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UTH    K    • 

WARD         O 


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Simon  G.  Gkiffin. 


A  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


Town  of  Keene 


From    1732^   when    the   Township    was    Granted    by 
Massachusetts,  to  1874,  when  it  Became  a  City. 

BY  S.  G.  GRIFFIN,  M.  A. 


With  Events  of  Interest  in  the  History  of  the  City  from  J  874 
to  J  904,  by  Frank  H.  Whitcomb. 

And  an  Introductory  Sketch  of  the  Author, 
By  O.  Applegate,  Jr. 


0 


KEKNK,    N.    H. 

SENTINEL  PRINTING   COMPANY 

1904 


4  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Gen.  Simon  Goodell  GrifiBn  died  on  January  14,  1902. 
On  June  19,  1902,  the  supervisory  committee  transmitted 
to  the  city  councils  the  manuscript  of  the  "History  of  the 
Town  of  Keene"  as  written  by  General  Griffin,  with  photo- 
graphs, maps  and  other  subjects  for  illustration,  and  sug- 
gested the  appointment  of  a  new  committee  to  attend  to 
the  publication  and  sale  of  the  history,  with  power  to 
make  minor  alterations  and  any  additions  thereto  it 
thought  advisable.  As  one  of  such  additions  the  annals 
of  the  city  of  Keene,  from  the  incorporation  of  the  city  to 
the  date  of  publication,  were  suggested.  On  the  same  date 
Bertram  Ellis,  Wallace  L.  Mason  and  Frank  H.  Whit- 
comb  were  appointed  a  cornmittee  for  the  above  named 
purposes  and  the  councils  appropriated  the  unexpended 
balance  for  contingent  expenses.  Bertram  Ellis  resigned 
and  the  other  members  of  the  committee  advertised  for 
bids  and  made  a  contract  with  the  Sentinel  Printing 
Company  for  the  publication  of  the  history,  on  October 
27,  1903. 

Events  of  interest  in  the  history  of  the  city  of  Keene, 
from  1874  to  the  present  date,  have  been  briefly  noted 
and  the  sesquicentennial  celebration,  at  greater  length. 

Committee. 


Sketch   of  tne  Author. 


BY  REV.   OCTAYIUS  APPLEGATE,  JR.,  M.  A. 

The  author  of  this  history,  Simon  Goodell  Griffin, 
brigadier  and  brevet  major  general.  United  States  Volun- 
teers, in  the  civil  war,  was  born  in  Nelson,  N.  H.,  Aug.  9, 
1824,  to  Nathan  and  Sally  (Wright)  Griffin.  He  came  of 
a  stock  of  more  than  ordinary  strength  of  intellect  and 
force  of  character.  His  grandfather,  "Deacon  Samael 
Griffin,  Esquire,"  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  and  both  he  and  Nehemiah  Wright,  the 
general's  maternal  grandfather,  were  soldiers  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  and  fought  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
Nathan  Griffin,  the  general's  father,  was  of  high  ability 
and  public  service,  but  lost  his  health  in  early  manhood, 
and  the  care  of  the  family  of  seven  children  fell  largely 
upon  his  wife,  a  woman  of  whom  it  is  written,  "She  was 
one  of  the  loveliest  of  her  sex  both  in  person  and  char- 
acter, one  of  those  sweet  and  noble  w^omen  who  bless  the 
world  by  living  in  it;"  a  woman  of  singular  beauty  and 
especially  gifted  as  a  singer,  w^ith  a  voice  of  remarkable 
clearness  and  sweetness.  She  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
four  with  eye  undimmed  and  mind  unclouded ;  and  while 
the  general  owed  much  to  her  wise  counsels  and  training, 
her  temperament  was  her  greatest  gift  to  him. 

Owing  to  the  ill  health  of  the  father,  the  boy  at  the 
age  of  six  went  to  live  in  the  adjoining  town  of  Roxbury 
with  his  uncle,  Gen.  Samuel  Griffin.  He  too  had  a  decided 
taste  for  military  affairs,  had  been  a  volunteer  for  the 
War  of  1812,  though  not  called  into  active  service,  and 
had  attained  the  highest  rank  in  the  state  militia.  His 
habit  of  discussing  military  affairs  and  of  repeating 
descriptions  which  he  had  read  of  battles  and  campaigns 
made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  boy's  mind. 


6  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

He  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  man  of  energy  and  believed 
in  industry  and  frugality  as  the  means  of  success.  Never 
after  seven  years  of  age  could  the  boy  be  spared  for  school 
save  for  ten  or  twelve  weeks  in  the  winter,  and  this  was 
all  the  formal  schooling  he  ever  received;  but  his  natural 
ambition  and  thirst  for  knowledge  carried  him  through 
such  private  reading  and  study  as  his  leisure  permitted,  to 
his  taking  at  the  age  of  eighteen  the  position  of  school 
teacher,  a  vocation  in  which  he  attained  marked  success. 
Continuing  his  studies  while  teaching,  and  working  on  the 
farm  during  vacation,  he  mastered  all  the  higher  English 
branches,  became  proficient  in  Latin  and  French  and 
covered  a  wide  field  of  miscellaneous  reading,  making  a 
specialty  of  history  and  the  lives  of  military  leaders.  Thus 
by  inheritance,  earl3''  training  and  self  education  he  was 
fitted  for  the  special  work  that  lay  before  him,  and  had 
cultivated  that  patriotic  spirit  and  ability  for  military 
affairs  which  won  for  him  his  preeminence  among  the 
soldiers  of  New  Hampshire,  and  made  him  one  of  the  best 
volunteer  ofiicers  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

In  1850  he  married  Ursula  J.,  daughter  of  Jason 
Harris  of  Nelson.  She  died  soon  after  the  birth  of  a  son, 
who  did  not  long  survive  her.  After  this  bereavement  he 
began  the  study  of  law  and  while  thus  engaged  repre- 
sented his  native  town  in  the  legislature,  serving  in  his 
second  term  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education. 
Pursuing  his  study  of  law  at  Exeter  and  afterward  at 
Concord,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860  and  had 
just  entered  upon  his  professional  w^ork  when  the  war 
broke  out.  A  recent  trip  to  Washington  had  convinced 
him  of  the  imminence  of  war  and  its  probable  long  dura- 
tion, so  he  promptly  abandoned  his  practice,  joined  a 
company  of  young  men  then  forming  at  Concord,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  military  tactics.  He  volunteered  as  a 
private,  but  was  elected  captain  of  the  company,  which, 
finding  the  first  call  filled,  was  mustered  into  service  under 
the  second  call  for  three  years  or  the  war,  at  Portsmouth, 
June  4,  1861.  This  company  was  the  celebrated  "Good- 
win Rifles,"  Company  B,  Second  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teers, and  by  the  exertions  of  Capt.  GriflSn  and  his  friends, 


SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  7 

who  guaranteed  the  state  against  the  heavy  expense,  was 
equipped  with  Sharpe's  rifles,  and  was  the  first  to  leave 
the  state  with  breech  loading  arms.  The  company  under 
Capt.  Griflin  was  detailed  for  skirmish  duty  at  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run  and  "was  handled  with  remarkable 
coolness  and  bravery  though  under  heavy  fire."  Gen. 
Hooker's  attention  having  been  called  to  the  effectiveness 
of  the  Sharpe's  rifle,  he  obtained  for  Capt.  Griflin  leave  of 
absence  and  gave  him  letters  to  the  governor  of  New 
Hampshire  with  a  view  to  having  him  raise  a  regiment  or 
battalion  similarly  armed;  but  the  state  authorities  with 
short-sighted  economy  again  refused  to  incur  the  expense. 
Capt.  Griflin  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel  of  the 
Sixth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  on  the  26th  of  October 
and  immediately  joined  that  regiment,  then  being  recruited 
at  Keene.  The  Sixth  was  assigned  to  Burnside's  expedi- 
tion to  North  Carolina  and  encamped  first  on  Hatteras 
and  afterward  on  Roanoke  island,  where  Lieut,  Col. 
Griflin  found  himself  in  command,  with  hard  work  before 
him  in  restoring  the  health  of  his  regiment  and  improving 
its  discipline  and  morale,  which  had  been  seriously  lowered 
by  sickness.  So  marked  was  the  success  which  soon  fol- 
lowed his  efforts  that  this  regiment  became  "one  of  the 
best  drilled  and  disciplined  in  the  service."  ^  In  April, 
1862,  Col.  Griffin  commanded  an  expedition  of  600  men 
and  effectively  broke  up  a  rebel  rendezvous  near  Elizabeth 
City,  N.  C,  capturing  74  men  and  a  quantity  of  arms 
and  ammunition.  At  the  battle  of  Camden,  N.  C,  April 
19,  Lieut.  Col.  Griffin  commanded  his  regiment,  nearly 
1,000  strong,  and  gave  conclusive  evidence  of  his  power  as 
a  disciplinarian  and  of  his  influence  over  his  men.  At  a 
critical  moment  he  w^as  ordered  to  attack.  '^Moving  for- 
ward now  with  full  ranks  against  the  enemy's  right,  with 
a  well  formed  line  and  colors  flying,  the  regiment  made  a 
formidable  appearance  and  soon  drew  the  fire  of  the 
rebels.  A  cannon  shot  came  tearing  through  the  lines 
near  the  colors  and  the  line  sw^ung  back  in  the  centre  until 
it  left  Col.  Griflin  standing  as  far  in  the  front  as  his  place 
was  in  the  rear.    Watching  an  opportunity  when  he  could 

1  History  Sixth  Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  page  5. 


8  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

be  heard,  he  waved  his  sword  and  shouted,  'Forward, 
Sixth  New  Hampshire!'  Every  man  turned  to  the  front 
and  the  line  came  back  as  coolly  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. The  regiment  having  advanced  until  within  easy 
musket  shot,  the  lieutenant  colonel  halted  the  line  and 
gave  the  command,  'Ready,  aim,  fire,'  and  the  regiment 
poured  in  a  volley  with  all  the  coolness  and  precision  of 
the  parade  ground,  every  musket  discharging  at  the  same 
instant.  The  enemy  broke  and  fled  without  firing  another 
shot."i  It  was  reported  that  prisoners  from  the  Third 
Georgia  declared  that  "we  didn't  care  much  for  those  red- 
legged  Zouaves,  but  when  the  regulars  poured  in  that 
volley,  we  thought  it  time  to  git." 

On  April  22,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  colonel  of 
his  regiment  and  in  July  was  sent  with  the  Ninth  corps 
to  Gen.  Pope's  aid  for  the  Virginia  campaign,  participat- 
ing in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  During  this  battle 
Col.  Grifiin  and  his  regiment  were  almost  surrounded  in 
obeying  an  order  to  take  and  hold  a  wood,  receiving  a 
murderous  fire  in  front  and  on  flanks.  Col.  Griffin,  think- 
ing the  Union  troops  were  firing  upon  them  by  mistake, 
seized  the  colors  and  waved  them  in  the  direction  whence 
the  fire  was  hottest,  but  only  to  increase  it ;  then  he  gave 
the  order  to  retreat  and  brought  off  the  remnant  safe 
from  capture,  carrying  the  colors  himself  after  four  color 
bearers  had  been  shot  down.  That  the  regiment  in  that 
short  charge  lost  almost  one-half  of  its  number  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing  is  touching  evidence  of  the  men's 
courage  and  their  devotion  to  their  brave  colonel.  He  did 
efficient  service  in  the  battles  of  Chantilly,  South  Moun- 
tain, and  at  Antietam,  where,  in  command  of  his  own  and 
the  Second  Maryland  regiment,  he  made  a  gallant  effort 
to  force  the  "stone  bridge,"  and  when  the  attack  was 
reinforced  his  was  the  first  regiment  to  form  its  line  on 
the  crest  of  the  ridge  beyond.  For  this  instance  of  bravery 
and  skill  he  was  recommended  for  promotion  by  Gen. 
Burnside.  Col.  Griffin  and  his  regiment  did  brave  work 
at  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13,  the  regiment  losing  one-third 
of  its  strength. 

1  History  Sixth  Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  page  45. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  9 

In  1863  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  First 
brigade,  Second  division,  Ninth  corps,  and  after  minor 
operations  in  Kentucky  was  sent  with  his  corps  to  the 
aid  of  Gen.  Grant  in  the  operations  against  Vicksburg, 
joining  the  forces  under  Gen.  Sherman  in  his  campaign 
against  Gen.  Joe  Johnson.  After  the  corps  had  returned 
to  Kentucky,  Col.  Griffin  was  sent  to  east  Tennessee  in 
command  of  the  Second  division,  and  then,  Gen.  Burnside 
needing  more  troops,  was  sent  to  Kentucky  for  the  balance 
of  the  Ninth  corps,  but  Kentucky'  being  threatened,  he  was 
placed  for  its  protection  at  the  important  post  of  Camp 
Nelson  in  command  of  9,000  men.  While  there  his  resri- 
ment  reenlisted,  and  upon  the  reorganization  of  the  Ninth 
corps  at  Annapolis,  in  the  spring  of  ISG'i,  he  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  Second  brigade.  Second  division. 
That  corps  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  near  the 
Rapidan  on  May  5  and  did  good  service  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness  on  the  following  day.  During  this  long 
campaign  the  work  of  the  brigade  was  so  arduous  and 
severe  that  it  had  to  be  continually  strengthened,  and  its 
losses  aggregated  three  hundred  more  than  its  original 
number,  though  Col.  Griffin,  always  at  the  front,  marvel- 
ously  escaped  injury.  He  won  his  star  at  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  Ma^-  12,  by  bringing  his  brigade  to  the 
support  of  Hancock,  whose  troops  had  been  left  in  broken 
formations  after  a  successful  charge  and  could  only  be 
saved  from  being  overwhelmed  in  a  counter  charge  of  three 
rebel  divisions  bj-  a  bold  and  rapid  movement  of  Col. 
Griffin's  brigade,  supported  by  the  corps.  "  This  movement 
its  skillful  commander  was  not  slow  to  make,  and  the 
brigade,  taking  the  whole  column  of  the  rebels  in  front 
and  flank,  received  their  terrible  onset  with  indomitable 
obstinacy."!  For  this  skillful  and  gallant  action,  "which 
without  doubt  saved  Hancock's  corps  from  being  routed,"  2 
Col.  Griffin,  upon  recommendation  of  Gen.  Grant  and  Gen, 
Burnside,  was  nominated  a  brigadier  general  of  volunteers, 
and  the  nomination  was  unanimousK'  confirmed  by  the 
senate  without  debate  or  reference  to  a  committee. 


1  History  Sixth  Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  page  243. 

2  Wait's  New  Hampshire  in  the  Rebellion,  page   309, 


10  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Gen.  Griffin  and  his  brigade  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  North  Anna  River,  Tolopotamoy  Creek,  Bethsaida 
Church  and  Cold  Harbour;  and  did  most  efficient  work  in 
the  operations  against  Petersburg,  where,  "in  charge  of 
his  own  and  Gen.  Curtin's  brigade  on  June  17  he  made  an 
adroit  and  successful  attack  on  the  enemy's  intrenched 
lines,  carrying  their  works  for  a  mile  in  extent,  capturing 
nearly  one  thousand  prisoners  besides  four  pieces  of 
artillery,  more  than  a  thousand  stand  of  small  arms  and 
a  quantity  of  ammunition.  Gen.  Potter,  commanding  the 
division,  entrusted  the  whole  planning  and  execution  of 
this  attack  to  Gen.  Griffin  and  most  skillfully  did  he  carry 
out  his  part  of  it.  He  had  made  a  wide  breach  in  the 
enemies'  lines  and  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  our 
advance  into  the  city  had  supports  come  up  in  time."i 
At  the  desperate  battle  of  the  Mine  Gen.  Griffin  again  dis- 
tinguished himself,  receiving  orders  through  Gen.  Potter 
to  take  command  of  the  advance  after  Ledlie's  failure, 
and  push  a  column  to  Cemetery  hill ;  Gen.  Griffin  forced 
his  way  through  the  mass  of  disorganized  troops  in  the 
crater,  climbed  to  the  parapet  on  the  farther  side  and 
called  to  the  men  to  come  forward,  but  the  order  had 
come  too  late.  The  fire  from  all  directions  was  so  hot 
that  no  troops  could  live  there,  and  the  few  who  bravely 
sprang  to  join  the  intrepid  general  were  nearly  every  one 
shot  down.  He  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  hfe;  but  at 
length,  unhurt,  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  gallant  at- 
tempt. The  engagements  at  Weldon  Railroad,  Poplar 
Spring  Church  and  Hatcher's  Run  soon  followed  and  the 
operations  at  Petersburg  culminated  in  the  attack  upon 
the  enemies'  lines  at  Fort  Sedgewick  ("Fort  Hell")  where 
the  assault  of  the  Second  division  of  the  Ninth  corps  was 
planned  and  led  by  Gen.  Griffin,  with  Gen.  Hartranft  on 
his  right.  At  the  commencement  of  this  action  Gen. 
Potter  was  wounded  and  succeeded  in  the  command  by 
Gen.  Griffin  "who  exhibited  throughout  the  greatest 
activity,  bravery  and  skill."  For  "gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct"  he  was  breveted  a  major  general  of  volunteers, 
a  brevet  won  sword  in  hand   on  one  of  the  most  bloody 

1  Wait's  New  Hampshire  in  the  Rebellion,  page  309. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  11 

fields  of  the  war.  Maj.  Gen.  Griffin  retained  command  of 
the  division  and  joined  in  the  pursuit  and  capture  of  Gen. 
Lee's  army,  and,  the  war  over,  was  mustered  out  Aug. 
24,  1865,  and  returned  home,  having  attained  the  highest 
rank  of  any  volunteer  officer  in  his  state. 

His  services  had  been  active  and  honorable  to  a  high 
degree.  He  was  brave  and  of  sound  judgment,  gallant 
and  patient,  persistent  in  purpose  and  yet  knowing  when 
to  let  go.  He  was  a  strict  disciplinarian  and  firm  com- 
mander, and  yet  beneath  all  had  a  tenderness  which  made 
him  not  only  respected  by  his  men  but  beloved  and 
trusted.  He  took  part  in  twenty-four  great  battles  and 
scores  of  smaller  fights  and  was  always  in  demand  at  the 
front.  He  had  horses  killed  and  wounded  under  him  in 
action  and  his  clothing  frequently  cut  by  bullets,  but  he 
did  not  receive  a  scratch,  and  never  lost  in  all  his  long 
service  a  day's  duty  from  sickness,  owing,  no  doubt,  to 
his  temperate  habits.  He  was  tendered  a  commission  as 
major  in  the  regular  army  at  the  close  of  the  war,  but 
declined  the  honor  and  returned  to  make  his  residence  at 
Keene,  where,  in  the  early  years  of  the  war,  he  had  mar- 
ried Margaret,  daughter  of  Charles  Lamson.  He  repre- 
sented this  town  several  times  in  the  legislature,  serving 
two  terms  as  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives. 
Twice  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for  congress, 
but  at  each  election  his  party  was  defeated.  In  1867  the 
degree  of  master  of  arts  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Dart- 
mouth college.  For  several  years  after  the  war  he  engaged 
in  manufacturing  near  his  home,  and  later  became  inter- 
ested in  the  development  of  Texas,  spending  some  years 
there  with  his  wife  and  two  sons. 

Gen.  Griffin  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  com- 
mandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
United  States,  was  for  two  years  its  commander,  and  at 
his  death  was  the  only  surviving  member  of  his  rank. 
He  was  also  a  past  commander  of  the  Order  of  Knights 
Templar.  A  devoted  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  he 
was  for  years  a  warden  in  St.  James'  church,  Keene,  and 
delegate  to  the  diocesan  convention ;  and  represented  his 
diocese  in  the  general  convention. 


12  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

His  long  life  in  Keene  was  constant  in  its  service  to 
the  community.  Of  broad  sympathies,  earnest  convictions 
and  scholarly  culture,  he  was  ever  active  in  its  life,  partic- 
ularly in  its  educational,  philanthropic,  and  historical 
interests.  He  was  a  public  speaker  of  wide  reputation, 
with  good  presence,  erect  bearing  and  a  strong  and  reso- 
nant voice,  and  was  often  called  upon  for  orations  and 
addresses,  which  were  always  prepared  with  thoroughness 
and  exhibited  both  clearness  of  thought  and  grace  and 
vigor  in  delivery. 

All*  the  qualities  of  a  true  manliness  that  made  Gen. 
Griffin  of  such  value  to  his  country  in  its  crisis  matured 
in  his  long  life  as  a  citizen,  the  usefulness  of  which  always 
centered  in  his  home  city. 

Gen.  Griffin  died  Jan.  14,  1902,  and  funeral  services 
were  held  Jan.  16  in  St.  James'  Episcopal  church,  Rev. 
Daniel  C.  Roberts,  D.  D.,  of  Concord  and  the  writer,  a 
former  rector  of  the  church,  officiating.  The  burial  was  of 
a  military  character,  attended  by  representatives  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  and  the  Keene  Light  Guards.  It  w^as  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  impressive  funerals  ever  known  in 
this  place. 


History  of  Keene. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT. 
1732-1740. 

Before  the  year  1740  the  grantees  and  provincial 
authorities  of  Massachusetts  claimed  all  that  part  of  New 
Hampshire  which  lies  west  of  the  Merrimac  river,  as  far 
north  as  the  present  towns  of  Lebanon  and  Meredith,  as 
a  part  of  their  province.  The  grants  from  the  crown  to 
the  original  grantees  in  each  of  these  provinces  were  full 
of  inaccuracies  and  conflicting  descriptions,  caused  by  the 
fact  that  no  one  at  that  time  had  any  definite  knowledge 
of  this  vast,  unexplored  country. 

An  early  grant  described  the  north  boundary  line  of 
Massachusetts  as  "beginning  at  the  Sea  three  English 
miles  north  from  the  black  Rocks  So  called  at  the  Mouth 
of  the  River  Merrimack  as  it  emptied  it  Self  into  the  Sea 
Sixty  years  agoe,  thence  running  Parralel  with  the  River 
as  far  Northward  as  the  Crotch  or  parting  of  the  River, 
thence  due  North  as  far  as  a  certain  tree  Commonly 
known  for  more  than  Seventy  Years  past  by  name  of 
INDICOT'S  TREE  Standing  three  English  miles  Northward 
of  said  Crotch  or  parting  of  Merrimack  River,  and  from 
thence  due  West  to  the  South  Sea." 

Upon  that  description  the  Massachusetts  grantees 
claimed  that  the  line  beginning  three  miles  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river  was  intended  to  run  along  that  side  of 
the  river,  at  the  same  distance  from  it,  to  the  source  of 
the  main  stream;  which  gave  them  a  strip  three  miles 
wide  on  the  east  side,  as  well  as  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river. 

In  1652  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  appointed 
a   commission  to  survey  the  boundary    line    between  the 


14  HISTORY  OF  KEEXE. 

two  provinces.  That  commission,  consisting  of  Capt. 
Simon  Willard  of  Concord  and  Capt.  Edward  Johnson, 
with  guides  and  assistants,  accompanied  by  a  committee 
of  the  general  court  and  escorted  bv  a  squad  of  soldiers, 
surveved  as  far  north  as  the  "Weares,"  near  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Winipisiogee.  They  there  marked,  i  at  the  head  of 
a  small  island  in  the  channel,  what  they  claimed  to  be  the 
northeast  corner  of  Massachusetts,  by  chiseling  on  the 
face  of  the  rocks  —  still  to  be  seen  —  the  initials  of  the 
names  of  the  commissioners  and  the  full  name  of  "John 
Endicott  Gov."  A  line  running  "due  west"  from  that 
point  strikes  the  Connecticut  river  near  the  south  line  of 
Lebanon. 

The  New  Hampshire  grantees,  following  the  language 
of  their  grant,  claimed  that  the  "Southern  Boundary-  of 
Said  Province  should  begin  at  the  end  three  miles  North 
from  the  Middle  of  the  Channel  of  Merrimack  River  where 
it  turns  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  from  thence  should 
run  on  a  Straight  Line  West  up  into  the  Main  Land  until 
it  meets  with  His  Majesty's  other  governments."  That 
line,  starting  at  a  point  on  the  shore  three  miles  north  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Merrimac,  "would  cross  that  river  a 
little  south  of  Reed's  Ferr\',  pass  north  of  Mount  Monad- 
nock,  south  of  Keene,  and  strike  the  Connecticut  river  in 
the  northern  part  of  Chesterfield."  2 

Under  her  claim  Massachusetts  granted  many  town- 
ships in  the  disputed  territory:  Dunstable  in  1673,  includ- 
ing what  are  now  Nashua,  Hollis,  Brookline,  Pelham, 
Hudson,  and  parts  of  other  towns;  Penacook  (after- 
wards called  Rumford,  now  Concord)  in  1725;  Suncook 
(Pembroke)  in  1726;  Souhegan  West  (Amherst)  in  1728; 
and  several  others  before  the  boundary  was  finally  estab- 
lished in  1741. 

In  1693  Lieutenant  Governor  Usher  of  New^  Hampshire 
and  his  council  appointed  commissioners  and  surve\'ors  to 
run  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  provinces  and  in- 
vited Massachusetts  to  join  in  the  survey,  but  she  declined 
the  invitation.      From  that  time  on  for  more  than  forty 

iDr.    Philip    Carrigan,  author   of  the   first   general   map  of  New    Hampshire. 
2  Report  of  commission  on  botindary  line.  1893. 


SALMA    HAT,K,    AUTHOK    of    "AnN'ALS    of    KlvENK 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  15 

years  disputes  between  the  two  provinces  concerning  the 
boundary  line  continued,  and  at  times  were  sharp  and 
bitter. 

On  the  1st  day  of  June,  1732,  in  his  speech  to  the 
legislature  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts,  Governor 
Belcher  said,  "I  think  it  would  be  wise  in  this  assembly 
to  take  a  proper  care  for  settling  the  ungranted  lands," 
etc.,  and  on  the  20th  of  that  month  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives "Voted  that  there  be  seven  Towns  opened  of 
the  contents  of  six  miles  square,  including  two  on  the 
Ashuelofi  River  above  Northfield ; "  and  the  vote  went  on 
to  describe  in  the  usual  way  how  it  should  be  done.  This 
vote,  however,  was  not  concurred  in  by  the  council,  but 
on  the  1st  day  of  July  following,  upon  the  report  of  a 
committee  of  conference,  their  vote  of  non-concurrence  was 
reconsidered,  and  a  vote  of  concurrence  passed  on  the  3d, 
with  amendments  which  were  agreed  to  by  the  house. 
But  the  act  w^as  not  recorded  until  after  the  meeting  of 
the  council  in  April,  1733. 

Under  date  of  the  20th  of  that  month  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing record,  the  legislature  being  then  in  session :  2 

4,p  .-.  1  Present  in  Council 

A  '1  on  i7Qq  r  His  Excellency,  Jonathan  Belcher  Esq.'' Gov. '*■ 
April  ^u,  J-^-^-^jxheHonhie.  Spencer  Phips  Esq""  Lieu^  Gov."" 
**  Thomas  Palmer  Will™  Clark  Ebenezer  Burrill 

Will™  Pepperil  John  Alford  Ezekiel  Lewis 

Will™  Dudley  Esq""       Jos' WadswortliEsq^  Isaac  Lothrop 
Jon^  Remington  Thomas  Cushing    Francis  Foxcroft." 

****** 

"The  Secretary  sent  down  the  following  Message  from 
His  Excellency  to  the  House  of  Represent^^^  viz.  Gentle- 
men of  the  House  of  Represent^^^ — When  I  was  last  at 
N.  H.  the  assembly  there  pass'*^  an  Order  for  the  stopping 
at  present  of  any  Process  in  the  Law  against  the  Bor- 
derers on  the  Lines  disputed    betwixt  this    province    and 

1 "  The  name  was  originally  written  Nashue  lot.  The  Indian  word  nashue 
signifies  hi  the  midst,  and  was  applied  by  them  to  a  point  or  angular  piece  of 
land  lying  between  two  branches  of  a  stream  or  other  water;  ut  means  at. 
The  application  of  the  term  here  is  plain.  The  natives  called  the  triangular 
peninsular  formed  by  the  bend  of  the  Connecticut  and  touched  on  the  east  by 
the  smaller  stream,  nashue  ut;  and  the  settlers,  without  inquiring  into  the 
specific  meaning  of  the  word,  made  it  the  name  of  the  smaller  stream.  By 
omitting  the  initial  n  and  with  the  introduction  of  /  before  the  termination,  it 
makes  a  most  musical  appellation.  The  regret  is  that  our  fathers  did  not  re- 
tain more  of  those  apt  and  significant  Indian   names.'" — Temple  and  Sheldon. 

2Jonathan  Belcher  was  at  that  time  governor  of  both  Massachusetts  and 
New^  Hampshire,  and  each  province  had  a  lieutenant  governor,  Spencer  Phipps 
in  Massachusetts  and  John  Wentworth  in  New  Hampshire. 


16  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

that  which  I  have  communicated  to  His  Majesty's  Council 
here,  and  I  now  send  it  you  by  M^-  Secretary  and  earn- 
estly recommend  your  coming  into  an  Order  of  the  like 
nature  that  the  people  of  both  Governments  may  have  the 
happiness  of  living  with  each  other  as  becomes  good 
Neighbors  and  good  Christians." 

Then  follows  the  record  of  the  act  as  amended  and 
concurred  in,  passed  July  3,  1732,  "Consented  to"  April 
20,  1733. 

The  following  is  from  the  Massachusetts  archives : 
"Vote  pass'd  both  House  in  }v\y  last,  viz:  In  answer 
to  that  part  of  His  Excellency's  Speech  which  relates  to 
the  ungranted  Lands  of  the  Province  —  Upon  Consideration 
y*  Power  is  given  the  General  assembly  to  Grant  Lands 
especially  for  the  Planting  or  Settling  of  the  province  and 
that  by  the  Great  Increase  of  His  Majesty's  good  Subjects, 
many  that  are  inclined  to  Industry  have  not  been  able  to 
obtain  Lands  for  the  Employment  of  themselves  and 
Families,  and  great  numbers  have  removed  to  Neighboring 
Colonies  for  their  accommodation,  —  Voted  that  there  be 
four  Towns  opened  of  the  contents  of  six  miles  square 
Each,  viz.  —  One  at  Paquoiag  (Athol)  on  Miller's  River, 
Two  on  Ashuelot  River  above  Northfield,  the  other  in  the 
Eastern  Country  at  the  Head  of  Berwick,  all  to  be  sur- 
veyed in  October  or  November  next  at  furthest  by  the 
Direction  of  Comm:*^^^  to  be  appointed  by  the  General 
Court  and  their  several  Surve3^s  to  be  Reported  at  the 
Fall  Session  and  the  Charge  of  the  Comm:**^^  and  Survey  to 
be  paid  out  of  the  public  Treasury,  y*  Comm:*"^  be  ap- 
pointed to  admit  Settlers  and  to  lay  out  the  House  Lots 
so  that  y^  Settlement  may  be  made  in  a  Defensible  man- 
ner and  to  direct  in  the  drawing  thereof,  but  not  to  lay 
out  any  other  Division  without  further  Direction  from  this 
Court,  Each  Home  Lot  to  consist  of  so  many  acres  as 
the  Court  shall  Order  after  Report  is  made  of  Quality  and 
other  Circumstances  of  the  Land,  the  Comm:*^^^  to  be  paid 
as  the  Court  shall  Order,  that  there  be  sixty  three  House 
Lots  laid  out  in  Each  Township,  One  for  the  first  Settled 
Minister,  One  for  the  Ministry,  one  for  the  School  and  one 
for  Each  of  the  Sixty  Settlers  who  shall  Settle  thereon  in 
his  own  person  or  by  one  of  his  Children.  The  rest  of  the 
Land  to  be  allotted  or  Divided  equally  into  Sixty  three 
Parts ;  That  one  year  be  allowed  from  the  Survey  for  the 
admission  of  Settlers,  and  that  the  Comm:*^^  be  directed 
to  Demand  and  receive  from  Each  Settler  at  his  admission 
Five  pounds  part  of  which  shall  be  employed  for  reimburs- 
ing the  Province  the  Money  to  be  advanced  for  paying  the 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  17 

Committee  and  the  Charge  of  the  Survey,  the  remaining 
part  to  be  employed  for  building  houses  for  public  Wor- 
ship or  otherwise  as  the  General  Court  shall  Order ;  That 
Each  Settler  actually  live  on  his  Land  within  three  years 
from  his  admission,  build  an  House  on  his  Land  of  eighteen 
feet  square  and  Seven  feet  Stud  at  the  least,  and  within  the 
same  Time  do  sufficiently  fence  in  and  till  or  fit  for  mow- 
ing Eight  acres  of  Land.  Each  Settler  to  have  his  Land 
on  Condition  that  he  perform  the  foregoing  injunction,  and 
in  Case  any  Settler  fail  of  performance  in  the  whole  or  in 
part,  his  Right  to  be  forfeited  &  such  Land  shall  revert 
to  the  province  &  the  Comm:^^^  to  be  appointed  to 
admit  Settlers  are  directed  at  the  Time  of  admission  to 
take  a  Bond  of  Twenty  pounds  of  each  Settler  to  be 
paid  to  them  or  their  Successors  for  the  Use  &  Benefit  of 
the  Settlers  in  Case  he  fail  of  performing  the  several  Con- 
ditions and  Injunctions  before  mentioned,  &  that  the 
Settlers  in  each  Town  to  be  obliged  to  build  a  suitable 
meetinghouse  and  to  settle  a  learned  orthodox  minister  in 
such  Town  within  the  space  of  five  years  from  the  admis- 
sion of  the  Settlers.  Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 

On  the  same  day  the  house  "Voted  that  Major  Chan- 
dler, Mr.  Choate  and  Mr.  Samuel  Chandler  with  such  as 
the  Honb:^'^  Board  shall  appoint  be  a  Comm:*^*^  to  Survey 
&  lay  out  by  a  Surveyor  &  Chain  men  on  Oath  the  three 
new  Towns  in  the  Western  Frontier  agreable  to  the  Vote 
of  the  third  of  July  last,  viz.  One  at  Paquoiag  &  two  at 
Ashuelot  River  and  return  Plans  thereof  to  this  Court  in 
the  next  May  Session. 

"In  Council;  Read  and  Concurred  &  the  Hon:^'^  Spen- 
cer Phipps  Esq.  &  William  Dudley  Esq.  are  joined  in  the 
affair.  Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 

On  the  19th  of  October  of  the  same  year  the  following 
preamble  and  vote  were  passed: 

"In  the  House  of  Represent. ^^^  Whereas  this  Court 
at  their  Sitting  in  April  last  past  did  appoint  a  Committee 
to  survey  &  lay  out  three  Townships  in  the  Western 
Frontiers,  agreably  to  the  Vote  of  the  third  of  July  pre- 
ceding, one  at  Paquoiag  &  two  at  Ashuelot  River,  and 
return  Plats  to  this  Court  at  the  then  next  May  Session, 
which  service  has  not  yet  been  performed  &  the  greater 
Part  of  the  Committee  being  Members  of  the  General 
Assembly  —  wherein  their  attendance  is  necessary,  and  the 
House  being  certified  that  there  are  great  numbers  of  Per- 
sons desirous  to  settle  themselves  in  said  Townships  in  the 
next  Spring  of  the  year,  which  cannot  be  unless  there  be  a 
speedy  Survey  thereof: 


18  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"Therefore  Voted  that  Joseph  Kellog  and  Timothy 
Dwight  Esq.""  and  Capt.  WiUiam  Chandler  (or  any  two  of 
them)  be  a  Committee  for  that  Purpose,  and  that  they  be 
directed  forthwith  to  repair  to  those  Lands,  and  with 
Chainmen  on  Oath  to  lay  out  a  Township  at  Paquoiag 
and  two  Townships  at  Ashuelot  agreable  to  the  said 
Vote  of  the  third  of  July  1732,  unless  they  find  that  by 
reason  of  the  laying  out  of  the  Township  granted  to  Coll.° 
Willardi  and  others  the  Land  remaining  at  Ashuelot  River 
will  not  well  serve  for  two  Townships,  that  then  they  lay 
out  only  one  Township  on  Ashuelot,  and  that  they  return 
Plats  thereof  to  this  Court  at  the  present  Sitting. 

"In  Council  Read  &  Concurred— 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

On  the  6th  of  November  following : 

"In  the  House  of  Represent. ^'^^  Ordered  that  Mr. 
Israel  Williams  2  and  Mr.  Samuel  Chandler  with  such  as 
the  Hono'ble  Board  shall  appoint  be  a  Comm:*^^  to  admit 
such  person  as  they  shall  think  proper  to  bring  forward 
the  Settlement  of  the  new  Towns  lately  granted  at  Ashue- 
lot and  Paquoiag,  who  shall  be  subjected  to  the  Condi- 
tions made  in  the  said  grant  pass'd  this  Court  in  the 
May  Session  1732,  that  the  Committee  make  Report  of 
their  doings  as  soon  as  may  be. — 

"In  Council  Read  &  Concurred  &  Eben.^  Burrill  Esq','" 
is  joined  in  y^  affair. — 

Consented  to,  J.  Belcher." 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1734,  a  return  was  made  by 
the  committee  of  "A  Plat  of  two  Townships,  each  of  the 
contents  of  six  miles  square  &  laid  out  by  William  Chand- 
ler and  Nath'l  Dwight  3  by  Order  of  this  Court  situated 
on  each  side  of  Ashuelot  River  above  the  Tract  of  Land 
lately  granted  to  Coll  Josiah  Willard  — and  others;  be- 
ginning at  a  Spruce  or  White  Pine  Tree  standing  about 
midway  between  the  South  and  East  Branches  of  said 
Ashuelot  River,  about  five  perch  East  of  the  Bank   of  the 

Main    River    marked  West  thus  /V  and   East  with  three 


^ 


chops  with  an  ax,  and  from  thence  running  each  way  as 
described  in  the  Plat.     (See  note,  page  23.) 

lEarlington,  afterwards  called  Arlington,  ("Winchester)  had  been  granted  to 
Col.  Josiah  Willard  and  others,  April  6,  1733. 

2  Israel  Williams  was  of  Hatfield,  —  son  of  Rev.  William  Williams  —  graduated 
at  Harvard  1729  —  afterwards  judge  of  provincial  court. 

3  Nathaniel  Dwight  was  the  survevor  who  laid  out  the  land  and  made  the 
plat.  Timothy  Dwight  was  one  of  the  committee,  but  evidently  did  not  come 
to  Upper  Ashuelot  at  that  time. 


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THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  19 

"In  the  House  of  Represent. ^^^  Read  and  Ordered  that 
the  Plat  be  and  hereby  is  accepted ;  and  the  Lands  in  the 
said  two  Townships  are  declared  to  ly  in  and  be  accounted 
as  Part  of  the  County  of  Hampshire  hence-forward. 

"In  Council;  Read  and  Concurred;  —  Consented  to;  J. 
Belcher." 

(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

On  March  1,  1734:  "In  the  House  of  Represent.^^^ 
Oredered  that  Coll.  Chandler  Coll.  Church  &  Major  Daniel 
Esq.^^,  &  M.*"  John  Hobson  with  such  as  the  Hon.^'^  Board 
shall  join  be  added  to  the  Committee  appointed  in  Novem.^'^ 
last  to  admit  such  Persons  as  the  Committee  may  think 
proper  to  bring  forward  the  Settlem.*^  of  the  new  Towns 
at  Ashuelot  &  Paquoiag,  any  three  of  them  to  be  im- 
powered  to  lay  out  either  of  the  said  Towns  into  Home 
or  House  lots,  and  to  be  laid  in  as  compact  &  defensible 
a  manner  as  may  be,  &  that  upon  the  admitting  of 
Settlers  the  Committee  or  the  Major  Part  of  them  meet 
at  a  suitable  Place  for  that  end,  giving  publick  notice  of 
the  time  &  place  of  meeting:  — 

"In  Council;  Read  &  Concurred,  and  William  Dudley 
and  William  Clark  Esq.^^  are  joined  in  the  affair. — 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

On  Monday,  June  17,  1734: 

"The  Report  of  the  Com.^^^  for  laying  out  the  house 
Lotts  in  the  two  Towns  on  Ashuelot  River,  June,  1734. 

"Pursuant  to  the  order  of  the  Great  and  General 
Court  we  Repaired  to  Ashuelot  where  we  found  in  each  of 
the  said  Towns  Respectively  That  a  very  large  Body  of 
the  Land  lyes  in  one  entire  parcel  being  Interval  Land  and 
other  lowlands  altogether  unsuitable  for  House  Lotts  and 
from  the  best  view^  and  observation  that  we  Respectivelj^ 
were  able  to  make  of  the  value  &  quality  of  the  Land 
there,  we  apprehend  it  impracticable  to  lay  it  out  in  a 
defensible  manner  and  to  lay  out  between  twenty  &  forty 
acres  to  each  house  Lot  according  to  the  order  of  the 
Court  and  there  being  (in  our  humble  opinion)  no  other 
way  in  which  the  House  Lotts  could  be  laid  out  but 
would  Render  (at  least)  many  of  them  far  less  accommoda- 
ble  to  the  Intervals  and  also  very  Scattering  &  Remote. 

"We  Concluded  that  to  lay  out  Small  House  lotts 
lying  contiguous  and  also  convenient  for  the  Interval 
Lands  would  be  more  agreable  to  the  Intention  of  this 
Hon.^'^  Court  than  either  for  us  to  Desist  and  Return 
without  doing  anything  or  to  lay  out  large  Lotts  which 
must  have  been  Extremely  Scattering  and  indefensible  and 
therefore  proceeded  as  follows  viz. 


20  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"To  lay  out  in  the  uppermost  of  the  said  Ashuelot 
Townships  fifty  four  Lotts  in  the  most  Convenient  place 
for  Building  on  and  adjoining  to  each  other  each  Lott 
Containing  eight  acres  and  that  place  not  accommodating 
more  lotts  there,  we  were  obliged  to  lay  out  the  other 
nine  Lotts  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  Distant  from  the 
Fifty  four  Lotts  aforesaid.  We  also  laid  out  a  Street 
thro'  each  Division  of  Land  aforesaid  four  Rods  wide. — 

(Signed)  "Sam^  Chandler       Ebenezer  Burrill 

John  Hobson  Edw'i  Goddard 

Charles  Church 

"In  the  House  of  Represent.®  Read  and  Ordered  that 
this  Report  be  accepted. 

"In  Council  Read  and  Concurred. — 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 

"Tuesday        \  (Massachusetts  Archives.) 

June  18,  1734    j 

"A  Plat  of  the  Hous^  lotts  in  the  Upper  Township  on 
Ashuelot  River. 

"In  the  House  of  Represent.^®  Read  and  Oredered  That 
the  House  lotts  in  the  Upper  Township  at  Ashuelot  as 
within  Delineated  and  protracted  be  accepted  — 

"In  Council  Read  and  Concurred. — 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

"In  the  House  of  Represent.^^  June  19,  1734. 

"Whereas  the  Committee  that  have  Layd  out  the 
Home  Lotts  in  the  two  Towns  Westward  on  Ashuelot 
River  and  paquoiag  have  notified  all  persons  that  are 
desirous  to  take  up  Lotts  on  the  Terms  &  Conditions  this 
Court  has  directed  to  meet  at  Concord  on  Wednesday  the 
Twenty  Sixth  Instant  and  it  being  necessary  after  such 
Lotts  are  drawn  that  the  Grantees  be  assembled  and  comein- 
to  proper  methods  for  the  Settlement  of  their  said  Lotts  &c, 

"Voted  that  after  the  Sixty  persons  for  each  Township 
shall  have  Drawn  Lotts  and  given  Bonds  and  paid  their 
five  pounds  according  to  the  order  of  this  Court  July 
1732  that  they  forthwith  assemble  at  Concord  and  then 
and  there  Choose  a  moderator  a  Proprietor's  Clerk  and 
agree  upon  Rules  and  methods  for  the  fulfillment  of  their 
Respective  Grants,  and  for  making  any  further  Division 
and  for  calling  other  meetings  for  the  future  and  any  other 
matters  or  things  for  the  Speedy  Settlement  of  the  said 
Township. 

"Sent  up  for  Concurrence.  J.  Quincy  Speaker. 

"In  Council  June  19th  1734  Read  and  Concurred 

J.  Willard  Sec^-y 
Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 


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THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT. 


21 


"On  the  26th  day  of  June  1734  the  General  Court 
Committee  met  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Ball,  Inn- 
holder,  in  Concord,  in  order  to  admit  proprietors  into  the 


The 


names 


of 


upper    Township    on    Ashuelot    River. 
Com.*^^  are  as  foUoweth  (viz) : 

"William  Dudley  Esq.  Col  Charles  Church 

Ebenezer  Burrill  Esq.  M.*"  Samuel  Chandler 

Daniel  Epps  Esq.  M.^  John  Hobson 

Edward  Goddard  Esq.  M.^  Israel  Williams 

John  Chandler  Esq. 

"On  the  day  abovesaid  the  said  Hon.^^^  Committee 
Received  as  proprietors  of  the  upper  Township  on  Ashuelot 
River  the  persons  hereafter  Named.  The  Grantees  Received 
their  Lots  by  Draught  Numbered  as  Affixed  hereafter  to 
their  Names  Respectively,  Each  Grantee  paid  five  pounds 
money  to  the  said  Com.^^^  upon  admittance  Except  the 
Minister,  Ministry  and  School  Lots. 

David  Chandler. 

Benjamin  Whitney. 

Joseph  Allen. 

Nicholas  Sprake  jr. 

Abraham  Master. 

Nathan  Fairbanks. 

Nathaniel  Rockwood. 

John  Corbitt. 

John  Guild. 

Joseph  Ellis. 

John  Nims. 

Jonathan  Southwick, 

Robert  Grey. 

Thomas  Abbott. 

Josiah  Fisher. 

Jabez  Ward. 

Isaac  Tomberlin. 

Jonas  Wilson. 

Ebenezer  Witt. 

Amos  Foster. 

David  Harwood. 

Edward  Twist. 

John  Burge. 

Ebenezer  Mason. 

Daniel  Hoar. 

Elisha  Root. 

Mark  Ferry. 

Josiah  Fisher. 

EUas  Witt. 

Samuel  Witt. 

Stephen  Blake." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 


"1. 

Capt.  Samuel  Sadey. 

33. 

2. 

Jeremiah  Hall. 

34. 

3. 

Samuel  Heyw^ood. 

35. 

4. 

John  Witt. 

36. 

5. 

Joseph  Wright. 

37. 

6. 

Samuel  Flood. 

38. 

7. 

Solomon  Kees. 

39. 

8. 

Jonathan  Morton. 

40. 

9. 

Thomas  Weeks. 

41. 

10. 

Isaac  Power. 

42. 

11. 

William  Hoaton. 

43. 

12. 

Eleazur  Allen. 

44. 

13. 

Ministers  Lot. 

45. 

14. 

Daniel  Haws. 

46. 

15. 

John  Hawks. 

47. 

16. 

Philemon  Chandler. 

48. 

17. 

Robert  Moor. 

49. 

18. 

Irael  How. 

50. 

19. 

William  Witt. 

51. 

20. 

Jonathan  Whitney. 

52. 

21. 

Joseph  Hill. 

53. 

22. 

William  Puffer. 

54. 

23. 

Bartholomew  Jones. 

55. 

24. 

Joseph  Priest. 

56. 

25. 

Jonas  Kees. 

57. 

26. 

William  Smeed. 

58. 

27. 

Joseph  Hill. 

59. 

28. 

School  Lot. 

60. 

29. 

Ministrv  Lot. 

61. 

30. 

Edward'  Hall. 

62. 

31. 

David  Moss. 

63. 

32. 

Isaac  Heaton. 

22  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

No  charter  was  granted  by  Massachusetts.  The  title 
rested  in  the  acts  of  the  legislature  and  the  compliance 
with  those  acts  by  the  payment  of  five  pounds  by  each 
grantee,  for  himself  and  his  heirs,  and  the  fulfillment  of  all 
the  conditions  of  the  grant.  Under  that  title  these  sixty- 
three  grantees  owned  all  the  land  in  the  township.  The 
house-lots  were  laid  out  by  the  committee  of  the  legisla- 
ture, to  be  drawn  by  lot,  and  these  proprietors  and  their 
successors  divided  the  remainder  of  the  land  among  them- 
selves from  time  to  time,  as  will  be  seen  by  their  records. 

"At  a  full  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  the  upper 
Township  on  Ashuelot  River  held  at  the  Dwelling  house  of 
M*"  Ephraim  Jones  in  Concord  (Innholder)  on  the  27.  day 
of  June  1734<  the  several  votes  were  passed: 

"Primus\Capt.   Samuel  Sady  of  Medfield  was  chosen 
/  Moderator  of  said  meeting. 

"Voted  that  Samuel  Hey  wood  of  Concord  be  proprie- 
tors Clerk,  was  immediately  sworn  to  the  faithful  discharge 
of  that  trust  before  the  WorshipfuU  Justice  Goddard. 

"Voted  that  Capt.  Samuel  Sadey  of  Medfield,  M«-  Daniel 
Hoar  of  Concord,  Dr.  Israel  How  of  Andover,  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Whitney  of  Marlboro,  M*"  Elisha  Root  of  Deer- 
field  be  a  Committee  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  said  pro- 
prietors from  time  to  time  as  need  shall  require. 

"Voted  that  twenty  days  warning  by  posting  up  in 
some  publick  place  within  the  Respective  Towns  where  the 
proprietors  Dwell  shall  be  sufficient  warning  to  call 
meetings. 

"Voted  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  until  the 
Eighteenth  day  of  September  next,  to  be  held  at  the  upper 
Township  on  Ashuelot  River." 

(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

In  the  following  September,  six  of  the  proprietors, 
Capt.  Samuel  Sady,i  Jeremiah  Hall,  Elisha  Root,  Nathaniel 
Rockwood,  Josiah  Fisher  and  William  Puffer,  with  Daniel 
Hoar,  Jr.,  representing  his  father,  and  Seth  Heaton  repre- 
senting Isaac  Heaton,  came  to  the  township  to  hold  the 
meeting  adjourned  from  Concord  on  the  27th  of  June  to 
be  held  here  on  the  18th  of  September;  and  to  open  up 
the  township  for  settlement.     They  must  have  come  by  the 

1  The  Annals  of  Keene  do  not  mention  the  name  of  Capt.  Sady  as  one  of 
this  party,  but  the  records  state  that  he  was  the  moderator  of  the  meetings 
here,  both  on  the  18th  and  19th.  When  the  next  meeting  was  held  on  the 
township,  the  following  year,  the  records  state  that  "Capt.  Sady  not  being 
present  Jeremiah  Hall  was  chosen  moderator,"  and  if  that  had  been  the  case  at 
these  first  meetings  no  doubt  the  records  would  have  so  stated. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  23 

only  practicable  route  at  that  time  —  following  an  old 
Indian  trail,  which,  for  a  part  of  the  distance,  had  become 
the  "Bay  Path"  from  Boston  to  Agawam  (Springfield)  — 
through  Concord,  Worcester,  Brookfield,  Belchertown, 
Hadley,  Hatfield,  Deerfield  and  Northfield. 

"None  of  them  having  previously  visited  it,  [the  town- 
ship] thej^  were  accompanied  by  Deacon  Alexander,  of 
Northfield,  as  a  pilot.  They  did  not  arrive  at  the  line  of 
the  township  until  late  in  the  evening  of  the  18th,  the 
day  to  which  the  meeting  was  adjourned ;  and  as  soon  as 
their  pilot  informed  them  that  they  had  passed  it,  they 
opened  the  meeting, i  and  adjourned  to  the  next  day." 

(Annals,  page  7.) 

The  records  state  that:  "At  a  General  meeting  of  the 
propriators  of  the  upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  River  on 
the  Eighteenth  day  of  September  1734,  held  on  said  Town- 
ship by  adjournment  from  the  27.  day  of  June  Last  past, 
Capt  Samuel  Sadey  being  Moderator  of  sd  meeting. 

"Voted  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  untill  tomor- 
row at  ten  of  the  clock  in  the  forenoon  to  be  on  sd 
Township." 

"At  a  General  meeting  of  the  propriators  of  the  upper 
Township  on  Ashuelot  River  on  the  Nineteenth  day  of 
September,  1734,  on  said  Township,  Held  b^^  adjournment 
from  the  Eighteenth  day  of  September  Currant,  Capt 
Samuel  Sadey  being  moderator  of  said  meeting. 

"Voted  that  Daniel  Hoar  jun^  be  allowed  to  vote  in 
the  Room  of  his  father  Daniel  Hoar. 

"Voted  that  Seth  Heaton  be  allowed  to  vote  in  the 
Room  of  Isaac  Heaton. 

"Propounded  Whether  mesueres  Josiah  Fisher  of  Ded- 
ham,  Samuel  Witt  of  Marlborough,  and  John  Hawks  of 
Deerfield  shall  be  a  committee  to  Survey  the  Whole  of  the 
Entervail  in  said  Township  and  to  allott  out  the  one 
half  thereof,  in  order  to  be  Drawn  by  the  propriators.  Said 
Lots  to  be  Layd  out  as  conveniant  as  they  can  be  to  fence 
in  in  two  General  Inclosiers,  to  acomedate  the  house  Lots 
Laj^d  out  by  the  General  Court  Committee  (viz)  That  the 
54  house  Lots  have  their  Lots  Layd  out  as  conveniant  as 
they  can  to   acomidate  them,  and  that  the  9  house  Lots 

iThat  was  on  the  "Thompson  farm,"  on  the  meadow  south  of  Main 
street  and  it  has  since  been  known  as  "Statia"  —  the  first  station  of  the  proprie- 
tors, and  of  the  preceding  party  of  surveyors,  of  whom,  doubtless.  Deacon 
Alexander  was  one.  They  made  their  camp  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  very 
near  the  town  line,  and  the  blackened  roots  of  the  pine  stump  where  tradition 
says  they  built  their  camp  fire  were  still  to  be  seen  as  recently  as  1880.  But 
the  "spruce  tree"  which  the  surveyors  had  taken  for  their  starting  point,  and 
on  which  they  made  their  curioxis  hieroglyphic,  stood  in  the  line  of  the  town- 
ship five  rods  east  of  the  river. 


24  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Layd  out  at  a  distance  from  the  other  house  Lots,  have 
their  Lots  Layd  out  as  conveniant  as  they  can  to  acome- 
date  them  and  that  they  have  Liberty  to  Imploy  a  Sur- 
veyor and  Decon  Elexander  of  Northfield  to  assist  them 
therein,  this  was  voted  in  the  affirmetive. 

"Voted  that  the  proprietors  shall  pay  the  cost  of  the 
above  said  Laying  out  of  said  Lots  when  they  Draw  them, 
or  that  they  will  do  it  by  the  Last  day  of  May  next 
Ensuing. 

"Voted  that  the  cost  of  a  Pilot  (viz)  of  Decon  Elex- 
ander's  press  ^  Shewing  the  propriators  Said  Township 
and  house  Lots  shall  be  paid  by  the  proprietors  according 
to  their  Interest. 

"Voted  that  mesueres  Josiah  Fisher,  Samuel  Witt  and 
John  Hawks  be  a  committee  to  search  and  find  out  the 
best  and  most  conveniant  way  to  travil  from  the  upper 
unto  the  Lower  Township. 

"Voted  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  untill  the  Last 
Wednsday  of  May  next  at  twelve  of  the  clock  on  said  day, 
to  be  at  the  Dwelling  house  of  m*"  Ephraim  Jones  Inn  holder 
in  Concord." 

(Proprietors'  Records.) 

The  committee  appointed  at  this  meeting  laid  out 
sixty  lots  of  the  intervale  land  that  fall,  but  neglected  to 
lay  out  the  three  extra  lots  as  required  by  the  grant. 

The  Massachusetts  legislature  again  took  cognizance 
of  the  settlers  as  follows  : 

"Friday      \ 
Nov'-  22,  r734/ 

"In  the  House  of  Represent.^®  Whereas  by  the  accompt 
of  the  Committee  of  the  three  Towns  to  the  westward, 
there  Remains  three  hundred  and  Sixty  Eight  pounds 
nine  shillings  and  Eight  pence  in  their  hands  to  be  Disposed 
of  as  this  Court  shall  order ;  Voted  That  when  and  as 
soon  as  the  said  Com.^^^  or  any  three  of  them  on  view  or 
otherwise  shall  be  Certified  that  forty  familys  are  settled 
in  Each  or  Either  of  the  said  Towns  and  they  have  Raised 
the  Frame  of  a  meeting  house  that  the  sum  of  One  hun- 
dred pounds  be  paid  to  each  Town  or  their  order  and 
that  in  the  mean  time  the  Hon.^'^  William  Dudley  Esq'" 
y^  Chairman  of  the  Committee  be  Desired  and  Impowered 
to  Improve  the  money  by  letting  it  out  to  Interist  for  the 
use  of  the  said  Towns  Rendering  an  ace'*  thereof  when  he 
shall  pay  the  said  Three  hundred  pounds,  or  any  part 
thereof  to  Either  of  the  said  Towns  that  shall  have  forty 


1  Probably  "presence." 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  25 

familys  and  shall  have  Raised  a  frame  of  a  meeting  house 
as  aforesaid;  The  Remaining  sixty  Eight  pounds  nineteen 
shillings  and  Eight  pence  with  the  Interest  money  that 
shall  be  Received  further  to  be  accounted  for  — 

"In  Council  Read  &  Concurred  — 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 
(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

Agreeably  to  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting  on  the 
township,  Sept.  19,  1734,  the  proprietors  met  on  the  last 
Wednesday  in  May,  1735,  at  the  inn  of  Ephraim  Jones  in 
Concord,  Capt.  Samuel  Sady,  moderator,  and  immediately 
adjourned  to  the  town  house. 

The  report  of  the  committee  to  lay  out  the  lots  of  in- 
tervale land  was  accepted  with  the  "amendment"  that 
three  blanks  to  represent  the  three  lots  yet  to  be  laid  out 
be  put  in  to  be  drawn  with  the  sixty  lots.  As  the  lots 
were  not  all  of  equal  value  those  of  less  than  the  average 
w^orth  w^ere  "qualified"  by  an  additional  allotment  of  two 
to  four  acres  each.  These  lots  of  intervale  land,  like  the 
house  lots,  were  of  eight  acres  each;  and  they  voted  to 
pay  twenty  shillings  for  each  lot,  into  their  treasury,  when 
they  drew  their  second  division  lot.  The  lots  were  drawn 
at  this  meeting. 

It  was  voted  that  Josiah  Fisher,  Ebenezer  Alexander 
and  John  Hawks,  or  any  two  of  them,  be  a  committee  to 
lay  out  the  three  additional  lots,  and  also  the  allowances 
of  land  to  those  lots  that  needed  "qualification." 

Capt.  Samuel  Sady  and  Lieut.  Joseph  Hill  were  chosen 
a  committee  "to  joyn  with  such  as  the  Lower  Town  pro- 
priators  shall  appoint  to  search  and  find  out  whether  the 
ground  will  admit  of  a  conveniant  Road  from  the  two 
Townships  on  Ashuelot  River  Down  to  the  Town  of 
Townshend."! 

"  May  28th,  1735,  the  accompt  of  the  charge  of  Laying 
out  of  the  second  Division  Lotts  in  the  upper  Township 
on  Ashauelot  River  Exhibited  by  the  committee  as  fol- 
io weth  : 

"Josiah  Fisher  for  sixteen  days  at  twelve  shillings  pr  day £09=12=0 

Samuel  Witt  fourteen   days  at  twelve  shillings  pr  daj' ' 08=08=0 

John  Hawks  ten  days  at  twelve  shillings  pr  day 06=00=0 

lOn  the  30th  of  June,  1737,  the  proprietors  "Voted  that  there  be  the  sum 
of  27  pounds  payd  out  of  the  proprietors  Treasury  to  Capt.  Samuel  Sady  for 
searching  and  Laying  out  a  Road  from  this  Township  down  to  the  Town  of 
Townshend." 


26  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Decon  Ebenezer  Elexander  eight  days  at  twelve  shillings  pr  day  04=16=0 
Nathaniel  Kellogg  Surveyor  thirteen  days  at  fifteen  shillings  pr 

day  and  for  drink  twelve  shillings  and  six  pence 10=07=6 

Thomas  Weeks  twelve  days  at  ten  shillings  pr  day 06=00=0 

William  Smeed  ten  days  at  ten  shillings  pr  day 05=00=0 

on  the  day  abovesaid  the  proprietors  by  a\  Total  50=03=6 

vote  accepted  the  above  accompts  / 

"Attest  Samuel  Hey  wood  propriators  Clerk." 

This  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  township  on 
the  second  Wednesday  of  the  following  September ;  and  all 
succeeding  meetings  of  the  proprietors  were  held  at  the 
township. 

Agreeably  to  adjournment  the  proprietors  met  at  the 
township  on  the  10th  day  of  September,  1735.  "  Capt 
Samuel  Sady  not  appearing  the  said  projDriators  proceeded 
to  the  choice  of  another  in  his  Room,  and  upon  Examina- 
tion of  the  votes  for  that  purpose  it  appeared  that  M,*" 
Jeremiah  Hall  was  chosen  Moderator  of  said  meeting;" 
which  then  adjourned  till  the  next  day. 

On  the  11th  it  was  "Voted  that  Daniel  Haws  jr.,  Gid- 
eon Ellis  and  Joseph  Guild  shall  be  accepted  as  voters  on 
their  fathers  Rights."  It  was  also  voted  to  assess  the 
proprietors  in  the  sum  of  sixty  pounds  to  defray  charges, 
to  be  paid  to  the  treasurer  "by  the  second  Thursday  of 
May  next."  Jeremiah  Hall,  Elisha  Root  and  Nathaniel 
Rockwood  were  chosen  "assessors  to  make  the  Rate,"  and 
William  Puffer,  William  Hoaton  and  Seth  Heaton  "col- 
lectors to  gather  the  Rates."  Deacon  Samuel  Heywood 
of  Concord  was  chosen  proprietors'  treasurer,  and  it  was 
"Voted  that  William  Puffer,  John  Guild  and  John  Corbet 
be  a  committee  to  bill  out  this  money  according  to  the 
proprietors'  direction. 

"Voted  to  adjourn  to  tomorrow  morning  at  five  of  the 
Clock.    Jeremiah  Hall  Moderator." 

The  adjourned  meeting  on  the  12th  "Voted  That  Elisha 
Root,  Josiah  Fisher  and  Seth  Heaton,  be  a  com"*^^  to  Lay 
out  a  Road  to  the  sawmill  place,  and  to  cleare  the  same, 
and  to  cleare  the  Road  from  the  house  Lots,  to  the  Lower 
Township  and  to  desire  the  other  Towns  (Arlington  and 
Northfield)  to  clere  their  Roads  to  meet  the  same,  and  to 
prosecute  any  that  neglect,  and  to  be  paid  at  the  propria- 
tors cost.    Jeremiah  Hall  moderator." 

The  same  meeting  voted  to   "give  an  Hundred  acres 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  27 

of  rnidling  good  Land  and  twenty  five  pounds  of  money  out 
of  the  Treasury  with  conveniancies,  to  any  man  or  men 
that  shall  appear  to  build  a  saw  mill  in  the  most  conven- 
iant  place  to  accomidate  the  said  propriators,  they  giving 
Sufficient  Security,  to  a  committee  that  shall  be  chosen, 
that  they  will  have  a  good  saw  mill  fitt  to  saw,  at  or  be- 
fore the  first  day  of  July  next,  and  dureing  the  Term  of 
ten  years  next  after,  will  keep  sd  mill  in  good  Repair,  and 
saw  bords  for  the  said  propriators  for  Twent3^  shillings 
pr  Thousand,  And  slitwork  for  three  pounds  and  ten  shil- 
lings pr  Thousand,  during  the  said  term  of  ten  years." 

In  case  of  neglect  to  fulfil  the  contract  the  privileges 
of  the  dam  and  stream  were  to  be  forfeited  to  the  propri- 
etors. The  vote  also  required  the  same  parties  "to  build 
a  good  Grist  mill  on  the  said  dam  within  the  space  of 
three  years  and  three  months,  from  this  time."  John  Cor- 
bet and  Elisha  Root  appeared  and  gave  the  required 
security  for  the  building  of  the  mills,  and  John  Hawks, 
William  Hoaton  and  Seth  Heaton  were  chosen  "a  committee 
to  Lay  out  said  Land."  The  meeting  then  "adjourned  to 
the  second  Thursday  of  May  next  to  meet  at  the  House 
Lott  of  Joseph  Fisher. 

(Signed)  Jeremiah  Hall,  Moderator." 

The  minutes  of  the  survey  of  those  one  hundred  acres, 
in  three  lots,  may  be  found  in  the  Proprietors'  Records,  page 
13,  signed  by  Josiah  Willard,  surveyor;  and  those  first 
mills  were  built  on  what  is  now  the  middle  one  of  the 
three  dams  on  Beaver  brook,  near  upper  Washington 
street. 

Thursday,  May  13,  1736,  the  proprietors  met  accord- 
ing to  adjournment  at  the  house  lot  of  Joseph  Fisher — 
Jeremiah  Hall,  standing  moderator — and  immediately  ad- 
journed to  meet  at  6  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

On  the  14th  the  meeting  voted  to  make  another  "Divi- 
sion of  medow  Land  of  ten  acres  Layd  out  to  Each  Right 
by  a  SkilfuU  Surveyor,  according  to  the  judgment  of  a 
committee  of  three  meete  persons  who  shall  be  chosen  and 
Impowered  by  the  Propriators  to  Lay  out  the  said  Divi- 
sion according  to  the  following  Directions  (viz)  that  they 
proportion  Each  Lott  in  quallet}^  by  considering  the  Oual- 
lities  of  Each  mans  former  Divisions  to  make  Each  mans 
Right  in  all  former  Divisions  alike  in  Quallety;  coupling 
Each  Lott,  by  saying  which  Lott  Belongeth  to  Every  per- 
ticuler  Right  or  house  Lott." 

Each  proprietor  was  to  pay  the  charges  for  surveying 


28  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

his  ten  acres,  and  if  any  neglected  or  refused  to  pay  with- 
in the  next  three  months,  their  lots  were  to  be  "  conse- 
crated "  to  the  use  of  those  who  did  pay. 

Capt.  Samuel  Sady,  Elisha  Root  and  Seth  Heaton  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  make  this  distribution,  and  Seth 
Heaton  was  authorized  to  receive  the  money  and  pay  the 
charges  of  the  survey.  The  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  at 
the  same  place  on  the  last  Thursday  of  September. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  town  was  made. 

How  many  of  the  proprietors  came  that  spring  is  not 
known,  but  Jeremiah  Hall,  Capt.  Samuel  Sady,  Elisha 
Root,  Seth  Heaton,  and  John  Corbet  were  present  at  the 
meeting,  according  to  the  records,  and  there  are  indica- 
tions that  there  were  several  others  in  the  party.  It  was 
during  this  summer  of  1736  that  Nathan  Blake  put  up 
his  log  house,  on  the  lot  which  is  still  the  homestead  of 
his  descendants  in  the  direct .  line,  at  what  is  now  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Winchester  streets.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  this  was  the  first  house  erected  in  town,  but 
it  is  probable  that  others  were  built  during  the  same 
summer;  for,  by  the  records  of  the  meeting  in  the  fall, 
Josiah  Fisher,  Joseph  Fisher,  William  Smeed,  Joseph 
Richardson,  Nathan  Fairbanks,  Samuel  Daniels,  Nathaniel 
Rock  wood  and  Stephen  Blake  —  and  it  is  likely  there  were 
others  —  had  spent  the  summer  at  the  township,  preparing 
for  settlement;  and  the  saw  mill  had  been  built  and  com- 
pleted, ready  for  use.  A  large  number  of  settlers  arrived 
the  next  spring,  and  it  is  altogether  probable  that  houses 
— log  cabins  —  had  been  prepared  for  them. 

But  only  three  of  that  party  were  prepared  to  spend 
the  winter  here.  The  others  all  returned  to  their  former 
homes,  as  in  the  two  previous  years. 

At  that  time  the  "Upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  River," 
as  it  was  then  called,  was  the  extreme  northern  point  of 
the  frontier  settlements  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut. 
On  the  south,  Agawam  (Springfield),  had  been  settled 
for  one  hundred  years,  and  ground  had  been  broken  at 
Northampton  in  1654,  and  at  Hadley  and  Hatfield  soon 
afterwards.     Pocumtuck   (Deerfield),   settled  in   1670,   and 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  29 

then  including  Greenfield,  Conway  and  parts  of  other 
towns,  was  a  village  of  several  hundred  inhabitants. 
Squawkheag  (Northfield),  covering  both  sides  of  the  Con- 
necticut river  and  including  Vernon,  Hinsdale,  and  parts 
of  Winchester  and  other  towns,  had  been  settled  in  1673 ; 
Hinsdale  as  a  part  of  Northfield,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the 
Connecticut  and  afterward  called  Fort  Dunimer,  had  been 
settled  by  Rev.  and  Col.  Ebenezer  Hinsdale  in  1683.  A 
few  log  cabins  were  put  up  at  Earlington  about  the  same 
time  with  those  first  built  here ;  and  the  settlement  of 
Lower  Ashuelot  was  made  at  the  same  time  as  that  of 
the  upper  township. 

To  the  east  there  were  settlements  at  Penacook,  Con- 
toocook  (Boscawen  and  Franklin),  Canterbury,  Suncook, 
Bow,  Amherst,  Dunstable,  and  the  older  places  further  east. 
New  Hampshire  had  a  population  of  about  12,000  at  that 
time,  but  it  was   all  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  province. 

To  protect  her  western  frontier  against  the  Indians, 
whose  incursions  were  usually  made  from  the  west,  or 
from  Canada  by  following  down  the  Connecticut  river, 
Massachusetts  had  established  a  line  of  forts  along  the 
valley  of  that  river,  at  Springfield,  Northampton,  Hadley, 
Deerfield,  Northfield  and  Fort  Dummer,  manned  them  with 
a  few  troops,  kept  up  communication  with  them,  and 
maintained  them  partly  at  least  at  the  expense  of  the 
province.  In  most  cases,  those  fortifications  —  some  of 
which  were  mere  block  houses  —  had  been  built  by  the 
pioneers  themselves  for  their  own  protection,  and  after- 
ward enlarged  and  equipped  at  the  public  expense.  But 
the  line  was  v^^eak  from  the  long  distances  between  the 
posts  and  the  small  number  of  troops  employed ;  and  to 
the  north  and  northwest  of  Upper  Ashuelot  there  were  no 
settlements  and  no  protection  whatever. 

The  country  was  a  wilderness,  covered  with  dense  for- 
ests through  which  no  roads  had  yet  been  opened.  Rov- 
ing bands  of  Indians  prowled  those  forests  for  game,  or 
threaded  them  in  single  file,  on  habitual  trails,  to  and 
from  their  more  permanent  abodes.  For  many  years  but 
few  Indians  had  lived  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  and  never 
since    the    landing  of  the  Pilgrims    had  this    region    been 


30  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

occupied  by  them  in  any  large  numbers.  Dr.  Trumbull 
computes  the  whole  number  of  savages  in  New  England  to 
have  been  at  one  time  123,000,  but  in  the  winter  of 
1616-17  a  virulent  disease  swept  away,  as  was  believed, 
more  than  one-half  the  whole  number ;  so  that  soon  after 
the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  it  was  estimated  that  not  more 
than  12,000  warriors  could  be  mustered  in  all  New  Eng- 
land. This  would  indicate  a  population  of  about  50,000 
Indians  at  that  time. 

The  Schaghticoke  tribe  had  lived  in  this  region  about 
Grand  Monadnock,  but  removed  to  the  Hudson  river  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  whites,  and  but  little  is  known  of 
them.  More  definite  information  has  been  preserved  con- 
cerning the  Squawkheags.  They  had  been  nearly  destroyed 
by  the  Mohawks,  and  probably  came  as  fugitives  to  the 
Ashuelot  country,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the 
Schaghticokes.  They  occupied  the  country  along  the  Con- 
necticut river  and  its  branches  from  Greenfield  to  Brattle- 
boro  and  above,  extending  about  ten  miles  to  the  west, 
and  as  far  east  as  the  head  waters  of  Miller's  river  and 
those  of  the  Ashuelot.  On  this  territory,  rich  in  fish  and 
game,  they  lived  for  several  generations,  cultivated  the 
meadows  in  their  rude  way,  and  raised  corn,  which  they 
preserved  for  use  in  winter,  and  sometimes  sold  to  the 
early  settlers  of  the  towns  below.  They  claimed  all  the 
territory  of  northern  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont;  but 
it  is  not  known  that  they  sold  lands,  as  was  done  by 
some  other  tribes,  except  in  a  very  few  instances.  They 
did  give  a  deed  to  William  Clark  and  John  King,  agents 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  Squawkheag,  granting  the 
tract  for  that  township,  six  miles  w^ide  on  each  side  of 
Connecticut  river,  dated  August  13,  1687,  and  signed  by 
Nawelet,  chief  of  the  Squawkheags,  and  by  four  subordinate 
chiefs  of  the  same  tribe  —  Gongequa,  Aspiambemet,  Hada- 
rawansett,  and  Meganichcha.  No  other  deed  of  that  tribe 
is  known  to  have  been  preserved;  and  this  deed  was  given 
after  the  tribe  had  been  nearly  destro3^ed  and  most  of  the 
remnant  had  abandoned  their  country.  They  were  reputed 
to  be  relatives  of  the  Pennacooks  and  in  close  alliance 
with  them  after  King  Philip's  war  in  1675. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  31 

At  one  time  during  that  war  the  Squawkheag  country 
was  the  rendezvous  for  Philip's  forces;  and  his  warriors 
assembled  here  to  the  number  of  more  than  3,000.  Here 
he  held  his  court,  surrounded  by  many  powerful  chiefs  and 
notable  squaws.  Among  them  were  a  sister  of  Philip,  a  prin- 
cess of  the  Wampanoags ;  the  wise  and  wary  Awashauks, 
the  powerful  squaw  sachem  of  Sogkonate,  with  all  her 
braves,  led  by  Peter  Awashauks,  her  son  and  chief  cap- 
tain ;  and  the  unfortunate  queen  Weetamoo,  the  widow  of 
Wamsutta,  the  elder  brother  and  predecessor  of  Philip. 

To  the  north  and  east  the  Coos  tribe  occupied  what  is 
now  Coos  and  the  upper  part  of  Grafton  counties ;  the 
Winnepesaukees  lived  on  the  shores  of  the  great  lake;  the 
Ossipees  on  the  smaller  ones  beyond;  and  the  Pennacooks 
and  the  Amoskeags  were  in  the  Merrimac  valley,  their 
chief  places  being  Pennacook  and  Amoskeag  (Manchester). 

The  Pennacooks,  at  that  time,  were  the  most  powerful 
tribe  in  all  that  region,  and  their  great  chief,  Passacona- 
way,  had  been  a  staunch  friend  of  the  whites.  The  Paw- 
tuckets  were  below,  and  these  three  tribes,  the  Pawtuckets, 
Amoskeags  and  Pennacooks,  with  some  others,  formed  at 
one  time  a  confederacy  under  the  general  name  of  Paw- 
tuckets, or  the  Pawtucket  Confederacy,  with  Passaconaway 
for  their  chief.  His  son,  and  successor  as  chief  of  his  tribe, 
Wonalanset,  adopted  the  friendly  pohcy  of  his  father,  and, 
when  King  Philip's  war  broke  out  in  1675,  he  withdrew 
his  people  farther  north  to  avoid  joining  the  other  tribes 
against  the  whites.  The  Nashuas  occupied  the  valley  lower 
down  and  along  Nashua  river,  and  there  were  other  small 
tribes  in  eastern  Massachusetts. 

To  the  east,  and  in  Canada,  was  the  large  and  pow- 
erful family  of  the  Abenakis,  one  of  whose  tribes  gave  its 
name  to  the  Penobscot  river,  and  another  to  the  Andros- 
coggin. It  was  the  Penobscot  chief  Bashaba  of  whom  Whit- 
tier  wrote  his  "Bashaba's  Feast."  Those  eastern  tribes 
sometimes  invaded  this  region,  and  they  gave  the  name 
Gonitigow  (Long  river)  to  the  Quinnehtuck  or  Quinetticut 
of  the  Pocumtucks  —  the  Connecticut  — but  they  never  re- 
mained here  for  any  long  time. 

The  Massachusetts,  or  Wampanoags,  were  in  the  south- 


32  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

eastern  part  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and 
their  great  chief,  Massasoit,  had  also  been  a  firm  friend  of 
the  whites;  and,  for  a  long  time  (54  3'ears)  while  he  lived, 
there  was  peace.  He  was  succeeded  by  Wamsutta,  and  he 
by  his  brother,  Pometacan,  called  by  the  English  King 
Philip,  who  intrigued  against  the  white  faces,  formed  a 
confederacy  to  destroy  them,  and  roused  the  savages  all 
over  New  England.  He  was  slain  in  1675,  when  his  short 
but  celebrated  and  disastrous  war  ended. 

The  Narragansetts  were  in  Rhode  Island,  and  the 
Pequots  in  Connecticut,  with  the  Mohegans,  an  offshoot 
of  the  same  tribe,  to  the  north  of  them,  extending  from 
the  Hudson  to  the  Connecticut  river.  The  Mohegans  fre- 
quently roamed  through  this  region,  and  might  almost  be 
said  to  have  lived  here  at  times. 

The  Mohicans  —  a  tribe  wholly  distinct  from  the 
Mohegans  —  were  on  the  Hudson  river  below  Albany;  and 
the  Agawams  were  about  Springfield. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  Squawkheags  were  on  the 
Ashuelot,  the  Pocumtucks  were  on  Deerfield  river  and  on 
both  sides  of  the  Connecticut,  with  their  principal  village 
at  Deerfield;  and  the  Nipmucks  east  of  them,  in  central 
Massachusetts,  about  Brookfield  and  Worcester.  In  King 
Philip's  war  the  Nipmucks  joined  his  confederacy  and 
fought  the  whites,  although  previous  to  that  time  they 
had  been  friendly.  All  these  smaller  tribes  in  New  England 
belonged  to  the  great  family  of  Algonquins,  which  ranged 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  river  to  the  Carolinas ;  and  they 
all  spoke  the  same  language. 

To  the  westward  were  the  Mohawks,  one  of  the  Five 
Nations  of  the  Iroquois  family,  the  most  powerful  and 
warlike  tribe  then  known.  They  occupied  the  Mohawk 
valley  and  all  the  adjacent  country.  So  fierce  and  savage 
were  they  that  the  smaller  tribes  stood  in  abject  fear  of 
them  and  called  them  "Man  Eaters;"  and  the  whites 
learned  to  dread  them  more  than  any  other  tribe. 

When  the  pioneers  from  Dedham  explored  the  Connect- 
icut valley  in  1668,  and  purchased  their  land  with  a  view 
to  the  settlement  of  Deerfield,  they  found  the  Pocumtucks 
more  intelligent  and  civilized  than  most  of  the  other  tribes. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  33 

They  recognized  many  of  the  rights  of  women,  and  under- 
stood perfectly  the  nature  of  the  contracts  they  made  and 
the  effect  of  the  deeds  by  which  they  conveyed  their  lands 
to  the  whites ;  but  they  did  not  understand  the  value  of 
those  lands,  or  that  of  the  trinkets  they  received  in  pay- 
ment. Some  of  those  deeds  were  given  by  squaws  who 
held  their  lands  by  inheritance  from  their  ancestors.  A 
few  years  previous  to  that  time  this  tribe  numbered  about 
5,000.  They  formed  a  confederacy  with  the  Nipmucks  and 
Squawkheags,  and  became  so  powerful  and  arrogant  as  to 
defy  even  the  Mohawks.  When  the  latter  sent  an  ambas- 
sador, with  presents,  to  make  peace  with  them,  they  mur- 
dered him  and  his  suite  in  cold  blood.  The  Mohawks  in 
revenge  attacked  and  destroyed  them ;  and  then  turned 
north  and  punished  their  allies,  the  Squawkheags,  whom 
they  had  once  before  nearly  destroyed. 

The  Mohawks  then  swept  across  Cheshire  county  to 
the  Merrimac  valley,  and  the  Pennacooks,  the  Amoskeags 
and  the  Abenakis  —  particularly  the  Pennacooks — felt  the 
fury  of  their  vengeance  in  retaliation  of  former  defeats,  and 
were  severely  punished.  The  Mohawks  approached  the 
river  cautiously,  encamped  on  the  west  bank,  opposite  the 
Pennacooks,  and  watched  their  prey,  who  had  gathered 
their  corn  and  withdrawn  into  their  fortifications  on  the 
east  side.  After  some  maneuvering,  the  Pennacooks  w^ere 
decoyed  from  their  fort  and  a  terrible  fight  ensued,  in 
which  that  tribe  was  nearly  destroyed.  The  Mohawks 
then  recrossed  this  region  and  returned  to  their  own 
country;  and  this  part  of  New  England  was  almost 
wholly  forsaken  by  the  savages,  except  for  an  occasional 
hunting  excursion.  The  hostile  incursions  made  later  were 
chiefly  by  those  residing  in  Canada. 

So  thoroughly  had  the  Mohawks  done  their  work  of 
destruction  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  that  when  the  pioneers 
from  Dedham  laid  out  their  grant  at  Deerfield  in  1670 
there  was  apparently  not  a  wigwam  standing  in  all  that 
region  of  desolation ;  and  after  the  defeat  and  death  of 
King  Philip  western  Massachusetts,  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire  were  almost  entirely  destitute  of  Indian  inhab- 
itants. 


34  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  remnant  of  the  Pocumtucks  went  west  and  joined 
the  Schaghticokes,  who  had  formerly  been  their  neighbors. 
The  few  that  were  left  of  the  Squawkheags  remained  for  a 
short  time  and  partly  rebuilt  some  of  their  villages,  but 
they  finally  went  north,  at  one  time  acting  with  the  Pen- 
nacooks,  at  other  times  with  the  St.  Francis  tribe  in  Can- 
ada, whom  they  undoubtedly  led  back  to  their  familiar 
grounds  in  subsequent  raids  in  the  Connecticut  valley. 
They  continued  to  claim  title  to  their  lands  as  late  as 
1721-3,  and  came  back  at  times  to  hunt  and  fish,  as  well 
as  for  worse  purposes  in  later  years.  The  Schaghticokes 
and  Pocumtucks  also  joined  the  St.  Francis  Indians  in 
raids  on  the  inhabitants  of  their  former  dwelling  place. 

One  of  those  raids  had  been  made  in  King  Philip's  war, 
in  September  1675,  when  seventy  young  men  —  detached 
troops  —  "the  flower  of  Essex  county,"  were  waylaid  and 
slain  at  "Bloody  Brook,"  where  now  stands  the  village 
of  South  Deerfield.  Another  v^as  made  in  "Queen  Anne's 
war,"  in  1704.  Deerfield  then  had  200  to  300  inhabitants 
and  was  the  most  northerly  settlement  in  the  Connecticut 
valley.  In  the  dead  of  a  snowy  winter  Vaudreuil,  the 
French  governor  of  Canada,  sent  a  force  of  about  300 
French  and  Indians  under  Hertel  de  Rouville.  Provided 
with  snowshoes,  they  came  up  Lake  Champlain  to  Onion 
river,  followed  up  that  stream,  crossed  the  divide,  thence 
down  Wells  river  to  the  Connecticut,  and  on  the  ice  of 
that  river  to  Deerfield,  and  took  that  town  completely  by 
surprise.  Just  before  daybreak  on  the  29th  of  February, 
with  their  blood-curdling  war  whoop,  the  savages  burst 
into  the  fort.  Forty-seven  of  the  citizens  were  slain  and 
112  captured,  about  twenty  of  whom  died  or  were  murdered 
on  the  way  to  Canada.  Among  the  captives  were  the 
Rev.  John  Williams,  his  wife  and  several  children.  His 
wife  and  two  of  his  children  were  murdered  before  his  eyes. 

Such  was  the  terrors  of  frontier  life  in  this  valley  of  the 
Connecticut  in  the  early  days.  That  valley  had  also  suf- 
fered from  raids  in  the  war  of  1722,  as  well  as  the  eastern 
parts  of  both  provinces ;  and,  to  give  better  protection  to 
the  western  frontier,  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts, 
in  December,   1723,   voted  to  build    a   blockhouse  on  the 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  35 

Connecticut  river,  and  man  it  with  forty  men,  who  were  not 
only  to  hold  the  fort  but  were  to  scout  the  country  to  the 
west  and  above  Grand  Monadnock.  Col.  John  Stoddard 
of  Northampton  commanded  on  the  frontier,  and,  under  his 
direction,  early  in  1724,  Lieut.  Timothy  Dwight  with  a 
squad  of  soldiers  and  four  carpenters  built  Fort  Dummer 
— named  in  honor  of  Lieut.  Gov.  William  Dummer,  then  act- 
ing governor  of  the  province.  It  stood  in  what  is  now 
Brattleboro  —  at  that  time  a  part  of  Northfield,  afterwards 
named  Hinsdale  —  on  the  west  bank  of  Connecticut  river, 
in  a  narrow  gorge  between  the  hills,  about  one  mile  below 
the  present  bridge  leading  to  Hinsdale.  The  river  was  ford- 
able  a  short  distance  below  the  fort. 

A  brief  description  of  the  fort  is  given  for  the  reason 
that,  at  the  time  when  Upper  and  Lower  Ashuelots  were 
settled,  it  was  the  nearest  place  of  refuge  from  the  Indians, 
on  the  only  practicable  route  of  communication  between 
those  townships  and  the  other  settlements  on  the  frontier, 
and  even  with  Boston  and  other  eastern  towns ;  for  that 
route  followed  the  rivers  to  Northfield,  Ueerfield  and  be- 
yond;! and  it  was  for  many  years  the  principal  military 
post  for  the  protection  of  all  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  fort  was  of  logs,  nearly  square,  about  120x120  feet, 
with  strong  bastions,  or  blockhouses,  at  the  corners  for 
mounting  cannon,  and  were  so  constructed  as  to  be  defensi- 
ble on  the  inside  in  case  the  enemy  got  inside  the  fort. 
Officers'  quarters,  two  stories  high,  were  built  inside  in 
connection  with  the  walls,  and  made  defensible  like  the 
bastions.  There  w^as  also  a  strong  log-building  near  the 
centre  of  the  "parade  ground"  inside  the  fort,  called  the 
"citadel,"  designed  as  the  last  resort  of  the  besieged  in 
case  of  overpowering  numbers.  The  whole  was  surrounded 
with  a  stockade  and  armed  with  four  swivels  and  one 
large  gun  which  was  used  chiefly  to  sound  an  alarm  to 
the  other  posts  w^hen  threatened  by  the  enemy. 

Soon  after  the  fort  was  completed,  a  scouting  party  of 
six  men  was   attacked  by  the    Indians;  two    were  killed, 

1  Even  later,  after  the  forts  numbered  1  to  4  had  been  built,  at  what  are 
now  Chesterfield,  Westmoreland,  Walpole  and  Charlestown,  and  in  the  "Old 
French  and  Indian  war"  of  1745,  the  route  between  those  posts  and  these 
townships  was  by  the  way  of  Fort  Dummer,  following  the  rivers. 


36  HISTORY  OP  KEENB. 

three  captured  and  one  escaped.  In  October  following,  the 
fort  was  attacked  by  about  seventj^  Indians,  but  Capt. 
Dwight  then  had  fifty-five  men,  and  he  repulsed  them, 
with  the  loss  of  four  or  five  of  his  men  killed  and  wounded. 

In  time  of  peace,  about  1730,  the  fort  was  used  as  a 
trading  station  with  the  Indians,  and  as  a  missionary 
post.  Houses  were  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  red 
men  and  many  went  there  to  trade.  A  Capt.  Kellogg  was 
then  in  command,  and  six  Indian  chiefs  held  commissions 
—  from  that  of  colonel  down  to  lieutenant  —  and  drew  pay 
from  the  province  of  Massachusetts.  When  those  pioneers 
broke  ground  here,  in  the  spring  of  1736,  there  had  been 
peace  in  the  Connecticut  valley  for  ten  years,  and  for  eight 
years  afterward  they  were  not  disturbed  by  hostile  Indians. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1736,  before  leaving  for  their 
homes  in  the  lower  towns,  the  proprietors  met  according 
to  adjournment  on  the  house  lot  of  Joseph  Fisher,  "Jere- 
miah Hall  standing  moderator,"  but  immediately  adjourned 
to  the  house  of  Nathan  Blake. 

"Voted  that  Nathan  Fairbanks  be  scribe  to  write  the 
votes  of  this  meeting."  Thej^  then  adjourned,  to  meet  the 
next  morning  at  8  o'clock. 

On  Oct.  1,  the  committee  chosen  at  the  May  meeting  to 
make  a  third  division  of  (meadow)  land  not  having  com- 
pleted its  work,  Jeremiah  Hall,  William  Smeed  and  Nathan 
Blake  were  added,  and  the  committee  was  instructed  to 
complete  the  division  forthwith.  Three  of  the  members 
were  to  remain  here  through  a  part  of  the  winter  and 
could  attend  to  that  duty. 

Nathan  Blake,  Seth  Heaton  and  Stephen  Blake  were 
chosen  a  committee  authorized  "to  agree  with  a  man  to 
build  a  Grist  mill  within  the  said  Township  where  it  may 
be  most  beneficial  for  the  said  proprietors,  and  not  to 
Exceed  forty  pounds  Encouragement  therefor,  and  to  take 
and  give  Sufiicient  bonds  for  the  fullfilment  of  the  same, 
and  to  have  it  built  and  compleated  within  one  full  year 
from  this  day." 

It  was  also  "Voted  that  they  will  build  a  meeting 
house  at  the  upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  so  called  forty 
feet  Long  twenty  feet  Stud  and  thirty  and  five  feet  wide, 
to  underpinn  cover  and  Inclose  the  same  and  Lay  down 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  37 

bords  for  the  Lower  floor  and  to  set  the  same  at  the  south 
End  of  the  Town  street  at  the  place  appointed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court  Committee,  ^  and  that  meseiurs  Jerimiah  Hall, 
Samuel  Daniels,  Joseph  Richardson,  Stephen  Blake,  and  Jo- 
siah  Fisher  be  a  committee  to  build  or  Let  out  the  same, 
and  to  see  that  sd  work  be  compleatly  performed  by  the 
twenty  sixth  day  of  June  next." 

They  also  voted  to  make  another  division  of  thirty 
acres  of  "upland"  to  each  proprietor,  to  be  surveyed  that 
fall,  the  lots  to  be  drawn  on  the  23d  of  November.  Jere- 
miah Hall  was  "appointed  to  keep  a  Record  of  the  said 
Lotts,  and  the  respective  choyces  in  order  to  their  being 
Recorded  in  the  s*^  propriators  Book  of  Records,  And  that 
meseiuers  Samuel  Sady,  Jerimiah  Hall,  Seth  Heaton,  Na- 
than Blake  and  William  Smeed,  be  a  committee  to  Lay  out 
the  said  Devision."  Those  lots  were  surveyed  bj'  Josiah 
Willard,  founder  of  the  town  of  Winchester. 

"One  Hundred  and  four-score  pounds"  were  assessed 
on  the  proprietors  to  defray  public  charges. 

Jeremiah  Hall,  Nathaniel  Rockwood  and  Joseph  Rich- 
ardson were  chosen  assessors,  and  Josiah  Fisher,  Jr.,  and 
William  Smeed,  collectors. 

"Voted  That  Nathan  Fairbanks  is  appointed  to  act 
for  and  in  behalf  of  the  three  publick  Lotts." 

The  following  vote  was  also  passed : 

"Forasmuch  as  the  Town  Street  is  judged  to  be  to 
narrow  Conveniantly  to  accomidate  the  Propriators, 
Voted,  That  Every  Propriator  whose  Lotts  Ly  on  the 
west  side  of  said  street,  that  will  Leave  out  of  his  Lott 
at  the  front  or  next  adjoyning  to  sd  Street  four  Rods  in 
depth  the  whole  bredth  of  their  Respective  Lotts  to 
accomidate  the  sd  street  Shall  have  it  made  up  in  quan- 
tity in  the  Rear  or  other  End  of  their  Lotts." 

The  proposition  was  accepted  by  all  the  owners  of  lots 
on  the  west  side,  and  to  this  act  of  those  early  proprietors 
Keene  is  "  indebted  for  its  broad  and  elegant  Main  street." 

"Voted  That  this  meeting  be  adjourned  untill  the 
second  Thursday  of  May  next  at  three  of  the  clock  in  the 
afternoon  to  be  Holden  at  the  meeting  house  place  in  the 
upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  River. 

Jerimiah  Hall  Moderator." 

1  Where  Elisha  F.  Lane's  house  now  stands.      The  first  burying  place  was  a 
little  to  the  southwest  of  Mr.  Lane's  bam. 


38  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"No  person  had  hitherto  attempted  to  remain  through 
the  winter  on  the  township.  Those  who  came  in  the  sum- 
mer to  clear  their  lands,  brought  their  provisions  with 
them,  and  erected  temporary  huts  for  shelter.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1736,  at  least  one  house  was  erected ;  and  three 
persons,  Nathan  Blake,  Seth  Heaton  and  William  Smeed, 
the  two  first  from  Wrentham  and  the  last  from  Deerfield, 
made  preparations  to  pass  the  winter  in  the  wilderness. 
Their  house  was  at  the  south  end  of  the  street. ^  Blake 
had  a  pair  of  oxen  and  a  horse,  and  Heaton  a  horse.  For 
the  support  of  these,  they  collected  grass  in  the  open  spots ; 
and  in  the  first  part  of  the  winter,  they  employed  them  in 
drawing  logs  to  the  saw-mill,  which  had  just  been  com- 
pleted. Blake's  horse  fell  through  the  ice  of  Beaver  Brook 
and  was  drowned.  In  the  beginning  of  February,  their 
own  provisions  were  exhausted,  and  to  obtain  a  supply 
of  meal,  Heaton  was  dispatched  to  Northfield.  There  were 
a  few  families  at  Winchester,  but  none  able  to  furnish  what 
was  wanted.  Heaton  procured  a  quantity  of  meal;  but 
before  he  left  Northfield,  the  snow  began  to  fall,  and  when, 
on  his  return,  he  arrived  at  Winchester,  it  was  uncom- 
monly deep,  and  covered  with  a  sharp  crust.  He  was  told 
'  that  he  might  as  well  expect  to  die  in  Northfield  and  rise 
again  in  Upper  Ashuelot,  as  ride  thither  on  horseback.' 
Remembering  the  friends  he  had  left  there,  he  nevertheless 
determined  to  make  the  attempt,  but  had  proceeded  but  a 
short  distance  when  he  found  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  succeed.  He  then  returned,  and  directed  his  course 
toward  Wrentham.  Blake  and  Smeed,  hearing  nothing 
from  Heaton,  gave  the  oxen  free  access  to  the  hay,  left 
Ashuelot,  and  on  snow  shoes  proceeded  either  to  Deerfield 
or  Wrentham.  Anxious  for  their  oxen,  they  returned  early 
in  the  spring.  They  found  them  near  the  branch,  south- 
east of  Carpenter's  [Robinson's]  2  much  emaciated,  feeding 
upon  twigs  and  such  grass  as  was  bare.  The  oxen  recog- 
nized their  owner,  and  exhibited  such  pleasure  at  the 
meeting  as  drew  tears  from  his  eyes." 

(Annals,  page  9.) 

In  the  spring  of  1737  a  large  party  of  the  proprietors 
came  to  the  township  with  their  families  for  permanent 
settlement.  Some  of  their  names  are  already  familiar, 
others  will  appear  in  the  records  of  the  meetings  held  soon 
after  their  arrival,  and  there  must  have  been  at  least  forty 

iThe  house  in  which  those  three  men  attempted  to  pass  that  winter  was 
the  log  cabin  of  Seth  Heaton,  on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  the  Marlboro 
road,  south  of  Mr.  Cole's,  and  the  oxen  were  found  in  the  spring,  near  the 
branch,  southwest  of  the  cabin.  (Tradition  in  the  Heaton  family,  handed 
down  from  Seth  Heaton.) 

2NO-W  Elisha  F.  Lane's. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  39 

proprietors  in  all,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  records  of  the 
meeting  of  the  20th  of  May.  They  came  by  the  route 
already  indicated, — via  Brookfield,  Hadley,  Deerfield,  North- 
field  and  Hinsdale,  bringing  a  small  number  of  cattle, 
horses,  fowls  and  other  domestic  animals.  Their  pro- 
visions and  a  few  articles  for  housekeeping  were  packed 
on  horses,  or  on  "horse-barrows,"  made  by  attaching  a 
pole  to  each  side  of  the  saddle,  the  butt-ends  dragging  on 
the  ground,  fastened  at  a  proper  distance  apart.  On  these 
could  be  lashed  barrels  and  other  articles  behind  the  horse. 
The  last  twenty  miles  of  the  route  were  marked  simply  by 
"blazed"  trees.  It  was  more  than  fifty  years  after  this 
time  that  the  roads  were  sufficient  for  the  introduction  of 
anything  lighter  than  ox-carts  for  vehicles. 

They  came  in  time  for  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the 
proprietors,  to  be  held  on  Thursday,  the  12th  of  May,  at 
the  meetinghouse  place,  Jeremiah  Hall,  moderator.  At  that 
meeting  it  was : 

"Voted  that  Philemon  Chandler  be  the  scribe  or  pen- 
man to  set  down  the  votes  that  shall  be  passed  at  this 
meeting. 

"Voted  that  all  persons  that  have  Purchased  Rites  in 
sd  Township  shall  have  the  Liberty  to  vote  and  act  in 
said  meeting. 

"Voted  that  the  charge  brought  in  for  Laying  out  the 
Thirty  acre  Division  be  allowed  as  followeth  (viz) 

£        s       d 
"To    Capt.   Josiah    Willard    surveyor   for    twenty  five    Days 

twenty  pounds ' 20-00-00 

To  Jerimiah  Hall  for  twenty  days  ten  pounds 10-00-00 

To  Seth  Heaton  for  twelve  days  six  pounds 6  —  00  —  00 

To  William  Smeed  for  twelve  days  six  pounds 6  —  00-00 

To  Nathan  Blake  for  eight  days  four  pounds 4—00-00 

To  Stephen  Blake  for  half  a  day  three  shillings  &  sixpence 00-03-06 

To  Aaron  Brooks  for  five  days  thirty  shillings 01-10-00 

To  Edward  Dale  for  four  days  twenty  four  shillings 01-04-00 

To  Moses  Chamberlin  for  two  days  twelve  shillings 00-12-00 

For  the  surveyors  Diet  nineteen  shillings  &  sixpence 00-19-06 

To  Nathan  Blake  for  a  journey  to  Concord  fifteen  shillings. ...00-15-00 

Total  £50-04-00 

"Voted  to  Assess  the  sum  of  sixty  Pounds  on  the 
propriators  of  the  House  Lotts  in  said  Township  to  Hire 
a  Gospel  minister  and  that  the  same  be  collected  and  paid 
into  the  Treasury  at  or  before  the  first  Day  of  August 
next. 


40  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"Voted  and  chose  Jerimiah  Hall  Nathan  Blake  and 
Daniel  Haws  Assessors  to  assess  the  sd  sixty  pounds. 

"Voted  and  chosen  Ebenezer  Ninas  collector  to  collect 
the  said  Sixty  pounds  and  pay  it  in  to  the  Treasury 
according  to  y^  vote  above. 

"Voted  and  chosen  Jerimiah  Hall  David  Farnsworth 
&  John  Thompson  a  comittee  to  agree  with  some  meet 
person  to  preach  the  Gospel  amongst  them  at  y^  Upper 
Ashuelott. 

"Voted  That  Jerimiah  Hall  shall  be  allowed  the  sum 
of  Eight  pounds  four  shillings  and  one  penej'^  for  money 
he  Expended,  and  four  pounds  &  ten  shillings  for  his 
time  in  waiting  on  the  General  Court. 

"Voted  to  adjourn  the  meeting  untill  the  nineteenth 
day  of  May  currant,  to  be  at  the  meeting  house  place  in 
sd  Township  at  one  of  the  clock  in  the  after-noon. 

Jerimiah  Hall  Moderator." 

The  meeting  of  the  19th,  after  passing  a  vote  and 
choosing  a  committee  to  rectify  the  boundary  lines  be- 
tween some  of  the  lots,  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  same 
place  the  next  morning  at  six  o'clock. 

The  meeting  of  the  20th  was  opened  at  the  time  and 
place  of  adjournment,  but : 

"Voted  that  the  meeting  be  Removed  down  upon  the 
Enterval  for  better  conveniances  there, ^  to  be  held  Imme- 
diately." 

After  some  votes  had  been  passed  in  relation  to  the 
last  division  of  land : 

"Voted  that  Mes*"^  Philemon  Chandler  and  David 
Farnsworth  be  chosen  and  Impoured  to  Represent  this 
propriety  in  applying  for  and  Receiving  of  the  Honorable 
the  General  Court  Committee  for  this  Township  the 
money  Granted  to  Sd  propriators  when  they  shall  have 
the  frame  of  a  meeting  house  Raised  and  forty  Propriators 
settled  on  the  spot,  and  that  they  Return  the  same  into 
the  Propriators  Treasury." 

This  vote  shows  that  there  must  have  been  not  less 
than  forty  proprietors  residing  in  the  town  at  that  time, 
and  that  they  had,  or  were  about  to  have,  the  frame  of 
a  meetinghouse  raised. 

"Voted  and  chosen  for  surveyors  to  mend  the  High- 
ways Nathan  Blake  and  Seth  Heaton  and  that  they  be 
allowed  Eight  shillings  per  day. 

1  One  can  easily  stirmise  that  a  cold  wind  was   blowing  that  morning  which 
drove  them  to  shelter  under  the  blufif. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  41 

"Voted  to  Assess  the  sum  of  one  Hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  on  the  Propriators  of  the  house  Lotts  in  the  said 
Township." 

Jeremiah  Hall,  Nathan  Blake  and  Daniel  Haws  were 
chosen  assessors,  and  Ebenezer  Nims,  collector :  "And  for- 
asmuch as  the  propriators  Treasurer  Lives  at  a  Great  dis- 
tance from  sd  Township 

"Voted  That  Jerimiah  Hall  shall  be  the  Propriators 
Treasurer,  and  that  he  be  Imediatly  Sworn  to  the  faith- 
full  Discharge  of  the  Dutys  of  that  office  and  trust." 

This  meeting  adjourned  to  the  30th  of  June  at  the 
"meeting  house  place." 

On  that  day  the  proprietors  met  "at  the  meeting 
house  frame,"  and: 

"Voted  that  there  be  the  sum  of  twenty  seven  pounds 
payd  out  of  sd  propriators  Treasury,  to  Cap^  Samuel 
Sady  for  searching  and  Laying  out  a  Road  from  this 
Township  down  to  the  Town  of  Townshend  Imployed  by 
the  said  propriators  so  to  do." 

"  Seth  Heaton  and  Josiah  Fisher  now  Resident,  and  Sam- 
uel Heywood  a  non-Resident "  were  added  to  the  committee 
to  apply  to  the  general  court  committee  for  the  £100  due 
the  proprietors  when  forty  proprietors  were  settled  in  the 
township  and  the  frame  of  a  meetinghouse  had  been  raised. 

At  that  meeting  it  was  provided  that  thereafter  meet- 
ings of  the  proprietors  should  be  called  upon  the  applica- 
tion in  writing  to  the  clerk  of  five  or  more  proprietors, 
setting  forth  the  business  desired  to  be  acted  upon ;  the 
clerk  thereupon  posting  his  notice  of  the  meeting,  at  the 
meetinghouse,  fourteen  days  prior  thereto.  In  case  of  the 
absence  of  the  clerk,  or  his  refusal  to  act,  application  might 
be  made  in  the  same  way  to  any  justice  of  the  county,  and 
his  notice  posted  in  the  same  way  should  be  sufficient 
warning  of  the  meeting. 

It  was  also  voted  that  "no  meeting  of  the  sd  Propri- 
ators for  the  future  shall  be  held  but  at  this  Township  so 
Long  as  there  shall  be  seven  propriators  Inhabiting  here." 

Some  doubts  having  arisen  as  to  the  legality  of  the 
acts  of  the  proprietors  up  to  this  time  this  meeting  was 
"Dismissed." 

So  grave  were  those  doubts  that  on  the  8th  of  the 
previous  December,  Elisha  Root,  Isaac  Power,  John  Corbett 


42  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  other  proprietors  had  petitioned  the  general  court  of 
Massachusetts  to  have  the  legality  of  those  acts  confirmed 
and  established.  That  petition  was  referred  to  a  commit- 
tee which  reported  on  the  16th  of  December,  and  the 
following  order  was  made : 

"Thursday  \ 
Dec^  16,  1736  | 

"A  petition  of  Elisha  Root  and  others  proprietors  of 
the  Upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  River,  Showing  (etc.) 


"In  Council  Read  and  forasmuch  as  the  pet.^®  are 
already  Sufficiently  Impowered  by  this  Court  for  the  pur- 
poses within  mentioned  —  Ordered  that  this  petition  be 
Dismissed  —  In  House  of  Representat.^^ 

"Read  &  Concurred. — 

Consented  to  J.  Belcher." 

Soon  after  the  meeting  of  the  30th  of  June,  Jeremiah 
Hall,  William  Smeed,  Stephen  Blake,  Amos  Foster  and 
Josiah  Fisher  petitioned  Ebenezer  Pomeroy  of  Northamp- 
ton, "One  of  His  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace"  to  call 
a  meeting  of  the  proprietors:  "To  Confirm  and  Establish 
all  Grants  and  Divisions  of  Land  agreed  upon  and  Granted 
by  the  proprietors,  at  their  meetings,"  and  votes  passed, 
assessments  made,  committees  appointed  and  acts  done  at 
all  their  former  meetings;  and  "To  come  into  some 
method  to  Hinder  people  selling  any  timber  out  of  Town, 
or  needlessly  destroying  of  it  in  Town." 

On  the  6th  of  July,  Justice  Pomeroy,  under  the  head- 
ing: "Hampshire  ss."  issued  his  warrant  "in  His 
Majesty's  Name"  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  meeting 
house  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  reciting  the  objects 
as  set  forth  in  the  petition.  The  meeting  was  held  as 
called,  and  Jonas  Woolson  was  chosen  moderator  and 
David  Nims,  scribe;  and  votes  were  passed  confirming  all 
that  had  been  done  at  previous  meetings.  The  article  con- 
cerning timber  was  passed  over. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  upon  a  petition  of  nine  of  the 
proprietors,  Thomas  Wells  of  Deerfield,  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Hampshire  county,  issued  his  warrant  "in  His 
Majesty's  Name"  for  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  to  be 
held  at  the  meetinghouse  in  Upper  Ashuelot  on  the  26th 


David  Nims. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  43 

of  the  same  month.  The  meeting  was  held  and  Jeremiah 
Hall  was  chosen  moderator  and  David  Nims,  scribe. 
Votes  were  passed  and  committees  chosen  to  rectify  some 
inequalities  in  former  divisions  of  lots.  The  meeting  then 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  Jeremiah  Hall  and  immediately 
proceeded  with  the  business. 

"Voted  That  the  Lott  number  Nine  In  the  second 
Division  of  medow  Land  be  taken  out  and  be  Recorded 
to  the  ministers  Right  before  the  Rest  be  Drawn. 

"Voted  That  any  man  that  doth  not  Like  his  Lott  In 
the  ten  acre  Division  of  medow  Land,  shall  have  Liberty 
to  deface  the  Lines,  and  to  Lay  it  out  in  any  other  place, 
By  a  surveyor  and  com"^^  on  his  own  cost  and  charge, 
And  Return  a  plan  thereof  to  the  clerk  attested  by  said 
committee. 

"Voted  That  the  worthy  m^  Jacob  Bacon  should  Draw 
the  Lotts  for  the  second  division  of  medow  Land  for  the 
whole  Propriety  who  accepted  and  Drew  as  followeth 
(viz)."  (The  list  of  names  of  the  proprietors  follows,  with 
the  number  drawn  for  each.) 

"Voted  To  Lay  out  one  Hundred  acres  of  upland  to 
Each  House  Lott  or  Rite  in  the  following  method  (viz)  to 
Draw  Lotts  for  choyce,  and  he  who  draws  the  first  Lott 
shall  make  his  choyce  or  Pitch  on  the  first  day  of  March 
next  if  it  be  not  Sabbath  Day,  and  if  it  be  to  make  it  on 
y^  second  day  of  March,  and  he  who  Draws  the  second 
Lott  the  next  working  day,  and  he  who  draws  the  third 
y'=  next  and  so  on  giveing  every  man  his  Day,  according 
to  his  Draught  from  the  first  of  March  next  untill  they 
shall  go  through  Sabath  Days  Excepted. 

"Voted  That  William  Smeed  pitch  or  choose  y^  Hun- 
dred acres  belonging  to  the  three  pviblick  Rights  (viz)  the 
ministers  Ministrey  and  School  and  Imploy  a  committee 
to  Lay  out  the  same  at  the  proprietors  cost  and  charge. 

"Voted  That  Nathan  Blake  Jerimiah  Hall  Ebenezer 
Force  Daniel  Haws  William  Smeed  Joseph  Ellis  Ebenezer 
Nyms  Seth  Heaton  Thomas  Weeks  Isaac  Clark  Josiah 
Fisher  be  a  committee  to  Lay  out  said  Division" — any 
three  of  them  being  sufficient  to  act. 

"Voted  That  the  worthy  m^  Jacob  Bacon  Draw  y^ 
Lotts  for  the  whole  propriety  who  accepted  and  Drew  as 
follows  (viz):"  (Another  list  of  names  and  numbers  then 
follows.) 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  the  next  day  when  it : 

"  Voted  That  the  Com"*^^  appointed  to  Layout  the  Hun- 
dred acre  Division  shall   proceed  in   the  following  method 


44  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

(viz)  to  Lay  out  the  Lotts  in  good  shape  and  forme  and 
not  Leve  small  slips  of  Land  Betw^een  Lot  and  Lot,  and 
that  they  Leave  Land  for  Roads  where  they  shall  Judge  it 
to  be  needfull  and  if  any  man  shall  not  Lay  out  his  Lot 
on  his  day,  nor  bring  in  his  pitch  or  choice  In  writing  to 
Nathan  Blake  by  the  Day  then  he  shall  not  Lay  out  his 
Lot  untill  the  time  be  Expired  for  Laying  out  of  Each  mans 
Draught  or  pitch  In  said  Hundred  acre  Division,  and  that 
they  Lay  out  no  mans  Lot  or  choice  In  more  than  one 
piece,  and  If  any  man  shall  not  Lay  out  his  Lot  within  six 
days  after  he  made  his  pitch  then  it  shall  not  be  Layd  out 
to  hinder  any  other  man  of  the  pitch. 

"Voted  That  William  Smeed  Seth  Heaton  Ebenezer 
Force  be  a  committee  to  Renew  the  south-east  and 
North  Lines  of  this  Township,  and  Imploy  a  surveyor  to 
Run  the  west  Line. 

"Voted  That  m*"  Jerimiah  Hall  make  application  to  the 
Court  for  a  quicker  way  for  gathering  In  the  money,  that 
hath  or  may  be  Granted  by  this  Propriety  to  defrey 
necessary  Charges." 

(Signed)  "David  Nyms  scribe 
Attest  Jeremiah  Hall  moderator." 

"Each  lot  was  surveyed  by  a  committee,  in  such  place 
and  in  such  shape  as  the  proprietor  drawing  it  directed. 
Some  of  the  plans  recorded  in  the  proprietors'  records 
exhibit  figures  which  Euclid  never  imagined,  and  probably 
could  not  measure.  Common  land  was  left  in  every  part 
of  the  township,  in  pieces  of  all  sizes  and  shapes.  In  this 
manner,  great  confusion  in  lines  was  introduced,  by  which 
the  owners  of  real  estate  are  yet  perplexed  and  embarrassed. 

"The  first  pitch  under  the  vote  before  mentioned,  was 
made  by  a  Mr.  Morse,  the  fortunate  drawer  of  the  right 
to  choose  first.  Attention  was  first  attracted  to  it  by 
finding  a  certified  copy  of  the  laying  out  among  the  papers 
of  the  late  Noah  Cooke,  Esq.,  which  was  obligingly  com- 
municated to  the  compiler  by  his  son,  Josiah  P.  Cooke, 
Esq.,  of  Boston.    In  this  copy,  the  pitch  is  thus  described: 

—  Beginning  at  a  stake  on  the  the  West  side  of  the  road, 
marked  for  the  N.  E.  corner,  (which  is  near  the  junction 
of  Washington  and  Cross  streets,)  then  runs  W.  108  rods 

—  then  S.  16°  W.  120  rods  — then  S.  11°  W.  38  rods,  for 
the  S.  W.  corner  — then  E.  53  rods- then  E.  30°  N.  32 
rods  —  then  E.  27  rods  to  the  road  (Main  street)  at  the 
causeway  —  then  N.  6  rods  to  a  stake  on  the  West  side  of 
the  road  —  then  E.  42^2  rods  to  the  S.  E.  corner  —  then  N. 
3°  W.  44  rods  — then  W.  10°  N.  16  rods  — then  N.  10°  E. 
40  rods  — then  W.  10°  N.  8  rods  — then  N.  10°  E.  40  rods 
to  where  it  began.    A  memorandum   on  the  copy,  in  the 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  45 

handwriting  of  the  deceased  Mr.  Cooke,  states  that  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  pitch  is  '  the  south-west  corner  of 
my  house-lot.'  Starting  from  that  point,  the  lines  have 
been  run,  by  Mr.  Sturtevant,  and  are  shown  by  the  dotted 
lines  on  the  map  at  the  end  of  the  book.  [See  map  of 
1850.]  It  will  be  seen  that  they  enclose  what  is  now  the 
most  compact  part  of  the  village.  These  boundaries  can- 
not be  far  from  correct.  That  the  South  line  crosses  the 
present  Main  street  before  it  turns  and  'runs  North  6 
rods,'  raises  a  doubt  whether  the  starting  point  is  the 
true  S.  W.  corner  of  the  pitch,  or  should  be  farther  West ; 
but  other  circumstances,  and  especially  the  fact,  that  the 
West  line  runs  along  the  edge  of  the  upland,  tend  to 
remove  this  doubt.  And  it  is  not  at  all  improbable,  indeed 
the  survey  may  be  assumed  to  prove,  that  the  road  'to 
go  to  the  saw-mill '  then  turned  to  the  right,  at  the  North 
line  of  the  houselots,  and,  taking  a  straight  course  to  the 
saw-mill,  passed  East  of  where  the  street  now  goes,  until 
it  came  near  the  site  of  the  glass  factory,  and  that  it  was 
afterwards  altered.  The  land  is  described  as  'lying  on  the 
plain  called  Saw-mill  Plain,' — so  called,  doubtless,  from 
the  saw-mill  just  erected  on  Beaver  Brook ;  and  an  allow- 
ance is  made  of  eight  acres  and  sixty  rods  for  two  roads, 
one  eight  rods  wide  to  go  to  the  saw-mill ;  the  other  four 
rods  wide  to  go  to  the  river.  No  road  up  the  river  being 
mentioned  proves  that  no  such  road  then  existed," 

(Annals,  page  11.) 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1738,  another  meeting  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Jeremiah  Hall  under  a  second  warrant 
from  Justice  Wells,  upon  a  petition  of  twelve  of  the  propri- 
etors. 

"Upon  the  First  article  voted  and  chose  m*"  Jeremiah 
Hall  Moderator  for  sd  meeting. 

"Upon  the  second  article  voted  and  chose  Jacob  Bacon 
(A  M)  scribe  to  Record  the  votes  of  said  meeting. 

"Upon  the  Third  article  voted  and  chose  Jacob  Bacon 
(AM)  Proprietors  clerk,  i 

"Upon  y^  Fourth  article  voted  and  chose  Jacob  Bacon 
(A  M)  Proprietors  Treasurer. 

"Voted  to  set  apart  a  certain  stream  known  by  the 
Name  of  East  Branch  and  Land  thereto  adjoyning  Neces- 
sary and  Conveniant  for  the  building  of  a  mill  or  mills  for 
the  Proprietors  use,"  and  David  Farns worth,  John  Thomp- 
son and  Jeremiah  Hall  were  chosen   "a  committee  to  Lay 

1  Many  pages  of  the  proprietors'  records  arc  in  the  neat  handwriting  of  Mr. 
Bacon,  and  his  letter  of  acceptance  of  the  call  to  the  ministry  is  entered  in  full, 
and  is  something  of  a  curiosity.     (Proprietors'  Records,  page  32.) 


46  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

out  the  same,"  and  240  pounds  were  assessed  "to  support 
the  Preaching  the  Gospel  in  said  Township,"  and  to  defray 
other  charges. 

Joseph  Ellis,  Nathan  Blake  and  Isaac  Clark  were 
chosen  a  committee  "to  procure  an  anvil  Bellows  vice 
sledge  Hammer  &  Tongs  fit  for  the  work  of  a  blak- 
smith  as  soon  as  conveniantly  they  can  at  the  Proprietors 
cost  and  charge  and  to  Let  out  the  same  to  a  Blacksmith 
so  Long  as  he  shall  use  and  Improve  them  in  the  Proprie- 
tors business  by  faithfully  doing  their  work  at  their  Re- 
quest, before  any  other  business  or  work  for  any  other 
person  or  persons  Whatsoever." 

Isaac  Clark,  Jeremiah  Hall,  Ebenezer  Nims,  Seth 
Heaton  and  David  Farnsworth  w^ere  chosen  a  committee 
to  lay  out  roads  "where  they  shall  be  found  Necessary," 
to  report  at  the  next  meeting. 

"Voted  that  Mes*"^  Nathan  Blake  Ebenezer  Nims  Joseph 
Ellis  Joseph  Guild  Isaac  Clark  be  a  committee  to  provide 
preaching. 

"Voted  That  Mes"-^  Nathan  Blake  Joseph  Ellis  Obadiah 
Blake  be  a  committee  to  go  to  Dea'^  Sam^^  Heywood  pro- 
prietors clerk  and  humbly  Request  the  proprietors  Book 
and  to  take  and  bring  the  same  and  deliver  to  the  Clerk 
now  Chosen. 

(Signed)  "Jacob  Bacon  scribe 

Jeremiah  Hall  Moderator." 

On  the  1st  day  of  May,  another  meeting  was  held  at 
the  meetinghouse  under  a  third  warrant  from  Justice 
Wells — Jeremiah  Hall,  moderator,  and  David  Foster,  scribe 
—  and  adjourned  to  the  5th  "to  meet  at  S*^  Meeting  House." 

"And  being  met  on  May  y^  5th  upon  adjournment 
according  to  a  vote  passed  on  May  y^  first.  It  was  pro- 
posed by  y^  Moderator  To  see  if  y*=  Proprietors  will  pro- 
ceed to  y^  Choice  of  a  Suitable  Person  to  Settle  in  y^  Min- 
istry in  this  Place  according  to  y^  Third  Article  in  y^ 
Warrant  Voted  in  y^  affirmative.  M.^  Jacob  Bacon  was 
Choosen  by  Every  vote." 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  the  house  of  Jeremiah 
Hall,  and  under  the  fourth  article  it  was  voted  to  "give 
M.^  Jacob  Bacon  y^  Sum  of  one  Hundred  &  fifty  pounds 
(in  Bills  of  Credit  of  y^  Old  Tenor)  Settlement  Provided 
he  accept  y^  Call  of  y^  Proprietors  to  Settle  in  y^  Ministry 
among  them." 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  4-7 

It  was  also  voted  under  the  same  article  to  "Give  M*" 
Jacob  Bacon  one  Hundred  &  Thirty  pounds  of  y^  Old 
tenor  according  to  y^  present  value  of  it,  for  his  Yearly 
Salary  for  y^  Space  of  Ten  Years  and  then  to  add  Ten 
pounds  to  his  Salary  so  Long  as  he  Shall  be  their 
Minister." 

Jeremiah  Hall,  David  Foster,  Isaac  Clark,  Josiah  Fisher 
and  Ebenezer  Nims  were  chosen  a  committee  to  lay  these 
proposals  before  Mr.  Bacon,  "&  if  he  accepts  of  y^  Pro- 
posals, to  appoint  y^  Day  for  his  ordination,  &  to  call  in 
Suitable  Help  to  Carry  on  y^  work  of  y^  Day,  &  to  make 
Suitable  Provision  for  his  ordination  upon  y^  Proprietors 
Cost." 

The  committee  laid  the  proposals  before  Mr.  Bacon,  and 
after  a  prolonged  consideration  of  the  matter,  on  the  5th 
of  August  he  sent  in  his  letter  of  acceptance,  "with  this 
amendment  or  consideration  y*  you  send  to  me  a  yearly 
supply  of  fire  wood  at  my  Door,  and  y*  from  time  to  time 
as  m3'  need  shall  require." 

On  the  2d  of  October,  upon  the  request  of  six  proprie- 
tors, a  meeting  was  held  at  the  meetinghouse  in  "y^  Up- 
per Township  on  Ashuelot  River  (so-called)"  under  the  war- 
rant of  Mr.  Bacon  as  proprietors'  clerk  —  David  Foster, 
moderator  —  at  which  it  was: 

"  Voted  To  add  y^  sum  of  Ten  pounds,  to  M*"  Bacon's 
Salary  at  y'^  End  of  Ten  years  from  his  Settling  among 
them,  &  thereby  raise  his  Salary  to  y*^  sum  of  one  Hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  money  of  y*^  present  Currency. 

"  Voted  To  find  y^  Worthy  M*"  Bacon  so  much  Good 
fire  wood  yearly  as  he  shall  need  for  his  fire  ready  Drawn 
to  his  Door,  &  y^  from  time  to  time  and  at  all  times  so 
Long  as  he  shall  Continue  to  be  y^  Minister." 

Under  the  third  article,  we  have  the  first  record  of 
roads  accepted  as  laid  out  by  the  committee,  viz. :  "  a 
Road  from  y^  Line  Between  y^  Lower  and  Upper  Ashuelots 
Eight  rods  wide  by  y*^  Heads  of  y^  House  Lots  Laid  out 
on  a  plain  called  y^  Nine  Lot  Plain,  &  so  over  s^  Plain  till 
it  comes  to  y'^  Northeast  corner  of  Meadow  Lot  No  (20) 
&  y"  on  y^  North  side  of  s*^  Lot,  Three  rods  wide  until  it 
comes  to  Meadow  Lot  No  (18)  &  from  Meadow  Lot  (20) 
to  y«  Meeting  House  hill  Two  rods  wide,  &  y*^  Through 
y^  Town  Plat  Eight  rods  wide  Between  y^  Heads  of  y^ 
House  Lots  &  so  on  to  y^  Saw-mil  Eight  rods  wide,  where  it 


48  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

now  goeth,  as  also  a  road  or  way  two  rods  wide  from  y<^ 
Meeting  House  to  y^  River  in  y^  most  Convenient  place  Be- 
tween House  Lot  No  (54)  and  Meadow  Lot  No  (12)  & 
from  thence  Between  s*^  House  Lot  and  y^  Meadow  Lot 
Drawn  by  John  B urge  No  (35)  —  running  Westwardly  to  y^ 
Ash  Swamp,  also  another  road  or  way  from  y*^  Town 
street  three  rods  w^ide  Between  House  Lot  No  (13  &  14) 
to  y^  East  Beach  Hill,  and  another  from  s^  Street  West- 
wardly Between  House  Lots  No  (41)  &  (42)  toward  the 
Ash  Swamp  Three  rods  wide — " 

From  the  descriptions,  it  is  evident  that  the  first  road 
ran  from  Swanzey  line  to  Keene  very  nearly  as  it  does 
now,  passing  the  house  lots  on  "Nine  Lot  Plain"  eight 
rods  wide.  Descending  to  the  meadows,  it  was  reduced 
to  three  rods  in  width,  and  in  crossing  the  South  Branch 
and  the  low  lands  by  the  present  pottery,  where  it  w^as 
difficult  to  make  a  road,  it  was  but  two  rods  wide.  The 
rise  from  the  low  ground  to  the  lower  end  of  Main  street 
was  called  "Meeting  House  Hill."  Then  "Through  y^ 
Town  Plat"  —  the  present  Main  street  —  it  was  laid  eight 
rods  wide,  and  continued  so  to  the  saw-mill.  But  that 
does  not  account  for  the  generous  breadth  of  Washington 
street,  for  that  first  road  to  the  saw  mill,  "where  it  now 
Goeth,"  ran  much  farther  east,  from  the  present  railroad 
crossing,  entering  our  present  Washington  street  in  the 
vicinity  of  Burdett's  mills. 

The  second  road,  two  rods  wide,  ran  "from  y^  Meet- 
ing House"  along  the  south  side  of  the  south  house  lot 
on  the  west  side  of  Main  street,  between  that  and  the 
burying  ground,  which  was  southwest  of  the  meeting 
house,  to  the  river  and  on  to  Ash  Swamp.  On  that  bluff 
around  the  meeting  house  and  the  burying  ground  there 
was  an  open  common,  as  later  records  show. 

The  third  road,  three  rods  wide,  ran  from  Main  street 
to  "East  Beach  Hill." 

The  fourth  road,  three  rods  wide  ran  from  the  same 
point  on  Main  street  west,  making  four  corners  there  — 
nearly  in  the  same  place  as  our  present  "  Appian  Way"  — 
but  it  is  probable  that  neither  of  these  last  two  roads 
was  built,  for  they  do  not  appear  on  the  map  of  the  vil- 
lage in  1750,  while  one  further  north,  where  Water  street 
is  now,  is  shown. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  49 

Joseph  Ellis  and  Beriah  Maccaney  (McKenny)  were 
chosen  "Surveyors  of  High  ways  to  take  care  and  mend 
them,  and  y"  Voted  y.*  y*'  Meeting  be  adjourned  to  y^  House 
of  Joseph  Guild,  to  meet  Immediately,  and  y''  met  —  &  — 

"Upon  y'^  6th  Article  Voted,  To  finish  y^  Fort  w^  is 
already  Begun  in  s"^  Township,  &  y.*  Every  one  y.*  works 
or  has  workt  at  s*^  Fort,  should  bring  in  his  or  y*"  accompt 
to  y*^  surveyors  of  High  ways,  &  to  be  allowed  to  him  or 
y"»  as  so  much  Done  in  mending  or  Clearing  High  ways  or 
roads. 

"  Voted  To  assess  and  raise  y^  sum  of  one  Hundred  and 
Eighty  pounds  to  Build  y^  Fort  and  to  Clear  and  mend 
High  ways  &c."  David  Nims,  Josiah  Fisher  and  Timo- 
thy Puffer  were  chosen  assessors,  and  Solomon  Richardson 
collector. 

It  was  also  voted  that  plans  of  the  divisions  of  land  be 
recorded  by  the  proprietors'  clerk,  "Excepting  of  y^  House 
Lots  and  of  y^  4th  or  Thirty  acre  Division,  and  them  to  be 
fastened  into  the  Prop^o*"®  Book  in  a  General  Plan  and  all 
this  to  be  at  y^  Prop*"'^^  cost  and  charge." 

A  committee  was  also  chosen  to  "Lay  out  Equivalent 
Land  to  those  whose  land  had  been  taken  for  roads." 

"  This  fort  was  situated  on  a  small  eminence,  a  few 
rods  North  of  the  house  of  Dr.  Adams. i  When  completed, 
it  was  about  90  feet  square;  there  were  two  ovens,  and 
two  wells  in  the  inclosure.  It  was  built  of  hewn  logs.  In 
the  interior,  next  to  the  walls,  were  twenty  barracks, 
each  having  one  room.  On  the  outside,  it  was  tvi^o  stories 
high,  in  the  inside,  but  one,  the  roof  over  the  barracks 
sloping  inwards.  In  the  space  above  the  barracks,  were 
loop-holes  to  fire  from  with  muskets.  There  were  two 
watch-houses,  one  at  the  south-east  corner,  and  one  on 
the  western  side,  each  erected  on  four  high  posts  set  up- 
right in  the  earth.  And  for  greater  safety,  the  whole  was 
surrounded  by  pickets." 

(Annals,  page  13.) 

"At  a  Council  Held  at  y^  Upper  Ashuelot  Township  in 
y^  Province  of  y^  Massachusetts  &c  for  y^  Gathering  of  a 
Church  &  y^  Ordination  of  y*=  Rev*^  M*"  Jacob  Bacon  Pastor, 
present  by  v^  pastors  &  Delegates  y^  churches  of  Wrentham, 
Sunderland",  Northfield  &  Med  way,  October  18.  A  D:  1738  — 
Then  Ordained  y^  Rev*^  M.''  Jacob  Bacon  Pastor  of  y^ 
Church  of  Christ  then  Gathered  in  y^  s'^  Ashuelot  (y^  ad- 
vice of  y^  Neighboring  Ministers  of  Christ  being  first  had 

1 "  On  the  spot  where  now  (1850)  stands  the  new  house  of  Dr.  Charles  G, 
Adams."     [Now  Mr.  Lemviel  Hayward's,  1903.] 


50  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

according  to  Law)  according  to  y^  rules  of  y^  Gospel,  as  — 
''Attest  —  Benj"  Doolittlei  Moderator  of  s^  Council  in 
y.^  Name  and  by  order  of  y^  s*^  —  Council  — 
"A  true  Coppy  Exa™<^ 

Pr  Jacob  Bacon 

Pj-optors  Clerk." 

(Proprietors'  Records,  page  34.) 

The  members  of  the  church  "gathered"  at  that  time 
were: 

"Jeremiah  Hall        Joseph  Fisher  David  Nims 

David  Foster  John  Bullard  Benjamin  Guild 

William  Smeed         Joseph  Ellis  Edward  Dale 

Seth  Heaton  Joseph  Richardson  Solomon  Richardson 

Nathan  Blake  Ebenezer  Nims  Abner  Ellis 

Josiah  Fisher  Joseph  Guild  Ebenezer  Day 

Obadiah  Blake." 
(Church  Records.) 

Soon  afterwards  the  church  was  organized  by  the 
choice  of  David  Foster  and  Josiah  Fisher,  deacons. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors 
was  opened  at  the  meeting  house,  and  after  choosing  Capt. 
Jeremiah  Hall  moderator,  immediately  adjourned  to  his 
house  on  the  opposite  side  of  Main  street.  Two  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds  were  voted  "for  y^  Rev*^  M*"  Bacon's 
Settlement  and  Salary  for  y^  present  year,"  and  in  addition, 
the  sum  of  twenty-four  pounds  for  his  fire  wood. 

A  vote  was  passed  setting  apart  the  common  land 
around  the  meeting  house  "for  a  Training  Ground  and 
such  publick  use  or  uses,"  and  a  tract  on  the  road  leading 
west  from  the  meeting  house  over  the  river  to  Ash  Swamp, 
"for  y^  use  and  Benefit  of  Digging  Clay  and  making  Brick." 

"  Upon  y^  Sixth  article,  Voted,  To  finish  y^  Meeting 
House  on  y^  out  Side,  workman  Like  (viz)  to  cover  it  with 
Good  Sawed  Clabbords,  well  plained, Good  Window  frames; 
—  well  Glazed,  and  handsomely  to  case  y^  Doors;  and  so 
far  to  finish  y^  Inside  as  to  Lay  y^  Lower  Floor  and  Build 
y^  Body  of  Seats,  2  the  Pulpit,  one  Pew,  y^  Table  and  Dea- 
cons Seat,  all  Compleatly  Workman  Like  — 

"  Voted,  That  Cap*  Jeremiah  Hall,  Ebenezer  Force, 
Serj:*  Josiah  Fisher  be  a  Com*^^  to  have  y^  oversight  (of  y^ 
work  in  finishing  y^  Meeting  House  agreable  to  y^  Prop*°''^ 
vote)  in  y.*  affair. 

iRev.    Benjamin    Doolittle,   surgeon    and    physician,    author    of    "  Doolittle's 
Narrative,"  was  pastor  at  Northfield  for  nearly  twenty  years. 

2  The  men  had  seats  on  one  side  of  the  house,  the  women  on  the  other. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRAXT.  51 

"  Voted.  To  assess  y^  Sum  of  two  Hundred  pounds  on 
3'"=  Propriety  to  pay  for  finishing  y^  Meeting  House  as 
before  voted  to  be  done." 

"Serj:^  Joseph  Fisher,  Serj:*  WilHam  Smeed,  Leu:*  Seth 
Heaton"  were  chosen  assessors,  and  Joseph  Ellis  collector. 
Evidenth'  there  were  rumors  of  war.  They  were  building 
forts  and  giving  men  military  titles. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  17th  of  February,  1739, 
William  Smeed,  moderator,  Joseph  Ellis,  Beriah  Alaccaney, 
Isaac  Clark,  Ebenezer  Force  and  Nathan  Blake  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  finish  the  fort,  repair  roads,  and 
build  bridges. 

"  About  this  time,  John  Andrews  came  from  Boxford, 
to  settle  in  Upper  Ashuelot.  He  sent  back  Ephraim  Dor- 
man  and  Joseph  Ellis,  with  a  team  of  eight  oxen  and  a 
horse  to  bring  up  his  furniture.  The  route  they  came, 
which  was  probabh"  then  the  best,  if  not  the  only  one, 
led  through  Concord,  Worcester,  Brookfield,  Belchertown, 
Hadlej',  Hatfield,  Deerfield,  Northfield,  Winchester,  Swan- 
zey  and  on  the  bank  of  the  Ashuelot  to  the  house  lots. 
When  they  passed  through  Swanzey,  it  rained  hard,  and 
they  did  not  reach  the  station  until  night.  As  it  con- 
tinued to  rain,  was  ver}'  dark,  and  as  the  water,  which 
already  covered  the  meadows,  rose  rapidly,  thtj,  appre- 
hensive of  being  drowned,  unyoked  their  oxen,  chained 
their  cart  to  a  tree,  and  hastened  to  the  settlement,  then 
a  mile  distant.  As  soon  as  daylight  appeared,  the  next 
morning,  a  boat  was  despatched  in  search  of  the  cattle 
and  furniture.  When  passing  over  Bullard's  Island,  a  man 
cried  to  them  for  help.  It  was  Alark  Ferr3',  the  hermit. — 
Wearied  with  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  settlement,  he 
had  retired  to  a  cave,  which  he  had  dug  into  the  bank  of 
the  river,  where  he  constantly  resided.  The  water  had 
now  driven  him  from  his  dwelling,  and  compelled  him  to 
seek  refuge  on  a  stump,  where  he  then  sat,  with  a  calf  in 
his  arms,  over  which  he  had  drawn  a  shirt.  The  boatman 
answered,  '  we  must  take  care  of  the  neat  cattle  first,'  and 
passed  on.  They  soon  came  to  the  cart,  which  was  afloat. 
Proceeding  further  and  guided  by  the  sound  of  the  bells, 
which  the  cattle  as  usual  wore,  they  found  them  on 
several  little  hillocks,  some  with  only  their  heads  out  of 
water.  They  forced  them  into  the  w^ater,  and  guided 
them,  swimming  to  high  land,  where  they  left  them  until 
the  flood  subsided.  Hearing  cries  for  help  below  them, 
they  proceeded  to  Crissen's  house,  in  the  borders  of  Swan- 
ze3',  to  the  chamber  and  to  the  top  of  which  the  family 


52  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

had  been  driven.  These  they  took  off,  and,  on  their  re- 
turn honae,  took  Ferry  and  his  calf  into  the  canoe.  This, 
which  was  known  by  the  name  of  Andrews'  flood,  was 
the  highest  ever  known  in  the  township.  The  water  came 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  street,  North  of  Capt.  Blake's  old 
house. 

"Mr.  Andrews  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  nine  of 
whom  he  brought  with  him.  Between  September,  1744, 
and  September,  1745,  every  one  of  the  nine  died  of  the 
throat  distemper,  and  he  then  returned  disconsolate  to  his 
former  residence."  ^ 

(Annals,  pages  13  and  14.) 

Up  to  about  this  time,  the  town  had  been  called  "the 
upper  Township  on  Ashuelot  River,"  but  people  began  to 
shorten  it  to  "Upper  Ashuelot,"  and  on  the  6th  of  October 
Rev.  Mr.  Bacon  issued  his  warrant  as  proprietors'  clerk, 
upon  the  request  of  eight  of  the  proprietors,  for  a  meeting 
to  be  held  on  the  22d  at  the  meetinghouse  in  "Upper 
Ashuelot  (so  called);"  and  by  that  name  the  town  was 
known  until  it  was  changed  to   Keene  in  1753. 

That  meeting  was  opened  at  the  meetinghouse  and  ad- 
journed to  the  house  of  Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall,  Nathan  Blake, 
moderator.  Sergt.  Joseph  Fisher  was  chosen  treasurer.  An- 
other division  of  five  acres  of  meadow  land  was  voted  to 
each  proprietor,  with  instructions  to  the  committee  to 
equalize  the  lots  by  adding  in  quantity  what  any  might 
lack  in  quality. 

Joseph  Priest,  Beriah  Maccaney,  Samuel  Smith,  Amos 
Foster  and  Timothy  Puffer  were  chosen  a  committee  "to 
go  around  y^  Town  &  run  Every  Line  agreable  to  y^  plan. 
Employing  a  Surveyor  to  take  &  run  y^  points  of  Compass 
Given  in  s<^  Plan." 

"  Voted  to  Build  a  pound  in  y^  most  convenient  place 
at  y^  Prop^o*"®  Cost,  Fifty  feet  Square,  Seven  feet  posts, 
and  y*  Isaac  Clark,  Eben*"  Force,  Josiah  Fisher,  be  a 
Com*^^  to  take  care  and  Build  y^  same. 

(Signed)  "Nathan  Blake,  Moderator." 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1740,  the  proprietors  met  at  the 
meetinghouse,  chose  Jeremiah  Hall  moderator,  and  imme- 
diately adjourned  to  his  house.  The  4th  article  in  the  war- 
rant was  :     "  To  make  such  grant  or  grants  of  land  to  such 

lA  virulent  throat  distemper  had  swept  over  New  Hampshire  in  1735,  car- 
rying off  more  than  a  thousand  victims.  This  year  it  attacked  Upper  Ashuelot, 
and  many  died. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  53 

person  or  persons  as  they  shall  think  deserve  the  same,  for 
hazarding  their  lives  and  estates  by  living  here  to  bring 
forward  the  settling  of  the  place."  After  passing  the  usual 
votes  for  raising  money  for  Mr.  Bacon's  salary  and  fire 
wood : 

"Upon  the  4th  article — 

"  Voted — To  Grant  y.^  Sum  or  quantity  of  Ten  acres  of 
Upland  to  Each  of  y^  Persons  hereafter  Named,  viz.  Jacob 
Bacon,  Clerk,  Josiah  Fisher,  Joseph  Fisher,  Nathan  Blake, 
William  Smeed,  Seth  Heaton,  Joseph  Ellis,  Ebn.*"  Nims,  Jo- 
seph Guilde,  Joseph  Richardson,  Isaac  Clark,  Edward  Dale, 
Jeremiah  Hall,  Eben.*"  Force,  Daniel  Haws,  Amos  Foster, 
Ebn."^  Day,  Beriah  Maccaney,  Jabez  Hill,  Obed  Blake,  Jer: 
Hall  Jun*",  David  Nims,  Timothy  Puffer,  Eben.*"  Daniels,  Na- 
than Fairbanks,  John  Bullard,  David  Foster,  Solomon  Rich- 
ardson, Abner  Ellis,  Benj"  Guilde,  Asa  Richardson,  Ebn'' 
Hill,  Sam^i  Fisher,  Ephraim  Dorm  an,  Timothy  Sparhawk, 
Jon^  Underwood,  Joh  Andrews,  Sam^^  Smith,  Sam^'  Dan- 
iels, [39]  and  to  such  other  Persons,  having  an  Interest 
here,  who  from  y^  first  of  next  March  to  March  1742, 
Shall  make  up  y^  quantity  or  space  of  Two  years  in  Living 
here  and  Building  a  Legal  Dwelling  House,  to  y^  Number 
of  Sixty,  Including  those  in  y^  Number  fore  mentioned  by 
Name ." 

Doubtless  that  list  contains  the  names  of  nearly  all  the 
men  who  were  living  here  at  that  time. 

Isaac  Clark,  William  Smeed,  Joseph  Fisher,  Edward 
Dale  and  Joseph  Ellis  were  chosen  the  committee  with  in- 
structions to  "Lay  out  [the  land]  to  each  person  in  order 
as  they  are  Named  the  first  first  and  so  on  as  they  are 
Named." 

On  the  8th  of  February  seven  of  the  proprietors  joined 
in  a  request  to  the  clerk  for  a  meeting  to  consider  the 
question  of  "Building  of  Forts  or  fortications  for  y^ 
present  and  future  safety  of  y^  place  and  Inhabitants 
under  y^  present  rumours  of  wars,"  and  other  matters  re- 
lating to  the  same  subject. 

The  meeting  was  held  on  the  25th,  at  the  house  of 
Ebenezer  Nims,  William  Smeed,  moderator,  and  voted  to 
build  two  forts  or  fortifications,  "one  about  y^  House  of 
Joseph  Ellis  in  s*^  Township  and  another  about  William 
Smeeds  House,  at  y^  Prop*°^^  cost,  and  y.*  they  shall  be 
Built  when  seven  of  y^  Prop^^*"^  or  Inhabitants  shall  apply 


54  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

themselves  to  y^  Com*^^  w'^  shall  be  appointed  to  have  y^ 
oversight  in  Building  s*^  Forts."  William  Smeed,  Ephraim 
Dorman  and  Joseph  Guild  were  placed  on  that  committee. 

"Voted  y*  Every  man  w*^  works  about  s^  Forts  shall 
be  allowed  Eight  shillings  pJ  Day,  and  four  shillings  p^  Day 
for  a  yoke  of  oxen. 

"Voted  y.*  y^  sum  of  Seventy  two  pounds  be  assessed 
equally  on  y.^  Prop*^*'^  for  to  Defray  y.^  charge  In  Building 
s'^  Forts  — 

(Signed)  "William  Smeed,  Moderator." 

Whether  these  fortifications  were  ever  built  is  not 
known.  The  pioneers  of  those  days  were  strangely  lax  in 
protecting  themselves  against  the  Indians,  as  was  proved 
in  many  cases. 

A  meeting  on  the  18th  of  March,  Seth  Heaton,  moder- 
ator, voted  that  all  timber  on  the  common  and  undivided 
lands  should  be  free  for  the  use  of  the  proprietors,  but  no 
waste  should  be  allowed. 

It  was  in  this  year,  1740,  that  the  decree  was  made 
by  the  king  and  council  fixing  the  boundary  line  —  surveyed 
and  established  in  1741  —  between  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  where  it  has  ever  since  remained,  giving  to  New 
Hampshire  all  the  territory  north  of  that  line  and  the  ju- 
risdiction over  all  those  towns  therein  which  had  been 
granted  by  Massachusetts. 

The  acts  of  the  stronger  province  in  continuing  to 
grant  townships  in  the  territory  in  dispute  were  felt  to 
be  grasping  and  overbearing,  and  in  1731  the  colonial 
authorities  of  New  Hampshire  had  determined  to  appeal 
to  the  home  government  to  settle  the  controversy.  They 
chose,  as  their  agent  for  this  purpose,  John  Rindge,  a 
merchant  of  Portsmouth,  a  man  of  wealth  and  influence, 
a  son-in-law  of  Lt.  Gov.  Wentworth  and  a  strong  opponent 
of  Gov.  Belcher,  between  whom  there  was  a  personal 
quarrel  which  entered  forcibly  into  the  question  of  the 
boundary.  This  appointment  proved  to  be  an  exceedingly 
fortunate  one.  The  agent  was  earnest  and  efficient,  and 
advanced  the  necessary  funds  to  carry  on  the  suit.  The 
case  was  prolonged  for  years,  and  w^hen  Mr.  Rindge  could 
no  longer  remain  abroad  he  left  it  in  the  hands  of  Capt. 
John  Tomlinson,  a  merchant  of  London,  "who   was   well 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  55 

known  in  New  Hampshire,  where  he  had  frequently  been 
in  quality  of  a  sea  commander."  (Belknap's  History  of 
New  Hampshire,   vol.   2,   page  107.) 

Tomlinson  was  also  a  strong  friend  of  Wentworth  and 
opponent  of  Belcher.  After  much  delay  and  disappoint- 
ment, on  the  9th  of  April,  1737,  King  George  II,  with  the 
advice  of  his  privy  council,  appointed  a  commission  of 
fifteen  members,  prominent  citizens  of  the  neighboring 
provinces  of  Nova  Scotia,  Rhode  Island  and  New  Jersey, 
to  adjust  and  settle  the  boundary  line  between  the  two 
contending  provinces. 

That  commission  met  at  Hampton,  N.  H.,  on  the  1st 
of  September  of  the  same  year,  heard  the  arguments  of 
both  parties,  and  rendered  a  decision  with  which  neither 
was  satisfied,  and  from  which  both  appealed.  The  case 
then  went  before  the  king  in  council.  The  agents  of  New 
Hampshire  employed  as  their  solicitor,  "Fernando  John 
Parris,  a  lawyer  of  much  shrewdness  and  learning,  who 
being  well  supplied  with  money  was  indefatigable  in  his 
attention."  (Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2, 
page  107.)  So  ably  was  the  case  presented,  that,  on  the 
5th  of  August,  1740,  the  following  judgment  was  rendered : 

"Ord.''i  and  adjudged  That  the  Northern  Boundary  of 
the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  are  and  be  a 
Similar  Curve  Line  pursuing  the  Course  of  the  Merrimack 
River  at  three  Miles  Distance  on  the  North  side  thereof 
beginning  at  the  Atlantick  Ocean  and  ending  at  a  Point 
due  North  of  a  Place  in  the  Plan  returned  by  the  Com- 
mis'*"^  called  Pawtucket  Falls  [Lowell]  and  a  Strait  Line 
drawn  from  thence  due  West  cross  the  said  River  till  it 
meets  with  his  Majestys  other  Governm'.*^" 

By  this  decree  New  Hampshire  gained  a  large  tract  of 
territory  —  "comprising  about  thirty  tow^ns  "  —  more  than 
she  had  ever  claimed.  It  may  have  been  a  just  and  equi- 
table construction  of  the  conflicting  language  of  the  several 
grants,  but  it  has  been  suggested  that  as  all  the  best  pine 
trees,  "suitable  for  masts,"  had  been  reserved  to  the  crown 
in  New  Hampshire,  while  those  in  Massachusetts  had  not, 
the  king  and  council  ran  the  lines  as  far  south  as  the 
charters  would  allow. 

Gov.  Belcher  was  instructed  to  see  that  the  order  of  the 
court  was  executed,  but  his  sympathy  had  been  with  the 


56  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

more  important  province  all  through  this  controversy,  and 
he  was  so  mortified  at  the  decision  of  this  court  of  final 
appeal  that  it  was  only  after  a  second  and  peremptory  com- 
mand that  he  laid  the  matter  before  the  legislature  of  New 
Hampshire  and  forced  that  body  to  appropriate  money  for 
the  whole  expense  of  the  survey,  although  the  decree  evi- 
dently intended  that  Massachusetts  should  bear  her  share. 

In  the  meantime,  even  after  New  Hampshire  had  ap- 
pealed to  the  home  government,  and  while  the  question 
was  still  undecided,  Massachusetts  continued  to  grant 
townships  in  the  disputed  territory.  Besides  the  two  Ash- 
uelots  and  Winchester,  Boscawen  and  Bedford  had  been 
granted  in  1733 ;  Hopkinton,  Henniker,  Warner,  Chester- 
field, Westmoreland,  Walpole,  Charlestown,  New  Ipswich 
and  Rindge  (as  Rowley  Canada)  in  1736;  Peterboro  in 
1738,  and  Hillsboro,  Lyndeboro  and  several  others  previ- 
ous to  1740. 

Having  secured  the  appropriation  from  New  Hampshire, 
Gov.  Belcher  claimed  the  right  to  run  the  line.  In  March, 
1741,  he  appointed  George  Mitchell  surveyor  of  the  east  end, 
from  the  ocean  to  the  point  designated  above  Pawtucket 
Falls,  and  Richard  Hazen  of  the  west  end  —  the  "Strait 
Line  due  West"  from  that  point.  Mr.  Hazen  began  his 
work  at  once,  and  completed  it  on  the  16th  of  April,  run- 
ning to  the  Hudson  river.  He  was  instructed  by  the  gov- 
ernor to  run  due  west,  but  to  allow  10°  variation  north 
while  the  actual  variation  of  the  needle  at  that  time  was 
between  seven  and  eight  degrees.  By  that  arbitrary  dicta- 
tion, Massachusetts  secured  a  strip  about  three  miles  wide 
at  the  Connecticut  river,  running  to  a  point  above  Paw- 
tucket Falls,  which  did  not  belong  to  her  according  to  the 
king's  decree.  But  New  Hampshire  had  won  her  case,  had 
been  very  well  treated  by  the  king  and  council,  and  was 
loath  to  reopen  the  controversy.  Soon  afterwards  the  dis- 
traction of  Indian  wars,  followed  by  that  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, drew  attention  away  from  that  subject,  and  the  line 
was  finally  established  only  a  few  3'ears  since.  Identical 
acts  were  passed  by  the  Massachusetts  legislature  in  1899 
and  the  New  Hampshire  legislature  in  1901,  defining  the 
boundary. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  GRANT.  57 

Later,  in  1764,  the  king  declared  the  west  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  river  to  be  the  boundary  Hne  between  Xew 
Hampshire  and  Vermont;  and  now,  on  the  west  shore  of 
that  river  at  low  water,  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
passenger  station  at  South  Vernon,  may  be  seen  a  monu- 
ment of  dark  Windsor  granite,  standing  six  feet  above  the 
surface,  which  marks  the  southwest  corner  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, the  southeast  corner  of  Vermont,  and  the  north  line 
of  Massachusetts. 

The  inhabitants  of  Upper  Ashuelot  were  greath^  dis- 
appointed, as  were  those  of  all  the  towns  affected,  to  find 
themselves  shut  out  from  Massachusetts.  They  felt  that 
the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  was  the  one  to  which 
they  belonged.  There  were  the  homes  of  their  childhood, 
and  all  their  patriotism  centered  there.  It  was  like  clos- 
ing the  doors  of  a  father's  house  against  them.  They  had 
no  connection  or  intercourse  with  the  people  of  New 
Hampshire;  and  above  all,  they  feared  that  the  title  to 
their  lands  might  not  now  be  valid. 

On  the  3d  of  October,  1740,  the  proprietors  held  a  meet- 
ing—  David  Foster,  moderator  —  and  placed  the  following 
upon  their  records : 

"The  Prop^o*"®  being  Informed  y.^  by  y^  Determination 
of  his  Majest}^  In  Councill  Respecting  the  Controverted 
Bounds  Between  y^  Province  of  y^  Massachusetts  &  New 
Hampshire  they  are  Excluded  from  y^  Province  of  y^  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  to  w*^  the^^  alwayes  Supposed  themselves  to 
Belong,  — 

"  Therefore  Unanimously  Voted  that  a  Petition  be 
preferred  to  the  Kings  most  Excellent  Alajesty  Setting 
forth  our  Distrest  Estate  &  Praying  we  may  be  annexed 
to  y^  s^  Massachusetts  Province.  ^ 

"Also  Unanimously  Voted  y^  Thomas  Hutchinson 2 
Esq^  be  Impowered  to  Present  the  s'^  Petition  to  his 
Majesty  and  to  appear  &  fully  to  act  for  and  In  Behalf  of 
This  Town  Respecting  the  Subject  Matter  of  s*^  Petition, 
according  to  his  Best  Discretion." 


1  The  proprietors  of  nearly  all  the  towns  in  the  disputed  territory  -vrhich  had 
been  granted  by  Massachusetts  sent  petitions.     (State  Papers,  vol.  19,  page  476.) 

2  Thomas  Hutchinson  was  afterwards  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  still 
later  author  of  a  "  History  of  Massachusetts."  He  was  the  agent  in  London  of 
that  province  in  this  controversy  concerning  the  boundary  and  spent  some 
years  in  London  on  his  mission,  but  had  no  success  against  the  agents  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  was  also  agent  for  the  towns  that  petitioned  in  1740.  A  copy 
of  his  petition  is  published  in  New  Hampshire  State  Papers,  vol.  19,  page  511. 
He  -was  evidently  so  chagrined  at  the  failure  of  his  agency  that  he  does  not 
even  mention  it  in  his  Historv  of  Massachusetts. 


CHAPTER  II. 

TOWN  SOVEREIGNTY  AND  THE  "OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR." 

1741-1749. 

In  1741,  the  year  of  the  establishment  of  the  boundary- 
line  between  the  two  provinces,  by  a  royal  decree  New 
Hampshire  was  made  an  independent  province,  and  Ben- 
ning  Wentworth  was  appointed  governor. 

But  for  a  long  time  Upper  Ashuelot,  cut  off  from  Mas- 
sachusetts and  ignored  by  New  Hampshire,  took  no  part 
in  provincial  affairs ;  nor  was  she  invited  to  do  so.  The 
governor  would  issue  his  precepts  to  the  sheriff  directing 
him  to  warn  the  several  towns  in  the  eastern  and  central 
parts  of  the  province  to  choose  representatives  to  the 
general  assembly,  but  never  mentioning  those  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley.  For  twenty-seven  years  after  it  became  a 
New  Hampshire  town  Upper  Ashuelot  had  almost  nothing 
to  do  with  the  province,  its  first  representative,  Capt. 
Josiah  Willard,  being  elected  in  1768. 

It  was  a  case  of  complete  town  sovereignty  and  inde- 
pendence. The  little  hamlet  in  the  wilderness,  which  "had 
now  become  a  considerable  village,"  w^as  a  miniature  re- 
public—  made  its  own  laws  and  managed  its  own  affairs 
without  interference  from  higher  political  powers.  What 
protection  it  had  in  its  struggle  with  the  savages,  which 
began  in  1744,  came  from  Massachusetts. 

Apparently  the  first  intercourse  the  tow^n  had  with  the 
province  of  New  Hampshire  was  a  complaint  from  Rev.  Mr. 
Bacon  in  1742,  joined  with  one  from  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley  of 
Winchester,  that  the  inhabitants  refused  to  pay  their  taxes 
for  the  support  of  the  minister;  for  we  find  the  following 
in  Provincial  Records,  Vol.  5,  p.  189: 

^'  Governor's  Orders. 

"  Province  of    1 
New  Hampshire  )  Portsmouth,  Jan.  31,  1742. 

"  It  having  been  represented  to  his  Excellency  that  many 
of  the  Inhabitants  residing  on  the  King's  Lands,  since  his 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  59 

Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  determine  the  boundarys  be- 
tween this  Province  &  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  have  refused 
to  pay  their  Taxes  towards  the  support  of  their  Ministers, 
alledging  that  there  is  no  Law  of  the  Province  to  obHge 
them  thereto ;  I  am  therefore  by  his  Excellency's  Command 
to  inform  the  respective  Inhabitants,  that  it  will  be  very 
agreable  to  the  Governor  that  you  &  each  of  you,  who 
have  been  delinquent  on  that  occasion,  do  forthwith  com- 
ply with  your  obligations  in  regard  to  the  payment  of 
your  Ministers,  as  a  contrary  behavior  will  incur  his  Ex- 
cellency's displeasure. 

By  his  Excellency's  Command. 

"  To  the  Several  Inhabitants  on  the  King^s  Lands  in 
New  Hampshire. 

"  Coppys  Delivered  to  Messrs  Ashley  &  Bacon  ministers 
at  Winchester  &  Ashuelot  on  Connecticut." 

On  the  19th  of  November,  1740,  a  meeting  of  the  pro- 
prietors at  the  house  of  William  Smeed  —  Capt.  Jeremiah 
Hall,  moderator  —  after  passing  the  usual  vote  to  raise 
money  for  Mr.  Bacon's  salary  and  provide  his  fire  wood : 

"  Voted,  That  those  who  have  Intrest  in  y«  Nine  Lot 
plain.  So  Called,  have  Liberty  to  thro  up  y.*"  respective 
Intrests  and  to  Lay  y™  out  in  another  Place  in  y^  Now 
undivided  Upland."  Josiah  Fisher,  Beriah  Maccanej'  and 
David  Foster  were  chosen  a  committee  to  lay  out  their 
new  selections. 

Several  roads,  two  rods  wide,  which  had  been  laid  out 
by  the  committee,  were  accepted,  only  one  of  which  can 
now  be  traced.  That  one  is  described  as  "another  Road 
Leading  from  y^  Town  Street  along  thro  Capt.  Halls 
House  Lot,  and  John  Corbits  qualification  to  Leu.* 
Heatons  Thirty  acre  Lot  N"  (1)  at  y^  Southerly  part  of 
y^  Beach  Hill."  This  was* our  present  Baker  street  and  the 
lower  end  of  Marlboro  street. 

A  meeting  held  at  the  meetinghouse  on  the  7th  of 
September,  1741  —  Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall,  moderator: 

^^ Voted  That  y^  meeting  House  be  removed  from  y^ 
place  where  it  now  Stands  to  the  most  Convenient  place 
on  y'^  Hill  over  against  y^  House  of  M^  Isaac  Clark,  i  and 

1  "  This  hill  which  has  entirely  disappeared,  was  a  conical  eminence  in  the 
street,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  old  Ralston  tavern.  2  The  meetinghouse  was 
accordingly  removed  thither,  and  was  placed  near  the  centre  of  the  street,  the 
travelled  path  being  east  of  it."      (Annals,  page  16.) 

2  "I  built  my  house  in  1828,  directly  in  rear  of  the  old  Ralston  tavern. 
The  main  part  of  the  old  tavern  was  afterwards  removed  to  the  site  of  the 
present  Appleton  house." — Gen.  James  Wilson.  The  Ralston  tavern  was  not  built 
until  1775,  or  later. 


60  HISTORY  01^  KEENB. 

yt  ye  charge  of  moving  y«  Same  be  Laid  on  y^  Proprietors 
and  Drawn  out  of  y^  Prop*"*"^  Treasury." 

Ebenezer  Force,  Dea.  Josiah  Fisher,  Joseph  Richardson, 
Benjamin  Guild  and  Timothy  Puffer  were  chosen  a  com- 
mittee to  make  the  removal.  At  a  meeting  on  the  18th  of 
August  the  year  previous,  leave  had  been  granted  to  cer- 
tain parties  to  move  the  meetinghouse  "as  far  as  Serg't 
William  Smeeds,  against  y^  ends  of  y^  Ministry  and  School 
House  Lotts,"  which  were  the  northernmost  ones  on  the 
west  side  of  the  street,  but  the  removal  was  not  made. 
At  that  same  meeting  grants  of  land  were  made  to  the 
three  public  lots,  the  same  as  had  been  made  to  the  other 
sixty  lots,  which  had  been  neglected  in  making  the 
divisions. 

"Voted,  That  the  Road  now  Leading  from  y^  Meeting 
House  Piatt  over  y^  River  into  y^  Ash  Swamp  by  3'^  South 
Side  of  House  Lot  N°  54  be  changed  and  Go  on  y^  North 
Side  of  s*^  Lot  upon  Timothy  Puffers  Digging  Down  y^  Hill 
and  making  a  good  Road  to  y^  River." 

John   Andrews  was  chosen  proprietors'  treasurer. 

"Upon  the  6th  Article  voted.  That  if  the  Collectors 
Shall  be  obliged  or  Necessitated  to  go  thro'  a  course  of  Law 
to  recover  their  Collections,  and  the  Massachusetts  Law 
by  w'^  we  are  or  have  been  Supported  Should  fail.  That 
then  they  shall  Draw  y«  Charge  of  posting,  and  charge 
w'^  they  are  or  shall  be  at,  out  of  the  Publick  or  Prop^°''^ 
Treasurey." 

A  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  held  at  the  meeting- 
house on  the  27th  of  July,  1742  — Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall, 
moderator — at  which  it  was: 

"Voted,  That  whereas  there  was  a  vote  passed  by 
this  Propriety  December  y^  4th,  1*738,  to  glaze  the  Meeting 
House  and  set  the  glass  in  Lead,  and  to  cover  the  outside 
of  s<^  Meeting  House  with  Sawed  Clapboards,  we  do  now. 
Having  tho't  Sedately  upon  it,  agree  and  vote  to  Set  the 
glass  in  wood,  and  to  cover  the  out  Side  with  Shingles, 
for  the  following  Reasons,  l.Bec:  we  Judge  it  Stronger, 
and  2.  Bee :  we  can  do  it  at  less  Expense  of  money,  w'^  is 
no  Small  article,  not  Easy  to  be  obtained  by  us  at  this 
Day  and  that  the  Com^^^  then  appointed  and  Chosen  to 
See  the  work  done,  in  y.*  way  be  hereby  Im powered  and 
Desired  to  See  that  the  work  be  done  this  fall  as  now 
agreed  upon,  and  all  the  other  work  then  voted  to  be 
done,  as  soon  as  may  be  and  Likewise  that  the  s'^  Com*^^ 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  61 

be  appointed  and  Desired  to  underpin  the  Meeting  House, 
or  See  that  it  be  done,  and  take  an  account  of  the  same 
—  and  whereas  the  Prop*"'"''  agreed  with  the  first  Com*^^ 
about  the  Meeting  House  to  make  the  Doors  plain,  and 
paid  for  their  being  thus  done,  we  agree  to  have  them 
done  otherwise,  Even  framed,  or  pannel  Doors,  and  the 
South  Door  to  be  a  Double  folding  Door,  and  that  the 
Com*^^^  agree  with  a  man  to  do  it  well  and  Decently  as 
Becomes  Such  an  House,  and  Bring  the  charge  of  it  into 
y^  Prop^°^®  what  is  more  than  plain  Doors  —  and  whereas 
there  was  Some  Sawed  Clapboards  provided  to  cover  the 
Meeting  House  agreable  to  y^  vote  y'^  passed,  in  y^  year 
afores*^,  voted  that  the  Com^^^  take  care  and  Dispose  of 
s*^  Clapboards,  for  the  use  of  the  Propriety. 

Jeremiah  Hall  Moderator." 

The  next  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  held  at  the 
meetinghouse  on  the  28th  of  September,  1743  —  Capt  Jere- 
miah Hall,  moderator.  The  annual  salary  of  the  minister 
was  voted  as  usual,  and  Joseph  Guild,  Josiah  Fisher  and 
Joseph  Fisher  were  chosen  a  committee  to  let  out  the  school 
lot  to  be  cleared  and  brought  "into  grass  and  under  good 
Improvement." 

A  meeting  at  the  meetinghouse  on  the  16th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1744,  chose  Jeremiah  Hall  moderator,  and  adjourned 
to  the  house  of  Ebenezer  Daniels. 

"  Voted  That  the  Rates  or  Taxes  be  made  or  Levied 
for  y^  years  past  and  for  the  future  in  the  following  man- 
ner till  further  orders  viz.  that  Each  House  Lot  Belonging 
to  each  Right  to  the  N°  of  Sixty  be  assessed" 

£      s      d 

The  sum   of. 0=06=4. 

The  eight  acre  division 0=10=0. 

The  30  acre  division 0=05=0. 

The  10  acre  division 0=10=0. 

The  100  acre  division 0=30=0. 

The  5  acre    division 0=04=0. 

The  10  acre  division   of  upland 0=01=0. 

And  the  after  divisions  belonging  to  each  right 0=05=0. 

A  vote  was  passed  allowing  Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall  eight 
pounds,  "old  Tenor  for  getting  that  100  pounds  at  Boston 
of  Co"  Dudley."  This  must  have  been  the  one  hundred 
pounds  to  which  the  town  was  entitled  by  the  terms  of 
the  Massachusetts  grant:  "When  forty  families  are  settled 
in  Each  or  Either  of  the  said  towns  and  they  have  Raised 
the  frame  of  a  meeting  house"  —  all  dues  having  been  paid. 

The  proprietors  were  fortunate  in  securing  it,  for  it  was 


62  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

then  nearly  seven  years  since  they  had  applied  for  it,  and 
for  three  years  they  had  been  a  New  Hampshire  settlement. 

The  operations  of  the  sawmill  having  been  unsatisfac- 
tory, Ebenezer  Force,  Joseph  Green,  William  Smeed,  Mark 
Ferry  and  Joseph  Ellis  were  chosen  a  committee  "to  Treat 
with  John  Corbit  and  Elisha  Root,  and  if  any  thing  may 
be  done  to  oblige  them  to  Repair,  or  Build  a  good  Saw- 
mill, that  may  answer  the  End  Proposed,  In  the  Land  and 
Money  Granted  by  this  Propriety,  for  y^  Building  of  y^  s*^ 
Mill,  or  of  a  Saw-mill,  for  y^  Benefit  of  y^  Propriety." 

It  was  during  this  year  and  the  one  following  that 
the  fatal  throat  distemper  prevailed  here,  and  John 
Andrews  buried  every  one  of  his  nine  children,  as  already 
related ;  and  there  were  many  other  deaths. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  England  formally  declared  war 
against  France.  By  a  policy  more  conciliatory  than  that 
of  the  English  the  French  had  won  over  to  themselves  the 
Indians  of  Canada  and  most  of  the  few  3'et  remaining  in 
New  England,  and  made  them  allies  in  their  attacks  on 
the  English  colonies.  They  offered  bounties  for  scalps  and 
for  prisoners  delivered  in  Canada. 

Since  the  late  French  and  Indian  war  of  1754  to  1760, 
this  earlier  one  has  been  called  the  "Old  French  and  Indian 
War."  The  report  of  its  declaration  reached  the  colonies 
early  in  the  summer  and  brought  dismay  to  the  hearts  of 
the  settlers  ;  for  they  foresaw  that  the  savages  would  be  let 
loose  upon  them  with  all  their  frightful  methods  of  conduct- 
ing w^arfare.  The  hardships  and  privations  of  the  pioneers 
were  great,  at  best,  and  now,  in  addition  to  those,  the 
constant  danger  of  massacre  or  capture  by  relentless  sav- 
ages loomed  up  before  them.  They  abandoned  the  work 
of  clearing  their  lands  and  making  improvements,  except 
such  as  could  be  done  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their 
forts,  and  turned  their  attention  to  completing  and 
strengthening  their  defences.  They  dared  not  go  out  to 
cultivate  their  fields,  although  that  industry  was  their  main 
dependence  for  food,  except  with  arms  at  hand;  and  when 
they  went  they  usually  did  so  in  squads,  with  sentinels  to 
watch  for  the  wily  foe,  or  under  a  guard  of  soldiers,  if 
troops  were  stationed  at  their  fort. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  63 

In  addition  to  these  trials,  a  call  was  almost  immedi- 
ately made  by  the  British  commanders  for  troops  for  expe- 
ditions against  the  French,  which  drew  away  from  the 
settlements  the  regular  soldiers  and  many  of  the  able-bodied 
citizens,  who  went  as  volunteers,  or  by  draft,  and  sometimes 
by  impressment.  Four  thousand  of  the  fighting  men  of 
Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire  and  Connecticut  were 
drawn  off  to  make  up  the  army  of  Gen.  William  Pepperell 
to  operate  against  Louisburg.  These  calls  made  a  heavy 
draft  on  the  fighting  force  of  the  provinces,  and  left 
the  frontiers  almost  destitute  of  defenders.  The  settlers 
were  alarmed  and  cast  about  for  means  of  resistance, 
and  called  upon  the  authorities  of  Massachusetts  for  pro- 
tection. 

A  meeting  of  the  proprietors  held  at  the  meetinghouse 
on  the  25th  of  February,  1745,  chose  Joseph  Green, 
moderator,  and  adjourned  to  the  house  of  Philemon 
Chandler.     On  the  second  article  in  the  warrant: 

"  Voted  and  Granted  the  Sum  of  one  Hundred  and 
fifty  four  Pounds,  old  Tenor,  for  the  Rev**  M*"  Bacons  Sup- 
port for  y*^  Present  Year. 

"  Voted,  That  the  Support  Granted  for  y.^  Rev'^  M*" 
Bacon  for  y^  year  Anno  Domini  1744,  Being  the  Sum  of 
one  Hundred  and  Fifty  four  pounds  old  Tenor,  and  by 
Reason  of  war  and  Sickness  was  Neglected  and  not 
assessed.  Be  brought  into  y^  Rates  or  assessment  Granted ; 
Levied  by  y^  same  assessors,  and  comitted  to  the  Same 
Collector  y.*  Shall  be  chosen  at  this  Meeting.  The  Sup- 
port Granted  for  y^  last  year  w*=  should  have  been  Col- 
lected and  paid  in  October  y^  18th  1744,  be  paid  in  the 
First  of  April  next,  and  this  years  Support  now  Granted 
to  be  paid  in  y^  18th  of  Oct.  this  Date." 

On  the  8th  article:  "To  see  if  they  will  Seek  any 
further  Protection  in  Case  the  war  continues  " — voted  not 
to  act.  A  convention  of  delegates  from  the  towns  in  this 
vicinity  had  met,  however,  at  Fort  Dummer  on  the  20th 
of  March  preceding,  to  consider  the  matter  of  joining  in  a 
petition  to  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  for  better 
protection.  Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall  and  Ebenezer  Force  were 
delegates  from  Upper  Ashuelot  to  that  convention,  which 
voted  to  leave  the  matter  to  a  committee  consisting  of 
Col.  Josiah  Willard,  Col.  Ebenezer  Hinsdell,  Major  Josiah 


64-  HISTORY  OF  KEEXE. 

Willard.  Rev.  Joseph  Ashley,  Capt.  William  Symes  and 
Capt.  James  Heaton.  to  determine  when  and  in  what  man- 
ner a  petition  should  be  preferred. 

The  provincial  authorities,  though  hampered  by  their 
straitened  condition,  made  preparations  for  defence.  Col. 
John  Stoddard  of  the  Hampshire  county  regiment  of 
militia  had  again  been  appointed  commander  on  the 
western  frontiers,  ^vith  Capt.  Ephraim  Williams  in  com- 
mand of  the  cordon  of  forts,  Major  Israel  Williams  of  Hat- 
field, chief  commissary,  and  Capt.  Josiah  Willard  at  Fort 
Dummer  and  "Rev.  Ebenezer  Hinsdell  at  Hinsdell's  Fort" 
assistant  commissaries. 

The  general  court  of  Massachusetts  on  "Sabbath, 
June  2,  1744-,  Voted,  that  500  men  be  impressed  out  of 
the  foot  companies  and  ordered  to  march  under  such 
officers  to  such  parts  of  the  frontiers  as  may  be  deemed 
best,  there  to  be  placed  in  garrison  or  employed  in  scour- 
ing the  woods  as  the  circumstances  require."  Two  hun- 
dred of  these  troops  were  sent  to  the  western  frontiers. 
The  war  'was  expected  to  be  of  short  duration,  and  the 
terms  of  enlistment  were  short.  On  the  13th  of  June 
the  general  court  ordered  "500  more  men  to  be  raised 
for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  said  levies  '  to  be  paid  till 
the  loth  of  October  and  no  longer.'" 

"Sabbath,  Oct.  13,"  the  general  court  passed  an  order 
that  the  pay  of  men  in  the  service  be  stopped  on  the  15th. 
"But  inasmuch  as  it  may  be  necessary  for  some  marching 
scouts  to  be  employed  in  the  winter,  ordered,  that  12 
men  of  each  of  the  5  snowshoe  companies  in  the 
western  parts,  amounting  to  60  in  all,  be  detached  and 
sent  out  under  a  captain  commissioned  for  that  purpose, 
to  scout  and  range  the  \voods  for  the  four  months  next 
coming,  their  march  to  be  from  Contookook  on  the  Mer- 
rimack river  to  the  westward  as  far  as  the  Captain-Gen- 
eral shall  think  best." 

Massachusetts  offered  bounties  —  eighty-  pounds  for  an 
Indian  captive,  or  seventy-five  pounds  for  his  scalp ;  forty- 
two  pounds  each  for  female  captives  and  boys  under  twelve, 
and  for  scalps  of  the  same,  thirty-six  pounds,  ten  shillings 
and  sixpence. 


THE  OLD  FREXCH  AXD  IXDIAX  WAR.  65 

Gov.  Wentworth  sent  scouting  parties  up  the  Merrimac 
valley  and  through  the  northern  part  of  New  Hampshire, 
but  none  into  the  Connecticut  valley,  as  those  settlers 
were  considered  Massachusetts  people,  and  were  left  to  the 
care  of  that  province.  New  Hampshire  had  forts  or  block- 
houses at  Canterbury-,  Contoocook,  Hopkinton,  Penacook 
(Boscawen),  Suncook,  Merrimac,  Amherst  and  along  the 
eastern  border  of  the  province. 

For  her  own  protection  Alassachusetts  had  added  sev- 
eral forts  to  those  previously  built  in  the  Connecticut  val- 
ley, besides  the  two  small  ones  at  Upper  and  Lower  .\sh- 
uelot,  which  were  now  strengthened  and  manned  with  a 
few  soldiers.  Bridgman's  and  Sartwell's  forts  were  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Connecticut,  a  short  distance  apart  and 
a  few  miles  below  Fort  Dummer,  in  what  is  now  Vernon, 
Vt.  On  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  on  the  trail  (which  was 
now  a  well  worn  path,  or  road)  leading  from  Xorthfield 
to  Fort  Dummer,  Rev.  and  Col.  Ebenezer  Hinsdell  had 
built  a  fort  in  1743,  about  sixty  rods  from  the  river,  in 
what  is  now  Hinsdale;  and  he  had  a  mill  on  a  brook  near 
his  fort.  Shattuck's  fort  was  also  on  this  road,  built  on 
both  sides  of  a  brook  and  connected  by  a  small  bridge,  the 
whole  surrounded  by  a  stockade.  Above  Fort  Dummer 
four  forts  had  been  built,  knowm  by  their  numbers  —  Xo.  1 
at  what  is  now  Chesterfield,  No.  2  at  Westmoreland,  No. 
3  at  Great  Falls  (Walpole),  and  No.  4  at  Charlestown. 
There  was  also  at  this  time  a  fort  in  the  middle  of  the 
Putney  meadows,  known  as  Great  Meadows, ^  which  was 
kept  up  for  many  years.  These  forts  were  still  maintained 
by  Massachusetts,  and  were  under  the  general  oversight  of 
Col.  Stoddard. 

Fort  Dummer  had  been  thoroughly  repaired  and 
mounted  with  guns ;  but  when  it  was  found  to  be  above 
the  boundary  line,  in  the  territory  of  New  Hampshire, 
Gov.  Shirley  applied  to  the  home  government  to  be  relieved 
from  its  support;  and  at  the  suggestion  of  the  crown  Gov. 
Wentworth  advised  the  assembly  of  New  Hampshire  to 
assume  its  future  maintenance.     But  the  assemblv  declined 


1  New    Hampshire   State   Papers,    vol.    6,    page    313;    Aldrich's  Walpole:    His- 
tory of  Chesterfield,  22 ;   and  Heaton's  Vermont. 


66  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

to  take  any  such  action,  on  the  ground  that  the  fort  was 
fifty  miles  from  any  of  the  New  Hampshire  settlements, 
■with  no  roads  thereto,  and  could  afford  them  but  slight 
protection ;  that  if  they  assumed  the  support  of  Fort 
Dummer  —  the  principal  bone  of  contention  —  all  the  other 
forts  in  the  Connecticut  valley  would  fall  to  their  charge, 
including  No.  4,  the  next  post  in  importance,  and  the  one 
farthest  advanced  towards  the  enemy's  country,  and  there- 
fore the  most  exposed ;  that  the  people  of  the  province 
had  been  so  severely  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  war  and 
for  other  purposes  that  they  were  not  able  to  bear  the 
expense ;  that  the  title  to  all  those  lands  granted  by  Mas- 
sachusetts was  in  dispute  and  it  was  doubtful  if  taxes 
could  be  collected  on  them ;  and  that  those  Massachusetts 
people  should  look  to  the  Massachusetts  government  for 
protection. 

The  governor  dissolved  the  assembly  and  called 
another,  and  recommended  the  same  measure  in  an  eloquent 
appeal,  but  that  assembly  v^as  as  stubborn  as  the  former 
one.  The  members  believed  that  if  New  Hampshire  declined 
to  maintain  those  forts,  Massachusetts  would  support 
them  for  the  protection  of  her  own  frontiers.  And  so  it 
proved,  for  when  it  was  learned  that  New  Hampshire  had 
refused  to  provide  for  them,  the  general  court  of  Massa- 
chusetts voted  its  usual  support  to  Fort  Dummer,  and 
provided  for  the  other  forts  on  the  Connecticut  and  its 
branches.  Capt.  Josiah  Willard,  who  had  done  much 
surveying  in  Upper  Ashuelot,  had  a  company  of  twenty 
men  at  Fort  Dummer,  in  the  service  of  that  province,  and 
Capt.  Phineas  Stevens,  of  whom  we  shall  have  much  to 
relate,  was  at  No.  4,  but  no  troops  had  yet  been  sent  him. 

With  the  opening  of  the  spring  of  1745,  came  small 
bands  of  Indians,  prowling  the  forests,  instigated  to  mis- 
chief by  the  French,  and  often  led  and  assisted  by  them. 
On  the  26th  of  March  they  burnt  the  house  of  Rev.  Timo- 
thy Harrington  at  Lower  Ashuelot.  At  Great  Meadows, 
on  the  5th  of  July,  as  William  Phipps  was  hoeing  his  corn, 
he  was  seized  by  tw^o  Indians  and  compelled  to  go  w^ith 
them,  but  was  permitted  to  carry  his  hoe.  They  started 
up  the  river.     When  they  had  gone  about   half  a  mile  one 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  67 

of  the  Indians  ran  back  a  short  distance  to  bring  some- 
thing that  had  been  left  behind.  Watching  his  opportunity, 
Phipps  with  his  hoe  knocked  down  the  one  who  remained, 
giving  him  a  death  blow;  then,  seizing  his  gun,  shot  the 
other  as  he  came  up.  Starting  to  escape  he  fell  into  the 
hands  of  three  others  of  the  same  party  who  killed  and 
scalped  him.  Five  days  later  they  made  their  first  appear- 
ance here  at  Upper  Ashuelot. 

"On  the  10th  of  July,  deacon  Josiah  Fisher  was  killed, 
as  he  was  driving  his  cow  to  pasture.  The  road  leading 
up  the  river,  then  left  the  main  street,  by  Mr.  Lamson's 
tan  yard,i  led  along  the  margin  of  the  meadow,  back  of 
his  house,  crossed  West  street  a  few  rods  west  of  Aaron 
Hall's  house, 2  and  continued  up  the  river,  near  the  adjoin- 
ing low  land,  until  it  came  upon  the  route  of  the  present 
turnpike, 3  above  deacon  Wilder's  house,  now  occupied  as 
a  tavern.*  Fisher  was  found  dead,  and  scalped,  in  the 
road,  near  where  Mr.  Lamson's  bark  house  now  stands  ;5 
and  it  was  supposed  that  the  Indian  who  shot  him,  was 
concealed  behind  a  log,  which  then  lay  within  the  present 
limits  of  Mr.  Lamson's  garden. ^  He  had  a  brass  slug  in 
his  wrist,  which,  at  the  time,  was  conjectured  to  have 
been  cut  from  a  warming  pan,  that  had  lately  been  lost 
by  one  of  the  inhabitants." 

(Annals,  page  18.) 

Immediately  upon  receiving  information  of  these  out- 
rages Gov.  Wentworth  again  sent  out  the  scouting  parties 
of  the  previous  year,  with  some  addition  to  their  num- 
bers. One  was  a  company  of  mounted  men  under  Capt. 
Potter  of  Londonderry,  and  another  of  thirty-seven  in- 
fantry under  the  noted  Capt.  John  Gofife. 

For  three  months  all  was  quiet  in  the  Connecticut 
valley.  Then,  on  the  11th  of  October,  a  party  of  Indians 
came  to  Great  Meadows  and  captured  Nehemiah  How, 
who  was  cutting  wood  a  short  distance  from  the  fort. 
The  alarm  was  given,  and  one  Indian  was  killed  by  a 
shot  from  the  garrison.  As  they  were  leading  How  away 
up  the  river,  Daniel  Rugg  and  Robert  Baker  came  down 
in  a  canoe.  The  Indians  fired  upon  them,  killing  Rugg, 
but  Baker  escaped. 

Reports  of  How's  capture  reached  the  posts  down  the 

1  Where  Lanison  block  now  stands.  2  Now  the  site  of  the  Thayer  library 
building,  scotirt  street.  -iKnown  as  the  "Old  Sun  Tavern."  5  Now'Woodbury 
&   Howard's  furniture  shop.     6 still  kept  as  a  garden  on  the  Lamson  estate. 


68  HISTORY  OP  KEBNE. 

river  the  same  day  —  doubtless  by  canoe  on  the  current  of 
the  stream.  A  company  of  twenty-nme  mounted  men 
started  from  Deerfield  at  3  p.  m.,  and  reached  Fort  Dum- 
mer  at  10  o'clock.  There  they  found  Ensign  Stratton 
with  ten  men  from  Northfield.  Col.  Willard,  the  com- 
mander, had  already  left  in  pursuit,  with  fifty-four  men. 
The  reports  of  the  number  of  Indians  in  the  party  varied 
greatly,  some  setting  it  as  high  as  eighty,  others  much 
lower.  The  next  morning,  Sunday,  the  Deerfield  and 
Northfield  party  of  forty  men  pushed  forward  and  joined 
Col.  Willard ;  and  they  followed  the  trail  till  sunset,  reach- 
ing a  point  where  the  enemy  had  scattered  in  different 
directions.  There  they  bivouaced  for  the  night,  and  the 
next  morning  pushed  on  to  No.  4,  but  no  Indians  were 
seen.  Tuesday  morning  they  all  set  out  for  home  by  the 
way  of  Upper  Ashuelot  and  Northfield.  The  Deerfield  men 
reached  home  Wednesday  night.  How  was  taken  to 
Crown  Point  and  thence  to  Quebec.  He  was  kindly 
treated  by  the  French,  but  died  in  prison. 

No  attacks  were  made  upon  the  settlers  during  the 
winter,  but  the  spring  of  1 746  opened  with  frightful  raids 
from  the  savages.  These  were  made  chiefly  by  the  St. 
^Francis  tribe  of  Canada,  conducted  in  their  movements  by 
their  allies,  the  Squawkheags,  who  were  familiar  with  all 
this  part  of  the  country.  These  predatory  bands  were 
usually  made  up  in  part  of  French  soldiers  and  commanded 
by  French  officers,  sent  out  by  Beauharnais,  governor  of 
Canada. 

"March  19,  the  proprietors  agreed  to  raise  the  sum  of 
forty  pounds,  lawful  money  of  New-England,  ($133.33,)  or 
one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  old  tenor,  for  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Bacon's  support  the  present  year.  From  this  vote,  it  ap- 
pears that,  at  this  time,  old  tenor,  in  comparison  with  law- 
ful money,  was  as  four  to  one. 

"  Here  occurs  a  chasm  in  the  proprietors'  records,  which 

the  following   relation   of  events   will  suflftciently  account 

for  " 

(Annals,  page  18.) 

Sometime  in   April,  Massachusetts  sent  a  few  men  to 

each  of  the  posts,  two  to  Great  Meadows,  four  to  No.  4, 

and  four  each  to  Upper  and  Lower  Ashuelot,  with  a  large 

number    to    Fort    Dummer  and  the    posts    below.      By    a 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  69 

previous  order  Capt.  Phineas  Stevens  was  to  raise  a  com- 
pany of  sixty  men,  thirty  of  whom  were  to  be  stationed 
at  No.  4,  and  that  force  arrived  there  a  few  weeks  later. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  Ensign  De  Neuville  with  about 
forty  French  and  Indians  attacked  No.  4,  took  Capt.  John 
Spafford,  Lieut.  Isaac  Parker  and  Stephen  Farnsworth 
prisoners,  burnt  the  saw  and  grist  mills  recently  built,  and 
killed  a  number  of  cattle.  The  prisoners  were  detained  in 
Canada  for  some  time,  but  afterwards  returned  to  their 
homes. 

"In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1746,  the  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts  sent  a  party  of  men  to  Canada,  for  what 
purpose,  is  not  now^  recollected,  and  perhaps  was  not 
generally  known.  On  their  return,  they  passed  through 
Upper  Ashuelot.  On  arriving  in  sight  of  the  settlement, 
they  fired  their  guns.  This,  of  course,  alarmed  the  inhab- 
itants, and  all  who  were  out,  and  several  were  in  the 
woods  making  sugar,  hastened  home.  From  some  cause  or 
other,  suspicion  was  entertained,  that  a  party  of  Indians 
had  followed  the  returning  whites  ;  and  for  several  days  the 
settlers  were  more  vigilant,  and  more  circumspect  in  their 
movements;  seldom  leaving  the  fort,  except  to  look  after 
their  cattle,  which  were  in  the  barns,  and  at  the  stacks, 
in  the  vicinity." 

(Annals,  page  18.) 

The  fort  here  was  manned  with  a  few  soldiers  and 
armed  inhabitants,  and  commanded  by  Capt.  William 
Symes  (or  Simes),  of  the  Massachusetts  troops. 

"Early  in  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  April,  Ephraira 
Dorman  left  the  fort  to  search  for  his  cow.  He  went  north- 
wardly, along  the  borders  of  what  was  then  a  hideous  and 
almost  impervious  swamp,  lying  East  of  the  fort,  until  he 
arrived  near  to  the  place  where  the  turnpike  now  is.  Look- 
ing into  the  swamp,  he  perceived  several  Indians  lurking 
in  the  bushes.  He  immediately  gave  the  alarm,  by  crying 
'  Indians  !  Indians  ! '  and  ran  towards  the  fort.  Two,  who 
were  concealed  in  the  bushes,  between  him  and  the  fort, 
sprang  forward,  aimed  their  pieces  at  him,  and  fired,  but 
neither  hit  him.  They  then,  throwing  away  their  arms, 
advanced  towards  him;  one  he  knocked  down  by  a  blow, 
which  deprived  him  of  his  senses;  the  other  he  seized,  and, 
being  a  strong  man,  and  able  wrestler,  tried  his  strength 
and  skill,  in  his  favorite  mode  of  'trip  and  twitch.'  He 
tore  his  antagonist's  blanket  from  his  shoulders,  leaving 
him  nearly  naked.     He  then  seized  him  bj'  the  arms  and 


70  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

body,  but  as  he  was  painted  and  greased,  he  slipped  from 
his  grasp.  After  a  short  struggle,  Dorman  quitted  him, 
ran  towards  the  fort  and  reached  it  in  safety. 

"When  the  alarm  was  given,  the  greater  part  of  the 
inhabitants  were  in  the  fort;  but  some  had  just  left  it,  to 
attend  to  their  cattle.  Capt.  Sirams,  the  commander,  as 
was  the  custom  every  morning  before  prayers,  was  read- 
ing a  chapter  in  the  bible.  He  immediately  exclaimed, 
'rush  out,  and  assist  those  who  are  out  to  get  in.' 
Most  of  the  men  immediately  rushed  out,  and  each  ran 
where  his  interest  or  affections  led  him;  the  remainder 
chose  positions  in  the  fort,  from  which  they  could  fire  on 
the  enemy. 

"Those  who  were  out,  and  within  hearing,  instantly 
started  for  the  fort;  and  the  Indians,  from  every  direction, 
rushed  into  the  street,  filling  the  air  with  their  usual  horrid 
yell.  Mrs.  M'Kennyi  had  gone  to  a  barn,  near  where  Miss 
Fiske's  house  now  stands,  to  milk  her  cow.  She  was  aged 
and  corpulent,  and  could  only  walk  slowly.  When  she  was 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  fort,  a  naked  Indian,  probably 
the  one  with  whom  Dorman  had  been  wrestling,  darted 
from  the  bushes  on  the  East  side  of  the  street,  ran  up  to 
her,  stabbed  her  in  the  baclv,  and  crossed  to  the  other  side. 
She  continued  walking,  in  the  same  steady  pace  as  before, 
until  she  had  nearly  reached  the  gate  of  the  fort,  when  the 
blood  gushed  from  her  mouth,  and  she  fell  and  expired. 
John  BuUard  was  at  his  barn,  below  Dr.  Adams's;  he  ran 
towards  the  fort,  but  the  instant  he  arrived  at  the  gate, 
he  received  a  shot  in  his  back.  He  fell,  was  carried  in,  and 
expired  in  a  few  hours.  Mrs.  Clark  was  at  a  barn,  near 
the  Todd  house,  about  fifty  rods  distant.  Leaving  it,  she 
espied  an  Indian  near  her,  who  threw  away  his  gun,  and 
advanced  to  make  her  prisoner.  She  gathered  her  clothes 
around  her  waist,  and  started  for  the  fort.  The  Indian  pur- 
sued ;  the  woman,  animated  by  cheers  from  her  friends,  out- 
ran her  pursuer,  who  skulked  back  for  his  gun.  Nathan 
Blake  was  at  his  barn,  near  where  his  son's  house  now 
stands.  Hearing  the  cry  of  Indians,  and  presuming  his  barn 
would  be  burnt,  he  determined  that  his  cattle  should  not 
be  burnt  with  it.  Throwing  open  his  stable  door,  he  let 
them  loose,  and  presuming  his  retreat  to  the  fort  -was  cut 
off,  went  out  at  a  back  door,  intending  to  place  himself  in 
ambush  at  the  only  place  where  the  river  could  be  crossed. 
He  had  gone  but  a  few  steps,  when  he  "was  hailed  by  a 
party  of  Indians,  concealed  in  a  shop  between  him  and  the 
street.     Looking  back,  he  perceived  several  guns  pointed  at 

iln  a  record  of  births  and  deaths,  kept  by  Mr.  Ichabod  Fisher,  this  name  is 
spelt  Maccaney. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  71 

him,  and  at  this  instant  several  Indians  started  up  from 
their  places  of  concealment  near  him,  upon  which,  feeling 
himself  in  their  power,  he  gave  himself  up.  They  shook 
hands  with  him,  and  to  the  remark  he  made,  that  he  had 
not  yet  breakfasted,  they  smilingly  replied,  that  'it  must 
be  a  poor  Englishman,  who  could  not  go  to  Canada  with- 
out his  breakfast.'  Passing  a  cord  around  his  arms  above 
the  elbows,  and  fastening  them  close  to  his  body,  they  gave 
him  to  the  care  of  one  of  the  party,  who  conducted  him  to 
the  woods. 

"The  number  of  Indians  belonging  to  the  party,  was 
supposed  to  be  about  100.  They  came  near  the  fort,  on 
every  side,  and  fired  whenever  they  supposed  their  shot 
would  be  effectual.  They,  however,  neither  killed  nor 
wounded  any  one.  The  whites  fired  whenever  an  Indian 
presented  himself,  and  several  of  them  were  seen  to  fall. 
Before  noon,  the  savages  ceased  firing,  but  they  remained 
several  days  in  the  vicinity. 

"The  guns  first  fired  were  heard  at  the  fort  in  Swan- 
zey,  the  commander  of  which  immediately  sent  an  express 
to  Winchester,  with  information  that  the  Indians  had  made 
an  attack  upon  Upper  Ashuelot.  From  Winchester  an  ex- 
press was  sent  to  the  next  post,  and  so  on  from  post  to 
post  to  Northampton,  where  Col.  Pomeroy  commanded. 
Collecting  all  the  troops,  and  militia  there,  and  pressing 
all  the  horses  in  the  place,  he  instantly,  at  their  head,  set 
out  for  Upper  Ashuelot,  and  on  his  way  added  to  his  num- 
ber all  the  disposable  force  in  the  intermediate  settlements. 
In  little  more  than  48  hours  from  the  time  the  express 
started  from  Swanzey,  he,  with  400  or  500  men,  arrived 
at  Upper  Ashuelot,  the  distance  down  and  back,  being,  at 
least,  ninety  miles.  The  arrival,  so  soon,  of  this  relief,  was 
as  unexpected,  as  it  was  gratifying  to  the  settlers.  The 
next  morning,  Pomeroy  sent  out  his  men  to  scour  the  woods 
in  search  of  Blake.  While  these  were  absent,  the  Indians 
again  showed  themselves  on  the  meadow,  south-east  of  the 
fort,  where  they  killed  a  number  of  cattle.  To  recall  the 
troops  an  alarm  was  fired,  but  was  not  heard.  In  the 
afternoon,  they  returned  unsuccessful,  and  that  evening 
Mr.  Bullard  and  Mrs.  M'Kenny  were  buried.  The  next 
morning,  they  found  the  track  of  the  Indians,  and 
followed  it,  until  they  came  to  the  place  of  their  en- 
campment at  night.  This  was  East  of  Beech  Hill,  not  far 
from  the  present  residence  of  Capt.  Chapman.  It  appear- 
ing that  they  dispersed,  w^hen  departing  from  this  place, 
they  were  pursued  no  farther.  Col.  Pomeroy,  on  his  way 
back  to  the  fort,  found  that  a  house,  belonging  to  a  Mr. 
Heaton,  and  standing  near  the  place  where  his  son's  house 


72  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

now  stands,  had  been  burnt.  Amon,^  the  ashes,  they 
discovered  human  bones,  and  the  leg  of  an  Indian,  uncon- 
sumed.  As  it  is  known  to  have  been  tlie  custom  of  the 
Indians  to  take  the  most  effectual  means  in  their  power  to 
conceal  the  amount  of  their  loss,  they  had  doubtless  placed 
in  this  house,  before  they  set  it  on  fire,  the  bodies  of  such 
of  their  party  as  had  been  killed,  which  they  had  not  other- 
wise concealed.  The  number,  as  near  as  could  be  ascer- 
tained, was  nine,  and  one  or  two  were  burnt  in  the  barn 
of  Mr.  Blake. 

"The  next  day,  inquiry  was  made  for  Mark  Ferry, 
the  hermit.  As  he  did  not  reside  among  them,  and  had 
never  performed  the  duties  of  relation,  friend  or  companion 
to  any  of  the  settlers,  they  felt  little  solicitude  for  his 
fate;  but  Col.  Pomeroy,  offering  to  send  a  party  of  men, 
they  agreed  to  send  a  pilot  to  the  place  where  they  sup- 
posed he  might  be  found.  This  was  Ferry  meadow,  on 
the  stream  called  Ferry  brook,  within  the  present  limits 
of  Sullivan,  whither  he  had  repaired,  as  to  a  place  of 
safety,  when  driven  by  the  flood  from  his  cave  on  Bul- 
lard's  Island.  They  found  his  horse  confined  under  the 
shelter  of  the  root  of  a  fallen  tree,  and  looking  further, 
espied  him  perched  high  upon  the  limb  of  a  large  tree,  mend- 
ing his  clothes.  His  personal  appearance  indicated  that  he 
had  not  received  the  benefit  of  shaving,  nor  ablution,  for 
months.  They  compelled  him  to  descend,  brought  him  to 
the  fort,  led  him  to  the  officers'  quarters,  and,  with  mock 
formality,  introduced  him  to  all  the  oflScers  and  gentlemen 
of  the  party. 

"Apprehending  no  farther  danger  to  the  settlers.  Col. 
Pomeroy  and  his  men  returned  to  their  homes. 

"In  the  early  part  of  May,  the  same,  or  another  party 
of  Indians,  hovered  about  the  settlement,  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  make  prisoners,  and  to  plunder.  For 
several  successive  nights,  the  watch  imagined  that  they 
heard  some  person  walking  around  the  fort.  When  it  came 
to  the  turn  of  young  M'Kenny,  whose  mother  had  been 
killed,  to  watch,  he  declared  he  should  fire,  on  hearing  the 
least  noise  without  the  fort.  In  the  dead  of  night,  he 
thought  he  heard  some  person  at  the  picket  gate,  endeav- 
oring to  ascertain  its  strength.  Having  loaded  his  gun, 
as  was  usual  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  country,  with 
two  balls  and  several  buck  shot,  he  fired  through  the 
gate,  which  was  made  of  thin  boards.  In  the  morning 
blood  was  discovered  on  the  spot,  and  also  a  number  of 
beads,  supposed  to  have  been  cut,  by  the  shot,  from  the 
wampum  of  the  Indian." 

(Annals,  pages  19-22.) 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  73 

The  Indians  appeared  also  at  other  settlements.  On 
the  27th  of  April  a  garrisoned  house  at  Hopkinton  was 
surprised,  and  eight  persons  were  carried  away  captives. 
At  No.  4,  early  in  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  May,  the 
women  went  out  to  milk  the  cows,  as  was  the  custom  in 
those  days,  guarded  by  several  soldiers  under  Major  Josiah 
Willard,  son  of  Col.  Willard,  the  commander  at  Fort  Dum- 
mer.  Eight  Indians  were  concealed  in  the  barn,  and  as 
the  party  approached  they  fired,  killing  Seth  Putnam, 
The  Indians  sprang  out  to  secure  his  scalp,  were  met  by  a 
volley  from  the  guard,  and  two  of  the  Indians  were  mor- 
tally wounded.  The  Indians  seized  their  dying  companions 
and  made  a  hasty  retreat.  The  same  day  two  men  were 
killed  and  one  captured  at  Contoocook.  On  the  6th  of  May, 
at  Lower  Ashuelot,  Deacon  Timothy  Brown  and  Robert 
Maffett  were  captured  and  taken  to  Canada  but  they 
afterwards  returned. 

As  the  alarm  increased  Massachusetts  sent  more  troops 
to  guard  the  settlers.  Capt.  Daniel  Paine  was  sent  to  No. 
4  with  a  troop  of  horse  to  reinforce  Capt.  Stevens  and 
to  patrol  the  country,  arriving  on  the  24th  of  May, 
while  the  enemy  in  large  numbers  were  lying  in  ambush 
near  the  fort.  Some  of  his  men  had  a  curiosity  to  see  the 
place  where  Putnam  was  killed,  and  went  out  with  some 
of  the  inhabitants  to  view  the  spot.  They  were  warned 
of  the  danger  by  Capt.  Stevens,  but  persisted  in  going. 
As  they  started  out,  the  Indians  rose  and  fired,  and  at- 
tempted to  get  between  the  party  and  the  fort.  But  Capt. 
Stevens  rushed  out  with  his  men,  and  a  sharp  fight  ensued 
in  which  five  white  men  were  killed  and  about  the  same 
number  of  the  Indians.  Ensign  Obadiah  Sartwell  was 
captured  and  taken  to  Canada.  The  Indians  retreated, 
leaving  arms,  packs  and  blankets  behind  them. 

At  this  time  John  Hawks  of  Deerfield,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  Upper  Ashuelot,  who  assisted  in  laying  out 
and  surveying  the  lots,  was  a  sergeant  in  com- 
mand of  Fort  Massachusetts  (at  North  Adams)  with 
twenty  men.  On  the  9th  of  May  he  and  John  Mighills 
were  out  a  short  distance  from  the  fort.  "Mighills 
was    mounted,     and     Hawks     got     up    behind     to    cross 


74  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Hoosac  river.  He  was  in  the  act  of  dismounting,  when 
two  Indians  appeared ;  one  fired  upon  them,  wounding 
both.  Mighills  escaped  to  the  fort,  but  Hawks  fell  to  the 
ground,  with  a  shot  in  his  left  arm.  Both  Indians  dropped 
their  guns,  and  rushed  towards  him  for  his  scalp;  but 
Hawks  was  not  ready  to  part  with  that  useful  appendage. 
He  rallied  instantly,  and  resting  his  gun  on  his  wounded 
arm,  covered  the  approaching  foe.  Both  dodged  ;  one  down 
a  bank,  the  other  behind  a  tree,  from  which  shelter  neither 
dared  venture  to  reach  the  loaded  gun  which  one  Indian 
had  dropped,  in  an  exposed  place.  Hawks  kept  them  both 
at  bay  until  they  called  for  quarter,  as  it  afterwards  ap- 
peared, which  the  wounded  man  unfortunately  did  not 
understand.  Finding,  after  a  while,  that  Hawks  had  the 
best  of  the  game,  both  ran  off  in  different  directions.  The 
spirit  shown  by  Hawks  on  this  occasion  earned  him  the 
confidence  of  his  officers  and  the  respect  of  his  enemies,  and 
neither  had  cause  to  change  their  sentiments  at  his  next 
appearance  before  the  public."  (History  of  Deerfield,  vol, 
1,  page  542.) 

A  few  days  later  Capt.  Ephraira  Brown,  of  Sudbury, 
Mass.,  was  sent  to  No.  4  with  an  additional  company  of 
troops.  On  the  19th  of  June,  Captains  Stevens  and  Brown, 
with  about  fifty  men,  went  out  to  look  after  the  horses 
of  the  troopers  and  others  which  had  been  turned  into  the 
meadow  to  graze.  Their  dogs  warned  them  of  Indians 
near,  and  they  discovered  an  ambush  of  about  150  of  the 
enemy.  The  savages  started  up,  and  the  soldiers  gave 
them  the  first  fire  and  followed  it  up  w^ith  a  brisk  fusilade, 
killing  and  wounding  many.  Finding  themselves  at  dis- 
advantage, as  they  were  on  higher  ground  and  as  they 
shot  over  and  hit  but  few  of  the  whites,  the  Indians  re- 
treated into  a  swamp,  leaving  behind  them  arms,  packs, 
blankets,  etc.,  which  "sold  for  40  pounds  old  tenor.  This 
was  reckoned  a  great  booty  from  such  beggarly  enemies." 
But  the  troops  were  glad  to  escape  from  such  numbers, 
and  retired  into  their  fort. 

In  July  t"wo  men  were  killed,  two  wounded  and  two 
captured  at  Fort  Bridgman.  During  the  same  month  Capt. 
Eleazer  Melvin  was  sent  with  a  company  of  fifty  rangers 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  75 

to  scout  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  with  headquarters  at 
Northfield. 

A  company  of  scouts  under  Capt.  Jeremiah  Clough,  of 
Canterbury,  patrolled  the  borders  of  Lake  Winnepesaukee 
and  the  Pemigewasset  river,  and  others  under  Captains 
Drake  and  Todd  were  kept  active  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  province. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1746,  Col.  Willard  went  from  Fort 
Duramer  to  Hinsdell's  mills  with  a  team  and  twenty  men 
to  grind  corn.  After  the  guard  had  been  set  they  discov- 
ered Indians  in  ambush,  and  opened  fire.  Col.  Willard 
shouted  to  his  men  to  rush  at  them.  His  defiant  manner 
terrified  the  Indians  and  they  fled,  leaving  behind  them 
what  the  Indian  never  parted  with  if  he  could  avoid  it  — 
their  packs  of  provisions.     Only  one  soldier  was  wounded. 

Sometime  in  July  Capt.  Joseph  How  of  Marlboro, 
Mass.,  was  sent  to  No.  4  with  his  troop  of  thirty-eight 
horsemen.  Dogs  played  an  important  part  in  the  strife  of 
the  pioneers  with  the  Indians.  Their  instincts  led  them  to 
distrust  and  hate  the  savages,  their  peculiar  movements 
and  suggestive  growl  gave  warning  of  the  approach  of  the 
stealthy  foe,  and  they  were  often  used  to  follow  the  Indian 
trail. 

On  the  3d  of  August  these  faithful  companions  gave 
warning  to  the  inhabitants  of  No.  4  that  Indians  were 
near.  To  ascertain  the  facts,  Capt.  Stevens  sent  out  a 
scouting  party.  Immediately  upon  leaving  the  fort  they 
were  fired  upon  and  Ebenezer  Philips  was  killed.  The 
Indians  then  advanced  in  large  numbers  and  laid  siege  to 
the  fort.  They  burned  buildings  and  killed  cattle,  while 
the  soldiers  from  behind  their  works  watched  their  oppor- 
tunity to  bring  down  a  redskin.  At  the  end  of  two  days 
the  Indians  withdrew  and  went  down  the  river,  commit- 
ting outrages  at  several  places.  About  thirty  of  them 
waylaid  a  party  in  the  road  at  Winchester.  As  six  men 
were  passing  along  they  fired  on  them,  killing  Joseph 
Rawson  and  wounding  Amasa  Wright.  They  also  mortally 
wounded  young  Benjamin  Wright,  at  Northfield.  On 
the  5th,  Captain  Stevens  with  sixty  men  followed  them 
to    Great    Meadows,    where     he    remained    two    days    to 


76  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

guard  the  settlers  while  they  reaped  their  grain.  Return- 
ing to  No.  4  on  the  8tli,  he  found  that  the  remainder  of 
the  cattle,  horses  and  most  of  the  hogs  had  been  killed 
during  his  absence. 

When  the  report  of  this  attack  on  No.  4  reached  Bos- 
ton, Gov.  Shirley  sent  a  company  of  fresh  troops,  mounted, 
under  Capt.  Josiah  Brown,  to  relieve  Capt.  Ephraim  Brown 
and  his  company ;  and  soon  afterwards  sent  Capt.  Win- 
chester with  another  troop  of  horse,  each  of  the  companies 
taking  all  the  provisions  they  could  carry,  for  the  relief  of 
the  garrison. 

It  was  by  those  troops,  scouting  and  holding  the  ad- 
vanced posts,  that  Upper  Ashuelot  -was  protected.  But 
cavalry  was  not  adapted  to  warfare  against  the  Indians 
in  those  dense  forests,  and  late  in  the  fall  they  were  re- 
called to  Massachusetts. 

During  the  same  months  there  were  raids  in  the  central 
and  eastern  parts  of  the  province.  At  Rochester  five  men 
w^ere  killed  and  two  captured,  and  two  were  captured  at 
Contoocook.  At  Penacook,  on  the  11th  of  August,  Lieut. 
Jonathan  Bradley  and  seven  men  were  ambushed  about  one 
mile  west  of  the  fort.  The  lieutenant,  his  brother  Samuel 
and  three  others  were  killed,  two  were  captured,  and  one 
escaped. 

Sergt.  John  Hawks  was  still  in  command  of  Fort 
Massachusetts.  On  the  20th  of  August  about  750  French 
and  Indians  under  Gen.  Rigaud  de  Vaudreuil  made  a 
furious  attack  on  the  fort.  Hawks  and  his  men  defended 
the  post  bravely  and  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  for  twenty- 
eight  hours  in  spite  of  their  numbers.  The  French  general 
then  asked  for  a  parley,  and  offered  protection  if  they 
would  surrender.  Finding  that  their  ammunition  was 
nearly  expended  and  that  several  of  the  men  were  sick, 
they  surrendered,  prisoners  of  war  to  the  French.  Thirty- 
two  men,  women  and  children  were  taken  to  Canada, 
where  several  of  them  died.  So  vigorous  and  determined 
had  been  the  defence  that  nearly  fifty  of  the  enemy  had 
been  killed  or  mortally  wounded.  Few  were  slightly 
wounded,  for  the  besieged  were  sparing  of  their  ammuni- 
tion   and  shot  to   kill.      Hawks    lost    but    one    man.    We 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  77 

shall  have  more  to  relate  of  this  daring  soldier  and  pioneer 
of  Upper  Ashuelot  farther  on.  The  fort  was  burned  (but 
afterwards  rebuilt),  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  build- 
ings of  the  Dutch  settlers  on  the  Hoosack  river  were 
destroyed  on  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  towards  Canada. 
After  this  there  was  quiet  in  the  Connecticut  valley  for 
the  rest  of  the  year. 

Finding  the  defence  of  the  frontiers  costly  and  ineffec- 
tual, Massachusetts  withdrew  her  soldiers  from  all  the  posts 
in  the  autumn  of  that  3^ear,  except  Fort  Dummer.  Four 
families  remained  in  Shattuck's  fort  in  Hinsdale.  On  the 
30th  of  Alarch  a  part\'  of  thirty  to  forty  Indians  made  an 
attack  and  attempted  to  burn  the  fort.  The3'  succeeded  in 
setting  fire  to  the  south  end,  but  the  wind  suddenly  changed 
and  the  fort  was  saved.  Struck  with  superstitious  fear  at 
this  incident  the  savages  abandoned  the  attempt  and  with- 
drew. 

According  to  the  records  the  proprietors  held  their  last 
meeting  in  Upper  Ashuelot  previous  to  abandoning  the  place 
on  the  19th  of  March,  1747  —  David  Nims,  moderator. 
"Upon  y^  P^  article  voted  The  sum  of  Forty  Pounds  Law- 
ful Money  of  New  England,  or  one  Hundred  and  Sixty 
pounds  old  Tenor  for  y*^  Rev"^  Mr.  Bacon's  support  for  y^ 
Present  year,  w«^  will  be  out  October  y^  18th,  1747,  or  this 
Date."  Certain  sums  were  voted  to  those  who  had  fur- 
nished labor  and  materials  for  finishing  the  meetinghouse. 
No  record  is  found  of  an^'  meeting  of  the  proprietors  after 
this  date  until  1753,  although  there  is  evidence  that  some 
of  them  returned  as  early  as  1749. 

Wise  counsels  prevailed  on  the  Massachusetts  legisla- 
ture to  resume  their  defence  of  the  settlements  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley,  and  on  the  opening  of  spring,  1747,  a 
company  of  forty  men  under  Lieut.  Bradstreet  was  sent 
to  Fort  Dummer,  and  a  few  soldiers  were  sent  to  each  of 
the  smaller  posts  along  the  frontier. 

Towards  the  last  of  March,  Capt.  Phineas  Stevens  was 
sent  to  No.  4  with  his  company  of  thirty  rangers.  He 
found  the  fort  in  good  condition  and  the  cabins  still  stand- 
ing. His  arrival  was  timely,  for,  on  the  4th  of  April,  the 
faithful    dogs  again  gave  warning    that    the    enemy    was 


78  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

near.  A  force  of  several  hundred  French  and  Indians 
under  Gen.  Debeline  lay  in  ambush  near  the  fort.  Being 
discovered  they  began  an  attack,  set  fire  to  the  buildings 
and  fences  on  all  sides,  and  shot  flaming  arrows  into  the 
fort  in  a  determined  effort  to  burn  it.  Capt.  Stevens  had 
trenches  opened  under  the  walls  to  allow  his  men  to  go 
through  and  extinguish  the  flames.  The  fire  from  the 
fences  and  buildings  did  not  reach  the  fort,  and  the  arrows 
were  harmless.  The  enemy  continued  the  attack  for  two 
days,  with  hideous  shouts  and  yells,  and  then  asked  for  a 
cessation  of  the  fight  and  a  parley.  The  next  morning. 
Gen.  Debeline  came  forward  with  sixty  men  under  a  flag 
of  truce,  and  Capt.  Stevens  met  him  with  twenty  men. 
Debeline  proposed  a  surrender  of  the  fort,  which  Stevens 
refused.  They  returned  to  their  commands  and  the  fight 
was  kept  up  all  that  day.  On  the  morning  of  the  fourth 
day,  another  parley  was  held,  and  the  enemy  made  urgent 
appeals  for  provisions  to  be  sold  to  them.  The  poor 
wretches  were  starving,  and  were  fighting  with  desperation 
to  obtain  food.  Their  request  v^as  very  properly  refused, 
and  with  some  parting  shots  they  withdrew.  Capt, 
Stevens  and  his  thirty  mtn  had  had  no  rest  or  sleep  dur- 
ing all  this  time,  and,  although  they  were  under  a  terrific 
fire,  all  behaved  with  great  gallantry.  Their  loss  was  but 
two  men  wounded,  so  well  did  their  works  protect  them. 
An  express  was  sent  to  Boston,  and  the  news  caused  great 
rejoicing.  Commodore  Sir  Charles  Knowles,  -the  naval 
officer  in  command  there,  was  so  pleased  that  he  gave 
Capt.  Stevens  an  elegant  sword  in  token  of  appreciation 
of  his  gallantry.  In  return,  when  the  place  was  chartered 
by  New  Hampshire  in  1753  it  was  named  Charlestown  in 
honor  of  Sir  Charles. ^ 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Upper  Ashuelot  was  aban- 
doned and  the  inhabitants  returned  to  their  former  homes, 
or  sought  safety  in  towns  less  exposed  to  attack.  And 
Lower  Ashuelot  and  Winchester  were  abandoned  at  the 
same  time.  We  have  seen  that  a  few  days  previous,  on 
the  19th  of  March,  the  proprietors  had  held  a  meeting  in 

1  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  page  251  ;  Barstow's  History 
of  New  Hampshire,  page  184. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  79 

the  fort,  passed  the  usual  votes  in  town  affairs,  and  pro- 
vided for  the  salary  of  their  minister,  whose  year  was  to 
expire  in  October  —  all  indicating  that  at  that  time  they 
had  no  intention  of  leaving.  But  a  few  days  were  sufficient 
to  change  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs.  The  fight  at  No.  4 
had  been  a  very  important  one.  Debeline  had  a  large  force 
for  those  times  —  Wliiton  puts  the  number  at  400,  and  some 
writers  much  higher  than  that  —  while  Stevens  had  but 
thirty.  The  combined  forces  of  all  the  posts  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley  north  of  Deerfield  did  not  exceed  100  men  ; 
and  there  was  no  movable  force  to  meet  this  active  body 
of  French  and  Indians. 

After  Debeline's  repulse  at  No.  4,  he  divided  his  follow- 
ers and  sent  them  in  small  parties  to  attack  other  settle- 
ments. At  Northfield  they  killed  and  scalped  Nathaniel 
Dickinson  and  Asahel  Burt.  Other  bodies  of  the  enemy 
were  also  operating  in  western  Massachusetts,  and  in  east- 
ern New  Hampshire  attacks  were  made  at  Rochester,  Pen- 
acook,  Suncook  and  other  places  in  that  part  of  the  prov- 
ince.   It  was  a  time  of  general  alarm. 

"The  inhabitants  remained  in  the  fort  until  March,  or 
April,  1747.  About  this  time  they  passed  an  informal 
vote  ['on  the  common,  in  the  haste  of  their  departure'] 
releasing  Mr.  Bacon,  their  minister,  from  all  his  obligations 
to  them,  and  resolved  to  abandon  the  settlement,  which 
resolution  was  immediately  executed.  Soon  after,  a  party 
of  Indians  i  visited  the  place,  and  burnt  all  the  buildings, 
except  the  mill  on  Beaver  brook,  and  the  house  in  which 
the  miller  had  resided." 

(Annals,  page  22.) 

'"  There  were  Thirty-one  Dwelling  houses  *  *  *  Sun- 
dry barns  and  a  Fort,'  a  meetinghouse,  a  saw  mill  and  a 
grist  mill.  All  were  burned  except  four  houses,  one  barn 
and  the  mills.  And  such  horses  as  they  could  not  take 
with  them  and  all  the  cattle,  sheep  and  swine  were  killed." 

(State  Papers,  vol.  12,  page  310.) 

Another  reason  for  leaving  the  place  was  that  for  two 
years  they  had  been  able  to  raise  but  very  little  on  their 
land  from  fear  of  being  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  they 
must  have  been  short  of  provisions,  with  no  likelihood  of 

1  "  Doolittle's  Narrative"  says  that  when  repulsed  at  Shattuck's  the  Indians 
burned  on  their  retreat  the  deserted  settlements  at  Winchester,  Hinsdale  and 
Upper  and  Lower  Ashuelot. 


80  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

raising  anything  in  the  season  approaching.  The  terror- 
stricken  inhabitants  therefore  gathered  up  the  few  valu- 
ables they  possessed,  packed  such  as  were  portable  on 
horses  or  took  them  on  their  persons,  buried  some,  left 
the  remainder  with  their  cabins,  to  be  destroyed  by  the 
savages,  and  turned  their  steps  in  haste  and  sadness  away 
from  those  homes  they  had  so  recently  established,  where 
they  had  hoped  to  spend  many  years  of  happiness  and 
prosperity. 

They  fled  to  Fort  Dummer,  where  Capt.  Josiah  Wil- 
lard,  Jr.,1  had  a  small  company  of  soldiers,  under  his 
father,  Col.  Josiah  Willard,  commander  of  the  post.  The 
women  and  children,  and  most  of  the  men,  continued  their 
journey  to  the  lower  towns,  but  several  of  the  men  from 
Upper  Ashuelot,  and  some  from  the  lower  township,  joined 
Capt.  Willard's  company  to  fight  the  Indians.  The  com- 
pany then  numbered  twenty-six  men  besides  the  captain. 
That  company  was  stationed  at  "  Ashuelott,"  June  21,  and 
remained,  with  additions  in  1748  and  reductions  in  1749, 
until  Nov.  27,  1749 ;  serving  part  of  the  time  at  Fort 
Dummer.  Capt.  Melvin's  company  of  rangers  at  North- 
field  was  increased  to  sixty  men,  and  he  remained  in  the 
Connecticut  valley  through  that  season,  scouting  the 
country  and  doing  good  service. 

Raids  from  the  enemy  were  less  frequent  during  the 
summer  of  1747,  probably  for  the  reason  that  all  the  in- 
habitants had  been  driven  from  these  upper  towns,  yet 
the  settlers  of  the  lower  towns  were  never  free  from  the 
dread  of  an  attack  from  prowling  savages.  In  this  v^ar 
the  Indians  killed  fewer  of  those  who  fell  into  their  hands 
than  formerly.  The  bounties  and  redemption  money  paid 
for  captives  induced  them  to  spare  their  lives. 

"Roll  of  Capt.  Josiah  Willard  jr's  companv  at  Ashue- 
lott, June  21,  1747,  to  Feb.  10,  1748. 

Josiah  Willard,  captain.  Asahel  Graves 

William  Syms  (Sims)  lieutenant.  Benoni  Right  (Wright) 
Elias  Alexander,  serg't.  Hezekiah  Elmer 

Jeremiah  Hall,  *  clerk.  James  Jewel 

William  Smeed,*  corp.  Jethro  Wheeler 

iCapt.  Willard  was  relieved  in  July,  1749,  by  Capt.  John  Catlin,  was  pro- 
moted to  lieutenant  colonel  and  succeeded  his  father,  who  died  in  1750,  in  com- 
mand of  Fort  Dummer. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  81 

David  Nyms*  (Nims)  centinel.      James  Johnson 
Samuel  Hills  Joseph  Alexander 

Nathaniel  Hills  Benj.  Melvin 

Nathan  Fairbanks  *  Jeremiah  Hall  jr.  * 

Thomas  Cresson  Ebenezer  Day* 

Thomas  Cresson  jr.  Thomas  Taylor 

James  Heaton  William  Grimes 

Samuel  Heaton  Titus  Belding." 

William  Heaton  (Massachusetts  Archives.) 

Those  marked  with  a  *  were  from  Upper  Ashuelot;  Jo- 
seph Richardson,  also  from  this  place,  joined  the  company 
afterwards  and  was  killed  in  a  fight  with  the  Indians  in 
1748;  Samuel  Hall,  Nathaniel  Fairbanks  and  Peter  "  Ha- 
wood  "  (Hayward),  afterwards  citizens  of  Keene,  joined  the 
company  later;  and  Daniel  Maccany  (McKeeny  or  Mc- 
Kenny),  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  joined  Capt.  Hobbs'  com- 
pany at  No.  4. 

"It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  Mr.  Blake,  when 
captured,  was  pinioned,  and  conducted  by  an  Indian  into 
the  woods.  After  travelling  about  two  miles,  they  came 
to  a  small  ston3^  brook,  i  The  Indian  stooped  to  drink, 
and  as  Blake's  hands  were  not  confined,  he  thought  he 
could  easily  take  up  a  stone  and  beat  out  his  brains.  He 
silently  prayed  for  direction;  and  his  next  thought  was, 
that  he  should  always  regret  that  he  had  killed  an  Indian 
in  that  situation  and  he  refrained. 

"No  particulars  of  his  journey  to  Canada  have  been 
obtained,  except  that  he  passed  by  Charlestown.  At  Mon- 
treal, he,  with  another  prisoner  of  the  name  of  Warren, 
was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet.  Warren,  receiving  a 
blow  in  the  face,  knocked  down  the  Indian  w^ho  gave  it; 
upon  which,  he  was  assaulted  by  several,  who  beat  him 
unmercifully,  making  him  a  cripple  for  life.  Blake,  exhibit- 
ing more  patience  and  fortitude,  received  no  considerable 
injury.  He  was  then  conducted  to  Quebec,  and  thence  to 
•an  Indian  village  several  miles  North  of  that  place,  called 
Conissadawga.  2  He  was  a  strong,  athletic  man,  and  pos- 
sessed many  qualities  which  procured  him  the  respect  of 
the  savages.  He  could  run  with  great  speed,  and  in  all  the 
trials  to  which  he  was  put,  and  they  were  many  and  se- 
vere, he  beat  every  antagonist. 

1  "  The  farm  of  my  grandfather,  Henry  Ellis,  was  the  first  on  the  right  hand 
beyond  the  four  comers  on  the  Surry  road,  about  half  a  mile  beyond  the  stone 
bridge.  About  forty  rods  east  of  the  buildings  a  good  spring  flows  down  to  . 
the  river.  There  was  where  Nathan  Blake  had  the  chance  to  knock  out  the 
brains  of  the  Indian,  but  prudently  desisted." — Samuel  P.  Ellis,  born  and  brought 
up  on  that  farm. 

2  In  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  "Conissadawga"  occurs  as  the  name  of  a 
Canadian  tribe  of  Indians. 


82  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"Not  lon^  after  his  arrival  at  the  village,  the  tribe  lost 
a  chief  by  sickness.  As  soon  as  his  decease  was  made 
known,  the  women  repaired  to  his  wigwam,  and  with 
tears,  sobs,  and  clamorous  lamentations,  mourned  his 
death.  The  funeral  ceremonies  performed,  the  men  sought 
Blake,  dressed  him  in  the  Indian  costume,  and  invested 
him  with  all  the  authority  and  privileges  of  the  deceased, 
as  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe,  and  as  husband  of  the 
widow.  In  the  family  to  which  he  now  stood  in  the  rela- 
tion of  father,  there  were,  as  he  has  often  remarked,  sev- 
eral daughters  of  uncommon  beauty. 

"Yet,  notwithstanding  this  good  fortune,  he  still  had 
difficulties  to  encounter.  The  tribe  was  divided  into  two 
parties,  his  friends  and  his  enemies.  The  former  consisted 
of  the  great  mass  of  the  tribe,  who  respected  him  for  qual- 
ities, to  which,  they  had  not  equal  pretensions ;  the  latter, 
of  those  who  were  envious  of  his  success,  and  had  been 
worsted  in  their  contests  with  him.  These,  to  humble  his 
pride,  sent  far  into  the  northern  wilderness,  and  procured 
a  celebrated  Indian  runner,  to  run  against  him.  At  the 
time  assigned,  the  whole  tribe  assembled  to  witness  the 
race;  and  a  Frenchman,  from  Quebec,  happened  to  be 
present.  Perceiving  the  excitement  among  them,  he  ad- 
vised Blake  to  permit  himself  to  be  beaten,  intimating  that 
fatal  consequences  might  ensue,  if  he  did  not.  The  race 
was  run,  and  Blake,  as  advised  by  the  Frenchman,  per- 
mitted his  antagonist  to  reach  the  goal,  a  moment  before 
he  did.  He  persisted,  however,  after  his  return  from  cap- 
tivity, in  declaring  that  he  might  have  beaten  him  if  he 
had  tried.  The  event  of  the  race  restored  harmony  to  the 
tribe,  and  Blake  was  permitted  to  live  in  peace. 

"But,  remembering  the  family  he  had  left,  he  felt  anx- 
ious to  return  to  his  home.  After  much  intercession,  the 
tribe  proposed,  that,  if  he  would  build  a  house,  like  those 
of  the  English,  he  should  be  permitted  to  go  to  Quebec. 
Presuming,  that,  when  there,  he  could  more  easily  obtain 
his  liberty,  he  gladly  acceded  to  the  proposition.  With  such 
tools  as  the  Indians  possessed,  he  prepared  the  necessary 
timber,  splitting  the  boards  from  the  tree,  and  soon  com- 
pleted his  task.  He  then  went  to  Quebec,  and  gave  himself 
up  to  the  French.  He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time, 
when  his  Indian  wife  came  in  a  canoe  to  reclaim  him.  He 
refused  to  return ;  but  she  soliciting  and  even  demanding 
it,  he  declared  to  her,  that,  if  he  should  be  compelled  to 
set  out  with  her,  he  would  overturn  the  canoe,  and  drown 
her;  upon  which,  she  concluded  to  return  without  him. 
In  the  fall,  the  French  commandant  gave  Blake  his  elec- 
tion to  pass  the  winter,  as  a  laborer,  with  a  farmer,  in  the 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  83 

vicinity  of  Quebec,  or  be  confined  in  the  common  gaol.  He 
chose  the  latter,  and  had  no  reason  to  regret  his  choice,  as 
he  had  a  comfortable  room,  and  sufficient  rations  assigned 
him.  He  remained  in  confinement  until  spring,  when  his 
liberation  was  procured  in  the  manner  which  will  now  be 
related."  (Annals,  pages  23-4.) 

On  the  16th  of  October,  Col.  Josiah  Willard,  com- 
mander at  Fort  Dummer,  Capt.  Ebenezer  Alexander  i  of 
Northfield,  and  "Dr.  Hall"  (Jeremiah),  of  Upper  Ashuelot, 
started  from  Fort  Dummer  to  go  to  Northfield.  Near  the 
Winchester  line,  a  little  south  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  they 
met  some  cattle  running  as  if  being  driven  off.  Their 
suspicions  were  aroused,  and  Capt.  Alexander  rode  on  a 
little  in  advance  to  reconnoitre.  Suddenly  he  came  upon 
a  man  in  French  uniform,  who  dodged  behind  a  tree,  but 
at  the  same  instant  the  captain  fired  and  shot  him  in  the 
breast.  He  fell,  but  immediately  rose  and  came  forward, 
asking  in  French  for  quarter.  But  none  of  the  party  un- 
derstood his  language,  and  supposing  him  to  be  dying, 
and  that  the  shot  would  bring  all  his  party  upon  them, 
they  took  his  papers  from  him,  left  him  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  and  hurried  on  to  Northfield. 

Among  the  papers  was  his  commission,  (still  in 
possession  of  Capt.  Alexander's  descendants)  dated  at 
Montreal,  Sept.  27  (16,  O.  S.),  1747.  This  showed  that  he 
was  a  cadet  from  Canada  in  command  of  forty  savages, 
sent  out  by  Bouberthelat,  commander  at  Montreal,  to 
make  war  upon  the  English  settlements.  His  name  was 
Pierre  Raimbault  St.  Blein.  He  was  sometimes  called 
Sieur  Simblin.  Hearing  the  shot,  his  party  hastened  to 
him  and  carried  him  a  short  distance,  but  believing,  as 
did  the  other  party,  that  their  leader  was  dying,  and 
fearing  an  attack,  they  abandoned  him  and  hastened  back 
to  Canada,  where  thej^  reported  that  he  was  killed  by  a 
party  of  twenty  horsemen. 

But  the  Frenchman,  though  deserted  by  both  friends 
and  foes,  did  not  die.  He  dressed  and  bound  up  his  w^ound 
as  well  as  he  could,  lived  on  his  few  rations  and  what 
the    woods    afforded,    and    four    days    later    appeared    at 

1  The  same  Deacon  Alexander  who  Jiad  piloted  the  first  party  of  proprietors 
to  Upper  Ashuelot  in  1734. 


84  HISTORY  OP  KEBNB. 

Northfield,  five  miles  distant,  and  surrendered  to  Capt.  Alex- 
ander, the  first  man  he  met,  and  the  one  who  had  shot  him. 
He  was  kindly  treated  and  placed  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
Benjamin  Doolittle,  i  who  was  not  only  the  minister  of  the 
settlement,  but  surgeon  and  physician  as  well.  Under  his 
treatment  the  young  man  soon  recovered,  and  in  less  than 
four  w^eeks  w^as  able  to  be  sent  to  Boston. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  "Chevalier  de  Longueil" 
with  forty  Canadians  and  Indians  surprised  twelve  men 
near  No.  4,  killed  Nathaniel  Gould  and  Thomas  Goodale, 
wounded  Oliver  Avery,  and  took  John  Anderson  prisoner. 
From  his  captive,  Longueil  learned  that  the  young  French 
oflScer  w^as  alive  and  had  been  sent  to  Boston.  This  fact 
was  reported  to  the  governor  at  Quebec  on  the  3d  of 
December. 

Raimbault  was  a  person  of  good  family,  courteous  and 
gentlemanly,  was  treated  with  kindness  and  consideration 
by  Gov.  Shirley,  and  made  quite  a  sensation  among 
the  society  women  of  Boston.  But  he  had  no  desire  to 
remain  a  prisoner,  and  soon  negotiated  with  the  governor 
for  an  exchange.  Being  an  officer,  he  agreed  to  obtain  the 
consent  of  the  governor  of  Canada  to  the  release  of  two 
English  prisoners  for  himself. 

Sergt.  John  Hawks  had  now  reached  Boston  on  his 
return  from  captivity.  He  was  regarded  as  something  of 
a  hero  from  his  gallant  defence  of  Fort  Massachusetts  and 
was  soon  after  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  The 
governor  appointed  Hawks,  with  Mathew  Clesson  and 
Samuel  Taylor  of  Deerfield  as  assistants,  to  take  the 
prisoner  to  Canada  and  bring  back  two  English  captives 
in  exchange. 

Hawks  was  a  personal  friend  of  Blake,  having  been 
well  acquainted  with  him  here  in  the  early  days  of  the 
settlement,  when  they  worked  together  in  the  same  sur- 
veying party,  laying  out  divisions  of  land.  He  also  had  a 
nephew  in  captivity — young  Samuel  Allen  of  Deerfield  — 
and  it  was  agreed  that  Blake  and  Allen  should  be  the  two 
prisoners  to  be  exchanged  for  Raimbault. 

iThe  same  who  presided  over  the  council  that  ordained  Rev.  Mr.  Bacon  and 
established  the  church  here  in  1738;  and  author  of  "  Doolittle's  Narrative"  from 
which  this  story  is  largely  taken. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  85 

The  prisoner  was  sent  to  Deerfield,  and  the  four  men 
were  there  fitted  out  with  suppHes;  and  on  Tuesday,  Feb. 
8,  1748,  they  started  on  snowshoes  with  their  provisions 
on  their  backs  —  the  three  men  well  armed  and  equipped. 

The  Annals  say:  "Considering  it  possible  that  the 
French  Governor  might  refuse  to  ratify  the  engagement  of 
the  Lieutenant,  Mrs.  Blake  furnished  Hawks  with  funds 
to  redeem  her  husband."  It  is  probable  that  she  was  then 
at  Wrentham,  near  Boston,  the  home  of  the  Blakes, 
where  she  would  be  likely  to  go  when  their  new  home 
was  abandoned,  and  that  Hawks  saw  her  there  before 
starting  for  Deerfield. 

On  the  10th,  they  reached  No.  4,  and  the  next  day 
marched  up  Black  river  to  what  is  now  Cavendish.  All 
that  region  was  then  a  dense  wilderness,  and  they  en- 
camped that  night  on  a  hill  known  ever  since  as  Hawks's 
mountain.  The  snow  was  deep,  the  weather  cold,  and 
their  bivouac  each  night  was  in  the  dry  snow,  where  a 
fire  could  be  made  with  the  dead  branches  of  trees. 

At  No.  4,  the  suggestion  was  made  that  a  party 
should  go  with  them  one  day's  march  to  assist  in  carry- 
ing their  luggage,  but  that  post  had  been  neglected  by  the 
Massachusetts  officials  in  the  distribution  of  snowshoes, 
and  the  men  could  not  go.  This  defect  in  the  outfit  of 
the  fort  was  noticed  by  St.  Blein,  without  doubt,  for  on 
the  very  day  of  the  arrival  of  Hawks  and  his  party  at 
Montreal,  Galissoniere,  then  governor  of  Canada,  sent  out 
a  French  cadet  with  seventeen  Indians  to  our  frontier. 
On  the  15th  of  March,  they  came  upon  eight  men  who 
were  getting  wood  about  sixty  rods  from  the  fort  at  No, 
4,  without  snowshoes,  and  could  not  escape.  They  killed 
Charles  Stevens,  wounded  Nathan  Andrews  and  captured 
Eleazur  Priest.  They  then  went  leisurely  away,  as  they 
could  not  be  pursued,  and  reached  Montreal,  March  29, 
with  one  prisoner  and  one  scalp. 

Pursuing  his  journey,  Lieut.  Hawks  and  his  party 
crossed  the  mountains  at  Mount  Holly,  follow^ed  down 
Otter  creek  more  than  twenty  miles,  then  turned  west- 
ward and  struck  a  stream  which  took  them  to  Lake 
Champlain    opposite    Ticonderoga  —  following   the    Indian 


86  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

trail  from  Canada  to  the  English  settlement  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley  —  thence  on  the  ice  of  the  lake  and  the  river 
Sorel.  Carrying  a  white  flag,  they  reached  Montreal  on  the 
27th  of  February.  Application  was  immediately  made  for 
the  exchange  of  two  prisoners  in  place  of  St.  Blein.  Under 
the  same  date,  Feb.  27,  Count  de  Galissoniere  makes  this 
record : 

"Sieur  Simblin,  military  cadet,  who  was  wounded  at 
the  close  of  October  last,  within  four  leagues  of  the  fort  of 
Northfield,  and  taken  to  Boston,  arrived  at  Montreal  in 
company  with  three  Englishmen  sent  with  him  by  Mr, 
Shirley.  We  have  them,  well  treated  and  closely  watched. 
They  ask  to  take  back  two  prisoners,  men  of  family,  who 
are  here.  We  shall  see  to  their  departure,  if  it  be  proper 
to  release  these  two  men." 

Young  Allen  was  found  among  the  Indians,  but  he  had 
become  so  infatuated  with  Indian  life  in  his  eighteen 
months  of  captivity  that  he  preferred  it,  and  was  unwilling 
to  return  home.  Upon  meeting  his  uncle,  Lieut.  Hawks, 
who  had  sought  this  mission  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of 
releasing  him,  he  recognized  him  but  kept  aloof  and  declined 
to  talk  in  English.  He  was  finally  persuaded,  partly  by 
threats  and  promises,  to  return  home.  He  lived  to  old 
age,  but  always  asserted  his  preference  for  the  Indian  mode 
of  life. 

Pursuing  their  journey  to  Quebec  to  find  Blake,  the 
prisoner  conducted  the  party  to  the  house  of  his  father,  a 
wealthy  old  gentleman  living  near  the  city.  St.  Blein  -was 
received  with  great  rejoicing  by  his  relatives,  who  had  be- 
lieved the  report  of  his  death  to  be  true,  and  his  escort  was 
most  hospitably  entertained. 

At  Quebec,  Blake  was  found  in  prison,  and  Hawks  ap- 
plied for  his  release  in  accordance  with  the  agreement  made 
with  Raimbault.  The  English  version  is  that  at  first  the 
governor  refused  to  ratify  that  agreement,  that  Hawks 
persisted,  represented  Mrs.  Blake's  situation  and  appealed 
to  his  feelings  as  a  man,  and  finally  offered  a  ransom — 
that  the  governor  at  last  relented  and  told  him  to  take 
the  prisoner  and  keep  his  money. 

The  French  account  of  the  exchange  is:  "April  13, 
1748,  the  General  (Galissoniere)  sends  back  from  Montreal 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  87 

the  three  persons  who  came  with  a  cartel  on  the  27th  of 
February.  They  were  conducted  to  the  frontier  by  Sieur 
de  Simblin,  whom  they  brought  back.  We  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  surrendering  to  them  the  two  prisoners  whom 
they  asked  of  us  on  arriving." 

Receiving  his  order  for  the  exchange,  and  "expressing 
his  gratitude,  Hawks  hastened  to  the  prison,  and  gave  to 
Blake  the  glad  tidings  of  his  release.  On  their  way  to 
New-England,  the  party  again  stopped  at  the  house  of  old 
Raimbout.  The  neighbors  were  invited ;  a  sumptuous 
feast  was  prepared;  'wine,'  to  use  the  language  of 
Blake,  'was  as  plenty  as  water;'  the  evening,  and  the 
night,  were  spent  in  dancing;  the  happy  father  and  mother 
opening  the  ball,  and  displajnng  all  the  liveliness  of  youth. 
Quebec,  it  should  be  remembered,  had  then  been  settled 
nearly  a  century  and  a  half,  and  was  far  in  advance  of 
all  the  English  colonies  in  refinement  of  manners.  To  the 
rough  and  sedate  Englishmen,  who  had  seldom  been  out 
of  the  woods,  the  whole  scene  was  novel,  and  excited 
emotions,  to  which  they  had  not  been  accustomed." 

(Annals,  page  27.) 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  April  when  the  three  en- 
voys with  the  two  exchanged  captives  left  Montreal  on 
their  return.  Ensign  Obadiah  Sartwell,  who  had  been  cap- 
tured at  No.  4,  also  came  with  them.  As  the  war  still 
continued  and  marauding  parties  were  out  on  the  frontier, 
and  as  some  of  young  Allen's  friends  among  the  Indians 
had  shown  a  disposition  to  rescue  him  from  the  party,  St. 
Blein,  with  a  guard  of  soldiers,  was  sent  with  them  up 
Sorel  river  and  Lake  Champlain  to  the  ridge  of  the  Green 
mountains  between  Otter  creek  and  Black  river.  There,  on 
the  26th  of  April,  he  left  the  party  and  returned  to  Can- 
ada, although  it  had  been  understood  that  he  would  go 
with  them  for  protection  as  far  as  No.  4.  Upon  bidding 
them  farewell  he  advised  them  to  hasten  on  and  to  avoid 
the  regular  .trail,  where  they  were  liable  to  meet  bands  of 
hostile  Indians. 

That  night  they  made  no  fire  lest  they  should  be  dis- 
covered. April  27  they  set  out  early  and  followed  down 
Black  river,  and  the  next  day  struck  the  Connecticut  and 
reached  the  fort  at  Great  Falls  about  sunset.  There  they 
made  a  raft,  finished  it  at  10  o'clock  that  night  and  started 


88  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

down  the  river,  arriving  at  Fort  Dummer  at  9  o'clock  the 
next  morning.  The  next  day,  the  30th,  the  party  set  out 
for  Deerfield,  on  horseback,  escorted  by  about  twenty  of 
their  friends,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing. 

Nothing  definite  is  known  concerning  the  subsequent 
movements  of  Mr.  Blake  until  we  find  him  a  citizen  here 
again  in  1750,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  w^ent  directly  on 
from  Deerfield  and  joined  his  family  at  Wrentham. 

The  sufferings  of  the  pioneers  from  Indian  incursions  in 
1747  had  been  great,  and  New  Hampshire  still  declining 
to  provide  for  their  protection,  they  again  applied  to 
Massachusetts.  Upon  those  petitions  and  the  representa- 
tions of  Col.  Stoddard  and  others,  in  February,  1748,  the 
general  court  of  that  province  authorized  the  governor  to 
reinforce  the  posts  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  A  bounty  of 
five  pounds  was  offered  to  men  who  would  enlist  for  one 
year,  and  in  some  cases  men  were  impressed.  The  forces  at 
No.  4  and  at  Fort  Massachusetts  were  increased  to  100 
effective  men  each.  Capt.  Phineas  Stevens  was  reappointed 
to  the  command  at  No.  4,  where  he  had  remained  through 
the  winter  with  sixty  men. 

The  company  at  the  Ashuelots  was  increased  to  sixty- 
four  men.  Capt.  Willard  was  a  major  in  the  militia,  but 
accepted  a  commission  as  captain  in  these  forces  raised 
specially  for  defence.  His  lieutenant,  William  Sims,  had 
been  designated  as  captain  in  1746,  and  was  probably 
serving  in  the  same  way,  as  was  often  the  case  in  those 
Indian  wars.  The  term  of  enlistment  for  this  year  was 
eight  months. 

The  roll  of  the  company  of  Capt.  Josiah  Willard,  Jr., 
at  the  two  Ashuelots,  Feb.  10  to  Oct.  26,  1748,  follows : 
"Capt.  Josiah  Willard  Jos.  Richardson 

Lieut.  William  Syms  William  Hunt 

Serg't.  Thomas  Taylor      Thomas  Thoyets 

Serg't.  William  Smeed       John  Evans 

Clerk  Jeremiah  Hall  James  Burt 

Corp.  Thomas  Crisson      Jeremiah  Butler 

Corp.  Benoni  Wright  Robert  Tyler 

Timothy  Fletcher  Samuel  Hall 

John  Ellis  William  Hill 

Wm.  Bickford  James  Billing 

Reuben  Walker  Simeon  Green 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN'  WAR.  89 

Jona.  French  Nathaniel  Hills 

Daniel  How  jr.  Asahel  Graves 

Eben*"  Fletcher  Benj.  Nichols 

Robert  Ewers  Thomas  Robbins 

John  Edgehill  Josiah  Crosby 

John  Robert  Joseph  Barron 

Aaron  Ward  W.™  Livingston 

John  Frost  Benj.  Hoagg 

Benj.  Barrett  Henry  Stevens 

Sam^  Haslington  Joel  Johng.on  ' 

Henry  Chandler  Elijah  Holton 

Thomas  Crisson  jr.  James  Holton 

Naty  Fairbanks  Isaac  Rice 

Jethro  Wheeler  James  Eaton 

James  Jewell  John  Scott 

Hezekiah  Elmer  Andrew  Allard 

Samuel  Hill  Eliph.  Corbin 

David  Nims  John  Henry 

David  Bacon  Benjamin  Osgood 

W.*"  Blanchard  Jona.  Lawrence  jr. 

Mathew  Wyman  John  Pullard." 

(Massachusetts  Archives.) 

St.  Blein,  having  become  familiar  with  this  region,  con- 
tinued his  operations  in  the  Connecticut  vaWej.  May  21, 
Galissoniere  writes:  "Fifteen  Abenaquis  have  been  fitted 
out  for  a  war  party.  They  are  commanded  by  Sieur  Sim- 
blin  who  has  only  just  returned  from  escorting  the  English 
cartels.  Sieur  Duplessis  Fabert,  Ensign  of  foot,  with  fifteen 
Canadians  and  thirty  three  Indians"  were  also  sent  out 
from  Montreal  by  the  governor  on  the  same  day. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  twelve  men  of  Capt.  Willard's 
company  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  and  two  of  Capt.  Hobbs's 
company  of  No.  4,  on  their  way  from  Ashuelot  to  Fort 
Dummer  via  Hinsdell's  fort,  were  ambushed  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  river  opposite  Broad  brook,  within  a  mile  or 
two  of  the  spot  where  St.  Blein  was  -wounded  the  year 
before.  Three  of  the  Upper  Ashuelot  company,  Joseph 
Richardson,  John  Frost  and  Jonathan  French,  were  killed 
and  scalped,  and  seven  of  the  squad  were  captured.  Four 
escaped  across  the  river  to  Fort  Dummer,  one  of  whom 
was  wounded.  The  great  gun  of  the  fort  was  fired  as  an 
alarm,  and  Capt.  Ebenezer  Alexander  started  immediately 
from  Northfield  with  a  relief  party  of  two  lieutenants  and 


90  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

thirteen  men,  who  found  and  buried  the  dead;  but  the 
Indians  escaped.  The  enemy  were  Raimbault  St.  Blein, 
Sieur  Duplessis  Fabert  and  Sieur  La  Plante,  who  had 
combined  their  forces  under  the  direction  of  St.  Blein  —  the 
same  who  had  escorted  Lieut.  Hawks  and  his  party,  from 
Montreal  to  the  Green  mountains  at  Mount  Holly,  only  a 
few  weeks  before,  with  friendly  protection.  Of  the  seven 
captured,  William  Bickford  was  killed  where  the  Indians 
encamped  the  first  night.  The  others  were  stripped  of 
their  arms  and  most  of  their  clothing  the  first  night,  and 
reached  Canada  towards  the  last  of  the  month.  Some 
w^ere  thrown  into  prison,  and  four  of  them  were  made  to 
"run  the  gauntlet."  They  reached  their  homes  during  the 
autumn,  greatly  emaciated  from  abuse  and  starvation, 
and  Benjamin  Osgood  died  a  few  weeks  later. 

June  25,  Gov.  Galissoniere  records:  "The  three  differ- 
ent war  parties  commanded  by  Sieurs  Duplessis  Fabert, 
Simblin  and  La  Plante,  are  returned  to  Montreal.  These 
parties  having  united  and  made  an  attack  on  Northfield, 
brought  in  six  English  prisoners  and  five  scalps." 

Scouting  having  proved  an  effective  method  of  oppos- 
ing the  enemy,  Capt.  Melvin  started  out  from  Northfield  in 
May,  1748,  with  eighteen  men  to  scour  the  country  above, 
leaving  the  rest  of  his  company  to  protect  the  settlement. 
He  marched  to  Fort  Dummer,  spent  one  night  at  Great 
Meadows,  and  reached  No.  4  on  the  14th.  There  he  w^as 
joined  by  Captains  Stevens  and  Hobbs  with  sixty  men. 
They  started  the  next  day,  following  the  Indian  trail  up 
Black  river  and  across  the  mountains  to  Otter  creek. 
Stevens  and  Hobbs  with  their  men  went  down  the  right 
bank  of  the  creek,  turned  to  the  north,  recrossed  the 
mountains  and  returned  to  No.  4.  Melvin  with  his  eighteen 
men  followed  the  left  bank  and  proceeded  nearly  to  Crown 
Point,  when  they  were  attacked  by  150  Indians  and  made 
a  hasty  retreat.  When  near  Fort  Dummer  they  were  again 
suddenly  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  had  stealthily  fol- 
lowed them.  Six  were  killed  and  the  party  scattered,  but 
Melvin  and  the  other  twelve  men  reached  the  fort.  The 
whole  valley  was  aroused  and  a  party  went  in  pursuit  and 
buried  the  dead,  but  could  not  overtake  the  Indians. 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  91 

Col.  Stoddard  died  in  June  and  Col.  Israel  Williams  of 
Hatfield  succeeded  him  as  commander  of  the  frontier. 

On  the  24th,  Captain  Hobbs,  second  in  command  at 
No.  4,  started  with  forty  men  to  scout  that  country  to 
the  southwest,  with  orders  to  go  as  far  as  Fort  Shirley  in 
Heath.  On  the  26th,  they  halted  about  twelve  miles  w^est 
of  Fort  Dummer.  A  large  force  of  Indians  under  a  half- 
breed  named  Sackett,  w^ell  known  to  the  whites  and  to 
Hobbs  himself,  had  followed  them ;  but  Hobbs  was  wary 
and  had  placed  a  sentinel  in  his  rear.  While  at  their  lunch 
the  sentinel  gave  the  alarm.  The  Indians  gave  their  war- 
whoop  and  rushed  upon  them,  but  Hobbs  and  his  men 
were  ready  and  met  them  with  a  fire  that  laid  several  of 
them  low.  Sackett  could  speak  English  and  called  out  to 
Hobbs  to  surrender,  threatening  to  kill  every  man.  But 
Hobbs  defied  him,  and  the  fight  continued  for  four  hours, 
when  Sackett  was  wounded  and  the  Indians  retreated,  car- 
rying off  their  dead  and  wounded.  Hobbs  lost  three  men 
killed  and  four  wounded.  Two  of  the  killed,  Samuel  Gunn 
and  Ebenezer  Mitchell,  and  Ralph  Rice,  wounded,  were  from 
the  Ashuelot  company,  and  Daniel  "McKeeney,"  a  citizen 
of  Upper  Ashuelot,  had  his  thigh  broken  and  was  disabled 
for  life.  Hobbs  and  his  men  retired  to  Fort  Dummer,  which 
they  reached  the  next  day,  having  buried  their  dead  and 
brought  off  their  wounded. 

Early  in  July,  Sergt.  Thomas  Taylor, i  of  Capt.  Wil- 
lard's  company  at  Upper  Ashuelot,  was  sent  with  six  men 
to  Northfield  to  bring  up  ten  men  to  supply  the  places  of 
those  who  had  been  killed  and  captured  on  the  16th  of 
June.  On  the  12th,  Col.  Willard,  commander  at  Fort  Dum- 
mer, reached  Northfield  on  his  way  from  Boston,  intend- 
ing to  go  on  to  the  fort  the  next  morning.  An  alarm  of 
Indians  seen  near  Dummer  reached  Northfield  that  night, 
and  Capt.  Ebenezer  Alexander  with  an  escort  started  with 
the  colonel  about  noon  on  the  13th.  Meeting  a  scout  who 
reported  no  Indians  seen,  Capt.  Alexander  with  most  of 
his  men  returned  to  Northfield,  but  five  or  six  on  horse- 
back escorted  the  colonel  through  to   Dummer.      As   they 

1  Sergt.  Thomas  Taylor  was  of  Deerfield,  and  married  Thankful,  sister  of 
John  Hawks  and  aunt  of  Mrs.  David  Nims.  He  was  afterwards  -with.  Capt. 
Isaac  Wyraan  at  Fort  Massachusetts. 


92  HISTORY  OF"  KEBNE. 

passed  the  upper  end  of  Merry's  meadow,  in  what  is  now 
Hinsdale,  some  of  the  horses  showed  restiveness,  as  they 
usually  did  when  Indians  were  near.  It  was  afterwards 
learned  that  Raimbault  and  some  Indians  lay  concealed 
within  a  few  yards  of  that  spot,  but  Raimbault  restrained 
the  savages,  telling  them  that  a  much  larger  force  would 
soon  appear. 

The  next  morning,  Thursday,  July  14,  Sergt.  Taylor, 
with  his  ten  recruits  and  his  six  other  soldiers,  started  from 
Northfield  for  Upper  Ashuelot  by  the  same  route,  the  trav- 
elled path  being  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  via  Fort 
Hinsdell  to  Dummer.  He  had  heard  the  report  that  Indians 
w^ere  in  the  vicinity,  and  remembered  the  fate  of  the  four- 
teen soldiers,  mostly  from  his  own  company,  only  a  month 
before.  He  therefore  marched  with  advanced  guards  on  each 
side  of  the  path.  He  had  passed  Merry's  meadow  and  was 
near  the  ford  of  the  Connecticut  and  close  upon  its  bank, 
when  his  right  flank  was  attacked  by  concealed  Indians. 
His  men  returned  the  fire,  but  Tajdor  reported  that  "Not 
less  than  100  guns  were  fired  before  we  could  reload  ;  "  and 
they  saw  the  whole  line  of  their  foes,  front,  flank  and  rear, 
closing  in  upon  them. 

As  prisoners  paid  better  than  scalps,  the  enemy  tried  to 
induce  Taylor  and  his  men  to  surrender,  but  they  fled  to 
the  bank  of  the  river,  where  they  continued  the  fight  and 
did  some  execution.  Two  of  the  Indians  were  killed  and 
several  wounded.  Two  of  Taylor's  men  were  killed,  and 
himself  and  ten  others  were  taken  prisoners.  Four  escaped, 
two  across  the  river  to  Fort  Dummer,  and  two  to  Hins- 
dale's fort.  Two  of  the  captured  were  wounded,  and  were 
killed  and  scalped  about  a  mile  from  the  place  of  the  fight. 
The  remaining  nine  prisoners  were  conducted  up  the  east 
side  of  the  river  a  few  miles,  to  a  place  called  "Catsbane" 
—  in  what  is  now  Chesterfield  —  where  they  crossed  the 
Connecticut  and  followed  up  West  river  over  the  spot  of 
Melvin's  disaster,  thence  across  the  mountains  to  Otter 
creek  and  down  that  stream  to  Crown  Point,  and  thence  to 
Canada;  making  on  an  average  twenty  miles  a  day.  Sergt. 
Taylor  returned  from  captivity  to  his  post  at  Upper  Ash- 
uelot on   the  30th  of  September.    Daniel  Farmer,  another 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  93 

of  the  captured,  had  been  wounded  on  the  same  spot  in  the 
fight  of  the  16th  of  June,  had  recovered,  and  was  return- 
ing to  duty  in  the  squad  of  ten  recruits ;  and  five  others  of 
the  Ashuelot  company,  Jonathan  Lawrence,  Daniel  How, 
Jr.,  John  Edgehill,  Reuben  Walker,  John  Henry,  and  two 
other  men,  all  returned  to  duty.  Daniel  How,  Jr.,  had 
been  captured  once  before. 

John  Henry  in  his  petition  to  the  general  court  of 
Massachusetts  for  relief  said:  "Your  petitioner  had  seven 
bullets  through  his  clothes,  but  escaped  into  a  thicket ; 
when  happening  to  see  an  Indian  seize  one  of  his  fellow 
soldiers  he  ran  up  within  a  few  feet  of  the  Indian  and 
shot  him  through  the  bod3^ ;  whereupon  he  was  sur- 
rounded, and  engaged  the  savages  with  his  gun  clubbed 
until  it  was  broken  in  pieces,  when  he  was  taken  and 
carried  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  two  months  and 
eighteen  days,  when  he  returned  home."  For  killing  the 
Indian  he  was  barbarously  treated,  both  on  the  march  and 
while  in  captivity. 

All  the  prisoners  were  sold  to  the  French,  who  held  them 
till  the  last  of  September,  when  there  was  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities and  they  were  allowed  to  return  home.  Sergt.  Tay- 
lor also  petitioned  the  general  court  for  relief,  and  it  w^as : 

"Ordered,  £100  be  granted  and  paid  to  y^  petitioner, 
to  be  equally  divided  between  him  and  y^  survivors;  and 
y^  further  sum  of  50  shillings  be  allowed  y*^  petitioner  for 
his  bravery  in  y*^  action ;  also  that  he  be  allowed  £7  for 
his  expenses  in  travelling  to  Boston  and  attendance  on  y^ 
Court;  also  that  26  shillings  and  3  pence  be  allowed  John 
Henry  for  his  expenses,  and  24  shillings  to  Daniel  How  jr 
for  his  expenses  in  this  affair."  Henry  was  of  Concord, 
Mass.     How  and  Henry  went  to  Boston  as  witnesses. 

This  fight  took  place  less  than  a  mile  below  Fort 
Dummer,  and  upon  the  discharge  of  the  first  volley  the 
"great  gun"  of  the  fort  was  fired,  and  expresses  were 
sent  to  the  more  distant  posts.  Col.  Williams  immediately 
sent  up  a  strong  force  from  Hatfield,  Deerfield  and  North- 
field  under  Capt.  Phineas  Stevens,  who  happened  to  be  at 
Deerfield  at  that  time.  With  129  men,  he  followed  the 
enemy  for  several  days,  but  could  not  overtake  them  in 
their  rapid  retreat  of  twenty  miles  a  day. 


94  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Upon  the  urgent  solicitations  of  commanding  officers 
and  others  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts  issued  orders  on  the  18th  of  July  to  raise  a 
sufficient  force  out  of  the  militia  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontiers. 

We  may  well  tender  our  grateful  acknowledgments  to 
old  Massachusetts  for  all  she  did  for  the  protection  of  this 
corner  of  New  Hampshire  during  those  perilous  times. 
Not  only  did  that  province  grant  aid,  but,  in  the  poverty 
of  the  public  treasury  and  delays  in  collecting  taxes, 
private  individuals  and  commanding  and  staff  officers 
advanced  large  sums  to  defray  public  expenses,  to  be  reim- 
bursed later.  At  one  time.  Col.  Williams,  chief  commissary 
of  the  frontier,  had  advanced  6,000  pounds  and  Col.  Josiah 
Willard,  subcommissary  and  commander  at  Fort  Dummer, 
10,000  pounds,  of  their  own  funds  and  what  they  could 
borrow  on  their  own  responsibility.  They  were  reimbursed 
by  the  provincial  government  of  Massachusetts. 

New  Hampshire  had  kept  troops  in  the  field  and  gar- 
risons in  the  forts  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
province  through  the  season  of  1748.  Capt.  John  GofFe, 
with  two  lieutenants,  commanded  two  companies  of  scouts, 
one  of  thirty-two,  the  other  of  fifty-four  men ;  Capt.  Job 
Coleman  one  of  forty-five  men;  and  Capt.  Moses  Foster 
one  of  twenty-six  men ;  but  none  w^ere  sent  into  the  Con- 
necticut valley.  The  battles  of  these  towns  had  been  fought 
by  Massachusetts  troops  and  the  citizens  themselves,  at 
No.  4  and  about  Fort  Dummer. 

All  through  that  season  of  1748,  while  young  Capt. 
Josiah  Willard  was  here  with  his  company,  the  charred  and 
blackened  remains  of  the  meetinghouse  and  the  thirty-one 
log  cabins  that  had  been  the  peaceful  homes  of  the  settlers 
prior  to  the  war  must  have  made  the  place  a  scene  of  des- 
olation and  sad  recollections,  particularly  to  those  soldiers, 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  who  had  enlisted  in  the  company 
and  remained  to  aid  in  guarding  their  property  and  main- 
taining their  rights. 

Under  date  of  August  19,  1748,  Galissoniere  reports 
that  he  has  "ordered  all  hostilities  to  cease,  and,  so  far 
as  depends  on  him,  will    put  a  stop  to   all  hostilities    on 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  95 

the  part  of  our  Indians."  It  was  under  this  order  that 
Sergt.  Taylor  and  his  men,  and  many  others,  were  re- 
leased. 

A  treaty  of  peace  between  England  and  France  was 
signed  at  Aix  La  Chapelle,  in  October,  but  it  was  not  pro- 
claimed at  Boston  till  the  spring  following,  and  on  the 
frontiers  not  till  still  later;  and  the  Indians  continued  to 
make  occasional  raids.  On  the  20th  of  June,  1749,  they 
appeared  again  at  No.  4,  shot  Ensign  Obadiah  Sartwell 
and  captured  Enos  Stevens,  a  young  son  of  Capt.  Phineas. 
The  lad  was  taken  to  Canada,  but  was  soon  released  by 
the  French  commander  and  sent  back  by  the  way  of 
Albany,  reaching  No.  4  in  September.  That  was  the  last 
raid  of  the  savages  in  the  Connecticut  valley  for  several 
years. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  RETURN  OF    THE    SETTLERS  AND  THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE 

CHARTER. 
1749-1754. 

Massachusetts  discharged  most  of  her  troops,  but  in 
the  unsettled  state  of  affairs  left  a  small  force  at  Fort 
Dumnier  and  another  at  No.  4  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontier;  and  "  Capt.  John  Catlin  of  Deerfield  had  a  com- 
pany of  56  men,  raised  from  the  Middlesex  and  Worcester 
regiments,  mustered  July  13  (1749),  discharged  Oct.  12. 
This  company  was  billeted  one  half  the  time  at  Northfield 
and  one  half  the  time  at  Keene.  The  allowance  for  billet- 
ing per  man  per  week  at  Northfield  was  8  shillings,  at 
Keene,  10  shillings  7  pence  3  farthings,  new  tenor."  (Mas- 
sachusetts Archives.) 

This  record  from  the  Massachusetts  Archives  makes  it 
evident  that  some  of  the  proprietors  had  returned  to  Up- 
per Ashuelot  in  the  spring  or  early  summer  of  1749,  with 
their  families,  for  soldiers  could  not  be  "billeted"  without 
inhabitants  upon  whom  to  billet  them.  (John  Kilburn,  the 
first  settler  of  Walpole,  came  there  in  1749,  which  shows 
that  the  advance  of  pioneers  had  been  resumed.)  And  this 
evidence  is  corroborated  by  the  following  documents  copied 
from  the  New  Hampshire  State  Papers,  where  twenty  "In- 
habitants of  the  upper  Ashuelot"  —  and  of  "the  Upper 
Township  on  Ashuelot  River  where  we  Dwell"  —  signed 
petitions  dated  here  on  the  11th  of  Feb.,  1750,  showing 
that  they  spent  the  winter  of  1749-50  here;  and  to  do 
that  they  must  have  been  here  in  the  summer  of  1749 
to  rebuild  the  cabins  in  which  to  dwell : 

"We  whose  Names  are  Hereunto  Subscribed  Inhabitants 
of  the  upper  Ashuelot  for  a  Long  time  Labour  under  many 
Great  Difficulties  for  want  of  Town  Priviledges  we  Do 
Therefore  Hereby  Constitute  and  Impower  our  Trusty 
friend  Cap^  Jeremiah  Hall  to  Represent  our  Difficulties  to 
his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  New  Hampshire  and  to  Any 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER. 


97 


Others  Concerned  In  that  affair  that  we  maj^  be  Incorpor- 
ated Into  a  Town  and  Likewise  we  give  power  to  him  to 
Chuse  a  man  to  asist  him  In  the  affaires. 
"Upper  Ashuelot  February  y^  11th  1750. 

"William  Smeed      Jonathan  Underwood  Michael  medcalfjr 


Ebenezer  Nims 
David  Nims 
Ephraim  Dorman 
Nathan  Fairbanks 
Joseph  Files 


Oliver  Medcalf 
Abijah  medcalf 
Jabez  Hill 
David  Foster 
Amos  Foster." 


John  Rogers 

Nathan  Blake 

Ebenezer  Day 

Gideon  Ellis 

Michaell  Medcalf 
"We  the  Subscribers  Do  hereby  Impower  Cap^  Jeremiah 
Hall  to  Pertition  In  our  behalf  for  the  Upper  Township  on 
Ashuelot  River  where  we  Dwell  to  his  Excellency  the  Gov- 
ernour  of  New  Hampshire  and  all  Concern'd  in  that  affair 
In  the  same  form  that  it  was  laid  by  the  Massachusetts 

"Upper  Ashuelot  Feb^^  11*^^  1750 
"  William  Smeed      Ebenezer  Day 
Ebenezer  Nims  Gideon  Ellis 

David  Nims  Michael  Medcalf 

Ephraim  Dorman    Jabez  Hill 

Nathan  Fairbanks  Jonathan  Underwood  Samuel  Hall 
Joseph  Files  John  Rogers  Jesse  Hall 

Nathan  Blake  Elijah  Dorman" 

"We  whose  Names  are  Hereunto  Subscribed  Being 
Propriators  of  the  Upper  Ashuelot  Township  so  called  Do 
hereby  Impower  M*"  Benjamin  Guild  to  joyne  with  Cap* 
Jeremiah  Hall  in  Petetioning  His  Exelency  the  Govoner  of 
the  Province  of  New  Hamshire  He  observing  the  Instruc- 
tions Given  by  others  of  the  Propriators  to  the  said  Cap* 
Hall 

"Wrentham  Feb'"  20*^^  1750. 


David  Foster 
Oliver  medcalf 
Michael  medcalfjr 
Abijah  medcalf 


"John  Whiting 
Daniel  Haws 
Joseph  Fisher 
Samuel  Fisher 
Benjamin  Guild 
Obediah  Blake 
Ebenezer  Daniels 
Nathaniel  Ware 
Hannah  Dale 
Abner  Ellis 


Asa  Richardson 
Sarah  Greene 
Joseph  Richardson 
Daniell  maceene 
William  Hancock 
Samuel  Danils 
Esther  Messenger 
Jonathan  Whiting 
Jacob  Bacon 


Abigail  Guild 
Robart  Blak 
Seth  Heaton 
Elijah  Blake 
Josiah  Fisher  for 
the  hares  of 
Aaron  Fisher 
Nathan  Bucknam 


Nath"  Fairbnks." 
(State  Papers,  vol.  12,  pages  307-9.) 

But  no  notice  of  those  petitions  was  taken  by  the 
authorities  of  New  Hampshire.  In  their  estimation,  the 
little  settlements  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  prov- 
ince were  too  far  away,  and  it  would  cost  too  much   to 


98  HISTORY  OF  KBBNE. 

protect  them  if  they  were  admitted  to  the  body  politic. 
So  the  little  band  of  pioneers  on  the  Ashuelot  had  to  wait 
three  years  longer  for  recognition.  Mr.  Hale  in  his  Annals, 
page  28,  says : 

"On  the  restoration  of  peace,  the  settlers  who  had 
been  driven  from  their  lands,  by  the  war,  made  prepara- 
tions to  return.  The  exact  time  when  Upper  Ashuelot 
was  again  occupied,  has  not  been  ascertained.  It  w^as, 
probably,  some  time  in  1750 ;  certainly  as  early  as  1751 ; 
as  it  is  within  the  recollection  of  Thomas  Wells,  now  liv- 
ing, who  came  to  reside  here  in  1752,  that  eight  or  ten 
dwelling  houses  had  then  been  erected." 

But  Mr.  Hale,  writing  merely  the  "Annals  of  Keene," 
evidently  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  examine  thoroughly 
the  archives  of  Massachusetts  or  the  records  of  the  province 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  did  not  discover  the  above  data, 
M^hich  prove  clearly  that  some  of  the  settlers  had  returned 
in  1749. 

"  Prov  of  Newhamshore 

"To  his  Excellency  Benning  Wentworth  Esq*"  Govor'* 
&c  In  &  over  his  Majestys  Province  of  New  hampshore 

The  peti°"  of  John  Densmoor  &  Ruth  his  Wife  Humbly 
Shews  that  Josiah  Fisher  of  upper  Ashaulott  In  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  Hamshore  decesed  Late  Husband  of  the  said 
Ruth  had  In  his  Lifetime  a  Grant  from  the  Massachusettets 
Government  of  one  Whole  Wright  or  Share  In  s^  township 
&  that  In  his  Lifetime  Bult  an  house  &  Cleard  &  In 
proved  Near  forty  acres  of  Land  In  s<^  township  &  In  the 
Begining  of  the  War  with  y^  Endins  the  s^  Josiah  Was 
Killed  &  the  s<i  Ruth  y^  Wedow  of  the  Dtc^^  was  left  with 
out  any  Children  by  the  deces^  But  she  still  Continued  att 
y^  said  Ashualuett  &  In  proved  s"^  Lands  tell  y^  Endins 
Drove  of  the  In  habitance  of  s*^  town  &  Sence  the  Sasition 
of  arms  the  s<^  Ruth  with  hir  Present  Husband  hath  fenced 
&  In  Proved  the  s*^  Lands  afore  s'^  wharefore  your  Peti- 
tioners Humbly  Pray  that  your  Exellency  Would  be 
plesed  to  Grant  to  your  Petioners  the  s*^  Lands  afore  s** 
upon  the  Condition  that  your  Exellency  grants  to  others 
y^  Kings  subjects  In  8*3  Province  &  your  Petioners  In  duty 
Bound  Shall  Ever  Pray  — 

"Nov"'  ye  gt^  1750  John  Dunsmoor 

Ruth  Dunsmoor" 

Hinsdale,  Winchester,  Westmoreland  and  Lower  Ashue- 
lot were  reoccupied  about  the  same  time  with  Upper 
Ashuelot,   and  settlements  had  been    made,   now  soon  to 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  99 

be  revived,  at  Peterboro,  Rindge  and  Hillsborough.  No.  4 
had  been  first  settled  in  1740,  and  like  the  other  advanced 
settlements  had  been  abandoned  for  a  time  from  fear  of 
the  Indians;  but  peace  restored  its  prosperity  and  in  June, 
1750,  it  had  a  population  sufficient  to  organize  a  military 
company  of  its  own  citizens  numbering  twenty -nine  officers 
and  men,  John  Kilburn,  at  No.  3  (Walpole),  was  fol- 
lowed in  1752  by  Col.  Benjamin  Bellows. 

Migration  flowed  in  all  directions  to  the  cheap  and 
fertile  lands  which  might  now  be  occupied  in  safety.  The 
population  of  New  Hampshire,  then  about  30,000,  in- 
creased rapidly.  The  governor  and  his  friends  encouraged 
immigration,  for  the  business  of  granting  townships  was 
exceedingly  profitable.  In  each  case,  the  governor  reserved 
a  large  tract  of  land  to  himself — usually  500  acres,  as  in 
the  case  of  Keene  —  and  he  and  his  subordinates  received 
remunerative  fees. 

The  rich  meadow  lands  on  the  upper  Connecticut  and 
its  branches,  about  the  present  town  of  Haverhill,  were 
also  occupied  by  settlers  about  this  time.  But  this  aroused 
the  jealousy  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians  and  their  allies,  the 
Squawkheags,  who  still  claimed  ownership  of  those  lands, 
rich  in  fish  and  game,  which  had  been  the  hunting  ground 
of  their  fathers.  The  whites  persisted,  and  the  Indians 
retaliated  by  committing  some  outrages  in  the  eastern  and 
central  parts  of  the  province.  But,  with  those  exceptions, 
the  Indians  were  peaceful  for  several  years. 

"  The  sketch  here  presented  of  Keene  Village  [page  101], 
as  it  was  in  1750,  has  been  drawn  by  the  compiler  from 
the  recollection  of  descriptions  of  it  given  him  by  Thomas 
Wells,  and  other  aged  people,  who  resided  here  near  that 
time  and  had  heard  people  older  than  themselves  talk  about 
it.  No  building  was  then  standing,  and  the  sites  of  such 
only  as  are  designated  on  the  sketch  have  been  precisely 
ascertained.  There  was  a  dwelling  house  on  the  road  to 
Boston,  near  Beaver  Brook.  The  well  used  by  the  family, 
who  occupied  it,  was  at  the  foot  of  the  declivity  South  of 
it,  near  where  now  grows  a  large  elm  tree.  It  had  a  high 
curb,  made  of  small  round  timber,  like  a  cob  house,  with 
a  platform  leading  to  it  from  the  top  of  the  bank.  When 
the  alarm  was  given  at  the  time  of  the  attack  by  the  In- 
dians,  a    man,   whose    name  has    not  come  down  to    us, 


loo  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

descended  into  this  well,  remained  there  two  days,  and  then 
ascended,  unharmed.  When  Keene  was  abandoned,  it  con- 
tained about  forty  dwelling  houses  in  all. 

"It  may  be  worth  while  to  put  on  record  a  few  facts 
in  regard  to  Main-street.  Where  the  back  part  of  the 
Cheshire  House  now  stands,  was  once  a  bog,  or  quagmire 
which  continued  South  to  Church-street,  and  beyond  it. 
About  opposite  the  Railroad  Station,  but  rather  North  of 
it,  there  was  a  considerable  depression  in  the  street ;  men 
now  living  remember  w^alking  erect  under  the  causeway, 
the  top  of  which  was  several  feet  below  the  present  sur- 
face ;  and  younger  men  than  they  remember  when  the  water 
(Beaver  Brook  in  a  freshet  overflowing  its  banks)  was  so 
deep,  at  this  place,  that  boats  were  guided,  and  men  swam, 
from  one  point  on  the  street  to  another.  On  the  West  side 
of  the  street,  just  South  of  Gen.  Wilson's  garden,  was  a 
pond  surrounded  by  alders,  and  after  this  period  visited  by 
wild  ducks.  A  little  South  of  this  pond,  in  the  middle  of 
the  street,  was  a  conical  hill,  on  which  the  third  meeting- 
house was  placed.  And  many  men  now  living  have  most 
disagreeable  recollections  of  the  horrible  travelling  caused 
by  the  deep,  adhesive  mud  which,  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
covered  many  portions  of  Main-street,  as  well  as  of  West- 
street  and  Court-street.  But  all  the  streets  have  become  so 
dry  that  but  little  inconvenience  is  now  felt  in  travelling, 
at  the  worst  season  of  the  year.  This  change  has  been 
effected,  partly  by  deepening  and  clearing  out  the  channels 
of  the  Ashuelot  River  and  Beaver  Brook,  partly  by  agri- 
cultural drains  throughout  the  valley,  and  partly  by  cart- 
ing on  gravel,  and  thus  raising  and  hardening  the  surface 
of  the  streets." 

(Annals,  pages  28-30.) 

The  map  on  the  opposite  page  is  printed  from  the 
original  wood  cut  which  was  used  in  the  publication  of 
the  Annals  of  Keene. 

In  March,  1751,  Gov.  Wentworth  was  again  petitioned 
by  Jeremiah  Hall  and  Benjamin  Guild  "in  behalf  of  them 
Selves  and  others  Inhabitants  Settlers  and  Proprietors  of 
a  certain  Tract  of  land  Called  the  upper  Township  on 
Ashuelot  River,"  for  a  charter  of  incorporation;  setting 
forth  "that  in  the  year  1737,  in  virtue  of  a  Grant  from 
the  massachusets  Government,  a  plantation  was  begun  on 
said  Tract  of  land  — That  in  the  year  1738  a  minister  was 
settled  there  and  a  meeting  house  built  —  That  before  the 
last  Indian  War  with  the  Indians  there  were  Thirty  one 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER. 


101 


TOASHSWaMP 


X 


SKETCH  oE  KEENE 
1750 


1,2,3,  SITES  OF  ME1.TIN&  HOFSE  1 


102  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Dwelling  houses  built  on  said  Tract  of  land  Sundry  barns 
and  a  Fort  of  near  a  hundred  foot  square  having  eighteen 
fire  Rooms  within  said  fort  a  Saw  mill  and  Grist  mill 
built  —  that  the  setlers  and  others  who  were  preparing  for 
setling  there  before  the  Indian  War  had  made  large  Im- 
provements there  and  laid  out  their  Substanc  in  doing  the 
same — 

"That  in  the  Spring  of  y^  year  1747  — The  Indians 
burnt  down  all  the  dwelling  Houses  there  except  four  — 
also  burnt  down  all  the  Barns  but  one  also  burnt  down 
the  meeting  house  and  the  Fort  also  much  household  Stuff 
and  killed  Considerable  Cattle  Horses  Sheep  and  Swine 
That  the  s*^  Settlers  and  Proprietors  are  returned  and 
returning  on  to  the  said  Tract  of  land  in  order  to  cultivate 
and  Improve  the  same  and  in  case  a  peace  Continues  with 
the  Indians  in  a  fev^^  years  there  "will  be  forty  or  fifty 
familys  in  case  there  was  an  Incorporation  —  Wherefore 

"March  y^  4^^^  1750-1  Jeremiah  Hall 

Benjamin  Guild" 

This  petition  met  the  same  fate  as  the  former  ones,  no 
notice  being  taken  of  it  so  far  as  the  records  show. 
Neither  do  we  find  any  record  of  what  was  done  here  in 
the  next  t^wo  years.  But  w^e  find  the  following  in  the 
New  Hampshire  State  Papers,  vol.  12,  page  310: 

"Upper  Ashuelot  Feb"  y^  2"<i  1753 

"We  whose  names  are  underwritten  Do  hereby  Author- 
ize and  Impower  our  Trusty  Friend  M'^  Ephraim  Dorman 
to  Prefer  a  Petition  to  his  Excellency  the  Governour  of 
New  Hampshire  for  a  Township  known  by  the  Name  of 
the  Upper  Ashuelot  and  to  Pray  his  Excellency  to  Grant  a 
Charter  of  this  Land  to  the  Inhabitants  and  others  Con- 
cerned in  said  Lands  and  to  Insert  a  Clause  in  said  Petition 
Praying  his  Excellency  that  if  it  might  be  Consistent  with 
his  Pleasure  he  would  Insert  a  Clause  in  his  Charter  where- 
by every  man  may  be  Intitled  to  those  Lands  which  he 
Thought  himself  to  be  the  Honest  owner  of  he  Paying  the 
Charges  that  have  arisen  on  said  Lands  to  Prevent  End- 
less Law-Suits  and  other  DiflEiculties  Impending  over  us 
and  to  set  forth  in  said  Petition  the  Great  Cost  and  Ex- 
pence  we  have  been  at  in  Building  two  Forts  and  Defend- 
ing the  Kings  Lands  and  the  Great  Losses  we  have  Sus- 
tained by  the  Enemy  as  set  forth  in  the  Petition  Lodged 
with  M*"  Atkinson  Secretary  and  to  take  the  Names  Lodged 
with  M^  Livermore  and  annex  to  said  Petition 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  103 

"Jeremiah  Hall  Samuel  Reed  Isaac  Clark 

William  Barnes  Benjamin  Larrabee  Nathan  Blake 

Ebenezer  Daniels  David  Foster  Michael  medcalfjr 

Jabez  Hill  Benjamin  Twitchell  Joseph  Elles 
Timothy  Harrington  David  Nims  Gideon  Ellis 

Daniel  Twitchell  Ebenezer  Day  Eleazer  Sanger 

Amos  Foster  William  Smeed  Jonah  French." 

Titus  Belding  Ebenezer  Nims 

From  the  statement  above  made,  and  from  the  list  of 
grantees,  it  is  evident  that  the  original  petition,  with  a 
larger  number  of  names,  had  been  "Lodged  with  Mr. 
Atkinson  Secretary"  of  the  province;  also  that  there  was 
an  order  of  the  citizens  appointing  and  authorizing  Benja- 
min Bellows  to  go  to  Portsmouth  as  their  agent,  with 
Mr.  Dorman,  to  procure  the  charter,  but  neither  of  those 
papers  can  now  be  found. 

"At  a  Council  holden  at  Portsmouth  by  his  Excelencys 
orders,  on  Wednesday  April  11^^  1753. 

Present 
"Theodore  Atkinson\„  Samuel  Solley  \_ 

Richard  Wibird  jEsqrs  Daniel  Warner/ ^^^^^ 

"The  Secretary  by  his  Excelencys  order  laid  before  the 
Board  the  petition  of  Benj*^  Bellows  in  behalf  of  &  as  im- 
power'd  by  the  claimers  &  settlers  of  that  tract  of  land 
called  &  known  by  the  name  of  the  upper  Ashuelot  pray- 
ing that  as  they  had  settled  the  said  tract  of  land  by  virtue 
of  a  grant  from  the  Massachusetts  Government  before  the 
line  of  Government  was  run  and  continued  there  till  drove 
of  by  the  Indian  War  &c  and  that  a  grant  may  be  made 
so  as  not  to  break  in  upon  their  former  surveys  &  laying 
out  but  to  those  persons  that  claim  the  same  &  have 
made  improvements  thereon  &c  and  then  asked  the  Council 
wheither  they  would  advise  his  Excelency  to  make  the  said 
grant  agreable  to  the  said  request  —  To  which  they  did 
unanimously  consent  &  advise." 

(Prov.  Papers,  vol.  6,  page  21.) 

Claiming  the  right  to  name  the  town,  the  governor 
named  it  Keene.  In  his  business  as  merchant  at  Ports- 
mouth, previous  to  his  appointment  as  governor,  Mr. 
Wentworth  had  contracted  with  an  agent  of  the  court  of 
Spain  to  supply  that  government  with  a  large  quantity 
of  oak  timber.  To  meet  the  expense  involved  he  borro-wed 
money  in  London.  When  he  delivered  the  timber  at  Cadiz 
the  agent  with  ^^hom  he  had  made  the  contract  was  out 


104  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

of  office  and  the  new  agent  declined  to  pay.  On  his 
voyage  home  his  ship  foundered  and  he  was  saved  with 
the  crew  in  a  boat,  to  find  himself  bankrupt.  Afterwards 
he  made  another  voyage  to  Spain  and  claimed  payment 
for  his  timber.  Sir  Benjamin  Keene  was  then  the  English 
minister  to  Spain,  and  he  used  his  influence  to  aid  Mr. 
Wentworth,  who,  though  unsuccessful  in  his  suit,  formed 
a  warm  friendship  for  Sir  Benjamin,  and  his  gratitude, 
and  his  admiration  for  the  man,  led  him  to  name  this 
town  in  his  honor.     (See  sketch  of  Sir  Benjamin  Keene.) 

The  charter  covered  the  same  tract  granted  by  Massa- 
chusetts with  the  addition  of  a  narrow  strip  on  the  east 
side  extending  to  the  "Patent  Line"  —  the  west  line  of  the 
Mason  grant  of  1629,  a  curve  which  formed  the  original 
west  lines  of  Fitzwilliam,  Packersfield,  Stoddard ;  the  east 
lines  of  Richmond,  Keene,  Gilsum,  Newport,  Croydon,  and 
so  on  through  the  state; — thus  ratifying  the  Massachu- 
setts grant  and  confirming  the  proprietors  in  the  possession 
of  their  lands.  The  town  then  contained  SG.^S  square 
miles,  or  25,248  acres. 

Charter  of  Keene,  1753. 
The  following  is  the  record  of  the  charter    of   Keene 
found  in  the  Book  of  Charters,  pages  149-152 : 
Province  of  New  Hamp^ 
George  the  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of 
\  /        Great  Brittain   France  &  Ireland   King  De- 

\    P-o-    >       fender  of  the  faith  &c^ 
C  )  To  all  Persons  to    whom    these   Presents 

^^^-^v-^^  Shall  come  Greeting 

Keene  Whereas  Sundry  of  our  Loveing  Subjects 

before  the  Settlement  of  the  Dividing  Line  of  our  Province 
of  New  Hampshire  aforesaid  and  our  Other  Government  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  had  by  Permission  of  our  Said  Gov- 
ernment of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  begun  A  Settlement  of 
A  Tract  of  Land  on  Ashuelot  River  so  Called  and  made 
Sundry  Divisions  of  8c  Improvements  upon  the  Said  Tract 
of  Land  And  there  remain 'd  till  the  Indian  Warr  forced 
them  off"  and  our  Said  Subjects  being  Desireous  to  make  an 
Immediate  Settlement  on  the  Premisses  &  haveing  Peti- 
tioned our  Governour  in  Council  for  his  Majestys  Grant  of 
the  Premisses  to  be  so  made  as  might  not  subvert  &  Dis- 
tro3^  their  former  Surveys  &  Laying  out  in  severalty  made 
thereon  as  aforesaid  Now  Know  Ye  that  we  of  our  Especial 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  105 

Grace  Certain  Knowledge  &  mere  motion  for  answering 
the  Ends  above  said  and  for  the  Due  Encouragement  of 
Settling  the  Said  Plantation  by  &  with  the  Advice  of 
our  Trusty  &  wellbeloved  Benning  Wentworth  Esq  our 
Governour  &  Commander  in  Chieff  in  &  over  our  Said  Prov- 
ince of  New  Hampshire  in  America  and  of  our  Council  of 
our  s*^  Province  Have  upon  the  Conditions  &  Reservations 
herein  after  made  Given  &  Granted  and  by  these  Presents 
for  us  our  heirs  &  Successors  Do  give  &  Grant  unto  our 
Loveing  Subjects  Inhabitants  of  our  Said  Province  of  New 
Hampshire  and  our  Other  Governments  in  New  England 
And  to  their  heirs  and  Assignes  for  ever  whose  names  are 
Entered  on  this  Grant  to  be  Divided  to  &  amoungst  them 
into  So  many  &  Such  Shares  &  Proportions  as  they  now 
hold  or  Claim  the  same  by  Purchas  Contract  Vote  or  Agre- 
ment  made  amoungst  themselves  All  that  Tract  or  Parcel 
of  Land  Scituate  Lying  &  being  within  our  Said  Province 
of  New  Hampshire  Containing  by  admeasurement  Twenty 
three  thousend  &  forty  Acres  which  Tracts  is  to  Contain 
Six  Miles  Square  &  no  more  out  of  which  an  allowance  is 
to  be  made  for  highways  and  unimprovable  Land  by  Rocks 
Mountains  Ponds  &  Rivers  One  thousend  &  forty  Acres 
free  According  to  a  Plan  thereof  made  &  Presented  by  our 
Said  Governours  orders  And  hereunto  Annexed  Butted  & 
bounded  as  follows  —  Viz  —  Beginning  at  A  Beach  Tree  the 
North  West  Corner  &  Runs  South  Six  Degrees  an  an  half 
East  four  miles  &  Seventy  rods  to  A  Beach  Tree  marked 
Thence  runs  East  Ten  Degrees  &  a  half  South  Six  miles  & 
one  hundred  &  Eighty  Rods  to  A  heap  of  Stones  thence 
runs  North  Seventeen  degrees  East  Six  Miles  &  Eighty  Rods 
to  A  Tree  marked  being  the  South  East  Corner  of  Boyle 
thence  runs  West  five  Degrees  and  an  half  South  Eight 
Miles  &  Two  hundred  &  fifty  rods  to  the  Bounds  first 
mentioned  And  that  the  Same  be  and  hereby  is  Incorpor- 
ated into  A  Township  by  the  name  of  Keene  and  that  the 
Inhabitants  that  Do  or  Shall  hereafter  Inhabit  the  Said 
Township  Are  hereby  Declared  to  be  Enfranchized  with  and 
Intituled  to  all  &  every  the  Previledges  And  Immunities 
that  Other  Towns  within  our  Said  Province  by  Law  Exer- 
cize &  Enjoy  and  further  that  the  Said  Town  as  Soon  as 
there  Shall  be  fifty  families  Shall  have  the  Liberty  to  open  & 
keep  A  Market  one  or  more  Da3^s  in  Each  week  as  may  be 
tho^  most  Advantagious  to  the  Inhabitants  also  that  the 
first  Meeting  for  the  Choice  of  Town  officers  &  other  af- 
fairs Agreable  to  the  Laws  of  our  Said  Province  Shall  be 
held  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  May  next  which  Meeting 
Shall  be  Notif\'ed  by  M*"  Benjamin  Bellows  who  is  hereby 
Also  Appointed  the  Moderator  of  the  said  first  Meeting 


106  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

which  he  is  to  Notify  &  Govern  Agreable  to  the  Law  &  Cus- 
tom of  our  Said  Province  And  that  the  Annual  Meeting  for 
ever  hereafter  for  the  Choice  of  Such  officers  for  the  Said 
Town  Shall  be  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  March  annually  —  To 
HAVE  &  TO  HOLD  the  Said  Tract  of  Land  as  above  Expressed 
togeather  with  all  Previledges  and  Appurtenances  to  them 
or  their  respective  heirs  and  assigns  forever  upon  the  follow- 
ing Conditions  (Viz)  that  every  Grantee  his  heirs  &  assignes 
Shall  Plant  or  Cultivate  five  Acres  of  Land  within  the 
Term  of  five  years  for  every  fifty  Acres  Contained  in  his  or 
their  Share  or  Proportion  of  Land  in  the  Said  Township 
&  Continue  to  Improve  &  Settle  the  same  by  Aditional 
Cultivations  on  Penalty  of  the  forfeiture  of  his  Grant  or 
Share  in  the  said  Township  and  its  reverting  to  his  Maj- 
esty his  heirs  and  Successors  to  be  by  him  or  them  re- 
granted  to  Such  of  his  Subjects  as  shall  Effectually  Settle 
&  Cultivate  the  Same  —  That  all  white  &  other  Pine  Trees 
within  the  Said  Township  fit  for  masting  i  our  Royal  Navy 
be  Carefully  Preserved  for  that  use  &  none  to  be  Cutt  or 
fell'd  without  his  Majesties  Especial  Lycence  for  so  Doing 
first  had  &  obtaind  upon  the  Penalty  of  the  forfeiture  of 
the  right  of  Such  Grantee  his  heirs  or  assigns  to  us  our 
heirs  and  Successors  as  well  as  being  Subject  to  the  Pen- 
alty of  any  Act  or  Acts  of  Parliament  that  now  are  or 
hereafter  Shall  be  Enacted. 

