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AKCIENT    DOVER 


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LAI^DMAEKS 


IN 


ANCIENT    DOYEE, 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 


BY 


MARY  P.  THOMPSO]^^. 


COMPLETE    EDITION. 


DURHAM,     N.    H. 

1892. 


Copyright,  1892, 
By  Mary  P.   Thompson. 


A//  nights  Reserved. 


Printed  by  the  Kepublican  Press  Association,  Concord,  N.  H. 


THE    PRESENT    EDITION 


OF 


LANDMARKS    IN    ANCIENT   DOVER 

IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED 

TO     THE 

DOVER    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY, 

AT  WHOSE  REQUEST  IT  HAS  BEEN 
PREPARED. 


19^^-^ 


Dover,  N.  H.,  January  31,  1891. 
Miss  Mary  P.  Thompson: 

At  the  January  meeting  of  the  Dover  Historical  Society  you  were  invited 
to  TVrite  up  the  Ancient  Landmarks  of  Dover  and  vicinity. 

Yours  respectfully, 

A.  G.  WHITTEMORE, 

Secretary. 


PREFACE 


The  township  of  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  originally  comprised  not  only 
the  present  city  of  that  name,  but  the  townships  of  Durham,  Lee,  Madbury, 
RoUinsford  and  Somersworth,  the  greater  part  of  Newington,  a  portion  of 
Newmarket,  and  nearly,  if  not  quite,  the  whole  shore  of  Greenland  along  the 
south  side  of  the  Great  Bay. 

A  complete  list  of  the  old  localities  and  landmarks  of  this  extensive  region 
has  necessarily  required  a  great  amount  of  research.  The  list  given  in  the 
present  work  is  based  on  the  early  town  records,  especially  those  of  Dover 
proper  ;  on  the  county  records  at  Exeter  prior  to  1773  ;  on  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Provincial  and  State  Papers  ;  and  on  local  and  family  traditions.  All 
the  grants  and  conveyances  of  land  referred  to  in  this  work  have  been  per- 
sonally examined  by  the  writer,  unless  otherwise  intimated.  The  orthogra- 
phy and  phraseology  of  these  records  have  been  retained  as  far  as  possible, 
even  when  no  direct  quotations  have  been  made. 

The  present  edition  of  the  "  Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover  "  entirely  super- 
sedes the  first  one.  The  numerous  errors  in  that  edition  have,  as  far  as  dis- 
covered, been  carefully  corrected  in  this,  and  several  hundred  new  localities 
have  been  added. 

Among  the  most  important  corrections  are  those  relating  to  Herod's  Gove, 
Pinkham's  and  Swaddeti's  Creeks,  and  the  ancient  bounds  of  the  Bloody 
Point  settlement  once  known  as  Kenney's  Creek  and  Hogsty  Cove.  Numerous 
places  along  the  Greenland  shore  of  the  Great  Bay  are  herein  proved  to  have 
been  a  part  of  Ancient  Dover.  And  whereas  the  first  edition  of  this  work 
was  only  supplementary  to  what  others  had  written,  the  present  edition  is  a 
complete  register  of  all  the  noteworthy  localities  within  the  limits  of  Ancient 
Dover,  not  only  of  early  times,  but  also  those  of  more  recent  date,  as  well 
as  many  places  in  Barrington,  Nottingham,  and  Rochester,  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  public  highways  or  with  the  inhabitants  of  Dover. 

A  few  of  the  places  mentioned  in  this  work  have  not  been  positively  iden- 
tified, in  spite  of  much  research  ;  but  the  neighborhood  has  in  all  cases  been 
indicated,  and  some  points  given  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  lead  to  their  identi- 
fication. The  writer  will  feel  greatly  obliged  for  any  information  bearing 
thereon,  and  for  the  correction  of  any  errors  discovered  in  the  work. 

Durham,  N.  H.,  May  26,  1892. 


LANDMARKS   IN   ANCIENT   DOVER. 


Abbott's  Brook.  This  brook  is 
iu  tlie  nortli-easteni  part  of  Somers- 
wortti,  and  connects  Cole's  pond  with 
the  Salmon  Falls  river.  About  mid- 
way in  its  course  it  is  joined  by  a 
brook  from  Rochester.  "Abbott's 
brook  "  is  mentioned  in  the  Atlas  of 
Hitchcock's  Geology  of  N.  H.  The 
name  is  derived  from  Moses  Abbott, 
who  formerly  resided  on  the  south 
side  of  this  brook. 

Abbott's  Islands.  Richard  Dame, 
on  his  map  of  Newingtou  in  1805, 
gives  this  name  to  some  small  islands 
at  the  mouth  of  Laightou's  cove.  No 
islands  are  there,  however,  except  at 
extremely  high  tide,  when  High  point, 
and  perhaps  one  or  two  other  projec- 
tions, are  sometimes  severed  from  the 
mainland.  The  origin  of  the  name 
does  not  appear. 

Adams'  Point.  This  point  of  land, 
originally  called  Matheivs'  Neck^  is 
on  the  Durham  shore,  at  the  Narrows, 
between  Great  and  Little  bays.  The 
present  name  was  derived  from  Elder 
John  Adams,  a  descendant  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Adams  of  Newington, 
who  was  the  uncle  of  John  Adams, 
the  second  president  of  the  United 
States.  Elder  Adams  acquired  this 
neck  of  land  by  a  mortgage  from 
Timothy  Dame  of  Newington,  May 
1,  1830,  which  was  never  redeemed. 
The  deed  describes  it  as  a  farm  of 
eighty     acres,      "commonly     called 


Mathews'  JSfeck,"  bounded  north  by 
the  land  of  Joseph  Kent's  heirs,  and 
on  the  other  sides  by  Great  and  Lit- 
tle bays,  and  the  coves  and  creeks  that 
run  into  said  bays."  (See  Mathews' 
Neck.) 

Adder's  Swamp.  This  swamp  is 
in  Durham,  at  the  upper  side  of  Cutt's 
hill,  opposite  the  Burnham  house,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  road  to  Durham 
Point.  It  belongs  to  the  heirs  of  the 
late  Col.  Joseph  Burnham. 

Alley  Point.  This  name  is  given 
on  Whitehouse's  map  of  1834  to  a 
point  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Cochecho,  above  the  Narrows.  The 
name  was  derived  from  Samuel 
Alley,  whose  land  here  is  mentioned 
Dec.  30,  1734,  when  Edward  Ellis 
conveyed  to  John  MacElroy  30  acres 
of  land,  "  beginning  at  y*  lower  end 
of  a  brook  called  Stony  brook,  and 
running  up  to  y^  road  y'  leads  from 
Jabez  Garland's,  and  so  by  y^  road 
to  y^  parting  fence  between  Samuel 
Alley's  land  and  said  lot,  and  from  s** 
Alley's  land  to  Wm.  Thompson's, 
thence  as  s'^  Thompson's  fence  runs 
to  Cochecho  salt  river,  and  along  s*^ 
river  to  y*"  lower  end  of  y*  s''  Stony 
brook."  Samuel  Alley  and  wife  Eliz- 
abeth conveyed  to  Job  Clement, 
March  28,  1758,  fifty  acres  of  laud 
where  they  then  dwelt,  bounded  N. 
by  said  Clement's  land,  E.  by  Amos 
Howard's,  W.  by  Garland's  and  Paul 


8 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Harford's  to  Cochecho  river,  rimniDg 
down  said  river  till  it  comes  to  How- 
ard's land,  near  Cham-pion's  rocks. 

Ambler's  Islands.  These  islands, 
three  in  number,  are  so  called  on 
Smith's  map  of  Durham.^  They  lie 
off  Durham  Point,  near  the  mouth  of 
Oyster  river.  The  largest,  about  an 
acre  in  extent,  is  now  called  Malhes 
island,  from  a  recent  owner.  The 
next  in  size  is  Sassafras  island,  and 
the  smallest  is  Hen  island.  They  are 
all  now  owned  by  Mr.  Jeremiah  Lang- 
ley.  This  group  derived  its  name  from 
Elder  John  Ambler,  who  once  owned 
land  on  the  neighboring  shore,  now 
belonging  in  part  to  Mr.  Langley. 
He  was  chosen  deacon  of  the  Oyster 
River  church,  Oct.  19,  1718,  and 
ordained  "  elder,"  Nov.  16,  1721. 

Anthony's  Brook.  The  name  of 
this  brook  was  derived  from  Anthony 
Emery,  who,  May  2,  1642,  bought  of 
Stephen  Tedder  six  acres  of  land  on 
the  Newichawannock,  confirmed  to 
him  by  the  town  of  Dover  the  7th,  6 
mo.,  1648,  together  with  an  addi- 
tional grant  which  extended  to  "  a 
brook  that  lyeth  on  the  southeast 
against  the  Newichwannick."'  This 
brook  is  referred  to  March  19, 1693-4, 
when  three  score  acres  of  land  were 
granted  to  John  Hall,  Jr.,  on  Salmon 
Falls  river,  "  on  y^  north  side  of  y^ 
brooke,  above  Antonies."  Three  score 
acres  were  also  laid  out  to  Robert 
Euans,  Jr.,  Ap.  7,  1696,  on  the  north 
side  of  Antony's  brook.  John  Win- 
gate,  Nov.  5,  1702,  conveyed  to  Paul 
Wentworth  three  score  acres  adjacent 
to  Salmon  Falls,  beginning  at  a  pitch- 
pine  tree  on  the  north  side  of  Anto- 


nies brook,  and  thence  running  S.  E. 
three  score  rods  by  the  Salmon  Falls 
river.  Richard  Rookes,  schoolmas- 
ter, Aug.  9,  1731,  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Wallingford,  inuholder,  60 
acres  of  swamp  and  upland  in  the 
parish  of  '' Summersworth,"  granted 
to  John  Hall,  Jr.,  March  19,  1693-4, 
"  beginning  at  a  bass  tree  by  y*  upper 
pier,  at  y^  upper  Boom  at  y^  river," 
thence  running  60  rods  south  to  An- 
tony's brook,  so  called.  This  brook, 
which  has  lost  its  ancient  name,  and 
is  now  insignificant  in  size,  passes 
through  Sill  swamp,  comes  to  Salmon 
Falls  village  back  of  the  railroad  sta- 
tion, and  empties  into  the  Salmon 
Falls  river. 

Ash  Sw^amp.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  20  acres  of  land 
"  between  Tole  End  and  Ash  sivamj)" 
were  granted  to  John  Haise.  Israel 
Hodgdon's  land  at  Ash  sivamp,  orig- 
inally granted  to  William  Thompson, 
above  Nock's  marsh,  is  mentioned 
Feb.  22,  1720,  as  beginning  at  the 
river  (Bellamy),  leaving  a  highway 
four  rods  wide  between  Nock's  old 
bound  and  Thompson's  fifty  acres. 
This  swamp  is  called  Cochecho  log 
swamp,  March  17,  1658-9,  when 
William  Thompson's  fifty  acre  grant 
was  laid  out  to  him  beyond  it,  with 
Thomas  Nock's  laud  on  the  south- 
east, and  Bellamies  Bank  freshet  on 
the  south-west.  Moses  Wiugate, 
Sept.  12,  1752,  bought  of  Nathaniel 
Hanson  twenty  acres  in  "  Cochecho 
swamp  or  Ash  Swamp,"  which  laud 
Hanson  had  by  inheritance. 

Edward  Evans'  grant  of  30  acres 
of  swamp  land  "  near  bellemies  bank 


1  Smith's  map  of  Durham,  often  referred  to  in  these  Landmarks,  was  drawn  by  D.  Smith  in 
April,  1805.    It  is  the  oldest  map  of  the  town  that  has  come  to  light. 


JLandmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


pond,  between  the  two  rivers,"  June 
23,  1701,  was  laid  out  in  Ash  sioamp, 
beginniug  at  "an  asp  tree  ou  the 
south  side  of  barbadus  [Barbadoes] 
way." 

Robert  Evans  of  Meudon,  Mass., 
sold  Joseph  Meder  of  Dover,  June  5, 
1711,  sixty  acres  of  land  granted  his 
father,  Robert  Evans,  Sr.,  in  Cochecho 
swamp,  on  the  south  side  of  the  way 
that  goeth  to  a  place  commonly  called 
Barbadoes.  This  land  was  conveyed 
to  John  Hanson  in  1713.  Nock's 
marsh,  on  the  western  side  of  Dover, 
is  a  part  of  the  old  Cochecho  or  Ash 
swam}). 

Another  Ash  swamp,  between  the 
Cochecho  and  Salmon  Falls  rivers,  is 
mentioned  March  23,  1702,  when  Paul 
Wentworth  had  a  grant  of  80  acres 
there. 

An  Ash  sivam]}  in  the  present  town 
of  Lee  is  spoken  of  July  19,  1721, 
when  ten  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Joseph  Jones  "  at  a  place  called  the 
Ash  swamp,  above  Whelrit's  pond," 
on  the  south  side  of  John  Thompson 
and  Moses  Davis's  land.  This  was 
part  of  a  grant  to  Anthony  Nutter  in 
1694.  James  and  Sarah  Clark  of 
Biddeford  (Me.),  Nov.  9,  1741,  con- 
veyed to  Jonathan  Thompson  60  acres 
in  the  town  of  Durham,  ''  at  a  place 
commonly  called  y*"  Ash  swamp," — 
half  of  a  six-score  acre  grant  which 
said  Clark  bought  of  Moses  Davis, 
Jr.,  formerly  of  Oyster  River,  de- 
ceased. This  tract  began  at  a  pitch- 
pine  tree  on  the  south  side  of  the 
highway  that  leads  by  Peter's  Ooen. 

John  Gray^  sold  Samuel  James 
Stevens,  March  2,  1747-8,  a  tract  of 


land  in  Durham,  on  the  north  side  of 
Ash  Swam}).  This  land  was  sold 
Aug.  22,  1750,  to  Jonathan  Thomp- 
son, Jr.,  whose  descendants  still  own 
it.  It  is  ou  the  upper  side  of  Little 
river,  between  Lee  Hill  and  Not- 
tingham. 

A  large  swamp  in  South  New- 
market is  still  known  as  Ash  Swamp). 

Ash  Swamp  Brook.  Mentioned 
Dec.  31,  1750,  when  Miles  and  Abi- 
gail Randall  of  Durham  conveved 
to  Simon  Randall  80  acres  of  land 
at  "  a  place  commonly  called  y*"  Ash 
swamp  brook,"  part  of  100  acres 
which  their  father,  Nathaniel  Randall, 
deceased,  bought  of  Joseph  Smith, 
"bounded  on  the  south  side  of  y* 
mast  road."  A  bridge  over  Ash 
brook  is  mentioned  in  the  Durham 
records  of  1753  and  1754,  and  Ash 
Swamp-bridge  is  mentioned  several 
times  between  1755  and  1763.  This 
brook  is  the  outlet  of  Ash  swamp.  It 
crosses  the  road  from  Lee  Hill  to 
Nottingham,  near  Mr.  John  Thomp- 
son's, and  empties  into  Little  river. 

Atkinson's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
the  south-western  part  of  the  Back 
River  district,  not  far  from  the  old 
Pascataqua  bridge.  It  is  partly  in 
Dover  and  partly  in  Madbury,  and  is 
so  named  from  the  Hon.  Wm.  King 
Atkinson,  who  acquired  laud  here  at 
the  close  of  the  last  century.  It  is 
often  mentioned  in  the  Madbury  rec- 
ords as  '■''  Laighton^s  Hill,"  a  name 
derived  from  the  Laightou  family 
that  owned  land  in  this  vicinity  for 
nearly  200  years,  descendants  of 
Thomas  Layton  of  the  Dover  Combi- 
nation of  1640.    (See  RoyaWsCove.) 


1  John  and  George  Gray  are  mentioned  as  trained  soldiers  on  the  south  side  of  Oyster  river, 

in  1732. 


lO 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


The  Atkinson  house,  now  owned  by 
Mrs.  Simpson,  is  in  Madbur}'.  The 
Laighton  house,  owned  by  Mr.  Pres- 
cott,  is  in  Dover.  The  road  from 
Dover  to  the  old  Paseataqua  bridge 
ci'osses  Atkinson  hill  between  these 
two  houses. 

This  height  affords  an  admirable 
view  of  the  ueighborins;  waters  ex- 
tending  from  the  mouth  of  Oyster  river 
and  the  opening  into  Little  bay,  to  a 
great  distance  down  the  Paseataqua. 
The  river  directly  in  front  is  nearly  a 
mile  in  width,  and  dotted  by  islands, 
two  of  which  once  formed  links  in  the 
Paseataqua  bridge  ;  and  beyond  the 
broad  expanse  are  the  beautifully 
varied  shores  of  Newington.  Daniel 
Webster,  who  often  crossed  Atkinson 
hill  on  his  way  to  and  from  Ports- 
mouth when  it  was  court  time  at 
Dover,  declared  this  view  unsurpassed 
by  any  other  in  New  England.  (See 
Laighton' s  Hill.) 

Back  Cove.  This  cove  is  at  the 
mouth  of  Minnow  brook,  at  the  lower 
end  of  Dover  Neck,  on  the  west  side. 
It  is  mentioned  June  25,  1704,  when 
Richard  Pinkham,  Sr. ,  and  wife  Eliz- 
abeth, conveyed  to  Ralph  Hall  3^ 
acres  of  land  adjacent  to  y''  Back  Cove 
on  Dover  Neck,  butting  on  Back 
river  at  the  west,  and  bounded  N.  by 
John  Dam's  land,  E.  by  low  street, 
and  S.  by  a  lane  running  down  to  the 
Back  cove,  which  land  formerly  be- 
longed to  their  grandfather,  Thomas 


Layton.  Ensign  Joseph  Beard,  Oct. 
7,  1713,  confirmed  to  Ralph  Hall  the 
right  to  one  acre  of  land  on  Dover 
Neck,  bounded  N.  by  land  conveyed 
by  Joseph  Beard,  Sr.,  to  Captain 
Thomas  Tibbets,  E.  by  land  sold  said 
Tibbets  by  Richard  Pinkham,  S.  by  a 
lane  that  led  from  high  street  to  the 
back  cove,  and  W.  by  the  lane  for- 
merly called  the  Dirty  lane. 

Back  River.  The  early  settlers 
gave  this  name  to  the  river  at  the 
west  side  of  Dover  Neck,  as  far  as 
the  head  of  tide  water,  above  which 
it  was  called  Bellamy's  Bank  river  or 
freshet^  to  its  source  in  Barrington. 
It  is  mentioned  as  early  as  Sept.  20, 
1647,  when  Joseph  Miller  conveyed  to 
John  Goddard  20  acres  on  the  west 
side  of  Back  river.  The  name  is  still 
retained. 

Back  River,  as  a  district,  is  also 
frequently  mentioned  in  the  public 
records  of  the  last  200  years.  It 
comprises  the  whole  territory  between 
Back  river  itself,  and  the  Durham  line 
from  Cedar  point  to  Johnson's  creek 
bridge. 

Back  River  Garrisons.  There 
seem  to  have  been  at  least  five  garri- 
sons in  the  Back  River  district. 

I.  Dam's  Garrison,  otherwise 
Dame's.  John  Cross  is  mentioned  as 
serving  at  "  TFi7Z  Dam's  garrison" 
from  Jan.  7  till  Feb.  6,  1695  ;  John 
Bickford  from  May  12  till  June  8, 
1695;  John  Tucker  and  John  Miller 


1  The  name  of  "freshet "  was  given  by  the  early  settlers  to  the  fresh  portion  of  a  stream,  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  tidal  part  towards  the  mouth,  which  is  salt.  "  Oyster  river  freshet," 
and  ''  Bellamy  Bank  freshet,"  Sive  often  mentioned  in  the  old  records,,  meaning  that  part  of 
those  streams  above  the  head  of  tide  water.  An  English  critic,  objecting  to  Dr.  Jeremy  Bel- 
knap's use  of  this  term  as  unknown  to  him,  Belknap  replied,  "  Our  forefathers  brought  the 
word  from  England,"  and  he  cited  Milton's  Paradise  Regained  as  good  authority  for  its  use  : 

"All  fish  from  sea  or  shore, 
Freshet  or  purling  brook,  or  shell,  or  fln." 

(See  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire  (1792)  Vol.  Ill,  Preface.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


ir 


from  Nov.  4  till  Dec.  5,  1695,  and 
Ephraim  Jackson  from  Dec.  5  till 
Jan.  7,  1696.  {N,  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
17:  648.) 

The  precise  situation  of  this  garri- 
son is  not  known,  but  it  was  in  the 
Back  River  district,  apparently  on 
the  lot  granted  John  Dam  in  1642, 
which  was  "Number  eleven,"  next 
above  the  lot  of  John  Upgrove,  oth- 
erwise Newgrove. 

Forty  acres  of  land,  granted  to 
John  Dam  in  1656,  were  laid  out  to 
his  son  John  Sept.  16,  1702,  begin- 
ning at  a  white  oak  on  the  line  be- 
tween this  land  and  that  of  Joseph 
Tibbets.  A  highway  is  mentioned 
between  Dam's  laud  and  that  of 
James  Newt,  which  led  to  a  landing- 
place  at  the  head  of  James  Newt's 
creek.  This  creek  is  above  Hope- 
hood's  point.     (See  Nute's  Creek.) 

Wm.  Dam,  Sr.,  of  Dover,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  love,  good-will,  and 
affection  he  bore  to  his  loving  son 
William,  conveyed  to  him,  June  7, 
1712,  one  half  of  the  neio  house  he 
was  then  building,  and  half  of  the 
land  on  which  it  stood,  with  one  third 
of  his  orchard,  and  also  three  acres 
of  land  bounded  S.  by  the  land  of 
New  Groue  and  James  Newt,  E.  by 
the  river,  being  all  his  land  on  that 
side  of  the  creek.  And  Wm.  Dam,  Jr., 
that  same  day,  bound  himself  to  be 
at  one  third  part  of  the  charge  of 
moving  the  house  in  which  he  then 
dwelt  at  the  west  end  (24  ft.  long 
and  30  ft.  wide),  up  to  the  Logg  house, 
and  set  it  there.  Wm.  Dam  conveyed 
to  Jacob  Allen,  Ap.  7,  1724,  "one 
half  of  a  dioelling  Logg  House,  set  in 
Dover,  on  the  westerly  side  of  y*  back 
river,  which  was  formerly  y^  divelling 
house   of  Wm.    Dam.   Sr.,    together 


with  the  land  on  which  it  stands,  and 
part  of  y®  upper  orchard  containing 
two  rows  of  apple  trees  next  said 
Jacob's  part  of  y*  orchard  ;  also  4^ 
acres  lying  in  y*  sjyruce  jJasture." 

James  Nute  of  Dover  conveyed 
to  James  Tuttle,  Feb.  3,  1770,  28 
acres  of  laud  on  the  west  side  of  Back 
river,  at  the  N.  E.  corner  of  said 
Tuttle's  other  land  bought  of  Tristram 
Pinkham,  and  running  along  by  said 
river  to  the  heirs  of  Wm.  Dam,  de- 
ceased, then  westerly  by  said  Dam's 
land  and  thatch-bed  till  it  came  to 
the  west  side  of  the  creek,  to  high- 
water  mark,  and  running  across  a 
point  of  land  till  it  came  to  said 
James  Tuttle's  other  land. 

II.  Drew's  Garrison.  The  Back 
River  garrison  of  this  name  is  still  in 
a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  is  a. 
picturesque  feature  of  the  road  known 
as  Spruce  Lane.  It  is  now  owned  by 
Mrs.  Rounds,  and  contains  an  inter- 
esting collection  of  furniture  and  do- 
mestic utensils  of  colonial  times.  It 
was  probably  built  by  John  Drew, 
who  owned  laud  at  Back  River  be- 
tween the  lots  of  Robert  Huckins  and 
Thomas  Whitehouse,  June  6,  1698, 
when  he  acquired  the  Huckins  lot, 
called  "  No.  16  "  in  the  numbering  of 
the  Back  River  grants.  The  Pom- 
frett  lot.  No.  17,  was  sold  him  Feb.  5, 
1701-2,  by  Pomfrett  Whitehouse, 
srandson  of  Wm.  Pomfrett.  Richard 
and  Sarah  Paine  of  Boston  conveyed 
to  him  June  5,  1705,  20  acres,  "  with 
y"  marsh  and  flatts  belonging  thereto, 
being  y""  18th  of  y*  twenty  acre  lots 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river,  and 
abutting  on  Back  river."  Israel  Hodg- 
don  conveyed  to  John  Drew,  Sr., 
March  1,  1705-6,  three  fourths  of  an 
acre  of  salt  marsh  on  the  north  side 


12 


Landnia7'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


of  the  Little  freshit  or  brook  that  goes 
out  of  the  deej)  gtitt,  so  called,  that  is 
ill  y"  18th  lot  of  y*  twenty  acre  lotts 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river,  join- 
ing John  Drew's  other  thatch-bed. 

'•'■  Dreiu  Garrison^'  is  so  called 
June  21,  1779.    (See  Spruce  Lane.) 

III.  Field's  Garrison.  This  gar- 
rison stood  on  the  present  "  Paul  Me- 
serve  farm,"  so  called,  near  the  Back 
River  school-house,  but  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  road.  It  was  built  by 
Zacharias  Field,  who  was  taxed  at 
Oyster  River  in  1664,  and  owned  land 
at  Back  River  as  early  as  1670.  The 
Rev.  John  Pike  relates  that,  July  8, 
1707,  John  Bunker  and  Ichabod  Raw- 
lins were  going  with  a  cart  from  Lieut. 
Zach  Field's  garrison  to  James  Bun- 
ker's for  a  loom,  when  they  were 
slain  by  the  Indians. 

The  highway  that  led  to  Field's 
garrison.,  and  thence  to  Capt.  Ger- 
rish's  gristmill,  as  y*  way  goes  to  Co- 
checho,  is  mentioned  March  6,  1710- 
11.     {N.  H.  Prov.  Pa2).,\l -.no.) 

IV.  Meserve's  Garrison.  This  is 
called  the  '■'■Harvey  Garrison"  in 
San  ford  &  E  vert's  county  atlas. 
It  was  still  standing  a  few  years  since 
in  a  ruinous  condition  near  the  house 
of  Mr.  Gerrish  P.  Drew,  but  having 
been  partly  blown  down,  it  had  to  be 
completely  demolished.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  built  by  Clement  Meserve, 
whose  land  adjoining  the  Field  land  is 
mentioned  in  the  middle  of  the  last 
century. 

V.  ToRR  Garrison.  The  first  gar- 
rison of  this  name  was  perhaps  built 
by  John  Knight,  whose  ''  plantation 
already  improved  "  on  the  west  side 
of  Back  river  is  mentioned  Ap.  11, 
1694.  Leah  Knight,  his  widow,  mar- 
ried Benedictus  Torr,  who  seems  to 


have  been  in  possession  of  the  Knight 
land,  Feb.  22,  1709-10,  when  John 
Gerrish  of  Dover,  and  wife  Elizabeth, 
conveyed  to  Benedictus  Torr,  and 
Leah,  his  wife,  36^  acres  in  Dover 
township,  lying  to  the  westward  of 
the  7nast  hridge.,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Bake  (Back)  river,  beginning  at 
the  south-west  corner  of  the  lot  for- 
merly sold  b}'  Major  Richard  Waldrou 
to  John  Knight,  deceased,  but  at  this 
time  in  the  tenure  of  said  Benedictus 
Torr  and  Leah,  his  wife,  thence  run- 
ning on  a  S.  S.  W.  point  three  score 
and  five  rods  to  a  Plase  (place)  called 
by  the  name  of  Tom  Drew^s  oven. 
One  bound  of  this  land  was  a  pine 
tree  on  the  south  side  of  the  7nast 
path.     (See  Mast  Bridge.) 

The  first  Torr  garrison  is  said  to 
have  been  burned  by  the  Indians, 
but  another  was  soon  after  erected  hy 
Benedictus  Torr,  which  stood  nearly 
opposite  the  present  residence  of  Mr. 
Simon  Torr.  When  taken  down 
some  years  ago,  a  part  of  the  timbers 
were  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
farm  buildings. 

Bagdad.  This  name  has  been  giv- 
en for  the  last  three  score  years  or 
more  to  a  corner  east  of  Brown's  hill 
in  Durham — not  for  anything  oriental 
in  the  scenery  or  in  the  style  of  ar- 
chitecture of  the  buildings,  or  any 
magnificence  of  sentiment  among  the 
residents.  On  the  contrary,  at  the 
time  this  corner  received  its  name,  it 
was  notable  for  its  squalor  and  pov- 
erty and  lowness  of  morals  ;  and  the 
name  was,  perhaps,  given  by  some 
rural  philosopher,  who  found  it  as 
good  a  place  to  moralize  in  as  Mirza 
did  on  the  high  hills  of  Bagdad,  where 
he  went  to  muse  and  moralize  on  the 
condition  aud  fate  of  humanity.    And 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


13 


here,  as  ou  Mirza's  bills,  there  is  a 
"  long  hollow  valle}^"  beneath,  in  the 
depth  of  which  courses  Huckins 
brook,  along  the  upper  side  of  Buck's 
hill. 

Some  sa}',  however,  that  the  name 
of  Bagdad  was  given  by  the  boys  of 
this  corner,  who  had  been  reading  the 
"  Arabian  Nights,"  and  the  name  so 
tickled  the  popular  fancy,  by  the  very 
force  of  contrast,  as  to  be  at  once  uni- 
versally accepted. 

Bald  Gade,  otherwise  Bold  Gade, 
mentioned  in  a  Tibbets  deed  of  the 
middle  of  last  century.  It  was  ap- 
parently in  Somersworth,  but  the 
name  has  not  been  retained. 

Bald  Head.  This  is  a  small  bluff 
on  the  Newington  shore  of  Little  Bay, 
just  above  Fox  Pt.,  which  has  a 
bald,  sandy  aspect,  facing  the  water, 
but  otherwise  is  covered  with  verdure. 

Ballard's  Brook.  This  name  is 
often  given  to  that  part  of  Stony 
brook  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  road 
from    Durham    village    to    Madbury. 

The  bridge  across  it  is  also  called 
BallarcVs  bridge,     {^qq  Stony  Brook.) 

Bantom's  Point,  ptherwise  Bamp- 
ton's.  This  point,  according  to  White- 
house's  map  of  Dover,  is  on  the  west' 
side  of  the  river  Cochecho,  below  the 
Narrows.  Matthew  James  of  Somers- 
worth, Dec.  29,  1741,  conveyed  to 
his  son  John  12  acres  and  128  rods 
of  land,  compassing  one  acre  in  John 
Bamton's  possession,  beginning  at 
his  fence  and  running  down  to  a 
landing-place  on  Cochecho  river.  It 
joined  Samuel  Tibbets'  land.  John 
James    sold   this    laud   to    Jonathan 


Watson,  who,  Dec.  2,  1746,  conveyed 
to  Ambrose  Bampton  12  acres  128 
rods,  towards  the  upper  end  of  Dover 
Neck,  compassing  one  acre  already 
in  said  Bampton's  possession,  and 
running  down  to  a  landing  place  on 
the  Cochecho  i;iver.  "  Ambrous  Ban- 
tom  "  belonged  to  Capt.  Thomas  Mil- 
let's Company  in  1740.  (See  Clark's 
Ferry.) 

Barbadoes.  This  name  was  given 
about  two  hundred  years  ago  to  a  dis- 
trict on  the  present  borders  of  Dover 
and  Madbury  that  comprised  Barba- 
does Marsh,  Barbadoes  Plain,  Bar- 
badoes   Pond,    Barbadoes    Spring, 
and  Barbadoes  Woods.     A  road  led 
to  this  district,  sometimes  called  Bar- 
badoes way,  which  is  mentioned  May 
30,1702.   {See  Broad  Turn.)  Robert 
Evans  of  Mendon   (Mass.),  June  5, 
1711,  conveyed  to  Joseph  Meader  of 
Dover,  60  acres  of  land  granted  his 
father  Robert  Evans,  Sr.,  laid  out  in 
Cochecho  Swamp,  on  "  the  south  side 
of  the  way  that  goeth  to  a  place  com- 
monly    called     Barbadoes."    Joseph 
Meader  conveyed  this  trac\t  to  John 
Hanson  in   1713.     Benjamin  Evans, 
April  10,  1739,  conveyed  to  Hercules 
Mooney,  schoolmaster^,  eleven    acres 
in   ^  y^  place  commonly  called  Bar- 
badoes "  on  the  north  side  of  the  way 
from  Littleworth  to  Barrington,  be- 
ginning at  Robert    Hanson's  bound. 
Thirty  acres  were  granted  to  Joseph 
Evans     in     Purbadies     (Barbadoes) 
woods,  Ap.  6,  1702.     John  Wingate, 
in  his  will  of  1714,  gives  his  son  Ed- 
mund thirty  acres  in  Barbadoes  woods, 
which,  according  to  a  deed  from  Si- 


1  This  was  Col.  Hercules  Mooney,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  not  only  taught  school  many  years 
in  Durham,  Newington,  and  Somersworth,  but  served  with  distinction  in  the  Seven  Years'  War 
and  at  the  Revolutionary  period.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  above  Benjamin 
Evans. 


H 


Landmarhs  in  Ancient  Dover. 


nion  and  Joanna  Wiugate  to  their 
brother  Moses  in  1736,  were  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road  that  led  from 
Barbadoes  spring.  Thomas  Hanson 
of  Dover,  in  his  will  of  Sept.  18, 
1728,  gives  his  son  Timothy  sixty 
acres  in  Barbadoes  tvoods.  March  23, 
1752,  Henry  Bickford  of  Dover  sold 
Daniel  Hayes  twenty-eight  acres  in 
Barbadoes  woods  in  two  lots.  One 
was  next  the  Wingate  land,  on  the 
south  side  of  '•'•Barbadoes  highway.'^ 
One  side  of  this  lot  extended  to  Bel- 
lamy river.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
George  0.  Hayes. 

Pomfrett  Whitehouse,  Feb.  9,  1732 
-3,  conveyed  to  Nathaniel  Hanson  32 
acres  in  Barbadoes  woods,  granted 
his  father,  Pomfrett  Whitehouse,  in 
1702,  and  laid  out  to  him  in  1721. 
Fifteen  acres  were  laid  out  to  Nathan- 
iel Hanson  on  Barbadoes  plain,  Ap. 
13,  1737. 

Barbadoes  Pond  is  spoken  of  as 
early  as  1693,  and  again  March  28, 
1722,  when  Israel  Hodgdon  had  eight 
acres  laid  out  in  Barbadus  tvoods, 
on  the  east  side  of  Barbadus  pond, 
west  of  Richard  Scammon's  land, 

Barbadoes  pond  brook  is  mentioned 
March  27,  1739,  when  Joseph  Han- 
son's thirty-acre  grant  was  laid  out 
on  both  sides  of  this  brook,  at  the 
westerly  corner  of  Peter  Hayes'  land. 

Ten  acres  of  swamp  and  upland 
were  laid  out  to  John  Tuttle,  S'., 
June  23,  1701,  in  the  woods  above 
burbadus  spring.  Only  one  spring 
appears  to  have  been  mentioned  in 
early  times,  but  at  a  later  day  all  the 
springs   of    this    vicinity    were   com- 


prised under  the  name  of  "  Barbadoes 
springs."  They  are  now  sometimes 
called  Kelley's  sjyrings.  They  are 
south-east  of  the  pond,  and  are  of 
importance  as  the  source  from  which 
the  Dover  aqueduct  gets  part  of  its 
supply  of  water.  (See  Kelley's 
Springs.) 

The  name  of  Barbadoes  is  no  doubt 
a  reminiscence  of  the  days  when 
wood  and  lumber  from  this  region 
were  sent  to  the  West  Indies  in  ex- 
change for  supplies  of  sugar,  mo- 
lasses, and  other  commodities.  There 
was  constant  trade  in  early  times  with 
the  island  of  Barbadoes  especially.^ 
Robert  Nanny,  a  signer  of  the  Dover 
Combination,  had  an  estate  there. 
Thomas  Beard  of  Dover  was  living 
there  July  24,  1668.  One  of  the 
early  Hansons  of  Dover  went  there, 
and,  according  to  tradition,  there 
found  a  wife.  Complaint  was  made 
Oct.  4,  1683,  of  the  pine  boards  sent 
from  N.  H.  to  Barbadoes  and  else- 
where. {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  468.) 
"  Richard  Gerrish,  Command"'  of  y* 
ship  Benjamin,"  built  on  the  Pascat- 
aqua,  and  "now  bound  for  Barba- 
does," is  mentioned  in  Aug.,  1698. 
{Ibid.,  17:  678.) 

Among  the  custom-house  returns  at 
Portsmouth  of  the  "  entries  inward  " 
in  the  short  space  of  one  week  in 
1692  are  the  following:  Sept.  17, 
1692,  the  bark  Mary,  of  Kittery,  from 
Barbadoes,  with  rum  and  limestone 
ballasts  ;  and  the  Friends  Endeavor, 
of  Portsmouth,  from  Barbadoes,  Nich- 
olas Follet,  commander,  with  sugar, 
molasses,    and    salt ;    Sept.    19,    the 


1  The  island  of  Barbadoes  is  said  to  have  derived  its  name  from  the  long  beard-like 
streamers  of  moss  which  hang  from  the  branches  of  the  trees,  giving  them  a  strange,  ven- 
erable aspect, — 

"  Like  harpers  hoar,  with  beards  that  rest  on  their  bosoms." 


I^aiidmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


15 


hugSintmQ  Friendship ,  of  Portsmouth, 
from  Barbadoes,  Samuel  Riues,  com', 
with  salt,  English  goods,  etc.  ;  and 
Sept.  22,  the  bark  Fj-iends  Increase, 
of  Portsmouth,  from  Barhadoes,  John 
Cutt,  com"". 

Robert  Cutt  of  Portsmouth  for  a 
time  lived  at  Rarbadoes,  and  there 
married  his  first  wife.  TheVaughaus 
of  Portsmouth  also  traded  there,  and 
there  died  Cutt,  son  of  Wm.  Vaughan, 
and  grandson  of  Richard  Cutt. 
Michael  Hicks,  as  stated  in  his  will 
of  1688,  was  born  at  Barbadoes. 
Antipas  Boyes,  the  son-in-law  of  Val- 
entine Hill  of  Oyster  River, ^  traded 
with  Barbadoes ;  and  there,  about 
1706,  died  his  son,  Antipas,  Jr., 
whose  estate  fell  to  his  cousin,  Na- 
thaniel Hill  of  Oyster  River,  son  of 
Valentine.  As  late  as  Ap.  11,  1752, 
mention  is  made  of  Nathaniel  Thomp- 
son's shipping  goods  from  Barbadoes 
on  the  sloop  Nancy  (his  brother, 
James  Thompson,  captain) ,  consigned 
to  Benjamin  Mathes  and  Jonathan 
Thompson,  Jr.,  of  Piscataqua.  These 
four  men  all  belonged  in  Durham. 

So  constant  was  our  intercourse 
with  Barbadoes  in  early  times  that 
even  official  letters  to  and  from  Eng:- 
land  were  sometimes  despatched  by 
way  of  that  island.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  17:  601.) 

But  in  these  days  the  island  of 
Barbadoes,  with  which  we  once  held 
such  close  commercial  relations,  is 
chiefly  known  to  us  through  Captain 
Cuttle's  famous  nautical  song  : 

"  For  the  Port  of  Barbadoes,  boys  ! 
Cheerily  ! 
Leaving  old  England  behind  us,  boys  ! 
Cheerily!" 


Barnes's  Island.  This  is  a  little 
island  near  the  eastern  shore  of  Oys- 
ter river,  not  far  above  the  mouth. 
It  now  belongs  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Chesley. 
It  is  referred  to  July  5,  1643,  when 
Valentine  Hill  had  a  grant  of  land 
extending  "  from  a  creek  over  against 
Thomas  Stevenson's,  at  Oyster  river, 
that  hath  an  island  in  the  moxith  of  it. 
to  the  head  of  that  creek  in  Roy  all's 
cove,"  etc.  The  present  name  was 
given  it  early  this  century  by  the 
boatmen  on  the  river,  who  left  one 
of  their  mates,  nick-named  "  Capt. 
Barnes,"  on  this  island,  and  he  was 
forced  to  swim  ashore.  It  is  some- 
times called  Badge's  island. 

Barrington  Oak.  This  name  is 
given  to  the  present  boundary  tree  at 
the  Barrington  terminus  of  the  line 
between  Lee  and  Madbury.  It  is  a 
white  oak,  which  stands  where  the 
roads  from  these  three  towns  meet, 
at  the  side  of  the  highway  adjacent 
to  the  old  Pinkham  land,  now  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Laban  Emerson.  Bar- 
rington  oak  seems  to  have  sprung  up 
since  the  line  between  Barrington 
and  Madbury  was  perambulated  Dec. 
28,  1801.  According  to  the  Madbury 
records,  the  dividing  line  at  that  time 
ran  to  the  western  corner  of  Madbury, 
about  one  rod  north-west  of  an  apple- 
tree  in  Mr.  Richard  Pinkham's  or- 
chard. 

Bartlett's  Falls.  This  name  is 
given  on  the  state  map  of  Lee,^  in 
1803,  to  a  dam  just  below  the  Little 
river  saw-mill,  in  Lee,  where  Josiah 
Bartlett  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  ac- 
quired  a  grist-mill  privilege  May  3, 


'Antipas  Boyes  (or  Boj'ce)  and  Hannah  Hill  were  married  in  Boston  by  Gov.  John  Endicott, 
Jan.  24,  1659. 

-The  so  called  "  state  maps,"  mentioned  in  this  work,  belong  to  the  valuable  collection  of 
maps  in  the  state-house  at  Concord,  N.  H. 


i6 


Landma7'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


1774.  {^&e  Thompson's  Falls.)  An- 
other Josiah  Bartlett,  in  his  will  of 
1858,  gives  his  son  Alfred  his  mill 
and  mill  privilege  on  "  Little  river 
stream."     This  was  lower  down. 

Bartlett's  Hill.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  the  hill  at  the 
upper  side  of  Little  river  mill,  where 
the  cellar  of  the  Bartlett  house  can 
still  be  traced.  It  is  otherwise  called 
Thompson's  Hill.  On  the  top  was 
once  a  whip-saw  pit,  owned  by  a 
Follet. 

Bartlett's  Spring.  Mentioned  in 
the  report  of  the  Great  Falls  commit- 
tee for  the  suiiply  of  water,  Dec.  2, 
1890.  It  is  on  land  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Bartlett,  on  the  way  from  Great 
Falls  to  Rochester,  below  Tate's 
brook. 

Bay  Hill.  Mentioned  Nov.  28, 
1679,  when  Lieut.  Walter  Neale  con- 
firmed unto  George  Huntress  the 
right  to  a  tract  of  land  in  Greenland, 
upon  Y  hill  called  Bay  Hill.,  on  the 
west  side  of  John  ffilbrook's  land, 
beginning  at  a  white  oak  on  the  top 
of  said  hill.  This  hill  is  at  the  west 
of  Mr.  J.  C.  "Weeks'  farm,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  Great  Bay  shore, 
on  the  highway  to  Greenland  village. 

Bay  Side.  This  name,  in  a  re- 
stricted sense,  is  given  to  that  part 
of  the  Great  Bay  shore  in  Greenland, 
above  the  mouth  of  Winnicot  river. 
It  is  also  given  to  the  neighboring 
railway  station.  A  "school  at  Bay 
side"  is  mentioned  in  1787,  at  which 
time  the  master  was  Clement  Weeks, 
a  o;raduate  of  Harvard  Colleo;e. 

Bean's  Point.    See  Stepheri's  Point. 

Beard's  Creek.  This  is  the  first  in- 
let on  the  north  side  of  Oyster  river 
below  Durham  Falls.  The  name  is 
derived  from  Wm.    Beard,  who  was 


living  at  Oyster  River,  June  16,  1640, 
when  he  conveyed  to  Francis  Ma- 
thews his  house  and  land,  "  situate, 
lying,  and  being  in  Oyster  river,  next 
adjoining  y'"  land  of  Darbey  field." 

This  creek  is  mentioned  in  1660, 
when  John  Woodman  had  a  grant  of 
twenty  acres  "  at  the  head  of  Wil- 
liam Beard's  creek."  (See  Stony 
Brook.)  And  again  in  1663,  when 
Benjamin  Mathes  conveyed  land  to 
John  Woodman  on  "  the  west  side  of 
Wm.  Beard's  creek." 

There  was  a  public  landing-place  at 
the  head  of  Beard's  creek  as  early  as 
1689,  in  which  year  a  road  was  laid 
out  from  it  extending  to  Newtown. 
The  town  of  Durham  conveyed  this 
landing-place  to  Jonathan  Woodman 
in  1779.  (See  Brown's  Hill.)  This 
creek  is  often  called  "  Woodman's 
creek"  in  the  Durham  records,  being 
partly  bordered  by  the  land  attached 
to  Woodman's  garrison.  (See  Beard's 
Garrison.) 

The  bridge  on  the  turnpike  road 
across  Beard's  creek,  near  the  mouth, 
is  called  in  the  town  recor?ls  by  vari- 
ous names,  according  to  the  owner  of 
the  adjacent  land,  such  as  Steele's 
bridge,  Kingman's  bridge,  and  now 
Coe's  bridge. 

Beauty  Hill.  This  hill  is  in  Bar- 
rington,  north-east  of  Bodge's  pond. 
Said  to  have  been  so  named  from  the 
number  of  rustic  belles  in  that  vicin- 
ity at  one  period. 

Beaver  Dams.  The  most  noted 
beaver  dam  in  ancient  Dover  was  at 
Bellamy  Hook,  a  little  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Mallego.  It  is  men- 
tioned in  1659,  when  Thomas  Wig- 
oin's  grant  of  200  acres  was  laid  out 
on  a  branch  of  Bellamy  river,  "  neare 
y^  Great  Beaver  Dam." 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


17 


Thomas  Edgerly,  Jr.,  March  19, 
1693-4,  had  a  grant  of  five  acres  of 
fresh  marsh  "  on  the  uorth  side  of  y' 
marsh  Will  Tasker  and  Ju".  Derry 
hath  cleared  above  y**  great  beaver 
dain,"  which  was  confirmed  to  him 
Ap.  2,  1694.  Twenty  acres  of  fresh 
marsh  were  granted  John  Derry  and 
William  Tasker,  July  14,  1703, 
above  the  great  beaver  dam  on  Bella- 
my's bank  river,  where  the  s*^  Derry 
and  Tasker  hath  cleared,  beginning 
at  a  tree  near  the  beaver  dam  on  the 
south  side  of  said  river. 

John  Davis,  Sr.,  conveyed  to  Sam- 
uel Chesley,  Ap.  26,  1719,  five  acres 
of  fresh  marsh  "  above  Great  Beaver 
Damm,"  originally  granted  to  Thomas 
Edgerly,  March  19,  1693-4.  Samuel 
Chesley  conveyed  this  marsh,  that 
same  day,  to  Eli  and  John  Demerit, 
Samuel  Davis,  and  others,  evidently 
for  the  benefit  of  the  mill  built  not 
long  after  at  Bellamy  Hook.  (See  De- 
merit's Mill.) 

This  was  no  doubt  called  "  Great " 
Beaver  Dam  in  order  to  distinguish  it 
from  a  smaller  beaver  dam  a  little 
further  up  the  Bellamy,  just  above 
Ricker's  bridge,  and  immediately  be- 
low the  so  called  Deep  Hole,  which  is 
a  hollow  in  the  channel  of  the  river, 
noted  as  a  favorable  place  for  catch- 
ing perch,  pickerel,  and  shiners. 

There  are  traces  of  several  beaver 
dams  in  Durham,  the  most  perfect  of 
which  is  near  the  head  of  Beard's 
creek,  beneath  the  tongue  of  land 
where  the  Woodmans  are  buried. 

There  was  also  a  beaver  dam  in  the 
south-western  part  of  Lee,  near  North 
river.     (See  Beaver  Brook  and  Pond.) 

Mention  is  made  of  a  beaver  dam 
in  Somersworth,  Oct.  21,  1734,  when 
20  acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  Eb- 


enezer  Wentworth  "  where  he  then 
dwelt,  above  the  beaver  dam,  near  the 
lower  end  oi  Peter's  Marsh,  so  called, 
by  the  brook."  And,  March  23,  1736, 
20  acres  were  laid  out  to  Samuel 
Walton,  "  beginning  at  a  black  ash 
in  a  maple  swamp,  near  east  from  the 
heaver  dam  that  is  on  the  brook  that 
cometh  through  Peter's  marsh." 
This  large  beaver  dam  was  near  Mr. 
Thomas  Ranlet's,  where  that  part  of 
Peter's  Marsh  brook,  now  called 
"Tate's  brook,"  is  crossed  by  the 
road  from  Great  Falls. 

The  remains  of  another  beaver  dam 
are  still  to  be  seen  in  Rollinsford,  on 
the  east  side  of  Fresh  creek,  above 
the  road  to  Eliot. 

The  great  number  of  beavers  in 
N.  H.  in  early  times,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Newichawannock,  is 
evident  from  the  amount  killed  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months  in  the  year 
1633,  as  shown  by  the  accounts  of 
Ambrose  Gibbons.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  1  :  71-2  and  2  :  558.)  It  is  not 
surprising  that  these  interesting  ani- 
mals were  speedily  exterminated. 

Beaver  Brook,  Beaver  Pond,  and 
Beaver  Pond  Meadow.  Beaver  pond 
is  mentioned  March  5,  1729-30,  when 
ten  acres  of  swamp,  granted  to  James 
Thomas  in  1701,  "  up  above  Little 
river,  at  a  place  QaWeA  Beaver  Pound," 
were  laid  out  to  Ebenezer  Smith.  And 
three  score  acres  of  upland  and 
meadow,  granted  to  Roger  Rose,  were 
laid  out  to  John  Smith  May  13,  1726, 
beginning  at  a  white  ash  tree  on  the 
south  side  of  "a  meadow  called  the 
bever  Pond  medoiu; "  thence  ruur 
ning  N.  W.  by  N.  60  rods,  to  a  ma- 
ple ;  then  S.  W.  by  W.  22  rods, 
"  where  the  two  brooks  meet  in  the 
medow,"  etc. 


i8 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


Beaver  pond,  formed  by  the  over- 
flow of  the  beaver  dam  below,  is  do 
loEi2;er  to  be  seen,  but  the  meadow 
where  it  stood  is  iu  the  south-western 
part  of  Lee,  between  the  site  of  Fox 
garrison  and  North  river.  This  mead- 
ow seems  to  have  been  acquired  last 
century  by  Ephraim  Davis  and  John 
Sias.  It  now  belongs  to  Mr.  Kener- 
sou  and  Mr.  B.  F.  Lang.  It  was 
drained  by  Beaver  brook,  which  was 
the  outlet  of  the  pond.  The  beaver 
dam  was  on  this  brook,  about  ten 
rods  from  the  old  Sias  house.  A 
spring,  about  30  rods  from  the  house, 
is  still  called  the  Sias  spring. 

Two  brooks  are  mentioned  above. 
One  of  them  is  now  dry  most  of  the 
year,  and  has  no  name.  The  other 
is  Beaver  brook,  which  flows  from  the 
meadow  to  the  boundary  line  of  Lee 
and  Nottingham,  where  it  receives 
Davis's  brook,  that  rises  back  of  Mr. 
Obadiah  Davis's  house.  It  then  runs 
half  a  mile  northerly — contrary  to  the 
direction  of  the  other  brooks  in  this 
vicinity — crosses  the  Kelsey  meadow 
in  Nottingham  and  empties  into  Pea 
Porridge  brook,  which,  a  hundred 
rods  beyond,  empties  into  Little  river. 

Beck's  Point  and  Slip.  Beck's 
Slip  was  a  landing-place  at  Beck's 
point,  on  Fore  river.  This  point  is 
mentioned  July  2,  1718,  when  Wm. 
Parker,  of  Portsmouth,  conveyed  to 
Nicholas  Harford  a  dwelling-house 
and  four  acres  of  land  on  Dover 
Neck,  beginning  at  a  landing-place 
commonly  called  Beck's  p>oint,  and 
extending  west  by  the  highway  side 
to  y*  high  street,  then  south  by  y* 
street  to  Samuel  Haines'  land,  thence 


east  by  Haines'  land  down  to  y^  fore 
river. 

A  road  was  laid  out  March  16, 
1721-22,  from  high  street  to  Beck's 
slip,  no  doubt  to  facilitate  access  to 
Harford's  ferry,  which  Nicholas  Har- 
ford in  1717  had  been  licensed  to  run 
from  this  slip  to  Kittery — that  is,  to 
the  opposite  shore  ;  for  Kittery  then 
extended  up  the  Newichawannock, 
and  included  the  present  town  of 
Eliot  and  the  Berwicks. 

Thomas  Gushing  of  Boston,  and 
Mercy,  his  wife,  Aug.  23,  1736,  con- 
veyed to  Capt.  John  Gage  five 
acres  of  land,  with  buildings,  etc., 
bought  of  Nicholas  Harford,  on  the 
east  side  of  Dover  Neck,  lying  be- 
tween the  land  of  Joseph  Roberts 
and  y"  highway  that  leads  down  to 
y*  landing-place  commonly  called 
Beck's  slip,  bounded  westerly  by  the 
main  road  over  Dover  Neck  down  to 
Hilton's  Point,  northerly  by  Rob- 
erts' land,  south  by  the  highway  from 
said  main  road  to  said  landing-place, 
and  easterly  by  Fore  river,  running 
from  the  river  to  the  main  road,  in- 
cluding a  strip  four  rods  wide  running 
along  the  river  from  said  highway  to 
the  wharf  on  the  river  side,  built  by 
said  Harford  ;  with  the  privilege  of 
the  Ferry  from  said  landing-place  over 
to  Kittery  Shore. 

Beck's  Point  was  so  named  from 
Henry  Beck  of  the  Dover  Combina- 
tion of  1640.  He  seems  to  have  set- 
tled in  Portsmouth.  "Henry  Beck 
of  Sagamore  Creek  in  y'^  town  of 
Portsmouth,  planter"  and  Ann,  his 
wife,  are  mentioned  iu  the  county 
records  at  Exeter,  Sept.  1,  1668.^ 


1  Henry  Beck  was  the  ancestor  of  Theodore  Eomeyn  Beck,  the  author  of  Beck's  Botany  and 
several  works  on  medical  jurisprudence. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


19 


The  lancliug-place  at  Beck's  slip 
and  Harford's  ferry,  afterwards  Mor- 
rill's ferry,  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Geo.  W.  Ford. 

Beech  Hill.  This  hill  is  on  the 
confines  of  Durham,  Lee,  and  Mad- 
bury.  It  is  mentioned  the  4th,  9  mo., 
1652,  when  Philip  Chesley  had  a 
grant  of  100  acres,  one  half  of  which 
was  laid  out  in  1661  "  att  a  place 
called  the  Indian  graves.,  on  the  west 
side  of  heacli  hill."  Twelve  score 
acres  of  laud  were  granted  Capt. 
John  Woodman  and  his  sons,  John 
and  Jouathau,  March  19,  1693-4, 
"on  y*  south  side  of  beach  Hill  and 
so  down  to  the  swamp."  (Follet's 
Swamp.)  Part  of  this  land  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Moses  Gilmau  Wood- 
man, a  direct  descendant  of  Capt. 
John  Woodman. 

When  Lee  was  separated  from 
Durham,  Jau.  17,  1766,  the  line  of 
division  began  at  Paul  Chesley's 
house  at  Beech  hill.  When  the  bounds 
were  perambulated  in  1798,  the  line 
began  at  the  place  "  where  the  house 
of  Paul  Chesley  stood." 

The  name  of  Beech  Hill  is  still  re- 
tained, though  the  beech  trees  from 
which  it  was  no  doubt  derived  have 
all  disappeared. 

Bellamy  Bank  River  or  Freshet, 
otherwise  Bellamy  River.  This  river 
rises  at  Chesley's  lower  pond,  now 
Swayne's,  in  Barriugton  (See  Chesley's 
Ponds),  and  flows  into  Madbury, where 
it  is  joined  by  the  Mallego  at  Bellamy 
Hook.  Below  the  Barbadoes  region 
it  receives  Church's  brook,  after  which 
it  passes  through  the  Bellamy  district 
in  Dover.  At  the  head  of  tide  water 
it  takes  the  name  of  "  Back  river  " 
and  flows  along  the  west  side  of  Dover 


Neck,  and    finally  empties    into  the 
Pascataqua  river. 

Dr.  Ham  of  Dover  ascribes  the 
name  of  Bellamy  to  William  Bellew, 
who,  in  1644,  owned  a  house  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  north 
side  of  this  stream,  which  he  sold  to 
Christopher  Lawsou.  His  name  is 
otherwise  written  Ballew.  "  William 
Ballew  "  is  the  witness  of  a  deed  from 
Thomas  Larkham  to  Wm.  Walderne, 
Sept.  13,  1642.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
1:163.)  "AVilliara  Ballew"  is  also 
one  of  the  petitioners  concerning 
Wm.  Walderne's  estate,  Oct.  27, 
1647.  {Ihid.,  1  :  188-9.)  "  Will  Bel- 
lew"  is  a  witness  to  a  deed  from 
"Darby  ffield"  to  John  Bickford 
July  17,  1645.  He  is  apparently  the 
"Mr.  Bellev "  who  had  a  grant  of 
six  acres  in  Cochecho  marsh  in  1648. 
As  his  name  does  not  appear  in  the 
Dover  rate-list  of  that  year,  this  grant 
was  no  doubt  made  in  view  of  his  for- 
mer rights,   and  belonged  to  his  as- 


signee. 


The  derivation  of  the  name  of  Bel- 
lamy river  from  Wm.  Ballew  is  doubt- 
ful. He  was  a  petty  land-owner  for 
a  brief  period,  and  has  left  no  proof 
of  his  importance  but  the  "  Mr." 
prefixed  to  his  name  in  one  or  two 
instances.  Besides,  Wm.  Ballew's 
land  seems  not  to  have  been  on  the 
fresh  part  of  the  stream  to  which  the 
name  of  Bellamy  has  always  been 
confined,  but  lower  down,  on  the  part 
called  "  Back  river." 

"  The  fifth  of  September,  Anno 
Domi,  1644,  William  Bellew  soulde 
[sold]  his  house  situate  in  Dover,  with 
y*  appurtenances,  unto  Christopher 
Lawson,  with  twenty  acres  of  land 
on  ye  back  river,  and  thirty  pounds 


20 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


in  goods,  for  thirty  thousand  of  pine 
staves  to  be  paid  the  first  of  August, 
1646,  etc.   {County  Records^  Exeter.) 

The  supposition  that  Belleman's 
Bank  is  a  contraction  of  "  Bellew- 
man's  Bank  "  is  therefore  hardly  ad- 
missible. Besides,  Belleman's  Bank 
was  certainly  not  the  original  name 
of  this  stream.  The  earliest  form  of 
the  name  was  undoubtedly  Bellamies 
Bank,  greatly  varied  as  to  ortho- 
graphy. It  is  so  called  as  early  as 
1648,  the  very  year  Wm.  Ballew  had 
a  grant  of  six  acres  in  Cochecho 
marsh.  "Belleman's  Bank"  is  men- 
tioned in  1658.  It  is  evidently  a 
corruption,  and  one  that  is  ignoble  to 
the  ear.  It  is,  however,  frequently 
found  in  the  old  records.  It  is  called 
"  Bellamy's  Bank''  Oct.  17,  1683,  by 
Major  Richard  Waldron,  who  was  at 
Dover  in  the  time  of  "Wm.  Ballew, 
and  may  be  considered  indisputable 
authority  as  to  the  name.  The  word 
"  Bank  "  was  perhaps  added  to  the 
name  of  the  plantation  here  in  imita- 
tion of  "  Strawberry  Bank  "  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Pascataqua. 

A  different  origin  of  the  name  is 
suggested  by  the  term  of  "ye  old 
planting -ground  "  ^  in  the  following 
deed  :  Thomas  Beard  of  Dover,.  Aug. 
6,  1654,  conveyed  to  Richard  Wal- 
drou  a  quarter  part  of  the  saw-mill 
(on  Bellamy  river),  with  all  the  iron 
works,  ropes,  wheels,  and  all  imple- 
ments and  housings,  with  all  the  logs 


and  the  grant  of  timber  by  the  town, 
and  likewise  ye  old  planting-ground, 
commonly  called  Bellemies  Bank,  with 
20  acres  more,  granted  by  the  town 
of  Dover.     (See  Bellamy  Falls.) 

There  were,  however,  people  of  the 
name  of  Bellamy  in  New  England  as 
early  as  1644,  when  mention  is  made 
of  John  Bellamy  of  New  Haven, 
merchant,  who  two  years  later  was 
lost  at  sea,  on  his  way  to  London. 
Mathew  Bellamy  of  New  Haven  is 
mentioned  in  1658,  and  again  in  1675, 
when  he  had  a  grant  of  land  at  Say- 
brook,  Conn. 

Bellamy  Bank,  as  a  locality,  is  men- 
tioned May  31,  1675,  when  the  com- 
mons above  Little  .John's  creek  were 
set  apart  "on  y*^  west  side  of  y*  way 
y'  goes  to  Belamyes  bank." 

The  disuse  of  the  word  "  Bank"  is 
ascribed  to  Wm.  Hale  after  he  ac- 
quired the  falls  next  above  Sawyer's 
mills.  The  name  of  Bellamy  is  now 
given  to  the  district  around  these 
falls,  as  well  as  to  the  falls  them- 
selves. 

Bellamy  Falls  and  Mills.  The 
first  falls  in  the  Bellamy  river  are  at 
the  outlet  of  Swayne's  pond  in  Bar- 
rington,  where  a  reservoir  dam  was 
erected  for  the  benefit  of  Sawyer's 
mills  in  1863-4,  and  enlarged  in 
1881.  The  land  here  was  conveyed 
by  Elijah  Austin  to  Isaac  Wendell 
Oct.  28,  1823,  for  the  Great  Falls 
Manufacturing  Company,  which   se- 


1 "  Old  planting-ground  "  was  an  expression  generally  applied  to  the  land  planted  by  the 
Indians.  "  RunacxvitVs  old  planting-ground  "  in  Kittery  is  mentioned  in  the  York  records. 
The  " Sqtiammagonake  old  planting-ground  "  is  mentioned  in  1686,  in  a  deed  from  Hoope  Whood 
and  other  Indian  sagamores  to  Peter  Coffin.  "  MahenniVs  planting-ground  "  in  the  Pack- 
er's Falls  district,  Durham,  is  mentioned  Oct.  9,  1735.  (See  Pendergast  Garrison.)  Andrew 
Wiggin  of  Quam.scot  conveyed  to  Joshua  Bracket,  Sept.  1,  1719,  a  tract  of  land  "  bounded  att  a 
clump  of  trees  standing  in  a  piece  of  old  planting -ground  nearly  forty  rods  below  Sandj' 
Point,  beginning-  at  a  stake  in  a  piece  of  the  old  Indian  ground  15  rods  from  high-water  mark, 
about  40  rods  below  Sandy  Point."  Other  instances  might  be  given  of  the  Indian  corn-grounds, 
which  were  generally  near  the  falls  or  some  other  important  point  on  the  rivers. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


21 


cured  all  the  water  powers  on  the 
Bellamy  in  1823-24,  now  controlled 
by  the  proprietors  of  Sawyer's  mills. 

Just  below  the  reservoir  dam  are 
HalVs  mills,  consisting  of  a  saw-mill 
on  the  lower  side,  run  by  water 
power,  and  a  steam  mill  on  the  other 
side  for  axe  handles,  etc.  About  a 
mile  below  are  Mr.  Israel  Pierce's 
saxo-mill  and  grist-mill,  which  former- 
ly belonged  to  Jonathan  Young. 
These  mills  are  in  Harrington.  The 
uppermost  mill  within  the  limits  of 
ancient  Dover  stood  at  Bellamy 
Hook,  in  Madbury,  where  a  dam  was 
built  by  Ely  Demerit  in  1719.  This 
mill  is  now  gone.  (See  Demerits 
Mill.) 

A  short  distance  below  the  Hook 
once  stood  a  mill  for  a  brief  period, 
built  by  Samuel  Davis. 

At  the  next  falls  were  the  Gerrish 
mills,  also  in  Madbury.  The  river 
here  flows  between  two  steep  hills. 
On  the  south  side,  below  the  bridge, 
was  a  grist-mill,  and  on  the  opposite 
bank  a  saw-mill.  (See  Oerrish's 
Mill.) 

Between  Gerrish's  mill  and  the 
present  Boston  &  Maine  railway 
bridge  was  a  saw-mill  on  the  Hayes 
land,  built  a  century  ago  at  least.  It 
was  burned  down  Nov.  10,  1853,  at 
which  time  it  belonged  to  Mr.  Oliver 
Hayes. 

Fui'ther  down  was  another  saw- 
mill, long  since  removed.  The  water 
privilege  here  was  owned  by  the 
Hayes  family  in  1825,  when  the  old 
mill-site  is  stated  to  be  half  a  mile 
above  Col.  Samuel  Dudley's  factory. 


which  was  at  the  chief  falls  in  the 
Bellamy  district. 

About  fifty  rods  above  Dudley's 
falls  once  stood  a  "  day"  saw-mill, 
owned  by  the  neighboring  farmers, 
but  the  fall  is  no  longer  perceptible, 
having  been  overflowed  by  the  raising 
of  the  dam  below  after  the  Dudley 
privilege  was  acquired  by  Mr.  Richard- 
son. This  mill  appears  to  have  stood 
onthe  Hanson  land, perhaps  part  of  the 
tract  mentioned  Sept.  22,  1755,  when 
Paul  and  Mary  Gerrish,  of  the  parish 
of  Madbury,  conveyed  to  Solomon 
Hanson  a  tract  of  40  acres,  96  rods, 
in  Dover,  on  the  north  side  of  Belle- 
min's  Bank  river,  being  part  of  y* 
land  commonly  called  Beard's  hun- 
dred acres,  beginning  at  a  considera- 
ble fall  in  said  river. ^  It  extended 
from  Ensign  Joseph  Beard's  land  to 
the  river,  and  the  conveyance  in- 
cluded "  the  sole  privilege  of  s**  fall  " 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

The  chief  falls  in  the  Bellamy  dis- 
trict have  been  called  by  various 
names,  according  to  the  different 
owners  of  this  water  privilege.  A 
complete  account  of  their  mills  would 
occupy  too  much  space  for  this  work. 
Among  them  mav  be  mentioned  Dud- 
ley's,  Watson's,  Richardson's,  and 
Hale's  mills.  A  saw-mill  and  grist- 
mill stood  here  Aug.  11,  1826,  when 
the  bridge  between  them,  called  Dwd- 
ley's  bridge,  was  swept  away.  This 
bridge  was  so  named  from  Col.  Sam- 
uel Dudley,  who  once  had  a  mill  on 
the  south  side  for  woollen  cloths, 
carding,  and  machinery.  He  after- 
wards   sold   this    factorv   to    Daniel 


1  Thomas  Beard's  100-acre  grant  adjoined  the  100  acres  southward  of  Capt.  Waldron's  log 
swamp,  conveyed  by  Henry  Nock,  Feb.  18,  1718-19,  to  John  Hanson  and  Thomas  Hanson,  Jr. 
(See  Nock's  Marsh.) 


