. 
Thomas  P.  Wilson. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Samuel  H.  Ayer. 
Francis  B.  Peabody. 
Hiram  Monroe. 
Henry   D.   Pierce. 
Charles  L.  Hartwell. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Edgar  Hazen. 
Cornelius   Coolidge. 
William  Manahan. 
Marcellus  H.  Felt. 
William  H.  Manahan. 
Marcellus  H.  Felt. 
Stillman  H.  Baker. 


506 


CLERKS    AND    SELECTMEN. 


507 


Clerks. 


1772.  Isaac    Andrews,  Nov. 
24,   1772  to   1774. 

1775.  Joseph    Symonds. 

1776.  Samuel     Bradford, 

who  d.  in  Aug. 

177'6.  William    Pope,    Sept., 

1777. 

177®.  Timothy  Bradford. 

1779.  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr. 

1780.  Lieut.  William  Pope. 
1781-1785.  Isaac  Andrews. 
1786-1792.  John  Dutton. 

1793.  Enos  Towne. 

1794-1804.  Calvin   Stevens. 

1805-1807.  Elijah   Beard. 

1898-1815.  Andrew  Sargeant. 

1816-1822.  James  Wilson. 

1823-1829.  Andrew  Sarg-eant. 

1830-1831.  Thomas  Wilson. 

1832-1834.  Jonathan  Beard. 

1835-1840:  Amos  Flint. 

1841-1842.  Jotham  Moore. 

1843-1844.  Levi  Goodale. 

1845.  Thomas  P.  Wilson. 


1846. 

1847. 

1848-1850. 

1851-1862. 

1863-1866. 

1866. 

1872. 

1872. 

1877. 


Luther   McClintock. 

Luke  McClintock. 

Levi  Goodale. 

Wm  B.  Whittemore. 

May  2,  Oliver  Nel- 
son   (removed). 

May  2  to  1871,  Wil- 
liam B.  Whittemore. 

Dec.  9,  John  M.  Cod- 
man  (died). 

Dec.  9  to  1877,  May 
12,  William  B. 
Whittemore. 

May  12  to  March 
meeting,  1878.  Ja- 
cob B.  Whittemore. 

Frank  E.  Merrill* 

George  W.  Lincoln. 

Walter  S.  Scruton. 


1878-1886 

1887-1890 

1891-1896 

1897-1899.     Frank  S.  Story 

1900nMarch, 


1919  to  date. 


1919.     William  H. 

Story. 
Charles    F.    Butler. 


*The  term  of  office  began  with  the  annual  meeting  in  March. 


Selectmen — 1772-1920. 

1772.  Nov.  24,  to  Mar.  31,  1774,  serving  without  pay  for  the  first 

term : 
Isaac  Andrews,  John  McCalley,  Daniel  McNiel,  Isaac  Bald- 
win, William  Pope. 

1774.  Isaac  Andrews,  Isaac  Baldwin,  John  McCalley. 

1775.  Joseph    Symonds,    Capt.    Samuel    Bradford,   John   McClin- 

tock. 

1776.  Samuel  Bradford  (d.  in  office  and  in  Sept.),  William  Pope 

elected  to  take  his  place,  Asa  Dresser,  Archibald  Tag- 
gart. 

1777.  William  Pope,  Moses  Steel,  Lt.  John  McCalley. 

1778.  Timothy  Bradford,  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr.,  Daniel  McNiel. 

1779.  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr.,  Ammi  Andrews,  Capt.  James  McCol- 

ley. 

1780.  Lt.  William  Pope,  Calvin  Stevens,  Jacob  Flint. 


50S  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

1781.  Isaac  Andrews,    John  Dutton,    Archibald  Taggart,    Calvin 

Stevens,  John  McClary. 

1782.  Isaac  Andrews,  John  Dutton,  Archibald  Taggart. 
178&.  Isaac  Andrews,  John  Dutton,  Isaac  Andrews,  Jr. 

1784.  Isaac  Andrews,  John  Dutton,  James  McColley. 

1785.  Isaac  Andrews,  John  Dutton,  William  Taggart,  Jr. 

1786.  John  Dutton,  John  Bradford,  William  Symonds. 

1787.  John  Dutton,  William  Taggart,  Isaac  Andrews,  Jr. 

1788.  Isaac  Andrews,  Jr.,  Paul  Coolidge,  William  Symonds. 

1789.  John  Dtitton,  Paul  Coolidge,  John  McCalley. 

1790.  John  Dutton,  John  McClary,  John  McCalley. 

1791.  John  Dutton,  John  McClary,  Isaac  Andrews,  Jr. 

1792.  John  Dutton,  John  McCalley,  Isaac  Andrews,  Jr. 

1793.  Enos  Towne,  John  McCalley,  Solomon  Andrews. 

1794.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,  John  McCalley. 

1795.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,  Samuel  Bradford,  Jr. 

1796.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,  Samuel  Bradford,  3d. 

1797.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,   George  Dascomb. 

1798.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,  George  Dascomb. 

1799.  Calvin  Stevens,  James  Eaton,  Elijah  Beard. 

1800.  Calvin  Stevens,  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding. 

1801.  Calvin  Stevens,  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding. 

1802.  Calvin  Stevens,  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding. 

1803.  Calvin  Stevens,  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding. 

1804.  Calvin  Stevens,  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding. 

1805.  Elijah  Beard,  Jacob  Spaulding,  Andrew  Sargeant. 

1806.  Elijah  Beard,  Andrew  Sargeant,  Silas  Dutton. 

1807.  Elijah  Beard,  Andrew  Sargeant,  Silas  Dutton. 

1808.  Andrew  Sargeant,  David  Starrett,  Joseph  Barnes. 

1809.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Timothy  Wyman,  Joseph  Barnes. 

1810.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Timothy  Wyman,  James  Wilson. 

1811.  Andrew  Sargeant,  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe. 

1812.  Andrew  Sargeant,  James  Wilson,  Samuel  Barnes. 
18i3.  Andrew  Sargeant,  James  Wilson,  Luther  Smith. 

1814.  Andrew  Sargeant,  James  Wilson,  Samuel  Gibson. 

1815.  Andrew  Sargeant,  James  Wilson,  Samuel  Gibson. 

1816.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  Jonathan  Fulton. 

1817.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  Jonathan  Fulton. 

1818.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  George  Little. 

1819.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  George  Little. 

1820.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  William  McClintock. 

1821.  James  Wilson,  Alexander  McCoy,  Peter  Codman. 

1822.  James  Wilson,  Joel  Stowe,  Peter  Codman. 

1823.  Dr.  Reuben  Hatch,  Andrew  Sargeant,  Solomon  McNiel. 

1824.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Joel  Stowe,  Thomas  Wilson. 
1S25.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Joel  Stowe,  Thomas  Wilson. 


SELECTMEN CONTINUED. 


509 


1826.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Thomas  Wilson,  Benjamin  Tuttle. 

1827.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Thomas  Wilson,  Benjamin  Tuttle. 

1828.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Thomas  Wilson,  Hiram  Monroe. 

1829.  Andrew  Sargeant,  Thomas  Wilson,  Hiram  Monroe. 

1830.  Thomas  Wilson,  Isaac  J.  Coolidge.  Peter  Codman. 

1831.  Thomas  Wilson,  Isaac  J.  Coolidge,  Jonathan  Beard. 

1832.  Jonathan  Beard,  Levi  Goodale,  Samuel  Dutton. 

1833.  Jonathan  Beard,  Levi  Goodale,  Joseph  Phipps. 

1834.  Jonathan  Beard,  Joseph  Phipps,  Amos  Flint. 

1835.  Amos  Flint,  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Joseph  Phipps. 

1836.  Amos  Flint,  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Ransom  Bixby. 

1837.  Amos  Flint,  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Ransom  Bixby. 

1838.  Amos  Flint,  Levi  G.  Goodale,  James  Currier. 
1839-1840.     Amos  Flint,   Daniel  Brown,  Jotham  Moore. 

1841.  Jotham  Moore,  Hiram  Monroe,  Sandy  Smith. 

1842.  Jotham  Moore,  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Sandy  Smith. 

1843.  Levi  G.  Goodale,  George  D.  Goodell,  Luke  McClintock. 

1844.  Levi  G.  Goodale,  George  D.  Goodell,  Luke  McClintock. 

1845.  Thomas  P.  Wilson,  Luke  McClintock,  Ransom  Bixby. 

1846.  Luther  McClintock,  Ransom  Bixby,  Eli  Carter. 

1847.  Luther  McClintock,  Ransom  Bixby,  Eli  Carter. 

1848.  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Charles  C.  Smith,  William  B.  Whittemore. 

1849.  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Charles  C.  Smith,  William  B.  Whittemore. 

1850.  Levi  G.  Goodale,  Mark  W.  Fuller,  Ammi  Smith. 

1851.  Mark  W.  Fuller,  Ammi  Smith,  David  B.  Gould. 

1852.  Mark  W.  Fuller,  David  B.  Gould,  Enoch  Sawyer. 

1853.  Mark  W.  Fuller,  David  B.  Gonld,  Enoch  Sawyer. 
1S54.  David  B.  Gould,  Luke  McClintock,  Charles  C.  Smith. 

1855.  David  B.  Gould,  John  Coolidge,  Charles  C.  Smith. 

1856.  Charles  C.  Smith,  John  Coolidge,  Edgar  Hazen. 

1857.  Edgar  Hazen,  William  Merrill,  David  Starrett. 

1858.  Edgar  Hazen,  William  Merrill,  David  Starrett. 

1859.  William  Merrill,  David  Starrett,  Cornelius  Coolidge. 

1860.  David  Starrett,  Cornelius  Coolidge,  Horace  Eaton. 

1861.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  Horace  Eaton,  George  H.  Clark. 

1862.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  Horace  Eaton,  George  H.  Clark. 

1863.  Horace  Eaton,  Cornelius  Coolidge,  David  Starrett. 
1864-1867.     Horace  Eaton,  Edgar  Hazen,  David  B.  Gould. 
1S68.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  George  Brockway,  Luke  Merrill. 
1869-1870.     Luke  Merrill,  Erastus  Wilson,  George  E.  Hoit. 
1871-1872.     Edgar  Hazen,  William  "Merrill,  Alonzo  Tuttle. 
1S73.  Edgar  Hazen,  Alonzo  Tuttle,  Norman  Bobbins. 
1874.  George  E.  Hoit,  Stephen  C.  Dowlin.  Henry  J.  Clark. 
1875-1877.     Cornelius  Coolidge,  Henry  J.  Clark,  John  P.  Gibson. 
1S78-1879.     John  P.  Gibson,  George  F.  Saltmarsh,  Stephen  D.  Wyman. 
1880.  John  P.  Gibson,  George  F.  Saltmarsh,  Andrew  J.  Barney. 


5io 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


1881.  George  F.  Saltmarsh,  Andrew  J.  Barney,  John  L.  Shedd. 

1882-1883.  Andrew  J.  Barney,  John  L.  Shedd,  John  M.  Curtis. 

1884.  John  L.  Shedd,  John  M.  Curtis,  Jubal  H.  Eaton. 

1885.  John  M.  Curtis,  Jubal  H.  Eaton,  Bodney  Smith. 

1886.  Jubal  H.  Eaton,  Bodney  Smith,  Charles  H.  Pike. 
1887-1889.  George  E.  Gould,  F.  C.  Adams,  Fred  W.  Flint. 
1890.  Ira  W.  Jackman,  George  W.  Bay,  John  Booth. 
1891-1803.  Stillman  H.  Baker,  John  Booth,  William  E.  Gay. 

1894.  William  H.  Story,  Sylvester  Atwood,  Stephen  Denison. 

1895.  Henry  C.  Morrill,  Bodney  Smith,  Alden  P.  Farrar. 
1896-1897.  Alden  P.  Farrar,  Charles  M.  Freeman,  John  Booth. 
1898^1899.  Frank  M.  Parker,  Bodney  Smith,  Leon  E.  Annis. 

1900.  William  T.  Whittle,  Edwin  B.  Morse,  Mark  M.  Hadley. 

1901.  Frank  M.  Parker,  Leon  E.  Annis,  Alberto  H.  Heath. 

1902.  Alberto  H.  Heath,  Ira  W.  Jackman,  Edwin  L.  Carr. 

1903.  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Charles  S.  Flanders,  James  M.  Bay. 
1904-1918.  Charles  S.  Flanders'*  Fred  B.  Monroe,  Eugene  C.  Bumrill. 
1918.  Fred  B.  Monroe,  Eugene  C.  Bumrill. 

1919todate.  Fred  B.  Monroe,  Eugene  C.  Bumrill,  Herbert  H.  Eaton. 

*Died  May  2,  1918. 


Treasurers. 

1772. 

Nov.     24     to     March, 

1818-1820 

1774.      Capt.    Sam- 

1821-1822 

uel   Bradford. 

1823. 

1774-1775. 

Timothy   Wilkins. 

1824. 

1776. 

Ens.    Timothy    Brad- 

1825-1827, 

ford. 

1828-1829, 

1777-1778. 

John   McClintock. 

1830-1834, 

1779. 

Joseph  Symonds. 

1835. 

1780-1791. 

Joseph  Symonds.* 

1836. 

1791-1795. 

Isaac   Andrews.f 

1837. 

1706-1804. 

Calvin  Stevens.J 

1838. 

1805-1806. 

Calvin  Stevens. 

1830. 

1807-1808. 

Nathaniel  Johnston. 

1840. 

1809-1810. 

David  Starrett. 

1841-1843. 

1811-1814. 

Elijah   Beard.§ 

1844-1851. 

1815. 

Jonathan  Fulton. 

1852-1862. 

1816-1817. 

Andrew  Sargeant. 

1863-1866. 

Samuel   Kimball. 
Beuben  Hatch. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
James  Wilson. 
Bueben  Hatch. 
James   Wilson. 
Eansom  Bixby. 
Samuel  G.  Barnes. 
Hiram  Monroe. 
Andrew  Sargeant. 
Joel  Stow. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
Samuel  G.  Barnes. 
Leonard   M.  Kimball. 
Samuel  G.  Barnes. 
Wm.  B.  Whittemore. 
Oliver  H.  Xelson.U 


*Was   chosen   as    Chairman   of   a   committee   of    three   styled   as    Counters    in    place 
of  a  treasurer. 

fElected  Chairman  of  Counters. 

{Elected  Chairman,  but  the   next  year  the  term  treasurer  was  restored. 
§Treas.   Beard  died  and  Joseph  C.   Barnes  appointed  to  office   Nov.    9,   1814. 
^Removed  March  21,  and  John  Campbell  appointed  to  fill  terra. 


COLLECTORS. 


5" 


1867-1885.     John  C.  Campbell. 


1886. 

1887-1888. 
1889-1893. 
1894-1908. 


Charles   Brockway. 
Mark  M.  Hadley. 
AVilliam  H.  Story. 
DeWitt  C.  Newman. 


1909-1910.     Sherman  G.  Brown. 
1911-1917.     William  H.  Dennison. 
1917-1919.     Jesse  C.  Parker.  || 
1920  todate.  John  S.  Childs. 


I  Resigned  when  appointed  P.  11 


Collectors. 


Constables,  of  whom  there  were  usually  two,  were  the  col- 
lectors of  taxes  until  1793,  when  it  became  the  custom  to  "van- 
due  the  taxes  to  the  lowest  bidder,"  and  these  bids  sometimes 
ran  as  low  as  five  dollars.  Sometimes  collectors  were  appointed 
according  to  vote  of  the  town,  by  the  selectmen.  Election  of 
these  officials  by  popular  vote  began  in  1793. 

Capt.  Nathaniel  John- 
ston. 
Timothy  Gould. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
James  Jameson. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
John  Sargent. 
Thomas  Wilson. 
Benjamin  Tuttle. 
Alexander  McCoy. 
Samuel  Murdough. 
Hugh  Wilson. 
Ezra   Clement. 
Moses  E.  Baxter. 
Samuel  G.  Barnes. 
Nathan  Kendall. 
Benjamin  Tuttle,  Jr. 
William   S.  Taggard. 
Ezra  Clement. 
Nathan  Kendall. 
Wm.  B.  Whittemore. 
Nathan  Kendall. 
Augustus   Barnes. 

*For  west  part  of  the  town  without  pay. 
+East  side,  without  pay. 
JEast  side. 
?West  Side. 


1793. 

John    Dutton. 
Benjamin  Pierce. 

1817. 

1794. 

Uriah  Coolidge.* 

1818. 

Isaac  Andrews.f 

1819. 

1795. 

George  Little.J 

1820. 

Thomas    Kerr.§ 

1821-1824. 

1796. 

George   Little. 

1825-1826. 

1797. 

William  Shattuck. 

1827. 

1798. 

Thaddeus  Monroe. 

1828-1829. 

1799. 

Zaehariah  Bobbins. 

18-30-183 1. 

1800- 

■1801. 

John  Shedd. 

1832. 

1802. 

Samuel  Gibson. 

1833-1836, 

1803. 

Andrew  Sargeant. 

1836-1837, 

1804- 

1805. 

James  Wilson. 

1838. 

1806- 

■1807. 

Capt.  Nathaniel  John- 

1839. 

ston. 

1840. 

1808. 

Thaddeus   Monroe. 

1841-1842, 

1809. 

Silas  Dutton. 

1843. 

1810- 

-1811. 

James  Alcock. 

1844-1845 

1812- 

-1813. 

Capt.  Nathaniel  John- 

1846-1847 

ston. 

1848. 

1814- 

-1815. 

Timothy  Gould. 

1849. 

1816. 

James  Wilson. 

1850-1851 

512 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


1852.  Edward  C.  Coolidge. 

1853-1857.  Nathan   Kendall. 

1858.  Thomas  Wilson. 

1859-18*60.  Charles   C.  Gay. 

1861.  Thomas   Wilson. 

1862-1863.  Nathan  Kendall. 

1864-1865.  Thomas  Wilson. 

1866-1&67.  Nathan  Kendall. 

1868.  John  M.  Gage. 

1869.  Samuel  K.  Martin. 

1870.  Nathan    Kendall. 
1871-1872,  to  Dec,  John  M.  Cod- 

man.lf 

1873-1876.  Win.    B.    Whittemore. 

1877.  Jacob   Whittemore. 


1878. 

Edgar  Hazen. 

1879. 

John  Goodell. 

1880-1881. 

John  M.  Curtis. 

1882. 

Herman  Brown. 

1883-1885. 

Mark  M.  Hadley. 

1 8&6. 

John  L.  Shedd. 