That  before  any  further  Division  of  the  Said  Land  be 
made  to  and  amoungst  the  grantees  A  Tract  of  Land  in 
the  most  Comodious  Place  the  Land  will  admit  of  Shall 
be  reserved  &  marked  out  for  Town  Lotts  one  of  which 
shall  be  allotted  to  Each  Grantee  of  the  Contents  of  one 
Acre  Yeilding  &  Paying  therefor  to  us  our  heirs  &  Suc- 
cessors for  the  Space  of  Ten  3^ears  to  be  Computed  from 
the  Date  hereof  the  rent  of  One  Ear  of  Indian  Corn  only 
on  the  first  day  of  January  next  Ensueing  the  Date  hereof 
—  And  every  Proprietor  Settler  or  Inhabitant  Shall  Yield 
&  Pay  unto  us  our  heirs  &  Successors  Yearly  &  Every 
Year  for  ever  from  &  after  the  Expiration  of  the  Ten  years 
from  the  Date  hereof  Namely  on  the  first  Day  of  Jan^ 
which  will  be  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord  Christ  One  thous- 
end  seven  hundred  &  Sixty  three  One  Shilling  Proclama- 
tion money  for  every  hundred  Acres  he  so  owns  Settles  or 
Possesses  and  so  in  Proportion  for  a  Greater  or  Lesser 
Tract  of  the  Said  Land  which  money  shall  be  paid  by  the 
Respective  Persons  abovesaid  their  heirs  or  assignes  in  our 
Council  Chamber  in  Portsmouth  or  to  such  officer  or  offi- 
cers as  Shall  be  appointed  to  receive  the  Same  and  this  to 

IThe  mast  trees    were   marked   by   the   surveyor   general    or  his   deputy,  and 
there  was  a  fine  of  IQO  pounds  for  cutting-  a  tree  thus  marked. 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  107 

be  in  Lieu  of  all  other  rents  &  services  whatsoever  In 
Wittness  whereof  We  have  Caused  the  Seal  of  Our  said 
Province  to  be  hereunto  affixed  Wittness  Benxing  Wext- 
WORTH  Esq  our  Governour  &  Com'ander  in  Chieff  of  our 
Said  Province  the  11*^  Day  of  April  in  the  j-ear  of  our 
Lord  Christ  1753  &  in  the  26*^  vear  of  our  reign  — 

B  Wentworth 
By  his  Excellencys  Com'and  with  Advice  of  Council 

Theodore  Atkinson  Se*^ 
Entred  &  recorded  According  to  the  Original  under  the 
Province  Seal  the  11^^^  Day  of  April  1753  — 

T^  Theodore  Atkinson  Sec*"^ 

The  Names  of  the  Grantees  of  Keene  —  Viz  — 

John  Adams,  Jacob  Bacon,       Thomas  Bacon, 

Stephen  Blake,  Nathan  Blake,     Obediah  Blake, 

Elijah  Blake,  Sam"  Brigham,  Nathan  Bucknam, 

John  Ballard's  heirs,  Isaac  Clark,         Ebenezer  Daniels, 
Edward  Dale,  Eph"^  Dorman,    Sam"  Ellis, 

Joseph  Ellis,  Gideon  Ellis,        Titus  Belden, 

Eleazer  Sanger,  Benj^  Bello^\'s,    Joseph  Fisher, 

Samuel  Fisher,  Benj^  Gile,  Ebenezer  Forces's  heirs, 

Jacob  Gibbs,  Sarah  Green,       Joseph  Gile's  heirs, 

Jeremiah  Hall,   Benjamin  Halls' heirs,  Daniel  Hawse, 
Nathaniel  Heaton,      Seth  Heaton,      Jabez  Hill, 
Daniel  Kingsbury,      Richard  Man,  Henr\"  Messenger's  heirs, 
John  Fairbanks,  Michael  Aledcalfjun^,  Ebenezer  Nims, 
Joseph  Peabod3's  heirs,   David  Nims,   Samuel  Read, 
Israel  Houghton,        Timothy  Puffer,  John  Richardson, 
Josiah  Willard,  Moses  Richardson,  Asa  Richardson 

John  Rogers,  Will™  Smeed,       Samuel  Smith, 

Benj^  Twitchell,  Jon^ Underwood,  Andrew  W^ilder, 

Joseph  Whitcome,      John  Whiteing,   Amos  Foster 
David  Foster,  Jeremiah  Hall  jun'',  Jonah  French, 

John  French,  Philemon  Chandler  jun'^.  His  Excellency' 

Benning  W'entworth  Esq  one  Tract  of  Land  of  the  Con- 
tents of  five  hundred  Acres  One  Sixty  forth  Parte  of  the 
Said  Tract  for  the  Incorporated  Society-  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  Parts,  One  Sixty  forth  Parte 
of  the  Said  Tract  for  the  first  Settled  Minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  S*^  Town  One  Sixt^-  forth  Parte  of  the  said  Tract 
for  A  Glebe  for  the  Church  of  England  as  by  Law  Estab- 
lished Philemon  Chandler,  Ebenezer  Da^', — 

Recorded  from  the  Back   of  the  Charter  for  Keene  the 
11^1^  Day  of  April  1753  — 

^  Theodore  Atkinson  Se^ 


108 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


\ 


Taken  from  the  Plan  on  the  Back  of  the  Charter  of 
Keene  &  record  the  ll*'!  April  1753 

^  Theodore  Atkinson  Sec*^ 

The  original  charter,  framed,  hangs  in  the  office  of  the 
mayor  and  city  clerk  in  city  hall  building. 

In  compliance  with  the  terms  of  the  charter,  "Mr. 
Benjamin  Bellows"  of  Walpole  gave  the  required  notice, 
and  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  fort  on  Wednes- 
day, the  second  day  of  May.     The  record  is  as  follows : 

"At  a  Legal  meeting  of  the  Proprietors  and  Inhab- 
itants of  the  Town  of  Keen  Held  on  Wednesday  the  sec- 
ond Day  of  May  ADom.  1753  Assembled  at  the  Fort  in  s*^ 
Town :   The  Following  votes  were  Passed  — 

"1  Choose  Ephraim  Dorman  Michael  Metcalf  and  Wil- 
liam Smeed  Selectmen,  2  Choose  David  Nims  Town  Clerk 
Choose  David  Nims  Town  Treasurer,  Choose  Ebenezer 
Nims  Constable,  Choose  Gideon  Ellis  and  Isaac  Clark  se- 
veyors  of  the  Highway,  Choose  Jonah  French  And  William 
Barran  Hog  Reifes,  Lent  Seth  Heaton  and  Nathan  Blake 
Fence  Veiwers,  Choose  John  French  and  Samuel  Hall  Field 
Drivers.  Voted  that  Town  Meetings  shall  be  Warned  for 
the  Future  by  Posting  up  a  Notification  in  the  most  Pub- 
lick  Place  in  This  Town  Fouteen  Days  before  the  meeting. 

Benjamin  Bellows) Moderator 
David  Nims  /Town  Clerk." 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  109 

On  the  same  day,  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was 
also  held  in  the  fort.  The  proceedings  were  recorded  as 
follows : 

"Province  of  New^  Hampshire. 

"at  a  Legal  Meeting  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  Town- 
ship of  Keene  held  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  May  Anno 
Dom.  1753  according  to  a  warrant  Set  up  to  Notify  the 
Proprietors  of  said  Township  of  Keene  by  Benj°  Bellows 
which  by  Order  of  Charter  was  to  Notify  the  Same  Said 
Meeting  being  Held  at  the  Fort  in  Said  Township  on  the 
Day  above  Said  Benj'i  Bellows  being  Moderator. 

"2'y  Voted  on  the  Second  article  and  Chose  Benj^^  Bel- 
lows Proprietors  Clerk  for  the  Township  of  Keene. 

"  S'y  Chose  M*"  WilHam  Smeed  M^"  Isaac  Clark  M^  Nathan 
Blake  Cap*  Jeremiah  Hall  and  M''  David  Foster  to  be  a 
Committee  for  to  see  to  the  Survey  of  the  Lands  that 
have  been  voted  to  be  Laid  out  in  Said  Township  which 
is  not  as  yet  Laid  out  and  also  to  See  to  the  Running 
the  Bounds  of  what  has  been  already  Laid  out  and 
approve  of  the  same  that  they  may  be  Recorded  in  the 
New  Proprietors  Book  —  " 

The  vote  on  the  4th  article  provided  for  the  calling  of 
proprietors'  meetings  similar  to  that  already  in  force. 

"  5iy  Voted  to  Benjamin  Bellows  one  Hundred  and 
Twenty  two  Spanish  Milled  Dollars  for  his  Service  and 
Expence  in  getting  the  Charter  of  Keene. 

"Voted  to  M^  Ephraim  Dorman  Eight  Dollars  for  his 
Service  in  going  to  Portsmouth. 

"Voted  to  Raise  one  Hundred  and  Twenty  Two  Pounds 
old  tenor  for  the  Use  of  Preaching  the  Present  year. 

"Voted  that  they  Renew  all  the  Bounds  of  all  the 
Lotts  that  have  been  Laid  out  in  Said  Township  and 
where  any  Lot  has  not  been  Laid  out  that  the  Committe 
Chosen  Lay  out  with  a  Surveyor  those  Lots  to  those  men 
according  to  the  Former  votes  of  the  Prop*"®  and  that  the 
Plans  of  the  Same  be  allowed  of  by  the  Committee  In 
order  to  be  Recorded  and  that  every  mans  Land  be  Re- 
corded according  to  what  he  now  holds  or  Claims  and 
that  Each  man  be  at  the  Cost  of  his  Land  being  Surveyed 
and  Recorded. 

"6'y  Chose  M^  Michael   Metcalf  Jun*"  Prop''^  Treasurer. 

"7^y  Chose  M*"  Isaac  Clark  M^  Obadiah  Blake  M'^ 
Ephraim  Dorman  assessors. 

"8'y  Voted  and  Chose  M^-  William  Smeed  Collector  to 
Collect  y^  Dollars  that  was  voted  —  voted  and  Chose  M*" 
Amos  Foster  Collector  to  Collect  the  money  Granted  for 
the  Use  of  Preaching  the  Present  year. 


110  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

"9'y  Voted  to  Theodore  Attkinson  Esq»-  Three  Hundred 
acres  of  Land  to  be  Laid  out  in  the  undivided  Land  in 
Sd  Township  to  be  Laid  out  in  good  Form  Said  Land  to 
be  Laid  out  by  Benj"  Bellows  M*"  William  Smeed  and 
Cap^  Jeremiah  Hall  a  Committee  appointed  to  Lay  it  out 
according  to  the  best  of  their  Discretion. 

"Also  voted  to  Cap*  Jeremiah  Hall  Three  Hundred 
acres  of  Land  to  be  Laid  out  in  Said  Township  by  a 
Committe  for  his  Extraordinary  Cost  and  Trouble  in 
Time  Past  he  Giving  a  Discharge  to  the  Proprietors  for 
v^hat  money  was  Due  to  him  from  the  Proprietors,  Said 
Land  to  be  Laid  out  in  that  Part  of  Land  that  is  added 
on  the  East  of  the  old  Line  by  the  New  Charter  and  that 
M^  Nathan  Blake  &  M''  William  Smeed  and  Benj«  Bellows 
be  a  Committe  to  Lay  out  the  Same  then  voted  to  Dis- 
miss the  meeting. 

Benj^  Bellows  mode'^ 
Benj"  Bellows  Prop*"^^  Clerk." 

"The  inhabitants  immediately  directed  their  attention 
to  the  concerns  of  religion.  As  a  place  for  public  worship, 
they  erected  a  building,  on  a  green  plat  near  the  house  of 
Aaron  Appleton.i  It  was  built  of  slabs,  the  earth  serving 
as  a  floor.  And,  with  the  inhabitants  of  Swanzey,  they 
made  a  joint  arrangement  for  the  settlement  of  a  pastor." 

(Annals,  page  31.) 

A  second  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  fort  on  the 
13th  of  June: 

"1.     Choose  Ephraim  Dorman  Moderator. 

"2  made  Choice  of  the  Rev'd  Mr.  Carpenter  for  Our 
Minister  — 

"  3  For  Incouragement  or  Settlement,  voted  to  give  the 
Rev'd  Mr.  Carpenter  the  Sum  of  Fifty  Pounds  Silver  money 
at  Six  shillings  and  Eaight  Pence  pr  Ounce.  —  Or  Equiva- 
lent in  Our  own  Province  Bills.  4^^  Voted  that  the  Town 
Yearly  Find  Mr.  Carpenter  Twent   Cord  of  Fire  wood. 

"  5'y  Choose  Capt  Jeremiah  Hall  Michael  Metcalf  and 
William  Smeed  For  a  Committe  to  Lay  the  Proposal 
made  by  the  Town  before  the  Rev'd  Mr.   Carpenter. 

Ephraim  Dorman  \  Moderator 
David  Nims  jTown  Clerk" 

"Keen  June  1^^^  1753. 

At  this  time  the  inhabitants  of  Keene  expected  to  sup- 
port a  minister  without  assistance,  but  the  churches  of 
Keene  and  Swanzey  agreed  to  unite  and  each  bear  half  the 
expense. 

1  Where  the  Roman  Catholic  church  now  stands. 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  Ill 

It  appears  from  the  records  of  the  church  in  Swanzej, 
where  Mr.  Carpenter  resided,  that  the  two  churches  not 
only  "covenanted  together  to  hire  preaching  in  connection  " 
but  that  the  members  of  each  "met  at  the  school  house" 
in  that  town  on  the  21st  of  August,  1753,  and  "agreed  to 
become  one  church."  The  members  from  Keene  present  at 
that  meeting  were  Jeremiah  Hall,  David  Foster,  William 
Smeed,  Nathan  Blake,  Joseph  Ellis,  Ebenezer  Nims  and 
Ebenezer  Day. 

The  following  was  copied  from  Mr.  Carpenter's  own 
handwriting: 

"The  towns  of  Swanzey  and  Keene  in  New  Hampshire 
(formerl3"  stiled  Lower  and  Upper  Ashuelot)  having 
mutually  and  unanimously  agreed  to  be  one  Religious 
Society  and  to  Worship  together  for  the  space  of  three 
years,  the  Towns  being  at  Equal  Expense  In  the  support 
of  the  Gospel  During  the  Term.  *  *  *  *  xhe  Chh  also 
having  Signed  the  Covenant  Consequent  on  said  agreement 
and  become  one  Church  The  Pastoral  Care  of  these  Chh's 
&  Towns  was  solemnly  Committed  to  me  on  Oct.  4*^  1753. 

Ezra  Carpenter." 
But  each  town   had  its  own   meetinghouse.     Mr.  Car- 
penter was  permitted  to  choose  his  place  of  residence  and 
he  chose  Swanzey. ^    At  the  expiration  of  the  three  years 
the  connection  was  continued  yearly  for  four  years  more. 

At  the  installation  of  Mr.  Carpenter  over  the  two 
churches  "there  were  present  by  their  elders  etc.,  the  First 
Church  in  Hingham,  the  Third  Church  in  Plymouth,  the 
Church  in  Kingston  in  the  County  of  Plymouth,  the  First 
Church  in  Lancaster,  the  Church  in  Nichewong,  the  Church 
in  Poquoiag  (Athol),  the  Church  in  Deerfield,  the  Church 
in  Sunderland,  and  the  Church  in  Northfield."  (Swanzey 
Church  Records.) 

"Feb.  29,  1754, 

"It  was  voted  that  the  Three  Deacons  should  be 
dropt,  viz.  Deacon  Foster,  Deacon  Brown  and  Deacon 
Hammond  and  a  New  choice  made  at  y^  same  time  Mr. 
David  Foster  &  Mr.  Jonathan  Hammond  were  chosen 
again  into  Sd  office.  It  was  moreover  Voted  that  the 
Sacrament  of  y^  Lords  Supper  be  Celebrated  the  first  Lords 

1  For   description    of   that    residence   see   personal    sketch  of    Rev.    Ezra    Car- 
penter. 


112  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Days  in  March,  June,  September  and  December  if  provision 
can  be  made  &  nothing  Intervene  to  hinder  it  —  This 
Method  to  Continue  till  we  may  see  Reason  to  alter  it." 

And  it  was  also  agreed  that  "Six  Shillings  old  Tenor 
Massachusetts  Money  be  paid  by  each  Communicant  to 
support  the  Communon  Table."    (Swanzey  Church  Records.) 

Another  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  held  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  on  the  19th  of  December,  1753,  chose  Ben- 
jamin Bellows  moderator,  and  David  Foster  clerk. 

As  above  quoted  from  the  Annals,  the  proprietors  had 
provided  a  temporary  building  for  worship  and  other  public 
uses,  and  this  meeting  was  held  "at  the  meeting  house  (so 
called)  in  said  Town."  It  "was  sometimes  called  the  "  Public 
meeting  place."  The  committee  formerly  chosen  to  take 
care  of  the  blacksmith's  tools  were  instructed  to  look  them 
up  and  deliver  them  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Ebenezer 
Clark,  WiUiam  Smeed  and  Michael  Metcalf. 

On  the  same  day  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  town 
meeting  w^as  held  at  the  same  place,  Ephraim  Dorman, 
moderator.  That  meeting  "Voted  to  Build  a  meeting 
House  Forty  Five  Feet  Long  and  Thirty  Five  Feet  wide 
and  Twenty  Two  Feet  Between  Joints,"  —  and  "adjourned 
to  Wednesday  the  Second  Day  of  January  Next  att  one  of 
the  Clock  in  the  afternoon  and  To  meet  at  the  Public 
meeting  Place." 

Apparently  there  were  doubts  about  the  legality  of  that 
meeting,  for  on  the  same  day  the  selectmen,  in  writing, 
directed  the  constable  —  Ebenezer  Nims  —  to  "Warn  the 
Freeholders  and  Inhabitance  of  the  Town  of  Keene  Quali- 
fied to  vote  in  Town  Meetings,  To  meet  at  the  meeting 
House  in  s*^  Keen  on  Wednesday  the  Second  Day  of  Janu- 
ary Next  at  Three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon." 

That  meeting  was  warned  and  held  as  directed,  and 
Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall  was  chosen  moderator.  But  the 
records  say  it  immediately  "adjourned  to  Two  of  the 
Clock  1  in  the  afternoon  and  Then  to  meet  at  the  House 
of  Michael  Metcalf."  It  then  "Voted  to  The  Rev'd  Mr. 
Carpenter  for  a  Sallary  for  this  pres*  [present]  year  Twenty 
Six  Pounds  Silver  Money  at  six  shillings  and  Eaight  Pence 

1  Apparently  adjourning  backwards  one  hour,  and  leaving  the  meetinghouse 
to  the  other  meeting  which  had  adjourned  to  meet  there  at  one  o'clock  the 
same  afternoon. 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  CHARTER.  113 

pr    oz.    or    equivelent    in    our    own    Province    Bills."    The 
records  of  this  meeting  are  signed : 

"Jeremiah  Halllmoderator 
David  Nims      /Town  Clerk." 

The  other  town  meeting,  adjourned  from  the  19th  of 
December  to  one  o'clock  of  the  same  afternoon  as  the  above 
— Jan.  2,  1754  —  at  the  "Public  meeting  Place"  —  Ephraim 
Dorman  moderator,  David  Nims  town  clerk  —  "Voted  to 
set  the  meeting  House  in  the  Croch  of  the  Roads  ^  so 
called,  one  of  the  Roads  Leading  up  the  River  and  the 
other  Leading  over  the  River  to  ash  Swamp  so  called  — 

"Voted  that  one  Hundred  Pounds  in  Bills  of  New 
Tenour  of  this  Province  be  Raised  on  the  Pools  and  Rateable 
Estates  of  this  Town  and  Paid  into  the  Treasury  To  De- 
fray the  Charges  that  shall  arise  in  the  Building  s*^  House. 

"  Voted  Michael  Metcalf  Ebenezer  Clark  Nathan  Blake 
Isaac  Clark  and  Dea.  David  Foster  be  a  Committee  to 
manage  the  affair  in  Building  the  House." 

"Ephraim  Dorman  (Moderator 
David  Nims  /Town  Clerk." 

"Keen  Jan^  2^  1754." 

A  meeting  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  at  the  same 
place  —  Michael  Metcalf,  moderator  —  reconsidered  the  vote 
locating  the  meetinghouse,  "upon  Consideration  of  the  Un- 
fittness  of  the  Ground  to  set  a  meeting  House  and  the  Ex- 
posedness  to  Fire  and  to  the  Enemy  in  Case  of  a  war," 
and  "Voted  that  the  meeting  House  be  set  upon  the  Road 
that  goeth  From  the  Town  Street  to  the  Mills  on  the 
Highest  Ground  Between  the  Causeway  by  William  Smeeds 
and  the  Bridge  by  the  Clay  Pitts  Near  Eleazer  Sangers 
Land  Lying  on  sd  Road." 

"The  mills  here  mentioned  must  have  been  the  mills  on 
Beaver  Brook,  and  the  road  Washington-street.  At  this 
time,  probably,  there  was  no  road  where  the  East  end  of 
West-street  now  is.  Mr.  Guild  states,  from  his  own  recol- 
lection, that  the  South  side  of  the  meeting-house  was  about 
on  a  line  with  the  North  line  of  West-street,  as  it  now^ 
runs." 

(Annals,  page  32.) 

W^illiam  Smeed  lived  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street 
next  south  of  the  present  track  of  the  railroad,  and  the 
"causeway"  was  in  the  line  of  the  street  a  little  north  of 

iNear  where  Hon.  C.  J.  Woodward  now  lives. 


114  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

that  track.  The  "bridge"  was  a  little  northwest  of  our 
present  city  hall.  This  "highest  ground"  w^as  on  a  line 
with  West  and  Roxbury  streets  as  they  now  run,  and  the 
meetinghouse  was  built  about  where  the  soldiers'  monu- 
ment now  stands. 

The  first  annual  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  "  Public 
meeting  Place"  on  Tuesday,  the  5th  of  March,  1754,  as 
required  by  the  charter. 

Michael  Metcalf  was  chosen  moderator;  David  Nims, 
town  clerk;  Dea.  David  Foster,  Ephraim  Dorman,  Michael 
Metcalf,  David  Nims  and  Nathan  Blake,  selectmen ;  and 
Benjamin  Twitchell  and  William  Smeed,  surveyors  of  high- 
wa^^s.  William  Smeed  and  Gideon  Ellis  were  added  to  the 
committee  to  build  the  meetinghouse. 

The  fifth  article  in  the  warrant  w^as  "To  se  if  they 
w^ill  Reconsider  the  vote  pas'd  at  Our  Last  meeting  Relat- 
ing to  the  Place  of  the  setting  the  meeting  House."  Voted 
to  dismiss  the  article. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  opened  "at 
the  House  Commonly  used  for  a  Meeting  House"  on 
the  24th  of  December  in  the  same  year  —  Michael  Metcalf, 
moderator,  and  David  Foster,  proprietors'  clerk  —  and 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  Joseph  Ellis. 

"Upon  the  fourth  Article  Voted  that  those  that  have 
Lands  in  the  Township  of  Keene  make  out  their  title  to 
their  Lands  at  or  before  the  first  Day  of  October  which 
will  be  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1755  Unto  a  Com*^^ 
Chosen  for  that  Purpose. 

"Upon  the  Fifth  article  Chose  M*"  David  Nims,  Lieu* 
Ephraim  Dorman,  Cap*  Michael  Metcalf,  Lieu*  Seth  Heaton, 
Sergeant  Eben*"  Nims  a  Com**^^  to  See  that  Prop*"®  title  to 
Lands  in  this  Township  be  Lawful  and  good  and  upon 
their  making  out  a  good  Title  to  give  them  Liberty  to 
have  the  Same  Recorded  in  the  Prop^^  Book  of  Records." 

The  6th  article,  "to  See  if  the  Prop^^  will  Dispose  of 
Some  of  their  Lands  to  Defray  the  Charge  of  the  meeting 
House  in  s"*  Tow^nship,"  was  dismissed. 

Among  the  earliest  roads  opened  in  town  was  the  one 
now^  named  Beaver  street,  laid  out  by  the  selectmen  in 
1754.  It  had  been  used  as  a  highway  previous  to  that 
time. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR. 
1754  —  1760. 

The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  had  brought  a  suspen- 
sion of  hostilities  between  England  and  France,  but  not 
permanent  peace.  None  of  the  questions  at  issue  had  been 
settled  ;  both  nations  were  eagerly  grasping  more  territory 
in  America;  their  interests  and  their  claims  continued  to 
clash,  and  war  broke  out  again  in  1754.  Since  1749,  with 
occasional  exceptions,  the  returning  pioneers  and  others 
who  had  joined  them  had  been  left  in  peaceful  possession 
of  their  property,  and  the  little  settlements  in  New  Hamp- 
shire had  increased  in  population,  others  had  been  added 
to  them,  and  all  had  taken  on  an  air  of  thrift  and  pros- 
perity.    But  now  the  savages  again  threatened  the  frontier. 

Foreseeing  the  impending  storm,  the  legislature  took  up 
the  militia  laws  of  the  province,  amended  them  to  suit  the 
times,  and  made  them  more  stringent  and  effective.  The 
old  laws  of  1718  and  1719  provided  that  "All  male  per- 
sons from  16  to  60  years  of  age,  except  Negroes  and  In- 
dians, should  perform  military  service,"  and  lists  of  all 
persons  within  the  precincts  of  a  company  or  troop  were 
to  be  taken  by  the  clerk  of  such  company  four  times  a 
year ;  that  all  should  attend  duty  when  listed ;  and  heavy 
fines  were  imposed  for  neglect  or  refusal.  The  towns  were 
required  to  "provide  a  stock  of  powder,  bullets,  flints  and 
arms  for  their  poor  and  renew  the  same  from  time  to 
time;  "  and  all  the  details  of  military  service  and  discipline 
were  provided  for.  Under  the  new  laws,  company  officers 
were  required  to  call  out  their  troops  or  companies  at  least 
four  times  a  year  for  military  exercise,  under  a  penalty  of 
five  pounds  for  each  day's  neglect.  Every  foot  soldier  fail- 
ing to  perform  his  military  duty  was  fined  ten  shillings  for 
each  day's  neglect,  and  every  trooper  twenty  shillings;  and 
for  all  fines   an  officer  could  issue  his  warrant  and  make 


116  HISTORY  OP  KEENB. 

distress  —  attach  the  delinquent's  property  and  sell  at  auc- 
tion on  four  days'  notice. 

Massachusetts  offered  bounties  of  fifty  pounds  for  every 
male  Indian  over  twelve  years  of  age  delivered  at  Boston, 
or  forty  pounds  for  every  scalp  of  such  Indian  ;  twenty-five 
pounds  for  every  female  prisoner  of  any  age  and  for  males 
under  twelve,  and  twenty  pounds  for  every  scalp  of  such 
female  or  boy.  An  act  was  also  passed  by  the  legislature 
of  that  province,  giving  to  companies  of  "not  less  than 
thirty  men  scouting  not  less  than  thirty  days  a  bounty  of 
£220  to  be  paid  out  of  the  public  treasury  for  every  cap- 
tive delivered  as  aforesaid,  and  £200  for  every  scalp." 

Rangers  were  considered  the  best  protection  for  the 
settlements,  and  companies  were  soon  formed,  the  most 
noted  being  those  of  Captain  —  afterwards  Major  —  Robert 
Rogers,  with  Captains  John  and  William  Stark,  all  of  New 
Hampshire.  They  afterwards  joined  the  expeditions  against 
Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga  and  did  excellent  service 
there  and  all  through  the  war.  They  served  as  scouts  and 
guides  for  the  army,  and  distinguished  themselves  in  many 
bloody  encounters.  In  the  last  years  of  the  war  they 
were  "the  most  terril)le  band  of  partizan  warriors  in 
America."!  "Inured  to  savage  warfare  they  gained  a  con- 
tinental reputation,"  and  "no  colony  sent  better  troops 
into  the  field." 2 

There  was  a  military  company  in  Keene  at  that  time, 
with  a  full  complement  of  ofl&cers,  but  no  roll  of  its  mem- 
bers has  been  found.  It  was  attached  to  the  regiment  of 
Col.  Joseph  Blanchard  of  Dunstable  (Nashua)  of  which 
Josiah  Willard  of  this  town  was  lieutenant  colonel,  the 
same  who  had  command  of  a  company  here  in  1748. 

On  the  11th  of  June,  1754,  the  Indians  came  to  the 
house  of  Nathaniel  Meloon  of  Stevenstown  (Salisbury)  and 
carried  him,  his  wife  and  three  children  away  captives. 
On  the  15th  of  August,  they  appeared  again  near  the 
same  place,  killed  Mrs.  Call  and  Timothy  Cook  and  cap- 
tured Enos  Bishop.  Those  upper  settlements  were  broken 
up  and  the  inhabitants  retired  to  the  lower  towns  for 
safety. 

iBarstow's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  page  197. 
2  Lodge's  History  of  American  Colonies. 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  IXDIAX  WAR.  Ill 

Gov.  Wentworth  sent  two  detachments  of  twenty  men 
each  from  Exeter  and  Kingston,  and  one  of  fifty  men  from 
Col.  Blanchard's  regiment,  under  Major  John  Goffe,  to 
scout  in  the  eastern  and  central  parts  of  the  province. 
Before  the  close  of  the  month  he  also  sent  two  detach- 
ments from  Col.  Blanchard's  regiment  under  Major  Benja- 
min Bellows  to  protect  the  Connecticut  valley.  One  of 
twentj'-one  men  was  stationed  at  Walpole  under  Major 
Bellows  himself,  who  served  as  lieutenant  commanding  the 
company,  with  the  veteran  Capt.  Phineas  Stevens  as  his 
orderly  sergeant.  These  officers  held  the  higher  rank  in 
the  regiment  of  militia,  and  at  the  same  time  accepted 
positions  of  lower  rank  in  the  detachments  for  defence. 
Major  Bellows  was  expected  to  cover  Charlestown,  \Yal- 
pole,  Westmoreland  and  Great  Meadows,  and  even  West- 
minster and  Rockingham,  but  he  had  also  the  local  militia 
to  assist.  The  other  company  of  twentj-six  men  was 
placed  under  Lt.  Col.  Josiah  Willard,  who  also  served  as 
lieutenant  commanding  the  company-,  and  small  detach- 
ments were  stationed  at  Fort  Dummer,  Keene  and  other 
places  in  this  vicinity.  The  men  were  mustered  Sept.  13 
and  discharged  Nov.  19,  of  that  year.  Ichabod  Fisher  of 
Keene  w^as  in  Willard 's  company.  These  troops  were  in 
addition  to  the  local  militia ;  but  beyond  this  Xew  Hamp- 
shire did  almost  nothing  for  the  protection  of  the  settle- 
ments in  the  Connecticut  valle^'. 

Gov.  Shirley  of  Massachusetts  complained  to  the  king 
of  the  neglect  of  Xew  Hampshire,  and  asked  to  be  relieved 
from  the  maintenance  of  those  forts  which  "\A'ere  now 
beyond  his  jurisdiction.  The  king  sent  additional  instruc- 
tions to  Gov.  Wentworth,  who  urged  upon  the  legislature 
the  necessity-  of  making  provision  for  the  defence  of  the 
western  frontier.  But  the  legislature  delayed  action,  alleged 
the  poverty  of  the  province  as  an  excuse  for  shirking  the 
expense,  and  gained  time  b^'  sending  an  address  to  the 
king.  The  king's  instructions  to  Gov.  Wentworth  had 
contained  a  threat  to  restore  Fort  Dummer  to  Massa- 
chusetts "  with  a  proper  district  contiguous  thereto  "  if  Xew 
Hampshire  did  not  provide  for  its  maintenance;  and  the 
same  threat  applied  to   all  these  forts  in  Xew  Hampshire 


118  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

■which  Massachusetts  maintained.  But  to  the  document 
was  also  added  :  "But  His  Majesty,  considering  the  import- 
ance of  the  said  fort,  and  the  great  mischief  that  may 
happen  to  his  subjects  in  those  parts,  in  case  the  same 
should  in  the  mean  time  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
doth  therefore  think  it  proper  hereby  to  order  and  require 
the  governor  of  Massachusetts  Bay  to  represent  to  the 
assembly  of  that  province  the  necessity  of  continuing 
to  provide  for  the  security  of  Fort  Dummer  until  a  final 
answer  can  be  obtained  from  New  Hampshire  and  His 
Majesty's  pleasure  be  further  signified  herein." 

Upon  receiving  this  order  the  general  court  of  Massa- 
chusetts voted  to  maintain  those  forts  for  three  months ; 
and  they  afterwards  extended  the  time  and  kept  troops 
there  till  the  spring  of  1757,  when  they  were  made  places 
of  rendezvous  by  the  generals  commanding  the  British 
forces,  and  remained  under  their  control  through  the  war. 
At  this  time  there  were  thirty-two  families  at  Charles- 
town,  and  they  had  left  the  fort  and  settled  on  their  lots. 
The  place  was  generally  called  No.  4  until  after  the  close 
of  this  war,  and  even  in  the  early  part  of  the  19th 
century. 

On  the  30th  of  August  that  place  was  again  visited 
by  the  savages.  Eleven  of  them  went  to  the  house  of 
Capt.  James  Johnson,  about  100  rods  north  of  the  fort, 
captured  him,  his  wife,  three  children,  a  young  sister  of 
Mrs.  Johnson,  Ebenezer  Farnsworth  and  Peter  Larabee, 
and  took  them  to  Crown   Point  and  thence  to  Canada. 

This  and  the  outrages  at  Stevenstown  were  committed 
by  the  St.  Francis  Indians  and  their  allies,  the  Schaghti- 
cokes  and  Squawkheags,  who  formerly  inhabited  this 
region. 

Capt.  Phineas  Stevens,  who  was  at  No.  4,  immediately 
sent  a  dispatch  to  his  commanding  officer  on  the  frontier, 
Col,  Hinsdale,  at  Fort  Dummer,  announcing  the  capture 
and  stating  the  time  to  have  been  on  the  morning  of  the 
30th  of  August.  Maj.  Bellows  was  at  Westmoreland  when 
the  news  reached  him,  and  he  immediately  reported  the 
fact  to  his  regimental  commander.  Col.  Blanchard,  but 
makes  an  error  of  one  day  in  the  time  of  the  capture. 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  119 

Letter  from  Major  Bellows  to  Col.  Blanchard. 

"Sir:  We  have  the  news  from  Charlestown,  that  on 
Thursday  morning,  the  29th  of  this  instant,  the  Indians 
came  to  the  house  of  James  Johnson,  broke  in  and  took 
said  Johnson,  his  wife,  and  three  children,  and  a  maid,  and 
one  Ebenezer  Farnsworth  and  Larabee  and  they  suppose 
have  carried  them  all  off.  They  have  not  found  any  of  them 
killed.  The  people  are  in  great  distress  all  down  the  river 
and  at  Keene  and  at  Swanzey,  and  the  few  men  sent,  will 
not  supply  more  than  one  town,  and  the  people  cannot 
secure  their  grain  nor  hardly  keep  their  garrison  &c. 

"Benjamin  Bellows. 

"Westmoreland,  Aug.  31,  1754. 
Colonel  Joseph  Blanchard. 

"  P.  S.  I  have  got  no  further  than  Westmoreland,  when 
I  wrote  this,  and  got  all  the  men  safe  there.  B.  B." 

Mr.  Hale  in  his  Annals  of  Keene  says:  "In  this  year, 
the  savages  again  committed  acts  of  hostility.  —  Sometime 
in  the  fall,  an  express  arrived  at  Keene,  bringing  informa- 
tion, that  a  party  of  the  enemy  had  appeared  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Penacook  (Concord),  where  they  had  killed,  and 
captured,  several  whites.  This  was  in  the  afternoon.  The 
inhabitants  immediately  assembled,  and  appointed  several 
persons  to  keep  guard,  through  the  night,  directing  them 
to  walk,  continually,  from  the  house  of  David  Nims  (near 
Lewis  Page's  house,  in  Prison-street),  to  the  meadow  gate 
(near  Mr.  Carpenter's);  and  agreed  immediately  to  com- 
plete the  fort,  the  re-building  of  which  had  already  been 
commenced.  The  next  day  every  one  able  to  labor,  went 
to  work  upon  the  fort,  and  soon  prepared  it  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  settlers."  (That  is,  repaired  the  eighteen  or 
twenty  houses  inside  the  fort  for  families  to  occupy.  Mr. 
Carpenter  lived  where  Mr.  E.  F.  Lane  now  does.) 

The  spring  of  1755  opened  with  the  mo^jement  of  three 
expeditions  against  the  strongholds  of  the  French  on  our 
borders.  One  under  Gen.  Braddock  to  Fort  Duquesne;  one 
under  Gen.  Shirley  of  Massachusetts  against  Niagara;  and 
one  commanded  by  Gen.  Johnson  against  Crown  Point. 

However  delinquent  New  Hampshire  may  have  been  in 
protecting  the  settlements  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  she  did 
nobly  in  furnishing  troops  for  outside  expeditions.  For  the 
army  of  Gen.  Johnson,  the  province  raised  a  regiment  of 
600  men  under  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard  of  Dunstable,  with 
Josiah  Willard  of  Keene  lieutenant  colonel.  That  regiment 
was  ready  to  take  the  field  on  the  1st  of  April,  and  was 


120  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

ordered  to  rendezvous  at  the  fort  in  Stevenstown,  now 
Franklin.  The  fort  "was  on  the  bank  of  the  Merrimac  river, 
on  the  farm  since  owned  by  Daniel  Webster.  The  regi- 
ment marched  from  there  to  No.  4,  and  thence  via  Fort 
Dummer  and  Albany  to  join  Gen.  Johnson,  and  was  posted 
at  Fort  Edward.  No  names  of  Keene  men  are  found  on 
the  rolls  of  this  regiment  except  that  of  Lt.  Col.  Willard, 
doubtless  for  the  reason  that  all  were  needed  to  protect 
their  own  settlement. 

Early  in  the  season  the  Indians  began  their  ravages  in 
these  valleys.  At  No.  4  they  killed  a  number  of  cattle, 
carrying  away  every  part  that  was  valuable  for  food  or 
for  any  other  purpose.  So  free  from  these  raids  had  the 
country  been  for  several  years  that  people  had  pushed  out 
into  the  wilderness  and  taken  up  lands  beyond  the  protec- 
tion of  the  forts.  These  advanced  settlers,  some  of  them 
miles  away  from  any  fort  or  neighbors,  were  now  in  great 
peril.  Several  families  in  this  vicinity,  among  them  Mr. 
Peter  Hayward,  the  first  settler  in  what  is  now  Surry, 
hastened  to  the  fort  in  Keene.  His  next  neighbor,  Mr. 
Ebenezer  Day  of  Keene,  came  at  the  same  time. 

In  June  the  Indians  attacked  a  party  at  Hinsdale,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut,  in  what  is  now  Vernon, 
Vt.,  killed  two  men  and  captured  one.  The  others  escaped 
to  the  fort.  On  the  27th  they  surprised  Caleb  How,  Hil- 
kiah  Grout  and  Benjamin  Gaffield  near  the  same  place. 
How  was  killed,  Gaffield  was  drowned  in  attempting  to 
cross  the  river,  and  Grout  escaped.  The  savages  then 
went  to  Bridgman's  Fort,  where  these  men  belonged,  cap- 
tured fourteen  persons  and  burned  the  fort.  Among  the 
prisoners  was  the  wife  of  Caleb  How,  "The  Fair  Captive," 
whose  pathetic  story  is  told  in  a  brilliant  manner  by  Col. 
Humphre3'  i^i  his  "Life  of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam."  i  On  the 
30th  of  the  same  month,  they  appeared  again  at  Keene. 

"On  one  of  the  last  days  of  June,  an  attack  was  made 
on  the  fort  at  Keene,  then  in  command  of  Capt.  William 
Syms.  The  savages  were  beaten  off;  but  in  their  retreat 
they  killed  many  cattle,  burned  several  buildings,  and  cap- 
tivated Benjamin  Twitchell."^ 

1  See  also  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  3. 

2  Massachusetts  Archives. 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  121 

"When  traces  of  Indians  were  discovered,  near  any  of 
the  frontiers,  it  was  the  custom  to  fire,  as  an  alarm  to  all 
within  hearing,  three  guns  in  regular  and  quick  succession. 
If  heard  at  any  of  the  posts,  it  was  answered  in  the  same 
manner;  if  not  answered,  the  alarm  was  repeated.  In  June, 
the  people  at  Westmoreland,  discovering  traces  of  Indians, 
fired  an  alarm,  which  was  heard  at  Keene.  A  body  of  men 
was  immediately  sent  to  their  relief;  but  they  returned 
without  discovering  the  enemy.  That  they  were  lurking  in 
the  vicinity,  and  that  they  followed  home  the  party  from 
Keene,  is  probable,  as,  the  next  day  they  captured  Benja- 
min Twitchell.  He  had  been  to  Ash  Swamp;  on  his  re- 
turn, he  took  with  him  a  tub,  \vhich,  it  is  supposed,  he 
carried  upon  his  head.  This  tub  was  afterwards  found,  on 
the  East  bank  of  the  river,  near  where  the  mills  now  stand ; 
and  there  the  Indians  probably  seized  him.  He  was  con- 
ducted up  the  river;  in  the  meadows.  West  and  North  of 
deacon  Wilder's,  the  Indians  killed  several  oxen,  a  horse 
and  colt.  The  colt  was  cut  up,  and  the  best  pieces  of  meat 
carried  off.  In  this  meadow,  they  left  a  bow  made  of  lev- 
er wood,  and  several  arrows.  They  encamped,  for  the  night, 
in  M'Curdy's  meadow,  in  Surry,  where  four  crotched  sticks 
were  discovered  driven  into  the  ground,  in  such  positions 
as  led  to  the  belief  that  to  each  was  confined  one  of  the 
limbs  of  the  prisoner.  The  party  then  proceeded  to  Que- 
bec, where  Twitchell  met  with  Josiah  Foster  and  his  fam- 
ily, who  were  captured  at  Winchester.  For  the  honor  of 
Foster,  the  particulars  of  his  capture  should  be  recorded. 
Returning  home,  one  evening,  he  found  his  house  in  the 
possession  of  Indians,  who  had  captured  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren. He  could  have  escaped,  but  he  determined  to  give 
himself  up,  that  he  might  share  their  fate,  and  have  an  op- 
portunity to  alleviate  their  sufferings.  He  accompanied 
them  to  Quebec,  carrying  his  wife  on  his  back,  a  great  part 
of  the  way.  There  they  remained  until,  being  ransomed, 
they  were  sent,  by  "water,  to  Boston.  Twitchell  was  put 
on  board  the  same  vessel,  but,  being  taken  sick,  he  was 
set  on  shore,  and  died  in  a  few  days. 

"A  month  or  two  afterwards,  a  party  of  Indians  were 
discovered  in  the  meadow.  South  of  the  town  line,  by  the 
people  of  Swanzey.  They,  with  four  soldiers  to  guard 
them,  were  coming,  in  a  body  and  armed,  to  work  in  the 
North  meadows.  The  soldiers,  who  were  in  advance,  heard 
a  rustling  in  the  bushes,  and  one,  supposing  it  caused  by  a 
deer,  fired  his  musket  at  the  spot.  The  Indians,  supposing 
they  were  discovered,  rose  and  fired  at  the  soldiers,  who, 
frightened,  ran  to  the  quarter,  now  called  Scotland.  The 
people,  coming  up,   saw  the  Indians,   attacked  them,  and 


122  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

drove  them  to  the  plain,  West  of  the  factory.  An  express 
was  instantly  sent  to  Keene;  and  a  party  of  fifteen  men, 
under  Capt.  Metcalf,  went  out  to  meet  them.  This  party 
went  first  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  beyond  Mr.  Heaton's, 
supposing  the  Indians  would  there  cross  the  Branch.  Re- 
maining there  a  short  time,  without  discovering  any  In- 
dians, a  Mr.  Howard  proposed  to  go  to  another  ford  still 
farther  up.  Josiah  French,  a  shrewd  man,  observed,  'those 
who  wish  to  meet  with  the  Indians,  had  better  stay  here: 
I  feel  no  desire  to  see  them,  and  will  go  over  the  hill  with 
Howard,'  It  was  agreed  to  go  over  the  hill ;  but  no  sooner 
had  they  reached  the  top  of  the  nearest  eminence,  than  they 
discovered  nine  Indians  crossing  at  the  ford  they  had  left. 
They  lay  in  wait  for  them  a  few  hours,  but  did  not  see 
them  afterwards.  Returning  to  the  fort,  Howard  received 
no  mercy  from  the  men,  v^romen  and  children  within  it. 
Several  days  afterwards,  the  men  went,  in  a  body  and 
armed,  to  hoe  Mr.  Day's  corn,  near  Surry,  and  discovered 
that  an  old  house,  in  that  neighborhood,  had  been  burnt; 
it  was  supposed  to  have  been  set  on  fire  by  the  same  party 
of  Indians. 

"Afterwards,  but  in  what  year  is  not  recollected,  an- 
other, and  the  last  party  of  Indians  made  a  visit  to  Keene. 
The  inhabitants  had  cleared  and  fenced  a  large  common 
field  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  acres,  laying  south- 
wardly of  Mrs.  Lanman's  [Thomas  Thompson's]  house. 
This  field  was  used  as  a  cow  pasture,  and  the  access  to  it 
was  by  a  path  which  led  southwardly^  along  the  high 
ground  East  of  the  place  where  the  turnpike  and  Baker's 
lane  unite.  When  driving  their  cows  to  this  pasture,  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  inhabitants  not  to  go  in  the  path,  for 
fear  of  a  surprise,  but  on  one  or  the  other  side  of  it.  Early 
one  morning,  they  came  suddenly  upon  a  party  of  Indians, 
concealed  in  thick  bushes,  and  busily  engaged  in  mending 
their  moccasons.  They  instantly  started  up  and  escaped. 
It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  the  leather,  with  which 
they  were  mending  their  moccasons,  had  been  stolen,  the 
night  before,  from  a  tannery  at  Walpole  or  Charlestown." 

(Annals,  pages  32-4.) 

In  July  came  the  depressing  news  of  Braddock's  defeat 
in  his  attempt  on  Fort  Duquesne.  The  province  had 
been  drained  of  men  to  swell  those  three  armies  of  inva- 
sion, every  one  of  which  was  defeated.  In  many  places 
the  crops  were  lost  or  greatly  injured  from  want  of  men 
to  cultivate  and  gather  them,  and  the  outlook  for  the 
coming  winter  was  exceedingly  gloomy. 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  123 

July  25,  Seth  Field  of  Northfield,  writes:  "Since  the 
disastrous  tidings  from  Ohio,  and  the  dela^^  of  the  Crown 
Point  forces,  the  mischief  done  above  us  together  with  our 
circumstances,  has  so  discouraged  the  hearts  of  our  people 
that  they  are  almost  ready  to  give  up  all  and  care  only 
for  their  lives.  A  fine  harvest  is  on  the  ground,  and 
likely  to  be  lost  for  want  of  a  guard.  The  few  soldiers 
we  have  are  constantl3^  on  duty,  and  not  half  sufficient 
to  guard  the  laborers."     (Historj^  of  Northfield.) 

The  Indians  made  frequent  attacks  on  the  New  Hamp- 
shire frontiers  during  the  summer,  particularly  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley.  Sometime  in  JuW,  Daniel  Twitchell  and 
John  Flint  were  cutting  timber  for  oars  on  the  hill  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  town  of  Walpole.  Both  were  shot  dead, 
one  was  scalped,  the  other  cut  open  and  his  heart  taken 
out  and  laid  on  his  breast  —  a  threat  of  continued  war. 

On  the  22d  an  attack  was  made  on  Hinsdell's  fort, 
and  two  men  were  killed  and  two  or  three  captured.  In 
a  letter  of  Col.  Hinsdell  to  Gov.  Wentworth,  written  at 
this  time,  he  says:  "I  entreat  your  Excellency's  com- 
passionate regards  for  myself  and  the  people  in  these 
parts,  and  earnestly  pray  your  Excellency  will  send  us  a 
suitable  protection.  We  are  loath  to  tarr3^  here  merely  to 
be  killed." 

Gov.  Wentworth  sent  a  company  of  twenty-one  men 
to  No.  4,  under  Capt.  James  Neall,  to  scout  that  part  of 
the  country,  and  Massachusetts  sent  two  companies  to  the 
posts  below.  Capt.  Neall's  company  was  mustered  into 
the  service  on  the  13th  of  August,  and  discharged  on  the 
1st  of  October. 

John  Kilburn,  the  first  settler  of  Walpole,  had  built  his 
log  cabin  on  the  border  of  the  rich  intervale  a  little  to  the 
south  of  Cold  river.  About  noon  on  the  17th  of  August, 
Kilburn  and  his  son  John,  seventeen  j^ears  old,  and  a  man 
named  Peak,  and  his  son,  were  returning  home  from  their 
work,  when  they  discovered  Indians  "as  thick  as  grass- 
hoppers" concealed  among  the  bushes.  They  hastened  to 
the  house,  fastened  the  door  and  prepared  for  defence. 
Mrs.  Kilburn  and  the  daughter  Hetty  bravely  seconded 
their  efforts,  ran  the  bullets  and  aided  in  every  wa}^  pos- 
sible. 


124  HISTORY  OF  KEEXE. 

Their  game  having  escaped  and  taken  refuge  in  the 
house,  the  Indians  decided  to  make  their  first  attack  on 
Col.  Bellows,  whose  house,  or  fort,  was  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  Kilbum's.  As  the^-  crawled  up  the  bank  and 
crossed  a  foot  path  east  of  their  house  the  Kilburns 
counted  197  of  them,  and  there  were  as  many  more  h'ing 
in  ambush  near  the  mouth  of  Cold  river.  Col.  Bellows 
had  a  mill  on  "  Blanchard's  brook,"  a  mile  east  of  Kil- 
burn's,  where  he  was  at  work  with  his  gang  of  about 
twenty'  —  some  authorities  say  thirty-  —  men.  The  Indians 
waylaid  his  path.  Bellows  and  his  men,  each  with  a  bag 
of  meal  on  his  back  and  his  gun  in  his  hand,  started  for 
his  fort,  and  soon  their  dogs  gave  warning  of  Indians. 
Bellows  ordered  his  men  to  throw  down  their  meal,  ad- 
vance to  a  rise  of  ground  just  in  front  of  them,  crawl  up 
the  bank,  then  spring  to  their  feet,  give  one  whoop,  and 
drop  into  the  sweet  ferns. 

The  manoeuvre  succeeded  admirabh\  Upon  hearing  the 
whoop,  the  Indians  rose  in  a  semicircle  across  the  path, 
and  Bellows'  men  gave  them  a  volley  that  laid  several  of 
them  low,  and  so  disconcerted  the  whole  body  that  they 
fled  into  the  bushes  without  firing  a  shot.  Bellows  filed 
his  men  off  to  the  south,  and  reached  the  fort  in  safety. 

The  whole  body  of  Indians  then  returned  to  Kilburn's 
house.  One  of  them,  "Philip,"  who  had  previously  made 
Kilburn  visits  of  pretended  friendship,  came  forward  and 
called  out  from  behind  a  tree:  "Old  John,  young  John,  I 
know  you;  come  out  here.  We  give  ye  good  quarter." 
"Quarter!"  replied  Kilburn  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "You 
black  rascals,  begone  or  we'll  quarter  you." 

Philip  retired,  a  consultation  was  held,  and  then  the 
war-whoop  sounded,  as^  if  "all  the  devils  in  hell  had  broke 
loose,"  and  a  furious  assault  began. 

"Probably  no  less  than  four  hundred  l)ullets  were 
lodged  in  Kilburn's  house  at  the  first  fire."  The  enemy 
were  on  higher  ground,  and  when  the  fight  was  over 
"the  roof  was  a  perfect  'riddle  sieve.'  "  Some  fell  to  butch- 
ering cattle,  others  to  destroying  hay  and  grain,  "while  a 
shower  of  bullets  kept  up  one  continued  ]>elting  against 
the  house."    The  two  men  and  two  boys  poured  in  their 


THE  LAST  FREXCH  .iXD  IXDIAX  TT'.li?.  125 

shots  with  deadl\'  aim.  The  two  women  loaded  the  guns, 
and  the  firing  was  so  rapid  as  to  heat  the  barrels  till  they 
were  compelled  to  wait  for  them  to  cool.  The  Indians 
believed  that  a  much  larger  force  was  in  the  house.  The 
women  gathered  up  the  bullets  that  fell  through  the  roof 
and  ran  them  over  for  their  own  use.  All  that  afternoon 
the  incessant  firing  was  kept  up.  As  the  sun  went  down 
the  savages  began  to  creep  awav,  taking  their  dead  and 
wounded  with  them;  and  when  night  came  on,  the  brave 
little  garrison  was  relieved  from  the  strain  and  left  to 
enjoy  the  victory  it  had  so  gallantly  won.  Peak  was 
wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  died  five  days  later  from  want 
of  surgical  care.    All  the  others  escaped  unhurt. 

Thus  Keene  was  covered  and  protected  by  these  more 
advanced  settlements,  and  her  battles  were  fought  on  their 
ground. 

The  attacks  of  the  enemy  were  so  frequent  and  the 
troops  so  few  that  in  September  the  citizens  of  Xo.  -i. 
despairing  of  aid  from  New  Hampshire  again  petitioned 
the  authorities  of  Massachusetts  for  protection,  stating 
that  on  ten  different  occasions  attacks  had  been  made  on 
that  place  within  the  two  3'ears  preceding.  Massachusetts 
responded  and  again  sent  her  soldiers  for  the  defence  of 
that  towm  and  others  in  the  vicinity,  and  a  guard  remained 
at  the  fort  until  it  came  under  the  control  of  the  British 
generals  in  1757.  With  the  exception  of  killing  and  driv- 
ing away  some  cattle,  no  more  outrages  were  committed 
in  the  Connecticut  valley  during  that  autumn. 

The  season  of  1755  had  been  one  of  great  distress  to 
the  people  of  these  frontier  towns.  TheA'  were  harrassed 
with  the  constant  danger  of  attack  from  the  savages,  and 
those  dangers  frequently  culminated  in  massacre  or  cap- 
tivity-. At  Hinsdale  and  vicinity  eighteen  persons  had  been 
killed  or  captured  during  the  season. 

"  The  exertions  made  for  the  reduction  of  Crown  Point, 
not  only  failed  of  their  object,  but  provoked  the  Indians 
to  execute  their  mischievous  designs  against  the  frontiers 
of  New  Hampshire;  which  were  now  left  wholly  uncovered, 
and  exposed  to  their  full  force.  Between  the  rivers  Con- 
necticut and  St.  Francis  there  is  a  safe  and  easy  communi- 
cation  by    short    carrying    places    with    which    they   were 


126  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

perfectly  acquainted.  The  Indians  of  the  latter  river, 
therefore,  made  frequent  incursions,  and  returned  unmo- 
lested with  their  prisoners  and  booty."  (Belknap's  History 
of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  page  293.) 

At  this  time  Lieut.  John  Hawks  was  in  command  of  a 
line  of  forts  on  the  western  frontier  of  Massachusetts, 
from  Northfield  through  Greenfield,  Colrain  and  Charle- 
mont  to  Hoosack  mountain.  Indian  scouts  were  seen 
along  the  border  and  it  was  a  time  of  general  alarm. 

In  the  provincial  council  at  Portsmouth,  Jan.  2,  1756, 
w^as  read : 

"The  Humble  Memorial  &  Petition  of  Josiah  Willard 
Benjamin  Bellows  &  Isaac  Parker  (of  Claremont)  in  behalf 
of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Towns  of  Keene,  Swansy,  Win- 
chester, Walpole,  Putney  &  New  Charles  Town  all  in  the 
Province  of  New  Hampshire,  Shews  — 

"That  the  Towns  aforesaid  are  Situate  on  the  Frontiers 
of  the  Province  aforesaid,  and  tho  they  are  very  Con- 
siderably Improved  So  as  to  Raise  all  the  Necessary  Pro- 
visions for  the  Inhabitants,  yet  are  now  but  Weak  handed 
manj--  of  their  ablest  Men  having  Listed  in  the  Late  Expe- 
dition &  are  Still  absent —  And  by  their  Situation  the  Said 
Inhabitants  are  Greatly  Expos'd  to  Danger  from  the  Incur- 
sions of  the  French  &  Indian  Enemy  from  whom  there 
Seems  to  be  a  Greater  Probability  of  an  Attack  now 
*  *  *  *  than  at  any  time  Since  the  Last  War.  That 
the  Said  Inhabitants  have  at  their  Own  Expense  Built 
Good  Forts  which  would  be  Sufficient  for  their  Defence 
with  a  Competent  number  of  Men  which  they  did  &  De- 
fended their  Settlements  while  they  got  their  Daily  Bread 
at  the  Peril  of  their  Lives  During  the  Last  War.  But  as 
there  Seems  to  be  no  other  Rout  for  the  Enemy  to  take  or 
at  Least  not  any  where  they  are  Invited  by  an  Equal 
Prospect  of  Success,  As  there  is  no  Room  to  Doubt  of  their 
Inclination  or  Vigilance  to  Improve  Everj^  Opportunity  to 
Annoy  us,  nor  of  their  Ability  to  Execute  their  Schemes 
for  making  a  Descent  upon  Our  Settlements,  which  they 
Look  upon  with  a  very  Envious  Eye,  the  Said  Inhabitants 
Cant  but  Apprehend  their  Danger  Greater  now  than  Ever 
—  This  Fear  is  Quicken'd  also  by  the  Remembrance  of  their 
Great  Sufferings  During  the  Last  War  &  which  the3^  now 
begin  to  feel  again  with  others  of  the  Same  kind  Coming 
upon  them  with  Double  Weight  —  For  besides  the  Loss  of 
many  Lives  w'^^  they  then  Sustained,  it  is  not  a  most  un- 
comfortable Situation  to  be  kept  always  in  fear  of  being 
Ambushed  to   have  Life  Continually  hang  in  Suspence  & 


THE  LAST  FFENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  127 

Doubt,  from  those  who  Lye  in  Wait  to  Destroy  —  to  fear 
being  Suddenly  Dispatched  or  Captivated  by  a  Barbarous 
Enemy  when  about  Business  in  the  Secure  Retreat  they 
have  —  that  the  very  Water  they  use  is  Purchased  with  the 
hazzard  of  their  Blood  as  well  as  their  Bread  at  the  Peril 
of  their  Lives  and  to  have  no  Prospect  of  Help  nor  Asylum 
to  fly  to  for  Safety  This  State  of  Life  Every  One  on  the 
Least  Attention  will  See  is  most  Pittiable  —  *  *  *  * 
That  the  Said  Inhabitants  Weary  of  Such  a  Precarious 
Condition  will  not  Endure  it  much  Longer  but  Will  & 
must  Quit  their  Habitations  tho'  they  now  begin  to  be 
Pleasant  (in  other  Respects)  as  Well  as  Profitable  yet  they 
had  Rather  part  with  all  than  Risque  their  Lives  in  the 
manner  aforesaid  *  *  *  *  B^^t  whether  this  will  be  for 
the  Public  Good  —  whether  the  Advantage  Arising  to  the 
Province  by  Maintaining  &  Supporting  these  Settlements 
will  Countervail  the  Charge  is  what  your  Petitioners 
would  Humbly  Suggest  to  be  Considered  And  which  Way 
Soever  it  Shall  be  Determined  they  Pray  they  may  have 
an  Explicit  &  Speedy  Answer  That  they  may  not  be  kept 
in  Expectation  till  they  have  no  Way  of  Escape  —  till  they 
are  either  Killd  Captivated  or  have  their  Substance 
Destroyed  And  as  they  Apprehend  the  Danger  Great  w'^^  is 
Impending  they  Pray  Your  Speedy  &  wise  Resolution  upon 
the  Premises  and  they  Shall  as  in  Duty  Bound  Ever  Pray 
&c  — 

Josiah  Willard 
Benj^  Bellows 
Isaac  Parker 

"In  Council  Jan''^  2"^  1756  read  &  recommend  &  Sent 
Do^wn  to  the  Hon^^^  j^  Assembly 

Theodore  Atkinson  Sec^^" 
(State  Papers,  vol.  18,  page  434.) 

Apparently  no  action  was  taken  upon  this  petition. 
On  the  7th  of  June  the  Indians  again  appeared  at  Win- 
chester and  captured  Josiah  Foster,  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren. On  the  18th  they  visited  Charlestown  and  killed 
Lieut.  Moses  Willard  and  -wounded  his  son.  They  also  ap- 
peared at  Hinsdale,  and  were  discovered  in  ambush  by  Zeb- 
ulon  Stebbins  and  Reuben  Wright,  who  gave  the  alarm  and 
prevented  the  capture  of  several  persons  for  whom  they 
were  lying  in  wait.  Wright  was  wounded,  but  both  he 
and  Stebbins  escaped. 

During  the  winter  of  1756-7,  a  company  of  rangers, 
numbering    fifty-five    men,    under    Capt.    John    Burk,    v^as 


128  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

stationed  at  Hinsdell's  fort  by  the  authorities  of  Massa- 
chusetts. No  incursions  were  made  until  the  20th  of  April, 
when  about  seventy  French  and  Indians  came  to  No.  4, 
captured  Dea.  Thomas  Adams,  David  Farnsworth,  Samson 
Colefax,  Thomas  Robbins,  and  Asa  Spofford  and  took 
them  to  Canada.     Only  Farnsworth  and  Robbins  returned. 

Early  in  March  of  this  year  another  regiment  of  500 
men  was  raised  by  New  Hampshire  to  continue  outside 
operations  against  the  French.  Men  from  the  neighboring 
towns  joined  this  regiment,  but  none  from  Keene,  so  far 
as  appears.  One  battalion  under  Lt.  Col.  John  Goffe,  of 
Bedford,  had  its  rendezvous  at  No.  4;  but  it  arrived  too 
late  to  prevent  the  outrage  committed  there  on  the  20th 
of  April,  and  after  halting  a  few  days  at  that  post 
marched  to  Albany  and  thence  to  Fort  William  Henry. 
This  force  was  replaced  at  No.  4  by  a  regiment  of  500 
men  from  Connecticut  under  Col.  Whiting.  These  troops 
were  active  and  ranged  the  woods  as  far  as  Lake  Cham- 
plain. 

Lord  Loudon,  now  commander-in-chief  of  the  English 
forces,  took  command  of  the  expedition  to  Halifax,  leav- 
ing the  cowardly  and  inefficient  Gen.  Webb  in  command 
before  Crown  Point,  who  with  4,000  men  lay  timidly  in 
his  camp,  and  allowed  Montcalm,  with  a  force  scarcely  su- 
perior to  his  own,  to  capture  Fort  William  Henry,  includ- 
ing the  garrison  of  2,200  men.  After  the  surrender  the  In- 
dian allies  of  the  French,  in  spite  of  Montcalm's  orders  to 
the  contrary',  massacred  many  of  the  prisoners,  including 
80  of  the  New  Hampshire  battalion  of  200  men. 

The  settlers  were  seized  with  consternation  and  dis- 
may. Webb  was  terror-stricken  and  sent  pressing  appeals 
for  help,  and  New  Hampshire  immediately  raised  another 
battalion  of  250  under  Col.  Thomas  Tash  of  Durham. 
After  his  success,  however.  Gen.  Montcalm  withdrew  to 
Canada,  and  Col.  Tash  with  his  battalion  was  stationed 
at  No.  4,  replacing  the  Connecticut  troops,  who  marched 
to  Fort  Edward. 

During  these  years  of  the  war  the  annual  town  meet- 
ings of  Keene  had  been  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  March 
in  each    year    as    required  by    the    charter,   and    at    each, 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  129 

money  had  been  raised  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carpenter's  salary 
and  other  expenses.  Before  the  meetinghouse  was  com- 
pleted these  meetings  were  held  at  private  houses  —  that 
of  1755  at  Joseph  Ellis's,  and  that  of  1756,  at  Nathan 
Blake's,  That  of  1757  was  opened  at  the  fort  and 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  Joseph  Ellis.  "Voted  to  Build 
a  Bridge  Over  the  River  at  the  Place  called  Dales  Ford- 
way. "^  Isaac  Clark,  Lieut.  Ephraim  Dorman,  Ensign 
William  Smeed,  Ebenezer  Nims,  Nathan  Blake  and  Dea. 
David  Foster  were  chosen  a  committee  to  build  the  bridge, 
and  "Seventy  Pounds  New  Tenor"  were  voted  to  defray 
the  expense. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1758  was  held  "at  the  House 
of  Ser.  Ebenezer  Nims  in  the  Fort."  "One  Hundred  and 
Thirty  Pounds  New  Tenor"  were  raised  for  the  support  of 
the  gospel  for  the  year  —  showing  that  one  dollar  of  specie 
was  worth  five  of  the  paper  currency  of  that  time,  his 
salary  being  twenty-six  pounds,  silver  money. 

Article  7  of  the  warrant,  "To  see  if  they  will  do  any- 
thing further  toward  finishing  the  meetinghouse,"  was 
dismissed.  The  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  war  were  so 
great,  the  production  of  crops  so  restricted,  and  money  so 
depreciated  that  real  poverty  was  upon  the  settlers  with 
all  its  privations  and  discouragements.  They  suffered  at 
times  from  want  of  sufficient  food  and  clothing;  and,  rigidly 
and  devoutly  pious  as  most  of  them  were,  they  could  not 
spare  the  money  to  complete  their  church  edifice. 

All  the  military  expeditions  of  the  English  in  this  coun- 
try in  1757  had  failed,  and  again  New^  Hampshire  raised 
her  quota  of  800  men  for  the  three  planned  for  1758.  Of 
those  troops  one  hundred  men  were  detailed  for  garrison 
duty  at  No.  4.  During  the  summer  of  this  year,  the  In- 
dians continued  their  incursions  on  the  frontier  towns. 
"At  Hinsdale,  they  killed  Capt.  Moore,  and  his  son,  took 
his  family,  and  burned  his  house." 2  At  No.  4  they  killed 
Asahel  Stebbins,  took  Mrs.  Stebbins  and  Isaac  Parker 
prisoners,  and  slaughtered  a  large  number  of  cattle.  The 
cattle  of  the  frontiersmen,  roaming  in  the  woods,  often 
served  to  furnish  provision  for  the  skulking  savage.    Capt. 

1  The  first  bridge  at  -what  are  now  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills. 

2  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  page  302. 


130  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

John  Burk  with  his  company  of  rangers  guarded  the  lower 
tow^ns  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  John  Hawks  w^as  now  a 
major,  commanded  troops  in  western  Massachusetts  and 
in  the  campaign  against  Ticonderoga;  and  Capt.  Isaac 
Wyman,  w^ho  afterwards  came  to  Keene,  had  commanded 
at  Fort  Massachusetts  in  1755-7,  and  continued  to  hold 
the  same  position. 

The  disastrous  defeat  of  Gen.  Abercrombie  before  Ticon- 
deroga had  caused  great  depression  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  but  their  hopes  revived  when  Gen.  Amherst,  soon 
after  his  success  at  Louisburg,  arrived  at  Boston  with  six 
veteran  regiments  and  pressed  on  through  the  woods  to 
Albany  and  took  command  of  the  army  before  Ticonder- 
oga. It  was  too  late  for  offensive  operations  that  fall,  but 
the  confidence  of  the  people  was  restored,  particularly 
w^hen,  in  November,  Gen.  Forbes  took  Fort  Duquesne,  and 
changed  its  name  to  Pittsburg,  in  honor  of  William  Pitt, 
whose  vigorous  war  policy  had  brought  success  to  the 
British  arms. 

During  the  winter  No.  4  was  garrisoned  by  100  regu- 
lar troops  from  the  army,  under  Capt.  Cruikshanks,  but 
the  Indians  made  no  incursions. 

The  spring  of  1759  opened  with  a  still  more  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war.  Commanders  of  high  rank  who 
had  failed  to  win  victories  were  superseded  by  young, 
ambitious  officers  of  true  military  ability.  Gen.  Amherst 
had  replaced  the  weak  and  pompous  Abercrombie;  Gen. 
James  Wolfe,  then  but  thirty-two  years  old,  was  sent  to 
operate  against  Quebec;  and  Gen.  Prideaux  was  directed 
to  seize  the  forts  at  Niagara  and  then  descend  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  and  capture  Montreal. 

Pitt  made  a  personal  appeal  to  Gov.  Wentworth  for 
troops  and  supplies,  and  New  Hampshire  responded  with 
a  regiment  of  1,000  men  under  Col.  Zaccheus  Lovewell  of 
Dunstable.  The  veteran  John  Gofife  was  its  lieutenant 
colonel.  Other  towns  in  this  vicinity  sent  their  quotas, 
and  no  doubt  Keene  furnished  its  proportion,  but  nearly 
all  the  rolls  of  that  regiment  have  been  lost.  Its  rendez- 
vous was  at  Dunstable,  and  it  marched  thence  via  Wor- 
cester   to    Springfield,    where  it  was    mustered    into  the 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  ISl 

British  service.  From  Springfield  it  marched  to  Albany 
and  thence  to  Oswego  and  Niagara. 

Early  in  May  the  100  regular  troops  were  withdrawn 
from  No.  4  to  join  the  army  of  Gen.  Amherst,  and  were 
replaced  by  an  equal  number  of  Massachusetts  troops  sent 
up  from  Deerfield  under  Capt.  Elijah  Smith. 

About  the  first  of  August  the  French  dismantled  and 
abandoned  the  fortresses  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
which  had  been  for  nearly  thirty  years  their  base  of  oper- 
ations against  the  New  England  settlements,  and  they 
were  immediately  occupied  by  Gen.  Amherst.  This  ended 
those  raids  on  our  frontiers  v^hich  had  brought  such  bar- 
barous atrocities  upon  our  people. 

Wolfe  and  Montcalm  met  on  the  plains  of  Abraham  on 
the  12th  of  September,  and  both  fell.  Quebec  was  surren- 
dered to  the  English  on  the  18th. 

But  there  was  still  one  other  post  that  had  been  the 
rendezvous  of  those  who  had  committed  the  most  inhuman 
barbarities  on  the  English  settlers.  This  was  the  village 
of  the  St.  Francis  Indians  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Francis 
river  with  the  St.  Lawrence.  From  that  point  scores  of 
raiding  parties  had  been  fitted  out,  and  to  that  village 
they  had  returned  with  their  prisoners,  scalps  and  booty, 
received  their  bounties  from  the  French,  divided  their  plun- 
der, and  danced  their  war-dances  while  torturing  their  vic- 
tims. It  was  determined  to  wipe  that  place  out  of  exist- 
ence, and  chastise  its  brutal  inhabitants. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  Gen.  Amherst  despatched 
Major  Rogers  with  200  men,  most  of  them  his  New  Hamp- 
shire rangers,  with  orders  to  destroy  that  village  "in  such 
a  manner  as  shall  most  effectually  disgrace  and  injure  the 
enemy,"  but  to  spare  women  and  children. 

The  story  of  that  perilous  expedition  is  a  thrilling  one, 
but  is  too  long  for  insertion  here.  No  raid  of  the  savages 
on  the  white  settlers,  in  any  war,  was  more  frightful  and 
bloody,  or  fell  upon  the  victims  with  a  more  complete 
surprise.  Two  hundred  Indians  were  slain,  twenty  women 
and  children  taken  prisoners,  and  the  village  totally  des- 
troyed by  fire.  Pursued  by  a  superior  force,  the  rangers 
made  a  hasty  and  disastrous  retreat.     Nearly  one-half  their 


132  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

number  died  from  fatigue,  exposure  and  starvation,  or 
were  slain  by  the  infuriated  enemy.  The  remainder  reached 
No.  4  in  a  starving  condition  sometime  in  October. 

All  the  great  expeditions  planned  by  Pitt  for  this  year's 
campaign  had  been  successful.  With  Forbes  at  Pittsburg, 
Johnson  at  Niagara,  Amherst  at  Crow^n  Point  and  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  Wolfe's  army  at  Quebec,  all  pushing  the  enemy 
to  the  wall,  the  Indians  had  enough  to  do  to  aid  their 
allies  in  defence,  and  had  no  time  for  ravages.  Conse- 
quently the  settlements  in  this  region  had  been  left  in 
peace  through  the  season  of  1759,  although  not  free  from 
fear  of  the  lurking  foe. 

Having  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  in  our  posses- 
sion, these  settlements  were  covered  by  our  armies  there, 
and  in  October,  the  troops  stationed  at  the  several  posts 
on  the  frontier,  except  Forts  Dummer  and  No.  4,  were 
withdrawn. 

Instead  of  following  up  his  advantage  and  pushing 
forward  and  seizing  Montreal,  which  he  might  easily  have 
done,  and  v^hich  would  have  insured  possession  of  what 
he  had  already  gained.  Gen.  Amherst  spent  the  autumn  in 
building  fortifications  and  preparing  the  country  about 
Lake  George  for  permanent  occupation  by  the  English. 
He  detailed  Lt.  Col.  John  Hawks,  with  axemen,  and  a 
guard  of  rangers  who  were  also  axemen,  under  Capt. 
John  Stark,  to  cut  a  road  through  the  forest  from  Crown 
Point  towards  No.  4.  Starting  from  Crown  Point  on  the 
26th  of  October,  and  following  the  old  Indian  trail  —  the 
same  that  Hawks  had  traversed  at  least  twice  before,  in 
his  exchange  of  Raimbault  for  Nathan  Blake  —  they  opened 
the  road  across  the  country  to  Otter  creek,  and  thence  up 
that  stream  and  over  the  mountains ;  and  before  winter 
set  in  they  had  the  work  completed  to  within  twenty-six 
miles  of  No.  4. 

In  the  spring  of  1760,  New  Hampshire  raised  another 
regiment  of  800  men  under  tlie  veteran  Col.  John  Goffe. 
Its  rendezvous  was  at  Litchfield,  whence  it  marched  through 
Milford,  Peterboro  and  Keene  to  No.  4.  They  found  only 
a  bridle  path  from  Merrimac  to  Keene,  but  they  made  it  a 
comfortable  road.     Before  they  reached  this  vicinity,  the 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  133 

lurking  savages,  without  much  other  demonstration,  had 
carried  off  Joseph  Willard,  his  wife  and  five  children  from 
their  homestead  near  No.  4.  An  infant,  Samuel,  being  bur- 
densome, they  took  it  aside  on  the  second  day  out  and 
beat  out  its  brains  against  a  tree.  No  other  outrage  was 
committed,  and  very  few  traces  of  Indians  were  found. 

Col.  Goffe  with  his  regiment  passed  through  Keene 
about  the  1st  of  June.  One  of  his  soldiers  died  here,  and 
one  was  left  sick.  From  Keene,  he  marched  by  the  way 
of  Great  Meadows  to  No.  4,  where  he  made  his  headquar- 
ters for  some  time.  Throwing  his  regiment  across  the 
Connecticut  at  Wentworth's  ferry,  two  miles  above  the 
fort,  he  set  his  men  to  the  work  of  opening  a  road  to  the 
west  to  meet  the  one  cut  the  year  before  by  Lt.  Col. 
Hawks.  It  cost  them  forty-four  days'  time  to  clear  a 
road  over  those  twenty-six  miles,  but  they  performed  the 
work  so  thoroughly  that  they  transported  their  ammuni- 
tion, baggage  and  supplies  to  the  foot  of  the  Green  moun- 
tains in  wagons, 1  following  up  the  north  bank  of  Black 
river  through  the  present  towms  of  Cavendish  and  Lud- 
low. From  there  they  used  pack  horses  and  horse-bar- 
rows. They  took  with  them  for  the  army  at  Crown  Point 
a  large  drove  of  cattle  which  had  been  collected  at  No.  4, 
and  reached  their  destination  in  time  to  join  the  army  of 
Gen.  Haviland,  then  preparing  to  advance  on  Montreal. 
The  regiment  was  present  at  the  reduction  of  Isle  Au 
Noix,  St.  Johns,  Chambler  and  Montreal  —  September  8  — 
which  gave  the  English  all  Canada  and  closed  the  war. 

The  troops  returned  home  and  were  discharged  in 
November.  Prisoners  were  released  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing.  The  capture  of  the  Willard  family,  in  the  spring, 
was  the  last  incursion  of  the  Indians  into  this  county,  and 
the  war-whoop  of  the  savage  has  never  since  been  heard 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  The  Willards  were  taken  to 
Montreal,  but  returned  after  the  capitulation  of  that  city. 

After  fifteen  years  of  almost  constant  terror  from 
the  savages,  the  country  was  at  peace,  and  the  brave 
pioneers  could  cultivate  their  lands  without  fear  of  butchery 
for  themselves  or  their  families.     Those  fifteen  years   had 

1  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  page  305,  note. 


134  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

completely  roused  the  military  spirit  of  the  people,  had 
trained  them  all  in  the  arts  of  war,  had  made  veteran  sol- 
diers of  all  the  able  bodied  men  in  the  country,  and  pre- 
pared them  for  the  Revolutiotiary  struggle  which  was  to 
come  fifteen  years  later. 

No  other  province  had  furnished  so  many  men  for  this 
war  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  inhabitants  as  New 
Hampshire.  None  had  been  more  prompt  to  fill  its  quotas, 
and  none  had  furnished  hardier,  more  skillful,  or  more  effec- 
tive antagonists  of  the  wily  savage.  Five  thousand  men 
had  been  sent  into  the  armies  by  this  small  province  of 
only  about  40,000  inhabitants,  and  great  had  been  the 
losses  and  the  sufferings  of  the  people. 

Of  the  ten  regiments  of  militia  in  New  Hampshire  at 
this  time,  the  6th  covered  all  this  part  of  the  province  and 
was  commanded  by  Col.  Josiah  Willard,  with  Benjamin 
Bellows  of  Walpole  lieutenant  colonel;  and  Col.  Willard i 
continued  in  command  until  1775. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1759,  held  "at  the  house 
of  Ensign  William  Smeed  in  the  fort,"  again  voted  to  dis- 
miss the  article  relating  to  finishing  the  meetinghouse,  but 
the  salary  of  the  minister  was  raised  as  usual. 

No  records  of  proprietors'  meetings  are  found  after  that 
of  Dec.  24,  1754,  until  1759.  On  the  29th  of  May  in  that 
year  "A  legal  meeting  of  the  proprietors"  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Ellis,  David  Nims,  moderator.  Dea.  David 
Foster  was  then  proprietors'  clerk. 

"Voted  upon  the  Tenth  article  to  Grant  to  Messieurs 
David  Belden  Joshua  Graves  &  Elisha  Scott  and  Abner 
Graves  the  Liberty  to  turn  the  waters  of  the  Stream  known 
by  the  Name  of  the  East  Branch  in  the  most  Convenient 
Place  for  the  use  of  a  Saw-Mill  and  Corn-Mill  and  Shall  have 
the  Liberty  and  Priviledge  of  Said  Stream  so  much  as  to  Sup- 
port sd  Mills  so  long  and  upon  these  Conditions  Hereafter 
Named  viz  That  they  will  in  the  Space  of  two  years  Time 
Build  and  fit  a  good  Saw  Mill  and  Corn  Mill  and  that  the 
Inhabitants  and  Residents  of  the  Town  of  Keene  Shall  have 
as  good  Priviledge  both  in  Sawing  and  Grinding  as  the  In- 
habitants of  Swanzey  Passible  Loggs  to  be  Saw'd  for  the 
value  of  the  one  half  of  the  Boards  from  Time  to  Time  and 


iThe  adjutant  general's  reports  put  Col.  Willard  down  as  of  Keene,  but  he 
lived  at  Winchester.  His  son,  Capt.  Josiah  Willard,  came  here  to  live  about 
1762. 


THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  135 

at  all  Times  and  when  the  above  Said  Gentlemen  Shall 
Cease  or  Neglect  to  keep  Mills  there  in  good  Repair  to  an- 
swer the  Necessity  of  this  Township  for  Sawing  and  Grind- 
ing then  sd  Priviledge  to  Return  to  this  Propriety  again." 

This  was  the  time  when  the  waters  of  the  East  branch 
were  turned  from  their  natural  channel  below  South  Keene 
and  diverted  to  the  South  branch,  and  the  water  power 
at  Swanzey  Factory  was  created. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  a  town  meeting  was  held  for 
the  first  time  in  the  new  meetinghouse,  Capt.  Michael 
Metcalf,  moderator  —  the  meetinghouse  having  been  so  far 
finished  as  to  be  used  for  that  purpose  —  but  on  the  30th 
of  January  following  a  town  meeting  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Ellis,  which  voted  to  raise  ten  pounds 
sterling  money  towards  finishing  the  meetinghouse,  and 
Gideon  Ellis,  Ebenezer  Nims  and  Eleazar  Sanger  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  go  on  with  that  work. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1760,  chose  Dea.  David  Foster, 
town  clerk.  David  Nims  had  held  that  position  since  the 
organization  of  the  town. 

On  article  third:  "Voted  that  Eaighty  Seven  Spanish 
Mild  Dollars  be  asses 'd  on  Pools  and  Rateable  Estates 
in  this  Town  for  the  Support  of  the  Gospel  in  this 
Place  for  the  Present  year."  It  was  also  voted  to  build  a 
pound,  thirty-six  feet  square,  in  front  of  house  lots  No.  28 
and  29  —  the  two  lots  next  south  of  the  present  railroad, 
on  the  west  side  of  Main  street. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  the  town  "Voted  Not  to  Joyn 
with  the  People  of  Swanzey  in  Maintaining  and  Carrying 
on  the  worship  and  Ordinances  of  God,"  and  that  connec- 
tion ceased. 

Another  meeting,  on  the  25th  of  September,  Capt. 
Michael  Metcalf,  moderator:  "Voted  to  hire  a  Suitable 
Person  to  Preach  the  Gospel  in  this  Town  for  the  space  of 
Two  Months"  —  and  chose  Lieut.  Seth  Heaton,  Ebenezer 
Clark  and  Dr.  Obadiah  Blake  a  committee  for  that  purpose. 

The  road  along  the  eastern  base  of  West  mountain 
was  laid  out  this  year  by  the  selectmen. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

When  the  white  settlers  first  came  to  this  region  they 
fotind  many  of  the  intervale  lands  along  the  Connecticut 
river  and  its  branches  denuded  of  trees  and  showing  un- 
mistakable signs  of  having  been  cultivated.  All  the  New 
England  tribes  of  Indians  cultivated  the  land  more  or  less, 
and  in  this  respect  were  superior  to  those  in  some  other 
parts  of  the  country..  They  killed  the  trees  on  those  inter- 
vale lands  with  fire,  or  by  girdling,  planted  their  corn,  cul- 
tivated and  gathered  their  crop,  and  sometimes  preserved 
it  on  the  ear  in  excavations  made  in  dry  places  in  the 
ground  and  covered  with  poles  and  bark. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  Pilgrims  on  these  shores  one 
of  their  first  discoveries  was  that  of  corn,  or  maize,  which 
had  been  raised  by  the  Indians  and  preserved  in  this  way ; 
and  when  they  landed  they  found  cornfields,  the  crop  gath- 
ered but  the  stalks  still  standing. 

The  Indians  raised  corn  on  the  meadows  of  the  Con- 
necticut river  and  its  branches,  and  sometimes  sold  to  the 
whites. 

"The  spring  of  1637  was  so  occupied  by  the  English 
settlers  at  Windsor,  Hartford  and  Weathersfield  in  prepar- 
ing for  and  carrying  on  the  war  with  the  Pequots,  that 
they  failed  to  plant  the  requisite  amount  of  corn  and 
wheat.  The  following  winter  proving  unusually  long  and 
severe,  their  provisions  were  wholly  exhausted.  On  the 
first  opening  of  spring  (1638),  a  deputation  was  sent  up 
to  Agawam,  where  they  failed  to  get  supplies,  and  then 
up  the  river  to  Pocumtuck  (Deerfield),  where  they  found 
plenty  of  corn,  and  purchased  enough  of  the  Indians  to 
load  a  fleet  of  fifty  canoes,  which  were  taken  down  the 
river  by  the  natives,  and  the  corn  delivered  at  the  towns 
designated."     (Temple  &  Sheldon.) 

To  the  Indians  we  are  also  indebted  for  the  squash, 
which  grew  luxuriantly  on  the  rich  soils  of  these  valleys; 
and  for  the  Seivia  bean  and  some  other  vegetables.     They 


HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  INDIANS.      137 

had  kettles  of  soapstone  in  which  they  boiled  vegetables, 
and  they  lived  on  these  and  on  their  corn,  berries,  nuts 
and  roots ;  and  on  fish  and  game,  which  they  cooked  on 
hot  coals,  or  held  in  the  fire  on  sticks,  and  sometimes  ate 
raw.  Fish  and  meat  were  sometimes  preserved  by  drying 
and  smoking.  They  parched  their  corn,  and  sometimes 
ground  it  between  stones,  and  made  "samp"  and  other 
mixtures  with  the  meal,  but  "used  no  salt,  spice  or  bread," 

Chestnut  groves  were  carefully  preserved  from  fires, 
and  furnished  a  valuable  addition  to  their  diet.  Their 
supply  of  food  was  always  precarious.  Sometimes  they 
would  be  without  for  days;  and  then,  when  an  abund- 
ance was  obtained,  they  would  gorge  themselves,  and 
imitate  voracious  animals  by  sleeping  it  ofi".  They  had  no 
beggars  or  children  unprovided  for;  and  no  domestic 
animals  except  dogs,  and  but  few  of  those. 

Water  "was  their  only  drink,  and  intoxication  ^vas 
unknown  to  them  until  the  whites  sold  them  liquor  and 
made  demons  of  them  with  their  "fire-water."  But  they 
raised  tobacco,  and  were  inveterate  smokers,  using  pipes 
which  they  made  of  soapstone,  brierwood  and  other 
materials  with  considerable  skill. 

Their  tools  were  made  of  sharp,  hard  stones,  fastened 
with  rawhide  on  wooden  handles,  and  their  spears  and 
arrows  were  pointed  in  the  same  way  —  with  flint,  quartz 
or  jasper.  They  cultivated  the  land  with  wooden  mat- 
tocks, and  sometimes  with  sharp  bones  fastened  on  sticks, 
and  they  were  skilled  in  the  manufacture  of  birch  bark 
canoes,  baskets,  snowshoes,  and  many  other  articles,  and 
in  tanning  the  skins  of  animals  with  the  hair  on,  with 
which  they  clothed  themselves  in  winter. 

For  sewing  they  used  the  sinews  of  the  deer  and  other 
animals,  and  the  fibre  of  wild  hemp,  dogbane,  and  the  inner 
bark  of  the  "basswood"  and  other  kinds  of  trees,  with 
thorns,  fishbones,  or  sharp  sticks  in  place  of  needles  or  awls. 
They  caught  fish  in  nets  made  of  those  fibres  ;  and  by  hold- 
ing a  torch  over  the  water  at  night,  when  the  curiosity  of 
the  larger  fish  would  bring  them  to  the  surface  to  be 
struck  by  the  Indian's  spear. 

Their  skill  in  hunting  was  marvelous,  taught  by  that 


138  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

most  importunate  of  teachers,  necessity.  One  of  their  con- 
trivances was  to  bend  a  sapling  to  the  ground,  and  with 
thongs  and  deftly  laid  cords  to  form  a  trap  for  catching 
deer  and  other  animals.  Seth  Fields  of  Northfield  had  his 
old  mare  caught  in  such  a  snare,  and  a  friendly  Indian 
came  running  to  tell  him  that  his  "squaw  horse"  was 
caught  in  a  "yank-up." 

Their  weapons  were  bows  and  arrows,  spears  and  toni- 
aha^wks  —  small  stone  axes.  Later,  these  last  were  replaced 
by  hatchets  bought  of  the  whites. 

Their  fortifications  were  stockades,  in  some  cases  very 
firm  and  strong,  and  covering  many  acres  of  ground.  On 
the  left  bank  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  just  below  the  south 
line  of  Keene,  at  the  "sand  bank"  near  Sawyer's  Crossing, 
there  are  evidences  that  there  was  once  an  Indian  village, 
or  at  least  a  large  and  somewhat  permanent  encampment, 
inclosed  with  one  of  these  stockades.  It  covered  several 
acres  of  ground,  and  the  irregular  outlines  of  a  fortifica- 
tion are  still  to  be  seen;  but  they  will  soon  be  obliterated 
by  the  constantly  drifting  sand.  The  quantities  of  chip- 
pings  and  fragments  of  flint  and  quartz  that  have  been 
found  there  make  it  evident  that  arrow  and  spear  heads 
and  other  implements  were  manufactured  there  in  large 
numbers  from  those  hard  stones,  brought  from  a  distance. 
Among  the  relics  found  there  by  George  A.  Wheelock, 
Hiram  Blake,  F.  G.  Pratt,  and  others,  which  have  been 
preserved  by  the  people  of  Swanzey,  are  specimens  of 
Indian  pottery ;  ten  arrow  heads  of  flint  and  quartz ;  three 
of  another  kind  of  hard  stone,  fragments  of  which  are 
scattered  about  there ;  a  w^ell  finished  stone-chisel  six  inches 
long;  a  gouge  three  and  one-half  inches  long;  a  stone 
pestle  fourteen  and  one-half  inches  long  of  a  hard  grey 
stone;  and  many  other  specimens  of  Indian  manufacture. 
Some  of  these  are  preserved  in  the  Keene  natural  history 
rooms. 

Mr.  Blake  says:  "The  sand  bank,  so  called,  is  evidently 
the  site  of  an  Indian  village,  and  bears  strong  evidence  of 
having  been  fortified.  A  dark  line  of  earth  mixed  with 
ashes  and  charcoal  extends  nearly  around  an  enclosure  of 
several  acres.    This  may  have  been  the  line  of  palisades  or 


HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  INDIANS.      139 

row  of  stakes  stuck  in  the  ground  for  the  purpose  of 
defence.  The  sand  has  drifted  so  much,  of  late  years,  that 
the  line  is  very  indistinct  or  nearly  gone.  Old  residents  of 
the  locality  state  that  when  they  were  boys  Indian  relics 
were  readily  picked  up  on  the  spot ;  but  few  of  them  were 
preserved.  The  large  quantity  of  chippings  now  found 
there,  as  well  as  occasional  pieces  of  pottery,  indicate  that 
these  implements  of  war  and  domestic  economy  were  made 
on  the  spot,  and  that  for  a  time  it  was  a  permanent 
stopping  place  for  the  Indians." 

Indian  graves  have  been  discovered  in  that  vicinity,  the 
skeletons  found,  as  was  almost  invariably  the  case  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  in  a  sitting  posture,  facing  east.  It 
is  believed  by  those  who  have  given  the  matter  some  study 
that  there  was  an  Indian  burying  place  of  considerable 
extent  on  what  is  known  as  the  "Kate  Tyler"  farm,  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  Square,  on  Court  street, 
between  the  highway  and  the  river.  In  excavating  for  the 
cellar  of  the  house  built  there  by  Henry  M.  Darling,  in 
1882,  the  skeletons  of  six  grown  persons  and  one  child 
were  found,  in  a  sitting  posture,  facing  east,  and  near  each 
other.  They  were  pronounced  by  well  informed  persons  to 
be  skeletons  of  Indians.  They  were  in  a  gravelly  knoll  or 
mound,  the  gravel  being  of  a  different  kind  from  the  earth 
around  it,  and  apparently  brought  there  to  cover  the 
bodies.  No  relics  or  implements  of  any  kind  w^ere  found 
buried  with  the  bodies.  Four  of  the  skeletons  were  pre- 
served, though  none  is  perfect,  and  may  be  seen  in  the 
rooms  of  the  Keene  Natural  History  Society.  Other  skele- 
tons have  also  been  found  in  various  places.  Many  stone 
axes,  hatchets,  chisels  and  arrow  and  spear  heads  have  been 
found  in  various  places  in  town.  The  stone  pestle  fourteen 
and  one-half  inches  long  mentioned  above  "was  found  near 
the  Swanzey  line,  and  many  years  ago  a  similar  one  seven- 
teen inches  long  was  found  by  Capt.  Aaron  Hall. 

In  those  early  days,  salmon  ran  up  the  Connecticut 
river  and  all  its  larger  branches,  and  the  Indians  undoubt- 
edly had  a  "salmon  dam"  in  the  Ashuelot  near  the  "sand 
bank"  mentioned  above.  In  1888,  Mr.  George  A.  Whee- 
lock  wrote  for  the  New  England  Observer: 


140  HISTORY  OF  KEEXE. 

"The  low  water  in  the  Ashuelot,  occasioned  by  there- 
pairs  at  the  Swanzey  mill,  has  exposed  the  old  traditional 
Indian  dam  two  miles  above.  Indians  were  lazy,  and  this 
work  of  theirs  is  the  more  surprising  on  this  account ;  per- 
haps there  is  nothing  like  it  in  the  state.  The  river  at  this 
point  is  now  almost  a  rapid  and  strewn  with  boulders  for 
thirty  rods  or  so.  It  is  less  than  a  hundred  feet  wide,  but 
the  dam  being  in  the  shape  of  a  harrow  pointing  down 
stream  is  more  than  that  distance.  By  skilful  stepping  it 
is  possible  to  pass  the  point  of  the  harrow,  the  apex  of 
the  dam,  and  somewhat  farther.  It  is  made  of  stones, 
such  as  a  man  could  lift,  picked  up  in  the  stream  above. 
It  varies  from  six  to  twelve  feet  in  thickness,  according  to 
the  depth  of  the  water.  It  looks  like  a  tumble  down  wall 
mixed  with  gravel,  but  it  must  have  caused  weeks  of  labor. 
It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  dam  was  made  to  aid  in 
fishing  for  salmon  with  nets  and  spears.  Below  the  dam 
is  a  flat  boulder  reached  b^'  stepping  stones.  Here  stood 
the  young  brave  and  watched  the  silver-bellied  salmon, 
and  struck  at  him  ^vith  his  flint-pointed  spear.  Near  by 
the  old  dam  lives  Jonas  L.  Aloore.  Here  lived  his  father 
and  grandfather  before  him.  For  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  this  has  been  called  the  Indian  dam.  Mr.  Moore's 
father,  in  his  boyhood,  used  to  cross  the  river  on  the  wall. 
The  reason  it  is  now  so  unknown  is  because  the  eel  grass 
in  the  back  water  of  the  pond  covers  and  conceals  it.  The 
OhserTer's  representative  was  shown  a  beautiful  spear 
point  of  Twin  mountain  flint.  The  elder  Moore  dug  up  a 
half  peck  of  arrow  and  spearheads,  all  in  one  pocket. 
They  were  carelessh'  left  on  a  stump  and  lost  years  ago. 
Some  twentj'  Indian  fire-places  have  been  ploughed  up  here. 
These  were  simply  circles  in  the  middle  of  the  wigwam, 
paved  with  stones  from  the  river.  The  Swanzey  Anti- 
quarian Society  should  have  a  drawing  of  this  dam  show- 
ing the  two  eastern  wings  and  the  boulder." 

The  Indian  was  too  proud  and  too  lazy  to  labor  with 
his  hands  or  perform  any  menial  service  unless  it  was  in 
building  fortifications  or  wigwams,  or  preparing  for  -war 
or  the  chase,  or  otherwise  procuring  food,  as  in  building 
the  salmon  dam,  mentioned  above.  But  he  willingh'  sub- 
mitted to  the  necessity-  of  carrying  heavy  burdens  in  war. 
The  equipment  of  Raimbault's  party  of  eight  savages  that 
went  with  him  to  Xorthfield  in  1748,  after  he  had  been 
exchanged,  as  given  by  the  Canadian  authorities  who  pro- 
vided them,  was :  "80  muskets;  80  breechclouts ;  80  pairs 
mittens;   100  deerskins;   8  lbs.  vermillion ;  80  woodcutters' 


HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  INDIANS.      141 

knives;  80  lbs.  powder;  80  lbs.  ball;  80  lbs.  lead  shot; 
80  collars  for  carrying;  80  awls;  80  tomahawks;  400 
flints;  80  powder  horns;  100  needles;  3  lbs.  thread;  80 
war  clubs;  8  axes;  4  pairs  scissors;  80  lbs.  tobacco;  8 
iron  cooking  pots;  8  canoes,  and  13  days'  provisions. 
This  force  made  directly  for  the  Connecticut  valley;  and 
took  position  on  the  highlands  to  the  eastward  of  Fort 
Dummer."  This  was  the  party  that  had  the  fight  with 
Sergt.  Tajdor  on  the  14th  of  July  near  Fort  Dummer. 

The  squaws  planted,  gathered  and  preserved  the  crops, 
prepared  the  food,  and  with  the  above  exceptions,  bore 
the  burdens  and  performed  all  the  drudgery  of  life.  But 
the  rights  of  women  were  recognized  in  many  ways.  They 
could  hold  property  by  descent,  and  lands  in  the  Connecti- 
cut valley  were  sold  to  the  whites,  and  deeds  given,  by 
women  who  owned  those  lands  by  inheritance.  In  some 
cases  their  sachems  were  females,  and  in  such  cases  their 
bands  were  led  by  their  most  powerful  warriors.  One  of 
the  tribes  in  eastern  Massachusetts  had  a  squaw  for  chief, 
the  widow  of  Nauepashemet  who  lived  near  Lake  Mystic 
in  Medford.  In  some  tribes  squaws  of  recognized  position 
were  admitted  to  their  councils.  Awashauks,  the  power- 
ful squa-^'  of  Sogkonate,  and  the  unfortunate  Queen  Wee- 
tamoo,  have  already-  been  mentioned.  The  latter  was  a 
sister-in-law  and  confederate  of  King  Philip,  and  attended 
his  court  here  in  the  Connecticut  valley;  was  "squaw 
sachem  of  Pocasset  and  was  counted  as  potent  a  prince  as 
an^'-  round  about  her."  She  married  Wamsutta,  and  at 
his  death,  Quinnapin,  a  powerful  chief  of  the  royal  blood 
of  the  Narragansetts.  She  had  two  maids,  one  of  whom 
was  Mrs.  Mary  Rowlandson,  the  captive  w^ife  of  the  min- 
ister of  Lancaster.  She  was  proud  and  severe  and  spent 
as  much  time  each  da\^  in  dressing  as  any  of  the  gentry, 
powdered  her  hair,  painted  her  face,  and  wore  ear-rings, 
necklaces,  bracelets,  girdles,  red  stockings  and  white  shoes. 

The  Indians  of  these  valleys  not  onh-  accorded  rights 
to  women,  but  often  treated  them  with  a  rude  gallantry, 
especially  white  women,  and  in  the  early  days  "a  white 
woman  in  captivity  was  never  known  to  be  insulted  by 
an  Indian." 


142  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

When  they  captured  the  Johnson  family  at  No.  4,  in 
August,  1754  — taking  Mr.  Johnson,  his  wife,  three  children, 
Miss  Merriam  Willard  and  two  men  —  the  surprise  was 
complete,  but  no  one  was  harmed.  The  next  day  Mrs. 
Johnson  was  delivered  of  a  daughter,  who,  from  the  cir- 
cumstances of  her  birth,  was  named  Captive.  The  Indians 
halted  one  day  on  the  mother's  account,  and  the  next  day 
resumed  their  march,  carrying  her  on  a  litter,  which  they 
made  for  the  purpose,  and  afterward  put  her  on  horseback. 
"On  their  march  they  were  distressed  for  provisions;  and 
killed  the  horse  for  food ;  the  infant  was  nourished,  by 
sucking  pieces  of  its  flesh."  i  There  was  a  similar  case  of 
birth  the  second  day  out,  and  of  carrying  mother  and 
child  on  a  litter,  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Massachusetts  in 
1746,  when  Sergt.  John  Hawks  of  Upper  Ashuelot  was  in 
command. 

The  ferocity  of  the  Indians  towards  the  whites  w^as 
caused  chiefly,  without  doubt,  by  the  barbarous  and  per- 
fidious manner  in  which  they  were  treated  from  the  first 
by  the  English.  The  Dutch  settlers  along  the  Hudson,  and 
the  French  in  Canada,  treated  them  with  kindness  and 
lived  with  them  in  peace;  and  the  Indians  generally  were 
friendly  until  they  had  learned  to  distrust  the  whites.  The 
great  chiefs  Massasoit  in  Massachusetts  and  Passaconaway 
in  New  Hampshire  were  strong  and  faithful  friends  of  the 
w^hites. 

Our  sympathies  are  naturally  aroused  for  the  brave 
pioneers  and  their  families  who  suffered  so  much  in  their 
frightful  experiences,  and  feelings  of  horror  are  excited  at 
the  barbarous  treatment  they  received  from  the  Indians. 
But  we  must  not  forget  that  that  treatment  was  chiefly 
in  retaliation  for  the  cruel  and  perfidious  manner  in  which 
some  of  the  whites  had  treated  those  untaught,  wild  men 
of  the  forest.  In  his  uncorrupted  state  the  Indian  knew 
nothing  of  duplicity,  except  his  natural,  animal  instinct 
of  wiliness  in  war.  He  was  taught  that  by  the  whites. 
"The  very  words  that  signify  lying,  treachery,  dissimula- 
tion, avarice,  detraction  and  pardon  were  never  heard  of." 
(Buchanan's  North  American  Indians.)   Those  are  the  terms 

1  Belknap's  Histoi-y  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  pages  288-9. 


HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  INDIANS.      143 

and  vices  of  civilization.  With  all  their  naturally  warlike 
disposition,  their  cunning  in  strategy,  and  even  their  reveng- 
ful  proclivities,  the  Indians  in  their  natural  state  were 
governed  largeh^  by  instinctive  feelings  of  honor  and  justice, 

"Over  the  track  of  the  Concord  and  Northern  railroad 
are  daily  seen  running  (1853)  three  Powerful  engines, 
named  Passaconaway,  Wonalanset  and  Tohanto  —  names 
of  three  noble  chiefs  of  the  Pennacooks  —  tried  friends  of 
the  English  in  prosperity  and  in  adversity  —  one  of  them  a 
bold  advocate  of  temperance,  against  lawless  traffickers  in 
Rum."     (Bouton's  History  of  Concord.) 

In  the  old  French  war:  "A  single  instance  of  modera- 
tion deserves  remembrance.  An  Indian  had  surprised  a 
man  at  Ashuelot;  the  man  asked  for  quarter,  and  it  was 
granted ;  whilst  the  Indian  was  preparing  to  bind  him,  he 
seized  the  Indian's  gun,  and  shot  him  in  one  arm.  The 
Indian,  however,  secured  him ;  but  took  no  other  revenge 
than,  with  a  kick,  to  say,  'You  dog,  how  could  you  treat 
me  so.'  The  gentleman  from  v^hom  this  information  came, 
has  frequently  heard  the  story  both  from  the  captive  and 
the  captor."  (Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol. 
2,  page  255.) 

The  same  author  tells  us  that  "the  universal  testimony 
of  the  captives  in  that  war  who  survived  and  returned 
w^as  in  favor  of  the  humanity  of  their  captors.  When 
feeble,  they  assisted  them  in  traveling ;  and  in  cases  of  dis- 
tress from  want  of  provisions,  they  shared  with  them  an 
equal  proportion." 

"The  Indian  never  makes  a  show  of  civility  except 
when  prompted  by  genuine  feeling.  It  is  not  the  custom 
of  any  uncorrupted  Indian  to  repeat  a  request,  or  an  offer 
of  civility  or  courtesy.  If  declined,  they  believe  it  is  done 
in  perfect  sincerity  and  good  faith,  and  that  it  would  be 
rudeness  to  ask  them  to  change  their  determination.  They 
are  seldom  guilty  of  duplicity.  They  never  interrupt  those 
who  are  conversing  with  them,  but  "wait  till  they  have 
finished."     (Buchanan's  North  American  Indians,  page  14.) 

We  must  remember  also  that  the  Indians  had  the  prior 
right  to  this  country  by  occupancy,  and  in  that  sense 
were  the  owners  of  the  land ;  and  that  the  whites  were 
intruders  who  persistently  forced  them  back  and  away 
from  their  familiar  haunts  —  "the  hunting  grounds  of  their 
fathers"  —  those  hills  and  valleys  and  streams  for  which 
they  had  the  natural  feeling  of  love  for  one's  home  and 
country.     In  most  cases  in  New    England  the  whites  did 


144  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

not  buy  the  lands  of  them,  or  if  they  did,  it  was  at  such 
ridiculously  low  prices  that  the  red  man  soon  discovered 
that  he  had  been  cheated  and  v^as  naturally  exasperated. 
Five  thousand  acres  of  that  fine  intervale  land  at  West 
Springfield,  Mass.,  was  bought  of  the  Indians  by  a  tailor 
who  sold  the  same  tract  to  a  carpenter  for  a  wheel- 
barrow. 

The  motive  for  the  attack  on  No.  4,  in  August,  1754, 
was,  as  stated  by  the  Indians  to  their  captive,  James 
Johnson,  "because  the  English  had  settled  down  upon  lands 
there  which  they  had  not  purchased ;  and  that  they 
intended  next  spring  to  drive  the  English  on  Connecticut 
river  so  far  as  Deerfield."  (Johnson's  Declaration,  Provin- 
cial Papers,  vol.  6,  page  330.) 

The  Indians  had  an  indefinite  belief  in  a  future  exist- 
ence, and  buried  with  their  dead  the  arms  and  implements 
of  w^ar  or  of  the  chase,  and  such  provisions  as  they  sup- 
posed would  be  needed  on  the  journey  to  the  "happy 
hunting  grounds."  Sometimes  the  bodies  were  placed  on 
scaffolds  of  the  branches  of  trees,  but  were  more  usually 
buried,  and  the  grave  was  often  surrounded  with  a  light 
stockade;  and  for  six  months  the  women  would  go  there 
three  times  a  day  to  weep.  "If  a  mother  lost  her  babe, 
she  would  cover  it  with  bark,  and  envelop  it  anxiously  in 
the  softest  beaver-skins ;  at  the  burial  place,  she  would  put 
by  its  side  its  cradle,  its  beads,  and  its  rattles;  and  as  a 
last  service  of  maternal  love,  would  draw  milk  from  her 
bosom  in  a  cup  of  bark,  and  burn  it  in  the  fire,  that  her 
infant  might  still  find  nourishment  on  its  solitary  journey 
to  the  land  of  shades."  (Bancroft's  History  of  The  United 
States,  vol.  2,  page  442.) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TOWN  AFFAIRS. 
1760—1774. 

The  warrants  for  town  meetings  at  this  period  were 
headed  "Province  of  New  Hampshire,"  and  issued  "In 
His  Majesty's  Name;"  and  this  form  was  used  until  1771. 

One  article  in  the  warrant  for  a  town  meeting  held 
December  31,  1760,  was  "To  see  if  the  Town  will  agree 
to  give  a  gentleman  a  Call  in  order  to  settle  in  the  min- 
istry among  us."  No  record  of  that  meeting  has  been 
found,  or  of  any  other  until  that  of  March  26,  1761, 
when  it  was  "Voted  to  add  Ten  Pounds  Sterling  money 
of  Great  Brittain  to  the  Worthy  Mr.  Clement  Sumner  to 
the  sum  that  was  voted  to  him  February  y^  Sixteenth 
last  past  and  also  a  Sixty  fourth  Part  of  this  Township 
as  mentioned  in  Our  Ro3^al  Charter  to  the  first  Setled 
Gospel  Minister  Provided  he  shall  settle  among  us." 

From  this  it  appears  that  Mr.  Sumner  had  been  called 
at  a  previous  meeting  in  February^  and  "His  salary  was 
fixed  at  thirty -five  pounds  sterling  and  his  firewood,  with 
an  annual  increase  of  one  pound  ten  shillings  sterling, 
until  fifteen  pounds  should  be  added."     (Annals,  page  35.) 

April  15,  1761,  the  town  "Voted  Ten  Pounds  Sterling 
Money  of  Great  Brittain  to  be  added  To  Mr.  Clement 
Sumners  Sallary  and  the  Whole  Sallary  to  be  stated  on 
Commodities  as  they  be  now  and  so  from  year  to  year  in 
case  that  Mr.  Sumner  Should  Except  our  call ;  Commodi- 
ties as  they  be  now  wheat  at  3/2^2  pr  Bushel  sterling 
pork  at  3^  pr  pound  Beef  at  2^  p^  pound  Indian  corn  at 
1/8^  pence  pr  Bushel  Rye  at  2/6  per  Bushel  Labour  in 
the  Summer  2/ster  pr  Day."  This  was  rescinded  in  Novem- 
ber of  the  following  year,  upon  the  complaint  of  Mr.  < 
Sumner  that  the  article  of  beef  had  been  stated  above  the 
market  price. 2 

1  One  shilling,  eight  pence.     The  diagonal  mark    /   stood  for  shillings. 

2  The  records  of  this  meeting  are  signed  by  Ephraim  Dorman,  town  clerk, 
showing  that  he  must  have  been  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  in  March. 


146  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Mr.  Sumner  accepted  the  call  in  a  letter  dated  April 
27,  which  is  recorded  in  the  town  books,  page  23,  old 
records ;  and  he  was  ordained  on  the  11th  of  June.  The 
church  was  reorganized  at  that  time,  with  fourteen  male 
members  —  having  been  without  a  pastor  for  a  year  and 
eight  months  —  and  two  \'ears  later  Dr.  Obadiah  Blake 
-was  chosen  one  of  the  deacons. 

Mr.  Amos  Foster,  who  died  March  2,  1760,  had  be- 
queathed one-half  his  estate  to  the  town.  On  the  31st  of 
August,  the  town  voted  that  Mr.  Sumner's  settlement  and 
salary  should  be  paid  out  of  that  legacy ;  but  it  w^as  sev- 
eral years  before  the  land  could  be  sold  and  the  money 
collected.  The  same  meeting  "Voted  to  give  the  Sum  of 
Twelve  Pounds  Lawfull  money  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  to 
Doct^  Obadiah  Blake  and  to  Docf  Thomas  Frink  For  their 
Trouble  and  Charge  in  Providing  for  the  Council  at  Mr. 
Sumners  Ordination."  (Dr.  Frink  had  recently  come  to 
town  and  was  keeping  tavern  next  below  where  Capt. 
Isaac  Wyman  built  the  next  vear.) 

Sept.  28  the  town  "Voted  to  build  a  house  for  Sick 
Soldiers;"  and  "Voted  Fifteen  Pounds  Sterling  Toward 
Finishing  the  meeting  House." 

The  selectmen  this  year  laid  out  the  road  afterwards 
called  Prison  street,  "beginning  at  the  North  end  of  the 
Street  by  the  Causeway  by  the  Crotch  of  the  Roads  that 
Lead  to  ash  Swamp  and  up  to  the  Old  Saw  mill  then 
running  by  Mr.  David  Nims'  to  the  North  Side  of  David 
Morses  100  acres  Eight  Rods  wide  thence  Four  Rods  wide 
up  the  Old  Road  through  the  Old  mill  yard,"  etc.  The 
"causeway"  at  the  north  end  of  the  original  Main  street 
was  a  little  north  of  the  present  railroad  tracks ;  David 
Nims  lived  w^here  Charles  Wright  2d  now  does ;  and  the 
old  road  to  the  saw  mill  ran  from  the  causeway  much 
farther  east,  curving  nearly  to  Beaver  brook;  and  this 
new  road  entered  it  about  opposite  our  present  jail,  form- 
ing our  present  Washington  street. 

What  was  then  called  the  new  road  to  Westmoreland 
—  now  the  "old  road"  —  was  also  laid  out  that  year: 
"beginning  at  Jesse  Clarks  [since  known  as  the  Ingersoll 
place  at  old  West  Keene]  and  running  up  past  the  Ellis 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  147 

and  Foster  farms."  Previous  to  that  the  road  to  West- 
moreland was  the  old  one  that  leaves  the  present  Chester- 
field road  just  bej^ond  the  railroad  arch.  That  was  some- 
times called  the  glebe  road,  as  it  ran  through  or  near  the 
Westmoreland  glebe. 

A  proprietors'  meeting  on  the  23d  of  February  was 
called  at  the  meetinghouse,  but  adjourned  to  the  house  of 
Nathan  Blake: 

"Voted  upon  the  Fourth  article  that  that  neck  of 
Comon  Land  w^here  Isaac  Clark  and  Amos  Foster  were 
buried  be  appropriated  and  Set  apart  for  a  burying  Place 
for  this  Town."i 

"Voted  on  the  5^^  article  that  the  Lots  of  Land  Laid 
out  to  the  Rev'^  M''  Clement  Sumner  by  a  Com**^*^  Chosen 
for  that  Purpose  be  Recorded  and  made  Sure  to  him  —  viz 
House  Lots  N°  28-29  eight  acre  Lot  of  Meadow  Land 
(54)  Thirty  acre  Lot  (50)  Ten  acre  Lot  of  Meadow  Land 
(23)  a  Hundred  acre  Lot  to  House  Lot  (29)  also  a  five 
acre  Lot  of  Meadow  to  the  same  House  Lot." 

"  Voted  on  the  Sixth  article  that  the  Prop^^  will  Lay 
out  Sixt^^  acres  of  Upland  to  Each  Right  in  this  Town- 
ship and  that  the\'  will  Proceed  in  the  following  manner 
viz  that  Each  Prop^  shall  have  Libert\^  to  lay  out  Ten 
acres  or  Less  of  the  same  joining  their  Lands  which  they 
have  already  Laid  out  where  there  are  Strips  of  Common 
Land  and  that  they  may  Lay  the  same  in  Several  Pieces 
not  hurting  the  Common  Land  or  their  Neighbours  Privi- 
ledge  and  where  there  is  Strips  of  Common  Land  Lying 
between  two  mens  Land  the\^  Shall  Divide  the  same 
according  to  their  Interest  in  the  Common  Rights  —  and 
the  Remainder  of  the  above  said  Sixtv  acres  which  shall 
not  be  Laid  out  in  Strips  of  Common  Land  they  ^\nll  Pro- 
ceed in  the  Following  manner  viz  that  they  will  Draw 
Lots  for  Choice  and  he  who  Draws  the  first  Lot  Shall 
make  his  Choice  or  Pitch  on  the  first  Day  of  September 
next  Ensuing  the  Date  hereof  and  he  who  Draws  the 
Second  Lot  the  Second  Da^-  and  so  Giving  Ever3'  man 
his  Da^'  according  to  his  Draught  from  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember Next  Until  they  shall  go  thro  the  whole  Sabbath 
Days  Excepted  and  that  The  Com^^'^  appointed  to  Lay  out 
said  Land  shall  Proceed  in  the  Following  method  Namely  to 
La}'  out  the  Lots  in  good  Shape  and  Form  and  not  Leave 
Slips  of  Land  between  Lot  &  Lot,   and  that  they  Leave 

iQn  a  knoll  north  of  the  road  leading  to  West  moTtntain,  near  Ash  Swamp 
brook,  southwest  of  Henry  O.  Spaulding's  house.  The  inscription  on  Mr.  Fos- 
ter's gravestone  is  still  legible,  though  nearly  obliterated.  This  was  the  second 
burying-place  used  in  town,  the  first  being  southwest  of  the  first   meetinghouse. 


148  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Land  for  Roads  in  Every  Lot  —  and  if  any  man  Shall  not 
Lay  out  his  Lot  in  his  Day  nor  bring  in  his  Pitch  or  Choice 
in  writing  to  David  Foster  bj^  the  Daj^  then  he  shall  not 
Lay  out  his  Lot  till  the  time  be  Expired  for  Laying  out 
Each  mans  Draught  or  Pitch  in  Said  Division  and  if  any 
man  shall  not  Lay  out  his  Lot  in  Six  Days  after  he  made 
his  Pitch  it  Shall  not  be  Laid  out  to  hinder  any  other 
man  of  his  Pitch.  Chose  Lieu*  Ephraim  Dorman  Joseph 
Ellis  Joseph  Blake  Simeon  Clark  Benj^^  Hall  David  Foster 
and  Nathan  Blake  a  Com*^^  to  Lay  out  said  Lots." 

The  names  of  the  original  proprietors  with  the  num- 
bers of  their  house  lots  in  regular  order,  and  the  numbers 
of  their  pitches  in  this  division  then  follows. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1762  was  opened  at  the 
meetinghouse,  chose  "Deacon  David  Foster  Moderator" 
and  immediately  adjourned  to  the  house  (tavern)  of 
Thomas  Frink,  Esq.  A  full  list  of  town  officers  was 
elected,  including  Michael  Metcalf,  Jr.,  "Clark  of  the  mar- 
ket,"! and  "Michael  Metcalf  and  Dr.  Obadiah  Blake  Deer 
Reifs."2  Thomas  Rigs  was  chosen  "Leather  Sealer,"  and 
"Dan  Guild  to  Dig  the  Graves  in  the  Burying  Place  by  the 
Town  Street,"  —  at  the  south  end,  near  the  site  of  the  first 
meetinghouse. 

The  first  "merchant"  in  town  was  Ichabod  Fisher,  and 
at  this  time  he  used  to  go  to  Wrentham,  his  native  town, 
once  a  year,  on  horseback,  and  bring  back  his  saddle  bags 
filled  with  calicos,  ribbons,  pins,  needles,  etc.,  which  sup- 
plied the  dry  goods  trade  in  Keene  for  a  year.  His  store 
was  in  his  house  on  "Poverty  Lane,"  now  West  street,  the 
small  yellow  house  which  stood  nearly  opposite  School 
street  until  1880. 

On  the  2d  of  September  the  town  "Voted  to  Clabbord 
the  meeting  House  Lay  the  Floors  and  Glaze  the  windows 
of  s"^  House  and  make  all  the  Doors  and  Brace  the  Meeting 
House  as  the  Carpenter  and  Committee  shall  think  Need- 
full —  Choose  Eben*"  Nims  Michael  Metcalf  Elisha  Briggs 
Eben*"  Clark  and  Josiah  Willard  to  be  a  Committe  To 
carry  on  said  Business  Relating  to  the  meeting  House." 

There  was  delay  in  the  settlement  of  the  estate  of  Amos 

iThis  office  was  continued  for  twenty  years  before  the  "  Haymarket "  was 
established,  but  nothing  is  known  concerning  its  dtities. 

2  It  was  the  duty  of  deer  reeves  to  enforce  the  law  against  killing  deer  in  the 
spring  and  summer. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  149 

Foster,  and  the  town  "  Choose  Thomas  Frink,  Esq/  Agent 
to  act  in  all  affairs  Relating  To  the  Estate  Given  to  the 
Town  by  Mr.   Amos   Foster  Deas'd." 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1763  was  opened  at  the 
meetinghouse,  chose  David  Nims,  moderator,  and  immedi- 
ately adjourned  to  "  Cap*^  Wymans  "  (tavern).  A  full  com- 
plement of  town  officers  was  chosen,  among  them  Capt. 
Wyman  first  selectman,  Ebenezer  Clark  and  Thomas 
Riggs,  tythingmen. 

On  the  21st  of  June  the  town  "Voted  Thirteen  Pounds 
Sterling  to  Pa\'  for  the  Sashes  and  Window  Frames  of  the 
meeting  House  and  for  Provideing  Stone  Boards  &c  for  the 
meeting  House." 

On  the  13th  of  September  the  proprietors  met  at  the 
meetinghouse,  chose  David  Nims  moderator,  and  "ad- 
journed to  the  House  of  Sarah  Harrington,  Inn  Holder." 
Man^'  of  the  proprietors  having  neglected  to  make  out 
their  claims  under  the  Massachusetts  grant,  it  was  voted 
that  if  the}'  did  not  present  their  claims  on  or  before  the 
last  day  of  May,  1764,  "then  their  lands  shall  be  free  for 
any  man  to  la\^  out."  The  time  was  afterw^ards  extended 
to  the  last  da\'  of  September,  1765. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1764  was  opened  at  the 
meetinghouse,  chose  Dr.  Thomas  Frink  moderator,  and 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  Nathan  Blake. 

On  the  fifth  article:  "Voted  Six  Pound  Sterling  to 
Defra3'  the  Charges  of  a  School."  This  is  the  first  record  of 
money  appropriated  by  the  towm  for  schools. 

On  article  7:  "Voted  Fifty  Pounds  Sterling  to  Defray 
the  Charge  of  mending  the  Highw^ays  and  to  allow  Each 
man  Two  Shillings  Sterling  p^  Day  for  Labour  in  mending 
the  Highwaj'  from  the  month  of  May  to  September  and 
One  Shilling  and  Sixpence  Sterling  p*"  Day  after  Septem"" 
Through  the  Season  of  working  on  the  Roads." 

A  town  meeting  on  the  27th  of  September,  adjourned 
to  the  18th  of  October  —  Dr.  Thomas  Frink,  moderator  — 
"Voted  to  Build  a  Pulpit  in  the  meeting  House  and  make 
the  Seats  in  the  Body  of  the  meeting  House  and  Set  up  the 
Pillars  put  in  the  Joyce  of  the  Gallerys  all  to  be  Compleated 
by    the    First    Bay    of  Septem'^  Next."     The    sum    of  ten 


150  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

pounds,  sterling,  was  raised  for  that  purpose,  and  Lieut. 
Ephraim  Dorman,  Benjamin  Hall  and  Simeon  Clark  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  carry  on  the  work. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1765,  on  article  7,  "Voted 
the  Sum  of  Sixty  Pounds  Sterling  to  make  and  mend  the 
Highways  and  that  Two  Shillings  and  Six  Pence  be  allowed 
p''  Day  to  Each  man  untill  the  Last  of  Septem*"  and  then 
Two  Shillings  p^  Day  for  each  man  and  one  Shilling  p^  Day 
for  a  yoke  of  Oxen  and  Sixpence  p*"  Day  for  a  Cart." 

On  the  7th  of  May  a  legal  meeting  of  the  proprietors 
was  held  at  the  meetinghouse  under  a  warrant  from 
Benjamin  Bellows  of  Walpole,  "one  of  his  Majestys  Jus- 
tices of  the  Peace  for  said  Province"  of  New  Hampshire. 
Capt.  Isaac  Wyman  was  chosen  moderator. 

"Upon  the  Second  article  voted  to  Confirm  all  the 
former  votes  of  the  Propriety."  A  committee  was  chosen 
to  sell  the  blacksmith's  tools,  and  a  vote  passed  that  the 
money  received  for  them  should  "be  Laid  out  to  Pay  for 
finishing  the  meeting  House." 

"Upon  the  Fourth  article  Voted  that  the  Propriety 
will  Lay  out  Sixty  acres  of  Land  to  Each  Right  in  said 
Township." 

This  was  the  ninth  division  of  the  common  land,  and 
the  method  adopted  was  the  same  as  that  of  February 
23,  1762. 

Twelve  acres  of  land  were  voted  to  David  Foster  for 
his  services  as  clerk  in  recording  the  charter;  and  "  Tho^ 
Frink  Esq.^  David  Nims  and  Breed  Batcheller"!  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  make  an  allowance  out  of  the 
common  lands  to  those  who  had  had  roads  laid  through 
their  thirty  acre  lots. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1766  chose  Capt.  Isaac 
Wyman  moderator,  and  adjourned  from  the  meetinghouse 
to  the  house  of  Benjamin  Hall.  Ichabod  Fisher  was  elected 
town  clerk  and  Michael  Metcalf  "Saxton." 

After  transacting  other  business  the  meeting  adjourned 
to  the  second  Tuesday  in  April  at  the  meetinghouse,  when 
it  was  "Voted  that  Benjamin  Hall  be  agent  to  represent 
the  Town  in  Behalf  of  a  Shear  Town." 


1  Breed    Batcheller,  a    surveyor,  was   the  first    settler  of  Packersfield,  in  1765 
-afterwards  noted  as  a  tory. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  151 

"Voted  that  the  money  Given  to  the  Town  by  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Fairbanks  Deas'd  The  interest  of  which  was 
for  the  use  of  the  school  in  this  Town  That  the  Security  of 
said  money  be  Delivered  to  the  Care  of  the  Town  Treasurer 
and  his  susesors  [successors]  in  said  office  for  the  Time 
Being. 

"  Voted  to  Give  the  Priveledge  of  the  Pew  which  shall  be 
made  at  the  Right  Hand  of  the  Pulpit  in  the  meeting 
House  (That  is)  adjoining  to  the  Pulpit  Stairs  to  the  use 
and  For  the  Service  of  the  ministers  Family  in  this  town 
for  the  Time  Being  Said  Pew  to  be  made  at  the  Cost  and 
Charge  of  the  Town. 

"Voted  to  give  the  Privelege  of  the  Pew  Ground  in  the 
meeting  House  to  those  Persons  in  this  Town  who  have 
Paid  the  Largest  Taxes  upon  Real  Estate  for  Three  Last 
years  Past  and  said  Persons  shall  have  Their  Choice  of 
Said  Pew  Ground  by  Succession  according  to  The  Value  of 
the  Taxes  they  Paid  in  s*^  Term  and  shall  build  their  Pews 
within  Six  months  from  this  Date  and  if  any  of  the  Said 
Persons  Refuse  or  Neglect  to  build  their  Pew  or  Pews  in 
Said  Term  Then  the  Next  highest  Payers  of  the  Rates 
Shall  have  the  said  Refusers  Property. 

"Voted  that  Benjamin  Hall  David  Nims  and  Josiah 
Willard  be  a  Committe  to  Examine  and  Determine  who 
are  the  Persons  That  have  Paid  the  Larges  Taxes  in  this 
Town  on  Real  Estate  for  the  Three  Last  Years  Past." 

On  the  7th  of  October,  the  town  "Voted  to  Build  a 
New  Bridge  Over  the  River  on  the  Road  Leading  to  Ash 
Swamp"  —  to  be  completed  by  the  first  of  April  following. 
James  Guild  was  the  master  mechanic,  and  Benjamin  Hall, 
Nathan  Blake,  Simeon  Clark,  Jesse  Clark  and  Joseph  Blake 
were  the  committee  to  oversee  the  work.  Thirty  pounds, 
lawful  money,  was  raised  to  defray  the  expense,  and  men 
were  allowed  2/6  per  day  for  work  on  the  bridge. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  the  town:  "Voted  for  the 
Better  accommodation  and  Satisfaction  of  Sundry  Persons 
—  That  Twelve  Persons  more  being  the  Next  Highest  in 
the  Taxes  in  Real  Estate  for  the  Three  Last  years  Past  be 
added  to  the  Former  Twelve  and  may  have  the  Privelege 
with  the  former  Twelve  in  the  Pew  Ground  or  Pews 
already  made  Provided  they  will  Pay  their  Equal  Part  to 
the  Satisfaction  of  those  on  whose  Charge  the  Pews  were 
Built."  The  article  "To  see  if  they  will  Do  anything 
about  Finishing  the  meeting  house"  was  dismissed. 


152  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1767:  "Voted  to  Pay  unto 
Pricilla  Ellis  the  sum  of  Three  Pounds  Thirteen  Shillings 
and  One  Penny  Lawful  Money  for  her  Service  in  keeping 
the  School."  Article  6th  of  the  warrant:  "To  see  if  they 
will  Do  anything  Further  about  Finishing  the  meeting 
House,"  was  dismissed;  but,  on  the  21st  of  April,  Abra- 
ham Wheeler,  Benjamin  Archer  and  Josiah  Ellis  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  lay  the  gallery  floors,  and  build  the 
stairs  and  "Breastworks"  of  the  gallery  in  the  meeting- 
house. At  the  same  meeting  six  pounds  were  appropriated 
to  purchase  standard  weights  and  measures,  new  books 
for  the  town  records  and  "a  Law  Book  for  the  use  of  the 
town." 

Down  to  this  time  all  public  business  in  the  province 
had  been  transacted  at  Portsmouth,  but  the  convenience 
of  the  people  required  the  establishment  of  counties.  It 
was  proposed  in  the  assembly,  in  August  of  this  year, 
that  the  portion  of  the  province  lying  east  of  Merrimac 
river  should  be  divided  into  three  counties,  and  that  all 
the  towns  and  settlements  west  of  the  Merrimac  should 
constitute  a  fourth  county.  In  a  postscript  to  a  letter  on 
this  subject  written  by  Rev.  Daniel  Wilkins  of  Amherst  to 
Hon.  George  Jaffrey  of  Portsmouth,  an  influential  member 
of  the  council  and  treasurer  of  the  province,  Mr.  Wilkins 
said: 

"Amherst  Oct  y^  1«^  1767. 

"P:  S:  S*"  I  must  beg  leave  to  tell  your  Hon''  that  Mr. 
Willard  a  son  of  Coll  Willard  of  Winchester  and  one  Mr. 
Hall  was  at  my  House  the  Last  Evening  as  agent  for 
Keen  and  other  towns  towards  the  great  River  to  desire 
that  the  Shire  Town  might  be  Amherst  and  likewise  that 
there  is  a  general  uneasiness  of  its  being  at  Merrimack 
and  also  Walepole  as  that  every  town  save  two  would  be 
greath^  Discommoded  if  the  Court  was  had  at  Walepole 
and  not  at  Keen  and  also  beg  the  favour  of  its  being 
established  at  Keen  as  Keen  will  much  best  commode  the 
People  in  General  or  at  least  that  his  Exelency  with  your 
Hon^s  would  grant  them  Liberty  to  bring  Down  the  minds 
of  the  People."  "D. :  W." 

November  17,  the  town  chose  "Josiah  Willard  agent  to 
act  in  Behalf  of  this  Town  Respecting  the  Setling  a  New 
County  ;  "  and  "  Voted  to  Have  a  School  Kept  in  the  Town." 


TOWN  AFFAIRS. 


153 


(Probably  this  was  a  re-election   of  Capt.  Willard,  as  Mr. 
Wilkins  called  him  an  agent  in  October  previous.) 

The  first  regular  census  of  the  province  was  made  this 
year  by  order  of  the  general  assembly,  with  an  inventory 
of  the  ratable  estates  and  the  number  of  polls,  and  on  the 
7th  of  October  the  selectmen  made  their  return  of  the 
number  and  description  of  the  inhabitants  in  Keene  as 
follows : 

Unmarried  men  from  16  to  60 51 

Married  men  from  16  to  60 66 

Boys  from  16  years  and  under 84 

Men,  60  years  and  above 4 

Females,  unmarried 149 

Females,  married 68 

Widows 8 


Total 430 

(Provincial  Papers,  vol.  7,  pages  168-9.) 

The  assembly  established  the  proportion  which  each 
town  should  pay  on  £1,000  of  tax.  The  number  of  polls 
in  Keene  1  was  106,  the  valuation  of  the  ratable  estates 
£4,000,  and  its  proportion  of  tax  to  £1,000,  was  fixed  at 
£9  10s. 

The  annual  town  meeting  of  March  1,  1768,  ad- 
journed to  the  7th,  in  consequence  of  the  extraordinary 
flood  of  waters  whereby  some  of  the  principal  inhabitants 
could  not  attend  the  meeting  at  that  time.  The  meeting  was 
then  held  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  Hall,  adjourned  from 
the  meetinghouse.  "Chose  Josiah  Willard  Benjamin  Hall 
and  Ichabod  Fisher  a  Committe  to  Transcribe  the  Town 
Records  into  a  New  Book  and  Rectify  Mistakes  in  said 
Record  if  any  be  Relating  to  Mr.  Sumners  Sallary." 

At  a  legal  meeting  on  the  9th  of  May,  Capt.  Josiah 
Willard  was  chosen  representative  to  the  "General  Assem- 
bly" at  Portsmouth  —  the  first  representative  from  Keene 

iSwanzey       returned  74   polls,  estates  valued  at £3,000 


Winchester  "  108 

Westmoreland  "  94 

Walpole  "  75 

Charlestown      "  100 

Rowley  Canada  (Rindge)   65 

New  Ipswich      "  150 

Exeter  "  390 

Dover  "  384 

Portsmouth        "  910 


4,000 
.  2,700 
.  2,900 
.  4,500 
.  2,200 
.  5,000 
.13,000 
.14.700 
.32,339 
(Provincial  Papers,  vol.  7,  page  166.) 


154  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

to  the  legislature  of  New  Hampshire.  His  father,  Col.  Jo- 
siah  Willard,  represented  Winchester  at  the  same  time. 

November  17  the  town  "Voted  the  Sum  of  Ten  Pound 
Lawfull  Money  for  Defraying  the  Charge  of  a  School." 

The  annual  meeting  of  1769  was  opened  at  the  meet- 
inghouse but  adjourned  '*  to  the  House  of  Leut.  Benj^i  Hall." 
After  this  for  a  long  term  of  years  the  town  meetings  were 
held  at  the  meetinghouse. 

This  meeting  "Voted  to  Raise  the  Sum  of  Sixty  Three 
Pounds  Six  Shillings  and  Eaight  Pence  Lawfull  money  For 
the  Rev'd  mr.  Sumners  Sallary  the  Present  year  — 

"Voted  the  Sum  of  Ten  Pounds  Lawfull  money  for  Pro- 
cureing  Mr.  Sumners  Firewood :  and  each  Person  to  have 
Liberty  to  Pay  his  Propotion  of  the  above  Sum  in  Good 
Marchantable  Firewood  at  Five  Shillings  pr  cord  to  be  De- 
liv'd  at  Mr.  Sumners  Door  at  or  Before  the  First  Day  of 
Februarj^  Next ; "  or  in  default  thereof  the  money  was  to 
be  collected.  "  Choose  Benjamin  Archer  Collector  to  Collect 
said  Fire  wood  or  the  money  for  Procureing  the  same." 

"Voted  to  Build  a  Bridge  Over  the  North  Branch  upon 
the  Road  Leading  to  Joseph  Browns."  Mr,  Brown  lived 
in  w^hat  is  now  Roxbury  and  this  bridge  was  on  the  pres- 
ent Roxbury  road — the  first  at  that  place. 

"Choose  Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman  and  Leut.  Benjamin 
Hall  and  Jeremiah  Stiles  a  Committee  to  Perambulate  the 
Town  Lines."  The  first  perambulation  had  been  made  in 
1760  by  "Lieut.  Ephraim  Dorman,  Ensign  William  Smeed 
and  Lieut.  Seth  Heaton." 

On  the  same  day,  March  7,  the  proprietors  held  a 
meeting  and  voted  to  grant  another  division  of  land  — 
twenty-five  acres  to  each  right  —  the  distribution  to  be 
made  in  the  same  manner  as  that  previously  adopted, 
except  that  each  proprietor  was  given  the  right  to  lay 
out  ten  or  less  of  his  twenty-five  acres  adjoining  his  own 
land. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1770  "Voted  to  Seat  the  meet- 
ing House"  and  chose  "Thos  Frink  Esq.  Thomas  Baker 
Leut  Benjamin  Hall  Dan  Guild  and  Abraham  Wheeler"  a 
committee  for  that  purpose. 

"Voted  further  to  give  Liberty  to  Jeremiah  Stiles  Thos 
Wilder  Samuel  Wadsworth  Robert  Gillmore  Benjamin 
Archer  Jotham  Metcalf  Elisha  Briggs  Silas  Cooke  Eben*" 
Carpenter  Eben^  Newton  Amos  Patridge  and  Daniel  Kings- 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  155 

bury  to  build  Four  Pews  in  the  front  Gallary  and  two 
more  Pews  over  the  mens  &  Womens  Gallery  stairs  said 
Pew  Ground  to  be  Devided  amongst  them  as  they  shall 
agree  among  themselves." 

Article  10,  "To  se  if  they  will  Do  anything  Relating 
to  a  School,"  was  dismissed. 

The  proprietors  met  on  the  27th  of  April,  chose  David 
Nims  moderator,  and  appointed  a  committee  consisting  of 
Lieut.  Seth  Heaton,  Major  Josiah  Willard  and  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Hall  "to  make  Search  and  See  what  money  is 
due  to  Coll^  Bellows  for  the  Charter."  The  meeting  then 
adjourned  to  the  30th  of  May,  when  it  "voted  to  Elisha 
Briggs  Liberty  to  Lay  out  forty  acres  in  any  of  the  Com- 
mon Land  in  this  Township  he  the  said  Briggs  Discharg- 
ing the  Prop*"^  and  Grantees  from  what  ColU  Bellows 
Requires  of  the  Prop^''  and  Grantees  for  the  Charter  of 
this  Town  which  Sum  is  Sixteen  Dollars  and  Three  Quar- 
ters 1  which  offer  M"^  Briggs  accepted  and  Ingaged  to  bring 
a  Discharge  in  the  space  of  a  month  from  the  Date  above." 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1769,  Gov.  John  Wentworth 
granted  a  charter  to  Dartmouth  college,  to  be  established 
at  Hanover.  Towards  the  close  of  the  following  summer 
Rev.  Eleazar  Wheelock,  with  his  family,  in  a  coach  —  the 
gift  of  a  London  friend  —  his  servants,  his  laborers  and  some 
students,  numbering  in  all  seventy  persons,  with  cattle, 
swine  and  carts  loaded  with  furniture,  clothing,  books  and 
implements  of  husbandry  and  the  arts,  made  their  long  and 
tedious  journey  of  200  miles  from  Lebanon,  Conn.,  to  Han- 
over, N.  H.  2  Doubtless  they  passed  through  Keene,  as  the 
best  route  must  have  been  through  Deerfield,  Northfield 
and  Winchester,  and  here  they  would  strike  the  military 
road  opened  by  Col.  Gofife  in  1759  through  Keene  to  No. 
4;  and  a  military  road  had  also  been  opened  from  No.  4 
through  Hanover  to  Haverhill,  N.  H. 

The  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Connecti- 
cut Courant,   published   at  Hartford,   October  16,   1770: 

"Dartmouth  College,  in  Hanover,  Oct.  11,  1770. 

"Whereas  a  meeting  of  the  honorable  corporation  of 
Dartmouth  College,  was  appointed  to  be  on  this  day  in 

1  Showing  the    value  of    the   best    cominon    land  to   be    about    42    cents   per 
acre. 

2  Sanborn's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  page  154.  McClintock's  History  of 
New  Hampshire,  page  517,  and  address   of  Nathan  Crosby. 


156  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

this  place,  but  by  some  means  the  advertisement  of  the 
same,  which  was  sent  to  be  published  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Gazette  miscarried,  which  makes  another  appointment 
necessary. 

"These  are  therefore  to  notify  all  concerned  that  a 
meeting  of  said  corporation  is  now  appointed  to  be  held 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Wyman,  innholder  in  Keen,  on  mon- 
day  the  22*^'^  instant,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon. 

By  Eleazer  Wheelock 
President  of  said  College." 

"Captain  Wyman's  tavern  in  Keen,"  which  he  had 
then  kept  for  seven  years,  was  noted  far  and  wide  as  an 
excellent  inn.  i  It  was  a  convenient  rallying  point  for  the 
trustees,  who  were  scattered  from  northern  New  Hamp- 
shire to  Connecticut,  and  they  met  there  according  to 
notice,  in  the  northeast  room  of  that  house  —  now  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  R.  S.  Perkins,  339  Main  street.  "Rev. 
Dr.  Eleazer  Wheelock  presided  and  Rev.  William  Patten 
was  clerk,"  and  the  administrative  work  of  Dartmouth 
college  was  begun  in  that  room. 

A  legal  meeting  on  the  29th  of  October  voted  to  divide 
the  town  into  four  school  districts  corresponding  nearly  to 
the  four  territorial  quarters  of  the  town,  and  each  district 
was  required  to  build  a  schoolhouse.  Fifteen  pounds  were 
raised  for  the  support  of  the  four  schools,  each  district  to 
have  its  proportion  according  to  the  tax  it  paid. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1771,  upon  a  petition  of 
some  of  the  people  living  on  the  east  side  of  North  branch, 
they   were  set   off  into    a    school    district  by    themselves ; 

1  The  statement  has  been  made  that  Dr.  Thomas  Frink  had  previously  kept 
this  same  tavern,  but  that  is  found  to  have  been  an  error.  Dr.  Frink  preceded 
Capt.  Wyman  as  the  principal  tavern  keeper  at  that  end  of  the  town,  but  not 
in  the  same  house.  From  the  registry  of  old  deeds  in  the  state  library  at  Con- 
cord we  learn  that  in  1757,  while  still  in  command  of  Fort  Massachusetts, 
Capt.  Isaac  Wyman  bought  of  Joseph  Fisher,  of  Dedham,  Mass.,  the  original 
house-lot  No.  47,  "on  the  West  side  of  the  Town  street"  in  Keene,  (where  the 
"Old  Wyman  Tavern"  still  stands);  but  there  could  not  have  been  a  house  of 
any  value  on  it  then,  for  he  paid  only  "one  hundred  Pounds  Lawful  Money" 
for  that  and  the  adjoining  lots  Nos.  46  and  48,  and  thirty  acres  on  Beech  hill. 
In  1761,  while  still  at  Fort  Massachusetts,  he  bought  of  Kev.  Jacob  Bacon,  then 
of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  the  four  lots  at  the  south  end  on  the  same  side  of  the 
street, —  with  some  exceptions,  as  the  east  end  of  lot  54  —  Nos.  51  to  54.  The 
town  records  of  1762  show  that  he  was  then  living  in  Keene,  a  man  of  com- 
parative wealth,  owning  a  large  amount  of  property  in  the  town.  The  records 
also  show  that  in  March,  1763,  he  was  keeping  the  same  tavern  that  he  kept 
in  1775,  and  until  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Wni.  Ward  Blake,  who  married 
his  daughter  Roxana.  The  inevitable  conclusion  is  that  he  built  the  costly  (for 
those  days)  tavern-house  on  lot  47  in  that  first  year  of  his  residence  here,  1762. 
It  was  built  specially  for  a  tavern,  having  a  hall  over  the  south  half,  wine 
closets,  and  other  tavern  conveniences,  and  the  southeast  room  was  the  all-im- 
portant tap  room.  Dr.  Frink  never  owned  lot  No.  47,  but  did  own  lots  49  and 
50,  on  which  were  a  "Dwelling  House  and  Barn,"  buying  them  in  December, 
1761,  and  selling  them  to  Col.  Josiah    Willard  in  1765. 


'^p  ■ 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  157 

and  Elijah  Blake,  dnd  others  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  in  the  northwest  quarter,  were  set  off  in  the  same 
way, 

A  meeting  on  the  15th  of  May  chose  Lieut,  Benjamin 
Hall  representative  to  the  "General  Assembly;"  and 
"voted  to  Glaze  the  meeting  house  and  Choose  Josiah 
Richardson  Leut.  Timothy  Ellis  &  Elijah  Williams  com- 
itte  to  carry  on  s*^  Business." 

In  all  these  years  the  people  in  this  part  of  the  prov- 
ince had  suffered  the  expense  and  inconvenience  of  going 
to  Portsmouth  whenever  they  had  business  before  the 
courts.  For  many  years  the  subject  of  establishing  coun- 
ties had  been  agitated,  and  in  1769  an  act  passed  the 
legislature  and  w^as  signed  by  the  governor  dividing  the 
province  into  five  counties  —  Rockingham,  Strafford,  Hills- 
borough, Cheshire  and  Grafton.  The  first  three  and  the 
last  were  named  by  Gov,  Wentworth  for  English  noble- 
men who  were  his  personal  friends.  Cheshire  was  named 
after  the  English  county  of  that  name,  and  included  the 
present  county  of  Sullivan.  Keene  was  made  one  of  the 
shire  towns  of  Cheshire,  and  Charlestown  the  other. 

But  the  operation  of  the  act  was  suspended  until  the 
king  should  approve.  His  assent  having  been  obtained, 
the  act  went  into  effect  in  1771.  From  that  time,  for 
several  years,  the  warrants  for  to^vn  meetings  were  headed 
"Cheshire  s.s.,"  and  for  three  years  longer  they  were  issued 
in  "His  Majesty's  Name."  The  first  meeting  for  the  choice 
of  jurors  in  Keene  was  held  on  the  2d  of  September, 
Grand  jurymen  were  chosen  by  the  voters ;  petit  jurors 
were  "drawn  and  appointed"  by  the  selectmen. 

"His  Majestys  Superior  Court  of  Judicature"  was  held 
for  the  first  time  in  Keene  on  the  "Third  Tuesday  of  Sep- 
tember ;  "  "  His  Majestys  Inferior  Court  of  Common  Pleas  " 
on  the  "Second  Tuesday  of  October;"  and  the  "Court  of 
General  Sessions  of  the  Peace"  on  "the  Thursday  follow- 
ing the  Second  Tuesday  of  October."  Thomas  Baker,  Jo- 
seph Ellis  and  Eliphalet  Briggs  were  "chosen  "  grand  jurors, 
and  Nathan  Blake,  Michael  Metcalf  and  Thomas  Wilder 
were  drawn  as  petit  jurors  for  the  several  courts. 

Major  Josiah  Willard   of   Keene    had    been    appointed 


158  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"Recorder    of  Deeds    &    Conveyances   of  Real   Estate"  in 
March,  and  he  held  that  office  until  1776. 

At  a  legal  town  meeting  held  on  the  14th  of  February, 
1772,  it  was  "Voted  by  the  Majority  both  of  the  Church 
and  Congregation  that  it  is  the  mind  of  the  Town  that 
the  Rev'^  M^  Sumner  be  Dismissed  from  the  Work  of  the 
Ministry  in  this  Town." 

A  council  of  elders  and  delegates  from  the  churches  of 
Cornish,  Northfield  and  Warwick  was  convened  here  on  the 
29th  of  April,  at  Mr.  Sumner's  request,  which  recommended 
his  dismissal,  and  a  town  meeting  on  the  30th  accepted  the 
recommendation  and  he  retired  from  the  pastorate,  but  re- 
mained an  estimable  citizen  of  the  town.  At  the  close  of 
Mr.  Sumner's  ministry  of  eleven  years  a  very  large  propor- 
tion of  the  citizens  were  members  of  the  church.  The  cause 
of  the  dissatisfaction  with  Mr.  Sumner  was  said  to  be 
"the  misconduct  of  his  children." 

The  annual  meeting  of  1772  not  having  been  legally 
held,  ten  citizens  of  the  town  petitioned  "The  Hon^'*^  Elisha 
Marsh  Esq''  one  of  his  majestys  Justices  of  the  Peace"  to 
call  a  meeting  for  the  choice  of  town  officers,  etc.  That 
meeting  was  held  on  the  24th  of  March  —  Thomas  Frink, 
moderator  —  and  voted  thirty  pounds  for  the  support  of 
schools  for  the  year.  Various  sums  were  also  voted  to  in- 
dividuals for  labor  and  materials  furnished  in  finishing  the 
meetinghouse. 

A  meeting  on  the  5th  of  June  "Voted  to  Dispose  of  the 
Towns  Land  to  paj'-  the  To^vns  Debts,"  and  chose  a  com- 
mittee for  that  purpose,  but  no  record  of  sales  with  that 
object  in  view  has  been  found. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1773  raised  forty  pounds  for 
the  support  of  schools.  In  July,  1772,  a  committee  had 
been  chosen  to  provide  a  suitable  person  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel. The  meeting  in  1773  made  it  the  duty  of  the  selectmen 
to  engage  the  minister,  and  "  Voted  the  Sum  of  Sixty  pounds 
for  the  Charge  of  preaching  the  Gospel  the  year  Ensuing." 
A  "Mr.  Porter"  and  a  "  M«"  Nathaniel  Niles "  had  been 
employed  for  some  months  in  that  capacity,  and  a  meet- 
ing on  the  23d  of  March,  1773,  "Voted  to  Hear  M"^ 
Nathaniel  Niles   Preach  upon  probation  in  order  to  Settle 


TOWN  AFFAIRS. 


159 


in  the  Ministry  among  us."  In  December,  the  same  year, 
the  town  "  Voted  to  hear  Mr.  Augustine  Hibbert  [Hibbard] 
preach  further  upon  probation." 

In  September  the  town  "voted  to  allow  Josiah  Rich- 
ardson to  alter  the  Road  Leading  from  the  meeting  house 
to  Ichabod  Fishers  and  to  Remove  Said  Road  and  to 
Turn  out  on  the  South  Side  of  the  meeting  house  with  a 
Stait  line  to  Ichabod  Fishers  in  the  place  which  the 
Said  Richardson  has  choesen."  The  meetinghouse  then 
stood    on   the  south  side  of  what    is    now    Central  park. 


The  Richardson  Tavern. 


Josiah  Richardson  had  built,  and  then  kept  tavern  in, 
the  colonial  house  which  was  replaced  in  1893  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  and  this  change  opened  the  present 
line  of  West  street  from  the  Square.  It  had  previously 
turned  west  from  Main  street,  diagonally,  about  where 
Lamson  block  now  stands,  and  was  called  Poverty  lane. 
With  this  change  it  was  given  the  name  of  Pleasant  street. 
In  October,  Gov.  John  Wentworth  requested  a  census 
of  the  population  of  the  province,  to  be  taken  by  the 
selectmen  of  each  town.     The  return  for  Keene  was: 


160  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"Unmarried  men,  16  to  60  yrs 65 

Married  men  under  60  yrs 96 

Boys,  16  and  under 140 

Men,  60  yrs.  and  upward 11 

Females  unmarried 217 

Females  married 105 

Widows 10 

Male  slaves 1 

645 
David  Nims,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  jr.,  Benjamin  Hall,  Selectmen." 
(State  Papers,  vol.  10,  Census,  1773.) 

The  total  population  of  the  province  was  given  as 
72,092;  whole  number  of  slaves,  674;  slaves  in  Cheshire 
county,  9. 

In  those  years  of  peace  and  prosperity  and  rapid  growth 
of  the  towns  and  the  provinces,  the  mutterings  of  the  ap- 
proaching storm  of  the  Revolution  began  to  be  heard.  A 
young  monarch,  George  III,  had  come  to  the  throne;  the 
colonists  were  loyal  to  their  sovereign  and  regarded  the 
mother  country  with  devotion  ;  but  the  abundant  evidences 
of  prosperity  in  America  had  led  the  home  government  to 
believe  that  a  large  income  might  be  drawn  from  that 
source,  and  thus  relieve  the  over-taxed  people  of  England. 
To  make  the  taxes  as  little  burdensome  and  irritating  as 
possible,  they  were  levied  chiefly  in  the  form  of  duties  on 
foreign  sugar,  molasses  and  other  commodities  which  came 
in  competition  with  colonial  products,  and  by  stamps  on 
all  legal  and  mercantile  papers.  But  even  these  softened 
measures  were  felt  to  be  an  assumption  of  the  right  to 
seize  and  dispose  of  the  property  of  the  colonists  without 
remuneration  or  representation,  and  aroused  a  determined 
spirit  of  opposition.  Neither  the  petitions  of  the  colonists 
for  redress  nor  the  arguments  of  powerful  advocates  of  their 
cause  in  parliament  produced  any  effect.  The  government 
persisted  in  its  blind  folly.  The  people  became  greatly 
excited,  and  acts  of  violence  followed  the  attempt  to 
enforce  the  obnoxious  laws.  The  stamp  act  was  to  go  into 
operation  on  the  first  day  of  November,  1765.  On  the  last 
day  of  October  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  published  at 
Portsmouth,  appeared  with  a  mourning  border.  The  next 
day  people  came  in  from  the  towns  around,  the  bells  were 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  161 

tolled,  and  there  was  a  mock  funeral  of  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  Similar  demonstrations  were  made  in  Massachu- 
setts and  other  colonies. 

In  1766  the  stamp  act  was  repealed,  greatly  to  the 
joy  of  the  colonists ;  but  there  were  other  laws  w^hich  bore 
harshly  upon  them,  and  this  was  only  a  lull  in  the  storm 
of  resentment  and  opposition.  The  martial  spirit  of  the 
people,  aroused  and  stimulated  by  the  French  and  Indian 
wars,  had  not  died  out,  and  while  there  was  no  thought 
of  separation  from  the  mother  country,  the  trained  veterans 
of  those  wars  were  not  disposed  to  submit  to  any  imposi- 
tions, or  any  encroachments  on  their  rights. 

The  militia  had  been  kept  up,  not  at  the  expense  of 
the  government,  or  of  the  province  chiefly,  but  of  the 
citizen  soldiers  themselves.  John  Wentworth  had  succeeded 
his  uncle,  Benning  Wentworth,  as  governor  of  the  province. 
He  was  only  thirty  years  old,  was  fond  of  military  dis- 
play, and  he  gave  his  personal  and  official  influence  to  the 
improvement  of  the  militia.  The  number  of  regiments  was 
increased  to  twelve,  and  the  6th  covered  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  province  as  in  1760.  Josiah  Willard  of  Win- 
chester was  still  its  colonel,  Benjamin  Bellows  of  Walpole 
lieutenant  colonel,  and  Josiah  Willard,  Jr.,  of  Keene  and 
Breed  Batcheller  of  Packersfield,  majors.  Keene  had  a 
company  of  117  officers  and  men,  and  an  alarm  list  (of 
the  older  and  not  fully  able-bodied  men)  of  forty-five. 

"The  following  muster-roll  has  been  handed  to  the 
compiler,  by  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution : 

"a  list  of  the  foot  company  in  keene. 

"Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall,  Joseph  Gray, 

Ensign,  Michael  Metcalf,  Samuel  Hall, 

Clerk,  Simeon  Clark,  Jesse  Hall, 

Serj.  Elijah  Blake,  Peter  Hubbert, 

Serj.  Thomas  Baker,  Seth  Heaton,  Jr., 

Serj.  Isaac  Esty,  John  Houghton, 

Serj.  Jedediah  Carpenter,  Joseph  Hills, 

Corp.  Dan  Guild,  Davis  Howlet, 

Corp.  Joseph  Blake,  Ziba  Hall, 

Corp.  Abijah  Metcalf,  Jonathan  Heaton, 

Benjamin  Archer,  Luther  Heaton, 

Jonathan  Archer,  Nathaniel  Kingsbury, 

Asahel  Blake,  Daniel  Kingsbury, 


162. 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


John  Brown, 
Elisha  Briggs, 
John  Balch, 
Benjamin  Balch,  Jr., 
Luther  Bragg, 
Samuel  Bassett, 
John  Burt, 
Nathan  Blake,  Jr., 
Obadiah  Blake,  Jr., 
Ro3^al  Blake, 
Naboth  Bettison, 
Thomas  Baker,  Jr., 
John  Pray  Blake, 
Cephas  Clark, 
Seth  Clark, 
Eliphalet  Carpenter, 
Ebenezer  Carpenter, 
Samuel  Chapman, 
Silas  Cook, 
Isaac  Clark, 
Simeon  Clark,  Jr., 
Jonas  Clark, 
John  Day,  Jr., 
John  Daniels, 
Reuben  Daniels, 
John  Dickson, 
Addington  Daniels, 
Ebenezer  Day,  Jr., 
Jacob  Day, 
James  Dean, 
Timothy  Crossfield, 
Joseph  Ellis,  Jr., 
Gideon  Ellis,  Jr., 
Simeon  Ellis, 
Timothy  Ellis,  3d, 
William  Ellis, 
Caleb  Ellis, 
Stephen  Esty, 
James  Eady, 
Henry  Ellis, 
Benjamin  Ellis, 
Benjamin  Ellis,  Jr., 
Joshua  Ellis, 
Jabez  Fisher, 
Silas  French, 
David  Foster,  Jr., 
Peter  Fiskin, 
Aaron  Gray,  Jr., 


Stephen  Larabee, 
Daniel  Lake, 
Ezra  Metcalf, 
Jonathan  Metcalf, 
Moses  Marsh, 
Eli  Metcalf, 
Daniel  Metcalf, 
William  Nelson, 
David  Nims,  Jr., 
Ebenezer  Newton, 
Asahel  Nims, 
Eliakim  Nims, 
Zadoc  Nims, 
Alpheus  Nims, 
Joshua  Osgood, 
Benjamin  Osgood,  Jr., 
Amos  Partridge, 
Jonathan  Pond, 
Abiathar  Pond, 
Nathan  Rugg, 
Josiali  Richardson, 
Eleazer  Sanger, 
Abner  Sanger, 
Robert  Spencer, 
Jeremiah  Stiles, 
Richard  Smith, 
John  Swan, 
Jacob  Town, 
Joseph  Thatcher, 
Abraham  Wheeler,  Jr., 
Joseph  Willson, 
William  Woods, 
Oliver  Wright, 
Jedediah  Wellman, 
David  Willson, 
Daniel  Willson,  . 

Thomas  Wells, 
John  White, 
James  Wright, 
Zadoc  Wheeler, 
Walter  Wheeler, 
Samuel  Wadsworth, 
Abijah  Wilder, 
Jonathan  Wheeler, 
Thomas  Wilder, 
Thomas  Morse, 
Ephraim  Leonard, 
Peter  Daniels, 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  163 

William  Goodenow,  Luke  Metcalf, 

John  Griggs,  Isaac  Wyman,  Jr., 

"To  Col.  Josiah  Willard.  Ephraim  Dorman,  C. 

Errors  Excepted. 
Keene  August  7,  1773." 

"THE   ALARM  LIST  BELONGING  TO  KEENE. 

"Lieut.  SAh  Heaton,  Samuel  Woods, 

Dea.  David  Foster,  Samuel  Daniels, 

John  Day,  Jesse  Clark, 

Abraham  Wheeler,  Joseph  Brown, 

Nathan  Blake,  Robert  Gillmore, 

Joseph  Ellis,  Obadiah  Hamilton, 

Uriah  Willson,  Peter  Rice, 

Ebenezer  Nims,  Elisha  Ellis, 

David  Nims,  Isaac  Billings, 

Gideon  Ellis,  Josiah  Ellis, 

Lieut.  Andrew  Balch,  Timothy  Ellis,  Jr., 

Aaron  Gray,  Ichabod  Fisher, 

Ebenezer  Day,  William  Gray, 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Benjamin  Hall,  Jr., 

Benjamin  Archer,  Benjamin  Osgood, 

Capt.  Isaac  Wyman,  '  Nathaniel  Hall, 

Doct.  Obadiah  Blake,  Samuel  Woods,  Jr., 

Lieut.  Timothy  Ellis,  John  Connolly, 

Thomas  Frink,  Esq.,  Samuel  Colhoun, 

Doct.  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Ebenezer  Cooke, 

Doct.  Gideon  Tiffany,  Daniel  Snow, 

Elijah  Williams,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr." 
Israel  Houghton, 

(Annals  of  Keene,  pages  37-38.) 

The  number  of  ratable  polls  in  Keene,  as  returned  by 
order  of  the  general  assembly  in  May,  1773,  for  a  new 
apportionment  of  taxes,  was  150. 

The  annual  town  meeting  of  1774  voted  sixty  pounds 
for  the  support  of  preaching  and  forty  pounds  for  schools ; 
and  the  selectmen  were  made  the  committee  to  supply  the 
pulpit. 

The  first  school  committees  of  which  we  have  any 
record  were  chosen  this  year,  consisting  of  two  members 
in  each  district,  of  which  there  were  now  seven. 

A  town  meeting  on  the  31st  of  March  chose  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Hall  representative  to  the  provincial  assembly 
which  met  at  Portsmouth,  on  the  7th  of  April.  He 
also  represented  the  town   at  the  previous  session  of  the 


164  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

assembly,  which  began  on  the  11th   of  January,  although 
no  record  of  his  election  is  found. 

"Voted  that  all  marks  of  Sheep  and  Cattle  belonging 
to  this  Town  be  put  on  Record  in  a  book  provided  for 
that  purpose." 

Parliament  continued  to  enforce  laws  which  irritated 
the  colonists,  the  feeling  of  opposition  grefv  more  and 
more  intense,  and  the  war  clouds  more  and  more  threat- 
ening. One  of  the  most  obnoxious  of  those  laws  was  that 
levying  a  duty  of  three  pence  per  pound  on  tea,  and  the 
people  determined  to  deny  themselves  their  favorite  bever- 
age. Keene  and  nearly  all  the  towns  took  action  con- 
demning its  use,  the  colonies  adopted  articles  of  agreement 
against  its  importation,  and  the  people  refused  to  allow 
it  to  be  brought  into  the  country.  The  "Boston  Tea 
Party"  took  place  in  December.  1773.  In  June,  1774,  the 
ship  "Grosvenor"  from  London  arrived  at  Portsmouth 
with  twenty-seven  chests  of  Bohea  tea  consigned  to 
Edward  Parry,  a  merchant  of  that  town.  The  people 
compelled  him  to  reship  it  to  Halifax.  In  September 
another  consignment  came  to  the  same  person.  A  mob 
attacked  Parry's  house,  broke  in  his  windows  and  threat- 
ened more  serious  consequences  if  the  tea  were  not  imme- 
diately reshipped.  That  consignment  was  also  sent  to 
Halifax;  and  for  a  long  time  afterwards  "  Sent  to  Halifax" 
was  a  common  by-word  in  the  province. 

At  the  spring  session  of  the  assembly  of  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1773,  the  house  of  representatives  had  appointed 
a  "Committee  of  Correspondence"  —  usually  called  the 
"Committee  of  Safety  "  —  as  had  been  done  in  other  prov- 
inces ;  and  a  vigorous  correspondence  was  opened  with 
those  other  committees.  The  result  was  that  the  colonies 
chose  delegates  to  a  general  congress,  which  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1774,  to  take  into  consideration  the  condition 
of  public  affairs  and  recommend  measures  upon  which  all 
could  unite  and  act  in  concert.  That  congress  was  com- 
posed of  some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  country. 

Gov.  Wentworth  had  labored  to  prevent  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  of  correspondence  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  when  the  act  passed  he  dissolved   the  assembly.     But 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  165 

the  patriots  were  not  to  be  balked  by  mere  forms.  The 
committee  at  once  assumed  the  position  and  powers  of  the 
general  executive  of  the  province  and  issued  a  summons  to 
the  representatives,  who  again  met  in  their  own  hall.  The 
governor,  through  the  sheriff  of  the  county,  commanded 
them  to  disperse  and  keep  the  peace,  but  when  he  had  re- 
tired they  proceeded  to  business,  recommended  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer,  which  was  solemnly  observed,  and 
called  upon  all  the  towns  to  send  delegates  to  a  conven- 
tion at  Exeter  to  choose  delegates  to  the  Continental  con- 
gress. That  committee  met  on  the  21st  of  July,  and  was 
called  the  First  Provincial  congress.  Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall 
was  the  representative  to  the  general  assembly,  but  he 
proved  to  be  a  loyalist,  and  Keene  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  represented  in  that  convention. 

Upon  the  meeting  of  the  Continental  congress,  a  state- 
ment of  the  grievances  of  the  colonists  was  drawn  up, 
followed  by  articles  of  agreement  upon  measures  for  secur- 
ing redress.  Those  articles  were  called  the  "Non-Importa- 
tion Agreement,"  or  association,  and  the  "Non-Consump- 
tion Agreement,"  which  forbade  the  importation  or  con- 
sumption of  any  goods  or  merchandise  whatever  from 
Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  or  the  dependent  islands  of 
Great  Britain.  It  was  also  agreed:  "That  a  committee  be 
chosen  in  every  County,  City  and  Town,  those  who  are 
qualified  to  vote  for  Representatives  in  the  Legislatures, 
whose  business  it  shall  be  attentively  to  observe  the  con- 
duct of  all  persons  touching  this  Association,"  etc.  The 
agreements  were  signed  by  all  the  delegates,  for  themselves 
and  their  constituents.  Those  agreements  bore  severely 
upon  the  people,  for  they  shut  out  many  articles  that  were 
necessary  for  their  comfort  and  convenience ;  but  the  patri- 
ots readily  submitted  to  the  deprivation  for  the  good  of 
the  common  cause. 

A  town  meeting  was  held  on  the  26th  of  September, 
1774,  David  Nims,  moderator.  One  article  in  the  warrant 
was  to  see  if  it  be  the  mind  of  the  town  to  sign  the 
covenant  and  engagement,  which  was  sent  and  recom- 
mended, by  the  cominittee  of  correspondence,  relating  to 
the  non-importation  agreement.     The  general  congress  was 


166  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

then  in  session  but  had  not  yet  acted  upon  this  question, 
and  the  meeting  passed  the  following  preamble  and  vote : 
"whearas  the  Towns  in  this  province  have  chosen  mem- 
bers to  Represent  them  in  a  General  Congress  of  all  the 
Collines  Now  sitting  at  the  City  of  Philadelphia  to  con- 
sult and  Determine  what  steps  are  Necessary  for  the 
Collonies  to  adopt :  voted  therefore  not  to  sign  the  said 
non  importation  agreement  until  w^e  hear  what  measures 
said  Congress  has  agreed  upon  for  themselves  &  their 
constituents." 

The  same  meeting  "voted  to  get  a  Stock  of  ammuni- 
tion for  the  Tow^n  viz.  200  lb  of  good  gun  powder,  400 
lb  of  Lead  and  1200  flints."  Twenty -four  pounds  "law- 
ful money"  were  raised  for  that  purpose,  and  Capt.  Isaac 
Wyman,  Lieut.  Timothy  Ellis  and  Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman 
were  chosen  a  committee  to  provide  the  articles.  The  same 
committee  was  instructed  to  build  a  magazine  six  feet 
square  for  storing  the  ammunition ;  but  a  subsequent 
meeting  voted  not  to  build  the  magazine. 

October  17,  the  town  "voted  unanimously  to  give  Mr. 
Elias  Jones  a  Call  to  Settle  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel 
ministry  in  this  Town;"  and  voted  to  give  him  "  one  hun- 
dred and  Thirty  Three  pounds  Six  Shillings  &  Eight  pence 
as  a  Settlement,"  and  seventy -five  pounds  as  an  annual 
salary.  The  selectmen  were  made  a  committee  to  lay  the 
votes  of  the  town  before  him,  but  no  report  of  any  further 
negotiations  with  him  has  been  found.  "The  Worthy  Mr. 
William  Fessenden"  also  preached  as  a  candidate  during 
the  year,  but  the  town  voted  not  to  call  him. 

At  this  October  meeting,  the  town  "choose  Capt  Isaac 
Wyman  &  Lent  Timothy  Ellis  Delegates  to  attend  the 
Congress  at  Walepole  the  Fourth  Tuesday  of  this  Instant" 
to  take  measures  for  the  better  security  of  the  internal 
police  of  the  county.  Nothing  is  known  concerning  the 
proceedings  of  that  "Congress." 

A  convention  of  delegates  from  the  towns  in  this  vicin- 
ity was  held  at  Keene,  on  the  28th  of  December,  which 
issued  an  address  to  the  people  urging  patriotic  action, 
and  recommending  the  towns  to  hold  public  meetings  and 
adopt  a  by-law  which    was  prepared  and  sent  out  with 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  167 

the  address.  No  other  record  of  that  convention  has  been 
preserved. 

An  order  had  been  passed  by  the  king  in  council  pro- 
hibiting the  exportation  of  gunpowder  and  other  military 
stores  to  America.  Fort  William  and  Mary,  at  the 
entrance  of  Portsmouth  harbor,  contained  military  stores, 
and  the  onl^^  force  that  held  it  at  that  time  was  a  captain 
and  five  men.  The  committee  of  safety  at  Boston  were  on 
the  watch  for  every  kind  of  information.  They  learned  of 
the  orders  of  the  king,  and  also  that  the  frigate  Scar- 
borough was  to  take  troops  to  the  Piscataqua  to  secure 
Fort  William  and  Mary.  They  sent  Paul  Revere  express 
to  Portsmouth  with  the  news.  He  arrived  on  the  13th  of 
December,  1774.  Committees  of  safety  had  been  formed  in 
many  of  the  towns,  and  the  committee  of  Portsmouth 
promptly  and  secretly  notified  some  of  the  leading  men  in 
that  and  neighboring  towns.  The  Portsmouth  company 
under  Capt.  Thomas  Pickering  turned  out  and  was  swelled 
by  men  from  other  places.  Major  John  Sullivan  and  Capt. 
John  Langdon  joined  the  party  and  aided  in  giving  direc- 
tion to  the  movement.  They  proceeded  to  the  fort,  cap- 
tured the  small  garrison,  and  brought  off  a  hundred 
barrels  of  powder  i  and  sixty  stands  of  small  arms.  The 
next  da}'  fifteen  of  the  light  cannon  and  all  the  small 
arms  and  other  stores  were  brought  off — just  before  the 
arrival  of  the  Scarborough  and  the  sloop  Canseau  with 
several  companies  of  troops,  who  took  possession  of  the 
fort  and  dismantled  it. 

Some  of  the  wealthy  men  in  the  province  were  disposed 
to  be  loyal  to  the  crown  on  account  of  the  property  they 
had  at  stake ;  but  a  large  majority  of  the  people  of  Keene 
were  outspoken  patriots,  and  many  of  them  were  deter- 
mined and  enthusiastic  in  that  cause.  A  few  of  the  lead- 
ing men  were  inclined  to  loyalty  but  were  prudent  and 
avoided  controversy  with  their  neighbors  on  that  subject; 
and  some  of  the  citizens  were  inclined  to  follow  the  lead  of 
those  influential,  secret  loyalists. 

Those  officers  of  the  law  who  had  not  thrown  up  their 
commissions  were,  of  necessity,  loyalists ;   but  the  patriots 

lA  part  of  the  powder  was   secreted    under  Durham    tneetinghouse  and    part 
was  used  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 


168  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

generally  were  extremely  bitter  towards  all  who  were  tinc- 
tured with  toryism,  and  refused  to  allow  the  royal  man- 
dates to  be  executed. 

Elijah  Williams,  a  lav^yer,  had  come  to  Keene  in  1771, 
and  had  been  appointed  a  "Justice  of  the  Peace"  by  Gov- 
ernor Wentworth  in  May,  1774.  In  the  winter  of  1774-5 
he  "instituted  a  suit  against  a  citizen  of  Keene,  the  writ 
being  in  the  form  then  usual,  commencing  '  George  the 
Third,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King,'  &c.  Immediately  after- 
wards, a  large  number  of  people,  many  coming  from  the 
neighboring  towns,  assembled  at  Keene,  seized  Williams, 
and  took  him  with  them  to  their  place  of  meeting,  which 
was  a  barn  standing  by  itself,  in  a  field.  They  required 
him  to  stop  the  suit,  and  to  promise  that  he  would  issue 
no  more  writs  in  the  name  of  the  King.  Perceiving  he  had 
no  alternative,  he  complied,  and  was  then  set  at  liberty." 
(Annals,  page  40.) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 
1775. 

On  the  4th  of  January  the  town  "voted  to  come  into 
the  Measures  Recommended  by  the  Continenttal  Congress 
in  their  association  agreement  —  voted  to  choos  a  Com- 
mitte  of  Inspection  agreable  to  s'^  advice :  Choose  Capt 
Isaac  W3^man  Leut.  Timothy  ElHs  Tho®  Baker  Dan  Guild 
&  WilHam  Ellis  for  said  Committe  of  Inspection." 
"  Choose  Capt  Isaac  Wyman  to  Represent  s^  Town  at 
the  meeting  at  Exeter  to  be  held  on  the  21st  Instant  for 
the  choice  of  Delegates  for  the  Continental  Congress  to 
meet  at  Philadelphia  on  may  Next." 

That  convention  of  deputies  from  the  several  towns, 
sometimes  called  the  Second  Provincial  congress,  met  at 
Exeter  on  the  25th  of  January,  issued  an  address  to  the 
people  warning  them  of  the  dangers  of  British  aggression, 
encouraging  them  to  stand  firm  as  patriots,  to  support 
the  committee  of  correspondence,  to  practise  military'-  drill, 
and  to  adhere  to  the  agreement  to  sustain  the  measures 
recommended  by  the  Continental  congress.  John  Sullivan 
and  John  Langdon  were  chosen  delegates  to  another  Con- 
tinental congress  which  was  to  meet  at  Philadelphia  on 
the  10th  of  May. 

Nine  of  the  leading  men  of  the  colony  were  appointed 
a  committee  of  safety,  Mathew  Thornton  of  Londonderry 
chairman,  with  full  power  to  act  as  the  executive  of  the 
colony  w^hen  the  congress  was  not  in  session  and  "to  call 
a  Provincial  Convention  of  Deputies,  when  they  shall 
judge  the  exigencies  of  publick  affairs  require  it." 

A  town  meeting  on  the  23d  of  Februar\^  chose  Capt. 
Isaac  Wyman  to  "Represent  the  Town  as  a  Member  of 
the  General  Assembly  holden  at  Portsmouth  on  Feb^ 
23<^  &  so  day  by  Daj^  During  their  Sessions." 

The  annu.al  town  meeting  in  March    refused  to  raise 


170  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

money  for  the  support  of  preaching,  but  voted  13^  4^  to 
Elisha  Briggs  "for  his  service  in  finishing  the  meeting 
house,"  and  6®  to  Silas  Cooke  for  sweeping  the  same.  For 
about  six  years  at  this  time  the  town  was  without  a 
settled  minister.  Sixty  pounds  were  voted  for  schools,  the 
management  of  the  schools  was  added  to  the  duties  of  the 
selectmen,  and  no  school  committees  were  chosen. 

The  controversy  with  Great  Britain  increased  in  bitter- 
ness, and  the  people  in  all  parts  of  the  country  grew  more 
and  more  excited.  Civil  officers  threw  up  their  commis- 
sions under  the  king,  the  courts  of  justice  were  suspended 
and  the  laws  relating  to  civil  affairs  were  no  longer 
executed. 

By  the  militia  law  then  in  force,  the  execution  of  which 
was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  committee  of  safety  and  the 
provincial  congress,  every  male  inhabitant  from  sixteen  to 
sixty  3^ears  of  age  was  required  to  provide  himself  with  a 
musket  and  bayonet,  knapsack,  cartridge-box,  one  pound 
of  powder,  twenty  bullets  and  twelve  flints.  Every  town 
was  required  to  keep  constantly  on  hand  one  barrel  of 
powder,  200  pounds  of  lead  and  300  flints  for  every  sixty 
men,  besides  a  quantity  of  these  stores  for  those  who  were 
unable  to  supply  themselves.  Even  the  old  men  and  those 
not  able  to  do  full  military  duty  were  required  to  keep  on 
hand  the  same  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition  as  the 
active  militia-men.  But  for  fifteen  years  there  had  been 
peace  and  the  law  had  not  been  enforced,  and  now  the 
people  were  rudely  awakened  to  the  fact  that  there  was 
less  than  half  the  required  amount  of  military  stores 
among  them,  and  that  there  were  scarcely  any  to  be  had 
in  the  country ;  that  the  veterans  of  the  Indian  wars  were 
fast  passing  away;  and  that  their  young  men  were  learn- 
ing nothing  of  military  arts  and  duties. 

Attention  was  called  to  these  facts  by  the  leading 
patriots  and  by  the  convention.  In  addition  to  the  regu- 
larly organized  companies  and  regiments,  voluntary  asso- 
ciations were  formed  for  the  purpose  of  learning  military 
exercises,  the  brightest  and  most  experienced  men  were 
chosen  to  command,  and  drills  and  training  became  fre- 
quent.    Companies  of  "minute  men"   were  organized,   to 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  171 

move  at  a  minute's  warning,  and  the  manufacture  of  arms, 
equipments  and  powder  was  stimulated.  Congress  urged 
the  collection  of  saltpetre,  and  bounties  were  paid  by  the 
colony  to  those  who  produced  the  largest  quantities  of 
that  article;  and  everybody  set  to  work  to  save  every- 
thing about  the  stables  and  other  buildings  from  which  it 
could  be  extracted. 

The  patriots  had  collected  a  few  military  stores  at 
various  points,  particularly  at  Concord,  Mass.  Gen.  Gage, 
the  British  commander  at  Boston,  determined  to  seize  and 
destroy  them.  But  no  secret  whispered  among  the  British 
officers  and  royalists  in  Boston  failed  to  reach  the  ears  of 
the  patriots. 

The  committees  of  safety  and  the  people  were  on  the 
watch.  Men  were  stationed  in  each  of  the  towns  of 
Charlestown,  Cambridge  and  Roxbury  with  instructions 
to  note  every  movement  of  the  British  troops.  Expresses 
were  kept  in  readiness  to  speed  intelligence  to  the  country 
around  and  preparations  were  made  to  flash  the  news  by 
signal  lights. 

In  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  April  18,  the  British  gren- 
adiers and  light  infantry  were  put  in  motion  and  marched 
down  to  the  foot  of  the  common.  At  11  o'clock  they 
crossed  the  river  in  boats,  landed  at  Lechmere  Point  (East 
Cambridge),  and  started  on  their  march  to  Lexington  and 
Concord. 

The  patriot  sentinels  were  alert.  The  lanterns  were 
hung  in  the  steeple  of  Christ  church  on  Copp's  hill.  Paul 
Revere  crossed  Charles  river  in  a  boat  five  minutes  before 
the  British  sentinels  received  the  order  to  allow  no  one  to 
leave  Boston,  mounted  a  fleet  horse  and  sped  away  to  Lex- 
ington, rousing  the  people  as  he  went.  Other  messengers 
hastened  in  all  directions,  bells  were  rung  and  neighbor 
sent  word  to  neighbor. 

Before  sunrise  American  citizens  had  been  slain  at  Lex- 
ington, and  minute-men  and  other  patriots  were  flocking 
to  the  scene  of  action.  The  tidings  were  caught  up  by  re- 
lays of  swift  horsemen  and  fleet  runners  on  foot  —  "like  the 
burnt  and  bloody  cross  of  the  Scotch  Highlanders  "  —  and 
carried  to  every  township  and  every  log  cabin. 


172  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

So  swift  were  those  messengers  that  they  reached  New 
Ipswich  —  60  miles  away  —  the  same  afternoon,  while  the 
British  were  still  on  their  bloody  retreat  to  Boston,  and 
ninety-seven  men  under  Capt.  Thomas  Heald  started  for 
Lexington  at  2  o'clock  that  night. 

Rindge  received  the  news  late  on  the  same  afternoon, 
the  night  was  spent  in  rallying,  and  fifty-four  men  under 
Captain  —  afterwards  Colonel  —  Nathan  Hale  started  early 
the  next  morning  and  were  in  Cambridge  before  night  of 
the  21st. 

It  was  ninety  miles  to  Keene,  and  there  w^as  no  road 
this  side  of  New  Ipswich  —  nothing  but  a  bridle  path 
through  the  woods,  to  be  followed  by  marked  trees  —  never- 
theless the  messenger  arrived  here  "in  the  forenoon"  of 
the  20th.  Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman  commanded  the  mili- 
tary company.  He  lived  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street 
just  north  of  what  is  now  Baker  street.  Resolute  and 
patriotic  but  too  old  for  active  service  —  he  was  then  sixty- 
five —  he  immediately  called  for  consultation  on  Capt. 
Isaac  Wyman,  a  more  experienced  soldier  than  himself, 
who  kept  the "  public  house  already  described.  By  his 
advice  messengers  were  sent  to  every  part  of  the  town, 
notifying  the  inhabitants  to  meet  on  the  "Green"  that 
afternoon. 

The  meetinghouse  stood  then  where  the  soldiers'  monu- 
ment stands  now,  facing  south;  and  the  "Green,"  or 
common  —  the  training  ground  of  the  military  company  — 
was  the  space  in  front  of  the  meetinghouse  extending  down 
to  the  present  railroad  tracks,  with  a  few  detached  ten- 
footers  on  its  eastern  side,  and  open  fields  bordered  by 
one  or  two  small  buildings  on  the  west. 

The  meeting  was  held  as  notified,  and  voted  unani- 
mously to  send  a  company  "to  oppose  the  regulars." 
Capt.  Wyman  was  chosen  commander,  and  though  fifty- 
one  3'ears  old  —  a  veteran  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars 
—  he  promptly  accepted  the  command.  Volunteers  were 
called  for  and  twenty-nine  men  stepped  to  the  front,  the 
captain  himself  making  the  number  thirty. 

With  the  wisdom  of  experience,  he  told  his  men  to  re- 
turn to  their  homes,  prepare  their  arms   and  equipments 


50ST0N    ROAD,    NOW    BAKER    STRBET.       WITH    D.    A.    R.     MARKER. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  173 

and  get  provisions  for  several  days;  for,  said  he,  "all  the 
roads  will  be  full  of  men  and  you  can  procure  nothing  on 
the  way;"  and  to  meet  at  his  house  the  next  morning  at 
sunrise. 

That  evening,  by  invitation  of  Capt.  Wyman,  Capt. 
Dorman,  Lieut.  Jeremiah  Stiles  and  other  leading  patriots 
of  the  town  met  for  consultation  in  the  north  room  of  Capt. 
Wyman's  tavern  —  the  same  parlor  in  which  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  trustees  of  Dartmouth  college  had  been  held  in 
1770  —  and  everything  that  foresight  could  suggest  was 
arranged  for  the  march. 

Promptly  at  the  hour^  —  on  that  Friday  morning,  the 
21st  of  April,  1775  —  the  men  were  there  and  immediately 
marched  off  down  Main  street,  turning  dow^n  w^hat  is  now^ 
Baker  street,  and  out  on  the  Marlboro  road  and  thence  to 
Jaffrey  and  New  Ipswich,  probably,  as  that  was  then  the 
road  to  Boston.     Their  names  were: 

Capt.  Isaac  Wyman. 

Jeremiah  Stiles,  chosen  lieutenant  and  afterwards  cap- 
tain and  commanded  the  company  at  Bunker  Hill. 

John  Griggs,  afterwards  spelled  Gregg,  chosen  ensign 
and  was  afterwards  a  captain. 

Samuel  White,  appointed  sergeant,  twenty  years  old. 

Ezra  Metcalf,  appointed  sergeant,  left  wife  and  child 
in  the  west  part. 

Asahel  Nims,  appointed  sergeant,  son  of  David,  26 
years  old,  killed  at  Bunker  Hill. 

Luke  Metcalf,  appointed  corporal. 

Benjamin  Ellis,  appointed  corporal,  son  of  Joseph, 
twent}'  years  old,  afterwards  a  captain  in  the  Continental 
army. 

Samuel  Bassett,  fifer,  slightly  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill. 

Ebenezer  Billings,  came  to  Keene  from  Packersfield,  an 
apprentice  of  Breed  Batcheller,  the  tory. 

William  Bradley. 

Stephen  Da3%  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill  and  died  Aug.  17. 

Jesse  Dassance;  James  Eddy;  Caleb  Ellis,  son  of  Lieut. 
Timothy  Ellis;  Hugh  Gray;  Isaac  Griswold;^  Eliakim 
Nims,  brother  of  Asahel,  twenty-four  years  old. 

i"In  the  afternoon,  Gen.  Bellows,  Col.  John  Bellows,  and  Thomas  Spar- 
hawk,  arrived  from  Walpole,  and  riding  to  his  house,  inquired  for  Capt.  Wyman. 
Being  answered,  that  he  started  at  sunrise,  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  men, 
they  exclaimed,  'Keene  has  shown  a  noble  spirit!'  and  hastened  on-^\'ards.  They 
were  soon  followed  by  a  party  of  men  from  Walpole."     (Annals,  page  41.) 

20n  the  roll  as  from  Gilsum.  He  lived  near  the  line;  owned  land  in  both 
towns,  which  then  gave  him  the  right  to  vote  in  both  ;  was  prominent  in  the 
town  affairs  of  Keene  for  many  years  ;  and  w^as  a  memijer  of  this  company. 


I;     -  —     -     T        _        i     -:  T     "    -:;   ;    Thatcher.   Elisha 

7                    ^  ^T    :  T      :   :    r     aie  Gen.  James 

7                     .':--.      :-  :  :  It  -  since  been  known 

^s  :_i          -:    I        T-           -r  _      r:    ^Treer.  south  of  the 

:  -:  "  :  ::::t  :  r :  r  :r  :::  Xeene  -^th  Capt. 
'7-  :        :;:     :    r  -         .t       rrt  :::  :^-:'es*s  companv  at 

B-'ktr  H  --r  transferred  into  a  Massachu- 

-:":    -  "  :     is  shown  on  that  regimen- 

:^    r:  .-     :  -:-.;.-.  at  Keene.  April  21.  1775. 

Wr  '-'-'.  tarn  from  the  Xew  Hampshire  Revolntionary 
7  "-  -'  :  Ir'-min  Tiffiany,  a  sergeant,  and  Elijah  Blake, 
i  ^r-Tiit.  in  -:i:  companj  of  Capt.  Samuel  Richards,  of 
Gofi&to^m,  io  Stark's  regiment:  and  Ebenezer  Carpenter, 
a  sergeant  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Mann,  of 
Mason,  in  Reed's  raiment,  were  from  Keene.  and  each  en- 
listed April  23,  and  were  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  It 
is  thesxtorc  probable — almost  certain — that  these  three  men 
^rere  also  among  the  thirty  who  marched  from  Keene  on 
the  21st;  and  that  in  the  unsettled  state  of  aflEairs,  the 
strife  among  recruiting  oflScers  to  secure  men.  and  the  fact 
that  Capt,  Wyman  was  promoted  out  of  the  company, 
these  men  joined  other  companies,  dating  their  enlistment 
from  the  time  they  arriTed  at  Medford  instead  of  the  time 
they  left  Keene,  as  did  Col.  Stark,  Capt.  Wyman  and  many 
others.  ^  These  make  twenty-six  of  the  thirty,  leaving  four 
still  to  be  accounted  for. 

The  company  made  its  march  of  eighty-five  miles  in 
two  days,  arriving  at  Medford  on  the  23d. 

lOn  the  ran  a*  from  Smrrj,  bnt  a  member  of  tWs  eompanj,  and  wounded 
at  Boslecr  HSIL 

Petition  of  Chaxlcs  JKce.  Banker  HiO  s<ddier.  17»1 : 

"To  tiie  liomVie  tht  Senate  and  boiue  of  Bepresentatire*  in  General  Court 
conrcned  at  Concord. — HnmM^  Oews.  Cbasles  Kke  of  Keene.  that  in  the  year 
177S  htiax  a  HcH^er  in  Captain  Jtretuiah  Stiles'*  Company  &  Col-  John  Starks 
gfggiiBfiit  ne  reecsTcd  a  most  dwtroMng;  vonnd  tfaronxb  the  brea.»t  at  the  menio- 
raMe  batOe  of  Bmdcer  Bin — ^rbidh  lias  erer  nnce  rendered  it  impo^ible  for  liim 
to  eain  a  com£>rta]>le  cabwstence  for  liimielf — mncb  more  for  a  nnmeron*  family 
wlueli  daily  lo«A  to  Mm  for  tliat  acMstance  whidi  lie  wotdd  most  readily  afford 
wcse  <t  in  bis  power. — That  yonr  petitioner  has  nerer  receired  tfae  leart  assist- 
ance from  Iri*  Coentry  btxag  eotirtij  ignorant  of  any  feasible  method  rA  making 
appPcation — He  tJherefote  pray*  yonr  HonoraMe  body  to  compasmonate  bis  case 
and  lend  laim  cn^  asmirtance  a*  m  ^ronr  demency  you  shall  judge  prr^ier — And 
as  in  duty  bonnd  erer  prays    Jerennali  Stiles  in  behalf  of  the  petitioner" 

/^Stat*  y'a.y^%,  vo\.  12,  r>a;?c  318.) 

»In  GJfanotc's  "Kew  HampSltire  Men  at  Jutnlcer  Hill "  Tiffany  and  Blake  are 
p«t  down  as  firom  Goffietown.  bnt  correspondence  witb  tbe  town  clerk  of  that 
town  and  otiien  in  tliat  ricimtj  fails  to  discover  tbeir  name«  ai  resident*  of 
GoflMown,  at  tliat  time  or  any  other,  and  it  i»  erident — their  "  renjdence ''  not 
lMAa%ji^en — tliat  tbey  were  pint  down  as  from  that  town  »iroply  l>eca«se  they 
w^ert  n>  tte  company  of  Capt,  Ki<^iards  of  GolKrtown. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  175 

The  same  intense  excitement  and  promptness  of  action 
were  everywhere  to  be  seen.  The  Swanzey  company  of 
sixty-two  men,  under  Captain  (afterwards  Colonel)  Joseph 
Hammond,  started  at  daylight,  i  To  each  of  the  little 
towns  away  from  the  main  lines  of  travel  the  only  roads 
were  those  bridle  paths,  though  some  of  them  —  as  was 
the  case  between  New  Ipswich  and  Keene  — had  been  regu- 
larly laid  out  by  the  towns.  At  Packersfield  (Nelson),  the 
tidings  were  received  about  the  same  time  as  at  Keene, 
and  the  men  were  ralhed  during  the  afternoon  and  night! 
There  were  but  thirty-four  men  in  that  town  of  suitable 
age  to  go,  and  twenty-seven  of  them  marched  at  sunrise 
under  Lieut.  Abijah  Brown.  And  some  other  towns  did 
equally  well. 

This  shows  a  condition  of  public  sentiment  in  Keene 
which  needs  explanation.  At  that  time  Keene  had  a  fully 
organized  military  company  which  numbered,  in  1773,  127 
officers  and  men,  besides  an  "alarm  list,"  or  home  guard, 
of  the  older  men,  which  numbered  forty-five.  In  1775,' 
those  companies  must  have  been  still  larger;  yet  Keene 
turned  out  but  thirty  men. 

The  explanation  is  that  the  colonel  of  the  militia  regi- 
ment here,  one  of  the  wealthiest,  most  active,  and  most 
prominent  men  in  the  county,  was  Josiah  Willard,  then 
hving  in  Winchester— the  same  who  had  commanded  the 
company  here  in  1748  — and  he  was  a  tory.  His  son, 
Josiah  Willard,!  major  of  the  regiment,  lived  here,  had 
been  Keene's  first  representative  to  the  legislature  in  1768- 
70,  was  at  this  time,  and  had  been  for  several  years, 
recorder  of  deeds,  and  had  much  influence  in  the  town,' 
and  he,  too,  was  a  tory.  Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall, 2  who  for 
four  years  had  been  Keene's  representative  in  the  colonial 
assembly,  was  a  tory.  Elijah  WilHams,  the  bright  young 
lawyer  of  the  town,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  college,  was 
a  tory.  Dr.  Josiah  Pomeroy,  a  leading  physician  of  the 
town^jwas  a  tory.     Breed  Batcheller,  the  second  major  of 

stinrife^"°^"*^°"''''^  '^°"^'  ''°^-  ^'  P"*^^  ^^-  Swanzey  Town  History  says  "at 
sn,r,!.^f-l'i''  Wmard,_  Lieut.  Hall,  Samuel  Wadsworth,  John  Swan  and  crobablv 
Dos^tio,^,  «^  others  afterwards  took  the  side  of  the  patriots  and  regained  thei? 
serveHn  ^oI^T^f.'^w''"'^  respected  citizens;  and  John  Swan  volunteered  and 
those  whn«?;,ilf  Wy'^a"  >^.  regiment  m  1776.  and  Major  Willard  was  one  of 
cnose  whose  pay  for  services  m  the  patriot  cause  was  adjusted  in  1788 


176  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

the  regiment,  more  widely  known  in  Keene,  where  he  had 
been  a  citizen,  than  in  Packersfield,  where  he  then  Uved, 
was  a  tory.  There  were  thirteen  of  them  in  the  town, 
besides  Batcheller,  and  nearly  all  were  men  of  property 
and  influence.  They  did  not  believe  it  possible  for  the 
patriots  to  succeed,  and,  as  a  matter  of  prudence  and 
policy,  they  believed  it  their  duty  to  stand  by  the  royal 
government.  But  for  their  adverse  influence  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  number  of  volunteers  from  Keene  would 
have  been  very  much  larger. 

Nearly  every  town  in  the  province  sent  volunteers. 
Two  thousand  New  Hampshire  men  were  on  the  ground 
at  Cambridge  and  Medford  by  the  23d,  and  with  those 
from  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut,  formed 
an  unorganized  army  of  nearly  20,000  men  —  without  uni- 
forms and  many  of  them  without  equipments. 

On  the  22d,  Gen.  Artemas  Ward  of  Massachusetts  was 
appointed  a  major  general  in  the  service  of  that  province, 
and  assumed  command  of  all  the  troops.  Stark,  the  vet- 
eran Indian  fighter  from  Derryfield  (Manchester),  N.  H., 
was  there  on  the  22d,  and  was  ordered  by  Gen.  Ward  to 
take  position  at  Chelsea  with  300  men,  forming  the  ex- 
treme left  of  the  American  line,  which  extended  to  Rox- 
bury.  Boston  was  now  completely  inclosed  on  the  land 
side,  the  patriots  began  to  throw  up  intrenchments  all 
along  their  lines,  and  the  city,  with  the  British  army  there- 
in, was  in  a  state  of  siege. 

As  there  was  no  staff  organization  from  New  Hamp- 
shire on  the  ground,  and  no  rations,  ammunition,  or  sup- 
plies of  any  kind  provided  by  the  authorities  of  that  prov- 
ince. New  Hampshire  men  were  advised  to  enlist  for  the 
time  being  into  the  service  of  Massachusetts  in  order  to 
draw  rations  and  quarters.  An  arrangement  of  that  kind 
was  made  by  a  committee  of  the  New  Hampshire  provin- 
cial congress  with  one  from  that  of  Massachusetts  —  the 
men  to  be  accounted  for  on  the  quota  of  New  Hampshire 
—  and  supplies  were  issued  to  some  of  the  New  Hampshire 
troops  by  the  commissaries  of  Massachusetts.  ^ 

1  Cominissions  were  issued  to  Stark  and  Reed  as  colonels,  April  26,  by  the 
Massachusetts  comtnittee  of  safety,  which  were  accepted  to  continue  till  New 
Hampshire  acted.     (McClintock's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  page  332.) 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  177 

To  form  their  own  separate  organization  the  New 
Hampshire  officers  met  at  Medford  on  the  26th  and  elected 
field  officers.  John  Stark  was  chosen  colonel,  Isaac  Wy- 
man  of  Keene,  lieutenant  colonel,  and  Andrew  McClary  of 
Epsom,  major  of  the  First  New  Hampshire  regiment.  Stark, 
being  the  senior  and  most  experienced  officer  on  the 
ground,  was  recommended  by  the  meeting  "to  take  charge 
of  all  New  Hampshire  troops  in  the  field."  (The  room  in 
which  the  officers  met  was  called  "  New  Hampshire  Hall " 
afterwards.)  The  next  day.  Col.  Stark  established  his  head- 
quarters at  Medford,  by  order  of  Gen.  Ward.  Lieut.  Jere- 
miah Stiles  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Keene  com- 
pany, and  was  afterwards  commissioned  captain. 

Most  of  the  men  who  had  gathered  in  such  haste 
around  Boston  were  farmers,  impatient  to  strike  a  blow 
for  their  country,  or  to  be  at  home  to  plant  their  crops 
and  attend  to  their  affairs.  Seeing  no  prospect  of  imme- 
diate action  at  the  front,  large  numbers  of  them  returned 
to  their  homes  —  many  of  them  with  the  consent  of  their 
officers,  others  without  asking  consent.  There  was  no 
power  to  hold  them  because  they  had  not  yet  signed 
enlisting  papers  in  any  regular  service;  and,  in  some  cases, 
they  were  advised  by  their  commanders  to  go  home  and 
prepare  for  a  war  of  indefinite  length. 

Four  of  our  Keene  men  came  home,  but  ten  others 
stood  ready  to  take  their  places ;  or,  very  likely  the  same 
men,  or  some  ot  them,  soon  returned  to  the  front.  It  is 
altogether  probable  that  some  of  these  later  volunteers 
were  in  that  first  company. 

The  names  of  those  who  joined  —  or  rejoined  —  the  com- 
pany at  Medford  in  time  to  be  present  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  were: 

Benjamin  Archer,  appointed  sergeant  May  26. 

Ebenezer  Cook,  appointed  sergeant  May  15. 

Joseph  Gray,   \    enlisted  May  15. 

William  Gray,/    sons  of  Aaron  Gray  of  Gray's  Hill. 

Samuel  Hall,i  enlisted  May  15. 

Benjamin  Hall  (son  of  Samuel),  enlisted  May  15. 

1  Entered  on  this  roll  as  from  Rockingham,  but  reported  ever  afterwards  as 
from  Keene,  was  a  citizen  of  Keene  for  many  years  previous  and  following,  was 
in  the  military  company  here  in  1773,  and  doubtless  went  from  Keene  at  this 
time. 


178  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Hannaniah  Hall,  enlisted  May  15. 

David  Harris,  enlisted  May  8. 

Stephen  Larabee,  enlisted  May  8. 

Thomas  Morse,  enlisted  May  15. 

Silas  French  and  Tilley  Howe  joined  after  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill ;  and  the  name  of  Jonathan  Wheeler  of 
Keene  appears  on  a  later  roll  of  the  same  company. i 

In  the  meantime  the  excitement  among  the  people  at 
home  was  intense.  Upon  the  alarm  of  the  19th,  the  com- 
mittee of  safety  of  New  Hampshire  sent  runners  to  the 
several  towns  asking  them  to  send  delegates  to  a  conven- 
tion to  be  held  at  Exeter  on  the  21st,  to  consult  for  the 
general  safety.  The  inhabitants  of  Keene  came  together 
hurriedly  and  without  legal  notice,  on  the  27th,  and 
"Chose  Lieut.  Timothy  Ellis 2  a  Delegate  to  meet  the  Com- 
mittee at  Exeter,  and,  as  a  member,  to  sit  in  the  provincial 
Congress  at  Exeter  whenever  they  may  convene."  That 
convention  of  the  21st,  sometimes  called  the  Third  Provin- 
cial congress,  appointed  Col.  Nathaniel  Folsom  of  Exeter  a 
brigadier  general  to  command  the  New  Hampshire  troops 
around  Boston,  and  recommended  the  several  towns  to 
provide  their  proportion  of  £500  worth  of  biscuit,  flour 
and  pork  for  the  public  use;  and  that  they  "engage  as 
many  men  in  each  town  as  they  may  think  fit  to  be  prop- 
erly equipt  &  ready  to  march  at  a  minute's  warning  on 
any  emergency."  A  special  committee  was  appointed  to 
procure  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  towns. 

On  the  4th  of  May  the  regular  assembly'  of  the  prov- 
ince was  called  together  at  Portsmouth  by  proclamation 
of  Gov.  Wentworth.  Capt.  Isaac  Wyman  was  the  mem- 
ber of  the  house  of  representatives  for  Keene,  but  he  was 
in  the  army  and  did  not  attend. ^ 

i"Soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  several  tories,  among  whom  was 
Elijah  Williams  Esq.,  left  this  vicinity,  and  joined  the  British,  in  Boston." 
(Annals,  page  41.) 

2  "  He  expressed  his  willingness  to  accept  the  office,  but  declared  that  he  had 
not,  and  could  not,  in  season,  procure  money  enough  to  bear  his  expenses.  The 
inhabitants,  thereupon,  voted  that  he  might  draw  ft'om  the  treasury  four 
pounds,  lawful  money."     (Annals,  page  41.) 

3 In  his  speech  the  governor  urged  upon  the  legislature  "a  Restoration  of 
our  Harmony  with  Great  Britain."  On  the  6th,  "in  his  Majesty's  name  he 
adjourned  the  General  Assembly"  to  the  12th  of  June.  A  few  of  the  members 
met  on  that  day  according  to  adjournment,  but  adjourned  from  day  to  day, 
and  no  business  yva.s  transacted.  On  the  15th  of  July  the  governor  sent  in  his 
last  message,  and  ordered  an  adjournment  till  September;  but  the  general  as- 
sembly of  the  province  under  the  government  of  Great  Britain  never  met  after- 
wards. Governor  John  Wentworth,  an  upright,  honorable  man,  maintained 
himself  in  nominal  power  until  September,  when  he  abdicated,  and  sailed  away 
in  a  British  frigate. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  179 

Soon  after  the  meeting  of  the  convention  at  Exeter,  in 
April,  the  committee  of  safety  for  the  province  sent  formal 
notices  to  the  towns  to  send  delegates  to  a  convention  to 
be  held  at  Exeter  on  the  17th  of  May.  This  convention 
was  called  the  Fourth  Provincial  congress.  Great  enthusi- 
asm prevailed  during  its  session.  A  patriotic  address  was 
issued  to  the  people,  leniency  towards  debtors  was  recom- 
mended, and  effective  measures  were  adopted.  It  estab- 
lished a  post  office  at  Portsmouth  and  provided  for  post 
riders  to  other  points.  It  resolved  "  to  raise  immediately 
Two  Thousand  Effective  Men  in  this  Province  Including 
officers  &  those  of  this  Province  already  in  the  service;" 
"that  every  member  pledge  his  Honor  &  Estate  in  the 
name  of  his  Constituents  to  pay  their  proportion  of  main- 
taining and  paying  the  officers  &  soldiers  of  the  above 
number  while  in  the  service;"  and  "that  the  Selectmen  of 
the  several  Towns  &  Districts  within  this  colony  be  desired 
to  furnish  the  soldiers  who  shall  inlist  from  their  respective 
Towns  and  districts  with  good  &  sufficient  Blankets  &  ren- 
der their  accounts  to  the  Committee  of  Supplies."  Col. 
Matthew  Thornton,  Col.  Josiah  Bartlett,  Capt.  Wm.  Whip- 
ple, Col.  Nathaniel  Folsom  and  Ebenezer  Thompson,  Esq., 
were  appointed  the  committee  of  safety.  Col.  Nicholas  Gil- 
man  and  six  others  were  appointed  a  committee  of  supplies. 

The  2,000  men  raised  were  divided  into  three  regiments 
of  ten  companies  each,  sixty-two  men  to  the  company. 
Stark,  by  far  the  most  experienced  and  capable  soldier  in 
the  province,  was  indignant  because  political  influence  had 
placed  Folsom,  -who  had  remained  at  home  where  he  could 
meet  the  members  of  the  convention,  over  him,  w^ho  had 
been  at  the  front  in  command  of  the  troops.  But  the  col- 
onelcy of  the  First  regiment  was  left  open  for  Stark  if  he 
chose  to  accept  it,  and  Enoch  Poor  of  Exeter  was  ap- 
pointed colonel  of  the  Second. 

Stark  was  sent  for  and  appeared  before  the  convention, 
explained  his  conduct,  which  had  been  somewhat  insubor- 
dinate towards  Gen.  Folsom,  and  accepted  the  commission 
offered  him.  Isaac  Wyman  of  Keene  was  confirmed  as 
lieutenant  colonel  and  Andrew  McClary  of  Epsom  as  ma- 
jor of  the  same  regiment. 


180  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

Poor's  regiment,  raised  in  the  eastern  and  central  parts 
of  the  province,  was  held  for  the  protection  of  the  New 
Hampshire  coast,  and  did  not  join'  the  main  army  until 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

Upon  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  James  Reed  of 
Fitzwilliam,  afterwards  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Keene, 
who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars 
and  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel,  had 
hastened  to  the  front  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  volun- 
teers and  joined  the  other  New  Hampshire  troops.  Find- 
ing the  army  at  Cambridge  in  an  unorganized  condition, 
he  "beat  up"  for  volunteers  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
regiment.  He  also  engaged  Andrew  Colburn,  of  Marlboro, 
a  veteran  of  the  Indian  wars,  who  afterwards  rose  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  colonel,  and  others,  to  enlist  men  for  him 
in  Cheshire  county.  He  went  to  Exeter  and  laid  before  mem- 
bers of  the  convention  his  claims  to  a  commission,  and  on 
the  1st  day  of  June  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Third 
regiment.  Israel  Oilman,  of  Exeter,  was  appointed  lieuten- 
ant colonel,  Nathan  Hale,  of  Rindge,  major;  and  ten 
recruiting  officers  were  appointed  to  enlist  men  to  complete 
his  regiment,  eight  of  whom  were  afterwards  captains 
under  him.  Under  verbal  orders  from  Gen.  Folsom,  he  came 
immediately  to  Cheshire  county,  collected  the  recruits  that 
had  been  enlisted  for  him,  marched  them  to  Cambridge, 
reported  to  Gen.  Ward  on  the  12th,  and  was  directed  to 
go  to  Medford,  where  his  other  companies  had  been  sent 
from  Cambridge,  and  collect  his  recruits ;  and  he  received 
the  following  written  order: 

"Head  Quarters,  June  the  12th  1775. 

"General  Orders  —  That  Coll.  Reed  quarter  his  Regi- 
ment in  the  houses  near  Charlestown  Neck  and  keep  all 
necessary  Guards  between  his  Barracks  and  the  Ferrey  and 
on  Bunker's  Hill. 

(Signed)  "J.  Ward  Sectary  Copy  for  James  Reed." 

Stark  had  more  than  ten  companies  and  two  of  his  — 
those  of  Captains  Whitcomb  ol  Swanzey  and  Thomas  of 
Rindge  —  were  transferred  to  Reed,  who  marched  his  regi- 
ment of  ten  companies,  numbering  more  than  five  hundred 
men  present  for  duty,  to   Charlestown  Neck   on  the  13th, 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  181 

and  posted  a  guard  ot  one  captain,  two  lieutenants  and 
forty-eight  men  as  directed. 

On  the  Afternoon  of  Friday,  the  16th,  Gen,  Ward  placed 
Col.  William  Prescott  of  Pepperell  in  command  of  a  de- 
tachment of  a  little  less  than  1,000  men,  including  two 
pieces  of  artillery  and  a  company  of  Connecticut  troops 
under  Capt.  Know^lton,  with  orders  to  take  all  the  in- 
trenching tools,  their  packs,  and  provisions  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  proceed  to  Charlestown  Neck.  ^  The  detach- 
ment paraded  on  Cambridge  common  —  ordered  at  6  o'clock 
but  somewhat  delayed  —  a  ration  of  rum  was  served  to  the 
men  from  a  hogshead  brought  to  the  spot,  and  at  9  o'clock, 
after  a  prayer  by  President  Langdon  of  Harvard  college, 
the  column  moved,  silently,  with  tw^o  sergeants  to  lead  the 
way,  carrying  dark  lanterns  open  only  to  the  rear. 

Halting  within  the  lines  of  Col.  Reed's  regiment,  Pres- 
cott there  received  further  orders  to  fortify  Bunker's  hill 
and  hold  his  ground  until  relieved.  Gen.  Ward's  chief  en- 
gineer, the  veteran  Col.  Gridley,  was  with  him  to  lay  out 
the  works;  and  Gen.  Putnam  and  other  officers  of  high 
rank  were  also  with  him,  but  without  commands. 

Bunker's  hill,  one  mile  from  the  point  where  the  British 
landed,  sloped  towards  the  bay,  and,  about  half  w^ay 
down  the  ridge,  rose  again  in  a  smaller  elevation  called 
Breed's  hill.  This  point  was  believed  by  those  experienced 
officers  to  be  the  better  position  and  was  selected  as  the 
place  for  the  redoubt.  The  plan  of  the  fortifications  w^as 
marked  out,  the  sentinels  placed  along  the  shore,  and  at 
midnight  the  work  began.  Strict  silence  was  enjoined  upon 
the  men,  for  six  vessels  of  war  carrying  about  170  guns 
and  1,000  men  lay  within  range,  and  the  "All's  well!"  of 
the  British  sentinels  along  the  Boston  shore  could  be  dis- 
tinctly heard.  So  vigorously  was  the  work  pushed  that 
at  daylight,  a  little  after  3  o'clock,  there  was  a  breast- 
work six  feet  high  on  every  escarpment  of  the  redoubt. 
From  the  northern  angle  a  ditch  and  breastwork  w^ere 
extended  about  100  yards  towards  Mystic  river.    All  sides 

lA  somewhat  extended  account  of  the  battle  is  given  for  the  reasons  that  it 
was  the  bloodiest  fight  that  could  be  called  a  "battle,"  in  proportion  to  the 
numbers  engaged,  that  has  ever  been  fought  on  American  soil;  and  that  Keene 
had  a  larger  proportion  of  its  men  in  that  battle  than  in  any  other,  in  any  -war. 


182  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

of  the  hill  were  open  fields,  except  on  the  south  and  south- 
west, where  lay  the  village  of  Charlestown. 

As  daylight  disclosed  the  works  on  the  hill,  the  senti- 
nels on  the  vessels  gave  the  alarm.  Fire  was  immediately 
opened  from  the  men-of-war,  and  soon  afterwards  from  the 
battery  on  Copp's  hill.  Both  armies  and  the  inhabitants 
of  Boston  and  the  surrounding  towns  were  rudely  awak- 
ened to  a  great  and  memorable  day;  and  there  was  ex- 
citement and  confusion  in  both  camps.  Prescott  foresaw 
the  impending  attack  and  called  for  reinforcements. 

Stark  with  his  regiment  of  more  than  600  men,  larger, 
better  appointed,  and  better  disciplined  than  any  other  in 
the  army,  lay  at  Medford.  Early  in  the  morning  Gen. 
Ward  sent  him  an  order  to  reinforce  Prescott  with  200 
men.  ^  He  immediately  detailed  Lt.  Col.  Wyman  to  com- 
mand the  detachment,  and  sent  them  forward  as  soon  as 
they  could  be  supplied  with  ammunition.  Anxious  to  know 
the  exact  condition  of  affairs,  he  soon  afterwards  mounted 
his  horse  and  galloped  across  the  Neck  and  over  the  hills 
to  the  redoubt,  passing  Col.  Wyman  with  his  detachment 
in  the  hollow  between  Winter  and  Ploughed  hills,  about 
two  miles  from  the  redoubt,  and  quickly  returned  to  his 
regiment. 

Urged  by  the  Massachusetts  committee  of  safety,  at  11 
o'clock  2  Gen.  Ward  sent  orders  to  both  Stark  and  Reed  to 
reinforce  Prescott  w^ith  their  whole  force.  But  Stark  was 
four  miles  away  and  ammunition  had  not  been  distributed 
except  to  guards  and  pickets.  He  immediately  drew  up 
his  men  in  front  of  the  building  used  for  an  arsenal,  and 
each  man  w^as  given  a  gill  cup  of  powder,  fifteen  balls  ^  and 
one  spare  flint.  A  few  cartridges  were  made,  but  very  few 
of  the  men  had  cartridge-boxes,  or  paper  for  cartridges. 
Some  took  their  powder  in  powder-horns,  others  in  their 
waistcoat  pockets.  Their  guns  were  of  various  calibres 
and  some  of  the  balls  had  to  be  hammered  and  others 
wound  with  patches  to  make  them  fit.     Col.  Reed's  men 

iGen.  Ward  feared  to  weaken  his  centre  lest  he  should  be  attacked  at  that 
point,  and  therefore  reinforced  Prescott  from  his  left  wing. 

2Stark  stated  that  it  was  "about  2  o'clock"  when  he  received  the  order; 
but  he  was  on  the  ground  before  the  battle  began,  which  was  "about  3  o'clock." 

3  Lead  had  been  taken  from  the  organ  pipes  in  the  church  at  Cambridge  and 
■wherever  it  could  be  obtained  and  run  into  bullets. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  183 

were  supplied  in  the  same  way  and  tinder  the  same  diffi- 
culties. It  took  two  hours  to  prepare  the  ammunition. 
Then,  "about  one  o'clock,"  the  veteran  colonel  began  his 
march,  with  the  roar  of  the  British  cannon  —  the  prelude 
of  the  battle — testing  the  nerves  of  his  men. 

Crossing  the  Neck  at  a  deliberate  pace  under  a  raking 
fire  from  some  of  the  ships  —  which  had  deterred  other 
troops,  who  were  lying  there  —  a  young  captain  i  marching 
by  the  colonel's  side  ventured  to  suggest  that  it  might  be 
well  to  quicken  the  step.  Stark's  reply  was:  "One  fresh 
man  in  action  is  worth  ten  tired 2  ones,"  and  he  would 
not  hasten.  A  little  before  3  o'clock  he  arrived  near  the 
ground ;  ^  halted  his  column  for  a  few  minutes ;  went  for- 
ward to  speak  with  Prescott ;  ^  returned  to  his  men ;  made 
them  a  short,  spirited  address ;  had  them  give  three  cheers, 
and  then  moved  them  to  the  left,  and  took  position  about 
200  yards  to  the  rear  of  the  fortifications,  his  line  extend- 
ing down  to  Mystic  river,  to  prevent  a  flank  movement 
by  the  enemy  in  that  direction.  It  was  ebb  tide,  the  beach 
at  that  place  was  strewn  with  rocks,  and  Stark  directed 
his  men  to  throw  those  up  for  a  breastwork  at  that  end 
of  the  line. 

Col.  Reed  had  moved  his  regiment  to  the  front  and 
formed  on  Capt.  Knowlton's  left  —  who  had  taken  position 
with  his  company  of  Connecticut  troops  in  rear  of  the 
redoubt,  facing  Mystic  river  —  Reed's  line  turning  at  nearly 
a  right  angle  towards  the  river.  Stark  now  formed  on  his 
left,  completing  the  line  from  the  fortifications  to  the 
water's  edge,  with  the  exception  of  a  gap  of  about  100 
yards  next  to  the  ditch  and  breastwork,  which  was 
covered  by  the  fire  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments.  Two 
companies  of  artillery  took  position  in  this  gap,  but  with- 
drew to  the  rear  soon  after  the  battle  began  and  did  little 
service.  Capt.  Crosby's  company  of  Reed's  regiment  was 
detached  and  stationed,  with  other  troops,  on  Main  street, 

1  Henry  Dearborn  of  Nottingham,  afterwards,  in  the  war  of  1812,  a  major 
general  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  United  States  army. 

2  Some  quotations  make  him  say  fntigued,  but  he  was  not  the  man  to  use  a 
long  French  word   when  a  short  English  one  was  better. 

3  Yankee  Doodle  had  been  played  by  the  British  in  ridicule  of  the  Pi=ovincia]s, 
who  now  used  it  for  the  first  time  in  defiance  of  the  British.  (Address  of  Rev. 
Geo.   E.  Ellis,  June  17,  184.1.) 

4  Communication  to  New  Hampshire  Patriot  in  1818,  by  Major  Joseph  Dow, 
of  Hampton  Falls,  who   was  present  in  Stark's  regiment. 


184  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

at  the  foot  of  Breed's  hill,  forming  the  extreme  right  of 
the  line  and  protecting  that  flank.  The  day  was  hot,  and 
many  of  the  men,  particularly  of  Reed's  regiment,  whose 
camp  was  near  the  battle  ground,  left  their  packs  and 
some  even  their  coats,  expecting  to  return  for  them,  and 
they  were  afterwards  paid  for  clothing  and  other  articles 
lost  that  day. 

The  day  before,  the  grass  on  the  north  slope  of  the 
hill  had  been  cut  for  hay  and  still  lay  on  the  ground.  A 
breastwork,  which  Capt.  Knowlton's  men  had  begun,  was 
made  along  the  greater  part  of  the  New  Hampshire  line, 
where  there  was  a  rail  fence,  by  bringing  others  that  stood 
near  and  setting  them  to  make  two  parallel  lines  i  about 
three  feet  apart  and  filling  the  space  with  the  hay,  well 
trod  in,  which  the  men  brought  in  their  arms.  2  Hay 
packed  in  that  way  would  stop  many  of  the  musket  balls, 
as  they  were  fired  in  those  days.  A  British  letter  after  the 
battle  says,  "It  was  found  to  be  the  strongest  post  ever 
occupied  by  any  set  of  men." 

The  New  Hampshire  line  thus  formed  two  sides  of  a 
rectangle  which  the  enemy  must  enter  to  make  their  at- 
tack on  that  wing.  And  this  was  the  kej^  to  the  position, 
because  the  only  sensible  move  the  British  could  make  was 
to  direct  their  main  attack  against  this  line  with  the  view 
of  turning  the  American  left  and  getting  in  rear  of  the  re- 
doubt. And  that  was  exactly  what  they  did.  It  was  here 
that  Gen.  Howe  himself  commanded,  with  his  grenadiers 
and  light  infantry,  with  field  artillery  —  "the  flower  of  his 
troops"  —  and  the  most  sanguinary  fighting  was  done  in 
the  two  first  assaults. 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon.  The  British  had  begun  to 
land  from  their  boats  at  1  o'clock.  At  3  o'clock,  they  had 
about  3,000  men  on  the  ground,  with  Gen.  Howe  in  com- 
mand.   The  barges  were  sent  back  to  the  Boston  side,  to 

1  The  fence  that  was  already  there  a  part  of  the  distance,  was  a  low  stone 
wall  topped  with  two  rails,  and  another  line  of  posts  and  rails  w^as  set  in  front 
to  hold  the  hay.  This  was  made  chiefly  by  Keed's  and  Knowlton's  men,  prob- 
ably ordered  by  Putnam,  as  Stark  arrived  only  a  few  minutes  before  the  battle 
began. 

2  1  had  this  when  a  boy  from  my  grandfather,  Nehemiah  Wright,  who  was 
present  ip  Reed's  regiment,  and  assisted  in  building  those  fences  and  fired  from 
behind  them  ;  and  tradition  brought  down  the  same  account  from  my  grandfather, 
Samuel  Griffin,  who  was  also  present  in  the  same  regiment,  and  fought  behind 
the  rail  fence.— S.  G.  G. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  185 

prevent  the  flight  of  the  men  —  for  then  it  was  "conquer 
or  die."  "They  were  supplied  with  large  tubs  of  drink  to 
prepare  them  for  the  onset."  i 

They  formed  in  two  columns,  the  left,  under  Gen. 
Pigot,  directed  against  the  redoubt,  the  right,  as  stated 
above,  making  the  principal   attack  against  the  rail  fence. 

On  our  side  the  field  officers  passed  along  the  lines, 
encouraging  the  men  and  giving  them  directions  to  hold 
their  fire  until  the  British  were  close  upon  them ;  telling 
them  to  "fire  low;"  "aim  at  the  waist;"  "powder  is 
scarce,  don't  waste  it;"  "wait  till  you  can  see  the  w^hites 
of  their  eyes."  <Stark  stepped  out  about  forty  yards  in 
front,  stuck  a  stick  in  the  ground,  and  said  to  his  men: 
"Don't  fire  a  shot  till  the  redcoats  come  up  to  that  stick 
and  I  say  the  word." 

The  British  advanced  with  steady  step,  in  closed 
columns,  halting  and  deploying  when  well  up  tow^ards  our 
lines  with  the  coolness  and  precision  of  a  dress  parade; 
and  then  the  line  of  battle  moved  forward  in  perfect  order, 
halting  to  fire  now  and  then,  but  without  aim  and  shoot- 
ing over  and  doing  little  harm. 

When  they  had  reached  the  mark,  "Fire!"  shouted 
Stark,  and  a  deadlj^  volley  of  rattling  musketry  burst 
from  the  whole  line  followed  by  another  as  soon  as  they 
could  load.  Nothing  could  withstand  such  a  fire.  The 
British  wavered,  broke  and  fled.  The  smoke  lifted  and 
disclosed  the  ground  strewn  with  dead  and  dying,  and 
hundreds  were  wounded  who  were  able  to  escape,  but  not 
to  return.  A  few  of  our  men  rushed  forward  to  pursue, 
but  were  restrained  by  their  ofiicers. 

By  great  exertions  of  their  officers  the  British  were  ral- 
lied at  the  water's  edge  and  reformed ;  and  again  they  ad- 
vanced to  the  charge.  Charlestown  was  set  on  fire  and 
destroyed,  but  most  of  the  inhabitants  had  fled,  not  more 
than  two  or  three  hundred  remaining  of  a  population  of 
between  two  and  three  thousand. 

Gen.  Putnam,  at  the  rear,  was  making  strenuous  efforts 
to  fortify  Bunker's  hill  for  a  rallying  point  in  case  of 
disaster;  carrying  intrenching  tools  from  the  redoubt  for 

iCol.  Swett. 


M 


186  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

that  purpose,  and  urging  forward  reinforcements,  very  few 
of  whom  reached  the  front  Hne ;  and  there  was  great  con- 
fusion on  that  part  of  the  field.  Putnam  and  Col.  Gerrish 
had  1,000  to  1,500  men  on  Bunker's  hill  and  behind  it,  only 
half  a  mile  away,  who  gave  Stark  and  Prescott  no  assist- 
ance and  took  no  part  in  the  action ;  i  but  suffered  loss  in 
the  retreat. 

The  British  advanced  as  steadily  as  at  first.  The 
patriot  fire  was  withheld  until  they  were  even  nearer  than 
before,  and  when  they  were  within  thirty  yards  another 
deadly  volley  burst  upon  them,  and  again  they  broke  and 
fled  in  disorder.  The  slaughter  was  even  greater  than 
before. 

Again  by  the  determined  efforts  of  their  officers  they 
were  rallied — in  some  cases  by  blows  and  other  force  — 
reinforcements  were  sent  them,  and  Gen.  Clinton  hastened 
across  from  Boston  to  aid  in  the  assault. 

On  the  patriots'  side  a  few  scattering  squads  of  rein- 
forcements joined  them,  but  too  late  and  too  few  to  be 
effective.  Their  ammunition  was  now  almost  wholly 
expended.  A  few  artillery  cartridges  remained  and  those 
were  broken  open  and  the  powder  distributed  among  the 
infantry. 

The  British  officers  knew  the  Americans  had  but  little 
ammunition,  and  this  information,  spread  among  their 
troops,  encouraged  them  to  renew  the  fight.  This  time 
the  assault  was  concentrated  on  the  redoubt.  Gen.  Howe 
directed  his  men  to  lay  off  their  knapsacks,  advance  in 
column,  reserve  their  fire,  and  carry  the  works  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet. 

The  patriots  could  give  no  more  such  volleys  as  before, 
for  they  were  out  of  powder;  and  they  had  almost  no 
ba3^onets  v^ith  w^hich  to  meet  such  a  charge. 

To  aid  his  movement  and  insure  success,  Howe  advanced 
a  strong  column  of  the  grenadiers  of  his  right  wing,  with 
artillery,  which,  instead  of  attacking  the  New  Hampshire 
troops  at  the  rail  fence,  turned  to  the  works  on  the  hill, 
placed    their    cannon  to  enfilade  the  breastwork    running 

1  Gerrish  was  cashiered  for  cowardice,  and  "Col.  Prescott  never  ceased  to 
reprobate  Putnam  for  his  behavior  that  day."  althotigh  he  exhibited  great  per- 
sonal courage.     Stark  also  denounced  him  for  his  lack  of  judgment. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  187 

out  from  the  north  angle,  and  swept  that  part  of  the 
works  with  a  fire  so  destructive  that  the  Americans  were 
forced  to  abandon  it.  The  British  then  advanced  and 
entered  the  redoubt  by  the  rear,  and  Prescott  and  his  men 
were  compelled  to  retreat. 

During  this  last  assault  the  New  Hampshire  men  lay 
behind  the  rail  fence,  powerless  to  drive  back  the  British 
right  vyring  from  -want  of  ammunition.  Half  a  dozen  more 
rounds  to  each  man  would  have  saved  the  day.  As  it  was, 
seeing  the  enemy  on  their  right  flank  and  themselves  liable 
to  be  cut  off,  a  retreat  was  ordered  and  our  New  Hamp- 
shire men  retired  over  Bunker's  hill  in  comparatively  good 
order,  holding  the  enemy  in  check  and  aiding  Prescott  and 
his  men  to  escape.  These,  with  the  disorganized  troops 
with  Putnam  and  Gerrish,  formed  a  crowd  of  fugitives 
retreating  over  and  beyond  the  hill  upon  whom  the  British 
turned  their  fire,  and  the  heaviest  loss  of  the  day  on  the 
American  side  was  on  that  ground.  Some  of  the  enemy's 
vessels  in  Mystic  river  also  had  a  cross  fire  on  them  as 
they  passed  the  Neck,  and  there  the  gallant  McClary, 
major  of  Stark's  regiment,  was  killed  by  a  cannon  ball.  He 
had  "hastened  to  the  rear  for  bandages  and  was  return- 
ing to  his  command."  The  battle  lasted  one  hour  and  a 
half. 

That  night  the  New  Hampshire  troops  slept  on  their 
arms  at  Winter  hill,  one  mile  from  Bunker's  hill,  and  the 
next  day  began  to  intrench.  All  along  the  line  defensive 
works  were  renewed,  and  the  siege  of  Boston  began  in 
earnest.    The  British  occupied  Bunker's  hill  and  intrenched. 

The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  not  less  than  eleven  hun- 
dred men,  killed  and  wounded,  or  about  thirty-three  per 
cent  of  their  whole  number  engaged,  i  Speaking  of  the 
ground  in  his  front.  Stark  said:  "The  dead  lay  as  thick 
as    sheep    in   a  fold."  2    Of  a    veteran    regiment  of  Welsh 

1  Rev.  Geo.  E.  Ellis  in  his  "History  of  the  Battle  of  Btinker's  Hill,"  puts  the 
British  force  at  5,000 ;  but  that  is  evidently  an  exaggeration  of  the  number 
actually  engaged.  Gage  reported  a  loss  of  1,054,  which,  of  course,  would  be  as 
favorable  as  he  could  make  it.  Well  informed  Americans  believed  it  to  be  not 
less  than  1,500. 

2  "An  eye-witness  counted  the  next  day,  in  front  of  the  wall,  betwixt  the 
Mystic  and  the  swarded  ground  of  the  hill,  ninety-six  dead  bodies,  and  this  was 
after  the  officers  and  the  wounded  had  been  removed."  (Adjutant  General's 
Report,  page  272.) 


188  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

fusileers,  700  strong,  in  front  of  the  New  Hampshire  line, 
only  83  were  present  for  duty  the  next  day.i 

Conclusive  proof  of  the  importance  of  the  position  and 
work  of  the  New  Hampshire  troops  on  that  day,  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  loss  of  the  grenadiers  2  and  light 
infantry  in  their  front  was  almost  two-thirds  of  their 
whole  number  of  killed  and  wounded,  or  about  double  the 
average  of  the  British  loss  on  that  day. 3 

Rev.  Geo.  E.  Ellis,  already  referred  to,  and  one  or  two 
other  writers  represent  that  Putnam  commanded  the 
whole  line  to  the  left  of  the  redoubt,  but  nearly  all  articles 
published  soon  after  the  event  agree  that  Putnam  had  no 
command  whatever  except  two  companies  from  Connecti- 
cut. Stark  and  Reed  each  commanded  his  own  regiment, 
but  Stark,  being  the  senior  officer  and  having  been  placed 
by  the  votes  of  the  field  officers  on  the  26th  of  April  in 
charge  of  all  the  New  Hampshire  troops,  was  really  in 
command  of  the  whole  New  Hampshire  line,  and  should 
share  with  Prescott  the  honor  of  the  chief  command  at 
Bunker  Hill. 

"The  battle  began  with  the  intention  of  flanking  the 
redoubt  by  breaking  the  fence  line.  It  ended  by  flanking 
the  fence  by  carrying  the  redoubt.  The  New  Hampshire 
and  Connecticut  men,  with  such  Massachusetts  men  as 
were  with  them,  were  not  beaten  that  day;  they  were 
simply  flanked."* 

"We  have  the  full  conviction  that  the  time  will  come, 
when  the  whole  nation  will  give  the  honors  of  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  largely  to  the  common  soldiers  of  New 
Hampshire,  who,  more  than  any  other  men,  fought  it. 
*  *  *  *  The  men  at  the  redoubt  who  patiently  endured 
and  suffered  to  the  end,  are  worthy  of  all  honor.  But  the 
battle  was  fought  chiefly  by  the  soldiers  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, whose  muskets  killed    and  wounded  probably  two 

1  "  Our  light  infantry  -was  served  up  in  companies  against  the  grass  fence, 
without  being  able  to  penetrate; — indeed  how  could  w-e  penetrate?  Most  of 
our  grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  the  moment  of  presenting  themselves,  lost 
three-fourths,  and  many  nine-tenths  of  their  men.  Some  had  only  eight  and  nine 
men  a  company  left;  some  only  three,  four  and  five."  (Letter  of  English  officer, 
dated  July  5,  1775.) 

2 "  All  the  grenadiers  of  the  4th,  or  King's  regiment  (one  company),  were 
killed  or  wounded  except  four;  and  of  the  grenadiers  of  the  23d,  or  Roval 
Welsh  Fusileers,  only  three  remained  that  were  not  killed  or  wounded.  (Letter 
of  Lieut.  John  Clarke  of  the  British  army.) 

3"  A  few  days  ago  the  shattered  remains  of  the  18th  regiment  of  foot, 
which  was  engaged  in  the  action  at  Bunker's  Hill,  and  reduced  to  only  twenty- 
five  men,  arrived  at  Maidstone."      (British  newspaper,  March  5,  1776.) 

4Tarbox's  Life  of  Israel  Putnam,  page  197. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  189 

out  of  three  in   that  list  of  ten    hundred    and    fifty-four, 
which  General  Gage  reported  to  the  home  government. 

"If  a  monument  is  to  be  erected  upon  that  battle 
ground  to  any  colonel,  it  should  be  to  Colonel  Stark  of 
New  Hampshire,  whose  services  in  the  strife  were  more 
important  than  those  of  any  other  man  bearing  that 
title."  1    And  he  might  have  said,  or  any  other  title. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  about  450,  or  nearly 
thirty  per  cent  of  their  whole  number  actually  engaged  in 
the  fight;  for  the  whole  number  in  their  line  of  battle, 
including  the  redoubt,  according  to  the  most  careful  in- 
vestigations, could  not  have  been  much  above  1,700  men. 
Of  those  more  than  1,100  2  were  from  New  Hampshire. 
Stark  and  Reed,  according  to  their  own  reports,  had  fully 
1,000  in  their  two  regiments  after  allowing  for  all 
absentees.  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  of  Hollis,  had  a  whole 
company  in  Prescott's  regiment;  and  there  were  as  many 
more,  from  that  and  other  New  Hampshire  towns  in  the 
same  and  other  commands,  in  the  front  line.  Allowing 
200  to  Connecticut,  leaves  400  as  the  number  furnished  by 
Massachusetts,  which  is  more  than  twice  as  many  as  Col. 
Prescott  himself  estimated. 

Nearly  all  the  Massachusetts  regiments  named  as  being 
in  the  fight  never  reached  the  line  of  battle,  but  were 
present  only  at  the  rear  and  in  the  retreat. 

Worn  out  with  the  fatigues  of  the  night  Prescott's 
men  had  slipped  away  for  rest  and  for  the  refreshments 
which  had  been  promised  but  never  came,  or  were  led 
away  by  Putnarn  with  intrenching  tools,  until  he  was 
left,  when  the  action  begun,  with  about  150  men.  In  his 
letter  to  John  Adams,  written  by  request,  dated  August 
25,  1775,  Prescott  distinctly  states  that  his  engineer  for- 
sook him ;  that  (speaking  of  the  artillery  fire  that  opened 
on  them  just  before  sunrise)  "About  this  time,  the  above 
field  officers  (Col.  Bridge  and  one  or  two  others)  being 
indisposed,  could  render  me  but  little  service,  and  the  most 
of  the  men  under  their  command  deserted  the  party.    The 

1  Tarbox's  Life  of  Israel  Putnam,  pages  339-40. 

2  Recent  investigations  by  Col.  Geo.  C.  Gilniore,  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  New  Hampshire  State  library  and  special  commissioner  on  this 
subject  appointed  by  the  governor  and  council,  place  the  number  of  Ne-w  Hamp- 
shire soldiers  present  in  the  battle  above  1,600.  But  some  of  them  were  in  the 
retreat  only. 


190  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

enem\'  continuing  an  incessant  fire  with  their  artillery, 
about  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  on  the  seventeenth,  the 
enemy  began  to  land  at  a  northeasterly  point  from  the 
fort,  and  I  ordered  the  train,  with  two  field-pieces,  to  go 
and  oppose  them,  and  the  Connecticut  forces  to  support 
them;  but  the  train  marched  a  diSerent  course,  and  I 
believe  those  sent  to  their  support  followed,  I  suppose  to 
Bunker's  Hill.  *  *  *  *  About  an  hour  after  the  enemy 
landed,  they  began  to  march  to  the  attack  in  three 
columns.  I  commanded  my  Lieut.  Col.  Robinson  and 
Major  Woods,  each  with  a  detachment,  to  flank  the  enemy, 
who,  I  have  reason  to  think,  behaved  with  prudence  and 
courage.  I  was  now  left  With  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  in  the  fort."  And  the  detachments  of  Robinson  and 
Woods  must  have  been  small. 

Tracing  the  movements  of  our  Keene  men,  we  learn 
that,  the  night  before  the  battle,  Capt.  Stiles,  who  was 
still  in  Stark's  regiment,  was  detailed  with  half  his  com- 
pany to  guard  the  premises  —  "  Ten  Hill  Farm  "  —  of  Robert 
Temple,  a  tory,  and  was  not  relieved  until  10  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  when  the  party  was  ordered  to  Medford  for 
refreshments  and  thence  to  Ploughed  hill  near  the  Xeck,  to 
wait  for  further  orders ;  that  they  arrived  there  about  half 
past  2  o'clock,  just  before  the  action  began ;  that  Gen. 
Putnam  came  at  full  gallop  across  the  Xeck  to  Capt. 
Stiles  and  addressing  the  men  said,  "Up,  my  brave  boys,, 
for  God's  sake;  we  drive  them;"  that  Capt.  Stiles  imme- 
diately led  his  men  in  single  file  across  the  Xeck  and  ar- 
rived at  Breed's  hill  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battle. 
This  is  taken  from  a  sworn  statement  made  in  June,  1818, 
bj-  Samuel  Bassett  of  Keene,  fifer  in  Stiles's  company,  who 
was  with  this  detached  party.  He  carried  his  musket  in 
the  action  and  states  that  he  discharged  five  or  six  rounds 
and  received  a  fiesh  wound  in  his  thigh  (so  slight  that  he 
was  not  reported  wounded,  as  is  often  the  case  in  battle), 
after  which  several  minutes  elapsed  before  the  retreat  be- 
gan. 

The  other  half  of  Stiles's  company  remained  with  the 
regiment  and  went  to  the  front,  either  with  Lt.  Col.  Wy- 
man   "early  in  the  morning,"  or  with  Col.   Stark  in  the 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  191 

afternoon.  Asahel  Xims,  a  sergeant  in  Stiles's  company, 
was  killed  in  the  action  —  tradition  says  "  at  the  rail  fence." 
His  brother  Eliakim  was  with  him  at  the  time,  in  the  same 
company.  Stephen  Day  was  mortalh'  and  Charles  Rice 
severely  wounded.  Therefore  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  Keene  company-  was  present  in  the  front  line  of  battle. 

Stark  does  not  mention  Stiles  and  his  company  in  his 
report  of  the  battle,  probably  for  what  he  deemed  sufficient 
reasons,  namely,  that  Stiles  had  been  detailed  with  half  his 
company  and  had  not  rejoined  the  regiment ;  that  he  had 
more  companies  than  he  was  entitled  to  and  Stiles's  was 
soon  afterwards  transferred  to  another  regiment,  and  it 
appears  that  such  an  arrangement  had  already  been  made 
but  not  3'et  consummated ;  therefore  he  may  have  felt  that 
he  had  no  control  over  that  company-. 

Lt.  Col.  Wyman  had  been  sent,  as  stated,  with  200 
men  to  reinforce  Prescott,  but  he  has  never  been  reported 
as  having  reached  the  redoubt,  and  from  all  accounts  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  Putnam  seized  that  detachment 
to  work  on  his  intrenchments  on  Bunker's  hill ;  and  that 
when  Stark  passed  them  on  his  march  to  the  front  he 
took  Wyman  and  his  men  with  him ;  for  Stark  was  not 
the  man  to  allow  his  regiment  to  be  divided  at  such  a 
time  by  an  officer  who  had  no  authority,  or  to  leave  a 
part  of  it  digging  ditches  at  the  rear  when  he  was  ordered 
into  action  with  "the  whole  of  my  regiment." i  Major 
Dow,  already  referred  to,  also  states  that  that  detachment 
joined  the  regiment  as  it  passed  Bunker's  hill. 

That  Col.  Wyman  did  good  service  somewhere  that 
day  is  evident  from  the  fact  he  was  soon  afterwards 
recommended  for  promotion  by  Gen.  Folsom,  who  stated 
that  "he  has  behaved  prudently,  courageously  and  very 
much  like  a  gentleman;"  and  the  next  year  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  colonel  and  given  the  command  of  a 
regiment  in  the  Continental  army. 

Besides  the  thirty-six  men  from  Keene  already  named 
who  were  in  the  battle,  John  Brown  2  and  Robert  WorsleyS 

1  Stark's  Report. 

2  Brown  is  on  one  roll  as  from  Marlboro,  but  he  was  a  member  of  the  mili- 
tia company  here  in  1773,  and  his  name  appears  on  the  records  as  a  to-wn  offi- 
cer of  Keene. 

sWorsley  has  been  claimed  as  a  resident  of  Marlboro,  b«t  his  enlistment 
and  service  are  credited  to  Keene. 


192  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

were  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Mann  of  Mason; 
and  Joshua  Ellis  and  Abraham  Griffin  (or  Griffith),  in  that 
of  Capt.  Jonathan  Whitcorab  of  Swanzey  — all  in  Reed's 
resriment.  Ellis  was  a  son  of  Lieut.  Timothv  Ellis,  seven- 
teen  years  old,  and  was  severely  wounded. 

Timothy  Crossfield,  nineteen  years  old,  enlisted  in  the 
company  of  Capt.  Edward  Burbeck,  of  the  artillery,  on  the 
1st  day  of  July  —  fourteen  days  after  the  battle  —  as  Eben- 
ezer  Billings  had  done  on  the  29th  of  June  from  Stiles's 
company.  Possibly  Crossfield  was  in  the  battle;  and  he 
may  have  been  one  of  the  thirty  who  marched  from  Keene 
on  the  21st  of  April,  enlisting  into  some  other  company, 
as  several  others  did.  Gilmore  has  him  on  his  list  as  in 
the  battle,  and  from  Stiles's  company ;  but  the  latter  state- 
ment is  evidently  an  error  as  his  name  does  not  appear  on 
any  one  of  Stiles's  rolls ;  and  we  find  no  other  evidence  of 
his  having  been  in  the  service  previous  to  July  1. 

Thornas  Douglass  of  Keene  enlisted  in  Gould's  com- 
pany, Sargent's  regiment,  in  time  to  join  Arnold's  expedi- 
tion to  Canada  in  August  and  he  may  have  been  in  the 
battle  —  and  even  one  of  the  immortal  thirty  —  under 
similar  conditions  as  Crossfield,  but  we  have  no  farther 
record  of  him.  Robert  Worsley  also  joined  the  expedition 
to  Canada. 

These  make  in  all  forty  men  from  Keene  in  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  —  forty-two  if  Crossfield  and  Douglass  were 
there  —  and  there  ma^-  have  been  others  whose  names  are 
lost.  That  was  more  than  five  per  cent  of  the  whole  num- 
ber of  inhabitants  in  the  town  at  that  time. 

Capt.  Stiles  and  his  company  remained  in  Stark's 
regiment  until  the  3d  day  of  July.  On  that  day,  or  be- 
tween that  and  the  7th  they  were  transferred,  with  the 
company  of  Capt.  Wm.  Scott  of  Peterboro,  to  the  regi- 
ment of  Col.  Paul  Dudley  Sargent  of  Amherst,  N.  H.,  in 
the  service  of  Massachusetts.  No  roll  of  enlistment  of  the 
Keene  company  in  Stark's  regiment  has  been  found,  but 
the  enlistments  into  Sargent's  regiment  were  dated  back 
to  the  time  the  men  left  home,  those  of  most  of  our  Keene 
men  being  April  21.     Their  term  was  for  eight  months. 

The    following    roll    does    not    appear    in     the     New 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


193 


Hampshire  Revolutionary  Rolls,  but  is  taken  from  those 
of  Massachusetts. 


"Roll  of  Capt. 

Jeremiah  Stiles' 

s  company  in 

Col.  Paul 

Dudley  Sargent's  regiment,  August  1st,  1775. 

Men's  names. 

Town. 

Rank. 

Time  enlisted. 

Jeremiah  Stiles, 

Keene, 

Captain, 

April  21. 

Lemuel  Holmes, 

Walpole, 

Lieutenant, 

April  21. 

John  Griggs, 

Keene, 

Ensign, 

April  21. 

Samuel  White, 

Keene, 

Sergeant, 

April  21. 

Ebenezer  Cook, 

Keene, 

Sergeant, 

Mav  15. 

Ezra  Metcalf, 

Keene, 

Sergeant, 

Apnl  21. 

Asahel  Nims, 

Keene, 

Sergeant, 

April  21. 

Benjamin  Archer, 

Keene, 

Sergeant, 

Mav  26. 

Frederic  Tubbs, 

Marlow, 

Corporal, 

April  21. 

Luke  Metcalf, 

Keene, 

Corporal, 

April  21. 

Benjamin  Ellis, 

Keene, 

Corporal, 

April  21. 

Niles  Beck  with. 

Lamster, 

Corporal, 

Mav  15. 

David  Hubbard, 

Ackworth, 

Drummer, 

April  21. 

Samuel  Bassett, 

Keene, 

Freamer, 

April  21. 

David  Adams, 

Gilsum, 

Private, 

May  15. 

John  Baker, 

Rockingham, 

,  Private, 

May  15. 

Robert  Busby, 

Medford, 

Private, 

Mav  15. 

Henry  Bemis, 

Packersfield, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Elijah  Benton, 

Surry, 

Private, 

Julv    14. 

Ebenezer  Billings, 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Simeon  Church, 

Marlow, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Thomas  Church, 

Gilsum, 

Private, 

Mav  15. 

Iddo  Church, 

Gilsum, 

Private, 

May   15. 

Nathan  Closson, 

Walpole, 

Private, 

Mav   15, 

Thomas  Clark, 

Pomphrett, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Stephen  Day, 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Jesse  Dassance, 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Thomas  Dart, 

Surry, 

Private, 

Julv    14. 

Roger  Dart, 

Surr3^ 

Private, 

Julv    14. 

Timothv  Dewev, 

Gilsum, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Caleb  Ellis. 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

James  Eddy, 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

John  Fletcher, 

Walpole, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Samuel  Fletcher, 

Marlow, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Joshua  Fuller, 

Surr3', 

Private, 

Julv    14. 

Silas  French, 

Keene, 

Private, 

JulV    14. 

Isaac  Griswold, 

Gilsum, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Hugh  Gray, 

Keene, 

Private, 

April  21. 

William  Gray, 

Keene, 

Private, 

Mav   15. 

Joseph  Gray, 

Keene, 

Private, 

Mav  15. 

David  Howard, 

Marlow, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Joseph  Howard, 

Marlow, 

Private, 

April  21. 

Nathan  Hayward, 

,         Surry, 

Private, 

July    14. 

194 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


Nathan  Huntley, 
Hannaniah  Hall, 
Benjamin  Hall, 
Samuel  Hall, 
David  Harris, 
Tilley  Howe, 
Jehiel  Holdridge, 
William  Joyner, 
Eli  Lewis, 
Stephen  Larrabee, 
Thomas  Morse, 
Jeremiah  Mack, 
Ezra  Morse, 
Eliakim  Nims, 
Charles  Rice, 
Aquilla  Russell, 
John  Slade, 
Daniel  Stone, 
Joseph  Thatcher, 
Elisha  Willis, 
Daniel  Willson, 
Daniel  Wright, 
Joseph  Young, 
William  Bradley, 
John  Kelly, 


Marlow, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Rockingham, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Gilsum, 

Walpole, 

Marlow, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Marlow, 

Dublin, 

Keene, 

Surry, 

Walpole, 

Alstead, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Keene, 

Gilsum, 

Gilsum, 

Keene, 

Walpole, 


Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 
Private, 


April  21 
May  15 
May 
May 
Mav 
[ulv 
April  21 
July  14 
April 
May 
May 
May 
July 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 
April  21 


15. 
15. 

8. 
14. 


21. 
8. 
15. 
15. 
14. 


"Each  man  supplied  himself  with  a  gun  and  cartridge 
box. 

"Asahel  Nims  Died  in  Battle  June  17<^^  1775. 

"Benjamin  Archer  appointed  Serg't  June  y^  18,  1775. 

"  Ebenezer  Billings  Inlisted  into  the  Train  of  Artillery, 
June  the  29^^  1775. 

"Stephen  Day  Died  August  17*^  1775.  (Entered  later.) 

"The  above  is   a    True  Muster  Roll   of  m\^   Company 
according  to  the  Best  of  my  Knowledge. 

Jerh  Stiles,  Capt." 

(Jonathan  Wheeler,  Keene,  appears  on  a  later  roll.) 
When  the  news  of  the  battle  reached  New  Hampshire 
the  committee  of  safety  ordered  Col.  Poor  with  nine  com- 
panies of  his  regiment  to  the  front;  and  Gen.  Folsom 
arrived  at  Medford  on  the  20th  and  took  command  of 
the  New  Hampshire  troops.  Poor  was  stationed  at  Med- 
ford, but  Stark  and  Reed  held  Winter  hill  and  carried 
forward  their  intrenching;  and  the  works  thrown  up  by 
them  were  more  formidable  and  complete  than  any  others 
on  the  line.    Stark's  regiment  was  considered  the  finest  in 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  195 

the  army,  a  model  in  discipline  and  efficiency,  and  Reed's 
was  one  of  the  best. 

The  British  intrenched  on  Bunker's  hill  and  on  Boston 
Neck ;  and  an  attack  was  expected  at  any  time. 

The  quarrel  between  Gen.  Folsom  and  Col.  Stark 
caused  them  both  to  be  passed  by,  and  congress  appointed 
John  Sullivan  the  .brigadier  general  for  New  Hampshire. 
Early  in  July,  Gen.  Sullivan  appeared  at  Cambridge  with 
his  appointment  and  w^as  assigned  to  the  command  of  a 
brigade  composed  of  the  three  New  Hampshire  regiments, 
I  with  three  others  from  Massachusetts  under  Cols.  Nixon, 
i  Mansfield  and  Doolittle,  numbering  in  all  about  3,000 
men,  in  the  division  of  Gen.  Charles  Lee,  who  commanded 
the  left  wing  of  the  army.  The  New  Hampshire  regiments 
now  numbered  1,664  men  and  the  whole  army  about 
17,000.  It  ^^as  at  this  time  that  the  Keene  company  was 
transferred  from  Stark's  to  Sargent's  regiment,  in  the 
centre  division  of  the  army  under  Gen.  Putnam,  and  was 
stationed  at  Cambridge. 

The  term  of  enlistment  of  our  Keene  men  expired  with 
the  year  and  Col.  Wyman,  with  Capt.  Stiles  and  most  of 
his  men,  came  home. 

The  Sixth  regiment  of  the  state  militia  remained  the 
same  in  extent  of  territory  as  in  1773,  and  was  still  com- 
manded by  Col.  Josiah  Willard  of  Winchester,  who  had 
strong  tory  proclivities.  To  depose  him  from  that  com- 
mand apd  yet  not  humiliate  him  to  the  extent  of  driving 
him  over  to  the  enemy,  the  provincial  congress  divided  his 
regiment  into  three,  forming  all  the  towns  in  the  south- 
west corner  of  Cheshire  county,  including  Surry  and  Gil- 
sum,  into  one  regiment,  numbered  the  Thirteenth,  and 
appointed  Samuel  Ashley  of  Winchester  colonel,  Joseph 
Hammond  of  Swanzey  lieutenant  colonel,  Isaac  Butterfield 
first  major,  and  Timothy  Ellis  of  Keene  second  major. i 
The  other  towns  in  Willard's  regiment,  north  of  Westmore- 
land   and    Gilsum,   were  formed  into    the    Fifteenth,   with 

1  Those  uurabers  were  soon  afterwards  changed.  In  1779  and  in  1784 
Keene,  with  all  the  comer  towns,  was  again  in  the  Sixth,  but  in  1792,  Keene, 
Westmoreland,  Walpole,  Surry,  Gilsum  and  Sullivan  were  numbered  the  Twenti- 
eth regiment,  while  Hinsdale,"  Winchester,  Richmond,  Swanzey  and  Chesterfield 
retained  the  old  number,  6  ;  and  in  both  cases  the  numbers  remained  the  same 
as  long  as  the  system  lasted. 


196  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Benjamin  Bellows  of  Walpole,  colonel ;  and  the  Fourteenth 
was  commanded  by  Col.  Enoch  Hale  of  Rindge. 

During  all  these  months  the  colonies  were  struggling 
with  the  great  problems  of  government  and  carrying  on 
war  without  powers  delegated  by  the  people,  or  a  con- 
stitution to  govern  their  conduct.  The  laws  of  the  old 
regime  were  dead  letters,  the  courts  were  suspended,  and 
there  was  great  confusion  and  uncertainty  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  civil  affairs. 

There  was  no  authorized  power  to  issue  money,  but 
money  must  be  had.  Taxes  were  levied  by  the  towns  and 
by  the  colony;  the  people  were  patriotic  and  disposed  to 
pay,  but  currency  was  distressingly  scarce  and  payment 
was  almost  impossible.  The  colony  of  New  Hampshire  had 
no  means  of  paying  its  soldiers,  or  of  purchasing  military 
supplies  and  provisions. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1775,  the  convention  at  Exeter 
authorized  its  committee  of  supplies  to  "Borrow  on  the 
faith  of  this  Colony  any  sum  not  exceeding  ten  Thousand 
Pounds  L  M  as  the  Committee  find  necessary  to  answer  the 
directions  from  the  Comm*  of  Safety.  And  this  Conven- 
tion for  themselves  &  Constituents  plight  their  faith  and 
Estates  to  said  Committee  of  supplies  as  their  Bondmen 
to  all  intents  &  purposes  for  the  payment  of  whatever 
sum  they  hire  or  Borrow^  in  consequence  of  this  vote." 
On  the  9th  of  June  the  convention  authorized  the  receiver 
general  of  the  colony  "to  give  his  Notes  of  hand  on  the 
faith  of  this  Colony "  for  ten  thousand  and  fifty  pounds, 
and,  in  July,  another  issue  of  ten  thousand  pounds  was 
ordered ;  and  these  emissions  continued  from  time  to  time. 

The  general  congress  had  nothing  but  the  faith  of  the 
people  in  a  tentative  and  unorganized  government  of  a 
rebellion  upon  which  to  base  the  issue  of  money,  but 
"Necessity  knows  no  law,"  and  in  June  it  issued  $2,000,000 
in  "bills  of  credit,"  followed  soon  afterwards  by  other  is- 
sues. In  these  ways,  notwithstanding  the  disastrous  ex- 
perience of  the  colonies  with  paper  money  in  former  years, 
the  people  were  supplied  with  a  transient  currency;  but 
they  were  distrustful  of  it  and  its  value  soon  began  to  de- 
preciate. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  197 

The  faith  of  the  people  in  their  provincial  congress  be- 
gan to  wane ;  those  congresses  lost  confidence  in  themselves 
and  in  their  power  and  ability  to  provide  a  proper  govern- 
ment for  the  people;  and  for  a  time  that  of  New  Hamp- 
shire declined  to  act.  In  October,  her  delegates  in  the  Con- 
tinental congress  asked  that  New  Hampshire  be  allowed  to 
institute  a  civil  government,  and  on  the  3d  of  November, 
1775,  leave  was  granted  to  call  a  convention  of  representa- 
tives with  power  to  "Establish  such  a  Form  of  Govern- 
ment as  in  their  Judgement  will  best  Produce  the  Happiness 
of  the  People,  &  most  Effectually  Secure  Peace  and  good 
order  in  the  Province  During  the  Continuance  of  the  Present 
Dispute  between  Great  Britain  &  the  Colonies." 

The  convention  was  called,  each  town  being  allowed 
one  representative  except  the  smaller  ones,  which  were 
classed  in  groups  of  two  or  more,  and  Amherst,  Chester, 
Dover,  Exeter  and  Londonderry,  which  were  allowed  two 
each,  and  Portsmouth  three.  Among  other  rules  for  its 
guidance  it  was  provided:  "That  every  Legal  Inhabitant 
Paying  Taxes  shall  be  a  voter ;  That  every  Person  Elected 
shall  have  a  Real  Estate  in  this  Colony  of  the  value  of 
Two  Hundred  Pounds  lawful  money ;  That  no  person  be 
allowed  a  seat  in  congress  who  shall  by  themselves,  or  any 
Person  at  their  Desire  Treat  with  Liquors  &c  any  Electors 
with  an  apparent  view  of  gaining  their  Votes,  or  by 
Treating  after  an  Election  on  that  Account."  That  con- 
vention met  on  the  21st  of  December  and  was  called  the 
Fifth  Provincial  congress.  Keene  was  represented  by  Ma- 
jor Timothy  Ellis. 

The  Fourth  Provincial  congress  had  dissolved  on  the 
15th  of  November,  1775,  after  passing  a  resolution  recom- 
mending the  people  to  continue  in  their  usual  methods  of 
conducting  their  town  affairs  under  the  former  laws,  rais- 
ing and  collecting  taxes  and  sustaining  the  action  of  their 
selectmen,  constables  and  other  ofiicers.  It  had  been  in 
session  since  the  17th  of  May  and  had  transacted  a  large 
amount  of  very  important  business,  as  already  stated, 
without  constitutional  law,  but  sustained  by  the  approval 
of  the  people.  Major  Timothy  Ellis  represented  Keene  and 
Surry  in  that  congress,  was  in  attendance  forty  days,  and 


198  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

drew  £10  for  attendance  and  £5  for  705  miles  travel  for 
both  towns. 

No  judicial  courts  were  held  in  Cheshire  county  from 
1774  to  1778,  and  the  towns,  finding  themselves  under 
no  general  government,  instituted  governments  of  their 
own  and  enacted  laws  for  the  management  of  their  town 
affairs.  Warrants  for  town  meetings  were  headed  simply, 
Cheshire,  ss.,  and  were  called  by  the  town  clerk  upon  the 
order  of  the  selectmen. 

A  spirited  town  meeting  was  held  in  Keene  on  the  7th 
of  December,  1775,  Thomas  Baker,  moderator,  and  Silas 
Cooke,  clerk  pro.  tem.  One  of  the  articles  in  the  warrant 
was,  "to  see  if  it  be  the  mind  of  the  town,  that  the  names 
of  those  persons,  who  buy,  sell,  or  make  use  of  bohea  tea, 
be  advertised  in  the  public  prints."  That  article  passed 
in  the  negative;  but  "Maj^  Ellis  John  Houghton  Eliphalet 
Briggs  Jun'',  Joseph  Blake  and  Daniel  Kingsbury"  were 
chosen  "  a  Committee  of  Inspection  to  see  that  the  Resolves 
of  the  Continental  Congress  be  complied  with."  The  meet- 
ing then  "unanimously  adopted  the  following  Resolves, 
which  may  be  termed  the  Statute  Law  of  Keene." 

"Whereas,  by  the  unhappy  disputes  now  subsisting 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  American  Colonies,  the  laws 
of  several  of  them  have  been  entireh'  subverted,  or  wholly 
neglected,  to  the  great  detriment  of  society,  and  of  individ- 
uals, whereby  many  disorderly  persons,  taking  undue  advan- 
tage of  the  times,  as  a  cloak  to  put  their  revengeful  designs 
in  execution,  do  wickedly  and  maliciously  threaten  to  abuse 
and  destroy  the  persons  and  property  of  many  of  the  good 
and  wholesome  inhabitants  of  the  land,  and  the  Executive 
power  being  thrown  by;  and  the  Congresses,  neither  Conti- 
nental or  Provincial,  have,  as  yet,  found  out,  or  published, 
any  method  or  system  of  government,  for  the  security  of 
our  persons  or  property;  and  until  such  a  system  as  they 
in  their  wisdom  shall  see  fit,  or  some  other,  be  proposed, — 

"We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Keene,  in  the 
county  of  Cheshire,  and  province  of  New-Hampshire,  legally 
convened,  being  desirous  of  order  and  good  government, 
and  for  the  security  of  our  lives,  persons  and  property,  do 
pass  the  following  Resolves : 

"1st.  It  is  Resolved,  that  a  committee  of  three  good 
and  steady  men  of  the  town,  be  chosen  to  act  upon,  and 
a  proper  ofiicer  appointed,  to  prosecute  the  Resolves  here- 
after mentioned. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  199 

"2d.  Whereas,  profane  cursing  and  swearing  are  highly- 
provoking  to  Almighty  God,  and  oifensive  to  every  true 
Christian,  which  v^e  fear,  if  not  discountenanced,  will  pro- 
voke the  Divine  Majesty  to  bring  heavy  judgments  upon 
us,  and  still  heavier,  deliver  us  up  to  the  desire  of  our 
enemies ;  to  prevent  cursing  and  swearing,  be  it  Resolved, 
that  if  any  person,  or  persons,  shall  profanely  curse  or 
swear,  and  shall  be  thereof  convicted,  before  the  committee, 
by  sufficient  witnesses,  or  by  confession  of  the  party,  every 
such  offender  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  committee,  for 
the  use  of  the  poor  of  said  town,  a  sum  not  exceeding 
three  shillings,  nor  less  than  one;  according  to  the  repeat- 
edness  of  the  offense;  and  pay  cost  of  prosecution,  which 
cost  shall  be  ascertained  by  the  committee,  before  whom 
the  person  shall  be  convicted ;  and  in  case  any  person, 
convicted  as  aforesaid,  shall  refuse  to  pay  the  sum  or  sums, 
so  forfeited  and  adjudged,  he,  she  or  they  shall  be  immedi- 
ately committed  to  the  common  gaol,  not  exceeding  ten 
days,  nor  less  than  three,  for  said  forfeiture,  and  until  he 
pay  all  just  costs. 

"3d.  Whereas,  it  is  highly  necessary  that  every  per- 
son, of  able  body,  should  betake  himself  to  some  honest 
calling,  and  not  misspend  their  time  in  loitering  and  tip- 
pling, in  licensed  houses,  or  elsewhere,  in  this  town ;  to 
prevent  which, 

"Be  it  Resolved,  that  if  any  person  or  persons,  fit  and 
able  to  work,  shall  refuse  so  to  do,  but  loiter  and  mis- 
spend his  or  their  time,  wander  from  place  to  place,  or 
otherwise  misorder  themselves,  by  drinking  or  tippling  in 
any  of  the  licensed  houses,  or  elsewhere,  in  this  town, 
after  nine  o'clock  at  night,  or  continue  in  any  of  the  afore- 
said houses  above  the  space  of  one  hour,  unless  on  neces- 
sary business,  all  such  persons,  being  convicted  of  any  of 
the  aforesaid  articles,  before  said  committee,  by  sufficient 
witnesses,  shall,  for  every  such  offense,  forfeit  and  pay^  to 
the  said  committee,  for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  said  town, 
the  sum  of  two  shillings,  and  all  just  costs  of  trial,  which 
shall  be  adjudged  by  said  committee,  and  in  case  any 
person,  convicted  as  aforesaid,  shall  refuse  to  pay  the  sum 
or  sums,  so  forfeited  and  adjudged,  he  or  they,  shall  be 
committed  to  the  common  gaol,  there  to  remain  not  ex- 
ceeding ten  days,  nor  less  than  three  days,  for  said  for- 
feiture, and  until  he  pay  all  just  costs. 

"4th.  Whereas,  personal  abuse  tends  to  promote  ill 
blood  and  discord  among  society,  to  prevent  which,  be  it 
Resolved,  that  if  any  person  or  persons  shall  smite,  or 
strike,  or  threaten  to  abuse,  or  destroy,  the  person  or 
property  of  another,  he  or  they,  so  offending,  shall,  for  the 


200  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

first  ofiense,  pay  to  the  said  committee,  for  the  use  of  the 
poor  of  said  town,  the  sura  of  five  shillings,  and  costs  of 
prosecution,  and  double  that  sum  for  the  second  offense; 
and  for  the  third,  or  any  after  ofiense,  shall  be  imprisoned, 
or  publicly  whipt,  according  to  the  judgment  of  the  com- 
mittee, before  whom  they  are  convicted ;  and  in  case  any 
person,  being  convicted  as  aforesaid,  shall  refuse  to  pay 
the  sum  or  sums,  so  forfeited  and  adjudged,  he  or  they 
shall  be  committed  to  the  common  gaol,  there  to  remain, 
not  exceeding  ten  days,  nor  less  than  four,  for  said  for- 
feiture, and  until  he  pay  all  just  costs. 

"5th.  Further,  be  it  Resolved,  that  if  any  person,  or 
persons,  shall  presume  to  purchase,  or  bring  into  this  town, 
any  teas,  of  what  sort  soever,  until  the  minds  of  the  Con- 
gress, respecting  that  article  shall  be  fully  known,  shall, 
forthwith,  deliver  up  such  teas  to  one  or  more  of  the  com- 
mittee, to  be  stored  by  them  and  kept  for  the  owner,  until 
the  minds  of  the  Congress  be  known  respecting  that  mat- 
ter; and  in  case  any  person  shall  refuse  to  deliver  up  said 
teas,  the  committee  have  power  to  imprison  him  until  he 
does. 

"  6th.  And  for  the  better  execution  of  all  and  every  the 
foregoing  articles,  it  is  Resolved,  that  all  and  each  of  the 
said  committee  shall  have  full  power  and  authority  to 
bring  before  them  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town,  or 
any  person  residing  in  said  town,  that  shall  offend  in  any 
of  the  foregoing  resolves,  and  upon  his  or  their  own  views, 
or  other  suflScient  conviction  of  an3^  such  offense,  to  im- 
pose the  fine  and  penalty  for  the  same,  and  to  commit  the 
offender  until  it  be  satisfied. 

"  7th.  It  is  likewise  Resolved,  that  the  oflficer  appointed 
shall  have  power  and  authority  to  carry  any  person,  that 
shall  be  found  trespassing  in  any  of  the  foregoing  partic- 
ulars, before  said  committee  for  trial,  and  if  need  be,  may 
command  aid  and  assistance  in  discharging  his  trust ;  and 
any  person  refusing  to  give  aid  or  assistance,  as  aforesaid, 
he  or  they  shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  three  shillings  for  every 
offence,  and  have  their  names  inserted  in  the  public  Ga- 
zette, as  unfriendly  to  good  order. 

"And  all  masters  and  heads  of  families,  in  this  town, 
are  hereby  directed  to  take  effectual  care  that  their  chil- 
dren, servants,  and  others  under  their  immediate  govern- 
ment, do  no  trespass,  in  any  of  the  foregoing  particulars. 

"Chose  Thomas  Baker,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  and  Dan 
Guild,  as  a  committee  to  judge,  determine,  and  act  upon 
said  Resolves,  and  put  them  in  execution,  and  chose  Elijah 
Blake  officer  for  the  purpose. mentioned  in  said  Resolves." 

(Annals,  pages  42-44.) 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  201 

"The  town  voted,  37  to  27,  to  give  Mr.  John  Reraele 
a  call  to  settle  as  a  minister.  They  offered  him  £133  6s. 
8c?.  as  a  settlement,  and  75  pounds  as  a  salary.  His  reply 
was,  '  that  the  town  had  offered  generously  enough  for 
his  support,  but  he  could  not  think  it  his  duty  to  settle  in 
any  place,  where  there  was  so  much  opposition.' 

"It  is  well  remembered  that,  in  the  year  of  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  Elisha  Briggs  projected,  and  Samuel  Bas- 
sett  and  Aaron  Willson,  by  the  aid  of  a  bee,  excavated, 
the  canal  from  the  pond  on  West-street  to  a  point  on  the 
river  about  a  hundred  rods  below.  The  North  end  of  the 
canal  was  a  few  rods  North  of  the  road,  the  pond  not  then 
extending  as  far  South  as  now.  By  shortening  the  dis- 
tance, a  sufficient  fall  was  obtained  to  carry  a  grist-mill 
and  saw-mill.  These  mills  i  and  the  dam  were  built  by 
Elisha  Briggs.  The  grist  mill  was  placed  two  or  three 
rods  North  of  the  road  as  it  now  runs,  and  nearly  North 
of  the  present  grist-mill ;  the  saw  mill  was  placed  where 
the  factory  now  stands ;  and  the  dam  where  it  now  is. 
The  mills  were  sold  to  Nathan  Blake,  and  were,  for  some 
time,  known  as  Blake's  Mills.  Briggs  about  this  time, 
projected  and  surveyed  the  canal,  conducting  the  waters 
of  White  Brook  into  Ash  Swamp  Brook." 

(Annals,  pages  44-4-5.) 

Tradition  states,  no  doubt  correctly,  that  the  barn  — 
still  standing — on  the  "Luther  Nurse  place"  on  Beech  hill, 
was  raised  on  the  day  that  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was 
fought. 

In  August  the  provincial  congress  had  recommended 
to  "the  Select  Men  of  the  several  Towns,  Parishes  and 
other  Places  in  this  Colony,  to  take  an  exact  Number  of 
the  Inhabitants  of  their  respective  Districts,"  in  classes, 
with  the  number  of  firearms  and  pounds  of  powder  on 
hand,  and  the  number  of  firearms  needed,  and  that  an  ac- 
count of  the  whole,  made  under  oath,  "be  returned  to  the 
Committee  of  Safety  for  this  Colony." 

A  complete  return  was  made  and  Keene  presented  the 
following : 

"Province  of  New  Hampshire  Keene  Oct^^  25  1775  in 
Complyence  to  a  Recommend  from  the  Honorable  Provin- 
tial  Congress  of  August  25,  1775  We  here  Transmitt  a 
True  account  of  the  Number  of  Souls,  fire  arms  gun  Pow- 
der &c  in  the  town  of  Keen. 


1 A  piece  of  the  old  -water-wheel  put  in  by   Elisha   Briggs  may   still  be  seen 
at  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills. 


202  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Males  under  16  years  of  age 174 

Males  from  16  years  to  50,  not  in  the  army....  140 

All  Males  above  50  years  of  age 24 

Persons  in  the  army 31 

All  females 387 

7561 

fire  arms 72 

Gun  Powder  Privit  Stock 22  lb 

Guns  wanting 92 

Town  Stock  of  Powder 90  lb 

N.  B.    No  Negroes  nor  Slaves  2  for  life 

Benja  Osgood  \    Selectmen 
Tho'«  Baker     /    of  Keene." 

iSwanzey  returned  647;  Walpole,  658;  Winchester,  723;  Westmoreland, 
758;  Richmond,  860;  Chesterfield,  1,059  ;  Concord,  1,052  ;  Exeter,  1,741  ;  Ports- 
mouth, 4,590;    and  the  colony  of  New  Hampshire,  82,200. 

2Portsmoiith  returned  140  slaves,  Exeter  38,  Somersworth  30,  Londonderry 
29,  Dover  26,  Greenland  21,  Concord  14,  Hanover  10,  Peterboro  8,  Walpole 
and  Winchester  2  each,  Dublin  1.  In  the  colony  there  were  upwards  of  600, 
and  in  New  England,  16,000. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR— CONTINUED. 

1776-1777. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1776,  the  Provincial  congress 
took  up  the  matter  of  establishing  a  temporary  civil  gov- 
ernment for  the  colony,  and  "Resolved  That  this  Congress 
Assume  the  Name,  Power  &  Authority  of  a  house  of  Rep- 
resentatives or  Assembly  for  the  Colony  of  New  Hamp- 
shire." A  council  of  twelve  inembers  was  provided  for, 
to  be  elected  in  the  first  instance  by  that  house,  afterwards 
by  the  people.  Samuel  Ashley  of  Winchester  and  Benjamin 
Giles  of  New^port  were  chosen  for  Cheshire  county.  In  de- 
fault of  a  governor,  the  two  houses  assumed  the  executive 
duties  during  the  session,  and  invested  the  committee  of 
safety  with  that  power  during  the  recess.  Precepts  for 
elections  were  to  be  issued  in  the  name  of  the  council  and 
assembly,  signed  b}'  the  president  of  the  council  and  the 
speaker  of  the  house.  Mesech  Weare  was  chosen  president 
of  the  council  and  chairman  of  the  committee  of  safety, 
and  thus  became  acting  governor.  He  was  also  appointed 
chief  justice  of  the  superior  court  of  judicature. 

On  the  12th  of  April  that  committee  of  safety  sent  to 
the  selectmen  of  each  town  the  "Association  Test," 
which  is  given  in  the  Annals  of  Keene  as  follows : 

To  the  Selectmen  of  Keene. 

COLONY   OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

IN  COMMITTEE  OF  SAFETY, 
April  12tli,  1776. 
In  order  to  carry  the  underwritten  RESOLVE  of  the 
Hon'ble  Congress  into  Execution,  You  are  requested  to  de- 
sire all  Males  above  Twenty-One  Years  of  Age,  (Lunaticks, 
Idiots,  and  Negroes  excepted,)  to  sign  to  the  DECLARA- 
TION on  this  paper;  and  when  so  done  to  make  return 
hereof,  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. 


204 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


IN  CONGRESS,  March  14th,   1776. 

Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  several  As- 
semblies, Conventions  and  Councils,  or  Committees  of 
Safety  of  the  United  Colonies,  immediately  to  cause  all 
persons  to  be  disarmed,  within  their  respective  Colonies, 
who  are  notoriously  disaffected  to  the  cause  of  AMERICA, 
Or  who  have  not  associated,  and  refuse  to  associate,  to  de- 
fend by  ARMS  the  United  Colonies,  against  the  Hostile 
Attempts  of  the  British  Fleets  and  Armies. 
Extract  from  the  Minutes, 
(COPY.)  CHARLES  THOMPSON,   Sec'y. 

In  consequence  of  the  above  Resolution,  of  the  Hon. 
Continental  CONGRESS,  and  to  show  our  Determination 
in  joining  our  American  Brethren,  in  defending  the  Lives, 
Liberties  and  Properties  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  UNITED 
COLONIES: 

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. 


Thomas  Frink, 
Nathan  Blake, 
Eliphalet  Briggs,Jr., 
Josiah  Richardson, 
Joseph  Blake, 
Daniel  Kingsbury, 
Dan  Guild, 
EU  Metcalf, 
Ichabod  Fisher, 
Thomas  Wilder, 
Timothy  ElHs, 
Gideon  Tiflfany, 
Jesse  Hall, 
Michael  Metcalf, 
Jesse  Clark, 
Gideon  Ellis,  Jr., 
David  Nims,  Jr., 
Abraham  Wheeler, 
William  Ellis, 
Joshua  Osgood, 
Nathaniel  Kingsbury, 
Reuben  Daniels, 
Reuben  Partridge, 
Cephas  Clark, 
Ebenezer  Carpenter, 
Timothy  Ellis,  Jr., 
Eliakim  Nims, 
Caleb  Ellis, 
Joseph  Willson, 
Davis  Howlett, 
Timothy  ElHs,  ye  3d, 
Benjamin  Willis, 


Isaac  Wyman, 
David  Foster, 
Ephraim  Dorman, 
Seth  Heaton, 
Andrew   Balch, 
Gideon  ElHs, 
Thomas  Baker, 
Benjamin  Archer, 
Joseph  Ellis, 
Simeon  Washburn, 
Zadoc  Nims, 
Isaac  Clark, 
Bartholomew  Grimes, 
David  Willson, 
Benjamin  Balch, 
Ebenezer  Day, 
John  Dickson, 
Naboth  Bettison, 
Abraham  Wheeler, Jr., 
James  Wright, 
John  Houghton, 
Silas  Cook, 
Nathan  Blake,  Jr., 
Nathan  Rugg, 
Stephen  Larrabee, 
Robert  Spencer, 
Ebenezer  Cook, 
Joshua  Ellis, 
Jotham  Metcalf, 
Moses  Marsh, 
Simeon  Clark,  Jr., 
Benjamin  Ellis, 


David  Nims, 
Elisha  Briggs, 
Benjamin  Archer,  Jr., 
Samuel  Wood, 
Eliphalet  Briggs, 
Nathaniel  Briggs, 
Elijah  Blake, 
Uriah  Willson, 
John  Le  Bourveau, 
David  Foster,  Jr., 
Aaron  Gray,  Jr., 
John  Daniels, 
Samuel  Daniels, 
Jedediah  Carpenter, 
William  Goodenough, 
Adin  Holbrook, 
Hezekiah  Mtin, 
Jeremiah  Stiles, 
Samuel  Hall, 
Jonathan  Archer, 
Abraham  Pond, 
Silas  French, 
Eliphalet  Carpenter, 
Benjamin  Willard, 
Jacob  Town, 
John   Day, 
Peter  Rice, 
Isaac  Esty, 
Jonathan  Dwinell, 
Thomas  Dwinell, 
John  Connolly, 
Abijah  Wilder, 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


205 


Samuel  Chapman, 
John  Balch, 
Abijah  Metcalf, 
Henry  Ellis, 
Luther  Bragg, 
Seth  Heaton,  Jr., 
Josiah  Ellis, 
Benjamin  Osgood, 
Ebenezer  Newton, 
Daniel  Willson, 
Ezra  Harvey, 
David  Harris, 
Obadiah  Blake,  Jr., 


Asahel  Blake, 
Samuel  Bassett, 
Jedediah  Wellman, 
Jonathan  Heaton, 
Simeon  Ellis, 
Benjamin  Ellis, 
James  Crossfield, 
Joseph  Ellis,  Jr., 
Thomas  Baker,  Jr., 
Thomas  Wells, 
Achilles  Mansfield, 
Royal  Blake, 
William  Gray, 


Zadoc  Wheeler, 
Daniel  Snow, 
William  Nelson, 
Israel  Houghton, 
William  Woods, 
Asaph-  Nichols, 
Elisha  Ellis, 
Thomas  Fields, 
Michael  Sprought, 
Benjamin  Tiffany, 
James  Eddy. 


Agreeably  to  the  within  direction,  we  have  requested 
all  in  this  Town  to  sign,  as  herein  set  forth;  and  hereto 
annexed  the  names  of  all  those  w^ho  Refuse  to  sign  the 
within  Declaration,  viz: 


Maj.  Josiah  Willard, 
Lt.  Benjamin  Hall, 
Dr.  Josiah  Pomeroy, 
Samuel  Wadsworth, 
Robert  Gilman, 


John  White, 
Eleazer  Sanger, 
Abner  Sanger, 
Thomas  Cutter, 
James  Perkins, 


Benjamin  Osgood,  Jr. 
John  Swan, 
James  Hunt. 


ELIPHALET  BRIGGS,  Jr., 
JOSIAH  RICHARDSON, 
JOSEPH  BLAKE, 
DANIEL  KINGSBURY, 


Selectmen 

>  of  the  Town  of 

Keene. 


Only  773  persons  in  the  colony,  then  numbering  80,000 
inhabitants,  refused  to  sign ;  but  in  most  cases  those  were 
the  wealthy  and  influential  men. 

The  legislature  called  upon  the  towns  for  recommenda- 
tions of  persons  for  justices  of  the  peace.  On  the  23d  of 
April,  Keene  voted  unanimously  to  recommend  Col.  Isaac 
Wyman,  and  he  w^as  appointed  on  the  11th  of  June. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1775,  the  Indians  had 
threatened  the  Connecticut  valley,  and  Capt.  Timothy 
Bedel  of  Bath  had  been  authorized  to  raise  a  company  of 
rangers  for  its  protection.  The  company  was  afterw^ards 
increased  to  a  battalion  and  later  to  a  regiment.  Bedel 
was  appointed  colonel,  with  orders  to  join  the  northern 
army.  In  February,  John  Griggs,  as  second  lieutenant,  and 
Elisha  Willis,  Benjamin  Hall  and  Joseph  Gray  as  privates, 
all  from  Stiles'  disbanded  company,  and  William  Hard- 
wick,  also  of  Keene,  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Jason  Wait  of  Alstead,  in  Bedel's  regiment. 

Early  in  March,  Washington  seized  Dorchester  Heights 


206  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  compelled  the  British  to  evacuate  Boston.  They  left 
the  city  on  the  17th,  and  on  the  18th,  Washington  "started 
five  of  his  best  regiments,"  of  which  Stark's  was  one,  on 
their  march  .to  New  York.  On  the  27th,  Sullivan  followed 
with  the  remainder  of  his  brigade;  and  soon  after  his 
arrival  was  sent,  with  all  his  New  Hampshire  regiments 
and  some  others,  to  reinforce  the  army  of  the  North,  which 
was  slowly  retreating  from  Quebec.  Small  pox  had  broken 
out  in  that  army  and  it  was  suffering  terribly  from  that 
disease.  A  part  of  Bedel's  regiment  was  captured  at  a 
place  called  "The  Cedars."  Upon  the  death  of  Gen. 
Thomas,  from  small  pox,  the  command  of  that  army 
devolved  upon  Gen.  Sullivan.  He  continued  to  retire 
slowly  upon  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga.  The  British 
army  that  opposed  him  was  increased,  and  the  approach 
of  so  large  a  force  caused  great  alarm  throughout  New 
England,  particularly  as  bands  of  Indians  now  hovered  on 
our  frontiers  and  threatened  to  renew  their  barbarous 
atrocities. 

Warnings  and  appeals  for  protection  poured  in  upon 
the  legislature.  Upon  a  requisition  of  the  Continental 
congress  the  New  Hampshire  legislature,  on  the  14th  of 
June,  resolved:  "That  there  be  forthwith  raised  and 
equipped  in  this  Colony  a  Regiment  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  men  including  officers  —  and  that  each  non-commis- 
sioned officer  and  soldier  receive  a  bounty  of  Six  Pounds" 
—  afterward  changed  to  $20  and  one  month's  advance  pay. 
On  the  20th,  Col.  Isaac  Wyman  of  Keene  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  that  regiment.  It  consisted  of  nine 
companies,  was  destined  for  service  in  the  northern  army, 
and  its  rendezvous  was  Haverhill,  on  the  Connecticut 
river.  Joseph  Senter  of  Moultonborough  was  appointed 
lieutenant  colonel;  Stephen  Peabody  of  Amherst,  major; 
Dr.  Calvin  Frink  of  Swanzey,  son-in-law  of  Col.  Wyman, 
surgeon;   and  Isaac  Temple  of  Alstead,  adjutant. 

Col.  Wyman's  captains  were: 

1.  William  Harper  of  Brentwood.  6.  Joseph  Dearborn,  Chester. 

2.  William  Stilson,  Hopkinton.  7.  Joseph  Chandler,  Epping. 

3.  James  Shepard,  Canterbury.  8.  Joseph  Parker,  New  Ipswich. 

4.  John  Drew,  Barrington.  9.  WilHam  Barron,  Merrimack. 

5.  Samuel  Wetherbee,  Charlestown. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  207 

John  Kilburn,  of  Gilsum,  was  first  lieutenant  and 
Davis  Hewlett,  of  Keene,  second  lieutenant  under  Capt. 
Wetherbee;  and  sixteen  men  from  Keene  enlisted  with 
Lieutenant  Howlett  in  that  company,  namely.  Sergeants 
Ebenezer  Carpenter  and  Isaac  Griswold ;  Corporal  Robert 
Worsley ;  and  Privates  William  Stanwood,  Aaron  Willson, 
Isaac  Clark,  John  Swan,  John  (P.)  Blake,  Thomas  Wilder, 
James  Hall,  Jesse  Wheeler,  Samuel  Osgood,  Joshua  Ellis, 
Eliakim  Nims,  Joseph  Thatcher i  and  Jonathan  Heaton.i 

On  the  11th  of  July,  the  committee  of  safety  sent  Col. 
Wyman  his  commission  and  urged  him  to  push  forward 
to  Crown  Point  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  That  Col. 
Wyman  was  held  in  high  esteem  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  choice  of  the  legislature  in  preference  to 
several  other  strong  candidates  who  were  urged  for  the 
place. 

Some  of  the  men  were  transferred  from  the  service  on 
the  New  Hampshire  coast,  in  which  they  had  previously 
enlisted.  Capt.  Barron  moved  his  company  from  Merri- 
mack, Jul3'  22,  to  Millikin's  tavern  in  Wilton,  where  re- 
cruits joined  him,  and  the  next  day  they  marched  to  Dub- 
lin. On  the  25th,  they  marched  through  Keene  to  Wal- 
pole,  and  on  the  26th  reached  No.  4,  where  they  met  other 
companies  of  the  regiment,  and  other  troops  from  Massa- 
chusetts moving  to  the  front.  William  Hardwick  of  Keene 
was  a  member  of  Capt.  Barron's  company. 

Col.  Wyman  collected  his  regiment  at  Charlestown  and 
marched  thence  with  his  nine  companies,  on  the  1st  of 
August,  to  join  the  army  at  Crown  Point,  following  the 
road  made  in  the  last  French  and  Indian  war,  and  encamp- 
ing that  night  at  Springfield,  Vt.  On  the  6th  they  reached 
Skeensboro  (Whitehall),  where  the  regiment  was  stationed 
for  a  time,  to  avoid  the  contagion  of  small  pox  with  which 
the  northern  army  was  still  sorely  afflicted.  Dysentery  and 
"putrid  fever"  had  also  broken  out  among  those  troops, 
and  "it  was  computed,  that  of  the  (three  veteran)  New 
Hampshire  regiments,  nearly  one-third  part  died  this  year 
from  sickness."     (Belknap's    History    of  New   Hampshire, 

1  Heaton  is  on  the  roll  as  from  Surry,  but  he  belonged  to  the  militia  com- 
pany here  in  1773,  and  signed  the  "Association  Test"  in  1776  as  a  citizen  of 
Keene.  Thatcher  appears  to  have  been  transferred  from  Wi.ngate's  regiment  to 
Wyman's. 


208  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

vol.  2,  page  410.)  Among  them  was  young  Joseph  Gray  of 
Keene.  Thomas  Wilder  of  Wetherbee's  company,  Wyman's 
regiment,  died  of  small  pox  before  the  recruits  left  Keene. 
Col.  James  Reed  suffered  so  severely  from  sickness  that  he 
became  totally  blind  and  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the 
service  at  the  close  of  that  year.  He  was  a  brave  and  capa- 
ble officer  and  congress  promoted  him  to  be  brigadier  gen- 
eral. Being  loath  to  quit  the  service  he  remained  with  his 
troops  through  the  summer  and  autumn,  and  commanded 
a  brigade  for  a  short  time  at  Ticonderoga.  i  Major  Alex- 
ander Scammel,  promoted  to  colonel,  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  his  regiment,  with  Andrew  Colburn,  of  Marlboro, 
lieutenant  colonel,  and  Capt.  Henry  Dearborn  promoted  to 
major. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  Col.  Wyman  left  Skeensboro 
with  his  regiment  to  "Joyn  Gen.  Reed's  Brigade"  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Independence. 

The  fear  of  an  Indian  raid  increased  now  that  our  army 
had  withdrawn  from  Canada,  and  the  people  of  Keene  and 
all  through  the  Connecticut  valley  were  in  a  state  of 
alarm  lest  the  frightful  scenes  of  former  years  should  be 
repeated.  Gen.  Sullivan,  before  he  was  superseded  by  Gen. 
Gates,  had  sent  Col.  Wait  with  200  men  to  Onion  river 
to  protect  our  frontier;  and  the  legislature  authorized  the 
raising  of  three  companies  of  fifty  men  each  from  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  colony  for  the  same  purpose. 

On  the  3d  of  July  the  legislature  had  voted  to  raise 
1,500  men  to  reinforce  the  northern  army,  and  apportioned 
the  quotas  to  be  furnished  by  each  militia  regiment  in  the 
colony,  that  of  Col.  Ashley's  being  100  men.  From  those 
recruits  a  regiment  of  eight  companies  was  organized  in 
July  and  August  and  sent  forward  to  Ticonderoga,  to  serve 
five  months.  Joshua  Wingate  of  Stratham  was  appointed 
colonel,  and  the  rendezvous  was  at  Charlestown.  In  Capt. 
Humphrey's  company  of  that  regiment  were  Benjamin 
Ellis,  sergeant,  and  Naboth  Bettison,  Daniel  Willson,  Henry 
Ellis,  Abraham  Griffin  and  Joseph  Thatcher,  privates,  all 
of  Keene.  Thatcher  appears  to  have  been  transferred  to 
Wyman's  regiment. 