22 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


Watsou,  who  converted  it  into  a  grist- 
mill. At  a  later  day  it  was  used  for 
other  purposes,  and  was  finally  ac- 
quired by  Mr.  Augustus  Richardson 
toward  the  middle  of  this  century.  A 
grist-mill  now  stands  here,  owned  by 
the  proprietors  of  Sawyer's  mills. 

The  mill  privilege  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  was  leased  for  four- 
teen years  to  Nathaniel  Watson,  Jan. 
15,  1830,  by  Stephen,  Abijah,  Mar- 
tha, and  Anna  Hanson.  Watson's 
mill  is  mentioned  Ap.  3,  1839,  when 
Stephen  and  Abijah  Hanson  conveyed 
to  Augustus  Eichardson  a  tract  of 
six  acres,  beginning  at  the  division 
of  the  roads  to  Lee,  Dover,  and  the 
Bellamy  district ;  also  another  parcel 
of  laud,  known  as  Watson'' s  mill  priv- 
ilege on  said  river,  which  tract  was  a 
square,  measuring  nine  rods  each 
way,  beginning  in  the  centre  of  said 
river,  four  rods  below  the  dam,  and 
thence  running  up  the  centre  nine 
rods,  and  turning  to  the  right,  at 
right  angles,  and  running  nine  rods, 
and  so  on,  till  the  square  was  com- 
pleted, being  all  the  land  owned  by 
the  said  Hanson,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  or  between  the  river  and 
the  Lee  road  ;  the  saw-mill  standing 
on  the  tract  last  described  being  ex- 
cepted from  the  sale.  This  was  of 
course  the  mill  leased  to  Watson. 

The  Great  Falls  Manufacturing 
Co.  acquired  control  of  the  water 
power  in  the  Bellamy  district  by 
various  purchases  in  1823-24.  In  a 
deed  from  Jesse  Varney  (who  had 
obtained  a  part  of  the  old  Dudley 
privilege)  to  Isaac  Wendell,  agent  of 
the  above  Company,  Ap.  2,  1823, 
mention  is  made  of  the  cotton  factory 
at  Bellamy.  This  was  the  Hanson 
factory^  built   by  Zaccheus  Hanson, 


father  of  the  above  Stephen  and  Abi- 
jah, at  a  dam  just  below  Dudley's 
falls,  where  the  present  §aw-mill 
stands.  It  was  bought  and  removed 
by  Alfred  I.  Sawyer  in  1832.  The 
saw- mill  here  was  erected  some  years 
later  by  Mr.  Augustus  Richardson, 
who  acquired  the  whole  water  privi- 
lege at  Bellamy  by  various  deeds  be- 
tween 1839  and  1850.  .  He  also  had 
a  grist-mill,  and  established  other 
works. 

Richardson's  mills  and  privilege 
were  acquired  by  Wm.  Hale  b}'  dif- 
ferent conveyances.  The  final  one 
seems  to  have  been  in  1867.  A  few 
years  later  he  conveyed  them  to  the 
proprietors  of  Sawyer's  mills.  There 
are  still  two  dams  here.  At  the  up- 
per one,  the  old  Dudley  privilege,  is 
a  grist-mill  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river.  At  the  lower  dam,  where  the 
cotton  factory  once  stood,  is  a  saw- 
mill on  the  north  side.  The  highway 
passes  between  these  two  mills. 

The  remaining  falls  in  the  Bellamy 
are  below  Libbey's  bridge,  now  Saw- 
yer's bridge.  They  are  three  in  num- 
ber. A  grist-mill  stood  at  the  upper 
falls,  near  the  bridge,  before  1711, 
when  the  road  from  Lamprey  river  to 
Salmon  Falls  is  mentioned  as  running 
past  Field's  garrison  to  "  Capt.  Ger- 
rish's  grist-mill  as  y*  way  now  goes 
to  Cochecho."  (N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
17  :  710.)  It  is  again  spoken  of  in 
1735,  as  will  be  seen  below.  At  the 
beginning  of  this  century  it  was  own- 
ed by  Benjamin  Libbey.'  Libbey's 
mill  and  bridge  are  often  mentioned 
in  the  Dover  records.  Enoch  Libbey 
conveyed  to  Andrew  Pierce,  March 
22,  1822, ''a  certain  mill  privilege 
and  grist-mill  owned  and  occupied  by 
my  late  father  Benjamin  Libbey  ;  also 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


23 


the  whole  right  I  have  of  erecting  a 
dam  on  the  southerly  side  of  said 
river,  on  said  privilege,  and  below 
the  same,"  with  the  understanding 
that  any  overflow  or  damage  done  by 
erecting  a  dam  below  said  privilege 
should  be  paid  for.  This  purchase 
was  made  for  the  Great  Falls  Man. 
Co.  The  privilege  here  was  leased 
to  Alfred  I.  Sawver  in  1824.  He  gave 
notice  July  27,  1824,  that  on  the  1st 
of  September  following,  he  should 
"carry  on  the  business  of  cloth- 
dressing  at  the  place  formerly  known 
as  Lihhey's  mills."  He  also  ran  the 
grist-mill,  and  a  few  years  later  es- 
tablished a  flannel  mill.  He  bought 
the  rights  of  the  Great  Falls  Man. 
Co.  in  1845.  After  his  death  in  1849 
the  business  was  continued  by  his 
brothers.  In  1858  they  purchased 
the  Moses  mill  at  the  lower  falls,  so 
named  from  C.  C.  P.  Moses,  who 
bought  this  privilege  from  the  Great 
Falls  Man.  Co.  in  1845,  and  built  on 
the  site  of  the  Osborne  foundry  a 
paper-mill,  which  he  converted  into  a 
flannel  mill  in  1855.  From  these  two 
woollen  mills  have  sprung  up,  through 
the  able  management  of  the  Messrs. 
Sawyer,  the  present  extensive  manu- 
factories of  fine  cloths  and  suitings. 
Their  company  was  incorporated  in 
1873.  There  are  three  dams  at  Saw- 
yer's mills.  The  lowest  has  a  fall  of 
20  ft.  and  80  horse  power.  This  is 
at  the  head  of  tide  water,  to  which 
point  barges  and  small  schooners  can 
ascend  Back  river.  The  other  two 
dams  have  a  fall  of  12  ft.  and  50 
horse  power. 

The  earliest  saw-mill  on  the  Bella- 
my is  supposed  to  have  stood  at  the 
head  of  tide  water.  The  falls  here 
were  granted  to  John  Dam,  Thomas 


Lay  ton,  and  Wm.  Pomfrett  the  23d, 
8  mo.,  1649,  but  were  afterwards 
acquired  by  Thomas  Beard,  Wm. 
Follet,  Thomas  Layton,  and  Philip 
Lewis.  Thomas  Layton  conveyed  his 
quarter  part  of  the  saw-mill  here  to 
Richard  Waldrou,  Ap.  8,  1653. 
Thomas  Beard  and  wife  Mary,  con- 
veyed to  Waldron  his  portion  Dec.  6, 
1654,  together  with  '■'■ye  old  idanting 
ground  commonly  called  JBellemies 
Bank;"  Philip  Lewis  conveyed  his 
quarter  June  4,  1657  ;  and  Wm.  Fol- 
let of  Oyster  River  his  part,  Ap.  27, 
1675.  The  entire  mill  and  water  ^^ 
privilege  here,  having  been  thus 
acquired  by  Major  Waldron,  he  gave 
half  of  it  as  a  marriage  portion  to 
his  daughter  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
Gerrish,  which  gift  he  ratified  by  an 
indenture  of  Oct.  17,  1683,  confirm- 
ing unto  John  Gerrish  of  Bellamy's 
Bank  one  half  of  said  mills,  together 
with  a  moiet}'  of  all  housings,  lands, 
tenements,  meadows,  marshes,  pas- 
tures, gardens,  woods,  swamps,  water 
courses,  mills,  dams,  head  weirs, 
ponds,  fishing,  fowling  ways,  profits, 
privileges,  rights,  commonages,  he- 
reditaments, emoluments,  and  appui'- 
tenances,  to  him,  his  heirs,  and  assigns 
forever. 

John  Gerrish  afterwards  acquired 
the  whole  privilege.  Here  stood  the 
Gerrish  mills  of  early  times,  near 
which  was  no  doubt  the  Gerrish  gar- 
rison. These  mills  and  the  privilege 
were  inherited  by  his  sons.  Col.  Tim- 
othy Gerrish  of  Kittery,  and  Col. 
Paul  Gerrish  of  Dover,  who,  Oct.  28, 
1735,  made  a  division  of  the  land 
and  water  privilege  left  them  undi- 
vided by  their  honored  father,  John 
Gerrish,  Esq.  A  line  was  drawn, 
beginning   at   a    certain    rock    about 


H 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


four  rods  from  the  southerly  end  of 
the  bridge  over  Belleman's  Bank 
river,  on  y*  westerly  side  of  the  road 
y'  leads  over  said  bridge  to  Durham, 
theuee  running  W.  S.  W.  64  rods  to 
another  marked  rock,  then  S.  S.  W. 
148  rods  to  a  beech  tree.  It  was  agreed 
that  all  the  land  on  the  easterly  side  of 
the  above  line  should  belong  to  said 
Timothy,  and  that  on  the  westerly 
side  to  said  Paul.  It  was  moreover 
agreed  that  "  the  privilege  of  y^  falls 
where  the  gristmill  now  stands  upon 
Belleman's  Bank  river  shall  remain 
in  partnership  within  y^  compass  of 
s*^  Timothy's  land  down  to  the  flow- 
ing of  the  tide,  and  y'  y*  Ch'eat  Falls 
in  y*  s*^  river,  above  y*  s**  gristmill 
Pond,  lying  within  y*  compass  of  s** 
Paul  Gerrish's  land  shall  remain  to 
said  Paul's  own  use." 

Andrew  Gerrish,  Dec.  1,  1753,  con- 
veyed to  Mr.  Jonathan  Gushing, 
clerk,  ten  acres  on  the  east  side  of 
Back  river,  a  little  below  the  lower- 
most falls,  where  he  then  had  a  saw- 
mill standing,  beginning  at  the  river, 
by  the  highway  that  leads  across  said 
river  below  the  aforesaid  sawmill, 
thence  running  down  the  river  55 
rods  to  Capt.  John  Winget's  land, 
then  E.  S.  E.  by  said  Winget's  land 
to  the  road  that  leads  from  Dover 
Neck  to  Cochecho,  etc. 

Bellamy  Bank  Pond.  This  name 
is  given  to  Barbadoes  pond  June  23, 
1701,  in  a  grant  of  land  to  Edward 
Evans.      (See  Ash  Swamp.) 

Bellamy  Hook.  This  Hook  is  in 
Madbury.  It  is  a  deep  bend  in  the 
Bellamy  river  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mallego.      (See  Demerit's  Mill.) 

Bennet's  Crossing.  This  crossing 
is  on  the  Boston  and  Maine  R.  R., 
between  the  Durham  and  Newmarket 


stations.  It  is  so  called  from  John 
and  Eleazar  Bennet,  owners  of  th€ 
adjacent  land,  and  descendants  of 
Abraham  Bennick  of  Lubberland. 
(See  Goddard's  Garrison.) 

Betel's  Point,  otherwise  Beetle's. 
This  name  is  given  to  Ragg's  Pt.,  on 
the  Newingtou  shore  of  the  Long 
Reach,  March  15,  1731-2,  when 
James  Rawlins  and  "  Rebeck,"  his 
mother,  and  Deborah,  his  wife,  con- 
veyed to  Josiah  Downing  a  tract  of 
land  by  y^  main  river  at  a  certain 
Point  commonly  called  or  known  by 
y*  name  of  Beetle's  Point  or  Ragg^s 
Point,  between  y^  land  of  Capt.  John 
Downing  and  y^  laud  of  Samuel  Raw- 
lings,  being  the  whole  breadth  of 
James  Rawlins'  land  fronting  on  the 
salt  water,  running  up  from  y*  water 
side  into  the  land  of  said  James,  and 
carrying  the  whole  breadth  upward 
until  three  acres  be  accomplished. 
When  this  land  was  conveyed  to 
Jonathan  Battishall  by  Josiah  Down- 
ing, June  25,  1737,  the  line  began  "at 
the  main  river  at  Betel's  Point  or 
Bagg's  Poiiit." 

Joshua  Downing  conveyed  to  Na- 
thaniel Mendum  of  Portsmouth,  June 
12,  1744,  a  tract  of  50  acres  in  New- 
ingtou, bounded  easterly  by  the  Pas- 
cataqua  river,  southerly  by  y*  lauds 
of  Jon''  Batteshall  and  Sam'  Rowlings, 
dec*^,  westerly  by  y^  road  y*  leads  to 
Bloody  Point,  and  northerly  by  the 
land  of  Richard  Downing. 

Capt.  Tho'  Tibbetts  of  Dover  (aged 
88  years)  testified  about  1750  that 
ever  since  his  remembrance  the  Point 
of  land  where  Jonathan  Battishal's 
dwellino;-house  then  stood  in  Newing- 
ton  was  commonly  called  and  known 
by  the  name  of  Jeffry  Ragg's  Point. 
(N.  H.  Town  Pajiers,  XII:  715.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


25 


Betel's  point  was  ou  the  shore  of 
the  Rollins  land,  just  below  Patter- 
son's lane.  The  name  is  apparently 
a  contraction  of  Battishall.  (See 
Ragg's  Point.) 

Bickford's  Point.  Mention  is 
made  of  "  the  poynt  whearon  John 
Bickford  now  dweleth,"  the  7th,  4 
mo.,  1675.  The  road  from  Oyster 
river  falls  to  BickforcVs  Poynt  is 
mentioned  in  a  grant  to  Nicholas 
ffollett,  laid  out  Ap.  11,  1694.  This 
road  is  spoken  of  in  a  deed  from 
John  Downing  to  Benjamin  Mathes, 
Sept.  7,  1738,  as  "  y^  highway  y' 
leads  from  y^  falls  to  y®  ferry  called 
Bickford's  Ferry."  The  Durham  rec- 
ords, Aug.  15,  1754,  mention  "  the 
highway  from  Bickford's  point  to 
Durham  falls." 

Bickford's  Point  was  on  the  shore 
of  Little  Bay,  near  the  mouth  of  Oys- 
ter river,  where  the  Bickford  garrison 
once  stood.  It  is  novr  owned  by  Jer- 
emiah Langley,  Esq. 

Big  River.  The  people  of  South 
Lee  sometimes  give  this  name  to  the 
neighboring  part  of  Lamprey  river, 
no  doubt  to  distinguish  it  from  Little 
river,  which  in  some  old  deeds  is 
called  "  Lamprey  little  river." 

Birch  Point.  A  point  of  this 
name,  on  the  shore  of  Goddard's 
creek,  is  mentioned  June  15,  1734, 
when  Abraham  Bennick  of  Durham 
conveyed  to  Joseph  Chesley  and  Elea- 
zar  Bennick  "  twent}'  acres  in  that 
part  of  Durham  called  Luhherland, 
adjacent  to  the  Luhberland  Marshes, 
beginning  at  a  red  oak  by  y'  side  of 
y*  marsh  over  against  Burch  Point, 
near  where  y*  fence  now  stands,  and 
runs  N.  N.  E.  over  y*  old  Shop  Hill, 
strait  over  a  large  flat  rock  marked 
J.   E.   until  it  comes  to  y*  path  used 


to  go  from  Lubberland  to  y"  lower 
falls,  which  is  near  four  rods  over 
said  rock,  from  thence  to  run  strait 
to  ye  old  garrison  seller  [no  doubt  the 
cellar  of  the  Goddard  garrison]  near 
E.  S.  E. — thence  strait  to  a  great 
rock  marked  J.  E.  which  stands  by  y' 
path  w''  goes  to  ye  landing  place, 
thence  to  Perkins  his  salt  marsh," 
and  thence  to  the  first  bound.  This 
Birch  Point  is  mentioned  twice  in  a 
deed  of  Ap.  19,  1745,  from  Nathaniel 
Doe  to  Ralph  Cross.  (See  Doe' s Neck.) 

Another  Birch  Point  is  on  the 
Newington  shore  of,  the  Pascataqua 
river,  below  Bloody  Point.  (See 
Pine  Point.) 

Black  Hall.  Mentioned  in  the 
Durham  records,  July  2,  1740,  when 
a  highway  was  laid  out,  beginning  at 
a  pitch-pine  tree  standing  near  the 
mast  way  on  the  south  side  of  the 
spruce  swamp  (on  Lee  Hill),  and  then 
running  along  the  old  way  till  it 
comes  to  the  way  that  goes  to  Black- 
hall,  then  along  that  way  to  the  head 
of  the  town.  Blackball  is  near  the 
head  of  Marston's  mill-pond,  in  Not- 
tingham, and  perhaps  was  so  named 
in  contradistinction  to  Whitehall  in 
Rochester,  to  which  a  road  led  at  the 
other  side  of  ancient  Dover. 

Blacksnake  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Durham,  on  the  north  side  of  "  Oys- 
ter River  freshet,"  between  the  Mast 
road  and  the  B.  &  M.  railroad.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  farm  of  the  late  Ben- 
jamin Thompson. 

Blackwater  Brook  and  Marsh. 
Blackwater  brook  rises  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Rochester,  flows  through 
the  north-western  part  of  Somers- 
worth  into  Dover,  and  empties  into 
the  river  Cochecho  above  Hussey's 
falls.    There  have  been  two  saw-mills 


26 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


on  this  brook  in  the  course  of  the 
present  century.  The  first  one  was 
owned  and  operated  by  Isaac  Twom- 
bly,  and  the  other  by  his  son  Allen, 
but  neither  of  them  is  now  standing. 

Blackwater  bridge,  otherwise  called 
Mast  bridge  because  on  the  Mast  road 
to  Whitehall,  is  mentioned  June  23, 
1701,  in  a  grant  of  30  acres  to  Tris- 
tram Heard.  That  same  day  Paul 
Went  worth  had  a  grant  of  15  acres 
of  marsh  "  on  the  west  side  of  black 
water  marsh."  A  petition  was  made 
to  the  town  of  Dover,  May  3,  1739, 
for  a  road  to  be  laid  out  "  from  Scat- 
terwitt,  so  called,  through  Black 
water  woods  near  Long  hill  to  the 
Rochester  line."  Blackwater,  as  a 
locality,  is  often  mentioned  in  the 
early  records,  and  this  name  is  still 
given  to  one  of  the  school  districts  in 
Dover. 

Blind  Will's  Neck.  This  is  a 
point  of  land  in  the  south-west  part 
of  Rochester,  near  the  Dover  line, 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Coche- 
cho  and  Isinglass  rivers.  It  was  here 
that  a  friendly  Indian  sagamore  named 
Blind  Will  was  killed  in  March, 
1677,  having  been  sent  with  a  scout- 
ing-party  by  Major  Waldrou  to  watch 
the  movements  of  some  hostile  In- 
dians, who  fell  suddenly  upon  the 
party  and  killed  the  greater  part. 
This  neck  is  mentioned  March  17, 
1736,  when  Samuel  Tibbets  conveyed 
to  his  son  Ichabod  a  part  of  his 
second  division  in  Rochester,  "  at  a 
place  called  Blind  Will's  Neck,  lying 
on  y*  S.  W.  of  a  marsh  commonly 
called  Long  marsh."  And  again 
Dec.  3,  1745,  when  Jonathan  Young 
of  Dover  conveyed  to  his  sou  Jona- 
than a  tract  of  land  "  at  Blind  Will's 
Neck,  at  or  near  two  marshes  called 


Long  marsh  and  Cheat  Marsh.'"  Hum- 
phrey Hanson  conveyed  to  his  brother 
Ephraim,  Oct.  8,  1765,  "three  acres 
at  Blind  Will's  Neck,  so  called,  in 
Rochester,  on  y"  very  S.  E.  point 
of  said  Neck,  nearly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Blackwater  brook,  joining 
partly  to  the  Isinglass  portion  of  the 
river,  and  partly  to  the  Squommouo- 
gonnock  branch,"  being  the  land  he 
purchased  of  John  Smith  Ap.  27, 1739. 

Bloodsucker's  Pond.  (See  Par- 
sonage Pond.) 

Bloody  Corner.  This  name  has 
long  been  given  by  the  popular  voice 
to  the  corner  at  the  intersection  of 
Washington,  Green,  and  Orange 
streets,  in  Great  Falls  village. 

Bloody  Point.  This  name  was 
given  as  early  as  1633  to  a  neck  of 
land  between  the  Long  Reach  and 
the  western  branch  of  the  Pascataqua 
river,  which  for  eighty  years  formed 
part  of  ancient  Dover.  The  lower 
bound  of  this  neck  originally  extended 
from  Canney  or  Kenney's  creek,  on 
the  shore  of  the  Long  Reach,  to  Hog- 
sty  Cove  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Bay.  Nearly  a  year  after  Bloody 
Point  was  made  a  separate  parish,  its 
name  was  changed  to  Neioington  by 
Gov.  Joseph  Dudley.  This  was  done 
May  12,  1714.  {N  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
3:  562.) 

The  story  generally  related  to  ac- 
count for  the  name  of  Bloody  Point 
seems  ridiculously  inadequate  to  an 
appellation  of  such  tragical  import. 
But  the  real  history,  too  long  to  be 
given  here,  is  not  of  a  mere  blood- 
less encounter  between  Neale  and 
Wiggin  in  1632,  but  of  a  far  more 
serious  contest  about  rival  patents, 
that  involved  the  title  to  all  the  lands 
along  the  Pascataqua.  Capt.  Wiggin, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


27 


from  the  first,  was  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  Massachusetts  Bay,  which 
sought  control  over  New  Hampshire. 
Capt.  Neale,  who  was  Mason's  attor- 
ney, was  strongly  opposed  to  the 
pretensions  of  Massachusetts.  Their 
conflict,  therefore,  was  not  wholly 
personal,  but  represented  the  strife 
of  contending  parties.  The  Bloody 
Point  region  was  a  kind  of  debatable 
ground — a  border  land  between  Straw- 
berry Bank  and  Hilton's  Point,  along 
whose  pleasant  shores  the  members 
of  both  factions  were  disposed  to  lay 
out  lands  for  themselves  ;  and  their 
alarm,  their  sanguinary  mood,  and 
their  resolution  to  defend  their  claims, 
are  all  embodied  in  the  name  they  gave 
this  point  as  a  perpetual  defiance  to 
those  who  would  dispossess  them — a 
name  far  better  suited  to  their  temper 
of  mind  than  to  the  actual  encounter 
between  Walter  Neale  and  Thomas 
Wio-giu. 

The  Indian  massacre,  to  which 
some  writers  ascribe  the  name  of 
Bloody  Point,  from  a  popular  tradi- 
tion in  Newington,  if  it  ever  took 
place  at  all,  must  have  occurred  too 
long  after  this  name  had  been  given 
it  to  be  worthy  of  any  consideration. 

The  early  settlers  at  Bloody  Point 
gave  this  name,  in  a  restricted  sense, 
to  the  projection  directly  opposite 
Hilton's  Point,  now  the  Newington 
terminus  of  the  bridge  across  the 
Pascataqua  from  Dover  Point.  A 
little  to  the  west  is  the  old  landins:- 
place  of  Knight's  ferry.  This  ferry 
is  often  called  Bloody  Point  ferry  in 
the  early  records.  It  is  mentioned 
in  the  Diary  of  John  Adams,  after- 
wards President  of  the  United  States, 
who  gives  an  account  of  a  visit  to  his 
uncle,    the   Rev.  Joseph    Adams    of 


Newington,  June  30,  1770.  He  says 
that  after  "  a  cheerful  and  agreeable 
dinner,"  he  "  then  set  off  for  York  over 
Bloody  Point  ferry,  and  arrived  at 
Woodbridge's  half  an  hour  after  sun- 
set." 

In  connection  with  Bloody  Point 
and  Dover  (once  called  Northam)  it 
might  be  mentioned  that  a  place  near 
the  village  of  Northam,  Eug,,  has  for 
centuries  been  known  by  the  name  of 
the  Bloody  Corner,  from  a  fight  with 
the  Danes  which  occurred  there  in 
the  reign  of  King  Alfred. 

Bloody  Point  Plains.  Mentioned 
Dec.  19,  1685.  (See  Pitch  Pine 
Plains.) 

Boiling  Rock.  This  ancient  bound 
is  in  the  Pascataqua  river,  off  the 
Eliot  shore,  above  the  Narrows.  It  is 
mentioned  May  26,  1656,  when  the 
division  of  the  Squamscot  Patent  was 
made — the  first  division  of  which 
comprised  "  all  the  land  from  Bloody 
Point  unto  the  hoyling  Rock  for 
breadth."  President  Cutt,  in  his 
will  of  1680,  speaks  of  his  thirteen 
acres  at  Boyling  Rock,  bought  of 
Jaffrey  Currier. 

Boom.  The  Rev.  John  Pike,  in 
his  journal,  speaks  of  Mr.  Waldrou's 
"coming  over  the  Boom"  April  28, 
1704.  This  boom  was  a  floating 
bridge  on  the  Cochecho  river,  "•  by 
Col.  Waldron's,  above  the  falls."  It 
was  made  of  three  or  four  pieces  of 
hewn  timber  laid  side  by  side,  wide 
enough  for  horses  and  cattle  to  pass 
over  in  file  ;  but  teams  were  obliged 
to  ford  the  river  below  the  falls.  (See 
N.  H.  Town  Pap.,  XI :  540.)  The 
falls  here  referred  to  are  in  Dover 
city. 

There  was  a  boom  across  Lamprey 
river  in  early  times,  as  well  as  on  the 


28 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Cochecho.  Dec.  15,  1712,  the  town 
of  Dover  voted  to  give  twenty-five 
pounds  "  for  building  a  hoo'tn  over 
Lampereel  river."  A  tract  of  twenty- 
five  acres  adjoining  this  part  of  the 
river  then  belonged  to  Philip  Chesley, 
who  sold  it  to  Joseph  Duda,  reserv- 
ing for  himself  four  rods  for  a  high- 
way from  ye,  country  hoom  over  Lam- 
per  river  on  the  north  side,  down  to 
the  mill,  and  one  fourth  of  an  acre 
adjoining  said  mill,  for  lauding  logs. 
Before  this  boom  was  built,  there  was 
a  ferry  across  the  river.  In  1671 
Philip  Crommet  was  licensed  to  keep 
a  ferr}'  across  Lamprey  river,  at  the 
rate  of  two  pence  for  each  person, 
and  six  pence  for  man  and  horse. 

There  seem  to  have  been  two 
booms,  at  least,  on  the  Newichawan- 
nock.  "  The  wppe?-  hoom"  there,  is 
mentioned  Aug.  9,  1731,  as  60  rods 
north  of  Anthony's  brook.  Robert 
and  Judith  Cole,  Sept.  28,  1731,  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Wallingford  8  acres 
of  land,  beginning  at  the  pier  of  the 
u])per  Boom,  about  half  a  mile  above 
y*  upper  Salmon  Falls  mills,  and 
thence  extending  up  the  river. 

Brandy  Rock.  Mentioned  in  1709, 
when  a  number  of  the  inhabitants 
^'  living  within  the  bounds  of  Quam- 
scott  patent "  (the  part  now  called 
Stratham),  but  "  never  yet  been 
joined  to  any  town,"  petitioned  the 
Governor  and  Council  for  the  charter 
of  a  township,  "  beginning  at  a  rock 
called  Brandy  Rock,  near  Sandy 
Point,  and  to  run  up  to  the  River  by 
the  mouth  of  a  creek  called  Wheel- 
wright's creek,"  etc.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  3  :  405-6.) 


Brandy  Rock  is  one  of  the  bounds 
between  Greenland  and  Stratham.  It 
is  a  few  rods  above  the  Stratham 
railway-station,  at  the  side  of  the 
road  leading  from  the  station  to  the 
main  road  to  Exeter. 

Branson's  Creek.  Mentioned  the 
10th,  8  mo.,  1653,  when  Wm.  Drew 
had  a  grant  of  60  acres  of  upland  on 
the  north  side  of  Branson's  creek,  join- 
ing his  marsh  next  Thomas  Willie's 
land.  He  afterwards  assigned  this 
land  to  his  sou,  Francis  Drew. 

Charles  Adams  had  a  neck  of  land 
granted  him  in  1656,  on  the  south 
side  of  Branson's  creek,  bounded  from 
the  western  branch  upon  a  south  line 
to  the  Great  Bay.  This  land  was 
conveyed  to  Joseph  Kent  Feb.  15, 
1711-12,  by  Henry  Nock  and  his 
wife  Sarah,  daughter  of  Charles  Ad- 
ams. Jonas  Bine  had  an  "  out  lot ' 
in  1654,  on  the  S.  W.  side  of  Brati- 
son's  Creek,  next  Charles  Adams'  lot, 
and  joining  George  Webb's,^  right 
over  against  a  place  called  the  hay 
stack.  He  sold  this  land  to  John 
Bickford  and  John  Hill  in  1668.  It 
is  called  ''Brand's  Krick,"  Oct.  9, 
1691,  when  Francis  Drew  conveyed 
to  Thomas  Drew  all  his  right  to  60 
acres  belonging  to  the  estate  of  his 
father,  Wm.  Drew,  late  of  Dover,  de- 
ceased. 

The  name  of  this  creek  was  derived 
from  Geo.  Branson,  whose  name  is 
on  the  Dover  rate-list  of  1648.  He 
died  before  July  2,  1657,  on  which 
day  certain  jurymen  were  appointed, 
under  oath,  to  inquire  into  the  cause 
of  his  death.  John  Alte,  who  seems 
to  have  been  the   foreman,  testified 


1  George  Smythe,  administrator  of  the  estate  of  Geo.  Web,  deceased,  conveyed  to  Oliver 
Kente  in  1651,  "  a  messuage  or  tenement  in  Oyster  River  plantation,  formerly  in  the  possession 
of  sd  Geo.  W^eb,  but  then  in  the  tenure  of  sd  Oliver  Kent,  containing  by  estimation  one  acre 
and  a  half." 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


29 


"  that  BraDson  went  well  out  of  his 
house,  and  he  (Alte)  went  after  him, 
and  found  Branson  lying  on  the 
ground,  crying  that  the  bull  had 
killed  him,  with  one  wound  up  to- 
wards his  shoulders,  and  another 
against  the  small  of  his  back,  with 
his  members  all  brook."  {County 
Records,  Exeter.) 

John  Alt  and  Richard  York  were 
appointed  administrators  of  Bran- 
son's estate  July  2,  16.57.  Branson's 
creek  is  on  the  Durham  shore  of  the 
Great  Bay,  and  is  now  known  as 
CrummWs  creek.     (See  Long  Creek.) 

Breakneck  Hill.  This  hill  is 
south  of  Cole's  pond  in  Somersworth, 
on  the  road  from  Rocky  Hills  to 
Great  Falls,  after  it  crosses  Tate's 
brook.  It  is  a  mass  of  round  cobble- 
stones dangerous  for  teams,  and  was 
so  named,  it  is  said,  because  an  ox 
once  fell,  in  descending  it  with  a  load, 
and  broke  his  neck. 

Bristol.  This  name  was  given  to 
the  settlement  at  Hilton's  Point  as 
early  as  1633,  and  is  mentioned  on 
an  old  map  of  1634.  It  was  derived 
from  the  town  of  Bristol,  England, 
whence  came  the  first  pioneers  of 
New  Hampshire.  The  explorers  of 
the  Pascataqua  under  Martin  Priug 
in  June,  1603,  were  sent  over  by  the 
enterprising  merchants  of  Bristol. 
The  Hilton  Point  settlement  of  1623 
was  also  under  their  patronage.  And 
they  formed  the  greater  part  of  the 
Plymouth  Company,  from  whom  Ed- 
ward Hilton  obtained  his  patent  of 
1630,  one  of  the  promoters  of  which 
was  Sir  Ferdinaudo  Gorges,  who  had 
a  house  at  Bristol.  "  The  Bristol 
men's   plantation    in   Piscataqua"  is 


mentioned  March  25,  1633,  in  a  letter 
from  Edward  Howes  of  Loudon  to 
Gov.  John  Wiuthrop  of  Massachu- 
setts. 

The  situation  of  Dover  Point  and 
Neck  is  not  unlike  that  of  Bristol, 
Eng.,  which  stands  on  the  ridge  of  a 
peninsula  between  the  Avon  and  the 
Frome,  and  connected  with  the  rest 
of  Gloucestershire  by  a  neck  of  land. 

Broad  Cove.  This  cove  is  on  the 
Newington  shore,  between  Fox  Point 
and  Stephen's  Point,  now  Bean's. 
^'- Broad  Cove  below  foxe  poynt"  is 
mentioned  in  1659,  when  a  grant  of 
land  to  Henry  Langstar  was  laid  out. 
(See  Dumpling  Cove.)  And  again 
Oct.  27,  1701,  when  the  town  voted 
there  should  be  "a  highway  from 
Mr.  Harrison's  to  broad  cove  freshett, 
and  so  to  the  highway  from  bloody 
poynt  Road  to  Stepheri's  poynt,  or 
broad  Cove,  where  it  should  be 
thought  most  fitt."  (See  Stephen's 
Point.)  John  Crockett  conveyed  to 
John  Downing,  July  6,  1719,  house 
and  land,  on  the  road  from  Newing- 
ington  meeting-house  to  Broad  CovCy 
y®  house  standing  on  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  road  as  you  go  to  the 
water  side  at  Broad  Cove;  with  an- 
other tract  on  the  right-hand  side  of 
the  road,  joining  said  Dowuing's  land 
at  the  north,  and  that  of  John  and 
Richard  Carter  at  the  east  or  nortli- 
east,  being  part  of  the  estate  of  his 
father,  Joshua  Crockett,  deceased.^ 

Another  Broad  Cove  is  on  the 
Lubberlaud  shore  of  Great  Bay,  ad- 
jacent to  the  Smith  lands.  (See  Red 
Rock.)  It  is  mentioned  Dec.  9,  1679, 
when  John  Alt's  grant  of  80  acres  in 
the  Great  Bay  was  laid  out,  beginning 


1  Joshua  Crockett's  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Trickey. 


30 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


at  Richard  Yorke's  marked  tree  in 
the  Broad  cove,  and  ruuniug  thence 
by  the  water  side  40  rods  towards 
Needom's  Point.  In  the  grant  of  this 
land  to  "  John  Olt,"  the  10th,  8  mo., 
1653,  this  cove  is  spoken  of  as  "  the 
Great  cove  above  Needom's  Point." 
Mention  is  made  of  it  July  17,  1705, 
when  Roger  Rose  of  Portsmouth  con- 
veyed to  John  Smith  land  and  houses 
at  Lubberland,  in  the  town  of  Dover, 
bought  of  John  York,  beginning  at  a 
great  white  oak  2  or  3  poles  above 
York's  marsh,  in  the  creek  commonly 
called  Goddard's  creek,  then  N.  by  E. 
60  rods  to  the  middle  of  a  valley  or 
gutter,  thence  to  the  N.  E.  bound 
tree  marked  R.  Y.  and  then  S.  E.  to 
a  tree  in  the  Broad  Cove.  This  cove 
is  again  mentioned  Ap.  19,  1757, 
when  Eleanor  (Stevenson)  McCalvey, 
widow,  conveyed  to  Joseph  Footman 
all  her  rights  to  land  between  that  of 
Footman  and  Pinder,  extending  along 
a  channel  to  a  great  rock  near  the 
head  of  Broad  Cove.  (See  Needliam'' s 
Cove  and  Point.) 

There  is  a  third  Broad  Cove  on  the 
Rollinsford  shore  of  the  Newicha- 
wannock  river,  mentioned  March  27, 
1701-2,  when  Jonas  Hambleton  con- 
veyed to  Nicholas  Waldron  20  acres 
of  land  at  a  place  called  broad  cove, 
granted  Thomas  Young,  bounded 
northerly  by  the  lot  of  Joseph  Jenk- 
ins ;  easterly,  at  the  lower  end,  by 
the  Newichawannock  river,  where  it 
measured  24  rods  ;  southerly  by  the 
lot  of  Jeremiah  Tibbets,  and  westerly, 
at  the  upper  end,  by  the  lot  of  Thomas 
Roberts.  John  Haggins,  of  Berwick, 
admin""  of  the  estate  of  Daniel  Hag- 
gins,  conveyed  to  John  Tibbets,  June 
24,  1805,  8  acres  of  thatch  ground  at 
a  place  called  Broad  cove,  beginning 


at  Samuel  Hussey's  fence  at  high 
water  mark,  and  running  E.  2  deg. 
S.  32  rods,  at  low  water  mark  in  the 
Newichawannock  river.  The  name 
has  not  been  retained. 

Broad  Cove  Creek  or  Freshet. 
Mentioned  in  1659  as  ^Hhe  freshett 
that  goeth  into  Broad  Cove."  (See 
Dumpling  Cove.)  Geo.  Walton  con- 
veyed to  Eleazar  Coleman,  Feb.  27, 
1718-19,  50  acres  of  land  in  Newing- 
ton,  at  a  place  called  Broad  Cove, 
bounded  westerly  by  land  of  said 
Coleman,  southerly  by  Wm.  Shack- 
ford's,  and  northerly  upon  ye  creek  in 
broad  cove,  being  all  that  parcel  of 
land  formerly  Capt.  Henry  Lang- 
star's,  except  ten  acres  sold  to  Sam- 
uel and  John  Shackford.  This  brook 
is  generally  called  Carter's  brook,  but 
often  takes  the  name  of  the  adjoin- 
ing proprietor.   (See  Carter's  Brook.) 

Broad  Marsh.  This  marsh  is  in 
Durham,  between  Long  marsh  and 
the  Moat.  It  is  mentioned  May  17, 
1705,  when  Sarah  Nutter,  "  widdo  of 
Anthony  Nutter,  late  of  Dover,  de- 
ceased," and  their  sons,  John,  Hat- 
euil,  and  Harry,  sold  Roger  Roase 
(Rose)  of  Portsmouth,  128  acres  be- 
tween Lampereel  river  falls  and  Oys- 
ter river  falls,  laid  out  to  said  An- 
thony Dec.  1,  1662.  This  land  began 
at  the  north-east  end  of  an  island, 
evidently  the  Moat  island,  and  in- 
cluded "  all  the  Broad  Marsh  at  y® 
end  of  y^  Long  marsh,"  except  two 
acres  at  the  head  of  it  laid  out  to 
Thomas  ft'uttman.  The  whole  tract 
included  fifty  acres  of  upland  granted 
Hateuil  Nutter,  father  of  Anthony, 
in  1643,  and  sixty  acres  adjoining, 
afterwards  given  Anthony,  on  the 
south-east  side  of  his  marsh,  extend- 
ina:  to  a  "  hollow  near  the  lower  end 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


31 


of  the  moat,"  and  up  that  hollow  to 
the  head  of  another  marsh,  no  doubt 
Moharimet's. 

A  Broad  marsh  on  the  Greenland 
shore  is  mentioned  Ap.  9,  1729.  (See 
Wigwam  Point.) 

Broad  Turn.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  Mark  Giles  had  a 
grant  of  20  acres  "  as  near  the  Broad 
turn  as  may  be."  This  grant  was 
laid  out  May  30,  1702,  on  the  south 
side  of  Barbadoes  way,  above  the 
broad  turn.  The  right  of  a  highway 
four  rods  wide  was  reserved,  to  go 
through  this  land  "  from  the  broad 
turne  into  the  ash  swam^J."  Ralph 
Twombley  had  a  grant  of  30  acres 
"near  the  broad  turn  in  Cochecha 
swamp,"  March  19,  1693-4.  It  was 
laid  out  to  Wm.  Twombley,  "  succes- 
sor of  Ralph  Twombley,  Jr.,  de- 
ceased," Nov.  4,  1702,  on  the  N.  E. 
side  of  the  way  from  the  Broad  turn 
to  Barbados.  The  bounds  of  the 
ancient  cartway,  five  rods  wide,  that 
led  from  Tolend  falls  into  the  Co- 
cjiecho   swamp,  were  renewed  March 

4,  1703-4,  running  on  a  W.  by  S. 
point,  as  the  way  then  went,  till  it 
met  with  the  other  way  that  led 
"  from  broad  turne  into  said  swamp." 
John  Haise  conveyed  to  Ichabod 
Haise,  Aug.  15,  1721,  twenty  acres 
of  laud  "  in  Dover,  near  Cochechoh, 
at  a  place  called  by  y''  name  of  broad 
turn  or  Littleworth,  bounded  40  rods 
by  the  highway,  and  80  rods  by  Wm. 
Twombley's  land  on  the   N.  E.  and 

5.  W." 

Brookin's  Marsh.  Mentioned  Nov. 
28,  1804,  when  Valentine  Mathes 
conveyed  to  John  Bunker  two  acres 
of  upland,  salt  marsh,  and  thatch- 
bed,  situate  and  lying  in  Durham, 
adjoining   Jones's    creek,   and   com- 


monly called  Brookin's  Marsh,  bound- 
ed north  by  Jacob  Joy's  land,  west 
b}'  the  creek  aforesaid,  and  southerly 
and  easterly  by  said  Bunker's  land. 
This  small  marsh  was  so  named  from 
Wm.  Brooking,  who  is  mentioned 
Oct.  16,  1684,  when  Thomasine  Ma- 
thews, relict  of  ffrancis  Mathews  of 
Oyster  River,  out  of  love  and  affec- 
tion to  Will  Brooking,  y*  son  of  God- 
ferie  Brooking,  deceased,  her  well 
beloved  grandchild,  conveyed  to  him 
three  acres  of  upland  and  a  parcel  of 
marsh  adjoining  the  north-east  side 
of  Johnson's  creek,  with  half  an  acre 
on  the  S.  W.  side  of  said  creek. 

Godfrey  Brooking  was  drowned  at 
the  Isles  of  Shoals  Dec.  10,  1681, 
leaving  a  wife  and  four  small  chil- 
dren. Wm.  ffollet  of  Oyster  River 
calls  Hannah  Brooking,  apparently 
the  widow  of  Godfrey,  his  "daughter- 
in-law."  (N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  17: 
610.) 

Wm.  Brakiu  is  mentioned  among 
the  men  sent  over  by  Capt.  John 
Mason  in  1631. 

Broth  Hill.  This  is  a  well  known 
height  at  the  south  end  of  Durham 
village,  commanding  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  Oyster  river  valley  and  the 
hilly,  winding  village  beyond,  in  its 
most  picturesque  aspect.  The  ham- 
let on  this  hill  is  quite  distinct  from 
the  village  proper,  and  is  the  centre 
of  one  of  the  old  school-districts, 
generally  called  the  "  Broth-Hill  dis- 
trict." There  is  a  story  that  this 
name  was  given  in  derision  of  the 
favorite  dish  of  the  workmen  once 
employed  in  the  Durham  ship-yards, 
for  whom  several  cottages  had  been 
built  on  this  height.  But  it  was  no 
doubt  derived  from  the  Coolbroth  or 
Colbath  family  that  once  lived  here 


32 


Land^narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


— a  name  since  happily  illustrated  by 
Vice-President  Henry  Wilson,  whose 
name  originally  was  Colbath. 

The  Rev.  Curtis  Coe  of  Durham 
gires  another  variation  of  this  name 
in  his  record  of  the  burial  of  "Down- 
ing Colhroath,"  Dec.  14,  1785. 

Brown's  Brook.  This  name  is  some- 
times given  to  the  easterly  portion  of 
Peter's  Marsh  brook,  between  the  part 
called  Tate's  brook  and  the  Salmon 
Falls  river  into  which  it  empties. 

Brown's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Durham,  north  of  Woodman's  garri- 
son, on  the  old  road  to  Dover.  The 
Durham  records  mention  it  May 
3,  1779,  when  the  town  appointed 
"  Ebenezer  Thompson,  Esq.,  and 
John  Smith,  3d,  to  agree  with  Mr. 
Jonathan  Woodman  for  a  strip  of 
land  in  his  pasture  to  make  the  road 
more  convenient  over  Brown's  Hill 
(so  called)  .  .  and  to  convey  to 
s*^  Woodman  in  exchange  therefor  all 
the  right  that  the  town  has  to  the 
landing-place  at  the  head  of  Wood- 
man's Creek"  (Beard's  Creek). 

Buck's  Hill.  This  name  is  given 
to  a  hill  in  Durham,  a  little  east  of 
Huckins  brook,  on  the  wa}'  from 
Bagdad  to  the  Back  River  district. 

BuMFAGGiN.  Forty-two  acres  of 
land  in  Barrington,  "  at  a  place  called 
Bumfaggin,"  are  mentioned  June  18, 
1811,  in  the  inventory  of  the  estate 
of  John  Layn  of  Newtown,  Lee. 
Bumfaggin  ivoods  are  in  the  western 
part  of  Barrington,  below  Stonehouse 
Pond.  Bumfaggin  road  leads  through 
these  woods  into  Nottingham.  The 
name  is  said  to  be  associated  with  the 
noted  Leathers  tribe. 

Bumford's  Plains.  So  called  from 
Robert  Bumford  of  Barrington,  who, 
Feb.   23,  1760,  conveyed  to  his  son 


Robert  50  acres  "  in  the  two  Mile 
Streak,  so  called,  being  all  that  lot  of 
land  where  I  now  dwell,  which  I 
bought  of  George  Jaffrey,  Esq.,  de- 
ceased." In  the  time  of  Hatevil 
Bumford,  the  first  half  of  this  centu- 
ry, Bumford's  plains  were  used  as  a 
training  field  for  the  county  militia. 
"  Barrington  Training"  day  drew  an 
immense  crowd  to  these  plains  every 
year,  or  to  the  other  training-ground 
near  the  old  meeting-house  in  Bar- 
rington. 

Bunker's  Creek.  This  is  the  first 
inlet  on  the  easterly  side  of  Oyster 
river  below  Johnson's  creek.  The 
name  is  derived  from  James  Bunker, 
who  was  at  Oyster  River  as  early 
as  1653,  and  built  a  garrison  near 
this  creek.  Bunker's  creek  is  often 
mentioned  in  the  county  and  town 
records  of  the  last  two  hundred  years. 
Wm.  Hill  conveyed  to  Henry  Hill, 
Nov.  11,  1734,  one  third  of  the  farm 
in  Durham  where  said  Henry  then 
lived,  adjoining  a  creek  commonly 
called  Bunker's  creek,  on  the  north 
side,  beginning  at  a  red  oak  at  the 
head  of  this  creek,  then  running 
north  to  Henry  Rines's  land,  and 
along  this  land  to  the  land  Joseph 
Jenkins  bought  of  Wm.  Clay.  A 
grist-mill  on  Bunker's  creek  is  men- 
tioned May  8,  1768,  when  Eliphalet 
Hill  conveyed  to  Clement  Meserve 
one  fourth  of  this  mill  which  he 
bought  of  Jonathan  Bunker. 

Bimker's  bridge  is  on  the  first  N,  H. 
turnpike  road,  across  this  creek. 
There  was  a  double  stone  dam  at 
this  bridge  the  first  half  of  this  cen- 
tury, with  a  tide-mill,  adjoining,  but 
they  are  both  now  gone.  The  brook 
that  empties  into  Bunker's  creek  is 
sometimes  called  the  Di7-ty  Slough. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


33 


Bxinker's  Lane  is  mentioned  March 
17,  1857,  when  Daniel  Smith  con- 
veyed to  James  M.  Bunker  107  acres 
in  Durham,  bounded  westerly  by 
Bunker's  lane,  so  called,  and  the  Mill 
Pond.  This  lane  is  the  old  road 
across  FoUet's  Rocky  hill. 

Bunker's  Neck.  Mentioned  June 
23,  1701,  when  a  strip  of  land  was 
granted  Nathaniel  Lumas  (Lamos) 
and  Richard  Clay  "  between  Stories 
hundred  acres  and  bunker's  neck,  to 
be  equally  divided,  bounded  on  sto- 
ries hundred  acres  on  the  north-east 
and  hunker's  neck  on  the  south- 
west." 

Richard  and  Mary  Clay,  Ap.  6, 
1702,  conveyed  to  Samuel  Perkins 
"  four  or  five  acres  of  land  between 
James  Bunker's  Neck  and  FoUett's 
hundred  acre  lott,  with  other  lands 
adjacent  thereto." 

Bunker's  Neck  is  in  Durham,  on 
the  upper  side  of  Oyster  river,  be- 
tween Johnson's  creek  and  Bunker's 
creek.  William  FoUet  and  James 
Bunker,  the  10th,  8  mo.,  1653,  had  a 
grant  of  all  that  neck  of  land  between 
Thomas  Johnson's  creek  and  Oyster 
point,  "  from  y^  head  of  Johnson's 
ci'eek  where  y*^  salt  marsh  ends,  to  y* 
head  of  y^  other  creek  where  Jonas 
Bine's  marsh  is,  except  William  Sto- 
rey and  Mr.  Mathews's  grants,  and 
likewise  y*  cartways  for  the  trans- 
porting of  timber." 

BuRGETT  Park.  This  is  a  place 
of  popular  entertainment  at  the  lower 
side  of  Willand's  Pond,  adjoining  the 
electric  railway  from  Dover  to  Great 
Falls.  So  called  from  Mr.  H.  W. 
Burgett,  the  proprietor,  who,  Oct.  1, 
1890,  acquired  20  acres  of  land  for 
this  purpose  from  the  heirs  of  Rufus 
Ham,    eastward   of  Mr.   Benj°  Hus- 


sey's,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the 
highway.  S-tt /?<:..i[.rrtrt,<^»,    A..2/y 

BuRNT  Ground.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  Joseph  Meader  had 
a  grant  of  30  acres  of  "  land  and 
swamp"  on  the  S.  W.  side  of  the 
path  to  the  burnt  ground  bridge,  in 
Follet's  swamp.  This  is  apparently 
the  bridge  across  03'ster  river,  below 
Dishwater  mill.  Philip  Chesley's 
grant  of  30  acres  was  laid  out  Jan. 
23,  1701,  above  Thomas  Wille's,  upon 
the  bu7'nt  ground.  It  was  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road  from  Oyster 
River  to  Newtown.  The  name  is  in- 
dicative of  an  extensive  fire  in  the 
forest  in  early  times.  '5»«-  /btiji-. 

Buzzell's  Hill.  This  hill  is  on 
the  cross  road  from  Madbury  to  the 
First  N.  H.  turnpike-road,  between 
the  Samuel  Demeritt  house  and  that 
of  Mr.  I.  Blake  Hill ;  the  former  of 
which  is  in  Lee,  and  the  latter  in 
Durham.  The  boundary  line  between 
these  two  towns  crosses  the  brow  of 
this  hill,  and  the  road  crosses  Oyster 
river  at  its  foot,  on  the  Lee  side.  It 
is  familiarly  called  Buzzy  Hill. 

Caldwell's  Brook.  This  brook 
rises  in  Barringtou,  one  branch  at 
Creek  pond,  and  the  other  in  Great 
swamp,  back  of  the  Two-Mile  school- 
house.  These  branches  unite,  and 
form  what  is  othervrise  called  Mnple 
brook,  which  empties  into  Oyster 
river  above  Wheelwright's  pond. 
Wm.  Caldwell  acquired  land  in  New- 
town the  middle  of  the  last  century,  at 
or  near  Bunker's  corner.  (See  Majyle 
Brook.) 

Calves-Pen  Island.  Mentioned 
Ap.  1,  1662,  when  "  a  tract  of  land 
and  marsh  on  the  north  side  of  Win- 
nicot  river  in  y*  Great  Bay "  was 
divided  between  Philip  Lewis  on  one 


50^*  lir^*^  ^ 


34 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


side,  and  Thomas  Nock  and  Henry 
Tibbets  on  the  other ;  said  Lewis 
binding  himself  to  lav  no  claim  to 
"  the  marsh  y'  lyeth  within  y"  bounds 
of  the  calves-pen  marsh,"  except  what 
had  already  been  laid  out  to  him  on 
the  N.  W.  side  of  the  island,  com- 
monly called  and  known  by  y*  name 
of  y^  calves-pen  island,  situate  within 
y'  Great  bay  aforesaid."  Philip 
Lewis's  land  fell  to  his  daughter 
Hannah,  wife  of  John  Johnson,  who 
also  acquired  the  marsh  of  Henry 
Nock  of  Oyster  river,  which  was  half 
of  the  marsh  that  previously  belonged 
to  his  grandfather  Tibbets  on  the 
north  side  of  Wiunicot  river.  John 
Johnson  and  Hannah  conveyed  the 
above  land  and  marsh  to  Nathaniel 
Huggins  May  2.5,  1696. 

Calves-Pen  island  is  no  longer  to 
be  traced.  It  was  probably  an  island 
at  high  tide,  that  has  disappeared 
with  the  draining  of  the  marshes. 

Campin's  Rocks.  This  name  is 
given  to  a  well-known  ledge  that  pro- 
jects from  the  right  bank  of  the  Co- 
checho,  at  the  Narrows.  It  is  men- 
tioned in  a  grant  to  Joseph  Sanders 
in  1660,1  and  again  Oct.  25,  1669, 
when  he  sold  John  Heard  30  acres 
"on  Dover  Neck,  near  Cochecho, 
riglit  up  from  Campings  Bocks,"  join- 
ing Tobias  Hanson's  land.  Jabez 
Garland  and  wife  Dorcas,  July  7, 
1694,  conveyed  to  Timothy  Hanson 
30  acres  of  land  "upon  Dover  Neck, 
near  Campon's  Mocks,"  laid  out  to 
Joseph  Sanders,  and  sold  by  him  to 
John  Heard,  and  given  by  John 
Heard,  deceased,  to  his  daughter 
Dorcas,  wife  of  said  Jabez.  This 
tract  was   adjacent  to  the   lands   of 


Timothy,  Thomas,  and  Tobias  Han- 
son. Richard  Scammon  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Estes,  March  23,  1738-9,  4 
acres  and  32  rods  of  land  on  "  y^ 
southerly  side  of  y"^  road  from  Coche- 
cho down  to  ye  landing  at  Campain's 
Rocks,"  adjoining  the  land  that  was 
James  Hanson's.  The  name  of  these 
Rocks  is  otherwise  written.  They  are 
called  Camjnng  rocks  in  a  grant  to 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Sever  in  1711,  and 
Champion''s  rocks  in  a  deed  from 
Samuel  Alley  to  Job  Clement,  March 
28,  1758.  Campin  is  no  doubt  a  cor- 
ruption of  Campion  or  Champion.  A 
Robert  Champion  of  Dover  is  men- 
tioned in  1657,  when  a  jury  of  twelve 
men,  "  sworn  to  inquire  into  his 
death,"  declared  that  he  had  been 
drowned  by  accident.  (  County  Rec- 
ords, Exeter.)  This  maybe  a  key  to 
the  popular  tradition  that  Campin's 
rocks  were  so  called  from  a  man  who, 
pursued  hither  by  the  Indians,  was 
forced  to  jump  into  the  river  in  order 
to  escape.  A  Clement  Campion  is 
mentioned  as  early  as  1644,  when  he 
brought  a  suit  against  Wm.  Payne  for 
carrying  pine  staves  and  masts  into 
the  Bay,  for  which  Payne  was  fined 
20  shillings  and  costs.  {Coicnty Rec- 
ords, Exeter.)  He  seems  to  have 
lived  in  Portsmouth.  "Master" 
Clement  Campioue's  house  is  spoken 
of,  Jan.  12,  1652,  as  opposite  Fur- 
son's  island,  now  Noble's,  which  is 
on  the  right  side  of  the  Pascataqua 
river,  a  little  below  Cutt's  cove.  It 
stood  no  doubt  on  Campion's  Neck, 
mentioned  July  10,  1655,  which  com- 
prised the  laud  from  the  North  bury- 
ing-ground  to  Raine's  shipyard  in 
Portsmouth. 


1  Joseph  Sanders  was  killed  by  the  Indians  June  28, 1689. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


15 


Campron  River.  This  name  is 
given  to  Lamprey  river  tlie  27th,  10 
mo..  1647,  in  a  grant  of  the  mill  priv- 
ilege thereon  to  Ambrose  Gibbons 
and  others.  '■^  CamiJeron"  is  men- 
tioned in  a  law-suit  of  1713.  This 
was  probably  an  error  of  the  recorder. 
The  name  of  Lamprone  is  repeatedly 
ofiven  to  this  river  in  the  town  records 
of  p:xeter.  (See  Bell's  Hist,  of  Exe- 
ter, p.  437.) 

Camsoe,  otherwise  Camsie  and 
Campsey.  Mentioned  in  David  Kin- 
caid's  will  of  June  13,  1719,. in  which 
he  gives  his  "  loving  wife  Anne,"  40 
acres  of  laud  he  bought  of  Moses 
Davis,  Sr.,  "now  called  by  y"  name 
of  Campse.''  Ann  Kincaid  conveyed 
to  Robert  Thompson,  Aug.  14,  1723, 
40  acres  of  land  at  Oyster  river,  given 
her  in  the  last  will  and  testament  of 
David  Kincaid,^  deceased,  commonly 
called  by  the  name  of  Camsoe.  It  is 
also  mentioned  in  the  Durham  rec- 
ords, Jan.  29,  1733-4,  when  a  road 
was  laid  out  on  the  north  side  of  the 
mast  path,  "  beginning  at  a  place 
called  Camsey,  at  the  S.  W.  corner 
of  Mr.  Robert  Tomson's  fence,"  and 
extending  to  Willey's  way  in  New- 
town, and  by  that  way  to  the  head  of 
the  town. 

This  laud  lies  along  the  banks  of 
Oyster  river,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
mast  road,  on  the  confines  of  Lee 
and  Durham.  It  no  longer  bears 
the  name  of  Camsoe  ;  but  a  spring 
thereon,  remarkable  for  the  purity  of 
its  water,  is  still  known  as  "  Camsie 
spring.'^     A  popular  tradition  attrib- 


utes this  name  to  an  Indian  who  is 
said  to  have  frequented  this  spring 
in  early  times.  The  name,  however, 
does  not  appear  till  after  the  land 
was  purchased  by  David  Kincaid.  A 
similar  name  is  found  in  Scotland, 
whence  the  Kincaids  are  said  to 
have  sprung.  Scott,  in  his  "Legend 
of  Montrose,"  sings  of  the  fishermen, 
who, 

"  On  St.  Bridget's  mom, 
Drew  nets  on  Campsie  side." 

Claverhouse's  black  book  in  "  Old 
Mortality  "  mentions  "  a  conventicle 
among  the  Campsie  hills."  Alexan- 
der Smith  also  speaks  of  the  Campsie 
hills,  and  quotes  the  old  song  : 

"The  Campsie  Duke  's  a-riding,  a-riding,  a-rid- 
ing." 

And  the  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  in 
the  "Fortunes  of  Nigel,"  longs  to 
"hear  the  Tay  once  more  flinging 
himself  over  the  Campsie  Linn." 

Canaan.  This  name  is  given  to  a 
district  in  Barrington,  above  the  Two- 
Mile  Streak.  It  is  mentioned  on 
Holland's  map  of  1784. 

Canney's  Bridge.  Mentioned  in 
the  Madbury  records  of  1794,  when 
Moses  Canney  furnished  plank  for 
the  repair  of  this  bridge.  It  is  on 
the  Mallego  river,  in  the  upper  part 
of  Madbury. 

Canney's  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  the  swampy  lands  in  the  upper 
part  of  Dover  Neck,  and  is  fed  by 
Canney's  spring,  an  abundant,  never- 
failing  source  of  excellent  water  on 
the  old  Canney  land,  in  the  rear  of 
Mr.  S.  R.  Home's  house.  The 
brook  crosses  the  so-called  "Middle 


iThis  was  the  "  David  Kinked,"  who,  according  to  the  Rev.  John  Pike's  journal,  was  attacked 
Sept.  8,  1708,  by  three  Indians  at  his  house  "some  considerable  distance  from  Woodman's 
garrison,"  but  "thro  Mercy  "  he  and  his  lad  made  their  escape.  He  died  in  February,  1722-3, 
but  his  son  lived  to  goto  the  siege  at  Louisbourg.  Kincaicfs  Brook  is  mentioned  in  the  Durham 
records  of  1765.    The  name  is  usually  pronounced  Kink-et,  and  is  sometimes  found  so  written. 


3^ 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


road  "  a  little  below  the  house,  and 
further  down  is  joined  by  Varney's 
brook  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Wm.  P. 
Tuttle.  At  the  head  of  tide  water  it 
becomes  Little  John's  creek. 

It  is  related  of  Thomas  Canney,  a 
sea  captain  of  the  last  century,  that, 
drinking  one  day  at  his  ancestral 
spring,  he  fell  in,  and  came  near  be- 
ing drowned.  "A  pretty  story  it 
would  have  been  for  the  newspapers," 
he  exclaimed  when  rescued,  "that 
Capt.  Canney,  after  sailing  all  around 
the  world,  only  came  home  to  get 
drowned  in  Tom  Canney's  spring  !  " 
This  Capt.  Canney,  an  esteemed 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
died  May  16,  1805,  aged  95. 

Canney's  Creek  or  Cove,  otherwise 
Kenney's.^  This  is  an  inlet  from  the 
Pascataqua  river,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Newington,  and  one  of  the 
bounds  of  ancient  Dover.  It  derived 
its  name  from  Thomas  Canney,  or 
Canning,  of  the  Dover  Combination 
of  1640,  who,  as  early  as  1652,  had  a 
grant  of  land  on  the  upper  side  of 
this  creek,  which  was  afterwards 
acquired  by  James  Rawlins.  It  is 
mentioned  in  1657,  when  the  lower 
bounds  of  Dover  were  defined  as  run- 
ning "  from  Kennei/'s  cree^■  to  Hogsty 
Cove,  with  all  the  marsh  from  that 
place  round  about  the  bay  up  to  Cot- 
terill's  Delight,  with  four  hundred 
acres    of    upland    adjoining."      The 


lower  boundary  of  Dover,  as  recorded 
in  1701,  ran  from  the  middle  of 
Quamphegan  falls  down  the  river  to 
Hilton's  Point ;  thence  to  Kenney's 
creek.,  and  thence  in  a  direct  line  to 
Hogsty  Cove,  and  from  this  cove  to 
the  mouth  of  Lamprey  river. 

A  tract  of  240  acres  was  laid  out 
to  Capt.  Bryan  Pendleton  next  to 
James  Rawlins,  Dec.  5,  1661,  begin- 
ning at  Kenney's  Cove.,  and  running 
down  by  the  river  80  rods  to  pyne 
cove,  etc.  (See  Pine  Gove.)  James 
Rawlins,  Aug.  25,  1662,  mortgaged 
to  Bryan  Pendleton  100  acres  of  land 
"  lying  in  the  long  reach,  from  Cayi- 
ney's  cove  upward  nyntie  od  pole  by 
y*  water  side,  and  so  up  into  tlie 
woods,  together  with  the  land  in  til- 
lage, with  y^  corn  upon  it,  and  his 
then  dwelling  house,  with  two  cows." 
This  mortgage  seems  to  have  been 
redeemed,  for  James  Rawlins  sold 
the  Canney  land  to  Matthew  Nelson 
Sept.  12,  1679.  Nelson  sold  it  to 
George  Huntress.  "George  Huntris," 
in  his  will  of  June  8,  1715,  gives  his 
sons,  Samuel  and  John,  his  farm  where 
they  then  dwelt,  lying  by  the  side  of 
the  Long  Reach,  part  of  which  he 
bought  of  Matthew  Nelson,  part  of 
John  Pickering,  and  part  of  Wm. 
Vaughan,  the  whole  containing  150 
acres,  part  of  which  lay  "in  the 
township  of  Portsmouth,  and  part  in 
Newington,  which  was  Dover." - 


1  Cannej^'s  Creek  is  culled  King's  creek  in  the  Mass.  records  May  22,  1656.  (See  i\".  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  1 :  222.)  The  latter  name  may  have  been  given  it  by  the  settlers  at  Strawberry  Bank,  from 
Richard  King,  who,  as  early  as  1649,  owned  Clampering  island,  now  Leach's,  further  down  the 
river. 

2  The  Pickering  land,  above  mentioned,  was,  in  part,  a  tract  of  35  acres  conveyed  to  John 
Pickering,  Jr.,  by  Benjamin  Rawlins  Sept.  13, 1689,  bounded  by  ye  land  formerly  bought  by  Mat- 
thew Nelson,  beginning  at  ye  riverside,  by  ye  edge  of  ye  bank,  and  running  along  Nelson's  land 
129  rods,  then  north  43  rods,  with  the  same  breadth  down  straight  to  the  river,  and  so  to  the  first 
bound,  keeping  said  breadth  of  river  at  the  other  end  :  and,  in  part,  a  grant  of  six  acres  from 
the  town  of  Dover  to  John  Pickering  Ap.  16,  1694,  and  laid  out  to  Geo.  Huntress,  Sr.,  June  16, 1699. 

For  the  Vaughan  land,  see  the  Gore. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


37 


Samuel  and  Jonathan  Huntress, 
Ap.  3,  1758,  made  a  division  of  their 
farm  of  71  acres,  held  in  common, 
bounded  north  by  the  land  of  Sam' 
Rawlins'  heirs,  east  by  the  Pascata- 
qua  river,  south  by  the  laud  of  Sam- 
uel Brown  of  Salem,  and  westerl}'  by 
the  road  leading  to  Portsmouth.  With 
the  record  of  this  division,  in  the 
County  Registry,  is  a  plan  of  said 
farm,  including  Keuney's  creek  or 
cove.  Jonathan's  portion  extended 
to  the  mouth  of  this  cove.  Samuel's 
part  was  above,  "  with  the  right  of  a 
road  two  roads  wide  to  a  watering 
place  near  Kenny's  cove."  Samuel 
Huntress  died  shortl}'  after  this  divi- 
sion was  made,  and  was  buried  near 
the  ''Upper  Huntress,"  on  land  now 
owned  by  Miss  Mary  Huntress.  His 
gravestone  bears  the  following  in- 
scriptiou  :  "Here  lies  the  body  of 
Samuel  Huntress,  died  April  28,  in 
the  v^  1758,  aged  71  v^" 

The  above-mentioned  Huntress  land, 
as  shown,  extended  south  to  the  land 
of  Samuel  Browne  of  Salem.  And 
Jonathan  Huntress,  in  the  convey- 
ances of  his  portion  to  Gideon  Walker 
at  a  later  day,  describes  it  as  bounded 
south  by  Wm.  Browne  of  Salem.  The 
Brown  land  was  the  old  Vaughan 
land,  originally  granted  to  Brian 
Pendleton,  extending  from  Kenney's 
creek  to  Pine  cove.  It  was  acquired 
by  Wm.  King  of  Salem,  son  of 
Mary  (Vaughan)  King,  who  conveyed 
it  to  Samuel  Brown  Ap.  20,  1738. 
The  deed  describes  it  as  bounded 
north  by  the  Huntress  laud.  This 
laud,  amounting  to  400  acres,  ex- 
tended into  the  pitch-pine  plains  of 
Newington.  It  was  conveyed  by 
Wm.  Browne  of  Salem  to  James 
Stoodly  Feb.  21,  1770.  Wm.  Stoodly, 


son  of  James,  sold  this  land  to  Na- 
thaniel Folsom,  March  26,  1790,  and 
confirmed  the  sale  b}'  another  deed  of 
Aug.  7,  1792,  after  which  it  became 
known  as  the  Folsom  farm.  Over  54 
acres  of  this  farm  were  afterwards 
acquired  by  the  Frink  brothers,  who 
sold  this  tract  to  Winthrop  Pickering 
May  12,  1856.  The  deed  describes 
it  as  bounded  north  by  the  land  of 
Amos  Dow  (previously  Walker's  or 
the  Huntress  laud)  and  extending 
south  along  the  river  to  laud  formerly 
owned  by  Samuel  Hill,  deceased. 
Winthrop  Pickering  conveyed  this 
land  to  Stephen  Paul,  A  p.  29,  1862. 
Whence  it  is  evident  that  the  Kenney 
or  Canney's  creek  of  early  times, 
which  in  part  separated  the  Huntress 
laud  from  the  Pendleton  land — after- 
wards Browne's,  then  Stoodly's,  and 
then  Folsom's  land — was  the  one  now 
known  as  PauVs  creek.  It  has  been 
obstructed  and  greatly  disfigured  by 
the  railway,  but  its  former  dimen- 
sions can  still  be  traced. 