1887. 

Harry  E.  Loveren. 

1888-1890. 

Stillman  H.  Baker. 

1891-1893. 

J.   H.  T.  Newell. 

1894. 

Mark  M.  Hadley. 

1895-1896. 

Jason  H.  T.  Newell 

1897-1900. 

George  W.  Lincoln. 

1901. 

James  F.  Sullivan. 

1902  to  date 

.  Amos  A.   Wyman. 

^Balance  of  term  Cornelius  Coolidge. 


Representatives. 

In  1775,  in  order  to  get  a  representation  from  the  smaller 
towns  in  the  state,  provision  was  made  to  class  or  unite  certain 
towns  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  officials  as  their  Representa- 
tives. Under  this  arrangement  Deering,  Society  Land  (since  in- 
corporated as  Bennington),  Henniker  and  Hillsborough  proceeded 
November  14,  to  elect  a  suitable  person  for  this  office,  and  Capt. 
Joseph  Symonds,  of  this  town  was  the  choice  of  the  meetings 
held  on  this  day.  Captain  Symonds  was  elected  for  one  year, 
and  at  the  end  of  his  term  Capt.  Timothy  Gibson,  of  Henniker, 
was  chosen  as  his  successor.  In  1778,  Captain  Symonds  was 
again  elected,  and  in  1779,  Isaac  Andrews,  and  in  1780,  James 
McColley,  all  of  Hillsborough,  were  the  choice,  so  this  town  cer- 
tainly was  given  fair  representation.  In  1781,  Deering  fur- 
nished the  representative  in  Robert  Alcock,  and  in  1782,  Captain 
Symonds  of  Hillsborough  was  chosen. 

December  16,  1782,  the  voters  of  Hillsborough  and  Henni- 
ker met  at  the  house  of  Ensign  Elijah  Rice,  of  the  former  town, 
and  chose  Lieut.  Robert  Wallace  representative  for  two  years. 
He  was  re-elected  for  the  same  length  of  time  in  1784. 

In  1785,  Hon.  Benjamin  Pierce  of  this  town  was  chosen 
for  two  years  and  then  he  was  succeeded  by  William  Wallace, 
of  Henniker,  1788-80;  1790-91,  Benjamin  Pierce. 


REPRESENTATIVES. 


513 


Beginning  with  1794  Hillsborough  has  elected  its  own  rep- 
resentatives as  follows: 


1794-1803.  Hon  Benjamin  Pierce. 

1804-1806.  Joel  Stow. 

1807-1811.  Elijah  Beard. 

1812-1821.  James  Wilson. 

1822-1825.  Andrew  Sargeant. 

1826.  Thomas  Wilson. 

1827.  Andrew   Sargeant. 

1828.  Thomas  Wilson. 
1S29-1832.  Hon.  Franklin  Pierce. 
1833-1838.  Col.  Hiram  Monroe. 
1839-1840.  Albert  Baker. 

1S41.  Albert  Baker. 

1842.  Henry  D.  Pierce. 

1843.  John   Atwood. 

1844.  Levi  G.  Goodale. 

1845.  Levi  G.  'Goodale. 
1846-1847.  Samuel  H.  Ayer. 
1818.  Samuel  H.  Ayer. 

1849.  Samuel  H.  Ayer. 

1850.  Samuel  G.  Barnes. 

1851.  Samuel  G.  Barnes. 

1852.  Elisha  Hatch. 

1853.  Mark  W.  Fuller. 

1854.  Stephen  Dow  Wyman. 

1855.  Clark  H.  McColley. 

1856.  Elisha  Hatch. 

1857.  Benjamin   Tuttle,   Jr. 
1858-1859.  James  F.  Briggs. 
1860-1861.  Abel  C.  Burnham,M.D. 

1862.  Francis   M.    Blood. 

1863.  William  Merrill. 
1864-1865.  John   McNiel. 

1866.  Edgar   Hazen. 

1867.  Horace  Eaton. 

1868.  Ephraim  Button. 

1869.  Brooks  K.  Webber. 

1870.  John   C.  Campbell. 

1871.  Luke   McClintock. 

1872.  Wm.  B.   Whittemore. 

1873.  George  H.  Clark. 

1874.  William  G.  Foss. 

1875.  Henry  C.  Morrill, 

1876.  Charles  Gibson. 


Elijah  Monroe. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
John  Atwood. 
Amos  Flint. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Samuel  H.  Ayer. 
Thomas  P.  Wilson. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Samuel  G.  Barnes. 
Henry  D.  Pierce. 
Elisha  Hatch. 
Mark  W.  Fuller. 
S.  Dow  Wyman. 
Clark  H.  McColley. 
Elisha  Hatch. 
Benjamin  Tuttle,  Jr. 
James  F.  Briggs. 
Jotham  Moore. 
Francis  M.  Blood. 
William  Merrill. 
Francis  M.  Blood. 
Cornelius  Coolidge. 
Horace  Eaton. 
Edgar  Hazen. 
Brooks  Iv.  Webber. 
Ephraim  Dutton. 
Luke  McClintock. 
John  C.  Campbell. 
George  H.  Clark. 
William  B.  "Whittemore. 
Edward  J.  Dunbar. 
Charles  Gibson. 
Henry  C.  Morrill. 


514 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


1977.  Frank  H.  Pierce. 

1878.  George  D.  Wood. 

1880.  George  Wood. 

1882  Jacob  B.  Whittemore. 

1894.  William  H.  Manahan. 

1886.  Stephen  A.  Brown. 

1888.  John  Goodell,  M.  D. 

1890.  Samuel  Holman. 

1992.  Stillman  H.  Baker. 

1894.  Ruthven  Childs. 

1896.  Andrew  J.   Crooker. 

199'8.  Sylvester  Atwood. 

1900.  William  T.  Whittle. 

1902.  Henry  P.  Whittaker. 

1904.  Alba   Childs. 

1906.  William   H.   Story. 

1908.  Stillman  H.  Baker. 

1910.  Stillman  H.  Baker. 

1912.  Charles  F.  Butler. 

1914.  Charles  F.  Butler. 

1916.  Frank  D.  Gay. 

1918.  John  H.  Grimes. 

1920.  John  S.  Childs. 


Henry  J.  Clark. 


Charles  W.  Conn. 
Marcellus  H.  Felt,  M.  D. 
Walter  S.  Scruton. 
Willis  S.  Marcy. 
Eobert  B.  Clement. 
Andrew  J.  Van  Dommele. 
Walter  J.  A.  Ward. 
Willie  P.  Kimball. 
Charles  S.  Flanders. 
Emmons  Newman. 
John  L.  Shedd. 
Isaac  S.  Wilkins. 
Frank  D.  Gay. 
John  S.  Childs. 
Charles  A.  Jones. 
Herbert  H.  Eaton, 


Supervisors. 


1878.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  Frank  H.  Pierce,  George  D.  Wood. 

1890.  Cornelius  Coolidge,  Edgar  Hazen,  Charles  Kimball. 

1892.  Edgar  Hazen,  Brooks  K.  Webber,  William  Merrill. 

1884.  Edgar  Hazen,  George  E.  Gould,  William  Merrill. 

1986.  James  S.  Butler,  John  Goodell,  Charles  H.  Quinn. 

1888.  James  S.  Butler,  Charles  H.  Quinn,  Levi  G.  Jones. 

1890.  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Levi  G.  Jones,  Edwin  L.  Carr. 

1892.  Edwin  L.  Carr,  Alba  Childs,  Henry  P.  Whittaker. 

1894.  Charles  M.  Freeman,  Ira  W.  Jackman,  James  H.  White. 

1896.  Ira  W.  Jackman,  Frank  D.  Gay,  Orlando  Burtt. 

1898.  Ira  W.  Jackman,  Orlando  G.  Burtt,  Frank  D.  Gay. 

1900.  Ira  W.  Jackman,  Orlando  G.  Burtt,  Frank  D.  Gay. 

1902-1908.  James   H.  White,  Andrew  J.   Van   Dommele,   Emmons   C. 

Newman. 

1910.  Andrew  J.  Van  Dommele,  James  H.  White,  Leon  B.  Proctor. 

1912.  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Herbert  H.  Eaton,  Ernest  C.  Nichols. 

1914-1918.  Daniel  W.  Cole,  Herbert  H.  Eaton,  Ira  W.  Jackman. 

1920.  Daniel  W.  Cole,  Ira  W.  Jackman. 


superintendents  and  school  committees.  515 

Superintendents  and  School  Committees. 

The  term  "Superintendent"  as  applied  to  the  supervision  of 
schools  did  not  come  into  accepted  form  until  1829,  but  such  an 
office  had  been  created  seven  years  before.  For  a  long  time  the 
duties  of  the  office  were  not  always  quite  clear,  and  there  may  be 
mistakes  in  the  following  list  of  names  and  terms  of  service : 

1S22  to  1828  Eev.  John  Lawton,  either  alone  or  serving-  with  John  Bur- 

nam  and  Jacob  Gibson. 
1841  and  1842,  it  was  voted  the  Prudential  Committee    (No  Superin- 
tendents) do  not  visit  schools. 

1843.  John  Atwood,  George  W.  Adams,  Samuel  H.  Ayer. 

1844.  Samuel  H.  Ayer,  Jacob  Cummings,  Henry  D.  Pierce. 

1845.  Samuel  H.  Ayer,  Benjamin  H.  Phillips. 

1846.  Samuel  H.  Ayer,  Jacob  Cummings. 

1847.  Jacob  Cummings,  Elihu  Bowe,  Levi  M.  Davis. 

1848.  Bev.  Bobert  Page,  Elisha  Hatch,  Abel  C.  Burnham. 

1849.  Bev.  Bobert  Page,  Abel  C.  Burnham,  Bev.  Jacob  Cummings. 

1851.  Byley  Lyford,  Tilton  Symonds,  Francis  N.  Blood. 

1852.  B.  Peabody,  Tilton  Symonds,  Francis  N.  Blood. 

1853.  Byley  Lyford,  James  F.  Briggs,  Francis  N.  Blood. 

1854.  James  F.  Briggs,  Francis  N.  Blood,  Samuel  H.  Partridge. 

1855.  Frank  N.  Blood,  Samuel  H.  Partridge,  Frank  B.  Dutton. 

1856.  Frank  N/.  Blood,  Samuel  H.  Partridge,  Benjamin  F.  Dutton. 

1857.  Charles  L.  Hartwell,  Joseph  B.  Parsons. 
185-8.  Charles  L.  Hartwell,  Edward  P.  Cummings. 

1859.  Charles  L.  Hartwell,  Hiram  Monroe. 

1860.  J.  Q.  A.  French,  Abel  C.  Burnham,  Charles  Priest. 

1861.  J.  Q.  A.  French,  Abel  C.  Burnham,  Charles  Priest. 

1862.  J.  Q.  A.  French,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  F.  Wallace. 

1863.  J.  Q.  A.  French,  Abel  C.  Burnham,  Charles  Priest. 
1864-1865.  Charles  A.  Harnden,  Charles  E.  Gould,  John  W.  Bickford. 
1866-1867.  Brooks  K.  Webber. 

1868.  John  Q.  A.  French. 

1869.  Charles  A.  Harnden. 

1870.  John  Q.  A.  French. 

1871.  J.  Q.  A.  French,  Brooks  K.  Webber,  Charles  A.  Harnden. 
1872-1873.  Lucien  W.  Prescott,  Frank  J.  Bickford. 

1874.  George  W.  Cook. 

1875.  Frank  J.  Bickford,  Jacob  B.  Whittemore. 

1876.  Frank  J.  Bickford,  Brooks  K.  Webber. 
1877-1878.  Eev.  Harry  Brickett. 

1879.  Brooks  K.  Webber. 

1880.  Kirk  D.  Pierce. 


516  HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

1881.  Brooks  K.  Webber. 

1882.  Jacob  B.  Whittemore. 

1883.  Rev.  John  A.  Bowler. 
1884-1885.  Charles  W.  Hutchins. 

1886.  Edgar  Hazen,  Alden  P.  Farrar,  Frank  J.  Bickford. 

1887.  Alden  P.  Farrar,  Edgar  Hazen,  Frank  J.  Bickford. 

1888.  Edgar  Hazen,  Frank  J.  Bickford,  Alden  P.  Farrar. 

1889.  Frank  J.  Bickford,  Edgar  Hazen,  Alden  P.  Farrar. 

In  1890  the  town  was  divided  into  two  school  districts. 

1890.  Town  School  District  :  Alden  P.  Farrar,  Edgar  Hazen,  John 

W.  Jackman.  Bridge  Village  School  District :  Marcellus 
H.  Felt,  Levi  G.  Jones,  Edwin  L.  Carr. 

1891.  (Town)    Frank  J.  Bickford,   John  W.  Jackman,   Alden   P. 

Farrar.  (Bridge)  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Walter  S.  Scruton, 
Brooks  K.  Webber. 

1892.  (Town)    Frank  J.   Bickford,   John   W.   Jackman,   Alden   P. 

Farrar.  (Village)  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Walter  S.  Scruton, 
Brooks   K.  Webber. 

1893.  (Town)    Frank  J.   Bickford,  John   W.   Jackman,   Alden  P. 

Farrar.  (Village)  Brooks  K.  Webber,  Walter  S.  Scru- 
ton, George  W.  Rawson  (resigned),  Fred  S.  Piper  (ap- 
pointed). 

1894.  (Village  No.  1)   Walter  S.  Scruton,  Mark  M.  Hadley,  Mar- 

cellus H.  Felt.     ((Town  No.  2)   Frank  J.  Bickford,  John 
W.  Jackman,  Alden  P.  Farrar. 
18(95.  (Village  No.  1)  Mark  M.  Hadley,  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Frank 

E.  Merrill.  (Town  No.  2)  John  W.  Jackman,  Alden  P. 
Farrar,  Martin  Whitney. 

In  1896  the  Village  District  was  changed  to  Special  District. 

1896.  (Town)  Alden  P.  Farrar,  Martin  Whitney,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle. 

(Special)  Marcellus  H.  Felt,  Frank  E.  Merrill,  George 
W.  Haslet. 

1897.  (Town)  Martin  Whitney,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle,  Alden  P.  Farrar. 

(Special)  Frank  E.  Merrill,  George  W.  Haslet,  Walter  J. 
A.  Ward. 

1898.  (Town)     Lizzie    S.    Tuttle,    Alden    P.    Farrar,    Jennie    H. 

Hastings.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Walter  J.  A. 
Ward,  Mary  E.  Brown. 

1899.  (Town)    Alden   P.   Farrar,  Edgar   Hazen,  Lizzie   S.  Tuttle. 

(Special)  Walter  J.  A.  Ward,  Mary  E.  Brown,  Watkins 
W.  Griffiths. 

1900.  (Town)    Edgar   Hazen,   Lizzie    S.   Tuttle,    James   M.   Ray 

(Special)  Mary  E.  Brown,  Watkins  W.  Griffiths,  Joseph 
W.  Chadwick. 


SUPERINTENDENTS    AND    SCHOOL    COMMITTEES. — CONTINUED.        517 

1902.  (Town)  James  M.  Ray,  Orrin  S.  Huntley,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle. 

(Special)  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Mary  E.  Brown,  Stillman 
H.  Baker. 

1903.  (Town)  James  M.  Bay,  Orrin  S.  Huntley,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle. 

(Special)  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Mary  E.  Brown,  Sillman 
H.  Baker. 

1904.  (Town)  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle,  James  M.  Bay,  Lena  M.  Brockway. 
(Special)    Stillman  H.  Baker,  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Lucy 

E.  Annis. 

1905.  (Town)  James  M.  Bay,  Lena  M.  Brockway,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle. 

(Special^  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Lucy  E.  Annis,  Charles 
B.  Gardner. 

1906.  (Town)  Lena  M.  Brockway,  Lizzie  S.  Tuttle,  James  M.  Ray. 

(Special)  Lucy  E.  Annis,  Charles  B.  Gardner,  Joseph 
W.  Chadwick.     (Superintendent)  F.  C.  Johnson. 

1907.  (Town)  Elsie  J.  Brockway,  James  M.  Ray,  Mary  C.  Atwood. 

(Special)  Charles  B.  Gardner,  George  W.  Haslet,  Mary 
A.  Crosby.      (Superintendent)   F.  C.  Johnson. 

1908.  (Town)    James  M.  Bay,  Mary  C.  Awood,  Minnie  P.  Gay. 

(Special)  Leon  E.  Annis,  Mary  A.  Crosby,  George  W. 
Haslet.     (Superintendent)  F.  C.  Johnson. 

1909.  (Town)   Deborah  M.  Brown,  Aaron  W.  Emerson,  Noah  F. 

Murdo.  (Special)  Mary  A.  Crosby,  Leon  E.  Annis, 
George  W.  Haslet.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L.  Ken- 
dall. 

1910.  (Town)    Deborah  M.   Brown,  Elberton  D.  Farrar,  James 

M.  Bay.  (Special)  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Leon  E.  Annis, 
George  W.  Haslet.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L. 
Kendall. 

1911.  (Town)  James  M.  Bay,  Deborah  M.  Brown,  Elberton  E.  Far- 

rar. (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Joseph  W.  Chadwick, 
Leon  E.  Annis.     (Superintendent)  Frederick  L.  Kendall. 

1912.  (Town)   Deborah  M.  Brown,  Elberton  E.  Farrar,  James  M. 

Ray.  (Special)  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Leon  E.  Annis, 
George  W.  Haslet.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L.  Ken- 
dall. 

1913.  (Town)    Elberton  E.  Farrar,  James  M.  Ray,  Deborah  M. 

Brown.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Leon  E.  Annis, 
Joseph  W.  Chadwick.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L. 
Kendall. 

1914.  (Town)    James   M.  Ray,  Deborah  M.   Brown,  Elberton  E. 

Farrar.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Joseph  W.  Chad- 
wick, Leon  E.  Annis.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L. 
Kendall. 


5l8  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

1915.  (Town)  Deborah  M.  Brown,  Elberton  E.  Farrar,  Frank  L. 

'White.  (Special)  Joseph  W.  Chadwick,  Leon  E.  Annis, 
George  W.  Haslet.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L.  Ken- 
dall. 

1916.  (Town)    Deborah   M.    Brown,   Frank   L.   White,   Lottie   B. 

Harvey.     (Special)    Leon   E.   Annis,   George   W.   Haslet, 
Joseph    W.    Chadwick.     (Superintendent)    Frederick    L 
Kendall. 

1917.  (Town)    Frank   L.   White,   Deborah   M.   Brown,   Lottie   B. 