1  Lieut.  Burton's  Diary. 


I 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  209 

On  the  4th  of  July  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
signed  and  "Within  fourteen  days  it  was  published  by  beat 
of  drums  in  all  the  shire  towns  of  New  Hampshire."  (Belk- 
nap's History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  2,  page  405.)  It 
was  received  by  the  army,  the  legislatures  and  the  people 
with  great  rejoicing.  That  declaration  brought  great  en- 
couragement to  the  patriots,  gave  them  a  more  definite 
object  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  united  them  in  a  com- 
mon cause.  That  object  had  now  come  to  be  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  nation  of  their  own  under  democratic  rule; 
the  dreaded  alternative  was  the  fate  of  conquered  rebels. 
There  could  be  no  more  powerful  incentive  to  fight;  no 
sharper  spur  to  endure  hardship  and  privation. 

When  the  news  of  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  reached 
Keene,  steps  were  at  once  taken  to  celebrate  the  occasion ; 
and  the  following  story  in  connection  is  told  by  Col.  Rush 
C.  Hawkins  of  New  York  in  his  biographical  sketch  of  Rev. 
Aaron  Hutchinson,  a  very  learned  and  accomplished  divine 
of  that  period.  Mr.  Hutchinson  had  preached  in  both  Graf- 
ton, Mass.,  and  Pomfret,  Vt.,  and  while  on  a  journey  from 
the  former  to  the  latter  place,  "when  the  famiW  arrived 
at  Keene,  the  citizens  of  that  town  had  just  heard  of  the 
signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  at  Philadelphia 
and  were  assembled  in  an  open  lot  (doubtless  on  the 
'Green')  for  a  celebration  of  that  patriotic  event.  The3'' 
had  erected  a  liberty  pole  for  which  a  flag  had  been  pro- 
vided, but  as  they  had  no  halyards  there  was  no  way  of 
fastening  it  to  the  top  of  the  pole  except  bj^  climbing,  and 
a  Spanish  silver  piece  then  in  use,  of  the  present  value  of 
twenty-five  cents,  was  offered  to  any  one  brave  enough  to 
undertake  the  perilous  act.  Greatly  to  the  surprise  of  those 
assembled,  a  little  stripling  of  a  boy,  only  nine  years  old, 
came  forward  and  said  he  would  like  to  tr3^  At  first  no 
one  was  willing  to  allow  such  a  puny  specimen  of  a  child 
to  run  the  risk  he  proposed,  but  upon  the  assurance  of 
Mr.  Hutchinson  that  his  'little  Alec'  was  a  cool-headed 
boy  and  could  be  trusted,  he  was  allowed  to  make  the  at- 
tempt to  carry  the  flag  as  near  the  top  as  possible.  He 
succeeded  in  taking  it  to  a  point  where  the  pole  was  so 
slender  that  it  bent  under  his  weight,  but  the  courage  and 


210  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

coolness  of  the  boy  averted  a  pending  danger  and  crowned 
his  bold  efifort  with  success.  He  descended  amid  the  plau- 
dits of  the  multitude  and  received  the  promised  compensa- 
tion." 

A  town  meeting  on  the  2d  of  August  chose  Capt.  Eliph- 
alet  Briggs,  of  the  committee  of  safety  of  Keene,  a  delegate 
to  a  convention  of  the  committees  of  safety  in  the  county 
to  be  held  at  Walpole  on  the  6th,  "To  Consult  and  agree 
upon  such  Methods  as  shall  then  be  thought  Necessary  for 
the  General  Good  and  Our  Mutual  Defence  and  Safety." 

The  legislature  had  adjourned  from  the  6th  of  July  to 
the  4th  of  September.  On  the  10th,  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, which  had  been  received  during  the  recess,  was 
read  in  the  house,  and  the  following  resolution  was  imme- 
diately passed : 

"Voted  and  Resolved,  That  this  Colony  Assume  and 
take  upon  themselves  the  Name  &  Stile  of  NEW  HAMP- 
SHIRE, and  that  all  Communications,  Writs,  Processes  & 
all  Law  Proceedings  which  heretofore  w^ere  made  &  issued 
in  the  Name  &  Stile  of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  or 
the  Name  &  Stile  of  the  Colony  of  New  Hampshire,  shall 
henceforth  be  made  &  issued  in  the  Name  &  Stile  of  the 
STATE  of  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  and  not  otherwise."  And 
the  council  concurred. 

On  the  14th  a  convention  of  both  houses  voted  to  raise 
1,000  men  to  reinforce  the  army  at  New  York  under  Wash- 
ington, to  be  divided  into  two  regiments  of  eight  com- 
panies each.  The  colonelcy  of  one  of  those  regiments  was 
given  to  Thomas  Tash  of  Durham,  that  of  the  other  to 
"Dea."  Nahum  Baldwin  of  Amherst.  The  men  were  enlisted 
for  three  months  and  were  paid  a  bounty  of  $20.  The 
two  regiments  were  promptly  raised  and  marched  via  Hart- 
ford, New  Haven,  and  Stamford,  Ct.  Baldwin's  regiment 
joined  the  main  army  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  White 
Plains,  Oct.  28.  Capt.  John  Houghton,  of  Keene,  com- 
manded the  6th  company  in  that  regiment,  and  the  enlisted 
men  from  Keene  were  Samuel  Bassett,  Caleb  Ellis,  John 
Lebourveau,  Obadiah  Blake,  Jr.,  James  Eddy,  Samuel  Hall, 
John  Dickson  and  Ziba  Hall.  The  regiment  was  mustered 
out  early  in  December. 

The  alarm  for  the  safety  of  Ticonderoga  continued,  and 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  211 

in  October,  Cols.  Ashley  and  Bellows  marched  from  Chesh- 
ire county  to  reinforce  Gen.  Gates,  each  with  six  companies 
of  his  regiment  of  militia.  Col.  Chase,  of  Cornish,  also 
marched  with  two  companies  of  his  regiment,  and  Col. 
Enoch  Hale  of  Rindge  sent  two  of  his  companies,  under 
Lt.  Col.  Thomas  Heald.  The  men  from  Keene  in  that  cam- 
paign were  Stephen  Griswold,i  lieutenant,  and  Thomas 
Morse,  private,  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Isaac  Davis ; 
Michael  Metcalf,  lieutenant,  Timothy  Ellis,  Jr.,  sergeant, 
David  Wilson,  corporal,  and  Cephas  Clark,  John  Balch, 
Jacob  Town,  Michael  Sprout,  2  Aaron  Gray,  Silas  French, 
Thomas  Field,  Adin  Holbrook,  Reuben  Partridge,  Robert 
Spencer,  Abraham  Wheeler,  and  Jonathan  Wheeler,  privates 
in  the  company  of  Capt.  Joseph  Whitcomb  of  Swanzey; 
and  Ephraim  Witherell  and  Daniel  Snow,  Jr.,  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Joseph  Burt;  all  in  Col.  Ashley's  regiment. 
No  record  of  the  particular  movements  of  those  troops 
has  been  found,  but  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  the  fol- 
lowing letter  of  thanks  was  received  from  Gen.  Gates : 

"Ticonderoga  Nov.  9th  1776. 

"Gentlemen  —  I  return  you,  and  the  officers  &  soldiers 
of  the  Regiments  under  your  command,  ray  sincere  thanks 
for  the  Spirit  and  Expedition  both  you  &  they  have  shewn 
in  marching  upon  the  first  alarm,  upwards  of  one  hundred 
&  fift}^  miles,  to  the  support  of  this  important  pass,  when 
threatened  with  an  immediate  attack  from  the  Enemy's 
Army.  I  now  dismiss  you  with  the  Honour  you  have  so 
w^ell  deserved.  I  further  Certify,  that  neither  you  nor  any 
under  your  command,  have  received  any  pay  or  reward 
from  me  for  your  services  upon  this  occasion ;  that  I  leave 
to  be  settled  by  the  General  Congress  with  the  Convention 
of  your  State.     With  great  respect, 

"I  am.  Gentlemen  your  most  obed* 

Huni^'  Serv^ 
Horatio  Gates. 

"To  Colonel  Ashley  &  Colonel  Bellows  commanding 
the  Regiments  of  Militia  from  the  County  of  Cheshire,  in 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire." 

In  September,  congress  voted  to  raise  eighty-eight  bat- 
talions of  troops,  by  enlistments  and  reenlistments,  to  serve 

1  Stephen  Griswold's  name  appears  on  the  records  for  a  long  term  of  years 
as  a  citizen  of  Keene  —  moderator  of  town  meetings,  and  holding  other  town 
offices.     He  was  at  one  time  a  selectman  of  Gilsum. 

2  Michael  Sprout  belonged  in  Packersfield,  but  enlisted  from  Keene. 


212  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

through  the  war.  New  Hampshire's  quota  was  three  bat- 
talions. The  government  offered  a  bounty  of  $20  in  money 
and  a  grant  of  100  acres  of  land  to  each  enlisted  man ; 
with  an  increase  in  land  to  officers  according  to  rank,  a 
captain  to  receive  300  acres,  a  colonel  500.  The  three  New 
Hampshire  regiments  of  Stark,  Poor  and  Reed  (now  Scam- 
mel)  were  reorganized,  manj^  of  the  officers  and  men  re- 
enlisted,  and  recruiting  offices  were  soon  afterward  opened 
to  complete  their  numbers. 

The  legislature  met  in  November,  and  voted  to  raise 
another  reinforcement  of  1,000  men  for  Washington's  army, 
500  men  to  be  drafted  at  once  from  the  militia  regiments, 
organized  into  a  regiment  of  eight  companies  under  Col. 
David  Oilman,  of  Pembroke,  and  sent  forward  immediately. 
In  that  legislature,  Major  Timothy  Ellis  of  Keene  served 
on  several  important  committees,  and  when  he  returned 
home  he  brought  a  large  sum  of  money  to  the  recruiting 
officers  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Capt.  Francis  Towne,  of 
Rindge,  with  Samuel  Wright  of  Swanzey,  first  lieutenant, 
raised  a  company  of  Cheshire  county  men.  Zadock  Wheeler, 
of  Keene,  was  a  sergeant  and  Samuel  Heaton,  of  Keene,  a 
corporal  in  that  company.  The  regiment  was  mustered 
Dec.  5,  went  immediately  to  the  front,  was  in  the  battles 
of  Trenton  and  Princeton  and  remained  in  the  service  be- 
3^ond  its  term  —  with  the  other  New  Hampshire  regiments, 
all  re-enlisting  for  six  weeks,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
Washington  —  until  the  12th  of  March. 

Early  in  December  another  alarm  spread  through  New 
England  in  consequence  of  the  appearance  of  the  British 
fleet  off  the  coast,  apparently  with  the  intention  of  land- 
ing troops.  On  the  10th,  the  legislature  "  Voted,  That  Oen. 
Folsom  be  and  hereby'  is  Directed  to  order  all  the  militia 
of  this  State  instantly  to  prepare  themselves  with  all  nec- 
essary warlike  accoutrements  &  six  days  Provisions  —  as 
an  order  for  their  marching  may  follow  this  in  Twenty- 
four  hours."  But  marching  orders  did  not  come  at  that 
time. 

The  armj^  at  this  period  was  in  a  deplorable  condition, 
and  the  outlook  of  public  affairs  was  so  gloomy  that  con- 
gress recommended  all  the  states  to   appoint  a   "Day  of 


I 


4 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  213 

Solemn  Fasting  and  Humiliation."  The  New  Hampshire 
legislature  adopted  the  recommendation,  and  on  the  13th 
of  December  "dissolved,"  with  the  invocation,  "God  save 
the  United  States  of  America." 

The  three  New  Hampshire  regiments  of  Stark,  Poor 
and  Scammell  had  left  the  northern  army  on  the  16th  of 
November,  marched  down  the  Hudson  river,  crossed  the 
country  through  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  and  joined 
Washington  on  the  20th  of  December,  in  time  to  take  a 
leading  part  in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton. 
Though  w^orn  with  fatigue  and  almost  destitute  of  cloth- 
ing in  that  inclement  season,  they  were  counted  by  Wash- 
ington among  the  best  troops  of  his  army,  and  their  arri- 
val gave  him  great  satisfaction.  At  Trenton  the  main 
column  of  attack  was  commanded  by  Sullivan,  and  led  by 
Stark  with  his  New  Hampshire  men;  and,  according  to 
Gen.  Sullivan's  account  of  the  battle,  the  same  New  Hamp- 
shire regiments,  with  Gilman's  added,  saved  the  day  at 
Princeton.  Wingate's  regiment  left  the  northern  army  for 
home  on  the  20th  of  November;  and  W\'man's  on  the 
22d,  via  Rutland  and  Cavendish,  and  were  discharged  on 
the  1st  of  December. 

Early  in  1776,  Air.  Ebenezer  Day,  who  lived  at  the 
north  part  of  the  town,  died,  at  the  age  of  66,  and  was 
the  first  to  be  buried  in  the  north  bur^nng-ground,  the  land 
for  which  had  been  given  by  Capt.  John  Houghton  —  who 
lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  —  from  off  his  farm, 
deeded  to  him  by  his  father,  Israel  Houghton. 

During  the  year  the  small  pox  had  prevailed,  not  only 
in  the  army  but  in  many  of  the  towns  and  settlements. 
There  had  been  cases  of  it  in  this  town  in  the  previous 
year,  and  private  hospitals  had  been  established  by  some 
of  the  resident  physicians.  Inoculation  w^as  just  then  com- 
ing into  practice,  but  the  ph^^sicians,  without  experience, 
were  not  always  successful  in  its  use,  and  the  people  were 
generally  opposed  to  it.  This  3'ear  the  disease  became  epi- 
demic, largeh'  in  consequence,  as  was  believed,  of  the  im- 
proper management  of  those  hospitals.  The  same  condi- 
tions existed  in  other  towns,  particularly  at  Charlestow^n, 
the  rendezvous  of  the  troops  enlisted  for  the  army;   and 


214  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

complaints  came  from  those  connected  with  that  service  of 
the  inoculations  at  Keene.  A  town  meeting  was  held  on 
the  27th  of  September  to  consider  the  subject.  Capt. 
Eliphalet  Briggs  was  chosen  moderator,  and  resolutions 
were  passed  and  strict  regulations  adopted  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  hospitals  in  town. 

In  November,  the  following  petition  was  sent  to  the 
legislature : 

"To  the  Honorable  Council  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  The  petition  of  us 
the  Subscribers  Freeholders  of  the  Town  of  Keen  in  the 
County  of  Cheshire  Humbly  Sheweth  — 

"Whearas  Sundry  Persons  have  Set  up  houses  in  this 
Town  for  the  purpose  of  Inoculating  for  the  Small  pox, 
by  which  Means  the  Small  pox  has  been  Spread  and  Still 
Continues  to  spread  in  this  and  other  Towns,  to  the 
Great  Determent  of  the  publick  Good  —  and  a  Number  of 
Useful  members  of  Society  have  lost  their  Lives  thereby 
and  the  prosecution  of  mens  Necessar\^  Callings  Rendered 
Dangerous  —  and  the  Repeated  Endeavour  of  the  Towns  to 
lay  Persons  Concer'"^  under  proper  Restrictions  and  Regu- 
lations—  have  been  inefectual  We  therefore  3'our  Petitioners 
humbly  Pray  that  you  would  in  Your  wisdom  So  Inter- 
pose by  Your  Authority  that  a  Speedy  and  an  Effectual 
Stop  ma^^  be  put  thereto  for  the  present  —  as  Y^our  Peti- 
tioners in  Dutv  Bound  Shall  Ever  pray. 
"Keene  Novem^  22^^  1776. 

"Jerb  Stiles  W«>  Ellis 

Isaac  Esty  Aaron  Gray 

Ebenezer  Nims  Aaron  Gray  Jun^ 

Reuben  Partridge  Jesse  Hall 

Gideon  Ellis  Jun*"  Ebenezer  Newton 

Robart  Spencer  Abijah  Metcalf 

Jonathan  Pond  Ryal  Blake 

Ebenezer  Day  Henry  Elles 

John  Day  Josiah  Ellis 

Jedediah  Wellman  Timothy  Ellis  Jun"" 

Stephen  Larrabe  Elisha  Briggs 

Nathaniel  Kingsbury  Nathaniel  Briggs 

Benj  Archer  Jun.  Benj^  Balch 

Jesse  Clark  Cephas  Clark 

Thomas  Field  John  Balch 

William  Goodenow  Jonathan  Archer 

Joseph  Blake  Abner  Ralston." 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  several  citizens  died  of  that 
disease,    among    them    Capt.    Eliphalet    Briggs,    who  had 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  215 

presided  at  the  September  meeting.  He  "was  buried  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  the  road  leading  to  Roxbury." 
Thomas  Frink,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Gideon  Tiffany  and 
Obadiah  Blake  were  the  physicians  in  town  at  that  time. 
Dr.  Pomeroy  had  one  of  the  hospitals  complained  of,  and 
Dr.  Tiffan3^  another,  on  the  east  side  of  the  town.  The 
following  spring,  a  pest  house  was  built  "at  a  secluded 
spot  near  the  South  end  of  Beech  Hill,  since  known  as 
pock  pasture,  for  the  inoculation  of  the  small  pox.  A 
Doctor  Pomeroy  was  the  attending  phj^sician.  He  lived  in 
the  house  afterwards  occupied  by  General  Reed,  of  revolu- 
tionary memory,  which  stood  on  the  West  side  of  Main 
street,  nearly  opposite  but  below  the  site  of  the  fort.  A 
large  number  were  inoculated,  of  whom  six  died."  (Annals, 
page  51.) 

The  residence  of  Dr.  Pomeroy,  the  tory,  afterwards 
confiscated  by  the  state  and  leased  to  Gen.  Reed,  was  on 
lots  Nos.  44  and  45,  next  north  of  Col.  Wyman's  tavern, 
bought  of  Rev.  Clement  Sumner  in  1773.  Later  the  place 
came  into  possession  of  Daniel  Newcomb,  administrator  of 
the  estate  of  Dr.  Pomero3%  appointed  by  the  judge  of  pro- 
bate, same  as  in  case  of  decease. 

The  September  meeting  elected  Major  Timothy  Ellis 
representative  to  the  legislature  for  one  year,  and  chose 
Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Silas  Cooke,  Thomas  Baker,  Capt. 
John  Houghton  and  Daniel  Kingsbury  a  "committee  to 
prepare  Instructions  in  Behalf  of  the  Town  to  give  the 
Representative. ' ' 

In  December,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  of  safety  of  the  town,  in  place  of 
Capt.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  deceased. 

Very  little  had  been  accomplished  in  the  town  during 
the  year,  for  public  affairs  and  the  carrying  on  of  the  war 
had  absorbed  the  attention  of  everybody,  and  all  efforts 
had  been  turned  in  that  direction.  The  baneful  effects  of 
the  war  on  the  prosperity  of  the  people  were  now  seriously 
felt.  The  attempt  to  relieve  the  situation  by  issuing  paper 
money  —  made  bj^  both  the  Continental  congress  and  the 
state  legislature  —  was  a  lamentable  failure.  Lack  of  faith 
in  its  stability  caused  continual  depreciation  of  its  value ; 


216  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

or,  in  other  words,  the  prices  of  commodities  in  that  paper 
money  increased  enormously.  The  legislature  attempted  to 
control  the  laws  of  trade  by  fixing  the  prices  of  commod- 
ities, but  the  result  was  simply  another  illustration  of 
the  futility  of  all  such  legislation.  Scarcely  any  goods  were 
imported,  and  few  were  manufactured,  except  such  as  could 
be  made  by  the  people  themselves  in  their  log  cabins  from 
the  products  of  their  farms.  The  scarcity  of  firearms  in- 
duced the  people  of  Cheshire  county  to  make  a  strong  effort 
and  to  choose  a  committee  to  "Set  up  and  Carry  on  the 
Manufactory  of  Fire  Arms"  within  the  count\^;  but  the 
scarcity  of  money  prevented  the  success  of  the  undertaking. 
Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman,  Thomas  Wells,  Elijah  Blake,  Ben- 
jamin Archer,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson, 
Capt.  John  Houghton,  Thomas  Baker,  Lieut.  Benjamin 
Hall,  Israel  Houghton,  Daniel  Kingsbury,  and  several 
other  citizens  of  Keene,  signed  the  petition  of  Joel  Kilburn 
of  Gilsum  to  the  legislature  for  aid  and  encouragement  in 
establishing  the  manufacture  of  wire,  of  which  there  was 
scarcely  any  to  be  had.  There  were  few  mechanics,  and  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  procure  suitable  tools  and  imple- 
ments, or  to  have  existing  ones  repaired;  and  the  work  of 
the  farm  and  the  family  had  to  be  done  with  the  rudest 
utensils  and  contrivances.  So  many  of  the  men  were  in 
the  army  that  it  was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  crops 
could  be  raised  and  gathered.  Those  were  indeed  "hard 
times." 

On  the  14th  of  Januar3^  1777,  the  town  voted  twenty 
pounds  for  the  support  of  preaching  and  sixteen  pounds 
for  ammunition.  The  number  of  the  committee  of  safety 
was  increased  to  seven  and  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Jesse 
Clark,  Ebenezer  Cook,  Capt.  John  Houghton,  Reuben 
Partridge,  Simeon  Clark  and  Peter  Hobart  were  chosen 
for  that  committee.  Capt.  Stiles  was  nominated  by  vote 
of  the  town  for  justice  of  the  peace.  His  appointment  was 
delayed,  but  was  finally  made  upon  a  petition  of  several 
citizens  of  the  town. 

Most  of  the  troops  having  been  withdrawn  from 
Ticonderoga,  and  Lake  Champlain  being  frozen  over,  there 
was  great  alarm  lest  the  British,  who  lay   at  St.  Johns, 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  217 

should  advance  on  the  ice  and  capture  that  fortress;  and 
troops  were  hastened  forward  for  its  protection.  In  Feb- 
ruary, Col.  Pierce  Lang's  regiment  marched  from  New- 
castle through  Keene  and  Charlestown  towards  that 
destination.  More  soldiers  were  needed,  particularly  for 
the  Continental  service,  but  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  the  people  were  intensified  in  the  case  of  the  soldiers  in 
the  field,  and  it  was  hard  to  induce  men  to  enlist  for  the 
long  term  of  three  years  or  the  war,  as  required  in  the 
Continental  service.  The  legislature  offered  a  bounty  of 
twenty  pounds  to  each  man  who  would  enlist  in  that  ser- 
vice, in  addition  to  the  large  bounties  in  land  and  money 
offered  by  congress  —  to  be  paid  four  years  after  enlistment, 
with  interest.  The  militia  laws  were  made  more  efiective 
for  raising  troops,  provision  was  made  for  drafting  in  case 
volunteering  failed,  and  heavy  penalties  were  laid  on  those 
who  refused  or  neglected  to  serve  after  enrollment.  The 
colonels  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments  were  at  home 
that  winter  recruiting  and  forwarding  the  men  to  the 
rendezvous  at  Charlestown. 

In  January,  Lieut.  John  Gregg  (or  Griggs),  of  Keene, 
was  appointed  captain  of  the  Third  company  of  Scammel's 
regiment,  with  Ebenezer  Fletcher  of  Chesterfield  —  soon  suc- 
ceeded by  William  Ellis  of  Keene  —  first  lieutenant,  and  Ben- 
jamin Ellis,  of  Keene,  second  lieutenant.  Capt.  Gregg  had 
300  pounds,  sterling  money,  sent  him  by  the  state  com- 
mittee of  safety  for  recruiting  purposes,  and  he  opened  an 
oflGice  here  and  proceeded  to  raise  a  company.  On  the  2d 
of  May,  however,  he  resigned  on  account  of  sickness,  and 
William  Ellis  was  promoted  to  captain,  with  Benjamin 
Ellis  first  lieutenant.  While  waiting  for  the  acceptance  of 
his  resignation  Capt.  Gregg  sent  out  the  following  adver- 
tisement : 

"Deserted  from  Cap^  John  Griggs  Company  in  Cor^ 
Scammills  Rig^  Epraim  Hall  24  years  of  age  Six  feet  high 
Dark  hair  Blew  Eyes  Light  Colered  Cloths  formerly  be- 
longed to  Lyn :  Whosoever  will  take  up  S*^  Deserter  and 
Return  him  to  his  Company  at  Keen  or  N^  4 :  in  the  State 
of  New  Hampshire  shall  have  a  harnsom  Reward  and  all 
Nesesary  Charges  Paid  by  me 
Keene  May  y^  5^^  1777."  J°^"  ^"^'SS^  Capt 


218  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

He  also  advertised  for  one  Nathan  Gale,  "21  yers  of 
age  6  feet  Hi  Well  Set  Dark  hair." 

Col.  Scamrnel  himself  came  to  Keene  in  Ma^'  to  super- 
intend the  recruiting,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  to  the  committee  of  safety : 

"Keen,  May  9^^  1777. 

"Gentlemen  —  The  backwardness  of  the  men  to  engage 
in  this  Quarter  &  the  fewness  of  men  in  Capt.  Ellis's  Com- 
pany render  it  necessary  that  a  full  complement  of  Officers 
should  be  immediately  employ'd  in  filling  it.  Many  of  the 
towns  in  the  vicinity  of  this  place  have  rais'd  but  very  few 
men,    *    *    *    * 

"As  many  of  mj^  Officers  are  not  commissioned  should 
esteem  it  a  particular  favor  to  have  them  forwarded  to 
Ticonderoga  as  soon  as  conveniency  permit.     *    *    *    * 

"I  am,    with    the    greatest    respect,    y''    Honors    most 

obedt  &  very  humble  Serv*. 
Alex*"  Scammell." 

The  Keene  men  who  enlisted  in  Capt.  Ellis's  company 
were  Naboth  Bettison,  James  Eddy,  Daniel  Snow,  Jr.,  John 
Balch,  Jr.,  Ziba  Hall,  Benjamin  Thatcher,  William  Farley,  i 
Nathaniel  Briggs,  Timothy  Crossfield,  and  John  Daniels.  ^ 
All  enlisted  for  three  years  except  Daniels,  who  joined  for 
eight  months.  Ezra  Turner  of  Keene  enlisted  in  Capt. 
Hutchin's  company,  Cilley's  regiment,  and  Reuben  Colster 
of  Keene,  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Elijah  Clayes  of  Fitzwil- 
liam,  in  Col.  Nathan  Hale's  regiment. 

The  annual  town  meeting  this  year  chose  Capt.  Jere- 
miah Stiles,  Capt.  John  Houghton,  Simeon  Clark,  Jesse 
Clark  and  Ebenezer  Cooke  committee  of  safety.  Ten  pounds 
were  voted  for  preaching  and  a  Mr.  Mansfield  and  a  Mr. 
Samuel  Whitman  preached  as  candidates.  The  article  in 
relation  to  granting  money  for  schools  was  dismissed.  The 
town  having  been  called  upon  for  its  quota  of  men  for  the 
Continental  army,  to  serve  three  years  or  during  the  war, 
on  the  31st  of  March,  it  voted  a  bounty  of  thirty  pounds  to 
each  man  provided  "a  Sufficient  Number  would  Turn  out, 
but  as  not  any  offered  the  meeting  was  dismissed."  In 
June  following,  however,  the  same  bounty  was  offered,  in 
addition  to  that  voted  by  the  state,  and  a  committee  was 

1  Farley  belonged  in  Packersfield,  bnt  enlisted  as  from  Keene. 

2  Daniels   is    on   the   roll    as   from    Chesterfield,  btit  was  a  citizen  of   Keene,   a 
member  of  the  company  here  in  1773,  and    signed  the  Association  Test  in   1776. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  219 

appointed  to  adjust  the  time  and  pay  of  those  who  had 
previously  enlisted. 

Pressing  appeals  continued  to  come  from  Gen.  Schuyler, 
Gen.  Wayne  and  others  to  hasten  forward  troops  to  save 
Ticonderoga.  On  the  3d  of  May,  the  state  committee  of 
safety  sent  orders  to  each  of  the  three  colonels  of  militia  in 
Cheshire  county,  "to  raise  as  many  of  your  Militia  as 
possible  and  march  them  to  Ticonderoga."  Col.  Ashley 
marched  from  Keene  on  the  7th,  from  Westmoreland  on  the 
8th,  with  109  men ;  Col.  Bellows  marched  on  the  same 
day  with  112;  Col.  Chase  of  Cornish  with  159;  and  Capt, 
Brown  with  fifty-four  men  from  Col.  Enoch  Hale's  regi- 
ment. Timothy  Ellis  of  Keene  was  major  of  Ashley's  regi- 
ment and  marched  with  the  troops.  Capt.  Davis  Howlett 
of  Keene  commanded  the  first  company,  of  fifty  men,  with 
Elisha  Mack  of  Gilsum,  lieutenant,  and  the  enlisted  men  from 
Keene  in  that  company  were  Jotham  Metcalf,  sergeant ; 
David  Willson  and  Obadiah  Blake,  corporals ;  and  Benja- 
min Archer,  Samuel  Bassett,  Simeon  Clark,  Jesse  Dassance, 
Ebenezer  Day,  Simeon  Ellis,  David  Foster,  Silas  French  and 
Tilly  Howe,  privates.  Ephraim  Witherell  was  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Waitstill  Scott  in  the  same  regiment.  The 
regiment  marched  to  Ticonderoga,  but  the  alarm  had  sub- 
sided and  it  returned,  and  the  men  were  discharged,  June 
17th  to  the  24th. 

Gen.  Burgoyne  now  commanded  the  British  army  of 
the  north,  10,000  strong  —  7,000  of  them  "choice  troops 
sent  from  England,  with  the  finest  train  of  brass  artillery 
(42  pieces),  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  America"!  —  besides 
thousands  of  Indians  employed  as  allies  "to  use  as  instru- 
ments of  terror."!  Exaggerated  reports  of  the  strength  of 
his  army  and  the  rapidity  of  his  advance  reached  the  states 
and  caused  great  alarm  throughout  New  England,  for  it 
was  feared  that  these  eastern  states  were  to  be  invaded  by 
an  irresistible  force  of  regular  troops  and  savages. 

Again  the  militia  was  ordered  to  the  front,  and  turned 
out  in  larger  numbers  than  before.  Col.  Ashley  marched 
on  the  29th  of  June,  with  about  400  men,  taking  Lt.  Col. 
Joseph  Hammond,  of  Swanzey,  with  him,  and  leaving  Major 

1  Bancroft's  History  of  the  United  States,  vol.  5,  pages  579  and  587. 


220  HISTORY  OF  KBBNE. 

Ellis  in  command  of  the  regiment  at  home.  Dr.  Thomas 
Frink  of  Keene  went  as  regimental  surgeon,  and  was 
allowed  two  horses  to  carry  his  baggage  and  medicines. 
Capt.  Davis  Howlett,  with  Daniel  Kingsbury  as  his  second 
lieutenant,  raised  another  company  of  eighty  men.  The 
enlisted  men  from  Keene  were  Asahel  Blake  and  Dan  Guild, 
sergeants,  Timothy  Ellis,  Jr.,  corporal,  and  Nathan  Blake, 
Robert  Spencer,  Jonathan  Heaton,  Tilly  Howe,  Benjamin 
Nurse,  Aaron  Wilson,  Samuel  Osgood,  Royal  Blake,  i 
Jesse  Hall,  Ebenezer  Carpenter,  Joseph  Thatcher,  Zadock 
Niras,  Abraham  Wheeler,  Jonathan  Wheeler,  Ebenezer 
Newton,  Benjamin  Balch,  Aaron  Gray,  Thomas  Dwinnell, 
Joseph  Blake,  Samuel  Woods,  Gideon  Ellis,  John  Daniels, 
Nathaniel  Kingsbury,  John  Day,  Reuben  Partridge,  Wil- 
liam Woods,  Isaac  Griswold,  John  Le  Bourveau,  John 
Balch,  Benjamin  Archer,  and  Israel  Houghton,  privates ; 
and  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Elisha  Mack,  of  Gilsum, 
were  Charles  Rice,  Thomas  Morse  and  Joseph  Ellis ;  and 
Ephraim  Witherell  was  in  that  of  Capt.  John  Cole,  of 
Westmoreland. 

The  Keene  company  marched  a  part  of  the  distance, 
was  met  by  an  express  with  the  information  that  the  alarm 
was  false  and  started  to  return,  but  was  overtaken  by  a 
second  courier  ordering  the  troops  forward  in  all  haste. 
They  marched  as  far  as  Otter  creek,  where  they  met  a 
part  of  the  army  in  retreat  —  Ticonderoga  having  been 
abandoned  —  and  returned  home.  Other  companies  had 
similar  experiences.  Burgoyne  was  steadily  advancing, 
and  during  those  last  days  of  June  and  first  of  July,  bat- 
talions, companies  and  squads  of  troops  were  marching 
and  countermarching  to  and  from  the  front  in  all  parts 
of  the  state.  But  the  military  road  opened  by  Lt.  Col. 
John  Hawks  and  Col.  John  Goffe  from  Merrimack,  N.  H., 
through  Peterboro,  Keene  and  Charlestown  to  Crown 
Point,  made  this  route  through  Keene  the  main  line  of  the 
movements. 

Two  companies  from  Amherst  and  Wilton,  under  Major 

iHe  was  usually  called  Rial,  and  is  on  the  roll  as  Ariel  Blake.  Royal  Blake 
was  in  the  service  and  was  one  of  those  whose  pay  was  equalized  by  the  town 
in  1788;  but  "Ariel"  is  the  only  form  in  which  hisname  appears  on  the  Revolu- 
tionary rolls. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  221 

Abiel  Abbott,  passed  through  Keene  and  marched  as  far 
as  No.  4,  when  they  were  ordered  home.  At  Dublin,  they 
were  overtaken  by  an  express  and  ordered  to  march 
"with  all  speed  for  Ticonderoga."  This  time  they  marched 
as  far  as  Otter  creek,  where  they  heard  of  the  evacuation 
and  returned  home.  This  made  four  times  that  those  com- 
panies passed  and  repassed  through  Keene.  A  battalion  of 
several  companies  and  parts  of  companies  under  Lt.  Col. 
Heald  of  New  Ipswich,  and  companies  and  detachments 
from  Hollis,  Peterboro,  Merrimack,  Dunstable,  Hudson, 
Derry,  Bedford,  Litchfield,  Nottingham,  Marlboro,  Stod- 
dard, and  other  towns,  passed  through  Keene  in  a  similar 
way  at  different  times,  marching  both  ways,  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night.  One  was  a  company  of  sixty-four 
men  from  Fitzwilliam  and  adjoining  towns,  under  Capt. 
John  Mellen.  A  company  of  forty-eight  men  from  New 
Ipswich,  under  Capt.  Josiah  Brown,  had  horses  enough  to 
"ride  and  tie,"  and  thus  hastened  their  march.  For  weeks 
at  this  time,  "  Keene  Street,"  as  it  was  called  then  and  for 
more  than  half  a  century  afterwards,  resounded  with  the 
continual  tramp  of  marching  patriots  and  the  rub-dub-dub 
of  the  recruiting  officer's  drum. 

The  three  New  Hampshire  regiments  of  Continental 
troops  —  Cilley's,  Hale's  and  Scammel's  —  in  Gen.  Poor's 
brigade,  had  again  joined  the  northern  army.  They  had 
been  armed  with  the  French  "fusil,"  the  best  musket  then 
in  use.  But  Gen.  St.  Clair  abandoned  his  stores  and  the 
fortresses  at  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  retreated 
to  Fort  Edward,  by  the  way  of  Hubbardston,  Castleton 
and  Rutland.  At  Hubbardston,  disaster  befell  the  New 
Hampshire  troops  by  being  overtaken  by  the  energetic  Gen. 
Frazer.  They  lost  heavily  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners ; 
and  among  those  captured  was  Col.  Nathan  Hale  of  Rindge. 
Lt.  Col.  George  Reid,i  of  Londonderry,  of  Cilley's  regiment, 
was  transferred  and  given  the  command  of  Hale's  regiment. 
Our  northern  army  was  in  a  deplorable  condition ;  many 
of  the  soldiers  left  without  permission,  and  when  the  vol- 
unteers for  the  support  of  that  army  met  the  straggling 


1  A  daugrhter  of  Lieutenant  Colonel,  afterwards  Colonel,  and  General  Reid  of 
the  :nilitia,  became  the  wife  of  one  governor  of  New^  Hampshire  and  the  mother 
of  another  —  Samuel  Uinsmoor,  senior,  and  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  junior,  of  Keene. 


222  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  demoralized  troops,  they  turned  back  disappointed  and 
disheartened,  and  some  of  them  disbanded  and  returned 
singly  to  their  homes.  The  imminent  danger  of  invasion 
b}'  the  British  and  Indians  caused  increased  alarm  through- 
out this  part  of  the  country.  Parties  of  New  York  tories 
and  bands  of  Indians  were  already  overrunning  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants  (Vermont),  west  of  the  mountains,  out- 
raging the  inhabitants,  destroying  their  property  and  driv- 
ing oif  their  cattle  and  horses,  and  many  of  the  settlers 
abandoned  their  farms  and  fled. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  excitement,  another  source  of 
anxiety  to  the  people  of  this  vicinity  was  disclosed  in  the 
increased  activity,  more  or  less  hidden,  of  the  tories  in  this 
and  other  towns.  The  following  record  appears  in  the 
State  Papers,  but  is  not  found  in  the  court  records  of  this 
county : 

"Return  of  the  names  of  the  Persons  found  guilty  of 
missdemenors  against  the  States  by  a  Special  Session  held 
at  Keen  June  1777  as  p""  minutes  on  file  with  the  sum 
fin"^  &  order  thereon 

Col.  Josiah  Willard       20«       John  Gould  40« 

Maj^  Josiah  Willard      30^        Alexander  Rolstone       40^ 
Eleazur  Pomeroy  20®        Paul  Richardson  40® 

Eben""  Harvey  40®        Nathan  Rugg  40® 

Rev.  Micah  Lawrence  20®        Rev*^  Clement  Sumner  40® 
Benj  Melvin  40®        Capt  Henry  Coffin         20® 

Benj.  Melvin  Jr.  40®        Sam''  King  40® 

Nathan  Willard  10®       John  White  40® 

Joseph  Collins  20^        Simon  Willard  10® 

Sam'l  Wadsworth         40® 

Total  £29—10—0." 

"Ordered  that  the  several  Persons  fin*^  for  Misdemeno, 
Recognize  in  the  sum  of  £500  as  Principal  with  Two  Sur- 
ties  to  be  of  a  Peacable  Behavior  towards  the  State  &  to 
be  confin"^  within  certain  Limits  untill  this  Court  or  Sum 
other  Authority  shall  Discharge  them  therefrom  — 

"order'i  that  Cap*  Benj-'^  Flood  Receive  £12  out  of  the 
fine  money  to  Billit  his  guard  with  he  to  acct  therefor  — 

"  order^  that  the  Remainder  of  the  fines  be  Reposited 
in  the  hands  of  Nath'  S.  Prentice  Esq.  to  wait  the  County 
Sessions  order  thereon 

"a  Coppy  from  the  minutes  on  file 

Natfii  S.  Prentice  Clerk  of  s^  Sessions." 

At  a  special  session  of  the  court  held  at  Keene,  on  the  3d 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  223 

day  of  June  the  following  persons,  who  had  previously  been 
indicted,  were  tried :  Elijah  King  of  Charlestown ;  Elijah 
Willard,  Prentice  Willard  and  Capt.  Samuel  Smith  of  Win- 
chester ;  Simon  Baxter  of  Alstead  ;  Abner  Sanger  of  Keene ; 
and  Josiah  Butler.  King  and  Prentice  Willard  were  put 
under  bonds  of  500  pounds -each  for  their  good  behavior; 
and  Smith,  Sanger,  Baxter  and  Elijah  Willard  were  locked 
up  in  jail  at  Charlestown. 

On  the  17th,  the  legislature,  upon  the  report  of  a  com- 
mittee previously  appointed  to  investigate  a  complaint 
against  Breed  Batchelder  of  Packersfield,  and  Robert  Gil- 
more  of  Keene,  "Voted  that  the  said  Batchelder  and  GU- 
more  be  committed  to  close  Prison  in  some  Gaol  in  this 
state;"  and  they  were  arrested  and  locked  up  in  the  jail 
here.  Other  tories  in  the  county  v^ere  arrested  from  time 
to  time,  and  tried  before  Justice  Wyman  and  others.  Some 
gave  bonds,  and  some  were  imprisoned,  though  most  of 
them  were  allowed  freedom  within  certain  limits.  The 
property  of  the  more  obnoxious  ones  was  afterwards  con- 
fiscated for  the  benefit  of  the  state.  "Mrs.  Sturtevant, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Cornelius  Sturtevant,  Jr.,  the  printer, 
was  born  in  1770,  and  is  now  living  with  mental  faculties 
bright  and  vigorous,  well  remembers  that,  in  early  girl- 
hood, when  going  to  school  from  West-street  to  the  school- 
house  just  South  of  the  old  Ralston  house,  she  passed  the 
old  jail,  standing  near  where  the  Emerald  House  now 
stands.  It  was  made  of  hewn  logs,  with  a  small  hole  for 
a  window.  She  and  her  companions  often  stopped  to  hear 
a  Mr.  Baxter,  who  was  confined  there,  sing  the  '  Vicar  of 
Bray.'  This  Baxter  was  a  tory,  lived  in  Surry  or  Alstead, 
and  was  probably  then  confined  for  toryism.  Tradition 
speaks  of  him  as  wealthy  for  the  time,  bold,  reckless,  fond 
of  enjoyment,  and  of  defying  public  opinion.  He  doubtless 
sang  the  '  Vicar  of  Bray '  to  reproach  and  provoke  the  rebels 
outside  for  having  deserted  their  King  and  sworn  allegiance 
to  the  new  government.  He  emigrated  to  Nova  Scotia." 
(Annals,  page  50.) 

Yet,  notwithstanding  the  alarming  outlook  and  all 
their  discouragements,  the  people  as  a  whole  were  reso- 
lute   and    determined.      They    were    also    gladdened    and 


224  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

encouraged  by  good  news  from  the  patriot  army  in  New 
Jersey,  where  Washington,  in  the  single  month  of  June,  had 
gained  advantages  over  Howe  and  Cornwallis,  and  driven 
them  out  of  that  state.  There  was  great  rejoicing  through- 
out the  country. 

But  urgent  appeals  from  the  patriots  of  the  "Grants" 
came  to  New  Hampshire  for  assistance,  and  those  appeals 
\^ere  sustained  by  reports  of  the  insolence  of  the  British 
invaders  and  the  barbarities  of  their  Indian  allies.  The 
commanding  officers  at  various  points  sent  expresses  along 
the  routes  as  far  as  No.  4  and  Keene,  and  even  beyond,  to 
rally  and  bring  forward  the  stragglers  and  reinforcements, 
directing  them  to  march  to  Bennington,  and  thence  to  join 
the  main  army. 

The  legislature  had  finished  its  spring  session  and  ad- 
journed on  the  28th  of  June.  A  summons  from  the  com- 
mittee of  safety  brought  the  members  together  again  on 
the  17th  of  July,  for  a  special  session  of  three  days.  On  the 
second  day  the  two  houses  met  in  convention  to  discuss 
the  situation  —  Mesech  Weare,  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  safety,  in  the  chair.  The  state  was  destitute  of  money 
and  the  people  had  already  done  all  that  seemed  possible 
for  them  to  do  in  the  matter  of  furnishing  troops.  But 
Burgoyne  must  be  stopped  or  his  army  would  overrun  their 
own  territory,  and  their  own  homes  and  property  would 
be  sacrificed. 

The  main  question  was  that  of  raising  the  means  to  pay 
and  equip  the  soldiers.  When  the  gloom  of  the  situation 
was  portrayed,  Col.  John  Langdon,  speaker  of  the  house, 
rose  and  made  one  of  the  most  telling  speeches  of  the  Rev- 
olution. 

He  said:  "Gentlemen,  I  have  three  thousand  dollars 
in  hard  money,  thirty  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  worth  as 
much,  I  can  pledge  my  plate  for  as  much  more;  these  are 
at  the  service  of  the  state.  With  this  money  we  can  raise 
and  provision  troops;  our  friend,  John  Stark,  will  lead 
them.  If  we  check  Burgoyne  the  state  can  repay  me,  and 
if  we  do  not,  the  money  will  be  of  no  use  to  me."  The 
offer  was  accepted  with  enthusiasm.  The  convention  rose 
and  the  two  houses  went  to  their  work. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  225 

Stark  was  called  from  his  farm  on  the  Merrimac  — 
whither  he  had  retired  because  he  felt  insulted  by  congress 
in  the  appointment  of  brigadiers  —  was  made  a  brigadier 
general,  and  given  command  of  all  the  militia  on  the  west 
side  of  the  state,  with  orders  to  take  one-fourth  of  all  his 
troops,  with  a  few  from  Whipple's  brigade  on  the  east  side 
of  the  state,  make  his  rendezvous  at  Charlestown  and 
march  at  once  into  the  Grants.  Four  companies  of  rangers 
were  also  raised  and  placed  under  his  command.  The  mili- 
tia officers  were  ordered  to  take  away  their  arms  from  all 
who  scrupled  or  refused  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  the 
country;  and  a  day  of  "General  Fasting,  Humiliation  and 
Prayer"  was  appointed,  which  "was  observed  with  great 
solemnity"  on  the  7th  of  August. 

Stark's  commission  was  from  the  state  and  was  wholly 
independent  of  every  other  authority.  On  July  28,  1777, 
he  w^as  at  Charlestown.  There  was  no  need  of  a  "draft." 
Plenty  of  volunteers  joined  him  promptly,  for  they  were 
alarmed  at  the  danger  and  they  had  unbounded  confidence 
in  him  as  a  commander.  As  they  arrived  he  sent  them  for- 
ward by  companies  and  detachments,  to  report  to  Col. 
Seth  Warner  at  Manchester,  twenty  miles  north  of  Ben- 
nington. 1  At  Charlestown,  he  found  but  few  supplies,  a 
part  of  the  powder  being  worthless ;  a  few  pieces  of  small 
cannon  there  and  at  Walpole,  but  without  carriages  and 
no  workmen  to  mount  them;  a  small  quantity  of  sugar; 
"Very  little  Rum;"  a  few  hundred  pounds  of  lead  but 
"only  one  pair  of  bullet  moulds  in  town;"  all  of  which 
delayed  his  movements ;  yet  when  500  volunteers  had 
reached  him,  on  the  4th  of  August,  he  went  forward,  en- 
camped on  the  night  of  the  6th  at  what  is  now  Peru,  Vt., 
and  reached  Manchester  on  the  7th.  There  he  met  Gen, 
Lincoln  of  the  Continental  army,  who  ordered  him  forward 
with   his  troops  to   join  the  main  army  on  the  Hudson, 

i"The  legislature  adjourned  on  Saturday.  All  that  night  and  the  next  day, 
a  horseman  was  riding  from  Exeter  to  Concord.  Sunday  afternoon  he  dis- 
mounted at  the  chtirch  door,  and  walked  up  the  aisle.  The  minister  stopped 
and  said:  'Captain  Hutchins,  are  you  the  bearer  of  a  message?'  'Yes,  Bur- 
goyne  is  on  his  march  to  Albany.  Stark  will  command  the  New  Hampshire 
men,  and  if  we  all  turn  out,  we  can  cut  him  off.'  'My  hearers,'  said  the  Rev. 
Timothy  Walker,  'You  who  are  ready  to  go,  better  leave  at  once.'  All  the  men 
left  the  house.  But  Phineas  Virgin  had  no  shoes.  'You  shall  have  a  pair,'  said 
Samuel  Thompson,  the  shoemaker,  'before  tomorrow  morning.'  Next  day  those 
shoes  were  marching."  —  President  Bartlett's  address  at  Bennington,  August 
16.  1877. 


226  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  to  report  to  Gen.  Poor  as  his  brigade  commander. 
Stark  refused  to  obey  his  order  or  report  to  Gen.  Poor  or 
any  other  officer  who  had  been  his  junior  in  the  army.  At 
the  same  time  he  wrote  Gen.  Schujder,  commander  of  the 
northern  army,  that  he  was  wilHng  to  unite  in  any  meas- 
ure that  would  promote  the  public  good.  Lincoln  reported 
him,  and  congress  passed  a  vote  of  reprimand,  but  subse- 
quent events  sustained  him. 

The  important  depot  of  supplies  at  Bennington  was 
threatened  by  the  enemy.  On  the  8th,  Stark  made  that 
point  the  rendezvous  for  his  troops,  and  soon  afterwards 
went  there  himself,  taking  Col.  Warner  with  him,  but  leav- 
ing his  battalion  of  "Green  Alountain  Boys"  at  Man- 
chester for  protection  on  that  side.  Reinforcements  con- 
tinued to  join  him,  chiefly  from  Charlestown,  a  few  via 
Brattleboro.  Three  of  the  nine  colonels  in  Stark's  brigade 
of  militia  joined  him,  with  regiments  made  up  of  volun- 
teers from  all  the  regiments  and  from  Whipple's  brigade  — 
Nichols  of  Amherst,  Stickney  of  Concord,  and  Hobart  (or 
Hubbard)  of  Plymouth.  Col.  Ashley,  of  Winchester,  had 
just  returned  with  his  regiment  from  his  march  towards 
Ticonderoga,  and  his  whole  force  not  being  called  for,  he 
volunteered  as  aid  on  Gen.  Stark's  staff  and  served  with 
him  through  the  campaign.  Col.  Nichols  had  ten  com- 
panies, four  of  them  from  Cheshire  county,  with  Wm. 
Gregg  of  Londonderry,  lieutenant  colonel ;  and  Timothy 
Ellis,  major,  and  Ebenezer  Cook,  sergeant  major,  both  of 
Keene. 

Capt.  Elisha  Mack,  of  Gilsum,  commanded  one  of  the 
companies,  with  Josiah  Richardson,  of  Keene,  lieutenant. 
The  enlisted  men  from  Keene  in  that  company  were  Adin 
Holbrook  and  Tilh-  Howe,  sergeants ;  Robert  Worsley, 
corporal;  and  Cephas  Clark,  Joshua  Durant,  Samuel  Hall, 
Ezra  Metcalf,  Jonathan  Wheeler,  Daniel  Willson,  David 
Willson,  Jonathan  Dwinnell,  Michael  Metcalf,  Jr.,  William 
Woods,  David  Harris  and  Zadoc  Wheeler,  privates.  This 
company  marched  from  Keene  on  the  22d  of  Juh^  and  was 
in  the  battle  of  Bennington,  where  Nichols'  regiment  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  fight.  In  the  same  regiment  were 
a  company  from  Chesterfield  under  Capt.  Kimball  Carlton, 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  227 

of  sixty-one  men ;  one  from  Swanzey,  under  Capt.  Samuel 
Wright,  of  sixt}'  men ;  one  from  Rindge,  under  Capt.  Sal- 
mon Stone,  of  seventy-four  men,  many  of  whom  were  from 
Marlboro,  Dublin  and  Packersfield;  and  one  from  New 
Ipswich,  under  Capt.  Stephen  Parker,  i  of  seventy  men. 
The  aggregate  number  of  the  regiment  was  about  600. 
Walpole  and  Charlestown  also  sent  companies  in  Col. 
Hobart's  regiment.  While  at  Charlestown,  Gen.  Stark  had 
appointed  Rev.  Augustine  Hibbard,  of  Claremont,  who  had 
preached  for  a  short  time  in  Keene,  chaplain  of  his  brigade, 
by  an  order  dated  Aug.  3,  1777. 

Burgoyne  had  detached  Col.  Baum  with  about  700 
veterans,  two  pieces  of  artiller\",  a  few  Canadians  and  150 
Indians  for  a  raid  through  the  New  Hampshire  Grants, 
and  to  destroy  the  depot  of  supplies  at  Bennington.  His 
orders  were  to  collect  cattle  and  horses,  mount  his  dra- 
goons, destroy  such  stores  as  he  could  not  bring  off,  cross 
the  mountains  to  Rockingham  and  return  to  Albany  — 
where  Burgoyne  expected  to  be  —  by  the  way  of  Brattle- 
boro.  Baum  was  also  joined  by  several  hundred  tories 
under  Col.  Skeene,  of  Skeensboro.  On  the  13th,  his  ad- 
vance reached  Cambridge,  twelve  miles  northwest  of  Ben- 
nington. A  woman  on  horseback  —  all  the  men  were  in  the 
army  on  one  side  or  the  other  —  brought  the  news  to  Stark 
that  there  were  200  Indians  at  Cambridge.  Stark  had 
about  1,400  men.  He  immediateh^  sent  Lt.  Col.  Gregg,  of 
Nichols'  regiment,  forward  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check.  A 
few  hours  later,  another  woman  came  from  the  same  place 
to  say  that  1,500  Hessians  and  tories  had  reached  that 
town.  Early  the  next  morning.  Stark  marched  with  his 
whole  brigade  to  support  Gregg,  whom  he  met  four  miles 
out,  retreating  before  a  superior  force.  Discovering  Stark's 
column,  the  enemy  halted  and  formed  on  a  commanding 
ridge.  Stark  deployed  his  column  and  tried  to  induce  Baum 
to  attack  him;  but  Baum  was  cautious,  and  intrenched. 
Leaving  a  line  of  skirmishers,  Stark  fell  back  about  a 
mile,  and  his  men  lay  on  their  arms  that  night.  Friday, 
the  15th,  it  rained  all  day  and  both  parties  lay  in  position ; 

iCapt.  Parker  was  father  of  EHjali  Parker,  Esq.,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Keene  in  the  early  part  of  the  19th  centnry,  lawyer,  town  clerk,  and  town 
agent. 


228  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

but  Stark  sent  out  detachments  on  both  flanks  of  the 
enemy  to  harass  them  and  magnify  his  own  numbers.  The 
Indians  reported  that  the  woods  were  full  of  Yankees  and 
many  of  them  deserted. 

The  next  morning  a  few  more  troops  joined  Stark,  and 
he  now  had  about  1,600  men.i  He  sent  Col.  Nichols  with 
300  men  around  the  enemy's  left,  and  Col.  Hendricks  with 
300  around  their  right,  to  unite  and  attack  their  rear; 
and  Cols.  Hobart  and  Stickney  were  to  attack  their  right 
flank.  Taking  command  of  the  main  body  in  front  of  the 
intrenched  position,  w^hen  all  was  ready,  he  made  his  men 
a  short  speech  in  which  he  said  —  and  that  was  nearly  all 
he  said  —  "There  are  the  Redcoats;  they  are  ours,  or 
Mollie2  Stark  sleeps  a  widow  tonight." 

It  was  3  o'clock.  The  signal  of  attack  —  the  opening 
fire  of  Nichols'  men  —  was  heard;  Stark  advanced  upon  the 
centre  and  a  furious  fire  w^as  poured  in  from  every  side. 
But  the  enemy  were  stubborn  and  held  their  ground  for 
two  hours.  Then  the  patriots  rushed  upon  their  breast- 
works, swept  everything  before  them,  captured  their  two 
pieces  of  artillery  and  a  large  number  of  prisoners  ;  and  the 
rest  abandoned  their  works  and  fled.  But  such  a  charge 
always  breaks  up  the  organization  of  the  attacking  party, 
and  the  Americans  neglected  to  re-form  and  prepare  for 
further  action.  Some  prepared  refreshments ;  some  plun- 
dered the  enemy's  camp,  and  all  were  off  their  guard. 
While  in  this  condition,  Stark  learned  that  Brej^man's  re- 
inforcement of  644  Brunswickers,  with  two  brass  field 
pieces  and  a  number  of  tories,  was  within  two  miles  of 
him.  The  men  were  rallied,  ammunition  was  distributed, 
and  the  fight  was  renewed.  Again  the  enemy  fought  stub- 
bornly, but  when  our  tired  men  were  nearly  exhausted, 
Col.  Warner's  battalion,  under  Major  Safford,  arrived  from 
Manchester.  Stark  said  to  Warner,  "For  God's  sake  fall 
in  and  let  us  take  breath."  With  the  aid  of  those  fresh 
troops  the  fury  of  the  fight  was  renewed,  and  at  sunset  the 

1 A  short  description  of  the  campaign  and  battle  is  given  for  the  reason 
that  Keene  and  Cheshire  county  were  well  represented  there;  and  because  no 
other  battle  has  ever  been  fought  so  near  Keene.  The  roar  of  the  British  can- 
non was  distinctly  heard  in  this  town,  and  even  ten  miles  further  east. 

2Hiland  Hall's  History  of  Vermont,  and  the  language  used  on  the  monu- 
ment at  Bennington ;  but  Mrs.  Stark's  name  was  not  Mollie,  but  Elizabeth.  He 
probably  said  "Betty  Stark." 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  229 

enemy  gave  way  and  fled  in  disorder.  Stark  pursued  until 
dark,  captured  the  other  two  field  pieces,  twelve  brass 
drums,  all  their  transportation  and  horses,  1,000  small 
arms  and  about  700  prisoners,  among  them  Baum,  who 
died  of  his  wounds.  Two  hundred  and  seven  of  their  dead 
were  found  on  the  field  next  morning.  The  English  and 
German  prisoners  were  treated  with  kindness  and  sent  to 
Boston ;  but  the  tories  were  regarded  as  traitors  and  were 
treated  as  such.  There  were  155  of  them;  and  they  were 
tied  in  pairs  to  a  long  rope,  a  poor  old  horse  was  hitched 
to  the  end  of  the  rope  and  they  were  led  away  to  jail, 
Stark's  loss  was  about  thirty i  killed  and  forty  wounded. 
Among  the  killed  were  Michael  Metcalf,  Jr.,  and  William 
Wood  of  Keene,  and  Joshua  Fuller  of  Surry,  showing  that 
Capt.  Mack's  company  was  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight. 
The  names  of  the  wounded  were  not  given.  2 

This  brilliant  victory  raised  the  spirits  of  the  people 
and  relieved  them  from  the  fear  of  the  destruction  of  their 
homes  and  property  by  invasion.  Stark  made  no  report 
of  the  battle,  except  to  the  authorities  of  New  Hampshire, 
but  congress  heard  of  it  indirectly  and  passed  a  vote  of 
thanks  and  promoted  him  to  be  brigadier  general  in  the 
Continental  army.  After  some  hesitation,  he  accepted  the 
appointment,  and,  with  a  fresh  brigade  raised  for  him, 
moved  forward  and  joined  the  army  on  the  16th  of  Sep- 
tember; and  Nichols'  regiment  was  present  at  the  battle 
of  Stillwater  on  the  19th.  But  its  term  of  enlistment  had 
expired,  as  had  that  of  the  other  Bennington  troops,  and 
it  was  discharged  on  the  23d,  and  the  men  came  home. 

Previous    to    the    action    at    Stillwater,   Major    Henry 

1  The  British  -were  on  higher  ground  and  shot  over. 

2Maj.  Ellis,  Josiah  Richardson,  Joshua  Durant  and  others,  immediately 
crossed  the  Green  Mountains,  and  soon  found  themselves  in  front  of  the  Hes- 
sian breastwork,  sustaining  and  returning  an  incessant  fire.  The  major,  some- 
what excited,  ordered  a  charge,  and  himself  and  most  of  his  men  leaped  over, 
among  whom  was  Durant.  The  Hessians  wavered,  scattered  and  fled.  Durant 
pursued  a  party  of  three,  and  gaining  fast  upon  them,  the  hindmost  turned 
back,  their  muskets  at  this  moment  touching  each  other.  Durant  fired  first  and 
killed  his  antagonist.  While  reloading,  the  other  two  turned  back  upon  him. 
He  wrenched  his  bayonet  from  his  gun,  seized  one  by  the  collar,  and  was  about 
to  stab  the  other,  when  both  called  for  quarter  and  surrendered  themselves 
prisoners.  The  three  were  brothers.  For  many  years  afterwards,  Durant  occa- 
sionally wore,  as  trophies,  a  waistcoat  and  silver  mounted  breast  pin  taken 
from  the  man  he  had  killed. 

Mr.  Richardson  came  home  with  the  glory  of  having  captured  three  Hes- 
sians. He  allowed  the  v^'orld  to  believe  the  story  to  be  true,  as  in  fact  it  was, 
but  to  his  friends  he  admitted  that,  either  from  terror,  or  dissatisfaction  with 
their  condition,  they  appeared  to  be  not  very  unwilling  captives.  (Annals, 
page  51.) 


230  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Dearborn  had  been  placed  in  command  of  a  battalion  of 
300  picked  men,  mostly  from  Scammel's  regiment,  in  which 
was  the  Keene  company  under  Capt.  William  Ellis,  to  act 
as  light  infantry  with  Col.  Morgan's  corps  of  riflemen. 
The  battle  was  opened  by  those  troops,  sent  forward  as 
skirmishers  to  attack  and  harass  Burgoyne's  right  flank; 
and  they  were  sharply  engaged,  and  captured  one  piece  of 
artiller3^  but  could  not  bring  it  off.  At  2  o'clock,  Arnold, 
who  commanded  the  American  left,  sent  forward  the  three 
New  Hampshire  Continental  regiments,  and  they  made  a 
gallant  fight  with  the  British  right.  Some  pieces  of  British 
artillery  were  taken  and  retaken  several  times.  Getting 
short  of  ammunition  the  Americans  withdrew,  taking  with 
them  their  wounded  and  about  100  prisoners.  The  British 
held  the  ground  that  night,  but  withdrew  the  next  day,  and 
left  the  victory  to  the  Americans.  A  large  share  of  the  fight- 
ing was  done  by  the  New  Hampshire  troops,  and  they  were 
highly  complimented  for  their  bravery.  Among  the  killed 
was  Andrew  Colburn  of  Marlboro,  lieutenant  colonel  of 
Scammel's  regiment.  In  Capt.  Ellis's  company  of  about 
forty  men,  three  were  killed  and  several  wounded. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  Burgoyne,  in  desperation,  again 
attacked  the  Americans,  and  again  the  New  Hampshire 
troops  were  conspicuous  for  their  gallantry.  That  battle 
was  won  by  the  patriot  soldiers  themselves  and  their  sub- 
ordinate commanders,  no  general  officer  of  high  rank  ap- 
pearing on  the  field  except  Arnold,  who  was  without  a 
command.  Among  those  w^ho  were  killed  or  died  of 
wounds  received  in  these  engagements  were  Daniel  Snow, 
of  Col.  Scammel's  regiment,  wounded  Sept.  19,  died  Sept. 
30;  John  Crossfield,  of  the  same  regiment,  wounded  Oct. 
7,  died  Oct.  12;  and  Nathaniel  Briggs,  of  Lt.  Col.  Reid's 
regiment,  wounded  Oct.  7,  died  Oct.  18,  all  of  Keene.  Snow 
is  reported,  on  different  rolls,  both  as  "died  of  wounds 
Sept.  30th,"  and  "killed  in  battle  Oct.  7,  1777." 

In  this  campaign  to  repel  the  invasion  of  Burgoyne  — 
considered  one  of  the  decisive  ones  of  all  history  —  the  little 
state  of  New  Hampshire,  then  almost  a  wilderness,  fur- 
nished more  than  6,000  men  and  contributed  very  largely 
to  the  grand  results  attained. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  231 

Immediately  after  Burgoyne's  surrender  on  the  17th, 
Poor's  brigade  of  New  Hampshire  Continentals  marched 
forty  miles  in  fourteen  hours,  fording  the  Mohawk  river  on 
the  way,  to  check  the  British  advance  up  the  Hudson  to 
relieve  Burgoyne.  When  that  force  retired  they  marched  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  with  the  rest  of  Washington's  army, 
suffered  the  hardships  and  privations  of  that  terrible  win- 
ter at  Valley  Forge.  The  18th  of  December  was  designated 
by  congress,  and  heartily  observed  by  the  people,  as  a  day 
of  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  God,  our  first  national 
Thanksgiving. 

While  their  soldiers  had  taken  part  in  decisive  opera- 
tions at  the  front,  important  matters  had  come  up  for 
action  on  the  part  of  the  people  at  home.  On  the  3d  of 
October  the  state  committee  of  safety  "Appointed  Major 
Philbrick  to  go  to  Keen,  and  provide  Stores  for  the  Sol- 
diers passing  there  from  this  place  (Exeter),  and  Deal  it 
out,"  thus  establishing  a  small  depot  of  supplies  at  this 
point. 

The  citizens  of  Keene,  and  particularly  the  members  of 
the  church,  were  tired  of  the  long  interim  between  settled 
ministers.  A  good  report  was  heard  of  a  young  divinity 
student  at  Cheshire,  Ct.,  Mr.  Aaron  Hall — probably 
through  their  ex-minister.  Rev.  Clement  Sumner,  as  he 
came  from  that  place  —  and  in  the  spring  of  1777,  Dea. 
Daniel  Kingsbury  was  commissioned  to  visit  Mr.  Hall  and 
invite  him  to  preach  in  Keene  as  a  candidate.  He  came 
and  preached  several  times  during  the  summer ;  and  a  legal 
town  meeting  on  the  15th  of  September,  Col.  Isaac  Wy- 
man,  moderator — now  discharged  from  his  honorable  mili- 
tar}'  service  —  "voted  unanimously  to  hear  M^  Hall  preach 
further  on  Probation."  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  highly 
creditable  term,  of  nearly  forty  years'  duration,  of  Rev. 
Aaron  Hall  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Keene. 

At  a  town  meeting  on  the  8th  of  December,  Dr.  Thomas 
Frink,  moderator,  it  was  "Voted  unanimously  to  Give  M"^ 
A.  Hall,  who  has  been  Preaching  among  us,  a  Call  to  Set- 
tle in  the  Work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry  in  This  Town. 

"Voted  to  Give  M*-  Hall  One  hundred  and  Thirty  Three 
pounds  Six  Shillings  and  Eight  pence  for  a  Settlement  said 


232  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

sum  to  be  made  Equal  in  Value  and  made  as  Good  as  the 
Same  Sum  was  four  years  ago  when  Silver  and  Gold  passed 
current  among  us." 

Eighty  pounds  per  annum  were  voted  as  his  salary; 
that  also  to  be  made  the  equivalent  of  gold  and  silver. 

Major  Timothy  Ellis,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Lieut.  Jo- 
siah  Richardson,  Lieut.  Daniel  Kingsbury  and  Ichabod 
Fisher  were  chosen  a  committee  to  lay  the  proposition  be- 
fore Mr.  Hall  and  to  adjust  the  amount  of  his  settlement 
and  salary  in  the  paper  money  of  the  times ;  but  the  com- 
mittee was  instructed  to  defer  the  adjustment  "till  the  Tax 
for  said  sums  is  called  for  by  reason  of  the  Fluctuating 
state  of  money."  Messrs.  Gideon  Ellis,  David  Nims  and 
Benjamin  Hall  were  the  members  of  this  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  church.  Mr.  Hall  accepted  the  call  in  a  long 
letter  dated  Jan.  17,  1778. 

For  six  years  the  church  and  the  town  had  been  with- 
out a  pastor.  "Nineteen  candidates  had  tried  in  vain  " 
for  a  settlement.  The  twentieth  one  succeeded  and  was  be- 
loved and  respected  by  all  his  people.  Mr.  Hall  was  or- 
dained on  the  18th  of  February  following.  The  church 
committee  on  the  ordination  consisted  of  "the  following 
Brothers  viz.  Mr.  David  Nims,  Deacon  Obadiah  Blake,  Mr. 
Simeon  Clark,  Mr.  Benjamin  Hall,  Mr.  Daniel  Kingsbury." 
The  council  was  composed  of  the  pastors  and  delegates 
from  the  churches  of  Windsor  and  Wallingford,  Conn.;  and 
those  of  New  Ipswich,  Rev.  Mr.  Farrar;  Fitzwilliam,  Rev. 
Mr.  Brigham;  Swanzey,  Rev.  Mr.  Goddard;  Chesterfield, 
Rev.  Mr.  Wood ;  Walpole,  Rev.  Mr.  Fessenden ;  Charles- 
town,  Rev.  Mr.  Olcott;  Claremont,  Rev.  Mr.  Hibbard; 
Dublin,  Rev.  Mr.  Sprague.  The  council  was  entertained 
at  the  tavern  of  Lieut.  Josiah  Richardson,  on  Pleasant 
street,  and  the  next  annual  town  meeting  voted  him 
"Forty  six  pounds  Twelve  Shillings  for  providing  for  the 
Council  at  M'"  Halls  Ordination." 

The  legislature  met  at  Portsmouth  on  the  17th  of 
September,  Major  Timothy  Ellis  representing  Keene.  A 
new  apportionment  of  taxes  was  made,  giving  the  number 
of  polls  and  an  inventory  of  the  ratable  estates.  Keene 
returned  167  polls,  Richmond  177,  Westmoreland  178,  and 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  233 

Chesterfield  189,  the  largest  in  the  county ;  but  Keene  re- 
turned much  the  largest  amount  of  taxable  property. 

In  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  wool  and  leather,  an 
act  was  passed  prohibiting  the  sale  of  cattle  and  sheep  to 
go  out  of  the  state  except  for  the  use  of  our  armies.  An 
act  was  also  passed  "to  prevent  the  pernicious  practice  of 
Distilling  into  any  kind  of  spirits  whatever.  Cyder,  Perry 
[the  juice  of  pears],  Wheat,  Indian  Corn,  rye,  Barley  & 
Oats,  or  either  of  them." 

Another  act  was  passed  to  compel  the  people  to  use 
paper  money  instead  of  gold  and  silver,  and  to  take  it  at 
the  same  value,  dollar  for  dollar.  But  experience  proved 
that  the  laws  of  trade  are  more  potent  than  those  of  leg- 
islatures, for  that  law  could  not  be  enforced. 

At  the  town  meeting  on  the  8th  of  December,  1777, 
Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Capt.  Davis  Howlett  and  Mr.  Jabez 
Fisher  were  successively  chosen  representatives  to  the  legis- 
lature, but  all  declined  to  serve.  (Probably  on  account  of 
a  division  of  sentiment  in  the  town  concerning  the  Ver- 
mont and  New  Hampshire  controversy.  See  chapter  on 
New  Hampshire  Grants).  Major  Timothy  Ellis  was  then 
reelected  "for  the  space  of  one  year." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR  — CONCLUDED. 
1778—1783. 

A  town  meeting  held  at  the  schoolhouse,  Jan.  19, 
1778,  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  moderator,  "after  reading  and 
conferring  upon  the  articles  of  Confederation  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,"  voted  to  instruct  the  representative  to 
vote  in  favor  of  calling  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the 
towns  with  a  view  to  forming  a  plan  of  government  for 
the  state,  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  the 
house  of  representatives  passed  on  the  27th  of  December 
previous. 

"Voted  to  adjust  the  sums  paid  to  Continental  soldiers 
so  as  to  put  all  on  equality." 

The  legislature  met  at  Exeter  on  the  11th  of  February. 
Major  Timothy  Ellis  represented  Keene.  On  the  25th,  the 
articles  of  confederation  of  the  states  were  adopted,  and  a 
convention  of  delegates  from  all  the  towns  w^as  called  to 
meet  at  Concord  on  the  10th  of  June,  to  form  a  plan  of 
government  for  the  state.  In  the  effort  to  relieve  the  finan- 
cial distress  of  the  people,  another  issue  of  40,000  pounds 
of  paper  money  was  added  to  that  already  afloat. 

The  courts  were  reestablished,  and  Col.  Samuel  Ashley 
of  Winchester  was  appointed  first  justice  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas  for  Cheshire  county,  with  Col.  Benjamin 
Bellows  of  Walpole,  Col.  Samuel  Hunt  of  Charlestown,  and 
Dea.  Thomas  Applin  of  Swanzey,  associate  justices.  Other 
appointments  had  been  made,  but  no  regular  courts  had 
been  held  since  1774,  until  this  j^ear.  Col.  Isaac  Wj^man 
was  appointed  one  of  the  justices  to  administer  the  oath 
to  the  judges. 

In  April,  the  town  chose  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles  delegate 
to  the  convention  which  met  at  Concord  on  the  10th  of 
June,  "to  form  a  Constitution  and  plan  of  government  for 
the  state." 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  235 

In  May,  three  of  the  selectmen,  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Silas 
Cook  and  Simeon  Clark,  petitioned  the  legislature  for  per- 
mission to  set  up  a  lottery  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money 
to  build  a  bridge  across  the  "East  Branch,"  at  South 
Keene.  The  sum  needed,  in  the  currency  of  the  time,  was 
estimated  at  $6,500.  The  petition  was  supported  by  an- 
other signed  by  the  selectmen  of  Dublin,  Jaffrey  and  Rindge; 
but  the  request  was  not  granted.  The  bridge  which  had 
previously  been  built  there  had  been  nearly  destroyed  by 
high  water. 

When  Gen.  Clinton  left  Philadelphia  in  June,  to  march 
across  New  Jersey  to  New  York,  Washington  moved  out 
from  his  encampment  at  Valley  Forge  to  strike  him  on  the 
flank.  He  had  formed  a  light  infantry  corps  of  1,500  men, 
giving  Col.  Cilley  of  New  Hampshire  command  of  one  of 
the  regiments,  with  Henry  Dearborn  promoted  to  lieutenant 
colonel.  That  corps,  and  particularly  Cilley's  regiment, ^ 
v^as  composed  chiefly  of  New  Hampshire  men  —  acknowl- 
edged to  be  among  the  best  in  the  army  —  and,  from  tra- 
dition and  other  indirect  data,  it  is  believed  that  the  Keene 
company,  under  Capt.  Ellis,  was  in  that  corps,  though  the 
records  which  doubtless  would  have  established  that  fact 
were  destroyed  by  the  British  at  Washington,  in  1814-.  2 
Poor's  brigade  and  all  the  New  Hampshire  troops  were  in 
the  division  of  Gen.  Charles  Lee,  who  was  sent  forward  by 
Washington  to  make  the  attack  on  Clinton.  But  Lee  was 
a  coward  and  a  traitor,  and  skulked  to  the  rear,  leaving 
his  troops  to  be  attacked  at  disadvantage  and  thrown  in- 
to some  confusion  and  compelled  to  retreat.  Two  miles  to 
the  rear  the^^  met  Washington,  who  reformed  them  behind 
a  battery  of  twelve  pieces  of  artillery,  which  he  had  placed 
on  a  ridge.  It  was  just  at  the  close  of  the  day,  and  the 
British  began  to  retire.  Without  knowing  what  troops 
they  were,  Washington  sent  orders  to  Cilley  to  advance 

1"  Cilley's  New  Hampshire  regiment  was  the  most  distingiiished  corps  in  the 
battle  of  Monmouth,  and  the  salvation  of  the  army  was  owing  to  their  heroic 
courage."     (Col.  Swett,  in  Appendix  to  Humphrey's  Life  of  Gen.  Putnam.) 

2Ziba  Hall  (a  member  of  Capt.  Ellis's  company),  "son  of  Jesse  Hall  &  Achsah 
his  wife  Dyed  in  the  army  at  Pensylvania  state  January  28  1778  aged  21  years 
wanting  one  Day. 

"William  Nelson  (of  Keene)  Dyed  in  the  army  Novem.  3d  1776  in  the  46th 
year  of  Life. 

"William  Nelson  son  of  the  above  Dyed  in  the  army  April  14th  1778  in  the 
18th  year  of  Life."     (Town  Record  of  Deaths.) 


236  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

and  attack,  and  the  order  was  promptly  obeyed.  When 
within  200  yards  of  them,  the  enemy  turned  to  repel  the 
attack.  Col.  Cilley  deployed  his  regiment  into  line;  but 
there  were  two  rail  fences  between  the  two  lines  of  com- 
batants. The  New  Hampshire  men  marched  up  and  cooll^^ 
took  down  those  fences  —  the  last  one  within  sixty  yards 
of  the  British,  who  poured  in  a  heavy  fire  which  our  men 
did  not  deign  to  return — then  deliberately  shouldered  arms 
and  advanced  to  charge  them  with  the  baj^onet.  The  enemy 
fled,  filed  ofi"  b}'  their  left  into  a  swamp,  and  renewed  the 
fight.  Cilley 's  men  wheeled  to  the  right  and  again  ad- 
vanced upon  them,  and  when  w-ithin  four  rods  halted, 
dressed  lines,  and  gave  them  a  volley  from  the  whole  bat- 
talion front.  The  enemy  again  fled  and  joined  their  main 
body.  1  Poor's  brigade  was  engaged  to  the  left  of  Cilley. 
Our  army  now  advanced  and  recovered  the  field  of  battle. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year,  a  regiment  under  Col. 
Timothy  Bedel  was  raised  and  stationed  along  the  frontier, 
for  the  protection  of  the  Connecticut  vallej^  now  exposed 
to  invasion  by  Indians,  tories  and  Canadians ;  and  Col. 
Hazen's  regiment  of  Continental  troops,  composed  partly 
of  New  Hampshire  men,  marched  from  Springfield,  Mass., 
to  No.  4,  and  thence  to  the  upper  Connecticut  valley  for 
the  same  purpose. 

A  brigade  under  Gen.  Whipple  was  also  raised  for  Gen. 
Sullivan's  campaign  against  the  British  in  Rhode  Island. 
Col.  Moses  Nichols  joined  that  brigade  with  nine  companies 
of  his  militia  regiment;  Col.  Enoch  Hale,  of  Rindge,  went 
with  four  of  his  companies  —  one  commanded  by  Capt. 
Samuel  Twitchell,  of  Dublin,  another  by  Capt.  James  Lewis, 
of  Marlboro  —  and  Capt.  William  Lee,  of  Chesterfield,  com- 
manded a  company  in  the  battalion  of  Col.  Moses  Kelly, 
of  Gofistown.  The  men  from  Keene  who  enlisted  in  that 
campaign  were  Joseph  Brown,  Ephraim  Witherell,  Walter 
Wheeler,  Thomas  Morse,  and  Arthur  Cary,  who  went  for 
Surr\'. 

When  Washington's  army  went  into  winter  quarters, 
in  November,  Putnam's  division,  in  which  were  our  New 

1  Washington  sent  an  aide  to  inquire  what  regiment  it  -was.  "  Cilley's  of 
New  Hampshire  — full  blooded  Yankees,  by  God,  Sir,"  was  Dearborn's  reply.  (Col. 
Swett,  in  Appendix  to  Humphrey's  Life  of  Gen.  Putnam.) 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  237 

Hampshire  troops,  marched  to  Danbury,  Conn.,  built  log- 
huts  and  quartered  there.  Lt.  Col.  Dearborn,  with  400 
New  Hampshire  men,  did  garrison  duty  a  part  of  the  win- 
ter at  New  London. 

In  November,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  confiscating 
the  property  of  certain  prominent  and  obnoxious  tories  in 
the  state.  Among  them  were  Breed  Batcheller,  of  Packers- 
field ;  Simon  Baxter  and  William  Baxter,  of  Alstead ;  "Jo- 
siah  Pomero3^  ph3'sician ;  Elijah  Williams,  Esq. ;  Thomas 
Cutler  (or  Cutter),  Gentleman;  Eleazur  Sanger,  yeoman, 
and  Robert  Gilraore,  yeoman,  of  Keene."  Benjamin  Giles, 
of  Newport,  Major  Timothy  Ellis,  of  Keene,  and  Elijah 
Babcock  were  appointed  the  committee  to  enter  and  take 
possession  of  the  confiscated  estates  in  this  county.  Those 
estates  were  placed  in  charge  of  the  judge  of  probate,  and 
in  1780,  Daniel  Newcomb,  who  had  come  to  Keene  in 
1778,  and  begun  the  practice  of  law,  was  appointed 
administrator  of  the  estates  of  Dr.  Pomeroy  and  Elijah 
Williams,  and  their  estates  were  settled  the  same  as  in 
case  of  deceased  persons ;  and  the  other  confiscated  estates 
were  disposed  of  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  annual  town  meeting  this  year  voted  to  seat  the 
meetinghouse  and  chose  Silas  Cook,  Abraham  Wheeler, 
Simeon  Clark,  Reuben  Partridge  and  Ichabod  Fisher,  a 
committee  to  direct  the  work. 

The  adjourned  constitutional  convention  met  in  June, 
and  sent  out  a  "Bill  of  Rights  and  Plan  of  Government" 
to  be  voted  on  by  the  people.  That  plan  was  rejected, 
Keene  voting  unanimously  against  it ;  and  the  laws  con- 
tinued to  be  administered  under  the  temporary  government 
adopted  for  the  war. 

The  legislature  met  at  Exeter  on  the  16th  of  June, 
Lieut.  Josiah  Richardson  representing  Keene.  On  the  18th, 
the  resignation  of  Samuel  Ashley  of  Winchester,  as  colonel, 
and  the  next  day,  that  of  Joseph  Hammond  of  Swanzey, 
as  lieutenant  colonel  "  of  the  6th  regiment  of  militia,"  were 
received  and  accepted;  leaving  Major  Timothy  Ellis  of 
Keene  in  command  of  the  regiment,  and  he  was  soon  after- 
wards promoted  to  the  colonelcy. 
During  that  month,   another    call  came    for    troops    for 


238  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Rhode  Island,  and  a  battalion  of  300  men,  under  Col. 
Mooney,  was  raised  for  a  short  term.  Ephraim  Witherell 
of  Keene  was  a  sergeant,  afterwards  promoted  to  ensign, 
in  the  company  of  Capt.  Ephraim  Stone  of  Westmoreland ; 
and  Arthur  Cary  enlisted  on  the  quota  of  Surry  in  the 
same  company,  but  John  Hill  went  as  his  substitute.  Jo- 
seph Brown  of  Keene  also  enlisted  in  the  same  battalion. 

The  legislature  offered  a  bounty  of  $300  to  each  man 
who  would  enlist,  in  addition  to  the  $200  offered  by  con- 
gress. The  quota  of  Major  Ellis's  regiment  for  that  ser- 
vice, that  year,  was  thirty-three  men.  Three  enlisted  for 
Keene  —  Lemuel  Tucker, i  John  Green  and  John  Hill — hired 
from  out  of  town  to  fill  the  quota  in  accordance  with  a 
vote  of  the  town.  Keene  was  still  a  recruiting  station, 
and  Major  Ellis,  the  muster-master,  and  forty-seven  men 
mustered  by  him,  marched  from  here  during  the  summer 
to  join  the  Continental  army.  They  were  paid  six  pounds 
each  for  billeting  from  here  to  Springfield,  Mass. 

In  1778,  the  Seneca  Indians,  aided  by  the  British,  had 
destroyed  the  village  of  Wyoming,  in  Pennsylvania,  mas- 
sacred or  carried  away  captives  all  the  inhabitants,  and 
burned  every  dwelling.  With  the  opening  of  the  spring  of 
1779,  upon  the  solicitation  of  Washington,  Gen.  Sullivan 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  an  expedition  into  the 
country  of  those  Indians  to  chastise  them,  and  prevent 
further  outrages  of  that  kind.  Sullivan  asked  for  the  New 
Hampshire  troops,  and  Poor's  brigade,  in  the  Third  regi- 
ment of  which  w^as  the  Keene  company,  Capt.  Ellis,  was 
assigned  to  him.  Early  in  April,  the  command  left  its 
quarters  and  marched  via  Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  and  Easton, 
Pa.,  to  Wyoming,  and  thence  up  the  Susquehanna  river 
into  the  beautiful  Chemung  valley  in  New  York,  destroyed 
the  Indian  town  of  that  name  and  the  crops  and  villages 
wherever  found.  Near  the  junction  of  the  Tioga  and  Sus- 
quehanna rivers,  Sullivan  was  joined  by  a  force  from  the 
Mohawk  valley,  which  gave  him  three  brigades,  number- 
ing about  4,000  men.  On  the  29th  of  August,  at  the 
Indian  village  of  Newtown,   near  the  present  Elmira,   he 

1  Revolutionary  Rolls,  vol.  3,  pages  700-2,  give   an    account    of  the    pay    and 
bounties  received  by  the  soldiers  named  above. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  239 

attacked  the  savages  under  Joseph  Brandt,  with  about  200 
British  under  Capt.  Butler,  and  routed  them.  Three  Amer- 
icans were  killed  and  thirty-two  wounded.  Capt.  Elijah 
Clayes,  of  Fitzwilliam,  and  one  lieutenant  were  mortally 
wounded.  The  village  was  burned  and  the  crops  destroyed. 
The  expedition  advanced  to  Seneca  and  Cayuga  lakes  and 
thence  to  the  Genesee  valley,  sending  out  detachments  and 
burning  and  destroying  everything  as  they  went,  among 
them  the  large  Indian  town  of  Canandaigua.  All  through 
those  beautiful  valleys  of  western  New  York,  they  found  a 
surprising  degree  of  civilization,  thriving  villages,  extensive 
peach  and  apple  orchards,  luxuriant  crops  of  all  kinds,  and 
everything  to  indicate  prosperity,  wealth  and  happiness. 
The  stronghold  of  the  Senecas,  near  the  present  Geneseo, 
was  a  town  of  128  comfortable  houses,  with  well  kept 
gardens  and  a  general  air  of  comparative  luxury  and  re- 
finement. All  these  were  destroyed.  Not  a  building  or  a 
field  of  crops  was  an^^where  left  standing.  The  army  pene- 
trated to  within  twenty  miles  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  then 
returned,  reaching  Easton,  Pa.,  on  the  15th  of  October. 
The  New  Hampshire  troops,  Stark's  brigade  joining  them, 
again  wintered  in  Connecticut,  at  a  place  called  Wild  Cat. 

At  an  adjournment  of  a  town  meeting,  held  on  the  7th 
of  September,  1779  —  the  one  that  voted  against  the  pro- 
posed plan  of  state  government  —  the  following  preamble 
and  vote  were  passed:  "Whereas  the  Selectmen  of  Ports- 
mouth sent  an  address  to  this  and  the  rest  of  the  towns  in 
this  State,  desiring  their  presence  and  assistance,  by  their 
delegates,  to  meet  at  Concord,  in  convention,  to  see  if  they 
can  come  into  some  agreement  to  state  the  price  of  the 
several  articles  bought  and  sold  in  this  state;  therefore, 
voted,  that  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles  attend  said  convention, 
as  a  delegate  from  this  town." 

At  another  meeting  on  the  20th  of  October,  the  town 
voted  330  pounds  to  pay  the  expense  of  raising  men  for 
the  Rhode  Island  campaign,  and  431  pounds  for  that  of 
raising  men  for  the  Continental  service. 

Article  6,  "  To  se  if  the  Town  will  do  any  thing  to- 
w^ards  providing  stuff  for  Building  a  new  meeting  house," 
was  dismissed. 


240  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

In  November,  the  legislature  granted  the  petition  of 
Gen.  James  Reed  for  "the  use  and  improvement  of  a 
certain  house  and  about  twenty-five  acres  of  land  adjoin- 
ing in  Keen,  being  the  confiscated  estate  of  Dr.  Josiah 
Pomeroy,  an  absentee,  until  further  order  of  this  Court, 
and  that  he  enter  into  possession  as  soon  as  the  present 
Lease  expires."  The  judge  of  probate  was  directed  "not  to 
sell  the  confiscated  estate  of  Dr.  Josiah  Pomeroy."  The 
location  of  Dr.  Pomeroy's  residence  has  already  been  de- 
scribed (page  215).  Gen.  Reed  came  to  Keene  soon  after 
this  time  and  occupied  those  premises.  "This  Gen.  Reed, 
whose  ordinary  place  of  residence  was  Fitzwilliam,  is 
remembered  here  as  an  aged  blind  man,  and  as  almost 
daily  seen,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  walking  up  and  down 
Main-street,  aiding,  and  guided  by,  Mr.  Washburn,  who 
was  paral3^sed  on  one  side.  He  received  a  pension."  (An- 
nals, page  51.) 

A  town  meeting  on  the  7th  of  December,  1779,  chose 
Lieut.  Josiah  Richardson  representative  to  the  legislature; 
and  dismissed  the  article,  "To  se  if  it  be  the  mind  of  the 
Town  to  choose  a  committe  to  state  the  price  of  Articles 
bought  and  sold,  agreable  to  the  convention  of  this  state." 

The  winter  of  1779—80  was  one  of  great  severity  and 
hardship,  and  there  was  much  suffering  both  among  the 
people  and  in  the  army.  The  crops  had  not  been  abun- 
dant, and  provisions  were  so  scarce  in  New  Hampshire  that 
the  legislature  prohibited  their  export  except  in  certain 
cases.  The  paper  money  of  congress  was  now  so  depre- 
ciated that  it  took  thirty  dollars  of  it  to  buy  one  dollar's 
worth  of  commodities,  and  its  value  was  still  waning. 
People  in  the  vicinity  of  the  army  declined  to  take  it  for 
provisions,  even  to  keep  the  soldiers  from  starving,  until 
they  were  told  that  the  provisions  must  be  had  and  would 
be  taken  in  any  event,  when  they  reluctantly  sold  at  ex- 
orbitant prices.  The  soldiers  were  dissatisfied,  and  deser- 
tions and  failures  to  reenlist  reduced  the  army  to  a  skele- 
ton. Very  few  accepted  the  large  bounties  offered.  Many 
soldiers  were  at  home  on  furlough,  and  officers  on  leave, 
most  of  them  destitute  of  money.  An  act  was  passed  by 
the  legislature  granting  $400  to  each  private  and  $500  to 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  241 

each  non-commissioned  officer  "in  part  of  depreciation"  of 
the  currency;  and  in  February  it  was  voted  "That  there 
be  advanced  *  *  *  *  towards  depreciation,  to  each 
colonel  $4,000,  to  each  captain  $2,000,"  and  other  officers 
according  to  rank,  "to  enable  them  to  repair  to  the  army." 
Congress  made  a  requisition  on  New  Hampshire  for  $15,- 
000,000,  which  was  voted  to  be  raised  by  taxation,  not- 
withstanding the  poverty  of  the  people. 

"In  this  year  [1779],  Capt.  Mack,  of  Gilsum,  probably 
incited  by  some  of  the  zealous  whigs  in  Keene,  collected  a 
party  with  a  view  of  apprehending  several  tories,  who  re- 
sided here,  and  who  -were  suspected  of  furnishing  the  enemy 
with  provisions.  On  the  evening  of  the  30th  of  May,- 
they  assembled  at  Partridge's  tavern,  near  Wright's  mills, 
on  the  road  to  Surry.  In  the  night,  Mack  sent  forward 
several  men,  with  directions  to  place  themselves  separately 
at  the  doors  of  those  houses  where  the  tories  resided,  and 
prevent  their  escape.  At  sunrise  he  rode  into  Keene,  at  the 
head  of  his  party,  with  a  drawn  sword ;  and  when  he 
came  to  the  house  of  a  tory,  he  ordered  the  sentinel,  stand- 
ing at  the  door,  to  'turn  out  the  prisoner.'  The  prisoner 
being  brought  out,  and  placed  in  the  midst  of  his  party, 
he  proceeded  onward.  Having  gone  through  the  street, 
collected  all  of  them,  and  searched  their  cellars  for  pro- 
visions, of  which  he  found  little,  he  returned  to  the  tavern 
of  Mr.  Hall,  situated  where  Dr.  Twitchell's  house  now 
stands,  and  confined  them  in  a  chamber. 

"But  when  he  first  made  his  appearance,  information 
was  sent  to  Mr.  Howlet,  who  then  commanded  the  militia, 
of  the  commotion  in  the  village.  He  instantly  sent  expresses 
to  warn  his  company  to  appear  forthwith  in  the  street, 
with  their  arms  and  ammunition.  They  came  about  the 
middle  of  the  forenoon,  were  paraded,  facing  South,  in 
front  of  the  meeting-house,  then  standing  South  of  where 
it  now  does  —  on  a  line  with  the  North  line  of  West-street 
—  and  were  ordered  to  load  their  guns  with  powder  and 
ball.  Mack  paraded  his  company  across  the  street  from 
the  tavern  to  the  Watson  house,  facing  their  antagonists. 
Col.  Alexander,  of  Winchester,  who  then  commanded  the 
regiment,  had  been  sent  for,  and  now  came.  He  asked 
Capt.   Mack  if   he  intended    to    pursue  his  object?     I  do, 

iThe  first  lines  of  a  song,  remembered  by  an  aged  citizen,  fixes  the  day  when 
this  party  visited  Keene : 

"Upon  the  thirty-first  of  May, 
"Appeared  in  Keene,  at  break  of  day, 
"A  mob,  both  bold  and  stout." 
Those  who  lived  in  these  times,  well  remember  that  the  muses  w^ere  not  silent 
amid  the  din  of  arms. 


242  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

replied  he,  at  the  hazard  of  my  life.  Then,  said  the  Colonel, 
emphatically,  you  must  prepare  for  eternity,  for  you  shall 
not  be  permitted  to  take  vengeance,  in  this  irregular  mode, 
on  any  men,  even  if  they  are  tories.  This  resolute  speech 
cooled  the  ardor  of  many.  After  deliberating  a  while. 
Mack  ordered  his  party  to  face  about,  and  led  them  a 
short  distance  southward ;  and  the  militia  then  went  into 
the  meeting-house.  Not  long  afterwards  the  mob  faced 
about  again,  and  marched  silentW,  by  the  meeting-house, 
towards  Surry;  but  though  silently,  they  did  not  march 
in  silence,  for  the  women,  as  they  passed,  furnished  noisy 
and  lively  music,  on  tin  pans  and  warming  pans,  until 
they  disappeared  from  view. 

"This  occurrence  is  now  [1850]  related  on  the  authority 
of  John  Guild,  who  then,  lived  in  the  village,  is-now  eighty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  distinctly  remembers  what  then  took 
place.  He  says,  moreover,  that  one  of  the  tories  taken  was 
a  Mr  Wadsworth,  a  blacksmith,  who  lived  in  a  house  sit- 
uated where  Dr.  C.  G.  Adams's  house  now  is,  and  was 
called  the  Fort  House.  The  relics  of  a  blacksmith's  shop 
are  still  visible  on  the  lot  adjoining  Dr  Adam's,  North. 

"The  relater's  father,  Dan  Guild,  settled  in  Keene,  in 
1758,  and  lived  in  a  house  situated  where  the  Judge  New- 
comb  house  was  afterwards  built  and  yet  remains.  He  re- 
members that  there  was  one  room,  in  his  father's  house, 
the  walls  of  which  consisted  of  timber  nearly  a  foot  square, 
and  presumes  such  timber  was  used  as  a  protection  against 
the  Indians. 

"  Dan  Guild  was  a  somewhat  distinguished  man  in  those 
early  times.  He  is  described,  in  the  town  records,  as  Lieu- 
tenant Dan  Guild ;  he  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed 
to  'judge,  determine  and  act'  on  all  violations  of  the  laws 
of  Keene,  when  all  other  laws  were  silent;  he  was  jailor 
of  the  county,  and  removed  the  jail  from  the  place  where 
it  was  first  established,  near  where  the  Emerald  House 
stands,  to  his  own  house,  then  situated  between  the  Field 
house  and  the  Washburn  house;  or,  to  speak  intelligibh^ 
to  the  present  generation,  between  Dr  Smith's  house  and 
the  compiler's ;  a  few  years  after^vards  he  was  appointed 
one  of  a  committee  to  build  a  new  jail,  and  built  one,  of 
wood,  in  Washington-street,  where  the  stone  jail  now 
stands." 

(Annals,  pages  54,  55.) 

The  winter  of  1779-80  was  the  most  severe  that  had 
ever  been  known  in  this  country.  "Chesapeake  Bay  is 
covered  with  solid  ice  from  its  head  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Potomac.     At  Annapolis  the    ice    is    five    to  seven    inches 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  243 

thick,  SO  that  loaded  teams  pass  over  it."  (Jefferson's 
notes.)  "Snow  was  so  deep  in  all  New  England  that  all 
roads  were  closed  for  some  weeks."  "People  travelled  only 
on  snow-shoes."  "  Travel  has  not  been  so  much  obstructed 
for  fort_v  years."     (Boston  Chronicle,  Jan.  28,  1780.) 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1780  voted  to  instruct 
.the  selectmen  to  adjust  Mr.  Hall's  salary  with  him,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  depreciation  of  the  currency,  the  equivalent 
sum  to  be  ascertained  in  the  month  of  September.  (In 
October  of  that  year  the  ratio  of  paper  money  to  specie 
was  67  to  1.)  Two  thousand  pounds  were  raised  for  the 
support  of  schools,  the  selectmen  to  act  as  school  com- 
mittee. 

"Voted  the  Sum  of  Five  Thousand  pounds  to  be 
assessed  on  the  pools  and  Estates  for  mending  the  roads 
in  said  Town  said  sum  to  be  paid  by  the  Inhabitance  in 
Labour  on  said  Roads  at  four  Dollars  for  Each  hours  La- 
bour per  man  and  for  Oxen  and  other  utensils  Equivalent 
as  usual." 

The  article  to  reimburse  the  Continental  soldiers  for 
the  depreciation  of  the  currency  was  dismissed. 

"Voted  that  the  Singing  in  publick  worship  be  per- 
formed without  Reading  Line  by  Line  as  they  sing." 

The  19th  of  May  was  remarkable  for  a  thick  darkness 
that  extended  over  all  New  England,  and  adjacent  parts  of 
New  York  and  Canada.  Candles  ^were  lighted  and  fowls 
went  to  roost  in  the  middle  of  the  da^'.  The  cause  was 
believed  to  be  the  smoke  of  extensive  forest  fires  mingled 
with  the  vapors  of  a  rainy  morning. 

In  June.  1780,  upon  a  requisition  for  more  troops  for  the 
Continental  service,  the  legislature  ordered  a  draft,  if  found 
necessary,  from  the  militia,  and  designated  the  quotas  of 
the  several  regiments  and  towns.  The  quota  of  Keene  was 
five  men ;  and  Peter  Wilder,  Daniel  Day,  Oliver  Osgood 
and  Nehemiah  Town,i  volunteered,  and  John  Curtis  was 
hired  as  a  recruit  from  out  of  town.  The  term  was  for  six 
months,  and  the  town  voted  them  a  bounty  of  fifty  dol- 
lars each,  in  currency  "as  it  is  valued  and  stipulated  in 
the  act  of  Court."  The  three  first,  and  probably  all,  went 
into  Lt.  Col.  Dearborn's  corps  of  light  infantr^^ 

ijosiah  Reed  of  "  Chickaby  in  Springfield"  went  as    substitute  for  Nehemiah 
Town. 


244  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  legislature  also  called  upon  the  towns  "to  furnish 
their  respective  proportions  of  the  Quantity  of  Beef  required 
by  Congress  for  the  supply  of  the  army ;  That  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  be  directed  to  purchase  such  quantities  of 
Rum  as  they  shall  see  necessary  from  time  to  time,  for  the 
supply  of  the  army ;  That  each  Town  &  place  within  this 
state  be  called  upon  to  supply  the  Board  of  War  their 
several  quotas  of  clothing  (especially  shirts,  stocks  & 
stockings)  for  the  supply  of  the  army,"  etc.  The  people  of 
the  Connecticut  valley  were  requested  by  the  committee  of 
safety  not  to  sell  their  wheat  and  flour,  but  to  hold  them 
for  sale  to  the  state  authorities. 

A  town  meeting  on  the  20th  of  July,  1780,  "voted  to 
raise  11,309  Ibfe.  Weight  of  Beef  each  person  to  have  Liberty 
to  pay  his  equal  Proportion  thereof  in  Beef  or  to  pay  so 
much  money  in  Lieu  thereof  as  he  was  taxed  in  the  Last 
state  and  continental  Tax." 

A  pressing  call  was  also  made  in  June  for  immediate 
reinforcements  for  the  army,  to  serve  three  months.  Two 
regiments  were  raised  and  sent  forward  via  Worcester  and 
Springfield.  One  of  these  was  commanded  by  the  veteran 
Col.  Moses  Nichols,  of  Amherst,  in  which  was  a  company 
from  Winchester,  under  Capt.  Nehemiah  Houghton.  In 
that  company,  Joshua  Durant  was  ensign,  and  Elijah 
Blake,  Walter  Wheeler  and  Joseph  Brown  were  privates, 
all  of  Keene.  The  regiment  was  designed  especially  for  the 
protection  of  West  Point  and  joined  Arnold's  army  at  that 
post.  Col.  Nichols,  with  his  regiment,  encamped  near  Ar- 
nold's headquarters  at  the  Robinson  House,  on  the  10th  of 
August,  and  were  there  at  the  time  of  his  treason.  Those 
troops  were  discharged  on  the  21st  of  October. 

The  legislature  also  ordered  two  companies  of  sixty 
men  each  to  be  raised  for  the  protection  of  the  western 
frontier  of  the  state.  Capt.  Ephraim  Stone  of  Westmore- 
land, commanded  one  of  the  companies,  and  Ebenezer  Bill- 
ings of  Keene  was  a  sergeant  in  his  company. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  a  party  of  300  British 
and  Indians  under  Lieut.  Horton  made  a  raid  on  Royal- 
ton,  Vt.,  and  towns  in  that  vicinity,  killed  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants,  took  twenty-five  prisoners,  burnt  buildings  and 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  245 

plundered  and  destroyed  property.  The  alarm  spread  rap- 
idly, and  that  evening  several  hundred  men  collected  at 
Royalton  and  organized,  and  pursued  the  enemy  so  hotly 
that  the}'  abandoned  their  plunder,  but  retained  their  cap- 
tives. The  alarm  continued  to  spread  —  exaggerated  in 
in  some  cases  until  it  became  a  panic  —  and  volunteers  ral- 
lied in  all  the  towns  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  and  even  in 
the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the  state.  Col.  Timothy 
Ellis  went  from  Keene  with  two  companies,  under  Captains 
John  Houghton  and  Josiah  Richardson,  and  marched  as 
far  as  Haverhill.  Nearly  every  town  sent  a  company,  and 
several  of  the  larger  ones  sent  two.  But  the  marauders 
escaped  with  their  prisoners  and  took  them  to  Canada. 
One  died,  but  the  rest  were  exchanged  and  reached  their 
homes  the  next  summer. 

During  this  season,  the  more  active  scenes  of  the  war 
were  in  the  South.  The  New  Hampshire  Continental  troops 
were  stationed  in  New  Jersey,  and  upon  the  discovery  of 
Arnold's  treason,  they  were  immediately  ordered  to  West 
Point  to  defend  that  stronghold.  Capt.  William  Ellis  had 
resigned  on  the  first  of  January,  and,  in  July,  Lieut.  Ben- 
jamin Ellis  was  promoted  to  fill  his  place.  Upon  the  ap- 
proach of  winter,  the  troops  again  built  log-huts  for 
quarters,  at  a  place  called  Soldier's  Fortune,  on  the  Hud- 
son river,  and  spent  the  winter  there.  The  camp  was 
called  "New  Hampshire  Village." 

Capt.  Benjamin  Ellis  was  at  home  that  winter,  on  re- 
cruiting service,  stationed  at  Charlestown.  Col.  Timothy 
Ellis  was  the  muster-master  here,  and  Keene  was  still  a 
rendezvous  for  recruits  and  a  depot  of  supplies.  In  Janu- 
ary, the  legislature  had  apportioned  among  the  towns  the 
number  of  recruits  called  for  by  congress  for  the  Conti- 
nental army,  the  towns  to  receive  a  bounty  of  twenty 
dollars  for  each  recruit  mustered  into  the  service.  At  a 
meeting  on  the  7th  of  February,  1781,  the  town  voted  to 
raise  its  quota  of  twelve  men  at  once ;  and  chose  a  com- 
mittee to  divide  the  ratable  inhabitants  of  the  town  into 
twelve  classes,  each  class  to  furnish  one  man  "upon  their 
own  charge"  as  soon  as  may  be.  That  committee  con- 
sisted of  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson,  Ichabod  Fisher,  Lieut. 


246  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Dan  Guild,  Lieut.  Reuben  Partridge,  Major  Davis  Hewlett 
and  Silas  Cook.  Naboth  Bettison  and  James  Eddy,  Keene 
men,  who  had  already  served  one  term  of  three  years  in 
Capt.  Ellis's  company,  besides  performing  other  service  in 
1775  and  1776,  reenlisted  for  three  years  or  the  war,  Eddy 
on  the  quota  of  Westmoreland.  Silas  Porter,  sixteen  years 
old,  and  John  Morehouse,  both  of  Charlestown,  were  hired 
and  enlisted  for  the  war,  on  the  quota  of  Keene. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1781  voted  Mr.  Hall's 
salary  in  the  same  way  as  the  previous  3^ear;  and  raised 
eight  thousand  pounds  for  highways,  "in  Bills  of  old  Con- 
tinental Currency,"  to  be  paid  in  labor  at  the  same  rates 
as  in  the  year  before ;  and  four  thousand  pounds  in  the 
same  currency  for  schools.  At  an  adjournment  of  that 
meeting  in  May,  another  quota  of  beef  was  voted  to  be 
raised  for  the  army.  On  the  same  day.  May  30,  at  a  meet- 
ing warned  for  the  purpose,  Daniel  Newcomb  was  chosen 
a  delegate  to  the  convention  which  met  at  Concord  in 
June,  "to  form  a  constitution  and  plan  of  government  for 
this  state."  1  The  same  meeting  nominated  Thomas  Baker 
for  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  was  appointed  and  served 
as  a  magistrate  for  many  years. 

Again,  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  the  militia  of  the  Con- 
necticut valley  was  called  upon  for  two  companies  of  sixty- 
five  men  each,  in  addition  to  Whitcomb's  battalion  already 
in  the  field,  to  protect  the  western  frontier  of  the  state. 
Col.  Ellis's  quota  was  one  captain,  one  lieutenant,  one  en- 
sign and  forty-four  enlisted  men,  to  serve  till  November. 
The  rolls  of  those  companies  have  not  been  preserved. 

In  June,  upon  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Washington, 
the  legislature  ordered  another  regiment  of  650  men  to  be 
raised  for  the  Continental  army  —  to  march  to  West  Point. 
Keene  was  called  upon  for  five  men,  and  the  names  of  those 
enlisted  were  Peter  Rice,  Zenas  Lebourveau,  Caleb  Balch, 
Cyrus  Balch  and  Asa  Brittain.  Rice  died  in  the  service, 
Nov.  20.  The  others  were  discharged  Dec.  21.  The  regi- 
ment was  commanded  by  Lt.  Col.  Daniel  Reynolds  (or 
Runnels),  and  had  marched   as  far  as   Springfield,   Mass., 

1  That  convention  continued  for  more  than  two  years  and  held  nine  sessions. 
(Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire.)  Daniel  Newcomb  was  the  delegate  from 
Keene  during  the  convention. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  247 

when  it  was  ordered  to  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  interests  of  New  Hampshire  in  her  contro- 
versy concerning  the  "New  Hampshire  Grants." 

At  that  June  session  of  the  legislature  was  authorized 
the  first  public  mail  route  in  this  part  of  the  state,  upon 
the  proposition  of  John  Balch  of  Keene;  and  on  the  27th 
of  July,  it  was  established  by  the  committee  of  safety,  Mr, 
Balch  was  appointed  post-rider,  and  he  was  to  "set  out 
from  Portsmouth  on  Saturday  morning  &  to  ride  to  Hav- 
erhill by  the  w^ay  of  Concord  &  Plymouth,  and  thence 
down  the  River  to  Charlestown,  Keene  and  to  Portsmouth 
again,  which  Tour  is  to  be  punctually  performed  once  in 
each  &  every  fourteen  days." 

"The  said  Balch  is  to  Convey  all  public  Acts,  Letters 
&  Dispatches  free  of  Charge — For  which  Service  he  shall 
receive  from  this  State  seventy  hard  Dollars  or  paper  money 
equivalent. — 

M.  Weare  Pres*" 

"I,  John  Balch  do  hereby  agree  to  the  foregoing  pro- 
posals and  engage  punctually  to  perform  the  duty  of  Post- 
rider  agreablv  thereto. 

John  Balch." 

The  first  term  was  for  three  months,  but  Mr.  Balch 
continued  to  ride  for  two  years,  and  then  Timothy  Balch, 
of  Keene,  took  the  contract  and  rode  two  years,  and  was 
reappointed  in  1785.  The  journey  was  made  on  horseback 
except  in  winter.  The  route  remained  substantially  the 
same  for  several  years.  No  appointment  of  a  postmaster 
in  Keene  at  this  time  has  been  found. 

In  August  and  September,  1781,  Washington  quickly 
transferred  his  arm3^  from  around  New  York  to  Yorktown, 
Va.,  and  on  the  19th  of  October,  Cornwallis  surrendered. 
The  war  was  virtually  ended,  and  joy  and  exultation  filled 
the  hearts  of  the  people. 

Whether  our  soldiers  from  Keene  were  present  at  the 
surrender  is  not  certainly  known,  but  some  of  the  New 
Hampshire  troops  i  were  in  that  movement.  Upon  their 
return,  one  regiment  under  Lt.  Col.  Henry  Dearborn  went 
into  winter  quarters  at  Saratoga,  the  other  under  Lt.  Col. 
George  Reid,  on  the  Mohawk  river,  both  in  a  department 

i"A  majority  of  the  American  army  that  captured  Cornwallis  was  composed 
of  New   England  troops."     (Daniel  Webster  —  speech  in  United'States  senate.) 


248  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

commanded  by  Gen.  Stark,  the  three  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ments having  been  consoHdated  into  two. 

A  town  meeting  in  November,  1781,  chose  Dea.  Daniel 
Kingsbury  representative  for  the  ensuing  year. 

A  meeting  on  the  11th  of  December,  discussed  the  plan 
of  government  sent  out  by  the  convention  for  examination 
by  the  people,  and  though  objecting  to  one  paragraph, 
voted  to  accept  it  as  it  stood,  rather  than  reject  it.  But 
that  plan  was  rejected  by  the  people  of  the  state. 

During  the  winter  many  officers  and  soldiers  came 
home,  as  there  was  no  call  for  their  services.  Most  of 
them  were  destitute  of  money,  and  the  state  had  no  funds 
with  which  to  pay  them.  In  January,  1782,  the  legislature 
voted  them  one  month's  pay  in  beef  and  rum.  The  poverty 
of  the  nation  and  of  the  people  was  distressing.  Congress 
had  no  power  to  impose  taxes  or  collect  duties  —  had  no 
revenue  whatever  —  and  its  paper  promises  to  pay  had  con- 
stantly depreciated  in  value,  until  they  were  practically 
worthless.  The  nation,  the  states,  and  the  towns  w^ere  all 
deeply  in  debt. 

In  a  letter  to  Col.  Samuel  Hunt,  commissary  at 
Charlestown,  dated  July  28,  1781,  Mesech  Weare,  chair- 
man of  the  committee  of  safety  and  acting  governor  of 
the  state,  had  said : 

"The  Difficulty  respecting  the  money  is  truly  alarming 
—  as  for  hard  money,  we  have  none,  nor  can  it  be  procured 
on  any  terms.  The  Com*^^  have  sent  you,  by  M'^  Balch 
who  is  employed  as  a  Post  Rider  three  hundred  pounds  of 
the  continental  new  Emission  and  will  furnish  you  with 
more  as  necessity  may  require,  if  this  will  answer,  and  if 
the  Continental  Currency  will  not  answer  we  have  it  not 
in  our  power  to  furnish  any  other." 

The  country  w^as  still  almost  wholly  covered  with  for- 
est, and  the  people  had  been  too  poor  to  make  roads,  build 
bridges,  or,  except  in  a  few  cases,  erect  any  but  the  cheapest 
dwellings.  Specie  was  so  scarce  that  trade  was  carried  on 
chiefly  by  barter.  The  people  were  mostly  farmers  and  sub- 
sisted on  what  they  could  raise,  or  obtain  by  exchanges, 
and  clothed  themselves  with  their  own  manufactures ; 
while  the  few  mechanics,  merchants  and  professional  men 
bartered  their  skill,  their   labor,   or   their   goods    for    the 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  24t!Q 

products  of  the  soil  and  the  skill  and  labor  of  others.  The 
people,  always  inclined  to  expect  too  much  from  political 
measures,  were  disappointed  at  the  results  of  their  scheme 
of  national  independence,  and  some  of  them  "longed  for 
the  flesh  pots  of  Egypt."  In  some  places  they  became  re- 
fractory and  mutinous. 

In  December  of  this  year,  a  strong  petition  of  Cheshire 
county  men  was  sent  to  the  general  assembly  representing : 

"That  your  Petitioners  together  with  Other  Inhabitants 
of  this  State  Labour  under  great  and  almost  Intolerable 
Grievances  for  want  of  Currency ;  there  being  among  us 
not  One  fourth  part  of  hard  mone3'^  for  a  medium  of  Trade. 
Our  Distance  from  the  Seaports  and  our  Situation  in  many 
Respects  such  that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  Obtain  hard 
money  in  a  way  of  trade  —  the  consequence  is  that  Law- 
suits are  Daily  increasing  and  Lawyers  (tho  often  Neces- 
sary) take  Exorbitant  fees  by  means  of  the  Laws  being 
imperfect  (in  that  Respect)  all  which  Grievances  have  a 
tendency  to  stir  up  mobs,  Riots,  Anarchy  &  Confusion  — 
We  therefore  humbly  pray  that  your  honours  in  your  Wis- 
dom will  Devise  means  by  which  said  Grievances  may  be 
Redressed  by  making  State  Securities  Live  Stock  and 
Country  Produce  of  all  Kinds  a  Lawfull  Tender  to  an- 
swer all  Executions  Levied  on  Debtors  —  said  Securities 
Computed  at  their  Nominal  value  and  Country  produce 
to  be  appraised  by  Substantial  men  j  *  *  *  *  *  we 
therefore  pray  your  honours  to  take  the  same  under  your 
wise  Consideration  and  grant  us  Such  Relief  therein  as  you 
shall  think  best  and  we  as  in  Duty  bound  shall  Ever 
prav  — 

""Decem*-  16  1782." 

The  names  of  citizens  of  Keene  on  that  petition  were: 
"Stephen  Griswold      John  Griggs  Josiah  Willard 

Sam'"  Daniels  Benja  Hall  Jonas  Prescott 

Thaddeus  Metcalf        Caleb  Tucker  David  Nims  Jr. 

Michal  Metcalf  Benja"  Willis  Ebenezer  Carpenter 

Jesse  Clark  Ezra  Harvey  Timothy  Ellis  Jr. 

Josiah  Ellis  Aaron  Willson       Abijah  Metcalf." 

Abijah  Wilder  Thomas  Fisher 

Ichabod  Fisher  Elisha  Briggs 

The  controversy  concerning  the  New  Hampshire  Grants 
threatened  serious  consequences.  The  western  frontier  of 
the  state  w^as  still  in  danger  from  incursions  of  Indians 
and  Canadians,  and  the  state  continued  to  maintain  troops 
along  that  border.     But  negotiations  were  in  progress  for 


250  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

a  permanent  peace,  and  the  people  looked  forward  eagerly 
and  hopefully  for  better  times. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1782  voted  eighty  pounds 
for  Rev.  Mr,  Hall's  salary,  and  "one  Hundred  and  Fifty 
Pounds  for  mending  the  Highways  to  be  paid  in  Labour 
allowing  to  Each  man  four  pence  p''  hour  for  Ever}'  hours 
faithfuU  Labour  and  Two  pence  p^  hour  for  Each  yoke  of 
oxen  and  for  other  Utensils  the  price  common  among 
Neighbours."  The  paper  currency  had  become  so  nearly 
worthless  that  the  people  had  gone  back  to  specie  in  their 
reckoning  of  values,  although  there  was  very  little  of  it  in 
the  country.  Fifty  pounds  was  voted  for  schools  and  a 
bounty  of  forty  shillings  for  every  grown  w^olf  "killed 
within  this  or  any  of  the  circumjacent  towns  and  twenty 
shillings  for  a  Wolfs  whelp  as  aforesaid." 

April  16,  the  town  chose  Ichabod  Fisher,  Capt.  Josiah 
Richardson,  Thomas  Baker,  Esq.,  Dea.  Daniel  Kingsbury 
and  Lieut.  Dan  Guild  a  committee  "to  make  an  account 
of  the  Service  Each  man  has  Done  in  the  present  war  and 
make  an  avaridge  sf)  that  Each  man  may  have  credit  for 
what  he  has  already  done  in  said  Service,  and  also  Divide 
or  class  the  Inhabitance  of  said  Town  into  Twelve  Equal 
classes  (credit  for  what  Each  man  has  Done  to  be  given 
him)  and  Each  class  to  provide  or  hire  a  man  for  the 
Space  of  three  years  or  During  the  w^ar  upon  their  own 
cost  (said  classes  to  be  so  made  that  Each  class  pay 
Equal  Taxes)."  Four  of  the  classes  furnished  men  —  Caleb 
Fitch,  Levi  Goodenough,  Moses  M.  Howe  and  Archelaus 
Temple  —  who  were  mustered  by  Capt.  Benjamin  Ellis.  It 
is  not  known  whether  more  than  one  of  them,  Levi  Good- 
enough,  were  residents  of  the  town.  The  town  had  now 
advanced  £135  9^  5^^  to  her  soldiers  in  the  Continental 
army,  which  sum  was  afterwards  allowed  on  her  account 
for  depreciation. 

The  plan  of  government  was  again  discussed,  and  a 
new  draft  sent  out  by  the  convention  was  acted  on  in 
November,  but  all  those  first  drafts  were  killed,  with 
amendments  proposed  by  the  towns. 

The  legislature  met  at  Concord  in  June.  About  500 
Indians,  Iroquois,  Ottawas  and  Chippewas,  had  appeared 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  251 

at  Chamblee  on  the  St.  John  river,  with  the  intention  of 
making  incursions  into  New  York  and  New  England.  Two 
companies  of  fifty  men  each  were  ordered  to  be  raised  and 
sent  forward  immediately,  to  reinforce  the  troops  already 
on  the  upper  Connecticut  for  the  protection  of  the  north- 
western frontier.  Col.  Ellis  was  called  upon  for  one  cap- 
tain and  fourteen  men  from  his  regiment,  and  he  sent  Capt, 
Jonathan  Smith  of  Surry.  Elijah  Blake  and  Abijah  Hall  — 
son  of  Jesse  Hall,  twenty-two  years  old — both  of  Keene, 
enlisted  in  that  company.  The  Indians  were  dissuaded  by 
Sir  Guy  Carleton,  then  in  command  of  the  British  forces 
in  America,  from  making  raids  ;  and  this  was  the  last  men- 
ace of  the  enemy  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

A  town  meeting,  on  the  13th  of  September,  1782,  chose 
Nathan  Blake,  Jr.,  Abijah  Wilder  and  Elisha  Briggs  a  com- 
mittee "to  oversee  the  Business  of  Building  the  Rev*^  Mr. 
Hall's  house  and  to  agree  with  proper  workmen  for  Car- 
rying on  the  Same."  The  house,  two  stories  high,  front- 
ing on  Pleasant  street,  with  an  L  running  north,  and  a 
barn  beyond,  was  built  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
Keene  Public  Library.  It  stood  a  little  nearer  the  street 
and  a  little  farther  east  than  the  present  edifice, i  and  had 
a  large  garden  on  the  west  which  was  highly  and  artisti- 
cally cultivated  by  Mr.  Hall,  and  after  his  death  by  Judge 
Joel  Parker. 

A  town  meeting  on  the  5th  of  November  re-elected 
Dea.  Daniel  Kingsbury  representative  and  chose  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Hall,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq.,  and  Thomas  Baker, 
Esq.,  a  committee  "to  give  Instructions  to  said  Represen- 
tative." 

Although  the  state  had  confiscated  the  real  estate  of 
obnoxious  tories  for  its  own  benefit  —  in  the  cause  of  the 
patriots  —  it  permitted  the  towns  in  which  the  property 
lay  to  tax  it,  the  sums  assessed  being  paid  out  of  the 
state  treasury  or  allowed  in  the  settlement  of  the  accounts 
of  those  towns,  for  state  taxes,  or  for  money  raised  to 
hire  Continental  soldiers.      Certificates  of  the  payment  of 

iThe  lot  was  bought  in  1S64,  by  Henry  Colony,  of  Julia  E.  Hall,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Rev.  Aaron.  In  1869  Mr.  Colony  built  his  house  —  now  occupied 
by  the  public  library — and  to  give  place  for  it,  the  main  part  of  the  old  parson- 
age was  taken  down  but  the  L  was  removed  by  John  Ahern,  and  is  now  the 
L  of  his  present  residence,  63  Castle  street.  The  timbers  of  the  main  part  were 
also  used  in  the  construction  of  his  dwelling. 


252  HISTORY  OF  KBBNE. 

those  taxes  by  the  state,  which  continued  for  several  years, 
may  be  found  in  New  Hampshire  State  Papers,  vol.  12, 
pages  320-2.  There  were  two  assessments  in  Keene  in 
1782,  one  for  the  state  tax,  the  assessment  being  on 

"Elijah  Williams'  land     1..      8..  9 
Josiah  Pomeroy's  land  10..   14..  11/4;" 

and  one  "for  raising  continental  men    *    *    * 

Elijah  Williams'  land       1..  10..  10 

Josiah  Pomeroy's  land  11..  10..     9 

"The  above  are  true  extracts  from  the  Original  assess- 
ments Attest  \    assessors 

Ichabod  Fisher        \    for  the 
Reuben  Partridge  J  year  1782. 

"Feb.  ye  4th  1785  — 

R"^  an  order  on  the  Treas*'^  in  behalf  of  the  Selectmen 
for  the  Above  Benjamin  Hall" 

The  resignation  of  Timothy  Ellis  as  colonel  of  the 
militia  regiment  in  this  part  of  the  county  was  accepted 
by  the  legislature  in  February. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1783  voted  sixty  pounds 
for  schools,  the  districts  to  "provide  their  own  masters 
and  regulate  their  ov^n  affairs." 

Peace  having  been  declared,  and  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  acknowledged,  on  the  19th  of  April  —  the 
eighth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of  the  war  at  Lexing- 
ton—  Washington  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  army  an- 
nouncing the  cessation  of  hostilities.  The  troops  were  dis- 
missed on  furlough,  but  were  not  disbanded  till  October. 

Upon  the  recommendation  of  congress,  the  several  states 
"set  apart  the  second  Thursday  in  December  as  a  day  of 
public  Thanksgiving;"  and  the  day  was  religiously  ob- 
served throughout  the  country. 

Keene  had  furnished  225 1  enlistments  for  the  war  — 217 
of  them  by  134  citizens  of  the  town,  some  volunteering 
more  than  once;   and  eight  men  hired  from  out  of  town. 

A  town  meeting,  June  19,  1783,  "Voted  unanimously 
that  the  Representative  be  instructed  to  Use  his  Influence 
that  all  absentees  w^ho  have  absented  themselves  from  any 

1  Probably  these  figures  are  too  small,  for  the  names  of  some  volunteers  were 
never  entered  on  the  rolls  — as  was  the  case  with  the  Nelsons,  father  and  son  — 
and  many  rolls  have  been  destroyed. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  253 

of  the  United  States  of  America  and  Joined  with  or  put 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Enemies  of  the 
United  States  of  America  be  utterly  Debared  from  Resid- 
ing within  this  state." 

In  October  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  legislature 
by  the  "Gaoler"  and  others  of  Keene  who  "humbly  shew 
that  they  conceive  it  would  be  very  beneficial  not  only  to 
the  Public  but  to  the  Tow^n  of  Keene  in  general,  and  the 
Poor  Prisoners  in  Gaol  here  in  particular,  that  y^  Limits 
of  the  Yard  of  the  Prison  here  might  be  extended  beyond 
what  it  now  is  by  law,  sixty  feet,  so  as  to  take  in  a  Barn 
and  Shop  that  would  be  very  convenient  for  them  to 
labour  in  and  thereby  Earn  something  for  their  Support 
during  their  being  obliged  to  remain  in  said  Gaol  until 
they  can  sware  out;  *  *  *  *  ^mj  a^g  j^  duty  bound 
will  ever  pray 

Dan  Guild,  Gaoler        Abner  Sanger 
Thos  Baker  Nathan  Blake  jur 

N:  Cooke  Thomas  Field 

Benja  Hall  Israel  Houghton  " 

Jer  Stiles 
We  also  find  the  following: 

"State  of  New  Hampshire:  In  Committee  of  Safety, 
Exeter,  Nov^  21,  1783. 

"  Pursuant  to  an  order  of  the  General  Court,  the  Excise 
on  Spirituous  Liquors  will  be  farmed  at  Public  Vendue  for 
the  term  of  one  year  from  the  first  day  of  October  last  by 
Committees  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  at  the  times 
and  places  hereafter  mentioned,  viz. 

***** 

"  For  the  County  of  Cheshire  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Aaron 
Fames,!  Innholder  in  Keene,  on  Thursday  the  22d  day  of 
January  next  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.    *    *    *    * 

M.  Weare,  Presid*. 

"By  order  of  the  Com^^e  " 

The  committee  for  the  sale  of  said  excise  in  Keene  was 
"Mr.  Daniel  Kingsbury  &  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson  or 
either  of  them  for  Cheshire." 

In  the  distress  of  the  times  a  convention  met  at  Peter- 
boro,  in  October,  to  consult  upon  grievances  with  a  view 

1  Aaron    Eames    was   keeijing   the    Ralston    tavern   in    1786.       (Deed    to    Wm. 
Todd,  grantee.) 


254  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

to  laying  them  before  the  legislature,  and  Major  Davis 
Howlett  was  sent  as  a  delegate  from  Keene;  but  nothing 
came  of  that  movement.  On  the  31st  of  October,  the  state 
convention  at  Concord  adopted  a  constitution  which  was 
accepted  by  the  people  and  became  the  fundamental  law  of 
the  state. 

The  number  of  ratable  polls  in  town  this  year,  as  re- 
turned by  the  selectmen  to  the  general  assembly  in  Decem- 
ber, was  228. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS. 

1741—1782. 

When  the  south  boundary  line  of  New  Hampshire  was 
estabHshed,  in  1741,  it  was  supposed  that  that  line  ex- 
tended the  same  distance  west  as  the  north  line  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  New  Hampshire  claimed  what  is  now  Ver 
mont  as  a  part  of  her  territory.  In  1749,  Gov.  Benning 
Wentworth  granted  the  town  of  Bennington,  naming  it 
for  himself,  and  not  long  afterwards  he  granted  other 
townships,  as  his  commission  from  the  king  authorized  and 
commanded  him  to  do.  After  the  last  French  and  Indian 
war,  1755—1760,  the  demand  for  those  lands  was  so  great 
that,  in  1764,  he  had  granted  138  townships  west  of  the 
Connecticut  river;  and  that  territory  was  called  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants. 

But  New  York  also  claimed  that  territory,  and  its  gov- 
ernor issued  grants  to  its  lands,  in  many  cases  the  same 
that  Gov.  Wentworth  had  granted.  In  1764,  upon  an  ap- 
peal to  the  king,  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river 
was  declared  to  be  the  boundary  line  between  New  York 
and  New  Hampshire.  But  the  language  of  the  decree  was 
slightly  ambiguous,  and  Gov.  Wentworth  and  his  grantees 
claimed  that  his  grants  were  legal,  and  that  the  titles  of 
those  grantees  to  the  lands  were  still  valid ;  while  the  New 
Yorkers  claimed  that  they  were  illegal  and  void.  The  con- 
troversy became  a  very  lively  and  serious  one.  New  York 
sheriffs  were  sent  to  dispossess  the  New  Hampshire  settlers 
—  in  some  cases  the  New  York  grantees  drove  them  off  and 
burned  their  log-cabins  —  but  those  settlers  banded  together, 
appointed  committees  of  safety,  formed  a  corps  of  "Green 
Mountain  Boys"  under  energetic  officers,  with  Ethan  Allen 
for  their  colonel,  and  resolutely  determined  to  defend  their 
rights.  The  leaders  were  indicted  by  the  New  York  courts, 
but  the  officers  sent  to  arrest    them    were  seized    by  the 


256  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

people  and  chastised  with  switches.  Those  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys  were  afterwards  patriots  in  the  Revolution,  and 
did  eifective  service,  while  the  New  York  claimants  were 
mostly  tories. 

The  authorities  of  New  York  attempted  to  hold  the 
king's  court  at  Westminster,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1775. 
As  the  day  approached  the  excitement  became  intense. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  vicinity  assembled  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  courthouse,  but  without  firearms.  The  sheriff 
appeared  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  armed  tories,  demanded 
admission  and  ordered  the  people  to  disperse ;  but  he  failed 
to  enforce  his  orders  and  retired  with  his  posse  to  the 
Ro3^al  Tavern  in  the  village.  The  whigs  also  retired  for 
the  night,  leaving  a  guard  in  the  courthouse,  though  still 
without  firearms.  Just  before  midnight  the  sheriff  and  his 
party  again  appeared  at  the  courthouse  and  demanded 
possession;  but  were  again  refused.  They  then  broke  in 
the  door,  and  opened  fire  on  the  guard,  w^ounding  ten  men. 
two  of  whom,  William  French  of  Brattleboro,  and  Daniel 
Houghton  of  Dummerston,  died  of  their  wounds ;  claimed 
to  have  been  the  first  blood  shed  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

News  of  the  outrage  spread  rapidly,  and  soon  after 
noon  500  men  were  on  the  ground,  about  one-half  of  them 
from  New  Hampshire.  The  Westminster  company  of 
militia  turned  out  in  full  force.  One  company  from  Wal- 
pole  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Benjamin  Bellows,  after- 
wards a  colonel  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who  did  much  to 
calm  the  excited  crowd.  Two  of  the  judges,  the  clerk  and 
the  sheriff  were  sent  to  jail  at  Northampton  to  be  held  for 
trial.  A  convention  of  delegates  from  the  towns  was  held 
at  Westminster  on  the  11th  of  April  with  a  view  to  a 
more  completely  organized  resistance  to  the  authority  of 
New  York;  but  the  affair  of  Lexington  and  Concord, 
quickly  followed  by  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  by  Ethan 
Allen  and  his  Green  Mountain  Boys,  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  other  exciting  events  of  a  more  general  character, 
diverted  attention  from  merely  local  affairs. 

But  the  New  Hampshire  grantees,  while  resisting  the 
authority  of  New   York,  felt  the  need   of  civil  government 


\ 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  257 

and  the  protection  of  laws  administered  by  the  courts ; 
and  a  convention  was  held  at  Dorset,  in  July,  1776  —  ad- 
journed from  time  to  time  —  with  a  view  to  forming  a 
separate  state  government.  At  its  last  session,  in  1777, 
that  convention  resolved  unanimously  that  the  district  of 
territory  "usually  known  by  the  name  and  description  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  of  right  ought  to  be,  and  is 
hereby  declared  forever  hereafter  to  be,  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent jurisdiction,  or  state;  to  be  forever  hereafter  called, 
known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  New  Connecti- 
cut,i  alias  Vermont;"-  and  petitioned  congress  for  admis- 
sion to  the  Union. 

During  all  these  j^ears,  civil  affairs  in  New  Hampshire 
were  in  a  confused  state;  the  courts  were  suspended  and 
there  was  no  administration  of  justice.  The  inhabitants  of 
some  of  the  towns  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut,  at 
that  time  considered  quite  remote  from  the  centre  of  polit- 
ical power  in  New  Hampshire,  became  dissatisfied  and  pro- 
posed to  join  the  new  state,  the  central  powder  of  which 
w^ould  be  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  It  w^as  claimed  by 
many  that  the  w^est  line  of  New  Hampshire  was  that  of 
the  original  grant  to  Capt.  John  Mason,  in  1629.  That 
grant  w^as  described  as  extending  sixty  miles  from  the  sea, 
and  the  western  boundary  w^as  thus  made  a  curved  line 
which  has  since  been  known  as  the  "Masonian  line,"  or 
the  "Patent  line"  of  New  Hampshire,  (already  described 
in  chapter  3.)  That  line  extended,  left  the  greater  part  of 
Grafton  county  outside  of  New  Hampshire.  Hanover  and 
several  other  towms  in  that  vicinit\'  had  refused  to  send 
delegates  to  the  convention  for  forming  a  government  in 
New  Hampshire,  in  December,  1775.  In  July,  1776,  a  con- 
vention of  delegates  from  eleven  towms  in  that  vicinity  had 
held  a  convention  in  College  Hall,  Dresden,  now  Hanover, 
with  a  view  to  setting  up  a  separate  state  government  in 
the  Connecticut  valley.  President  Wheelock  and  some 
others  of  the  leading  men  connected  with  Dartmouth  col- 
lege had  come  from  Connecticut,  and  the  trustees  and  fac- 
ulty hoped  to  make  that  institution  the  centre  of  political 

1  The  settlers  of  the  "Grants"  were  largely  from  Connecticut,  as  were  many 
of  those  in  the  towns  east  of  the  river. 

-  Thompson's  History  of  Vermont  and  Hall's  History  of  Eastern  Vermont. 


258  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

power  in  northern  New  England,  with  Hanover  for  the 
capital  of  the  "New  Connecticut."  All  the  Grafton,  and 
several  of  the  Cheshire  county  towns,  refused  to  send  rep- 
resentatives to  the  new  assembly  which  met  at  Exeter,  on 
the  18th  of  December,  1776.  More  than  forty  towns  were 
thus  detached  from  the  Exeter  government.  Keene  was 
divided  in  sentiment  on  the  question,  and  at  the  town 
meeting,  December  8,  to  choose  a  representative  to  that 
assembly,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Capt.  Davis  Howlett  and 
Mr.  Jabez  Fisher  were  successively  chosen,  but  all  declined 
to  serve — doubtless  because  they  were  favorable  to  the  new 
state  —  and  Major  Timothy  Ellis  was  elected;  and  Major 
Ellis  was  appointed  on  a  special  committee  to  consider  the 
grievances  and  complaints  of  "sundry  towns  and  people 
in  the  county  of  Grafton  &  any  other  towns." 

But  Burgoyne's  invasion  in  the  spring  of  1777  drew 
the  attention  of  all  and  caused  great  alarm  and  anxiety 
throughout  this  part  of  the  country.  The  settlers  of  the 
Grants  called  lustily  upon  New  Hampshire  for  aid,  and 
the  people  united  heartily  in  the  common  defence.  But, 
Burgoyne  and  his  army  disposed  of,  the  political  quarrel 
burst  out  afresh. 

When  the  legislature  of  the  new  state  —  which  had 
adopted  the  name  of  Vermont,  but  had  not  been  admitted 
to  the  Union  —  met  for  the  first  time  at  Windsor,  on  the 
12th  of  March,  1778,  sixteen  towns  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river  asked  to  be  admitted  to  that  state,  and  they 
were  received.  Public  opinion  in  Cheshire  county  was 
divided  and  a  convention  of  delegates  from  several  of  the 
towns  had  met  at  Surry  in  January,  to  discuss  the  situa- 
tion. Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Major  Timothy  Ellis  and 
Capt.  Isaac  Griswold  were  the  delegates  from  Keene.  No 
record  of  the  proceedings  of  that  convention  has  been 
found.  Professor  Bezaleel  Woodward,  of  Dartmouth  col- 
lege, was  elected  clerk  of  the  new  house  of  representatives, 
President  Wheelock  was  made  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
the  "College  party,"  as  it  was  called,  was  strong  enough 
to  carry  through  a  resolution  declaring  it  to  be  the  right 
of  the  Grants  west  of  the  Mason  line  to  unite  under  one 
state  government.    But  upon  a  recurrence  of  that  question 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  269 

at  the  next  session  a  majority  voted  against  proceeding 
farther  with  that  union.  The  New  Hampshire  members 
then  withdrew,  followed  by  the  lieutenant  governor,  two 
councilmen  and  fifteen  members  of  the  house  from  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  representing  towns  in  the  vicinity  of 
Dartmouth  college.  They  called  a  convention,  inviting 
the  towns  on  both  sides  of  the  river  to  join  them,  with 
the  view  of  forming  a  state  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  to 
be  called  New  Connecticut. 

That  convention  met  at  Cornish,  on  the  9th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1778.  Keene  was  invited  but  declined  to  send  dele- 
gates. Overtures  were  made  to  New  Hampshire  to  unite 
with  the  contemplated  new  state,  but  the  scheme  of  the 
college  party  for  their  own  aggrandizement  was  evident, 
and  President  Weare  and  other  leaders  in  New  Hamp- 
shire were  active  in  their  efforts  to  counteract  this  seces- 
sion. 

A  majority  of  the  people  of  Keene  continued  loyal  to 
New  Hampshire,  and,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  March, 
1779,  the  town  "Voted  that  the  Selectmen  be  a  committee 
to  give  the  Representative  Instructions  to  use  his  Influence 
that  the  Delegates  belonging  to  this  State  who  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Continental  congress  Lay  claim  to  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants  So  called  on  the  West  side  of  Coneticutt 
River;  Provided  that  Congress  will  not  confirm  the  same 
into  a  New  State."  A  committee  of  the  Exeter  legis- 
lature reported  on  the  2d  of  April  that  "New  Hampshire 
should  lay  claim  to  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  of  the 
Grants."  New  York  still  claimed  all  the  territory  west  of 
the  river,  and  there  were  many  loyalists.  New  York 
grantees  and  others,  who  supported  her  claims.  A  conven- 
tion of  the  New  York  party  was  held  at  Brattleboro  on 
the  4th  of  May,  1779,  which  adopted  resolutions  entreat- 
ing Gov.  Clinton  to  "protect  the  loyal  subjects  in  that 
part  of  the  state." 

A  convention  at  Dartmouth  college  on  the  30th  of 
August,  anticipating  the  formation  of  their  state  of  Nevir 
Connecticut,  planned  an  expedition  into  Canada,  and 
petitioned  congress  to  order  such  a  movement.  Fifteen 
hundred  men,   500  horses,   100  teams,   10,000  bushels    of 


260  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

wheat,  and  other  supplies  in  abundance  were  promised 
from  the  patriots  of  the  Grants  between  the  Green  Moun- 
tains and  the  Mason  line. 

The  people  of  the  Grants  had  reached  a  state  of  chronic 
alarm  and  uncertainty.  Without  civil  government,  con- 
stantly harassed  with  the  fear  of  invasion  by  the  British 
from  Canada  and  raids  by  the  Indians,  they  w^ere  ready 
to  adopt  any  democratic  republican  government  that 
would  give  them  protection.  A  majority  of  those  in  the 
western  part  of  New  Hampshire  at  this  time  preferred  a 
union  with  Vermont.  Those  in  Cheshire  county  who  held 
to  that  opinion  called  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the 
several  towns,  at  Walpole,  on  the  15th  of  November,  1780. 
Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq.,  and  Capt.  John  Houghton  were 
the  delegates  from  Keene.  Col.  Benjamin  Bellows  of  Wal- 
pole was  chosen  president,  and  Daniel  Newcomb  of  Keene, 
clerk  of  the  convention.  Col.  Bellows,  Col.  Samuel  Hunt 
of  Charlestown,  Capt.  Lemuel  Holmes  of  Surry,  Daniel 
Jones,  Esq.,  of  Hinsdale,  and  Dr.  William  Page  of  Charles- 
town  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  the  senti- 
ments of  the  convention.  Their  report, ^  which  was  adopted 
by  the  convention,  and  printed  and  distributed  in  the 
tow^ns,  was  an  argument  in  favor  of  a  union  of  the  grants ; 
and  a  recommendation  that  a  convention  of  delegates  from 
all  the  towns  in  the  grants,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  be 
held  at  Charlestown,  on  the  16th  of  January,  following, 
for  the  purpose  of  adopting  measures  for  such  union. 
Fort\^-three  towns  accepted  the  invitation  and  sent  dele- 
gates, twelve  of  whom  were  members  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire legislature.  Keene  sent  Col.  Timothy  Ellis  and  Daniel 
Newcomb,  Esq.,  and  "Voted  to  Instruct  the  Delegates  to 
come  into  a  Union  with  said  Grants  in  case  they  (the 
said  Grants)  be  annexed  to  the  State  of  New  Hampshire 
and  not  Otherwise." 

Each  party  in  interest  made  strenuous  efforts  to  con- 
trol that  convention,  and  New  Hampshire  was  threatened 
with  the  loss  of  two-thirds  of  its  territory.  New  York  sent 
emissaries  to  advocate  the  New  Connecticut  scheme,  hop- 
ing, as  a  final  result,  to  secure  the  territory   west  of  the 

iThe  full   text   of  that   report  is  given   in   the   State    Papers    of   both    New 
Hampshire  and  Vermont;   and  also  in  the  Annals  of  Keene,  page  58. 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  261 

river.  The  governor  and  council  of  Vermont  sent  Ira  Allen, 
a  younger  brother  of  Ethan,  an  able  man  and  an  adroit 
politician,  to  act  for  that  state. 

The  convention  met  as  called,  and  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  prepare  business  for  its  consideration.  On  the 
18th,  that  committee  reported  in  favor  of  uniting  all  the 
grants  to  New  Hampshire.  The  report  was  adopted  by  a 
large  majority.  The  New  Hampshire  partisans  were  elated 
and  hilarious  over  their  success.  But  Allen  arrived  on  the 
scene  during  the  day,  and  he  and  his  friends  spent  the  night 
among  the  delegates.  The  result  was  that  the  next  morn- 
ing the  vote  was  reconsidered  and  reversed,  the  convention 
voting  almost  unanimously  to  unite  all  the  grants  west  of 
the  Mason  line  to  Vermont.  Eleven  delegates,  including 
the  two  from  Keene,  entered  a  written  protest  against 
that  action. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  authori- 
ties of  Vermont,  and  the  convention  adjourned  to  meet  at 
Cornish,  on  the  8th  of  February  —  the  day  set  for  the 
meeting  of  the  Vermont  legislature  at  Windsor,  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river  from  Cornish.  On  the  14th  of 
February  the  Vermont  legislature  passed  a  resolution  in 
favor  of  the  union,  and  a  committee  conferred  with  the 
convention  then  sitting  at  Cornish.  The  question  was 
again  referred  to  the  towns  and  thirty-five  towns  in  New 
Hampshire  and  thirty-six  in  Vermont,  a  large  majority  of 
those  acting,  voted  in  favor  of  the  union ;  and  representa- 
tives from  the  thirty-five  New  Hampshire  towns  crossed 
the  river  and  took  seats  in  the  Vermont  legislature.  Rich- 
mond, then  one  of  the  largest  towns  and  sending  two 
representatives,  voted  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  union ; 
and  Chesterfield  and  some  other  towns  were  nearly  unani- 
mous on  the  same  side.  All  the  towns  in  Cheshire  county 
west  of  the  Mason  line,  except  Keene,  Swanzey  and  Win- 
chester, joined  the  union.  The  vote  of  Keene,  taken  at  a 
legal  meeting  on  the  26th  of  March,  1781,  stood  twenty- 
nine  in  favor  and  fifty-eight  against  the  union. 

But  Vermont  claimed  jurisdiction  over  all  the  towns  in 
question  whether  they  voluntarily  joined  or  not,  as  appears 
by  the  following  warrant,  copied  from  the  State  Papers. 


262  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

"  State  of  Vermont 

In  general  Assembly  Windsor  Aprill  7*^  1781. 

"to  either  of  the  constables  of  the  town  of  keen  in  the 
county  of  Cheshire  greeting  —  Where  as  by  a  late  union  of 
the  whole  of  the  New  Hampshire  grants  with  the  state  of 
Vermont  *****  these  are  therefore  to  direct  you  upon 
sight  hereof  to  warn  all  the  freeholders  and  other  inhabi- 
tants in  s*^  town  of  keen  that  have  a  right  by  law  to  vote 
to  assemble  at  the  usual  place  for  holding  town  meetings 
in  s'^  town  as  soon  as  may  bee  and  that  you  then  and 
their  call  upon  them  to  bring  in  their  votes  sticcessivelly 
for  two  representatives  of  Said  town  to  take  their  seats 
forthwith  in  this  hous  as  law  directs  that  you  make 
declartion  of  the  persons  chosen  and  return  the  same  to 
this  Assembly 

excrats  from  the  Journalls 
by  order  of  assembly 
Noah  hopkins  Clark." 

Under  this  warrant,  an  election  must  have  been  held, 
and  the  veteran  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  and  Mr.  Ezra  Stiles 
were  chosen  representatives,  notwithstanding  the  vote  in 
March,  as  their  names  appear  as  members  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  that  Vermont  legislature.  But  no  record  of  that 
town  meeting,  or  of  the  warrant,  appears  on  the  town 
books.  Evidently  there  was  a  bitter  feud  in  Keene  on  this 
question,  as  there  was  in  most  of  the  towns,  and  when 
allegiance  to  New  Hampshire  was  resumed  in  full,  nearly 
all  records  concerning  the  connection  of  the  tow^n  with 
Vermont  were  doubtless  expunged,  if  any  had  been  made. 

The  legislature  of  the  new  state  divided  the  New^ 
Hampshire  portion  into  the  four  probate  districts  of 
Keene,  Claremont,  Dresden  and  Haverhill,  and  established 
the  new  Vermont  counties  of  Washington  and  Orange, 
corresponding  to  those  of  Cheshire  and  Grafton. 

The  harassing  condition  of  affairs  at  this  time  may  be 
seen  from  the  following  letter  of  Col.  Timothy  Ellis  to  the 
committee  of  safety  of  New  Hampshire : 

"Keene,  Aug^  7,  1781. 
"Gentlemen  — 

I  am  informed  that  you  have  rec'"^  some  late  intelli- 
gence from  Gen.  Sullivan  respecting  the  New  Hampshire 
Grants  —  if  it  is  anything  favorable  to  the  friends  of  N. 
Hampshire,  I  wish  it  may  be  published  &  sent  to  us  by 
the  next  Post:  for  we  are  in  a  very  distressing  situation, 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  263 

and  need  every  possible  Encouragement  &  assistance  to 
enable  us  to  support  the  Rights  of  N.  Hampshire  against 
the  rapacious  claim  of  Vermont.  They  have,  by  a  Resolve 
of  their  General  Court  appointed  and  authorized  a  Com- 
mittee to  take  the  Records  of  the  Court  of  Common  pleas 
in  this  County  and  have  order'd  the  Clerk  to  deliver  them 
up  for  the  use  of  (what  they  call)  the  County  of  Washing- 
ton. They  have  laid  a  Tax  of  10  /  (ten  shillings)  silver 
money  upon  every  hundred  acres  of  our  Land,  and  are 
making  hasty  Preparations  to  collect  it.  They  have  Com- 
missioned Judges  for  their  County  Court,  which  is  to  be 
held  in  Keene  the  14th  day  of  August  inst.  and  I  suppose 
will  proceed  to  do  Business  under  Vermont,  unless  pre- 
vented by  New  Hampshire.  In  this  critical  Juncture,  I 
have  to  ask  your  advice  &  Direction,  and  hope  you  will 
bear  us  in  mind,  and  not  forsake  us  in  our  Distress. 

I  am  Gentlemen,  with  much  Respect 
Your  humble  servant 
Timothy  Ellis." 

Delegates  from  the  towns  of  Keene,  Swanzey,  Rich- 
mond, Winchester,  Chesterfield,  Westmoreland,  Walpole, 
Surry,  Gilsum  and  Alstead  met  at  Keene  on  the  21st  of 
September  to  consider  the  political  situation,  and  appointed 
a  committee  to  lay  the  case  of  Cheshire  county  before  the 
committee  of  safety.  Similar  action  was  taken  by  parties 
in  Grafton  county,  where  complaints  w^ere  made  of  out- 
rages committed  by  the  partisans  of  Vermont ;  and  orders 
were  issued  to  Col.  Charles  Johnson,  commanding  a  bat- 
talion of  troops  on  the  northwest  border  of  the  state,  to 
preserve  the  peace. 

The  next  session  of  the  legislature  of  the  new  state 
was  held  at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  beginning  October  11, 
nearly  all  the  towns  west  of  the  Mason  line  being  repre- 
sented. Col.  Wyman,  of  Keene,  was  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished members,  and  Mr.  Stiles  was  appointed  one  of 
nine  commissioners  to  adjust  the  boundary  line  between 
the  new  state  and  New  Hampshire.  Peleg  Sprague,  after- 
wards a  citizen  of  Keene  and  member  of  congress,  repre- 
sented Acworth, 

There  was  excitement  when  it  was  learned  that  the 
legislature  of  the  new  state  was  to  hold  its  session  on 
New  Hampshire  soil.  On  the  20th  of  September  the  New 
Hampshire  committee  of  safety  sent  an  express  to  Lt.  Col. 


264  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Reynolds  (or  Runnells)  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  who  was 
there  with  his  New  Hampshire  regiment  on  his  way  to 
reinforce  Washington's  army,  to  march  at  once  to  Charles- 
town.  The  excitement  was  not  allayed  when,  a  few  days 
later,  that  regiment  received  a  supply  of  ammunition. 

But  it  was  soon  learned  that  congress  would  receive 
Vermont  into  the  Union  provided  she  would  give  up  her 
connection  with  the  New  Hampshire  towns  and  those  she 
had  also  annexed  from  New  York.  This  cooled  the  ardor 
of  the  ninety-one  members  from  the  towns  west  of  the 
river,  and  left  the  forty-six  from  those  on  the  east  side  in 
a  helpless  minority;  and  yet  the  latter,  dominated  by  the 
"College  party,"  voted  to  stand  by  their  new  organization. 

The  civil  authorities  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont 
now  began  to  come  in  conflict.  Cheshire  county,  N.  H., 
and  Washington  county,  Vt.,  covered  the  same  territory. 
Each  had  its  courts,  sheriffs  and  constables,  and  the  clash- 
ing began  to  be  serious. 

In  November,  1781,  Nathaniel  Bingham  and  John 
Grandy,  Jr.,  of  Chesterfield,  were  arrested  by  Isaac  Gris- 
wold,  of  Keene,  a  deputy  sheriff,  upon  a  warrant  issued  by 
Samuel  King,  of  Chesterfield,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  both 
officers  of  Vermont,  for  resistance  to  a  constable  of  that 
state,  and  committed  to  jail  at  Charlestown.  They  peti- 
tioned the  legislature  of  New  Hampshire  for  relief,  and  on 
the  28th,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  committee  of 
safety  "to  issue  their  Order  to  the  Sheriff  of  the  County  of 
Cheshire  to  release  from  Prison  all  persons  confined  *  * 
*  *  *  by  order  Process  or  Authority  of  any  pretended 
Court,  Magistrate,  Officers  or  other  Persons  claiming 
Authority  from  the  said  state  of  Vermont,  and  to  appre- 
hend the  persons  who  heretofore  have  exercised  *  *  *  * 
Power  or  Authority  within  the  said  counties  of  Cheshire 
or  Grafton  from,  by  or  under  the  said  pretended  Authority 
of  Vermont,  and  to  convey  said  Offenders  to  the  common 
Gaol  in  the  County  of  Rockingham."  And  the  committee 
of  safety  was  empowered  to  raise  a  force,  civil  or  military, 
sufficient  to  execute  the  order. 

Col.  Enoch  Hale,  of  Rindge,  sheriff  of  Cheshire  county, 
attempted    to  execute    the    order,  but    without    sufficient 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  265 

force,  and  was  himself  arrested,  for  attempting  to  break 
into  the  jail,  by  the  same  Vermont  deputy  who  had  made 
the  first  arrest — Capt,  Isaac  Griswold  of  Keene  —  upon  a 
mittimus  issued  by  Benj.  Giles  of  Newport,  Nathaniel  S. 
Prentice  of  Alstead,  and  Elijah  Bingham,  "pretended" 
justices  of  the  "  pretended  State  of  Vermont,"  and  com- 
mitted to  jail  at  Charlestown.  Sheriff  Hale  at  once  applied 
to  Dr.  William  Page,  of  Charlestown,  the  "pretended" 
sheriff  of  Washington  county,  for  release  on  parole  for  the 
purpose  of  consulting  Gen.  Bellows  at  Walpole,  with  a 
view  to  raising  the  militia  of  Cheshire  county,  and  the 
release  was  very  courteously  granted.  Gen.  Bellows  did 
not  deem  it  advisable  to  call  out  the  troops,  but  forwarded 
Col.  Hale's  appeal  by  express  to  President  Weare,  at  Exe- 
ter; and  Col.  Hale  himself  returned  to  his  quarters  in  the 
jail.  He  was  allowed  the  liberty  of  the  "yard,"  which 
covered  the  village  of  Charlestown.  Gen.  Bellows  also 
reported  to  President  Weare,  that  the  ofiicers  of  Vermont 
were  determined  to  maintain  their  authority,  and  could 
raise  "six  hundred  men  at  short  notice  who  will  resolutely 
dispute  the  ground  Inch  by  Inch  ;  "  and  advised  that  troops 
be  raised  from  without  the  county  —  evidently  feeling  that 
Cheshire  county  men  could  not  be  relied  upon,  as  the 
people  were  about  equally  divided  in  sentiment  —  and  that 
the  supremacy  of  the  state  be  established. 

The  committee  of  safety  met  on  the  4th  of  December, 
and  the  next  day  issued  orders  to  Brigadier  Generals 
Nichols  of  Amherst  and  Bellows  of  Walpole  to  furnish 
troops  from  their  commands  for  the  relief  of  Sheriff  Hale. 
Gen.  Francis  Blood  of  Temple,  state  commissary  in  the 
army,  was  ordered  to  furnish  the  troops  with  supplies. 

The  "pretended"  sheriff  of  "Washington  county,"  Dr. 
Page,  appealed  to  the  military  authorities  of  Vermont  for 
troops,  and  four  regiments  were  at  once  put  under  orders 
for  immediate  movement.  Two  of  the  regiments  were  in 
"Washington  county"  commanded  by  Colonels  Samuel 
King  of  Chesterfield  —  whose  warrant  as  justice  of  the 
peace  had  caused  this  excitement  —  and  Wm.  Hey  wood  of 
Charlestown  ;  and  the  men  of  those  regiments  were  citizens 
of  New  Hampshire. 


266  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Gov.  Chittenden  wrote  his  major  general  of  militia, 
Elijah  Pa\me  of  Lebanon,  lieutenant  governor  of  the  pre- 
tended state  of  Vermont :  "  After  having  consulted  matters, 
if  need  be  you  are  directed  to  call  on  any  or  all  of  the 
Militia  of  this  State  to  the  Eastward  of  the  Range  of 
Green  Mountains  to  your  Assistance,  and  assist  the  Sheriff 
in  carrying  into  Execution  the  Laws  of  this  State,  and  to 
defend  its  citizens  against  any  insult,  and  provided  New 
Hampshire  make  an  attack  with  an  armed  force  you  are 
hereby  ordered  to  Repel  force  by  force."  He  was  also 
directed  to  use  everv  means  "to  prevent  the  effusion  of 
blood."  All  the  militia  east  of  the  mountains  were  put  in 
readiness  to  move  at  once,  fully  armed  and  supplied. 

Col.  Ira  Allen  was  despatched  to  Exeter  with  copies 
of  the  governor's  letter  and  orders,  with  full  power  to 
concert  measures  for  an  amicable  adjustment  of  all  the 
difficulties  with  New  Hampshire.  Brig.  Gen.  Roger  Enos 
and  Dr.  Wm.  Page  were  also  sent  to  Exeter  to  aid  Col. 
Allen  in  his  efforts  for  peace.  On  their  arrival,  Dr.  Page  was 
brought  before  a  committee  of  the  house  for  examination, 
which  resulted  in  his  being  arrested  and  committed  to  jail. 
Nathaniel  S.  Prentice  was  also  arrested  and  lodged  in  the 
same  jail.  The  committee  of  safety  had  also  ordered  the 
arrest  of  Benj.  Giles,  of  Newport,  Col.  Samuel  King  and 
Moses  Smith  of  Chesterfield,  and  Capt.  Isaac  Griswold,  of 
Keene,  and  all  the  powers  of  the  state,  civil  and  militar}-, 
were  required  to  aid  if  necessary.  Giles  was  arrested,  but 
was  rescued  by  his  partisans.  Smith  and  Griswold  could 
not  be  found.  Col.  King  was  arrested  and  brought  as  far 
as  Keene,  on  the  way  to  Exeter,  but  six  of  his  captains, 
Fairbanks,  Davis,  Pratt,  Pomero}'  and  Harvey,  of  Chester- 
field, and  Carlisle,  of  Westmoreland,  raised  a  force  of  their 
men,  overtook  the  sheriflPs  party  here  and  rescued  the 
prisoner. 

Thereupon  the  sheriff  issued  the  following  advertise- 
ments : 

"Four  Hundred  Dollars  Reward  To  Any  Person  or 
Persons  that  Brings  Samuel  King  of  Chesterfield  to  Exiter 
in  the  State  of  Newhampshier  &  there  Confine  Him  in  Gaol, 
or  Have  Him  the  said  King  Before  the  Committee  of  Safety 
of  s"^  State;    As  said  Sam'  King  was  taken  Prisoner  By 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  267 

Vertue  of  a  Warrant  to  the  Subscriber  Derected  &  Con- 
ducted under  a  Proper  Guard  Twenty  Miles,  s*^  King  at 
the  Town  of  Keen  By  a  Number  of  Men  Armed  w^  Clubs, 
Sword  &  Staves  w^  Captains  Farebanks,  Davis,  Pratt, 
Pomeroy  &  Harvey  of  Chesterfield  at  their  Head  &  Capt 
Carlil  of  Westmoreland  w^  a  Small  Partie  which  Parties 
on  the  Morning  of  the  first  Day  of  Jan.  1782  By  Violance 
Ressque  the  said  Samuel  King  Prisoner  from 

Robert  Smith,  Special  Sherif " 

"Mr.  Ephraim  Witherell  —  S*"  if  Possable  Aprehend  the 
Bodies  of  Isaac  Grisold  &  Mosas  Smith  &  them  Bring 
Before  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Exeter  &  j'ou  shall 
Have  an  Adequit  Reward  from 

Rob^^  Smith  \Special 

,,  .    p      .    ,,  Jonathan  Martin/Shirivs.'* 

The  same  parties  that  rescued  King  at  Keene  returned 
to  Chesterfield  that  evening,  Jan.  1,  1782,  and  after  the 
usual  refreshment  at  King's  house,  after  their  long,  cold 
ride,  went  to  the  houses  of  those  who  were  friendly  to 
New  Hampshire,  maltreated  them,  and  drove  some  families 
from  their  homes  on  that  severe  w^inter  night.  At  mid- 
night Capt.  Joseph  Burt  of  Westmoreland,  to  whom  some 
of  the  victims  had  fled,  wrote  to  President  Weare,  giving 
an  account  of  the  behavior  of  the  mob.  He  closed  his  letter 
thus: 

"N.  B.  You  will  Excuse  the  wrighting  Being  Calld 
out  of  Bed  in  a  Coald  Night." 

The  next  day.  Gen.  Bellows  wrote  from  Walpole  a 
similar  account  of  the  same  mob,  stating,  among  other 
things,  that  "Upon  the  return  of  the  Mob,  after  proper 
refreshment  at  said  Kings  they  sought  for  all  those  Per- 
sons, who  were  any  way  concerned  in  assisting  the  afore- 
said officer,  some  of  which  they  got  into  their  hands  and 
have  abused  in  a  shameful  and  barbarous  manner  by 
Striking,  Kicking,  and  all  the  indignities  w^hich  such  a 
Hellish  pack  can  be  Guilty  of,  obliging  them  to  promise 
and  engage  never  to  appear  against  the  new  State  again ; 
and  this  is  not  all;  they  sw^are  they  will  extirpate  all  the 
adherents  to  New  Hampshire,  threatening  to  Kill,  Burn 
and  Distroy  the  Persons  and  Properties  of  all  who  oppose 
them ; "  etc. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  the  legislature  ordered  that  an 


268  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

armed  force  of  1,000  men,  including  officers,  be  immediately 
raised  and  sent  into  the  western  part  of  the  state  "for  the 
defence  and  protection  of  the  Inhabitants  there,  and  to 
enable  the  civil  officers  to  exercise  their  authority  in  that 
Quarter."  The  men  were  to  be  raised  by  draft,  chiefl\^  from 
the  eastern  parts  of  the  state,  to  be  organized  in  two  regi- 
ments, and  the  committee  of  safety  expected  Cheshire 
county  to  furnish  100,000  pounds  of  beef  for  the  commis- 
sary department. 

On  the  11th  of  May,  Gen.  Sullivan  was  appointed  to 
command  those  forces.  The  situation  had  become  very 
grave;  but  more  moderate  counsels  prevailed,  and  the 
necessity  for  calling  out  the  troops  was  avoided. 

In  December,  Gov.  Chittenden  had  written  Gen.  Wash- 
ington, stating  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Vermont.  Gen. 
Washington  replied  on  the  1st  of  January,  saying  that 
Vermont  had  only  to  confine  herself  within  her  own  orig- 
inal limits,  laying  no  claim  to  the  territory  of  other  states, 
to  insure  the  acknowledgment  of  her  independence,  a  reso- 
lution looking  to  such  action  having  already  passed  con- 
gress. Knowledge  of  that  communication  soon  reached 
Exeter,  supported  by  other  communications  of  like  import 
from  members  of  congress  and  others,  and  the  trend  of 
events  turned  towards  a  peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulties. 
Both  sheriffs  were  set  at  libertj^.  Col.  Hale  by  the  Ver- 
mont government,  and  Dr.  Page  by  that  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

But  the  determination  of  the  authorities  to  settle  peace- 
fully was  not  yet  generally  known,  and  a  few  days  after 
his  release  Sheriff  Hale  arrested  Benjamin  Giles  and  took 
him  to  Charlestown  for  commitment,  but  Giles'  friends  of 
the  other  party  rallied  and  rescued  him.  With  a  pretended 
Vermont  deputy  they  arrested  Hale  and  threatened  to 
commit  him  to  the  jail  at  Bennington.  Instead  of  that, 
however,  they  took  him  in  a  ludicrous  way  to  Walpole 
and  set  him  at  liberty.  From  there  he  wrote  a  report  of 
what  had  taken  place  to  President  Weare,  and  proceeded 
on  his  way  to  his  home  in  Rindge. 

On  the  11th  of  February,  1782,  Gov.  Chittenden  laid  the 
letter  of  Gen.  Washington  before  the  Vermont  legislature, 


II 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  269 

then  in  session  at  Bennington.  It  was  considered  in  com- 
mittee of  the  whole,  which  reported  that  the  resolution 
of  congress,  guaranteeing  to  the  states  of  New  York  and 
New  Hampshire  certain  limits,  had  determined  the  bound- 
aries of  Vermont.  That  report  was  accepted  and  adopted 
by  the  house;  and  on  motion  of  Mr.  Ezra  Stiles,  of  Keene, 
it  was  then  resolved  "that  this  House  do  judge  the  Articles 
of  Union  (between  the  New  Hampshire  towns  and  Vermont) 
completely  dissolved." 

Thus  ended  a  long  controversy  concerning  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants  —  a  controversy  into  w^hich  Keene  was 
unavoidably  drawn,  and  in  which  she  bore  no  inconspic- 
uous part  —  and  the  towns  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connec- 
ticut returned  to  their  allegiance  to  New  Hampshire. 
But  for  a  long  time  the  fires  of  that  feud  smouldered,  and 
the  passions  it  had  roused  rankled  in  the  breasts  of  the 
active  men  in  both  parties.  Some  cases  growing  out  of  it 
had  been  entered  in  the  courts  and  still  remained  to  be 
adjudicated. 

"In  September,  when  the  Inferior  Court  acting  under 
the  authority  of  New  Hampshire  assembled  at  Keene,  a 
mob,  headed  by  Capt.  Samuel  Davis  of  Chesterfield,  and 
composed  of  persons  favorable  to  a  union  with  Vermont, 
assembled  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  court  from 
transacting  business.  As  disturbances  were  expected,  a 
large  number  of  the  opposite  party  came  into  the  village. 
At  the  opening  of  the  court,  Davis,  followed  by  his  party, 
entered  the  courthouse,  went  up  to  the  clerk,  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  docket,  and  declared  it  should  not  be  opened. 
At  this  moment,  a  Mr.  Fairbanks  of  Swanzey  addressed 
the  court,  praying  them  to  adjourn  for  an  hour,  that  the 
people  present  might  assemble  on  the  common,  and  the 
strength  of  both  parties  be  ascertained.  The  court 
adjourned ;  the  two  parties  paraded  separately,  Davis  at 
the  head  of  one,  and  Fairbanks  of  the  other.  The  former 
being  much  the  smaller,  their  courage  failed,  and  the  court 
proceeded  in  their  business  without  further  molestation. 

"Davis  and  several  others  were  arrested,  by  a  warrant 
from  the  court,  and  gave  bonds  to  appear  at  the  next 
term  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  to  keep  the  peace.  He 
then  went  out  and  addressed  his  followers,  advising  them 
to  be  cool  and  orderly,  as  the  most  likely  mode  of  obtain- 
ing their  object.  When  the  Superior  Court  assembled,  an 
attempt  was  also  made  to  prevent  it  from  proceeding  to 


270  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

business,  which  entirely  failed.  Davis  and  two  others  were 
indicted,  'for  that  they,  with  others,  committed  an  assault 
upon  the  Justices  of  the  Inferior  Court  and  their  clerk,  and 
compelled  them  to  desist  from  executing  the  lawful  busi- 
ness thereof.'  They  pleaded  guilty,  and  threw  themselves 
upon  the  mercy  of  the  court,  who,  'having  taken  matters 
into  consideration,  forgave  them,  and  ordered  them  to  be 
discharged.'  At  the  same  term,  Robert  Wier  was  indicted, 
for  that  he,  at  said  time,  at  Keene,  to  encourage  the  riot- 
ers, did  openly  and  publicly,  with  a  loud  voice,  in  the 
English  language,  speak  the  following  words,  viz:  —  'Col. 
Ashley  (meaning  the  first  Justice  of  said  Inferior  Court)  is 
for  arbitrary  power,  and  arbitrary  power  he  shall  have; 
damn  the  Court  and  their  authority.'  He  also  pleaded 
guilty,  was  forgiven  and  discharged." 

(Annals,  page  64.) 

It  was  the  custom  at  that  time  for  the  judges  and 
officers  of  the  higher  courts  to  travel  from  one  shire  town 
to  another  on  horseback,  carrying  their  documents  in  their 
capacious  saddlebags.  Gen.  John  Sullivan  was  then  attor- 
ney general  of  the  state.  In  October  of  this  year,  1782, 
as  the  judges,  accompanied  by  Sullivan,  approached  Keene 
to  hold  a  term  of  the  superior  court,  at  which  were  to  be 
tried  some  of  the  cases  referred  to  above,  they  were 
informed  that  the  town  was  full  of  people  determined  to 
compel  them  to  adjourn  without  trying  any  cases.  The 
cavalcade  halted  in  a  small  wood  for  consultation.  Sulli- 
van had  his  servant  with  him,  carrying  his  portmanteau, 
which  contained  his  major  general's  uniform.  He  put  it  on, 
mounted  his  powerful  grey  horse  and  conducted  the  court 
into  town.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  who  were  loyal  to 
New  Hampshire  came  out  on  horseback  to  meet  them, 
and  he  ordered  them  to  form  in  double  file  in  rear  of  the 
court.  Arthur  Livermore,  then  a  youth  of  sixteen,  acted  as 
his  volunteer  aid. 

The  courthouse  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  men, 
some  of  them  armed.  They  gave  way  as  the  court  entered, 
but  were  sullen,  and  determined  not  to  allow  the  transac- 
tion of  business.  The  judges  took  their  seats,  the  court 
was  opened  in  due  form,  and  the  crowd  rushed  in  and 
filled  the  house. 

Sullivan  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  digni- 
fied and  commanding,   and  he  stood  by  the  clerk's  desk. 


THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS.  271 

calmly  but  resolutely  surveying  the  crowd,  recognizing 
here  and  there  an  officer  or  soldier  who  had  fought  under 
him  and  returning  their  salutes.  Then,  with  the  greatest 
composure,  he  took  off  his  cocked  hat  and  laid  it  on  the 
table,  unbuckled  his  sword  and  laid  it  beside  the  hat. 
There  was  a  stir  in  the  crowd  and  he  quickly  buckled  on 
his  sword  and  half  drew  the  blade.  Then  he  deliberately 
replaced  it  on  the  table.  He  then  addressed  the  assembly, 
rebuking  them  for  attempting  to  interfere  with  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  court.  A  cry  arose:  "The  petition!  The 
petition!"  and  a  committee  stepped  forward  with  a  huge 
roll.  Sullivan  told  them  that  if  they  had  anything  to  offer 
the  court  he  would  lay  it  before  them.  He  took  the  peti- 
tion, looked  it  over  and  presented  it  to  the  court,  recom- 
mending it  to  their  honors'  careful  consideration,  and  it 
was  read  by  the  clerk.  He  then  directed  the  crowd  to 
withdraw.  Some  hesitancy  on  their  part  drew  forth  a 
stern  command,  which  was  reluctantly  obeyed.  The  next 
morning,  the  court  opened  with  the  house  full  of  people. 
Sullivan,  now  in  citizen's  dress,  in  a  graceful  and  dignified 
speech,  told  them  that  the  court,  finding  they  could  not 
go  through  the  heavy  civil  docket  in  the  time  allowed  for 
this  county,  would  continue  all  cases  in  which  either  party 
was  not  ready  for  trial.  This  announcement  satisfied 
them,  and  they  w^ithdrew  with  shouts  of  "Hurrah  for 
Gen.  Sullivan." 

In  effect  the  mob  thus  carried  their  point  —  that  of 
postponing  the  transaction  of  business  —  and  doubtless  the 
presence  of  the  attorney  general  prevented  violence  and 
preserved  the  dignity  of  the  court.  Young  Livermore  said 
afterwards:  "I  thought  if  I  could  only  look  and  talk  like 
that  man  I  should  want  nothing  higher  or  better  in  this 
world."  1 


1  From  T.  C.  Amory's  Life  of  Gen.  Sullivan.  The  story  as  told  by  Daniel 
Webster  was  taken  from  the  Life  of  Governor  Pltimer,  McClintock's  History  of 
New  Hampshire,  page  409. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

TOWN  AFFAIRS. 
1784—1800. 

Under  the  temporary  state  constitution  for  carrying 
on  the  war,  1776  to  1784,  Meshech  Weare  had  been 
elected  president  each  year,  and  at  the  annual  election 
under  the  new  constitution  in  1784,  he  was  chosen  "Pres- 
ident" of  New  Hampshire;  but  Keene  cast  sixty-two  votes 
out  of  sixty-five  for  John  Langdon. 

The  town  "voted  to  Let  out  the  Brickyard  to  the 
highest  Bidder;"  and  to  "build  a  Bridge  over  the  East 
Branch  on  the  Road  Leading  from  Joseph  Willsons  to 
malborough  provided  that  the  owners  of  the  Land  Liv- 
ing on  said  Road  will  be  at  the  charge  of  and  make  the 
Road  good  from  the  End  of  Beach  Hill  to  said  Branch  by 
raising  a  Dam  or  Casway  on  said  Road  so  as  to  make 
it  passable  in  high  water  so  as  to  confine  the  water  to  the 
channel  so  that  the  Road  be  not  Damaged  thereby."  This 
was  the  bridge  which  the  selectmen  had  petitioned  for  a 
lottery  to  build,  six  years  before. 

In  a  vote  at  this  meeting  to  redistrict  the  schools, 
mention  is  made  of  "  East  Beach  Hill ;  "  "  West  Beach  Hill  "^ 
(Daniel's  hill,  or  West  mountain) ;  of  "Jesse  Clark's  mill 
brook"  (Black  brook,  and  White  brook  conducted  into  it) 
supplying  the  mill  lately  owned  by  Joseph  Wilson  at  West 
Keene;  "  Adin  Holbrook's  mill  brook"  ("White  Brook." 
Ebenezer  Robbins  succeeded  Holbrook  in  1795) ;  of  John 
Conoly  as  living  on  the  Colony  homestead,  West  Keene, 
and  John  Swan  near  him;  and  "voted  also  that  all  the 
families  in  the  Northeast  part  of  the  Town  living  East  of 
Ferry  Brook  so  called  (northeast  of  the  farm  since  owned 
by  James  Wright)  be  a  seperate  school  District." 

"  The  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  having  secured 
to  the  tories  the  privilege  of  returning  to  this  country,  to 
collect  their  debts  and  settle  their  affairs,  Elijah  Williams, 
Esq.,  came  to   Keene,  for  that  purjjose,   in  the  beginning 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  27vS 

of  this  year.  His  appearance  here  so  exasperated  the 
zealous  whigs,  that  they  seized  him  and  carried  him  before 
Thomas  Baker,  Esq.,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  What  were 
the  charges  against  him.  or  whether  any  charges  were 
exhibited,  has  not  been  ascertained.  The  Justice,  perhaps 
with  a  view  to  protect  him  from  outrage,  ordered  him  to 
recognize  for  his  appearance  at  the  Court  of  Sessions,  to 
be  held  at  Charlestown,  in  April,  and  committed  him  to 
the  custody  of  the  sheriff.  With  this,  the  populace  were 
not  satisfied,  and  they  discovered  an  intention  of  assault- 
ing and  beating"  him ;  but  he  was  surrounded  and  guarded 
to  his  lodgings  by  the  old  and  the  young  men  who  hap- 
pened to  be  present. 

"The  animosity  of  the  whigs,  aggravated  probably  by 
the  arts  of  those  who  were  indebted  to  him,  was,  however, 
so  great,  that  they  determined  he  should  not  thus  escape 
their  vengeance.  On  the  day  before  that  appointed  for  the 
sitting  of  the  court,  a  party  concealed  themselves  in  the 
pines  near  Fisher  Brook,  intending,  when  he  passed  with 
the  sheriff,  to  get  him  into  their  power.  The  sheriff  passed 
without  him,  reljnng  upon  the  promise  he  had  made  to 
appear  at  court  the  next  day.  This  circumstance  excited 
their  suspicions ;  they  came  immediately  into  the  street, 
seized  Williams  at  his  lodgings,  and,  placing  him  in  the 
midst  of  them,  repaired  to  a  tavern  in  Ash  Swamp.  When 
he  arrived  there,  two  bundles  of  black-beech  rods  were 
produced,  from  which  it  appeared  that  a  plan  had  been 
concerted  to  compel  him  to  run  the  gauntlet,  with  the 
view,  probably,  of  inducing  him,  by  such  harsh  treatment, 
again  to  leave  the  country.  But  by  this  time,  a  large 
number  of  considerate  citizens  had  assembled  and  arrived 
at  the  tavern.  A  proposition  was  made,  that  the  whole 
subject  should  be  referred  to  a  committee.  A  committee 
was  appointed  ;  their  report  was  too  favorable  to  Williams, 
to  suit  the  majority,  and  was  rejected.  Another  committee 
was  appointed,  who  reported  that  he  should  leave  the 
town  the  next  day,  and  leave  the  State  the  next  week. 
This  report  was  agreed  to ;  but  the  minority,  still  dissatis- 
fied, privately  sent  out  messengers,  to  collect  more  of  their 
friends.  This  being  communicated  to  those  who  were  dis- 
posed to  protect  Williams,  they  advised  him  to  retire 
immediately.  An  attempt  was  made  to  prevent  him  from 
mounting  a  horse,  which  had  been  offered  him  by  a  friend. 
A  conflict  ensued,  in  which  the  horse  was  overthrown, 
and  several  persons  were  knocked  down  with  clubs.  He 
at  length,  however,  mounted,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
friends,  and  rode  through  the  crowd,  which  continued  to 
oppose  him. 


274  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  next  day,  he  repaired  to  Charlestown,  and  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  court,  which,  thereupon,  passed  the 
following  order:  'that  Elijah  Williams,  Esq.,  now  in  the 
keeping  of  Isaac  Griswold,  by  virtue  of  a  mittimus  from 
Thomas  Baker,  Esq.,  continue  in  the  custody  of  the  said 
Isaac,  until  he  shall  have  transacted  the  business  upon 
which  he  came  into  this  part  of  the  country,  and  then  be 
permitted  to  leave  this  State,  upon  his  good  behavior, 
without  further  molestation.'  After  settling  his  affairs, 
Williams  repaired  to  Nova  Scotia.  Shortly  after,  in 
consequence  of  ill  health,  he  returned  to  Deerfield,  his 
native  town,  died,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  his 
ancestors." 

(Annals,  pages  66,  67.) 

In  May,  1784,  the  town  voted  to  repair  the  meeting- 
house, and  chose  a  committee  for  that  purpose ;  but  on  the 
23d  of  November,  at  a  legal  meeting  petitioned  for  for  that 
purpose,  it  "voted  to  build  a  New  meeting  house  provided 
the  Town  can  agree  upon  ways  and  means  to  Defraying 
the  charge  of  Building  and  the  form  and  Dimensions  of 
said  house,"  "  Leut.  Hall  Dea.  Kingsbury  Maj''  Howlett 
Col.  Ellis  Benja  Archer  Capt.  Stiles  David  Nims  Jun'' 
Leut.  (Reuben)  Partridge  and  Tho^  Baker  Esq*""  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  take  the  whole  matter  under  con- 
sideration and  report  at  the  next  meeting.  The  meeting 
then  adjourned  for  four  weeks,  and  at  the  adjournment,  on 
the  21st  of  December,  the  committee  reported:  "That  the 
Town  build  a  New  meeting  House  Seventy  feet  in  Length 
and  Fifty  feet  in  Breadth  with  a  Belfry  and  Steple  at  one 
End  and  a  porch  at  the  other  agreable  to  the  plan  there- 
with to  be  exhibited."  "That  said  house  stand  partly  on 
the  spot  where  the  Old  Meeting  house  now  stands  extend- 
ing some  further  north  and  west."  "That  the  new  house 
above  intended  be  set  up  as  early  as  may  be  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  A.  D.  1786  and  finished  with  all  convenient  dis- 
patch." "That  the  Town  chuse  a  Committee  of  seven  judi- 
cious men  to  bargain  for  and  receive  materials  for  said 
Building,  also  to  procure  and  agree  with  skilful  persons  to 
undertake  and  accomplish  the  labour  of  erecting  and  com- 
pleting the  building  of  said  house  under  the  direction  of 
the  Town,"    "That  the  sum  of  three  hundred   pounds  be 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  275 

immediately  assessed  on  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  to  be 
paid  in  labour  and  materials  for  the  building,  &  that  the 
Town  be  class'*^  into  ten  different  classes,  &  that  each  class 
procure  its  proportion  for  said  Building  in  labour,  timber, 
boards,  shingles,  clapbords,  and  stones  for  underpinning: 
said  materials  to  be  delivered  at  the  spot  to  the  committee 
appointed  to  receive  them,  &  that  those  persons  w^ho  do  not 
chuse  thus  to  pay  it  in  twelve  months  after  said  assess- 
ment pay  their  proportion  to  their  respective  constables  in 
money."  "That  the  town  impower  their  last  mentioned 
committee  to  make  sale  of  the  old  meeting  house  to  the 
best  advantage  and  the  pews  in  the  new  meeting  house  to 
be  sold  at  public  auction  to  the  highest  bidder  on  the  first 
tuesday  of  Feb''  next  taking  security  of  the  several  pur- 
chasers, one  quarter  part  made  payable  in  one  year  from 
the  sale  in  glass,  lime,  nails,  oil,  paint,  iron  or  cash;  the 
remainder  on  the  first  day  of  September  1786,  in  money  or 
such  pay  as  will  answer  to  pay  the  workmen ;  and  that 
none  be  allowed  to  bid  but  such  persons  as  belong  to  the 
Town ;  said  pews  to  be  sold  by  a  Committee  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Town  for  that  purpose." 

The  town  voted  to  accept  the  report  "and  to  proced 
in  the  manner  &  form  and  the  ways  &  means  pointed  out 
by  said  committe  for  Building  a  New  meeting  house  in 
said  town." 

"Chose  &  appointed  Lieut  Hall,  Abijah  Wilder,  Thomas 
Baker  Esq.,  Maj^  Davis  Howlet,  Dea.  Daniel  Kingsbury, 
Benj^  Archer  and  Lieut.  Partridge  the  committee  men- 
tioned"—  the  building  committee  of  seven.  The  same  com- 
mittee was  also  empowered  to  sell  the  old  house,  and  the 
pews  in  the  new  one,  as  the  report  recommended. 

The  same  meeting  chose  "Col  Ellis  Tho®  Baker  Esq 
Lent  Benj-'*  Hall  Capt  Stiles  and  Benjamin  Balch"  a 
committee  "to  Look  out  and  provide  a  proper  Spot  of 
Land  Where  the  County  Goal  may  Stand  and  Report  to 
the  Town  as  soon  as  may  be  at  this  meeting."  After  an 
hour's  adjournment  the  committee's  report  was  accepted, 
which  was,  "to  purchase  one  acre  of  Land,  one  half  in  the 
corner  of  Lieut.  Hall's  Field  and  the  other  half  in  the  corner 


276 


HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 


of  Capt.  Richardson's  Field,  both  adjoining  the  Road 
and  is  at  or  near  the  place  where  the  Pown  (pound)  now 
stands"  (near  the  junction  of  the  present  Mechanic  and 
Washington  streets).  A  wooden  jail  was  built  there  the 
following  season,  with  its  whipping-post  in  the  yard,  to 
which  culprits  condemned  by  the  court  to  receive  a  certain 
number  of  lashes  were  tied,  and  the  lashes  laid  on.  The 
post  was  removed  early  in  the  next  centur3^ 

The  meeting  adjourned  to  the  first  Tuesday  in  Febru- 
ary, 1785,  when  it  assembled  at  the  meetinghouse,  but 
immediately  adjourned  "to  the  house  (tavern)  of  Mr. 
Ralston,"  where  the  pews  in  the  house  to  be  erected  were 
sold  at  auction. 

The  record  of  the  sale  is  given  below : 

"PEWS  ON  THE  FLOOR  OP  THE  HOUSE. 


No. 

£ 

s. 

No. 

£ 

s. 

Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. 

15. 

18 

EHphalet  Briggs, 

48. 

11 

Abijah  Wilder, 

20. 

18 

10 

John  P.  Blake  and\ 

29. 

10 

10 

Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. 

17. 

18 

Andrew  Slyfield      / 

Benjamin  Hall, 

18. 

18 

10 

David  Nims,  Jr. 

8. 

10 

10 

James  Wright, 

62. 

17 

William  Woods, 

11. 

11 

10 

Thomas  Baker,  Jr. 

19. 

16 

10 

Benjamin  Archer, 

51. 

10 

Nathan  Blake,  Jr. 

61. 

16 

10 

Benjamin  Hall, 

49. 

10 

Abel  Blake, 

57. 

15 

10 

Eli  Metcalf, 

12. 

10 

10 

Isaac  Billings, 

46. 

15 

10 

Benjamin  Balch, 

50. 

10 

Josiah  Richardson, 

34. 

16 

Isaac  Griswold, 

44. 

10 

Aaron  Ernes, 

16. 

15 

• 

Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. 

1. 

10 

10 

Col.  Timothy  Ellis, 

63. 

15 

10 

Ebenezer  Day, 

55. 

10 

Thomas  Baker,  Esq. 

14. 

15 

Thaddeus  Metcalf, 

13. 

10 

Benjamin  Hall,  Esq. 

47. 

14 

Ephraim  Wright, 

42. 

10 

10 

Aaron  Willson, 

24. 

14 

David  Wilson, 

22. 

10 

10 

Israel  Houghton  and\ 

25. 

14 

Joshua  Durant, 

64. 

10 

EHsha  Briggs,               | 

Eri  Richardson, 

23. 

10 

Alpheus  Nims, 

9. 

14 

John  Dickson, 

43. 

10 

Davis  Howlet, 

21. 

14 

Samuel  Bassett, 

7. 

10 

Isaac  Blake  and\ 

27. 

14 

David  Foster, 

53. 

10 

Joseph  Blake,      / 

Asahel  Blake, 

32. 

10 

Royal  Blake, 

60. 

14 

Jesse  Clark, 

52. 

10 

Thomas  Pield, 

26. 

15 

Hananiah  Hall  and\ 

54. 

10 

Asa  Dunbar,  Esq. 

35. 

14 

Samuel  Osgood,        / 

Alexander  Ralston, 

33. 

14 

Josiah  Willard, 

6. 

10 

John  Swan, 

59. 

13 

10 

Josiah  Willard, 

41. 

10 

Luther  Emes, 

36. 

13 

10 

John  Stiles, 

4. 

10 

10 

Jotham  Metcalf, 

28. 

13 

10 

Joseph  Brown, 

39. 

10 

Daniel  Kingsbury, 
Reuben  Partridge, 

56. 
31. 

13 
12 

10 
10 

Bartholomew  Dwinelll 
and  John  Stiles,            J 

5. 

10 

John  Houghton, 

30. 

12 

Daniel  Wilson, 

38. 

10 

Cornelius  Sturtevant, 

45. 

12 

Dan  Guild, 

2. 

10 

Elijah  Dunbar, 

10. 

12 

Simeon  Clark, 

37. 

12 

10 

Abraham  Wheeler,  Jun. 

3. 

11 

10 

Josiah  Willard, 

40. 

10 

TOWN  AFFAIRS. 


277 


PEWS  IN  THE  GALLERY. 


Thomas  Baker,  Jr. 
Stephen   Chase, 
Benjamin  Kemp, 
Timothy  Balch  and) 
Ebenezer  Robbins,    / 
EHsha  Briggs, 
EHakim  Nims, 
Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. 
EHsha  Briggs, 
Benjamin  WilHs,  Jr. 
Isaac  BilHngs, 
EHsha  Briggs, 
Asa  Ware  and  \ 


No. 
13. 
16. 
10. 

17. 

15. 
11. 

8. 
12. 
20. 

6. 
14. 

23. 


s. 


9   10    Daniel  Kingsbury, 

8  10  ,  Eliphalet  Briggs, 

9  10  "  EHsha  Briggs, 

«   -,  ^  I  Nathaniel  French, 
'    ^^  ;  MiUet  ElHs, 

10    Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. 
10  i  EHsha  Briggs, 
[I  Abijah  Wilder, 
10    Reuben  Partridge, 
15    Thomas  Field, 
15  I  Alexander  M 'Daniels, 
Eliphalet  Briggs, 
Timothy  Balch, 


6   15 
6   10 


No. 

£ 

s. 

19. 

6 

05 

21. 

6 

7. 

5 

10 

9. 

5 

22. 

4 

10 

18. 

7 

25. 

4 

05 

24. 

9 

5. 

4 

05 

4. 

4 

10 

2. 

4 

05 

3. 

4 

05 

1. 

5 

Jonas  Osgood, 

The  pews  on  the  floor,  (63,)  sold  for  789  pounds; 
those  in  the  gallery,  (25,)  for  60  pounds;  the  whole  num- 
ber for  849  pounds,— about  $3,000." 

(Annals,  page  69.) 

That  meeting  was  kept  alive  by  adjournments,  and  on 
the  21st  of  June,  it  "voted  to  set  the  new  meeting  house 
on  the  Spot  where  the  Committee  have  laid  the  foundation 
any  former  vote  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding."  That 
spot  was  a  short  distance  north  of  the  site  of  the  old  meet- 
inghouse—  which  had  been  designated  by  the  town  at  the 
meeting  in  November  —  adjourned  to  December  21,  as  the 
place  for  the  new  one,  "extending  some  further  north  and 
west." 

"When  erected  its  length  was  East  and  West,  and  it 
fronted  the  South,  its  North  side  being  70  feet  South  of  its 
present  South  end.  In  1828,  it  was  moved  to  where  it 
now  stands,  on  the  North  side  of  the  common,  its  front 
being  changed."  (Annals,  page  70.) 

At  the  annual  election,  John  Langdon  was  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  state  for  the  first  time,  Keene  giving  him  sixty 
out  of  sixty-eight  votes. 

In  August,  the  governor  and  council  appointed  Thomas 
Baker  of  Keene  a  special  justice  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  for  Cheshire  county,  and  Luther  Eames  of  Keene, 
coroner. 

Dr.  Jacob  Pease  was  one  of  the  physicians  in  town  at 
this  time,  and  his  young  wife.  Experience,  twenty-one  years 
old,  daughter  of  Ichabod  Fisher,  died  on  the  Mh  of  July, 
after  the  birth  of  a  daughter  in  June. 

A  town  meeting  in  January,  1786,  Chose  Capt.  Jeremiah 


278  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

Stiles,  Lieut.  Benj.  Hall,  Capt.  John  Houghton,  Col.  Timo- 
thy Ellis  and  Maj.  Davis  Hewlett,  a  committee  to  take 
an  account  of  all  the  "Services  Done  by  the  Town  During 
the  Late  War  that  the  Same  may  be  sent  to  the  committe 
on  claims  in  Said  State."  Many  claims  of  the  town  against 
the  state  had  already  been  adjusted,  but  no  record  relat- 
ing to  this  final  claim  has  been  found. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1786,  upon  the  petition  of 
Joshua  Osgood  and  others  living  in  the  northeast  part 
to  be  set  off  "from  this  town  to  be  a  distinct  Society  by 
themselves  in  conjunction  with  some  parts  of  other  towns," 
Benjamin  Hall,  Jeremiah  Stiles  and  Nathan  Blake,  Jr.,  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  consider  the  petition  and  report  at 
some  future  meeting.  Notwithstanding  the  opposition  of 
this  and  the  other  towns  concerned,  the  town  of  Sullivan 
was  incorporated  the  following  year,  taking  1,920  acres 
of  land  and  several  families  from  Keene. 

Complying  with  a  requirement  of  the  legislature,  the 
selectmen  made  the  following  return : 

"Pursuant  to  the  within  resolve  We  the  subscribers 
have  taken  an  account  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of 
Keene  and  find  their  number  to  be  eleven  hundred  and 
twenty  two.     1122.     May  30th  A.  D.  1786. 

"The  number  of  the  Inhabitants  on  the  East  side  of 
the  river  is  614  —  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  there  is 
508=1122. 

Danl  Kingsbury\  Selectmen 
Jeremiah  Stiles   /  of  Keene." 

May  31,  1786,  the  town  "Voted  — to  purchase  of 
Capt"  Richardson  V2  acre  of  land  to  set  the  new  meeting 
house  on ;  and  that  Asa  Dunbar,  Esq''  Baker  &  Lieut.  Balch 
be  a  committee  for  that  purpose  to  agree  with  Capt" 
Richardson,  determine  the  shape  &  dimensions  of  said  V2 
acre  &  procure  a  deed  of  the  same."  This  was  in  addition 
to  the  site  of  the  old  house.  On  the  20th  of  June,  Capt. 
Richardson  deeded  to  the  "Inhabitants  of  Keene"  *  *  * 
"one  acre  more  or  less,"  lying  on  the  east  side  of  his 
garden,  and  including  that  part  of  the  present  park  which 
was  north  of  the  site  of  the  old  meetinghouse.  The  con- 
sideration named  in  the  deed  was  seventy  pounds. 

On  that  spot,  its  north  side  about  on  the  north  line  of 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  279 

the  present  park  enclosure,  the  new  meetinghouse  was  built, 
with  form  and  dimensions  as  voted  by  the  town,  Dec.  21, 
1784.  The  architect  and  master-carpenter  was  Benjamin 
Archer,  who  had  been  a  sergeant  in  Capt.  Stiles'  company 
at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  had  seen  other  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  lived  on  the  "Old  Walpole 
Road,"  four  miles  from  town,  where  the  Goodnows  after- 
wards kept  tavern,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Win- 
chester. The  frame  was  raised  on  the  28th,  29th  and  30th 
of  June,  and  it  was  a  season  of  great  interest  and  hilarity. 
According  to  the  custom  of  the  times,  there  was  a  large 
gathering  of  people,  including  many  from  out  of  town; 
and  the  town  provided  refreshments  for  the  multitude,  in- 
cluding a  bountiful  supply  of  the  indispensable  rum.  The 
belfry  and  steeple  were  on  the  west  end,  the  porch  on  the 
east,  each  with  entrance  doors,  but  the  main  entrance  was 
at  the  middle  of  the  south  side,  the  "broad  aisle"  leading 
thence  to  the  high  pulpit  opposite  —  built  in  the  form  of  a 
huge  wine  glass  —  accessible  by  circular  stairs  on  either 
side.  Over  the  pulpit  was  the  large,  dome-shaped  sound- 
ing board,  to  aid  the  minister's  voice.  A  broad  gallery 
extended  across  the  south  side  and  both  ends,  reached  by 
stairways  in  the  porch  and  belfry.  On  the  floor  of  the 
house  and  around  the  galleries  next  to  the  walls  were  the 
pews,  about  seven  feet  square,  seating  eight  persons,  the 
partitions  topped  with  a  spindle-balustrade  one  foot  high. 
It  was  the  custom  to  stand  during  prayers,  and  the  seats, 
placed  along  the  sides  of  the  pews  and  divided  into  short 
sections,  were  hung  on  hinges  to  turn  up  for  that  purpose; 
and  at  the  close  of  the  prayer,  each  worshipper  would  drop 
a  seat,  with  a  clatter  like  a  scattering  volley  of  musketry. 
Beneath  the  front  of  the  pulpit  w^ere  the  "deacons'  seats," 
and  in  front  of  those,  a  hanging  table  for  communion  ser- 
vice, to  be  let  down  when  not  in  use.  Across  the  area  in 
front  of  the  pulpit  were  long  seats  designed  for  elderly 
people,  and  others  of  defective  hearing,  called  the  "old 
men's  seats;"  but  women  never  sat  there.  No  provision 
was  made  for  warming  the  house  —  such  a  thing  was  un- 
heard of  then ;  it  could  not  be  done  with  fireplaces,  and 
stoves  had  not  yet  come  into  use  —  but  later,  a  makeshift 


280  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

chimney  was  built  from  the  attic  and  a  single  stove  was 
set  in  the  middle  of  the  broad  aisle.  But  that  proving 
merely  a  suggestion  of  warmth,  two  were  afterwards  put 
in,  one  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit,  in  front  of  the  old  men's 
seats. 

North  of  the  meetinghouse  just  in  front  of  where  Ball's 
block  and  the  church  now  stand,  was  a  long  row  of  horse- 
sheds  running  east  and  west ;  and  between  those  and  the 
church  edifice  was  a  large  stone  horseblock  for  the  con- 
venience of  women  and  children  in  mounting.  On  the 
south  lay  the  broad,  open  common,  with  Main  street  in 
its  quiet  village  aspect  extending  beyond,  completely  grass- 
grown  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  roadway  in  the 
middle,  and  a  still  narrower  one  on  each  side,  with  grass 
between  the  ruts. 

Peter  Wilder  was  the  sexton,  chosen  by  the  town,  and 
he  was  succeeded  by  Dea.  Abijah  Wilder,  who  for  a  long 
term  of  years  had  the  care  of  the  meetinghouse  and  the 
courthouse. 

"It  was  a  great  work  to  build  that  house  in  the  day 
of  small  things ;  as  will  be  seen  from  quoting  a  few  extracts 
from  the  records  of  the  building  committee.  Most  of  those 
who  bought  pews,  in  anticipation  of  its  being  built,  paid 
in  cattle,  that  were  sold  at  great  discount,  after  being 
driven  to  Boston,  Wrentham,  or  Providence.  Besides, 
there  were  other  obstacles,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  follow- 
ing quotations. 

"The  follo^ng  are  the  charges  of  one  of  the  commit- 
tee, viz : 

'To  a  journey  in  Feb.,  1787,  to  Sutton,  Frank- 
lin, and  Boston,  to  purchase  oil,  glass,  and        £      s     d 

vane 140 

'  To  a  journey  down  with  27  head  of  cattel  to 
Wrentham,  Dec.  1787;  also,  a  journey  to 
Providence,  to  buy  the  glass  for  the  meet- 
ing-house; and  expense  of  keepingsaid  cattel,  5  3  10 
'May,  1788. —  To  a  journey  to  Providence  after 
the  glass ;  to  carting  glass  from  Providence 
to  Wrentham;  also,  a  journey  from  Provi- 
dence to  Boston, 0  19     1 " 

"And  the  following  are  quoted  from  the 
same  book : 

'  Paid   for  cattel  more  than  thev  sold  for  in 
cash, '     .        .        .        16  18    5 


£ 

s 

d 

1 

18 

4 

38 

5 

4 

941 

5 

0 

400 

0 

0 

TOWN  AFFAIRS.  281 

'  To  cash  to  defray  the  expenses  of  Samuel 
Heaton  down  to  Wrentham  after  the  glass 
for     the     meeting-house  —  wagon    and    two 

horses, 

'Paid  Mr  John  Ward  &  Co.,   Providence,  for 

glass,        

'The  pews  sold  for 

'  Raised  by  tax, 

'The  sum  total  that  has  been  paid,  in  cash, 
for  meeting-house  matters,  is       .        .        .        120  13    9' " 

(Annals,  page  111.) 

In  attempting  to  relieve  the  financial  distress  of  the 
people,  the  legislature  had  submitted  to  the  voters  a  plan 
for  issuing  paper  money.  A  town  meeting  was  held, 
November  28,  1786,  to  consider  the  question,  but  the  plan 
was  rejected  by  a  unanimous  vote;  and  it  failed  by  a  large 
majority  in  the  state. 

Dr.  Thomas  Frink,  who  for  nearly  thirty  years  had 
been  a  prominent  physician  and  magistrate  in  town,  died 
this  year. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1787,  Capt.  Jeremiah 
Stiles  was  elected  representative,  but  at  an  adjourned 
meeting  he  declined  to  serve,  and  Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall 
was  chosen.  Asa  Dunbar,  town  clerk  and  first  selectman, 
died  on  the  22d  of  June;  and  a  town  meeting  on  the 
10th  of  July  chose  Capt.  Stiles  to  succeed  him  in  both 
offices. 

In  May  of  this  year,  William  Lamson  established  a 
tannery  in  rear  of  the  site  now  occupied  by  Lamson  block 
and  the  Five  Cents  Savings  bank,  and  he  and  his  son 
carried  on  a  successful  business  there  for  many  years.  At 
that  time  there  were  only  about  forty  families  living  in 
the  vicinity  of  Main  street.  One  of  the  principal  stores  of 
the  town  was  in  the  west  part,  kept  by  Abijah  Foster,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  road  a  few  rods  north  of  Jesse  Clark's 
tavern,!  west  of  the  mill  pond,  where  Clark  also  had  saw 
and  grist  mills.  Joseph  Brown  built  and  opened  another 
store,  nearly  opposite  Foster's,  about  that  time  —  the  little 
old  building  still  standing  at  the  turn  of  the  road  —  and 
built  the  present  house  of  Sidney  C.   Ellis.     There  was  a 

iThat  house  was   the   first   built   in   this   vicinitv  by  the    "square   rule,"  and 
people  came  from  far  and  near  to  see  the  frame. 


282  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

blacksmith's  shop  at  the  branch  of  the  roads  near  the 
mills,  a  pottery  northeast  of  Brown's  store;  and  other 
mechanics  found  employment  there.  Both  Foster  and 
Brown  were  enterprising  men,  and  each  carried  on  a  large 
general  business;  and  that  localit}^,  with  the  plains  to  the 
eastward,  was  expected  by  many  to  be  the  site  of  the 
future  town.  But  the  new  meetinghouse  had  been  built  on 
the  "common,"  as  already  described,  and  stores  and  shops 
began  to  spring  up  near  it,  and  gradually  the  business  of 
the  town  centered  there. 

Col.  Isaac  Wyman  still  kept  his  tavern  at  the  lower 
end  of  Main  street  as  in  the  days  of  the  Lexington  alarm, 
and  the  veteran  Capt!  Dorman,  77  years  old,  still  lived 
where  he  did  when  the  messenger  came  to  him  on  that 
morning  of  the  20th  of  April,  1775.  Some  of  the  busi- 
ness still  clung  to  that  end  of  the."  Street."  Samuel  Wads- 
worth  had  had  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  his  residence  in 
the  old  fort,  and  other  mechanics  were  still  in  that  neighbor- 
hood;  a  schoolhouse  stood  next  north  of  Capt.  Dorman's, 
and  a  new  building  was  put  up  opposite  Col.  Wyman's 
tavern  which  was  occupied  the  next  year  by  the  printing 
office. 

In  September  of  this  year  James  Davenport  Griffith, 
son  of  John  Griffith,  an  eminent  school  teacher  of  Boston, 
having  had  two  years'  experience  in  the  publication  of  the 
Continental  Journal  of  that  city,  came  to  Keene  and 
started  the  New  Hampshire  Recorder.  The  printing  office 
was  in  a  small,  one-story,  wooden  building  which  stood 
on  the  west  side  of  Main  street,  near  the  north  line  of  the 
residence  lot  of  the  late  Edward  C.  Thayer,  a  little  back 
from  the  street.  The  office  was  moved  the  next  year  to 
the  new  building  across  the  street  as  stated  above.  The 
first  number  of  the  Recorder  that  has  been  preserved,  so 
far  as  is  known,  is  No.  1  of  the  second  volume,  dated 
Sept.  9,  1788,  and  an  incomplete  file  from  that  date  to 
Feb.  24,  1791,  bound  in  one  volume,  is  in  the  public 
library. 

Alexander  Ralston 's  tavern  stood  on  the  west  side  of 
Main  street,  in  front  of  what  is  known  as  the  Gen.  Wilson 
house  (now  Mr.  Isaac  J.  Dunn's).     The  jail  "  of  hewn  logs," 


TOWN  AFFAIFS.  283 

^wliich  had  stood  just  above  that  tavern,  had  been  removed 
a  few  years  before,  across  the  street  and  farther  down ; 
and  in  1785,  a  new  one  of  wood  had  been  built  on  Prison 
street,  as  already  stated. 

On  Aug.  19,  1787,  a  remarkable  tornado  swept 
over  all  this  part  of  the  country.  Many  people  were 
killed  and  many  more  were  injured.  The  Recorder  reported 
that  "The  destruction  of  houses,  barns,  cattle,  etc.,  is 
beyond  conception."  The  cattle  were  killed  and  injured 
chiefly'  by  the  falling  of  trees. 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1788,  the  town  chose  Rev. 
Aaron  Hall  a  delegate  to  a  convention  to  act  upon  the 
federal  constitution  for  the  government  of  the  United  States 
proposed  by  the  national  convention.  The  state  conven- 
tion met  at  Exeter  on  the  13th  of  February,  and  chose 
Gen.  John  Sullivan  president.  He  was  al^  president  of  the 
state  at  that  time.  The  opposition  to  the  proposed  con- 
stitution was  so  strong  that  its  friends  did  not  dare  risk 
a  vote  on  its  adoption,  but  carried  an  adjournment  to 
gain  time;  and  the  convention  met  again  at  Concord,  on 
the  18th  of  June.  On  the  21st,  the  vote  of  adoption  passed 
by  57  to  47,  New  Hampshire  being  the  ninth  state  to 
ratify,  thus  giving  the  required  two-thirds  majorit}'^  of 
states  for  the  final  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  On  the  30th  of  June,  the  inhabitants  of 
Keene  celebrated  that  ratification.  No  account  of  the  cere- 
monies has  been  preserved,  but  there  were  religious  services 
in  the  meetinghouse,  and  Rev.  Aaron  Hall  preached  a 
sermon  which  was  printed  by  request,  for  sale  and  distri- 
bution. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  the  committee  previously 
appointed  to  adjust  the  claims  of  those  who  had  served 
in  the  late  war  but  had  not  been  settled  with  in  a 
former  average  of  pay,  made  their  report,  recommending 
that  those  persons  be  paid  certain  sums.  The  town 
accepted  the  report  so  far  as  to  grant  them  two-thirds 
of  the  respective  sums  recommended,  and  raised  106 
pounds  to  pay  this  and  the  former  average.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  names  mentioned  and  the  sums  granted 
to  each : 


284  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


£ 

s 

t/ 

£ 

s 

d 

Simeon  Clark, 

2 

2 

4 

Timothy  Ellis,  3d, 

1 

1 

2 

Jonathan  Pond, 

2 

2 

4 

Lieutenant  Wright, 

2 

10 

2 

Maj.  Davis  Howlet, 

2 

2 

4 

Abraham  Wheeler, 

0 

17 

2 

Thomas  Field, 

2 

2 

4 

Royal  Blake, 

4 

14 

0 

Adin  Holbrook, 

2 

2 

4 

Captain  Richardson, 

1 

4 

0 

Capt.  Stephen  Griswold, 

2 

2 

4 

Benjamin  Willis, 

2 

1 

2 

Joshua  Osgood, 

1 

12 

0 

Isaac  Esty, 

1 

8 

10 

Jonathan  Dwinell, 

1 

1 

2 

Maj.  Josiah  Willard, 

1 

16 

8 

Gideon  Ellis, 

1 

1 

2 

Samuel  Hall, 

2 

2 

4 

In  the  legislature  a  convention  of  both  houses  chose 
Capt.  Josiah  Richardson,  representative  from  Keene,  to 
fill  a  vacancy  in  the  state  council  for  the  year  ensuing. 

On  the  26th  of  June  the  town  "voted  to  Rase  the 
sum  of  Two  Hundred  pounds  Lawful  Money  for  the  use 
of  Finishing  the  New  Meetinghous ;"  and  on  the  18th  of 
September  "  voted  to  Impow^er  the  Committee  to  Give  and 
Convey  the  old  Meeting  Hous  to  the  County  of  Cheshire 
for  a  Court  hous  for  the  use  of  said  County  —  Provided 
the  said  County  will  accept  of  the  said  Hous  for  the  use 
aforesaid  and  moove  it  to  the  North  w-est  Corner  of  the 
Meeting  Hous  Common  in  Keene  and  permit  the  Inhabi- 
tenc  of  said  Towne  to  hold  their  Towne  Meetings  in  said 
Hous;"  and  the  conveyance  was  made  in  accordance  with 
that  vote.  For  several  years  efforts  had  been  made  and 
articles  inserted  in  the  warrants  for  town  meetings  to 
have  the  town  appropriate  money  for  instruction  in  church 
music,  but  the  town  had  persistently  refused  to  take  such 
action.  At  this  meeting  on  the  article  in  the  warrant, 
"To  see  if  the  Towne  can  Devise  any  Method  to  encour- 
age the  art  of  Singing  —  as  it  is  almost  neglected  in  our 
Congregation"  —  Abijah  Wilder,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles  and 
Dea.  Daniel  Kingsbury  were  chosen  a  committee  to 
"  Incurige  the  art  of  Singing  without  any  Cost  to  the 
Towne." 

About  this  time  Mr,  Samuel  Cooke,  "improved" 
(erected)  a  building  for  stores  south  of  the  present  Eagle 
Hotel.  That  part  of  Main  street  from  the  hotel  to  Water 
street  was  occupied  by  several  shops  and  places  of  busi- 
ness, and  was  called  "Federal  Row."  Mr.  Cooke  was  in 
trade  in  connection  with  Capt.  Samuel  Wetherbee,  of  Col. 
Wyman's  regiment  in  the  war,  but  was  soon  succeeded  by 
Moses  Johnson,  who  had  occupied  a  store  and  lived  where 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  285 

Gurnsey's  block  now  stands.  Johnson  soon  afterwards 
joined  Mr.  James  Mann,  who  had  built  the  store  subse- 
quently occupied  by  A.  &  T.  Hall  (or  it  is  possible  the 
firm  of  Johnson  &  Mann  built  it),  where  BufFum's  block 
now  stands.  Johnson  also  had  pot  and  pearl  ash  works, 
and  a  distillery  on  what  is  now  Castle  street,  and  on  the 
ridge  north  of  it,  and  a  store  in  Walpole  in  connection 
with  his  business  here.  He  did  a  large  general  business, 
and  was  public  spirited  and  very  active  in  advancing  the 
interests  of  the  town. 

Daniel  Newcomb,  who  for  ten  years  had  been  the  prin- 
cipal lawyer  in  town,  had  his  office  where  Gurnsey's  block 
now  stands.  Peleg  Sprague  came  in  1787,  and  soon  built 
and  lived  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Laton  Martin 
house,  and  had  his  office  north  of  it,  in  his  yard,  where 
the  brick  house  now  stands.  At  first  his  office  was  on  the 
site  of  Gurnsey's  block. 

David  Simmons,  the  "shoemaker  from  Boston,"  lived 
on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  toward  the  lower  end,  and 
removed  his  shop  from  there  "to  Cooke's  building  in  Fed- 
eral Row."  He  was  father  of  David  A.  Simmons,  who  left 
the  Simmons  fund  to  the  town  of  Keene. 

Capt.  Josiah  Richardson  was  still  keeping  tavern  in  the 
house  which  he  had  built  on  Pleasant  street,  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building;  and  Rev.  Aaron  Hall 
was  living  in  his  new  house,  built  by  the  town,  on  the 
same  street. 

Main,  Pleasant  and  Prison  streets  (Washington), 
Walpole  road  (School  street),  Packersfield  road  (Water 
street),  and  Boston  road  (Baker  street),  were  nearly  the 
same  then  as  now,  and  Cross  street  was  laid  out  that  year, 
but  none  of  the  other  streets  had  been  opened,  except  that 
Roxbury  street  and  one  or  two  others  had  been  used  with- 
out a  formal  lay-out. 

Aaron  and  Luther  Eames,  who  were  keeping  the  Ral- 
ston tavern  in  1786,  had  now  succeeded  Dr.  Ziba  Hall  in 
his  tavern,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  where  the 
small  engine  house  now  stands,  near  the  railroad;  and 
Lemuel  Chandler  "opened  a  new  Tavern,  nearly  opposite 
the  meeting-house,  at  the  sign  of  the  Lyon  and  the  Blue 


286  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Ball."  That  was  called  the  Chandler  House,  and  was  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Cheshire  House.  Chandler  died  the 
next  year,  and  the  property  came  into  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Edwards,  who  had  married  Chandler's  sister,  and 
the  house,  known  as  Edwards's  tavern,  was  kept  by  him 
for  many  years.  Capt.  Reuben  Partridge  also  kept  a  tavern 
on  the  old  Surry  road,  near  his  mills  —  afterwards  Hol- 
brook's  —  on  the  outlet  of  Goose  pond;  and  there  were 
others  along  the  main  roads  in  town. 

At  each  of  these  public  houses  spirituous  liquors  were 
sold  under  a  license  from  the  state ;  and  from  the  confes- 
sions of  "One  late  of  the  club,"  published  in  the  Recorder, 
it  is  evident  that  there  was  "a  set  of  gamblers"  —  a  club 
for  that  purpose,  in  fact  —  in  Keene,  even  in  those  days  of 
Puritan  piet3\  But  Col.  Wyman  informs  his  friends  and 
the  public,  by  an  advertisement  in  the  Recorder,  "that  he 
shall  not  in  future  vend  any  liquors  —  but  would  be  glad 
to  serve  Travellers  with  Boarding  and  Lodging,  and  the 
best  of  Horse-keeping;"  —  a  pioneer  temperance  man. 

Ephraim  Cummings  and  Richard  Stratton  had  cloth- 
iers' works  at  West  Swanzey  and  advertised,  "That  their 
customers  may  be  accommodated  with  colours  of  every 
kind  (except  scarlet),  particularly  Blue  in  its  highest  per- 
fection." Benjamin  Balch  also  had  a  fulling  mill  and 
clothier's  works  on  the  north  branch  of  White  brook  near 
the  old  Westmoreland  road,  four  miles  from  the  village; 
and  Capt.  John  Warner,  then  or  soon  after,  had  similar 
works  where  "Mill  creek"  —  from  the  mills  on  West  street 
— joins  the  river,  near  the  present  greenhouses  of  Ellis 
Brothers. 

The  Recorder  of  Dec.  30  says:  "We  are  happy  to 
inform  the  Friends  to  American  Manufactures  that  the  use 
of  Spinning  Wheels  and  Looms  has  never  been  so  prevalent 
at  any  period  since  the  late  revolution  as  at  the  present 
day.  Several  pieces  of  elegant  and  fashionable  Broadcloths 
have  lately  been  manufactured  in  this  town,  the  texture, 
colour,  and  duration  of  which  are  by  no  means  inferior  to 
European  Guinea  Cloths."  Joseph  Newell  had  a  tailor's 
shop  in  town,  and  made  fine  garments. 

Goodale  &  Homer  had  one  of  the  stores  in   a    long, 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  287 

narrow  building  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  below  the 
Chandler  House.  They  afterwards  removed  to  the  old 
one-story  wooden  store  on  the  opposite  corner  (now 
Elliot's),  built  by  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson.  Ichabod  Fisher 
still  kept  his  small  store  in  the  little  old  yellow  house, 
already  mentioned;  and  Dr.  Jonas  Dix  had  a  "Medicinal 
Store"  on  the  west  side  of  upper  Main  street. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1788,  the  town  "voted  to  seat 
the  New  Meeting  Hous,"  and  chose  Capt.  John  Houghton, 
Capt.  Jotham  Metcalf,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq.,  Col.  Timo- 
thy Ellis,  and  Samuel  Bassett  a  committee  for  that  purpose. 

"Voted  that  the  Pew  in  the  frunt  Galery  bee  appro- 
priated for  the  use  of  the  Singers  in  Keene  and  for  their 
use  only." 

On  Wednesday,  October  29,  the  new  meetinghouse  was 
"consecrated  to  the  Divine  Being"  with  appropriate  exer- 
cises, in  which  Rev.  Mr.  Olcott  of  Charlestown,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Fessenden  of  Walpole,  who  had  formerly  preached 
here,  assisted.  The  pastor  delivered  "a  pertinent  and  com- 
prehensive discourse,"  and  the  exercises  closed  w^ith  an 
anthem  and  a  benediction. 

The  Recorder  said:  "The  zeal  and  unanimity  which 
the  Inhabitants  of  this  Town  have  discovered  in  the  com- 
pletion of  an  elegant  structure,  which  perhaps  is  not  infe- 
rior to  any  of  the  kind  throughout  the  state,  must  re- 
dound to  their  immortal  honor." 

A  correspondent  in  the  same  paper  suggested  that  a 
bell  and  a  pall  be  immediately  procured  by  subscription ; 
and  he  urged  the  fencing  of  "the  burying  ground  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  Main  street,"  which  was  exposed  to  the 
invasion  of  cattle. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  Mrs.  Sally  Hall,  "the  amiable 
consort  of  Rev.  Aaron  Hall,"  died.  The  funeral  w^as  at 
the  meetinghouse,  Rev.  Mr.  Fessenden  officiating. 

The  first  town  meeting  to  vote  for  electors  of  president 
and  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  and  for  three  mem- 
bers of  congress,  under  the  new  federal  constitution,  was 
held  at  the  old  meetinghouse  on    the  15th  of  December. 

There  had  been  opposition  to  the  constitution  and 
some    would  not  act  under  it,  but  all  the  votes  cast  in 


288  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Keene,  thirty  in  number,  were  for  the  electors  who  voted  . 
for  George  Washington   and  John   Adams.     Samuel   Liver- 
more,  Benjamin  West  and  Nicholas  Oilman  had  thirty-five 
votes  each  for  members  of  congress. 

At  the  annual  election,  March  3,  1789,  Gen.  John  Sul- 
livan was  chosen  president  of  the  state,  Keene  casting 
fifty-four  votes  for  him  to  twenty-six  for  John  Pickering. 

Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Capt.  Jotham  Metcalf,  Major 
Davis  Howlett,  Lieut.  Benjamin  Balch  and  Eri  Richardson 
were  chosen  a  committee  "to  see  what  school  houses  are 
wanting  (in  the  several  districts)  and  how  much  money  is 
wanting  to  build  school  Houses." 

"Voted  to  Fence  the  Several  Buring  places  in  this 
Towne  and  Chose  a  committee  of  Four  for  that  purpos 
and  chose  Major  Willard  Michel  Metcalf  Levi  Partridg 
and  Capt.  John  Houghton  who  are  hereby  Directed  to 
Call  on  their  Neighbors  to  Turn  out  and  Do  said  work 
without  any  Cost  or  charge  to  the  Towne." 

"Voted  that  the  Select  Men  Provid  a  Pall  or  grave 
Cloath  at  the  Expence  of  the  Towne."  The  pall  was  pur- 
chased in  1792  —  the  first  one  used. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting,  on  the  31st  of  March,  the 
committee  appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  to  examine 
the  accounts  of  the  building  committee,  reported  that  two 
hundred  pounds  was  the  sum  needed  to  finish  the  meeting- 
house; and  the  town  voted  that  sum,  to  be  assessed 
immediately.  It  also  authorized  the  building  committee 
to  sell  the  pews  in  the  new  house  not  already  disposed  of 
at  public  vendue  to  the  highest  bidder. 

"Voted  to  purchas  a  Peace  of  Land  of  Capt.  Richard- 
son to  set  horssheds  on  —  ten  feet  wide  and  to  Extend 
from  the  Northeast  corner  of  the  Common  to  whare  the 
old  meeting  hous  Now  Stands  and  to  pay  for  the  same  out 
of  the  Towne  Treasurey."  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
were  granted  the  privilege  of  building  horsesheds  on  that 
land  under  the  direction  of  a  committee.  Court  street  had 
not  then  been  opened,  and  the  old  meetinghouse  stood 
where  that  street  now  enters  the  square. 

One  of  the  articles  in  the  warrant  was:  "to  See  if  the 
Towne  will  Hire  a  School  Master  for  a  year  provided  the 
payment  Can  be  made  easy,"    The    town    voted    not    to 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  289 

hire.  But  Israel  Houghton  was  teaching  a  private  school 
here  at  that  time;  and  a  "Mr.  Willard,"  (doubtless  Lock- 
hart,  son  of  Major  Josiah,  who  was  then  26  years  of  age) 
taught  a  school  for  both  sexes  in  "Free  Masons'  Hall." 
He  and  his  pupils  gave  public  exhibitions  which  were 
highly  commended.  To  the  second  one,  held  in  August, 
were  sold  "Tickets  of  admission,  half  a  pistareen  each." 
(A  pistareen  passed  for  seventeen  cents.) 

In  May,  "Jonathan  Houghton  from  Boston"  opened  a 
store  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street  below  the  Chandler 
House.  He  was  succeeded  the  next  spring  by  John  Patten, 
who  advertised  for  "Fifteen  or  Twenty  Tons  of  Flax,  to 
be  paid  for  in  goods,"  —  to  counteract  a  similar  advertise- 
ment for  the  same  amount  by  Daniel  Ashley  of  Winchester. 
Patten  also  offered  "Cash  for  Salts,  and  Goods  for  Ashes, 
or  clean  Cotton  or  Linen  Rags,"  and  added,  "Pearl  Ash 
Manufactured  on  the  shortest  Notice  given." 

The  Recorder  copied  from  Boston  papers  an  account  of 
a  pair  of  oxen  brought  to  that  market  which  "exceeded  all, 
for  fatness  and  weight,  ever  known  in  the  thirteen  states." 
The  live  weight  of  the  pair  was  3,586  pounds.  Three 
years  later  a  Concord  paper  published  a  paragraph  headed 
"Great  Oxen,"  stating  that  a  pair  had  been  brought  down 
from  Plymouth  which  weighed  2,616  pounds  and  sold  for 
$180.  Many  persons  still  living  remember  a  pair  that 
Elijah  Blake  of  Keene  raised  and  sent  to  market  by  his 
son,  Justin  S.  Blake,  in  1866,  which  weighed  5,302  pounds, 
and  sold  for  $600. 

On  Oct.  6,  1789,  there  was  a  muster  at  Keene  of  part  of 
Gen.  Chase's  brigade  —  the  Sixth  regiment,  Col.  Whitcomb  of 
Swanzey ;  the  Twenty-Second,  Col.  Aldrich  of  Westmore- 
land ;  the  company  of  cavalry,  Capt.  Isaac  W^^man  of 
Keene  (son  of  Col.  Isaac) ;  and  the  company  of  artillery, 
Capt.  Butterfield.  Luther  Fames  of  Keene  was  brigade 
major.  The  whole  formed  in  Main  street  and  "marched 
into  the  training  field,"  where  they  were  reviewed  by  Maj. 
Gen.  Bellows  of  Walpole,  and  Brig.  Gen.  Chase.  The  cav- 
alry and  artillery  were  in  new  and  brilliant  uniforms,  and 
all  made  a  fine  appearance.  Refreshments  for  the  troops 
were  provided  by  the  general  officers. 


290  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  Balches  had  been  succeeded  as  post  riders  by  Ozias 
Silsby  of  Acworth,  the  route  remaining  substantially  the 
same  as  that  established  in  1781.  Uzziel  Hurd  of  Lemp- 
ster  also  carried  the  mail  and  the  papers  from  the  print- 
ing office  in  Keene  to  the  towns  in  Cheshire  county  not 
on  the  mail  line,  "once  a  fortnight,  bad  weather  excepted  " 
—  riding  as  far  north  as  Plainfield,  and  doing  an  express 
business. 

The  appropriations  of  the  town  for  the  support  of 
schools  had  been  steadily  increasing  until,  at  the  annual 
meeting  in  1790,  the  sum  raised  was  100  pounds  in 
addition  to  that  required  by  law  —  which  was  five  times 
the  sum  required  of  the  town  as  its  proportion  of  the 
state  tax,  amounting  this  year  to  nearl}-  fifty  pounds. 
The  town  also  voted  "to  make  up  what  is  wanting  to 
pay  for  finishing  the  Meeting  hous  agreeably  to  the  report 
of  the  committe." 

In  early  times,  salmon  and  shad  were  plentiful  in  the 
Connecticut  river,  and  thej'  even  ran  up  the  Ashuelot  and 
its  larger  branches.  "By  the  law  of  nature  and  nations" 
the  people  of  this  valley  should  have  continued  in  posses- 
sion of  those  delicious  varieties  of  food,  but  with  the 
settlement  of  the  country,  came  dams  across  the  streams, 
and  the  fish  were  prevented  from  making  their  annual 
visits  to  these  -waters.  For  several  years  previous  to  1789, 
petitions  had  been  presented  from  the  selectmen  of  Win- 
chester and  other  inhabitants  of  the  county,  for  sluices  to 
be  opened  through  the  dams  to  allow  the  passage  of  the 
fish,  and  the  legislature  passed  an  act  requiring  such  sluices 
to  be  made.  The  annual  town  meeting  in  Keene  in  1790 
"chose  Capt.  Richardson  Lockhart  Willard  and  Eli  Met- 
calf  a  Committe  to  Inspect  the  Several  Milldams  across 
Ashawolet  River,  agreeably  to  a  law  of  this  State."  That 
statute  remained  in  force  until  1794. 

A  town  meeting  on  the  10th  of  June  "voted  to  Build 
a  workhous  at  Som  futter  Perod  and  voted  to  hire  a 
workHous  for  the  present  and  chose  a  committee  to  do 
the  same  viz  Isaac  Griswold  Davis  Howlett  and  Josiah 
Richardson  and  chose  Josiah  Richardson  to  oversee  s"^ 
workHous  and  Tak  proper  cair  of"  the  poor. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  29l 

June  17,  the  governor  and  council  appointed  "Daniel 
Newcomb  Esq.  of  Keene  first  Justice  of  the  Inferior  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  for  the  County  of  Cheshire." 

A  census  of  the  state  was  taken  this  j-ear,  that  of 
Keene  being : 

Males  above  16 316 

Males  under  16 318 

Fem  ales 671 

Other  free  persons 5 

Slaves 2 

Amount 1,314 

[1312] 

At  this  time  Charlestown  had  1,093  inhabitants; 
Claremont,  1,435 ;  Jafire^-,  1,235;  Swanzey,  1,157;  Winches- 
ter, 1,209;  Walpole,  1,245;  Richmond,  1,380 ;  Chesterfield, 
1,905 ;  and  Westmoreland,  2,018. 

Keene  had  two  negro  slaves,  and  in  the  state  there 
were  158.  In  1781  and  1782,  the  following  advertisements 
were  published  in  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette: 

"A  likeh%  capable  Negro  Girl,  14  j^ears  of  age,  to  be 
sold,  or  exchanged  for  a  Negro  Boy.  Enquire  of  the 
Printer." 

"To  be  sold  very  cheap  for  want  of  employment — A 
likely,  health}-  Negro  Girl  about  15  3'ears  of  age,  under- 
stands all  kinds  of  housework  —  will  suit  town  or  country. 
Enquire  of  the  Printer." 

Early  in  1791  the  printing  office  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Recorder  was  removed  from  the  building  opposite 
Col.  W3'man's  tavern  to  one  just  below  the  Chandler 
House;  and  the  publisher  announced  that  "the  great 
declension  of  Advertisements,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing pay  "  for  the  paper  would  compel  him  to  discontinue  its 
publication  at  the  close  of  that  quarter,  but  that  printing 
would  be  carried  on  as  usual.  But  he  afterwards  pub- 
lished a  few  numbers  of  the  Cheshire  Advertiser. 

The  first  bookbinder  in  town,  so  far  as  appears,  was 
Thomas  Smith  Webb,  the  celebrated  Freemason,  who  had 
a  shop  in  Federal  Row  in  1790-96. 

In  January,  1791,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles  w^as  appointed 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Cheshire  county. 

The  annual  town  meeting:  "Voted  that  their  be  Liberty 


292  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

to  set  up  a  Haj  markett  in  Som  Conveinant  place  betwene 
the  meeting  Hous  and  the  lane  called  Warshbourns  lane^ 
where  it  will  best  Commode  the  propriators  and  the  pub- 
lick."  The  haymarket  was  established  in  the  broad  open 
street  below  the  present  City  Hotel,  with  the  Ralston 
tavern  and  a  row  of  small  shops  on  the  west  side,  and 
"Federal  Row"  on  the  east. 

On  the  18th  of  March,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of 
the  legislature  establishing  postoffices  and  post  routes  in 
New  Hampshire,  the  president  and  council  of  the  state 
appointed  Major  Josiah  Richardson  postmaster  at  Keene, 
and  the  office  w^as  at  his  tavern  on  Pleasant  street  —  the 
first  regularly  established  postoffice  in  town.  The  post- 
master's compensation  was  "  two  pence  to  be  advanced  on 
the  postage  of  private  letters,  packets  &c."  The  same  year 
the  post  routes  were  so  changed  that  a  mail  ran  once  a 
fortnight  from  Concord  through  Weare,  New  Boston,  Am- 
herst, Wilton,  Peterboro,  Dublin  and  Marlboro  to  Keene, 
and  thence  through  Westmoreland,  Walpole,  Alstead, 
Acworth,  Charlestown,  Claremont,  Newport,  Lempster, 
Washington,  Hillsboro,  Henniker  and  Hopkinton  to  Con- 
cord. Thomas  Smith  of  Surry  was  postrider  on  that  route. 
The  compensation  of  the  rider  was  twelve  pounds  per 
annum  and  the  perquisites  on  private  packages.  The 
postage  was  sixpence  on  each  private  letter  for  every  forty 
miles,  and  fourpence  for  any  number  of  miles  less  than 
forty. 

In  August,  Hon.  Daniel  Newcomb  was  chosen  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  which  met  at  Concord  on  the  7th  of 
September  to  revise  the  state  constitution.  That  conven- 
tion chose  Hon.  Samuel  Livermore  president,  adjourned 
from  time  to  time,  discussed  the  seventy-two  amendments 
proposed,  and  sent  out  those  adopted  by  the  convention 
for  acceptance  or  rejection  by  the  people.  At  two  succes- 
sive meetings  Keene  voted  strongly  in  favor  of  the  amend- 
ments as  finally  adopted.  The  title  of  the  executive  was 
changed  from  president  to  governor.  At  the  closing 
session,  in  September,  1792,  Judge  Newcomb  of  Keene  was 
made  chairman  of  the  committee  that  reported   the  result 

1  Washburn's  lane  appears  to  have  been  the  same  as  Packersfield  road. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  293 

of  the  labors  of  the  convention  in  our  present  state  con- 
stitution. 

The  annual  town  meeting  in  1792  increased  Rev.  Mr. 
Hall's  salary  to  100  pounds  i  instead  of  eighty  pounds,  as 
it  had  been  previously.  Eighty  pounds  were  raised  for  a 
"  Bell  for  the  new  Meeting  House,"  and  Peleg  Sprague  was 
chosen  a  committee  to  purchase  the  same.  "  For  encourag- 
ing the  Purchase  of  a  Bell,  Judge  Newcomb  declared  in 
Town  Meeting,  that  he  w^ould  pay  (exclusive  of  his  own 
Proportion)  the  Proportion  of  Ten  men  whom  the  Select- 
men Should  Judge  to  be  least  able  to  pay. —  Squire  Sprague, 
declared  to  the  same  Purport  for  Four."  At  a  subsequent 
meeting,  Mr.  Sprague's  bill  for  the  cost  of  the  bell  and  for 
hanging  it,  951.  2s.  8d.  2q.,  was  allowed.  Two  years  later 
the  town  voted  to  purchase  a  larger  bell,  to  weigh  one 
thousand  pounds,  and  chose  Daniel  Newcomb  agent  for 
that  purpose. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  the  veteran  soldier,  magistrate 
and  eminent  citizen,  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  died,  aged  sixty- 
eight,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  yard  at  the  south  end  of 
Main  street. 

In  March,  Mrs.  Ruth  Kidder  reopened  a  school  she  had 
taught  the  previous  year  in  the  basement  of  "Watson's 
shop,"  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street  where 
the  Cheshire  bank  and  buildings  south  of  it  now  stand. 
The  entrance  was  on  the  south  side.  The  subscribers  to 
this  school  "promise  Mrs.  Ruth  Kidder  the  sum  of  five 
shillings  [83%  cents]  a  week  for  her  services  and  five 
shillings  for  her  board,  and  to  furnish  the  necessary  wood." 
With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  small  buildings  along 
the  line  of  the  street,  the  view  to  the  southwest  from  that 
schoolroom  door  was  unobstructed  across  open,  green 
meadows  to  "Daniel's  Hill"  beyond. 

A  Mrs.  Mary  Dunbar  (the  widow  of  Asa  Dunbar)  was 
keeping  tavern  on  Main  street  where  the  white  house 
between  the  railroad  tracks  now  stands.  Mrs.  Dunbar 
was  the  grandmother  of  Henry  D.  Thoreau,  the  famous 
naturalist. 


1  In  addition  to  this,  a  "bee"  was  made  each  year  to  cut  and  haul  his  year's 
supply  of  wood — about  forty  cords  —  from  the  minister  lot,  two  miles  north  of 
the  village. 


294  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

Major  William  Todd  kept  the  "Ralston  Tavern,"  and 
later  he  was  the  postmaster  in  Keene.  (Josiah  P.  Cooke 
in  Annals  of  Keene,  page  104,  gives  the  name  John  Todd. 
But  it  is  probable  that  Mr.  Cooke  wrote  from  memory 
and  mistook  the  name  John  for  William.  The  name  John 
Todd  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  records  of  Keene, 
while  Major  William  Todd  was  in  town  from  1790  to 
1803,  and  perhaps  longer.) 

August  27,  1792,  the  town  "Voted  to  sett  off  Doct.*- 
Blake's  Corner  of  the  Town  as  a  seperate  School  District, 
consisting  of  the  following  families  —  viz.  John  Conoly, 
Timothy  Conol3^  Doct.^'Obadiah  Blake,  Royal  Blake,  Abijah 
Metcalf,  Frederick  Metcalf,  Joseph  Brown,  Isaac  Wyman, 
Thomas  Dwinell,  Josiah  Ellis,  Elijah  Baker,  &  Ebenezer 
Baker."  The  Blake,  Conoly  (Colony),  and  Wyman  farms 
still  remain  in  possession  of  the  descendants  of  those  fami- 
lies. The  Baker  place  is  owned  by  Prof  Bracq,  and  the 
Dwinell  place,  off  the  road,  west,  by  Edwin  V.  Aldrich. 

The  same  meeting  voted  to  raise  four  hundred  pounds 
for  building  and  repairing  schoolhouses,  and  "that  the 
several  burying  yards  be  fenced  by  the  first  Day  of  June 
next  by  the  several  districts  at  their  Expense,  and  in  case 
of  failure,  that  the  Selectmen  fence  them  at  the  Expense 
of  said  Districts."  Five  burial  districts  were  laid  out,  as 
appears  later  in  this  chapter. 

An  article  in  the  warrant  for  a  town  meeting  held 
Sept.  24,  "To  permit  Doct.''  Dan.i  Adams  or  Doct."^  Thad- 
deus  Maccarty  or  Doct.^  Thomas  Edwards,  or  any  two 
of  them  to  erect  an  Hospital  in  some  convenient  part  of 
said  Town  to  inoculate  for  the  small  Pox,"  passed  in  the 
negative. 

At  another  meeting  in  November,  the  selectmen  were 
authorized  to  employ  soine  person  to  "ring  the  Bell  in 
this  Town  as  often  as  they  shall  think  proper,"  and  pay 
a  reasonable  sum  for  that  service. 

All  nails  were  made  by  hand,  and  in  consequence  of 
the  scarcity  of  them,  the  legislature  had  offered  a  bounty 
for  their  manufacture.  In  1787-8,  Ezra  Harvey  made  or 
caused  to  be  made  at  his  shop  in  Keene,  according  to  a 
certificate  of  the  selectmen,   200,000  four-penny   wrought 


Daniel  Adams. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  295 

nails,  and  received  the  bounty  thereon.  Under  the  same 
conditions  he  and  EHjah  Baker  continued  the  business  for 
several  years.  In  1790,  Baker  made  400,000  ten-penny 
and  Harvey  200,000  four-penny  wrought  nails.  In  1791, 
Harvey  made  400,000  four-penny  and  Baker  100,000  ten- 
penny  wrought  nails.  In  1792,  Baker  made  300,000  ten- 
penny  and  Harvey  400,000  four-penny  wrought  nails. 

"The  only  vehicle  or  carriage,  at  this  time,  known  to  be 
kept  and  used  in  Keene  for  pleasure  traveling,  was  owned 
and  kept  b}'  Thomas  Wells,  known  in  his  day  as  '  Farmer 
Wells,'  though  he  was  by  trade  a  hatter.  This  vehicle  was 
what  was  then  called  a  'chair,'  was  without  a  top,  accom- 
modated two  persons,  and  was  frequently  let  for  the  use  of 
persons  going  short  distances,  and  who  desired  an  easier 
mode  of  locomotion  than  a  hard  trotting  horse. 

"It  w^as  at  a  much  later  period  that  Judge  Newcomb 
introduced  the  first  chaise,  and  at  a  still  later,  that  the 
Rev.  Aaron  Hall  followed  the  same  fashion.  No  stage  at 
this  time  had  ever  passed  through  the  streets,  nor  were 
the  roads  generally  such  as  could  be  passed  in  wheel  car- 
riages ;  and  the  usual  and*  only  mode  of  travel  was  on 
horseback."  (Annals,  page  104.) 

Through  the  efforts  of  Judge  Newcomb,  and  largely  at 
his  expense,  a  "  grammar  school "  had  been  set  up  previous 
to  1793;  but  the  exact  time  is  not  known.  The  school- 
house  in  which  it  was  taught  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
brick  one,  just  below  the  residence  of  Mrs.  E.  C.  Tha3'er, 
which  was  removed  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  Elliot 
schoolhouse  was  built.  A  schoolhouse  stood  on  that  spot 
for  about  one  hundred  years.  The  first  teacher  was  Peter 
John  Ware,  and  "He  left  a.  lasting  impression  of  severity 
on  the  memories,  if  not  on  the  backs,  of  his  pupils."  Dur- 
ing this  year  (1793)  William  Thurston  was  in  charge  of 
the  school.  He  had  graduated  from  Dartmouth  college  in 
1792,  and  afterwards  settled  as  a  lawyer  in  Boston.  The 
tuition  w^as  12V^  cents  a  week,  with  a  small  additional 
sum  for  those  who  learned  to  write.  "Mr.  Thurston  was 
succeeded  by  Master  Farrar,  a  man  of  very  agreeble,  mild 
manners."     (Annals,  page  106.) 

In  April,  Henry  Blake  &  Co.  began  the  publication  of 
the  Columbian  Informer,  or  Cheshire  Journal.  But  one 
copy    of    that    paper    appears    to    have    been    preserved, 


296  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

although  its  publication  continued  until  August,  1795, 
when,  Henry  Blake  having  died,  it  was  sold  to  Cornelius 
Sturtevant,  Jr.,  &  Co. 

The  highest  taxpayers  in  town  in  1793,  in  the  order 
of  the  sums  paid  —  the  first  list  that  has  been  preserved  — 
were  Alexander  Ralston,  Thomas  Baker,  Abel  Blake, 
Moses  Johnson,  Daniel  Newcomb,  James  Wright,  Josiah 
Richardson,  Simeon  Clark,  David  Willson,  David  Nims,  Jr. 

In  February,  1794,  a  subscription  was  started  to  pur- 
chase the  first  town  clock  —  to  be  made  by  Luther  Smith 
at  his  shop  in  Federal  Row.  He  agreed  to  make  and  war- 
rant it  and  keep  it  in  repair  for  ten  years  for  thirty-six 
pounds.  The  town  accepted  and  placed  it  in  the  tower  of 
the  meetinghouse,  and  it  did  good  service  for  many  years. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting,  Abel  Blake,  Dea.  Abijah 
Wilder  and  Joseph  Brown  were  chosen  "Fire  Wards;" 
James  Morse  "Culler  of  Staves"  and  Benjamin  Hall 
"Essay  master  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes,"  —  the  first  mention 
of  those  offices  in  the  town  records.  The  office  of  clerk 
of  the  market  was  renewed  and  James  Morse  was  chosen. 
The  article,  "To  see  if  the  Town  will  grant  Money  to 
teach  Singing,"  was  passed  over. 

For  many  years  after  the  Revolution,  Walpole  was  a 
rival  of  Keene  for  the  position  of  leading  town  in  the 
county,  as  were  also  Westmoreland,  Chesterfield,  Rich- 
mond and  Charlestown ;  and  in  both  population  and  val- 
uation the  three  first  named  exceeded  Keene  at  this  time. 
Sometime  in  1793,  Isaiah  Thomas  and  David  Carlisle,  Jr., 
established  a  weekly  paper  at  Walpole,  calling  it  "The 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  Journal,  or  Farmer's  Mu- 
seum." Incomplete  files  of  the  paper,  from  No.  58,  vol.  2, 
dated  May  16,  1794,  to  the  time  of  its  discontinuance  in 
October,  1799,  have  been  preserved,  and  have  been  of  value 
in  the  preparation  of  this  work.  Its  columns  are  filled 
chiefly  with  important  state  papers  ;  diplomatic  letters  and 
documents,  foreign  and  domestic;  letters  of  .Washington 
and  other  distinguished  men  ;  and  the  acts  of  congress  and 
the  legislature.  Noticeable  among  the  few  advertisements, 
is  the  frequency  with  which  husbands  in  the  surrounding 
towns  forbid  the  public  to  trust  or  "harbour"  the  wives 


TOl^iV  AFFAIRS.  297 

who  had  left  their  "bed  and  board."  Five  such  advertise- 
ments appear  in  one  number  of  that  small  paper,  indicat- 
ing much  domestic  infelicity  even  in  those  days.  Sometimes 
there  were  spicy  replies  from  the  absconding  wives,  who 
could  "talk  back,"  and  who  probably  had  the  sympathy 
of  the  public.  Many  advertisements  of  runaway  appren- 
tices appear,  and  rewards  of  one  cent,  two  cents  and  six 
cents  —  seldom  larger  —  were  offered  for  their  apprehension 
and  return. 

It  w^as  during  1794  that  a  copartnership  was  formed 
between  Abijah  Wilder  and  Luther  Eames  of  Keene,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  aqueducts.  The  next  February,  "Lu- 
ther Eames  and  his  associates  were  incorporated  by  the 
Legislature  of  Massachusetts  into  a  society  for  bringing 
fresh  water  into  the  town  of  Boston."  Further  writings 
were  executed  in  May  between  Abijah  Wilder,  Luther  Eames 
and  Jonathan  Church,  for  building  the  Jamaica  Pond  aque- 
duct; and  thus  Boston  is  indebted  to  Keene  enterprise  "for 
the  first  introduction  of  pure  water  into  the  town." 

In  the  early  part  of  1795,  or  possibly  in  the  last  of 
1794,  Asa  Bullard  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Keene — 
the  first  under  the  United  States  government.  He  had 
been  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  styled 
"  Capt.  Bullard"  when  he  first  came  to  Keene;  and  he 
afterwards  rose  to  the  rank  of  major  in  the  militia. i  He 
kept  a  "Coffee  House"  on  what  is  now  the  south  corner 
of  Dunbar  and  Main  streets,  in  what  was  afterwards 
known  as  the  "plastered  house"  —  plastered  on  the  out- 
side—  and  had  the  office  there.  It  stood  on  the  same 
foundations  as  the  present  house  of  Mr.  Isaac  N.  Spencer, 
with  a  garden  extending  south  to  the  Packersfield  road. 
It  was  afterwards  the  residence  of  Elijah  Dunbar,  Esq., 
for  whom  the  street  ^vas  named.  That  was  a  convenient 
location  for  the  postoffice  then,  being  in  the  Haymarket, 
and  at  the  south  end  of  Federal  Row.  The  mails  now 
came  direct  from   Boston   once  a  week   and   went  through 

1  "  He  after-wards  removed  to  Walpole  and  kept  tavern  there;  and  it  was  at 
his  house  that  for  some  time  the  club  of  scholars  and  wits,  who  made  them- 
selves and  the  Farmers'  Museum  famous  throughout  the  country,  by  their 
lucubrations,  and  consisted  of  Joseph  Dennie,  after\vards  editor  of  the  Port 
Folio,  at  Philadelphia  ;  Royal  Tyler,  afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  Vermont ;  Sam- 
xiel  Hunt  and  Roger  Vose,  both  afterwards  members  of  Congress;  Samuel  West, 
and  others,  held  their  periodical  symposiums."     (Annals,  page  79.) 


298  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

to  "  Charlestown,  No.  4."  Thej^  were  carried  by  Jothara 
Johnson  of  Leominster,  Mass.,  who  advertised  to  carry 
passengers  in  winter  "in  a  convenient  covered  sleigh."  He 
left  Boston  Wednesday  morning,  reached  Leominster  that 
night;  came  to  Keene  Thursday  and  spent  the  night  at 
Capt.  Bullard's  Coffee  House;  arrived  at  No.  4  at  2  p.  m., 
Friday,  and  returned  to  Walpole  that  night.  Passing 
through  Keene  Saturday  morning  at  9  o'clock,  Marlboro 
(the  old  town  on  the  hill)  at  11,  he  reached  Boston  at  7 
o'clock  Monday  morning.^  The  roads  as  they  were  then 
w^ould  hardly  be  deemed  passable  now^,  and  the  mails  were 
carried  on  horseback  except  when  there  was  plenty  of  snow. 
The  veteran  John  Balch,  who  began  in  1781,  was  still  carry- 
ing mails,  newspapers  and  packages  on  some  of  the  routes. 

The  canal  and  locks  at  Bellows  Falls,  for  the  passage 
of  the  freight  boats  then  in  use  on  the  river,  were  in  pro- 
cess of  building  this  year.  The  boats  were  propelled  up  the 
stream  with  poles. 

Samuel  Hunt,  afterwards  a  member  of  congress,  was 
practising  law  in  Keene  at  this  time.  His  office  was  on 
the  east  side  of  Main  street,  below^  the  Chandler  House. 
He  came  from  Alstead,  remained  five  years,  and  removed 
to  Charlestown,  his  native  place. 

Asa  Bullard,  Jr.,  taught  the  grammar  school  in  1795. 
He  had  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1793,  and  was  "after- 
wards a  highly  respectable  teacher  and  physician  in  Bos- 
ton." He  was  succeeded  here  by  Thomas  Heald,  a  Dart- 
mouth graduate  of  1794,  who  settled  as  a  lawyer  in  Con- 
cord, Mass. 

May  19,  Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman,  the  veteran  soldier 
and  leader  in  the  town  in  the  early  days,  died,  aged  eighty- 
four,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  south  yard. 

A  town  meeting  on  the  25th  of  May  voted  to  increase 
the  salary  of  Rev.  Mr.  Hall  to  130  pounds  —  fifty  pounds 
more  than  was  agreed  upon  when  he  was  settled.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  in  addition  to  the  amount  required 

iln  1794,  congress  passed  an  act  establishing  mail  routes  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. One  of  those  routes  ran  from  Portsmouth  through  Exeter,  Chester, 
Amherst,  Keene  and  "Walpole  to  Charlestown.  Another  ran  direct  from  Boston 
to  Keene.  The  rates  of  postage  were,  "For  every  single  letter  conveyed  by  land 
not  exceeding  thirty  miles  six  cents  ;  over  thirty,  not  exceeding  sixty  miles,  eight 
cents;  over  sixty,  not  exceeding  one  hundred  miles,  ten  cents;"  and  so  on  —  the 
rate  for  those  carried  over  450  miles  being  twenty-five  cents.  For  double  or 
triple  letters,  double  or  triple  postage  was  required. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  299 

by  law  were  raised  for  schools,  and  "  Eighty  pounds  to  pur- 
chase and  fence  Burying  grounds  in  the  several  districts." 

At  this  time  the  town  was  divided  into  five  districts 
for  burial  purposes.  The  first  included  the  village  and  all 
the  inhabitants  between  the  river  and  the  "North  Branch," 
from  Swanzey  line  as  far  north  on  the  west  side  as  "  Fisher 
Brook,"  and  to  Sullivan  line  on  the  east  side.  Down  to 
this  time  the  burying  ground  of  this  district  had  been  the 
original  one  at  the  south  end  of  Main  street,  but  in  the 
spring  of  this  year  the  one  on  Prison  street  was  opened 
for  burial.  The  first  interment  there  was  that  of  John 
(Holland?)  Johnson, i  the  seven  years  old  son  of  Moses 
Johnson,  who  died  April  22.  His  grave  is  a  short  distance 
southeast  of  the  entrance.  Gravestones  in  that  yard  giv- 
ing an  earlier  date  than  1795  are  those  for  bodies  removed 
from  some  other  yard. 

The  second  district  was  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
town,  extending  as  far  north  as  the  present  Chesterfield 
road,  and  including  the  small  village  at  old  West  Keene 
and  three  or  four  farms  northwest  of  it.  The  burying 
ground  was  the  old  one  on  the  knoll  near  Ash  Swamp 
brook,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  H.  O.  Spaulding, 
where  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  have 
recently  placed  a  monument. 

The  third  district  was  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
town,  and  the  burying  ground  was  near  the  Westmoreland 
road  and  "near  Col.  Ellis's,"  three  and  a  half  miles  from 
town.  Later  the  second  and  third  districts  united,  in  part, 
in  the  grounds  near  the  old  Sawyer  tavern,  given  by  Col. 
Abraham  Wheeler,  who  then  owned  and  kept  the  tavern. 

The  fourth  district  was  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
with  the  burying  ground  in  the  crotch  of  the  roads  beyond 
the  Chase  farm. 

The  fifth  district  included  all  east  of  the  North  branch, 
and  the  burying  ground  was  near  Nathan  Nye's,  in  what 
is  now  Roxbury. 

The  boundary  lines  of  the  twelve  school  districts 
were  also  run  this  j^ear,  1795,  by  the  selectmen,  and 
the    descriptions  recorded ;     and    those    districts    remained 

ijosiali  P.  Cooke,  in  Annals  of  Keene,  page  102,  says,   "John   Holland,"  but 
tile  inscription  on  the  gravestone  is  simply  "John  Johnson." 


300  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

substantially  the  same  for  many  years.  From  those  descrip- 
tions we  learn  that  "Esq.  Baker"  still  had  his  tannery 
near  Beaver  brook  on  the  "Boston  Road;"  that  Fisher 
brook  was  the  little  stream  that  crosses  Court  street,  a 
little  more  than  a  mile  from  the  Square ;  that  Eri  Richard- 
son lived  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town;  that 
Thomas  Dwinell,  Addington  Daniels,  Ammi  Brown,  James 
Lincoln,  Luther  Bragg,  Aaron  Gray,  Noah  Leonard  and 
Jesse  Hall,  besides  others  previously  mentioned,  lived  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  town ;  Cornelius  Sturtevant  and 
Captains  Isaac  and  Stephen  Griswold,  near  the  north  line, 
east  of  the  river;  Benjamin  Archer,  near  the  town  line  on 
the  old  Walpole  road;  James  Crossfield,  in  the  north  part 
of  what  is  now  Roxbury ;  Capt.  David  Willson,  on  the 
southeast  side  of  Beech  hill,  probably  on  the  Chapman 
farm ;   and  many  other  facts  of  interest. 

The  sum  raised  for  schools  this  year,  1795,  was  200 
pounds ;  but  an  article  in  the  warrant  for  a  meeting  in 
November,  to  see  if  the  town  would  support  a  grammar 
school,  was  dismissed.  The  next  year,  1796,  "  Monsieur 
Bellerieve,  a  Frenchman,  took  charge  of  the  (private)  gram- 
mar school,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  instruction  solely  in 
French.     His  career  was  a  short  one."     (Annals,  page  107.) 

The  selectmen  of  Keene  had  sold  to  Daniel  Newcomb, 
Esq.,  in  1784-,  a  small  part  of  the  old  meetinghouse  lot 
and  common  at  the  south  end  of  Main  street.  On  the  30th 
of  November,  1795,  they  sold  him  the  remainder  of  that 
lot,  and  he  afterwards  built  on  it  a  fine  colonial  house  for 
his  homestead,  which  gave  place  to  the  present  structure, 
now  the  residence  of  Mr.  E.  F.  Lane. 

In  August,  Cornelius  Sturtevant,  Jr.,  &  Co.  began  the 
publication  of  a  weekW  paper  called  the  "Rising  Sun." 
But  few  copies  of  that  paper  are  now  in  existence.  The 
"Co."  was  Abijah  Wilder  and  Elias  Sturtevant. 

Sept.  28,  1795,  the  town  chose  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles 
representative  in  place  of  Daniel  Newcomb,  who  had  been 
elected  in  March,  but  had  also  been  elected  state  senator, 
and  resigned  as  representative. 

"  Chose  Jeremiah  Stiles  Josiah  Richardson  &  Dan^ 
Kingsbury  Esq'"  to   give   a   deed  in   behalf  of  the  Town  of 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  301 

Keene  to  the  Countj^  of  Cheshire  of  Land  on  the  Common 
in  Keene  to  extend  eight  Rods  east  of  Cap*  Richardsons 
east  Garden  fence,  from  the  Road  on  the  South  side  of  the 
Common  to  the  North  side  of  the  Common,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  new  Court  house  thereon  to  be  for  the 
use  of  the  County  so  long  as  said  Court  house  shall  stand 
thereon  and  be  used  as  such  and  no  longer  and  the  Town 
to  have  the  same  privileges  on  said  land  &  in  the  new 
Court  house  to  be  erected  as  they  now  have  in  the  old 
Court  house  and  on  said  land." 

Mr.  Alexander  Ralston,  the  wealthiest  man  in  town, 
was  making  an  effort  to  have  the  new  courthouse  built 
near  his  tavern  —  in  the  Haymarket.  At  the  next  annual 
meeting,  in  1796.  the  town  "Voted  as  the  opinion  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  Keene  that  it  would  be  most  convenient  for 
the  Town  of  Keene,  and  for  the  County  of  Cheshire,  to 
have  a  Court  house  built  where  the  Old  one  now  stands  on 
the  Common  in  Keene;  and  to  instruct  their  Representa- 
tive to  use  his  Influence  in  the  Convention  of  said  County 
to  grant  two  hundred  pounds  for  building  the  same,  agree- 
able to  the  contract  *  *  *  *  notwithstanding  any  pro- 
posals of  M.*"  Ralston  since,  or  if  he  would  build  one  for 
nothing  where  he  proposes." 

The  new  courthouse  was  built  during  that  season,  very 
nearly  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  (the  old  meetinghouse), 
and  was  used  as  a  town  hall  for  many  years.  At  the 
same  time  the  south  end  of  the  road  from  Surry  and  Wal- 
pole  was  changed  so  as  to  run  near  the  west  side  of  it, 
entering  Pleasant  (West)  street  where  the  postoffice  build- 
ing now  stands  —  along  "the  east  side  of  Capt.  Richard- 
son's garden  fence,"  and  forming  the  present  Court  street, 
except  at  its  south  end.  Previous  to  that,  it  had  come 
down  nearly  on  the  line  of  the  present  School  street;  and, 
prior  to  1773,  curved  thence  to  the  east,  passing  below 
the  present  Episcopal  church,  and  entering  Main  street  by 
"Poverty  Lane,"  about  where  Lamson  block  now  stands. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1796,  in  accordance  with  the 
request  of  a  previous  county  convention,  the  town  "voted 
that  the  Court  house  in  Keene  when  finished  become  the 
sole  property  of  the  County  of  Cheshire  without  reserve." 
Keene  had  voted  to  give  the  land,  and  prominent  citizens 
had    contributed    generous    sums    of  money    towards    the 


302  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

erection  of  the  building.  At  the  December  term,  "  The  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  give  liberty  to  the  Town  of  Keene  to  use 
the  Court  house  for  Town  Meetings  when  there  is  no  Court 
sitting  there  (said  Town  doing  no  injury  thereto  and  keep- 
ing the  same  clean)  upon  their  giving  a  deed  thereof  to  the 

County.    Attest 

Tho'«  Sparhawk,  Clerk." 

During  the  year  1796,  Dea.  Abijah  Wilder  utilized  his 
skill  in  laying  aqueducts  by  bringing  water  in  logs  from  a 
spring  1  at  the  north  end  of  the  village  to  supply  his  own 
and  other  families.  Afterwards  the  same  aqueduct  was 
used  to  supply  water  to  some  shops  and  manufactories ; 
and  others  were  laid  in  town  about  the  same  time  and  did 
good  service  for  many  years. 

On  the  10th  of  June  the  community  was  shocked  by 
the  sudden  death  of  George  Newcomb,  eldest  son  of  Judge 
Newcomb.  He  was  a  remarkably  bright  and  promising 
lad,  thirteen  years  old,  and  an  undergraduate  of  Dart- 
mouth college.  He  was  at  home  on  a  vacation,  went  to 
the  river  to  bathe  with  the  boys  of  the  grammar  school, 
and  was  drowned. 

A  remarkably  bright  son  of  Capt.  Alpheus  Nims, 
George,  in  his  sixth  j'ear,  died  also  about  the  same  time. 
"He  w^as  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  memory,  so  that 
he  could  retain,  almost  verbatim,  discourses  of  consider- 
able length."    (Annals,  page  80.) 

In  business,  Allen  &  Dorr  (Joseph  Dorr,  son-in-law  of 
Capt.  Josiah  Richardson)  had  succeeded  Goodale  &  Homer 
in  the  store  on  the  corner,  and  they  were  sharp  competi- 
tors of  Moses  Johnson  (or  "Johnson  &  Mann")  their  next 
door  neighbors.  The  advertisements  of  the  rival  firms  were 
sharp  and  spicy,  and  their  customers  reaped  the  benefit  of 
low  prices. 

Down  to  this  time,  1797,  every  property  holder  had 
been  compelled  to  pay  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  church 
established  in  the  town.  But  the  new  state  constitution 
provided  that,  "no  person  of  any  one  particular  denomina- 
tion shall  ever  be  compelled  to  pay  towards  the  support  of 
the   teacher    or    teachers    of   another    persuasion,    sect    or 

iThe  Annals  say  from    Beaver  brook,  but  it  has  since   been  ascertained  that 
it  was  from  a  spring. 


John  Prentiss. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  303 

denomination."  Controversy  and  litigation  at  once  sprang 
up  from  those  who  dissented,  or  pretended  to  dissent,  from 
the  doctrines  taught  in  the  established  church  in  their 
town  concerning  the  payment  of  the  minister  tax.  In 
Keene,  Rev.  Aaron  Hall  was  a  Congregationalist,  and 
taught  the  doctrines  of  Calvin.  Dr.  Ziba  Hall  claimed  to 
be  a  Universalist.  The  selectmen  collected  the  usual  tax 
for  the  support  of  the  minister.  Dr.  Hall  brought  suit  to 
recover  the  tax  he  had  paid.  The  town  appropriated 
twenty  dollars  to  defend  the  suit.  The  controversy  was 
sharp  and  exciting,  but  heavily  balanced  against  the  doc- 
tor. Much  testimony  was  taken.  The  jury  gave  their 
verdict  for  the  defendants,  in  accordance  with  the  religious 
feeling  of  the  time,  and  on  the  ground  that  the  laws  did 
not  recognize  any  such  denomination  as  Universalists. 
Soon  afterwards,  the  legislature  recognized  the  Universa- 
lists and  other  denominations  by  legal  enactment,  and 
compulsory  support  of  churches  ceased. 

The  denominations  of  money  in  use  had  now  so  far 
changed  from  the  English  to  the  Federal  system,  that  at 
the  annual  town  meeting  this  j^ear,  1797,  the  sums  raised 
were  stated  in  dollars  and  cents  instead  of  pounds,  shil- 
lings and  pence.  The  sum  of  $500  was  voted  for  Mr. 
Hall's  salar}^  $500  for  schools,  $500  for  repair  of  high- 
wa\^s  and  bridges,  and  $800  for  town  charges.  But  the 
next  year,  1798,  the  appropriations  were  $666.67  for 
schools,  $666.67  for  highways  and  bridges,  and  $433.83  for 
Mr.  Hall's  salary;  which  show^s  a  clinging  to  the  old  Eng- 
lish system,  and  a  serious  retrograde  movement  in  grant- 
ing Mr.  Hall's  salary.  Five  years  later,  however,  it  was 
raised  to  $500,  and  was  kept  at  that  sum  for  man\'  years. 

In  August,  1798,  Peleg  Sprague,  Esq.,  of  Keene,  was 
elected  to  congress,  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resigna- 
tion of  Hon.  Jeremiah  Smith.  Mr.  Sprague  took  his  seat 
on  the  4th  of  March  following. 

"The  first  dancing  school  in  Keene  was  taught  during 
this  winter  (1798-9)  by  Master  Burbank  of  Brookfield,  in 
the  hall  of  the  public  house  then  kept  by  Dr.  Thomas 
Edwards,  where  the  Cheshire  House  now  stands." 

(Annals,  page  108.) 

In  the  early  part  of  1799,  John  Prentiss,  then  21  years 


304  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

old,  came  to  Keene  and  began  the  publication  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Sentinel,  at  the  "Old  Printing  Office,"  which 
had  been  the  office  of  the  Rising  Sun  and  previous  weekly 
papers  —  already  described  as  the  first  office  of  the  Recorder. 
"A  bill  of  sale  and  transfer  is  drafted  by  N.  Cooke,  of  the 
printing  apparatus  and  effects  —  formerly  owned  by  C. 
Sturtevant  Jr.  &  Co. — from  Abijah  Wilder  to  John  Pren- 
tiss. For-  these  writings  Abijah  Wilder  is  debited  in  the 
books  of  account  of  N.  Cooke  as  follows,  viz  :  '  March  27, 
1799.  Abijah  Wilder,  Dr.  —  To  drawing  writings  between 
him  and  Prentiss,  15  cents.'"  —  an  illustration  of  the 
modesty  of  professional  charges  in  those  days. 

The  first  number  of  the  Sentinel  was  issued  on  Satur- 
day, the  23d  of  March.  Its  motto  was:  "My  Country's 
Good  — a  faithful  Watch  I  stand." 

The  name  was  well  chosen,  for  Keene  was  still  one  of 
the  frontier  points  of  civilization.  Mr.  Prentiss  began  with 
seventy  subscribers  at  $1.50  a  year  —  taken  in  wood,  but- 
ter, cheese,  grain,  and  almost  any  article  used  in  a  family 
—  and  he  also  kept  a  few  standard  books,  blank  books  and 
a  small  stock  of  stationery  for  sale.  In  October,  the  office 
was  removed  to  a  new  building  just  south  of  Dr.  Ed- 
wards's tavern. 

The  previous  w^inter  had  been  one  of  remarkable 
severity.  A  paragraph  in  the  Sentinel,  dated  March  30, 
says:  "The  oldest  man  scarcely  recollects  such  a  winter 
as  the  past.  Since  the  middle  of  November  the  ground  has 
been  covered  with  snow.  The  mail  sleigh  from  Boston  to 
Walpole  has  passed  through  this  town  eighteen  weeks  in 
succession.  *  *  *  *  We  have  had  four  months  and  ten 
days  dead  winter."  The  severity  was  equally  great  in 
Europe.  The  Sentinel  of  May  11,  said  :  "  The  snow  now,  in 
many  parts  of  this  town,  is  two  to  three  feet  deep."  "  Some- 
how or  other  our  earth  appears  to  have  gotten  an  unlucky 
jog  to  the  Northward.     The  spring  is  extremely  backward." 

The  4.th  of  July  was  celebrated  this  year  with  much 
patriotic  spirit.  At  sunrise  the  bell  were  rung,  and  in 
default  of  cannon,  volleys  of  musketry  were  fired.  Two 
companies  of  militia  under  Captains  Alpheus  Nims  and 
Isaac  Griswold,  paraded  on  the  common,  and  at  11  o'clock 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  305 

"escorted  a  large  and  respectable  procession  through  the 
streets  to  the  meeting-house,"  where  religious  services  were 
held,  with  patriotic  music,  and  an  oration  w^as  delivered 
by  Noah  Cooke,  Esq.  At  3  o'clock,  there  was  a  dinner  at 
which  thirteen  regular  toasts  were  drunk ;  and  in  addi- 
tion, one  volunteer  toast  to  "Peleg  Sprague,  Esq.,  our 
worthy  Representative  in  Congress." 

"July  20.  —  Died,  Mrs.  Abigail  Nims,  of  this  town,  con- 
sort of  Mr.  David  Nims,  aged  80.  Her  descendants  were 
81 — children  10,  grand-children  50,  great-grand -children  21. 
Mrs.  Nims  accompanied  the  first  settlers  in  this  town." 

(Annals,  page  85.) 

In  August,  1799,  Keene  was  one  of  the  recruiting 
stations  in  New  Hampshire  for  raising  volunteers  for  the 
threatened  war  with  France.  Capt.  J.  Dunham,  of  the 
regular  army,  opened  an  oflSce  here,  heading  his  advertise- 
ment with : 

"ATTENTION!!! 
TO  ARMS  COLUMBIA!" 

But  the  troops  were  not  called  out. 

Washington  died  on  the  14th  of  December.  When  the 
news  reached  Keene,  in  the  evening,  some  days  later,  Abijah 
Wilder,  Jr.,  then  a  boy  of  fifteen,  went  into  the  belfry  of 
the  meetinghouse  and  tolled  the  bell  all  night.  The  next 
day  at  noon  the  United  States  flag  was  hoisted,  draped  in 
mourning,  and  the  bell  was  again  tolled  until  2  o'clock. 

A  town  meeting  was  held  on  the  27th  of  January, 
1800,  "to  carry  into  effect  the  measures  recommended  by 
Congress,  and  by  the  Proclamation  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  for  the  observance  of  the  22d  day  of  Febru- 
ary next  —  publicly  to  testify  their  Grief  for  the  death  of 
General  George  Washington." 

"Voted  and  chose  Daniel  Newcomb  Esq.^  David  Forbes 
Esquire,  Doctor  Ziba  Hall,  Lock.*  Willard  Esq.^  Cap.^  Abel 
Blake,  M.""  Ebenezer  Robbins,  and  Noah  Cooke  Esq.^  a 
Committee  to  make  arrangements."  "Voted  and  chose 
Doctor  Daniel  Adams  and  Major  John  Pray  Blake  Mar- 
sh alls  for  that  day." 

The  order  of  exercises  announced  by  the  committee 
requested  the  inhabitants  to  assemble  "at  the  house  of 
Major  Todd  [who  still  kept  the  Ralston  tavern],  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  in  habiliments   of  mourning,   the 


306  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

males  with  crape  or  black  ribbon  on  the  left  arm  below 
the  elbow,  the  females  with  a  black  sash." 

The  programme  was  carried  out  as  planned.  The  in- 
terior of  the  meetinghouse  was  draped  with  mourning,  a 
flag  in  mourning  was  displayed  at  half  staff,  and  the  bell 
was  muffled,  and  tolled  during  the  march  of  the  procession, 
and  after  the  exercises  until  sunset.  The  procession,  in 
which  the  town  and  other  officials,  the  Masons  and  the 
citizens  generally,  joined,  was  escorted  by  the  Keene  Light 
Infantry  in  uniform,  Capt.  Alpheus  Nims;  the  company  of 
militia,  Capt.  Isaac  Griswold ;  each  with  arms  reversed ; 
and  the  company  of  cavalry,  Lieut.  Clark;  with  muffled 
drums,  from  Major  Todd's  tavern  to  the  meetinghouse, 
w^here  appropriate  religious  services  were  held.  An  oration 
was  pronounced  by  Samuel  West,  Esq.,  and  "The  choir  of 
singers  did  ample  justice  to  the  solemn  and  affecting  airs." 
"The  ceremonies  of  the  day  were  conducted  with  the 
greatest  decency  and  propriety." 

One  article  in  the  warrant  for  the  annual  town  meet- 
ing in  1800  w^as :  "To  take  the  Sense  of  the  qualified 
Voters  on  the  Subject  of  using  Instruments  of  Music  in  aid 
of  vocal  Music  in  the  Meeting  house  on  Sabbath  days." 
It  was  dismissed. 

In  August,  the  town  voted  to  raise  $1,333.33  to  build 
and  repair  schoolhouses. 

Several  prominent  citizens  died  during  t\\^  j^ear  —  Hon. 
Peleg  Sprague,  in  April,  aged  43 ;  Gideon  Ellis,  one  of  the 
early  settlers,  in  August,  aged  86;  and  Capt.  Jeremiah 
Stiles,  in  December,  aged  56. 

At  the  close  of  the  18th  century,  Keene  was  a  well 
settled  township  of  1,645  inhabitants,  chiefly  thrifty 
farmers  and  their  large  families,  and  "Keene  Street"  was 
an  attractive  village  of  about  one  hundred  houses,  shops, 
etc.,  including  a  fine  new  meetinghouse,  of  which  the  citi- 
zens had  a  right  to  be  proud.  President  Dwight,  of  Yale 
college,  an  experienced  traveller,  described  Keene  as  one  of 
the  pleasantest  inland  towns  he  had  seen.  Central  Square 
had  been  laid  out  partly  in  its  present  form,  though  not 
extending  so  far  north,  with  the  meetinghouse  near  the 
north  side,  fronting  south,  the  horsesheds  behind  it,  and  the 
"common"  extending  down  to  the  present  railroad  tracks. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS. 


307 


The  accompanying  map  of  the  village  as  it  was  at  that 
time,  with  the  page  of  explanations,  is  copied  from  the 
Annals  of  Keene,  pages  88  and  89. 

"The  plan  of  the  Village,  on  the  opposite  page,  has 
been  prepared  with  much  labor  and  care.  It  was  pro- 
tracted by  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Esq.  from  surveys  made 
by  him  and  others ;  and  the  position  of  the  buildings  and 
the  owners'  names  have  been  ascertained,  by  frequent  con- 
sultations with  many  persons  whose  recollections  go  back 
to  that  period. 

"The  figures  on  the  plan  refer  to  the  table  below. 

"REFERENCES. 


"1.- 

2.- 

3.- 

4.- 

5.- 

6.- 

7.- 

8.- 

9.- 

10.- 

11.- 

12.- 

13.- 

14.- 

15.- 

16.- 

17.- 

18.- 

19.- 

20.- 

21.- 

22.- 

23.- 

24.- 

25.- 

26.- 

27.- 

28.- 

29.- 

30.- 

31.- 

32.- 

33.- 

34.- 
35.- 
36.- 
37.- 
38.- 
39.- 
40.- 
41.- 


Judge  Newcomb. 

42. 

—  Draper's  Bake  House. 

Maj.  Willard. 

43. 

— James  Morse. 

Dorman  house. 

44. 

— Noah  Cooke. 

Thomas  Baker. 

45. 

—  Saw  Mill. 

Old  Cemetery. 

46. 

—  Grist  Mill. 

School  House. 

47. 

—Nathan.  Blake. 

Blake's  Tavern. 

48. 

—James  Wyman. 

Dr  Adams. —  Post  Office. 

49. 

—John  Warner. 

Lockhart  Willard. 

50. 

—  Dr  Charles  Blake. 

School  House. 

51. 

—  William  Lamson. 

Washburn  house. 

52. 

—  Rev.  Aaron  Hall. 

David  Simmons. 

53. 

— Josiah  Richardson. 

ThomasField's  house  and  shop. 

54. 

—  Abijali  Wilder. 

Eli  Metcalf. 

55. 

—  Moses  Johnson's  pot  and  pearl 

Thomas  Shapley. 

ash  works. 

Widow  Goodnow. 

56. 

—  Israel  Houghton. 

Thomas  Wells. 

57. 

—  Nehemiah  Towns. 

Old  Printing  Office. 

58. 

—  Elias  Rugg. 

Samuel  Dinsmoor. 

59. 

—  Samuel  Bassett. 

Abel  Blake. 

60. 

—  Asahel  Blake. 

Alexander  Ralston. 

61. 

—  Court  House. 

Low^  shops. 

62. 

—  Meeting  House. 

Ralston's  tavern. 

63. 

—Allen  &  Bond's  store. 

Bemis,  watch  maker. 

64. 

—  David  Forbes's  office. 

Ralston's  distillery. 

65. 

—  Blacksmith's  shop. 

-Dunbar  house. 

66. 

—  Dwelling  house  and  shop. 

-Masonic  Hall. 

67. 

-Dr  M'Carty. 

-Peter  Wilder 's  house  and  shop. 

68. 

—  Dr  M'Carty 's  small  house. 

-Luther  Smith's  shop. 

69. 

—  Spinney  house  and  shop. 

-Dr  Ziba  Hall. 

70. 

—  Samuel  Daniels. 

-Moses  Johnson's  house. 

71. 

—  Alpheus  Nims. 

■Coopers'  shops. 

72. 

—  Eliphalet  Briggs. 

-Dinsmoor's     office.  —  Store. — 

73. 

—Jeremiah  Stiles. 

Printing  Office. 

74. 

— Joseph  Stiles. 

-Dr  Edwards's  tavern. 

75. 

—  Grout  house. 

-  Peleg  Sprague's  house  and  office 

76. 

-Jail. 

-Daniel  Watson. 

77. 

-Abel  Wilder. 

-Watson's  shop. 

78. 

—  School  House. 

-Johnson's  store. 

79. 

—Nathaniel  Briggs. 

-Joseph  Dorr's  store. 

80. 

—  Horse  sheds. 

-Lamson's  Tannery. 

81. 

—  Cemetery. 

-Dwelling  house  in  rear  of  John- 

82. 

—Warner's  Fulling  Mill." 

son's  store. 

308  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

For  further  explanation:  Allen  &  Bond  (Amasa  Allen, 
from  the  firm  of  Allen  &  Dorr,  and  John  G.  Bond)  had 
opened  the  first  store  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square. 
David  Forbes  had  a  law  office  next  door  north,  and  north 
of  him,  where  city  hall  now  stands,  was  a  blacksmith's 
shop,  owned  by  Joseph  Dorr  and  carried  on  by  Towns  & 
Wright,  who  made  axes  and  other  tools  for  the  merchants 
to  sell. 

Dr.  Thomas  Edwards  kept  the  former  Chandler  House, 
where  the  Cheshire  House  now  stands.  It  was  at  his 
tavern,  in  April,  1799,  that  the  first  veterinarian  of  which 
we  have  any  record,  one  Cyrus  Palmer,  a  black  man, 
advertised  that  he  would  attend  sick  and  disabled  horses 
for  a  few  weeks.  South  of  that  were  the  Sentinel  office,  law 
offices,  stores  and  shops.  Dr.  Ziba  Hall,  who  had  kept 
tavern  in  1779,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  had 
removed  to  Lebanon  in  1780,  and  had  been  succeeded  in 
the  tavern  by  Aaron  and  Luther  Fames,  apparently  had 
returned  and  was  again  keeping  the  tavern  at  this  time. 
Then  came  Federal  Row,  where  Luther  Smith  made  clocks 
and  Peter  Wilder  made  rakes,  scj'^the-snaths,  chairs  and 
wheels.  Smith  afterwards  built  the  main,  or  north,  part 
of  the  present  Eagle  Hotel,  where  his  shop  stood.  Many 
of  the  tall,  old  fashioned  clocks  still  in  use  —  some  of  them 
kept  as  heirlooms  —  were  made  by  Luther  Smith.  The 
old  two-story  wooden  Masonic  Hall,  with  Major  Wm. 
Todd's  store  on  the  ground  floor,  stood  next  south  of 
where  the  "Adams  Kingsbury"  brick  house  now  stands. 
Thomas  Wells  was  keeping  tavern  in  the  old  Bullard  Coffee 
House  (Dunbar  house)  and  Alexander  Ralston  had  a  dis- 
tillery down  the  Packersfield  road.  Below,  Thomas  Fields 
had  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and  the  "  Washburne  House" 
appears  to  have  been  in  the  old  fort. 

Down  to  this  time,  the  lower  part  of  Main  street  had 
been  the  "court  end"  of  the  town.  Dr.  Daniel  Adams  had 
built  the  house  now  324  Main  street,  had  been  appointed 
postmaster  in  1799,  and  kept  the  office  there.  Thomas 
Baker,  Esq.,  was  living  in  the  house  that  he  had  built  — 
still  standing — on  the  sand  knoll  on  the  "Boston  Road;" 
Judge  Newcomb  had  built  and  was  living  in  a  fine  colonial 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  309 

house  on  the  site  of  the  first  meetinghouse;  and  William 
Ward  Blake  had  married  Roxana,  daughter  of  Col.  Isaac 
Wyman,  and  kept  the  old  Wyman  tavern. 

Capt.  Abel  Blake  was  living  on  the  Blake  homestead, 
where  the  first  Nathan  began  and  where  he  was  captured 
by  the  Indians.  Samuel  Dinsmoor  had  not  yet  taken  up  his 
residence  on  the  place  south  of  the  Blakes,  as  the  map  repre- 
sents. That  was  owned  at  that  time  by  Major  William 
Todd.     (Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  bought  that  place  in  1849.) 

The  saddler's  shop  of  the  Willards,  Josiah,  senior  and 
junior,  was  in  Federal  Row,  also  called  the  Haymarket  — 
a  stirring  part  of  the  town  for  business.  Joseph  Dorr  had 
succeeded  Allen  &  Dorr,  on  the  corner  of  Pleasant  street, 
and  Major  Josiah  Richardson  still  kept  his  famous  inn 
where  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  now  stands,  his  barns  and 
outbuildings  extending  north  and  west,  and  his  large 
garden  on  the  east  coming  out  to  the  site  of  the  present 
postoifice  building. 

On  the  same  street  was  the  residence  and  bakery  of 
John  Draper,  whose  wife  w^as  one  of  the  heroines  of  the 
siege  of  Boston,  succeeding  Ichabod  Fisher  in  the  little  old 
yellow  house  already  mentioned.  In  the  parsonage,  nearly 
opposite,  the  "Social  Library"  was  kept  —  almost  exactly 
on  the  site  of  the  present  public  library  —  and  Rev.  Aaron 
Hall  was  its  librarian.  It  held  its  annual  meetings  in  the 
courthouse,  and  was  incorporated  in  1801,  with  all  the 
leading  men  in  town  as  members.  Noah  Cooke,  Esq.,  was 
clerk  of  the  corporation. 

At  the  water  privilege  on  the  river  there  was  a  saw- 
mill, and  also  a  gristmill  with  two  runs  of  stones,  one  for 
wheat,  with  bolters  for  making  flour.  They  had  been 
owned  and  run  by  Nathan  and  Abel  Blake,  but  were  sold, 
in  1799,  to  Luther  Smith,  the  clock  maker.  Dea.  Abijah 
Wilder,  the  cabinet  maker,  lived  on  the  old  Walpole  road, 
and  was  at  this  time  making  "screw  cheese  presses."  He 
was  something  of  an  inventor,  and  had  recently  obtained 
a  patent  for  bending  sleigh  runners  by  steaming  the  wood, 
considered  a  wonderful  invention  at  that  time.  Capt, 
Alpheus  Nims  owned  the  mills  on  Beaver  brook  and  lived 
on  what  had  been  his  father's  farm,  on  Prison  street,  since 


310  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

known  as  the  Page  farm.  The  old  house,  built  b}'^  David 
Nims,  stood  until  a  few  years  ago,  where  Charles  Wright, 
2d,  now  lives.  It  was  removed  to  Page  street  —  now  No. 
39  —  the  large  old  chimney  in  the  middle  giving  place  to 
smaller  ones.  Dr.  Maccarty,  on  Prison  street,  kept  an 
apothecary's  shop,  and  w^as  the  first  in  town  to  advertise 
and  sell  patent  medicines. 

One  of  the  finest  residences  in  town  stood  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  common,  w^here  Clarke's  block  now 
stands  —  a  two-story  house,  facing  south,  with  a  flower 
and  vegetable  garden  in  front.  It  was  owned  at  that  time 
by  Major  Josiah  Richardson,  and  occupied  by  Abel  Wilder. 
Wilder  afterwards  owned  it  and  sold  to  Albe  Cady,  in 
1808.  After  that,  it  w^as  knowm  as  the  Cady  house  and 
stood  until  1880,  when  it  was  burned  with  other  build- 
ings on  that  corner. 

The  tw^o  stores  at  old  West  Keene  were  doing  a  thriv- 
ing business,  and  David  Kingsbury  had  drugs  and  medi- 
cines in  a  part  of  the  one  kept  by  Abijah  Foster.  Jesse 
Clark  was  still  keeping  his  tavern  and  running  his  saw 
and  grist  mills,  and  advertising  all  kinds  of  grain  for  sale. 
Ebenezer  Robbins  had  a  sawmill  on  White  brook  —  suc- 
ceeding Adin  Holbrook  —  on  the  road  that  ran  (and  still 
runs)  south  from  beyond  that  west  village  to  and  over 
West  mountain.  The  power  was  an  undershot  wheel, 
propelled  simply  by  the  force  of  the  current,  wnth  consid- 
erable fall.  For  nearly  fort}^  years,  Amos  Partridge,  and 
his  successor,  Lieut.  Reuben  Partridge,  had  had  a  sawmill 
on  the  old  Surry  road,  on  the  stream  from  Goose  pond; 
and  Elisha  Briggs  w^as  making  cider  mills  and  other  ma- 
chinery at  his  mills  on  the  North  branch,  since  known  as 
the  "peg  factory." 

The  clothier's  mills  at  West  Swanzey  still  did  a  large 
part  of  the  clothier  business  for  Keene ;  but  Silas  Dickinson 
had  followed  the  Balches  in  the  fulling  mills  near  the  West- 
moreland road,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  William. 

Mechanics  of  all  kinds  had  shops  in  the  village  and  at 
West  Keene,  and  their  business  was  brisk,  for  manufactur- 
ing by  machinery  had  scarcely  yet  begun,  and  all  tools  and 
implements  had  to  be  made  b3'  hand. 


I 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  311. 

In  addition  to  the  licensed  taverns  already  mentioned, 
Lieut.  Stephen  Chase  was  keeping  one  on  the  Surry  road, 
where  his  descendants  still  live ;  Major  Joseph  Willson  had 
one  west  of  the  bridge,  at  South  Keene ;  Jehosaphat  Grout 
kept  one  on  Prison  street;  Abijah  Foster  and  Joseph  Brown 
held  licenses  as  taverners  at  West  Keene,  with  Royal 
Blake  and  Timothy  Colony  near  them;  Major  Josiah  Wil- 
lard  and  Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall  did  the  same  here  in  the 
village ;  and  there  were  others  in  town.  Nearly  every  mer- 
chant and  trader,  and  several  others,  were  licensed  retail- 
ers of  intoxicating  drinks ;  and  it  was  still  the  custom  to 
allow  horses,  cattle  and  hogs  to  run  at  large  in  the 
streets,  and  the  public  pound  and  the  yokes  of  the  hog- 
reeves  yvere  in  frequent  requisition. 

Jotham  Johnson,  the  mail  carrier,  had  put  a  four-horse 
stage  on  the  route  from  Boston  to  Keene  for  one  summer, 
but  the  roads  w^ere  bad,  it  failed  to  pay  expenses,  and  he 
took  it  off. 

The  amount  of  taxes  raised  by  the  town  was : 

School-house  tax $1,296  94 

All  others 1,664  73 

Total $2,961  67 

The  ten  highest  taxpayers,  in  their  order,  w^ere  Moses 
Johnson,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Thomas  Baker,  James  Wright, 
Ephraim  Wright,  Abel  Blake,  Joseph  Dorr,  Thomas 
Edwards,  Noah  Cooke  and  Samuel  Heaton. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PIONEER  LIFE. 
1736—1816. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  country  were  a 
hardy,  vigorous  race,  inured  to  hardship  and  accustomed 
to  danger,  generally  the  young,  energetic  and  enterprising 
members  of  the  older  communities.  "God  sifted  a  whole 
nation  that  he  might  send  choice  grain "  into  these  wil- 
dernesses. 

Piety,  integrity  and  respect  for  law  and  the  authority 
of  church  and  state  were  striking  features  of  the  early 
New  England  character.  Those  pioneers  had  small  store 
of  "book  learning,"  for  that  was  scarcely  to  be  had,  but 
they  were  liberally  educated  in  the  arts  and  methods  of 
pioneer  life.  The  hard  life  which  they  were  compelled  to 
lead  quickened  every  fibre,  and  made  them  sharp  in  intel- 
lect and  feature. 

They  were  attracted  to  the  settlement  of  these  town- 
ships by  the  fertility  of  the  soil  —  made  evident  by  its  fine 
growth  of  timber  —  the  low  price  of  the  lands,  each  origi- 
nal proprietor  getting  a  fraction  over  400  acres  for  about 
twenty-five  dollars,  and  the  ultimate  life  of  comfort  and 
comparative  wealth  in  prospect  for  those  who  owned  and 
cultivated  those  lands.  There  was  also  an  element  of  free- 
dom from  the  restraints  of  society  which  is  always  fasci- 
nating to  a  large  class  of  men  —  and  even  to  some  women 
—  and  an  attractiveness  in  the  beautj^  and  grandeur  of  the 
landscape.  The  life  which  they  must  lead  here  was  but  a 
repetition  of  that  which  they  had  learned  from  their  ances- 
tors of  the  settlements  nearer  the  coast,  who  had  fought 
and  driven  back  the  Indians,  cleared  the  land  of  its  heavy 
growth  of  timber  and  brought  it  to  a  state  of  remunera- 
tive cultivation.  They  were  in  perfect  training  for  the 
work,  like  the  athlete  for  the  race. 

Their  first  efforts  were  directed  to  clearing  away  the 


PIONEER  LIFE.  313 

timber  and  putting  in  crops  of  rye  and  corn.  For  this 
purpose,  they  would  advance  into  the  forest,  singly  or  in 
pairs  if  they  were  to  be  isolated,  or  in  small  parties  if  they 
were  to  be  neighbors,  on  foot,  blazing  the  trees  to  mark 
the  route,  each  carrying  his  axe,  gun,  knife,  tinder  box, 
camp  kettle,  bucket  or  wooden  bottle,  provisions  and  other 
necessaries  of  life  in  the  wilderness,  among  which  were  a 
present  supply  of  rum  and  tobacco.  For  plate,  bowl  and 
platter,  the  pioneer  would  split  small  logs  and  hollow  out 
the  parts;  and  from  a  small  slab  he  would  soon  carve  out 
a  shapely  spoon. i  This  beginning  was  usually  made  in  the 
spring,  at  the  time  when,  b^'  felling  a  hemlock  or  two 
enough  bark  could  be  quickly  peeled  for  an  excellent  shelter 
when  placed  on  poles  upheld  by  crotched  stakes.  As  soon  as 
the  foliage  was  out  in  full,  he  would  cut  down  the  trees 
on  his  first  clearing,  around  the  spot  selected  for  his  log- 
cabin.  In  a  few  weeks  the  leaves  and  twigs  would  be  dry 
and  he  would  set  his  "chopping"  on  fire.  Millions  of  feet 
of  the  finest  pine  and  other  timber  were  destroyed  in  this 
way  each  year,  to  clear  the  land.  Before  setting  the  fire 
the  careful  woodsman  would  dig  a  shallow  trench  around 
his  chopping,  by  removing  the  brush  and  leaves,  to  pre- 
vent his  fire  from  overrunning  the  surrounding  forest. 

A  "good  burn"  would  clear  the  land  of  brush  and 
everything  except  the  bodies  of  the  trees.  These  the  young 
farmer  would  cut  into  logs  small  enough  to  handle,  and 
roll  them  into  piles  to  burn,  saving  enough  to  build  a  fence 
around  his  piece.  For  this  heavy  work,  and  for  building 
his  cabin,  he  would  "change  works"  with  his  neighbor. 
Sometimes  neighbors  joined  in  "bees"  to  clear  the  land 
after  the  burning,  and  from  the  practice  of  shrewdly  plan- 
ning the  piles  for  hastening  the  work,  came  the  satirical 
political  term  "log-rolling."  Yet  in  many  cases  the  pioneer 
had  no  neighbor  within  many  miles,  and  had  to  do  all  the 
work  himself.  In  later  years,  when  he  had  oxen,  the  logs 
would  be  hauled  together  and  piled  for  burning.  If  the 
land  was  rough  and  intended  for  pasture,  the  logs  were 
left  on  the  ground,  and  the  rye  and  grass  seed  were  sown 

iSpoonwood  pond  in  Packersfield  (Nelson)  was  thus  named  from  the  laurel, 
called  spoonwood,  iwhich  grew  on  its  shores  and  from  which  the  Indians  and 
early  settlers  made  spoons. 