Canney's  Island,  otherwise  Ken- 
ney's. This  island  is  mentioned  Ap. 
23,  1743,  when  John  and  Prudence 
Johnson  of  Durham  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Weeks  two*  acres  of  salt 
marsh  in  Greenland,  bounded  on  the 
S.  E.  side  by  Wille's  creek,  on  the 
S.  W.  side  by  Kenes  creek,  and  on 
the  N.  AV.  by  an  island  called  Kenies 
Island.  Samuel  Weeks,  in  his  will 
of  Sept.  15,  1745,  gives  his  son  Mat- 
thias "  the  island  lying  by  the  Great 
Bay  called  Kenneifs  island."  This 
island  is  about  half  a  mile  above 
Wiunicot  river,  and  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  J.  Clement  Weeks.  It  is  a 
finely  wooded  upland  of  20  acres  on 
the  shore  of  Great  Bay,  between  Can- 
ney's creek  and  Willey's  creek,  which 


38 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


at  high  tide  surround  it  with  water. 
It  is  now  merely  called  "  the  island" 
without  any  prefix.  Notwithstanding 
its  old  name,  this  island  originally 
formed  part  of  a  grant  to  Thomas 
Willey,  which  was  adjacent  to  that  of 
Thomas  Canney.  Leonard  Weeks  con- 
veyed to  his  son  Samuel,  Ap.  23, 1706, 
"  all  the  mash  [marsh]  and  Island  of 
upland  "  which  he  bought  of  Thomas 
Willey.     (See  WiUey's  Spring.) 

Canney's  Marsh  and  Creek,  other- 
wise Kenney's.  Canney's  marsh  is 
on  the  Greenland  shore  of  the  Great 
Bay,  adjacent  to  Canney's  creek,  and 
now  forms  part  of  the  Weeks  land. 
It  is  so  named  from  Thomas  Canney 
of  Dover,  who,  before  1651,  had  a 
grant  of  nine  acres  of  marsh  on  the 
S.  W.  side  of  the  Great  Bay,  "  bounded 
on  the  south  running  into  y''  marsh  of 
George  Webb's  creek,  and  y^  whole 
marsh  in  tire  till  you  come  out  of  y*^ 
Great  Bay  at  y'^  north  end  upon  a 
cove,  a  neck  of  land  all  on  y""  S.  E. 
side  between  Geo.  Webbes  and  that. 
More,  two  small  spots  lying  by  the 
water  side,  near  to  the  above  marsh, 
bounded  upon  y*^  south  west  side  of 
y^  Great  Bay."  Thomas  and  Grace 
Kenney  of  Dovfer,  May  4,  1696,  con- 
veyed to  Leonard  Weeks  of  Green- 
land "  three  acres  of  meadow  on  the 
Great  Bay,  given  by  Ould  Thomas 
Kenny  to  his  son  Thomas,  deceased, 
as  appears  by  a  deed  to  his  son 
Joseph."  Leonard  Weeks  conveyed 
to  his  sou  Joseph,  Ap.  3,  1706,  one 
acre  and  a  half  of  salt  marsh,  lying 
westward  of  Canney's  creek,  so  called. 
And,  Ap.  23,  1706,  he  conveyed  to 
his  son  Samuel  Weeks  "  the  marsh  I 
bought  that  ivas  Cannyes,  that  lyeth 
next  to  Wm.  ffurber's  marsh,  except- 
ing the  cove  and  flatts  belonoino-  to 


it,  which  I  have  given  to  my  son 
Jonathan  Weeks,  and  one  acre  and  a 
half  of  salt  marsh  and  flatts  that  I 
have  given  to  my  son  Joseph,  lying 
by  the  westward  side  of  Cannies 
CrikeJ'  This  creek  is  again  men- 
tioned Ap.  23,  1743,  when  John  and 
Prudence  Johnson  conveyed  to  Sam- 
uel Weeks  two  acres  of  salt  marsh 
bounded  "  on  the  southwest  side  on 
Kenes  creek." 

Canney's  Point,  otherwise  Ken- 
ney's. Mentioned  in  Wm.  Week's 
will  of  June  13,  1777,  in  which  he 
gives  his  sou  Joshua  a  piece  of  land 
in  Greenland,  on  Kenney's  Point,  ad- 
joining the  river  or  Bay,  and  on  the 
S.  E.  side  of  a  piece  of  salt  marsh  he 
bought  of  John  Allen. 

Captain's  Hill.  This  is  a  little 
hill  on  the  old  road  formerly  called 
Low  street,  in  the  lower  part  of 
Dover  Neck.  It  is  said  to  have  de- 
rived its  name  from  Capt.  Thomas 
Wiggin,  but  no  authority  is  given  for 
this  statement. 

Card's  Cove.  This  name  is  now 
given  to  Pomeroy's  cove,  from  Capt. 
Thomas  Card,  who  lived  on  the  north 
side.  He  died  about  twenty  years 
ago  at  the  advanced  age  of  100  years 
and  22  days.  Card's  cove  is  on  the 
east  side  of  Dover  neck,  nearly  half 
a  mile  above  Dover  Point.  It  is 
crossed  at  the  west  end  by  the  Ports- 
mouth &  Dover  railway. 

Carter's  Brook.  This  brook  is 
often  mentioned  in  the  early  records 
as  "  the  freshett  that  goeth  into 
Broad  Cove,"  and  "the  creek  in 
Broad  Cove."  (See  Broad  Cove 
Freshet.)  It  is  mentioned  June  13, 
1839,  when  Cyrus  Frink  conveyed  to 
Wallis  Lane  a  tract  of  laud  in  New- 
iugton,  beginning  at  Rocky  Point,  at 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


39 


Carter's  brook,  so  called,  thence  run- 
ning west  to  a  stake  in  the  marsh  3 
rods  N.  W.  of  the  site  of  the  old  mill 
formerly  owned  by  John  Coleman, 
and  along  said  creek  to  a  marked 
rock,  then  S.  to  a  rock  beside  the 
road  from  Pascataqua  bridge  to 
Portsmouth,  thence  E.  by  said  road 
to  Carter's  Lane,  then  N.  to  the  first 
bound.  This  laud  was  conveyed 
March  17,  1842,  to  Mr.  F.  W.  de 
Eochemont,  who  sold  it  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Orr  of  Boston,  March  21,  1847. 
Hence  the  name  of  Orr's  brook  and 
De  RochemonVs  brook,  by  which  it  is 
sometimes  called. 

Carter's  Lane.  This  is  an  old 
road  in  Newiugton,  leading  to  Rocky 
Pt.,  laid  out  early  in  the  last  century. 
Geo.  Walton  conveyed  to  Samuel 
and  John  Shackford,  Feb.  27,  1718- 
19,  ten  acres  of  land  (part  of  fifty 
acres  bought  of  Henry  Laugster) 
"running  down  between  the  freshet 
and  the  lane  that  goes  to  Rocky 
Poynt."  Carter's  Lane  is  now  the 
western  boundary  of  Mr.  Valentine 
M.  Coleman's  farm.  It  is  one's 
ideal  of  a  rural  lane,  being  left 
almost  entirely  to  nature — the  path- 
way grassy  from  present  disuse, 
shady  with  overhanging  trees,  and 
bordered  with  a  tangle  of  rose- 
bushes, vines,  and  shrubs,  and  its 
lower  extremity  washed  by  the  ebb 
and  flow  of  the  tide  around  the  o-reat 
flat  ledge  called  Garter's  Rocks. 

Carter's  Marsh.  This  marsh  is 
mentioned  in  1658.  (See  Robert's 
Creek.)  It  is  on  the  Greenland 
shore,  where  Richard  Cater  or  Carter 
had  a  grant,  afterwards  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Packer.    (See  Hall's  Marsh.) 

Carter's  Rocks.  These  rocks  are 
ou   the    Newington    shore    of   Broad 


Cove,  a  little  below  Carter's  brook. 
At  high  tide  they  are  separated  from 
the  shore,  but  at  other  times  form  a 
projection  from  the  main  land  that  is 
commonly  called  Rocky  Point.  Here 
was  once  a  landing-place,  to  which 
led  the  old  road  now  called  Carter's 
Lane.  The  name  is  derived  from 
one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Newing- 
ton. Richard  Carter  was  living  near 
Pine  Pt.  before  1648.  Among  his 
descendants  were  John  and  Richard 
Carter,  who  owned  land  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Broad  Cove  in  1719.  (See 
Broad  Cove.) 

There  is  a  ledge  off  Penhale  Point, 
on  the  Cornish  coast  of  England, 
called  Carter's  Rock,  from  people  of 
that  name  living  on  the  neighboring 
shore. 

Cart-way.  This  name  was  given 
as  early  as  1648  to  the  road  that  led 
from  Cochecho  Falls  to  the  Great 
Cochecho  marsh,  north  of  the  "Great 
hill."  It  is  now  the  Garrison  Hill 
road.  Several  other  cart-ways  in 
early  times  are  mentioned,  one  of 
which  led  from  Tolend  falls  into 
Cochecho  Log  Swamp,  and  another 
across  Bunker's  Neck,  "  for  trans- 
porting timber,"  mentioned  as  early 
as  1653. 

Caulley's  Marsh.  This  marsh  is 
in  the  Durham  Point  district,  and 
still  retains  its  ancient  name.  Mat- 
thew Giles's  land  at  Colles  marsh  is 
mentioned  in  1658.  Thirty  acres 
were  granted  "  Mr.  Thomas  Edgerlie, 
Sen^,"  March  19,  1693-4,  "between 
Collies  marsh  and  the  homes."  John 
Ambler,  Jan.  31,  1725-6,  conveyed 
to  "  Zebulon  Trickey  of  Kitery,  Co. 
York,  province  of  Mass.  Ba}',"  seven 
or  eight  acres  "on  y*  high  way  y' 
goes  from  team  hill  to  Collyes  marsh." 


40 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Col.  James  Davis,  iu  his  will  of  Oct. 
18,  1748,  gives  his  son  Daniel  17 
acres  granted  him  in  the  common 
land  iu  Durham,  adjoining  Catdley's 
marsh.  And  the  land  of  Francis 
Footman  "  at  a  place  called  Caulley's 
marsh "  is  mentioned  in  the  county 
records  of  1752.  A  portion  of  Caul- 
ley's  marsh  that  formed  part  of  the 
estate  of  Robert  Mathes,  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  John  Header. 

No  CauUeys  appear  in  the  early 
rate-lists  of  Dover.  The  name  may 
be  a  cori'uption  of  Crawley.  Thomas 
Crawley  was  brought  before  the 
Dover  authorities  July  14,  1657,  for 
three  offences,  viz  : — for  living  idly 
in  his  calling,  for  stirring  up  strife 
between  neighbors,  and  for  drinking 


[perhaps   Mat- 


witli  Matthew  — 
thew  ^■iles]  14  pints  of  wine  at  one 
time  at  the  house  of  John  Webster. 
For  the  last  offence  he  was  fined,  and 
for  the  two  others  admonished  and 
required  to  pay  the  fees.  This  did 
not  subdue  him,  however.  A  suit 
was  brought  against  him  June  26, 
1660,  by  Thomas  Canney  for  slander- 
ing his  daughter  Phebe,  then  under 
age,  after  which  Thomas  Crawley 
disappears  from  the  Dover  records. 

Cedar  Point.  This  point  is  so 
called  the  5th,  5  mo.,  1652,  in  the 
grant  of  Goat  Island  to  Wm.  Pom- 
frett.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mrs. 
Alley.  It  is  on  the  upper  shore  of 
the  Pascataqua,  below  the  mouth  of 
Oyster  river,  and  at  the  southwest 
side  of  Royall's  cove.  It  is  a  bound 
of  the  three  townships  of  Dover, 
Durham,  and  Madbury.  Wiien  the 
bounds  between  Dover  and  Madbury 
were  perambulated  Jan.  19,  1793, 
the  line  began  "■  at  Cedar  point,  so 
called,  by  the  river,"  then  ran  north 


40  deg.,  or  thereabouts,  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  Joseph  Jenkins'  house, 
thence  north  34|-  deg.  W.  to  a  beech 
tree  on  Stephen  Hanson's  land,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  road  to  Barring- 
ton,  thence  on  the  same  point  about 
6  ft.  from  the  corner  of  Dr.  Ezra 
Green's  pasture,  and  thence  north 
34j  deg.  W.  to  the  Harrington  line. 

When  the  line  between  Durham 
and  Madbury  was  perambulated  Jan. 
9,  1802,  it  began  at  "  a  long  rock  on 
Cedar  Pt.,  so  called,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  back  river,"  marked  M. 
on  the  north,  and  D.  on  the  south  ; 
thence  ran  about  north  55°,  30'  west, 
to  a  red  oak  on  the  north  side  of  the 
creek,  on  land  lately  belonging  to 
the  heirs  of  Thomas  Wallingford, 
deceased,  thence  on  the  same  course 
to  the  middle  of  Johnson's  creek 
bridge,  thence  N.  by  E.  to,  and 
across,  Beech  hill,  and  thence  to  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  town  of  Lee. 

Cedar  Svtamp.  This  swamp,  which 
is  partly  in  Greenland,  and  partly  in 
Portsmouth,  did  not  form  part  of 
ancient  Dover,  but  is  mentioned 
in  connection  witli  its  inhabitants. 
Nathaniel  Huggins  of  Greenland, 
Jan.  2,  1723-4,  conveyed  to  his  son 
Nathaniel  two  acres  of  fresh  marsh 
lying  by  y*  side  of  Sam^  Neal's 
meadow,  joining  to  y*  Cedar  sivavip. 
Thomas  Pickering  of  Newington,  in 
his  will  of  Ap.  4,  1782,  gives  his  son 
William  "  my  cedar  swamp  in  Ports- 
mouth, bought  of  John  Holmes." 

Champernowne's  Creek.  Men- 
tioned April  15,  1664,  when  Samuel 
Haines  had  80  acres  of  his  "divideut 
land "  laid  out  to  him  adjoining 
Francis  Drake's,  "  neere  Capt.  Cham- 
p)ernoune's  creek,''  thence  running 
west  72   rods  to  the  cartway  at  the 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


fence  between  "  Gudman  Haynes  and 
Walter  Neale."  {Portsmouth  Rec- 
ords.) This  creek  rises  in  the  Great 
Swamp,  flows  through  Greenland, 
and  empties  into  the  Great  Bay  east 
of  Packer's  Point,  but  the  name  is  no 
longer  in  use.  It  is  now  called 
Packer's  creek,  from  Thomas  Packer 
who  acquired  part  of  the  Champer- 
nowne  lands,  and  sometimes  Peirce's 
creek,  from  Col.  J.  W.  Peirce,  who 
bought  part  of  the  Packer  estate. 

Channell's  Islands.  (See  Ches- 
ley's  Islands.) 

Charles's  Point.  Mentioned,  ap- 
parently about  1654,  when  Jonas 
Biuu  or  Bine  had  the  grant  of  an 
island  of  two  acres,  or  thereabouts, 
next  Charles  Adams'  lot,  at  y^ 
entrance  into  Little  Ba}',  over  against 
a  point  called  by  the  name  of 
Charles's  iioint.  The  only  islands  at 
the  entrance  into  Little  Bay  are 
Ambler's  islands,  the  largest  of 
which  does  not  contain  more  than 
one  acre.  Goat  island,  below,  has 
about  three  acres,  but  was  already 
granted  to  Wm.  Pomfrett  in  1652. 
Charles's  Point  is  supposed  to  have 
been  named  from  said  Charles  Adams, 
but  the  land  where  his  garrison  stood 
was  within  the  mouth  of  Oyster 
river,  not  at  the  point,  which  was 
owned  by  Jonas  Binn  or  Bine. 
(See  Jonas  Point.)  The  only  other 
land  owned  by  Charles  Adams  near 
the  river  was  at  Branson's  creek, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Bay. 

Cherry  Hill.  This  name  is  given 
to  the  homestead  of  the  late  Lorenzo 
Stackpole  in  Rollinsford,  from  the 
profusion  of  wild  cherry  trees  in  the 
vicinity.  Cherry  is  also  used,  in 
part,  for  the  interior  wood-work  of 
the  house,  which  was  built  in  the  early 


part  of  this  century  by  the  Philpot 
family. 

Cheslev's  Hill.  This  hill  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records.  It  is 
at  the  west  end  of  Durham  village, 
near  the  railroad  station.  It  derived 
its  name  from  the  old  Chesley  resi- 
dence at  the  top,  where  lived  five  or 
sis  generations  of  this  name.  The 
Chesley  lands  adjoining,  originally  a 
part  of  Valentine  Hill's  Five-Hundred- 
Acre  grant,  extended  south  as  far  as 
Chesley's  mill  on  Oyster  river.  The 
house  and  grounds,  now  enclosed  be- 
tween the  old  Mast  road  and  the 
turnpike  road,  have  recently  been 
acquired  by  the  Agricultural  College. 
There  is  another  Chesley's  Hill  at 
Lubberland.     (See  Great  Hill.) 

Chesley's  Islands.  These  islands, 
two  in  number,  are  in  Great  Bay,  off 
that  part  of  the  Durham  shore  ceded 
to  Newmarket  in  1870.  The  name  is 
derived  from  Joseph  Chesley,  who, 
March  26,  1707,  bought  of  Sampson 
Doe  all  the  land  between  John  God- 
dard's  and  Richard  Yorke's,  and  with 
it  six  acres  and  tivo  islands,  which 
Joseph  Smith  had  previously  sold 
Nicholas  Doe.  These  islands  orig- 
inally belonged  to  Richard  Yorke, 
who,  about  1652,  had  a  grant  of  seven 
acres  of  marsh  in  the  Great  Bay, 
butting  upon  tico  small  iskoids.  John 
York,  Oct.  U,  1680,  conveyed  to 
Roger  Rose  80  acres  of  laud,  granted 
said  York's  father,  with  all  meadows, 
flats,  creek,  thatch-bed,  islands,  and 
islets,  belonging  to  said  grant.  Roger 
Rose  conveyed  this  land  to  John 
Smith  July  17,  1705. 

Merrill's  Gazeteer  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1817,  mentions  Chesley's 
island  as  "  the  south  corner  boundary 
of  Durham  at  the  west."     When  the 


42 


Laoidmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


bounds  were  perambulated  in  1805, 
the  line  on  this  shore  ran  from  the 
mouth  of  Goddard's  creek  to  "  dies- 
ley's  little  island."  "  Chesley's  great 
island"  is  spoken  of  in  a  deed  of  May 
18,  1743.  These  islands  are  now 
called  Channell's  islands,  from  the 
present  owner. 

Chesley's  Mill.  See  Oyster  River 
Falls. 

Chesley's  Ponds.  These  ponds 
are  in  the  lower  part  of  Harrington . 
"  Chesley's  iqjper  poyid"  and  "  Ches- 
ley's lower  pond"  are  on  the  Barring- 
ton  map  of  1805.  They  are  now 
known  as  Bodge's  and  Swayne's ponds. 
The  latter  is  the  source  of  the  Bella- 
my river.  These  ponds  were  formerly 
separated  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  but 
when  Sawyer's  reservoir  dam  was 
built  at  the  outlet  of  Swayne's  pond 
it  caused  an  overflow  which  converted 
them  into  one  pond. 

Church's  Brook.  Mentioned  Dec. 
23,  1712,  when  a  20  acre  grant  to 
Thomas  Hanson,  Sr.,  in  Ash  Swamp, 
was  laid  out  to  Nathaniel  Hanson, 
beginning  near  the  S.  W.  corner  of 
Robert  Evans'  three  score  acres  (ac- 
quired by  John  Hanson  in  1713), 
thence  running  N.  80  rods  to  a  beech 
tree,  then  W.  40  rods  to  a  birch  near 
Chtirch's  brook.  This  brook  crosses 
the  Dover  road  to  Madbury  near  Mr. 
O.  K.  Hayes's,  and  empties  into  the 
Bellamy.  John  Church  and  wife 
Mary,  March  23,  1736-7,  conveyed 
to  Wra.  Twombly  30  acres  of  land 
granted  to  John  Church,  Sr.,  der 
ceased,  and  laid  out  in  Ash  Swamp 
in  1696,  but,  found  to  intrench  on 
another  grant,  24  acres  were  removed 
to  "  a  place  called  Barbadoes  "  May 
8,  1721,  beginning  at  the  west  end  of 
Pomfrett  Whitehouse's  land,  sold  to 


Nathaniel  Hanson,  thence  running 
N.  W.  40  rods  to  "  Bellimou's  bank 
freshet,"  then  N.  N.  E.  96  rods  by 
the  river,  then  E.  S.  E.  40  rods  to  a 
lot  laid  out  to  Thomas  Hanson,  de- 
ceased. 

John  Church,  Sr.,  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  May  7,  1696.  His  son 
John,  who  seems  to  have  married 
Mercy  Hanson,  was  also  killed  by 
the  Indians  in  1711. 

Clam  Brook.  This  name  is  given 
to  one  of  the  two  brooks  that  afford 
an  outlet  to  Meader's  swamp  in 
South  Lee,  near  the  site  of  French's 
garrison.  These  brooks  unite  and 
empty  into  Lamprey  river  below 
Wadleigh's  falls. 

Clark's  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
near  the  source  of  Wednesday  brook, 
in  the  Deraeritt  pasture  on  the  west 
side  of  Wednesday  Hill,  and  empties 
into  Lamprey  river  near  Dame's  mill, 
at  the  head  of  Lee  Hook.  Another 
Clark's  brook  rises  in  Rochester,  and 
empties  into  Blackwater  brook  in  the 
upper  part  of  Dover. 

Clark's  Ferry.  This  ferry  ran 
across  the  Cochecho  river,  above  the 
mouth  of  Fresh  creek.  It  is  men- 
tioned Feb.  26,  1730-31,  when  a 
road  was  ordered  to  be  laid  out  there- 
to, "along  by  Ephraim  Tebbetts's." 
This  is  doubtless  the  road  to  Perkiits' 
landing.,  at  the  upper  side  of  Bantom's 
Point,  mentioned  on  Whiteliouse's 
map  of  Dover.  The  name  was  no 
doubt  derived  from  Elisha  Clark,  who 
conveyed  to  his  daughter  Katharine 
James,  May  4,  1739,  twelve  acres  of 
land,  "  beginning  at  the  road  running 
by  John  Bampton's  down  to  a  land- 
ing-place on  Cochecho  river."  On 
one  side  it  extended  to  Samuel  Tib- 
bet's  fence.     (See  Bantom's  Point.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


43 


Clark's  Plains.  These  plains, 
once  owned  by  Abraham  Clark,  are 
south-east  of  Pudding  hill,  on  the 
line  between  Dover  and  Madbury. 
They  were  formerly  somewhat  noted 
for  horse-races. 

Clay  Point.  Mentioned  the  4th, 
10  rao.,  1656,  when  three  acres  of 
upland  on  the  east  side  of  Dover 
Neck,  "at  a  poynte  called  Clay 
poynt^"  were  laid  out  to  Joseph 
Twamley  (Twombley),  and  again 
Jan.  5,  1669,  when  Jedediah  Andrews 
of  Salisbury,  Mass.,  conveyed  to  the 
Rev.  John  Reyner  three  acres  of 
land,  22  poles  square,  at  Clay  Point, 
being  the  same  land  given  Ralph 
Twamley  as  a  house  lot.  This  land 
was  near  said  Andrews'  house  lot, 
also  conveyed  to  John  Reyner  ;  and 
between  the  house  of  Thomas  Rob- 
erts and  land  previously  owned  by 
John  Reyner.  The  name  of  Clay 
Point  has  not  been  perpetuated,  but 
it  was  no  doubt  pear  the  Roberts 
land  on  the  east  side  of  Dover  Neck. 

Cleft  Cove,  otherwise  Cliff.  This 
cove  is  on  the  Lubberland  shore,  be- 
tween Crummit's  creek  and  Pinder's 
Point,  but  the  name  is  no  longer  re- 
tained. It  is  mentioned  July  1,  1669, 
when  Thomas  Roberts,  Sr.,  conveyed 
to  John  York  a  tract  of  land  "  begin- 
ning at  y'^  little  poynt  in  Cliff  cove, 
adjoining  Thomas  Morries,  and  so 
over  the  neck  to  a  pine  tree  by  y* 
path  going  to  Lubberland."  And 
again  May  16,  1681,  in  a  deed  from 
John  York  to  John  Pinder.  (See 
Pinder's  Point.)  Benjamin  and  Jo- 
seph Pinder  conveyed  to  Dependence 
Bickford  of  Newiugton,  July  2,  1763, 
their  farm  in  Durham  where  they 
then  lived,  beginning  at  Cleft  cove,  so 
called,  and  running   northerly  by  the 


land  of  John  Durgin,  westerly  by 
Ebenezer  Smith's,  southerly  by  Benj" 
Colbroth's  to  the  Great  Bay,  and 
thence  by  the  bay  to  the  first  bound. 

Clement's  Brook.  This  name  is 
given  to  the  upper  part  of  Twombley's 
brook  in  RoUinsford,  that  flows 
through  the  old  Clement  land.  Ralph 
Twombley's  grant  nest  "  Mr.  Clem- 
ent's "  (no  doubt  Job  Clement)  is 
mentioned  in  1725.  (See  Tivonibley's 
Brook.) 

Clement's  Point.  Whitehouse's 
map  of  Dover  in  1834  gives  this  name 
to  the  point  at  the  mouth  of  Back 
river,  on  the  west  side.  It  is  also  so 
called  in  Sanford  &  Evert's  Atlas 
of  Strafford  Co.  The  Clement  land 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  Back  River 
district,  adjoining  the  lands  of  Sam- 
uel Emerson  and  Thomas  Layton,  is 
repeatedly  mentioned  in  the  early 
records.  Job  Clement  had  one  of 
the  twenty  acre  lots  in  that  vicinity 
in  1652.  He  married  Joanna,  widow 
of  Thomas  Layton,  July  16,  1673. 
March  15,  1704,  he  conveyed  30  acres 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river  to 
John  Laitou.  The  inventory  of  Job 
Clement's  estate  Dec.  1,  1716,  men- 
tions 16  acres  of  pasture  and  meadow 
land  "on  the  back  cove  point,  on  y® 
west  side  of  y**  Back  river."  This 
laud  was  given  his  wife  during  her 
lifetime. 

CocHECHO.  This  name  was  for  a 
long  time  given  to  the  settlement 
around  the  lowest  falls  in  the  Coche- 
cho  river,  in  order  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  settlement  on  Dover  Neck.  James 
Ordway  testified  in  1705  that  sixty 
years  previous.  Major  Waldron  with 
some  others  began  the  plantation 
called  Cochecho,  and  two  or  three 
years  later  built  a  saw-mill  and  corn- 


44 


Landma7'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


mill  there.  (Dr.  Quint's  ed.  of  Pike's 
Journal,  p.  10,  foot-note.)  "  Peter 
Coffin  of  Cochecha,  in  the  township  of 
Dover,''  is  mentioned  Ap.  1,  1673. 
(See  Muchadoe.)  "  Lauds  and  tene- 
ments in  Cochecho,  Dover,"  are  men- 
tioned Oct.  8,  1683.  (JV.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  1:  468.)  "The  road  which 
leads  to  Cochecha "  is  mentioned  in 
the  will  of  Judge  John  Tuttle,  Dec. 
28,  1717.  "  Samuel  Heard  of  Coche- 
cho,  in  the  toionship  of  Dover,"  Aug. 
13,  1731,  conveyed  to  Richard  Rookes 
of  "the  parish  of  Sumersworth," 
schoolmaster,  30  acres  of  upland  and 
swamp  "in  ye  parish  of  Cochecho 
afores*^,"  on  the  S.  E.  side  of  the 
road  from  Salmon  falls  to  the  Cochecho 
boom.  Thomas  Roberts  and  Eliza- 
beth conveyed  to  Benjamin  Roberts, 
Jan.  3,  1734-5,  30  acres  of  land, 
bounded  east  by  "  y^  highway  y*  runs 
up  to  Cochecho,  a  place  in  Dover,  so 
called."  "  The  meeting-house  at  Co- 
checho in  Dover  "  is  mentioned  May 
22.  1754  {N.  H.  Town  Pap.  XI :  524). 
"  Thomas  Westbrook  Waldron's  mills 
at  Cochecho,  below  y®  lower  falls," 
are  mentioned  Jan.  22,  1770.  (Ibid., 
p.  534.) 

The  Cochecho  settlement  is  now 
the  city  proper  of  Dover. 

Cochecho  River  and  Falls.  This 
river  rises  among  the  ponds  of  New 
Durham  and  Middleton,  and  empties 
into  the  Newichawaunock  at  Cochecho 
Point.  The  word  Cochecho  signifies, 
according  to  Dr.  Quint,  "the  rapid 
foaming  water."  It  was  the  Indian 
name  of  the  falls  in  Dover  city,  but 
the  early  settlers  extended  it  to  the 
whole  stream,  and  gave  it  to  the  set- 
tlement that  grew   up   around   these 


falls.  It  is  now  generally,but  incorrect- 
ly, written  Cocheco — the  form  adopted 
by  the  Cocheco  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, said  to  be  owing  to  the  error 
of  a  clerk  of  the  N.  H.  legislature 
when  that  company  was  incorporated. 
The  name  of  "  freshet  "  was  often 
given  to  that  part  of  the  river  above 
the  head  of  tide-water.  John  Wal- 
dron  and  Mary,  Jan.  2,  1721,  con- 
veyed to  John  Horn  60  acres  of  land, 
running  S.  W.  by  John  Hilton's  land 
to  Cochecho  river  freshet,  and  bounded 
on  the  N.  W.  by  Thomas  Downs'  50 
acres. 

Cochecho  Falls.  The  first  falls, 
reckoning  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river — the  "Cochecho  falls  "pa?'  ex- 
cellence— are  in  the  heart  of  Dover 
city,  and  now  owned  by  the  Cocheco 
Manufacturing  Company.  A  mill 
privilege  here  was  granted  the  1st,  6 
mo.,  1642,  to  Richard  Waldron,  who 
built  a  mill  on  the  north  side.  An- 
other mill  privilege  on  the  south  side 
was  granted  him  in  1648.^  These 
rights  were  inherited  by  his  son.  Col. 
Richard  Waldron,  in  1689.  The  lat- 
ter bequeathed  his  rights  to  his  son 
Richard  Waldron  in  1730.  In  17.53 
they  fell  to  Thomas  Westbrook  Wal- 
dron and  his  brother  George.  The 
former  bought  his  brother's  part  and 
became  sole  owner.  By  his  will, 
proved  in  1785,  they  fell  to  Daniel 
Waldron.  They  were  acquired,  Jan. 
30,  1820,  by  the  Strafford  Bank,  the 
directors  of  which  conveyed  them, 
Ap.  23,  1821,  to  Wra.  Payne  of 
Boston,  who  represented  the  Dover 
Manufacturing  Co. 

The  ASecowd/a/Zs, called  the  ToleEnd 
or  Tolend  falls,  and  otherwise  Whitch- 


1  Pike's  Journal   says,  Jan.  3,  1682-3:    "  Col.  Waldron's  mills  burnt  down  in  a  very  Bainey 
night." 


Landmarks  tn  Ancient  Dover. 


45 


er's  or  WJiittier's  falls,  were  granted 
to  Thomas  Wiggin  aud  Edward  Star- 
buck  the  4th,  5  mo.,  1650.  The  lat- 
ter, July  29,  1652,  conveyed  his  right 
in  the  "•  Cochecho  upper  falls"  with 
all  privileges  of  water  and  timber,  to 
Peter  Coffin,  who  had  married  his 
daughter  Abigail.  Sarah  Wiggin  of 
Quamscott  in  the  township  of  Exeter, 
widow,  and  Thomas  her  sou,  convey- 
ed to  Richard  Waldron  of  Cochecho 
one  full  half  of  the  second  falls  of 
Cochecho  in  the  township  of  Dover, 
with  half  of  the  timber  granted  to 
Capt.  Thomas  Wiggin  (grandfather 
of  the  above  Thomas)  the  5th,  10 
mo.,  1652. 

Richard  Waldron,  the  6th,  10  mo., 
1652,  was  authorized  to  build  a  saw- 
mill on  the  north  side  of  the  second 
falls,  provided  it  did  not  entrench  on 
any  former  grant. 

"  The  Second  fall  of  the  River  of 
Cochecha,  commonly  called  or  known 
by  the  name  of  Tole  End  fall"  is 
mentioned  March  3,  1702.  Richard 
Waldron  of  Portsmouth  having  con- 
veyed to  James  Chesley,  Joseph  Han- 
son, and  John  Hayes,  the  hundred- 
acre  grant  to  Thomas  Wiggin  in 
1650,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Coche- 
cho, near  the  second  falls,  this  tract 
was  divided  among  them  July  27, 
1734.  Twenty-six  acres  were  as- 
signed to  John  Hayes  at  the  S.  E. 
corner,  adjoining  the  river,  near  the 
Tolend  mills.  Twenty  acres  fell  to 
Joseph  Hanson  in  the  S.  W.  corner, 
adjoining  the  river,  "at  y*  Eleicare 
loading-place."  This  was,  of  course, 
the  Lower  Eelweir.  James  Chesley 
had  the  remaining  54  acres.  This 
Eelweir  above  Tolend  falls  is  again 
mentioned  Dec.  2,  1734,  when  Ezra 
Kimball  conveyed  to  Joseph  Hanson 


one  acre  and  three  quarters  of  land 
adjoining  the  Cochecho  river  on  the 
north  side,  "  at  a  place  call"  y^  Eal- 
ware  falls,"   and    also   joining  to  y® 

5.  W.  corner  of  y^  100  acres  granted 
Thomas  Wiggin  by  the  town  of 
Dover,  beginning  at  a  small  oak  in  a 
little  valley  on  the  line  between  said 
Kimball  and  Hanson,  thence  running 
W.  to  the  river,  by  a  small  hemlock 
between  y''  cove  and  y*  island,  thence 
down  the  river,  including  said  island, 
to  the  first  bound. 

The  name  of  "  Whittier'smill"  was 
derived  from  Obadiah  Whittier,  who 
is  called  a  "cloathyer"  March  28, 
1797,  when  William  Brown  and  Abi- 
gail conveyed  to  him  9  acres,  16  sq. 
rods,  bounded  by  "  the  highway  in 
Dover  called  Scatuate"  (Scatterwit), 
and  by  the  land  of  the  widow  Conner, 
and  that  in  possession  of  Thomas 
Hanson.  Obadiah  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Moses,  who  had  a  clothing- 
mill,  carded  wool,  and  manufactured 
homespun  cloth.  This  was  on  the 
easterly  side  of  the  river.  On  the 
opposite  shore  was  Ephraim  Ham's 
grist-mill.  "The  mills  at  Tolend, 
known  by  the  name  of  Wliittier's 
mills,"  were  burned  down  Jan.  7, 
1818.  {Dover  Sun  oilUS.)  Clough's 
gristmill  is  now  at  Tolend  falls. 

The  third  falls  are  mentioned  Ap. 

6,  1702,  when  Richard  Waldron  had 
a  grant  of  "  three  score  acres  of  land 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Cochecho 
river,  adjoining  to  the  third  falls, 
commonly  called  Hayes's  falls,  or  as 
near  adjacent  thereunto  as  it  can  be 
found  in  common."  In  1704  he  liad 
a  grant  of  the  falls,  "commonly 
called  haises  fall,"  with  due  regard 
to  the  falls  below.  Richard  Waldron 
conveyed  the  above  grant  of  60  acres 


46 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


to  Dauiel  Horn,  July  15,  1729,  wheu 
Hayes's  falls  are  again  mentioned. 
Joseph  Twomble}',  Jr.,  conveyed  to 
Ezra  Kimball,  June  14,  1733,  sixty 
acres  of  laud,  part  of  a  hundred-acre 
grant  to  Peter  Coffin,  adjoining  the 
Cochecho  river  on  the  north  side,  a 
little  above  the  third  falls.  Nehe- 
miali  Kimball  conveyed  to  his  brother 
Ezra,  Dec.  2,  1734,  one  half  of  his 
right  in  "a  certain  pair  of  falls  w'^ 
unto  my  land  doth  joyne,  known  as 
Hayes'  falls."  Hence  the  name  of 
Kimball's  falls  and  mill,  at  one  time 
given  to  the  dam  and  mill  at  this 
place. 

The  third  falls  are  now  generally 
called  Pike's  falls,  from  Wm.  H. 
Pike,  who,  in  company  with  Thomas 
J.  Dearborn,  once  had  a  saw  and 
planing  mill  here.  Clarissa  Kimball 
conveyed  to  them,  April  4,  1867,  five 
acres  of  laud  on  the  northerly  side  of 
the  Cochecho  river,  with  the  saw  mill, 
mill  privilege,  and  water  power  on, 
and  pertaining  to,  said  land,  but  sub- 
ject to  an  indenture  of  Nov.  4,  1861, 
between  Elzra  and  Clarissa  Kimball 
on  one  side,  and  the  Cocheco  Manu- 
facturing Co.  on  the  other,  allowing 
only  a  certain  height  to  the  dam. 
Pike's  mill  was  afterwards  sold  to 
that  Company,  but  was  burned  down 
soon  after.  The  privilege  remains 
unused. 

The  fourth  falls,  once  known  as 
Kimball's  falls,  are  now  generally 
called  the  Ujyer  Factory  falls,  from 
the  cotton  factory,  now  gone,  built 
here  in  1815  by  the  Dover  Cotton 
Factory  Co.  This  Company  was 
incorporated  Dec.  15,  1812,  and 
bought  5  acres,  8  sq.  rods  of  land  at 
KimhalV s  falls  on  the  east  side,  from 
Ezra,  Jonathan,  and  other  Kimballs, 


Ap.  25,  1814.  On  this  land  the 
upper  factory  was  built.  Other  Kim- 
ball laud  was  acquired  in  1818,  when 
Wm.  Kimball,  Ap.  23,  conveyed  to 
Williams  and  Wendell  93  acres  of 
land  on  the  southerly  side  of  the 
"  Scatavi^it  road,"  formerly  the  home- 
stead of  John  Kimball.  This  was  at 
the  westerly  side  of  Nathaniel  Hta^s/Vorn 
homestead  farm,  and  extended  up  to 
Joseph  Waldron's  land.  It  included 
an  island  near  the  bank  of  the  river. 

The  "'  Home  dam,"  now  gone,  is 
mentioned  in  1820,  as  a  little  above 
the  Upper  Factory  falls,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Kimball  farm.  This  is 
apparently'  the  fall  mentioned  Dec. 
14,  1820,  when  John  Young  con- 
veyed to  John  Williams  and  Isaac 
Wendell  (for  the  Dover  Cotton  Fac- 
tory) one  acre  of  land  "  westerly  of 
the  next  falls  or  cataract "  above 
said  Cotton  Factory,  including  the 
privilege  on  said  falls.  This  fall  dis- 
appeared when  the  Upper  Factory 
dam  was  raised. 

The  fifth  falls,  properly  Waldron's 
falls,  but  now  generally  called  Wat- 
son's Falls,  are  the  first  falls  below 
the  mouth  of  Reyner's  brook.  Here 
once  stood  a  "•  day  "  sawmill  of  which 
the  Watsons  were  the  chief  owners. 
The  privilege,  on  the  east  side,  how- 
ever, belonged  to  Joseph  Waldron, 
who  had  a  grist-mill  here.  These  mills 
are  mentioned  Feb.  1,  1819,  when 
Winthrop  Watson  and  Winthrop 
Watson,  Jr.,  conveyed  to  Moses 
Whittier,  clothier,  one  acre  of  land, 
and  the  mill  privilege  attached  there- 
to, beginning  by  the  Cochecho  river, 
on  the  southerly  side,  at  a  place 
called  Waldron's  and  Watson^s  mills, 
a  little  westerly  of  a  point  of  rocks 
westerly  of  the  bridge,  and  running 


Landmarks   in  Ancient  Dover. 


47 


south  35  deg.  E.  24  rods,  including 
all  the  laud  between  said  line  and 
said  river,  with  all  their  right  in  the 
dam  halfway  over  the  river,  and  a 
right  to  pass  and  re-pass  across  their 
land  and  Aaron  Watson's  land  from 
Tolend  road,  with  carts,  teams,  and 
all  things  necessary  for  improving 
said  privilege,  building  mills,  etc. 

The  Dover  Cotton  Factory  Co.  ac- 
quired, Dec.  15, 1821,  one  acre  of  land 
at  a  place  called  Waldron^s  and  TF"a<- 
son's/aiZs, with  the  privilege  in  the  dam 
half  way  across  the  river,  being  the 
land  and  mill  privilege  Winthrop 
Watson  and  Winthrop  Watson,  Jr., 
conveyed  to  Moses  Whittier  Feb.  1, 
1819 ;  excepting,  however,  and  re- 
serving to  said  Whittier  the  privilege 
of  drawing  such  a  quantity  of  water 
from  the  pond  as  he  might  have 
occasion  for  in  fulling  cloth  or  skins. 
This  fulling-mill  on  the  westerly  side 
of  the  river  is  mentioned  on  White- 
house's  map  of  1834.  Whittier 
moved  this  mill  down  the  river  about 
1842.  John  Trickey  afterwards 
acquired  the  mills  on  the  east  side  of 
these  falls,  which  he  demolished  about 
1853.  There  is  no  mill  here  now,  and 
the  whole  water  power  is  owned  by 
the  Cocheco  Manufacturing  Co. 

The  sixtli  falls.,  called  Hussey's 
falls  and  the  Upper  Eel-  Weir  falls, 
are  below  the  mouth  of  Blackwater 
brook.  They  are  mentioned  July  31, 
1721,  when  60  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Stephen  Field,  on  the  N.  W.  side  of 
Long  hill,  granted  to  his  father  Zach- 
ariah  in  1694,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Cochecho  river,  "  above  y^Ealeware" 
beginning  at  a  red  oak  tree,  one  of 
the  bounds  of  the  land  of  John 
Winget,  deceased.  (See  Sandy  Log 
Hill.)  (2J.s*^-2-  9/ 


The  name  of  Hussey's  falls  was 
derived  from  Timothy  Hussey  and 
his  nephew  Elijah,  who  once  owned 
this  water  privilege  and  the  adjoin- 
ing land.  No  mention  is  made  of 
any  mill  here.  Timothy  Hussey  and 
Elizabeth,  Dec.  11,  1821,  conveyed 
to  Isaac  Wendell,  for  the  Dover  Cot- 
ton Factory,  one  acre  of  land  "  at  a 
place  called  Eelware  falls"  together 
with  the  falls.  This  was  on  the  east- 
erly side  of  the  river.  Elijah  Hussey 
and  Jane,  that  same  day,  conveyed 
to  said  Wendell  one  acre  on  the  west 
side  of  the  falls,  including  all  the 
water  privilege^idjoining  said  lot. 
A  reservoir  dam  was  built  here  by 
the  Cotton  Factory  soon  after  this 
purchase. 

Above  the  Dover  line  there  ai'e 
two  falls  in  the  Cochecho,  below 
Gonic.  The  lower  one,  of  eight  feet, 
is  not  used.  At  the  upper  one,  a 
fall  of  15  ft.,  is  a  saw-mill.  At 
Gonic  is  a  fall  of  19^  ft.,  120  horse 
power,  used  by  the  Gonic  Manufact- 
uring Co.  The  next  falls  are  in  the 
city  proper  of  Rochester,  where  there 
are  three  privileges.  At  the  lowest 
is  a  saw-  and  grist  mill.  The  next 
one  supplies  the  mills  of  the  Norwa}' 
Plains  Manufacturing  Co.,  which  has 
another  mill  at  the  dam  still  further 
up.  This  Company  controls  the  res- 
ervoirs in  New  Durham  and  Middle- 
ton. 

Cochecho  Bridge.  Mentioned  July 
10,  1758,  when  Joseph  Hanson  con- 
veyed to  the  deacons  of  the  Congre- 
grational  church  a  lot  for  their  meet- 
ing-house,  a  quarter  of  an  acre  in 
extent,  on  the  northwesterly  side  of 
y*  main  road  from  Dover  Neck  to 
Cochecha  bridge,  and  on  y*^  northeast- 
erly side  of  y''  road  that  leads  from 


48 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


y*  af ores'*  road  to  Littleworth.  The 
town  of  Dover  voted  Jan.  22,  1770, 
that  a  new  bridge  be  built  "  over  the 
upper  ware,  so  called,  next  below 
Capt.  Tho^  W^.  Waldron's  mills  at 
Cochecho,  below  y*  lower  falls."  {N. 
H.  Town  Pap.  XI :  534.)  "  The  two 
new  bridges  lately  built  over  Quoche- 
chaw  River,"  are  mentioned  Jan.  11, 
1771.      {Ibid.,oU.) 

CocHECHO  Landing.  The  landing- 
place  on  the  Cochecho  river,  below  the 
lowest  falls,  are  so  called  Jan.  11, 
1771,  in  a  plan  of  the  two  bridges 
across  the  river,  above  it.  It  is  now 
called  Dover  Landirm.  The  adjacent 
school-district  was  called  the  ^^Land- 
ing-District.'' by  a  vote  of  the  school 
meeting,  Ap.  7,  1806. 

Cochecho  Log  Swamp.  This  swamp 
was  between  the  Cochecho  river  and 
Bellamj'  Bank  freshet,  and  comprised 
Waldron's  Log  Swamp,  and  perhaps 
Nock's  Marsh,  Ash  Sioami:),  etc.  Fifty 
acres  were  laid  out  to  Wm.  Thomp- 
son March  17,1658-9,  ''beyond  Co- 
checho log  swamp,"  bounded  S.  E.  by 
land  then  "  in  possession  of  Thomas 
Nocke,  and  South  by  Bellamies  Banke 
freshett."  When  this  tract  was  con- 
veyed by  John  Thompson,  son  of 
Wm.,  to  John  Tuttle,  Feb.  11,  1715- 
16,  it  was  said  to  be  "  at  Cochecho  log 
swamp."  When  this  land  was  sold 
to  Moses  Wingate  by  Solomon  and 
P^beuezer  Hanson,  it  was  stated  to  be 
'•  in  Ash  Swamp."  And  Moses  Win- 
gate,  Sept.  12,  1752,  bought  of  Na- 
thaniel Hanson  20  acres  "  in  Coche- 
cho or  Ash  swamp."  (See  Ash 
Swamp.) 

Cochecho  Swamp  seemed  to  extend 
to  Barbadoes  Pond,  if  not  to  Mallego 
river.  (See  Broad  Turn  and  the 
Saplings.)      An    "  ancient    cartway 


leading  from  the  second  [Tolend] 
falls  into  the  swamp  till  it  meets  the 
other  way  that  leads  from  broad  turn," 
is  mentioned  March  4,  1703-4.  (Do- 
ver Records.) 

Cochecho  Marsh.  This  marsh, 
now  for  the  most  part  drained,  lay  at 
the  upper  side  of  Garrison  Hill,  and 
extended  into  the  present  town  of 
Rollinsford.  It  is  otherwise  called 
the  Great  Cochecho  Marsh  and  the 
Great  Fresh  Marsh.  It  is  mentioned 
as  early  as  May  2,  1642,  when  lots  of 
six  acres  therein  were  granted  to 
Anthony  Emery  and  Stephen  Tedder. 
Twenty  lots  of  the  same  size  were 
granted  to  other  Dover  settlers  June 

16,  1648.  A  path  led  to  this  marsh 
as  early  as  1648,  called  the  "  cartway," 
which  is  the  present  Garrison  Hill 
road.     This  marsh  is  mentioned  June 

17,  1677,  when  Wm.  Wentworth  con- 
veyed to  George  Ricker  "  a  piece  of 
marsh  and  swamp-land  near  Cochecho, 
near  y*'  lower  part  of  y^  marsh  com- 
monly called  Cochecho  Marsh,  the 
lower  end  butting  upon  y*^  northern 
side  of  y^  brook  which  doth  run  out 
of  y'^  s'*  marsh  upon  a  little  pond  by  y® 
s**  brook."  The  only  brook  that  an- 
swers to  this  description  is  the  St^'x, 
which  flows  through  the  marsh  in  the 
vicinity  of  No-Bottom  pond.  Fag- 
goty  brook  also  once  drained  the 
neighboring  marshes,  now  for  the 
most  part  dried  up. 

Peter  Coffin  conveyed  to  Maturin 
Ricker,  Dec.  26,  1682,  12  acres  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  marsh  commonly 
called  Cochecha  marsh  in  Dover, 
bounded  S.  by  a  brook  of  water  which 
issues  out  of  said  marsh,  and  N.  E. 
by  a  small  stream  of  w^ater  which 
doth  empty  itself  into  said  brook.  A 
final  division  of'Cochecho  marsh  was 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


49 


made  by  a  vote  of  the  town  Apr.  16, 
1722. 

CocHECHO  Point.  This  point  is  at 
the  junction  of  the  Cochecho  and 
Newichawannock  rivers.  It  was 
granted  to  Wm.  Porafrett  the  30th,  6 
mo.,  1643.  His  grant  is  described  as 
"  a  neck  of  land  between  the  month 
of  Cochecha  river  and  Nechewanick 
river,  with  the  marsh  to  the  first  nar- 
row." (^V.  H.  Prov.  Pap..  9  :  153-4.) 
The  name  of  Cochecho  Point  seems 
also  to  have  comprised  the  lands 
above  Pomfrett's  grant.  John  Rob- 
erts conveyed  to  Joseph  Austin,  July 
7,  1658,  all  his  upland  "  commonly 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
Cochecho  poynt  in  Piscataq  river." 
Thomas  Canney,  Oct.  6,  1670,  con- 
veyed to  his  son  Joseph  one  undivided 
eighth  of  Cochecho  Pointy  bounded 
by  the  Cochecho  and  Newichawan- 
nock rivers,  and  the  Newichawan- 
nock path  from  Fresh  creek  to  St. 
Alban's  cove.  Richard  Waldron  of 
Portsmouth,  July  24,  1729,  conveyed 
to  Benj"  Mason  of  Dover,  one  half  of 
a  neck  of  land  in  Dover,  granted  y" 
10  mo.,  5th  day,  1652,  to  his  father 
Capt.  Richard  Waldron,  Wm.  ffurber, 
Wm.  Wentworth,  Henry  Langstar, 
and  Thomas  Kenny,  being  the  whole 
neck  of  land  from  St.  Alban's  cove  to 
y*"  head  of  Fresh  creek,  and  so  to 
Cochecho  point.,  except  a  former  grant 
to  Wm.  Pomfrett,  one  half  of  which 
grant,  and  of  all  privileges,  belonged 
to  Capt.  Waldron. 

After  the  township  of  RoUinsford 
was  incorporated,  this  point  was  often 
called  RoUinsford  Point.,  but  it  has 
resumed  its  ancient  name  since  its 
re-conveyance  to  the  township  of  Do- 
ver. 

Cochecho  Pond.     This  pond  is  on 


the  borders  of  Dover  and  Somers- 
worth.  It  was  originally  called  "  the 
Great  pond^''  but  is  now  known  as 
WillancVs  pond.  (See  Ch'eat  Pond.) 
It  is  mentioned  Ap.  4,  1757,  when 
Nathaniel  Austin  conveyed  to  John 
Mackelroy  30  acres  of  land  in  Sora- 
ers worth,  part  of  a  tract  in  the  plains 
above  Cochecho  pond,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  his  grandfather  Thomas 
Austin.  It  is  called  Cochecho  Pond 
on  Whitehouse's  map  of  1834.  (See 
Willand's  Pond.) 

Cochecho  Pond  Brook.  Men- 
tioned June  10,  1736,  when  20  acres 
of  land  were  laid  out  to  Thomas 
Pinkham  "  up  at  a  place  called  Co- 
checha Pond  Brook,  about  12  rods 
westerly  of  y^  brook,"  on  the  N.  side 
of  a  lot  formerly  Joseph  Astin's 
(Austin's).  (See  Peter's  Marsh 
Brook.) 

Coffin's  Brook.  Dr.  Quint  gives 
this  name  to  a  brook  which  once 
ran  through  the  old  Coffin  field,  now 
traversed  by  Washington  St.  in  Dover 
city.  It  crossed  the  lot  where  the 
Masonic  Hall  now  stands,  and  emp- 
tied into  the  Cochecho  river  near  the 
Washington  St.  bridge.  It  now  runs 
wholly  through  sewers,  but  was  once 
of  sufficient  size  to  run  a  grist-mill, 
which  stood  near  the  above  mentioned 
bridge  as  late  as  1833,  when  it  was 
owned  by  Arlo  Flagg. 

Coffin's  Mill.  Mentioned  June 
23,  1701,  when  30  acres  were  granted 
to  Daniel  Messerve  "  between  Coffin's 
null  at  oyster  Riuer  and  moses  davis 
his  land."  Henrv  Marsh  had  a  o-i-ant 
of  40  acres,  March  23,  1701-2, 
"above  Coffin's  mill,  over  against 
Moses  Davis  his  land."  The  Meserve 
land  was  on  the  mill  road  in  Durham, 
above  Chesley's  mill.    Henry  Marsh's 


50 


landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


land  was  between  Chesley's  mill  and 
the  Mast  road,  adjoining  the  north 
side  of  Oyster  river.  His  son  Heze- 
kiah  Marsh  conve^'ed  his  right  thereto 
to  Jonathan  Thompson  Feb.  7,  1737  ; 
and  his  daughter  Dinah  Marsh  quit- 
claimed to  said  Thompson  March  6, 
1737-8.  Her  deed  describes  this 
land  as  a  tract  of  40  acres  granted 
her  father,  Henry  Marsh,  deceased, 
laid  out  on  tlie  nortii  side  of  Oyster 
river,  over  against  y"  land  which  was 
Moses  Davis's,  beginning  at  an  elm 
tree  at  the  river  side.  Where  Coffin's 
mill  stood  does  not  appear.  The 
onh'  mills  at  that  time  on  Oyster 
river,  below  the  above  lands,  were 
Chesley's  mill  and  those  at  the  lowest 
falls.  Peter  Coffin,  however,  appears 
to  have  owned  mill  privileges  on  Lam- 
prey river  and  the  Pascassick  within 
the  limits  of  the  Oyster  River  dis- 
trict. 

Cole's  Pond.  This  pond,  so  called 
in  Merrill's  Gazeteer  of  N.  H.  in 
1817,  is  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
Somersworth.  It  is  150  rods  long, 
and  half  as  wide.  It  is  called  HurcVs 
Pond  on  Holland's  map  of  1784. 
And  it  is  sometimes  called  Lily  pond, 
from  the  profusion  of  lilies  that  grow 
therein.  Ebenezer  Cole,  who  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Benj"  Wentworth, 
lived  at  Rocky  Hills,  near  this  pond, 
in  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 

Coleman's  Creek.  This  name  is 
now  given  to  a  small  brook  that  emp- 
ties into  Trickey's  cove,  Newiugtou. 
It  is  the  "  little  gully"  mentioned  in 
a  deed  from  John  Downing  to  Sam^ 
and  Jn°  Shackford,  March  5,  1713. 
(See  Trickey's  Cove.)  The  present 
name  is  derived  from  Nathaniel  P. 
Coleman,  to  whom  Ruel  J.  Bean  con- 
veyed, May  11,  1846,  a  tract  of  land 


adjoining  Pascataqua  river,  formerly 
owned  by  Capt.  Sam^  Shackford,  be- 
ginning at  the  creek  on  the  easterly 
side  of  Bean's  land,  and  running 
southerly  by  the  river  round  by  Zack- 
ey's  Point,  so  called,  to  the  centre  of 
the  creek  against  Nancy  Drew's  land, 
etc.  This  land  now  belongs  to  Val- 
entine M.  Coleman,  Esq.,  sou  of  the 
above  Nathaniel. 

"  Coleman's  cove,  so  called,  in  New- 
ington,"  is  mentioned  in  the  N.  H. 
Gazette  (Portsmouth)  of  Oct.  20, 
1801  ;  apparently  the  small  cove  be- 
low Dumpling  cove,  where  James 
Coleman  owned  land  at  the  close  of 
the  last  centur3\ 

Common.  All  the  land  between 
Fresh  Creek  and  the  Cochecho,  below 
Wm.  Wentworth's  and  John  Heard's, 
excepting  the  tract  laid  out  to  Wm. 
Pomfrett,  was  ordered  the  19th,  11 
mo.,  1664,  to  be  set  apart  as  a  com- 
mon forever  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Cochecho.  And  it  was  voted  at  a 
public  town-meeting  May  31,  1675, 
"that  all  y*^  land  uugranted  above 
Little  John's  creek,  on  y*  west  side 
of  y*  way  y'  goes  to  Belarayes  bank 
shall  lye  com^mon  forever." 

Corset  Brook.  This  brook  emp- 
ties into  Lamprey  river,  between 
Packer's  and  Sullivan's  falls,  on  the 
north  side. 

Cotterill's  Delight.  This  place 
is  mentioned  in  May,  1653,  when  the 
inhabitants  of  Strawberry  Bank  peti- 
tioned the  General  Court  at  Boston 
to  grant  them  "  the  necke  of  land 
beginninge  in  the  Great  Bay,  at  the 
place  called  CotterilVs  Delight,  soej 
running  to  the  sea."  This  petition] 
was  "  respited  because  of  Mr.  Ma- 
son's claim."  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  : 
208.)     In  the  division  of  the  Swam- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


51 


scott  Patent  (otherwise  called  the 
Hilton  or  Sqnamscot  Patent),  May 
22,  1656,  the  territor}'  assigned  to 
Dover  included  "  all  the  marsh  from 
Hogstye  Cove  round  about  the  bay 
up  to  CotterilVs  Delight,  with  400 
acres  of  upland,  as  granted  by  the 
Court,  bounded  and  laid  out  and  pos- 
sessed by  the  inhabitants  of  Dover," 
etc.  {N.  H.  Frov.  Pap.,  1  :  222-223.) 
This  is  called  the  Jirst  division  of  that 
Patent.  As  this  division  extended 
up  the  Great  Bay  shore  to  Cotterill's 
Delight,  and  the  second  division  be- 
gan 40  poles  below  Sandy  Point,  and 
extended  towards  Exeter,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  situation  of 
Cotterill's  Delight.  It  is  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  beautiful  shore  of  Great 
Bay  known  as  Bay  Side,  beginning 
40  rods  below  Sandy  Point,  whence 
ran  the  old  line  from  the  Great  Bay, 
extending  down  between  Portsmouth 
and  Hampton.  Henry  and  John 
Sherburne  and  Samuel  Haynes  were 
authorized  by  the  town  of  Portsmouth, 
Ap.  6,  1666,  "■  to  meet  the  neighbors 
of  Hampton,  to  run  the  lyne  between 
the  towns  of  Portsmouth  and  Hamp- 
ton, provided  it  be  run  from  Cotterill's 
Delight,  and  from  thence  unto  a  little 
river  about  half  a  mile  be^'oud  Little 
Boar's  head."     {Po7'ts.  Records.) 

The  grants  made  by  the  town  of 
Dover  on  the  shore  of  Great  Bay  to 
Thomas  Canney,  Wm.  Furber,  Rich- 
ard Hussey,  Thomas  Willey,  George 
Webb,  and  perhaps  others,  were  all 
above  the  mouth  of  Wiunicot  river, 
and  of  course  below  Cotterill's  De- 
light. These  grants  are  now  owned 
for  the  most  part  by  the  Weeks  fam- 
ily. Beyond  lay  the  large  tract  which 
Eichard  Waldrou  and  Thomas  Lake 
reserved    for    themselves,    which    no 


doubt  included  Cotterill's  Delight. 
That  the  Greenland  line  began  40 
rods  below  Sandy  Point  Sept.  1, 
1719,  is  shown  by  a  deed  of  that  date 
from  Simon,  Andrew,  and  Jonathan 
Wiggin,  and  John  Sinkler,  guardian 
of  the  children  of  Bradstreet  Wig-aiu 
of  Quamscott,  deceased,  conveying  to 
Joshua  Bracket  of  Greenland  in  the 
township  of  Portsmouth,  71  acres  m 
PoHsmoutli,  part  of  a  tract  of  land 
their  grandfather  Capt.  Thomas  Wig- 
gin  bought  of  Mr.  Richard  Waldrou 
and  Thomas  Lake,  "  bounded  att  a 
clump  of  trees  standing  on  a  piece  of 
old  planting  laud  near  forty  rods  he- 
loio  Sandy  Point,  as  by  deed  of  the 
year  1658, — which  tract  said  Bracket 
is  now  in  possession  of,  bounded  as 
follows,  beginning  at  a  stake  stand- 
ing in  a  piece  of  Old  Indian  Ground, 
15  rods  from  highwater  mark,  about 
40  rods  beloio  Sandy  point,  and  from 
said  stake  S.  E.  287  rods  to  an  ash 
tree,  then  S.  W.  40  rods  to  a  black 
ash,  then  N.  W.  to  two  stones  3|- 
rods  N.  W.  of  brandy  rock,  theuce 
N.  E.  to  the  first  bound."  Here  no 
doubt  was  Cotterill's  Delight. 

The  name  of  Cotterill's  Delight  can- 
not with  certainty  be  traced.  There 
was  a  Robert  Cotterill  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  in  1645,  and  a  Francis  Cotterill 
or  Cottrell  at  Wells,  Maine,  in  1668. 
The  name  may  have  been  given  by 
Francis  Champernowne,  who  was  con- 
nected with  the  Cotterells  of  England, 
through  the  Gorges.  Sir  Ferdiuando 
Gorges'  nephew,  Samuel  Gorges  (born 
in  1604),  married  Jaue,  daughter  of 
John  Cotterell,  Esq.,  of  Somerset- 
shire, Eug. 

The  Cotterells  were  also  connected 
with  the  Pendletons,  who  had  large 
o;rants  from  the  town  of  Portsmouth 


52 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover, 


in  early  times,  but  afterwards  left  the 
province.  Capt.  James  Pendleton 
had,  at  least,  a  small  grant  of  15 
acres  "  at  Greenland"  in  Jan.  1667, 
"  one  side  joining  to  Dover  "  and 
adjacent  to  the  land  of  Wm.  Furber. 
(Ports.  Records.)  His  daughter,  Dor- 
othy Cotterell,  widow,  of  "  Westerly, 
in  King's  Co.,  colony  of  Rhoad  Is- 
land and  Providence  plantations," 
Aug.  1,  1734,  conveyed  to  Edmund 
Pendleton  of  said  Westerly,  all  right 
and  title  to  any  lands,  tenements,  etc., 
that  had  or  might  come  to  her  from 
her  honored  grandfather,  Brian  Pen- 
dleton, late  of  Saco,  gent.,  deceased, 
and  all  claim  to  lands,  etc.,  that  be- 
longed to  her  father  James  Pendleton, 
late  of  Westerly,  deceased. 

Crockett's  Crossing.  This  is  a 
crossing  on  the  Boston  &  Maine 
railway,  mentioned  July  3,  1849,  as 
one  of  the  bounds  between  Somers- 
worth  and  Rollinsford,  south  of  the 
dwelling-house  of  Andrew  Crockett. 
(See  Rollinsford.)  The  woods  near 
this  crossing  are  said  to  be  a  favorite 
camping-place  for  gypsies. 

Cromwell's  Creek.  Mentioned 
Feb.  18,  1739-40,  when  Thomas  and 
Eliza  Waits  conveyed  to  John  Pearl, 
bricklayer,  four  acres  of  upland  on 
the  westerly  side  of  Dover  Neck,  and 
on  the  southeasterl}'  side  of  a  small 
creek  commonly  called  Mast  creek  or 
Crtimwell's  creek;  also  the  thatch- 
bed  between  said  land  and  creek, 
beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek, 
by  y^  Back  river,  and  running  north- 
erly, up  the  middle  of  said  creek  as 
it  runs.  The  name  of  Cromwell's 
creek  was  derived  from  Joshua  Crom- 
well, to  whom  the  above  four  acres 
were  conveyed  July  4,  1727,  by 
Thomas   Roberts,    to    whose    father 


(Thomas)  they  had  been  granted  in 
1658.  This  land  is  described  as  "  but- 
ting on  y^  back  river  on  y''  west 
side,  on  a  small  creek  on  y^  uorwest 
side,"  and  lying  between  Thomas 
Whitehouse's  land  and  that  of  Abra- 
ham Nute.  Joshua  and  "  Ledea  " 
Cromwell  conveyed  it  to  Thomas 
Waitt  Ap.  10,  1730. 

This  creek  is  again  mentioned  Ap. 
2,  1754,  when  Mary,  widow  of  John 
Pearl,  conveyed  to  Moses  Varney 
four  acres  of  upland  on  the  west  side 
of  Dover  Neck,  on  the  southeasterly 
side  of  a  small  creek,  commonly 
called  Mast  creek  or  CromwelVs  creek, 
which  runs  into  the  Back  river. 
Neither  of  these  names  has  been 
retained.  The  creek  is  no  doubt  the 
same  as  Varney's  creek,  otherwise 
called  Little  John's  creek.  (See  Var- 
ney's  Creek.) 

Croxford's  Swamp.  This  was  part 
of  Moharimet's  marsh,  in  the  Pack- 
er's Falls  district,  Durham,  so  named 
from  Daniel  Croxford  who  was  in 
General  Sullivan's  employ  at  the 
fulling-mill  which  stood  at  Sullivan's 
falls  as  early  as  1774.  It  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Ezra  Parsons.  Daniel 
Croxford  is  mentioned  Feb.  19,  1788, 
when  he  bought  20  acres  of  land  of 
Isaac  Medar,  which  he  sold  Eleazar 
Bennet  Dec.  3,  1792. 