Harvey.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Joseph  W.  Chad- 
wick, Leon  E.  Annis.  (Superintendent)  Frederick  L. 
Kendall. 

1918.  (Town)   Leonard  F.  Martin,  Deborah  M.  Brown,  Lottie  B. 

Harvey,  Henry  W.  Adams.  (Special)  Joseph  W.  Chad- 
wick, Leon  E.  Annis,  George  W.  Haslet.  (Superinten- 
dent) Frederick  L.  Kendall  (term  expired  Aug.  31,  1915), 
Leon  E.  Prior   (from  Sept.  1,  1918,  to  Aug.  31,  1919.) 

1919.  (Town)    Lottie  M.  Harvey,  Henry  W.  Adams,   Leonard  F. 

Martin.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Charles  S.  Perry, 
Delmont  E.  Gordon.  (Superintendent)  Amasa  E. 
Holden  (from  Sept.  1,  1919). 
(Town)  Henry  W.  Adams,  Leonard  F.  Martin,  Lottie  B. 
Harvey.  (Special)  George  W.  Haslet,  Charles  6.  Perry, 
Delmont  E.  Gordon.  (Superintendent)  Amasa  A. 
Holden. 


School  Supervision. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  March,  1906,  it  was  voted  to 
unite  with  other  towns  to  form  a  school  district,  and  the  union 
consisted  of  Henniker,  Hillsborough,  and  Antrim. 

F.  C.  Johnson  of  Boscawen  was  chosen  Superintendent 
from  September  1,  1906,  to  September  1,  1909. 

Frederick  L.  Kendall  was  Superintendent  from  September 
1,  1909,  to  September  1,  1918. 

Leon  E.  Prior,  September,  1918  to  1919. 

Amasa  A.  Holden,  September  1,  1919,  and  still  in  office. 

A  change  was  made  in  the  boundary  of  the  school  district  in 
1919,  and  it  now  consists  of  the  towns  of  Hillsborough,  Deering, 
Antrim,  Washington  and  Windsor. 


1920. 


PERSONAL   INDEX 


Abbott.  Calvin 175 

Charles   B 412 

Darius    175,   208(2),  402 

Fred 434 

George 443 

H.  Etta 434 

Harold   Reece 504 

Joseph    C 277(2) 

Capt.  Joshua 138 

Kneeland 176 

Moses 176 

0 239 

Ackerley,  Rev.  Henry  W..   361 

Adams,   Rev 345 

Henry 367,  373 

James   F 266 

John    Quincy 452 

Samuel 51 

Samuel,   Jr 51 

Adkins,   John 255 

Adsit,  John  W 277,  437 

Aiken,  Dea.   James....    367(2) 
Capt.   Ninian  .  .    150,  184 

Alcock,  Benjamin 244 

James 215 

Joseph 472,  473 

Aldrich,  Elsie  W 431 

Alexander,  Charles 279 

Allard,   James 160 

Allen,   Ethan 148 

Flora   434 

Ira 118(2) 

Leslie  M 437 

Gov.    Samuel 161 

Almy,  Job 35,  36(2) 


Ambrose,   George 288 

Anderson,    Charles   J 269 

Edwin  P 279 

George  W 359 

Major  Robert. . .  268(2) 

375 
Andre,   Major 139 

Andrews,  Abraham.  .  .   103,  176 

238,  244,  418,  420,  427 

Lieut.  Ammi...   105,   106 

108,  no,  115(2),  116(4) 

135,  147,  160,  233 

Ammi    106 

Ammi,  Jr.     105,  106,   135 

Asa    176 

Charles  J 272 

Christopher    C 292 

Frye   131,  136 

Henry 480,  485 

Isaac...  86,  87(3),     88 

90,  92(2),  93(2) 

105,  106,  109,  110(2) 

130.  134(2),  141(2) 
147,  151,  157,  159 
162,  163,  164,  (166 
given  as  Baldwin) 
176,  184,  186,  195(2) 
199,  200,  203,  204 
210,  213,  230,  231 
238,  297,  298,  299(2) 

453 

Isaac,  Jr.,     135,  157,  159 

208(2),    212,  479 

480(3) 
James   H 270 

519 


520 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Andrews,   Jerry    . . . .- 136 

John 176 

Perkins 141,   163 

Gen.  Samuel  261(3),  264 

265 

Sarah    420 

Solomon...    120,   121(2) 

122,    131,    135,     136 

141,     159,     163,     174 

184,    420 

Stephen..    131,    132,  133 

134,  136(2) 

Annis,  Leolyn 443 

Appleton,  Arthur  C 497 

H-  S 443 

Rev.  J.  M 264,  413 

Jane   M 419 

Sarah  W 413 

Scott  J 442 

Archer,  William 270 

Arling,  Charles 287 

Arnold,  Benedict..    112,  113(3) 

115(3),   116(2),   123 

126,    135,    136,     145 

148 

Ash,  Eva 375 

Moses  E 494 

Ashford,    Harry 497 

Atherton,  Charles  G 414 

Joshua 177 

Atkinson,   George 178 

Theodore. .  74,  yy,  90(2) 

Atwood,   Flora  E 375 

George    E 494 

Elder  John 340(2) 

Samuel  H 275 

Simon    466 

Austin,  Nathan 177 

William    H 290 


Avery,  Gideon  H 279 

Ayers,  Dea.  James    306,  334(3) 
339,  402(5),  403 

Samuel  H 415,  454 

William 173,  176 

Babkirk,  James  A 497 

Bacon,   Daniel 160 

Levi 289,  290 

Bacheldor,   David 176 

Badger,  Dr.  Constantine  C.  410 

Joseph 45 

Bagley,  Henry 184,  186 

Bailey,    C.    A 301 

Charles  H 275 

D.  D 239 

Dr.  George  S..  .  412,  476 

H.  C 443 

Henry  H 387 

Jonathan  402 

Moses    106 

Percy  H 497,  505 

Baker,  Albert.  .  .  .  374,  414,  504 

Nathaniel   B 456 

Robert 376 

Samuel  M.   311,  396,  456 

Sarah   L 375 

Stillman  H 387,  395 

459.  475 
Baldwin,  Charles    437,  439,  440 

David    49 

Eunice no 

Capt.  Isaac...  41,  42(4) 
43.  5o,  56,  59.  69,  80 
85,  86,  87,  88,  90,  91 
92(2),  97,  105(3) 
106  (3),  107  (5) 
108(4),  m,  115.  135 
136,  137.  138(4).  139 
144,    145,    148,    150 


PERSONAL    INDEX.  521 

Baldwin — Continued.  Barnes — Continued. 

194,  195(3),  297,  311  388,      402(2),      426 

452,  505  427,      428(2),      433 

Isaac,  Jr 245      Barney,  A.  J 397 

Col.  Loammi  138,  148(2)      Barr,  Alexander 376 

Nathan 440      Barron,   Capt.  William 137 

Stephen 440     Barrowcliff,  Samuel 107 

Thomas 104     Barry,  William 279 

Ball,  Dr.  Samuel 412  Barstow,  George,  Esq.  262,  416 

Bard,  Simon  Ingersol..   373(3)      Bartlett,  H.  M 382 

Simeon  E 386      Bassett,    Major 249 

Barker,  David  G 278     Batchelder,   Fanny 310 

Dea.   Ephraim 209  John 494 

James    P 379      Bates,   George 288 

Nathan  182,  184,  185,  186      Bauer,    Albert 270 

Barman,  Capt.  James 147  Baxter,   Enos. . .  .244,   439,  440 

Barnard,    Alice 354  Jonathan 439 

Francis 48,     49      Bayley,  Capt.  Joshua 144 

George    444      Beach,  Mrs.  H.  H.  A 425 

Joseph   99      Beadle,  Samuel 361 

Barnes,  Abigail 218  Beal,  Rev.  Frank  Peer. . .  .  497 

Asa 159,   174,  175      Bean,  J.  Everett 475 

Frances   E 373  W.  H 239 

Gilman    440     Beane,   Dorris 432 

Rev.  Jonathan...     91(2)  Beard,  Elijah....   141,  163,  176 

93,  108,  109,  in,  193  369,  370,  403,  452 

194(2),  195(3),   197  George    F 274 

198,  199(2),  200(3)  Isaac    104 

201(2),  204,  208,  209  Jonathan. .  439,  440,  453 

212,      213,      215(2)  Simon    79 

216(2),      218,      230      Beckwith,   Byron   A 276 

232(3),      234,      304      Bedel,  Col.  Timothy 136(2) 

367,      390(2),      436  138,148(3) 

462      Beede,  Thomas 426 

Mrs.  Jonathan 159      Beeton,  Andrew 74 

174    175,  218  Belcher,  Gov.  Joseph  46(3),  227 

Joseph  Curt 244  Sarson....   160,  177,  179 

Luther 486      Bell,    James 4-f 

Samuel 244(2),  387  John 104,  288.  453 


522 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Bell,  Col.   Louis    273 

Hon.   Samuel..    413,  452 

Bemaine,  George.  .  88,  107,  131 

134(2),   136,   137(2) 

138,  367(4) 

Bemis,  Frank  0 497,  505 

Bennett,   Belle 432 

Daniel....    175,  472,  473 

Frank    434 

James    44° 

Moses    487 

Benschoten,  Sanford  Van.  .   359 

William  Van 362 

Bernasconi,  Robert 273 

Beauregard,   Gen 268 

Bickford,  Elizabeth  (Conn)  422 
James  D...  422,  439,  440 

454,  458 

Bigelow,  H 244 

Bishop,  George 159 

Billy,  Euchee 259,  260(2) 

BixLce   or   Bixby,   Andrew     56 

74,  108,  109,  no,  III 

141,  158,  160,  162(2) 

174,  184 

Daniel    184 

John 131,   137,   174 

184,  214 

Levi   W 239,  397 

Mary  394 

Sergt.  Ransom 245 

255,  453,  454 
Blaine,  James  G 458 

Blake,  Henry 106 

Blanchard,   David....    in,  159 

Elijah    360 

Joseph  .  .   74(2),  78,     80 

Meserve  &  Co yy 


Bliss,  Rev.  Lemuel 217 

Blood,  Francis  N.. .  264,  265(2) 

400,  416,  492 

Blum,    Max 280 

Bodwin,   James 160 

Bond,  Elder 341,  343(2) 

Booth,  George 92,  108,  109 

in,    137,    141,    158 
162,  175,  195,  202,  232 

Thomas 232 

William.  .    no,    in,  120 

137,    141.    l5&>    159 
162,  175,232,233(2) 

244 

Bosley,  William  Perley.  . .  .   497 

Bossie,  Alfred  J 497 

Dennis  J 497,  505 

Boutelle.  Forrest    497 

Herman   H 497 

Sumner  E 497 

Bowdoin,  James  178(2) 

Bowers,  Dr.  Elgen.  .  .   413,  475 

Isabel    432 

Dr.  Samuel  0 239 

412(2),   413,  475 

Bowler,  Rev.  John  A.  359,  362 

Bowman,  Lieut.  Jonas  121,  122 

Capt.   Joseph 141 

Capt.  Thomas 168 

Boyden,    George   W 274 

Boynton,  George  W 474 

Bradford,  Andrew 137 

Capt.  Benjamin    215,  245 

246,  247,  468,  487 

Daniel    203 

Eliphalet 141,  159 

162,  176,  238 

Rev.  Ephraim  P.  217,  420 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


523 


Bradford,  John 141,  368 

Mary no,  159,  246 

Capt.  Samuel,  Sen.  85(2) 
92(2),  104(2),  107 
108,    109,    in,    121 

J38,  157,  159,  J62 
176,  186,  194,  195(2) 
196,  198,  199,  202 
229,  297,  299,  311 
401,    459,    463,    479 

505 
Samuel,  Jr.  85,  88,  92(2) 

93,  131,  138,  140,  141 

157,    159.    176,     185 

195,  202,  233(3),  297 

299 

Lieut.    Samuel..    85,     97 

104,  105,  108,  110(2) 

132,    137,    138,    196 

202,203,231,233(2) 

297,  299,  480 

Samuel,  3rd..   92,  93(2) 

176,  177,  178,  195 

Timothy...   92,   108,   109 

no,    121,    158,     159 

195,  202,  229 (2),  233 

234,  297,  301 

William     74 

Bradshaw,  John  W 475 

Bragdon,  Rev.  John..   345,  351 

Brehaut  and  McPhail 389 

Brickett,  Eliza  C.  .  421(2),  422 

Ellen  J 421,  422 

Rev.   Harry  ...  .217,   267 

350.  35i   (3),  362,  374 

375,  394,  416,  419,  421 

(2),  422 

Rev.   Harry  L 375 

421(2) 


Brickett,  Julia  E 422 

Mary  I., 422 

Bridge,  Mr 178 

Briggs,  Hon.  James  F 282 

357,  374(2),  400(3) 
416,  444,  474 

John  C 456 

Briggs  and  Harden 389 

Bright,    John 276 

Brockway,  Frank 493 

George 396 

Brodeur,  Joseph 292 

Brooks,  Dr 409 

David 105,  106,  138 

Preston  S 360,  457 

Brown,  General...  249(2),  250 

251(2),  252 

Ada  H.   Buxton....   394 

431(2),  432 

Arthur   L 359 

Bertha   M 432 

Burt     178 

Daniel  F.  357,  386,404(2) 

Mrs.  Daniel 404 

Deborah    373 

E.    Lena 432 

Eliza    343 

Eva  W...    375,  422,  432 

Garven    160 

Mrs.   Garven 177 

Herman   G 357 

359,  423 
Hugh   P 280 

James 270.  405 

James   H 422 

John 105,   106.   138 

John 270.  344 

John 270 


524 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Brown,  Josephine  M.    ..436(2) 

Irving    C 359 

Samuel...  43,  45 (2),  47 

48(2),  49(2),  54,62 

Stephen  A.  239,  382,  458 

Thomas   H 272 

Browne,  Jay  Calwyn.  .  417,  459 

Bruce,  R.  D 433 

Rufus  J 498 

Bruce  and  Rumrill 475 

Bryant,   George    N 359 

Buchanan,   James 456 

Buckle,  Rev.  E.  E 363 

Buehler,  Rev.   Claude  L. ..   359 

Bufford,    Solomon 437 

Bumf ord,  Solomon  C 274 

Bunnell,   Helen 432 

Burbank,   Moses 138 

Burgoyne,  Gen 118(2) 

119(2),  120,  126 
Burnham,  Dr.  Abel  Conant  318 

374,    375,    396,    397 
409(2),  411 

Albert  J 387 

Catherine  Dascomb  .   353 

Edward   J 450 

Emma  J 43!(2) 

(see  Warne) 

Erickson 381,  396 

George....  273,  396,  397 

Hatch  J 284,  317 

318(4),  319(3) 
or      Burnam,      Hon 

John 320,  386 

413,414,416,426(3) 

John  Appleton 420 

Oramus  W ' ,   285 

Burns,  John 167(2) 


Burnside,  Col.  Ambrose  E.  270 

Burrill,   William 255 

William,  Jr 437 

Burrows,  Rev.  Frederic  W.  293 

294,  352 

Burtt,  B.  F 239 

Edwin  A 290 

Frank 440,  492 

Harmon    278 

J-    S 396 

Josie    425 

Kneeland 425,  440 

Leonard    S 437 

Orlando  G 278,  438 

Orlando  S 266 

Thomas 440 

Butler,  Gen.  B.  F 279 

Charles   F 399,  475 

James 452,  469 

Mrs.   James 312 

Butler,  James  S 239,  386 

398,  404,  430 

Jane  0 359 

Maria    359 

Mary  Frank 359 

Sarah  Ann 359 

Butterfield,   Daniel 405 

George 405,  492 

Major  Isaac 136 

Jonathan 49 

Buttrick,   Harold    F 498 

Buxton,  Adah 423,  431 

(see  Brown) 

Daniel    423 

Mrs.  Daniel 423 

Willis  G...  393,  394,  416 

Buzzell,  Helen  J 432 

Cairns,  John  L 359 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


525 


Caldwell,  John 244 

Levi    285 

Call,  General 257 

Cambridge,    Dorothy 375 

Campbell,  Colonel 249(3) 

Charles    439 

Daniel .  .    22,   58,  84,  440 
James..  180,  181(3),  237 

John 177,  375,  398 

John  C.  239,  400(2),  456 

Nathaniel  J 272 

Robert 121 

Cardena,  Juan  J.. 292 

Carey,  Dr.  Frank  P 412 

Carr,  Edgar  L 459 

Edwin  L 278,  438 

Carr  or  Karr,  James.  .  139,  147 
160,  166(4),  174,  232 

John  •  •  • 505 

Jonathan   244 

Nathan     177,  405 

Robert  139,  147,  172,  369 

Thomas.  ...  139,  160,  174 

213,  273,  437,  438,  439 

Thomas,  Jr 174 

Carson.  John 57(2),  160 

Carter,  Alonzo  E 282,  438 

C  B 433 

E-  B 433 

James 139,  370 

James,  Jr 247 

Nathan    247 

Carpenter.   Frank  P 465 

Luke  0 285 

William  R 275 

Casey,  Richard 286 

Casper,  Robert  T 280 

Cates.  Isaac ; . .  107 


Cavanaugh,    William 280 

Caverly,  Anthony..   54,  61,     62 

Chadwick,  Bertha  M 437 

Joseph  W...  389(4),  475 

Chafey,   Clifford 107 

Chamberlain,  Capt 97,     99 

Phi]ip 340(3) 

Chambers,  Martin....  494,  498 
Chandler,   Rev 345 

H 361 

Isaac    177 

Isaac,   Jr 175 

Chaney,    John 160 

Chapin,  Rev.  Seth....   214,  215 

216(2),  217,  486 

Rev.  Seth 217(2) 

Chapman,  Rev 345 

Joseph 244,  402 

Stephen 244 

Chase,  Benjamin  W 359 

Daniel    403 

Frank    443 

Capt.  H 264 

Dr.  Israel  P.  239,  411(2) 

James 342,  400 

Lucy  May 343(3) 

Cheever,  Benjamin 74 

Benjamin,    Jr 74 

Cheney,  Amy  Marcy 425 

Elias no,  150 

John    158 

Moses    339 

Thomas 427 

Dea.   Tristram 150 

158,  160,  193 

Childs,  Alba 400(2) 

Antoinette    400 

John  S.  400(2),  439,  498 


526 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Childs,  Ruthven  397,  400(4),  405 

William  P 400 

Choate,   Col.   John 302 

Church,  Charles 35(2) 