314  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

among  them.  Oxen  were  used  almost  wholly  for  hauling 
and  for  work  on  the  farm,  and  horses  were  kept  for  riding 
only.  Bringing  his  vSeed  rye  from  the  nearest  supply  —  fre- 
quently on  his  back,  sometimes  on  a  horse  barrow  —  he 
would  sow  it  "broadcast"  and  scratch  it  in  with  a  small 
two-pronged  "scratcher."  This  preparatory  work  for  his 
new  home  would  occup}^  the  young  adventurer  till  late  in 
the  autumn,  when  he  would  return  to  his  former  home  for 
the  winter.  Sometimes  young  wives  accompanied  their 
husbands  in  the  first  instance,  and  lived  in  the  primitive 
manner  above  outlined.  In  that  case  a  more  elaborate  out- 
fit was  carried  and  the  log  cabin  was  built  at  once. 

Corn  would  be  planted  in  the  following  spring  by 
opening  the  soil  with  the  hoe  and  putting  in  the  seed 
wherever  there  was  room  for  a  "hill"  of  corn  to  grow 
between  the  stumps,  rocks,  and  such  logs  as  might  be  left 
on  the  ground.  This  method  was  called  the  "Indian 
plant."  Pumpkins,  peas,  beans  and  other  vines  and  vege- 
tables could  also  be  planted.  It  would  be  several  years 
before  ploughs  could  be  used  among  the  stumps  and  roots. 

Then  the  log  cabin  would  be  built,  of  straight,  smooth 
logs,  matched  and  locked  together  at  the  corners  to  bring 
them  in  close  contact  and  make  impervious  walls.  Un- 
avoidable cracks  were  filled  with  sticks  and  plastered  with 
mud  or  clay  mortar.  When  time  and  the  expense  could 
be  afforded  the  logs  were  hewn,  otherwise  the\^  were  left 
round.  One  opening  was  left  for  a  door  and  one  for  a 
window,  the  latter  to  be  closed  with  a  shutter  without 
hinges,  made  of  slabs  split  from  logs.  The  door,  made  in 
the  same  way,  would  be  hung  on  wooden  hinges.  The 
roof  was  of  poles  covered  with  bark,  or  thatched  with  rye 
straw.  The  earth  formed  the  floor,  and  was  soon  trodden 
hard  and  smooth  bj^  use.  Sometimes  a  puncheon  floor 
was  laid,  but  that  was  a  luxury.  In  many  cases  there 
was  but  one  room,  sometimes  two,  the  partition  being 
made  of  logs  like  the  walls.  The  first  chimney  was  usually 
of  stones  at  the  bottom,  topped  out  with  short  logs  and 
sticks  built  like  the  cabin  walls,  and  plastered  with  clay 
mortar.  Sometimes  there  was  simply  a  hole  in  the  roof, 
with  the  fire  on  the  ground  in  the  middle  of  the  cabin ; 


PIONEER  LIFE.  S15 

and  sometimes  the  fire  was  outside,  in  front  of  the  cabin 
door.  Over  the  fire  a  "lug-pole"  of  green  wood  was 
placed,  supported  at  the  ends  by  crotched  stakes,  or  in 
the  jams  of  the  chimney,  with  wooden  hooks  for  suspending 
pots  and  kettles.  Poles  were  laid  across  overhead  in  the 
cabin,  on  which  articles  could  be  stored ;  and  sometimes 
puncheons  were  laid  for  a  more  permanent  upper  floor  and 
the  loft  was  made  a  sleeping  apartment  for  the  children, 
the  hired  man,  and  even  for  guests,  to  be  reached  by  a 
ladder.  For  a  cellar,  an  excavation  was  made  outside  the 
cabin  and  covered  with  logs  and  earth. 

In  t^vo  or  three  years,  our  farmer  would  have  some 
grass  on  his  place,  and  there  was  always  good  browsing 
and  some  native  grass  in  the  lowlands,  and  he  could  keep 
a  cow;  and  it  would  not  be  long  before  he  would  have 
.young  cattle,  a  pair  of  young  oxen,  and  a  few  sheep. 
Hogs  and  poultry  he  could  have  from  the  first,  but  the 
horse  was  a  luxury  and  usually  came  later.  Seeds  would 
be  brought  at  the  first,  and  one  of  his  first  acts  would  be 
to  plant  a  nursery  of  fruit  trees ;  and  a  few  years  would 
bring  him  an  abundance  of  apples,  peaches  and  plums ; 
and  the  women  never  forgot  to  bring  a  few  seeds  of  their 
favorite  flowers,  and  bulbs  and  roots  for  the  garden. 
Everj^  mother  kne^v  the  medicinal  qualities  of  many  herbs 
and  plants  and  other  physician  was  rarely  employed  in 
theffamily,  or  could  be  obtained. 

All  the  first  years  of  the  pioneer's  life  were  devoted  to 
clearing  his  land  in  the  way  described,  piece  by  piece,  and 
raising  crops  of  corn,  rye,  vegetables,  and  sometimes  wheat 
and  other  cereals.  The  virgin  soil  was  rich  —  improved  by 
the  ashes  of  the  burnt  trees  —  and  the  j'ield  was  abundant 
and  farming  was  remunerative.  True,  much  of  the  soil 
was  consumed  by  those  furious  fires  and  was  left  so  thin 
that  years  of  cropping  nearly  exhausted  it.  So  hardy  and 
powerful  were  those  men,  and  so  skilled  in  the  use  of  the 
axe,  that  many  a  one  felled  his  acre  of  heavy  timber  in  a 
daj',  and  some  of  them  would  drink  a  quart  of  rum  and 
chew  a  "hand"  of  tobacco  apiece  while  doing  it.  The 
writer  remembers  men  who  were  known  to  have  accom- 
plished those  feats,  and  has  heard  it  from  the  neighbors  of 


316  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

others  who  had  done  the  same.  He  also  distinctly  remem- 
bers one  woman  of  that  class  of  people,  a  farmer's  wife, 
and  the  mother  of  a  good  deacon  of  one  of  the  churches 
here  at  the  present  time^  (1900),  who  has  been  known  to 
pick  up  a  barrel  of  cider  and  throw  it  into  a  cart.  And 
her  son  relates  the  fact  that  w^hen  w^ater  w^as  scarce  and 
was  hauled  to  the  house  in  barrels,  she  would  lift  a  full 
barrel,  poise  it  on  the  edge  of  a  large  tub  and  empty  it 
from  the  bung-hole. 

The  principal  growth  of  the  forest  was  oak,  maple, 
beech,  birch,  white  and  black  ash,  and  elm  about  the  low 
grounds,  with  hemlock  and  spruce  on  the  higher  altitudes; 
w^hile  the  plains  and  some  of  the  lower  elevations  were 
covered  with  lofty  white  and  yellow  pines,  perfectly 
straight  and  frequently  reaching  the  height  of  eighty  to 
100  feet  without  a  branch,  making  some  of  the  finest 
lumber  in  the  world.  Boards  may  still  be  seen  in  the 
finish  of  some  of  the  old  houses  that  are  three  to  four  feet 
wide  and  perfectly  clear.  Those  trees  were  so  valuable 
that  in  every  grant  of  a  tow^nship  in  New  Hampshire  they 
were  reserved  for  masts  "for  the  use  of  His  Majesty's 
Royal  Navy." 

The  "sweetening"  of  the  pioneers  was  made  from  the 
sap  of  the  sugar  maple,  caught  in  troughs  made  from  small 
logs  split  in  halves  and  hollowed  out.  Such  troughs  were 
still  used  for  that  purpose  within  the  memory  of  people 
now  living. 

The  principal  animals  of  these  forests  were  the  black 
bear,  wolf,  fox,  wild  cat,  catamount,  moose,  deer,  raccoon 
and  the  smaller  ones  still  found  here.  The  otter  lived  in 
the  ponds,  so  numerous  in  these  eastern  states,  and  vestiges 
of  the  work  of  the  beaver  may  still  be  seen  where  he  built 
his  wonderful  dam,  formed  his  artificial  pond,  and  con- 
structed his  ingenious  house. 

In  1801,  "A  Mr.  John  Butler,  while  digging  a  cellar, 
on  the  first  day  of  April,  in  Washington  street,  found, 
under  a  stump,  fifty  snakes  of  various  kinds  —  house  adders, 
striped,  green,   and   white  bellied  snakes.     They  measured 

}  Mrs.  Leavitt  Philips,  of  that  part  of  Nelson  which  is  now  Roxbury.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Hinds,  niece  of  Capt.  Jacob  Hinds  of  Chesterfield,  one 
of  Col.  Reed's  captains  in  the  Revoltttionary  war.     (Dea.   Harvey  Philips.) 


PIONEER   LIFE.  317 

from  one  foot  to  three  feet  in  length.  All  were  torpid  but 
the  house  adders."  A  nest  of  "upwards  of  three  hundred" 
was  found  at  another  time.     (Annals,  pages  90  and  91.) 

The  flesh  of  the  moose  was  considered  equal  to  beef, 
and  deer  furnished  venison  for  those  who  were  skilful 
enough  to  shoot  them.  Wild  turkeys  were  sometimes  shot, 
but  they  were  not  here  in  large  numbers ;  and  wild  geese 
simply  made  some  of  our  larger  ponds,  as  they  do  at  the 
present  time,  occasional  resting  places  on  their  long  jour- 
neys north  and  south.  At  harvest  time  wild  pigeons  came 
in  immense  numbers  to  feed  upon  the  grain.  Sometimes 
their  flocks  were  so  large  that  they  obscured  the  sun  like 
a  cloud,  and  they  had  special  roosting  groves  where  mil- 
lions of  them  would  gather  for  the  night.  Their  speed  on 
the  wing  was  120  miles  an  hour.  They  were  taken  in 
large  numbers  in  nets,  and  were  delicious  food.  They  have 
almost  wholly  disappeared,  and  naturalists  tell  us  that 
they  have  migrated  to  Chili  and  Peru,  South  America. 
Song  birds  were  plentiful,  and  morning  and  evening,  in 
bright  weather,  the  air  was  filled  with  their  music. 

Bears  and  wolves  were  a  terror  and  scourge,  and 
bounties  were  paid  by  the  state  for  their  destruction. 
Bears  sometimes  paid  the  penalty  of  their  temerity  in 
devouring  pigs,  and  corn  in  the  field,  by  furnishing  the 
pioneer's  table  with  their  flesh,  but  it  was  not  considered 
a  delicacy. 

"About  this  time  [1777]  a  furious  fight  between  a  man 
and  a  bear  took  place  in  the  North  part  of  the  town,  of 
v^hich  the  following  account  has  been  furnished  by  his  son. 
Mr.  Eleazer  Wilcox,  of  Gilsum,  going  into  his  pasture,  and 
having  with  him  his  gun,  loaded  with  a  small  charge  of 
powder,  saw  a  very  large  bear,  six  or  eight  rods  from  him. 
Taking  a  bullet  from  his  pocket,  he  dropped  it  into  his  gun, 
fired,  and  hit  her  in  the  head.  She  fell,  but  before  Wilcox 
could  get  to  her,  sprang  up  and  ran  off.  He  then  went  to 
Mr.  Joshua  Osgood's,  who  was  an  experienced  hunter  and 
had  a  large  dog,  and  they  together  followed  the  track  of 
the  bear,  which  was  marked  by  her  blood.  Having  fol- 
lowed it  about  three  miles,  supposing  they  were  near  her, 
they  separated  that  they  might  have  more  chance  of 
obtaining  a  shot  at  her.  On  a  sudden,  Wilcox  saw  the 
bear  advancing,  in  a  furious  rage,  towards  him.  His  gun 
missed  fire;   the  bear,  coming  near  him,   knocked  it  from 


318  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

his  hand  with  her  paw,  and  then,  by  a  blow  on  the  head, 
knocked  him  down.  He  rose  on  his  knees,  when  the  bear, 
putting  her  paws  on  his  shoulders,  endeavored  to  throw 
him  on  the  ground;  but  he,  being  a  very  athletic  man, 
maintained  his  position  with  desperate  effort.  During  the 
struggle,  the  dog  aided  him  and  perhaps  saved  his  life  by 
frequent  and  furious  attacks.  Osgood  soon  came  up;  for 
some  time,  the  combatants  being  closely  grappled  and  their 
positions  often  changing,  he  hesitated  to  fire,  fearing  to  kill 
his  neighbor;  but  perceiving  the  case  desperate,  he  at 
length  fired,  and  fortunately  shot  the  bear  in  the  side, 
without  hitting  Wilcox.  She  ran  off,  and  the  next  day  was 
found  dead.  East  of  the  Branch.  Mr.  Wilcox,  having  re- 
ceived many  wounds,  and  strained  his  back  severely  in  the 
struggle,  was  carried  home  on  a  litter;  and,  though  he 
lived  many  years,  never  entirely  recovered." 

(Annals,  page  49.) 

In  1811,  the  inhabitants  of  Keene,  Gilsum  and  Sullivan 
joined  in  a  large  and  well  organized  bear  hunt,  to  rid  them- 
selves of  the  pests. 

Wolves  made  the  night  hideous  with  their  howling  — 
two  or  three  making  sounds  as  if  there  were  twenty  —  and 
were  dangerous  when  pinched  with  hunger,  particularly  to 
children;  but  they  seldom  attacked  men.  They  were  so 
annojnng  in  1796  that  a  wolf  hunt  was  organized  at  Wal- 
pole  in  which  five  hundred  persons  joined.  Two  wolves 
and  a  bear  were  shot,  and  the  hunt  ended  with  a  supper 
at  the  several  taverns  in  the  vicinity. 

In  each  settlement  a  sawmill  was  one  of  the  first 
things  to  be  set  up,  to  provide  lumber  for  building  and 
finishing ;  and  the  blacksmith,  and  the  shoemaker  carrying 
his  bench  from  house  to  house  on  his  back,  soon  followed 
the  leading  pioneers,  often  combining  farming  with  work 
at  their  trades.  Here  in  Upper  Ashuelot,  in  1735,  the  year 
before  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made,  the  pro- 
prietors voted  100  acres  of  "middling  good  land  and 
twenty-five  pounds  in  money"  to  any  one  who  would 
build  a  sawmill  on  Beaver  brook;  and  in  1738  "a  set  of 
blacksmith's  tools"  was  bought  by  the  proprietors  for  the 
use  of  the  settlers.  Until  the  blacksmith  came  —  and  after- 
wards in  many  cases  —  wooden  pins,  withes,  and  the  inner 
bark  of  the  elm  and  basswood  did  duty  in  the  place  of 
nails,  bolts  and  wire. 


PIONEER  LIFE.  319 

Mechanics  were  very  important  members  of  a  com- 
munity, for  all  tools  and  implements  had  to  be  made  by 
hand.  Scarcely  any  ready-made  article  could  be  bought. 
In  repairing  old  furniture,  one  often  finds  even  small  brads 
and  finishing  nails  made  by  hand  one  hundred  years  ago 
or  more. 

Coopers  were  very  much  relied  upon  for  making  all  sorts 
of  wooden  vessels.  They  were  required  by  law  to  brand 
their  casks  with  their  name  or  initials  and  were  punished 
with  fine  for  making  defective  ones.^  They  not  only  made 
casks,  tubs,  barrels,  buckets,  etc.,  but  also  the  keeler, 
piggin,  noggin  and  many  other  vessels  in  common  use. 

It  would  not  be  long  before  a  gristmill  would  be  added 
to  the  sawmill.  In  1736,  the  year  of  the  first  permanent 
settlement,  the  proprietors  of  Keene  appointed  a  commit- 
tee "to  agree  with  a  man  to  build  a  gristmill,"  and  one 
was  soon  in  operation.  But  until  the  gristmill  came  the 
settlers  had  to  go  long  distances  to  have  their  grain 
ground.  When  John  Kilburn  and  Col.  Benj.  Bellows  first 
went  to  Walpole  they  had  to  go  to  Northampton  to  mill. 
In  1763,  Ruth  Davis  of  Rutland,  Mass.,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, married  "Breed  Batchelder^  of  Keene,  gentleman." 
They  lived  near  the  east  line  of  the  town,  in  what  is  now 
Roxbury,  and  she  used  to  take  a  bag  of  grain  on  a  horse 
and  go  to  Rutland,  fifty  miles,  to  mill,  doubtless  including 
a  visit  to  her  home.^  John  Taggard,  the  pioneer  of  Stod- 
dard, settled  there  with  his  family  in  1768.  Their  nearest 
neighbors  were  at  Peterboro,  Keene  and  Walpole.  He  had 
to  carry  his  grain  on  his  back  to  Peterboro,  twenty  miles, 
to  have  it  ground.  On  one  trip  he  was  delayed  by  a  great 
snow  storm  till  his  family  nearly  starved.^  "It  is  related 
that  Mrs.  William  Greenwood, ^  one  morning  in  winter, 
when  the  snow  was  deep,  put  on  snowshoes,  took  half  a 
bushel  of  corn  on  her  shoulder,  went  by  marked  trees  to 
Peterborough,  had  it  ground  into  meal,  and  returned  to 
Dublin  the  same  day." 

iLaw  of  1718. 
2  The  tory  of  1776. 

3 She  lived  till   1840  —  ninety-four  years  —  and  was  bviried  in  the  small  grave- 
yard near  Joseph  Chase's. 

4  Gould's  History  of  Stoddard. 

5  History  of  Dublin. 


320  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

In  winter  the  snows  w^ere  usually  deep,  and  the  only 
means  of  travel  was  on  snowshoes,  in  the  use  of  which 
the  pioneers  became  very  skilful.  Children,  and  even  men 
and  women,  w^ent  barefooted  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 
"Children  are  early  used  to  coarse  fare  and  hard  lodgings; 
and  to  be  without  shoes  in  all  seasons  of  the  year  is 
scarcely  accounted  a  want."  (Belknap's  History  of  New 
Hampshire,  vol.  3,  page  259.) 

The  supply  of  kitchen  utensils  was  very  small.  In 
some  cases  the  whole  family  would  eat  their  bean  porridge, 
hasty  pudding  and  other  food  from  a  single  dish,  often  of 
wood,  placed  on  a  rude  table,  the  members  taking  turns 
in  using  the  spoons,  of  which  there  were  seldom  enough  to 
go  round.  Noggins,  pewter  porringers,  and  the  shells  of 
gourds  were  used  for  drinking  cups.  At  first  the  supply  of 
water  was  brought  from  the  spring  or  stream  near  which 
the  cabin  was  placed.  Afterwards  a  v^ell  would  be  dug 
and  the  water  drawn  by  fastening  a  bucket  to  the  end  of 
a  long,  slender  pole  with  a  wooden  spring.  Later,  the 
"well  sweep"  would  be  erected  and  the  oaken  bucket 
attached.  As  time  progressed  the  carpenter  and  the  brick- 
maker  appeared  in  the  settlement,  or  bricks  would  be 
made  within  hauling  distance,  and  framed  and  finished 
houses  could  be  built,  when  desired ;  but  the  log  cabins 
remained  for  many  years.  Hardware  was  not  to  be  had, 
and  hinges  and  latches  were  made  of  wood.  A  heavy  latch 
was  placed  on  the  entrance  door,  to  be  raised  from  the 
outside  by  a  rawhide  string  running  through  the  door. 
To  fasten  against  intruders  the  string  was  pulled  in;  but 
this  was  seldom  done,  even  at  night,  except  in  times  of 
hostile  Indians.  "The  latch-string  out"  is  still  one  of  the 
forms  of  expressing  hospitality. 

With  the  framed  house  came  the  ample  brick  chimney, 
with  its  huge  fireplace,  provided  with  crane  and  pot- 
hooks, its  spacious  oven  and  its  safe  and  convenient  ash- 
hole.  The  brick  oven  turned  out  its  great  loaves  of  brown 
bread  —  two-thirds  rye  and  one-third  corn  meal  —  its  "In- 
dian" puddings  with  the  same  proportions,  its  earthen 
pots  of  beans  and  pork,  its  roasts  of  beef,  fowl  and  mut- 
ton, its  delicious  mince  and  pumpkin  pies  —  all  put  in  at 


PIONEER  LIFE.  321 

night  and  taken  out  steaming  hot  in  the  morning  ^  —  the 
materials  for  all  of  which  were  produced  on  the  farm,  ex- 
cept the  salt  and  spices,  and  even  some  of  the  latter,  as 
sage,  mint,  carraway,  coriander  and  some  others.  These 
delectable  viands  were  a  great  accession  to  the  cuisine,  and 
the  family  had  now  reached  a  stage  of  luxurious  living, 
but  the  butcher  and  the  baker  were  still  unknown.  After 
some  years  they  began  to  raise  wheat,  but  that  was  a 
luxury,  and  the  economical  housekeeper  would  make  the 
upper  crust  of  her  pies  of  wheat  flour  and  the  under  crust 
of  rye.  From  that  custom  came  the  term  "upper  crust" 
as  applied  to  aristocratic  society. 

The  house  was  provided  with  a  cellar,  a  comfortable 
chamber,  and  at  least  two  rooms  on  the  ground  floor;  and 
a  barn  would  be  built  for  the  stock,  hay,  grain  and  fod- 
der. For  roofs,  shingles  split  from  large  pine  logs,  and 
shaved,  were  exceedingly  durable.  The  old  meetinghouse 
built  in  1786,  on  the  north  side  of  our  present  Central 
square,  was  covered  with  such  shingles  by  Eliphalet  Briggs, 
and  they  lasted  until  1853,  sixty-seven  years,  when  they 
were  replaced  with  the  same  material  by  his  grandson, 
William  S.  Briggs.  The  ample  kitchen  fireplace,  with  its 
glowing  logs,  was  the  only  ordinary  source  of  warmth  for 
the  whole  house  even  in  winter.  The  sleeping  rooms  would 
be  like  the  frigid  zone,  and  the  children  in  the  chamber 
would  often  feel  the  snow  sifting  in  their  faces  during 
violent  storms,  find  their  beds  covered  with  it  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  have  to  wade  through  small  drifts  with  bare  feet 
to  get  to  the  kitchen.  And  as  the  family  gathered  around 
the  rousing  fire  their  faces  would  be  scorched  w^hile  they 
shivered  with  cold  from  the  rear. 

At  night  tapers  from  the  yellow  or  "pitch"  pine  were 
used  in  place  of  candles,  and  the  large  pine  knots  from 
trees  that  had  fallen  and  decayed,  gathered  and  stored  for 
winter  use,  were  laid  on  the  coals  and  gave  sufficient  light 
for  reading.  Candles  could  be  had  only  when  a  fat  beef 
was  killed,  which  was  not  often,  and  oil  and  lamps  had 

1  To  avoid  desecrating  the  Sabbath  with  unnecessary  labor,  Saturday  -was 
made  the  baking  day  of  the  week.  The  food  was  prepared  on  that  day,  put 
into  the  oven  at  night,  and  came  out  hot  Sunday  morning.  Thus  came  about 
the  Yankee  custom  of  having  baked  beans  and  pork  and  brown- bread  for  Sun- 
day morning  breakfast. 


322  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

not  come  into  general  use.  Candles  were  made  by  sus- 
pending half  a  dozen  wicks  at  proper  distances  apart,  on 
each  of  a  number  of  slender  rods  and  dipping  them  in 
tallow,  in  cold  weather,  when  the  tallow  would  adhere  and 
quickly  cool.  The  rods,  suspended  between  two  poles, 
were  taken  alternately,  and  after  many  immersions  the 
"tallow  dips"  would  be  formed.  When  moulds  could  be 
had  the  tallow  was  sometimes  run  in  those.  Soap  was 
made  from  scraps  of  grease  cut  with  the  lye  of  hardwood 
ashes. 

Cattle  and  sheep  ran  at  large  in  the  woods,  each  owner 
having  his  mark  or  "brand,"  which  was  recorded  in  the 
town  books.  Hogs  also  ran  at  large,  but  were  required 
to  be  yoked  and  ringed,  and  it  was  the  duty  of  hogreeves, 
appointed  by  the  tow^ns,  to  enforce  the  law,  and  if  neces- 
sary, themselves  to  put  on  the  yokes  and  rings.  Cattle, 
hogs  or  sheep  found  in  fields  might  be  put  in  the  pound 
provided  by  the  town  and  the  owner  notified  and  required 
to  pay  the  cost.  Each  farmer  kept  at  least  a  few  sheep 
and  raised  his  own  wool  for  family  use.  The  sheep  vv^ere 
sheared  at  the  proper  season  and  the  wool  stored  in  the 
chamber.  When  the  w^omen  were  ready  for  the  work  the 
wool  was  "sorted"  —  the  fine  from  the  coarse  —  scoured, 
carded  by  hand  into  rolls  a  foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet 
long  and  half  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter, i  and  spun  into 
yarn.  Wool  was  spun  on  a  large  wheel,  turned  by  hand, 
the  spinner  walking  back  and  forth  to  draw  and  renew 
her  thread.  The  speed  of  the  twist  was  produced  and 
regulated  by  a  band  from  the  rim  of  the  large  wheel,  turn- 
ing a  small  one  in  the  "wheel  head,"  which  carried  the 
spindle.  Azel  Wilder  in  his  time  made  all  the  wheel-heads 
for  this  part  of  the  country  and  shipped  many  to  distant 
parts.  For  evening  work,  the  large  pine-knot  already  men- 
tioned was  laid  on  the  fire  and  the  wheel  so  placed  that 
as  the  spinner  drew^  her  thread  from  the  spindle  it  came 
directly    between    her  eyes   and   the  flame  of  the    burning 

1  Towards  the  close  of  the  18th  centviry  machine  cards  were  invented  —  ■wire 
teeth  set  in  leather,  as  in  the  hand  cards,  and  fastened  on  cylinders  which  were 
propelled  by  water  power — and  people  sent  their  w^ool  to  be  carded.  Previous 
to  that  hand  cards  had  been  nsed  from  time  immemorial.  In  1778  the  legisla- 
ture offered  a  bounty  of  two  hundred  pounds  for  2,000  wool  cards  to  be  made 
w^ithin  the  state. 


AZEL    WiLDKK. 


PIONEER  LIFE.  323 

knot,  whicTi  gave  her  an  excellent  light. i  The  yarn  was 
knitted  into  stockings,  mittens  and  other  articles,  and 
woven  into  cloth  for  the  clothing  and  bedclothing  of  the 
family.  Cattle's  hair  from  the  tanneries  was  sometimes 
spun  and  woven  into  bed  coverings. 

Some  of  the  woolen  yarn  was  dyed,  and  the  indigo 
blue  dye-pot  stood  in  the  chimney  corner,  always  ready 
for  use,  potent  with  its  vile  odors  whenever  it  was  stirred. 
Other  dyes  were  used  also,  as  the  bark  of  the  butternut 
tree,  the  sumac,  the  golden-rod,  and  other  plants,  gathered 
from  the  fields.  Indigo  dye  mixed  with  the  flowers  of 
golden-rod  and  alum  made  green.  Sassafras  was  used  for 
yellow  and  orange.  Pokeberry,  boiled  with  alum,  made 
crimson.    Sorrel  with  logwood  and  copperas  made  black. 

Flax  was  raised  for  the  family  linen.  When  matured  it 
was  pulled  up  by  the  roots  and  laid  on  the  ground  in 
gavels  to  "rot"  —  so  that  the  woody  part  of  the  stock 
would  separate  from  the  fibre  —  then  bound  in  bundles,  and 
stored  in  the  barn.  The  winter's  work  of  the  farmer  w^as 
to  break  his  flax  with  a  "brake,"  "swingle"  it  on  a 
"  swingling  board  "  with  a  "  swingling  knife  " — a  two  edged, 
wooden  sword  — "  hetchel  "  it  (hatchel  or  heckle)  ready  for 
spinning;  and  to  thresh  his  grain  with  a  "flail."  Swing- 
ling the  flax  must  be  done  on  a  clear,  sunny  day. 

The  linen  was  spun  on  a  "foot-wheel,"  the  long,  silken, 
combed  fibres  of  the  flax  wound  on  a  distaff,  and  carefully 
fed  through  a  socket  to  the  spindle,  which  was  turned  by 
bands,  the  power  furnished  by  the  foot,  the  spinner  sitting. 
The  Scotch  Irish  who  settled  Londonderry  introduced  their 
method  of  making  linen  and  gave  an  impulse  to  that 
industry  in  New  England.  From  the  spindle  the  yarn  was 
reeled  off  into  knots  and  skeins.  The  reel  was  made  to 
take  on  seventy-two  inches  in  length  at  each  revolution, 
and  forty  such  threads  made  a  knot;  and  seven  knots  of 
woolen  yarn,  or  fourteen  of  linen,  made  a  skein.  The 
hand-reel  for  woolen  yarn  was  called  a  "niddy-noddy." 
Linen  thread  was  wound  off  on  a  clock-reel  which  counted 
and  ticked  off  the  exact  number  of  strands  for  a  knot. 


1  Many  a  time  has  the  -writer  brought  the  knots  from  the  pasture  for  his 
sainted  mother,  and  lain  on  the  floor  reading  by  the  same  light  that  enabled 
her  to  draw  her  threads  to  perfection. 


324  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Spinning  four  skeins  of  woolen  yarn  —  the  spinner  carding 
the  wool  herself — or  two  of  linen,  made  a  day's  work,  the 
pay  for  which  in  the  early  days  of  Keene  was  fourpence 
ha'  penny  (six  and  a  quarter  cents)  and  later  sixpence.  By 
the  week,  the  pay  was  fifty  cents.  For  common  labor, 
men  were  paid  from  one  shilling  sixpence  to  two  shillings 
a  day. 

All  farmers'  and  mechanics'  daughters  learned  to  spin 
and  weave,  and  they  usually  made  their  own  marriage 
outfit.  The  loom  was  set  up  in  the  unfinished  chamber, 
the  yarn  woven  into  cloth,  the  cloth  sent  to  the  clothier 
to  be  fulled,  dyed,  "  finished  "  and  pressed  ;  and  the  tailoress 
—  sometimes  the  tailor  —  went  from  house  to  house,  to 
make  up  the  garments  for  the  family.  There  were  regular 
prices  for  a  day's  work  at  weaving,  varying  with  the 
width  and  kind  of  cloth  woven. 

"Leather  breeches,"  of  deer  or  sheep  skin,  sometimes 
of  moose,  were  much  worn  by  men  for  heavy  work,  as 
were  leathern  aprons  of  the  same.  In  the  same  way  the 
women  used  the  strong,  coarse  cloth  made  of  the  combings 
of  flax,  called  tow.  Calico  was  beyond  their  means,  sell- 
ing, in  1788,  at  sixty-two  and  one-half  cents  a  yard.  The 
Scotch  Irish  of  Londonderry  brought  with  them  also  the 
art  of  making  "striped  frocking;  "  and  it  became  an  article 
of  universal  wear  for  farmers  and  laboring  men,  made  in 
nearly  every  family.  Straw  braiding  was  also  a  profitable 
industry  for  women. 

Farmers'  daughters  went  out  to  serve  as  "help"  to 
their  more  wealthy  neighbors,  or  in  case  of  sickness,  or 
where  there  were  no  daughters  in  the  family.  And  the 
women's  work  was  not  only  spinning,  weaving,  making 
butter  and  cheese,  and  general  housework,  but  they  milked 
the  cows  —  sometimes  while  the  men  watched  with  loaded 
gun  to  protect  them  from  the  lurking  savage  —  fed  the  hogs 
and  the  poultry,  and  gathered  the  vegetables  for  the  table ; 
and  they  were  fortunate  if  they  had  wood  prepared  for 
their  kitchen  fires.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  the 
women  took  almost  the  whole  care  of  the  farm  and  stock, 
and  performed  the  labors  of  the  field.  The  cooking  was 
done  by  the  open    fire,   with  the  aid   of  the    brick    oven, 


PIONEER  LIFE.  325 

supplemented  in  the  later  years  with  the  bake-kettle.  When 
that  was  lacking,  the  cake  was  often  baked  on  the  hot 
stones  of  the  hearth,  and  potatoes  were  roasted  in  the  hot 
ashes.  Meat  was  roasted  by  being  hung  before  the  fire 
and  kept  constantly  turning.  Stoves  did  not  come  into 
general  use  until  near  the  middle  of  the  19th  century. 

The  farmer  had  almost  nothing  to  buy.  Nearly  every- 
thing needed  in  the  family  w^as  raised  on  the  farm.  Almost 
the  only  article  of  food  purchased  was  salt  fish,  brought 
from  the  seaboard.  His  crops  from  his  fresh,  unworn  soil 
were  abundant  and  the  surplus  sold  for  good  prices.  Pota- 
toes often  yielded  400  bushels  to  the  acre  —  even  as  late  as 
1840.  After  some  years  of  industry  and  frugality  many 
farmers  attained  comparative  affluence. 

During  the  later  years  of  the  18th  and  the  earlier  ones 
of  the  19th  century,  when  snow  covered  the  ground  in 
winter  all  the  roads  to  Boston  would  be  lively  with  the 
teams  of  the  farmers,  carrying  their  produce  to  market. 
Some  would  go  with  a  pair,  some  with  a  single  horse,  and 
some  with  oxen,  loaded  with  pork,  butter,  cheese,  poultry 
and  other  produce.  The  larger  crops  of  rye,  corn,  oats 
and  barley  and  wool  were  usually  disposed  of  at  home, 
and  cattle  and  sheep  were  driven  to  market.  Each  farmer 
would  carry  his  own  provender  and  a  large  box  of  luncheon 
from  home;  and  the  tavern-keepers  recognized  the  custom 
and  provided  such  other  entertainment  as  was  needed. 
The  return  freight  would  be  salt,  molasses,  a  few  gallons 
of  the  indispensable  rum,  a  little  salt  fish,  a  little  tobacco, 
a  few  spices,  a  little  tea,  and  a  few  yards  of  dress  goods 
and  ribbons  for  the  wife  and  daughters ;  and  the  arrival 
home  of  the  thrifty  farmer  brought  joy  to  the  whole  house- 
hold. 

Many  of  those  primitive  homes,  though  bare  of  orna- 
ment and  meagre  in  outfit,  were  lovely  and  picturesque. 
As  cold  weather  came  on  the  roaring  fire  of  the  huge  logs 
on  the  hearth  shed  a  glow  of  light  and  heat  through  the 
ample  kitchen.  That  fire  was  never  allowed  to  go  out.  A 
log  or  large  brand  was  buried  in  the  embers  each  night, 
for  a  bed  of  coals  the  next  morning.  If  by  any  chance  the 
fire  was  lost,  coals  had  to  be  brought  from  the  neighbors, 


326  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

perhaps  over  long  distances,  or  rekindled  with  the  tinder- 
box —  but  that  was  now  getting  out  of  date,  and  was 
seldom  in  condition  for  use.  Fire  was  sometimes  kindled 
by  flashing  powder  in  a  flint-lock  gun.  Hunters  often 
started  fires  in  that  way. 

The  kitchen  was  also  the  sleeping  apartment  of  the 
farmer  and  his  wife,  the  bed  standing  in  one  corner,  with 
the  wheel,  or  sometimes,  in  cold  weather,  the  loom,i  in 
the  opposite  corner.  At  the  fireside  stood  the  old  "settle," 
and  in  an  aperture  in  the  chimney  left  for  the  purpose,  or 
on  a  convenient  shelf,  were  the  pipes  and  tobacco,  and  the 
farmer  and  his  wife  would  sit  down  at  a  leisure  hour  and 
enjoy  a  comfortable  smoke  together ;  and  the  excellent 
tobacco  of  those  days  gave  a  delightful  perfume  to  the 
whole  house.  Very  few  young  women  used  tobacco,  but 
many  fell  into  the  habit  in  their  later  years.  On  the  side 
opposite  the  fire  stood  the  "dresser,"  bright  with  its 
polished  pewter  and  possibly  a  few  pieces  of  china  or 
earthen  ware,  the  plates  and  platters  —  some  of  wood  — 
set  up  on  edge,  like  a  small  army  making  the  most  of  its 
numbers  in  the  face  of  a  more  powerful  enemy.  When  boards 
were  laid  for  floors  they  were  often  kept  in  immaculate 
whiteness  by  scouring,  or  covered  with  clean,  white  sand, 
over  which  the  birch  broom  would  be  drawn  in  various 
ways  to  make  graceful  and  artistic  designs.  The  broom 
was  made  by  cutting  a  yellow  birch  sapling  about  three 
inches  in  diameter,  four  to  five  feet  long,  taking  off  the 
bark  of  about  a  foot  of  the  upper  end,  then  peeling  that 
end  into  thin,  narrow  strips  for  the  brush,  and  using  the 
other  end,  shaved  down,  for  the  handle.  Along  the  walls 
of  the  cabin  hung  crook-neck  squashes  and  festoons  of  red 
peppers  and  apples  on  strings,  the  latter  "  quartered  and 
cored,"  while  on  poles  overhead  were  rings  cut  from  the 
yellow  pumpkin,  all  drying  for  winter  use.  The  almanac, 
dividing  with  the  Bible  the  honor  of  furnishing  the  litera- 
ture of  the  family,  and  relied  upon  almost  superstitiously 
for  prognostications  of  weather,  hung  by  the  oven  door. 
A  sun-dial  on   a  southern  window-sill,   or  guesses  by  the 

1 "  The  loom  of  the  same  pattern  as  that  sho-wn  in  Giotto's  frescoes  in  1335, 
was  used  here  in  New  England — had  been  for  seven  centuries  without  change," 
(Home  Life  in  Colonial  Days,  page  213.) 


PIONEER  LIFE.  327 

position  of  the  sun  by  day  and  the  moon  and  stars  by 
night,  suppHed  the  place  of  a  clock,  and  were  sufficient  for 
all  practical  purposes.  Evening  gatherings  were  appointed 
"at  early  candle  lighting." 

In  those  times,  church  and  state  were  united.  The 
church  was  sustained  by  the  whole  community  under  the 
management  of  the  political  machinery  of  the  state  and 
town,  a  tax  for  its  support  being  laid  on  each  property 
holder.  One  of  the  conditions  of  a  grant  of  a  township  by 
Massachusetts,  as  in  the  case  of  this  town,  was  that  a 
suitable  meetinghouse  should  be  built  and  a  "learned  and 
orthodox  minister  settled  in  such  town  within  five  years." 
And  the  charter  of  Keene  from  Gov.  Benning  Wentworth 
of  New  Hampshire  required  that  there  should  be  set  apart 
"One  Sixty  forth  Parte  of  the  Said  Tract  for  the  first  Set- 
tled Minister  of  the  Gospel  in  S^  Town"  and  "One  Sixty 
forth  Parte  of  the  said  Tract  for  A  Glebe  for  the  Church 
of  England,  as  by  Law  Established."  One  sixty-fourth 
part  was  3941^  acres.  The  first  meetinghouse  in  every  case 
was  a  plain  building,  like  a  barn,  without  finish,  and  the 
men  sat  on  one  side  and  the  women  on  the  other.  There 
were  no  means  of  warming  it  in  winter,  yet  every  one  was 
required  to  "go  to  meeting,"  though  thinly  clad  and  poorly 
shod,  and  remain  through  two  long  services,  each  sermon 
at  least  an  hour  long  —  dwelling  chiefly  on  arguments  upon 
abstract  theology,  the  terrors  of  an  angry  God,  and  the 
horrors  of  eternal  punishment  —  with  one  short  and  one 
very  long  prayer  to  each  service. 

One  of  the  loveliest  of  her  sex  has  told  her  experience  in 
those  days.  Her  father  lived  three  miles  from  the  meeting- 
house and  had  nine  children.  On  Sunday  morning  in  win- 
ter, he  would  yoke  his  oxen  to  the  sled,  on  which  he  would 
have  a  few  boards,  put  on  a  chair  for  "mother,"  take 
blankets  and  bed-coverings  in  which  the  children  cuddled 
down  on  the  boards,  drive  three  miles  to  meeting,  stay 
through  both  services  and  an  hour's  intermission,  and 
then  drive  home  through  the  snow  to  a  cold  house,  some- 
times a  furious  storm  coming  on,  in  the  meantime.  She 
said  her  feet  were  cold  ever  afterwards.  Women  sometimes 
carried  heated  stones  for  their  hands   and  feet,  and  later, 


328  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

foot-stoves  were  used,  filled  at  the  start  with  hot  coals  and 
replenished  for  the  ride  home  at  the  house  of  a  friend  near 
the  meetinghouse.  It  was  thought  essential  that  a  child 
should  be  baptised  soon  after  birth,  and  babies  were  some- 
times taken  to  those  cold  houses  for  baptism  before  they 
were  a  week  old. 

"A  very  large  proportion  of  the  persons  who  usually 
attended  church,  or  meeting,  as  it  is  called,  came  from  Ash 
Swamp  and  the  hills  in  the  West  part  of  the  town,  at  con- 
siderable distances.  It  was  not  convenient  for  these  per- 
sons to  return  during  the  intermission,  and  it  was  the 
practice  of  those  persons  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  meet- 
ing-house to  throw  open  their  doors  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  such,  during  tlie  cold  weather,  when  it  was  incon- 
venient to  remain  in  the  meeting-house.  This  weekly  com- 
munication of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  with  those 
residing  at  a  distance,  if  it  did  not  tend  to  their  religious 
improvement,  was  well  calculated  to  cultivate  the  social 
virtues,  to  make  the  members  of  the  parish  better 
acquainted  with  each  other,  and  to  give  additional  inter- 
est to  the  usual  exercises  of  the  Sabbath." 

(Annals,  page  103.) 

In  summer  all  >valked  to  meeting,  or,  if  a  horse  was 
owned,  the  man  would  take  his  wife  on  a  pillion  behind 
him,  and  the  children  walked,  barefooted,  the  older  girls 
carrying  their  stockings  and  shoes  and  putting  them  on 
just  before  they  arrived.  The  minister  was  regarded  as  a 
superior  and  sanctified  being,  and  many  a  child,  innocently 
judging  from  the  remarks  of  its  elders,  believed  him  to  be 
God  himself.  At  the  close  of  the  services,  the  congregation 
would  rise  and  stand  while  he  passed  out  through  the 
main  aisle. 

When  the  second  and  larger  meetinghouse  was  built, 
though  still  severely  plain  and  devoid  of  warmth  and 
ornament,  the  wealthy  and  prominent  citizens  were  allowed 
to  select  places  and  build  their  pews  somewhat  according 
to  rank,  and  those  exhibitions  of  grades  and  relative 
superiority  caused  many  heartburnings  and  jealousies.  Be- 
hind the  meetinghouse,  stood  a  long  row  of  sheds,  where 
scores  of  horses  were  sheltered  and  the  less  devout  men 
gathered  at  noon  for  their  weekh'  chat. 

"Deacons'  seats"  were  built  at  the  base  of  the  high 
pulpit,  facing    the  congregation ;    those  for  negroes,   boys 


1 


PIONEER  LIFE.  329 

without  parents  and  irresponsible  persons  at  the  rear,  in 
a  corner,  or  in  the  gallery.  Several  slaves  were  owned  in 
Keene  during  the  first  years  of  its  settlement  and  they 
were  allowed  seats  apart.  The  tithingraen,  chosen  by  the 
town  from  among  its  first  citizens,  and  sworn  to  the  per- 
formance of  their  duties,  with  long  staves,  sometimes  with 
crooks  like  a  shepherd's,  took  position  overlooking  the 
whole  congregation,  or  walked  the  aisles,  to  preserve  order 
and  keep  the  overworked,  drowsy  ones  awake.  It  was 
also  a  part  of  their  duty  to  see  that  the  laws  requiring 
all  to  attend  meeting  were  enforced. 

The  singing  was  performed  by  the  reading  of  a  line  of 
a  hymn  by  the  minister  or  the  leader  —  who  gave  the  key 
note  with  his  pitch  pipe  —  and  the  choir,  from  its  repertoire 
of  half  a  dozen  tunes,  or  the  congregation,  singing  it  after 
him;  then  taking  the  next  line  in  the  same  way.  This 
method  was  abolished  in  Keene  in  1780,  by  vote  of  the 
town. 

Sunday  began  at  sunset  on  Saturday  night  and  ended 
at  sunset  Sunday  night,  and  that  custom  continued  till 
about  1820  to  1830.  The  observance  of  the  Sabbath  was 
very  strict.  "A  luckless  maid-servant  of  Plymouth,  who 
in  the  early  days  smiled  in  church,  was  threatened  with 
banishment  as  a  vagabond."  Innholders  were  subject  to 
fine  for  allowing  "any  person  to  drink  to  drunkenness  or 
excess  in  his  or  her  house  on  Lord's-day."  "About  1750 
the  owner  of  the  first  chaise  that  appeared  in  Norwich, 
Conn.,  w^as  fined  for  riding  in  it  to  church;"  and  in  the 
other  colonies,  in  the  middle  of  that  century,  travelling  on 
Sunday  was  punished  by  fines.  But  all  must  go  to  meet- 
ing, whatever  the  distance  or  the  weather. 

The  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  was  so  pervasive  that  even 
the  dogs  and  the  horses  knew  when  the  day  came.  The 
faithful  and  intelligent  dog  never  failed  to  go  with  the 
family  on  other  days,  but  no  well-brought-up  Puritan 
canine  attempted  to  do  so  when  the  members  started  off 
on  Sunday  morning,  dressed  for  "meeting."  It  is  a  tradi- 
tion among  the  descendants  of  Lieut.  James  Wright,  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  who  lived  where  his  grandson,  George 
K.   Wright,   now   does,    (1900),   that  he    always    rode  his 


330  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

horse  to  meeting  on  Sunday;  that  one  Sunday  morning 
he  sent  some  one  to  bring  the  horse  from  the  pasture,  but 
he  could  not  be  found;  that  thereupon  the  Heutenant 
walked  to  meeting;  and  that  when  he  arrived  he  found 
the  faithful  animal  standing  quietly  in  hisi  master's  shed. 
The  family  of  Mr.  Timothy  Colony  attended  the  church  at 
West  Keene.  "One  Sunday  morning  the  horse,  ready 
harnessed,  stood  at  the  door,  the  family  was  a  little 
behind  time,  and  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell  the  animal 
started,  and  trotted  to  the  church  door,  leaving  the  family 
to  walk."     (J.  D.  Colony.) 

During  the  Indian  wars  every  man  went  to  meeting 
armed,  as  he  did  to  work  in  the  fields,  including  the  min- 
ister himself.  A  sentinel  was  placed  at  the  door,  and 
sometimes  pickets  at  a  distance. 

Puritan  morals  frowned  on  amusements  generally. 
Dancing,  card-playing  and  theatre-going  were  considered 
abominations.  Almost  the  only  public  and  secular  inter- 
course the  people  had  was  that  intervening  between  the 
solemn  services  of  the  sanctuary,  when  they  caught  a  few 
moments  for  gossip.  But  they  were  inclined  to  sociability, 
and  gradually  the  taut  lines  of  discipline  were  broken,  and 
dancing  and  other  amusements  came  in,  with  a  greater 
tendency  to  looseness  as  a  reaction  from  the  unnatural 
tension.     Kitchen  junkets  became  frequent. 

Wrestling  w^as  the  favorite  amusement  of  the  men  and 
boys,  and  professionals  went  from  one  town  to  another 
for  matches  on  public  days.  After  the  Revolution,  "court 
days"  w^ere  very  attractive  for  public  gatherings.  The 
raising  of  a  house  or  other  large  building  was  always  a 
time  for  unbounded  hilarity;  and  accidents  sometimes 
happened  in  consequence.  At  the  raising  of  a  meeting- 
house it  was  the  custom  for  the  town  to  provide  a  barrel 
of  rum  and  plenty  of  food,  men  skilled  in  the  business  were 
hired  from  "down  country,"  and  the  frolic  lasted  two  days 
or  more.  When  the  large  old  meetinghouse  in  Packersfield 
was  raised,  the  town  sent  a  committee  to  Col.  Bellows,  at 
Walpole,  for  a  barrel  of  rum,  and  it  was  hauled  across  the 
country  on  a  horse-barro\^.  It  was  a  common  thing  at 
such  times  for    excellent   citizens    to    be    assisted  to  their 


PIONEER  LIFE.  331 

homes  by  the  soberer  ones,  and  no  disgrace  attached  to 
them  in  consequence.  Ardent  spirits  were  considered  indis- 
pensable to  proper  hospitality  and  enjoyment,  and  in  brac- 
ing the  system  against  exposure  and  hardship.  Every 
family  kept  and  used  them.  Callers  were  invariably  treated 
with  them,  and  there  was  special  generosity  of  that  kind 
when  the  minister  called.  The  ordination  of  ministers,  the 
dedication  of  meetinghouses,  and  even  funerals,  were  made 
occasions  of  feasting,  and  great  freedom  in  those  indul- 
gences. At  one  funeral  of  a  notable  person,  "a  strong 
sling  of  rum,  sugar  and  water  was  prepared  in  a  large  tub, 
from  which  all  present  were  invited  to  help  themselves." 
When  the  temperance  movement  had  abolished  the  custom, 
one  good  old  patriarch  said,  with  much  bitterness,  "Tem- 
perance has  done  for  funerals."  Very  early  the  custom  pre- 
vailed of  furnishing  all  the  guests  at  funerals  with  gloves. 
Later  it  was  confined  to  the  bearers.  ^  There  were  no 
hearses,  and  the  bearers,  eight  to  sixteen,  alternating  by 
fours,  carried  the  bier  —  often  a  rudely  constructed  one  — 
on  their  shoulders. 

The  desire  for  social  intercourse  often  led  w^omen  to 
take  a  foot-wheel  on  a  horse,  sometimes  with  a  baby 
besides,  and  go  to  a  neighbor's  to  spend  the  day,  industri- 
ously improving  the  time  with  hand,  foot  and  tongue. 

Youthful  marriages  and  large  families  prevailed,  and 
girls  often  became  wives  at  the  age  of  sixteen  or  seventeen. 
Bachelors  were  frowned  upon,  "old  maid"  was  a  term  of 
ridicule  and  reproach,  and  few  of  either  sex  remained 
single.  The  banns  were  "published"  for  three  weeks  pre- 
vious to  the  wedding  by  posting  at  the  meetinghouse  door, 
or  by  being  "cried"  in  open  meeting,  three  Sundays  in 
succession.  Weddings  corresponded  to  the  style  of  living, 
otherwise  they  were  not  materially  different  from  those 
of  the  present  day;  but  "fixing"  to  be  married  was  an 
entirely  different  affair.  Soon  after  the  engagement  the 
young  woman  bought  her  wheels  and  began  to  spin  and 
weave  her  linen  and  flannels.     Then    came  the  quiltings  — 

1  When  that  custom  ceased,  it  is  related  that  at  a  funeral  where  negroes 
were  employed  as  bearers,  as  they  often  were  \vhen  there  were  slaves,  one  of 
them  who  had  not  been  provided  with  gloves  as  he  expected,  turned  to  his 
neighbor  and  inquired,  "Sambo,  you  got  glove?"  "No."  "  CsEsar,  you  got 
glove?"     "No."     "Well  den,  fring  'e  down,  let  'e  go  hissclf." 


332  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

jolly  frolics  at  which  the  women  and  girls  did  the  work  in 
the  afternoon  and  the  young  men  came  in  the  evening  for 
the  dancing,  where  that  was  permitted,  games,  and  to 
"beau"  their  sweethearts  home.  In  going  to  parties  at  a 
distance  the  young  man  took  his  best  girl  on  the  horse 
behind  him,  but  she  was  expected  to  provide  her  own  pil- 
lion. Each  daughter  was  furnished  w^ith  at  least  one  fine 
feather  bed,  the  feathers  picked  from  the  live  geese  on  the 
farm, 

Huskings  were  delightful  festivities,  closing  with  a  dance 
and  a  supper  of  mince  and  pumpkin  pies,  "nut-cakes" 
(doughnuts),  cheese,  apples  and  cider,  and  even  these  were 
sometimes  preceded  by  roast  turkey.  A  red  ear  husked  by 
a  young  man  entitled  him  to  go  the  rounds  with  kisses, 
and  one  husked  by  a  girl  gave  her  the  right  to  kiss  the 
lad  of  her  choice  —  or,  if  her  courage  failed  her,  be  kissed 
by  every  lad  present. 

As  the  thrifty  young  orchard  came  to  bearing,  cider 
w^as  the  common  drink,  taking  the  place  of  beer  in  Ger- 
many and  wine  in  France.  Its  market  value  was  about 
fifty  cents  a  barrel.  Farmers  put  ten,  tw^enty  and  even 
fifty  barrels  in  the  cellar  for  the  year's  supply  of  their 
large  families.  "One  village  of  forty  families  in  Massachu- 
setts made  3,000  barrels  in  1721."  Charles  Francis  Adams 
tells  us  that  "to  the  end  of  John  Adams's  life  a  large 
tankard  of  hard  cider  was  his  morning  draught  before 
breakfast." 

To  show  how  some  families  lived,  the  statement  has 
been  made  that,  in  1755,  when  Col.  Benjamin  Bellows,  of 
Walpole,  repelled  the  attack  of  the  Indians,  he  had  thirty 
men  in  his  employ ;  and  that  many  years  afterwards  his 
family  was  so  large  that  he  killed  an  ox  or  a  cow  every 
week  and  put  down  twenty  barrels  of  pork  and  400  bar- 
rels of  cider  for  his  year's  supply,  and  other  things  in  pro- 
portion. He  ran  boats  to  Hartford  and  Windsor,  Conn., 
and  brought  up  iron  for  his  blacksmith  and  supplies  for 
himself  and  the  country  around. 

The  first  schools  were  very  primitive  aff'airs.  Little 
could  be  learned  in  them  in  consequence  of  the  lack  of 
text-books    and  competent  teachers,   and  the  "three  Rs " 


PIONEER  LIFE.  333 

constituted  the  entire  curriculum.  Before  schoolhouses  were 
built,  the  schools  were  taught  in  unoccupied  log-houses, 
bams  or  other  buildings.  The  first  school  in  Keene  of 
which  we  have  any  record  was  in  1764,  and  the  town 
voted  six  pounds  sterling  for  its  support. 

As  the  settlements  grew  the  children  increased  rapidly 
in  numbers,  the  schools  were  large  and  competent  teachers 
came  to  the  front.  In  winter  the  teachers  were  men  and 
the  schools  were  effective  and  practical,  so  far  as  they 
went.  Having  but  few  branches  of  study  to  engage  their 
attention,  and  but  short  time  for  those,  the  pupils  applied 
themselves  closely,  and  many  excellent  readers,  arithme- 
ticians and  chirographers  received  all  their  instruction  in 
those  schools  of  only  a  few  weeks  in  the  year.  A  hand- 
some handwriting  was  an  accomplishment  and  was 
acquired  by  many.  The  reading  books  were  the  Testa- 
ment, New  England  primer,  and,  in  some  places,  the 
psalter.  Dilworth's  spelling-book  was  published  in  Eng- 
land in  1740,  and  was  used  here  about  1770,  and  Knee- 
land's  spelling-book  about  1800;  but  there  were  no  text- 
books on  arithmetic,  the  teacher  "setting  sums"  for  the 
pupils  to  work  out.  Noah  Webster's  spelling  book  and 
Morse's  geography  appeared  soon  after  the  Revolution ; 
and  a  little  later,  Pike's  arithmetic,  by  Nicholas  Pike  of 
Somersworth,  N.  H.,  followed  by  the  "Scholar's  Arith- 
metic," by  Dr.  Daniel  Adams  of  Leominster,  Mass.,  after- 
wards of  Keene,  where  he  published  his  "Adams'  New 
Arithmetic." 

The  style  of  dress  for  men  was  quaint  and  elaborate; 
that  for  women  changeable,  but  much  less  so  than  at  the 
present  time.  Till  as  late  as  about  1800,  men  wore  "cocked 
hats"  —  the  broad  brim  turned  up  to  the  crown  in  three 
places; — shirts  with  ruffles  at  the  bosom  and  wrists,  long 
waistcoats  covering  the  hips,  often  very  handsomely  em- 
broidered; coats  made  large  and  long,  usually  of  blue, 
with  deep  facings  of  buff,  and  metal  buttons;  "short- 
clothes"  with  knee-buckles  and  long  hose  and  low  shoes 
with  large  buckles  covering  the  instep ;  and  one  handsome 
coat  was  sometimes  handed  down  from  father  to  son  with 
the   farm   and  the  stock.      In  full  dress,    gentlemen    wore 


334  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

swords,  and  their  hose  were  of  white  or  black  silk.  Mili- 
tary officers  w^ore  boots  with  white  tops  and  spurs,  even 
at  balls.  The  same  kind  of  boot  was  also  worn  at  times 
by  civilians.  The  warm  underclothing  of  the  present  day 
was  unknown,  and  women  wore  low,  thin  shoes,  even  in 
winter;  and  consumption  carried  off  a  larger  proportion  of 
victims  than  now.  Rubber  boots  and  shoes  were  unknown, 
and  so  were  dry  feet,  except  in  dry  weather  or  within 
doors.  Umbrellas  appeared  in  Boston  in  1768,  but  did 
not  come  into  general  use  until  the  last  of  that  century. 

The  code  of  criminal  law^  was  strict  and  severe.  In 
very  early  times  not  only  murder,  but  treason,  arson, 
rape,  adultery,  burglary,  robbery  and  grand  larceny  were 
punished  with  death.  Imprisonment  for  debt,  even  when 
contracted  for  food  in  cases  of  sickness  and  distress,  was 
common,  and  that  law  continued  in  force  in  this  state  until 
within  a  few  years.  Whipping,  branding,  the  pillory  and 
the  stocks  were  common  methods  of  punishment.  Men  still 
living  remember  to  have  seen  the  old  stocks  used  here  in 
Keene,  stored  in  the  horsesheds  in  rear  of  the  old  meeting- 
house. For  what  would  now  be  considered  trivial  offences, 
men  were  thrown  into  jail;  but  the  limits  of  the  "jail 
yard"  were  often  prescribed,  except  for  criminals,  some- 
times extending  a  certain  number  of  rods,  sometimes 
including  the  whole  village  or  town.  In  very  early  times, 
scolds  were  punished  by  ducking,  with  an  apparatus  con- 
trived for  the  purpose,  or  by  wearing  split  sticks  on  their 
tongues.  But  there  was  comparatively  little  crime  among 
pioneers.  After  the  danger  from  savages  had  passed,  doors 
and  windows  were  seldom  fastened,  day  or  night.  The 
roads  were  safe,  and  women  and  girls  could  travel  alone 
through  the  w^oods,  without  danger  of  being  molested. 

Tramps  were  scarcely  known.  The  only  paupers  were 
the  demented,  and  the  care  of  those  was  let  out  to  the 
lowest  bidder.  In  some  towns  this  odious  practice  was 
aggravated  by  the  custom  of  furnishing  liquor  at  such 
"vendues,"  at  the  expense  of  the  town,  to  incite  the  bid- 
ders to  run  the  price  down  to  the  lowest  possible  point, 
thus  leaving  the  poor  in  the  hands  of  those  least  suited  to 
have  the  care  of  them.     By  a    law  passed  in   1719,   any 


I 


PIONEER  LIFE.  335 

person  residing  in  a  town  three  months  without  being 
w^arned  to  depart  by  the  selectmen  or  constable  became  an 
"inhabitant"  of  that  town,  which  made  the  town  liable 
for  his  support  in  case  he  was  at  any  time  unable  to  sup- 
port himself.  Under  that  law^  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
towns  to  warn  nearly  every  new  comer  to  depart,  and 
many  who  afterwards  became  prominent  citizens  were  thus 
warned.  If  they  neglected,  or  refused,  to  heed  the  warn- 
ing, the  law  provided  that  they  might  be  taken  by  the 
selectmen,  or  constable,  and  delivered  to  a  proper  officer 
of  some  other  town,  and  that  officer  might  pass  them  on 
to  another,  until  they  reached  the  place  of  their  legal  resi- 
dence. At  the  annual  meeting  in  Keene,  in  1781,  the  town 
"voted  to  Israel  Houghton  Thirty  pounds  Like  money 
(old  Continental  currency)  for  his  services  carrying  patte 
Towzer  out  of  Town;"  and  many  such  votes  are  recorded 
in  the  old  town  books.  That  law  continued  in  force  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years. 

The  usual  method  of  travelling  was  on  horseback,  the 
minister  and  doctor  making  their  visits  in  that  way,  the 
latter  carrying  his  instruments  and  medicines  in  capacious 
saddlebags.  When  Keene  was  first  settled,  the  price  of  a 
physician's  visit  was  sixpence  (eight  cents),  and  only  eight- 
pence  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 

Dentistry  was  unknown  till  the  beginning  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  If  a  tooth  offended,  the  sufferer  went  to 
the  nearest  physician,  or  to  the  minister,  the  barber,  the 
blacksmith,  or  other  ingenious  person,  who  wrenched  it 
out  with  a  "turnkey." 

Making  salts  for  pot  and  pearl  ashes  was  an  impor- 
tant industry.  Potash-kettles  were  brought  from  Boston, 
and  the  lye  of  hard  wood  ashes  was  boiled  down  till  it 
"grained,"  like  sugar.  This  product  sold  readily  for  cash 
or  its  equivalent  in  goods.  Roasting  the  salts  in  an  oven 
produced  potash,  and  another  similar  purifying  process 
made  pearlash.  There  were  several  manufactories  of  pot 
and  pearl  ashes  in  to\^n,  towards  the  close  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century. 

Ploughs  for  breaking  up  the  ground  among  the  stumps 
and  roots  had  to  be  made  very   strong  and  heavy,   and. 


336  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

except  the  coulter,  were  almost  wholly  of  wood  —  white 
oak  or  walnut. 

The  first  plough  used  in  Stoddard  w^as  carried  there  by 
John  Taggart,  from  Peterboro,  on  his  shoulder,  and  Mrs. 
Taggart  carried  a  foot  spinning-wheel  at  the  same  time. 
(Historj^  of  Stoddard.) 

As  a  rule,  the  pioneers  here  described,  and  their  wives 
and  the  large  families  of  girls  and  boys  reared  in  those 
primitive  homes,  were  among  the  purest  and  noblest  of 
men  and  women.  Though  parents  were  austere  and  appar- 
ently uns\mipathetic,  i  and  friends  seemed  cool  and  indif- 
ferent, "their  hearts  were  warm  under  a  stern  exterior;" 
their  Puritan  principles  were  of  the  highest,  and  their 
industry,  frugality  and  integrity  made  them  the  best  of 
citizens;  and  most  of  those  homes  were  pure  fountains 
whence  flowed  the  streams  that  formed  the  mighty  rivers 
of  the  states  and  the  nation.  From  such  homes  came  the 
men,  always  nobly  seconded  by  the  women,  who  beat  back 
the  savages ;  subdued  the  forests ;  carried  on  the  affairs  of 
each  little  independent  government,  the  town ;  organized 
the  states ;  won  their  separation  from  Great  Britain,  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  this  grand  republic. 

1  "  Doubtless  mothers  -were  as  fond  of  their  children  as    those    of  the  present 
day,  but  they  seldom  or  never  kissed  them."     (Prof.  Silliman's  Autobiography.) 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TOWN  AFFAIRS. 
1801—1810. 

The  third  New  Hampshire  turnpike  had  been  chartered 
by  the  legislature  in  December,  1799,  to  run  from  Bellows 
Falls  (afterwards  extended  to  Charlestown)  through  Wal- 
pole,  Keene,  Marlboro,  Jaffrey  and  New  Ipswich  on  the 
route  to  Boston,  The  turnpike  corporation  held  its  first 
meeting  at  the  tavern  of  Major  Wm.  Todd,  in  Keene,  in 
February,  1800,  and  it  began  to  build  its  road  that  year. 
The  "pike"  came  over  the  hills  by  what  is  now  known  as 
the  "Old  Walpole  road,"  and  opened  Court  street  nearly 
on  its  present  line ;  but  did  not  enter  Central  square  in  a 
straight  course,  curving  to  the  west,  instead,  at  the  lower 
end,  leaving  the  old  courthouse  on  its  east  side  as  already 
described,  in  1795.  Samuel  West,  a  \'Oung  lawyer  who  had 
recently  come  to  town,  was  clerk,  and  Daniel  New^comb 
treasurer  of  the  corporation ;  and  much  of  the  stock  was 
owned  in  Keene. 

The  mails  from  Boston  now  came  by  this  route  to 
Keene,  and  thence  to  Chesterfield  and  Brattleboro,  once  a 
week  and  return ;  leaving  Boston  Tuesday  at  9  a.  m., 
arriving  at  Brattleboro,  Thursday,  at  7  p.  m. ;  leaving 
Brattleboro  Friday  at  2  p.  m.,  arriving  at  Boston,  Mon- 
day, at  3  p.  m. 

The  4th  of  July,  1801,  was  celebrated  again  this  year. 
The  exercises  were  similar  to  those  of  two  years  previous, 
and  the  same  military  companies  did  escort  dut^^  Samuel 
West,  Esq.,  delivered  the  oration. 

Rev.  Edward  Sprague,  at  that  time  the  settled  minister 
of  Dublin,  bought  a  house  on  Pleasant  street,  where  the 
Alfred  Colony  house  now  stands,  and  came  to  Keene  to  live, 
although  still  the  minister  of  Dublin.  He  was  noted  for  his 
eccentricities,  and  anecdotes  of  "Parson  Sprague"  circu- 
lated far  and  wide.     He  was  wealthy,  rode  in  a  four-horse 


338  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

coach,  and  having  money  to  invest  he  bought  farms  in 
Keene  which  he  rented  "at  the  halves;"  but  he  said  after- 
wards that  his  half  never  grew.  Disappointed  in  his  hopes 
of  improving  his  health  and  fortune  he  returned  to  Dublin 
and  died  there  —  killed  by  being  thrown  from  his  carriage 
at  the  close  of  a  wedding  ceremony  —  but  his  widow  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Keene,  and  died  here  in  1818. 

In  October,  1801,  the  town  "Voted  that  the  Grammar 
School  master  shall  keep  a  School  in  each  School  district 
in  proportion  to  the  valuation  of  each  School  district." 
Samuel  Prescott,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  college,  taught 
the  schools  for  one  year. 

The  death  of  Israel  Houghton,  one  of  the  early  settlers, 
and  that  of  Major  Josiah  Willard,  for  many  years  a  prom- 
inent citizen,  occurred  this  year.  Major  Willard  was  sixty- 
four  years  old,  and  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors. 

In  1802,  John  Wood  came  from  Concord,  Mass.,  to 
Keene,  and  entered  into  partnership  with  Daniel  Watson. 
The  next  year  James  Mann  bought  out  his  partner,  Moses 
Johnson,  and  the  firm  of  Watson,  Mann  &  Wood  was 
formed,  and  for  years  they  did  a  large  business  in  general 
merchandise  and  saddlery  in  the  Johnson  &  Mann  store 
and  Watson's  shop.  It  was  the  custom  for  all  grocers  to 
sell  spirituous  liquors,  and  this  firm  advertised  for  fifty 
bushels  of  black  cherries  to  make  cherry  rum. 

Johnson  continued  to  make  pot  and  pearl  ashes ;  took 
in  Aaron  Seamans  as  a  partner  in  his  "ginn  distillery;" 
advertised  to  pay  cash  for  rye  and  barley;  claimed  to  have 
the  best  malt-house  in  the  country,  and  warranted  his 
"ginn"  to  be  equal  to  any  imported.  The  distillery  was 
near  the  potash  works,  back  of  Castle  street,  and  the  ruins 
of  those  buildings  gave  the  name  to  that  street, 

Joseph  Dorr,  in  the  old  wooden  store  on  the  corner, 
advertised,  along  with  his  goods,  tickets  for  sale  in  the 
"South  Hadley  Canal  Lottery,"  — the  drawing  to  take 
place  in  the  "Old  State  House,  Boston."  Dorr  and  Adin 
Holbrook  had  an  oil-mill  just  below  the  saw  mill  on  the 
"  Holbrook  farm,"  on  the  old  Surry  road,  the  foundations 
of  which  can  still  be  seen,  and  advertised  at  one  time  for 
10,000  bushels  of  flax  seed. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  339 

The  first  evening  school  in  Keene  was  taught  in  the 
autumn  of  this  year,  1802,  in  the  hall  of  "Wells's  Inn," 
previously  Bullard's  Coffee  House. 

Dr.  Daniel  Adams  resigned  the  office  of  postmaster  and 
John  G.  Bond  was  appointed.  He  removed  the  office  to 
his  store  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square. 

The  Branch  Road  and  Bridge  Corporation,  sometimes 
called  the  Fitzwilliam  turnpike,  from  Keene  through  Troy 
to  Fitzwilliam,  organized  and  began  to  build  its  road  in 
1803,  opening  a  new  line  to  Boston.  Three  years  were 
required  for  its  completion.  With  the  aid  of  $400,  voted 
by  the  town  for  that  purpose,  it  built  the  first  permanent 
bridge  across  the  branch  at  the  lower  end  of  Main  street ; 
and  it  opened  the  direct  road  to  Swanzey  Factory  and 
thence  up  the  valley  to  Troy.  In  1805  this  line  was  ex- 
tended north  by  the  construction  of  the  "Cheshire  Turn- 
pike" from  Keene  (by  the  old  road,  east  side  of  the  river) 
through  Surry,  passing  the  Holbrook  tavern,  and  over  the 
hills  to  Drewsville  and  Charlestown.  These  two  corpora- 
tions made  connection  at  Keene,  crossing  the  third  New 
Hampshire  turnpike  and  creating  a  lively  competition  for 
the  travel  to  and  from  Boston. 

In  December,  1803,  Mr.  Dearborn  Emerson  put  a  line 
of  stages  on  the  third  turnpike  route,  from  Boston  through 
Concord,  Groton,  New  Ipswich,  Jaifrey,  Marlboro  and 
Keene  to  Walpole,  running  twice  a  week  and  connecting 
at  Walpole  with  mail  stages  beyond.  He  also  did  an  ex- 
press business.  Previous  to  this  the  fare  to  Boston  had 
been,  first  $6.00,  then  $5.00,  and  now  it  was  reduced  to 
$4.50. 

The  roads  at  that  time,  made  in  the  rich,  new  soil,  were 
very  soft  and  almost  impassable  when  much  rain  had 
fallen.  A  plank  walk  had  been  laid  the  whole  length  of 
Pleasant  street,  from  the  meetinghouse  to  Luther  Smith's 
mills,  paid  for  by  individuals. i  It  was  so  great  an  im- 
provement over  the  road  and  so  attractive  to  horsemen 
that  the  town  clerk,  Noah  Cooke,  published  a  notice  for- 
bidding people  to  ride  or  lead  horses  thereon. 

In    August,    two    little    sisters,    Mary    and    Roxana, 

I  Handsome  jaine  planks  were  used,   which  cost  $-4-.00  per  M. 


340  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

daughters  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phineas  Wright,  mistaking 
floating  moss  for  solid  earth,  were  drowned  in  the  Ashue- 
lot' river,  and  the  whole  town  mourned  their  loss. 

The  winter  of  1803—4  was  not  an  open  one.  On  the 
3d  of  March  the  snow  was  reported  to  be  "  above  four  feet 
deep  where  it  is  not  drifted." 

At  the  annual  meeting  this  year,  the  time  for  which  had 
been  changed  by  the  legislature  from  the  first  to  the  second 
Tuesday  in  March,  the  town  voted  to  raise  the  sum  of 
sixty  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  persons  to  sing. 

The  Cheshire  bank  had  been  chartered  in  December, 
1803,  and  in  May  following  the  corporation  organized  by 
the  choice  of  Daniel  Newcomb,  Noah  Cooke,  John  G.  Bond, 
Joseph  Dorr,  Foster  Alexander,  Jonathan  Robinson  and 
James  Mann  directors ;  with  Daniel  Newcomb  president 
and  Elijah  Dunbar  cashier.  They  immediately  put  up  a 
brick  building,  two  stories  high,  "on  the  spot  now  covered, 
or  partly  covered,  by  the  Northeast  corner  of  the  Rail- 
road Passenger  Station."  (Annals,  page  91.)  The  upper 
story  was  a  hall,  sometimes  used  for  schools.  Two  years 
later  Mr.  Dunbar  resigned  and  Albe  Cady  w^as  chosen 
cashier  and  held  that  position  for  about  seven  years. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  in  1804.  Two  com- 
panies of  militia.  Captains  Chase  and  Metcalf,  escorted  a 
procession  to  the  meetinghouse,  where  prayer  was  offered 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Hall,  the  Declaration  of  Independence  read  by 
Noah  Cooke,  Esq.,  and  an  oration  delivered  by  young 
Phineas  Cooke,  the  schoolmaster. 

Joseph  Dorr  had  taken  command  of  the  cavalry  com- 
pany belonging  to  the  regiment,  enlisted  from  Keene  and 
other  towns,  reorganized  it,  named  it  the  Ashuelot  Cav- 
alry, and  had  brought  it  up  to  a  state  of  discipline  and 
efiiciency  which  placed  it  at  the  head  of  the  cavalry  in  the 
state.  On  his  return  from  commencement  at  Dartmouth 
college,  in  September,  Gov.  John  Taylor  Oilman  spent  the 
night  in  Keene.  The  next  day  he  was  escorted  on  his  way 
as  far  as  Marlboro  by  Capt.  Dorr  with  the  Keene  contin- 
gent of  his  company  in  full  uniform. 

In  business,  the  firm  of  Watson,  Mann  &  Wood  had 
now  been  succeeded   by  that  of  Mann   &  Wood ;  John  G. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  341 

Bond,  the  postmaster,  continued  the  business  of  Allen  & 
Bond  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square ;  Joseph  Dorr  on  the 
corner  had  sold  out  to  Dr.  James  H.  Bradford,  who  removed 
from  the  opposite  side  of  Main  street  and  added  drugs  and 
medicines.  Dr.  Bradford  had  married  Sarah,  youngest 
daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston.  Aaron  Seamans,  partner 
of  Moses  Johnson  in  the  distillery,  joined  Ebenezer  Daniels 
in  tanning,  currying  and  morocco-dressing,  with  a  tannery 
in  rear  of  the  present  Eagle  Hotel.  They  did  an  extensive 
business,  and  Daniels  had  a  large  shoe  manufactory  under 
the  Masonic  hall.  Seamans  built  the  large  square  house  on 
School  street  (No.  72),  now  the  residence  of  Herbert  C. 
Aldrich  (1900),  and  Hved  there.  Hale  &  Kise,  Moses  H. 
Hale  and  Zebadiah  Kise,  came  from  Chelmsford,  Mass., 
bought  Luther  Smith's  mills  on  Ashuelot  river  and  added 
machinery  for  picking  and  carding  wool.  Capt.  William 
Wyman,  a  "mariner,"  son  of  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  returned 
to  Keene  about  this  time,  1804,  built  the  brick  store  now 
the  south  end  of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  and  Wyman  &  Chap- 
man (Daniel)  opened  it  with  a  general  assortment  of 
goods.  For  many  years  at  this  time  Daniel  Webster,  a 
relative  of  the  great  Daniel,  was  a  brazier  and  bell-founder 
in  Keene,  made  sleigh-bells  and  metallic  utensils  and  sup- 
plied town  authorities  with  sealed  weights  and  measures. 
He  was  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  for  this  town  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1812. 

The  sum  raised  by  the  town  for  schools,  and  also  that 
for  the  repairs  of  highways  and  bridges,  had  stood  for 
several  years  at  $666.66.  In  1805  it  was  increased  to 
$700  for  schools  and  $1,000  for  highways  and  bridges. 

The  corn  crop  had  been  short  the  preceding  year  and 
in  1805  corn  sold  in  Keene  at  "ten  shillings  per  bushel." 
A  drought  followed  during  this  season,  no  rain  falling  from 
the  1st  of  June  till  past  the  20th  of  July ;  and  in  August 
there  was  great  damage  from  forest  fires. 

At  the  regimental  muster  here  in  September  the  Keene 
Light  Infantry  appeared,  reorganized,  with  full  ranks, 
new  and  handsome  uniforms  and  an  elegant  standard, 
commanded  by  Capt.  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  and  began  its  long 
and    brilliant   career    as    one    of  the    finest    companies    of 


342  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

militia  in  the  state.  The  emulation  and  rivalry  between 
it  and  the  Westmoreland  Light  Infantry,  of  the  same  regi- 
ment, which  afterwards  ran  very  near  the  verge  of  colli- 
sion and  kept  both  up  to  the  highest  point  of  effectiveness, 
began  at  this  time.  There  were  also  two  companies  of 
cavalry  in  the  regiment,  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry  being  com- 
manded by  Capt.  James  H.  Bradford,  already  mentioned. 
There  were  also  the  Walpole  Artillery  and  the  militia  com- 
panies of  the  line.  The  muster  closed  with  a  sham  fight, 
in  which  one  detachment  of  the  troops  represented  Indians, 

There  was  extreme  cold  weather  in  January,  1806,  the 
mercury  sinking  on  the  16th  to  34°  and  on  the  18th  to 
38°  below  zero.  On  the  16th  of  June  there  was  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  "the  most  striking  and  impressive 
phenomenon  which  the  present  generation  has  witnessed." 
Candles  had  to  be  lighted,  fowls  went  to  roost  and  "the 
day  was  converted  into  night  and  darkness."  It  was 
remembered  and  talked  about  for  half  a  century  as  the 
"dark  day." 

The  Sentinel  removed  to  the  second  floor  of  the  store 
Moses  Johnson  had  built,  a  few  rods  south  of  its  former 
location,  "opposite  the  Bank"  —  where  Gurnsey's  building 
now  stands.  In  the  northwest  lower  room  Mr.  Prentiss 
had  his  bookstore,  and  a  circulating  library  which  he  had 
started  the  year  previous;  "terms:  six  cents  for  a  12  mo. 
vol.  for  one  w^eek  and  two  cents  a  day  after  one  week." 

During  this  season,  1806,  Luther  Smith  built  the  main, 
or  north  part  of  the  present  Eagle  Hotel,  two  stories  high. 
There  was  a  space,  used  for  a  driveway  to  the  stables, 
between  that  building  and  Capt.  Wyman's  store,  which 
was  filled  many  years  later,  and  the  store  then  became  a 
part  of  the  hotel.  Horace  Wells,  who  had  succeeded  his 
father,  Thomas  Wells,  in  the  BuUard  Coffee  House,  and 
had  removed  from  that  house  to  the  Ralston  tavern,  now 
left  the  latter  and  took  the  new  hotel,  and  was  succeeded 
in  the  Ralston  by  Gilbert  Mellen.  Two  years  later,  how- 
ever, he  sold  to  Benoni  Shirtliff  and  returned  to  the  Ral- 
ston. Mr.  Shirtliff  came  from  Marlboro,  and  kept  the  new 
hotel  for  many  years.  On  the  west  side  of  that  street  Dr. 
Charles    Blake    and    Elisha    Hunt    opened    an    apothecary 


\ 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  343 

shop  with  a  large  stock  of  patent  medicines,  paints, 
Hquors,  etc. ;  Willard  &  Ames  (continuing  the  former  firm 
of  Major  Josiah  Willard  and  Silas  Ames)  carried  on  the 
saddlers'  and  carriage-trimming  business  near  them;  and 
Samuel  Euers  came  to  town  that  spring  and  set  up  the 
business  of  coach  and  chaise  making.  James  Wells  had  a 
hat  store  next  north  of  the  bank,  and  Joseph  Brown  ad- 
vertised:  "The  Old  Store  Replenished  —  Fresh  Supply  of 
Goods"  —  at  old  West  Keene.  Several  of  the  merchants 
advertised  lottery  tickets  for  sale,  among  them,  "Harvard 
College  Lottery  Tickets ;  — Highest   Prize  $15,000." 

Thomas  Baker,  Esq.,  w^ho  for  more  than  forty  years 
had  been  a  prominent  man  in  town,  died  in  1806,  aged 
seventy-six  years. 

It  was  during  the  summer  of  1807  that  outrages  were 
committed  upon  American  seamen  by  British  naval  officers, 
particularly  by  those  of  a  squadron  lying  off  Hampton 
Roads,  which  created  great  excitement  throughout  the 
country,  and  led  to  war  between  the  two  nations  five 
years  later.  The  people  were  so  roused  as  to  demand  im- 
mediate war  unless  prompt  satisfaction  were  given.  All 
parties  rallied  to  the  support  of  the  administration.  Con- 
gress was  convened  and  the  president  issued  his  proclama- 
tion calling  for  100,000  militia  to  be  raised  immediately 
and  held  in  readiness.  Capt.  Dinsmoor  called  the  Keene 
Light  Infantry  together  and  they  voted  unanimously  to 
volunteer  in  a  body.  The  Ashuelot  Cavalry,  now  under 
Capt.  Wm.  M.  Bond,  did  the  same;  and  fifty  men  of  Capt. 
Chapman's  company  of  infantry  also  volunteered.  Almost 
the  entire  militia  of  New  Hampshire  offered  their  services. 
The  British  government  disavowed  the  more  aggravating 
acts  of  its  officers  and  the  excitement  abated ;  but  it  was 
not  extinguished  until  war  had  settled  the  controversy. 

During  a  shower  in  July  a  whirlwind  passed  through 
tiie  northern  part  of  the  village,  in  a  northeasterly  direc- 
tion, laid  in  ruins  a  house  and  barn  and  unroofed  a  large 
shed  on  the  farm  of  Aaron  Seamans,  where  H.  H.  Barker 
now  lives,  on  Castle  street;  prostrated  fences  and  uprooted 
trees;  but  its  path  was  short  and  narrow  and  no  other 
serious  damage  was  done. 


344  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

This  year,  a  line  of  mail  stages  began  making  regular 
trips  through  from  Boston  to  Keene  in  one  day  —  leaving 
Boston  at  4  a.  m.  and  arriving  at  Keene  at  8  p.  m.  —  and 
running  through  to  Hanover  and  return  three  times  a 
week, 

"At  the  term  of  the  Superior  Court,  held  in  Keene  in 
October  [1807],  came  on  the  trial  of  a  prosecution  insti- 
tuted by  the  inhabitants  of  Walpole  against  certain  citizens 
of  Keene  'for  taking  and  carrying  away,  in  the  night  time, 
a  piece  of  ordnance  of  the  value  of  two  hundred  dollars, 
the  property  of  said  town  of  Walpole.' 

"  For  the  better  understanding  of  this  matter  it  is  neces- 
sary to  go  back  to  a  remote  period  of  our  history.  In  the 
early  settlement  of  the  countr3',  on  Connecticut  River,  four 
forts  were  erected  on  its  banks,  and  each  was  supplied,  by 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  England,  with  a  large  iron  can- 
non. These  forts  were  numbered  —  that  at  Chesterfield 
being  No.  1,  that  at  Westmoreland  No.  2,  that  at  Walpole 
No.  3,  and  that  at  Charlestovvn  No.  4.  These  cannons 
remained  in  those  several  towns,  after  the  achievement  of 
our  independence,  were  prized  as  trophies  of  victory,  and 
made  to  speak,  in  triumphant  tones,  on  every  fourth  of 
July,  and  other  days  of  public  rejoicings.  Their  reports 
sounded  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  adjoining  towns,  as 
exulting  claims  to  superiority,  they  having  no  such  tro- 
phies to  speak  for  them.  That  at  Walpole  was  left  un- 
guarded, in  the  Main-street.  In  the  spring  of  this  year,  a 
citizen  of  Keene,  then  a  youth,  but  since  distinguished  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  having  received  an  elegant 
sword  for  his  gallant  defense,  in  the  war  of  1812,  of  Fort 
Covington,  near  Baltimore,  arranged  a  party  who  repaired 
to  Walpole,  in  the  night,  took  possession  of  the  cannon 
and  brought  it  in  triumph  to  Keene. 

"The  whole  population  of  Walpole  were  indignant  at 
being  deprived,  in  this  way,  of  their  valued  trophy,  and 
determined  to  appeal  to  the  laws  to  recover  it.  Several 
attempts  to  arrest  the  offenders  proved  abortive,  but  this 
only  added  to  their  zeal.  A  respectable  citizen  of  Walpole 
was  sent  to  aid  the  sheriff.  Knowing  that  he,  whom  they 
most  wished  to  secure,  concealed  himself,  whenever  apprized 
that  the  officer  was  visible,  they  lay  in  ambush  for  him  in 
the  swamps  South  and  West  of  his  father's  residence.  It 
happened  that  Dr.  Adams  was  at  this  time  gunning,  as 
was  his  frequent  habit,  in  the  same  grounds.  He  saw  them, 
and  knowing  that  they  saw^  him,  he  walked  hurriedly 
away.  They  followed,  he  hastened  his  walk,  they  theirs, 
until  the  w^alk  became  a  run,  and  the    run    a    race.    His 


TOWN  AFFAII^S.  345 

knowledge  of  the  minute  topography  of  the  place  enabled 
him  to  take  such  direction  as  might  best  suit  his  purpose. 
Methinks  I  see  him  now,  lightly  springing  from  hassock  to 
hassock,  from  turf  to  log,  now  and  then  looking  back,  with 
face  sedate  and  eagle  eye,  to  see  how  his  pursuers  sped. 
By  turning  and  winding,  he  led  them  into  a  bog,  and  gained 
distance  while  they  were  struggling  to  gain  firm  foothold. 
They  outran  him,  however,  and  arrested  him  at  his  door; 
but  were  soon  convinced  they  had  not  caught  the  right 
man,  and  returned,  not  the  less  irritated,  to  Walpole. 

"Several  of  the  delinquents  were  at  length  arrested  and 
brought  to  trial.  The  court  (Chief  Justice  Smith,  afterwards 
Governor,  presiding)  decided  that  the  said  cannon  was  not 
the  property  of  the  said  town  of  Walpole,  and  the  defend- 
ants were  discharged.  It  was  immediately  drawn  near  the 
court  house,  loaded  and  fired.  '  May  it  please  your  honors,' 
said  counsellor  Vose,  'the  case  is  already  reported.'" 

"The  irritation  of  the  people  of  Walpole,  at  the  loss 
of  their  valued  trophy,  or  more,  perhaps,  at  the  manner 
in  w^hich  they  had  been  deprived  of  it,  continued  unabated ; 
and  they  determined  to  take  redress  into  their  own  hands. 
They  had  been  informed  that  the  cannon  was  concealed  in 
a  granary,  in  a  back  store,  on  the  South  side  of  West- 
street,  near  Main-street.  On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of 
July  [1809],  a  plot  was  arranged  to  regain  possession  of 
it.  A  confederate  (a  stage-driver)  was  sent  immediately  to 
Keene,  in  a  huge  stage  wagon,  to  gain  information  and 
take  measures  to  facilitate  the  execution  of  the  project.  He 
ascertained  that  it  was  concealed  in  the  place  mentioned ; 
bargained  for  some  grain ;  and  at  his  suggestion  was 
allowed  to  take  the  key  that  he  might  get  the  grain  very 
early  in  the  morning,  without  disturbing  the  clerks.  Re- 
turning immediately,  he  met  on  their  way,  a  cavalcade  of 
about  thirty,  mostly  young  men,  commanded  by  a  military 
officer  of  high  rank,  and  made  his  report.  They  left  their 
horses  in  the  cross  road,  then  fringed  with  bushes,  leading 
from  Court-street  to  Washington-street;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  entered  the  granary.  The  first  motion  of  the  can- 
non, the  night  being  still,  made  a  terrific  noise.  The  town 
bell  was  rung  and  an  alarm  of  fire  was  raised.  The  men 
in  the  granary  labored  for  a  time  without  success,  and 
almost  without  hope.  Outside,  men  were  seen  skulking 
behind  buildings,  and  flitting  from  corner  to  corner.  At 
length,  by  a  desperate  effort,  it  was  lifted  into  the  wagon, 
and  the  team  hurried  towards  Walpole.  At  break  of  day, 
we  [they]  were  welcomed  home  by  the  ringing  of  the  bell, 
and  by  the  applause  of  a  crowd  awaiting  in  anxiety  the 
return  of  their  fellow-townsmen. 


346  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

"In  the  mean  time,  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  of 
Keene  mounted  their  horses  and  pursued  the  returning 
party;  but  fortunately  they  took  the  wrong  road,  and  thus 
a  desperate  conflict  was  avoided.  A  report  was  current, 
at  the  time,  that  they  took  the  wrong  road  by  design ; 
but  this  was  pronounced  a  base  and  baseless  slander. 

"But  the  history  of  the  King's  cannon  is  not  yet  com- 
plete. It  was  soon  afterwards  furtively  taken,  by  a  body 
of  men  from  Westminster,  Vermont,  to  be  used  in  cele- 
brating the  declaration  of  independence;  and  was  retaken, 
on  a  sudden  onset,  by  a  large  body  of  men  from  Walpole, 
the  Selectmen  at  their  head,  while  actually  in  use  for  that 
purpose.  It  was  afterwards  taken  by  men  from  Alstead ; 
and  report  sa3^s  that  it  was,  after  that,  appropriated  by 
an  iron  founder,  and  transmuted  into  implements  of  hus- 
bandry." 

(Annals,  pages  93-96.) 

The  Jefferson  administration  appointed  Samuel  Dins- 
moor  postmaster  at  Keene  in  1808,  removing  John  G. 
Bond,  who  was  a  Federalist. 

In  1807  and  1808,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Josiah  Willard, 
Lockhart  Willard,  Joel  Kingsbury  (a  civil  engineer),  and 
Capt.  Aaron  Hall  were  selectmen,  and  through  their  influ- 
ence, chiefly,  and  under  their  direction,  in  1808  the  course 
of  the  third  New  Hampshire  turnpike,  where  it  came  into 
the  village  from  the  north,  was  changed  and  laid  out  with 
the  straight  course  and  ample  width  of  our  present  Court 
street.  The  courthouse,  which  stood  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  common,  was  removed  to  the  present  site  of 
Bullard  &  Shedd's  and  B.  W.  Hodgkins'  drug  stores  (1900), 
and  the  new  road  came  into  the  Square,  as  at  present, 
directly  over  its  former  site.  A  change  was  also  made 
below,  by  the  turnpike  company,  from  the  old  "Boston 
Road"  (Baker  street),  by  opening  Marlboro  street  from 
Main  street  as  it  is  now,  to  straighten  the  route  and 
shorten  the  distance. 

Ralston  &  Bond  (Alexander  Ralston,  Jr.,  —  succeeded  by 
his  brother  James  B.,  —  and  Wm.  M.  Bond,  who  had  mar- 
ried their  sister,  Nancy  Ralston)  had  followed  the  elder 
Ralston  in  "the  Red  Store"  north  of  the  Ralston  tavern. 
This  year,  1808,  they  built  the  brick  store  which  now 
forms  the  north  part  of  the  City  Hotel,  and  continued  in 
business  there. 


1 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  347 

In  1806,  Hatch  &  Hall  (Daniel  D.  Hatch  and  Aaron 
Hall,  Jr.,)  had  succeeded  James  H.  Bradford  in  the  store 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Pleasant  streets.  Hatch  now 
retired  and  Hall  continued  the  business. 

The  registry  of  deeds  was  kept  at  Walpole,  and  James 
Campbell  of  that  town,  register,  advertised  that  he  would 
receive  deeds  for  record  at  William  Pierce's  tavern  in 
Keene,  during  the  term  of  court.  Mr.  Pierce  was  keeping 
the  house  formerly  kept  by  Dr.  Thomas  Edwards,  succeed- 
ing Elihu  Holbrook. 

Dea.  James  Lanman  was  keeping  tavern  at  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant ;  1  Daniel  Day,  a  veteran  of  the  Continental  army,  had 
succeeded  his  father,  Ebenezer  Day,  as  innkeeper  on  the 
Cheshire  turnpike,  near  the  Surry  line; 2  and  the  principal 
public  house  at  West  Keene  having  been  sold  to  Major 
Ingersoll,  Col.  Abraham  Wheeler  opened  what  is  still  known 
as  the  Sawyer  tavern,  east  of  the  mills. 

Dr.  John  Burnell  was  a  physician  here  at  that  time, 
with  "rooms  at  Shirtliffs  Coffee  House,"  and  Drs.  Water- 
house,  Smith  and  Fanchon  were  all  residing  in  town. 

In  November,  1808,  the  town  voted  to  raise  $300  to 
fence  burying  grounds ;  and  during  the  following  season 
Thomas  Thompson  and  Calvin  Chapman  were  paid  $103.83 
for  fencing  the  one  near  Judge  Newcomb's.  This  appears 
to  have  been  the  last  work  done  to  preserve  that  yard, 
although  efforts  for  that  purpose  were  made  many  years 
later. 

The  evil  effects  of  President  Jefferson's  policy  of  "non- 
intercourse  and  embargo"  were  very  seriously  felt  at 
this  time,  1809,  particularly  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  shipping  interests,  which  were  large  in  New  England, 
were  ruined.  Prices  of  imported  goods  became  enormously 
high,  and  many  articles  which  had  come  to  be  regarded  as 
necessaries  of  life  could  not  be  had  at  any  price.  The  good 
effects  of  that  policy  were  apparent  later  in  the  impulse 
given  to  domestic  manufactures.  People  were  constrained 
to  make    for  themselves   articles    of  necessity  or    comfort 


iNow  known  as  the  "Cole  place,"  foot  of  Marlboro  street.  He  had  been  a 
deacon  of  the  Brattle  Street  church,  Boston,  and  his  wife  was  a  Miss  Gold- 
thwaite,  sister  of  Mrs.  Daniel  Adams  of  Keene. 

2Since  known  as  the  "Carpenter  place." 


348  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

which  they  could  not  buy.  The  war  which  followed  a  few 
years  later  intensified  the  distress  and  the  impulse  to  self- 
protection,  and  cotton,  woolen  and  other  manufactures 
started  up  in  all  the  eastern  states.  That  was  the  chief 
cause  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  glass  factory 
in  Keene,  which  for  many  years  at  one  period  w^as  exceed- 
ing profitable  to  its  owners.  The  woolen  factory  on  West 
street,  which  has  been  of  immense  benefit  to  this  commu- 
nity, was  started  under  the  same  impulse,  beginning  in  a 
small  way  and  increasing  to  its  present  dimensions. 

But  the  immediate  effects  of  the  embargo  were  disas- 
trous, and  the  people,  w^ere  impatient  under  its  restraints. 
Legal  town  meetings  were  called  in  many  places,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  those  times,  to  give  expression  to 
the  sentiments  of  the  people  on  questions  of  public  policy. 
Such  a  meeting  was  held  in  Keene  on  the  26th  of  January, 
1809,  Lockhart  Willard,  moderator,  "to  take  into  consid- 
eration the  present  alarming  condition  of  our  country ;  to 
express  our  sentiments  thereon;  and  to  adopt  such  meas- 
ures for  a  redress  of  grievances  as  shall  be  thought  expe- 
dient." A  long  series  of  resolutions  denouncing  the  policy 
of  embargo  and  non-intercourse  was  passed  and  after- 
wards printed  in  full  and  distributed.  The  annual  town 
meeting  in  March  cast  235  votes  for  Jeremiah  Smith,  the 
Federal  candidate  for  governor,  to  nineteen  for  John  Lang- 
don,  the  administration  candidate. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Keene  Engine  Company,  called 
for  organization  by  Daniel  Newcomb,  Elijah  Dunbar  and 
Samuel  Dinsmoor  was  held  at  Pierce's  tavern  on  the  6th  of 
February,  1809,  at  6  o'clock  p.  m.  This  was  the  first  suc- 
cessful movement  for  the  introduction  of  a  fire  engine, 
although  an  effort  had  been  made  for  that  purpose,  and  a 
meeting  of  subscribers  called  at  Holbrook's  tavern,  in  1805. 

Phineas  Cooke  taught  a  subscription  school  in  Masonic 
hall  this  year;  and  a  Mr.  Durand  opened  a  school  for 
teaching  the  French  language  and  afterwards  added  fenc- 
ing and  sword  exercise. 

In  November,  1809,  Ichabod  Fisher,  who  had  been  a 
prominent  man  —  town  clerk  for  twenty-one  years  —  died, 
aged  eighty-one. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  349 

The  threatening  war  kept  the  military  spirit  up  to  the 
fighting  pitch,  and  led  to  changes  in  the  militia  laws, 
requiring  every  town  to  be  constantly  supplied  with  thirty- 
two  pounds  of  powder,  sixty-four  pounds  of  musket-balls, 
120  flints,  three  iron  or  tin  camp-kettles  to  every  sixty- 
four  enrolled  soldiers  and  other  stringent  provisions,  with 
a  heavy  fine  in  each  case  of  failure. 

In  October,  1810,  there  was  a  brigade  muster  here  of 
the  Sixth,  Twelfth  and  Twentieth  regiments.  Brig.  Gen. 
Huntley  of  Alstead  and  Maj.  Gen.  Whitcomb  of  Swanzey 
were  the  reviewing  officers.  The  Twentieth  regiment 
appeared  with  a  band  of  fourteen  pieces  —  the  first  mention 
of  a  military  band  in  Keene.  Capt.  Dinsmoor  had  been 
promoted  to  major  of  the  regiment  and  thence  to  quarter- 
master general  of  the  state,  and  Aaron  Hall,  Jr.,  was  now 
captain  of  the  Keene  Light  Infantry.  At  the  close  of  the 
muster  there  was  a  spirited  sham-fight  in  which  all  the 
troops  were  engaged. 

In  April,  1810,  Levi  Newcomb,  son  of  Hon.  Daniel 
Newcomb,  a  very  bright  and  promising  young  man,  an 
undergraduate  of  Dartmouth  college,  died  at  Hanover, 
aged  twenty.  The  sympathy  of  the  community  for  Judge 
Newcomb  and  his  family  was  profound. 

The  close  of  the  first  decade  of  the  19th  century 
marked  a  decided  advance  in  the  condition  of  the  country 
generally,  and  of  Keene  in  many  particulars.  True,  its 
population  had  increased  by  only  one,  and  was  now  1,646; 
but  in  addition  to  the  two  large  brick  stores,  a  brick  hotel 
and  a  brick  bank,  two  large  wooden  stores  had  been 
erected  —  one  by  Noah  Cooke  where  E.  F.  Lane's  upper 
block  now  stands,  and  another  on  the  site  of  Gurnsey's 
block  —  besides  several  fine  residences  i  of  wood,  and  other 
buildings.  Horses,  cattle  and  swine  still  ran  at  large  in 
the  streets  in  spite  of  by-laws  to  the  contrary ;  and  1810 
was  one  of  those  years  when  certain  of  the  more  fastidious 
voters  made  a  spasmodic,  but  ineffecttial  attempt  to  pre- 
vent the  practice.  It  was  not  until  nearly  two  decades 
more  had  passed  that  that  nuisance  was  finally  abated. 

1  One,  in  1804,  by  Wm.  Lamson  on  West  street,  still  standing  and  occupied 
by  his  descendants;  one  in  1808  by  John  Prentiss,  which  gave  place  to  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  Major  O.  G.  Dort  on  Court  street,  and  others  in  various  parts 
of  the  town. 


350  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

But  there  was  an  increased  air  of  refinement  and  thrift  in 
the  well-kept  premises  and  tasteful  gardens ;  the  farms 
were  better  and  more  extensively  cultivated,  and  from 
many  of  them  the  log-cabin  had  disappeared  and  the  framed 
house  had  taken  its  place.  Wheeled  vehicles  were  fast  com- 
ing into  use,  the  bridle  path  had  given  place  to  the  high- 
way, and  the  subject  of  transportation  was  very  generally 
agitated. 

The  Middlesex  canal  was  so  near  completion  in  the 
spring  of  1810  that  "Canal  Boats  have  begun  to  go  reg- 
ularly twice  a  week  from  the  landing  place  (Alms  House 
Wharf)  in  Boston  to  Nashua  village  in  Dunstable.  Goods 
and  produce  of  every  description  are  received  there  by  Mr. 
John  Lund,  who  forwards  them  by  boats  or  delivers  them 
to  the  owners."  The  freight  from  Boston  to  Nashua  was 
$4.50  per  ton;  from  Nashua  to  Boston  $3.50.  The  next 
year  canals  were  built  around  the  falls  of  the  Merrimac 
river  so  that  navigation  by  boats  was  complete  from 
Boston  to  Concord,  N.  H. 

Previous  to  this  there  had  been  a  constant  succession 
of  teams  from  Vermont  and  the  Connecticut  valley,  many 
of  them  with  six  horses,  travelling  the  great  turnpikes 
through  Keene,  Jaffrey  and  New  Ipswich  to  and  from  Bos- 
ton; or  by  the  more  southern  route  through  Fitzwilliam 
and  Rindge.  Now  their  course  was  through  Dublin  and 
Peterboro  to  Nashua,  to  reach  the  canal. 

Changes  had  taken  place  in  business  in  town.  Abijah 
Foster,  who,  in  a  long  term  of  trade  and  tavern  keeping 
at  West  Keene,  had  become  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in 
town,  had  sold  out  to  Pond  &  Coolidge;  Isaac  Parker  & 
Co.  had  taken  the  brick  store  of  Ralston  &  Bond,  opposite 
ShirtlifPs  tavern ;  John  Wood  continued  the  business  of 
Mann  &  Wood,  taking  in  Aaron  Hall,  Jr.,  from  the  corner 
store,  while  James  Mann  opened  a  store  next  south  of 
Pierce's  tavern,  and  was  soon  succeeded  there  by  John 
Elliot  and  Shubael  Butterfield;  Sparhawk  &  Davis  had 
succeeded  John  G.  Bond  in  the  store  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Square;  Eliphalet  Briggs  had  taken  the  cabinet  shop 
on  Prison  street,  just  north  of  the  meetinghouse,  and  car- 
ried on  the  business  for  many  years  afterwards.     William 


i 


Amos  Twitch  ell. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  351 

Dickinson  had  repaired  his  father's  fulling-mill  on  the  West- 
moreland road,  and  continued  the  clothier's  business  there. 

Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  came  from  Marlboro  early  in  1810 
and  took  rooms  in  the  Albe  Cady  house,  already  described. 
Dr.  Joseph  Wheeler  came  about  the  same  time  from  West- 
moreland and  took  "the  Widow  Sprague's^  house."  Dr. 
Dan  Hough  came  in  November  of  the  same  year,  1810, 
and  took  rooms  in  Pierce's  tavern.  Soon  afterwards,  for 
about  a  year,  he  was  a  partner  of  Dr.  Daniel  Adams ;  and 
the  next  year  he  went  into  trade  with  Isaac  Parker. 

The  ten  highest  tax-payers  were  William  Wyman,  Abi- 
jah  Foster,  Stephen  Chase,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Daniel  Wat- 
son, Abel  Blake,  Noah  Cooke,  William  Lamson,  Ephraim 
Wrisfht  and  Samuel  Dinsmoor. 


1  Widow  of  Peleg  Spragrie,  now  the  Laton  Martin  house. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WAR  OF   1812. 
1811—1815. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1811  the  town  voted  its 
consent  "that  Thomas  Thompson  and  Thomas  Thomp- 
son, junior,  with  their  Farm  now  lying  in  Swanzey  may 
be  annexed  to  this  Town."  That  farm  lay  on  the  hill 
southeast  of  South  Keene,  since  known  as  the  "Batcheller 
farm." 

In  1759,  as  already  stated,  Keene  granted  to  certain 
persons  the  right  to  divert  the  waters  of  the  East  branch 
into  the  South  branch  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  water- 
power  at  what  has  since  been  known  as  Swanzey  Factory 
village.  Saw  and  grist  mills  had  been  operated  there  until 
1809,  when  Dr.  Daniel  Adams  bought  the  property  for  the 
Swanzey  Factory  Company,  then  about  organizing.  In 
June,  1810,  that  company  was  incorporated,  with  a  capital 
of  $40,000,  for  the  purpose  of  "spinning  cotton  and  woolen 
yarn  or  weaving  the  same  into  cloth."  The  incorporators 
w^ere  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Aquilla  Ramsdell,  Josiah  Wood- 
ward (of  Roxbury),  William  C.  Belding,  John  Thompson 
and  their  associates.  John  Elliot  and  Daniel  D.  Hatch 
were  among  the  directors.  In  January,  1811,  the  corpor- 
ation bought  the  mills  and  privilege  and  soon  began 
making  cotton  yarn.  The  saw  and  grist  mills  and  a  black- 
smith's shop  were  also  operated  by  the  company.  Albe  Cady 
was  clerk,  John  G.  Bond,  treasurer,  and  most  of  the  stock- 
holders were  Keene  men.  Power  looms  had  not  then  come 
into  use,  and  the  yarn  was  taken  by  families  —  usually 
through  merchants  who  held  stock  in  the  company  —  and 
woven  by  hand.  Years  afterwards  Appleton  &  Elliot  and 
John  Elliot  &  Co.  did  a  large  business  of  that  kind,  and 
nearly  all  the  traders  in  town  dealt  more  or  less  in  that 
way.  Isaac  Parker  and  his  firm  of  Parker  &  Hough  were 
largely   interested.     Parker  had  a  shop    at    the    mills    for 


WAR  OF  1812.  353 

making  cotton  and  woolen  machinery,  in  which  he  was  also 
largely  interested.  In  1813,  his  shop,  containing  finished 
and  unfinished  machinery,  and  some  of  the  other  buildings 
were  burned  —  the  loss  of  about  $3,000  falling  chiefly  on 
Capt.  Parker. 

After  this  a  mill  was  built  and  furnished  with  machin- 
ery for  dressing  the  yarn  and  weaving  it  into  cloth;  and 
for  many  years  Swanzey  Factory  cotton  was  sold  at  the 
stores  in  Keene  and  elsewhere  and  was  a  favorite  article  of 
its  kind.i 

Nathan  Blake,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  the 
story  of  whose  capture  by  the  Indians  has  been  told,  died 
on  the  4th  of  August,  1811,  aged  ninety-nine  years  and  five 
months. 

The  state  of  affairs  between  the  United  States  and 
England  was  rapidly  approaching  war.  The  outrageous 
conduct  of  British  naval  officers  in  impressing  American 
seamen,  capturing  and  confiscating  our  merchant  vessels 
and  annoying  and  insulting  Americans  in  various  ways, 
had  become  so  exasperating  and  humiliating  that  it  could 
be  borne  no  longer.  Congress  was  called  together  in  No- 
vember, 1811 ;  the  regular  army  was  increased  to  35,000 
men ;  and  the  president  was  authorized  to  raise  volunteers, 
to  strengthen  the  navy  and  to  borrow  money. 

While  congress  was  still  in  session,  our  army  under 
Gen.  Harrison,  sent  into  the  Indian  territory  simply  to 
negotiate  and  preserve  peace,  was  treacherously  attacked 
by  the  Indians  at  Tippecanoe  and  narrowly  escaped  defeat ; 
but  turned  the  battle  into  a  decisive  victory.^  It  was 
generally  believed  —  and  proof  was  not  wanting — that  the 
Indians  were  instigated  to  hostilities  by  the  British.  War 
was  soon  afterwards  declared  in  spite  of  a  somewhat 
formidable  opposition  to  that  measure  both  in  congress 
and  among  the  people. 

iln  1848  the  mill  was  burned.  The  next  year  the  remaining  property  of  the 
corporation  —  the  water  privilege,  saw  and  grist  mills,  two  dwelling  houses  and 
a  shop  —  was  sold  to  Abel  Bowers  of  Leominster,  Mass.,  and  the  ownership  of 
that  property  passed  oitt  of  the  hands  of  Keene  parties.  The  corporation  at  that 
time  consisted  of  John  Wood,  A.  &  T.  Hall,  Levi  Willard,  Samuel  Dinsmoor, 
Aaron  Appleton,  John  Elliot,  Samuel  Wood,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Samuel  Cooper 
and  Salma  Hale  Mr.  Bowers  went  into  the  manufacture  of  combs,  and  sold 
the  saw  and  grist  mills  to  Daniel  Thompson  and  Elbridge  G.  Whitcomb  of 
Keene. 

2  The  Fourth  U.  S.  Infantry,  in  which  were  several  Keene  and  other  Cheshire 
county  men,  was  in  Harrison's  command  under  Lt.  Col.  James  Miller. 


354  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

In  May,  1812,  New  Hampshire  was  called  upon  for 
3,500  men.  Volunteers  responded  promptly  and  the  quota 
was  soon  organized.  At  the  same  time  enlistments  were 
made  into  the  regular  army. 

The  following  obituary  appeared  in  the  Sentinel  in 
1812:  "Died,  May  5th  in  the  U.  S.  service  at  Vincennes, 
Indiana  Territory,  Josiah  Willard,  son  of  Lockhart  Wil- 
lard,  Esq.,  of  this  town,  who  for  his  gallant  behaviour  in 
the  late  action  near  the  Prophets  town,  highly  merited  the 
approbation  of  his  officers  and  country,  aged  28."  He 
was  a  son  of  Lockhart  and  Salome  (Reed)  Willard,  born 
in  Keene,  Jan.  31,  1784.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Gen.  James  Reed. 

Keene  was  well  represented  in  the  militia.  Samuel 
Dinsmoor  was  quartermaster  general  of  the  state,  with  the 
rank  of  brigadier  general,  and  his  fine  executive  ability  and 
earnest  support  of  the  administration  were  of  great 
advantage  in  preparing  the  troops  for  the  field.  Wni.  M. 
Bond,  late  captain  of  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry,  was  major  of 
the  Second  battalion.  Twentieth  regiment,  and  Capt. 
Aaron  Hall,  Jr.,  had  been  succeeded  in  the  command  of  the 
Keene  Light  Infantry  by  Capt.  Horace  Wells  and  he  by 
Capt.  Isaac  Parker. 

Shubael  Butterfield  dissolved  his  partnership  in  business 
with  John  Elliot  and  accepted  an  appointment  as  lieuten- 
ant in  the  Fourth  United  States  Infantry,  James  Wells,  the 
hatter,  son  of  Thomas  Wells,  was  appointed  lieutenant  in 
the  Eleventh  United  States  Infantry,  and  both  opened 
recruiting  offices  at  Benoni  Shirtliff^s  tavern  in  Keene. 
Apparently  no  rolls  of  those  enlistments  have  been  pre- 
served, but  397  men  of  New  Hampshire's  quota  enlisted  in 
the  Eleventh  regiment,  many  of  them  from  Cheshire  county, 
and  a  smaller  number  enlisted  in  the  Fourth.  Wells  was 
lieutenant  in  Capt.  Joseph  Gris wold's  company,  and  after 
the  consolidation  of  the  Eleventh  and  Twenty-first  regi- 
ments he  was  first  lieutenant  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Richard  Burns.  Henry  S.,  son  of  Judge  Daniel  Newcomb, 
enlisted  in  the  regular  army,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant. The  militia  was  not  called  out,  except  two  com- 
panies of  infantry  and  one  of  artillery  sent  to  Portsmouth, 


WAR  OF  1812.  355 

reinforced  in  July  by  a  larger  detachment.  None  from  this 
part  of  the  state  was  sent  in  1812.  The  pay  of  the  United 
States  soldier  at  that  time  was  $5.00  per  month,  after- 
wards increased  to  $8.00. 

A  large  majority  of  the  people  of  Keene  and  of  Chesh- 
ire county  were  opposed  to  the  embargo  policy,  and  to  the 
measures  of  the  administration  incident  to  the  war.  The 
Federalists  complained  bitterly  of  mismanagement,  of  the 
burdensome  taxes  and  the  accumulating  debts.  The  report 
of  Hull's  surrender  and  other  disasters  added  to  the  depres- 
sion and  intensified  the  opposition  to  the  course  of  the 
government. 

At  the  annual  election  in  March,  1813,  Keene  cast  253 
votes  for  John  Taylor  Gilman,  the  Federal  candidate  for 
governor,  to  forty-five  for  William  Plumer,  the  adminis- 
tration candidate.  In  Cheshire  county  the  vote  was  3,622 
to  2,083.  At  the  national  election  in  November  the  vote 
w^as  still  stronger  against  the  administration  candidates, 
Keene  casting  272  votes  in  opposition,  to  thirty-nine  in 
favor.     Cheshire  county  stood  4,431  to  2,761. 

Previous  to  this  change  in  political  sentiment,  in  1810, 
Samuel  Dinsmoor  had  been  elected  to  congress  by  the 
Democrats.  Being  well  known  as  an  honorable,  high- 
minded  man  and  popular  generally,  he  was  reelected  in 
1812,  notwithstanding  the  strong  majority  of  the  opposi- 
tion in  Keene  and  Cheshire  county. 

There  was  much  distress  and  irritation.  All  pleasure 
carriages  were  taxed  from  $2.00  to  $20.00  each,  according 
to  value ;  salt  twenty  cents  per  bushel  of  fifty-six  pounds ; 
and  many  articles  were  similarly  burdened.  The  financial 
depression  was  serious  and  widespread,  causing  disastrous 
failures  among  merchants  and  business  men  and  embarrass- 
ment to  the  banks.  Among  those  to  sufier  in  that  way 
was  the  Cheshire  bank  of  Keene,  which  was  compelled  to 
close  its  doors  for  a  short  time.  Estimates  were  published 
of  the  cost  of  the  war  in  direct  taxes  for  the  year  to  fol- 
low, 1814.  That  for  Keene  was  put  down  at  $9,879; 
Alstead,  $10,164;  Chesterfield,  $11,034;  Walpole,  $11,364; 
Westmoreland,  $11,622 ;  showing  that  in  valuation  at 
that  time  Keene  stood  below  the  four  towns  named,  while 


356  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Fitzwilliam,  Rindge,  Richmond  and  Winchester  stood  nearly 
as  high. 

The  non-importation  laws  encouraged  smuggling,  and 
there  was  demoralization  and  incipient  sedition  —  so  much 
so  that  law-abiding  people  were  roused  to  stem  that  tide 
which  they  feared  might  undermine  our  institutions  and 
overthrow  our  government. 

Among  the  organizations  for  reform  was  the  Washing- 
ton Benevolent  Society  for  the  encouragement  of  patriotism 
and  benevolence,  extending  throughout  the  country,  partic- 
ularly through  New  England.  The  national  society  had 
been  organized  in  New  York  city  on  the  12th  of  July, 
1808,  w^ith  branches  extending  to  states,  counties  and 
towns.  There  was  a  very  active  branch  in  Cheshire  county, 
and  a  sub-branch  in  nearly  every  town.  The  Keene  society 
was  formed  in  February,  1812,  and  was  composed  of  the 
leading  people  of  the  town,  with  Albe  Cady  secretary 
until  he  became  secretary  of  state  in  1814.  It  was  active 
and  vigorous,  and  continued  for  several  years.  To  each 
member  upon  joining  was  given  a  small  volume,  3x5  inches, 
half  an  inch  thick,  containing  a  portrait  of  Washington,  a 
copy  of  his  farewell  address  and  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  Some  of  those  curious  little  volumes  are 
still  in  existence.  The  county  society  celebrated  the  4th  of 
July  in  1812,  at  Walpole,  in  a  very  elaljorate  manner.  A 
large  procession  of  members  marched  through  the  streets 
with  banners  and  a  band  of  music,  preceded  by  seventy 
young  ladies  in  white,  led  by  Miss  Hayes,  preceptress  of 
the  academy,  listened  to  an  oration  and  then  sat  down  to 
a  dinner  on  the  common,  which  closed  w^ith  toasts  and 
speeches.  Col.  Carter  of  Marlboro,  Col.  Fisk  of  Chester- 
field, Major  Bond  of  Keene  and  other  military  officers  were 
the  marshals.  On  the  same  day  Daniel  Webster  delivered 
an  oration  before  the  society  at  Portsmouth.  The  next 
year  there  was  a  similar  celebration  of  Independence  Day 
by  the  society  in  Keene.  There  was  an  oration  by  Phineas 
Cooke  and  a  dinner  in  a  bower  in  front  of  the  court- 
house. The  procession  marched  from  Fish's  tavern  (form- 
erly Pierce's)  under  the  marshalship  of  Dr.  Daniel  Adams, 
assisted  by  Capt.  Isaac  Parker  and  others. 


WAR  OF  1812.  357 

The  influence  of  those  societies,  with  their  patriotic 
meetings  and  Fourth  of  July  celebrations,  aroused  the  loy- 
alty and  stimulated  the  martial  spirit  of  the  people  in  spite 
of  the  political  opposition  to  the  measures  of  the  adminis- 
tration. That  martial  spirit  brought  about  a  muster  here 
in  September,  1813,  of  the  Sixth,  Twelfth,  Twentieth  and 
Twenty-eighth  regiments  of  the  Fifth  brigade,  numbering 
about  3,000  men,  reviewed  by  Brig.  Gen.  Hastings.  The 
field  was  the  plain  above  Sand  hill,  one  mile  west  of  the 
Square,  on  which  there  were  no  buildings  at  that  time. 
Besides  the  infantry  of  the  line,  each  regiment  had  two 
companies  of  cavalry,  two  of  light  infantry  and  one  of 
artillery  —  twenty  companies  in  full  uniform.  In  the  after- 
noon all  marched  through  the  streets  of  the  village  and 
performed  various  evolutions,  with  firing.  The  day  was 
fine  and  the  warlike  spectacle  was  enjoyed  by  thousands 
of  people. 

The  appetite  for  such  displays  had  been  whetted  by 
what  took  place  a  few  weeks  previous.  The  government 
collected  a  force  of  5,000  men  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  under 
Gen.  Hampton,  with  a  view  to  an  advance  on  Montreal. 
About  the  20th  of  June,  Col.  John  Darrington  marched 
through  Keene  with  the  Fourth  United  States  Infantry  to 
join  that  force.  He  encamped  his  regiment  on  the  north  side 
of  Fisher  brook,  east  side  of  the  turnpike,  a  little  more  than 
a  mile  north  of  the  Square;  and  it  remained  there  several 
days  and  attracted  much  attention.  A  tavern  was  kept  by 
the  "  Widow  Leonard"  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  turnpike, 
since  known  as  the  Kate  Tyler  place.  Two  of  the  men 
died  in  that  camp,  Ebenezer  Prescott  and  Leonard  Jenkins, 
both  from  Maine,  and  were  buried  near  the  camp.  Lieut. 
Butterfield,  and  the  men  enlisted  by  him  from  Keene  and 
other  towns,  belonged  to  that  regiment,  but  the  rolls  have 
not  been  preserved  and  it  is  impossible  to  designate  them. 

Commodore  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie  in  September, 
1813,  and  other  successes,  served  to  stimulate  the  patri- 
otism and  martial  spirit  of  the  people.  In  February,  1814, 
a  large  number  of  carpenters  passed  through  Keene  on 
their  way  to  Lake  Champlain,  to  build  the  vessels  with 
which  McDonough  won  his  victory  on  those  waters. 


358  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

During  the  summer  of  1814,  British  war  vessels  lay  oif 
the  New  Hampshire  coast,  and  captured  and  burned  many 
coasting  vessels ;  and  the  admiral  declared  the  whole  east- 
ern coast  in  a  state  of  blockade.  There  was  great  alarm 
at  Portsmouth  and  other  New  England  ports,  and  the 
excitement  spread  throughout  the  states. 

In  August,  a  British  squadron  sailed  up  Chesapeake  bay 
and  landed  a  force  of  5,000  troops,  which  advanced  on 
Washington,  burned  the  public  buildings  and  many  of  the 
government  archives,  and  withdrew  unmolested.  That 
dastardly  act  of  the  British  and  the  still  more  dastardly 
cowardice  of  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  militia  under  Gen. 
Winder,  who  permitted  it,  roused  the  people  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  brought  the  administration  hosts  of  friends 
and  caused  thousands  to  rally  to  the  defence  of  the  nation. 

In  New  Hampshire,  Gov.  Gilman,  "yielding  to  the 
demands  of  the  people,"  ordered  detachments  from  twenty 
regiments  of  militia  to  march  immediately  to  the  defence 
of  Portsmouth.  Two  days  later  he  ordered  the  whole 
militia  force  of  the  state,  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery, 
"to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's 
warning;"  and  directed  seventeen  companies  from  the  regi- 
ments on  the  eastern  border  of  the  state  to  march  at  once 
to  Portsmouth.  The  orders  were  obeyed  with  alacrity, 
whole  companies  volunteering  where  only  detachments 
were  called  for.  The  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Isaac 
Parker,  and  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry,  Capt.  Justus  Perry, 
offered  their  services  and  stood  ready  to  march  with  full 
ranks.  Companies  of  volunteers  from  those  who  were 
exempt  by  law  were  formed  in  many  of  the  towns,  under 
experienced  officers,  and  offered  their  services  for  the  defence 
of  the  state. 

At  Portsmouth,  the  troops  were  organized  into  a  bri- 
gade under  Brig.  Gen.  John  Montgomery  of  Haverhill,  con- 
sisting of  five  regiments  and  one  battalion  of  infantry,  and 
one  battalion  of  artillery.  Lt.  Col.  Nat.  Fisk  of  West- 
moreland commanded  the  First  regiment,  in  which  were 
the  companies  of  Capt.  Nathan  Glidden  of  Unity,  and  Capt. 
Oliver  Warren  (residence  not  given).  Capt.  Glidden's  com- 
pany was  composed  chiefly  of  Cheshire  county  men,  and  in 


WAR  OF  1812.  359 

Capt.  Warren's  compan^^  were  Samuel  C.  Tha3'er,  ser- 
geant, and  Daniel  A.  Carpenter,  Justus  Chapin,  John 
Foster,  Edmund  C.  Mason,  Shubael  Plympton,  Henry 
Wheeler  1  and  Amos  Wood,  privates,  on  the  roll  as  from 
Keene,  and  Daniel  Allen  2  of  Surry  —  all  enHsted  for  three 
months. 

Lt.  Col.  John  Steele,  of  Peterboro,  commanded  the 
Second  regiment,  with  John  H.  Fuller,  afterwards  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Keene,  adjutant.  Capt.  James  M.  Warner 
of  Acworth,  commanded  one  of  the  companies,  composed 
almost  wholly  of  Cheshire  county  men.  Among  them  were 
Josiah  Colony,  Jehiel  Day,  Zebadiah  "Keys,"  George  Met- 
calf,  Isaac  Miller,  Jr.,  and  Asa  Wares,  Jr.,  from  Keene.  ^ 
About  fifty  men  went  from  the  Twentieth  regiment  at  this 
time,  the  detachment  assembling  at  Keene  and  starting 
for  Portsmouth  on  the  17th  of  September,  1814.  Every 
man  was  given  a  dinner  and  had  his  canteen  filled.  Some 
of  the  towns  sent  wagons  to  carry  their  men.  On  the  28th 
a  second  detachment  of  about  forty  men  from  the  same 
regiment  marched  from  Keene,  and  were  treated  w^ith  the 
same  hospitality. 

Capt.  Reuben  Marsh  of  Chesterfield,  commanded  a 
company  of  Cheshire  and  Sullivan  county  men ;  Capt. 
William  Gregg  of  Antrim  and  Capt.  Silas  Call  (residence 
not  given)  also  had  many  Cheshire  county  men  in  their 
companies ;  and  Capt.  Josiah  Bellows  of  Walpole,  com- 
manded one  of  the  companies  of  artillery.  His  men  were 
mostlj^  from  Walpole  and  Charlestown. 

At  Portsmouth,  the  governor  took  command  in  person. 
British  cruisers  lay  off  the  harbor  with  the  intention  of 
destroying  the  navy  yard  and  Portsmouth,  but  finding  a 
large  force,    well    stationed    for    defence,    they    abandoned 

1  Henry  Wheeler  was  from  Nelson. 

2  Mrs.  Deidamia  Allen,  widow  of  this  Daniel  Allen,  still  lives  in  Keene  (1899), 
in  the  small  brick  house  just  beyond  where  Col.  Darrington's  regiment  encamped, 
and  draws  her  pension  from  the  United  States  government.  She  was  born  in 
1800,  and  when  she  was  married,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  —  then  living  in  Surry 
—  she  came  to  Keene  and  bought  all  the  cotton  cloth  there  was  in  town  —  forty 
yards  —  and  paid  forty-two  cents  a  yard.  Her  bed  ticking  cost  fifty  cents  a 
yard.  (This  from  her  own  lips.)  Allen  was  afterwards  a  captain  in  the  militia 
and  came  to  Keene  to  live. 

3  The  above  are  all  the  names  of  men  from  Keene  found  in  the  adjutant  gen- 
eral's reports,  but  David  Heaton,  Barzillai  Wheeler,  and  several  other  Keene 
men  are  reported  by  their  descendants  and  others  to  have  been  soldiers  in  that 
war.  Wheeler  enlisted  at  Keene  in  1812,  under  I^ieut.  Butterfield,  was  made  a 
sergeant  and  orderly  for  Gen.  Macomb,  and  served  through  the  war. 


360  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

their  plan  and  left  this  part  of  the  coast. ^  In  November, 
1814,  the  troops  were  discharged,  without  pay,  and  most 
of  them  had  to  beg  their  way  home;  but  the  Cheshire 
county  men  were  paid  in  December,  at  Sumner's  tavern  in 
Keene. 

The  men  from  Keene  in  the  regular  army  were  engaged 
in  some  of  the  most  important  service.  At  the  battles  of 
Chippewa  and  Lundy's  Lane  the  Eleventh  regiment  greatly 
distinguished  itself,  and  Daniel  Billings  of  Keene  was  killed 
in  the  attack  on  Fort  Erie.  Lieut.  James  Wells  of  that 
regiment  had  been  promoted  to  captain.  Zenas  Lebour- 
veau,  of  Keene,  of  the  same  regiment,  had  died  at  Burling- 
ton, Vt.,  the  year  before.  Charles  Tolraan,  of  Keene,  had 
enlisted  as  a  private,  was  promoted  to  ensign  and  after- 
wards to  lieutenant  in  the  Sixth  regiment,  commanded  by 
Col.  James  Miller.  That  regiment  also  greatly  distin- 
guished itself  in  the  battles  above  named;  and  both  that 
regiment  and  the  Fourth,  in  which  were  Lieut.  Butterfield 
and  his  men,  and  William  Vose,  afterwards  of  Keene,  were 
in  the  fight  at  Plattsburg. 

Those  victories  closed  the  war  in  the  North.  A  treaty 
of  peace  was  signed  at  Ghent  in  December,  1814,  but  Gen. 
Jackson  had  the  opportunity  to  win  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans  before  the  news  reached  this  country.  The  account 
of  that  battle,  fought  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815,  did 
not  reach  Keene  until  the  10th  of  February. 

The  war  had  been  an  expensive  one  for  the  country  at 
that  time,  and  the  burden  of  taxes  and  debt  was  exceed- 
ingly heavy  on  the  people  and  caused  bitter  complaint. 
New  Hampshire's  proportion  of  the  debt  was  $3,226,445 ; 
that  of  Keene,  $26,908 ;  Alstead,  $29,392 ;  Walpole,  $36,- 
491;  Westmoreland,  $28,305;  Chesterfield,  $26,618.  Rev- 
enue taxes  were  collected  on  all  iron  and  leather  and  the 
manufactures  of  the  same;  on  paper,  beer,  tobacco,  can- 
dles and  almost  every  article  in  use;  and  to  enforce  the 
collection  property  was  often  seized  and  sold  by  the  sheriff. 

In  consequence  of  those    hardships  the  opposition  to 

I  After  the  war  a  British  officer  told  Col.  Walbach  of  our  army  that  they 
had  made  every  arrangement  to  destroy  the  navy  yard  and  the  town  ;  that  he 
went  up  the  Piscataway  disgaiised  as  a  fisherman  and  found  so  many  troops, 
so  well  posted,  that  upon  his  report  the  British  commander  abandoned  the 
project  of  attacking. 


WAR  OF  1812.  361 

the  course  of  the  administration  was  strong  and  violent. 
President  Madison  was  denounced  as  an  imbecile,  and  the 
Sentinel  and  other  Federalist  papers  called  upon  him  to 
resign.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1815  Keene  cast  273  votes 
for  Oilman,  the  opposition  candidate  for  governor,  to  fifty- 
three  for  William  Plumer,  the  administration  candidate. 

During  the  period  covered  b^^  this  chapter,  Keene  made 
a  steady  growth  in  population,  business  and  wealth,  not- 
withstanding the  adverse  effects  of  the  war.  In  1811 
Capt.  Wm.  Wyman  built  the  present  hospital  building  — 
then  the  finest  house  in  town — for  his  own  residence,  but 
died  before  it  was  completed.  His  brick  store  was  sold  the 
next  year  to  Capt.  Isaac  Parker;  and  the  firm  of  Parker 
&  Hough  moved  into  it  in  the  spring  of  1813.  They  were 
succeeded  in  the  brick  store  on  the  west  side  by  Phineas 
Fiske  &  Co.,  who  came  here  from  Chesterfield  in  1814. 

In  December,  1812,  the  town  of  Roxbury  was  incorpo- 
rated, formed  of  territory  taken  from  the  towns  of  Keene, 
Packersfield  and  Marlboro,  notwithstanding  the  earnest 
protests  which  were  sent  to  the  legislature  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  those  towns.  An  area  of  1,472  acres  of  land  and 
fifteen  or  more  families  were  taken  from  Keene,  and  the 
North  branch  was  made  the  line  between  the  two  towns 
for  a  considerable  part  of  the  distance. 

In  the  fall  of  1812,  Justus  Perry  came  from  Marlboro 
and  the  next  spring  took  "the  large  Store  Building  oppo- 
site the  meetinghouse"  —  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square, 
previously  occupied  by  Sparhawk  &  Davis,  successors  to 
John  G.  Bond  —  and  carried  on  a  successful  business  there 
for  many  years.  In  1814,  Aaron  Appleton  came  from  Dub- 
lin to  Keene  and  with  John  Elliot  formed  the  firm  of  Apple- 
ton  &  Elliot.  They  bought,  of  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson, 
the  present  Elliot  corner  —  about  twenty-three  square  rods, 
"  with  the  store  thereon  standing,"  then  occupied  by  Daniel 
D.  Hatch  &  Co.  The  consideration  was  $2,000.  They 
immediately  took  possession  and  established  a  business 
which  w^as  carried  on  very  successfully  for  a  long  term  of 
years.    In  1815  the  old,  one-story  wooden  structure  ^  was 

iDea.  Adolphus  Wright  moved  the  old  store  to  Court  street,  where  Don  H. 
Woodward,  Esq.,  now  lives  (1900),  added  another  story,  and  it  was  occupied 
by  him  and  others  as  a  dwelling  until  1891,  when  Mr.  Woodward  built  his 
present  house.  It  was  then  bought  by  Mr.  John  E.  Heald  and  moved  to  Wood- 
bum  street,  No.  37,  and  is  occupied  as  a  dwelling  (1899). 


362  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

removed,  and  the  firm  built  the  present  brick  building, 
then  two  stories  high.  The  entrance  to  the  printing  office 
and  bookstore,  which  moved  into  the  chambers  the  year 
after  it  was  built,  was  by  stairs  rising  from  the  northeast 
corner  on  the  north  side  of  the  building.  In  1813,  John 
Wood  and  Capt.  Aaron  Hall  took  in  Timothy  Hall,  from 
Connecticut,  a  distant  relative  of  Capt.  Aaron,  forming  the 
noted  firm  of  A.  &  T.  Hall,  on  the  site  of  Buffum's  block, 
which  continued  for  nearly  fifty  years.  John  Wood's  name 
did  not  appear,  but  he  was  "the  financial  and  substantial 
member  of  the  concern."  Their  chief  business  was  that  of 
druggists  and  apothecaries,  but  they  also  kept  a  general 
assortment  of  goods. 

In  addition  to  the  five  principal  and  very  substantial 
firms  named  above,  there  was  the  usual  complement  of 
smaller  shops — jewelers,  hatters,  tailors,  shoemakers, 
blacksmiths  and  others,  all  of  which  did  a  thriving  busi- 
ness in  manufacturing  by  hand  and  selling  their  wares. 
Jesse  Corbett  w^as  for  a  long  term  of  years  the  principal 
jeweler  in  Keene,  and  a  noted  captain  of  the  Keene  Light 
Infantry.  He  followed  Luther  Smith,  who  still  made 
clocks,  in  the  store  next  south  of  A.  &  T.  Hall,  sold  mili- 
tary goods,  gold  and  silver  lace,  plumes,  tassels,  etc.,  and 
tickets  in  the  "Harvard  College  Lottery,"  The  Keene 
Bookstore  also  sold  tickets  in  the  "Union  Canal  Lottery," 
a  scheme  to  save  Boston  from  deterioration  after  the  war 
"and  make  it  advance  like  New  York,"  by  utilizing  the 
inland  waters  of  New  England  by  canals  running  to  that 
city. 

In  1812,  A.  &  A.  Wilder  (Abijah,  Jr.,  and  his  brother 
Azel)  were  in  the  cabinet  and  w^heelwright  business  and 
making  chairs,  looms,  cheese-presses,  etc.,  "at  their  shop 
two  hundred  rods  north  of  the  meetinghouse  in  Keene,  on 
the  Turnpike."!  In  1815  they  dissolved,  Abijah,  Jr.,  con- 
tinuing the  cabinet  and  sleigh-making  business  at  the  old 
stand,  and  Azel  going  with  the  wheelhead  and  wheelwright 
business  to  his  "Factory  one  hundred  rods  west  of  the 
meeting  house,  near  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills."  Thomas 
F.  Ames  resumed  the  saddlery  business  at  the  old  stand  of 

1  Believed  to  be  the  building  now  known  as  the  Old  Sun  Tavern. 


WAR  OF  1812.  363 

Willard  &  Ames.  John  Towns,  who  built  the  brick  house 
next  south  of  the  Eagle  Hotel  and  several  others  in  town, 
and  Aaron  Davis,  who  afterward  built  shops  and  an  iron 
foundry  at  South  Keene,  were  blacksmiths  together,  their 
shop  standing  just  north  of  the  bank.  When  James  Wells, 
the  hatter,  went  into  the  army,  he  w^as  succeeded  by  Isaac 
Wells  and  Silas  Walworth,  and  they  by  Thomas  Shapley, 
who  for  many  years  carried  on  a  successful  wholesale  and 
retail  business  in  the  manufacture  of  "hats  and  ladies  fur 
bonnets,  next  door  North  of  the  Bank." 

Gilbert  Mellen  had  left  the  old  Ralston  tavern  about 
1809  and  bought  the  house  next  north  of  the  Wyman 
tavern  on  Main  street  and  kept  public  house  there  for  two 
years.  He  then  exchanged  places  with  William  Pierce  and 
took  the  former  Edwards  tavern.  He  was  succeeded  there 
for  a  short  time  by  Nathan  Fish,  then  by  Salem  Sumner, 
who  came  from  Brattleboro  and  kept  the  house  until  1820. 
Pierce  kept  the  house  he  had  of  Mellen  a  short  time,  but 
soon  died,  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  That  house  was  after- 
wards burned.  Col.  Abraham  Wheeler  died  in  1814,  and 
Josiah  Sawyer,  of  Swanzey,  who  had  married  his  daugh- 
ter, succeeded  him  in  what  is  still  known  as  the  Sawyer 
tavern,  two  miles  west  of  the  Square.  In  1815,  Ithamar 
Chase,  father  of  Salmon  P.  Chase,  who  had  married 
Jeanette,  daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston,  and  was  adminis- 
trator of  the  Ralston  estate,  came  here  from  Cornish  with 
his  family  and  took  the  tavern  and  kept  it  till  he  died,  in 
1817.  Daniel  Day  still  kept  his  public  house  on  the  Chesh- 
ire turnpike ;  Henry  Goodnow  one  on  the  third  New  Hamp- 
shire turnpike,  on  the  former  Benjamin  Archer  place ; 
Stephen  Chase  one  on  the  same  turnpike,  where  his  descend- 
ants still  live ;  and  the  Widow  Leonard  one  at  the  junction 
of  the  two  turnpikes,  as  already  stated. 

During  this  period  a  post  route  was  established  from 
Concord  through  Weare,  Deering,  Hancock  and  Packers- 
field  to  Keene  and  return,  which  continued  till  after  1830. 

In  1814,  four-horse  coaches  were  put  on  which  ran 
from  Boston  by  the  Concord  and  New  Ipswich  route  to 
Keene,  Rutland  and  Burlington,  and  return.  They  arrived 
in  Keene  from  both    directions  Monday',   Wednesday  and 


S64  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Friday  evenings  and  left  next  morning,  running  through 
between  Keene  and  Boston  in  one  day.  The  arrival  and 
departure  of  those  stages,  and  others  at  the  same  time, 
were  the  great  events  of  the  day,  and  brought  many  peo- 
ple to  the  stage  house.  In  1815,  an  extra  coach  was  added 
that  ran  from  Keene  to  Boston  every  Monday,  returning 
on  Saturday,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  wished  to  spend 
several  days  in  the  city. 

Previous  to  his  election  to  congress,  Samuel  Dinsmoor 
had  taken  as  partner  Booz  Atherton,  a  young  lawyer  from 
Westmoreland,  and  when  Mr.  Dinsmoor  went  to  Washing- 
ton, Atherton  took  his  place  as  postmaster  and  held  the 
office  until  1813,  when  Joseph  Buffum  was  appointed  and 
Atherton  returned  to  Westmoreland.  In  1813,  William 
Gordon  had  a  law  office  over  A.  &  T.  Hall's  store.  In 
1814,  Levi  Chamberlain  came  here,  a  young  lawyer,  and 
had  an  office  where  the  south  wing  of  the  Cheshire  House 
now  stands.  He  and  Foster  Alexander  formed  the  law  firm 
of  Alexander  &  Chamberlain.  Chamberlain  afterwards 
spent  several  years  in  practice  at  Fitzwilliam.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1812,  a  long,  narrow^  building  on  the  west  side  of 
Main  street,  where  the  Kingsbury  building  and  Lamson 
block  now  stand,  owned  jointly  by  Abijah  Kingsbury  and 
William  Lamson,  senior,  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Kingsbury, 
with  a  large  shoemaking  business,  Samuel  Wood,  baker, 
and  other  shops,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Each  owner  rebuilt 
separately ;  and  Mr.  Kingsbury  continued  his  business  on 
the  second  floor  of  his  building.  For  more  than  seventy 
years  he  and  his  sons,  Charles  and  George,  and  his  son-in- 
law,  George  Rising,  carried  on  business  on  that  spot,  and 
the  property  is  still  owned  (1901)  by  his  descendants. 
William  Lawrence  took  the  lower  floor  of  Kingsbury's 
building  with  the  morocco-dressing  business,  employing 
many  hands  and  advertising  for  20,000  pounds  of  sumac 
and  10,000  sheepskins. 

In  July,  1813,  a  remarkable  freshet  occurred.  The 
streams  in  this  vicinity  were  swollen  to  a  height  never 
before  known,  and  dams,  mills  and  bridges  were  carried 
away.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  a  destructive  hail- 
storm passed  through   Cheshire  county,  with  the  centre  a 


I-EVI  Chambeklain. 


WAR  OF  1812.  365 

little  north  of  Keene.  Great  damage  was  done  to  the 
growing  crops  and  much  glass  was  broken.  "Hailstones 
an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter  fell  here  in  Keene,  and 
the  next  morning  the  ground  was  covered  with  them  three 
inches  deep."     (New  Hampshire  Sentinel.) 

For  many  years,  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  courts 
had  been  kept  at  Walpole,  but  in  1813,  by  order  of  the 
court  it  was  removed  to  Keene;  and  Salma  Hale,  Esq.,  the 
clerk,  took  up  his  residence  here. 

In  the  spring  of  1813,  Miss  C.  Aldrich  opened  a  private 
school  "in  the  Bank  Hall,"  and  taught  several  terms  — 
sometimes  in  other  buildings. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1814,  Miss  Catherine  Fiske  opened 
her  celebrated  school  in  the  brick  house  built  by  John  G. 
Bond  —  now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  E.  C.  Thayer  —  which 
Miss  Fiske  afterwards  bought.  To  aid  in  giving  assur- 
ance of  the  high  character  of  the  school  Mrs.  Daniel  New- 
comb  was  associated  with  her  at  first,  but  the  next  year 
a  Miss  Reed  joined  her,  followed  two  years  later  by  Miss 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Hon.  Peleg  Sprague,  and  other 
teachers  were  employed.  Music  and  French  were  Miss 
Sprague'si  especial  branches.  It  was  primarily  a  young 
ladies'  boarding  school,  and  was  called  a  "Female  Semi- 
nary," but  pupils  of  both  sexes  were  admitted  from  families 
in  town,  and  it  numbered  sometimes  as  high  as  eighty  to 
one  hundred.  The  school  was  well  equipped  and  nearly  all 
branches  of  learning  were  taught,  "including  drawing  and 
painting  in  their  various  branches,  and  plain  and  orna- 
mental needle  work."  Miss  Fiske  advertised  that :  "Strict 
attention  will  be  paid  to  the  improvement  of  young  ladies 
and  to  their  manners  and  their  morals."  "A  Mantua- 
maker  and  Milliner  will  be  provided  for  those  who  wish 
to  employ  them."  Miss  Fiske  was  a  remarkably  efficient 
and  successful  teacher,  and  her  school,  which  continued  for 
about  thirty  years,  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  the 
country.  Pupils  came  to  her  from  nearly  every  state  in  the 
Union.  After  the  first  few  years,  and  until  her  death,  the 
school  was  managed  solely  by  Miss  Fiske. 

1  The  piano  used  was  the  first  brought  to  Keene  and  is  still  in  the  family  of 
her  cousin,  George  Carpenter  of  Swanzey.  Another  of  the  pianos  used  in  that 
school  is  still  in  the  family  of  the  late  Mr.  George  Tilden,  whose  wife  had  been 
a  pupil  there. 


366  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Early  in  1814,  from  causes  already  stated  and  after 
the  subject  had  been  agitated  for  several  years,  a  corpora- 
tion was  formed  for  the  manufacture  of  glass  in  Keene, 
called  the  New  Hampshire  Glass  Factory.  The  principal 
stockholders  were  John  Elliot,  Daniel  Bradford,  Daniel 
Watson,  John  Hatch,  Nathaniel  Sprague  and  other  citizens 
of  Keene ;  and  Aaron  Appleton  and  Capt.  Timothy  Twit- 
chell  came  from  Dublin  about  that  time  and  became  very 
active  in  the  business.  A  building  90x60  feet,  with  20-foot 
posts  and  40-foot  rafters,  was  erected  where  the  county 
jail  now  stands,  and  houses  were  built  for  the  \^orkmen. 
Col.  Lawrence  Schoolcraft,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution, 
who  had  commanded  a  regiment  in  the  v^ar  just  then 
closing,  and  had  been  manager  of  glass  works  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  was  appointed  superintendent.  Cylinder  window 
glass  w^as  the  principal  product  at  first,  the  sizes  being 
chiefly  6x8,  7x9  and  8x10,  though  the  latter  size  was  too 
large  for  popular  use  at  that  time.  The  business  was 
profitable  at  first,  and  furnished  a  market  for  large  quan- 
tities of  wood,  ashes  and  other  farm  products,  and  gave 
employment  of  various  kinds  to  a  large  number  of  men. 
The  company  also  carried  on  a  large  potash  business,  the 
building  standing  at  the  top  of  the  rise  on  Washington 
street,  east  of  the  factory,  long  known  as  "  Potash  hill," 
when  it  was  longer  and  steeper  than  at  present. 

The  successive  clerks  of  the  corporation  i  for  the  first 
several  years  were  Timothy  Twitchell,  John  Elliot,  John 
Prentiss  and  Nathaniel  Sprague;  the  treasurers  were  Tim- 
othy Twitchell,  John  Elliot  and  Nathaniel  Sprague;  the 
agents  were  Col.  Schoolcraft,  John  Hatch,  Nathaniel 
Sprague  and  Charles  Carter.  In  1815,  Watson,  Twitchell 
and  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  son  of  the  superintendent,  with- 
drew from  the  corporation  and  started  the  manufacture 
of  flint  glass  tumblers,  decanters,  etc.,  on  Marlboro  street. 
The  next  year  Watson  withdrew  and  Twitchell  and  School- 
craft continued  the  business  and  opened  "a  store  and 
warehouse  at  the  Red  House  (the  old  tavern  of  Dr.  Ziba 
Hall,  and  of  Aaron  and  Luther  Eames)  one  door  north  of 

iThe  name  of  the  corporation  was  changed  some  years  after-wards  to  New 
Hampshire  Glass  Co.,  and  later  to  Keene  Window  Glass  Co.  Their  advertise- 
ments sometimes  called  for  20,000  bushels  of  ashes. 


WAR  OF  1812.  367 

Shirtliffs  tavern."  The  firm  was  afterwards  Schoolcraft 
&  Sprague.  In  1817,  their  business  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Justus  Perry,  who  put  up  a  large  stone  building  on 
Marlboro  street  and  did  an  extensive  business  in  the  man- 
ufacture and  sale  of  bottles  and  other  kinds  of  flint  glass 
ware. 

But  the  treaty  of  peace  removed  the  embargo  and 
admitted  foreign  goods  almost  free  of  duty,  causing  a  sad 
depression  of  nearly  all  manufacturing  in  the  country. 
The  property  and  business  of  the  New  Hampshire  Glass 
Company  passed  into  the  hands  of  Appleton  &  Elliot  and 
years  afterwards  they  and  their  successors,  John  Elliot  & 
Co.,  made  it  exceedingly  profitable. 

The  demoralization  of  public  sentiment,  produced  by 
conflicting  opinions  concerning  the  war,  corruption  in 
politics,  and  other  deleterious  influences,  was  so  great  that 
the  good  people  of  Keene  and  Cheshire  county,  and  of 
New  England  generally,  were  alarmed  for  the  safety  of 
religion  and  morals ;  and  action  was  taken  very  exten- 
sively to  counteract  those  influences.  In  November,  1814, 
a  convention  of  delegates  from  most  of  the  towns  of  the 
county  was  held  at  the  courthouse,  Noah  Cooke,  presi- 
dent, and  Rev.  Gad  Newell  of  Nelson,  clerk,  to  take  such 
action  as  should  arouse  the  people  to  greater  moral, 
religious  and  political  integrity.  Resolutions  were  passed 
recommending  the  formation  of  societies  in  the  towns  for 
the  promotion  of  a  more  strict  and  general  observance  of 
the  Sabbath;  greater  efficiency  in  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws ;  that  the  towns  choose  men  of  the  highest  character 
and  standing  for  tythingmen;  and  resolved  that  the  war 
was  a  chastisement  of  God  upon  a  sinful  and  rebellious 
people  —  particularly  for  their  profanation  of  the  sanctity 
of  the  Sabbath.  In  December,  1814,  a  convention  of  dele- 
gates from  twenty-four  towns  in  the  county  was  held  at 
Walpole,  Oliver  West,  president,  and  Phineas  Handerson, 
secretary,  which  passed  resolutions  in  opposition  to  the 
war  and  chose  Hon.  Benjamin  West  of  Charlestown  dele- 
gate to  the  convention  to  be  held  at  Hartford, i  to  take 

iThe  celebrated  Hartford  convention,  held  later  in  the  same  month.  West 
said  he  would  go,  becatise  the  Soiithern  people  threatened  to  hang  every  delegate 
who  appeared  there,  and  he  was  old  and  would  not  deprive  the  state  of  a  more 
useful  citizen. 


368  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

further  action  of  the  same  tenor.  Similar  action  was  taken 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  New  England.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  recommendation  of  the  Keene  convention  a 
county  society  w^as  formed  called  the  General  Monadnock 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Morals.  Noah  Cooke  was 
president,  Col.  Joseph  Frost  of  Marlboro,  vice  president, 
and  Rev.  Seth  Payson  of  Rindge,  secretary.  The  tything- 
men  of  Keene  published  the  following:  — 

"NOTICE  TO  THE  PUBLIC! 

"We  the  TYTHINGMEN  of  Keene,  according  to  our 
oath,  will  inform  of  and  prosecute  all  offenders  against  the 
LAWS  for  the  better  observance  of  the  SABBATH  within 
our  knowledge;  and  also  do  request  all  JUSTICES  of  the 
PEACE  and  SELECTMEN,  who  are  under  the  same  oath, 
to  give  their  aid  and  assistance  in  so  laudable  an  under- 
taking. 

"Abijah  Wilder,  Samuel  Bassett,  Abel  Blake." 

The  tythingmen  of  other  towns  took  similar  action 
and  those  of  Rindge,  Jafifrey,  New  Ipswich,  Ashby,  Ash- 
burnham  and  Winchendon  met  at  Rindge  and  issued  an 
address  to  the  people  calling  upon  them  to  "preserve  the 
religion,  morals  and  laws  of  the  country." 

The  next  annual  meeting  of  Keene  chose  Abijah  Wilder, 
Samuel  Bassett,  Abel  Blake,  Elijah  Carter,  Ebenezer  Clark, 
John  Prentiss  and  Elijah  Parker,  tythingmen.  They  and 
the  selectmen  held  meetings  and  joined  in  notifying  the 
public  that  they  had  "taken  their  oaths  to  execute  the 
laws  (for  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  and  morals  gen- 
erally) and  were  prepared  to  do  so."  The  notice  was 
signed  by  all  the  tythingmen  and  by  Lockhart  Willard 
and  Isaac  Parker,  selectmen  of  Keene.  (The  whole  number 
of  tythingmen  chosen  at  that  annual  meeting  was  fifteen, 
but  only  the  above  took  the  oath  of  office.)  That  office 
continued  until  1830.  After  that  year  no  tythingmen 
were  chosen. 

"In  1814  the  Rev.  Aaron  Hall  died  on  the  12th  of 
August,  in  the  64th  year  of  his  age  and  the  37th  of  his 
ministry.  He  was  much  beloved  by  his  people,  who  mani- 
fested their  attachment,  by  increasing  his  salary,  at  suc- 
cessive periods,  from  eighty  pounds,  ($266.66),  to  $500; 
by  assistance  in  various  w^ays,  and  b}^  constant  acts  of 
kindness.      The    town,   a  short  time  before    his    death,  on 


JosiAH  Colony. 


WAR  OF  1812.  369 

consultation  with  him,  voted  to  settle  a  colleague,  and 
invited  Lemuel  Capen,  afterwards  settled  at  Stirling  and 
South  Boston,  to  preach  as  a  candidate;  and  at  the  first 
town  meeting  held  after  his  decease,  they  voted  to  pay  to 
the  widow  his  salary  to  the  first  of  March,  the  anniver- 
sary of  his  settlement. 

"The  intercourse  between  pastor  and  people  had 
always  been  familiar  and  cordial.  The  drawing  of  his 
wood,  from  the  minister's  wood  lot,  afforded  an  annual 
occasion  of  bringing  them  together,  at  which  all  were 
happy,  and  none  more  so  than  the  pastor.  On  the  day 
set  apart  for  that  purpose,  a  sufficient  number  of  the  par- 
ishioners assembled  at  the  wood  lot,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon, twenty  or  thirty  sleds,  in  long  procession,  arrived, 
heavily  laden,  at  his  door,  and  then,  the  great  pile  being 
built  up,  baked  beans  in  huge  pots,  and  good  cider  in 
quart  mugs,  were  placed  before  the  company,  and  partaken 
of  with  becoming  hilarity." 

(Annals,  page  97.) 

The  amount  of  wood  brought  to  the  minister's  door 
each  year  by  those  "bees"  was  usually  upward  of  forty 
cords. 

"About  the  time  of  the  Annual  Thanksgiving,"  Rev. 
David  Oliphant  came  to  preach  as  a  candidate  for  the 
position  of  pastor.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Union  college 
and  of  the  theological  seminary  at  Andover.  In  February, 
both  the  church  and  the  town  voted  to  give  Mr.  Oliphant 
a  call,  at  a  salary  of  $700,  with  a  yearly  vacation  of 
"three  or  four  Sabbaths;"  and  he  was  ordained  on  the 
24th  of  May,  1815,  although  a  large  number  of  the  society 
remonstrated  against  his  settlement.  Rev.  Messrs.  Dickin- 
son of  Walpole,  Hall  of  New  Ipswich,  Pratt  of  Westmore- 
land, Ainsworth  of  Jaffrey,  Burge  of  West  Brattleboro  and 
Edwards  of  Andover,  Mass.,  assisted  at  the  ordination. 

In  the  spring  of  1815,  Francis  Faulkner  and  Josiah 
Colony  bought  the  mills  and  privilege  on  Ashuelot  river, 
and  began  the  very  successful  business  which  is  still  con- 
tinued by  their  descendants  under  the  corporate  name  of 
Faulkner  &  Colony  Manufacturing  Company.  They  pur- 
chased the  property  of  John  McGuire,  w^ho  had  bought  it 
of  Hale  &  Kise  in  1814. 

Albe  Cady,  having  been  appointed  secretary  of  state 
and  chairman  of  the  committee  to  build   the  state  house, 


370  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

resigned  his  offices  of  town  clerk,  selectman  and  represen- 
tative, and  removed  to  Concord.  In  August,  the  town 
elected  Elijah  Parker  town  clerk,  but  both  the  other  offices 
were  left  vacant. 

Notwithstanding  the  strong  opposition  to  the  war  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  the  military  spirit  had  been 
roused,  and  the  militia  was  in  excellent  condition.  In 
October,  the  Twentieth  regiment  mustered  near  Judge  New- 
comb's  residence  and  made  a  fine  appearance.  At  the  close 
a  lively  sham  battle  was  fought.  Wm.  M.  Bond  was  major 
of  one  of  the  battalions,  Isaac  Parker  was  still  captain  of 
the  Keene  Light  Infantry  and  Justus  Perry  of  the  Ashuelot 
Cavalry. 

Abijah  Metcalf  died  this  year,  aged  eighty. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  PEACEFUL  DECADE. 
1816—1825. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1816,  Keene  cast  359  votes ; 
Westmoreland,  372;  Chesterfield,  380;  Walpole,  393;  in- 
dicating a  remarkable  parity  in  the  number  of  inhabitants 
in  those  towns. 

As  early  as  1771,  a  small  church  of  Baptists  had  been 
established  in  the  eastern  part  of  Westmoreland,  and  that 
denomination  had  gradually  spread  into  the  western  part 
of  Keene.  In  1816  a  meetinghouse  was  built  a  few  rods 
west  of  the  stores  at  West  Keene  and  a  church  of  thirteen 
members  gathered  there  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Charles 
Cummings.  1  The  same  year  the  *'old  men's  seats"  in  the 
Congregational  meetinghouse  were  removed  and  twelve 
additional  pews  built  in  their  places.  In  December  pre- 
vious the  town  "Voted  not  to  suffer  a  stove  put  in  the 
meeting-house  provided  it  could  be  done  without  any  ex- 
pense to  the  town."  The  new  pews  sold  for  from  $60  to 
$80  apiece,  and  the  money  was  used  for  repairing  and 
painting  the  edifice  by  a  committee  consisting  of  John 
Wood,  Aaron  Appleton  and  Isaac  Parker.  The  same  com- 
mittee was  directed  to  procure  a  new  bell,  provided  they 
could  do  so  by  an  exchange  of  the  old  one  with  the  addi- 
tion of  any  balance  of  funds  that  might  be  left  in  their 
hands  from  the  sale  of  pews.  The  new  bell  was  procured 
in  1819. 

Mr.  Thomas  Hardy  came  to  town  this  year,  through 
the  influence  of  Samuel  Dinsmoor  and  others,  and  opened 
a  private  school  in  which  he  advertised  to  teach  the 
branches  usually  taught  in  academies.  He  also  taught  an 
evening  school.  He  remained  two  years  and  then  took 
charge  of  the  Chesterfield  academy. 

1  Samuel  Dinsmoor  (senior)  afterwards  governor,  attended  services  there, 
"riding  out  from  the  village  every  Sunday  morning  on  his  beautiful  ^vhite  horse." 
The  frame  of  the  meetinghouse,  many  years  afterwards,  was  taken  down  and 
rebuilt  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ashuelot  above  the  mills  and  converted  into  a 
steam  sawmill. 


372  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

The  influence  of  the  war  still  kept  the  military  spirit 
active.  The  Keene  Light  Infantry  retained  its  position  as 
one  of  the  finest  companies  in  the  state.  Its  late  captain, 
Isaac  Parker,  had  been  promoted  to  brigade  inspector 
with  the  rank  of  major;  and  in  September  of  1816  the 
company,  under  Capt.  Smith,  equipped  for  actual  service, 
marched  to  Surry  and  encamped  for  several  days,  in  imita- 
tion of  real  army  life.  While  there  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry, 
Capt.  Justus  Perry,  marched  to  their  camp  and  made  them 
a  friendly  visit. 

1816  was  remembered  long  afterwards  as  "the  cold 
year."  It  was  remarkable  as  such  throughout  the  United 
States  and  in  Europe.  In  some  sections  it  was  cold  and 
dry,  in  others  cold  and  wet.  In  this  vicinity  for  more  than 
twelve  weeks  in  the  spring  and  summer  no  rain  fell.  Grass 
withered,  corn  and  other  crops  could  not  mature,  and 
there  was  much  distress  in  consequence. 

The  annual  town  meeting  of  1817  "Voted  to  adopt 
the  act  to  regulate  the  proceedings  for  extinguishing  fires," 
which  required  "fire  wards"  to  be  chosen  by  the  town 
and  gave  them  great  power.  Elijah  Dunbar,  William  Lam- 
son,  James  Wilson,  Aaron  Hall,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Daniel 
Bradford,  John  Wood,  Joab  Pond,  John  Prentiss  and 
Abijah  Wilder  were  chosen ;  and  about  the  same  number 
was  chosen  each  year  for  several  years  following. 

The  independence  of  thought  on  religious  matters  which 
resulted  later  in  Unitarianism  was  beginning  to  develop. 
The  services  of  Rev.  Mr.  Oliphant  not  being  wholly 
satisfactory,  the  town  took  action  looking  to  his  dismissal 
and  chose  a  committee  to  "w^ait  on"  him  and  request  him 
to  join  in  calling  a  council  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Oliphant 
declined  to  receive  the  committee  or  hold  any  communica- 
tion with  them  except  in  writing.  A  controversy  ensued 
in  which  the  church  sustained  its  pastor,  and  during  which 
several  long  reports  of  contending  committees  were  re- 
ceived and  recorded  in  full.  Finally,  Mr.  Oliphant  acceded 
to  the  request  of  the  town  and  on  the  1st  of  December  he 
was  dismissed  by  a  council  called  mutually  for  that  pur- 
pose.   The  question  of  collecting  the  minister  tax,i  which 

1"  Nathan  Pond,  tax  collector,  arrested  Eli  Blake,  Isaac  Wyman,  Jr.,  and 
Samuel  Towne,  and  locked  tbem  tip  in  jail  for  refusing  to  pay  their  minister 
tax.     After  having  the  key  turned   on  them  they  paid  the  tax  and  were  set  free." 


i 


Zedekiah  S.  Bakstow. 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  373 

had  become  a  serious  one,  also  entered  into  that  contro- 
versy, and  in  November  the  town  "Voted  not  to  direct 
the  selectmen  to  assess  the  ministerial  tax  this  year,  54 
for,  98  against."  On  the  5th  of  October,  1817,  the  shock 
of  an  earthquake  was  felt  here  with  remarkable  distinct- 
ness. It  occurred  at  11:45,  on  Sunday  morning,  while  the 
services  in  church  were  in  progress.  The  edifice  was  shaken, 
the  minister  paused,  the  congregation  sprang  to  their  feet, 
and  for  a  moment  there  was  consternation  and  confusion. 
The  same  movement  was  felt  throughout  this  part  of  the 
country  and  in  Boston  and  New  York. 

John  Lyscom,  the  first  dentist  of  whom  we  have  any 
record,  took  rooms  this  year  at  Sumner's  inn,  and  was 
followed  a  few  years  later  by  George  W.  Partridge. 

Capt.  James  Wells,  the  hatter,  returned  from  the  army 
and  resumed  business  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  Kingsbury 
building,  formerly  the  morocco  dressing  shop. 

In  1816,  Hon.  Ithamar  Chase  had  formed  a  copartner- 
ship with  Ebenezer  Brewer  and  Wm.  M.  Bond,  Chase, 
Brewer  &  Bond,  succeeding  Phineas  Fiske  &  Co.  in  the 
brick  store,  now  the  north  end  of  City  Hotel.  Mr.  Chase 
died  in  August  of  this  year,  and  his  son,  Alexander  Ral- 
ston Chase,  took  the  business  and  continued  it  for  a  few 
years,  when  it  was  given  up,  and  John  P.  Barber  took  the 
store  for  a  stove  and  tin  shop. 

Among  those  who  died  in  1817  were  Col.  Timothy 
Ellis,  aged  ninety-one ;  Major  Davis  Howlett,  seventy-nine ; 
and  Capt.  John  Draper. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1818,  the  town  appropriated 
$1,000  for  schools,  a  larger  sum  than  had  ever  been  raised 
before,  and  the  same  sum  was  continued  for  several  years 
afterwards.  Daniel  Bradford,  Elijah  Parker  and  Samuel 
Dinsmoor  were  chosen  "inspectors  of  schools." 

The  town  was  now  without  a  minister,  and  several 
persons  had  ofliciated  as  candidates  for  the  place.  Among 
them  was  Mr.  Zedekiah  S.  Barstow,  a  young  man  from 
Connecticut,  who  preached  here  first  on  the  1st  day  of 
March,  1818.  He  gave  so  much  satisfaction  that  at  a  legal 
meeting  on  the  18th  of  May,  the  town  voted  to  unite  with 
the  church  in  giving  him  a  call  to  settle  —  about  150  voting 


374  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

in  favor  and  none  against.  It  also  voted  him  a  settlement  of 
$600  and  a  salary  of  $600  per  annum  —  increased  on  the 
13th  of  June  to  $700  —  with  a  vacation  of  "three  or  four 
Sabbaths  a  year  to  visit  his  friends."  Mr.  Barstow 
accepted  and  he  was  ordained  on  Wednesday,  the  1st  day 
of  July,  the  churches  of  Ac  worth  (Rev.  Phineas  Cooke), 
Charlestown,  Walpole,  Chesterfield  and  Marlboro  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  Lancaster  and  Hadley,  Mass.,  assisting. 
The  council  was  escorted  to  the  meetinghouse  by  400  to 
500  members  of  the  society,  of  both  sexes,  and  the  people 
who  attended  numbered  nearly  2,000,  hundreds  of  whom 
were  unable  to  enter.    . 

A  freshet  in  March  did  immense  damage  on  the  Con- 
necticut river  and  the  smaller  streams,  carrying  away 
bridges,  dams  and  mills.  The  bridges  at  South  Keene  and 
below  Judge  Newcomb's  were  swept  away. 

Imprisonment  for  debt  was  still  sanctioned  bj-^  law,  but 
the  "jail-yard"  for  poor  debtors  sometimes  included  a  con- 
siderable tract  of  territory,  which  was  designated  by  the 
courts.  This  year,  1818,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
court,  signed  by  many  leading  men  of  the  town,  represent- 
ing that  the  jail-yard  for  poor  debtors  included  only  a  few 
houses  and  asking  that  it  be  extended.  The  request  was 
granted. 

Hon.  Salma  Hale  had  been  elected  to  congress  in  1816, 
but  this  year  he  declined  a  reelection  and  returned  to  the 
position  of  clerk  of  the  courts.  Joseph  Buffum,  who  had 
been  postmaster  in  Keene  since  1813,  succeeded  Mr.  Hale 
in  congress,  and  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  then  a  young 
lawyer,  was  appointed  postmaster,  Jul^^  1,  and  had  the 
office  over  the  store  of  William  Lamson,  Jr.,  where  the 
Bank  block  now  stands.  The  entrance  was  from  Roxbury 
street  by  stairs  on  the  outside  of  the  building. 

Among  the  deaths  in  1818  were  those  of  Lockhart 
Willard,  aged  fifty-five;  William  Woods,  eighty-four;  Hon. 
Daniel  Newcomb,  seventy-two;  Capt.  John  Houghton, 
seventy -two ;  Nathan  Bixby,  seventy-two ;  and  Capt. 
David  Willson,  seventy. 

The  young  minister.  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  recently  a 
tutor  in  the  celebrated  Hopkins  school  in  New  Haven,  and 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  375 

in  Hamilton  college,  took  great  interest  in  the  schools,  and 
at  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1819  he  was  chosen  at  the 
head  of  a  board  of  five  "  visitors  and  inspectors  of 
schools."  The  other  members  were  Elijah  Dunbar,  John 
Prentiss,  Salma  Hale  and  Joel  Parker. 

To  avoid  the  steep  hills  over  which  ran  the  great 
thoroughfare  to  the  northwest,  known  from  here  to  Bel- 
lows Falls  as  the  third  New  Hampshire  turnpike,  efforts 
were  made  to  change  its  course  by  building  a  new  road 
through  the  gap,  where  the  railroad  now  runs.  The  pro- 
ject was  opposed  by  the  towns  on  the  grounds  that  it 
would  be  very  expensive  to  build  and  of  but  little  benefit 
to  the  towns  through  which  it  passed,  particularly  in  the 
cases  of  Surry  and  Westmoreland.  It  was  to  be  wholly 
new  in  Surry,  mostly  so  in  Westmoreland,  and  over  all 
the  distance  in  Keene  from  the  present  stone  house  on  the 
Blake  farm  to  Surry  line,  and  over  most  of  that  from  the 
John  Colony  farmhouse  to  the  Chesterfield  road  near 
Wheelock  park.  A  petition  for  the  road,  with  a  long  list 
of  signatures,  had  been  presented  to  the  court  in  1813  but 
the  towns  had  secured  continuances  from  term  to  term 
until  1816,  when  the  court  appointed  a  committee  which 
laid  out  the  road  —  estimating  the  expense  at  $5,600  and 
the  damages  at  $3,450  —  and  reported  in  1817.  The  court 
accepted  the  report  and  ordered  the  road  to  be  built  with- 
in two  years,  and  the  appraised  damages  to  be  paid  to 
the  land  owners.  The  annual  town  meeting  in  1819 
instructed  the  selectmen  to  consult  with  committees  and 
agents  of  the  other  towns,  to  devise  the  best  means  of 
opposition,  and  to  continue  the  fight  against  the  road. 
Joel  Parker,  Esq.,  was  reelected  agent  and  counsel  for  the 
town  to  manage  the  suit.  He  was  succeeded  the  next  year 
by  Foster  Alexander,  and  he,  for  several  years,  by  Thomas 
M.  Edwards.  After  a  long  contest  changes  were  made  in 
the  old  highway  from  the  Chesterfield  road  to  the  Colony 
farm,  establishing  the  present  line  of  road  there;  but  the 
section  from  the  Blake  place  to  the  summit  was  not  built 
until  1833,  when,  after  twenty  years  of  opposition,  the 
road  w^as  finally  completed.  It  was  know^n  for  many 
years  as  the  "  County  road  "  —  since  the  railroad  was  built, 
as  the  "Summit  road." 


376  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  state  militia  at  this  time,  1819,  was  organized  in 
three  divisions  of  two  brigades  each,  with  general  and 
staff  officers  to  correspond  —  thirty-eight  regiments  of 
infantry,  grenadiers,  light  infantry  and  riflemen,  to  which 
were  attached  thirty-three  companies  of  cavalry,  soon  after- 
wards increased  to  forty-two,  and  thirty-two  companies  of 
artillery.  The  Keene  Light  Infantry  was  now  commanded 
by  Capt.  Jesse  Corbett.  Capt.  Justus  Perry  of  the  cavalry 
had  been  promoted  to  major,  then  to  lieutenant  colonel, 
and  was  now  in  command  of  the  Twentieth  regiment, 
with  Thomas  F.  Ames,  adjutant.  The  regiment  mustered 
here  on  the  5th  of  October.  The  line  was  formed  accord- 
ing to  the  tactics  of  those  days,  with  two  companies  of 
cavalry  on  the  right ;  next  to  them  the  Walpole  artillery ; 
then  the  two  companies  of  light  infantry,  from  Keene  and 
Westmoreland ;  and  on  their  left  the  nine  companies  of 
infantry,  in  the  center  of  which  was  an  artillery  company 
of  the  lads  of  Keene,  twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age,  com- 
manded by  young  William  Dinsmoor.  One  of  the  infantry 
companies  was  from  the  west  side  of  the  river  in  Keene. 
The  whole  regiment  was  in  uniform  —  those  of  the  light 
infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  were  particularly  fine  —  and 
was  highly  commended. 

The  national  question  of  admitting  the  state  of  Mis- 
souri into  the  Union  without  prohibiting  slavery  agitated 
the  public,  and  a  call  was  issued  by  leading  men  for  a  con- 
vention of  delegates  from  every  town  in  the  county  to  meet 
at  the  courthouse  in  Keene  to  discuss  the  question  and  give 
expression  to  public  sentiment.  The  meeting,  on  the  21st 
of  December,  1819,  was  fully  attended  by  delegates  and 
others.  Judge  Roger  Vose  of  Walpole  called  the  assembly 
to  order,  and  Nahum  Parker,  Esq.,  of  Fitzwilliam,  was 
chosen  president  and  Phineas  Handerson  of  Chesterfield, 
secretary.  An  address  taking  strong  ground  against  the 
extension  of  slavery,  supported  by  Hon,  James  Wilson, 
Hon.  Salma  Hale  and  others,  was  sent  out  to  the  people. 

In  1819,  their  clerk,  Lockhart  Willard,  Esq.,  having 
died,  the  proprietors  of  Keene  applied  to  Foster  Alexander, 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  call  a  legal  meeting  of  their  body. 
Justice  Alexander  issued  his  warrant,  and  the  meeting  was 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  377 

held  on  the  11th  of  January.  Mr.  John  Wood  was  chosen 
clerk,  and  he  held  that  position  until  he  died,  in  1856,  and 
was  the  last  clerk  of  the  proprietors  of  Keene. 

The  supervising  officers  of  the  schools  in  1820,  chosen 
at  the  annual  town  meeting,  were  one  "principal  visitor," 
Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  and  six  "visitors  and  inspectors  of 
schools,"  one  for  every  two  districts — James  Wilson 
(senior),  Joel  Parker,  Nathaniel  Sprague,  Daniel  Bradford, 
Thomas  M.  Edwards  and  Royal  Blake. 

The  town  had  repeatedly  refused  to  appropriate  money 
for  instruction  in  singing,  though  sometimes  granting  it. 
This  year,  1820,  it  voted  $50  for  such  instruction  "for 
both  societies,"  Congregational  and  Baptist. 

Notwithstanding  the  strong  opposition  to  stoves  in 
the  meetinghouse  a  few  years  before,  they  had  now  been 
introduced  (in  the  one  belonging  to  the  town),  and  the 
town  "Voted  that  the  sexton  ring  the  Bell  on  Sunday  and 
supply  the  wood  for  the  stove  in  the  meetinghouse  and 
take  care  of  it  the  ensuing  year,  and  that  the  expense  be 
defrayed  by  the  persons  who  pay  taxes  to  Mr.  Barstow."  i 
One  article  of  the  warramt  was,  "To  adopt  such  measures 
as  will  prevent  the  increase  of  paupers,  especially  those  who 
may  become  such  by  the  intemperate  use  of  ardent  spirits." 
On  that  article,  "In  order  to  remove  the  principal  cause  of 
pauperism,"  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  enforce  strictly 
the  laws  relating  to  licensed  and  unlicensed  houses,  and  "  to 
take  such  other  measures  for  the  suppression  of  intemper- 
ance as  to  them  may  seem  advisable."  In  obedience  to 
those  instructions  the  selectmen  posted  the  following: 

"We  hereby  give  notice  that  we  shall  proceed  as  the 
law  of  this  state  directs  *  *  *  *  to  post  up  a  list  of 
the  names  of  those  persons  who  are  in  the  habit  of  drink- 
ing and  tippling  to  excess." 

(Signed)  "  Foster  Alexander,       1„,    ^ 

Daniel  Bradford,  P?^!^^^^^, 


Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,'°^  Keene. 
The  United  States  census  for  this  year  gave  Keene  a 
population  of  1,895,  a  gain  of  249  in  ten  years,  notwith- 
standing the  loss  of  seventy-five  or  more,  set  off  to  Roxbury ; 

iln  1822  there  was  an  article  in  the  ^warrant  for  the  annual  meeting:  "To 
see  if  the  town  will  vote  to  shorten  the  intermission  between  the  forenoon  and 
afternoon  services  on  the  Sabbath."     It  was  dismissed. 


378  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Chesterfield.  2,103;  Westmoreland,  2,029;  Winchester,  1,- 
849;  Swanzey,  1,712.  New  Hampshire  had  244,161 ;  Bos- 
ton, 43,275;    New  York,  123,706;   Washington,  13,322. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  population  throughout  the 
country  was  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  during  the 
period  covered  by  this  chapter  there  was  a  larger  propor- 
tion of  the  land  in  this  town  and  county  under  cultivation 
than  ever  before;  and  soon  afterwards  that  proportion 
began  to  diminish.  The  soil  was  still  rich  and  productive, 
the  farms  were  well  cultivated,  large  areas  were  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber  which  protected  the  fields 
from  cold  winds,  agriculture  was  remunerative,  and  the 
farmers  were  generally  "well  to  do." 

In  1816,  the  Cheshire  Agricultural  Society,  which  in- 
cluded in  its  territorial  limits  the  present  county  of  Sulli- 
van, was  incorporated.  Among  the  members  from  Keene 
were  Noah  Cooke,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Elijah  Dunbar,  Daniel 
Bradford  and  John  Prentiss.  Its  first  "cattle  show"  was 
held  at  Charlestown,  in  1818;  its  third  at  Keene  in  1820, 
on  ground  through  which  Emerald  street  now  runs.  The 
manufactures  and  fancy  articles  were  displayed  in  the  store 
which  is  now  the  north  part  of  the  City  Hotel.  The  soci- 
ety formed  a  procession  at  Holland's  tavern,  formerly 
Sumner's,  with  a  band  of  music,  and  marched  to  the 
grounds,  w^here  Rev.  Mr.  Barstow  offered  pra^^er,  and  Rus- 
sell Jarvis,  Esq.,  of  Claremont,  delivered  an  address.  After 
viewing  the  exhibition  the  procession  returned  to  the  tav- 
ern, and  130  sat  down  to  dinner.  Gen.  Samuel  Dinsmoor 
was  chosen  president;  Col.  Thomas  C.  Drew,  of  Drews- 
ville,  vice  president;  Capt.  Daniel  Bradford,  treasurer; 
Elijah  Dunbar,  secretary;  and  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
librarian.  For  many  years  great  interest  was  manifested, 
exhibitions  w^ere  held  in  various  towns  in  the  county,  and 
the  leading  men  in  the  community  gave  the  society  their 
support  and  management.  In  1819,  $356  were  paid  out 
in  premiums.  In  1822,  Hon.  Salma  Hale  delivered  the 
address  at  Acworth;  in  1824,  Hon.  Joel  Parker  that  at 
Westmoreland. 

It  was  in  1816  also  that  the  Cheshire  County  Bible 
Society  was  formed,  afterwards  merged  in  the  state  society. 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE. 


379 


The  first  meeting  was  held  in  the  courthouse,  Rev.  Mr. 
Oliphant,  chairman,  and  John  Prentiss,  secretary.  Later, 
Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow  was  very  active  in  the  work  of  the 
society  and  served  as  secretary  for  many  years,  with  Dan 
Hough,  treasurer,  and  Rev.  Seth  Payson,  Col.  Joseph 
Frost,  of  Marlboro,  Hon.  Abel  Parker,  of  Jaffrey,  presi- 
dents at  different  times.  Elijah  Dunbar,  Esq.,  Capt.  Abel 
Blake,  Dea.  Abijah  Wilder,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Azel  Wilder, 
and  other  Keene  men,  served  as  directors. 

There  was  a  Young  Mechanics'  Association  in  Keene  in 
1816;  the  Female  Charitable  Society  was  in  operation  and 
met  at  the  houses  of  members ;  and  a  Female  Cent  Society, 
a  branch  of  the  state  society,  met  in  the  same  way. 


Eagle  Hotel. 

The  public  houses  on  the  roads  and  turnpikes  already 
mentioned  were  at  the  height  of  their  prosperity.  Salem 
Sumner  was  succeeded  in  1820  b}-  Ephraim  Holland,  and 
he,  two  years  later,  by  George  Sparhawk,  in  the  one  where 
the  Cheshire  House  now  stands.  Benoni  Shirtliff  kept  his 
tavern  until  1823,  when  it  was  bought  by  Col.  Stephen 
Harrington,  who  came  from  Nelson.  He  greatly  improved 
it,  gave  it  the  name  first  of  Harrington's  Coffee  House, 
afterwards  that  of  Eagle  Hotel,  which  it  still  retains ;   and 


S80  HISTORY  OP  KEHNB. 

for  more  than  fifty  years  the  large  and  spirited  figure  of  a 
gilded  eagle,  perched  upon  a  wooden  column,  stood  in  front 
of  the  house  as  a  sign.  Upon  the  death  of  Ithamar  Chase, 
in  1817,  Jonathan  E.  Wadley  succeeded  him  in  the  old 
Ralston  tavern,  and  changed  the  name  to  the  Keene  Hotel, 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1820,  116  veteran  soldiers  of  the 
Revolution  residing  in  this  county  came  together  to  com- 
ply with  the  law  in  relation  to  pensions. ^  They  assembled 
at  Wadley 's  Hotel,  chose  officers  for  the  day,  formed  in 
procession  and  were  escorted  to  the  courthouse  by  the 
Keene  Light  Infantry. 

The  firm  of  Parker  &  Hough  was  dissolved  in  1816, 
and  Dan  Hough  continued  the  business  for  several  years. 
Capt.  Parker  devoted  himself  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
and  woolen  machinery  at  Swanzey  Factory,  and  a  few 
years  later  went  to  Boston  and  established  the  commission 
business  which  w^as  continued  many  years,  under  the 
noted  firms  of  Isaac  Parker  &  Co^,  Parker,  Blanchard  & 
Co.,  Parker,  Wilder  &  Parker,  etc.  Phineas  Fiske  &  Co. 
had  removed  from  their  store  north  of  the  Ralston  tavern 
to  the  east  side  of  the  Square,  next  door  south  of  Justus 
Perry,  and  had  been  succeeded  there  in  1816  by  Lamson 
&  Grout  (Wm.  Lamson,  Jr.,  and  Henry  Grout).  Royal 
Blake  became  partner  with  Lamson,  in  1819,  in  place  of 
Grout.  George  and  Lynds  Wheelock  had  a  store  on  the 
east  side  of  upper  Main  street  next  below  the  tavern,  in 
1816,  and  Lynds  Wheelock  continued  in  business  there  for 
several  years.  Collins  H.  Jaquith  came  to  town  in  1816, 
and  carried  on  an  extensive  business  in  shoemaking.  He 
w^as  afterwards  a  prominent  figure  in  town  —  well  remem- 
bered by  persons  still  living — and  held  important  offices, 
among  others  the  somewhat  incongruous  ones  of  deputy 
sheriff  and  deacon  of  the  church. 2  Ridgway  &  Rockwood 
opened  a  store,  in  1817,  in  the  building  which  Noah  Cooke 
had  built  in  1808,  since  known  as  the  Nims  building, 
where  E.  P.  Lane's  upper  block  now  stands.     They   were 

1  They  were  required  to  make  oath  to  the  amomit  of  property  they  owned, 
and  if  it  exceeded  $200,  no  pension  was  granted.  Besides  the  names  given 
in  the  chapter  on  that  war,  applications  for  pensions  were  made  by  Jesse  Watts, 
Frederick  I.ocke,  Niles  Beckwith,  Chas.  Emerson,  Elias  Hall  and  James  Potts  of 
Keene. 

2 It  used  to 'be  said  of  him  that  "he  was  a  little  too  sharp  for  a  deacon  and 
a  little  too  dull  for  a  sheriff." 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  381 

succeeded,  in  1819,  by  Samuel  A.  Gerould,  who  came  to 
Keene  that  year  and  began  his  long  career  in  business. 
In  1816,  A.  &  H.  Walker  had  a  bookstore  and  bindery  in 
the  basement  of  the  building  next  south  of  A.  &  T.  Hall, 
and  started  a  circulating  library.  Both  the  business  and 
the  library  were  continued  in  1820  by  Henry  Thayer,  and 
by  his  widow,  Pamela  Thayer,  in  1822,  over  Gerould 's 
store  on  the  east  side. 

Cooking  stoves  were  first  introduced  here  in  1817,  and 
were  on  exhibition  at  A.  &  T.  Hall's.  In  1820,  an  im- 
proved pattern  was  for  sale  at  the  Keene  bookstore. 
Later,  Dan  Hough  took  the  agency,  and  after  that  they 
were  for  sale  at  the  tinshop  of  John  P.  Barber  and  other 
stores. 

In  1820,  Nathaniel  Sprague,  son  of  Hon.  Peleg  Sprague, 
opened  a  private  school  in  the  brick  schoolhouse  on  School 
street  —  then  recently  built  —  a  little  to  the  southwest  of 
the  present  Tilden  schoolhouse.  The  next  year  his  sister 
Elizabeth,  from  Miss  Fiske's  school,  assisted  him.  The 
building  was  then  taken  for  the  public  school  of  that  dis- 
trict, and  Mr.  Sprague  removed  his  school  to  the  hall  over 
Dan  Hough's  store. 

The  Cheshire  bank,  the  only  one  in  the  county,  was 
doing  a  fair  business,  but  found  it  necessary  to  open  its 
doors  but  two  hours  in  the  forenoon  and  two  in  the  after- 
noon each  day  and  to  designate  one  day  in  the  week  for 
discounts.  Samuel  Grout,  of  Walpole,  was  president,  Aaron 
Appleton,  John  Wood,  Salma  Hale,  Josiah  Bellows,  David 
Stone  and  Henry  S.  Newcomb  were  directors ;  and  Nathan- 
iel Dana  had  been  chosen  cashier  in  1813,  and  held  that 
position  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

Transportation  by  water  had  proved  so  superior  to 
that  by  teams  that  that  subject  became  almost  a  craze 
with  the  public.  In  1816,  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
appointed  Loammi  Baldwin  (who  gave  us  the  Baldw^in 
apple)  and  Prof.  Farrar,  of  Harvard  college,  a  committee 
to  explore  and  survey  a  route  for  a  navigable  canal  from 
the  Connecticut  to  the  Merrimac  rivers.  The  Ashuelot, 
Contoocook    and    other    rivers    were    examined,    but    the 


382  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

scheme  was  found  to  be  impracticable.  The  stores  in 
Keene,  however,  were  still  selling  tickets  in  the  Union 
Canal  Lottery,  already  mentioned. 

The  Ashuelot  river  "is  a  stream  of  much  importance, 
and  is  made  navigable  for  boats  as  far  up  as  Keene, 
excepting  a  carrying  place  about  the  rapids  at  Win- 
chester." i  To  appreciate  the  truth  of  the  above  statement 
at  the  time  it  was  made  we  must  remember  that  in  the 
early  days  of  this  country  there  were  no  roads,  no  wheeled 
vehicles  for  carrying  freight,  and  that  every  waterway 
that  could  be  made  available  was  used  for  transportation. 
Almost  from  the  first  settlement  of  Keene  down  to  within 
the  recollection  of  people  still  living,  goods  were  bought  in 
Hartford  by  the  merchants  in  Keene  and  shipped  by  the 
Connecticut  2  and  Ashuelot  rivers.  Mr.  Wm.  Lamson,  the 
younger,  was  in  trade  here  as  late  as  1841,  and  the  fact 
of  his  shipping  goods  from  New  York  and  other  southern 
cities  by  that  route,  in  1837-8,  is  well  remembered. 

The  subject  of  clearing  the  Ashuelot  and  making  it 
navigable  for  larger  freight  boats  was  agitated  for  many 
years,  and  finally  culminated  in  1819.  Temporary  locks 
were  built  around  the  falls  in  two  places  between  Keene 
and  Winchester.  Lewis  Page,  who  lived  on  the  David 
Nims  place  on  Prison  street,  obtained  a  grant  from  the 
legislature  of  the  sole  right  to  take  tolls  and  navigate  the 
Ashuelot  from  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills  to  the  Connecti- 
cut river.  With  the  aid  of  subscriptions  he  built  a  boat 
sixty  feet  long  and  of  fifteen  to  twenty  tons  burden,  named 
it  the  Enterprise,  and  floated  it  down  to  the  head  of  the 
falls  at  Winchester.  On  Friday,  the  19th  of  November,  it 
made  its  first  trip  up  the  river,  loaded  with  passengers. 
It  arrived  at  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills  with  a  display  of 
banners  and  was  welcomed  by  a  crowd  of  people  with 
cheers,  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  the  town 
bell.  A  paragraph  in  the  Sentinel  giving  an  account  of  the 
event  was  headed  with  the  cut  of  a  full  rigged  ship  and 
the  announcement  in  large  capitals : 

"ASHUELOT  RIVER  NAVIGABLE!!" 

iNew  England  Gazetteer,  published  in  1839. 

2  In  1837,   the    writer    saw    freight   unloading    from  a  sloop,  at   a   wharf,  in 
Brattleboro,   Vt. 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  383 

The  agitation  of  the  project  for  still  further  improving 
the  river  by  canals  and  locks  around  the  falls  below  Win- 
chester continued,  and  five  years  later  a  correspondent  of 
the  Sentinel  stated  that  a  single  boat  running  from  Hart- 
ford brought  105  tons  of  freight  in  nine  months  to  Win- 
chester alone;  and  showed  by  figures  and  estimates  that 
the  business  on  the  river  would  pay  a  fair  return  on  an 
investment  in  the  canal  and  other  improvements.  But  the 
scheme  was  abandoned. 

Upon  opening  up  the  navigation  of  the  Connecticut 
river  the  Bellows  Falls  canal  did  a  large  business  and  the 
company  published  a  tariff  of  tolls  each  year.  It  was 
usually  seventy-five  cents  a  ton  for  heavy  goods  for  pass- 
ing through  the  locks.  The  Middlesex  canal  was  doing  an 
extensive  business,  with  warehouses  for  storing  the  goods, 
which  were  received  and  distributed  by  commission  mer- 
chants ;  and  transportation  by  heavy  teams  through  this 
town  was  greatly  increased. 

At  this  period,  1820,  the  village  of  Keene  was  still 
little  more  than  Main  street.  There  was  but  one  house 
on  Roxbury  street  besides  that  of  Dr.  Edwards ;  Prison 
street  was  almost  a  barren  waste ;  there  were  but  three 
houses  on  the  east  side  of  the  turnpike,  north,  and  only 
those  of  Mr.  John  Prentiss,  Dr.  Joseph  Wheeler  (now  the 
Tilden  house),  Elijah  Parker  (where  Mrs.  Joslin  now  lives), 
and  the  Sun  tavern  on  the  west  side.  All  the  rest  north 
of  the  long  row  of  horsesheds  was  open  fields  and  pas- 
tures ;  and  the  same  was  true  of  those  angular  tracts 
between  the  five  principal  streets,  now  covered  with  streets 
and  buildings.  Although  a  few  fine  residences  and  other 
good  buildings  had  been  erected,  as  already  mentioned, 
most  of  the  structures  in  town,  even  those  about  the  cen- 
tre, were  of  wood,  one  story  high,  unpainted,  and  of  very 
ordinary  appearance.  Appleton  &  Elliot's  store  on  the 
corner  was  of  brick,  two  stories  high,  but  the  tavern  oppo- 
site, though  of  three  stories,  was  a  very  ordinary  looking 
wooden  building;  and  the  courthouse,  also  of  wood,  was 
unpainted.  The  old  Ralston  tavern  was  a  low,  wooden 
building,  "painted  a  dirty  yellow,  with  a  red  border 
around  the  bottom,  standing  with  front  steps  reaching  into 


384  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

the  street."  1  Nearly  all  the  stores  and  shops  were  ''ten- 
footers" —  what  we  should  now  call  shanties. 

The  ten  highest  taxpayers  in  1820  were  James  Wil- 
son, Henry  S.  Newcomb,  Stephen  Chase,  William  Lamson, 
David  Carpenter,  Ephraim  Wright,  Samuel  Dinsmoor, 
Abel  Blake,  A.  &  T.  Hall  and  Abijah  Foster. 

Among  those  who  died  in  1820  were  Major  Josiah 
Richardson,  who  had  lived  here  nearly  fifty  years,  aged 
seventy-four;  Mrs.  Mary  Dwinnell,  aged  ninety-two,  widow 
of  Jonathan  Dwinnell,  who  left  ten  children  living,  all  with 
families,  the  youngest  having  also  ten  children;  Nehemiah 
Towns,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  aged  seventy-two;  Mrs. 
Hannah  Hall,  widow  of  Rev.  Aaron  Hall,  aged  sixty-six, 
and  Ephraim  Wright,  aged  sixty-two. 

Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow  was  chosen  "principal  visitor"  of 
schools  again  in  1821,  with  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  Salma  Hale, 
Nathaniel  Sprague,  John  Wood,  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and 
Elijah  Parker  visitors  and  inspectors ;  and  this  method  of 
managing  the  schools  continued  until  1824. 

The  first  theatrical  performance  advertised  and  given 
in  Keene  was  at  the  hall  in  Holland's  tavern,  May  14, 
1821.  The  play  was  Rev.  Dr.  Hawes'  tragedy,  "Douglass," 
followed  by  comic  songs  and  a  farce,  "  The  Village  Lawyer." 
Admission,  fifty  cents;  children,  half  price.  There  was  a 
Keene  Musical  Society  at  that  time,  which  gave  Handel's 
"Messiah,"  at  the  meetinghouse  in  the  afternoon  of  Feb. 
21.     Admission,  twenty-five  cents. 

In  September,  1821,  a  remarkably  high  wind,  called  in 
some  places  a  tornado,  in  others  a  "  tremendous  hurricane," 
passed  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  the  Carolinas  to 
Maine.  Buildings  of  all  kinds  were  destroyed,  trees  up- 
rooted, animals  killed  and  many  lives  lost.  The  debris 
was  carried  in  some  instances  twenty  to  thirty  miles.  In 
Keene  it  w^as  a  violent  and  destructive  wind,  but  less  so 
than  in  many  other  places. 

Charles  Rice,  "an  industrious  and  honest  man,"  died 
in  October,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four.  He  was  one  of  the 
thirty  patriots  who  marched  from  Keene  at  the  Lexington 
alarm  in  1775,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 

iRev.  Z.  S.   Barstow,  when  he  came  here  in  1818. 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  385 

Hill.  He  had  also  served  his  countrj  through  the  whole 
of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  1756-60.  He  had  lived 
some  years  in  Surry. 

The  third  New  Hampshire  having  been  given  up  as  a 
turnpike  and  the  gates  removed,  the  town  voted  to  keep 
it  in  repair  from  the  Marlboro  to  the  Surry  lines ;  and  two 
years  later  laid  out  a  town  highway  over  the  same  route. 

On  Monday  night,  May  27,  1822,  the  large,  three- 
story  stage  tavern  on  the  site  of  the  present  Cheshire 
House,  owned  by  Elijah  Parker  and  Timothy  Hall,  and 
kept  by  George  Sparhawk,  was  burned  to  the  ground. 
The  single  engine  of  the  town  "and  a  small  one  from  the 
glass  factory,"  with  the  aid  of  citizens  passing  buckets  of 
water,  saved  the  stores  of  Lamson  &  Blake  and  Justus 
Perry  on  the  north,  only  fifty  feet  away ;  and  that  of 
Lynds  Wheelock  on  the  south,  only  twenty  feet  away. 
The  cistern  of  water  on  the  common  was  soon  exhausted, 
and  then  lines  were  formed  to  Beaver  brook  —  one  of  men 
passing  the  full  buckets  and  one  of  women  and  boys  pass- 
ing the  empty  ones.  The  roof  of  the  meetinghouse  took 
fire,  but  v^as  extinguished  by  the  engine.  Fortunately  there 
was  very  little  wind,  and  the  village  was  thus  saved  from 
a  more  serious  conflagration. i  The  building  v^as  insured 
in  the  ^Etna  company  for  nearly  its  full  value,  and  the 
sum  was  promptly  paid.  This  fire  roused  the  people  to  the 
importance  of  having  a  more  efficient  organization  for 
extinguishing  fires.  A  subscription  was  immediately  started 
for  the  purchase  of  another  engine ;  and  the  Keene  Engine 
Co.,  John  Elliot,  clerk,  called  a  meeting  at  Wadley's  tav- 
ern, to  choose  officers,  make  by-laws  and  regulations,  and 
to  see  if  the  company  would  purchase  a  new  engine.  The 
Keene  Fire  Society  was  also  formed  and  continued  for 
many  years ;  and  soon  afterwards  the  Fire  Fencibles  were 
organized,  with  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  clerk. 

The  foundations  for  a  new  and  larger  house,  to  be 
called  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  were  soon  laid,  and  in  December 
the  Sentinel  announced  that  a  "large,  commodious  and 
elegant"    brick    hotel    had  arisen  since    the  fire  in  May  — 

lit  was  provided  by  law  that  every  village  householder  should  keep  a  pre- 
scribed number  of  leathern  fire-buckets  on  hand  for  use  in  case  of  fire.  Some  are 
still  preserved  as  relics.     They  were  made  in  this  town  by  Daniel  Watson. 


386 


HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 


52x56  feet,  three  stones  high,  with  a  hall  52x23  feet  and 
a  large  dining  hall  —  "an  ornament  to  our  village."  It 
was  kept  by  Mr.  Sparhawk  until  1825. 


Phcenix  Hotel. 

In  September,  1822,  the  Twentieth  regiment  mustered 
here,  closing  with  a  sham  fight.  The  Walpole  artillery  and 
the  two  light  infantry  companies  from  Keene  and  West- 
moreland were  highly  praised.  Young  James  Wilson,  just 
from  Middlebury  college,  now  in  his  father's  office,  had 
taken  command  of  the  Keene  Light  Infantry  and  inspired 
it  with  new  life  and  vigor.  Their  armory  was  at  the 
north  end  of  the  village,  in  a  field,  where  Armory  street 
now  runs, 

Abijah  Foster,  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  town, 
died  this  year,  aged  fifty-nine;  also,  at  the  Island  of  St. 
Thomas,  Lieut.  Walter  Newcomb,  of  the  United  States 
ship  Spark,  "late  of  the  Columbus,  seventy -four,  son  of 
the  late  Judge  Newcomb  of  this  town  —  an  officer  of  prom- 
ise and  highly  esteemed."     (Sentinel.) 

Hon.  Samuel  Dinsmoor  had  been  nominated  for  gov- 
ernor in  1823  by  the  Democrats,  and  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing the  town,   although    strongly   of  the  opposite  party, 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  387 

gave  him  195  votes,  to  seventy-five  for  Levi  Woodbury, 
the  Federal  candidate;  but  Mr.  Woodbury  was  elected. 
Hon.  Abel  Parker,  of  Jaifrey,  having  served  for  more  than 
twenty  years  as  judge  of  probate  for  Cheshire  county  and 
reached  the  limit  of  age  prescribed  by  law,  retired  from 
that  position,  and  by  the  courtesy  of  Governor  Woodbury, 
Mr.  Dinsmoor  w^as  appointed  in  his  place. 

The  4th  of  July,  1823,  was  celebrated  by  a  procession 
formed  at  the  Phoenix  Hotel  and  escorted  by  the  Keene 
Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Nathan  Bassett,  to  the  meeting- 
house, where  Hon.  Salma  Hale  read  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  Maj.  Josiah  Willard,  Jr.,  delivered  an 
oration.  Returning  to  the  hotel,  a  dinner  with  wine  was 
served,  toasts  were  drunk  and  speeches  made. 

The  largest  menagerie  in  the  country  containing  Asiatic 
lions,  tigers,  buffaloes,  elks,  llamas,  etc.,  exhibited  in  the 
rear  of  Wadley's  tavern  in  1822  —  the  first  in  Keene  —  and 
again  the  next  year  at  the  same  place. 

In  February,  1824,  a  destructive  freshet,  extending  over 
all  this  section  of  country,  carried  away  bridges,  dams  and 
mills.  The  bridges  at  South  Keene,  at  Faulkner  &  Col- 
ony's mills  and  on  the  turnpike  to  Surry,  were  carried 
away  or  seriously  injured. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1824  the  price  of  labor 
on  highwa3's  was  fixed  at  six  cents  an  hour  for  a  man,  or 
a  pair  of  oxen,  "boys  and  utensils  in  proportion;"  and 
it  remained  the  same  until  1838,  when  it  was  raised  to 
eight  cents  an  hour  for  a  man  or  a  yoke  of  oxen. 

The  town  had  changed  its  by-laws  in  relation  to 
schools,  choosing  a  committee  of  five  for  the  examination 
of  teachers  in  addition  to  the  seven  visitors  and  inspectors. 
Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  Joel  Parker,  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Sam- 
uel Dinsmoor  and  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  were  that  committee 
that  year;  and  the  same  were  chosen  visitors  and  inspec- 
tors, with  the  addition  of  Aaron  Appleton  and  Aaron 
Hall,  with  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  principal  visitor.  This 
method  of  supervising  the  schools  continued  for  several 
years. 

The  amounts  of  postage  received  at  the  principal 
postoffices  in  the  state  at  this    time  were:     Portsmouth, 


388  HISTORY  OF  KBUnB. 

$3,355.17;  Exeter,  $654.31;  Concord,  $565.02;  Keene, 
$536.74;  Dover,  $484.30;  Walpole,  $276.52.  The  old  high 
rates  of  postage  still  existed. 

There  was  emulation  among  the  independent  military 
companies,  and  great  efforts  were  made  by  them  for  im- 
provement in  drill  and  discipline.  In  September,  1824,  the 
Keene  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Nathan  Bassett,  and  the  light 
infantry  companies  of  Westmoreland  and  Brattleboro, 
marched  to  Chesterfield  and  encamped,  and  were  joined  by 
the  Chesterfield  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Barton  Skinner. 
James  Wilson,  Jr.,  then  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Twentieth 
regiment,  took  command  and  exercised  them  in  battalion 
drill.  Early  in  October  the  Twentieth  regiment,  Col.  Jus- 
tus Perry,  mustered  in  Keene  and  was  inspected  by  Major 
Joel  Parker  and  reviewed  by  Gen.  Samuel  Griffin  of  Rox- 
bury.  The  two  companies  of  cavalry,  the  Walpole  artillery, 
and  the  two  companies  of  light  infantry  from  Keene  and 
Westmoreland  were  very  highly  commended. 

The  Cheshire  Agricultural  Society  had  its  exhibition  at 
Winchester  this  year.  Joel  Parker,  Esq.,  delivered  the 
oration.  Col.  Thomas  C.  Drew  was  president,  Thomas  M. 
Edwards,  secretary,  Daniel  Bradford,  treasurer,  and  Abijah 
Wilder,  Jr.,  one  of  the  executive  committee. 

A  new  brick  courthouse  was  built  in  1824,  the  north 
half  of  which  is  now  the  store  of  Bullard  &  Shedd.  The 
committee  to  sell  the  old  house  i  and  build  the  new  one 
were  John  Wood,  Aaron  Appleton,  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr., 
Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  M.  Edwards.  In  the 
corner  stone  of  the  new  building  were  deposited  a  glass 
bottle  containing  a  copy  of  the  Sentinel  of  that  week,  the 

1  The  old  house  -was  sold  to  Silas  Angler  and  Eliphalet  Briggs,  and  was 
hanled  away  to  Prison  street  by  James  Keith  with  sixty  yoke  of  oxen,  and  used 
for  a  boarding  and  tenement  house.  It  was  a  long,  narrow  building,  two 
stories  high,  afterwards  bought  by  John  H.  Fuller,  who  divided  it,  tnoved  one 
half  to  Railroad  square  and  used  it  for  a  wool-house,  and  it  is  now^  the  grain 
store  of  J.  Gushing  &  Co.,  next  to  the  Sentinel  building.  The  other  half  Mr. 
Fuller  used  as  a  dwelling,  on  the  site  of  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  D.  M.  Pol- 
lard, 256  Washington  street,  and  when  that  brick  house  was  built  by  Capt.  H. 
T.  H.  Pierce,  soon  after  the  Civil  war,  the  old  wooden  one  was  moved  to  the 
rear  on  Maple  street,  and  is  now^  the  residence  of  Wm.  L.  Cheever,  No.  26.  The 
statement  has  been  made  that  those  two  halves  of  a  former  building  wtre  parts 
of  the  old  meetinghouse  which  was  given  to  the  county  for  a  courthouse  in 
1788,  but  that  is  an  error.  That  old  meetinghouse,  which  stood,  after  its  re- 
moval, on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  common,  where  Court  street  now  comes 
in,  was  replaced  by  a  new  courthouse  (the  one  above  described),  built  on  its 
site  —  largely  by  subscription  —  in  1796  ;  and  all  trace  of  the  old  meetinghouse  that 
fronted  on  "The  Green"  in  Revolutionary  days  is  lost,  though  it  is  believed  that 
it  was  removed  to  the  west  side  of  Court  street.  (See  account  of  fire  on  Court 
street  in  1861). 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  389 

New  Hampshire  Register  for  that  year,  and  other  docu- 
ments. The  main  room,  on  the  second  floor,  was  ready 
for  the  use  of  the  court  at  the  October  term.  The  town 
had  appropriated  $500  towards  the  building,  reserving 
rights  for  a  town  hall  on  the  ground  floor  —  two  or  three 
steps  below  the  level  of  the  ground  —  as  it  had  in  the  old 
building;  and  in  November  "voted  to  raise  $150  to  be 
appropriated  towards  finishing  the  Town  Room  in  the  New 
Court  House."  That  meeting  was  for  the  national  election, 
James  Wilson,  Jr.,  moderator,  and  cast  144'  votes  for  the 
electors  who  voted  for  John  Quincy  Adams  for  president, 
to  one  for  those  of  the  opposite  party. 

Capt.  Thaddeus  Metcalf  had  died  in  1823,  aged  sixty- 
six,  and  among  the  deaths  in  1824  were  those  of  Joseph 
Sylvester,  aged  eighty  ;  John  Balch,  sixty-six;  Widow  Anna 
Draper,  ninety ;  Mrs.  Hannah,  wife  of  Adin  Holbrook, 
sixty-six;  James  Philips,  seventy -eight ;  and  Mrs.  Hannah 
Wheeler,  widow  of  Abraham  Wheeler,  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers, aged  one  hundred  and  three.  Mrs.  Wheeler  was  the 
mother  of  Col.  Abraham  Wheeler,  w^ho  had  died  in  1814 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 

The  controversy  in  the  church  which  resulted  in  the 
secession  of  the  Unitarians  had  been  growing  more  and 
more  sharp  and  bitter  for  several  years  and  had  now 
reached  culmination.  On  the  18th  of  March,  1824,  the 
seceders  organized  their  society  under  the  general  laws  of 
the  state,  taking  the  name  of  the  Keene  Congregational 
Society,  and  they  held  services  during  that  summer.  They 
had  twelve  members,  seven  male  and  five  female.  Those 
who  had  desired  to  withdraw  had  refused  to  pay  the  tax 
assessed  for  the  support  of  Rev.  Mr.  Barstow,  had  filed 
the  required  certificates  to  that  effect  with  the  town  clerk, 
and  claimed  their  right  to  the  use  of  the  meetinghouse 
their  proportion  of  Sundays.  At  the  annual  meeting  in 
1823  the  town  "Voted  (on  raising  Mr.  Barstow's  salary 
of  $700)  that  the  selectmen  be  instructed  to  raise  the  sum 
which  shall  bear  the  same  proportion  to  the  sum  of  $700 
as  the  taxable  property  not  signed  off  (by  certificates) 
does  to  the  whole  taxable  property  of  the  parish;"  and 
on  the  3d  of  November  of  that  year  the  town  voted  to 


390  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

grant  the  use  of  the  meetinghouse  to  the  parties  asking  it 
five  Sundays  between  that  date  and  the  first  of  May  fol- 
lowing, the  selectmen  to  designate  the  Sundays.  At  the 
annual  meeting  in  1824,  Mr.  Barstow's  salary  was  restored 
to  $700,  although  the  Unitarians  had  withdrawn;  and 
the  vote  passed  in  the  negative  on  the  article,  "To  see  if 
the  town  w^ill  vote  the  use  of  the  meetinghouse  to  those 
persons  in  town  who  do  not  contribute  to  the  support  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Barstow  and  who  have  supported  preaching  the 
present  year  in  the  month  of  February." 

The  town  then  "voted  that  the  town  property  in  the 
meetinghouse,  consisting  of  the  building,  the  Bell,  and  the 
land  on  which  the  building  stands,  be  offered  at  public 
sale  by  the  selectmen  on  the  30th  day  of  March  inst.,"  — 
notice  being  given  —  and  the  selectmen  were  authorized  to 
convey  the  same  by  deed.  It  was  provided,  however,  that 
the  sale  should  be  made  to  an  authorized  agent  of  some 
religious  society  organized  according  to  law  and  that  the 
sum  paid  should  be  sufiicient  to  cover  the  value  of  all  the 
pews,  to  be  appraised  by  disinterested  parties  from  out  of 
town.    The  property  was  not  sold. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1825  again  reduced  the  salary 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Barstow  to  a  certain  proportion  of  what  the 
town  had  agreed  to  pay  him,  as  in  1823 ;  and  the  year 
following  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  make  a  similar 
assessment;  and  that  was  the  last  time  (1826)  the  salary 
of  the  minister  was  raised  by  legal  assessment.  He  w^as 
no  longer  the  minister  of  the  town,  and  his  salary  was 
ever  afterwards  raised  by  his  own  society.  The  contro- 
versy concerning  the  proportional  use  of  the  meetinghouse, 
and  the  agitation  for  the  sale  of  it,  continued,  and  at  a 
legal  meeting  on  the  30th  of  March,  1825,  Joel  Parker, 
moderator,  the  town  voted  that  a  committee  of  thirteen, 
six  from  each  of  the  two  societies,  be  appointed  by  the 
selectmen  —  the  twelve  to  choose  the  chairman  —  to  consider 
the  question  of  disposing  of  the  edifice  and  report  at  the 
next  annual  meeting.^ 

iThe  selectmen  appointed  from  the  First  Congregational  Society:  Elijah 
Dunbar,  Timothy  Hall,  Azel  Wilder,  Dea.  Thomas  Fisher,  Ebenezer  Ciark,  Abel 
Blake.  Keene  Congregational  Society:  Salma  Hale,  Daniel  Bradford,  John  Wood, 
Aaron  Appleton,  James  Wilson,  Jr.",  Samuel  Dinsmoor.  The  chairman's  name 
does  not  appear  on  the  records. 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  391 

In  June,  1825,  Mr,  Thomas  R.  Sullivan,  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  preached  for  the  Keene  Congregational 
Society  in  the  town  hall  for  several  Sundays,  afterwards 
accepted  a  call,  and  was  ordained  on  the  30th  of  Decem- 
ber. Rev.  George  G.  Ingersoll,  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  Rev. 
Mr.  Gannett,  of  Boston,  and  others  from  Massachusetts, 
assisted  in  the  ceremony. 

In  1825,  the  annual  town  meeting  was  held  for  the  first 
time  in  the  new  town  hall  under  the  courthouse.  The 
number  of  ratable  polls  in  town  exceeded  4-50,  and  two 
representatives  to  the  legislature  w^ere  chosen,  Joel  Parker 
and  James  Wilson,  Jr. 

The  4th  of  July  was  celebrated  by  a  military  parade 
and  dinner  "on  the  plain  one  mile  south  of  the  village." 

The  Twentieth  regiment,  Justus  Perry,  colonel,  B.  F. 
Adams,  adjutant,  mustered  in  Keene,  and  was  inspected  by 
Lt.  Col.  Joel  Parker,  and  reviewed  by  Gov.  Morrill,  who 
gave  it  high  commendation. 

At  a  legal  meeting  in  November,  1825,  the  town  voted 
to  adopt  certain  parts  of  "an  act  to  establish  a  S3'stem  of 
police  in  the  town  of  Portsmouth;"  and  the  selectmen 
appointed  Capt.  Joseph  Dorr,  Zebadiah  Kise,  Elijah  Par- 
ker, Esq.,  John  Hatch,  Col.  James  Wilson  and  Oliver 
Heaton  police  officers,  the  first  in  town. 

Among  those  w^ho  died  that  year  were  Mr.  Lynds 
Wheelock,  aged  forty-one;  Dea.  Daniel  Kingsbury,  eighty- 
two  ;  Capt.  Cj^rus  Breed,  forty ;  and  Lieut.  Henry  S.  New- 
comb,  at  sea,  son  of  the  late  Judge  Newcomb.  Lieutenant 
Newcomb  had  commanded  Fort  Covington  at  one  time  in 
the  late  war,  and  was  an  accomplished  officer. 

In  1825,  the  Phoenix  Hotel  passed  into  the  hands  of 
John  Hatch,  who  had  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas 
Edwards ;  and  for  many  years  Hatch's  tavern  had  a  high 
reputation,  and  was  the  principal  stage  house  in  town. 
At  that  time  a  watering  trough  stood  in  front  of  it,  and 
there  was  still  a  passageway  on  the  south  side  to  the 
stable.  Henry  Coolidge  succeeded  Jonathan  Wadley  in  the 
old  Ralston  tavern  in  1823,  kept  an  excellent  house,  and 
for  a  long  term  of  years  it  went  by  the  name  of  Coolidge's 
tavern.      Col.   Stephen    Harrington    also    made    the  Eagle 


392  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Hotel  a  first-class  hotel.  The  Sun  tavern,  on  the  turn- 
pike, had  been  fitted  up  by  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  (doubtless 
his  former  cabinet  shop)  and  was  opened  this  year  by 
Elias  Mead,  who  kept  choice  liquors  and  made  it  an  attrac- 
tive inn.  Daniel  Day  still  kept  his  tavern  on  the  Cheshire 
turnpike,  east  side  of  the  river  near  the  Surry  line ;  Henry 
Goodnow  on  the  third  New  Hampshire,  near  Walpole  line ; 
Stephen  Chase  continued  at  his  place  on  the  same  "pike;" 
Josiah  Sawyer  on  the  Chesterfield  and  Thomas  Gurler  on 
the  Westmoreland  roads ;  Mrs.  Susan  Lanman  at  the  foot 
of  Marlboro  street;  William  Lebourveau  on  Nine  Lot 
Plain,  opposite  the  present  driving  park  —  a  part  of  the 
old  house  is  still  standing  —  and  there  were  several  others 
in  different  parts  of  the  town.  And  the  constant  stream 
of  travel  through  the  town,  particularly  the  freighting  to 
and  from  the  Middlesex  canal  and  Boston,  gave  each  and 
all  of  them  a  thriving  business. 

In  1823,  Josiah  Amidon  opened  the  Grand  Monadnock 
Hotel  —  "near  the  pinnacle  of  said  Mountain;"  and  the 
following  year  John  Fife  "erects  a  building  on  the  brook 
southeast  of  the  pinnacle,  Jaffrey  side,  and  furnishes  enter- 
tainment." 

The  first  flour  offered  for  sale  at  the  stores  in  Keene 
was  by  A.  &  T.  Hall  in  1822.  Previous  to  that  time 
flour,  meal  and  grain  could  be  bought  at  the  mills ;  and 
the  farmers  not  only  raised  their  own  supply,  but  sold 
large  quantities  of  grain.  Justus  Perry  had  taken  John  V. 
Wood  as  partner  in  1822,  and  continued  the  business  of 
the  store  and  the  manufacture  of  glass  bottles,  decanters, 
etc.,  on  Marlboro  street,  under  the  firm  name  of  Perry  & 
Wood.  Lamson  &  Blake  dissolved  in  1822,  and  Wm. 
Larason,  Jr.,  continued  the  business  alone.  The  same  year, 
Wm.  Lamson,  senior,  took  his  son  Charles  as  partner  in 
the  tannery;  and  the  son  continued  a  successful  business 
there  until  he  died,  in  1876.  In  1823,  George  Tilden  and 
John  Prentiss  formed  the  firm  of  Geo.  Tilden  &  Co.  in  the 
bookbinding  business,  in  the  basement  of  the  building  next 
south  of  A.  &  T.  Hall  — where  the  Walkers  and  Henry 
Thayer  had  formerly  been  — entrance  on  the  north  side. 
They  also  sold  books   and   stationery,  and  the  next  year 


A  PEACEFUL  DECADE.  393 

Opened  a  circulating  library  of  200  volumes.  That  part- 
nership continued  but  a  short  time.  In  1825,  Mr.  Prentiss 
built  a  brick  block  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square  (now 
Whitcomb's)  removed  his  printing  establishment  into  its 
upper  stories,  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  Geo.  Tilden  & 
Co.,  and  opened  the  Keene  Book  Store  on  the  ground  floor 
of  the  north  half.  Tickets  in  various  lottery  schemes  were 
sold  in  both  book  stores.  The  Sentinel  printing  oflSce  re- 
mained in  those  quarters  for  forty-six  years.  S.  A.  Gerould 
also  built  his  brick  store,  next  north  of  Mr.  Prentiss's,  the 
same  year,  took  in  his  brother,  and  for  some  ^''ears  the 
firm  was  S.  A.  &  J.  H.  Gerould;  later  he  took  his  son, 
Samuel  A.,  Jr.,  as  partner,  and  they  remained  in  that  store 
as  long  as  they  were  in  business. 

Richard  Montague,  a  very  gentlemanly  and  obliging 
man,  came  here  in  1822,  opened  a  shop  over  A.  &  T.  Hall, 
and  for  a  long  term  of  years  held  the  lead  in  making  fine, 
stylish  garments  for  gentlemen.  He  also  made  ladies' 
pelisses  and  other  outside  garments.  Sylvester  Haskell 
bought  out  Dan  Hough  in  1824,  and  the  next  year  removed 
to  the  south  store  in  Prentiss's  new  block. 

In  1822,  Elijah  and  Joel  Parker  formed  the  law  firm 
of  E.  &  J.  Parker  and  had  their  office  over  A.  &  T.  Hall's 
store.  Foster  Alexander  and  Thomas  M.  Edwards  were 
also  lawyers  in  town;  and  Mr.  Edwards  was  still  post- 
master. In  1825  he  put  up  a  small  building  east  of  Lam- 
son's  store,  on  Roxbury  street,  and  had  his  office  and  the 
postoffice  there.  It  was  afterwards  the  law  office  of 
Wheeler  &  Faulkner. 

The  Medical  Society  of  Cheshire  County  had  been 
formed,  with  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  president  and  librarian, 
and  held  its  annual  meetings  in  Keene.  The  other  mem- 
bers from  Keene  were  Dr.  Daniel  Adams,  Dr.  Charles  G. 
Adams  and  Dr.  Joseph  Wheeler. 

Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  built  his  new  shop  where  the  "Mu- 
seum" now  stands,  in  1823,  and  moved  into  it  with  his 
cabinet,  chair  and  sleigh  manufacturing.  Eliphalet  Briggs, 
Jr.,  and  John  W.  Briggs  were  in  the  same  business  —  "three 
doors  north  of  the  meetinghouse"  —  on  the  west  side  of 
Prison  street. 


394  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  mills  of  Faulkner  &  Colony  were  destroyed  by  fire 
early  in  the  year,  but  they  immediately  rebuilt,  with  brick, 
and  in  September  advertised  "  that  their  new  mills  are  so 
far  completed  that  they  are  ready  to  receive  Wool  to  Card 
and  Cloth  to  Dress." 

George  Page  and  Alvan  Holman  were  making  pumps 
and  manufacturing  lumber  "at  Page's  mill,  two  miles  East 
of  Keene  street,"  on  the  Roxbury  branch  —  the  mills  since 
known  as  the  peg  factory.  The  Ebenezer  Robbins  mill  on 
White  brook  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  Joel  Kingsbury. 
Aaron  Davis  was  turning  out  "  Warranted  hoes  at  his  Fac- 
tory two  miles  from  Keene  street"  —  at  South  Keene — and 
Nathan  Wood,  a  noted  blacksmith,  manufactured  the  best 
of  ploughs. 


1 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TOWN  AFFAIRS. 
1826—1840. 

The  controversy  between  the  Unitarians  and  the  Or- 
thodox CongregationaHsts  in  Keene  entered  into  all  the 
affairs  of  life  to  an  extent  that  would  seem  incredible  at 
the  present  day,  and  created  much  bitterness — in  some 
cases  even  between  those  who  had  been  the  warmest 
friends,  i 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1826,  Hon.  Salma  Hale, 
from  the  committee  appointed  in  1825  to  devise  some  sat- 
isfactory method  of  disposing  of  the  meetinghouse,  reported 
that  several  meetings  of  the  committee  had  been  held,  but 
nothing  had  been  accomplished.  The  town  then  voted  to 
allow  the  Keene  Congregational  Society  to  use  the  edifice 
thirteen  Sundays  during  the  year  ensuing,  the  particular 
Sundays  to  be  designated  by  the  selectmen ;  and  that  after 
that  term,  the  selectmen  then  in  office  should  fix  the  num- 
ber of  Sundays  to  be  used  by  that  society  for  four  years 
following.  In  compliance  with  that  vote  the  selectmen 
designated  eighty-three  Sundays  in  the  four  years  beginning 
in  June,  1827,  on  which  the  edifice  might  be  used  by  that 
society. 

During  this  year  the  first  edition  of  the  "Annals  of  the 
Town  of  Keene,  from  its  first  settlement  in  1734  to  the 
year  1790,"  by  Hon.  Salma  Hale,  was  published  by  Moore, 
of  Concord,  N.  H.  They  "  were  compiled  at  the  request  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society,"  of  which  Mr.  Hale 
was  an  active  member,  "and  of  several  citizens  of  Keene. "2 
At  the  annual  meeting  the  town  voted  to  instruct  the 
selectmen  to  procure  400  copies  of  that  w^ork  and  distrib- 
ute among  the  inhabitants,  "provided  that  the  expense 
does  not  exceed  fifty  dollars"  (121^  cents  a  copy).    About 

1  One  of  the  wits  of  Keene  said    of  the  two  societies  that  "one  appeared  to 
have  religion  without  morals;   the  other,  morals  without  religion." 

2  In  1851,  a  second  edition,   "with  corrections,  additions  and  a  continuation 
to  1815"  was  published  by  J.  W.  Prentiss  &  Co.  of  Keene. 


396  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

the  same  time  appeared  the  "  History  of  the  United  States  " 
by  the  same  author.  In  1820,  the  American  Academy 
of  Languages  and  Belles  Lettres  had  offered  a  premium  of 
$400  and  a  gold  medal  to  the  American  citizen  who  should 
within  two  years  produce  the  best  written  history  of  the 
United  States.  Four  books  were  entered  by  different 
authors  and  the  premium  for  the  best  history  was  awarded 
to  Mr.  Hale.  It  was  published  in  New  York  by  Harper  & 
Brothers,  in  London,  by  T.  Miller,  and  at  the  Sentinel 
office  in  Keene.  A  few  copies  of  the  London  edition  were 
sold  here. 

The  rapid  increase  of  the  population  and  the  immense 
productions  of  the  country  brought  the  subject  of  trans- 
portation more  and  more  prominently  before  the  public. 
That  by  water,  with  the  steamboat,  which  was  fast  com- 
ing into  use,  was  the  cheapest  and  most  rapid  then  known. 
Large  canal  systems  were  already  in  successful  operation, 
others  were  projected  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  wherever 
there  was  a  possibility  of  a  practicable  route,  and  rivers, 
large  and  small,  were  utilized.  The  canal  commissioners  of 
Massachusetts  in  1826  reported  a  feasible  route  for  a  canal 
from  Boston  through  Groton,  Leominster,  Fitchburg,  Win- 
chendon  and  down  Miller's  river  to  the  Connecticut;  and 
it  was  confidently  announced  that  there  would  be  "a  land 
carriage  of  only  twenty  miles  from  here  to  the  capital  of 
New  England."     (Sentinel.) 

A  company  w^as  formed  to  improve  the  navigation  of 
the  Connecticut  river  from  Hartford,  Ct.,  to  Barnet,  Vt., 
219  miles,  202  of  which  would  be  in  slack  water  caused 
by  dams  or  natural  levels,  and  seventeen  by  canals.  The 
fall  was  420  feet,  to  be  overcome  by  forty-one  locks,  the 
whole  cost  estimated  at  $1,500,000.  The  canal  and  locks 
at  Bellows  Falls  cost  $107,313.  Large  meetings  were  held 
and  the  subject  was  ably  discussed,  notably  at  Charles- 
town,  in  August,  1826.  The  company  had  steam  tow- 
boats  built  for  hauling  freight ;  and  an  elegant  new  steamer 
for  both  passengers  and  freight,  seventy-live  feet  long,  four- 
teen feet  wide,  drawing  two  feet  of  water  and  "carrying 
30  tons  burden  including  its  machinery."  It  was  called 
the  Barnet,   and  began    making  its   trips  in    the    autumn 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  397 

of  1826.  Her  first  arrival  at  Brattleboro  was  "greeted 
with  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  the  bell." 
The  company  had  a  public  dinner  at  the  Mansion  House, 
followed  by  toasts  and  speeches.  Another  steamer  called 
the  Enterprise!  was  put  on,  followed  in  1829  by  the 
Vermont,  w^hich  had  "a  handsome  cabin  on  deck,"  and 
carried  150  passengers  to  Charlestown  on  its  first  trip. 
In  1830,  congress  was  asked  for  an  appropriation  to  im- 
prove the  river.  In  1831,  the  steamer  Hampden  was  added. 
The  boats,  making  alternate  trips,  advertised  to  leave  Bel- 
lows Falls,  Westminster  and  Walpole  for  Hartford  every 
Monday ;  Putney,  Chesterfield,  Brattleboro,  Vernon  and 
Hinsdale  every  Tuesday ;  Northfield  and  Gill  every  Wednes- 
day ;  the  returning  boat  leaving  Hartford  every  Monday ; 
carrying  both  passengers  and  freight. 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  American  independence  v^^as 
celebrated  in  Keene  with  great  eclat.  By  a  unanimous 
vote  of  the  town  a  new  bell  for  the  meetinghouse  had  been 
procured  and  at  sunrise  it  was  rung,  accompanied  by 
twenty-four  discharges  of  cannon.  Aaron  Appleton  w^as 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrangements,  and  Hon. 
James  Wilson  (senior)  was  president  of  the  day,  v^ith 
Samuel  Grant  of  Walpole,  Elisha  Belding  of  Swanzey, 
S.  Cobb  of  Westmoreland,  Nahum  Parker  of  Fitzwilliam 
and  Hon.  Salma  Hale  of  Keene,  vice  presidents.  Gen. 
Justus  Perry  was  chief  marshal,  with  Majors  Oliver 
Heaton  and  B.  F.  Adams  assistants.  At  11  o'clock  a  pro- 
cession of  several  hundred  citizens  of  this  and  neighboring 
towns,  escorted  by  the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Geo. 
Brown,  marched  to  the  meetinghouse,  where  religious  ser- 
vices were  held.  Rev.  Mr.  Dickinson,  of  Walpole,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Leonard,  of  Dublin,  assisting  the  pastor.  The  house 
was  filled  to  overflowing.  An  oration  was  delivered  by 
Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan,  and  patriotic  music  was  rendered  by 
the  Keene  Musical  Society  under  the  direction  of  Eliphalet 
Briggs,  Jr.  At  the  close  of  those  exercises,  150  persons  sat 
down  to  "a  very  handsome  entertainment  under  an  arti- 
ficial bower,"  where  thirteen  regular  and  sixteen  voluntary 
toasts   were    drunk,    and  responses  made  by  the  talented 

1  Believed  to  have  been  the  one  from  the  Ashuelot  river,  with  steam  added. 


398  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

gentlemen  present.  The  day  was  very  generally  celebrated 
throughout  the  country.  It  was  on  that  day  that  both 
John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson  died. 

The  first  appearance  of  a  circus  in  this  town  was  in 
July,  1826.  It  stopped  at  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  and  concluded 
its  exhibition  with  a  play,  ''The  Hunted  Tailor."  "Admis- 
sion 25  cents.     Children  half  price." 

At  its  muster  this  year  the  Twentieth  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Col.  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  Col.  Perry  having 
been  promoted  to  brigadier  general.  When  the  militia  of 
the  state  was  reviewed  by  Gov.  John  Taylor  Gilman  in 
1797  or  '98,  the  Twelfth  regiment,  composed  of  the  towns 
of  Marlboro,  Packersfield,  Dublin,  Jaffrey,  Rindge  and 
Fitzwilliam,  was  pronounced  the  best  in  the  state;  and 
for  a  long  term  of  years  that  superiority  was  maintained. 
The  Twentieth  had  been  its  constant  rival  for  the  first 
position,  and  this  year,  under  Col.  Wilson's  command,  it 
was  given  a  slight  preference. 

For  many  years  afterwards,  1826  was  known  in  this 
region  as  the  "grasshopper  year,"  from  the  destructive 
ravages  of  that  insect.  They  destroyed  gardens,  stripped 
currant  bushes  and  shrubs  of  their  leaves  and  bark,  and  in 
many  cases  utterly  ruined  the  grass,  corn,  rye,  oats  and 
other  crops.  They  would  destroy  clothes  if  left  within 
their  reach,  and  even  ruin  the  wooden  handles  of  farming 
tools  if  left  out  over  night.  They  literally  covered  the 
ground  and  "would  rise  up  before  the  passer  in  countless 
millions,  sometimes  obscuring  the  sun  like  a  cloud."  "The 
weather  was  dry  and  potatoes  and  other  crops  came  to  a 
standstill."  But  rain  fell,  the  grasshoppers  died  after  a  few 
weeks'  existence,  and  crops  took  a  fresh  start.  Lilacs,  and 
potatoes  planted  in  May,  blossomed  in  September. 

The  Cheshire  Agricultural  Society  exhibited  at  Keene 
this  year,  the  leading  men  of  the  county  taking  an  active 
part  in  its  affairs.  Hon.  Joel  Parker  w^as  chief  marshal, 
assisted  by  Col.  Thomas  F.  Ames  and  Major  Oliver  Heaton. 
Col.  James  Wilson  delivered  the  address;  Levi  Chamber- 
lain, then  of  Fitzwilliam,  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  awards ;  and  among  those  who  served  on  committees 
were  James  Wilson,  senior,  Elijah  Dunbar,  William  Lamson, 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  399 

Jr.,  Capt.  Joseph  Dorr  and  Aaron  Appleton.  Mrs.  Thomas 
Edwards  took  a  premium  for  the  best  carpet,  and  Samuel 
Wadsworth,  of  Roxbury,  took  one  for  the  best  product 
of  potatoes,  having  raised  491  bushels  on  one  acre  of  land. 

The  notable  persons  who  died  this  year  were  David 
Nims  (at  his  son's  in  Roxbury),  one  of  the  first  persons 
born  in  Keene,  aged  eighty-four;  Joshua  Ellis,  the  Revolu- 
tionary soldier  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill,  aged  seventy -four ; 
Ezra  Wilder,  aged  eighty-five;  Cornelius  Sturtevant,  an 
early  settler,  aged  ninety-one;  Mrs.  Mary,  widow  of  Major 
Davis  Howlett,  aged  eighty-seven ;  Dr.  Joseph  Wheeler, 
aged  forty-six;  and  Mrs.  Mary  H.,  wife  of  Gen.  Justus 
Perry,  aged  twenty-one. 

In  January,  1827,  there  was  a  term  of  remarkably  cold 
weather.  For  five  successive  mornings  the  mercury  did  not 
rise  higher  than  10°  below  zero,  and  on  one  morning  it 
was  27°  below.  Lake  Champlain  was  completely  closed 
with  ice,  and  Boston  harbor  was  frozen  over  as  far  down 
as  Nantasket  Roads.  Snow  was  four  feet  deep  on  a  level 
—  six  feet  on  the  Green  Mountains. 

At  the  annual  meeting  the  town  raised  $500  for  fenc- 
ing burying  grounds.  The  firev^ards  this  year  were  Capt. 
Joseph  Dorr,  Timothy  Hall,  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  John  Hatch, 
Joel  Parker  and  James  Wilson,  Jr.  In  November,  in  com- 
pliance with  a  law  passed  the  year  before,  they  posted 
printed  rules  and  regulations  in  relation  to  fires ;  and  gave 
notice  that  they  would  inspect  the  buildings  in  town,  that 
the  required  ladders  must  be  put  up,  and  the  leathern  fire- 
buckets  kept  constantly  on  hand. 

The  question  of  dividing  Cheshire  county  had  been 
agitated  for  many  years,  and  petitions  for  such  an  act  had 
been  presented  to  the  legislature  setting  forth  the  need  on 
account  of  "the  great  increase  of  population  and  of  the 
business  in  the  probate  and  judiciary  courts  and  the  regis- 
try of  deeds."  This  year  an  act  was  passed  creating  the 
county  of  Sullivan  and  making  Keene  the  sole  shire  town 
of  Cheshire. 

A  committee  consisting  of  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  Rev.  T. 
R.  Sullivan,  Hon.  Salma  Hale,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  and 
James  Wilson,  Jr.,  was  chosen  "to  take  into  consideration 


400  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

the  state  of  the  common  schools  in  the  Town  and  devise 
such  measures  as  may  be  practicable  and  expedient  for  their 
improvement."  No  report  of  that  committee  has  been  found, 
but  the  committee  on  examination  of  teachers  that  year, 
—  Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan,  Joel  Parker,  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
Salma  Hale  and  John  Prentiss  —  prescribed  the  following 
textbooks  to  be  used  in  the  schools  :  "  Lee's  Spelling  Book ;  " 
"Easy  Lessons  in  Reading;"  "History  of  the  United 
States;"  "English  Reader;"  the  Scriptures;  "Scientific 
Class  Book;  "  Murray's  and  Putnam's  grammars;  Worces- 
ter's and  Woodbridge's  geographies ;  Adams'  arithmetic, 
old  and  new,  and  Pike's  arithmetic  in  full. 

A  mail  had  run  between  Keene  and  Worcester  since 
about  1800.  In  1826,  a  line  of  stages  was  put  on  via 
Templeton  and  Worcester  to  Norwich,  Ct.,  to  connect  with 
steamers  to  New  York,  three  times  a  week.  For  a  year  or 
two  previous  to  this,  the  line  had  run  in  the  same  way  to 
Providence,  making  a  similar  connection  to  New  York.  In 
1827,  a  line  of  daily  mail  stages  was  established  which 
ran  from  Boston  through  Keene  to  Middlebury,  Burling- 
ton and  Montreal,  following  the  route  of  the  third  New 
Hampshire  turnpike  and  connecting  with  other  lines  at  all 
large  towns.  A  competing  line  ran  on  the  Cheshire  turn- 
pike and  Branch  Road  Company's  route  through  Rindge 
and  Fitzwilliam,  crossing  the  other  line  at  Keene  and  going 
on  through  Surry,  Drewsville  and  Charlestown  to  Wood- 
stock and  Montpelier,  and  also  to  Windsor  and  Hanover; 
thus  giving  Keene  two  daily  lines  to  and  from  Boston. 
The  companies  often  furnished  six  horses  to  the  coach,  and 
for  many  years  staging  was  a  lively  and  important  busi- 
ness. It  was  not  uncommon  for  sixty  to  one  hundred 
passengers  to  arrive  and  depart  in  a  day,  and  nearly  all 
the  coaches  stopped  for  the  night  in  Keene.  Hatch's  and 
Harrington's  taverns  were  the  stage-houses  for  the  compet- 
ing lines.  Those  lines  bore  various  names  at  different 
times,  as  the  "Old  Mail;"  the  "Union;"  the  "Telegraph 
Despatch;"  the  "Citizens';"  the  "Boston,  Fitchburg  & 
Keene  Mail  Stage  Co. "  etc.  The  quickest  time  recorded 
between  Boston  and  Keene  was  made  on  the  27th  of 
December,  1831,  in  nine  hours   and  twenty-seven  minutes, 


\ 


TOWN  AFFAWS.  401 

from  the  toll-house  in  Cambridge  to  Harrington's  tavern 
in  Keene,  stopping  eight  or  nine  times  to  shift  mail  and 
horses.  The  passage  was  made  from  Concord  on  runners. 
There  was  also  at  one  time  a  line  to  Greenfield  and  North- 
ampton, connecting  at  Hartford  with  steamboats  to  New 
York ;  and  one  running  three  times  a  week  from  Ports- 
mouth and  Exeter  to  Keene  and  thence  through  Brattle- 
boro  to  Albany  and  the  west. 

In  August,  Aaron  Davis's  blacksmith  shop  and  trip- 
hammer works  at  South  Keene  were  burned ;  and  Jehiel 
Wilson's  pail  factory  —  the  first  in  New  England  to  make 
pails  by  machinery  —  was  damaged  by  the  same  fire.  Both 
were  immediately  rebuilt. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  third  of  that  name  in  town,  died  this 
year,  aged  sixty-two ;  Ephraim  Wilson,  aged  fifty-seven ; 
and  Royal  Blake,  aged  seventy -two. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1828,  the  town  "Voted  to 
grant  and  convey  all  the  right,  title  and  interest  of  the 
town  of  Keene  in  and  unto  the  meeting  House  now  stand- 
ing on  the  common  at  the  head  of  Main  street,  with  the 
appurtenances,  to  the  First  Congregational  Society  in  said 
town ; "  reserving,  however,  to  the  town  the  right  to  use 
the  house  and  the  bell  on  public  occasions,  and  the  right 
to  hang  a  bell  in  the  belfry  and  control  and  use  it  on 
such  occasions ;  but  on  the  Sabbath  the  society  was  to 
have  full  control.  In  case  the  town  neglected  for  six 
months  at  any  time  to  provide  a  bell  its  rights  were  to  be 
forfeited.  But  the  vote  was  not  to  take  effect  until  bonds 
had  been  given  to  the  town  by  said  society  for  the  removal 
of  the  house  to  its  present  position,  without  expense  to 
the  town,  within  eighteen  months  from  the  passing  of  the 
vote  (a  deed  of  the  land  for  its  future  site  having  been 
given  by  Abijah  and  Azel  Wilder) ;  nor  until  said  society 
had  paid  to  the  Keene  Congregational  Society  the  sum  of 
$750  and  procured  a  release  to  the  town  from  that  society 
of  its  claims  to  the  meetinghouse ;  and  also  a  release  from 
Joseph  Dorr  and  his  wife,  Rebecca  Richardson  Dorr,  of 
their  rights  and  interests  in  the  land  on  which  the  house 
then  stood,  and  in  the  common  —  the  limits  of  which  were 
defined  and  were  nearly  the  same  as  the  present  Square, 


402 


HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 


which  was  "to  be  forever  appropriated  for  a  common  and 
public  highway."    When  all  these  conditions  had  been  cora- 


FiRST  Congregational  Church  — 1829. 

plied  with,  the  selectmen  were  to  give  a  deed  of  the  build- 
ing to  said   First   Congregational  Society. i    That  society 

i  This  was  the  final  separation  of  the  church  from  the  town  in  Keene, 
except  that  the  town  retained  control  of  the  house  and  bell  on  public  occasions 
until  the  annual  meeting  in  1840,  when  final  action  was  taken  on  the  16th 
article  of  the  warrant. —  "To  see  if  the  town  will  relinquish  all  the  right,  title 
and  interest  in  the  old  meeting-house  except  the  use  of  the  bell  for  town  pur- 
poses, or  raise  money  to  repair  the  same"  —  by  voting  "that  the  town  relin- 
quish their  claim." 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  403 

accepted  the  proposition  of  the  town,  with  all  its  pro- 
visions, and  during  that  season  and  the  one  following  the 
edifice  was  removed  to  its  present  position  (by  means  of 
a  windlass),  turned  one-quarter  round, i  remodelled  and 
finished.  The  entrance  was  by  broad  stone  steps  on  which 
stood  four  tall  Corinthian  pillars  supporting  the  front  of 
the  steeple  —  a  fine,  graceful  structure  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  high,  built  by  William  Wilson  of  Keene,  the 
organ  maker.  The  work  was  done  through  different  com- 
mittees, consisting  of  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  Azel  Wilder,  Abel 
Blake,  Timothy  Hall,  William  Lamson,  Jr.,  S.  A.  Gerould, 
C.  H.  Jaquith,  Enos  Holbrook,  Nathan  Bassett,  Eliphalet 
Briggs,  Dea.  Elijah  Carter  and  Elijah  Parker,  the  clerk  of 
the  society. 

The  question  of  enlarging  and  improving  the  common 
had  been  agitated  for  several  years,  particularly  by  A.  & 
A.  Wilder,  who  owned  the  land  on  the  north  side,  gave  that 
for  the  site  of  the  meetinghouse  and  moved  the  edifice  at 
their  own  expense.  As  early  as  1820,  meetings  had  been  held 
by  those  interested,  money  subscribed,  and  action  taken 
with  a  view  to  removing  the  meetinghouse,  dispensing 
with  the  horsesheds  and  enlarging  the  Square.  This  year 
the  change  w^as  made  as  related ;  A.  &  A.  Wilder  erected 
"Wilders'  building"  on  the  north;  and  William  Lamson, 
Jr.,  had  built  his  three-story  brick  block  on  the  corner  of 
Roxbury  street,  where  the  Bank  block  now  stands,  in  1827. 

In  compliance  with  a  law  passed  in  1827,  the  select- 
men this  year  appointed  a  superintending  school  committee, 
consisting  of  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan,  Joel 
Parker,  Elijah  Parker  and  Thomas  M.  Edwards ;  and 
each  district  chose  a  prudential  committee. 

In  March,  Mr.  Beniah  Cooke, ^  who  had  been  "Pre- 
ceptor of  Fitchburg  Academy"  opened  a  school  for  instruc- 
tion "in  the  several  branches  usually  taught  in  our  Acad- 
emies" in  a  room  over  Sylvester  Haskell's  store,  where  the 
Sentinel    building  now  stands,   with   the  entrance  on    the 

1  "  Old  Capt.  Samtiel  Bassett,  the  carpenter  and  Revolutionary  soldier,  sawed 
off  the  posts  and  men  and  boys  pulled  the  steeple  over  with  ropes."  (W.  S. 
Briggs  and  N.   E.  Starkey.1 

2  He  married  a  daughter  of  Col.  Stephen  Harrington  and  was  for  many 
years  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Cheshire  Republican  and  Farmers'  Museum, 
the  Silk  Grower,  and  other  publications. 


404  HISTORY  OF  KEENH. 

north  side.  He  afterwards  called  it  the  Keene  Academic 
School,  and  continued  it  for  several  terms  very  successfully, 
having  nearly  100  pupils. 

But  in  December,  1828,  the  Keene  High  school  was 
established  by  the  citizens  of  the  three  central  districts  of 
the  town,  under  certain  restrictions  and  regulations.  The 
candidates  for  admission  were  examined  by  a  committee 
chosen  for  that  purpose,  the  first  being  composed  of  Rev. 
T.  R.  Sullivan,  Aaron  Hall  and  Phineas  Fiske.  It  was 
managed  by  a  prudential  committee  consisting  of  Rev. 
Z.  S.  Barstow,  Eliphalet  Briggs  and  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.  It 
w^as  taught  in  the  east  room  of  the  Wilder  building  by 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Ellis,  a  graduate  of  Middlebury  college.  He 
was  succeeded  the  next  year  by  Mr.  A.  H.  Bennett,  who 
was   afterwards  a  lawyer  at  Winchester. 

The  town  appropriated  $125  for  the  purchase  of  a 
cast  steel  belli  for  the  west  (Baptist)  meetinghouse,  to 
weigh  not  less  than  600  pounds. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  legislature,  in  June,  Hon.  Salma 
Hale  presided  as  chairman  when  Col.  James  Wilson  was 
elected  speaker  of  the  house.  2  Upon  the  introduction  of 
a  bill  by  Hon.  Salma  Hale,  the  First  Congregational  Society 
in  Keene  was  incorporated. 

The  4th  of  July  was  celebrated  in  much  the  same  way 
that  it  had  been  two  years  previous. 

A  large  and  enthusiastic  convention  of  the  Whigs  of 
Cheshire  county  was  held  in  Keene,  on  the  9th  of  October, 
in  opposition  to  the  movement  in  favor  of  Andrew  Jackson 
for  president.  Hon.  Joel  Parker  presided,  Larkin  G.  Mead 
was  secretary,  and  Col.  James  Wilson  and  Thomas  M.  Ed- 
wards were  the  principal  speakers.  At  the  national  elec- 
tion in  November,  1828,  Keene  cast  346  votes  for  the 
Adams'  electors,  to  107  for  those  of  the  Jackson  party. 

A  remarkable  rain-storm,  lasting  two  days  and  extend- 
ing over  all  New  England,  occurred  in  November.  Mills, 
dams,  bridges    and    fences    were    swept    away    and    crops 

iThat  bell  is  still  in  -use  in  the  tower  of  the  Baptist  church,  on  Court  street. 

2  His  term  as  speaker  continued  but  one  year,  the  "Hurrah  for  Jackson " 
carrying  the  state  Democratic  in  November.  He  built  his  large  brick  house  the 
same  year  — now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Isaac  J.  Dunn,  129  Main  street,  and  soon 
afterwards  built  the  present  City  Hotel,  named  at  first  the  Workingmen's  Hotel 
and  kept  by  Edward  Whitney.  Two  years  later  the  name  was  changed  to 
Emerald  House.    Still  later  the  brick  store  north  of  it  was  joined  to  the  hotel. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS. 


405 


destroyed.  The  Connecticut  river  rose  more  than  twenty 
feet,  and  was  higher  than  had  been  known  for  forty  years. 
Among  those  who  died  this  year  were  William  Lam- 
son,  senior,  aged  sixty-four,  Samuel  Osgood,  seventy-one, 
and  Zachariah  Tufts,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner  who  served 
with  credit  in  Morgan's  celebrated  corps  of  riflemen. 


Unitarian  Church  — 1829. 


The  first  Unitarian  meetinghouse  was  built  in  1829, 
on  the  south  corner  of  Main  and  Church  streets.  The 
building  committee  were  John  Wood,  Justus  Perry,  John 


406  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Elliot,   Francis    Faulkner,   and  James  Wilson,  Jr.      Placed 
beneath  the  corner  stone  was  a  copper  plate  bearing  this 

inscription : 

"On  the  Fourth  Day  of  July, 

A.  D.  1829, 

The  Corner  Stone 

of  this  house 

Erected  by  the  Keene  Congregational  Society, 

Aided  by  a  donation  from  William  Lamson, 

And  Dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  Only  True  GOD, 

In  the  name  of  JESUS  CHRIST,  whom  he  hath  sent, 

Was  placed  with  religious  ceremonies. 

T.  R.  SulHvan,  Pastor." 

It  was  dedicated  in  April  following,  Rev.  Mr.  Barrett, 
of  Boston,  Rev.  Dr.  Bancroft  (father  of  the  historian),  of 
Worcester,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Abbott,  of  Peterboro,  assisting. 
With  Mr.  Lamson's  legacy  of  $1,500.00,  subscriptions,  and 
the  sale  of  pews,  the  society  started  not  only  free  from 
debt,  but  with  sufficient  funds  to  purchase  an  organ  —  the 
first  church  organ  in  town  —  built  by  Pratt  of  Winchester 
and  played  by  Miss  Juliette  Briggs.  The  bell,  cast  by 
Revere,  weighed  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  and  is  still  in  use, 
in  the  tower  of  the  new  Unitarian  meetinghouse.  A  few 
years  later  a  town  clock,  made  by  Mr.  Holbrook  of  East 
Med  way,  Mass.,  the  gift  of  Mr.  John  Elliot,  was  placed 
upon  the  tower. 

This  period,  culminating  about  1825  and  continuing 
for  many  years  afterwards,  was  one  of  remarkable  bril- 
liancy in  the  society  of  Keene.  The  town  was  noted  for 
its  high  social  standard,  for  the  refinement  and  culture  of 
many  of  its  inhabitants,  and  for  its  many  accomplished 
and  lovely  women  who  gave  tone  to  that  society,  among 
whom  were  the  wife  of  Major  Josiah  Richardson  and  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Joseph  Dorr;  Mrs.  Daniel  Newcomb  and 
her  sisters-in-law,  Mrs.  Daniel  Adams  and  Mrs.  George 
Ingersoll;!  Mrs.  Samuel  Dinsmoor;  Mrs.  Aaron  Hall;  Mrs. 
James  Wilson;  Mrs.  Elijah  Dunbar  and  her  sisters,  Mrs. 
Ithamar  Chase,^  Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Bond  and  Mrs.  James  H. 
Bradford;  Mrs.  Salma  Hale;  Mrs.  Aaron  Hall,  Jr.,  and 
Mrs.    Timothy  Hall; 3  Mrs.  Z.   S.    Barstow ;    Mrs.  Aaron 

iQf  the  Goldthwaite  familv  of  Boston. 

2  Daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston  and  mother  of  Salmon  P.  Chase. 

3  One  of  the  wits  of  Keene  said  of  those  ladies  that  "one  was  the  immacu- 
late Mrs.  Hall,  the  other  the  aromatic  Mrs.  Hall,"  from  the  profusion  of  flowers 
with  which  she  adorned  her  home  and  provided  for  entertainments. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  407 

Appleton ;  Mrs.  Azel  Wilder;  Mrs.  Phineas  Fiske;  Mrs. 
Henry  Dorr;  Miss  Catherine  Fiske;  and  many  others 
deserving  of  mention. 

There  was  also  a  brilliant  array  of  able  men,  as  may 
be  seen  from  the  names  already  mentioned. 

It  was  in  1829  that  the  Keene  Debating  Society,  after- 
wards named  the  Keene  Forensic  Society  and  Lyceum, 
was  formed;  and  it  continued  for  many  years  with  great 
success.  The  names  of  its  members  represent  a  tower  of 
intellectual  strength  such  as  few  country  villages  could 
present.  Among  them  were  those  of  Joel  Parker,  Salma 
Hale,  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  Z.  S.  Barstow,  T.  R.  Sullivan,  A. 
A.  Livermore,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  Elijah  Parker,  John 
Elliot,  Justus  Perry,  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Aaron  Hall, 
Charles  G.  Adams,  John  B.  Dousman,  John  Prentiss,  Phin- 
eas Fiske,  Nathaniel  Dana,  Benj:  F.  Adams,  Phineas  Han- 
derson,  Levi  Chamberlain,  John  H.  Elliot,  and  Wm.  P, 
Wheeler,  whose  name  was  the  last  signed  to  the  constitu- 
tion. Their  constitution  was  headed  with  the  preamble, 
"Whereas  intellectual  culture  and  a  knowledge  of  science 
and  the  arts  are  important  to  the  best  interests  of  society, 
and  indispensably  requisite  for  the  stability  and  prosperity 
of  a  free  government,"  etc.  Hon.  Joel  Parker  was  its  first 
president,  with  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow  and  Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan 
vice  presidents.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  town  hall, 
open  to  the  public,  and  a  lecture  preceded  the  debate.  One 
of  the  questions  debated  soon  after  the  organization  was, 
"Would  it  be  advantageous  to  the  public  and  to  Keene  to 
construct  a  railway  from  Boston  through  Keene  to  the 
Connecticut  river?  " 

There  was  also  a  large  number  of  men  and  women  of 
refinement  and  literary  taste  and  culture  not  mentioned  in 
the  above  categories ;  and  other  societies  for  intellectual 
improvement  were  formed.  The  Keene  Book  Society  had 
been  organized  in  1824  and  its  annual  meetings  were  held 
in  the  town  hall.  Its  membership  in  1827  numbered  122 
and  its  officers  were  the  leading  men  of  the  town.  Addresses 
were  made  each  year,  and  the  list  of  speakers  contained 
the  names  of  the  most  brilliant  and  learned  men  in  the 
country.     In   1831  this  society   was  merged  in   the  Keene 


408  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Circulating  Library,  which  had  been  in  existence  many 
years,  and  the  combined  library  numbered  one  thousand 
volumes.  It  was  under  the  management  of  George  Tilden 
and  was  open  every  day  except  Sunday.  The  Social 
Librarv  of  former  days  was  still  in  existence,  with  Noah 
Cooke  librarian,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1829.  Some 
of  its  volumes  are  still  in  the  Keene  Public  Librar3\ 

Then  there  was  a  Cheshire  Athenaeum,  whose  officers 
at  this  time  were  Joel  Parker,  president;  James  Wilson, 
Jr.,  vice  president;  Elijah  Parker,  treasurer  and  librarian; 
Timothy  Hall,  registrar;  and  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  Aaron 
Hall  and  George  Tilden,  trustees.  It  had  six  hundred 
volumes.  There  was  also  a  Cheshire  Theological  Institute, 
a  corporation  in  which  many  of  Keene's  prominent  men 
held  shares,  designed  i  to  furnish  the  clergymen  of  the 
county  with  literature  that  might  aid  them  in  their  work. 
It  had  a  library  of  about  700  volumes. 

Besides  these  there  was  a  Free  Fellows'  Society;  an 
Auxiliary  Education  Society,  Capt.  Abel  Blake,  chairman; 
a  Youth's  Social  Fraternity;  a  Juvenile  Library,  Rev.  T. 
R.  Sullivan,  librarian;  a  Sabbath  School  library  of  the 
First  Congregational  church  containing  550  volumes ;  and 
a  Poker  and  Tongs  Club. 

The  Masonic  bodies  were  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
leading  men  of  the  town,  including  Col.  James  Wilson, 
John  Prentiss  and  John  Hatch,  were  active  members. 

There  was  the  Keene  Musical  Society,  already  men- 
tioned ;  the  Keene  Harmonic  Society ;  and  the  Keene 
Musical  Association  —  formed  in  1831  —  all  of  which  as- 
pired to  the  rendering  of  classical  music ;  and  the  Chesh- 
ire County  Sacred  Music  Society,  which  held  most  of  its 
sessions  in  Keene,  was  composed  largely  of  Keene  people. 
The  Handel  and  Haydn  Society's  collection  of  church 
music  had  just  then  been  published  and  gave  new  impetus 
to  the  cultivation  of  the  art  of  singing. 

There  were  two  bookstores  in  town,  kept  by  John 
Prentiss  and  George  Tilden,  and  two  weekly  newspapers, 
besides  a  Unitarian  monthly  called  the  Liberal  Preacher, 
begun  in  1827,  with  Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan  as  editor.     It  was 

1  See  sketch  of  Rev.   Dr.  Barstow. 


George  Tilden. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  409 

published  at  the  Sentinel  office  for  several  years  and  finally 
passed  into  the  hands  of  George  Tilden. 

There  were  many  other  organizations  for  the  promo- 
tion of  temperance,  charity  and  other  good  works  —  the 
Tract  Society  of  Keene ;  the  Ladies'  Cent  Society,  of  which 
Mrs.  Barstow  succeeded  Mrs.  Hall  as  president;  the  Hesh- 
bon  Society,  Miss  Olive  Prime,  president.  Miss  Hannah 
Newcomb,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  Miss  Lucretia 
Dawes  and  Miss  Newcomb,  prudential  committee ;  and  the 
Ladies'  Charitable  Society, i  of  which  again  Mrs.  Barstow 
succeeded  Mrs.  Hall  as  president,  and  held  the  office  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  The  two  latter  societies  are  still  in 
flourishing  condition.  There  was  an  association  of  men 
and  another  of  w^omen  in  aid  of  foreign  missions. 

Much  was  done  at  this  period  for  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. A  large  meeting  for  that  purpose  was  held  in  Keene  in 
October,  1829,  at  which  Joel  Parker,  Gen.  Wilson,  Thomas 
M.  Edwards  and  other  prominent  men  made  addresses. 
And  such  gatherings  were  frequent  throughout  the  country. 
The  Cheshire  County  Temperance  Society  was  formed 
which  survived  for  many  years,  usually  holding  its  meet- 
ings at  the  town  hall  in  Keene.  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  was 
its  first  president,  followed  by  Joel  Parker  and  other  men 
of  influence.  Previous  to  that  the  same  class  of  men  had 
organized  the  Association  of  Keene  for  Discountenancing 
the  Use  of  Ardent  Spirits,  and  much  active  work  was  done 
by  that  society,  and  many  powerful  appeals  and  addresses 
were  made  to  the  public.  Another  society  was  formed 
called  the  Keene  Temperance  Association,  and  a  little  later 
the  Young  People's  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Tem- 
perance. Intoxicating  liquors  were  sold  at  all  public  houses 
and  most  of  the  stores,  by  the  glass  and  in  larger  quan- 
tities—  either  with  license  or  without  —  and  the  use  of  them 
was  so  general  and  excessive  as  to  become  alarming;  hence 
the  vigorous  action  above  indicated. 

iThe  Ladies'  Charitable  Society  was  formed  in  1815  as  a  reading  society, 
meeting  once  a  week  and  reading  the  Bible  and  other  religious  works,  and  the 
same  year  it  opened  a  Sabbath  school.  The  next  year  it  established  a  charity 
school,  and  boiight  w^ool  and  had  it  carded  and  spun  to  be  knit  by  the  society 
—  and  cotton  yarn  to  be  woven — for  the  poor  and  destitute.  In  1820,  it  made 
clothing  and  sent  to  the  Indians,  and  in  1824,  it  appropriated  t-vv-enty  dollars 
to  aid  the  Greeks  in  their  struggle  for  independence.  An  extended  historical 
report  of  the  society,  by  Mrs.  Catherine  P.  Dinsmoor,  with  the. original  pream- 
ble of  its   rules  and  regulations,  was  published  in    the  Sentinel  of  Dec.  19,  1876. 


410  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

John  Hatch  still  kept  the  Phoenix  Hotel ;  Col.  Stephen 
Harrington  the  Eagle;  Henry  Coolidge  the  old  Ralston; 
Daniel  Day  and  Henry  Goodnow  theirs  on  the  respective 
turnpikes ;  Joseph  and  Robert  Shelly  the  one  at  the  junc- 
tion of  those  routes,  formerW  the  Widow  Leonard's;  Jo- 
siah  Sawyer  was  keeping  his  popular  house  in  Ash  Swamp ; 
Abijah  Metcalf  the  Sun  tavern,  also  an  excellent  house; 
Samuel  Streeter  had  one  on  the  Westmoreland  road;  and 
a  little  later  Asa  Lincoln  kept  one  on  the  Chesterfield  road 
near  the  town  line. 

The  attornej^s  in  town  were  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  James 
Wilson,  Elijah  Dunbar,  Joel  Parker,  Elijah  Parker,  Thomas 
M.  Edwards,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  and  James  Wilson,  Jr. 
The  physicians  were  Daniel  Adams  (died  in  1830),  Amos 
Twitchell,  Charles  G.  Adams  and  John  B.  Dousman.  Dr. 
C.  Stratton.  the  dentist,  was  making  occasional  visits  to 
Keene  and  other  towns,  beginning  in  1826. 

Appleton  &  Elliot  had  continued  in  business  at  the  cor- 
ner store  1  and  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  until  1826, 
when  that  firm  w^as  dissolved,  Mr.  Appleton  retired,  John 
Elliot  &  Co.  2  took  the  glass  business,  and  Adams  &  Hol- 
man  ^  took  the  store  the  second  time,  the  firm  changing  in 
1828  to  Adams,  Holman  &  Wood,  and  in  1830,  to  Adams, 
Holman  &  Dutton  (Ormond  D.)  which  continued  till  1835. 

In  the  autumn  of  1827,  William  Lamson  occupied  his 
new  brick  block,  corner  of  Roxbury  street.  He  had,  as 
successive  partners,  John  T.  Hale,  George  Dutton  and 
Franklin  H.  Cutting.  The  firm  of  Lamson,  Cutting  &  Co. 
continued  for  many  years.  Sumner  Wheeler  succeeded  Perry 
&  Wheeler,  continuing  the  manufacture  of  glass  bottles 
with  the  business  of  the  store.  Capt.  Jesse  Corbett  still 
carried  on  his  watch  repairing,  jewelry  and  lottery  ticket 
business,  but  was  succeeded  a  few  j^ears  later,  as  jeweler, 
by  Norman  Wilson,  who  remained  for  many  years, 

Richard  Montague,  the  merchant  tailor,  had  removed 
to  a  store  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square,  and  in  1827,  took 
William  Dinsmoor  as  partner.  The  firm  changed  names 
several    times,  but  Mr.   Montague   continued    in    business 

1  Adams  &  Holman  took  the  store  in  the  spring  of  1821,  but  in  the  antumn 
of  1822  it  passed  back  into  the  hands  of  Appleton  &  Elliot. 
2John  Elliot,  Oliver  Holman  and   Benj.  F.  Adams. 
3Benj.  F.  Adams  and  Oliver  Holman. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  411 

until  1835.  In  1833,  Mr.  Dinsmoor  formed  a  partnership 
with  Selden  F.  White,  at  No.  2  Wilders'  building.  The 
firm  soon  became  Dinsmoor,  White  &  Lyon,  and  was  the 
first  in  town  to  sell  readj^-made  clothing.  The  change  in 
the  national  administration  brought  about  the  removal 
of  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Dins- 
moor as  postmaster,  and  he  removed  the  oflSce  to  his 
store.  In  1836,  Selden  F.  White  took  the  business  of  the 
store  and  carried  it  on  for  several  years. 

Upon  the  completion  of  Wilders'  building  in  1828, 
Keyes  &  Colony  (Elbridge  Keyes  and  Joshua  D.  Colony) 
took  the  west  store  and  kept  a  general  assortment  of 
goods.  Five  years  later  they  built  and  moved  into  their 
own  three-story  brick  building,  on  the  corner  of  West 
street,  the  site  of  the  present  postoffice  building,  and 
remained  in  business  there  for  many  years.  There  was  a 
hall  in  the  upper  story  of  their  building.  They  were  suc- 
ceeded in  Wilders'  by  Jacob  Haskell,  with  a  silk  and  dry 
goods  store.  Sylvester  Haskell  had  occupied  a  store  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Square,  and  in  1827,  he  removed  "  to 
the  new  brick  store,"  where  the  Sentinel  building  now 
stands,  and  kept  a  general  assortment  of  goods  there  for 
several  years. 

The  cut  of  Wilders'  building  shown  on  the  following 
page  is  from  an  original  wood  engraving  made  soon  after 
the  block  was  built.  It  is  the  property  of  Miss  Frances 
M.  Colony,  143  West  street,  through  whose  kindness  it  is 
now  used. 

Some  matrimonial  ventures  came  about  in  the  course 
of  trade  in  town.  Miss  Abagail  Woods,  daughter  of  Elijah 
Woods,  kept  a  milliner's  shop  over  S.  A.  Gerould's  store, 
east  side  of  Main  street,  afterwards  over  A.  &  T.  Hall's. 
In  1827,  she  married  J.  Gilman  Briggs,  who  was  after- 
wards in  business  here  with  his  brother,  Eliphalet  Briggs. 
The  same  year  Miss  Maria  V.  Wood,  a  milliner,  sister  of 
John  v.,  married  Dea.  Asa  Duren,  the  baker.  A  few  years 
later.  Miss  Harriet  Keyes,  sister  of  Elbridge  Keyes,  who 
had  a  milliner's  shop  in  Wilders'  building,  afterwards  over 
Keyes  &  Colony's  store,  corner  of  West  street,  married 
Nathaniel    Evans,    a    popular    merchant  who    came  from 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  413 

Sullivan  and  was  in  business  here  many  years.  She  bought 
the  old  Capt.  Richardson  tavern  on  West  street  and  they 
made  their  home  there,  leaving  it,  at  her  death,  to  her  sis- 
ter (Susan),  Mrs.  Harvey  A.  Bill,  who  was  the  last  to 
occupy  it. 

Dexter  Anderson  came  in  1827  and  was  the  fashion- 
able hatter  here  for  many  years.  He  began  business  on  the 
east  side  of  Main  street.  Afterwards  his  shop  was  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Square,  east  of  the  church,  and  is  now 
the  dwelling  house  of  Dr.  G.  C.  Hill  on  Winter  street. 

At  this  period,  1830,  Faulkner  &  Colony  were  still 
dressing  cloth  and  carding  wool  into  rolls  for  families  to 
spin  and  weave.  Azel  Wilder,  near  them,  was  making 
wheel-heads  for  hand  spinning;  Luther  Smith,  the  brass 
founder,  was  still  making  the  tall  clocks,  as  in  former 
years;  the  Briggses  and  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  were  manufac- 
turing large  quantities  of  cabinet-work,  chairs,  sleighs,  etc. ; 
Jennings  &  Perkins  —  afterwards  Charles  P.  Perkins  —  had 
a  carriage  manufactory  on  Washington,  north  corner  of 
Mechanic  street;  and  Charles  Ingalls,  and  Joseph  Wheeler 
the  portrait  painter  with  him  for  a  time,  had  a  shop  over 
them  for  sign  and  ornamental  painting.  Thomas  F.  Ames 
was  making  chaises,  and  he  and  the  Watsons,  father  and 
son,  were  making  saddles,  harnesses,  etc. ;  Col.  Stephen 
Harrington  and  his  son-in-law,  William  King,  had  a  tan- 
nery and  a  curriers'  shop  in  rear  of  Eagle  Hotel,  with  a 
leather  and  shoe  store  on  the  street,  and  a  morocco  dress- 
ing establishment,  in  which  they  were  succeeded  by  Josiah 
Burnap.  Page  &  Holman  still  had  turning  works  and 
made  pumps  on  the  North  branch ;  Aaron  and  Oliver  Wil- 
son the  same  at  their  mills  in  Ash  Swamp ;  and  Jehiel 
Wilson  made  pails  at  South  Keene.  Dea.  Samuel  Wood, 
Jr.,  had  succeeded  his  father  as  baker,  removing  from  the 
Lamson  building  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street  to  the 
north  corner  of  Main  and  Church  streets,  where  a  bakery 
was  kept  until  1900.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Amos  Wood,  and  later  by  Dea.  Asa  Duren.  Jeduthan 
Strickland  had  a  distillery  on  the  south  side  of  the  road 
just  beyond  Sawyer's  tavern,  at  West  Keene,  but  at  this 
period  he  distilled  only  cider  brandy. 


414  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

The  principal  blacksmiths  in  1830  were  Aaron  Davis, 
John  Towns,  Nathan  Wood,  Jabez  Daniels,  James  Wilson, 
2d,  and  Nathaniel  Wilder;  and  they  made  axes,  knives  and 
other  edge-tools  by  hand.  The  principal  carpenters  and 
builders  were  Nathan  Bassett,  Samuel  Crossfield,  Kendall 
Crossfield,  John  G.  Thatcher  and  Everett  Newcomb.  The 
principal  shoemakers  were  Abijah  Kingsbury,  Dea.  C.  H. 
Jaquith  and  Capt.  George  Brown,  commander  of  the  Keene 
Light  Infantry.  John  C.  Mason  was  the  gunsmith,  on 
Winter  street;  Whitcomb  French  had  a  livery  stable,  suc- 
ceeding John  Chase,  the  first  in  town,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  one  on  Washington  street,  and  remained  there  for 
many  years  —  an  important  institution  of  the  town.  He 
owned  the  house  and  lived  where  Mrs.  J.  G.  Warren  now 
does. 

Alonzo  Andrews  1  had  a  private  school  "over  John 
Towns'  blacksmith  shop,  one  door  north  of  the  Bank," 
and  Alphonso  Wood  had  one  in  the  Prentiss  building, 
each  for  a  few  terms.  Previous  to  that,  Osgood  Herrick 
taught  a  grammar  school  in  Harrington's  hall.  Miss 
Fiske's  school  was  called  the  Young' Ladies'  Seminary,  and 
was  exceedingly  successful,  numbering  about  one  hundred 
pupils.  She  employed  two  assistants  besides  Miss  Eliza  P. 
Withington,  who  remained  with  her  constantly.  Reuel 
Blake  taught  writing  and  bookkeeping  in  chambers  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Square. 

In  November,  1829,  John  Towns'  two-story  brick  black- 
smith's shop,  next  north  of  the  bank,  was  burned ;  but  it 
was  immediately  rebuilt  and  reoccupied  by  Mr.  Towns, 
the  upper  room  being  used  by  the  Debating  Club  and  for 
schools. 

There  were  two  fire  companies  and  two  engines  in 
town,  captains,  John  V.  Wood  and  Jonas  B.  Davis,  be- 
sides the  Keene  Fire  Society,  sixty-four  members,  S.  Dins- 
moor,  president,  succeeded  about  this  time  by  John  Wood, 
president,  with  T.  M.  Edwards,  secretary,  S.  Dinsmoor,  Jr., 
treasurer,  and  a  board  of  trustees;  and  the  Fire  Fencibles, 
Joel  Parker,  captain,  succeeded  by  Col.  James  Wilson,  with 
Jesse  Corbett,  John  Hatch  and  Wm.  Dinsmoor,  lieutenants, 

1  Two    Fox   boys    came   from    Fitcbburg,    the   father   writing    Mr.    A.  that  he 
sent  him  "two  young  foxes  to  tame." 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  415 

and  S.  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  treasurer.  Gen.  Justus  Perry  was 
promoted  to  major  general  commanding  the  Third  division 
of  the  state  militia,  and  he  appointed  Richard  Montague 
and  Sumner  Wheeler  aids,  with  the  rank  of  major.  Benja- 
min F.  Adams  was  colonel  of  the  Twentieth  regiment,  and 
William  Dinsmoor  captain  of  the  Keene  Light  Infantry. 

The  Cheshire  Agricultural  Society  exhibited  in  Keene  on 
the  7th  of  October.  Salma  Hale  w^as  vice  president ; 
Thomas  M.  Edwards,  chairman  of  committee  of  awards; 
John  Elliot,  Elijah  Parker,  Thomas  F.  Ames,  James  Wilson, 
Jr.,  and  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  committee  of  arrangements; 
and  Col.  B.  F.  Adams,  chief  marshal,  assisted  by  Major 
Sumner  Wheeler  and  Capt.  William  Dinsmoor.  The  society 
dined  at  Harrington's  hotel. 

Among  the  deaths  this  year  were  those  of  Noah  Cooke, 
aged  eighty;  Daniel  Ingersoll,  aged  seventy-nine;  and  Dr. 
Josiah  Goodhue,  father  of  Mrs.  Levi  Chamberlain,  aged 
seventy-one. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1830  the  town  voted  to  give 
Samuel  Dinsmoor  and  others  leave  "to  erect  tombs  in  the 
village  graveyard."    The  tombs  were  built  in  1833. 

A  meeting  in  April  chose  Zebadiah  Kise,  John  Elliot 
and  Azel  Wilder  a  committee  to  consider  the  question  of 
a  town-farm  for  the  support  of  the  poor.  The  committee 
reported  in  favor,  and  a  farm  three  miles  west  of  the  vil- 
lage known  as  the  "Dea.  Kingsbury  farm  "  was  purchased. 
The  same  meeting  instructed  the  selectmen  to  build  and 
make  alterations  for  the  "Concord  road"  —  leading  from 
the  Sullivan  road  at  the  James  Wright  farm  down  into  the 
valley  of  the  North  branch  and  up  to  Roxbury  line.i 

The  subject  of  a  railroad  from  Boston  to  Brattleboro 
had  been  agitated  for  some  time.  Surveys  were  made  and 
the  whole  cost  was  estimated  at  $1,000,000.  Large  meet- 
ings favorable  to  the  project  were  held  in  Boston  and  along 
the  line.  It  was  thought  that  a  "  branch  might  lead 
through  Keene  and  Walpole,"  and  it  became  the  absorbing 
question  of  the  time  for  the  people  of  Keene  and  vicinity. 

iThe  "Concord  road,"  following  the  route  described,  from  Keene  through 
East  Sullivan  and  Munsonville  to  South  Stoddard  and  beyond,  was  another  of 
those  roads  required  by  the  public  but  opposed  by  the  respectiye  towns  because 
they  ran  along  their  borders  and  would  be  of  small  advantage  to  the  people  of 
those  towns.  This  road  was  petitioned  for  in  1820,  but  -was  fotight  so  vigor- 
ously by  the  towns,  including  Keene,  that  it  was  not  built  until  1833. 


416  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Sentinel:  "A  pump- 
kin vine  which  grew  in  a  garden  in  this  village  produced, 
this  year,  twenty-eight  pumpkins,  besides  several  small 
ones  pulled  off  when  green.  The  twenty -eight  weighed  five 
hundred  and  forty  pounds." 

According  to  the  census  of  1830,  Keene  had  a  popula- 
tion of  2,3741  — 1,239  in  the  village  —  whole  increase  in 
ten  3^ears,  477. 

The  notable  deaths  that  year  were:  Capt.  Stephen 
Chase,  aged  sixty-seven ;  Mr.  Samuel  Heaton,  aged  sev- 
enty;  Dr.  Daniel  Adams,  aged  sixty-four;  Mr.  John  New- 
comb,  formerly  of  Norton,  Mass.,  aged  eighty-two;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Hon.  James  Wilson,  senior,  aged  forty- 
nine. 

The  ten  highest  taxpayers  were  James  Wilson,  Samuel 
Dinsmoor,  Benj.  F.  Adams,  Adams,  Holman  &  Wood,  Ste- 
phen Harrington,  John  Elliot,  John  Prentiss,  Aaron  Apple- 
ton,  Azel  Wilder  and  Perry  &  Wheeler.  (Mrs.  Sarah  F. 
Wheelock  paid  one  cent  less  than  the  latter  firm.) 

Gen.  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Democrat,  was  elected  governor 
in  1831.  On  his  return  from  Concord  on  the  4th  of  July, 
at  the  close  of  the  session  of  the  legislature,  he  was  met 
at  Marlboro  by  the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  James 
Wilson, 2  Jr.;  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry,  Capt,  Chase;  and  a 
large  cavalcade  of  citizens,  all  under  Gen.  Justus  Perry  as 
marshal,  and  escorted  to  Keene.  The  procession  came  in 
at  the  lower  end  of  Main  street,  and  as  it  passed  Miss 
Fiske's  school  the  governor  was  gracefully  received  by  the 
teachers  and  young  ladies  paraded  in  two  lines  in  front  of 
the  building.  Arriving  at  his  home^  on  Main  street,  by 
invitation  of  the  governor,  the  escort  partook  of  a  colla- 
tion. The  tables  had  been  prepared  in  his  yard  north  of 
the  house,  4>  and  toasts  were  drunk  and  speeches  made. 

In  October,  1831,  there  was  a  muster  of  the  independ- 
ent companies  of  the  Sixth,  Twelfth  and  Twentieth  regi- 
ments on  Nine  Lot  Plain,  now  the  Keene  driving  park. 
There  were  two  companies  of  cavalry,  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry 

1  Westmoreland  had  1,647;  Swanzey,  1,816;  Walpole,  1,979;  Chesterfield, 
2,046;  Winchester,  2,052.  Cheshire  county  had  27,016,  gain,  173  ;  New  Hamp- 
shire, 269,533;  gain,  25,372;  the  United  States,  12,793,649,  gain,  3,155,450. 

2  His  second  term  as  captain. 

3  Now  known  as  the  Laton  Martin  house,  No.  95. 

4  Where  the  brick  house  now  stands. 


SAMI'EI.   Dinsmook,   Sr. 


TOWX  AFFAIRS.  417 

of  Keene,  and  one  from  the  Twelfth  regiment ;  three  of 
artillery;  two  of  grenadiers;  four  of  light  infantr3";  and 
four  of  riflemen.  The  Keene  Light  Infantry  w^as  commanded 
by  Capt.  James  Wilson,  Jr.  They  were  reviewed  by  Gov, 
Dinsmoor;  and  Col.  Franklin  Pierce,  a  member  of  his  staff, 
afterwards  president  of  the  United  States,  delivered  an 
address.  The  da\"  was  fine  and  the  military  display  was 
exceedingh'  brilliant. 

Among  the  deaths  that  3'ear  were  those  of  Capt.  Asa 
Ware,  aged  eighty ;  Oliver  Whitcomb,  aged  eighty-tw^o ; 
and  Abijah  Houghton,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner,  aged 
eighty-four. 

The  centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Washington 
was  celebrated  in  Keene  with  elaborate  demonstrations  in 
1832.  A  meeting  of  the  citizens  at  the  town  hall  in  Janu- 
ary chose  a  general  committee  of  tw'O  from  each  town  in 
the  county,  among  them  Hon.  Salma  Hale  and  Henry 
Coolidge,  of  Keene,  Larkin  G.  Mead,  of  Chesterfield,  Levi 
Chamberlain,  of  Fitzwilliam,  Gen.  Samuel  Griffin,  of  Rox- 
bury,  HenrA^  Melville,  of  Nelson,  and  A.  H.  Bennett,  of 
Winchester.  Gen.  Justus  Perry,  Zebadiah  Kise,  Timothy 
Hall,  Josiah  Colony-,  John  W'^ood,  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  John 
H.  Fuller,  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  Thompson  were 
the  local  executive  committee.  The  principal  ceremonies 
were  at  the  meetinghouse,  where  Hon.  James  Wilson,  senior, 
presided,  wnth  Hon.  Nahum  Parker,  of  Fitzwilliam,  Hon. 
Phineas  Handerson,  of  Chesterfield,  and  Hon.  John  Wood, 
of  Keene,  vice  presidents.  Hon.  Salma  Hale  delivered  an 
oration,  and  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow  served  as  chaplain.  The 
music  rendered  by  the  choir  under  Mr.  Eliphalet  Briggs 
\vas  described  as  "  truh^  excellent."  About  eighty  gentlemen 
sat  dowm  to  dinner  at  Hatch's  tavern,  at  the  close  of 
which  thirteen  regular  toasts  were  drunk,  wnth  eloquent 
speeches  in  response.  His  excellency.  Gov.  Dinsmoor,  was 
an  in\nted  guest.  In  the  evening  a  ball  was  given  at 
Hatch's,  and  the  village  was  illuminated. 

Some  of  the  parents  complained  that  their  children 
received  too  much  religious  instruction  in  the  schools,  some 
of  it,  as  they  alleged,  of  a  sectarian  character;  that  the 
teachers  and  others  distributed  religious  tracts  among  the 


418  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

pupils  and  spent  too  much  time  in  devotions  and  exhorta- 
tions during  school  hours ;  and  at  the  annual  meeting  this 
year  the  town  voted  its  disapproval  of  those  practices  and 
directed  that  the  teachers  confine  themselves  to  reading 
the  Scriptures  as  prescribed  by  the  committee,  with  one 
short  prayer  each  day  and  instruction  in  those  "moral 
virtues  which  are  the  ornaments  of  human  society."  The 
vote  was  recorded  in  full.  The  number  of  scholars  in  the 
public  schools  of  Keene  at  this  time  was  768. 

Gov.  Dinsmoor  was  reelected  in  1832,  receiving  138 
votes  in  Keene,  the  total  cast  being  292 ;  while  at  the 
national  election  in  November  following,  344-  Whig  votes 
were  cast,  to  131  Democratic.  He  was  also  reelected  the 
year  following,  without  opposition. 

In  September  the  venerable  Noah  Webster,  LL.  D., 
spent  a  Sunday  in  Keene,  and  on  Monday  evening  he  gave 
an  entertaining  lecture  at  the  town  hall,  telling  his  experi- 
ence and  giving  an  account  of  the  opposition  he  en- 
countered in  his  efforts  to  fix  a  uniform  standard  of  pro- 
nunciation. The  large  octavo  edition  of  his  dictionary  was 
then  fast  coming  into  use,  and  twelve  million  copies  of  his 
American  Spelling  Book  had  already  been  sold. 

The  Ashuelot  bank  was  organized  in  1833,  with  Sam- 
uel Dinsmoor,  Phineas  Handerson,  John  H.  Fuller,  Samuel 
Wood,  Jr.,  Geo.  S.  Root,  William  Buffum,  and  Thomas  M. 
Edwards,  directors ;  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  president,  and  Sam- 
uel Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  cashier.  Its  brick  banking  house  was 
soon  afterwards  built  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square,  and 
there  the  bank  still  remains.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
in  1835,  S.  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  w^as  chosen  president  and  Henry 
Seymour,  from  Brattleboro,  cashier. 

The  Cheshire  Provident  Institution  for  Savings  was 
also  organized  this  year  under  an  act  of  the  legislature 
passed  at  the  preceding  session.  The  first  meeting  of  the  cor- 
porators was  held  on  the  13th  of  August,  at  the  Phoenix 
Hotel.  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  was  chosen  president,  Gen. 
Justus  Perry  and  Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  vice  presidents,  and 
George  Tilden,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Deposits  were  re- 
ceived, beginning  Sept.  10,  "every  Tuesday  from  2  until 
5  p.  m."    The  incorporators  were  leading  men  of  Keene 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  419 

and  other  towns  in  the  county.  The  bank  was  in  George 
Tilden's  bookstore  in  the  basement  of  the  building  south 
of  A.  &  T.  Hall's  store,  where  the  Cheshire  bank  now 
stands. 

The  old  wooden  jail,  on  the  south  corner  of  Mechanic 
and  Washington  streets  had  become  unfit  for  use,  three 
prisoners  having  escaped  from  it  in  1830,  and  a  new  one 
was  built  in  1833,  24x36  feet,  two  stories  high,  all  of 
Roxbury  granite  and  iron  except  the  rafters  and  planks 
for  the  slate  roof — "one  of  the  strongest  and  most  thor- 
oughly built  prisons  in  the  Union."  "A  handsome  brick 
house"  was  built  in  connection  with  it  for  the  use  of  the 
jailor,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Ferdinand  Petts.  The  stone 
residence  opposite,  on  the  site  of  Oliver  Heaton's  black- 
smith shop,  was  built  the  same  year,  of  Marlboro  granite, 
by  Aaron  Parker  of  Marlboro ;  and  the  brick  house  next 
south  of  it,  by  Abel  Wilder. 

The  screw  gimlet,  which  still  stands  at  the  head  of  all 
manufactures  of  the  kind,  had  been  invented  just  previous 
to  this  time  by  Gideon  Newcomb  of  Roxbury,  N.  H.,  and 
had  been  made  by  him  at  his  house,  and  by  Everett  New- 
comb  and  George  Page,  at  Page's  mill,  on  the  North  branch 
in  Keene.  These  gimlets  were  now  manufactured  by  Everett 
Newcomb  and  Azel  Wilder  at  the  shop  of  the  latter  near 
Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills.  That  firm  made  improvements 
on  the  first  invention  and  also  made  bits  and  augers  of  the 
same  kind.  Later,  the  business  went  to  Chesterfield  and 
to  other  places,  and  large  fortunes  have  been  made  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  those  tools. 

While  the  legislature  was  in  session  in  June,  President 
Jackson,  accompanied  by  Vice  President  Van  Buren  and 
Secretaries  Marcy,  Woodbury  and  Cass,i  visited  the  state. 
Eight  companies  of  militia  were  ordered  to  Concord  for 
escort  duty,  among  them  the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Col. 
James  Wilson,  then  its  captain,  commanding.  The  company 
left  Keene  Monday  2  morning,  June  24,  1833,  with  full 
ranks  — 128  muskets,  four  officers  and  twelve  musicians  — 

iWm.  L.  Marcy  -was  secretary  of  state,  Levi  Woodbury  of  New  Hampshire, 
secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  Lewis  Cass,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  secretary 
of  war. 

2  As  the  time  of  the  president's  arrival  was  uncertain,  it  had  been  arranged 
that  the  members  should  be  notified  by  the  sound  of  their  one  piece  of  artillery. 
That  was  fired  on  Sunday  evening. 


420  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

all  in  full,  new  uniforms  of  blue,  faced  with  red,  with  hel- 
mets and  black  plumes.  The  rear  guard  was  composed  of 
eight  ex-captains  averaging  upwards  of  six  feet  in  height. 
Teams  were  provided  for  all.i  The  route  was  through 
Dublin,  Hancock,  Hillsboro  Bridge,  Henniker  and  Hopkin- 
ton.  Upon  approaching  a  village  the  company  would 
leave  the  carriages,  form  and  march  through,  the  teams 
bringing  up  the  rear.  The3^  encamped  the  first  night  at 
Hancock.  The  next  day  it  rained  and  they  remained  in 
camp.  Wednesday  evening  they  reached  Concord  and  en- 
camped in  the  fields  west  of  the  town,  now  covered  with 
residences,  near  the  site  of  the  present  insane  asylum. 

The  president  reached  Concord  on  Friday,  at  3  p.  m. 
At  the  town  line  he  was  met  by  the  committee  of  the 
legislature  with  the  eight  companies  of  militia  —  the  Keene 
company,  2  b}-  far  the  finest  of  all,  on  the  right  —  a  large 
cavalcade  of  citizens,  and  civic  processions,  and  escorted  to 
the  Eagle  Coffee  House,  where  he  was  received  by  Gov. 
Dinsmoor,  and  the  officers  of  the  state  and  the  members 
of  the  legislature  were  introduced.  On  Saturday  the  presi- 
dent reviewed  the  troops  and  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of 
their  appearance,  saying  that  the  Keene  Light  Infantry 
was  the  finest  and  best  disciplined  company  of  soldiers 
that  he  had  ever  seen ;  and  Secretary  Cass  was  equally 
pronounced  in  his  encomiums.  The  same  afternoon  the 
company  started  on  its  return,  encamped  that  night  at 
Henniker,  reached  its  armory  at  sunset  on  Sunday,  fired 
its  evening  gun  and  dispersed. 

Among  the  notable  deaths  in  1833  were  those  of 
Thomas  Wells,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  who  aided  Mr. 
Hale  in  his  preparation  of  the  Annals  of  Keene,  aged  eighty- 
seven  ;  Aaron  Davis,  senior,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner, 
aged  seventy-seven;  Isaac  Billings,  aged  fifty-three;  John 
Clark,  aged  fifty-five;  and  James,  a  young  son  of  Capt. 
Nathan  Bassett,  drowned  in  the  Ashuelot  river. 

In  January,   1834,  the    Cheshire  County  Mutual  Fire 

iln  most  cases,  six  tnen  in  each,  with  a  driver.  A  six-horse  team  carried 
the  tents  and  camp  equipage,  including  four  barrels  of  liquor — one  of  each  of 
four  kinds.  These  particulars  were  furnished  by  Samuel  P.  Ellis,  a  member  who 
was  with  the  company  on  this  expedition. 

2  »  «  *  "probably  the  best  disciplined,  most  effective,  largest  and  most 
attractive  military  company  ever  seen  in  New  Hampshire."  (McClintock's  His- 
tory of  New  Hampshire,  page  565  ) 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  421 

Insurance  Co.  was  organized,  with  Thomas  Bellows,  pres- 
ident, succeeded  by  Phineas  Handerson,  John  H.  Elliot, 
Silas  Hardy  and  others  at  different  times.  It  did  a  success- 
ful business  for  more  than  sixty  years. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting,  the  selectmen  were  in- 
structed, acting  in  concert  with  the  town  agent,  Thomas 
M.  Edwards,  and  a  committee  of  twenty  chosen  by  the 
town,  to  enforce  the  laws  in  regard  to  licensed  houses, 
several  parties  in  town  having  been  in  the  habit  of  selling 
intoxicating  liquors  without  license. 

In  August,  John  Sears,  a  Keene  boy  who  had  been 
attracted  to  the  business  by  the  exhibition  here  in  1823, 
brought  a  fine  menagerie  to  town  and  exhibited  on  the 
ground  in  rear  of  Mr.  Lamson's  store,  on  Roxbury  street, 
which  was  then  an  open  lot. 

The  first  "Franklin  fire-frames,"  invented  by  Benjamin 
Franklin,  designed  to  bring  the  fire  on  the  hearth  further 
to  the  front  and  thus,  with  its  own  warmth,  throw  more 
of  the  heat  into  the  room,  were  brought  to  town  and  sold 
by  Adams  &  Holman. 

Among  those  who  died,  1834,  were  Abiathar  Pond, 
aged  eighty-nine;  Jonathan  Stearns,  sixty-three;  Mrs. 
Mary  Boyd  Reed,  wife  of  Gov.  Dinsmoor,  sixty-four ;  Cor- 
nelius Howlett,  seventy-two ;  John  V.  Wood,  thirty-eight ; 
Samuel  Bassett,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner,  fifer  of  the  com- 
pany that  marched  from  here  April  21,  1775,  aged  eighty; 
Mrs.  Miriam,  widow  of  Charles  Rice  of  the  same  company, 
aged  ninety;  Dea.  Thomas  Fisher,  seventy-six;  Mrs.  Tamar, 
wife  of  Dea.  Abijah  Wilder,  eighty-five;  and  Major  John  P. 
Blake,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner,  seventy-seven. 

The  15th  of  Januarj^  1835,  was  a  remarkably  cold 
day,  the  mercury  here  reaching  thirty-four  degrees  below 
zero ;  at  Dublin,  twelve  below.  On  the  16th  it  was  nine 
degrees  below  here,  vi^hile  at  Dublin  it  was  twenty-three 
degrees  above  zero  —  showing  the  difference  in  temperature 
on  the  hills  and  in  the  valleys  on  still,  cold  mornings. 