Crummit's  Creek,  otherwise  Crom- 
met's.  This  name  has  been  given 
for  a  hundred  years,  or  more,  to  the 
inlet  from  Great  Bay  which  divides 
the  Durham  Point  district  from  Lub- 
berland.  In  early  times  it  was  vari- 
ously called  Great  creek,  Branson's 
Creek,  Long  creek,  and  finally  Ma- 
thews' or  Mathes's  creek,  which  name 
it  chiefly  bore  from  1653  till  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  eighteenth  century.    It 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


53 


is  called  "  Sturgeon  creek  "  on  Saud- 
ford  &  Everts'  county  atlas  of  1871, 
but  for  this  name  there  is  no  warrant 
whatever.  It  is  otherwise  called  in 
the  Durham  records  of  March  21, 
174G-7,  when  a  petition  was  made 
for  a  new  road  by  John  Edgerly's 
"  to  the  creek  called  the  Millcreelc" 
This  name  was  derived  from  Mathes's 
mill,  afterwards  Crummit's  mill,  which 
stood  at  the  head  of  tide  water. 
"  Crummit's  mill  Cove"  is  mentioned 
in  1825.  (See  Matheiv's  Neck.)  And 
Crummifs  mill-creek  bridge  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records  of  1835. 
The  name  of  Crummit's  creek  was 
derived  from  Jacob  Crommet,  to 
whom  Peter  Levius  conveyed,  Feb. 
14,  1772,  a  farm  of  140  acres  adja- 
cent to  this  creek,  "  beginning  at  the 
southerly  end  of  the  mill  dam  thereon.^ 
thence  running  down  the  creek  9  rods, 
thence  north  26  deg.  E.  13  rods, 
across  said  creek  to  a  stone,  which  is 
au  old  Monument,"  etc.  John  Peirce 
of  Portsmouth,  Jan.  10,  1778,  con- 
veyed to  Jacob  Crommet  35  acres, 
"  set  off  by  execution  as  the  estate  of 
Peter  Levius,  Esq.,  beginning  at  a 
rock  at  the  N.  W.  corner  of  the  mill, 
thence  running  down  the  creek  S.  55 
deg.  E.  8  rods,"  etc.,  being  part  of 
the  farm  then  occupied  by  said  Jacob 
Crommet.'^ 

The  Crummit  lands  and  mill  were 
acquired  by  the  Kent  family,  by  inter- 
marriage. The  mill  is  no  longer  in 
operation,  but  the  water  privilege  is 
now  owned  by  Mr.  James  Kent. 

The  name  of  Crummit  is  said  to  be 
a  corruption  of  Cromwell,  and  the 
family  claim  relationship  with  the 
great    Protector.      Philip    Cromwell 


was  taxed  in  Dover  as  early  as  1657, 
and  Daniel  in  1662.  One  share  in 
the  ox  pasture  on  Dover  Neck  was 
conveyed  to  Timothy  Carel  Dec.  16, 
1709,  by  "Samuel  Cromwell"  who 
calls  himself  in  the  deed  "  the  heir 
and  successor  of  Phillip  Cromwell  of 
Dover,"  to  whom  it  had  been  granted. 
The  confusion  occasioned  by  the  va- 
rious ways  of  writing  this  name  is 
shown  by  a  letter  from  the  army  com- 
missary in  1780  concerning  a  soldier 
from  Durham,  called  James  Crum- 
mett,  Cromel,  or  Cromwell.  {N.  H. 
State  Pap.,  17:  367.) 

Crummit's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Durham,  on  the  lower  side  of  Crum- 
mit's creek,  near  the  site  of  the  old 
mill. 

There  is  another  Crummit's  hill  in 
Lee,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Step- 
ping-Stones  road,  so  named  from 
Joshua  Crummit,  who  had  25  acres 
laid  out  to  him  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Newtown  road.  May  19,  1749. 
The  name  of  GrummiVs  hill  is  also 
sometimes  given  to  Otis'  hill  in  Som- 
ersworth,  otherwise  called  Picker's 
Hill.     (See  Otis'  Hill.) 

CuRRiELL  Point.  Mentioned  Jan. 
23,  1720,  when  Deacon  John  Hall's 
hundred-acre  grant  of  1656,  between 
St.  Alban's  cove  and  Quamphegan, 
was  re-surveyed  for  his  grandson 
John  Hall,  "beginning  at  a  poynt 
commonly  called  Curriel  Poynt." 
This  land,  when  first  laid  out  in  1659, 
was  bounded  on  the  S.  E.  by  the 
Newichawannock  river;  S.  W.  by 
John  Roberts'  lot,  and  N.  E.  by  the 
highway  from  the  river  between 
Hall's  land  and  Henry  Magoon'si 

The  name  of  Curriel  Pt.,  which  has 


1  An  old  newspaper  of  June  14, 1800,  states  that  Jacob  Grummet,  returning  from  a  walk  in  his 
field,  fell  down  at  his  door  and  expired  instantly. 


54 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


not  been  perpetuated,  seems  to  have 
been  derived  from  Edward  Cowel, 
who  acquired  the  Magoon  land,  after- 
wards conveyed  by  his  grandson 
Jethro  Furber  to  Benj°  Waymouth, 
and  now  forms  part  of  the  Garvin 
lands. 

Cushing's  Crossing.  Mentioned 
in  the  Wentworth  Genealogy,  Vol.  II, 
p.  545.  This  is  a  railway  station  on 
Dover  Neck,  above  Little  John's 
creek,  where  the  Portsmouth  & 
Dover  R.  R.  crosses  the  land  of  Mr. 
Jonathan  Gushing. 

Cushing's  Hill.  See  Madam's 
Cove. 

Cutt's  Brook.  This  brook  is  so 
called  in  the  division  of  Robert  Burn- 
ham's  estate,  Ap.  28,  1762.  It  rises 
in  the  Long  Marsh,  Durham,  crosses 
the  highway  at  the  foot  of  Cutt's 
Hill,  and  empties  into  Burnham's 
Creek  on  the  lower  side  of  Oyster 
river.  It  is  sometimes  called  Sandy 
Brooli. 

Cutt's  Hill.  This  hill  is  on  the 
road  to  Durham  Point,  just  below 
the  house  of  the  late  Col.  Joseph 
Burnham.  On  the  south  side  of  it  is 
CuWs  spring,  a  source  of  excellent 
water.  Here  is  the  laud  purchased 
over  two  hundred  years  ago  by 
John  Cutt  or  Cutts  of  Portsmouth, 
first  president  of  New  Hampshire. 
Thomas  Doutie  (written  "Doughty" 
in  President  Cutt's  will),  "resident 
at  Oyster  River,"  sold  John  Cutt,  of 
Portsmouth,  Oct.,  1657,  land,  marsh, 
dwelling-house,  etc.,  bought  of  Wil- 
liam Roberts,  who  was  then  in  pos- 
session thereof.  This  farm  and  half 
of  the  "plantation"  near  it,  which 
President  Cutt  bought  of  William 
Williams,  were  bequeathed  to  his  son 
Samuel,  and  now   belong   in    part,  if 


not  wholly,  to  the  heirs  of  Col.  Burn- 
ham,  and  the  heirs  of  H.  A.  Mathes. 
The  name  is  now  generallv  written 
Cutts. 

The  highway  to  Durham  Point  for- 
merly led  around  Cutt's  hill  to  avoid 
its  steepness,  but  was  finally  run 
directly  across  it,  by  way  of  a  short 
cut.  "  What  name  can  be  more 
unluckily  short?"  says  Benjamin 
Disraeli,  speaking  of  John  Cuts, 
commissioned  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to 
receive  a  haughty  ambassador  from 
Spain,  who,  accustomed  to  the  long 
sonorous  names  of  Spanish  dignita- 
ries, considered  the  brevity  of  Cuts' 
name  a  just  ground  of  complaint. 

Cutt's  Marsh.  "A  fresh  marsh, 
commonly  called  Cutt's  marsh "  is 
mentioned  Ap.  15,  1719,  in  a  deed 
from  James  Burnham  to  Robert 
Burnham.  This  marsh,  still  owned 
by  the  descendants  of  said  Robert,  is 
on  the  west  side  of  Cutt's  brook, 
opposite  the  Burnham  house,  on  the 
way  to  Durham  Point.  It  is  other- 
wise called  Adder's  Swamp. 

Dame's  Falls.  This  name  is  now 
given  to  the  falls  at  the  upper  end  of 
Lee  Hook,  from  the  sawmill  there, 
owned  by  the  sous  of  Mr.  Israel 
Dame.  They  were  previously  called 
Mathes'  falls,  from  John  Mathes,  at 
that  time  the  proprietor.  On  the 
state  map  of  Lee  in  1803  they  are 
called  Hill's  falls.    (See  Hill's  Falls.) 

Dame's  Point.  This  point,  so 
called  on  Whitehouse's  map  of 
Dover,  is  between  the  Cochecho  river 
and  the  mouth  of  Fresh  creek,  at 
their  junction,  where  Wm.  Pomfrett 
had  a  grant  of  100  acres  the  5th,  10 
mo.,  1652,  laid  out  June  5,  1674. 
Wm.  Pomfrett,  March  26,  1675,  out 
of  love  aud   affection  to  his  grand- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


55 


child  Wm.  Dam,  then  about  20  years 
of  age,  son  of  John  Dam,  Sr.,  con- 
veyed to  him  all  the  upland  and 
meadow  granted  said  Wm.  Pomfrett 
the  5th,  10  mo.,  1652,  "lying  and 
being  from  y*  mouth  of  Fresh  creek, 
on  y"  western  side  towards  Cochecho 
— that  is  to  say,  it  runs  up  from 
Cochecho  river  by  said  creek's  side, 
from  y*  mouth  thereof,  the  creek 
being  the  bounds  thereof  on  y*  east- 
ern side.  And  from  the  mouth  of 
Fresh  creek  it  runs  up  the  riVer, 
which  is  y*  bound  on  y*^  south  and  by 
west  side."  These  bounds  were 
renewed,  at  the  request  of  Pomfrett 
Dam  (son  of  Wm.),  June  9,  1724. 

Another  Dame's  Point  is  on  the 
Newington  shore  of  Little  Bay,  at 
the  lower  side  of  Welshman's  cove, 
where  John  Dam,  Sr.,  of  Dover  had 
a  grant  of  40  acres  of  upland  in  1652, 
laid  out  the  10th,  11  mo.,  1656, 
between  Richard  Cater  or  Carter's 
laud  and  that  of  Elder  Nutter.  This 
point  is  often  called  Joshua's  Point, 
from  Mr.  Joshua  Pickering,  the  late 
proprietor,  by  whose  heirs  it  is  now 
owned. 

Dam's  Windmill,  otherwise  Dame's. 
Mentioned  May  4,  1736,  when  John 
Tebbets,  Jr.,  "of  Cochecho,  in  Do- 
ver," Jeremiah  Tebbets,  Jr.,  and  Tam- 
seu  Tebbets,  conveyed  to  James  Clark 
one  half  of  a  40  acre  grant  to  their 
grandfather  John  Meader,  March  23, 
1702,  laid  out  Feb.  28,  1705-6,  on 
the  south  side  of  y'^  Back  river, 
"  which  land  now  lyes  between  y"  s"* 
Back  river  and  Wm.  Dam's  windmill, 
being  on  y*  east  side  of  Samuel 
Davis's  land,  joining  to  John  Twomb- 
ley's,  having  said  Twombley's  on  the 
east  side  joining  to  it  at  full  length  ; " 
the  west  side   of  said   grant,  joining 


to  Samuel  Davis's,  being  reserved 
for  Wm.  Hill,  Jr.  In  their  deed  to 
Wm.  Hill,  that  same  day,  Wm. 
Dam's  windmill  is  again  mentioned, 
and  this  land  is  stated  to  have  been 
given  to  their  mother  Sarah  Tibbets 
by  her  father.  This  windmill,  other- 
wise called  Drew's  windmill,  stood  on 
Pudding  Hill,  and  seems  to  have 
been  owned  in  common  by  Wm.  Dam 
and  Clement  Drew.  (See  Pudding 
Hill.) 

Daniel's  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
among  the  marshes  in  Horn's  Woods, 
and  empties  into  Crummit's  mill- 
pond,  Durham.  The  name  is  derived 
from  John  Daniel,  who  had  land  in 
this  vicinity  before  April  11,  1694, 
when  40  acres  were  laid  out  to  John 
Bickford,  "  beginning  at  a  white  oak 
on  the  hill  at  the  south  side  of  the 
old  dam  at  the  head  of  the  Creek," 
dividing  this  tract  from  John  Daniel's, 
and  running  thence  W.  S.  W.  47 
rods  to  the  brook  that  also  divided 
their  lands.  Forty  acres  were  laid 
out  to  John  Daniel  Nov.  13,  1713, 
"  on  the  north  side  of  the  brook  going 
to  Lubberland,  the  next  brook  to  his 
home  field,  beginning  at  a  black  ash 
tree  in  the  grassy  sivamp  near  the 
parting  of  the  brooks."  Joseph 
Wormwood,  in  1810,  conveyed  to 
Eliphalet  Daniel  land  on  the  south 
branch  of  Mathes's  mill-pond,  that 
formerly  belonged  to  Gershom  and 
Benjamin  Matlies,  Jr.  The  Daniels 
farm  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  James 
Meader.      (See  Edgerly  Brook.) 

David's  Lane.  This  lane,  so 
named  from  David  Daniels,  is  in 
Madbury,  and  extends  from  Nute's 
corner  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles 
W.  Hayes,  whose  farm  was  originally 
owned    by  the    Daniels  family,  seven 


56 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


generations  of  which  are  said  to  lie 
buried  at  the  foot  of  the  Ha3'es  gar- 
den. The  old  Daniels  house  was  a 
garrison. 

Davis's  Brook.     See  Beaver  Pond. 

Davis's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in  the 
south-western  part  of  Lee,  and  so 
named  from  Mr.  Obadiah  Davis, 
whose  house  stands  at  the  foot.  On 
the  top  of  this  hill  once  lived  Miriam 
Clement,  a  reputed  witch  of  local 
notoriety. 

Dead  Water  Brook  and  Neck. 
Tristram  Heard  of  Dover,  in  his  will 
of  Ap.  18,  1734,  gives  his  grandsons 
Joseph  Knight  and  Tristram  Warrin 
30  acres  of  land  at  a  place  commonly 
called  Dead  Water.  Tristram  War- 
ren, of  Berwicli,  Me.,  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Hanson,  Esq.,  March  19, 
1754,  all  right  to  30  acres  of  laud  in 
Dover,  granted  to  his  honored  grand- 
father Tristram  Heard  March  19, 
1693-4,  and  laid  out  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Cochecho,  between  y"  mouth  of 
Black  Water  brook  and  Dead  Water 
neck — the  same  land  which  Tristram 
Heard,  deceased,  gave  Joseph  Knight 
(son  of  Robert  Knight)  and  Tristram 
Warren  in  his  last  will  and  testament. 
Seventeen  acres  of  land  were  laid  out 
to  Joseph  Hanson,  Jr.,  Nov.  5,  1741, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  Coche- 
cho, in  a  place  called  Dead  Water 
Neck,  opposite  the  37  acres  laid  out 
to  him  that  same  day  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  (see  Saridy  Log  Hill), 
beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Dead  Water 
brook,  and  running  up  said  brook  as 
it  goes  to  the  head,  and  so  along  the 
ridge  of  the  hill,  as  the  hedge  fence 
goes,  to  a  white  birch  marked  I.  H., 
thence  S.  by  W.  to  a  large  cove  in 
said  river,  bounding  the  same  by  said 
river    down    to  the    mouth    of   said 


brook  where  we  began — which  land 
said  Hanson  had  for  some  years  im- 
proved. Oct.  28,  1765,  Humphrey 
Hanson  (and  Joanna)  conveyed  to 
his  brother  Ephraim  Hanson,  inn- 
holder,  17  acres  on  y^  east  side  of 
the  Cochecho,  at  a  place  called  Dead 
Water  Neck,  laid  out  to  their  father 
Joseph  Hanson,  Esq.,  Nov.  5,  1741. 

Deadwater  Brook  empties  into  the 
Cochecho  on  the  east  side,  over  40 
rods  above  the  upper  Eelweir  falls. 
The  Neck  lies  between  this  brook  and 
the  Cochecho  river. 

Dean's  Marsh.  This  marsh  is 
spoken  of  in  the  Durham  records  of 
Jan.  29, 1733-4,  as  "  above  Newtown 
river,"  meaning,  of  course,  that  part 
of  Oyster  river  which  flows  through 
Newtown  in  Lee.  Its  name,  not  per- 
petuated, was  derived  from  John 
Dean,  who  was  slain  by  the  Indians 
July  18,  1694,  as  he  came  out  of  his 
house  by  the  saw-mill,  at  the  falls 
where  is  now  Durham  village.  His 
wife  and  daughter  were  carried  up  the 
river  and  left  in  a  spruce  swamp  in  the 
care  of  an  old  Indian,  from  whom  she 
made  her  escape  with  her  child.  This 
daughter  afterwards  married  Stephen 
Jenkins,  who,  Nov.  19,  1729,  with 
"Elizabeth  his  wife,  daughter  of 
John  Dean,  deceased,"  conveyed  to 
Ann  Kinket,  widow,  "  land  in  New 
town,  the  old  possession  of  John 
Dean,  deceased."  Ann  Kincaid  after- 
wards married  Thomas  Potts.  "Potts' 
bridge  "  on  the  highway  from  John 
Snell's  to  Benjamin  Clark's,  in  New- 
town, is  mentioned  Oct.  12,  1790. 

Demerit's  Mill.  This  mill  is 
mentioned  in  the  Dover  records  Dec. 
8,  1734,  when  a  petition  was  made 
for  a  road  "  from  Demerit's  mill  to 
the   Mallego  road   at  the  Saplings." 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


57 


It  was  built  in  1722  by  Eli  Demerit, 
Jr.,  maternal  ancestor  of  the  writer. 
It  stood  in  the  fork  of  the  Bellamy 
and  Mallego  rivers,  just  above  the 
bridge,  and  at  a  later  day  was  called 
the  Hook  mill,  from  a  remarkable 
bend  in  this  part  of  the  Bellamy 
river. 

In  the  Granite  Monthly  of  Dec, 
1881,  is  an  interesting  account  of  a 
suit  brought  against  Elv  Demerit,  Jr., 
"  planter,"  by  Capts.  Timothy  and 
Paul  Gerrish,  by  which  it  appears 
that  the  said  Demerit  and  others, 
supposing  the  Gerrish  right  to  the 
river#  did  not  extend  to  the  branches, 
had  begun  in  May,  1719,  to  build  a 
dam  across  the  Bellamv,  about  eighty 
rods  above  the  mouth  of  the  Mallego. 
An  action  for  trespass  was  brought 
against  him,  his  estate  was  attached 
to  the  value  of  £100,  and  he  was 
summoned  to  appear  at  the  Septem- 
ber term  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas.  The  trial  came  ou  at  Ports- 
mouth, Sept.  3,  1719.  One  of  the 
judges  on  the  bench  was  Col.  James 
Davis  of  Oyster  Eiver  ;  and  among 
the  witnesses  appeared  old  Parson 
Buss  and  his  sou,  and  John  Thomp- 
son, all  of  the  same  place.  John 
Buss,  Jr.,  testified  that  "the  Damm 
in  controversy  is  between  six  and 
seven  miles  above  Capt.  Gerrish's 
upper  mill  as  the  river  runs."  This 
implies  that  Gerrish  then  had  two 
mills  at  the  lower  falls.  The  verdict 
was  against  Demerit,  and  he  appealed 
to  the  Superior  Court.  But  it  was  a 
struggle  against  one  of  the  monopo- 
lies of  that  earl}"  day,  which  had 
existed  from  the  time  when  Major 
Richard  Waldron  acquired  control  of 
the  Cochecho,  and  his  son-in-law, 
John  Gerrish,  control  of  the  Bellamy. 


Demerit  lost  his  case  again  ;  but  the 
Gerrishes,  by  an  indenture  of  May 
30,  1722,  finally  granted  Ely  Demerit, 
Sr.,  Ely  Demerit,  Jr.,  Derry  Pitman, 
and  Samuel  Chesley,  four  parts  in 
six  of  the  water-privilege  in  contro- 
versy, for  two  years. 

EI3'  Demerit  strengthened  his 
claims  by  acquiring  land  in  the  vicin- 
ity, ten  acres  of  which  were  laid  out 
Nov.  1,  1734,  "on  the  north  side  of 
Bellamy  river,  near  the  hook  mill,  be- 
ginning at  a  stake  by  the  road  that 
comes  down  to  the  loading -p)lace  below 
the  mill."  And  ten  acres,  part  of  a 
grant  to  Sylvauus  Nock,  were  laid 
out  to  Ely  Demerit,  Jr.,  June  11, 
1735,  beginning  at  a  red  oak  tree 
"  near  his  land  above  the  hook  mill, 
said  tree  north  of  Sam'  Davis's  house." 
And  so  persistently  did  said  Ely  re- 
tain his  hold  of  the  mill  he  built  here, 
that  it  was  still  in  his  possession  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  his  will  of  Jan. 
10,  1758,  he  gives  his  son  Ebenezer 
all  his  "  Right,  Title,  and  Interest  in 
and  unto  the  saw  mill  standing  upon 
y®  falls  in  Bellemiu's  Bank  freshet  at 
ye  Hook,  commonly  so  called,"  and 
all  his  right  in  said  freshet. 

This  mill  gave  an  impetus  to  the 
lumber  business  in  that  part  of  the 
township,  and  promoted  its  settle- 
ment. It  long  bore  the  Demerit  name, 
and  became  one  of  the  prominent 
landmarks  of  Dover.  '^Demerit' s  mill" 
is  repeatedly  mentioned  in  the  early 
grants  and  laying  out  of  roads.  The 
name  was  often  abbreviated  to  Merit. 
Joseph  Rines  had  10  acres  laid  out 
Ap.  7,  1735,  "beginning  at  a  pitch 
pine  tree  on  the  west  side  of  y*  road 
that  leads  from  merit's  mill  to  the 
head  of  the  township,  two  rods  from 
Israel  Hodgdon's  north  corner."  Ten 


58 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


acres  were  laid  out  to  Maul  Hauson, 
May  12,  1735,  "  at  the  Sou  West  side 
of  the  road  that  leads  from  Merrit's 
mill  to  the  head  of  the  town  at  Joseph 
Riues's,"  And  five  acres  were  laid 
out  to  Wm.  Hill  Ap.  9,  1736,  begin- 
ning at  the  west  side  of  the  road, 
about  10  rods  S.  W.  of  Merrifs  mill, 
and  bounded  partly  by  Merrifs  mill- 
pond. 

A  vote  was  passed  at  a  town  meet- 
ing "at  Cochecha,"  Aug.  16,  1736, 
"  that  a  highway  be  layed  out  from  y* 
road  that  leads  from  Madberry  up  to 
y*  mill  now  in  possession  of  Eli  De- 
merit and  others,  across  over  to  y* 
way  that  leadeth  from  Littleworth  to 
Mallego,  said  road  to  be  two  rods 
wide." 

The  cost  of  rebuilding  the  Hook 
mill-dam  in  Oct.,  1758,  according  to 
the  accounts  of  Ely  Demerit,  amount- 
ed to  155  £.,  15s.  for  the  work  alone, 
without  reckoning  the  materials. 

It  is  evident  from  the  above  men- 
tioned records  that  the  true  Bellamy 
Rook  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mallego, 
and  uot  the  bend  in  the  river  below. 

Another  "  Demerit  mill "  was  built 
by  the  same  Ely,  Jr.,  about  half  a 
mile  south  of  his  garrison,  on  Demer- 
it's brook — a  streamlet  that  empties 
into  Johnson's  creek  at  Back  river. 
This  mill  was  in  operation  till  the 
first  part  of  this  century,  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  dam  still  remaius.^^t-Z-i?* 

Dishwater  mill,  on  Oyster  river,  in 
Lee,  is  also  often  called  Demeritfs 
mill,  as  the  name  is  now  written. 

Denbow's  Brook,  otherwise  Den- 
bo's.  Mentioned  Aug.  15,  1743,  when 
Joseph  Davis    of  Durham   conveyed 


to  John  Sambon,  "  cordwinder,"  2 
acres,  42  rods,  of  land,  beginning  at 
said  Davis's  N.  E.  corner,  at  the 
country  road  near  Denho's  brook,  and 
running  N.  by  W.  to  the  Tnill-pond 
(at  Durham  falls),  bounded  N.  E.  by 
land  said  Sambon  bought  of  James 
Smith.  In  Smith's  deed  to  Sambon, 
June  13,  1743,  this  brook  is  called 
"  Long  Marsh  brook,"  one  branch  of  it 
taking  its  rise  in  that  marsh.  The 
other  branch  rises  at  the  Moat.  It 
is  sometimes  called  Horsehide  Brook 
where  it  crosses  the  Newmarket  road, 
south  of  Broth  Hill. 

It  was  no  doubt  from  the  Moat, 
aud  partly  by  means  of  Denbow's 
brook,  that  Valentine  Hill  proposed 
to  construct  a  canal  from  Lamprey 
river  to  Oyster  river — probably  the 
first  canal  projected  in  New  England. 
The  14th,  11  mo.,  1655,  he  obtained 
"  free  liberty  to  cut  through  the  com- 
mons for  drawing  part  of  the  water 
of  lamperele  River  into  Oyster  river, 
for  the  supply  of  his  mill,"  provided 
no  injury  be  done  other  grants  of 
land  or  water,  and  that  he  should 
build  bridges  wherever  his  new 
feeder  interfered  with  the  highways, 
aud  that  this  water-course  should 
cease  if  he  should  throw  up  the  grant 
of  Lamperel  river. 

The  name  of  Denbow's  brook  was  no 
doubt  derived  from  Salathiel  Denbow, 
who  owned  land  on  the  west  side  of 
Long  marsh  before  1713.-'  And  Richard 
Denbo  had  a  grant  of  20  acres  of 
upland,  laid  out,  Oct.  14,  1713,  "on 
the  west  side  of  Colley's  marsh,  near 
his  father's  place,  on  the  east  side  of 
the    road    that    goeth    from    Ovster 


1  Salathiel  Denbow  served  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars  of  that  period.    A  pension  for  a 
'  hurt  "  received  was  granted  him  Dec.  1, 1730.     {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  4:  581,  723.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


59 


River  to  Lubberland."  This  name  is 
now  written  Dinsmoor. 

Dirty  Brook.  Meutiouecl  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  John  Bickford  had 
a  grant  of  60  acres  on  "  the  south 
side  of  the  durty  hrooke,  going  to  the 
second  falls"  at  the  upper  side  of 
Benj"  York's  land.  John  Bickford 
conveyed  this  land  to  John  Smith 
Ap.  8,  1703,  when  dirty  brook  is 
again  mentioned.  Part  of  John 
Smith's  grant  of  50  acres,  June  23, 
1701,  was  laid  out  Ap.  3,  1705,  "  on 
the  north  side  of  the  durty  hrook" 
bounded  one  side  by  ^''follefs path" 
thence  running  westward  to  the 
brook.  This  land  was  near  the  sec- 
ond falls  in  Lamprey  river.  He  had 
another  grant  of  20  acres  Oct.  2, 
1729,  at  the  upper  side  of  his  grant 
of  1701,  "lying  between  Follefs 
bridge  path  and  the  DuHy  brook." 
It  joined  the  lands  of  Burnum,  God- 
dard,  and  Stevenson. 

Dirty  brook  is  in  the  Packer's  Falls 
district,  Durham,  and  empties  into 
the  Moat.  It  once  had  sufficient 
power  to  run  a  shingle-mill. 

Dirty  Gut.  Mentioned  Ap.  11, 
1694,  when  George  Braun  had  a 
grant  of  20  acres  "  at  the  durty  gutt." 
Geo.  Brawn,  March  10,  1703,  con- 
veyed to  John  Downing  a  tract  of 
land  near  Bloody  Point,  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  Pascataqua  river,  "  on  y'^ 
place  called  the  dirty  gutt"  granted 
him  by  the  town  of  Dover  in  1694. 
This  land  was  laid  out  to  John  Down- 
ing with  140  acres  he  bought  of 
Joseph  Hill.  James  Place  of  New- 
ington,  Ap.  26,  1736,  conveyed  to 
John  Hodsdon  one  acre  on  the  south 
side  of  Capt.  Dowuiug's  land,  for- 
merly Jos.  Rawlins',  beginning  at  a 
place  called  the  durty  gut,  joining  on 


the  north  easterly  side  land  at  s*^  gut 
that  formerly  belonged  to  Jos.  Rich- 
ards, and  running  up  towards  the 
Pitch-Pine  plains,  which  said  acre 
James  Place  bought  of  Samuel  Ben- 
son, and  Benson  of  Jos.  Rawlins. 
Wm.  Vaughan  conveyed  to  Geo. 
Huntress,  Sr.,  Feb.  5,  1708,  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  Long  Reach,  beginning 
at  y"  river's  side  at  Canney's  cove, 
and  running  W.  S.  W.  to  a  certain 
place  called  the  Durty  Chitt  in  the 
way  that  goes  from  Rawlins's  to  the 
Pitch-Pine  plains,  etc.  (See  the 
Gore.) 

The  name  of  Dirty  Gut  has  not 
been  perpetuated,  but  it  is  appar- 
ently the  brook,  or  a  branch  of  it, 
which  empties  into  Pickering's  cove 
near  Birch  Point.  This  brook  has 
two  branches,  both  of  which  rise  in 
the  old  Pitch-Pine  plains  of  Newing- 
ton.  One  rises  in  the  so-called 
"  Langdon  pasture,"  in  the  lower 
plains;  and  the  other  above,  east  of 
the  parsonage  land,  but  is  fed  chiefly 
by  Coleman's  spring.  They  both 
cross  the  road  from  Fox  Point  to 
Portsmouth,  one  a  little  below  Stony 
hill,  now  Pine  hill,  and  the  other 
further  down.  They  afterwards 
unite  in  one  brook  which  finally 
empties  into  Pickering's  Cove. 

Another  Dirty  Chit  is  mentioned 
Ap.  9,  1703,  when  a  highway  was 
laid  out  "  from  the  Oyster  bed  at 
Oyster  river  to  the  country  road  at 
the  durty  gutt  by  Abraham  Clark's." 
Abraham  Clark  lived  near  the  divid- 
iuo;  line  between  the  Ovster  River 
precinct  and  Dover  proper,  a& 
appears  from  a  vote  at  the  town- 
meeting  of  Ap.  22,  1706,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Dover  Neck  should 
keep  in  repair  the  road  from  Hilton's- 


6o 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Point  to  Abraham  Clark's  ;  aud  the 
inhabitants  on  the  north  side  of 
Oyster  river  should  keep  the  road  in 
repair  from  said  Clark's  to  Oyster 
River  falls. 

Dirty  Lane.  Mentioned  Oct.  7, 
1713,  when  Joseph  Baard  conveyed  to 
Ralph  Hall  all  right  to  his  father's 
land,  bounded  S.  by  the  lane  from 
high  street  to  the  hack  cove,  aud  W. 
by  the  lane  formerly  called  Dirty 
lane.  This  lane  was  at  the  lower 
part  of  Dover  Neck,  between  high 
street  aud  Back  river.  It  seems  to 
have  been  a  part  of  Low  street. 

Dirty  Slough.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  30  acres  of  laud 
were  granted  to  "  Isaac  gold  by  the 
durty  slow,  below  beach  hill."  And 
again  Jan.  9,  1721,  when  Wm. 
Leathers  gave  his  sou  Thomas  a 
tract  of  laud  on  the  northwest  side 
of  the  way  to  Beech  Hill  at  y^  place 
called  the  Dirty  Slough.  This  slough 
is  a  gully  on  the  borders  of  Durham 
and  Madbury,  a  little  west  of  the 
Tom-Hall  road,  on  the  way  to 
Beech  Hill. 

The  name  of  Dirty  slough  is  some- 
times given  to  the  brook  that  empties 
into  Bunker's  creek,  in  Durham. 

Dishwater  Falls  and  Mill.  See 
Oyster  River  Falls. 

Doe's  Neck.  This  neck,  now  in 
Newmarket,  but  once  a  part  of 
ancient  Dover,  was  so  called  from 
Sampson  Doe,  to  whom  Richard 
Waldron  conveyed,  March  22,  1709, 
all  that  neck  of  land  between  Lam- 
perell  river  and  Goddard's  creek  in 
the  township  of  Dover,  formerly 
granted  by  said  town  to  Peter  Coffin 
of  Exeter.  (See  Lamprey-River 
Neck.)  Nathaniel  Doe,  Ap.  19,  1745, 
conveyed  to  Ralph  Cross  of  Newbury 


half  of  a  farm  commonly  called  Doe's 
Neck,  consisting  of  120  acres,  with 
dwelling-house,  and  barn  southward 
of  the  house,  the  laud  extending 
from  the  barn  to  Lamperel  river, 
then  E.  on  said  river  to  the  Great 
Bay,  and  by  said  Bay  northerly  to  a 
fence  northward  of  Martain's  layn, 
so  called,  then  up  the  creek  (God- 
dard's) to  a  rock  eastward  of  Burch 
Point,  near  the  place  where  people 
commonly  pass  over,  and  from  said 
rock  to  a  large  red  oak  by  the  upland 
above  Burch  point,  then  along  said 
creek  to  the  fence  between  said 
Doe's  land,  and  that  of  Samuel 
Smith  of  Durham.  (See  Lamprey 
River  Neck  and  Martin's  Lane.) 

Dover.  This  name  was  given  to 
the  settlement  at  Hilton's  Point  as 
earW  as  1639,  if  not  before.  It  was 
changed  to  Northam  in  1641,  but  the 
name  of  Dover  was  restored  in  1642. 
"A  Combination  for  government" 
was  formed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Dover,  Oct.  22,  1640,  aud  the  settle- 
ment remained  independent  till  its 
union  with  Massachusetts,  which  was 
consummated  Oct.  9,  1641.  C.  W, 
Tuttle,  in  his  Historical  Papers  (p. 
333)  says  it  is  an  error  to  give  the 
uame  of  '■^  Dover  Combination"  to 
the  local  form  of  government  of 
1640,  because  the  word  "Dover" 
does  not  appear  in  the  document. 
It  was  merely  endorsed,  "The  Com- 
bination for  government  by  y*^  people 
at  Pascataq."  The  name,  however, 
is  in  constant  use,  and  serves  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  combinations  at 
Exeter  and  Strawberi-v  Bauk.  And 
it  is  appropriately  so  called,  because 
it  was  formed  by  and  for  the  Dover 
settlers.  This  Combination  was  the 
only   charter  of  incorporation  Dover 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


61 


ever  had,  till  it  was  made  a  city 
June  18,  1855.  *  The  township  of 
Dover  formerly  comprised,  not  only 
Dover  proper,  but  the  present  town- 
ships of  Durham,  Lee,  Madbury, 
Somersworth,  and  Rollinsford,  the 
greater  part  of  Newington,  and  a 
portion  of  Greenland  and  New- 
market.'^?**  A^*c-w--u».«»»>^%^f  ^.1.^.7 

The  name  of  Dover,  in  a  restricted 
sense,  was  sometimes  given  in  early 
times  to  the  settlement  on  Dover 
Neck,  by  way  of  distinction  from 
that  called  "  Cochecho,"  around  the 
lowest  falls  in  the  Cochecho  river. 
"The  road  from  Dover  to  Cochecho" 
is  mentioned  May  5,  1718,  meaning 
the  road  from  Dover  Point.  (See 
Cochecho.) 

Dover  Garrisons. 

I.  Peter  Coffin's  Garrison.  The 
N.  H.  government  ordered,  March 
13,  1683-4,  that  the  houses  of  Peter 
Coffin,  Esq.,  and  Richard  Otis  be 
immediately  fortified  as  "  by-garri- 
sons for  Cochecho,"  for  the  security 
of  the  inhabitants  in  their  vicinity. 
(N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1:499.)  Cof- 
fin's house  is  mentioned  May  27, 
1671,  when  Richard  Waldron  con- 
veyed to  Peter  Coffin  one  fourth  of 
the  sawmill  works  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river  Cochecho,  with  one 
fourth  of  all  grants  and  privileges 
thereunto  pertaining.  Also  six  acres 
of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
adjoining  "  y*  two  acres  of  land  upon 
part  whereof  y*  s'^  Peter  Coffin's  house 
now  stands,  which  s'^  Peter  formerly 
bought  of  his  father-in-law  Edward 
Starbuck."  Coffin's  garrison  and  mill 
were  burnt  by  the  Indians  June  28, 
1689.  The  Rev.  Joshua  Moodey  of 
Portsmouth  implies  that  this  was  a 
judgment  on  Peter   Coffin,  who  was 


one  of  the  Justices  at  Moodey's  trial 
in  1684.  {Ibid.,  1:523.)  ^  Coffin 
himself,  however,  escaped  the  fate 
of  Col.  Waldron,  having  treated  the 
Indians  more  equitably,  as  shown  by 
his  securing  from  them  a  title  to  his 
lands  at  Squaraanagonick  and  at  the 
second  falls  in  Lamprey  river.  Cof- 
fin's garrison  is  said  to  have  stood  on 
an  elevation,  now  cut  down,  between 
Orchard  and  Waldron  streets,  in  the 
rear  of  Varney's  block,  about  sixty 
feet  from  the  line  of  Central  Avenue. 

II.  Tristram  Coffin's  Garrison. 
This  garrison,  built  by  Tristram,  son 
of  Peter  Coffin,  escaped  destruction 
in  the  Indian  attack  of  1689. 
Where  it  stood  is  uncertain,  but  it  is 
supposed  to  have  been  on  the  high 
land  near  the  present  Belknap  school- 
house  on  Silver  street,  which  is  part 
of  the  old  Littleworth  road.  Elipha- 
let  Coffin  conveyed  to  Joseph  Han- 
son, Sept.  5,  1735,  two  acres  of -laud 
in  Dover,  bounded  S.  by  the  highway 
to  Littleworth,  W.  by  David  Wat- 
son's two-acre  home  lot,  N.  by  Leah's 
field,  so  called,  and  E.  by  ''  a  small 
gore  claimed  by  Mr.  Riciiard  Wal- 
dron y'  lies  over  against  ye  pound, 
being  the  very  same  land  ivhere  Tris- 
tram Coffin,  father  of  Eliphalet,  for- 
merly lived."  Tristram's  son  of  the 
same  name,  however,  lived  near  the 
lowest  falls  in  the  Cochecho.  Peter 
Coffin,  son  of  Eliphalet,  conveyed  to 
John  Gage  all  right  and  title  to  the 
mill  privilege  at  the  lower  falls  in 
Cochecho  river,  on  the  south  side, 
"  being  near  ye  dwelling  house  of 
Capt.  Tristram  Coffin."  s^"-  7a,v  T'-^-^-^JL  .  ^.«  i^ 

III.  Gerrish's  Garrison.  Men- 
tioned in  the  Journal  of  the  Rev. 
John  Pike,  Dec.  25,  1692,  when,  as 
he  states,  "A  dolefuU  and  tremen- 


62 


Land^narks  in   Ancient  Dovei' 


dous  noise  was  affirmed  to  be  beard 
in  the  Ayr  nigh  Cajpt  Ger :  Garrison, 
which  Continued  (with  a  little  inter- 
mission) near  half  an  hour." — 
"  Money  p"^  for  dialing  of  soldiers  at 
Capt.  John  Gerrishes  Garason"  is 
mentioned  in  1692.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  17:  621.)  Two  soldiers  are 
mentioned  as  "  serving  his  Majesty" 
in  Capt.  Gerrish's  garrison  from  Jan. 
7,  1695,  till  Feb.  6,  following. 
(Ibid,  17:  648.)  This  garrison  no 
doubt  stood  near  Gerrish's  mills  at 
the  lowest  falls  in  the  Bellamy  river, 
but  the  precise  spot  is  not  known. 

IV.  Hayes's  Garrison.  This  was 
a  minor  garrison  of  a  later  day, 
which,  according  to  Sanford  & 
Evert's  atlas,  stood  west  of  the 
Cochecho  river  at  the  foot  of  Wink- 
ley's  hill,  at  the  junction  of  the  road 
to  Barrington  and  that  to  Tolend 
falls.  It  is  elsewhere  spoken  of  as 
"  the  garrison  of  Lieut.  Jonathan 
Hayes,"  who  died  Ap.  15,  1787.  It 
was  taken  down  in  1812. 

V.  Heard's  Garrison.  This  garri- 
son, built  by  Capt.  John  Heard  of 
the  Dover  Combination  of  1640, 
stood  on  a  small  hill,  west  of  Garrison 
Hill,  at  the  lower  side  of  the  ancient 
cartway,  where  is  now  the  garden  of 
the  Bangs  residence.  It  escaped  de- 
struction in  the  attack  of  1689,  at 
which  time  John  Heard  was  already 
dead.  The  allowance  made  by  the 
government  for  the  subsistence  of 
soldiers  at  Dame  Heard's  garrison  in 
1692  and  1693,  is  given  in  the  JSf.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  17:621,  629.  Five  sol- 
diers were  ordered  to  be  stationed  at 
"  Samuel  Heard's  garrison  "  in  1693. 
(/6i(Z.,  2  :  103.)  Orders  were  given 
Oct.  20,  1693,  that  only  two  soldiers 
be    left   at   Heard's    gai'rison.     This 


seems  to  have  been  the  only  fortified 
garrison  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Cochecho  river  Feb.  17,  1696-7, 
when  the  government  ordered  that 
the  bridge  (boom)  "  broken  and 
gone,"  should  be  speedily  repaired, 
in  order  that  Heard's  garrison  miglit 
be  relieved  in  case  of  an  attack  by 
the  enemy.  Six  men  were  ordered 
to  be  sent  to  Heard's  garrison  Ap. 
15,  1697.  {Hid.,  2  :  223,  227.)  This 
garrison  is  mentioned  Jan.  16,  1721, 
when  Stephen  Varney  conveyed  to 
Wm.  Welland  ''30  acres  of  laud, 
which  was  the  homestead  of  John 
Heard,  deceased,  lying  in  Cochecho, 
beginning  at  the  highway  at  the 
back  side  of  Lt.  Tristram  Heard's 
house,  and  running  W.  by  N.  to  the 
end  of  the  lot,  taking  in  the  Old  Gar- 
rison House." 

VI.  Meeting-House  Fort  or  Gar- 
rison. Capt.  Peter  Coffin  agreed,  the 
4th,  5  mo.,  1667,  to  build  a  fort 
about  the  meeting-house  on  Dover 
Neck,  100  feet  square,  with  two 
Sconces  16  feet  square,  all  the  tim- 
bers to  be  12  inches  thick,  and  the 
wall  to  be  S^feet  high,  with  sills  and 
braces.  It'jwas  ordered  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council,  March  13,  1683-4, 
"  that  the  meeting-house  at  Dover 
be  immediately  fortified,  and  a  line 
drawn  about  it,  which  meeting-house 
shall  be  the  main  garinson  for  de- 
fending the  inhabitants  against  the 
attacks  of  the  enemy ;  also  that 
the  house,  formerly  called  the  Watch 
House,  be  a  by-guard."  {Ibid., 
1:499.)  "  The  garrisoii  about  ye 
ministry  house  on  Dover  Neck "  is 
spoken  of  May  11,  1697.  {Hid.,  17  : 
656.)  This  house  and  its  fortifica- 
tions are  now  gone.  The  land  where 
it  stood  was  purchased  a  few  years 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove7' 


63 


ago  by  the  Hon.  C.  H.  Sawyer  and 
Mr.  E.  R.  Brown,  and  presented  by 
them  to  the  Congregational  Society 
of  Dover.  (See  Nutter's  Hill.)  The 
guard  house,  mentioned  above,  is  re- 
ferred to  in  Job  Clement's  will  of 
Sept.  4,  1682,  in  which  he  gives  his 
grandchild  Jane  Kenney  a  part  of  his 
six  acre  lot  "•  near  the  watch  house 
on  Dover  Neck." 

VII.  Otis'  Garrison.  This  garri- 
son stood  about  half  way  between 
Heard's  and  Waldron's  garrisons,  on 
the  brow  of  a  hill  on  the  west  side  of 
what  is  now  Central  Avenue,  near 
Milk  St.  It  was  built  by  Richard 
Otis,  ancestor  of  the  present  writer, 
who  settled  in  Dover  as  early  as  1655. 
The  N.  H.  authorities  ordered,  March 
13,  1683-4,  that  his  house  should  be 
immediately  fortified,  as  one  of  the 
"  by-garrisons  "  of  Cochecho,  for  the 
securitv  of  the  neighborins;  inhabi- 
tauts.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1:499.) 
It  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians  June 
28,  1689,  on  which  occasion  Richard 
Otis  was  killed,  together  with  his  son 
Stephen  and  daughter  Hannah.  His 
wife,  and  twenty-eight  other  inmates 
of  the  garrison,  wei'c  taken  captive. 

VIII.  Paine's  Garrison.  Mention 
is  made  of  Thomas  Paine's  garrison 
being  surrounded  by  a  baud  of  Ind- 
ians in  the  night  of  June  27-28, 
1689.  {Ihid.,  2:bl.)  It  was  prob- 
ably destroyed  on  that  occasion, 
for  no  mention  is  made  of  it  subse- 
quently. Dr.  Quint  says  it  stood 
close  to  the  house  of  the  late  Capt. 
James  Varney,  on  the  turnpike  road 
(Portland  St.),  near  the  corner  of 
Rogers  St.  ;  but  on  what  authority 
does  not  appear.  It  was  undoubt- 
edly on  that  side  of  the  Cochecho 
river,  however — probably  on  Mt.  Raw- 


lings,  where  Thomas  Paine  acquired 
land  and  a  dwelling-house  March  5, 
1673.      (See  Mount  Rawlings.) 

IX.  Pinkham's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  built  by  Richard  Pinck- 
hame,  of  the  Dover  Combination.  It 
stood  on  the  west  side  of  Dover  Neck, 
on  gently  sloping  land  overlooking 
Back  river,  that  for  six  generations 
remained  in  possession  of  the  Pink- 
ham  family,  covering  a  space  of  about 
250  years.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Charles  Thompson.  About  four  rods 
west  of  his  house  stood  the  garrison, 
which  was  taken  down  about  1825. 

X.  Samuel  Tibbet's  Garrison. 
Mentioned  in  1696,  when  Richard 
Clay  was  stationed  there  from  Ap. 
13  till  June  8.  This  garrison  was 
on  Dover  Neck.  Samuel  Tibbet's 
land  in  the  upper  part  of  Dover  Neck, 
on  the  east  side,  is  mentioned  in 
1702.  He  was  still  living  Feb.  9, 
1733-4,  when  he  declared  himself  to 
be  67  years  old.  "  Capt.  Samuel 
Tibbets"  is  spoken  of  Ap.  17,  1742, 

as  "  deceased."  S-^^^'-Sic^^^*^.^. ^4^ 

XII.  Varney's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  on  the  Blackwater  road 
in  Dover,  some  distance  N.  W.  of 
Willand's  pond.  It  was  no  doubt 
built  by  Stephen  Varney,  who,  Oct. 
24,  1719,  acquired  part  of  Wm.  Pom- 
frett's  hundred-acre  grant  in  Coche- 
cho woods,  bordering  on  Mr.  Rey- 
ner's  400  acre  grant,  at  the  east.  It 
was  a  large  garrison  of  two  stories, 
the  second  story  projecting  about 
three  feet  beyond  the  first.  During 
the  French  and  Indian  wars  of  the 
last  century  it  is  said  to  have  afforded 
shelter  to  all  the  neighboring  farm- 
ers. It  was  still  standing  in  1834, 
in  which  year  it  is  mentioned  as  the 
"  Old    Garrison "    on    Whitehouse's 


64 


Landmaj-hs  in  Ancient  Dover. 


map  of  Dover.  It  was  taken  down 
not  long  after,  and  some  of  its  tim- 
bers were  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  Bickford  house  near  Faggoty 
bridge,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Moses 
Hussey.  The  cellar,  however,  can 
still  be  traced. 

XIII.  Waldron's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  built  by  Major  Richard 
Waldron,  founder  of  the  Cochecho 
settlement.  It  stood  north  of  the 
Cochecho  river,  on  the  west  side  of 
Central  Avenue,  between  First  and 
Second  streets,  directly  behind  the 
National  Block,  which,  as  Dr.  Quint 
says,  should  have  been  called  Wal- 
dron's block.  The  present  Court 
House  stands  on  a  part  of  this  garri- 
son site.  This  garrison  was  destroyed 
in  the  attack  of  1689,  on  which  occa- 
sion the  Indians,  by  way  of  revenge 
for  numerous  wrongs,  put  Major 
Waldron  to  death  in  the  most  bar- 
barous manner. <2**^xy<*^'^'-****5 

There  were  other  Dover  gtu-risons*" 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river.    (See 
Back  River  Garrisotis.) 

Dover  Landing.  See  Cochecho 
Landing. 

Dover  Neck.  This  neck  is  men- 
tioned in  1643,  when  Wm.  ffurber 
had  a  grant  of  "  two  house  lots  con- 
taining six  acres,  on  the  east  side  of 
y^  neck  of  Dover,  butting  on  y'^  fore 
side  of  the  river,  next  Joseph  Austin 
at  the  north."  Dover  Neck  and 
Point  constitute  a  tongue  of  high 
land  that  extends  between  Fore  and 
Back  rivers  to  the  main  body  of  the 
Pascataqua.  Belknap  describes  it  as 
a  ridge  "  about  two  miles  long,  and 
half  a  mile  wide,  rising  gently  along 
a  fine  road,  and  declining  on  each 
side  like  a  ship's  deck." 

Dover  Point.     This  name  is  now 


given  to  Hilton's  Point,  at  the  lower 
end  of  Dover  Neck. 

Dover  Point  Ferry.  This  name 
was  given  to  a  new  ferry  from  Dover 
Point  to  Newington,  established  by 
the  Pascataqua  Ferry  Co.  in  1856. 
It  was  connected  with  Dover  city 
and  Portsmouth  by  means  of  a  daily 
stage-coach.  The  ferry  here  in  early 
times  was  called  the  Bloody  Point 
ferry  and  Knighfs  ferry. 

Dover  River.  This  name  is  given 
to  the  Cochecho  river  on  Pike's  map 
of  Somersworth  in  1805.  "Cochecho 
or  Dover  river  "  is  mentioned  in  Mer- 
rill's Gazeteer  of  N.  H.  in  1817. 

Dow's  Hill.  This  name  is  now 
given  to  the  highest  point  of  land  in 
Newington,  from  Amos  Dow,  to  whom 
Seth  Walker  conveyed,  Sept.  25, 
1816,  a  tract  of  land  on  the  N.  W. 
side  of  the  road  to  Bloody  Point  ferry, 
adjacent  to  the  Huntress  and  Rollins 
lands. 

Downing's  Creek.  See  Uncle  Siah's 
Creek. 

Downing's  Plains.  So  called  from 
John  Downing,  who  acquired  land  in 
the  Pitch-Pine  plains  of  Newington 
Feb.  14,  1723-4.  (See  the  Gore.) 
Richard  Downing's  land  in  the  upper 
Pitch-Pine  plains  of  Newington  is 
mentioned  in  1770.  (See  Pitch-Pine 
Plains.)  And  Feb.  27,  1799,  Bar- 
tholomew Downing  and  Richard  D. 
Hart  advertised  for  sale  "100  acres 
of  corn  laud  on  Dow?ii7ig's  Plain  in 
Newington. "JV^ /**-•"»■'''-'  -^ <=-«•«- ^./rv 

Downs'  Brook.  This  brook  is  in 
Somersworth,  below  Great  Falls,  and 
so  named  from  an  old  family  in  that 
vicinity.  A  quitclaim  to  60  acres  of 
land  at  Indigo  Hill,  lying  between 
the  lands  of  Wm.  Downs  and  Paul 
Brown,  joining  the  river  at  the  north- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


65 


east,  was  given  to  Samuel  Downs 
March  13,  1750,  b\' the  other  children 
of  Thomas  Downs,  who,  says  the 
deed,  "upward  of  thirty  years  ago 
was  killed  by  y*  Indians."  A  part  of 
the  old  Downs  laud  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Morrill. 

Dram  Rock.  This  rock,  according 
to  Dame's  map  of  Newington  in  1805, 
is  in  the  Loug  Reach,  off  the  Newing- 
ton shore,  about  half  way  between 
Bloody  Ft.  and  the  Portsmouth  line. 
It  is  apparently  the  same  as  Shag 
Rock^  and  no  doubt  derived  its  name 
from  the  boatmen  who  regarded  it  as 
a  signal  for  a  dram  when  they  as- 
cended the  river. 

Drew's  Hill.  This  is  a  steep  hill 
in  the  Back  River  district,  about  a 
mile  below  Sawyer's  bridge  across 
the  Bellamy.  Along  the  upper  side 
of  this  hill  runs  the  old  mast  road 
from  Wingate's  Slij)  (now  ForcVs 
Landing)  to  Madbury.  The  name  is 
derived  from  John  Drew,  who  ac- 
quired several  of  the  twenty-acre  lots 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river,  grant- 
ed in  1642.  His  land  here  is  men- 
tioned Nov.  22,  1698,  when  John 
Laighton  of  Rochester  sold  Shadrach 
Hodgdon  20  acres  on  the  west  side  of 
Back  river,  where  said  Laighton  had 
built  a  house  in  which  he  then  lived, 
bounded  northeasterly  by  Back  river, 
S.  E.  by  Hodgdon's  land,  S.  W.  by 
Dreiv's  land,  and  northwesterly  by 
the  highway  "  from  mast  bridge  to  y* 
river,  at  a  place  cal*^  y^  Sli}^ " — being 
lot  No.  21,  granted  Henry  Beck  in 
1642,  and  laid  out  to  Thomas  Layton, 
his  successor. 

Drew's  Marsh.  This  was  a  small 
marsh  in  a  bend  or  bow  of  Johnson's 
creek,  on  the  south  side  ;  and  north- 
east of  a  little  run  of  water  from  a 


spring  near  the  Jones  house  in  Dur- 
ham. It  is  mentioned  in  some  depo- 
sitions of  Aug.  1,  1776,  made  by 
Stephen  Pinkham  and  others,  who 
testified  that  this  marsh  had  long  been 
owned  by  the  Drews  of  Back  River. 

Drew's  Point.  Mentioned  Sept. 
7,  1738,  when  John  Downing  of  New- 
ington and  his  wife  Elizabeth  con- 
veyed to  Benjamin  Mathes  50  acres 
of  land  in  Durham,  "  beginning  at 
Oyster  river,  near  y*  Pint  cal*^  Dreio's 
Point,^'  and  running  along  a  highway 
from  the  river  between  said  land  and 
the  lands  of  Joseph  Stevenson  and 
Thomas  Footman  till  it  came  to  the 
highway  "  from  y*  falls  to  y*"  ferry 
called  Bickford's  ferry,"  bounded 
north  by  the  river,  and  east  by  Caleb 
Wakeham's  land, — which  fifty  acres 
formerly  belonged  to  James  Langley, 
and  was  part  of  the  estate  of  his 
father  James  Langley.  (See  Lang- 
ley's  Point.) 

Drew's    Windmill.      See    Dani's 
Windmill. 

Dry  Hill.  This  name  is  given  to 
Gage's  hill  in  the  Dover  Sun  of  Ap. 
17,  1813,  when  mention  is  made  of 
land  on  Dry  Hill  belonging  to  the 
estate  of  Samuel  Bragg,  Jr.,  formerly 
editor  of  that  newspaper.  And  Capt. 
Moses  Paul  also  speaks  of  "  Dry 
Hill"  in  his  diary  of  1852.  It  is 
otherwise  called  Faggoty  Mil  and 
Gage's  hill. 

Dry  Pines.  Mentioned  March  19, 
1693-4,  when  Richard  Pinkham  had 
a  grant  of  30  acres  of  land  "  between 
y®  drie  innes  and  Abraham  Clark's." 
And  that  same  day  Zachariah  Pitman 
had  a  grant  of  20  acres  "  in  y^  Dry 
Pines,  between  Jn"  Knight's  and  Zach- 
arias  field's."  Pitman  conveyed  this 
land  to  John  Drew  Aug.   16,    1697. 


66 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Elijah  Drew  and  wife  Abigail,  Nov. 
29,  1762,  conveyed  to,  Shadrach 
Hodgdon  25  acres  of  land,  bounded 
northerly  by  the  highway  that  leads 
from  the  country  road  to  Clement 
Meserve's,  westerly  by  said  Meserve 
and  Samuel  Hayes,  and  easterly  by 
part  of  the  estate  of  John  Field,  de- 
ceased ;  which  land,  called  the  Dry 
Pines,  formerly  belonged  to  Joseph 
Drew,  father  of  said  Elijah.  John 
Knight's  land  at  Mast  bridge  was 
afterwards  acquired  by  Benedictus 
Torr.  And  Samuel  Hayes'  land, 
above  mentioned,  was  conveyed  to 
him  Dec.  3,  1737,  by  Daniel,  son  of 
Zacharias  Field.  The  Dry  Pines,  a 
portion  of  the  tract  generally  called 
Field's  2^lains,  were  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  Back  River  district.  (See 
Field's  Plains.) 

The  Dump.  This  name  is  now  given 
to  a  deep  ravine  at  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Waldron  cemetery  on  Chapel  St., 
Dover,  into  which,  for  a  time,  was 
dumped  the  refuse  of  that  vicinity. 
A  small  brook  flows  through  this  ra- 
vine and  empties  into  the  Cochecho 
river. ^**-  ftroa'<^*««»-j  ^*"*'^'<-^  i?-- . 

Dumpling  Cove.  This  cove  is  on 
the  Newington  shore  of  Little  Bay, 
at  the  lower  side  of  Dame's  Ft.,  now 
Joshua's  Ft.  It  is  mentioned  the  11th, 
10  mo.,  1656,  when  Richard  Catter's 
(Carter's)  grant  of  40  acres  of  upland 
in  1652,  was  laid  out  "south  of  the 
freshett  at  DonnMne  Cove"  bounded 
north  by  Henry  Lankstar's  land,  and 
south  by  that  of  John  Dam.  Henry 
Langstar's  grant  of  200  acres  in  1652 
was  laid  out  in  1659,  "beginning  at 
Doempling  Coxie  in  the  letell  Bay, 
and  so  up  the  freshett  to  the  parting 
of  it,"  thence  over  to  "the  freshett 
that  goeth  into  the  broad  Coue  below 


foxe  jJoynt,  thence  over  the  mouth  of 
the  crike  to  a  maple  tree,  thence  to 
the  north  side  of  a  little  swamp, 
thence  to  a  Rock  a  little  below  Tern- 
ing  Poynt,  and  up  the  little  bay  to 
DoonipUne  Cove."  Henry  Laugstar, 
Oct.  27,  1704,  conveyed  to  his  daugh- 
ter Mary  all  his  land  on  Little  Bay, 
beginning  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek  in 
Broad  Cove,  and  running  up  Little 
Bay  as  far  as  Duvii^ling  Cove,  to  the 
southwest  side  of  the  freshet ;  which 
land  was  granted  said  Henry  Lang- 
star  the  9th,  5  mo.,  1652. 

Sarah  Levett,  "  widow  and  relict 
of  James  Levett,"  conveyed  to  Joseph 
Adams,  "preacher  of  the  Gospel," 
March  15,  1721,  a  tract  of  40  acres, 
"bounded  somewhat  northerly  on  y^ 
lands  that  were  formerly  old  Mr. 
Langstar's,  now  in  y^  possession  of 
Mr.  Eleazar  Coleman,  somewhat 
westerly  on  y^  river  that  runs  into  y* 
Great  Bay,  somewhat  southerly  by 
the  lands  of  Mr.  John  Dam,  and 
somewhat  easterly  by  the  lands  of 
said  Adams  ;  " — the  laud  thus  bound- 
ed being  "  at  or  near  a  place  called 
Dumpling  Cove,  and  formerly  granted 
by  the  town  of  Dover  to  one  Richard 
Cater"  (Carter.)       ' 

Joseph  Adams  of  Newington,  Dec. 
18,  1783,  conveyed  to  John  Gee  Fick- 
ering  20  acres  of  land  in  Newington, 
"supposed  to  be  half  of  the  farm 
where  said  Adams  then  lived,"  be- 
ginning at  Joseph  Dame's  land,  and 
running  along  Little  Bay  to  the  land 
of  James  Coleman.  This  land  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Gee  Fickering  of  Forts- 
mouth,  and  the  Dame  land  adjoining 
by  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Joshua  Fickering. 

Dumpling  cove  is  sometimes  called 
Sow-Pit  cove,  probably  a  corruption 
of  Sow  and  Pigs,  a  name  given  to  a 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


67 


cluster  of  rocks  in  the  river  near  this 
cove. 

Dunn's  Woods.  These  woods  are 
in  Dover,  adjoining  the  road  to  Dur- 
ham. They  were  acquired  early  last 
century  by  Benedictus  Torr,  and  now 
belong  to  Mr.  Simon  Torr.  For 
the  last  fifty  years  they  have  been 
known  as  "Dunn's  woods,"  for  the 
strange  reason  that  Samuel  Dunn,  of 
Dunn's  tavern,  Dover,  owned  land 
adjoining,  that  was  almost  entirely 
woodless.  In  days  by  no  means  dis- 
tant, these  dark,  damp,  lonely  woods, 
enclosed  by  hills,  and  remote  from 
any  dwelling,  were  said  to  be  the 
scene  of  many  a  robbery  by  day  and 
supernatural  occurrence  by  night, 
stories  of  which  at  once  delighted 
and  terrified  the  neighboring  children. 
The  ghost  stories  sprang  chiefly  from 
the  delusive  phosphorescent  lights 
which  on  dark  nights  were  often  seen 
gleaming  here  and  there  among  the 
bogs  and  decayed  wood.  Torr's 
ivoods,  as  they  should  be  called,  are 
now  fast  disappearing,  and  with  them 
the  nocturnal  lights  which  once  starr 
tied  the  belated  traveller. 

Durham.  This  name  was  given  to 
the  Oyster  River  parish  when  it  was 
incorporated  as  a  town  May  15,  1732. 
It  included  the  present  township  of 
Lee  till  the  latter  was  incorporated 
Jan.  16,  1766,  and  a  part  of  New- 
market, ceded  to  that  town  July  2, 
1870.  The  name  of  Durham  was 
apparently  given  at  the  request  of 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Adams,  then  the 
minister  at  Oyster  River.  In  his 
address  to  the  General  Court  in  1738, 
he  says  this  parish  "was  chartered 
into  the  township  of  Durham"  in 
answer  to  his  petition  "  for  its  privi- 
leges   and    said    name,    as    therein 


pleaded  for."  (See  N.  H.  Prov. 
Papers,  V:  35.)  The  name  of  Dur- 
ham may  have  been  chosen  in  order 
to  commemorate  the  palatine  form  of 
government  originally  accorded  to 
the  New  Hampshire  settlement,  if 
credit  is  to  be  given  to  the  so-called 
Charter  of  Charles  I  to  Capt.  John 
Mason,  Aug.  19,  1635,  granting  him 
the  province  of  New  Hampshire, 
"  with  power  of  government  and  as 
ample  jurisdiction  and  prerogatives 
as  used  by  the  bishop  of  Durham." 
{Ihid,  1  :  37.)  The  bishops  of  Dur- 
ham, England,  it  will  be  remembered, 
formerlv  exercised  the  semi-regal 
powers  of  a  count  palatine.  It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  Capt.  Mason 
or  his  heirs  ever  attempted  to  exercise 
such  prerogatives  in  New  Hampshire. 

Similar  powers  were  also  conferred 
on  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  in  the 
Royal  Charter  of  April  3,  in  the 
fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Charles 
I,  granting  him  the  Province  of 
Maine,  with  "  all  the  Powers,  Rights, 
Franchisses,  Immunities,  Royalties, 
&  Priviledges  w*^"  are  enjoyed  or 
ought  to  be  enjoyed  by  the  Bishop  of 
Duresftme  in  the  County  Palatine  of 
Duresme."  (See  Baxter's  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando Gorges,  3  :  304.) 

The  first  government  established 
in  Maryland  was  also  palatinate, 
according  to  the  charter  from  Charles 
I  to  Cecilius,  the  second  Lord  Balti- 
more, June  20,  1632,  conferring  on 
him  prerogatives  as  ample  as  those 
exercised  by  the  Bishop  of  Durham, 
which,  as  implied  above,  fell  little 
short  of  royalty  itself. 

Durham  Corner.  This  corner  is 
at  the  centre  of  Durham  village, 
where  three  roads  meet,  coming  from 
Dover,  Lee,  and  Newmarket. 


68 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Durham  Falls.  This  uame  is 
often  given  to  the  lowest  falls  in 
Oyster  river,  and  to  the  village  of 
Durham  itself.  (See  Oyster  River 
Falls.)  A  road,  laid  out  "from 
Durham  Falls  to  Coos,"  is  mentioned 
July  13,  1768,  as  "beginning  at 
Durham  Falls,"  and  thence  running 
to  Madbury  Meeting-house,  thence 
through  Harrington  b^^  Levi  Daniels' 
house,  etc.  (N.  H.  State  Pap.,  18: 
584.) 

Durham  Falls  bridge,  across  Oyster 
river  at  the  foot  of  the  lowest  falls, 
is  mentioned  Oct.  8,  1770,  when  Wm. 
and  Avis  Odiorne  conveyed  to  Tim- 
othy Meder  the  "Mansion  House" 
where  thev  then  dwelt,  together  with 
a  barn  and  warehouse,  and  one  acre 
of  laud,  bounded  S.  by  land  of  Abra- 
ham Perkins,  deceased,  E,  by  the 
road  from  Durham  Falls  bridge  to 
Nottingham,  and  N.  and  W.  by  John 
Hanson's  land. 

Durham  Landing.  A  landing- 
place  at  the  head  of  Oyster  river, 
according  to  a  vote  of  the  town  of 
Dover,  Oct.  27,  1701,  was  laid  out 
June  14,  1703,  beginning  at  high- 
water  mark  by  Geo.  Chesley's  fence, 
and  running  by  his  fence  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  by  Bartholomew  Steven- 
son's house,  (now  Mr.  Wm.  P. 
Ffrost's),  "thence  N.  N.  W.  to  a 
pitch  pine  on  the  east  side  of  the 
mast  path  which  leads  from  Oyster 
river,  thence  to  the  fence  on  the  west 
side  of  the  aforesaid  path,  then  south- 
ward, as  the  fence  goes,  till  it  comes 
to  the  fresh  river  above  the  saw-mill, 
all  which  land  thus  laid  out  is  to  lay 
open  for  a  public  landing-place." 
(Dover  Records.)  This  landing- 
place  included,  not  only  the  slope  of 
Log  hill  in  front  of  the  Ffrost  resi- 


dence, but  all  the  land  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road  immediately  above 
the  saw-mill,  now  enclosed  as  house- 
yards,  which,  within  the  writer's 
recollection,  lay  open  as  a  place  for 
lumber  for  the  convenience  of  the 
mill,  and  still  properly  belongs  to  the 
town  or  the  mill  privilege. 

Durham  Point.  This  name  is 
now  given  to  the  entire  district 
between  Little  Bay  and  the  lower 
part  of  Oyster  river,  but  strictly 
speaking  the  point  itself  is  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  on  the  south  side. 
It  was  originally  called  Oyster  River 
'point  or  BicJcford's  point. 

Durham  River.  D.  Smith,  on  his 
map  of  1805,  gives  this  name  to  the 
fresh-water  part  of  Oyster  river.  He 
confines  the  name  of  "  Oyster  river" 
to  the  tidal  or  salt-water  portion, 
below  Durham  falls. 

Edgerlt  Brook.  This  name  is 
often  given  to  Daniel's  brook,  the 
southern  branch  of  Cruramit's  creek, 
from  Samuel  Edgerly,  to  whom  30 
acres  were  laid  out  Oct.  15,  1714, 
"  beginning  at  a  hemlock  tree  on  a 
little  hill  on  the  west  side  of  a  path 
that  leads  from  Oyster  River  to  John 
Daniel's."  This  land  is  still  owned 
by  the  descendants  of  the  above 
Samuel.     (See  DanieVs  Brook.) 