36(4),     37 

Thomas 35,  36(2) 

Cilley,  Col.  Joseph. .  112,  124(2) 

125(6),   126,  128(5) 

129,    130,    131,    135 

138,    142,    143,    148 

149,  150 

Clapp,  William  N 282 

Clarey,  David  M 160 

Clark,  Andrew  J 288 

David    159 

Edward    490 

George   H 458 

Henry  J 457 

James    490 

Joseph.  .  88,  92,  108,  195 

Raymond  W 498 

Rev.  Samuel  Wallace 

373(2) 

Silas    172 

Thomas 74 

Wilbur   E 498 

William    88 

Rev.    William 270 

373.  437 
Clay,  Capt.  Elijah....   131,  135 

138(2),   146,  147(2) 
148,  149 

Henry 453(2) 

Clement,  G 244 

John  H 292,  437 

Jonathan 370 

Peter  369 

Squires   F 300 


Clement,  Capt.  Timothy  106,  112 

139,  148,  149 
Cleveland,  Capt.  Timothy..    149 

Clinton,   Charles 270 

Clough,    Capt 148 

Clover,  John 124 

Coakley,  Rev.  Thomas.  .  363(2) 

Cobb,  Joseph  W 498 

Codd,  Henry 297 

Peter  297 

Codman,    Abner 490 

Alonso 440 

Baxter 239,  398,  434 

E.   M 435 

E.  W 433(2) 

i^lnathan 439,  441 

Ephraim .  . .  . 439,  440(2) 
George  B...  398,  443(2) 
John..   395,  433(2),  440 

May 434 

Peter    440,  473 

Coggswell,  John  C 432 

Leander    168 

Cole,  Daniel  W 397,  399 

Inez   432 

Luther 386 

Colburn,  Harold  E 498 

Colby,  Anthony 451 

Charles   G 285 

Henry    C 398,  474 

Conn,  Charles  W.  221,  351,  354 
387(2),  394,  458 

Connet,  Moses 106 

Connor,   Leslie  A 498 

Robert 445 

Roger 504 

Cook,  Dr.  George  W.    239,  411 
Nathaniel    B 359 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


527 


Cooledge  or  Coolidge,  Rev.  345 

Charles  W 459 

Clark 420 

Cornelius.  .231,  394,  446 
457,458(2) 

Cyrus    285 

Edward    C 429(2) 

Isaac    341 

John 456 

Josiah 160,  297 

402(2),  403 
Lemuel. .  . .  420,  446,  452 

Mrs.   Lucy 403 

M 244 

Nathaniel..  105,  108,  in 
158,  159,  175,  203 
204,  233,  299,  329 

Nathaniel,  Jr 175 

Paul..  141,  160,  163,  176 
208,    217,    368,    369 

Perkins 487 

Silas 106,  131,  136 

138,  160 

Uriah 141,    162,  176 

Walter  Scott . .    292,  446 
William  P.  244,  270,  437 

Corcoran,  Rev.  Joseph 363 

Cornwallis,  Lord 123,  152 

Corson,  Rev.  Fred  H 359 

Costello,  John 179 

Cota,  Louis  J 498 

Cotton,  Jonathan 49 

Samuel 188 

Coughlin,   William 175 

Coughrin,  Abraham.  .    160,   177 

Coult,  A.  C 361 

Craige,   John 175 


Craine  or  Crane,  Dr.  Joshua  408 

John  W 434 

Lottie   A 434 

Cramer,  Thomas  F 359 

Cressy,  Daniel 107 

Crooker,  Andrew  J.  282,  382,  444 

Edythe  W 373 

Lizzie  M 437 

Robert   G 493 

Crosby,  Alpheus 427 

Esther     375 

Mabel  A 437 

Cross,  Edward  E 275 

Crowell,  G.   F 389 

Cummings,   Anna 439 

Charles....    334(3),  339 

Dr.    Edward   P 411 

433(2) 

Rev.  Henry 106 

Rev.  Jacob 349 

350(2),  411 

Rev.    Seneca 350 

Cunningham,  Alexander...    176 

Josiah    244 

Robert 106 

Currier,    Cornelia 443 

James 357(2) 

Curtis,  Ebenezer 184,  186 

Isaac 185,    186 

John 175,  186,  401 

Katie   465 

Cushing,  John  Jr 35,  36(2) 

T— 49 

Cutter,  Albert  0 239 

Daley,   Hugh 405 

Dane,  Col.  John  R 264,  309 

317,  446 
Timothy 310 


5^8 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Danforth,  Benjamin 360 

Charles  H...  271,  431(2) 

Elijah 104 

Ella   L 43i 

Francis    4J8 

Jonathan..  141,  160,  162 
176,  255,  418 

Mary  Ann 361 

Oramel 387,  480 

Samuel.  .  .    141,   162,  176 

D'Estaing,  Admiral  Count.  .    120 

Darling,  Hon.  Joshua 414 

426(2) 
Timothy 414 

Dascomb,  Alfred  B 420 

Caroline  M 409 

Edmund    271 

George....  247,  255,  350 
369,  401(2),  402(9) 

420,  426(3),  444,452 
Mary   420 

Davis,   Capt 143 

Florence  T 432 

Hiram 492 

John 74 

Day,  Freeman 271 

Dearborn,  Capt.  Henry...    115, 
125,  126,  135,  145,  149 

Dennison,  L.  W 443 

Stephen 394 

Densmore,  Gov 440 

Lyman 360,  493 

Lyman  W.  188,  201,  210 

360 

Col.  Samuel 264 

Derinney,   William 280 

Devoy,  Thomas 463(2) 

Dickey,    Captain 255 


Dickey,  John  P 386 

John 310,  400,  456 

Joseph 244 

William.  .    147,    151,  176 

Dinsmore,    Silas 429 

Dobbs,  Albert  P 359,  360 

Doble,  Harold  B 498 

Dodge,    Benjamin....     131,   139 

Isaac 186 

Samuel  A 383 

Dorr,  George 463 

Henry 359 

Dougherty,   Christopher  L.  445 

498,  505 

Douglass,    Earl   W 495 

Dow,  Archie  C 498 

Freeman   404 

Lyman 357 

Dow,  Gen.  Neal 280 

Stephen 400 

Downey,  Murphy 274 

Downing,  Henry  J 274 

Lewis 315 

Downs,  D.  W 359 

Dresser,  Asa....  in,  120,  139 
182,  184,  186,  299 

Frank  M 499 

Herbert  F 387 

Dudley,   Bert   M 504 

L.  S 361 

William 36 

Dunfield,   George   T 285 

William 278 

Durant  or  Duren,  Jonathan     85 

88,  92,  107,  109,  no 

in,  158,  195.297,  3ii 

Joshua 103 

Dustin,   Agnes   Barden.  .  .  .   424 

Zaccheus     244 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


529 


Button.  Benjamin  F. .  .  104,  141 

157-    159,    l62>     l76 
351-  354,  388 

Ephraim 239,  386 

439.-  440 

F.  B 244 

Frank 282 

Harry 354 

James  141,   157,  159,  162 

Dea.  Jeremiah.  .  355,  422 

John  134(2).  176,  208(2) 

210,  368,  403 

John.  .   141,  157,  159,  162 

212,213.  369,401(2) 

402(11),  505 

Prof.  Samuel  T 351 

422(2) 

Silas 422,  486 

Dutton  and  Barnes....   402(3) 

Duval,  Arthur 475 

Romeo 499 

Dwinnell,    Jonathan 175 

Eastman,  Benjamin    78(2),  359 

Collins 106 

Enoch 106 

Flora  B 436(2) 

Minnie  C 436 

Moses 106 

Thomas 106 

Easty  or  Estey,  Jonathan.  .    175 

402 

Joshua....   106,  108,  in 

141,     158,     159.    162 

T75,     195.    297.    299 

William 175 

Eaton,  Abather. .    185,  172,  186 

c 244 

Horace.  .  .   374,  435,  457 


Eaton,  James   i75>   l77 

178,  357,  39o 

John 215,473 

Leander  H 285,  437 

Luther  S...  239,  404,  435 

Edgell,  Frederick  M 289 

Ellery,  Josiah  W.    . . .  ^  . . .   432 

Elgar,  Albert 504 

Eliot,  Joseph 339 

Elkins,   H.   B 361- 

Ellinwood,    Daniel  > 247 

Ebenezer 74 

James 440,  505 

John 404 

Samuel.  .  .  .  175,  217,  369 

Elliot,   Roger 174,  176 

Ellis,  Capt.  William 136 

Emerson,  Capt 130,   150 

Mrs.  Dr 335 

Henry 398 

Emery,  Benjamin 148 

Leander 278 

Linwood  B 438 

Emmons,  Rev.  Nathaniel..   216 

English,    John 359 

Enos,  Lieut.  Col.  Roger  113(2) 

Estabrook,  Capt 148 

Fairbanks,    A 437 

Falardeau,  Emile  J 499 

Farley,  Alice  C 431 

Farnsworth,  Rev.  Seth 218 

348(2),  436 
Farrah  or  Farrar,  Alden  P.  282 

Benjamin 244 

!saac 139,  151 

247,  369,  423 

Mary    Adelaide 423 

Nathan 463 


530 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Farrah  or  Farrar,  Noah  . .   247 

Capt.    Samuel 104 

Stephen 309 

Walter  J 487,  493 

Farrar  Sisters 475 

Farwell,  John  L 487 

Fausett,    John 278 

Favor,    Chestley 474 

Florence    Kimball . .  .   424 

George  E 499 

Fay,  Capt.  Josiah 143 

Felt,  Dr.  Marcellus  H 375 

387,394,  397,411(2) 

431(2),  432,  459 

Ferragallino,    Castrunion  .  .   275 

Ferry,    Joseph 492 

Fess,  William  G. . . : 383 

Finney,  Phenny,  Tierney  or 
Tinney,  Robert..   132(2),  134 

140(3),  141 

Fisher,  Ellen 374 

Marse    432 

Fisk,  Elijah.  .  139,  174.  176,  214 

Fiske,    Noble 359 

Prof 154 

Fitzgerald,  Rev.   David  W. 

363(3) 
Flagg,  Ebenezer 54 

Josiah 42 

Flanders,  Charles  S...   389,  499 

Emily 432 

Herbert 397.  403 

Fletcher,   Ephraim    504 

Lester 292 

Norman    Waldo.  .  .  .    504 

Hon.    Richard 415 

Col.  Robert  65,  78,  80.  83 

Flint,  Charles 439,  440 


Flint.  Daniel   369,  463 

Eben 463 

Ebenezer 160,  247 

Edward 104 

Jacob 109,  in,  139 

157..  159-  233 

John  G 427(2) 

Levi 108 

Flood,    Francis 274 

Foley,    Bartholomew 285 

Folsom,   Nathaniel 97 

Ford,  Capt.  James 148 

George  A 281 

John 160 

Forsaith,  James  H....   239,  404 

Squiers....    285,   441(2) 

Wilson  D...   398,  400(2) 

Foster,  Aaron.  . .  .   175,  412,  419 

Lt.  Amos  B 410 

Edwin 316 

Ella  G 436 

Ephraim 139 

Frederick    W 499 

Capt.  George.  .  .  .   136(2) 

John 405,   412,  427 

Robert  E 290 

Silas    E 287 

Stephen 336 

Thatcher  B 281 

Fowler.  William 177 

Fox,   John    F 291 

Francis,  Abraham....    439,  440 

Lucinda 492 

Franklin,    Benjamin 313 

Frazer,    Charles 274 

Freeman,  Charles  M...431,  432 

George 504 

Susan  A 431(2) 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


531 


French,  Dr.  John  Q.  A...   410 

411,  457,  459 

Frost,  Albert  P 381 

C.    H 381 

Ruf  us  F.  and  Co. . .   380 

Rufus  H 381 

Rufus    S 381 

Frye 15° 

Fugger,  Edward 177 

Fuller,  Ann  Jones 346 

David 426(3) 

Elijah 479,  480 

John  G.  344(2),  346 

382,  400(3) 

Josephine 443 

Joshua 382 

Luther 244 

Mark  W...  382,  392,  393 

Sarah  C 353,  393 

Wirt  K. .  .    306,  346,  393 

Fulton,  Jonathan 469 

Furnham,  John  S 289,  290 

Gage,  E.  C 443,  474 

Hiram  J.  431(2),  432,  474 

John  M 357 

Mina    S 431 

Minnie 431 

Samuel 334 

Gallond,  Lewis  W 397 

Gammell,  Pliny  F 278,  438 

Ruth 387 

William  121(2),  122,  131 

141,  147,  158,  159 

Garcy  or  Garey,  Joseph  159,  175 

Gardner,  John 29 

William    292 

Gates.   Gen 126 

Gay.   Benjamin 360 


Gay,  Fisher 176,  334 

Henry    N 440 

Langdon  F.  440,  441,  480 

Gee,    Solomon 317 

George,    Cecil   A 499 

Edward 380,  405 

Edwin    M 274 

Nathaniel 429 

Gerrish,  Col.  Henry..    135,   145 

146(2),  149 

Gibson,    Charles 454 

Daniel.  .  .  .  109,  no,  in 
121(2),  122,  131,  142 
158,  160,  184,  186,  231 

Elizabeth 66,  84 

Fred  J 386,  442 

George  A 274 

Jacob 426,  427 

James..  88,  107(2),  no, 
in,  120,  142,  297, 
John.  ...  84,  85,  88,  109 
no,  in,  120,  141 
142,  158,  160,  162 
163,    i74?    1/6,    184 

297,  343(2),  370,405 
458,  466 

John  P 284,  386 

John,   Jr 174,   176 

Samuel 39,40(4),  50 

54,  56(2),  58,  59,  63 

69,   83,   84,   85,    176 

369,  382,  505 

Mrs.  Samuel 6^,  65 

Samuel   0 283,437 

Silas 317 

Gilbert,  John....   402,  452,  480 

Josiah 104 

Gilchrist,  Jenny 172 


532 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Gile,    Etta 432 

Gillis,  Charles...   389,  405,  444 

Gillispee,  J.  J 443(2) 

Gilman,  John  T 449.  452 

Col.  David    135,  139,  145 

Josiah 133,  391 

Glawson,   John   F 239 

Glin,  John    159 

Glover,   Henry 142(2) 

Goffe,  Col.  John..    182,  298(2) 

Going  and  Richardson 401 

Goodhue  and   Birnie 394 

Goodhue,    Ebenezer 244 

Goodrich,  Lieut.  V.  R..  .  247(3) 

Goodwin,    Ichabod 456 

Thaddeus 147,  151 

Goodale,    Asa 466 

Rev.    David   W 352 

Levi 357.  454 

Thomas 307 

Goodell,  David  174,  184,  334,  398 
David,  Jr 244.  335 

369-  37o 

Elisha 176 

John 184,  244,  388 

Dr.  John... 305.  333.  370 

3/1-      394-      398 

410(3),  4".  458 

Gordon,  Daniel.  .  .  184.  185,  186 

Delmont  E 375,  475 

John iS_> 

Josephine 375 

Roy 475 

Goreham.  Shuball.  .  .  .  35,  36 (  2) 

Gould,    Abner 497 

Benjamin..    14T.  .142.  176 

Dr.    Charles 410 

C.  R 287 


Gould,  David  B 457,  480 

Mrs.  David  B 485 

David    G 480 

Ed 397 

Enoch  1 285 

George 151 

Ingalls     437 

Jacob 176 

Judson   W 274 

Leonora 436(2) 

Mary 151 

P.  D 443 

Richard 255,437 

Mrs.  William  E 397 

Gove,  Alzira  F 432 

Col.  H. 264 

Gowing,  Asahe 402 

Grace,   Edward 239 

Graham,  Hugh..    131,  133.   142 

John. .    109,   121(3),   I22 

131  (see  Grimes),  142 

Jonathan no 

Nathaniel..  112.  134,  142 

Grandley,  John 271 

Graper.    Frederick 271 

Graves  and  Upton 160 

Gray,    Widow 160 

Albert 305 

Braverter 386 

Ephraim 174 

Timothy 141,   160 

163,  176 

William 499 

Greeley.   Rufus  F 381 

Green,    Col 139 

David 160.  174,  175 

247,  278 
David,  Jr 175 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


533 


Green,  Gilman.  . .  .269.  275,  281 

Jeremiah 43,  53,  160 

178(2) 

Greenleaf ,  C.  F 239 

Charles    H 433(2) 

Oliver  P..  .  .  239,  405(2) 
O.  P.  and  Co 430 

Greenlovv,   Frederick 280 

Greenwood,  Albert  O..  .  424,  463 
Alice  D.  0 424 

Gregg,  Katie  V 437 

Capt.  William  245,  247(7) 

Griffin,  Eben 310 

Daniel 310 

Michael 289 

Grimes,  Clara  F 436 

Francis 239,  396 

Harvey    J 499 

Hiram 395 

Col.  James  F. . .  267,  293 

375-  398 
Hon.  James  W.  352,  400 

John, in,  131   (see 

Graham),    397,    400, 

452 

Jonathan 142,  239 

J.    Stanley 423 

Lizzie 358 

Mary  C 436(2) 

Molly  C 431 

Nathan 134 

Warren  C 499 

Dr.  William  P 412 

Mrs.  Sarah  A.  .  .352,  436 

Grout,  William 158,  159 

Grove,  Sarah  A 432 

Grimier,  Arthur  J 499 

W.  P 443 


Guertin,    Bishop 364 

Hackett,  Hannah 484,  485 

Hadley,  Mark....    389(3),  458 

Hafey,   Charles    M 423 

Sarah   Fuller    (Bick- 

ford) 422 

Hagar,  Warren 388 

Hale,  A.   J 361 

Charles  G 283,  437 

Frederick 271 

Col.  Nathan.  ...  in,   130 

135,  138(2),  144,  146 

147,  149,  150 

Capt.  John..  106,  135,  139 

146(2),  148,  149 

Lieut.   John 106 

William 456 

Hall,   John 466 

Jude  or  Judge 142 

Lydia 52 

Hamblin,  Maxwell  0 499 

Hamilton,  Patrick 190(2) 

Hamlin,  Rev.  Charles  R.  353(3) 