In  January,  Salma  Hale  and  Elijah  Parker  formed  a 
law  partnership,  Mr.  Parker  remaining  in  his  office  over 
A.  &  T.  Hall,  and  Mr.  Hale  in  his,  over  Lamson's  store. 

The  Keene  Railroad   Co.  was  chartered  in  July,  1835, 


422  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  Aaron  Appleton  and  Salma  Hale  were  authorized  to 
call  the  first  meeting,  at  the  Phoenix  Hotel.  The  project 
was  to  run  from  Lowell  and  Nashua  through  Keene, 
Brattleboro  and  Bennington,  to  Troy,  N.  Y.  A  committee 
consisting  of  Salma  Hale,  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and  Justus 
Perry  of  Keene,  and  three  from  Brattleboro  was  appointed 
to  push  the  enterprise.  Col.  Loammi  Baldwin,  engineer 
of  the  Middlesex  canal,  was  appointed  engineer,  and  vari- 
ous routes  were  examined,  one  through  Marlboro,  Dublin 
and  Peterboro.  Books  were  opened  and  more  than  a 
thousand  shares  were  promptly  taken.  Salma  Hale,  Sam- 
uel Dinsmoor,  Justus  Perry,  Phineas  Handerson  and  John 
H.  Fuller,  were  chosen  commissioners  of  the  road,  and 
Justus  Perry,  Salma  Hale,  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  John  H. 
Fuller,  John  Elliot,  Azel  Wilder  and  Thomas  Thompson, 
directors.  But  all  the  routes  were  found  to  be  impractica- 
ble or  too  expensive,  and  the  scheme  was  abandoned. 

In  July  the  canal,  locks,  water  privilege  and  mills  at 
Bellows  Falls  were  purchased  by  a  Boston  company  for 
manufacturing  purposes  —  the  navigation  of  the  upper 
Connecticut  having  been  abandoned. 

This  year,  1835,  the  Twentieth  regiment  mustered  in 
Keene  and  was  reviewed  by  Gen.  James  Wilson,  who  had 
been  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  Fifth  brigade.  His 
brother  Robert,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
Keene  Light  Infantry,  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel 
and  inspector  on  his  staif,  and  Capt.  Sumner  Carpenter 
commanded  the  Keene  Light  Infantry. 

George  Tilden  had  carried  on  his  bookbinding  business 
in  the  basement  of  the  building  south  of  A.  &  T.  Hall 
until  this  year,  when  Samuel  A.  Gerould  built  in  the  space 
between  his  store  and  Mr.  Prentiss'  block,  and  Mr.  Tilden 
took  that  store  and  the  rooms  over  it  —  taking  with  him 
the  Cheshire  Provident  Institution  —  and  they  are  still 
occupied  (1902)  by  his  son,  (Geo.  H.  Tilden  &  Co.)  The 
same  year  the  Wilders  made  an  addition  to  their  block, 
on  the  west  —  now  occupied  by  the  Citizens  bank  —  and 
Edward  Poole  took  it  for  his  jewelry  store.  He  was  the 
first  to  advertise  and  sell  "Loco  Foco  (friction)  matches 
for  families." 


Abiel  a.  Livermore. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  423 

The  notable  deaths  in  1835  were  those  of  Dea.  Abijah 
Wilder,  a  resident  of  Keene  for  about  sixty-six  years,  aged 
eighty-three;  Dea.  Elijah  Carter,  aged  sixty -eight;  Hon. 
Samuel  Dinsmoor,  aged  sixty-nine;  Capt.  Isaac  Wyman, 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  son  of  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  aged 
seventy-nine;  Eli  Metcalf,  aged  eighty-five;  and  James 
Banks,  aged  eighty-three. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1836,  at  11  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, a  fire  broke  out  in  the  attic  of  the  Phoenix  Hotel  and 
that  building  was  burned  to  the  ground.  Only  the  brick 
v^alls  were  left  standing.  It  was  kept  by  E.  W.  Boy  den, 
who  was  well  insured,  and  much  of  his  furniture  was  saved. 
It  was  said  at  the  time  that  the  building  was  lost  in  conse- 
quence of  the  lack  of  a  proper  supply  of  hose  by  the  town. 
All  through  the  summer  the  blackened,  unsightly  ruins  lay 
undisturbed,  but  about  the  1st  of  September,  John  Wood 
and  William  Lamson  called  a  meeting  of  those  in  favor  of 
rebuilding,  a  fund  was  raised,  a  company  organized,  prep- 
arations made  during  the  winter,  and  the  present  Cheshire 
House  was  built  the  following  summer.  It  was  afterwards 
extended  twenty  feet  farther  south,  filling  the  space  to  the 
next  building,  and  giving  a  front  of  seventy-five  feet  on 
Main  street. 

In  August,  the  stables  and  outbuildings  in  rear  of  the 
Eagle  Hotel,  with  those  of  Sumner  Wheeler,  next  south  of 
them,  were  all  burned.  The  women  aided  as  usual  in  form- 
ing lines  for  passing  buckets,  and  the  main  buildings  were 
saved. 

In  November,  1836,  Rev.  T.  R.  Sullivan  having  resigned, 
after  a  pastorate  of  nine  years.  Rev.  Abiel  A.  Livermore 
was  ordained  over  the  Keene  Congregational  Society. 

Among  the  deaths  in  1836  were  those  of  Joseph  Brown, 
for  a  long  term  of  years  one  of  the  most  active  business 
men  in  town,  aged  seventy-two,  and  on  the  same  evening 
his  wife  Keziah  (Day)  aged  seventy -two;  Nathan  Wheeler, 
who  came  from  Tro3',  N.  H.,  a  Revolutionary  pensioner, 
aged  seventy -nine ;  Mrs.  Eliza,  widow  of  Noah  Cooke,  aged 
seventy -four ;  Timothy  Colony,  aged  seventy-two ;  Everett 
Newcomb,  aged  fifty;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Page,  aged  ninety- 
two;  and  Mrs.  Dorothy,  widow  of  Thomas  Wells,  aged 
eighty -seven. 


424 


HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 


:3 


--mc 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  425 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  January,  1837,  occurred 
one  of  the  most  marvelous  displays  of  the  aurora  borealis 
ever  recorded.  Scarlet,  crimson  and  all  shades  of  color, 
in  brilliant  rays  and  fantastic  shapes,  constantly  chang- 
ing, spread  over  the  whole  heavens  from  Nova  Scotia  to 
Kentucky  and  from  Montreal  to  the  Bermudas.  "The 
beauty  and  sublimity  of  the  whole  were  beyond  descrip- 
tion." 

In  the  spring  of  1837,  the  "Academy  in  Keene"  was 
opened  to  the  public  by  a  prudential  committee  of  the 
First  Congregational  Society,  consisting  of  Eliphalet  Briggs, 
Wm.  Lamson  and  S.  A,  Gerould,  under  the  direction  of 
Breed  Batcheller,i  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  college,  who 
had  been  successful  as  preceptor  of  an  academy  at  Bos- 
cawen,  N.  H.  A  brick  building  of  suitable  size,  two  stories 
high,  with  a  basement, 2  had  been  erected  during  the  pre- 
ceding summer  on  land  of  A.  &  A.  Wilder 3  — 110  square 
rods,  which  they  gave  for  that  purpose  —  with  funds  raised 
by  subscription,  chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Z.  S. 
Barstow  and  Mr.  William  Lamson.  It  stood  on  the  lot 
now  occupied  by  the  High  School  building,  which  was 
deeded  to  fifteen  trustees — Joel  Parker,  Amos  Twitchell,  Z. 
S.  Barstow,  A.  A.  Livermore,  James  Wilson,  Aaron  Hall, 
Azel  Wilder,  William  Lamson,  Elijah  Parker,  and  Eliphalet 
Briggs,  all  of  Keene,  and  John  Sabin,  of  Fitzwilliam,  Elisha 
Rockwood,  of  Swanzey,  Alanson  Rawson,  of  Roxbury, 
Larkin  Baker,  of  Westmoreland,  and  Pliny  Jewell,  of  Win- 
chester—  five  of  them  ministers* — the  board  to  be  self- 
perpetuating. 

Mr.  Batcheller  was  popular  and  successful,  remained 
two  years,  had  about  200  pupils,  and  employed  Miss  Sarah 
M.  Leverett  and  Miss  Marj^  M.  Parker  as  assistants.  The 
name  was  changed  to  "Keene  Academy,"  and  instruction 

1  Grandson  of  the  noted  loyalist  of  that  name  of   Packersfield. 

2  The  basement  -was  used  for  a  chapel  by  the  First  church,  the  attic  for 
singing^  schools,  and  later  for  the  Natural  History  Society's  room. 

3  The  deed  was  made  by  Abijah  Wilder,  through  an  exchange  of  properties, 
but  it  was  understood  that  both  brothers  were  parties  to  the   gift. 

*It  was  essentially  a  Congregational  institution.  The  deed  of  the  land  was 
given  "in  consideration  of  the  promises  and  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar,"  and  one 
of  the  promises  was  that  "the  said  trustees  shall  not  elect  or  employ  any  per- 
son as  Principal  of  said  Academy  who  is  not  a  professor  of  religion  in  an  Ortho- 
dox Congregational  or  Presbytei-ian  church,  and  who  does  not  hold  in  sub- 
stance the  faith  now  held  and  maintained  by  the  First  Congregational  Society 
in  Keene."  And  the  subscriptions  came  chiefly  from  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


426 


HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 


was  given  in  vocal  music  and  on  the  piano  and  organ,  i 
in  addition  to  the  branches  usually  taught  in  academies. 
In  the  spring  of  1839,  Mr.  Batcheller  married  his  assistant, 
Miss  Leverett,  and  gave  up  his  position.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Noah  Bishop,  and  he  by  Abraham  Jenkins; 
and  from  1841  to  1844,  Mr.  A.  E.  P.  Perkins  was  principal, 
succeeded  b^^  Mr.  Seneca  Cummings  —  all  graduates  of  col- 
leges.   Mr.  Cummings  resigned  in  1845  and  was  followed, 


"'  ^"^'^i*se^^s%>^i^-.^, 


Keene  Academy. 

for  one  term,  by  his  assistant.  Miss  L.  K.  Kimball,  and 
afterwards  by  a  Mr.  Clark,  for  two  years,  and  Blodgett 
and  Woodworth,  for  one  year  each. 

In  1850,  Mr.  William  Torrance,  of  Enfield,  Mass.,  a 
graduate  of  Amherst  college,  who  had  been  an  instructor 
at  Ann  Arbor,  a  man  of  lovely  character  and  an  excellent 

iThe  apparatus  w^as  meagre,  taut  was  soon  increased  bv  subscriptions  to  the 
value  of  $160.  Abijah  Wilder  built  the  brick  house,  corner  Court  and  Summer 
streets,  for  a  boarding  house  for  the  academy.  Mr.  Timothy  Hall  gave  a  bell 
for  the  building  which  is  still  in  use  on  the  high  school  house,  and  Mr.  Eliphalet 
Briggs  gave  a  set  of  globes  which  cost  $100. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  427 

teacher  became  the  principal.  But  the  academy  was  not  a 
success  financially;  it  had  no  fund,  and  the  trustees  found 
difficulty  in  keeping  it  up  to  a  proper  standard. 

In  1853,  chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Torrance, 
the  building  was  leased  to  the  "Associated  Districts"  — 
composed  of  those  covering  the  village  —  for  the  term  of 
ten  years,  for  a  high  school,  of  which  Mr.  Torrance  became 
the  first  principal.  The  lease  was  afterwards  renewed  for 
a  shorter  term.i 

Miss  Catherine  Fiske  died  in  May,  1837,  and  the 
Young  Ladies'  Seminary  was  continued  for  several  years 
by  Miss  E.  P.  Withington,  with  assistants. 

The  railroad  from  Boston  to  Lowell  having  been 
opened  for  traffic,  stages  ran  from  Keene  to  connect  with 
the  trains  at  Lowell,  one  line  leaving  the  Emerald  House 
Mondays,  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  at  5  a.  m.,  reaching 
Lowell,  via  Peterboro,  at  3  p.  m.,  and  Boston  by  cars,  at 
4.30;  another  line  leaving  the  same  house  on  alternate 
days,  at  8  a.  m.,  reached  Lowell  at  6  p.  m.,  and  Boston 
the  next  morning,  at  10.30.  Returning,  cars  left  Boston 
at  7  a.  m.  At  Lowell  a  steamer  took  passengers  to 
Nashua,  where  stages  for  Keene  and  beyond  awaited  them. 
But  this  arrangement  lasted  only  a  short  time,  as  the  rail- 
road was  completed  to  Nashua  in  September,  1838. 

Two  other  lines  still  ran  to  Boston  direct,  and  con- 
tinued a  3'ear  or  two  later;  one  from  the  Eagle  Hotel, 
daily,  except  Sundays,  through  Troy,  Fitzwilliam,  Win- 
chendon,  Fitchburg,  Lancaster  and  Waltham ;  the  other 
from  the  new  Cheshire  House  —  through  Fitzwilliam, 
Rindge,  Ashby  and  Groton.     Fare  by  each,  $2.50. 

The  first  great  financial  crisis  of  the  century  came  up- 
on the  country  in  1837.  The  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments by  the  banks  in  the  large  cities  created  alarm 
throughout  the  country.  A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of 
Keene  was  held  in  the  tow^n  hall,  Gen.  Justus  Perry,  chair- 
man, to  consider  the  situation,  and  to  aid  in  restoring  con- 
fidence. A  committee  consisting  of  Joel  Parker,  James  Wil- 
son, Jr.,  Levi  Chamberlain,  William  S.  Brooks,  John  Towns, 

iFrom  the  rent,  the  sale  of  the  apparatus  to  the  high  school,  and  other 
sources,  the  trustees  had  on  deposit,  Jan.  1,  1860,  a  fund  of  $V50,  which,  with 
the  proceeds  of  the  final  sale  of  the  property  some  years  later,  and  interest,  has 
increased  to  a  large  sum,  now^  in  the  hands  of  fifteen  trustees. 


428  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

Samuel  Wood,  Jr.,  Abijah  Wilder,  Wm.  Lamson  and  Caleb 
Carpenter  presented  resolutions  which  were  adopted,  stat- 
ing that  it  was  expedient  for  the  two  banks  here  to  pur- 
sue the  same  course  as  the  larger  banks  and  suspend  specie 
payments,  and  that  "such  a  measure  should  in  nowise  im- 
pair the  confidence  which  the  community  has  heretofore 
placed  in  the  management  of  the  Banks  in  this  town." 
The  banks  suspended,  causing  less  financial  disturbance 
than  was  anticipated.  Merchants  advertised  that  "New 
England  Bank  bills  will  be  taken  for  goods,  notes,  or 
accounts  if  presented  soon." 

In  the  list  of  deaths  in  1837  are  found  the  names  of 
Mrs.  Artemisia,  widow  of  Abijah  Foster,  aged  seventy-one; 
Miss  Hannah  Lanman  (sister  of  James  Lanman),  eighty; 
Dr.  Thomas  Edwards,  eighty;  John  Hatch,  formerly  land- 
lord of  Phoenix  Hotel,  fifty-one;  James  Wilson,  2d,  sixt3'- 
three;  Miss  Catherine  Fiske,  fifty-three,  and  Mrs.  Azubah 
Morse,  her  mother,  seventy-five ;  Phineas  Pond,  seventy ; 
Daniel  Watson,  seventy-six;  Eli  Blake,  sixty-nine;  Rev. 
Silas  Wilder,  seventy-three ;  Solomon  Woods,  sixty-five. 

Washington's  birthday  was  celebrated  in  1838,  chiefly 
by  the  Whigs,  with  a  view  to  carrying  the  state  for  their 
party  and  electing  Gen.  Wilson  governor.  A  large  conven- 
tion was  held  in  the  meetinghouse,  opened  with  prayer  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Barstow,  and  presided  over  by  Hon.  Salma  Hale, 
with  several  vice  presidents,  some  from  surrounding  towns. 
Music  was  furnished  by  the  choir,  Hon.  Phineas  Hander- 
son  delivered  an  oration,  and  short  speeches  were  made  by 
others.  At  the  annual  meeting,  the  town  cast  400  votes 
for  Gen.  Wilson  for  governor,  to  152  for  Isaac  Hill.  Hill 
was  elected.  The  selectmen  this  year  appointed  Rev.  Z.  S. 
Barstow,  Rev.  A.  A.  Livermore  and  John  Henry  Elliot 
superintending  school  committee,  and  the  same  were  con- 
tinued the  following  year. 

The  wonderful  Siamese  twins  visited  Keene  for  one  day. 
May  21,  and  exhibited  at  the  Eagle  Hotel. 

A  local  census  of  Keene  was  taken  in  1838  by  Daniel 
Watson,  who  reported  : 

Males  under  14 409 

Males  over  14 802 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  429 

Females  under  14 435 

Females  over  14 927 

Total 2,573 

Total  in  1830 2,374 

Increase  in  8  years 199 

Acres  of  wheat  in  cultivation 106 

Acres  of  rye  in  cultivation 368 

Acres  of  corn  in  cultivation 375 

Acres  of  other  grain  in  cultivation 427 

Acres  of  root  crops  in  cultivation 341 

Total  (besides  grass) 1,617 

Maple  sugar  made  in  1838 19,550  lbs. 

In  August,  1838,  Faulkner  &  Colony's  brick  factory, 
built  in  1825,  with  dye-house  and  other  buildings  con- 
nected, was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  main  building  was 
73x36  feet,  two  stories  high,  and  contained  the  gristmill, 
with  three  sets  of  stones,  corn-cracker  and  smut-mill.  The 
sawmill  occupied  the  west  end  and  the  clothing  works 
the  east,  with  a  low  building  running  sixty  to  eighty  feet 
to  the  south.  "The  valuable  brick  house  on  the  east  was 
saved."  Loss  $12,500  — insured  for  $7,500.  The  firm  im- 
mediately rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale  —  a  brick  mill  for  mak- 
ing flannels,  heated  by  steain,  and  separately,  to  the  west 
of  it,  their  saw  and  grist  mills.  In  1859,  the  brick  factory 
w^as  enlarged,  and  again  in  1900. 

The  Twentieth  regiment,  now  commanded  b3'  Col. 
Robert  Wilson,  was  inspected,  in  October,  by  Col.  Ed- 
mund Burke  of  Newport,  brigade  inspector.  The  West- 
moreland Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Levi  Barker,  100  men, 
and  the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Capt.  Walter  Taylor,  Jr., 
seventy-six  men,  both  in  attractive  uniforms,  completely 
equipped  for  service,  were  pronounced  the  finest  companies 
in  the  brigade. 

The  Keene  Thief  Detecting  Society,  in  its  day  an  im- 
portant institution,  v^as  organized  in  1838.  At  its  next 
annual  meeting  John  H.  Fuller  was  elected  president;  Geo. 
W.  Sturtevant,  secretary;  Abel  Blake,  treasurer;  Thomas 
M.  Edwards,  attorney;  and  Gen.  Wilson,  Josiah  Colony, 
Oliver    Wilson,    Wm.     Dinsmoor,    Oliver    Holman,    Robert 


430  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Shelly,  John  B.  Dousman  and  B.  F.  Adams  standing  com- 
mittee;  and  the  "pursuers"  were  the  leading  men  in  town. 

The  notable  deaths  in  1838  were  those  of  Jonathan 
Rand,  aged  seventy-seven ;  Daniel  Bradford,  sixty -seven ; 
Thomas  Dwinnell,  eighty-five;  Dea.  Henry  Ellis,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  ninety-two  ;  Capt.  Joshua  Ellis,  fifty-three ; 
Solomon  Woodward,  seventy;  and  Mrs,  Mary  (Ralston), 
wife  of  Elijah  Dunbar,  seventy. 

The  subject  of  having  a  hospital  for  the  insane  in  the 
state  had  been  agitated  for  several  years,  and  Governor 
Dinsmoor  had  been  the  first  executive  to  recommend  to  the 
legislature  its  establishment  as  a  state  institution.  A  large 
meeting  had  been  held  in  Keene  in  March,  1836,  the  call 
for  which  was  signed  by  the  leading  men  of  the  county,  at 
which  it  was  "Resolved  that  it  is  expedient  and  desirable 
to  establish  an  Insane  Hospital  in  this  state."  Similar 
meetings  were  held  in  Portsmouth  and  other  large  towns. 
The  question  was  submitted  to  the  people,  and  on  the  7th 
of  November  of  that  year,  the  town,  after  an  eloquent 
address  by  Gen.  Wilson,  voted  unanimously  in  favor  of 
state  appropriations  for  that  purpose. 

One  of  the  political  questions  of  that  time  was  that  of 
the  disposition  to  be  made  of  the  surplus  revenue  that  had 
accumulated  in  the  national  treasury.  It  was  finally 
divided  among  the  states ;  but  even  then  there  were  differ- 
ent opinions  as  to  what  the  respective  states  could  do  with 
it,  and  for  what  purpose  it  could  properly  be  used.  In 
February,  1837,  Keene  had  voted  to  accept  its  proportion 
of  the  $892,115.17,  which  had  been  paid  over  to  New 
Hampshire,  amounting  to  $2,607.20,  and  chose  Phineas 
Handerson  commissioner  to  receive  the  money  and  loan  it 
out  on  good  security  in  sums  of  $100  to  $500  —  preferably 
to  individuals  in  town.  On  the  30th  of  March,  this  year, 
the  town  "Voted  to  give  the  interest  which  may  accrue 
from  the  Public  money  deposited  with  this  town  for  the 
term  of  ten  years  to  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the 
Insane  on  condition  said  Asylum  is  Located  in  this  town." 
The  asylum  was  established  by  the  legislature  and  Dr. 
Amos  Twitchell  was  made  its  first  president  and  one  of 
the  locating  committee,  but   the  place  selected  for  it  was 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  431 

the  capital  of  the  state.  The  next  year  the  town  voted  to 
use  the  interest  of  the  surplus  revenue  fund  for  paying  poll 
taxes  and  ordinary  town  expenses,  and  afterwards  it  went 
into  the  town  treasury,  to  be  used  for  town  expenses. 

By  act  of  the  legislature  approved  July  2,  1841,  towns 
were  permitted  to  dispose  of  the  surplus  fund  as  they  saw 
fit.  Acting  under  this  authority,  the  annual  town  meeting 
of  1842  voted  to  distribute  the  surplus  held  by  the  town 
of  Keene  among  the  taxpayers  and  those  exempt  from 
taxes  by  reason  of  being  seventy  years  of  age  (provided 
they  were  American  citizens).  The  taxes  were  first  to  be 
deducted  and  the  surplus  was  to  be  paid  in  money. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  upon  the  question  of  the  erec- 
tion of  a  fireproof  building  by  the  county  for  keeping  its 
records,  the  town  voted  unanimously  in  favor,  and  such  a 
building  was  ordered  by  the  county  convention  at  the 
session  of  the  legislature  in  June;  and  it  was  built  this 
year,  of  granite,  28x32  feet,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
courthouse.  Henry  Coolidge,  of  Keene,  and  Jonathan  K. 
Smith,  of  Dublin,  were  the  sub-committee  to  superintend 
the  work.  The  Baptist  society  from  West  Keene  built  a 
brick  church  on  Winter  street  this  year,  (now  a  part  of  the 
armory).  Rev.  John  Peacock  was  the  pastor,  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Mark  Carpenter,  and  he  by  Rev.  Gilbert  Robbins, 
who  remained  eleven  years. 

At  this  period  the  Ashuelot  Manufacturing  Co.,  con- 
sisting of  Wm.  Lamson,  John  H.  Fuller,  B.  F.  Adams, 
Phineas  Fiske,  John  Wood,  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Wm. 
Dinsmoor,  Oliver  Holman  and  some  others,  was  in  active 
operation.  In  1835-6,  the  Winchester  factory  and  other 
water-power  properties  in  the  village  of  West  Winchester 
were  purchased  by  those  gentlemen  and  for  several  years 
they  carried  on  the  business  of  manufacturing  fine  cassi- 
meres,  under  the  general  management  of  Benj.  F.  Adams. 
In  1853,  they  sold  the  factory  and  mill  property  to  Joshua 
Ward,  of  Winchester. 

The  Twentieth  regiment.  Col.  Levi  Barker,  of  West- 
moreland, mustered  in  Keene  in  1839,  and  was  reviewed 
by  Gen.  Wilson.  The  two  light  infantry  companies  were 
rivals  as  usual.     The  Westmoreland  company  had  ten  or 


432  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

twelve  more  in  number  than  the  Keene  company,  but  each 
had  upwards  of  100  men.  A  few  days  previous  to  the 
muster,  the  Keene  company,  Capt.  Geo.  G.  Dort,  had  been 
presented  by  the  citizens  with  "an  elegant  standard." 

Among  the  deaths  in  1839  were  those  of  Hon,  James 
Wilson,  Sen.,  aged  seventy-three;  Quincy  Wheeler,  of  the 
firm  of  S.  &  Q.  Wheeler,  thirty;  John  Emerson,  a  Revolu- 
tionary pensioner,  seventy -five ;  Capt.  Abel  Blake,  eighty  ; 
Mr.  Luther  Smith,  the  clockmaker,  seventy-three. 

The  period  of  fifteen  years  ending  with  1840  had 
brought  great  improvement  to  the  village  of  Keene,  and 
a  marked  increase  in ,  the  wealth  and  population  of  the 
town.  Central  Square  had  been  enlarged  to  its  present 
dimensions,  three-storied  brick  buildings  had  arisen  on  its 
north,  east,  and  west  sides,  and  most  of  the  old  plank 
sidewalks  had  been  replaced  with  brick.  The  Cheshire 
House,  the  Unitarian  church,  the  academy,  and  the  Bap- 
tist church  on  Winter  street,  now  a  part  of  the  armory, 
all  brick  buildings,  had  been  erected  near  the  Square;  the 
Emerald  House  and  Gen.  Wilson's  residence  on  Main  street, 
and  many  tasteful  dwellings  on  that  and  other  streets. 
The  Eagle  Hotel  had  been  greatly  improved  and  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  another  story,  and  the  annexation  of 
the  store  on  the  south  by  building  up  the  space  between. 
The  roads  had  been  improved,  and  the  stone  bridges  at  the 
lower  end  of  Main  street  and  on  the  Walpole  and  Surry 
road  had  replaced  wooden  ones.  At  the  close  of  this  period 
both  glass  factories  were  still  in  operation,  and  there  was 
a  third  one  for  a  short  time  on  Gilsum  street.  There  was 
active  manufacturing  at  South  Keene,  where  Aaron  Davis 
had  established  an  iron  foundry,  and  added  the  manufac- 
ture of  firearms  to  his  other  works,  in  which  Thomas  M. 
Edwards,  and  later  William  Lamson,  Jr.,  were  interested. 
Faulkner  &  Colony  were  making  fine  flannels,  and  the  mills 
in  the  various  parts  of  the  town  were  turning  out  large 
quantities  of  lumber  and  grinding  thousands  of  bushels  of 
home-raised  grain.  Alvah  Walker  had  taken  the  Cheshire 
House  and  brought  it  up  to  the  standard  of  his  noted  pred- 
ecessor in  the  Phoenix,  John  Hatch;  Asaph  Harrington 
had  succeeded  his  father,  Col.  Stephen,  in  the  Eagle  Hotel, 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  433 

and  like  him,  made  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  inns  in 
the  country ;  and  the  Emerald  House,  under  Edward  Whit- 
ney, the  Sun  tavern,  under  Abijah  Metcalf,  and  Sawyer's 
in  the  west  part,  were  all  excellent  public  houses.  But  with 
the  advance  of  railroads  the  country  taverns  along  the 
great  thoroughfares  gradually  disappeared.  The  stores  of 
A.  &  T.  Hall;  Adams,  Holman  &  Button,  with  John  Bix- 
by's  drug  store  in  the  corner  room;  William  Lamson  & 
Co.;  Sumner  Wheeler;  J.  &  R.  Shelly;  Dinsmoor  &  White; 
S.  A.  Gerould;  Keyes  &  Colony;  Wales  Kimball;  B.  G. 
Samson ;  Nathaniel  Evans ;  the  two  Haskells ;  and  James 
H.  Freeman,  in  the  store  north  of  the  Emerald  House,  be- 
sides many  smaller  shops  for  manufacture  and  sales,  were 
carrying  on  a  large  amount  of  business.  And  yet,  with  all 
its  thrift,  w^hich,  continued  to  the  present  time,  has  made 
it  one  of  the  richest  towns  in  the  country  in  proportion  to 
its  number  of  inhabitants,  it  was  a  quiet  country  village, 
with  an  air  of  restfulness,  content  and  refinement  that  was 
exceedingly  attractive.  A  traveller,  in  a  letter  published  in 
the  Claremont  Eagle,  about  this  time,  said :  "  Keene  is 
one  of  the  most  delightful  villages  in  New  England.  *  * 
*  *  There  is  hardly  another  place  in  the  Union  (of  its 
size,  of  course)  that  possesses  more  talent  and  sterling  in- 
tellect than  Keene."  Francis  Parkman,  in  his  "Half  Cen- 
tury of  Conflict,"  vol.  1,  page  230,  says  of  Keene  about  this 
period:  "A  town  noted  in  rural  New  England  for  its 
kindly  hospitality,  culture  without  pretence,  and  good 
breeding  without  conventionality."  Rev.  A.  A.  Livermore, 
years  afterwards,  "looked  back  upon  it  with  fondness  and 
called  it  'The  Happy  Valley.'" 

The  census  of  1840  gave  the  population  of  Keene : 

Males 1,236 

Females 1,366 

Colored,  males  3,  females  5 8 

Total 2,610 

Number  in  1830 2,374 

Increase  in  10  years 236^ 

In  20  years 713 

1  Winchester  had  2,065,  a  gain  of  13;  Walpole  had  2,015,  a  gain  of  96; 
Chesterfield  had  1,767,  a  loss  of  279;  Swanzey  had  1,751,  a  loss  of  65 ;  West- 
moreland had  1,546,  a  loss  of  101. 


434  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Engaged  in  agriculture 428 

Engaged  in  manufactures  and  trade 267 

Engaged  in  learned  professions 28 

Total  population  of  the  United  States  .-..17,069,453 
The  twelve  highest  taxpayers  in  1840  were  John  Elliot, 
Phineas  Fiske,  James  Wilson,  admr.,  Azel  Wilder,  William 
Lamson  &  Co.,  A.  &.  T.  Hall,  Sumner  Wheeler,  Betsey 
Smith,  Charles  Lamson,  James  Wilson,  Aaron  Appleton 
and  Justus  Perry. 

Benaiah  Cooke  had  been  appointed  postmaster  in  1837 
to  succeed  William  Dinsmoor.  He  still  kept  the  office  in 
Wilders'  building;  and  edited  and  published,  in  the  rooms 
above,  the  Farmer's  Museum,  afterwards  named  the 
Cheshire  Republican  and  Farmer's  Museum,  now  the 
Cheshire  Republican. 

Doctors  C.  and  F.  S.  Stratton,  dentists,  had  rooms  at 
the  Cheshire  House  and  soon  afterwards  took  those  over 
the  Ashuelot  bank,  where  F.  S.  Stratton,  a  very  skillful 
dentist,  remained  for  more  than  forty  years. 

Whitcomb  French  removed  to  Peterboro  in  1834,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Stillman  French,  who  kept 
an  excellent  stable  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

This  was  the  year,  1840,  of  the  great  political  cam- 
paign—  the  "hard  cider"  and  "log  cabin"  campaign  of  the 
Whigs  —  which  resulted  in  the  election  of  William  Henry 
Harrison,  president.  Gen.  Wilson  had  been  a  delegate  to 
the  nominating  convention  at  Harrisburg  and  there  began 
that  remarkable  tour  which  gave  him  a  national  reputa- 
tion as  an  orator.  Daniel  Webster  was  invited  to  make  a 
speech  here  while  on  his  campaigning  tour.  A  committee 
consisting  of  Hon.  Salma  Hale  and  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell 
met  him  at  Bellows  Falls,  and  the  next  morning,  July  9, 
escorted  him  to  Keene,  where  he  arrived  at  12  o'clock  and 
was  received  by  Gen.  Wilson  on  the  steps  of  his  residence 
with  a  brief  speech  of  welcome.  At  2.30  p.  m.,  Mr.  Web- 
ster, with  Gen.  Wilson  and  the  committee,  was  escorted 
to  the  academy  yard  by  the  Keene  and  Marlboro  Light 
Infantry  companies,  Capts.  Dort  and  Converse,  with  mili- 
tary bands,  followed  by  a  large  concourse  of  people.  A 
platform  had  been  raised  sufficient  to  accommodate  the 
speakers,  the  committee,  the  veteran    soldiers   and  about 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  435 

600  ladies.  The  audience  was  estimated  to  number  up- 
wards of  4,000.  After  a  ringing  speech  of  introduction 
by  Gen.  Wilson,  Mr.  Webster  spoke  for  about  two  hours. 
While  he  was  speaking  a  support  gave  way  and  the  plat- 
form settled  a  few  inches,  producing  some  consternation 
among  its  occupants.  Mr.  Webster  promptly  stepped  for- 
ward and  said,  "If  the  Whig  platform  goes  down,  I  go 
with  it,"  and  went  on  with  his  speech. 

After  the  meeting,  Mr.  Webster  received  a  large  number 
of  people  from  out  of  town,  in  the  drawing  rooms  of  the 
Cheshire  House ;  and  in  the  evening  Gen.  Wilson  gave  him 
a  public  reception  at  his  residence. 

The  printing  office  in  Prentiss's  block  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Whigs,  and  was  a  lively  and  fascinating 
place,  where  the  wits  of  Keene — Dr.  Amos  Twitchell,  Sal- 
ma  Hale,  Gen.  Wilson,  Phineas  Handerson,  Levi  Chamber- 
lain, B.  F.  Adams,  Henry  Dorr,  Elijah  Parker,  Aaron  and 
Timothy  Hall,  T.  M.  Edwards  and  others  —  met  and 
cracked  their  jokes  and  had  friendly  discussions. 

Among  those  who  died  in  1840  were  Elias  Rugg,  aged 
sixty-six;  Samuel  H.  Kemp,  of  the  United  States  army  in 
Florida;  Mrs.  Ruth  (Davis)  Batcheller,  widow  of  Major 
Breed  Batcheller,  formerly  of  Packers  field,  ninety-five;  Mrs. 
Phcebe,  wife  of  Abijah  Wilson,  seventy-three;  and  Joshua 
Graves,  seventy. 

The  winter  of  1840-1,  was  one  of  great  severity,  "per- 
haps the  coldest  ever  known  in  New^  England"  down  to 
that  time. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT. 
1841  —  1860. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1841,  the  Whigs  of  Keene  fired  a 
salute  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  guns  in  honor  of  the 
inauguration  of  WilHam  Henry  Harrison  as  president  of 
the  United  States,  The  Sentinel  of  April  7,  shaded  with 
heavy  black  lines,  announced  his  death. 

A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Keene  nominated  Charles 
L.  Putnam,  a  young  lawyer  who  had  recently  come  to 
town,  for  postmaster  under  the  new  administration.  He 
was  appointed,  and  the  office  was  removed  to  the  first 
door  south  of  the  Cheshire  House. 

For  a  long  term  of  years,  down  to  about  1850,  Elec- 
tion Day  —  the  first  Wednesday  in  June,  the  day  of  the 
meeting  of  the  legislature — was  a  very  enjoyable  holiday. 
This  year  it  was  celebrated  by  a  gathering  of  1,000  to 
1,200  persons,  pupils  of  the  district  schools  and  others, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  where  they  indulged  in 
a  feast  of  "  'lection  cake,"  listened  to  speeches  and  music, 
and  spent  the  day  in  social  enjoyment. 

On  the  same  afternoon,  Gen.  James  Wilson,  who  had 
been  appointed  surveyor  general  of  Wisconsin  and  Iowa 
territories,  was  given  a  complimentary  dinner  at  the  Chesh- 
ire House,  previous  to  his  departure  for  the  West.  Hon. 
Thomas  M.  Edwards  presided,  Gen.  Wilson  made  an  ele- 
gant speech,  toasts  were  drunk,  and  other  short  speeches 
were  made. 

The  valley  road  up  the  Ashuelot  river  from  Gilsum  to 
Marlow  was  opened  this  year,  1841,  connecting  with  the 
Beaver  brook  road,  built  in  1837,  from  Keene  to  Gilsum, 
and  giving  an  easy  and  pleasant  route  to  Newport,  thirty- 
three  miles. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  revival  of  sentiment  in  favor 
of  temperance.    The  Washington  Total   Abstinence  Society 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  437 

had  been  organized  in  1841,  Hon.  Salma  Hale  president, 
with  600  members ;  and  a  temperance  jubilee  was  held  on 
the  22d  of  February,  1842.  On  the  4th  of  July  a  temper- 
ance celebration  was  held  in  John  Elliot's  grove,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ashuelot,  west  of  his  house.  All  the  temper- 
ance societies,  the  Sunday  schools  and  other  organizations 
and  the  people  generallj^  joined.  A  procession  was  formed 
in  the  Square,  headed  by  the  military  band,  and  marched 
to  the  grove,  where  seats  had  been  provided,  tables  spread 
and  a  bounteous  repast  prepared.  Mr.  Hale  presided  and 
there  were  speeches,  toasts  and  responses,  and  music  by 
the  united  choirs.  It  was  estimated  that  at  least  2,000 
people  were  present.  The  day  began  with  the  roar  of 
cannon  and  the  ringing  of  bells,  and  closed  with  bonfires 
and  firew^orks. 

In  the  early  part  of  1842,  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  who 
claimed  to  have  been  elected  governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
attempted  to  hold  that  ofiice  by  military  force,  was  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  that  state.  He  came  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, made  his  home  for  some  months  in  Westmoreland 
and  spent  considerable  time  in  Keene.  He  was  indicted  for 
high  treason  by  the  supreme  court  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
his  opponents,  who  were  in  possession  of  the  government 
of  that  state,  made  a  requisition  on  Gov,  Hubbard  of  New 
Hampshire  for  his  extradition.  The  governor  refused  to 
comply  and  Dorr  was  not  molested  while  in  this  vicinity. 
He  was  afterwards  arrested  in  Rhode  Island  for  treason, 
imprisoned  for  two  or  three  years,  and  then  released. 

There  were  two  musters  in  town  this  year.  In  Septem- 
ber, the  Sixth  and  Twentieth  regiments  mustered  together 
on  Nine  Lot  plain.  A  fine  company  of  riflemen  from  West 
Keene,  Capt.  Benjamin  Gurler,  made  its  first  appearance 
at  that  time.  The  two  companies  of  light  infantry  from 
Keene  and  Westmoreland,  with  their  usual  spirit  and 
rivalry,  turned  out  with  120  to  130  men  each.  In  October, 
1842,  the  uniformed  companies  of  the  Sixth,  Twelfth  and 
Twentieth  regiments,  joined  by  the  Fitchburg  Fusileers, 
about  twenty  companies  in  all,  mustered  on  the  same 
ground  and  were  review^ed  by  Gov.  Hubbard. 

The  building  of  the  railroad  from  Boston  to  Fitchburg 


438  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

was  agitated  at  this  time,  and  meetings  were  held  to 
arouse  the  people  to  the  importance  of  the  scheme.  A 
large  one  at  the  town  hall  in  Keene,  in  December,  1842, 
was  addressed  by  Alvah  Crocker  of  Fitchburg,  the  chief 
promotor  of  the  road.  At  a  meeting  in  Boston  in  January 
following,  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards  was  elected  one  of 
the  directors  of  that  road,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
the  work  began. 

Many  deaths  of  notable  persons  occurred  in  1842, 
among  them  Thomas  Baker,  aged  ninety;  John  Pierce, 
seventy -seven ;  Luther  Bragg,  seventy;  Mrs.  Harriet,  wife 
of  Nathaniel  Evans,  thirty-four;  Mrs.  Martha,  widow  of 
Samuel  Bassett,  eighty-seven ;  John  G.  Thatcher,  fifty-six ; 
Col.  Alvah  Walker,  the  "prince  of  landlords,"  of  the  Chesh- 
ire House,  forty-seven ;  Phineas  Fiske,  fifty -seven ;  Gen. 
Justus  Perry,  fifty-three;  Francis  Faulkner,  fifty-five;  and 
Elijah  Knight,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  who  had  held  a  com- 
mission in  the  army,  was  judge  of  probate  for  fourteen 
years  in  Windham  county,  Vermont,  and  had  lived  in  Keene 
nearly  twenty  years,  a  part  of  the  time  keeping  the  tavern 
on  the  "Kate  Tyler  place." 

In  1842,  the  town  had  appropriated  $950  to  build  a 
stone  bridge  at  South  Keene.  The  bridge  was  built  that 
year,  with  a  single  arch,  but  the  key  was  not  sufficiently 
weighted,  and  upon  removing  the  timbers  after  its  com- 
pletion, but  before  it  had  been  accepted  by  the  town,  the 
arch  rose,  from  the  pressure  of  the  heavy  abutments,  and 
the  whole  fabric  fell  into  the  stream.  In  1843,  a  commit- 
tee was  chosen  to  rebuild,  consisting  of  John  Elliot,  Josiah 
Colony,  Zebadiah  Kise,  Isaac  Gray  and  Aaron  Davis.  But 
there  was  a  controversy  about  the  liability  of  the  con- 
tractors, and  the  matter  lingered  until  1846,  when  a 
wooden  bridge  was  built,  which  was  replaced  by  an  iron 
structure  in  1900. 

Pianos  kept  for  sale  in  town  were  first  introduced  in 
1843  by  Eliphalet  Briggs.  They  were  made  by  Lemuel 
Gilbert  of  Boston, 

In  September,  the  Twentieth  regiment  mustered  on 
ground  now  occupied  by  Woodland  cemetery,  the  east  end 
of  Beaver  street,  and  the  residences  in  that  vicinity.    The 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  439 

reviewing  officer  was  Maj.  Gen.  John  McNeil  of  Hillsboro, 
who  had  been  a  colonel  in  the  war  of  1812.  One  of  the 
young  officers  of  his  staff  was  George  Barstow,  author  of 
a  history  of  New  Hampshire,  who  made  the  speech  for 
the  general. 

The  question  of  building  the  Cheshire  railroad  agitated 
the  public  at  this  time,  and  meetings  were  held  in  the 
larger  towns  along  the  line.  One  here,  in  December,  1843, 
in  the  Congregational  church,  was  presided  over  by  Hon. 
Salma  Hale.  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards  made  a  stirring 
speech  and  the  meeting  was  enthusiastic.  A  central  com- 
mittee to  push  the  enterprise  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
Salma  Hale  and  John  H.  Fuller  of  Keene,  George  Hunting- 
ton of  Walpole,  Amos  A.  Parker  of  Fitzwilliam,  Wareham 
Rand  of  Winchendon,  and  Stackpole  &  Phelps  of  Boston. 
Books  were  opened,  and  $40,000  were  subscribed  here  in 
the  first  two  days.  Later  reports  of  the  engineers  of  the 
Fitchburg  road  gave  the  preference  to  the  route  through 
Templeton  and  Greenfield  to  Brattleboro,  and  the  Massa- 
chusetts legislature  granted  a  charter  for  that  line,  but 
declined  to  grant  one  for  the  one  through  Winchendon 
and  Keene  to  Bellows  Falls.  That  action  produced  excite- 
ment along  the  Cheshire  line;  there  was  much  discussion 
of  the  different  routes ;  the  extension  of  this  line  to  Rut- 
land and  Burlington  was  vigorously  agitated  both  by  the 
Cheshire  advocates  and  the  people  of  Vermont;  and  an- 
other large  and  spirited  meeting  was  held  in  the  town  hall 
here  in  April,  1844. 

In  June,  1844,  the  New  Hampshire  legislature  granted 
a  charter  for  the  Fitchburg,  Keene  &  Connecticut  River 
Railroad.  That  charter  was  at  first  accepted ;  but  upon 
the  report  of  Benaiah  Cooke,  agent  to  agree  with  the  own- 
ers upon  land  damages,  the  charter  was  rejected  by  the 
corporators. 

The  charter  for  the  Cheshire  railroad  was  then  ob- 
tained and  the  first  meeting  for  organization  w^as  held  in 
Keene  on  the  10th  of  January,  1845.  The  charter  was 
accepted,  Hon.  Salma  Hale  was  chosen  president  and  Be- 
naiah Cooke  clerk  of  the  corporation.  A  committee  consist- 
ing of  Thomas   M.   Edwards,   Samuel   Dinsmoor,  John  H. 


440  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Elliot  and  four  from  other  towns  was  appointed  to  secure 
a  charter  from  Massachusetts  and  lay  out  the  road.  Mr. 
Edwards  went  before  the  joint  committee  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts legislature  and  made  a  powerful  speech  in  favor 
of  the  charter.  The  Greenfield  and  Brattleboro  road  fought 
it,  as  dangerous  to  their  line,  but  the  charter  was  granted 
without  delay. 

In  March,  1845,  the  Fitchburg  road  began  running 
cars  to  Fitchburg.  On  the  21st  of  that  month  the  books 
of  the  Cheshire  road  were  opened  and  in  four  days  $131,- 
300  had  been  subscribed;  and  on  the  30th  of  April  9,000 
of  the  10,000  shares  at  $100  each  had  been  taken  — $900,- 
000  —  and  all  were  taken  before  the  middle  of  May.  In 
June,  the  shares  sold  in  Boston  at  a  premium  of  four  per 
cent.  Three  of  the  seven  directors  chosen  at  the  first  annual 
meeting  were  from  Keene  —  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Salma 
Hale  and  Benj.  F.  Adams  —  and  Mr.  Edwards  was  chosen 
president.  Much  time  was  required  by  the  engineers,  W. 
S.  Whitwell  and  Lucian  Tilton,  for  locating  the  road 
among  the  hills  and  through  Keene,  but  in  August,  1845, 
proposals  for  grading  w^ere  called  for,  and  in  September 
contracts  were  let  for  the  grading  between  Keene  and  Win- 
chendon.  The  land  damages  paid  for  the  whole  distance 
between  those  towns  were  less  than  $7,000,  the  owners 
generally  accepting  small  compensation  with  a  view  to 
aiding  the  road. 

At  the  adjourned  annual  town  meeting  in  1844,  Mr. 
William  Lamson  presented  a  communication,  which  was 
entered  in  full  in  the  town  records,  asking  that  the  old 
burying  ground  on  the  Robinson  farm  at  the  south  end  of 
Main  street  be  fenced  and  preserved.  A  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  Calvin  Chapman,  Salma  Hale  and 
Aaron  Hall,  who  were  to  confer  with  Mr.  Robinson  con- 
cerning the  matter  and  report  at  the  next  town  meeting. 
At  the  next  annual  meeting  the  same  committee  was 
authorized  to  fence  the  ground.  But  nothing  was  done, 
and  in  1846  the  town  directed  the  selectmen  to  fence  the 
ground,  "provided  Mr.  Robinson  consents  and  the  expense 
does  not  exceed  seventy-five  dollars."  Still  nothing  was 
done,  for  Mr.   Robinson  was  unwilling  to    surrender    the 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  441 

rights  he  had  gained.  Thus  the  sacred  burial  place  of  the 
earliest  inhabitants  of  Keene,  many  of  them  distinguished 
men  and  women, i  was  suffered  to  be  lost  to  official  and 
affectionate  care. 

Washington's  birthday  in  1845  was  celebrated  by  the 
Washington  Total  Abstinence  Society,  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell, 
president,  which  held  its  annual  meeting  on  that  day. 
"  Father  Taylor,"  the  distinguished  temperance  advocate, 
of  Boston,  made  the  principal  address. 

At  a  legal  meeting  in  September,  1845,  the  town  "Re- 
solved That  all  places  ^vhere  playing  cards  or  other  gam- 
bling articles,  and  all  intoxicating  drinks  are  kept  and  sold, 
and  other  immoralities  are  practised,  is  hereby  taken  and 
deemed  by  the  good  people  of  this  town,  to  be  a  public 
nuisance;"  and  at  the  annual  meeting  following,  it  was 
voted  to  "instruct  the  selectmen  not  to  grant  license  for 
the  sale  of  wine  and  spirituous  liquors  within  said  town" 
—  the  vote  standing  251  to  41.  In  1847  and  1848,  similar 
votes  were  passed. 

Teachers'  institutes  for  the  county  were  held  in  Keene 
oftener  than  anywhere  else,  the  towns  appropriating  money 
for  their  support.  In  1845,  a  four  weeks'  session  w^as  held 
here  in  April,  presided  over  by  Hon.  Salma  Hale;  and  an- 
other in  October. 

William  L.  Foster,  who  had  recently  opened  a  law 
office  in  Keene,  was  appointed  postmaster.  In  August  he 
removed  the  office  from  below  the  Cheshire  House  to  the 
store  of  his  father,  Mr.  John  Foster,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Square,  now  Whitcomb's. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1845  that  the  potato  rot  first 
made  its  appearance  in  this  region.  For  several  years  fol- 
lowing, the  crop  was  almost  wholly  destroyed  by  it  and  a 
total  loss  of  that  tuber  was  feared,  but  it  has  since  been 
gradually  recovering  from  the  attack. 

David  Carpenter  died  in  April,  aged  eighty-six.  He  had 
served  nearly  through  the  Revolutionary  war,  was  at  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  several  other  battles,  and  was 
one  of  the  guard  at  the  execution  of  Major  Andre. 

iCapt.  Ephraita  Dorman,  Col.  Isaac  Wynian,  Major  Josiah  Willard  and  most 
of  the  leaders  in  the  settlement  of  Keene,  with  their  wives,  were  buried  there,  as 
that  w^as  the  first  burial  place  in  town  and  the  principal  one  until  1795. 


442  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

On  the  1st  day  of  January,  1846,  the  Keene  Fire 
Society,  a  vigorous  institution  then  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  old,  had  its  annual  meeting  and  supper  at  the 
Cheshire  House.  Its  officers  had  always  been  the  leading 
men  of  the  town,  the  clergy  were  always  invited  to  its 
annual  supper,  and  it  was  an  enjoyable  and  important 
gathering  of  the  citizens.  Spirituous  liquors  had  been  ban- 
ished from  its  tables  twenty  years  before  this  time.  But 
the  next  year  the  society  turned  over  to  the  town  all  its 
property,  consisting  of  two  fire  engines,  leathern  hose,  fire- 
buckets  and  engine  house,  which  stood  on  the  Cheshire 
House  grounds,  Roxbury  street;  and  the  Keene  Fire  Society 
ceased  to  exist.  Two  years  later  the  town,  with  one-third 
of  the  expense  paid  by  subscriptions,  bought  a  new  engine 
and  other  apparatus. 

In  February,  the  large  cabinet  and  furniture  shop  of 
E.  &  W.  S.  Briggs,  on  Washington  street,  near  the  Square, 
with  the  old  two-story  brick  schoolhouse  north  of  it,  used 
for  a  joiner's  shop  and  lumber  room,  a  carriage  house 
belonging  to  French's  stable,  the  two-story  house  of  Joseph 
Willard,  south  of  the  shops,  with  barn,  were  all  destroyed 
by  fire ;  with  a  large  quantity  of  lumber,  furniture,  machin- 
ery, etc.  It  was  Sunday  morning,  just  at  the  hour  for 
church  services.  Mr.  Livermore  dismissed  his  congregation 
and  went  with  them  and  assisted  vigorously  at  the  fire; 
but  Mr.  Barstow,  as  tradition  has  it,  with  a  different 
conscientiousness  and  a  devout  sense  of  his  religious  duty, 
although  his  church  edifice  was  in  great  danger,  continued 
his  services  as  if  it  had  been  the  usual  quiet  New  England 
Sunday  morning.  Two  lines  were  formed,  as  usual,  to  the 
town  well  on  the  south  side  of  the  Square,  for  passing 
buckets.  The  weather  was  intensely  cold,  but  there  w^as 
no  wind  and  the  village  was  saved  from  a  further  spread 
of  the  flames.  The  loss  was  about  $6,500,  over  and  above 
a  small  insurance. 

The  Briggses  moved  to  the  Thomas  F.  Ames  building, 
east  side  of  Main,  below  Church  street,  which  they  bought, 
and  carried  on  business  there  for  several  years. 

There  was  a  controversy  in  1846  about  the  location  of 
the  railroad  station  in  town,  some  of  the  citizens  preferring 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  443 

the  present  spot,  others  wishing  to  have  the  road  cross 
Main  street  between  Water  and  Marlboro  streets.  To 
induce  the  railroad  corporation  to  decide  upon  the  present 
spot  the  citizens  subscribed  $4,500, i  bought  the  present 
station  grounds  of  the  estate  of  Capt.  Joseph  Dorr  and  his 
wife,  including  the  orchard,  where  the  Episcopal  church 
and  the  houses  of  Mrs.  Edward  Joslin,  the  two  Faulkners 
and  Mrs.  Tilden  now  stand  —  the  last  purchase  from  the 
old  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson  farm  —  and  made  it  a  gift  to 
the  railroad.  The  commissioners  then  decided  the  question 
in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  corporation  and  of 
the  majority  of  the  citizens. 

The  Twentieth  regiment  mustered  in  Keene  in  Septem- 
ber, 1846,  Col.  Virgil  M.  Kimball  commanding.  Capt. 
Francis  S.  Fiske  commanded  the  Keene  Light  Infantry, 
and  there  was  the  usual  emulation  and  antagonism  between 
the  Keene  and  the  Westmoreland  "Lights." 

The  Mexican  war  had  broken  out  in  May,  and  New 
Hampshire  was  called  upon  for  two  regiments  of  troops ; 
but  not  many  New  Hampshire  men  were  disposed  to  vol- 
unteer. One  battalion  was  ordered  by  Gov.  Steele  to  be 
prepared  and  held  in  readiness.  In  June,  a  mass  meeting 
was  held  at  Concord  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  the  peo- 
ple to  the  support  of  the  government  in  the  war,  at  which 
Gen.  James  Wilson  of  Keene  and  Col.  Franklin  Pierce  of  Con- 
cord made  patriotic  speeches,  and  both  were  reported  as 
having  volunteered;  but  the  statement  was  true  of  Pierce 
only.  The  next  year  Col.  Trueman  B.  Ransom  raised  a 
regiment  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  volunteers  which 
joined  Gen.  Scott's  army.  At  Molino  del  Rey,  Capt.  Charles 
B.  Daniels  of  Keene,  in  the  regular  army,  was  mortally 
wounded  while  gallantly  leading  an  assault;  and  Capt, 
Albemarle  Cady,  a  native  of  Keene,  in  the  Sixth  infantry, 
was  wounded,  and  promoted  to  brevet  major  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  conduct. 

At  the  annual  election  in  1847,  the  town  chose  three 
representatives  to  the  legislature;  and  Gen.  James  Wilson 
of  Keene    was    elected    to  congress.     The   county    having 

lA.  &  T.  Hall  gave  $800;  Azel  Wilder  $400;  J.  &  J.  W.  Prentiss  $350; 
Abijah  Wilder  $300 ;  S.  A.  Gerould  and  William  Lamson  $2O0  each ;  and  fifty 
others  smaller  sums. 


444  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

allowed  its  rights  in  the  courthouse  to  lapse  by  failing  to 
comply  with  the  conditions  of  the  gift  of  the  land  on  which 
it  stood,  the  town  thereby  lost  its  public  hall,  and  a  com- 
mittee of  five,  of  which  Hon.  Joel  Parker  was  chairman, 
was  chosen  to  devise  ways  and  means  to  build.  At  a  legal 
meeting  on  the  31st  of  March,  1847,  that  committee  made 
a  long  report — recorded  in  the  town  books  —  and  the  sub- 
ject was  recommitted  to  the  same  committee,  to  report  at 
the  next  annual  meeting. 

The  old  Cheshire  bank  building  having  been  removed 
to  give  place  to  the  railroad,  the  present  structure  w^ith  its 
granite  front  was  built.  The  passenger  station  was  also 
built  in  1847,  and  the  road  was  opened  in  the  autumn  for 
use  as  far  as  Winchendon,  and  soon  afterwards  to  Troy. 

The  building  of  the  railroad  through  the  "summit" 
required  a  large  force,  and  many  Irish  families  w^ith  chil- 
dren settled  there  in  temporary  cabins.  The  Ladies'  Char- 
itable Society  of  Keene  established  a  school  for  those 
children  under  the  direction  of  the  wives  of  the  three  clergy- 
men in  town,  Mrs.  Barstow^,  Mrs.  Livermore  and  Mrs. 
Gilbert  Robbins.  The  Irishmen  put  up  a  suitable  shanty 
and  a  Miss  Soule,  from  Vermont,  taught  about  sixty  pupils 
there  for  ten  weeks  in  the  spring  and  summer,  and  Miss 
Nancy  Towns  of  Keene  was  employed  for  a  fall  term,  the 
same  year.  At  the  next  annual  meeting,  in  1848,  the  town 
appropriated  fifty  dollars  from  the  literary  fund  for  a 
school  there,  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the 
selectmen.  That  aggregation  of  Irishmen  of  different  clans, 
particularly  of  "  Corkonians "  and  "  Fardowners,"  pro- 
duced a  population  of  very  excitable  nature.  The  failure 
of  one  company  of  contractors  after  another  to  complete 
their  work  and  pay  their  men  gave  cause  for  complaint, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1848,  matters  culminated  in  a  riot. 
Stones,  brickbats,  knives  and  guns  were  used  and  several 
persons  were  seriously  injured.  Mr.  John  Foster  was  sheriff 
of  the  county  at  that  time,  and  the  riot  became  so  serious 
that  he  called  on  the  Keene  Light  Infantry  for  assistance. 
A  detachment  of  the  company  hastened  to  the  scene  in 
teams,  each  man  supplied  with  sixty  rounds  of  ball  car- 
tridges.   But  the  presence  of  armed  troops  cooled  the  ardor 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  445 

of  the  rioters,  and  the  affair  ended  with  the  arrest,  convic- 
tion and  punishment  by  heavy  fines  and  costs  of  upwards 
of  twenty  of  the  ringleaders.  A  similar  affair  occurred 
earlier  at  what  was  then  Bruce's  tavern,  in  Marlboro,  near 
the  present  railroad  station  on  that  line  of  road. 

The  Twentieth  regiment  mustered  in  Keene  again  in 
1847,  but  only  the  uniformed  companies,  the  infantry  com- 
panies of  the  line  having  disbanded.  The  "Keene  Lights" 
were  commanded  by  Capt.  S.  A.  Gerould,  Jr. 

Among  the  deaths  in  1847  were  those  of  Capt.  Aaron 
Hall,  aged  sixty-two;  Aaron  Wilson,  eighty-eight;  and 
Michael  Metcalf,  eighty-six.  Mr.  Metcalf  was  born  in  the 
fort  in  Keene,  and  after  the  age  of  seven  lived  on  the 
"Metcalf  farm,"  in  Ash  Swamp,  where  Mr.  Henry  O. 
Spaulding  now  lives.  He  built  the  brick  house  on  that 
place,  and  the  one  east  of  it  for  his  son.  He  lived  to  see 
seven  generations  of  his  family. 

The  committee  appointed  in  1847  on  the  question  of 
building  a  town  hall  reported  verbally  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  1848,  and  a  building  committee  consisting  of  Levi 
Chamberlain,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Nathan  Bassett,  Samuel 
Wood,  Thomas  H.  Leverett,  Joshua  Wyman  and  George 
Tilden  was  chosen  by  the  town,  with  authority  to  pur- 
chase a  site  and  "erect  thereon  a  building  with  suitable 
accommodations  for  town  purposes,"  and  "to  hire  money 
in  behalf  of  the  town,  to  pay  the  expenses  thereof,"  and 
the  main  part  of  the  present  edifice  ^  was  built  that  sea- 
son. Charles  Edward  Parker  of  Boston,  a  native  of  Keene, 
son  of  Elijah,  was  the  architect,  and  Lanmon  Nims  was 
the  contractor. 

The  selectmen  were  directed  to  take  1,500  copies  of  Mr. 
Hale's  new  edition  of  the  Annals  of  Keene,  at  a  reasonable 
price  to  be  agreed  upon. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1848,  the  Cheshire  railroad  was 
opened  to  Keene.  The  morning  train  brought  Mayor 
Quincy  of  Boston,  Mayor  Warren  of  Charlestown,  S.  M. 
Felton,  Alvah  Crocker  and  many  other  distinguished  men, 
with  the  Suffolk  brass  band.  The  day  was  fine,  people 
along  the  route  joined  the  train,  and  when  it  reached  Keene, 

1  Additions  have  since  been  made,  and  the  inside  has  been  completely  remod- 
elled. 


446  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

at  half  past  one  o'clock,  it  consisted  of  twelve  long  passen- 
ger cars  decorated  with  flags  and  evergreen,  besides  three 
platform  cars  with  seats,  containing,  in  all,  about  1,200 
people.  As  it  came  in  sight,  two  miles  distant,  and  rolled 
into  the  station,  the  bells  were  rung,  cannon  fired,  and  a 
crowd  of  five  thousand  people  shouted  its  greeting.  A  pro- 
cession formed  and  marched  to  the  town  hall,  where  a  short 
meeting  of  the  corporation  was  held,  then  reformed  and  re- 
turned to  the  station,  where  tables  were  set  on  the  plat- 
form for  fifteen  hundred  persons.  Speeches  were  made, 
songs  were  sung,  and  the  Suffolk  band  gave  some  of  its 
fine  music.  The  event  was  highly  successful  and  gratifying. 
Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  was  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
arrangements  and  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  president  of 
the  road,  presided  over  the  exercises,  and  gave  a  reception 
in  the  evening.  Mr.  Lucian  Tilton  was  chief  engineer  and 
the  first  superintendent,  and  the  road  was  pronounced  to 
be  of  superior  character.  The  massive  and  graceful  arch 
over  the  Branch  at  South  Keene  —  a  single  span  ninety  feet 
broad  and  sixty  feet  high,  designed  by  Mr.  Tilton  and  built 
under  his  direction  —  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  kind  in  the 
country  and  worth  travelling  a  long  distance  to  see. 
Keene  took  about  $300,000  of  the  stock  of  the  road,  be- 
sides $50,000  in  the  Fitchburg,  and  many  thousands  in 
other  roads.  On  the  first  of  July  two  regular  trains  a  day, 
each  way,  were  put  on,  leaving  both  Boston  and  Keene  at 
7  a.  m.  and  2  p.  m.,  and  arriving  at  11  a.  m.  and  6  p.  ra. 
On  the  first  day  of  January,  1849,  the  cars  ran  through  to 
Bellows  Falls,  and  soon  afterwards  the  road  was  opened 
to  that  point  for  regular  trafiic. 

The  wives  of  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  and  Gen.  James  Wil- 
son died  in  1848,  and  very  tender  and  appropriate  obitu- 
ary notices  of  each  were  published. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1849,  the  new  town  hall, 
which  had  been  finished  during  the  winter,  was  dedicated 
with  a  grand  citizens'  ball,  under  the  general  management 
of  a  committee  of  twenty-five,  headed  by  the  building  com- 
mittee. About  five  hundred  persons  attended;  and  for 
many  years  afterwards  the  "Citizens'  Annual  Ball"  at  the 
town  hall  was  an  important  and  enjoyable  function. 


Samuel  Dinsmook,  Jr. 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  447 

The  annual  town  meeting  of  1849  was  held  in  the  new 
hall.  The  building  committee  reported  that  the  lot  pur- 
chased of  Sumner  Wheeler,  executor  of  the  estate  of  Gen. 
Justus  Perry,  cost  $1,750;  and  the  building  — 60x80,  20 
feet  posts  — $13,829.08;  total,  $15,579.08.  At  that  elec- 
tion Samuel  Dinsmoor  was  chosen  governor  and  Gen. 
James  Wilson  was  reelected  to  congress.  Levi  Chamber- 
lain was  the  Whig  candidate  for  governor  that  year  and 
the  next,  but  that  party  was  in  the  minority  in  New 
Hampshire. 

Selden  F.  White  was  appointed  postmaster  to  succeed 
William  L.  Foster,  and  the  postoffice  was  removed  to  his 
store  in  Wilders'  building.  In  July,  Mrs.  Anne  E.  (Jarvis), 
wife  of  Gov.  Dinsmoor,  died,  and  a  very  touching  and 
affectionate  obituary  of  her  was  published. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  previous  to  1847,  public  inter- 
est in  agricultural  fairs  had  languished.  A  society  had 
been  in  existence,  called  at  one  time  the  Cheshire  County 
Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Agriculture  and  the  Me- 
chanic Arts,  which  held  a  very  creditable  "cattle  show"  in 
Keene  in  1843,  and  paid  out  a  large  sum  in  premiums; 
but  the  exhibitions  were  not  kept  up.  In  1847,  there  was 
a  revival  of  interest,  the  Cheshire  County  Agricultural 
Society  was  formed  and  a  fine  exhibition  was  given  here 
in  October,  followed  by  a  similar  one  the  next  year.  Hon. 
Salma  Hale  was  president,  and  the  leading  men  and 
women  gave  it  their  support.  In  1849  it  gave  a  remark- 
ably fine  exhibition.  Sixty  pairs  of  oxen  were  entered  for 
premiums,  and  more  than  100  pairs  were  on  exhibition. 
There  was  a  profusion  of  fruit  and  produce  of  all  kinds, 
fancy  articles  and  manufactures.  Among  those  who  took 
premiums  were  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Livermore, 
Mrs.  George  Tilden,  Mrs.  Sarah  Sturtevant  and  Miss 
Pamela  M.  Prentiss.  The  next  year  the  display  was  con- 
sidered fully  equal  to  that  of  Worcester  county,  Mass., 
one  of  the  best  in  the  country ;  and  for  several  years  a 
high  standard  w^as  maintained. 

The  project  of  building  the  Ashuelot  railroad  was 
started  as  early  as  1845-6,  and  was  vigorously  pushed  by 
John  H.   Fuller  and  others.    It  was  surveyed  in   1847,  a 


448  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

charter  obtained  in  1848,  and  after  many  difficulties  had 
been  overcome,  and  much  delay  in  raising  funds,  the  road 
was  built  in  1850.  It  was  leased  to  the  Connecticut  River 
railroad,  and  trains  began  to  run  in  1851.  John  H.  Fuller 
was  president  of  the  corporation. 

At  the  close  of  the  decade  ending  1850  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  *'Keene 
Street"  had  become  a  thriving  village  of  about  1,500 
inhabitants  —  the  whole  number  in  the  town  about  3,400 
—  with  direct  lines  of  railroad  to  Boston  and  New  York, 
and  its  position  as  the  most  important  town  in  Cheshire 
county  firmly  established.  Its  growth  was  slow,  but  con- 
stant and  healthful.  Its  men  of  business  were  almost 
invariably  successful  and  many  of  its  farmers  acquired 
wealth.  True,  the  staunch  old  firm  of  A.  &.  T.  Hall,  which 
for  forty  years  had  been  the  trusted  merchants  and  bankers 
of  many  customers,  through  the  expansion  and  complica- 
tions of  their  business  and  insecure  investments,  had  be^n 
compelled  to  close,  but  that  was  an  extreme  case.  The 
store  was  bought  by  Henry  Pond,  refitted,  and  for  many 
years  afterwards  was  occupied  by  Charles  Bridgman,  an 
enterprising  grocer  who  had  begun  business  here  in  1845, 
with  Alfred  Hebard,  in  the  Lamson  store,  and  later  had 
taken  the  "Railroad  Store,"  where  Gurnsey's  block  now 
stands.  James  B.  Elliot  &  Co.  had  succeeded  B.  F.  Adams 
&  Co.  in  the  hardware  store  in  Elliot's  building,  still  leav- 
ing the  corner  room  for  John  Bixby's  drug  store.  In  1843, 
Joshua  D.  Colony  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  Keyes  &  Col- 
ony, and  established  that  of  J.  D.  &  T.  Colony  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Square,  and  E.  &  F.  H.  Keyes,  afterwards  E. 
C.  &  F.  H.  Keyes,  continued  on  the  corner  of  West  street 
until  1851.  The  Colony s  — later,  J.  D.  Colony  &  Co., 
including  Timothy  and  Henry  Colony —  also  carried  on 
the  manufacture  of  window  glass,  and  were  the  last  to 
utilize  the  old  north  factory.  In  1851,  George  H.  Richards 
bought  the  Lamson  store  and  removed  his  jewelry  business 
to  the  corner  room,  next  to  Roxbury  street.  The  main 
part  of  that  store,  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Lamson  in 
1841,  had  been  occupied  by  his  partners,  Denny  &  Briggs, 
afterwards  by  Bridgman  &   Hebard,   then    by  Hebard  & 


1 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  449 

Tilden  (Geo.  W.),  and  later  by  Tilden  &  Colony  (J.  D.  C). 
Lucius  H.  &  Joseph  W.  Briggs,  afterwards  Briggs  & 
Kimball,  succeeded  Sumner  Wheeler  in  the  Justus  Perry 
store,  but  the  glass  bottle  business  on  Marlboro  street 
had  been  sold  and  removed  to  Stoddard.  J.  &  R.  Shelly 
occupied  the  store  next  north  of  the  Briggses,  but  in 
1851  they  took  the  one  on  the  "cheap  corner"  (Keyes  & 
Colony's).  Selden  F.  White  and  Hager  &  Whitcomb,  suc- 
ceeded by  D.  W.  Buckrainster  &  Co.,  were  in  Wilders' 
building;  and  Buffum  &  Parker,  for  a  long  term  of  years, 
were  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square,  in  the  present  Whit- 
comb store.  Kidder  &  Winchester,  afterwards  E.  W.  Win- 
chester (who  married  a  daughter  of  Abijah.  Kingsbury), 
succeeded  Abijah  Wilder  in  the  cabinet  and  furniture  busi- 
ness, and  they  and  the  Briggses  were  each  doing  a  large 
business.  Wm.  A.  Norwood,  afterwards  Norwood  & 
Weeks,  succeeded  Norwood  &  Hubbard,  tinsmiths,  on  the 
west  side  of  Court  street,  where  Barker's  block  now 
stands ;  and  a  little  later  J.  C.  &  T.  New  followed  John  P, 
Barber  &  Co.  in  the  tin  and  stove  business  in  the  old 
brick  store  where  the  Sentinel  building  now  stands.  Joseph 
and  Ephraim  Foster  —  afterwards  Fosters  &  Felt  —  were 
manufacturing  parlor  organs  and  melodeons  on  the  west 
side  of  Court  street ;  Jason  and  William  French,  who  came 
from  Brattleboro,  were  making  sleighs  and  carriages  on 
Church  street,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Jones  build- 
ing; and  Marvin  T.  Tottingham  had  a  shop  over  them 
for  sign  and  ornamental  painting.  Chester  Allen  was  tak- 
ing daguerreotypes  in  Gerould's  block  and  continued  that 
'business  there  for  many  years. 

Drs.  Geo.  B.  Twitchell  and  A.  S.  Carpenter  had  come  to 
town.  Dr.  Twitchell  occupied  the  house  on  Washington 
street,  now  Mrs.  Sarah  D.  Wheeler's,  and  Dr.  Carpenter's 
office  was  in  Briggs'  building  below  the  old  Unitarian 
church.  Dr.  Thomas  B.  Kittredge  came  from  Claremont 
soon  afterwards,  bought  the  stone  house  on  Washington 
street,  corner  of  Taylor,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  there  —  an  excellent  physician  and  a  highly  respected 
citizen.  William  P.  Wheeler,  C.  C.  Webster,  Edward  Far- 
rar  and  Farnum  F.  Lane  had  joined  the  corps  of  attor- 
neys in  town. 


450  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

A  large  social  book  club,  an  important  organization 
for  literary  culture,  was  in  existence  at  this  time.  It  was 
started  in  1847  by  Rev.  A.  A.  Livermore,  and  contained, 
besides  choice  books,  all  the  leading  periodicals  of  the  day, 
English  and  American. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1850,  was  held  the  last  of  the 
old-time  military  musters  in  Keene.  It  was  a  muster  of 
all  the  "independent"  uniformed  companies  of  the  Fifth 
brigade.  Those  that  were  particularly  noticed  for  their 
fine  appearance  were  the  Keene,  Westmoreland  and  Win- 
chester light  infantry  companies,  the  Fitzwilliam  artillery, 
the  Jafifrey  rifles  and  the  Richmond  grenadiers.  D.  W. 
Buckminster  commanded  the  Keene  Light  Infantry.  But 
the  day  was  stormy  and  the  pouring  rain  added  to  the 
funereal  aspect  of  the  occasion. 

The  census  of  1850  gave  Keene  a  population  of  3,392 
—  3,381  white  and  11  colored.  The  total  population  of 
the  United  States  was  19,387,671. 

The  Cheshire  Provident  Institution  for  Savings  reported 
the  amount  of  deposits  on  hand  to  be,  after  seventeen 
years  of  existence,  $391,290.09. 

The  twelve  highest  taxpayers  were  Josiah  Colony, 
John  Elliot,  Charles  S.  Faulkner,  Charles  Lamson,  Chesh- 
ire Provident  Institution  for  Savings,  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
Aaron  Appleton,  William  Dinsmoor,  Calvin  Page,  Cheshire 
railroad,  Charles  G.  Adams  and  John  Towns. 

The  Sons  of  Temperance,  the  Washingtonians  and  other 
temperance  organizations,  and  the  citizens  generally,  cele- 
brated the  4th  of  July,  1851.  Hon.  Jared  Perkins  presided 
and  Rev.  A.  L.  Stone  of  Boston  was  the  orator.  It  was 
to  have  been  an  outdoor  affair,  but  rain  fell,  and  it  was 
held  in  the  town  hall. 

The  New  Hampshire  Union  railroad  was  incorporated 
in  1851,  to  run  from  Keene  to  Concord  via  Hillsboro 
Bridge.  The  first  meeting  of  the  grantees  was  held  at  the 
Cheshire  House.  Samuel  Dinsmoor  and  Josiah  Colony  were 
chosen  directors  for  Keene;  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  president, 
Wm.  L.  Foster,  clerk.  But  the  probable  amount  of  busi- 
ness did  not  warrant  the  cost,  and  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned. 


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RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  451 

Ever  since  its  first  settlement  the  citizens  of  Keene 
have  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  beauty  and  reputation  of 
their  town,  and  have  endeavored  to  ornament  and  improve 
it  wherever  there  was  opportunity.  The  agitation  for 
enlarging  and  beautifying  the  common  in  1820  and  previ- 
ous to  that  date,  has  already  been  referred  to,  and  the 
improvements  made  in  1828  have  been  described.  When 
those  radical  changes  had  been  completed  the  common  was 
left  a  broad,  open  square,  which,  although  in  handsome 
form  for  the  center  of  the  village,  was  described  in  1840  ^ 
as  a  "sandy  waste."  One  of  the  methods  adopted  for  the 
improvement  of  the  appearance  of  the  town  was  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Forest  Tree  Society,  and  at  a  legal  meeting  in 
November,  1844,  the  town  passed  a  vote  permitting  that 
society  "to  fence  in  and  ornament  a  small  central  portion 
of  the  Common  of  such  size  and  shape  as  the  Selectmen 
shall  deem  compatible"  with  the  convenience  of  the  public 
highway.  For  many  years  that  society  was  active  and 
energetic  and  did  much  towards  ornamenting  our  streets 
with  trees.  At  its  annual  meeting  in  September  of  that 
year  (1844),  it  reported  having  planted  in  the  spring  141 
trees,  ninet3'-nine  of  which  were  then  alive.  But  there  was 
bitter  opposition  to  the  project  of  planting  trees  to  "con- 
ceal the  signs"  of  the  traders  or  in  any  way  obstructing 
the  free  use  of  that  public  common  —  the  parade  ground  of 
the  military,  and  the  rendezvous  and  market  place  of  the 
farmers  and  others,  with  their  teams  —  and  threats  were 
made  that  such  trees  would  be  very  quickly  uprooted  and 
removed  if  they  were  planted  there.  So  the  planting  of  the 
trees  was  delayed ;  but  the  wordy  controversy  continued 
until  the  spring  of  1851,  when  the  Forest  Tree  Society,  the 
more  active  members  of  which  were  George  A.  Wheelock, 
Dr.  F.  S.  Stratton,  George  H.  Richards,  Francis  S.  Fiske, 
Selden  F;  White  and  a  few  others,  ploughed  up  a  small 
circle,  about  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  in  the  center  of  the 
Square,  planted  a  few  trees,  which  they  brought  from  the 
"Statia"  farm,  and  enclosed  the  area  with  a  fence.  The 
oak  tree  grew  from  an  acorn  planted  by  Eliphalet  Hale,  a 

1  Until  within  a  few  years  of  that  time  a  large  guide  board  had  stood  at  the 
south  side  of  the  common  pointing  the  w^ay  and  giving  the  distances  in  miles  to 
Boston,   Walpole,  Montpelier  and  many  other  places. 


452  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

retired  merchant  of  Boston  who  was  boarding  here  at  that 
time.  Twice  since  1851  the  area  of  the  park  has  been 
enlarged  and  other  trees  added,  and  in  1860  gravelled 
walks  were  laid,  radiating  from  the  center  as  at  present. 

In  compliance  with  a  vote  of  the  town  at  the  annual 
meeting  in  1852,  the  selectmen  procured  a  fireproof  safe 
for  keeping  the  town  records. 

At  South  Keene  important  improvements  were  made. 
In  1830  to  1833,  George  Page  had  a  small  shop  — with  a 
lathe  operated  by  foot  and  later  by  horse  power  —  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Washington  school  grounds,  where,  with 
the  financial  aid  of  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  he  secured  a 
patent  and  made  mortising  machines,  under  the  firm  name 
of  T.  M.  Edwards  &  Co.  About  1834,  they  were  joined 
by  J.  A.  Fay  and  Edward  Joslin.  In  1837,  to  get  the 
benefit  of  water  power,  they  bought  one-half  of  the  hoe 
making  shop  of  Aaron  Davis  and  removed  to  South  Keene. 
They  enlarged  the  shop;  Messrs.  Edwards,  Davis  and  Page 
sold  out;  and  the  firm  became  J.  A.  Fay  &  Co.  They 
made  planing  and  mortising  machines,  and  all  kinds  of 
wood-working  machinery  —  the  first  ever  made  in  America. 
In  1847,  to  meet  the  large  demand  for  their  machines,  they 
established  branch  factories  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  Cin- 
cinnati, O. ;  and  this  year  (1852)  built  the  factory  at 
South  Keene.  The  branches  soon  became  large  establish- 
ments, that  at  Cincinnati  being  the  largest  of  the  kind  in 
the  world,  with  a  capital  of  $1,500,000,  and  the  whole 
establishment  bears  the  corporate  name  of  the  J.  A.  Fa3'' 
&  Egan  Co.  In  1862,  all  the  manufacturing  was  trans- 
ferred to  Norwich  and  Cincinnati,  and  the  factory  at  South 
Keene  was  closed.  Mr.  Fay  died  in  1854,  and  Mr.  Joslin 
in  1901. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  above  enterprise,  Aaron  Davis, 
with  his  sons,  established  the  iron  foundry  on  Davis  street, 
near  Ashuelot  river.  Mr.  Davis  died  in  1857,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  business  by  his  son,  Alfred  S.,  and  he  by 
Moses  Ellis,  who  rebuilt  the  foundry  and  enlarged  and 
improved  the  business. 

At  the  national  election  in  November,  1852,  the  town 
"Voted  That  the  Selectmen  in  conjunction  with  the  board 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  453 

of  Fire  Engineers,  be  authorized  to  purchase  a  suitable 
number  and  proper  uniforms  to  be  kept  by  said  Town,  for 
the  use  of  each  member  of  the  several  Fire  Engine  com- 
panies of  said  Town." 

The  Ashuelot  Fire  Insurance  Company  (mutual)  was 
organized  in  February,  1853,  with  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
Benj.  F.  Adams,  William  Dinsmoor,  Sumner  Wheeler  and 
Francis  S.  Fiske  incorporators.  It  did  a  successful  business 
in  this  and  adjoining  counties  for  nearly  half  a  century. 

In  1848-9,  two  young  men  —  one  a  Mr.  Towns  —  began 
operations  in  a  small  building  on  our  present  Mechanic 
street,  where  the  main  shops  now  stand,  with  a  twelve 
horse-power  engine.  Soon  afterwards  Mr.  Lanmon  Nims 
came  from  Sullivan  and  bought  them  out,  took  in  Nelson 
N.  Sawyer  and  Sawyer  Porter  as  partners  —  afterwards 
Daniel  Buss,  the  firm  becoming  Nims  &  Buss  —  enlarged 
the  plant  and  manufactured  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  Mr. 
Cyrus  Woodward  succeeded  Mr.  Nims,  and  for  a  few 
years  the  firm  was  Buss  &  Woodward.  In  1856,  the  build- 
ings were  destroyed  by  fire,  causing  a  loss  of  $1,500  to 
$2,000.  The  property  then  passed  into  the  hands  of  S.  D. 
Osborne  and  S.  W.  Hale,  and  the  shops  were  rebuilt  for 
the  manufacture  of  chairs,  Messrs.  Lanmon  Nims  and 
Samuel  B.  Crossfield  (Nims  &  Crossfield)  hiring  power  and 
continuing  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  The 
Keene  Steam  Power  Co.  was  organized  in  February,  1853, 
for  the  purpose  of  improving  this  property,  but  the  neces- 
sary capital  was  not  raised  and  the  project  w^as  abandoned 
for  that  time. 

Joshua  D.  Colony  was  appointed  postmaster  to  suc- 
ceed Selden  F.  White,  and  removed  the  ofl&ce  to  the  east 
side  of  the  Square,  where  it  remained  twelve  years. 

The  centennial  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the 
town  under  the  New  Hampshire  charter  was  celebrated 
on  the  26th  of  May,  1853,  in  compliance  with  a  vote  of 
the  town  at  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  when  $500 
were  appropriated  for  that  purpose.  ^  A  large  tent  had 
been  pitched  on  a  green  plat  near  the  Square,  but  the  rain 
poured  in  torrents  and  the  exercises  were  held  in  the  town 

1  $356.40  were  afterwards  appropriated  to  meet  a  deficit. 


454  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

hall.  Hon,  Thomas  M.  Edwards  was  president  of  the  day; 
Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  was  chief  marshal;  and  Samuel 
Dinsmoor,  Salma  Hale,  Charles  G.  Adams,  John  Elliot,  John 
Wood,  Josiah  Colony,  Elijah  Parker,  Timothy  Hall,  John 
Prentiss,  John  H.  Fuller,  Charles  Lamson,  Samuel  Wood, 
Thomas  F.  Ames,  George  Tilden,  Abel  Blake,  Enos  Hol- 
brook,  Luther  Nurse,  B.  F.  Adams,  William  Lamson,  Cal- 
vin Chapman,  Sumner  Wheeler,  J.  D.  Colony,  Thomas  H. 
Leverett,  Michael  Metcalf,  Daniel  Watson,  Samuel  Towns, 
Noah  R.  Cooke,  James  Buffum,  Kendall  Crossfield,  Josiah 
Sawyer,  Geo.  K.  Wright,  J.  W.  Briggs,  Albert  Godfrey, 
Harvey  A.  Bill,  Charles  S.  Faulkner,  Abijah  Wilder,  Elipha- 
let  Briggs,  Wm.  P.  Wheeler,  John  H.  Elliot,  F.  A.  Faulk- 
ner, F.  F.  Lane,  Virgil  M.  Kimball,  Geo.  B.  Twitchell, 
Wm.  S.  Briggs,  Geo.  A.  Wheelock,  James  B.  Elliot,  Leonard 
Bisco,  Isaac  Sturtevant,  Joshua  Wyman,  Robert  Wilson, 
S.  A.  Gerould,  Jr.,  Edward  Farrar,  J.  W.  Prentiss,  S.  F, 
White,  F.  S.  Fiske,  and  others,  served  as  vice  presidents, 
members  of  committees,  secretaries,  marshals,  etc.  A  large 
number  of  natives  who  had  left  town,  and  other  former 
residents,  returned  to  assist  at  this  celebration. 
The  program  of  exercises  was  as  follows : 

1.  Prayer  by  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow,  D.  D. 

2.  Ode,  written  for  the  occasion  by  Rev.  Gilbert  Rob- 
bins  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  sung  by  a  large  choir  under 
the  direction  of  Wm.  S.  Hutchins. 

3.  Oration  by  Hon.  Joel  Parker,  professor  of  law  in 
Harvard  university,  late  chief  justice  of  New  Hampshire. 

4.  Anthem  by  the  choir. 

5.  Concluding  prayer  by  Rev.  Gilbert  Robbins. 

The  rain  having  ceased,  a  procession  was  formed, 
headed  by  the  Boston  Brigade  band,  P.  S.  Gilmore,  leader, 
and  marched  down  Main  street,  to  the  Eli  Metcalf  lot,  the 
site  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Ball's  residence,  where  a  colla- 
tion under  a  tent  was  provided  by  Mr.  John  Wright  of 
Boston,  with  seats  for  2,000  persons ;  and  although  many 
were  kept  away  by  the  storm,  1,700  to  1,800  were  pres- 
ent. Grace  was  said  by  Rev.  Wm.  O.  White,  and  at  the 
close,  thanks  were  offered  by  Rev.  Mr.  Ouimby.  The  fol- 
lowing toasts  were  announced  by  the  president  —  as  pre- 
pared by  a  committee: 


I 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  455 

1.  "Our  Centennial  Celebration  —  with  all  its  reveren- 
tial and  pleasant  memories."  Dr.  Watts's  version  of  the 
78th  psalm  was  sung  to  the  tune  of  St.  Martins  by  the 
whole  assembly,  led  by  the  choir  and  accompanied  by  the 
band. 

2.  "Sir  Benjamin  Keene  —  We  pay  the  debt  for  his 
name  by  'keeping  his  memory  green.'"  The  band  played 
"Over  the  Waters  to  Charley." 

3.  "The  First  Settlers  and  Early  Inhabitants  of  Keene 
—  May  their  foresight,  their  energy,  their  sacrifices,  be  held 
in  grateful  remembrance  by  those  who  reap  where  they 
sowed."  Singing,  "Auld  Lang  Syne."  Response  by  Mr. 
John  Prentiss. 

4.  "The  Ladies  of  Keene  —  The  first  census  showed 
their  superiority  in  numbers,  and  our  whole  history  bears 
testimony  to  the  influence  of  their  virtues  and  graces."  The 
band,  "Believe  me  if  all  those  endearing  young  charms." 
Response  by  Dea.  Samuel  Greele,  of  Boston.  The  president 
of  the  day  gave:   "The  memory  of  Miss  Catherine  Fiske." 

5.  "The  Ashuelot  —  That  bright  stream  which  gave 
the  first  Indian  and  poetical  name  to  our  town."  Band, 
"The  Meeting  of  the  Waters."  Response  by  Gideon  F. 
Thayer  of  Boston. 

6.  "The  Sons  of  Keene  who  have  left  us  —  The  reports 
that  come  back  to  us  prove  that  they  have  done  us  honor 
abroad."  Band,  "Oft  in  the  Stilly  Night."  Responses  by 
George  S.  Hale  of  Boston  and  Horatio  G.  Parker,  then  of 
Greenfield,  Mass. 

7.  "The  House  of  Nathan  Blake  —  The  first  house 
erected  in  the  township;  and  the  Meeting  House  of  1753, 
built  of  slabs,  with  earthen  floor."  Band,  "I  remember 
the  house  where  I  was  born."  Responded  to  by  Rev.  Geo. 
G.  IngersoU,  D.  D.,  of  Keene,  with  a  witty  original  poem 
upon  local  matters  in  which  were  the  lines : 

"The  Keene  that  was,  dream  of  an  eadier  year, 

Its  very  name  was  music  to  my  ear, 

*        *        *        *        *        * 

Like  some  sweet,  far  off,  visionary  scene, 
My  very  name  for  Fairy-Land  was  'Keene.'  " 

8.  "The  'worthy  Jacob  Bacon,'  the  first  Minister  of 
Upper  Ashuelot,  and  his  worthy  successors,  the  Ministers 
of  Keene."  Singing,  "Ye  Christian  Heralds,"  Zenner.  Re- 
sponse by  Rev.  Dr.  Barstow,  and  Rev.  David  Oliphant,  a 
former  minister  of  Keene. 

9.  "Old  Captain  Wyman  and  the  'Thirty  Volunteers' 
who  marched,  at  twelve  hours'  warning,  against  the  'Reg- 
ulars.' "    Band,  "Yankee  Doodle." 

10.  "The  first  annual  school  tax  of  six  pounds  —  the 
last  of  two  thousand  dollars."    "The  Schoolmaster." 


456  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

11.  "The  first  'Town  Resolve'  against  'drinking  and 
tippling,'  with  the  forfeit  of  'two  shillings  for  the  use  of 
the  poor.'"    "Rogues'  March." 

12.  "Hon.  Daniel  Newcomb ;  and  the  Bar  of  Keene  in 
his  day,  and  their  worthy  successors."  "Fine  Old  English 
Gentleman." 

13.  "The  Adopted  Citizens  of  Keene  —  Let  their  num- 
bers increase;  we  shall  always  be  glad  to  give  them  room 
and  welcome." 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  following  volunteer 
toasts  w^ere  responded  to : 

1.  "The  Traders  of  Keene  forty  years  ago,  and  the 
Merchants  of  Boston  today."  Response  by  Isaac  Parker, 
of  Boston,  formerly  a  trader  in  Keene. 

2.  "The  Author  of  the  Annals  of  Keene  —  He  has 
secured  for  himself  an  honorable  place  in  the  annals  of  any 
future  historian  of  the  town."  Response  by  Hon.  Salma 
Hale. 

3.  "New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  Keene  and 
Boston  —  May  they  ever  continue  to  pursue  with  one 
heart  and  one  purpose  whatever  is  patriotic,  or  elevated, 
or  philosophic  for  the  amelioration  of  man."  Response  by 
G.  F.  Thayer. 

4.  "Moses  Johnson — For  many  years  an  active,  en- 
terprising, and  public  spirited  citizen  of  the  town.  He  has 
stamped  the  impress  of  those  qualities  upon  various  por- 
tions of  the  village  in  a  manner  hardly  to  be  effaced  by 
time." 

5.  "The  memories  of  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  —  The  skill- 
ful physician  and  surgeon,  and  of  Capt.  Aaron  Hall,  the 
benevolent  merchant  and  apothecary." 

6.  "The  memory  of  Hon.  Phineas  Handerson  —  The 
sound  lawyer,  upright  magistrate,  and  exemplary  Chris- 
tian." 

Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  was  called  upon  to  respond  to 
the  thirteenth  regular  toast,  but  the  lateness  of  the  hour 
prevented. 

The  three  fire  companies  of  Keene,  the  Deluge,  Tiger 
and  Lion,  made  their  first  appearance  in  new  uniforms, 
with  full  ranks,  and  did  escort  duty.  The  meeting 
adjourned  for  one  hundred  years.  In  the  evening  the  band 
gave  a  concert  at  the  town  hall,  and  the  president  of  the 
day  opened  his  house  for  a  general  reception. 

The  general  committee  by  a  unanimous  vote  requested 
a  copy   of  Judge  Parker's  oration  for  publication,   and  a 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  457 

committee  was  appointed  to  publish  a  full  report  of  the 
celebration.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1855  the  town 
passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Judge  Parker  "for  his  learned 
and  eloquent  address,"  and  instructed  the  selectmen  to 
publish  twelve  hundred  copies  of  it  —  provided  "the 
expense  shall  not  exceed  $250."  The  address  was  never 
published,  nor  any  report  of  the  celebration  except  by  the 
local  newspapers. 

The  subject  was  revived  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1860, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  procure  a  copy  of  the 
address  for  publication  —  300  copies  of  the  pamphlet  to  be 
printed  instead  of  1,200.  But  Judge  Parker's  reply  to  the 
request  —  recorded  in  full  in  the  town  books  —  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  address  was  not  historical  and  therefore 
would  not  be  of  sufficient  general  interest  to  warrant  its 
publication. 

The  Keene  Debating  Club,  a  resuscitation  of  the  old 
Forensic  Society,  now  (1853)  held  regular  meetings,  every 
Tuesday  evening,  in  Odd  Fellows'  hall.  The  Keene  Lyceum 
lectures  had  also  been  established  by  Levi  Chamberlain, 
Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Wm.  P.  Wheeler, 
Wm.  O.  White,  Geo.  B.  Twitchell,  F.  A.  Faulkner  and 
others,  afterwards  managed  for  several  yeard  by  George 
Tilden.  The  list  of  lecturers  comprised  the  names  of  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.,  George  W.  Curtis,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  Anson  Burlingame,  John  G.  Saxe, 
Wendell  Phillips,  J.  G.  Holland,  Bayard  Taylor,  Charles 
Sumner,  Grace  Greenwood,  Revs.  E.  H.  Chapin,  Starr  King 
and  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  others  equally  distinguished. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1854,  upon  the  report  of  a 
committee  previously  appointed,  the  town  voted  to  pur- 
chase the  "Woodland  Cemetery"  lot  of  Thomas  M.  Ed- 
wards, which  included  a  part  of  the  muster  field;  and  the 
trade  was  consummated  in  June.  In  1856,  a  committee, 
consisting  of  N.  B.  Harrington,  Timothy  Twitchell  and 
Geo.  W.  Sturtevant,  was  appointed  to  lay  out  and  appraise 
the  lots,  and  Mr.  George  A.  Wheelock  was  appointed 
superintendent . 

In  October,  1854,  the  State  Agricultural  Society  held 
its  annual  fair  in  Keene,  on   what  is  now  Wheelock  park, 


458  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

continuing  four  days.  The  lot  —  twenty-five  acres  —  had 
recently  been  purchased  by  the  county  society,  largely 
through  the  influence  of  Thomas  H.  Leverett,  fenced  and 
provided  with  excellent  buildings  and  conveniences.  A 
building  nearly  100  feet  long  had  been  erected  for  the  dis- 
play of  fancy  articles,  farm  products  and  manufactures ;  a 
barn  for  horses;  a  grand  stand  capable  of  seating  2,000 
persons ;  and  numerous  pens  and  stalls  along  the  west  and 
north  sides  of  the  lot  for  stock.  The  display  was  fine  and 
drew  a  large  number  of  people.  More  than  200  pairs  of 
oxen  and  about  400  head  of  other  cattle  were  entered  for 
premiums,  besides  large  numbers  of  horses  and  other 
stock.  Governor  Baker  and  many  distinguished  men  were 
present,  and  the  Manchester  Cornet  band  furnished  the 
music.  For  many  years  afterwards  the  Cheshire  county 
fair  was  a  permanent  and  important  institution,  excelling 
other  county  and  even  state  fairs  in  the  display  of  fine 
oxen  and  other  exhibits. 

In  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  Dec.  2,  1854,  a  wind  and 
snow  storm  visited  Keene,  which  increased  in  violence  and 
continued  through  the  night.  Much  damage  was  done  to 
buildings,  fences  and  timber.  Fifty  chimneys  in  the  village 
w^ere  blown  down  and  some  buildings  were  destroyed. 
More  than  500  old  growth  pine  trees,  belonging  to  Stephen 
Chase,  were  blown  down,  and  large  numbers  on  a  lot  in 
Ash  Swamp,  on  the  ministry  lot,  on  the  Wright  farm  on 
Beech  hill,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  town.  The  following 
summer,  Mr.  Chase,  in  connection  with  his  brother  Charles, 
put  up  a  steam  sawmill  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  a 
few  rods  north  of  his  house,  to  cut  up  the  pine  timber. 
After  running  a  few  years,  the  mill  was  sold  to  Charles 
Chase  and  Madison  Fairbanks,  who  removed  it  to  Ralston 
street  in  1860,  increased  the  power,  added  other  buildings 
and  carried  on  a  large  business  in  the  manufacture  of  sash, 
doors,  blinds  and  other  products  of  wood.  Later  the  plant 
was  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  Fairbanks  alone. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1854,  the  old  Watson  harness 
shop,  next  south  of  the  Cheshire  bank,  was  destroj-ed  by 
fire.  The  fire  department  was  commended  as  being  very  effi- 
cient; there  was  no  wind  and  other  buildings  were  saved. 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  459 

The  Cheshire  County  bank  was  organized  in  August, 
1855,  and  occupied  the  brick  building  which  was  erected 
during  the  summer  by  Henry  Pond  on  the  north  half  of 
the  Watson  lot ;  capital,  $100,000.  The  board  of  directors 
consisted  of  Zebina  Newell,  George  Huntington,  William 
Haile,  Frederic  Vose,  Amos  A.  Parker,  Lawson  Robertson 
and  Harvey  A.  Bill.  The  president  was  Zebina  Newell,  and 
the  cashier,  Geo.  W.  Tilden.  Mr.  Newell  died  in  1858.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Frederic  Yose,  and  he,  in  1871,  by 
Edward  Joslin,  who  died  in  1901. i  Mr.  Tilden  was  cashier 
until  his  death  in  1879,  and  was  succeeded  by  J.  R.  Beal, 
who  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  1895,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Wallace  L.  Mason.  In  1865,  it  w^as  organ- 
ized as  a  national  bank,  and  the  name  changed  to  Keene 
National  bank.     The  capital  remained  the  same. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  1855,  the  old  glass  factory  at 
the  north  end  of  the  village,  which  had  been  an  important 
landmark  for  nearly  half  a  century,  w^as  destroyed  by  fire. 

Mrs.  Betsey  (Nourse),  widow  of  Capt.  John  Leonard 
(who  died  in  1829,  aged  seventy-six),  died,  December  7, 
aged  one  hundred  years,  seven  months  and  ten  days. 

The  4th  of  July,  1856,  was  celebrated,  many  people 
from  other  towns  joining.  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards  w^as 
president  of  the  day,  Capt.  D.  W.  Buckminster  marshal. 
A  procession  was  formed  on  the  arrival  of  the  train  from 
Boston  and  marched  through  the  principal  streets  of  the 
village.  Speeches  were  made  and  a  collation  provided  at 
the  Emerald  House. 

In  January,  1857,  there  was  a  term  of  remarkably 
cold  weather,  lasting  ten  days.  "The  mercury  ranged  be- 
low zero  for  several  days."  On  the  16th,  it  fell  to  40° 
below,  and  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  to  50°  below. 

A  firemen's  muster  was  held  here  in  September,  1857. 
Sixteen  companies  from  this  and  neighboring  towns,  with 
their  engineers  —  seven  of  them  with  military  bands  — 
paraded  and  marched  through  the  streets.  In  the  after- 
noon there  was  a  trial  of  efficiency  in  which  the  Deluge 
Company,  No.  3,  of  Claremont,  won  the  first  prize,  $150; 
the  Franklin,  No.  2,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.,  the  second,  $100; 

1  Elisha  F.    Lane   followed    Mr.   Joslin,  serving  one    vear.      He    was   succeeded 
by  George  A.  Litchfield.     [Eds.] 


460  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

and  the  Alert,  No.  1,  of  Winchendon,  the  third,  $50.  The 
engines  were  the  old-fashioned  tubs,  with  hand  brakes,  and 
they  threw  water  to  the  height  of  160  feet. 

When  the  courthouse  was  removed  from  the  east  to 
the  west  side  of  the  turnpike,  in  1808,  Capt.  Josiah  Rich- 
ardson gave  the  land  for  the  new  site  (conveyed  to  the 
county  by  "lease  and  demise;"  consideration  one  dollar) 
with  the  condition:  "To  have  and  to  hold  the  same  for 
the  use  of  a  Court  house  thereon,  and  for  so  long  a  Time 
as  said  County  shall  Choose  to  use  it  for  that  purpose 
and  no  longer."  When  the  county  was  about  to  build  a 
brick  courthouse  on  the  same  site  in  1824-  it  procured  a 
deed  of  the  same  premises  (consideration  five  dollars)  from 
Joseph  Dorr  and  his  wife,  Rebecca  —  sole  surviving  heir  of 
Capt.  Richardson  —  but  that  deed  contained  the  same  con- 
dition as  to  the  use  of  the  land  and  courthouse  as  the  con- 
veyance of  Capt.  Richardson.  The  county  forfeited  its 
rights  in  the  premises  by  permitting  the  building  to  be 
used  for  other  purposes  than  those  of  a  courthouse.  Dea. 
Samuel  Wood  purchased  the  reversionary  rights  of  Mrs. 
Dorr  and  brought  suit  to  recover  the  property.  The  case 
was  decided  against  the  county  in  1856.  (See  New  Hamp- 
shire Reports,  vol.  32,  Wood  v.  Cheshire  Co.)  The  county 
convention  of  the  legislature  then  authorized  the  purchase 
of  an  additional  tract  of  land  on  the*  north  side  of  the 
stone  county  building,  the  removal  of  that  building,  and 
the  erection  of  a  new  courthouse.  From  a  larger  commit- 
tee Thomas  M.  Edwards,  of  Keene,  and  Nelson  Converse, 
of  Marlboro,  were  appointed  a  sub-committee  to  superin- 
tend the  work,  and  the  present  courthouse  was  built  in 
1858.  G.  J.  F.  Bryant  of  Boston  was  the  architect.  The 
south  half  of  the  old  courthouse  came  into  possession  of 
S.  A.  Gerould  &  Son,  was  rebuilt,  and  was  for  many  years 
the  drug  store  of  Dort  &  Chandler  and  B.  W.  Hodgkins; 
the  north  half  is  the  store  of  Bullard  &  Shedd. 

At  the  annual  election  in  1859,  a  committee,  Wm. 
S.  Briggs,  Thomas  H.  Leverett,  and  Levi  Chamberlain, 
appointed  the  previous  year,  reported  that  they  had  pur- 
chased a  strip  of  land  eighteen  feet  wide  at  the  north  end 
of  the  town  hall  for  a  driveway,  as  instructed ;   and  Wm. 


COUKTHOISK.   Ekected  1858. 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  461 

P.  Abbott,  F.  F.  Lane  and  Arba  Kidder  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  enlarge  the  hall  and  provide  an  entrance  at 
the  north  end.    The  enlargement  was  made  later. 

Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards  was  elected  to  congress  in 
1859. 

Early  in  this  year  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  Keene  was  organized — S.  D.  Osborne,  president; 
Reuben  Stewart,  Albert  A.  Woodward,  S.  W.  Hale,  D.  R. 
Calef,  Simeon  Ballou,  directors.  They  occupied  chambers 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Square. 

In  1857,  after  several  years  of  subsidence,  interest  in 
the  subject  of  a  public  library  in  Keene  again  revived.  A 
meeting  of  the  citizens  in  December  appointed  Wm.  P. 
Wheeler,  Wm.  O.  White,  George  Tilden  and  Wm.  H.  Thayer 
a  committee  to  consider  the  subject,  propose  a  plan  of 
procedure  and  report  at  a  future  meeting.  Under  the  call 
of  that  committee  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held  at 
the  town  hall  on  the  31st  of  January,  1859,  Hon.  Thomas 
M.  Edwards,  chairman.  The  result  of  that  meeting  was 
that  a  voluntary  association  was  organized  by  Wm.  P. 
Wheeler,  John  H.  Elliot,  Geo.  B.  Twitchell,  E.  A.  Webb, 
Gilman  Joslin,  F.  F.  Lane,  Wm.  H.  Thayer,  D.  H.  Sawyer, 
Wm.  S.  Briggs,  George  Cook,  Leonard  Bisco  and  their 
associates  under  the  general  laws  of  New  Hampshire, 
taking  the  name  of  the  Keene  Public  Library.  It  had  a 
paid-up  cash  capital  of  $1,000,  in  shares  of  $5  each,  and 
was  managed  by  a  board  of  twelve  trustees,  chosen  each 
year.  The  library  began  its  circulation  on  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  with  a  few  remaining  volumes  of  former 
libraries,  forty-two  volumes  of  public  documents,  presented 
by  Hon.  A.  H.  Cragin,  M.  C,  fifty-three  bound  volumes  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel  — 1799  to  1852  — and  other 
ancient  newspapers  from  John  Prentiss,  many  miscellaneous 
volumes  from  others,  and  about  1,000  new  books.  Its 
room  was  the  office  of  Leonard  Bisco,  on  the  second  floor 
in  Elliot's  block,  corner  of  West  street,  and  Mr.  Bisco  was 
the  librarian  ;  and  there  it  remained  until  it  was  transferred 
to  the  city  of  Keene,  in  1874,  and  was  made  a  free  public 
library.    It  then  numbered  2,644  volumes. 

At    the    annual    meeting-  in   1860    the    town   voted  to 


462  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

accept  the  bequest  of  $1,000  made  by  David  A.  Simmons, 
a  native  of  Keene.  The  conditions  of  the  bequest  were 
that  it  "be  safely  invested  and  the  interest  thereof  and 
income  only  to  be  forever  annually  applied  by  the  Selectmen 
of  the  said  Town  for  the  time  being  toward  the  relief  and 
comfort  of  such  of  the  poor  of  the  Town  requiring  assist- 
ance therefrom  who  are  aged  and  infirm."  i 

In  the  original  grant  of  Upper  Ashuelot  by  the  province 
of  Massachusetts  one  "  house-lot,"  or  right  —  one  sixty -third 
part  of  the  township,  or  a  fraction  over  four  hundred  acres 
—  was  reserved  for  the  first  settled  minister,  one  for  the 
ministry  and  one  for  the  school;  and  those  house  lots, 
carrying  with  them  the  rights  in  the  subsequent  divisions 
of  the  lands,  were  laid  out  with  those  of  the  sixty  indi- 
vidual proprietors  and  were  numbered,  respectively,  13,  28 
and  29.  Again,  the  New  Hampshire  charter  of  1753 
granted  "One  Sixty  forth  Parte  of  the  Said  Tract  (394V2 
acres)  for  the  Incorporated  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  Parts,  One  Sixty  forth  Parte  of 
the  Said  Tract  for  the  first  Settled  Minister  of  the  Gospel 
in  S*^  Town  One  Sixty  forth  Parte  of  the  said  Tract  for  A 
Glebe  for  the  Church  of  England  as  by  Law  Established." 
In  March,  1761,  the  proprietors  granted  the  minister  lands 
— the  one  sixty-fourth  part  of  the  township  as  prescribed 
in  the  charter  —  to  Rev.  Clement  Sumner,  as  the  first  (per- 
manently) settled  minister  of  the  town ;  and  he  disposed 
of  those  lands  at  his  pleasure,  as  we  find  by  the  records 
of  deeds.  But  nothing  appears  to  have  been  done  concern- 
ing the  lands  belonging  to  the  "ministry"  until  1787, 
when  the  proprietors  of  the  undivided  lands  in  Keene 
voted  to  lay  out  in  said  lands  fifty  acres  to  be  kept  for  a 
woodlot  for  firewood  for  the  gospel  minister  of  said  town, 
and  to  be  used  for  no  other  purpose  —  to  be  under  the 
care  of  the  selectmen.  This  grant  of  about  one-eighth  of 
what  both  the  Massachusetts  grant  and  the  New  Hamp- 
shire charter  required  of  them  apparently  satisfied  the 
consciences  of  the  proprietors  concerning  the  "ministry" 
lands. 

iln  1887,  the  Simmons  fund  of  $1,000  and  the  bequest  of  Susan  Eastbum  of 
$300  for  the  same  purpose,  with  some  accrued  interest,  were  deposited  in  the 
Guaranty  Savings  bank,  resulting  in  a  serious  loss.  In  1896,  Julius  N.  Morse 
bequeathed  $1,000  to  be  added  to  the  Simmons  fund. 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  463 

Concerning  the  glebe  lands  we  find  the    following    in 
the  proprietors'  records : 
"  Cheshire  ss  \ 

/  May  28th  1804  Met  according  to  adjourn- 
ment. On  the  2nd  Article  voted  that  Elijah 
Dunbar  or  any  other  person  or  persons  legally  authorized 
should  lay  out  one  sixty  fourth  part  of  said  Township  for 
a  Glebe  for  the  church  of  England  as  by  Law  established 
and  have  the  same  entered  on  the  Proprietors  book  of 
Records,  provided  the  same  be  done  at  his  or  their  own 
expense  &  the  same  be  laid  out  in  the  common  and  undi- 
vided lands  in  not  more  than  three  lots  or  Divisions  by 
the  Committee  for  laying  out  the  last  Division  in  said 
Town." 

"I  have  laid  out  the  said  land  and  taken  possession  of 

the  same  in  behalf  of  the  Episcopal  society  which  I  hereby 

affirm  I  have  a  right  to  do  by  virtue  of  a  Lease  of  the 

Rev.*^  Daniel  Barber  agent  for  said  Society. 

Elijah  Dunbar. 
****** 

"Attest  L.  (Lockhart)  Willard,  Prop«  Clerk." 
Mr.  Dunbar's  grant  was  not  secured  to  him  nor  to  the 
Episcopal  church  or  society,  no  record  of  its  lay-out  has 
been  found,  and  no  one  knows  where  it  was  located.  The 
"Glebe  road"  to  Westmoreland  was  so  called  because  it 
ran  through  or  near  the  Westmoreland  glebe,  not  that  of 
Keene,  so  far  as  is  known. 

No  account  has  been  found  in  the  proprietors'  records, 
or  in  those  of  the  town  of  Keene,  concerning  the  disposi- 
tion of  those  original  school  lands,  nor  has  the  tow^n  ever 
had  them  in  its  possession  or  received  any  income  from 
them  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools.  Apparently  they  were 
seized  by  the  proprietors,  and  finally  passed  into  the  hands 
of  private  parties.  And  the  same  is  true  of  the  glebe  lands 
and  those  granted  to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts. 

To  return  to  the  ministry  lot.  Many  years  after  the 
grant  of  fifty  acres  in  1787,  when  more  than  one  minister 
had  been  settled  in  town,  firewood  from  that  lot  was 
given  to  each  of  them.  It  was  laid  out  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town,  about  two  miles  from  the  village,  on  the  hills 
west  of  Beaver  brook.  On  it  was  a  heavy  growth  of  pine 
timber,   a  large  part  of   which  was  blown  down  by  the 


464  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

wind  storm  of  1854.  The  selectmen  sold  the  wood  and 
timber,  and  afterwards  such  trees  as  were  deteriorating, 
and  put  the  money  into  the  town  treasury  to  be  accounted 
for.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1860,  the  town  instructed 
the  selectmen  to  separate  from  other  moneys  the  proceeds 
of  the  sales  from  the  ministry  lot  and  treat  them  thereafter 
as  a  separate  fund.i  The  interest  of  that  fund  has  since 
been  divided  each  year  among  the  resident  settled  ministers 
in  lieu  of  firewood. 

The  close  of  this  decade,  ending  1860,  showed  decided 
progress  and  many  improvements  in  Keene.  Shelly  & 
Sawyer  had  built  a  three-story  brick  block  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Square,  in  place  of  the  old  Perry  &  Wheeler  store ; 
and,  adjoining  it,  the  Cheshire  Mills  corporation  of  Harris- 
ville  (the  sons  of  Josiah  Colony  of  Keene)  had  put  up  a 
handsome  building  with  an  iron  front,  of  smaller  dimensions 
but  of  the  same  height,  filling  the  space  to  the  old  Lamson 
building  on  the  corner  of  Roxbury  street;  the  Cheshire 
House  had  been  remodelled  by  Henry  Pond,  the  south  wing 
added,  with  stores  on  the  ground  floor  and  a  hall  above 
40x76  feet,  17  feet  high,  and  the  large  stables  in  the  rear 
built ;  the  Congregational  meetinghouse  had  been  moved 
back  four  feet  to  the  line  of  the  Wilder  building,  raised,  to 
give  height  for  the  vestry  beneath,  widened,  to  give  room 
for  two  more  rows  of  pews,  the  steeple  remodelled  and 
extended  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  a  new  organ 
placed  in  the  gallery.  In  January,  1861,  it  was  rededicated, 
and  Rev.  John  A.  Hamilton  was  ordained  as  assistant  to 
Rev.  Dr.  Barstow. 

St.  James'  Episcopal  church  had  been  organized.  Rev.  E. 
A.  Renouf,  rector.  The  incorporators  of  the  parish,  under 
the  general  laws  of  New  Hampshire,  were  Thomas  B.  Kit- 
tredge,  Wm.  P.  Wheeler,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  James  Q.  Newell, 
Josiah  Colony,  Cyrene  Johnson,  F.  M.  Ballou,  Lucius 
Goodnow,  John  Bixby,  Harry  Brownson,  M.  T.  Totting- 
ham,  D.  H.  Sawyer  and  Joshua  D.  Colony.  Episcopal 
services  had  been  held  in  Keene  as  early  as  1816,  in  the 
old  courthouse,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Leonard,  of  Windsor,  Vt.,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Moss,  of  Newburyport,  Mass.    Among  the  citizens 

iln  1887,  the  accumulation  of  those  sales  and  interest  amounted  to  $4,155. 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  465 

who  aided  in  those  services  were  Elijah  Dunbar,  Ithamar 
Chase  and  Dr.  Thomas  Edwards.  The  burial  service  of 
that  church  was  first  used  in  Keene  by  Rev.  Dr.  Strong,  of 
Greenfield,  Mass.,  in  August,  1817,  in  the  First  Congrega- 
tional church,  at  the  funeral  of  Hon.  Ithamar  Chase,  and 
made  a  deep  impression.  Occasional  services  were  held 
afterwards  by  Rev.  Mr.  Barber,  of  West  Claremont,  and 
by  Rev.  Nathaniel  Sprague,i  a  native  of  Keene,  son  of  Hon. 
Peleg  Sprague;  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Edwards  were  confirmed 
by  Bishop  Griswold.  Services  were  held  here  for  several 
weeks  in  the  summer  of  1850  by  Rev.  Henry  N.  Hudson, 
the  celebrated  Shakesperian  scholar,  but  he  was  called  to 
another  field  and  it  was  not  until  1858  that  they  were 
renewed  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Carlton  Chase,  bishop  of  New 
Hampshire,  with  the  result  above  related.  The  stone 
church  on  West  street  was  built  in  1863,  Charles  E.  Parker, 
architect.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  the  30th  of  June 
with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  the  edifice  w^as  com- 
pleted during  the  following  winter  and  spring,  and  w^as 
used  for  the  first  time  on  Sunday,  August  21,  1864. 

T.  J.  French  had  built  the  brick  house  on  West  street, 
now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Eliza  Faulkner,  and  Henry  Pond 
his  residence  on  the  same  street,  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  his  son,  Herbert.  Chase  &  Fairbanks  had  set  up  their 
steam  mill  on  Ralston  street,  and  nearly  one  hundred 
buildings  had  been  erected  in  the  village  ^vithin  the  preced- 
ing two  or  three  years. 

The  Keene  Gas  Company  had  been  organized — J.  H. 
Carter,  president ;  Solon  A.  Carter,  secretary  and  treasurer ; 
J.  H.  Carter,  F.  A.  Faulkner,  T.  H.  Leverett,  Edward  Gus- 
tine,  Geo.  B.  Twitchell,  F.  M.  Ballou  and  Samuel  Wood- 
ward, directors.  The  pipes  were  laid  and  a  part  of  the  vil- 
lage was  lighted  by  gas  for  the  first  time  in  December,  1859. 

The  fire  department  consisted  of  a  chief  engineer  and 
four  assistants;  the  Deluge  and  Neptune  fire  companies  — 
former  names  Lion  and  Tiger  —  and  the  Phoenix  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company. 

The  Cheshire  House  was  kept  by  C.  H.  Brainard, 
succeeded    by   E.   Holbrook ;    the    Eagle    Hotel    by    Asaph 

1  A  memorial  window  inscribed  to  him  was  placed  in  the  church  edifice  by  his 
sister,  Miss  Elizabeth  Spragtie. 


466  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Harrington,  who  kept  the  house  until  he  died  in  1867; 
the  Union  Hotel,  formerly  the  Emerald  House,  by  G.  A. 
Goddard,  soon  succeeded  by  Ashley  Jones.  And  those  were 
all  the  public  houses  in  town  at  that  time. 

Elliot  &  Ripley  were  keeping  the  hardware  store  on 
ElHot's  corner;  Bridgman  &  Co.  were  still  in  the  old  Hall 
store;  G.  H.  Richards,  jeweller,  on  the  corner  of  Roxbury 
street;  J.  D.  &  L.  J.  Colony  in  the  main  part  of  the  Rich- 
ards building;  Shelly  &  Sawyer  in  their  new  block  north 
of  them;  Parker  &  Beal,  dry  goods  and  clothing,  after- 
wards J.  R.  Beal  &  Co.,  and  S.  D.  Osborne,  furniture,  were 
in  Pond's  block ;  D.  W.  Buckminster  &  Co.  were  in  the  old 
courthouse  (now  BuUard  &  Shedd's);  S.  A.  Gerould  &  Son 
and  G.  &  G.  H.  Tilden  were  in  the  same  stores  they  had 
occupied  for  thirty-five  and  twenty-five  years,  respectively ; 
Elbridge  G.  Whitcomb  had  bought  the  Prentiss  building 
and  Whitcomb  &  Dunbar  occupied  the  south  store.  J.  H. 
Spalter,  with  a  bookstore  in  Pond's  block,  formerly  Wilders' 
building,  was  publishing  Adams's  arithmetics ;  E.  C.  &  F. 
E.  Keyes  were  in  their  store  on  the  corner  of  West  street; 
William  French  was  selling  groceries,  and  his  brother,  T. 
J.,  dry  goods  under  the  town  hall.  E.  R.  Gilmore  and 
Elbridge  Clark  were  in  the  millinery  business,  and  Reuel 
Nims  kept  the  store  in  the  old  Cooke  building,  where 
Lane's  upper  block  now  stands.  The  druggists  and  apothe- 
caries were  O.  G.  Dort,  E.  Goddard  and  Jacob  Green ; 
M.  T.  Tottingham  succeeded  Wm.  S.  Briggs  in  the  furniture 
business,  east  side  of  Main,  below  Church  street;  O.  H. 
Gillett  had  followed  J.  C.  &  T.  New  in  stoves  and  tinware; 
and  Geo.  O.  Leonard  made  excellent  rifles  on  Winter 
street,  many  of  which  were  used  in  the  Civil  war.  The 
principal  shoe  dealers  and  manufacturers  were  George 
Kingsbury,  S.  L.  Randall,  Geo.  P.  Drown,  David  Hutchins, 
O.  P.  Hall  and  W.  O.  Willson;  the  principal  blacksmiths 
were  Wm.  H.  Brooks  and  Wm.  L.  Davis,  on  Church  street, 
L.  P.  Dean,  on  Mechanic  street,  and  A.  H.  Freeman,  on  the 
north  corner  of  Marlboro  and  Main  streets ;  the  princi- 
pal carpenters  were  D.  W.  Comstock  and  H.  P.  Muchmore. 
John  Humphrey  made  w^ood-working  machinery,  and  soon 
afterwards  began  the  manufacture  of  water  wheels ;  James 


RAILROAD  AND  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT.  467 

Knowlton  had  a  steam  planing  mill  on  Davis  street ;  W. 
H.  Wilkinson  —  succeeded  by  S.  S.  Wilkinson  —  and  A.  S. 
Tilden  were  manufacturers  of  harnesses  and  trunks ;  and 
carriages  were  still  made  on  the  north  corner  of  Mechanic 
and  Washington  streets  by  A.  H.  Miller,  and  by  the 
Frenches  on  Church  street.  Chester  Allen,  S.  C.  Dustin  and 
J.  A.  French  w^ere  taking  photographs ;  Henry  Pond  dealt 
in  furs  and  made  hats  and  caps ;  P.  B.  Hayward  had  suc- 
ceeded Dea.  Asa  Duren  in  the  bakery;  and  Laton  Martin, 
the  prince  of  horsemen,  kept  an  excellent  livery  stable  in 
rear  of  the  Eagle  Hotel  for  many  years,  and  afterwards 
north  of  the  present  City  Hotel.  Thomas  Hale  &  Co.  were 
publishing  the  Sentinel  in  the  Whitcomb  block,  and  Hora- 
tio Kimball,  the  Cheshire  Republican  in  Pond's  block.  The 
physicians  in  town  were  Geo.  B.  Twitchell,  Thomas  B. 
Kittredge,  J.  J.  Johnson,  Wm.  H.  Thayer,  Wm.  B.  Chamber- 
lain, homeopathic,  and  J.  F.  Jennison,  botanic  and  eclectic ; 
and  Dr.  Jacob  H.  Gallinger,  now  United  States  senator, 
was  here  for  a  short  time  a  little  later.  The  lawyers  were 
Thomas  M.  Edwards  (in  congress),  Levi  Chamberlain, 
Wheeler  &  Faulkner,  F.  F.  Lane,  C.  C.  Webster,  Harvey 
Carleton,  Edward  Farrar  and  Silas  Hardy. 

At  South  Keene,  manufactures  were  flourishing  and 
profitable ;  Edward  Joslin  had  built  and  then  occupied  the 
two-story  house  east  of  the  factory ;  the  mechanics  were  a 
bright,  intelligent  class,  and  a  lively  debating  club  was 
sustained  by  them  and  the  villagers. 

The  Cheshire  County  Agricultural  Society  continued  its 
yearly  exhibits.  The  former  building  on  the  fair  grounds  for 
manufactures,  produce  and  fancy  articles  had  been  replaced 
by  "Floral  Hall,"  200  feet  long,  and  other  improvements 
made,  and  the  displays  of  stock  and  other  exhibits  were 
remarkable.  Distinguished  men  were  employed  as  speakers, 
and  upwards  of  6,000  tickets  of  admission  were  sold  on 
favorable  days;  and  the  interest  continued  through  the 
Civil  "war. 

Another  organization  that  was  of  much  importance  to 
Keene  was  the  Cheshire  County  Musical  Institute.  Its 
object  was  the  improvement  of  music  in  the  churches.  As 
early  as  1826  and  1827,  conventions  for  that  purpose  were 
held  in  Keene,  and  the  music  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn 


468  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

Society's  collection  was  used.  In  1849,  the  subject  was 
revived  and  B.  F.  Baker,  of  Boston,  and  I.  B.  Woodbury, 
of  New  York,  conducted  conventions  in  the  town  hall. 
Those  yearly  conventions  became  permanent  in  1852,  and 
soon  afterwards  developed  into  the  institute,  with  Rev.  Dr. 
Barstow,  president,  conducted  in  different  years  by  Osgood 
Collester  and  Edward  Hamilton,  of  Worcester,  B.  F.  Baker, 
E.  H.  Frost,  L.  O.  Emerson  and  Carl  Zerahn,  of  Boston, 
and  Wm.  B.  Bradbury  and  Geo.  F.  Root,  of  New  York. 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Long  and  other  professional  singers  were  em- 
ployed as  soloists,  and  brilliant  concerts  were  given  at  the 
close  of  each  session.  The  chorus  sometimes  numbered  as 
high  as  600.  Its  sessions  continued  through  the  Civil  war 
and  for  many  years  afterwards. 

The  census  of  1860  gave  Keene  a  population  of  4,320, 
three  of  whom  were  colored.    The  state  had  326,072. 

The  fifteen  highest  taxpayers  in  town  that  year  were 
C.  S.  Faulkner,  Cheshire  Provident  Institution,  Josiah  Col- 
ony, estate  of  John  Towns,  Henry  Pond,  J.  A.  Fay  &  Co., 
Charles  Lamson,  John  Elliot,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  S.  A. 
Gerould  &  Son,  Keziah  Appleton,  J.  H.  Elliot,  Thomas  M. 
Edwards,  J.  B.  Elliot,  and  the  Ashuelot  bank. 

The  threatenings  of  internecine  strife  in  the  nation  were 
distinctly  seen  and  heard,  but  they  were  generally  believed 
to  be  the  mere  blusterings  of  the  slave  power  and  there 
was  little  fear  of  real  war;  nevertheless  the  excitement  of 
the  presidential  campaign  in  1860  was  intense  and  the 
spirit  of  loyalty  was  thoroughly  aroused  in  the  North.  At 
the  election  in  November,  Keene  cast  635  votes  for  the 
Lincoln  electors  to  224  for  the  Douglass,  31  for  the  Breck- 
enridge  and  5  for  the  Bell  tickets. 

The  following  paragraph  was  written  from  Keene  about 
this  time  by  a  correspondent  of  the  Christian  Freeman : 
"Nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  county,  on  a  broad  plain 
where  once  was  the  bottom  of  a  lake,  surrounded  by  hills, 
is  the  smart  and  beautiful  village  of  Keene.  Its  broad, 
straight,  well  made  streets  and  sidewalks;  its  many  large 
and  ornamental  trees ;  its  elegant  dwelling  houses  and  fine 
gardens;  its  convenient  'Square'  and  miniature  park  ren- 
der it  absolutely  the  handsomest  village  of  the  size  in  the 
Eastern  States." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 
1861  —  1865. 

On  the  Uh  of  April,  1861,  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Hatch  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  Keene  under  the  administration 
of  President  Lincoln,  vice  Joshua  D.  Colony.  Albert  God- 
frey was  the  choice  of  the  citizens,  as  expressed  by  a  vote 
of  189  to  62,  but  Dr.  Hatch  was  appointed  through  the 
influence  of  his  uncle,  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  member 
of  congress.  Personally  Dr.  Hatch  was  acceptable  to  the 
people,  but  his  appointment  in  opposition  to  the  choice  of 
the  citizens  caused  much  ill  feeling. 

During  the  early  months  of  1861,  alarming  reports  of 
the  acts  of  the  disunionists  were  daily  received.  One  after 
another  the  Southern  states  passed  the  "Ordinance  of 
Secession,"  and  a  Southern  confederacy  was  formed. 
Officers  of  the  army  and  navy  were  throwing  ofl"  their 
allegiance  and  espousing  the  cause  of  the  South.  Armed 
forces  w^ere  organizing  and  drilling  throughout  the  South- 
ern states.  A  majority  of  the  cabinet  of  President  Buchan- 
an was  secessionist,  and  arms,  forts,  arsenals  and  other 
war  material,  besides  public  funds  and  other  property 
belonging  to  the  government,  were  seized,  to  be  used  in 
active  rebellion.  The  forts  in  the  harbor  at  Charleston, 
S.  C,  held  by  a  small  force  of  United  States  troops,  were 
demanded  and  threatened  with  forcible  capture  if  the  de- 
mand was  refused.  The  life  of  the  president-elect  was 
known  to  be  in  peril,  but  the  designs  of  the  assassins  were 
frustrated  and  Mr.  Lincoln  reached  Washington  and  was 
inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1861,  Fort  Sumpter  was  attacked 
by  the  secessionists,  and  after  a  gallant  defence  was  sur- 
rendered with  the  honors  of  war.  The  telegraph  flashed 
the  tidings  to  every  part  of  the  Union  and  the  most  intense 
excitement    was    aroused.      Public    meetings    were  hastily 


470  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

called  in  every  place  of  importance  throughout  the  North 
to  give  expression  to  public  sentiment.  The  city  of  Wash- 
ington and  the  archives  of  the  government  w^ere  in  imminent 
danger  of  capture  by  the  rebel  forces.  On  the  15th,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  issued  his  proclamation  calling  for  75,000 
militia,  for  three  months,  for  the  defence  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  convening  both  houses  of  congress  in  extra  ses- 
sion. On  the  16th,  Governor  Gilmore  issued  his  call  for  a 
regiment  of  volunteers  from  New  Hampshire,  in  compliance 
with  the  request  of  the  president,  and  Keene  was  made 
one  of  the  recruiting  stations. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  the  19th,  handbills  signed 
by  leading  men  of  both  parties  were  circulated  in  Keene 
and  the  adjacent  towns  calling  on  the  people  of  Cheshire 
county  to  assemble  at  Keene  on  Monday,  the  22d,  to  take 
action  on  the  national  crisis.  That  mass  meeting  w^as 
held  in  Central  square  at  1  o'clock  on  the  day  named. 
Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  —  one  of  the  three  commissioners 
from  New  Hampshire,  recently  returned  from  the  "Peace 
Congress"  at  Washington  —  called  the  meeting  to  order, 
and  Ex-Governor  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  a  Democrat,  was 
chosen  president,  with  seven  leading  men  of  the  county, 
three  of  whom  were  also  Democrats,  vice  presidents. 
Governor  Dinsmoor  took  .the  chair  and  made  a  short  patri- 
otic speech  in  which  he  said:  "Amid  the  general  gloom 
which  pervades  the  community  there  is  yet  one  cause  for 
congratulation  —  that  we  at  least  see  a  united  North." 
General  James  Wilson  was  at  home  from  California  on  a 
visit  and  Governor  Dinsmoor  introduced  him  to  the  multi- 
tude. Both  gentlemen  wore  rosettes  of  the  national  colors, 
and  each  as  he  came  forward  was  received  with  enthusi- 
astic applause.  Gen.  Wilson  made  one  of  his  old-time 
rousing  speeches.  He  was  intensely  patriotic,  and  though 
too  far  advanced  in  years  and  too  feeble  to  take  the  field 
himself,  his  eloquence  roused  the  patriotism  of  the  younger 
men.  He  was  followed  by  others,  several  of  whom  offered 
their  services  on  the  spot.  Col.  Tileston  A.  Barker,  of 
Westmoreland,  a  Democrat,  offered  to  lead  a  company  to 
the  front;  and  such  a  company  was  immediately  organized, 
with  full  ranks  — named   the  Cheshire  Light  Guards  — and 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  471 

was  ready  to  march  within  three  days.  Hon.  Levi  Cham- 
berlain presented  a  paper  already  signed  by  twenty-three 
citizens,  pledging  $100  each  to  aid  the  families  of  those 
who  would  volunteer  in  case  the  town  did  not  make  an 
appropriation  for  that  purpose,  and  the  list  was  rapidly 
increased. 

The  same  evening  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Keene 
was  held  in  the  town  hall  to  encourage  enlistments  and  to 
take  further  action  towards  aiding  the  families  of  volun- 
teers, followed  the  next  evening  by  another  meeting  for  the 
same  purpose.  During  this  second  meeting  Lieut.  Henry 
C.  Handerson,  who  had  been  appointed  recruiting  officer 
at  Keene,  marched  into  the  hall  with  a  company  of  recruits ; 
and  they  were  received  with  rousing  cheers.  That  com- 
pany, sixty-seven  strong,  left  for  Concord  on  Thursday, 
the  25th,  and  was  assigned  to  the  First  regiment,  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers,  organized  at  Concord.  The  route 
then  was  by  cars  via  Fitchburg,  Groton  Junction  and 
Nashua,  and  a  crowd  of  people  assembled  at  the  station 
to  bid  them  Godspeed.  Rev.  Dr.  Barstow  offered  a  prayer, 
and  an  agent  of  the  New  Hampshire  Bible  Society  gave 
each  volunteer  a  testament. 

The  excitement  continued  through  the  summer  and  fall, 
and  frequent  meetings  were  held,  several  of  them  being 
mass  meetings  on  the  Square.  The  same  enthusiasm  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  North.  Legislatures  were  called 
together  and  regiments  of  volunteers  were  rapidly  organ- 
ized in  all  the  states.  Troops  from  Massachtisetts,  New 
York  and  other  states  were  promptly  on  the  ground  to 
defend  the  capital  and  other  points.  The  number  of  troops 
called  for  by  President  Lincoln  had  volunteered  within  ten 
days,  and  the  quotas  of  the  states  were  more  than  filled. 
During  that  season  of  1861,  besides  a  battalion  of  cavalry, 
a  light  battery  of  six  rifled  brass  pieces  — 155  men  —  and 
three  companies  of  sharpshooters,  New  Hampshire  organ- 
ized and  put  into  the  field  seven  regiments  of  infantry ;  and 
the  eighth  left  the  state  in  the  winter  following  —  in  all 
nearly  9,000  men. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  Capt.  Barker's  company  of  seventy- 
nine    men  and  a  third  company   of  recruits  of  sixty-two 


472  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

men  left  Keene  for  Portsmouth  amid  the  cheers  of  a  large 
concourse  of  people.  Thus  far  all  had  enlisted  for  three 
months  only,  under  the  first  call  of  the  president,  but 
these  two  companies,  and  others  from  other  places,  were 
accepted  by  the  governor  and  sent  to  Portsmouth  with 
the  expectation  that  more  troops  would  be  needed;  and 
the  call  soon  came  for  another  regiment  from  New  Hamp- 
shire, to  serve  for  three  years  or  the  war.  Those  who  had 
enlisted  for  three  months  were  given  the  first  opportunity 
to  serve  in  the  longer  term,  and  about  one-half  of  the 
1,000  volunteers  then  present  at  Portsmouth  immediately 
reenlisted  for  three  years  or  the  war.  They  were  assigned 
to  the  Second  regiment  and  given  a  short  furlough  to  pre- 
pare for  their  long  absence.  A  large  proportion  of  Capt. 
Barker's  men  reenlisted,  and  the  compan\^  came  home  in  a 
body. 

There  were  no  funds  in  the  state  treasury  to  meet  these 
extraordinary  expenditures,  but  the  banks,  the  citizens  and 
Gov.  Goodwin  himself  became  responsible  for  the  money 
borrowed  for  the  emergency.  Two  banks  in  Concord 
offered  a  loan  of  $50,000,  and  the  three  banks  in  Keene 
offered  $10,000  each;  and  a  little  later,  citizens  of  Keene 
subscribed  for  $25,450  of  the  loan  of  $150,000,000  negoti- 
ated by  the  government.  Tuesday  evening,  May  28,  a 
large  meeting  was  held  at  the  town  hall  to  take  further 
measures  for  providing  for  the  families  of  volunteers.  The 
sum  of  $5,000  had  been  subscribed  on  the  paper  already 
mentioned,  but  it  was  desired  to  secure  appropriations  from 
the  town  and  legislation  by  the  state  for  that  purpose. 

The  women  immediately  began  work  in  aid  of  the 
soldiers,  furnishing  underclothing,  bandages,  lint,  and 
everything  that  might  be  needed  by  troops  in  the  field  or 
in  the  hospitals.  The  women  of  Keene  held  their  first 
meeting  for  that  purpose  on  the  6th  of  May  at  the  house 
of  Rev.  E.  A.  Renouf.  It  was  then  decided  to  hold  a  meet- 
ing the  next  day  at  the  town  hall,  and  a  large  attendance 
was  secured.  At  first  packages  were  forwarded  to  Con- 
cord, where  a  state  organization  called  the  Soldiers'  Aid 
Society  had  already  been  formed.  Early  in  June  the  Chesh- 
ire County    Soldiers'   Aid    Society,   a  branch  of  the  state 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  473 

society,  was  organized  in  Keene,  and  the  w^omen  of  Keene, 
who  were  its  officers  and  managers,  acted  under  that 
organization.  Correspondence  and  cooperation  were  estab- 
Hshed  with  societies  in  each  town  in  the  county,  and  their 
packages  were  sent  to  Keene,  and  later  all  the  contribu- 
tions were  forwarded  direct  from  Keene  to  the  agency  of 
the  National  Sanitary  Commission.  Nearly  every  woman 
in  Cheshire  county  was  a  member  of  the  Soldiers'  Aid 
Society.  There  was  also  a  Juvenile  Soldiers'  Aid  Society 
in  Keene.  This  county  organization  continued  with 
unabated  zeal  all  through  the  war,  held  weekly  meetings, 
received  and  forwarded  large  amounts  in  contributions  — 
from  the  town  societies  and  from  individuals,  churches  and 
other  organizations  —  and  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of 
excellent  work  in  aid  of  the  sanitary  and  Christian  com- 
missions. It  had  for  presidents,  Mrs.  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
Mrs.  Thomas  B.  Kittredge,  Mrs.  Samuel  Dinsmoor  and 
Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Leverett;  for  treasurers,  Miss  Loretta 
Boies,  Miss  Margaret  R.  Lamson  and  Miss  Katherine 
Wheeler;  for  secretaries,  Miss  Susanna  Thompson,  Miss 
Katherine  F.  Wheeler  and  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Smith ;  with  Miss 
Mary  W.  Hale,  corresponding  secretary  in  the  earlier  part 
of  the  war.  It  was  under  the  supervision  of  a  board  of 
eleven  directors  —  of  which  the  officers  were  members  — 
selected  from  the  several  religious  societies  in  town,  and 
an  assistant  committee  of  men  consisting  of  Hon.  Samuel 
Dinsmoor,  William  P.  Abbott,  Caleb  Carpenter,  Sumner 
Wheeler  and  William  P.  Wheeler.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
in  1865,  the  funds  remaining  in  its  treasury  were  used  to 
aid  the  families  of  those  soldiers  who  had  lost  their  lives 
in  the  war.  The  organization  was  continued  until  1871, 
when  it  did  its  last  work  to  aid  the  sufferers  by  the  great 
fire  in  Chicago.  During  the  last  two  years  of  the  war 
there  was  a  Cheshire  County  Christian  Commission,  a 
branch  of  the  national,  with  headquarters  at  Keene;  and 
there  was  a  Union  League  Club  in  Keene  which  held  regu- 
lar meetings  every  week. 

The  New  Hampshire  legislature  assembled  on  the  5th 
of  June.  Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  of  Keene  presented  a 
series  of  resolutions  pledging  the  resources  of  the  state  "for 


474  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

the  integrity  of  the  Union,"  and  declaring,  "That  the  duty 
of  the  General  Government  to  suppress  all  attempts  to 
dissolve  the  Union,  is  imperative,  and  cannot  be  evaded," 
which  passed  without  a  dissenting  vote.i  On  the  24th 
a  bill  passed  the  house  — 169  to  94  —  and  became  a  law, 
appropriating  $1,000,000  and  placing  it  in  the  hands  of 
the  governor  and  council  to  be  used  for  fitting  out  troops 
and  sending  them  into  the  field,  and  the  immediate  organ- 
ization of  three  regiments  was  authorized. 

FIRST    REGIMENT. 

The  First  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  was 
organized  by  the  appointment  of  Hon.  Mason  W.  Tappan 
of  Bradford,  ex-member  of  congress,  colonel;  Thomas 
Whipple,  Esq.  of  Laconia,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war, 
lieutenant  colonel;  and  Aaron  F.  Stevens,  Esq.,  of  Nashua, 
major.  Rev.  Stephen  G.  Abbott  of  Bradford,  after  the  war 
a  citizen  of  Keene,  was  appointed  chaplain.  The  volun- 
teers from  Keene  were  all  in  Company  G,  of  which  Horace 
T.  H.  Pierce  was  first  lieutenant.  Leaving  Concord  on  the 
27th  of  May,  by  the  Worcester  and  Norwich  route,  the 
regiment  reached  New  York  on  Sunday  morning,  where 
it  was  given  a  hearty  reception,  and  proceeded  thence 
through  Baltimore  to  Washington.  It  was  generously  and 
even  lavishly  furnished  with  impedimenta  by  the  state  — 
provided  with  a  military  band  of  twent3'-five  enlisted 
musicians;  sixteen  four-horse  baggage  wagons,  all  new, 
with  selected  horses  and  harnesses  made  specially  for  mili- 
tary service,  each  company  having  one  wagon  to  carry  its 
ponderous  cooking  range  and  other  baggage.  A  New  York 
paper  in  giving  an  account  of  the  passage  of  this  regiment 
through  the  city  said:  "Accompanying  the  troops  were 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  horses,  sixteen  baggage  wagons, 
containing  tents  and  provisions  for  thirty  days,  and  one 
hospital  wagon.      There  were  also  in  attendance    sixteen 

lAlthougli  large  numbers  of  Democrats  rallied  loyally  to  the  support  of  the 
government,  the  Democratic  party  was  not  unanimous  in  adopting  a  patriotic 
course,  as  is  shown  by  the  vote  above  stated.  The  New  York  Herald,  Boston 
Courier,  New  Hampshire  Patriot,  Cheshire  Republican,  and  other  Democratic 
papers  and  some  of  the  leading  men  of  that  party,  were  in  active  opposition  to 
the  administration,  and  soon  became  bitter  and  virulent.  At  first  those  leaders 
were  followed  by  a  small  minority  of  their  partv,  but  with  the  inevitable 
°EPP*^""'*'^s  ^°^  complaint  of  the  management  of  those  momentous  piiblic 
affairs  their  numbers  increased  until  they  formed  a  majority  of  the  Democrats 
in  the  coxintry. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  475 

nurses,  who  took  dinner  at  the  Astor  House."  On  its 
arrival  in  Washington  it  was  reviewed  by  President  Lin- 
coln, who  complimented  it  as  the  best  appointed  regiment 
that  had  yet  appeared  at  the  capital.  Its  uniform,  how- 
ever, furnished  by  the  state,  was  of  grey  satinet  of  poor 
quality.  After  encamping  for  a  few  days  near  Washington 
the  regiment  joined  the  forces  under  Col.  Charles  P.  Stone 
of  the  regular  army,  marched  to  Rockville,  Md.,  and  thence 
to  Poolsville  and  was  emploj^ed  in  guarding  the  crossings 
of  the  Potomac  river.  On  the  7th  of  Jul}^  1861,  it  marched 
via  Sharpsburg  to  Williamsport,  forded  the  river  into 
Virginia,  and  joined  Gen.  Patterson's  division.  After  a 
movement  towards  Winchester  and  a  retreat  to  Charles- 
town,  the  division  marched  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the 
First  New  Hampshire  recrossed  the  river  and  encamped  at 
Sandy  Hook.  On  the  2d  of  August  its  term  expired,  and 
the  regiment  returned  to  New  Hampshire  and  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service.  Many  of  its  officers  and  men  after- 
wards joined  other  organizations  and  did  good  service  in 
the  war. 

The  names  of  the  men  from  Keene  are  given  below, 
with  a  brief  record  of  their  service.  All  were  members  of 
Company  G.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  they  were  privates 
and  residents  of  Keene  unless  otherwise  stated. i 

Austin,  Charles  F.  Age  21;  enl.  April  21;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Second 
N.  H.  V. 

Bradford,  Alonzo  B.  Age  21;  enl.  June  12;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  (Alonzo 
S.  Brentford  of  Ay  ling's  Register  is  doubtless  the  same  person.) 

Colburn,  Eleazer.  Age  21;  enl.  April  21;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Ninth 
N.  H.  V. 

Cross,  Charles  R.    Age  23 ;  enl.  April  19  ;  must,  out  Aug.  9.    See  miscel.  org. 
Dinonie,  Octave.     Age  22 ;  enl.  April  23 ;  must,  out  Aug.  9. 
Drummer,   Charles  H.     Age  22;  enl.    April   19;   app.   2d  lieut.  April   30; 
must,  out  Aug.  9.    See  Fourth  N.  H.  V.  and  U.  S.  navy. 

iThe  abbreviations  used  in  the  tabular  records  are  as  follows: 

Adjt adjutant.  Dept department.       Mitsc musician. 

Aft after.  Dis disease.       Must mustered. 

App appointed.  Disab disability.  Non-com. .non-commis'nd. 

Art artillery.  Disch discharged.       Org organizations. 

B.  (b.) born.  Enl enlisted.       Priv private. 

Bvt brevet.  Exp expired.       Prom promoted. 

Capt captain.  Exch exchanged.       Q.  M quartermaster. 

Captd captured.  H heavy.       Reenl reenlisted. 

Cav cavalry.  Hosp hospital.       Res residence. 

Co company.  I.  C Invalid  corps.       Sergt sergeant. 

Col colonel.  Inf. infantry.       Sev severely. 

Com comtnissary.  I> light.       Surg surgeon. 

Com corami.ssion.  Lt.  andlieut lieutenant.       Transf transferred. 

Com'd commissioned.  Maj major.  V.R.C..  Vet.  Reserve  corps. 

Corp corporal.  Miss missing.       Wd wounded. 

Cred credited  to.  Miscel miscellaneous.       Wds wounds. 


476  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Farwell,  Arteraas.  Age  25;  enl.  April  22;  app.  sergt.  July  12;  must,  out 
Aug.  9. 

Gorman,  Michael.  Age  25;  enl.  April  19;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Four- 
teenth N.  H.  V. 

Joslin,  Horace.  Age  25;  enl.  April  24;  app.  corp.  July  12;  must,  out 
Aug.  9.    See  Third  N.  H.  V. 

Marsh,  George  W.  Age  26;  enl.  April  19;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Sixth 
N.  H.  V. 

Pierce,  Horace  T.  H.  Age  37;  enl.  April  22;  app.  1st  lieut.  April  30; 
must,  out  Aug.  9.    See  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 

Quinn,  Samuel  S.     Age  21;  res.  Swanzey,  after  the  war,  Keene;  enl.  April 

~     21;  app.  sergt.  May  1;  must,  out  Aug.  9.     See  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 

Ruffle,  Josiah.    Age  19 ;  enl.  April  24 ;  deserted.    See  Second  N.  H.  V. 

Ruffle,  Samuel  H.  Age  32;  enl.  April  24;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Second 
N.  H.  V. 

Rines,  George  W.    Age  23  ;  enJ.  April  22 ;  must,  out  Aug.  9.     See  miscel.  org. 

Ross,  Washington  B.     Age  20;  enl.  April  24;  must,  out  Aug.  9. 

Russell,  Alonzo  B.    Age  24;  enl.  April  22;  must,  out  Aug.  9. 

Russell,  George  F.     Age  27;  enl.  April  19;  must,  out  Aug.  9. 

Slyfield,  Andrew.     Age  23;  enl.  April  23;  must,  out  Aug.  9. 

Stay,  Charles.  Age  21;  res.  Alstead,  after  the  war,  Keene;  enl.  April  22; 
must,  out  Aug.  9. 

Steck,  Friedrick.  Age  29;  enl.  April  23;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Four- 
teenth N.  H.  V. 

Streeter,  Charles  H.  Age  18;  enl.  April  20;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See 
Second  N.  H.  V.;  res.  Troy,  after  the  war,  Keene. 

Towns,  Charles  E.  Age  22;  enl.  April  22;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See 
Ninth  N.  H.  V. 

Waite,  John  H.  Age  21;  enl.  April  22;  must,  out  Aug.  9.  See  Fifth 
N.  H.  V. 

SECOND  REGIMENT. 

The  Second  regiment  was  organized  at  Portsmouth 
early  in  May  —  first  for  three  months'  service,  with  Thomas 
P.  Pierce  of  Manchester,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war, 
colonel.  But  the  government  declined  to  take  any  more 
volunteers  for  the  short  term  and  the  regiment  was  imme- 
diately reorganized  with  Gilman  Marston,  of  Exeter,  then 
member  of  congress  from  the  first  New  Hampshire  district, 
colonel,  Frank  S.  Fiske,  of  Keene,  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
Josiah  Stevens,  Jr.,  of  Concord,  major.  Rev.  Henry  E. 
Parker,  of  Concord,  a  native  of  Keene,  was  appointed 
chaplain.  Capt.  Barker's  company,  from  Cheshire  county, 
was  given  the  first  place  (Company  A.)  with  Henry  N. 
Metcalf,  of  Keene,  first  lieutenant,  and  Herbert  B.  Titus, 
of  Chesterfield,  second  lieutenant.  Company  B  was  from 
Concord,  with  S.  G.  Griffin,  of  that  city  — formerly  of  Nel- 
son;  after  the  war,  of  Keene  —  captain.     The    uniform  of 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  477 

this  regiment,  as  well  as  that  of  the  First,  was  of  grey 
satinet,  but  it  soon  gave  place  to  the  United  States  army 
blue.  The  Second  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  early  in  June,  1861,  and  on  the  20th  of  that  month, 
with  1,022  officers  and  men,  left  Portsmouth  for  Washing- 
ton, via  Boston  and  New  York.  Governor  Berry  and  his 
staff,  ex-Governor  Goodwin  and  many  leading  men  of  the 
state  accompanied  the  regiment  to  Boston,  where  it 
was  received  with  enthusiastic  demonstrations.  Immense 
crowds  of  people  thronged  the  streets.  An  organization 
of  fourteen  hundred  Sons  of  New  Hampshire,  accompanied 
by  Governor  Andrew  and  his  staff  and  many  prominent 
citizens,  with  military  bands,  escorted  the  regiment  and  its 
guests  to  the  Music  Hall,  where  a  banquet  had  been  pre- 
pared. At  the  close  of  the  banquet,  Hon.  Marshall  P. 
Wilder,  a  native  of  Rindge,  president  of  the  Sons  of  New 
Hampshire,  made  a  short,  patriotic  address,  and  Governor 
Andrew  reviewed  the  regiment  on  the  common.  Proceed- 
ing bj'  railroad  via  Fall  River  and  the  steamer  Bay  State, 
it  reached  New  York  the  next  morning  and  received  a 
similar  ovation.  And  this  w^as  the  manner  in  which  all 
the  earlier  regiments  were  received  in  the  northern  cities  as 
they  proceeded  to  the  front.  From  New  York  the  Second 
was  sent  by  the  way  of  Harrisburg,  passing  through 
Baltimore,  and  reaching  Washington  on  the  23d  and 
encamping  about  one  mile  north  of  the  White  House. 

The  Second  was  brigaded  under  Col.  A.  E.  Burnside, 
with  the  First  and  Second  Rhode  Island  Volunteers,  the 
Rhode  Island  volunteer  battery  and  the  Seventy-first  New 
York  Volunteers,  and  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  was 
sharply  engaged,  losing  nine  men  killed,  thirty-five  wounded 
—  four  of  them  mortally  —  and  sixty-three  taken  prisoners. 
Col.  Marston  was  among  the  wounded,  and  Lt.  Col. 
Fiske  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  regiment.  After 
that  battle  the  Second  was  assigned  to  the  brigade  of 
Gen.  Joseph  Hooker  and  encamped  at  Bladensburg,  Md. 
In  October,  Hooker's  command  was  increased  to  a  division 
and  moved  down  the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac  to  prevent 
a  blockade  of  that  river,  and  went  into  winter  quarters 
at  Budd's  Ferry. 


478  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Early  in  April,  1862,  Hooker's  division  joined  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  was  present  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown.  At  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  the 
regiment  lost  sixteen  killed,  sixty-six  wounded  and  twenty- 
three  missing.  Among  the  killed  were  Edward  N.  Taft  and 
Nathaniel  Lane  of  Keene.  The  Second  shared  in  McClel- 
lan's  campaign  on  the  peninsula,  with  its  "seven  days' 
fight,"  and  the  depressing  effects  of  those  disasters.  Re- 
turning with  the  army  to  Alexandria  in  August,  the 
Second  was  engaged  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  and 
suffered  heavy  loss  —  thirty-eight  killed  and  mortally 
wounded,  and  more  than  100  wounded  and  missing,  or 
about  forty  per  cent  of  its  whole  number  engaged.  Dur- 
ing that  autumn,  while  the  main  army  was  on  its  Mary- 
land campaign,  the  Second  was  attached  to  Sickles's  divi- 
sion of  Banks's  command,  which  held  the  defences  of 
Washington,  and  was  encamped  on  the  Virginia  side  of 
the  Potomac.  In  November,  Sickles's  division  rejoined  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  then  under  Burnside,  and  the  regi- 
ment was  present  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Dec  13, 
but  was  not  actively  engaged.  Towards  the  last  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  it  was  ordered  home  "to  recruit"  (just 
before  election)  and  was  received  with  demonstrations 
similar  to  those  made  when  it  left  the  state.  The  men 
were  furloughed,  and  they  visited  their  families.  The 
Seventeenth  regiment  was  then  organizing  at  Concord, 
and  the  government,  not  desiring  another  regiment  from 
New  Hampshire  at  that  time,  ordered  the  consolidation  of 
the  Seventeenth  with  the  Second. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1863,  the  Second  again  started 
for  the  front,  with  replenished  ranks  and  with  the  regi- 
mental band  of  the  Seventeenth,  also  transferred.  Col. 
Marston  had  been  promoted  to  brigadier  general,  and 
Capt.  Edward  L.  Bailey,  who  had  been  raised  to  major 
and  lieutenant  colonel,  was  advanced  to  colonel.  The 
regiment  rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  Rappahan- 
nock Station  on  the  13  th  of  June,  in  time  to  take  part  in 
the  retreat  into  Maryland,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Third 
brigade  of  Humphrey's  division,  Sickles's  Third  army  corps. 
That  corps  reached  Emmettsburg,  Pa.,  on  the  1st  of  July, 


KBENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  479 

while  the  First  and  Eleventh  corps  were  holding  the  enemy 
in  check  at  Gettysburg,  twelve  miles  distant.  Gen.  Sickles 
moved  forward  with  a  part  of  his  corps  that  afternoon. 
The  remainder,  with  which  was  the  Second  New  Hamp- 
shire, started  for  the  battlefield  at  3  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  2d,  without  waiting  for  coffee,  but  halted  on 
the  road  to  make  it,  and  joined  the  advance  column  at  9 
o'clock.  There  was  quiet  for  about  three  hours,  and  the 
tired  troops  rested.  Lee,  under  cover  of  woods  along  the 
Emmettsburg  road,  was  massing  a  heavy  column  against 
the  Union  left,  now  held  by  Sickles's  corps.  After  some 
changes  of  position  the  Second  was  placed  in  Sherfey's 
famous  peach  orchard,  supporting  Ames's  battery,  an 
exposed  position  where  it  did  gallant  service  and  lost 
heavily  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  Compte  de  Paris,  in 
his  "Histoire  de  la  Guerre  Civile  en  Amerique,"  character- 
izes the  fight  in  that  peach  orchard  as  "murderous."  Out 
of  354  officers  and  men  of  the  Second  who  went  into  the 
battle  the  loss  officially  reported  was  193,  or  more  than 
one-half.  Three  commissioned  officers  were  killed,  eighteen 
wounded  —  four  mortally  —  and  but  three  out  of  twenty -four 
escaped  unhurt.  Seventeen  enlisted  men  were  killed,  119 
wounded  and  thirty-six  missing.  Of  the  men  from  Keene, 
Capt.  Henry  N.  Metcalf,  and  Private  William  H.  Spring 
were  killed;  Sergeants  Samuel  F.  Holbrook  and  Albert  R. 
Walker,  and  Privates  John  A.  Blake,  Cornelius  Cleary  and 
Benjamin  F.  Ruffle  were  wounded  —  Blake,  Cleary  and 
Walker  severely  —  and  William  C.  Drummer  was  missing, 
probably  killed,  as  there  is  no  further  record  of  him.  The 
regiment  w^as  not  actually  engaged  on  the  3d  and  last  day 
of  the  battle  and  suffered  no  loss. 

After  the  battle  the  Second  marched  with  the  army  in 
pursuit,  via  Frederic,  Antietam  battlefield  and  Harper's 
Ferry  to  Warrenton,  and  thence  to  Washington;  and 
spent  the  winter  at  Point  Lookout,  Md.,  with  the  Fifth 
and  Twelfth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  guarding  a  camp 
of  prisoners.  Gen.  Marston  was  in  command  of  the  camp. 
Early  in  April,  1864,  the  Second  and  Twelfth  regiments, 
having  been  recruited  from  the  drafted  men  and  substitutes 
sent  from  New  Hampshire,  joined  the  Army  of  the  James, 


480  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

were  assigned  to  Weitzel's  division  of  Smith's  Eighteenth 
corps,  and  encamped  at  Bermuda  Hundreds.  Towards  the 
last  of  May  that  corps  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  joined  Gen,  Grant  at  Cold  Harbor  and  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  the  3d  of  June,  suffering  heavy  loss. 
The  three  years'  term  of  the  original  members  expired  on 
the  8th,  and  twenty-eight  commissioned  officers  —  including 
all  the  field  and  staff  except  Adjutant  John  D.  Cooper  — 
and  199  enlisted  men  returned  to  New  Hampshire  and 
were  mustered  out.  Sixty-six  of  the  original  members  and 
thirty-two  of  the  early  recruits  had  reenlisted  for  three 
years  or  the  war,  and  those,  with  the  later  recruits,  drafted 
men  and  substitutes,  with  four  commissioned  officers,  now 
composed  the  regiment  of  about  250  men.  Of  those  only 
thirteen  were  from  Keene. 

Capt.  J.  N.  Patterson  w^as  promoted  to  lieutenant 
colonel  and  took  command  of  the  regiment,  with  Adjutant 
Cooper  promoted  to  major.  The  Second  remained  with 
the  army  during  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  most  of  the  time 
engaged  in  guard  and  provost  duty.  At  the  final  breaking 
of  the  lines  and  capture  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  April 
2,  1865,  it  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  James  and  was 
not  actively  engaged,  but  was  among  the  first  to  enter 
Richmond,  without  opposition ;  and  it  encamped  for  about 
three  months  near  the  city.  On  the  21st  of  June,  the 
Tenth,  Twelfth  and  Thirteenth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers 
were  mustered  out  of  service,  and  the  men  of  those  regi- 
ments whose  terms  had  not  expired  were  transferred  to 
the  Second,  raising  its  numbers  to  about  900  men.  The 
regiment  was  retained  through  the  summer  for  guard  and 
provost  duty  in  eastern  Virginia,  and  early  in  December 
was  sent  to  City  Point  and  mustered  out  of  service.  Upon 
arriving  at  Concord  it  received,  as  did  all  the  regiments  re- 
turning to  New  Hampshire,  a  hearty  and  generous  reception. 
Below  are  given  the  names  and  brief  records  of  the  men 
from  Keene.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  they  are  privates 
and  residents  of  Keene  unless  otherwise  stated. 
Alexander,   Lucian   A.    Band;   age  28;    enl.  July   22,   '61;  must.  Aug.  7, 

'61,  as  first  class  muse;   disch.  April  1,  '62. 
Atherton,    Sanford  A.     Co.   A;    age  22;   enl.   April  25,   '61,   for   3  mos.; 

reenl.   May  22,  '61,    for    3    yrs.;   must,   as    Corp.;   app.    sergt.;   disch. 

disab.  Sept.  12,  '62. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  481 

Atwood,  Rufus.  Co.  A;  aged  31;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  as  Corp.;  app.  sergt.;  died,  disease,  at 
Keene,  Jan.  23,  '64. 

Austin,  Charles  P.  Co.  A;  aged  21;  enl.  Sept.  12,  '61;  wd.  June  9,  '64, 
at  Cold  Harbor;   disch.  Sept.  14,  '64.    See  First  N.  H.  Vols. 

Beliveau,  Frank  A.  Band;  age  23;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '61;  must,  as  second 
class  muse;   disch.  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 

Blake,  Charles  H.  Co.  A ;  age  30 ;  enl.  May  22,  '61  ;  disch.  disab.  Nov. 
17,  '62. 

Blake,  John  A.  Co.  A;  age  20  ;  res.  Gilsum  (b.,  and  ret.  to  live  in  Keene)  ; 
enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  captd.  June 
30,  '62,  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  Va.;  wd.  severely  July  2,  '63,  Gettys- 
burg;  disch.  disab.  June  7,  '64. 

Bolster,  Almon.    Band;   age  34;   enl.  July  22,  '61;   must.  Aug.  7,  '61,  as 

leader;   reduced  to  first  class,  then  to  third   class  muse;   disch.,  ser- 
vices not  needed,  Jan.  20,  '62. 
Bowen,  Frederick  A.     Band;   age  26;   enl.  July   22,   '61,   as  second  class 

muse;   must,  out,  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 
Bridge,  Stary  W.     Co.  I;   age  21;  b.  Keene;   res.  Gilsum;   enl.  Sept.  5,  '61; 

disch.  Sept.  14,  '64,  term  exp. 
Califlf,  Jonathan.     Co.  A;  age  44;   enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May 

22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  accidentally  bv  sentinel ;   died  of  wds.  Aug.  14, 

'61,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Califlf,  William  W.     Co.  A;   age  18;   enl.   April  30,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl. 

May  22,  '61 ;   disch.  disab.  Jan.  27,  '63. 
Capron,  J.  Foster,     Co.  A;   age  2^;   b.   Keene;   res.   Troy;   enl.   April  25, 

'61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl.   May  22,  '61,  for  3  vrs.;  disch.  disab.   Oct.  22, 

'61,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Carroll,  Philip  S.     Co.  H ;   age  23 ;  enl.   Sept.   3,   '61 ;   disch.   disab.   May 

16,  '63. 
Clark,  Milton  W.     Co.  A;   age  41;  enl.   April  25,  '61,   for  3  mos.;   reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,   as  sergt..  May  31,  '61;  disch.   disab. 

May  31,  '63. 
Cleary,  Cornelius.     Co.   H;   age  35;   enl.   Aug.   27,  '61;   wd.   sev.  July  2, 

'63,  at  Gettysburg;   died  of  wds.  Aug.  1,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Cobb,  Fred  W.     Co.  A;   age  23;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl.  May 

22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  as   1st  sergt.;    app.   2d  lieut.   Sept.   1,  '61; 

prom.  1st  lieut.  July  1,  '62;   resign.  Aug.  31,  '62. 

Converse,  Granville  S.  /Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  April  28,  '61,  for  3  mos.; 
reenl.  May  21,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  out  June  21,  '64. 

Craig,  Allen  A.  Co.  A ;  b.  Canada ;  cred.  Keene ;  age  41 ;  enl.  Aug.  16, 
'62 ;  disch.  disab.  May  30,  '63.    See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 

Darling,  John  G.  Co.  A;  age  21;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  May  5,  '62,  WilHamsburg,  Va.;  disch. 
wds.  July  25,  '62 ;  died  Keene,  1864. 

Davis,  James.  Co.  A;  age  19;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May 
22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  died,  disease,  Jan.  9,  '63,  Philadelphia. 

Davis,  Nathaniel  D.  Co.  A;  b.  Keene;  res.  Winchester;  age  29;  enl.  April 
25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  disch.  disab.  Feb. 
4,  '63;  died  June  4,  '63,  Winchester. 

Drummer,  John  A.  Co.  A;  age  20;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  died,  disease,  Dec.  9,  '61,  in  Maryland. 

Drummer,  William  C.  Co.  F;  age  17;  enl.  Sept.  6,  '61;  wd.  and  miss. 
July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg;  no  further  record. 


482  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Dunlap,  Whitney.     Co.  K;   age  31;   enl.  Aug.  31,   '61;   disch.   disab.  July 

9,  '63.    See  V.  R.  C. 
Eastman,  William.     Co.  H;  age  43;  enl.  Sept.  12,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Sept. 

20,  '62;  after  service  in  V.  R.  C. 
Eaton,  Orleans  S.    Co.  A;   age  28;   enl.   April  25,  '61,  for  3   mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  disch.  disab.  April  27,  '63. 
Ellis,  David  C.    Co.  H;  b.  Richmond;   age  33;  res.  Keene;   enl.  Sept.  14, 

'61;   desert.   Feb.   1,  '63;   returned  June   15,  '64;   disch.  April  4,  '65, 

at  Richmond,  Va. 
Emerson,   Albert  A.    Co.  H;  b.   Keene;   age  23;   res.   Somersworth ;   enl. 

April    25,  '61,    for  3  mos.;   reenl.  May   27,   '61,  for  3  yrs.;    must,  as 

sergt.;  disch.  disab.  Aug.  1,  '61. 
Fiske,   Frank  S.      Field   and    staff;    age  35 ;    app.  It.  col.   April   30,  '61 ; 

must,  in  June  10,   '61;   resign.  Oct.  23,    '62;   bvt.  col.  and  brig.  gen. 

U.  S.  v.,  to  date  March  13,  '65,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  service. 
Gilbert,    Charles    N.    Co.   H;   age  29 ;    enl.    Sept.    14,  '61;    disch.    disab. 

March  15,  '62. 
Gleason,  Aaron  R.    Co.  F;  res.  Gilsum,  after  the  war,  Keene;   age  27; 

enl.    Sept.  9,  '61;    transf.  to   Co.    101,   2d  battal.  I.  C,  Jan.  5,  '64; 

prom,  to  act.  asst.  surg.   U.  S.  A.;  app.   asst.  surg.   Fourteenth  N.  H. 

Vols.,  May  11,  '64;   declined  appt.;   served  by  contract  as  act.  asst. 

surg.  U.  S.  A.  (civil  appt.)  from  May  18,  '64,  to  July  22,  '65. 
Gregory,    William    H.    Co.  A;    age  39;    enl.    Sept.  2,   '61;    disch.    disab. 

Sept.  25,  '61. 
Griffin,  Simon  G.    Co.  B;   age  37;    volunteered  as  private  in  April   '61; 

recruiting  officer,  May  '61 ;   app.  capt.  June  4,  '61,  must,  to  date  June 

1,  '61;  resigned  to  accept  promotion.    See  Sixth  N.  H.  V.  and  miscel. 

org. 

Hadley,  Ethan.  Band;  age  33;  enl.  July  22,  '61;  must,  as  first  class 
muse;  must,  out  second  class  muse.  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's 
Landing,  Va. 

Heaton,  George  S.  Co.  A;  age  20;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  captd.July  21,  '61,  first  Bull  Run,  Va.;  par- 
oled Jan.  17,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Aug.  15,  '62.    See  V.  R.  C. 

Hodgkins,  William  H.  Co.  A;  age  28;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.; 
reenl.  May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  died,  dis.  July  21,  '62,  Harrison's 
Landing,  Va. 

Holbrook,  Samuel  F.  Co.  A;  age  21 ;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  app.  corp.  Jan.  1,  '63;  wd.  July  2,  '63, 
Gettysburg;  app.  sergt.  July  2,  '63;  reenl.  Jan.  1,  '64,  as  private,  cred. 
to  Walpole;  app.  lieut.  June  24,  '64;  app.  capt.  Co.  G,  April  1,  '65; 
must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 

Holden,  Jonathan  M.  Co.  A;  age  25;  enl.  April  25  ,'61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  disch.  disab.  Aug.  19,  '61,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

Holton,  Henry.  Co.  A;  age  27;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May 
22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must.  May  31,  '61,  as  muse;  died,  dis.  March  19, 
'63,  at  Keene. 

Howe,  Lucius  T.  Co.  A;  age  22;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  app.  corp.;  disch.  disab.  May  31,  '62,  White 
Oak  Swamp,  Va. 

Hurd,  Warren  H.  Co.  A;  age  18;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  captd.  June  30,  '62.  White  Oak  Swamp,  Va.; 
exchanged;  app.  corp.  Jan.  1,  '63;  disch.  Dec.  22,  '63,  to  accept 
promotion;  afterwards  lieut.  and  capt.  U.  S.  colored  troops. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  483 

Jackson,  George  A.    Co.  C;  b.  Keene;  res.  Windham;  age  21;  enl.  for  9 

mos.;  transf.   from   Seventeenth  N.   H.  April  16,  '63;   must,   out  Oct. 

9,  '63. 
Johnson,  Henry  H.     Co.  A;  age  22;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  vrs.;   app.  corp.  May  31,  '61;   disch.   disab.  July 

29,  '61,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
Lane,  Nathaniel  F.     Co.  A;  age  22;   enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  killed  May  5,  '62,  at  Williamsburg,  Va. 
Lanphere,  Orlando  M.     Co.  A;  age  20;  enl.  Aug.  19,  '61  ;  disch.  Aug.  24, 

'64,  at  Concord. 
Marsh,   Henry  H.     Co.  A;   age  20;   enl.  .\pril   25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  out  June  21,  '64. 
Metcalf,   Henr^'  N.    Co.  A;  age  28;  enl.  April   25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  vrs.;  must,  in  as  1st  It.;  transf.  to  Co.  F.  Nov.  1, 

'61;  app.  capt.  Aug'  13,  '62;  killed,  July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg. 
Nash,  Frank.     Co.  A;  age  19;   enl.  April  29,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl.  May 

22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  disch.  disab.  Feb.  7,  '63,  Falmouth,  Va. 

Noyes,  Samuel  L.     Band;  age  24;   enl.  July  25,  '61;  must,  as  third  class 

muse;  must,  out  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 
O'Brien,  CorneHus.  Co.  A;  age  16;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '61;  disch.  Aug.  24,  '64, 

near  Petersburg,  Va.,  term  exp. 
Parker,  Henry  E.     Field   and  staff;   b.   in   Keene;   res.  Concord;   age  40; 

app.  chaplain,  June  10,  '61;   disch.  Aug.  5,  '62. 
Parker,  William  H.    Co.  H;    age   16;    enl.  June  19,  '61;   must,  as  muse; 

disch.  Aug.   28,   '61,    Bladensburg,  Md.      See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  Vols. 

and  miscel.  org. 
Phelps,  George  W.    Co.  E;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '61;  app.  corp.  Nov.  1,  '61;  wd. 

Aug.  29,  '62,  second  Bull  Run;  disch.  disab.  June  4,  '63,  at  Concord. 
Pratt,  Edwin  P.    Band;   age  21;   enl.  July  22,  '61;    must,  as  third  class 

muse;   must,  out  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va.     See  First 

N.  H.  Cav. 
Freckle,  William  H.    Co.  A;    age  21;    enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May   22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  sev.  Aug.  29,  '62,   at  second   Bull  Run; 

disch.  wds.  Feb.  3,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Pressler,  Christian.    Co.  A;  age  30;  enl.   April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos;  reenl. 

Mav  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  app.  sergt.  May  31,  '61;  app.  1st  sergt.  July 

1,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Dec.  13,  '62,  Washington,  D.  C.     See  V.  R.  C. 

Rahn,  William  J.     Co.  I;    age  33;    enl.  May  9,  '61;   app.  commis.  sergt. 

June  8,  '62;  must,  out  June  21,  '64. 
Richardson,  James  F.     Co.  G;    age  19;   b.  Keene;   res.  Nelson;   enl.  Aug. 

23,  '61  ;  disch.  Aug.  23,  '61,  near  Petersburg,  Va.;  term  exp. 

Richardson,  Samuel  C.  Co.  K;  age  36;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '61;  disch.  disab. 
Oct.  26,  '62,  Washington,  D.  C.    Formerly  in  state  service. 

Ruffle,  Benjamin  F.  Co.  A;  age  23;  enl.  April  26,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg;  reenl.  Feb.  19, 
'64;  app.  sergt.  July  1,  '64;  must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 

Ruffle,  Charles.  Co.  H;  age  32;  enl.  Sept.  3,  '61;  reenl.  Feb.  19,  '64; 
app.  corp.  July  1,  '64;  must,  out  Dec.  19,  '65. 

Ruffle,  George.  Co.  A;  age  29;  b.  Keene;  res.  Stoddard;  enl.  Aug.  8, 
'61;  wd.  Aug.  29,  '62,  second  Bull  Run;  disch.  disab.  May  30,  '63, 
Concord. 

Ruffle,  Josiah.  Co.  A;  age  19;  enl.  Aug.  9,  '61;  transf.  to  Co.  K,  Fourth 
U.  S.  Art.  Nov.  1,  '62;  reenl.  Feb.  11,  '64;  disch.  Feb.  11,  '67,  Fort 
Delaware,  term  exp.     See  First  N.  H.  Vols. 


484  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

Ruffle,  Samuel.     Co.   H;   age  32;   enl.  Jan.   22,  '62;   died,   dis.    Aug.    15, 

'62,  David's  Island,  N.  Y.  harbor.    See  First  N.  H.  Vols. 
Salter,  Antoine.    Co.  H ;   age  23 ;   enl.   Sept.   5,  '61 ;   captd.  June  30,  '62, 

White  Oak  Swamp,  Va.;  died,  dis.  Aug.  7,  '62,  near  Richmond,  Va. 
Sherwin,  Horace  E.    Co.  A;   age  20;  enl.  May  6,  '61,  for  3   mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  out  June  21,  '64. 
Southworth,  Orliti  R.    Co.  A;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  19,  '61;  disch.  Aug.  24, 

'64,  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  term  exp. 
Spaulding,  Milan  D.     Co.  C;  age  19;  res.  Sullivan;  enl.  Sept.  10,  '61;  app. 

sergt.;  reenl.  Jan.  1,  '64,  cred.  Keene;  app.  1st  sergt.  July  1,  '64,  app. 

1st  lieut.  Nov.  4,  '64;  disch.  May  11,  '65. 
Spring,  Joseph  W.     Band;  age  29;  enl.  July  22,  '61,  as  first  class  muse; 

must,  out  Aug.  8,  '62,  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 
Spring,  WilHam  H.    Co.  A;   age  19;  enl.  April   30,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  killed  July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg. 
Stevens,  Edward  R.    Co.  K;  age  31;  res.  Concord;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Dec. 

3,  '63;   wd.  June  1,  '64,  Cold  Harbor;  disch.  disab.  June  10,  '65. 
Streeter,   Charles  H.    Co.  C;   age  18;   res.   Troy,   after  the  war,   Keene; 

enl.  Sept.  5,   '61;   app.   corp.;    reenl.  Jan.    1,   '64;   app.   sergt.  July  1, 

'64;   1st  sergt.  Nov.  30,  '64;   sergt.  major,  March  17,  '65;   1st.  Heut. 

Co.  A,  May  1,  '65;   disch.  Aug.  16,  '65.     See  First  N.   H.  Vols. 
Sumner,  Aaron  B.     Co.  A;   age  25;  res.  Swanzey,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.   April   25,   '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl.   May   22,  '61,   for  3  yrs.;  app. 

Corp.;  app.  sergt.  Jan.  10,  '64;  must,  out  June  21,  '64. 
Sumner,  Alonzo  D.    Co.  C ;  age  18 ;  enl.  Sept.  3,  '61 ;  disch.  disab.  June  9, 

'63,  Concord.    See  V.  R.  C. 
Sumner,   David.    Co.  C;  age  44;  enl.  Sept.  7,  '61;  disch.  disab.  June  11, 

'62,  Washington,  D.  C.     See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Taft,  Edward  N.     Co.  A;  age  27;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May 

22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  killed  May  5,  '62,  Williamsburg,  Va. 
Tallant,  Charles  H.    Band;  age  19  ;  enl.  July  22,  '61,  as  third  class  muse; 

disch.  March  24,  '62.      Supposed  identical  with   Charles   H.  Tallant, 

U.  S.  navy. 
Thatcher,  Lucius.    Co.  A;  age  21;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  17, 

'62. 
Thompson,  Henry  A.     Co.  H;   age    40;    enl.    Sept.   2,   '61;    disch.   disab. 

June  9,  '63,  Concord.    See  V.  R.  C. 
Thorning,  William  H.     Co.   A ;   age  21 ;    res.   Winchester,  after    the  war, 

Keene;   enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl.   May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.; 

disch.  May  30,  '64,  New  York  city,  term  exp. 
Thurston,  James.     Co.  C ;  age  18 ;  b.  Keene ;  res.  Stoddard ;   enl.  Sept.  9, 

'61 ;   deserted. 
Tottingham,  Charles  N.     Band;  age  34;   enl.  July  22,  '61;  must,  as  first 

class  muse;  app.   leader  Sept.    1,  '61 ;  must,   out  Aug.   8,   '62,   near 

Harrison's  Landing,   Va.     See  Second   Brig,   band,   in   which  he  enl. 

Jan.  20,  '63,  as  first  class  muse;   disch.  disab.  Nov.  17,  '63. 
Turner,  Gardner  W.    Co.  A;  age  25;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 

May  22,  '61  for  3  yrs.;   killed  Aug.  29,  '62,  second  Bull  Run. 
Walker,  Albert  R.    Co.  A;    age  25;    enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;   reenl. 

May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  app.  corp.  Aug.  1,  '61 ;  sergt.  June  1,  '63;  wd. 

sev.  July  2,  '63,  Gettysburg;   transf.  to  V.  R.  C.  April  23,  '64;  disch. 

June  7,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C,   term  exp. 
Warner,  John  S.     Co.  A;  age  24;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '61  ;  res.  Marlow,  after  the 

war,  Keene;  wd.  May  5,   '62,  Williamsburg,  Va.;  disch.  wds.  Oct.  14, 

'62. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  485 

Watson,  James.  Co.  K;  age  18;  b.  Eng.;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Dec.  3,  '63; 
wd.  June  3,  '64,  Cold  Harbor;  ent.  Campbell  Gen.  Hospital,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C;  transf.  to  Philadelphia  June  10,  '64.    No  further  record. 

Wheeler,  William  C.  Co.  A;  age  33;  enl.  April  27,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl. 
May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  June  25,  '62,  Oak  Grove,  Va.;  disch. 
wds.  Sept.  12,  '62,  Alexandria,  Va. 

Whipple,  William.  Co.  A;  age  20;  res.  Richmond,  after  the  war,  Keene; 
enl.  Aug.  5,  '61 ;  disch.  disab.  July  9,  '63,  Concord. 

White,  Augustus  C.  Co.  K;  age  19;  res.  Marlboro,  after  the  war, 
Keene;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  disch.  May  22,  '65,  Concord. 

White,  Henry.  Co.  A;  age  20;  enl.  April  25,  '61,  for  3  mos.;  reenl.  May 
22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  died,  dis.  Dec.  9,  '61,  Charles  County,  Md. 

White,    Shubael.      Co.  A;   age  51;  enl.   April  25,  '61,   for  3  mos.;    reenl. 

May   22,   '61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  as  muse;   app.   prin.  muse.  May  22, 

'61;  disch.  disab.  Sept.  25,  '61,  Bladensburg,  Md.    See  Sixth  N.  H.  V. 

and  V.  R.  C. 
Whittemore,    Daniel  H.      Co.  A;    age  25;  enl.  April    25,  '61,   for  3  mos.; 

reenl.  May  22,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  July  21,  '61,  Bull  Run,  Va.;  disch. 

disab.  Aug.  19,  '61,  Concord. 

Wilber,  William.  Co.  I;  age  27;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '61;  wd.  June  3,  '64, 
Cold  Harbor;  disch.  July  28,  '65,  Concord. 

Willard,  George  H.  Band;  age  22;  enl.  July  22,  '61;  must,  as  third 
class  muse;  must,  out  Aug.  8,  '62,  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 
Supposed  identical  with  George  H.  Willard,  Co.  C,  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 

Wright,  Daniel.  Co.  A;  age  31;  enl.  Aug.  1,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  12, 
'62,  Alexandria,  Va.  See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V.  Formerly  in  state 
service. 

Immediately  after  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  when 
the  first  wave  of  depression  had  passed,  the  patriotism  of 
the  people  rose  to  the  highest  pitch.  Men  rallied  to  the 
defence  of  the  government  with  alacrity  and  enthusiasm, 
and  regiment  after  regiment  was  equipped  and  sent  into 
the  field.  Public  meetings  were  held  —  frequently  in  the 
open  air  —  and  stirring  speeches  were  made.  Keene  voted 
to  instruct  its  selectmen  to  raise  $2,500  by  loan  for  imme- 
diate use  to  aid  the  families  of  its  volunteers.  Several 
recruiting  offices  were  opened  in  Keene,  from  one  of  w^hich 
Officer  Fred  A.  Barker  sent  forward  fifty-four  recruits  on 
the  21st  of  August  for  the  Third  regiment,  then  organizing 
at  Concord.  Lieut.  Samuel  S.  Quinn  from  the  discharged 
First  regiment  had  an  office  here  and  others  in  other  towns ; 
Sergt.  F.  W.  Cobb  from  the  Second  was  recruiting  for  that 
regiment;  Lieut.  H.  T.  H.  Pierce,  also  from  the  First  regi- 
ment, had  an  office  in  a  tent  on  the  common  and  recruited 
a  company  for  the  Fifth  regiment;  and  Capt.  Barker,  from 
the  Second,  was  also  in  the  county  on  recruiting  service 
for  that  regiment. 


486  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 


THIRD    REGIMENT. 


The  Third  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  were  organized 
during  the  month  of  August  and  started  for  the  front, 
1,035  strong,  on  the  3d  of  September;  and  the  Fourth 
also  left  the  state  two  weeks  later.  After  spending  a  few 
weeks  at  Washington,  the  Third  joined  the  expedition  of 
Gen.  Thomas  W.  Sherman  to  Port  Royal,  S.  C,  embarked 
at  Annapolis  and  landed  on  the  island  of  Hilton  Head 
early  in  November  and  remained  there  until  April.  In 
June,  1862,  it  was  sent  to  James  Island,  and  on  the  16th 
was  sharply  engaged  at  Secessionville,  losing  105  men 
killed,  wounded  and  missing.  Among  the  wounded  was 
Lieut.  Henry  C.  Handerson  of  Keene.  Returning  to  Hilton 
Head  the  regiment  remained  there  until  April,  1863,  when 
it  assisted  in  capturing  Morris  Island.  It  was  also  en- 
gaged in  the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner,  and  lost  heavily  in  the 
charge  made  on  the  18th  of  July.  In  February,  1864,  the 
regiment  was  again  sent  to  Hilton  Head  and  mounted. 
It  took  the  name  of  Third  New  Hampshire  Mounted 
Infantry,  and  was  sent  to  Florida  and  encamped  near 
Jacksonville;  but  in  April  it  was  dismounted  and  ordered 
to  Virginia.  In  the  meantime  many  of  the  men  had  reen- 
listed  and  received  furloughs  and  had  visited  their  homes. 
Arriving  in  Virginia  about  the  1st  of  May,  the  regiment 
was  joined  by  the  reenlisted  men  and  took  part  in  the 
actions  of  May  13,  14,  15  and  16  at  Drewry's  Bluif,  losing 
many  officers  and  men.  Again  on  May  18,  and  June  2 
and  16,  it  was  engaged  and  suffered  severe  loss ;  and  on 
the  16th  of  August  "the  regiment  was  well-nigh  annihila- 
ted." The  three  years'  term  of  enlistment  of  the  original 
members  expired  on  the  23d  of  August,  and  those  who 
had  not  reenlisted  were  sent  home  and  mustered  out. 
Those  who  remained  —  a  small  battalion — joined  in  the 
siege  of  Petersburg.  In  November  the  battalion  was  sent 
to  New  York  to  aid  in  guarding  the  election  against  the 
interference  of  rioters,  but  soon  returned  to  its  camp  at 
Laurel  Hill,  Va.  In  January,  1865,  it  formed  a  part  of 
the  infantry  force  engaged  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher, 
and  was  sent  thence  to  Wilmington,  and  afterwards 
to    Goldborough,    where   it    was    mustered    out,   July  20, 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  487 

1865.  Twelve  men  from  Keene  served  in  that  regiment, 
as  found  below.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  they 
were  privates  and  residents  of  Keene  unless  otherwise 
stated. 

Brainard,  Charles  F.  Non-com.  staff;  age  33;  enl.  Aug.  26,  '61;  must, 
as  Q.  M.  sergt;  app.  2d  lieut.  Co.  E,  Nov.  17,  '62;  1st  lieut.  Co.  K, 
May  13,  '63;   disch.  disab.  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Corker,  Henry.  Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  July  25, '61 ;  reenl.  Feb.  25,  '64; 
deserted. 

Davis,  George  H.  Co.  I;  age  29;  enl.  Aug.  1,  '61;  wd.  June  16,  '62,  Se- 
cessionville,  S.  C;  app.  corp.  June  4,  '63;  reenl.  Jan.  1,  '64;  app.  sergt. 
May  1,  '64;  wd.  May  13,  '64,  Drewry's  Bluff,  Va. ;  wd.  May  18,  '64, 
Bermuda  Hundred,  Va.;  must,  out  July  20,  '65.  Received  Gillmore 
medal. 

Davis,  Oliver  0.  Co.  B;  age  34;  enl.  Feb.  10,  '62;  wd.  May  13,  '64, 
Drewry's  Bluff,  Va.;  died,  wds..  May  22,  '64,  Hampton,  Va. 

Emerson,  George  W.  Co.  F;  age  44;  b.  Keene,  res.  Claremont;  enl.  July 
29,  '61  ;  disch.  Oct.  25,  '64,  term  exp. 

Fiske,  William  A.  Co.  I;  age  21;  enl.  Aug.  20,  '61;  reenl.  Jan.  1,  '64; 
must,  out  July  20,  '65. 

Handerson,  Henry  C.  Co.  G;  age  33;  app.  2d  lieut.  Aug.  22,  '61;  1st 
lieut.,  April  2,  '62;  wd.,  sev.  June  16,  '62,  Secessionville,  S.  C;  app. 
capt.  Co.  K,  March  7,  '63;  resigned  Sept.  18,  '63. 

Holt,  Edward  B.  Co.  E;  age  16;  res.  Nelson;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Dec,  23, 
'63;  wd.,  sev..  May  13,  64,  Drewry's  Bluff,  Va.;  disch.  disab.  May 
25,  '65,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Joslin,  Horace.  Co.  G;  age  25;  enl.  Feb.  18,  '62;  app.  wagoner;  reenl. 
Feb.  18,  '64;  must,  out  July  20,  '65. 

Kavan,  James.  Co.  C ;  age  29 ;  enl.  March  25,  '62 ;  disch.  disab.  May 
9,  '63;  Hilton  Head,  S.  C. 

Smith,  Samuel  M.  Co.  I;  age  26;  enl.  July  25,  '61;  app.  2d  lieut.  Aug. 
22,  '61 ;  1st  lieut.  Co.  K,  June  22,  '62';  resigned  June  13,  '63.  See 
Fourteenth  N.  H.  V.  and  U.  S.  colored  troops. 

Wymaii,  Emery  R.  Co.  I;  age  34;  enl.  Aug.  19,  '61;  wd.,  sev.,  May  13, 
'64,  Drewry's  Bluff,  Va.;  died,  wds.  May  16,  '64. 

FOURTH  REGIMENT. 

Only  one  man  from   Keene  served  in  the  Fourth  New 

Hampshire  Volunteers : 

Drummer,  Charles  H.  Co.  F;  age  23;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '61;  app.  2d  lieut. 
Sept.  20,  '61;  resigned  March  21,  '62.  See  First  N.  H.  V.,  and  U.  S. 
navy. 

The  operations  of  that  regiment  during  the  first  two 
years  of  its  service  were  wholly  in  the  South  —  in  the  Caro- 
linas  and  Florida.  In  1864,  it  joined  the  Army  of  the 
James,  afterwards  that  of  the  Potomac,  and  assisted  in 
the  siege  of  Petersburg.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Concord 
on  the  23d  of  August,  1865. 


488  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

FIFTH   REGIMENT. 

Thirty  men  from  Keene  joined  the  Fifth  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers.  That  regiment  was  organized  at  Con- 
cord in  September  and  October,  1861,  with  Edward  E. 
Cross,  of  Lancaster,  an  experienced  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
and  Indian  wars,  as  colonel.  Company  F  was  recruited 
chiefly  from  Cheshire  county,  with  Horace  T.  H.  Pierce, 
captain,  and  Samuel  S.  Quinn,  second  lieutenant,  both  of 
Keene  and  both  from  the  First  New  Hampshire  Volunteers. 
The  regiment  left  New  Hampshire  for  Washington  on  the 
29th  of  October,  was  assigned  to  Sumner's  division,  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  encamped  near  Alexandria, 
where  it  remained  until  the  following  March.  It  was  then 
assigned  to  Richardson's  division.  Second  army  corps,  and 
was  with  the  army  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  through 
the  peninsular  campaign,  suffering  heavy  loss  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Savage  Station,  White  Oak  Swamp  and  Malvern 
Hill.  It  returned  with  the  army  to  Alexandria  and  Wash- 
ington and  was  in  the  Maryland  campaign  in  1862.  At 
South  Mountain  it  was  held  in  reserve,  but  at  Antietam  it 
was  engaged  and  lost  about  one-third  of  its  members 
present.  At  Fredericksburg,  December  13,  it  was  with  the 
forces  that  stormed  Marye's  Heights,  and  suffered  severely. 
Six  color  bearers  were  shot  down,  and  of  nineteen  com- 
missioned officers,  eight  w^ere  killed  or  mortally  wounded, 
and  five  others  wounded.  Of  303  officers  and  men  present 
for  duty  the  total  loss  was  193,  or  more  than  sixty  per 
cent.  It  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville, 
May  1-5,  1863,  joined  in  the  retreat  of  the  army  into 
Maryland,  and  was  hotly  engaged  at  Gettysburg,  where 
Col.  Cross  was  mortally  wounded.  The  total  loss  of  the 
regiment  in  that  battle  was  about  one-half  of  the  whole 
number  present.  The  Fifth  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  Lee's 
army  as  far  as  Warrenton,  Va.,  when  it  was  ordered 
home  to  recruit,  remained  in  New  Hampshire  until  Novem- 
ber, then  returned  to  the  front  and  spent  the  winter  of 
1863-4  at  Point  Lo9kout,  Md.,  with  the  Second  and 
Twelfth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  guarding  Confederate 
prisoners.  At  the  opening  of  Grant's  campaign  through  the 
Wilderness  in  1864,  it  rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  489 

and  was  assigned  to  Barlow's  division  of  Hancock's 
(Second)  corps.  At  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  it  again  suffered  a 
loss  of  thirty-four  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  and  192 
wounded,  out  of  a  total  of  about  500.  Crossing  the  James 
with  the  army,  it  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Petersburg, 
during  which  it  twice  recrossed  the  James  and  was  engaged 
in  the  action  at  Deep  Bottom,  July  27,  and  again  at  the 
same  place  August  16,  and  at  Ream's  Station  on  the 
25th.  It  then  returned  to  the  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
and  in  the  final  struggle  was  engaged  at  Dinwiddle  Court 
House,  March  31,  1865.  It  made  its  last  charge  at  Farm- 
ville  on  the  7th  of  April,  where  it  was  overpowered  and 
lost  its  colors  and  some  prisoners,  but  all  were  regained 
on  the  9th,  when  Lee  surrendered.  It  returned  to  Wash- 
ington with  the  army,  marched  in  the  final  grand  review, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Alexandria  on  the  28th  of  June. 
Below  are  given  the  records  of  Keene  men,  privates 
and  residents  of  Keene  unless  otherwise  stated : 

Bailey,  Augustus.     Co.  F;    age  18;    eiil.  Oct.  23,  '61;    died,  dis.  Jan.  15, 

'62,  near  Alexandria,  Va. 
Bromlev,  Joshua   R.     Co.    F;    age    29;    enl.    Oct.    23,    '61;    app.    sergt ; 

killed,  June  6,  '64,  Cold  Harbor,  Va. 
Carey,  Oilman.     Co.  F;   age  21;   enl.  Oct.  2,  '61;   wd.  June  3,   '64,  Cold 

Harbor;  must,  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Crown,  Andrew  J.     Co.  F;  age  33;  enl.  Sept.  26,  '61;   disch.  disab.  Sept. 

25,  '62.     See  V.  R.  C. 
Duren,  John  A.    Non-com.   staflf;    age  29;  enl.  Sept.  IS,  '61;   app.  Q.  M. 

sergt;  app.  2d  lieut.  Co.  B,  April  1,  '63;   1st  lieut.  Co.  I,  Oct.  1,  '63; 

captd.  June  3,  '64,  Cold  Harbor,  Va.;  released;  disch.  March  16,  '65. 
Farewell,  Frederick  A.     Co.  F ;  age  35 ;  drafted  Oct.  8,  '63  ;  must,  out  June 

28,  '65. 
Fisk,  Sewell  A.    Co.  A;  age  33;   enl.  Dec.  26,  '63;  wd.  June  4,  '64,  Cold 

Harbor;  disch.  May  11,  '65,  Washington  D.  C. 
Foss,  Benjamin  H.     Co.  F;  age  21;   drafted  Oct.  8,  '63,   transf.  to  navy 

April  26,  64 ;  deserted  July  6,  '65. 

Handy,  George  E.  Co.  F;  age  18;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  miss.  June  1,  '62, 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.;  returned  from  miss.;  disch.  April  25,  '64.  See  miscel. 
org. 

Heustis,  William  E.  Co.  F;  age  17;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  must,  as  muse; 
reenl.  Feb.  19,  '64;  disch.  disab.  Sept.  1,  '64. 

Houghton,  Abel.  Co.  F;  age  43;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  must,  as  muse;  disch. 
disab.  Dec.  31,  '62.     See  V.  R.  C. 

Houghton,  George  E.  Co.  F;  age  18;  app.  Corp.;  transf.  to  I.  C,  Sept. 
16,  '63;  app.  sergt.;  disch.  Oct.  25,  '64,  at  Fortress  Monroe,  term  exp. 

Howard,  William.  Co.  F;  age  45;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  died  dis.  July  4, 
'62,  Harrison's  Landing,  Va. 

Kidder,  Henry.    Co.  F;  age  34;  drafted  Oct.  9,  '63;  disch.  May  20,  '65. 


490  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Parker,  Warren  M.     Co.  F;   age  18;   enl.  Oct.   23,  '61;  app.  corp.;  killed 

July  2.  '63,  Gettysburg. 
Pierce,  Horace  T.  H.      Co.  F;  age  37;   app.   capt.  Oct.  12,  '61;   resigned 

Jan.  29,  '63.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 
Quinn,  Charles  A.      Co.  F;  age  24;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;   wd.  Sept.  17,  '62, 

Antietam,  Md.;   died,  wds.,  Nov.  17,  '62,  Sharpsburg,  Md. 
Ouinn,  Samuel  S.      Co.  F;  age  21;   res.  Swanzey,  after  the   war,   Keene; 
"^     app.  2d  lieut.   Oct.  12,  '61;   wd.  July  1,  '62,   Malvern   Hill;   app.  1st 

lieut.  Co.  D,  Aug.  1,  '62;   app.  capt.   Dec.  17,  '62;   resigned   Feb.  17, 

'63.     See  First  N.  H.  V. 
Reed,  John  A.      Co.  F;  age  19;   enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;   wd.  June  1,  '62,   Fair 

Oaks,  Va.;  died,  wds.,  June  24,  '62,  Philadelphia. 
Robbins,  Isaiah,  Jr.     Co.  F;  age  23;  drafted  Oct.  9,  '63;  wd.  June  3,  '64, 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.;  disch.  disab.  May  28,  '65. 
Roby,  Charles.     Co.  F;    age  31;  drafted  Oct.  9,  '63;    died,  dis.,  June  24, 

'64,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Stone,    Sydney    C.      Co.  F;   age  26;    enl.  Oct.   23,  '61;    wd.  June  1,  '62, 

Fair  Oaks,   Va.;   disch.,   wds.,   Sept.  8,  '62,  New   York  city;   drafted, 

Oct.  8,  '63;   miss.   April  7,   '65,   Farmville,  Va.;   returned;   must,  out 

June  28,  '65. 
Sturtevant,   Edward   E.      Co.  A;   b.  Keene;   res.   Concord;   age  33;   app. 

capt.  Oct.  12,  '61;  wd.  June  1,  '62,  Fair  Oaks,  Va.;   app.  major,  July 

30,  '62;  killed  Dec.  13,  '62,  Fredericksburg,  Va.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 

Towne,  Elbridge.  Co.  F ;  age  32 ;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61 ;  wd.  May,  '63,  Chan- 
cellorsville,  Va.;  wd.  June  4,  '64,  Cold  Harbor;  died,  wds.  July  1,  '64, 
Alexandria,  Va. 

Trask,  Daniel  W.  Co.  F;  age  19;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  wd.  June,  '62,  Fair 
Oaks;  wd.  Dec.  13,  '62,  Fredericksburg,  Va.;  wd.  Mav,  '63,  Chancel- 
lorsville;  reenl.  Feb.  22,  '64;  disch.  June  28,  '65. 

Trask,  William  H.  Co.  F;  age  43 ;  enl.  Dec.  18,  '63;  captd.  April  7,  '65, 
Farmville,  Va.;   exchanged;  disch.  June  2,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Wait,  John  H.  Co.  F;  age  22;  enl.  Oct.  23,  '61;  app.  corp.;  killed,  Dec. 
13,  '62,  Fredericksburg,  Va.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 

Waite,  George  W.  Co.  F;  age  23;  drafted,  Oct.  9,  '63;  wd.  Aug.  25,  '64, 
Ream's  Station,  Va.;   disch.  disab.  May  31,  '65,  Manchester,  N.  H. 

Willard,  George  H.  Co.  C;  age  24;  drafted,  Oct.  9,  '63;  wd.  July  12,  '64, 
near  Petersburg,  Va. ;  disch.  May  5,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C.  Supposed 
identical  with  George  H.  Willard,  band.  Second  N.  H.  V. 

Winslow,  Jesse  C.  Co.  F;  age  34;  drafted  Oct.  9,  '63;  wd,  June  3,  '64, 
Cold  Harbor;  wd.  Aug.  16,  '64,  Deep  Bottom,  Va.;  miss.  April  7,  '65; 
returned ;   must,  out  June  28,  '65. 

SIXTH    REGIMENT. 

The  Sixth  regiment  i  had  its  rendezvous  at  Keene  in  the 
months  of  November  and  December,  1861,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service  Nov.  27-30.  Its  camp 
was  on  the  Cheshire  county  fair  grounds,  now   Wheelock 

lA  more  extended  historical  account  of  the  Sixth  regiment  is  given  for  the 
reason  that  a  large  nnmber  of  its  members  -were  residents  of  Keene,  and  that, 
having  encamped  in  town  for  nearly  two  months,  a  more  extensive  acquaint- 
ance was  made  with  its  officers  and  men  by  the  citizens  of  Keene  than  with 
those  of  any  other  regiment. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  491 

park,  which  then  had  buildings  suitable  for  the  quarter- 
master's use,  but  not  for  quarters  for  the  men.  Those  were 
provided  by  the  state  in  the  form  of  large  conical  tents, 
each  of  which  was  furnished  with  a  stove.  Nelson  Con- 
verse, of  Marlboro,  was  appointed  colonel;  S.  G.  Griffin, 
promoted  from  captain  in  the  Second,  lieutenant  colonel; 
and  Charles  Scott  of  Peterboro,  major.  Don  H.  Wood- 
ward, Esq.,  of  Keene  was  appointed  adjutant,  but  resigned 
before  the  regiment  left  the  state,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Phin  P.  Bixby,  of  Concord.  Alonzo  Nute,  of  Farmington, 
afterwards  member  of  congress,  was  quartermaster;  Dr. 
William  A.  Tracy,  of  Nashua,  surgeon,  succeeded  after  a 
year  and  a  half  by  the  assistant-surgeon.  Dr.  Sherman 
Cooper  of  Claremont;  and  Rev.  Robert  Stinson,  of  Croy- 
don, chaplain,  succeeded  after  six  months  by  Rev.  John 
A.  Hamilton  of  Keene,  who  remained  with  the  regiment 
one  year.  Company  E  was  recruited  in  Keene  by  Obed  G. 
Dort,  who  was  appointed  its  captain;  and  John  A.  Cura- 
mings,  who  joined  it  with  a  squad  of  recruits  from  Peter- 
boro, was  made  its  first  lieutenant.  A  part  of  Company 
F  was  also  recruited  in  Keene,  by  George  C.  Starkweather, 
who  was  appointed  its  captain,  but  soon  resigned;  and 
there  were  Keene  men  also  in  other  companies.  During 
their  stay  in  Keene  the  officers  of  the  regiment  received 
polite  attentions  from  the  citizens,  and  accepted  many 
invitations  to  social  functions  —  a  striking  CQntrast  to  the 
hard  and  dangerous  life  which  was  before  them.  On 
Thanksgiving  day  the  whole  regiment  was  provided  by 
the  citizens  with  a  sumptuous  dinner  at  the  camp,  which 
both  officers  and  men  thoroughly  enjoyed  and  never  for- 
got. December  19  the  regiment  marched  to  the  Square 
and  formed  in  a  circle  around  Central  park,  in  which  were 
Governor  Berry  and  staff,  Hon.  Peter  Sanborn,  state 
treasurer — who  was  present  to  pay  the  soldiers  the  money 
then  due  them  from  the  state  and  their  bounty  of  ten  dol- 
lars each  —  and  the  field  and  staff  officers  of  the  regiment. 
The  governor  addressed  the  regiment  in  a  patriotic  speech 
and  presented  it  with  its  state  banner  and  the  national 
colors.  On  Christmas  morning  the  regiment  left  its  camp 
and  marched  to  the  station  —  through  snow  more  than  a 


492  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

foot  deep  which  had  fallen  in  the  night  preceding— and 
took  the  cars  on  the  Fitchburg,  Worcester  and  Norwich 
route  to  New  York  and  thence  direct  to  Washington.  The 
Sentinel  of  December  26  published  a  full  roster  of  its  mem- 
bers, with  the  following  paragraph: 

"Departure  of  the  Sixth. —  The  Sixth  regiment  of 
New  Hampshire  Volunteers  left  Keene  in  twenty-two  cars, 
at  about  nine  o'clock,  Wednesday  morning.  The  soldiers 
seemed  in  good  spirits,  and  were  heartily  cheered  by 
an  immense  crowd  that  had  assembled  to  witness  their 
departure.    *    *    *    * 

"Taken  as  a  whole,  we  doubt  if  a  better  body  of  men 
has  gone  to  the  war  from  this  state.  The  field  and  staff 
officers  are  gentlemen  of  superior  character,  unstained  by 
any  vicious  habits,  and  are  actuated  by  the  purest  prin- 
ciples of  patriotism.  They  have  the  entire  confidence  of 
the  men  under  them,  and  of  all  who  know  them  at  home." 

Encamping  for  a  few  days  near  Washington,  the  Sixth 
was  assigned  to  Burnside's  expedition  to  North  Carolina, 
and  on  the  8th  of  January,  1862,  went  on  board  the  ship 
Martha  Greenwood,  at  Annapolis.  At  Fortress  Monroe  it 
was  transferred  to  the  side-wheel  steamer  Louisiana,  and 
in  that  river  boat  doubled  Cape  Hatteras  in  one  of  the 
worst  storms  of  that  stormy  coast.  For  several  weeks  it 
was  encamped  on  Hatteras  Island,  where  it  suffered 
severely  from  measles,  malarial  fever  and  other  diseases. 
About  sixty  men  died,  and  several  others  were  permanently 
disabled.  This  sickness  prevented  the  regiment  from  tak- 
ing part  in  the  capture  of  Roanoke  Island,  but  earh'  in 
March  it  removed  to  that  island  and  remained  until  June, 
making  some  excursions  on  the  main  land  and  breaking  up 
rebel  encampments. 

In  March,  Col.  Converse  resigned  and  Lt.  Col.  Griffin 
was  promoted  to  colonel.  Major  Scott  to  lieutenant  colonel, 
and  Capt.  Dort  to  major.  On  the  19th  of  April  the  Sixth 
was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Camden,  N.  C,  and  at  a 
critical  moment  was  ordered  to  attack.  The  regiment  ad- 
vanced in  line  of  battle,  nearly  1,000  strong,  and  at  the 
word  of  command  poured  in  a  volley  with  all  the  coolness 
and  precision  of  a  dress  parade.  The  enemy  broke  and  fled, 
and  the  battle  was  won.  That  volley  brought  the  Sixth 
commendation  in  general  orders,  and  gave  it  a  reputation 


KBENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  493 

in  Burnside's  corps  which  lasted  through  the  war.  From 
Roanoke  Island  it  joined  the  main  body  of  Burnside's  force 
at  Newberne,  and  on  the  1st  of  July  was  assigned  to 
Reno's  division  of  that  force  —  now  the  Ninth  army  corps 

—  and  sent  to  aid  McClellan  on  the  peninsula.  McClellan's 
movements  having  failed,  Reno's  division  was  ordered  to 
the  aid  of  Gen.  Pope,  commanding  the  army  in  front  of 
Washington,  landed  at  Acquin  Creek,  marched  to  Culpepper 
Court  House,  and  joined  in  Pope's  retreat  before  the  ad- 
vance of  Lee's  army.  During  its  four  weeks  with  Pope's 
army  the  service  of  the  regiment  v^as  exceedingly  severe 

—  marching  by  night,  and  engaged,  or  in  constant  expec- 
tation of  engagements,  by  day.  That  campaign  was  one 
of  the  most  trying  the  Sixth  ever  experienced.  Rev.  John 
A.  Hamilton  of  Keene  was  appointed  chaplain  and  joined 
the  regiment  at  the  beginning  of  this  campaign. 

Previous  to  that,  while  the  regiment  was  encamped  for 
a  short  time  at  Newport  News,  the  wives  of  Lt.  Col.  Scott, 
Major  Dort,  and  Capt.  John  A.  Cummings,  visited  their 
husbands,  taking  the  major's  little  son,  four  or  five  years 
old,  with  them.  After  the  regiment  had  left,  the  party, 
with  the  sick  of  Reno's  division,  among  whom  was  Lt. 
Col.  Scott,  went  on  board  the  steamer  West  Point  and 
started  for  Baltimore.  While  ascending  the  Potomac  river, 
in  the  evening  of  August  13,  the  boat  collided  with  the 
descending  steamer,  George  Peabody,  and  sank.  One  hun- 
dred and  twenty  were  drowned,  including  all  the  ladies 
and  the  child,  and  George  W.  Marsh,  of  Keene,  a  private 
in  the  Sixth. 

At  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Aug.   29,  the  Sixth 

—  with  the  two  other  regiments  of  its  brigade,  the  Second 
Maryland  on  its  right  and  the  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania 
on  its  left  —  was  sent  into  a  piece  of  w^oods  with  orders 
from  Gen.  Reno  to  "Drive  the  enemy  out  and  hold  that 
ground."  The  regiment  made  a  gallant  attempt  to  obey 
the  order,  not  suspecting  that  it  was  set  to  perform  an 
impossible  task.  As  it  advanced  into  the  woods  it  was 
received  with  a  murderous  fire;  four  color-bearers  were 
shot  down  in  succession;  its  left  flank  was  uncovered,  and 
it  was    compelled  to  retreat  to  save  itself  from    capture. 


494  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Almost  one-half  of  its  whole  number  of  officers  and  men 
present  —  about  450  —  were  killed,  wounded  or  taken 
prisoners.  Among  the  mortally  wounded  were  Lieut. 
George  H.  Muchmore,  Sergeant  Isaac  P.  McMaster,  and 
Private  Samuel  E.  Douglass;  and  among  the  wounded 
were  Privates  Anthony  Demore,  Roger  S.  Derby,  Henry  A. 
Farnum,  Henry  C.  Flagg,  Henry  Flint  and  James  H. 
Smith,  all  of  Keene.  It  was  afterwards  learned  that  the 
opposing  force  was  Longstreet's  whole  corps,  seven  lines 
deep. 

After  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  in  which  it  was  engaged 
Sept.  1,  the  Sixth  was  with  its  corps  in  McClellan's  Mary- 
land campaign.  It  was  engaged  at  South  Mountain ;  and 
at  Antietam,  with  the  Second  Maryland,  both  under  Col, 
Griffin,  it  made  a  gallant  charge  on  the  famous  stone 
bridge,  but  their  numbers  were  too  small  to  ensure  success. 
It  was,  however,  one  of  the  first  to  cross  the  bridge  with 
the  reinforcements  brought  up,  and  was  the  first  to  form 
its  line  confronting  the  enemy  on  the  bluff  beyond  the 
bridge.  After  that  battle  and  a  rest  in  Pleasant  Valley, 
the  Sixth  was  with  the  army  in  its  pursuit  of  Lee,  and  at 
Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13,  it  was  in  the  column  of  the  Ninth 
corps  that  charged  Marye's  Heights,  and  suffered  severe 
loss.  In  February,  1863,  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  corps 
under  Gen.  John  G.  Parke  were  sent  to  Newport  News,  and 
thence,  in  March,  to  join  Gen.  Burnside  in  his  command  of 
the  department  of  the  Ohio.  Early  in  April  they  moved 
into  Kentucky  to  protect  that  state  from  Confederate 
raids  and  prepare  for  an  advance  into  east  Tennessee;  and 
for  a  few  weeks  the  soldiers  enjoyed  their  camps  in  the 
celebrated  blue  grass  counties.  Col.  Griffin  being  in  com- 
mand of  the  brigade,  Lt.  Col.  Henry  H.  Pearson,  pro- 
moted from  captain,  was  now  in  command  of  the  regi- 
ment. 

Early  in  June,  Gen.  Parke  and  his  two  divisions  were 
sent  to  aid  Gen.  Grant  in  his  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  army  under  Gen.  Sherman  to  confront 
the  Confederate  Gen.  Johnson  and  protect  Grant's  rear. 
The  Ninth  corps  troops  were  encamped  at  Milldale  and 
vicinity,  on  the  Yazoo  river.    Vicksburg  surrendered  on  the 


J 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL    WAR.  495 

4th  of  July,  and  Sherman  immediately  moved  his  army, 
reinforced  by  a  part  of  Grant's,  in  pursuit  of  Johnson.  The 
march  to  Jackson,  where  Johnson  made  a  stand  and  the 
Sixth  was  engaged,  and  that  of  the  return  to  Milldale  after 
the  capture  of  the  city,  were  among  the  hardest  and  most 
distressing  ever  experienced  by  the  Sixth,  on  account  of  the 
heat  and  lack  of  water ;  and  that  campaign  in  those  mala- 
rial regions  of  Mississippi  was  more  injurious  to  the  health 
and  morale  of  the  troops  of  the  Ninth  corps  than  any 
other  of  the  whole  war.  Many  lives  were  lost  and  many 
constitutions  broken.  In  August,  the  corps  returned  to 
Kentucky.  In  consequence  of  the  sickness  thus  contracted 
the  Second  division  was  divided,  the  stronger  regiments 
marching  to  east  Tennessee,  w^hile  those  more  seriously 
affected  remained  to  recuperate  and  protect  the  loyal  people 
of  Kentucky.  The  Sixth  was  encamped  for  short  terms  at 
Frankfort  and  Russellville,  and  then  was  placed  on  guard 
and  provost  duty  at  Camp  Nelson,  a  large  and  important 
depot  of  supplies  near  Nicholasville,  Ky. 

While  at  that  post  a  large  majority  of  the  men  —  280, 
or  about  three-fourths  of  all  who  had  served  a  sufficient 
length  of  time  —  reenlisted  for  three  years  or  the  war,  and 
received  a  furlough  of  thirty  days  granted  by  the  terms  of 
enlistment.  The  Sixth  was  the  first  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ment to  reenlist,  and  did  so  in  larger  proportionate  num- 
bers than  any  other  from  the  state,  retaining  its  organiza- 
tion of  ten  companies  to  the  close  of  the  w^ar,  while  most 
of  the  others  were  consolidated  with  other  New  Hampshire 
regiments  before  being  mustered  out.  On  the  16th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1864,  the  regiment  —  the  reenlisted  men  —  under  Lt. 
Col,  Pearson,  started  for  New  Hampshire.  On  its  route 
to  Concord,  via  Cleveland,  Buffalo  and  Rutland,  the  regi- 
ment stopped  over  one  night  in  Keene.  It  was  royally 
received  and  entertained  by  the  citizens,  and  the  men  were 
provided  with  quarters  in  the  town  hall.  At  Concord  it 
had  another  grand  reception,  and  the  next  day  the  men 
dispersed  to  their  homes.  They  remained  in  the  state 
until  the  18th  of  March,  when  they  reassembled  at  Con- 
cord and  again  started  for  the  front  to  take  part  in  Grant's 
great  campaign  through  the  Wilderness. 


496  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

The  Ninth  corps  was  then  reassembling  and  reorganiz- 
ing under  Gen.  Burnside  at  Annapolis.  There  the  Sixth 
met  its  recruits  and  those  who  had  not  reenlisted,  brought 
forward  from  Kentucky.  The  Ninth  and  Eleventh  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers  were  also  brought  on  from  Ken- 
tucky and  east  Tennessee,  and  the  three  New  Hampshire 
regiments,  with  the  Seventeenth  Vermont  and  Thirty-first 
and  Thirty-second  Maine,  constituted  the  Second  brigade 
of  the  Second  division,  commanded  by  Col.  S.  G.  Griffin, 
thus  leaving  Lt.  Col.  Pearson  in  command  of  the  Sixth. 
It  was  sometimes  called  the  New  Hampshire  brigade,  but 
other  regiments  were  added  from  time  to  time  until  there 
were  eleven  in  all  in  that  brigade.  On  the  23d  of  April 
the  corps  left  Annapolis,  marched  through  Washington, 
where  it  was  reviewed  by  President  Lincoln,  and  after 
some  delays  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  just  beyond 
the  Kapidan  river  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  May.  At 
2  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  New  Hampshire  brigade 
was  again  in  motion,  marched  a  few  miles  in  the  dark- 
ness, got  in  position  as  daylight  appeared,  and  attacked 
the  enemy  at  sunrise  near  "Parker's  Store."  After  some 
desultory  fighting  in  that  position  the  brigade  was  ordered 
to  the  left,  through  the  woods,  to  aid  in  repelling  an 
attack  of  the  enemy  on  that  part  of  the  field.  As  it  came 
on  the  ground  and  formed  in  line  in  rear  of  two  other 
brigades  of  the  corps,  which  v^ere  lying  down  to  avoid  the 
shot,  it  made  an  imposing  appearance,  four  of  the  regi- 
ments being  fresh  from  their  states,  with  well  filled  ranks 
and  bright  new  uniforms  and  colors.  Gen.  Burnside  and 
Gen.  Potter,  commander  of  the  Second  division,  were 
present  with  their  staffs.  Pleased  with  the  appearance  of 
this  fresh  force,  Burnside  turned  to  Potter  and  said:  "Let 
Griffin  attack."  Potter  repeated  the  order  and  Griffin  gave 
the  command  "Forward!"  The  brigade  of  six  large 
battalions,  numbering  about  3,000  men,  advanced  in  line 
of  battle,  and  as  it  passed  over  the  prostrate  brigades,  one 
after  the  other,  the  sight  was  so  inspiring  that  the  men  of 
each  line  as  it  was  passed  sprang  to  their  feet,  cheered, 
and,  without  orders,  joined  in  the  forward  movement. 
The    whole  mass  of  enthusiastic  troops   advanced  to  the 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  497 

charge  under  a  withering  fire.  For  a  while  they  bore  the 
enemy  back ;  and  the  Sixth  New  HamiDshire  sprang  for- 
ward, charged  with  the  bayonet,  and  brought  out  106 
prisoners.  But  the  troops  of  other  corps  on  the  left  of  the 
Ninth  did  not  join  in  the  raovement,  and  soon  its  flank 
was  exposed.  The  enemy  did  not  fail  to  take  advantage 
of  that  opening,  swept  round  and  enveloped  that  flank 
and  compelled  the  Ninth  corps  to  fall  back,  but  only  to  the 
ground  from  which  the  movement  started.  The  Sixth  New 
Hampshire  lost  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  Henry 
A.  Farnum  of  Keene  was  captured.  The  Eleventh  New 
Hampshire  also  suffered  in  killed  and  wounded,  among  them 
Lt.  Col.  Collins,  mortally  wounded,  and  Lieut.  Hutchins, 
serving  on  Col.  Griffin's  staff,  killed ;  and  Col.  Harriman 
and  several  others  of  that  regiment  were  taken  prisoners. 
During  that  night  the  army  moved  by  the  left,  and  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House  on  the  12th  the  New  Hamp- 
shire brigade  led  the  advance  of  the  Ninth  corps  in  its  sup- 
port of  Hancock's  movement,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
met  the  enemy  in  a  desperate  struggle  of  five  hours'  dura- 
tion, held  its  ground,  and  saved  Hancock's  corps  from 
being  swept  off  the  field  in  a  countercharge.  The  Ninth 
New  Hampshire  made  a  gallant  dash  to  capture  a  Con- 
federate gun,  but  was  repulsed  with  severe  loss.  That 
regiment  was  in  command  of  Major  George  H.  Chandler, 
Lt.  Col.  Babbitt  having  been  directed  by  Col.  Griffin  to 
take  command  of  the  Thirty-second  Maine,  which  was 
destitute  of  field  officers.  The  Eleventh  New  Hampshire 
was  in  command  of  its  senior  officer  present,  Capt.  H.  O. 
Dudley.  The  Sixth  lost  sixty-seven  killed  and  wounded, 
among  the  latter  Patrick  McCaffery,  mortally,  and  William 
H.  Barber,  of  Keene.  The  Ninth  lost  fifty-five  killed  or 
mortalh'  wounded,  and  nearly  200  wounded,  among  the 
latter,  Col.  Babbitt,  severely,  and  John  E.  Ellis  of  Keene; 
and  its  commander.  Major  Chandler,  was  also  wounded. 
The  Eleventh  lost  nineteen  killed  or  mortally  wounded  and 
about  150  wounded  —  a  total  loss  in  the  three  New  Hamp- 
shire regiinents  of  nearly  500.  The  lines  taken  on  the  12th 
were  held  until  the  18th,  when  a  reconnoissance,  ordered 
by  Gen.  Grant  to   ascertain   whether  the  enemy  was  still 


498  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

in  force  in  our  front,  was  made  by  Griffin's  brigade.  The 
enemy  showed  no  diminution  in  numbers  or  determination, 
and  the  brigade  returned  to  its  position. 

Again  the  army  moved  to  the  left,  and  the  New  Hamp- 
shire brigade  was  engaged  at  North  Anna  river  —  where 
Lt.  Col.  Pearson,  of  the  Sixth,  a  brave  and  meritorious 
officer,  was  instantly  killed  —  at  Tolopotomoy  creek,  Bethes- 
da  Church,  and  Cold  Harbor,  June  3.  Another  movement 
to  the  left,  by  night  and  by  day,  brought  the  army  to  the 
James  river,  which  it  crossed,  and  arrived  in  front  of  the 
enemy's  outer  line  of  entrenchments  at  Petersburg  on  the 
16th  of  June.  That  night  was  spent  by  the  brigade  in 
working  its  way  through  slashed  timber  at  the  Shand's 
house,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  at  daybreak,  it 
made  a  dash  over  the  enemy's  w^orks,  captured  about  one 
thousand  prisoners,  four  pieces  of  artillery  and  a  quantity 
of  arms  and  ammunition.  Advancing  the  next  day  to  the 
main  works,  for  nine  weeks  it  lay  in  the  besieging  lines, 
close  to  the  enemy  —  in  some  places  within  two  hundred 
yards  —  almost  constantly  under  the  fire  of  the  pickets,  and 
suffered  continual  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  It  joined  in 
the  charge  at  the  battle  of  the  Mine,  July  30,  where  the 
Sixth  lost  heavily.  Among  the  killed  of  that  regiment  was 
Capt.  William  K.  Crossfield,  of  Keene,  an  excellent  officer. 
On  the  20th  of  August,  the  Ninth  corps  moved  to  the  left 
and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  on  the  Weldon  railroad ; 
and  again,  Sept.  30,  at  Poplar  Springs  Church,  where  the 
New  Hampshire  brigade  lost  heavily  in  killed,  wounded 
and  captured.  Among  the  killed  was  Lieut.  Emory  of  the 
Ninth,  on  Gen.  Griffin's  staff. 

A  law  having  been  enacted  allowing  soldiers  in  the 
field  to  vote,  at  the  national  election  in  November,  the  New 
Hampshire  brigade  voted  at  follows : 

For  President:  Abraham  Lincoln.        George  B.  McClellan. 

Sixth  regiment 102  18 

Ninth  regiment 97  18 

Eleventh  regiment 154  49 

353  85 

Early  in  December  the  Ninth  corps  returned  to  its 
former  position  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  held  the  lines 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  499 

on  both  sides  of  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  During  the  last 
days  of  March  and  first  of  April,  1865,  in  the  movements 
that  culminated  in  the  capture  of  Petersburg  and  Rich- 
mond, Griffin's  brigade  of  nine  regiments  bore  an  import- 
ant part.  Acting  under  orders  from  Gen.  Grant,  in  connec- 
tion with  Hartranft's  division  of  six  regiments,  on  its 
right,  it  made  an  assault  at  4  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning, 
the  2d  of  April,  and  broke  through  the  enemy's  main  line 
—  the  line,  bristling  with  abatis  that  had  held  the  Union 
army  for  more  than  nine  months  —  in  front  of  Fort  Sedg- 
wick ;  and  the  next  morning  the  army  marched  into  Peters- 
burg. A  furious  artillery  duel  had  aroused  the  enemy,  and 
the  assaulting  columns  were  received  with  a  deadly  fire, 
the  brigade  losing  725  men  in  killed  and  wounded.  The 
brigade  was  with  its  division  —  now  commanded  by  Gen. 
Griffin  —  in  the  pursuit,  and  at  the  surrender  of  Lee;  and 
afterwards  encamped  at  Alexandria,  and  took  part  in  the 
grand  review  in  Washington  on  the  23d  of  May.  In  June 
and  July  the  troops  were  mustered  out  of  service,  the  Sixth 
New  Hampshire  1  being  retained  till  the  last  of  its  division 
— July  17.  Each  regiment  as  it  w^as  discharged  proceeded 
to  Concord  and  delivered  its  colors  to  the  governor  of 
New  Hampshire. 

The  following  men  from  Keene  served  in  that  regiment. 
They  were  privates  and  residents  of  Keene  unless  other- 
wise stated. 

Barber,  William  H.  Co.  P;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  11,  '62;  wd.  May  12,  '64, 
Spottsylvania  Court  House;  disch.  June  4,  '65,  Alexandria,  Va. 

Black,  J.  Ransom.  Co.  E;  age  22;  enl.  Oct.  18,  '61;  disch.  disab.  March 
30,  '63,  Philadelphia. 

Brown,  John  R.  Co.  E;  age  31;  enl.  Nov.  27,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Aug.  2, 
'63,  Milldale,  Miss.;   died,  dis.,  Aug.  9,  '63,  en   route  from  Vicksburg. 

Brown,  Marshall  L.  Co.  E;  age  24;  enl.  Nov.  12,  '61;  app.  hosp. 
steward,  Jan.  2,  '63;  reenl.  Dec.  29,  '63;  app.  asst.  surg.  June  1,  '65; 
must,  out  July  17,  '65. 

Campbell,  Charles.  Co.  F;  age  44;  enl.  Oct.  7,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Feb.  2, 
'63,  Newark,  N.  J. 

Carroll,  Thomas.  Co.  F;  age  48;  enl.  Oct.  14,  '61;  miss.  Aug.  29,  '62, 
Bull  Run,  Va.;  return  from  miss.;  disch.  disab.  Jan.  17,  '63,  Alex- 
andria, Va.    See  V.  R.  C. 

Cass,  Lewis.  Co.  I;  age  44;  enl.  Oct.  21,  '61;  must,  in  Nov.  28,  '61. 
No  farther  record. 

1  For  further  details  of  the   service  of  the    Sixth    and  of  the    New  Hampshire 
brigade,  see  sketch  of  its  commander,  Gen.  S.  G.  Griffin. 


500  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Cheney,  Clinton  C.     Co.   E;   age  18;   enl.   Oct.  14, '61;   app.  Corp.;   died, 

dis.,  Feb.  26,  '62,  Hatteras  Inlet.. 
Church,   John  L.      Co.  F;    age  42;    enl.  Oct.  3,  '61;   died,  dis.,   Aug.  31, 

'63,  Nicholasville,  Ky. 
Clark,  Charles  L.      Co.  F;   age  22;    b.  Marll)oro;    res.  Keene;    enl.  Nov. 

15,  '61;  app.  sergt.;  reenl.  Jan.  4,  '64,  cred.  Marlboro;  app.  1st  sergt. 

March  1,  '64,  1st  lieut.   March  2,  '65;   must,  out  July  17,  '65,   Alex- 
andria, Va. 
Clement,  Benjamin  F.     Co.  E;  age  42;  enl.  Nov.  9,  '61;  disch.  disab.  Feb. 

6,  '63,  Alexandria,  Va.    See  V.  R.  C. 
Crossfield,  William  K.    Co.  E;  age  28;  enl.  Oct.  31,  '61;   app.  1st  sergt. 

Nov.  28,  '61,  2d  lieut.  April  23,  '62,  capt.  Co.  C,  Oct.  16,  '62;  killed 

July  30,  '64,  mine  expl.,  Petersburg,  Va. 
Demore,   Anthony.    Co.  H;   age  18;   enl.  Sept.  30,  '61;   transf.  to  Co.  F, 

Dec.  1,  '61;    wd.   Aug.   29,   '62,   Bull  Run,   Va.;    killed    Dec.    13,    '62, 

Fredericksburg,  Va. 
Derby,  Roger  S.     Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  3,  '61;  vvd.  Aug.  29,  '62,  Bull 

Run;  disch.  Feb.  26,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Dodwell,  John.     Co.  G;  age  44;  enl.  Dec.  7,  '61;  deserted  March  19,  '64, 

Covington,  Ky. 
Dort,  Obed  G.     Co.  E;  age  33;  app.  capt.  Nov.  30,  '61;  app.  major  April 

22,  '62;  resigned  Sept.  24,  '62. 
Douglass,    Samuel    E.      Co.  F;   age  18;   enl.  Oct.  14,   '61;   wd.  Aug.   29, 

'62,  Bull  Run;  died,  wds.,  Sept.  19,  '62,  Georgetown,  D.  C. 
Farnum,  H6iry  A.    Co.  F;  age  18;  enl.  Sept.  25,  '61;  wd.  Aug.  29,  '62, 

Bull  Run;  captd.  May  6,  '64,  Wilderness,  Va.;  released  March  1,  '65; 

disch.  May  20,  '65,  term  exp. 
Flagg,  Henry  C.    Co.  G;  age  19;  enl.  Dec.  3,  '61;  wd.  Aug.  29,  '62,  Bull 

Run;  disch.  Dec.  23,  '62,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Flint,  Henry.     Co.  E;  age  25;  enl.  Oct.  30,  '61;   wd.  and  miss.  Aug.  29, 

'62,   Bull  Run;    return  from  miss.;    died,    dis.,  Oct.   15,  '62,    George- 
town, D.  C. 
Gage,  William.    Co.  F;  age  38;  enl.  Nov.  30,  '61;    app.  corp.;   reenl.  Jan. 

4,  '64,  cred.  Surry;  must,  out  July   17,  '65,  Alexandria,  Va. 
Garroty,  John.     Co.   H;    age   28;    enl.   Dec.   11,  '61;    reenl.  Jan.  16,  '64, 

cred.  Hinsdale;  must,  out  July  17,  '65. 
Griffin,  Simon  G.     Field  and  staff;   age  37;   res.   Concord,  after  the  war, 

Keene;    app.  It.  col.  Oct.  26,  '61,   col.   April  22,  '62;   disch.   May  11, 

'64,  to  accept  promotion.     See  Second  N.  H.  V.,  and  miscel.  org. 
Hadley,  Emorv.     Co.  F;    age  18;    enl.   Sept.   20,  '61;    deserted,   Dec.  11, 

'62,  Falmouth,  Va. 
Hamilton,  John  A.     Field  and  staff;   age  31 ;   app.  chaplain  July  16,  '62 ; 

resigned  July  1,  '63. 
Hill,  Silas  W.     Co.  F;    age  36;    enl.  Nov.  18,  '61;    app.  corp.;  transf.  to 

invalid  corps,  Sept.  17,  '63;  disch.  Nov.  28,  '64,  New  York  city. 
Irish,  Henry  G.    Co.  F;    age  34;    enl.  Nov.  11,  '61;    disch.    Feb.  25,  '64, 

Camp  Dennison,  Ohio. 
Kingsbury,  Edward  A.    Co.  E;  age  22;  res  Surry,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Nov.  5,  '61 ;  disch.  disab.  Jan.  29,  '63.    See  First  N.  H.  Art. 
Lawrence,  Frederick  C.    Co.  F;   age  21;    enl.   Oct.  17,  '61;    disch.  disab. 

Jan.  2,  '63;  died,  dis.  Jan.  25,  '63,  Troy. 
Marsh,  George  W.    Co.  E;  age  25;  enl.  Nov.  16.  '61;   drowned  Aug.  13, 

'62,  by  foundering    of  steamer,   West  Point,  in  Potomac  river.    See 

First  N.  H.  V. 
Martin,  Paul.     Co.   G;    age  43;    enl.   Nov.   15,   '61;    disch.   Oct.   18,  '62, 

Alexandria,  Va.    See  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  501 

Marvin,  Bryon  O.     Co.  F;   age  18;   enl.  Oct.   21,  '61;   disch.   disab.  May 

1,  '64,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Mason,  Orin  F.     Co.  F;    age  18;    b.  Sullivan;    res.  Keene;    enl.  Nov.  15, 

'61;  app.  Corp.;   reenl.  Jan.  1,  '64;   cred.  Sullivan;   wd.  June  17,  '64, 

Petersburg,  Va.;   app.  sergt.  July  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  17,  '65. 
McCaffrey,  Patrick.     Co.  F;  age  28;  res.  Keene;  enl.  Oct.  16,  '61;   reenl. 

Jan.  4,  '64;    cred.    Stratford;    wd.   May   18,  '64,   Spottsylvania,  Va.; 

died,  wds.  May  20,  '64,  Fredericksburg,  Va. 
McMaster,  Isaac  P.    Co.  E;   age  32;  enl.  Oct.  19,  '61;   app.   sergt.  Nov. 

28,  '61 ;  killed  Aug.  29,  '62,  Bull  Run. 
Metcalf,  Salmon  G.     Co.  F;   age  25;   enl.  Oct.  12,  '61;   app.  corp.;  disch. 

disab.  Oct.  27,  '62,  Providence,  R.  I. 
Muchmore,  George  H.     Co.   E;   age  31;   enl.  Oct.  17,   '61,  as  priv.;   app. 

2d    lieut.    Nov.  30,  '61,  1st    lieut.    April    23,  '62;    wd.   Aug.   29,  '62, 

Bull  Run;  died,  wds.,  Sept.  11,  '62,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Perry,  William  H.     Co.  F;   age  18;  enl.  Sept.  28,  '61;   wd.  Dec.   13,  '62, 

Fredericksburg,  Va.;    sent  to  gen.   hospital.  Central  park.  New   York 

city,  for  guard  duty,  June   5,  '63;  sent  to  Park  barracks  July  29,  '63; 

no  farther  record. 
Rahn,    William.      Co.  G;    age  44;    enl.  Dec.  5,  '61;    disch.   April  23,   '63, 

Newberne,  N.  C.    See  V.  R.  C. 
Richardson,  George  B.     Co.  F;  age  45;  b.  Keene;  res.  Sw^anzey;  enl.  Oct. 

1,  '61;  disch.  disab.  June  24,  '62,  Newberne,  N.  C. 
Richardson,  Justus  S.     Co.  K;  age  18;  res.  Rindge,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Oct.  28,  '61;  reenl.  Jan.  4,  '64;  captd.  Oct.  1,  '64,  Poplar  Springs 

Church,  Va.;  released;  app.  corp.  June  1,  '65,  sergt.  July  1,  '65;  must. 

out  July  17,  '65. 
Russell,  James  W.     Co.  E;   age  21;  enl.  Oct.  14,  '61;   must,  out  July  17, 

'65.    Res.  Rindge,  after  the  war,  Keene. 
Sebastian,  Edward  P.     Co.  E;  age  20;  res.  Swanzey,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Oct.  1,  '61;   disch.  disab.  Nov.    12,   '62.      See  Eighteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Smith,   James  H.      Co.   E;   age  20;  enl.   Nov.  9,   '61;    wd.  Aug.   29,  '62, 

Bull  Run ;  disch.  disab.  Dec.  28,  63.     See  V.  R.  C. 
Starkey,  Joseph  S.     Co.  F;   age  44;  enl.  Nov.  28,  '61;   disch.  disab.  Feb. 

10,  '63.     See  V.  R.  C. 
Starkweather,    George    C.      Co.    F;    age    22;    app.    capt.    Nov.   30,   '61; 

resigned  Jan.  29,  '62. 
Stearns,  Charles  F.    Co.  F;    age  32;    enl.   Nov.  6,  '61;    died,  dis.  Dec.  2, 

'62,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Stone,  Lewis.    Co.    F;    age    27;    enl.    Nov.    15,   '61;    reenl.  Jan.  4,  '64; 

deserted,  July  25,  '64,  Concord,  N.  H. 
Town,  Edgar.     Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  6,  '61;   app.  corp.;  wd.  Dec.  13, 

'62;  died,  wds.  Dec,  15,  '62,  Fredericksburg,  Va. 
Towne,  Hosea.     Co.  E;  age  35;  enl.  Oct.  19,  '61;  app.  sergt.;  must,  out 

Nov.  28,  '64. 
Viger,  Arcules.     Co.  F;  age  35;  enl.  Oct.  13,  '61;   res.  Keene;   reenl.  Dec. 

22,  '63,  cred.  Marlboro;  must,  out  July  17,  '65. 
White,  Shubael.    Non-com.  staff;   age  51 ;   enl.  Nov.   28,   '61,   and  must. 

as  principal  muse;  disch.  disab.    March  3,   '62,  Roanoke  Island.    See 

Second  N.  H.  V.  and  V.  R.  C. 
Woodward,  Don  H.    Field  and  staff;    age  26;    app.   adjt.  Nov.   19,  '61; 

not  must,  in;  resigned  Nov.  28,  '61. 
Young,  John.     Co.  H;   age  21;  enl.   Dec.   10,  '61;   deserted  Aug.  10,  '62, 

Falmouth,  Va.;  returned  May  9,  '65,  under  president's  proclamation; 

disch.  May  9,  '65,  Concord,  N.  IT. 


502  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

SEVENTH    REGIMENT. 

The  Seventh  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  were  organ- 
ized in  the  fall  of  1861,  by  authority  direct  from  the  war 
department  to  the  adjutant  general  of  the  state,  and  were 
equipped  and  supplied  by  the  United  States  government. 
The  citizens  of  Keene  were  not  represented  in  that  regi- 
ment. 

EIGHTH    REGIMENT. 

Only  two  men  from  Keene  served  in  the  Eighth  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers : 

Carr,    Clark  H.      Co.   H;   age  33;    enl.    Nov.  8,   '61;    app.    corp.;    disch. 

disab.  May  4,  '63,  at  New  Orleans. 
Estabrook,   Aaron  G.      Co.  H;   age  34;    b.   Keene;    res.    Concord;    app. 

capt.  Dec.  20,  '61;  resigned  Aug.  29,  '62.     See  First  N.  H.  Cav. 

The  service  of  that  regiment  was  wholly  in  the  South, 
chiefly  in  Louisiana. 

TOWN  AND  STATE  AFFAIRS. 

Early  in  August,  1861,  the  large  building  on  Court 
street  north  of  the  courthouse,  owned  by  Abijah  Wilder 
and  occupied  by  Samuel  Woodward  &  Co.,  dealers  in 
stoves  and  tin  ware,  (formerly  Norwood  &  Hubbard)  and 
by  Joseph  Foster  for  the  manufacture  of  organs  and 
melodeons,  w^as  destroyed  by  fire.  The  loss  was  about 
$4,000.  That  building  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first 
meetinghouse  built  on  the  common  and  afterwards  used  as 
a  courthouse.  When  a  new  w^ooden  courthouse  was  built 
in  1795  it  was  placed  "on  the  site  of  the  old  one,"  which 
was  removed,  and  probablj^  to  this  spot. 

During  the  winter  of  1861-2  the  hearts  of  the  people 
were  cheered  by  the  success  of  Burnside's  expedition  to 
North  Carolina  and  the  capture  of  Roanoke  Island,  by 
Grant's  victories  at  Forts  Henry  and  Donnelson,  and  by 
great  expectations  of  McClellan  and  his  army  —  then  lying 
idle  in  front  of  Washington. 

Washington's  birthday  was  celebrated  in  Keene  with 
ardent  patriotism.  At  a  large  meeting  in  the  town  hall, 
Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  presided,  stirring  speeches  were 
made,  there  was  music  by  a  military  band  and  a  glee 
club,   and    thirty-four    girls    representing    the    states,  each 


KEBNE  IN  THE  CIVIL    WAR.  503 

carrying  a  miniature  flag,  sang  "The  Star  Spangled  Ban- 
ner." Bells  were  rung  at  sunrise,  noon  and  sunset,  and 
there  were  bonfires  in  the  evening. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  Keene  appropriated 
$3,000  for  the  relief  of  the  wives  and  children  of  its  volun- 
teers, and  to  continue  the  pay  of  deceased  soldiers  to  their 
families  for  the  current  year.  It  was  also  voted  to  accept 
and  adopt  the  act  of  the  legislature,  passed  the  previous 
year,  enabling  the  town  to  establish  w^aterworks,  and  a 
committee  of  seven,  of  which  William  P.  Wheeler  was 
chairman,  was  appointed  to  see  what  measures  were  neces- 
sary to  carry  out  the  act. 

As  the  season  advanced  and  reports  of  the  capture  of 
New  Orleans,  the  movements  of  McClellan's  army  and 
other  operations  in  the  field  were  received,  the  excitement 
again  became  intense.  Frequent  public  meetings  were  held, 
at  one  of  which,  on  the  19th  of  July,  a  subscription  paper 
to  aid  the  volunteers  and  their  families  was  started,  and 
$3,400  were  subscribed  on  the  spot,  increased  within  a 
few  days  to  $4,000.  On  the  26th  of  the  same  month 
there  w^as  a  mass  meeting  on  the  common  at  which  3,000 
to  4,000  people  were  assembled.  Ex-Governor  Dinsmoor 
again  presided,  w^ith  prominent  men  of  the  county  for  vice 
presidents.  The  principal  speakers  were  Hon.  Daniel 
Clark,  United  States  senator;  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
member  of  congress ;  and  Capt.  T.  A.  Barker,  of  the  Second 
regiment,  at  home  on.  leave  of  absence.  A  legal  town 
meeting  on  the  2d  of  August  voted  $50  bounty  to  each 
volunteer,  and  $75  to  those  who  would  enlist  in  the  regi- 
ments already  in  the  field,  in  addition  to  all  bounties  paid 
by  the  state  and  national  governments.  Another  mass 
meeting  was  held  in  Cheshire  Hall  (in  the  south  wing  of 
the  Cheshire  House)  on  the  21st  of  August,  town  meetings 
were  held  in  the  town  hall  on  the  23d  and  25th,  and  there 
was  another  mass  meeting  on  the  common  on  the  29th  of 
the  same  month.  More  troops  having  been  called  for  — 
some  for  nine  months  —  on  the  6th  of  September  the  town 
voted  to  increase  its  bounties  to  the  three  years'  men  to 
$150,  and  to  pa^^  $100  to  nine  months'  men ;  and  the 
selectmen    were    authorized    to  borrow  $22,000    for    that 


504  HISTORY  OF  KEENE., 

purpose.  In  June,  Jacob  Green  and  Arthur  N.  Elliot  opened 
recruiting  offices,  followed  soon  afterwards  by  Nelson  N, 
Sawyer,  for  the  Ninth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  Charles 
A.  Harnden  was  here  recruiting  for  the  Tenth,  Capt.  Solon 
A.  Carter  and  others  for  the  Fourteenth,  and  in  September, 
Horatio  Colony  and  Fred  H.  Kingsbury  opened  offices  for 
nine  months'  men.  During  that  summer  and  fall  of  1862, 
New  Hampshire  organized  and  sent  into  the  field  eight 
regiments  of  infantry — the  Ninth  to  the  Sixteenth  —  num- 
bering about  8,000  men,  besides  sending  large  numbers  of 
recruits  to  those  already  in  the  service. 

NINTH    REGIMENT. 

On  the  4th  of  August  Lieut.  Green,  with  forty-seven 
recruits,  started  on  the  march  to  Concord,  to  join  the 
Ninth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  then  organizing  there, 
escorted  to  the  top  of  Beech  hill  by  a  cavalcade  of  citizens. 
That  squad  formed  the  nucleus  of  Company  I,  of  which 
John  W.  Babbitt  was  appointed  captain,  Jacob  Green 
first  lieutenant,  and  Nelson  N.  Saw^^er  second  lieutenant. 
The  Ninth,  with  Enoch  Q.  Fellows,  of  Sandwich,  colonel, 
and  Herbert  B.  Titus,  of  Chesterfield,  lieutenant  colonel, 
left  the  state  on  the  25th  of  August,  and  soon  after  its 
arrival  at  Washington  was  assigned  to  the  First  brigade, 
Second  division  of  the  Ninth  army  corps,  in  which  were 
the  Sixth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  and  joined  its  brigade 
on  the  Monocacy  river,  Md.  On  the  14th  of  September  it 
was  engaged  at  South  Mountain,  on  the  17th  at  Antie- 
tam,  and  on  the  13th  of  December  at  Fredericksburg.  In 
February,  1863,  it  went  with  its  corps  to  Newport  News, 
thence  to  Kentuck3',  and  thence  to  the  aid  of  Gen.  Grant 
at  Vicksburg,  Miss.  After  the  surrender  of  that  city  it 
joined  in  the  pursuit  of  Johnson  and  the  capture  of  the 
city  of  Jackson,  and  returned  with  the  corps  to  Kentucky. 
The  Ninth  w^as  seriously  affected  by  the  climate  of  Missis- 
sippi, and  was  placed  on  light  duty  to  recuperate.  With 
its  regimental  headquarters  at  Paris,  in  the  centre  of  the 
blue  grass  region,  it  had  the  very  agreeable  duty  of 
guarding  the  Kentucky  Central  railroad  and  protecting 
the  inhabitants  from  Confederate  raids.     Early  in  1864  it 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  505 

was  ordered  to  east  Tennessee,  but  almost  immediately 
returned,  and  rejoined  the  Ninth  corps  at  Annapolis,  Md. 
There  it  was  assigned  to  the  Second  brigade,  Second  divi- 
sion, with  the  Sixth  and  Eleventh  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teers, commanded  bj^  Col.  S.  G.  Griffin,  and  the  remainder 
of  its  sketch  may  be  found  in  connection  with  the  Sixth 
and  the  New  Hampshire  brigade. 

Following  is  a  list  of  members  of  the  regiment  from 
Keene,  being  privates  and  residents  of  Keene  unless  other- 
wise stated : 

Aver,  Elisha.  Co.  I;  age  41;  enl.  June  21,  '62;  app.  sergt.;  transf.  to 
I.  C,  Jan.  15,  '64;  disch.  July  24,  '65,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Babbitt,  John  W.  Co.  I;  age  27;  app.  capt.  Aug.  10,  '62;  app.  It.  col. 
Nov.  22,  '62;  wd.  May  12,  '64,  Spottsylvania,  Va.;  disch.  wds.,  Dec. 
5,  '64.  (Previous  service  in  Eighth  and  Fifty-eighth  111.  Vols.  Rose 
to  rank  of  capt.,  was  present  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Donnelson  and 
at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  where  he  was  severely  wd.)  He 
was  in  command  of  the  Ninth  N.  H.  in  the  Wilderness  campaign  in 
'64  until  the  12th  of  Alay,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  Thirty-second  Maine  Vols.,  and  was  wounded,  as  above. 

Belville,  Francis.  Co.  I ;  age  38 ;  cnl.  Jub'  14,  62 ;  transf.  to  I.  C.  Jan. 
20,  '64;  reenl.  Sept.  12,  '64;  disch.  Nov.  17,  '65. 

Bundy,  Alvin  A.  Co.  I;  age  31;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  disch.  disab.  June  30, 
'65,  Alexandria,  Va. 

Chamberlain,  Noel  Byron.  Co.  I ;  age  19 ;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62 ;  must,  out 
June  10,  '65. 

Chase,  Alfred.    Co.  I;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

Chase,  Charles  D.  Co.  I;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62;  app.  corp.;  died,  dis., 
July  20,  '63,  Clinton,  Miss. 

Colburn,  Eleazer.  Co.  I;  age  23;  enl.  Dec.  22,  '63;  wd.  Sept.  30,  '64, 
Poplar  Springs  Church;   disch.  June  10,  '65.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 

Craig,  Joseph  S.  Co.  I;  age  19;  enl.  July  24,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Jan.  7,  '64, 
Paris,  Ky. 

Darling,  Lewis  D.  Co.  I;  age  IS;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62;  app.  corp.  July  26, 
'63;  wd.  May  31,  '64,  Tolopotomoy  Creek,  Va.;  wd.  July  30,  '64, 
mine  explosion,  Petersburg,  Va.;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

Ellis,  John  E.  Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  15,  '63;  wd.  May  12,  '64,  Spott- 
sylvania, Va.;  must,  out  July  17,  '65. 

Ellis,  Minot.  Co.  I;  age  21;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62;  app.  corp.  Nov.  1,  '64; 
must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

Ellis,  Warren  R.  Co.  I;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  6,  '62;  wd.  Dec.  13,  '62,  Fred- 
ericksburg, Va.;  disch.  wds.  March  5,  '63;  died,  Sept.  3,  '65,  Keene. 

Estey,  Lyman  E.  Co.  I;  age  IS;  enl.  Dec.  20,  '63;  wd.  Sept.  30,  '64, 
Poplar  Springs  Church,  Va.;   disch.  Aug.  2,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Fellows,  Lucian  B.    Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  July  28,  '62;  must,  out  June  10, 

'65. 
Fellows,  Truman  S.     Co.  I ;  age  23 ;  enl.  Jidy  9,  '62 ;  transf.  to  L  C.  July 

3,  '63 ;  disch.  July  29,  '65,  Philadelphia. 

Flynn,  Martin.  Co.  B;  age  27;  eul.  July  1,  '62;  killed,  June  29,  '64, 
Petersburg,  Va. 


506  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Foster,  Alvin  R.    Co.  I;  age  27;  cred.  Alstead,  after  the  war,  res.  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  8,  '62;  app.  sergt.;  disch.  disab.  Aug.  11,  '63. 
Fox,  George  D.    Co.  I;  age  19;  b.  Stoddard;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug.  8, '62 ; 

killed  Sept.  17,  '62,  Antietara,  Md. 
French,  Stephen  S.    Co.  I ;    age  19 ;    enl.    Dec.    17,    '63 ;    wd.   June,    '64, 

Petersburg,  Va.;  disch.  wds.  July  26,  '65.     See  Sixteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Gilniore,  George  H.    Co.  I;    age  19;    enl.   Aug.   9,  '62;    b.  Wilton;    cred. 

Keene;   app.  corp.  Feb.  1,   '64,    sergt.  March   1,  '64;    must,  out  June 

10,  '65. 
Green,  Jacob.     Co.  I;    age  39;    app.    1st   lieut.    Aug.    10,    '62;    resigned 

March  8,  '64. 
Hartwell,  William  H.    Co.  I;  age  18;  b.  Langdon;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Ang. 

8,  '62;  app.  corp.;  app.  sergt.  May  1,  '63;  captd.  Sept.  30,  '64,  Pop- 
lar Springs  Church,  Va.;    released   Feb.   28,   '65;    disch.  June  12,  '65, 

Baltimore,  Md. 
Hastings,  George  E.     Co.  I;    age  24;    b.  Chesterfield;    cred.  Keene;    enl. 

Aug.  9,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Nov.  18,  '62. 
Heon,  Jesse.    Co.  I;   age  19;   b.  Philadelphia;  cred.  Keene;   enl.  June  27, 

'62 ;  app.  corp.  Feb.  1,  '65 ;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Hubbard,  Henry  E.    Co.  I;  age  25;  b.  Sullivan;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug.  7, 

'62;  app.  1st  sergt.;  app.  2d  lieut.  Co.  B,  Jan.  1,  '64;  must,  out  June 

10,  '65. 
Jolly,  Isaac.     Co.  I ;  age  23 ;  enl.  Aug.  2,  '62 ;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Jolly,  Joseph.    Co.  I;  age  33;  enl.  July  28,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  17,  '62,  Antie- 

tam,  Md.;  disch.  wds.  April  15,  '63.     See  V.  R.  C. 
Knight,  Charles  H.     Co.  I;    age   23;    enl.   Aug.   8,  '62;    app.   corp.;    wd. 

July  30,  '64,  mine  explosion,   Va.;    disch.  disab.  March  28,  '65,  Man- 
chester. 
Leverett,  Frank  J.    Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  9,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Oct.  2,  '63, 

Paris,  Ky. 
Mason,  Moses.    Co.  I;  age  39;  b.  Westmoreland;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug. 

8,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Aug.  9,  '63,  en  route  from  Vicksburg,  Miss. 
Mason,  Simeon  A.    Co.  I;    age  37;    b.  Westmoreland;    cred.  Keene;    enl. 

July  21,  '62;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

Mathews,  James  H.    Co.  I;  age  21;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  30,  '64, 

Poplar  Springs  Church,  Va.;  app.  corp.  May  1,  '65;  must,   out  June 

10,  '65. 
McClure,  George  W.    Co.  I;  age  21;  b.  Antrim;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug. 

7,  '62;  app.  corp.;  app.  sergt.  Jan.  1,  '63,  1st  sergt.  Jan.  1,  '64;  miss. 

July  30,  '64,  mine  explosion,  Va.;  returned  from  miss.;  must,  out  June 

10,  '65. 

Messenger,  Edward  M.  Co.  I;  age  21;  b.  Stoddard;  cred.  Keene;  enl. 
Aug.  8,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  17,  '62,  Autietam ;  disch.  wds.,  Dec.  24,  '62, 
Concord. 

Metcalf,  WilHam  F.  Co.  I;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62;  must,  out  June 
10,  '65. 

Moore,  James.  Un assigned ;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  15,  '63;  captd.  Feb.  27, 
'64,  Cumberland  Gap;  paroled  May  5,  '64;  died,  dis.,  June  13,  '64, 
Annapolis,  Md. 

Morris,  Edward.  Co.  I;  age  43;  b.  Canada;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  July  29, 
'62;  killed  July  30,  '64,  mine  explosion,  Petersburg,  Va. 

Morris,  George  H.  Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  18,  '63;  wd.  May  31,  '64, 
Tolopotomoy  Creek,  Va.;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  6,  '65;  disch.  June 
26,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C. 


KEENB  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  507 

Ormsby,  William  S.     Co.  I;  age  23;  b.  Elizabethtown,  N.  Y.;  cred.  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  7,  '62 ;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Perham,    Edmond  J.      Co.  I;   age  35;    b.  Athens,   Yt.;  cred.    Keene;    enl. 

June  9,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Oct.  26,  '62,  Weverton,  Md. 
Perry,  S.  Horace.    Co.  I;  age  23;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62;   app.  sergt.;   app.  2d 

lieut.  Co.  G,  Jan.  1,  '63,  1st  lieut.  Jan.  1,  '64;  resigned  April  20,  '64. 
Pierce,  Joseph  W.     Co.  I;  age  27 ;  enl.  Aug.  4,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Ma3'  27, 

'63,  Concord. 
Rand,  William  H.     Co.  I;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  5,  '62;  app.  Corp.,  app.  sergt. 

Jan.  1,  '64;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Raymond,  William.    Co.  A;  age  21;  enl.  Dec.  22,  '63;  must,  out  July  17, 

'65. 
Ross,  William  W.     Co.  I;    age  19;    enl.  July  24,   '62;    wd.  June  21,  '64, 

Petersburg,  Ya.;  disch.  wds.  Nov.  18,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Rugg,  Charles  E.      Co.  I;    age  18;    enl.  Aug.  8,  '62;   app.  sergt.;  app.  O. 

M.  sergt.  Feb.  13,  '64;   must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Sawyer,  Nelson  N.     Co.  I;   age  37;   app.  2d  lieut.  Aug.  10,  '62;   resigned 

Sept.  29,  '62. 
Sl3'field,  James.    Co.  I;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  8,  '62;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Sprague,  S.  Henry.     Co.  I ;    age  21 ;    enl.  Aug.  5,  '62 ;    app.  Q.  M.  sergt. 

Sept.  27,  '62; 'app.  1st  lieut.  Co.  F,  Noy.  13,  '62;   died,  dis.,  Aug.  18, 

'63,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Sullivan,  Michael.     Co.  I;    age  43;    enl.   Aug.   6,  '62;    wd.  Sept.  17,  '62, 

Antietam;  disch.  disab.  Feb.  10,  '63.    See  Y.  R.  C. 
Taylor,  Ransom  O.     Co.  I;   age  36;  enl.  Jan.   20,  '64;    disch.  disab.  Oct. 

1,  '64,  Concord. 
Towns,  Charles  E.     Co.  I;    age  23;    enl.  Aug.  11,   '62;    died    (concussion 

of  the  brain),  Feb.  20,  '65,  near  Petersburg,  Ya.      See  First  N.  H.  Y. 
Tufts,  George.    Co.  I;   age  33;  b.  Keene,  and   res.  after  the  war,  Keene; 

cred.  Stoddard;  enl.  Aug.  11,  '62;  disch.  June  27,  '65,  Annapolis,  Md. 
Wallace,  Samuel  J.    Unassigned ;    age  22 ;    enl.   Dec.   19,   '63 ;    no  further 

record. 
Whittle,  James  C.     Co.  I;  age  40;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  disch.  disab.  June  30, 

'65,  Alexandria,  Ya. 
Wilcox,  Charles  W.     Co.  I;  age  25;  enl.  Axtg.  5,  '62;  app.  sergt.;  app.  2d 

lieut.   Co.  F,  May   1,   '63;    captd.   May  12,   '64,   Spottsylvania,   Ya.; 

paroled  Mar.  5,  '65;   disch.  May  15,  '65. 
Willson,  William  O.    Co.  I;    age  33;    cred.   Alstead;    after  the   war,  res. 

Keene;    enl.   Aug.  8,  '62;   transf.  to   I.  C,  Sept.  30,  '63;    disch.  Aug. 

15,  '65,  Ft.  Monroe,  term.  exp. 

TENTH,   ELEVENTH,  TWELFTH  AND  THIRTEENTH  REGIMENTS. 

No  one  from  Keene  joined  the  Tenth  regiment ;  and  the 
name  of  but  one  citizen  of  Keene  is  found  on  the  rolls  of 
the  Eleventh,  and  he  came  to  Keene  to  reside  after  the 
war: 

Ray,  Reuben.  Co.  F;  age  19;  res.  New  London,  after  the  w^ar,  Keene; 
enl.  Aug.  13,  '62;  wd.  May  12,  '64,  Spottsylvania,  Ya.;  app.  sergt.; 
must,  out  June  4,  '65. 

But  the  Eleventh  was  one  of  the  regiments  that  com- 
posed the  New  Hampshire  brigade,  and  the  account  of  its 


508  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

service  in  1864--5  may  be  found  under  that  head,  with  the 
Sixth  and  the  Ninth.  In  the  autumn  of  1862  it  was  with 
the  Ninth  corps  on  its  march  from  Pleasant  Valley  and  in 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13 ;  and  in  1863  it  was 
with  its  corps — in  Kentucky  in  the  spring,  in  the  Missis- 
sippi campaign  in  the  summer,  and  in  east  Tennessee  in 
the  fall  and  winter. 

The  Twelfth  regiment  was  raised  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  state  and  no  enlistments  for  it  were  made  in  Keene ; 
and  only  one  citizen  of  Keene  joined  the  Thirteenth. 

Twitchell,  Dr.  George  B.      Field   and  staff;   age  41;   app.  surg.   Sept.  15, 
'62;  resigned  March  31,  '63,  to  accept  promotion.     See  miscel.  org. 

FOURTEENTH    REGIMENT. 

The  Fourteenth  regiment  was  organized  at  Concord  in 
August  and  September,  1862,  with  Robert  Wilson  of  Keene, 
a  brother  of  Gen.  James,  colonel ;  and  Tileston  A.  Barker, 
of  Westmoreland,  promoted  from  captain  in  the  Second 
New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  lieutenant  colonel.  Both  these 
officers  had  been  colonels  of  the  Twentieth  regiment  of 
New  Hampshire  militia,  had  previously  commanded  the 
rival  light  infantry  companies  of  their  respective  towns, 
and  the  spirit  of  antagonism  displayed  by  them  on  the 
muster  field  had  not  died  out.  If  they  did  not  see  much 
of  war  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  it  was  not 
wanting  in  their  own  organization. ^  That  circumstance 
detracted  from  the  efficiency  of  the  regiment  in  the  early 
part  of  its  service,  but  the  personnel  of  the  rank  and  file, 
and  of  the  officers  generally,  was  of  the  best ;  and  towards 
the  close  of  its  service  the  discipline  and  effectiveness  of 
the  regiment  were  excellent.  Dr.  William  H.  Thayer,  of 
Keene,  was  appointed  surgeon,  and  it  had  a  larger  num- 
ber of  men  from  Keene  than  any  other  regiment  in  the 
service.  The  Fourteenth  left  the  state  in  October,  and  was 
employed  at  first  in  guarding  the  crossings  of  the  upper 
Potomac,  but  in  April,  1863,  it  was  ordered  to  Washing- 
ton, and  for  nine  months  it  performed  guard  and  provost 
duty  in  the  capital,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
citizens,  and  winning  the  commendation  of  President  Lin- 
coln.   In  the  last  of  February,  1864,  it  received  a  furlough 

iSee  New  Hampshire  Sentinel,  January  5,  1865. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  509 

of  two  weeks  and  returned  to  New  Hampshire  to  perform 
the  service  of  voting,  a  duty  i  at  that  time  as  important 
as  that  of  fighting,  for  nearly  all  the  members  voted  the 
Union  ticket. 

On  the  16th  of  March  the  Fourteenth  again  left  New 
Hampshire,  and  at  New  York  city  embarked  on  the 
steamer  Daniel  Webster  for  the  Department  of  the  Gulf, 
and  joined  the  Nineteenth  army  corps  at  New  Orleans.  In 
July,  however,  that  corps  w^as  ordered  north  and  became 
a  part  of  Sheridan's  Army  of  the  Shenandoah.  In  this 
transfer  the  regiment  w^as  divided,  six  companies  under 
Col.  Wilson  going  to  the  army  of  the  James  and  being 
engaged  at  Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  July  27  and  28;  while  four 
companies  under  Major  Gardner  proceeded  to  the  Shenan- 
doah valley  and  w^ere  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Winchester, 
Aug.  17.  The  two  battalions  were  reunited  Aug.  18,  Col. 
Wilson  resigned,  and  Major  Gardner  commanded  the  regi- 
ment at  the  battle  of  Opequan,  Sept.  19,  where  he  was 
mortally  wounded,  and  the  regiment  lost  heavily.  At 
Fisher's  Hill,  Sept.  22,  and  at  Cedar  Creek,  Oct.  19,  Capt. 
F.  L.  Tolman  was  in  command  and  the  regiment  did  good 
service.  Adjutant  Carroll  D.  Wright  w^as  promoted  to 
colonel  Dec.  6,  and  Capt.  Tolman  to  major.  After  its 
campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  the  Fourteenth  was 
sent  to  the  Department  of  the  South,  Major  Tolman  in 
command,  performed  provost  duty  in  Georgia,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  at  Hilton  Head,  July  7,  1865. 

Following  is  a  list  of  members  of  the  regiment  from 
Keene,  being  privates  and  residents  of  Keene  unless  other- 
wise stated: 
Abbott,  Warren.    Co.  B;  age  28;  res.  Charlestown,  after  tlie  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  15,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Allen,  Calvin,  Jr.    Co.  G;  age  27;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Baker,  Charles  W.    Unassigned;  age  22 ;  enl.  April  4,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  disch. 

May  6,  '65. 
Balch,  Perley  S.     Co.  C;  age  37;  enl.  Aug.   13,  '62;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C. 

Aug.  30,  '64;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  9,  '64. 

iln  the  elections  of  1863  many  of  the  states  had  gone  against  the  adminis- 
tration. New  Hampshire  was  a  close  state,  and  its  annual  state  election,  com- 
ing in  March,  was  to  be  the  first  in  the  political  campaign  of  1864.  Early  in 
that  year  President  Lincoln  sent  for  Gen.  Edward  \V.  Hincks,  a  volunteer  officer 
from  Massachusetts,  who  was  a  good  public  speaker,  and  said  to  him:  "I  want 
you  to  go  to  New^  Hampshire  and  take  part  in  the  campaign.  I  regard  it  as 
more  important  to  carry  this  New  Hampshire  state  election  than  to  whip  the 
enemy  on  any  battlefield  where  he  can  be  reached."  (Gen.  E.  W.  Hincks,  in  a 
conversation  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Jan.  15,  1888.) 


510  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Barden,  Hiram,  Jr.    Co.  C;  age  25;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C. 

March  15,  '65;  disch.  June  30,  65. 
Barrett,    William  A.      Co.  G;   age  36;   enl.  Aug.   28,   '62;    app.   wagoner 

Nov.  1,  '63;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Benton,  Frank  G.    Co.  A;  age  21;  enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;   disch.  disab.   Dec. 

12,  '64. 
Berry,  Ira,  Jr.     Co.  C ;   age  25 ;   enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;   app.    1st  lieut.   Oct.  9, 

'62;   app.  capt.  Co.  H,  Oct.  1,  '63;   wd.  Sept.  19,  '64,  Opequan,  Va.; 

must,  out  July  8,  '65.    Bvt.  major  U.  S.  V.  for  gallantry  in  the  battle 

of  Opequan. 
Blodgett,  Edmund.    Co.  C;  age  41 ;  enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;  disch.  disab.  April 

25,  '63. 
Blodgett,  Sylvester.      Co.   G;    age  40;    enl.    Aug.    30,   '62;   disch.   disab. 

Sept.  16,  '63. 
Bolio,  Theodore.      Co.  C;   age  44;  enl.   Aug.  21,  '62;   disch.   disab.   Aug. 

2,  '64. 
Britton,  Frederick  F.     Co.  F;  age  21;  res.  Keene;  cred.  Surry;  enl.  Sept. 

1,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  19,  '64,  Opequan,  Va.;  disch.  July  6,  '65. 
Britton,  George  H.    Co.  A;   age  26;  b.  Keene;   cred.  Westmoreland;  enl. 

Aug.  8,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Brock,  Charles  E.     Co.  A;    age  19;   enl.  Aug.  15,  '62;  app.  corp.  July  1, 

'64;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Brown,  Boardwin.    Co.  F;  age  44;  enl.  Sept.  1,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Jan. 

30,  '64. 
Brown,  Charles  H.    Co.  B;  age  21;  res.  Walpole,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  10,  '62;  app.  corp.  May  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Burbank,  Franklin.     Co.  C;  age  44;  res.  Keene;  cred.  Swanzey;  enl.  Sept. 

15,  '62;  disch.  May  6,  '65. 
Burns,  Patrick.    Co.  G;  age  38;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Burns,  Thomas.    Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  8,  "63;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Byam,  Benjamin  W.    Co.  C;  age  36;  enl.  Aug.  16,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Feb. 

28,  '63. 

Carroll,  George  Henry,    Co.  C;  age  27;  enl.  Aug.  13,  '62;  must,  out  July 
8,  '65. 

Carter,  Solon  A.    Co.  G;  age  25;  app.  capt.  Oct.  9,  '62;  disch.  April  17, 

'65,  to  accept  promotion.    See  miscel.  org. 
Casey,  John.    Co.  G;  age  26;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Chapin,  Charles  A.     Co.  D;  age  21;   b.  Westmoreland;   cred.  Keene;  enl. 

March  9,  '65,  for  1  yr;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Coates,  Darwin  C.     Co.  C ;  age  36 ;  enl.  Aug.  26,  '62 ;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C. 

Sept.   30,    '64;    retransf.  to  company   Dec.   22,   '64;    must,   out   July 

8,  '65. 

Cooper,  Albert.    Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Craig,   Allen  A.      Co.  G;   age  43;   enl.   Dec.   26,   '63;   wd.    Sept.   19,  '64, 

Opequan,  Va.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65.    See  Second  N.  H.  V. 
Cummings,  Joseph  W.    Co.  C;   age  24;   enl.  Aug.  27,   '62;   wd.  Sept.  19, 

'64,  Opequan,  Va.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Davis,  Asa  W.    Co.  G;  age  36;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62;  app.  corp.  Oct.  6,  '62; 

reduced  to  ranks  April  21,  '64;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Day,  Calvin  K.    Co.  G;  age  28;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;  app.  corp.  Oct.  6,  '62; 

reduced  to  ranks  July  2,  '63 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Day,  George  A.    Co.  F;    age  42;    enl.  Sept.  1,   '62;   app.   principal  muse. 
March  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  511 

Doolittle,  Joseph  S.  Co.  G;  age  27;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  19,  '64, 
Opequan,  Va.;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C.  Jan.  28,  '65;  disch.  wds.  July  27, 
'65. 

Drake,  William  S.    Co.  G;   age  29;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;   disch.  disab.   Nov. 

23,  '63. 
Dunn,  Noble  T.     Co.  A;  age  27;  enl.  Aug.  16,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Sept.  8,  '64, 

Keene. 
Dyer,  Lewis  S.  D.     Co.  C;  age  43;  enl.  Dec.  18,  '63;  deserted. 
ElHs,  Lyman.    Co.  G;  age  31;  enl.  Oct.  2,  '62;  disch.  May  26,  '65. 
Evans,  Frank,  Jr.     Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;  died,  dis.  March  30, 

'63,  Poolesville,  Md. 
Gallagher,  Francis.    Co.  C ;  age  26 ;  enl.  Aug.  16,  '62 ;  wd.  Sept.  19,  '64, 

Opequan,  Va.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Gilmore,  Charles  G.    Co.  C ;  age  23 ;  res.  Swanzey,  after  the  war,  Keene ; 

enl.  Aug.  14,  '62;  app.  corp.  Jan.  17,  '64;   must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Gorman,  Michael.     Co.  C;  age  26;  enl.  Sept.  1,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  17, 

'64,  Washington,  D.  C.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 
Gowen,  George  M.    Co.  B;  age  21;  res.  Marlow,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  22,  '62 ;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  8,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Graves,  Frank  B.     Co.  B ;    age  18 ;    res.   Walpole,   after  the  war,  Keene ; 

enl.  Aug.  23,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Hastings,  Emery.     Co.  C;    age  44;    enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;    disch.  disab.  July 

18,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Hastings,  John  G.    Co.  E;  age  32;  enl.  Feb.  15,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out 

July  8,  '65. 
Healey,  Daniel  K.    Co.  C ;    age  21 ;    res.  Swanzev,  after  the  war,  Keene ; 

enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;    app.  sergt.  Sept.  22,  '62; 'disch.   Aug.   31,  '63,  to 

accept  promotion.     See  U.  S.  colored  troops. 
Hill,  Charles  H.    Co.  C;  age  31;  enl.  Sept.  1,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Sept.  26, 

'64,  Concord. 
Hill,  Horace  J.    Co.  G;  age  21;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Holman,  Ira  B.    Co.  C;  age  31;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Houghton,  Adelbert  A.     Co.  C;  age  18;  enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;  must,  as  muse; 

must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Houston,  J.  Augustine.    Co.  G;  age  27;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;  must,  out  July 

8,  '65. 
Howard,  Ambrose  W.    Co.  C;  age  23;  enl.  Aug.  27,  '62  ;  must,  out  July 

8,  "65. 

Howard,  George  A.    Co.  D;   age  20;   b.  Nelson;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  March 

9,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Hurd,  Cyrus.     Co.  G;    age  41;    enl.  Dec.  12,  '63;    disch.  disab.  Sept.  20, 

'64,  Concord. 
Jenks,  J.  Henry.     Co.  C ;   age  39 ;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62 ;  app.  sergt.  Sept.  22, 

'62;  app.  sergt.  major  Jan.  12,  '64;   killed  Oct.  19,  '64,  Cedar  Creek, 

Va. 
Johnston,  Svdney  E.     Co.   C;    age  19;    enl.   Aug.    15,   '62;    disch.   disab. 

July  20," '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Jones,  Svlvester.    Co.  D;  age  44;  enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;   died,  dis.  March  13, 

'64,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Kehue,  George.     Co.  G;  age  38;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;  app.  corp.;  must,  out 

June  8,  '65. 
Keith,  Fay.     Co.  A;   age  44;  b.  Keene;  res.  Westmoreland;  enl.  Aug.  13, 

'62;  died,  dis.  Sept.  9,  '64. 


512  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Kelleher,   Timothy.    Co.   G;    age  33;    enl.    Dec.   8,  '63;    wd.   and  captd. 

Sept.  19,  '64,  Opequan,  Va.;  paroled  Oct.  2,  '64;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Keuion,  David  Y.    Co.  B ;    age  26 ;    res.  Walpole,   after  the  war,  Keene ; 

enl.  Aug.  27,  '62;  wd.  Sept.  19,  '64,  Opequan,  Va.;  must,  out  July  8, 

'65. 
Kingsbury,  Henry,    Co.  C;  age  37;  enl.  Feb.  16,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out 

July  8,  '65. 
Kinson,  John  Q.    Co.  G;  age  18;  res.  Stoddard,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  14,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Knowlton,  Charles.     Co.  A;  age  24;  enl.  Sept.  1,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Jan.  20, 

'63,  Poolesville,  Md. 
Leach,  James.    Co.  C ;  age  27 ;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Leonard,  Henry  O.      Co.  E;   age  26;  enl.   Feb.  16,   '65,  for  1  yr. ;  must. 

out  July  8,  '65. 
Lettenmayer,  Otto.    Co.  G;  age  30;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;   disch.  disab.  Oct. 

13,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Levoy,  Henry  E.    Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Dec.  12,  '63;  disch.  July  8,  65. 
Lewis,  WilHam  H.     Co.  G;  age  29;  enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;  disch.  May  12,  '65. 
Lyford,  Jeremiah,  Jr.     Co.  C;  age  36;  enl.  Aug.  26,  '62;  must,  in  as  1st 

sergt.;  reduced  to  ranks  and  app.  sergt.  same  day.  May  1,  '64;  must. 

out  July  8,  '65. 
Mangan,  Dennis.    Co.  H;  age  23;  enl.  July  28,  '64;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Marvin,  Edwin.     Co.  G;  age  21 ;  enl.  Sept.  3,  '62;  died,  dis.,  Dec.  15,  '62, 

Offutt's  Cross  Roads,  Md. 
Mitchell,  John  E.    Co.  A;  age  34;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

See  Sixth  N.  H.  V. 
Nims,  George  H.    Co.  F;  age  24;   res.  Winchester,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  13,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
O'Brien,    William  D.      Co.  G;  age  20;  enl.    Dec.   8,  '63;    must,    out  July 

8,  '65. 
Parker,  John  A.    Co.  C;  age  36;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62;  disch.  June  21,  '65. 
Parker,  Luther  M.     Co.  C;  age  41;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62;   app.  sergt.  Nov.  1, 

'64;  died,  dis.,  June  30,  '65,  Savannah,  Ga. 
Parker,  WilUam  H.     Co.  G;  age  18;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '62;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C. 

July  1,   '64;   disch.   April  28,  '65,  to  accept    promotion.     See  Second 

N.  H.  V.  and  miscel.  org. 
Putnam,  Edwin  F.    Co.  G;  age  31;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62;  transf.  to  V.  R.  C. 

Jan.  1,  65;  disch.  June  30,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Reynolds,  Eli  W.      Co.  C ;   age  44 ;   res.   Swanzey,  after  the  war,   Keene ; 

enl.  Aug.  15,   '62;  must,  in  as  w^agoner;   disch.   disab.    Aug.   12,  '63, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
Richardson,  David  L.    Co.  A ;  age  28 ;  enl.  Sept.  13,  '62 ;  must,  out  July 

8,  '65. 

Richardson,  George  D.  Non-com.  staff;  age  21;  enl.  Oct.  1,  '62;  must,  in 
as  hosp.  steward;  app.  1st  lieut.  Co.  B  Jan.  4,  '65;  must,  out  July 
8,  '65. 

Riley,  Martin.    Co.  G;  age  23;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '62;  disch.  June  8,  '65. 

Riley,  Michael.  Co.  G;  age  35;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '62;  must,  out  July 
8,  '65. 

Roundy,  Franklin  W.  Co.  B  ;  age  18  ;  res.  Walpole,  after  the  war,  Keene ; 
enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Rugg,  Sewall  F.  Co.  E;  age  26;  enl.  Feb.  17,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out 
July  8,  '65. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  513 

Russell,  James  W.     Co.  G;  age  27;   enl.  Aug.  28,  '62;   must,  in  as  sergt.; 

app.  com.  sergt.  Nov.   30,  '64,  2d   lieut.  Co.  E,  Jan.  4,   '65;   app.  1st 

Heut.  Co.  I,  Feb.  17,  '65,  not  must.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Ryan,  John.     Co.  G;  age  25;  enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Ryan,  William.     Unassigned ;  age  21 ;  b.  Keene;  cred.  Gilmanton;  enl.  Jan. 

19,  '64;  reported  as  sent  to  regt;  no  farther  record. 
Sebastian,  William,  Jr.     Co.    C;    age    25;    res.    Swanzey,   after  the  war, 

Keene;    enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;    must,   in  as  corp.;    reduced  to  the  ranks 

March  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Slj'field,  Daniel.    Co.  C;  age  20;  enl.  Aug.  26,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Slyfield,  Franklin.    Co.  C;  age  34;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62;  disch.  July  8,  '65. 
Smith,  Marcus  M.     Co.  G;   age  22;   enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;  must,  out  July  8, 

'65. 
Smith,  Royal  W.     Co.  G;  age  26;  enl.  Aug.  29,  '62;  disch.  disab.  June  5, 

'65,  Concord. 
Smith,  Samuel  M.     Co.  G;  age  29;  enl.  Dec.  18,  '63;  disch.  March  10,  '64, 

to  accept  promotion.    See  Third  N.  H.  V.,  and  U.  S.  colored  troops. 
Smith,  William.     Co.  C;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  26,  '62;   must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Spaulding,  Dauphin,  2d.     Co.    C;    age  35;    enl.   Aug.   18,   '62;    died,  dis. 

Feb.  7,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Staples,  Henry  M.     Co.  A;    age  19;    enl.  Aug.  14,  '62;    must,   as  muse; 

app.  principal  muse.  Oct.  30,  '64;  must,  out  Jtily  8,  '65. 
Steck,  Friedrick.     Co.  G;  age  30;  enl.  Aug.  11,  '62;  disch.  to  date  July  8, 

'65,  Savannah,  Ga.     See  First  N.  H.  V. 
Stone,  William  W.     Co.  C  ;  age  26 ;  b.  Keene ;  res.  Swanzey,  after  the  war, 

Keene;  enl.  Aug.  18,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Sturtevant,  John  W.    Co.  G;  age  22;  enl.  Aug.  31,  '62;  must,  as  sergt.; 

app.  1st  sergt.  May  1,  '63,  2d  lieut.   Oct.  17,  '63,   1st   lieut.  Jan.  1, 

'64;   wd.  twice  Sept.  19,  '64,   Opequan,  Va.;    app.  capt.  Jan.  4,   '65; 

disch.   disab.  Jan.   18,   '65,   before  being  must,   as  capt.;   restored  to 

command    and  must,  as  capt.  to  date  Feb.   18,  '65;  must,   out  July 

8,  '65. 
SulHvan,  Kerry.    Co.  G;   age  18;   enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;   app.  2d   lieut.   Co.  H, 

Sept.  24,  '64;  not  must.;  disch.  as  private  Aug.  19,  '65. 

Sumner,  David.     Co.  G;  age  44;  enl.  Aug.  30,  '62;   disch.  disab.  July  20, 
'63,  Washington,  D.  C.    See  Second  N.  H.  V. 

Thayer,  William  H.      Field   and  staff;   age  40;   app.  surg.   Sept.   19,  '62; 
must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Thompson,  Cyrus  H.     Co.  C ;  age  42 ;  enl.  Aug.  28,  '62 ;   disch.  May  12, 
'63,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Totten,  James.      Co.  C;    age  33;  res.  Marlboro;    cred.   Keene;    enl.   Aug. 
30,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65.    See  First  N.  H.  V. 

Wardwell,  George  O.     Co.  A;  age  18;  res.  SulHvan,  after  the  war,  Keene; 
enl.  Aug.  16,  '62;  app.  corp.  Jan.  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

Warn,    William    W.      Co.   B ;   age  28 ;    enl.    Dec.  8,  '63 ;    must,    out   July 

8,  '65. 
Webster,  Charles  F.    Co.  G;   age  26;   res.  Jaflfrey,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

app.  1st  lieut.   Oct.  9,   '62;   app.  O.  M.   Oct.  16,  '63;  must,   out  July 

8,  '65. 
Wetherbee,  Edward  H.     Co.  B;   age  18;  enl.  Dec.  8,  '63;   must,  out  July 

8,  '65. 
Wheeler,  Charles  W.     Co.  F;  age  18;   enl.  Sept.  1,  '62;  tfansf.  to  Co.  C, 

Nov.  1,  '62;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 


514  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Whitnc}',  Leonard  F'.    Co.  D;  age  18;  b.  Nelson,  cred.  Keene;  enl.  March 

9,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Whittemore,  Curtis  A.     Co.  A;  age  18;  res.  Keene;  cred.  Troy;  enl.  Aug. 

15,  '62 ;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Willard,    Lucius    S.      Co.    G;    age    19;    enl.    Aug.    28,    '62;     disch.    June 

28,  '65. 
Wilson,  Jesse.     Co.  F;   age  44 ;  res.   Stoddard,  cred.  Keene;  enl.   Sept.  1, 

'62 ;  disch.  disab.  Oct.  20,  '63,  Washington,  D.  C.     See  Eighth  N.  H.  V. 

and  V.  R.  C. 
Wilson,  Robert.     Field  and  staff;   age  51;   app.  col.   Sept.  19,  '62;   disch. 

Sept.  6,  '64. 
Wood,  Henry  A.     Co.  F;  age  18;   res.  Winchester,  after  the  war,   Keene; 

enl.  Aug.  12,  '62;  app.  corp.  Oct.  1,  '64;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
Woodward,  John  A.     Co.  G;   age  21;   res.   Surry,  cred.   Keene;   enl.   Aug. 

27,  '62;  must,  as  corp.;  died,  dis.,  Aug.  18,  '64,  New  York  city. 
Wright,  Daniel.     Co.  G;  age"  33;   enl.  Dec.  26,  '63;   must,  out  July  8,  '65. 

See  Second  N.  H.  V. 

FIFTEENTH,   SIXTEENTH  AND  SEVENTEENTH  REGIMENTS. 

The  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers  were  nine  months  regiments,  organized  in 
the  fall  of  1862,  but  no  citizen  of  Keene  enlisted  in  either 
of  them  except  Stephen  H.  French,  who  was  mustered 
into  the  Sixteenth  Nov.  13,  '62 ;  mustered  out  Aug.  20, 
'63,  and  enlisted  in  the  Ninth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers. 

TOWN    AFFAIRS. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1863  the  town  voted  to 
appropriate  $5,500  to  aid  the  families  of  volunteers.  It 
was  also : 

(Art.  21)  "Voted.  To  advise  the  Selectmen  to  sell  the 
timber  suitable  for  sale  on  the  ministerial  lot  in  Keene, 
and  add  the  proceeds  thereof  to  the  Ministerial  Fund." 

(Art.  22)  "Voted.  To  instruct  the  Selectmen  to  pre- 
vent the  cutting  of  wood  on  said  lot  until  the  same  is  of 
suitable  size  for  use." 

(Art.  23)  "Voted.  To  advise  the  Selectmen  to  divide 
and  pay  over  in  equal  sums  to  the  several  clergymen 
residing  and  officiating  in  town,  the  interest  and  annual 
income  of  the  Ministerial  Fund  during  the  time  they  sus- 
pend the  cutting  of  wood  on  said  lot." 

In  1863  the  government  resorted  to  a  draft  to  obtain 
the  number  of  men  needed  for  its  service.  The  number 
enrolled  for  that  purpose  in  Keene,  of  the  first  class,  was 
410;  of  the  second  class,  212.  The  draft  rendezvous  for 
the  Third  New  Hampshire   congressional  district  was   at 


1 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  515 

West  Lebanon,  and  the  drawing  was  made  tinder  the 
direction  of  the  officers  of  the  draft,  by  Rev.  Jacob  Scales, 
of  Plainfield,  seventy-five  years  old,  blindfolded.  Four  hun- 
dred and  ten  names  of  citizens  of  Keene  were  put  in  the 
box,  and  123  were  drawn  out.  Their  names  appear  in  the 
New  Hampshire  Sentinel  of  Sept.  10  of  that  year.  Some 
were  rejected  on  physical  examination,  and  the  names  of 
those  actually  liable  to  go  appear  in  the  Sentinel  of  Oct. 
15,  1863.  A  few  went  into  the  service,  and  their  names 
appear  in  the  records  of  their  respective  regiments,  but 
most  of  them  hired  substitutes.  A  second  call  for  drafted 
men  came  in  November,  and  Keene's  quota  was  fifty-eight 
men.  On  the  1st  of  September  the  town  voted  to  the 
drafted  men  or  their  substitutes  $300  each,  and  to  their 
families  the  same  as  the  volunteers ;  and  on  the  26th  the 
selectmen  were  authorized  to  borrow  money  for  those 
purposes,  not  to  exceed  $25,000.  A  town  meeting  on  the 
25th  of  November : 

"Voted  That  the  town  make  an  effort  to  fill  the  quota 
of  the  town  by  enlistments." 

"Voted  That  the  Selectmen  of  the  town  of  Keene  be 
authorized  to  fill  our  present  town  quota  to  the  best 
advantage  they  can  by  advancing  the  State  and  National 
bounties  and  a  Town  bounty  of  to  citizens  of  the  town 
three  hundred  dollars,  and  a  town  bounty  not  exceed- 
ing three  hundred  dollars,  to  persons  not  citizens  of  the 
town." 

It  was  also  voted  to  authorize  the  selectmen  to  bor- 
row money  for  those  purposes,  not  to  exceed  $45,000; 
and  in  February  following  $8,000  were  added  to  that  sum. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1864,  the  vote  for  the 
Union  candidates  in  the  state  was  increased  in  Keene  by 
122  over  that  of  the  preceding  year.  A  small  part  of  this 
increase  was  caused  by  the  growth  of  population  in  the 
town.  Five  representatives  were  sent  to  the  legislature, 
an  increase  of  one  in  seven  years.  The  sum  of  $3,000  was 
appropriated  to  aid  the  "wives,  children  and  parents,"  of 
volunteers ;  and  $5,000  were  raised  towards  paying  the 
town  debts  and  interest. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  the  boiler  in  the  chair  manufac- 
tory of  Osborne    &    Hale    on    Mechanic    street    exploded, 


516  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

injuring  twelve  persons,  seven  of  them  severely,  two  of 
whom,  William  H.  Lang  and  Salmon  G.  Metcalf,  died. 
Nims  &  Crossfield  were  making  sash,  doors  and  blinds  in 
the  same  buildings.  The  damage  to  the  property  was  esti- 
mated at  $10,000  to  $15,000. 

In  June  the  town  voted  a  bounty  of  $400  to  each  vol- 
unteer or  enrolled  person  who  should  furnish  a  substitute 
to  be  credited  on  the  quota  of  the  town ;  and  to  borrow 
a  sura  not  exceeding  $18,000  for  that  purpose.  In  August, 
under  the  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  500,000  men,  it 
voted  $300  bounty  to  volunteers  for  one  year,  $600  to 
those  for  two  years,  and  $900  to  those  for  three  years ; 
and  to  borrow  for  that  purpose  a  sum  not  exceeding  $18,- 
000.  On  the  29th  of  the  same  month  $600  were  voted  to 
volunteers  for  one  year,  $700  to  those  for  two  years,  and 
$900  to  those  for  three  years,  to  complete  the  quota  of 
the  town;  and  $10,000  were  raised  and  appropriated  for 
that  purpose.  On  the  15th  of  September  the  town  voted 
to  pay  $150  to  each  citizen  of  Keene  who  had  been  in  the 
naval  service  and  had  "been  counted  on  the  present  quota 
for  the  call  for  five  hundred  thousand  men ;"  and  on  the 
10th  of  December  the  selectmen  were  authorized  to  borrow 
a  sum  not  exceeding  $30,000  to  carry  out  the  votes  of  the 
town  for  bounties. 

At  the  presidential  election  in  November,  Keene  cast 
652  votes  for  the  Lincoln  electors  to  317  for  those  of  the 
opposition;  and  on  the  17th,  350  Union  men  sat  down  to 
a  supper  at  the  Cheshire  House  in  thanksgiving  for  the 
political  victory. 

The  hopes  and  expectations  raised  by  the  victories  of 
Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg  in  1863  had  been  seriously 
diminished  by  repeated  calls  for  more  troops,  by  the  resort 
to  a  draft,  and  by  the  defeat  at  Chickamauga  in  Septem- 
ber of  that  year.  Recruiting  offices  for  volunteers  for  the 
regiments  already  in  the  field  had  been  kept  active  in 
Keene,  and  early  in  1864  Thomas  C.  Edwards  opened  one 
for  the  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Cavalry ;  and  there  were 
others  for  the  18th  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  and  other 
organizations. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  517 

EIGHTEENTH    REGIMENT. 

The  Eighteenth  regiment  of  volunteers  was  raised  in 
the  summer  of  1864  under  the  call  of  the  president  for 
volunteers  for  one  year.  In  October,  six  companies  (A  to  F) 
joined  the  army  at  City  Point,  Va.  In  February  and 
March  following,  three  companies  (G,  H  and  I)  joined  the 
first  detachment  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  closing  scenes 
of  the  war.  The  nine  companies  were  present  at  the 
recapture  of  Fort  Steadman,  in  March,  1865,  and  were 
stationed  at  that  fort  until  April  3,  when  the  battalion 
entered  Petersburg  with  the  army.  It  was  afterwards 
organized  as  a  regiment,  with  Thomas  L.  Livermore  pro- 
moted from  major  of  the  Fifth  regiment,  colonel ;  performed 
provost  duty  at  Washington  and  vicinity,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  in  June  and  July,  1865. 

Following  are  the  members  of  this  regiment  from 
Keene,  who  may  be  understood  to  be  privates  unless  other- 
wise stated : 

Amadon,  Frank  E.  Co.  I;  age  18;  cred.  Troy;  res.  after  the  war,  Keene; 
enl.  March  1,  '65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  July  29,  '65. 