Eel-Pot  Creek.  This  creek  runs 
through  the  land  of  Mr.  Rufus  W. 
Weeks  of  Greenland,  and  empties 
into  the  Great  Bay,  about  fifty  rods 
above  the  mouth  of  Winnicot  river. 
It  is  mentioned  Nov.  22,  1716,  when 
Henry  Langstar,  of  Piscataqua,  New 
Jersey,  by  virtue  of  a  power  of  attor- 
ney from  his  father  John  Langstar, 
son  of  Henry  Langstar  (otherwise 
Langstaffe)  of  Dover,  deceased,  con- 
veyed to  Henry  Nutter  a  tract  of  20 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


69 


acres  in  Portsmouth,  on  y^  western- 
most side  of  Greenland  river,  in  y'' 
Great  Bay,  bounded  upon  Ealpole 
creek. ^' 

Eelweir  Falls.  (See  Cochecho 
Falls.) 

Eelweir  Plains.  Mentioned  Nov. 
5,  1741  (see  Sandy  Log  HUT),  and 
again  Nov.  2,  1773,  wlien  John 
Tworabley  and  Sarah  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Hayes  37  acres  on  the  wester- 
ly side  of  the  Cochecho  river,  "  at  or 
near  the  Eelware  Plains,  so  called," 
formerly  laid  out  to  Joseph  Hanson, 
which  land  said  Twomblev  bought  of 
Ephraim  Hanson,  deceased. 

Egg  Pond.  This  name  is  some- 
times given  to  No-Bottom  pond. 

Elijah's  Ledge.  This  is  a  quarry 
in  Home's  woods,  so  called  from 
Elijah  Edgerly,  who  sold  it  to  the 
Newmarket  Manufacturing  Co. 

Emerson's  Brook.  This  brook, 
otherwise  called  Great  Brook,  is  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Lee.  It 
flows  through  the  lands  acquired  by 
Samuel  and  Solomon  Emerson  in  the 
middle  of  last  century  (see  North 
River),  and  empties  into  North  river 
a  little  below  Harvey's  mill.  A  place 
in  the  channel,  called  the  Mound  Hole, 
seems  to  indicate  that  there  was  once 
a  dam  here.  The  Emersons,  how- 
ever, acquired  the  neighboring  privi- 
lege on  North  river,  where  Samuel 
Emerson  had  a  mill  at  the  beginning 
of  this  century. 

Fabyan's  Point.  This  point  of 
land,  originally  called  Starbuck's  Pt., 
is  on  the  Newingtou  shore  of  Great 
Bay,  at  the  upper  side  of  Herod's 
Cove,  otherwise  Laighton's.  It  is 
mentioned  May  30,  1721,  when  Mary, 
widow  of  Thomas  Pickering,  and  her 
three     sons,     James,     Joshua,    and 


Thomas,  conveyed  to  John  Fabins  all 
right  to  a  tract  of  land,  commonly 
called  Starbuck's  Point,  on  Great  Bay, 
with  one  half  of  y""  salt  marsh  thereto 
adjoining.  John  Fabyan  is  mentioned 
in  1713  among  the  petitioners  for 
Newington  to  be  made  a  separate 
parish. 

Faggoty  Bridge.  This  is  a  small 
bridge  across  Faggoty  brook,  on  the 
road  from  Dover  to  Rochester,  at  the 
foot  of  Faggoty  hill,  now  Gage's  hill. 
It  was  so  named  because  the  road  at 
this  point  lay  across  a  bog  that  had 
to  be  filled  in  with  faggots  and  small 

DC? 

trees,  to  give  it  6tabilit^^  It  is  men- 
tioned Dec.  22,  1720,  when  60  acres 
of  land,  granted  Tobias  Hanson  in 
1702,  were  laid  out  to  him  "  between 
fagote  bridg  and  the'old  bold  sjnt,''  on 
the  east  side  of  Wm.  Pomfrett's  grant, 
then  in  possession  of  Ephraim  "Went- 
worth,  Thomas  Downs,  and  Stephen 
Varney.  Tristram  Heard,  in  his  will 
of  Ap.  18,  1734,  gives  his  son  John 
30  acres  of  land  "  above  Faggoty 
bridge."  And  June  23,  1736,  eleven 
acres  were  laid  out  to  Thomas  Var- 
ney on  the  N.  E.  side  of  Faggoty 
bridge,  beginning  at  the  S.  corner  of 
Jos.  Heard's  land,  north  of  said 
bridge,  and  thence  running  S.  E.  bv 
y*  road  47  rods. 

Faggoty  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  a  marsh  in  the  Page  pasture, 
Dover,  and  crosses  the  Rochester 
road  at  the  foot  of  Gage's  hill,  then 
flows  through  the  lands  of  Mr.  Free- 
man Babb  and  Andrew  Rollins,  and 
crosses  the  road  above  Mr.  Andrew 
Rollin's  house,  in  RoUinsford,  and 
empties  into  Rollin's  brook. 

Faggoty  Hill.  This  name  was 
generally  given  to  Gage's  hill  till  the 
middle  of  this  centurv.     In  an  adver- 


70 


Land'}narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


tisement  of  1802  it  is  called  "  Fag- 
gotty  bridge  hill." 

Falls  Hill.  The  hill  iu  Durham 
village  on  which  the  Cougre2;ational 
meeting-house  now  stands  is  repeat- 
edly called  by  this  name  in  the  rec- 
ords of  last  century.  May  25,  1736, 
Nathaniel  and  Valentine  Hill  sold 
Thomas  Pike,  Jr.,  of  the  bury  New- 
town, three  acres  on  the  west  side  of 
Falls  hill,  bounded  northerly  by  the 
mast  way,  and  westerly  by  the  way 
leading  towards  y*  spruce  swamp  and 
little  mill  (Chesley's  mill).  This 
laud  Thomas  Pike  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Atkinson  Sept.  12,  1738, 
when  Falls  hill  is  again  mentioned, 
as  well  as  the  other  bounds.  Timo- 
thy Jones  of  Stratham,  innholder, 
and  Eleuor  his  wife,  Sept.  4,  1747, 
conveyed  to  Abednego  Leathers  of 
Durham,  mariner,  three  acres  of  land, 
with  dwelling-house,  barn,  and  malt- 
house  thereon,  which  land  and  build- 
ings Jones  had  bought  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Atkinson,  "  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
a  hill  called  and  known  by  the  name 
of  Falls  hill,  bounded  N.  by  the 
mast  path,  W.  by  the  usual  way 
leading  to  the  spruce  swamp,  and  S. 
and  E.  by  the  laud  of  Nathaniel  and 
Valentine  Hill."  This  laud  was 
afterwards  acquired  by  James  Laigh- 
tou,  and  is  now  owned  for  the  most 
part  by  Mrs.  Cook. 

Deacon  Hubbard  Stevens  of  Dur- 
ham conveyed  to  Moses  Emerson^  of 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  May  23,  1751,  a 
quarter   of  an    acre   of  land,  with  a 


dwelling-house  on  it,  on  the  west 
side  of  a  hill  called  by  the  name  of 
Falls  hill,  lying  between  the  country 
path  (the  road  to  Madbury)  and  the 
mast  path,  which  land  said  Stevens 
bought  of  Nathaniel  Hill.  Here,  at 
a  later  period,  stood  Ballard's  tavern, 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Hoitt. 

Both  of  these  tracts  originally  be- 
longed to  Valentine  Hill's  grant  of 
500  acres,  which  comprised  all  the 
land  from  Durham  falls,  including 
the  greater  part  of  the  present  vil- 
lage, to  the  western  boundary  of  the 
land  owned  by  the  late  Benjamin 
Thompson, 

Fancy  Hill.  Mentioned  July  23, 
1735,  when  20  acres  of  land  were 
laid  out  to  Ichabod  Canney  on  the 
S.  W.  side  of  the  road  from  Little- 
worth  to  the  Saplings,  at  a  place 
called  Fancy  Hill,  beginning  at 
Joseph  Hanson's  east  corner,  and 
running  along  his  laud  S.  W.  to  his 
south  corner,  then  along  the  com- 
mons and  Wm.  Twombley's  land  to 
the  road,  and  by  the  road  to  the  first 
bound.  The  name  of  Fancy  hill  has 
not  been  perpetuated,  but  it  seems 
to  have  been  the  hill  a  little  west  of 
Barbadoes  Pond,  which  affords  a 
pleasant  view  across  the  pond,  with 
the  city  of  Dover  farther  east,  and 
Garrison  Hill  and  other  heights  iu 
the  distance. 

Field's  Marsh.  This  was  a  small 
marsh  in  the  Durham  Point  district, 
mentioned  in  the  Durham  records  of 
1764   as   next  the    parsonage  lands. 


1  Moses  Emerson  was  appointed  commissary  in  the  Revolutionary  army  in  1775.  He  had  four 
brothers  in  the  army,  one  of  whom  was  Capt.  Nehemiah  Emerson  of  Haverhill,  Mass.  They 
descended  from  Jonathan  Emerson,  of  Haverhill,  brother  of  Capt.  Samuel  Emerson  of  Oyster 
River.  The  second  wife  of  Moses  Emerson  was  a  Taylor,  a  great  granddaughter  of  Gov. 
Edward  Winslow  of  Mass.,  and  a  near  relative  of  Gov.  John  Taylor  Oilman's  mother,  of  Exeter. 
She  died  in  Durham,  and  lies  buried  in  the  Thompson  burial-ground,  near  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Lucien  Thompson. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dovc7'. 


71 


The  county  records  speak  of  Nicholas 
Follet's  dwelling-house,  July  22, 
1680,  as  standing  on  land  adjoining 
Joseph  Field's  marsh.  Joseph  was 
the  brother  of  Zacharias  Field  who 
settled  in  the  Back  River  district. 
He  was  taxed  at  Oyster  River  in 
1657.  They  are  supposed  to  have 
been  the  sons  of  Darby  Field,  who  is 
noted  as  the  first  of  our  colonists  to 
make  the  ascent  and  give  an  account 
of  the  White  mountains.  Gov.  Wiu- 
throp  speaks  of  him  as  an  Irishman, 
but  Bell's  History  of  Exeter  says 
there  is  some  reason  to  suppose  him 
connected  with  the  Hutchinson's  of 
the  Antinomiau  controversy  in  Mass- 
achusetts. Most  writers  regard  him  as 
one  of  the  early  settlers  at  Exeter, 
N.  H.,  but  there  is  no  proof  that  he 
ever  lived  there.  Like  Francis 
Mathews,  he  subscribed  to  the  Exeter 
Combination  of  1639,  but  they  both 
settled  on  what  was  then  debatable 
laud  between  Exeter  and  Dover 
proper,  known  as  the  Oyster  River 
settlement,  now  Durham,  where 
Darby  Field  owned  land  as  early  as 
1639.  Wm.  Beard  conveyed  to 
Francis  Mathews,  June  16,  1640,  his 
house  and  land  at  Oyster  River 
"  next  adjoining  y^  land  of  Darbey 
ffield."  Darby  Field  was  still  living 
at  Oyster  River  in  1644,  when  he 
was  licensed  to  sell  wme.  This  was 
no  doubt  at  Durham  Point,  where 
stood  his  dwelling-house,  which,  with 
part  of  his  land,  he  conveyed  to 
John  Bickford  June  17,  1645.  (See 
Bic'kford's  Garrison.)  He  was  still 
living  at  Oyster  River,  however,  in 
1649,  when  he  had  a  case  in  court. 
And  here  he  no  doubt  died  about  two 
years  later.  Ambrose  Gibbons  was 
appointed  "  administrator  of  y^  estate 


of  darbey  ffield,  deceased,  at  y*  court 
holden  in  Dover  y''  1,  8  mo.,  (16)51." 

Field's  Plains.  This  name  is 
generally  given  to  the  level  sandy 
tract  between  Dover  and  Durham,  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  Back  River  Dis- 
trict. It  includes  the  Dry  Pines  and 
Pitch-pine  plains  of  early  times,  and 
Clarke's  plains  of  a  later  day.  They 
are  so  named  from  Zacharias  Field, 
who  acquired  land  on  these  plains 
more  than  200  years  ago,  and  here 
built  his  garrison.  Mention  is  made 
of  them  May  9,  1768,  when  Paul 
Giles  conveyed  to  Stephen  Evans 
three  acres  of  land  on  the  westerly 
side  of  the  main  road  from  Cochecho 
to  Durham  at  a  place  called  Field's 
Plains,  beginning  at  the  northerly 
corner  of  Clement  Meserve's  laud, 
adjoining  said  road,  and  running 
westerly  by  his  land  to  Evans'  other 
land,  which  three  acres  said  Giles 
purchased  of  his  honored  father-in- 
law  John  Field,  deceased.  Stephen 
Evans  and  wife  Lydia  conveyed  to 
Clement  Meserve,  Ap.  7,  1773,  58 
acres  at  a  place  called  Fields  2Dlai7is, 
on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road 
from  Dover  to  Durham,  bounded 
westerly  b}'  said  Meserve's  land, 
southerly  by  Capt.  Shadrach  Hodg- 
don's,  northerly  by  a  highway,  and 
easterly  by  the  aforesaid  road  to 
Durham.  (See  Dry  Pines  and  Fields 
Garrison.) 

Fielden's  Brook,  otherwise  Field- 
ing's. Mentioned  in  the  Report  of 
the  committee  for  the  supply  of  water 
in  Great  Falls,  Dec.  2,  1890.  It  is 
a  small  brook  that  runs  through  the 
old  Hauson  lands  on  the  west  side  of 
Prospect  Hill,  at  the  upper  end  of 
Great  Falls  village,  and  empties  into 
the   Salmon  Falls  river.     The  name 


72 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


is  derived  from  a  family  that  lived 
there  the  first  half  of  this  century.  It 
is  properly  Hanson's  brook. 

Flaggt  Hole.  This  place  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Madbury  records.  It  is 
a  "  bog-hole,"  or  low  swamp,  at  the 
foot  of  Perry's  hill,  nearly  a  mile 
above  Hicks's  hill.  Two  brooks  have 
their  source  in  this  bog,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road  to  Harrington.  One 
flows  south-west  into  Oyster  river, 
and  the  other  flows  north  into  the 
Bellamy.  The  latter  crosses  the  road, 
and  the  bridge  over  it  is  called  in  the 
town  records  ^'Flaggy  Hole  Brooh 
bridge.'' 

Flaggy  Swamp.  Mentioned  July 
13,  1721,  when  one  half  of  Joseph 
Jenkins'  grant  of  40  acres  near  Gal- 
lows Hill,  afterwards  removed,  was 
laid  out  to  his  sou  William.  One 
bound  of  this  land  was  a  maple  tree 
in  Flaggy  sioamp.  Wra.  Jenkins 
seems  to  have  settled  iu  the  vicinity 
of  Wednesday  Hill,  but  he  also  owned 
land  near  the  Frog  pond,  Back  River, 
mentioned  in  1771.  Joseph  Jenkins, 
however,  had  land  in  1751  in  the 
vicinity  of  Flaggy  Hole  iu  Madbury. 

Follet's  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  Lee,  on  Mr.  Geo.  Yorke's  land,  at 
a  source  called  Sam's  spring  from 
Samuel  Davis,  a  former  owner  of  the 
land.  It  flows  through  Follet's  marsh 
in  the  Packer's  Falls  district,  Dur- 
ham, and  finally  empties  into  the 
Pascassick  river  near  the  Boston  & 
Maine  railway. 

Follet's  Path,  otherwise  Follet's 
Bridge  Path.     (See  Dirty  Brook) . 

Follet's  Rocky  Hill.  Mentioned 
Ap.   9,   1703,  wlieu   a  road  from  the 


Oyster  bed  was  laid  out  along  the  west 
side  of  Follet's  Rocky  hill,  above  Fol- 
let's barn,  then  along  the  east  side  of 
the  next  rocky  hill  to  Abraham 
Clark's.  This  hill  is  on  the  upper 
side  of  Oyster  riyer,  near  the  head  of 
Bunker's  creek,  so  called  from  Wm. 
FoUet,  who,  with  James  Bunker,  had 
a  grant  of  a  point  of  land,  afterwards 
called  Bunker's  neck,  Oct.  10,  1653. 
Follet's  share  was  sold  to  James 
Bunker  March  28,  1707,  by  Nicholas 
Follet  of  Portsmouth.  (See  Bunker's 
Neck.) 

Follet's  Swamp.  This  swamp  is 
frequently  mentioned  in  the  old  grants 
and  deeds  at  Dover  and  Exeter,  and 
in  the  early  records  of  Durham.  Ap. 
2,  1694,  John  Thompson,  Sr.,  had  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  town  of  Dover 
in  Follet's  swamp  at  Oyster  River,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  mast  path.  And 
this  John  Thompson,  in  his  will  of 
Ap.  12,  1733,  gives  his  son  Jonathan 
his  land  at  Follet's  stvamp  on  the  south 
side  of  the  mast  path  "  where  he 
(Jonathan)  now  dwells."  Forty  acres 
of  land,  granted  to  Eli  Demerit^  Ap. 
11,  1694,  were  laid  out  to  him  May 
31,  1699,  at  the  south-east  side  of 
ffollet's  sioamp.,  bounded  north  by 
Jonathan  Woodman's  land,  leaving  a 
path  4  rods  wide  on  one  side,  for 
cattle  to  go  into  the  woods.  Eli 
Demerit,  iu  his  will  of  Nov.  12, 1739, 
gives  his  son  Ely  all  his  lands  "at  a 
place  commonly  called  and  known  by 
the  name  of  Follet's  sivamp.  in  the 
town  of  Durham."  This  land  formed 
part  of  the  estate  afterwards  inher- 
ited by  his  great-grandsons,  Nathaniel 
and  Israel,  and  still  owned  by  their 


1  This  name,  in  one  record  of  the  original  grant,  is  written  (no  doubt  phonetically)  "  Eli 
Demrey;"  and  in  another  record  of  the  same  grant  "  Eli  De  Miret."  The  Rev.  Hugh  Adams,  a 
contemporary  of  said  Eli,  writes  it  "  De  Merit  "  in  his  church  records. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


73 


descendants.  Thomas  Johnson's  100 
acre  grant  near  Philip  Chesley's,  laid 
out  to  Stephen  Jones  July  19,  1715, 
was,  when  re-surveyed  for  Joseph 
Jones,  March  14,  1745-6,  declared  to 
be  "at  a  place  commonly  called 
folleVs  swamp."  "  Lieut.  Jones'  fence 
uqvly  folleVs  swamp"  is  mentioned  Ap. 
4,  1752.  His  land  was  above  the  De- 
merit farm,  on  the  borders  of  Oyster 
river.  This  shows  that  Follet's  swamp 
not  only  extended  along  the  Mast 
road,  but  up  the  river,  and  in  the 
direction  of  Beech  Hill. 

This  swamp  is  again  mentioned 
June  5, 1764,  when  Ebenezer  Jackson 
conveyed  to  Jonathan  Thompson  24 
acres  of  land  in  Durham,  "  being  one 
half  of  the  land  that  belonged  to  his 
honored  grandfather  Ichabod  Follet, 
deceased,  lying  at  a  place  commonly 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
Follet's  Sivamp,"  reserving  the  rights 
of  the  widow  Prudence  Follet  during 
her  natural  life.  Robert  Leathers 
and  wife  Deborah  (Follet)  conveyed 
to  Jonathan  Thompson,  Nov.  21, 
1763,  one  half  of  the  farm  where 
lived  Ichabod  Follet,  deceased,  be- 
ginning at  said  Thompson's  land,  and 
running  along  the  Mast  road  to  Oys- 
'ter  river,  then  by  said  river  and  John 
Laskey's  land  to  the  land  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  by  Smith's  land  to  that 
of  Jonathan  Thompson,  also  reserv- 
ing said  Prudence's  rights. 

'■'■  Follet's  Swamp  (school)  district" 
is  mentioned  in  the  Durham  records 
of  1794.  It  is  now  called  the  '■'■Mast- 
road  district." 

Another  Follet's  Swamp  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  Packer's  falls,  on  the 
upper  side  of  Lamprey  river,  where 
Wm.  Follet  had  a  grant  of  six  acres 
in  "■Mahomet's  Marsh  "  the  7th,  6  mo., 


1661,  and  another  grant  of  100  acres 
of  upland  near  "  Mohermit's  marsh  " 
the  18th,  10  mo.,  1663.  (See  Mo- 
harimet's  Marsh.)  William  Follet 
was  in  Dover  as  early  as  1649,  and 
John  Follet  belonged  to  the  Dover 
Combination  of  1640. 

A  third  Follet's  Svtamp  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records  of  1820, 
when  the  heirs  of  Jeremiah  Brackett 
were  taxed  in  Durham  for  land  ''■  at 
Follet's  swamp  in  Packer's  Falls." 
This  land  is  on  the  south  side  of 
Lamprey  river,  and  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  James  McDaniel.  But  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  it  was  in 
the  possession  of  a  Follet,  whose  cel- 
lar may  still  be  traced.  The  name, 
however,  has  been  corrupted,  and  the 
swamp  and  a  neighboring  brook  are 
now  often  called  Follard's  marsh  and 
brook.     (See  Follet's  Brook.) 

Footman's  Islands.  These  islands, 
two  in  number,  are  near  the  Lubber- 
land  shore  of  Great  Bay,  not  far 
above  Crummit's  creek.  They  are 
now  owned  by  Dr.  Elkins  of  New- 
market. The  name  was  derived  from 
Thomas  Footman,  who,  the  10th,  8 
mo.,  1653,  had  the  grant  of  an  island 
containing  one  acre  of  land,  more  or 
less,  in  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Bay. 
In  his  will  of  Aug.  14,  1667,  he  men- 
tions his  house,  with  80  acres  of  land 
adjacent,  and  the  "  island  laying 
against  the  house."  The  other 
island  is  insignificant. 

Ford's  Crossing.  This  is  a  cross- 
ins  on  the  Portsmouth  and  Dover 
R.  R.,  at  the  lower  end  of  Dover 
Neck,  adjoining  the  land  of  Mr. 
George  Ford. 

Ford's  Landing.  See  Wingate's  Slip. 

Fore  River.  This  name  was  given 
by  the  early  settlers  on  Dover  Neck 


74 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


to  that  part  of  the  Newichawaunock 
on  the  fore  or  east  side  of  this  Neck. 
Fore  river  is  repeatedly  mentioned  in 
the  old  grants  and  deeds  of  land  adja- 
cent. 

Fowling  Marsh.  Mentioned  Aug. 
6,  1691,  when  John  Roberts  gave  his 
grandsons,  Wm.  and  John  Roberts, 
"  a  piece  of  marsh  lying  on  Necho- 
wanuck  side,  commonly  called  y* 
fowling  marsh"  with  the  flats  belong- 
ing thereto.  This  name  has  not  been 
perpetuated,  but  the  land  referred  to 
was  evidently  in  the  lower  part  of 
Rollinsford. 

Fox  Brook.  "  Edward  ffox  of 
Greenland,  belonging  to  Portsmouth,'' 
conveyed  to  Joshua  Weeks  May  14, 
1698,  30  acres  of  upland  "  lyiug 
ivitliin  if  hounds  of  Portsmouth  or 
Dover  "  bounded  N.  W.  and  N.  E. 
by  Great  Bay,  S.  W.  by  laud  in  pos- 
session of  Samuel  King,  and  east  by 
Wm.  Shackford's,  then  in  possession 
of  Joshua  Weeks.  John  Dockum 
conveyed  to  his  oldest  son  John, 
June  6,  1713,  a  ti-act  of  land  south- 
east from  y^  corner  of  y"  road  oppo- 
site Christopher  Keniston's,  running 
W.  S.  W.  by  Alexander  Keniston's 
to  ffox  brook.  This  was,  of  course, 
above  Winnicot  river,  but  the  name 
of  Fox  brook  is  no  longer  in  use. 

Fox  Point.  This  point  is  so 
called  Sept.  14,  1642.  (See  BoyalVs 
Cove.)  It  is  on  the  Newiugton  shore 
of  the  Pascataqua  river,  between  Lit- 
tle Bay  and  Broad  Cove.  It  is 
nearly  half  a  mile  long,  and  is  the 
most  prominent  headland  on  that 
side  of  the  river.  Its  name  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  given  by  the 
hunters   of   early    times,   who   drove 


the  foxes  they  pursued  into  this  long 
narrow  neck,  whence  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  make  their  escape.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  an  old  Indian  "  drive," 
where  the  aborigines  brought  the  wild 
deer  to  bay  in  a  similar  manner. 

This  point  was  originally  owned 
by  John  Bickford  of  Oyster  River. 
"Thirty  acres  of  upland  on  fox 
poynV  were  granted  John  Bickford, 
Sr.,  by  the  town  of  Dover,  the  10th, 
8  mo.,  1653,  and  laid  out  by  Robert 
Burnum  and  John  Davis,  beginning 
at  a  marked  tree  near  Thomas  Trick- 
ey's  marsh  on  "  the  letell  baye  sied," 
and  extending  to  "  a  marked  tree  at 
the  broad  cove  on  the  other  sied  of 
the  necke." 

May  13,  1677,  John  Bickford  and 
Temperance  his  wife,  "out  of  love 
and  affection  to  their  daughter  Mary, 
wife  of  Nicholas  Harryson  of  Oyster 
River,"  conveyed  to  her  "  twenty^ 
acres  of  land  in  Dover,  bounded  ou 
one  part  by  the  river  of  Piscataqua 
where  it  leads  into  Little  Bay,  said 
land  known  by  the  name  of  ffox 
poynt.  granted  unto  said  Bickford  by 
the  town  of  Dover.'*  Nicholas  Har- 
rison, in  his  will  of  March  5,  1707,^ 
gives  his  son-in-law  John  Downing 
and  wife  Elizabeth,  as  his  eldest 
daughter,  "  all  his  housing,  orchards, 
and  lands,  at^^oajjjom^e,"  given  him 
by  his  father-in-law  John  Bickford. 
James  Burnam  of  Oyster  River,  and 
Temperance  his  wife,  July  8,  1713, 
conveyed  to  John  Downing  of  ffox 
point  in  y^  township  of  Dover,  two 
lots  at  or  near  y^  head  of  broad  Cove 
aX  ffox  point.,  one.  containing  11  acres, 
and  the  other  19  acres,  which  lots 
were  granted  by  Dover  to  Mr.  Nich- 


1  The  Rev.  John  Pike  says,  "  Nicholas  Harrison  died  strangely  insensible  of  any  spiritual 
good,"  Ap.  11, 1708. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


75 


olas  Harrison,  and  bequeathed  by 
him  to  Temperance  his  daughter. 

Fox  Point  was  the  Newington  ter- 
minus of  the  old  Pascataqua  bridge 
from  the  Durham  shore.  Richard 
Downing  of  Newington,  Nov.  12, 
1793,  "  for  the  sum  of  five  shillings, 
but  more  especialW  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  building  a  bridge  over  the 
Piscataqua  river  at  and  from  Fox 
Point"  conveyed  to  the  proprietors 
of  said  bridge  "  one  acre,  to  be  laid 
out  in  square  form,  upon  any  part  of 
my  farm  at  Fox  Pointy  now  in  posses- 
sion of  my  son  Bartholomew,  where 
said  proprietors  may  think  proper  to 
build  said  bridge  and  from  my  farm," 
on  condition  that  the  deed  be  null 
and  void  if  the  bridge  be  not  com- 
menced within  two  years  and  com- 
pleted as  directed  by  the  act  of 
incorporation. 

Fox  Point^  remained  in  possession 
of  the  Downing  famih'  till  the  pres- 
ent century.  It  is  now  chiefly  owned 
by  the  heirs  of  Dr.  F.  E.  Laugdon. 
The  view  from  the  ridge  above  the 
Laugdon  house  is  fine,  with  Little 
Bay  at  the  left ;  Durham  shore,  with 
the  intermediate  islands,  in  front ; 
and  the  mouth  of  Back  river  at  the 
northwest,  out  of  which  pours  a 
stream  to  quicken  the  course  of  the 
turbulent  Horse  Races  of  the  Pascat- 
aqua, which  may  be  seen  swiftly 
coursing  towards  the  Long  Reach. 
Dover  Point  is  in  full  sight.  It  is  a 
page  full  of  historic  interest. 

Charles  W.  Tuttle,  in  his  "  Histor- 
ical Pa2)ers,"  pp.  163-171,  endeavors 
to   prove  that   no  Indian    attack    on 


Fox  Point  was  made  May  28,  1690, 
as  generally  believed.  His  reason- 
ing, however,  is  wholly  negative. 
On  the  other  hand,  Wm.  Vaughan,  a 
prominent  man  of  Portsmouth,  in  a 
letter  written  that  very  night  at  ten 
o'clock,  asserts  that  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Bloody  Point  had  that  after- 
noon been  ravaged  by  the  Indians 
under  Hopehood,  who  had  been  kill- 
ing and  burning  ivithin  three  or  four 
miles  of  Portsmouth.  Belknap,  in 
his  History  of  N.  H.,  gives  an 
account  of  this  attack  without  ex- 
pressing the  slightest  doubt  as  to  its 
occurrence.  And  the  constant  tradi- 
tion in  Newington  is  supported  by 
the  marks  of  assault  on  the  Downing 
garrison  at  Fox  Pt.,  and  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  massacre  at  Bloody  Point* 
near  Langstafir'e's  garrison. 

Fox  Point  ferry  ran  to  Meader's 
landing  at  the  mouth  of  Oyster  river,  ' 
on  the  upper  side.  It  is  mentioned 
Aug.  21,  1771,  when  Lemuel  Header 
conveyed  his  ferry  place  and  privi- 
lege to  George  Knight,  son  of  John 
Knight  of  Portsmouth,  from  whom  it 
was  sometimes  called  Knighf s  ferry . 

^^  Fox  Point  ferry  to  Durham 
Point"  is  mentioned  in  1792,  no 
doubt  the  same  as  BicJcford's  ferry, 
which  is  spoken  of  Aug.  23,  1764, 
when  Stephen  Willey  conveyed  to  his 
sou  Stephen  his  homestead  at  or  near 
this  ferry.  This  land  was  at  Durham 
Point. 

France.  This  name  is  given  to  a 
neighborhood  in  Barriugtou,  westerly 
of  S Wayne's  pond. 

Frank's  Fort.     This  is  an  island 


1  As  you  turn  down  from  Broad  Cove  to  Fox  Point,  there  is  a  fine  wood  at  the  rigcht,  in  which 
is  a  remarliable  oali,  or  series  of  oaks— four  in  number — that  spring  from  a  common  base  of 
oval  shape,  with  a  space  between  each  bole  like  a  seat.  These  three  spaces  are  delightfully 
umbrageous,  and  being  well  adapted  for  sweet  converse,  have  been  popularly  named  the 
Lovers'  Seats. 


76 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


in  the  Long  Reach  of  the  Pascataqua 
river,  just  above  Eliot  Neck.  It  was 
once  a  steep  gravelly  height,  flat  on 
the  top,  with  the  aspect  of  a  fortifi- 
cation, but  has  been  greatly  worn  by 
the  elements,  and  partly  carried  away 
by  vessels  for  ballast.  Frank's  Fort 
is  mentioned  Feb.  14,  1648,  in  a 
grant  to  John  Gren.  ( York  Records.) 
In  a  deed  from  George  Smith  of 
Dover  to  Dennis  Downing  of  Kittery, 
Dec.  18,  \Q>bO  ^  ffrayikes  fort  n,ni\.watts 
fort  are  mentioned.  Land  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Pascataqua  river,  "  \)Q- 
twixt  Fi'anke's  fort  and  Darhy's  fort.,'' 
was  granted,  July  14,  1659,  by  the 
General  Court  of  Mass.  Bay  to  Wm. 
Hawthorne  of  Salem.  Frank's  fort 
is  also  spoken  of  Dec.  4,  1663,  when 
James  Emery  of  Kittery  conveyed  to 
Stephen  Robinson  of  Oyster  River  a 
tract  of  la;id  between  Richard  Rogers 
and  Richard  Green,  Sr.  ;^  and  again. 
May  16,  1695,  in  a  grant  of  land 
to  Maj.  Thomas  Clark,  "  between 
ffrankes  fort  and  Wat's  fo7't."'^  The 
name  of  Frank's  fort  has  been  per- 
petuated to  this  day,  but  its  origin  is 
not  known.  Boatmen  on  the  river 
invariably  call  it  by  this  name. 
"Frankfort"  is  a  corruption  that 
should  be  ignored.  A  Newington 
tradition  says  the  powder  from  Fort 
William  and  Mary  was  first  stored  on 
this  island,  whence  it  was  conveyed 
farther  up  the  river  for  greater  secu- 
rity. 

Franklin   City.      This    name  was 
given    to  a   projected    settlement   or 


town,  laid  out  in  Durham,  at  the  end 
of  Pascataqua  bridge,  towards  the 
close  of  last  century,  by  a  company 
of  men  belonging  to  Dover,  Ports- 
mouth, Durham,  etc.,  two  of  whom — 
Nathaniel  Coggswell  and  Thomas 
Piukham,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and 
their  associates — petitioned  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature  in  1796  to  be 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  the 
Franklin  Proprietary.,  to  "  continue  a 
body  politic  and  corporate  by  that 
name  forever."  The  act  of  incorpor- 
ation was  passed  Dec.  15,  1796,  and 
approved  the  nest  day.  This  bill 
authorized  Ebenezer  Thompson  of 
Durham  to  call  the  first  meeting  of 
the  proprietors,  or,  in  case  of  his 
failure,  Ebenezer  Smith  of  the  same 
town.  $"..«.  A.iix^. 

Thomas  Pinkham  of  Durham,  Dec. 
30,  1797,  conveyed  to  Wm.  King- 
Atkinson  of  Dover  all  right,  title, 
and  interest,  in  fourteen  lots  in 
'•'•  Franklin  Propriety,  so  called,"  in 
Durham,  also  three  lots  in  the  flats, 
and  "one  third  of  all  the  land  at 
Tittle,  or  Tickle,  or  Trickle  Point,  so 
called,  in  said  propriety,  not  laid  out 
and  drawn,  and  one  third  of  the  flats 
not  heretofore  conveyed,  lying  near 
Pascataqua  (river)  and  one  third  of 
any  common  land  of  said  Franklin," 
etc.  Each  of  these  lots  contained 
one  fourth  of  an  acre. 

The  Portsmouth  Gazette,  of  April 
11,  1801,  gives  notice  of  a  meeting 
to  be  held  by  the  proprietors  on 
Thursday,  May  7,  of  that  year,  among 


lAp,  28, 1697,  "John  Hall,  Sen.,  drowned  coming  up  the  River  in  a  little  float,  near  Green,  potn^." 

Rev.  John  Pike's  Journal. 

-WaWs  fort,  otherwise  Joslin'sfort,  was  about  a  mile  farther  up  the  river,  on  a  point  of  land 
where  Henry  Joselyn  or  Josselyn  is  said  to  have  lived  for  a  time  before  going  to  Scarborough. 
Wm.  Leighton,  mariner,  bought  land  at  or  near  W^att's  fort  June  20,  1656,  and  his  son  Capt.  John 
Leighton,  the  Sheriff,  built  a  garrison  there  in  1690,  generally  called  Leighton's  fort.  This 
point  is  in  Eliot,  and  still  owned  by  the  Leighton  family. 


I 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dovei'. 


77 


other  purposes,  to  see  what  should 
be  done  about  the  New  Hampshire 
turupike  road  passing  through  some 
of  their  lots,  and  to  renew  the  boun- 
daries. This  notice  is  signed  by 
eleven  of  their  number,  among  whom 
are  Wm.  K.  Atkinson  of  Dover, 
Mark  Simes  of  Portsmouth,  etc. 

The  founding  of  Franklin  City  was 
projected  by  men  specially  interested 
in  trade  and  shipping.  In  the  first 
quarter  of  this  century  many  vessels 
were  built,  not  only  on  the  wharves 
in  Durham  village,  but  at  Pascataqua 
bridge.  The  embargo  and  the  war  of 
1812  were  a  great  check  to  this  busi- 
ness, but  mention  is  made  of  two 
privateers  built  at  this  bridge  by 
Andrew  Simpson  of  Durham  during 
that  war,  the  contracts  for  which  are 
in  the  writer's  possession.  The  de- 
cline of  shipping  was  a  serious  blow 
to  the  settlement  of  the  proposed  city, 
and  the  idea  was  gradually  abandon- 
ed. Ballard  Pinkham,  administrator 
of  the  estate  of  Thomas  Pinkham, 
advertised  the  sale  of  "seventeen 
lots  in  Franklin  city,"  Jan.  2,  1812. 
The  "  Winkley  estate  in  Franklin 
city,  so  called,"  is  mentioned  in  the 
Strafford  Register  (Doyer)  of  Feb.  15, 
1820.  Mention  is  made  of  the  own- 
ers of  36  lots  in  1825.  And  May  28, 
1829,  Andrew  Simpson  sold  25  lots. 
But  their  decrease  in  value  is  shown 
by  the  abatements  in  the  rate-lists. 
The  Durham  records  of  1821  mention 


an  abatement  of  $3.15,  on  Timothy 
Pinkham's  "  land  in  Franklin  City." 

Franklin  City  was  laid  out  by 
Nathaniel  Coggswell  and  Thomas 
Pinkham.  The  plan  was  drawn  by 
Benjamin  Dearborn,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors, who  was  a  teacher  in  Ports- 
mouth, and  a  man  of  much  mechanical 
genius.-'  This  plan,  beautifully  exe- 
cuted, is  still  preserved,  and  in  the 
possession  of  Mrs.  Alley,  the  present 
owner  of  the  site  of  Franklin  City. 
But  no  one  can  behold  it,  with  its 
wharves,  streets,  and  house-lots,  all 
marked  out  in  imposing  array,  with- 
out being  reminded  of  that  which 
young  Martin  Chuzzlewit  found  adorn- 
ing one  side  of  Mr.  Zephaniah  Scad- 
der's  office,  and,  like  Eden  City, 
with  nothing  yet  built,  and  in  nearly 
as  low  and  unpromising  a  situation 
as  that  renowned  settlement.  (See 
Header's  Neck  and  Tickle  Point.) 

Freetown.  This  name  has  long 
been  given  to  a  part  of  Madbury, 
north  of  Hicks's  hill,  now  in  school- 
district  No.  3.  It  is  mentioned  in 
Feb.,  1730,  when  twenty  acres  of 
land  were  laid  out  to  Derry  Pitman, 
"  a  little  above  the  west  end  of  Me- 
hermett's  Hill,"  beginning  at  the 
corner  of  Wm.  Demerit's  land,  and 
running  N.  by  it  60  rods,  then  E.  by 
the  common,  then  S.  "on  a  road 
leading  to  the  road  commonly  called 
Freetotvn  road."  Derry  Pitman  and 
wife    Dorothy'^    conveyed     to    Wm. 


1  Benjamin  Dearborn  is  mentioned  in  1786  as  an  inventor  of  a  certain  balance  or  scales,  and 
an  engine  for  throwing-  water.     {N.  H.  State  Papers,  18  :  779.) 

2  Sir  W^illiam  Pepperrell,  in  his  will  of  Jan.  11, 1759,  mentions  his  "  Jjinswoman  Dorothy  Pitman," 
and  gives  her  "  all  the  money  which  her  husband  Derry  Pitman  oweth  me."  The  Durham 
records  have  the  following  entry  :  "  The  ages  of  Mr.  Derry  Pitman's  children,  born  in  the  year 
1749,  in  March  ye  22,  andrew  pepral  Pitman,  and  Mary  Pitman."  These  twin  children  were 
evidently  both  named  for  the  Pepperrell  family.  An  interesting  account  of  the  captivity  of 
Derry  Pitman's  parents  is  to  be  found  in  the  N.  H.  Town  Papers,  17  :  682.  His  sister  Tabitha 
married  Eli  Demerit,  Jr.,  and  Abigail,  another  sister,  married  Wm.  Demerit,  brother  of  said 
Eli. 


78 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Fowler,  June  25,  1748,  one  acre  of 
land  in  Madbury,  part  of  a  30  acre 
grant  to  his  father  Nathaniel,  June 
23,  1701,  beginning  at  Zachariah  Pit- 
man's fence,  near  said  Fowler's  house, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  road  leading 
from  Madbur}'  to  the  place  commonly 
called  Freetoion. 

Twenty-eight  acres  were  laid  out 
to  Nathaniel  Davis  Nov.  14,  1749,  at 
a  place  called  Freetoion,  where  said 
Davis  then  lived,  being  part  of  a 
thirty  acre  grant  to  his  father  John 
Davis,  deceased.  Samuel  Emerson 
of  Dover  and  Dorothy  his  wife,  Wm. 
Allin  of  Rochester  and  Hannah  his 
wife,  Joseph  Tibbets  of  Rochester 
and  Sarah  liis  wife,  and  John  Tomp- 
son,  Jr.,  of  Durham  and  Abigail  his 
wife,  conveyed  toWm.  Dam,  Jan.  10, 
1751,  25  acres  of  land  in  that  part 
of  Dover  called  freetown,  granted 
"  Michial "  Emerson  of  Dover,  deceas- 
ed, in  the  division  of  the  common  lands, 
bounded  on  the  S.  E.  by  Joseph  Jen- 
kins, and  joining  Nathaniel  Davis, 
and  the  Hayes  lands,  on  the  S.  E.  and 
S.  W.,  and  running  north  to  a  rock 
called  John  Foy's.  The  inventory  of 
Mrs.  Sarah  Dam's  estate,  July  16, 
1767,  mentions  her  laud  "•  at  a  place 
called  Freetown,  in  Madbury." 

At  a  public  meeting  in  the  parish 
of  Madbury,  March  31,  1757,  it  was 
voted  that  a  school  be  kept  two 
months  "  at  M""  Hill's  House  at  Free- 
toion.'^ 

Frenchman's  Creek.  This  creek 
is  one  of  the  bounds  of  the  old 
Emerson  and  Leighton  lands,  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  Back  river  district. 
The  origin  of  the  name  is  uncertain. 
John  Winthrop,  in  his  Journal,  June 
25,  1631,  speaks  of  an  English  ship 
that  had  brought  to  Pascataqua  some 


Frenchmen  to  make  salt.  Henry 
Frenchman  was  taxed  in  Dover  in 
1665.  John  Frenchman,  "  smith," 
is  on  the  Portsmouth  rate-list  of 
Sept.  24,  1681.  Frenchman's  creek 
is  mentioned  the  6th,  10  mo.,  1656, 
when  Thomas  Layton's  grant  of  100 
acres  was  laid  out  on  the  south  side 
of  ^'' the  frenchman'' s  creek."  (See 
Hoy  all's  Cove.) 

Nicholas     Harford      conveyed     to 
Samuel  Emerson,  March  20,  1711-12, 
land  on  the  west  side  of  Back  river, 
near  Frenchman's  creek,  which    land 
had  been  bought  of  Moses  Davis,  to 
whom    it    was    granted    in  1701.     It 
was  between  the  land  of  Thomas  Lay- 
ton    and    the    land    Samuel  Emerson 
bought  of  Joseph  and  Thomas  Hall, 
Dec.     18,     1700.      May     17,    1714, 
Thomas  Laiton  sold  Samuel  Emerson 
the    eastern    portion    of  his   land  at 
Back  river,  "  beginning  at  rocky  Hill 
at  y*  turn  of  the  fence,  and  so  run- 
ning  straight  down   to   a  white  oak 
standing  against  a  little  orchard  y' 
was  Nich'*  Harford's  on  y^  west,  then 
straight  to  the  turn  of  y'  marsh  and 
so  to  y*  river."     These  tracts  became 
the  homestead  estate  of  Capt.  Sam- 
uel  Emerson,   and    remained    in   the 
possession  of  his  descendants  about 
175  years.     The  buildings,  with  part 
of  the  land,  now  belong  to  Mr.  Mark 
Chase.  Capt.  Emerson,  a  direct  ances- 
tor of  the  writer,  was  a  native  of  Hav- 
erhill, Mass.,  and  a  brother  of  Han- 
nah Dustiu,    famous  for  her  escape 
from  the  Indians  in  1697.  He  married 
Judith,  sister  of  Col.  James  Davis  of 
Oyster   River,  who,    after   her   mar- 
riage, was  for  several  years  a  captive 
among  the  Indians.     Capt.  Emerson 
removed,  early  last  century,  to  Oys- 
ter River,  where   he  was    appointed 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


79 


one  of  the  first  deacons  of  the 
church,  April  3,  1818,  the  Sunday 
after  its  organization,  and  his  wife 
was  the  first  person  admitted  as  a 
member,  that  same  day.  He  was 
ordained  "Elder"  Nov.  16,  1721. 
The  grave  of  Samuel  Emerson, — cap- 
tain, deacon,  and  elder, — and  that  of 
his  wife,  Judith,  ma}'  still  be  seen 
near  the  residence  of  his  descendant. 
Deacon  Winthrop  S.  Meserve,  of 
Durham. 

Fresh  Creek.  This  stream  is  a 
tributary  of  the  Cochecho  river,  into 
which  it  empties  on  the  east  side,  not 
far  above  the  mouth.  It  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Dover  records  as  early 
as  1648.  The  mill  privilege  on  this 
creek  was  granted  the  5th,  10  mo., 
1652,  to  Wm.  Furber,  Wm.  Went- 
worth,  Henry  Langstar  and  Thomas 
Canney,  together  with  the  timber 
"  from  the  head  of  tidewater  three 
miles  up  into  the  woods  betwixt  the 
tivo  freshets,  the  southernmost  fresh- 
ett  coming  out  of  the  marsh  beside 
the  Great  hill  at  Cochecho,  the 
northernmost  freshett  bounding  Cap' 
Wiggins  and  JVP  broadstreet's  grant 
at  Quomphegan,"  etc.  {N.  H.  Toiun 
Pap.,  XI:  530.)  Henry  Tibbets, 
June  29,  1713,  conveyed  to  John 
Drew,  Sr.,  one  half  of  the  mill  privi- 
lege at  the  head  of  Fresh  creek,  and 
half  of  his  labor  in  building  the  saw- 
mill there,  with  the  privilege  of  erect- 
ing a  dam  for  the  convenience  of 
said  mill,  together  with  land  for  a 
log  hill.  This  fall  was  within  the  line 
of  Samuel  Croumel's  (Cromwell's) 
land,  near  y*^  place  where  Joshua 
Croumel's  house  formerly  stood. 


The  name  of  Fresh  creek  is  still 
retained,  but  the  water  power  is  now 
small.  The  lowest  saw-mill  thereon 
was  at  the  crossing  of  the  present 
road  to  Eliot.  Fkujg's  mill,  a  tide 
mill,  was  the  last  that  stood  here. 
The  tide,  however,  extends  up  to  the 
old  road  laid  out  in  1709,  where  stood 
Fielding's  mill.  Another  mill  once 
stood  farther  up  the  stream,  where  it 
is  crossed  by  the  road  of  1733. 
Between  the  site  of  Flagg's  and 
Fielding's  mills  are  the  remains  of 
an  old  beaver  dam  in  a  cove,  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill  covered  with  alders, 
poplars,  and  red  oaks.  The  part  of 
Fresh  creek  above  the  head  of  tide 
water  to  the  mouth  of  Twombley's 
brook  is  often  called  Willoio  brook, 
from  the  number  of  ancient  willows 
that  border  the  stream  for  some  dis- 
tance ;  and  sometimes  Barbel  brook, 
because  in  spring  it  is  full  of  barbels, 
as  well  as  lamprey-eels,  etc.  Barbel 
brook  is  crossed  by  the  turnpike 
road  to  Portland.  Above  the  mouth 
of  Twombley's  brook,  it  is  called 
Rollins  brook,  to  its  source  among 
the  springs  in  the  vicinity  of  Otis' 
Hill.  (See  Rollins'  and  Tioombley's 
Brooks.y 

The  whole  brook  above  the  head  of 
tide  water  was  in  early  times  called 
Fresh  creek  brook.  This  name  is 
given  it  Dec.  16,  1720,  when  Ger- 
shom  Wentworth  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Downs  ten  acres  of  land  near  said 
Downs'  house,  extending  up  fresh 
creek  brook  31  poles.  Ebenezer 
Wentworth  conveyed  to  Benjamin 
Wentworth,  June  27,  1737,  all  right 
and    title    to    the     estate    of     their 


1 A  description  of  Fresh  creek  and  its  tributaries,  written  with  charming  freshness  (as  the 
subject  required)  by  Mrs.  Baer  of  Rollinsford,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Granite  Monthly,  Dec,  1883. 


8o 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


honored  father  Beuj"  Wentworth, 
bounded  northerl}'  b}'  Ephraim  Went- 
worth's  laud,  easterly  by  Fresh  creek 
brook,  etc. 

Fresh  Creek  Woods.  Mentioned 
Nov.  28,  1729,  when  Ephraim  Went- 
worth conveyed  to  Gershom  Went- 
worth ten  acres  in  a  place  called 
Fresh  Creek  woods,  beginning  at  the 
highway  side,  near  John  Heard's 
land,  and  extending  along  said  way 
over  Fresh  creek  head  46  rods  to 
Daniel  Plummer's  land ;  and  two 
acres  more  on  the  north  side  of  said 
highway,  beginning  at  a  heap  of 
stones  near  Richard  Goodwin's  east- 
erly corner. 

Fresh  Creek  Neck.  This  neck 
of  land  is  in  the  lower  part  of  Rollins- 
ford,  between  Fresh  creek  and  the 
Newichawannock  river.  It  is  men- 
tioned March  19,  1693-4,  when 
Thomas  Tibbets  had  a  grant  of  40 
acres  '■'■  on  Fresh  creek  neck."  And 
Ap.  2,  1694,  Joseph  Jenkins  had  a 
erant  of  20  acres  "on  Fresh  creek 
neck,  to  butt  on  y*  fore  river."  The 
lower  part  of  this  neck  was  granted 
Wm.  Pomfrett  in  1643,  and  the  re- 
mainder to  Richard  Waldron  and 
others  in  1652.    (See  Cochecho  Point.) 

Freshet  Bridge.  This  bridge  is 
across  Johnson's  creek,  in  the  lower 
part  of  Madbury,  and  is  so  called  in 
the  town  records  to  distinguish  it 
from  ''Johnson's  Creek  bridge,"  which 
is  not  far  off,  on  the  boundary  line 
between  Durham  and  Madbury.  The 
road  from  the  Dover  line  above  Dan- 
iel Pinkham's  house  is  spoken  of  Ap. 
6,  1815,  as  leading  down  by  his  house 
over  freshet  bridge. 

Frog  Pond.  Mentioned  in  Col. 
James  Davis's  will  of  Oct.  18,  1748, 
in  which  he  gives  his  son  Ephraim  15 


acres  of  land  granted  to  his  father, 
laid  out  adjoining  "  a  place  commonly 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
Frogg  Pond."  This  is  probably  the 
pond  referred  to  July  24,  1771,  when 
Nathaniel  Lamos  conveyed  to  James 
Lamos  15  acres  and  100  sq.  rods, 
part  of  a  pasture  near  Johnson's 
creek,  beginning  at  a  Frog  Pond  by 
the  land  of  Wm.  Jenkins. 

Furber's  Bridge.  So  called  in  the 
town  records  of  Lee  in  1785.  It  is 
across  Little  river,  on  the  road  from 
Lee  Hill  to  Wadleigh's  falls.  Its 
name  was  derived  from  Jethro  Fur- 
ber,  whose  laud  on  Little  river  is  men- 
tioned when  the  above  road  was  laid 
out  in  1755.     (See  Little  River.) 

Furber's  Point  and  Ferry.  Fur- 
ber's Point  is  on  the  Newington  shore, 
at  the  Narrows  between  Great  and 
Little  Bays.  The  name  is  derived 
from  Wm.  Furber,  who  came  from 
England  in  the  "Angel  Gabriel," 
which  was  wrecked  at  Pemaquid  in 
August,  1636.  He  was  at  Dover  in 
1637,  and  belonged  to  the  Combina- 
tion of  1640.  He  had  a  grant  of  land 
at  Welsh  Cove  as  early  as  1652.  In 
1657,  he  had  a  grant  of  thirty  acres 
more,  which  must  have  been  beyond 
the  boundary  Hue  at  Hogsty  Cove,  as 
they  were  a  part  of  the  400  acres 
along  Great  Bay  granted  to  Dover  by 
the  government  of  Mass.  Bay  in  1643, 
and  confirmed  iu  May,  1656.  These 
30  acres  were  doubtless  part  of  the 
land  he  afterwards  gave  his  son 
Jethro.  June  17,  1674,  he  gave  his 
homestead  to  his  oldest  son  William 
(see  Pascataqua  Pock),  who,  Dec. 
11, 1694,  was  licensed  to  keep  a  ferry 
"  from  his  house  at  Welchman's  cove 
over  to  Oyster  River."  (See  Ifatheiv's 
Neck.)     Furber's  ferry,  however,  was 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


8i 


in  operation  before  May,  1694.  (See 
N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  17:  668.)  The 
ferry  place  on  the  Newiugton  side  is 
mentioned  May  19,  1708,  when 
"  Joshua  ffurber  of  Portsmouth,  mar- 
iner, now  bound  to  sea,  upon  a  voy- 
age to  the  West  Indies,  and  not 
knowing  how  the  Lord  may  dispose 
of  me,"  gives,  in  his  will,  unto  his 
"dear  and  loving  wife  Elizabeth," 
till  her  son  Joshua  should  be  of  age, 
his  dwelling-house  at  Welch  cove, 
and  all  his  lands,  "  beginning  at  a 
pitch-pine  tree  standing  below  the 
point,  about  fifteen  rodds  or  there- 
abouts below  the  ferry -place,  where  the 
turn  of  the  tide  begins  at  ebb  and 
flow,  and  from  there  to  a  stake  in  the 
field,  on  the  south  side  of  the  old 
barn,  and  so  on  to  William's  line,  and 
from  thence  to  the  elm  tree  by  the 
brick-yard  home  to  the  meadow  of 
Thomas  Roberts,  being  the  house  and 
land  which  my  father  William  ffurber, 
deceased,  gave  me  by  his  deed  of 
Sept.  13,  1707."  The'oldFurberslie 
buried  at  the  right,  as  you  drive 
down  to  the  point  where  Furber's 
wharf  formerly  stood.  The  way,  now 
seldom  traversed,  is  rough,  but  bor- 
dered with  many  fine  walnut  trees, 
and  the  view  up  Great  Bay  and  down 
Little  Bay  amply  repays  all  fatigue. 
Across  the  Narrows  may  be  seen, 
amid  the  trees,  the  white  house  on 
Adams'  Point,  once  called  Mathews' 
Neck,  the  Durham  terminus  of  Fur- 
ber's ferry. 

Furber's  Straits.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  the  Narrows  be- 
twe.en  Great  and  Little  bays,  across 
which  P'urber's  ferry  once  ran. 

Gage's  Hill.  This  name  is  now 
generally  given  to  Faggoty  hill,  from 
Capt.  John   Gage,  who  lived  at  the 


foot  of  it,  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Joseph  Hutchins.  It  is  other- 
wise called  Dry  Hill. 

Gage's  Point.  This  name  is  given 
on  Whitehouse's  map  of  1834,  to  a 
point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cochecho 
on  the  west  side.  It  is  derived  from 
Col.  John  Gage  of  Beverley,  Mass., 
who  came  to  Dover  before  1725,  and 
married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Roberts) 
Hubbard,  great-granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Roberts  of  the  Dover  Com- 
bination of  1640.  He  acquired  land 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Cochecho,  on 
the  west  side,  before  Feb.  12,  1742, 
on  which  day  Love  and  Mary  Canney 
confirmed  to  him  all  right  to  70  acres 
in  Dover,  bounded  southerly  on  Gage's 
land  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cochecho, 
westerly  on  said  river  to  Thompson's 
Point,  and  northerly  by  said  river  to 
a  place  commonly  called  Long  creek, 
etc. 

Gallows  Hill.  This  hill  is  men- 
tioned May  30,  1699,  as  a  little  below 
the  falls  in  Oyster  river,  where  Sam- 
uel and  Philip  Chesley  and  others  had 
liberty  to  build  a  saw-mill.  (See 
Oyster  River  Falls.)  This  mill  be- 
came known  as  "  Chesley's  mill," 
and  was  so  called  as  early  as  1701. 
At  a  latei"  period  it  became  a  grist- 
mill. Gallows  hill  is  just  below,  on 
the  so-called  ''Mill  road,"  that  leads 
from  Durham  village  to  Packer's 
Falls.  This  sinister  name  is  derived 
from  some  residents  of  former  days, 
supposed  to  be  morally  qualified  to 
undergo  the  highest  penalty  of  the  law. 

Sivazey^s  hill  in  Dover,  just  below 
Central  square,  between  Central  ave- 
nue and  the  Cochecho  river,  was  often 
called  Oalloios  hill  after  the  execu- 
tion of  Elisha  Thomas,  who  was  hung: 
in  1788  for  the  murder  of  Capt.  Peter 


82 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Drowne  of  New  Durham.  The  spec- 
tators assembled  on  this  hill,  but  the 
gallows  stood  at  the  foot — where  the 
print-works  now  are.^5"^^»"*^*y^  f^^ 

Garrisons.  The  garrisons  men- 
tioned in  this  work  are  classified  under 
the  following  heads :  Hack  River^ 
Dover,  Greenland,  Lee,  Madhury, 
Newington,  Oyster  River  (Durham), 
and  Rollinsford  Garrisons. 

Garrison  Hill.  This  name  was 
originally  given  to  the  small  hill  in 
Dover  on  which  Heard's  garrison 
once  stood,  but  for  more  than  half  a 
century  has  been  transferred  to  the 
height  at  the  eastward,  called  in  early 
times  the  Great  Hill,  and  at  a  later 
period  Varney's  hill.  If  no  garrison 
ever  stood  on  the  Garrison  Hill  of  the 
present  day,  it  was  at  least  surround- 
ed by  garrisons.  Heard's  was  on  the 
westerly  side  ;  Otis's  farther  off,  at 
the  south  ;  and  a  little  later,  one,  if 
not  two,  Wentworth  garrisons  were 
built  at  the  eastward.  And  Varney's 
house  probably  had  defences.  Eben- 
ezer  Varney  acquired  land  here  in 
1696,  after  which  it  was  generally 
called  "  Varney's  hill.''  This  name 
is  given  to  it  as  late  as  1834,  on 
Whitehouse's  map  of  Dover.  (See 
Great  Hill  and  Varney's  Hill.) 

Garrison  Hill  is  about  a  mile  above 
the  Dover  railway  station.  Eight 
and  a  half  acres  thereon  were  bought 
by  the  city  in  1888,  for  a  public  park 
and  a  reservoir  to  supply  the  city  with 
water.  The  reservoir,  which  contains 
about  two  million  gallons,  is  supplied 
from  Page's  springs,  and,  when  ne- 
cessary, from  Willand's  pond.     The 


Hussey  springs  have  also  been  re- 
cently acquired.  The  Park  has  de- 
servedly become  a  popular  resort. 
The  view  from  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  is  298  feet  above  the  head  of 
tide-water,  extends  from  the  White 
Mountains  to  the  Isles  of  Shoals.  In 
every  direction  is  a  glorious  range  of 
hills — among  them  the  Northwood 
hills  and  Saddleback  mountain,  the 
three  Pawtuckaways  in  Nottingham, 
the  Blue  ridge  in  Strafford,  with  Blue 
Job  at  the  head,-  Otis'  or  Ricker's  hill 
in  Rollinsford,  Frost's  hill  in  Eliot, 
and,  further  east,  Mount  Agamenticus 
of  legendary  fame. 

Garrison  Hill  Village.  This 
name  is  given,  on  Whitehouse's  map 
of  Dover,  to  the  settlement  northwest 
of  Garrison  Hill. 

Geebig  Road,  otherwise  Chebeague 
and  Jebucto.  The  first  of  these 
names  is  popularly  given  to  a  road 
that  leads  through  the  northeastern 
part  of  Nottingham  to  Geebig  mill, 
on  North  river.  It  is  called  Jelmcto 
road  on  Tuttle's  map  of  Nottingham 
in  1806.  '-'•  Jaheague  upper  mill"  '\Q 
mentioned  Oct.  31,  1765,  when  Solo- 
mon Davis  conveyed  to  Wm.  Drew  a 
tract  of  land  on  Cross  street  in  Not- 
tingham, adjoining  this  mill.  The 
name  is  said  to  have  been  derived 
from  Chebucto,  an  Indian  chief  in  the 
vicinity  of  North  river,  the  first  half 
of  last  century.  Chebucto  or  Jebucto 
was  also  the  ancient  name  of  the 
place  where  is  now  the  city  of  Hali- 
fax, N.  S.  Great  and  Little  Che- 
beague islands  on  the  coast  of  Maine 
have  names  akin. 


1  Capt.  Peter  Drowne  was  a  revolutionary  officer  in  Col.  Stephen  Peabody's  regiment,  that 
went  to  Rhode  Island  in  1778.  He  was  murdered  Feb.  4, 1788,  by  Elisha  Thomas,  who  had  served 
as  a  private  in  Col.  Tash's  regiment  in  1776. 

2  The  name  of  Blue  Job  is  given  to  the  highest  part  of  the  Blue  Hill  range  in  Farmington, 
from  Job  AUard,  a  former  proprietor. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


83 


George's  Creek.  This  creek,  men- 
ioned  iu  the  Dover  records  of  1803, 
empties  into  the  Cochecho  river  near 
Beach's  soap-factor}' .5*«>7/4,?ti  HiLL . 

Gerrish's  Bridge.  This  is  a  well 
known  bridge  across  Bellamy  river  in 
Mad  bury,  below  the  Hook.  A  peti- 
tion for  a  bridge  across  Bellamy  Bank 
freshet,  "  a  little  above  Ca-[)t.  Paul 
Gerrish's  saiv-mill"  was  made  Oct. 
12,  1756.  This  bridge  is  spoken  of 
iu  1787  as  standing  by  "  Benjamin 
Gerrish's  corn-mill."  Beiuo'  lono;  and 
high  and  difficult  to  keep  in  repair,Ger- 
rish's  bridge  is  repeatedly  mentioned 
in  the  town  records  of  Madbury. 

Gerrish's  Mills.  The  first  mills 
of  this  name  were  at  the  lowest  falls 
in  the  Bellamy  river.  Capt.  John 
Gerrish,  through  his  wife,  daughter 
of  Major  Richard  Waldron,  acquired 
one  half  of  the  water  privilege  here, 
Oct.  17, 1683,  and  became  sole  owner 
at  a  later  day.  At  his  death  this 
property  fell  to  his  sons  Timothy  and 
Paul,  who  had  two  mills  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  Bellamy  in  1719,  and 
seem  to  have  acquired  exclusive  pos- 
session of  all  the  mill  privileges  on 
the  river,  within  the  limits  of  ancient 
Dover.  (See  Demerit's  Mill  and  Bel- 
lamy  Falls.) 

Another  Gerrish  mill^  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  Dover  and  Madbury 
records,  also  stood  on  the  Bellamy. 
It  was  in  Madbury,  below  the  Hook, 
directly  southwest  of  Barbadoes 
Pond.  A  record  of  Jan.  7,  1758, 
speaks  of  it  as  "  set  up  by  Capt.  Paul 
Gerrish  and  others."  Among  these 
was   John   Hanson,   of  Dover,  who, 


that  same  day,  sold  Daniel  Hayes,  of 
Madbury,  one  sixteenth  part  of  this 
mill.  "  Log  hill,  adjacent  to  the 
mill,"  is  spoken  of  in  the  deed  of  con- 
veyance. A  grist-mill  was  also  erected 
here.  One  of  these  mills  was  swept 
away  by  a  flood  in  1798,  and  the 
other,  June  24,  1799;  but  they  were 
both  rebuilt  soon  after.  Mrs.  Sarah 
Meserve,  of  Dover,  March  28,  1804, 
sold  Dauiel  Hayes  of  Madbury,  one 
twenty-fourth  part  of  GerrisWs  saw- 
mill— "  the  same,"  she  says  iu  her 
deed,  "  that  was  set  up  by  my  father, 
Benjamin  Gerrish."  Benjamin  was 
the  son  of  Paul.  This  saw-mill  be- 
came a  day-mill  in  time,  and  was 
taken  down  about  1833. 

"  The  grist-mill  and  falls,  with  the 
privilege  belonging  to  the  same," 
were,  in  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
acquired  by  Eli  Demerit,^  who  sold 
them  at  auction  in  1832.  This  mill 
is  now  gone.  The  dam  was  removed 
iu  1865  by  the  Messrs.  Sawyer  of 
Dover,  who  had  acquired  control  of 
all  the  mill  privileges  on  the  Bellamy. 

Giles's  Creek.  This  creek,  the 
first  below  Stevenson's,  on  the  south 
side  of  Oyster  river,  is  mentioned 
May  26,  1719,  when  James  Davis, 
sou  of  Moses,  and  Mary  his  wife, 
daughter  of  Bartholomew  Stevenson, 
sold  James  Langley  fifteen  acres  of 
land  granted  Joseph  Stevenson  March 
19,  1693-4,  beginning  at  an  oak  tree 
near  the  highway  that  goeth  from  a 
creek  called  Giles's  creek,  thence  E. 
S.  E.  to  a  pine  tree  by  the  pen. '^  This 
name,  now  discontinued,  was  derived 
from  Matthew  Gyles,  who  was  taxed 


1  This  Eli  Demerit  was  the  great-grandson  of  the  Eli  who  built  the  iirst  saw-mill  at  Bellamy 
Hook. 

2 Several  "pens  "  are  mentioned  in  the  neighborhood  of  Durham  Point  and  Lubberland.  A 
tract  of  four  acres  called  "  the  Pen"  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  to  Durham  Point,  originallj- 
part  of  the  parsonage  land,  was  conveyed  to  Valentine  Mathes  by  Robert  Mathes,  Maj'  3,  1832. 


84 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


at  Dover  in  1648.  He  died  before 
June  30,  1668,  when  his  estate  was 
divided  between  Richard  Knight  and 
Matthew  "Williams.  His  land  was 
afterwards  acquired  by  William  Pit- 
man, whose  son  Francis  sold  it  to 
Edward  Wakeham,  May  2,  1695. 
The  deed  of  conveyance  describes  it 
as  "  situate  and  lying,  and  being  in 
y*'  place  known  by  y^  name  of  Gilo's 
old  fields  lying  between  two  creeks." 
(See  Wakeham'' s  Creek.) 

Gilmore's  Point.  This  point  is 
on  the  upper  shore  of  Oyster  river, 
between  the  Smith  land  and  the  mouth 
of  Bunker's  creek.  It  was  so  named 
from  James  Gilmore,  who  lived  in 
that  vicinity  the  middle  of  last  cen- 
tury. He  seems  to  have  married 
Deborah,  widow  of  Joseph  Smith, 
who  died  before  Ap.  3,  1766.  James 
Gilmore  conveyed  to  Daniel  Smith, 
July  23,  1792,  the  whole  share  that 
fell  to  Samuel  Smith  out  of  that  part 
of  his  father  Joseph  Smith's  estate 
that  was  set  off  to  his  mother  Debo- 
rah Gilmore  for  her  thirds.  Daniel 
Smith  married  Mary  Gilmore  Dec.  7, 
1780.  This  tract  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Geo.  Fowler. 