Europe 143,  369 

Hammond,   Isaac 132 

Hampton,  Gen 246 

Hardy,  F.  W 443 

Luke 36 

Scott  Sargent 499 

Harity,  Rodman 273 

Harmon,  William  H 447 

Harnden,  Charles  A...  281,  416 

Harpell,   John 271 

Harper,  Capt.  William....    138 

Harriman,    Ebenezer 175 

Harrington,  Claire  S 499 

Ray  Orcas   504 

Harris,   John 386 


534 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Harris,  Clara  F 432 

Harrison,  Gen.  William  H.  246 

453 
Hartshorn,  David 74 

Hartwell,  Abigail 361 

Amos 215 

Dr.  Charles 376,  410 

Sergt.   David 104 

H 244 

John 141,  159,  162 

209,  229,  463(2) 

Samuel 173 

Simon 463(2) 

William 487 

Harvey,   Fred  R 500 

Lottie  373,  375,  432,  435 

Harwood,    Nathaniel 159 

Haslet,  Eliza  H 436 

George  W.  375,  394,  431 
Mary  J 436(2) 

Hastings,  Rebecca  S 434 

Samuel  D 357,  434 

Hatch,  Dr.  Elisha 409(2), 

410,  456 

Emil>' 343(3) 

Frank 444 

Martin 247 

Mason.  . .  .  409,  426,  427 

Dr.  Reuben. . .  .  230,  409 

426(2),  427,  452 

Hatfield,  William  Fletcher.   361 

362 

Hayward,   Hattie  A 411 

Nathaniel.,  in,  157,  176 

Hazen,  Edgar 272,  445,  454 

456,  457,  459 

Head,  Capt.   Nathaniel 136 

Healey,    John 53 


Heartley,   Samuel 247 

Hearty,  Fred 463 

Heath,  Abel 244,  359 

Everett  M 500,  505 

Robert  Reed 374 

Solomon 374 

Wilbur  H 439,  500 

William    H 255 

Hebert,   Joseph 276 

Heileman,  Lieut.  Col 257 

Hemmingway,  Elias 334 

Luther 334 

Henshaw,   Joseph 177 

Hernandez,  Brig.  Gen.  259,  260 

Herrick,    Daniel 435 

Jonathan 401(2) 

Hildreth,    Samuel 106 

Hill,  C.  E 435 

Elizabeth 54 

Gov.  Isaac 415,  450 

Col.  John.  ...  17,  18,  27 
35(4),  36(4),  39(3) 
41,  42,  43(3),  44(5) 
46,  47.  48(3),  49(2) 
50,  51(2),  52(2) 
53(2),  54(2),  55,  56 
61(2),  62(2),  66,  69 

72(3),  7^  75(4) 
76(6),  78,  82,  84(2) 

87,    88,    91,    157(2) 

160,      161(4),      T78 

179(2),  193,  197,  198 
199,  203,  209,  219 
227,    299,    322,    463 

Leon  S 394-443 

Peter 177 

Thomas 106 

Warren  W 239,  395 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


535 


Hill,  William 160,   178 

Hillman,  J.  H 359 

Hines,  Andrew  J 284 

HinshaWj  Joshua 160,  179 

Hoit,  Stephen 106 

Stephen,  2nd  Lieut. .  .  106 

Hoitt,    Thomas 143 

Holden,  Daniel 175 

Capt.  Isaac   ....  143,  175 

Mary  B ^7 

Phineas 311 

Capt.   Seth 469 

Holland,  Peter 284 

Stephen 179 

Holman.  Judge  Samuel  W.  400 

417 
M.   Lizzie 434 

Mary  E 436(2) 

and  Smith    .  .  .  .417,  475 

Holmes,  Charles 286 

Hooker.  Capt 1 50 

Hooper.    William 176 

Hopkinson,   Solomon 244 

Hosley,  Luke  G 255 

Houston,  John 466 

Justin 244 

Samuel 78 

William 188 

Howard,   Aramel  A 288 

Edward  P 400 

Lewis    359 

Nathaniel.  .   no,  233,  299 

William 74.  288 

Howe.  Barzilla...  112,  124,  143 
Baxter 92,  in 

x43,  195.  200 
David    103 

James 334.  335.  339 


Howe,  Nathan 176,  403 

Otis 141,  159,  162 

208,  402 

Peter 106,    143 

Silas 103 

Tillie 121,  123,  124 

Howlett,  Thomas 357,  473 

Mrs.    Thomas 474 

Hoyt,  Alonzo  C 278 

Charles  C 285,  438 

Charles  D 283 

Daniel 439,  441 

Etta  E 434 

George  E 341 

Harry    445 

Henry  T 500 

Hugh 271 

Maria   D 434 

Nicholas 439,  440 

Scott    434 

Hoyt  and  Son 469,  492 

Hubbard,  Harvey 255 

Henry    261 

Horace 315,  317 

Richard 36 

W.H 433(2) 

Humphrey,  Capt.  William.  .    149 
Huntington,  Col.  Jabez..  41,  51 

56,  160,  178 

Joshua 44 

Huntley,   Elisha 247 

Huntoon.  Llewellyn  H 500 

Huse,  Mrs.  and  Mr 167 

Hutchins,  Charles  W 389 

Hutchinson,  Cyrus   247 

Lieut.  Nathaniel,   115(2) 

Solomon 74 

William...  108.  109,  in 


536 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Hutchinson — Continued. 

130,    141,    H3>  158 

160,    163,    174,  176 

184,    233,    238,  369 

Ingham,  George  T 290 

Ives,  Fred  B 438 

Jackman,   Humphrey 490 

Ida  E 434 

Ira  311 

John  W...   346,  352,  354 

434,  442,  444. 

Jackson,  Col 142 

Andrew  252,  452,  453(2) 

Gridley 143 

Patrick   T 377 

Jaffrey,  George.  .  74,  76,  77,  178 
Jameson,  Dea.  Hugh.  .  426,  427 

James 237 

Jaques,  Feliz 495 

Jennison,  Eunice 108 

Lot.  .    109,  no,  in,  158 

159,  2321 

Jessup,  Major.  249(2),  250,  259 

Johnson,  Abel  R 500 

David    491 

Edward  Robbins.425,  440 

John 244 

Nathaniel..  134,  144,  147 

335,  427 
Rachel 160 

William.  . . .  147,  281,  469 

Zebediah 132,   144 

157,  160 

Jones,  Abel 174 

Abraham 176 

Andrew    176 

Benjamin..  157,  159,  174 

176,  184,  419 

Benjamin,  Jr 184 

185.  186 


Jones,  Charles  A.  353,  395,  493 

David    466 

Eben    244 

Ebenezer 109 

Edward    491 

George 281,  446 

Harvey 244,  382 

398,  459 
Rev.  Henry.  280,  419(2) 

420 

Isaac 178,  335 

James. ...    141,  157,   160 

163,  184,  233,  360,  490 

Joel..   132,  143,  173,  176 

Joshua....   160,  184,  186 

Lemuel 160 

Moses....    106,  144,  173 
Nehemiah..   401,  402(4) 

Paul 72 

Samuel. . .  .  109,  in,  157 
160,  186,  233 

Samuel,   Jr 185 

Simeon    247 

Thomas 276,  287 

Willard   419 

William....  88,  92,  108 
109,  in,  132,  141 
157,  144,  159,  163 
175,  184,  186,  195 
233,  244,  299,  480 

William,  Jr 109,  in 

158,  160,  185 

and  A.   Blood 176 

Justice,    Robert 271 

Keith,  Samuel 317 

Kelley,  John 271,  281 

Col.  Moses....   121,  122, 

142,  147 

Patrick 273 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


537 


Kellom,  Edward. .  239,  433,  434 
Thomas.  ...  160,  176,  369 
Thomas,  Jr....    144,   151 

Kelso,  William  L 412 

Kemp,   Leon   E 500 

Kendall,  Catherine 414 

Charles 239 

Edward  S 239,  492 

Emily  Z 436(2) 

Jesse 176 

Joshua 173,  176 

Nathan...    176,  439,  440 

Robert 500 

Timothy    427 

William  Scott 500 

Kendrick,  Stephen 400(3) 

Kenewa,  Indian  Chief.  .  34,  470 
Kerr,  see  Carr 

Keyes,  Francis..  50(2),  52,  54 
Gershom.  .   17,  18,  35(2) 

36(4),  39.  4i,  42, 
43(3),  44,  45-  46 
48(3),  49(2),  50 
51(2),  52(6),  53(2) 

54(3),     56,    57,     58 

59,  60,  61(2),  62(3) 

65,  376,  486 

Lucretia 53,  54 

Sarah 45,  52,  54 

Solomon   52 

Killicut,  Reuben 176 

Killom,  Daniel.  .  . .  141,  144,  147 

151,     160,    162,     173 

176,  230(2) 

H 244 

John    104 

Kimball,  Abraham  175,  212,  369 

Amos 309,  310 


Kimball,  Augustus   310 

Benjamin.  .  141,  158,  160 
162,  173,  175,  299 

Charles 386,  404,  405 

Clark 310 

David 273,  310 

Edward    273 

Eliza  J.  C 436(2) 

Henry  D 359 

Herbert 396,  469 

John 380 

Leonard  M 386 

Mary  E.  (Andrews) 

436(2) 

Moses    106 

Parker 310,  480(2) 

Phinehas 106 

Col.  Retire 472(2) 

473(2) 

Reuben    106 

Samuel ....  382,  386,  404 
426,  427 

Thomas 132,   134 

Vernor    310 

William    357 

Kimball  and  Roach 476 

Kimball  and  Wilson.  .  .  .  160(2) 

King,  George 297 

Wilder    H 500 

Kittredge,  Dr.  Francis.  408,  409 

Knight,   Jonathan 175 

Knowlton,    Gideon 177 

Knox,   William 50 

Kulbacki,   Leopold 500 

Lacy,  Samuel.  . .  .   173,  175,  490 

Samuel,    Jr 175 

Lafayette,  Gen 120,   164 

Lambert,   John   B 500 


538 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Landarbush,    Akin 288 

Langdon,  John 101,  118 

449(2),  452 

Lansing,  John  A 359 

Lantos,   Dalfis 271 

Lathe,  Mary 443(2) 

Laughlin,    Vertner    W 500 

Law,  William  H 3^8 

Lawton,  Widow   491 

Rev.  John 218(2), 

426,  427 
Leavenworth,  Major.  .  .  .249(2) 

LeClerc,   Rev.   J.    G 363 

Leddy,  Rev.  Charles  J.. .  364(2) 

Lee,    Daniel 359 

Florence    443 

Mary  443 

Patrick 274 

Legasse,  Albert  J 500,  505 

Leonard,    B.    F 244 

Leslie,  Charles  W 283 

Lewis,    Widow 160 

Cornelius 286 

David    437 

Edwin   437 

Major  John 427,  428 

Leonard    437 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  .  268,  269(2) 

Daniel  A 280 

George  W 387(2) 

388(2),  398,  493 
Louis    389 

Little,  Ezekiel 173,  175, 

214,  403 

George....   173,  175,  217 

377,  378(2),  402(3) 

468 

Isaac.  35,  36(3),  40,  41 


Little — Continued. 

42,  43,  45,  5o,  51(2) 
52(2),  53(2),  54,  61 

James    144 

William..    141,   144,   163 

174,  176,  408 

Livermore,  Benjamin  F. ...    388 

David 147,   151,   174 

184,  255,  369 

Matthew   74 

Locke,  Emma 432,  492 

John  H 389.  435 

Long,   Charles 271 

Col.  Pierce....    112,  149 

Love,    Charles 278 

William..    109,    no,    in 

141,  144,  160,  163 

175,  176,  184 

Lovejoy,  Abijah 38,  297 

Benjamin.  .  .  .  85,  92,  109 
no,  in,  195,  297 

Benjamin,  Jr 88,  297 

Joshua 186 

Peter   107 

Loveren  or  Lovering,  J.  H.    239 

Joseph 446 

Martha  A 359,  386 

404,  423 
Reuben  E 239,  374 

Reuben  F.  239,  386,  404 
423,  440,  444 

Reuben    W 423 

Clara   476 

Lowell,  Francis  C 377 

Lyford,  Dr.  Benjamin....  410 
Lyons,  Ebenezer   74 

James 56(2),  59,  60 

63(2),  64,  66 

Tohn    288 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


539 


Lyons,   Mary    66 

MacGregor,  Mary....   432,437 

MacLaughlin,  John 81  (2) 

Macomb,   Maj.   Gen 257 

McAdams,  Cyrus  P 239 

Ervin    443 

Samuel    176 

Sumner  C 285,  437 

McAllister,  Cleaves  A.. 443,  475 

Joshua  H 274,  288 

Lucy  A 437 

McCalley .  Clark 466 

David    244 

McClary,  Andrew 107(2) 

Charles  F 239 

Lt.  John... 132,  158,  160 
172,  176,  184,  214 

John    412 

Dr.  Silas 412 

William 177 

McClintock,  Abby  Sawyer.  .   421 

Alexander..  88,  109,  no 

in,  121(2),  122,  131 

145,    156,    158,    160 

172,  184,  214 

Charles 285,  421 

Fred    493 

James  H 421 

John 109,  no,  in 

140(8),  141(3).  J58 

160,    172,    184,    203 

214,233,235,402(2) 

421 

Kneeland 442,  443 

L^e 396,  421,  456 

Mark  E 501 

Moses 247 

Nellie    431 


McClintock,    Niel    387 

Sillman,  M 387(2) 

431(2),  442,  445 

Warren 374,  421 

McClure,    Alexander 505 

Col.  David   243 

James    145 

Robert.  ...   56(2),  59,  60 
65,  145,  162 

Robert,  Jr 145 

McColley,    Widow 176 

Alexander    63 

James....  56,  58,  59,  63 
65,  66,  69,  131,  133 
141,  144,  160,  162 
163,  174,  214,  231 
233.  401(2),  452,467 

505 

John.  .  66,  109,  in,  145 

147,     158,     159,    162 

174,    177,    199,    208 

297(2) 

John,  Jr 66(2),  80 

84(2),  88,  140 
Margaret.. 56 (2),   63(3) 

64,  66 

William    177 

McCormack,  Lawrence  A. .   501 

McCoy,  Michael 264 

McDonald,  John 271 

McEvoy,  John 271 

McFarland,  John    415 

McGreevy,  John  J 501 

McGregor,  Arthur  Thomas  501 

Capt.  David 136 

Mc  Illvin,  Capt 265 

Mclntire,  Patrick 274 

McKellips,  Cora  T.  436(2),  437 


54o 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


McKinney,  Luther  F 459 

McMillan,  Thomas 271 

McMullen,  Elizabeth 85 

McMurphy,  Daniel..   83(2),  84 

I93»  297,  463 

McNally,  Lillian  444 

McNiel,  Benjamin  P 258 

261(2) 
Daniel..  80,  88,  109,  145 

159.    173.    l7°>    200 

202,  203(2),  229,  247 

261,  299(3),  301(2) 

307,  465(2) 

Daniel,   Jr 145 

Lieut.   David..    108,    in 

233 

James 78(2),  145 

Jane 173 

Gen.  John..  79,  80,  106 
107,  120,  136,  141 
145,  160,  163,  174 
176,  184,  247,  249 
250(3),  251(3),  258 
259(3),  339,  402(6) 

454,  489,  505 
John,  Jr 80,  258(3) 

259(6) 

John,  3rd, 80 

Lucy 151 

Solomon  151,239,255(2) 

Solomon,   Jr 344 

William 258,  505 

McNight,  James  A 352 

McPherson,    John 271 

McQueston,  Charles  A 274 

Madison,  Pres.  James 245 

Manahan,   Ethel 443 

William  H 221,  382 

444,  457(2),  458(3) 


Manahan,    William    H.,    Jr.  398 

Mann,    Martha 151 

Mansfield,  Alfred  L.  395,  400(3) 

Manuel,  Joseph 359 

March  or  Marsh,  Widow..    160 

177,  178 
Clement, 74 

Marcy,  Angie  I.   ...431(3),  432 

Chester 446 

Ellen    351,  422(2) 

H 239 

Horace 487 

Isaac    440 

Joshua 374(2),  379 

400,  440,  456 
Philip  Barrett 504 

Marshall,  David..  141,  162,  174 

176 

Eugene 501,  505 

Raymond  C 445 

Silas . .  244,  386,  426,  427 

Marston,  Col.  Gilman 270 

Capt.  Simon 148 

Martin,    Charles 278 

Henry  R..  .  285,  381,  382 

492 

Leonard  T 373 

Mason,  Barbara 37 

John  Tufton  37,  74,  75,  76 
Joseph...    35,  36(3),  37 

Mathews,  Elton  Roy 501 

Maxfield,  James 59 

Maxwell,  James....   41,  51,  56 

Mead,  Benjamin 173,  176 

Deacon  John. . .  .  92,  108 

109,  in,  141,  146 

158,  159,  162,  173 

176,  193,  195,  202 

244,  297 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


54* 


Means  F 244 

Mellen,  Nellie  R 373 

Merrill,  Alvah 435<  492 

Bell  E 359 

Frank  E 386,  397 

443.  458,  475 

George  H 501 

Luke 446 

Samuel,  Lieut 247 

William.  ..  270,  359,  398 
440,  454,  501 

Merrity,  John  W 443,  495 

Metcalf ,  Jonathan 334 

Ralph 456(3) 

Meyer  or  Mayes,  James. .  41(2) 

53,  56,  59 

Millen,   Seth 397 

Miller,    Alfred   A 283 

C 359 

Farrar 175,  177 

Col.  James 177,  184 

252(6),  299 

John 271 

William    340 

Millett,  Alice  G 434 

Augusta   A 434 

Herbert    D 434 

Milliken.    Nathan 280 

Millor,  Thomas.  .    159,  174.  176 

184 

Daniel  M 160 

Miltimore.    Daniel 184 

Minot,  Joseph 427 

Mitchell,  Emma  W.  436(2),  437 

Moffatt.  John 74,  jy,  178 

Monahan,    Barney 273 

Monroe,  Fred  B 302 

George  Harvey 420 


Monroe,  Dr.  Harvey 410 

Mrs.  Harvey 410 

Hazen  B 437 

Col.  Hiram.  .  .  .   230,  302 

360,  361,  420,  437,  453 

Dr.  Joseph.  401,  402,  408 

Thaddeus..  146,  147,  157 

159,    173.     J75.    231 
233(2),  299,  452,463(2) 

Montgomery,   Gen 114,  148 

Mooney,  Col 133,  149 

Roderick  J 35 1,352 

Moor,   B.   P 244,388 

George    344 

Capt.  Hugh... ?45,  247(4) 