Beverstock,  Daniel  O.  Co.  F;  age  22;  res.  Nelson,  after  the  war,  Keene; 
enl.  Sept.  27,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  as  sergt.;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
See  Sixteenth  N.  H.  V. 

Carroll,  Joseph  A.     Co.  A;  age  19;  enl.  Sept.  5,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out 

June  10,  '65. 
Dodge,  Fred.     Co.  D;  age  21;   enl.  Sept.  1,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  disch.  June  30, 

'65. 
Gould,  Nathan.    Co.  A;  age  44;  cred.  Hinsdale;  res.  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Sept.  9,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

Howard,  William  H.     Co.  A;   age  20;   enl.   Sept.  5,  '64,  for  1  yr.;   must. 

out  June  10,  '65. 
Sawyer,  Charles  C.     Co.  A;    age  18;    enl.  Sept.   5,  '64,  for  1  yr.;    must. 

out  June  10,  '65. 
Ward,  Richard  W.     Co.  B;   age  19;   res.  Lebanon,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Sept.  13,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 

FIRST  CAVALRY. 

New  Hampshire  had  furnished,  in  1861,  f©ur  com- 
panies—I, K,  L  and  M  —  of  the  First  New  England  (Rhode 
Island)  Volunteer  Cavalry.  In  February,  1864,  those  com- 
panies returned  to  Concord  to  recruit  for  a  regiment  to 
be  named  the  First  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Cavalry. 
Companies  A,   B   a.nd   C   were    soon    raised   and    the    two 


518  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

battalions  of  seven  companies  proceeded  to  Washington  in 
April,  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  after  partici- 
pating as  infantry  in  engagements  at  Hanover  Court 
House  and  Cold  Harbor,  were  mounted  and  assigned  to 
the  Third  division  of  the  cavalry  corps.  After  being  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  White  Oak  Swamp,  June  13,  they  went 
with  their  division  on  "Wilson's  raid,"  were  engaged  with 
the  enemy  each  day  for  seven  days  — losing  seventy-one 
men  killed,  wounded  and  captured  —  and  assisted  in  destroy- 
ing sevent3'-five  miles  of  railroad  and  large  quantities  of 
cotton  and  tobacco.  In  August  the  two  battalions  were 
sent  to  the  Shenandoah  valley.  In  the  meantime  the  other 
five  companies  —  D,  E,  F,  G  and  H  —  were  recruited  in  New 
Hampshire  and  went  to  the  front  towards  the  last  of 
August.  John  L.  Thompson  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  and  the  First  and  Second  battalions  served 
through  Sheridan's  campaign  in  the  valley,  but  the  Third 
battalion  saw  very  little  service.  The  regiment  was  mus- 
tered out  July  15,  1865. 

Following  are  the  records  of  Keene  men,  being  privates 
and  residents  of  Keene  unless  otherwise  stated : 

Bailey,  George.  Co.  C;  age  25;  res.  Keene;  cred.  Roxbury;  enl.  April  5, 
'64;  app.  corp.;  sergt.  July  1,  '64;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Dinsmoor,  George  R.  Field  and  staff;  age  24;  app.  assist,  surg.  March 
13,  '65,  not  must.     See  miscel.  org. 

Draper,  Frank.     Co.  K;  age  22;  enl.  Feb.  23,  '64;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Edwards,  Thomas  C.  Co.  I;  age  20;  app.  2d  lieut.  March  16,  '64,  1st 
lieut.  Feb.  23,  '65;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Ellis,  Lewis.    Co  K;   age  18;  enl.  March  4,  '64;   must,  out  Juh-  15,  '65. 

Estabrook,  Aaron  G.  Co.  D ;  age  37 ;  b.  Keene ;  res.  Concord ;  enl.  Aug. 
17,  '64;  app.  sergt.;  disch.  May  20,  '65.     See  Eighth  N.  H.  V. 

Fifield,  Edwin  F.     Co.  M;   age  18;   enl.  Feb.  23,  '64;  must,  out  July  15, 

'65. 
Griffith,  Joseph  E.     Co.  K;  age  19;  enl.  Feb.  23,  '64;   wd.  Sept.  22,  '64, 

Milford,  Va.;  app.  corp.  April  1,  '65;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 
Hunt,  Ferdinand  K.    Co.  F;   age  23;   enl.  March  7,  '65,  for   1   yr.;   app. 

Corp.;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Kimball,  Samuel  H.     Co.  C;  age  18;  res.  Hinsdale,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  March  31,  '64;  disch.  June  5,  '65. 
Nash,  Eugene  P.     Co.  C;  age  19;  res.  Gilsum,  after  the  war,  Keene;   enl. 

April  9,  '64;    must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Safford,  Leavitt.  Co.  F;  age  20;  res.  Chesterfield,  after  the  war,  Keene; 
enl.  March  16,  '65,  for  1  yr.;   must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

Vanness,  Joseph.  Co.  K;  age  40;  enl.  Feb.  29,  '64;  app.  corp.;  must, 
out  July  15,  '65.  , 


KBBNE  IN  THE  CIVIL    WAR.  519 

Wardwell,  Olin  N.     Co.  F;   age  19;   b.  Nelson;  res.  Keene;  enl.  March  8, 

'65,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 
Willard.  W.  Henry.     Co.  K;  age  18;  enl.  Feb.  27,  '64;  captd.  Dec.  21,  '64, 

Lace\-'s  Springs,  Va.;   paroled  Feb.  22,  '65;   died,  dis.  March  31,  '65, 

Annapolis,  Md. 
Yardley,  Manley  R.    Co.  K;  age  21;  b.  Nelson;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Feb.  23, 

'64;    wd.  June  13,  '64,  White  Oak  Swamp,  Va.;    app.  bugler,  Jan.  1, 

'65;  must,  out  July  15,  '65. 

FIRST  HEAVY  ARTILLERY, 

Two  companies  of  heavy  artillery  were  organized  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1863,  and  served  at  Fort  Constitution 
and  Kittery  Point.  In  the  summer  of  1864  a  regiment  of 
twelve  companies  of  that  arm  was  authorized  to  be  raised 
in  the  state,  of  which  those  tw^o  companies  became  a  part. 
That  regiment  was  employed  in  the  defences  of  Washing- 
ton, and  was  mustered  out  June  15,  1865.  Seven  men 
from  ^Keene  served  in  its  ranks : 

Garfield,    WilHam  A.      Co.  B;    age  25;    enl.  Aug.    29,  '63;    disch.    disab. 

Sept.  29,  '64,  Concord. 
Howard,    Austin  E.      Co.  B;   age  29;    enl.  Aug.  13,  '63;   must,  as  sergt.; 

app.  2d  lieut.  July  25,  '65,  not  must.;  must,  out  Sept.  11,  '65. 
Howard,  Walter.     Co.  H;   age  18;   enl.  Sept.  5,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out 

June  15,  '65. 
Kingsbury,  Edward  A.     Co.  H;  age  25;  res.  Surry,  after  the  war,  Keene; 

enl.  Sept.  2,  "64,  for  1  yr.;   app.  corp.;  must,   out  June  15,   '65.    See 

Sixth  N.  H.  Y. 
Nims,    Samuel.    Co.  H;  age  27;  b.  Sullivan;  cred.  Newport;  res.  after  the 

war,  Keene;  enl.  Sept.  4,  '64,  for  1  yr.;  app.   hospital  steward  Nov. 

9,  '64;  must,  out  June  15,  '65. 
Parker,  Clinton  J.    Co.  H;  age  18;  b.  Nelson;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug.  31, 

'64,  for  1  yr.;  must,  out  June  15,  '65. 
Tuttle,    Norman    A.      Co.  B;  age  29;  enl.  Aug.  13,  '63;  must,  as  sergt.; 

app.  sergt.  major  Nov.  14,  '64;  must,  out  June  15,  '65. 

SHARPSHOOTERS. 

Three  men  from  Keene  enlisted  in  Col.  Berdan's  regi- 
ment of  sharpshooters : 

Kingman,  Albert  H.    Age  27;    enl.  Aug.  28,  '61;  must,  out  Sept.  9,  '64. 
Kingsbury,  Reuel  H.    Age  29 ;    enl.  Aug.   30,  '61 ;    disch.   disab.   Dec.   24, 

'62,  Falmouth,  Va. 
Nye,  Charles  H.    Age  24;   enl.  Aug.  28,  '61;   app.   corp.;  app.  sergt.  Jan. 

1,  '63;  disch.  Sept.  8,  '64,  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  term  exp. 

UNITED  STATES  COLORED  TROOPS. 

Three  men  from  Keene  held  commissions  in  the  United 
States  colored  troops : 

Healev,  Daniel  K.  From  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V.;  Sixth  Infantrv;  app.  2d 
lieut.  Aug.  28,  '63,  1st.  heut.  Oct.  13,  '64;  wd.  Feb.  11,  '65,  near 
Fort  Fisher,  N.  C;  disch.  Nov.  17,  '65. 


520  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


Hurd,  Warren  H.    From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  Co.  A,  Twenty-third  Infantry; 

must,  in  as  1st  lieut.   Dec.  18,  '63,  capt.  Co.  H.,   Aug.  9,   '64;   must. 

out  Nov.  30,  '65. 
Smith,  Samuel  M.     From   Fourteenth  N.  H.   V.;   age  29;   app.   capt.  Co. 

H,  Thirty-second  Infantry  March  18,  '64;  must,  out  Aug.  22,  '65.    See 


VETERAN  RESERVE  CORPS. 

Early  in  1863  an  "Invalid  Corps"  was  organized  by 
the  war  department  —  the  name  afterward  changed  to 
"Veteran  Reserve  Corps"  —  consisting  of  officers  and  men 
who  had  been  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  or  sick- 
ness and  desired  to  reenter  the  service.  The  more  able- 
bodied  and  effective  ones  were  employed  in  guard  and 
provost  duty;  those  more  enfeebled  in  hospitals,  as  cooks, 
nurses  and  orderlies.  The  names  of  those  from  Keene  are 
given  below,  being  privates  and  residents  of  Keene  unless 
otherwise  stated: 

Britton,  John  L.     From  Second  N.  H.  V.;   res.  after  the  war,  Keene  and 

Surry;  enl.  Dec.  15,  '63;  disch.  disab.  May  27,  '65,  Concord. 
Carroll,  Thomas.     From  Sixth  N.  H.  V.;   enl.   Dec.  16,  '63;   disch.   disab. 

Oct.  26,  '64,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Clement,  Benjamin  F.     From    Sixth    N.    H.  V.;  enl.   Sept.    2,  '64;    disch. 

disab.  Dec.  20,  '64. 
Crown,  Andrew  J.     From   Fifth  N.  H.  V.;   enl.  Dec.   11,  '63;   disch.  Nov. 

13,  '65,  Concord. 

Dunlap,  Whitney.  From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  22,  '63;  disch.  disab. 
June  3,  '64,  Concord. 

Heaton,  George  S.  From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  11,  '63;  disch.  disab. 
Nov.  28,  '64,  Concord. 

Houghton,  Abel.  From  Fifth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  22,  '63;  disch.  disab. 
July  24,  '65,  Washington,  D.  C. 

JoUey,  Joseph.  From  Ninth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  11,  '63;  disch.  disab.  Oct. 
21,  '64,  Concord. 

Pressler,  Christian.  From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  11,  '63;  app.  corp. 
Dec.  16,  '64;  app.  sergt.  May  2,  '65;  disch.  Nov.  13,  '65,  Con- 
cord. 

Rahn,  William.  From  Sixth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  23,  '63;  disch.  Nov.  15, 
'65,  Boston. 

Smith,  James  H.  From  Sixth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Sept.  2,  '64;  disch.  Nov.  14, 
'65,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Starkey,  Joseph  S.  From  Sixth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  11,  '63;  disch.  disab. 
May  16,  '65,  Concord. 

Sumner,  Alonzo  D.  From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  31,  '63;  disch. 
disab.  May  16,  '65,  Concord. 

Thompson,  Henry  A.  From  Second  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  11,  '63;  app. 
Corp.;  disch.  Nov.  13,  '65. 

White,  Shubael.  From  Second  and  Sixth  N.  H.  V.;  enl.  Dec.  29,  '63; 
disch.  disab.  Oct.  1,  '64,  Concord. 


KEBNE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  521 

UNITED  STATES  NAVY. 

Eleven  men  from  Keene  served  in  the  United  States 
navy,  as  follows : 

Bates,  Frederick  W.  Age  19;  enl.  Aug.  9,  '62,  for  1  yr.,  as  landsman; 
served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio,  Princeton,  Juniata  and  Hendrick  Hud- 
son, disch.  Sept.  2,  '63,  term  exp. 

Bates,  Frederick  W.  Age  20;  enl.  Sept.  2,  '64,  for  1  yr.,  as  landsman; 
served  on  U.  S.  ships  Vandalia,  Beauregard  and  Somerset;  disch., 
reduction  of  naval  force,  June  27,  '65. 

Cawley,  George.  Age  21;  b.  Keene;  enl.  at  Boston,  May  11,  '61,  for  1 
yr.,  as  landsman;  served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio,  Massachusetts  and 
Mississippi,  where  he  last  appears  on  roll  Mar.  15,  '63. 

Darling,  J.  Homer.  App.  act.  asst.  surg.  Dec.  4,  '63 ;  served  on  U.  S. 
ships  Ohio,  Clyde  and  Pursuit;  disch.  Dec.  12,  '65.  See  miscel. 
org. 

Drummer,  Charles  H.  Age  23;  enl.  Aug.  9,  '62,  for  1  yr.,  as  landsman; 
served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio  and  Housatonic;  disch.  disab.  Sept.  21, 
'63.     See  First  and  Fourth  N.  H.   V. 

Gilson,  Edward.  Age  35;  b.  Keene;  enl.  at  Boston,  Jan.  13,  '62,  as  sea- 
man, for  2  yrs.;  served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio  and  Kearsarge;  disch. 
Jan.  26,  '63,  from  the  Kearsarge. 

Gregory,  Frank.  Age  30;  b.  Keene;  enl.  at  Chicago,  Dec.  15,  '62,  for  1 
yr.,  as  hospital  steward;  served  on  U.  S.  ship  Curlew;  disch.  disab. 
Sept.  1,  '63. 

Hayes,  Joseph  R.  Age  19;  b.  Maine;  cred.  Keene;  enl.  Aug.  10,  '64,  for 
1  yr.,  as  landsman ;  served  on  U.  S.  ships  North  Carolina  and  Fort 
Jackson;  disch.  Aug.  18,  '64.  See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V.  and  miscel. 
org. 

Hunt,  Ferdinand  K.     Age  21;  enl.  Aug.  9,  '62,  for  1   yr.,  as  landsman; 

served  on  U.  S.  ships   Ohio  and   Mohican;    disch.   May   11,  '64,  term 

exp.    See  First  N.  H.  Cav. 
Kellogg,  James  B.    Age    22;    enl.   Aug.   23,   '62,  for  1  yr.,  as  landsman; 

served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio,   Princeton  and  Mohican;   disch.   May  11, 

'64,  term  exp. 
Lang,  William  H.     Age    21;    enl.    Aug.    9,  '62,  for    1   yr.,  as  landsman; 

served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio  and  Housatonic;  disch.  Sept.  17,  '63;  died, 

at  Keene,  March  25,  '64. 
Mason,  Andrew  R.    Age  28;    enl.   Sept.  27,  '62,  for  1  yr.,   as  landsman; 

served  on  U.  S.  ships  Ohio  and  San  Jacinto;   disch.  Feb.  6,  '64,  term 

exp. 
Prentiss,  George  A.    Regular  ofBcer.     B.  Keene;  res.  Keene;  app.  midship- 
man March  21,  '25;    passed  midshipman  June  4,  '31;    lieut.   Feb.  9, 

'37;  commander  Sept.  14,  '55;  retired  Oct.  24,  '64;  app.  commodore; 

retired  Sept.  26,  '66 ;  died  April  8,  '68,  in  South  Carolina. 
Sebastian,  Samuel.    Age  23;  b.  Keene;  enl.  at  Boston,  Aug.  9,  '62,  for  1 

yr.,  as  landsman;    served   on  U.  S.   ships  Ohio  and  Mohican;    disch. 

May  14,  '64,  term  exp. 

MISCELLANEOUS    ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  names  of  citizens  of  Keene  who  served  in  various 
New  Hampshire  organizations  not  already  mentioned,  or 
in  those  of  other  states,  or  the  United  States,  and  those 


522  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

who  rose  to  higher  than  regimental  rank,  are  as  follows, 

being    privates    and    residents    of   Keene    unless  otherwise 

stated : 

Borden,  Augustin.    Co.  F;  Fifty-seventh  Mass.  Inf.;   age  18;   res.  Keene; 

cred.   Windsor,  Mass.;  enl.  March  18,  '64,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.;  must,  out 

July  30,  '65. 
Boyle,    George  A.      Co.  C,   First  R.  I.  Light   Art.;  age  29;   enl.   Aug.   25, 

"'61,  for  3  yrs.;  must,  as  artificer;  disch.  Aug.  27,  '64. 
Cady,    Albemarle.      Sixth    Inf.   U.   S.    army;    b.   Keene,    1809;    res.    New 

Hampshire;  cadet.  West  Point  Military  Academy,  July  1,  1825;  app. 

2d  lieut.    July   1,  '29,   1st  Heut.  Dec.  31,  '36,   capt.  July  7,   '38,  bvt. 

major  Sept.  8,  '47,  for  gallant  and   meritorious  service  in  the  battle 

of   Molino    del  Rey ;    app.   major    Sixth   Inf.  Jan.  27,   '53,    lieut.    col. 

Seventh  Inf.  June  6,   '61,  col.   Eighth   Inf.  Oct.   20,  '63;    retired  May 

18,  '64;  bvt.  brig.  gen.  U.  S.  army  March  13,  '65,  for  long  and  faith- 
ful service  in  the  army.  •  (Died  Mar.  14,  '88,  New  Haven,  Ct.) 
Campbell,   James.     Co.  H,  Eighth  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;    age  19;    enl.  July  16, 

'64,  for  100  days;  must,  out  Nov.  10,  '64. 
Cadin,  Thomas  P.    Twelfth  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  22;  b.  Keene;  res.  Keene; 

cred.  Brookline,  Mass.;  enl.  Sept.  25,  '63;  must,  out  June  29,  '65. 
Carter,  Solon  A.     U.  S.  Vols.;  b.  Leominster,  Mass.;  res.   Keene;   age  27; 

app.  capt.,   assistant  adjutant  general,  July  15,  '64;  resigned  July  3, 

'65;  bvt.  major  and  It.  col.  to  date  March   13,  '65,  for  gallant  and 

meritorious  services  during  the  war.    See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Clapp,  WilHam  M.      Co.   G,  Fifth    Mass.    Vol.    Inf.;    age    26;    res.  Marl- 
borough, Mass.,  after  the  war  Keene;   enl.  April  19,  '61,  for  3  mos.; 

must,  out  July  31,  '61,  term  exp. 
Cross,  Charles  R.     R.  I.  Co.,  First  New  Eng.  Cav.;   age  23 ;  enl.  Dec.  11, 

'61,  for  3  yrs.;    app.  corp.;    captd.  June  18,  '63;    exch.;   reenl.  Jan  5, 

'64;  must,  out  Aug.  3,  '65. 
Darling,  J.  Homer.    Field  and  staff;    Fifty-first  Mass.   Vol.  Inf.;    age  24; 

res.  Rindge,  after  the  war,  Keene;   app.  assistant  surg.  Nov.  4,  '62; 

must,  in  for  9  mos.;  must,  out  July  27,  '63.    See  U.  S.  navy. 
Dickinson,  Elmer  F.    Twenty-third  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  21;  b.  Keene;  res. 

Swanzey ;  enl.  July  28,  '62,  for  3  yrs;   app.  corp.;   wd.   May  16,  '64; 

died,  wds.  June  18,  '64,  New  York. 
Dickinson,  James  W.    Twenty-third   Mass.   Vol.   Inf.;    age    16;  b.  Keene; 

res.  Swanzey;  enl.  for  3  yrs.;  must,  in  July  30,  '62;  disch.  disab.  May 

28,  '68. 
Dinsmoor,  George  R.     Field  and  staff;  Twentieth  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  24; 

app.  assist,  surg.  March  31,  '65;  disch.  July  15,  '65.    See  First  N.  H. 

Cav. 
Farwell,  Miles.    Field  and  staff;  Sixty-first  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  34;  app 

Q.  M.  Sept.  22,  '64;  transf.  to  Co.  D,  as   1st  lieut.;   to  Co.  E;  must 

out  June  4,  '65. 
Fowler,  Eugene  A.    Eighth  Mass.   Vol.  Inf;    age   19;    enl.   July   15,   '64 

must,  out  Nov.  10,  '64. 
Griffin,  Simon  G.     U.  S.  V.;    age  39;   res.  Concord,  after  the  war,  Keene 

app.  brig.  gen.  May  12,  '64,  bvt.  maj.  gen.   April  2,  '65,  for  gallant 

and  meritorious    conduct    in    the    assault    from   Fort  Sedgwick,  Va 

must,  out  Aug.  24,  '65.     See  Second  and  Sixth  N.  H.  V. 
Handy,  George  E.    First  Inf.  U.  S.  Vols;  age  20;  app.  2d  lieut.  Aug.  28, 

'64;  must,  out  May  10,  '66.    See  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 
Hatch,  Frank  E.     Co.  A,  Fifteenth  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  18;   enl.  July  30, 

'61,  for  3  yrs.;  transf.  to  I.  C.  Feb.  15,  '64;  no  further  record. 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  523 

Hayes,  Joseph  R.     Co.  H,  Eleventh  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  18;  enl.  Sept.  1,'61, 

for  3  yrs.;   captd.   Feb.  '62;    paroled;    disch.  May  22,   '62;   supposed 

identical  with  Joseph  B.  Hayes,  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V.    See  U.  S.  navy. 
Henry,  James,  Jr.     Co.  G,  First  R.  I.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  25;  enl.  April  17,  '61, 

for  3  mos.;  app.  sergt.;  must,  out  Aug.  2,  '61,  term  exp. 
Holmes,   George.      Co.   B,   Twenty-eighth    Mass.    Vol.   Inf.;    age  21 ;    enl. 

March  15,   '64,  for  3  yrs.;    reported  on  roll  June  30,  '65,   as  absent 

sick  since  April  30,  '64 ;  no  further  record. 
Kidder,  James  F.     Co.  E,  Thirtieth   Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  24;   enl.  Oct.  7, 

'61,  for  3  yrs.;   must,   in  as  sergt.;   wd.  July  13,   '63;    reenl.    Jan.  1, 

'64,  cred.   Boston,   Mass.;   app.  1st  sergt.  Jan.   1,  '64;    wd.   Oct.    24, 

'64;  app.  com.  sergt.   March  20,  '65,  2d  lieut.  April  2,  '65,  1st  heut. 

Jan.  25,  '66;  must,  out  July  5,  '66. 
Lamson,  John  L.     Co.  I,  Twenty-fifth   Mass.   Vol.   Inf;  age  43;   enl.  Oct. 

2,  '61,  for  3  yrs.;  died  June  1,  '62,  Newberne,  N.  C. 
O'Brien,   James,  Jf.      Co.   H,  Twenty-third   Mass.   Vol.  Inf.;    age  19 ;  enl. 

July  18,  '62,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  Dec.  16,  '62;  disch.  disab.  April  15,  '63. 
O'Brien,   John.      Co.  I,   Twentv-eighth   Mass.   Vol.  Inf.;  age  19  ;  enl.  Oct. 

13,  '6'l,  for  3  yrs.;  wd.  Tune  16,  '62;  disch.  disab.  Jan.   24,  '63.    See 

Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Parker,    William  H.      Co.  I,  Sixth  U.  S.  Vol.  Inf;  age  20;   app.  2d  lieut. 

April    23,   '65,   bvt.  1st  lieut.;   disch.  Oct.   15,   '66.      See    Second  and 

Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Rines,    George  W.      Co.  D,   Tenth   Vt.   Vols.;    age  24;    enl.  July   14,  '62; 

must,  as  sergt.;    reduced  to  the  ranks  Jan.  17,  '63;    transf.   to  I.  C. 

Sept.  1,  '62;  disch.  July  12,  '65.     See  First  N.  H.  V. 
Robbins,  Isaiah,  Jr.    Read's  Co.  Third  Mass.  Cav.;  age  22;  enl.  Sept.  27, 

'61,  for3vrs.;  must,  ascorp.;  disch.  disab.  July  15,  '62,  New  Orleans. 

See  Fifth  N.  H.  V. 
Twitchell,    George  B.      U.  S.   V.;   app.    major    and    surgeon  Jan.   7,   '63; 

disch.  Oct.  15,  '63.    See  Thirteenth  N.  H.  V. 
Wheeler,  Solon.     Co.  I,  Twenty-fifth  Mass.  Vol.  Inf.;  age  18;  enl.  Oct.  1, 

'61,  for  3  yrs.;  reenl.  Dec.  17,  '63;  cred.  Berlin,  Mass.;  must,  out  July 

13,  '65. 

The  military  records,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  of 
natives  of  Keene,  or  residents  of  the  town  in  early  life, 
who  served  in  organizations  of  other  states  and  whose 
names  are  not  on  New  Hampshire  rolls,  are  as  follows : 

Briggs,  Joseph  W.  Born  in  Keene,  in  business  here  when  a  young  man; 
res.  Chicago,  111. 

Burt,  William  H.  Admitted  to  practice  as  a  lawyer  in  Keene,  1855;  res. 
St.  Paul,  Minn-.;  enl.  Aug.  7,  '62,  in  Seventh  Minn.  Vol.  Inf.;  app. 
capt.  Aug.  21,  '62;  app.  major  Nov.  3,  '63;  served  in  the  South- 
west, in  the  Sixteenth  corps;  must,  out  Aug.  16,  '65. 

Dean,  Bradley.  Born  in  Keene,  1840;  res.  Boston;  enl.  May,  '62,  in 
Thirty-third  Mass.  Vol.  Inf;  app.  1st  lieut.  July  1,  '62;  transf  to 
Forty-first  Mass.  Inf.  Nov.  27,  '62;  sent  to  New  Orleans;  —  regt. 
changed  to  Third  Mass.  Cavalry  June  17,  '63;  —  app.  capt.  Co.  L 
Sept.  1,  '63;  wd.  sev. ,  Port  Hudson;  joined  Sheridan's  army  in  Shen- 
andoah valley  in  1864;  wd.  sev.,  Cedar  Creek;  must,  out  Dec.  27, 
'64,  Boston,  Mass. 

The  military  records,  so  far  as  can   be  ascertained,   of 

those  who  are  at  present  or    have  for  many  years  been 


524  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

citizens  of  Keene,  who  served  in  organizations  of  other 
states,  or  of  the  United  States,  and  whose  names  do  not 
appear  on  the  New  Hampshire  rolls,  are  as  follows : 

Adams,  William  H.;  Sixteenth  Vt.  Inf.— Aiken,  Enoch ;  First  Vt.  Cav. 

—  Baker,  Edward;  Eleventh  Vt.  Inf.— Banyea,  Lewis;  Fifth  Vt.  Inf.— 
Bissell,  Emerson  E.;  Fifty-third  Mass.  Inf.— Bouvier,  Peter;  Fifth  Vt.  Inf. 

—  Bryant,  Calvin  R.;  Twenty -seventh  Mass.  Inf. —  Casey,  John;  Seventh 
Vt.  Inf.— Chandler,  William  B.;  Third  Vt.  Inf.— Chandler,  Wilbur  F.; 
Fifteenth  Vt.  Inf.— Clark,  M.  V.  B.;  Sixteenth  Vt.  Inf.;  enl.  Aug.  12,  '62; 
app.  sergt.;  prom,  to  1st  sergt.  March  1,  '63;  must,  out  Sept.  10,  '63. — 
Colhns,  William  L.;  Sixteenth  N.  Y.  H.  Art.— Crocker,  George  H.; 
Twenty-ninth  U.  S.  H.  Art.— Darling,  La  Forrest  C;  Twelfth  Vt.  Inf.— 
Derby,  Webster  D.;  Second  Vt.  Inf. —  Dickinson,  Daniel;  Fifteenth  Mass. 
Inf— Dow,  George  C;  Fifth  Vt.  Inf.— Edson,  Albert  A.;  Second  Mass.  H. 
Art.— Foskett,  Liberty  W.;  Thirty-sixth  Mass.  Inf.;  enl.  Aug.  2,  '62;  age 
22;  prom,  to  corp.;  sergt.,  1st  sergt.  and  2d  lieut.,  but  not  must,  as 
latter;  must,  out  as  1st  sergt.  June  8,  '65. —  Gates,  Horace  G.;  Fifteenth 
Vt.  Inf— Goodwin,  Charles  L.;  Fifteenth  Mass.  Inf.— Gould,  George  W.; 
Ninth  Vt.  Inf— Graves,  Willard  R.;  Fourteenth  Vt.  Inf.— Griffith,  Henry 
L.;  First  R.  I.  Battery.— Griswold,  Francis  D.;  First  Mass.  H.  Art.— 
Harvey,  James  G.;  Seventh  R.  I.  Inf. —  Hersey,  Charles  H.;  U.  S.  navy. — 
Irish,  Horace  N.;  First  Vt.  Cav. — Johnson,  Charles  L.;  Ninth  Vt.  Inf. — 
King,  David  C;  Fifteenth  Vt.  Inf.— King,  John;  Ninth  Vt.  Inf- King, 
Wallace  A.;   Seventh  R.  1.  Inf. —  Kingsbury,   George  S.;   Sixteenth  Vt.   Inf. 

—  Kirk,  Reuben  S.;  Tenth  Vt.  Inf.— Knapp,  Clark  A.;  Second  Mass.  H. 
Art. —  Leahey,  Thomas  F.;  unassigned  Vt. — Lesure,  John  G.;  Eighth  Vt. 
Inf— Merrill,  Solomon  F.;  Fourth  Vt.  Inf.;  musician.— Metcalf,  Albert  W.; 
Twelfth  Vt.  Inf— Morse,  Levi  M.  (or  W.);  U.  S.  navy.— Morrill,  Josiah 
M.;  Fifteenth  Mass.  Inf.— Murdick,  OHver  P.;  Seventh  Vt.  Inf.— Olcott, 
Brainerd  T.;  Eighth  Vt.  Inf. —  Parker,  Addison  L.;  Thirty-second  Mass. 
Inf. —  Pierce,  Nelson  J.;  Thirty-sixth  Mass.  Inf. —  Stiles,  Ambrose  A.; 
Fourth  Vt.  Inf.— Stiles,  Lester  K.;  First  Vt.  Cav.— St.  John,  David; 
Second  Vt.  Light  Battery.— Shedd,  Charles  W.;  Fourteenth  Vt.  Inf.,  for 
9  mos.;  prom,  to  1st  sergt.;  disch.  exp.  term;  reenl.  1st  Vt.  Cav.,  to  end 
of  war.— Stowell,  Martin  A.;  Third  Vt.  Inf.— Thomas,  WilHam  B.;  Second 
Vt.  Inf— Wheeler,  Wesley  H.;  U.  S.  navy.— Whipple,  Alfred  P.;  Second 
Mass.  Inf— Wood,  George  C;  First  Mass.  Battery.— Wood,  John  E.; 
First  Mass.  H.  Art. 

TOWN    AND    PUBLIC    AFFAIRS. 

The  year  1865  opened  with  the  Confederate  army  still 
holding  its  lines  before  Petersburg  with  unyielding  tenacity, 
with  a  call  from  President  Lincoln  for  300,000  more  men 
for  one,  two  and  three  years,  and  with  brisk  recruiting 
throughout  the  North.  Frequent  public  meetings  were 
held  in  Keene  to    encourage    enlistments    and    to  provide 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  525 

money  for  hiring  recruits  and  for  aiding  the  families  of 
volunteers.  The  paper  currency  of  the  government  was  so 
depreciated  that  gold  sold  at  a  premium  of  more  than 
two  hundred  per  cent,  and  prices  of  commodities  were 
enormously  high ;  but  that  depreciation  compelled  large 
issues  of  paper  money,  made  it  plentiful  among  the  people, 
and  provided  an  excellent  opportunity  for  paying  off 
indebtedness ;  and  business  of  nearly  all  kinds  was  exceed- 
ingly profitable  —  in  that  currency.  Heavy  income  and 
other  special  taxes  were  levied  for  carrying  on  the  war, 
and  bonds  were  issued  which  the  people  promptly  took 
(the  earlier  ones  at  a  discount  from  their  face  value),  to 
aid  the  government.  Nearly  a  million  dollars'  worth  of 
those  bonds  were  taken  by  the  three  banks  in  Keene  — 
each  of  which  adopted  the  United  States  regulation  and 
became  a  national  bank  —  and  by  individuals  through 
those  banks.  The  Cheshire  bank  was  made  a  United 
States  depositary  and  received  and  transmitted  internal 
revenue  to  the  amount  of  nearly  $700,000  during  this 
year  and  the  ones  following  it  under  the  operation  of 
that  law. 

At  the  annual  meeting  the  town  raised  and  appropri- 
ated ten  thousand  dollars  towards  paying  town  debts  and 
interest,  and  three  thousand  dollars  to  aid  the  families  of 
volunteers.  The  Union  candidate  for  member  of  congress 
received  614  votes  in  Keene  to  240  for  his  opponent. 

Petersburg  and  Richmond  were  taken  on  Sunday 
morning,  April  2.  The  news  reached  Keene  at  noon  on 
Monday,  "and  during  the  afternoon  and  evening  our 
streets  resounded  with  joyful  noises.  One  hundred  guns 
were  fired  in  honor  of  the  event,  flags  were  displayed, 
drums  beat,  bonfires  were  kindled,  and  the  din  of  jubila- 
tion was  kept  up  till  midnight."  (Sentinel.)  There  was 
great  rejoicing  throughout  the  North.  In  the  larger  cities 
business  was  suspended,  and  there  w^as  scarcelj^  a  village 
of  five  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  loyal  states  that  did 
not  have  its  demonstrations  of  rejoicing.  And  these  were 
supplemented  by  generous  contributions  to  the  sanitary 
and  Christian  commissions  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  and  suffering  refugees. 


526  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Lee  surrendered  on  the  9th  of  April.  Upon  the  receipt 
of  the  news  in  Keene  preparations  were  made  for  a  grand 
jubilation,  and  on  Friday  evening  the  program  was  carried 
out  as  planned.  "The  village  of  Keene  was  probably 
never  so  generally  and  brilliantly  illuminated  as  it  was  on 
Friday  evening  last,  in  honor  of  the  recent  splendid  Union 
victories  achieved  in  Virginia.  The  Court  House,  Hotels, 
Town  Hall,  and  nearly  all  the  stores,  shops  and  dwelling 
houses  were  literally  in  a  blaze.  The  streets  were  thronged 
with  people  from  this  and  neighboring  towns,  and  the  fire 
companies  from  Keene,  Troy,  Ashuelot  and  Bellows  Falls, 
bearing  torches,  marched  through  the  principal  streets, 
accompanied  by  the  Ashburnham  Band  and  other  music. 
The  fireworks  prepared  and  managed  by  a  gentleman  from 
Boston,  added  much  to  the  excitement  and  pleasure  of  the 
evening.  The  whole  affair  was  eminently  successful." 
(Sentinel,  April  20.) 

But  at  the  very  hour  when  that  jubilation  was  in 
progress  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated.  Rejoicing 
was  at  once  turned  into  mourning.  The  next  Wednesday, 
the  19th,  was  named  by  the  national  authorities  as  the 
day,  and  12  o'clock,  noon,  the  hour  for  the  funeral  obse- 
quies of  the  beloved  president  to  be  held  throughout  the 
country.  In  Keene  they  were  appropriately  observed. 
Services  were  held  in  all  the  churches,  w^hich  were  draped 
in  mourning  as  well  as  many  of  the  residences,  places  of 
business  were  closed,  minute  guns  were  fired  and  bells 
tolled.  At  Rev.  Dr.  Barstow's  church  five  persons  were 
present  who  had  attended  the  funeral  services  in  honor  of 
George  Washington  in  the  same  church,  in  December,  1799. 
They  were  Hon.  John  Prentiss,  Noah  R.  Cooke,  Esq.,  and 
Mrs.  Elijah  Parker,  daughter  of  Rev.  Aaron  Hall,  of  Keene; 
and  Abijah  Ellis  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Nims,  widow  of  the  late 
Matthew  Nims,  of  Roxbury. 

At  its  session  in  June  the  legislature  passed  "An  Act 
to  establish  the  City  of  Keene," — subject  to  the  vote  of 
the  town.  It  was  published  in  full  in  the  local  papers 
and  thoroughly  discussed.  At  a  legal  meeting  on  the 
19th  of  August  the  town  voted  not  to  adopt  the  act,  411 
to  241. 


KEBNE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  527 

On  the  night  of  the  19th  of  October,  1865,  the  entire 
group  of  buildings  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square,  between 
the  Cheshire  House  and  the  town  hall,  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  It  consisted  of  Richards's  block  (formerly  Lamson's) 
on  the  corner  of  Roxbury  street ;  the  handsome  iron  front 
building  of  the  Messrs.  Colony,  of  the  Cheshire  Mills  of 
Harrisville;  and  the  Shelly  and  Sawyer  block.  The  small 
wooden  building  owned  by  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and  occu- 
pied by  the  post  office  was  demolished  to  save  the  town 
hall.  It  was  believed  that  all  except  Richards's  block, 
where  the  fire  originated,  might  have  been  saved  but  for 
the  failure  of  the  supply  of  water.  Many  of  the  occupants 
lost  heavily.  The  total  loss  was  nearly  $70,000,  about 
one-half  of  which  was  covered  by  insurance.  The  post  office 
was  removed  to  the  northwest  corner  room  in  Elliot's 
block,  on  West  street,  now  the  Chinese  laundry. 

In  November  there  was  an  escape  of  a  convict  from 
the  jail  in  Keene  so  remarkable  as  to  be  worthy  of  record. 

Mark  Shinborn  (Maximillian  Schoenbein),  an  educated 
German,  came  to  this  country  about  1860.  He  was  then 
twenty-two  years  old,  of  agreeable  manners,  neatly  dressed, 
a  gambler,  living  in  first-class  hotels;  and  he  became  the 
ostensible  owner  of  a  fine  farm  and  mansion  near  Saratoga, 
N.  Y.  He  worked  for  a  short  term  in  the  shops  of  the 
Lilly  Safe  Co.  to  learn  the  combination  of  locks.  In  Nov- 
ember, 1864,  he  robbed  the  savings  bank  at  Walpole,  N.  H., 
of  about  $40,000  —  entering  the  house  of  B.  F.  Aldrich, 
the  treasurer,  and  taking  the  keys  from  his  pocket.  He 
w^as  arrested  at  Saratoga  in  May,  1865,  and  brought  to 
Keene  for  trial,  where  he  attracted  much  attention,  par- 
ticularly from  young  women.  He  was  convicted  and  sen- 
tenced to  the  state  prison  for  ten  years.  On  the  day  of  his 
sentence,  when  his  supper  was  taken  to  him,  he  presented  a 
revolver  (given  him  by  an  accomplice  after  the  conviction) 
and  walked  out  of  the  jail,  kept  his  pursuers  at  bay,  passed 
through  Beaver  street  and  over  Beech  hill  through  the 
woods.  He  was  rearrested  at  Malone,  N.  Y.,  and  brought 
to  Keene  in  February,  1866,  and  taken  to  the  prison  at 
Concord ;  but  by  the  aid  of  friends  outside  he  escaped  in 
December  of  that  year.    In  his  robbery  at  Walpole  he  was 


528  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

assisted  by  George  Miles  White,  who  kept  a  store  at  West- 
moreland Depot  —  had  kept  a  public  house  at  Alstead  — 
and  was  superintendent  of  a  Sunday  school  at  Westmore- 
land ;  and  it  was  said  that  they  were  aided  and  abetted 
by  Rev.  Charles  Greenwood,  for  three  years  a  minister  at 
Westmoreland,  who  was  afterwards  believed  to  be  guilty 
of  both  arson  and  theft  in  Keene.  White  was  tried  with 
Shinborn,  but  the  evidence  was  not  sufficient  to  convict 
him.  After  his  escape  from  the  prison  at  Concord,  Shin- 
born  learned  through  his  "pals"  (who  had  already  made 
one  attempt  to  secure  the  booty,  on  the  5th  of  December) 
that  a  large  sum  of  money  was  deposited  in  the  Ashuelot 
bank  at  Keene.  He  came  to  Keene  and  spent  several 
weeks,  in  all,  boarding  at  the  Cheshire  House.  In  some 
way  he  secured  impressions  in  wax  of  the  keys  of  the  bank 
— it  is  believed  by  entering  the  house  of  the  cashier,  as  at 
Walpole,  and  taking  the  keys  from  his  pocket  —  returned 
to  New  York  and  made  his  keys  and  came  back  for  his 
booty.  These  operations  required  three  several  trips  be- 
tween New  York  and  Keene  to  allay  suspicion  and  prepare 
all  his  keys.  The  story  of  this  burglary,  as  told  by  his 
accomplice,  is  that  upon  gaining  entrance  to  the  bank  safe 
the  first  time  he  found  only  one  thousand  dollars  in  money  ; 
that  being  a  "high-toned"  robber  he  disdained  to  steal  so 
paltry  a  sum,  preferring  to  wait  for  the  larger  sum  ex- 
pected, and  went  away  without  creating  suspicion ;  that 
upon  a  second  entry  he  found  so  large  a  sum,  in  currency, 
that  he  did  not  dare  burden  himself  with  so  bulky  a  pack- 
age, and  that,  without  taking  any  of  it,  he  returned  to 
New  York  to  make  arrangements  for  its  removal,  but 
other  operations  intervened,  he  had  to  evade  the  officers 
of  the  law,  and  he  never  got  the  money. 

He  committed  many  other  robberies,  among  them  that 
of  the  Ocean  bank,  New  York,  where  he  secured,  according 
to  report,  about  one  million  dollars  and  escaped  detection. 
He  then  went  to  Europe,  lived  in  Brussells,  bought  the 
title  of  count,  gambled  away  his  fortune,  took  to  robbery 
again,  was  arrested  and  sent  to  prison  for  fourteen  years, 
but  was  pardoned  in  less  than  four  years  for  divulging  the 
name    of  his    accomplice,    an    American.      He    caused    the 


KEENE  IN  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  529 

report  of  his  death  to  be  circulated,  came  back  to  this 
country  and  renewed  his  robberies,  was  arrested  by  the 
Pinkerton  agency  in  1895,  tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced 
to  prison  for  four  years  and  eight  months.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  term  —  then  sixty-eight  years  old  —  he  was  re- 
arrested for  the  Walpole  robbery  and  recommitted  to  the 
prison  at  Concord,  where  he  is  at  the  present  time  serving 
out  his  term;  —  although  he  claims  that  he  is  not  Mark 
Shinborn. 

The  civil  war  ended,  practically,  with  the  surrender  of 
Lee,  and  as  the  financial  and  other  matters  connected  with 
that  war  were  summed  up  at  the  close  of  1865,  it  was 
found  that  Keene  was  in  debt  for  money  borrowed  to  aid 
the  Union  cause,  in  addition  to  all  that  had  been  currently 
raised  and  expended  for  that  purpose,  $100,868.50.  The 
amount  of  bounties  the  town  had  paid  to  soldiers  was 
$110,984,  and  to  aid  the  families  of  soldiers  $40,515.86, 
the  most  of  the  latter  sum  being  reimbursed  by  the  state. 
"The  town  furnished  584  men  for  the  army  during  the 
war,  of  which  number  forty-eight  residents  of  Keene  died 
in  the  service."     (Sentinel,  March  8,  1866.) 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

TOWN   AFFAIRS. 
1866  —  1874. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1866  the  town  voted  to  raise 
and  appropriate  $15,000  towards  paying  the  town  debt 
and  interest;  and  again  voted,  492  to  294,  not  to  adopt 
a  city  charter.  The  selectmen  were  instructed  to  build  a 
receiving  tomb,  and  $700  were  appropriated  therefor. 

The  failure  of  the  water  supply  at  the  fire  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Square  in  1865  gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  the 
project  of  bringing  aqueduct  water  into  the  village.  The 
subject  had  previously  been  agitated  for  many  years  in 
consequence  of  the  inadequate  supply  of  water  in  case  of 
fires,  and  for  manufacturing  and  other  purposes,  and  the 
first  action  of  the  town  in  relation  to  it  had  been  taken 
at  the  annual  meeting  in  1860,  when  the  town  voted 
"That  it  is  expedient  to  introduce  into  the  compact  part 
of  the  Town  a  supply  of  water  for  the  extinguishment  of 
fires;"  and  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed,  with  Wm. 
P.  Wheeler  chairman,  to  report  a  plan  and  obtain  the 
necessary  legislation.  Action  was  again  taken  in  1862  as 
stated,  but  the  enterprise  had  not  been  pushed,  and  active 
interest  in  it  had  lain  dormant  until  reawakened  by  the 
fire  of  1865.  At  this  annual  meeting  of  1866,  a  committee 
of  seven  was  chosen  to  take  the  wdiole  matter  into  con- 
sideration and  report  at  a  meeting  to  be  called  for  that 
purpose.  That  committee,  after  examining  several  bodies 
of  water,  reported  on  the  2d  of  June,  recommending 
"Goose  pond"  as  the  source  of  supply;  but  an  adjourned 
meeting,  on  the  16th  of  the  same  month,  voted  to  post- 
pone the  whole  subject  indefinitely  — 143  to  64. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  in  Keene  this  year, 
1866.  The  day  opened  with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the 
firing  of  a  national  salute.  At  9  o'clock  a  procession  of 
"Antiques  and  Horribles"  marched  through  the  streets, 
and  at  10  o'clock    there    was  a  parade  of  firemen    from 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  531 

Fitchburg,  Ashbumham,  Troy  and  Keene,  with  military 
bands  from  Ashburnham,  Gardner,  Unionville  and  Keene. 
In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  trial  of  engines  —  the  old- 
fashioned  "tubs,"  operated  with  hand  brakes  —  in  which 
the  Fitchburg  company  won  the  first  prize,  throwing  water 
to  the  height  of  189  feet.  At  2  o'clock  an  oration  was 
delivered  in  the  town  hall  by  Rev.  William  Gaylord,  and 
there  were  fireworks  in  the  evening.  Good  order  prevailed 
and  there  was  an  almost  total  absence  of  drunkenness  and 
rowdyism. 

During  this  season  and  the  following  one,  the  Cheshire 
railroad  expended  about  $80,000  in  building  shops  and 
making  improvements,  under  the  direction  of  Francis  A. 
Perry,  master  mechanic,  who  drew  the  plans  and  superin- 
tended the  work.  The  main  shop  was  415  feet  long  by 
52  to  65  feet  in  width.  Charles  Bridgman  also  built  his 
block  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square  during  that  season. 

Capt.  Jesse  Corbett,  ver3^  aged,  a  prominent  man  in 
Keene  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  —  captain 
of  the  Keene  Light  Infantry  and  a  public  spirited  citizen 
—  died  in  August. 

In  Januar}',  1867,  Mr.  George  K.  Wright  and  his 
brother,  Charles,  2d,  cut  and  hauled  to  Faulkner  & 
Colony's  mill  fourteen  logs  from  a  single  white  pine  tree 
and  its  two  main  branches.  The  tree  measured  121  feet  in 
height,  eighteen  and  one-half  feet  in  circumference  four  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  contained  9,000  feet  of  lumber  valued 
at  $140  standing.  The  tree  was  sold  for  $180,  delivered 
at  the  mill.  The  deca\'ed  portion  was  estimated  at  800 
feet  more.  Its  age  was  calculated  from  its  rings  to  be 
about  three  hundred  3'ears — "believed  to  be  the  oldest 
inhabitant  in  town,"  and  the  largest  tree  in  Cheshire 
county.  < 

The  town  having  been  indicted  for  allowing  the  two 
large  elm  trees  —  one  now  known  as  the  "Cooke  elm,"  the 
other  standing  in  the  sidewalk  near  St.  James'  church  —  to 
stand  in  the  travelled  way,  an  article  was  inserted  in  the 
warrant  for  the  annual  meeting  of  1867  to  see  whether  or 
not  the  town  would  instruct  the  selectmen  or  highway 
surveyor  to  remove  those  trees.     On  that  article  the  town 


532  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

"Voted,  Unanimously  that  the  Selectmen  and  Town  Agent 
be  instructed  to  protect  and  defend"  those  trees  "from  all 
inditements  and  depredations  whatsoever."  The  trees  were 
defended  and  still  stand,  vigorous  and  thrifty. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  town  voted  "to  adopt  an 
act  entitled  'An  Act  to  establish  the  City  of  Keene,'"  — 
460  to  430,  But  a  petition  to  the  legislature  for  leave  to 
surrender  the  charter  was  immediately  circulated,  signed 
by  about  600  legal  voters  of  Keene,  and  in  July  an  act 
was  passed  allowing  another  vote  on  the  question ;  and  at 
the  next  annual  meeting  the  charter  was  rejected  by  a  vote 
of  700  to  378. 

At  the  organization  of  the  legislature  in  June,  1867, 
Gen.  S.  G.  Griffin,  of  Keene,  was  elected  speaker  of  the 
house  of  representatives,  and  was  reelected  to  that  posi- 
tion in  1868. 

On  the  12th  of  August  the  large  shops  on  Mechanic 
street  were  destroyed  by  fire.  They  were  occupied  by  Nims 
&  Crossfield  for  making  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  and  by 
several  smaller  manufacturing  concerns  and  individuals. 
The  houses  of  Mr.  Arba  Kidder  and  Mr.  John  F.  Prindell 
and  several  small  buildings  were  also  burned.  Loss,  $44,- 
300;  insured  for  $13,075.  The  fire  started  in  the  engine- 
house  of  Nims  &  Crossfield.  Soon  afterwards  a  corpora- 
tion was  formed,  called  the  Keene  Steam  Power  Company, 
which  rebuilt  the  mills  at  a  cost  of  about  $40,000. 

On  the  15th  and  16th  of  August  there  was  a  remark- 
ably heavy  fall  of  rain  extending  from  Maine  to  Virginia. 
Crops  were  destroyed  and  much  damage  w^as  done  by  the 
floods.  The  Concord  road  over  Beech  hill  was  completely 
washed  out  for  nearly  an  eighth  of  a  mile  in  length  and 
from  two  to  six  feet  in  depth.  A  neighboring  farmer 
estimated  that  five  hundred  thousand  loads  of  gravel 
would  be  required  to  fill  the  cavity ;  but  the  road  was 
repaired  by  cutting  it  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  channel 
made  by  the  flood. 

During  this  season  the  Unitarian  church  edifice  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Church  streets  was  repaired  and 
improved,  and  a  steeple  added  to  the  tower;  and  about 
seventy-five  new  houses  were  built  in  town. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  533 

Notwithstanding  the  indefinite  postponement  of  the 
subject  in  1866,  the  demand  for  aqueduct  water  was 
imperative,  and  at  a  special  meeting  to  consider  that 
question  held  on  the  5th  of  October,  1867,  another  com- 
mittee of  seven  was  chosen  to  take  the  whole  matter  under 
consideration.  That  committee  reported  on  the  5th  of 
November  recommending  Goose  pond  as  the  source  of  water 
supply;  and  on  the  18th  of  December  the  town  voted  to 
purchase  Goose  pond,  and  a  committee  consisting  of 
Samuel  A.  Gerould,  Edward  Joslin,  Daniel  H.  Holbrook, 
Reuben  Stewart  and  George  Holmes  was  appointed  to 
employ  engineers,  make  examinations  and  estimates,  and 
report  at  a  subsequent  meeting.  That  committee  reported 
on  the  13th  of  August  following,  and  the  town  then  voted, 
381  to  86,  to  construct  the  w^orks.  A  committee  for  that 
purpose  was  chosen  consisting  of  Edward  Joslin,  Thomas 
H.  Leverett,  Samuel  A.  Gerould,  Daniel  H.  Holbrook  and 
George  W.  Ball.  A  contract  was  made  and  the  water  was 
introduced  in  November,  1869.  The  same  meeting  author- 
ized the  issue  of  bonds  for  a  loan  of  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars  (the  sum  afterwards  increased  as  the  works  w^ere 
extended)  and  chose  a  "water  loan  committee  "  to  prepare 
and  sell  the  bonds,  consisting  of  Thomas  H.  Leverett, 
Royal  H.  Porter  and  George  W.  Tilden. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1868,  the  semi-centennial  of  the 
settlement  of  Rev.  Dr.  Barstow  was  celebrated.  He  had 
been  settled  by  the  town,  and  the  commemoration  was 
made  a  town  affair.  The  ceremonies  were  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  committee  of  twenty  gentlemen  and  ladies.  The 
interior  of  the  church  edifice  was  decorated,  and  embellished 
with  appropriate  inscriptions.  Religious  services  were  held 
in  the  forenoon,  at  which  Dr.  Barstow  preached  a  histori- 
cal sermon,  wearing  the  robes  in  vogue  at  the  time  of  his 
settlement,  and  the  choir  sang  two  of  the  anthems  used  at 
his  ordination.  At  the  close  of  the  exercises  a  procession 
of  about  600  persons  moved  from  the  church  to  the  town 
hall  and  sat  down  to  dinner.  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Edwards 
presided,  and  addresses  were  made  in  response  to  toasts 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Bouton,  of  Concord;  Rev.  William  S.  Karr, 
Dr.    Barstow's  successor;    Rev.    William    O.   White;    Hon. 


534  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

George  S.  Hale  and  Horatio  Parker,  Esq.,  of  Boston, 
natives  of  Keene;  J.  Whitnej^  Barstow,  M.  D.,  of  New  York, 
son  of  the  guest;  and  by  Hon.  John  Prentiss,  John  H. 
Elliot,  William  P.  Wheeler,  S.  A.  Gerould  and  R.  H.  Porter, 
of  Keene.  Mrs.  Barstow  had  a  seat  at  the  table  next  her 
husband  and  shared  in  the  honors  and  encomiums  showered 
upon  him.  A  purse  of  two  hundred  dollars  and  a  life 
annuity  of  five  hundred  dollars  were  presented  him,  and 
the  exercises  closed  with  a  benediction.  On  the  19th  of 
August  following,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Barstow  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding,  at  their  life-long  residence,  the  old 
Wyman  tavern,  a  full ,  account  of  which  was  published  in 
a  neat  booklet  —  "A  Golden  Remembrance"  —  by  their  son. 
Dr.  J.  Whitney  Barstow. 

The  agitation  for  the  resuscitation  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Union,  which  began  in  1866,  resulted  in  Decem- 
ber of  this  year  in  an  organization  —  the  term  Union 
changed  to  Association — of  which  L.  C.  Doolittle  was 
president,  John  Humphrey  vice-president,  A.  B.  Skinner 
secretary,  and  George  E.  Holbrook  auditor.  Its  rooms 
were  in  Bridgman's  block. 

The  Keene  Five  Cents  Savings  bank  was  incorporated 
in  1868  and  on  the  1st  of  January,  1869,  began  operations. 
For  many  years  it  was  very  successful,  its  deposits  reach- 
ing, in  1892,  $3,100,000;  but  the  financial  panic  of  1893 
caused  the  depreciation  of  some  of  its  securities,  created 
alarm  among  the  depositors,  and  large  amounts  were 
withdrawn ;  and  the  bank  was  compelled  to  close  its 
doors. 

On  the  15th  of  January,  1869,  the  steam  mills  on 
Ralston  street  owned  by  Madison  Fairbanks  and  used  for 
saw  and  grist  mills  and  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors, 
blinds,  pails  and  other  articles,  were  destroyed  by  fire. 
Loss  about  $50,000;   insured  for  $22,675. 

The  velocipede  mania  reached  Keene  early  in  1869,  but 
after  a  run  of  some  months  it  subsided  until  the  bicycle 
came  years  later. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  the  city  charter  was  again 
rejected  by  a  vote  of  784  to  177 ;  and  at  the  next  annual 
meeting  a  still  stronger  majority  was  recorded  against  it. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  535 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year  the  Farmers'  and 
Mechanics'  Club  was  organized  in  Keene  —  the  precursor  of 
the  grange  —  and  held  frequent  meetings,  with  spirited  and 
profitable  discussions. 

At  no  time,  probably,  in  the  history  of  Keene  did  its 
military  band  take  so  high  a  rank  as  at  this  period,  when 
for  several  years  it  was  under  the  direction  of  Professor 
W.  T.  Allen.  It  furnished  the  music  for  commencement 
exercises  at  Middlebury  college,  Vt.,  in  1869,  and  at 
Kimball  academy,  Meriden,  N.  H.;  and  it  had  frequent 
calls  from  out  of  town  for  its  services  at  public  functions. 

In  November  the  town  voted  —  540  to  207  —  a  gratuity 
of  three  per  cent  on  its  valuation  for  1869  to  aid  in  build- 
ing the  Manchester  &  Keene  railroad  —  the  money  to  be 
raised  by  loan  on  thirty-year  bonds  at  six  per  cent.  After 
much  opposition  and  delay  the  bonds  were  finally  issued 
by  the  city  in  1874  to  the  amount  of  $160,000.  The  road 
had  been  chartered  in  1864,  and  the  line  surveyed  in  1865 
by  James  A.  Weston,  civil  engineer,  afterwards  governor 
of  the  state. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1870  the  town  authorized  the 
water  board  to  employ  an  engineer  to  make  surveys  and 
estimates  for  a  system  of  sewerage  for  the  town,  but  at 
subsequent  meetings  articles  in  relation  to  that  subject 
were  passed  over,  and  nothing  was  done  towards  con- 
structing the  works  until  after  the  town  became  a  city. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  July,  Dr.  Thomas  E. 
Hatch  retired  from  the  office  of  postmaster,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Capt.  Henry  C.  Handerson.  The  census  of  this 
year  gave  Keene  a  population  of  5,971.^ 

During  this  season  the  Cheshire  Provident  Institution 
for  Savings  built  the  large  brick  block  on  the  east  side  of 
Central  square,  known  as  the  Bank  block.  For  several 
years  the  postoffice  occupied  one  of  its  rooms,  the  entrance 
being  on  Roxbury  street.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Timothy 
Colony  built  a  similar  block  on  the  adjoining  north  lot. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1871  the  town  voted  to 
exempt  from  taxation  for  ten  years  a  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment then  contemplated,  since  known  as  Beaver  mills, 

iSwanzev  had  1.626;  Winchester,  2,096;  Chesterfield,  1,289;    Westmoreland, 
1,256;    Walpole,  1,830;  the  state,  326,073. 


536  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

provided  that  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  dollars  should 
be  invested  in  the  plant.  That  sum  was  subscribed,  a 
stock  company  was  formed,  and  the  mills  were  built  dur- 
ing that  season ;  and  the  Cheshire  Chair  Company  and 
the  Keene  Furniture  Company  removed  from  Mechanic 
street  and  took  up  quarters  there.  Those  companies  had 
been  organized  respectively  in  1868  and  1869,  with  Edward 
Joslin  as  principal  owner  in  each,  and  F.  L.  Sprague  in  the 
furniture  and  G.  W.  McDuffee  in  the  chair  company,  man- 
agers. John  Humphrey's  machine  shop  and  waterwheel 
works  and  other  manufactories  also  found  rooms  at  the 
Beaver  mills. 

The  pottery  at  the  lower  end  of  Main  street,  J.  S.  Taft 
&  Co.,  and  the  glue  factory  at  the  upper  end  of  Court 
street,  founded  by  E.  E.  Lyman,  soon  succeeded  by  O.  W. 
Upham,  were  established  during  this  season. 

A  military  company,  composed  of  veterans  of  the  Civil 
war  and  named  the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  was  organized 
this  year,  with  John  W.  Babbitt,  captain,  and  Solon  A. 
Carter,  lieutenant.  It  had  its  armory  in  the  old  Methodist 
church,  on  Vernon  street. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1868  the  town  had  voted  to 
build  a  monument  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war  and 
appropriated  two  thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose;  but 
that  sum  was  considered  inadequate  and  no  farther  action 
was  taken  until  August,  1870,  when  the  additional  sum 
of  five  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated  —  and  afterwards 
five  hundred  dollars  for  the  dedication  —  and  a  committee 
consisting  of  Dr.  George  B.  Twitchell,  Gen.  S.  G.  Grifl5n, 
Lieut.  C.  F.  Webster,  R.  H.  Porter  and  John  Humphrey 
was  appointed  to  carry  out  the  work.  Col.  Solon  A. 
Carter,  Joseph  G.  Perry  and  Capt.  John  W.  Sturtevant 
were  afterwards  added  to  the  committee.  The  monument, 
built  in  1871,  consists  of  a  bronze  figure  of  a  soldier  in  the 
uniform  and  equipments  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil 
war,  designed  by  Martin  Milmore  of  Boston  and  cast  by 
the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Chicopee,  Mass. 
The  figure  stands  on  a  pedestal  of  Roxbury  granite  cut  by 
Charles  S.  Barnes  from  designs  furnished  by  the  committee. 
On  the  die  a  bronze  tablet  bears  the  inscription : 


Soldiers'  Monument. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  537 

KEENE 

WILL   CHERISH  IN   PERPETUAL  HONOR 

THE  MEMORY  OF  HER  SONS 

WHO    FOUGHT    FOR    LIBERTY 

AND    THE    INTEGRITY    OF    THE 

REPUBLIC. 

1861  1865 

THE  HONOR 

OF  THE   HEROIC   DEAD 

IS    THE    INSPIRATION    OF 

POSTERITY. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1871,  the  monument  was 
dedicated  in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  people. 
Posts  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  with  bands, 
were  present  from  Brattleboro,  Claremont,  Newport  and 
Peterboro;  and  military  companies  from  Fitzwilliam  and 
Hinsdale.  A  procession  consisting  of  posts  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
military  companies,  firemen,  civic  bodies  and  citizens  in  car- 
riages, headed  by  the  Keene  Military  band  and  escorted  by 
the  Keene  Light  Infantry,  Col.  John  W.  Babbitt  command- 
ing, all  under  the  marshalship  of  Col.  Solon  A.  Carter, 
marched  through  the  principal  streets.  The  dedicatory 
exercises  were  held  in  a  tent  pitched  on  the  south  side  of  the 
monument.  Among  the  distinguished  guests  present  were 
Governor  Weston  and  staff.  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield  (on  a 
visit  with  his  mother  to  her  birthplace  in  Richmond),  Gen. 
Judson  Kilpatrick,  Senator  James  W.  Patterson,  Col.  Carroll 
D.  Wright,  and  Martin  Milmore,  the  sculptor.  Gen.  S.  G. 
Griffin  was  president  of  the  day,  Gen.  Kilpatrick  delivered 
an  oration,  and  Lieut.  George  A.  Marden  read  an  original 
poem.  Other  short  speeches  w^ere  made  and  excellent  music 
was  rendered.  At  4  o'clock  the  invited  guests  and  citizens, 
to  the  number  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  sat  down 
to  dinner  at  the  Cheshire  House.  Grace  was  said  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Barstow.  At  the  close  of  the  dinner  the  following 
toasts  were  announced  by  the  president  of  the  day :  1. 
"The  President  of  the  United  States;"  responded  to  by 
Senator  Patterson.  2.  "The  Governor  of  New  Hampshire;  " 
responded  to  by  Gov.  Weston.  3.  "The  Volunteers  in  the 
Late  War ;  "  responded  to  by  Gen.  Garfield.  4.  "  The  Right 
Arm  of  the  Government  —  the  Army  and  the  Navy;"  re- 
sponded to  by  Gen.  Kilpatrick.     5.   "  Our  Patriotic  Dead;" 


538  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

responded  to  by  Col.  Carroll  D.  Wright.  6.  "The  Loyal 
Men  and  Women  Who  Encouraged  and  Sustained  the  Army 
in  the  Field;"  responded  to  by  Hon.  Thomas  M.  Ed- 
wards, 

A  few  other  short  addresses  were  made,  and,  altogether, 
it  was  an  exceedingly  rich  intellectual  feast,  and  a  brilliant 
display  of  oratory.  The  visiting  military  and  civic  bodies 
and  other  guests,  to  the  number  of  about  five  hundred, 
were  also  abundantly  entertained.  In  the  evening  Gen. 
Griffin  gave  a  reception  to  Generals  Garfield  and  Kilpat- 
rick.  Senator  Patterson,  Mr.  Milmore  and  other  guests; 
and  Mr.  Henry  Colony,  in  his  new  house  on  West  street, 
now  the  public  library  building,  paid  a  similar  compliment 
to  Governor  Weston  and  staff  and  others.  Both  parties 
were  serenaded  by  the  Keene  Military  band. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1872  the  town  authorized 
the  water  board  to  procure  land  for  a  reservoir  on  Beech 
hill  —  the  old  natural  reservoir,  improved  by  increasing  the 
height  of  the  dam. 

The  large  tannery  at  West  Keene,  established  in  1872 
by  Mr.  John  Symonds  (Bigelow  &  Co.),  and  successfully 
operated  for  about  twenty  years,  w^as  exempted  from  taxa- 
tion for  five  years  by  vote  of  the  town. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  at  an  evening  meeting  held  at  the 
town  hall  to  consider  the  subject  of  a  charter  for  a  city. 
Dr.  Geo.  B.  Twitchell,  chairman,  Francis  A.  Faulkner, 
George  F.  Starkweather,  Kendall  C.  Scott,  Horatio  Colony 
and  Edward  Joslin  were  appointed  a  committee  to  make 
a  draft  of  a  charter  to  be  submitted  to  the  legislature; 
and  the  act  was  passed  at  the  next  session,  approved  July 
3,  1873. 

The  Keene  Natural  History  Society  was  organized  this 
year,  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  George  A.  Wheelock  and 
others.  Its  collection  of  specimens  is  kept  in  the  hall  of 
the  high  school  building. 

The  24th  of  December,  1872,  was  a  remarkably  cold 
day,  the  mercury  falling  to  28°  below  zero  here,  and  to 
40°  and  45°  below  in  some  places  in  the  state. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1873  a  committee,  consisting 
of  William    P.    Wheeler,   Stephen    Barker    and  George    A. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  539 

Wheelock,  appointed  in  November  to  consider  the  question 
of  enlarging  Woodland  cemetery,  reported  in  favor  of  pur- 
chasing additional  land,  and  George  B.  Twitchell,  George 
H.  Richards  and  Horatio  Colony  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee, acting  in  concert  with  the  selectmen,  to  make  the 
purchase,  but  the  next  year  the  whole  matter  was  referred 
to  the  city  government.  This  year  the  town  sent  seven 
representatives  to  the  legislature. 

On  the  1st  day  of  May  a  festival  was  held  by  the 
ladies  of  the  Unitarian  Sewing  Society,  who  for  two  years 
had  been  at  work  for  this  object,  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing funds  for  the  establishment  of  an  invalids'  home  in 
Keene,  and  an  entertaining  booklet  called  "The  May 
Flower,"  copies  of  which  may  still  be  found,  was  published 
and  sold  to  aid  the  cause.  An  impulse  had  been  given  to 
the  movement  by  a  bequest  of  one  thousand  dollars  from 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Wilson,  a  farmer  who  had  come  from  Sulli- 
van to  Keene  and  lived  on  Marlboro  street.  A  house  on 
Beaver  street  was  purchased  and  the  invalids'  home  estab- 
lished. 

At  the  close  of  Rev.  Gilbert  Robbins'  ministry  in  the 
Baptist  church — 1846  to  1857  —  Rev.  Leonard  Tracy  was 
pastor  for  six  years.  Rev.  William  N.  Clarke  upwards  of 
five  years.  Rev.  A.  V.  Tilton  nearly  three  years,  and  in 
1872  Rev.  William  H.  Eaton  accepted  a  call  to  that  posi- 
tion. Through  his  efforts  the  society  decided  to  build  a 
new  church  edifice,  and  their  present  one  on  Court  street 
was  begun  in  June,  1873,  and  dedicated  in  May,  1875. 

The  old  town  bell  on  the  First  Congregational  church 
having  been  cracked,  an  effort  was  made  to  procure  a  new 
one.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1873  the  town  voted,  as  it 
had  already  done  in  1840,  to  relinquish  all  its  rights  in 
the  bell  and  belfry  of  the  church.  The  society  purchased  a 
new  bell,  which  was  used  for  the  first  time  on  the  first 
Sunday  in  June. 

"At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Jonas  Parker,  one  of  our 
best  local  authorities  in  such  matters,  the  new  bell  was 
tuned  in  the  key  of  A,  so  that  the  discord  alluded  to  is 
partially  remedied,  and  wholly  overcome  in  case  certain 
three  of  the  bells  are  sounded  at  the  same  time.  The  Uni- 
tarian bell  is  keyed  in  F  sharp,  the  Episcopal  in  D,  and  the 


540  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

new  bell  in  A,  and  when  rung  in  concert  produce  a  perfect 
major  chord ;  the  Baptist  bell  is  keyed  in  C  sharp,  and  this 
with  the  Unitarian  (F  sharp)  and  the  Congregational  (A) 
produce  a  minor  chord.  When  the  four  are  sounded  to- 
gether, of  course  they  produce  a  discordant  sound,  but  not 
so  harsh  and  grating  as  w^hen  the  old  bell  formed  one  of 
the  quartette."     (Sentinel,  June  5,  1873.) 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  some  of  the  leading  women 
of  the  town,  aided  by  a  few  of  the  men,  organized  the 
Keene  Social  Union  for  the  purpose  of  providing  young 
men  and  boys  with  a  reading  room  and  social  advantages 
during  the  winter  evenings,  to  draw  them  away  from  the 
saloons.  Mrs.  William  O.  White  was  the  first  president, 
and  the  society  was  successful  for  several  years.  At  first 
it  occupied  chambers  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square. 

In  business  affairs  at  this  time  —  when  the  town  became 
a  city  —  Elliot  &  Ripley  in  the  hardware  store  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  West  streets  had  been  succeeded  in  1866 
by  Spencer  &  Co.,  who  remained  there  for  thirty-five 
years;  C.  T.  &  G.  B.  Buflfum,  clothiers,  were  in  the  north 
half  of  the  old  A.  &  T.  Hall  store,  and  Joslin  (Edward) 
&  Gay,  grocers,  were  in  the  south  half,  succeeding  C. 
Bridgman,  who  had  removed  to  his  new  block  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Square.  Keyes  &  Stratton  were  in  the  old 
Keyes  store  on  the  corner  where  the  postoffice  building 
now  stands ;  Whitcomb  &  Dunbar,  clothiers,  w^ere  in  the 
Whitcomb  store;  G.  H.  Tilden  &  Co.  still  occupied  the 
south  store  in  Gerould's  block;  and  Richardson,  Skinner 
&  Day  were  in  the  store  next  north  of  Tilden,  in  the  Ger- 
ould  block,  afterwards  called  the  "  Museum."  J.  R.  Beal 
&  Co.  and  W.  H.  Spalter,  succeeding  his  father,  were  in 
Ball's  block,  formerly  Wilders',  where  Spalter  still  remains. 
A.  H.  Grimes  kept  a  general  assortment  of  goods  under 
the  town  hall ;  Knowlton  &  Stone  had  established  their 
hardware  business  next  north  of  Bridgman,  as  at  present; 
and  D.  B.  Silsby  &  Co.  dry  goods  merchants,  were  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Square.  Ball  &  Whitney,  formerly  Ball  & 
Alden,  dealers  in  furs,  hats  and  caps,  succeeded  Henry  Pond 
&  Co.  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Cheshire  House; 
Reuel  Nims  still  kept  his  store  in  the  Nims  building  (for- 
merly Cooke's) ;  and  G.  W.  &  G.  E.  Holbrook  were  grocers 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  541 

and  grain  dealers  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  where 
Gurnsey's  block  now  stands.  Davis  &  Wright  had  suc- 
ceeded O.  H.  Gillett  in  stoves  and  tin  ware  near  the  depot, 
where  the  Sentinel  building  now  stands,  and  Gillett  had 
opened  another  store  of  the  same  kind  on  West  street. 

The  druggists  and  apothecaries  were  O.  G.  Dort  &  Co., 
afterwards  Dort  &  Chandler,  and  Chatincey  Hills.  Harris 
&  Wetherbee  had  done  a  thriving  business  in  that  line 
some  years  before.  Allen  &  Wadsworth  (Samuel)  were  the 
principal  jewelers.  In  the  millinery  business  were  E.  R. 
Gilmore,  Hatch  &  Johnson,  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  White,  all  on 
Central  square,  Mrs.  L.  A.  Alexander  on  Winter  street,  and 
Miss  Marietta  N.  Taft,  who  had  succeeded  Mrs.  Caswell 
in  the  south  half  of  the  Nims  building.  Miss  Taft  carried 
on  a  successful  business  there  for  thirteen  years.  Chester 
Allen,  S.  C.  Dustin,  and  French  &  Sawyer  (Daniel  H.) 
were  still  taking  photographs;  and  Joseph  and  Ephraim 
Foster  still  made  parlor  organs  and  melodeons.  M.  T, 
Tottingham  was  in  the  furniture  business ;  J.  &  F.  French 
continued  the  manufacture  of  sleighs  and  carriages  on 
Church  street;  Breed  &  Holton  were  in  the  same  business 
on  Mechanic  street,  and  Edwards  &  Harlow  on  the  north 
corner  of  Mechanic  and  Washington  streets;  and  Wright 
&  Wilkinson  made  harnesses,  trunks,  etc.  The  machinists 
were  John  Humphrey  &  Co.  at  Beaver  mills,  and  Sanborn 
&  Hubbard  on  Elm  street.  The  civil  engineer  for  the  town 
and  county  w^as  George  W.  Sturtevant;  and  the  plumbers 
—  the  first  in  town  —  were  George  Goodhue  &  Co.,  soon 
succeeded  by  James  Donnelly  and  others.  The  principal 
carpenters  and  builders  were  H.  P.  Muchmore,  Daniel  Buss, 
John  Proctor,  O.  S.  Gleason,  and  A.  R.  &  E.  S.  Foster. 

The  principal  blacksmiths  were  W.  H.  Brooks,  Spencer 
&  Sons,  and  Waldo  &  Jones  on  Church  street,  T.  C.  Ellis 
on  Mechanic  street,  and  F.  B.  Benton.  The  principal  boot 
and  shoe  dealers  and  manufacturers  were  the  Ashuelot 
Boot  &  Shoe  Company,  on  the  corner  of  River  and  Lev- 
erett  streets,  George  Kingsbury,  George  P.  Drown,  David 
Hutchins,  C.  Cummings  &  Son,  and  W.  O.  Wilson.  The 
Keene  Chair  Company,  S.  D.  Osborne  and  others,  were  at 
South  Keene;   S.  W.  Hale,  A.  B.  Hey  wood  and  others  were 


542  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

running  the  Ashuelot  Steam  mills  on  Ralston  street; 
and  Crossfield  &  Scott  were  making  sash,  doors  and 
blinds  in  the  steam  mills  on  Mechanic  street. 

The  fire  department  consisted  of  a  chief  engineer  —  Vir- 
gil A.  Wright  —  and  six  assistants;  two  engine  companies, 
the  Deluge  and  the  Neptune,  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  men 
each;  the  Washington  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  of 
twenty  men;  and  the  Phoenix  Hose  Company  of  sixteen 
men.  The  engines  still  in  use  were  the  old-fashioned  tubs, 
with  hand  brakes,  and  the  hydrants  of  the  aqueduct  water 
were  the  chief  dependence  in  case  of  fire  in  the  village ;  but 
the  question  of  procuring  steam  fire  engines  had  begun  to 
be  agitated. 

The  Cheshire  House  was  kept  by  Morgan  J.  Sherman, 
who  was  its  landlord  for  many  years ;  the  Eagle  Hotel  by 
Wright  &  Mason  (John  A.  Wright  and  Andrew  R.  Mason) ; 
and  the  Emerald,  with  the  name  changed  to  American 
House,  by  Greeley  &  Wellington,  soon  succeeded  by  J.  W. 
Starkey. 

The  lawyers  in  practice  were  Wheeler  &  Faulkner, 
Farnum  F.  Lane,  Don  H.  Woodward,  C.  C.  Webster, 
Silas  Hardy,  Daniel  K.  Healy,  Hiram  Blake,  Leonard  Wel- 
lington and  C.  F.  Webster;  the  physicians  and  surgeons 
were  George  B.  Twitchell,  Thomas  B.  Kittredge,  A.  S. 
Carpenter,  Ira  F.  Prouty,  Gardner  C.  Hill  and  Mrs.  Hill, 
Henry  H.  Darling,  J.  Homer  Darling,  and  Francis  Brick ; 
and  the  dentists  were  F.  S.  Stratton  and  M.  E.  Loveland, 
over  the  Ashuelot  bank,  Russell  &  Mellen  and  George  H. 
Russell. 

In  the  management  of  the  Sentinel,  T.  C.  Rand  &  Co. 
had  been  succeeded  by  George  Ticknor  &  Co.,  and  they 
by  Olin  L.  French  &  Co.  and  later  by  the  Sentinel  Printing 
Company;  and  in  the  Republican,  Horatio  Kimball  had 
been  succeeded  by  Julius  N.  Morse. 

The  population  of  the  town  at  this  time  was  a  little 
over  6,000;  the  total  valuation  for  taxation  was  $4,081,- 
088.00;  the  number  of  ratable  polls  was  1,879;  state  tax, 
$18,354.00;  county  tax,  $8,228.31;  school  tax,  $10,- 
706.50;  tax  for  highways  and  bridges,  $8,000.00;  tax 
for    town    paupers,    $2,200.00;    tax    for    fire    department, 


William  P.  Wheelkk. 


TOWN  AFFAIRS.  543 

$1,500.00;  tax  for  lighting  street  lamps,  $1,400.00;  total 
tax  assessment,  $52,925.45, 

The  fifteen  highest  individual  taxpayers  were  Charles 
S.  Faulkner,  John  Henry  Elliot,  Morgan  J.  Sherman,  Ho- 
ratio Colony,  George  D.  Colony,  Timothy  Colony,  Edward 
Joslin,  Samuel  A.  Gerould,  Charles  Lamson,  Noah  R.  Cooke 
(estate),  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Henry  Colony,  George  W. 
Ball,  Lucian  B.  Page,  and  William  O.  White. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1874,  held  on  the  10th  of 
March,  the  town  voted  to  adopt  the  city  charter  —  783  to 
589.  The  article  to  choose  selectmen  w^as  passed  over,  the 
board  of  1873  holding  over  until  the  organization  of  the 
city  government.  Articles  relating  to  highways,  the  public 
library,  sewerage  and  other  matters  were  passed  over  or 
referred  to  the  incoming  city  government.  In  compliance 
with  the  provisions  of  the  charter  the  selectmen  prepared 
check  lists  and  called  meetings  in  the  several  wards,  and 
on  the  14th  of  April  city  and  ward  officers  were  elected, 
the  selectmen  receiving,  counting  and  declaring  the  votes. 
On  the  5th  of  May  the  officers  then  chosen  organized  as  a 
city  government,  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
presented  them  with  the  original  charter  of  the  town  of 
Keene  from  the  state  of  New  Hampshire  and  surrendered 
the  municipal  affairs  of  the  tow^n  into  their  hands ;  and 
the  town  of  Keene,  as  a  corporate  body,  ceased  to  exist. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS. 

In  the  previous  chapters  the  events  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  First  Congregational,  Baptist,  Unitarian 
and  St.  James'  Episcopal  church  have  been  noted  from 
time  to  time.  The  other  principal  churches  previous  to 
1874  were  the  Methodist,  Roman  Catholic  and  Second 
Congregational.  The  first  of  these,  in  the  order  of  estab- 
lishment, was  the  Methodist,  the  second  was  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  the  third  was  the  Second  Congregational. 
Short  histories  of  these  churches,  of  the  two  principal 
secret  societies  and  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
are  given  in  this  chapter,  with  some  facts  of  interest  re- 
garding the  geography  of  the  town. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Keene  w^as  organ- 
ized in  December,  1835,  with  thirty  members.  They  wor- 
shipped in  various  halls,  sometimes  in  the  town  hall.  In 
1852  they  bought  their  present  lot  on  Court  street  of 
Abijah  Wilder  for  $450,  and  the  next  year  built  a  meeting- 
house, and  the  church  and  society  prospered.  In  1867 
that  edifice  was  sold  and  removed  to  Vernon  street,  where 
it  still  stands,  and  for  some  months  they  worshipped  in 
the  town  hall.  In  1868-9  their  present  brick  church  was 
built,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  and  was  dedicated  Nov.  23, 
1869. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

In  1857,  Rev.  Father  John  Brady,  resident  pastor  at 
Claremont,  having  jurisdiction  over  southwestern  New 
Hampshire,  bought  a  building  on  Marlboro  street  and 
consecrated  it  to  church  uses,  officiating  there  once  a 
month ;  and  early  in  1862  he  transferred  his  residence 
from  Claremont  to  Keene.  He  was  succeeded  in  April  of 
that  year  by  Rev.  James   Parache,  who  died  the  following 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS.  545 

year  and  was  succeeded  in  1864  by  Rev.  Bernard  O'Hara, 
who  died  within  two  years,  and  Rev.  William  Herbert  was 
installed  in  January,  1866.  He  built  an  addition  to  the 
church  edifice,  containing  a  vestry  and  living  rooms,  and 
took  up  his  residence  there.  He  was  succeeded  in  June, 
1869,  by  Rev.  Daniel  W.  Murphy,  who  enlarged  and  im- 
proved the  church  buildings,  adding  an  organ  and  a  fur- 
nace. His  parish  included  the  towns  of  Marlboro,  Troy, 
Fitzwilliam,  Swanzey  and  Gilsum,  numbering  about  2,500 
souls,  and  he  remained  until  March,  1876. 

After  several  short  pastorates,  Rev.  John  R.  Power 
was  installed  in  December,  1882,  and  the  following  year 
he  bought  land  for  a  parochial  school,  and  completed  the 
school  buildings  in  1885.  In  1886,  he  bought  the  R. 
Stewart  place  on  Main  street  —  removing  the  house  to  the 
rear  and  occupying  it  as  a  rectory  —  and  in  1890  to  1892, 
built  the  present  St.  Bernard's  church.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1895  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  Denis  A.  Ryan. 

SECOND    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH, 

In  1867,  in  consequence  of  a  disagreement  between  the 
First  Congregational  church  and  the  society  connected 
with  it,  and  because  the  congregation  had  become  too 
large  to  be  accommodated  in  one  house  of  worship,  forty- 
two  male  and  eighty  female  members  of  that  church  with- 
drew, and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  organized  the  Second 
Orthodox  Congregational  church  in  Keene.  Rev.  J.  A. 
Leach  was  called  to  be  its  pastor,  and  in  1868-9  the  meet- 
inghouse on  Court  street  was  built,  and  was  dedicated, 
Sept.  16,  1869.  The  church  prospered  and  Mr.  Leach 
remained  in  charge  of  it  for  seventeen  years,  for  fifteen  of 
which  he  was  its  settled  pastor. 

FREEMASONS— 1784-1874. 

In  1784,  before  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Hampshire 
was  organized,  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts  granted 
a  charter,  signed  by  John  Warren,  most  worshipful  grand 
master,  Paul  Revere,  deputy  grand  master,  and  other 
prominent  Masons,  to  Asa  Dunbar,  Alexander  Ralston, 
Luther    Eames,    Jonas    Prescott    and    Benjamin    Ellis,   of 


546  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Keene,  and  others  in  this  part  of  the  state  —  among  them 
Daniel  Jones,  the  distinguished  lawyer  of  Winchester  —  all 
Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  establishing  Rising 
Sun  Lodge  No.  4,  at  Keene.  Asa  Dunbar  was  its  first 
master,  and  its  meetings  were  held  for  some  years  in  the 
hall  of  the  Ralston  tavern.  In  1792,  Rising  Sun  Lodge 
obtained  a  charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  had  been  organized  in  1789,  and  the  charter 
from  Massachusetts  was  returned. 

In  1797,  Rising  Sun  Lodge  built  on  land  on  the  east 
side  of  Main  street,  in  Federal  Row,  on  the  north  corner 
of  Main  and  Dunbar  streets  —  bought  for  the  purpose  by 
William  Todd  and  Jehosliaphat  Grout  of  Alexander  Ralston 
—  a  two-story  wooden  building,  called  "Masons'  Hall." 
(That  building  was  afterwards  removed  to  Court  street, 
by  Dr.  Joseph  Wheeler,  and  is  now  the  residence  of  his 
grandson,  Mr.  George  H.  Tilden.)  The  Masons'  hall  was 
on  the  second  floor,  doubtless  with  stores  or  shops  below. 
Among  the  masters  who  succeeded  Asa  Dunbar  were  Wil- 
liam Todd,  1789  to  1799,  and  Dr.  Ziba  Hall,  1799  to 
1805,  both  of  Keene.i  Early  in  1805,  Capt.  William 
Wyman  built  the  three-story  brick  store,  now  the  south 
end  of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  and  the  Masons  dedicated  the 
upper  story  of  that  building  as  a  Masonic  hall.  That 
dedication  may  have  been  later  and  by  some  other  body 
of  Masons  (the  chapter  was  organized  in  1816,  and  Social 
Friends  Lodge  in  1825),  as  in  September,  1805,  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  New  Hampshire,  in  special  session  at  the  lodge 
room  in  Keene,  "arrested"  the  charter  of  Rising  Sun 
Lodge  on  account  of  the  "  unpardonable  conduct "  of  some 
of  its  members.  The  seal  on  the  charter  was  broken  and 
the  charter  itself  destroyed ;  but  the  properties  of  the  lodge 
were  turned  over  to  Elijah  Dunbar,  Esq.,  for  Masonic 
purposes.  June  24,  1809,  Jerusalem  Lodge  of  Westmore- 
land and  Charit3^  Lodge  of  Fitzwilliam  came  to  Keene  and 
celebrated  the  festival  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  inviting  all 

iThe  most  distingitished  Mason  in  Rising  Sun  Lodge  was  Thomas  Smith 
Webb,  of  Keene,  a  bookbinder,  who  received  the  master  mason's  degree  in  that 
lodge,  Dec.  27,  1790.  He  was  born  in  Boston  in  1771,  spent  several  years  iti 
Keene,  biit  removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  about  1796-7.  He  published  an  American 
handbook  of  Masonry  and  other  worlis  of  a  similar  character  —  the  first  jjublished 
in  this  country. 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS.  547 

Masons  in  regular  standing  to  join.  They  assembled  at 
"Brother  William  Pierce's  hall"  (tavern,  formerly  Dr. 
Edwards's)  and  marched  to  the  meetinghouse;  and  had  a 
banquet  at  the  hall  afterwards. 

In  1825,  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  and  others  obtained  a 
charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Hampshire  for  a 
lodge  at  Keene,  named  the  Social  Friends  Lodge  No.  42. 
Its  meetings  were  held  in  Prentiss's  block  (now  Whit- 
combs')  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square.  James  Wilson, 
Jr.,  was  its  first  master,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Jesse 
Corbett  and  Benjamin  F.  Adams  of  Keene  and  Col.  Cyrus 
Frost  of  Marlboro.  In  1829,  '30  and  '31,  Col.  Wilson 
was  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Hampshire. 
In  1827,  great  excitement  was  caused  throughout  the 
country  by  the  murder  of  one  Morgan  in  western  New^ 
York,  alleged  to  have  been  committed  by  the  Masons.  In 
consequence  of  the  bitter  feeling  thus  aroused  against 
Freemasonry  —  which  extended  so  far  as  to  affect  political 
parties  throughout  the  United  States  —  the  lodge  at  Keene 
subsided  in  1829-30;  and  about  that  time  the  records  of 
the  lodge  were  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1856,  Dr.  Algernon 
Sidney  Carpenter  and  others  applied  for  a  charter  for  a 
lodge  in  Keene,  but  it  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  a 
lodge  was  already  in  existence  here.  About  that  time 
John  Prentiss  found  among  his  old  papers  the  charter  of 
1825,  which  had  been  saved  from  the  fire  of  1830,  and  the 
lodge  was  reestablished.  Dr.  Carpenter  was  its  first 
master  after  the  reorganization,  and  the  meetings  were 
held  in  Odd  Fellows'  hall.  Ball's  block,  until  1860,  when 
rooms  were  prepared  in  Elliot's  building  (St.  Johns'  block), 
and  the  meetings  of  all  the  Masonic  bodies  have  ever  since 
been  held  in  that  building,  their  quarters  being  enlarged 
and  improved  as  the  needs  of  the  order  required.  The 
masters  of  Social  Friends  Lodge  succeeding  Dr.  Carpenter 
down  to  1874  were  Barrett  Riplej^,  Royal  H.  Porter, 
Theodore  J.  French,  Don  H.  Woodward,  Edward  Gustine, 
Solon  S.  Wilkinson,  Solon  A.  Carter,  Horatio  Colony, 
Charles  S.  Coburn,  Leonard  J.  Tuttle  and  Obed  M.  Holton. 

In  1869  a  second  lodge  was  organized  in  Keene,  called 
the  Lodge  of  the  Temple.    Dr.   A.  S.   Carpenter  was  also 


548  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

the  first  master  of  this  lodge,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Thomas  E.  Hatch,  Edward  Gustine,  Edward  E.  Lyman 
and  Francis  Brick. 

In  1816  a  chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  was  organ- 
ized in  Keene,  and  work  was  begun  under  a  dispensation. 
In  1819  a  charter  was  granted  by  Thomas  Smith  Webb, 
deputy  general  grand  high  priest,  to  John  Prentiss  and 
others.  Broughton  White  was  the  first  high  priest,  and  he 
was  followed  by  John  Prentiss,  Daniel  Bradford,  James 
Wilson,  Jr.,  and  in  later  years  by  John  Henry  Elliot,  and 
by  many  of  those  who  had  been  masters  of  the  lodges. 
Among  other  distinguished  names  which  appear  on  its  rolls 
and  on  those  of  the  earlier  lodges  are  those  of  Rev. 
Clement  Sumner,  Major  Josiah  Willard,  Capt.  Jeremiah 
Stiles,  Hon.  Peleg  Sprague,  Samuel  West,  Esq.,  Rev.  Laban 
Ainsworth,  Samuel  Cooke,  Ithamar  Chase,  John  H.  Steele 
and  Marshall  P.  Wilder.  From  1835  to  1843  the  chapter 
failed  to  make  returns  to  the  grand  chapter,  and  its 
charter  was  declared  forfeited  June  14,  1843.  Gen.  James 
Wilson,  then  surveyor  general  of  Iowa,  took  the  parapher- 
nalia with  him  and  organized  a  chapter  in  that  territory. 
The  records  previous  to  1830  were  destroyed  in  the  fire  of 
that  year.     The  charter  was  restored  in  1859. 

A  council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters  was  formed  at 
Keene,  July  9,  1823  —  the  first  in  the  state  —  with  James 
Wilson,  Jr.,  thrice  illustrious  master.  After  some  years  of 
activity  it  became  dormant,  but  was  revived  in  1872, 
with  John  Henry  Elliot  thrice  illustrious  master,  and 
named  St.  John's  Council  No.  4. 

In  1863,  a  party  of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  among  whom 
were  Don  H.  Woodward,  Barrett  Riple}^  Elisha  F.  Lane, 
William  S.  Briggs,  John  Henry  Elliot  and  Edward  Farrar 
of  Keene,  went  to  Hartford,  Vt.,  and  received  the  Templar 
degrees;  and  in  1866,  Hugh  de  Payens  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar  was  organized  at  Keene.  Dr.  Thomas  E. 
Hatch  was  its  first  commander,  and  he  was  succeeded  for 
nine  years  by  Gen.  S.  G.  Griffin.  All  the  above  Masonic 
bodies,  and  some  others  that  have  been  added,  are  now  in 
a  prosperous  condition. 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS.  549 

ODD  FELLOWSHIP  IN  KEENE. 

Beaver  Brook  Lodge,  No.  36,  I.  O.  O,  F.,  was  insti- 
tuted at  the  town  hall  in  Keene,  on  March  17,  1851.  The 
ceremonies  of  institution  were  performed  by  the  following 
named  Odd  Fellows :  Most  Worthy  Grand  Master  Stevens 
of  New  Ipswich,  grand  master ;  Grand  Master  Tuxbury  of 
Windsor,  Vt.,  deputy  grand  master;  Past  Grand  E.  A. 
Knight  of  Skitchawaug  Lodge  of  Springfield,  Vt.,  grand 
warden ;  Past  Grand  Prescott  Robinson  of  Fidelity  Lodge 
No.  16,  of  Andover,  Mass.,  grand  secretary;  Past  Grand 
I.  O.  Morgan  of  Social  Lodge  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  grand 
treasurer;  Brother  Cyrus  Nevvhall  of  Mt.  Pisgah  Lodge  of 
Hinsdale,  grand  chaplain ;  Past  Grand  J.  Mclntyre  of 
Windsor  Lodge  of  Windsor,  Vt.,  grand  marshal;  and  Past 
Grand  Parmalee  of  the  same  lodge,  grand  conductor. 

The  petitioners  for  the  organization  of  a  lodge  in  Keene, 
and  their  guests  having  assembled  in  the  town  hall,  the 
former  were  duly  examined  hj  three  wardens  appointed 
for  that  purpose.  The  dispensation  w^as  then  read  by  the 
grand  secretary,  and  the  grand  master  "  declared  the  name 
of  the  lodge  to  be  Beaver  Brook,  and  the  number  to  be 
thirty -six,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
New  Hampshire;"  and  the  deputy  grand  master  then 
declared  the  lodge  instituted  in  due  and  regular  form.  At 
this  time  ten  candidates  were  initiated  into  the  mysteries 
of  the  order.  Their  names  were  William  S.  Briggs,  George 
W.  Perry,  Norman  Kellogg,  David  N.  Wright,  Jason 
French,  Timothy  Colony,  William  L.  Davis,  Henry  Pond, 
Samuel  S.  Stedman  and  Horatio  A.  Tuthill.  The  list  of  char- 
ter members  comprised  the  names  of  six  Odd  Fellows  who 
received  the  degrees  of  the  order  elsewhere.  They  were 
William  G.  Hunter,  Eli  G.  Hunter,  Ephraim  Whitcomb, 
Mark  Wells,  George  H.  Burrows  and  Levi  L.  Bates. 

After  the  initiation  the  lodge  was  fully  organized  for 
the  work  of  the  order  by  the  choice  of  the  following  named 
officers :  William  G.  Hunter,  noble  grand ;  Eli  G.  Hunter, 
vice  grand ;  Ephraim  Whitcomb,  secretary ;  Mark  Wells, 
permanent  secretary;  George  H.  Burrows,  treasurer;  and 
by  the  appointment  of  the  following:  William  S.  Briggs, 
conductor;    Jason     French,    outside    guardian;     Horatio 


550  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Tuthill,  inside  guardian;  Timothy  Colony,  right  supporter 
noble  grand;  Henry  Pond,  left  supporter  noble  grand; 
William  L.  Davis,  right  supporter  vice  grand;  David  N. 
Wright,  left  supporter  vice  grand.  The  first  candidates 
proposed  for  membership  in  the  new  lodge  were  John  S. 
Thayer  of  Swanzey  and  Joseph  W.  Briggs  of  Keene,  who 
were  admitted  to  membership  on  April  11,  1851. 

Meetings  were  held  in  the  Sons  of  Temperance  hall, 
Hall's  block,  now  the  addition  to  the  Cheshire  House  block 
on  the  south.  About  July  14,  1852,  the  lodge  moved  into 
a  new  hall  fitted  up  for  its  use  by  Henry  Pond  in  his  brick 
block  at  the  head  of  Central  square,  which  is  now  known 
as  the  Grand  Army  hall  in  Ball's  block.  The  rooms  were 
several  times  remodeled  and  enlarged.  The  brotherhood 
dedicated  its  new  quarters  on  the  occasion  of  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  25th  anniversary  of  the  institution  of  the  lodge, 
which  took  place  on  March  16,  1876.  This  hall  was 
occupied  till  1883,  when  the  lodge  w^as  removed  to  the 
hall  built  for  the  order,  in  the  addition  to  the  Cheshire 
House,  on  Roxbury  street,  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year. 
New  quarters  were  again  built  for  the  lodge  in  the  E.  F. 
L.  building  on  Main  street,  into  which  the  brethren  moved. 
These  spacious  and  convenient  rooms  they  now  occupy. 
They  were  dedicated  to  the  uses  of  Odd  Fellowship  with 
pleasing  ceremonies  on  Jan.  31,  1895. 

Other  organizations  have  been  instituted  and  fostered 
by  the  Odd  Fellows  and  their  families.  The  degree  of  Re- 
bekah  was  conferred  upon  seventeen  brothers,  on  March 
19,  1852.  The  first  woman  to  receive  the  degree  of  Re- 
bekah  was  the  wife  of  Col.  Nelson  Converse  of  Marlboro, 
on  June  23,  1852.  Friendship  Rebekah  Degree  Lodge  No. 
6  was  instituted  on  June  21,  1871,  by  Grand  Master 
James  B.  Smart,  with  nineteen  brothers  and  twelve  sisters 
as  charter  members.  After  severe  struggles  for  life,  and 
after  much  self  sacrifice  and  hard  labor  on  the  part  of  some 
of  the  members,  the  Rebekah  lodge  has  a  membership  of 
more  than  400. 

Monadnock  Encampment  No.  10  was  instituted  on 
July  2,  1868.  This  body  has  a  membership  of  about 
sixty. 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS.  551 

The  advent  of  the  Degree  of  Patriarchs  Militant,,  in 
1885,  gave  birth  to  a  canton  of  that  name  in  Keene,  the 
members  of  which  procured  uniforms,  and  appeared  from 
time  to  time,  and  assisted  in  pulilic  affairs. 

Beaver  Brook  Lodge  has  disbursed  for  benefits  the  sum 
of  $13,879.77,  and  for  burial  expenses,  relief  of  widows 
and  for  charitable  purposes  the  sum  of  $9,655.91.  Six 
hundred  and  seventy-one  Odd  Fellows  have  been  received 
as  members  of  the  lodge. 

After  nearly  losing  its  organization  by  lack  of  interest 
during  and  immediately  following  the  Civil  war,  and  at 
times  nearing  a  state  of  dormancj^  the  body  is  now  flour- 
ishing and  performing  praiseworthy  acts  of  benevolence, 
with  a  membership  of  about  340. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

Post  No.  4,  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of  New  Hampshire, 
was  organized  in  Keene,  Feb.  3,  1868.  It  afterwards 
adopted  the  name  of  John  Sedgwick  Post  No.  4,  After  the 
first  few  meetings  it  occupied  the  armory  of  the  Keene 
Light  Infantry  in  the  old  Methodist  church  on  Vernon 
street.  John  W.  Babbitt  was  its  first  commander,  and  he 
was  succeeded  by  Solon  A,  Carter,  D.  K.  Healey,  C.  F. 
Webster  and  S.  G.  Griffin.  For  four  years  the  post  was 
prosperous,  but  the  interest  subsided  and  its  meetings 
ceased  in  the  autumn  of  1872. 

In  1880,  under  a  new  system  of  organization  and 
ritual,  the  post  was  revived  and  has  since  been  a  flourish- 
ing and  effective  body,  its  complete  roll  of  membership 
numbering  upwards  of  three  hundred. 

STREAMS. 

The  Ashuelot  river  rises  among  the  hills  of  Washing- 
ton, Marlow,  Stoddard  and  Gilsum,  flows  through  Gilsum, 
Surr3%  Keene,  Swanzey,  Winchester  and  Hinsdale  and  emp- 
ties into  the  Connecticut.  Its  North  branch  (sometimes 
called  the  Roxbury  branch,  or  "the  branch")  rises  in  south- 
western Stoddard,  Nelson  and  Sullivan,  flows  through 
East  Sullivan  and  along  the  eastern  base  of  Beech  hill,  at 
the  south  end  of  which  it  receives  a  smaller  stream  from 
Dublin    and     Marlboro,   and    from    that    junction    to    the 


552  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Ashuelot,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  Swanzey  line.  Below 
the  junction  it  is  called  the  East  branch.  It  furnishes  the 
water  power  at  South  Keene,  and  just  below  the  railroad 
arch  a  part  of  the  water  is  taken  out  and  conveyed  into 
the  South  branch,  providing  the  water  power  for  Swanzey 
Factory  and  the  electric  plant  at  the  outlet  of  Wilson's 
pond,  in  Swanzey.  The  South  branch  rises  in  Troy  and 
Richmond,  flows  northwest  from  Troy  village,  turns 
toward  the  southwest  through  East  Swanzey  and  thence 
north,  passing  east  of  Swanzey  Centre,  and  empties  into 
the  Ashuelot  about  a  mile  south  of  the  Keene  line. 

Mill  creek  is  the  outlet  of  water  from  the  mills  on 
West  street  to  the  river  below;  and  Bullard's  island  is 
formed  by  the  creek  and  the  river. 

Roaring  brook  is  the  outlet  of  Woodward's  pond  in 
Roxbury,  conveys  the  water  about  tw^o  miles  to  a  small 
reservoir,  whence  it  is  brought  in  pipes  over  Beech  hill  and 
furnishes  the  greater  part  of  the  aqueduct  water  for  Keene. 

Ferry  brook  rises  in  Sullivan,  runs  across  the  north- 
east corner  of  Keene  and  empties  into  North  branch. 

Beaver  brook,  in  early  records  sometimes  called  Mill 
brook,  rises  in  Gilsum,  comes  dow^n  on  the  west  side  of 
Beech  hill,  furnished  the  power  for  the  first  mills  in  the 
township  in  1736,  flows  through  the  meadows  east  of  the 
Square,  and  joins  the  East  branch  near  the  Ashuelot  river. 

Fisher  brook  is  the  small  stream  that  takes  its  rise  in 
the  hills  and  swamp  north  of  Elm  street  and  flows  across 
Court  street  one  and  one-fourth  miles  north  of  Central 
square.  The  outlet  of  Goose  pond  is  called  Goose  Pond 
brook. 

Sturtevant  brook  rises  in  Gilsum  and  the  northern 
part  of  Keene,  flows  south  and  west,  passing  through 
"Glen  Ellen,"  and  empties  into  the  Ashuelot  nearly  a  mile 
south  of  Surry  line. 

Black  brook  rises  in  Surry  and  the  northwestern  part 
of  Keene,  and  empties  into  the  small  mill  pond  at  old 
West  Keene. 

White  brook  has  two  principal  branches ;  one  comes 
down  the  valley  west  of  the  old  Westmoreland  road,  the 
other  along  the  Chesterfield  road,  uniting  just  below  the 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS  AND  EVENTS.  553 

railroad  arch.  Above  the  road  that  leads  south  over  West 
mountain  was  the  saw  mill  of  Ebenezer  Robbins,  after- 
wards owned  by  Adin  Holbrook  and  lastly  by  Joel  Kings- 
bury, which  was  run  by  an  undershot  wheel  —  the  mere 
force  of  the  current,  with  considerable  fall.  Below  that 
mill  the  water  is  conveyed  by  a  canal  —  engineered  by 
Elisha  Briggs  in  1775  —  and  joins  Black  brook  in  the  small 
mill  pond. 

Ash  Swamp  brook  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  Black 
and  White  brooks  at  the  mill  pond,  flows  through  the 
meadows  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  and  empties  into 
the  Ashuelot  near  Swanzey  line. 

New  Rum  brook  rises  at  the  south  end  of  West  moun- 
tain, runs  into  Swanzey,  curves  to  the  east  and  north, 
crosses  under  West  mountain  road  near  its  junction  with 
the  Winchester  road,  and  flows  into  Ash  Swamp  brook. 

HILLS    AND    ALTITUDES. 

Following  are  the  altitudes  of  hills  and  certain  other 
points  above  the  sea  level  taken  from  the  United  States 
geological  survey  of  1895 : 

The  altitude  of  Main  street,  Keene,  at  railroad  cross- 
ing is  481  feet. 

Beech  hill  ("Beach"  hill,  previous  to  1811,  sometimes 
called  East  Beach  hill)  has  an  altitude  at  the  highest  point 
at  its  south  end  of  1,069  feet;  at  its  north  end  of  1,060 
feet. 

West  mountain  —  original  name,  "West  Beach  hill;" 
afterwards  "Daniels'  hill,"  from  its  first  settlers;  and  re- 
cently "West  hill"  — has  an  altitude  of  1,366  feet. 

Grimes's  hill,  northwest  of  West  mountain,  has  an  alti- 
tude of  1,140  feet. 

Stearns's  hill,  one  mile  northeast  of  Grimes's  hill,  has 
an  altitude  of  1,310  feet. 

Gray's  hill,  two  miles  north  of  Stearns's,  and  overlook- 
ing the  railroad  at  the  "Summit,"  has  an  altitude  of  1,385 
feet. 

These  three  last  mentioned  hills  were  named  from  fam- 
ilies who  owned  or  lived  near  them  for  several  generations. 
Aaron  Gray  and  Aaron  Gray,  Jr.,  were  in  the  militia  com- 
panies here  in  1773,  the  latter  with  two  sons,  William  and 


554  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Joseph,  l3oth  of  whom  were  in  the  Revolutionary  army, 
and  Joseph  died  in  the  service  in  1776.  Hugh  Gray,  an- 
other Revolutionary  soldier,  was  probably  of  this  family. 

Bartholomew  Grimes  was  here  in  1776,  and  his 
descendants  still  live  on  the  homestead ;  and  the  Stearnses 
have  lived  on  their  homestead  for  many  years. 

The  rise  in  the  highway  —  formerly  longer  and  steeper 
than  now  —  from  the  meadow  to  the  site  of  the  first  meet- 
inghouse, where  E.  F.  Lane  now  lives,  was  called  Meeting- 
house hill ;  and  a  similar  rise  in  Washington  street,  east 
of  the  present  jail,  was  called  Potash  hill,  from  a  potash 
building  which  stood  on  its  west  side. 


Biograpnical   Sketches 

OF  PROMINENT  PERSONS  WHO  WERE  RESIDENTS  OF  THE  TOWN 

OF  KEENE,  OR,  LIVING  ELSEWHERE.  WERE  IN  SOME 

WAY    IDENTIFIED    WITH    THE    TOWN. 


DANIEL    ADAMS. 

Dr.  Daniel  Adams  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Mass,  in  1766; 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Gowen,  of  Weston,  Mass. ;  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1788;  in  the  same  year 
married  Mrs.  Sarah,  widow  of  Gen.  John  Apdaile,  of  the 
British  army,  from  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  daughter  of  Benj. 
Goldthwaitei  of  Boston,  and  soon  afterwards  came  to 
Keene.  Their  journey  was  made  on  horseback,  and  the 
sidesaddle  and  whip  used  by  Mrs.  Adams  are  still  pre- 
served by  the  family.  At  first  they  lived  in  the  Dunbar, 
or  "plastered"  house,  on  Main  street.  He  afterwards 
owned  and  occupied  —  doubtless  built  —  the  colonial  house 
now  No.  324  Main  street,  and  died  there  in  1830.  Mrs. 
Adams  died  in  1848.  They  had  but  one  child,  Charles 
Goldthwaite  Adams. 

Dr.  Adams  w^as  a  druggist  and  apothecary  as  well  as 
physician,  and  prepared  his  own  medicines.  He  took  high 
rank  in  his  profession,  in  which  he  was  exceedingly  apt  and 
skilful,  and  for  about  forty  years  was  a  leading  man  in 
the  town  and  county.  Most  of  his  earlier  visits  were  made 
on  horseback,  and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  use  a  wheeled 
vehicle.  He  was  the  third  United  States  postmaster  in 
Keene,  receiving  his  appointment  in  1799.  In  1805,  and 
for  several  years  afterwards,  he  published  the  Medical  and 
Agricultural  Register. 

1  Another  daughter  of  Mr.  Goldthwaite  married  Major  George  Ingersoll  (see 
IngersoU  sketch),  and  still  another,  as  his  second  wife,  married  Uea.  James 
l^anman,  who  kept  the  Mount  Pleasant  House  on  Marlboro  street,  now  the 
Daniel  R.  Cole  residence. 


556  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

His  father  was  Capt.  Joseph  Adams,  of  Lincoln — in  his 
younger  days  a  cornet  in  the  British  army,  and  his  com- 
mission from  King  George  II,  dated  in  1759,  is  still  pre- 
served by  his  descendants.  Capt.  Daniel  Adams  (a  near 
relative  of  Capt.  Joseph),  and  Ephraim  Jones  —  at  whose 
inn  the  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  Upper  Ashuelot 
was  held,  June  27,  1734— both  of  Concord,  Mass.,  in  1737, 
by  order  of  the  provincial  authorities,  cut  a  road  from 
Townshend,  Mass.,  to  the  Ashuelot  river,  later  known  as 
the  "old  military  road,"  which  can  still  be  traced,  and  for 
which  the  "Great  and  General  Court"  of  Massachusetts 
neglected  to  pay  them  —  doubtless  because  the  line  estab- 
lished by  the  king  in  1740  between  the  two  provinces  left 
nearly  all  that  road  in  New  Hampshire. 

CHARLES  GOLDTHWAITE  ADAMS. 

Dr.  Charles  Goldthwaite  Adams,  only  child  of  Dr. 
Daniel,  was  born  in  the  "Dunbar  house,"  Keene,  in  1793; 
attended  Chesterfield  academy;  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1810  —  the  youngest  in  his  class,  yet  ranking  high;  — 
studied  law  at  Litchfield,  Ct.,  and  with  Samuel  Prescott, 
Esq.,  of  Keene;  but,  desiring  a  more  active  life  studied 
medicine  at  Harvard  Medical  school,  took  his  degree  and 
w^as  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  that  school. 
He  was  offered  professorships  at  Dartmouth  and  other  med- 
ical schools,  but  came  to  Keene  and  devoted  himself  to 
regular  practice,  in  which  he  was  highly  successful. 

In  1821  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  King,  of  Boston, 
sister  of  Mrs.  Salma  Hale.i  They  had  thirteen  children, 
four  of  whom  are  still  living  in  town.  Their  first  residence 
was  in  the  house  of  his  father,  but  the  young  doctor  soon 
built  the  house  now^  owned  and  occupied  by  his  daughter 
and  her  husband,  Mr.  Lemuel  Hayward,  and  died  there  in 
1856.  Mrs.  Adams  survived  until  1885,  reaching  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  Another  daughter,  Mrs.  R.  S.  Perkins, 
has  for  many  years  ow^ned  and  occupied  the  old  Wyman 
tavern,  about  which  clusters  so  much  of  historic  interest. 

1  The  girls  were  orphans,  sent  from  Boston  to  Miss  Fiske's  school  in  Keene, 
at  the  ages  of  thirteen  and  nearly  fifteen,  respectively.  Both  were  remarkably 
lovely  and  brilliant  -women,  and  they  lived  side  by  side  in  Keene  for  forty-five 
years.  Several  others  of  the  bright,  attractive  girls  of  Miss  Fiske's  school  found 
husbands  in  Keene. 


CiiAKLES  G.  Adams. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  557 

Dr.  Adams  was  not  only  remarkably  successful  in  his 
profession  —  "kind,  skilful,  honored  and  trusted"  —  but  he 
was  a  man  of  liberal  views,  charming  manners  and  uni- 
form courtesy;  and  his  home  was  a  model  of  simple,  gen- 
uine, refined  hospitality.  His  name  w^as  connected  with 
that  of  Governor  Dinsmoor  the  younger,  as  being  as  pol- 
ished gentlemen  as  could  be  found  in  any  city. 

DANIEL  ADAMS. 

Daniel  Adams,  M.  D.,  author  of  arithmetics  and  other 
text-books,  was  born  in  Townshend,  Mass.,  in  1773; 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1797;  taught  school  in  the 
old  schoolhouse  on  Main  street,  Keene,  and  boarded  with 
Dr.  Daniel  Adams  (of  w^hom  he  was  no  relation) ;  studied 
medicine;  settled  in  Leominster,  Mass. ;  published  Scholars' 
Arithmetic  and  other  school  books ;  removed  to  Boston, 
1806,  and  taught  a  private  school ;  removed  to  Mount  Ver- 
non, N.  H.,  in  1813;  published  Adams's  New  Arithmetic; 
came  to  Keene,  1846;  served  three  terms  as  state  senator; 
died  in  Keene  in  1864,  aged  ninety-one. 

FOSTER  ALEXANDER. 

Foster  Alexander,  lawyer,  son  of  Col.  Reuben  and 
Sarah  (Foster)  Alexander,  of  Winchester,  N.  H.,  v^as  born 
in  Winchester,  in  1775 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1796 ; 
came  to  Keene  the  same  year  and  read  law  with  Noah 
Cooke;  was  attorne^^  and  agent  for  the  town  for  several 
years ;  at  one  time  partner  with  Levi  Chamberlain ;  tow^n 
clerk  and  town  treasurer  of  Keene  in  1820-21-22;  repre- 
sentative in  1822 ;  for  five  years  moderator  of  annual 
town  meetings.  His  office  was  a  small  "ten-footer"  on 
the  site  of  the  south  wing  of  the  present  Cheshire  House. 
He  was  a  very  tall  man ;  never  married ;  returned  to  Win- 
chester about  1828;  practiced  law,  and  died  there  in  1841. 

AARON  APPLETON. 

Aaron  Appleton,  son  of  Dea.  Isaac,  of  New  Ipswich, 
and  brother  of  Samuel  of  Boston  and  Isaac  of  Dublin,  was 
born  in  1768;  married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Dea.  Benj. 
Adams  of  New  Ipswich;  removed  to  Dublin;  successful 
merchant  there;  came  to   Keene,   1814;    engaged  in  glass 


558  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

maniifacturing  and  general  trade  with  John  ElHot  (his 
nephew  by  marriage  and  later  his  brother-in-law)  under 
the  firm  name  of  Appleton  &  Elliot;  married,  second,  1842, 
Keziah,  daughter  of  Nathan  Bixby,  of  Keene;  no  children 
by  either  marriage;  died  June,  1852,  aged  eighty -three. 
He  lived  on  the  site  of  the  present  St.  Bernard's  church. 
His  widow,  Keziah,  bought  the  place  next  north,  where 
the  Widow  Ralston  had  lived,  and  employed  John  H.  Elliot 
to  build  for  her  on  that  lot,  the  present  "Appleton  house," 
on  Main  street.    She  died  in  1870,  aged  seventy -seven. 

JACOB   BACON. 

Rev.  Jacob  Bacon,  son  of  Thomas,  of  Dedham  and 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  was  born  in  Wrentham  in  1706;  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  in  1731;  received  degree  of  A.  M.,  1734; 
came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  in  1737,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the 
proprietors  on  the  26th  of  October  was  chosen  —  as  "the 
worthy  Mr.  Jacob  Bacon"  —  to  draw  the  lots  for  all  the 
proprietors  in  their  second  division  of  meadow  land.  In 
February  following,  he  was  chosen  proprietors'  clerk  and 
treasurer,  and  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1738,  w^as  unani- 
mously chosen  and  settled  as  the  first  minister  of  the  town- 
ship. He  was  ordained  on  the  18th  of  October  over  a 
church  of  nineteen  members,  organized  at  that  time, 
and  remained  its  pastor  —  and  clerk  of  the  proprietors  — 
until  the  inhabitants  were  driven  aw^ay  and  the  place 
burned  by  the  Indians,  in  1747.  He  was  much  respected 
and  beloved. 

In  June,  1749,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  David 
Wood  of  Boxford,  Mass.,  and  the  same  year  he  was  settled 
over  the  Third  church  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and  remained 
there  until  1776.  Seven  children  were  born  in  Plymouth: 
Mary,  Jacob,  Thomas ;  David,  born  1754,  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  settled  in  Templeton,  Mass.,  and  died 
there  in  1849,  aged  ninety-five;  Oliver,  born  1755,  was 
living  in  Rindge  in  1775  —  one  of  the  patriots  to  rally  at 
the  Lexington  alarm,  afterwards  a  lieutenant  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  —  settled  in  Jaffrey  and  died  there;  Samuel, 
born  in  1757,  Revolutionary  patriot,  settled  in  Templeton, 
Mass.,  and  died  there  in  1838;  Charles,  born  in  1759,  died 
an  infant. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  559 

In  1753,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Hon.  Mesech  Weare, 
president  of  the  executive  council  of  New  Hampshire,  re- 
counting the  hardships  and  privations  of  the  settlers  of 
Upper  Ashuelot,  and  pleading  for  their  rights  in  the  trans- 
fer from  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts  to  that  of  New 
Hampshire;  and  claiming  a  just  ownership  in  his  lands 
there,  valued  at  1,000  pounds,  to  which  he  could  show  a 
valid  title  by  legal  deeds  and  bonds. 

He  married,  second,  Mary  Whitney,  who  died  in  Mich- 
igan, in  1815,  aged  eighty-seven. 

After  leaving  Plymouth,  he  preached  eighteen  months 
at  Plympton,  now  Carver,  and  then  retired  to  Rowley, 
Mass.,  where  he  died,  August  14,  1787,  in  the  eighty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

He  has  many  descendants  living  in  Plymouth  and 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  in  various  other  parts  of  the 
country. 

THOMAS    BAKER. 

Thomas  Baker,  son  of  Thomas,  of  Topsfield,  Mass., 
was  born  about  1730 ;  married  Sarah  Hale ;  came  from 
Topsfield  with  wife  and  four  children  in  1760;  built  a 
house  (still  standing)  on  Boston  road  (Baker  street) ; 
established  the  first  tannery  in  town  on  the  meadow  below, 
near  Beaver  brook ;  was  tanner,  farmer,  and  magistrate ; 
did  much  legal  business  and  held  important  ofiices  in  town. 
His  ancestors  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Topsfield 
and  were  prominent  in  civil  and  military  affairs.  He  was 
a  sergeant  in  the  militia  company  here  in  1773.  In  1785 
he  was  appointed  a  special  justice  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  for  Cheshire  county.  Towards  the  close  of  his  life 
Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman  voluntarily  gave  all  his  property 
to  Judge  Baker  for  his  maintenance  through  life ;  and  thus 
Judge  Baker  came  in  possession  of  all  the  Capt.  Dorman 
lands.  He  died  in  1806,  aged  seventy-six,  and  was  buried 
in  the  old  south  yard.  His  widow,  Sarah,  died  in  1807. 
Their  children  were:  Thomas,  born  in  Topsfield  in  1752, 
married  Mrs.  Abbott;  Sally,  born  in  Topsfield  in  1755, 
married  Rev.  Aaron  Hall;  Olive,  born  in  Topsfield  in  1759, 
married  Joshua  Prime  of  Swanzey;  Mary,  born  in  Tops- 
field  in   1761,  married  Benjamin  Ellis;   Hepzibah,   born  in 


560  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Keene  in  1763,  married  Thaddeus  Metcalf  and  lived  on  the 
present  William  Reed  farm ;  Susanna,  born  in  Keene  in 
1766,  married  Daniel  Watson ;  David,  Anna  and  Jonathan. 

2EDEKIAH    S.    BARSTOW. 

Rev.  Zedekiah  Smith  Barstow,  D.  D.  —  fifth  son,  sixth 
child  of  John  and  Susannah  (Smith)  Barstow,  of  Canter- 
bury, Ct.  —  was  born  in  Canterbury  in  1790;  brought  up 
on  a  farm ;  studied  in  the  district  school  and  with  tutors ; 
graduated  with  distinction  at  Yale  college  in  1813 ;  taught 
in  Hopkins'  grammar  school  in  New  Haven  —  the  most 
noted  school  in  Connecticut  —  and  in  Hamilton  college ;  re- 
ceived his  master's  degree  from  Yale,  1816,  from  Hamilton, 
1817;  studied  theology  under  President  Timothy  Dwight; 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  in  Keene,  in  1818  —  ordained 
July  1  —  and  one  month  after  his  ordination  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Fay  Blake,  of  Westboro,  Mass. 

His  father  w^as  a  patriot  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  afterwards  a  magistrate,  and  for  forty  ^^ears  a  deacon 
of  the  church  in  Canterbury.  He  was  a  descendant  of 
John  Barstow  —  the  name  was  Burstow,  originally  —  who 
came  from  Yorkshire,  Eng.,  1630-35,  and  settled  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.  His  mother  was  a  descendant  of  Gov.  Brad- 
ford, of  the  Pilgrims. 

Dr.  Barstow  was  an  earnest  and  powerful  champion 
of  education,  temperance  and  all  good  works,  and  had  a 
benign  influence  over  his  people  and  the  community  for 
more  than  fifty  years  —  "the  wise  and  faithful  friend,  the 
courteous.  Christian  gentleman,  the  learned  and  cultured 
man  of  letters,  the  true  and  upright  citizen."  He  came  to 
Keene  at  the  time  when  the  strife  of  Unitarian  secession 
was  fiercest,  and  it  was  to  the  able,  well-equipped,  resolute 
young  pastor,  more  than  to  any  other  human  agency, 
that  Keene  owed  the  preservation  of  its  original  Congre- 
gational church  and  society.  The  controversy  was  sharp 
and  bitter,  yet  no  animosity  was  left  to  rankle  on  either 
side. 

While  pursuing  his  studies  in  college  and  elsewhere  he 
paid  his  expenses  by  tutoring,  and  among  his  pupils  were 
President  Woolsey  of  Yale,  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Gerrit  Smith, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  561 

Rev.  Dr.  Robinson,  Rev.  Dr.  Barnes,  Bishop  Ives  and  many 
other  distinguished  men.  During  all  his  life  in  Keene,  with 
the  exception  of  the  last  few  years,  he  served  on  school 
committees ;  was  the  projector  and  champion  of  the  Keene 
academy,  opened  in  1837;  and  for  thirty-seven  years  was 
a  trustee  of  Dartmouth  college,  receiving  his  degree  of 
D.  D.  from  that  institution  in  1849.  He  had  the  best 
theological  library  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the 
paucity  of  other  volumes  of  that  kind  and  the  numerous 
calls  of  borrowers  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  organizing 
the  Cheshire  Theological  Institute  for  the  benefit  of  the 
clergy  of  Cheshire  county.  The  institute  was  incorporated 
in  1830,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1,000,  in  shares  of  $5 
each,  which  were  taken  by  the  leading  men  of  Keene  and 
other  towns  in  the  county.  It  had  a  board  of  trustees,  a 
librarian,  and  about  700  volumes  of  the  books  best 
adapted  to  the  purposes  of  the  institute.  It  continued  for 
about  tw^enty  years. 

He  was  the  last  minister  settled  by  the  town ;  and  he 
officiated  until  he  was  eighty  years  old,  and  preached  the 
sermon  at  the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his 
ordination.  During  his  ministry  531  members  were  added 
to  the  church ;  221  were  dismissed  to  other  churches ;  he 
married  379  couples  and  attended  more  than  1,000  funerals. 
When  he  came  to  Keene  the  custom  of  furnishing  liquors 
at  funerals  was  still  in  vogue,  but  he  opposed  it  and  it 
was  soon  given  up. 

Mrs,  Barstow  was  remarkable  for  her  loveliness  of 
person  and  character.  She  was  dignified,  refined  and  capa- 
ble and  efficient  in  all  public  and  private  duties  —  "the 
perfect  pattern  of  a  pastor's  w^ife."  She  was  a  niece  of 
Eli  Whitney,  the  inventor. 

When  Mr.  Barstow  first  came  to  Keene  he  occupied,  as 
his  study,  the  northwest  chamber  of  the  house  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Marlboro  streets,  now  the  residence  of 
Mr.  James  Marsh,  but  immediately  upon  their  marriage 
they  went  to  live  in  the  house  fitted  up  for  them  for  a 
parsonage  —  the  old  Wyman  tavern.  There  all  their  chil- 
dren were  born ;  there  they  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding, Aug.  19,  1868;  and  there  both  died  — Mrs.  Barstow, 


562  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Sept.  15,  1869,  aged  seventy-seven ;  Dr.  Barstow,  March 
1,  1873,  on  the  fifty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  first  appear- 
ance in  the  pulpit  in  Keene,  aged  eighty -two.  His  funeral 
services  were  deeply  impressive.  Their  children  were  Tim- 
othy Dwight,  born  1820,  died  Dec.  22,  1820;  WilHam, 
born  1822,  a  physician  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.;  Elizabeth 
Whitney,  born  1824,  died  1832;  Josiah  Whitney,  born 
1826,  married  Flora  Macdonald  (daughter  of  Dr.  James 
Macdonald,  of  New  York  city),  for  many  years  in  charge 
of  Sanford  Hall,  a  private  sanitarium  at  Flushing,  L.  I., 
now  a  physician  in  New  York  city,  a  man  of  marked 
ability  in  his  profession,  of  polished  manners  and  genial 
disposition. 

SAMUEL    BASSETT. 

Samuel  Bassett  was  born  in  Norton,  Mass.,  1754; 
came  to  Keene  before  he  was  twenty  years  old ;  was  a 
member  of  the  militia  company  here  in  1773 ;  was  one  of 
the  thirty  patriots  who  marched  from  Keene  under  Capt. 
Isaac  Wyman,  April  21,  1775;  was  fifer  of  that  company, 
and  remained  with  it  under  Capt.  Stiles  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  and  afterwards  in  the  regiment  of  Col.  Paul 
Dudley  Sargeant,  (is  designated  as  "freamer"  on  the  Mas- 
sachusetts roll)  and  was  discharged  with  his  company  at 
the  close  of  that  year ;  enlisted  as  private  in  the  company 
of  Capt.  John  Houghton,  of  Keene,  Baldwin's  regiment, 
which  marched  in  September,  1776,  to  reinforce  Washing- 
ton's army  and  was  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains ;  dis- 
charged in  December  of  that  year.  When  marching  to  join 
its  regiment  the  company  halted  at  the  house  of  Samuel 
Belding,  in  Swanzey,  and  pretty  Martha  Belding,  nineteen 
jxars  old,  drew  water  for  the  men  to  drink.  Young  Bas- 
sett w-as  smitten,  and  a  marriage  after  the  campaign  was 
over  was  the  result.  In  May,  1777,  he  joined  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Davis  Howlett,  of  Keene,  Nichols'  regiment, 
which  marched  to  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga  —  was  out  one 
month  and  ten  days.  After  the  Revolutionary  war  he  was 
a  carpenter  and  master  builder,  and  a  captain  in  the  mili- 
tia. He  lived  near  where  Hon.  R.  H.  Porter  now  does, 
but  towards  the  close  of  his  life  removed  to  33  Marlboro 
street. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  563 

In  1818  a  dispute  arose  as  to  who  was  the  real  com- 
mander at  Bunker  Hill,  which  included  a  sharp  controversy 
concerning  the  conduct  of  Gen.  Putnam  in  that  battle. 
Among  other  affidavits  from  those  \vho  were  present  in 
the  battle  was  one  from  Capt.  Bassett,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Sentinel  of  June  27  of  that  year. 

He  died  in  1834,  aged  eighty.  His  widow  survived 
until  1842,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

His  children  were:  Samuel,  William,  Massa,  Patty, 
Polly,  Elias  and  Nathan,  born  between  1778  and  1798. 

NATHAN  BASSETT. 

Nathan  Bassett,  youngest  son  of  Samuel  Bassett,  was 
born  in  1798 ;  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Lockhart  Wil- 
lard;  had  ten  children;  was  captain  of  the  Keene  Light 
Infantry  in  1823-4;  was  a  noted  carpenter  and  builder, 
and  laid  the  foundations  of  our  present  city  hall.  He  lived 
on  Marlboro  street  and  built  the  house  now  No.  47,  His 
son  James  was  drowned  in  Ashuelot  river,  July  4,  1833. 
He  removed  to  Keene,  Ohio. 

JOSEPH   BROWN. 

Joseph  Brown,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hepzibah  Brown,  was 
born  in  Keene  in  1764;  married  1786,  Keziah,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  and  Bathsheba  Day;  built  the  little  old  store 
still  standing  at  West  Keene ;  kept  tavern  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Ingersoll  house,  west  of  the  small  pond ;  was  one 
of  the  most  active  and  enterprising  men  in  town ;  died  Jan. 
3,  1836,  aged  seventy-two ;  and  the  same  evening  his  wife, 
Keziah,  died,  aged  seventy-two.  Tradition  sa3'S  that  he 
built  the  Mount  Pleasant  House,  now  D.  R.  Cole's,  on 
Marlboro  street. 

NATHAN   BLAKE. 

Nathan  Blake,  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Guild)  Blake, 
was  born  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  March  13,  1712;  one  of 
the  first  three  settlers  who  attempted  to  spend  the  winter 
of  1736-7  at  Upper  Ashuelot ;  built  the  first  log  house  in 
town,  in  1736,  on  the  lot  at  the  north  corner  of  what  are 
now  Main  and  Winchester  streets,  where  his  descendants 
of  the  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  generations  still  reside;   one 


564  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

of  the  original  members  of  the  church  at  its  formation  in 
1738;  one  of  the  thirty-nine  who  were  granted  ten  acres 
of  upland  in  1740  for  having  lived  two  years  or  more  in 
the  township  and  built  a  house;  married,  in  1742,  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Abraham  Graves,  of  Lower  Ashuelot, 
formerly  of  Wrentham;  captured  by  the  Indians  in  1746 
(see  text  of  this  history  of  that  date) ;  returned  with  other 
settlers  in  1749  (he  and  seventeen  others  signed  two  peti- 
tions dated  at  Upper  Ashuelot,  Feb.  11,  1750),  and  built 
one  of  the  first  houses  erected  at  that  time,  on  the  site  of 
his  log  cabin,  which  had  been  burned  by  the  Indians.  Its 
frame  was  of  heavy,  hard  wood  timber,  and  its  partitions 
were  of  yellow^,  or  pitch  pine  planks  two  to  three  inches 
thick,  set  on  end  —  evidently  a  sort  of  blockhouse  for  pro- 
tection against  Indians.  That  house  was  moved  a  few 
rods  down  Winchester  street  to  give  place  to  the  present 
brick  house,  built  in  1833,  and  stood  there  until  about 
1870.  His  name  is  on  the  alarm  list  of  1773,  and  he 
signed  the  Association  Test  in  1776. 

After  his  return  from  captivity  in  1748,  he  joined  Capt. 
Hobbs's  company  (or  Capt.  Marston's)  to  fight  the  In- 
dians.    (State  Papers,  vol.  18,  page  416.) 

At  the  age  of  ninety-four  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  Brin- 
ton,  "a  fascinating  widow  of  sixty-four."  Two  of  his 
brothers  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety,  and  one  sister  to  that 
of  ninety -nine. 

He  lived  on  his  farm  until  1811,  when  he  died  at  the 
age  of  ninety-nine  years  and  five  months.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, died  in  1804,  aged  eighty-three.  Their  children  were: 
Esther,  born  1742,  married  Isaac  Billings,  of  Keene;  Eliza- 
beth, born  1744;  Asahel,  born  1749,  married  Sarah  Blake; 
Nathan,  Abel  and  Abner,  who  died  young. 

He  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  in  1736  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  Obadiah,  and  his  sister  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Fisher.    His  brother  Elijah  came  later. 

OBADIAH    BLAKE. 

Dr.  Obadiah  Blake,  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Guild) 
Blake,  was  born  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  1719;  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  in  1737  or  1738,  and  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  565 

of  those  \vrho  were  granted  ten  acres  of  upland  in  1740  for 
having  lived  two  years  or  more  in  the  township  and  built 
a  house;  married,  in  1749,  Zipporah  Harris;  married  later 
a  second  wife,  Lydia;  lived  in  the  west  part,  where  the 
stone  farmhouse  now  stands,  and  where  his  descendants 
still  reside;  had  seven  children,  all  by  his  first  wife,  three 
of  whom  were:  Obadiah,  the  third  child,  born  1753,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  who  succeeded  his  father  as  a  physi- 
cian;  Royal,  born  1756,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  had 
ten  children,  and  died  1827;  Elijah,  born  1763. 

He  w^as  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  church  at 
its  formation  in  1738,  was  one  of  its  first  deacons,  chosen 
in  1763,  and  held  that  position  until  his  death  —  forty -seven 
years.  In  1750 — Feb.  20  —  he  had  not  yet  returned  to  this 
township,  but,  with  his  brother  Elijah  (see  below)  signed 
a  petition  at  Wrentham  for  the  incorporation  of  Keene 
(State  Papers,  vol.  12,  page  309)  and  was  one  of  the 
grantees  in  1753.  His  name  is  on  the  alarm  list  of  Keene 
in  1773,  but  he  must  have  been  absent  in  April,  1776,  as 
he  did  not  sign  the  Association  Test. 

He  was  the  second  physician  in  town,  Jeremiah  Hall 
having  been  the  first  (see  sketch  of  Dr.  Hall),  and  his  prac- 
tice covered  a  large  territory,  extending  as  far  as  Hard- 
wick  and  Royalston,  'Mass.,  Westminster,  Vt.,  and  Croy- 
don, N.  H.  His  journeys,  on  horseback,  by  trails  or 
marked  trees,  -were  long,  and  his  fees  were  small,  and  were 
usually  taken  in  products  of  the  farm.  He  had  a  jocose 
way  of  keeping  his  accounts,  sometimes  closing  them  with 
the  entries:  "Cancelled  in  full  by  poverty;"  "Ran  away;" 
"  Settled  by  death ;"  "  Left  with  Noah  Cooke  (the  lawyer) ;" 
and,  at  long  intervals,  "Paid  in  cash  to  me."  He  be- 
queathed his  saddlebags,  vials  and  lancet  to  his  son,  Oba- 
diah, Jr.  He  died  in  1810,  a'ged  ninety-two,  and  was 
buried  in  the  west  yard,  on  Bradford  street, 

NATHAN    BLAKE,   JR. 

Capt.  Nathan  Blake,  Jr.,  son  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth 
(Graves)  Blake,  was  born  in  Keene,  1752 ;  married  Bath- 
sheba,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Day  (the  story  of  her  ride  to 
the  fort  when  a  baby  is  told  in  the  sketch  of  her  father) ; 


566  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

member  of  the  military  company  in  1773 ;  signed  the  As- 
sociation Test,  1776 ;  in  Capt.  Davis  Hewlett's  company 
for  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga,  June  29  to  July  11,  1777. 
For  some  years  he  and  his  brother  Abel  owned  and  oper- 
ated the  mills  on  Ashuelot  river,  and  his  house  near  the  mills 
—  where  Josiah  Colony  afterwards  lived  —  was  seriously 
damaged  by  fire  in  1789.  He  had  eight  children,  among 
them  Nathan,  born  1784;  and  Elijah,  born  1791.  He  re- 
moved to  Vermont,  and  died  in  1813. 

ABEL  BLAKE. 

Capt.  Abel  Blake,  son  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth  (Graves) 
Blake,  was  born  in  Keene,  1759;  married  Sally  Richard- 
son of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  (Family  records.  The  town  records 
of  births  give  the  name  Sarah  Eveleth) ;  married,  second, 
1805,  Mrs.  Jemima  Hart  of  Chesterfield  ;  had  five  children, 
all  by  his  first  wife  —  Reuel  and  Abel  being  the  only  sons 
that  lived  to  manhood.  He  lived  on  the  homestead,  and 
built,  in  1806,  the  wood  house  north  of  the  brick  one  and 
lived  in  it  twenty-seven  years,  then  sold  it  and  built  the 
brick  house  in  1833  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days 
there.  He  was  an  active  and  earnest  member  of  the 
church,  and  a  zealous  worker  in  the  temperance  cause.  He 
died  in  1839,  aged  eighty. 

ABEL  BLAKE,  JR. 

Abel  Blake,  Jr.,  son  of  Capt.  Abel  and  Sally  (Richard- 
son) Blake,  was  born  in  1795;  educated  at  the  academies 
at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  and  Groton,  Mass.,  and  taught 
school  for  several  years.  Both  he  and  his  elder  brother 
Reuel  were  remarkably  gifted  in  penmanship  and  spent 
many  years  in  teaching  that  art.  In  1835  he  married 
Hannah  T.  Monroe;  lived  on  the  homestead;  had  one  son, 
Milton;  died  1894,  aged  ninety-nine  years,  three  months 
and  nineteen  days. 

JOHN    G.    BOND. 

John  G.  Bond's  name  first  appears  in  Keene  in  1800. 
He  was  partner  with  Amasa  Allen  (Allen  &  Bond)  in  the 
first  store,  so  far  as  is  known,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Square;  succeeded  Dr.  Daniel  Adams  as  postmaster,  1802- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  567 

1808;  one  of  the  first  directors  of  Cheshire  bank,  1804; 
married,  1802,  Sally,  daughter  of  Hon.  Daniel  Newcomb; 
built  the  house  afterwards  purchased  by  Miss  Catherine 
Fiske  and  used  for  her  school,  now  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
E.  C.  Thayer;  removed  to  Niles,  Mich.,  and  became  a  judge. 

WILLIAM    M.    BOND. 

William  M.  Bond's  name  first  appears  in  1802.  He 
was  probably  a  brother  of  John  G.  Bond ;  married,  in 
1802,  Nancy,  daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston  ;  partner  with 
Alexander  Ralston,  Jr.,  in  "the  Red  store  one  door  north 
of  Wells'  (the  Ralston)  tavern,"  where  he  continued  for 
several  years;  captain  of  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry  in  1807, 
and  afterwards  colonel  of  the  Twentieth  regiment  of 
militia. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bond  lived  together  until  1823  and 
brought  up  "  a  large  and  respectable  family  of  children" 
(nine),  when  they  separated,  and  a  divorce  was  obtained 
in  another  state.  Their  daughter,  Jane,  married  a  Dr. 
Henry  Maxwell,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  Through  that  con- 
nection the  divorced  couple  met,  renewed  their  attachment, 
and  were  remarried  at  Lockport  in  September,  1831.  The 
children,  several  of  whom  had  become  heads  of  families, 
joined  in  the  wedding  festivities. 

ELISHA   BRIGGS. 

Elisha  Briggs,  son  of  William  Briggs  of  Norton  (Taun- 
ton), Mass.,  a  millwright,  came  to  Keene  in  1762-3.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  militia  company  in  Keene  in  1773 ; 
in  1775  he  projected  the  canal  and  built  the  original  dam 
and  mills  where  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills  now  stand,  and 
"about  this  time,  projected  and  surveyed  the  canal,  con- 
ducting the  waters  of  White  Brook  into  Ash  Swamp 
Brook."  (Annals,  page  45.)  He  owned  and  operated  the 
mills  on  Beaver  brook,  where  Giffin's  mills  now  are  (1901) 
and  also  those  on  the  North  branch  near  the  upper  Rox- 
bury  road.  He  married  Mary,  and  had  ten  children,  born 
between  1759  and   1795. 

ELIPHALET  BRIGGS. 

Eliphalet    Briggs,    son   of    William,   of  Norton,   Mass., 


568  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

married  Abigail  Gay;  came  to  Keene  in  1767,  or  earlier; 
a  member  of  the  alarm  list  in  1773 ;  died  1780,  aged  sixty- 
seven.     His  wife  died  in  1781,  aged  sixty-four. 

ELIPHALET  BRIGGS. 

Capt.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  son  of  Eliphalet,  was  born  in 
1734;  married  Mary  Cobb;  came  to  Keene  in  1769,  or 
earlier;  was  the  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  in  the  alarm  list  in 
1773,  and  was  an  ex-captain  of  militia  at  that  time;  was 
selectman  in  1773  and  1776 ;  was  delegate  to  the  conven- 
tion at  Walpole  in  1776;  died  of  small  pox  in  1776,  aged 
forty-two.    His  wife,  Mary,  died  in  1806,  aged  sixty-nine. 

ELIPHALET  BRIGGS. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  son  of  Capt.  Eliphalet  and  Mary 
(Cobb)  Briggs;  was  born  in  1765;  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles ;  was  a  carpenter,  joiner 
and  cabinet-maker;  built  many  of  the  first  framed  houses 
in  Keene,  by  "the  scratch  and  scribe  rule,"  framing  by  the 
square  rule  not  then  having  come  into  use;  died  in  1827, 
aged  sixty-two.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  in  1819,  aged 
forty-nine.  He  had  ten  children,  born  1788-1809,  four  of 
them  daughters,  and  the  six  sons  all  learned  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade  and  became  skilled  workmen. 

ELIPHALET    BRIGGS. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  son  of  Eliphalet  and  Elizabeth  (Stiles) 
Briggs,  was  born  in  1788 ;  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  John 
Brown  of  Packersfield  (owner  of  Brown's,  now  Wood- 
ward's pond  in  Roxbury) ;  carpenter  and  joiner,  cabinet 
and  chair  maker  —  first,  in  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Briggs  on 
Prison  street  and  in  the  mills  and  turning  works  on  Beaver 
brook,  and  on  the  North  branch,  afterwards  alone  and 
then  with  his  son,  William  S.  Briggs ;  lived  on  Prison  street, 
where  Dr.  A.  R.  Gleason  now  does  (1902),  but  in  the  small 
house  now  standing  next  east  of  Dr.  Gleason's ;  then  built 
and  occupied  the  house  opposite.  No.  64;  was  the  master 
mechanic  that  moved,  repaired  and  finished  the  meeting- 
house in  1828  and  built  the  Cheshire  House  in  1837;  was 
selectman  in  1820-30;  town  clerk,  1823-30 ;  representative, 
1831.      He  was   a    dignified,  courteous  gentleman,  highly 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  569 

respected,  and  always  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
town ;  a  fine  natural  musician,  and  for  more  than  thirty 
years  led,  with  voice  and  violin,  the  large  mixed  choir — 
sometimes  consisting  of  seventy -five  persons  —  of  the  First 
Congregational  church;  died  1853,  aged  sixty-five.  His 
wife,  Lucy,  died  in  1845,  aged  fifty-seven.  Their  children 
were  Lucius  H.,  Ellen  S.,  Juliette,  William  S.,  Elizabeth  S., 
Mary  L.,  Joseph  W.,  Sarah  W.,  born  between  1811  and 
1829. 

WILLIAM  S.    BRIGGS. 

William  S.  Briggs,  son  of  Eliphalet  and  Lucy  (Brown) 
Briggs,  was  born  in  Keene,  1817;  married  Nancy  Ann, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  Adams,  the  author  of  the  arithme- 
tics; was  for  several  years  in  the  furniture  business  with 
his  father  and  afterwards  alone;  was  selectman  in  1854; 
representative,  1861-2  ;  director  in  Cheshire  National  bank. 
He  recorded  many  details  of  the  history  of  the  town  in 
articles  published  in  the  local  papers ;  lived  in  Keene  until 
nearly  eighty  years  old;  died  in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  in  1901. 

JOSEPH   BUFFUM. 

Joseph  Buffum,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sally  (Haskell)  Buf- 
fum,  was  born  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  in  1784;  graduated 
at  Dartmouth  in  1807 ;  read  law  with  Noah  Cooke ;  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  Keene  in  1812 ;  postmaster  in  1813- 
18  ;  elected  to  congress,  1819,  and  served  one  term ;  declined 
reelection  on  account  of  the  corruption  and  venality  in 
politics ;  retired  to  his  farm  in  Westmoreland ;  never  mar- 
ried; died  at  Westmoreland  in  1874. 

ALBE   CADY. 

Albe  Cady.  His  name  first  appears  in  Keene  records  in 
1806  as  cashier  of  the  Cheshire  bank,  and  he  held  that 
position  until  1814.  He  married,  in  1806,  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  John  Warner  (sister  of  Mrs.  Azel  Wilder)  and 
had  five  children.  He  owned  and  lived  in  what  was  then 
considered  the  finest  house  in  town,  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  common,  where  Clarke's  block  now  stands. 
He  was  town  clerk  of  Keene  for  five  years,  selectman  four 
years    and    representative    three    years.      In   1814  he  was 


570  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

appointed  secretary  of  state,  removed  to  Concord,  and  was 
reappointed  in  1815.  In  1816  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  that  built  the  present  state  house  at  Concord. 
He  was  for  many  years  senior  warden  and  a  very  active 
member  of  St.  Paul's  (Episcopal)  church  in  Concord,  and 
died  in  that  town  July  6,  1843,  aged  seventj'-three. 

ALBEMARLE    CADY. 

Gen.  Albemarle  Cady,  son  of  Albe  and  Sarah  (Warner) 
Cady,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1809 ;  appointed  from  New 
Hampshire  to  the  West  Point  military  academ3^ ;  graduated 
in  1829,  and  joined  the  Sixth  U.  S.  Infantry.  (His  military 
record  is  given  in  "Miscellaneous  Organizations"  of  the 
Civil  war).  After  serving  on  frontier  and  garrison  duty 
until  1838,  and  being  promoted  to  captain,  he  served  for 
several  years  in  the  war  with  the  Indians  in  Florida.  In 
the  war  with  Mexico  he  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Vera 
Cruz  and  in  the  battles  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Churubusco  and 
Molino  del  Rey,  at  the  latter  of  which  he  was  wounded 
and  won  distinction  for  gallantry,  for  which  he  was  after- 
wards promoted.  For  many  years  after  that  war  he  served 
in  the  Indian  w^ars  in  the  West  and  was  promoted  to  major 
in  1857.  In  the  early  part  of  the  Civil  war  he  served  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel  and 
colonel,  and  remained  there  until  1864,  when  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  a  draft  rendezvous  at  New  Haven,  Ct.  In 
May  of  that  year  he  was  retired  for  disability  resulting 
from  wounds,  w^ith  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier  general  in 
the  regular  army,  granted  for  long  and  faithful  service. 
He  died  at  New  Haven,  Ct.,  in  1888. 

EZRA  CARPENTER. 

Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter  was  born  at  Rehoboth,  (Attle- 
boro),  Mass.,  in  1698;  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1720; 
married  in  1823,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Greenwood,  of  Rehoboth;  preached  at  Hull,  Mass.,  from 
1723  to  1746;  settled  in  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  in  August,  1753, 
and  was  ordained  over  the  united  churches  of  Keene  and 
Swanzey,  Oct.  4,  1753.  His  salary  was  £100  per  annum 
—  £50  from  each  town.  That  union  continued  for  seven 
years,  and  he  remained  pastor  of  the  church  in  Swanzey 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  571 

until  1769,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. i 
He  was  given  his  choice  of  the  two  places  for  residence, 2 
and  he  chose  Swanzey.  In  1757  he  w^as  appointed  a  chap- 
lain in  the  Crown  Point  expedition.  He  was  a  man  of 
easy,  graceful  manners,  kind  and  gentle  in  disposition,  "a 
pious  and  faithful  shepherd  and  given  to  hospitality."  He 
died  in  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1785,  and  a  square,  slate  stone 
with  an  inscription  marks  his  grave.  Mrs.  Carpenter  died 
in  1766,  and  her  gravestone  may  be  seen  in  the  cemetery 
at  Swanzey.  They  had  at  least  five  children — possibly 
more  —  one  son,  who  died  young,  and  four  daughters,  one 
of  whom  married  Dr.  Taylor  of  Charlestown,  N,  H.,  and 
was  the  grandmother  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  and  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Sprague  of  Keene. 

ALGERNON  SIDNEY   CARPENTER. 

Dr.  Algernon  Sidney  Carpenter,  son  of  Dr.  Eber  and 
Judith  (Greene)  Carpenter,  was  born  in  Alstead,  N.  H.,  in 
1814,  and  graduated  at  Middlebury  college.  After  prac- 
ticing for  a  few  years  in  Massachusetts,  he  came  to  Keene 
and  was  a  leading  physician  for  forty-eight  years.  He 
married,  in  1850,  Jane  F.,  daughter  of  Henry  Coolidge, 
Esq.,  of  Keene,  and  they  had  two  daughters.  In  his  pro- 
fession he  was  skilful,  kind,  considerate,  and  successful ;  in 
his  home  and  society  he  was  genial,  courteous,  and  large- 
hearted.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  will  and  positive  nature, 
hating  sham  and  hypocrisy.  His  ancestors  came  from 
Surry,  Eng.  —  where  they  held  high  rank  —  in  1638;  and 
his  grandfather,  James  Carpenter,  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.    Dr.  Carpenter  died  in  1885. 

LEVI  CHAMBERLAIN. 

Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass., 
in   1788   (brother  of  John  C,   a  distinguished  lawyer  and 

1  The  council  that  dismissed  him  had  but  just  left  the  meetinghouse  when  a 
tornado  struck  it  and  turned  it  one-quarter  round,  so  that  it  faced  east  instead 
of  south. 

2  The  first  loje:  meetinghouse  in  S\vanzey,  and  also  the  second  one,  a  framed 
building,  were  built  on  "  Meetinghottse  hill,'  and  the  old  Indian  fort  was  on 
the  same  elevation.  Mr.  Carpenter's  residence  was  on  the  same  hill,  on  the 
same  farm  and  in  the  same  house  now  occupied  by  his  great  grandson,  Mr. 
George  Carpenter;  and  the  same  spring  of  water  that  supplied  the  fort  is  now 
the  source  of  Mr.  Carpenter's  water  supply;  and  the  hollow  pine  log  that  was 
placed  in  the  spring  for  a  curb,  by  the  first  settlers,  in  1734.  still  remains  the 
curb,  and  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 


572  HISTORY  OF  KEEXE. 

advocate  of  Charlestown,  X.  H.) ;  married  in  1835,  Harriet 
A.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Josiah  Goodhue,  of  Hadley,  Alass.; 
spent  two  years  at  Williams  college  but  did  not  graduate ; 
read  law  and  began  practice  in  Keene  in  1814,  in  a  small 
building  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street  below  Sumner's 
tavern ;  was  at  one  time  a  partner  with  Foster  Alexander ; 
was  assistant  clerk  of  the  courts ;  removed  to  Fitzwilliam 
in  1819;  represented  that  town  in  the  legislature,  1821- 
1828;  was  state  senator,  1829-30;  county  solicitor,  1830; 
returned  to  Keene,  1832;  representative  in  1838,  '40,  '44, 
'52  and  '61 ;  for  several  years  president  of  the  Cheshire 
bank;  Whig  candidate,  for  governor  in  1849  and  '50;  one 
of  the  three  commissioners  from  New  Hampshire  to  the 
Peace  congress  at  Washington,  in  1861,  called  in  the 
attempt  to  patch  up  a  peace  between  the  Xorth  and  the 
South.  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  an  able  lawyer,  a  judicious, 
confidential  adviser;  of  agreeable,  dignified  manners;  genial 
and  witty ;  and  manA'  of  his  bright  sayings  were  repeated 
about  town  and  through  the  state. i     He  died  in  1868. 

ITHAMAR    CHASE. 

Ithamar  Chase,  son  of  Dudley  and  Alice  (Corbett) 
Chase,  was  born  in  Cornish.  N.  H.,  in  1763;  married 
Janette.  daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston,  of  Keene;  came 
to  Keene  in  1813-14;  kept  the  old  Ralston  tavern;  was 
member  of  the  state  council  1812-16;  died  in  1817.  The 
burial  service  of  the  Episcopal  church  was  read  for  the 
first  time  in  Keene  at  his  funeral,  and  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion. 

SALMON    p.    CHASE. 

Salmon  P.  Chase,  son  of  Ithamar  and  Janette  (Rals- 
ton) Chase,  was  born  in  Cornish,  Jan.  13,  1808,  the 
eighth  of  eleven  children;  came  to  Keene  with  his  parents 
when  about  ten  years  old.  He  wrote  that  his  first  attend- 
ance at  school  in  Keene  was  "in  a  dark  room  with  a  great 
many  boys  in  it,  on  our  (the  west)  side  of  the  street  be- 
tween my  father's  house  and  the  meetinghouse,"  doubtless 
over  the  old  Cheshire  bank,  where  the  railroad  depot  now 

1  As  a  specimen  of  his  -wnt  it  may  be  related  that  when  looking  for  his  wraps 
as  he_  was  leaving  a  party  one  evening  he  asked,  "Now  what  rascal  has  gone 
off  with  his  good  new  hat  and  left  me   my  poor  old  one?" 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  573 

stands,  as  Miss  C.  Aldrich  taught  there  at  that  time.  He 
and  his  sister,  Ann,  afterwards  attended  the  "family 
school"  which  Rev.  Z.  S.  Barstow  had  opened  at  his  own 
house.  Dr.  Barstow^,  in  his  reminiscences,  says  of  him : 
"Chase  was  a  rather  raw  and  uncouth  lad,  but  very  tal- 
ented, and  an  apt  scholar.  He  w^as  then  ten  years  old, 
and  very  small  for  his  age.  His  sister,  Ann  Chase,  was 
older,  and  a  very  superior  girl.  Both  read  Virgil  and 
Euclid  w^ith  me  and  I  w^as  very  fond  of  them." 

Salmon's  father  had  invested  his  wife's  share  of  the 
Ralston  estate  in  the  glass  business  in  Keene,  and  when 
that  failed,  and  the  father  died,  the  family  was  left  very 
poor,  and  the  mother  with  her  large  family  of  children 
removed  from  the  tavern  to  a  "3'ellow,  story-and-half 
house  (on  the  north  comer  of  Main  and  Marlboro  streets) 
where  the  guideboard  said  'To  Swanzey,  7  m's.,'  and  'To 
Boston,  77  m's.'"  (S.  P.  Chase's  own  w^ords.)  From 
that  house  his  sister  Ann  was  married,  in  1818,  and  his 
brother  Dudley,  went  to  sea  and  never  returned.  For  two 
3'ears  Salmon  was  at  school  with  his  uncle.  Philander 
Chase,  first  bishop  of  Ohio,  and  after  spending  a  A-ear  at  a 
college  in  Cincinnati,  returned  to  Keene  —  walking  from 
Troy,  X.  Y.,  via  Bennington  and  Brattleboro  —  and  con- 
tinued his  studies.  Not  long  after  his  return  (some  accounts 
say  when  he  was  fifteen,  others  when  he  was  seventeen 
years  old,  and  it  ma^'  have  been  during  his  winter  vaca- 
tion in  college)  a  committee  from  Roxbury,  N.  H.,  "en- 
gaged him  to  teach  a  school  at  $8.00  per  month  and 
'board  around.'  There  w^as  a  goodly  number  of  pupils, 
both  boys  and  girls,  of  all  ages,  some  older  than  himself." 
It  w'as  in  the  little  old  schoolhouse  still  standing  at  the 
foot  of  Nye's  hill  on  the  road  from  Keene  to  Roxbury. 
There  was  insubordination  and  punishment,  and  before  the 
end  of  two  weeks  he  was  notified  that  his  services  were 
no  longer  required.  He  then  pursued  his  studies,  partly  at 
Royalton,  Yt.,  entered  Dartmouth  college  as  a  junior  and 
graduated  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

He  went  to  Washington,  D.  C. ;  studied  law  four  years 
under  William  Wirt;  began  practice  in  Cincinnati  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  and  rose  to  the  position  of  governor 


574  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

of  Ohio,  United  States  senator,  secretary  of  the  United 
States  treasury  during  the  Civil  war,  and  chief  justice  of 
the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

JOHN   COLONY. 

John  Colony  (original  name  spelled  as  at  present,  but 
written  Connoly  and  Conley  in  the  early  town  records) 
was  born  in  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  in  1730;  came  to  Wrentham, 
Mass.,  about  the  year  1740;  enlisted  in  the  army  in  the 
last  French  and  Indian  war,  1755-60;  joined  Capt.  Rog- 
ers's famous  corps  of  rangers;  was  in  the  battle  near  Fort 
Edward  when  Major  Israel  Putnam  w^as  captured  and 
tied  to  a  tree  to  be  burned,  but  was  finally  released; 
served  nearly  through  the  whole  war.  For  that  service  he 
received  a  grant  of  land  in  Maine,  w^hich  he  exchanged  for 
a  tract  on  Saxton's  river,  near  the  village  of  Grafton,  Vt. 
In  1761  he  married  Melatiah,  sister  of  Ichabod  Fisher,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Keene,  came  to  Keene  about  the 
same  time  and  bought  the  farm  in  the  west  part  which 
still  remains  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  —  his  great 
granddaughter,  Martha  Colony,  and  her  husband,  William 
H.  Woodward,  now  occupying  the  homestead. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  courage.  At  one 
time  during  the  war  he  was  in  a  fort,  to  which  the  settlers 
had  fled  with  their  families,  besieged  by  the  French  and 
Indians.  The  infant  children  were  in  great  need  of  milk, 
cows  were  grazing  just  beyond  the  enemy's  outposts,  and 
young  Colony  volunteered  to  get  the  milk.  Taking  his 
gun,  his  pail  and  his  trusty  dog,  he  stole  through  the 
enemy's  lines,  reached  the  cows,  filled  his  pail,  and  started 
to  return.  When  nearly  half  way  to  the  fort  his  dog 
barked,  and  turning,  he  confronted  an  Indian,  whom  he 
quickly  shot,  then  picked  up  his  pail  and  ran  for  the  fort. 
The  dog  and  the  gun  had  roused  the  savages  and  they 
followed  in  hot  pursuit,  but  Colony  reached  the  fort  in 
safety,  with  his  pail  of  milk  intact.  At  another  time,  after 
he  came  to  Keene,  he  heard  a  large  bear  foraging  at  night 
in  his  cornfield,  a  little  to  the  southwest  of  his  log  cabin. 
He  took  the  old  musket  that  he  had  carried  through  the 
war  and  went  out  and  shot  him,  and  had  his  skin  for  a 
trophy. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  575 

He  died  in  1797.  His  children  were:  Hannah,  born  in 
1762;  Timothy,  born  in  1764;  Melatiah,  born  in  1766; 
and  Josiah,  born  in  1774. 

TIMOTHY  COLONY. 

Timothy  Colony,  son  of  John  and  Melatiah  (Fisher) 
Colony,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1764;  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Dwiunell  (her  mother,  Mary  Estes 
Dwinnell,  was  a  descendant  of  the  parents  of  Rebecca 
(Towne)  Nurse,  who  was  hanged  as  a  witch  in  1692 ;  see 
sketch  of  Phineas  Nourse) ;  lived  on  the  Colony  homestead  ; 
had  Josiah,  born  1791,  Polly,  born  1793,  John,  born  1795, 
Joshua  D.,  born  1804,  and  three  other  children.  He  died 
in  1836,  aged  seventy-two. 

JOSIAH    COLONY. 

Josiah  Colony,  eldest  son  of  Timothy  and  Sarah  (Dwin- 
nell) Colony,  and  grandson  of  John  Colony  above,  was 
born  in  1791;  brought  up  on  the  farm;  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  by  his  own  efforts  in  extensive  reading 
and  study,  gaining  thereby  unusual  general  intelligence. 
Robust  and  athletic,  and  displaying  a  remarkable  aptitude 
for  mechanics,  he  was  employed  in  early  manhood  in  run- 
ning the  saw  and  grist  mills  w^here  the  Faulkner  &  Colony 
mills  now  stand.  While  thus  employed,  in  1814,  he  enlisted 
in  the  company  of  Capt.  James  M.  Warner,  of  Acworth,  in 
the  regiment  of  Lt.  Col.  John  Steele,  of  Peterboro,  of  the 
detached  militia  sent  to  Portsmouth  in  September  to  de- 
fend that  town  and  harbor  from  an  attack  of  the  British, 
then  threatened.  After  a  service  of  sixty  days,  when  the 
danger  was  passed,  he  was  discharged,  with  his  company. 

In  1815,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Francis  Faulk- 
ner, clothier,  and  with  him  bought  all  the  mills  and  water 
privileges  where  he  had  been  at  work,  except  those  owned 
by  Azel  Wilder,  west  of  the  sawmill,  and  established  and 
carried  on  a  successful  business,  which  their  descendants 
still  continue,  greatly  enlarged. 

In  1817,  Mr.  Colony  married  Hannah,  daughter  of 
Danforth  Taylor,  of  Stoddard.  The  children  by  this  mar- 
riage were  Timothy,   George  D.,   Henry,   Mary  A.,   Alfred 


576  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

T.,  John  E.  and  Horatio,  born  between  1819  and  1835. 
In  1853,  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Jane  (Briggs) 
Buell,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Josiah  D.,  born  in  1855. 
He  died  in  1867,  aged  seventy-six. 

Mr.  Colony  was  a  remarkably  keen  observer, i  shrewd 
and  persistent  in  his  business  affairs,  but  of  the  strictest 
integrity.  He  never  sought  public  office,  but  was  generous 
and  public  spirited  in  everything  that  pertained  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community. 

JOSHUA    D.    COLONY. 

Joshua  D.  Colony,  (named  for  Capt.  Joshua  Durant), 
son  of  Timothy  and  Sarah  (Dwinnell)  Colony,  was  born 
in  1804;  had  a  common  school  education;  when  a  young 
man  was  a  clerk  in  the  Phoenix  Hotel ;  began  business  in 
1828  with  Elbridge  Keyes  (Keyes  &  Colony)  in  the  west 
end  of  Wilders'  building  (now  Ball's  block).  The  firm 
built  a  three-story  brick  store  in  1832,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  postoffice,  and  moved  into  it  in  1833.  That  firm 
dissoh'^ed  in  1844,  and  Mr.  Colony,  with  his  nephew,  Tim- 
othy Colony  (J.  D.  &  T,  Colony)  succeeded  Sumner 
Wheeler  &  Co.,  in  Perry's  block,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Square,  where  Colony's  block  now  stands.  They  after- 
wards took  in  Timothy  Colony's  brother,  Henry  (J.  D. 
Colony  &  Co.),  and  added  to  their  business  the  manufacture 
of  window  glass  at  the  old  works  on  the  site  of  the  present 
jail  —  the  last  of  glass-making  in  Keene.  That  firm  dissolved 
in  1850,  and  Mr.  Colony,  with  Geo.  W.  Tilden  (Tilden  & 
Colony)  took  the  old  Lamson  store,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Square,  then  owned  by  Geo.  H.  Richards.  In  1853, 
Mr.  Colony  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  he  held  that 
office  eight  years,  through  the  administrations  of  Presi- 
dents Pierce  and  Buchanan  —  keeping  the  office  at  his  store. 

In  1855,  the  Cheshire  County  bank  was  organized  (now 
the  Keene  National).     Mr.   Tilden  retired  from  the  firm  to 

1  Many  of  Mr.  Colony's  bright  and  -witty  sayings  'were  repeated,  one  of 
which,  showing  the  clearness  of  his  financial  vision,  is  given  here.  During  the 
Civil  w^ar,  when  paper  money  was  in  great  abundance  and  business  was  exceed- 
ing'y  profitable,  the  firm  invested  largely  in  real  estate.  At  one  time  Mr.  Colony 
bargained  for  a  tract  of  land  in  Ash  Swamp  meadows,  and  asked  his  partner, 
Mr.  Charles  S.  Faulkner  to  go  with  him  to  look  at  it.  Arriving  on  the  land 
Mr.  Faulkner  looked  it  over  and  said:  "Why,  Mr.  Colony,  this  is  very  poor 
land.  It  doesn't  bear  anything  but  checkerberries."  "Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr. 
Colony,  "but  a  bushel  of  checkerberries  will  be  worth  as  much  as  a  bushel  of 
greenbacks  if  this  war  continues." 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  577 

become  its  cashier,  and  his  place  was  taken  by  Mr.  Col- 
ony's son,  Lewis  J.  (J.  D.  &  L.  J.  Colony).  In  1860  the 
firm  sold  out  their  mercantile  business  and  bought  the 
cotton  mill  at  Munsonville.  A  few  3^ears  later  the  Cheshire 
Republican  was  purchased  bj^  J.  D.  Colony  &  Sons,  includ- 
ing Ormond  E.  and  Oscar  L.,  who  had  been  in  the  firm 
since  1860  —  the  father  assuming  the  chief  editorial  work 
and  management  —  and  that  property  still  continues  under 
the  same  firm  name,  in  the  possession  of  the  son,  Oscar 
L.  Colony. 

Mr.  Colony  married,  1831,  Frances  Seamans  Blake, 
daughter  of  Ira  and  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Obadiah  Blake 
of  Keene.  Her  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Seamans, 
one  of  the  active  business  men  of  Keene  in  the  early  days, 
who,  in  partnership  with  Moses  Johnson,  had  potash  and 
pearlash  works  and  a  distillery  on  what  is  now  Castle 
street,  a  tannery  in  rear  of  the  present  Eagle  Hotel,  and, 
with  Ebenezer  Daniels,  a  large  shoe  manufactory  on  Main 
street ;  and  built  and  lived  in  what  is  now  72  School 
street. 

Mr.  Colony  had  three  sons,  named  above,  and  three 
daughters,  Frances  M.,  Sarah  and  Hannah.  He  died  in 
1891. 

NOAH    COOKE. 

Noah  Cooke,  "a  descendant  of  Major  Aaron  Cook, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  1630  and  commenced  the 
settlement  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  afterwards  removed  to 
Connecticut;"  was  born  at  Hadley,  Mass.,  in  1749;  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  in  1769 ;  studied  divinity,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach,  in  1771 ;  joined  the  American  forces  at 
Winter  Hill  in  October,  1775;  "received  his  first  commis- 
sion as  chaplain,  dated  January  1st,  1776,  'embracing  the 
Fifth  regiment  of  foot  commanded  by  Col.  John  Stark,  and 
the  Eighth  regiment  commanded  by  Col.  Enoch  Poor,  in 
the  army  of  the  United  States.'  In  1777  (to  1780)  he  was 
chaplain  to  the  hospital  of  the  Eastern  department.  These 
commissions  entitled  him  to  the  rank  and  pay  of  a  colonel." 
(History  of  New  Ipswich).  He  served  till  Oct.  3,  1780. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  army  he  came  to  Keene;  read  law 
with  Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq. ;   was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 


578  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

January,  1784;  married  Mary  (Polly),  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel Rockwood  of  Winchester,  N,  H.,  in  the  same  month 
and  removed  to  New  Ipswich  the  same  year;  bought  of 
Daniel  Newcomb,  in  1790,  the  "Cooke  place"  on  Pleasant 
street;  came  to  Keene  in  1791,  built  the  "Cooke  house" 
(still  standing,  on  West  street),  and  made  that  his  home- 
stead, and  died  there  in  1829,  aged  eighty.  During  the  last 
years  of  his  life  his  office  was  in  the  northwest  parlor  of 
that  house.  Previous  to  that  it  had  been  on  the  east  side 
of  Main  street,  below  the  Edwards  tavern,  and  later  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Square.  He  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  leading  lawyers,  in  the  county;  for  ten  years  — 1795 
to  1804- — town  clerk  of  Keene;  and  was  an  upright, 
honorable  man,  much  respected  by  the  whole  community. 
His  children  were :  Noah,  born  in  New^  Ipswich,  1785 ; 
died  in  Keene,  1791.  Josiah  Parsons,  born  in  New  Ips- 
wich in  1787;  studied  with  his  father;  married  Mary  Pratt, 
of  Boston ;  went  to  that  city  and  became  an  eminent  and 
very  successful  lawyer.  Polly  (Mary),  born  in  New  Ips- 
wich, 1788;  married  Rev.  Silas  Wilder  of  Keene.  Noah  R., 
born  in  Keene,  1792. 

Mr.  Cooke  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Moore,  of 
Bolton,  Mass. 

HENRY  COOLIDGE. 

Henry  Coolidge  came  from  Massachusetts  when  a 
young  man  and  entered  Abijah  Foster's  store  at  West 
Keene  as  a  clerk ;  married  Calista,  daughter  of  Abiathar 
Pond,  of  Keene;  with  his  brother-in-law  (Pond  &  Cool- 
idge) bought  out  Mr.  Foster  in  1809 ;  was  afterw^ards  the 
popular  —  and  the  last  —  landlord  of  the  old  Ralston 
tavern ;  did  much  business  in  the  town  and  county  as  a 
surveyor  of  land ;  was  for  many  years  clerk  of  the  court 
and  held  that  office  at  the  time  of  his  death ;  did  a  large 
amount  of  legal  business  as  magistrate ;  was  state  senator 
in  1837;  had  six  children,  one  of  whom,  Jane  F.,  married 
Dr.  A.  S.  Carpenter  of  Keene;   died  in  1843,  aged  fifty-six. 

KENDALL  CROSSFIELD. 

Kendall  Crossfield,  son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  Cross- 
field,  was  born  about  1808;   married  Rebecca  Graves,  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  579 

Walpole;  came  from  Peterboro  to  Keene  in  1835;  lived 
first  on  Beech  hill,  then  in  the  house  now  No.  33  Marlboro 
street;  had  nine  children;  married,  second,  Rebecca  Martin 
of  Walpole.  He  was  an  excellent  mechanic,  contractor 
and  builder,  public  spirited  and  active  in  general  affairs, 
and  had  an  unusual  talent  for  music.  His  son,  Wm.  K., 
enlisted  in  the  Sixth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  in  1861, 
rose  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  was  killed  at  Petersburg, 
Va.,  July  30,  1864. 

SAMUEL  AND  EBENEZER   DANIELS. 

Samuel  and  Ebenezer  Daniels  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot, 
from  Wrentham,  Mass.,  previous  to  1740,  and  settled  on 
the  hill  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town ;  and  for  many- 
years  it  was  called  Daniels'  hill,  now  West  mountain. 
They  and  some  of  their  descendants  lived  there  for  more 
than  one  hundred  years  —  until  about  1850. 

CHARLES  BELDING  DANIELS. 

Capt.  Charles  Belding  Daniels,  son  of  Jabez  and  Eleanor 
(Chapman)  Daniels,  was  born  in  Keene,  in  1816;  entered 
West  Point  Military  academy  from  Rutland,  Vt.;  gradu- 
ated in  1836 ;  was  in  the  Florida  war ;  in  the  Second  U.  S. 
artillery  in  the  Mexican  war;  on  staff  duty  in  the  battles 
of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma;  on  staff  of  Gen. 
Worth  at  the  battle  of  Monterey  and  was  mentioned  for 
gallant  services ;  was  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista ;  mortally 
wounded  at  Molina  del  Rey,  and  died  at  the  city  of  Mexico, 
Oct.  26,  1847 ;  a  man  of  high  character  and  genial  man- 
ners, and  a  notably  fine  soldier.  His  remains  were  brought 
to  Keene  and  buried  from  the  First  Congregational  church. 

AARON    DAVIS. 

Aaron  Davis,  son  of  Aaron,  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
(who  lived  with  his  son  here  in  Keene),  was  born  in 
Peacham,  Vt.,  in  1788;  came  to  Keene  when  a  young 
man ;  was  a  blacksmith,  large  and  muscular ;  married  Re- 
becca Nourse,  of  Keene;  partner  with  John  Towns  in  a 
shop  on  Main  street  near  the  present  railroad  station ; 
bought  the  water  privilege  at  South  Keene  in  1824;   built 


580  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

a  shop  with  a  trip-hammer  (first  in  this  vicinity)  and  made 
hoes,  axes  and  other  tools  ;  built  an  iron  foundry  and  made 
ploughs,  and,  later,  took  William  Lamson  in  as  partner  in 
the  manufacture  of  firearms.  Charcoal  was  the  principal 
fuel,  but  anthracite  was  used  for  melting  iron  —  brought  up 
the  Connecticut  river  in  vessels  and  hauled  thence  with 
teams.  Iron  ore  was  hauled  from  Vermont  at  a  cost  of 
$60  per  ton,  delivered.  About  1836,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and  George  Page;  turned 
his  hoe  factory  into  a  machine  shop;  J.  A.  Fay  and  Ed- 
ward Joslin  joined,  and  the  manufacture  of  wood-working 
machinery,  which  has  since  been  so  profitable  and  so  largely 
developed,  was  begun.  Messrs.  Davis,  Page  and  Edwards 
afterwards  sold  out,  and  Fay  and  Joslin,  under  the  firm 
name  of  J.  A.  Fay  &  Co.,  continued  the  business. 

Mr.  Davis  had  nine  children,  born  between  1816  and 
1835.  Francis,  the  fourth,  married  Sophronia  Nourse,  of 
Keene ;   Ellen  Rebecca  married  Francis  E.  Keyes,  of  Keene. 

Mr.  Davis  died  in  1857,  aged  sixty-nine. 

EBENEZER  DAY. 

Ebenezer  Day  was  one  of  the  early  settlers ;  an  original 
member  of  the  church  at  its  formation  in  1738 ;  served  in 
Capt.  Willard's  company  of  soldiers  here  in  1747-8 ;  lived 
on  the  farm  recently  known  as  the  Carpenter  farm,  the 
last  but  one  in  Keene  on  the  old  road  to  Surry,  east  side 
of  the  river,  where  he  and  his  sons  kept  tavern  for  many 
years.  When  the  Indian  war  broke  out  in  1755,  he  and 
his  neighbor,  Peter  Hayward,  who  had  settled  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  north  of  him,  were  "hurriedly  warned  of  an 
attack  by  the  Indians  at  Upper  Ashuelot.  My  father  (Mr. 
Day)  came  in  great  haste  from  his  work,  saddled  his  horse 
and  told  my  mother  to  get  ready  quickly  to  ride  to  the 
fort.  They  started  at  once  —  father  in  the  saddle  (doubt- 
less with  little  Ruth,  four  years  old,  in  his  arms),  mother 
on  the  pillion  behind,  clinging  with  one  hand  to  her  hus- 
band and  with  the  other  grasping  the  meal  sack  into  which 
the  baby  (Bathsheba,  about  one  year  old)  had  been  hastily 
dumped  for  greater  convenience  in  transportation  (carry- 
ing it  dangling  beside  the  horse).    The  fort  was  reached  in 


■   BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  581 

safety,  but,  on  alighting  from  the  horse,  the  sack  was 
opened  and  the  baby  was  found  with  her  head  down- 
wards, having  made  the  journey  of  four  perilous  miles  in 
that  abnormal  position.  No  ill  consequences,  however, 
resulted  from  the  baby's  inversion,"  (Mrs.  Adin  Holbrook 
—  Hannah  Day  — sister  of  the  baby.)  That  baby  lived  to 
marry  Nathan  Blake,  Jr.,  in  1780,  and  to  have  eight  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Day  died  in  1776,  aged  sixty-three,  and  was  the 
first  to  be  buried  in  the  north  burying  ground.  His  wife, 
Bathsheba,  died  in  1798.  Two  of  their  sons,  Ebenezer,  Jr., 
and  Daniel,  were  volunteers  in  the  Revolutionary  army  in 
1777,  and  Daniel  again  volunteered  in  1779  and  in  1780. 
Their  daughter  Hannah  married  Adin  Holbrook  in  1780. 

SAMUEL    DINSMOOR. 

Samuel  Dinsmoor,  (commonly  spoken  of  as  "the  elder 
Governor  Dinsmoor")  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Coch- 
rane) Dinsmoor,  was  born  in  Windham,  N.  H.,  in  1766, 
and  was  the  fourth  son  in  a  family  of  ten  children. 

His  father  was  third  in  descent  from  a  sturdy  Scotch- 
Irish  pioneer  —  one  of  the  band  that  settled  Londonderry 
and  Windham  —  and  was  a  typical  representative  of  that 
noble  race,  inventing  and  constructing  most  of  the  imple- 
ments with  which  he  cleared  and  successfully  cultivated 
his  inheritance  of  1,400  acres  of  primitive  forest.  Notwith- 
standing the  hardships  of  such  a  life,  -with  its  limited  sup- 
ply of  books,,  he  displayed  a  taste  for  literature  and  a  gift 
for  versification  which  was  further  developed  in  his  son, 
Robert,  who  achieved  celebrity  under  the  name  of  the 
"Rustic  Bard." 

Having  a  strong  desire  for  an  education,  young  Dins- 
moor readily  obtained  the  consent  of  his  parents,  studied 
for  a  while  under  Rev.  Simon  Williams  —  walking  eight 
miles  each  day  for  that  purpose  —  and  entered  Dartmouth 
college  in  1785,  his  father  sending  an  ox  team  to  carry  his 
small  outfit.  To  aid  in  paying  his  expenses  he  taught 
school  in  winter,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  faculty, 
opened  a  small  store  for  the  sale  of  goods  bought  in  Bos- 
ton and  hauled  to  Hanover  bv  his  brothers  with  ox  teams. 


582  HISTORY  OF  KEBNB. 

He  graduated  in  1789,  studied  law  with  Hon.  Peleg 
Sprague,  in  Keene,  and  by  Mr.  Sprague's  advice  and  en- 
couragement made  this  town  his  permanent  home. 

He  married,  in  1798,  Mary  Boyd  Reid,  daughter  of 
Gen.  George  and  Mary  (Woodburn)  Reid  of  Londonderry. 
She  was  noted  for  her  lovely  character  and  agreeable 
manners,  and  as  being  the  wife  of  one  governor  of  New 
Hampshire  and  the  mother  of  another.  Her  father  was  a 
distinguished  commander  of  one  of  the  three  Continental 
regiments  of  New  Hampshire  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  Dinsmoors  first  lived  in  a  house  which  stood  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  the  rear  of  the  south  end  of 
Gurnsey's  block.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Sprague  in  1800, 
Mr.  Dinsmoor  bought  the  "Sprague  house,"  on  the  west 
side  of  Main  street,  now  (1902)  Mrs.  Laton  Martin's,  and 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days  there. 

His  first  law  office  was  a  small  building  just  north  of 
his  first  residence,  but  he  afterwards  succeeded  Judge  New- 
comb  in  another  small  building  where  the  railroad  track 
now  lies,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street.  That  building 
was  removed  when  the  railroad  was  built  and  is  now  the 
residence  of  Mr.  George  E.  Poole,  320  Roxbury  street. 

In  1804-5  he  was  active  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
celebrated  Keene  Light  Infantry,  was  chosen  captain,  and 
commanded  it  with  brilliant  success  until  1809,  when  he 
was  promoted  to  major  in  the  Twentieth  regiment  of 
militia;  and  the  same  year  was  appointed  quartermaster 
general  of  the  state,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier  general, 
which  office  he  held  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  until 
1816. 

In  1808  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  succeeded  in 
1811  —  when  he  took  his  seat  in  congress  —  by  his  partner, 
Booz  M.  Atherton.  He  was  reelected  to  congress  in  1812, 
and  his  votes  there  in  support  of  the  administration  and 
in  favor  of  the  w^ar  with  England  so  exasperated  those  of 
the  opposite  party  in  Cheshire  county  that  upon  his  return 
from  Washington,  fearing  for  his  personal  safety,  his 
friends  in  Keene  formed  themselves  into  a  bodyguard  for 
his  protection.  In  1821-2  he  was  a  member  of  the  state 
council;  in  1823  a  candidate  for  governor,  but  there  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  583 

no  choice  by  the  people,  and  Levi  Woodbury  was  elected. 
In  1830  he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  governor, 
and  was  elected  in  1831  and  for  three  consecutive  terms 
—  for  the  second  and  third  terms  almost  without  oppo- 
sition. 

"His  official  career  was  characterized  by  a  spirit  of 
impartial  and  disinterested  thought  for  the  welfare  of  the 
state.  A  conspicuous  instance  of  this  was  his  appointment 
of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Joel  Parker,  a  Whig,  to  a  vacancy 
on  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court."  It  was  he  who  first 
recommended  to  the  legislature  the  establishment  of  a  state 
asylum  for  the  insane. 

He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Ashuelot  bank,  in 
1833,  holding  that  office  until  his  decease;  and  he  filled 
many  responsible  positions  in  town  and  state,  always  with 
ability  and  strict  integrity,  and  was  a  leader  in  all  enter- 
prises for  the  public  good.  He  entertained  much  and  very 
handsomely ;  and  in  his  private  life  his  geniality  and  win- 
ning manners  made  him  loved  and  honored  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

He  died  March  15,  1835,  surviving  his  wife  about 
three  months.  His  children  were  Samuel,  born  in  1799 ; 
Mary  Eliza,  born  in  1801,  married  Robert  Means  of 
Amherst,  N.  H.;  George  Reid,  born  in  1803;  and  William, 
born  in  1805. 

SAMUEL   DINSMOOR. 

Samuel  Dinsmoor,  LL.  D.  —  "the  younger  Governor 
Dinsmoor"  —  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  B.  (Reid)  Dinsmoor, 
was  born  in  1799 ;  entered  Dartmouth  college  at  the  age 
of  eleven  and  graduated  at  fifteen.  While  yet  very  young 
he  was  sent  to  Europe  on  business  for  the  family,  giving 
him  access  to  the  best  society  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  French  language,  then  a  rare  accomplishment.  He 
read  law  with  his  father;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
age  of  19 ;  in  the  next  year,  1819,  was  appointed  secretary 
to  Gen.  James  Miller,  then  governor  of  Arkansas  territory; 
returned  to  Keene  after  three  years ;  practiced  law ;  was 
chosen  cashier  of  the  Ashuelot  bank  and  held  that  position 
until  the  death  of  his  father,  whom  he  succeeded  as  presi- 
dent, and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  he  died,  in  1869. 


584  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

His  polished  manners  and  elegant  handwriting  led  to  his 
election  as  clerk  of  the  state  senate  in  1826,  and  he  held 
that  office  four  terms.  In  1849  he  was  elected  governor  of 
New  Hampshire  and  served  with  great  popularity  through 
three  successive  terms.  His  administration,  like  that  of  his 
father,  was  honorable  and  statesmanlike;  and  he  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  fine  presence,  his  genial  and  courteous 
manners  and  his  cultivated  mind. 

In  1844  he  married  Anne  Eliza,  daughter  of  Hon. 
William  Jarvis,  of  Weathersfield,  Vt.,  by  w^honi  he  had  two 
children,  Samuel  and  William.  Mrs.  Dinsmoor  died  in 
1849.  He  afterwards  married  Mrs.  Catherine,  widow  of 
Hon.  Charles  J.  Fox,  daughter  of  Daniel  Abbott,  Esq.,  of 
Nashua,  a  lady  remarkable  for  elegance  and  dignity  of 
manners  and  high  character.  After  his  first  marriage  he 
lived  in  the  Phineas  Fiske  house,  and  bought  the  place  in 
1849.  After  his  second  marriage  he  moved  that  house 
back  to  the  corner  of  Winchester  and  Madison  streets, 
where  it  still  stands,  and  built  the  present  mansion  on  the 
Fiske  lot,  corner  Main  and  Winchester  streets.  To  enlarge 
his  lot  he  also  bought  the  Widow^  Newcomb  cottage,  next 
south,  and  moved  that  back,  and  it  stands  next  to  the 
Fiske  house,  on  Madison  street. 

WILLIAM    DINSMOOR. 

William  Dinsmoor,  son  of  the  elder  governor,  was  born 
in  1805 ;  attended  the  Norwich  Military  academy,  in  Ver- 
mont, under  the  celebrated  Capt.  Partridge;  was  post- 
master at  Keene  under  President  Jackson  ;  and  was  director 
and  president  of  the  Ashuelot  bank.  He  married,  in  1835, 
Julia  Anne,  daughter  of  Phineas  Fiske,  of  Keene,  who  died 
Jan.  5,  1854,  leaving  three  children,  Mary  B.,  George  R. 
and  Frank  Fiske.  He  lived  in  the  brick  house  built  by  his 
father  next  his  own  on  Main  street,  until  1880,  when  he 
removed  to  the  present  family  residence  on  Washington 
street,  where  he  died  in  1884. 

EPHRAIM   DORMAN. 

Capt.  Ephraim  Dorman,  son  of  Lieut.  Ephraim,  of 
Topsfield,    Mass.,   was    born  in   1710;    married    Hepzibah 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  585 

Peabody,  of  Boxford ;  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  as  early  as 
1738  ;  gave  the  alarm  when  the  Indians  attacked  the  place 
in  1746,  and  had  a  personal  encounter  with  one  of  the 
savages ;  was  lieutenant  in  the  militia  in  the  last  French 
and  Indian  war;  captain  of  the  military  company  in  Keene 
in  1773-5 ;  owned  much  land  in  the  township  and  was  a 
leading  man  in  the  community.  After  his  wife  died,  Jan. 
16,  1781,  he  gave  his  property  to  his  friend,  Thomas 
Baker,  Esq.,  who  came  from  the  same  town,  for  his 
support  and  maintenance,  lived  with  him  in  the  Dorman 
house,  which  is  still  standing  on  the  sand  knoll,  Baker 
street,  died  there  in  1795,  and  w^as  buried  in  the  old  south 
yard.  His  homestead  is  shown  on  the  map  of  1750,  on 
the  east  side  of  Main  street,  just  north  of  the  Boston  road, 
where  Mr.  E.  A.  Fox  now  lives.  He  had  one  son,  Benja- 
min, and  one  daughter,  Mary. 

Wm,  S.  Briggs,  in  his  "mortuary"  on  the  old  burying 
ground  in  Ash  Swamp,  says  that  Isaac  Clark  "married 
Mary  Dorman,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Dorman,  December 
22,  1751."  He  then  goes  on  to  repeat  Mr.  Hale's  story 
in  his  Annals  of  Keene  of  Mrs.  Clark's  race  with  the 
Indian  in  the  massacre  of  1746,  saying  that  the  woman 
was  Mary  Dorman  before  she  married  Mr.  Clark.  But 
her  father,  Ephraim  Dorman,  was  only  thirty -six  years 
old  at  that  time,  and  it  seems  hardly  probable  that  Mr. 
Hale,  who  wrote  seventy-five  years  afterwards,  should 
have  called  so  young  a  girl  as  she  must  have  been  "Mrs. 
Clark,"  even  if  she  afterwards  married  Mr.  Clark.  It  is 
much  more  probable  that  that  race  was  run  by  a  previous 
Mrs.  Clark. 

JOHN    DRAPER. 

"John  Draper  and  his  wife  came  from  Watertown  to 
Keene,  about  this  time,  (1795)  and  established  themselves 
in  West-street. — They  were  once  rich,  and  it  is  related  of 
her  that,  when  the  British  had  possession  of  Boston,  in 
1776,  she  several  times  rode  into  Boston,  in  a  chaise,  and 
brought  back  kegs  of  powder  concealed  under  her  cloak. 
She  was  a  little  startled  when,  on  one  occasion,  her  horse 
being  frightened,  a  British  ofiicer  took  hold  of  the  bridle, 
and  led  him  along  until  he  became  calm.  It  is  also  said 
that  a  portion  of  her  time  was  occupied  in  running  bullets 
for  the  rebels,  which,  until  wanted  for  use,  were  hid  in  the 
hay-mow."     (Annals,  page  79.) 


586  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

John  Draper  lived  and  had  his  shop  as  fancy  butcher, 
baker  and  candle  maker  on  Pleasant  street  (in  the  little 
old  yellow  house  mentioned  in  this  history ;  see  map  of 
1800),  succeeding  Ichabod  Fisher,  the  first  trader  in  Keene. 

Another  version  of  the  story  of  Mary  Draper,  his  wife, 
is,  that  when  the  Revolutionary  w^ar  broke  out  she  was 
living  with  her  family  on  a  large  farm  near  the  Dedham 
line.  When  the  Lexington  alarm  came,  she  started  all  the 
men  on  the  farm  off  to  join  the  patriot  army,  and  heated 
her  two  great  brick  ovens  red  hot.  Then  she  and  her 
daughter  Kate  went  to  baking  bread.  They  set  out  tables 
in  front  of  the  house  and  kept  them  spread  with  bread  and 
cheese  and  buckets  of  cider.  Soon  the  minute  men  began 
to  pass,  and  for  two  days  they  kept  it  up,  and  all  ate, 
drank  and  were  refreshed  with  her  "good  cheer."  Among 
the  last  to  be  served  were  Gen.  Putnam  and  his  soldiers 
from  Connecticut.  When  the  call  for  bullets  came,  she  pro- 
cured bullet  moulds  and  with  her  own  hands  melted  every 
piece  of  pewter  in  the  house  and  ran  it  into  bullets.  Then 
she  took  the  bullets,  with  some  powder,  on  horseback  and 
carried  them  to  the  patriot  army.  She  was  stopped  by  the 
British  guard,  but  answered  questions  so  adroitly  as  to 
escape  detection.  Later,  when  the  "  rebels  "  needed  blankets 
and  clothing,  she  spun  and  wove  all  the  wool  from  her 
ample  flocks  for  their  benefit.  Those  bullet  moulds  and  a 
family  Bible  printed  in  1769  are  still  in  possesion  of  her 
descendants. 

When  the  organization  called  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  was  formed  in  Boston,  they  named 
one  of  their  chapters  "The  Mary  Draper  Chapter"  of  the 
D.  A.  R. 

ASA   DUNBAR. 

Asa  Dunbar,  son  of  Samuel  of  Bridgewater,  Mass., 
was  born  in  1745;  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1767; 
preached  a  short  time  at  Bedford,  Mass.;  settled  in  the 
ministry  at  Salem,  Mass.;  was  a  preacher  of  superior 
ability;  his  health  failed,  and  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own 
request  in  1779;  read  law  with  Joshua  Abbott  of  Amherst; 
settled  as  a  lawyer  in  Keene  in  1783;  excelled  as  an 
advocate;  married  Mary,  sister  of  Daniel  Jones,  the  noted 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  587 

lawyer  of  Hinsdale;  was  a  prominent  Mason,  master  of 
Rising  Sun  Lodge;  died  while  town  clerk,  June  22,  1787, 
highlj^  esteemed;  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors.  His 
children  were ;  Polly,  born  in  Salem,  1773 ;  William,  born 
in  Weston,  1776;  Charles,  born  in  Harvard,  1780;  Sophia, 
born  in  Harvard,  1781;  Louisa,  born  in  Keene,  1785; 
Cynthia,  born  in  Keene,  1787,  married  Thoreau,  and  was 
the  mother  of  Henry  D.  Thoreau,  the  celebrated  writer  of 
Concord,  Mass. 

ELIJAH  DUNBAR. 

Elijah  Dunbar,  son  of  Samuel  of  Bridgewater  (who 
was  the  elder  half-brother  of  Asa  above),  was  born  in 
Bridgewater  in  1759 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1782 ; 
took  deacon's  orders  in  the  Episcopal  church ;  came  to 
Keene  soon  after  graduating,  and,  with  Ithamar  Chase, 
held  the  first  Episcopal  service  in  town ;  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Alexander  Ralston ;  read  law  with  his  uncle 
Asa,  and  was  a  leading  lawyer  in  the  county  for  many 
years ;  at  one  time  partner  with  Samuel  Prescott,  at  an- 
other with  Joel  Parker ;  first  cashier  of  the  Cheshire  bank  ; 
built  the  present  residence  of  W.  H.  Elliot,  but  never  lived 
in  it,  and  sold  to  Nathan  Bixby  and  John  Elliot ;  lived  in 
the  "plastered  house,"  formerly  the  Bullard  Coffee  House, 
where  Isaac  N.  Spencer  now  lives,  and  had  a  large  garden 
extending  down  to  Water  street ;  Dunbar  street  was  named 
for  him;  lived  in  Claremont,  1797-1804;  returned  to  Keene; 
represented  Keene  in  the  legislature  in  1806  and  1810; 
died  in  1847,  aged  eighty-eight.  His  children  were:  George 
Frederic,  born  in  1794,  married  Catherine  Fisk,  of  West- 
moreland;  Laura  Elizabeth,  born  in  1813,  married  Robert 
Ralston  (her  cousin),  still  living  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
(1900),  a  bright  and  interesting  woman. 

JOSHUA   DURANT. 

Capt.  Joshua  Durant  —  of  Huguenot  descent  —  was  in 
the  company  of  Capt.  Joseph  Whitcomb  of  Swanzey,  at 
the  Lexington  alarm,  April  21,  1775,  and  marched  to 
Cambridge ;  enlisted  for  eight  months ;  reenlisted  for  the 
following  winter  and  served  one  year,  in  all,  at  that  time; 
came  to  Keene ;  enlisted   as  a  private  from   Keene  in   the 


588  HISTORY  OF  KBBKB. 

company  of  Capt.  Elisha  Mack,  July  22,  1777,  and  was  in 
the  battle  of  Bennington ;  joined  Capt.  Nehemiah  Hough- 
ton's company,  Nichols'  regiment,  as  ensign,  June  29,  1780, 
and  served  at  West  Point  under  Gen.  Arnold;  was  dis- 
charged in  October  of  that  year;  was  afterwards  captain 
of  militia.  When  he  first  came  to  Keene  he  lived  on  the 
"Ben  Gurler  farm,"  West  Keene,  now  T.  M.  Aldrich's.  In 
1793  he  bought  of  Joseph  Brown  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Prof.  Bracq,  and  sold  it  to  Thomas  Baker  in  1807.  He 
married,  in  1780,  Unity,  daughter  of  Deacon  Simeon  Clark, 
of  Keene.    They  had  five  children. 

THOMAS    EDWARDS. 

Dr.  Thomas  Edwards,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Key)  Edwards,  was  born  in  Middletown,  Ct.,  1757,  and 
spent  most  of  his  boyhood  on  a  farm  at  Springfield,  Vt.  His 
great  grandfather,  Thomas,  came  from  Wales,  Eng.,  and 
settled  in  Boston,  whence  his  son  removed  to  Middletown. 
In  January,  1776,  young  Edwards  volunteered  in  the  pa- 
triot army,  was  in  the  siege  of  Quebec  and  the  disastrous 
retreat  that  followed,  and  was  mustered  out  of  service  in 
the  fall  of  that  year.  He  then  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, reading  all  the  books  he  could  get  at  Springfield ; 
came  to  Keene  and  studied  under  Dr.  Thomas  Frink ; 
went  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  completed  his  studies,  and 
was  for  two  years  a  physician  and  apothecary  there.  He 
came  to  Keene  soon  after  1780,  and  for  many  years  was 
the  leading  physician  of  the  town,  taking  long  rides  on 
horseback,  over  trails  and  rough  roads,  with  his  medicines 
in  his  saddlebags,  at  twenty-five  cents  a  visit. 

In  April,  1784,  "Thomas  Edwards  of  Keene,  Physician," 
bought  of  Oliver  Hall  the  place  now  known  as  the  "  Cooke 
place"  on  West  street — then  three  and  one-half  acres  —  for 
£180.  Four  years  later  he  sold  the  same  — "the  Farm  or 
Tract  of  Land  whereon  I  now  dwell"  —  to  Daniel  New- 
comb,  for  £200.1  In  1787  he  married  Matilda,  sister  of 
Lemuel  Chandler,  who  came  from  Pomfret,  Ct.,  and  kept 
the  Chandler  House,  then  a  popular  inn,  on  the  site  of  the 

1  Daniel  Newcomb  sold  the  same  place,  two  years  later,  to  Noah  Cooke,  for 
the  same  price,  which  makes  it  evident  that  Cooke  built  the  present  house, 
although  there  must  have  been  a  smaller  one  there  before. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  589 

present  Cheshire  House.  In  her  youth,  Miss  Chandler  was 
noted  for  her  personal  beaut3\  Mr.  Chandler  died  in  1789, 
and  in  1795,  Dr.  Edwards  bought  the  Chandler  House  and 
was  its  landlord  until  1804.  In  1795,  he  bought  100 
acres  lying  on  both  sides  of  Roxbury  street,  devoted  much 
time  to  his  farm,  made  bricks  on  the  meadow  w^here  Frank- 
lin and  Dover  streets  now  are,  and  in  1805,  or  previous  to 
that  year,  built  the  house  on  Roxbury  street,  now  the  res- 
idence of  Mrs.  Josiah  Colony,  and  died  there  in  1837,  aged 
eighty.  Mrs.  Edwards  died  in  1843,  aged  eighty.  Their 
children  were :  Mary,  w^ho  married  Benjamin  Kimball ; 
Sarah,  who  married  John  Hatch;  and  Thomas  McKey. 
It  is  related  of  Dr.  Edwards,  who  was  an  excellent  citizen, 
kind  and  obliging,  that  after  he  was  seventy-five  years  old 
he  thrashed  a  stalwart  young  farmer  weighing  200  pounds 
for  using  insulting  language  towards  him ;  and  that  the 
farmer  was  ever  after v^ards  his  staunch  friend. 

THOMAS   M.    EDWARDS. 

Hon.  Thomas  McKey  Edwards,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  and 
Matilda  (Chandler)  Edwards,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1795; 
prepared  for  college  under  Rev.  John  Sabin  of  FitzwilHam ; 
graduated  at  Dartmouth,  1813;  read  law  with  Foster 
Alexander,  Esq.,  of  Keene,  Hon.  Thomas  Burgess,  of  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  and  Hon.  Henry  Hubbard  of  Charlestown, 
N.  H.;  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Keene  in 
1817,  and  continued  it  for  about  thirty  years ;  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  homestead  on  Roxbury  street ;  was  post- 
master at  Keene  1817-1829;  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire legislature  eight  years  between  1834  and  1856;  was 
presidential  elector  in  1856;  served  two  terms  in  congress, 
1859-1863,  where  he  was  appointed  on  important  com- 
mittees, and  was  frequently  called  to  the  chair  by  the 
speaker;  "and  his  services  at  Washington  were  dis- 
tinguished by  unwearied  industry,  the  strictest  integrity, 
and  great  fidelity  to  his  constituents."  (Boston  Journal, 
obit.) 

In  1845  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Cheshire  rail- 
road;  and  he  gave  up  the  practice  of  law  —  except  as  con- 
sulting   attorney    and    referee    in    important    cases  —  and 


590  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

devoted  all  his  time  and  energies  to  the  interests  of  that 
road.  The  route  was  a  difficult  one,  funds  were  scarce, 
contractors  failed,  riots  among  the  laborers  had  to  be 
quelled,  and  it  required  all  of  his  great  executive  ability  to 
carry  the  work  along.  But  he  was  virtually  counsel  for 
the  road  as  well  as  its  president,  and  his  keen  intellect, 
sound  judgment  and  untiring  industry  overcame  every 
obstacle  and  ensured  success.  He  has  been  called  the  father 
of  the  Cheshire  railroad,  and  it  was  by  his  influence  that 
its  shops  were  built  in  Keene. 

In  town  affairs  he  was  closely  identified  with  all  those 
measures  that  were  for  the  best  interests  of  the  people; 
and  for  many  years  he  was  counsel  and  agent  for  the 
town.  In  1869  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Ashuelot 
bank  and  held  that  office  until  his  death,  and  he  was  con- 
nected with  many  other  institutions. 

In  1840  he  married  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  Phineas 
Fiske,  of  Keene,  and  they  had  five  daughters  and  two 
sons  —  Thomas  C.  and  one  who  died  young.  Their  daugh- 
ter Isabella  married  Gen.  Thomas  Sherwin  of  Boston. 
Another  daughter,  Mary,  married  William  H.  Elliot  of 
Keene. 

JOHN   ELLIOT. 

John  Elliot,  a  descendant  of  Lieut.  Andrew  Elliot  (who 
came  from  Somersetshire,  Eng.,  to  Beverly,  Mass.,  in  1669) 
was  a  son  of  David,  a  Revolutionary  soldier;  was  born  in 
1783;  lived  in  his  boyhood  with  his  maternal  uncle,  Major 
Benj.  Adams,  in  New  Ipswich;  began  business  as  a  mer- 
chant in  Chesterfield  in  1804,  with  Capt.  Benj.  Cooke; 
came  to  Keene  in  1809  and  began  business  with  Shubael 
Butterfield,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  below  Pierce's 
tavern;  married,  in  1809,  Deborah,  daughter  of  Nathan 
Bixby,  then  of  Dublin;  in  1814  joined  Aaron  Appleton, 
Timothy  Twitchell  and  others  in  the  manufacture  of  glass ; 
joined  Aaron  Appleton  in  general  mercantile  business  in 
1814  and  that  firm  (Appleton  &  Elliot)  built  the  store  on 
"Elliot's  corner,"  two  stories  high,  in  1815;  in  1826,  with 
his  sons,  formed  the  firm  of  John  Elliot  &  Co.  and  con- 
tinued in  business  on  the  corner  for  many  years;  one  of 
the  early  stockholders  of    Cheshire    bank,   and  for    many 


1 


John   Ulliut. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  591 

years  its  president.  He  was  a  liberal  subscriber  to  the 
building  of  the  Cheshire  railroad,  and  to  the  first  Unita- 
rian meetinghouse,  for  which  he  gave  a  town  clock ;  and 
did  much  for  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  He  owned  a 
large  tract  of  land  west  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  was  a 
pioneer  in  the  sheep  raising  industry  —  then  exceedingly 
profitable  —  and  his  barns  used  for  that  purpose  are  still 
standing  near  the  old  tannery  at  West  Keene.  He  first 
lived  on  the  Walpole  road  (School  street),  then  on  the 
south  corner  of  Cross  and  Prison  streets.  In  1814,  in 
connection  with  Nathan  Bixby  he  bought  of  Elijah  Dun- 
bar the  house  Dunbar  had  built,  on  Main  street,  now  the 
residence  of  his  grandson,  William  H.  Elliot,  and  lived 
there  until  his  death  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 
Previous  to  this  purchase  he  had  owned  and  lived  in  the 
house  on  Washington  street  afterwards  the  homestead  of 
Phineas  Handerson. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliot  celebrated  their  golden  wedding, 
Dec.  5,  1859.  Their  children  were:  Deborah  Maria,  born 
1811  and  died,  unmarried,  in  1862;  John  Henry,  born  in 
1813 ;  James  Bixby,  born  in  1815.  Mrs.  ElHot  died  in  1880, 
aged  ninety-four. 

JOHN    HENRY    ELLIOT. 

John  Henry  Elliot,  son  of  John  and  Deborah  (Bixby) 
Elliot,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1813 ;  graduated  at  Harvard 
in  1835;  spent  some  years  in  Europe;  married  in  1848, 
Emily  Ann,  daughter  of  Lynds  Wheelock ;  treasurer  and 
trustee  of  Ashuelot  railroad;  secretarj^  and  director  of 
Cheshire  railroad ;  member  of  the  executive  council  of  New 
Hampshire  in  1865-8 ;  chosen  president  of  the  Cheshire 
bank  in  1861  and  held  that  office  through  life.  In  1892 
he  gave  to  the  city  of  Keene  the  land  and  buildings  for 
the  present  city  hospital.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  literary 
taste  and  of  wide  reading,  and  was  remarkable  for  his 
originality ;  and  many  of  his  witty  mots  were  repeated 
about  town.  He  died  in  1895,  leaving  three  children : 
William  Henry,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  M. 
Edwards;  John  Wheelock,  a  physician  in  Boston;  Emily 
Jane,  married  Tucker  Daland,  of  Boston. 


592  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

HENRY    ELLIS. 

Deacon  Henry  Ellis  was  born  in  1746;  married,  in 
1771,  Melatiah  Thayer,  of  Mendon,  Mass.;  came  from 
Lancaster,  Mass.,  to  Keene  soon  after  marriage,  and  was 
the  first  settler  on  the  farm  in  the  west  part,  afterwards 
the  "Baker  farm,"  now  Prof.  Bracq's.  Mrs.  Ellis  sold  her 
wedding  shoes  to  buy  young  apple  trees.  Bears  roamed 
the  forests  then,  and  Mr.  Ellis  caught  one  in  his  trap  and 
killed  it  with  an  axe.  Six  children  were  born  to  them  be- 
tween 1772  and  1783,  Keziah,  Pamela,  one  who  died 
young,  Archelaus,  Samuel  and  Milly.  Mr.  Ellis  sold  that 
farm  to  Capt.  Joshua  Durant,  bought  one  at  the  north  end 
of  the  village,  and  lived  seven  years  near  the  site  of  the 
"old  Sun  tavern"  on  Court  street.  He  then  bought  a 
large  tract  of  land  on  the  Surry  road,  west  of  the  river, 
three  miles  from  the  village,  cleared  it,  and  "built  the  large 
house  thereon,"  still  standing,  though  much  altered.  It 
was  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county,  and  his  son, 
Samuel,  married  and  settled  on  the  place  with  him,  and 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Samuel  P.  Ellis.  Mr.  Ellis 
was  an  industrious,  even-tempered  man,  and  so  devoutly 
pious  as  to  be  called  "deacon,"  but  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  ever  held  that  office  in  any  church.  In  July,  1776, 
he  joined  Capt.  William  Humphrey's  company.  Col.  Win- 
gate's  regiment,  sent  to  reinforce  the  northern  army  on  its 
retreat  from  Canada,  and  served  till  the  regiment  was 
discharged  —  a  short  term. 

Mrs.  Ellis  was  an  energetic  woman,  a  good  house- 
keeper and  excellent  helpmate.  She  used  the  large,  unfin- 
ished chambers  of  the  house  for  her  wheels  and  looms, 
and  spun  and  wove  both  wool  and  flax.  She  wove  the 
cloth  for  Susanna  Baker's  wedding  gown  (1790),  white 
linen,  crossed  both  ways  with  lines  of  blue.  (The  groom 
was  Daniel  Watson,  and  they  were  the  grandparents  of 
Dr.  George  B.  Twitchell).  One  day  her  husband  broke  his 
plough  point,  and  was  much  discouraged,  for  he  could  not 
replace  it  in  Cheshire  county.  Mrs.  Ellis  mounted  a  horse 
and  rode  through  the  woods  to  Mendon,  fifty  miles,  and 
returned  with  a  new  point.  When  the  first  train  of  cars 
came  to  Keene  she  was  shown  through  it  by  Dr.   Amos 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  593 

Twitchell.  "What  do  you  think  of  it?"  asked  the  doctor. 
"It  beats  everything  I've  ever  attended,  balls,  quiltin's, 
weddin's  and  ordinations,"  v^as  her  droll  reply.  She  lived 
to  be  ninety-eight  years  old  —  known  through  the  town  as 
Grandma'am  Ellis  —  and  died  in  1850.  Dea.  Ellis  died  in 
1838,  aged  ninety-two.  Both  were  buried  in  the  north 
burying  ground. 

TIMOTHY  ELLIS. 

Col.  Timothy  Ellis,  was  born  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  Sept. 
14,  1724,  and  came  to  Keene  in  1765,  or  earlier;  lived  on 
the  hills  four  miles  from  the  village,  on  what  was  then 
called  the  new,  now^  the  old,  Westmoreland  road;  died  in 
1817,  aged  ninety-three. 

In  1755  he  was  a  sergeant  from  Dedham  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Eliphalet  Fales,  in  the  expedition  to  Crown 
Point,  and  served  from  May  to  November.  He  was  a 
lieutenant  in  Capt.  Simon  Slocum's  company,  Col.  Frye's 
regiment,  at  Fort  Cumberland  in  Nova  Scotia,  from 
March,  1759,  to  April,  1760  —  a  part  of  the  time  second 
lieutenant  in  Lieut.  Benj.  Holden's  company.  (Massachu- 
setts Archives.) 

His  name  first  appears  on  the  records  of  Keene,  in 
1765,  as  "Lieut.  Timothy  Ellis."  He  was  a  major  in  the 
Sixth  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  militia  in  1777,  marched 
with  the  volunteers  from  that  regiment  to  Ticonderoga  in 
May  of  that  year,  and  again  in  July ;  w^as  appointed  major 
of  Nichols'  regiment,  under  Stark,  and  commanded  his 
battalion  in  the  battle  of  Bennington ;  continued  to  hold 
his  commission  as  major  of  the  Sixth  militia;  was  muster- 
master  of  the  Continental  troops  from  Cheshire  county ; 
rose  to  colonel  of  the  Sixth  regiment,  and  resigned  Feb. 
24,  1783. 

He  was  selectman  in  1770,  '74,  '77,  '79  and  '83 ;  dele- 
gate from  Keene  to  the  Provincial  congress  at  Exeter,  in 
April,  1775 ;  representative  to  the  legislature  in  1776-7-8, 
serving  on  several  important  committees ;  was  one  of  a 
committee  of  three  in  1778  to  take  possession  of  the  con- 
fiscated estates  of  tories  in  Cheshire  county ;  and  held 
many  other  important  positions.  He  left  a  large  num- 
ber of  descendants,  some  of  whom  still  reside  in  town. 

His  wife  was  named  Elizabeth.    She  died  in  1810. 


594  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

EDWARD    FARRAR. 

Edward  Farrar,  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Betsey  (Griffin) 
Farrar,  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  H.,  in  1822;  studied  at 
Hancock  academy  and  entered  Dartmouth  college,  but  left 
on  account  of  ill  health ;  read  law  with  Levi  Chamberlain 
of  Keene,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  Law  school ;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848 ;  appointed  clerk  of  the  courts 
in  Cheshire  county  in  1857,  and  justice  of  the  city  jjolice 
court  in  Keene  in  1874,  holding  both  positions  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1888;  represented  Keene  in  the  legislature 
in  1871  and  '72 ;  and  was  the  second  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Keene,  holding  that  office  two  terms.  In  1858,  he  mar- 
ried Caroline,  daughter  of  C.  H.  Brainard,  of  Keene,  and 
had  two  daughters. 

In  1848,  having  a  taste  for  music,  Mr.  Farrar  had  a 
piano  in  his  office,  north  of  the  Square,  and  he  discovered 
that  sounds  from  that  instrument  were  conveyed  over  long 
distances  by  wires.  He  then  stretched  wires  from  his  piano 
to  the  town  hall,  used  the  same  kind  of  electrical  trans- 
mitters that  are  now  used  in  telephoning,  and  caused  the 
musical  tones  of  the  instrument  to  be  heard  in  all  parts  of 
the  hall.  Musicians  and  others  went  to  the  hall  and  heard 
the  sounds;  but  the  wiseacres  sneered  and  ridiculed,  the 
telegraph  company  refused  to  allow  him  to  attach  his  con- 
trivance to  their  wires  for  experiment,  and  Mr.  Farrar, 
being  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  without  means  to  push 
the  enterprise,  gave  it  up.  He  was  well  informed  concern- 
ing electricity  and  corresponded  with  Harvard  professors 
in  relation  to  it,  but  gained  no  new  ideas.  This  was 
twenty-five  years  before  Reis  of  Berlin  made  the  same  dis- 
covery. 

FRANCIS  FAULKNER. 

Francis  Faulkner  (in  the  records  of  Southampton 
county,  England,  the  name  is  spelled  Fawkner,  Fawconer, 
Falconer,  Fawknor,  Faulkner),  son  of  Francis,  a  clothier 
at  Watertown  and  Billerica,  Mass.,  was  born  in  1788,  at 
Watertown.  His  grandfather  was  Major  Francis  Faulk- 
ner, w^ho,  with  the  Middlesex  regiment  of  militia,  at  Lex- 
ington and   Concord,  April  19,  1775,  harassed   the  British 


\^P'P^ 


Francis  A.  Faulkner. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  595 

on  their  retreat;  was  a  lieutenant  colonel  at  the  battle  of 
White  Plains  in  1776;  and  also  at  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne  in  1777,  and  conducted  the  prisoners  to  Cambridge, 
Mass.  Since  1735  the  Faulkners  have  been  millers,  cloth- 
iers and  manufacturers  at  Acton,  Mass.;  and  in  every  case 
—  at  Acton,  Billerica  and  Keene  —  the  Faulkner  descendants 
are  owners  of,  or  have  large  interests  in  the  mills  of  their 
ancestors. 

Young  Francis  learned  the  clothier's  trade  at  his 
grandfather's  mills  in  Acton ;  came  to  Keene  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  and  worked  in  the  clothiers'  mills  on  the 
Ashuelot  river.  In  1815,  with  Josiah  Colony,  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Faulkner  &  Colony,  bought  of  John  Maguire 
(who  had  purchased  of  Hale  &  Kise)  all  the  mills  and 
water  privileges  on  the  Ashuelot  in  Keene  —  except  those 
owned  by  Azel  Wilder,  west  of  the  sawmill  —  and  began 
that  very  successful  business  which  their  descendants  still 
continue  on  greatly  extended  lines. 

He  married  Eliza  Stearns,  of  Lancaster,  Mass.  They 
had  six  children:  Charles  Stearns,  Elizabeth  Jones,  Francis 
Augustus,  William  Frederic,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Faulkner  was  essentially  a  man  of  business,  with  clear 
perceptions  and  sound  principles,  and  never  sought  politi- 
cal ofiice  or  public  notoriety.  He  died  in  1842,  aged  fifty- 
four. 

CHARLES  S.    FAULKNER. 

Charles  S.  Faulkner,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in 
Keene  in  1819 ;  married  Sallie  Eliza  Eames,  of  Bath,  N.  H. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  when  he  was  only  twenty- 
three  years  old,  Mr.  Faulkner  upheld  the  family  name  in 
the  firm,  and  accumulated  a  large  property.  He  died  in 
1879,  leaving  a  widow,  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 

FRANCIS    A.    FAULKNER. 

Francis  A.  Faulkner,  son  of  Francis  and  Eliza  (Stearns) 
Faulkner,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1825;  prepared  for  col- 
lege at  Phillips  Exeter  academy ;  graduated  at  Harvard  in 
1846 ;  read  law  with  Phineas  Handerson  and  William  P. 
Wheeler  at  Keene,  and  studied  at  Harvard  Law  school ; 
married,  1849,  Caroline,  daughter  of  Phineas  Handerson; 


596  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

joined  William  P.  Wheeler  in  1849  as  junior  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Wheeler  &  Faulkner,  which  continued  for 
twenty-six  years.  He  was  county  solicitor,  1855-1860; 
moderator  of  fourteen  annual  town  meetings ;  representa- 
tive to  the  legislature  four  terms ;  was  appointed  a  justice 
of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Hampshire  in  1874,  but  de- 
clined to  serve ;  was  member  of  the  state  constitutional 
convention  of  1876;  was  a  director  in  both  the  Ashuelot 
and  Cheshire  National  banks,  and  president  of  the  Chesh- 
ire Provident  Institution  for  Savings  at  the  time  of  his 
decease.  During  the  last  two  years  of  the  Civil  war  he 
was  United  States  commissioner  of  enrollment  for  the  Third 
New  Hampshire  congressional  district.  "He  was  deeply 
interested  in  political  affairs,  and  no  man  in  his  section 
wielded  more  influence."  When  the  town  of  Keene  became 
a  city  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  aldermen ; 
and  he  held  many  other  positions  of  honor  and  responsi- 
bility.    He  died  in  1879,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  sons. 

CATHERINE  FISKE. 

Miss  Catherine  Fiske  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass.; 
began  teaching  in  Dover,  Windham  county,  Vt.,  at  the  age 
of  fifteen ;  opened  her  boarding  school  in  Keene  (Seminary 
for  Young  Ladies)  in  1814  under  the  patronage  of  Mrs. 
Daniel  Newcomb,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street  near  Elijah 
Dunbar's  house.  After  the  first  year  a  Miss  Reed  (or 
Read)  was  associated  with  her  for  two  years,  then  Miss 
Elizabeth  Sprague  w^as  with  her  for  two  j^ears,  and  then, 
in  1819,  she  assumed  the  enterprise  herself  and  employed 
assistants.  She  was  an  ideal  teacher  and  manager,  and 
her  school  had  a  national  reputation  and  was  one  of  the 
best  in  the  country.  The  number  of  pupils  sometimes 
reached  one  hundred  at  a  term,  and  many  were  turned 
away  for  w^ant  of  accommodations.  In  the  thirty-one 
years  of  its  existence  more  than  2,500  girls  received  the 
rare  training  and  culture  of  that  celebrated  school.  In 
addition  to  the  common  and  higher  academic  branches  of 
learning,  she  employed  specialists  to  teach  music,  drawing, 
painting,  botany,  languages  and  needlework ;  and  she  paid 
particular    attention  to  the  manners  and    morals    of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  597 

young  ladies,  and  to  their  study  and  proper  use  of  the 
English  language.  She  also  kept  special  milliners  and 
"  mantua-makers "  for  their  accommodation.  The  first 
pianos  brought  to  town  were  for  use  in  her  school  (see 
Miss  Elizabeth  Sprague's  sketch) ;  and  the  first  pipe  organ 
used  in  town  was  made  by  William  Willson  of  Keene  and 
placed  in  this  school. i 

In  1824  she  bought  the  house  that  had  been  built  by 
John  G.  Bond,  on  Main  street,  which  then  had  with  it  a 
farm  of  twenty  acres.  To  that  she  added  twenty  acres  of 
intervale,  and  a  pasture  on  Beech  hill,  next  north  of  the 
Luther  Nurse  farm,  where  she  kept  ten  cows  in  summer 
and  had  the  milk  and  butter  —  which  was  under  the  care 
of  Mrs.  Isaac  Nurse  —  brought  to  the  school  each  day,  and 
a  supply  of  butter  made  for  the  winter.  She  kept  a  pair 
of  horses  and  a  carriage  for  the  use  of  the  school,  and  her 
handsome  carryall,  with  the  long  procession  of  girls  in 
charge  of  their  teachers  —  dividing  to  reach  the  churches  of 
their  respective  denoininations,  the  Congregational  and 
Unitarian  —  was  a  marked  feature  of  a  Sunday  morning 
in  Keene. 

In  addition  to  the  teaching  and  management  of  the 
school,  she  superintended  the  farm, 2  the  stables  of  cows 
and  horses,  and  the  housekeeping  —  even  her  bread  making 
was  done  on  the  scientific  principles  of  chemistry  —  and  did 
it  all  with  the  same  serenity  and  coolness.  She  died  May 
20,  1837.  "Her  funeral  was  attended  by  a  large  con- 
course, stores  were  closed,  bells  tolled,  and  a  long  proces- 
sion followed  to  her  grave." 

She  left  her  property,  after  providing  for  her  mother, 
to  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  now  called 
the  state  hospital,  one  of  the  first  and  largest  contribu- 
tions. 

The  school  was  continued  for  ten  years  after  her  de- 
cease by  her  teachers,  under  the  management  of  Miss  With- 
ington,  but  the  Keene  academy  drew  from  it,  the  teachers 
married, 3  and  it  was  finally  given  up. 

1  The  same  organ  is  now  in  the  Jehiel  Wilson  house  at  South  Keene. 

2 In  one  year  she  raised  700  bushels  of  potatoes.  (John  L.  Davis,  her 
farmer.) 

3  Miss  Withington  married  Dea.  Stewart  Hastings,  and  Miss  Abby  Barnes, 
an  assistant,  married  Thomas  H.  Leverett,  both  of  Keene. 


598  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


PHINEAS    FISKE. 


Phineas  Fiske  came  from  Middlesex  county,  Mass.,  to 
Chesterfield  early  in  the  nineteenth  century;  married,  in 
1812,  Mary,  daughter  of  Col.  Hart,  and  grandniece  of 
Gen.  Joseph  Warren,  who  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill;  came 
to  Keene  in  1814  and  took  the  brick  store  on  the  west 
side  of  Main  street,  now  the  north  end  of  City  Hotel ; 
went  to  Boston  for  a  few  years,  in  the  firm  of  Francis 
Skinner  &  Co.;  returned  to  Keene  with  a  fortune  and  built 
a  house  on  the  corner  of  Winchester  and  Main  streets, 
which  was  afterwards  removed  to  the  corner  of  Madison 
street  to  give  place  to  the  present  house  on  that  site,  built 
by  Gov.  Dinsmoor,  the  younger.  His  children  were :  Mary 
H.,  who  married  Thomas  M.  Edwards  in  1840;  Julia  Anne, 
who  married  William  Dinsmoor  in  1835;  Samuel  W.  and 
Phineas  S. 

In  1824,  Mr.  Fiske  married,  second.  Miss  Isabella  B. 
Reddington  of  Walpole,  N.  H.  Francis  S.,  now  of  Boston, 
was  the  only  child  by  this  marriage. 

Mr.  Fiske  was  one  of  those  enterprising  men  of  high 
character  and  energy,  of  whom  Keene  could  boast  so  many 
in  the  early  days. 

ABIJAH   FOSTER. 

Abijah  Foster  was  born  in  1763 ;  came  from  Salem, 
Mass.;  married,  in  1797,  Artimisia,  daughter  of  Dr.  Oba- 
diah  Blake  of  Keene;  had  a  son,  Abijah,  who  was  born 
in  1798,  and  a  daughter,  Nabby,  born  in  1799.  From 
about  1785  to  1809,  or  later,  he  kept  a  store  at  old  West 
Keene,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  north  of  the  Ingersoll 
house;  carried  on  a  large  business  and  became  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  town.  He  built  the  Deacon  Hastings 
house  (burned  a  few  years  ago)  which  stood  north  of  the 
present  house  of  Sidney  C.  Ellis.  He  died  in  1822,  aged 
fifty-nine. 

AMOS    FOSTER. 

Amos  Foster,  son  of  Timothy  of  Boxford,  Mass.,  was 
born  in  Boxford  in  1713;  married  Mary  Dorman  of  Box- 
ford  (cousin  of  Capt.  Ephraim) ;  was  one  of  the  early  pro- 
prietors and  settlers  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  in  1736;    left  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  599 

legacy  of  half  his  property  to  the  town  ;  died  of  small  pox, 
March  2,  1761,  aged  forty-nine.  His  wife  had  died  on  the 
5th  of  February  of  the  same  year,  of  the  same  disease. 
He  left  no  children. 

DAVID    FOSTER. 

Deacon  David  Foster,  son  of  Timothy  of  Boxford,  Mass., 
was  born  in  Boxford  in  1704;  was  one  of  the  early  pro- 
prietors and  settlers  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  in  1736 ;  scribe  for 
the  proprietors  in  1738  and  their  clerk  for  more  than 
twenty  years ;  one  of  the  original  members  and  first  dea- 
con of  the  church  in  1738,  and  remained  in  those  positions 
for  the  rest  of  his  life,  more  than  forty  years ;  a  soldier  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war  of  1748-9;  married  Mrs.  Han- 
nah Sessions,  of  Andover,  Mass.;  was  a  surveyor  of  land 
in  Keene,  1757-63 ;  town  clerk  and  treasurer,  1760 ;  select- 
man four  years;  on  the  alarm  list  in  Keene  in  1773;  on 
town  committee  of  safety  in  1776;  died  1779,  aged  seven- 
ty-five. His  children  were:  Hannah,  born  1751;  Rebecca, 
born  1753;   David,  born  1755. 

THOMAS    FRINK. 

Dr.  Thomas  Frink,  physician,  surgeon,  magistrate  and 

innkeeper,  married   Abigail and  had  seven  children. 

His  name  first  appears  on  the  records  in  1760,  when  he 
bought  the  "Original  House-lotts  lying  on  y^  West  side  of 
the  Town  street  *  *  *  *  No's  49  and  50,  with  the 
Housing  Fences  and  Orcharding  standing  on  said  Lotts." 
(Old  records  in  state  library.)  He  kept  a  noted  public 
house  there  in  1761-5,  and  later  one  on  Pleasant  street. 
He  was  the  magistrate  who  organized  some  of  the  sur- 
rounding towns  under  their  New  Hampshire  charters.  In 
1777,  he  was  physician  to  Gen.  James  Reed,  then  of  Fitz- 
william,  and,  June  29  to  July  11,  was  surgeon  of  Col.  Ash- 
ley's regiment  in  the  campaign  for  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga. 
He  died  in  1786.  His  brother,  Dr.  Calvin  Frink,  of  Swan- 
zey,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Col.  Isaac  Wyman. 

His  eldest  son,  Dr.  Willard  Frink,  born  in  1762,  mar- 
ried Thankful,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Pond,  of  Keene,  in  her 
seventeenth  year.     His  daughter  Polly  is  still  remembered 


600  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

by  the  more  elderly  people  of  Keene  as  one  of  those  queer, 
bright,  interesting  "characters"  with  which  every  New 
England  town  was  formerly  blessed,  but  which  modern 
society,  with  its  compulsory  education  and  machine-like 
schools,  seldom  produces. 

Dr.  Frink  was  somewhat  noted  for  his  convivial  habits. 
An  amusing  story  was  told  of  him  to  Dr.  Whitney  Bar- 
stow  in  1856,  by  Rev.  Laban  Ainsworth  of  Jaffrey,  with 
all  the  vivacity  and  gusto  of  youth,  although  he  was  then 
104  years  old.  When  Ainsworth  was  about  seventeen 
years  old — just  after  the  opening  of  the  college  at  Hanover 
—  his  father  furnished  him  with  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle 
and  sent  him  to  Dartmouth.  His  first  stop  on  the  way 
was  at  Keene.  At  the  tavern  he  met  Dr.  Frink,  who  was 
trading  horses  and  drinking  flip.  After  some  haggling  a 
trade  was  concluded,  and  the  doctor  sat  down  to  write  a 
note  and  bill  of  sale.  But  that  last  mug  was  one  too 
many,  and  his  right  hand  had  forgotten  its  cunning.  After 
several  failures  in  his  attempt  to  put  the  note  in  shape,  he 
looked  about  the  tap-room  and  saw  the  intelligent  face  of 
the  bright  and  sober  young  freshman.  "  Here,  young  man," 
said  he,  "wont  you  just  sit  down  and  write  this  'ere  note 
for  me?  I  guess  I'm  a  leetle  drunk."  "Oh  yes,"  said  Ains- 
worth, "I'll  write  it,"  and  sat  down  and  quickly  wrote 
the  note.  The  doctor  was  pleased,  but  was  wise  enough 
to  say  but  little.  Ainsworth  proceeded  on  his  journey  and 
entered  the  college.  That  same  autumn  an  epidemic  of 
fever,  common  in  those  days,  broke  out  among  the  students 
and  young  Ainsworth  was  one  of  those  attacked.  Presi- 
dent Wheelock  was  alarmed  and  sent  for  all  the  best  phy- 
sicians within  reach,  among  them  Dr.  Frink  of  Keene  — 
which  shows  that  he  stood  high  in  his  profession,  not- 
withstanding his  habits.  The  doctor  appeared  on  the 
scene,  thoroughly  sober  and  responsible,  and  visited  every 
sick  student,  young  Ainsworth  with  the  rest.  When  the 
doctor  had  attended  carefully  to  his  case,  Ainsworth  asked 
for  his  bill.  "No!  young  man,"  said  Frink,  "I'll  not  take 
a  cent.  I  know  you.  You're  the  nice  boy  who  once  wrote 
a  note  for  me  in  Keene,  when  I  was  so  blamed  drunk!" 


I 


J"- 


"^^ar 


<r^      "     ^ 


John   H.    PlLl-EK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  601 

JOHN    H.   FULLER. 

John  H.  Fuller  came  from  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  to  Wal- 
pole,  N.  H.,  with  his  father's  family,  towards  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  century;  spent  his  boyhood  in  Walpole; 
studied  medicine,  but  gave  it  up  and  went  into  business, 
first  in  a  store  in  Chesterfield,  then  in  Winchester,  N.  H.; 
married  Pamela,  daughter  of  Rev.  Ezra  Conant  of  the  latter 
place ;  was  adjutant  of  the  Second  regiment  of  New  Hamp- 
shire militia  commanded  by  Lt.  Col.  John  Steele  of  Peter- 
boro,  detached  and  organized  for  the  defence  of  Portsmouth 
when  the  British  threatened  an  attack  on  that  place  in 
1814;  came  to  Keen e  in  1823  and  took  the  store  previously 
occupied  by  Mr.  Lynds  Wheelock,  next  south  of  the  Phoenix 
Hotel;  became  a  noted  wool  buyer  and  accumulated  a 
large  property.  About  the  time  the  Cheshire  railroad  was 
built,  he  bought  a  tract  of  swamp  lying  above  Cross  and 
between  Court  and  Washington  streets ;  drained  it  at  great 
expense  into  Beaver  brook ;  sold  building  lots  to  railroad 
employees  and  other  laboring  men,  loaning  them  money 
and  encouraging  them  to  build  homes,  which  many  did  ; 
and  the  neat,  well-kept  homesteads  on  that  tract,  estab- 
lished by  those  means,  attest  the  thrift  and  high  character 
of  Keene's  laboring  population. 

Few  men  have  done  as  much  for  Keene  as  did  Mr, 
Fuller,  in  this  and  other  ways.  It  was  almost  wholly 
through  his  exertions  that  the  Ashuelot  railroad  was  built, 
and  he  was  its  first  president.  To  prove  his  sincerity  in 
the  project  he  invested  $50,000  in  the  stock,  which  proved 
nearly  a  total  loss.  He  was  active  in  the  organization  of 
the  Keene  Five  Cents  Savings  bank,  and  became  its  first 
president;  and  he  was  the  originator  and  first  president 
of  the  Winchester  National  bank.  He  was  remarkable  for 
activity,  genialty,  integrity  and  fairness  in  all  his  dealings. 
He  lived  at  one  time  in  the  stone  house  on  Washington 
street,  at  another  time  in  the  brick  house  on  the  same 
street,  now  Mrs.  Wm.  P.  Wheeler's,  and  at  still  another 
in  one-half  of  the  old  wooden  courthouse,  then  on  Wash- 
ington street,  cutting  the  building  in  twain,  and  using 
the  other  half  for  a  wool  house,  on  Railroad  square, 
where  it  still  stands,  occupied  by  J.  Cushing  &  Co.   as  a 


602  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

grain  house.  He  died  in  1869,  aged  seventy-seven.  His 
children  were:  Quincy;  Lucy,  married  Lucius  D.  Pierce;  a 
daughter  v^ho  died  young;  Sophia,  married  Fred  K.  Bart- 
lett;  James  and  Reuben. 

SAMUEL  A.   GEROULD. 

Samuel  A.  Gerould  —  early  family  name  Jerauld,  wealthy 
silk  manufacturers  in  the  south  of  France,  Huguenots,  one 
of  whom  came  to  this  country  about  1700  and  settled  in 
Medfield,  Mass.  —  was  born  in  Wrentham  in  1794;  brought 
up  on  a  farm ;  an  industrious  student  and  reader ;  bought 
his  time  of  his  father  at  seventeen ;  taught  school ;  attained 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  militia;  came  to  Keene  in  1819 
and  engaged  in  trade  where  E.  F.  Lane's  upper  block  now 
stands ;  married,  1820,  Deborah,  daughter  of  Hon.  Samuel 
H.  Dean,  of  Dedham ;  built  his  brick  store,  west  side  of 
Square,  in  1825;  extended  it  to  the  south  in  1835  for 
George  Tilden's  store;  and  took  in  his  son,  Samuel  A.,  Jr., 
as  partner  in  1844  (S.  A.  Gerould  &  Son).  In  1857,  the 
firm  bought  and  the  next  season  rebuilt  the  south  half  of 
the  old  brick  courthouse,  adjoining  his  block  on  the  north. 
His  brick  house  on  West  street  was  built  in  1861,  under 
the  direction  of  the  son.  Mr.  Gerould  was  chairman  of 
the  committee  in  1867  to  establish  town  water  works, 
which  were  finally  laid  in  accordance  with  the  plan  sug- 
gested by  him,  and  he  was  active  in  all  projects  for  the 
benefit  of  the  community.  He  was  in  business  nearly  fifty 
years.  Besides  his  son,  Samuel  A.,  he  had  one  daughter, 
Deborah.    He  died  in  1887,  in  his  ninety-fourth  year. 

SALMA  HALE. 

Hon.  Salma  Hale,  son  of  David  and  Hannah  (Emerson) 
Hale,  was  born  in  Alstead,  in  1787;  entered  the  oflice  of 
the  Farmers'  Museum  at  Walpole  as  an  apprentice  at  the 
age  of  thirteen ;  at  seventeen  wrote  a  text-book  on  English 
grammar,  published  at  Worcester  in  1804,  rewritten  and 
republished  in  New  York,  1831 ;  at  eighteen  was  editor  of 
the  Political  Observer,  published  at  Walpole;  read  law  at 
Walpole  and  Keene ;  removed  to  Keene  in  1813 ;  was  part- 
ner for  a  time  with  Elijah  Parker,  Esq.;  was  clerk  of  the 
courts  in  Cheshire  county  for  about  thirty  years ;  served  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  603 

term  in  congress,  1817-19,  but  declined  a  reelection ;  repre- 
sented Keene  in  the  legislature  in  1823,  '28  and  '44;  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate  in  1824-5  and  1845-6 ;  president 
of  the  Cheshire  bank,  1829-1842. 

He  was  a  trustee  of  Dartmouth  college,  and  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont,  from  both  of  which  institutions  he 
received  honorary  degrees ;  and  he  was  secretary  of  the 
commission  for  determining  the  northeastern  boundary  line 
of  the  United  States  under  the  treaty  of  Ghent.  He  was 
an  early  member  and  afterwards  president  of  the  New^ 
Hampshire  Historical  Society;  one  of  the  originators  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Society ;  and  was  ac- 
tive in  the  Unitarian  secession,  in  temperance,  education, 
the  abolition  of  slavery,  and  various  other  social,  literary 
and  philanthropic  subjects. 

He  was  a  man  of  scholarly  tastes  and  wide  reading, 
and  was  a  master  of  correct  and  elegant  English.  His 
History  of  the  United  States,  of  many  editions  and  large 
sales,  "became  widely  read  and  largely  used  throughout 
the  country  as  a  school  book,  25,000  copies  per  annum 
being  published  in  some  years.  It  was  a  w^ork  of  great 
literary  merit  and  accuracy  and  careful  statement.  Few 
single  volumes  have  done  so  much  to  educate  the  youth 
of  this  country  and  to  implant  a  love  of  knowledge  and 
its  early  history  and  of  the  principles  of  free  government." 
Gov.  Charles  H.  Bell,  in  an  address  to  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Historical  Society  mentioned  "Salma  Hale,  an  accom- 
plished writer  and  scholar  and  a  pioneer  in  one  depart- 
ment of  school  literature,"  and  adds,  "his  History  of  the 
United  States  was  truly  an  educational  classic  and  long 
retained  its  estimation  with  the  successive  generations  of 
the  young,  and  more  singular  still,  was  repeatedly  pub- 
lished abroad." 

He  published  his  Annals  of  Keene  in  1826,  with  an  en- 
larged edition  in  1851,  which  brought  the  narrative  down 
from  1790  to  1815 ;  and  he  was  the  author  of  several  other 
works  and  a  large  number  of  orations,  addresses,  and  con- 
tributions to  various  publications. 

He  married,  1820,  Sarah  Kellogg,  daughter  of  Seth  and 
Susan   King,   of  Boston,  formerly  of  Suffield,  Conn.     Mrs. 


604  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Hale  was  one  of  the  regents  for  New  Hampshire  of  the 
national  association  of  women  for  the  preservation  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  Va.,  in  1859.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were 
highly  gifted  in  social  affairs,  and  they  entertained  with  a 
genial  and  delightful  hospitality.  She  died  April  19,  1865. 
Mr.  Hale  died  Nov.  19,  1866.  They  had  one  son  who  died 
in  infancy ;  one  daughter,  Sarah  King,  who  married,  first, 
Stephen  R.  Bellows,  and  second,  Hon.  Harry  Hibbard,  of 
Bath,  N.  H.,  speaker  of  the  New  Hampshire  house  of  rep- 
resentatives, president  of  the  New  Hampshire  senate,  an 
eminent  lawyer,  and  for  six  years  member  of  congress  from 
New  Hampshire;  and  a  second  son,  George  Silsbee. 

GEORGE  S.   HALE. 

Hon.  George  S.  Hale,  son  of  Salma  and  Sarah  (King) 
Hale  was  born  in  Keene  in  1825 ;  studied  at  Keene,  Wal- 
pole  and  Concord,  and  at  Phillips  Exeter  academy ;  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  in  1844;  studied  at  Harvard  Law 
school;  taught  in  a  large  school  for  girls  in  Richmond,  Va.; 
travelled  abroad ;  began  practice  of  the  lav^  in  Boston  in 
1850 ;  was  member  and  president  of  the  common  council 
in  that  city ;  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Phillips 
Exeter  academy;  trustee  of  the  Massachusetts  General 
hospital  and  of  the  Massachusetts  Asylum  for  the  Blind ; 
member  of  many  literary  and  scientific  societies  ;  editor  and 
reporter  of  several  volumes  of  the  Boston  Law  Reporter, 
and  of  the  United  States  Digest;  author  of  Memoirs  of 
Hon.  Joel  Parker,  and  others,  and  of  many  legal  and  other 
publications.  His  practice  brought  him  into  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility  in  the  care  of  large  estates  and 
public  funds. 

He  married,  1868,  Mrs.  Ellen  Sever  Tebbets,  widow  of 
Rev.  Theodore  Tebbets,  and  they  had  two  sons,  Robert 
Sever  and  Richard  Walden  Hale.  Mr.  Hale  died  July  27, 
1897.    Mrs.  Hale  died  May  9,  1904. 

SAMUEL  W.   HALE. 

Hon.  Samuel  W.  Hale,  son  of  Samuel  and  Saloma 
(Whitney)  Hale,  was  born  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  in  1823; 
worked  on    his    father's    farm    and    attended    the    district 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  605 

school  and  academy  in  Fitchburg;  engaged  in  business 
with  his  brother  at  Dubhn,  N.  H.,  in  1835;  married,  1850, 
EmeHa  M,  Hayes,  of  Dubhn ;  came  to  Keene  in  1859;  with 
Stephen  D.  Osborne  (Osborne  &  Hale)  manufactured  chairs 
on  Mechanic  street,  removed  the  business  to  South  Keene, 
enlarged  it,  and  established  the  South  Keene  Chair  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Hale  bought  the  shops  on  Ralston  street, 
improved  them,  and  in  1879  established  the  Ashuelot 
Furniture  Company,  but  the  buildings  w^ere  destroyed  by 
fire  in  February,  1884.  He  became  a  director  in  the  Citi- 
zens bank  of  Keene  and  in  the  Wachusett  bank  of  Fitch- 
burg; w^as  one  of  those  virho  accomplished  the  difiicult 
task  of  building  the  Manchester  &  Keene  railroad  from 
East  Wilton  to  Keene;  was  afterward  president  of  the 
Boston,  Winthrop  &  Shore  railroad;  and  was  engaged  in 
many  other  enterprises,  particularly  in  the  promotion  of 
gold  and  silver  mining  properties.  He  was  active  in  or- 
ganizing the  Second  Congregational  church  and  in  building 
its  edifice.  He  was  representative  to  the  legislature  in 
1866-7 ;  member  of  the  governor's  council  in  1869-70 ; 
delegate  to  the  Republican  national  convention  in  1880; 
and  governor  of  New  Hampshire  in  1883-4.  In  1869  he 
bought  the  mansion  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Winchester 
streets,  added  a  greenhouse  and  cold  grapery,  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days  there.  He  died  in  1891,  leaving 
a  w^idow,  one  daughter,  Mrs.  William  DeLos  Love,  Jr., 
and  one  son,  William  S. 

AARON   HALL. 

Rev.  Aaron  Hall  was  born  in  Cheshire,  Ct.,  in  1751; 
graduated  at  Yale  in  1772;  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
in  1775,  from  both  Yale  and  Dartmouth ;  preached  in  Keene 
as  a  candidate  in  the  summer  of  1777,  was  called  in  De- 
cember, and  ordained  Feb.  18,  1778 ;  married,  1782,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Baker,  Esq.,  of  Keene.  Their  children 
were:  Sally,  born  1783,  married  Elijah  Parker;  Aaron, 
born  1785,  married  Julia  Ann  Hitchcock;  David,  born  1786; 
and  Nabby,  born  1788,  who  died  1790.  He  married, 
second,  in  1790,  Hannah  Hitchcock,  of  Cheshire,  Ct.,  and 
had  two  daughters,  Hannah,  born  1791,  and  Nabby  Ann, 
born  1793. 


606  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

In  1788,  he  was  the  delegate  from  Keene  to  the  con- 
stitutional convention  of  New  Hampshire  that  accepted  the 
proposed  Federal  constitution  and  assured  the  establish- 
ment of  the  United  States  government  at  that  time;  and 
his  oration,  delivered  in  Keene  on  the  30th  of  June,  when 
the  town  celebrated  the  ratification  of  that  Federal  consti- 
tution, was  published  in  the  New  Hampshire  Recorder  and 
also  in  pamphlet  form. 

During  his  long,  peaceful  and  happy  ministry,  the  orig- 
inal structure  of  the  present  First  Congregational  meeting- 
house was  built,  in  1786,  211  members  were  added  to  the 
church  and  871  persons  were  baptized. 

He  died  Aug.  12,  1814,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his 
age  and  the  thirty-seventh  of  his  ministry,  respected  and 
beloved  by  all. 

JEREMIAH  HALL. 

Capt.  Jeremiah  Hall,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah 
(Fisher)  Hall,  of  Wrentham,  Mass.,  was  born  in  1703; 
married  Dorothy;  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Upper  Ashuelot,  and  drew  lot  No.  2,  on  the  east  side,  south 
end  of  Main  street,  where  he  built  his  house,  and  lived 
while  here.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  settling  the  town- 
ship, and  one  of  the  first  party,  of  eight  persons,  that  came 
here  in  1734  and  began  the  settlement.  He  wras  also  one 
of  the  party  that  came  here  in  1735,  and  was  chosen  mod- 
erator of  the  proprietors'  meeting  in  the  absence  of  Capt. 
Sady;  and  again  in  May,  1736,  he  was  the  leader  of  the 
party  that  came  and  spent  the  summer  in  building  cabins 
and  preparing  for  the  next  year's  settlement.  Again  in  the 
spring  of  1737  he  led  the  party  that  came  for  permanent 
settlement,  was  the  "standing  moderator"  of  the  proprie- 
tors' meetings,  and  was  paid  for  having  represented  the 
proprietors  at  the  general  court.  His  name  is  first  on  the 
list  of  members  at  the  original  organization  of  the  church 
in  1738;   and  he  had  a  son,  Jeremiah,  Jr. 

He  was  designated  in  the  records  of  1738  as  "Capt.;" 
and  he  was  also  a  physician  —  the  first  in  town  —  and  is 
called  "Dr.  Hall  of  Keene"  in  the  account  of  the  scouting 
party,  as  given  in  the  Annals,  that  caused  the  capture 
of  Pierre  Raimbault,  near  Northfield,  in  1747.     In  1744,  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  607 

buried  a  daughter  here,  Kezia,  sixteen  years  old,  and  a 
son,  Benjamin,  three  years  old;  and  when  the  place  was 
abandoned  by  the  families  in  the  spring  of  1747,  he  and 
several  others  of  the  settlers  joined  the  military  company 
of  Capt.  Josiah  Willard,  which  was  stationed  here  that 
year  and  the  next;  was  clerk  of  that  company,  and  Jere- 
miah, Jr.,  was  a  member  of  the  same  company.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  of  the  settlers  to  return  to  the  township ;  and 
was  chosen  agent  in  1750  to  procure  a  charter  for  the 
town  from  the  legislature  of  New  Hampshire.  He  buried 
his  wife,  Dorothy,  here  in  January,  1753,  and  soon  after- 
wards removed  to  Pembroke,  Mass.  We  find  him  a  prac- 
tising physician  in  that  town  in  1756;  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon's  mate,  afterwards  surgeon  (chirurgeon), 
of  Col.  Joseph  Thatcher's  regiment  in  the  expedition  to 
Crown  Point  in  1757.  In  1758,  from  March  to  November, 
he  was  surgeon  of  Col.  Thomas  Doty's  regiment  for  the 
reduction  of  Canada ;  and  in  1759,  March  31  to  December 
31,  surgeon  of  Col.  John  Thomas's  regiment  at  Halifax. 

BENJAMIN   HALL. 

Lieut.  Benjamin  Hall.  His  name  first  appears  in  the 
records  of  1761,  when  he  bought  of  William  Smeed  and 
his  wife  Phebe  (who  had  removed  to  Walpole),  six  original 
house-lots  — numbers  21,  22,  23,  25,  26,  27  — and  seven- 
teen other  lots  of  the  several  divisions  of  land  in  the  town- 
ship. He  also  owned,  afterwards,  house-lots  numbered  16, 
17  and  18,  and  much  other  land  in  town,  amounting  to 
several  thousand  acres.  In  1768  he  sold  to  Jesse  Clark  a 
farm  of  100  acres  "lying  in  the  crotch  of  Ash  Swamp 
Brook,"  where  Mr.  Clark  and  his  son,  Jesse,  Jr.,  kept  tavern 
for  many  years,  and  built  the  house  west  of  the  small 
pond,  since  known  as  the  Ingersoll  house.  In  1783  he 
bought  of  Dr.  Gideon  Tiifany,  then  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  a 
farm  of  sixty  acres,  with  saw  and  grist  mills,  on  the  North 
branch  —  the  mills  since  known  as  the  peg  factory. 

His  w^ife's  name  was  Melatiah,  and  his  children  were : 
Nathaniel,  Ziba,  Hannaniah,  James,  Benjamin,  Josiah, 
Bela;  and  a  daughter  Betty,  who  married  Maj.  Luther 
Eames,  who  kept  a  public  house  with  Aaron  Eames. 


608  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Lieut.  Hall  was  selectman  nine  years  between  1762 
and  ITT'i,  and  again  in  1784-5-6.  He  represented  the 
town  in  the  legislature  in  1771-2-8-4,  and  again  in  1784- 
5  and  1787.  He  was  the  lieutenant  of  the  militia  company 
here  in  1773,  but  in  1776  he  refused  to  sign  the  Associa- 
tion Test,  and  was  dropped  from  all  official  positions.  He 
was  not,  however,  active  against  the  patriots,  was  con- 
sidered a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  discretion,  and  after 
the  war  was  again  entrusted  with  responsible  offices,  as 
appears  above.     He  died  in  1805. 

PHINEAS  HANDERSON. 

Hon.  Phineas  Handerson,  son  of  Gideon  and  Abigail 
(Church)  Handerson,  was  born  in  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  1778; 
read  law  with  Geo.  B.  Upham  of  Claremont;  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1804;  practised  in  Chesterfield;  married, 
1818,  Hannah  W.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Mead  of  Wal- 
pole;  represented  Chesterfield  in  the  legislature;  removed 
to  Keene,  1833 ;  bought  and  lived  in  the  house  on  Wash- 
ington street  known  as  the  "Handerson"  house — since 
much  changed  and  pillars  added ;  state  senator,  1816-17, 
1825,  1831-2;  councilor,  1833,  1840-1-2;  for  many  years 
attorney  and  town  agent  for  Keene,  and  held  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  took  high  rank  as  a 
legal  adviser  and  advocate,  and  was  president  of  the 
Cheshire  county  bar  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  March, 
1853. 

His  children  were :  Esther,  born  in  Chesterfield  in  1819, 
unmarried;  Harriet  Mead,  born  in  Chesterfield  in  1820, 
married  William  P.  Abbott,  of  Nashua,  afterwards  of 
Keene;  Ellen,  born  in  Chesterfield  in  1823,  married  Dr. 
Wm.  H.  Thayer,  of  Boston ;  i  Caroline,  born  in  Chester- 
field in  1825,  married  Francis  A.  Faulkner,  of  Keene;  Henry 
Clay,  born  in  Chesterfield  in  1828,  captain  in  Union  army, 
postmaster  in  Keene,  1870-74;  Hannah  Maria,  born  in 
Chesterfield  in  1830,  married  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Hatch;  Anne 
Bacon,  born  in  Chesterfield  in  1833,  unmarried;  Mary, 
born  in  Keene,  1835,  married  Hon.  Jacob  H.  Ela,  of  Roch- 
ester, N.  H. 

I  Abbott  H.  Thayer,  the    distinguised    painter,  is    their  son.     He  was  born  in 
Boston  and  brought  up  in  Keene. 


Phinkiias   II  ani)i;rs().\. 


610  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

dwelling  houses.  He  laid  out  the  court  known  as  Hart 
place,  to  which  he  removed  from  his  farm  in  1868,  where 
he  afterwards  resided  until  his  death,  Nov.  16,  1890,  aged 
eighty  years  and  nine  months.  Mrs.  Hart  died  Jan.  16, 
1893,  aged  seventy-five  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 

As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Hart  was  prompt,  reliable  and 
energetic.     His  success  was  well-earned  and  deserving. 

THOMAS   E.   HATCH. 

Dr.  Thomas  E.  Hatch,  son  of  John  and  Sally  (Ed- 
wards) Hatch,  was  born  in  1822 ;  graduated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  in  1844,  receiving  the  degree  of 
M.  D.;  the  same  year  was  appointed  assistant  physician  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Concord; 
afterwards  appointed  to  the  same  position  in  the  state 
lunatic  asylum  at  Worcester,  Mass.;  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health ;  went  to  California  in  1849 ;  returned  in  1850 ; 
made  several  voyages  to  Europe  as  surgeon  of  a  sailing 
packet;  married,  1854,  Hannah  Maria,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Phineas  Handerson,  of  Keene,  and  they  had  one  daughter 
and  one  son. 

From  1851  to  1859,  Dr.  Hatch  was  surgeon  and  pur- 
ser on  a  steamship  of  the  Nicaragua  Transit  Co.,  sailing 
between  New  York  and  San  Juan ;  again  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health ;  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Keene  in 
1861  and  held  the  office  until  1870.  He  represented  his 
ward  two  terms  in  the  New  Hampshire  legislature,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  state  constitutional  convention  in 
1876.  His  father  was  for  many  years  the  popular  land- 
lord of  the  Phoenix  Hotel  in  Keene,  and  his  mother  was 
the  second  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Edwards,  of  Keene. 
He  was  a  very  prominent  Freemason,  reaching  the  thirty- 
third  degree  in  1863.  In  1880,  he  was  appointed  to  a 
clerkship  at  Washington,  and  died  in  that  city  in  1894. 

JOHN   HAWKS. 

Lt.  Col.  John  Hawks,  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  was  one  of 
the  original  proprietors  of  Upper  Ashuelot ;  son  of  Dea, 
Eleazar    and   Judith    (Smead)    Hawks.    He    was    born   in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  611 

1707;  married,  1730,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Nims, 
an  aunt  of  David  Nims,  who  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot ;  one 
of  a  committee  in  1734  to  lay  out,  survey  and  allot  the 
intervale  lands  in  this  township;  one  of  another  com- 
mittee, the  same  year,  to  "find  the  best  place  for  a  road 
from  Upper  to  Lower  Ashuelot;"  a  sergeant  in  command 
of  Fort  Massachusetts  in  1746;  captured  after  a  gallant 
defence  and  taken  to  Canada ;  returned  after  a  few  months 
to  find  himself  "the  hero  of  Fort  Massachusetts;"  was 
the  active  agent  in  rescuing  Nathan  Blake  from  captivity 
in  1748 ;  'v^'^as  appointed  a  lieutenant  the  same  year  and 
commanded  a  company  of  scouts ;  was  a  major  in  Col. 
William  Williams's  regiment  in  Abercrombie's  disastrous 
campaign  against  Ticonderoga  in  1758 ;  lieutenant  colonel 
under  Gen.  Amherst  in  1759  and  commanded  a  detach- 
ment of  several  hundred  men  that  cut  a  road  from  Crown 
Point  over  the  Green  mountains  toward  No.  4.  "Bold, 
hardy  and  enterprising,  he  was  highly  esteemed  and  trusted 
with  important  commands." 

PETER  HAYWARD. 

Peter  Hayward  came  to  New  Hampshire  with  the 
pioneers  of  Upper  Ashuelot  and  made  the  first  settlement 
in  what  is  now  Surry  —  then  a  part  of  Gilsum,  called 
"Westmoreland  Leg."  He  also  owned  land  in  Keene, 
which  made  him  a  citizen  of  this  town ;  and  he  was  a 
town  officer  here  in  1755-6,  and  again  in  '69  and  '74, 

In  going  to  Surry  by  the  "old  road,"  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  one  may  notice  the  last  house  before  reaching 
the  bridge  —  the  first  in  Surry  —  standing  on  a  bluff",  with 
its  large,  old-fashioned  chimney  and  general  colonial  ap- 
pearance. That  house  was  built  by  this  Peter  Hayw^ard, 
his  log  cabin  having  stood  near  the  same  spot,  and  there 
he  and  his  descendants  for  several  generations  lived  and 
kept  public  house. 

Originally  of  Dedham,  the  family  removed  to  Mendon, 
Mass.,  where  Peter  was  born  in  1725.  He  married  Ruth 
Rutter  of  Mendon  and  about  the  time  named  above  he 
brought  his  wife  and  three  little  daughters  to  his  new 
home  in   the  wilderness  —  the  mother    on    horseback,  with 


612  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

little  Rachel  in  her  arms,  and  Deborah  and  Huldah  slung 
in  baskets,  one  on  each  side  of  the  horse. 

In  the  spring  of  1755  the  French  and  Indian  war  broke 
out,  and  hearing  of  hostile  Indians  in  his  vicinity,  Mr. 
Hayward,  with  his  near  neighbor,  Ebenezer  Day,  of  Keene, 
hurriedly  took  his  family  to  the  fort  in  Keene  for  safety ; 
and  then  joined  scouting  parties  to  hunt  the  savages.  His 
powder  horn,  with  curious  inscriptions,  is  still  preserved  by 
his  descendants  in  Keene.  His'  name  appears  also  on  the 
roll  of  Capt.  Josiah  Willard's  company  —  April  IS  to  Nov. 
27  —  which  held  the  fort  here  in  1749,  along  with  those  of 
David  Nims,  Samuel  Hills,  Nathan  Fairbanks  and  others 
of  Upper  Ashuelot  and  vicinity,  which  makes  it  probable 
that  he  was  here  then  and  previous  to  that  time,  with  his 
neighbors,  in  the  endeavor  to  prepare  his  home  for  his 
family. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayward  were  members  of  the 
church  here,  and  eight  children  were  baptised  —  Deborah, 
Huldah,  Rachel  and  Nathan  in  1755,  Sylvanus  in  1757, 
William  in  1759,  all  by  Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter;  and  Ruth  in 
1762,  and  Molly  in  1765,  by  Rev.  Clement  Sumner. 

The  great  grandson  of  this  hardy  pioneer,  Peter  Baxter 
Hayward,  succeeded  Dea.  Asa  Duren  in  the  bakery  so  long 
in  operation,  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Main  streets, 
and  accumulated  a  large  property.  His  brother  (George 
O.)  and  daughter  (Mrs.  A.  T.  Batchelder)  still  reside  in 
Keene.    His  widow,  Mary  Hills,  died  July  6,  1900. 

SETH  HEATON. 

Seth  Heaton,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Maria  Heaton,  of 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  was  born  in  1710;  married  Thankful 
Field,  of  the  same  family  as  the  celebrated  Cyrus  and  David 
Dudley  Field  of  recent  years.  He  was  one  of  the  first  party 
of  seven  that  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  in  September,  1734, 
and  of  the  second  party  that  came  the  next  year;  but  all 
returned  for  the  winter  in  each  case.  In  the  spring  of  1736 
he  came  again,  and  built  his  log  cabin  during  that  sum- 
mer on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  the  Marlboro  road, 
where  George  M.  Hodgkins  now  lives.  No.  497.  He  took 
his  first  divisions  of  land  and  made  his  "pitches"  in  that 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  613 

part  of  the  township,  and  ultimately  owned  several  hun- 
dred acres  there,  covering  the  south  end  of  Beech  hill  and 
extending  on  both  sides  of  the  branch,  including  a  large 
part  of  the  intervale  southwest  of  his  cabin. 

"One  of  the  first  things  he  did  was  to  plant  an  or- 
chard, and  some  years  later,  when  the  trees  were  partly 
grown  and  the  Indians  began  to  be  troublesome,  looking 
out  from  his  cabin  he  saw  one  of  the  savages  cutting  down 
an  apple  tree.  He  took  down  his  gun,  and  that  Indian 
never  cut  any  more  trees."  ''He  used  to  lie  in  his  cabin, 
or  under  a  brush  heap,  with  his  gun,  and  watch  for  lurk- 
ing Indians  while  his  wife  milked  the  cows."  (Heaton  tra- 
dition.) 

His  log  cabin  was  burned  by  the  Indians  when  the 
township  was  abandoned,  in  1747,  but  he  was  one  of  the 
first  to  return,  and  he  built  the  low  farmhouse,  still  stand- 
ing on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  opposite  the  site  of  his 
log  cabin  —  the  second  from  the  old  Mount  Pleasant  tavern 
—  and  lived  and  died  there.  He  w^as  at  one  time  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  militia.  It  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  that 
w^as  the  first  framed  house  built  in  the  township  —  doubt- 
less now  the  oldest  house  in  town  —  and  it  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  his  descendants ;  but  the  large  old  chimney  has 
been  removed  and  two  smaller  ones  substituted.  His  sons 
and  other  descendants  afterwards  built  houses  and  lived 
along  the  same  road,  towards  the  branch;  and  some  of 
the  old  barns  still  standing  there  were  built  by  the  elder 
Heaton. 

Four  of  his  sons  were  Revolutionary  soldiers  —  William, 
Jonathan,  Luther  and  Samuel.  His  children  were:  Seth, 
born  1740;  Huldah,  born  1742,  married  first,  Samuel 
Wadsworth  of  Keene,  and  second,  a  Mr.  Butterfield  ;  David, 
born  1744;  William,  born  1746;  Jonathan,  born  1750, 
married  Thankful  Clark,  of  Lancaster,  Mass.;  Susanna, 
born  1752 ;  Anna,  born  1754,  married  Capt.  John  Griggs, 
of  the  Revolutionary  army ;  Luther,  born  1756 ;  and  Sam- 
uel, born  1759. 

SAMUEL   HEATON. 

Samuel  Heaton,  youngest  son  of  above,  was  born  in 
1759 ;  married  Sarah  Boynton ;  lived  on  the  homestead 
bequeathed  to  him  by   his  father;    was  a  corporal  in  the 


614  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

company  of  Capt.  Francis  Towne  of  Rindge,  Col.  David 
Oilman's  regiment,  sent  to  reinforce  Gen.  Washington's 
army  in  December,  1776,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Tren- 
ton and  Princeton.  His  children  were:  Samuel,  born 
1783;  David,  born  1785,  married  Rebecca  Morse  of  Marl- 
boro, lived  on  the  homestead  —  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812;  Sally,  born  1787;  Seth,  born  1790,  married  Betsey 
Nourse;  Nancy,  born  1792,  married  John  Towns;  Polly, 
born  1794.     He  died  in  1830,  aged  seventy. 

ADIN    HOLBROOK. 

Adin  Holbrook  was  born  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  in 
1752;  came  to  Keene  as  early  as  1776;  was  in  Capt. 
Whitcomb's  company,  Ashley's  regiment,  on  its  march  to 
the  relief  of  Ticonderoga  in  the  fall  of  1776 ;  was  sergeant 
in  Capt.  Mack's  company,  Nichols's  regiment,  in  the  battle 
of  Bennington,  1777;  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Eben- 
ezer  Da3',  of  Keene;  was  a  millwright  and  had  a  sawmill 
in  the  west  part  of  the  town;  afterwards  settled  on  the 
Holbrook  farm,  old  Surry  road,  about  1780,  and  with  his 
son,  Adin,  Jr.,  had  a  sawmill  on  the  road  —  previouslj'- 
Partridge's  —  and  built  the  present  Holbrook  house  in  1806; 
with  Capt.  Joseph  Dorr  built  and  operated  an  oil  mill  on 
the  stream  a  few  rods  below  the  sawmill;  died  1843,  aged 
ninety-one.  His  children  were:  Adin,  Clarinda,  Chloe,  Enos, 
Cornelia,  who  were  born  between  1780  and  1792. 

GEORGE  INGERSOLL. 

Major  George  Ingersoll,  son  of  Daniel  and  Bethiah 
(Haskell)  Ingersoll,  of  Boston,  was  born  in  1754;  enlisted 
in  1775  as  a  private  in  Col.  Gridlev's  regiment  of  artillery, 
of  Massachusetts;  served  through  the  Revolutionary  war, 
receiving  promotion  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant ;  promoted 
to  captain  in  the  artillery  and  engineers  in  1795;  married, 
the  same  year,  Martha  Goldthwaite,  of  Boston,  sister  of 
the  wives  of  Dr.  Daniel  Adams  and  Dea.  James  Lanman, 
of  Keene;  commandant  at  West  Point,  1796  to  1801, 
while  it  was  a  military  school,  previous  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  military  academy;  promoted  to  major  in  the 
artillery  service  in  1803 ;  resigned  in  1804  on  account  of  ill 
health;  an  original  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Cincinnati. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  615 

While  on  a  visit  with  his  wife  to  her  sisters  in  Keene, 
Major  Ingersoll  took  a  fancy  to  the  place,  and  particularly 
to  the  house  —  then  considered  a  fine  one  —  which  still  stands 
west  of  the  little  pond  at  West  Keene,  between  Black 
brook,  which  comes  down  from  the  north,  and  White 
brook,  which  joins  it  from  the  west.  It  had  been  built  and 
kept  as  a  tavern  by  Jesse  Clark,  and  at  that  time  was 
ow^ned  and  kept  by  Joseph  Brown.  The  major  bought  it, 
with  the  farm  of  eighty-three  acres  (for  $4,000)  hoping 
there  to  recuperate  his  health.  Mrs.  Ingersoll  named  it 
"  Whitebrook,"  and  they  came  there  to  live,  in  May,  1805; 
but  he  died  in  July  of  the  same  year,  and  was  buried  with 
military  honors  in  the  Washington  street  cemetery. 

GEORGE  G.   INGERSOLL. 

Rev.  George  G.  Ingersoll,  D.  D.,  only  son  of  Major 
George  and  Martha  (Goldthwaite)  Ingersoll,  was  born  in 
Boston,  in  1796;  studied  at  Groton  and  Exeter  academies ; 
graduated  at  Harvard  in  1815,  and  from  Harvard  Divinity 
school  in  1818;  married,  1822,  Harriet  Parkhurst  (a  pupil 
in  Miss  Fiske's  school,  whom  he  met  while  on  a  visit  to 
his  relatives  in  Keene) ;  ordained  in  same  year,  pastor  of 
the  Unitarian  church  in  Burlington,  Vt.;  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health  in  1844;  settled  at  East  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  in  1847,  but  the  state  of  his  health  compelled  his 
resignation  in  1849,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Keene.  He  sometimes  supplied  pulpits  at  Northampton, 
Brattleboro  and  other  places,  and  spent  the  winter  of 
1859-60  preaching  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  "He  was  a  pol- 
ished, genial  man,  with  charming  manners  and  a  kindly 
wit."  (Miss  Dinsmoor's  memorial.)  "The  Sydney  Smith 
of  our  pulpit,"  (Christian  Register.)  At  the  centennial 
celebration  in  Keene,  in  1853,  he  read  a  witty  poem  on 
local  matters.     He  died  in  Keene  in  1863. 

CAROLINE  HASKELL  INGERSOLL. 

Miss  Caroline  Haskell  Ingersoll,  daughter  of  Rev. 
George  G.  and  Harriet  (Parkhurst)  Ingersoll,  was  born  in 
1827.  With  a  refined  taste  for  the  beautiful  in  nature  and 
art,  she  was  an  accomplished   musician ;   and  was  likewise 


616  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

remarkable  for  her  executive  ability.  Learning  that  a  beau- 
tiful pine  grove  at  West  Keene  was  about  to  be  cut  clown 
for  lumber,  she  immediately  took  up  the  work  of  preserv- 
ing it  for  a  public  park,  and  raised  the  funds  for  its  pur- 
chase by  subscription  from  the  ladies  of  Keene,  aided  by  a 
few  gentlemen  of  Keene,  and  former  residents  who  had  left 
the  town.  It  was  named  the  Ladies'  Wildwood  park,  and 
she  presented  it  to  the  city  in  1887,  as  a  gift  from  herself 
and  the  other  subscribers,  to  be  forever  kept  for  a  public 
pleasure  ground  under  the  exclusive  control  of  the  lady 
donors  for  twenty-five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  the 
management  is  to  be  vested  in  a  board  of  three,  the  mayor, 
one  alderman  and  one  lady  donor  or  the  descendant  of 
one,  who  are  to  constitute  the  Ladies'  Park  commission- 
ers; and  she  bequeathed  to  the  city  $1,000  as  a  fund,  the 
income  to  be  used  for  the  care  of  the  park. 

She  also  made  several  other  bequests  to  various  insti- 
tutions in  Keene  and  $1,000  for  the  fountain  in  Central 
park,  as  a  memorial  of  her  brother,  to  be  called  the  "Allan 
Ingersoll  Fountain."    She  died  in  Keene  in  1893. 

MOSES  JOHNSON. 

Moses  Johnson  was  an  enterprising  trader  here  from 
1787,  or  earlier,  to  1804;  also  had  a  store  in  Walpole, 
but  in  1799  removed  all  his  goods  to  Keene  and  -enlarged 
his  business  here;  in  1788  had  a  store  in  Federal  Row; 
built  the  store  since  known  as  the  Railroad  store,  which 
gave  place  to  Gurnsey's  block ;  afterwards  joined  James 
Mann  in  their  large  store,  subsequently  owned  by  A.  &  T. 
Hall.  His  large  potash  and  pearlash  works  on  the  ridge 
north  of  what  is  now  Castle  street,  near  a  distillery 
which  he  owned,  were  so  profitable  that  at  one  time,  even 
in  those  early  days,  he  received  a  check  for  $5,000  for 
his  manufactured  goods.  When  he  came  to  Keene  the 
ground  where  the  railroad  track  now  lies,  on  each  side 
of  Main  street,  and  where  the  Sentinel  building  and  the 
Watson  house,  south  of  the  track,  now  stand,  was  a  dense 
swamp,  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  alders,  with  only 
a  narrow  causeway  across  it  in  the  middle  of  the  present 
street.     Mr.   Johnson  cleared   away  those  alders  and    did 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  617 

much  towards  filling  that  part  of  the  swamp  and  making 
it  solid  ground.  He  also  did  a  large  amount  of  similar 
work  near  his  distillery,  filling  in  the  old  river  bed,  which 
ran  along  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff  near  the  present  Tilden 
schoolhouse,  and  making  it  fertile  land.  So  much  did  he  ac- 
complish for  the  benefit  of  the  town  that  at  the  centennial 
celebration  in  1853  a  toast  was  given  in  his  honor.  But 
he  was  too  generous  and  public  spirited  for  his  own  good, 
was  unfortunate  in  his  investments,  lost  his  property,  and 
removed  to  New  York  state. 

EDWARD  JOSLIN. 

Edward  Joslin,  son  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Richardson) 
Joslin  of  Stoddard,  was  born  in  Stoddard,  April  15,  1810, 
being  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children.  He 
came  to  Keene  in  1830  and  went  to  live  with  the  older 
Governor  Dinsmoor,  attending  school  where  the  Sentinel 
building  now  stands.  In  1834,  he  associated  himself  with 
George  Page  and  manufactured  the  first  mortising  machine 
made  in  this  country  (a  foot-power  machine)  in  a  shop 
which  stood  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  Washington 
schoolhouse.  In  1836  they  took  Thomas  M.  Edwards  and 
Aaron  Davis  into  partnership  and  moved  to  South  Keene. 
About  the  same  time  J.  A.  Fay  became  a  member  of  the 
firm.  Messrs.  Joslin  and  Fay  bought  out  the  other  inter- 
ests and  the  firm  was  Joslin  &  Fay.  They  brought  out  the 
first  power  mortising,  tenoning  and  moulding  machines 
ever  made.  About  1850  the  firm  erected  the  brick  mill, 
300x75  feet  in  size  and  two  stories  high,  now  occupied  by 
the  Fred  P.  Pierce  Company.  A  Cincinnati  branch  was 
established  about  the  same  year,  1850,  under  the  name  of 
J,  A.  Fay  &  Co.  The  Fay  company  united  with  a  rival, 
the  Egan  company,  soon  after  1890,  the  corporate  name 
being  the  J.  A.  Fay  &  Egan  Co.  The  capital  stock  was 
fixed  at  two  million  dollars,  and  it  became  the  largest 
maker  of  wood-working  machinery  in  this  country,  if  not 
in  the  world.  Mr.  Joslin  retained  a  large  interest  in  the 
business. 

Mr.  Joslin  was  also  interested  financially  in  the  Beaver 
mills,  the  Keene  Furniture  Company,   the  Cheshire  Chair 


618  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

Company,  the  Keene  Steam  Power  Company,  the  C.  B. 
Lancaster  Shoe  Company  and  other  concerns.  He  was  a 
director  in  the  Keene  National  bank  from  1850  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  was  its  president  for  thirty  years.  For 
many  years  he  w^as  a  trustee  and  vice  president  of  the 
Keene  Five  Cents  Savings  bank.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
committee  to  build  the  Keene  water  works  and  for  many 
years  was  one  of  the  water  commissioners. 

In  1847,  Mr.  Joslin  married  Sarah  Hale  Thayer,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Thayer  of  Keene.  His  children  were  Charles 
E.  (who  died  in  1898),  Sarah  E.  (who  married  Chester  L. 
Kingsbury  and  who  died  in  1901),  and  Isaliella  H.,  who 
married  Frank  Crandall,  of  Yonkers,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Joslin 
died  Nov.  21,  1901,  universally  esteemed  and  respected. 

BENJAMIN  KEENE. 

Sir  Benjamin  Keene  (for  whom  the  town  of  Keene  was 
named)  was  born  in  1697,  at  King's  Lynn,  Norfolk.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Charles  Keene,  merchant  and  first 
mayor  of  King's  Lynn,  in  1714,  under  King  Charles  II. 
His  mother's  name  was  Susan  Rolfe.  He  was  educated  at 
Lynn  free  grammar  school  and  at  Pembroke  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge, where  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  in 
1718. 

Through  the  influence  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  a  friend 
of  the  family,  he  was  appointed  agent  of  the  South  Sea 
Company  at  Madrid,  and  in  1724  was  promoted  to  the 
British  consulship  at  that  city.  In  September,  1727, 
through  the  same  influence,  he  was  raised  to  the  high 
post  of  minister  plenipotentiary  at  Madrid.  In  1729,  he 
concluded  a  treaty  of  defensive  alliance  on  the  part  of  Eng- 
land with  France  and  Spain.  His  double  position  of  Brit- 
ish minister  and  agent  of  the  South  Sea  Company  caused 
him  annoyance  and  denunciation  by  political  parties  and 
by  the  press,  but  he  retained  his  position  until  he  had 
signed  a  convention  with  the  Spanish  minister  in  1739 ; 
but  as  that  failed  to  prevent  the  declaration  of  war  be- 
tween England  and  Spain,  he  was  recalled,  and  returned 
to  England.  Horace  Walpole  described  him  at  that  time 
as  "one  of  the  best  kind   of  agreeable  men,  quite  fat  and 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  619 

lazy,  with  universal  knowledge."  In  1740,  he  represented 
the  borough  of  Maiden  in  Essex  in  parliament,  and  from 
1741  to  '47  he  sat  for  that  of  West  Looe  in  Cornwall. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trade  and  pay- 
master of  pensions. 

"In  1746  he  w^as  sent  as  envoy  extraordinary  and 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  Portugal  to  bring  about  a 
peace  with  Spain,  and  in  October,  1748,  he  quitted  Lis- 
bon to  resume  his  old  place  at  Madrid.  He  concluded,  on 
5  Oct.,  1750,  a  treaty  of  commerce  with  Spain,  when 
Henry  Pelham  referred  to  the  abuse  that  had  been  showered 
on  Keene,  and  claimed  that  *  he  had  acted  ably,  honestly, 
and  bravely.'  The  Duke  of  Newcastle  in  1754  wrote:  'I 
have  at  last  got  the  ribbon  [of  the  Bath]  for  Sir  Benjamin  ;' 
and  the  compliment  was  heightened  by  the  King  of  Spain 
performing  the  ceremony  of  investiture,  whereupon  the 
new  knight  took  the  motto  of  Regibus  Amicis.  In  the 
summer  of  1757  Keene  was  very  ill,  and  wished  to  retire 
from  his  post,  but  on  receiving  Pitt's  instructions  to  oifer 
the  restoration  of  Gibraltar  and  the  evacuation  of  the 
settlements  formed  in  the  Bay  of  Mexico  since  1748,  if 
Spain  would  join  Great  Britain  against  France,  he  forced 
himself  to  make  the  offer.  When  leave  to  retire  was  at 
last  conceded,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  returning  to 
England  to  enjoy  a  pension  and  a  peerage,  his  illness 
proved  fatal.  He  died  at  Madrid  on  15  Dec,  1757.  His 
body  was  brought  to  England  and  '  he  was  buried  near 
his  parents  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Nicholas,  Lynn,  a  sarcoph- 
agus of  white  marble  being  placed  over  his  grave.  A  half 
length  portrait  of  him  hangs  in  the  King's  Lynn  town 
hall.  He  left  the  bulk  of  his  fortune  to  his  brother,  Ed- 
mund Keene,  D.  D.,  bishop  of  Chester  and  afterwards  of 
Ely.' 

"  Sir  Robert  Walpole  '  had  the  highest  opinion  of  Keene's 
abilities,'  and  in  social  life  his  'indolent  good  humor'  was 
very  pleasing.  Numerous  manuscript  letters  by  him,  many 
in  cipher,  are  among  the  Newcastle  correspondence  at  the 
British  Museum  and  in  the  collections  described  in  the  His- 
torical Manuscript  Commissioner's  Reports.  The  corre- 
spondence and  other  documents  which  he  left  at  his  death 
passed  to  the  son  of  his  brother  Edmund,  and  were  sub- 
mitted to  Archdeacon  Coxe  for  his  historical  works.  Many 
printed  letters  to  and  from  him  are  in  the  '  Chatham  Cor- 
respondence,' 1,407,  etc.,  '  Atterbury  correspondence,'  5- 
256-8,  and  in  the  compilations  of  Archdeacon  Coxe.  From 
a  passage  in  Kennicott's  '  Dissertation  on  the  Hebrew  Text 
of  the  Old   Testament'    (page  358)  it  appears  that  Keene 


620  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

interested  himself  in  Spanish   Manuscripts  of  the  Bible. "i 
(Sidney  Lee's  Dictionary  of  National  Biography.) 

DANIEL  KINGSBURY. 

Deacon  Daniel  Kingsbury,  son  of  Daniel  of  Wrentham, 
Mass.,  a  descendant  of  Joseph,  who  came  from  England 
about  1630  with  his  brother  John  and  kinsman  Henry, 
was  born  in  1742 ;  came  to  Keene  previous  to  1764 ;  mar- 
ried Molly;  had  twelve  children  born  between  1767  and 
1793,  but  none  became  permanent  residents  of  Keene. 
Three  of  his  sons,  Darius,  Theodore  and  Dr.  David,  went 
West.  He  was  a  member  of  the  military  company  here  in 
1773,  and  a  lieutenant  in  Capt.  Davis  Howlett's  company 
in  the  campaign  of  1777.  He  owned  and  lived  on  what 
has  since  been  the  town  farm,  three  and  one-half  miles 
west  of  the  Square,  and  was  succeeded  there  by  his  son 
Joel.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  community  and 
held  many  important  offices  in  town  —  moderator  of  annual 
town  meetings  seventeen  years;  selectman  twelve  years; 
representative  to  the  Provincial  congress  in  1782 ;  a  mag- 
istrate; and  a  deacon  of  the  church  for  forty-five  years. 
He  died  in  1825,  aged  eighty-two. 

NATHANIEL  KINGSBURY. 

Nathaniel  Kingsbury,  elder  brother  of  Deacon  Daniel, 
was  born  in  1739;  married  first,  Mehitable  Johnson;  mar- 
ried second,  1769,  Hannah  Ware;  married  third,  1791, 
Rebecca  Bigelow,  of  Walpole;  had  eleven  children,  born 
between  1766  and  1798,  most  of  whom  lived  in  Keene  and 
vicinity.  His  descendants  number  upwards  of  eight  hun- 
dred, scattered  through  the  northern  states.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  military  company  here  in  1773,  and  was 
also  in  Capt.  Davis  Howlett's  company  in  the  campaign 
of  1777.  He  lived  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  on  what 
has  since  been  known  as  the  Ruffle  farm.    He  died  in  1803. 

ABrjAH  KINGSBURY. 

Abijah  Kingsbury,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah 
(Ware)  Kingsbury,  was  born  1778;  married,  1803,  Abigail, 

iThe  story  of  Governor  Wentworth's  friendship  for  Sir  Benjamin  and  his 
naming  the  town  for  him  is  told  in  the  account  of  the  granting  of  the  charter 
of  Keene  in  1753,  pages  103-4-. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  621 

daughter  of  Deacon  Abijah  Wilder.  They  lived  together 
fifty-three  years  and  had  eleven  children,  all  of  vi^hom  lived 
to  the  age  of  sixty-five  years  or  more:  William,  born  in 
1804,  married  Huldah  Stone;  Charles,  born  in  1805,  mar- 
ried Ruby  Osgood;  Josiah,  born  in  1807,  married  Sarah 
Baker;  Abijah  Wilder,  born  in  1809,  married  Emeline 
Wood;  Albert,  born  in  1811,  married  Ann  E.  Lyman; 
Julia  Ann,  born  in  1813,  married  Isaac  Rand ;  Mary,  born 
in  1815,  married  Jonas  Parker;  George,  born  in  1818, 
married  Lydia  W.  Briggs,  of  Keene ;  Abigail  Martha,  born 
in  1820,  married  Enoch  W.  Winchester;  Sarah,  born  in 
1822,  married  George  Rising,  and  lived  in  Kansas  in  the 
exciting  and  bloody  times  of  the  first  settlement  of  that 
state;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1827,  married  Deacon  George  P. 
Drown.  Many  descendants  of  the  family  are  still  living  in 
town.  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  an  active  citizen  and  did  a 
large  business,  for  those  times,  in  shoemaking.  He  died  in 
1860,  aged  eighty-two. 

ZEBADIAH   KEYES. 

Zebadiah  Keyes  (formerly  spelled  Kise)  was  born  in 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  in  1776;  married  Sybil  Dunn;  came  to 
Keene  and  with  Moses  H.  Hale  (Hale  &  Kise),  in  1806, 
bought  of  Luther  Smith  the  mills  and  water  privilege  on 
Ashuelot  river,  now  Faulkner  &  Colony's,  and  carried  on 
the  milling  and  clothiers'  business  there  until  1814,  when 
they  sold  to  John  Maguire.  His  children  were:  Almira, 
born  1803,  married  John  Colony,  of  Keene ;  Elbridge,  born 
1804,  married,  first,  Martha  W.  Rugg,  and  second,  Mary 
W.  Campbell,  and  was  for  many  years  a  merchant  in 
Keene,  with  Joshua  D.  Colony;  Harriet,  born  1807,  mar- 
ried Nathaniel  Evans,  a  merchant,  of  Keene;  Susan  B., 
born  1816,  married  Harvey  A.  Bill,  editor  of  the  Cheshire 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  LAMSON. 

William  Lamson,  son  of  Joseph  and  Susanna  (Froth- 
ingham)  Lamson,  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  1763; 
came  to  Keene  on  foot  with  his  bundle  slung  on  his  cane 
over  his  shoulder,  in  May,  1787;  bought  of  Capt.  Josiah 
Richardson   one-fourth  of  an   acre  of  land  —  then   an  open 


622  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

field  —  where  Lamson  block  and  the  Keene  Five  Cents  Sav- 
ings bank  now  stand,  and  established  a  tannery.  When  he 
had  paid  for  his  land,  put  up  a  building  for  a  currier's 
shop  and  bark  mill,  bought  his  stock,  and  had  his  tannery 
ready  for  business,  he  had  just  one  pistareen  (seventeen 
cents)  left  in  his  pocket.  That  he  went  out  and  spent  for 
a  mug  of  flip  for  himself  and  friends,  and  then  went  to 
work.  When  his  own  work  was  slack  he  would  earn  a 
little  by  "striking"  for  his  near  neighbor,  a  blacksmith. 
As  business  prospered  his  operations  were  extended  and  ad- 
ditional land  was  purchased  until  the  estate  comprised, 
besides  outlying  lands  and  mortgages,  about  eighty-eight 
thousand  square  feet  on  Main  and  West  streets,  which  is 
still  owned  and  occupied  by  his  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Grif- 
fin. In  1790,  he  returned  to  Charlestown  and  married 
Margery  Russell.  The  young  couple  came  as  far  as  New 
Ipswich  in  a  chaise,  but  from  there  to  Keene  there  was  no 
road ;  so,  both  mounting  one  horse,  the  bride  on  a  pillion 
behind  her  husband,  w^ith  all  her  marriage  outfit  tied  in  a 
bundle,  they  came  by  a  bridle  path  through  the  woods  to 
their  future  home.  Four  sons  and  three  daughters  were 
born  to  them.  The  eldest  son,  William,  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  merchant  and  citizen  of  Keene,  owning  and 
occupying  the  large  brick  block  on  the  corner  of  Roxbury 
street  and  the  Square,  which  was  burned  in  1865.  The 
third  son,  Charles,  succeeded  his  father  in  business,  and 
was  a  director  in  the  Cheshire  bank,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Cheshire  Provident  Institution  for  Savings. 

Mr.  Lamson  was  a  man  of  great  business  capacity, 
staunch  integrity,  sound  judgment,  amiable  and  generous 
in  disposition,  prompt  to  aid  worthy  young  men  starting 
in  life,  and  one  who  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all.  He  died  in  1828,  aged  sixty-five,  leaving,  among  other 
bequests,  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  aid  in  the  erection  of 
the  first  Unitarian  meetinghouse,  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Church  streets,  and  fifty  dollars  a  year  for  five  years 
towards  the  current  expenses  of  that  church  and  society. 

FARNUM   F.    LANE. 

Farnum   F.   Lane,   son    of   Ezekiel    and    Rachel    (Fish) 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  623 

Lane,  was  born  in  Svvanzey  in  1816 ;  was  brought  up  on 
his  father's  farm  ;  attended  academies  at  Hancock  and  New 
Ipswich ;  taught  school ;  studied  law  with  Thomas  M.  Ed- 
wards ;  began  practice  at  Winchester  in  1843 ;  removed  to 
Walpole;  came  to  Keene  in  1849;  was  county  solicitor  for 
ten  years ;  representative  to  the  legislature  from  Walpole 
in  1847-8  and  from  Keene  in  1862-3.  Although  not  a 
popular  advocate,  he  was  well  read  in  the  law,  prepared 
his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  managed  them  with 
sound  judgment,  and  was  a  lawyer  in  whom  the  courts 
had  great  confidence  and  an  antagonist  whom  other  law- 
yers dreaded  to  meet.  He  married,  1846,  Harriet,  daughter 
of  John  and  Harriet  (Locke)  Butler,  of  Winchester,  by 
whom  he  had  two  daughters.     He  died  in  1887. 

THOMAS  H.   LEVERETT. 

Thomas  H.  Leverett,  son  of  Thomas  and  Susannah 
(Johnson,  of  London,  Eng.)  Leverett,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Maj.  Gen.  Sir  John  Leverett,  governor  of  Massachusetts 
in  1673-9,  was  born  in  Windsor,  Vt.,  in  1806;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  pulilic  schools  and  at  Capt.  Partridge's  military 
school  at  Norwich,  Vt.;  came  to  Keene  in  1836  and  was 
cashier  of  the  Ashuelot  bank  for  thirty-three  years ;  mar- 
ried, first,  Harriet  B.  Nelson,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Sarah  D.,  who  married  Reuben  A.  Tuttle,  of  Boston; 
married,  second,  Abby  Barnes,  a  teacher  in  Miss  Fiske's 
school,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Katharine  F.,  a 
resident  of  Keene,  one  son  who  died  in  infancy,  and  one 
son,  Frank  J.,  who  enlisted  in  the  Ninth  New  Hampshire 
Volunteers  and  died  in  the  service,  at  Paris,  Ky.,  in  1863, 
aged  nineteen. 

Mr.  Leverett  was  a  genial,  public  spirited  man,  took  a 
leading  part  and  exercised  a  powerful  influence  in  the  inter- 
ests of  agriculture  and  horticulture;  was  the  active  agent 
in  the  organization  of  the  Cheshire  County  Agricultural 
Society  in  1847;  and  also  active  in  the  purchase  and  im- 
provement, by  the  erection  of  suitable  buildings,  of  its 
twenty-five  acres  of  ground  —  now  Wheelock  park  —  and  in 
the  management  for  many  years  of  its  very  successful 
exhibitions.     He  died  in  November,  1882. 


624  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


ABIEL  ABBOT  LIVERMORE. 


Rev.  Abiel  Abbot  Livermore,  D.  D.,  was  bom  in  Wil- 
ton, N.  H.,  in  1811;  prepared  for  college  at  Phillips  Exe- 
ter academy;  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1833,  and  at  Har- 
vard Divinity  school  in  1836;  was  ordained  and  settled 
over  the  Unitarian  church  in  Keene  at  the  close  of  the  same 
year ;   married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jacob  Abbott. 

His  father  was  an  intelligent  farmer,  prominent  in  his 
town  and  community.  His  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
distinguished  Abbot  family  of  Wilton.  He  took  high  rank 
as  a  scholar,  and  was  a  ''genuine,  refined,  high-minded 
man."  Rev.  Dr.  Morrison,  editor  of  the  Christian  Register, 
wrote  of  him:  "The  relation  of  the  young  pastor  and  his 
wife,  a  fitting  helpmeet  for  such  a  man,  to  the  people  of 
their  parish,  and  to  the  whole  community  in  which  they 
lived,  has  always  seemed  to  me  as  happy  a  relation  as  I 
have  ever  known."  While  in  Keene  he  did  much  for  the 
cultivation  of  literary  taste  in  the  community,  organized  a 
large  book  club  which  contained  all  the  choice  periodicals 
of  the  day,  and  encouraged  the  study  of  the  higher  liter- 
ary works,  not  only  of  English,  but  of  German  and  other 
authors.  He  also  edited  a  small  paper,  the  Social  Gazette, 
for  the  publication  of  the  literary  efforts  of  the  young, 
and  was  always  the  beloved  pastor  and  cherished  friend. 
His  lectures  to  young  men  and  his  prize  essay  on  the  Mex- 
ican war  were  published,  and  he  edited  the  Cheshire  collec- 
tion of  hymns. 