Goat  Island.  This  island  is  in 
the  Pascataqua  river,  a  little  below 
the  mouth  of  Oyster  river,  and,  like 
Rock  island,  belongs  to  Newingtou. 
Wm.  Pomfrett,  the  5th,  5  mo.,  1652, 
had  the  grant  of  "  one  island,  lying 
in  the  river  that  runneth  toward 
Oyster  river,  commonly  called  by  the 
name  of  Gooett  Hand,  having  Seder 
(Cedar)  point  on  the  north,  and  i?ed- 
ding  Point  on  the  east  and  Fox  poynt 
on  the  southwestward."  William  Pom- 
frett gave  this  island  to  his  grandson, 
Wm.  Dam.  "  William  Damme  of 
Dover,"  and  wife  Martha,  Aug.    5, 


1702,  gave  their  son  Pomfrett  Dam 
the  island  "commonly  called  and 
known  by  y*^  name  of  Goat  Island, 
lying  between  Fox  point  and  y^  neck 
of  land  formerly  granted  unto  Mr. 
Valentine  Hill,  deceased."  In  the  ap- 
praisal of  the  estate  of  Samuel  Dam, 
Ap.  18,  1751,  mention  is  made  of 
"  one  small  island  of  about  three 
acres,  called  Goat  Island,"  valued 
20  £.  It  is  also  mentioned  in  the  in- 
ventory of  Timothy  Emerson's  estate 
in  1755,  and  valued  60  £.  It  now  be- 
longs to  Mr.  Cyrus  Frink  and  others. 

According  to  Dame's  map  of  New- 
ington,  Goat  island  is  48  rods  long. 
At  the  west  end  it  is  11  rods  wide. 
Its  greatest  width  is  12  rods,  whence 
it  tapers  to  the  east  end,  where  it  is 
only  2  rods  wide.  This  island  was 
one  of  the  links  in  the  old  Pascataqua 
bridge.  On  it  was  built  the  "  Pascat- 
aque-bridge  tavern  "  before  Oct.  24, 
1794,  on  which  day  the  agents  of  the 
Bridge  Co.  advertised  it  "to  be  let," 
describing  it  as  "  a  new,  commodious, 
double  house,  with  a  large,  conven- 
ient stable,  and  a  well  that  afforded 
an  ample  supply  of  water  in  the  dry- 
est  season."  This  tavern  was  burned 
down  many  years  ago,  and  no  build- 
ings now  remain  on  the  island.  There 
is  another  Goat  Island  in  the  Pascat- 
aqua river,  off  the  Kittery  shore. 

Goddard's  Creek.  This  creek  is 
on  the  southern  shore  of  Lubberland, 
and  was,  till  1870,  one  of  the  bound- 
aries between  Durham  and  New- 
market, and,  of  course,  between 
Strafford  and  Rockingham  counties. 
The  dividing  line,  when  perambulated 
March  4,  1805,  "  from  Lampreyeel 
River  Bridge  to  the  great  bay,"  began 
"  at  the  picked  rock  under  said  bridge, 
and  ran  S.  56J°  E.  264  rods,  to  the 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


85 


head  of  Goddard's  creeJc,  so  called, 
thence  by  the  channel  of  said  creek 
to  the  mouth  at  the  bay  aforesaid." 

The  name  of  this  creek  was  derived 
from  John  Goddard,  one  of  Capt. 
Mason's  colonists,  who  came  over 
with  Henry  Jocelyn  and  others  in  the 
Pied  Coiv,  in  1634,  and  arrived  at 
Newichawanuock  Jul}'  13,  where  he 
aided  in  erecting  a  saw-mill  and  corn- 
mill.  (Tuttle's  Ccqot.  John  Mason, 
p.  325.)  He  acquired  land  on  the 
creek  that  afterwards  took  his  name 
Sept.  22,  1647,  when  Joseph  Miller 
conveyed  to  him  the  liouse  where 
Miller  then  lived,  together  with  30 
acres  of  marsh  on  the  west  side  of 
Great  Bay,  near  the  Great  Cove,  and 
100  acres  of  land  on  the  west  side  of 
said  marsh,  all  of  which  had  been 
originally  granted  to  Thomas  Lark- 
ham.  John  Goddard  died  before 
June  27,  1667,  on  which  day  the  in- 
ventory of  his  estate  was  made.  "  The 
old  loay  from  Lamprill-river  falls  to 
John  Godder's,"  is  mentioned  the 
28th,  2  mo.,  1664,  in  the  laying  out 
of  a  road  from  said  falls  to  the  Great 
Bay.  His  creek  is  mentioned  June 
25,  1675,  when  all  ot  Lamprey  river 
neck  was  conveyed  to  Peter  Coffin, 
extending  from  the  head  of  ^^  John 
Goddar's  creek "  to  the  head  of  tide 
water  below  Lamprey  river  falls, 
where  Mr.  Hill's  works  stood.  An 
error  having  been  made  in  laying  out 
"a  lot  at  Lubberland  for  old  Richard 
York,"  and  the  old  return  being  lost, 
the  bounds  were  renewed  Dec.  11, 
1683,  beginning  at  a  marked  tree  by 
the  creek  called  Goddard's  creek,  and 
running  N.  N.  W.  60  poles  to  a  val- 
ley or  gutter,  etc.  Four  acres  of 
thatch-ground  on  the  south  side  of 
'■^  Gothard's  creek,"  joining  the  south 


side  of  "  Lampreel  river  neck,"  were 
granted  Wm.  Furber,  Sr.,  June  23, 
1701. 

This  creek  is  called  Luhherland 
creefc  March  10,  1740-41,  when  Samp- 
son Doe  of  the  parish  of  Newmarket, 
in  the  town  of  Exeter,  conveyed  to 
his  SOD  Samuel,  one  fourth  of  a  piece 
of  salt  marsh  and  flats  in  "  y^  creek 
commonly  called  Luhherland  creek" 
There  appears  to  have  been  a  mill  on 
this  creek  in  early  times.  "  Samson 
Doe"  conveyed  to  Nathaniel  Doe, 
Ap.  22,  1742,  his  land  and  marsh 
"  between  y^  fence  and  Goddard's 
creek,  from  ye  old  mill,  so  called,  up 
to  an  elm  tree  at  Drisco's  field." 

Golding's  Bridge.  Mentioned  Dec. 
21,  1721,  when  Maturin  Ricker's 
grant  in  the  "  Trunnel  country"  was 
laid  out  to  his  son  Joseph  on  the 
"  east  side  of  a  way  that  leads  from 
Quamphegan  to  goldins  hridge."  This 
name  may  be  a  corruption  of  Good- 
ing. Maturin  and  Hannah  Ricker 
Aug.  29,  1721,  conveyed  to  Richard 
Gooding  12  acres,  part  of  a  20  acre 
grant  to  Joshua  Cromwell,  and  laid 
out  to  said  Maturin  Dec.  14,  1720, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  way  from 
Cochecho  to  Salmon  falls,  and  two 
acres  more  on  the  south  side  of  said 
way,  beginning  at  an  elm  tree  stand- 
ing by  a  bridge.  This  was  no  doubt 
Golding  or  Ricker's  bridge.  (See 
Fresh  Creek  Woods.) 

Maturin  Ricker  conveyed  to  Ger- 
shom  Wentworth,  Oct.  27,  1729, 
twelve  acres  of  land  on  the  easterly 
side  of  the  road  from  Cochecho  to 
Salmon  falls,  beginning  at  an  elm 
tree  near  a  certain  bridge  called  Rick- 
er's bridge,  and  running  S.  by  E.  to 
Joseph  Ricker's  fence,  and  thence 
easterlv  to  Jeremiah  Rawlin's  fence. 


86 


Landma7-ks  in  Ancient  Dover 


This  bridge  was  no  doubt  across  Fresh 
creek  brook,  now  Rollins'  brook. 

GoNic.     See  Sqiiamanagonic. 

Gooseberry  Marsh.  This  marsh 
is  in  the  upper  part  of  Madbury,  on 
the  south  side  of  Bellamy  river.  It 
is  so  called  May  30,  1738,  when  John 
and  Sarah  Giles  conveyed  to  Wra. 
Dam  20  acres  on  "  the  S.  E.  side  of 
y*^  HooJc  marsh,  beginning  at  a  hem- 
lock tree  near  y*  place  called  y®  goos- 
bery  marsh."  Timothy  Moses  con- 
veyed to  Timothy  Emerson,  Aug.  24, 
1741,  five  acres  at  the  east  end  of 
Gooseberry  marsh,  on  the  south  side 
of  Belleman's  Bank  river. 

The  Gore.  This  was  a  section  of 
land  on  the  borders  of  Portsmouth 
and  the  Bloody  Point  district  that 
remained  ungranted  till  1693.  It  did 
not  form  part  of  Ancient  Dover,  but 
it  is  often  mentioned  in  the  convey- 
ances of  the  Dover  lands  adjoining, 
and  now  belongs  for  the  most  part,  if 
not  wholly,  to  Newington.  The  se- 
lectmen of  Portsmouth,  March  22, 
1693,  conveyed  to  Wm.  Vaughan  "  a 
gore  of  land  between  the  land  former- 
ly granted  Capt.  Bryan  Pendleton 
and  the  line  y'  is  y*  bounds  betwene 
the  towns  of  Portsmouth  and  Dover 
y'  runs  from  Caunyes  Coue  to  hoogsty 
Coue,  and  runs  from  Canuyes  Coue 
to  (the)  Bloody  point  roode  waye 
that  leads  to  Greenland."  William 
Vaughan  of  Portsmouth,  Feb.  1,  1708, 
conveyed  to  George  Huntris  of  Do- 
ver, a  tract  of  40  acres  "  in  Ports- 
mouth, adjoining  to  Cannyes  Cove, 
near  said  George  Huntris'  house  in 
Piscataqua  river,  in  that   part  which 


is  called  the  Long  Retch,  beginning 
at  the  river's  side,  at  said  cove,  and 
running  W.  S.  W.  from  the  river  by 
a  tract  of  land  which  was  formerly 
given  and  laid  out  to  Capt.  Pendleton 
by  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  which 
said  Pendleton  sold  to  Christopher 
Jose,  and  now  belongs  to  Capt.  Rich- 
ard Gerrish,  to  run  on  a  W.  S.  W. 
line  by  said  Gerrish's  land  to  a  cer- 
tain place  called  the  Durty  Gutt,  in 
the  way  that  goes  from  Rawlins'  to 
the  pitch-pine  plains,  and  from  said 
durty  Gutt  in  said  way  to  run  N.  W. 
by  y^  edge  of  the  swamp  to  the  line 
that  bounds  Portsmouth  and  Dover, 
and  thence  upon  said  Portsmouth  and 
Dover  line  to  y®  first  bounds,  being  a 
gore,  and  is  part  of  that  gore  which 
the  said  Wm.  Vauo-han  bought  of  the 
town  of  Portsmouth,  which  lott  con- 
tains about  40  acres,  reserving  unto 
said  Wm.  Vaughan,  his  heirs  and 
assigns,  a  cartway  down  to  Cannej^'s 
cove,  and  40  feet  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill  at  said  cove." 

William  and  Abigail  King  of  Ports- 
mouth, Feb.  14,  1723-4,  conveyed  to 
John  Downing,  Jr.,  of  Newington, 
his  part  of  the  gore  in  the  pitch-pine 
plains  in  Neivington,  which  land  lay 
in  equal  partnership  between  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Gerrish,  Mrs.  Margret 
Vaughan  (then  Mrs.  Margret  ffoye), 
Mrs.  Abigail  Shannon,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Vaughan,  and  the  said  Wm.  King.* 
Bridget  Gerrish  of  Berwick,  widow  of 
Nathaniel  Gerrish,  March  25,  1730, 
conveyed  to  Margaret,  "  y*  now  wife 
of  John  ffoye  of  Charlestown,  Mrs. 
Abigail  Shannon,  widow, ^  Mrs.  Eliz- 


1  Wm.  King  was  the  son  of  Mary  Vaughan,  who  married  Daniel  King  of  Salem. 

2  Capt.  Nathaniel  Gerrish  of  Berwick  married  Bridget  Vaughan.  Abigail  Vaughan  married, 
1st,  Nathaniel  Shannon,  and  secondly,  Capt.  George  Walker.  Margaret  Vaughan  married,  1st, 
Capt.  John  Foye,  and  2dly,  the  Hon.  Charles  Chambers,  both  of  Charlestown,  Mass. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


87 


abeth  Vaughan,  single  woman,  and 
"Wm.  King,  mariner,  all  of  Portsmouth, 
her  fifth  part  of  tlie  Qore  of  laud 
which  her  father  Wm.  Vaughan  had 
of  the  town  of  Portsmouth — which 
fifth  part  was  52  acres.  The  whole 
tract  was  bounded  S.  E.  on  the  land 
of  Wm.  Vaughan,  then  in  possession 
of  John  Vincent ;  W.  by  Jos.  John- 
son and  Alex""  Hodgden  ;  S.  by  land 
of  Capt.  Henry  Dering  and  Lt.  Gov. 
Wentworth,  then  in  possession  of 
Samson  Babb  and  John  Stevens ; 
N.  W.  on  Mad.  Graff ord's  common 
right,  Mr.  Ephraim  Dennet  and  oth- 
ers ;  and  "  on  y*  east,  northerly,  on 
y®  road  that  leads  from  Islington  to 
Newiugton  ferry." 

Gosling  Road.  This  name  is  pop- 
ularl}'  given  to  the  long  straight  road 
leading  from  the  Pascataqua  river  two 
miles  along  the  dividing  line  between 
Newington  and  Portsmouth.  Rich- 
ard Dame,  on  his  map,  calls  it  the 
"  Road  to  Boiling  Rock.'''  It  is  called 
the  ''New  Road''  May  12,  1759, 
when  David  and  Charles  Dennett  con- 
veyed to  John  Hart  eleven  acres  of 
land  in  Portsmouth,  on  the  south- 
easterly side  of  y^  new  road.,  so  called, 
which  divides  y^  town  of  Portsmouth 
and  y^  parish  of  Newington,  and  on 
y*  southwesterly  side  of  y®  road  that 
leads  from  Portsmouth  by  Islington 
to  Knight's  ferry,  having  the  land  of 
Benj°  Miller  on  y^  S.  E.  side,  and  the 
land  of  John  Shackford  on  the  south- 
west. It  was  still  called  the  "  new 
road"  in  1772,  when  Joseph  S.  Hart, 
the  11th  of  June,  conveyed  to  Rich- 
ard Hai't  150  acres  of  laud  in  New- 
ington, beginning  at  the  river,  and 
running  westerly  by  the  Neio  Road, 
so  called,  to  the  land  of  Samuel  Ham, 
etc.,    beina:   the   land   on    which    his 


father  John  Hart  then  lived.  This 
land  was  acquired  by  Richard  Pick- 
ering in  1808. 

Granite  State  Park.  This  park 
is  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  Willaud's 
pond,  partly  in  Dover  and  partly  in 
Soraers worth.  It  was  laid  out  in 
1876,  on  land  acquired  from  Mr. 
Frank  Bickford  and  Mr.  Howard 
Henderson.  A  "  Race  Course  "  here 
is  mentioned  on  Chace's  county  map 
of  1856.  There  is  still  a  trotting 
ground,  and  agricultural  fairs  are 
held  in  the  park. 

Great  Bay.  This  beautiful  basin 
of  water,  four  miles  wide  in  one  part, 
enclosed  between  Durham  and  New- 
market on  the  north,  and  Greenland 
and  Newiugton  on  the  south,  was  so 
named  as  early  as  1643.  It  was  oth- 
erwise called  the  Bay  or  Lake  of 
Pascataquack.  It  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  formed  by  the  union  of 
the  Winnicot,  Squamscot,  and  Lam- 
prey rivers,  but  it  is  by  no  means 
dependent  on  them  for  its  supply  of 
water.  It  is  a  tidal  basin  that  de- 
pends chiefly  on  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  ocean.  "At  high  tide,"  says  Mr. 
J.  S.  Jenness,  "  when  this  large  basin 
is  filled  by  the  sea,  the  prospect  over 
its  pellucid  surface,  framed  all  around 
with  green  meadows  and  waving 
grain  and  noble  woods,  is  trulv  en- 
chantins;-  But  when  the  tide  is  out, 
a  vast  bed  of  black  ooze  is  exposed 
to  view,  bearing  the  scanty  waters  of 
several  small  streams  which  empty 
into  this  great  laguue." 

Great  Beaver  Dam.     See  Beaver 
Dams. 

Great     Brook.       See    Emerson's 
Brook. 

Great  Creek.  Mentioned  the  23d, 
10th  mo.,    1644,    when,   at  a   public 


88 


Landinarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


town  meeting  in  Dover,  a  grant  was 
made  to  Mr.  ffrancis  Mathes  ^  of  "  all 
the  marsh  in  the  Great  creek  on  the 
uorwest  side  of  the  Great  bay,  being 
the  first  creek,  and  one  hundred  acres 
of  upland  adjoining  to  it."  The  in- 
ventory of  his  estate,  made  "  50  or 
60  years "  after  his  decease,  and 
sworn  to  by  his  son  Benjamin,  March 
6,  1704,  mentions,  among  other  lands, 
100  acres  adjoining  the  N.  W.  side 
of  the  first  creek  in  the  Great  Bay, 
together  with  three  acres  of  salt  marsh. 
Francis  Mathes,  Dec.  5,  1749,  con- 
veyed to  his  grandsons  Gershom  and 
Benjamin  Mathews,  Jr.,  100  acres  of 
land  in  Durham,  adjoining  the  Great 
Greek,  commonly  called  3Iatheius' 
Creek,  then  in  possession  of  said 
Gershom  and  Benjamin,  with  all  his 
right  to  the  said  Great  Creek,  etc. 
This  creek  is  now  called  Crmnmit's 
creek. 

Great  Falls.  This  name  was 
given  at  an  early  day  to  the  chief 
natural  falls  in  the  Salmon  Falls  river. 
Richard  Hussey,  March  19,  1693-4, 
had  a  grant  of  50  acres  above  the 
Great  Falls,  laid  out  Dec.  9,  1729, 
beginning  above  said  falls  at  a  pitch- 
pine  tree  on  the  west  side  of  a  brook, 
thence  running  N.  45°  W.  100  rods, 
to  a  small  white  oak  in  sight  of  Pe- 
ter's marsh,  then  49°  E.  80  rods,  to 
land  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  John 
Hanson,  deceased.  Job  and  Joseph 
Hussey  conveyed  part  of  this  land  to 
Thomas  Wallingford  July  5,  1743, 
giving  the  same  bounds.  Forty  acres, 
"  near  adjatiant  to  the  Great  falls  on 
Salmon  fall  Riuer,"  were  granted  to 
"  Henry  hobs"  Ap.   11,  1694.     Ben- 


jamin Mason  of  Dover,  son  of  Peter, 
conveyed  to  Thomas  Hanson,  Oct. 
8,  1727,  a  quarter  part  of  "  y**  new 
mill  upon  Salmon  falls  river,  on  that 
part  of  y®  river  commonly  called  by 
y*  name  of  the  Great  Falls,  distin- 
guished and  known  by  that  name, 
built  in  y*  year  1727,  joining  to  the 
old  mill,  or  near  to  it,  with  a  quarter 
part  of  all  the  privileges,  and  y^  dam 
thereto,  with  y''  falls  and  water  and 
watercourses  thereto  belonging,"  etc. 

Ten  acres  of  land,  acquired  by 
Benj°  Waimouth  in  1734,  were  laid 
out  to  Joseph  Wentworth  Ap.  2, 
1747,  "  beginning  at  a  small  white 
oak  near  Hogges  fence  above  s'^ 
Wentworth's  house  at  y^  Great  falls 
where  he  now  lives."  Thomas  AVest- 
brook  Waldron,  administrator  of  the 
estate  of  Joseph  Wentworth  of  Som- 
ersworth,  Ap.  10,  1766,  conveyed  to 
Andrew  Home  of  Dover,  blacksmith, 
(the  highest  bidder  at  a  public  sale) , 
§  of  the  homestead  estate  of  said 
Wentworth,  situate,  lying,  and  being 
at  a  place  called  the  great  falls  in 
Somersworth,  being  §of  53  acres  and 
120  rods  of  land,  with  |  of  the  house 
and  barn,  and  f  of  a  grist-mill,  and 
§  of  ^  of  the  stream  saw  in  the 
double  saw-mill  there,  together  with 
the  proportionable  part  of  all  the 
machinery  and  privileges  belonging 
to  said  mill  as  then  situated  on  Sal- 
mon  falls  river. 

The  water  privilege  here  was  ac- 
quired between  1820  and  1823,  by 
Isaac  Wendell  of  Dover,  who  also 
bought  of  Gershom  Horn  a  tract  of 
land  adjacent.  This  purchase  was 
made  for   the  Great  Falls  Manufac- 


1  This  Francis  Matlies  or  Mathews  was  one  of  Capt.  John  Mason's  colonists  sent  over  between 
1631  and  1634,  and  asigner  of  the  Exeter  Combination  of  1639.  His  descendants  are  still  numer- 
ous in  Durham  and  the  neighboring  towns. 


Landmai'ks  m  Ancient  Dover. 


89 


turing  Co.,  which  was  incorporated 
June  11,  1823.  This  Company  now 
has  control  of  the  whole  water  power 
from  the  various  sources  of  the  Sal- 
mon Falls  river  to  the  third  level  at 
Great  Falls,  including  Great  East, 
Horn's,  and  Wilson's  Ponds  on  the 
East  branch  ;  Cook's,  Lovell's,  and 
Cate's,  on  the  West  branch,  and  the 
Three  Ponds  at  Milton.  Around  the 
extensive  cotton  mills  belonging  to 
this  Company  has  grown  up  the  flour- 
ishing village  of  Great  Falls,  the  only 
village  in  Somersworth  since  the  in- 
corporation of  Rollinsford. 

The  name  of  Great  Falls  was  also 
formerly  given  to  the  falls  in  North 
River,  at  South  Lee,  where  Harvey's 
mill  now  stands.     (See  North  River.) 

Great  Hill.  Mentioned  the  5th, 
10  mo.,  1652,  when  John  Heard  had 
a  grant  of  50  acres  under  the  Great 
Hill  of  Cochechoe,  on  the  south  side, 
below  the  cartway.  A  freshet  is 
mentioned  the  same  day  as  "  coming 
out  of  the  marsh  beside  the  great  hill 
at  Cochecho."  Thomas  Paine  of 
Dover,  in  y^  county  of  Dover  and 
Portsmouth,  conveyed  to  Ginking 
Jones,  July  9,  1673,  twenty  acres  of 
land  at  Cochecha  near  y*  Greate  hill, 
bought  of  Wm.  Wentworth  March  6, 
1666,  being  part  of  50  acres  granted 
said  Wentworth  the  1st,  10  mo.,  1652, 
beginning  at  a  gutt  at  y*"  lower  end  of 
said  Wentworth's  field,  on  y''  east  side 
of  the  Greate  hill,  and  running  by  y** 
cartway  to  a  marked  tree.  This  hill 
is  otherwise  called  the  Great  Cochecho 
hill  and  Cochecho  Great  hill.  The 
Eev.  John  Pike  calls  it  simply  "  the 
Hill"  May  28,  1704.  It  is  now 
called  Garrison  Hill. 

The  name  of  Great  Hill  is  also 
given  to  a  hill  in  Lubberland  near  the 


head  of  Goddard's  creek.  It  is  men- 
tioned the  10th,  2  mo.,  1674,  when 
100  acres  of  land  on  the  Great  Bay, 
bought  by  John  Goddard  of  Thomas 
Larkham,  were  laid  out,  beginning 
at  the  corner  of  the  orchard  and  run- 
ning N.  by  W.  to  a  marked  tree 
under  the  Great  Hill.  "  Y*  Great 
Hill"  is  again  mentioned  in  a  deed 
from  Martha,  widow  of  Elias  Critchet, 
Sr.,  and  daughter  of  John  Goddard, 
Sr.,  to  her  grandson  Joseph  Thomas, 
Aug.  4,  1729.  It  is  called  Chesley's 
Hill  in  a  deed  from  Elias  Critchet  to 
Samuel  Smith  Ap.  5,  1731.  It  is 
otherwise  called  Rocky  Hill.  (See 
Birch  Point,  Doe's  Neck,  and  Stony 
Brook.) 

Great  Ponu.  So  called  in  the 
Dover  grants  of  1650.  Joseph  Aus- 
tin's land  near  the  Great  Pond  is 
mentioned  the  23d,  10  mo.,  1658. 
Thomas  and  Sarah  Downs,  Dec.  16, 
1720,  conveyed  to  Gershom  Went- 
worth 50  acres  of  land  near  y*  Great 
Pond  above  Cochecho,  half  of  a  hun- 
dred-acre grant  to  Wm.  Everit, 
deceased,  "  beginning  at  a  pitch- 
pine  tree  near  y*  pond,  on  y*  west 
side  of  y^  road  y^  leads  to  Whitehall." 
Gershom  AVeutworth  conveyed  this 
land  to  his  "loving  son  Ezekiel " 
Nov.  10,  1730,  when  the  Great 
Pond  is  again  mentioned.  Moses 
Stevens  had  %^  acres  laid  out  March 
27,  1736,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
brook  that  comes  out  of  the  Great 
pond,  below  the  stejyj^ing-stoyies,  so 
called,  joining  to  the  marsh  line, 
beginning  at  an  alder  bush  near  the 
old  bridge. 

This  pond  is  now  called  Willand's 
Pond.     (See  Cochecho  Pond.) 

Great     Swamp.      This      swamp, 
partly    in    Greenland,  and    partly  in 


90 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Portsmouth,  is  crossed  by  the  Ports- 
mouth and  Coucord  railway.  It  is 
the  source  of  several  streams  that 
flow  through  a  part  of  ancient  Dover. 

Great  Turn.    Mentioned  June  10, 
1719,  when  100  acres  of  land,  granted 
to  Wm.  Follet  in  1658,  were  laid  out 
to  Ichabod  Chesley  "  near  y*  Place 
called  the  Grate  Turn.'''     This    land 
adjoined  the  S.  W.  side  of  "  Bello- 
raan's  Bank  freshett."     Thirty  acres 
were   laid    out   to   Daniel   Messerve 
June    12,    1719,  beginning    "  at   the 
south  side  of  the  way  that  leads  to 
the  liook,  at  a  pine  at  the  great  turn" 
and  thence  running  N.  N.  W.  60  rods 
by  the  path  to  a  white  pine.    A  high- 
way into  the  woods  was  laid  out  May 
31,  1733,  "beginning  on  y^  west  side 
of  the  road  at  y®  great  turn,  as  y*  way 
was  formerly  laid  out  by  Capt.  Jones 
and  Jonathan  Thompson,"  and  run- 
ning   "as   y'^   way    now   goes    on  y* 
north    side   of  John    Davis's    house, 
and    so    along   y*^    same    way   till    it 
comes    to    Durham    line."     Ichabod 
Chesley  and    wife  Temperance,  Ap. 
4,   1748,  conveyed  to  Joseph  Daniel 
25f  acres  of  land  in  Dover,  near  the 
place  called  the  great  turn.     May  28, 
1748,  he  conveyed  to  Eli  Demerit  13^ 
acres  in  Dover,  on  the  S.  W.  side  of 
Belliman's    Bank    freshit,    near    the 
place  called  the  Great  turn,  being  part 
of  100  acres  granted  to  Wm.  Folliott 
of    Oyster   River   the    5th,    2    mo., 
1658.^     And  that  same  day  Ichabod 
Chesley  conveyed  to  Solomon  Emer- 
son 9|^  acres  of  Follet's  grant,  near 
the  great  turn,  beginning  at  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  the  land  Zachariah  Pitman 
bought  of  said  Chesley,  near  said  Em- 
erson's orchard.     (See  Long  Turn.) 

Green  Hill.     The  road  to  Green 


Hill  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
Dover  and  Madbury  records.  It  is 
in  the  eastern  corner  of  the  Two 
Mile  Streak,  adjoining  the  Dover 
line.  It  is  so  called  on  an  old  plan 
of  July  10,  1753,  executed  by  Thomas 
W.  Waldron,  and  on  Holland's  map 
of  1784.  At  the  foot  of  this  hill  is 
Fly  Market.     (See  the  Heath.) 

Greenland.  The  entire  shore  of 
Greenland,  beginning  40  rods  below 
Sandy  Point,  appears  to  have  formed 
part  of  ancient  Dover.  At  the  Court 
held  in  Boston  the  19th,  7  mo., 
1643,  it  was  ordered  "That  all  the 
marsh  and  meadow  ground  lying 
against  the  great  bay  on  Strawberry 
bank  side  shall  belong  to  the  towne 
of  Dover,  together  with  400  acres  of 
upland  adjoining."  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  1  :  172.)  This  grant  was  more 
clearly  defined  in  the  division  of  the 
Squamscot  Patent,  May  22,  1656, 
when  all  the  marsh  was  assigned  to 
Dover  from  Hogsty  Cove,  near  the 
mouth  of  Great  Bay,  round  about  the 
Bay  up  to  Cotterill's  Delight,  together 
w^ith  400  acres  of  upland,  as  granted 
it  by  the  Court.  {Ibid,  1  :  222.  See 
also  CotteriU's  Delight.) 

Among  the  Dover  grants  on  the 
Greenland  shore  are  those  to  Thomas 
Canney,  Richard  Carter,  John  Hall, 
John  Heard,  Richard  Hussey,  Henry 
Lano[staffe,  John  and  Thomas  Rob- 
erts,  Henry  Tibbets,  Thomas  Willey, 
George  Webb,  etc.  The  grants  to 
Thomas  Canney  and  Thomas  Willey 
were  at  a  considerable  distance  above 
the  mouth  of  Winnicot  river.  (See 
Canney' s  Marsh  and  Willey' s  Island.) 
And  still  farther  above  was  the 
large  tract  which  Richard  Waldron 
and  Thomas  Lake  reserved  for  them- 


1  Foliot  was  the  name  of  a  Devonshire  family,  allied  with  the  Gorges.    (Baxter's  Sic  J'erdi- 
nando  Gorges,  2: 152.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover, 


91 


selves.  The  Dover  o-raDts  on  this 
shore  seem  to  have  been  for  the  most 
part  purchased  by  the  Portsmouth 
settlers,  and  the  whole  shore  was 
finally  relinquished  when  Greenland 
was  made  a  separate  parish. 

Greenland  is  mentioned  in  the 
Portsmouth  records  as  early  as  July 
10,  1655,  when  300  acres  of  upland 
and  meadow  were  granted  to  Capt. 
Champernouu,^  "  adjoining  his  now 
dwelling  \\0wiiQ2X  grenlandJ'''  In  July, 
1657,  Francis  Champernoone  con- 
veyed to  Valentine  Hill  his  ''  farm  in 
y®  Great  Bay  called  by  y®  name  of 
Greenland,''^  which  had  been  in  his 
possession  16  or  17  years,  with  all 
right  to  "  400  acres  in  said  farm 
granted  him  by  Mr.  Robert  Salton- 
stall  and  others  of  y^  Patentees." 
Valentine  Hill  of  Dover  conveyed  to 
Capt.  Thomas  Clark  and  Wm.  Paddy 
of  Boston,  merchants,  his  "  farm 
called  Greenland^  lying  in  y*  bottom 
of  y^  Greate  bay  in  y*"  river  of  Pis- 
cataqua." 

March  12, 1713,  Edward  Hutchinson 
of  Boston,  merchant,  and  Mary,  wife 
of  Josiah  Wolcot  of  Salem — son  and 
daughter  of  Eliza  Hutchinson,  lately 
deceased,  the  heir  of  Major  Thomas 
Clark,  late  of  Boston,  deceased — 
conveyed  to  Col.  Wm.  Partridge  in 
the  name  of  said  Clark  and  of  Wm. 
Paddy,  deceased,  a  certain  neck, 
tract,  or  parcell  of  land  commonly 
called  by  the  name  of  Greenland  or 
Champernmm  farm,  butted  and 
bounded  on  the  Great  Bay,  and  lying 


between  two  creeks,  purchased  by 
said  Clark  and  Paddy  before  released 
from  Valentine  Hill,  long  since  de- 
ceased, who  derived  his  title  from 
Capt.  Francis  Champernoun,  the  first 
and  original  proprietor  of  said  farm. 

Wm.  Partridge,  Esq.,  of  Newbury 
conveyed  to  Thomas  Packer  of  Ports- 
mouth, chirurgeon,  one  half  of  all  his 
right  unto  ye  old  and  7iew  ffarme  at 
Greenland,  called  Cham  per  now  ne 
ffarme  or  ffarmes,  as  sold  by  ffrancis 
Champernoun  to  Nathaniel  Fryer, 
Henry  Langstaffe,  and  Philip  Lewis, 
March  27,  in  y*  one  and  twentieth 
year  of  y^  late  reign  of  our  sov.  Lord, 
Charles  y*  Second. 

John  Davis  of  Oyster  River,  in  his 
will  of  May  25,  1686,  gives  his  son 
Joseph  "  one  half  the  marsh  which  I 
bought  of  Mr.  Valentine  Hill,  situate 
and  lying  in  Greenland.^' 

Francis  and  Mary  Drake  of  Ports- 
mouth, Aug.  5,  1686,  conveyed  to 
John  Johnson  and  Thomas  Bracket 
"my  now  dwelling-house"  and  84 
acres  of  land  in  Greenland  in  y'^  town- 
ship of  Portsmouth,  obtained  partly 
by  grant,  and  partly  from  Capt. 
Francis  Champeruoon.  Sept.  20,  1717, 
Wm.  Partridge  and  Thomas  Packer 
conveyed  to  Matthias  Haynes  QQ  acres 
in  the  parish  of  Gi'eenland,  part  of 
the  Champernoo7i  new  farm,  joining 
the  road  from  Greenland  to  Hampton, 
at  the  turn  of  the  road  against  Neel's. 
Capt.  Champernowue  was  a  member 
of  the  Dover  Combination  of  1640, 
and  a  portion  of  his  land  at  Greenland 


1  This  was  Francis  Champernowne  of  royal  descent,  tlie  friend  and  relative  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  and,  as  Mr.  J.  S.  Jenness  says,  "  the  noblest  born  and  bred  of  all  New  Hampshire's  first 
planters."  On  Champernowne 's  island,  now  called  Gerrish's  island,  at  Kittery  Point,  may  be 
seen  his  grave,  with  its  rude  cairn,  over  which  Dr.  Wm.  Hale  of  Dover  has  recently  sung  so 
plaintive  a  dirge  : 

"  Where,  wind  to  wave,  and  wave  to  echoing  rock, 
Their  endless  dirges  chant  for  lost  renown; 
With  everj'  bursting  wave  sounding  a  knell 
Above  the  lonely  grave  of  Champernowne." 


92 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


fell  within  the  limits  of  aucieut  Dover. 
The  part  acquired  by  Capt.  Thomas 
Packer  became  known  as  the  Packer 
farm.  A  portion  of  this  is  now  gen- 
erally called  the  "Peirce^  farm," 
from  the  late  Col.  Joshua  W.  Peirce, 
by  whose  heirs  it  is  still  owned. 

It  was  voted  at  a  town  meeting  in 
Portsmouth,  June  4,  1705,  that  "  y* 
bounds  of  Greenland  be  on  y*  south 
side  of  Col.  Packer's  farme.''  And  a 
petition  of  May  26,  1725,  mentions  a 
vote  of  the  town  "that  Greenland 
bounds  should  be  on  the  south  side 
of  Packer's  farm  (which  suppose  is 
now  Doctor  Marches)." 

The  name  of  Greenland,  originally 
confined  to  the  Champeruowne  farm,^ 
was  finally  given  to  all  the  western 
part  of  Portsmouth,  which  was  set  off 
as  a  separate  parish  in  1706,  but  con- 
tinued to  be  assessed  as  a  part  of 
Portsmouth  till  March  21,  1721,  when, 
at  the  petition  of  Samuel  and  Joshua 
Weeks  and  James  Johnson,  it  was 
allowed  to  be  taxed  separately  (iV.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  2:  739-40.)  The  privi- 
lege of  sending  a  representative  to  the 
General  Assembly  was  granted  to  the 
Parish  of  Greenland  May  12,  1732. 
{Ibid,  4  :  618,  785.) 

Greenland  Garrisons.  It  is  one 
of  the  boasts  of  Greenland  that  it 
never  had  any  garrison,  or  any  need 
of  one,  the  land  having  been  peace- 
ably acquired  from  the  Indians. 
The  house  of  John  Keniston  'at 
Greenland,  however,  was  burned  by 
the  Indians,  and  he   killed,  Ap.    16, 


1677.  And  there  appears  to  have 
been  one  garrison  at  least,  no  doubt 
Neale's  Garrison.  In  the  Portsmouth 
records  of  1692,  among  the  accounts 
of  ammunition  furnished  the  various 
garrisons  that  year,  mention  is  made 
of  "  17  lbs.  of  of  powder  and  18  lbs.  of 
bullets  to  Cajit.  Nele,for  Greenland." 
His  house  was  on  Heard's  Neck, 
near  the  mouth  of  Winnicot  river,  on 
the  upper  side.  The  Portsmouth 
authorities  ordered  July  22,  1665, 
that  Walter  Neale's  home  lot  should 
extend  "  from  goodraan  hajnns  his 
house  due  north  and  by  east  unto 
Winicont  Riuer,  leaving  a  way  for 
Capt.  Champernoune  between  his 
houses."  (Ports.  Records.)  Brew- 
ster's Rambles  says  the  Weeks  house 
in  Greenland,  one  of  the  oldest 
houses  in  the  state,  "  was  evidently 
built  as  a  sort  of  garrison."  It  was 
erected  by  Leonard  Weeks,  "  over 
against "  whose  house  a  road  was 
laid  out  in  1663.     {Ports.  Records.) 

Greenland  River.  This  name  is 
given  on  Merrill's  map  of  Greenland, 
in  1806,  to  the  tidal  portion  of  Win- 
nicot river.  It  is  mentioned  Ap.  19, 
1746,  when  Samuel  Nutter  conveyed 
to  Ebenezer  Johnson  all  right  and 
title  to  half  a  tract  of  salt  marsh  and 
thatchbed,  bounded  northerly  by 
Great  Bay,  easterly'  by  Greenland 
river.,  and  south  by  a  creek  parting 
said  marsh  from  that  of  Matthias 
Haines.  Thirt}'  acres  of  laud  were 
laid  out  to  Henry  and  Sylvanus 
Nock,  June  29,  1702,  being  the  divi- 


1  This  form  of  the  Pierce  name  reminds  one  of  the  Feilding  family  of  Great  Britain.  When 
one  of  its  members,  a  peer  of  the  realm,  who  retained  the  old  usage  of  placing  the  e  before  the 
i  asked  his  kinsman,  Henry  Fielding,  the  great  novelist,  why  they  wrote  their  names  differently, 
the  latter  replied  that  he  could  not  tell,  unless  because  his  own  branch  was  the  first  that  knew 
how  to  spell. 

2  The  editor  of  Mr.  C  W.  Tuttle's  Historical  Papers  says  there  was  ancientlj-  a  cove  or  dock 
in  the  harbor  of  Dartmouth,  England,  called  Greenland  Dock—Si  name  that  must  have  been 
familiar  to  Capt.  Champernowne,  who  undoubtedly  gave  it  to  his  farm  on  Great  Bay. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


93 


dend  land  beloDgiug  to  their  grand- 
father Tibbets'  marsh,  adjoining 
their  marsh  on  the  S.  side  of  the 
Great  bay,  about  half  a  mile  to  the 
westward  of  Greenland  river.  {Dover 
Records.')  Thomas  Roberts  conveyed 
to  Mark  H.  Went  worth,  Ap.  20, 
1750,  his  marsh,  bounded  northerly 
by  Haines'  marsh,  and  easterly  and 
southerly  by  Greenland  river. 

The  Gulf.  Mentioned  the  30th, 
6  mo.,  1643,  when  20  acres  were 
granted  Wm.  Furber,  "  abutting 
upon  a  certain  place  called  if  GulfeJ' 
And  again  the  same  year  mention  is 
made  of  William  ffurber's  twenty 
acres  of  upland,  lying  north  of  the 
river  Cochechoe,  below  y*  fall.s,  abut- 
ting on  a  certain  place  called  if 
Gvlfe.  These  twenty  acres  were  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Nock  July  2,  1657, 
— James  Kid,  Oct.  28,  1714,  con- 
veyed to  Job  Clement  20  acres  join- 
ing the  Cochecho  river  at  a  place 
called  the  Gulf.  This  name  is  still 
retained.  The  Gulf  is  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Cochecho  river,  just 
below  the  head  of  tide  water. 

Guppy's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Dover,  on  the  Portland  turupike 
road.  On  the  west  side  are  Guppfs 
ivoods,  formerly  Paine' s  ivoods. 

Guppy's  Point.  This  is  the  first 
point  below  St.  Alban's  cove,  on  the 
Newichawannock  river.  So  named 
from  James  Guppey,  who  conveyed 
to  James  Philpot,  Aug.  3,  1736,  30 
acres  of  laud  in  Dover,  bounded 
northerly  by  the  road  from  Fresh 
creek  to  St.  Alban's  Cove,  easterly 
by  Wm.  Stiles'  laud,  S.  by  Joseph 
Hussey's,  and  W.  by  that  of  Thomas 
Downs  and  Joseph  Ricker  ;  being  the 
place  where  said  Guppey  then  lived. 
To  his  son  Joseph  he  conveyed  his 


undivided  eighth  of  Cochecho  Poiut, 
bounded  by  the  Cochecho  and 
Newichawannock  rivers  and  the  path 
that  led  from  Fresh  Creek  to  St. 
Alban's  cove.  Joseph  Guppy  cou- 
veyed  part  of  his  land,  including 
Gupjjfs  Point  to  Wm.  Styles.  This 
point  was  sold  by  Moses  Styles  to 
Judge  Doe,  who  uses  it  for  a  family 
burial-place. 

Half-Way  Swamp.  Mentioned 
the  5th,  10  mo.,  1652,  when  Wm. 
Wentworth  had  a  grant  of  40  acres 
of  upland,  northward  of  the  Half 
ivay  sivamp,  on  the  north  side  of 
John  Heard's  40  acre  lot,  and  so 
along  the  cart-ivay.  And  again 
March  10,  1665,  when  James  Ord- 
way  of  Newbury,  and  wife  Ann,  con- 
veyed to  John  Heard  of  Cochecho  20 
acres  granted  him  by  the  town  of 
Dover,  on  the  further  side  of  the 
half  way  swamp  going  to  the  marsh 
of  Cochecho  aforesaid,  joining  on 
one  side  to  y*  cart  path.^  and  at  y* 
other  end  by  a  freshet  or  swamp. 
This  swamp,  now  drained,  was  south- 
west of  Garrison  Hill,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  old  cartway,  now  the 
Garrison  Hill  road.  It  was  so  called 
because  it  was  about  halfway 
between  Cochecho  falls  and  the  Great 
Cochecho  marsh. 

Hall's  Marsh.  Mentioned  the 
12th,  10  mo.,  1658,  when  250  acres 
were  laid  out  to  John  Hall  (see  Bob- 
ertls  Creek),  butting  partly  on  the 
Great  Bay.  This  was  in  Greenland. 
And  again  Aug.  14,  1698,  when 
Richard  Cater  (Carter)  of  Kittery 
conveyed  four  acres  of  fresh  and  salt 
meadow  at  the  bottom  of  the  Great 
Bay  in  Pascataqua  river,  near  the 
upper  end  of  John  Hall's  marsh,  and 
on   the   north   side   of  a   creek  over 


94 


Landma7'ks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


against  Capt.  Chavipernoon' s  meadow ; 
also  30  acres  adjoiuiug,  granted  by 
the  town  of  Dover  to  James  Rawl- 
ings.  This  laud  now  belongs  to  the 
Peirce  farm  in  Greenland,  part  of 
which  is  called  the  Hall  field  to  this 
day. 

Hall's  Slip.  Mentioned  in  a  deed 
from  Ephraim  Tibbets  to  John  Clem- 
ent Sept.  4,  1766,  as  below  Tibbet's 
homestead  on  Back  river,  the  west- 
erly side  of  Dover  Neck. 

Hall's  Spring.  This  name  is  still 
given  to  a  spring  near  the  spot  where 
Deacon  John  Hall  lived  over  200 
years  ago.  It  is  S.  W.  of  the  site 
of  the  old  fortified  meeting-house  on 
Dover  Neck,  towards  Back  cove. 

Ham's  Marsh.  John  Ham's  marsh 
is  mentioned  Nov.  23,  1735.  It  was 
at  Oak  Swamp.  Eleven  acres  were 
laid  out  to  Peter  Hayes,  Oct.  15, 
1748,  beginning  at  a  pine  tree  on  the 
west  side  of  the  mast  road  that  goes 
from  Tolend  to  Rochester,  "  about  16 
rods  above  the  crotch  of  the  way 
that  comes  over  Ham's  marsh."  Oct. 
15,  1748,  21  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Joseph  Hanson,  Jr.,  beginning  at  a 
pitch  pine  on  the  west  side  of  the  old 
mast  path,  leading  from  Ham's 
mxirsh,  so  called,  to  the  "  Ealware 
plains,"  about  10  rods  above  the  path 
that  leads  to  Tolend.  (See  Oak 
Swamp.) 

Hardscrabble.  This  name  is 
given  to  a  rough  district  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Barrington. 

Harford's  FERRy.  So  called  from 
Nicholas  Harford,  who,  iu  1717,  was 
licensed  to  keep  a  ferry  across  Fore 
river  from  Dover  Neck  to  Kittery. 
He  petitioned  March  26,  1726,  that 
his  license  might  be  renewed.  This 
ferry  ran  from  Beck's  slip  to  what  is 


now  known  as  Morrill's  point  on  the 
Eliot  shore,  originally  a  part  of  Kit- 
tery. At  a  later  day  it  was  called 
Morrill's  ferry.  (See  Beck's  Point 
and  Sliji.)  The  name  of  Harford  is 
otherwise  written  Hartford. 

Harrud's  Spring,  otherwise 
Heard's.  Mentioned  May  25,  1735, 
when  James  Hanson  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Hanson,  Jr.,  5  acres  of  land 
in  Dover,  at  the  north  end  of  James 
Hanson's  pasture,  called  Hard  Spring 
pasture,  on  the  east  side  of  Richard 
Scammon's  pasture,  and  partly  on 
the  S.  W.  side  of  the  highwav  that 
leads  down  to  widow  Cloutman's, 
and  partly  on  y^  west  end  of  Joseph 
Hanson's  own  land,  on  the  south 
side  joining  to  James  Hanson's  land. 
This  spring  is  again  mentioned  April 
9,  1737,  when  James  Hanson  con- 
veyed to  Joseph  Hanson  8  acres  and 
100  rods  of  land  in  Dover,  adjoining 
s*^  Joseph's  land  on  the  S.  E.,  begin- 
ning "  southward  of  Harrud's  spring., 
by  said  Hanson's  land  which  contains 
y*  s*^  Harrud's  spring,"  thence  run- 
ning N.  27  deg.  E.  by  s*^  Joseph's 
land  46  rods  to  the  land  of  Joseph 
Hanson,  Jr.,  and  31  rods  to  Richard 
Scammon's.  This  was  apparently 
on  the  Upper  Neck,  where  John 
Heard  acquired  land  in  1669.  (See 
Campin's  Hocks.) 

Harvey's  Hill,  otherwise  Meser- 
ve's.  This  hill  is  at  the  upper  side 
of  Freetown  in  Madbury,  on  the  road 
to  Barrington.  It  was  so  named 
from  Daniel  "  Messerve,"  who  had  a 
grant  on  the  south  side  of  the  way 
that  leads  to  Bellamy  Hook,  June  12, 
1719.  He  is  called  "Daniel  Mis- 
harvey  "  in  a  deed  from  James  Huck- 
ins  to  Eli  Demerit  Dec.  19,  1746. 
Meserve's  garrison  stood  on  this  hill. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


95 


Harwood's  Cove,  otherwise  Har- 
rod's,  Herod's,  Heard's,  etc.     This 
cove,  uow  called  Laighton's  Cove,  is 
on    the    Nevvingtou   shore    of    Great 
Bay,    below  Fabyan's    Point.     It    is 
referred    to  the    20tb,  8    mo.,   1651, 
when    Wm.  Pomfrett  of  Dover  con- 
veyed to  Anthony  Nutter  a  marsh  on 
the  N.  E.  side  of  Great  Bay,  at  the 
great   cove   there,    above   long  |jow^. 
Anthony  Nutter  and  wife  Sarah,  in 
exchange    for   land    at  Welsh  Cove, 
conveyed  to  Thomas  Roberts,  June  6, 
1664,  "  a  parcel  of  marsh  in  y^  Great 
Bay  in  Dover,  in  a  certain  cove  usu- 
ally  called   by   y*^  name  of  Harrod's 
Cove,  bounded  by  y*^  mouth  of  a  small 
trench,  and  so    upon  a    straight  line 
down  to  y*  middle  of  a  small  island 
betwixt  y^  marsh  of  John  Dam,  Sr., 
and  y*  aforesaid  marsh  of  Anthony 
Nutter."     Thomas    Roberts,    in   his 
deed   of   land   on   Welsh   Cove,   ex- 
changed for  the  above  tract,  speaks 
of  the   latter  as  "in    Hard's   Cove." 
"■  The     freshett      called      Harwood's 
creek  or   cove,"  is  mentioned    in  Mr. 
Moody's    grant    of   May    10,    1668. 
(See  Harwood's  Creek.)     It  is  called 
Herd's    cove,     July    5,    1700,    when 
Thomas  Tibbets  of  Dover  and  Judith 
his    wife  conveyed  to  George  Hunt- 
ress   all    his    salt  marsh   (about  two 
acres)   on  y^  east  side   of  the  creek 
running   out    of   y*"    gutt   commonly 
called   by    the    name    of  Herd's   Chit 
into  the  great  bay,  bounded  by  John 
Dam  on  the  west,  north-west  by  said 
creek,  and  so  to  Herd's  cove,  with  the 
privilege  of  the  fiats  from  the  lower 
point   of   the   marsh   at   the   creek's 
mouth  on  a  S.  S.  W.  direction  into 
the    bay.      This    adjoined   the   tract 
conveyed  to  George  Huntress,  Dec. 
13,     1699,     by     James     and     John 


"  Leitsh  "  (Leach),  who,  in  the  deed, 
speak  of  it  as  "  land  in  Portsmouth 
at  great  bay,  at  a  place  called  by  y' 
name  of  Harwoods  cove,"  on  the 
north  side  of  George  Walton's  land, 
which  tract  had  been  granted  their 
father  James  "  Leith  "  by  the  town 
of  Portsmouth. 

Shadrach   and  George  Walton   of 
New     Castle      conveyed      to     Nath<c>^ 
Knight    in     1708,    a    tract    of    "  136 
acres   in   Portsmouth,    on  the  N.  E. 
side   of  the  Create  Bay,  at  a  place 
called    and   known    by    the  name  of 
Harwood's     cove,"    beginning     at     a 
white   oak  by  the  water  side  in  said 
cove,  and  running  to  a  red  oak  near 
John    Hall's     fence,     joining     John 
Jackson.     Nathan    Knight  of  Dover 
conveyed  to  John  Downing,  Jr.,  Ap. 
12,    1712,   "  thirty    acres  of  land  in 
Dover,  part  of  136  acres  laid  out  to 
George  Walton,  Sr.,  in  1665,  begin- 
ning at  a  white  oak  by  the  water  side 
in  harrold's  cove,"  etc.     Thomas  and 
Ephraim  Tibbets,  Dec.  2,  1735,  con- 
veyed to  John  Nutter  of  Newiugton 
a  tract  of  marsh  (four  acres)  in  Har- 
rod's cove  in  Great  Bay,  bounded  on 
the    upper    end    by    the    marsh    of 
Deacon  Moses   Dam,    west    by    the 
marsh  of  Anthony  Nutter,  deceased, 
and    easterly   upon    "•  y*   crick    that 
runs  between  y*  marsh  of  Christopher 
Huntress "    (grandson   of  the   above 
George)  and  the  premises  then  con- 
veyed,  with   the   thatch-bed    adjoin- 
ing, running  over  to  "  y*  loor  paint 
[lower  point]    of  y"    salt  marsh  for- 
merly   sold    to    s*^  Huntress."     John 
Perry  conveyed  to  John  Vincent  Maj' 
12,    1735,    "a    parcel   of    fflatts   or 
thatch-bed  in  Harwood's  Cove,  New- 
ington,"  on  the  S.  side  of  Christopher 
Huntress.      (See  Laighton's  Cove.) 


96 


Landmarks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


The  name  of  Harwood's  cove  was 
probably  derived  from  Andrew  Har- 
wood,  who  is  mentioned  in  1643, 
when  he  and  Thomas  ffurson  were 
brought  before  the  authorities  "  for 
neglecting  to  come  to  the  ordinances 
of  God  this  last  winter."  He  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  A 
suit  at  court  concerning  the  sale  of 
timber,  clapboards,  and  pipe-staves, 
by  Philip  Swadden,  Thomas  Johnson, 
Andrexo  Harwood,  and  Thomas  ffur- 
son is  mentioned  the  last  of  the  6tlr 
mo.,  1643.  {County  Records,  Exe- 
ter.) See  Herod'' s  Point  and  Wig- 
icam. 

Harwooi>'s  Creek,  otherwise  Har- 
rod's,  Herod's,  etc.  This  name  was 
given,  not  only  to  the  inlet  called 
Harwood's  or  Herod's  cove,  but  to  the 
freshwater  stream  which  empties  into 
it,  now  usually  called  the  Trout  brook. 
It  is  mentioned  Jan.  11,  1657,  when 
the  town  of  Portsmouth  granted  to 
Henry  Sherburne  and  others  the  land 
from  Harrod's  creek  northward  to 
Welshman's  Cove,  excepting  the  400 
acres  belonging  to  Dover.  (See  Hog- 
sty  Cove.) 

A  part  of  this  tract  (141  acres) 
was  afterwards  re-granted  to  the 
Rev.  Joshua  Moody  of  Portsmouth, 
and  laid  out  Jan.  21,  1666,  beginning 
at  "  a  white  oak  by  the  freshet  called 
Harrod's  cove  neere  Jn°.  Dam's 
marsh,"  thence  running  N.  E.  by  E. 
to  a  small  asp  tree,  and  thence  by  that 
point  towards  Bloody  Point,  to  "  a 
three  forked  pine  tree  which  is  Dover 
hounds,  standing  in  the  road  way, 
thence  S.  W.  by  W.  down  to  the 
aforesaid  ftreshet  called  Harrod's 
Creeke  to  a  hemlock — Bloody  Point 
or  Hampton  path  being  the  eastern 
bound,    Dover   bounds  the    northern. 


and  the  freshet  called  Harrod's  creeke 
aforesaid  the  western." 

Wm.  Furber,  Sr.,  Anthony  Nutter, 
and  John  Dam,  Jr.,  having  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  town  of  Dover  to  meet 
the  lot-layers  of  Portsmouth,  to  set- 
tle "the  line  in  the  woods  between 
Cannyes    Coue    and    hogsty   Coue," 
made  their  report  under  oath  before 
Richard  Cutt  at  Portsmouth,  May  10, 
1668,    "  that   the    great   three-forked 
pine    should    be    the    bound    tree," 
whence  the  line  should  run  straight 
to  the  middle  of  the  mouth  of  each 
cove,  "  which  said /orfced  pme  stands 
in  y^  way  y'  goes  from  bloody  Point 
to  Portsm°  &   is  too   (two)   hundred 
rod   to  the    northward    of  y'  path  y' 
turns    out   of  said    way  w'^'^  goes   to 
goodman    Pickering's    and    goodman 
Hall's    farms ;    and    nere    said    three 
forked  Pine    is   a    little    dry    round 
gully,    not   above    two   or  three  rod 
distance." — "And  at  the  same  time 
y^  lott-layers  of  Portsmouth  laid  out 
a     pcell    (parcel)     of   land    to    Mr. 
Joshua    Moody,     (w)hose     northern 
bound    was    the    three  forked  pine," 
and  thence  ran  in  a  straight  line  "  to 
the  freshett    called   Harwood's  creek 
or    Coue,    nere    John   Dam's    marsh. 
And  the  gore  of  land  that  remained 
between  dover  and  Mr.  Moodyes  line 
y^  said  lott-layers  laid  out  to  Capt. 
James  Pendleton,  and  is  bounded  at 
one    end    by   the    said  Will""  Furber 
Sen'  his  land." 

The  road  above  mentioned,  on 
which  stood  the  three-forked  pine, 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
present  road  from  Bloody  Point  to 
Portsmouth.  It  must  have  meant 
the  road  to  Greenland,  then  belong- 
ing in  part  to  Portsmouth,  or  less 
probably  the  old  road  to  Portsmouth 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


97 


called  the  Narroio  lane  that  seems 
to  have  led  from  Welsh  Cove  or  Fur- 
ber's  ferry.  Samuel  Moody  of  Bos- 
ton, Sept.  10,  1704,  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Row  of  Welsh  Cove  3G  acres 
of  land  formerly  belonging  to  his 
honoured  father,  the  Rev.  Joshua 
Moody,  lying  at  or  near  Welch  Cove 
in  ye  town  of  Portsmouth,  adjoining 
the  brook  that  runs  into  Harwood's 
Cove,  beginning  at  a  hemlock  tree  near 
the  way  that  leads  from  Welch  Cove 
to  said  Row's  house,  thence  running 
136  rods  E.  by  N.  to  the  antient 
bounds  w'^^  is  orpine  tree  adjoining  the 
road  toJiicJi  leads  from  Bloodfj  Point 
to  Greenland,  thence  60  rods  along 
the  road  to  another  pine,  thence  130 
rods  S.  by  W.  to  a  piue  8  rods  from 
the  brook,  and  thence  to  the  first 
bound.  This  land  seems  to  have  ex- 
tended to  the  vicinity  of  Sam  Bow's 
hill,  near  which  is  the  source  of  Har- 
wood's  creek.  Twenty  acres  of  the 
above  tract  were  conveyed  by  Thomas 
Row,  Ap.  10,  1733,  to  his  son-in-law, 
John  Quint,  beginning  at  a  small 
white  oak  by  the  road  from  Newing- 
tou  meeting-house  to  Greenland,  and 
runniuo-  along  this  road  30  rods  to  a 
pitch  pine,  then  130  rods  S.  W.  to  a 
pine  tree,  8  rods  from  the  brook. 
One  bound  is  a  small  hill  at  the 
corner  of  Thomas  Row's  orchard. 
Joseph  Richards,  planter,  of 
"Welsh-mans  cove,"  and  Abigail  his 
wife,  conveyed  to  Benj°  Richards, 
March  20,  1702,  ten  acres  of  land 
which  said  Joseph's  father  purchased 
of  Wm.  ffurber,  lying  and  being  on 
the  S.  E.  side  of  the  road  which  goes 
to  Ports'^  from  Welsh  man's  cove, 
bounded  on  the  north  side  by  Dover 
bounds,  and  on  the  east  side  by  Mr. 
Moody's  land.     Samuel  Moody  quit 


claim  to  Clement  Messervey  of  Ports- 
mouth, July  29,  1703,  to  a  tract  of 
25  acres,  lying  and  being  in  Ports- 
mouth, at  or  near  Welch  cove,  begin- 
ing  at  a  white  oak  bv  v^  freshett  called 
Harrod's  cove,  near  John  Dam's  marsh, 
and  running  along  v"  brooke  116  rods 
to  a  maple  that  stands  near  y^  road 
that  goes  down  to  Mr.  Wm.  Furber's, 
thence  120  rods  along  y^  road  toiuards 
Portsmouth  to  a  flat  rock  that  stands 
near  y*  path,  and  thence  160  rods  to 
the  first  bound.  "  Clement  Misservie, 
late  of  Newington,  now  of  Scar- 
borough, Maine,"  (son  of  the  above 
Clement)  conveyed  to  John  Vincent, 
Oct.  26,  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of 
our  sovereign  lord,  George  the  second 
(1727),  25  acres  in  Newington,  be- 
ginning at  a  white  oak  by  y^  ffreshet 
that  runs  into  Harrods  Cooe  near  the 
land  of  Deacon  Moses  Dam,  and  ex- 
tending along  the  brook  116  rods  to 
a  maple  that  stands  near  the  road  to 
Welch  Cove,  thence  120  rods  along 
y^  road  toivards  Portsmouth  to  a  flat 
rock  that  stands  near  y^  path,  and 
thence  160  rods  to  the  first  bound. 

Harwood's  creek  is  called  "  Herds 
guf'  July  5,  1700.  (See  Harioood's 
Cove.)  It  is  otherwise  called  "  Stony 
brook  "  in  Geo.  Huntriss'  will  of  June 
8,1715.     (8ee  Stony  Brook.) 

Haven's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Rochester,  on  the  main  road  from 
Dover  to  Norway  Plains,  Here 
stood  the  first  meeting-house  in 
Rochester,  built  in  1731.  Its  name 
was  derived  from  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Haven  of  Portsmouth,  who  was 
installed  at  Rochester  Jan.  10,  1776, 
and  there  died  Jan.  27,  1825,  after  a 
pastorate  of  forty-nine  years. 

Hayes'  Falls.  See  Cochecho 
Falls. 


98 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Hay  Stack.  Mentioued  in  1654, 
when  Jouas  Biun  had  a  graut  of  ten 
acres  ou  the  S.  W.  side  of  Branson's 
creek,  joining  Geo.  Webb,  and  next 
to  Charles  Adams'  lot,  "  the  east  side 
coming  to  a  little  gutt  right  over 
against  a  place  called  the  hay  stack." 
This  was  near  the  upper  shore  of  the 
Great  Bay,  above  Crummit's  creek, 
but  the  name  has  not  been  retained. 
It  mav  have  been  a  place  where  the 
early  settlers  stacked  their  salt  hay 
or  thatch.      (See  Branson's  Creek.) 

Heard's  Neck.  Mentioued  Dec. 
5,  1653,  when  AValter  Neall  had  a 
grant  of  "  eaight  acres  to  his  house 
upon  the  neck  of  land  by  Winacont 
river,  commonlj^  called  John  Heard's 
necke."  {Portsmouth  Records.)  This 
was  in  Greenland. 

Heard's  Pond,  otherwise  Herd's. 
Holland's  map  of  1784  gives  this 
name  to  Cole's  pond,  in  the  N.  E. 
part  of  Somersworth.  It  was  per- 
haps derived  from  John  and  Samuel 
Heard,  who  were  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  on  the  Salmon  Falls 
river  in  the  middle  of  last  century. 

The  Heath.  A  heath  in  the  upper 
part  of  Dover  is  mentioned  July  5, 
1736,  when  20  acres — part  of  a  30 
acre  graut  to  Thomas  Wille,  July  8, 
1734 — were  laid  out  to  his  sou 
Thomas  "  at  a  place  called  y®  Ele- 
ware  plains,^'  on  the  north  side  of 
the  road  from  the  heath  to  Green 
Hill.  This  land  was  conveyed  to 
Stephen  Hawkins  March  29,  1743. 
Ichabod  Canney's  seven  acres  of 
land,  conveyed  to  Paul  Hayes  Ap.  1, 
1741,  were  laid  out  above  the  heath., 
on  the  S.  W.  side  of  Cochecho  river, 
beginning  at  Stephen  Wille's  W.  cor- 
ner bound.  Joseph  Roberts'  share 
of  the  common   lands   in    1734,  was 


laid  out  to  him  Nov.  10,  1741,  above 
the  heathy  beginning  at  the  head  line 
of  Dover,  at  the  N.  W.  corner  of 
Ichabod  Canney's  land. 

The  marsh  adjacent  to  Willaud's 
Pond,  between  Peter's  Marsh  brook 
and  the  Dover  road  to  Whitehall,  is 
commonly  called  "the  Hathe"  or 
Heath.  Peter  Austin  of  Somers- 
worth, and  wife  Betty,  conveyed  to 
Moses  Carr,  Jan.  16,  1788,  26  acres 
of  land,  bought  of  Nicholas  Austin, 
bounded  E.  by  the  road  from  Dover 
to  Great  Falls  and  the  land  of  Icha- 
bod Rollins,  southerly  by  Daniel  Ran- 
dall, and  westerly  b}^  the  heatJi  brook, 
so  called. 

There  is  also  a  heath  on  the  upper 
side  of  AVheelwright's  pond.  (See 
Langley's  Heath.) 

Hen  Island.  This  is  an  islet  at 
the  lower  side  of  Fox  Point,  Newiug- 
ton,  near  the  shore.  It  bears  a 
single  pine  tree — verdant,  broad- 
spreading,  and  somewhat  pictur- 
esque. 

Henderson's  Point.  This  point  is 
ou  the  Rollinsford  shore  of  the 
Newichawannock,  below  Middle 
Point.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the 
bridge  from  Eliot,  at  the  lower  side 
of  Jocelyn's  cove.  The  name  is 
derived  from  Wm.  Henderson,  who 
had  a  grant  of  land  on  this  shore 
March  19,  1693-4.  (See  Jocelyn's 
Cove.)  It  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Hiram  Philpot. 

There  was  also  a  Henderson's 
point  on  the  east  side  of  Dover  Neck, 
to  which  led  a  road,  mentioned  in 
1812.  This  was  apparently  above 
Morrill's  ferry,  formerly  Beck's  slip. 
Henderson' s  sjjring  in  that  vicinity  is 
mentioued  in  Sauford  &  E vert's 
Atlas. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


99 


Herod's  Point  aud  Wigwam, 
otherwise  Harrod's.  Herod's  wig- 
wam is  mentioned  the  loth,  4  mo., 
1646,  when  "John  Damme"  had  a 
grant  from  the  town  of  Dover  of 
"  six  acres  of  marsh  on  y*  Great  Bay, 
bounded  w''  y*  creek  at  y*  mouth  on 
the  northwest  side,  the  upland  on  y^ 
southeast  side,  «fc  y^  island  of  y** 
northwest  nere  to  a  loigwam  on  the 
south  east  side  of  said  marsh,  com- 
monly called  by  the  name  of  Herod's 
luigtvome." 

Thirty  acres  of  upland  were  laid 
out  to  John  Dam,  Sr.,  the  10th,  10 
mo.,  1656,  "on  the  south  side  of  his 
marsh  towards  HarroecVs  Poynt^  6 
acres  and  24  acres  at  the  head  of  his 
marsh,  bounded  by  the  freshet  that 
goeth  towards  Bloody  Poynt." 
Another  record  of  the  same  date 
says :  "  Whereas  by  order  of  the 
General  Court,  400  acres  of  upland 
were  oiven  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Dover  that  have  marsh  in  the  Great 
Bay,  Elder  Nutter,  Wm.  Story,  Wm. 
ffurber,  and  Henry  Lankstar,  laid 
out  and  bounded  unto  John  Dam, 
Sr.,  30  acres  of  upland  as  follows, 
6  acres  and  24  acres  at  the  head  of 
his  marsh  towards  harrods  wigwame 
— the  upland  bounded  by  the  freshet 
that  goeth  towards  Bloody  Point ; 
that  is,  16  poles  up  the  freshett,  and 
26  pooles  wide."  This  tract  joined 
the  Layton  and  Nutter  lands,  and 
being  part  of  the  400  acres,  was  of 
course  above  Hogsty  Cove — that  is, 
"  above  "  with  reference  to  the  course 
of  the  river  or  bay,  not  to  the  points 
of  the  compass. 