Jotham    344 

Moore,   Widow    r6o.  178 

Benjamin  P 381 

Col.  Daniel    144,  150 

Forces 334 

Col.  John  .  . .  .79,80,  142 

Jotham    386 

Ens.  Robert 103,  317 

Col.  Samuel   74.145 

Rev.  Solomon  478 

William    43.5° 

Morehouse,  C.  C 359 

Morgan,  Col.  Daniel 126 

William     429 

Morierty,    Cornelius ...  271 ,  282 
Morin,  Anthony  .  .  .92,  195,  297 

Morrill,  Capt 142 

Rev 35T(2) 

George  F 283 

Henry  C.  358,434,447(2) 

John    173,  437 

Mary   M 359-434 

Samuel   147 


542 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Morris,  Robert 429 

Morrison,   David    186 

Rev 364 

Samuel   350 

Morse,   Edwin    B 239,  397 

George    442 

L.  S.  &  Son 381 

Mosley,  Victor 395 

John   L 445 

Moulton,   Rev.   Josiah....   216 
Mudgett,  Ebenezer  ....  100(4) 

Muller,  August    274 

Murdough,  Abbie    362 

Clarence  A 501 

Clifford    463 

Dutton    446 

H 244 

Isaac   255 

James   J 244,  285 

James  0 463 

Mark 463 

Noah    463(2) 

Corp.  Samuel   ..104,110 

146,  160,  173,  176,  244 

Thomas  ....  108,  in,  112 

130,  137,  146,  160,  174 

176,  184,  202,  214,  232 

233.  244,  484,  485 

Mrs.  Thomas    485 

Thomas,  Jr.,  no,  160,  176 

William    232 

Murphy,  John    291 

Patrick    278 

Muzzey,  Francis  Brown..    374 

Dr.  Reuben  412 

Sarah 368 

Nelson,  Elizabeth    387 

George    . . .  .440,  487,  491 
Mrs.  George   ....491(2) 


Nelson,   Guy   Leslie 501 

Harry  Earl    501 

Moses   173,  175,441 

Newell,  Jason  H.  T 357 

386,  433 
Laura  L 375 

Newman,  B.  E 443 

Mrs.  Clinton 312 

DeWitt  C.   ..239,386(2) 

Emmons    C 266 

Francis    H 285 

Dr.  Frank  P 412 

J.  Willard    418 

James    239,  396 

418,  430(2) 

Mary  H 43L432 

Solon    389 

Theron  B 374-433 

W.  E 443-474 

Nick,  Widow    160 

Nichols,   Daniel    178 

Ebenezer    176 

George  A 239,  488 

489(3) 
John    109,  in,  160 

173.175.233 
Joseph    160,173,175,386 

Col.  Moses.  .  138,  142,  148 

Thomas    402 

Noyes,    Cyrus    F 286 

Edward    F 286 

George  C.    ..359 (2),  400 

Mary    N 359 

Russell  F...  357,  359,435 

William  0 459 

Nutter,  Henry   359 

Odell,  Wayne  Harold 501 

Odiorne,  Jotham    74. 77 

Ordway,    Billy.  .317(6),  318(2) 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


543 


Orr,  Hon.   Hugh 376 

John   452 

Page,  John    453 (2) 

Paige,   Rev.   Reed 217 

Parker,  Alexander  .  .  .  .369,  427 

Donald    P.    M 504 

Lieut. -Col.  Francis 

W 273 

Frank  M 386 

George    271 

J 36i 

Jesse  C 386,  395 

Capt.  John 148 

Capt.  Joseph 144 

Josiah    79,  505 

Matthew    317 

N 133 

Silas  174 

Thomas    74,  77 

William    74,  141 

147,   151,   160.   162 

174,   176,    178,  238 

Parmenter,  Nathaniel.  .147,  151 

173,  176 

Parsons,  Dr.  Joseph 410 

Noah    106 

Samuel   Holden    .  .  .    163 

Patten,  James   G 278 

George  C.    ..396,397(2) 

Matthew    82(2) 

Samuel    177 

W.    H 441 

Patton,  Robert   . .  .  174,  184,  214 
Paul,   Rev.   Thomas.  .  .334,  345 

Peabody,   Francis   B 416 

Rev.  Josiah   374 

Oliver    178 

William    74 

and  Choate   ....160,178 


Peacock,  John    339 

Pearson,  James    405 

Joseph    391 

Peaslee,  Cora  L 431 

Ethel  A 437 

Fannie    S 434 

George  D 239 

Nathan  B 434 

and    Whittemore.  .  .   490 

Pendleton,  E.  C 382 

Penhallow,  John    y6 

Perham,  Edith   432 

David    184,  1S5,  186 

Perkins,    Edmund    175 

John   160, 178 

Simon   466 

Perley,  Hon.  Ira 262 

M.  P 433 

Perry,  Charles  F 475 

Charles  S 375 

Grace    432.443 

Harrison    389 

Peterson,    Dr.    James 411 

Pettingill,   Joseph    148 

Phelps,  Ida  P 373 

Philbrick,   John    313 

Philips,  Dr.  B.  H 410 

Phipps,  Joseph   472 

Mrs.  Joseph 472 

Pierce,  Gov.  Benjamin...  103 
146(2),  147,  174,  177 
179,  205.  208(2),  215 
217.  230,  243.  248,  252 
256,  261,  262,  308 
335(2),  336,  369,  390 
402(11),  415,  438 
440(3),  452(2),  453(2) 
465(3),  466 


544 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Pierce,  Col.  Benjamin  Kend- 

rick    248,   256(2) 

257(2),     258(2),     386 
415,  418,  425 

Daniel    74 

Frank  H 417,421 

457. 465 
Hon.    Franklin    .  .  18,  230 

262(3),  263,  340 
414(2),  415,  419,  436 
440,  453(3).  454 
455(2),   465,   466,    505 

Col.  Henry  D 231 

261(2),     264,     265(2) 

444.  456 

Joseph    178 

Joshua 74-77 

Kirk  D 363.417(3) 

465(2),  475 
Mrs.   Mary  A...  363,  437 

Merrill    248 

and    Moore    77,  178 

Pickering,  Capt.  Thomas.    101 

Pike,  B.  T 443 

Charlotte    412 

Dr.    Horace    G 412 

Justus    22,  412 

Levi    434 

Pillow,   Gen   263 

Pillsbury,  Albert  L 434 

Estella    E 434 

Piper,  Fred  S 431(2) 

Mabel    1 431 

Plummer,   William    391 

Pool,  Charles    335 

Poor,   Col.   Enoch 131,  138 

146,  147.  148 

George  M 291 

Pope,    Samuel    .  .  .  174,  176,  184 


Pope,  William 85,  88,  92 

109(2),  in,  112,  120 
121(2),  122,  131(2) 
147,  157,  160,  162,  195 
202,  203(2),  233(3) 
238,  255,  297,  311 
Porter,  Col.  Elisha.  ...  150,  243 

Potter,  Ann  (Drake) 416 

Col.  Chandler  E....   249 
263,  416,  465 

Joseph    416 

Powell,  Mary   443 

Powers,  J 244 

Rev.  Levi  M 341 

Winfred  G 501 

Pratt,   Meriam    419 

Presby,   Joseph    .  .  107,  359,  361 

Prescott,   Lucian   W 359 

William   P 432 

Preston,    George    C 459 

Jedidiah    .  .  .109,  110,111 

141,  159,  162.  173,  175 

214,  233(2),  369 

Samuel    109,  120 

121(2),    122,    131,    148 

160,  174.    184,  203 

Dr.  Thomas. 409 (2),  412 

Prichard,    Benjamin.  . .  .377(2) 

William    B..  239,  434-435 

Priest,  Benjamin    387,410 

480(2) 

C.  A 244(2),  388 

Daniel    426,427,439 

Pritchard,  Dr.  George....   410 
George  H 283,  488 

489(3> 

William   B 433 

Proctor,  Capt.  John  C...   244 
Josiah    186 


PERSONAL   INDEX. 


545 


Proctor.  Josiah,  Jr 185 

Leon  B..405.432(2).  445 
Maude   B.    ..432  (3),  443 

O.  W 405 

Wilbur     442 

Putnam.  Haldiman  S 277 

Jonathan    160 

Putney,  Asael 107 

Benjamin    255 

George  H 443 

Jacob  A 273 

John    106 

John   L 269,  280 

Joseph    107 

Pye,  John  H 504 

Queenan,  Rev.  James  H..   364 

Quick,  Rev.  Abram 351 

Quigley,   John    100 

Quimby,  Aaron   100 

Quinn,  C.  H 434 

Helen  M 434 

Raleigh  or  Riley,  John  B.  437 

Mary    57 

Philip..  57,  81,  83,  84,  472 
Ransom,  Col.  Trueman...  263 

Ray,  James  H 480(2) 

James  M 463(3) 

Read,  Ambrose  Trvin 501 

Reece,  Raymond  A 50T 

Reed,   Daniel    301 

George  F 283 

Capt.  James    ....  122(2) 

John    437 

Nathan    169 

Reid,   Elijah    382 

Col.    George.  ...  145,  147 
148,  155(2) 

Remington,  B.  F 340 

Reynolds,  Col 136 


Rice,  Willard    405 

Richards,  Col 142 

Doctor    265 

Henry    289 

Joel    ....182,185,186(2) 

Richardson,  Allen  H 502 

Bert    L 502 

Daniel    134,  148 

Capt.   John   P 264 

Jonas    173 

Col.  Lewis 265 

Milton    274 

Parker    174,177 

Stephen 248,255 

Riley,    Raley    or    Raleigh, 

Major   ...  .111,  160,  472 

John    272 

Rindge,  John 74,  77,  178 

Rine  or  Rhines,  John....   280 

Roach,    William    H 400,431 

432(2),  443 

Robbins,  Abigail   151 

Mrs.  Alonzo  .  . .  .387,  492 

Archibald    423 

Augustus    276 

Caleb    248 

Charles    D 151,  396 

Charles   T 293,437 

Curtice    148,  248 

F. 244 

Francis  W 286,  437 

George  A. .  .  287,  288,  437 
John   G.    .  .  .248,  291,  293 

Lizzie  A 387 

Lyman    148,  248 

Norman    239 

Peter    148.173 

Simon   255 

Zachariah  .  .  147,  173,  310 


546 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Robertson,  George  H 286 

Smith    158,159,175 

Robinson,  Samuel  173 

Roche,  James   ....  184,  185,  186 

John    184,  186 

John,   Jr.    .  .  184,  185,  186 

David    255 

Rogers,  Artemas   414 

James    80 

James    288 

Richard     8u 

Robert    80,  108 

Rolf  or  Rolph,  Daniel .  .  109,  1 1 1 

141,   158,   159 
162,   173,   175 

Jesse    148,  158,  160 

Stephen    427 

Rowe,  Rev.  Elisha  Thayer  374 

James  C 291 

Royleigh,    Hiram    B 293 

Ruff,   Benjamin    no 

Rumrill,  E.  C 443 

Frank  G 442 

443(3),  474 

Obadiah  F 286,437 

Peter    382,  430 

Ruth    443-444 

William    248,  376 

469,  472 

Russell,   Daniel    147,  151 

Dawson    350 

George    60,  493 

Saltmarsh,   George   F 457 

Sanborn,  Russell   286 

Sanders,  Andrew  275 

Charles  280 

Sanford,  John  F 272 

Sargent,  or  Sargeant, 

Andrew    244,   370, 

403,452(2) 


Sargent.   Cyrus    404 

Ebenezer    ..112,131,148 

Edward    176 

Eli   404 

Enoch  466 

Frank  B 286 

John    88,92,195,427 

Jonathan    .  .  .86,  no,  in 
141,   148,  158,  159,  162 

167,  173,  175.  244,  386 
404,  412 

Jonathan,  Jr 403 

Julia   E 434 

Orlando    .  .  .  239,  434,  438 
Capt.    Paul    Dudley 

122(2),  160 

Samuel    148(3) 

244,412 

William  M 388,389 

426,  427 

Savory,  Samuel  C 446 

Sawyer,    Enoch    308,444 

Rev.  Moses  217 

Silas  N 396 

Tristam     350 

Capt.    William    ....    143 

Scales,  James   188,  197 

Rev.  John    S7 

Scammell,    Col.   Alexander 

125,  126,  136,  150 

Scott,  Gen 262 

James    284 

Maj.  William.  .  .132,  140 

143,280 

Gen.  Winfield  S....   249 

25i(3^ 

Schneider,  John   284 

Scruton,    Cora    L.    Peaslee 

I3I-375 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


547 


Scruton,   Paul   Stephen ....   502 
Seaver,  James  Nelson....   359 

Sebalts,  August  277 

Seetown,  John   74 

Selley,  Samuel   74 

Senter,   Col.   Joseph 148 

Judson    335 

Shattuck,    Abel. .  .  173,  175,  370 

William    175 

Capt.    Zebediah    175,469 

Joseph    106 

Shedd,  E.  Estella    432 

John 141,  147,  148 

157,  160,  163,  174,  176 
402(3),  458,  488 

Shepard,  Amos    391 

John    74 

Sherburne,  Major   136 

Shutts,  Claude  R 502 

Sias,  Capt.  Benjamin 146 

Simons,  William    463 

Simonson,  William  H.  357,359 

Simpson,  Joseph    359 

Skinner,   Frederick  N 504 

William     505 

Slater,  Samuel   377(2) 

Sleeper,    Charles    474 

G.  F,  239 

Sleigh,  Rev.  William 377 

Smart,  George   357 

Hiram 390 

Smiley,  J 473 

Smith,  Aaron  C 490 

Ammi    351,  396,  400 

Lt.   Archibald   Lav- 
ender   354,502,505 

Benjamin   ..176,217,335 

Bertram    502 

Charles  C 45^ 


Smith,  Charles  J 18(2),  56 

68,  213,  388,  444,  467 

Daniel    344 

David    248 

David,  Jr 341 

Elder  E.   H 341(2) 

Eli    L 239 

Francis  G 434 

Frank  J 284,  488 

Hugh    466 

Jacob 313(2) 

Jeremiah    4^2 

John    174,  176,  288 

Hon.  John  B 266,350 

351,      353(3),      380(3) 
394.   400,   421,   458(4) 

459 
John   W 283 

Joseph  L 261 

Mrs.  Joseph   L 261 

Dr.   Luther   176 

409(3). 47o 
Lydia  490 

Mary  A 434 

Milo    317 

Sandy  334 

William  G 272,  437 

Solley  and  March  or  Marsh 

77^  178 
Spaulding,  Andrew  B 416 

Chester  A 502 

Henry 178 

Jacob    .175,206,403,468 

Oliver 505 

Joseph     121 

Samuel   149 

Silas    102 

Warren  F 290 

Sprague,  John 173, 177 


548 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Stacey,   Harvey   356 

Stanton,  Patrick  J 502 

Stanley,  Benjamin 106 

John    106 

Stark,  Archie    80 

Adjt.  Caleb   125 

Col.  John  .  .  .  .78(2),  79 
80,  107,  108(2),  117(2) 
118(4),  120,  122(3) 
123(2),  124(2),  135(3) 
137,  138(2),  139(3) 
142,  143,  .144(2) 
145(2),  147 

William   78(3),  80 

108,  117 

Slarrett,  David,  Esq 248 

37o,    385.    386.    413(3) 

414,  415,  416,  457 

Stearns,    Dr.    Benjamin...   408 

Stein,  William    282 

Steel,  John 88 

Martha   86 

Moses    86(2),    1  it 

141,  149,  160,  163 
167(4),  174,  176,  1S4 
214,297,  401  (2),  402(5) 

Thomas    86 

Thomas,  Jr 86 

Steele,  Catherine   350-354 

David    4M 

Major  David 263 

350.4H 

Stephenson,  Albe 353,  400 

Stevens,   Calvin    132,  134 

141,     149,     157,     159 

163,  174,  176,  177(2) 

178(2),       208,      217 

238(2),  369 


Stevens,    Ephraim 80,  324 

Stewart,  Austress   420 

David    420 

Elizabeth   85 

George  H..  .239,  356,  404 

John    177 

Samuel    160 

Stickney,    Duty    106 

Col.  Thomas no 

130,    133(2),    135,    137 

139(4),  142(2),  143(2) 

144,    147(4).    149.    150 

160,  182 

Stiles,  Caleb   74 

Still,   William    H 504 

Stinson,  David   78(2) 

Storrs,  Rev.  C.  L... 352(2),  353 
Story,   William   H 280,309 

375.  386,  438.  475 
Mrs.  William  H.  307,  312 
William  Oscar  ....  395 

Sarah  M 434 

Stow,    Joel    179 

Stowe,  Clarissa    350 

Jeremiah     420 

Dea.  Joel   22.  176 

369.  420(2) 
Joel  Buchanan .  .  420,  440 

Josiah   160,  176 

Mary    174 

Menasa    160.  490 

Otis  307 

William    310 

Stratton,  Jonathan  D 435 

Straw,  James 248 

Richard    106 

Walter   P..  .221,  239,  286 
Stuart,  W.  H 359 


PERSONAL   INDEX. 


549 


Styles,  Stephen 176 

Sullivan,  Maj.  John.  . .  .97,  101 

123(2),      124(2),      126 

128(2),    129,    142,    148 

John    449(2) 

Sumner,  Charles 360,457 

Swett,  Dr 410 

E.   A 361 

Jonathan    182,  184 

185,  186 

Josiah    184 

Josiah,  Jr 184,  186 

Symonds,   Amasa    .  . .  .419,  440 

Betsey    419 

Eliphalet    419(2) 

Frank  W 218,  350 

Capt.   Joseph    .  .  108,  109 

no,    131.    132,    141(2) 

173,    176,    202,    230(2) 

232,   233(3),    235,    301 

390.  463 
Dea.  Joseph    ...149,158 

159,      162,      170,      208 
209(3),    210,    213,    368 

408 

Maria    218 

Mehitable    408 

Nathaniel 141,  149 

163,  173.369 

Samuel 105,  106 

109,  141,  148,  158,  159 

163, 209(3),  210,  211(2) 

212,  233,  311 

Sarah    21S 

William    ...  1 10,  120,  141 

149,  163,176,307,369 

Taggart  or  Taggard,  Archibald 

88,     92,     109(2).     in 

121(3),    122,    124,    131 

134,  149.  157,  159,  175 


Taggart — Co  n  tin  u  cd. 