After  nearly  fourteen  years  of  very  active  labor  in 
Keene  his  health  gave  way  and  he  was  compelled  to  resign 
his  charge.  Believing  that  he  might  continue  his  work  in 
a  milder  climate  he  accepted  a  call  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
1850,  where  he  remained  six  years.  After  that,  for  seven 
years  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  and  in 
1863  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  theological  school  at 
Meadville,  Pa.,  and  for  twenty-seven  years  filled  that 
position  with  remarkable  ability  and  success.  Besides  the 
works  already  mentioned  and  many  articles  for  various 
periodicals,  he  published  a  volume  of  sermons  —  Commen- 
taries on  the  New  Testament  —  which  he  began  while  in 
Keene;   and  for  several  vears  while  at   Yonkerg  he  edited 


1 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  625 

the  Christian  Inquirer.  His  last  work  was  that  of  writing 
the  history  of  his  native  town,  Wilton. 

"Dr.  Livermore  deserves  to  be  most  gratefully  remem- 
bered among  us.  His  rounded  completeness  of  life  was 
matched  by  an  equally  happy  poise  and  symmetry  of 
character  —  a  conjunction  as  admirable  as  it  is  rare.  No 
breath  of  calumny  ever  ventured  to  question  his  integrity. 
His  graceful  and  unfailing  courtesy  was  a  constant  rebuke 
to  our  modern  boorishness  —  a  man  made  to    be  loved," 

He  died  at  Wilton  in  1892. 

DANIEL  NEWCOMB. 

Hon.  Daniel  Newcomb,  son  of  Jonathan,  was  born  in 
Norton  (Mansfield),  Mass.,  in  1747;  graduated  at  Har- 
vard in  1768 ;  studied  theology  and  preached  a  few  years  ; 
read  law  with  Judge  Lowell  of  Boston ;  settled  in  Keene  in 
1778 ;  married,  1781,  Sarah  Stearns  of  Lunenburg,  Mass. 
The  children  by  that  marriage  were:  Sally,  born  in  1782, 
married  John  G.  Bond  of  Keene;  George,  born  in  1783, 
entered  Dartmouth  college  when  nine  years  old  and  was 
drowned  in  the  Ashuelot  river  at  the  age  of  thirteen ; 
Daniel,  born  in  1785,  graduated  at  Dartmouth,  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Rush  of  Philadelphia,  practiced  in  Bos- 
ton and  died  at  Keene  in  1809 ;  Seth,  born  in  1786,  grad- 
uated at  Harvard,  practiced  law  in  Keene  and  died  in 
1811  ;  Henry  S.,  born  in  1788,  was  lieutenant  in  the  army 
in  1812-14,  and  died  in  1825;  Levi,  born  in  1790  and 
died  in  the  senior  class  of  Dartmouth  in  1810;  Fanny, 
born  in  1791,  married  Daniel  D.  Hatch  of  Keene;  Charles, 
born  in  1792,  entered  Harvard  and  went  West;  Walter, 
born  in  1794,  entered  Harvard,  left  on  account  of  sickness, 
entered  the  United  States  navy  and  died  in  the  West  In- 
dies of  yellow  fever  in  1822 ;  Patty,  born  in  1796,  mar- 
ried Dr.  M.  Johnson  and  died  in  Cleveland,  O.,  in  1858. 

His  wife,  Sarah,  died  in  1796. 

He  married,  second,  1800,  Hannah  Dawes,  widow  of 
Benj.  Goldthwaite  of  Boston.  His  children  by  the  second 
marriage  were:  Hannah  Dawes,  born  in  1803,  never  mar- 
ried, died  1887;  William  Dawes,  born  1804;  Francis,  born 
1807;  Harriet,  born  1809,  married  Rev.  Fred  West  Hol- 
land, of  Cambridge,  Mass.;  Lucretia,  born  in  1812,  died  in 
1823. 


626  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

In  1781,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Esq.,  was  a  delegate  from 
Keene  to  a  convention  at  Walpole,  and  another  at  Charles- 
town,  in  the  controversy  concerning  the  New  Hampshire 
Grants ;  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  inferior  court  for 
the  county  of  Cheshire  in  1790;  was  delegate  from  Keene 
to  the  constitutional  convention  of  New  Hampshire  in  1781, 
and  again  in  1791-2,  and  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
that  drafted  our  present  state  constitution ;  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  superior  court  of  New  Hampshire  in  1796; 
representative  to  the  legislature,  1795 ;  state  senator, 
1795-6,  1800-1,  1805-6. 

Judge  Newcomb's  office,  during  his  later  years,  was  in 
the  small  building  already  described  in  the  sketch  of  Gov. 
Dinsmoor,  senior.  Besides  owning  many  houses,  farms  and 
other  tracts  of  land  —  many  of  them  obtained  through 
mortgages  —  he  bought  the  site  of  the  first  meetinghouse 
in  Keene  in  1795,  and  built  a  fine  colonial  house  on  that 
lot ;  and  there  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Being  at 
the  head  of  the  Cheshire  county  bar,  and  wealthy,  he 
entertained  liberally,  particularly  at  court  time.^ 

Judge  Newcomb  was  an  eminent  and  public  spirited 
citizen  and  did  much  for  the  benefit  of  the  town.  He 
established,  and  for  some  years  supported,  a  grammar 
school  in  Keene  almost  wholly  at  his  ow^n  expense.  He 
sent  six  sons  to  college,  two  of  whom  died  before  gradu- 
ating, and  one  left  on  account  of  sickness.  Nearly  all  his 
children  died  young.  He  had  an  impediment  in  his  speech, 
not  stuttering,  but  complete  paralysis  of  the  vocal  organs 
when  excited.  He  died  July  14,  1818,  aged  seventy-two. 
His  widow,  Hannah  Dawes,  died  in  1855,  aged  sixty-seven. 

DAVID  NIMS. 

David  Nims,  of  Huguenot  descent,  was  the  son  of 
Ebenezer  and  Sarah  (Hoyt)  Nims,  both  of  whom  were 
among  the  captives  taken  from  Deerfield,  Mass.,  to  Canada 

1  Before  the  judge's  grounds  were  graded  there  was  a  slight  depression  in 
his  yard,  where  water  stood  after  a  heavy  ram.  One  evening  a  party  of  the 
legal  profession  and  others  dined  with  the  judge  and  partook  of  his  excellent 
wine.  Among  the  number  was  Dr.  Philip  Carrigan,  who  published  an  excellent 
map  of  New  Hampshire  near  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  A  rain  had 
made  the  ground  slippery  and  filled  the  depression,  and  as  the  party  came  out 
one  of  them  slipped,  lost  his  balance,  and  phiiiged  into  the  pool  of  water.  Be- 
fore attempting  to  rise  he  called  out,  "Carrigan!  Carrigan!"  "What  do  you 
want?"  asked  the  doctor.  "Put  down  on  your  map  of  New  Hampshire  a 
thundering  great  mud  puddle  right  in  front  of  Judge  Newcomb's  house." 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  627 

in  1704,  and  were  married  while  in  captivity.  He  was 
born  in  Deerfield,  in  1716;  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  in 
1736-7;  was  chosen  "scribe"  of  the  proprietors  in  July, 
1737;  a  member  of  the  church  at  its  formation  in  1738; 
one  of  the  thirty-nine  settlers  who  received  grants  of  ten 
acres  of  land  from  the  proprietors  in  1740  "for  hazarding 
their  lives  and  estate  by  living  here  to  bring  forward  the 
settling  of  the  place."  In  1742  he  married  Abigail,  daugh- 
ter of  Eliezer  and  Abigail  (Wells)  Hawks  of  Deerfield,  niece 
of  John  Hawks.  He  had  bought,  in  1739,  of  Daniel  Haws, 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  and  first  settlers  of  Upper 
Ashuelot,  a  part  of  the  farm  east  of  our  present  Washing- 
ton street,  since  known  as  the  Lucien  B.  Page  farm,i 
adding  to  it  later,  and  built  his  log  cabin  there  —  which 
was  burned  by  the  Indians  when  the  place  was  abandoned 
in  1747.  Very  soon  after  the  settlement  was  broken  up 
he  enlisted  in  Capt.  Josiah  Willard's  company  of  regular 
troops  of  Massachusetts  stationed  at  the  two  Ashuelots, 
and  served  in  that  company  through  the  seasons  of  1747, 
'48  and  '49.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  return  to  the 
settlement,  doubtless  as  early  as  1750  (he  may  have 
built  a  log  cabin  and  brought  his  wife  back  earlier,  for 
troops  were  "billeted"  on  families  here  in  1749),  and  soon 
afterwards  built  his  house  on  the  site  of  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Charles  Wright,  2d,  and  lived  and  died  there. 
(The  Nims  house  was  removed  about  1884-5  to  Page 
street.  No,  39,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  town). 

At  the  first  town  meeting  under  the  New  Hampshire 
charter,  in  May,  1753,  David  Nims  was  chosen  town  clerk, 
and  he  held  that  office  for  seven  consecutive  years,  ten  in 
all ;  was  town  treasurer  six  years ;  moderator  of  annual 
town  meetings  six  years ;  selectman  nine  years ;  and  for 
more  than  twenty  years  was  otherwise  prominent  in  town 
affairs. 

By  one  of  the  proprietors'  divisions  of  land  he  received 
104  acres  of  land  near  the  east  line  of  the  town,  in  what 
is  now  Roxbury,  conveyed    it    to    his    son,   David,   Jr.,  in 

i"The  meadows  on  Beaver  brook  were  a  part  of  his  farm,  and  in  the  early 
days  he  used  to  employ  Thomas  Wells,  who  was  a  great  hunter  —  the  'Farmer 
Wells'  who  furnished  Hon.  Salma  Hale  much  material  for  his  'Annals  of  Keene  ' 
—  to  watch  with  his  gun  for  Indians  while  he  worked  on  his  farm."  (William 
S.  Briggs.) 


628  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

1763 ;  and  it  is  still  in  possession  of  his  descendants.  In 
the  military  organizations  in  Keene  in  1773,  David  Nims 
was  on  the  alarm  list,  and  his  five  sons,  David,  Jr.,  Asahel, 
Eliakim,  Zadock  and  Alpheus,  were  in  the  ranks  of  the 
regular  militia  company;  and  Asahel,  Eliakim  and  Alpheus 
were  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 

He  died  July  21,  1803,  aged  eighty-seven.  Forty  of 
his  descendants  followed  him  to  the  grave.  His  wife, 
Abigail  Hawks  Nims,  died  in  1799,  aged  eighty,  and  at 
that  time  their  descendants  numbered  —  children,  ten; 
grandchildren,  fifty ;  great  grandchildren,  twenty-one.  From 
them  "descended  all  of  that  name  now  living  in  this  vicin- 
ity, and  the  whole  number  of  their  progeny  is  about  two 
thousand."  His  portrait,  painted  by  Jeremiah  Stiles  ^  (see 
Stiles  sketch),  presented  to  the  city  of  Keene  by  one  of  Mr. 
Nims's  descendants,  hangs  in  the  Thayer  library  building. 

ASAHEL  NIMS. 

Asahel  Nims,  third  son  2  of  David  Nims,  was  born  in 
1749.  Upon  reaching  his  majority  he  bought  of  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Hall  114  acres  of  land  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  —  now  a  part  of  Sullivan  —  set  to  work  to  clear  it, 
built  a  house,  and  became  engaged  to  be  married.  When 
the  Lexington  alarm  reached  Keene,  on  the  20th  of  April, 
1775,  he  joined  his  neighbors  at  the  meeting  on  the  com- 
mon that  afternoon.  Thirty  men  volunteered  to  go  "to 
oppose  the  regulars."  Tradition  says  that  one  of  them 
grew  faint-hearted  and  skulked  away,  and  that  Asahel 
Nims  offered  to  take  his  place.  He  was  accepted,  was 
made  a  sergeant  at  the  organization  of  the  company,  and 
at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  instantly  killed. 

ELIAKIM   NIMS. 

Eliakim  Nims,  brother  of  Asahel,  was  born  in  1751 ; 
lived  with  his  father  when  a  young  man ;  one  of  the  thirty 
patriots  who  marched  from  Keene  with  Capt.  Wyman  on 
the  21st  of  April,  1775,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill;  was  in  Col.  Isaac  Wyman 's  regiment  in  the  northern 
army  in  1776 ;  member  of  the  committee  of  safety  in  1776 ; 

iThe  portrait  was  restored  for  preservation  by  Mr    Geo.  H.  Tilden. 
2  David,  Jr.,  was  the  eldest.     Asahel,  the  second,  died  in  infancy. 


Vlv^ 


J, 


0      /N_- 


Lanmon  Nims. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  629 

married  Abigail,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Briggs  of  Keene; 
removed  to  the  north  part  of  the  town,  now  a  part  of 
Sullivan  (probably  took  his  brother  Asahel's  farm) ;  was 
given  the  title,  and  possibly  held  the  rank  in  the  militia,  of 
captain;  was  selectman  of  Sullivan  in  1795;  died  in  that 
town,  aged  about  ninety-five. 

EBENEZER  NIMS. 

Ebenezer  Nims,  elder  brother  of  David,  was  born  in 
Canada  in  1713;  married,  1735,  Merc}^  daughter  of  Samuel 
Smead ;  came  to  Upper  Ashuelot  in  1736-7 ;  was  chosen 
collector  of  taxes  for  the  proprietors  in  May,  1737;  one 
of  the  original  members  of  the  church  in  1738;  one  of 
those  to  receive  a  grant  of  land  from  the  proprietors  in 
1740  for  hazarding  his  life  to  bring  forward  the  settle- 
ment of  the  town ;  returned  with  the  settlers  and  was 
town  treasurer  in  1754  and  selectman  in  1757  and  '58 ; 
lived  in  the  fort ;  had  a  daughter  Mary,  born  in  1756.  He 
was  on  the  alarm  list  in  1773;  and  removed  to  Deerfield, 
Mass. 

LANMON   NIMS. 

Lanmon  Nims,  son  of  Asahel  and  Mary  (Heaton)  Nims, 
and  grandson  of  David,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Sullivan,  N.  H., 
1811 ;  was  carpenter,  contractor,  miller  and  wheelw^right. 
After  a  few  years  in  business  at  Peterboro,  Swanzey,  and 
on  Ferry  brook  in  Keene,  he  came  to  the  village,  and  in 
1850  bought  the  small  mills  then  in  operation  on  Mechanic 
street,  enlarged  them  and  established  the  sash,  door  and 
blind  business,  taking  in  Daniel  Buss,  and  later  Cyrus 
Woodward,  as  partners.  The  plant  was  again  enlarged, 
and  in  1859  Mr.  Nims  sold  to  Buss  &  Woodward.  After 
four  j^ears  spent  at  White  River  Junction  and  in  the  Fair- 
banks mills  (on  Ralston  street)  in  Keene,  he  returned 
(1863)  to  the  Mechanic  street  mills,  and,  with  Samuel  B. 
Crossfield  (Nims  &  Crossfield)  leased  power  and  continued 
his  former  business  there.  In  March,  1864,  the  boiler  ex- 
ploded, killed  two  workmen,  injured  five  others,  and 
wrecked  the  buildings.  In  the  spring  of  1867  the  firm 
bought  the  property  and  rebuilt,  but  in  August  of  the 
same  year  all  was  destroyed  by  fire.    In   1868  the  present 


630  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

mills  were  built  by  the  Keene  Steam  Power  Company  and 
leased  to  Nims,  Crossfield  &  Co.  In  1873  the  firm  became 
Niras,  Whitney  &  Co.,  and  still  continues  the  same,  although 
Mr.  Nims  died  in  1887.  He  built  the  present  city  hall, 
under  Mr.  Charles  E.  Parker,  architect,  the  first  Methodist 
meetinghouse,  and  about  fifty  other  buildings  in  town, 
some  of  them  houses  of  the  best  class. 

With  onW  a  common  school  education,  but  with  a  love 
of  books,  particularly  those  on  history,  science  and  me- 
chanics, he  became  a  remarkably  well-informed  man. 

He  was  twice  married  and  had  eleven  children  —  three 
sons  and  eight  daughters. 

BENJAMIN  NOURSE. 

Benjamin  Nourse  —  original  name  Nurse  —  was  born  in 
Rutland,  Mass.,  1744;  married  Mercy  Stevens,  an  English 
girl;  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  from  Packersfield,  in 
1775;  sold  his  farm  in  Packersfield  —  in  the  part  that  is 
now  Roxburj'  —  towards  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  taking  his  pay  in  Continental  money  which  proved 
to  be  almost  worthless,  and  came  to  Keene;  had  thirteen 
children,  Phineas,  Silas,  Isaac,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  Francis,  and 
eight  girls;  lived  with  his  son  Phineas;  made  baskets,  some 
of  which  are  still  in  existence,  on  the  same  farm.  He  and 
his  wife  died  on  the  same  day,  in  1840,  at  the  house  of  their 
daughter.  Charity,  second  wife  of  Ephraim  Wright,  2d. 
His  age  was  ninety-six ;   his  wife's,  ninety-three. 

PHINEAS  NOURSE. 

Phineas  Nourse,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mercy  (Stevens) 
Nourse,  was  born  in  1775;  married  Anna  Thompson  of 
Keene,  sister  of  Aaron,  Daniel  and  Thomas.  After  living 
about  fifteen  years  in  Littleton,  N.  H.,  he  returned  to 
Keene,  and  wdth  his  son  Calvin,  in  1823,  bought  of  the 
heirs  of  Peleg  Sprague  the  farm  on  Beech  hill  now  known 
as  the  Luther  Nourse  farm.  Jacob  Stiles  had  owned  the 
place  in  earl^'  days,  and  had  sold  to  Abraham  Wheeler, 
Jr.,  in  1771.  The  house  and  barn,  both  still  standing, 
were  built  by  Wheeler,  who  was  afterwards  colonel  of 
militia  and  tavern  keeper  in  Ash  Swamp.     The  house  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  631 

built  in  1773,  and  the  barn  was  raised  on  the  da}-  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Wheeler  sold  to  Sprague,  who  died 
in  that  house. 

The  house  is  of  the  usual  farmer's  pattern  of  the  old 
style,  showing  heaYj  oak  timbers  below  and  pine  ones 
above,  a  large  chimney  in  the  middle  with  its  ample  fire- 
place (though  now  parth'  rebuilt)  provided  with  crane 
and  pot-hooks,  and  its  brick  oven  and  ash  hole.  Some  of 
the  finish  still  remaining  is  of  pine  boards  three  feet  in 
width,  with  doors  made  of  a  single  board  hung  on  wooden 
hinges  and  fastened  wath  wooden  latches,  as  in  the  olden 
time. 

Like  his  father,  Phineas  Nourse  had  thirteen  children, 
Calvin,  Luther,  George,  Phineas,  Jr.,  four  other  sons,  and 
five  daughters. 

The  histor\'  of  this  Nourse  family  is  a  remarkable  one. 
They  are  descendants  of  Rebecca  Towne,i  wife  of  Francis 
Nourse,  who  was  hanged  as  a  witch  at  Salem,  Mass.,  July 
19,  1692,  at  the  age  of  sevent3'-one.  Her  body  was  thrown 
among  the  rocks,  but  was  rescued  by  her  family  and  buried 
in  the  family  lot  at  Dan  vers,  Mass.  Man3'  years  after- 
wards a  monument  was  erected  to  her  memory  and  dedi- 
cated with  memorial  services.  Whittier  wrote  for  that 
occasion  the  lines : 

'"Oh,  Christian  Martyr,  who  for  trnth  conld  die 
When  ail  abont  thee  owned  the  hideous  lie. 
The  world  redeemed  from  superstition's  sway 
Is  breathing  freer  for  thy  sake  today." 

DA\^D   OLIPHAXT. 

Rev.  David  Oliphant  was  born  in  Waterford,  N.  Y.,  in 
1791 ;  graduated  at  Union  college,  1809,  and  Andover 
Theological  seminar\'  in  1813 ;  came  to  Keene  as  a  can- 
didate in  November,  1814;  ordained  May  24,  1815;  mar- 
ried in  September,  1815,  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  Abiel 
Pearson,  of  Andover,  Mass.;  dismissed  from  Keene  in  the 
autumn  of  1817.  It  was  said  that  one  cause  of  his  iin- 
popularity  and  dismissal  was  that  he  took  strong  ground 
against  the  prevailing  intemperance.  His  ministry  here 
was  "somewhat  less  than  three  years,  and  yet  he  made  a 

1  The  greatest  American  woman  artist  (painter)  in  Paris  in  1900  was  Miss 
Elizabeth  C.  Nonrse,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  direct  descendant  of  this  Rebecca 
Nourse  who  was  hanged  at  Salem.  (Vance  Thompson,  in  Cosmopolitan  Maga- 
zine,  1900.) 


632  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

great  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  people."    Ninety-one 
were  added  to  the  church,  and  he  baptized  129  persons. 

After  leaving  Keene  he  was  soon  settled  over  the  Third 
church  in  Upper  Beverly,  Mass.,  where  he  was  a  successful 
minister  for  sixteen  years.  He  was  then  dismissed,  and 
soon  settled  again  in  Wells,  Me.  He  died  in  1872.  Many 
pages  of  the  old  church  records  are  in  his  clear,  elegant 
handwriting, 

ELIJAH  PARKER. 

Elijah  Parker,  Esq.,  son  of  Capt.  Stephen  and  Mary 
(Morse)  Parker  of  New  Ipswich  and  Packersfield,  N.  H., 
was  born  in  New  Ipswich  in  1776,  but  the  family  removed 
to  Packersfield  when  Elijah  was  about  two  years  old. 
Capt.  Parker  commanded  his  company  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  had  somewhat  intimate  relations  with  Washing- 
ton. Elijah  gained  his  education  by  his  own  efforts ;  gradu- 
ated at  Dartmouth,  1806;  read  law  with  George  B.  Upham 
of  Claremont,  and  Foster  Alexander  of  Keene ;  began  prac- 
tice here  in  1813 ;  married,  1814,  Sally,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Aaron  Hall.  He  was  at  one  time  in  partnership  with  Joel 
Parker  (E.  &  J.  Parker),  and  later  with  Salma  Hale.  Mr. 
Parker  did  a  large  oflSce  business,  and  settled  many  estates, 
but  seldom  appeared  as  an  advocate.  In  1814,  the  year 
of  his  marriage,  he  bought  of  Luther  Smith,  the  clock- 
maker,  the  house  on  the  north  corner  of  School  and  Court 
streets,  which  was  replaced  a  few  years  ago  by  the  present 
residence  there,  and  lived  there  until  his  death,  in  1858,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two.  His  widow  lived  there  until  1875, 
when  she  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two. 

His  children  were:  David  Hall,  born  in  1815,  married 
Elizabeth  Britton,  died  in  1868;  Mary  Morse,  born  in 
1817,  married  Hon.  Joel  Parker;  Elijah  Wellman,  born  in 
1819,  died  in  infancy ;  Henry  Elijah,  born  in  1821,  pastor 
of  a  Congregational  church  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  chaplain  of 
the  Second  New  Hampshire  Volunteers  in  1861,  professor 
in  Dartmouth  college;  Horatio  G.,  born  in  1823,  an  emi- 
nent lawyer  in  Boston ;  Charles  Edward,  born  in  1826, 
architect  in  Boston,  designed  St.  James's  church,  the  city 
hall  and  several  residences  in  Keene.  The  celebrated  musi- 
cian, Horatio  W.  Parker,  is  the  son  of  Charles  Edward. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  633 

JOEL  PARKER. 

Hon.  Joel  Parker,  LL.  D.,  son  of  Abel  and  Edith 
(Jewett)  Parker,  was  born  in  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  in  1795;  fitted 
at  Groton  academy,  Mass.;  graduated  at  Dartmouth, 
1811 ;  read  law  with  his  brother  Edmund,  at  Amherst, 
N.  H.;  began  practice  in  Keene  in  1816;  spent  one  year  in 
Columbus,  Ohio ;  returned  to  Keene  and  w^as  for  several 
years  a  partner  with  Elijah  Parker,  Esq.;  represented 
Keene  in  the  legislature  in  1824,  '25  and  '26;  was 
appointed  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  judicature  of  New 
Hampshire  in  1833;  and  chief  justice  of  the  same  in  1838; 
and  he  is  acknowledged  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  able 
and  learned  of  all  the  chief  justices  New  Hampshire  has 
had.  In  a  conflict  of  opinion  between  him  and  Chief  Jus- 
tice Story  of  Massachusetts,  Judge  Parker  was  sustained 
by  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  In  1840  he 
was  chairman  of  the  commission  to  revise  the  statutes  of 
New  Hampshire.  In  1847  he  was  appointed  Royal  pro- 
fessor in  the  Harvard  Law  school,  removed  to  Cambridge, 
and  held  that  position  for  twenty  years.  In  the  same  year 
of  this  appointment  he  was  also  appointed  professor  of 
jurisprudence  in  Dartmouth  college;  and  after  his  resigna- 
tion from  the  chair  at  Harvard  he  was  non-resident  pro- 
fessor of  law  at  Dartmouth,  and  left  a  part  of  his  fortune 
to  establish  a  law  department  in  that  institution.  He 
received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Dartmouth  in  1837, 
and  from  Harvard  in  1848.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  constitutional  convention  in  1853,  and  of  a 
commission  to  revise  the  statutes  of  that  state  in  1855 ; 
and  he  contributed  many  learned  and  valuable  papers  to 
various  publications,  and  to  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society  and  other  organizations. 

In  1848,  he  married  Mary  Morse,  daughter  of  Elijah 
Parker,  Esq.,  of  Keene,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.    He  died  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  August  17,  1875. 

His  father,  Hon.  Abel  Parker  of  Jaffrey,  for  many  years 
judge  of  probate  for  Cheshire  county,  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier  and  paid  a  comrade  to  exchange  places  with  him 
and  give  him  the  privilege  of  going  into  the  fight  at  Bun- 
ker Hill,  where  he  was  severely  wounded. 


634  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

In  private  life  Judge  Joel  Parker  was  dignified  in  his 
deportment,  yet  genial  and  even  fascinating  in  conversa- 
tion ;  and  his  character  was  of  the  highest.  He  was  espe- 
cially fond  of  flowers  and  the  cultivation  of  them,  and  he 
set  many  rare  plants  and  shrubs  in  the  garden  of  the  Hall 
parsonage,  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  Pond  residence 
on  West  street.  He  also  planted  and  cultivated  an  orchard 
of  rare  fruit  in  the  west  part  of  the  town. 

JUSTUS  PERRY. 

Gen.  Justus  Perry,  son  of  Dr.  Justus  and  Martha 
(Frost)  Perry,  was  born  in  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  in  1788; 
educated  in  the  public  schools ;  apprenticed  to  David  Wil- 
kinson of  Marlboro  to  learn  the  saddler's  trade ;  bought 
his  minority  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and  set  up  in  business 
for  himself  in  a  small  store  at  old  Marlboro  Centre  on  the 
hill ;  came  to  Keene  in  1812  and  succeeded  Sparhawk  & 
Davis  in  a  store  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square,  formerly 
John  G.  Bond's.  He  brought  his  mother  and  her  young 
children  with  him  and  supported  them.  When  the  manu- 
facture of  flint  glass  on  Marlboro  street  failed  —  from  the 
influx  of  foreign  goods  after  the  war  of  1812  —  he  bought 
the  property  at  a  low  price,  and  when  the  business  revived 
made  it  very  profitable. 

He  married  first,  Mary  H.  Edwards  of  Boston,  The 
children  by  that  marriage  were :  Horatio  Justus ;  Mary 
Olivia,  married  Edward  Parkman  Tuckerman,  a  noted 
musician.  He  married  second,  Hannah  Wood,  of  Concord, 
Mass.  The  children  by  that  marriage  were:  Ellen  Eliza- 
beth, married  Dr.  Edward  Pearson,  of  Salem,  Mass.; 
Martha  Ann  —  author  and  poetess  —  married  Rev.  Charles 
Lowe,  of  Exeter,  N.  H.;   Henry,  who  died  young. 

He  was  successful  in  business ;  popular  among  the 
people ;  commanded  the  Ashuelot  Cavalry,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  major  general  of  the  militia ;  built  the  fine  house 
which  stands  on  what  is  known  as  the  Coolidge  lot,  just 
north  of  city  hall ;  collected  a  valuable  library ;  and  was 
a  leading  and  influential  man  in  all  good  works.  He  died 
in  1840,  aged  fifty-two. 


Justus  Perry. 


(Both  tombstone  and    town  records    say  that    Gen.  Perry  died    Dec.  10, 
1842,  aged  53.   The  sketch  on  opposite  page  should  be  corrected  accordingly.) 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  635 

HORATIO  J.   PERRY. 

Horatio  J.  Perry,  son  of  Justus  and  Mary  (Edwards) 
Perry,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1824;  graduated  at  Harvard 
in  184'4;  studied  law  with  Wm.  P.  Wheeler,  in  Keene,  and 
completed  his  course  at  the  Harvard  Law^  school.  While 
the  Mexican  war  was  in  progress  he  joined  the  United 
States  forces  at  Vera  Cruz  and  was  appointed  volunteer 
aid  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Shields,  with  the  rank  of  captain. 
He  was  called  home  by  the  death  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Tuck- 
erman ;  travelled  in  Europe  and  spent  a  winter  in  the  West 
Indies  on  account  of  his  health.  His  ability,  and  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  Spanish  language,  brought  him  the  appoint- 
ment of  secretary  of  legation  at  the  court  of  Spain  from 
President  Taylor,  in  1849;  and  he  held  that  position  for 
twenty  years,  through  several  changes  of  administration  — 
under  Ministers  Barringer  of  North  Carolina,  Pierre  Soule 
of  Louisiana,  Carl  Schurz  and  Gustav  Koener  —  sometimes 
acting  as  charge  d'  affaires;  and  from  1861  to  1865,  he 
was  acting  minister. 

In  1852,  he  married  Carolina  Corenado,  "poet-laureate 
of  Spain,"  a  lady  much  admired  for  her  genius  and  social 
qualities,  and  his  home  was  a  notable  resort  for  statesmen 
and  men  of  letters  and  position  in  Madrid.  He  and  his 
wife  "were  on  the  most  cordial  terms  with  the  queen 
mother,  Christiana,"  and  they  occupied  a  country  residence 
w^hich  had  belonged  to  her,  which  he  fitted  up  with  choice 
pictures  and  works  of  art.  "His  hospitality  to  Americans 
w^as  unbounded." 

In  1854,  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Soule,  he  managed  the 
settlement  of  the  Black  Warrior  affair  in  a  way  to  break 
up  the  scheme  of  Southern  politicians  to  bring  on  a  war 
with  Spain  and  thus  secure  the  island  of  Cuba  for  the 
extension  of  slavery.  During  our  Civil  war  he  was  nearly 
all  the  time  in  charge  of  the  legation,  and  by  his  adroit 
and  statesmanlike  diplomacy  he  induced  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernment—  which  was  inclined  to  take  the  side  of  the  South 
—  to  issue  a  proclamation  of  neutrality,  compelling  the 
Rebel  cruiser,  Sumpter,  to  withdraw  from  the  harbor  of 
Cadiz.  For  that  skillful  diplomacy  he  twice  received 
from    Mr.   Seward  expressions  of  the  entire  confidence  of 


636  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

President  Lincoln,  for  his  "loyalty,  ability  and  diligence," 
and  the  "greatest  satisfaction"  with  his  delicate  and  suc- 
cessful management  of  the  whole  affair.  Only  political 
intrigue  at  this  time  prevented  his  appointment  as  minis- 
ter, undoubtedly  the  most  fitting  appointment  that  could 
have  been  made.    He  died  in  Lisbon  in  1891. 

SILAS  PERRY. 

Silas  Perry,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  was  born  in 
Leominster,  Mass.,  in  1763;  was  one  of  the  guard  that 
escorted  Andre  to  the  gallows.  In  December,  following, 
his  term  expired  and  he  returned  on  foot  through  the  snow 
to  his  home  in  Leominster,  Mass.;  married  Catherine  Hale; 
came  to  Keene  in  1800,  or  earlier,  and  settled  on  the  farm 
on  the  old  Walpole  road,  four  miles  from  town,  still  owned 
by  his  grandson,  Joseph  G.;  died  in  1852,  aged  89. 

JOSEPH  PERRY. 

Joseph  Perry,  son  of  Silas  and  Catherine  (Hale)  Perry, 
was  born  in  1788 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1811 ; 
preceptor  of  academy  connected  with  that  college  until 
1816 ;  teacher  of  mathematics  in  New  York  city  until  1832  ; 
appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  Washington,  afterwards  to  a 
principal  clerkship  in  the  postoffice  department  until  1841 ; 
retired  to  his  farm  in  Keene ;  appointed  by  Gov.  Dinsmoor 
the  first  school  commissioner  for  Cheshire  county,  in 
1850-1 ;  died  in  1865. 

JOHN  PRENTISS. 

Hon.  John  Prentiss  w^as  born  in  Reading,  Mass.,  in 
1778 ;  learned  the  printer's  trade;  came  to  Keene  in  March, 
1799,  and  established  the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel.  To  do 
that  he  bought  the  old  type  and  hand  press  of  a  job 
printing  office  here  in  town,  paid  five  dollars  down,  and 
started  his  paper  with  seventy  subscribers  at  one  dollar 
and  fifty  cents  per  annum.  That  paper  has  been  published 
every  week  since  that  time,  and  is  now  a  very  valuable 
piece  of  property ;  and  the  grandson  of  the  founder,  William 
H.  Prentiss,  is  now  city  editor  and  one  of  the  owners  of 
the  paper.  At  type  setting  and  all  ofllice  work  Mr.  Pren- 
tiss was  remarkably  expert,  and  he  did  a  large  job  printing 


Horatio  J.  Perry. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  637 

and  publishing  business  for  those  times,  sometimes  print- 
ing and  selling  a  hundred  thousand  copies  of  Adams's 
arithmetic  in  a  year,  and  still  larger  numbers  of  spelling 
and  other  school  books,  besides  standard  historical  works, 
such  as  Hale's  History  of  the  United  States,  and  many 
others ;  and  they  were  bound  by  George  Tilden  and  others 
here  in  Keene. 

When  Mr.  Prentiss  first  came  to  Keene  he  boarded  at 
the  old  Wyman  tavern,  then  kept  by  William  Ward  Blake, 
who  had  married  Col.  Wyman's  daughter,  Roxana.  He 
married,  in  1802,  Diantha  Aldrich,  of  Westmoreland,  and 
they  had  eight  children :  Diantha,  born  in  1803,  married 
Rev.  Charles  Robinson,  of  Groton,  Mass.;  Corinna,  born 
in  1805,  married  Judge  Hopkinson,  of  Lowell,  Mass.; 
John  W.,  born  in  1806,  married  Eleanor  May,  was  at  one 
time  principal  owner  of  the  Sentinel,  and  died  in  1863 ; 
George  A.,  born  in  1809,  a  commodore  in  the  United  States 
navy,  died  in  1868 ;  two  daughters  who  died  in  childhood ; 
Edmund,  born  in  1820  and  died  in  1846;  Pamela,  born 
in  1821,  married  Hon.  Henry  F.  French,  of  Concord,  Mass. 

For  more  than  fifty  years  Mr.  Prentiss  wielded  a  pow^- 
erful  influence  in  the  town  and  county.  He  was  often  rad- 
ical in  his  views,  but  no  one  doubted  his  honesty.  He  was 
an  earnest  advocate  of  temperance  and  prohibition,  fore- 
most in  religious  discussions  and  controversies,  and  in 
movements  for  the  advancement  of  education.  He  w^as 
one  of  the  active  and  aggressive  spirits  in  the  secession  and 
organization  of  the  Keene  Congregational  Society  (Unita- 
rian), and  an  earnest  supporter  of  its  earlier  ministers.  He 
held  the  offices  of  town  clerk,  town  treasurer,  representa- 
tive, state  senator  and  other  responsible  positions  ;  and  for 
sixty -seven  years  was  a  prominent  Mason. 

In  1808  he  established  a  homestead  on  the  New  Hamp- 
shire turnpike  —  on  the  site  of  the  present  residence  of  Ma- 
jor O.  G.  Dort,  Court  street  —  and  built  a  business  block  in 
1825  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square,  now  ow^ned  by  the 
heirs  of  E.  G.  Whitcomb.  In  1750  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  peace  convention  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  and  trav- 
elled extensively  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  continent, 
writing  letters  which  were  published  in  the  Sentinel.  He 
died  in  1873,  aged  ninety-five. 


638  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


ALEXANDER  RALSTON. 


Alexander  Ralston  was  born  in  Falkirk,  Scotland,  in 
1755;  married  Janet  Balloch,  of  the  same  place.  Her 
family  was  one  of  rank  and  they  opposed  the  match,  but 
she  escaped  with  her  lover,  and  they  were  married  **by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Etiherson,  of  Falkirk,  Dec.  10,  1767."  (Fal- 
kirk records.)  She  was  then  eighteen  years  old.  They 
came  to  this  country  in  1773,  and  to  Keene  in  1775.  He 
owned  and  kept  —  probably  built  —  the  Ralston  tavern, 
elsewhere  described,  and  he  also  owned  several  farms  and 
much  other  real  estate  in  and  about  the  village,  had  a 
distillery  on  Packersfield  road,  and  for  several  years  was 
the  largest  taxpayer  in  town.  Ralston  street  was  named 
for  him. 

Their  children  were:  Mary,  born  in  1768,  in  Falkirk, 
Scotland,  married  Elijah  Dunbar,  of  Keene ;  Elizabeth,  born 
in  1770,  in  Falkirk,  married  Sylvester  Tiffany ;  Janette, 
born  in  1773,  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  married  Ithamar 
Chase;  Hannah,  born  in  1775,  in  Keene,  married  Jonathan 
Chase,  of  Cornish,  N.  H.;  Alexander,  born  in  1778,  in 
Keene  (in  trade  with  Wm.  M.  Bond  and  went  to  Clare- 
mont) ;  Ann,  born  in  1781,  in  Keene,  and  died  young; 
James  B.,  born  in  1783,  in  Keene;  Nancy,  born  in  1785, 
in  Keene,  married  Wm.  M.  Bond,i  of  Keene;  Sally,  born 
in  1788,  in  Keene,  married  James  H.  Bradford,  of  Keene; 
and  William. 

Mrs.  Ralston  was  a  very  talented  woman,  and  her 
daughters  were  noted  for  their  beauty  and  brilliancy. 
"  Mrs.  Ralston  told  my  father,  Abijah  Metcalf,  that  when 
she  came  from  Scotland  she  brought  her  stocking  full  of 
gold."  (Dea.  William  Metcalf.)  After  the  death  of  her 
husband,  in  1819,  she  lived  for  many  years  in  one  of  her 
own  houses,  on  Main  street,  where  the  "  Appleton  house" 
now  stands,  but  was  at  Cornish,  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Jonathan  Chase,  when  she  died  in  1833. 

JAMES  REED. 

Gen.  James  Reed  was  born  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  in  1724, 
of  English  ancestry;   married  Abigail  Hinds  of  New  Salem, 

iSce  sketch  of  Wm.  M.   Bond  for  divorce  and  remarriage. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  639 

Mass.;  lived  in  Brookfield;  removed  to  Lunenburg,  to  the 
part  that  is  now  Fitchburg,  and  kept  tavern  where  the 
city  hall  now  stands ;  was  for  several  years  a  captain  in 
the  last  French  and  Indian  war,  in  the  campaign  against 
Ticonderoga  under  Gen.  Abercrombie  in  1758,  and  under 
Gen.  Amherst  in  1759;  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel;  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Fitzwilliam,  about 
1765;  raised  a  company  in  that  town  upon  the  Lexing- 
ton alarm,  April  19,  1775,  and  marched  to  Medford ;  was 
made  colonel  of  the  Third  New  Hampshire  regiment ;  com- 
manded his  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  had 
the  credit  of  being  the  last  field  officer  to  leave  the  field ; 
marched  with  the  army  to  New  York  after  the  siege  of 
Boston;  was  entrusted  by  Washington  with  funds  to  pay 
the  northern  army  and  carried  three  boxes  of  specie  — 
$300,000  — to  Gen.  Schuyler,  at  Albany;  joined  Arnold's 
army  on  its  retreat  from  Canada,  and  in  Arnold's  absence 
held  a  talk  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Indian  tribes,  received 
their  pledge  of  friendship  and  transmitted  it  to  congress. 
In  that  campaign  he  contracted  the  disease  so  prevalent  in 
that  army,  small  pox,  w^hich  caused  the  loss  of  his  sight. 
On  the  9th  of  August,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Gen. 
Washington,  congress  appointed  him  a  brigadier  general 
and  the  next  day  sent  him  his  commission  with  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

"Philadelphia,  August  10,  1776. 
"Sir:  The  Congress  having  yesterday  beeti  pleased  to 
promote  you  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  in  the  army 
of  the  American  states  I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  enclose 
your  commission  and  wish  you  happy. 
I  am.  Sir, 
Your  most  ob'^  and  very  humble  serv'*. 

John  Hancock,  President. 
To  Brigadier  General  James  Reed." 

But  his  impaired  health  and  blindness  compelled  him 
to  resign  his  commission.  He  retired  to  Fitzwilliam  at  the 
close  of  that  year,  and  was  granted  a  pension  in  accord- 
ance with  his  rank  — half  pay,  amounting  to  $750  per 
year.  In  1779  the  legislature  granted  him  (at  a  small 
rental)  the  confiscated  house  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land 
of  Dr.  Josiah  Pomeroy,  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street, 


640  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

and  he  came  to  Keene  that  yeari  or  the  next  and  lived 
here  until  1793,  when  he  returned  to  Fitzwilliam.  Mrs. 
Reed  died  in  Keene,  and  the  slate  headstone  from  her  grave 
in  the  old  south  burying  ground  is  still  preserved  in  the 
new  cemetery, 2  bearing  the  inscription:  "In  memory  of 
Mrs.  Abigail,  wife  of  Genl.  James  Reed,  Who  departed  this 
Life  August  27*1^,   1791,  In  the  68  year  of  her  Age." 

In  April,  1783,  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  was 
formed,  and  General  Reed  of  Keene  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  the  New  Hampshire  branch.  He  had  nine 
children,  and  three  of  his  sons,  James,  Sylvanus  and  Hinds, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  His  daughter,  Saloma, 
married  Lockhart  Willard,  of  Keene.  He  was  a  man  of 
the  highest  honor  and  integrity,  and  in  the  patriot  army, 
from  Washington  down,  his  name  was  mentioned  in  terms 
of  commendation  and  eulogy.  About  the  year  1800  he 
removed  to  his  former  home  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  near  the 
present  city  hall,  and  died  there,  Feb.  13,  1807,  aged 
eighty-three,  and  was  buried  with  military  honors.  His 
monument  stands  in  the  old  burying  ground  in  Fitchburg, 
and  his  portrait  hangs  in  the  state  house  at  Concord. 

JOSIAH  RICHARDSON. 

Capt.  Josiah  Richardson,  son  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Fowle)  Richardson,  was  born  in  Leominster,  Mass.,  in 
1742;  married  first,  Rebecca  Beaman,  of  Leominster; 
came  to  Keene  in  1770,  or  earlier,  and  kept  a  tavern  and 
store  on  Poverty  Lane,  about  where  the  St.  James  parish 
house  now  stands.  He  bought  all  the  land  on  the  west 
side  of  upper  Main  street  from  the  south  line  of  the  present 
railroad,  extending  west  as  far  as  the  present  Horatio 
Colony  estate,  and  north  to  the  old  Sun  tavern  on  the 
Walpole  road,  and  to  the  present  Mechanic  street  on 
Prison  street,  including  the  greater  part  of  Central  square. 
In  1773  the  town  granted  him  the  right  to  "remove"  the 
road  running  west  from  Main  street,  called  Poverty  Lane, 
to  Pleasant  street  (now  West),  thus  opening  the  east  end 
of  that  street  from  the  meetinghouse,   which  then  stood 

1  state  Papers,  vol.  11,  pages  672-4;   and   Revolutionary  Rolls,  vol.  3,  page 

2  Since  Gen.  Griffin's  death  the  stone  has  been   removed    to  the  Washington 
street  cemetery. — Eds. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  641 

where  the  soldiers'  monument  now  does,  on  its  present 
line.  He  then  built  his  new  tavern  where  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
building  now  stands.  He  also  built  a  store,  afterwards 
occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  Joseph  Dorr,  and  others,  on 
what  is  now  Elliot's  corner;  and  gave  the  lot  for  Rev. 
Aaron  Hall's  house,  west  of  his  own,  and  that  for  the 
Centre  or  Church  street  schoolhouse.  He  is  described  in 
deeds  drawn  in  1771-2-3  and  later  as  merchant,  trader, 
and  innholder.  In  1814  he  sold  the  corner  lot  mentioned 
above  to  Appleton  &  Elliot. 

He  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  in  1777  he 
was  lieutenant  in  Capt.  Mack's  company,  Col.  Nichols's 
regiment  at  the  battle  of  Bennington.  Toward  the  close 
of  the  fight,  after  our  troops  had  carried  the  works  and 
the  enemy  was  pretty  thoroughly  demoralized,  Lieut.  Rich- 
ardson came  upon  three  Hessians.  Being  a  powerful,  reso- 
lute man,  he  commanded  them,  in  an  imperious  voice,  to 
surrender.  Accustomed  to  obey  the  command  of  an  officer, 
they  complied  at  once;  and  he  disarmed  them  and  sent 
them  to  the  rear  as  prisoners.  In  1780,  he  was  captain  of 
one  of  the  militia  companies  of  Keene  that  marched  to  repel 
the  Royalton  raid,  and  was  afterwards  promoted  to  major. 
He  was  five  years  selectman,  two  years  town  treasurer,  six 
years  representative,  and  was  chosen,  by  a  convention  of 
the  legislature,  from  the  house  to  the  state  council  in  1788. 
He  was  the  first  postmaster  in  Keene,  appointed  by  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire  in  March,  1791,  before  the  United 
States  assumed  the  carrying  of  the  mails. 

Capt.  Richardson's  wife,  Rebecca,  died  in  1779,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Abigail,  who  married  Joseph  Dorr,  a  mer- 
chant of  Keene.  He  married,  second,  Mrs.  Abigail  (Bel- 
lows) Hunt,  daughter  of  Col.  Benjamin  Bellows,  of  Wal- 
pole — "a  woman  of  rare  moral  and  intellectual  endow- 
ments." By  her  he  had  one  son,  Josiah,  who  was  killed 
in  infancy  by  falling  from  his  mother's  arms  while  on  her 
way  to  Walpole  on  horseback. 

He  died  in  1820,  aged  seventy-eight.  ^ 

iln  those  early  days  one  of  the  routes  by  which  Englishmen  reached  Mon- 
treal was  via  Boston,  and  thence  by  stage  through  Keene  and  Burlington, 
spending  the  night  in  Keene.  Tradition,  well  authenticated,  tells  us  that  the 
Duke  of  Kent,  father  of  Queen  Victoria  (or  according  to  soxne  reports.  Prince 
Edward,  then  governor  of  Canada),  once   made   that   trip,  when    a  young  man, 


642  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

ERI   RICHARDSON. 

Eri  Richardson,  son  of  Dr.  Amos,  who  was  of  the 
fourth  generation  from  Samuel,  who  came  from  Kent, 
England,  in  1630  with  his  two  brothers,  Ezekiel  and 
Thomas,  in  the  same  ship  with  Governor  Winthrop,  was 
born  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  in  1741;  married  Sarah,  daughter 
of  John  Durant;  came  to  Keene  about  1780;  lived  on  the 
last  farm  in  Keene  on  the  old  road  over  West  mountain 
towards  Swanzey;  had  twelve  children,  all  born  in  Keene 
between  1764  and  1789.  His  eldest  son,  Amos,  from  his 
size  and  strength  called  "the  giant,"  settled  on  the  first 
farm  in  Swanzey  next  south  of  his  father. 

BARZILLAI  RICHARDSON. 

Barzillai  Richardson,  son  of  Amos,  called  the  giant, 
was  born  in  1792 ;  married  Lydia  Foster  of  Swanzey ;  set- 
tled on  the  Dickinson  farm  on  West  mountain  (now  Scrip- 
ture's) and  lived  there  thirty  years;  had  ten  children  —  six 
sons  and  four  daughters  —  born  between  1815  and  1833. 
All  the  sons  and  all  the  husbands  of  the  daughters  became 
railroad  men  early  in  life  and  served  an  average  of  thirty 
years  each,  or  an  aggregate  of  300  years  for  the  family. 
They  aided  in  building  the  Worcester  railroad  in  1833,  the 
Boston  &  Albany  in  1835,  the  Cheshire  and  many  others. 
Amos,  the  eldest,  had  charge  of  laying  all  the  first  track 
of  the  Cheshire  railroad,  and  was  afterwards  roadmaster, 
Joel  P.,  the  second  son,  bought  his  minority  of  his  father 
at  nineteen,  was  twelve  years  on  the  Boston  &  Albany, 
went  to  Indiana,  originated  and  built  the  very  successful 
belt  road  around  the  city  of  Indianapolis;  and  was  for 
nine  years  superintendent  of  the  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati 
&  Lafayette  railroad.  He  was  thirty-nine  years  in  railroad 
service.  Eri,  the  fourth  son,  after  twenty-six  years  in  rail- 
road service,  invested  largely  in  Sioux  City,  and  became  a 
banker  and  a  wealthy  man.     One  of  the  sons-in-law,  Geo. 

and  lodged  at  Capt.  Richardson's  tavern.  The  story  goes  on  to  say  that  be- 
fore supper  he  gave  Mrs.  Richardson  (the  second  wife,  Abigail),  some  of  the  tea 
which  he  carried  with  him  and  asked  her  to  brew  it  for  him  for  both  supper 
and  breakfast;  that  she  took  the  tea  to  her  kitchen,  laid  it  carefully  aside  as  a 
keepsake,  and  brewed  of  her  own  for  him  ;  and  that  he  did  not  discover  the 
trick.  Mrs.  Richardson  had  the  reputation  of  once  saving  the  life  of  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  when,  in  his  boyhood,  he  was  attacked  with  malignant  typhus  fever,  by 
her  unremitting  care  and  skillful  nursing. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  643 

W.  Perry,  was  the  engineer  who  ran  the  first  passenger 
train  into  Keene,  in  1848,  and  was  afterwards  master 
mechanic.  Another  son-in-law,  Niles  Aldrich,  was  engineer 
and  conductor  on  the  Cheshire  road  for  thirty-five  years. 

HENRY  ROWE  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

Henry  Rowe  Schoolcraft,  LL.  D.,  ornithologist.  United 
States  Indian  agent,  and  author,  was  born  at  Watervleit, 
N.  Y.,  in  1793;  graduated  at  Union  college  in  1811; 
learned  the  art  of  glass  making. 

His  grandfather  came  from  England,  surveyed  land, 
taught  school,  and  changed  the  family  name  from  Calcroft 
to  Schoolcraft.  His  father,  Lawrence  Schoolcraft,  was 
superintendent  of  a  glass  factory  near  Albany,  N.  Y.  —  had 
been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  a  colonel  in 
the  war  of  1812  —  came  to  Keene  about  1814  as  an  expert 
to  superintend  the  manufacture  of  glass,  and  remained 
several  years.  Henry  came  to  Keene  with  his  father,  and 
the  next  year  Daniel  Watson,  Timothy  Twitchell  and 
young  Schoolcraft  seceded  from  the  company  on  Prison 
street,  united  as  partners,  built  a  factory,  and  made  flint 
glass  bottles  and  decanters  on  Marlboro  street,  and  had  a 
store  on  Main  street  near  the  present  Eagle  Hotel.  After- 
wards Watson  —  and  still  later  Twitchell  —  withdrew,  Na- 
thaniel Sprague  joined,  and  the  firm  became  Schoolcraft  & 
Sprague. 

In  1817  Schoolcraft  published  the  first  part  of  his 
treatise  on  vitreology ;  and  his  knowledge  of  mining  led 
him  to  leave  Keene  during  that  year  to  examine  the  mines 
of  Ohio,  Missouri,  and  other  western  states.  In  his  travels 
he  gathered  much  information  concerning  the  Indians,  and 
in  1822  he  was  appointed  Indian  agent,  with  a  view  to 
gaining  such  information  for  the  use  of  the  government. 
He  established  himself  at  Sault  St.  Marie,  and  married 
Jane  Johnson  —  granddaughter  of  the  noted  Ojibway  chief, 
Waboojeeg  —  who  had  been  educated  in  Europe.  In  1832 
he  led  a  government  expedition  up  the  Mississippi  river 
and  discovered  its  source  in  Itaska  lake.  In  1836  he  nego- 
tiated a  treaty  with  the  Indian  tribes  on  the  upper  lakes 
by  which  16,000,000  acres  of  land  were  ceded  to  the  United 


644  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

States.  Afterwards  he  was  acting  superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs  and  chief  disbursing  agent  for  the  northern  depart- 
ment; and  through  his  influence  many  laws  were  passed 
for  the  protection  and  benefit  of  the  Indians.  He  made  a 
study  of  the  Indian  languages,  and  his  published  work 
on  that  subject  was  translated  into  French  and  other 
languages,  and  brought  him  a  gold  medal  from  the  French 
Institute.  Longfellow  acknowledges  that  it  was  from 
Schoolcraft  that  he  got  his  legends  for  his  poem  of  Hiawa- 
tha and  other  works.  He  visited  Europe  and  after  his 
return,  in  1847,  congress  authorized  him  to  collate  and 
edit  all  his  information  concerning  the  Indians.  It  was 
published  by  Lippincott  in  six  large  quarto  volumes, 
extensively  and  handsomely  illustrated  by  Capt.  Seth  East- 
man, of  the  United  States  army  —  also  a  New  Hampshire 
man  —  with  a  portrait  of  Schoolcraft.  The  government 
appropriated  $30,000  per  volume  for  the  work.  It  was  — 
and  has  ever  since  been  —  the  standard  w^ork  and  the  one 
upon  which  the  government  relied  in  all  its  affairs  with 
the  Indians.  He  was  the  author  of  thirty-one  volumes  in 
all,  besides  a  mass  of  very  valuable  manuscript,  preserved 
in  the  library  of  congress.  The  University  of  Geneva  gave 
him  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  in  1846;  and  he  was  a  member 
of  a  large  number  of  ethnological,  historical  and  other 
societies,  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 

In  1847,  five  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he 
married  Mary  Howard,  of  Beaufort,  S.  C,  an  authoress, 
who  assisted  him  in  his  later  work,  when  he  had  lost  the 
use  of  his  hands  by  paralysis  and  was  confined  to  his 
chair. 

He  died  in  Washington,  Dec.  10,  1864,  aged  seventy- 
one.  "His  Indian  Legends  are  charmingly  w^ritten ;  and 
in  his  death  a  shining  light  in  American  literature  has  been 
extinguished."     (Obituary  in  Washington  paper.) 

PELEG  SPRAGUE. 

Hon.  Peleg  Sprague,  son  of  Noah  and  Mercy  (Dexter) 
Sprague,  was  born  in  Rochester,  Mass.,  in  1756;  began 
life  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Littleton,  Mass.;  was  a  bright 
student  and  entered  Harvard  college,  but  finished  his  course 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  645 

at  Dartmouth,  in  1783;  read  law  with  Benjamin  West,  of 
Charlestown,  N.  H.;  married  Rosalinda  Taylor  of  that 
town,  granddaughter  of  Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter;  represented 
Ac  worth,  N.  H.,  in  the  tentative  legislature  of  Vermont  in 
1781;  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1785;  practiced  in  Winchen- 
don  and  Fitchburg,  Mass.;  came  to  Keene  in  1787;  was 
selectman  in  1789-90-91 ;  soon  took  high  rank  in  his  pro- 
fession;  was  county  solicitor  in  1794;  representative  to 
the  legislature  in  1797;  was  elected  to  congress  in  the 
same  3^ear ;  reelected,  1799  ;  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health  ; 
died  April  20,  1800,  aged  forty-three,  and  was  buried  with 
Masonic  honors.  He  built  the  house  on  Main  street,  now 
Mrs.  Laton  Martin's  (1900)  and  Hved  there.  He  also 
owned  the  Luther  Nourse  farm  on  Beech  hill,  and  died  in 
that  house.  His  children  were:  Nathaniel,  born  in  1790; 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1792;  David,  born  in  1794,  who  died 
young. 

NATHANIEL  SPRAGUE. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Sprague,  D.  D.,  son  of  Peleg,  was  born 
in  1790;  graduated  at  Dartmouth;  was  superintendent  of 
glass  works  in  Keene,  succeeding  Schoolcraft;  afterwards 
partner  with  Schoolcraft  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  bot- 
tles, decanters  and  similar  ware  on  Marlboro  street;  cap- 
tain of  Keene  Light  Infantry  in  1816;  taught  school  in 
Keene,  1820 ;  was  ordained  in  the  Episcopal  ministry ;  had 
a  parish  at  Royalton,  Vt.,  afterwards  at  Drews ville,  N.  H., 
and  still  later  at  Claremont ;  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  D.  D.;  never  married;  died  at  Claremont  in  1853.  A 
memorial  of  him  was  placed  in  a  window  of  St.  James' 
church  in  Keene  by  his  sister,  Elizabeth. 

ELIZABETH  SPRAGUE. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Sprague,  daughter  of  Peleg,  was  born 
in  1792 ;  never  married ;  was  a  woman  of  remarkable 
gifts  and  a  brilliant  conversationalist;  for  several  years 
teacher  of  music  and  languages  in  Miss  Fiske's  school  — 
for  two  years  Miss  Fiske's  partner  —  and  the  piano  she 
used  was  the  first  brought  to  Keene  and  still  exists,  well 
preserved,  in  the  family  of  her  cousin,  Mr.  George  Carpen- 
ter of  Swanzey,  where  she  died  in  1880. 


646  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

JEREMIAH  STILES. 

Capt.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Stiles, 
was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  Feb.  23,  1744;  came  to 
Keene  while  young;  married,  1768,  Mary,  daughter  of 
Eleazar  Sanger  of  Keene;  was  lieutenant  of  the  company 
that  marched  from  Keene,  April  21,  1775;  was  raised  to 
captain  upon  the  promotion  of  Capt.  Wyman  ;  commanded 
the  company  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  was  transferred 
with  his  company  from  Stark's  regiment  to  that  of  Col. 
Paul  D.  Sargent  of  Massachusetts,  and  served  his  eight 
months'  term  of  enlistment ;  discharged  with  his  company 
at  the  close  of  that  year.  He  was  afterwards  a  member 
of  the  town  committee  of  safety,  a  magistrate,  a  member 
of  the  state  constitutional  convention  of  1778,  nine  years 
selectman,  five  years  town  clerk,  nine  years  representative 
to  the  legislature,  and  held  many  other  important  offices. 
He  was  also  a  land  surveyor,  and  a  prominent  Mason, 
and  "he  painted  the  portrait  of  David  Nims,  first  town 
clerk  of  Keene."  (William  S.  Briggs,  his  great-grandson.) 
(It  is  more  probable,  however,  that  it  was  his  son  who 
painted  the  portrait,  as  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Jr.,  was  a  portrait 
painter  by  vocation.  He  was  thirty-two  years  old  when 
David  Nims  died,  and  the  portrait  shows  that  the  subject 
was  of  very  great  age).  Capt.  Stiles  owned  a  farm  and 
had  his  dwelling  house  on  the  north  corner  of  Cross  and 
Prison  streets,  and  his  office  as  magistrate  was  in  the  old 
wooden  building  that  stood  on  what  is  now  Elliot's  cor- 
ner. His  children  were:  Elizabeth,  married  Eliphalet  Briggs; 
Jeremiah,  Joseph,  John  W.,  and  Mary,  born  between  1769 
and  1781.  He  died  in  1800,  aged  fifty-six,  and  was  buried 
with  Masonic  honors.  His  funeral  —  a  public  oipe  at  the 
meetinghouse  —  was  largely   attended  and  very  impressive. 

CORNELIUS  STURTEVANT. 

Cornelius  Sturtevant,  fifth  in  descent  from  Samuel,  one 
of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Holland  about  1640, 
was  born  in  Plympton,  Mass.,  in  1734;  married  Sarah 
Bosworth  of  Plympton;  had  six  sons  and  one  daughter, 
all  born  in  Plympton  between  1767  and  1777;  came  to 
Keene  in  1779,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  hills  east  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  647 

the  Ashuelot  river,  near  the  north  line  of  the  town ;  died 
in  1826,  aged  ninety-one.  He  was  remarkable  for  the 
beauty  of  his  handwriting — "said  to  be  a  little  plainer 
than  common  print."  His  descendants  to  the  seventh 
generation  are  still  living  in  Keene. 

His  eldest  son,  Luke,  married  Abial,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Kingsbury,  and  was  killed  in  1811,  by  the  fall 
of  a  tree  which  he  was  cutting  on  the  homestead. 

CORNELIUS  STURTEVANT,  JR. 

Cornelius  Sturtevant,  Jr.,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Sarah 
(Bosworth)  Sturtevant,  was  born  in  1771;  taught  school; 
learned  the  printer's  trade  of  Henry  Blake  &  Co.;  bought 
their  printing  establishment,  published  the  Rising  Sun,  and 
sold  to  John  Prentiss  in  1799;  married,  1794,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Ichabod  Fisher  of  Keene;  had  eight  children, 
born  between  1795  and  1806,  and  the  only  cradle  Mrs. 
Sturtevant  had  for  her  babies  was  a  slab  of  hemlock  bark. 

In  1813,  Mr.  Sturtevant  enlisted  in  the  Seventeenth 
United  States  Infantry,  served  through  the  war,  remained 
in  the  service  and  died  at  Piketon,  Ohio,  in  1821,  aged 
fifty.  Mrs.  Sturtevant  died  in  Keene,  in  1853,  aged  eighty- 
three. 

CHARLES  STURTEVANT. 

Charles  Sturtevant,  son  of  Cornelius,  Jr.,  was  born  in 
1806;  married  Eliza  Cummings,  of  Marlboro,  N.  H.;  was 
register  of  deeds  for  Cheshire  county  for  twelve  years; 
died  in  Keene  in  1867. 

GEORGE  W.   STURTEVANT. 

George  W.  Sturtevant,  son  of  Cornelius,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  1799;  married,  1823,  Frances  W.,  daughter  of  Jehiel 
Kilburn,  of  Keene.  They  lived  together  fifty-three  years, 
had  six  children,  and  he  survived  his  wife  but  three  weeks, 
both  dying  in  1875.  For  fifty  years  he  was  the  civil 
engineer  of  the  town  and  of  a  large  part  of  the  county, 
and  the  number  of  maps  and  plans  of  real  estate  that  he 
left  is  very  large.    He  also  held  many  offices  of  trust. 


648  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

EDWARD  EVERETT  STURTEYANT. 

Edward  Everett  Sturtevant,  son  of  Cornelius,  Jr.,  was 
born  in  Keene  in  1826 ;  was  the  first  man  in  New  Hamp- 
shire to  enlist  for  the  Civil  war;  and  he  opened  the  first 
recruiting  office  in  the  state,  at  Concord,  in  April,  1861. 
He  went  to  the  front  as  captain  of  Company  I,  First  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers,  for  three  months ;  and  again  as 
captain  of  Company  A,  Fifth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers 
for  three  years  or  the  war;  was  promoted  to  major;  was 
in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  1862  — 
at  times  commanded  his  regiment  by  seniority;  —  was  act- 
ing lieutenant  colonel  a.t  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Va., 
Dec.  13,  1862,  where  he  was  killed,  and  was  buried  in  an 
unknown  grave.  He  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  an  excellent 
commander  of  troops. 

JOHN   W.   STURTEVANT. 

Gen.  John  Warner  Sturtevant,  son  of  Luther  and  Isa- 
bella L.  Sturtevant,  was  born  in  Keene,  June  15,  1840.  He 
was  a  descendant  of  Cornelius  Sturtevant,  the  pioneer. 
From  1858  to  1862  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  bookstore  of  G. 
&  G.  H.  Tilden.  In  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
(Company  G,  Fourteenth  New  Hampshire)  and  served 
through  the  war,  rising  to  the  rank  of  captain.  He  was 
for  a  time  in  the  adjutant  and  provost  marshal's  office  at 
Washington,  and  afterwards  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of 
Brigadier  General  B.  S.  Roberts  at  Carrollton,  La.,  and 
provost  marshal  of  the  district  of  Carrollton.  In  the  battle 
of  Opequan  he  was  wounded  in  the  arm  and  thigh. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Beaufort,  S.  C, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  cotton  and  had 
charge  of  a  general  store  until  1867,  when  he  returned  to 
Keene.  In  the  same  year  he  bought  out  George  Tilden  and 
became  a  partner  in  the  store  of  G.  H.  Tilden  &  Co. 

He  was  a  member  of  John  Sedgwick  post,  G.  A.  R., 
and  of  the  Massachusetts  commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States. 

In  1869  he  was  elected  town  clerk  and  held  the  office 
until  the  town  became  a  city  in  1874.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education  of  Union  district  for  nine  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  649 

and  moderator  and  clerk  of  the  district  for  several  years. 
In  1876,  1877  and  1885  he  represented  ward  3  in  the 
legislature.  In  1888  he  was  a  member  of  a  special  com- 
mission to  ascertain  the  value  of  the  state's  interest  in  the 
Concord  and  Boston  &  Maine  railroads  under  the  reserved 
charter  rights. 

When  the  Keene  Light  Guard  battalion  was  formed  in 
1878,  Capt.  Sturtevant  became  captain  of  Company  H  and 
later  was  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Second  regiment  of  the 
New  Hampshire  National  Guard.  In  1879  he  was  made 
inspector  general  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  Head. 

In  1871  he  married  Clara,  daughter  of  Charles  Chase 
of  Keene,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  Charles  C.  and 
CHfford  L. 

He  died  Dec.  12,  1892. 

THOMAS  RUSSELL  SULLIVAN. 

Rev.  Thomas  Russell  Sullivan,  son  of  John  Langdon 
Sullivan  of  Boston,  and  grandson  of  James  Sullivan,  who 
was  governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1808  and  a  younger 
brother  of  Gen.  John  Sullivan  of  the  Revolutionary  army, 
was  born  in  Boston  in  1799;  graduated  at  Harvard  in 
1817 ;  was  ordained  and  settled  over  the  Keene  Congrega- 
tional Society  in  1825;  married,  1826,  Charlotte  Caldwell, 
daughter  of  Francis  Blake,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  His  mother 
was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Russell,  the  celebrated 
merchant  of  Boston,  for  whom  she  named  her  son.  For 
several  years  while  in  Keene  he  edited  the  Liberal  Preacher, 
a  Unitarian  publication  printed  in  Keene.  He  resigned  his 
pastorate  in  Keene  in  1835,  and  afterwards  opened  a  school 
in  Boston  for  fitting  lads  for  college. 

He  was  a  refined,  scholarly  man,  courtly  and  dignified. 
At  the  centennial  celebration  in  Keene  in  1853,  Rev.  Dr. 
Barstow  spoke  of  him  as  "the  distinguished  Thomas 
Russell  Sullivan."  He  had  six  sons  and  two  daughters. 
He  died  in  Boston  in  1862. 

CLEMENT  SUMNER. 

Rev.  Clement  Sumner  came  from  Cheshire,  Ct.;  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  in  1758;  was  ordained  at  Keene,  June  11, 
1761.     Before  coming  to  Keene  he  had  married  Elizabeth, 


650  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

daughter  of  Capt.  Samuel  Gilbert  of  Hebron,  Ct.,  the  prin- 
cipal proprietor  of  the  township  of  Gilsum,  N.  H.,  though 
never  a  resident  there.  Their  children  were :  Elizabeth  and 
Anna  (twins)  born  in  Hebron,  Feb,  22,  1760;  Clarissa, 
born  in  Keene  in  1762;  Lucina,  born  in  Keene  in  1764; 
a  son  born  in  Keene  in  1765,  died  an  infant;  Clement  Au- 
gustus, born  in  Keene  in  1767;  Samuel  Gilbert,  born  in 
Keene  in  1769;   William,  born  in  Keene  in  1771. 

He  remained  pastor  here  for  eleven  years,  and  eighty- 
four  members  were  added  to  the  church  during  that  time. 
The  misconduct  of  his  children,  as  was  said,  having  caused 
some  dissatisfaction,  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request 
in  1772;  but  he  spent  his  life  in  Keene,  an  excellent  citizen, 
and  a  man  of  liberal  views,  for  those  times.  He  preached 
for  a  time  at  Thetford,  Vt.,  and  occasionally  at  other 
places,  but  was  never  settled  again.  In  August,  1763,  he 
w^as  chosen  proprietors'  clerk  of  Gilsum  —  put  down  as 
"  Mr.  Sumner  of  Keen." 

He  died  in  Keene  in  1795,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  south  yard.  His  widow 
died  many  years  later,  at  West  Swanzey.  His  sons  settled 
in  Keene  and  had  children  whose  births  are  recorded  in  the 
town  books. 

JOHN  SYMONDS. 

John  Symonds,  was  born  in  Hancock,  N.  H.,  in  1816; 
learned  the  tanner's  trade;  was  engaged  in  that  business 
at  Marlow  and  East  Sullivan ;  came  to  Keene  in  1872,  and 
established  a  large  tannery  one  and  one-fourth  miles  west 
of  the  Square,  built  a  fine  residence  and  other  dwellings 
near  it,  and,  with  A.  M.  Bigelow  &  Co.  of  Boston,  carried 
on  an  extensive  and  successful  business.  He  married  Caro- 
line E.  Robbins,  of  Nelson,  N.  H.,  but  had  no  children.  He 
died  in  1885. 

He  bequeathed  one-half  of  his  estate  —  after  the  decease 
of  his  widow,  who  was  to  have  the  income  of  it  during 
her  life  —  to  the  city  of  Keene,  "To  build  a  public  Library 
building  and  purchase  land  therefor,  and  to  provide  books 
and  reading  matter,  and  to  take  care  of  the  same.  And 
this  fund  may  be  used  in  connection  with  any  city 
appropriations  for  the  same  purpose;   and  to  pay  for  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  651 

establish  on  said  building,  or  some  other  in  the  city,  a  set 
of  Chime  Bells."  When  it  was  turned  over  to  the  city  the 
bequest  was  valued  at  about  $30,000;  but  a  part  of  it 
was  in  property  which  depreciated  ;  a  part  was  turned  into 
cash  and  deposited  in  the  Five  Cents  Savings  bank,  a  por- 
tion of  which  was  lost;  and  within  a  few  years  there  was 
a  serious  reduction  in  the  available  funds  of  the  bequest. 

GEORGE  TILDEN. 

George  Tilden,  son  of  Dea.  Joseph  Tilden  of  Marshfield, 
Mass.,  was  born  in  Marshfield,  April  21,  1802;  came  to 
Keene  in  1817,  and  learned  the  bookbinder's  trade  of  A.  & 
H.  Walker;  began  business  for  himself  in  1825  in  the  base- 
ment of  a  building  where  the  Cheshire  National  bank  now 
stands,  succeeding  the  Walkers  and  Thayers;  removed  to 
Gerould's  block  in  1835;  published  the  North  American 
Spelling  Book,  and  other  books ;  was  chosen  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Cheshire  Provident  Institution  for  Savings 
in  1833,  which  office  he  held  until  1880;  was  president  of 
the  institution  for  two  years;  took  his  son,  G.  H.  Tilden, 
into  partnership  in  1853,  who  still  carries  on  the  business; 
continued  in  business  until  1867,  when  he  sold  his  interest, 
and  in  1871  removed  with  the  savings  bank  to  the  new 
bank  block,  on  the  corner  of  Roxbur^^  street;  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Unitarian  Society  in  Keene,  and  for 
sixty  years  was  active  in  the  church  and  Sunday  school ; 
took  the  circulating  library  of  the  Walkers  and  Thayers  in 
1824  and  continued  it  for  a  long  term  ;  for  more  than  forty 
years  was  a  member  of  the  school  committee  and  board 
of  education ;  and  was  town  clerk  five  years  and  county 
treasurer  three  years. 

In  1825,  he  married  Harriet  Wyman,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Wheeler  of  Keene.  Tliey  had  one  son  and  three 
daughters.     He  died  Nov.  3,  1888. 

JOHN  TOWNS. 

Capt.  John  Towns,  son  of  Nehemiah  —  a  descendant  of 
William  Towne,  father  of  Rebecca  (Towne)  Nourse,  who 
was  hanged  as  a  witch,  at  Salem,  in  1692  —  was  born  in 
1786;  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  grand- 
daughter of  Seth  Heaton,  one  of  the  first  three  settlers  of 


652  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

Upper  Ashuelot;  was  blacksmith,  contractor  and  builder; 
had  a  shop  with  Aaron  Davis  just  north  of  the  present 
railroad  station,  afterwards  on  Marlboro  street;  built  and 
lived  in  the  brick  house  still  standing  next  south  of  the 
Eagle  Hotel;  built  a  brick  store  where  the  Sentinel  build- 
ing now  stands,  the  brick  house  on  Marlboro  street  since 
owned  by  Madison  Fairbanks,  and  later  by  Charles  Wil- 
son, and  many  other  buildings ;  did  a  large  business  and 
was  at  one  time  one  of  the  largest  taxpayers  in  town. 
He  had  eight  children,  born  between  1816  and  1835.  His 
second  daughter  married  Ralph  J.  Holt,  of  Keene.  He 
died  in  1858,  aged  seventy-two. 

AMOS  TWITCHELL. 

Dr.  Amos  Twitchell,  eminent  surgeon  and  physician, 
was  born  in  Dublin,  N.  H.,  in  1781,  the  seventh  of  nine 
children,  "puny  at  his  birth  and  fragile  during  infancy." 
His  father,  Capt.  Samuel  Twitchell,  a  farmer  and  miller, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Dublin,  prominent  in  town 
affairs ;  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  rising  to  the  command  of 
a  company  in  Col.  Enoch  Hale's  regiment  in  the  Rhode 
Island  campaign  of  1778 ;  afterwards  a  magistrate.  His 
mother  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  distinguished  Rev. 
John  Wilson,  whom  Cotton  Mather  described  as  "the 
father  of  the  infant  colonies  of  New  England."  In  early 
youth  Amos  developed  a  fondness  for  books  and  study, 
and  through  his  mother's  influence  veas  sent  to  the  acad- 
emy at  New  Ipswich.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in 
1802,  teaching  school  winters  to  enable  him  to  pursue  his 
course.  He  took  high  rank  in  college  and  immediately  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery  under  the  eminent 
Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  the  projector  and  head  of  the  medical 
school  at  Dartmouth  and  afterwards  professor  of  surgery 
at  Yale.  Twitchell  was  an  apt  pupil,  particularly  fond  of 
the  study  of  anatomy  and  surgery,  and  soon  became  the 
assistant  of  Dr.  Smith  in  his  college  work,  and  was  the 
professor's  chief  dependence  in  procuring  subjects  for  dissec- 
tion, in  which  his  energy  and  courage  were  brought  into 
full  play. 

In  1808   he  entered  into  practice  with  his  brother-in- 


J 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  653 

law,  Dr.  David  Carter  of  Marlboro,  taking  the  surgical 
part  of  the  practice.  Sir  Astley  Cooper,  of  London,  has 
the  credit  of  first  taking  up  the  carotid  artery,  but  Dr. 
Twitchell  had  performed  that  delicate  and  dangerous  opera- 
tion in  1807  —  nearly  a  year  before  Sir  Astley 's  case  —  and 
saved  his  patient,  performing  the  act  by  his  own  skill  and 
knowledge,  with  only  the  help  of  a  woman  to  tie  the 
thread,  without  precedent  or  example  from  any  learned 
authority.  That  operation,  with  other  skillful  and  inven- 
tive achievements,  gave  him  a  wide  reputation  and  placed 
him  in  the  front  rank  of  surgeons.  In  1810,  he  removed 
to  Keene,  where  he  quickly  rose  to  the  head  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  continued  his  practice  for  forty  years,  greatly  be- 
loved and  respected.  He  was  offered  professorships  in  sev- 
eral colleges ;  was  for  several  years  president  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Medical  Society ;  was  first  president  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane;  and  held  many  other 
important  positions  and  received  many  honorary  degrees. 
In  1815,  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dr.  Josiah 
Goodhue,  of  Hanover,  who  became  "a  model  of  a  physi- 
cian's wife;  "  but  they  had  no  children.  He  was  genial  and 
cordial,  quick  at  repartee,  and  was  one  of  the  great  wits 
and  brilliant  social  leaders  of  the  town.     He  died  in  1850.  ^ 

TIMOTHY  TWITCHELL. 

Capt.  Timothy  Twitchell,  brother  of  Dr.  Amos,  was 
born  in  Dublin  in  1783 ;  went  to  sea  in  early  youth ;  rose 
to  the  command  of  a  merchant  ship  and  made  a  successful 
voyage  around  the  world;  came  to  Keene;  married,  1814, 
Susan,  daughter  of  Daniel  Watson,  and  joined  Aaron 
Appleton,  John  Elliot,  Daniel  Watson  and  others  in  the 
manufacture  of  glass  on  Prison  street;  afterwards,  with 
Watson  and  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  started  the  manufacture 
of  flint  glass  bottles  and  decanters  on  Marlboro  street; 
removed  to  Petersburg,  Va.,  where  he  remained  six  years, 
and  thence  to  Pensacola,  Fla.,  where  for  thirty  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  and  lumber  business.  In 
1851    he   returned    to    Keene,    and    died    in    1867,    aged 

1  His  portrait,  which  hangs  in  city  hall,  and  which  Capt.  Elbridge  Clarke 
was  foremost  in  procuring,  was  painted  from  an  old  daguerreotype  by  Wallace 
of  Boston,  and  presented  to  the  city  by  fifty  subscribers,  headed  by  J.  F.  &  F. 
H.  Whitcomb. 


654  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

eighty-four.  His  widow  died  in  1871,  aged  seventy-eight. 
Their  children  were:  Henry,  born  in  Keene  in  1815;  Mary, 
born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  in  1818;  George  Brooks,  born  in 
Petersburg,  Va.,  in  1820. 

GEORGE  B.   TWITCHELL. 

Dr.  George  B.  Twitchell,  son  of  Timothy  and  Susan 
(Watson)  Twitchell,  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  in  1820; 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  of  Keene,  and  at 
Harvard  and  the  University  of  Pennsylvania ;  began  prac- 
tice in  Keene  in  1843  and  continued  until  his  death  in  1897. 
He  at  once  took  a  leading  position  in  his  profession  and 
held  it  during  his  long  career,  doing  most  of  the  surgery 
in  southwestern  New  Hampshire. 

In  1862,  he  volunteered  for  the  war  and  went  to  the 
front  as  surgeon  of  the  Thirteenth  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teers ;  was  promoted  in  the  spring  of  1863  to  surgeon  of 
United  States  Volunteers,  with  the  rank  of  major,  serving 
under  Gen.  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  but  resigned  after  about 
one  year's  service  on  account  of  ill  health. 

He  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  New 
Hampshire  insane  asylum  for  many  years,  and  a  men's 
building  recently  added  to  that  institution  was  named  for 
him;  and  he  was  the  most  active  agent  in  establishing  and 
putting  in  working  order  the  city  hospital  in  Keene,  after 
the  gift  of  the  buildings  and  grounds  had  been  made  by  Mr. 
Elliot.  It  was  he  who  initiated  and  carried  through  the 
city  councils  the  project  of  adopting  Col.  Waring's  system 
of  sewerage  for  the  city  —  doubtless  the  best  known  system 
to  meet  the  conditions  existing  in  Keene  —  and  he  was  ac- 
tive in  all  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  and  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  The  estimation  in  w^hich  he  was 
held  was  illustrated  by  the  gift,  after  he  was  seventy-five 
years  old,  of  a  gold-lined  silver  loving  cup  by  about  three 
hundred  donors,  mostly  citizens  of  Keene.  Dartmouth  con- 
ferred on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 

Dr.  Twitchell  married,  1849,  Susan  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Gideon  F.  and  Nancy  P.  Thayer,  of  Boston,  by  whom 
he  had  four  daughters  and  two  sons.  Both  the  sons  are 
physicians. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  655 

SAMUEL   WADSWORTH. 

Samuel  Wadsworth  came  from  Middletown,  Ct.,  about 
1760;  married,  1762,  Huldah,  daughter  of  Seth  Heaton, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Upper  Ashuelot.  In  1770  he 
bought  the  original  house  lot  No.  12  —  the  old  fort  prop- 
erty—  where  Mr.  Lemuel  Hayward  now  lives,  and  two 
years  later  bought  lots  10  and  11,  north  of  it.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  and  lived  in  one  of  the  houses  that  were  built 
inside  the  fort  in  connection  with  its  walls,  and  had  his 
shop  within  or  near  the  fort.  The  stone  foundations  of 
his  forge  may  still  be  found,  just  north  of  Mr.  Hayward 's 
house.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  major  in  the  militia,  but 
was  one  of  the  few  tories  in  Keene  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  though  not  one  of  the  more  obnoxious  ones. 
After  residing  in  the  fort  for  some  years  he  removed  to 
Beech  hill,  where  he  died  in  1782,  aged  forty-two. 

He  had  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  but 
only  one  son,  the  youngest,  lived  to  manhood.  His  name 
was  Samuel,  born  after  his  father's  death,  in  1783;  mar- 
ried Betsey  Lawrence,  sister  of  Asa,  of  Roxbury,  and  John, 
of  Keene;  removed  to  Roxbury,  near  the  outlet  of  Wood- 
ward's pond;  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  killed  in 
February,  1835. 

ABRAHAM  WHEELER. 

Col.  Abraham  Wheeler,  son  of  Abraham  and  Hannah 
Wheeler  of  Keene,  was  born  in  1743 ;  married  Mary ;  had 
seven  children,  born  in  Keene  between  1769  and  1779 ; 
member  of  the  militia  company  here  in  1773,  and  his 
father  was  at  the  same  time  on  the  alarm  list ;  was  a 
private  in  Col.  Ashley's  regiment  that  marched  to  the 
relief  of  Ticonderoga  in  1776;  a  private  in  the  company  of 
Capt.  Davis  Howlett  of  Keene,  Ashley's  regiment,  that 
marched  from  Keene  to  oppose  Burgoyne  in  June,  1777 ; 
afterw^ards  a  colonel  in  the  militia.  He  owned  the  farm  on 
Beech  hill  known  as  the  Luther  Nourse  place  and  built 
that  house  (see  sketch  of  Phineas  Nourse)  in  1773,  and 
the  barn  in  1775  —  raised  on  the  17th  of  June.  He  removed 
from  there  to  Ash  Swamp  and  kept  the  tavern,  and  prob- 
ably   built    the    house,   now  known    as    the    old    Sawyer 


656  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

tavern,  two  miles  from  the  Square,  where  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son-in-law,  Josiah  Sawyer.  He  died  in  1814,  aged 
seventy-one.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Hannah  Wheeler,  lived  to 
the  age  of  one  hundred   and  three,  and  died  Dec.  3,  1824. 

WILLIAM  p.   WHEELER. 

William  P.  Wheeler,  LL.  D.,  son  of  Col.  Nathaniel  and 
Huldah  (Whipple)  Wheeler,  was  born  in  Croydon,  N.  H., 
in  1812 ;  learned  the  harness  making  trade,  but  had  a  taste 
for  the  law  and  gained  an  education  by  his  own  efforts ; 
attended  the  academies  at  Plainfield  and  Newport;  read 
law  with  Phineas  Handerson  at  Keene,  and  attended  lect- 
ures at  Harvard  Law  school;  began  practice  in  Keene  in 
1842 ;  was  county-  solicitor  in  1845  and  held  that  office 
ten  years;  took  Francis  A.  Faulkner  as  junior  partner,  and 
the  distinguished  law  firm  of  Wheeler  &  Faulkner  was 
formed  in  the  spring  of  1850  and  continued  through  Mr. 
Wheeler's  lifetime.  The  two  men  w^ere  admirably  adapted 
to  each  other  as  partners  in  the  firm.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
one  of  the  ablest  advocates  in  the  state,  while  Mr.  Faulk- 
ner was  one  of  the  most  skillful  and  efficient  of  attorneys 
in  the  preparation  of  cases  and  legal  papers;  and  they 
were  engaged  in  nearly  every  case  of  importance  in  the 
county,  and  in  many  outside  of  the  county.  Mr.  Wheeler 
was  also  remarkably  skillful  and  adroit  in  the  examination 
of  witnesses. 

"If  you  should  ask  me  who  was  the  best  jury  advocate 
of  all  the  lawyers  I  have  ever  heard  at  the  New  Hamp- 
shire bar,  I  should  w^ant  time  to  consider.  *  *  *  *  But 
if  you  ask  me  who  was  the  best  cross-examiner  I  have  ever 
heard,  I  can  answer  that  question  at  once.  It  was  a  man 
who  was  never  unfair,  never  rough  —  a  man  w^ho  treated 
the  witness  with  the  same  courtesy  that  he  would  exhibit 
towards  a  guest  in  his  own  house,  and  who  nevertheless 
sifted  the  testimony  thoroughly,  and  in  such  a  way  that 
the  jury  did  not  sympathize  with  the  witness.  That  model 
cross-examiner  was  the  former  leader  of  the  Cheshire  bar, 
the  late  William  P.  Wheeler."     (Judge  Jeremiah  Smith.) 

Mr.  Wheeler  w^as  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  excellent 
business  capacity,  genial  in  disposition  and  unassuming  in 
manners  —  a  man  in   whom  every   one  felt  that  he  had  a 


SCMNER    WHEELEK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  657 

friend  —  and  though  not  in  public  office  filled  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility.  In  1851  he  was  offered 
a  position  on  the  bench  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  and 
later  on  that  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Hampshire,  but 
he  declined  in  both  cases.  He  was  nominated  for  congress 
in  1855  and  1857,  but  his  party  was  in  the  minoritj^  and 
he  could  not  be  elected.  He  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Agricultural  college,  and  valuable  dona- 
tions were  made  to  it  through  his  influence.  He  was  a 
leader  in  the  organization  of  St.  James'  (Episcopal)  church, 
contributed  largely  for  its  support  and  was  one  of  its 
wardens  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  He  was  also  president 
of  the  Cheshire  Provident  Institution  for  Savings.  Dart- 
mouth college  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in 
1852,  and  that  of  LL.  D.  in  1872.  In  1849  he  married 
Sarah  D.  Moulton,  of  Randolph,  Vt.,  and  they  had  one 
daughter  and  one  son. 
He  died  in  1876. 

SUMNER  WHEELER. 

Sumner  Wheeler,  son  of  Capt.  David  and  Martha  Frost 
(Perry)  Wheeler,  was  born  in  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  in  1807; 
came  to  Keene  at  the  age  of  fourteen ;  received  a  business 
training  under  his  elder  half  brother,  Justus  Perry,  became 
his  partner  and  finally  succeeded  him  in  business.  He 
bought  the  house  on  Main  street  previously  used  by  Miss 
Fiske  for  her  school  (now  Mrs.  E.  C.  Thayer's) ;  married, 
1832,  Catherine  Vose  of  Boston;  had  three  daughters  and 
one  son. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  a  man  of  the  highest  character  and 
the  strictest  integrity,  with  a  genial  and  kindW  disposition. 
"  His  face  was  a  benediction  on  the  street."  One  of  Keene's 
most  brilliant  daughters  wrote  of  him:  "If  I  were  asked 
who  had  the  largest  and  most  all-sympathizing  heart  in 
all  our  Keene  world  I  should  say,  Sumner  Wheeler." 

One  day  some  gentlemen  who  had  met  in  one  of  the 
banks  were  discussing  affairs  about  town,  and  one  of  them 
made  the  trite  remark  that  there  was  not  a  thoroughly 
honest  man  in  Keene.  Another  offered  to  bet  ten  dollars 
that  he  could    show    them    an    honest  man.    "Leave  out 


658  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Sumner  Wheeler  and  I  will  take  your  bet,"  said  the  first 
speaker.  "But  Sumner  Wheeler  is  the  man  I  was  betting 
on,"  was  the  reply. 

He  died  in  1861,  aged  fifty-four. 

ABIJAH   WILDER. 

Dea.  Abijah  Wilder,  son  of  Andrew,  a  farmer  of  Lan- 
caster, Mass.,  was  born  in  1752;  came  to  Keene  about 
1774;  "a  mechanic  of  great  celebrity  in  his  day;"  had  a 
cabinet  shop  on  the  Walpole  road,  probably  the  present 
"old  Sun  tavern,"  and  his  dwelling,  towards  the  last  of 
his  life  was  nearly  opposite,  a  little  below^.  In  1799  he 
secured  a  patent  for  the  invention  of  bending  sleigh  run- 
ners by  steaming  the  wood ;  and  carried  on  a  large  busi- 
ness in  the  manufacture  of  sleighs  and  carriages. 

He  married,  in  1774,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Gideon  Ellis, 
of  Keene.  The  children  by  that  marriage  were:  Abigail, 
born  in  1775,  married  Abijah  Kingsbury;  Sarah,  born  in 
1780,  married  James  Wells  of  Keene,  lieutenant  in  the 
Eleventh  United  States  Infantry  in  the  war  of  1812. 

He  married,  second,  in  November,  1780,  Martha  Blake, 
of  Wrentham,  Mass.  The  children  by  that  marriage  were : 
Patty  (Martha),  born  in  1781,  never  married,  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Sabbath  school  for  forty-three  years ; 
Abijah,  born  1784. 

He  married,  third,  in  1785,  Beulah  Johnson.  His  chil- 
dren by  that  marriage  were:  Hepzibah,  born  in  1787, 
married  Joseph  Wheeler;  Azel,  born  in  1788. 

He  married,  fourth,  in  1789,  Tamar  Wilder. 

He  was  a  deacon  of  the  church  for  forty -eight  years, 
leader  of  the  choir  for  fifty  years,  and  was  an  active, 
energetic  citizen,  prominent  in  town  affairs  and  in  all  good 
enterprises.  Dr.  Barstow  used  to  speak  of  him  as  "good 
Deacon  Wilder." 

He  died  in  1835,  aged  83. 

ABIJAH   WILDER,  JR. 

Abijah  Wilder,  Jr.,  son  of  Dea.  Abijah  and  Martha 
(Blake)  Wilder,  was  born  in  1784;  married  Rhoda  San- 
ger, of  Keene;  had  nine  children  born  between  1816  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  659 

1836.  His  daughter,  Rhoda  Jane,  married  Dr.  Edward 
Pettengill,  of  Saxton's  River,  Vt.;  his  youngest  daughter, 
Harriet  P.,  married  Elisha  F.  Lane,  of  Keene. 

Like  his  father,  he  was  an  excellent  mechanic  and  con- 
tinued the  business  in  his  father's  shop  for  several  years, 
then  built  a  large  shop  where  the  "Museum"  building  now 
stands,  and  carried  on  the  cabinet  and  chair  making  busi- 
ness for  manj^  years.  He  also  built  the  brick  house,  cor- 
ner of  Summer  and  Court  streets,  and  the  wooden  one  next 
north  of  the  Baptist  church  —  where  he  lived  during  the 
last  years  of  his  life  and  died  in  1864,  aged  eighty. 

"When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  the  news  came  of  the 
death  of  Washington.  He  climbed  to  the  belfry  and  tolled 
the  bell  all  through  that  cold  winter  night.  A  small  brass 
lamp  was  bought  by  the  family  and  kept  burning  all  that 
night,  then  laid  aside  as  a  sacred  relic  and  never  used  after- 
wards."    (Family  tradition.) 

He  w^as  sexton  of  the  town  for  many  years  and  rang 
the  bell  at  noon  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He 
was  one  of  the  principal  owners  of  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  and 
being  strong  temperance  men  they  attempted  to  run  it  as 
a  temperance  house,  but  it  failed.  (See  sketch  of  A.  «&  A. 
Wilder.) 

AZEL  WILDER. 

Azel  Wilder,  son  of  Dea.  Abijah  and  Beulah  (Johnson) 
Wilder,  was  born  in  1788;  married  Elvira,  daughter  of 
Capt.  John  Warner,  of  Keene;  had  ten  children  born  be- 
tween 1814  and  1832.  His  eldest  daughter,  Elvira,  mar- 
ried Edward  Poole,  of  Keene,  jeweller;  his  second  daughter, 
Hepsey,  married  Geo.  H.  Richards,  of  Keene;  his  third 
daughter,  Maria,  married  William  Wyman  of  Keene. 
Charles  J.  married  Elmira  Nims,  of  Keene,  a  lieutenant  in 
the  Civil  war,  killed  before  Richmond  in  1864. 

He  also  excelled  as  a  mechanic,  and  invented  and 
obtained  a  patent  for  a  double  geared  wheelhead  for 
spinning  wool.  For  some  years  he  was  with  his  half 
brother,  Abijah,  in  the  shop  of  their  father,  but,  later, 
Azel  established  himself  in  a  turning  shop  a  little  west  of 
Faulkner  &  Colony's  sawmill,  and  made  wheelheads  and 
spinning  wheels  for  both  flax  and  wool  for  a  long  term  of 


660  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

years.  He  built  the  brick  house  on  West  street  now  the 
residence  of  Mr,  George  H.  Richards,  and  died  in  1860,  aged 
seventy-two. 

Mrs.  Wilder  was  remarkable  for  her  capability  as  a 
housekeeper  and  hostess,  her  genial  hospitality,  and  her 
graceful  efficiency  in  the  management  of  public  functions. 
One  of  her  friends  said  of  her  after  her  decease  that  she 
v/ould  never  be  happy  in  Heaven  unless  she  could  get'  up 
an  entertainment  to  buy  David  a  new  harp,  or  Elijah  a 
new  mantle.  She  was  affectionately  called  "Aunt  Azel 
Wilder." 

A.   &  A.   WILDER. 

A.  &  A.  Wilder  —  Abijah  and  Azel,  half  brothers  —  after 
dissolving  their  first  connection,  in  their  father's  shop,  in 
1814,  united  under  the  above  firm  name,  carried  on  a  large 
business  in  real  estate,  and  did  much  for  the  benefit  of 
the  town.  In  1821  they  bought  of  Capt.  Joseph  Dorr  and 
his  wife,  heirs  of  the  estate  of  Capt.  Josiah  Richardson, 
the  tract  of  land  lying  north  of  the  common,  extending 
from  the  third  New  Hampshire  turnpike  (Court  street)  to 
Prison  street,  except  a  few  lots  near  the  corner  of  the 
common  and  as  far  north  as  the  north  side  of  Mechanic 
street.  In  1828,  to  enlarge  and  improve  the  common  and 
form  our  present  Central  square,  they  bought  and  removed 
the  old  horsesheds,  gave  the  land  (deeded  for  a  nominal 
sum)  for  a  new  site  for  the  meetinghouse,  which  stood  on 
the  common,  and  moved  the  edifice  to  its  present  position 
at  their  own  expense.  The  same  year  they  built  "Wilders' 
building,"  now  Ball's  block.  Many  years  afterwards,  by 
a  division  of  property,  that  building  came  into  the  hands 
of  Azel  alone.  He  sold  it  to  Henry  Pond,  who  added  four- 
teen feet  to  the  west  end.  The  same  firm  also  owned  the 
tract  of  land  —  bought  of  the  same  Richardson  estate  — 
where  Winter,  Summer  and  Middle  streets  now  are, 
through  which  those  streets  were  laid  out  in  1832,  and 
Centre  street  later.  Out  of  that  tract  they  gave  the  land 
for  the  Keene    academy  i  in   1836,  now    occupied   by   the 

iThe  deed  was  made  by  Abijah,  and  stands  in  his  name,  bitt  by  an  exchange 
of  property,  and  a  conveyance  to  Abijah,  Azel  shared  equally  in  the  gift.  (Mrs. 
Pettingill  and  other  descendants  of  both  families.) 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  661 

Keene  High  school.  Few  have  been  so  pubHc  spirited  and 
done  so  much  for  the  benefit  of  Keene  as  these  three  Wil- 
ders,  Dea.  Abijah  and  his  two  sons,  Abijah  and  Azel. 

PETER  WILDER. 

Peter  Wilder,  younger  brother  of  Dea.  Abijah,  came  to 
Keene  in  1781;  married  Tamar  Rice;  had  eleven  children, 
born  between  1781  and  1799.  Like  his  elder  brother  he 
excelled  as  a  mechanic,  was  a  cabinet  and  chair  maker  and 
a  wheelwright,  and  many  of  the  fine  old  pieces  of  cabinet 
work  and  chairs  now  preserved  as  relics  of  the  olden  time 
were  made  by  him  at  his  shop  in  Federal  Row.  He  died 
in  1814,  aged  eighty. 

ABEL  WILDER. 

Abel  Wilder,  son  of  Samuel  and  Betsey  (Joslin)  Wilder, 
of  Berlin,  Mass.,  came  to  Keene  towards  the  last  of  the 
eighteenth  century ;  married  Polly  Mead ;  owned  and  oc- 
cupied the  fine  house  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  com- 
mon, already  described,  which  he  sold  to  Albe  Cady  in 
1808 ;  made  spinning  wheels  and  had  cabinet  and  wheel- 
wright shop  in  the  rear  of  the  stores  on  the  east  side  of 
the  common  —  for  a  time  with  Luther  Holbrook  —  after- 
wards on  what  is  now  the  north  corner  of  Mechanic  and 
Washington  streets,  and  for  many  years  kept  the  old 
wooden  jail,  which  stood  next  on  the  south.  In  1827,  he 
built  the  house  since  known  as  the  Handerson  house  (now 
F.  K.  Burnham's  on  Washington  street),  and  later  the 
brick  one  north  of  it,  recently  known  as  the  Woodward 
house,  and  the  brick  one  on  the  corner  of  Taylor  street. 
His  genial,  optimistic  nature  gave  him  the  distinction  of 
being  the  "happiest  man  in  town."  He  died  in  1862,  aged 
ninety-one.  His  son,  Augustus  T.  Wilder,  was  for  many 
years  selectman  and  keeper  of  the  old  stone  jail  on  Wash- 
ington street. 

JOSIAH   WILLARD. 

Col.  Josiah  Willard,  son  of  Col.  Josiah,  the  principal 
grantee  of  the  township  of  Earlington  or  Arlington  (Win- 
chester) in  1733,  surveyor  of  land  in  Upper  Ashuelot  in 
1736  and  later,  and  commissary   and  commander  at  Fort 


662  HISTORY  OF  KBBNB. 

Dummer  in  the  old  French  and  Indian  war,  1744-1750, 
was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  1716;  married  Hannah 
Hubbard  of  Groton ;  major  of  militia  in  1746,  in  command 
of  a  small  body  of  troops  at  No.  4  (Charlestown) ;  accepted 
a  captain's  commission  in  the  forces  raised  for  defence  and 
commanded  a  company  at  Upper  and  Lower  Ashuelot  in 
1747-9;  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel  and  succeeded 
his  father  in  command  of  Fort  Dummer  in  1750;  was 
the  active  agent  in  procuring  from  the  legislature  of  New 
Hampshire  a  charter  for  the  town  of  Winchester  in  1753; 
was  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  regiment  of  Col.  Joseph 
Blanchard  of  Dunstable,  N.  H.,  in  active  service  in  the 
Crown  Point  expedition  under  Gen.  Johnson  in  1755;  took 
up  his  residence  in  Winchester  and  represented  that  town 
in  the  legislature  in  1768  to  1773;  colonel  commanding 
the  Sixth  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  militia  in  1775,  but, 
showing  tory  proclivities,  his  regiment  was  divided  and  he 
was  left  without  a  command.  He  had  twelve  children, 
two  of  whom  graduated  from  Harvard  college. 
He  died  in  Winchester  in  1786. 

JOSIAH   WILLARD. 

Major  Josiah  Willard,  son  of  Col.  and  Hannah  (Hub- 
bard) Willard,  was  born  in  1737;  married,  first,  Thankful 
Taylor;  second,  Mary;  third,  Susanna,  daughter  of  Col. 
Isaac  Wyman.  He  was  a  sergeant  under  his  father  at 
Fort  Dummer  in  1753-4 ;  afterwards  took  up  his  residence 
in  Keene;  by  occupation  was  a  saddler;  was  selectman  in 
1764-5-6-7,  and  was  Keene's  first  representative  to  the 
legislature  in  1768-70.  Upon  the  organization  of  counties 
in  1771  he  was  appointed  recorder  of  deeds  for  Cheshire 
county  and  held  that  office  until  1776.  He  had  risen  to 
the  rank  of  major  in  his  father's  regiment  of  militia,  but 
was  accused  of  toryism  and  when  that  regiment  was 
divided  he  also  was  left  without  a  position.  His  name 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  those  in  Keene  who 
refused  to  sign  the  Association  Test  in  1776;  but  he  was 
politic,  and  not  a  very  obnoxious  tory.  He  died  in  1801, 
and  was  buried  beside  his  three  wives  in  the  old  burying 
ground  at  the  lower  end  of   Main    street,  one  of  the  last 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  6^63 

inteniients  there.  He  had  eight  children,  Lockhart,  Grate 
(or  Grata),  Cynthia,  Rebecca,  Hannah,  Josiah  (died 
young),  Josiah  and  Henry,  born  between  1763   and  1779. 

LOCKHART  WILLARD. 

Lockhart  Willard,  son  of  (Major)  Josiah  and  Thankful 
(Taylor)  Willard,  was  born  in  Keene  in  1763;  married, 
1783,  Salome,  daughter  of  Gen.  James  Reed  of  Keene;  built 
the  house  now  Mr.  James  Marsh's,,  on  the  south  corner  of 
Main  and  Marlboro  streets.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in 
town;  did  much  legal  business  as  a  magistrate ;  was  eight 
years  moderator  of  annual  town  meetings ;  thirteen  years 
selectman ;  seven  years  representative  to  the  legislature ; 
and  five  years  state  senator.  He  had  eight  children  born 
between  1784  and  1802.  His  eldest  son  was  named  Jo- 
siah, his  second,  Lockhart.     He  died  in  1818,  aged  fifty-five. 

JAMES  WILSON. 

Hon.  James  Wilson,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  was  the 
son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Hodge)  Wilson,  and  grandson 
of  William,  the  first  of  the  Wilsons  to  settle  in  Peterboro, 
N.  H.,  who  came  from  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1737, 
when  Robert  was  a  lad ;  and  little  Mary  Hodge  came  with 
her  parents  in  the  same  ship.  Robert  joined  the  patriots 
in  the  Revolution  —  was  a  major  under  Stark  at  Benning- 
ton and  Saratoga  —  and  previous  to  that  was  with  Wolfe 
on  the  Plains  of  Abraham  and  near  him  when  he  fell. 

James  was  born  in  Peterboro  in  1766 ;  prepared  for 
college  at  Phillips  academy,  Andover;  graduated  at  Har- 
vard in  1789  (John  Quincy  Adams  said,  "the  best  wrestler 
in  his  class");  read  law  with  Judge  Lincoln  of  Worcester; 
settled  his  father's  estate  in  1792  ;  succeeded  Hon.  Jeremiah 
Smith  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Peterboro ;  married  Eliza- 
beth Steele,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  James ;  represented 
Peterboro  in  the  legislature  several  terms  between  1803 
and  1815;  representative  to  congress  in  1809-1811;  mar- 
ried, second,  Elizabeth  Little,  by  whom  he  had  two  daugh- 
ters—  Elizabeth,  married  Guy  Hunter,  Sarah,  married 
Francis  L.  Lee  —  and  one  son,  Robert. 

In  1815,  he  removed  to  Keene  and  bought  the  mansion 


664  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

on  Main  street,  then  unfinished,  now  the  citj  hospital, 
where  he  dispensed  a  graceful  hospitality,  and  many  de- 
lightful social  functions  were  enjoyed  at  his  house.  He  was 
an  able  lawyer,  had  a  large  practice  in  both  Cheshire  and 
Hillsboro  counties,  and  as  an  advocate  had  few  superiors 
in  the  state.  Both  Harvard  and  Dartmouth  conferred  up- 
on him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  He  died  in  1839,  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all. 

JAMES  WILSON,  JR. 

Gen.  James  Wilson,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Steele) 
Wilson,  was  born  in  Peterboro  in  1797 ;  at  the  age  of  ten 
began  his  course  successivel3^  at  the  academies  at  New  Ips- 
wich, Atkinson,  and  Phillips  at  Exeter.  Impelled  by  his 
military  spirit,  he  desired  to  enlist  for  the  war  then  in 
progress,  but  failing  to  obtain  the  consent  of  his  father, 
he  worked  for  a  time  in  the  old  north  factory  at  Peter- 
boro, but  returned  to  his  studies  and  entered  Middlebury 
college  in  1816,  graduating  with  honors  in  1820.  He  read 
law  with  his  father  at  Keene  and  succeeded  to  his  business, 
practicing  much  beyond  the  limits  of  the  county ;  was  ap- 
pointed captain  of  the  Keene  Light  Infantry  in  1821 ;  rose 
to  the  rank  of  colonel ;  resigned  and  reentered  the  ranks 
as  a  private  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  major  general  of 
militia.  He  was  six  feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  agile 
and  athletic,  had  an  unusual  taste  for  military  science  and 
exercises,  and  was  a  born  leader  of  men  and  a  remarkably 
able  and  popular  commander.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he 
did  more  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  militia  of  New 
Hampshire  at  that  time  than  any  other  man  in  the  state. 

He  represented  Keene  in  the  legislature  during  fourteen 
terms  — the  last  two  in  1871  and  1872,  when  he  was 
sevent3'-four  and  seventy-five  years  old  —  and  was  speaker 
of  the  house  in  1828.  In  1835  and  again  in  1837,  he  was 
nominated  for  congress,  and  in  1838  and  '39  he  was  the 
Whig  candidate  for  governor,  but  the  strength  of  the  op- 
position party  prevented  his  election  in  each  case,  as  it  had 
done  after  one  term  as  speaker  of  the  house.  His  great 
popularity  would  have  secured  his  election  as  governor, 
however,  but  that  his  name  was  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  while 
some  of  the  votes  cast  were  for  James  Wilson. 


James  Wilson,  Jk. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  665 

He  was  a  natural  orator,  well  read  in  history  and 
political  science.  His  sonorous  voice,  magnetic  presence, 
and  extraordinary  command  of  language  gave  him  a 
power  over  his  audiences  such  as  few  have  ever  been  able 
to  wield.  At  a  great  dinner  given  to  Daniel  Webster  in 
Faneuil  hall,  Boston,  in  1838,  where  S.  S.  Prentiss  of  Mis- 
sissippi, Robert  C.  Winthrop  of  Massachusetts  and  other 
distinguished  orators  spoke,  the  New  York  Commercial 
Advertiser  pronounced  Wilson's  speech  "one  of  the  very 
best  of  the  occasion."  In  the  great  political  campaign  of 
1840,  his  services  as  a  public  speaker  were  called  for  from 
almost  all  parts  of  the  country.  He  not  onh^  spoke  in  many 
places  in  New  England  —  at  Portland,  Boston,  Providence 
and  many  others  —  and  in  New  York  city,  but  he  journe3'ed 
through  New  l^ork  state  and  into  Pennsylvania,  speaking 
at  Albany,  Rochester,  Buffalo,  Cleveland  and  all  the  large 
places ;  and  he  was  regarded  as  the  most  effective  speaker 
in  the  United  States  in  that  campaign.  At  Erie,  Penn.,  it 
was  estimated  that  25,000  Whigs  and  6,000  Loco  Focos, 
as  the  Democrats  were  then  called,  had  assembled.  "A 
fleet  of  splendid  steamers  went  up  from  Buffalo,  where  he 
had  spoken  the  day  before.  The  meeting  was  on  the  open 
bank  overlooking  the  lake."  Two  stands  were  erected  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  field,  one  for  the  Whigs,  the  other  for 
the  Loco  Focos.  "Wilson's  fame  as  an  unequalled  orator 
had  spread  over  the  whole  country,"  and  before  the  presi- 
dent could  formally  open  the  meeting,  "Wilson!  Wilson! 
Wilson,  from  the  Granite  State!"  was  uproarioush'  called 
for,  and  "he  w^as  greeted  with  deafening  and  prolonged 
applause."  "Tens  of  thousands  listened  with  breathless 
silence,"  often  bursting  into  tumultuous  applause.  A  strong 
speaker  occupied  the  opposite  stand,  but  Wilson's  power- 
ful voice  rang  out  over  the  field  and  the  crowd  there  soon 
began  to  diminish  and  almost  completely  dwindled  awa^-, 
while  that  at  the  Whig  stand  constantly  increased  until 
nearly  the  whole  30,000  were  hanging  upon  Wilson's  thrill- 
ing sentences.  "The  speaking  continued  till  evening,  wdien 
Gen.  Wilson  retired  on  board  a  steamer  to  sail  for  Buffalo, 
but  the  boat  was  detained.  In  the  evening  8,000  people 
assembled  and  called  for  Wilson.    The  general  Was  found  in 


666  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

his  berth ;  but  calling  for  his  boots,  he  again  mounted  the 
stand,"  and  gratified  their  desire  to  hear  him.  There  is  no 
question  that  his  influence  in  carrying  New  England,  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania  for  the  Whigs  was  unparalleled. 

After  President  Harrison's  death  Gen.  Wilson  was 
appointed  surveyor  general  of  the  territories  of  Iowa  and 
Wisconsin  and  had  his  office  at  Dubuque,  but  a  change  in 
the  administration  caused  his  removal  in  1845.  He  was 
elected  to  congress  in  1847  and  reelected  in  1849,  but 
resigned  in  1850  and  was  appointed  United  States  land 
commissioner  to  settle  Spanish  claims  in  California.  He 
remained  on  the  Pacific  coast  eleven  years,  settling  those 
Spanish  claims  of  extensive  areas  of  land  and  practicing 
law,  with  large  interests  in  mining.  He  returned  East  in 
April,  1861,  just  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  and 
his  personal  friend,  Abraham  Lincoln,  offered  him  a  briga- 
dier general's  commission,  which  he  very  much  desired  to 
accept,  but  declined  on  account  of  his  age  and  infirmities. 

Gen.  Wilson  was  a  man  of  generous  nature,  large- 
hearted  and  broad-minded,  with  feelings  as  tender  and 
delicate  as  a  woman's.  Often  in  his  speeches  he  would  be 
so  touched  with  emotion  that  the  tears  would  stream 
down  his  cheeks.     Everjd^ody  loved  and  admired  him. 

At  the  bar  "Wilson  was  ready,  dashing,  eloquent, 
seizing  the  strong  points  in  his  case  and  handling  them  in 
the  most  adroit  and  taking  manner."  (Bell's  Bench  and 
Bar  of  New  Hampshire.)  He  almost  invariably  won  his 
case  before  a  jury.  "On  one  circuit  of  the  courts  which 
Wilson  and  Joel  Parker  made  together  Wilson  won  every 
case.  On  their  long  ride  home  Parker  was  very  taciturn 
and  seemed  much  depressed.  Wilson  asked  him  why  he 
was  so  reticent.  'Jim,'  said  Parker,  'I'm  going  home  to 
sell  my  law  books  and  go  to  work  at  something  else.  Its 
of  no  use  for  me  to  practice  law.  I  have  the  law  and  the 
evidence  all  on  my  side,  yet  you  win  all  the  cases.'  'Non- 
sense,' said  Wilson,  'go  on  with  your  law,  you  know  ten 
times  as  much  law  as  I  do,  but  you  fire  over  the  heads  of 
the  jury  and  waste  all  your  ammunition.  Shoot  lower  and 
go  on  with  \^our  law.'"  (Mrs.  Fiske,  from  her  father's 
own  lips). 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  667 

He  married  Mary  Lord  Richardson,  of  Montpelier,  Vt., 
who  died  in  1848.  His  children  were:  Mary  Elizabeth, 
born  (in  the  old  Ralston  tavern)  in  1826 ;  married  John 
Sherwood,  a  lawyer  of  New  York ;  was  Mrs.  John  Sherwood 
the  distinguished  authoress,  and  the  prolific  and  brilliant 
writer  over  the  initials  "M.  E.  W.  S."  James  Edward 
and  William  Robert,  who  both  died  young.  Annie,  born 
in  1832,  married  Francis  S.  Fiske  of  Keene,  who  was  one 
of  the  first  to  volunteer  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  —  the  first  to  make  his  offer  of  service  in  writing  to 
Gov.  Goodwin  —  lieutenant  of  Second  New  Hampshire  Vol- 
unteers and  brevet  brigadier  general  of  United  States  Vol- 
unteers, now  United  States  commissioner  for  the  district  of 
Massachusetts.  Charlotte  Jean,  born  in  1835,  married 
Frank  L.  Taintor,  a  banker  of  New  York ;  she  died  in  1901. 
James  Henry,  born  in  1837,  graduated  at  Harvard,  1860; 
died  in  1892.     Daniel  Webster,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

Gen.  Wilson  died  in  May,  1881,  and  was  buried  with 
military  and  Masonic  honors. 

JOHN   WOOD. 

Hon.  John  Wood,  son  of  Judge  Ephraim  Wood,  of  Con- 
cord, Mass.,  was  born  in  1778;  came  to  Keene  in  1799; 
joined  Daniel  Watson  and  James  Mann  in  business;  after- 
wards, for  nearly  forty  years,  "the  financial  and  substan- 
tial member"  of  the  firm  of  A.  &  T.  Hall;  last  clerk  of 
the  proprietors  of  Keene;  state  senator,  1819-1823;  one 
of  the  most  active  and  enterprising  men  of  Keene;  never 
married.     He  died  in  1856,  aged  seventy-eight. 

JAMES  WRIGHT. 

"Lieut."  James  Wright,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Martha 
Wright,  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  was  born  in  1751;  settled  in 
Keene  in  1769,  on  the  present  Geo.  K.  Wright  farm ;  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Rugg,  of  Massachusetts,  and,  second,  Mrs, 
Jemima  P.  Blake.  His  children  were:  James,  born  in  1776, 
married,  1803,  Lucy  Nims,  lived  in  Keene,  died  1851 ;  Bet- 
sey, born  in  1779,  married  Amos  Towne,  of  Littleton,  N.  H.; 
Martha,  born  in  1784,  married  a  Mr.  Wilder;  Polly, 
born  in  1788,  never  married;  Ephraim,  born  in  1792  and 
married  Sallv  Allen. 


668  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Lieut.  Wright  was  a  wealthy  farmer,  owned  a  large 
tract  of  land,  and  his  descendants,  to  the  fifth  generation, 
still  live  on  the  same  farm.  He  died  in  1811,  aged  sixty- 
one. 

EPHBAIM   WRIGHT. 

Ephraim  Wright,  son  of  Lieut.  James,  was  bom  in 
17.76;  married  Sally  Allen  of  Surry;  lived  on  the  home- 
stead—  the  original  house  was  burnt  in  1817  and  the 
present  one  was  built  the  same  year.  His  children  were: 
George  K..  bom  in  1817,  married  Nancy  E.  Leonard; 
Henrv,  Elizabeth  J.,  Lucius,  Bradley  E.,  Joseph,  Luther  K. 
and  Charles  (bom  1835). 

ISAAC   WYMAX. 

Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary  (Pollard) 
Wvman.  of  Wobum,  Mass.,  was  born  in  Wobum,Jan.  18, 
1724;  married,  1747,  Sarah  Wells;  enlisted  in  December, 
1747,  as  a  private  in  the  company-  of  Capt.  Elisha  Haw- 
ley  of  Northampton,  for  service  on  the  frontier;  in  1748 
was  clerk  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Ephraim  Williams,  Jr., 
at  Fort  Massachusetts,  and  remained  in  that  company' 
until  1752,  rising  to  the  rank  of  sergeant;  in  1753-4,  ser- 
geant in  Capt.  Elisha  Chapin's  company-  at  the  same  fort; 
in  1755,  lieutenant  in  Capt.  Ephraim  Williams's  company ; 
on  Capt.  Williams's!  promotion  to  major,  Lieut.  Wyman 
was  made  captain  and  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
company-  and  of  the  fort;  in  1756  made  a  clear  and  suc- 
cinct report  to  the  governor  and  council  of  the  decayed 
condition  of  the  fort;  in  1757,  had  a  company  of  seventy- 
four  men  at  Fort  Massachusetts  and  repaired  the  fort;  in 
1758-60,  was  clearing  roads,  building  bridges  and  hauling 
stores  from  Stockbridge.  and  was  paid  for  travel  from  Deer- 
field  to  the  fort,  and  from  the  fort  to  Boston  and  return, 
and  other  items,  as  appears  by  receipts  signed  by  him ;  in 
1760,  was  still  in  command  at  Fort  Massachusetts,  Stock- 
bridge,  West  Hoosick  and  other  places. 

He  came  to  Keene  in  1761  or  very  early  in  1762  (his 
little  daughter  Mary  died  here  in  May,  and  his  daughter 

1  Ths  fzrazi^tr  of  'WilHaiiis  college. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  669 

Sybil  was  bom  here  in  September.  1762).  and  bought  house- 
lots  and  lands  which,  with  his  previous  purchases,  made 
him  the  owner  of  nearly  three  thousand  acres  in  the  town. 
He  built,  in  that  year  (1762).  what  was  then,  doubtless, 
the  finest  house  in  town  —  still  known  as  the  "old  Wyman 
tavern,"  339  Main  street,  and  kept  it  as  a  public  house 
for  nearly  thirty  years.  It  was  widely  known  as  "y*  ex- 
cellent inn  of  Capt.  Wyman  in  Keene.''  As  stated  else- 
where, the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  Dartmouth  col- 
lege was  held  in  the  northeast  room  of  that  house,  Oct.  22, 
1770.  (See  pages  155-6.)  It  was  the  noted  hostlery  of 
this  section  in  1775.  when,  on  the  20th  of  April,  a  horse- 
man brought  the  tidings  of  the  slaughter  of  Americans  at 
Lexington  on  the  19th:  and  Capt.  Wyman  marched  for 
the  scene  of  action  at  the  head  of  his  company  at  sunrise 
on  the  21st.  He  was  chosen  lieutenant  colonel  of  Stark's 
regiment :  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  was  promoted 
to  colonel  of  a  regiment  in  the  northern  army.  June  20, 
1776.  commanded  it  through  the  catnpaign  and  was  dis- 
charged with  his  regiment  in  December  of  that  year. 

He  held  many  important  town  offices ;  was  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  in  January.  1775.  for  the  choice  of  dele- 
gates to  the  Continental  congress :  was  representative  to 
the  general  assembh*  in  February  of  the  same  year;  was 
one  of  the  principal  magistrates  of  the  county  and  one  of 
the  three  appointed  in  1778  to  administer  the  oath  of 
office  to  the  judges  of  the  court  in  Cheshire  county.  He 
died  March  31.  1792:  his  widow.  Sarah,  died  in  1S07, 
aged  seventy-five.  His  children  before  coming  to  Keene 
were:  Isaac,  bom  in  1755.  married  Lucretia  Hammond; 
Sarah,  married  Dr.  Calvin  Frink.  of  Swanzey;  Susanna, 
married  Maj.  Josiah  Willard  (third  wife) ;  Mary,  died  in 
May,  1762;  William,  died  in  November.  1765.  His  chil- 
dren after  coming  to  Keene  were :  Sybil,  bom  Sept.  3,  1762, 
died  1765;  Mary  (2d),  bom  in  176-1:;  Elijah,  bom  in  1766, 
married  1791.  Keriah.  daughter  of  Dea.  Henry  Ellis; 
Joshua,  bom  in  1769.  married.  1790.  Hannah  Willard  of 
Keene:  Roxanna.  bom  in  1771.  married  William  Ward 
Blake,  who  succeeded  Col.  Wyman  in  the  old  tavern ; 
William,  bom  in  Februarv.  1775. 


670  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


ISAAC   WYMAN. 


Capt.  Isaac  Wyman,  son  of  Col.  Isaac  and  Sarah 
(Wells)  W^'man,  was  born  in  1755;  married,  1777,  Lucre- 
tia  Hammond,  of  Swanzey,  and  second,  in  1812,  Louisa 
Bishop;  lived  on  the  farm  and  built  the  house,  about  1800, 
in  west  part,  still  owned  by  his  descendants ;  a  Revolution- 
ary soldier;  captain  in  the  militia;  died  in  1835.  He  had 
eleven  children  born  between  1778  and  1802,  all  by  his 
first  wife.  His  youngest  son,  Charles,  remained  on  the 
homestead. 

JOSHUA   WYMAN. 

Joshua  Wyman,  fourth  son  of  Col.  Isaac,  was  born  in 
1769;  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Maj.  Josiah  Willard, 
1790 ;  was  a  merchant,  the  first  to  occupy  the  brick  store 
where  the  Sentinel  building  now  stands ;  was  captain  of 
Keene  Light  Infantry;  died  in  1796. 

WILLIAM   WYMAN. 

William  Wyman,  fifth  son  of  Col.  Isaac,  was  born 
Feb.  20,  1775 ;  was  a  sea  captain ;  married  Mary  Fowle, 
daughter  of  Maj.  Josiah  Capen,  of  Watertown,  Mass.  He 
returned  to  Keene  in  1804-5  with  a  fortune;  went  into 
trade  ^vith  Daniel  Chapman ;  built  the  brick  store  now  the 
south  end  of  Eagle  Hotel,  the  present  city  hospital  for  a 
residence  —  then  the  finest  in  town  —  and  several  other 
buildings;  owned  much  real  estate  in  Keene;  died  in  1811, 
leaving  two  daughters  in  care  of  Daniel  Bradford,  executor 
of  his  estate. 


1  ow^n   Omcers. 


In  the  history  of  the  town  of  Keene  the  most  impor- 
tant officers  elected  by  the  to-wn  were  the  selectmen,  the 
representatives  to  the  legislature,  the  moderators,  the  town 
clerks  and  the  treasurers.  Below  will  be  found  lists  of 
those  officers,  with  the  dates  of  their  election : 

SELECTMEN. 

1753.  Ephraim  Dorman,  Michael  Metcalf,  William  Smeed. 

1754.  Dea.    David    Foster,    Ephraim    Dorman,    Michael  Metcalf,   David 

Nims,  Nathan  Blake. 

1755.  Capt.   Metcalf,   David  Nims,   Dea.  David    Foster,  Lieitt.   Ephraim 

Dorman,  Ensign  William  Smeed. 

1756.  Capt.  Michael  Metcalf,  Lieut.  Ephraim  Dorman,  Ensign    William 

Smeed,  David  Nims,  Eleazar  Sanger. 

1757.  Lieut.   Seth   Heaton,   Dea.   David   Foster,   Ebenezer  Nims,    Gideon 

Ellis,  Ebenezer  Clark. 

1758.  Lieut.  Seth  Heaton,  David  Nims,  Ensign  William  Smeed,  Ebenezer 

Nims,  Sergt.  Gideon  Ellis. 

1759.  David  Nims,  Lieut.  Seth  Heaton,  Gideon  Ellis. 

1760.  David  Foster,  Eleazar  Sanger,  John  French,  Lieut.  Seth  Heaton, 

Isaac  Clark. 

1761.  Thomas    Frink,   Jonah    French,   Eleazar    Sanger,   Obadiah   Blake, 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1762.  Dea.   David    Foster,    Ephraim    Dorman,    Benjamin    Hall,    Jonah 

French,  Dr.  Obadiah  Blake. 

1763.  Capt.   Isaac  Wyman,  Jonah  French,  Benjamin  Hall,  Gideon  Ellis, 

Thomas  Baker. 

1764.  Benjamin  Hall,  Josiah  Willard,  Capt.  Isaac  Wyman. 

1765.  Capt.  Isaac  Wyman,  Simeon  Clark,  Michael  Metcalf. 

1766.  Capt.  Isaac  Wyman,  Simeon  Clark,  Josiah  Willard. 

1767.  Benjamin  Hall,  Josiah  Willard,  David  Nims. 

1768.  David  Nims,  Benjamin  Hall,  Michael  Metcalf. 

1769.  Benjamin  Hall,  David  Nims,  Abraham  Wheeler. 

1770.  Timothy  Ellis,  Thomas  Baker,  Simeon  Clark. 

1771.  David  Nims,  Benjamin  Hall,  Thomas  Baker. 

1772.  Capt.    Ephraim    Dorman,    Maj.   Josiah    Willard,   Thomas    Baker, 

Capt.  Isaac  Wyman,  Elijah  Williams. 

1773.  Abraham    Wheeler,    David    Nims,    Benjamin    Hall,    Seth    Heaton, 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1774.  Benjamin    Hall,    Elijah   Williams,  Thomas   Baker,   Timothy   Ellis, 

Josiah  Richardson. 


672  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

1775.  Capt.   Isaac    Wyman,    Capt.    Ephraim  Dorman,    Thomas    Baker, 

Benjamin  Osgood,  Abraham  Wheeler. 

1776.  Col.  Isaac  Wyman,  Capt.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Lieut.  Josiah  Richard- 

son, Daniel  Kingsbury,  Joseph  Blake. 

1777.  Col.   Isaac  Wyman,   Maj.    Timothy   Ellis,   Thomas   Baker,   Daniel 

Kingsbury,  Benjamin  Osgood. 

1778.  Capt.   Jeremiah    Stiles,   Simeon    Clark,   Josiah  Richardson,  Jabez 

Fisher,  Silas  Cooke. 

1779.  Thomas  Baker,   Dan  Guild,   Davis  Howlett,  Timothy  Ellis,  John 

Houghton. 

1780.  Davis    Hov^rlett,   Dan    Guild,   Reuben    Partridge,  John    Houghton, 

Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1781.  William  Banks.  Joseph  Willson,  Daniel  Newcomb,  Jotham  Metcalf, 

Joseph  Blake. 

1782.  William  Banks,  Joseph  Willson,  Abijah  Wilder,  Daniel  Kingsbury, 

John  Houghton. 

1783.  Josiah  Richardson,   David  Nims,  Jr.,  Nathan  Blake,  Jr,  Jonathan 

Bailey,  Timothy'  Ellis. 

1784.  Benjamin    Hall,   Jeremiah    Stiles,   David  Nims,  Jr.,   Daniel  Kings- 

bury, Benjamin  Balch. 

1785.  Benjamin  Hall,  Jeremiah   Stiles,    Lieut.    Partridge,   Daniel  Kings- 

bur\',  Benjamin  Balch. 

1786.  Benjamin  Hall,  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1787.  Asa  Dunbar,    Nathan   Blake,   John   Houghton.    Asa  Dunbar  died 

Jan.  22  and  Jeremiah  Stiles  was  chosen. 

1788.  Daniel    Newcomb,    Daniel    Kingsbury,    Benjamin    Osgood,   Josiah 

Richardson,  Jotham  Metcalf. 

1789.  Jeremiah   Stiles,   Abel    Blake,    Ebenezer    Robbins,    Peleg  Sprague, 

Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1790.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Peleg  Sprague,  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1791.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Peleg  Sprague,   Abijah   Wilder,  Ebenezer  Robbins,' 

David  Foster. 

1792.  Jeremiah  Stiles,  Noah  Cooke,  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1793.  Lockhart  Willard,  Daniel  Kingsburj^  David  Wilson. 

1794.  Elijah  Dunbar,  Abijah  Wilder,  Ebenezer  Robbins. 

1795.  Daniel  Kingsbury,  Nathan  Blake,  Jr.,  Thomas  Baker,  Jr. 

1796.  Thaddeus  Maccarty,  Abel  Blake,  Ebenezer  Robbins. 

1797.  Thaddeus  Maccarty,  Lockhart  Willard,  Abel  Blake. 

1798.  Lockhart  Willard,  Ebenezer  Robbins,  Abel  Blake. 

1799.  Lockhart  Willard,  Abel  Blake,  Ebenezer  Robbins. 

1800.  Lockhart  Willard,  Abel  Blake,  Ebenezer  Robbins. 

1801.  Abel  Blake,  Thaddeus  Maccarty,  Eli  Blake. 

1802.  Lockhart  Willard,  Eli  Blake,  Abel  Blake. 

1803.  Noah  Cooke,  David  Forbes,  Eli  Blake. 

1804.  Elijah  Dunbar,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Lockhart  Willard. 

1805.  David  Wilson,  Joel  Kingsbury,  EH  Blake. 

1806.  David  Wilson,  Eli  Blake,  Joel  Kingsbury. 

1807.  Lockhart  Willard,  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Silas  Perry. 

1808.  Josiah  Willard,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Aaron  Hall,  Jr. 

1809.  Josiah  Willard,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Aaron  Hall,  Jr. 

1810.  Lockhart  Willard,  Eli  Blake,  Albe  Cady. 


TOWN  OFFICERS.  673 

1811.  Lockhart  Willard,  Eli  Blake,  Phineas  Cooke. 

1812.  Lockhart  Willard,  Daniel  Bradford,  Albe  Cady. 

1813.  Elijah  Dunbar,  Daniel  Bradford,  Albe  Cady. 

1814.  Lockhart  Willard,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Albe  Cady. 

1815.  Lockhart  Willard,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Isaac  Parker. 

1816.  John  Wood,  Joel  Kingsbury,  Eli  Blake. 

1817.  John  Wood,  Elijah  Dunbar,  Samuel  Bassett. 

1818.  John  Wood,  Samuel  Bassett,  Elijah  Dunbar. 

1819.  John  Wood,  Samuel   Bassett,  Foster  Alexander. 

1820.  Foster  Alexander,  Daniel  Bradford,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1821.  Zebadiah  Kise,  Henry  Goodnow,  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1822.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Azel  Wilder. 

1823.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Azel  Wilder. 
1824..  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Azel  Wilder. 

1825.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Henry  Coolidge. 

1826.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Henry  Coolidge. 

1827.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henr3'  Goodnow,  Henry  Coolidge. 

1828.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Henry  Coolidge. 

1829.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Goodnow,  Henry  Coolidge. 

1830.  Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr.,  Henry  Coolidge,  Thomas  Thompson. 

1831.  Thomas  Thompson,  Henry  Goodnow,  Carlos  Blake. 

1832.  Thomas  Thompson,  Carlos  Blake,  Samuel  Wood,  Jr. 

1833.  Thomas  Thompson,  Carlos  Blake,  Samuel  Wood,  Jr. 

1834.  Samuel  Wood,  Jr.,  Sumner  Carpenter,  Aaron  Thompson. 

1835.  Samuel  Wood,  Jr.,  Sumner  Carpenter,  Aaron  Thompson. 

1836.  Aaron  Thompson,  Henr^'  Goodnow,  George  W.  Sturtevant. 

1837.  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Josiah  Sawyer,  Oliver  Holman. 

1838.  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Gideon  Clark,  Samuel  Wood,  Jr. 

1839.  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Gideon  Clark,  Samuel  Wood,  Jr. 

1840.  Samuel  Wood,  Jr.,  Charles  Chase,  James  Buftum. 

1841.  James  Buffum,  Charles  Chase,  Abel  Blake. 

1842.  James  Buffum,  Charles  Chase,  Abel  Blake. 

1843.  James  Buffum,  Charles  Chase,  John  H.  Fuller. 

1844.  Charles  Chase,  Samuel  Towns,  2d,  Loring  C.  Frost. 

1845.  Joshua  Wyman,  Josiah  Sawyer,  Luther  Nurse. 

1846.  Joshua  Wyman,  Josiah  Sawyer,  Kendall  Crossfield. 

1847.  Azel  Wilder,  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Thomas  C.  Thompson. 

1848.  Kendall  Crossfield,  George  K.  Wright,  Joshua  Wyman. 

1849.  Samuel  Wood,  Caleb  Carpenter,  Lanman  Nims. 

1850.  Josiah  Sawyer,  George  W.  Sturtevant,  Joshua  Wyman. 

1851.  Thomas  Thompson,  Eugene  S.  Ellis,  Arba  Kidder. 

1852.  Arba  Kidder,  Eugene  S.  Elhs,  Abijah  Metcalf. 

1853.  Arba  Kidder,  John  A.  Draper,  Eugene  S.  Ellis. 

1854.  Wilham  S.  Briggs,  Eugene  S.  Ellis,  Ebenezer  Clark. 

1855.  Ebenezer  Clark,  Nelson  N.  Sawj^er,  William  P.  Cochran. 

1856.  Nelson  N.   Sawver,   William   P.    Cochran   (resigned    and   Ebenezer 

Clark  elected  Nov.  4),  John  Clark. 

1857.  Ebenezer  Clark,  Arba  Kidder,  John  Clark. 


674 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


1858. 
1859. 
1860. 
1861. 
1862. 
1863. 
1864. 
1865. 
1866. 
1867. 
1868. 
1869. 
1870. 
1871. 
1872. 
1873. 
1874. 


1768. 
1769. 

1770. 
1771. 
1772. 
1773. 
1774. 
1775. 
1775. 


1776. 

1777. 
1778. 
1779. 
1780. 
1781. 
1782. 
1783. 
1784. 
1785. 
1786. 
1787. 
1788. 
1789. 
1790. 
1791. 
1792. 


Ebenezer  Clark,  Kendall  Crossfield,  Charles  N.  Wilder. 
Ashley  Jones,  Charles  N.  "Wilder,  Kendall  Crossfield. 
Ebenezer  Clark,  Nelson  N.  Sawyer,  Elias  Joslin. 
Nelson  N.  Sawyer,  George  G.  Dort,  Chester  Nims. 
Nelson  N.  Sawyer,  George  G.  Dort,  Chester  Nims. 
Augustus  T.  Wilder,  Chester  Nims,  Thomas  C.  Rand. 
Augustus  T.  Wilder,  Chester  Nims,  Thomas  C.  Rand. 
Augustus  T.  Wilder,  Chester  Nims,  Thomas  C.  Rand. 
Chester  Nims,  Samuel  Woodward,  William  P.  Abbott. 
Chester  Nims,  Samuel  Woodward,  William  P.  Abbott. 
Chester  Nims,  Edwin  R.  Locke,  Stephen  Barker. 
Chester  Nims,  George  H.  Gilbert,  Charles  Keyes. 
Chester  Nims,  George  H.  Gilbert,  Charles  Keyes. 
George  H.  Gilbert,  Lanman  Nims,  Charles  Ke3'es. 
William  P.  Cochran,-  Luther  P.  Alden,  Samuel  0.  Gates. 
Luther  P.  Alden,  Samuel  O.  Gates,  William  P.  Cochran. 
(None  chosen.) 


REPRESENTATIVES. 


Josiah  Willard.  1793. 

Josiah  Willard  held  over  but  1794. 

did  not  take  his  seat. 

Josiah  Willard.  1795. 
Benjamin  Hall. 
Benjamin  Hall. 
Benjamin  Hall. 

Benjamin  Hall.  1796. 

Isaac  Wyman.  1797. 

Timothy  Ellis  delegate  to  the  1798. 

Provincial  congress  at  Ex-  ^  „„„ 

eter;  chosen  in  April,  and 

again  in  December.  1800. 

Timothy  Ellis.  1801. 

Timothy  Ellis.  1802. 

Timothy  Ellis.  1803. 

Josiah  Richardson.  1804. 

Josiah  Richardson.  1805. 

Josiah  Richardson.  1806. 

Daniel  Kingsbury.  1807. 

1808. 

Benjamin  Hall.  1809. 

Benjamin  Hall.  1810. 

Jeremiah  Stiles.  1811. 

Benjamin  Hall.  1812. 

Josiah  Richardson.  1813. 

Josiah  Richardson.  1814. 

Jeremiah  Stiles.  1815. 

Jeremiah  Stiles.  1816. 

Jeremiah  Stiles.  1817. 


Jeremiah  Stiles. 

In   March,  Jeremiah    Stiles. 

Aug.  25,  Daniel  Newcomb. 
In  March,  Daniel  Newcomb. 

Elected  senator,  resigned. 

Sept.    28,  Jeremiah  Stiles 

chosen. 
Josiah  Richardson. 
Peleg  Sprague. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
David  Forbes. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Elijah  Dunbar. 
Samuel  Dinsmoor. 
Elijah  Dunbar. 
Albe  Cady. 
Elijah  Dunbar. 
Albe  Cady. 
John  Wood. 
John  Wood. 
Albe  Cady. 
John  Wood. 
John  Wood. 
John  Wood. 


TOWN  OFFICERS. 


675 


1818.  Dan  Hough. 

1819.  Dan  Hough. 

1820.  John  Prentiss. 

1821.  John  Wood. 

1822.  Foster  Alexander, 

1823.  Salma  Hale. 

1824.  Joel  Parker. 

1825.  Joel  Parker,  James  Wilson,  Jr. 

1826.  Joel  Parker,  James  Wilson,  Jr. 

1827.  James    Wilson,    Jr.,    Henry 

Coolidge. 

1828.  Salma  Hale,  JamesWilson,Jr. 

1829.  James    Wilson,    Jr.,    Aaron 

Hall. 

1830.  James    Wilson,   Jr.,    Aaron 

Hall. 

1831.  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  Eliphalet 

Briggs. 

1832.  James  Wilson,  Jr.,   Stephen 

Harrington. 

1833.  Azel    Wilder,    Henry    Good- 

now. 

1834.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,James 

Wilson,  Jr. 

1835.  Henry     Coolidge,     Thomas 

Thompson. 

1836.  Thomas    M.    Edwards, 

Thomas  Thompson. 

1837.  James    Wilson,    Jr.,    Oliver 

Heaton. 

1838.  Thomas   M.  Edwards,  Levi 

Chamberlain. 

1839.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Benja- 

min F.  Adams. 

1840.  JamesWilson,  Levi  Chamber- 

lain. 

1841.  Sumner      Wheeler,       Aaron 

Davis.    . 

1842.  Aaron  Davis,   Isaac  Sturte- 

vant. 

1843.  Isaac    Sturtevant,    Phineas 

Handerson. 

1844.  Salma  Hale,  Levi  Chamber- 

lain. 

1845.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Sum- 

ner Wheeler. 

1846.  James  Wilson,  Isaac  Sturte- 

vant. 

1847.  James  Wilson,  Isaac  Sturte- 

vant, Luther  Nurse. 

1848.  Levi      Chamberlain,     Isaac 

Sturtevant,  Luther  Nurse. 


1849.  Phineas  Handerson,  Sumner 

Wheeler,  Arba  Kidder. 

1850.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Arba 

Kidder,' John  W.  Binney. 

1851.  John  W.  Binney,  Francis  A. 

Faulkner,     William      S. 
Hutchins. 

1852.  Levi   Chamberlain,   WilHam 

S.    Hutchins,    Francis    A. 
Faulkner. 

1853.  Stewart  Hastings,  Selden  F. 

White,  Jehiel  Wilson. 

1854.  Stewart  Hastings,  Jehiel  Wil- 

son, John  W.  Binne\". 

1855.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Rufus 

Gates,  Caleb  Carpenter. 

1856.  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  Rufus 

Gates,  Caleb  Carpenter. 

1857.  Francis  S.  Fiske,  D.  W.  Buck- 

minster,  Ephraim  Foster, 
Daniel  Buss. 

1858.  Francis  S.  Fiske,  D.  W.  Buck- 

minster,  Ephraim  Foster, 
Daniel  Buss. 

1859.  Francis   A.  Faulkner,  Caleb 

T.  Buflfum,  Edward  Joslin, 
Addison  Stone. 

1860.  Francis  A.  Faulkner,  Caleb 

T.  Buffum,  Addison  Stone, 
George  Holmes. 

1861.  Levi    Chamberlain,    George 

Holmes, Edward  Edwards, 
Charles  Chase. 

1862.  George  H.  Richards,  Edward 

Edwards,  William  S. 
Briggs,  Henry  Pond. 

1863.  George  H.  Richards,  William 

S.  Briggs,  John  I.  Nestle, 
William  P.  Abbott. 

1864.  WilHam  P.  Abbott,  Farnum 

F.  Lane,  Henry  Willard, 
Stephen  Barker,  Samuel  0. 
Gates. 

1865.  Farnum  F.Lane,  Henry  Wil- 

lard, Stephen  Barker,  Sam- 
uel O.  Gates,  Edward  Gus- 
tine. 

1866.  ZedekiahS.Barstow,  Samuel 

W.  Hale,  S.  G.  Griffin,  Miles 
S.  Buckminster,  Pembroke 
Fisher. 

1867.  ZedekiahS.Barstow,  Samuel 

W.  Hale,  S.  G.  Griffin,  Miles 
S.  Buckminster,  Pembroke 
Fisher. 


676 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


1868.  S.G.  Griffin  John  Humphrey,        1872. 

Solon  S.  Wilkinson,  Robert 
Wilson,  Charles  Bridgman. 

1869.  John    Humphrey,    Solon   S. 

Wilkinson,  Robert  Wilson,        1873. 
Charles   Bridgman,   Solon 
A.  Carter,  William  French. 

1870.  James  Wilson,  Solon  A.  Car- 

ter, William  French,  Joseph 

R.  Beal,  Kendall  C.  Scott,        1874. 

William  P.  Cochran. 

1871.  JamesWilson,JosephR.  Beal, 

Kendall  C.  Scott,  WiUiam 
P.  Cochran,  Charles  S. 
Faulkner,  Edward  Farrar. 


Charles  S.  Faulkner,  Edward 
Farrar,  Thomas  E.  Hatch, 
Samuel  Woodward,  Allen 
Giffin,  Ira  F.  Prouty. 

Samuel  Woodward,  Allen 
GifEn,  Ira  F.  Prout^-,  Asa 
Fairbanks, George  A.  Whee- 
lock,  Daniel  K.  Healey, 
Stephen  D.  Osborne. 

George  A.  Wheelock,  Stephen 
D.  Osborne,  Daniel  K. 
Healey,  Hiram  H.  Stone, 
George  K.  Wright,  George 
H.  Tilden,  Charles  Shrig- 
ley. 


1753.  Benjamin  Bellows. 

1754.  Michael  Metcalf. 

1755.  Michael  Metcalf. 

1756.  Michael  Metcalf. 

1757.  Ebenezer  Clark. 

1758.  Ebenezer  Clark. 

1759.  Dea.  David  Foster. 

1760.  Ebenezer  Clark. 

1761.  (No  record.) 

1762.  Dea.  David  Foster. 

1763.  David  Nims. 

1764.  Dr.  Thomas  Frink. 

1765.  Dr.  Thomas  Frink. 

1766.  Capt.  Issac  Wyman. 

1767.  Josiah  Willard. 

1768.  David  Nims. 

1769.  David  Nims. 

1770.  David  Nims. 

1771.  David  Nims. 

1772.  Thomas  Frink. 

1773.  Thomas  Frink. 

1774.  Thomas  Frink. 

1775.  Thomas  Frink. 

1776.  David  Nims. 

1777.  Thomas  Frink. 

1778.  Col.  Isaac  Wyman. 

1779.  Timothy  Ellis. 

1780.  Thomas  Frink. 

1781.  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1782.  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1783.  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1784.  Daniel  Kingsbury. 

1785.  Daniel  Kingsbury. 


MODERATORS. 

1786. 
1787. 
1788. 
1789. 
1790. 
1791. 
1792. 
1793. 
1794. 
1795. 
1796. 
1797. 
1798. 
1799. 
1800. 
1801. 
1802. 
1803. 
1804. 
1805. 
1806. 
1807. 
1808. 
1809. 
1810. 
1811. 
1812. 
1813. 
1814. 
1815. 
1816. 
1817. 
1818. 


Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Benjamin  Hall. 
Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Kingsbury'. 
Peleg  Sprague. 
Daniel  Kingsbur3-. 
Noah  Cooke. 
Daniel  Kingsbur3-. 
Daniel  Kingsbury'. 
Peleg  Sprague. 
Peleg  Sprague. 
Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Daniel  Kingsburj'. 
Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Daniel  Kingsbury". 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Daniel  Kingsbury. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Lockhart  Willard. 
John  Prentiss. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Foster  Alexander. 


TOWN  OFFICERS. 


677 


1819. 

John  Prentiss. 

1847. 

1820. 

James  Wilson. 

1848. 

1821. 

Joel  Parker. 

1849. 

1822. 

James  Wilson,  Jr. 

1850. 

1823. 

Joel  Parker. 

1851. 

1824. 

Joel  Parker. 

1852. 

1825. 

Joel  Parker. 

1853. 

1826. 

Joel  Parker. 

1854. 

1827. 

Joel  Parker. 

1855. 

1828. 

Joel  Parker. 

1856. 

1829. 

Joel  Parker. 

1857. 

1830. 

Joel  Parker. 

1858. 

1831. 

James  Wilson,  Jr. 

1859. 

1832. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1860. 

1833. 

James  Wilson,  Jr. 

1861. 

1834. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1862. 

1835. 

Henry  Coolidge. 

1863. 

1836. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1864. 

1837. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1865. 

1838. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1866. 

1839. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1867. 

1840. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1868. 

1841. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1869. 

1842. 

Levi  Chamberlain. 

1870. 

1843. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1871. 

1844. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1872. 

1845. 

Thomas  M.  Edwards. 

1873. 

1846. 

Levi  Chamberlain. 

1874. 

TOWN 

CLERKS, 

1753. 

David  Nims. 

1770. 

1754. 

David  Nims. 

1771. 

1755. 

David  Nims. 

1772. 

1756. 

David  Nims. 

1773. 

1757. 

David  Nims. 

1774. 

1758. 

David  Nims. 

1775. 

1759. 

David  Nims. 

1776. 

1760. 

David  Foster. 

1777. 

1761. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1778. 

1762. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1779. 

1763. 

David  Nims. 

1780. 

1764. 

David  Nims. 

1781. 

1765. 

David  Nims. 

1782. 

1766. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1783. 

1767. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1784. 

1768. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1785. 

1769. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1786. 

Levi  Chamberlain. 
Levi  Chamberlain. 
Thomas  M.  Edwards. 
Levi  Chamberlain. 
Thomas  M.  Edwards. 
Thomas  M.  Edwards. 
Levi  Chamberlain. 
Levi  Chamberlain. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
Francis  A.  Faulkner. 
George  B.  Twitchell. 


Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Ichabod  Fisher. 
Asa  Dunbar. 


678 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


1787. 

Asa  Dunbar.    He  died   June 

1830. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

22    and    Jeremiah     Stiles 

1831. 

George  Tilden. 

was  chosen. 

1832. 

George  Tilden. 

1788. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1833. 

George  Tilden. 

1789. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1834. 

George  Tilden. 

1790. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1835. 

George  W.  Sturtevant. 

1791. 

Jeremiah  Stiles.    Resigned  in 
August  and  Micah   Law- 

1836. 

George  W.  Sturtevant. 

rence  chosen. 

1837. 

George  W.  Sturtevant. 

1792. 

Micah  Lawrence. 

1838. 

George  W.  Sturtevant. 

1793. 

Micah  Lawrence. 

1839. 

George  W.  Sturtevant. 

1794. 

Lockhart  Willard. 

1840. 

Selden  F.  White. 

1795. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1841. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1796. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1842. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1797. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1843. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1798. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1844. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1799. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1845. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1800. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1846. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1801. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1847. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1802. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1848. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1803. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1849. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1804. 

Noah  Cooke. 

1850. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1805. 

Andrew  Bradford. 

1851. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1806. 

Andrew  Bradford. 

1852. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1807. 

John  Prentiss. 

1853. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1808. 

John  Prentiss. 

1854. 

Albert  Godfrey. 

1809. 

John  Prentiss. 

1855. 

Thomas  C.  Rand. 

1810. 

Albe  Cady. 

1856. 

Thomas  C.  Rand. 

1811. 

Albe  Cady. 

1857. 

Thomas  C.  Rand. 

1812. 

Albe  Cady. 

1858. 

Thomas  C.  Rand. 

1813. 

Albe  Cady. 

1859. 

Thomas  C.  Rand. 

1814. 

Albe  Cady. 

1860. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1815. 

Elijah  Parker. 

1861. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1816. 

Elijah  Parker. 

1862. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1817. 

Elijah  Parker. 

1863. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1818. 

Elijah  Parker. 

1864. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1819. 

Elijah  Parker. 

1865. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1820. 

Foster  Alexander. 

1866. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1821. 

Foster  Alexander. 

1867. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1822. 

Foster  Alexander. 

1868. 

George  H.  Tilden. 

1823. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1869. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1824. 

Ehphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1870. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1825. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1871. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1826. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1872. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1827. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1873. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1828. 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

1874. 

John  W.  Sturtevant. 

1829, 

Eliphalet  Briggs,  Jr. 

TOWN  OFFICERS. 


679 


TREASURERS. 

1753. 

David  Nims. 

1799. 

1754. 

Ebenezer  Nims. 

1800. 

1755. 

Daxid  Nims. 

1801. 

1756. 

David  Nims. 

1802. 

1757. 

•  David  Nims. 

1803. 

1758. 

(No  record.) 

1804. 

1759. 

David  Nims. 

1805. 

1760. 

David  Foster. 

1806. 

1761. 

(No  record.) 

1807. 

1762. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1808. 

1763. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1809. 

1764. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1810. 

1765. 

Ephraim  Dorman. 

1811. 

1766. 

Josiah  Willard, 

1812. 

1767. 

(No  record.) 

1813. 

1768. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1814. 

1769. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1815. 

1770. 

(No  record.) 

1816. 

1771. 

(No  record.) 

1817. 

1772. 

(No  record.) 

1818. 

1773. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1819. 

1774. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1820. 

1775. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1821. 

1776. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1822. 

1777. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1823. 

1778. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1824. 

1779. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1825. 

1780. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1826. 

1781. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1827. 

1782. 

Ichabod  Fisher. 

1828. 

1783. 

Josiah  Richardson. 

1829. 

1784. 

Thomas  Baker. 

1830. 

1785. 

Thomas  Baker. 

1831. 

1786. 

(No  record.) 

1832. 

1787. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1833. 

1788. 

Josiah  Richardson. 

1834. 

1789. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1835. 

1790. 

Jeremiah  Stiles. 

1836. 

1791. 

Abel  Blake. 

1837. 

1792. 

Abel  Blake. 

1838. 

1793. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1839. 

1794. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1840. 

1795. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1841. 

1796. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1842. 

1797. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1843. 

1798. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 

1844. 

Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Daniel  Newcomb. 
Albe  Cady. 
John  Prentiss. 
John  Prentiss. 
John  Prentiss. 
John  Prentiss. 
Elijah  Parker. 
Elijah  Parker. 
Elijah  Parker. 
Elijah  Parker. 
Elijah  Parker. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Foster  Alexander. 
Eliphalet  Briggs. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
None  chosen. 
None  chosen. 
Eliphalet  Briggs. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Voted  not  to  choose. 
Timothy  Hall. 
Timothy  Hall. 
Timothy  Hall. 
Thomas  H.  Leverett. 
Thomas  H.  Leverett. 


680 


HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 


1845.  James  H.  Williams. 

1846.  James  H.  Williams. 

1847.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1848.  Zebina  Newell. 

1849.  Zebina  Newell. 

1850.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1851.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1852.  Zebina  Newell. 

1853.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1854.  Zebina  Newell. 

1855.  Zebina  Newell. 

1856.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1857.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1858.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1859.  Royal  H.  Porter. 


1860.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1861.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1862.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1863.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1864.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1865.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1866.  Thomas  H.  Leverett. 

1867.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1868.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1869.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1870.  Royal  H.  Porter. 

1871.  George  W.  Tilden. 

1872.  Henry  0.  Coolidge. 

1873.  Henry  0.  Coohdge. 

1874.  None  chosen. 


Thomas   M.    Hiiwards. 


City   Cnronology 


COMPRISING  EVENTS  OF  INTEREST    IN  THE    HISTORY  OF  THE 

CITY  OF  KEENE  FROM  1874  TO   1904. 

BY  FRANK  H.  WHITCOMB. 


(The  events  are  separated  by  leaders  ( ).     Dates  by  months  and  days  are 

given  wherever  practicable,  and  apply  only  to  the  events  with  which  they 
appear.) 

1874. 

March  10,  city  government  adopted ;   May  5,  city  government  organ- 
ized;   Horatio   Colony,  first  mayor Kcene  Public  Library  established. 

Invalids'  Home  incorporated New   Baptist  church  built Voting 

population:    Ward   1,  440;  ward   2,   254;    ward  3,  414;    ward   4,  298; 

ward  5,  294 June  13,  death   of  Henry   C.   Handerson,   postmaster 

Patent  issued  to  Francis  A.  Perry,  master  mechanic  of  Cheshire  Railroad 
Company,  for  an  improved  spark-arrester  and  consumer  for  locomotives 

and  portable  engines Gratuity  of  $160,000  voted  to  the  Manchester 

&  Keene  Railroad  Corporation Aug.  16,  murder  of  Allen  A.  Craig 

Sept.   5,   Mrs.   Lydia    M.    Handerson    appointed    postmaster Cheshire 

Chair  Company,  which  commenced  business  in  January,  1869,  and 
removed  to  the    Hope    mills   (tiow   Beaver    mills)   in  1872,   enlarged  its 

plant  and  established  a  branch  store  in  Philadelphia,  Penn Mechanical 

fire  alarm  attached  to  bell  in  city  hall  building  at  an  expense  of  $100. 

1875. 

Horatio    Colony,    mayor Keene     Humane    Society    organized 

Citizens  National  bank  established. .....Jan.  3,  Kendall  C.  Scott,  formerly 

editor  of  the  Peterboro  Transcript,  died Keene  Public  Library  formally 

surrendered  to  the  city  Feb.  2,  and  first  books  issued  July  10 February, 

big  load  of  four-foot  wood  photographed  by  J.  A.  French,  eleven  and  one- 
fourth  cords March  2,  brilliant  meteor  observed  at  11.30  o'clock  p.  m. 

April  12,  J.  S.  Taft  &  Co.'s  pottery,  Water  street,  destroyed  by  fire 

May  1,  death  of  Thomas  M.  Edwards,  lawyer  and  ex-congressman,  aged 

seventy-nine   years,    four  months May    11,   $50,000  appropriated   by 

Union  school  district    for  a  new   high  school  building May  20,   new 

Baptist  church  dedicated July  3,  grounds  of  the  Keene  Driving  Park 

Association  opened  to  the  public June  5,  a  five  years  old  son  of  Frank 

Harmon  fatally  burned  in  the  Bouvier  house  on  Howard  street;  Peter 
Bouvier's  son,  aged  four  years,  died  the  day  following,  the  children  hav- 
ing set  the  fire  with  matches .June  14,  eight  freight  cars  loaded  with 


682  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

corn  came  into   Keene  from  Troy,   eleven  miles  in  fourteen  minutes,   an 

engine  caught  the  cars  beyond  the  Cheshire  tannery  on  grade June  20, 

high  school    kept    in    city  hall ;   work    of   demolishing  the  old   academy 

building  commenced Citizens  National  bank  commenced   business  Nov. 

1 Nov.  20,  Woodbury's  furniture  shop  on  Beaver  brook  and  adjoining 

shop  destroyed  by  fire Nov.  21,  Sally  Ann    Parker,   widow  of   Elijah 

Parker,  died  in  her  ninety-fourth  year,  the  oldest  person  but  one  in  town ; 
she  was  a  daughter  of  Parson  Hall  and  the  last  of  a  once  distingixished 

family  in  this  part  of  the  state Dec.   16,  death  of  Lydia   M.   Hander- 

son;  Thomas  E.  Hatch   appointed   acting  postmaster Dec.  27,  fiftieth 

anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the  church  connected  with  the  Keene 
Congregational  Society  (Unitarian.) 

1876. 

Edward  Farrar,  mayor. March  16,  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 

institution  of  Beaver  Brook  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.;  new  hall  in  Ball's 
block  dedicated April  19,  death  of  Samuel  Woodward,  aged  seventy- 
three May   10,  death  of  Wilham  P.  Wheeler  in   Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  aged 

sixty-three Asa    Smith    appointed     postmaster May    23,    death    of 

Charles    Lamson,    aged    seventy-seven May  24,   mysterious    death    of 

Alvin  C.   Foster May    31,   Frank  H.   Starkweather,   city    clerk,    died, 

aged    twenty-six   years June  18,   Templar    burial    service  read   at  the 

Second  Congregational  church  over  remains  of  John  A.  Duren,  aged 
forty-four  years July  3,  Charles,  son  of  Nelson  N.  Sawyer,  fatally  in- 
jured while  firing  a  cannon  at   Holyoke,   Mass July  4,   celebration   of 

the  100th    anniversary  of  American    independence,    Rev.    William    Orne 

White,   orator  of  the  day July   22,   death   of  ex-Gov.    William   Haile, 

aged  sixty-nine July  28,  John  O.  Smith,  fireman  on  the  Cheshire  rail- 
road, instantly    killed   at  the  bridge  over    the  Ashuelot    river,    west    of 

Keene    station Aug.   14,  police  force  strengthened  by   organizing  fifty 

returned    soldiers   for    special    service,    to  prevent    Manchester  &  Keene 

railroad  riot Sept.  4,  fiftieth   anniversary  reception  tendered  to   Capt. 

Samuel  Towne  and  wife  at  Second  Congregational  church Oct.  1,  Rev. 

William  O.  White,  for  twenty-five  years  pastor  of  the  Keene  Congrega- 
tional (Unitarian)  Society,  granted   a  leave  of  absence  for  a   European 

tour Woodland  cemetery  enlarged Dec.  4,  new  high  school  building 

dedicated;   James    Powell,    principal Memorial    window   placed  in   St. 

James'  church  in  memory  of  the  late  Hon.  William  P.  Wheeler,  LL.  D. 

1877. 

Edward    Farrar,    mayor Feb.    26,    death    of   Miss   Julia    Hall,   in 

Boston March    19,  in    Chicago,   111.,    death    of    Lucian    Tilton,    chief 

engineer  in  the  construction  of  the  Cheshire  railroad Patent  granted 

to  John  A.  Wright  for  impervious  oil  cabinet March  28,  Dorcas  Balch, 

aged  seventy-eight  years,  fatally  burned Franklin  W.   Hooper  elected 

principal  of    high    school April  23,   death    of   Lewis    Campbell,    aged 

seventy-five  years,  formerly  register  of  deeds May,   death    of   George 

W.   Perry,  formerly  master  mechanic  of  the   Cheshire  railroad Keene 


Charles  S.  Faulknkk. 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  683 

Public  Library  removed  from  Colony's  block  to  Warren's  block May, 

Blake  &  Mason  published  a  city  directory June  6,  a  seven  years   old 

son  of  John  Dee  drowned  in  the  Ashuelot  river July  6,  Henry  Ames 

and  Henry  Lawler  killed  while  preparing  to  move  the  Dr.  Twitchell 
house  on  Main  street July,  Lamson  block  erected Aug.  27,  forma- 
tion of  Keene  Light  Guard  decided  upon November,  iron  bridge  over 

the    Ashuelot  river  on   Island    street  constructed Thursday,  Nov.   22, 

St.  James'  church  consecrated  by  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Niles Dec.  3,  mon- 
arch elm  on  James  Donnelly's  premises  felled ;  height,  eighty-five  feet ;  girth 
one  foot  from  the  ground,  twenty  and  one-half  feet;  twenty-eight  feet 
from  ground  190  grains  or  yearly  growths  were  counted. 

1878. 

Reuben  Stewart,  mayor .Jan.  7,  Unity  Lodge,  No.  40,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

instituted .Jan.  4,  Taft's  potter3'    destroyed  by  fire April   1,  Keene 

High  School  Alumni  Association  formed April  17,  Keene  Light  Guard 

battalion   organized Population,   ward  1,  1,592;  ward  2,  991;  ward 

3,  1,473;  ward  4,  1,133;  ward  5,  1,299;  total  6,488 May  2,  Warren 

J.  Mason  killed  in  the  passenger  depot  by  being    knocked  off  a  freight 

train  by  the  arch July  22,  Louis  Carpenter  drowned  in  Beaver  brook 

reservoir Nov.  3,  Rev.  William  O.  White  resigned  pastorate  of  twenty- 
seven  years  and  preached  his  farewell  sermon Dec.  1,  last  spike  of  the 

Manchester  &  Keene  railroad  driven  by  Hon.  Samuel  W.  Hale Dec.  2, 

first  passenger  car  passed    over    Manchester  &  Keene    railroad J.    B. 

Elliot  &   Sons  built  a  mowing  machine  factory  at  South  Keene Feb. 

13,  thirtieth  anniversary  of  Deluge  Engine  Company  held  at  city  hall. 

1879. 

Reuben   Stewart,   mayor Feb.  6,   death  of  George  W.  Tilden,  aged 

fifty-nine,  and  Joseph  R.  Beal  elected  cashier  of  the  Keene  National  bank. 

Eugene  C.   Ramsdell  resigned  leadership  of   Keene    Brass    band    and 

Theodore    Allen    appointed    leader March    11,   women    have    the  first 

opportunity    to    vote    in    school    district    affairs;    Mrs.    Abby    Bickford 

elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  education March  18,  Samuel  Ham, 

who  was  run  over  by  a  Connecticut  River  railroad  train,  died May, 

Greenlawn  Cemetery  Company  organized;  Caleb  T.  Buffum,  president 

May  22,  death  of  Hon.  Francis  A.  Faulkner,  aged  fifty-four  years .June 

27,   Taft's  pottery  warehouse  on  Main    street    struck  by  lightning  and 

destroyed  by  fire,  loss  $20,000 Bell  telephones   placed  in  business  and 

private  houses Street  letter  boxes  erected July  28,  Hon.   Charles  S. 

Faulkner  died,   aged    sixty    years .Sept.  15,  Michael    Foley,   aged  nine 

years,  killed  on  Cheshire  tracks  near  the  freight  depot Prescott,   the 

artist,  painted  a  portrait  of  Gov.  Samuel  Dinsmoor  for  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire  and  a  portrait  of  Gen.  James  Wilson  for  citizens  of  Keene  to 
be  placed  in  the  city  hall.      The  latter  was  presented    Nov.  13,  at  city 

hall,  by  Gen.  S.  G.  GriflSn  for  the  donors,  and  Gen.  Wilson  responded 

Mechanical  fire  alarm  striker  attached  to  bell  on  city  hall. 


684  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 


1880. 


Horatio    Kimball,    mayor John    H.    Donovan,   while    operating    a 

Cheshire  railroad  snowplow,  on  Jan.  1,  w^as  killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head. 

Jan.  27,  death  of  Dauphin  W.  Buckrainster,  register  of  probate  since 

1871 Feb.   2,  death  of  Mrs.  Eleanor  McCrae,  nearly  ninety-four  years 

of  age  and  the  oldest  person  in  the  city ;   her  husband,  a  veteran  of  the 

war  of  1812,  died  three  years  before,  aged  ninety February,  Henry  O. 

Coolidge  appointed  register  of  probate Keene  Commandery,  No.  90, 

U.  0.  G.  C,  organized Feb.  13,  John  Sedgwick   Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  R., 

revived;  Col.  John  W.  Babbitt,  commander;  post  first  organized  Feb.  3, 

1868,  dormant  since  Sept.  5,  1872 Hale  &   Sturtevant    manufactured 

from  250  to  300  suits  of  furniture  per  week  at  Ashuelot  mills Keene 

Brass    band  uniformed  as  the  Second   Regiment    band  by  the    state 

March,  Josiah  Parsons  Cooke  died  in  Boston;  he  was  son  of  Noah 
Cooke,  who  died  at  his  house  on  West  street  in  1829  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  and  brother  of  Noah  R.  Cooke,  who  died  at  the  old  home- 
stead on  West  street,  in   1872 March  11,  death  of  Dea.  Elisha  Rand, 

aged  eighty-five  years,  a  native  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  but  nearly  a  life 
long  resident  of  Keene,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Second  Congregational 

church    and    society March  24,   Clarke's    block    destroyed  by    fire 

March    25,    paint    shop    of    Keene    Chair     Company    at    South    Keene, 

destroyed  by  fire March  26,  the  First  Congregational  society  gave  a 

supper  to  the  firemen,  as  a  thank  offering  and  in  appreciation  of  the 
gallant    services    rendered  by  the  fire  department  on  Wednesday    night, 

March    24 April  29,   one  of  the  familiar   landmarks   of   West  street, 

"the  old  Cooke  house,"  opposite  the  head  of  School  street,  taken  down. 
May  7,  Madam  Elliot,  widow  of  John  Elliot,  died  in  the  ninety- 
fourth  year  of  her  age,  at  the  house  on  Main  street  where  she  had  lived 
for  sixty-five  years May  20,  Frank  M.  Chapin  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry   as  a  missionary  to  North    China,  in  the  Second    Congregational 

church City  councils  passed  a  new   fire  precinct  ordinance In  May, 

Gideon  E.  Lee,  Fred  W.  Dodge  and  George  R.  Spencer  were  tried  for 
murder  of  Alvin  C.  Foster  and  acquitted.     A  negro  namfed  Hamilton  had 

previously    been    arrested  for  the  crime  but  was  not    tried May  28, 

Stephen  Preston  Ruggles,  the  well  known  inventor,  died  at  Lisbon  and 
his  remains  were  brought  to  Keene  for  burial;  he  invented  the  Ruggles 
printing  press,  the  first  of  machine  presses,  and  the  raised   alphabet  for 

the  blind;   was  a  writer  on   the  subject   of  mechanical  education June 

2,  stockholders  of  Cheshire  railroad  voted  to  accept  lease  of  the  Monad- 
nock  road   agreed   upon  by  the  directors Population,  Ward  1,  1,732; 

ward  2,  1,091;  ward  3,  1,479;  ward  4,  1,165;  ward  5,  1,322;  total,  6,789; 
increase  since  1870  of  818.  (Population  since  the  first  census  was  taken  : 
1775,  756;  1790,  1,314;  1800,  1,645;  1810,  1,646;  1820,  1,895;  1830, 
2,374;  1840,  2,611;  1850,  3,392;  1860,  4,320;  1870,  5,971;  1880,  6,789; 

1890,  7,446;  1900,  9,165) July  1,  new  council  rooms  completed  in  city 

hall    building July  26,   M.   A.   Bailey,   of   Middletown,    Conn.,    elected 

principal  of  the  high    school Aug.   12,   Deluge  engine   house  removed 

from  St.  James  street  to  Vernon  street  lot City  hall  remodeled,  stage 


I 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  685 

and  gallery  added Aug.  25,  death  of  William  P.  Abbott,  aged  sixty- 
nine  years September,  J.  H.  Stillman  &  Co.  commenced  the  manu- 
facture   of   misses'    and    ladies'  boots  and    shoes    in    the    Ashuelot    shoe 

factory   on   Leverett  street September,   Manchester  &   Keene  railroad 

finished Nov.  9,  Hope  steam  mills  property  sold  to  Barrett  Ripley  for 

$50,000 Nov.  5,  there  lay  dead  in  Keene  four  old  people,   Mr.  Ashley 

Mason,  Mr.  Carlton  Parker,  Mr.  Louis  Howe  and  Mrs.  Louisa  Holman, 
each  leaving  a  partner  in  life  and  all  of  them  having  celebrated  their 
golden  weddings November,  Clarke's  brick  block  completed Novem- 
ber 22,  death  of  Elijah  Holbrook,  aged  seventy-two  years,  formerly  pro- 
prietor of  the  Cheshire  House December,  Burdett  chair  factory  built. 

"Liberty  Hall"  opened  in  Clarke's  block,  Dec.  28,  by  K.  L.  G.  bat- 
talion. 

1881. 

Ira  W.   Russell,   mayor Jan.  2,   Nelson  A.    Bartlett   killed  near  the 

"Gulf  bridge,"  aged  twenty-six  years Jan.  6,  Mrs.   Lizzie  M.  Converse 

elected    librarian   of  the  Keene  Public  Library Jan.   13,  the  new  city 

hall  opened  to  the  public Beaver  mills  incorporated Ashuelot  shoe 

factory,  Leverett  street,  totally  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  evening  of  Feb. 
22;   $1000    reward    offered  by  the  New    Hampshire    Fire    Underwriters' 

Association  for  the  conviction  of  the  incendiary April,   Keene  Pulalic 

Library  removed  to  the  north  store  in  the  city  hall  building .J.  Mason 

Reed  removed  his  box  factory  business  from  Westport  to  Beaver  mills 

May  29,  Gen.  James  Wilson  died,  aged  eighty-four  years June  22,  set- 
tees placed  in  Central  park John  J.  Allen,  Jr.,  appointed  special  justice 

of  the  police  court Buckley  H.  Stone,  a  pensioner  of  the  war  of  1812, 

died  June  24,  aged  eighty-four  years July,  High  School  Cadets  sup- 
plied   with    guns July  7,   license   granted  J.   W.   Peck   &  Co.,  to  erect 

telephone  poles  and  wires  in  the  streets    and    highways  of   the  city 

Appropriation  made  for  the  purchase  of  an   Amoskeag  steam  fire  engine 

Vulcanized   Can   Company  commenced  the  manufacture  of  cans  and 

packages Joseph  B.  Abbott  appointed  special  police  justice A  private 

hospital   opened  ^on   Water  street,   by  Drs.   Twitchell  and   Bridgman 

Keene    telephone     exchange    located    in    Nims'    block July    21,    severe 

thunder  storm,  lightning  struck  A.  B.  Skinner's  house  on  Roxbury  street 
and  water  main  in  street  was  torn  for  a  distance  of  six  or  eight  hun- 
dred feet Sept.  1,  old  Lamson  tannery  buildings  removed,  nearly  100 

years  old Aug.   2-1,   Daniel  R.  Calef,   ticket  agent  and  manager  of  the 

Western  Union  Telegraph  office,  died,  aged  forty -four  years,  and   Charles 

H.  Cutter  appointed    manager  of  the  Western  Union    ofllice Aug.  24, 

George  F.   Starkweather    died,   aged    sixty-six    years September,    new 

exit  for  city  hall  constructed Sept.  5,  dark  day,  impossible  to  read  at 

noon  without  a  Hght Cheshire  County  Telephone  Company  formed, 

telephone  lines  to  South  Keene  and  Marlboro  completed Passenger  and 

postal  cars  built  by  the  Cheshire  Railroad  Company  in  the  Keene  shops. 

Keyes'  block   (built  in   1833)   enlarged Nov.  12,  John   A.   Thayer, 

jeweller,  died,  aged    sixty-three    years Charles    K.   Colony  opened  the 

first  silo  for  preserving  ensilage  constructed  hereabouts,  Nov.  22,  in  the 


686  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

presence  of  some  thirty  farmers Dec.  1,  S.  S.  Wilkinson   &  Co.  removed 

their  harness  business  to  the  new  factory  in  rear  of  Lamson  block Mr. 

C.  H.  Cutter  removed  to   Lincoln,  Neb.,  and   Fred  H.  Gove  took  charge 

of  the  Western    Union    Telegraph    office Keene    Gas    Light    Company 

erected  new  works  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,  changed  the  method  of  making 

gas  and  reduced  the  price  to  $3.00  a  thousand    feet A  large   walnut 

tree  cut  dow^n  near  Asa   Cole's,  having   125  clearly   defined  rings Dec. 

8,  death  of  Dr.  Thomas  B.  Kittredge,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years, 

one  of  the  founders  of  St.  James'  parish Dec.  16,  new^  schoolhouse  on 

Park  avenue  dedicated  by  District  No.  10,  the  bell  being  a  present  to 
the  district  from  John  Symonds  and  a  strip  of  additional  land  the  gift 
of  several  gentlemen. 

1882. 

Ira  W.  Russell,  mayor Jan.  8,  Rev.  J.  A.  Leach  resigned  pastorate 

of  Second  Congregational  church.     Had  been  installed  Sept.  16,  1869 

Jan.  17,  death  of  Dr.  Ira  F.  Prouty March,  City  Physician  Bridgman 

vaccinated  550  citizens March  21,  death  of  Peter  B.  Hayward,  at  the 

age  of  sixty-two  years Vulcanized    Can   Company    removed   to  brick 

shop  on  Mechanic    street April  7,   Henry  C.   Maxham,  a   well    known 

Pullman  car  conductor  and  son-in-law  of  Master  Mechanic  Francis  A. 
Perry,  fell  from  his  train  and   was  killed,  while  nearing  Danbury,  N.  H., 

aged  thirty-five  years April,  W.  A.  Barrett  and  L.  P.  Alden  opened  a  new 

brick  yard  in  rear  of  the  Robinson  place,  on  Main  street William  W. 

Towne,  for  twelve  years  in  Knowlton  &  Stone's  hardware  store  and 
later  of  the  firm   of  Towne  8z  Jackson,  died  April  23,  aged  thirty-seven 

years .June,  Asbuelot  mills  enlarged  and  the  manufacture  of  hard  wood 

furniture   commenced. .....June  17,   old   building  north    of  Lamson    block 

torn  down  to  be  replaced  by  a  three-story  brick  building  for  the  use  of 
the  Keene  Five  Cents  Savings  bank  and  Messrs.  Woodbury  &  Howard. 

July  22,  three  Indian    skeletons    unearthed   at    H.    M.    Darling's  on 

upper  Court  street  and   taken  in  charge  by  the  Keene    Natural    History 

Society Aug.  24,  Col.  George  E.  Waring  presented   plan  for  system  of 

sewers  to  cost  $85,000  and  it  was  adopted The  Victor  Wringer  Com- 
pany commenced  manufacture  of  wringers  on   Mechanic    street Aug. 

21,  dwelling  house  of  George  M.  Go  wen  on  Madison  street  burned  to  the 

ground,   his    three  years  old  daughter  perishing  in  the  flames L.  W. 

Holmes  resigned  the  office  of  city  solicitor,  to   remove  to   Washington, 

D.  C,  and  John  T.  Abbott   was   chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy Aug.   28, 

Wesley  L.  Kirk,   aged    seventeen    years,    drowned    while   bathing  in  the 

Ashuelot  river Sept.  24,  a  freshet,  highest  for  fifteen  years,  submerged 

Main  street  near  the  pottery,  Winchester  street  below  the  bridge,  Surry 

road.    Water,    Church,   Island,   Pearl,   Ralston    and    Emerald    streets 

Cheshire  railroad  constructed  a  coal   dump,  the  platform  storing  4,000 

tons Sept.    30,   Mr.   and   Mrs.   B.   F.   Foster    celebrated    their   golden 

wedding November,  execution  issued  against  the  city  in  the  Manches- 
ter &  Keene  railroad  suit,  for   $160,588.30;   the  city    issued    bonds   at 

4%  to  the  amoimt  of   $160,000 Samuel  W.  Hale  elected  governor  of 

New    Hampshire Dec.    24,    death    of   Horatio   A.   Nelson,   a  Montreal 

millionaire,  said  to  have  been  born  here  in  1816. 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  687 

1883. 

Horatio   Kimball,  mayor Jan.  2,  the  judgment  in  the  Manchester 

&  Keene  railroad  suit  paid,  amounting  to   $162,809.76 -Jan.  3,  death 

of  Nelson  Morse  in  his  seventy-third  j-ear .Jan.  14,  Calista,   widow  of 

Hon.  Henry  Coolidge,  died  in  her  ninety-second  year March  30,  Wood- 
bury's   principal    mill    and    machinery    destroyed    by    fire    and    work    of 

rebuilding  commenced May,  connections  made  with  the  new  Waring 

sewer Bell  placed  in  tower  of  Second  Congregational  church June  4, 

Dea.  John   Clark   died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years Pargetized  Can 

Company    and    the    Vulcanized    Can    Company    formed    the    Impervious 

Package    Company .June  23,  John  J.  Allen,  register  of  deeds,  resigned 

after  a  twenty  years'  term  of  service  and  Charles  C.  Buffum  was  appointed 

to  the  office J.  S.  Taft  &  Co.  put  in  a  new  kiln  for  finishing  decorated 

pottery  and  placed  Wallace  L.  King,  the  artist,  in  charge  of  this  depart- 
ment  Sept.  13,  Misses   Laura  B.  and   Kate  L.  Tilden   opened  a  school 

for  young   ladies,  at   their   home  on  West    street Aug.    20,    Cheshire 

House  block  on  Roxbury  street  destroyed  by  fire Aug.  25,  Amoskeag 

steamer,  No.  1,  given  its  first  trial  on  Central  square;    cost   of  engine, 

$3,626.27 Aug.   23,   an  independent    steamer  company  organized,  the 

members  to  serve    without    pay Aug.   18,   death  of  Salmon    Wright, 

formerly  for  many  years  steward  of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  aged  seventy-three 

years Sept.  11,  Waring  sewer  system  completed   and  accepted  by  the 

city Oct.  5,  death  of  John  E.  Colony,  aged  fifty-two  years Cheshire 

House  three-story  brick  block  built Nov.  18,  seventy -fifth  meridian  time 

adopted    and    regulators  changed  to  the  new    standard,   about    sixteen 

minutes  slower  than  the  previous  Boston  time Sale  of  railroad  bonds, 

$162,416;  sewerage  bonds,  $71,617;  cost  of  sewers  to  date,  $80,000. 
Keene  Guaranty  Savings  bank  established. 

1884. 

Horatio  Kimball,  mayor .Jan.  1,  Cheshire  County  Telephone  Com- 
pany passed  into  the  hands  of  the  New  England  Telephone  and  Tele- 
graph Company;   A.  M.  Nims,  local  manager Feb.  23,  Ashitelot  mills 

burned,    loss    $75,000 March    24,    death  of  John   J.   Holbrook,    aged 

thirty-nine  years April  27,  death  of  Theodore  J.  French,  for  seven- 
teen years  a  merchant  in  Keene May,  old  Cheshire  county  jail  (erected 

in  1833)  torn  down;  glass  factory  lot  purchased  and  contract  made  for 

building  new   jail    with   Foster    Brothers    for  about  $25,000 .June  9, 

death  of   Seloman    Edwards,    caused    by    falling    from   a  derrick  at  the 

Humphrey  machine  shop June  16,  a  large  elm  tree  on  the  Page  place, 

Washington  street,  an  old  landmark  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  cut 

down June  20,  death  of  John  J.  Allen,  Jr.,  editor  of  the  Sentinel  1853 

-4,  aged  sixty-six  years -July  9,  the  "old  town  brook"  discontinued  as 

a  public  sewer  and   150  property  owners   ordered   to  connect  with   the 

sewerage  system July  18,  death  of  Henry  Colony,  aged  sixty-one  years. 

Aug.  7,  Shaw  Brothers  shoe  business  and  factory  to  be  erected  ex- 
empted from  taxation  for  a  term  of  \'ears  ;  Keene  Improvement  Company 
formed;     capital    stock    $15,000;    nev^r    shoe    factory    built    by    Foster 


688  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Brothers  for  $12,500,  on  Dunbar  street Sept.  7,  death   of  Charles  C. 

Webster,  the  oldest  member  of  the  Cheshire  county  bar,  aged  seventy- 
four  years November,  G.  H.  Tilden  &  Co.  manufactured  shoe  boxes  for 

use  at  the  new  shoe  factory ;  the  old  Twitchell  house  used  for  the  pur- 
pose  Dec.  18,  death   of  Dea.   Shneon  Ballon,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

Dec.  26,  death  of  Annie  J.  Brown,  aged  sixteen  years,  at  Ingalls  rail- 
road crossing  on  West  street. 

1885. 

Alfred  T.  Batchelder,  ma\'or Charles  H.  Hersey  first  elected  city  audi- 
tor  .Jan.    21,  new  jail    completed,   Jonas    C.   Rice,  jailor February, 

steamer  house  finished  and  accepted  by  the  city Feb.  10,  death  of  George 

Kingsbury,  aged  sixty-six  years City  fireproof  vault  built March  4, 

death  of  Dr.    Algernon  S.   Carpenter,   aged  seventy  years March    28, 

death  of  John  Symonds,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  his  bequest  to  the  city  es- 
timated at  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  dollars March  21,  the  Chesh- 
ire Tanning  Company  organized,  capital  stock  $100,000 Nov.  16,  dis- 
trict  fire    alarm    telegraph    adopted May    3,    death    of    Councilman 

Charles  R.  Nims,  aged  thirty-three  years Keene  National  bank  build- 
ing raised  and  rooms  fitted  up  for  the  telephone  exchange May  18, 

death  of  Edwin  G.  Metcalf,  aged  eighty  years .June  8,  schoolhouse  lot 

on  ElHot  street  purchased  for  $2,000  and   Main  street  lot  sold;   $8,000 

appropriated  for  construction  of  Elliot  school  building .June  14,  death 

of  Albert  Kingsbury,  aged  seventy-three  years July  15,  Cheshire  loco- 
motives all  changed  to  coal  burners July  20,  Barnum's  elephant  Al- 
bert shot  by  the  Keene  Light  Guard  battalion  on  the  banks  of  the  Ash- 
uelot August,  1,450  feet  of  12-inch  tile  drain  pipe  laid  from  the  tan- 
nery district  to  Ashuelot  river  at  an  expense  of  $1,400 Aug.  22,  Main 

street  schoolhouse  demolished  in   widening  Appian   way ;   damages  paid 

by  the  city  to  Union  school  district    amounting  to  $1,300 Ashuelot 

Railroad    Company    built  an  engine    house    on    Main    street Sept.   7, 

death  of  David  Woodward,  aged  eighty-six  years Monadnock  Agricul- 
tural works  manufactured  disc  harrows,  and  other  agricultural  imple- 
ments   near   the    driving    park    on    Main    street Oct.    9,    Wheeler    & 

Faulkner's  law  office  building  on  Roxbury  street  taken  down;  Cheshire 
Provident    Institution    enlarged    its    brick  block   on  the   east  side  for  a 

larger    postoflice Samuel    Wadsworth    made    a   circuit-breaking   clock 

to  strike  the  bells  upon  the  new  Stevens  fire  alarm  system,  the  system 
comprising  four  miles  of  wire,  five  alarm  boxes,  etc.,  cost  $600;    Frank 

G.   Pratt    appointed    superintendent  of  fire  alarm    telegraph Nov.    8, 

death  of  Francis  E.  Newcomb,   aged    sixty-five    years Nov.    12,  Keene 

Horse  Thief  Detecting  Society  formed Dec.  17,   death  of   Benjamin  D. 

Hutchins,  aged  sixty-five  years Storm  signals  displayed  bj^  the  tele- 
phone company Dec.  31,  death  of  Councilman  Harrison  R.  Ward,  aged 

forty-nine  years,  the  second  member  of  the  city  government  to  die  while 
holding  olBce. 

1886. 

Alfred  T.   Batchelder,    mayor .Jan.    10,    Baptist   church    debt  paid 

and  appropriate  services    held Feb.   2,   Dea.   Daniel    Darling  and  wife 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  689 

celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage March,  board  of 

education    prepared    check  hst  for  use    at    school    district    meeting,    the 

voters  in  Union  district  numbering  about  4,000  names By  the  vsrill  of 

Susan  F.  Eastburn  the  city  of  Keene  was  left  a  bequest  of  $300,  in  trust 
for  the  poor;  Mrs.  Eastburn  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  David  Sim- 
mons and  a  native  of  Keene;    her  brother  David  had  also  left  the  city 

$1,000  in  trust   for   the   poor    and  infirm New    Keene  Light    Guard 

armory    dedicated,    the   citizens    donating    $820 March  4,   committee 

appointed  to  investigate  sources  of  water  supply First  Congregational 

society    purchased  the  D.   C.   Howard  place    on    Marlboro    street  for  a 

parsonage March   17,  death   of  Lewis  Lane,   aged   seventy-two  years. 

Ashuelot  National  bank  block  remodeled  and  a  third  story  added 

March  29,  first  school  meeting  of  new  town  district  held  at  West  Keene 

schoolhouse Cheshire    National    bank    building    remodeled April    1, 

Cheshire    County     fair    grounds    conveyed    to    the    city    by    George    A. 

Wheelock  for  a  public  park April  6,  severe  gale  of  wind  lasting  nearly 

all  day;  roofs  of  two  shops  at  Beaver  mills  and  roof  of  Nims,  Whitney 
&   Co.'s  engine  house  blown  off;   John  Humphrey's  barn  twisted  upon 

its    foundations;   large    elm  blown    over Daniel    Coffey    fell    from    the 

Island    street    bridge  and   was   drowned,   April   13 Electric  fire  alarm 

striker  bought  for  city  hall  bell Keene  Manufacturing  Company  com- 
menced to  make  skates  in  the  South  Keene  shops May,  North  Lincoln 

street  laid  out  to  prevent  team  work  being  carried  on  through  the  ceme- 
tery  Elliot  school  building  erected Keene  Bicycle  Club  established. 

.June,  postoffice  opened  to  the  public  on  Sundays June  3,  concrete 

sidewalks  ordered  on  east  side  of  Court  street  and  on  the  north  side  of 

West  street,  the  first  laid  by  the    city .June  11,   Rural    Improvement 

Society  organized Woodward  pond,  area  108  acres,  purchased  for  an 

additional  water   supply ;    octagon  reservoir  on  Beech  hill  constructed ; 

more  land  secured  around  Woodward  pond Concrete  walk  ordered  on 

the  east  side  of  Main  street .June  17,  license  granted  to  the  Thompson- 
Houston  Electric  Company  to  put  up  poles  and  wires  for  electric  lighting. 

June  19,  Jailer  Rice  resigned ;   Charles  A.  Chapin  appointed  to  fill  the 

vacancy Aug.  14,  death  of  Jonathan  Parker,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

Aug.   18,   death  of   City  Clerk  Samuel  Nims,  aged  forty-eight  years. 

Aug.  19,  electric  lights  of  the  open  arc  pattern  installed  in  Tilden  & 

Co.'s,  Whitcombs',  Mason  &  Wheeler's,.  Bullard  &  Foster's,  C.  N.  Chand- 
ler   &    Co.'s,   Fisher  &  Jackson's    and  the    Cheshire    House Aug.   28, 

first  electric  street  light  installed  on  Roxbury  street  beyond  the  postoflice. 
Aug.  30,  parochial  school  opened  with  about  300  scholars Sep- 
tember, Miss  Mary  B.  Dinsmoor  purchased  the  belt  of  wood  and  timber 
land  adjoining  Maple  avenue  to  be  preserved  for  the  use  of  the  public. 

Sept.   10,   Milton  Blake  assumed  the  oflSce  of  city  clerk Sept.  13, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Cross  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their 
marriage Oct.  7,  George  H.  Tilden  presented  a  portrait  of  David  Sim- 
mons to  the  city,  which   was  hung  in  city  hall I.  J.  Dunn  erected   a 

chair  factory ;  the  city  exempted  it  from  taxation  for  a  term  of  ten  years 
and  the  citizens  made  up  a  gratuity  of  $500  to  secure  the  establishing 


690  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

of  the  plant Oct.   26,   death   of  Alvah   E.  Metcalf,   aged  seventy-two. 

St.  James'  parish   purchased  the   Calcf   house  on   Court  street  for  a 

rectory Nov.  1,  Ormoud  E.  Colony  assumed  the  duties  of  postmaster. 

Nov.  3,   death  of  David  Seward,   aged  seventy  years Nov.  3,  Mr. 

and   Mrs.  Daxiphin  W.  Wilson  celebrated  their  golden  wedding Keene 

Gas  Light  Company  purchased  the  Thompson-Houston  electric  lighting 
apparatus  and  furnished  street  and  commercial  lights;  a  new  boiler 
house  and  building  erected  at  the  gas  works  for  an  electric  light 
station. 

1887. 

Asa  Smith,   mayor March    20,   death   of  Clark  N.  Chandler,   aged 

forty  years Dunn  &  Salisbury's  chair  factory  and  Elliot  school  build- 
ing completed Roaring  brook  water  shut  off  and  repairs  made  ;   it  took 

thirty-eight  minutes  for  water  to  come  from  the  upper  reservoir  to  the 

Beech  hill  reservoir,  a  distance  of  15,000  feet June  18,  death  of  Parnum 

P.  Lane,   aged  seventy-one   years July  8,  death  of  Dea.   Isaac  Rand, 

aged  seventy-six  years July  9,  death  of  Marvin  T.  Tottingham,  aged 

sixty-two  years July  27,  Samuel  A.  Gerould  celebrated  his  ninety-fourth 

anniversary;  he  was  six  years  old  at  the  death  of  Washington  and  had 
seen  the  administration  of  every  president  of  the  United  States,  the  first 
railroad,  steamboat,  cotton  gin,  spinning  jenney,  telegraph,  telephone  and 
electric  light August,  a  large  elm  tree  near  the  Episcopal  church  pol- 
larded to  save  its  life,  the  top  being  dead New  street  numbers  attached 

to  buildings  by  Engineer  Wadsworth  at  an  expense  of  about  $400 

Aug.  29,  death  of  Joseph   H.  Wellington,  aged  sixty-one  years Storm 

water  sewer  from  the  Square  through  Roxbury  street  to  Beaver  brook 

constructed   at  an  expense  of  $2,830 Col.   Cyrus  Prost,   aged   ninety 

years,  passed  away,  the  last  survivor  of  those  who  were  present  at  the 
establishment  of  Social   Priends   Lodge,  in  1825,  by  Gen.  James  Wilson. 

Sept.  20,  death  of  Lanmon  Nims,  aged  seventy-six  years Sept.  21, 

death  of  Samuel  Allen  Gerould,  aged  ninety-four  years Sept.  24,  death 

of  George  W.  Ball,  aged  sixty-seven  years Sept.  29,  death  of  Prancis 

Prench,  aged  sixty-nine  years Oct.  7,  fifty  citizens  presented  to  the  city 

an  oil  portrait  of  the  late  Dr.  Amos  Twitchell  to  be  hung  in  the  city  hall. 
Dec.  10,  death  of  Allen  Giffin,  aged  eighty-five  years. 

1888. 

Asa  Smith,  mayor .Jan.   1,  postal  delivery  introduced,   with  three 

postal  carriers,  covering  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  per  day  each, 
having  twenty-seven  hundred  names  of  persons  receiving  mail ;  more  than 
one-half  of  the    postoffice    boxes    given    up    by    the  public;   total  pieces 

handled   during  the  month,  36,142 Jan.  9,   death   of  Cyrus  Piper,   at 

Northampton,  Mass .Jan.  20,  death  of  Barrett  Ripley,  aged  sixty  years. 

Jan.  11,  Mount  Huggins  Hotel  destroyed  by  fire Peb.  2,  Rev.  Ed- 
ward A.  Renouf  presented  $500  as  a  fireman's  rehef  fund  to  the  city 

Feb.  11,  death  of  Hon.  Edward  Parrar,  clerk  of  court,  aged  sixty-five 
years Keene  Board    of  Trade    organized;    Alfred    T.    Batchelder   first 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  691 

president Fireman's  Relief  Association  formed,  Jolm  A.  Batchelder,  presi- 
dent  Feb.  28,  Lewis  W.  Holmes  appointed  clerk  of  court March  2, 

United  Order  of  Pilgrim   Fathers  established  in   Keene ;   James  S.   Taft, 

governor  of  Monadnock   Colony,  No.   107 March    4,   death  of  James 

B.  Elliot,  aged  seventy-three  years March  4,  Lewis  W.  Holmes  ap- 
pointed justice  of  the  police  court Monday,  March  12,  great  blizzard 

lasting  three  days;   drifts  from  twelve   to  fifteen  feet  high March  27, 

Cheshire  Grange,  No.  131,  organized;   Solomon  F.  Merrill,  master Over 

47,000  pieces  of  matter  handled    by    the  city  letter  carriers   during  the 

month April  27,  new  creamery  opened  by  Curtis  G.  Britton  on  his  farm. 

May  21,  all  hotels  closed  by  the  proprietors  on  account  of  an  attempt 

to  rigidly  enforce  the  liquor  laws;  accommodations  for  150  guests  arranged 
at  private  houses  by  the  Keene  Temperance  Union ;  over  200  transients 
fed  at  the  restaurants  on  May  22 June  1,  Daniel  H.  Sawyer,  superin- 
tendent of  water  works  and  sewers,  resigned  and  Paul  F.  Babbidge  elected 

to  fill  the  vacancy .June  7,  City  park  set  aside  for  public  use,  George 

A.  Wheelock  elected  first  park  commissioner August,  Charles  H.  Doug- 
lass of  Suffield,  Conn.,  elected  principal  of  high  school Aug.  10,  death 

of  John  A.  Draper,  aged  eighty-four  years Aug.  11,  Samuel  Bergeron, 

a    brakeman    on    the    Cheshire    railroad,    killed    near    the    woodshed    on 

Railroad   street,   being  run  over  by  the  tender    of  an  engine County 

commissioners  built  a  pond  in  the  jail  lot  and  connected  the  same  with 

the  city  water  main Aug.  13,  hotels  reopened Aug.  22,  two  handsome 

chairs  manufactured   by  L.  J.   Colony  shipped   to  the   White  House,  for 

Mrs.  Grover  Cleveland Nov.  3,  death  of  George  Tilden,  aged  eighty-six 

years Cheshire  railroad  trains  equipped  with  steam  heating  apparatus. 

Nov.  6,  Abel  Blake  cast  his  eighteenth  ballot  for  president,  having  cast 

his  first  vote  for  James  Monroe,   in  1847 Cash  registers  introduced  in 

the  stores Charles   M.  Norwood  established  his  box  business  at    the 

Beaver  mills Ellis  Brothers  erected  a  model  commercial  greenhouse  at 

their  Winchester  street  farm Dec.  1,  death  of  Edward  R.  Gilmore,  aged 

sixty-eight  years New  harness  manufactory  completed  for  Wilkinson  & 

McGregor,  on  the  Lamson  estate. 

1889. 
Herbert  B.  Viall,  mayor .Jan.  2,  the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel,  hav- 
ing, from  the  day  of  its  first  issue  in  1799,  maintained  the  most  promi- 
nent of  its  original  features,  changed  from  the  folio  to  the  quarto  form. 

.Jan.  19,  Faulkner   &  Colony  Manufacturing  Companj',  organized  in 

1815,  incorporated;    capital    stock    $100,000 Feb.   27,  first    overhead 

cash  system  in  the  city  installed  in  W.  P.  Chamberlain's  store March 

20,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  established  in   Keene;    George  G. 

Dort,  past  master  workman March  11,  death  of  Lieutenant  Henry  E. 

Hubbard,  aged  fifty-three March  26,  $15,000  fire  at  Beaver  mills 

New  jet  pump  put  in  at  the  mouth   of  Butler  court  main  sewer April 

1,  Hon.  John  T.  Abbott  appointed  minister  to  the  republic  of  Colombia. 

April   18,   George  A.   Wheelock  presented    two    lots    of  land,   one  of 

twelve  acres,  to  be  called   the  Children's  Wood,  adjoining  City  park  on 


692  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Beech  hill,  and  one  of  seventeen  acres  adjoining  Wheelock  park,  to  the 
city  of  Keene,  to  be  forever  kept  as  forest  tracts  and  a  part  of  said 
parks April  28,  Rev.  W.  H.  Eaton,  D.  D.,  resigned  a  pastoral  engage- 
ment of  seventeen  years April  30,  centennial  of  the  inauguration  of 

Washington  celebrated  at  St.  James'  Episcopal  and  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional churches May  8,  Greenlawn  cemetery  conveyed  to  the  city 

May  15,  Engineer  Wadsworth  engaged  to  survey  the  principal  streets  with 

a  view  to  establishing  the  grade  for  the  roadway  of  each  street .June  15, 

a  new   daily  paper,  called    the  Daily  Tribune,   Webster  P.   Huntington, 

editor    and    proprietor,    made    its    appearance June    20,   West    Keene 

cemetery  enlarged July   12,   death  of  Jehiel    Wilson,   aged   eighty-nine 

years,    the  inventor  of  pail  turning First    granite  pavement  laid   on 

Roxbury  street July   15,    Frank    E.  Joy  commissioned  postmaster  at 

South  Keene Aug.  5,  death  of  Ephraim  Foster,  aged  eighty-six  years. 

Rev.  Charles  B.  Elder  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Unitarian  church 

and  Rev.  Samuel  A.  Severance  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church 

Aug.  7,  reunion  of  the  Sixth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers Aug.  9,  death 

of  Horace  Hamblet,  aged  seventy-two  years Epworth  League  formed 

at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church Keene  Improvement  Society  com- 
menced extensive  grading  and  planting  on  the  borders  of  Main  street 

Aug.  21,  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  first  service  held  in  St.  James' 

Episcopal    church September,   South    Keene    postoffice   established  ..... 

Sept.  25,  John  Shaw,  2d,  sold  the  shoe  manufacturing  business  to  C.  B. 

Lancaster  &  Co Oct.   3,   death   of  Eugene   S.   Ellis,   aged   seventy-nine 

years Oct.  6,  Rev.  C.  B.  Elder  began  his  pastorate  at  the  Unitarian 

church Oct.    15,    Bethany   Mission  opened  by  Mr.   F.   L.  Sprague 

Patent  granted  to  John  A.  Wright  upon  his  inventiotj  for  heating  water 

for  cattle  to  drink  in  cold   weather Fifty  cases  of  diphtheria  reported 

in  October,  forty-two  of  which  were  in  houses  not  connected  with  the 

Waring    system   of  sewers,  and   of  which  twelve  were  fatal Nov.  18, 

Unitarian  Club  organized,  George  B.  Twitchell,  M.  D.,  first  president 

Triumph   Wringer  Company  built    a    shop    on    Myrtle    street Clipper 

Machine  Works  organized;    capital  stock   $20,000 Curtis  G.   Britton 

opened   a  new    creamery    on    Eastern    avenue Twenty-seven    cases    of 

diphtheria    reported    in    November,  three  of  which   were  fatal Dec.  9, 

frogs  peeping  in  the  meadows Dec.   13,   thirty-second   anniversary  of 

the  Ladies'  Home  Circle  of  the  First  Congregational  church  celebrated. 

1890. 

Herbert  B.  Viall,  mayor Jan.  1,  New  England  Observer  purchased 

by    and    consolidated    with    the    New    Hampshire    Sentinel Free   text 

books  furnished  for  the  pupils  in  the  public  schools Jan.  6,  two  freight 

trains  collided  on  the  Cheshire  railroad,  near  the  Surr}'  summit;  Engineer 

S.  W.  Slate  and  Fireman  C.  W.  Gibson  instantly  killed Feb.  8,  death 

of  George  B.  Bufifum,  aged  sixty-one   years Second    steam   fire  engine 

purchased Ashuelot  Railroad  Company  consolidated  with  the  Con- 
necticut River  railroad March,  Triumph  Wringer  Company's  new  man- 
ufactory on  Myrtle  street    completed Charles    Bridgman  retired  after 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  693 

an  active  and  successful  business  career  of  fiftj'  years,  being  the  oldest 
merchant  in  the  city,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  H.  Bridg- 
man May  7,  Coolidge  park  and  fund  presented  to  the  city  by  Henry 

0.  CooHdge June  25,  old  Buffum  building  taken  down,  and  old  military 

equipments  which  belonged  to  the  famous   Keene  Light  Infantry  found. 

Large  buttonwood  tree  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Winchester  streets 

cut  down,  ninety  years  old Juh'  9,  death   of   Seth  Wadsworth,   aged 

seventy-nine  years Population  by  census  7,446,  being  increase  of  657 

since  1880 July  28,  death  of  Rufus  Carter,  aged  eighty  years July 

30,   death    of   Charles    Batchelder,    aged    seventy-five    j-ears Aug.    11, 

death  of  Daniel  Buss,  aged  seventj^-five  years Sept.  8,  last  issue  of  the 

Keene  Daily  Tribune Sept.  17,  new  macadamizing  plant  erected  above 

Sullivan    street EToratian    tower   erected  on   Beech  hill,  by   Horace  L. 

Goodnow;  altitude  1,084 Sept.  18,  stockholders  of  the  Cheshire  Rail- 
road   Company    voted    to    ratify  agreement  for  consolidation    w^ith  the 

Fitchburg  Railroad  Company .411  dogs  in  the  city  ordered  muzzled 

Building  erected  by  the  state  for  a  fish  hatching  station,  at  City  park 

Sept.     29,    death    of    Samuel    Woods,     aged    eighty-three     years Oct. 

1,  Cheshire    railroad    consolidated     with    the     Fitchburg    railroad 

Rustic    portals    erected    over    the    drives     into    the    Ladies'    Wildwood 

park,  by   Frank  F.  Field,   the  artist Oct.  3,  Abel  Blake  observed  the 

ninety-fifth  anniversary'  of  his  birth Oct.  6,  death  of  Moses  Ellis,  aged 

fifty-seven  years Oct.  8,  Amos  A.  Parker,  of  Fitzwilliam,  aged  ninety- 
nine  that  day,  called  upon  his  friends  in  Keene Oct.  20,  Keene  Evening 

Sentinel    established Oct.    22,    Monadnock    Colony,    Pilgrim    Fathers, 

entertained    Plymouth  Colony  of  Fitchburg,   Mass Oct.   19,   death   of 

Mrs.    John  Symonds,  aged    sixty-eight    years Oct.   29,   death   of   Dea. 

Daniel  Darling,  aged  eightj^-three  years November,  ground  broken  for 

the  Keene  Granite  and  Terra  Cotta  factory,  on  Water  street Nov.  14, 

George  H.  McCurdy  died  from  exposure  in  Tenant  swamp,  aged  thirty- 
six Nov.  16,  death  of  Col.  Nehemiah  Hart,  aged  eighty   years Nov. 

24,  death  of  Milton  Blake,  2d,  aged  sixty-one  years December,  pavilion 

erected  in  Wheelock  park Dec.  2,  death  of  Jason  Williams,  aged  eighty- 
eight    years December,    Mr.    and    Mrs.  Warren    C.    Towne    celebrated 

their  fiftieth  marriage  anniversary Dec.  19,  Fred  E.  Barrett  appointed 

postmaster. 

1891. 

Horatio  Kimball,  mayor Jan.  22,  seventy-second  anniversary  of  the 

birth  of  ex-Mayor  Reuben  Stewart  celebrated,  and  he  was  presented  with 

a  gold  watch St.  Bernard's  Catholic  church  realized  the  sum  of  $3,000 

from  a  fair Incandescent  lighting  plant  installed   at  the  Beaver  mills. 

.Jan.  26,  death  of  Joseph  Holt,  aged  sixty-six  years Feb.  12,  citizens 

wrote  congratulatory  letters  to  Rev.  William  Orne  White,  on  the  seven- 
tieth anniversary  of  his  birth Feb.  22,  death  of  Horatio  Justus  Perry, 

at  Lisbon,  Portugal;  born  in  Keene,  Jan.  23,  1S24;  son  of  Justus  Perry 
and  Mary  Edwards March  12,  death  of  Charles  Bridgman,  aged  sev- 
enty-five years March  29,  death  of  Joshua  D.  Colony,  aged  eighty-six 

3'ears Store  fronts  upon  the  south  wing  of  the  Cheshire  House  extended. 


694  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

April  6,  twenty-fifth  anniTersary  of  the  Grand   Army  of  the  Republic 

celebrated ;    address   by    Gen.   John    W.   Sturtevant April    16,    Ladies' 

Wildwood  park  accepted  by   the  city April  20,  death  of  William  Bas- 

sett,  aged  seventy-two    years April  22,  Nims'  block  removed May 

20,  Lane's  brick  block  commenced. Ma3'  29,  earthquake  shock  felt  about 

7.00  p.  m April  26,  death  of  Lewis  J.  Colony,  aged  fifty-eight  years. 

June  4,  stone  crusher  started   at  quarry  plant June  7,  vested  choir 

of  St.  James'  church  assisted  in  the  services  for  the  first  time June  13, 

first  macadam  laid,  about  1,300  feet  on  Court  street,  at  an  expense  of 
$4,236,  or  about  $1.10  per  square  yard June  15,  Clipper  mowing  ma- 
chine works  burned  at  South  Keene;  loss  $20,000 July  15,  fiftieth  an- 
niversary of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Spalter  observed 

C.  B.  Lancaster  Shoe  Company-  organized;  capital  $30,000;  exemption 
granted  and  the  easterly  portion  of  Dunbar  street   discontinued ;    shoe 

factory  enlarged Aug.  10,  death  of  James  Boyce,  aged  sixty-one  years. 

Roxbury  street  storm  water  sewer  laid  at  an  expense  of  $3,000,  to 

Beaver  brook Aug.  21,  death  of  Sheriff  Ralph  J.  Holt,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years Oct.  16,  death  of  ex-Gov.  S.  W.  Hale,  aged  sixty-nine  3'ears. 

Read  Manufacturing  Company  made  furniture  at  South  Keene St. 

Bernard's    Roman    Catholic    church    erected   on   Main    street Oct.   21, 

Beedle's    orchestra    organized Ten    miles    of   iron   water    pipe  laid    to 

replace  cement  lined   pipes  and  to  extend  system  in  fifty-nine  streets,  at 

a  cost  of  $39,494.38 Dec.  12,  death  of  Chief  Engineer  Henry  H.  Haines, 

at  the  scene  of  a  fire  in  Elliot's  block,  his  age  being  forty-seven  years 

D.  R.  &  F.  A.  Cole  began  business  at  their  new  grist  mill  in  South  Keene. 

Fred  B.  Pierce  &   Co.  began  to   manufacture  brush  handles    at    the 

Beaver  mills. 

1892. 

Frederic  A.   Faulkner,   mayor .Jan.  16,  death  of  Joseph  B.    Abbott, 

aged  fiftj'-six  years Epidemic  of  grip,  a  single  physician  visiting  thirty 

patients  in  one  day .Jan.   30,  death   of  Ebenezer  S.   Stearns,   run  over 

by  an  engine  near  the  Fitchburg    freight    house Dan    and   Earl    Hill 

removed  their  pail  ear  manufacturing  business  from  Swauzey  to  the  mill 

at  Willson  pond,  West  Keene Feb.  16,  new  factory  of  Lancaster  Shoe 

Compan\'   dedicated  by  a,  dance Feb.   26,  installation  of  Rev.   A.   W. 

Hand,  at  the  Baptist  church March  17,  death  of  Dauphin  W.  Wilson, 

aged  eighty-one  years March  25,   Union   school   district  appropriated 

$8,000  for  the  erection  of  the  Tilden   schoolhouse  on  School  street 

Oflficers  of  the  night  watch  appeared   in  uniforms March  29,  death  of 

Stephen  L.  Randall,  aged  sixty-one  years April  7,  Elhot  manor  house 

presented  to  the  city  for  a  hospital,  by  John  Henry  Elliot April  14,  the 

Keene  Congregational  (Unitarian)  Society  purchased  the  Dr.  G.  H.  Bridg- 

man    propert\',  on  Washington    street April    22,    death    of   Alderman 

James  H.  Wilson,  aged  fifty-four  j^ears May  19,  management  of  Elliot 

City  Hospital  placed  in  charge  of  a  board  of  trustees May  28,  special 

election,  Francis  A.  Perry  elected  alderman  by  the  voters  of  ward  1 

May  28,  Deluge  hose  house,  on  Vernon  street,  sold  to  Nims,  Whitney  & 
Co Fraternal  societies  and  individuals  raised  money  to  fit  up  memorial 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  695 

rooms  in  the  cit3'  hospital Piles  driven  to  a  depth  of  seventh' -five  feet 

on  Vernon  street  and  no  bottom  found,  at  site  of  new  fire  station 

Aug.  2,  Hon.  Amos  A.  Parker,  of  Fitzwilliam,  then  in  his  101st  year, 
visited  friends  in  Keene Aug.  17,  more  than  $1,000  contributed  by  cit- 
izens to  open  the  Elliot  City  Hospital West  street  macadamized Sept. 

20,  Warren  W.  Stone  and  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding New 

storm  water  sewer  built  in  Water  street,  from   Main  street  to  Beaver 

brook Elm  street  extended  from  Mechanic  street  to  Vernon  street 

Park  street  extended  through  to  Ashuelot  street  and  dead  end  in  water 
main  abolished Sept.  21,  Elliot  City  Hospital  dedicated  with  appropri- 
ate exercises Oct.  17,   Union  school  district  appropriated   the  further 

sum  of  $3,600  to  finish  the  Tilden  school Oct.  21,  4r00th  anniversary 

of  the  discovery  of  America  b3'  Columbus  celebrated  in  the  public  schools, 

which  also  contributed  an  exhibit  for  the  Chicago  exposition Oct.  28, 

death  of  Daniel  Ellis,  of  Main  street,  aged  seventy-three  years Novem- 
ber, Wilson  street  opened  from  Commercial  street  to  Winchester  street. 

Aldermen  directed   Engineer  Wadsworth  to  set  stone  bounds  at  the 

points  where  the  town  line  crosses  the  highways Nov.  20,  St.  Ber- 
nard's church    dedicated,   with  impressive  services Nov.   29,   death   of 

Augustus  T.  W'ilder,  aged  sevent^'-four  3'ears Police  signal  light  installed 

at  the  lower  side  of  Central  scfuare,  to  be  operated  from  the  central  tele- 
phone station Dec.  2,  death  of  Hadley  P.  Muchmore,  aged  seventy- 
three  years Dec.  12,  death  of  Gen.  John  W.  Sturtevant,  aged  fifty-two 

vears. 

1893. 

Frederic  A.  Favilkner,  mayor Jan.  IS,  fire  at   Impervious   Package 

Company's   works Jan.   18,  John   W.   Doyle,   aged   twenty-four  years, 

lost  his   life  in  Warren's  block,  by  injuries  from  smoke   or  fire Jan.  20, 

death  of  Oren  Woods,  aged  eighty-four  years Jan.  26,  death  of  Caro- 
line H.  lugersoll,   aged  sixt3--six  years March   3,  death   of  Chester  L. 

Kingsbury,  aged  forty-six  years April  11,  death  of  Isaac  Stratton,  aged 

eighty-five  years May  22,  boiler  explosion  at  Beaver  mills;   Lewis  W. 

Starker',  John  F.  Drolette  and  Herbert  G.  Holton  killed  and  five  boilers 

wrecked June,  W^est  street  widened  fifteen  inches  on  the  north  side  from 

Central  square  to  Colorado  street Aug.  7,  severe  hail  storm,  in  Keene 

and  vicinity,  breaking  windows  and  destroying  garden  crops Aug.  10, 

comer  stone  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building  laid,  ser- 
vices being  held  in  St.  James'  church Aug.  21,  death  of  Lewis  Holmes, 

aged  seventy  years Oct.  11,  Sentinel  published  in  its  new  building  on 

Main  street Oct.  11,  death  of  Daniel  H.  Holbrook,  aged  eighty-seven 

years Nov.  19,   death  of  Josiah  Kingsbury,  aged  eighty-six  years 

Nov.  25,   Beaver  mills  pail  shop  and  sawmill  burned;  loss  $15,000 

Dec.  7,  death  of  Elias  Joslin,  aged  eighty -five  years. 

1894. 

Frederic    A.    Faulkner,  mayor Jan.   1,  death   of  ex-Mayor  Reuben 

Stewart,  in  Concord,  Mass Jan.  9,  death  of   Obed   Dort,  aged  eight}-- 

nine  years Jan.   10,  John  T.   Abbott  appointed  judge,  of  probate 


696  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Jan.  22,  Keene  Board  of  Trade  organized;   Clement  J.  Woodward,  presi- 
dent  Work  of  taking  down  the  Unitarian  church  building,   on   Main 

street,  begun;  clock  removed Sunday,  Jan.  28,  the  last  public  services 

held  in  the  Unitarian  church  edifice,  which  had   been  dedicated   April  28, 
1830,  and  had  stood  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Church  streets  for  more 

than  sixty-three  years Jan.  31,  section  of  Unitarian  steeple,  bell  deck, 

clock  tower,  etc.,  pulled  down Feb.  21,  first  report  of  the  trustees   of 

the  Elliot  City  Hospital  appeared March  15,  dumping  ground  for  rub- 
bish established  at  the  lower  end  of  Main   street April  18,  Rev.  Wm. 

G.  Poor  installed  pastor  of  the   First  Congregational  church May  7, 

steam  road  roller  purchased Cheshire  Beef  Company',  Messrs.  Coughlin 

&  Hovey,  formed  and  Farnum's  mill,  on   Emerald  street,   built  over  for 

its  use Charles  H.  Fairfield  constructed  a  pond,  on   Beech  hill,  for  the 

purposes  of  his  ice  business Col.  George  Hagar,   of  Colusa,   Cal.,  sent 

a  contribution  of  $500  toward  building  the    new  Unitarian    church 

June  4,  new  hall  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  on  West  street,  used  for  the 

first  time Thaddeus  W.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  elected  superintendent  of  schools. 

June  7,  councils  voted  to  sell  Neptune  hose  house,  situated  on  St.  James 

street Court  street  macadamized .June  25,  Wilkins   Toy  works  sold 

to  Harry  T.  Kingsbury Standard  Oil  Company  constructed  a  storage 

station  on  Water  street Indurated   Paper  Company  incorporated  and 

the  works  of  the  New  Hampshire  Molded  Granite  and  Terra  Cotta  Com- 
pany, on  Water  street,  purchased July  11,  corner  stone  of  new  Unitarian 

church  laid  with   appropriate  ceremonies July   12,   impressive  services 

performed  by  Hugh  de  Payens  Commandery,  at  the  burial  of  Thomas   E. 

Hatch,  its  first  eminent  commander July   19,   death   of   Arad  Fletcher, 

aged  seventy-one  years Aug.  11,  death  of  Atwell  C.  Ellis,  aged  seventy- 
two  years Aug.  22,  death  of  Cyrus  Woodward,  aged  eighty -one  years. 

Aug.  29,  G.  E.  Holbrook    &    Co.  began    to    erect  a  large  wholesale 

house  on  St.  James  street New  highway  opened  for  travel  under  the 

railroad  tracks  at  South    Keene;    grade    crossing  abolished Sept.  28, 

Y.  M.  C.   A.   building  dedicated Nov.   12,    death    of   Wilham    Tenney, 

aged  eighty    years Goodnow   &    Whitcomb  engaged  in  the    furniture 

business Nov.  18,  death  of  Charles  F.  Wilson,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

December,   Holbrook  Grocery   Company  incorporated;    capital  stock 

$40,000 Dec.   12,   Red    Men    took    possession  of  their    rooms    in    the 

Gurnsey  building,  the  northerly  part  of  which  was  erected  the  same  year. 

Lane's    "E.   F.    L."   building  erected Dec.   19,   death   of  ex-Mayor 

Horatio    Kimball,    aged    seventy-three    years Dec.   22,    death  of   Abel 

Blake,  aged  ninety-nine  years. 

1895. 

George  W.  McDuffee,  mayor Jan.  1,  Charles  Brooks,  S.  Tennis  Ber- 
geron and  Alwich  Brooks  killed  by  a  passenger  train   on  the  Fitchburg 

railroad  at  the  Water  street  crossing Electric  lights  of  the  city  operated 

from  the  new  station  of  the  Keene  Gas  and  Electric  Lighting  Company,  at 

Spragueville .Jan.  7,  Charles  F.  Ballou  severely  injured  by  the  falling  of 

the  elevator  thirty  feet,  at  the  Keene  Furniture  Company's  brick  shop 


John   Hknky   Hli.iot. 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  697 

Jan.  3,  Col.    Fred   A.  Barker   nominated    by   President    Cleveland    to    be 

postmaster    at   Keene Jan.   6,   death    of  Joseph    R.   Beals,   aged  sixty 

years Jan.  24.,  new  Unitarian  church,  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and 

Taylor  streets,   dedicated   in  the  presence    of  more  than  800  people 

Jan.   27,  death   of   Daniel   Ellis,   aged    seventy   years Jan.    31,  Beaver 

Brook  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  dedicated  their  new  quarters  in  Lane's  new 

building Feb.   20,   Mr.   and   Mrs.   George  S.   Raymond   observed   their 

golden  wedding March  4,  William  Senneflf,  riding  on  freight  car,  struck 

an  arch  in  the  passenger  station,  was  dragged  between  the  station  plat- 
form and  rails,  escaping  death,  and  dropped  unconscious  on  Main  street. 

Henry  W.  Lane,  Amherst  '95,  became  the  American  college  champion, 

according  to  the  measurements  and  tests  adopted  by  the  American  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Advancement  of  Physical    Education March  4,  Keene 

National  bank  began  business  in  its  new  quarters  in  the  "  E.  F.  L."  build- 
ing  $2,500  damages  awarded  Elisha  F.  Lane  for  land  taken  in  widen- 
ing   Church    street March    19,    Mrs.    Roena     Shelley    celebrated    her 

ninety-ninth  birthday  anniversary April  4,  councils  accepted  from  Mrs. 

Dauphin  W.  Nims  the  gift  of  an  oil  portrait  of  David  Nims,  the  first  town 

clerk,  to  be  placed  in  the  library  building April  7,   death  of  Benjamin 

F.  Foster,  aged  eighty-three  years April  9,  the  water  in  the  Fairfield 

reservoir  escaped,   doing  considerable    damage April  9,  w^ater  rose  to 

an  unusual  height  in  the  Ashuelot  and  Beaver  brook  valleys,  old  residents 
agreeing  that  there  had  not  been  such  a  flood  for  twenty-four  years,  and 
by  the  night  of  the  14th,  Beaver  brook  was  higher  than  ever  remembered 
before  by  almost  a  foot,  and  the  Ashuelot  reached  the  high  water  mark. 

April  13,  Keyes'  corner  sold  to   Charles  L.   Russell April  14,  Rev. 

J.  R.  Power  resigned  the  pastorate  over  St.  Bernard's  church May  2, 

councils  provided    for    writing    a    history    of   Keene Municipal    street 

sprinkHng  adopted May  9,  death  of  Luther  Fairbrother,  aged  seventy- 
two  years May  14,  Union  school  district  voted  to  purchase  the  Wheeler 

property,  on  Washington  street,  for  the  Washington  school  lot June  7, 

death    of   Elbridge    G.   Whitcomb,   aged    seventy-seven  years June  14, 

death  of  ex-Postmaster  Ormond  E.  Colony,  aged  fifty-four  years June 

16,  death  of  John  Henry  Elliot,  aged  eighty-two  years June  30,  tele- 
phone exchange  moved  from  the  Tierney  building  (formerly  Keene 
National  bank  building)  to  Lane's  new  block,  changing  138  circuits  with- 
out discontinuing  the  service  for  more  than  a  few  minutes -July,  water 

works  ofiice  enlarged July  4,  celebration  and  first  L.  A.  W.  state  meet, 

under  the  auspices  of  the  Monadnock  Cycle  Club,  took  place July  14, 

Rev.  Gabriel  DeBevoise  resigned  a  pastorate  of  nine  years  over  the  Second 

Congregational  church .July  29,  Edward  Gustine,  Clark  F.  Rowell  and 

Sheriff  Horace  Perry  went  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  to  identify  Mark  Shinburn, 

the  notorious   bank  robber Aug.   14,   death  of   Amos   Bancroft,   aged 

seventy-three  years Aug.  26,  death  of  Col.  George  D.  Dort,  aged  eighty- 
three  3'ears Aug.  27,  one  hundred  Sir  Knights  of  Hugh  de  Payens  Com- 

mandery  attended  the  twenty-sixth  triennial  conclave  of  the  Grand  En- 
campment of  the  United   States,  at   Boston Oct.  3,  councils   abolished 

the  board  of  hospital  trustees Oct.  13,  death  of  Laton   Martin,  aged 


698  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

eighty-six  years Oct.  25,  death   of  Joseph   M.  Hyland,  aged  sixty-four 

years Nov.  28,  Dr.  George   B.  Twitchell   received  a   loving  cup,  a  bag 

of  gold  and  a  written   testimonial  from  friends Dec.  17,  at  their  first 

annual  meeting,  the  Ashuelot  Congregational  Club  celebrated  Forefathers' 

Day Cost  of  macadam    laid  in   1891,  per  square  yard,  $1.09;    1892, 

96.25  cents;   1893,  80.6    cents;   189-t,   73.75  cents;     1895,   58    cents 

Gurnsey  building  completed. 

1896. 

George  W.   McDuffee,   mayor Jan.   7,   Cheshire    National    bank   re- 
moved to   banking  rooms   of  the   Cheshire  Provident    Institution,   until 

repairs  upon  the  Cheshire  bank  building  were  completed The  national 

banks  of  the  city  asked  to  assist  in  replenishing  the  gold  reserve  of  the 
United  States  treasury Jan.  21,  ecclesiastical  council  held  for  the  dis- 
missal of  Rev.  Gabriel  DeBevoise,  and  the  installation  of  Rev.  Archibald 

McCord,  as  pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational  church .Jan,  22,  Gov. 

Busiel  entertained  at  the  fourth  annual  banquet  of  the   Cheshire  County 

Fish  and  Game  League Jan.  24,  Ashuelot   Chapter,  Daughters  of  the 

American  Revolution,  organized,  with  twelve  charter  members,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet L.  Griffin,  regent .Jan.  28,   the   Methodist  society  celebrated  its 

release  from  debt  with  appropriate  exercises Feb.  6,  a  hurricane  lifted 

roofs,    blew    down    chimneys,    trees,   etc Feb.  21,    death   of  Julius    N. 

Morse,  aged  fifty-five  years Feb.  29,  death  of  Henry  O.  Coolidge,  aged 

sixty-six  years March  19,  Roena  Shelley  celebrated  her  100th  anniver- 
sary  March  24,  Union  School  district  voted  to  build  a  schoolhouse  on 

Greenlawn  and  Page  streets,  and  appropriated  $12,000 April  18,  death 

of  James  C.  Whittle,   aged  seventy-two  years .\pril    16,  city  councils 

accepted  $1,000  for  the  erection  of  the  Allen  Ingersoll  fountain  in  Central 
park New  office  opened  near  the  public  library  in  the  city  hall  build- 
ing for  the  tax  collector  and  assessors April,  two-thirds  of  the  employ- 
ees in  the  woolen  mills  of  the  county   idle,   affected,  the  manufacturers 

said,  by  the  Wilson-Gorman  tariff  law April  24,  Union  School  district 

voted  to  enlarge  the  Washington  school  lot  by  the  purchase  of  the  Wheeler 

property  on  Washington  street,   at    an    expense  of   $3,000 April  23, 

Keene  Military  band  organized May  10,  death  of  Dr.  Henry  H.  Dar- 
ling, aged  seventy-two  years May  11,  Cheshire  National  bank  returned 

to  its  new  banking  rooms  in  the  Cheshire   bank  building The  W.  L. 

Mason  Company  organized,  capital   $60,000 .June  4,  councils  granted 

location  for  the  tracks   of  the  Keene  Electric  Railway  Company .June 

3,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alba  C.  Davis  celebrated   their  golden  wedding Jtine 

12,  Mayor  McDufifee  vetoed  the  bill  providing  for  the  use  of  the  trolley 

system  by  the   electric    road June   10,   large  fire   at    Keene  Furniture 

Company's  finishing  shop;   $50,000  worth  of  property  destroyed -July 

4,  souvenir  spoon  presented  to  Mrs.  Luther  Sturtevant,  one  of  the  sur- 
viving   daughters    of   Revolutionary    soldiers,    by    the    national    society, 

through  the  local  chapter -July  19,  Rev.  Octavius  Applegate,  Jr.,  began 

his  ministry  as  rector  of  St.  James'   Episcopal  church Aug.   2,   death 

of  John  A.   Drummer,   aged    seventy-nine   years Elliot    City    Hospital 


CITY  CFIRONOLOGY.  699 

incorporated Aug.  6,  city  councils  relinquished  the  city's  interest  in  the 

Elliot  City  Hospital  to  the  new  corporation Aug.  13,  death  of  Sylves- 
ter Blodgett,   aged  seventy-four   years Aug.   24,   death   of  William  G. 

Hall,  aged  seventy-six  j^ears Oct.  4,  death  of  Edwin  M.  Bullard,  aged 

forty-seven  years Oct.  20,   death   of  Charles   H.   Perry,   aged   sixty-six 

years Nov.  26,  death  of  John  W.  Howes,  aged  sixt3'-two  years Dec. 

1,  Washington  schoolhouse  completed Dec.  13,  Rev.  A.  W.  Hand  re- 
signed pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church Bicycle  factory  to  be  constructed 

in  Keene  and  $40,000  subscribed  for  stock  in  the  new  enterprise Dec. 

17,  the  Frank  T.  Fowler  Manufacturing  Company  organized Dec.  28, 

death  of  Nathan  G.  Woodbur\%  aged  seventy-three  years Granite  dam 

at  Faulkner  &  Colony's  mill  pond  constructed. 

1897. 

Francis  A.   Perry,  mayor The    board    of  railroad    commissioners, 

after  a  hearing,  decided  that  it  had  no  power  to  order  a  union  passen- 
ger   station    constructed .Jan.    14,   death    of   Clark    R.   Caswell,    aged 

sixty-one   years G.   E.   &  A.   I.   Fuller   established  a  new    industry  at 

Beaver    mills,  for  the   manufacture  of  tacks  and  w^ire    nails Jan.  15, 

Keene  Savings  bank  established;  first  deposit  book  issued   March  15 

March  1,  Keene  Electric  Railway  Company  granted  the  right  to  use 
electricity   applied  by  the  overhead   trolley  system  as  the  motive  power 

of  its  road March   1,   death   of   Stephen    Randall,    aged     eighty-eight 

years March  5,  Engineer  Fred  W.  Towne  presented  with  a  gold  watch 

and  chain  by  the  Deluge  Hose  Company March  15,  an  elegant  sword 

presented  to  Captain  Paul  F.  Babbidge,  by  Company  H,  Second  regiment, 

N.  H.  N.  G March  24,  New  Hampshire  chiefs  of  police  entertained  at  the 

Cheshire  House  by  City  Marshal  W.  H.  Philbrick March  80,  death  of 

Dr.  George  B.  Twitchell,  aged  seventy-six  years;  all  bells  of  the  city 
tolled April  3,  death  of  Azro  B.  Skinner,  in  Winchendon,  aged  fifty- 
eight  years April  6,  Union    school  district  voted  to  purchase  a  lot  on 

which  to  place  the  old   Washington    street    schoolhouse April   13,  the 

A.  B.  Skinner  Companj^  incorporated April  14,  Mrs.  Daniel  Allen  cele- 
brated the  ninety-seventh    anniversary  of  her  birth,  being,  next  to   Mrs. 

Roena  Shelley,  then  in  her  102d  year,  the  oldest  person  in  town April 

21,  Ashuelot  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  placed  a 
tablet  upon  the  house  of  Mrs.  R.  S.  Perkins,  on   Main  street,  where  the 

soldiers  met,   April  21,   1775,   to  start  for  Lexington April  21,   death 

of  Daniel  C.  Howard,  aged  sixty-two  years May  14,  dam  at  Willson 

pond.  West  Keene,  goes  out,  freeing  thirty  acres  of  water;  bridge  and 
abutments  washed  away May  19,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  G.  Gurnsey  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding Ma^^  26,  probably  2,000  citizens  used  the 

bicycle,  and   rules  for    wheelmen   were    carefuUj'-    laid  down   by  the  local 

enthusiasts -June  2,  death  of  Josiah  T.  Colony,  aged  fifty-six  years 

June   10,  lowlands   overflowed,  and  business  interfered   with .June  19, 

councils  voted  to  exempt  the  proposed  Trinity  bicycle  factory  from  taxa- 
tion  June    26,   Colonial   Club's  second  annual  field  day,   at  Wheelock 

park,    address    by  Gen.  S.   G.   Griffin July    17,  freight    wreck  at  West 


700  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

Keene,    Engineer    Milan  H.   Curtis    instantly    killed,  aged  forty-eight 

From  11  a.  m.,  Monday,  July  12,  to  Wednesday  morning  at  10.30,  five 
and  fifty-six  one-hundredths  inches  of  water  fell;    great    damage  to  hay 

and  other  corps,  and   business  interfered  with  in  man^'  ways July  21, 

Good  Roads  Association  formed  by  L.  A.  W.  members July  25,  George 

Foster,  of  Boston,  died  suddenly  while  making  a  call  at  the  house  of  Dr. 

Ira  J.   Prouty July    27,   death  of  George  S.   Hale,   at  Schooner  Head, 

Me.,  aged  seventy-one  years;  remains  buried  in  Keene Aug.  1,  national 

banks  of  the  city  received   deposits  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  2V-z% 

per  annum Aug.   10,   cloudburst    and    violent    wind,   uprooting    large 

trees ;  iron  rods  an  inch  in  diameter  fractured ;  a  handsome  elm  tree 
seventy-five  feet  high   thrown  over  upon  F.  G.   Dort's  house  on  Summer 

street Aug.    11,   death   of  Leonard    Wright,   aged    sixty-five  years 

Portion  of  town  brook  which  runs  through  C.  A.  Jones's  land  on  Church 

street    replaced  with  a  twenty-four  inch  iron    pipe Aug.   18,   death  of 

Eli  Dort,  aged  eighty-one  years Sept.  9,  death  of  John  Lahiff,  aged  nine- 
ty-four years Sept.  10,  cycle  path  ordered  by  the  board  of  mayor  and 

aldermen  from  Albert  Wright's  on   Court  street  to  the  Four  Corners 

Sept.   20,   Bliss  Business   College    established,   in   Cheshire    House    block, 

Roxbury  street,  with  forty-four  pupils Sept.  21,  licenses  granted  to  the 

Keene  Gas  Light  Company  and  the  Keene  Electric  Railway  Company 
for  mutual  rights  in  a  pole  line  on  west  side  of  Main  street Octo- 
ber, Charles  Giffin  bought  all  the  Washington  street  mills  of  the 
Woodbury  estate Oct.  23,  death  of  Joseph  G.  Warren,  aged  seventy- 
seven  years Oct.  28,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seth  C.  Hall  celebrated  their  golden 

wedding  at  their  home  on   Arch   street Nov.   6,  marriage  of  Emmons 

Ball  and  Miss  Emogene  Humphrey,  at  San  Jose,  Costa  Rica;  the  mar- 
riage ceremony   of  the  church  of  England   not   being  recognized,  it   was 

performed    by    the    governor  of    the  province Nov.   11,   Trinity    cycle 

factory  formally  dedicated   under  the  auspices  of  the  Monadnock  Cycle 

Club  and  the  Good    Roads    Association Electric    power   supplied    for 

manufacturing  and  other  purposes  by  the  Keene  Gas  Light  and  Electric 

Power  Company Nov.   16,   Mr.  and  Mrs.   Artemas    Baker    celebrated 

their    golden    wedding New    hospital    ambulance   turned    over  to  the 

trustees December,    Rev.   George  L.   Thompson,  formerly    of   Stafford, 

Conn.,   accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Universalist  society 

and  was  installed  on  Dec.  23 Dec.  2,  councils  accepted  eighty  acres  of 

land  adjoining  the  Beech  hill  reservoir  and  Woodland  cemetery,  for  park 
purposes,  from  George  A.  Wheelock,  the  donor  of  Wheelock  park  and  the 
Children's  Wood. 

1898. 

George    H.   Eames,    mayor .Jan.    4,  Royal    H.    Porter    elected    vice 

president  of  the  Cheshire  National  bank,  and  voluntarily  retired  from  the 
office  of  cashier,  having  held  that  position  since  Oct.  1,  1855,  when  the 
Cheshire  bank,   which  was  organized   in  1804,  was    still   a    state    bank; 

Walter  R.  Porter  elected  cashier .Jan.  23,  death  of  Col.  Fred  A.  Barker, 

postmaster  since  1895,  aged  sixty-two  years Jean  P.  Howes  made  an 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  701 

automatic  fire  alarm   register  for  the  fire  station Feb.    14,   death    of 

Solomon  F.  Merrill,  aged  seventy-seven  years Feb.  21,  the  nomination 

of  Gen.  Jerry  P.  Wellman  to  be  postmaster  of   Keene  sent  to  the  senate 

by  President  McKinley Young  Men's  Christian  Association  canvassers 

secured  subscriptions   amounting  to  $20,000,  for  the  purpose  of  raising 

its  debt Feb.  16,  J.  Fred  Whitcomb,  Jr.,  and  Frank  N.  Barker  started  for 

the  Klondike;  Mr.  Whitcomb  was  accidentally  shot.  May  25,  and  buried 
with  full  Masonic  rites,  at  Windj'  Arm,  Tagish  lake,  Alaska,  aged  twenty- 
five  years March  4,  death  of  John  B.  Fisher,  aged  sixty-five March  4, 

Ladies'  Exchange,  Colony's  block,   suffered  total  destruction  by  fire,  and 

the  stock  in   trade    of   other  merchants    was   injured March   17,  city 

councils   accepted  the  resignation   of   City   Clerk  Jerry  P.  Wellman,  and 

Frank  H.  Whitcomb  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy April  1,  Postmaster 

Wellman  entered   upon  his  duties,  with    Walter  B.  Richardson    as    head 

clerk Maj'  3,  death  of  John  L.  Britton,  aged  ninety-three  years May 

5,  city  councils  granted  Superintendent  Babbidge  a  leave  of  absence  and 
elected  John  A.  Denison  acting  superintendent  of  water  works,  sewers  and 

drains May  7,  Company  L,  First  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  100  men, 

under  Captain  Paul  F.  Babbidge,  left  for  the  Spanish-American  war 

May  8,   death  of   Oscar  G.   Nims,   aged    fifty-two    years June    6,  city 

councils  accepted  the  Henry  Colony  house  on  West  street,  with  altera- 
tions to  make  it  convenient  for    a    library    building,    from    Edward   C. 

Thayer Citizens  raised  money  by  subscription  for  immediate  use  of  the 

soldiers  of  Company  L,  at  Camp  Thomas,  Chickamauga,  Ga June  10, 

death  of  John  A.  Batchelder,  aged  sixty-seven  j'^ears South  Keene  mills 

leased  to   William   C.   H.   Badger  of   Boston .June  25,  high   wind  and 

storm ;  James  S.  Taft's  house  damaged   by  the  breaking  off  of  a  big  elm 

tree July  1,  Cheshire  County  Savings  bank  established July  4,  death 

of  Edward  C.  Thayer,  aged  seventj^  years;  and  death  of  Edward  Gus- 
tine,  aged  seventy-eight  years The  old  Beaver  street  tannery  demol- 
ished to  make  room  for    dwelling  houses July    31,    in    Chattanooga, 

Tenn.,  death  of  Sergeant  Darwin  M.  Aldrich,  Co.  L,  First  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers,  aged  twenty-six  years Aug.  2,  first  commercial  incan- 
descent lights  installed  in  Nims  Brothers'  market  on  West  street Aug. 

23,  death  of  Charles  E.  Joshn,  aged  fifty  years A  Bundy  time  recorder 

placed  in  the    postoffice Sept.   2,   large  barns    on  the  A.   J.   WilHams 

place,   Winchester    street,   destroyed   during  a  severe    thunder    storm 

Sept.  13,  5,000  people  greeted  the  return  of  Company  L,  First  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers,  with  fireworks,  bonfires  and  a  hot  supper  at  the 

K.  L.  G.   armory Sept.   28,  east  line  of  Main  street,  between   Church 

and  Roxbury  streets,  straightened  and  concrete  walks  renewed  and  en- 
larged  Sept.  30,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Scripture  celebrated  their  sixty- 
fifth  wedding  anniversary'-,  aged  ninety-one  and  eighty-nine  years  respec- 
tively  Oct.  8,  death   of  William  R.   Bradbury,   of  Company   L,  at  the 

hospital  in  Concord;  aged  twenty  years Oct.  9,  death  of  Jerry  F.  Mc- 
Carthy,   struck    by    an    engine,    near    the    Fitchburg  repair  shops,  aged 

twenty-four Frog  pond  near  the  Symonds  place,  on  West  street,  filled 

in  and  drain  constructed Oct.  15,  death  of  Chauncey  B.  Billings,  aged 


702  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

eighty-nine  years Oct.   18,  160th   anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the 

First  Congregational  church John  P.  Rust  fitted  up  the  old  Indurated 

Paper  Company's    factory    for  a    pail  shop Nov.   6,   body   of   Ira    E. 

Chase,  aged  sixty,  found  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  near  the 

shooting  range,   death  being  the  result  of  exposure Cycle  path  from 

Pearl  street  to  Maple  avenue  was  constructed  and  William  H.  Woodward 

deeded  to  the  cit3'  the  rounding  corner  at   Maple  and   Park   avenues 

Nov.  14,  Ladies'  Charitable  Society  held  its  eighty-third  annual  meeting. 

Nov.  9,  death  of  Rufus  L.  Parker,  aged  seventy-three  years Nov. 

17,  city  councils  voted  to  purchase  a  portable  stone  crusher Nov.  27,- 

extraordinary  snow  storm  rages  all  day Stone  watering  trough  placed 

at  the  foot  of  Beech  hill,   on  Roxbury  street Nov.   28,  citizens  held  a 

peace  jubilee  on  the  acceptance  by  Spain  of  the  terms  of  peace  laid  down 

by  President  McKinley Dec.  5  and  6,  great  snow  storm  and  hurricane, 

with  much  damage  to  trees  and  buildings Dec.  14,  death  of  Mrs.  Roe- 

na  Shelley,  aged  one  hundred  and  two  years,  eight  months  and  twenty- 
five  days Charles  H.   Fairfield  completed   his  ice  pond,  on  upper  Elm 

street Dec.  15,  curfew  petition  rejected  by  the  city  councils Dec.  15, 

death    of  Jotham    A.   French,   aged  sixty-four  years Dec.   17,  Van  C. 

Emerson  expired  from  disease  of  the  heart,  at  the  head  of  Central  square, 

aged  fifty-three  3'ears Dec.  24,  death  of  Hosea  Foster,  aged  eighty-nine 

years. 

1899. 

George  H.  Eames,  mayor Jan.  2,  severeW  cold,   42°  below   zero  at 

\yest  Keene .Jan.   5,   death   of  Jonas   Parker,  aged  eighty-three  years, 

and  of  Jonathan  G.  Tyler,  aged  eighty-one  years Feb.  4,  death  of  Wil- 
liam W.  Parker,  aged  seventy-four  years Feb.  13,  heavy  snow  storm, 

blocking    railroads  throughout    New  England,   w^orst  blizzard  in   Keene 

since  1888 Feb.  28,  Thayer  Hbrary  building  dedicated;   a  gift  of  $5,000 

received  from   Mrs.  Thayer  and   Miss   Chapin,  the  income  to  be  used  for 

the  purchase  of  books March  1,  death  of  ex-Mayor  George  W.  McDuf- 

fee,  aged  fifty-eight  years March  10,  Rev.  Octavius  Applegate,  Jr.,  re- 
signed as  rector  of  St.  James'  church Rev.  Archibald  McCord  resigned 

pastorate  of  Second  Congregational  church,  to  take  effect  Oct.  1 March 

20,  Cheshire  Chair  Company's  storehouse  burned ;   loss  about  $15,000 

March  17,  Rev.  William  G.  Poor  resigned  as  pastor  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational church March  22,  New  Hampshire  Sentinel  appeared  as  an  illus- 
trated centennial  number,  and  the  Sentinel  Printing  Company  issued  an 

exact  reproduction  of  the  first  paper,  issued  March  23,  1799 March  26, 

death  of  Samuel  A.  Gerould,  Jr.,  aged  seventy-eight  years Beedle's  Mil- 
itary band   organized March  21,  Reuben  Hyland  completed  fifty  years 

of  continuous  railway  service April  6,  death  of  Edwin  C.  Aldrich,  aged 

seventy-nine  years May  7,  Rev.  Alfred  H.  Wheeler  takes  charge  of  St. 

James'  parish  and  conducts  the  services May  12,  Sunday  street  sprink- 
ling authorized  to  be  done  before  the  hour  of  morning  services May 

16,  death  of  Elisha  A3'er,  aged  seventy-eight  years May  28,  death  of 

Frederick  L.  Pitcher,  aged  sixty  years Rev.  Edward  A.  Renouf,  D.  D., 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  703 

presented   a  large  set    of  coins    to    the    Keene    High    school Portrait 

of  David  Nims  turned   over  to  the  trustees  of  the  public  library  by  the 

city May  31,  Mrs.  Louis  Castor  (aged  thirty-seven)  shot  dowrn  by  her 

husband,  the  first  murder  in  Keene  in  over  twenty  years June  1,  coun- 
cils offered  a  reward  for  the  apprehension  of  Louis  Castor June  8,  Louis 

Castor  surrendered  himself  voluntarily  to  Sheriff  Tuttle  after  meeting  his 

brother  and  Rev.  A.  H.  Wheeler June  15,  control  of  the  pubhc  library 

placed  in  the  hands  of  the  trustees June  21,  Miss  Myra  F.  Southworth 

appointed  librarian  of  the  Keene  Public  Library July  3,  three  incendi- 
ary fires  occurred  during  the  night July  6,  corner  stone  of  St.  James' 

parish  house  laid  with  an  appropriate  ceremony July  20,  contract  ex- 
ecuted between  the  city  and  the  Keene  Gas  Light  Company  for  fifty-two 

arc  and  100  incandescent  electric  lights,  for  a  term  of  six  years August, 

underground  conduits  constructed  by  the  New  England  Telephone  Com- 
pany  Diamond    Match    shop    opened    in  the  Beaver  mills Aug.  11, 

death  of  Deidamia  Allen,  aged  ninety-nine  years,  three  months  and  twen- 
ty-seven days,  a  pensioner  of  the  war  of  1812 Aug.  17,  city  coimcils 

adopted  an  ordinance  under  the  new  plumbing  law,  and  appointed  Paul 

F.  Babbidge  the  first  inspector  of  plumbing Beaver  brook  cleared  out 

and  considerable  gain  made  in  grade,  at  an  expense   of  about  $700 

Sept.  3,  death  of  Timothy  Kelleher,  aged  sixty-seven  years,  caused  by  be- 
ing overcome  by  smoke  during  a  fire  in  his  house  which  occurred  on  Aug. 
31 Dynamo  and  water  motor  set  up  in  high  school  building  and  con- 
nected with  a  complete  working  model  of  an  electric  railway  and  with 

incandescent  lamps,  by  Principal  Ray Sept.  8,  Col.  Henry   E.  Clark's 

farm  buildings  destroyed  by  fire  caused  by  lightning;   loss  about  $10,000. 

Sept.   22,   Rev.   Howard  Billman  called   to  the  pulpit  of  the  Second 

Congregational  church Sept.  24,   Beaver  mills  dryhouse,  with  a  large 

quantity  of  staves  and  pails,  destroyed  by  fire Sept.  25,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 

Lemuel  Hayward  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage 

Sept.  26,  seventeen  blasts  blown  on  Beaver  mills  whistle  in  honor  of  the 
arrival  of  Admiral  Dewey  in  New  York  harbor  aboard  the  flagship  Olym- 
pia,  followed  by  the  ringing  of  the  courthouse  and  church  bells,  etc., 
which  continued  one  hour Oct.  10,  fifty-fifth  session  of  the  Grand  En- 
campment and  the  state  Rebekah  assembly,  and  on  Oct.  11,  the  fifty-sixth 
annual  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Hampshire,  I.  0.  0.  F.,   held 

in  Keene Nov.  23,  St.  James'  parish  house  dedicated  with  religious  and 

social  exercises Hon.  John  T.  Abbott  resigned  as  judge  of  probate 

Dec.  5,  Rev.  Edward  Pa3'son  Drew  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational church Dec.  7,  city  councils  adopted  an  ordinance  providing  for 

a  highway  commission Dec.  8,  John   E.  Allen  nominated   by  Governor 

Rollins  as  judge  of  probate  for  Cheshire  county Dec.  25,  death  of  Amos 

B.  Heywood,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

1900. 

Austin  A.  Ellis,  mayor Jan.  10,  water  supply  limited,  and   Button 

steam  fire  engine  used  to  pump  water  from  the  Ashuelot  river  into  the 
Court  street  main .Jan.  24,  death  of  Jehiel  Harlow,  aged  eighty  years. 


704  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

Mrs.   Susan  King  Perkins  presented  a   memorial  altar  to  St.  James' 

church  for  the  new  parish  house,   and  it   was  consecrated  on  Feb.  2 

Feb.  3,  Deluge  Hose  Company  presented  First  Assistant  Engineer  Edward 

P.   Carrigan    w^ith  a  gold  watch   and   chain Feb.   13,   water  ten  and 

one-half  inches  higher  than  known  since  1869;  two  inches  of  rain  and 
melting  snow  and  ice  raised  the  Ashuelot  river  and  tributaries  above 
high  water  mark,  meadow^s  adjacent  being  overflowed  and  fences  cov- 
ered, and  stages  compelled  to  take  roundabout  routes Feb.  15,  board 

of  mayor  and  aldermen  accepted  resignation  of  Alderman  Samuel  Patrick 
and  ordered  the  selectmen   of  ward  2  to  issue  a  warrant  for  a  meeting 

of  the  inhabitants  of  that  ward  to  fill  the    vacancy March  20,   Mr. 

and   Mrs.   Samuel  E.   Hall    celebrated    the    fiftieth    anniversary    of   their 

wedding March  31,  Mr.   and  Mrs.   Willard  J.  Sawyer  celebrated  their 

golden  wedding April  18,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Brooks  celebrated 

the  fiftieth  anniversary  of   their  marriage April   19,  Dennis  Donovan, 

aged  ten  years,  fell  from  a  frail  raft  and  perished  in  deep  water  on  the 

meadows  near   his    home  on  Butler   court May  2,    Eric  J.   Beliveau, 

aged  nine  years,  drowned  in  Giffin  &  Dana's  mill  pond May  3,  Union 

school  district  voted  to  enlarge  the  Lincoln  school  lot  by  the  purchase 

of  sixty  square    rods  of  land  for    $600,  from  Silas  Hardy May  10, 

Union    district    voted  to    build    a  new    Lincoln    school    building    at    an 

expense  of  $13,000 May  13,  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  dedication 

of  the    Baptist     church    of  Keene    (the    third    which    the    Baptists    had 

occupied)     appropriately   observed    at    the    morning   service May    22, 

hearing  held  on  the  petition  for  the  widening  of  West  street  to  preserve 
the  Cooke  elm ;  Mrs.  Mar}'  Pratt  Cooke  Nash  waived  her  right  to  claim 

land    damage May   23,   Mr.   and    Mrs.   Simeon    Gould    celebrated  the 

fiftieth     anniversary    of    their    wedding May    30,    Ashuelot    Chapter, 

Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  rededicated  the  second  burial 
place  of  the  early  settlers  of  Keene,  a  part  of  the  Henry  O.  Spaulding 
farm,  in  West  Keene,  and  erected  a  boulder,  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 
.June  8,  Social  Friends  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  celebrated  its  seventy- 
fifth  anniversary,  and  Rev.  Josiah  L.  Seward,  D.  D.,  delivered  a  brief  his- 
torical   address .June  27,   anxiety  felt  for  Rev.    and    Mrs.    Frank    M. 

Chapin  of  Keene,  for  twenty  years  past  missionaries  in  China,  on  account 

of  the  Boxer  uprising Waring  sj'stem  of  sewers    ordered  constructed 

through  several  streets  to  Leverett  street,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,700 

June  20,  death   of  S\'lvester  Spaulding,  aged  seventy-six  j^ears July  1, 

Boston  &  Maine  railroad  assumed  the  management  of  the  Fitchburg  rail- 
road  Trinity  Cycle  Company  commenced  the  manufacture  of  automo- 
biles  July  9,  city  councils  appropriated  $1,700  for  a  new^   boiler  and 

for  repairs  to  renew^  the  disabled   Button  steam  fire  engine July   21, 

Cheshire  Chair  Company's  storehouse  again   destro3'ed  by  fire,  loss  $10,- 

000 Aug.   17,  death   of  Leston  E.   Mason,   aged  forty-seven  j'ears 

Sept.  7,  death  of  Charles   K.  Colony,  aged  sevent3--nine  years Sept.  8, 

Keene  Electric  railwa}'  completed  and  first  car  arrived  over  the  road 

West  street  bridge  built  in  1837  by  Aaron  Wilson  and  Oren  Dickinson 
for  the  sum  of  $1,288,  dismantled  to  give  place  to  an  iron  structure 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  705 

Samuel   Wadsworth  placed  the    height    of  Monaduock  mountain  at  an 

altitude  of  3,166  feet October,  Joseph  Chase  presented  the  city  with  a 

quitclaim  deed  of  his  interest  in  that  part  of  his  farm  called  the  North 

cemetery Nov.  21,  new  iron  bridge  on  West  street  given  a  severe  test 

with  a  loaded  electric  car  and  the  passage  over  blocks  of  wood  of  the 

fifteen-ton  road  roller Dec.  12,  Gurnsey  Brothers  &  Co.  move  into  the 

new  bakery  building  on   Church    street Dec.   22,   death   of   Asa  Cole, 

aged  ninety-six  years New  mill  of  the  Faulkner  &  Colony  Manufactur- 
ing Company-  completed,  having  a  capacity  of  over  4,000  spindles City 

paid  the  Wrought  Iron  Bridge  Company  the  sum   of  $9,946.14,  for  the 

South  Keene  and  West  street  bridges Population  of  Keener   Ward  1, 

2,488;  ward  2,  1,896;  ward  3,  1,926;  ward  4,  1,384;  ward  5,  1,471; 
total,  9,165. 

1901. 

Francis  A.  Perr}^  mayor Opening  of  the  twentieth  century  observed 

in   Keene  by  appropriate  exercises.     At  midnight  a  national  salute  was 

fired  and   services  held  in  the  several  churches  and  in  Masonic  hall 

Harry  T.  Kingsbury  designed   and  built  a  new  automobile,  propelled  by 

a  naphtha  motor,   at  the  Wilkins  Toy  Company's  works Jan.   2,  the 

South   Keene  Company  sold  the  Hale  mills  to  the  Fred  B.  Pierce  Com- 

pan3^ Bronze  tablet   placed  in  the  Unitarian  church  to  accompany  the 

memorial  window  previously  erected,  in  memory  of  the  seventy-one  found- 
ers of  that  society' Jan.  17,  Steamobile  Company  of  America  voted  an 

exemption  from  taxation Patrick  Dee  resigned  his  position  as  road- 
master  in  charge  of  the  Ashuelot  division  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  railroad 

after  forty-five  y^ears  of  active  service A  severe  epidemic  of  scarlet  fever, 

which  commenced  late  in  January,  continued  three  months,  prostrated 
business,  interfered  with  the  work  of  the  schools,  necessitated  the  clos- 
ing of  churches,  schools,  the  library  and  city  hall ;  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
one  cases  were  reported  to  the  board  of  health,  of  w^hich  number  tw^enty- 

tw^o  died;   quarantine  expenses  incurred  aggregated  about  $4,200 Feb. 

8,   death   of  Rev.   Stephen  G.  Abbott,  aged  eighty-one  j'ears Feb.  10, 

death  of  Simeon  Gould,  aged  seventy-eight  years Feb.  11,  death  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Brooks,  aged  seventy-two  years,   and  of  John   G.   Lesure,  aged 

fifty-five  years Feb.  11,  small  pox  appeared  in  Keene,  but  was  confined 

by  police  patrol  and  rigid  quarantine  measures  to  tw^o  cases;  tw^o  cases 
of  small  pox  and  three  of  varioloid  only  were  reported  during  the  year. 

Feb.  21,  death  of  Gordis  D.  Harris,  aged  seventy-six  years Feb.  21, 

Gardner  C.  Hill,  M.  D.,  appointed  citj'  agent  for  vaccination  with  power 
to   appoint  assistants  and  an  order  jjassed  by  the  city  government  that 

the3'  proceed  in  the  matter  according  to  law Feb.  27,  death  of  Luther 

P.  Alden,  aged  seventy-four  years Feb.  28,  death  of  Simon  Carr,  aged 

eighty-three  years March  12,  death  of  Alexander  H.  Grimes,  aged  sev- 
enty-one years March  17,  churches  reopened  for  services  by  permission 

of  the  board  of  health March  21,  over  180  signers  petitioned  for  the 

removal  of  the  Cooke  elm  standing  in  West  street March  26,  $1,600 

additional    appropriated    by    Union    school    district  for   the   purpose    of 


706  HISTORY  OF  KBENE. 

completing  the  Lincoln  school  building;  old  Lincoln  schoolhouse  ordered 
sold  at  public  auction  b\'  a  committee March  30,  Capt.  S.  Fletcher  But- 
ton of  Keene  appointed  b^-  the  president  to  the  office  of  captain  in  the 

regular  army  as  assistant  quartermaster  of  subsistence March  31,  city 

hall  lot  enclosed  by  a  fence  to  confirm  title  to  land April  8,  high  school 

reopened,  and  April  15,  grammar  grades  reopened  in  the  high  school  build- 
ing  April  8,  death  of  Charles  Scripture,  aged  ninety-four  years April 

11,  trustees  of  Keene  Public  Library  accepted  a  gift  of  books  from  Messrs. 
Robert  S.  and  Richard  W.  Hale  of  Boston,  in  memory  of  their  father,  the 
late  Hon.  Geo.  S.  Hale  of  Keene  and  Boston April  14-,  Rev.  M.  C.  Pen- 
dexter,  of  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  closed  a  pastorate  of  five 

years,  and  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Durrell  appointed  to  the  charge Rev.  George 

L.  Thompson,  for  three  and  one-half  years  a  resident  of  Keene,  resigned 

as  pastor  of  the  Universalist  church  to  take  efiiect  May  1 April  22, 

after  a  public  hearing  the  mayor  and  aldermen  Toted  to  give  the  peti- 
tioners for  the  removal  of  the  Cooke  elm  leave  to  withdraw April  29, 

death  of  Dr.  George  R.  Dinsmoor,  aged  fiftj-nine  years,  eleven  months 

May  1,  death  of  ex-Mayor  Asa  Smith,  aged  seventy-seven  A-ears May 

2,  Roller  Bearing  &  Equipment  Company'  granted  an  exemption  from  tax- 
ation  May  7,  Francis  C.  Faulkner  appointed  railroad  commissioner  by 

Governor  Jordan May  14,  sixth  annual  meeting  of  the  New  Hampshire 

Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  held  in  the  Unitarian  church May  16, 

Fred  B.  Pierce  Company  granted  an  exemption  from  taxation Stone 

drinking  fountain  accepted  by  the  city  to  be  placed  on  Court  street,  the 

gift  of  Mrs.  Edward  C.  Thayer May  29,  funeral  of  William  S.  Briggs, 

at  the  Unitarian  church,  his  death  having  occurred  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  on 

May  27,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years   and  eight  months .June  14, 

death  of  Caleb  T.  BuflFum,  aged  eighty-one  years June  15,  formal  opening 

of  the  new  Wilkins  laundry  on  Proctor  court,  attended  by  over  500  peo- 
ple  .June  20,  Alderman  Daniel  C.  Cahalane  resigns July  3,  mayor  and 

alderman  allow  $1,200  to  the  board  of  health  for  extra  services  during 

the    scarlet  fever  epidemic July  4,   monument    erected    by    Francis    O. 

Nims,  over  the  grave  of  Keene's  first  town  clerk,  David  Nims,  in  Washing- 
ton street  cemetery July  17,  Elvin  P.  Priest  fatally  burned  by  explosion 

of  gasoline  at  Steamobile  works Juh'  23,  Alderman  Oscar  H.  Fa^^  elected, 

and  he  took  his  seat  on  the  29th July  28,  Holbrook  Grocery  Company's 

wholesale  warehouse  damaged  by  fire;    loss  about    $45,000 August, 

Register  of  Deeds  Buffum  began  the  reindexing  of  the   Cheshire  county 

real  estate  records Aug.  22,  city  councils  voted   to  purchase  lands  in 

Roxbur\^  of  Charles  Giffin,  Edward  Cota,  Patrick  Donahue,  and  George 
A.   Hall,   adjoining  Woodward    pond,   and   a  lot  on   Beech   hill  of  Mrs. 

Charles  H.  Fairfield,  for  the  sum   of  $3,825 Sept.  5,  Rev.  Edward  A. 

Renouf,  D.  D.,  presented  to  the  city  the  police  benevolent  fund   of  $500, 

which  w^as  accepted City  councils  ordered  a  new  steel  bridge  to  be  placed 

over  Beaver  brook  to  connect   Woodland  and   Greenlawn   cemeteries 

Sept.  17,  Mayor  Perry  requested  the  suspension  of  business  and  that  ser- 
vices be  held  on  Thursday,  Sept.  19,  in  memory  of  the  late  President 
WiUiam  McKinley Sept.   19,  the  city  councils   adjourned  till  the  next 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  707 

evening  in  honor  of  the  memorj' of  President  McKinle3' Sept.  20,  councils 

voted  to  purchase  an  acre  and  forty-eight  rods  of  land  lying  between 
Woodland  and  Greenlawn  cemeteries  of  the  heirs  of  Pierre  Couillard,  for 

$250 Oct.  9,  field  day  of  two  Vermont  and  two  New  Hampshire  com- 

manderies  of  Knights  Templar,  in  Keene,  with  Mt.  Horeb  Commandery 

of  Concord  as  guests  of  Hugh  de  Pavens   Commandery  of  Keene Oct. 

8,  9,  and  10,  sixteenth  annual  convention  of  the  Christian  Endeavorers 

of  New  Hampshire  held  in  Keene Oct.   22,   Mr.   and  Mrs.  William  L. 

Davis  celebrated  their   golden  wedding November,   Swedish  Lutheran 

church  organized Nov.  5,  Holbrook  Grocery   Company  presented  a  set 

of  dishes  to   the  firemen  of  Keene Nov.  15,  Music  hall  in  Lane's  new 

block,  corner  of  Church   and   Main  streets,  opened  to  the  public  bA'  the 

Keene  Chorus   Club,  seating  capacity   of  the  hall  about  500 Nov.  21, 

death  of  Edward  Joslin,  aged  ninety-one  years,  seven  months Nov.  25, 

death  of  William  L.  Davis,  aged  seventy-eight  years Nov.  29,  Henry  R. 

Parker's  mill  and  wood  yard  burned,  loss  about  $700 Dec.  3,  heaviest 

snow  storm  since  1888 Dec.  5,  death  of  Lafayette  Weeks,  aged  seven- 

t3'-seven  years Dec.  19,  Mrs.  Harriet  W^ebster  Towne  fatallj'  burned  at 

her  home,  aged  ninety-four  years Sixty  buildings  erected  in  Keene  dur- 
ing the  year. 

1902. 

Francis  A.  Perry,  mayor Jan.   14,  death   of  Gen.  Simon  G.  Grifiin, 

aged  seventy-seven  years Jan.  23,  Rev.  John  E.  Smith  resigned  pastor- 
ate of  the  Baptist  church   after  nearly  five  years   of  service .Jan.  29, 

death  of  Clark  F.   Rowell,   aged  sixty-seven    years Feb.   10,   John   P. 

Rust's  pail  factory  burned;  loss  $30,000 Feb.  26,  after  a  public  hear- 
ing Union  school  district  lines  were  defined  and  additional  territory  was 

added   on   the  easterly  side March   1,   Fairfield   dam  gave    way;  loss 

$500 ;   about  ten  feet  of  water  stood  above  the  enbankment  where  Court 

street  crosses  the  Kate  Tyler  ravine March  3,  culvert  at  the  Kate  Tyler 

ravine  was  carried    away,    and    afterwards    repaired    at    an    expense  of 

$1,069.17 March  24,  Baptist  society  voted  to  extend   a  call  to   Rev. 

Joseph  Walther,   of  Holden,   Mass.,  to   become  its  pastor;   Mr.  Walther 

accepted  the  call  and   began  his  labors  on  Sunday,  May  4 .\pril  10, 

trustees  of  the  Elliot  City  Hospital  accepted  a  memorial  gift  of  $12,000 
from  the  heirs  of  the  late  Edward  Joslin,  for  the  erection  of  a  home  for 
nurses April  21,  Ashuelot  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, unveiled  a  large  granite  boulder  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Baker 
streets,  to  mark  the  road  taken  by  the  patriots  on    April  21,  1775,  in 

response  to  the  Lexington  alarum April  28,  death   of   David    Knight, 

aged  eighty-nine  years May  1,  death  of  Arba  T.  Stearns  aged  sevent3-- 

seven  years May   6,  7,  8,  ninety-third   annual  meeting  of  the  general 

association  of  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  churches  of  New  Hamp- 
shire held  in  Keene May  15,  Cheshire  Tannery  property  sold  to  John 

P.  Rust May   18,   Young    Men's    Christian    Association    observed  the 

eighteenth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  local  branch New  cream- 

erv  built  on  the  Holbrook  farm,  near  the  entrance  to  Goose  pond  on  the 


708  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

old  Surry  road May  26,  27,  28,  first  convention  of  the  Keene  Chorus 

Club  held  in  city  hall June  5,  city  councils  authorized  the  issue  of  $25,- 

000  in  bonds  for  Echo  lake  water  ^works  extension  via  South  Keene; 
bonds  sold  for  $25,978;  masonry  dam  built  on  Munsell  lot,  135  feet 
long    and   nineteen    feet    above    the    bed  of   Roaring   brook    to    contain 

2,500,000  gallons  of  water June  8,  firemen  of  Keene  held  appropriate 

memorial  services  and  decorated  the  graves  of  those  who  died  in  service 

since  the  department  was  organized   on  its  present  basis June  16,  fire 

at  Beaver  mills,  loss  on  finished  pails  and  packages  about  $3,000 June 

18,  ladder  truck  No.  2  added  to  the  apparatus  of  the  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company;  cost,  $1,250 June  19,  city  councils  voted  to  print  the  His- 
tory of  the  Town  of  Keene July  1,  free  mail  delivery  service  estab- 
lished for  South  Keene  and  Swanzey  Factory;    house  numbering  system 

extended  to  meet  requirements July  12,  incendiary  fire  destroyed  GiflSn's 

mills;   loss  $15,000;   George  E.  Hopkins  confessed   to  setting  the  fire 

Sept.  4,  city  councils  accepted  the  private  fire  alarm  system  used  by  fire- 
men  Sept.  16,  death  of  Leonard  J.  Tuttle,  aged  seventy-one  years 

Sept.  19,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  unveiled  a  bronze  tablet 
at  the  Thayer  Library  building  to  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
American    Revolution   from    Keene;  impressive    services    held  and  tablet 

formally  accepted  by  the  city Oct.  16,  councils  voted   to  grade  River 

street  to  receive  the  sewer  extension  ordered  through  River  and  Wood- 
burn  streets Nov.  14,  200  business  men  and  citizens  held  a  banquet  at 

the  Cheshire  House  in  honor  of  the  completion  of  J.  P.  Rust's  new  brick 
pail  factory    on    Water    street ;   business  men  passed  resolutions    in    the 

interest  of  a  permanent  board   of  trade H.   W.  Hubbard  removed  to 

his  new  brick  machine  shop  on  Emerald  street Nov.  25,  Boys'  Club  of 

the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  formally  opened  its  room  in  the  parson- 
age on  Elm  street Nov.  28,  water  turned  into  the  city  mains  from  the 

new  intercepting  reservoir  and  pipe  line  via  South   Keene ;  new^  addition 

to  the  Echo  lake  system  constructed  at  a  cost  of  $26,300 Dec.  4,  city 

councils  voted  to  purchase  eleven  acres  of  French  land  and  160  acres  of 
the  Cota  farm  in  Roxbury,  bordering  on  Roaring  brook,  extending  a 
mile  down  the  brook  from  land  already  owned  by  the  city,  at  an  expense 
of  $1,620;    total  land  owned  by  the  city  in  Roxbury  about  1,082  acres. 

Public  library,  city  hall  and  fire  station  heated  with  wood  from  the 

city's  lands  in  Roxbury,  on  account  of  the  coal  strike. 

1903. 

James  S.   Taft,   mayor .Jan.  8,  farm  buildings   of   Elmer  T.   Morse 

burned  on   Winchester  street,   with  eight  cows,  a  horse   and  three  pigs ; 

loss  estimated  at  $3,000 Jan.   17,  strike  at  the  C.  B.   Lancaster  shoe 

factory Jan.  23,  shoe  factory  closed Jan.  23,  Mayor  Taft  offered  a 

reward  of  $1,000  for  the  apprehension  of   the  person   who  had   recently 

been  setting  fires  in  Keene Jan.  23,  Rev.  Howard   Billman  resigned  as 

acting   pastor    of   the  Second    Congregational    church  to  take   effect  on 

April    1 Feb.   3,   Keene  Commercial    Club  organized;    Fred   B.   Pierce, 

president;  constitution  and  by-laws  adopted Feb.  4,  death  of  Franklin 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  709 

L.  Howe,   aged  sixt3^-six    years Feb.  7,  Josephine,   infant   daughter  of 

WilHam  Gilbo,  suffocated  by  a  fire  on   Douglass  street Feb.   9,   Keene 

Chapter,    Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,   organized   at  the    house  of 

Charles  G.   Shedd   on   Marlboro    street Early  in   February    local    coal 

dealers  began   booking  orders  for  anthracite  coal  for  the  first  time  since 

early  in  previous  December Feb.    16,  twenty-five  special  police  officers 

commissioned  by  the  mayor  and  aldermen  on  account  of  the  shoemakers' 

strike Feb.   17,  shoe  factory  reopened  as  a  free  shop Water  main 

ordered  extended  through   Eastern   avenue  at  an  expense  of   $3,200 

March  5,  city  councils  voted  to  exempt  Charles  L.  Russell  &  Sons  from 
taxation  on  a  proposed  two-story  brick  manufactory,  etc.,  not  exceeding 
a  valuation  of  $50,000 March  8,  death  of  John  L.  Davis,  aged  ninety- 
three   years March    11,    death    of    George    Burnap,    aged    eighty-four 

years March    14,    death   of  Col.   Edwin  0.   Upham,    aged    forty-three 

years March  20,   death   of  J.   Mason   Reed,  aged  seventy-six  years 

March  23,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  L.  Collins  celebrated  their  golden  wedding 

March  26,  death  of  Francis  C.  Faulkner,  aged  fifty  years Union  school 

district  authorized  a  committee  to  see  what  arrangements  could  be  made 
to  secure    the  Coolidge  lot,  next  north   of   the  city  hall,  or  some  other 

suitable   lot    for  a  new  high    school    building March   29,  body  of  an 

infant  found  in  the  Vigneau  ravine  on  upper  Court  street March   30, 

death  of  William   Rice,  aged  eighty-one  years April  4,  Carrie  E.  Read 

elected  librarian  of  the  Keene  PubHc  Library April  13,  a  son  of  Elmore 

W.  Jennison  lost  his  life  in  Woodland  cemetery  pond Thirty  represent- 
atives of  several  clubs  and  societies  met  at  the  council  rooms  and 
appointed  committees  to  prepare  for  the  joint  celebration  of  the  4th  of 

July  and  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  tow^n  of  Keene 

April  16,  street    sprinkling  tax  reduced  to  $2 April   17,  the  twentj-^- 

fifth  anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the  Keene  Light  Guard  battalion 
observed  at  the  Cheshire  House;   Mr.  W.  H.   Prentiss  gave  a  historical 

sketch  of  the  battalion Rev.  Jesse  M.  Durrell  of  Keene  appointed  to 

the  Dover  district  as  presiding  elder  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  E.  Robins 
assigned  to  the  pastorate  of  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Keene. 

May  2,  ElHot  City  Hospital  realized  $738.75  through  the  generosity  of 

Denman  Thompson  from  the  presentation  of  "The  Old  Homestead"  at 

the  city  hall May  9,  death  of  Barzilla  Richardson,  aged  seventy  years. 

May  10,   death  of  John  D.   Dunbar,  aged    eighty    years May   12, 

liquor  license  law    adopted  in   Keene  by  a   pluralitj^  of  eighty    votes 

May  13,  city  councils  voted  to  require  license  holders  to  pay  the  maxi- 
mum   amounts    provided  by  the  license  law  for  liquor  licenses    issued  in 

Keene  till    1907 May  25,   aldermen    voted    to  widen    and    straighten 

lower  Main  street May  25,  shoe  strike  officially  declared  off. June  4, 

city  councils  voted  to  appropriate  $2,000  for  new  stage,  scenery  and 
repairs  of  city  hall,  and  added  three  and  seven-tenths  miles  to  the  front- 
age  now    covered    by   the  street    sprinkling    service,    making  a  total  of 

fourteen    and    seven-tenths    miles    frontage   to    be   sprinkled June    11, 

death   of  Eugene  A.   Whipple,   aged    seventy    years June  14,  firemen's 

memorial    Sunday    observed    by    the    fire    department    at    St.    Bernard's 


710  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

church June  15,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  C.  Johnson  celebrated  the  fiftieth 

anniversary  of  their  marriage .June  16,  Mr.   and   Mrs.   Samuel  D.   Bill 

observed    their   golden    wedding June    22,    fort^'-six    scholars    received 

diplomas  at  city  hall,  the  largest  class    which   had   completed   the  high 

school  course License  commissioners  restricted  territory  within  which 

liquor    licenses    would    be   granted June    24,    Second    Congregational 

church  voted  to  extend  a  call  to  Rev.  Willis  A.  Hadley  of  Southbridge, 
Mass.,  to  become  its  pastor;  Mr.  Hadley  commenced  his  labors  Sept.  6. 
June  29,  Keene  Chapter,  No.  1,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  re- 
ceived its  charter  and  observed  the  occasion  at  the  armor3'  with  a  recep- 
tion, speaking  and  a  social  gathering July  3,  electric  railway   opened 

its  Swanzey  line  to  the  public July  4,  Independence  day  and  the  150th 

anniversary  of  the  town  of  Keene  celebrated    together July  11,  death 

of  Alfred  T.  Batchelder,  aged  fifty-nine  3'ears July  13,  board  of  educa- 
tion voted  to  establish  two  kindergarten  schools,  one  at  the  Tilden  and 
one  at  the  Elliot  building July  21,  some  twenty-five  veterans  of  Com- 
pany A,  Second   New   Hampshire  Volunteers,  celebrated  the  forty-second 

anniversar3'  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Run July  25,  fire  occurred  in  the  water 

works  cellar  under  the  city  hall ;   loss  $200 July  26,  fire   broke  out  in 

the  centre  of  Clarke's    block,  at  the  close  of  the  First    church    services; 

loss  about  $5,000 July  30,  death  of  Francis  Davis,  aged   seventy-nine 

years Aug.   24,  death   of  John  Humphrey,   aged    sixty-eight    years 

Sept.   8,  Edward  Joslin  Home  for  Nurses  opened  for  public  inspection 

Sept.  9,  city  hall  opened  to  the  public,  with  electric  lights,  new^  stage  and 

scenery Sept  12,  death  of  Mary  E.  Wilson  Sherwood  of  New  York,  in 

her  seventy-seventh  year Sept.   23,  Gov.  N.  J.   Bachelder,  members  of 

his  staff  and  invited  guests  entertained  at  the  Countrj'  Club  grounds 

Sept.   29,   death   of   Dallas   M.   Pollard,    aged    fifty-nine    years Oct.   1, 

Rev.    Willis  A.   Hadley    installed  pastor  of   the    Second    Congregational 

church Oct.  3,  Mr.   and   Mrs.   Francis  E.  Ke^'cs  observed  their  golden 

wedding Oct.  24,  second  fire  occurred  in  Clarke's  block Oct.  27,  28, 

Unitarians    of  New  Hampshire    held    state  convention  in   the  Unitarian 

church  on  Washington  street Oct.  29,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otto  Lettenmayer 

celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage Nov.  1,  Miss  Read 

retired    from    the    public    library    and    Miss    Maud    E.    Bloomingdale    of 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  assumed  the  duties  of  librarian A  section  of  macadam 

on  lower  Main  street  surfaced  with  screened  branch  gravel New  bridge 

over  the  branch  completed  and   the  electric  road  removed  its  rails  from 

the    branch    stone    bridge Nov.    8,   Mr.   and    Mrs.    David    B.    Stearns 

celebrated    their   golden    wedding Nov.   9,   Mr.    and    Mrs.    George   H. 

Leet   given  a  reception  at   the    Methodist    parsonage    on    the    fifty-fifth 

anniversary  of  their  marriage Dec.  1,  2,  3,  state  board  of  agriculture 

and  Dairymen's  Association  held  a  series  of  meetings  in  city  hall. 

1904. 

James  S.  Taft,  mayor .Jan.  1,  death  of  Dea.  George  P.  Drown,  aged 

seventy-five  j'ears Jan.  4,  trial   of  Malachi   Barnes,  accused  of  murder 

of  Asahel  Dunton  at  Sullivan,  opened  ;  trial  ended  Jan.  6;  he  was  convicted 


CITY  CHRONOLOGY.  711 

and    sentenced    to    state's    prison    for    life Jan.   5,   Charles  H.   Hersey 

elected  for  the  twentieth  municipal  term  as  auditor Jan.  10,  missionary 

rally  held  at  First  Congregational  church  in  honor  of  Charles  A.  Stanley, 
a  graduate  of  Oberlin  Theological  seminary,  who   was  to  be  sent  as  a 

missionary  to  China,  under  the  auspices  of  the  First  church Jan.  15, 

Ladies'  Minstrels  gave   an  entertainment  at  city  hall,  for  the  benefit  of 

the  Hospital  Aid  Society;    net  proceeds    $460 Box  manufacturers    of 

Keene  opened  a  selling  agency  in  New  York  city Jan.   21,  board   of 

highway  commissioners  abolished  and  authority  relating  to  highways 
vested  in  the  board  of  mayor  and  aldermen Spiral  stairway  for  fire  es- 
cape from  First  Congregational  church  completed;  fire  escape  attached 
to  Warren's  block,  it  being  occupied   in  part  by  four  schools  of   Union 

school  district The  W.  P.  Chamberlain  Company  purchased  Gerould's 

block    on    Central  square  and  two    houses    fronting    on    Winter    street, 

for  the  purpose  of  reconstructing  the  block  for  its  own  use Feb.  4, 

Australian  ballot  system  adopted  for  future  municipal  elections Wil- 
liam H.  H.  Beal,  connected  -with,  the  clothing  trade  here  for  thirty  years, 
retired  from  business Feb.  7,  death  of  Roswell  T.  Wood,  aged  eighty- 
one  years Feb.  11,  death  of  Walter  J.  Wheeler,  aged  seventy  years 

Feb.  18,  death  of  John  Carpenter  while  on  his  way  home  at  noon,  aged 
seventy  years Feb.  18,  city  councils  appointed  a  committee  to  investi- 
gate the  city's  title  to  the  Coolidge  lot,  adjoining  the  city  hall  lot  on  the 
north ;  to  formulate  a  plan  pertaining  to  the  title,  use  and  disposition  of 
the  lot ;  Ashuelot  National  bank,  residuary  devisee  under  the  last  will  of 
Henry  0.  Coolidge,  notified  the  city  on  March  17,  that  it  had  entered  by 
its  attorney  upon  the  tract,  conveyed  by  Mr.  Coolidge  upon  conditions, 
for  breach  of  those  conditions,  and  that  it  required  possession;  and  on 
the  same  date  the  city  denied  the  right  of  the  bank  to  make  such  claim 
and  refused  to  give  up  possession  of  the  property ;  the  suit  being  brought 

in  a  friendly  spirit  to  determine   the  city's  title Frost  six  feet  deep  in 

the  city  streets,  causing  much  trouble   with   water  and  sewer  pipes 

Feb.  20,  death  of  George  Tufts,  aged  sevent3'-fotir  3'ears Feb.  21,  death 

of  Ira  D.  Lewis,  aged  fifty-three  years Feb.  23,  death  of  James  O'Leary, 

for  thirty  years  identified  with  the  volunteer  fire  department,  aged  fifty- 
five  years Feb.  24,  death  of  John  E.  Stowell,  aged  fifty-four  years 

Feb.  26,  Union  school  district,  established  March  14,  1865,  enlarged  by 
annexing  the  suburban,  or  city  district ;   two  houses  on  Winchester  road 

in  Swanzey  annexed,  for  school  purposes  only March  5,  death  of  Dr. 

Aaron  R.  Gleason,  aged  sixty-nine  years George  F.  Stone  of  Keene  and 

John  H.  Smith  of  Milford  succeeded   Nichols  &  Ward  well  in  the  grocery 

business March   9,  death  of  Nathaniel   A.   Barlow,  aged   seventy-eight 

years March    11,  Thomas  J.  O'Connor  run   over  by  a  locomotive  and 

instantly  killed  near  the  passenger  station,  aged  fortA^-six  3^ears Owing 

to  consolidation  of  school  districts  a  uniform  rate  was  assessed  through- 
out the  city  for  the  first  time  since  the  formation  of  the  High  School 
Associated  district  in  1853. 


Sesquicentennial    Celebration. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND    FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  FORMA- 
TION OF  A  TOWN  GOVERNMENT. 


On  Saturday,  July  4,  1903,  Keene  held  the  most  successful  celebration 
in  her  history,  when  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the  town 
government  and  Independence  Day  were  fittingly  observed.  In  happy 
contrast  to  the  almost  incessant  rain  of  the  centennial  celebration  of 
1853,  the  day  was  perfect,  with  clear  skies,  moderate  temperature  and  a 
light,  refreshing  breeze.  The  main  streets  of  the  city  and  its  Central 
square  and  business  section  were  in  gala  attire.  The  public  buildings  and 
business  blocks  were  elaborately  decorated,  and  along  the  line  of  march 
of  the  procession  private  residences  were  handsomely  trimmed,  the  deco- 
rations being  practically  continuous. 

An  immense  crowd  of  people  was  present,  numbering,  it  is,  estimated, 
from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  in  addition  to  the  population,  making  over 
twenty  thousand  loeople  in  the  city.  Owing  to  the  w^idth  of  the  streets 
and  the  orderly  character  of  the  people,  there  was  no  unpleasant  crowd- 
ing, and  the  throng  conducted  itself  in  an  entirely  orderly  manner,  the 
total  absence  of  drunkenness  and  rowdyism  being  notable. 

The  day  was  a  particularly  fortunate  one  in  its  freedom  from  acci- 
dents of  all  kinds,  including  those  usually  due  to  explosives.  No  injury 
of  any  account  was  reported.  The  ambulance  was  stationed  during  the 
morning  at  city  hall,  w^ith  horses  attached,  ready  for  emergencies,  and  in 
the  evening,  during  the  fireworks,  near  Elislia  F.  Lane's  residence  on 
Main  street. 

All  the  features  of  the  day  passed  off  most  successfully.  Notable 
among  these,  from  a  spectacular  point  of  view,  were  the  parade  in  the 
morning,  the  living  flag  by  the  children  in  the  afternoon  and  the  fireworks 
in  the  evening. 

A  concert  was  given  by  the  City  band  of  Rutland  at  the  driving 
park  at  7  o'clock,  and  on  the  platform  on  Central  park  the  American 
band  of  Claremont  played  about  an  hour  early  in  the  evening.  The 
Knights  of  Pythias  band  of  Bellows  Falls  also  played  on  Main  street 
and  on  Church  street  in  the  afternoon  and  evening.  Among  the  bands 
that  of  the  L.  J.  Colony  Chair  Co.  of  Munsonville,  was  noticeable  for  its 
good  playing  and  full  quota  of  instruments. 

The  Fourth  w^as  preceded  by  a  general  celebration  by  the  3'oung  peo- 
ple and  their  elders  which  began  at  dark  and  continued  until  towards 
midnight.    Firecrackers,  bombs,  tin  horns  and  all  sort  of  noise  producers 


SESQUICENTBNNIAL  CELEBRATION.  713 

were  everywhere  in  evidence.  The  city  was  well  policed  in  all  quarters 
and  there  were  no  demonstrations  resulting  in  disturbances.  The  request 
that  bonfires  be  omitted  on  account  of  the  decorations  was  enforced  with- 
out difiicultj',  and  on  the  whole  the  night  before  was  one  of  the  quietest 
and  most  orderly  for  years. 

The  celebration  of  the  day  began  at  sunrise  with  the  ringing  of  bells 
and  firing  of  guns.  At  10.30  came  the  grand  parade,  with  its  beautiful 
floats,  marching  bodies  and  trades  displays,  lasting  until  noon.  At  1 
o'clock  there  was  a  ball  game  at  the  Keene  Driving  park  and  at  3  o'clock 
another  on  the  Island  street  grounds.  At  4  o'clock  came  the  150th  an- 
niversary exercises,  at  7  baud  concerts  were  given,  and  at  8.30  the  fire- 
works display  took  place  at  the  driving  park. 

The  beginning  of  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was  in  a  sugges- 
tion of  Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Holbrook  that  the  various  women's  clubs  join  in 
organizing  a  parade  of  the  school  children.  Mr.  Thomas  C.  Rand  in  an 
article  in  the  Sentinel  several  months  before  had  urged  the  celebration  of 
the  sesquicentennial.  From  these  two  beginnings,  taken  up  by  the  city 
government  and  committees  of  the  citizens,  gradually  grew  the  grand 
celebration  of  the  day,  with  its  many  features. 

THE  PARADE. 

The  grand  civic  and  military  parade,  which  began  at  10.45  and  con- 
tinued until  12.15,  covering  a  route  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  was  the 
finest  ever  given  in  Keene.  The  excellent  organization,  under  Chief 
Marshal  Babbidge  and  his  efficient  aids,  was  most  commendable.  While 
marching  it  took  the  line  thirty  minutes  to  pass  a  given  point.  A  spec- 
tator counted  over  1,300  persons  in  the  line  and  245  horses. 

The  features  of  the  parade  were  the  quality  of  the  displays,  which 
were  of  a  high  order,  the  variety  of  the  exhibits,  comprising  many 
beautiful  floats,  an  ingeniously  fashioned  engine  of  the  railroad  men, 
business  men's  displays  and  different  types  of  marching  bodies,  such  as 
militiamen,  firemen,  school  boys,  secret  societies,  workingmen's  organiza- 
tions, cowboys,  Indians,  etc.    The  following  was  the  order  of  the  parade : 

Chief  Marshal  Paul  F.  Babbidge  and  aids,  with  company  of  mounted 
cowboys. 

First  division  — Major  E.  M.  Keyes,  marshal,  and  aids.  City  band  of 
Rutland,  Vt.  Keene  Light  Guard  battalion.  Battalion  of  school  boys. 
Members  of  John  Sedgwick  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  In  carriage.  Keene  fire  depart- 
ment, with  apparatus.  Sons  of  Veterans,  including  Camp  General  Griffin 
of  Keene,  Antrim  Camp,  Hillsboro  Bridge  Camp,  Bennington  (N.  H.) 
Camp  and  Peterboro  Camp. 

Second  division  — Capt.  M.  V.  B.  Clark,  marshal,  and  aids.  Knights 
of  Pythias  band  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.  Uniform  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Wood  and  Chapman's  drum  corps.  Union  Canadienne  Francaise,  with 
officers,  aged  and  prominent  members  in  carriages.  L.  J.  Colony  Chair 
Company  band  of  Munsonville.  Foresters  of  America,  including  Court 
Ashuelot  of  Hinsdale  (with  drum  corps).  Court  Winchester  of  Winchester, 
Keene  Matchless  drum  corps.  Court  Minnewawa  of  Marlboro,  and  Court 


714  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

General  Wilson  of  Keene  (with  guests  from  Bellows  Fall  and  Winchen- 
don).  Keene  Commandery  of  United  Order  of  Golden  Cross.  Independent 
Order  of  Red  Men,  Keene. 

Third  division — John  F.  Clark,  marshal,  and  aids.  Wheeler's  band  of 
Bellows  Falls.  Keene  Circle  No.  83,  Allied  Metal  Mechanics.  Old  Home- 
stead Lodge  No.  319,  International  Association  of  Machinists.  Mount 
Monadnock  Lodge  No.  371,  National  Boiler  Makers  and  Iron  Ship  Build- 
ers of  America. 

Fourth  division — Dr.  Burton  C.  Russell,  marshal,  and  aids.  Historic 
and  society  floats,  and  business  men's  exhibits,  with  American  band  of 
Claremont. 

The  parade  was  reviewed  on  Court  street,  near  Mechanic,  by  the  chief 
marshal,  city  government  and  prominent  citizens. 

In  addition  to  a  three  hours'  struggle  between  baseball  nines  repre- 
senting the  Boston  &  Maine  railroad  shops  in  Keene  and  Mechanicville 
(which  was  won  by  Mechanicville  20  to  15)  and  an  eleven  innings  game 
between  the  Keene  High  school  nine  and  the  Marlboro  town  nine  (which 
was  won  by  Marlboro  10  to  3),  the  day  was  further  enhvened  by  good 
contests  in  three  classes  of  horse  trotting,  for  purses  of  $200  in  each 
race.  The  details  of  these  events  were  published  in  the  newspapers,  at 
the  time,  but  are  omitted  here  as  they  lack  permanent  historical  interest. 

ANNIVERSARY  EXERCISES. 

The  150th  anniversary  exercises,  held  in  Central  park,  were  largely 
attended.  A  crowd  filled  the  park  and  the  sidewalks  on  Central  square 
near  by,  while  teams  and  automobiles  took  their  places  outside  the  park 
railing.  Mayor  Taft  presided.  A  concert  by  children  followed  closely, 
making  the  two  programs  in  reality  one.  The  children  also  assisted  in  the 
anniversar3^  celebration.    The  combined  programs  were  as  follows : 

Chorus,  "To  Thee,  O  Country." 

Invocation  Rev.  J.  E.  Robins,  D.  D. 