Herod's  Point  seems  to  have  form- 
ed part  of  the  Fabyan  lands.  (See 
Sivadden's  Island.)  The  mention  of 
a  wigwam  has  led  to  the  supposition 


that  the  name  of  this  Point,  and  of 
Herod's  Cove,  was  derived  from  an 
Indian  sagamore.  It  may,  however, 
have  been  a  variation  of  Heard,  pro- 
nounced with  a  brogue.  But  it  was 
more  probably  a  corruption  of  Har- 
wood.     (See  Harioood's  Cove.) 

The  word  "wigwam"  does  not 
necessarily  imply  an  Indian  cabin.  It 
was  a  name  often  given  by  the  early 
pioneers  to  a  logging  shanty  in  the 
forest.  Mention  is  made  of  one, 
Nov.  21,  1706,  when  laud  was  laid 
out  to  Thomas  Goodwin  in  Kittery, 
near  the  Salmon  Falls  river,  above 
the  Nine  Notches,  "  beginning  about 
30  or  40  poles  below  the  logging  house 
or  wigiuam  that  Wm.  Grant,  Thomas 
aud  Daniel  Goodwin,  and  Joseph 
Hodsden,  kept  in,  the  last  winter." 
{Kittery  Records.  See  Historical 
il/a^.,  Oct.,  1868,  p.  192.)  "  Young's 
ivigwam "  in  Hampton  is  also  men- 
tioned Ap.  5,  1710. 

Herod's  wigwam  was  probably  the 
logging  camp  of  Andrew  Harwood, 
who  was  undoubtedly  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  Thomas  Johnson 
brought  a  suit  against  him  in  1644, 
for  "  6000  hogshead  staves  to  be 
delivered  at  highwater  mark  in  v^ 
river  of  Pascataway."  {County  Rec- 
ords, Exeter.) 

HicKs's  Hill.  See  Moharimefs 
Hill. 

High  Point.  This  is  the  first  point 
on  the  Rollinsford  shore  of  the  New- 
ichawannock  river  below  the  Eliot 
bridge.  It  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Cate  family,  but  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  John  Bennett. 

The  name  of  High  Point  is  also 
given  to  a  subdivision  of  Long  Point, 
on  the  Newingtou  shore  of  Great 
Bay.     (See  Long  Point.) 


lOO 


Landnim'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


High  Street.  This  name  was 
given  in  early  times  to  the  main  road 
along  Dover  Neck  to  Hilton's  Point. 
It  is  mentioned  Sept.  11,  1733,  when 
Thomas  and  Ephraim  Tibbets  sold 
Richard  Plummer^  a  small  strip  of 
land  at  the  S.  E.  corner  of  their  field, 
adjoining  "•  y'^  little  Logg  House  y' 
Jn°  Foy  lived  in,"  extending  from 
said  house  six  rods  northerly,  joining 
on  likjli  street." 

It  is  called  Great  street  Oct.  6,  1670, 
when  Thomas  Canney,  Sr.,  conveyed 
his  dwelling  house  and  lot  to  his  son 
Joseph,  bounded  E.  by  Fore  river, 
W.  by  "ye  great  street  on  Dover 
Neck,"  etc. 

Hill's  Cove  or  Creek.  This  inlet, 
no  doubt  the  Pine  Cove  of  early 
times,  is  on  the  Newington  shore  of 
the  Long  Reach,  below  Paul's  creek  ; 
so  called  from  Samuel  Hill,  who  ac- 
quired part  of  the  Folsom  farm,  which 
his  son  William  Hill  conveyed  in  1869 
to  Mr.  de  Rochemont,  the  present 
owner.  It  was  previously  called  Stood- 
ley's  creeJc. 

Hill's  Falls.  The  State  map  of 
Lee  in  1803  gives  this  name  to  the 
falls  in  Lamprey  river  at  the  head  of 
Lee  Hook,  where  at  that  time  stood 
a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill,  owned  by 
the  heirs  of  Capt.  Reuben  Hill,  who 
acquired  this  water  privilege  and  the 
adjoining  farm  in  the  middle  of  last 
century.  He  was  one  of  the  select- 
men of  Lee  in  1769.  His  mill  is 
mentioned  in  the  records  of  that  town  ; 
and  the  neighboring  bridge  across 
Lamprey   river   is   repeatedly   called 


HilVs  bridge  in  the  town  accounts 
from  1771  till  1800,  and  doubtless 
much  later.  For  instance,  5  £.,  Is., 
were  "  p**  Ensign  Reuben  Hill  on  his 
bridge"  mini.  This  name  is  still 
retained,  though  Reuben  Hill  died 
about  1794,  and  his  heirs  sold  the 
water  privilege  here  at  the  beginning 
of  this  century.  Cha:ce's  county  map 
of  1856  mentions  "J.  Mathes's  shin- 
gle and  grist-mill "  at  Hill's  falls. 
There  is  now  a  sawmill  here,  owned 
by  the  Dames.  (See  Dame's  Falls.) 
Hill's  Five  Hundred  Acres. 
Frequently  mentioned  in  the  old  con- 
veyances of  Durham  lands,  referring 
to  Valentine  Hill's  grant  of  500  acres 
from  the  town  of  Dover,  the  14tli,  5 
mo.,  1651,  for  a  farm  adjacent  to  his 
mills  at  Oyster  River.  This  tract 
comprised  the  whole  site  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Durham  on  the  upper 
side  of  Oyster  river,  and  extended 
from  the  lowest  falls  westward  as  far 
as  Follet's  swamp.  It  was  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  fresh  part  of 
Oyster  river,  and  on  the  north  by  the 
Woodman,  Thompson,  and  Demeritt 
lands.  It  is  mentioned  June  15, 
1719,  when  30  acres  of  land,  laid  out 
to  Bartholomew  Stevenson  May  31, 
1699,  found  to  intrench  on  ^  Capt. 
HilVs  five  hundred  acre  lot.,''  were,  at 
the  request  of  Abraham  Stevenson, 
laid  out  anew,  "  beginning  at  Hill's 
line,  near  the  north  corner  of  Hill's 
land."  This  land  was  conveyed  by 
Abraham  and  Mary  Stevenson  to 
Jonathan  Thompson  Feb.  24,  1732- 
33,  "  beginning  at  y^  north  corner  of 


1  Richard  Plummer's  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Beard."  She  quit  claim  to  all 
right  in  her  father's  estate  in  favor  of  her  brother  Samuel,  May  25, 1737.  And  her  sister,  Esther 
DoUoff,  did  the  same  Ap.  8,  1731. 

2  John  Foy  married  Mary,  widow  of  Ralph  Hall,  before  Feb.  26,  1717-18.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Philip  Chesley  of  Oyster  River.  John  Foy's  Rock  is  mentioned  in  article  Freetown.  (See 
p.  78.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


lOI 


Capt.   Nathaniel   Hill's  five   Jmndred 
acres,  at  a  stump  in  said  Hill's  line," 

Joseph  Buss  and  wife  Lydia  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Chesley,  Feb.  21, 
1739-40,  one  half  of  two  thirds  of 
one  third  part  of  five  hundred  acres 
in  Durham,  granted  to  Valentine 
Hill  by  the  town  of  Dover  the  14th, 
5  mo.,  (16)51,  "  for  a  farm  adjacent 
to  his  mills  at  Oyster  River,  provided 
it  doth  not  not  annoy  the  inhabitants, 
and  laid  out  and  bounded  in  y^  year 
1660,  y«  3d  day  of  y^  11th  mo., 
bounded  upon  a  N.  and  S.  line  from 
Oyster  River  200  rods,  and  from  that 
bound  N.  W.  half  a  point  westerly 
320  rods,  and  from  y'  to  Oyster  river 
upon  a  S.  W.  and  by  S.  line  210  rods 
to  y"  river,  and  so  y*^  river  is  y^ 
bounds." 

Valentine  Hill  of  Nottingham  and 
Robert  Hill  of  Durham  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Smith,  Feb.  23,  1765,  part  of 
that  land  in  Durham  "commonly 
known  by  the  name  of  tJie  five  hun- 
dred acres,''  beginning  at  the  N.  W. 
corner  of  Samuel  Hill's  homestead 
farm  by  the  laud  of  Samuel  Demerit, 
etc.     (See  Warner  Farm.) 

Valentine  Hill^  who  had  this  grant 
of  500  acres,  was  the  most  enterpris- 
ing of  the  early  settlers  at  Oyster 
River.  He  was  in  Boston  as  early 
as  1638,  a  freeman  in  1640,  and  was 
ordained  deacon  in  Boston  "by  y^ 
laying  on  of  y^  hands  of  y^  presby- 
terv,"  Mav  7,  1640.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  and  Hon. 
Artillery  Co.  He  had  a  grant  at 
Oyster  River  the  5th,  5  mo.,  1642, 
and  another  the  following  year.  And 
further  grants  of  lands  and  mill  priv- 
ileges on  Lamprey  and  Oyster  rivers 
were  made  to  him  in  1649,  1651, 
1652,   etc.     He    was  apparentW  the 


first  to  erect  mills  at  Oyster  River, 
and  it  was  he  who  built  the  first 
meeting-house  here  in*  1656-7.  He 
was  the  representative  from  Dover  to 
the  General  Court  at  Boston  in 
1652-3-4-5  and  7.  The  freemen  of 
Dover  petitioned.  May  27,  1652,  that 
Mr.  Valentine  Hill  might  be 
appointed  one  of  the  Associate 
Judges  of  the  Court  that  year. 
Their  petition  was  granted.  (N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  198,  207.)  He  died 
in  1661,  leaving  two  children, 
Nathaniel  and  Mary,  by  his  last 
wife,  who  was  Mary  Eaton,  daughter 
of  Gov.  Theophilus  Eaton  of  New 
Haven.  She  survived  him,  and 
afterwards  married  Ezekiel  Knight. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Valentine  Hill, 
married  Jehtt—^iss,  -^on-  of-  Parson 
Buss  of  Oyster  River.  Nathaniel 
Hill,  the  only  sou  left  by  Valentine, 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Anthou}' 
Nutter  of  Welshman's  cove.  He 
inherited  the  greater  part  of  his 
father's  lands  at  Oyster  River,  on 
which  he  settled.  He  was  appointed 
deacon  of  the  Oyster  River  church. 
He  had  two  sous,  Valentine  and 
Samuel.  The  latter  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  Thompson,  Sr.,  of 
Oyster  River,  and  lived  a  short  dis- 
tance above  the  present  railway  sta- 
tion. Sarah  Hill,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel,  married  Daniel  Warner  of 
Portsmouth,  who  afterwards  acquired 
a  part  of  Hill's  Five  Hundred  Acres. 
(See  Warner  Farm.)  Abigail  Hill, 
another  daughter,  married  Benjamin, 
son  of  Capt.  Francis  Mathes,  Dec. 
17,  1716.  Tlie  name  of  Valentine, 
from  her  grandfather  Valentine  Hill, 
became  henceforth  a  favorite  name 
in  the  Mathes  family,  where  it  is 
perpetuated    to    this    day.      Among 


I02 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


those  who  still  bear  it  ma}'  be  men- 
tioned Mr.  Valentine  Mathes  of 
Dover,  and  Valentine  Mathes  Cole- 
man, Esq.,  of  Newington. 

Hill's  Mill  Pond.  This  name, 
derived  from  Valentine  Hill  (see 
HiWs  Five  Hundred  Acres),  is  given 
to  the  mill-pond  above  the  lowest  falls 
in  Oyster  river  (now  Durham  Falls) 
the  25th,  9  mo.,  1661,  when  20  acres 
of  upland  were  granted  to  John  Wood- 
man "  betwixt  the  freshett  that  run- 
neth to  Mr.  hill's  mill  pond  and  the 
upper  end  of  the  pond,  whear  the 
sayd  John  Woodman  shall  see  gode 
to  make  ehoyse  of,  not  intrenching 
apon  aui  former  grant." 

Hill's  Pan  or  Pen.  See  Stony 
Brook. 

Hill's  Swamp,  Mentioned  in  1656, 
when  John  Bickford,  Sr.,  had  a  grant 
of  100  acres  of  upland  adjacent  to 
Thomas  Footman's  hundred  acres,  on 
the  N.  W.  side  of  "  the  swampe 
sometimes  called  Mr.  hill's  sii:ar)ipe." 
This  Bickford  land  was  afterwards 
acquired  by  Joseph  Hix,  for  whom  it 
was  laid  out  anew  Ap.  12,  1718,  on 
the  N.  W.  side  of  hill's  sioamp).  This 
swamp  was  apparently  the  low  land 
in  Madbury,  adjoining  the  Boston 
&  Maine  R.  R.,  between  Hicks's 
Hill  and  Pudding  Hill.  The  name 
may  have  been  derived  from  Valen- 
tine Hill  of  Oyster  River,  the  only 
person  of  the  name  in  Dover  at  the 
time  of  Bickford's  grant,  who  appears 
to  have  had  the  prefix  of  "  Mr."  A 
timber  grant  to  "  Mr.  Hill  "  (no  doubt 
Valentine)  "on  y*^  north  side  of  y* 
path  from  Bellamies  Bank  towards 
Oyster  River,"  is  mentioned  in  a  grant 
to  Richard  Waldron  in  1652.  In 
the  time  of  Joseph  Hix  (or  Hicks), 
however,  Wm.  Hill  lived  at  the  lower 


side  of  Pudding  Hill.  "The  mast 
path  that  leadeth  from  Knight's  farm 
to  William  Hill's,"  is  mentioned  Feb. 
28,  1705-6.  Thirty  acres  were  laid 
out  to  Henry  Marsh  Ap.  4,  1709, 
"  eastward  of  Mahorramet's  hill,  be- 
ginning at  a  hemlock  tree  on  the 
poynt  of  the  plain  to  the  westward  of 
Willia7n  Hill's  plantation." 

Hilton's  Cove.  This  cove  is  on 
the  Newington  shore,  adjoining  the 
old  terminus  of  Knight's  ferry,  but 
the  name  is  no  longer  in  use.  It  is 
mentioned  the  9th,  5  mo.,  1652,  when 
John  Hall  had  a  grant  of  18  acres  "  a 
little  above  Hilton's  Gove."  It  is 
again  mentioned  the  5th,  10  mo., 
1674,  when  Thomas  Tricke's  grant  of 
18  acres  in  1656,  "  on  Bloody  poynt 
side,"  was  laid  out  "  aboue  hiUtones 
coue,  joining  to  henery  Lankster  his 
land  westerly,  bounded  up  the  gutt 
to  a  rock,  and  from  the  rock  to  A 
wall  nutt  Tree  marked  with  an  H  and 
a  T,  and  soe  to  a  Beich  Tree  marked 
with  A  and  T,  and  so  to  the  freshett 
that  runs  in  too  Thomas  Trickey  his 
coue  aboue  his  hotise  at  high-water 
mark." 

John  Hall  conveyed  to  Henry 
Laugstaffe,  the  1st,  4  mo.,  1668,  12 
acres  of  land  granted  him  by  the 
town  of  Dover,  together  with  house, 
goods,  and  chattels  within  doors  and 
without.  Henry  Langstar,  grandson 
of  the  above  Henry,  conveyed  to 
John  Shackford,  Nov.  23,  1716,  ten 
acres  of  land  called  Hall's  field., 
bounded  N.  W.  by  a  little  mead,  W. 
by  land  formerly  Zachariah  Trickey's 
but  then  in  possession  of  Capt.  John 
Knight,  and  E.  by  the  highway  to 
the  ferry.  George  Walton  and  Fran- 
ces conveyed  to  John  Knight,  Feb. 
27,  1718-19,  ten  acres  of  land  "  in  y** 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


103 


town  of  Newington,"  bounded  north- 
westerly by  land  formerly  Zachariah 
Trickey's,  then  y''  said  Knight's,  and 
easterly  by  the  highway  from  the 
ferry  to  the  meeting-house — "  which 
ffield  is  called  HalVs  ffielcl,  and  for- 
merly belonged  to  Henry  Laugstar, 
deceased." 

John  Knight,  Sr.,  and  wife  Bridget, 
conveyed  to  their  sou  John,  Feb.  7, 
1717-18,  a  tract  of  18  acres  at  Bloody 
Point,  bought  of  Zachary  Trickey, 
bounded  N.  W.  by  the  main  river, 
east  by  John  Hoyt's  land  (previously 
Geo.  Brawn's),  south  by  the  Bloody 
Point  highway  to  Nutter's,  and  west 
by  Ephraim  Trickey's  laud, — together 
with  the  dwelling-house,  and  all  in- 
terest in  the  ferry  at  Bloody  Poynt. 

Hilton's  Point.  This  name  was 
given  for  more  than  a  century  to  the 
lower  extremity  of  Dover  Neck,  from 
Edward  Hilton,  who  founded  a  settle- 
ment here  as  early  as  1623,  that 
proved,  however,  unsuccessful.  It  is 
so  called  March  12,  1629-30,  in  the 
new  patent  he  obtained  from  the  Ply- 
mouth Council.  He  afterwards  set- 
tled in  Exeter,  but  this  point  con- 
tinued to  bear  his  name  till  the  sec- 
ond half  of  the  18th  century.  (See 
Hilton's  Point  Ferry.)  The  Dover 
records  make  mention  of  it  repeat- 
edly. It  is  so  called  by  Robert 
Mason  in  1681.  Thomas  Mason  of 
Dover,  trader,  and  Magdalen  his 
wife,  Sept.  13,  1733,  conveyed  to 
John  Wheelwright  and  others,  of 
Boston,  merchants,  his  dwelling- 
house  on  Dover  Neck,  "  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  the  road  that  leads  down 
to  Hilton's  Point,  commonly  so 
called,"  together  with  the  laud  adja- 
cent. It  is  now  called  Dover  Point. 
(See  Wecanacohimt.) 


Hilton's  Point  Ferry.  Mentioned 
Sept.  4,  1766,  when  Ephraim  and 
Hannah  Tibbets  conveyed  to  Job 
Clement  12^  acres  "  on  Dover  Neck 
the  westerly  side  of  the  road  to  Hil- 
ton's Point  ferry,  so  called,"  extend- 
ing to  the  ui)per  side  of  the  way  that 
leads  to  Hall's  sli})  ou  Back  river. 
This  was  the  ferry  from  Hilton's 
Poiut  to  Newington,  generally  called 
KniyhV  s  ferry . 

Hilton's  Point  Swamp.  Men- 
tioned in  1652,  when  this  swamp  was 
laid  out  as  an  ox  pasture.  Hum- 
phrey Varney  conveyed  to  John 
Knight,  Nov.  8,  1711,  his  share  in 
the  ox  pasture  "granted  him  in  Hil- 
ton's Point  sivamp  at  y*"  loer  end  of 
Dover  Neck." — "The  ox  pasture  in 
Hilton's  Point  sivamp  "  is  again  men- 
tioned in  Judge  Johu  Tuttle's  will  of 
Dec.  28,  1717.  Joseph  Hall  of  New- 
market conveyed  to  Thomas  Millet, 
Feb.  11,  1736,  two  tracts  of  land  in 
Dover;  "one  known  by  y"  name  of 
y^  Sivamp  or  Ox  common,  aud  call** 
by  some  Hilton's  Point;  " — "  y^  other 
known  by  y''  name  of  y^  Calves 
Pasture."  These  lots  were  originally 
laid  out  to  "  Lt.  Ralph  Hall,"  grand- 
father of  said  Joseph.  This  swamp 
is  now  called  Huckleberry  Sivamjy. 

HoBBs's  Hole.  Mentioned  Nov. 
20,  1722,  when  Samuel  Kenney  con- 
firmed to  Capt.  Ichabod  Plaisted  all 
right  to  three  acres  of  land  at  a  place 
in  the  township  of  Dover  called 
Hobbs's  hole,  bounded  southward  and 
eastward  by  "  Nichewanock"  river, 
north  by  said  Plaisted's  laud,  and 
west  by  that  of  Henry  Hobbs,  de- 
ceased. The  significance  of  the 
word  "  Hole"  does  not  appear. 

Henry  Hobbs  married  Hannah, 
daughter   of    Thomas   Canney,    Sr., 


**M^J 


s- 


h^t^   ^ 


•^ 


i*» 


n  i  ^, 


I04 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


and  received  as  part  of  her  portion, 
July  12,  1661,  six  score  acres  of  laud 
between  St.  Alban's  cove  and  Quam- 
pbegau,  bounded  S.  E.  by  the 
"  Nechewanuick  "  river  in  [mrt,  and 
partly  by  land  that  was  sometime 
possessed  by  Capt.  Mason's  agent ; 
N.  E.  by  the  highway  tliat  goeth 
from  y*^  south  end  of  }'*  s*^  lot  up  into 
y^  woods  towards  the  N.  W.  ;  N.  W. 
by  Thomas  Hanson's  land,  and 
S.  W.  partly  by  James  Grant's,  and 
partly  by  the  commons.  Henry 
Hobbs  conveyed  to  Thomas  Hobbs, 
Ap.  12,  1720,  one  half  of  all  his  land 
at  Sligo,  bounded  easterly  by  the 
"Nechawonack  "  river,  southerly  by 
Sylvanus  Nock's  laud,  and  northerly 
by  that  of  James  Stackpole.  On 
this  shore,  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
"Point  district,"  not  far  above  St. 
Alban's  cove,  the  Hobbses  built 
ships  in  early  times,  which  were  eas- 
ily launched  at  high  tide,  this  part  of 
the  river  being  deep.  "The  road 
that  passes  by  the  meeting-house 
down  to  Capt.  Hobbs's  by  the  river" 
is  meutioned  July  26,  1764,  in  a  deed 
of  six  acres  of  land  which  Thomas 
Wallingford  sold  Benjamin  Warren, 
part  of  a  tract  said  Wallingford  had 
purchased  of  Thomas  Hobbs. 

Hodgdon's  Point.  This  point  is 
on  the  shore  of  the  Pascataqua, 
below  Bloody  Point,  but  the  name 
has  not  been  retained.  It  was  so 
called  from  John  Hodgdon,  who  con- 
veyed to  John  Knight,  in  three  par- 
cels, all  his  lands  on  the  southerly 
side  of  the  road  from  Bloody  Point, 
part  of  which  adjoined  Henr^'  Laug- 
star's  ten-acre  grant.  The  last  of 
these  was  conveyed  March  7,  1736, 
when  John  and  Marv  Hodgdon  sold 
John  Knio;ht  "  all  the  laud  where  we 


now  dwell,  beginning  at  the  lower 
end  of  our  garden,  and  running  along 
the  land  we  sold  s*^  Knight  to  Mr. 
Geo.  Walton's  line,  then  somewhat 
southerly  by  Walton's  line  up  to  y^ 
road."  John  Knight,  sou  of  the 
above  John,  in  his  will  of  1770, 
speaks  of  his  land  at  Hodgdon's 
Pointy  on  the  east  side  of  the  lane 
leading  from  his  dwelling-house  to 
Portsmouth,  adjoining  the  laud  of 
Geo.  Walton. 

HoGSTY  Cove.  This  cove  is  men- 
tioned as  one  of  the  bounds  of  an- 
cient Dover  the  Sth,  7  mo.,  1652, 
when  the  line  ran  "  from  a  creek 
next  below  Thomas  Cauuey  his  house, 
to  a  certain  cove  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Great  Bay  called  Hogsty  Gove. 
In  the  division  of  the  Squamscot  Pa- 
tent, May  22,  1656,  the  General 
Court  at  Boston  granted  to  the  town 
of  Dover  "  the  land  from  Kinges 
(Keuney's)  Creeke  to  a  certain  Cove 
neere  the  mouth  of  the  great  Bay 
called  Hogstye  Cove.,  with  all  the 
marsh  from  that  place  round  about 
the  bay  up  to  Cotterill's  Delight,  with 
400  acres  of  upland,  as  granted  it  by 
the  Court,"  etc.  (N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
1  :  222.)  This  was  a  confirmation  of 
a  previous  decree  the  19th,  7  mo., 
1643,  when  the  General  Court  at 
Boston  ordered  "  that  all  the  marsh 
and  meadow  ground  lying  against  the 
great  bay  on  Strawberry  bank  side 
shall  belong  to  Dover,  together  with 
400  acres  of  upland  adjoining."  {Ibid, 
1  :  172.)  The  Dover  bounds,  as  de- 
fined by  the  N.  H.  General  Court, 
Sept.  12,  1701,  ran  "from  Cannye's 
Crike  on  a  Directe  Line  to  Hoogstie 
Cove,  with  the  Mashes  on  the  Grete 
Baye  and  foure  Hundred  Acres  of 
Upland  Adjoiniuge  thereto,  as  form- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


105 


eriy  laid  out,  and  from  Hoogstie  Cove 
over  to  Lamperill  River  month,"  etc. 
{Ibid,  3  :  227.)  That  Hogsty  Cove 
was  the  lowest  cove  on  the  Newington 
shore  of  the  Great  Bay — that  is,  the 
cove  immediately  above  Furber's 
Point  or  Ferry-place — is  proved  by 
the  fact  that  all  the  lauds  above  this 
cove — that  is,  up  the  Bay  side — were, 
according  to  the  Dover  records,  a 
part  of  the  400  acres  granted  to 
Dover  above  Hogst}'  Cove,  as  will  be 
seen  by  reference  to  Farbefs  Pointy 
Harivood's  Creek,  Herod's  Point, 
Jyttighton's  Cove,  Long  Point,  etc. 

When  George  Snell  and  Wm. 
Vaughau  surve3'ed  the  bounds  of 
Portsmouth,  the  28th,  8  mo.,  1695-6, 
they  ran  the  line  "  from  Cannye's 
Coue  in  the  louge  reche  to  Hogg  Stye 
Coue  at  ye  mouth  of  ye  great  Bay,  and 
from  the  midle  of  the  mouth  of  one 
Coue  to  y"  midle  of  the  mouth  of  y*" 
other,  is  west,  &  by  South  and  East  & 
by  north  &  strikes  3£r.  Williame  ffar- 
bers  Barne.''  (Portsmouth  Records.) 

This  clearly  defines  the  position  of 
Hogsty  Cove.  It  was  "■  at  y^  mouth 
of  y*"  Great  Bay,"  and  the  Hue  thereto 
from  Cauney's  creek  struck  the  barn 
of  Wm.  Furber,  who  then  lived  at  the 
Narrows  between  Great  Bay  and 
Little  Bay,  having  been  licensed, 
Dec.  11,  1694,  to  keep  a  ferry  "  from 
his  house  at  Welchman's  Cove  over 
to  Oyster  River."  {Ibid,  2:  147.) 
His  farm  at  the  ferry-place  was  given 
him  by  his  father,  Wm.  Furber,  in 
1674,  together  with  two  dwelling- 
houses,  a  barn,  etc.,  thereon.  (See 
Pascataqua  Rock.)  The  line  from 
Cauney's  Creek  through  Wm.  Fur- 
ber's barn  could  only  terminate  at  the 
first  cove  above  the  Narrows  or  fer- 
ry-place. 


Wm.  Furber  of  AVelch  Cove,  in  the 
township  of  Dover,  conveyed  to  his 
son  Jethro,  Ap.  3,  1706,  a  tract  of 
60  acres  on  which  said  Jethro  then 
dwelt — being  all  the  laud  from  a 
white  oak,  called  by  the  name  of  the 
bound  tree  betioeen  Dover  and  Portsm°, 
to  a  white  oak  near  the  line  of  the 
land  given  b}'^  said  William  to  his  son 
William  by  deed, — that  is,  all  his  land 
south  of  that  line,  which  said  Wm., 
senior,  had  of  his  father  by  a  deed  of 
gift,  and  so  home  to  the  land  which 
his  father  gave  his  brother  Jethro. 

Jethro  Furber  of  Portsmouth,  Aug. 
1,  1706,  conveyed  to  John  Bickford 
of  Welch  Cove  in  the  township  of 
Dover  100  acres  of  upland  in  the 
toionship  of  Portsmouth,  at  Long 
Poynt,  bounded  S.  W.  by  the  land  of 
said  John  Bickford,  S.  E.  by  that  of 
Thomas  Laiton,  E.  by  that  of  Wm. 
ffurber,  Jr.,  and  W.  N.  W.  by  that 
of  Jethro  ffurber,  son  of  William. 

The  map  in  C.  W.  Tuttle's  Histor- 
ical Papers,  edited  by  Mr.  A.  H. 
Hoyt,  (1889),  supposes  Laighton's 
Cove  to  be  the  ancient  Hogst}'  Cove. 
And  the  present  writer,  in  the  first 
edition  of  "  Landmarks  in  Ancient 
Dover,"  deferring  to  the  opinion  of 
others,  makes  the  same  statement. 
This,  however,  is  certainly  an  error, 
for  the  old  Laightou,  Nutter,  Dame, 
and  Bickford  lands,  around  and  below 
Laighton's  cove — that  is,  below  in 
the  sense  of  going  down  stream, 
though  really  in  a  northerly  direc- 
tion— and  even  the  southern  portion 
of  Wm.  Furber's  laud,  (see  Furber's 
Point),  are  clearly  stated  iu  the 
Dover  records  to  have  been  part  of 
the  400  acres  granted  to  Dover  above 
Hogsty  Cove.  As  the  only  cove  be- 
tween these  lands  and  the  mouth  of 


io6 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


the  Great  Bay  is  the  one  immediately 
above  Furber's  Point  or  Ferry-place, 
this  is  undoubtedly  the  ancient  Hog- 
sty  Cove. 

Moreover,  the  town  of  Portsmouth, 
Jan.  11,  1657,  granted  to  Henrie  and 
John  Sherburne,  Wm.  Cotton,  John 
Pickering,  Geo.  Walton,  and  Philip 
Lewis,  "  the  tract  of  land  more  or 
lesse  from  Harrod's  creek  northward 
to  Welchman's  cove,  excepting  the 
grant  by  dover  on  the  400  acres,  w*** 
this  p™viso,  they  maintaininge  all 
sutts  (suits)  of  law  against  any  that 
aposeth  them,  of  there  own  proper 
cost,  always  acknowledging  Ports- 
mouth as  there  towne  in  paying  all 
publike  charges  thereunto."  (Ports- 
mouth Town  Records.) 

A  foot-note  in  the  N.  H.  Prov. 
Papers,  (Vol.  3  :  227,)  says  Hogsty 
Cove  was  "  a  place  where  swine  were 
driven  from  Exeter  every  spring." 
The  court  at  Exeter,  the  30th,  first 
mo.,  1641,  ordered  "  that  all  the 
swine  above  ^  a  year  old  and  upwards 
are  to  be  sent  down  into  the  great 
bay  by  the  10th  day  of  the  second 
month."     {Ibid,  1  :  142.) 

HoGSTY  Point.  Mentioned  in  1652, 
when  40  acres  of  upland  at  Welsh- 
man's cove  were  granted  to  Thomas 
Layton  in  1652,  ten  acres  of  which 
were  laid  out  on  hoggstie  poynt.  No 
further  mention  of  these  ten  acres  of 
upland  is  made.  Tliey  perhaps  in- 
trenched on  the  Furber  grant  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Bay.  The  other 
30  acres  were  laid  out  at  the  head  of 
Thomas  Layton's  marsh,  the  south 
bound  being  a  Great  Rock  towards 
longe  poynt.  The  name  of  Hogsty 
point  has  not  been  perpetuated,  but 
it  was  probably  on  one  side  of  Hog- 
sty cove. 


Hoitt's  Crossing.  This  is  a  rail- 
way crossing  on  the  turnpike  road  in 
Lee,  near  the  Hoitt  homestead,  now 
belonging  to  Mr.  Layn.  A  great 
amount  of  lumber  is  conveyed  to 
market  from  this  crossing,  and  it  will 
probably  be  soon  made  a  passenger 
station.  There  are  five  other  railway 
crossings  in  Lee,  but  none  of  them 
stopping-places,  viz  :  Pinkham^s,  on 
Newtown  Plains ;  Pendergast's,  at 
the  head  of  Wheelwright's  pond ; 
Thompson's,  between  Little  river  mill 
and  Nottingham  ;  and  Obadiah  Davis' s, 
near  the  South  Lee  station. 

Holmes'  Bridge.  Mentioned  June 
23,  1701,  when  Edward  Cloutman  had 
a  grant  of  30  acres  "  between  Co- 
checha  and  Nechewanick,  as  near 
holmes  his  bridge  as  may  be."  That 
same  day  30  acres  were  granted  to 
Benj"  Way  mouth,  joining  Edward 
Cloutman's  land  "  near  holmes  bridg." 
Joseph  Roberts  conveyed  to  Samuel 
Randle,  Feb.  27,  1726-7,  30  acres  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Salmon  falls 
road  (from  Cochecho)  "  near  Home's 
bridge,"  thence  running  S.  S.  E.  to  a 
hemlock  in  Jeremy  Rollins'  fence, 
then  E.  to  an  elm  in  a  hollow  near 
Thomas  Nock's.  This  bridge  seems 
to  have  been  across  the  Twombley 
brook  in  RoUiusford,  but  the  name 
is  no  longer  in  use.  (See  Otis' 
Bridge.) 

Hook-Island  Falls,  otherwise 
Hook  Falls.  These  falls  are  in 
Lamprey  river,  on  the  east  side  of 
Lee  Hook.  They  are  called  the 
'•'-Hook  falls"  on  the  State  map  of 
Lee  in  1803,  but.  are  now  generally 
called  Hook  Island  falls,  from  an 
island  that  divides  them. 

Hook  Marsh.  This  marsh  is  in 
Madbury,  in  the  vicinity  of   Bellamy 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


107 


Hook.  It  is  mentioned  May  30, 1738. 
(See  Gooseberry  Marsh.) 

Hooper's  Pond.  This  is  an  arti- 
ficial pond  on  the  Hooper  farm  in  the 
Back  River  district,  made  by  enlarg- 
ing the  bed  of  Johnson's  creek,  which 
rises  among  the  marshes  not  far  be- 
yond. 

Hope  Hood's  Point.  This  point, 
so  called,  according  to  the  late  C.  W. 
Tnttle,  as  early  as  1694,  is  on  the 
western  shore  of  Back  river,  above 
the  Three  Creeks.  It  is  mentioned 
March  1,  1701,  when  John  and  Mary 
Tuttle  conveyed  to  Richard  Pinkham 
a  parcel  of  land  and  marsh  "  lying 
and  being  at  y*  hed  of  the  crike  run- 
niuge  upon  the  west  side  of  Hoope 
Hood's  Poynte,  so  called,  and  so 
through  said  Pinkham's  20  acres 
bought  of  Philip  Cromwell  on  y'^  west 
side  of  y*  Bake  river,  and  lying  w^'in 
y^  southernmost  line  of  that  Twenty 
Acre  loat  by  anny  waies  or  menes 
whatsoever."  Thomas  Tuttle  con- 
veyed to  James  Tuttle,  May  3,  1740, 
a  tract  of  salt  marsh  and  upland  in 
Dover,  at  a  place  commonly  called 
Back  Hiver,  beginning  at  a  rock  at 
Hope  Woods  Point,  and  running  W. 
N.  W.  34  rods  by  Pinkham's  laud. 

The  name  of  this  point  is  derived 
from  a  noted  Indian  chief,  said  to 
have  belonged  to  the  Abenaki  tribe. 
Dr.  Quint  says  he  was  the  saga- 
more Wahowah  or  Wohawa,  chief  of 
all  the  lands  from  Exeter  to  Salmon 
Falls.  Hubbard,  in  his  Narrative, 
calls  him  Hope  Hood.,  and  says  he  was 
the  son  of  Robin  Hood.  The  name 
of  "  mr.  hope  hoth"  and  that  of  ''Old 
Robin "  are  affixed  to  a  letter  from 
John  Hogkins  May  15,  1685.  (N.  H. 
Frov.  Pap.,  1  :  583.)  ''Hoope  Whood" 
and   "  Ould  Robin  "are  also  among 


the  signers  of  a  deed  of  land  at 
^' Squammagonake  "  to  Peter  Coffin 
Jan.  3,  1686.  It  was  Hoop  Hood 
who  led  the  attack  on  the  Newicha- 
wannock  settlement  in  1690,  as  well 
as  that  on  the  Bloody  Point  shore 
soon  after,  which  Mr.  Tuttle  endeav- 
ors to  disprove.  So  noted  did  he 
become  for  his  ferocity  to  the  Eng- 
lish settlers  that  Mather,  in  his  3Iag- 
nalia,  loads  him  with  opprobrious 
epithets,  such  as  *•'  that  memorable 
tygre,"  "  that  hellish  fellow,"  etc. 
According  to  a  local  tradition  he  was 
killed  in  1690,  and  buried  on  this 
point  of  land,  which  has  ever  since 
borne  his  name.  It  is  a  spot  as  wild 
and  solitary  as  it  was  200  years  ago, 
covered  with  thickets  where  the  wild 
grape  runs  from  tree  to  tree,  and 
where,  it  is  affirmed,  the  groans  of 
the  Indian  warrior  are  still  to  be 
heard  from  time  to  time  among  the 
moaning  branches. 

Hoppers.  There  are  several 
"hoppers"  within  the  limits  of 
ancient  Dover.  The  most  important 
of  these  is  mentioned  Nov.  10,  1753, 
when  the  head  line  of  Dover  was  per- 
ambulated. This  line,  in  its  course, 
is  stated  to  lead  "  through  a  Vault  in 
the  earth,  commonly  known  and 
called  by  the  name  of  the  Hopper,  on 
the  westerly  side  of  Cochecho  river, 
to  the  edge  of  the  hill  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  the  said  Vault."  This 
Hopper  is  on  the  line  between  Dover 
and  Barrington,  on  the  Ezra  Hayes 
farm,  now  in  the  tenure  of  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  John  Grey.  The  farm 
house  itself  is  within  the  Barrington 
line,  at  the  southeast  side  of  Green 
hill.  There  are  three  hoppers  in  this 
vicinity,  the  largest  of  which  is  the 
one     above     mentioned.       It    is     a 


io8 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


remarkable  hollow  in  the  woods, 
about  100  feet  in  depth,  and  500  feet 
across.  Full  grown  pines  have  been 
cut  in  this  Hopper  for  timber. 

Another  Hopper  is  in  Madbury,  near 
the  site  of  Clark's  garrison.  It  is  a 
natural,  tunnel-like  hole  in  the  ground, 
somewhat  curious,  but  less  remarkable 
than  the  three  above  mentioned. 

Horne's  Hill.  Mentioned  in  1834, 
when  it  is  related  that  the  Strafford 
Guards  of  Dover,  returning  from  the 
inauguration  of  Gov.  William  Badger, 
were  met  at  Horne's  hill  by  Captain 
Moses  Paul  and  a  cavalcade  of  citi- 
zens, who  escorted  them  into  town. 
This  hill  is  on  Sixth  street,  at  that 
time  called  the  "  new  upper  Factory 
road,"  and  afterwards  "Brick  street," 
from  a  brickyard  where  is  now  Snow's 
tenement  house.  The  name  is  de- 
rived from  Wm.  Home,  to  whom 
Nathaniel  Starbuck  conveyed  240 
acres  of  land  between  Cochecho  and 
Tolend  Sept.  20,  1661.  This  laud 
was  originally  granted  to  Elder 
Edward  Starbuck  in  1643. 

Before  the  Cochecho  railroad  was 
built,  the  intervale  on  this  shore  was 
used  by  the  Dover  military  com- 
panies for  target  practice,  with 
Home's  hill  for  a  background.  The 
river  at  this  place  was  long  used  by 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  Society  for  the 
rite  of  immersion,  the  bank  being  low, 
and  the  water  shoal.  It  is  now  a 
favorite  bathing-place. 

Horn's  Woods.  The  woods  which 
have  borne  this  name  for  two  hun- 
dred years  or  more,  are  in  the  heart 
of  the  Lubberland  district,  below  the 
present  road  from  Durham  village  to 
Newmarket.  Thirty  acres  of  land 
were  granted  to  "Mr.  Thomas 
Edgerlie,      Sen^,     between     Collies 


marsh  and  the  homes"  March  19, 
1693-4,  laid  out  March  29,  1699. 
The  Edgerly  family  still  own  part  of 
these  woods.  Ten  acres,  part  of  a 
40  acre  grant  to  John  Doo  (Doe)  in 
1694,  were  laid  out  to  John  Smith, 
Jr.,  Aug.  12,  1732,  "-beginning  at  a 
black  oak  in  Horn's  woods,  so  called." 
{Durhain  Records.)  Capt.  John 
Smith's  ten-acre  lot  "in  the  horn's 
woods,  by  the  grassy  swam}^,"  is  men- 
tioned Oct.  31,  1749.  John  Mason 
conveyed  to  Abraham  Mathes  Aug. 
5,  1747,  16  acres  of  marsh  and 
upland,  commonly  called  Doe's  marsh, 
"lying  in  a  place  commonly  called 
the  Horne's  woods  in  Durham,  being 
part  of  the  estate  of  my  honored 
grandfather  John  Doe,  set  off  to  my 
mother  Mary  Mason  of  Durham,  wid- 
ow." Ninety  acres  in  Horne's  woods 
are  mentioned  in  the  inventory  of  Ab- 
raham Mathes'  estate,  Feb.  9,  1762. 
A  highway  from  "Wormwood's  into 
Horn's  woods,"  bordering  on  the  Edg- 
erly lands,  is  mentioned  Dec.  26, 
1743. 

No  Horns  appear  in  the  early  rate- 
lists  of  Oyster  River,  but  there  were 
Homes  in  Dover  proper.  The  name 
may  have  been  derived  from  John 
Haunce,  who  was  taxed  at  Oj'ster 
River  as  early  as  1655.  Geo.  Wal- 
ton, May  24,  1665,  conveyed  land  on 
Great  Island  to  "  John  Haunce  of 
Oyster  River,  carpenter." 

HoRSEHiDE  Brook.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  that  part  of  Den- 
bow's  brook,  where  it  crosses  the 
Newmarket  road  at  the  south  side  of 
Broth  Hill,  in  Durham.  It  was  so 
named  from  a  tan-yard  formerly 
adjacent,  belonging  to  Robert  Jones. 
This  brook  has  two  branches,  one  of 
which  rises  at  the  Moat.     It  is  per- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


109 


haps  "  the  little  brook  that  cometh 
out  of  the  mooet,"  mentioued  in  old 
grants.  This  unites  with  Denbow's 
brook,  which  rises  in  the  Long  marsh, 
and  empties  into  the  mill-pond  above 
Durham  falls.     (See  Denboiv's  Brook.) 

HucKiNs'  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  Madbury,  above  the  town-house, 
passes  through  the  old  Tasker  lands — 
whence  this  part  of  it  is  often  called 
the  Tasker  or  Tasket  brook,^ — crosses 
the  highway  below  the  Miles  house, 
and,  after  being  fed  by  the  Pendexter 
springs  farther  down,  comes  into 
Durham,  where  it  flows  through  the 
old  Huckins  land,  east  of  the  spot 
where  stood  the  Huckins  garrison, 
destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1689.  It 
is  joined  by  the  "  Tom-Hall  brook  " 
a  little  below  the  place  where  the 
Huckins  massacre  occurred,  and 
empties  into  Beard's  creek. 

Huckins'  Mill  was  built  on  this 
stream  at  an  early  day.  It  is  men- 
tioned Jan.  10,  1697-8.  Among  the 
Dover  grants  is  recorded,  Jan.  23, 
1701,  "  libbertie  of  a  Remoue  of 
ten  Acres  of  laud  granted  Robbart 
Huckins  in  1664  at  the  head  of  his 
twenty  acre  lott  on  the  west  side  of 
back  riuer,  to  be  laid  out  adjoining 
to  his  home  laud  at  oyster  Riuer,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  brooke  that 
driues  his  mill."  This  removal  of 
Robert  Huckins'  grant  seems  to  have 
been  made  in  favor  of  his  grandson 
Robert,  son  of  James  Huckins  who 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1689. 
One  fourth  of  this  mill  was  sold  by 
John  Huckins  to  Capt.  Samuel  Emer- 
son,   Oct.   24,  1727,  for  £30.      The 


receipt  for  this  sum,  still  extant,  de- 
clares,— "  The  said  mill  standeth  on 
the  stream  called  Huckins'  brook." 
The  entire  mill  and  the  Huckins  lands 
were  finally  acquired  by  Capt.  Emer- 
son and  his  sons.  The  mill  is  now 
gone,  but  the  remains  of  the  dam  are 
still  to  be  seen  on  that  part  of  the 
brook  which  flows  through  the  land  of 
Mr.  Ebenezer  T.  Emerson. 

Huckleberry  Hill.  This  is  a 
high  ridge  on  Dover  neck,  about 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  below  the 
bridge  across  Little  John's  creek. 
It  is  mentioned  the  5th,  10  mo.,  1659, 
when  it  was  ordered  that  huckleberry 
hill,  which  had  been  laid  out  for  a 
sheep  pasture,  should  be  divided  for 
a  public  training  place  for  the  town- 
ship of  Dover.  "The  way  which 
doth  lead  from  huckleberry  hill  to 
Cochecho  "  is  mentioned  in  a  convey- 
ance of  land  from  the  town  to  John 
Tuttle,  March  5,  1674-5.  This  hill 
commands  an  extensive  and  magnif- 
icent view  across  the  Newichawan- 
nock  on  one  side,  and  Back  river  on 
the  other.  And  far  down  the  Long 
Reach  of  the  Pascataqua  may  be  seen 
the  spires  of  Portsmouth  rising  be- 
yond the  fair  shores  of  Newiugton, 
with  beautiful  hills  and  gleaming 
waters  in  every  direction. 

Huckleberry  Plain.  Mentioned 
March  19,  1693-4,  when  the  town  of 
Dover  granted  to  Zachariah  Trickev 
"  that  ftield  he  hath  ffenced  on  ye  hort- 
tleberry  plain,  with  as  much  joining 
it  as  to  make  it  twenty  acres."  This 
land  was  no  doubt  "  zachery  trickey's 
twenty  acres  in  the  pich  pine  x>lctins  " 


2  The  name  of  Tasker  seems  to  have  been  thus  corrupted  at  a  very  early  period.  Or  Tasket 
may  have  been  the  original  name.  At  any  rate,  it  is  written  Tasket  in  the  Dover  rate-list  of 
16T5,  and  in  the  court  records  of  1686.  (See  Farmer's  Belknap,  page  169,  foot  note.)  John  Tas- 
ket's  name  is  on  the  muster-roll  of  Capt.  James  Davis's  scouting  party  in  17l2.  And  the  name 
is  frequently  so  called  to  this  day  in  Madbury 


no 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


(in  Newiugtou),  uext  Richard  Pome- 
roy's  grant,  mentioned  Ap.  2,  1694. 
(See  Pitch-Pme  Plains.) 

Huckleberry  Swamp.  This  name 
is  now  given  to  Hilton's  Point  swamp, 
which  was  laid  out  as  an  ox  pasture 
in  1652.  It  is  at  the  lower  end  of 
Dover  Neck. 

Hull's  Meadow.  So  named  from 
Benjamin  Hull,  who  had  a  grant 
adjoining  the  Pascassic  mill  in  1659. 
(See  Indian  Graves.)  Benjamin 
Hull  of  Dover,  Dec.  12,  1678,  con- 
ve^'ed  to  John  Rand  120  acres  of 
land  in  Dover,  bounded  N.  E.  by 
Lamperel  river,  and  S.  W.  by  the 
Dover  line.  John  Rand  of  y^  town- 
ship of  Dover,  in  y'^  county  of  Ports- 
mouth, conveyed  to  Robert  Wadley 
of  Dover,  Aug.  26,  1679,  "  120  acres 
of  land  and  meadow  ground,  lying  by 
Laraperell  river,  between  y*  Island 
Falls  and  y^  second  Falls  of  y^  af ores'* 
river,  commonly  called  by  y^  name  of 
Benjamin  HtdVs  meadow." 

The  Hull  land  was  acquired  Jan. 
12,  1695,  by  Richard  Hilton,  who, 
Dec.  5,  1735,  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Darling  of  Portsmouth  120  acres  of 
upland  and  Meadow  in  Durham, 
beginning  at  a  pitch-pine  tree  on  or 
near  the  line  between  Durham  and 
Exeter,  thence  up  said  line  W.  and 
by  N.  170  rods  to  a  black  oak  on 
said  line  or  town  bounds,  then  north 
160  rods  to  a  hemlock  on  the  bank  of 
Lamperel  river,  then  down  said  river 
as  far  as  it  bears  east  nearest,  then 
E.  and  by  N.  six  score  rods  to  a 
pine,  thence  to  y''  pitch  pine  first 
mentioned,  standing  on  y*  town 
bounds,  near  to  y"^  Indian  graves. 
Thomas  Darling  of  Durham,  Oct.  27, 
1742,  out  of  love,  good-will,  and 
affection  to  his  well-beloved  son-in- 


law,  John  Frost  of  Portsmouth,  con- 
veyed to  said  Frost  one  half  of  his 
homestead  estate — that  is,  half  the 
upland  he  bought  of  Richard  Hilton, 
except  40  acres  then  owned  by 
Nathaniel  Frost,  together  with  one 
half  of  y*  meadow  commonly  called 
HulVs  meadoiv.  That  same  day 
Thomas  Darling  conveyed  to  his 
beloved  son-in-law  Nicholas  Tuttle 
the  other  half  of  his  homestead 
estate,  and  half  of  y  meadow  com- 
monly called  Hull's  meadoiv  on  the 
north  side.  Nicholas  Tuttle  con- 
veyed his  part  to  Jeremiah  Folsom, 
Jr.,  Feb.  10,  1752.  John  Frost, 
Sept.  20,  1752,  conveyed  to  Thomas 
and  John  Tash,  both  of  Durham,  a 
tract  of  upland  and  meadow  in  Dur- 
ham, part  of  the  land  formerly 
granted  to  Benjamin  Hull,  bounded 
N.  by  Nathaniel  Frost's  laud,  and  S. 
and  W.  by  that  of  Jonathan  Stevens 
and  David  Davis  y*  3^  The  Tash 
land,  between  the  Pascassic  river 
and  Lee  Hook,  is  still  pointed  out. 

Humphrey's  Pond.  This  name 
is  ffiven  to  Willand's  Pond  in  the 
Somers worth  records  of  March  16, 
1793  ;  also  in  Merrill's  N.  H.  Gazeteer 
of  1817,  and  in  Hayward's  Neio  Eng- 
land Gazeteer  of  1839.  The  origin  of 
the  name  is  uncertain,  but  it  may 
have  been  derived  from  Humphrey 
Varney,  who  was  received  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Dover,  Aug.  2,  1659,  and 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Elder 
Edward  Starbuck,  who  owned  land 
around  Cochecho  pond,  now  Wil- 
land's. 

Huntress  Landings.  There  are 
two  landing-places  of  this  name  on 
the  western  shore  of  the  Long  Reach, 
called  by  the  river  boatmen  the  Upper 
and  Loiver  Huntress. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Ill 


The  Upper  Huntress  is  in  Newing- 
ton,  a  short  distauce  above  Paul's 
creek,  at  the  foot  of  an  old  road  along 
the  east  side  of  a  point  of  land  owned 
by  Miss  Mary  Huntress,  to  whom  the 
landing-place  also  belongs.  This  is 
a  remnant  of  the  old  Huntress  estate 
on  this  shore,  acquired  by  George 
Huntress  about  200  years  ago,  half  of 
which  was  inherited  by  his  son  Sam- 
uel, whose  grave  is  still  to  be  seen 
not  far  from  the  landing-place  that 
bears  his  name.  Here  he  doubtless 
moored  his  gundelows  and  other 
craft,  mentioned  in  the  public  records. 
It  was  voted  by  the  N.  H.  General 
Assembly,  Dec.  13,  1746,  "that  Sam' 
Huntriss  be  allowed  fifteen  shills 
and  nine  Pence  in  full  for  y*  use  of 
his  Guudloe  18  days  at  y*  Fort." 
And  the  "  Ace'  of  Sam'  Huntress  for 
gundaloe  hire  at  N.  Castle  "  is  again 
mentioned  the  same  day.  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Fap.,  5:475,855.) 

The  Lower  Huntress  is  in  Ports- 
mouth, just  below  the  Newington  line, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Gosling  road.  The 
name  is  derived  from  Clement  Hun- 
tress, to  whom  Alice  Thompson  con- 
veyed, Oct.  5,  1831,  four  acres  and 
two  rods  of  land' in  Portsmouth,  at 
the  northwesterly  corner  of  the  prem- 
ises adjoining  the  road  which  sepa- 
rates Newington  from  Portsmouth, 
bounded  on  one  side  b}^  the  Piscata- 
qua  river,  and  adjacent  to  the  Elliot 
farm,  so-called,  then  belonging  to 
Stephen  Pearse.  This  land  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Huntress, 
nephew  of  the  above  Clement.  The 
landing-place  here  is  sometimes  called 
Thompson'' s  Point. 

Hussey's  Brook.  This  is  the  first 
brook  that  empties  into  the  Newicha- 
wannock  river  above  Cochecho  Point. 


So  named  from  Joseph  Hussey 
whose  land  below  St.  Albau's  cove  is 
mentioned  in  1736.  (See  Gui^]}y's 
Point.) 

Hussey's  Falls.  See  Cochecho 
Falls. 

Hussey's  Pond.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  AVilland's  pond, 
from  the  Husse}'  families  that  own 
land  in  its  vicinity. 

Hussey's  Springs.  The  largest  of 
the  Hussey  springs  is  on  the  farm  of 
Mr.  Benjamin  Hussey,  but  those  ac- 
quired by  the  city  of  Dover  for  the 
public  water-works  are  on  the  farm  of 
Mr.  John  S.  Hussev,  between  Gage's 
Hill  and  Willand's  Pond,  partly  in 
Dover  and  partly  in  Somersworth. 

Indian  Brook.  Mentioned  June 
23,  1701,  when  John  Varuey  had  a 
grant  of  30  acres  "  near  the  Indian 
hrook."  This  brook,  which  is  oppo- 
site the  old  Indian  corn  ground^ 
crosses  the  Scatterwit  road  in  Dover, 
and  empties  into  the  Cochecho  river, 
a  little  above  the  Upper  FactoiT 
falls.  The  name  is  still  retained.  It 
is  mentioned  in  1865,  as  one  of  the 
bounds  of  Dover  "•  highway  district 
No.  One."  5"*-*-  Sla^  Jn-c/taH  [(/<oi*cifi-v,^ 

Indian  Graves.  Mentioned  the 
4th,  9  mo.,  1652,  when  Philip  Ches- 
ley  had  a  grant  of  100  acres  "  at  the 
Indian  graves,''^  which  was  laid  out  in 
1661.  Of  this  laud  78  acres  were 
laid  out  for  his  grandson,  Lieut. 
Philip  Chesley,  July  21,  1715,  begiu- 
niuo;  at  "  the  south  end  of  the  Indian 
graves  att  beach  hill,  att  a  hemlock 
marked  P.  C.  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road,  thence  running  S.  S.  W. 
52  rods  to  a  hemlock,  thence  S.  S.  E. 
240  rods  along  by  Mr.  Woodman's 
land  to  a  beach  tree,  thence  N.  N.  E. 
52  rods,  to  a  red  oak  by  a  grate  rock 


112 


Laiidmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


by  the  road,  thence  by  the  highway 
to  the  first  bound." 

This  land  is  on  the  western  side  of 
Beech  Hill,  and  is  now  owned  in 
part,  if  not  wholly,  by  Mr.  I.  Blake 
Hill. 

Another  Indian  burying-ground  is 
mentioned  the  5th,  8  mo.,  1659, 
when  Benjamin  Hull  had  a  grant  of 
100  acres  from  the  town  of  Dover, 
"  adiacent  to  the  bounds  of  Puscas- 
siclv  mill,  on  the  S.  W.  sied  of 
Lamprill  River  fall,"  which  was  laid 
out  the  12th,  11  mo.,  1660,  "begin- 
ning at  a  marked  tree  in  the  town 
hounds,  by  the  Indian  graves  that 
are  thear,"  and  iimning  W.  by  S.  12 
rods,  "then  N.  to  Lamprill  river, 
and  along  the  river  side  as  long  as 
the  river  bears  away  east,  making  the 
line  120  rods,  till  you  come  to  a 
marked  tree,  then  S.  to  the  town 
bounds  next  Exeter  side  near  the 
graves.'^  Exeter,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, then  included  Newmarket. 
(See  HidVs  Meadow.) 

The  tongue  of  land  on  the  west 
side  of  Beard's  creek,  where  the 
Woodmans  lie  buried,  not  far  from 
their  garrison,  has  alwavs  borne  the 
name  of  the  Indian  hurying-ground, 
derived  perhaps  from  a  tradition  that 
they  were  partly  of  Indian  descent, 
through  an  earl}'  member  of  the  fam- 
ily said  to  have  married  a  dusky 
maiden  of  the  ]V|ohawk  race.  Noth- 
ing has  been  found  in  the  records, 
however,  to  justify  this  romantic 
tradition. 

Indian  Ground,  or  Corn  Ground. 
Mentioned  the  7th,  10  mo.,  1659, 
when  sufficient  land  to  make  up  Peter 
Coffin's  lot  of  100  acres,  was  laid  out 
a  little  above  the  third  fall  in  the  Co- 
checho  river,  beginning  at  a  pine  tree 


by  the  river  side  and  extending  up 
the  river  to  a  white  oak  on  a  little 
hill,  thence  northward  to  the  swamp 
by  the  Indian  ground.  This  planting- 
ground  seems  to  have  been  abandoned 
by  the  Indians  after  the  disturbances 
occasioned  by  Major  "VValdrou's 
treachery  to  them  in  1676,  and  it  was 
afterwards  divided  among  the  Dover 
settlers.  Among  others,  John  Horn, 
Sr.,  had  a  grant  of  30  acres  "  on  the 
Indian  Come  ground  on  the  west  side 
of  Cochecho  river,"  March  19,  1693-4. 
It  was  laid  out  Feb.  16,  1711,  begin- 
ning at  the  Indian  Corn  ground^  upon 
the  north  side  of  burbadus  (Barba- 
does)  way  that  leads  to  tole  end." 
Wm.  Hartford  Ap,  1,  1712,  conveyed 
to  .John  and  Peter  Haise  20  acres  of 
land  "  between  Cochecha  river  and 
Barbadoes,  beginning  at  a  red  oak  on 
y^  Indian  Corn  Ground."  (See  Mo- 
harimeVs  Planting-Ground. ) 

Indian  Hills.  These  hills  are  on 
the  neck  of  land  between  Fresh  creek 
and  the  Newichawannock  river.  Rob- 
ert Huggens  conveyed  to  James 
Guppy,  Oct.  19,  1713,  20  acres  of 
land,  with  a  parcel  of  marsh  and 
flats  belonging  thereto,  "  from  the 
lower  point,  where  the  Indian  hills 
are,  to  y*^  head  of  y^  Fresh  creek  on 
Cochecho  point."  John  Meader,  aged 
70  years,  or  thereabouts,  testified  be- 
fore John  Woodman,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  Sept.  17,  1702,  that  "  all  the 
marsh  flats  from  the  lower  point 
wiaere  the  Indian  hills  are,  to  y^  head 
of  y^  crick,  on  both  sides  of  the  crick 
which  is  commonly  called  Fresh  crick, 
on  y®  north  side  of  Cochecho  river,  as 
also  a  parcell  of  planting  land  on  the 
west  side  pf  said  creek"  were,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1647  or  8,  in  the 
possession  of  Robert  Huckius,  grand- 


L.ajidi]iarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


113 


father  of  Robert  Huckins,  Jr.,  then 
claiming  title  to  said  marsh. 

James  Guppv,  Aug.  21,  1733,  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Downs  35  acres  of 
his  land  "  on  a  certain  neck  common- 
ly called  by  y®  name  of  Cochecho 
Point,  beginning  at  a  rock  on  the 
south  side  of  the  way  leading  to 
Nechowanuuck,  near  a  brook  y'  runs 
out  of  Cromwel's  land  into  Fresh 
creek.''  Another  portion  he  conveyed 
to  Joseph  Ricker,  Nov.  21,  1733, 
beginning  at  the  S.  E.  corner  of 
Thomas  Downs'  land  on  Fresh  creek. 
And  Aug.  3,  1736,  he  conveyed  30 
acres  to  James  Philpot.  (See  Gup- 
py's  Point.) 

Indian  Oven.  This  is  a  cave  in 
the  side  of  a  steep  ledge  near  the  top 
of  a  hill  in  the  Caverno  pasture,  in 
Lee,  overlooking  the  lower  side  of 
Wheelwright's  pond.  The  opening  is 
five  or  six  feet  high,  and  the  depth 
perhaps  four  feet.  Traces  of  fire 
within  still  bear  witness  to  its  hav- 
ing been  used  for  domestic  purposes. 
In  this  vicinity  took  place  the  battle 
of  Wheelwright's  pond. 

Indian  Path.  Mentioned  May  4, 
1657,  when  200  acres  of  land  were 
laid  out  to  "  Mr.  Edward  Rawson, 
secretary  ;  "  one  half  of  it  on  "  the 
east  side  of  the  Quochecho  river," 
and  the  other  half  on  the  west  side, 
"  a  little  below  the  Indian  path,'' 
which  path  "  lyeth  about  three  miles 
above  Peter  Cofyns  house."  (iV.  H. 
Frov.  Pap.,  1  :  229.)  This  land  was 
afterwards  acquired  by  Richard  Wal- 
dron,  who  conveyed  it  in  part,  if  not 
wholly,  to  Peter  Coffin  May  27,  1671. 
It  apparently  joined  the  Indian  reser- 
vation above  Tolend,  called  in  the 
early  records  the  "  Indian  corn- 
ground."     Peter    Coffin    of   Exeter, 


June  2,  1696,  conveyed  to  his  son 
Peter  of  Nantucket  a  tract  of  200 
acres  on  "  the  north  side  of  Coche- 
chow  river,  at  a  place  called  "  ye  six 
Indian  wicjioams."  (See  Indian  Corn- 
ground.) 

Indigo  Hill.  This  is  a  well-known 
hill  in  Somersworth,  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  below  Great  Falls, 
between  the  river  and  the  new  road 
to  Salmon  Falls.  It  is  mentioned 
March  19,  1693-4,  when  Ezekiel 
Wentworth  had  a  grant  of  land  on 
Salmon  Falls  river,  above  Indigo  Hill. 
John  Tuttle  had  a  grant  of  60  acres 
June  18,  1694,  between  Indigo  Hill 
and  Autonies  (brook),  which,  in  his 
will  of  Dec.  28,  1717,  he  gives  his 
son  Ebenezer.  Over  23  acres  of  this 
land  were  conveyed  to  Robert  Cole 
Sept.  4,  1730,  when  it  is  spoken  of 
as  on  the  north  side  of  John  Hall's 
lot.  A  road  was  laid  out  in  1720 
from  Quamphegan  to  Indigo  Hill  and 
the  commons.  This  road  is  now 
partly  closed  up.  The  name  is  found 
variously  written  Indigo,  Indego,  and 
Endego.  Its  origin  does  not  ap- 
pear, but  the  suggestion  has  been 
made  that  it  may  be  a  corruption  of 
Endicott.  John  Endicott  was  gov- 
ernor  of  Massachusetts  for  man}' 
years  between  1644  and  1665,  at 
which  time  New  Hampshire  was  un- 
der the  jurisdiction  of  the  Massachu- 
setts government.  Others  suppose 
it  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  commercial 
relations  with  Antigua,  the  name  of 
which  is  found  corrupted  to  Antegoe 
in  the  old  records,  not  dissimilar  in 
sound  to  Indigo. 

Isinglass  River.  This  is  a  branch 
of  the  Cochecho,  that  rises  at  Bow 
pond,  Strafford.  On  the  state  map 
of  Barrington    in    1805,   mention    is 


114 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


made  of  Foss's  mills  on  this  stream, 
not  far  from  the  source,  with  a  bridge 
just  below.  Then  come  Roberts'  saiv- 
mill  and  Nat'l  Foss's  grist-mill. 
Farther  down  is  Caverh/s  bridge.,  on 
the  Ridge  road,  with  French's  mill 
just  belowi  at  the  outlet  ot  Long  pond. 
In  the  bend  below  is  Judge  Hale's 
house,  east  of  Nippo  piond.  At  the 
next  bend  stand  Tioombley's  mills, 
above  the  mouth  of  a  brook  that  con- 
nects Isinglass  river  with  Ayefs 
pond.  A  little  below  the  mouth  of 
this  brook  is  Tattle's  fulling-mill,  with 
Blake's  bridge  below.  Farther  down, 
on  the  Green  Hill  road,  is  Babb's 
mill.  Locke's  mill  is  on  or  near  the 
line  between  Barrington  and  Roches- 
ter. Coming  into  Rochester,  Isin- 
glass river  flows  along  the  west  side 
of  Blind  WilVs  Neck,  and  empties 
into  the  Cochecho  on  the  west  side. 

The  Isiuo-lass  river  is  fed,  not  only 
by  Bow  pond  in  Strafford,  where  it 
takes  its  rise,  but  through  its  tribu- 
taries by  Ayer's,  Nippo,  Round,  and 
Long  ponds,  in  Barrington.  These 
ponds  are  the  chief  reservoirs  of  the 
Cocheco  Manufacturing  Co.,  which 
has  a  dam  at  the  outlet  of  the  three 
first,  if  not  all. 

Island  Falls.  So  called  in  1669, 
when  Robert  Wadley's  claim  to  these 
falls  was  confirmed  by  a  grant  from 
the  town  of  Dover.  And  again  Aug. 
26,  1679,  when  John  Rand  conveyed 
to  Robert  Wadley  120  acres  of  land 
"  between  y^  Island  Falls  and  y*  sec- 
ond falls  in  Lamperell  river."  They 
are  now  called  Wadleigh's  falls.  In 
an  old  plan  of  1739,  five  islands  are 
represented  at  these  falls. 

Jackson's  Creek.  Mentioned 
March  6,  1710-11,  in  connection  with 
a   road  from   Lamprey  river   to   the 


Salmon  Falls  river,  which,  in  its 
course,  ran  near  Robert  Huggins' 
house,  at  the  south  ;  thence  to  Wm. 
Jackson's  pasture  and  to  the  head  of 
Jackson's  creek,  straight  as  y*  old 
road  went,  then  "Joseph  Jenkins  to 
open  at  y*  left,"  etc.  Evidently  the 
same  as  Johnson's  creek,  near  which 
Walter  Jackson  had  a  grant  of  land 
the  19th,  1  mo.,  1665. 

Jackson's  Point.  Mentioned  Jan. 
26,  1773,  when  a  tract  of  upwards  of 
47  acres,  belonging  to  Jonathan  and 
Robert  Leathers,  is  described  as  run- 
ning southerly  along  the  land  of 
Samuel  Chesley  and  Wm.  Jackson  to 
highwater  mark  at  Jackson's  Point, 
so  called,  then  easterly  by  the  up- 
land 4^  rods  to  Robert  Leathers' 
thatch-bed,  and  along  this  bed  S.  13 
deg.  W.  to  the  channel  of  Oyster 
river,  westerly  by  this  channel  to  the 
land  of  Mary  and  Jonathan  Chesley, 
and  northerly  to  the  highway.  The 
name  of  this  point  has  not  been  re- 
tained, but  the  tract  referred  to  ap- 
pears to  be  the  Leathers  land  in 
Durham,  now  owned  in  part  by  the 
heirs  of  the  late  John  T.  Emerson. 