184,      195,      233,      297 

299(4) 

Corp.  James   . . .  .86,  109 

in,    115(2).    i47»    149 

158,  159,  162,  173,  175 

248,  297,  468,  505 

John    ..131,149,297,403 

Joseph   no,  112(2) 

131.      149.      157-      160 

175(2),    179,    184,    214 

Robert    ....  106,  149,  158 

172,231,297 

Samuel    469 

William   86(2),  88 

108,    109,    in,    112(2) 
122,  131,  141,  147,  149 
157.    159.    162(2),    173 
206,  208,  212,  213,  307 
368,    369,    390,    401(2) 
402(12),  409,  452 
William,  Jr.  in,  141(2) 
158,   160,  297 
Talbert    or    Tallant,    Wil- 
liam 175,  176,  184,402(5) 

Tapley,  William  R 433 

Tasker,  John  Baker 397 

John  Baker,  Jr 502 

Taylor,  Capt.  Chase 139 

Ephraim    374 

George    244 

1 361 

John    130,150,176 

Nathan   no,  11 1,  131 

132,  134,297 

Nathaniel 150 

Samuel   175,  176 

William 115(2),  150 

Temple,  Benjamin 175 

Dana  Smith 424 


550  HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 

Temple,  Joel    491      Travis,   George  H 434 

Templeton,   Daniel    .  .  .248,  367  Luke   Shirley    502 

David    248  Nettie   434 

Madison   283     Trumbutt,   Col 124 

Matthew    248     Trussell,  Moses   106 

Willard  J 283      Tucker,   Charles   H 502 

Tenny,  Edward  P 381  Edward  M 291 

Henry   A 277  Harold   C 432 

Rev.  Samuel  G 218     Tuckerman,  John    52 

348,  349(2)      Tufton  &  Mason 160 

Thomas,  Gen 124(2)      Turner,  Alexander    41,  52 

Sophia  ....45(2),  53,  54  .                                        56,59.463 

Thompson,    Charles    109     Tuttle,  Benjamin 386, 454 

Elizabeth   373,444  Benjamin,  Jr.   ...261(2) 

Emma 443(2)  3§6,  456 

Joseph  Claire   502  George    311(2) 

Luke    433,  435  Mrs.  George 311 

Thornton,    Mary   G 431  Stephen    382,491 

Mollie  Grimes 431      Tyng,  Capt.  William 32 

Thorpe,  James  W 357,433  Underwood,    Rev.     Henry 

Tierney,  Francis   L 432  B 351  (3) 

Tomkinson,   William   F...   361      Upton,   B.   F 239 

Tomlinson,  Tom   74  Charles    ■'. 435 

and   Mason    77,178     Van   Buren,   Martin 453 

Totman,  Blanche 375  Van  Dommele,  Andrew  J.  432 

Towne,  Archelaus 176,  370  George    445,  503 

Archelaus,  Jr 150  Mary  W 432 

Cynthia    434     Van   Horn,   Mary 443 

Enos   175, 401      Vose,  George   437 

Gardner    434     Wait,    Capt 149 

Israel    74  Wakefield,    Sergt.    George 

John  176,  402(2)  L 281 

427(2),  452     Waldron,  Richard   227 

Joseph    178     Walker,   James    4T4 

Thomas    160  Capt.  Timothy  ....    139 

Trail,  John    43,  53      Wall,   Martin    292 

Train,  Enoch    218     Wallace,  Benjamin  F 374 

Ephraim 141,  160  Charles  W 5°3 

163,  173,  176  John    287 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


551 


Wallace,  Rev.  Robert  W.  .  .   184 

347,348,353(2).  354(2) 

Mrs.  Robert  W.  353,  354 

Ruth    443 

Wallingford,    Thomas....     74 

77  >  179 
Walton,  William    160 

Samuel    74 

Ward,   John    C 293 

Rev.    Milton    218 

Warne,  Emma  Burnham..   424 

Warren,   James    35>36(2) 

Washburn,    Harriet    490 

Harrison    490 

Irving  P 490 

Watkins,  Doris    37^ 

Watson,    Almira    437,  439 

Edward    435 

Frank    273,291 

Henry  W 286 

433(2),  435 

James    292 

Wilfred  M 438 

William    354 

Mrs.  William    354 

Way,  George   317 

Weare,    M 109,  297 

Weaver,  Charles  V 503 

Herbert   G 503 

Webber,  Brooks  K. .  .  .239,  375 

389.   394(2),   416 

418,  444,  474 

Mrs.  Brooks  K... 394(2) 

Clara  S 431 

Webster,  Capt.  Ebenezer.    137 
139,  142,  147,  149 

Wellman,  Alma  C 432 

Jacob    74 

Wells,* John  S 456 


Wendell,    Henry    ....   272, 282 
Wentworth,  Benning  .  .  .72,  73 

Gov.  John    74,   77 

87,    88,    89,    90 
194,  296,  298(2) 

Mark  H 74,  77,  178 

Nathaniel 74 

Tappan    489 

West,  Enos 176 

Frank    503 

Walter    Scott ....  495  (2) 

496,  505 

Weston,   Ebenezer    178 

James  A 456 

Sutherick    244 

Wheeler,    Eli    244,255 

Fortunas     158,  160 

175.  i84 
Reuben     248 

Oliver    150,  159 

173-463 

Whelply,  Emma 432 

Whipple,  Edgar   444 

Whitaker,    Eliza   A 434 

Henry    P 434(2) 

Whitcomb,  Lorenzo   441 

AVhite,    L.    Francis 434 

Lowell    382 

Capt.  Reed  P 472 

William    H 265 

Whiting,  Benjamin 100 

William    402(2) 

W'hitney,   Adeline    Dutton 

Train    424 

Harry  1 503 

Nancy   (Tobey)    .  . .   424 

Silas    424 

Walter  F 359 

Whiton,  Rev.  John  M.. 217,  367 


552 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Whittemore,    Dr.    J.    Put- 
nam'      468 

Jacob  B 221 

239,   405,   422 

458,   459,  472 

Sarah    Ellen    422 

William  B 239,  386 

422, 456 

Whittier,  Horatio   404 

Whittle,   David   F 457 

Mrs.    David    359 

Dr.  James  P 411 

John    411 

Susan    411 

William  T 395-397 

Wibird,  Richard  ...  .74.  77,  178 

Wilder,  Joseph,  Jr 40,  41 

44,  5o,  5i(2) 
52,      53-      54 

Wilkins,    Dr 410 

Abel  no 

Andrew    92,    105 

106,    150,    158 

?59-    173.    195 
Asaph   150,  173,  175 

B.   Frank   446 

Benjamin.  .306,  402,  427 

Bray    176 

Charles    434,  465 

Capt.  Daniel   ....74,137 

188,  505 

Daniel,    Jr 74 

Equillea    160 

Ira    248,  263 

Isaac  S 239,  281 

310,438,459 

James    446 

James    M 221,310 

John    140 


Wilkins,  Joseph     74 

Nehemiah    92,  109 

no,     in,     141,     157 
159,     163,     173,    176 
195,  229,  297 
Lieut.  Robert  Brad- 
ford.. 150,  163,  164(4) 
Timothy.  .85,  88,  92,  104 
108,   109,   in,  159 
195,   199,  200,  297 

Wealthea    434 

Wilkinson,   Gen 246,  249 

Willard,  Elijah 334 

Williams,  David 177 

James    289 

William 85,  88,  92 

195.  297,  361 

Willis,  Stephen    42 

Willy  or  Wiley,  George.  .    157 

159.  175 
John    175,  176 

Timothy    172,  175 

Wilson,  Alonzo   466 

Benjamin   S 275,437 

James    176,  217 

402(5),  452(2) 

Mark    440 

Samuel   243 

Stephen  D...272,  275(2) 
Thomas    . .  .244,  336,  426 

427,  439,  452 
Winchester,  Deborah  ....    150 

Samuel   150 

Winston,   James    291 

Witherspoon,  Alexander.  .   237 

Witt,  James    493 

Wood      or     Woods,      Ed- 
mund     487 


PERSONAL    INDEX. 


553 


Wood  or  Woods,  Henry.  .  .   288 

Imri    378 

Sylvester    288 

Ziba    S 283 

Woods,  A.  H 437 

Daniel    357 

Ezra    426,  427 

George    440,  495 

Moses   426,  427 

Rev.  William    350 

Woodbury,  Charles  F.  H.  291 
Philip   J 503 

Wroodhead,  Elsie  C 431 

Wright,   Carl    441 

David    I4M57 

159,  162,  176 

Wylie,    Edward   J 272/286 


Wyman,  Abbie  R 43 1(2) 

Amos    438 

Charles    239,352 

Daniel 374 

Col.   Isaac    138 

Jonas    400 

S.   Dow    374(2) 

375-  454 

Stephen    150,  182 

184,    185,    186 

239,    400,    427 

Timothy    ...215,402(6) 

427,473(2) 

Young,  Dr 408 

Gleason    W 503,  505 

Thomas  293 

Yeaton,  H.  G 475 

William   Bryan    .  .  .   503 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Aborigines,  the   18,  34,  35 

town,  in  the  days  of.  .   18 
Academy  and  High  School 

373-375 

Acadia     3° 

Adventures  of  the  pio- 
neers   63,  64 

Altitude   19,  23 

American  House,  the.  .404,  470 

burning  of    491 

Legion     439 

Amherst    34 

Ammunition,  stock  of 112 

Anecdote    of    Hatch    Burn- 
ham    318,    319 

Parson  Blank.  .  .324,  325 
Storekeeper   .  .  . .485,  486 
Animals  (wild)  .  .  .  .25,  165-167 
Annual    election,    first    held 

at   Bridge   Village,  239 

Annual  meetings 162,   163 

Antrim 18,  19,  78 

Arch  bridges   302 

Area  of  town 18,  19 

Arnold's        expedition        to 

Quebec    112-116 

Artillery  company   (First).. 244 

Association  test 108,   no 

signers  of   109 

"Aunt  Jenny,"  reputed 

witch     167-172 

"Aurora"   steamboat 487 

Authors   423,  424 

Baldwin,   deeds  of 41 


Ballad  of  the  frontier 68 

Band   that   Bijah    Led,   the, 

441,  442 

Banks    400 

Baptist   Church    333"346 

Battalions,   officers   of 112 

Bear    25 

Bear  fight  of  Mrs.  Huse. .  .    167 

Hill     167 

Beard,  the    163 

Beard  Brook... 21,  85,  378,  383 

Road    307 

Beaver    21,  25 

Bee    (wild)    26 

Bell,     on    Baptist     meeting 

house     341-346 

ringers    342 

Bellows  Falls    33 

Bemis  Heights    126 

Bennington    78,  298 

Battle  of  1 17-120 

Berries    24 

Bible  Hill. . .  .65,  83,  84,  87,  198 
312,  401,  463,  464 

"Big  Ash" 488 

"Bijah's  Band"   442 

Bill     Ordway's    "Mountain 

Maids" 317,  318 

Birds    26,  27 

Birth,  first  in  town 66 

second     66 

Birthplace  of  President 

Pierce    466 

555 


556 


HISTORY    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Blue  Hills    22 

Board  of  Education 366 

Board  of  trade 398,  399 

Bobolink  27 

Bog  road    309 

Bond  homestead   310 

Boston     39 

evacuation  of    122 

Boundary    dispute 32,  46 

47,  89 

Boundary  of  town 18 

Bradford    77 

tavern    401 

Brass    Band 439,  442 

Bride,  first  in  town 66 

Bridges    233 

across  Contoocook.  .  238 
298-300 

Society  Land ....  298-299 

Hillsborough  river, 

300.  301 

North  Branch   301 

covered  bridge  ....  301 
steel  bridge  .  . .  .301,  302 
arch  bridges  ....  302-307 
Bridge  Village.  .  .  .20,  21,  23,  58 
60,  218,  231,  239,  307 
church  at... 347-355,  357 

postmasters   of 386 

fire   precinct 395"397 

399,  467-470' 
British  troops  in  Boston.  .  .     97 

Brown,  petition  of 48,  49 

Bunker   Hill,   powder   used 

at    101,  102 

battle  of   105-108 

115.  122 


Business  situation  today...  474 

Byways  of  History 477 

Cable  at  Cienfuegos,  cut- 
ting of   495,  496 

Cambridge  platform  (see 
other  religious  en- 
tries)          194 

Campbell's    Gore 180-187 

Campbell  Pond    ....22(2),  310 

Campbell's  Survey 81,  84 

Cape  Breton  War 71 

Cardigan  Mountain    23 

Carter  Guards 266 

Casualties  and  Fatalities, 

488,  490 

Catholic  Church 363,  364 

Causes     of     the     American 

Revolution   94 

Cavalry    243,  244 

Centennial    anniversary....      55 
Centennial  discourse, 

Smith's     18 

Centre  Village,  the.  .  .22,  59,  87 
193,  204,  205,  218,  224 
228,  229,  233,  239,  304 

323,  347 

postmasters    of 387 

461-463 

Church    403 

view    from 22 

Charlestown  (No.  4) .  .  .59,  119 

Charter  of  Town 89,  90 

Checklist — first    234 

Chippewa,  battle  of  .  . .  .249-251 
Christian  Endeavor  Society 

Senior   352 

Junior     352 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


557 


Church  bequests   (Stephen- 
son)        353 

Fuller    353 

Hartwell     361 

Danforth     362 

Stephenson     362 

Murdo     362 

Church  societies    (First)  .  .    188 

and  state    191 

covenant     192 

and  state 214-216 

Congregational    ....    220 

Baptist    334 

number    of 407,  478 

Cincinnati,  order  of 425 

Civil  War 267-294 

1st  Regt 269 

2nd  Regt 269-272 

3<1  Regt 272-27$ 

4th  Regt 273-275 

5th  Regt 275 

6th  Regt 276-277 

7th  Regt 277-27Q 

8th  Regt 279-280 

9th  Regt 281 

10th  Regt 281-282 

nth  Regt 282-283 

12th  Regt 284 

13th  Regt 284 

14th  Regt 284 

1 6th  Regt 284-2S6 

17th  Regt 286 

18th  Regt 287 

N.  H.  Battalion. 287,  291 

Cavalry    287-288 

Light  Battery    289 

Heavy  Artillery.  .289- 2m 


Civil  War — Continued. 

Sharpshooters    290 

Veteran  Reserve 

Corps     290-291 

Colored   Troops  ....   291 
Dartmouth    Cavalry.   291 

U.  S.  Navy 292 

Soldiers      in      other 

States   292,  293 

Summary     293,  294 

Clark  Farm   60 

Clement's  Mill,  incident  of 
an  early  rebellion, 

100,  101 

Clerks 225,  233,  235.  507 

of  Market    240 

Colby  Tavern    403 

"Cold  Friday" 483 

Collectors    511 

College   graduates 418-423 

Colonies    of    New    England 

(Five)     7,7 

Colonists    of    New    Hamp- 
shire         28 

Colonists,  character  of.  .189-191 

215,  223,  224 
Committees    of    Correspon- 
dence       97 

of  Safety   235 

Concord    3^ 

Coach 315,  319 

End 86,  229,  463 

Gazette    314 

Mass.,  scene  of  first 
attack   by    British, 

102-104 
Patriot    314 


55* 


HISTORV    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Congregational    Church    at 
Bridge  Village, 

347,  355 

removed    351 

repaired    353 

bequests    353 

sell  parsonage 353 

Smith  deed  of  lot.  .  .   353 

re-dedication    353 

change  of  name  ....   354 
Congregationalists     ....  188-192 

214-217,  333 

"Connecticut  River" 20,  33 

Constables  .  .  .225,  226,  233,  235 

Contention   Pond    21  (2) 

Continental  Congress  .  .  .97,  127 
Contoocook,      meaning     of 

name    34 

mills  ..55,  56,  60,  61,  376 

River     19(2) 

extent  of    19 

scouts  of 31,  80 

power  of,  347,  376,  466 
Valley  of.. 34,  77,  98^  99 

Valley   railroad 399 

Water   power 383 

Mills    corporation...    380 
Cook    and    Waterman    fac- 
tory       378 

Cork  Plain  musters 244 

264-266 

Counterfeit  money   486 

Covenant  (half  way)..  192,  215 

Crops     23 

Crochet  mountain   78 

Cumberland     78,  296 

Currency    154-159,  201 

Dane  Hill  310 


Dark  Day 482,  483 

Dark  days  of   the  Revolu- 
tion     117-119 

of  the  War  of  1812, 

253-255 
Daughters  American  Revo- 
lution    348,  436 

437.  454,  480 
Death  of  John  W.  S.  Mc- 

Niel     258 

Declaration      of      Indepen- 
dence         117 

Dedication     of     Congrega- 
tional Church    . . .   353 

Deeds  of  land 35~45 

Deeds,  Baldwin 41-43..  49 

Hill     &     Keyes,     to 
Baldwin.. 39,  42,43,49 

to  Caverly    54 

to  Gibson 49,  54 

Huntington     51 

Mayes   53 

Maxwell    51 

Trail     43,  53 

Turner    52 

Keyes  to  Brown ....     45 

to  Hill 52 

to  Huntington   ...     44 
Trail  and  Green. ...     43 
and  Mortgages  relat- 
ing    to     Hillsbor- 
ough      49-54 

Quitclaim    75,  76 

see  Land  titles. 

Deering    18,  7?, 

Deering  Hills    22 

Deer  Reeve    238 

Delaware,  crossing  of 123 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


559 


Dentists 412,  413 

Derryfield     86 

Disappearing   river,   a 21 

Doctors,  native  born 412 

(see  physicians). 
Dogs  barred  from  church.  .    213 

Door  yards     329 

Dover    28 

Drowning  of  Nathan  Reed.  .  168 

169 

Dunstable    29,  34 

Eagle     26 

Early    Families    in    Second 

Settlement     82-86 

Education — see  Story  of 

Schools    365-375 

Educators     418-423 

Elections,     dates     of     hold- 
ing       460 

(see  town  meetings) 
Electric     Light     &     Power 

Company   ....  383,  398 

Elm.  big 487 

Elmwood    1 310 

Eunice     Baldwin     Chapter, 

D.     A.     R.      (see 

D.  A.  R.) 

Exeter     28 

Fairs     240 

Farming    164 

Farm  Life  . .  .164,  224,  322-332 

Farmers'  Cabinet 314 

Farms     and     Farmers     of 

Yesterday     ...321-332 

Fauna    25 

Fellow    Craft's    Lodge    of 

Masons    427 

Field-drivers  236,  237 


Fire  precinct    395 

commissioners     ....    397 
Fires — 

"Old"  meeting  house 

burnt    221-222 

burning  of  American 
House  . .  .  404,   490-493 
First  Artillery  Company  .  .   244 
money  for  schools .  .   368 
First  N.  H.  Regiment,  sol- 
dier of .  . . 112,   122-130 

school    district 373 

school  in  town 367 

superintendent   517 

woman  teacher    ....   368 
Fisheries  of  the  Atlantic.  .30,  31 

Flax     325 

Flora    .  .  . 23,  24 

Florida  War    255-261 

Folklore     167-172 

"Forest  Road"    306,  307 

Forests  23,  24 

Fortnightly  Club     445 

Fort    William    and    Mary, 

capture  of . . . . 101,  102 

Foundry     381,  382 

Fox    25 

Francestown   57,  JJ 

Franconia    Mountains    ....     23 
French  and  Indian  War.  .47,  6y 

242,  505 

Frontier  lines   33,  69 

Fur  trade 31 

Ghent.  Treaty  of 254 

Gibson,  deed  of 39,  49,  54 

Gibson  Hill    22 

Goldseekers  of  '49 445,  446 

Gould  Pond 310 


560 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Government  of  town 59,  67 

227,  228 
Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic    437.  438 

Grange    445 

Grant  of  township 17,  33 

of  other  towns 33 

of  Hillsborough. .  .35,  39 

Graveyard  at  Centre^, 213 

"Great  bridge" 307 

Green  Mountain  Boys.  .118,  119 

Greenfield     7& 

Guide  posts,  first 487 

Hailstorm  of  1893 487 

Halestown — see  Weare. 