Remarks Mayor  J.  S.  Taft 

Chorus,  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp." 

Oration Rev.  Josiah  L.  Seward,  D.  D. 

Chorus,  "  Praise  the  Father." 

Benediction Rev.  E.  A.  Renouf,  D.  D. 

Selection Band 

Chorus,  "Columbia  the  Gem  of  the  Ocean." 

Chorus,  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 

"  America." Audience 

Selection Band 

In  the  north  end  of  the  park,  facing  the  south,  was  a  platform  for 
the  speakers,  with  a  stand  for  the  children  in  the  rear.  On  the  platform, 
besides  the  speakers,  were  the  members  of  the  city  councils,  ex-mayors  of 
the  city,  the  clergy,  an  adult  chorus,  the  accompanists  and  the  band. 
On  the  stand  in  the  rear  were  the  children  arranged  as  a  living  flag. 

The  living  flag  was  one  of  the  really  fine  features  of  the  day,  and 
was  a  novelty.  It  was  a  representation  of  a  flag  composed  of  350  chil- 
dren. The  little  people  were  arranged  on  a  tier  <5f  seats  extending  twenty- 
five  feet  from  base  to  top  and  seventy-two  feet  from  end  to  end,  making 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  715 

a  flag  seventy-two  feet  long  and  twentj'-fiTe  wide.  The  field  was  made 
up  mostly  of  boys,  who  were  dressed  in  blue,  and  forty-five  of  them  held 
white  stars  fastened  to  wands.  The  stripes  were  made  up  of  girls,  who 
wore  red  capes  and  white  skirts.  As  the  children  were  seated  they  made 
a  complete  picture  of  a  flag,  seven  red  and  six  white  stripes  in  the  cor- 
rect alternate  order,  and  a  blue  field  with  forty-five  white  stars. 

The  children  met  in  city  hall  and  marched  to  the  seats,  making  their 
appearance  at  4.25  o'clock.  They  came  on  the  seats  in  double  file,  the 
highest  row  first,  marched  up  the  center  of  the  seats  and  separated,  half 
going  to  the  right  and  half  to  the  left.  Each  row  was  preceded  by  and 
was  in  charge  of  two  ladies  who  acted  as  guides  or  chaperons  and  who 
were  seated  at  each  end  of  each  row.  In  all  there  were  seven  rows  of 
about  fifty  in  a  row.  The  white  skirts  of  the  lowest  row,  which  would 
have  made  a  fourteenth  stripe,  were  hidden  by  the  occupants  of  the 
speakers'  platform  in  front  of  them  and  the  flag  was  perfect  in  appear- 
ance. It  was  a  brilliant  sight,  one  that  the  spectators  appreciated  and 
will  never  forget. 

The  flag  was  under  the  general  charge  of  Mrs.  W.  F.  Holbrook,  who 
inaugurated  the  plan. 

As  inspiring  as  the  sight  of  the  flag  was  the  singing  of  the  children 
who  composed  it.  In  two  choruses,  "To  Thee,  O  Country,"  and  "Praise 
the  Father,"  they  were  assisted  by  fifty  adult  voices,  male  and  female, 
from  the  Keene  Chorus  Club.  The  rest  of  the  choruses  the  young  people 
sang  alone.  They  were  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  occasion  and  aroused  the 
audience  to  hearty  applause  after  every  selection.  They  w^ere  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Nelson  P.  Coffin,  the  director  of  the  Chorus  Club,  who 
achieved  splendid  results  with  them.  At  the  same  time  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  the  basis  was  laid  in  the  public  schools,  from  which  most 
of  the  children  came. 

Three  accompanists  aided  in  the  choruses,  Mrs.  Berdia  C.  Huntress 
and  Miss  Florence  Silsby  on  two  pianos  and  Mr.  E.  H.  Holbrook  on  an 
organ. 

The  exercises  began  at  4.45  and  closed  at  6.15.  The  remarks  by  the 
mayor  w^ere  graceful  and  brief,  and  were  greeted  by  a  round  of  applause. 
He  said : 

"We  are  here  today,  not  only  to  celebrate  the  birthday  of  our  nation, 
but  to  commemorate  another  issue  of  the  long  ago,  the  founding  of  the 
cit}^  of  Keene. 

"As  Keene  was  among  the  first  of  the  pioneer  towns  to  respond  to 
the  call  of  libert3\  it  is  most  fitting  that  as  we  call  to  mind  the  one,  we 
remember  the  other. 

"The  purpose  of  our  exercises  today  is  largely  educational;  and  the 
development  of  this  plan  has  brought  into  a  prominent  place  the  chil- 
dren of  our  public  schools.  Through  the  inspiration  of  the  hour  we 
trust  these  children  will  better  understand  the  true  meaning  of  the  day 
we  celebrate ;  will  have  a  deeper  reverence  .for  the  things  pertaining  to 
the  welfare  of  our  cherished  city. 

"  And  may  not  we  of  maturer  years  catch  this  inspiration  ?  Standing 


716 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


at  the  junction  of  these  magnificent  streets  bordered  with  stately'  elms, 
surrounded  with  institutions  of  learning  and  spires  pointing  Heavenward, 
mav  we  not  most  fittingly  call  to  mind  the  men  whose  lives  and 
characters  made  possible  the  Keene  of  today." 

From  an  anniversary  point  of  view  the  chief  event  was  the  oration 
bj'^  Dr.  Seward.  Long  residence  in  Keene  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
its  history  enabled  the  speaker  to  do  justice  to  the  day  and  the  place. 
He  gave  his  fellow  townsmen  a  discriminating,  sympathetic  and  learned 
historical  address,  which  was  listened  to  closely  by  his  hearers  and  was 
received  with  cordial  approbation. 

The  band  to  furnish  music  for  the  above  program  was  the  City  band 
of  Rutland,  Vt.  Its  two  selections,  the  overture  from  "Poet  and 
Peasant"  and  the  popular  two-step  "Hiawatha,"  gave  much  pleasure. 

The  celebration  was  brought  to  a  close  with  an  exhibition  of  fire- 
works at  the  Keene  Driving  park,  which  attracted  some  seven  thousand 
people. 

The  exhibition  was  given  in  the  field  southwest  of  the  judges'  stand 
and  began  at  about  8.30  o'clock.  The  night  was  a  magnificent  one,  the 
clear  skies  and  bright  moon  adding  much  to  the  beauty  of  this  closing 
feature  of  the  celebration.  The  pyrotechnic  display  was  a  good  one  and 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  ever  given  in  this  city.  It  consisted  of 
varied  colored  and  floral  shells,  willows,  cannon,  tourbillions,  serpentine 
rockets,  Roman  candles,  whirlwinds,  fountains  and  nine  set  pieces.  Dur- 
ing the  exhibition  colored  lights  were  frequently  used. 

The  first  set  piece  read  "1753  Keene  1903."  The  second  piece  was 
that  of  a  magic  scroll.  The  third  piece  was  a  displaj-  of  hanging  lights 
in  various  colors,  100  feet  long,  and  was  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most 
effective  illuminations  of  the  evening.  The  fourth  piece  showed  illumi- 
nated wheels  propelled  by  magic  fires  with  such  rapidity  as  to  form  beau- 
tiful rainbow  circles  producing  quick  successions  of  brilliant  colors.  The 
fifth  set  piece  showed  an  old-fashioned  windmill.  It  consisted  of  large  re- 
volving arms  and  scrolls  of  colored  lance  jets.  The  sixth  set  piece  was 
called  "The  Star  of  the  Union"  and  was  in  crimson  and  blue  colors. 
The  next  piece  showed  a  kicking  mule.  The  representation  was  a  very 
good  one,  the  comical  performances  of  the  animal  provoking  much 
laughter.  The  eighth  piece  represented  a  palm  tree  in  various  colors. 
The  ninth  showed  "Good  Night,"  the  entire  open  space  at  the  same  time 
being  illuminated  by  a  blaze  of  color. 

The  electric  road  ran  trains  of  from  four  to  seven  cars  to  and  from 
the  park  as  rapidly  as  possible  from  between  6  and  7  to  11  o'clock.  The 
cars  were  packed  to  their  utmost  capacity  and  made  trips  once  every  half 
hour  carrying  from  1,000  to  1,500  an  hour.  Many  barges  and  private 
carriages  were  also  used.  Nevertheless  hundreds  of  people  were  obliged  to 
walk  to  and  from  the  park.  Main  street  being  lined  with  foot  passengers 
from  7  o'clock  until  nearly  11.  No  accidents  were  reported.  Many  people, 
especially  those  having  children,  did  not  attempt  to  go  to  the  park  and 
a  large  number  of  families  had  private  displays  of  fireworks. 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  717 

DR.  Seward's  oration. 
Mr.  Mayor  and  Citizens: 

"My  tongue,  by  inspiration  taught, 

Shall  parables  unfold : 
Dark  oracles,  but  understood. 

And  owned  for  truths  of  old, 
Which  we  from  sacred  registers 

Of  ancient  times  have  known, 
And  our  forefathers'  pious  care 

To  us  has  handed  down. 
Let  children  learn  the  mighty  deeds 

Which  God  performed  of  old. 
Which,  in  our  younger  years,  wre  saw. 

And  which  our  fathers  told. 
Our  lips  shall  tell  them  to  our  sons. 

And  they  again  to  theirs, 
That  generations  yet  unborn 

May  teach  them  to  their  heirs." 

A  century  and  a  half  of  the  corporate  existence  of  this  municipality 
of  Keene  has  passed.  The  ashes  of  the  last  of  our  forefathers  who  cleared 
the  primeval  forests  and  laid  the  foundations  of  Upper  Ashuelot,  the 
cradle  of  the  later  Keene,  have  long  since  mingled  with  their  kindred 
dust.  We  come  today  to  seek  to  recall  their  heroic  deeds,  their  patient 
toil,  and  their  exemplary  virtues.  If  we  would  lift  the  veil  which  con- 
ceals from  us  their  many  daring  exploits,  their  labors  in  subduing  the 
wilderness,  their  consecrated  efforts  to  maintain  public  worship,  their 
fierce  encounters  with  the  savages,  and  their  progress  in  municipal  gov- 
ernment, we  shall  find  a  large  portion  of  this  civic  life  shrouded  in  dark- 
ness. Here  and  there,  the  imperfect  records  of  the  town  and  the  first 
church,  together  with  the  preserved  traditions  of  aged  residents,  enable 
us  to  catch  glimpses  of  the  course  of  events  and  to  weave  something 
like  a  connected  w^eb  of  historical  detail. 

If  a  bird's-eye  view  of  this  immediate  vicinity,  in  what  geologists 
would  call  a  recent  geological  age,  could  be  reproduced  for  us,  it  would 
disclose  a  vast  lake  covering  the  beautiful  valley  in  which  we  are.  It 
extended  on  the  north  to  the  hills  of  Surry,  with  a  bay  reaching  to  the 
high  lands  of  Alstead.  Surry  mountain  was  a  beautiful  promontory 
jutting  into  this  lake  from  the  northeast,  which  a  ba3^  reaching  up  what 
is  now  the  Beaver  brook  valley  separated  from  Beech  hill.  On  the  east, 
this  lake  reached  to  Beech  hill  and  to  the  high  hills  of  Roxbury  and 
Marlboro,  with  bays  reaching  out  towards  what  are  now  Marlboro 
village  and  East  Swanzey.  The  southern  boundary  was  the  hills  of 
Richmond  and  the  western  shore  was  on  what  we  call  the  West  moun- 
tain and  the  hills  of  Westmoreland  and  Surry.  The  outlet  was  by  way 
of  what  we  call  the  valley  of  the  Ashuelot,  into  the  valley  of  the  Con- 
necticut. The  lake  must  have  been  a  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
about  fifteen  miles  in  length  and  from  three  to  five  miles  in  width.  Evi- 
dences of  its  existence  have  been  repeatedly  discovered  and  described. 
Gradually  the  soft  earth  at  the  outlet  was  worn  away  and,  little  by  little, 
the  lake  disappeared,  until  only  traces  of  it  were  left. 

The  earliest  inhabitants  of  this  fair  valley   which  succeeded   the  old 


718  HISTORY  OF  KEENB. 

lake  were  the  Ashuelot  Indians.  They  were  probably  a  branch  of  the 
great  tribe  of  Pequots  who  occupied  the  valleys  of  the  Connecticut  and 
its  tributaries.  These  earliest  Indians,  who  gave  their  name  to  our  river, 
a  name  which  ought  still  to  characterize  our  municipality,  were  not  the 
same  as  those  troublesome  Indians  who  annoyed  the  first  settlers  of 
Upper  Ashuelot.  The  latter  found  their  way  here  from  Canada  and  were 
induced  to  come  b}'  the  French,  who  were  opposed  to  the  English  in  the 
European  wars  of  that  period.  The  struggle  in  Europe  had  its  echoes  in 
America,  where  the  colonists  of  the  two  countries  fought  each  other, 
until  the  great  victory  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham  decided  the  long 
struggle  in  favor  of  the  British  government. 

In  order  to  understand  the  historical  setting  of  the  first  settlement  of 
this  place,  it  is  necessary  to  recur  to  certain  facts.  The  territory  granted 
to  Gorges  and  Mason,  on  the  10th  of  August,  1622,  and  known  as  the 
Province  of  Maine,  was  to  include  all  the  land  of  New  England  between 
the  Merrimac  and  Sagadahoc  rivers  and  from  the  sea  coast  between 
their  mouths  to  a  line  connecting  points  on  the  rivers,  or  in  the  con- 
tinued direction  of  the  general  course  of  the  rivers,  three  score  miles  from 
the  mouths  of  each.  It  w^as  then  supposed  that  the  rivers,  both  of  them, 
flowed  generally  in  an  easterly  direction.  The  grant  of  Massachusetts, 
to  Sir  Henry  Roswell  and  others,  March  19,  1627—8,  confirmed  to  the 
grantees  all  the  land  three  miles  north  of  any  and  every  part  of  the 
River  Merrimac.  On  Nov.  7,  1629,  the  Council  of  Plymouth  granted  to 
Capt.  John  Mason,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  "all  that  part  of  the  mainland 
in  New  England  lying  upon  the  seacoast,  beginning  from  the  middle  part 
of  Merrimack  river,  and  from  thence  to  proceed  northwards  along  the 
seacoast  to  Pascataqua  river,  and  so  forwards  up  within  the  said  river 
and  to  the  furtherest  head  thereof,  and  from  thence  northwestward,  until 
three  score  miles  be  finished  from  the  first  entrance  of  Pascataqua  river; 
also  from  Merrimack  through  the  said  river  and  to  the  furtherest  head 
thereof,  and  so  forward  tip  into  the  lands  westwards,  until  three  score 
miles  be  finished;  and  from  thence  to  cross  over  land  to  the  three  score 
miles  end  accompted  from  Pascataqua  river,"  etc. 

As  a  result  of  these  indefinite,  in  fact  impossible,  boundary  lines,  which 
conflicted  with  the  bounds  of  the  Massachusetts  patent,  many  conflicts 
arose  between  the  settlers  of  the  two  provinces  in  regard  to  their  right- 
ful Hmits.  Massachusetts  claimed  that  the  patent  of  Mason,  properly 
construed,  would  not  allow  him  a  foot  of  land  south  or  west  of  any  part 
of  the  Merrimac.  Consequently,  in  the  year  1652,  the  general  court  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  appointed  Captains  Edward  Johnson  and  Simon  Wil- 
lard  as  commissioners  to  ascertain  the  source  of  the  Merrimac.  Accom- 
panied by  two  surveyors  and  some  Indian  guides,  they  proceeded  to  as- 
cend that  river.  They  followed  the  more  easterly  of  the  two  streams 
which  unite  to  form  the  Merrimac  and  arrived,  on  the  1st  day  of  Au- 
gust, 1652,  at  the  source  of  that  stream,  at  the  outlet  of  beautiful  Lake 
Winipisiogee.  Realizing  the  importance  of  their  great  discovery,  they  in- 
scribed upon  a  rock,  in  the  midst  of  the  little  stream,  at  the  outlet  of  the 
lake,  the  letters  E  I,  for  Edward  Johnson  (I  and  J  being  formerly  considered 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  719 

as  the  same  letter);  S  W,  for  Simon  Willard ;  WP  JOHN  ENDICUT 
GOV,  for  Worshipful  John  Endicut  (or  Endecott),  Governor.  That  1st 
day  of  Augiist,  1652,  precisely  250  years  ago,  the  1st  day  of  last  August, 
an  even  century  before  Keene  was  incorporated,  is  a  memorable  date  in 
New  Hampshire  annals.  Acting  upon  this  information,  Massachusetts,  for 
more  than  a  century,  not  without  rank  protest,  continued  to  lay  claim 
to  all  that  part  of  our  state  which  is  west  of  any  part  of  the  Merrimac 
river. 

Now  we  are  prepared  to  understand  that  problem  which  has  puzzled 
so  many,  why  this  lovely  valley  of  ours  should  have  been  first  settled 
under  the  auspices  of  Massachusetts.  It  was  because  Massachusetts 
claimed  this  part  of  the  state  west  of  the  Merrimac,  in  consequence  of 
the  construction  which  w^as  put  upon  the  meaning  of  words  used  in  de- 
scribing the  boundary  lines  of  the  provinces  in  the  old  charters. 

But  the  claims  of  Massachusetts  were  warmly  and,  in  the  end,  suc- 
cessfully contested.  It  would  be  passing  beyond  the  proper  limits  of  this 
discourse  to  give  the  details  of  that  controversy,  so  interesting  to  law- 
yers and  historians.  It  will  answer  the. purpose  to  say  that,  after  many 
delays,  it  was  decided  b3'  the  king,  in  council,  that  the  line  between  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New  Hampshire  should  begin  at  a  point  three  miles  north 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimac,  thence  proceeding  on  a  curved  line,  par- 
allel to  that  river,  to  a  point  exactly  north  of  Pawtucket  Falls  (which 
are  in  Lowell  now),  thence  on  a  line  due  west  to  his  majesty's  other  gov- 
ernments. I  might  add  that  the  establishment  of  this  line  gave  to  the 
people  of  New  Hampshire  the  notion  of  claiming,  as  a  part  of  their  prov- 
ince, much  of  the  present  territory  of  Vermont,  a  claim  which  they  were 
not  destined  to  make  good. 

Before  this  decision  had  been  rendered,  however.  Gov.  Belcher  of 
Massachusetts  had  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  townships  within 
the  disputed  limits.  Accordingly,  the  house  of  representatives  of  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts  passed  an  act  Juh'  3,  1732,  in  which  the 
council  concurred  April  20,  1733,  and  which  the  governor  approved  on 
the  same  day,  establishing  four  new  towns,  one  to  be  in  w^hat  is  now 
Massachusetts,  one  in  Maine,  and  two  on  the  Ashuelot  river.  That  day, 
April  20,  1733,  was  accordingly  the  date  of  the  first  establishment  of 
this  municipality,  which  was  known  as  Upper  Ashuelot.  It  was  not 
immediately  settled.  On  Oct.  19,  1733,  the  general  court  appointed  a 
new  committee,  consisting  of  Joseph  Kellogg,  Timothy  Dwight  and 
William  Chandler,  with  directions  to  lay  out  the  townships  on  Ashuelot 
river  forthwith.  They  made  a  report  in  the  following  February.  This 
report  is  accompanied  by  a  report  of  the  surveyors,  William  Chandler 
and  Nathaniel  Dwight.  They  established  as  their  initial  station  from 
which  to  execute  their  surveys  a  spruce  tree  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Ashuelot.  A  line  east  and  west  from  this  tree  was  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  townships  which  they  were  to  survey.  On 
the  map  which  accompanies  their  report,  they  locate  this  tree,  with  the 
legend :  "  Ye  spruce  tree  heare  Described  is  ye  Sentor  tree  in  ye  Deviding 
line    betwene  ye  Secontt  &  Third    township    which  we    made    our   first 


720  HISTORY  OF  KBENB. 

Station."  Our  city  clerk,  iu  1902,  reported  that  "persons  living  in 
Keene  have  seen  the  old  bound  which  marked  the  location  of  the  first 
'Statia,'  an  old  spruce  tree,  long  since  removed."  It  has  been  customary 
to  call  this  central  point  of  that  original  survey  Statia,  and  a  former 
map  named  the  Thompson  farm  on  v^rhich  it  is  found  Statia.  The  name, 
however,  was  intended  to  be  a  designation  of  that  survey-point.  On 
March  6,  1902,  our  city  councils  voted  to  mark  it  by  a  stone  post,  on 
the  north  side  of  which  are  the  letters,  "K.  &  S.  T.  L.,"  for  Keene  and 
Swanzey  Town  Line.  On  the  south  side  is  inscribed,  "No.  VIII,"  it  being 
the  eighth  post  in  the  line  between  Keene  and  Swanzey  indicating  that 
line.  On  the  east  side  is  the  inscription:  "Statia.  1733."  It  is  well  that 
this  historical  landmark  of  our  history  is  thus  preserved. 

The  foregoing  committees,  being  authorized  to  admit  settlers,  notified 
all  persons  desirous  of  taking  lots  to  meet  at  Concord  on  June  26,  1734. 
A  sufiicient  number  for  the  purpose  met  on  that  day,  at  Jonathan  Ball's 
inn  at  Concord,  Mass.  They  drew  their  lots,  gave  their  bonds,  and  paid 
in  their  five  pounds  in  lawful  money,  according  to  the  order  of  the  court. 
Sixty  proprietors  were  thus  admitted  for  Upper  Ashuelot.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  June  27,  the  proprietors  met  and  organized,  at  the  inn  of  Ephraim 
Jones  in  the  said  Concord.  They  chose  Capt.  Samuel  Sady  of  Medfield, 
moderator,  and  Samuel  He3'wood  of  Concord,  Mass.,  clerk.  They  ad- 
journed their  meeting  until  Sept.  18,  to  be  held  at  their  new  township  of 
Upper  Ashuelot. 

As  the  time  for  this  adjourned  meeting  approached,  seven  men  of 
the  proprietors  started  for  their  proposed  settlement.  It  was  late  in 
the  evening  of  Sept.  18,  1734,  when  these  seven  men  and  their  guides 
reached  the  boundary  of  their  new  township  at  the  "Statia"  monument. 
They  immediately  opened  a  proprietors'  meeting,  which  they  adjourned 
until  the  day  following.  We  are  fortunate  in  knowing  the  exact  date  of 
the  settlement,  as  well  as  the  seven  men  who  first  crossed  the  boundary 
of  the  township  with  the  intention  of  settling.  They  were  Jeremiah  Hall, 
Daniel  Hoar,  Seth  Heaton,  Elisha  Root,  Nathaniel  Rockwood,  Josiah 
Fisher  (afterwards  slain  by  the  Indians),  and  William  Puffer. 

The  house  lots  of  the  proprietors  w^ere  drawn  June  26,  1734,  and 
were  laid  out  according  to  a  plan  submitted  at  that  meeting.  Of  the 
sixt3'-three  lots  nine  vi^ere  to  be  on  the  line  of  Lower  Ashuelot.  The  other 
fifty-four  were  to  be  on  two  sides  of  a  main  street,  four  rods  in  width, 
twenty-seven  upon  either  side.  These  lots  were  to  be  160  rods  in  length, 
east  and  west,  and  eight  rods  in  wdtb,  north  and  south,  the  street  to 
run  north  and  south  through  the  centre  of  the  lots.  The  north  line  of 
the  north  lot  upon  the  west  of  the  street  very  nearly  coincided  with  the 
foundations  of  the  southern  wall  of  our  railway  station.  Oct.  1,  at  a 
meeting  adjourned  from  Sept.  30,  1736,  the  proprietors  voted  to  widen 
the  main  street  four  rods,  making  a  street  eight  rods  in  width,  the 
settlers  readily  relinquishing  four  rods  on  the  east  of  their  lots  in  return 
for  four  rods  at  the  west  end.  It  is  to  the  wise  forethought  of  the  pro- 
prietors at  that  meeting  that  we  are  indebted  for  that  magnificent 
boulevard  which  forms  our  present  Main  street. 


SESQUICBNTBNNIAL  CELEBRATION.  721 

It  was  two  or  three  years  before  the  settlers  had  accommodations 
which  enabled  them  to  move  their  families  or  spend  the  winter  here. 
They  were  scarcely  prepared  to  do  so  before  the  news  reached  them  that 
the  king  in  council  had  settled  the  line  between  New  Hampshire  and  Mas- 
sachusetts, which  left  their  new  settlement  well  within  the  limits  of  New 
Hampshire.  This  was  a  source  of  great  grief  to  the  settlers,  who  were 
devotedh'  attached  to  old  Massachusetts,  from  which  they  came.  The 
king's  decision  was  made  March  5,  1740,  and  on  the  3d  of  October  in 
the  same  year,  the  proprietors  of  Upper  Ashuelot  held  a  meeting  and  voted 
that  a  petition  be  presented  to  the  king's  most  excellent  majesty,  setting 
forth  their  distress  at  this  decision  and  praying  to  be  annexed  to  Massa- 
chusetts, to  which  they  had  always  supposed  that  they  belonged,  and 
Thomas  Hutchinson,  Esq.,  was  appointed  to  present  the  petition.  Mr. 
Hutchinson  had  previously  been  appointed  as  an  agent  of  Massachusetts 
to  do  the  same  thing.  He  made  the  voyage  to  England,  but  failed  to 
accomplish  the  object  of  his  mission. 

The  hardships  of  the  infant  settlement  were  made  especially  distress- 
ing in  consequence  of  a  malignant  throat  distemper,  perhaps  diphtheria, 
which  raged  in  the  j^ears  1744  and  1745.  A  large  number  died,  especially 
of  children.  John  Andrews  had  come  from  Boxford,  Mass.,  bringing  with 
him  nine  children,  all  of  whom  succumbed  to  this  disease  within  a  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1744,  war  was  declared  betw^een  England  and 
France.  It  is  usually  called,  in  American  histories,  King  George's  war. 
It  had  its  origin  in  disputes  concerning  the  kingdom  of  Austria  which 
cannot  be  discijssed  here.  The  settlers  were  greath'  alarmed,  for  the 
policy  of  the  French  in  Canada,  as  an  aid  to  the  French  side  of  the  con- 
test, was  to  encourage  incursions  of  savages  from  that  section  to  harass 
their  English  neighbors  in  the  provinces  to  the  south  of  them.  The 
dwellers  in  Upper  Ashuelot  dared  not  perform  their  usual  labors,  or 
indeed  to  go  far  from  the  fort,  without  carrying  arms  and  posting 
guards  to  be  constantly  on  the  watch  for  savages  who  were  presumed 
to  be  lurking  in  the  neighborhood.  The  first  fatal  encounter  was  on  the 
10th  of  Jul3^  in  1745,  when  Deacon  Josiah  Fisher  was  killed,  a  little 
south  of  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  Grifiin,  as  he  w^as  driving  his  cow 
to  pasture. 

An  episode  in  the  life  of  Ephraim  Dorman,  an  early  settler,  serves  to 
show  the  tremendous  physical  energy  and  endurance  of  these  pioneer 
settlers.  In  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  April,  1746,  Mr.  Dorman  left  the 
fort,  which  was  near  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Lemuel  Hayward,  to 
search  for  his  cow.  When  he  was  some  distance  away,  he  perceived  In- 
dians lurking  in  the  bushes.  He  immediately  gave  an  alarm,  crying 
"Indians!  Indians!"  and  ran  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  Two  of  the 
Indians  sprang  towards  him  and  fired  at  him,  but  neither  hit  him.  They 
then  threw  aw^ay  their  arms  and  advanced  towards  him.  Mr.  Dorman 
knocked  one  of  them  senseless,  the  other  he  seized  and,  being  a  strong 
man,  wrestled  with  him,  using  his  favorite  method  of  "trip  and  twitch." 
He  tore  the  Indian's  blanket  from  his  shoulders,  leaving  him  nearly 
naked.     As  the  Indian  was  painted  and  greasy,  be  managed  to  slip  away 


722 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


from  Mr.  Dorman,  who  reached  the  fort  in  safety.  On  the  same  day,  a 
Mrs.  McKenney,  who  had  gone  to  her  barn,  near  where  Mrs.  Thayer 
now  Hves,  to  milk  her  cow,  on  her  return  was  fatally  stabbed  by  a  naked 
Indian,  probably  the  same  one  who  had  wrestled  with  Dorman.  On  the 
same  day  John  Bullard,  running  to  the  fort  from  his  barn,  below  where 
Mr.  Hayward  lives,  was  also  shot  in  the  back.  He  was  taken  into  the 
fort  and  expired  in  a  few  hours.  On  the  same  day  a  circumstance 
occurred  which  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  physical  ability  and  endurance  of 
our  foremothers.  A  Mrs.  Clark  was  at  her  barn,  fifty  rods  from  the 
fort.  As  she  left  it  to  go  to  the  fort,  she  saw  an  Indian  near  her,  who 
threw  away  his  gun  and  sprang  toward  her,  evidently  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  a  prisoner  of  her.  She  gathered  her  clothes  around  her 
waist  and  started  for  the  fort.  It  was  a  splendid  running  match.  The 
woman,  animated  by  the  cheers  of  her  friends,  outran  the  swift  Indian, 
who,  undoubtedly  mortified  that  he  had  been  beaten  by  a  white  squaw, 
skulked  back  for  his  gun. 

Murder  was  not  the  onh'  evil  to  be  dreaded  at  the  hands  of  the  sav- 
ages. To  be  made  a  captive  by  the  Indians  and  dragged  to  Canada, 
through  the  pathless  forests  of  a  howling  wilderness,  entailed  horrors 
and  sufferings  which  words  cannot  adequatel^^  describe.  Many  a  poor  cap- 
tive on  his  march  has  wished  that  the  fatal  tomahawk  might  have  ended 
his  mortal  life  before  the  awful  journey  began.  Nathan  Blake,  on  the  day 
that  these  Indians  attacked  the  settlement,  leaving  his  barn,  near  where 
Milton  Blake  resides,  fearing  that  he  could  not  reach  the  fort,  undertook 
to  escape  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  He  was  apprehended  and  taken 
to  Canada.  His  captors  could  speak  English  in  a  broken  way.  When  he 
remarked  that  he  had  not  taken  any  breakfast,  the}-  replied  that  "it  must 
be  a  poor  Englishman  who  could  not  go  to  Canada  without  his  break- 
fast." The  story  of  Nathan  Blake  is  so  familiar  that  it  will  not  bear 
repetition  here.  It  will  be  enough  to  say  that  he  returned  from  his  cap- 
tivity and  died,  in  1811,  in  the  hundredth  year  of  his  age. 

News  of  the  attack  upon  Keene  was  soon  sent  by  special  messengers 
from  town  to  town,  down  the  Ashuelot  and  Connecticut  valleys,  as  far 
as  Northampton,  where  Col.  Pomeroy  commanded.  He  immediately  took 
all  the  forces  that  he  could  muster  and  added  to  them  on  his  way, 
reaching  Upper  Ashuelot  forty-eight  hours  after  the  attack  had  begun,  on 
the  25th  of  April.  He  found  the  trail  of  the  retreating  Indians  but  did 
not  attempt  to  follow  it  far.  In  this  attack  upon  the  settlement  about 
nine  or  ten  of  the  savages  were  killed.  Feeling  that  immediate  danger 
had  passed.  Col.  Pomeroy  and  his  men  returned  to  their  homes. 

In  the  spring  of  1747  the  settlers  felt  so  insecure  that  they  resolved 
to  leave  their  settlement  for  a  time  and  did  so.  Shortly  after  their  depart- 
ure, a  party  of  savages  visited  the  place  and  burned  most  of  the  build- 
ings. The  mill,  however,  and  the  house  where  the  miller  lived,  and 
probably  some  other  buildings  were  spared.  As  the  place  was  not  totally 
destroyed,  and  as  the  original  settlers  returned  after  a  short  absence,  in 
1750  and  1751,  the  fact  holds  good  that  the  first  settlement  must  be 
dated  from  Sept.  18,  1734. 


SESQUICBNTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  723 

Shortly  after  the  settlers  resumed  their  settlement,  they  applied  to 
Benning  Wentwor.th,  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  for  a  charter.  Accord- 
ingly he  granted  one  to  them,  including  the  territory  formerly  known  as 
Upper  Ashuelot  and  an  additional  strip  upon  the  east  side,  bringing  the 
bounds,  at  that  time,  as  far  east  as  the  old  Masonian  Patent  line  which 
formed  the  western  limit  of  that  territory  which  a  famous  syndicate, 
known  as  "The  Masonian  Proprietors,"  had  recently  purchased  of  John 
Tufton  Mason,  a  claimant  of  the  rights  in  that  land  vesting  in  him  as 
the  heir  of  the  original  John  Mason,  to  whom  New  Hampshire  had  been 
granted,  in  1629,  with  bounds  of  a  very  indefinite  character.  Time  can- 
not here  be  taken  to  recite  the  story  of  that  patent.  The  name  given  to 
the  newly  chartered  township  was  Keene,  an  undoubted  compliment  to 
Wentworth's  friend.  Sir  Benjamin  Keene,  who  was,  at  one  time,  the 
minister  plenipotentiary  from  Great  Britain  to  the  court  of  Spain.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  voters,  under  the  new  charter,  was  on  the  first 
Wednesday'  of  May,  1753,  at  which  meeting  it  was  voted  to  pay  Benja- 
min Bellows  122  Spanish  milled  dollars  for  his  services  and  expenses  in 
procuring  the  charter.  The  charter  bears  the  date  of  April  11,  1753. 
We  are  therefore  two  months  and  twenty-three  days  late  in  our  celebra- 
tion of  the  event  today. 

From  this  time  the  Indians  gave  but  little  trouble.  Once  in  1755, 
during  the  old  French  and  Indian  war,  the}'  appeared  and  captured  a  man 
named  Benjamin  Twitchell  near  Ash  Swamp.  Still  later,  they  appeared 
and  burned  an  old  building  in  the  direction  of  Surry.  After  this,  the  new 
town  was  not  disturbed  by  them.  From  that  time  to  the  present  day, 
the  civic  affairs  of  Keene  have  been  transacted  in  an  orderly,  peaceful,  and 
honorable  manner.  The  old  town  meeting  was  the  miniature  model  of  a 
genuine  republic.  Here  any  voter  could  offer  suggestions  and  cast  his 
vote  and  feel  that  he  was  on  a  political  equality  with  all  his  neighbors. 
Those  old  meetings  were  not  without  their  breezy  episodes.  The  build- 
ing or  repairing  of  a  meetinghouse,  the  settlement  of  a  new  minister,  the 
laying  out  of  a  new  highway,  the  building  of  a  new  schoolhouse,  the  elec- 
tion of  the  town  officers  and  the  selection  of  one  or  more  to  represent  the 
town  in  the  general  court,  and  the  general  appropriations,  all  brought 
out  very  animated  debates,  as  the  occasions  would  arise,  but  the  major- 
ities ruled  and,  however  stubbornly  any  measure  was  favored  or  opposed, 
nobody  doubted  the  sacred  right  of  the  majority  to  decide  any  question. 

The  most  important  political  event  in  the  history  of  Keene,  since  its 
incorporation  by  Benning  Wentworth,  was  the  change  from  a  town  to  a 
city.  The  city  charter  was  granted  by  the  state  legislature  on  the  3d  of 
July  in  1873,  just  thirty  years  ago  yesterday.  The  first  city  government 
was  installed  on  the  5th  of  May  in  1874,  with  the  Hon.  Horatio  Colony 
as  the  first  mayor. 

As  we  pass  in  hast}^  review  the  150  years  of  municipal  life  since 
Keene  was  incorporated  by  that  name,  only  a  few  of  the  most  noted 
events  can  claim  our  attention  here.  The  history  of  Keene  cannot  be 
given  in  a  brief  discourse.  The  admirable  history,  written  by  our  late 
distinguished  and  lamented  citizen,  Gen.  S.  G.  Griffin,  will  shortly  appear, 


724  HISTORY  OF  KEBNE. 

and  the  multitude  of  interesting  particulars  which  must  be  omitted  in 
this  review,  or  only  incidentally  noticed,  will  there  be  treated  fully. 

In  1764,  the  first  school  was  estabHshed  and  six  pounds  voted  to 
defray  the  expenses.  This  was  surely  a  humble  beginning  of  the  educa- 
tional history  of  Keene,  but  it  was  a  vital  spark  which  has  kindled  a 
great  fire.  From  that  humble  beginning  we  trace  the  steady  expansion 
of  the  public  school  system  within  the  limits  of  Keene.  There  were,  at 
one  time,  fourteen  school  districts  in  the  town,  including  the  one  known 
as  the  Centre  district.  In  1831  there  was  no  one  of  these  districts 
which  had  less  than  twenty-five  pupils.  Since  that  time,  the  country  dis- 
tricts have  steadily  declined  in  population,  while  the  village,  now  the 
city,  section  has  been  as  steadily  gaining.  The  old  country  schoolhouses 
are  still,  for  the  most  part,  preserved  and  the  most  of  them  are  still 
used  for  schools  for  some  portion  of  the  year,  but  the  number  of  pupils 
has  greatly  decreased.  Our  school  buildings  in  the  city  proper  would  do 
credit  to  any  place  of  the  size  of  Keene.  They  are  a  worthy  exponent  of 
public  sentiment  with  respect  to  the  importance  of  education. 

Keene  has  taken  high  rank  in  educational  institutions.  On  the  1st 
of  May,  1814,  Miss  Catherine  Fiske  established  a  boarding  and  day 
school  for  young  ladies  in  the  house  where  Mrs.  E.  C.  Thayer  lives.  It 
was  unique  at  the  time  in  this  vicinity.  The  pupils  represented  families 
of  culture  and  refinement  and  the  young  ladies  were  instructed  not  only 
in  books  but  in  such  polite  accomplishments  as  would  fit  them  to  take 
their  stations  in  the  most  elegant  society.  Miss  Fiske  died  in  1837.  The 
institution  survived  for  a  short  time  longer  under  those  w^ho  had  been 
her  assistants. 

The  old  Keene  academy  was  established  in  1836  and  opened  in  1837. 
It  had  vital  relations  with  the  First  Congregational  church.  The  build- 
ing, still  well  remembered  by  many,  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  high 
school.  The  lower  room  was  used  by  the  aforenamed  church  as  a  vestry. 
The  academy  continued  to  provide  instruction  for  seventeen  years,  until 
1853,  when  the  high  school  was  established.  There  were  in  all  about  ten 
principals.  The  first  was  Breed  Batchelder,  a  descendant  of  the  man  of 
that  name  who  first  settled  Packersfield,  at  a  place  now  in  Roxbury.  The 
last  was  William  Torrance,  who  became  the  first  principal  of  the  high 
school.  In  1853,  the  academy  not  having  adequate  funds  to  maintain  such 
an  institution,  and  a  high  school  having  been  established,  the  trustees 
leased  their  building  to  the  town  for  that  school.  Mr.  Torrance,  the  first 
principal  of  the  school,  died  in  February,  1855.  After  two  more  principals, 
w^ho  served  short  terms,  Mr.  A.  J.  Burbank,  aided  by  his  accomplished  wife, 
took  up  the  work  of  this  school,  remaining  until  1867,  and  bringing  order 
out  of  chaos  and  establishing  a  high  school  of  much  merit.  There  were  then 
about  eighty  pupils.  The  "  Union  School  District  of  Keene,"  formed  in 
1865,  attempted,  about  1866,  to  purchase  the  building  of  the  Keene  acade- 
my. Not  being  able  to  do  this,  the  property  was  finally  taken  bj'  law  for 
school  purposes  and  the  trustees  accepted,  finally,  the  sum  of  $6,100  for  the 
full  settlement  of  their  claims.  This  procedure  created  bitter  feeling  at  the 
time  and  not  without  good  reason.     The  proceeds  have  been  carefully 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  725 

invested  by  the  trustees.  The  board  of  trustees  of  the  Keeiie  academy  still 
exists  and  has  in  trust  a  handsome  property  which  may  yet  be  used  for  pur- 
poses not  foreign  to  the  wishes  and  desires  of  the  founders.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  such  may  be  the  case.  There  is  still  room  for  an  academy  in 
Keene  whose  course  of  study  shall  not  conflict  with  the  functions  of  the 
high  school  and  which  would  meet  legitimately  the  original  purposes  of 
the  institution.  The  land  on  which  the  old  academy  building  was  placed 
was  donated  by  Mr.  Abijah  Wilder,  i 

Immediately  connected  with  the  educational  work  of  a  community, 
nothing  is  more  needed  than  a  w^ell  equipped  library.  From  an  early 
period  there  had  been  small  circulating  libraries  in  Keene,  besides  those 
owned  by  the  different  religious  societies.  These  could  do  but  little  to 
meet  the  increasing  need  of  a  general  reference  library,  such  as  the  pres- 
ent age  demands.  To  meet  such  a  demand,  the  town  established  a  pub- 
lic library  in  1859.  It  was  located  for  many  years  under  the  town  hall, 
now  the  city  hall.  In  1898,  the  late  Edward  C.  Tha3'er  presented  to  the 
city  the  Henry  Colony  house  upon  West  street,  and  a  fund  of  $5,000  to 
purchase  books  was  given  by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Thayer,  and  his  niece, 
Miss  Chapin.  The  building  was  remodelled  and  a  book-stack  added,  and 
the  completed  structure  was  dedicated  Feb.  28,  1899.  The  generous 
donor  did  not  live  to  witness  the  completion  of  the  work. 

Journalism  is  likewise  the  helpmeet  of  education.  The  history  of 
journalism  in  Keene  is  especially  interesting.  Four  weekly  newspapers, 
all  of  much  merit  for  their  time,  were  established  in  Keene,  between  1787 
and  1795.  They  were  the  New  Hampshire  Recorder  and  Weekly  Adver- 
tiser, the  Cheshire  Advertiser,  the  Columbian  Informer,  and  the  Rising  Sun. 
All  were  short-lived.  The  New  Hampshire  Sentinel,  which  is  now  well 
along  in  its  second  century,  was  established  here  in  1799  by  John  Pren- 
tiss, who  lived  to  be  the  oldest,  as  he  had  long  been  one  of  the  ablest 
of  American  journaHsts.  His  brother  and  son  were  at  diff'erent  times 
associated  with  him  in  the  pubHcation  of  the  paper.  Among  later  editors 
of  the  paper,  not  now  living,  we  find  the  names  of  Albert  Godfrey,  Samuel 
Woodward  and  Thomas  Hale.  A  grandson  of  the  founder  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Sentinel  company.  Oct.  20,  1890,  the  Sentinel  company 
began  the  publication  of  a  daily  paper  known  as  the  Keene  Evening 
Sentinel.  Two  more  short  lived  papers  were  the  American  News,  merged 
eventually  in  the  Sentinel,  and  the  New  England  Observer.  The  Cheshire 
Republican  is  the  only  paper  in  Keene  which  has  been  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  Democratic  party.  This  paper,  as  the  successor  of  the 
Farmers'  Museum,  has  a  quite  venerable  antiquity.  Under  the  older  name, 
it  originated  in  Walpole,  in  1793,  under  the  editorial  management  of  the 
celebrated  Isaiah  Thomas,  assisted  by  a  Mr.  Carlisle.  In  1796  it  passed 
under  the  editorial  care  of  Joseph  Dennie,  a  Hterary  character  of  his  time, 
who  afterwards  edited  the  PortfoHo  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Mr.   Green  who  edited  the  old   Boston  News-letter,   the  first 


1  Azel  Wilder  tiad  conveyed  his  interest  in  the  same  lot  to  Abijah  Wilder,  for 
a  nominal  consideration,  that  it  might  be  legally  conveyed  to  the  tritstees  of  the 
academy,  of  whom  he  was  one. 


726  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

American  newspaper.  After  the  office  was  moved  to  Keeue,  the  paper  was 
edited  by  Nahum  Stone.  Under  the  present  name,  it  has  been  edited  by 
Benaiah  Cook,  Harvey  A.  Bill,  Horatio  Kimball,  Morse  &  Allen,  Julius 
N.  Morse,  and  Joshua  D.  Colony  &  Sons.  There  is  no  other  town  in  the 
state  which  can  boast  of  two  pajjers  as  old  as  the  two  in  Keene.  As  we 
turn  back  the  files  of  the  old  volumes  of  these  journals,  we  find  that  both 
papers  have  had  able  editors,  whose  carefully  written  editorials  have 
done  much  in  shaping  public  opinion,  one  way  or  another,  in  this  county 
and  vicinity. 

The  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  all  the  old  New  Eng- 
land towns,  in  their  earlier  days,  were  connected  with  the  settlement  of 
ministers  and  the  locating  and  building  of  meetinghouses.  Keene  was  no 
exception.  These  incidents  in  the  history  of  Keene  have  been  so  often 
and  so  well  told  on  the  occasion  of  different  church  anniversaries  that  I 
can  w^ell  pass  over  them  rapidl3'. 

All  early  New^  England  towns  were  required  by  their  grants  or  char- 
ters to  support  an  "orthodox  minister  of  the  gospel."  One  of  the  first 
cares  of  our  forefathers  after  they  began  the  infant  settlement  was 
to  organize  a  church  and  ordain  a  pastor.  They  did  both,  Oct.  18, 
1738,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Bacon  was  their  minister's  name.  He  was  a  use- 
ful man  in  many  ways.  He  was  early  made  clerk  of  the  proprietors,  and 
the  first  records  are  principally  in  his  handwriting.  They  are  remark- 
ably legible  for  that  period,  quite  full,  and  probably  very  accurate.  He 
remained  as  the  pastor  until  the  colonists  dispersed  in  1747.  The  last 
appropriation  was  for  his  official  year  ending  on  the  18th  of  October  in 
1747.  He  was,  however,  released  from  responsibility  when  the  settlers 
temporarily  left  their  home.  The  rude  church  in  which  he  ministered 
was  at  the  lower  end  of  Main  street,  about  vsrhere  the  house  of  Mr. 
Elisha  F.  Lane  stands.  It  was  erected  pursuant  to  a  vote  passed  Oct. 
1,  1736.  The  vote  stipulated  that  it  should  be  finished  by  June  26, 
1737.  It  was  a  framed  building  and  was  destroyed  by  the  savages 
after  the  settlers  left  the  place. 

The  second  pastor  of  the  first  church  was  Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter,  who 
was  installed  Oct.  4,  1753,  in  connection  with  the  church  at  Swanzey. 
His  ministry  was  continued  seven  full  years  from  that  date,  w^hen  he 
relinquished  the  Keene  charge  and  remained  with  the  Swanzey  church. 
In  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1753  another  meetinghouse  was 
erected  in  Keene.  It  was  built  of  slabs,  with  the  earth  for  a  floor,  near 
where  the  late  John  Henry  Elliot  resided.  In  December  of  that  year  they 
voted  to  build  another  meetinghouse,  and,  in  January,  decided  to  put  it 
at  a  place  which  w^ould  not  be  far  from  the  present  Cheshire  House. 

The  third  pastor  was  Rev.  Clement  Sumner,  who,  through  his  wife, 
became  an  extensive  landowner  and  real  estate  dealer.  He  owned  large 
tracts  of  land  in  Keene,  Gilsum,  Sullivan  and  the  vicinity.  He  was 
ordained  June  11,  1761,  and  dismissed  April  30,  1772. 

The  fourth  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Aaron  Hall,  the  ancestor  of  persons 
of  that  name  who  have  lived  in  Keene  until  quite  recently.  He  was 
ordained  Feb.   18,   1778,  in  the    midst   of  the    Revolutionary  war,    and 


SESQUICBNTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  727 

remained  the  faithful  and  honored  pastor  of  the  church  until  his  death 
Aug.  12,  1814.  During  his  long  pastorate  of  more  than  thirty-six  years, 
he  aided  the  town  to  grow  from  a  rude  settlement  to  an  important 
village,  a  sort  of  metropolis  in  this  region.  During  his  ministry  the  pres- 
ent church  was  built,  but  stood  seventj^  feet  south  of  its  present  position. 
At  a  later  date  it  was  removed  to  its  present  site  and  has  been  several 
times  ^remodelled.  In  its  present  form,  it  is  one  of  the  choicest  gems  of 
architecture  in  New  Hampshire.  Its  pure,  classic  style,  its  harmonious 
proportions  and  its  stately  spire  are  the  admiration  of  all  true  lovers  of 
art. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Hall  was  succeeded  by  the  very  short  one  of 
Rev.  David  Oliphant,  of  only  two  and  a  half  years,  from  May  24,  1815, 
to  Dec.  1,  1817  (not  November,  1817,  as  some  authorities  give  it).  The 
sixth  and  next  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Zedekiah  S.  Barstow,  D.  D.,  so  well 
remembered  b\'  all  of  my  older  hearers,  one  of  the  most  useful  and  ac- 
coinplished  men  who  have  ever  lived  in  Keene.  He  was  ordained  July  1, 
1818.  The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  this  event  w^as  observed  in  a  fitting 
manner.  On  that  day  he  became  the  pastor  emeritus  and  so  continued 
until  his  death,  March  1,  1873.  He  was  the  last  pastor  settled  by  the 
town,  and  here  I  must  close  the  more  particular  account  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs. 

A  second  trinitarian  Congregational  church  was  organized  Oct.  15, 
1867.  Their  church  edifice,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $35,000,  was  dedicated 
Sept.  16,  1869.    They  have  had  six  pastors. 

A  Baptist  church  was  gathered  at  Ash  Swamp,  Sept.  9,  1816,  through 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  Charles  Cummings.  A  new  organization  was  effected 
at  the  village  and  a  pastor  ordained  Aug.  21,  1832.  The  first  church 
was  at  Ash  Swamp,  the  second  edifice  on  Winter  street,  now  the  armory. 
Their  present  commodious  structure,  built  at  a  cost  of  $52,000,  was  dedi- 
cated May  12,  1875.  They  have  had  thirteen  regular  pastors,  of  whom 
the  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Eaton,  D.  D.,  who  remained  sixteen  and  a  half  3-ears, 
served  the  parish  much  longer  than  any  other. 

The  Methodist  Episcopalians  had  preaching  here  at  irregular  inter- 
vals between  1803  and  1824.  Keene  was  included  in  the  Winchester  cir- 
cuit from  1824  to  1834.  From  1834  to  1851,  they  were  supplied  from 
adjoining  towns.  In  November,  1835,  a  church  was  organized,  known 
as  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Since  1850,  that  church  has  had 
the  benefit  of  local  pastors,  of  whom  there  have  been  twenty-six  in  all. 
The  present  fine  house  of  worship  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $40,000, 
and  was  dedicated  on  Nov.  23,  1869. 

The  Unitarian  society  was  organized  March  18,  1824,  and  a  church 
was  gathered  Dec.  27,  1825.  Their  first  meetinghouse  was  dedicated  April 
28,  1830.  It  was  rebuilt  and  rededicated  Aug.  16,  1868.  The  present 
handsome  stone  church  on  Washington  street  was  dedicated  Jan.  24, 
1895,  the  corner  stone  having  been  laid  on  the  11th  of  July,  1894.  This 
society  has  had  six  pastors.  The  first  was  Thomas  Russell  SulHvan,  the 
second  was  Rev.  Abiel  Abbot  Livermore,  D.  D.,  later  a  president  of  the 
Meadville  Theological  school.    The  third  pastor,  Rev.  William  Orne  White, 


728 


HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 


ministered  to  the  society  for  twenty-seven  years,  an  unusually  long  pas- 
torate for  the  present  time.  His  useful  and  benevolent  life  in  this  city  is 
gratefully  remembered.  He  still  resides  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  having 
recently  been  bereaved  of  his  excellent  wife.  The  next  two  pastorates 
were  quite  brief  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  C.  B.  Elder,  is  in  the  four- 
teenth year  of  his  ministry  in  this  place. 

The  Universalists  began  to  hire  preachers  as  early  as  1860.  The  first 
who  settled  here  w^as  Rev.  I.  C.  Knowlton,  father  of  the  late  attorney 
general  of  Massachusetts.  A  church  was  organized  March  12,  1876. 
They  have  worshipped  in  the  town  (now  city)  hall,  in  the  old  Baptist 
church,  now  the  armory,  and  in  a  hall  on  Roxbury  street,  where  their 
meetings  are  now  held.     They  have  had  four  pastors. 

The  parish  of  St.  James'  Protestant  Episcopal  church  was  organized 
May  13,  1859.  Ground  was  broken  for  the  beautiful  church  on  West 
street,  May  14,  1863.  The  building  was  first  used  Aug.  21,  1864,  but 
was  not  consecrated  until  Nov.  22,  1877,  after  the  debt  had  been 
extinguished.  The  present  pastor  is  the  tenth  in  succession.  The  esteemed 
first  rector  honored  this  community  by  establishing  a  permanent  resi- 
dence here,  where  his  many  virtues  and  cultivated  tastes  have  imparted 
a  beneficent  influence  for  many  years. 

The  Roman  Catholics  began  their  labors  in  Keene  as  early  as  1856. 
Eleven  priests  have  successively  ministered  to  the  needs  of  their  people, 
assisted,  at  different  times,  by  as  many  as  five  others.  The  parishioners 
have  been  very  devoted  to  their  cause.  Their  first  place  of  worship  was 
a  wooden  structure  on  Marlboro  street.  Their  elegant  church  on  Main 
street,  built  after  great  exertions  and  many  sacrifices,  was  consecrated 
Nov.  20,  1892. 

Besides  these  older  established  churches,  we  have  today  the  Bethany 
Pentecostal  church,  which  worships  in  what  was  once  the  Methodist 
church,  but  now  moved  to  anew  location;  a  mission  of  the  First  church 
on  George  street;  the  Gospel  Mission,  on  Pine  street;  a  new  church 
started  by  our  Swedish  citizens;  and  a  Seventh  Day  Advent  society. 
There  was  formerly,  also,  what  was  called  a  Christian  Advent  society. 

The  military  history  of  Keene  is  a  familiar  story  and  needs  only  to 
be  epitomized  here.  There  were  men  from  Keene  in  the  old  French  war, 
so-called.  Keene's  Revolutionary  history,  the  reception  of  the  news  from 
Lexington  and  Concord,  the  departure  of  Wyman  and  his  men  for  the 
seat  of  the  conflict,  the  heroic  services  of  Keene  men  at  Bennington,  Sara- 
toga, in  the  Jerseys,  and  on  the  eventful  expedition  to  Canada,  have  all 
been  much  discussed  at  recent  meetings  of  patriotic  societies. 

There  were  men  from  Keene  in  the  old  Indian  wars.  One  of  them, 
Major  Josiah  Willard,  died  while  engaged  in  such  service.  There  were 
Keene  men  also  in  the  War  of  1812  and  in  the  Mexican  war. 

In  the  great  Civil  war,  besides  Brevet  Major  General  S.  G.  Griffin, 
who  lived  here  after  the  war,  Keene  gave  Brevet  Brigadier  General  Fran- 
cis S.  Fiske,  Colonel  Robert  Wilson,  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  W.  Babbitt, 
Majors  Obed  G.  Dort  and  Edward  E.  Sturtevant,  Surgeon  George  B. 
Twitchell,   Captains  Henry  C.   Handerson,   Henry  N.   Metcalf,   Solon  A. 


George  B.  Twitchell. 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  729 

Carter,  and  John  W.  Sturtevant,  as  well  as  many  more  officers  of  lesser 
rank  and  scores  of  private  soldiers.  Let  us  hope  that,  before  it  is  too 
late,  full  biographical  details  may  be  written  of  the  deeds  of  all  these 
brave  men  in  that  memorable  struggle. 

In  the  last  war,  that  between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  Keene 
was  represented  in  the  New  Hampshire  regiment  by  Captain  Paul  F. 
Babbidge  and  many  others. 

As  we  approach  modern  times,  we  cast  one  look  at  the  long  line  of 
worthy  men  who  have  helped  to  shape  the  destiny  and  the  fortunes  of 
Keene.  We  see  a  long  Hne  of  lawyers,  whose  efforts  at  the  bar,  or  in  the 
discharge  of  public  duties,  have  given  lustre  to  their  names.  Among  them 
are  Elijah  Williams,  the  first  lawyer;  Daniel  Newcomb,  a  judge  of  the 
superior  court,  and  first  state  senator  from  Keene ;  Peleg  Sprague,  elected 
to  congress  in  1797;  Noah  Cooke;  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Sr.,  elected  to  con- 
gress in  1811,  a  governor  of  New  Hampshire;  Samuel  Dinsmoor,  Jr.,  an- 
other governor  of  the  state;  James  Wilson,  Sr.,  elected  to  congress  in 
1809  ;  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  who  rose  to  the  rank  of  general  in  the  militia 
and  served  in  congress;  Levi  Chamberlain,  a  member  of  the  Peace  con- 
gress of  1861;  Joel  Parker,  chief  justice  from  1838  to  1848,  later  a  pro- 
fessor of  law  at  Harvard  university;  Joseph  Buffum,  who  served  in  con- 
gress; Salma  Hale,  who  also  served  in  congress  and  wrote  a  prize  his- 
tory of  the  United  States ;  George  S.  Hale,  son  of  the  preceding,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  honored  trust  lawyers  of  Boston ;  Thomas  M.  Edwards, 
first  president  of  the  Cheshire  railroad,  also  a  member  of  congress;  Elijah 
Parker;  Foster  Alexander;  Elijah  Dunbar;  Phineas  Handerson;  Phineas 
Fiske;  William  P.  Wheeler;  Farnum  F.  Lane;  Francis  A.  Faulkner,  who 
declined  a  seat  upon  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court;  William  Henry 
Burt;  John  Henry  Elliot;  Edward  Farrar,  long  the  clerk  of  the  courts; 
C.  C.  Webster;  and  the  late  Francis  C.  Faulkner,  who,  like  his  father, 
declined  promotion  to  the  bench. i 

We  see,  too,  a  succession  of  physicians,  noted  for  their  skill  and  suc- 
cess, including  Dr.  Pomeroy,  who  refused  to  sign  the  Association  Test, 
during  the  Revolution;  Thaddeus  McCarty,  who  introduced  into  Keene 
the  inoculation  for  the  small-pox;  Daniel  Adams,  an  early  postmaster; 
still  another  Daniel  Adams,  who  was  the  author  of  valuable  school  text- 
books; Amos  Twitchell,  who  has  been  aptly  called  "the  autocrat  of 
surgery  in  New  England,"  whose  skill  and  genius  earned  for  him  an 
extensive  reputation  and  an  immense  practice;  Charles  G.  Adams,  a  son 
of  the  first  named  Daniel,  whose  sunnj^  face  and  genial  manners  in  the 
sick  room  are  still  well  remembered ;  Algernon  S.  Carpenter,  who  was  for 
many  years  one  of  our  most  honored  physicians ;  George  B.  Twitchell,  a 
nephew  of  Amos,  an  able  surgeon,  widely  known  and  universally  re- 
spected; Thomas  B.  Kittredge;  Ira  F.  Prouty ;  Thomas  E.  Hatch;  and 
H.  H.  Darling,  a  homeopathist  well  remembered. 

Two  dentists  cannot  be  forgotten,  the  elder  and  the  younger  Strat- 
ton,  the  latter  the  nephew  of  the  former.  They  were  ingenious  mechanics 
and  were  masters  of  their  profession  as  it  was  practised  in  their  time. 

1-  Alfred  T.  Batchelder,  a  prominent  lawyer,  lived  but  a  few  days  after  this 
address  was  delivered.     No  living  person  was  mentioned. 


730  HISTORY  OF  KEENE. 

I  shall  attempt  no  account  of  the  numerous  secret  and  other  social 
organizations  in  Keene,  nor  can  I  attempt  to  name  the  long  roll  of  busi- 
ness men  who  did  so  much  to  build  up  this  prosperous  city.  David 
Nims,  first  town  clerk;  John  ElHot,  Justus  Perry,  Sumner  Wheeler,  the 
two  Halls,  John  H.  Fuller,  Francis  Faulkner,  Josiah  Colony,  Charles  S. 
Faulkner,  Aaron  Appleton,  William  Dinsmoor;  S.  W.  Hale,  governor  of 
the  state ;  S.  D.  Osborne,  Lanmon  Nims ;  Henry  Colony,  first  president  of 
the  Manchester  &  Keene  railroad ;  the  latter's  brothers,  Timothy,  Alfred 
and  John  Edward;  also  Joshua  D.  Colony  and  sons,  L.  J.  and  O.  E., 
E.  C.  Thayer,  George  Tilden,  George  W.  Tilden,  E.  G.  Whitcomb,  J.  R. 
Beal,  Charles  Bridgman,  Elbridge  and  Charles  Keyes,  J.  B.  Elliot, 
Charles  Lamson,  Reuel  Nims,  Eliphalet  and  William  S.  Briggs,  Henry 
Pond,  Abijah  Wilder,  Abijah  Kingsbury ;  also  Jeremiah  Stiles,  the  old 
land  surveyor;  are  a  few  only  of  the  names  of  those  who  have  passed  on 
to  the  great  majority,  in  former  years,  among  our  business  men.  More 
recently  the  names  of  Peter  B.  Hayward,  Caleb  T.  Bufifum,  G.  D.  Harris 
and  Edward  Joslin  have  been  added  to  the  number.  This  list  will  be 
conspicuous  for  the  many  names  which  it  omits,  nor  can  I  allude  to  the 
business  of  any  who  are  now  living. 

The  succession  of  public  improvements  in  Keene  has  been  rapid  in  the 
past  half  century.  Men  now  living  have  witnessed  the  completion  of 
three  steam  railroads  into  this  place,  novvr  operated  by  one  company; 
the  introduction  of  the  telegraph  and  the  telephone ;  the  establishment  of 
a  good  fire  department,  with  two  steamers ;  paved  streets,  macadamized 
highways,  and  a  street  sprinkling  apparatus ;  the  inauguration  of  a  sys- 
tem of  water  works  which  supplies  the  citj'  with  an  abundance  of  pure 
water ;  an  adequate  system  of  drainage ;  the  introduction  of  illuminating 
gas  and  more  recently  of  electric  lighting;  the  founding  of  the  Invalids' 
Home  and  of  the  Elliot  City  Hospital,  which  last  named  institution  pre- 
serves the  name  of  a  generous  benefactor,  as  well  as  the  Edward  Joslin 
Home  for  Nurses  which  adjoins  it;  the  building  of  the  headquarters  for 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  on  West  street ;  the  founding  of  a 
daily  newspaper;  and,  last  of  all,  the  construction  of  two  lines  of  electric 
railways,  under  one  company,  the  second  of  which  was  opened  to  travel 
yesterday.  All  these  useful  institutions  and  improvements  are  compara- 
tively recent.  They  are  but  a  few  of  all  that  might  be  named,  although 
they  are  the  more  important. 

In  addition  to  these  pubhc  utilities,  we  must  remember  our  park  sys- 
tem, for  which  we  are  indebted  to  our  worthy  citizen,  Mr.  George  A. 
Wheelock,  as  well  as  to  certain  ladies. 

Now,  as  w^e  look  to  the  future,  we  fancy  that  the  comforts  of  life 
which  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  enjoy,  manifold  as  they  seem  to  us, 
are  but  few  in  comparison  with  the  luxuries  which  applied  science  will 
bring  to  future  generations.  Let  us  be  grateful  for  any  part,  however 
small,  which  it  shall  be  the  good  fortune  of  any  one  of  us  to  take  in  pro- 
moting the  welfare  of  our  honored  town  and  cit3^  Let  the  recollection 
of  those  worthy  forefathers,  some  of  whose  names  have  been  so  hastily 
brought  to  your  notice,  stimulate  you  all  to   do  your  whole  duty  that 


SESQUICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  731 

the  Keene  of  the  future  may  sustain  the  enviable  reputation  which  the 
Keene  of  the  past  has  enjoyed,  of  being  one  of  the  most  orderly  and  best 
governed,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  in  the  American 
Union. 


Additions  and  Corrections. 


Discrepancies  in  the  spelling  of  proper  names  were  com- 
mon in  the  earh'  days.  To  determine  which  of  the  various 
spellings  are  correct  is  well  nigh  impossible.  For  this  reason 
uniformity  has  not  been  attempted  in  every  case. 

In  the  Biographical  Sketches,  pages  555  to  670,  no 
living  person  has  been  included,  and  the  likeness  of  no  liv- 
ing person  is  given  among  the  illustrations. 

Page  10,  line  2;   for  "Bethsaida"  read  "Bethesda." 

Page  293,  foot  note;  for  "minister"  lot  read  "minis- 
try" lot. 

Page  404,  line  13;   for  "Ellis"  read  "Eells." 

Page  461,  line  6;   for  "Association"  read  "Union." 

Page  476.  Between  records  of  Streeter  and  Towns  insert: 

Totten,  James.  Co.  G;  age  32;  res.  Marlboro;  enl.  April  22,  '61;  must, 
out  Aug.  9,  '61.     See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 

Page  480,  line  2;  for  "Bermuda  Hundreds"  read 
"Bermuda  Hundred." 

Page  481.     Between  records  of  Bridge  and  Califif  insert: 

Britton,  John  L.  Co.  A;  age  42;  res.  Surry,  after  the  war  Keene;  enl. 
Aug.  18,  '61;  must,  in  as  muse.;  app.  prin.  muse.  Oct.  10,  '61;  disch. 
disab.  June  13,  '62,  Williamsburg,  Va.    See  V.  R.  C. 

Page  501.     Between  records  of  Metcalf  and  Muchmore 

insert : 

Mitchell,  John  E.  Co.  G;  age  33;  res.  Walpole;  enl.  Nov.  6,  '61;  disch. 
Jan.  19,  '63,  Philadelphia.     See  Fourteenth  N.  H.  V. 

Page  511.     Between  records  of  Hastings,  John  G.,  and 

Healey  insert: 

Hayes,  Joseph  R.  Co.  D;  age  21;  enl.  March  9,  '65;  must,  out  July  8, 
'65.     See  U.  S.  navy. 

Page  512.    Between  records  of  Nims  and  O'Brien  insert: 

O'Brien,  John.  Co.  D;  age  20;  enl.  Feb.  28,  '65;  must,  out  July  8,  '65. 
See  miscel.  orsr. 


ADDITIONS  AND  CORRECTIONS.  733 

Page  514.    To  tlie  history  of  the  Sixteenth  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers  add  the  following  record : 

Beverstock,  Daniel  O.    Co.  G;  age  20;  res.  Nelson,  after  the  war  Keene; 
enl.  Sept.  13,  '62 ;  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '63.    See  Eighteenth  N.  H.  V. 

Page  673.     Among  the  selectmen  in  the  year  1849,  for 
"  Lanman  "  Nims  read  "  Lanmon  "  Nims. 

Page  674.    Among  the  selectmen  in  the  year  1871,  for 
"Lanman"  Nims  read  "Lanmon"  Nims. 


enera 


1  Ind 


ex. 


(Persons  having  the  same  family  name,  with  firms  and  corporations  named 
after  them,  are  grouped  together,  although  in  some  instances  the  strictly  alpha- 
betical arrangement  of  the  index  is  thereby  slightly  varied.  Different  individuals 
bearing  the  same  name  are  distinguished  from  each  other  whenever  practicable  by 
the  use  of  some  brief  explanation,  title  or  number.  When  numbers  are  used,  no 
relationship  is  to  be  necessarily  implied  between  the  persons  thus  numbered.) 


Abbott,  Abiel 221 

Daniel 584 

Elizabeth 624 

Jacob 624 

John  T 686,  691,  695,  703 

Joseph  B 685,  694 

Joshua 586 

Mrs 559 

Rev.  Mr 406 

Stephen  G 474,  705 

Thomas 21 

Warren 509 

William  P 461,  473,  608,  674 

675,  685 

Abbreviations,  list  of. 475 

Abenakis,  the 31,  33,  89 

Abercrombie,  Geu 130,  639 

Abraham,  Heights  of. 718 

Abraham,  Plains  of. 131,  663 

Academy  fund 427,  724,  725 

Academy  trustees 427,  724,  725 

Acquin 493 

Acworth 193,  374 

Adams,  Benjamin 590 

Benjamin  (Dea.) 557 

Benjamin  P.. .391,  397,  407,  415 

416,  430,   431,  435,  440,  453 

454,  547,  675 

B.  F.  &  Co 448 

Charles  Francis 332 

Charles  G 242,  393,  407,  410 

450,  454,   555,  556,  557,  729 

Daniel   (Capt.) 556 

Daniel  (Dr.) 49,  70,  294,  305 

307,   308,   344,  352,  356,  393 

410,  416,   555,  556,  557,  566 

614,  729 

Daniel  (Mrs.) 406 

Daniel  (Dr.  and  author). .333,  557 
569,  729 

David 193 

Eunice 557 

Holman  &  Dutton 410,  433 

Holman  &  Wood 416 

John 107,  189,  288,  332,  398 


Adams,  John  Quincy 389,  663 

Joseph 556 

Mary  A 556 

Nancv  Ann 569 

Thomas 128 

WilHam  H 524 

&  Holman 410,  421 

Adams's  New  Arithmetic...  557,  637 

Additions  and  corrections 732-3 

Address  of  Mavor  Taft 715,  716 

Agawam,  Mass 23,  28,  136 

Agawams,  the 32 

Agricultural    Societv,     Cheshire 

County 378,  388,  398,  415 

447,  458,  467 

Agricultural  Society,  State 457 

Aiken,  Enoch 524 

Ainsworth,  Laban 369,  548,  600 

Alarm  list 163,  175 

Albanv 32,  95,  120,  130,  131 

Alden,'  Luther  P 674,  686,  705 

Aldrich,  B.  F 527 

Col 289 

Darwin  M 701 

Diantha 637 

Edwin  C 702 

Edwin  V 294 

Herbert  C 341 

Miss  C 365,  573 

Niles 643 

Thomas  M 588 

Alert,  No.  1  (fire  company) 460 

Alexander,   Col 241 

Ebenezer..23,25,26,  83,  84,89,91 

Elias 80 

Foster.. .340,   364,  375,  376,  377 

393,   557,   572,  589,  632,  673 

675,   676,  678,  679,  729 

Joseph 81 

L.  A.  (Mrs.) 541 

Lucian   A 480 

Rettben 557 

Sarah  Foster 557 

&  Chamberlain 364 

Alexandria 478,  488,  489,  499 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


735 


Alford,  John 15 

Algonquins,  the 32 

Aliard,  Andrew 89 

Allen,  Amasa 308,  566 

Calvin,  Jr 509 

Chester 449,  467,  541 

Daniel 359 

Daniel  (Mrs.) 699 

Deidamia 359,  703 

Eleazar 21 

Ethan 255,  256,  261 

Ira 261,  266 

John  E 703 

John  J.,  Jr 685,  687 

Joseph 21 

Sally 667,  668 

Samuel 84,  86,  87 

Theodore 683 

WillT 535 

&  Bond 307,  308,  341,  566 

&  Dorr 302,  308,  309 

&  Wadsworth 541 

Allied  Metal  Mechanics 714 

Alstead 194,  206,  346 

Altitudes 553,  705 

Amadon, "Frank  E , 517 

American  Academy  of  Languages  396 

American  band 712,  714 

American  House 542 

American  News,  the 725 

American  seamen 343,  353 

Ames,  Henry 683 

Manufacturing  Company 536 

Silas 343 

Thomas  F 362,  376,  398,  413 

415,  442,  454 

Ames's  battery 7. 479 

Amherst. ..14,  29,  65,  152,  192,  197 
206,  220 

Amherst,  Gen 130,  131,  132 

611,  639 

Amherst,  Mass 608 

Amidon,  Josiah 392 

Amoskeag 31 

Amoskeag  steam  fire  engine  685, 687 

Amoskeags,  the 31,  33 

Anderson,  Dexter 413 

John 84 

Andover,  Mass 22 

Andre,  John 636 

Andrew,  Gov 477 

Andrews,  Alonzo 414 

John 51,  52,  53,  60,  62,  721 

Nathan 85 

Andrews's  flood 52 

Androscoggin  river 31 

Annals    of   Keene,    Hale's,    98,  100 
112,  119,  307,  395,  445,  603 

Annapolis 242,  486,  492,  496 

Announcement 3,  5 


Antietam,battleof..8,  488,  494,  504 

Apdaile,  John 555 

Sarah  (Mrs.) 555 

Appian  Way 48 

Applegate,  Octavius,  Jr.. 5,  698,  702 

Appleton,  Aaron  110,' 361,  366,  371 

381,   387,   388,  397,  399,  416 

422,  434,   450,  557,  558,  590 

653,  730 

Aaron  (Mrs.) 407 

Isaac 557 

Isaac  (Dea.) 557 

Keziah 468 

Samuel 557 

&  Elliot. .352,  361,  367,  383,  410 
558,  641 

AppHn,  Thomas 234 

Arch  bridge 446 

Archer,  Benjamin 152,  154 

161,   163,   177,  193,  194,  204 

216,   219,   220,  274,  275,  276 

279,  300 

Benjamin,  Jr 204,  214 

Jonathan 161,  204,  214 

Arlington,  Mass 26 

Armory 689 

Army  of  the  James 479,  487,  509 

Army  of  the  Potomac 9,  478,  480 

487,  488,  496,  648 

Army,  regular 353,  360 

Arnold,  Benedict 230 

Arnold's  army 244,  639 

Arnold's  expedition 192 

Arnold's  treason 245 

Artillery  company  of  lads 376 

Ashburuham 368,  531 

Ashby.  Mass 368 

Ashley,  Daniel 289 

Joseph 58,  59,  64 

Samuel..  195,  203,  208,  211,  219 
226,  234,  237,  270 

Ashley's  regiment 211,  219 

614,  655 

Ash  Swamp 48,  50,  60,  113 

121,  458 

Ash  Swamp  brook 553 

Ash  Swamp  brook  canal 201 

553    567 
Ashuelot  18,  19,  30,  49,  59,  80,  89 

91    93 

Ashuelot  bank. ..418,  468,  528,  583 

584,  590,  623,  689,  711 

Ashuelot  Boot  &  Shoe  Co 541 

Ashuelot  Cavalry 340,  342,  343 

358,  370,  372,  416,  634 

Ashuelot  Chapter,  D.  A.  R... 698,  699 

^  704,  707 

Ashuelot  Congregatronal  Club. ..698 

Ashuelot   Fire  Insurance  Co 453 

Ashuelot  Indians 718 


736 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Ashuelot,  Lower. .29,  35,  4.7,  56,  65 
66,  68,  73,  78,  98,  111 

Ashuelot  Manufacturing  Co 431 

Ashuelot  railroad 447,  448,  601 

688,  692 

Ashuelot  river 15,  16,  17,  18,  19 

21,  22,  23,  25,  28,  30,  32,  37 

42,  47,  51,  52,  60,  83,  96,  97 

98,    100,    104,   382,   455,  551 

563,  718 

Ashuelot  shoe  factor^' 685 

Ashuelot  steam  mills.. 542,  686,  687 

Ashiielots,  the 88 

Ashuelot,  Upper.. .29,  35,  38,  40,  42 
47,  49,  51,  52,  56,  57,  58,  63 
65,  66,  67,  68,  69,  71,  73,  76 
77,  78,  SO,  81,  83,  89,  91,  92 
96,  97,  98,  102,  103,  111,  718 
719,  721,  722 

Aspiambemet 30 

Associated  Districts 427 

Association  for  Discountenan- 
cing  the   Use    of    Ardent 

Spirits 409 

Association  for  the  Promotion 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Me- 
chanic Arts 447 

Association  Test 203-205 

Atherton,  Booz  M 364,  582 

Sanford   A 480 

Athol,  Mass 16,  111 

Atkinson,  Theodore....  102,  103,  107 
110,  127 

Atwood,  Rufus 481 

Aurora  borealis 425 

Austin,  Charles  F 475,  481 

Australian  ballot  system 711 

Author,  sketch  of  the 5-13 

Auxiliary  Education  Society 408 

Avery,  Oliver 84 

Awashauks 31,  141 

Awashauks,  Peter 31 

Ayer,  Elisha 505,  702 

Babbidge,  Paul  F 691,  699,  701 

703,  713,  729 

Babbitt,  John  W 497,  504,  505 

536,  537,  551,  684,  728 

Babcock,  Elijah 237 

Bachelder,  N.  J 710 

Bacon,  David.'. 89,  558 

Jacob 558 

Jacob  (Rev.)... 43,  45,  46,  47,  49 

50,  52,  53,  58.  59,  63,  68,  77 

79,  97,  107,  455,  558,  726 

Mary 558 

Mary  Whitnev  (Mrs.) 559 

Oliver " 558 

Samuel 558 

Thomas 107,  558 

Thomas  (of  Dedham) 558 


Badger,  William  C.  H 701 

Bailey,  Augustus 489 

Edward  L 478 

George 518 

Jonathan 672 

M.  A 684 

Baker,  Anna 560 

Artemas 700 

B.  F 468 

Charles  W 509 

David 560 

Ebenezer 294 

Edward 524 

Elijah 294,  295 

Gov 458 

Hepzibah 559 

John 193 

Jonathan 560 

Larkin 425 

Mary 559 

Olive 559 

Robert 67 

Sally 559 

Sarah 605,  621 

Sarah  Hale  (Mrs.) 559 

Susanna 560,  592 

Thomas 154,  157,  161,  169 

198,   200,   204,  215,  246,  250 

251,   253,   273,  274,  275,  276 

277,   278,   296,  300,  307,  308 

311,   343,   438,  559,  560,  588 

605,  671,  672,  679 

Thomas,  Jr.. ..162,  205,  276,  277 

559,  672 

Thomas  (of  Topsfield) 559 

Baker  street 59,  172,  173,  346 

Bakery 413,  467 

Balch,  Andrew 163,  204 

Benjamin 204,  214,  220,  275 

276,  278,  286,  288,  672 

Benjamin,  Jr 162 

Caleb 246 

Cyrus 246 

Dorcas 682 

John 102,  205,  211,  214,  220 

247,  248,  290,  389 

John,  Jr 218 

Perley  S 509 

Timothy 247,  277,  290 

Balches"  fulling  mill 310 

Baldwin,  Loanimi 381,  422 

Nahum 210 

Baldwin's   regiment 210,  562 

Ball,  Emmons 700 

George  W 533,  543,  690 

George  W.  (Mrs.) 454 

Jonathan 21 

&   Alden 540 

&  Whitney 540 

Ball's  block 280 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


737 


Ball's  building 280,  550,  660 

Ball's  inn 720 

Ballard's  heirs,  John 107 

Balloch,  Janet 638 

Ballon,  Charles  F 696 

F.  M 464,  465 

Simeon 461,  688 

Bancroft,  Amos 697 

Rev.  Dr 406 

Bank  block 535 

Banks,  James 423 

WilHam 672 

Banyea,  Lewis 524 

Baptist  meetinghouse 371,  404 

431,  432,  681,  727 

Baptists 371,  377,  431,  539,  544 

688,   692,   694,  699,  704,  707 
727 

Barber,  Daniel 463,  465 

John  P 373,  381 

John  P.  &  Co 449 

William   H 497,  499 

Barden,  Hiram,  Jr 510 

Barker,  Frank  N 701 

Fred  A 485,  697,  700 

Levi 429 

Stephen 674,  675 

Tileston  A 470,  485,  503,  508 

Barker's  company 471,  472,  476 

Barlow,  Nathaniel  A 711 

Barlow's  division 489 

Barnes,  Abby 623 

Charles  S 536 

Malachi 710 

Rev.  Dr 561 

William 103 

Barnet,  the 396 

Barran,  William 108 

Barrett,  Benj 89 

Fred  E 693 

William  A 510,  686 

Barriuger,  Minister 635 

Barrington,  N.  H 206 

Barron,  Joseph 89 

WilHam 206,  207 

Barstow,  Elizabeth  Whitney 562 

George 439 

John 560 

J.  Whitney 534,  562,  600 

Timothy  D wight 562 

William 562 

Zedekiah  S 373,  374,  375,  377 

378,  379,  384,  387,  389,  390 
399,  403,  404,  407,  408,  417 
425,  428,  442,  454,  455,  464 
468,  471,  533,  534,  537,  560 
561,  562,  573,  649,  658,  675 
727 

Z.  S.  (Mrs.) 406,  409,  444 

532,  561 


Bartlett,  Fred  K 602 

Josiah 179 

Nelson  A 685 

Rev.  Mr 406 

Bashaba 31 

Bashaba's  Feast 31 

Bassett,  James 420,  563 

Martha  (Mrs.) 438,  562,  563 

Nathan  387,  388,  403,  414,  420 

445    563 

Samuel  162,  173,   190,    193^  201 

205,  210,  219,  276,   287,  307 

368,  421,  438,   562,   563,  673 

William 694 

Batchelder,  Alfred  T 688,  690 

710,  729 

Alfred  T  (Mrs.) 612 

Charles 693 

John  A 691,  701 

Batcheller,  Breed  (Major) 435 

Breed   (teacher) 425,  426,  724 

Breed  (Tory)  150,  161,  173,  175 
176,  223,  237,  319 

Ruth  (Davis) 435 

Batcheller  farm 352 

Bates,  Frederick  W 521 

Levi  L 549 

Battalion,  schoolboys 713 

Baum,  Col 227,  229 

Baxter,   Simon 223,  237 

William 237 

Bay  Path 23 

Beal,  Joseph  R 459,  676,  683 

697,  730 

J.  R.  &  Co 466,  540 

William  H.  H 711 

Beaman,  Rebecca 640 

Bean,  the  Seivia 136 

Bear  hunt 318 

Beaufort,  S.  C 648 

Beauharnais,  Gov 68 

Beaver  brook 27,  38,  45,  79,  99 

100,  113,  552,  703 
Beaver  Brook   Lodge,  No.  36, 

I.  O.  O.  P...549-551,  682,  697 

Beaver  brook  road 436 

Beaver  mills 535,  536,  681,  685 

691,  693,  695,  703 

Beaver  street 114,  539 

Beckwith,  Niles 193 

Bedel,  Timothy 205,  236 

Bedel's  regiment 205,  206 

Bedford 56,  128,  221 

Beecher,  Henrj'  Ward 457 

Beech  hill 71,  553 

Beech  hill.  East 48,  553 

Beech  hill,  South 59 

Beech  hill.  West 553 

Beedle's  Military  band 702 

Beedle's  orchestra..... 694 


738 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Belcher,   ] 15,  17,  18,  19,  20,  25 

42,  54,  55,  56,  719 

Belcliertowti,  Mass 23,  51 

Belden,  David 134 

Belding,  Elislia 397 

Martha 562 

Samnel 562 

Titus 81,  103,  107 

Wilham  C 352 

Beliveau,  Eric  J 704 

Frank  A 481 

Bell,  Charles  H.. 603 

Bellerieve,  Monsieur 300 

Bell-founder 341 

Bells.. .294,  305,  306,  371,  377,  397 

401,  404,  406,  539,  540,  659 

686,   687,  689,  699,  703 

Bellows,  Benjamin  (Col.) 99,  103 

105,  107,  109,  110,  112,  117 
118,  119,  124,  126,  127,  150 
155,  161,  196,  211,  219,  234 
256,  260,  265,  267,  289,  319 
332,  676 

Benjamin 641,  723 

Josiah  359,  381 

Stephen  R 604 

Thomas 421 

Belville,  Francis 505 

Bemis,  Henry 193 

Bemis   (watchmaker) 307 

Bennett,  A.  H 404,  417 

Bennington 226,  227 

Bennington,  battle  of. 226,  228 

229,  641 

Benton,  Elijah 193 

F.  B 541 

Frank  G 510 

Berdan's    regiment     of     sharp- 
shooters  519 

Bergeron,  Samuel 691 

S.  Tennis 696 

Bermuda  Hundred 480,  732 

Berwick 16 

Berry,  Ira,  Jr 510 

Gov 477,  491 

Bethany  Mission 692 

Bethany  Pentecostal  church 728 

Bethesda  Church,  battle  of 10 

498,  732 

Bettison,  Naboth 162,  204,  208 

218,  246 

Beverstock,  Daniel  0 517,  733 

Bickford,  Abbv 683 

William .'. 88,  90 

Bicycle 699 

Bicycle  factory 699 

Bigelow,  A.  M.  &  Co 538,  650 

Rebecca 620 

Bill,  Harvey  A 454,  459,  621 

Harvey  A  (Mrs.) 413 


Bill,  Samuel  D 710 

Billerica,  Mass 642 

Bilhng,  James 88 

Billings,   Chaimcey  B 701 

Daniel 360 

Ebenezer..l73,  192,  193,  194,  244 

Isaac 163,  276,  277,  420,  564 

Billman,  Howard 703,  708 

Bill  of  rights 237 

Bingham,  Elijah 265 

Nathaniel 264 

Binney,  John  W 675 

Biographical  sketches.. 555-670,  732 

Bisco,  Leonard 454,  461 

Bishop,  Enos 116 

Noah 426 

Bissell,  Emerson  E 524 

Bixbv,   Deborah 590,  591 

John 433,  448,  464 

Keziah 558 

Nathan 374,  558,  587,  591 

Phin  P 491 

Black  brook 272,  552,  553 

Black,  J.  Ransom 499 

Black  river 85,  87,  90,  133 

Blacksmiths 414,  466,  541 

Blacksmith's  shop 307 

Black  Warrior  affair 635 

Blake,  Abel  276,  296,  305,  307,  309 
311,  351,  368,  379,  384,  403 
408,  429,  432,  454,  564,  566 
672,   673,  679,  691,  693,  696 

Abel,  Jr 566 

Abner 564 

Artemisia 598 

Asahel 161.  205,  220,  276 

307,  564 

Carlos 673 

Charles  (Dr.) 307 

Charles 342 

Charles  H 481 

Charlotte  Caldwell 649 

Eli 428,  672,  673 

Elijah  (1)  97,  107,  157,  161,  174 
204,  216,  244,  251,  564,  565 

Elijah  (2) 565 

Elijah  (3) 566 

Elijah  (4) 289 

Elizabeth 564 

Elizabeth  Fav 560 

Elizabeth  (Graves) 565,  566 

Esther 564 

Frances  Seamans 577 

Francis 649 

Henry 296 

Henry  &  Co 295,  647 

Hiram 138,  542 

Ira 577 

Isaac 276 

Jemima  P 667 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


739 


Blake,  Johu  A 479,  481 

Johu  Pray 162,  207,  276 

305,  421 

Joseph. ..148,  151,   161,  198,  204 

205,  214,  220,  276,  672 

Justin  S.. 289 

Lydia 565 

Martha 658 

Milton 566,  689 

Milton  2d 693 

Nathan 28,  36,  37,  38,  39 

40,  41,  43,  44,  46,  50,  51,  52 
53,  70,  71,  72,  81,  82,  84,  86 
87,  88,  97,  103,  107,  108,  109 
110,  111,  113,  114,  129,  132 
148,  149,  151,  157,  163,  201 
204,  220,  307,  309,  353,  455 
563,  564,  565,  566,  611,  671 
672,  722 

Nathan  (Mrs.) 85 

Nathan,   [r 162,  204,  251 

253,   2"76,   278,  564,  565,  566 
581,  672 

Nathan  3d 566 

Obadiah 46,  50,  97,  107,  109 

135,   146,   148,  163,  215,  219 

232,   294,   564,  565,  577,  671 

Obadiah,  Jr.. .162,  205,  210,  565 

Obed 53 

Reuel 414,  566 

Robert 97,  563,  564 

Roxana 309 

Royal 162,  205,  214,  220 

276,   284,   294,  311,  377,  380 
401,  565 

Sarah 564 

Sarah  Guild 563,  564 

Stephen 21,  28,  36,  37,  39 

42,  107 

William  Ward 309,  637,  669 

&  Mason 683 

Blake's  mills 201 

Blake's  tavern 307 

Blanchard,  Joseph 116,  117,  118 

119,  662 

William 89 

Blanchard's  brook 124 

Blizzard 691,  702,  707 

Blodgett,  Edmund 510 

Mr 426 

Sylvester 510,  699 

Blood,  Francis 265 

Bloody  brook 34 

Bloomingdale,  Maud   E 710 

Board  of  health 706 

Bohea  tea 164,  198 

Boies,  Loretta 473 

Boiler  explosion 515,  516,  695 

Bolio,  Theodore 510 

Bolster,  Almon 481 


Bolton,  Mass 578 

Bond,  Jane 567 

John  G 308,  339,  340,  341 

346,   350,   352,  361,  566,  567 
597,  634 

William  M 343,  346,  354,  356 

370,  373,  567,  638 

William  M.  (Mrs.) 406,  638 

Bonds,  sale  of. 687 

Borden,  Augustin 522 

Boscawen,  N.  H 29,  56 

Boston  Brigade  band 454 

Boston,     Fitchburg     &     Keene 

Mail  Stage  Co 400 

Boston,  Mass 23,  35,  61,  76,  78 

84,  85,  86,  91,  93,  95,  116 
130,  167,  171,  172,  176,  177 
178,   181,  182,  206,  555,  556 

Boston  Neck 195 

Boston  tea  party 164 

Boston  &  Albany  railroad 642 

Boston  &  Lovi^ell  railroad 427 

Boston  &  Maine  railroad 704 

Boston  News-letter,  the 725 

Bosworth,  Sarah 646 

Bouberthelat S3 

Boundary  line 13,  14,  15,  54,  55 

56,58,  103,104,  255,  257,  263 
718-719,  721 

Bounty 212,   217,  218,  238,  240 

241,   243,  245,  250,  491,  503 
515,  516,  529 

Bouton,  Rev.  Dr 533 

Bouvier,  Peter 524,  681 

Bow,  N.  H 29 

Bowen,  Frederick  A 481 

Boxford,  Mass 51,  558 

Box  manufacturers 711 

Bovce,  James 694 

Boyden,  E.  W 423 

Bovle,  George  A 522 

Boyle  (Gilsum) 105 

Boj'nton,  Sarah 613 

Boys' club 70S 

Bracq,  John  C 294,  592 

Bradburv,  William  B 468 

WilHamR 701 

Braddock,  Gen 119 

Bradford,  Alonzo   B 475 

Andrew 678 

Daniel.. ..366,  377,  378,  388,  430 
548,  670,  673 

Gov 560 

James  H 341,  342,  347 

James  H.  (Mrs.) 406 

Bradley,  Jonathan 76 

Samuel 76 

William..... 173,  194 

Bradstreet,  Lieut 77 

Brady,  John 544 


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Xl$l,   fiSS 

"  ■  'ir 

4u«l 

Jutt 

UTIK 

"    ;?;i 

SJW 

Ja&B- 


.303 


Boek.  Cspfe.  JeJbK. 


rr.  130 


C:rBtbdiis&  Mass 1 


Aoseou 


Joba^ 


--to  .     Cambrtiigie.  X.  Y_ 

-7*:'9 

_4I3 

-Sir 


Camoen.  X-  C_  banie  o£- 


49» 


Jaxoes^ 


.^tr.  532 


742 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Campbell,  Lewis 682 

Mary  W 621 

Carap  Nelson 495 

Canada.. .31,  33,  34,  62,  68,  69,  71 

73,  77,  81,  S3,  84,  86,  87,  90 

92,  93,  95,  118,  128,  133,  192 

208,  245 

Canadians 84,  89,  236,  249 

Canal 381,  382,  396 

Canandaigua 239 

Cannon,  the  Walpole..344,  345,  346 

Canseau,  sloop 167 

Canterbury 29,  65,  75,  206,  560 

Capen,  Josiali 670 

Lemuel 369 

Capron,  J.  Foster 481 

Carey,  Arthur 236,  238 

Oilman 489 

Carleton,  Harvey 467 

Sir  Guy 251 

Carlin,  Thomas  P 522 

Carlisle,   Capt 266,  267 

David.  Jr 296 

Mr 725 

Carlton,   Kimball 226 

Carpenter,  Algernon   S 449,  542 

547,  571,  578,  688,  729 

Caleb 428,  473,  673,  675 

Daniel  A 359 

David 384,  441 

Ebenezer 154,  162,  174,  204 

207,  220,  249 

Eber 571 

Eliphalet 162,  204 

Elizabeth  (Greenwood) 571 

Ezra 110,  111,  112,  119,  129 

570,  571,  612,  645,  726 

George 645 

James 571 

Tedediah 161,  204 

John 711 

Judith  (Greene) 571 

Louis 683 

Mark 431 

Sumner 422,  673 

Carpenters 414,  466,  541 

Carr,  Clark  H 502 

Simon 705 

Carrigan,  Edward   P 704 

Philip 626 

Carroll,  George  Henry 510 

Joseph   A 51  7 

Philip  S 481 

Thomas 499,  520 

Carter,   Charles 366 

Col 356 

David 653 

Elijah 368,  403,  423 

J.  H 465 

Rufus 693 


Carter,  Solon  A. .465,  504,  510,  522 
536,   537,   547,  551,  676,  729 

Casey,  John 510,  524 

Cash  registers 691 

Cash  S3'stem,  overhead 691 

Cass,  Lewis 419,  420,  499 

Castle  street 338 

Castor,  Louis 703 

Louis  (Mrs.) 703 

Caswell,  Clark  R 699 

Mrs 541 

Catlin.  John 96 

Catsbane 92 

Cattle,  marks  of. 164 

Causewav,  the 100,  146 

Cavendish,  Vt 85,  133 

Cawley,  George 521 

Cayuga  lake 239 

Cedar  Creek 509 

Cedars,  the 206 

Cemetery,  Greenlawn 692 

Cemetery  hill 10 

Cemetery,  Woodland. .457,  539,  682 

Census 153,  160,  291,  377 

416,  428,   429.  433,  434,  450 
468,  535,  684,  693,  705 

Centennial 453,  454,  455,  456 

457,  649 

Central  park 491 

Central  square.. .306,  308,  401,  432 
451,  468,  470,  491 

Centre  schoolhouse 641 

Chamberlain,  John  C 571 

Levi 364,  398,  407,  417 

427,  435,  445,   446,  447,  454 

456,  457,  460,  467,  470,  471 

473,   502,   557,  571,  572,  675 

677,  729 

Levi  (Mrs.) 415 

Noel  B3^ron 505 

WilHam  B 467 

WilHam  P 691 

W.  P.,  Company 711 

Chamberlin,  Moses 39 

Chambly 133,  251 

Champlain,  lake 34,  85,  87 

Chancellorsville,  battle  of. 488 

Chandler,  Clark  N 690 

Col : 19 

David 21 

George  H 497 

Henry 89 

John 21 

Joseph 206 

Lemuel 285,  286,  588,  589 

Major 17 

Matilda 588,  589 

Philemon 21,  39,  40,  63,  107 

Philemon,  Jr 107 

Samuel 17,  18,  20,  21 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


743 


Chandler,  Wilber  F 524 

William 18,  719 

William   B 524 

Chandler  House 285,  286,  287 

291,  308 

Chantilly,  battle  of. 8,  494 

Chapelle,  Aix  La 95,  115 

Chapin,  Charles  A 510,  689 

E.  H 457 

Elisha 668 

Frank   M 684,  704 

Justus 359 

Margaret 725 

Chapman,  Calvin 347,  440,  454 

Capt 71 

Daniel 341,  670 

Samuel 162,  205 

Chapman  farm 300 

Chapman's  company '..343 

Charity  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M...546 

Charlemont.^ 126 

Charles  river 171 

Charleston,  S.   C 469 

Charlestown,  Mass 171,  182 

185,  621 

Charlestown  Neck 180,  181,  182 

183,  187,  190 

Charlestown,  N.  H....56,  65,  78,  81 

117,   118,   119,  122,  127,  157 

206,   207,   208,  232,  247,  291 

296,  374 

Charter,  city 526,  532,  534,  538 

543,  681,  723 

Charter,  the  New  Hampshire. .96-114 

462,  723 

Chase,  Alexander  Ralston 373 

Alfred 505 

Alice  (Corbett) 572 

Ann 573 

Brewer  &  Bond 373 

Brig.  Gen 289 

Capt 340,  416 

Carlton 465 

Charles 458.  649,  673,  675 

Charles  D 505 

Clara 649 

Col 211,  219 

Dudley 572,  573 

Ira  E 702 

Ithamar 363,  373,  380,  465 

548,  572,  587,  638 

Ithamar  (Mrs.) 406 

John 414 

Jonathan 638 

Joseph 705 

Salmon  P 363,  560,  572-574 

Stephen  277,  311,  351,  363,  384 
392,  416,  458 

&  Fairbanks 465 

Chase  farm 299 


Chase's  brigade 289 

Chattanooga,  Tenn 701 

Chelmsford,  Mass 621 

Chelsea 176 

Chemung  valley 238 

Cheney,  Clinton   C 500 

Chesapeake  bay 242 

Cheshire  Advertiser 291,  725 

Cheshire  Agricultural  Societv 378 

388,^398,  415,  447,  458,  467 

Cheshire  Athenaeum 408 

Cheshire  bank 340,  381,  444 

525,  587,  591,  698,  700 

Cheshire  Beef  Company 696 

Cheshire  Chair  Company— 536,  681 

702,  704 

Cheshire  county. ..33,  157,  203,  264 

Cheshire  County  bank 459,  576 

Cheshire  County  Bible  Society... 378 
Cheshire  County  Christian 

commission 473 

Cheshire  county  fair 458,  467 

Cheshire   county    fair    grounds 

490,  689 
Cheshire  County  Fish  and  Game 

League 698 

Cheshire  County  Musical  Insti- 
tute  ' 467,  468 

Cheshire  County    Mutual    Fire 

Insurance  Co 420,  421 

Cheshire  County  Sacred   Music 

Society 408,  467 

Cheshire  County  Savings  bank. ..701 
Cheshire    County  Soldiers'   Aid 

Society 472,  473 

Cheshire    County    Telephone 

Company 685,  687 

Cheshire     County    Temperance 

Societv 409 

Cheshire  Grange,  No.  131 691 

Cheshire  hall 503 

Cheshire  House.. 100,  286,  303,  308 

423,  432,  464,  465,  516,  542 
568,  687,  093 

Cheshire  Light  Guards 470 

Cheshire  Mills  Corporation 464 

Cheshire  National  bank  building  293 
689,  698 
Cheshire  Provident  Institution 

for  Savings 418,  419 

422,  450,  468,  535,  596,  651 

657,  688 

Cheshire  railroad 439,  440,  444 

445,  446,  450,  531,  642,  684 

685,   686,   688,  691,  692,  693 
Cheshire  Republican. ..434,  467,  542 
577,  725 
Cheshire    Roval    Arch    Chapter 

No.  4..' 548 

Cheshire  tannery 707 


744 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Cheshire  Tanning  Company 688 

Cheshire    Theological    Institute 

408,  561 

Cheshire  turnpike 339 

Chester 197,  206 

Chesterfield 14,  56,  65,  92,  226 

232,   261,   291,  296,  371,  374 

Chesterfield  academy 371 

Chesterfield  Light  Infantry 388 

Chesterfield  road 147 

Chevalier  de  Longueil 84 

Chickamauga 516 

Children's  Wood 691,  700 

Chinese  laundry 527 

Chippewa,  battle  of. 360 

Chippewas 250 

Chittenden,  Gov 266,  268 

Choate,  Mr 17 

Christ  church 171 

Christian  Advent  Society 728 

Christiana,  queen  mother 635 

Christian  Endeavorers 707 

Christian  Freeman 468 

Christian  Inquirer 625 

Christian  Register 624 

Chronology,   Citv 681-711 

Church,  Charles." 20,  21 

Col 19 

John  L 500 

Jonathan 297 

Simeon 193 

Thomas 193 

Church  of  England....l07,  462,  463 

Church  street 100 

Cilley,  Col 235,  236 

Cilley's  regiment 218,  221,  235 

Cincinnati,  Society  of. 640 

Cincinnati  &  Lafayette  railroad.  .642 

Circulating  library 342,  725 

Circus 398 

Citizens'  annual  ball 446 

Citizens  National  bank 681,  682 

Citizens'  stage  line 400 

City  hall.. ..684,  685,  698,  709,  710 

City  Hotel 292,  346 

City  park 691 

City  Point,  Va 480,  517 

Clapp,  William  M 522 

Claremont 232,  291,  459 

Clark,  Cephas....l62,  204,  211,  214 

Charles  L 500 

Daniel 503 

Ebenezer 112,  113,  135,  148 

149,  368,   671,  673,  674,  676 

Gideon 673 

Henry  E 703 

Isaac. 43,  46,  51,  52,  53,  59,  103 

107,   108,   109,  113,  129,  147 

162,  204,  207,  585,  671 


Jesse 146,  151,  163,  204,  214 

216,   218,   249,  272,  276,  281 
310,  607,  615 

John  (1) 420 

John   (2) 673,  687 

John  F 714 

Jonas 162 

Lieut 306 

Martin  V.  B 524,  713 

Milton  W 481 

Mr 426 

Mrs 70,  722 

Seth 162 

Simeon. .148,  150,  151,  161,  216 

218,   219,   232,  235,  237,  276 

284,  296,  588,  671,  672 

Simeon,  Jr 162,  204 

Thankful 613 

Thomas 193 

Unitj^ 588 

William 15,  19,  30 

Clarke,  Elbridge 466 

William  N 539 

Clarke's  block.. ..310,  684,  685,  710 

Clarke's  mill  brook 272 

Clayes'  company,  Capt.  Elijah. ..218 

Clayes,  Elijah 239 

Cleary,  Cornelius 479,  481 

Clement,  Benjamin  F 500,  520 

Clesson,  Mathew 84 

Cleveland,  Grover  (Mrs.) 691 

President 697 

Clinton,  Gen 186,  235 

Gov 259 

Clipper  Machine  Works 692,  694 

Clock 296,  406,  688,  696 

Closson,  Nathan 193 

Clothier's  mills 310 

Clough,  Jeremiah 75 

Coal  strike 708,  709 

Coates,  Darwin  C 510 

Cobb,  Fred  W 481,  485 

Mary 568 

S 397 

Coburn,  Charles  S 547 

Cochran,  William  P. ..673,  674,  676 

Coffee  House 297 

Cofiev,  Daniel 689 

Coffin,  Henry 222 

Nelson  P 715 

Colburn,  Andrew 180,  208,  230 

Eleazar 475,  505 

Cold  day 421,  538,  702 

Cold  Harbor,  battle  of. 10,  480 

489,  498,  518 

Cold  river 124 

Cold  vear 372 

Cole,  Asa 686,  705 

Daniel  R 563 

D.  R.  &  F.  A 694 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


745 


Colefax,   Samson 128 

Coleman,  Job 94 

Cole's  company,  Capt.  John 220 

Colhoun,  Samuel 163 

College  party 258,  259 

Collester,  Osgood 468 

Collins,  Joseph 222 

Lieut.  Col 497 

W.  L 524,  709 

Colonial  Club 699 

Colony,  Alfred  T..337,  575-576,  730 

Charles  K 685,  704 

Frances  M 411,  577 

George  D 543,  575 

Hannah  (daughter  of  John). .575 
Hannah  (daughter  of  J.  D.)...577 

Hannah  (Taylor) 575 

Henry 448,  538,  543,  575 

687,  730 

Horatio 504,  538,  539,  543 

547,  576,  640,  681,  723 

J.  D.  &  Co 448,  576 

J.  U.  &  L.  J 466,  577 

J.  D.  &  Sons 726 

J.  D.  &  T 448,  576 

John..l63,204,272,294,574,  575 
John  (son  of  Timothy). ..575,  621 

JohnE 576,  687,  730 

Joshua  D 330,  411,  448 

454,   464,  469,  575,  576,  621 
693,  730 

Josiah 359,  369,  417,  429 

438,  450,  454,  464,  468,  566 
575,  576.  595,  730 

Josiah  D 576 

Josiah  T 699 

Josiah  T.  (Mrs.) 589 

Lewis  J 577,  691,  694,  730 

Martha 574 

Mary  A 575 

Melatiah 575 

Melatiah  (Fisher) 575 

Ormond  E 577,  690,  697,  730 

Oscar  L 577 

Polly 575 

Sarah 577 

Sarah  (Dwiunell) 575,  576 

Timothy  (1)..294,  311,  330,  423 

575,  576 

Timothy  (2). .448,  535,  543,  549 

550,  575,  576,  730 

Colony  block 527,  535 

Colony    Chair  Co.   band,  L.  J. 

712,  713 

Colrain 126 

Colster,  Reuben 218 

Columbian  anniversary 695 

Columbian  Informer 295,  725 

Committee    of    Correspondence 

164,  165 


Committee  of  Inspection. ...169,  198 

Committee  of  Safety 164,  169 

170,   171,   178,  201,  224,  231 
244,  265 

Common,  the 172,  451 

Company  L,  First  New  Hamp- 
shire Vols 701 

Comstock,  Dauphin  W 466 

Conant,   Ezra 601 

Pamela 601 

Concord,  Mass. ...22,  23,  26,  51,  93 
171,  256,  556 

Concord,  N.  H 6,  14,  570 

Concord  road 415,  532 

Concrete  689 

Confederacy,  Pawtucket 31,  32 

Confederate  army 524 

Congregational  Church  and  So- 
ciety, First 401,  402 

404,  425,  464,  544,  545,  684 

689,   696,  702,  703,  711,  724 

727,  728 

Congregational  Church,  Second. .544 

545,   684,   686,  687,  692,  697 

698,   702,  708,  710,  727 

Congregationalists 303,  377,  395 

401,  606,  707 
Congress... .164,  166,  196,  343,  353 

Congress,  Continental 165,  169 

171,  198,  206 

Congress,  First  Provincial 165 

Congress,  Second   Provincial 169 

Congress,  Third  Provincial 178 

Congress,  Fourth  Provincial 

179,  197 

Congress,  Fifth  Provincial 197 

Congress,  Provincial 203 

Conissadauga 81 

Connecticut 32,  63,  128,  176 

Connecticut   Courant 155 

Connecticut  river 14,  28,  29 

30,  31,  32,  35,  56,  57,  59,  65 

66,  87,  92,  99,  120,   125,  133 

136,  206 

Connecticut  Riverrailroad..448,  692 

Connecticut  troops.. ..181,  183,  190 

Connecticut  vallev 33,  34,  36,  58 

65,  66,  67,  75,  77,  79,  80,  86 

88,  89,  94,  95,   117,  119,  125 

130,  205,  208,  236,  245 

Constitution,  federal 283 

Continental  army 5,  173,  238 

243,  246 

Continental  Journal 282 

Continental  money 233,  234 

240,   243,  246,  248,  249,  250 

Contoocook 64,  65,  73,  76 

Converse,   Capt 434 

Granville  S 481 

Lizzie  M , 685 


746 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Converse,  Nelson..460,491,  492,  550 

Nelsoti  (Mrs.) 550 

Convict,  escape  of. 527,  528,  529 

Conwajs  Mass 29 

Cook,   George 461 

Timothy 116 

Cooke,  Aaron 577 

Benaiah..403,  434,  439,  609,  726 

Benjamin 590 

Ebenezer 163,  177,  193,  204 

216,  218,  226 

Eliza 423 

JosiahP 44,  294,  578,  684 

Noah 44,  45,  253,  304,  305 

307,  309,  311,  339,  340,  349 
351,  367,  368,  378,  380,  408 
415,  423,  557,  565,  569,  577 
588,   672,   676,  678,  684,  729 

Noah,  Jr 578 

Noah  R..454,  526,  543,  578,  684 

Phineas 340,  348,  356,  673 

Phineas  (Rev.) 374 

Polly  (Mary) 578 

Samuel 284,  548 

Silas 154,  162,  170,  198,  204 

215,  235,  237,  246,  672 

Cooke  elm 531,  704,  705,  706 

Cooke  house,  the  old 684 

Coolidge,   Calista 687 

Henry 391,  410,  417,  431 

571,   578,   673,  675,  677,  687 
Henry  O..680,  684,  693,  698,  711 

Jane  F 571,  578 

Coolidge  lot 709,  711 

Coolidge  park 693 

Cooper,   Albert 510 

John   D .'. 480 

Sherman 491 

Sir  Astley 653 

Coopers'  shops 307 

Coos  tribe  of  Indians 31 

Copp's  hill 171,  182 

Corbett,  Jesse.. ..362,  376,  410,  414 
531    547 

John 21,  26,  27,  28,  41,  62 

Corbin,  Eliphalet 89 

Corenado,   Carolina 635 

Corker,  Henry 487 

Corkonians 444 

Corn 136,  341 

Cornish 158 

Corn  mill 134 

Cornwallis,  Gen 224,  247 

Coroner 277 

Corrections,  additions  and. .732-733 

Cota,  Edward 706 

Coughlin  &   Hovey 696 

Couillard,  Pierre 707 

Council  rooms 684 

Country  Club 710 


County  commissioners 691 

Countv  road 375 

Courthouse 284,  301,  302,  307 

346,   388,  431,  444,  460,  502 

Courts 157,  198,  203,  234,  291 

344,  345 

Courts,  clerk  of. 365,  594,  690 

691,  729 

Court  street 100,  301 

Coxe,  Archdeacon 619 

Cragin,  A.  H 461 

Craig,  Allen  A 481,  510,  681 

Joseph  S 505 

Crandall,  Frank 618 

Creamery 707 

Cresson,  Thomas 51,  81,  88 

Thomas,  Jr 81,  89 

Crocker,   Alvah...: 438,  445 

George  H 524 

Crosby,   Capt 183 

Josiah 89 

Cross,  Charles 689 

Charles  R 475,  522 

Edward  E 488 

Crossfield,  James 205,  300 

John 230 

Kendall 414,  454,  578,  579 

673,  674 

Samuel 414 

Samuel  B 453 

Timothy 162,  192,  218 

WilHam  K 498,  500,  579 

&  Scott 542 

Crown,  Andrew  J 489,  520 

Crown  Point 68,  90,  92,  116 

118,   119,   123,  125,  128,  131 
132,  133,  206,  207 

Croydon,  N.  H 104,  656 

Cruikshanks,  Capt 130 

Culpepper  Court  House 493 

Cummings,  Charles 371,  727 

C.  &  Son 541 

Eliza 647 

Ephraim 286 

John  A 491,  493 

John   A  (Mrs.) 493 

Joseph  W 510 

Seneca 426 

Curfew 702 

Currency 525 

Curtin's  brigade 10 

Curtis,  George  W 457 

John 243 

Milan  H 700 

Gushing,  J.  &  Co 601 

Thomas 15 

Cutler,  Thomas 237 

Cutter,  Charles  H 685,  686 

Thomas 205,  237 

Cutting,  Franklin  H 410 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


747 


Cycle  path 700,  702 

Cyclone 458,  464 

Dairymen's  Association 710 

Daland,  Tucker 591 

Dale,  Edward 39,  50,  53,  107 

Hannah 97 

Dale's  ford  way 129 

Dana,  Nathaniel 381,  407 

Danbury,  Conn 237 

Dancing  school 303 

Daniel,  Major 19 

Daniels,  Addiugton 162,  300 

Charles  B 443,  579 

Ebenezer 53,  61,  97,  103,  107 

341,  577,  579 

Eleanor   (Chapman) 579 

Jabez 174,  414,  579 

John 162,  204,  218,  220 

Peter 162 

Reuben 162,  204 

Samuel 28,  37,  53,  97,  163 

204,  249,  307,  579 

Daniels'  hill 272,  293,  553,  579 

Danvers,  Mass 631 

Dark  day 243,  342,  685 

Darling,  Daniel 688,  693 

Henry  H 542,  698 

Henry  M 139,  686 

John  G 481 

J  Homer 521,  522,  542 

La  Forest   C 524 

Lewis  D 505 

Darrington,  John 357 

Dart,  Roger 193 

Thomas 193 

Dartmouth  College 11,  155 

156,   173,   257,  259,  295,  556 

557,   561,   600,  633,  654,  657 

664,  669 

Dassance,  Jesse 173,  193,  219 

Daughters  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution  299,  586,  698,  699 

704,  707,  708 

Davis,  Aaron 363,  394,  401,  414 

420,  432,  438,  452,  579,  580 
617,  652,  675 

Alba  C 698 

Alfred  S 452 

Asa  W 510 

Ellen  Rebecca 580 

Francis 580,  710 

George  H 487 

Isaac 211 

James 481 

JohnL 709 

Jonas  B 414 

Nathaniel   D 481 

Oliver  O 487 

Ruth 319 

Samuel 206,  267,  269,  270 


Davis,William  L..466,  549,  550, 

&  Wright 

Dawes,  Hannah 625, 

Lucretia 

Day,   Bathsheba 563,  565, 

Calvin  K 

Daniel 243,  347.  363, 

410, 

Ebenezer 50,  53,  81,  97, 

107,   111,   120,  122,  163, 

213,   214,  219,  276,  347, 

580,  581,  612, 

Ebenezer,  Jr 162, 

George  A 

Hannah 581, 

Jacob 

Jehiel 

John 163,  204,  214, 

John,  Jr 

Keziah 

Ruth 

Stephen 173,  191,  193, 

Dean,  Bradley 

Deborah 

James 

Lafayette  P 

Samuel  H 

Dearborn,  Henry 208,  230, 

237, 

Joseph  

Dearborn's  corps 

Debating  Club 

Debeline,   Gen 78 

DeBevoise,  Gabriel 697, 

Decade,  a  Peaceful 371 

Declaration  of  Independence 

Dedham,  Mass 32,  33, 

Dee,  John 

Patrick 

Deep  Bottom,  action  at 489, 

Deerfield,   Mass 22,  23,  28 

33,  35,  38,  39,  42,  51,  68 

84,   85,  88,  93,  111,  131, 

155, 

Deerfield  river 

Deerfield,  South 

Deluge  engine  company 456, 

542,  683,  699, 

Deluge  engine  house 684, 

Deluge  No.  3  (fire  company) 

Demore,   Anthony 494, 

De  Neuville,  Ensign 

Denison,  John  A 

Dennie,  Joseph 

Denny  &  Briggs 

Densmoor,  John 

Ruth 

Dentistry 

Dentists 373,  410,  434,  542, 

Department  of  the  Gulf. 


707 
541 
626 
409 
580 
510 
392 
581 
103 
204 
565 
614 
581 
510 
614 
162 
359 
220 
162 
563 
580 
194 
523 
602 
162 
466 
602 
235 
247 
206 
243 
414 
,  79 
698 
394 
209 
558 
683 
705 
509 
,  29 
,  79 
144 
627 
..32 
..34 
465 
704 
694 
459 
500 
..69 
701 
725 
448 
,..98 
..98 
335 
729 
,509 


748 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


'  Department  of  the  South 509 

Derbv,  Roger  S 494,  500 

Webster  D 524 

Derry 221 

Derr\'field  (Manchester) 176 

Dewev,  Admiral 703 

Timothy 193 

Diamond  Match  shop 703 

Dickinson,   Daniel 524 

Elmer  F 522 

James  W 522 

Nathaniel 79 

Oren 704 

Rev.  Mr 369.  397 

Silas 310 

William 310,  351 

Dickinson  farm 642 

Dickson,  John 162,  204,  210,  276 

Dinonie,  Octave 475 

Dinsmoor,  Anne  E.  (Jarvis)..447,  584 

Elizabeth   (Cochrane) 581 

Frank  Fiske 584 

George  Reid 583 

George  R.  (Dr.) 518,  522 

584,  706 

Mary  B 584,  689 

Mary  Bovd  (Reid). .421,  582,  583 

Marv  Eliza 583 

Robert 581 

Robert  Means 583 

Samuel  ri)....307,  309,  341,  343 
346,  348,  349,  351,  352,  354 
355,  364,  371,  378,  384,  385 
386,  387,  410,  414,  415,  416 
417,  418,  420,  421,  422,  423 
430,  439.  445.  447,450.581- 
583,   617,   672,  674,  683,  729 

Samuel   (Mrs.) 406 

Samuel,  Jr.  (2) 309,  399.  407 

410,  414,  415,  418,  454,  457 

464,  468,  470,  473,  503,  557 

583,  584,  598,  729 

Samuel,  Jr.  (Mrs.) 473 

Samuel  (3) 584 

White  &  Lyon 411 

William 376,  410,  411,  414 

415,  429,  431,  434,  450,  453 
583,  584,  598,  730 

&  White 433 

Dinwiddle  Court  House 489 

Diphtheria 52,  62,  692 

Diseases 492 

Distilling 233,  338,  413,  577 

District  No.  10 686 

Dix,  Dr.  Jonas 287 

Dodge,  Fred 517 

Fred  W 684 

Dodwell,  John 500 

Dogs 693 

Donahue,  Patrick 706 


Donnelly,  James 541 

Donovan,  Dennis 704 

John  H 684 

Doolittle,  Benjamin 50,  84 

Col 195 

Joseph  S 511 

Lucius   C 534 

Dorchester  Heights 205 

Dorman,  Benjamin 585 

Elijah 97 

Ephraim....51,  53,  54,  69,  70,  97 
102,  103,  107,  108,  109,  110 
112,  113,  114,  129,  148,  150 
154,  166,  172,  173,  204,  216 
282,  559,  584,  585,  671,  672 
677,  679,  721,  722 

Mary 585 

Dorman  house 307 

Dorr,  Henrv 435 

Henrv  (Mrs.) 407 

Joseph  ...302,  307,  308,  309,  311 

338,   340,   341,  391,  399,  401 

443,  460,  614,  641,  660 

Rebecca  R 401,  406,  460 

Thomas  W 437 

Dort,  Eli 700 

Frank  G 700 

George  D 697 

George  G.  (Capt.)..432,  434,  674 

George  G 691 

Obed 695 

Obed   G 466,  491,  492,  493 

500,  637,  728 

Obed  G.  (Mrs.) 493 

Obed  G.,  son   of. 493 

0.  G.  &  Co 541 

&  Chandler 460,  541 

Douglass,  Charles  H 691 

Samuel  E 494,  500 

Thomas 192 

Dousman,  John  B 407,  410,  430 

Dover 197 

Dow,  George  C 524 

Reuben 189,  191 

Dovle,  John  W 695 

Draft 514,  515 

Drains 688,  690,  694,  695,  700 

Drake,   Capt 75 

Wilham  S 511 

Draper,  Anna  (widow) 389 

Frank 518 

John 309,  373,  585,  586 

John  A 673,  691 

Mary 585,  586 

Draper's  bake  house 307 

Drew,  Edward   P 703 

John 206 

Thomas  C 378,  388 

Drewrv's  Bluff. 486 

Drolette,  John  F 695 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


749 


Drown,  George P..466, 541,  621.  710 

Druggists 466,  541 

Drummer,  Charles  H..475,  487,  521 

John  A 481,  698 

WilHam  C 479,  481 

Dublin.. 194, 207,  221,  232,  235,  653 

Dudley,  Col 61 

HenrA'  0 497 

William 15,   17,  19,  21,  24 

Dumnier 92 

Dummer,   Fort 29,  35,  68 

Dummer,  William 35 

Dumping  ground 696 

Dunbar,'  Asa 276,  278,  281 

293,  545,  546,  586,  587,  672 
677,  678 

Catherine  (Fisk) 587 

Charles 587 

Cvnthia 587 

Elijah. ...276,  297,  307,  340,  348 

375,   378,   379,  398,  410,  430 

463,   465,   546,  587,  591,  638 

672,  673,  674,  729 

Elijah    (Mrs.). 406 

George  Frederick 587 

John^D 709 

Laura   Elizabeth 587 

Louisa 587 

Marv  Ralston 430 

Mary  (Mrs.  Asa) 293,  586 

Polly 587 

Samuel 586,  587 

Sophia 587 

WilHam 587 

Dunbar  house 307,  308,  555,  556 

Dunbar  street 587,  694 

Dunham,  J.  (Capt.) 305 

Dunlap,  Whitnev 482,  520 

Dunn,  Isaac  J.." 282,  689 

Noble  T 511 

Svbil 621 

&   Sahsburv 690 

Dunstable  (Nashua) 14,  29,  116 

119,  130,  221 

Dunton,   Asahel 710 

Durand.  Mr 348 

Durant,  Joshua 226,  244,  276 

576,  587,  588,  592 

Sarah 642 

Duren,  Asa 411,  413,  467,  612 

John  A 489,  682 

Durrell.  Jesse  M 706,  709 

Dustin,  Samuel  C 467,  541 

Dutch   settlers 77,  142 

Dutton,   George 410 

S.   Fletchen 706 

Ormond 410 

Dwight,  Nathaniel 18,  719 

Timothy  (President  of  Yale) 

306,  560 


Dwight,  Timothy 18,  35,  36,  719 

Dwinell,  Bartholomew 276 

Jonathan 204,  226,  284 

Thomas.. 204,  220,  294,  300,  430 

Dwinnell,  Benjamin 575 

Mary  Estes 575 

MarV  (Mrs.) 384 

Sarah 575 

Dyer,  Lewis  S.  D 511 

Eagle  Hotel 284,  308,  341,  342 

379,  410.  423,  432,  465,  542 

Eames,   Aaron 253,  276,  285 

308,  607 

George  H 700,  702 

Luther 276,  277,  285,  289 

297,  308,  545,  607 

Sallie  EHza 595 

Earlington 29 

Earthquake 373,  691- 

East  Beech  hill 272 

East  branch 18,  45,  134,  135 

272,  552 

Eastburn,  Susan  F 462,  689 

Eastman,  Seth 644 

WilHam 482 

Eaton,  James 89 

Orleans  S 482 

William  H 539,  692,  727 

Echo  lake 708 

Eddy,  James 162,  173,  193,  205 

210,  218,  246 

Edgehill.  John 89,  93 

Edson.  .\ibert  A 524 

Edwards,  Edward 675 

IsabeHa 590 

Mary  (Mrs.  KimbaH) 589 

Mary  (Mrs.  ElHot) 590,  591 

MarV  H.  (Mrs.  Perry). ...634,  693 

Key.'Mr 369 

Sarah 589 

Selomon 687 

Thomas 588 

Thomas  (Mrs.) 588 

Thomas  (Dr.) 286.  294,  303 

308,   311,   347,  428,  465,  588 

589,  610 

Thomas(Mrs.Dr.)..399,  465,  589 

Thomas  C 516,  518,  590 

Thomas  M 374,  375,  377,  378 

384,  387,  388,  393,  400,  403 
404,  407,  409,  410,  411,  414 
415,  418,  421,  422,  429,  431 
432,  435,  436,  438,  439.  440 
446,  450,  452,  453,  454,  457 
459,  460.  461.  467,  468,  469 
503,  527,  533,  538,  543.  580 
589,  590,  591,  598,  617,  623 
675,  677,  681,  729 

Thomas  M.  (Mrs.) 473,  590 

&  Harlow 541 


750 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Edwards's  tavern 304,  307 

Eells,  Edward  C 404,  732 

'Eighteenth  N.  H.  Vols 517 

Eighth  N.  H.  Vols 502 

Ela,  Jacob  H 608 

Elder,  Charles  B 692,  728 

Election  day 436 

Electric  lights,  arc 689 

Elephant,  Barnum's  Albert 688 

Eleventh  N.  H.  Vols.. .496,  497,  507 
Eleventh    United  States    Infan- 
try  354,  360,  658 

Elexander,   Deacon 24 

Elizabeth  City,  N.  C 7 

Elliot,   Andrew 590 

Arthur  N 504 

Citv  Hospital 694,  695,  696 

697,   698,   699,  707,  709,  730 

David 590 

Deborah   Maria 591,  684 

Emily  Jane 591 

James  B..454,  468,  591,  691,  730 

James  B  &  Co 448 

John 350,  352,  354,  361 

366,  385,  406,  407,  415,  416 

422,  434,  437,  438,  450,  454 

468,  558,   587,  590,  591,  653 

684,  730 

J.  B.  &  Sons 683 

John  H..407,  421,  428,  440,  454 
461,  468,  534,  543,  548,  558 
591,   654,   694,  697,  726,  729 

John  &  Co 352,  367,  410,  590 

John  Wheelock 591 

William  H 587,  590,  591 

&  Ripley 466,  540 

Elliot's  block 287,  527 

Elliot  schoolhouse 295,  688,  689 

690,  710 

Ellis,  Abijah 526 

Abner 50,  53,  97 

Archelaus 592 

Atwell  C 696 

Austin  A 703 

Benjamin 162,  173,  193,  204 

205,   208,   217,  245,  246,  250 
545,  559 

Benjamin,  Jr 162 

Bertram 3,  4 

Brothers 286,  691 

Caleb 162,  173,  193 

204,  210 

Capt 235,  238,  430 

Daniel  (1) 695 

Daniel  (2) 697 

David  C 482 

Elisha 163,  205 

Elizabeth 593 

Eugene  S 673,  692 

George  E 188 


Ellis,  Gideon.. .26,  97,  103,  107,  108 

114,   135,   163,  204,  220,  232 

284,  306,  658,  671 

Gideon,  Jr 162,  204,  214 

Henry...  162,   205,  208,  214,  430 
592,  593,  669 

John 88 

John  E 497,  505 

Joseph 21,  43,  46,  49,  50,  51 

53,  62,  97,  103,  107,  111,  114 

129,   134,   135,  148,  157,  163 

204,  220 

Joseph,  Jr 162,  205 

Joshua.. .162,  192,  207,  399,  430 

Josiah 152,  163,  205,  214 

249,  294 

Keziah 592,  669 

Lewis 518 

Lyman 511 

Millet 277 

Milly 592 

Minot 505 

Moses 452,  693 

Pamela 592 

Priscilla 152 

Samuel 107,  592 

Samuel  P 592 

Sarah 658 

Sidnev  C 281,  598 

Simeon 162,  205,  219 

T.  C 541 

Timothy 157,  163,  166,  169 

173,   178,   192,  195,  197,  198 

204,   212,  215,  219,  220,  226 

232,   233,   234,  237,  238,  245 

246,   251,   252,  258,  260,  262 

263,   274,   275,  276,  278,  284 

287,   299,   373,  593,  671,  672 

674,  676 

Timothy,  Jr.. .163,  204,  211,  214 

220,  249 

Timothy,  3d 162,  204 

Warren  R 505 

William 162,  169,  204,  214 

217,  218,  230,  245 

Ellis  farm 146 

Elmer,  Hezekiah 80,  89 

Elms,  protection  of. 532 

Elm  street 695 

Embargo 347,  348,  367 

Emerald  House.. 223,  432,  433,  459 
466,  542 

Emerson,  Albert  A 482 

Dearborn 339 

George  W 487 

John 432 

L.   0 468 

Ralph   Waldo 457 

Van   C 702 

Emmettsburg,  Pa 478 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


751 


Em  or)',  Lieut 498 

Endecott  rock 718,  719 

Endicott,  John 14,  719 

England..." 62,  95,  115,  160,  353 

English  colonies 62,  87 

English,  the 62,  83,  84,  86,  90 

104,  129,  133 

Enos,   Roger 266 

Enterprise,  the 382,  397 

Epping 206 

Epps,  Daniel 21 

Epsom 177,  179 

Epworth  League 692 

Estabrook,  Aaron  G 502,  518 

Estey,  Lvman  E 505 

Esty,  Isaac 161,  204,  214,  284 

Stephen 162 

Etiherson,  Rev.  Mr 638 

Euers,  Samuel 343 

Evans,  Frank,  Jr 511 

Harriet 438 

John 88 

Nathaniel 411,  433,  438,  621 

Evening  school 339,  371 

Events,  1874  to  1904 681-711 

Ev^ers,  Robert 89 

Exemption 535,  538 

Exeter,  N.  H 6,  117,  169,  178 

179,  180,  196,  197 

Fabert,  Sieur  Duplessis 89,  90 

Fairbanks,   Asa 676 

Capt 266,  267 

John 107 

Madison 458,  534,  652 

Mr 269 

Nathan 21,  28,  36,  37,  53,  81 

97,  612 

Nathaniel 81,  89,  97,  151 

Fairbanks's  mills 534 

Fairbrother,  Luther 697 

Fair   captive,  the   (Mrs.   Caleb 

How) 120 

Fairfield,  Charles  H 696,  702 

Charles  H.  (Mrs.) 706 

Fairfield   dam 707 

Fairfield  reservoir 697 

Fair  Oaks 488 

Fales,  Eliphalet 593 

Falkirk,  Scotland 638 

Fanchon,  Dr 347 

Fardow^ners 444 

Fare  to  Boston 339 

Farewell,  Frederick  A 489 

Farley,  WilHam 218 

Farmer,  Daniel 92 

Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Club. ..535 

Farmer's  Museum 296,  434,  725 

Farmville,  charge  at 489 

Farusworth,  David. ..40,  45,  46,  128 
Ebenezer 118,  119 


Farnsworth,  Stephen 69 

Farnxtm,  Henry  A 494,  497,  500 

Farnum's  mill 696 

Farrar,  Betsev  (Griffin) 594 

Daniel  W 594 

Edward 449,  454,  467,  548 

594,  676,  682,  690,  729 

Master 295 

Prof. 381 

Rev.  Mr 232 

Farwell,  Artemas 476 

Miles 522 

Fast 213,  225,  305 

Faulkner,  Charles  S...450,  454,  468 

543,  595,  676,  683,  730 

Charles  S.  (Mrs). ..443,  465,  595 

EHzabeth  Jones 595 

Francis 369,  406,  438,  575 

594,  595,  730 

Francis  A 454,  457,  465,  538 

595,  596,  608,   656,  675,  677 
683,  729 

Francis  C 706,  709,  729 

Frederic  A 694,  695 

Herbert  K 443 

William  Frederic 595 

&   Colony 413,  429,  432,  595 

&    Colony    Manufacturing 

Company 691,  699,  705 

Faulkner  &  Colony's  mills.. 369,  393 
429,  531,  567,  575,  621 

Fay,  J.  A 452,  580,  617 

J.  A.  &  Co 452,  468,  580 

J.  A.  &  Egan   Co 452,  617 

Oscar  H 706 

Federalist  papers 361 

Federalists 355 

Federal  Row 284,  291,  292,   296 

297,  308,  309 

Fellows,  Enoch  Q 504 

Lucian  B 505 

Truman  S 505 

Felton,   S.  M 445 

Female  Cent  Society 379 

Female  Charitable  Society 379 

Female  Seminarv 365 

Ferry  brook ". 72,  272,  552 

Ferry,  Mark 21,  51,  52,  62,  72 

Ferry  meadow 72 

Fessenden,  Rev.  Mr 232,  287 

William 166 

Field,  Cyrus 612 

David  Dudley 612 

Frank  F 693 

Seth 123,  138 

Thankful 612 

Thomas 205,  211,  214,  253 

276,  277,  284,  307,  308 

Fife,  John 392 

Fifield,  Edwin  F 518 


752 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Fifteenth  N.  H.  Vols 514 

Fifteenth  regiment   (militia) 195 

Fifth  brigade 450 

Fifth  burial  district 299 

Fifth  N.  H.  Vols. .479,  485,  488-490 
517,  648 

Financial  crisis 427,  428 

Fire  alarm,  mechanical 681,  683 

Fire  alarm  telegraph. .688,  689,  708 

Fire  department 458,  465,  542 

684,  713 

Fire  engine 348,  385,  442,  531 

703,  704 

Fire  engine  companies 414,  453 

456,  542 

Fire  engineers 453,  465,  542 

Fire  escapes 711 

Fire  Fencibles 385,  414 

Fireman's  Relief  Association. .....691 

Firemen's  memorial 708,  709 

Firemen's  muster 459,  530,  531 

Fires 102,  385,  429,  442,  453 

458,  459,  502,  527,  532,  534 

566,   683,   684,  687,  691,  695 

698,   701,   702,  703,  704,  706 

707,   708,  709,  710,  722 

Fire  wards 296,  372 

Fireworks 713,  716 

First  brigade 9,  10,  504 

First  burial  district 299 

First  Heavy  Artillery 519 

First  New  England    (Rhode  Is- 
land) Voluuteei    Cavalry. ..517 
First  New  Hampshire  regiment 

(Rev.  war) 177,  179 

First  New  Hampshire  Volunteer 

Cavalry 517,  518 

First  N.  H.  Vols 471,  474-476 

477,  485,  488,  648 
First  regiment  (war  of  1812). ...358 

Fish  hatching  station 693 

Fish,  Nathan 363 

Fisher,  Aaron 97 

Ichabod..ll7,  148,  150,  153,  159 

163,   204,   232,  237,  245,  249 

250,   252,   277,  287,  309,  348 

574,  586,  647,  677,  679 

Jabez 162,  233,  258 

John  B 701 

Josiah 21,  22,  23,  24,  25 

28,  37,  41,  42,  43,  47,  49,  50 

52,  53,  59,  60,  61,  67,  97,  98, 

720,  721 

Josiah  Jr 37 

Joseph 27,  28,  36,  50,  51,  52 

53,  61,  97,  107 

Melatiah 574 

Pembroke 675 

Samuel 53,  97,  107 

Sarah  Blake 564 


Fisher,  Thomas 249,  421,  564 

Fisher  brook 300,  552 

Fisher's  hill 509 

Fisk,   Nat 356,  358 

Sewell  A 489 

Fiske,  Annie  (Wilson) 666,  667 

Catherine..70,  365,  406,  427,  428 
455,   567,   596,  645,  657,  724 

Francis  S 443,  451,  453 

454,   476,   477,  482,  598,  667 
675,  728 

Julia  Anne 584,  598 

Mary  H 590,  598 

Phineas 404,  407,  431,  434 

438,  584,  590,  598,  729 

Phineas  (Mrs.) 407,  598 

Phineas  S 598 

Samuel  W 598 

William  A 487 

&  Co.,  Phineas 361,  373,  380 

Fiske's  school.  Miss 414,  416 

427,  623,  645 

Fiskin,   Peter 162 

Fitch,  Caleb 250 

Fitchburg 531 

Fitchburg  fire  engine  company. ..531 

Fitchburg  Fusileers 437 

Fitchburg,    Keene    &    Connecti- 
cut River  railroad 439 

Fitchburg,  Mass 640 

Fitchburg  railroad 440,  446 

693,  704 

Fitzwilliam 104,  180,  221,  232 

Fitzwilliam   artillery 450 

Fitzwilliam  turnpike 339 

Flagg,  Henrv  C 494,  500 

Fletcher,  Arad 696 

Ebenezer 89,  217 

John 193 

Samuel 193 

Timothy 88 

Flint,  Henry 494,  500 

John 123 

Flood,   Benjamin 222 

Samuel 21 

Floral  hall 467 

Florida 486,  487 

Flour 392 

Flynn,  Martin 505 

Foley,  Michael 683 

Folsom,  Nathaniel 178,  179,  180 

191,  194,  195,  212 

Foot  company 161 

Forbes,   David 305,  307,  308 

672,  674 

Gen 130,  132 

Force,   Ebenezer 43,  44,  50,  51 

52,  53,  60,  62,  63,  107 

Foresters  of  America 713 

Forest  Tree  Society 451 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


753 


Fort: 

No.  1  (Chesterfield) 65 

No.  2  (Westmoreland) 65 

No.  3  (Great    Falls)    (Wal- 

pole) 65,  99 

No.  4  (Charlestown)...65,  66,  68 
69,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77,  79,  81 
84,  85,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91.  94 
96,  99,  118,  120,  123,  125 
128,  129,  131,  132,  133,  144 
155,  207,  221 

Fort,  Amherst 65 

Fort  Bridgman 65,  74,  120 

Fort,  Canterbury 65 

Fort  Constitution 519 

Fort,  Contoocook 65 

Fort,  Deerfield 29 

Fort  Donnelson,  victory  at 502 

Fort  Dummer 29,  35,  63,  64,  65 

66,  73,  75,  77,  80,  83,  88,  89 

90,    91,    92,    93,   94,  96,   117 

118,  120,  132,  141 

Fort  Duquesne 119,  122,  130 

Fort  Edward 120,  128 

Fort  Erie,  attack  on 360 

Fort  Fisher 486 

Fort,  Hadley 29 

Fort  Hell 10 

Fort  Henry,  victory  at 502 

Fort,   Hinsdell's 64,  65,  89,  92 

123,  128 

Fort,  Hopkinton 65 

Fort  house 242 

Fort   Independence 208 

Fort  in  Keene 49,  53,  54,  «9,  70 

71,  72,  79,  102,  108,  109,  119 
Fort  Massachusetts. .73,  76,  84,  130 

Fort,  Merrimac 65 

Fort,  Northampton 29 

Fort,  Northfield 29,  86 

Fort,  Penacook  (Boscawen) 65 

Fortress  Monroe 478 

Fort,  Sartwell's 65 

Fort  Sedgwick 10,  499 

Fort  Shattuck 65,  77 

Fort  Shirley 91 

Fort,   Springfield 29 

Fort  Steadman,  recapture  of.. ...517 

Fort  Sumter 469 

Fort,  Suncook 65 

Fort  Wagner,  siege  of 486 

Fort,  Walpole 87 

Fort  William  and  Mary 167 

Fort  William  Henry 128 

Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Vols.. 493 

Foskett,  Liberty  W 524 

Foss,  Benjamin  H 489 

Foster,  Abijah 281,  282,  310 

311,   350,   351,  384,  386,  428 
578,  598 


Foster,  Abijah,  Jr 598 

Alvin  C 682,  684 

AlvinR 506 

Amos 21,  42,  52,  53,  97,  103 

107,   109,    146,  147,  149,  598 

Artemisia 428 

A.  R.  &  E.  S 541 

Benjamin  F 686 

Brothers 687 

David. ..46,  47,  50,  53,  57,  59,  97 

103,   107,   109,  111,  112,  113 

114,   129,   134,  135,  148,  150 

163,   204,   219,  276,  599,  671 

672,  676,  677 

David,  Jr 162,  204,  599 

Ephraim 675,  692 

George 700 

Hannah 59S 

Hosea 702 

John 359,  441,  444 

Joseph 502 

Joseph  &  Ephraim 449,  541 

Josiah 121,  127 

Lydia 642 

Mary  (born  Dorman) 598 

Moses 94 

Nabby 598 

Rebecca 599 

WilHam  L 441,  447,  450 

Foster  farm 147 

Fosters  &  Felt 449 

Fourteenth  N.  H.  Vols 504,  508 

509,  514,  648 
Fourteenth  regiment  (Rev.  war). .196 

Fourth  burial  district 299 

Fourth  N.  H.  Vols 360,  486,  487 

Fourth  United  States  Infantry 

354,  357 

Fowle,  Mary 670 

Fowler,  Eugene  A 522 

Manufacturing    Company, 

Frank  T 699 

Fox,  Catherine 584 

Charles  J 584 

E.   A 585 

George  D 506 

Foxcroft,  Francis 15 

France, 62,  95,  104,  115 

Frankfort 495 

Franklin  fire-frames 421 

Franklin,  N.   H 29,  120 

Franklin,  No.  2  (fire  company). .459 

Frazer,  Gen 221 

Fredericksburg,  battle  of. 8,  478 

488,  494,  504,  508,  648 

Free  Fellows'  Society 408 

Freeman,  Alexander  H 466 

James  H 433 

Freemasons 545-548 

Freemasons'  Hall..., 289 


754 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Free  text  books 692 

Freight 350 

Freight  boats 382,  383 

Freight  wreck 699 

French  and  Indian  war,  the  old 

58-95,  143,  723 
French    and    Indian    war,    the 

last 115-135,  207 

French,  Francis 690 

Henry  F 637 

Jason 549 

Jason  &  WilHam 449 

John 107,  108,  671 

Jonah 103,  108,  671 

Jonathan 89,  107 

Josiah 122 

Jotham  A 467,  681,  702 

J.  &  F 467,  541 

Nathaniel .....277 

Olin  L.,  &  Co 542 

Silas 162,  178,  193,  204 

211,  219 

Stephen  H 514 

Stephen  S.: 506 

Stillman 434 

Theodore  J. ...465,  466,  547,  687 

Whitcomb 414,  434 

William 256,  466 

&  Sawyer 541 

French  fusil 221 

French,   the.. .62,  63,  66,  68,  69,  76 

78,   79,   82,   85,    93,    95,    119 

128,  131,  142 

Freshet 52,  364,  374,  387,  404 

686,  697,  700,  704 
Friendship    Rebekah    Degree 

Lodge,  No.  6 550 

Frink,  Abigail 599 

Calvin 206,  599,  669 

Polly 599 

Thomas 146,  148,  149 

150,   154,   158,  163,  204,  215 

220,  231,   281,  588,  599,  600 

671,  676 

Willard 599 

Frog  pond 701 

Frogs 692 

Frost,  Cyrus 547,  690 

E.  H 468 

John 89 

Joseph 368,  379 

Loring  C 673 

Frost,  deep 711 

Frye,  Col 593 

Fuller,  G.  E.  &  A.  1 699 

James 602 

JohnH 359,  417,  418,  422 

429,   431,  439,  447,  448,  454 

601,  673,  730 

Joshua 193,  229 


Fuller,  Lucy 602 

Quincy 602 

Reuben 602 

Sophia 602 

Furlough 495,  508 

Gaffield,  Benjamin 120 

Gage,   Gen 171,  189 

William 500 

Gale,  Nathan 218 

Galissoniere,  Gov.. .85,  86,  89,  90,  94 

Gallagher,  Francis 511 

Galhnger,  Jacob  H 467 

Gannett,  Rev.  Mr 391 

Gaol,  county 275 

Gaoler 253 

Gardner 531 

Gardner,  Major 509 

Garfield,  James  A 537,  538 

WilHam  A 519 

Garroty,  John 500 

Gates,  Horace  G 524 

Horatio 208,  211 

Rufus 675 

Samuel  0 674,  675 

Gay,  Abigail 568 

General  Monadnock  Society  for 

the  Promotion  of  Morals. ..368 

Genesee  valley 239 

Georgia 509 

Gerould,  Deborah 602 

Samuel  A 381,  393,  403 

422,  425,   433,  533,  534,  543 
602-604,  690 

Samuel  A.,  Jr 393,  445,  454 

•  602,  702 

S.  A.  &  J.  H 393 

S.  A.  &  Son. ..460,  466,  468,  602 

Gerould's  block 711 

Gerrish,  Col 186,  187 

Gettvsburg,  battle  of.. 479,  488,  516 

Gibbs,  Jacob 107 

Gibson,  Charles  W 692 

Giffin,  Allen 676,  690 

Charles 700,  706 

Giffin's  mills 567,  708 

Gilbert,  Charles  N 482 

EHzabeth 649 

George  H 674 

Lemuel 438 

Samuel 650 

Gilbo,  Josephine 709 

William 709 

Giles,  Benjamin 203,  237,  265 

266,  268 

Gillett,  Orville  H 406,  541 

Gilman,  David 212 

Israel 180 

John  Taylor.. .340,  355,  358,  361 

Nicholas 179,  213,  288 

Robert 205 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


755 


Gilmore,  Charles  G 511 

Edward  R 466,  541,  691 

George  H 506 

Gov 470 

P.  S 454 

Robert 154,  163,  223,  237 

Gilson,  Edward 521 

Gilsutn  (Boyle) 104,  105,  193 

194    195    650 

Glass  factory 348^  392^  432 

448,  449,  459,  576,  634,  643 
645,  653 

Gleason,  Aaron  R 482,  568,  711 

Orrin  S 541 

Glebe 107,  327,  463 

Glen  Ellen 552 

Glidden,  Nathan 358 

Glue  factory 536 

Goddard,  Edward 20,  21 

E.  (druggist) 466 

G.  A 466 

Justice 22 

Rev.  Mr 232 

Godfrey,  Albert..454,  469,  678,  725 

Goffe,  John. ...67,  94,  117,  128,  130 

132,  133,  155,  220 

Goffstown 174 

Gold 525,  698 

Goldborough 486 

Goldthwaite,  Benjamin 555,  625 

Martha 614 

Gongequa 30 

Gonitigow 31 

Goodale,  Thomas 84 

&  Homer. 286,  302 

Goodhue,  Elizabeth 653 

George  &  Co 541 

Harriet  A 572 

Josiah 415,  572 

Goodnow.  Henry 363,  392,  410 

673,  675 

Horace  L... 693 

Levi 250 

Lucius 464 

Widow 307 

William 163,  204,  214 

&  Whitcomb 696 

Goodnow's  tavern 279 

Good  Roads  Association 700 

Goodwin,  Charles  L 524 

Gov 472,  477,  666 

Goodwin  Rifles 6 

Goose  pond 286,  310,  530,  533 

Goose  pond  brook 552 

Gordon,  WilHam 364 

Gorges  and  Mason 718 

Gorman,  Michael 476,  511 

Gospel  mission 728 

Gould,  George  W 524 

John 222 


Gould,  Nathan 517 

Nathaniel 84 

Simeon 704,  705 

Gould's  company 192 

Gove.  Fred  H...." 686 

Gowen,  Dr 555 

George  M 511,  686 

Grade  crossing 696 

Grafton  countv 31,  157 

Grammar  school 295,  300 

Grand    Army    of    the    Republic 

537,  544,  551,  648,  684 
694,  713 
Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts. .545 
Grand    Lodge    of  New    Hamp- 
shire  545,  546,  547 

Grand   Monadnock 30,  35 

Grand  Monadnock  Hotel 392 

Grandy,  John,  Jr 264 

Grange 691 

Granite  pavement 692 

Grant,  Samuel 397 

Ulysses  S...9,  480,  494,  497,  499 
502,  504,  654 

Grant's  campaign 488,  495 

Grasshopper  year 398 

Graves,  Abner 134 

Abraham 564 

Asahel 80,  89 

Elizabeth 564 

Frank  B 511 

Joshua 134,  435 

Rebecca 578 

Willard  R 524 

Gray,  Aaron 163,  177,  211,  214 

220,  300,  553 

Aaron,  Jr 162,  204,  214,  553 

Hugh 173,  193,  554 

Isaac 438 

Joseph 161,  177,  193,  205 

208,  554 
William..l63,  177,  193,  205,  553 

Gray's  hill 177,  553 

Great  Britain 104,  165,  170.  197 

Great  Falls  (Walpole) 65,  87 

Great  Meadows 65,  66,  67,  68 

75,  90,  117,  133 

Greele,  Samuel 455 

Greeley  &  Wellington 542 

Green  (common) 172 

Green,  Jacob 466,  504,  506 

John 238 

Joseph 62.  63 

Mr 725 

Simeon 88 

Greene,  Sarah 97,  107 

Greenfield,  Mass 29.  30,  126,  459 

Greenfield   &    Brattleboro    rail- 
road  440 

Greenlawn  cemetery 692 


756 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Greenlawn  Cemeterv  Company. .683 
Green  Mountain  Bo5^s..226,  255,  256 

Green  mountains 87,  90,  133 

Greenwood,  Charles 528 

Elizabeth 570 

Grace 457 

Thomas 570 

William  (Mrs.) 319 

Gregs:,  Wilham  (Capt.) 359 

William  (Lieut.  Col.) 226,  227 

Gregory,  Frank 521 

William  H 482 

Grev,  Robert 21 

Gridley,  Col 181 

Griffin,   Abraham 192,  208 

Nathan 5 

Sallv  Wright 5 

Sara'uel 5,  388,  417 

Simon  G 3-12,  476,  482,  491 

492,   494,   496,  499,  500,  505 

522,   532,   536,  537,  538,  548 

551,   675,   676,  683,  699,  707 

723,  728 

Simon  G.  (Mrs.). ...622,  698,  721 

Griffin's  brigade 498,  499 

Griffin's  staff. 498 

Griffith,  Abraham 192,  208 

Henry  L 524 

James  Davenport 282 

John 282 

Joseph  E 518 

Griggs,  John 163,  173,  193,  205 

217,  249,  613 

Grimes,  Alexander  H 540,  705 

Bartholomew 204,  554 

William 81 

Grimes's  hill 553 

Grip,  epidemic 694 

Grist  mill 27,  28,  36,  79,  102 

113,  307,  309,  352 

Griswold,   Bishop 465 

Francis  D 524 

Isaac 173,  193,  207,  220,  258 

264,   265,   266,  267,  274,  276 
290,  304,  306 

Joseph 354 

Stephen 211,  249,  284,  300 

Grosvenor,  the  ship 164 

Grout,   Henry 380 

Hilkiah 120 

Jehoshaphat 311,  546 

Samuel 381 

Grout  house 307 

Guild,  Abigail 97 

Benjamin 50,  53,  60,  97,  100 

102,  107 

Dan 148,  154,  161,  169,  200 

204,  220,  242,  246,  250,  253 

276,  672 

James 151 


Guild,  John 21,  26,  242 

Joseph 26,  46,  50,  53,  54 

61,  107 

Mr 113 

Gunn,  Samuel 91 

Gurler,  Benjamin 437 

Thomas 392 

Gurnsey  Brothers  &  Co 705 

Norris  G 699 

Gurnsev  buildings 285,  696,  698 

Gustine,  Edward 465,  547,  548 

675,  697,  701 
Habits    and    characteristics    of 

the  Indians 136-144 

Hadarawansett 30 

Hadley,   Emory 500 

Ethan 482 

Willis  A 710 

Hadley,  Mass 23,  28,  29.  39,  51 

374,  577 

Hagar,   George 696 

&  Whitcomb 449 

Haile,   William 459,  682 

Hailstorm 364,  365,  695 

Haines,  Henry  H 694 

Hale,  Catherine 636 

David 602 

Eliphalet 451 

Enoch. ...196,  211,  219,  221,  236 
264,  265,  268,  652 

George  Silsbee 455,  534,  604 

700,  706,  729 

Hannah   Emerson 602 

John  T 410 

Marv  W 473 

Moses  H 341,  621 

Nathan 172,  180 

218,  221 

Richard  Walden 604,  706 

Robert  Sever 604,  706 

Salma 98,  119,  365,  374,  375 

376,  378,  381,  384,  387,  395 
396,  397,  399,  400,  404,  407 
415,  417,  420,  421,  422,  428 
434,  435,  437,  439,  440,  441 
447,  454,  456,  602-604,  632 
675    729 

Salma  (Mrs.) 406,  556^  6QA 

Saloma  (Whitney) 604 

Samuel .". 604 

Samuel  W 453,  461 

541,   604,   605,  675,  683,  686 
694,  730 

Sarah 559 

Sarah  King 604 

Thomas,  &  Co 467 

William  S 605 

&  Kise 341,  369,  595,  621 

&  Sturtevant 684 

Halifax 128,  164 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


757 


Hall,  Aaron  (Capt.)  ....67,  139,  346 
347,  349,  350.  354,  362,  387 
404,  407,  408,  425,  435,  440 
445,  456,  605,  672,  675,  730 
Aaron  (Rev.). .231,  232,  243,  246 
250,  251,  283,  285,  287,  293 
295,  303,  307,  309,  340,  368 
369,  526,  559,  605,  606,  632 
641,  682,  726,  727 

Aaron,  Jr.,  (Mrs.) 406 

Abijah 251 

Bela 607 

Benjamin 148,  150,  151,  153 

154,  155,  157,  160,  161,  163 
165,  175,  177,  194,  205,  232 
249,  251,  252,  253,  274,  275 
276,  278,  281,  296,  311,  607 
608.  628,  671,  672,  674,  676 

Benjamin,  Jr 163,  607 

Benjamin  (of  Wrentham) 606 

Bettv 607 

David 605 

Dorothy 606,  607 

Edv>rard 21 

Ephraim 217 

George  A 706 

Hannah   (Mrs.   Rev.   Aaron) 

384,  406,  605 
Hannamah....l78,   194,  276,  607 

James 207,  607 

Jeremiah. ..21,  26,  27,  28,  36,  37 
39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44.  45,  46 
47,  50,  52,  53.  59,  60,  61,  63 
80,  83,  88,  96,  97,  100,  102 
103,  107,  109,  110,  111,  112 
113,   565,  606,  607,  720 

Jeremiah,  Jr 53,  81,  107 

606,  607 

Jesse 97,  161.  204,  214,  220 

251,  300 

Josiah 607 

Julia 682 

Melatiah 607 

Nabby 605 

Nabby  Ann 605 

Nathaniel 163,  607 

Oliver 588 

O.  P 466 

Sally 605,  632 

Samuel 81,  88,  97 

108,   161,   177,  194,  204,  210 
226,  284 

Samuel  E 704 

Sarah  (Mrs.  Rev. Aaron). .287,  605 

Sarah  (Mrs.  Benjamin) 606 

Seth  C 700 

Timothy 362,  385,  399,  403 

408,  417,  435,  454,  679,  730 

Timothy  (Mrs.) 406 

William  G 699 


Hall,  Ziba 161,  210,  218,  285 

303,  305,  307,  308,  607 

A.  &  T 285,  362,  381,  384 

392,  433,  434,  448,  540,  667 

Hall's  heirs,  Benjamin 107 

Hall's  house  (parsonage) 251 

Hall's  tavern 241,  285 

Ham.  Samuel 683 

Hamblet,   Horace 692 

Hamilton,  (colored) 684 

Edward 468 

John  A 464,  491,  493,  500 

Obadiah 163 

Hammond,  Jonathan Ill 

Joseph 175,  195,  219,  237 

Lucretia 669,  670 

Hampden,  steamer 397 

Hampshire  county 42 

Hampshire  county  regiment 64 

Hampton 55 

Hampton,   Gen 357 

Hampton   Roads 343 

Hancock's  corps 9,  489,  497 

Hancock,  John 639 

Wilham 97 

WinfieldS 9 

Hand,  A.  W 694,  699 

Handel  and  Haydn  Society 467 

Handerson,  Abigail 608 

Anne  Bacon 608 

Caroline 595,  608 

Ellen 608 

Esther 608 

Gideon 608 

Hannah  Maria 608,  610 

Harriet  Mead 608 

Henry  C 471,  486,  487,  535 

608,  681,  728 

Lvdia  M 681,  682 

Mary 608 

Phineas 367,  376,  407,  417 

418,  421,   422,  428,  430,  435 

456,   591,   595,  608,  610,  656 

675,  729 

Handerson  house 661 

Handy,  George  E 489,  522 

Hanover 155 

Hanover  Court  House 518 

Hard  cider  and  log  cabin  cam- 
paign   434 

Hardwick,  William 205,  207 

Hardv,   Silas 421,  467,  542,  704 

Thomas 371 

Harlow,  Jehiel 703 

Harmon,  Frank 681 

Harnden,  Charles  A 504 

Harness  factor3' 691 

Harper,  William 206 

Harriman,   Col 497 

Harrington ,   Alvira 609 


758 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Harrington,  Asaph 432,  466,  609 

Mary 609 

N.  B 457 

Rebecca 609 

Sarah 149 

Stephen 379,  391,  410,  413 

416,  432,  609,  675 

Timothy 103 

Timothy    (Rev.) 66 

Harrington's  tavern 400 

Harris,  David 178,  194,  205,  226 

Gordis  D 705,  730 

Jason 6 

ThaddeusW 696 

Ursula  J , 6 

Zipporah 565 

&  Wetherbee 541 

Harrison,  William  Henry. ..353,  434 
436,  666 

Hart,   Col .....598 

Jemima 566 

Mary 598 

Nehemiah 609,  610,  693 

Nehemiah  (Mrs.) 610 

Hartford 136 

Hartranft,  Gen 10 

Hartranft's  division 499 

Hartwell,  WilHam  H 506 

Harvard  college 175,  181,  343 

558,  664 

Harvard  College  Lottery 362 

Harvard  Law  school 633 

Harvard,  Mass 587 

Harvard   Medical  school 556 

Harvard  University 729 

Harvey,   Capt 266,  267 

Ebenezer 222 

Ezra 205,  249,  294,  295 

James  G 524 

Harwood,  David 21 

Haskell,  Jacob 411 

Sylvester 393,  411 

Haskells,  the 433 

Haslington,   Samuel 89 

Hastings,  Brig.  Gen 357 

Emery 511 

George  E 506 

John  G 511 

Stewart 598,  675 

Hatch,  Daniel  D 347,  352,  625 

Frank  E..... 522 

John 366,  391,  399,  408,  410 

414,  428,  432,  589,  610 

Thomas  E 469,  535,  548,  608 

610,  676,  682,  696,  729 

&  Hall 347 

&  Johnson 541 

Hatch's  tavern 400 

Hatcher's  run,  engagement  at 10 

Hatfield,  Mass 23,  28,  51,  93 


Hatteras,   Cape 492 

Hatteras  Island 492 

Haverhill 99,  155,  206 

Haviland,  Gen 133 

Hawkins,  Rush   C 209 

Hawks,  Abigail 627 

Abigail  (Wells) 627 

Eleazar  (Dea.) 610 

Eliezer 627 

John 21,  23,  24,  25,  27 

73,  74,  76,  84,  85,  86,  87,  90 

126,   130,   132,  133,  142,  220 

610,  611,  627 

Judith  (Smead) 610 

Hawks's  mountain 85 

Hawley,   Elisha 668 

Haws,   Daniel 21,  40,  41,  43,  53 

97,  107,  627 

Daniel,  Jr 26 

Hayes,  EmeHa  M 605 

Joseph  R 521,  523,  732 

Miss 356 

Haymarket 292,  297,  301,  309 

Hay  ward,  Deborah 612 

George  O 612 

Huldah 612 

Lemuel 3,  556,  655,  703,  721 

Mary  Hills 612 

Molly 612 

Nathan 193 

Nathan  (son  of  Peter) 612 

Peter 81,  120,  580,  611,  612 

Peter  (Mrs) 612 

Peter  B 467,  612,  686,  730 

Rachel 612 

Ruth 612 

Sylvanus 612 

William 612 

Hazen,   Richard 56 

Hazen's  regiment 236 

Head,  Gov.  Natt 649 

Heald,   Thomas 172,  211,  221 

Healy,  Daniel  K 511,  519,  542 

551,  676 

Heath 91 

Heaton,  Ann 613 

David 359,  613 

David  (son  of  Samuel) 614 

George  S 482,  520 

Hiddah 613,  655 

Isaac 21,  22,  23 

James 64,  81 

Jonathan 161,  205,  207 

220,  613 

Luther 161,  613 

Maria 612 

Nancy 614,  651 

Nathaniel 107,  612 

Oliver 391,  397,  398,  675 

Polly 614 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


759 


Heaton,  Samuel 81,  212,  311 

416,  613,  614 

Samuel,  Jr 614 

Seth  (son  of  Samuel) 614 

Seth....22,  23,  26,  27,  28,  36,  37 
38,  39,  40,  41,  43,  44,  46,  50 
51,  53,  54,  59,  71,  97,  107 
108,  114,  122,  135,  154,  155 
163,  204,  612,  613,  651,  655 
671,  720 

Seth,  Jr 161,  205,  613 

Susanna 613 

William 81,  613 

Hebard,   Alfred 448 

&  Tilden 448 

Hendricks,  Col 228 

Henniker 56 

Henry,  James,  Jr 523 

John 89,  93 

Heon,  Jesse 506 

Herbert,  WilHam 545 

Herrick,  Osgood 414 

Hersey,  Charles  H 524,  688,  711 

Heshbon  Society 409 

.Hessians 227,  641 

Heustis,  William  E 489 

Heywood,  Amos  B 541,  703 

Samuel.. ..21,  22,  26,  41,  46,  720 

William 265 

Hibbard,   Augustine.. .159,  227,  232 

Harry 604 

High  School  Cadets 685 

Highway  commission 703,  711 

Hill,  Charles  H 511 

Dan  &   Earl 694 

Ebenezer 53 

Gardner  C 413,  542,  705 

Horace  J 511 

Isaac 428 

Jabez 53,  97,  103,  107 

John 238 

Joseph   (1) 21,  25 

Joseph  (2) 21 

Rebecca  F.  H 542 

Samuel 89 

Silas  W 500 

WilHam 88 

Hills  and  altitudes 553-554 

Hillsborough 56,  99 

Hillsborough  county 157 

Hills,   Chauncey 541 

Joseph 161 

Nathaniel 81,  89 

Samuel 81,  612 

Hilton  Head 486,  509 

Hinds,  Abigail 638 

Hingham HI 

Hinsdale 29,  35,  39,  77,  92,  98 

120,  125,  129 


Hinsdale,  Ebenezer  ....29,  63,  64 
118, 

Hinsdell's  fort 64,  65,  89 

123, 

Hinsdell's  mills 

Histoire  de  la  Guerre  Civile  en 

Amerique 

History  of  Keene 697,  708, 

History    of  the  United  States, 

Hale's 396, 

Hitchcock,  Hannah 

Julia  Ann 

Hoagg,  Benjamin 

Hoar,  Daniel 21,  22,  23, 

Daniel,  ]r 22 

Hoaton,  William 21,  26 

Hobart   (or  Hubbard)  Col 

227, 

Hobart,   Peter 

Hobbs,   Capt 81,  89,  90,  91, 

Hobson,  John 19,  20 

Hodge,   Mary 

Hodgkins,   Bert  W 

George  M 

William  H 

Holbrook,  Adin..204,  211,  226, 
284,   286,   310,  338,  553, 

Adin  (Mrs.) 

Adin,  Jr 

Chloe 

Clarinda 

Cornelia 

Daniel  H 533, 

E 

Edward  H 

Elihu 

Elijah 

Enos 403,  454, 

George  E 

G.  E.  &  Co 

Grocery  Company 696, 

G.  W.  &  G.  E 

Hannah 

John  J 

Luther 

Samuel  F 479, 

William   F.   (Mrs.) 713, 

Holbrook's  mill 272, 

Holden,  Benjamin 

Jonathan  M 

Holdridge,  Jehiel 

Holland,  Ephraim 

Fred  West 

JG 

HoIIis 14,  189, 

Holraan,   Alvan 

Ira  B 

Louisa 

OHver 429,  431, 

Holmes,  George 523,  533, 


,  65 
123 
,  92 
128 
..75 


479 
723 

637 
605 
605 
..89 
720 
,  23 
,  27 
226 
228 
216 
564 
,  21 
663 
460 
612 
482 
272 
614 
581 
614 
614 
614 
614 
695 
465 
715 
347 
685 
614 
534 
696 
707 
540 
389 
687 
661 
482 
715 
286 
593 
482 
194 
379 
625 
457 
221 
394 
511 
,684 
673 
675 


760 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Holmes,  Lemuel 193,  260 

Lewis 695 

Lewis  W 686,  691 

Oliver  Wendell 457 

Holt,  Edward   B 487 

Ralph  J 652,  694 

Holtoii,  Elijah 89 

Henry 482 

Herbert  G 695 

James 89 

Obed  M 547 

Home  for  Nurses,  Edward  Jos- 

lin 707,  710,  730 

Hook  and  Ladder  Company 708 

Hooker,  Joseph 7,  477 

Hooker's  command 477 

Hooker's  division 478 

Hooper,  Franklin  W 682 

Hoosack  mountain .'...:. ...126 

Hoosack  river 74,  77 

Hope  steam  mills 681,  685 

Hopkins,  George  E 708 

Noah 262 

Hopkinson,  Judge 637 

Hopkinton 56,  65,  73,  206 

Horatian  tower 693 

Horse-sheds 280,  288,  307 

Horton,  Lieut 244 

Hospital   Aid  Society 711 

Hospital  ambulance 700 

Hospital  for  insane 430 

Hospital,  private 685 

Hotels  closed 691 

Hough,  Dan 351,  379,  380,  381 

393,  675 

Houghton,  Abel 489,  520 

Abijah 417 

Adelbert  A 511 

Daniel 256 

George  E 489 

Israel 107,  163,  205 

213,   220,   253,  276,  289,  307 
335,  338 

John 161,  198,  204,  210,  213 

215,   216,   218,  245,  260,  276 
278,   287,   288,  374,  562,  672 

Jonathan 289 

Nehemiah 244 

House  lots.. ..16,  19,  20,  23,  24,  41 
43,  47,  48,  49,  51,  61,  720 

House,  the  first 455,  563 

Houston,  J.  Augustine 511 

How,  Caleb 120 

Daniel,  Jr 89,  93 

Israel 21,  22 

Joseph 75 

Nehemiah 67 

Howard,  Ambrose  W 511 

Austin  E 519 

Daniel  C 689,  699 


Howard,  David 193 

George  A 511 

Joseph 193 

Mary 644 

Mr 122 

WiUiam 489 

Wilham  H 517 

Howe,  Franklin  L 709 

Gen 184,  186,  224 

Louis 684 

Lucius  T 482 

Moses  M 250 

Tilly 178,  194,  219,  220,  226 

Howes,  Jean  P 700 

John  W 699 

Howlett,   Cornelius 421 

Davis 161,  204,  207,  219,  220 

233,   241,   246,  254,  258,  274 

275,   276,   278,  284,  288,  290 

373,  562,  566,  655,  672 

Marv  (Mrs.) 399 

Hubbard,  David 193 

Gov 437 

Hannah 662 

Heurv  (lawver) 589 

Henry   E.....'. 506,  691 

Hezro  W 708 

Hubbardston,  Mass 221 

Hubbert,  Peter 161 

Hudson,  Henry   N 465 

Hudson,  N.  H 14,  221 

Hudson  river 30,  32,  56 

Hugh  de  Payens  Commanderv, 

K.  T...: 548,  696,  697,  707 

Hull's  surrender 355 

Humphrey,   Col 120 

Emogene - 700 

John 466,  534,  536,  676 

689,  710 

John  &  Co 541 

WilHam 592 

Humphrey's  company 208 

Humphrey's  machine  shop 536 

Himt,  Abigail  (Bellows) 641 

Elisha 342 

Ferdinand   K 518,  521 

James 205 

Samuel 234,  248,  260 

WilHam 88 

Hunter,  EH  G 549 

Elizabeth   (Wilson) 663 

Guy 663 

William  G 549 

Huntington,  George 439,  459 

Webster  P 692 

Huntley,   Brig.  Gen 349 

Nathan 194 

Huntress,  Berdia  C 715 

Hurd,  Cyrus 511 

Uzziel 290 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


761 


Hurd,  Warren  H 482,  520 

Hurricane.. .384,  689,  698,  700,  702 

Hutchins,  Benjamin  D 688 

David 466,  541 

Lieut 497 

William  S 454,  675 

Hutchins's  companj',  Capt 218 

Hutchinson,   Aaron 209 

Alec 209 

Thomas 57,  721 

Hyland,  Joseph   M 698 

Reuben 702 

Impervious  Package  Company, 

687,  695 

Imprisonment  for  debt 374 

Incandescent  electric  lights 701 

Independence  Uav 209,  252 

304,   337,   340,  345,  346,  356 

387,   397,  450,  459,  530,  682 

710,  712 

Indian  burving  place 139 

Indian   dam 140 

Indian  fireplaces 140 

Indian  graves 139,  686 

Indians,  habits  and  character- 
istics of  the 136-144 

Indian  legends 644 

Indian  raid 208 

Indian   relics 139 

Indians 29,  30,  33,  35 

36,  54,  62,  64,  66,  67,  68,  69 
70,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77 
78,  79,  80,  81,  82,  84,  85,  86 
87,  89,  90,  91,  92,  93,  95,  99 
102,  115,  116,  119,  120,  121 
122,  123,  127,  128,  129,  132 
133,  136-144,  205,  206,  219 
222,  227,  228,  236,  238,  244 
249,  250,  251,  330,  353,  564 
639,  643,  644,  718,  720,  721 
722,  723 

Indians,  skeletons  of. 139,  686 

Indian  trail 23,  90,  132 

Indian  village 138 

Indian   war 100,  102,  103,  104 

170,  180,  330 

Indicott's  tree 13 

Indurated   Paper  Company 696 

Ingalls,  Charles 413 

IngersoU,  Allen 616 

Bethiah  (Haskell) 614 

Caroline  Haskell 615,  695 

Daniel 4-15,  614 

George 347,  614,  615 

George   (Mrs.) 406,  615 

George  G 391,  455,  615 

Harriet  (Parkhurst) 615 

Martha   (Goldthwaite) 615 

IngersoU   fountain 698 

IngersoU  house 563,  607 


IngersoU  place 146 

Innkeepers 347,  432,  433,  438 

465,  466,  542 

Instruments  of  music ..306 

Intemperance 377 

Invalid  corps 520 

Invalids'  home 539,  681,  730 

Ireland 104,  165 

Irish 444 

Irish,  Henry  G 500 

Horace  N 524 

Iron   bridges 683,  706 

Iroquois 32,  250 

Isle  Au  Noix 133 

Ives,  Bishop 561 

Jackson,  Andrew 360,  404,  419 

George  A 483 

Jackson,  capture  of. 504 

Jacksonville 486 

Jaffrey 173,  235,  368 

558,  633 

Jaffrey,   George 152 

JafiFrey  rifles 450 

Jail 223,  242,  275,  276,  282 

283,   307,   374,  419,  527,  661 
687,  688 

Jamaica  pond  aqueduct 297 

James  island 486 

Jaquith,  CoUins  H 380,  403,  414 

Jarvis,  Anne  Eliza 584 

Russell 378 

WilHam 584 

Jefferson,  Thomas 346,  398 

Jenkins,   Abraham 426 

Leonard 357 

Jenks,  J.  Henry 511 

Jennings  &  Perkins 413 

Jennison,  Elmore  W 709 

John   F 467 

Jerusalem  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M...546 

Jerusalem  plank-road 499 

Jewell,  James 80,  89 

PHny 425 

Johnson,  Beulah 658 

Captive   (Miss) 142 

Charles 263 

Charles  L 524 

Cvrene 464 

Edward 14,  718 

Gen 119,  120,  132,  662 

Gen.   (Confederate) 9,  494 

495,  504 

Henry  C 710 

Henry  H 483 

James 81,  118,  119,  144 

James  (Mrs.) 118,  142 

Jane 643 

Joel 89 

J.J 467 

John   Holland 299 


762 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Johnson,  Jotliam 311 

M 625 

Mehitable 620 

Moses 284,  285,  296,  299 

302,   307,   311,  338,  341,  456 
577,  616,  617 

&  Mann 285,  302,  338 

Johnson  family 142 

Johnston,  Sydney  E 511 

Joilv,  Isaac 506 

Joseph 506,  520 

Jones,  Ashley 466,  674 

Bartholomew 21 

Charles  A 700 

Daniel 260,  546,  587 

Elias 166 

Ephraim 22,  24,  25,  556,  720 

Mary 586 

Sylvester 511 

Jordan,   Gov 706 

Joslin,  Charles  E 618,  701 

David 617 

Edward 452,  459,  467,  533 

536,   538,   540,  543,  580,  617 
618,  675,  707,  730 

Edward  (Mrs.) 443 

.    Elias 674,  695 

Oilman 461 

Horace 476,  487 

Isabella  H .^ 618 

Rebecca  (Richardson) 617 

Sarah   E 618 

&  Fay 617 

&  Gay 540 

Joy,  Frank   E 692 

Joyner,  William 194 

Jubilation 525,  526 

Juvenile  Library 408 

Juvenile  Soldiers'  Aid  Society 473 

Kavan,  James 487 

Keene  Academic  school 404 

Keene  Academy 425,  426,  427 

432,  561,  661,  682,  724 

Keene,  Benjamin 104,  455,  618- 

620,  723 

Charles 618 

Edmund 619 

Keene  Bicycle  Club 689 

Keene  Board  of  Trade.. 690,  696,  708 

Keene  Book  Society 407 

Keene  Bookstore 362,  381,  393 

Keene  Brass  Band 683,  684 

Keene  Chair  Company 541,  684 

Keene  Chapter,  No.  1,  S.  A.  R...710 

Keene,  charter  of. 104-108 

Keene  Chorus  Club. ...707,  708,  715 

Keene  Circulating  Library 408 

Keene  Commandery  No.  90,  U. 

O.   G.  C 684,  714 

Keene  Commercial  Club 708 


Keene  company  (Rev.  war) 230 

235,  238,  252 
Keene  Congregational  Society, 

(Unitarian) 389,  391,  395 

401,   406,   423,  637,  649,  651 
682,  692,  694,  705,  727 

Keene  Daily  Tribune 692,  693 

Keene  Debating  Club 457 

Keene  Debating  Society 407,  414 

Keene  Driving  Park 681 

Keene  Electric  Railway   Com- 
pany  698,  699,  700,  704 

710,  716 

Keene  Engine  Company 348,  385 

Keene  Evening  Sentinel 693,  725 

Keene  Fire  Society 385,  414,  442 

Keene  Five  Cents  Savings  bank, 

534,  601,  686 

Keene  Forensic  Society 407,  457 

Keene  Furniture  Company. .536,  698 
Keene  Gas  and   Electric  Light- 
ing Company 465,  686 

690,  696,  700,  703 
Keene  Granite  and  Terra  Cotta 

factory 693 

Keene  Guaranty  Savings  bank. ..687 

Keene  Harmonic  Society 408 

Keene  High  school.. ..404,  661,  682 
684,  703,  710,  724 
Keene  High  School  Alumni  As- 
sociation  683 

Keene  Horse  Thief  Detecting 

Society 688 

Keene  Humane  Society 681 

Keene  Improvement  Company. ..687 
Keene  (Rural)  Improvement  So- 
ciety  692 

Keene  in  the  Civil  war 469-529 

Keene  Light  Guard  battalion 12 

649,   683,   685,  688,  709,  713 

Keene  Light  Infantry 306,  341 

343,  349,  354,  358,  362,  370 
372,  376,  380,  386,  387,  388 
397,  415,  416,  417,  419,  420 
422,  429,  431,  432,  434,  437 
443,  444,  445,  450,  582,  645 
664,  670,  693 
Keene    Light    Infantry    (Civil 

war  veterans) 536 

Keene  Lyceum 457 

Keene  Manufacturing  Companv.. 689 
Keene  Military  Band. .537,  538,  698 

Keene  Musical  Association 408 

Keene  Musical  Society. .384, 397,  408 

Keene  National  bank 459,  576 

688,  697 
Keene  Natural  History  Society 

139,  538,  686 

Keene  Public  Library 251,  461 

681,   683,   685,  703,  706,  709 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


763 


Keene  Railroad  Company. .421,  422 

Keene  Savings  bank 699 

Keene  Social  Union 540 

Keene  Steam   Power  Company 

453,  532 

Keene  Street 221,  448 

Keene  Telephone  Exchange..  685,  697 
Keene  Temperance  Association. ..409 

Keene  Temperance  Union 691 

Keene  Thief  Detecting  Society.. ..429 

Kees,  Jonas 21 

Solomon 21 

Kehue,  George 511 

Keith,   Fay..\ 511 

Kelleher,  Timothy 512,  703 

Kellogg,   Capt 36 

James   B 521 

Joseph 18,  719 

Nathaniel 26 

Norman 549 

Kellv,  John 194 

Moses 236 

Kemp,   Benjamin 277 

Samuel  H 435 

Kenion,  David  Y 512 

Kent,  Duke  of 641 

Kentucky  Central  railroad 504 

Keyes,   Almira 621 

Charles 674,  730 

E.   C.  &  F.  E 466 

E.  C.   &  P.  H 448 

E.  &  P.  H 448 

Elbridge 411,  576,  621,  730 

Eugene  M 713 

Prancis  E 710 

Harriet 411,  621 

Susan   B 621 

Zebadiah 341,  359,  391,  415 

417,  438,  621,  673 

&  Colony 411,  433,  448 

576,  697 

&   Stratton 540 

Kidder,   Arba 461,  532,  673,  675 

Henry 489 

James  P 523 

Ruth 293 

&  Winchester 449 

Kilburn,  Frances  W 647 

Hetty 123 

Jehiel 647 

Joel 216 

John.. 96,  99,  123,  124,  207,  319 

John   (Mrs.) 123 

John,  Jr 123 

Kilpatrick,  Judson 537,  538 

Kimball  Academy 535 

Kimball,  Benjamin 589 

Horatio..542,  684,  687,  693,  696 

Miss  L.  K 426 

Samuel  H 518 


Kimball,  Virgil  M 443, 

Wales 

Kindergarten  schools 

King,  David   C 

Elijah 

John 30, 

Marv  Ann 

Samuel. .222,  264,  265,  266, 

Sarah  Kellogg 

Seth 

Starr 

Susan  

Wallace  A 

William 413, 

King  George  H 55,  104, 

King  George  HI 160, 

King  George's  war 

Kingman,  Albert  H 

King  Philip 31,  32,  33, 

King  PhiUp's  war 30,  31,  32 

Kingsbury,   Abial 

Abigail  Martha 

Abijah...364.  414,  449,  620, 
658, 

Abijah  W^ilder 

Adams 

Albert 621, 

Charles 

Chester  L 618, 

Daniel. ...107,  154,  161,  198, 

205,   215,   216,  220,  231, 

248,   250,   251,  253,  274, 

276,   277,   278,  284,  300, 

620,   672,   674, 

Darius 

David 310, 

Edward   A 500, 

Elizabeth 

Fred  H 

George 466,  541,  621, 

George  S 

Harry  T 696, 

Henry .' 

Henry  (kinsman  of  Daniel).... 

Joel 346,  394,  620,  672, 

John 

Joseph  

Josiah 621, 

Julia  Ann 

Mary 

Molly 

Nathaniel 161,  204,  214, 

620, 

Reuel  H 

Sarah 

Theodore 

William 

King's  cannon,  the 

King's  Lynn,  Norfolk 

Kingston Ill, 


454 
.433 
.710 
.524 
.223 
524 
.556 
267 
.603 
,603 
,457 
,603 
524 
609 
556 
168 
,721 
,519 
141 
,  34 
647 
,621 
621 
730 
,621 
308 
688 
,621 
695 
204 
232 
275 
391 
676 
620 
620 
519 
621 
504 
688 
524 
705 
512 
620 
673 
620 
620 
695 
621 
621 
620 
220 
647 
519 
621 
620 
621 
346 
618 
117 


764 


GHNERAL  INDEX. 


Kinson,  John  Q 512 

Kirk,  Reuben  S 524 

Wesley  L 686 

Kittery  Point 519 

Kittredge,  Thomas  B 449,  464 

467,  542,  686,  729 

Thomas  B  (Mrs.) 473 

Knapp,  Clark  A 524 

Knight,  Charles  H 506 

David 707 

E.   A 549 

Elijah 438 

Knights  of  Pythias 713 

Knights  of  Pythias  band. ..712,  713 

Knights  Templar,  order  of. 11 

548,  696,  697,  707 

Knowles,  Charles 78 

Knowlton,   Capt 181,  183,  184 

Charles 512 

Isaac  C ....728 

James 467 

&  Stone 540,  686 

Koener,  Gustav 635 

Labor,  highway,  price  of. 387 

Ladies'  Cent  Society 409 

Ladies'  Charitable  Society 409 

"  444,  702 

Ladies'  Exchange 701 

Ladies'  Home  Circle 692 

Ladies'  minstrels 711 

Ladies'  Wildwood  park 616 

693,  694 

Lahiflf,  John 700 

Lake  Champlain 34,  85,  87 

128,  216 

Lake,  Daniel 162 

Lake  George 132 

Lake  Mystic 141 

Lake,  the  old 717 

Lake  Winnepesaukee 14,  75 

Lamphere,  Orlando  M 483 

Lamson  block. ...301,  448,  464,  683 

Lamson,  Charles. .11,  392,  434,  450 

454,   468,   543,  622,  682,  730 

Cutting  &  Co 410 

John   L 523 

Joseph 621 

Margaret  R 11,  473 

Susanna   (Frothingham) 621 

Winiam..281,  307,' 351,  364,  384 

392,   405,  406,  410,  423,  425 

428,  431,  440,  580,  621,  622 

William,  Jr.. ..374,  380,  382,  392 

398,  403,  432,  454 

Wilham,  &  Co 433,  434 

&   Blake 392 

&  Grout 380 

Lamson's  tan  yard 67,  281 

307,  685 
Lancaster,  Mass Ill,  374 


Lancaster  Shoe  Company,  C.  B. 

694,  708 

C.  B.  &  Co 692 

Lane,  Elisha  F 459,  548,  554 

659,  697,  726 

Ezekiel 622 

Farnum   F 449,  454,  461,  467 

542,   622,   623,  675,  690,  729 

Henry  W 697 

Lewis 689 

Nathaniel  F 478,  483 

Rachel  (Fish) 622 

Lane's  block 694 

Lane's  "E.  F.  L."  building 696 

Langdon,  John 167,  169,  224 

277,  348 

President  (of  Harvard) 181 

Lang's  regiment.  Col.  Pierce 217 

Lang,  William  H 516,  521 

Lanman,  Hannah 428 

James 347,  428,  614 

Susan 122,  392 

La   Plante,  Sieur 90 

Larabee,  Peter 118,  119 

Stephen. .162,  178,  194,  204,  214 

Larrabee,   Benjamin 103 

Laurel  Hill,  Va 486 

Lawler,   Henry 683 

Lawrence,   Asa 655 

Betsey 655 

Frederick  C 500 

John 655 

Jonathan 93 

Jonathan,  Jr 89 

Micah 222,  678 

William 364 

Lawyers  ....364,  393,  410,  449,  467 
542,  729 

Leach,  James 512 

Joseph  A 545,  686 

Leahey,  Thomas   F 524 

Lebanon,   Conn 155 

Lebanon,  N.  H 13,  14 

Lebouryeau,  John 204,  210,  220 

Wilham 392 

Zenas 246,  360 

Lechmere  Point 171 

Lee,  Charles 195,  235 

Gen 11,  479,  488,  493,  526 

Gideon  E 684 

Sarah  (Wilson) 663 

William 236 

Lee,  surrender  of 499,  529 

Leet,  George  H 710 

Lempster,  N.  H 193 

Leominster,   Mass 640 

Leonard,  Betsey   (Nourse) 357 

363,  459 

Ephraim 162 

George  O 466 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


765 


Leonard,  Henry  O 512 

John 459 

Nancy  E 668 

Noah 300 

Rev.  Mr 397,  464 

Lesure,  John   G 524,  705 

Lettenniayer,   Otto 512,  710 

Letter  boxes,  street 683 

Letter  carriers 691 

Leverett,  Frank  J 506,  623 

John 623 

Katharine  F 623 

Sarah   D 623 

Sarah  M 425,  426 

Susannah  (Johnson) 623 

Thomas 623 

Thomas  H 445,  454,  458 

460,  465,   533,  623,  679,  680 

Thomas   H.   (Mrs.) 473 

Levoy,  Henry  E 512 

Lewis,  EH 194 

Ezekiel 15 

Ira  D 711 

James 236 

WilHam  H 512 

Lexington,   Mass 171,  172 

256,  609 

Liberal   Preacher,  the 408,  649 

Liberty  hall 685 

Library  (See  also  Keene  Public 

Library). ...342,  381,  393,  408 
461,  651,  725 

License 286,  441,  709 

License  commissioners 710 

Licensed   taverns 311,  377,  421 

Lightning 685 

Lilly  Safe  Company 527 

Lincoln,  Asa 410 

Gen 225,  226 

James 300 

Judge 663 

President 468,  469,  470,  471 

475,   496,   508,  516,  524,  526 
636,  666 

Lincoln,  Mass 555,  556 

Lincoln  schoolhouse..704,  705,  706 
Lion  and  the  Blue  Ball,  tavern.. 285 

Lion  Engine  Comjjanj' 456,  465 

Liquors 253,  338,  409,  421 

561,  691 

Lisbon,  Portugal 636,  693 

Litchfield,  George  A 459 

Litchfield,  N.  H 221 

Little,  Elizabeth 663 

Livermore,  Abiel  Abbot 407 

423,  425,  428,  433,  442,  450 
624,  625,  727 

Abiel  Abbot  (Mrs.) 444,  447 

Arthur 270,  271 

Mr 102 


Livermore,  Samuel 288,  292 

Thomas  L 517 

Livery  stable,  first 414 

Living  flag 714,  715 

Livingston,  William 89 

Locke,  Edwin  R 674 

Lockport,  N.  Y 567 

Loco   Focos 665 

Lodge  of  the  Temple,  No.   88, 

A.  F.  &  A.  M 547,  548 

London 54,  103,  164 

Londonderry,  N.  H 67,  169,  197 

Longfellow,  Henry  W 644 

Long,  J.  H.    (Mrs.) 468 

Long  river 31 

Longstreet's  corps 494 

Lothrop,  Isaac 15 

Lots,  division  of 16,  20,  21,  23 

24,  25,  37,  43,  49,  720 

Lottery 343,  362,  393 

Loudon,  Lord 128 

Louisburg 63,  130 

Love,  William  DeLos,  Jr.  (Mrs.)  605 

Loveland,  Milan  E 542 

Lovewell,   Zaccheus 130 

Lowe,  Charles 634 

Lowell,  Judge 625 

Lowell,  Mass 55 

Loyal  Legion 11,  12,  648 

Ludlow 133 

Lund,  John 350 

Lundy's  Lane,  battle  of. 360 

Lunenburg,  Mass 646,  662 

Lyford,  Jeremiah,  Jr 512 

Lj'man,  Ann  E 621 

Edward  E 536,  548 

Lyndeboro 56 

Lyscom,  John 373 

Macadam  ..694,  695,  696,  698,  710 

Macadamizing  plant 693 

Maccanv,  Daniel 81,  91,  97 

Macdonald,  Flora 562 

James 562 

Machinists,  International  Asso- 
ciation of. 714 

Mack,  Elisha 219,  226,  241 

242,  588 

Jeremiah 194 

Mack's  company,  Capt.  Elisha 

'220,  229,  614,  641 

Madison,  James 361 

Mafl"ett,  Robert 73 

Maguire,  John 369,  595,  621 

Mail  deHverv,  free 708 

Mail  route..'. 247,  290,  292,  337 

344,  363 

Main  street 37,  44,  48,  50 

100,   172,   173,  383,  553,  701 

709,  720 
Main  street  schoolhouse 688 


766 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Malvern  Hill 488 

Manchester 31 

Manchester  Cornet  band 458 

Manchester  &  Keene  railroad. ...535 
681,   683,   685,  686,  687,  730 

Man  eaters 32 

Mangan,  Dennis 512 

Man,  Hezekiah 204 

Richard 107 

Mann,  Benjamin 174,  192 

Hezekiah 204 

James 285,  338,  340,  350 

616,  667 

Richard 107 

&  Wood 340,  350 

Mansfield,   Achilles 205 

Col 195 

Mr 218 

Manufacturers. ..466,  467,  541,  542 

Marcy,  William  L 419 

Marden,  George  A 537 

Marlboro  Light  Infantry 434 

Marlboro,   Mass 23,  75 

Marlboro,  N.  H 180,  208,  221 

361,  374,  657 

Marlboro  road 173,  272 

Marlboro  street 59 

Marlow 193,  194 

Marsh,  Elisha 158 

George  W 476,  493,  500 

Henry  H 483 

James 561,  663 

Moses 162,  204 

Reuben 359 

Marshfield,   Mass 651 

Marston,  Gilman 476,  477 

478,  479 

Marston's  company 564 

Martha  Greenwood   (ship) 492 

Martin,  Jonathan 267 

Laton 285,  467,  697 

Laton  (Mrs.) 582,  645 

Paul 500 

Rebecca 579 

Marvin,  Bryon  0 501 

Edwin..." 512 

Marye's  Heights 488,  494 

Maryland  campaign. ..478,  488,  494 

Mason,  Andrew  R 521,  542 

Ashley 685 

Company,  W.  L 698 

Ebenezer 21 

Edmund   C 359 

John 718,  723 

John  C 414 

John  Tufton 723 

Leston  E 704 

Moses 506 

Orin  F 501 

Simeon  A 506 


Mason,  Wallace  L 3,  4,  459 

Warren  J 683 

Mason  grant 104,  718 

Masonian  line 257 

Masonian  proprietors 723 

Masonic  hall 289,  307,  308,  341 

348,  546 

Mason,  N.  H 174,  192 

Mason  patent 718,  723 

Masons  (Freemasons) 306,  338 

408,   545-548,   587,  646,  682 

Massachusetts 13,  14,  29 

33,  49,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  63 
64,  65,  66,  68,  73.  76,  77,  79 
85,  88,  94,  96,  116,  117,  118 
123,  125,  126,  131,  176,  192 
471,  719 

Massachusetts  Archives 96,  98 

Massachusetts  Bay 32,  55,  57 

59,  104,  118 
Massachusetts  Commandery  of 
the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  of  the  United 

States 11,  12,  648 

Massachusetts  committee  of 

safety 182 

Massachusetts  grant 13,  61,  100 

103,   104,   149,  462,  718,  719 

Massachusetts,  province  of  ...15,  31 

32,  36,  49,  57,  59,  94,  97 

Massachusetts,  the  (Indians) 31 

Massachusetts,  the  general  court 

of. 13,  16,  17,  19,  24.  34 

40,  41,  42,  44,  56,  64,  66,  69 
77,  93,  103,  118,  719 

Massasoit,  chief. 32,  142 

Mass  meetings 503,  524 

Master,   Abraham 21 

Mather,  Cotton 652 

Mathews,  James  H 506 

Maxham,   Henry  C 686 

Maxwell,  Henry 567 

May,  Eleanor .637 

May  festival 539 

May  Flower,   the 539 

McCaffery,  Patrick 497,  501 

McCarthv.   Jerry  F 701 

McCarty,  Thaddeus 294,  307 

310,  672 

McClary,   Andrew 177,  179,  187 

McClellan,  Gen 493,  502 

McClellan's  campaign 478 

494,  503 

McClure,  George  W 506 

McCord,  Archibald 698,  702 

McCrae,  Eleanor 684 

McCurdy,  George  H 693 

M'Curdy's  meadow 121 

McDaniels,  Alexander 277 

McDonough 357 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


767 


McDuffee,  George  W 536,  696 

698,  702 

McGuire,  John 369,  595,  621 

Mclntyre,  J 549 

McKenny,Beriah...49,  51,  52,  53,  59 

Daniel 81,  91,  97 

Mrs 70,  71,  722 

Young 72 

McKinley,  President 701,  702 

706,  707 

McMaster,  Isaac  P 494,  501 

McNeil,  John 439 

Mead,  EHas 392 

Hannah  W 608 

Larkin  G 404,  417 

Polly 661 

Samuel 608 

Mechanic  street  shops 453,  515 

516,  532,  629 

Medfield,  Mass 22 

Medford,  Mass.. .174,  176,  177,  180 
182,  190,  193,  194 
Medical   and   Agricultural  Reg- 
ister  555 

Medical     Society     of    Cheshire 

County 393 

Medwav,  Mass 49 

Meetinghouse 36,  37,  40,  41,  47 

48,  50,  51,  59,  60,  61,  63,  79 
100,  102,  110,  112,  113,  114 
129,  146,  148,  149,  150,  151 
154,  157,  159,  170,  172,  237 
239,  241,  274,  275,  276,  277 
278,  279,  280,  283,  284,  287 
288,  290,  293,  296,  301,  305 
306,  307,  321,  328,  330,  331 
340,  371,  374,  390,  395,  401 
403,  455,  464,  502,  640,  641 
726,  727 

Meetinghouse  hill 47,  48,  554 

Meetinghouse  plat.. 60,  79,  110,  300 

Meganichcha 30 

Mellen,  Gilbert 342,  363 

John 221 

Meloon,  Nathaniel 116 

Melville,   Henry 417 

Melvin,  Benjamin 81,  222 

Benjamin,  Jr 222 

Eleazar 74,  80,  90 

Melvin's  disaster 90,  92 

Menagerie,  first  in  Keene 387 

Mendon,  Mass 611 

Merchants 448,  449,  466,  467 

540,  541,  732 

Meredith 13 

Meriden 535 

Merrill,  Solomon  P.. ..524,  691,  701 

Merrimack 65,  132,  152,  206 

207,  221 
Merrimac  river.. 13,  14,  55,  64,  120 


Merrimac  valley 31,  33,  65 

Merry's  meadow 92 

Messenger,  Edward   M 506 

Esther 97 

Messenger,  Henr3-,  heirs  of. 107 

Metcalf,   Abijah 97,  161,  205 

214,   249,  294,  370,  410,  433 
638.  673 

Albert  W 524 

Alvah  E 690 

Capt 340 

Daniel 162 

Edwin   G 688 

Eh 162,  204,  276,  290,  307 

423    454 

Ezra 162,  173,  193^  226 

Frederick 294 

George 359 

Henry  N 476,  479,  483,  728 

Jonathan 162 

Jotham 154,  204,  219,  276 

287,  288,  672 

Luke 163,  173,  193 

Michael 97,  108,  110,  112 

113,    114,   122,  135,  148,  150 

157,   161,   204,  211,  249,  288 

671,  676 

Michael,  Jr 97,  103,  107,  109 

148,  226,  229,  445 

Michael  (3) 454 

OHver 97 

Salmon   G 501,  516 

Thaddeus 249,  276,  389,  560 

William 638 

William   F 506 

Meteor 681 

Methodist  church 536,  544,  692 

698,   706,  708,  709,  727 

Mexico,  City  of. 579 

Mexican  war 443 

Michigan 559 

Middlebury  College 535 

Middlesex  canal 350,  3S3 

Middlesex  regiment 96 

Middletown,  Conn 588 

Mighills,  John 73,  74 

Military  band. ...349,  531,  535,  537 

Military  road 220 

Militia 161,   170,  237,  246,  289 

340,   342,   343,  349,  354,  358 
370.   376,  415,  416,  417,  419 

Mill  creek 286,  552 

Miller,  A.  H 467 

Caleb 609 

Isaac,  Jr 359 

James 360,  583 

Miranda  Rosetta 609,  610 

Sarah  C.  (Pierce) 609 

Miller's  river 16,  30 

Minikin's  tavern 207 


768 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Milmore,  Martin 536,  537,  538 

Mine,  battle  of  the 10,  498 

Minister 16,  100,  107,  170.  201 

231,   232,   327,  369,  373,  455 

462,   533,   558,  561,  726,  727 

Ministerial  fund 514 

Minister  lot 21,  43,  147,  462 

Minister  tax 302,  303,  372 

377    389 
Ministry  lot 21,  37,  43,  60 

293,   369,  458,  462,  463,  464 

514,  732 

Ministry,  the 16,  37,  46 

163,   166,   218,  231,  232,  243 
303,  431 

Minute  men 170,  171 

Miscellaneous  facts  and  events 

544-554 
Miscellaneous  organizations  521-524 

Mississippi  campaign 508 

Missouri,  slavery 376 

Mitchell,  Ebenezer 91 

George 56 

John  E 512,  732 

Moderators 676,  677 

Mohawk  river 247 

Mohawks,  the 30,  32,  33 

Mohawk  valley 32 

Mohegans,  the 32 

Mohicans,  the 32 

Monadnock  Agricultural  Works. .688 
Monadnock      Colonv,     Pilgrim 

Fathers,  No.  107 691,  693 

Monadnock  Cycle  Club 697,  700 

Monadnock    Encampment,   No. 

10 550 

Monadnock  mountain  ...14,  30,  705 

Monocacy  river 504 

Monroe,   Hannah  T 566 

James 691 

Montague,  Richard.. ..393,  410,  415 

Montcalm 128,  131 

Montgomery,    John 358 

Montpelier, ' Vt'. 569,  706 

Montreal. ..81,  83,  85,  86,  87,  89,  90 

130,  132,  133 

Monument,  soldiers'. .536,  537,  538 

Mooney,   Col 238 

Moor,  Robert 21 

Moore,  Capt 129 

James 506 

Jonas  L 140 

Mrs 578 

Robert 21 

Morals,  General   Monadnock 

Society  for  the  Promotion 

of 368 

Morehouse,  John 246 

Morgan,   I.  0 549 

Morgan's  corps 230 


Morrill,  Josiah  M 524 

Morris,  Edward 506 

George  H 506 

Morris  Island 486 

Morrison,  Rev.  Dr 624 

Morse,  Azubah 428 

David 21,  146 

Elmer  T 708 

Ezra 194 

James 296,  307 

JuHus  N 462,  542,  698 

Levi  M.  (or  W.) 524 

Mr 44 

Nelson 687 

Rebecca 614 

Thomas 162,  178,  194,  211 

220,  236 

Morton,  Jonathan 21 

Moss,  Rev.  Mr 464 

Moulton,  Sarah   D 657 

Moultonborough 206 

Mount  Holly 85,  90 

Mount     Horeb      Commandery, 

K.T 707 

Mount  Huggins  Hotel, 690 

Mount  Monadnock  Lodge,  No. 
371,  N.  B.  M.  and  L  S.  B. 

of  America 714 

Mount  Pleasant  House 563 

Mourning,  days  of.. ...526,  659,  706 

Muchmore,  George  H 494,  501 

Hadlev  P 466,  541,  695 

Murdick,  Oliver  P 524 

Murphv,  Daniel  W 545 

Music  hall 707 

Muster 289,  342,  349,  357,  376 

388,   391,   416,  417,  422,  431 
437,  438,  443,  450 

Muster  field 457 

Muster,   firemen's 459,  530,  531 

Mystic  river 181,  183,  187 

Nails 294,  295 

Nanepashemet,  widow  of. 141 

Narragansetts,   the 32,  141 

Nash,  Eugene  P 518 

Frank 483 

Mary  Pratt  Cooke 704 

Nashua 14 

Nashua  river 31 

Nashuas,   the 31 

Natick,  Mass 609 

National  Sanitary  Commission 

473,  525 

Nawelet 30 

Neall,  James 123 

Negroes 115,  291 

329,  376 

Nelson.  Harriet  B 623 

Horatio  A 686 

William 162,  205 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


769 


Nelson,  N.  H.  (Packersfield) 5.  6 

104,   161,   173,  175,  176,  193 
330,  361 

Neptune  Fire  Company 465,  542 

Neptune  hose  house 696 

Nestle,  John  1 675 

Newberne 493 

New  Charles  Town 126 

Newcomb,   Charles 625 

Daniel  (1) 215,  237 

242,  246,  251,  260,  276,  277 
285,  287,  291,  292,  293,  295 
296,  300,  302,  305,  307,  308 
311,  337,  340,  348,  349,  351 
354,  374,  456,  567,  577,  582 
588,  625,  626,  672,  674,  676 
679  729 
Daniel  (Mrs.). .365,  406,  596'  625 

Daniel    (2) 625 

Everett 414,  419,  423 

Fanny 625 

Francis 625 

Francis  E 688 

George 302,  625 

Gideon 419 

Hannah 409 

Hannah  Dawes 625 

Harriet 625 

Henry  S...354,  381,  384,  391,  625 

John 416 

Jonathan 625 

Levi 349,  625 

Lucretia 625 

Patty 625 

Sallv 567,  625 

Setli 625 

Walter 386,  625 

William  Dawes 625 

&  Wilder 419 

New  Connecticut.. 257, 258,  259,  260 
New  county  (west  of  Merrimac 

river) 152 

Newell,  Gad 367 

James  Q 464 

foseph 286 

Zebina 459,  680 

New  England 30,  32,  33,  62,  87 

105,  206,  243 

New  England  Observer 139 

692,  725 
New    England    Telephone    and 

Telegraph   Companv 687 

688,  703 

Newhall,   Cyrus 549 

New  Hampshire  Agricultural 

College 657 

New   Hampshire    and  Vermont 

Journal 296 

New  Hampshire  Asj'lum  for  the 

Insane 430,  653,  654 


New  Hampshire  Bible  Society. ...471 

New  Hampshire  brigade 496,  498 

505,  507 

New  Hampshire  charter 96-114 

462,  723 
New  Hampshire  Federation  of 

Women's   Clubs 706 

New  Hampshire  Gazette.. ..160,  291 
New  Hampshire    Glass    Fac- 
tory  366,  367 

New  Hampshire  grants 222,  227 

247,  249,   255-271 

New  Hampshire  hall 177 

New  Hampshire  Historical  So- 
ciety  395 

New  Hampshire  legislature 206 

439,  473 
New  Hampshire  Medical  Society  653 
New  Hampshire  Molded  Gran- 
ite and  Terra  Cotta  Com- 
pany  696 

New  Hampshire  Recorder.. 282,  283 

286,   287,   289,  291,  304,  725 

New  Hampshire  Sentinel.. ..304,  361 

436,  492,   515,  542,  563,  636 

687,   691,   692,  695,  702,  725 

New  Hampshire  State  Papers 96 

102,  104 

New  Hampshire  troops 245,  247 

251,  256,  264,  268 

New  Hampshire  village 245 

New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Cav- 

alrv 516 

New   Ipswich 56,  172,  173 

175,   206,   227,  232,  368,  557 
578,  632 

New,  J.  C.  &  T 449,  466 

New  Jersey 55,  245 

New  London,   Conn 237 

New  Orleans,  battle  of  (1815)  ...360 
New  Orleans,  capture  of  (1862)  503 

Newport  News 493,  494,  504 

Newport,  N.   H 104,  203 

New  Rum   brook 553 

Newspapers 725,  726 

Newton,   Ebenezer 154,  162,  205 

214,   220 

Newtown,  N.  Y 238 

New   York 206,  210,  255,  256 

259,  471,  486 

Niagara 119,  130,  131,  132 

Nichewong Ill 

Nichols,   Asaph 205 

Benjamin 89 

Moses.. ..226,  228,  236,  244,  265 

&  Wardwell 711 

Nichols's  regiment 226,  227,  229 

562,  614,  641 

Niles,  Nathaniel 158 

Nims,  Abigail  (Hawks) 305,  628 


770 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Nims,  Aitisworth  M 687 

Alpheus 162,  276,  302,  304 

307,  309,  628 

Asahel 162,  173,  191,  193 

194,  628 

Asahel  (son  of  David,  Jr.) 629 

Brothers  &  Co 701 

Charles  R 688 

Chester 674 

Crossfield  &  Co 630 

Dauphin  W.  (Mrs.) 697 

David 43,  44,  49,  50,  53 

77,  81,  89,  97,  103,  107,  108 
110,  113,  114,  119,  134,  135 
146,  149,  150,  151,  155,  160 
163.  165,  204,  232,  305,  310 
611,  612,  626-628,  629,  646 
671,  676,  677,  679,  697,  703 
706,  730 

David,  Jr 162,  204,  249 

274,   276,   296,  399,  627,  628 

629,  672 

Ebenezer...40,  41,  43,  46,  47,  50 

53,    97,    103,    107,    108,    111 

112,   114,   129,  135,  148,  163 

214,  629,  671,  679 

Ebenezer  (vSr.) 626 

Eliakim 162,  173,  191,  194 

204,   207,  277,  628,  629 

Elizabeth 611 

Elmira 659 

Francis  0 706 

George 302 

George  H 512 

John 21,  611 

Lanmon 445,  453,  629,  630 

673,   674,  690,  730,  733 

Luc}'  (Mrs.) 526 

Lucy  (Mrs.  Wright) 667 

Marv 629 

Marv   (Heaton) 629 

Matthew 526 

Reuel 466,  540,  730 

Samuel 519,  689 

Sarah   (Hoyt) 626 

Whitney  &"Co 630,  689,  694 

Zadock 162,  204,  220,  628 

&  Buss 453 

&   Crossfield. .453,  516,  532,  629 

Nims'   block 694 

Nine  Lot  plain. .47,  48,  59,  416,  437 

Nineteenth  army  corps 509 

Ninth  army  corps 8,  493,  494 

496,  497,  498,  504,  505,  508 

Ninth  N.  H.  Vols 496,  497,  498 

504-507,  508,  514 

Nipmucks,  the 32,  33 

Nixon,  Col 195 

Non-consumption  agreement 165 

Non-importation  agreement 165 


Non-intercoiirse  and  embargo. ...347 

North   Adams ". 73 

North  American  SpelHng  Book. ..651 

Northampton 28.  35,  42,  71 

North    Anna    River,    battle    of, 

10,  498 

North,  army  of  the 206 

North  branch 154,  551 

North  CaroHna 7,  492 

North  cemetery 705 

Northfield,  Ma"ss 16,  23,  24,  26 

29,  35,  38,  39,  49,  51,  65,  68 

75,  79,  80,  83,  84,  89,  90,  91 

92,  98,  96,  111,  123,  126,  138 

155,  158 

North  Lincoln  street 689 

Norton,  Mass 562,  625 

Norwood,  Charles  M 691 

WiUiam   A 449 

&  Hubbard 449,  502 

&  Weeks 449 

Nottingham 221 

Nourse,   Benjamin 220,  630 

Benjamin,  Jr 630 

Betsey 614 

Calvin 630,  631 

Charity 630 

Francis 630 

George 631 

Isaac 630 

Phineas 575,  630,  631,  655 

Phineas,  Jr 631 

Rebecca 579 

Silas 630 

Sophronia 580 

Nova  Scotia 55 

Noyes,  Samuel  L 483 

Nuisance 441 

Nurse,  Isaac   (Mrs.) 597 

Luther 201,  454,  597,  630 

631,  645,  655,  673,  675 
Rebecca  (Towne)...575,  631,  651 

Nute,   Alonzo 491 

Nye,  Charles  H 519 

Nathan 299 

O'Brien,  Cornelius 483 

James,  Jr 523 

John 523,  732 

William  D 512 

Ocean  bank 528 

O'Connor,  Thomas  J 711 

Octagon  reservoir 689 

Odd  Fellows 549,  683,  703 

O'Hara,  Bernard 545 

Ohio 123 

Oil  mill 338 

Olcott,  Brainerd  T 524 

Rev.  Mr 232.  287 

Old  mail 400 

Old  printing  office 307 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


771 


Old  town  brook 687 

O'Leary,  James 711 

Oliphant,  David 369,  372,  379 

455,  631,  632,  727 

Onion  river 34,  208 

Opequan,  battle  of. 509,  648 

Oration,  Dr.  Seward's. .716,  717-731 

Ordinance  of  secession 469 

Ormsby,  William   S 507 

Osborne,  Stephen  D 453,  461 

466,  541,  605,  676,  730 

&  Hale 453,  515.  605 

Osgood,  Benjamin 89,  90,  163 

205,  672 

Benjamin,  Jr 162,  205 

Jonas 277 

Joshua 162,  204.  278.  284 

317,  318 

Oliver 243 

Ruby 621 

Samuel 207,  220,  276,  405 

Ossipees,  the 31 

Oswego 131 

Ottawas,  the 250 

Otter  creek 85,  87,  90,  92,  132 

220,  221 

Oxen,   great 289 

Packersfield 104,  161,  173,  175 

176,  193,  330,  361 

Packersfield   road 292 

Page,   Calvin 450 

Elizabeth  (Mrs.) 423 

Geonje...394,  419,  452,  580,  617 

Lewis 119,  382 

Lucian    B 543,  627 

William 260,  265,  266,  268 

&  Holman 413 

Paine,  Daniel 73 

Palmer,  Cyrus 308 

Thomas 15 

Paquoiag 16,  17,  18,  19,  111 

Par  ache,  James 544 

Parade 713,  714 

Pargetized  Can  Company 687 

Paris,  Compte  de 479 

Paris,  Kv 623 

Park,   Central 451,  452 

Parke,  John  G 494 

Parker,  Aaron 419 

Abel 379,  387,  633 

Addison  L 524 

Amos  A 439,  459,  693,  695 

Blanchard  &  Co 380 

Carlton 685 

Charles  Edward 445,  465 

630,  632 

Clinton  J 519 

David  Hall 632 

Edith  (Jewett) 633 

Edmund 633 


Parker,  Elijah. ...368,  370,  383,  384 

385,   391,    393,  403,  407,  408 

410,   415,   421,  425,  435,  445 

454,   602,   604,  632,  633,  678 

679,  682,  729 

Elijah  (Mrs.) 526 

Elijah  Wellman 632 

E.  &  J 393 

Henry  E 476,  483,  632 

Henry  R 707 

Horatio 534 

Horatio  G 455,  632 

Horatio  W 632 

Isaac 69,  126,  127,  129 

351,   352,   353,  354,  356,  358 

361,   368,   370,  371,  372,  380 

456,  673 

Isaac  &  Co 350,  380 

Joel 251,  375,  377 

378,  387,  388,  390,  391,  393 
398,  399,  400,  403,  404,  407 
408,  409,  410,  414,  425,  427 
444,  454,  456,  457,  583,  587 
604,  632,  633,  634,  666,  675 
677,  729 

John  A 512 

Jonas 621,  702 

Jonathan 689 

Joseph 206 

Luther  M 512 

Mary    (Morse) 632 

Marv  M.  (Miss). ...425,  632,  633 

Nahum 376,  397,  417 

Rufus  L 702 

Sally  Ann 682 

Stephen 227,  632 

Warren  M 490 

William  H 483,  512,  523 

William  W 702 

Wilder  &  Parker 380 

&  Beal 466 

&  Hotigh 352,  361,  380 

Parker's  store,  attack  near 496 

Parkhurst,  Harriet 615 

Parkman,  Francis 433 

Park  street 695 

Parliament 164 

Parmalee,  Past  Grand 549 

Parochial   school 689 

Parris,  Fernando  John 55 

Parrv,   Edward 164 

Partridge,  Capt 584,  623 

George  W 373 

Levi.. ." 288 

Reuben 204,  211,  214,  216 

220,  237,   246,  252,  274,  275 
276,   277,  286,  310,  672 

Partridge's  mills 286,  310 

Partridge's  tavern 241,  286 

Passaconawaj' '. 31,  142,  143 


112 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Patent  line 104,  257 

Patriarchs  Militant 551 

Patrick,  Samuel 704 

Patridge,  Amos 154,  162,  310 

Patten,  John 289 

WilHam 156 

Patterson,  James  W 537,  538 

J.  N 480 

Patterson's  division 475 

Pawtucket  Confederacy 31 

Pawtucket  Falls 55,  56 

Pawtuckets,  the 31 

Pavne,   Elijah 266 

Payson,  Seth 368,  379 

Peabodv,  Joseph,  heirs  of. 107 

Stephen 206 

Peace  congress 470,  729 

Peace  jubilee 702 

Peacock,  John 431 

Peak,  Mr 123 

Pearson,  Abiel 631 

Edward 634 

Henry  H 494,  495 

496,  498 

Mary 631 

Pease,  Experience 277 

Jacob 277 

Peck,  J.  W.  &  Co 685 

Peg  factory 310 

Pelham,  N.  H 14 

Pembroke,  N.  H 14 

Pemigewasset  river 75 

Penacook  (Concord) 14,  29,  31 

65,  76,  79,  119 

Pendexter,  Merritt  C 706 

Peninsular  campaign 488 

Pennacooks,   the 30,  31,  33,  34 

Penobscot  river 31 

Pepperell,  WilHam 15,  63 

Pequots,  the 32,  136,  718 

Perham,  Edmond  J 507 

Perkins,  A.  E.  P 426 

Charles  P 413 

James 205 

Jared 450 

Susan  King  (Mrs.) 156,  556 

699,  704 

Perry,  Catherine  (Hale) 636 

Charles  H 699 

Commodore 357 

Ellen  Elizabeth 634 

Francis  A 531,  681,  686,  694 

699,  705,  706,  707 

George  W .*549,  643,  682 

Henry 634 

Horace 697 

Horatio  Justus 634,  635 

636,  693 

Joseph 636 

Joseph  G 536,  636 


Perry,  Justus  (Capt.) 358,  361 

367,  370,  372,  376,  380,  388 
391,  392,  397,  398,  405,  407 
415,  416,  417,  418,  422,  427 
434,  438,  447,  634,  635,  657 
693,  730 

Justus  (Dr.) 634 

Martha  Ann 634 

Martha  (Frost) 634 

Mary  Edwards 635,  693 

Mary  H.  (Mrs.) 399 

Mary  GUvia 634 

S.  Horace 507 

Silas 636,  672 

William  H 501 

&  Wheeler 410,  416,  464 

&  Wood 392 

Pest  house 215 

Peterboro,  N.  H 56,  99,  192 

221,  663 

Petersburg,  Va 10,  480,  486 

489,  498,   499,  517,  524,  525 
579,  654 

Pettengill,   Edward 659 

Phelps,  George  W 483 

Philadelphia 164,  166,  169 

Philbrick,   Major 231 

William  H 699 

Philip,  an  Indian 124 

Philips,  Ebenezer 75 

Tames 389 

Phillips,  Wendell 457 

Phipps,   Spencer 15,  17 

William 66,  67 

Phoenix  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany   465 

Phcenix  Hose  Company 542 

Phoenix  Hotel 385,  386,  391 

410,  423 

Photographers 467,  541 

Physicians 215,  294,  335,  347 

351,  410,  449,  467,  542,  729 

Pianos 438 

Pickering,  John 288 

Thomas 167 

Pierce,  FrankHn 417,  443,  576 

Fred  B.,  Company 705,  706 

Fred  B.  &  Co 694 

Horace  T.  H 474,  476,  485 

488,  490 

John 438 

Joseph  W 507 

Lucius  D 602 

Nelson  J 524 

Thomas  P 476 

William 347,  363 

Pierce's  tavern 347,  547 

Pigot,  Gen 185 

Pike,  Nicholas 333 

Piketon,  Ohio 647 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


773 


Pilgrims,   the 29,  30.  136 

Pioneer  life 313-336 

Piper,  Cyrus 690 

Piscataqua  river 1 67 

Pitcher,  Frederick  L 702 

Pittsburg 130,  132 

Pitt,  William 130,  132 

Plank   walk 339 

Plattsburg,  fight  at 360 

Pleasant  street 285,  301,  640 

Ploughed   hill 182,  190 

Plumbing,  inspector  of. 703 

Plumer,  William 355,  361 

Plymouth,  Mass. Ill 

Plymouth    Colony,    Pilgrim 

Fathers .'. 693 

Plymouth,  Council  of. 718 

Plympton,   Mass 646 

Plympton,   Shubael 359 

Pocasset,  squaw  sachem  of. 141 

Pocumtuck     (Deerfield,    Mass.) 

28.  136 

Pocumtucks,  the 31,  32,  34 

Point  Lookout,  Md 479,  488 

Police 391,  682,  694,  699 

Police  benevolent  fund 706 

Police  signal 695 

Pollard,  "Dallas  M 710 

Polls 163.  232.  254,  391,  542 

Pomeroy,  Capt 266,  267 

Ebenezer 42,  71,  72,  722 

Eleazar 222 

Josiah 163,  175,  205,  215 

237,   240,  252,  639,  729 

Pometacan 32 

Pomphrett 193 

Pond,  Abiathar 162,  421,  578 

Abraham 204 

Calista 578 

Henry 448,  459,  464 

465,   467,  468,  549,  550,  660 
675,  730 

Henrv  &   Co 540 

Herbert 465 

Jonathan 162,  214,  284,  599 

Phineas 428 

Thankful 599 

&  Coolidge 350,  578 

Pond's   block 467,  550,  660 

Poole,   Edward 422,  659 

George  E 582 

Poor,  Enoch 179,  194 

226,  577 

William  G 696,  702 

Poor's  brigade 221,  231,  235 

236.  238 

Poor's   regiment 180,  212,  213 

Pope,  John 8,  439 

Pope's  army 493 

Poplar  Springs  Church 10,  498 


Population  of  Keene... 153,  160,  201 
202,  278.  291,  306,  349,  371 
377,  391,  416,  428,  429,  433 
434,  448,  450,  468,  515,  535 
542,   681,   683,  684,  693.  705 

Porter,  Mr 158 

Roval  H 533,  534,  536,  547 

562,  680,  700 

Sawyer 453 

Silas 246 

Portfolio,   the 725 

Port  Roval,  S.  C 486 

Portsmouth,  N.  H...6,  54,  103,  106 

109.   126,   152,  157,  160,  163 

164,   167,   169,  178,  179,  197 

354,  359 

Postage 298,  388 

Postal  delivery ..690 

Posting  tipplers 377 

Postmaster 292,  297,  339,  341 

346,   364,   374,  393,  434,  436 

441,  447,  453,  469.  535,  555 

566,   569,   576,  582,  608,  610 

641,   681,   682.  690,  692,  693 

697,  700,  701 

Postoffice...297,  301,  307,  339,  436 

441,   453,   535,  6S8,  689,  701 

Post  rider.. 247,   248,  290,  292,  311 

Post  route 247,  290,  292,  298 

311,  337,  344,  363 

Potash  and  pearlash  works 285 

307,  335,  366,  577 

Potash  hill 366.  554 

Potato   rot 441 

Potter,   Capt 67 

Gen 10,  496 

Pottery 282,  536,  681,  683 

Pound  52,  135.  276.  311 

Poverty  lane 148,  159,  301,  640 

Powell,  James 682 

Power,  Isaac 21.  41 

John  R 545,  697 

Pratt,  Allen 369 

Capt 266,  267 

Edwin  P 483 

Frank  G 138,  688 

Mary 578 

Mr 406 

Freckle,  William   H 483 

Prentice,  Nathaniel  S..222,  265,  266 

Prentiss,  Corinna 637 

Diantha 637 

Edmund 637 

George  A 521,  637 

John 303,  304,  342.  366,  368 

375,  378.  379,  383,  392,  393 
400,  407,  408,  416,  454,  455 
461,  526,  534,  547.  54s.  636 
637,  647,  675,  676,  677,  678 
679,  725 


774 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Prentiss,  John  W 454,  637 

Pamela 637 

Pamela   M 447 

S.   S 665 

William   H 636,  709 

Prescott   (artist) 683 

Ebenezer 357 

Jonas 249,  545 

Mary 609 

Samuel 556,  587 

William 181,  182,  183 

186,  187,  188,  189,  191 

Prescott's  regiment 189 

Presidential  election 516 

Pressler,  Christian 483,  520 

Prideaux,  Gen 130 

Priest,  Eleazar 85 

ElvinP 706 

Joseph 21,  52 

Prime,  Joshua 559 

Olive 409 

Princeton,  battle  of. 213 

Prindell,  John  F 532 

Printing  office 307,  308.  362 

393.  435 

Prison  street 119.  146,  383 

Prison  street  cemetery 299.  307 

Probate  districts " 262 

Proctor,  John 541 

Proprietors'  meeting.. 22,  23,  25,  26 
27,  36,  37,  39,  40,  41,  43,  44 
45,  49,  50,  52,  54,  57.  59.  60 
61,   63,  68,  77,  108,  109,  112 
134,   147,   150,  154,  155.  376 
377,  556,  721 
Prouty,  Ira  P.. ..542,  676,  686.  729 
Provincial  convention   of  depu- 
ties  169 

Public  improvements,  list  of 730 

Puffer.  Timothy 49,  52,  53.  60 

William ' 21,  22,  26,  720 

PuUard,  John 89 

Putnam.  Charles  L 436 

Edwin   F 512 

Israel 120.  181.  185.  186 

187,   188,    189,  190,  191,  195 
563,  574,  586 

Seth 73 

Putnam's  division 236 

Putney 126 

Putney  meadows  (Great  Mead- 
ows)   65 

Quebec. ...68,  81,  82,  83,  84,  86,  87 
121,  130,  131,  132 

Queen  Anne's  war 34 

Queen  Victoria 641 

Quimby,  Rev.  Mr 454 

Quinc3%  J 20 

Jos"iah,  Jr 457 

Mayor 445 


Ouinetticut 

Quinn,  Charles   A 

Samuel  S 476,  485,  488, 

Quinnapin 

Quinnehtuck 

Rahu,   WilHara 501, 

Wilham  J 

Railroad  and  industrial  develop- 
ment  436 

Railroad  commissioners 

Railroad  gratuity  bonds 

Railroads 415,  437,  439, 

447, 

Railroad  station 100, 

443, 

Raimbault,  old 

Raimbault,  Pierre 83,  84,  85 

87,  89,  90,  92,  132, 

Rain,  heavy  fall  of. 

Ralston,  Abner 

Alexander 222,  276,  296, 

307,  308,  341,  363,  545, 
572,  587, 

Alexander  (Mrs.) 

Alexander,  Jr 346,  567, 

Ann 

Elizabeth 

Hannah 

James  B 346, 

Janette 572, 

Jeanette 

Marv  (Mrs.  E.  Dunbar). .587, 

Nancy 346,  567, 

Robert 

Sarah 341, 

William 

&  Bond 346, 

Ralston's   distillery 307, 

Ralston   street 

Ralston  tavern 223,  276, 

285,   292,   305,  307,  342, 

410,  578, 

Ramsdell,  Aquilla 

Eugene  C 

Rand,  EHsha 

Isaac 621, 

Jonathan 

T.  C.  &  Co 

Thomas  C 674,  678, 

Wareham 

William  H 

Randall,  Stephen 

Stephen  L 

S.  L 

Ransom,  Trueman  B 

Rappahannock  Station 

Ravine,  Kate  Tyler 

Rawson,  Alanson 

Joseph 

Ray,  Reuben 


..31 
490 
490 
141 
..31 
520 
483 

■468 
699 
535 
440 
448 
442 
444 
..87 
,  86 
140 
532 
214 
301 
546 
638 
638 
638 
638 
638 
638 
638 
638 
363 
638 
638 
587 
638 
638 
567 
308 
638 
282 
383 
638 
352 
683 
684 
690 
430 
542 
713 
439 
507 
699 
694 
466 
443 
478 
707 
425 
..75 
507 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


775 


Ray,  Robert  A 703 

Raymond,  George  S 697 

William 507 

Read,  Carrie  E 709,  710 

Manufacturing  Company 694 

Reading,  Mass " 636 

Ream's  Station,  action  at 489 

Rebekah,  degree  of 550 

Rebekah  state  assembly 703 

Receiving  tomb 530 

Recruiting  offices 504,  516 

Reddington,  Isabella  B 598 

Red   Men,  Order  of. 696,  714 

Red  store 346 

Reed,  Abigail  (Hinds) 640 

Hinds 640 

James 180,  182,  183,  188 

189,   194,   208,  215,  240,  599 
638-640 

James,  Jr 640 

J.  Mason 685,  709 

John  A 490 

Miss 365,  596 

Saloraa 640,  663 

Samuel 103,  107 

Svlvanus 640 

William 560 

Reed's  brigade 208 

Reed's  Ferry 14 

Reed's  regiment 174,  181,  184 

192,  195,  212 

Register  of  deeds 347,  662,  682 

Registry  of  deeds 347 

Rehoboth  (Attleboro),  Mass 570 

Reid,   George 221,  582 

Mary  (Woodburn) 582 

Reid's  regiment 230 

Remele,  John 201 

Remington,  Jonathan 15 

Reno,  Gen 493 

Reno's  division 493 

Renouf,  Edward  A 464,  472,  690 

702,  706,  714 

Representatives 539,  674-676 

Representatives,  house  of.. .203,  234 
237,  240,  250 

Reservoir,  Beech  hill 538 

Revere,  Paul 167,  171,  545 

Revolution,   American,    soldiers 

of 380,  399,  405,  417,  420 

421,  423,  430,  432,  438,  441 
562,  566,  577,  579,  585,  587 
588,  590,  593,  594,  599,  613 
614,  628,  630,  636,  638,  639 
640,  641,  655,  668,  708 

Revolutionary  rolls 174 

Revolutionary  war 56,  160 

169-254,  256,  585 

Rewards 685,  703,  708 

Reynolds,  Eli  W 512 


Rej^nolds   (or  Runnels),  Daniel, 

246,  264 

Rhode  Island 32,  55,  176,  238 

Rhode  Island  campaign 239 

Rhode  Island  Volunteer  battery. .477 

Rhode  Island  Vols 477 

Rice,  Charles 174,  191,  194,  220 

384,  421 

Isaac 89 

Jonas  C 688,  689 

Miriam  (Mrs.) 421 

Peter 163,  204,  246 

Ralph 91 

William 709 

Richards,   George  H...448,  451,  466 
^  576,  659,  660,  675 

Samuel 174 

Richards's  block 527 

Richardson,  Abigail 641 

Amos  (Dr.) 642 

Amos  (son  of  Barzillai) 642 

Amos  ("  the  giant ") 642 

Asa 53,  97,  107 

Barzilla 709 

Barzillai 642 

David   L 512 

Eri 276,  288 

300,  642 

Eri  (son  of  Barzillai) 642 

Ezekiel 642 

George  B .501 

George  D 512 

James 640 

Tames   F 483 

Joel  F 642 

John 107 

Joseph 28,  37,  50,  53,  60,  81 

88,  89,  97 

Josiah 157,  159,  162,  204 

205,  216,  226,  232,  237,  240 
245,  250,  253,  276,  278,  284 
285,  287,  288,  290,  292,  296 
300,  301,  302,  307,  309,  310 
361,  384,  443,  460,  621,  640 
641,  660,  671,  672,  674,  679 

Josiah  (Mrs.) 406 

Josiah,  Jr 641 

Justus  S 501 

Mary  Lord 667 

Moses 107 

Paul 222 

Rebecca  (Beaman) 641 

Sally 566 

Samuel 642 

Samuel  C 483 

Sarah  (Fowle) 640 

Skinner  &  Dav 540 

Solomon 49,  50,  53 

Thomas 642 

Walter  B 701 


776 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Richardson's    division,    Second 

army  corps 488 

Richardson  tavern 159,  232,  4-13 

Richmond..  104.,  261,  291,  296,  480 
Richmond,  capture  of..499,  525,  659 

Richmond  grenadiers 450 

Ridgv^^av  &  Rockwood 380 

Riggs,  Thomas 148,  149 

Riley,   Martin 512 

Michael 512 

Riudge 56,  99,  172,  180,  196 

227,  235,  368 

Rindge,  John 54 

Rines,  George  W 476,  523 

Riot 444,  445,  682 

Ripley,  Barrett 547,  548,  690 

Rising,  George 364,  621 

Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No.  4,  A.  F. 

&  A.  M 546,  587 

Rising  Sun,  newspaper 300 

304,  647 

River  street 708 

Road  roller  (steam) 696 

Roads,  earlv 59,  99,  113,  114 

135,   i46,   147,  173,  175,  272 

285,  301,  346,  556 

Road  to  Boston. ..99,  173,  285,  346 

Road  to  the  river 60 

Road  to  Townsend 41 

Roanoke  island 7,  492,  493,  502 

Roaring  brook 552,  690,  708 

Robbins,   Caroline  E 650 

Ebenezer 272,  277,  305,  310 

553,  672 

Gilbert 431,  454,  539 

Gilbert  (Mrs.) 444 

Isaiah,  Jr 490,  523 

Thomas ..89,  128 

Robbins's  mill,  Ebenezer 394 

Robbins's  ministrv 539 

Robert,  John " 89 

Roberts,   B.  S 648 

Daniel  C 12 

Robertson,  Lawson 459 

Robins,  Joseph  E 709,  714 

Robinson,  Charles 637 

Jonathan 340 

Lieut.   Col 190 

Prescott 549 

Rev.   Dr 561 

Robinson  farm,  cemetery  at  440 

Robinson  house 244 

Roby,  Charles 490 

Rochester,  Mass 644 

Rochester,  N.  H 76,  79 

Rockingham 117,  193,  194 

Rockingham  county 157 

Rockwood,  Ehsha." 425 

Mary 578 

Nathaniel..21,  22,  26,  28,  37,  720 


Rogers,  John 97,  107 

Robert 116 

Rogers's  rangers 574 

Rolfe,  Susan 618 

Roller  Bearing  and  Equipment 

Company 706 

RolHns,  Gov 703 

Roman  Catholic  church 544,  545 

693,  694,  695,  728 

Root,  Elisha 21,  22,  26,  27,  28 

41,  42,  62,  720 

George  F 468 

George  S 418 

Ross,  Washington  B 476 

WilHam  W 507 

Roswell,  Henry 718 

Roundv,  Franklin  W 512 

Rowelf,  Clark  F 697,  707 

Rowlandson,  Mary  (Mrs.) 141 

Rowley,  Canada 56 

Rowley,  Mass 559 

Roxbury,  Mass 171,  176 

Roxbury,  N.  H 5,  299,  361 

Royal  navy 106 

Royalton  raid 641 

Rovalton,  Vt 244,  245,  641 

Ruffle,  Benjamin  F 479,  483 

Charles 483 

George 483 

Josiah 476,  483 

Samuel 484 

Samuel  H 476 

Rugg,  Charles  E 507 

Daniel 67 

EHas 307,  435 

Elizabeth 667 

Martha  VV 621 

Nathan 162,  204,  222 

Sewall   F 512 

Ruggles,  Stephen  Preston 684 

Rumford,  N.  H 14 

Runaway  cars 681 

Rural  Improvement  Society 689 

Russell,  Alonzo  B 476 

Aquilla 194 

Burton  C 714 

Charles  L 697 

Charles  L.  &  Sons 709 

Elizabeth 649 

George  F 476 

George  H 542 

Ira  W 685,  686 

James  W 501,  513 

Margerv 622 

Thomas 649 

&  Mellen 542 

Russellville 495 

Rust,  John  P 702,  707,  708 

Rutland  Citv  band 712,  713,  716 

Rutter,  Ruth 611 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Ill 


Ryan,  Denis  A 545 

John 513 

William 513 

Sabbath  school  library 408 

Sabin,  John .'. 425,  589 

Sackett,   half-breed 91 

Sady,   Samuel 21,  22,  23,  25,  26 

28,  37,  41,  606,  720 

Safe,  first  town 452 

Safiford,   Leavitt 518 

Major 228 

Salem,  Mass 587 

Salmon  dam 139 

Salter,  Antoine 484 

Samson,  B.  G 433 

Sanborn,  Peter 491 

&  Hubbard 541 

Sand  hill 357 

Sanford   hall 562 

Sanger,  Abner 162,  205 

223,  253 

Eleazar 103,  107,  113,  135 

162,  237,  671 

Marv 646 

Rhoda 658 

Saratoga 247 

Sargent,  Paul  Dudley 192,  195 

562,  646 

Sartwell,  Obadiah 73,  87,  95 

Sartwell's  fort 65 

Savage  Station 488 

Sawmill 26,  27,  28,  45,  62,  79 

102,   113,   134,  201,  307,  309 
310,  352,  566 

Sawmill  plain 45 

Sawver,  Charles 682 

Charles  C 517 

Daniel   H 461,  464,  691 

Josiah 363,  392,  410,  454 

656,  673 

Nelson  N 453,  504,  507,  673 

674,  682 

Willard  J 704 

Sawver's   Crossing 138 

Sawyer  tavern 299,  347,  363 

433,  656 

Saxe,  John  G 457 

Scales,  Jacob 515 

Scammell,   Alexander 208,  218 

Scammell's  regiment 212,  213 

217,  221,  230 

Scarborough,  frigate 167 

Scarlet  fever  epidemic 705,  706 

Schaghticokes,  the.........30,  34,  118 

Schoenbein,  Maximillian 527 

Scholars'  Arithmetic 557 

Scholars,  number  of. 418 

School  committees,  first 163,  170 

243,   252,   373,  375,  377,  384 
387,  400,  403 


Schoolcraft,   Henry  R 366,  643 

644,  645,  653 

Lawrence 366,  643 

&  Sprague 367,  643 

School  districts 156,  163,  294 

299,  338,  404,  689,  724 

Schoolhouses,  first 282,  307 

School  lands,  glebe. ...107,  327,  463 

School  lot 21,  60,  61 

Schools 16.  43,  149,  151,  152 

154,   282,   289,  293,  295,  307 

332,   333,   338,  339,  340,  365 

371,   381,  403,  414,  417,  425 

426,   427,  444,  706,  724 

Schools,  support  of.. ..163,  170,  243 

246,   250,   252,  290,  294,  298 

300,   303,   306,  333,  341,  373 

444,  542,  724 

School  street 301 

Schurz,  Carl  635 

Schuyler,  Gen 219,  226,  639 

Scotch  Highlanders 171 

Scotch  Irish 323,  324 

Scotland  (in  Swanzey) 121 

Scott,  Charles 491,  492,  493 

Charles  (Mrs.) 493 

Elisha 134 

John 89 

Kendall  C 538,  676,  681 

Waitstill 219 

William 192 

Scott's  armv 443 

Scripture,  Charles 701,  706 

Scripture  farm 642 

Sealer  of  weights  and  measures.. 341 

Seamans,  Aaron 338,  341 

343,  577 

Seamen 343 

Sears,  John 421 

Sebastian,  Edward  P 501 

Samuel 521 

WilHam,  Jr 513 

Secession,  ordinance  of. 469 

Secession  ville 486 

Second  burial  district 299 

Second  Maryland  regiment 8 

493,  494 
Second  New   Hampshire   regi- 
ment (militia) 179,  359 

Second  N.  H.  Vols 6,  476-485 

488,  503,  508,  710 

Second   Regiment  band 684 

Selectmen 671-674 

Semi-centennial,  the  Barstow 533 

534,  727 

Seneca  lake 239 

Senecas,  the 238,  239 

Senneff,   WilHam 697 

Senter,  Joseph 206 

Sentinel  office 308,  342,  393,  467 


778 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Sentinel   Printing  ConipanY...4,  542 
702,  725 

Sesquicentennial 4,  709,  710 

712-731 

Sessions,  Hannah 599 

Settlers,   early.. ..16,  17,  20,  53,  96- 

114,   305,   306,  389,  455,  558 

563,  564,  612,  721,  722 

Settlers,  return  of  the.. 96-114,  722 

Seven   davs'  fight 478 

Seventeenth  N.  H.  Vols 478,  502 

Seventeenth  United   States    In- 
fantry  647 

Seventeenth  Vermont  Vols 496 

Seventh  Day  Advent  Society' 728 

Seventj' -first  New  York  Vols 477 

Severance,  Samuel  A 692 

Seward,   David 690 

Tosiah  L 704,  714 

WilHam  H 635 

Sewerage,  Waring's  system   of... 654 
686,  687,  692,  704 

Sewers 535,  686,  687,  691,  694 

695,  708 

Seymour,  Henrv 418 

Sham  fight '. 342,  349,  370 

Shapley,   Thomas 363 

Sharpshooters 519 

Shaw  Brothers 687^ 

Shaw,  John,  2d 692 

Shedd,  Charles   W 524 

Sheep,  marks   of. 164 

Shelley,   Roena...697,  698,  699,  702 

Shellv,  Joseph 410 

J.'&  R 433,  449 

Robert 410,  430 

&  Sawyer 464,  466,  527 

Shenandoah  valley 518 

Shepard,  James 206 

Sherfey's  peach  orchard 479 

Sheridan's    Army  of   the  Shen- 
andoah   509 

Sheridan's  campaign 518 

Sherman,   Gen 9,  494,  495 

Morgan  J 542,  543 

Thomas  W 486 

Sherwin,   Horace  E 484 

Thomas 590 

Sherwood,  John 667 

Mary  E.  W 710 

Shields,  Gen 635 

Shinborn,  Mark.. 527,  528,  529,  697 

Shirley,  Gen 119 

Gov 65,  76,  84,  86,  117 

Shirtliff,   Benoni 342,  379 

Shoe  dealers 466,  541 

Shoemakers 414 

Shoemakers'   strike 708,  709 

Shrigley,  Charles 676 

Siamese  twins 428 


Sickles,  Gen 478,  479 

Siege  of  Boston 187 

Silsby,  D.  B.  &   Co 540 

Florence 715 

Ozias 290 

Simblin,   Sieur 83,  85,  86,  87 

89.  90,  92 

Simes,  William 69,  120 

Simmons,  David 285,  307,  689 

David  A 285,  462,  689 

Simmons  fund 462,  689 

Simms,   Capt 70 

Singing,  instruction   in 340,  377 

Sixteenth  N.  H.  Vols 514 

Sixth   N.  H.  Vols 7,  8,  490-501 

504,  505,  508,  692 

Sixth  regiment  (miHtia) 195,  289 

349,  357,  416,  437 

Skeene,  Col 227 

Skeensboro  (Whitehall) 207,  208 

Sketches,  biographical 555- 

670,  732 

Skinner,  Azro  B 534,  699 

Barton 388 

Companv,  A.   B 699 

Francis, '&   Co 598 

Slade,  John 194 

Slate,  S.  W 692 

Slaves 291,  329,  376 

Slocum,   Simon 593 

Slyfield,  Andrew  (l; 276 

Andrew  (2) 476 

Daniel 513 

Franklin 513 

James 507 

Small  pox. .206,  207,  208,  213,  214 
294,  705 

Smart,  James  B 550 

Smead,  Mercv 629 

Samuel 629 

Smeed,   Phebe 607 

WiUiam 21,  28,  36,  37,  38,  39 

42,  43,  44,  50,  51,  53,  54,  59 
60,  62,  80,  88,  97,  103,  107 
108,  109,  110,  111,  112,  113 
114,   129,   134,  154,  607,  671 

Smith,   Asa 682,  690,  706 

Betsey 434 

Capt 372 

Chief  Justice 345 

Dr 242,  347 

EHjah 131 

Gei-rit 560 

James  H 494,  501,  520 

Jeremiah 303,  348,  656,  663 

John  E 707 

John  H 711 

John   0 682 

Jonathan 251 

Jonathan  K 431 


f:i 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


779 


Smith,  Luther.. ..296,  307,  308,  341 
342,  362,  413,  432,  632 

Marcus  M 513 

Mary  D 473 

Moses 267 

Nathan 652 

Richard 162 

RolDert 267 

Royal   W 513 

Samuel 52,  53.  107,  223 

Samuel  M 487,  513,  520 

Thomas 292 

William 513 

&  Briggs 568 

Snow,  Daniel 163,  205,  230 

Daniel,  Jr 211,  218 

Social  Book  Club 450 

Sodal  Friends   Lodge,   No.   42, 

A.  F.  &  A.  M....546,  547,  704 

Social  Gazette 624 

Social  Library 309,  408 

Society  for  the   Propagation  of 

the  Gospel 463 

Sogkonate,  squaw   sachem   of. 31 

Soldiers'  aid 471,  472,  485,  503 

514,  515,  525,  529 

Soldiers'  Aid   Society 472,  473 

Soldier's  Fortune 245 

Soldiers'  hospital 146 

Solley,  Samuel , 103 

Sons  of  New  Hampshire 477 

Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion  709,  710 

Sons  of  Veterans 713 

Sorel  river 86,  87 

Souhegan   West 14 

Soule,  Miss 444 

Soule,  Pierre 635 

Southern  confederacy 469 

Southern  states 469 

South   Hadley  canal  lottery 338 

South  Keene  Company 705 

South  Keene  postoffice 692 

South  Mountain,  battle  of.. ...8,  488 
494,  504 

South  Sea 13 

South  wick,  Jonathan 21 

Southworth,  Mvra   F 703 

Orhn  R " 484 

Spafford,  John 69 

Spain 103 

Spalter,  John  H 466,  694 

Wilton   H... 540 

Spanish-American  war 729 

Sparhawk,   George 379,  385,  386 

Thomas 302 

Timothy 53 

&   Davis 350,  361,  634 

Spaulding,   Dauphin 513 

Henry  0 299,  445,  704 


Spaulding,  Milan  D 484 

Sylvester 704 

Spencer,  George  R 684 

Isaac  N 297,  587 

Robert.. .162,  204,  211,  214,  220 

&  Co 540 

&  Sons 541 

Spinney  house  and  shop 307 

Spofford,   Asa 128 

Spottsylvania  Court  House. ..9,  497 

Sprague,   David 645 

Edward ,.337 

Edward  (Mrs.) 338 

EHzabeth 365,  381,  465,  571 

596,  597,  645 

Frank  L 536,  692 

Mercy  (Dexter) 644 

Nathaniel 366,  377,  381,  384 

465,  571,  643,  645 

Noah 644 

Peleg 263,  285,  293,  303 

305,   306,   307,  465,  548,  582 

630,   631,   644,  645,  672,  674 

676,  729 

Rev.   Mr 232 

S.   Henry 507 

Sprake,  Nicholas,  Jr 21 

Spring,  Joseph  W 484 

WiUiam   H 479,  484 

Springfield,  Mass 23,  28,  29,  32 

130,  131,  246 

Springfield,  Vt 207 

Sprout,  Michael 205,  211 

Squash 136 

Squawkheag  (Northfield),  Mass.. .29 

30,  31 

Squawkheags,  the 30,  32,  33,  34 

68,  99,  118 

Stackpole  &   Phelps 439 

Stages,  mail 363,  400,  427 

Stamp  act 160,  161 

Standard  Oil   Company 696 

Standard  time 687 

Stanle3%  Charles  A 711 

Stan  wood,  William 207 

Staples,  Henry  M 513 

Stark,  John 116,  132,  174,  176 

177,  179.  180,  182,  183,  185 
186,  187,  188,  189,  190,  191 
192,  194,  195,  213,  224,  225 
226,  227,  228,  229,  239,  248 
577,  663 

Mollie 228 

WilHam 116 

Stark's  regiment..! 74,  187,  190,  192 
194,   195,   206,  212,  213,  646 

Stark's  staff 226 

Starkey,  John  W 542 

Joseph   S 501,  520 

Lewis   \V 695 


780 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Starkweather,  Frank   H 682 

George  C 491.  501 

George  F 538.  685 

Statia 18.  23,  719,  720 

Statia  farm 451,  720 

Statia  mouument 18,  720 

Statute  law  of  Keene.. 198-200,  242 

Stav,   Charles 476 

St.  Bernard's  church. .545,  694.  695 
St.  Blein..83,  85.  86,  87,  89,  90,  92 

St.  Clair,  Gen 221 

Steamer  compan3' 687 

Steamer  house 688,  695 

Steamer  Daniel  Webster 509 

Steamer  George  Peabody 493 

Steamer  Louisiana 492 

Steamer  Martha  Greenwood 492 

Steamer  West   Point 493 

Steamobile  Company  of  Amer- 
ica  .'. 705 

Stearns,  Arba  T 707 

Charles  F 501 

David   B 710 

Ebenezer  S 694 

Eliza 595 

Jonathan 421 

Sarah 625 

Stearnses,  the 554 

Stearns's  hill 553 

Stebbins,  Asahel 129 

Asahel  (Mrs.) 129 

Zebulon 127 

Steck,  Frederick 476,  513 

Stedman,  Samuel  S 549 

Steele,  Elizabeth 663 

Gov 443 

John 359,  575,  601 

John  H 548 

Stevens,  Aaron  F 474 

Charles 85 

Edward  R 484 

Enos 95 

Grand  Master 549 

Henry 89 

Josiah,  Jr 476 

Mercv 630 

Phineas 65,  69,  73,  74,  75 

77,    78,    79,    88,    90,    93,    95 

117,  118 

Stevens  fire  alarm  svstem 688 

Stevenstown  (Salisbury),  N.  H..116 

118,  120 
Stewart,   Reuben 461,  533,  545 

683,  693,  695 

St.  Francis  river 125,  131 

St.  Francis  tribe,   Indians 34,  68 

99,  118,  131 

Stickney,   Col 226,  228 

Stiles,  Ambrose  A 524 

Elizabeth 568,  646 


Stiles,  Ezra 262,  263,  269 

Jacob 630,  646 

Jeremiah 154,  162,  173,  177 

190.  191,  192,  193,  194,  195 
204.  214,  215,  216,  218,  232 
233,  234,  235,  239,  253,  258 
274,  278,  281.  284,  288,  291 

300,  306,  307,  548,  562,  568 
628,  672,  674,  678,  679,  730 

Jeremiah,  Jr 646 

John 276 

John   W 646 

Joseph 307,  646 

Lester  K 524 

Marv  (dan.  of  Jeremiah) 646 

Mary  (Mrs.) 646 

Stiles's  companv 174,  190,  191 

'192,  193,  205,  279 

Stillman,  J.  H.  &  Co 685 

Stillwater,  battle  of. 229 

Stilson,   William 206 

Stinson,  Robert 491 

St.  James'  Episcopal  church  ..11,  12 

301,  463,  464,  465,  544,  645 
657,  682,  683.  686,  690,  692 
695,   698,   702,  703,  704,  728 

St.  John,  David 524 

St.  John's    Council,  No.    4,    R. 

&  S.  Masons 548 

St.  Johns,  Quebec 133 

St.   John    the    Baptist,  festival 

of. 546,  547 

St.  Lawrence  river 32,  130,  131 

Stoddard,  John 35,  64,  65 

88,  91 

Stoddard,   N.  H 104,  221 

Stone,  Addison 675 

A.   L 450 

Buckley  H 685 

Charles  P 475 

Daniel 174,  194 

David 381 

Ephraim 238,  244 

George  F 711 

Hiram  H 676 

Huldah 621 

Lewis 501 

Nahum 726 

Salmon 227 

Sydnev   C 490 

Warren  W 695 

WilHam   W 513 

Stone   bridge,  Antietam 8 

Stone  bridges 432,  438,  446 

Stone  crushers 694,  702 

Stone  trough 702,  706 

Stores,  early 281 

Storms,  severe 384,  689,  698 

700,  702 
Storm  signals 688 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


781 


Storv,  Chief  Justice 633 

Stoves 371,  377,  381,  466 

Stowell,  John  E 711 

Martin   A 524 

Strafford  county 157 

Stratham,  N.  H" 208 

Stratton,  C 410,  434,  729 

Ensign 68 

F.  S 434,  451,  542,  729 

Isaac 695 

Richard 286 

Streams 551,  553 

Streeter,  Charles  H 476,  484 

Samuel 410 

Street  numbers 690,  708 

Streets,  early 

Beaver 114 

Boston  road  (Baker  street) 59 

99,  285 

Cross 285 

Main 285,  301 

Packersfield  road  (Water st.).. 285 

Pleasant 285,  301 

Prison  (Washington  street). ..113 
146,  285 

Roxbury 285,  301 

Walpole  road  (School  street) 

285,  301 

Street  sprinkling 697,  702,  709 

Street,  the  town 37 

Strickland,  Jeduthan 413 

Strong,  Rev.  Dr 465 

Sturtevant  brook 552 

Sturtevant,  Charles 647 

Charles  C 649 

Clifford  L 649 

CorneHus 276,  300,  399 

646,  647,  648 

CorneHus,  Jr 223,  647 

CorneHus,  Jr.  (Mrs.) 223 

CorneHus,  Jr.,  &  Co 296 

300,  304 

Edward  E 490,  648,  728 

Elias 300 

George  W 45,  307,  429,  457 

541.  647,  673,  678 

Isaac 454,  675 

Isabella  L 648 

John  W 513,  536,  648,  649 

678,  694,  695,  729 

Luke 647 

Luther 648 

Luther  (Mrs.) 698 

Samuel 646 

Sarah  (Bosworth) 647 

Sarah  (Fisher) 447,  647 

Sudbury,  Mass 74 

Suffolk  brass  band 445,  446 

SulHvan  county 157,  399 

Sullivan,  James 649 


Sullivan,  John. ...167,  169,  195,  206 

208,   213,   238,  262,  268,  270 

271,  283,  288,  649 

John  Langdon 649 

Kerry 513 

Michael 507 

Thomas  R 391,  397,  399 

400,  403,   404,  406,  407,  408 
423,  649,  727 

SulHvan,  N.  H 72,  278,  629 

Sullivan's  campaign 236 

Summit  road 375 

Sumner,  Aaron  B 484 

Alonzo  D 484,  520 

Anna 650 

Charles 457 

Clarissa 650 

Clement 145,  146,  147,  153 

154,   158,   215,  222,  231,  462 
548,  612,  649,  726 

Clement  Augustus 650 

David 484,  513 

Elizabeth 650 

Elizabeth  (Gilbert) 650 

Lucina 650 

Salem 363,  379 

Samuel  Gilbert 650 

Wihiam 650 

Sumner's  division,  Armj'  of  the 

Potomac ".. 488 

Sumter,  Rebel  cruiser 635 

Suncook,  N.  H 14,  29,  65,  79 

Simderland 49,  111 

Sun   tavern 392,  410,  433 

Superintending  school  commit- 
tee  428 

Surplus,  national 430,  431 

Surry 120,  121,  122,  193,  194 

195,  197 

Swan,  John 162,  205,  207 

272.  276 

Swanzey 48,  51,  71,  110,  HI 

119,   121,   126,  134,  135,  180 

227,   232.  291,  623,  711 

Swauze^'  Antiquarian  Society....  140 

Swanzey  companj' 175 

Swanzey  Factory  CompanA' 352 

Swanzey  Factory-  cotton 353 

Swanzey  Factory,  water  power 

at'. 134 

Swanzev,  West 650 

Swedish  Lutheran  church. .707,  728 

Sylvester,  Joseph 389 

Symes,  William 64.  69,  70,  80 

88,  120 

Svmonds  fund 651,  652.  688 

Symonds.  John 538,  650,  651 

686,  688 

Tohn,   (Mrs.) 693 

Taft,   Edward  N.. 478,  484 


782 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Taft,  James  S 691,  701, 

710, 

J.  S.  &  Co 536,  681, 

Marietta  N 

Taft's  potterv 681, 

Taggart,  John 319, 

John,  (Mrs.) 

Taintor,   Frank  L 

Tallant,   Charles  H 

Tannerj',  at  West   Keene 

Tappan,   Mason  W 

Tash,  Thomas 128, 

Taverns 281,  357,  363, 

385,   392,  410,  432,  433, 
466, 

Taxes 302,  303,  372,  377, 

542,  543, 

Taxpayers,  highest.. ..296,  311, 

384,  416.   434,  450,  468, 

Taylor,  Ba^'ard 

Danforth 

Dr 

Father 

Hannah 

President 

Ransom  O 

Rosalinda 

Samuel 

Thankful 

Thomas 81,  88,  91,  92 

95 

Walter,  Jr '. 

Teachers 295,  300,  338, 

348,   365,   371,  381,  425. 
427,  682,  691,  703, 

Teachers'  institutes 

Tea,  duty  on 

Tebbets,  Ellen  Sever 

Telegraph  Despatch  (stage  line).. 

Telephone 594, 

685, 

Temperance 331,  436, 

Temperance,  Sons  of. 

Templar  field   day 

Temple,  Archelaus 

Isaac 

Robert 

Templeton,  Mass 

Tenant  swamp 

Ten  Hill  farm 

Tennessee 

Tennev,  William 

Tenth' N.  H.  Vols 480,  504, 

Texas 

Text  books 333, 

Thanksgiving 231,  252, 

491, 

Thanksgiving,  first  national 

Thatcher,  Benjamin 

John  G 414, 


708 
714 
687 
,541 
683 
336 
336 
,667 
,484 
,538 
,474 
210 
379 
465 
542 
389 
711 
351 
543 
457 
575 
571 
441 
575 
635 
507 
645 
..84 
662 
,  93 
141 
429 
340 
426 
724 
441 
164 
604 
400 
683 
697 
437 
450 
707 
250 
206 
190 
558 
693 
190 
....9 
696 
507 
..11 
400 
369 
516 
231 
218 
438 


Thatcher,  Joseph 162,  174,  194 

207,  208,  220 

Lucius 484 

Thayer,  Abbott  H 608 

Edward  C 282,  701,  725,  730 

Edward  C  (Mrs.) 295,  567 

657,  706,  722,  724,  725 

Gideon  F 455,  456,  654 

Henry 381,  392 

John 618 

John  A 685 

John  S 550 

Melatiah 592 

Pamela 381 

Samuel  C 359 

Sarah  Hale 618 

Susan  Elizabeth 654 

WilHam  H 461,  467,  508 

513,  608 

&  Chapin  fund 702,  725 

Thaj'cr  library  building 701 

702,  725 

Theatricals,  first 384 

Third  burial  district 299 

Third  Georgia  regiment 8 

Third  New  Hampshire  Mounted 

Infantry 486 

Third  New  Hampshire  regiment 

(militia) 639 

Third    New     Hampshire     turn- 
pike...337,  339,  346,  375,  385 
Third  N.H. Vols. .485,  486,  487,  654 

Thirteenth  N.  H.  Vols 480,  508 

Thirteenth  regiment  (militia) 195 

Thirtv-first  Maine  Vols 496 

Thirty-second  Maine  Vols.. .496,  497 

Thomas,  Capt 180 

Gen 206 

Isaiah 296,  725 

William  B 524 

Thompson,  Aaron 630,  673 

Anna 630 

Charles 204 

Cyrus  H 513 

Daniel 630 

Denman 709 

Ebenezer 179 

George  L 700,  706 

Henrv  A 484.  520 

John 40,  45,  352 

John  L 518 

Susanna 473 

Thomas 347,  352,  417,  422 

630,  673,  675 

Thomas  C 673 

Thomas,  Jr 352 

Thompson-Houston     Electric 

Company 689,  690 

Thoreau,  Henry  D 293,  587 

Henry  D's  father 587 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


783 


Thorning,  William  H 484 

Thornton,  Mathew 169,  179 

Thoyets,  Thomas 88 

Throat  distemper 52,  62,  721 

Thurston,  James 484 

WilHam 295 

Ticknor,  George,  &  Co 542 

Ticonderoga 85,  116,  130,  131 

132,   206,   208,  210,  216,  219 
220,  221,  256,  562,  566 

Tiffany,  Benjamin 174,  205 

Gideon 163,  204,  215,  607 

Sylvester 638 

Tiger  Engine  Companv 456,  465 

Tilden,  George.. ..392,  408,  409,  418 

422,  445,  454,  457,  461,  637 

648,  651,  678,  691,  730 

George  (Mrs.) 447 

George  H 546,  651,  676 

678,  689 

George  W 459,  533,  576,  680 

683,  730 

George  W  (Mrs.) 443 

G.  H.  &  Co 540,  648,  688 

G.  &  G.  H 466,  648 

Joseph 651 

Kate  L 687 

Laura  B 687 

&  Co.,  Geo 392,  393 

&  Colony 449,  576 

Tilden  schoolhouse 694,  695,  710 

Tilton,  A.  V 539 

Lucian 440,  446,  682 

Tippecanoe 353 

Titus,  Herbert  B 476,  504 

Toasts,  centennial 455,  456 

Toasts,   dedication  of  soldiers' 

monument 537,  538 

Todd,  Capt 75 

William 294,  305,  308,  309 

337,  546 

Todd's  tavern 306 

Tohanto 143 

Toleration  act 303 

Tolman,  Charles 360 

F.  L 509 

Tolopotomoy   Creek,  battle  of, 

10,  498 

Toraberlin,  Isaac 21 

Tombs 415 

TomHnson,  John 54,  55 

Topsfield,  Mass 559 

Tories 222,  227,  236,  237,  241 

251,  252,  253,  256 

Torrance,  William 426,  427,  724 

Totten,  James 513,  732 

Tottingham,  Charles  N 484 

Marvin  T 449,  464,  466 

541,  690 
Town  brook 700 


Town  clerks 677,  678 

Town  debt 529,  530 

Town,  Edgar 501 

Jacob 162,  204,  211 

Towne,  Amos 667 

Elbridge 490 

Francis 212,  614 

Fred  W 699 

Harriet  Webster 707 

Hosea 501 

Samuel 682 

Warren  C 693 

William 651 

William  W 686 

&  Jackson 686 

Town  farm 415 

Town  hall 284,  389,  391,  444 

445,  446,  447,  460,  495 

Town  indicted 531 

Town  meeting,  first 723 

Town  officers 671-680 

Town  plat 48 

Town  resolve,  the  first 456 

Towns,  Charles  E 476,  507 

John 363,  414,  427,  450,  468 

579,  614,  651,  652 

Mr 453 

Nancy 444 

Nehemiah 243,  307,  384,  651 

Samuel 454 

Samuel,  2d 673 

&  Wright 308 

Townshend,  Mass 25,  41,  557 

Town  sovereignty 58-95 

Towns's  shop 414 

Town  street 59,  113,  148 

Towzer,  Patte 335 

Tract  societ}' 409 

Tracv,  Leonard 539 

Wilham  A 491 

Training  ground 50,  172 

Trask,  Daniel  W 490 

William  H 490 

Treasurers,  town 679,  680 

Tree,  largest  in  Cheshire  countv..531 

Trees 531,  683,  686,  687,  690 

693,   700,   701,  704,  705,  706 

Trenton,  battle  of. 213,  614 

Trinity  bicycle  factory 699,  700 

Trinity  Cj'cle  Company 704 

Triumph  Wringer  Companv 692 

Trov,  N.  H '. 531 

Trumbull,  Dr 30 

Tubbs,  Frederic 193 

Tucker,  Caleb 249 

Lemuel 238 

Tuckerman,  Edward   Parkman..634 

Marv  Olivia 635 

Tufts,  George 507,  711 

Zachariah 405 


784 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Turner,  Ezra 218 

Gardner  W 484 

Tuthill,  Horatio  A 549,  550 

Tuttle,  Leonard  J 547,  708 

Norman  A 519 

Reuben  A 623 

William  S 703 

Tuxburv,  Grand  Master 549 

Twelfth  N.  H.  Vols 479,  480 

488,  508 

Twelfth  regiment  (militia). .349,  357 

398,  416,  417,  437 

Twentieth  century  begun 705 

Twentieth  regiment  (militia) 349 

354,   357,   359,  370,  376,  386 

388,   398,  416,  422,  429,  431 

437,   438,  443,  445,  508 

Twenty-eighth  regiment  (militia)357 

Twenty -second  regiment  (militia)  289 

Twin  mountain  flint 140 

Twist,  Edward 21 

Twitchell,  Amos 351,  393,  409 

410,  418,  425,  430,  434,  435 

441,  446,   447,  456,  592,  652 

653,  654,  690,  729 

Amos  (Mrs.) 446,  653 

Benjamin 103,  107,  114,  120 

121,  723 

Daniel 103,  123 

George  B 449,  454,  457,  461 

465,  467,   508,  523,  536,  538 

539,  542,   592,  654,  677,  685 

692,   698,  699,  728,  729 

Samuel 236,  652 

Susan  (Watson) 654 

Timothy 366,  457,  590,  643 

653,  654 

Twitchell  house 683 

Tyler,  Jonathan  G 702 

Robert 88 

Tyler  place,  Kate 139,  357 

Tythingmen 367,  368 

Underwood,  Jonathan. ..53,  97,  107 

Union  Canadienne   Francais 713 

Union  Canal  Lottery 362,  382 

Union  district  checkHst 689 

Union  Hotel 466 

Union  League  Club 473 

Union  Railroad,  the  New  Hamp- 
shire  450 

Union  school  district. .648,  681,  688 

694,   695,   697,  698,  699,  704 

705,  707,  709,  711,  724 

Union  stage  line 400 

Unionville  (Swanzey) 531 

Unitarian  church   edifice 405,  432 

532,   696,   697,  705,  710,  727 

Unitarian  Club 692 

Unitarianism 372,  389,  390,  395 

Unitarian  Sewing  Society 539 


United  Order  of  Pilgrim  Fathers.. 691 

United  States  colored  troops 519 

United  States  currency' 303 

United  States  depositary 525 

United  States  flag " 305 

United  States  navy 521 

United  Workmen,  Ancient  Order 

of 691 

Unity  Lodge  No.  40,  I.  O.  0.  F...683 

Uniyersalists 303,  700,  706,  728 

University  of  Geneva 644 

Upham,  Edwin  0 709 

George  B 608,  632 

Osgood  W 536 

Upper  township 28,  42,  47,  96 

97,  100 

Usher,  Lieut.  Gov 14 

Valley  Forge 231 

Valley  road 436 

Van  Buren,  Martin 419 

Vanness,  Joseph 518 

Vaudreuil,  Gov 34 

Gen 76 

Vault,  city  fireproof. 688 

Velocipedes 534 

Vermont 30,  33,  57,  258,  261 

Vermont  counties 262 

Vermont,  steamer 397 

Vernon 29,  65,  120 

Vernon,  South 57 

Vested  choir '.694 

Veteran  Reserve  Corps 520 

Veterinarian 308 

Viall,  Herbert  B 691,  692 

Vicksburg,  siege  of.. 9,  494,  504,  516 

Victor  Wringer  Company 686 

Viger,  Arcules 501 

Virginia 8,  480,  486 

Visitors    and    inspectors    of 

schools 375,  377,  384 

Volunteers 354 

Vose,  Catherine 657 

Counsellor 345 

Frederic 459 

Roger 376 

William 360 

Vulcanized  Can   Company 685 

686,  687 

Waboojeeg,  Ojibwav  chief 643 

Wadley,  Jonathan   E 380,  391 

Wadsworth,  Joseph 15 

Samuel  (1) 154,  162,  205 

222,   242,   282,  399,  613,  655 

Samuel  (2) 655 

Samuel   (engineer) 688,  690 

692,  695,  705 

Seth 693 

Wait,   Col 208 

Jason 205 

Waite,  George  W 490 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


785 


Waite,  John  H 476,  490 

Waldo  &  Jones 541 

Walker,  Albert  R 479,  484 

Alvah 432,  438 

A.  &  H 381,  392,  651 

Reuben 88,  93 

Walkers,  the 651 

Wallace,  Samuel  J 507 

Wallingford,  Conn 232 

Walpole 56,  65,  96,  99,  108 

117,  122,  123,  126,  152,  161 
193,  194,  207,  232,  291,  296 
844,   346,   367,  371,  374,  527 

Walpole  Artillery 342,  376 

386,  388 

Walpole,  Horace 618 

Robert 618,  619 

Walpole  militia  company 256 

Walpole  road 285,  301 

Walther,  Joseph 707 

Walworth,  Silas 363 

Wampanoags 31 

Wamsutta 31,  32,  141 

Ward,  Aaron 89 

Artemas 176,  177,  180 

181,  182 

Harrison  R 688 

Jabez 21 

John  &  Co 281 

Joshua 431 

Richard  W 517 

War  debt 529 

Wardwell,  George  0 513 

OlinL 519 

Ware,  Asa 277,  417 

Hannah 620 

Nathaniel 97 

Peter  John 295 

Wares,  Asa,  Jr 359 

Waring,  George  E 686 

War,  King  Philip's 30 

War  loan 472,  485,  503,  515 

516,  525 

Warn,  William  W 513 

Warner,  Daniel 103 

Elvira 659 

James  M 359,  575 

John 286,  307,  569,  659 

John  S 484 

Sarah 569 

Seth 225,  226 

Warner,  N.  H 56 

Warner's  battalion 228 

Warner's  fulling  mill 307 

War  of  the  Rebellion 6,  469- 

529    728 

War  of  1812 352-370^  728 

Warren,  John 545 

Joseph 598 

Joseph  G 700 


Warren,  Joseph  G.  (Mrs.) 414 

Mayor 445 

Mr.  (captured  by  Indians) 81 

OHver 358 

Warren's  company 359 

Warrenton,  Va 448 

War  taxes 355,  360,  525 

War  vessels 358 

Warwick,  Mass 158 

Washburn  house 307,  308 

Washburn,  Mr 240 

Simeon 204 

Washburn's  lane 292 

Washington  Benevolent  Society. .356 

Washington  centennial 417,  692 

Washington,  citv  of. 6,  470,  478 

486,   488,  "489,  499,  508,  517 
518,  519,  644 

Washington  countv,  Vt 264 

Washington,  George.. .205,  206,  210 

212,   213,  224,  235,  238,  246 

247,  268,   288,  296,  305,  526 

639,  640,  659,  690 

Washington  Hook  and   Ladder 

Company 542 

Washington's 'army 212,  231 

236,  264 

Washington's  birthday 428,  441 

502,  503 

Washington  school 697,  699 

Washington  street.. 27,  48.  113,  146 
Washington    Total    Abstinence 

Society 436,  437,  441,  450 

Waterford,  N.  Y 631 

Waterhouse,  Dr 347 

Water  power  at  Swanzey  Fac- 
tory  352 

Watervleit,  N.  Y 643 

Water  works 302,  503,  530,  533 

690,  694,  703,  708,  709 

Water  works  bonds 533,  708 

Watson,  Daniel 307,  338,  351 

366,  428,  454,  560,  592,  643 
653,  667 

James 485 

Mann  &  Wood 338,  340 

Susan 653 

Watson  house 241 

Watson's  shop.. .293,  307,  338,  458 

Watsons,  the 413 

Wayne,  Gen 219 

Weare,  Mesech...203,  224,  247,  248 
253,  259,  265,  267,  268,  559 

Weathersfield,  Conn 136 

Webb,  Edward  A 461 

Gen 128 

Thomas  Smith 291,  546,  548 

Webster,  Charles  C 449,  467 

542,  688,  729 
Charles  F 513,  536,  542,  551 


786 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Webster,  Daniel 120,  356,  434 

435,  665 

Daniel  (of  Keene) 341 

Noah 418 

Weeks,  Lafavette 707 

Thomas 21,  26,  43 

Weetamoo,  queen 31,  141 

Weirs,  The 14 

Weitzel's   division  of  Smith's 

Eighteenth  corps 480 

Weldon  railroad,  battle  on. .10,  498 

Wellington,  Joseph  H 690 

Leonard 542 

Wellman,  Jedediah 162,  205,  214 

Jerry  P 701 

Wells,  Dorothy  (Mrs.) 423 

Horace 342,  354 

Isaac 363 

James 343,  354,  360,  363 

373,  658 

Mark 549 

Sarah 668 

Thomas 42,  45,  98,  99,  162 

205,   216,   295,  307,  308,  342 
354,  420,  423 

Wells  river 34 

Wells's  inn 339 

Welsh  fusileers 187 

Wentworth,  Benning 54,  55,  58 

65,  67,  98,  100,  104,  105 

107,  117,  123,  130,  161,  255 

327,  723 

John 155,  157,  159,  161,  164 

168,  178 

Wentworth's  ferry , 133 

West  Beech  hill 272 

West,  Benjamin 288,  367,  645 

Oliver 367 

Samuel 306,  337,  548 

West  Keene  cemetery 692 

West  Keene  riflemen 437 

West  Lebanon 515 

Westminster 117 

Westminster  company 256 

Westmoreland 56,  65,  98,  117 

118,   119,   121,  195,  246,  291 

296,  371 

Westmoreland  Light  Infantry. ...342 

376,   386,   388,  429,  431,  437 

443,  450 

Westmoreland  road 146,  147 

West  mountain 553 

West  Mountain  road 135 

Weston,  James  A 535,  537,  538 

Weston,   Mass 587 

West  Point 244,  245,  246 

West  river 92 

West  street 100,  113,  695 

Wctherbee,  Edward  H 513 

Samuel 206,  207,  284 


Wetherbee's  company 208 

Wheeler,   Abraham 152,  154,  163 

204,   211,   220,  237,  276,  284 

299,   347,   363,  655,  671,  672 

Abraham,  Jr.. 162,  204,  630,  631 

655,  656 

Alfred   H ;....702,  703 

Barzillai 359 

Charles  W 513 

David 657 

Hannah  (Mrs.) 389,  655,  656 

Harriet  Wyman 651 

Henrv 359 

Huldah  (Whipple) 656 

Jesse 207 

Jethro 80,  89 

Jonathan 162,  178,  194,  211 

220,  226 

Joseph 413,  658 

Joseph  (Dr.) 351,  383,  393 

399,  546,  651 

Katherine 473 

Katherine  F 473 

Martha  Frost  (Perrv) 657 

Marv  (Mrs.) .'. 655 

Nathan 423 

Nathaniel 656 

Quincv 432 

Sarah  D.  (Mrs.) 449,  657 

Solon 523 

Sumner 410,  415,  423,  433 

434,  447,   449,  453,  454,  473 
657,  658,  675,  730 

Sumner,  &  Co 576 

Walter 162,  236,  244 

Walter  J 711 

Wesley  H 524 

WiUiam   C 485 

William  P 407,  449,  454,  457 

461,  464,  473,  503,  530,  534 

538,  595,  596,  635.  656,  657 

682,  729 

William   P.  (Mrs.) 601 

Zadock 162,  205,  212,  226 

&  Faulkner.. .393,  467,  542,  596 

656,  688 

Wheeler's  band 714 

Wheeler  tavern 299 

Wheelock,   Eleazar 155,  156 

Emily   Ann 591 

George 380 

George  A 138,  139,  451,  454 

457,   538,   539,  676,  689,  691 
700,  730 

Lynds 380,  391,  591,  601 

President  (Dartmouth). .257,  258 

Sarah  F.  (Mrs.) 416 

Wheelock  park. ..457,  490,  689,  692 

693,  700 

Whigs 434,  435,  436,  665 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


787 


Whipping-post 276 

Whipple,  Alfred   P 524 

Eugene  A 709 

Thomas 474 

William 485 

William,  (Capt.) 179 

Whipple's  brigade 225,  226,  236 

Whirlwind 343 

Whitcomb,   Elbridge  G 466,  637 

697,  730 

Ephraim 549 

Frank  H 4,  681,  701 

J.  Fred,  Jr 701 

Jonathan 180,  289 

Joseph 107,  211,  587 

Oliver 417 

Philemon 349 

&  Dunbar 466,  540 

Whitcomb's  battaUon 246 

Whitcomb's  block 441,  467 

Whitcomb's  compan}' 614 

White,   Augustus  C 485 

Broughton 548 

E.  H.   (Mrs.) 541 

George  Miles 528 

Henry 485 

John 162,  205,  222 

WilHam  0 454,  457,  461,  533 

543,   682,  683,  693,  727 

William   0.  (Mrs.) 540 

Samuel 173,  193 

Selden   F 411,  447,  449,  451 

453,  454,  675,  678 

Shubael 485,  501,  520 

Wliite  brook 272,  310,  552 

White  brook  canal 201 

White    Oak    Swamp,  battle  of, 

488,  518 

White  Plains,  battle  of. 210,  562 

Whiting,   Col 128 

John 97,  107 

Jonathan 97 

Whitman,   Samuel 218 

Whitney,  Benjamin 21,  22 

Edward 433 

Jonathan 21 

Leonard  F 514 

Mary 559 

Whittemore,  Curtis  A 514 

Daniel  H 485 

Whittier,  John  G 31,  631 

Whittle,  James  C 507,  698 

Whitwell,   W.  S 440 

Wibird,   Richard 103 

Wier,  Robert 270 

Wilber,  William 485 

Wilcox,  Charles  W 507 

Eleazar 317,  318 

Wild   Cat,  Conn 239 

Wilder,  Abel 307,  310,  419,  661 


Wilder,  Abigail 621,  658 

Abijah 67,  121,  162,  204,  249 

251,  275,  276,  277,  280,  284 
296,  297,  300,  302,  304,  307 
309,  368,  379,  401.  421,  423 
428,  449,  454,  502,  544,  621 
658,  672,  725,  730 

Abijah,  Jr 305,  362,  388,  392 

393,   399,  403,  404,  413,  415 
417,  418,   658,  659,  660,  661 

Andrew 107,  658 

Augustus  T 661,  674,  695 

Azel 322,  362,  379,  401,  403 

413,   415,   416,  419,  422.  425 

434,  575,  595,  658,  659,  660 

661,  673,  675,  725 

Azel  (Mrs.) 407,  569 

A.  &  A 362,  403,  422,  425 

659,  660,  661 

Betsey   (Joslin) 661 

Beulah    (Johnson) 659 

Charles  J 659 

Charles  N 674 

Elvira 659 

Ezra 399 

Harriet  P 659 

Hepsej' 659 

Hepzibah 658 

Maria 659 

Marshall  P 477,  548 

Martha  (Blake) 658 

Mr 667 

Nathaniel 414 

Patty   (Martha) 658 

Peter 243,  280,  307,  308 

Rhoda  Jane 659 

Samuel 661 

Sarah 658 

Silas 428,  578 

Tamar  (Mrs.) 421,  658 

Thomas 154,  157,  162,  204 

207,  208 

Wilder  building 403,  411,  412 

434,  660 
Wilderness, campaign  of.. 9,  488,  495 

Wilkins,  Daniel 152,  153 

Wilkinson,    David 634 

Solon  S 467,  547,  676 

S.  S.  &  Co 686 

Warren   H 467 

&   McGregor 691 

Wilkins's  laundrj' 706 

Wilkins  toy  works 696 

Willard,  Benjamin 204 

Cvnthia 663 

Elijah 223 

George  H 485,  490 

Grate  (or  Grata) 663 

Hannah 663,  669,  670 

Harriet 563 


788 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Willard,  Henry   (1) 

Henry  (2) 

J 

Joseph 

Tosiah  (Col.) 18,  27,  37 

68,  73,  75,  80,  83,  91.  94, 

152,   154,   161,  163,  175, 

222,^661,  662, 

Josiah  fson  of  above  Col.)... 

58,  64,  66,  73,  80,  88,  89 

94,    107,   116,   117,   119, 

126,   127,   148,  151,  152, 

155,   157,   161,  175,  205, 

249,   276,   284,  288,  289, 

309,   311,   338,  343,  346, 

548,   607,   662,  663,  669, 

671,   672,  674,  676, 

Josiah,  Jr 

Josiah    (4) 

Josiah   (5) 354, 

Lockhart 289,  290,  305, 

346,   348,   354,  368,  374, 

463,   563,   640,  663,  672, 

674,  676, 

Lucius  S 

Mary 

Merriam  (Miss) 

Moses 

Nathan 

Prentice , 

Rebecca , 

Salome  Reed 

Samuel , 

Simon 14,  222,  718, 

Thankful  (Taylor) 

W.  Henry 

&  Ames 343, 

Willard  family , 

Willard 's  company 

Willard's  regiment 

Williams,  Andrew  J 

Elijah  ....157,  163.  168,  175, 
252,   272,   273,  274,  671, 

Ephraira 

Ephraim,  Jr 

Israel 18,  64,  91,  93 

James  H 

Jason 

John 

Simon 

Williamsburg,  battle  of. 

Willis,  Benjamin 204,  249, 

Benjamin,  Jr 

EHsha 174,  194, 

Willson,  Aaron 201,  207, 

249,   276,  413,  445, 

Daniel 162,  174,  194, 

208, 

David 162,  204,  219, 

296,  300, 


663 
675 
..20 
133 
,  63 
134 
195 
728 
..39 
,  91 
120 
153 
222 
307 
387 
670 
679 
.309 
,663 
663 
307 
376 
673 
678 
,514 
,662 
,142 
,127 
,222 
,223 
,663 
,354 
.133 
719 
.663 
,519 
363 
,133 
,612 
,195 
,701 
237 
729 
,..64 
,668 
,  94 
,680 
693 
..34 
581 
,478 
284 
,277 
205 
220 
704 
205 
226 
226 
374 


Willson,  Joseph 162,  204,  272 

311,  672 

Uriah 163,  204 

Warren  0 466,  541 

William 403,  597 

William  0 507 

Willson  pond 699 

Wilmington 486 

Wilson,   Abijah 435 

Charles  F 539,  652,  696 

Charlotte  Jean 667 

Daniel 276 

Daniel  Webster 667 

Dauphin  W 690,  694 

David 211,  276,  672 

EHzabeth  (Miss) 663 

Elizabeth  (Mrs.) 416 

Elizabeth   (Steele) 664 

Ephraim 401 

James 376,  377,  384,  397 

398,  410,   416,  417,  425,  432 
663,  664,  677,  729 

James  (Mrs.) 406 

James  Edward 667 

James  Henry 667,  694 

James.  Jr 100,  174,  282 

384,  386,  387,  388,  389,  391 
398,  399,  404,  406,  407,  408 
409,  410,  414,  415,  416,  417 
419,  422,  427,  428,  429,  430 
431,  434,  435,  436,  443,  447 
470,  508,  547.  548,  663,  664- 
667,  675,  676,  677,  683,  685 
690,  729 

James,  ]r.  (Mrs.) 446 

James,  2d 414,  428 

Jehiel 413,  675,  692 

[esse 514 

John 652 

Jonas 21 

Marv  EHzabeth 667 

Mary  (Hodge) 663 

Norman 410 

OHver 413,  429 

Phoebe 435 

Robert 663 

Robert  (Col.) 422,  429,  454 

508,   509,   514,  663,  676,  728 

WilHam 663 

William  Robert 667 

Wilson-Gorman  tariff. 698 

Wilson  house 432 

Wilson  pail  factory 401 

Wilson  raid 518 

Wilson  street 695 

Wilton,  N.  H 207,  220,  624 

Winchendon,  Mass 368,  460 

Winchester,  battle  of 509 

Winchester,  Capt 76 

E.  A 279 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


789 


Winchester,  Enoch  W 449,  621 

Winchester  factory 431 

Winchester  Light  Infantry 450 

Winchester  National  bank 601 

Winchester,  N.  H 29,  37,  38,  51 

56,  58,  59,  71,  75,  78,  83,  126 
155,   161,   195,  203,  291,  557 

W^inder,  Gen 358 

W^indsor,  Conn 136,  232 

Windsor,  Vt 623 

Wingate,  Joshua 208,  592 

Wingate's  regiment 213 

Winslow,  Jesse  C 490 

Winter  hifl 182,  187,  194 

Winter,   severe 304,  340,  342 

399,  435.  459 

Winthrop,  Gov 642 

Robert  C 665 

Wirt,  William 573 

Witherell,  Ephraim 211,  219,  220 

236,  238,  267 
Withington,  Eliza  P. ..414,  427,  597 

Witt,   Ebenezer 21 

EHas 21 

John 21 

Samuel 21,  23,  24,  25 

William 21 

Woburn,  Mass 638,  668 

Wolfe,  James 130,  131,  132,  663 

Wolf  hunt 318 

Women  in  school  affairs 683 

Wonalanset 143 

Wood,  Alphonso 414 

Amos 359,  413 

David 558 

Emeline 621 

Ephraim 667 

George  C 524 

Hannah 634 

Henrv  A 514 

John.'. 338,  350,  362,  371 

377,   381,   384,  388,  405,  414 

417,   423,  431,  454,  667,  673 

674,  675 

John  E 524 

John  V 392,  411,  414,  421 

Maria  V 411 

Marv 558 

Nathan 394,  414 

Rev.   Mr 232 

RoswellT 711 

Samuel. .204,  364,  445,  454,  460 

Samuel,  Jr 413,  418,  428,  673 

W'ilham 229 

Wood    and    Chapman's    drum 

corps 713 

Woodbury,  I.  B 468 

Levi 387,  419,  583 

Nathan  G 699 

&  Howard 686 


Woodbury's  shops 682,  687 

Woodland  cemetery. ...457,  539,  682 

Woods,  Abigail " 411 

Elijah 411 

Major 190 

Oren 695 

Samuel 163,  220,  693 

Samuel,  Jr 163 

Solomon 428 

WilHam 162,  205,  220,  226 

276,  374 

Woodward,  Albert  A 461 

Bezaleel 258 

Clement  J 696 

Cyrus 453,  629,  696 

David 688 

Don  H...491,  501,  542,  547,  548 

John  A 514 

Josiah 352 

Samuel. .465,  674,  676,  682,  725 

Samuel,  &  Co 502 

Solomon 430 

WilHam  H 574,  702 

Woodward  house 661 

Woodward  pond 689 

Woodworth,  Mr 426 

Woolen  factory 348 

Woolsey,  President 560 

Worcester,  Mass 23,  32,  51,  130 

571,  596 

Worcester  railroad 642 

Worcester  regiment 96 

Workhouse 290 

Worslev,  Robert..l91,  192,  207,  226 

Worth,' Gen 579 

Wrentham,  Mass 38,  49,  85,  88 

97,    148,  558,   563,  564,  565 
602,  614 

Wright,  Amasa 75 

Benjamin 75 

Benoni 80,  88 

Betsev 667 

BradfevE 668 

Carroll  D 509,  537,  538 

Charitv 630 

Charles,  2d 146,  310,  531 

627,  668 

Daniel  (1) 194 

Daniel  (2) 485,  514 

David  N 549,  550 

Elizabeth  J 668 

Ephraim 276,  311,  351,  384 

667,  668 

Ephraim,  2d 630 

George  K 329,  454,  531,  667 

668,  673,  676 

Henry 668 

James 162,  204,  272,  276 

284,   296,   311,  329,  667,  668 
James,  Jr 667 


790 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Wright,  John 454 

John  A 542,  682,  692 

Joseph  (1) 21 

Joseph  (2) 668 

Leonard 700 

LntherK 668 

Martha 667 

Martha  (Mrs.  Wilder) 667 

Mary 339 

Nathaniel 667 

Nehemiah 5 

OHver 162 

Phineas 340 

Polly 667 

Reuben 127 

Roxana 339 

Salmon 687 

Samuel 212,  227 

&  Mason ..542 

&    Wilkinson 541 

Wright  farm 458 

Wright's  mills 241 

Wrought  Iron  Bridge  Company. .705 

Wyman,   Benjamin 609 

Charles 670 

(Charles)  William 659 

Elijah 669 

Emery  R 487 

Isaac 130,  146,  149,  150,  156 

163,  166,  169,  172,  173,  174 
177,  178,  179,  182,  190,  191 
195,  204,  205,  206,  207,  208 
223,  231,  234,  262,  263.  282 
286,  289,  293,  294,  309,  423 
455,  562,  599,  628,  637,  646 
662,  668,  669,  670,  671.  672 
674,  676,  728 

Isaac,  Jr 163,  289,  423 

669,  670 


Wyman,  James 307 

Joshua  (1) 668 

Joshua  (2) 445,  454,  669,  673 

Mary 668,  669 

Mary  (Fowle) 670 

Mary  (Pollard) 668 

Mathew 89 

Roxana 309,  637,  669 

Sarah 599,  669 

Sarah  (WellsJ 668,  669,  670 

Susanna 662,  669 

Sybil 669 

William 341,  351,  361,  546 

669,  670 

&  Chapman 341 

Wyman's  regiment 208,  213,  284 

Wyman  tavern...  149,  156,  215,  282 
291,   309,   534,  556,  561,  669 

Wyoming,  Penn 238 

Yardley,  Manley  R 519 

Yorktown,  siege  of. 478,  488 

Yorktown,  Va 247 

Young,  John 501 

Joseph 194 

Young  Ladies'  Seminary 414 

Young  Mechanics'  Association. ..379 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion  534,  701,  707,  732 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion building 159,  695 

696,  730 
Young  Men's   Christian   Union, 

534,  732 
Young  People's  Association  for 
the  Promotion  of  Temper- 
ance  409 

Youth's  Social  Fraternity 408 

Zerahn,  Carl 468 

Zouaves 8 


Index   of  Maps   and   Illustrations. 


Adams,  Charles  G.,  portrait opposite  556 

Adams,  Charles  G.,  residence  of. : opp.     49 

Adams,  Daniel,  portrait opp.  294 

Adams,  Dr.  Daniel,  residence  of. opp.  308 

Barstow,  Zedekiah  S.,  portrait opp.  373 

Boston  road opp.  173 

Central  square  in  1859 opp.  465 

Chamberlain,   Levi,   portrait opp.  364 

Cheshire  House 424 

Colony  block opp.  527 

Colony,  Josiah,  portrait opp.  369 

Cooke  house  and  elm opp.  578 

Courthouse opp.  460 

Daniels,  Jabez,  house  of. opP-  174 

Dinsmoor,  Samuel,  Jr.,  portrait opp.  447 

Dinsmoor,  Samuel,  Sr.,  portrait opp.  416 

Dinsmoor,  Samuel,  Sr.,  residence  of. opp.  285 

Dwinnell's  mill,  ruins  of opp.  212 

Eagle  Hotel 379 

Edwards,  Thomas  M.,  portrait t opp.  681 

Elliot,  John,  portrait opp.  590 

Elliot,  John  Henry,  portrait opp.  697 

Faulkner,  Charles  S.,  portrait opp.  683 

Faulkner,  Francis  A.,  portrait opp.  595 

Faulkner  &  Colony  saw  and  grist  mills opp.  531 

Faulkner  &  Colony  woolen  mill opp.  429 

First  Congregational  church 402 

Foster,  Abijah,  old  store  of. opp.  281 

Fuller,  John  H.,  portrait opp.  601 

Griffin,  Simon  G.,  portrait frontispiece 

Hale,  Salma,  portrait opp.     15 

Handerson,  Phinehas,  portrait opp.  608 

Heaton,  Seth,  house  of. opp.     96 

House  lots,  first  plan  of. opp.     21 

Jail,   old opp.  419 

Keene  Academ3^ 426 

Keyes  &  Colony  block opp.  411 

Livermore,  Abiel  A.,  portrait opp.  423 

Main  street  in  1859 opp.  465 

Map  of  Keene  in  1750 101 


792  INDEX  OF  MAPS  A  SO  ILU'STKATIOSS. 

Map  of  Keene  in  1800 opp.  307 

Map  of  Keene  in  1S50 "PP-  4-50 

Map  of  Keene  in  1903.  streets  and  hoiis«rs on  front  cover 

Map  of  Keene  in  1903,  sul)ur1mn on  liack  cover 

Monument,  soldiers' opp.  r>3<) 

Nims,  David,  portrait opp.     4-3 

Nims,  Lanmon,  i)ortrait opp.  629 

Nurse,  Luther,   house  of ........opp.  201 

Parker,  Elijah,  house  of opp.  383 

Perr\',  Horatio  J.,  portrait opp.  63G 

Perrj',  Justus,  residence  of. opp.  093 

Perry,  Justus,   portrait opP-  634- 

Phoenix  Hotel 386 

Plan  of  Keene,  early 108 

Plan  of  township .«.  opp.     18 

Prentiss,  John,  portrait opp.  303 

Richardson  tavern 159 

Kich.irds's  i)lock opp.  527 

Seamans,  .Varon,  residence  of. <M'P-  ♦^"^'^ 

Shelly  iS:  Sawyer  block opp.  527 

Statia  hiero);lyphic 18 

Sun  tavern opp.  392 

Thompson,  Thomas,  house  of. opp.  352 

Tilden,  (ieorjjc,  portrait opP-  ^^^ 

Township,  orij^^inal  pl.'in  of opp-      1^ 

Twitchcll,  .\nios,  portrait f>PP-  351 

Twitchcli,  (fcorjxc  H.,  portrait opp.  729 

Unitarian  church m *. 4-05 

Wheeler,  Sumner,  portrait opp.  657 

Wheeler,  William  P..  portrait opp.  542 

Wilder.  .\/cl,  portrait opP-  •^-^2 

Wildcrs'  huildini; 4-12 

Wilson,  James,  Jr.,  portrait opP-  '•''■*■ 

Wynian  tavern opP-    ^^^ 


KIEENE 

INCLUDING  THE  ORIGINAL  BOUNDARIES  OF 

UPPDR  ASHUaGL.OT 


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