Hall  road   308 

Hamlets     461-476 

Hampton    28 

Hancock   78 

"Hard  Winter"  480 

Hayward    236 

Heads  of  families,  1790,    172-175 
Heart  and  Hand  tavern .  .  .   306 

Henniker    18 

Herbs  and  plants 24,  325 

Highland    Band 442 

High  School    375 

Highways,      Byways      and 
Bridges     (see 

Roads)     295-312 

Highway  Surveyor 226 

Hillsborough    Brass    Band, 

439-442 
Hillsborough,      Change      in 

spelling  of    385 

in   all  wars 504,  505 

men      at      B  e  m  i  s 

Heights     126 


Hillsborough  Men,  Continued.. 
at  Bennington  11 7- 120 
at  Bunker  Hill.  105-108 
at  Concord  . .  .  103-104 
at   Lexington  .  103,   104 

at  Saratoga 126 

in   Arnold   expedi- 
tion        115 

in    Canadian   cam- 
paign       124 

in  northern  Conti- 
nental   Army.  .  .    120 
in     Rhode     Island 

expedition    ..120-122 
in     Sullivan    cam- 
paign     128-130 

Music   Club  .  . .  .443,  444 

origin  of  name 88 

River    19(2) 

Woolen    Mills    Com- 
pany   378,  380,  381 

Hill    petition    to    Masonian 

proprietors    75 

Historical    Lyceum 444 

Hog-reeves 236,  237(2) 

Hollis    34 

Homestead     of      Governor 

Pierce    466 

Hope  Rebekah  Lodge.  .434,  435 

Hopkinton 59,  69(2) 

Horse  sheds    213 

Hotels   400 

Hudson  Bay  Company  ....     31 

Huntington,   deed  of 44 

Improvement  Club  435 

Incorporation,  Petition   for, 

87,  88 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


56l 


Indians  (see  Aborigines) 
name  of  Loon 
Pond... 20,  29,  30,  257 

wars  of 30,  31,  32 

67-70,  72,  73,  257 

Industrial    pursuits 376-384 

Innkeepers    401,  403 

(see  Hotels). 

Inventory,   1919 479 

Items  of  interest 486,  488 

Kearsarge   Mountain 23 

Keene    69 

Keyes  saw  mill 376 

King  George's  War 47 

King  Philip's  War 29 

King's  Arrow 98-101 

King   William's    War    (St. 

Castin's  War) .  .30(2) 
Klondike  Goldseekers.  .446,  447 
Laconia,  purchase  of  ...  .37(2) 
Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  351 

Lakeview   House 492 

Landscape     22,  23 

Land  titles  (see  deeds),  178,  179 

Lawyers    413-418 

Letter  of  Colonel  McNiel, 

258,  259 
Lexington,  battle  of...  103,  104 
Hillsborough  men  at 

103,  104 

Library    390,  394 

Lily,  legend  of 20 

Linen     325 

Litchfield 34,  63,  66,  84 

Little,  Isaac,  deed  of 35,  36 

Little  Mill    378 

Liquor,  special  act  in  re- 
gard to 403 


Londonderry  ...29,  86,   189-191 

Long  Island,  Battle  of 117 

Longwoods,  fatalities.  .488.  489 

Lost  Legion 34,  47° 

Lots,  Reservation  of  ...  .76,  77 
Louisburg,  capture  of . . .  .71,  72 

Lovell's  Mountain 23,  31 

Love  well's  Expedition 31 

Town     33 

War    504 

Lower   Village 19,  311,  317 

335,  381,  383,  385,  386 
464,  465 

Loyalists    97,   100 

101,  152,  153 
Lundy's  Lane,  battle  of, 

252,  253 
Lyceum,  Bridge  Village . .  .   444 

Historical    444 

Machine  shop 381;  382 

Mail  carriers   313 

Manchester 33 

Maple  syrup    326 

Marcy  Elm    487 

Mills     379,  380 

Market  day    240 

Marriage  ceremony    484 

Mason,  Joseph,  deed  of.. 36,  37 
Masonian  Proprietors,  37,  74-76 

Masons 426-432 

Mass,  first  in  town 363. 

Massachusetts    Bay    Colon- 
ists (see  Puritans) 
Massachusetts,      grant      of 

townships    32 

Mast  Yard 98 

Meadows  of  early  settlers. .     25 
Mechanic's  Band 442 


;62 


IIISTORV    OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Medical  profession   ....408-413 
Meeting  house  (first) ...  .59,  60 

61,  203,  204 

second    188-206 

third    "Old"    house, 

205-222 
third  at  Centre 218 

219,  323 

Baptist 333-346 

Catholic    363,  364 

Congregational   . .347"355 

Methodist    356-362 

Meeting    House    Hill    (see 

Centre. .  .  193,  204.  205 
Memorial     windows,     Con- 
gregational        354 

Methodist     359 

Men  in  the  War  of  181 2, 

245-248 

Men's  Club    352 

Merrimack  River 20(2) 

survey  of 29,  32,  33 

Merrimack,  town  of.  .34.  63,  73 
Merrimack    Valley,    inhabi- 
tants of 189-191 

Messenger,  the    389 

Methodists     219,  220 

church      at      Bridge 

Village     356-359 

at  Centre 359-362 

Mexican  War 262,  263 

Middle  name   163 

Milford  Baptist  association,  339 

Military  Band    442 

Military    history,     1781     to 

i860   242-266 

Militia,  first  102 

Fourth     112 


Militia — Continued.    ' 

general 244,  245,  255 

261,  264-266 

laws    242,  243 

state    164 

Millerism    349 

Mills  (saw)   60 

Keyes  mill  . 61,  87 

Mink  and  muskrat 25 

Minister,  to  settle 93 

188,  194 

installation     of     Mr. 

Barnes   196,   197 

Minute  Men 105 

of  Hillsborough.  .105-108 
Moderators.  .225,  230,  232,  506 
Monadnock    Mountain  ....      19 

Money    matters 154-156 

Monmouth,  battle  of 128 

Monroe    Hill 22 

Moore  road 311,  312 

Mortgage  Deed  of  Keyes..     61 

Mount  Washington    23 

Mount  Carr 23 

Music  Club,  the 443,  444 

Musicians     425 

Musters    244,  255 

264-266 
Name  of  town,  origin  of . .  .      27 

New  Boston    59 

New  England    30 

New  France 30,  31 

New   Hampshire,   origin  of 

name     38 

"New  Road  to  Keene"  ....    306 
New  York,  surrender  of  .  .    117 

Newspapers,  early 313,  314 

388-300 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


)63 


Niagara,  campaign  of,  181 4, 

249-253 

Night  pasture    237 

Ninth  N.  H.  Infantry  in 
the  Mexican  War, 

262,  263 

Non-residents   157,   160 

valuation   T77_I79 

"Noon  house"   205 

Norridgewock,  attack  of .  .  .      31 

North  Branch,  river 19 

Northern  Continental 

Army    120 

North     Star    Encampment, 

I.  O.  O.  F 435 

Number   Eight,   see   Camp- 
bell's Gore    . . .  180-187 
Number  Four  Garrison.  .33,  79 
Number  Seven,  original  ti- 
tle of  town 33,  39 

55-72,  79,  180,  181,  295 
Oath,    first    taken    of    tax- 
able   property  ....   486 
October    snowstorm  . .  .483,  484 

Odd  Fellowship 433"435 

Oil  Mill  Village,  inhabi- 
tants have  trouble 
with     the     King's 

officers    100,  101 

Official    roster    506 

"Old  Meeting  House,  The" 
(see  meeting 
houses)   ..205-222,  233 

Old  Number  Four 119 

Old  Roads  and  Trails  by 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Story, 

307-312 
Old  Tenor  .and  New  .  .  .158,  159 


Oldtime  Sabbath     325 

School     371 

Old-time      town      meeting, 

character    of  .  .223-228 

Order  of  Cincinnati 425 

Orthodoxy — see    Congrega- 
tionalists. 

Overseers  of  Poor 226,  235 

Owl   26 

Pack   Monadnock 22 

Pascataqua  River   28 

Pascataquog,  valley  of  ...  .     34 

100,  101 
Pawtuckaway  Mountain...     22 

"People  of  Plymouth" 35 

Pembroke     33 

Penacook    33 

Peterborough     76 

Pine,  big,  story  of 98,  99 

Pine       trees,       reservation 

of   98-101 

Parsonage  lot  sold 353 

Pastors        of        Methodist 

churches  .  . . .359,  361 
Patrons  of  Husbandry....  445 
Payroll,     men     at     Bunker 

Hill    106 

Fourth  N.  H.  Regi- 
ment        112 

Petition    of    James    Camp- 
bell         181 

for   incorporation   of 

Windsor    183-187 

Physicians     408-413 

Pierce  Barbecue    454 

Bequest     to     Baptist 

Society     335.  336 

Campaign  Song 455 


564 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Pierce — Co  tinned. 

Mansion     403,  465 

Memorial    465 

Pigeon  (wild)    26 

Pilgrims 28(2),  30.   189 

Pioneers  of  Number  Seven, 

39-41,55  (List  of  56,57)  72 
Plan  of  fire  precinct.  .  .396,  397 

Plan  of  Hillsborough 76 

Plows    325 

"Plymouth  Company"  ...37,  39 

Political  History   448-460 

Ponds : 

Black     19 

Contention    32 

Gould 19,  22,  32 

Half  moon 19 

Long   19 

Loon 20,  21(5) 

25,  3i.  32 

Poor's  brigade 125 

"Pope  lot"    311 

Population  1741,  67;  1776,  111 

477,  478 
Portia    Cbapter,    O.   E.    S., 

43 1.  432 
Portsmouth   in   the  war  of 

1812     249 

Portsmouth  (Strawberry 

Bank)     28 

Postmasters     386,  387 

Postoffice    385 

Post  riders 313,  314,  385 

Post  routes.  .  .302,  304,  313,  314 

Potato   Bug,   first 487 

Pound.  .  .201,  236,  237,  479,  480 

Pound  keepers 236,  480 

Presbyterians    188-191 


Prices  of  commodities.  .154,  157 

Primary,  first    487 

Princeton,   Battle   of 117 

123,  124 
Protestants       (see      church 

denominations)      .    191 
Provincial    Government    of 

New    Hampshire  .     38 
Prudential  School  Commit- 
tees    372,  373 

Puritans 29,  30,  32,  189 

Quebec,     Arnold's     expedi- 
tion    . 112-116 

Queen  Anne's  War 30 

Quit-Claim  Deed  to  Town.     75 

Railroad,  the    399 

house     405 

Raising  the  meeting  house, 

209,  210 
Reconstruction  period  ..  152-172 

Reeve — meaning   of 237 

Removal  of  Congregational 

meeting  house    ...   351 
Representation,  classed  with 

Henniker    164 

Representatives — pay  of    .234; 

list   of    512 

Revolutionary  War    47 

See   War    for   Inde- 
pendence. 
Rhode    Island    Expedition, 

120-122 

Rindge 19,  20 

Riverdale,  see  Oil  mills. 

Rivers   19 

Roads  ...235.  295-312,  295-297 

301,  302 
post   roads.  .303-312,  321 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


565 


Rock,  Big 58,  65,  486 

Rock  cart,  first 487 

"Royal    Provinces" 37 

Royal     Society     Land,    see 

Society  Land. 
Rumney,  Stark,  capture  of,      7$ 
Rural   activities    and    socia- 
bilities       164 

life,  decline  of 294 

delivery  of  mail.  .  .  .    $$2 

Ryswick,  peace  of 30 

Saco  River    32 

Saint   Mary's   Church    (see 

Catholic    Church) .  363 
St.  Charles  Hotel,  403,  404,  405 

Saratoga,  battle  of 126 

Saw  mill,  Keyes 486 

Saw  mills 376,  382 

School  committees    517 

Schools,  Story  of 365-375 

Scotch-Irish  people.  .29,  189-191 

215.  231,  232 

Second  Settlement    76 

Pioneers  of 82-86 

Second  Turnpike    305 

Secret    societies 425-435 

Selectmen     225,  226,  232 

234,  235,  508 
Seminole   War,   see  Florida 

War 255-261 

Seven  Years'  War.  . .  .71,  78-81 

94,  105 

Shedd  Brook 19 

Shirley's  War    47 

Shooting  Stars    484 

Signs  and  portends 167-169 

Slavery    349 

Smith  mills    380 


Smith  Memorial  Church, 
see  Congregational 
Church  at  Bridge 
Village. 

Smith's  Rifles    266 

Snow  Shoe  Scouts 32,  504 

Snowstorm  in  October,  483,  484 

Soap  making 326.  ^27 

Social  events 164.  165 

Social  Library,  incorpora- 
tion of    390,  391 

Society  Land .  .  .77,  78,  227,  296 

(roads)    296-298 

Soil    23 

Sokoki  Indians    32 

Sons  of  Liberty 96 

Sons  of  Veterans 438,  439 

South  Branch,  river x9(2) 

Spanish-American  War, 

494,  496 

Spelling  schools    371 

Spiritualists  society    364 

Spotted  Fever  490 

Stage  Coach  Days 306,  315 

313-320,  403 

drivers  in  town 317 

lines  in  town.  ..  .316-317 

Stage  Roads 306,  307 

Stamp  Act    96,  97 

Stoddard     19 

Story  of  a  simple  life.  .484,  485 
Story,     "Old     Roads     and 

Trails"     307-312 

Stowe  Mountain.  ,22,  23,  25,  308 

Sulphur  Hill 308,  466 

road    308 

Sullivan's   brigade 123 

campaign     128-130 


«;66 


HISTORY   OF    HILLSBOROUGH. 


Sunday  school   (first) 218 

at   Lower  Village...    352 
religious    observance, 

235.  236 

Sunapee    23 

Superintendents    516 

Supervisors    515 

Surface  of  town 22 

Suwanee  River  campaign. .  .257 
Surveyors     of     the     King's 

Woods   100,  101 

Symonds  Gift 209-211 

Taggard's  Farm    231 

Tanneries 382.  383 

Taverns    306 

(see  Hotels) 465 

Taxes,  first 93,  102,  103 

non-residents    157 

Tax  list.  1776 no,  in 

1782 159,  160 

Tea.  duty  on 97 

Telephone    387,  388 

Temperance  Society 444 

The  Club   445 

Three  Rivers,  attack  at.  .  .  .    115 

Ticonderoga     118 

Tithing  men    235,  236 

Toll  gates    305,  306 

Tories,  see  Loyalists. 

Town — church    188-206 

Clerk   225 

Constables     225-226 

farm    487 

house   219-222 

meaning  of  term  .  .  .   226 
Moderator    225 


Town — Continued.  1 

officers — selectmen, 

225,  226 
Overseers  of  Poor.  .   226 

Representative 234 

School     Committees .   226 

Surveyors     226 

Treasurer   235 

Town  lots,  location  of 59 

drawing  of     161 

Town  meeting,   An  oldtime 

meeting 223-241 

date  of  first 162 

first    91-93,   195 

first   held    at    Bridge 

Village   239,  487 

first  warrant  for.  .  .  .   459 

peaceful    104 

Township,  grant  of    17 

Training  band,  members  of,  1 10 

Treasurers     235,  510 

Trenton     123 

Trustees  of  Library 394 

Turkey    (wild) 26 

Turnpike 304,  305,  385 

Tyng  township    33 

Uncanoonucs    22 

Union  School    375 

Upper  Village 19,  115 

305,  306,  335,  382 
postmasters   ....387,  466 

Utrecht,  peace  of 30 

Valley  Academy  375 

Forge     1 26,  127 

Hotel,  the  405.  406 

Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 

433,  434 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


567 


Valuation  of  town ^7S'l77 

inventory,   1919 479 

of  non-residents, 

177.  178 
Voters  of  Windsor,  1791  . .  .186 

Wahneta   Orchestra 443 

Wall  Tavern    403 

War  of  1812 245-255 

War  for  Independence  .  .94-156 

242 
War  Rolls,  Civil  War.. 269-294 

early  wars 5°4-5°5 

Florida  War    258 

measures,  1780..  134,  135 

Mexican   Wrar 263 

Revolutionary    .  .  132-150 
S  p  a  n  i  sh- American 

War    494,  495 

War  of  1812.  ..  .245-248 

World  War    ....  497-504 

Wrar  of  Spanish  Succession,     30 

Warning  out  of  town  .  .240.  241 

Warrant  for  town  meeting, 

first    91 

style  of  heading.  .  .  .   459 

Washington 18(2),   19 

at  Valley  Forge.  .126-128 
Water  supply 21 


Water  system 394,  395,  397 

Weare  56 

Weekly  News    388 

Well,  the 328,  329 

"Wescott   calf" 382 

West  Hill— see   Bible   Hill. 

Westmoreland     33,  69 

Wheeler's   Gore 186 

Wildcat 25 

William  and  Mary,  Fort, 

101,  102 

Wilson  House 403(2) 

Windsor  19,  180-187 

area  of    186 

Witchcraft    169-172 

Wolf  pen   237 

Wolves    25 

bounty    163,   165 

Woman's  Club 444 

Woolen   manufacturing.  .  .  .   376 

380,  381 

Mills      Company, 
Hillsborough,   380,  381 

World  War    496-504 

Year  "without  a  summer".  481 

Yellow  Day   483 

Yorkshire    men 29,   189