Jeems's  Cove,  otherwise  James's. 
This  is  the  first  cove  below  Paul's 
cove,  on  the  Rolliusford  shore  of  the 
Newichawannock  river,  so  called  from 
a  family  that  once  lived  adjacent 
thereto.  The  boatmen  on  the  river 
in  those  days,  when  they  came  abreast 
of  this  cove,  hailed  it  with  the  cry  : 
"  There  's  Mother  Jeems  !  "  and  laid 
down  their  oars  to  take  their  turn  at 
the  jug  which  was  passed  around. 
The  land  here  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Henry  Paul. 

Jewell's  Point.  This  point,  so 
called  on  Smith's  map  of  Durham,  is 
on  the  Lubberlaud  shore,  at  the  lower 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


115 


side  of  Broad  Cove.  It  was  originally 
called  Needliam'' s  Pointy  but  is  now 
known  as  Long  Pointy  and  forms  part 
of  the  present  Randall  farm.  The 
name  was  derived  from  Bradbury 
Jewell  of  Tam worth,  to  whom  Thomas 
>t  Stevenson  of  Durham,  and  wife  Ag- 
nes, Feb.  10,  1785,  conveyed  all  his 
homestead  plantation  of  64^  acres, 
where  he  (Stevenson)  then  dwelt,  to- 
gether with  another  tract  of  30  acres 
called  Ambler's  marsh,  bounded  S. 
by  the  lands  of  Benjamin  and  John 
Smith,  westerly  by  the  highway  to 
Durham  Falls,  and  northerly  and 
easterly  by  the  lands  of  F^phraim 
Davis  and  the  heirs  of  Wm.  Durgin. 
(See  Heel  Pock  and  Needham's  Point.) 
Bradbury  Jewell,  after  living  for 
some  years  on  this  shore,  removed  to 
Sandwich,  N.  H.  The  Eev.  Curtis 
Coe  of  Durham  records  the  marriage 
of  Bradbury  Jewell,  Esq.,  of  Sand- 
wich and  Ann  Elizabeth  Fldgerly  of 
Durham,  Jan.  4,  1804.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Moses  Edgerly,  who 
seems  to  have  bequeathed  her  30 
acres  of  land  in  Durham. 

Jocelyn's  Cove.  Mentioned  Dec. 
12,  1701,  when  30  acres  of  land  were 
laid  out  to  Wm.  Henderson,  Sr. 
(^granted  March  19,  1693-4),  begin- 
ning at  a  small  white  pine  near 
Cornelius  Courson's  fence,  on  the 
south  side  of  Josling's  Coue.  This 
cove  is  on  the  western  shore  of  the 
Newichawannock,  just  above  the 
bridge  to  Eliot.  The  name  was  no 
doubt  derived  from  Henry  Jocelyn, 
who  was  appointed  Capt.  John 
Mason's  agent  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1634.  He  was  the  son  of  Sir 
Thomas  Josselyn,  whom  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando  Gorges  appointed  Deputy 
Governor  of  Maine  in  1639.     A  list 


of  the  goods  left  with  "  Mr.  Joslyn  " 
in  the  house  at  Newichawannock, 
Aug.,  1634,  is  given  in  the  N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  93-94.  He  seems 
to  have  written  his  name  '•'Jocelyn." 
Henry  Jocelyn  afterwards  went  to 
Black  Point,  Scarborough,  Me., 
where  he  built  a  garrison,  which,  iu 
spite  of  the  vigilance  implied  in 
Whittier's  line, 

"  Grey  Jocelyn's  eye  Is  never  sleeping, '- 

was  captured  by  Mogg  Megone  or 
Hegone  Oct.  12,  1677. 

Jody's  Spring.  This  name  is 
given  to  a  "boiling  spring"  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  Eollins  farm,  in 
Newington,  from  Joanna  Rollins,  a 
former  proprietress.  It  is  in  a 
thicket  near  the  railway. 

Johnson's  Creek.  This  is  the 
first  inlet  from  Oyster  river  above 
Bunker's  creek,  in  Durham.  The 
name,  however,  was  generally  given 
at  an  early  day,  not  only  to  the  tidal 
portion,  but  to  the  fresh-water  brook 
above  it.  This  brook  rises  in  the 
marshes  above  the  Hooper  laud  in 
the  Back  River  district,  Dover.  The 
name  is  derived  from  Thomas  John- 
son, who  was  in  Dover  as  early  as 
1639,  and  afterwards  had  a  grant  of 
100  acres  of  upland  next  Philip 
Chesley's.  Thomas  Johnson  of  Pas- 
cataway,  planter,  conveyed  to  Nich- 
olas ffoUett  house,  field,  marsh, 
goods,  cattle,  etc.,  Sept.  6,  1652. 
This  was  perhaps  a  mortgage,  for 
the  inventory  of  Thomas  Johnson's 
estate,  made  July  1,  1661,  mentions 
his  house,  land,  and  marsh. 

"The  path  at  the  head  of  John- 
son^s  Creek "  was  one  of  the  old 
bounds  between  the  Oyster  River 
precinct  and  Dover  proper,  when 
defined  Dec.    21,   1657.     Permission 


ii6 


Land^narks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


was  granted  Ambrose  Gibbons  the 
5th,  10  mo.,  1659,  to  erect  a  saw- 
mill at  the  head  of  Thomas  Johnson's 
creek — that  is,  at  the  head  of  tide 
water.  Twenty  acres  of  land, 
granted  to  Valentine  Hill  the  5th, 
10  mo.,  1652,  were  laid  out  Dec.  2, 
1709,  to  Nathaniel  Hill,  only  son  of 
said  Valentine,  on  "  the  east  side  of 
Thomas  Johnson's  creek,  between 
Wm.  Stories  100  acre  lot  and  the 
swamp." 

Johnson's  creek  bridge  is  often 
mentioned  in  the  Durham  and  Mad- 
bury  records,  generally  referring,  not 
to  the  bridge  near  the  mouth,  but  to 
the  one  on  the  I'oad  to  Back  River,  on 
the  line  between  Durham  and  Mad- 
bury.  When  this  line  was  perambu 
lated  Jan.  9,  1802,  it  ran  from  Cedar 
Point  in  a  westerly  direction  "  to  the 
middle  of  Johnson's  creek  bridge." 
(Du7'ham  Records.) 

The  name  of  Johnson's  creek  is 
still  retained,  but  the  tidal  portion  is 
sometimes  called  Jones's  creek. 

Johnson's  Creek  Hill.  This  hill 
is  mentioned  in  the  Madbury  records 
of  1803,  when  $14  were  paid  Wm. 
and  Thomas  Jones  for  land  taken  for 
a  highway  on  "  Johnson's  Creek  Hill, 
so  called."  This  was  no  doubt  the 
road  laid  out  Oct.  20,  1800,  across  a 
corner  of  land  belonging  to  the  heirs 
of  Stephen  Jones,  on  the  hill  below 
Johnson's  creek  bridge,  to  avoid  the 
steepness  of  the  hill  on  the  old  road. 
This,  of  course,  was  in  the  lower  part 
of  Madbury. 

Jonas'  Creek,  otherwise  Jonas 
Bine's.  Mentioned  the  10th,  8  mo., 
1653,  when  Wm.  Follet  and  James 
Bonker  had  a  grant  of  "  tenn  acres 
of  land  above  the  head  of  Jonas  his 
creek,  called  the  Vinyeard." 


Ap.  2,  1711,  Nicholas  ffollett  of 
Portsmouth,  heir  and  successor  of 
Wm.  ffollett,  late  of  Dover,  deceased, 
conveyed  to  James  Bunker  20  acres 
of  land,  "  being  one  moyetie  or  part 
of  a  forty  acre  grant  to  Wm.  Story 
in  the  year  1650:  29:  5  mo.,  lying 
upon  the  neck  of  land  between  John- 
sou's  creek  and  Jonas  Bine  his  creek." 
This  inlet  is  now  called  Bunker's 
creek. 

Jonas  Bine's  marsh  at  the  head  of 
his  creek  is  mentioned  in  1653. 

Jonas'  Point.  So  called  from  Jo- 
nas Binn  or  Biue,  who,  in  1651,  had 
a  house  and  lot  of  six  acres  which 
he  bought  of  Thomas  Stevenson,  on 
the  point  at  the  entrance  into  Oyster 
river,  compassed  with  the  river  every 
way  except  the  south  side,  which 
joined  the  land  of  Mr.  Francis  Mathes. 
Francis  Mathes,  Dec.  20,  1748,  con- 
veyed to  Valentine  and  Abraham 
Mathes,  Jr.,  the  homestead  where  he 
then  lived,  "  beginning  at  John  Bick- 
ford's  orchard  point,  so  the  salt  water 
is  y*  bounds  to  Joneses  Point,  and 
Oyster  river  and  said  point  is  on  y^ 
northerly  side,"  etc.  John  Bickford, 
June  8,  1771,  conveyed  to  his  son 
Winthrop  Bickford  25  acres  of  land, 
bounded  northerly  and  westerly  by 
land  of  Valentine  Mathes,  easterly 
by  the  water,  and  southerly  by  the 
land  of  Stephen  Willey.  Also  an- 
other parcel  of  laud  near  the  above, 
commonly  known  by  the  name  of 
Jonas's  Point,  containing  six  acres, 
bounded  southerly  by  land  of  Valen- 
tine Mathes,  and  westerly,  northerly, 
and  easterly  by  the  salt  water. 

Jonas'  Point  is  on  the  south  side  of 
Oyster  river,  at  the  very  mouth,  and 
now  belongs  to  Miss  Dorothy  Mathes. 
The    name    is    still   retained,   but    is 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


117 


generally  corrupted  to  Jones's  Point. 

Jones's  Creek.  This  name  is  now 
generally  given  to  the  tidal  portion 
of  Johnson's  creek,  in  Durham,  from 
Stephen  Jones,  who  was  at  Oyster 
river  as  early  as  1663,  and  acquired 
the  lands  of  Thomas  Johnson. 
^'  Jones's  creek "  is  mentioned  in  the 
Durham  records  as  early  as  March 
27,  1785.  Jones's  bridge  is  also  fre- 
quently alluded  to  in  the  town  ac- 
counts, meaning  the  bridge  near  the 
mouth  of  Jones's  creek,  on  the  turn- 
pike-road. 

Kelley's  Springs.  This  name  is 
now  given  to  Barbadoes  springs, 
which  supply  the  Dover  aqueduct 
with  water.  They  are  southeast  of 
Barbadoes  pond,  and  originally  be- 
longed in  part  to  the  Evans  family. 
Samuel  and  Nathaniel  Evans,  Dec, 
22,  1812,  conveyed  to  Benjamin 
Kielle  24^  acres  of  laud  in  that  part 
of  Dover  called  Littleworth,  on  the 
southerly  side  of  the  road  from  Do- 
ver to  Barrington,  "  commonly 
known  by  the  name  of  the  spring 
pasture."  This  pasture  is  said  to 
contain  scores  of  springs.  The  old 
name  of  Kielle  is  now  written  Kelley. 

Kenney's  Cove,  Creek,  etc.  See 
Canney. 

Kimball's  Falls.  See  Cochecho 
Falls. 

Kincaid's  Brook.  This  brook  is 
mentioned  several  times  in  the  Dur- 
ham records  previous  to  the  incorpo- 
ration of  the  township  of  Lee.  In 
1765  the  town  paid  Simon  Randall 
1£,  6s.,  3d.,  for  timber  furnished 
Thomas  Leathers  for  "  the  bridge 
over  Kincaid's  brook."  This  appears 
to  be  the  trout  brook  that  rises  among 
the  marshes  in  Newtown,  crosses  the 
turnpike  road    above   Mr.  S.  E.  De- 


meritt's,  and  finally  empties  into  Oy- 
ster river.  It  is  now  generally  called 
Demeritt's  brook. 

Knight's  Ferry.  This  ferry,  un- 
der the  name  of  Trickey's  ferry  or 
Bloody  Point  ferry ^  was  in  operation 
at  an  early  day.  It  ran  not  only 
from  Bloody  Point  to  Hilton's  Point, 
but  also  to  the  Kittery  shore,  and 
was  originally  owned  by  Thomas 
Trickey,  who  was  in  Dover  as  early 
as  1640,  and  was  living  at  Bloody  Pt. 
before  1657.  He  died  before  1680, 
in  which  year,  on  the  16th  of  June, 
his  widow  Elizabeth  renounced  all 
claim  to  the  Trickey  plantation  and 
the  ferry  belonging  to  it,  in  favor  of 
her  son  Zachariah.  Zachariah  Trick- 
ey of  Bloody  Point,  Aug.  1,  1705, 
conveyed  to  John  Chevalier,  cdias 
Knight,  14  acres  of  upland  at  Bloody 
Fo'mt,  tvhere  ye  ferry  is  kept,  part  of 
y*  laud  formerly  granted  Thomas 
Trickey,  bounded  east  by  Zachariah's 
homestead,  of  which  this  tract  was  a 
part,  south  by  the  highway  going  to 
Nutter's  (Welsh  Cove),  and  north- 
west by  other  Trickey  lauds  and  the 
"  maine  river."  This  deed  was  con- 
firmed Nov.  22,  1705,  when  mention 
was  made  of  the  boats,  "  gondeloes," 
and  other  equipments  for  the  ferry. 

"  Capt.  John  Knight  of  Dover, 
near  Bloody  Point,"  petitioned  to  the 
N.  H.  General  Assembly,  Dec.  18, 
1705,  for  a  license  to  carry  on  the 
Bloody  Point  ferry,  "  setting  forth 
that  the  fer)-y  there  kept  to  Hilton's 
Point  belonging  to  Dover  Neck,  and 
the  other  from  the  said  Bloody  Point 
to  Kittery  Neck,  were  always  holden 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Trickey's  farm, 
which  is  now  his  by  purchase,  and 
thereupon  humbly  prays  that  the 
right  of  the  said  ferrys  may  be  con- 


ii8 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


ferred  upon  him."  It  was  "  accord- 
ingly agreed  that  the  Governor  be 
desired  to  give  him  a  patent  for  the 
said  ferrys,  he  not  demanding  more 
than  twelve  pence  for  every  horse 
and  man  at  each  ferry,  and  three 
pence  for  every  single  person  without 
Horse,  he  always  taking  care  that 
there  be  Boats  always  ready,  that 
there  be  no  complaint  thereupon." 
(iV.  H.  Prov.Pcqi.,  3  :  322-323.) 

John  Knight  was  a  Huguenot  refu- 
gee, who  changed  his  French  name  of 
Chevalier  for  its  English  equivalent 
of  Knight.  "  John  Clievalier  and 
man  "  are  on  the  Portsmouth  rate-list 
of  1681.  "John  Knight  of  Ports- 
mouth, alias  Chevalier,"  Oct.  18, 
1702,  bought  the  Carter  farm  at  Pine 
Point,  adjacent  to  the  mill-stream 
below  Bloody  Point.  (See  Pine 
Point.)  ^ 

The  Knight  place  at  Bloody  Point, 
whence  the  ferry  ran  to  Hilton's  Point 
and  Kittery,  was  acquired  by  Miss 
Nancy  N.  Drew  July  16,  1831.  (See 
Nancy  Dretv's  Point.  It  now  belongs 
to  Mr.  Charles  Dame. 

There  was  another  Kniglifs  ferry 
between  Fox  Point  and  the  Durham 
shore.     (See  Fox  Point.) 

Laighton's  Cove.  This  cove, 
originally  called  Harwood's,  Harrod's, 
Herod's.,  Herd's,  etc.,  is  on  the  New- 
ington  shore  of  Great  Bay,  between 
Fabyan's  Pt.  and  Long  Pt.  Its 
present  name  was  derived  from 
Thomas  Layton  of  Dover,  who,  the 
loth,  4  mo.,  1646,  had  a  grant  of  ten 
acres  of  marsh  in  the  Great  Bay, 
upon  the  other  side  of  y*  creek  west 


of  y«  land  of  Wm.  Pomfrett.  (Pom- 
frett's  land  was  sold  to  Anthony 
Nutter  in  1651.)  Thirty  acres  of 
upland  were  laid  out  to  Thomas 
Layton  in  1656,  adjoining  his  marsh 
in  the  Great  Bay,  towards  Long 
point.  Elder  Nutter's  land  was  on 
one  side.  This  tract  is  specified  as 
part  of  the  400  acres  granted  to 
Dover  on  Great  Bay,  which  proves, 
beyond  all  dispute,  that.Hogsty  cove 
was  further  down  the  shore,  and  not 
Laighton's  cove  itself,  as  some  have 
supposed.  fSee  Hogsty  Cove  and 
Long  Point.)  Thomas  Laighton, 
descendant  of  the  above  Thomas, 
Jan.  26, 1741,  conveyed  all  his  lands, 
marsh,  and  flats,  in  Newington,  to 
Thomas  Laighton,  Jr.,  who,  about 
thirty  years  later,  sold  them  to  Nich- 
olas Pickering. 

Laighton's  Hill.  This  hill,  so 
called  in  the  Madbury  records,  is  in 
tlie  southwestern  part  of  the  Back 
River  district,  on  the  borders  of 
Dover  and  Madbury.  It  is  crossed 
bv  the  road  to  Dover  from  the  old 
Pascataqua  bridge,  and  is  now  gen- 
erally called  Atkinson's  Hill.  Its 
old  name  was  derived  from  Thomas 
Layton,  who,  the  6th,  10  mo.,  1656, 
had  a  grant  of  100  acres  on  the  west 
side  of  Back  river,  which  was  laid 
out  at  the  head  of  a  20  acre  lot  he 
bought  of  Ambrose  Gibbons,  run- 
ning along  the  northern  branch  of 
Royall's  cove  and  up  the  freshet. 
(See  Royall's  Cove.)  This  laud  was 
still  owned  by  his  descendants  Ap.  1, 
1762,  when  Tliomas  Laighton  con- 
veyed   to    Thomas    Walliugford    of 


1  The  marriage  of  Elizabethrdaughter  of  John  Knight  and  Bridget  his  wife,  to  John  Janvnn, 
is  thus  recorded  by  the  Rev.  John  Pike  :  "  Mr.  John  Jambrin  of  Jersey  (belonging  to  England) 
was  legally  married  to  Elizabeth  Knight,  alias  Sheavallier,  of  the  town  of  Dover  in  New  Eng- 
land, upon  the  12  of  September,  1706."  The  Knights  and  Janvrins  are  connected  with  the  pres- 
ent writer  through  her  paternal  grandmother. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


119 


Somersworth  100  acres  of  land  in 
Dover,  on  the  west  side  of  Back 
river,  extending  from  Roy  all's  cove 
about  40  rods  westward  to  the  land 
of  Joseph  Header,  and  running  along 
bis  laud  and  that  of  Ephraim  Davis 
to  Paul  Nnte's.  Isaac  Lord  gave  a 
quit  claim  deed  to  Wra.  King  Atkin- 
son, Feb.  3,  1798,  of  100  acres  of 
land  in  Dover,  Durham,  and  Mad- 
bury,  that  belonged  to  his  grand- 
father Thomas  Walliugford.  Other 
heirs  quit  claim  that  same  year. 
Atkinson  also  bought  30  acres  of 
Ephraim  Davis's  land  adjoining, 
July  17,  1799,  bounded  west  by  the 
road  to  Pascataqua  bridge.  (See 
Atkinson'' s  Hill.) 

Laighton's  Point.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  tlie  point  at  the 
lower  side  of  Laighton's  cove,  in 
Newington,  generally  called  Long 
Point. 

Lamos  Bridge.  This  bridge  is  at 
the  foot  of  Guppy's  hill  in  Dover, 
across  a  large  culvert  on  the  turn- 
pike-road to  Portland,  so  called  from 
a  workman  named  Lamos,  who  was 
killed  in  the  course  of  its  construction. 

Lamprey  River.  The  Indians 
called  this  river  the  Pascassick,  a 
name  now  confined  to  the  lowest 
western  tributary,  and  generalh'  writ- 
ten Piscassick.  In  the  Exeter  rec- 
ords of  1639  it  is  called  Lamprill  and 
Lamprel  river,  and  elsewhere  Lamper- 
eel,  Lampreel,  etc.  It  is  called  "  Lam- 
prey River"  March  20,  1641,  in  the 
inventory  of  the  estate  of  John  Phil- 
lipps.  {County  Eecords,  Exeter.  Vol. 
1,  p.  16.)  And  again  in  1652,  when 
^"Lamprey  river"  was  declared  to  be 
the  lawful  boundary  between  Dover 
and  Exeter. 

This     river    rises    in    North  wood, 


west  of  Saddleback  mountain,  and, 
after  a  circuitous  course  through 
Deerfield,  Candia,  Raymond,  and 
Epping,  it  enters  Lee  above  Wad- 
leigh's  falls,  and  after  a  deep  bend, 
called  the  Hook,  it  enters  Durham 
below  Hook  Island  falls.  It  crosses 
the  Durham  line  into  Newmarket 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Pascassick 
river,  and  finally  empties  into  the 
Great  Bay. 

The  name  of  '•''  Lamprey  River" 
was  generally  given  to  the  village  of 
Newmarket  till  1849,  to  distinguish 
it  from  another  village  in  the  same 
township  called  "  Newfields,"  now 
South  Newmarket,  wbich  was  not 
incorporated  as  a  separate  township 
till  June  27,  1849. 

Lamprey  River  Falls.  There  are 
several  falls  in  this  river  within  the 
limits  of  ancient  Dover  where  mill- 
dams  have  been  erected.  The  upper- 
most are  Wadleigh's  falls,  often  called 
the  "  xipper  falls"  in  early  times,  and 
previously  known  as  Island  falls,  from 
the  number  of  islets  adjacent.  The 
latter  name  is  mentioned  as  late  as 
Dec.  30,  1736,  when  Robert  Wad- 
leigh  of  Exeter  conveyed  to  Ebeuezer 
Smith  of  Durham  one  half  of  a  cer- 
tain grant  of  120  acres,  with  y*  Falls 
and  privilege  of  timber,  at  a  place 
(formerly)  call**  y^  Island  falls,  but 
now  by  y"  name  of  Wadly's  Falls, 
which  land,  falls,  and  timber  were 
granted  by  the  town  of  Dover  to  his 
father  Robert  Wadle}',  deceased. 
Below  are  Dame's  falls,  formerly 
Mathes's,  called  HilVs  falls  on  the 
state  map  of  1803.  On  the  easterly 
side  of  the  Hook  are  Hook-Island 
falls,  so  called  from  the  islet  that 
divided  the  dam.  Below  are  Long 
falls,    and     another    fall    apparently 


I20 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


unnamed.  Then  come  WisivaWs  falls, 
where  stood  the  paper-mill  of  Mr. 
Thomas  H.  Wiswall,  formerly  called 
Wiggings  falls.  Just  below  the 
Packer's  falls  bridge,  on  the  road  to 
Newmarket,  are  the  falls  to  which 
the  name  of  "  Packer's"  is  now  con- 
fined, and  a  little  below  slvq  Sullivan's 
falls.  There  are  no  others  in  the 
river  till  you  come  to  Newmarket 
falls  at  the  head  of  tide  water. 

The  lowest  falls,  generally  called 
'■'■Lamprey  River  falls  "  by  way  of 
superiority,  are  in  Newmarket  vil- 
lage, and  now  belong  to  the  New- 
market Manufacturing  Company.  In 
early  times  the  water  privilege  here, 
on  the  easterly  side,  belonged  to  the 
town  of  Dover,  and  the  19th,  10  mo., 
1647,  was  granted  to  Elder  Nutter 
and  Elder  Starbuck,  who  were  author- 
ized to  build  a  sawmill  at  the  upper 
or  lower  falls  in  Lamprell  river. 
And  the  7th,  5  mo.,  1652,  Mr.  Valen- 
tine Hill  of  Dover  had  a  grant  of  the 
whole  accommodations  of  Lamprell 
river  for  the  erecting  and  setting  up 
of  a  sawmill  or  mills,  with  all  the 
timber  on  the  south  side  of  the  river 
within  the  Dover  line,  a  mile  in 
breadth,  not  infringing  on  the  Piscas- 
sick  grant,  and  all  the  timber  on  the 
north  side  a  mile  in  breadth,  and 
all  the  land  in  length,  at  the  rent  of 
twenty  pounds  a  year. 

Peter  Coffin  afterwards  acquired 
this  water  privilege.  The  mill  at 
Lamprey  river  lower  falls,  "  built  by 
Capt.  Coffin,  but  carried  away  by  a 
freshet,"  is  mentioned  in  a  deed  from 
Dyer  to  Hilton,  Apr.  11,  1715. 

Lamprey  River  Neck.  This  neck 
is  mentioned  April  26,  1675,  when 
all  the  town  right  of  Dover  "  in  Lam- 
per-Eel    River  Neck.,  both  land  and 


timber  "  was  conveyed  to  Peter  Coffin, 
"  from  the  head  of  John  Goddar's 
Creek  so  far  as  the  tide  flows  upon  a 
strait  line  to  the  Cove  at  high-water 
mark  below  Lamper  Eel  fall.,  where 
Mr.  Hill's  works  stood."  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  17:604,  605.)  "Hill's 
works  "  were  the  mills  of  Valentine 
Hill,  who  had  a  grant  of  the  privi- 
lege at  Lamprey  river  falls  in  1652. 
The  neck  "between  Lamper-Eel 
river  and  Goddard's  creek  "  was  con- 
veyed by  Peter  Coffin  to  Capt.  Rich- 
ard Waldron,  June  25,  1675.  {Ihid, 
17:  605.)  Richard  Waldron,  March 
22,  1709,  conveyed  to  Sampson  Doe 
of  Lubberland  all  that  neck  of  land 
between  Lamperell  river  and  God- 
dard's creek  in  the  township  of  Do- 
ver, formerly  granted  by  said  town  to 
Peter  Coffin  of  Exeter. 

The  bounds  of  this  Neck  were  de- 
fined May  15,  1711,  when  Jn°  Tuttle, 
Sen',  Jn"  Bickford,  and  Tristram 
Heard,  "  lott  layers  of  Dover,"  at 
the  request  of  Sampson  Doe,  drew 
"  the  neck  line  from  the  head  of 
goddard's  Greek  to  Lampreele  Riuer 
as  followeth,  beginning  at  the  head 
of  goddard's  Creek  at  the  flowing  of 
the  tide  there,  at  about  Eight  Rods 
southward  from  Abraham  benick's 
mill,  and  from  thence  to  run  nor  west 
and  be  west  f  westerle  cours  to  Stony 
brook,  a  little  below  Lamprele  Riuer 
first  falls.  Lamprill  Riuer  bounds 
this  Neck  on  the  westward  side,  the 
great  bay  upon  the  southward  side, 
and  Goddard's  Greek  on  the  eastward 
side  up  to  the  place  where  we  begun." 
(See  Doe's  Neck.) 

Langley's  Heath.  This  heath  is 
on  the  borders  of  Wheelwright's  pond 
in  Lee,  just  below  the  outlet,  or 
source   of  Oyster  river.     It    is    now 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


121 


owned  by  Mr.  Ciimmings.    It  is  com- 
monly called  "  the  Hathe" 

Langley's  Point.  Mentioned 
March  8,  1770,  when  Benjamin 
Mathes  and  wife  Ann  conveyed  to 
the  "Hon.  Jonathan  Warner,  Esq.," 
50  acres  of  laud  in  Durham,  begin- 
ning at  Oyster  river,  near  the  point 
called  Langley's  Pointy  thence  run- 
ning southerly  on  the  east  side  of  a 
highway  between  said  land  and  the 
lands  of  Abraham  Stevenson  aud 
others,  leading  from  the  river  to  the 
couutry  road  from  Durham  P'alls  to 
Bickford's  Ferry  or  point ;  thence  by 
said  country  way  to  said  Mathes's 
land,  formerly  Caleb  Wakeham's,  and 
by  this  land  to  Oyster  river  to  the 
head  of  the  creek  there,  and  down 
through  the  channel  of  said  creek  to 
the  place  where  we  began. 

Langley's  Point,  otherwise  called 
Drew's  point,  and  sometimes  Warner's 
point,  was  so  named  from  James 
Langley,  who  was  appointed  deacon 
of  the  Oyster  River  church  June  17, 
1724.  The  Rev.  Hugh  Adams,  in 
his  parish  records,  May  12,  1728, 
speaks  of  "  Deacon  Langley  and 
Mary  his  Godly  wife."  Mary  was 
the  daughter  of  Job  Runnells  or  Rey- 
nolds of  tliat  part  of  Oyster  River 
parish  now  the  township  of  Lee. 
Drew's  Point  was  acquired  by  James 
Langley  Nov.  5,  1714,  when  Stephen 
Jenkins  and  wife  Elizabeth  conveyed 
to  him  "  all  the  lands,  tenements,  and 
messuages,"  which  said  Jenkins 
bought  of  John  Drew,  and  he  of 
Richard  Elliot,  and  was  "  the  estate 
of  William  and  Thomas  Drew  on  the 
south  side  of  Oyster  river,  and  not 
elsewhere,"  reserving  to  said  John 
Drew  the  whole  length  of  his  marsh 
two  rods  wide.     James  Langley  pe- 


titioned July  25,  1715,  for  "a  high- 
way out  to  the  country  road  that 
goeth  from  Willey's  creek  to  Oyster 
river  falls,"  as  he  was  "  penned  up 
bv  Bartholomew  Stevenson  to  eight 
foot  or  thereabout."  This  road  was 
laid  out  two  rods  wide  May  28,  1716, 
"  beginning  at  Will  Drew's  old  pos- 
session, joining  to  the  bond  higkway," 
and  runuiug  W.  S.  W.  and  by  W.  to 
a  little  hill,  leaving  the  spring  seven 
rods  on  the  N.  W.  side,  and  so  to 
Willey's  wa}'.  This  "  bond  highway  " 
is  referred  to  Aug.  22,  1719,  when 
Thomas  Stevenson  and  wife  Sarah, 
out  of  love  and  tender  affection  to  his 
brother  Joseph,  quitclaimed  to  him 
the  laud  whereon  their  father  Bar- 
tholomew Stevenson  did  both  live  and 
die,  except  said  Thomas'  part  of  the 
marsh  and  flats.  This  land  was  on 
the  westerly  side  of  Oyster  river,  on 
the  upper  side  of  "ye  covenant  high- 
way maintained  between  Thomas 
Drew  aud  his  successors." 

The  above  mentioned  spring  is  still 
to  be  seen,  full  to  the  brim,  a  few 
rods  westerly  of  the  road  branching 
off  the  highway  towards  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Stevens,  the  pres- 
ent owner  of  Langley's  or  Drew's 
Point  and  of  part  of  the  Stevenson 
laud.  This  road  extends  to  Oyster 
river,  where  the  Durham  packet  to 
Portsmouth  formerly  stopped  for 
passengers,  announcing  its  arrival 
here  by  the  blowing  of  a  conch 
(shell). 

Langstaffe  Rocks.  These  rocks 
are  in  the  Pascataqua  river,  off  the 
Newingtou  shore  below  Bloody  Pt. 
They  are  hidden  beneath  the  current, 
and  are  carefully  avoided  by  boat- 
men, for  more  than  one  schooner  has 
been    driven    thereon    and   wrecked. 


122 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


The  name  is  derived  from  Henry 
Langstaffe  or  Langstar,  who  acquired 
land  on  the  neighboring  shore  as 
early  as  1652. 

Laomi's  Pond,  otherwise  Lomy's. 
This  is  a  little  pond  at  the  easterly 
side  of  the  road  from  Fox  Point  to 
Portsmouth,  on  Mr.  Charles  Lam- 
prey's land.  Its  name  was  derived 
from  a  woman  named  Laomi  or  Lomy 
(perhaps  Salome),  who,  supposed  to 
have  strayed  from  the  path  in  a  cold, 
dark  night,  was  drowned  in  this 
pond. 

.  Laskey's  Bridge.  This  bridge  is 
mentioned  in  the  Durham  records 
Marcli  21,  1798,  as  one  of  the  bounds 
between  Durham  and  Lee.  It  is 
across  Oyster  river,  on  the  Mast 
road,  near  the  old  Laskey  farm,  now 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Bartlett's.  It  is 
called  '■'•Mast  bridge,"  \n  a  deed  of 
neighboring  land  from  Moses  Davis 
to  David  Kincaid  Nov.  18,  1713.  It 
was  voted  at  the  Durham  town-meet- 
ing, March  27,  1786,  "to  build  a 
causeway  at  the  head  of  the  town 
near  the  bridge  by  Mr.  Wm.  Las- 
key's." 

Layn's  Mill.     See  Newtown  Mill. 

Leathers  City.  This  name  is  given 
to  the  once  noted  Leathers  settlement 
in  Barrington,  above  Bodge's  pond. 
It  is  divided  into  Upper  City  and 
Lower  City,  which  are  not  far  apart. 
In  this  region  are  to  be  found  Hop- 
ping Pafs  Lane,  so  called  from  one 
of  the  most  notorious  of  the  Leath- 
ers tribe  ;  Pig  Lane,  where  the  swine 
once  had  free  range  ;  and  other  places 
with  equally  significant  names.  Dr. 
Quint  supposes  this  tribe  to  have 
sprung  from  the  Leathers  family  of 
Durham.  This  is  doubtful,  however, 
though  some  members  of  that  family 


may  have  drifted  into  the  Barrington 
tribe. 

Ledge  Wharf.  This  wharf  is  on 
the  upper  side  of  Oyster  river,  below 
the  mouth  of  Beard's  creek.  Its 
name  was  derived  from  the  "  Cleft 
Ledge  Granite  Co.,"  that  once  owned 
a  quarry  in  Durham,  and  shipped 
their  blocks  of  granite  from  this 
wharf,  to  which  led  a  wheel-path 
from  the  turnpike  road.  This  path 
and  wharf  now  belong  to  the  heirs  of 
the  late  John  T.  Emerson,  to  whom 
they  were  conveyed  March  21,  1842, 
by  Thomas  A.  Adams  of  Portsmouth, 
by  virtue  of  an  execution  in  his  favor 
against  said  company  in  1840. 

Lee.  The  upper  part  of  Durham 
was  set  off  as  a  separate  parish,  with 
town  privileges,  under  the  name  of 
Lee,  by  an  act  of  the  N.  H.  legisla- 
ture, passed  Jan.  10,  1766,  and 
approved  Jan.  15,  following.  {N.  H. 
Prov.Pap.,  1:^1.) 

Lee  Garrisons.  Only  three  garri- 
sons are  mentioned  within  the  limits 
of  the  present  town  of  Lee. 

I.  The  Doe  Garrison,  generally 
called  the  Fox  or  French  Garrison. 
This  garrison  stood  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Lee,  "  District  No. 
7."  It  was  no  doubt  built  by  Joseph 
Doe,  who,  June  23,  1737,  bought 
land  here  of  John  Bickford,  which 
had  been  assigned  the  latter  as  his 
share  of  the  common  lands  in  Dur- 
ham in  1734.  After  the  death  of 
Joseph  Doe  and  his  wife,  this  place 
fell  to  their  daughter  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Elijah  F'ox,  from  whom  the  garri- 
son became  known  as  the  Fox  garri- 
son. Ann,  the  granddaughter  of 
Elijah  and  Elizabeth  Fox,  and  wife 
of  Daniel  Cartland,  inherited  this 
dwelling-house,  but  after  her  death  it 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


123 


was  sold  to  Samuel  French,  from 
whom  it  was  often  called  the  French 
garrison.  It  was  taken  down  a  few 
years  ago  by  Mr.  Keuerson,  the  pres- 
ent owner  of  the  Doe  laud. 

II.  A  Jones  garrison  iu   Newtown 
is  said  to  have  stood  on  the  laud  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Nehemiah  Snell.     An 
old    road    from    Madbury  to    Snell's 
mill,    now    disused,    passed    by    this 
garrison. 
72r«  Randall's  Garrison.     This  garri- 
son, taken  down  towards  the  middle 
of  this  century,  stood  between  Dur- 
ham and  Lee  Hill,  ou  the  south  side 
of  the  Mast  road,  two  or  three  rods 
east  of  Mr.  A.  D.  Wiggin's   house. 
It  was  built  of  logs,  with  loop-holes 
in  the  thick   walls  for  the  discharge 
of  guns,  and  naturally    became    the 
centre   of    a    neighborhood.     It   was 
erected  by  Capt.  Nathaniel  Randall, 
son  of  Richard  Randall  aud  of  Eliza- 
beth Tozer,  his  wife.    Capt.  Randall's 
grandfather      Richard     Tozer     was, 
May    5,     1657,    married    to    Judith 
Smith    in  Boston,  by  Gov.  Richard 
Bellinghara.     He  afterwards    settled 
near   Salmon  Falls,  on    the  Berwick 
side,    where    he    was    killed    by    the 
Indians,  Oct.    16,    1675.     Nathaniel 
Randall  married  Mary  Hodgdon    of 
Dover,  and  settled  in  Lee,  where  he 
had    several    grants    of    land,    aud 
acquired  a    large    estate.       He    died 
March  9,   1748-9,  in  his   54th  year. 
His   grave  may  be   seen   iu  the  Lee 
cemeter}',  near  his  lauds,   with  that 
of   "  Mary,   his  consort,"   who   died 
Jan.  3,  1775,  in  her  76th  year.    They 


were  the  maternal  ancestors  of  the 
writer,  through  their  daughter  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Capt.  Samuel 
Demerit  of  Durliam.'^ 

The  Raudall  garrison  was  inherited 
by  his  son.  Miles  Randall,  a  man  of 
energy  and  ability,  who  was  made  a 
county  magistrate  by  the  Exeter  au- 
thorities in  1775.  At  the  Revolution 
he  obtained  a  large  quantity  of  nitre 
beneath  his  garrison,  which  he  sent 
to  the  Committee  of  Supplies  for  the 
manufacture  of  gunpowder. 

Lee  Hill.  This  elevation,  or  ta- 
ble-land, is  in  the  central  part  of  Lee, 
where  five  or  six  roads  meet,  coming 
from  Durham,  Eppiug,  Newmarket, 
Nottingham,  etc.  Here  is  a  hamlet, 
rather  than  a  village,  with  a  meeting- 
house,, town-house,  post-office,  vari- 
ety store,  and  a  grave-yard.  And 
in  the  days  of  stage-coaches  there 
was  a  tavern.  In  the  time  of  the 
Federalist  and  Republican  parties 
this  heioht  was  often  called  "  Federal 
hill,''  from  the  number  of  Federal- 
ists iu  the  vicinity.  No  name  is 
given  to  this  hill  on  the  State  map  of 
1803,  but  it  is  called  ''Lee  Hill"  on 
Chace's  County  map  of  1856. 

Lee  Hook.  This  is  a  remarkable 
bend  or  bow  iu  Lamprey  river,  in 
the  southern  part  of  Lee,  below  Lee 
Hill.  A  saw-mill  was  built  here  at 
an  early  day.  The  inventory  of  Geo. 
Chesley's  estate,  of  Durham,  Aug. 
27,  1724,  mentions  part  of  the  mill 
"at  y^  hook  of  La7npreel  river."  It 
is  called  "  the  Hook  mill  "  in  a  deed 
of  1728.     Ephraim    Foulsham,  Dec. 


1  Capt.  Samuel  Demerit  was  appointed  quarter-master  in  Col.  John  Downing's  regiment  of 
troopers,  by  Gov.  Benning  Wentworth,  Sept.  29,  1755.  and  was  efficient  in  raising  and  equipp- 
ing men  for  the  Seven  Years  war,  as  shown  by  documents  still  extant.  In  view  of  his  services, 
he  received  from  Gov.  Benning  Wentworth  Ap.  5,  1765,  the  commission  of  Captain  in  Col. 
Clement  March's  regiment  of  "  Gentlemen  Troopers."  Both  of  the  above  commissions  are  in 
the  writer's  possession. 


124 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


4,  1742,  conveyed  to  bis  sou  John 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Durham, 
bought  of  Maj.  Peter  Gilman  Dec.  8, 
1739,  lying  next  y**  highway  below  y* 
Hook  mill,  beginning  20  rods  above 
y^  second  brook  from  y*^  house  for- 
merly Capt.  John  Oilman's,  towards 
y^  Hook  mill.  Peter,  John,  Sam\ 
and  Nath'  Gilman,  May  2,  1749, 
conveved  to  Joseph  Smith  190  acres 
at  a  place  commonly  called  the  Hook^ 
beginning  by  the  side  of  Lampereel 
river,  in  the  turn  below  the  falls 
where  the  Hook  mill  stood. 

John  Thompson  of  Durham,  "  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  Hook  land, 
and  y®  proper  owner  of  one  whole 
share,"  conveyed  this  share,  Aug. 
30,  1748,  to  Abner  Clough  of  Salis- 
bury, Mass. 

The  Durham  grants  of  land  at  the 
Hook  conflicting  with  the  Gilman 
claims,  Samuel  Smith  and  Capt. 
Jonathan  Thompson  were  appointed 
agents  of  the  land  proprietors  in 
Durham  Nov.  28,  1748,  to  agree  with 
Col.  Peter  Gilman  and  others  about 
"  the  parcel  of  land  in  Durham,  on 
the  south  side  of  Lampreel  river, 
commonly  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Hook  land."  In  a  deed 
of  Aug.  30,  1748,  this  district  is 
called  "  Durham  Hook,"  Lee  being  at 
that  time  a  part  of  Durham.  The 
Rev.  John  Adams  of  Durham  records, 
June  10,  1750,  the  baptism  of 
"  Nicholas,  son  of  Nat  Frost,  in  y"^ 
Hook." 

The  "  Hook  road  to  Northwood  "  is 
mentioned  on  the  State  map  of  1803. 
It  runs  from  Newmarket  through  the 
"Hook,  and  crosses  Lamprey  river  at 
Hill's  bridge,  near  the  falls  where 
now  stands  Dame's  mill. 

Libbey's  Bridge  and  Mill.     The 


bridge    across    Bellamy    river,    near 
Ex-Governor  Sawyer's    residence,  is 
frequently  called  Libbey's  bridge  in 
the    Dover    and    Madbury    records. 
"The  road   from  Libbey's  bridge  to 
Durham  as  far  as  Pinkham's  hill "  is 
mentioned    in    1812.     It   afterwards 
acquired  the  name  of  Dunn's  bridge 
from  its  proximity  to  Dunn's  tavern — 
previously  the  Titcomb  place,  where 
Col.    Benjamin    Titcomb,  a   Revolu- 
tionary officer  who  was  wounded   in 
three    different    battles,    ended    his 
days.      Sawyer's     village     and    the 
chateau-like    mansion,    built   by    the 
late  Jonathan  Sawyer,  stand  on  the 
Titcomb    land.     Libbey's    bridge   is 
now    called    Sawyer's    bridge.     The 
former  name  was  derived  from  Ben- 
jamin   Libbey    and    his    son    Enoch, 
who  lived    just  below,  on  the  Back 
river  road,  and    successively   owned 
the  privilege  at  Sawyer's  upper  mill. 
(See  Bellamy  Falls.)     Benjamin  Lib- 
bey first  acquired  land  here  Sept.  26, 
1752,    when    Timothy    Gerrish    con- 
veyed to   him  three    quarters   of  an 
acre  of  land  in  a  triangular  form,  on 
the  southerly  side  of  Bellarain's  Bank 
river,   a  little  below  y^  bridge  made 
over  s*^  river  in  y^  Road  y'  leads  from 
Cochecho  to  Durham,  beginning  at  a 
certain   rock    by    s*^   river   four  rods 
below    to   y*    southerly    side    of    s*^ 
bi'idge,  thence  running  southerly  by 
the    road    18    rods,    leaving    out   y* 
spring  and  y^  brook  to  y*  river.    This 
land  was  probably  sold  Libbey  that 
he  might  operate  the  grist-mill  here, 
which  he  afterwards  acquired.    "•  Lib- 
bey's   grist-mill "    is    mentioned     in 
1820.     The  Dover  Sun  of  1824  gives 
notice   of    clothing   business   carried 
on   "  near  the  village  of  Dover,   at 
the  place  formerly  known  as  Libbey's 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


125 


mills"  but  then  owned  by  the  Great 
Falls  Manufacturing  Company. 

Limmy's  Ledge.  This  is  a  rocky 
islet  on  the  upper  shore  of  Great  Bay, 
at  the  south  side  of  Adams  Point, 
Durham.  It  is  said  to  have  derived 
its  name  from  Lemuel  Furber,  who 
was  left  on  this  ledge  and  forced  to 
swim  ashore  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 
On  Smith's  map  of  Durham  it  is 
called  Nuttefs  Island. 

Line  Hill.  This  name  is  some- 
times given  to  a  hill  on  the  line  be- 
tween Dover  and  Rochester,  west  of 
the  river  Cochecho.  It  is  crossed  by 
the  highway  fromTolend,  below  Blind 
Will's  Neck. 

Little  Bay,  So  called  as  early  as 
Sept.  14,  1642.  (See  RoyalVs  Cove.) 
It  is  the  basin  between  Newington 
and  the  Durham  Point  district,  into 
which  the  waters  of  the  Great  Bay 
pour,  on  their  way  to  join  the  main 
body  of  the  Pascataqua.  At  the  up- 
per extremity  of  Little  Bay  is  the 
strait  between  Adams  Point  and 
Furber's  Point,  generally  called  the 
Narrows.  At  the  lower  end  is  the 
headland  from  the  Newington  shore, 
called  Fox  Point. 

Little  Falls.  These  falls  are  in 
the  Salmon  Falls  river,  and  are  some- 
times called  Mast  Point  falls  from 
their  vicinity  to  Mast  Point.  They 
are  mentioned  in  the  Dover  rec- 
ords of  1753  (see  Mast  Point)  and 
much  earlier  in  the  Kittery  records. 
They  probably  acquired  the  name  of 
Little  falls  because  they  are  not  far 
below  the  mouth  of  Little  river  on  the 
Maine  side,  or  in  contradistinction 
from  Great  Falls  in  the  Salmon  Falls 
river  below. 

Little  John's  Creek.     This  is  an 
inlet  from  Back  river,  on  the  eastern 


shore  of  Dover  Neck,  where  Joseph 
Austin  had  the  grant  of  a  saw-mill 
privilege  the  5th,  10  mo.,  1652.  In 
1656  he  had  a  grant  of  30  acres  of 
land,  bounded  southeasterly  by  this 
creek  and  Little  John's  Marsh,  south- 
westerly by  the  river,  and  on  tlie 
other  sides  by  the  common. 

Richard  York  sold  Joseph  Austin, 
Aug.  7,  1661,  50  acres  of  land  at 
Little  John's  Creek  which  he  bought 
of  Wm.  Hilton.  Austin's  Mill  stood 
near  the  mouth  of  this  creek,  and  a 
road  led  thither  from  the  main  thor- 
oughfare along  Dover  Neck.  Thomas 
Austin  conveyed  to  his  son  Nathaniel, 
Dec.  23,  1720,  the  land  where  said 
Nathaniel  then  lived,  bounded  north- 
easterly by  the  road  y'  leads  down  to 
Dover  Neck,  northwesterly  by  Little 
John's  creeli,  and  southerly  by  Thomas 
Robert's  land,  with  all  the  meadow 
on  y*  eastern  side  of  said  creek,  from 
said  road  down  to  y*"  lower  side  of  y" 
cove  y*  is  next  s'^  creek's  mouth,  except 
1^  acre  on  the  easterly  side  of  the 
creek,  adjoining  the  road.  Thomas 
Austin  conveyed  to  his  son  Joseph, 
Jan.  2,  1720-21,  his  home  estate, 
together  with  y*  mill  creek.,  mill,  etc. 
The  mouth  of  this  creek  has  been 
greatly  disfigured  by  the  Portsmouth 
and  Dover  railway.  It  is  entirely 
filled  up  with  an  embankment,  leav- 
ing only  a  small  archway  for  the  cur- 
rent, that  looks  like  the  opening  of  a 
sewer.  The  old  banks  are  still  to  be 
traced,  however,  showing  the  original 
width  of  this  creek  at  the  mouth. 
The  main  road  to  Dover  Point  crosses 
Little  John's  creek  about  two  miles 
below  Central  Square  in  Dover  city. 
The  head  of  tide-water  is  still  further 
above,  where  it  is  met  by  a  fresh 
water  brook,  formed  by  the  union  of 


126 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


Canuey's  and  Varney's  brooks.  Lit- 
tle John's  creek  is  called  "  Varney's 
Creek "  on  Whitebouse's  map  of 
Dover.      (See  Varney's  Creek.) 

"  Little  John  "  is  supposed  to  have 
been  an  Indian,  so  named  from  the 
•celebrated  English  outlaw  of  the 
greenwood,  who  was  the  boon  com- 
panion of  Robin  Hood.  And,  as  the 
father  of  Hope  Hood,  the  ferocious 
Indian  warrior,  was  named  Robin 
Hood,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  sup- 
pose there  may  have  been  another 
son  of  the  forest  named  "  Little 
John."  The  "Little  John  "  of  En- 
glish lore  was  so-called  by  way  of 
anti-climax,  on  account  of  his  stal- 
wart frame.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
seven  feet  tall,  and  according  to  an 
old  ballad  his  original  name  of  John 
Little  was  transposed  by  Robin  Hood 
when  received  into  his  band. 

"  This  infant  was  called  John  Little,  quoth  he, 
Which  name  shall  be  changed  anon  ; 
The  words  we  '11  transpose,  so  wherever  he 

goes. 
His  name  shall  be  called  Little  John." 

Little  John's  Falls.  Mentioned 
July  3,  1717,  when  Jeremiah  Tibbetts 
conveyed  to  Samuel  Tibbetts,  Jr., 
land  on  the  Newichawannock  river 
"  at  the  mouth  of  the  first  cove  above 
Little  John's  falls" — part  of  a  hund- 
red acre  grant  to  Henry  Tibbetts  in 
1656,  bounded  N.  by  Ralph  Twom- 
bley's  laud,  N.  E.  by  John  Dam's, 
S.  W.  by  Joseph  Austin's,  and  S.  by 
said  river.  These  falls  are  below 
the  Samuel  Hale  place  in  Rollinsford. 
They  begin  in  the  Newichawannock 


above  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Works 
river, ^  and  extend  down  an  eighth  of 
a  mile  or  more  to  Madam's  Cove. 

Little  River.  This  stream  is  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  early  rec- 
ords of  Dover  and  Durham.  It  rises 
at  Mendum's  pond,  in  Barriugton, 
and  empties  into  Lamprey  river,  south 
of  Lee  Hill.  Three  score  acres  of 
land  were  granted  to  Jethro  Furber, 
June  23,  1701,  "adjacent  to  Lavi- 
pereal  Little  Eiver,"  laid  out  Feb.  2, 
1726-7,  "  beginning  on  the  northeast 
side  of  said  Little  river  above  the  old 
mast  way."     {Dover  Records.) 

A  highway  was  laid  out  July  31, 
1755,  beginning  "  at  the  northeast 
side  of  the  spruce  hole  by  the  mast 
rode"  extending  to  Jethro  Furber's 
land,  then  "  by  his  land  to  Litel 
River,  then  across  litel  River  by  Fur- 
ber's land,  then  southerh'  to  Lam- 
preel  river,  and  along  this  river  as 
far  as  the  bridge " — evidently  the 
bridge  at  Wadleigh's  falls.  Com- 
munication  was  opened  between  this 
stream  and  the  lowest  falls  iu  Oyster 
river  at  least  200  years  ago,  by 
means  of  the  Mast  road,  which  is 
mentioned  in  a  grant  to  John  Thomp- 
son, Sr.,  Ap.  2,  1694.  This  road 
comes  to  the  upper  side  of  Little 
river  a  short  distance  above  Lee  Hill, 
where  a  sawmill  was  erected  at  an 
early  day.  "Little  river  mill"  is 
mentioned  iu  the  will  of  said  John 
Thompson  Ap.  12,  1733.  And  again 
Jan.  1,  1750,  when  John  FoUet  con- 
veyed to  Samuel  Demerit  of  Durham 


'  Great  Works  river  rises  in  Bonny  Bigg  Pond,  North  Berwick,  or  among  the  ponds  above, 
and  empties  into  the  Newichawannock  below  Salmon  Falls,  on  the  South  Berwick  side.  It  is 
mentioned  Dec.  18,  1674,  when  Moses  Spencer  conveyed  to  Daniel  Goodwin,  Sr.,  a  tract  of  land 
"  on  ye  North  side  of  great  work  river  and  is  a  little  above  the  place  called  the  great  Eddy." 
The  Great  Eddy  is  mentioned  Ap.  26,  1672,  when  1,282  acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  Capt.  Rich- 
ard Waldron  and  others  on  the  S.  side  of  the  Newichawannock,  about  a  mile  above  the  head 
line  of  Dover,  "  beginning  at  a  certaine  elbow  of  the  said  river  knowne  by  the  name  of  the 
Great  Eddy,  neare  to  a  point  of  land  called  Goljabs  N'eck."     (iV.  H.  Prov.  Pap.  1:  314-315.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


127 


^  part  of  Little  River  mill,  with  all 
his  rights  in  the  falls,  mill-poud,  etc. 

Jonathan  Thompson  of  Durham, 
in  his  will  of  Sept.  10,  1756,  gives 
his  son  Jonathan  one  half  his  right 
in  Little  River  sawmill  and  the  falls. 
And  to  his  son  Joseph  his  right  in 
the  gristmill  n.nd  fulling-mill  at  Little 
river,  with  all  his  right  to  the  falls 
where  said  mills  stood.  The  two  last 
mills  were  a  short  distance  below  the 
saw-mill,  at  Thompson'' s  falls,  after- 
wards called  Bartlett's  falls.  (See 
Mendum's  Pond.) 

There  is  a  Little  river  which  rises 
in  Acton,  Me.,  and  empties  into  the 
Salmon  Falls  river  on  the  Berwick 
side,  opposite  Rochester. 

Little  Water  Brook.  Mentioned 
the  30th,  6  mo.,  1G43,  when  Edward 
Starbuck  had  a  grant  of  four  score 
acres  of  upland  "  at  Cutchechoe, 
next  above  the  Lott  of  John  Baker, 
at  the  little  water  Brook,"  forty  of 
which  were  on  one  side  of  the  fresh 
river  (the  Cochecho),  and  forty  on 
the  other.  The  name  has  not  been 
perpetuated. 

Littlevtorth.  This  is  a  district 
in  Dover,  between  the  Cochecho 
river  and  Barbadoes  Pond.  It  is  so 
called  Aug.  15,  1721,  in  a  deed  from 
John  to  Ichabod  Haise.  (See  Broad 
Turn.)  "  Y*^  mast  path  y*  goes  to  a 
place  called  by  y*  name  of  Little- 
worth^'  is  mentioned  Dec.  9,  1722. 
"The  road  from  Littleworth  to  the 
Saplings "  is  mentioned  Sept.  20, 
1734.  (See  the  SajMngs.)  It  is 
miscalled  Trueworth  on  Whitehouse's 
map  of  1834.  Littleworth  is  the 
name  of  one  of  the  present  school- 
districts  in  Dover. 

Log  Hill.  This  name  was  common- 
ly given  in  former  times  to  a  hill  in 


the  vicinity  of  a  saw-mill,  from  which 
logs  could  be  rolled  down  to  the 
waterside.  One  is  mentioned.  Dec. 
25,  1695,  when  Peter  Coffin  of  Exeter 
conveyed  to  his  grandson  Tristram 
Coffin  all  his  lands  "  at  logg  hill  "  at 
Cochecho.  The  log  hill  above  the 
Cochecho  first  falls  is  said  to  have 
been  the  high  bank  where  the  Ports- 
mouth and  Dover  R.  R.  crosses  the 
old  bed  of  the  Cochecho  river.  From 
it  led  the  Great  Mast  path,  southward, 
in  the  line  of  Lexington  St.,  into  the 
"logg  swamp."  ^•.«-  i.o<&/////  S/ixi-rya    L^iyt 

"  A  conueniant  Logg  hill  accom- 
modable  to  the  mill  "  at  the  second 
falls  on  the  Cochecho,  was  laid  out 
March  4,  1703-4,  "  beginning  att  the 
Taill  of  s'^  mill  "  and  extending  five 
rods  by  the  river  side.  On  the  same 
day  were  renewed  "  the  bounds  of 
the  ancient  cartway  leading  from  the 
falls  into  the  swamp  "  till  it  met  the 
other  way  leading  from  the  broad 
turn. 

Sandy  Log  Hill,  in  tlie  upper  part 
of  Dover,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Eel- 
Weir  falls,  is  mentioned  Nov.  5,  1741. 
(See  Sandy  Log  Hill.) 

A  log  hill  at  Quamphegan  falls  is 
mentioned  Dec.  7,  1732,  when 
Thomas  Tebbets  conveyed  to  Nathan 
Lord  one  third  part  of  the  saw-mill 
at  Quamphegan,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  called  "  y^  shere  mill" 
(share  mill),  with  one  third  of  "  the 
privilege  of  the  land  called  y^  logg 
hill."     (See  Quamphegan.) 

A  logg  hill,  adjacent  to  Gerrish's 
mill  in  Madbury,  is  mentioned  Jan.  7, 
1758.     (See  Gerrish's  Mill.) 

The  log  hill  at  Durham  falls  is  still 
in  use. 

There  is  also  a  log  hill  at  Wad- 
leigh's  falls  in  Lee. 


128 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Log  Swamp.  See  Cocheclio  Log 
Swamp  and    Waldron's  Log  Sioamp. 

Long  Creek  and  Long  Creek 
Brook.  Long  creek  is  mentioned 
the  10th,  8  mo.,  1653,  when  John 
Hill  had  a  grant  of  land  on  the  north- 
west side  of  the  Great  Bay,  between 
Thomas  Footman's  and  the  long  creek. 
Thomas  Wille,  the  10th,  2  mo,  1654, 
had  a  grant  on  the  N.  W.  side  of 
Little  Bay,  beginning  "  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Long  creek.,  and  so  upwards 
into  the  woods."  It  is  again  men- 
tioned Oct.  26,  1658,  when  a  grove 
of  pines,  reserved  by  the  town,  was 
laid  out  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  Little 
Bay,  about  half  a  mile  from  a  creek 
"  commonly  called  the  long  creek" 
bounded  on  the  south  by  Thomas 
Wille's  grant.  Wm.  Perkins  and 
wife  Elizabeth  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Edgerly,  Jan.  28,  1669,  twenty  acres 
previously  a  part  of  Thomas  Wille's 
60  acres  on  the  S.  W.  side  of  the  Long 
creek.  "  John  Alt's  Long  Creek  near 
ye  mill"  is  mentioned  in  1678.  Thomas 
Edgerly,  Sr.,  and  wife  "  Rebeckah  " 
(daughter  of  John  Alt,)  conveyed  to 
their  son  Samuel,  May  1,  1700,  fifteen 
acres  of  land  "  beginning  at  the  head 
of  ye  old  dam  seated  between  the  long 
Crike  brook  and  the  highway  that 
goeth  into  y*  commons,  lying  to  the 
west  of  the  little  Bay  in  Oyster 
River." 

Long  creek,  properly  speaking, 
was  the  inlet  from  Great  Bay  now 
called  Crummit's  creek,  in  Durham, 
but  the  name  appears  from  the  above 
grants  and  conveyances  to  have  been 
also  given  to  a  branch  of  it  that 
crosses  Long  marsh. 

Another  Long  Creek  is  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  Dover  Neck,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Cochecho  river.     It 


is  mentioned  the  6th,  10  mo.,  1656, 
when  Thomas  Canney's  grant  of  16 
acres  of  upland  to  join  his  land  at 
Tomson^s  poynt  was  laid  out  from  the 
outmost  point  turning  up  to  Cocheclio, 
50  rods  to  the  long  creek  westward 
below  Tomson's  poynt  butting  on  Fore 
river,  thence  running  three  score  and 
ten  rods  up  the  long  creek  side,  re- 
serving a  cartway  from  the  woods  to 
the  water  side,  at  the  head  of  the 
creek,  and  up  Cochecho  river  three 
score  and  ten  rods,  and  from  the  end 
of  that  three  score  and  ten  rods  up- 
on a  straight  line  over  to  the  bound 
at  the  head  of  the  long  creek. 

Love  and  Mary  Canney,  Feb.  12, 
1742,  confirmed  to  John  Gage  all 
right  to  70  acres  in  Dover,  bounded 
southerly  on  Gage's  land  to  tlie 
mouth  of  the  Cochecho  river,  and 
westerly  on  said  river  to  Thompson's 
Point.,  extending  downward  to  a 
place  commonly  called  Long  Creek., 
and  running  up  said  creek  to  Benj" 
Roberts,  Jr.,  his  land,  which  he 
bought  of  Randall. 

Long  Falls.  These  falls  in  Lam- 
prey river  are  mentioned  Jan.  29, 
1718,  when  Geo.  Jeffrey  and  Henry 
Dyer  conveyed  to  Andrew  Glidden 
and  others  all  right  and  title  to  "•  cer- 
tain falls  between  Wadleigh's  falls 
and  Packer's  falls,  called  the  long 
falls"  with  the  use  and  improvement 
of  the  water  privilege  "  where  the 
present  saw-mill  standeth,  on  y® 
south  side  of  Lamperill  river,  and 
no  other  part  thereof,  all  the  rest 
being  reserved,  being  part  of  the 
grant  to  Mr.  Valentine  Hill  in  1652 
of  100  acres  of  land  adjoining  each 
mill  that  should  by  him  be  erected 
on  the  falls  in  said  river." 

Forty    acres,    granted    to    Francis 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


129 


Pitman  in  1702,  were  laid  out  to 
Joseph  Jenl^ius  Oct.  9,  1726,  on  the 
north  side  of  Lampreall  river,  on  the 
west  side  of  a  lot  laid  out  to  Samuel 
Smith  adjoining  to  the  long  falls. 
(See  Lmnpvey  River  Falls.) 

The  name  of  "  Long  Falls  "  is  also 
given  on  the  State  map  of  Lee,  in 
1803,  to  the  falls  in  North  river  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Lee,  for- 
merly called  "  Great  Falls." 

Long  Gut.  A  name  formerly 
given  to  the  run  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  Canney  portion  of  the  Calves' 
Pasture  on  Dover  Neck,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  run  from  Pinliham's 
spring. 

Long  Hill.  This  hill  is  mentioned 
July  31,  1721,  when  60  acres  of  land, 
granted  to  Zachariah  Field  in  1694, 
were  laid  out  to  his  son  Steplien  on 
y*'  northwest  side  of  y^  Long  Hill. 
Tlie  ''mast  way  to  Long  Hill"  is  men- 
tioned June  24,  1738.  ''Long-kill 
road"  is  mentioned  in  the  surveyor's 
warrant  of  1810,  as  "  crossing  Rey- 
uer's  brook  at  the  bridge."  Long 
Hill  school-district  is  mentioned  as 
early  as  1790.  This  hill  is  in  the 
upper  part  of  Dover,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river  Cochecho. 

There  is  another  Long  hill,  which 
deserves  its  name,  in  the  upper 
part  of  Madbury  near  Mr.  Reuben 
Hayes's. 

Long  Marsh.  This  marsh  is 
cliiefly  in  the  Durham  Point  district. 
It  is  mentioned  the  10th,  7  mo  ,  1663, 
when  "  all  tlie  longe  marsh  wich 
layes  joining  too  Antoney  nutters 
Tnarsh,  and  soe  towards  Oyster  River 
falls,"  was  laid  out  "  for  the  minis- 
trie  "  at  Oyster  River.  Twenty 
acres  of  land  were  granted  to  Eze- 
kiel   Pitman,   Ap.    2,    1694,    at    the 


lower  end  of  tlie  long  marsh  above 
the  head  of  John  Davis's  land.  And 
Feb.  22,  1720-21,  a  road  was  laid 
out  across  the  long  marsh,  beginning 
at  Team  Hill,  and  extendins:  to  "  the 
King's    thoroughfare    road    to  Lam- 


prey   river. 


The    name    of    Lonof 


marsh  is  still  perpetuated  ;  and  the 
old  road,  mentioned  above,  is  still 
known  as  the  "  Long  Marsh  road." 

A  Long  marsh  on  the  Greenland 
shore  of  Great  Bay  is  mentioned  Ap. 
9,  1729.      (See  Wigwam  Point.) 

Long  Marsh  Brook.  This  brook 
rises  in  the  Long  marsh,  Durham, 
and  empties  into  Crummit's  creek. 
In  a  deed  from  Joseph  Smith  to  John 
Sambon,  June  13,  1743,  this  name  is 
also  given  to  Denboiv's  brook,  which 
rises  in  the  Long  marsh,  and  after 
uniting  with  a  brook  from  the  Moat, 
empties  into  Oyster  river  inill-poud. 
(See  Horsehide  Brook.) 

Long  Point.  This  point  is  on  the 
Newington  shore  of  Great  Bay,  at 
the  lower  side  of  Laighton's  Cove. 
It  is  mentioned  July  17,  1645,  when 
"  Darby  ffield  of  Oyster  River,  plan- 
ter," sold  John  Bickford  (also  of 
Oyster  River)  "  seven  or  eight  acres 
of  marsh  at  Long  Poynt  in  the  great 
bay,  together  with  one  poynt  of  land 
thereunto  adjoining." 

By  virtue  of  aa  order  of  the  gen- 
eral court  "  that  400  acres  of  upland 
should  be  given  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Dover  who  had  marsh  in  tiie  Great 
Bay,  Elder  Nutter,  Wm.  Storey, 
Henry  Lancaster,  and  Wm.  Fin-ber, 
appointed  to  lay  out  and  bound  unto 
the  particular  inhabitants  their  divi- 
sion of  upland  to  their  marsh,  hiid 
out  the  27th,  11  mo.,  1656,  tliirty 
acres  of  upland  to  Jolin  Bickford, 
Senior,  joining  to  his  marsh  upon  the 


I30 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


northeast  end  over  the  neck  from 
water  to  water,  joining  to  Tho.  Lay- 
ton's  upland  within  twoel  (12)  poll 
or  thereabouts."     {Dover  Records.) 

The    order  of   the  General  Court, 
above  mentioned,   refers  to  a  grant 
to  the  town  of  Dover  of  all  the  marsh 
from   Hogstye  Cove  round  about  the 
bay  up    to    Cotterill's    Delight,  with 
400  acres  of  upland  adjoining  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  1  :   2-22.)     The  fact  that 
the  Bickford   laud  at  Long  Point,  as 
well  as  the  Laighton  laud  adjoining, 
was  a  part  of  these  400  acres,  proves 
conclusively  that  the  ancient  Hogsty 
cove  was   not  the  present  Laighton's 
cove,  as  many  writers  have  supposed, 
but   must     have    been    below    Long 
Point ;  that  is,  farther  down  the  shore 
of  the  Great   Bay.     Anthony  Nutter 
bought   of  Wm.  Pomfrett  of  Dover, 
the   20th,  6  mo.,  1651,  a   marsh  on 
the  N.  E.  side  of  Great  Bay,  at  the 
great  cove   there,   above    long  point. 
This    was    at  the    head    of   Herod's 
cove,  now  Laighton's.     Thirty  acres 
of  upland  (part  of  the  400  acre  grant 
to    Dover)    were    laid    out  to    Elder 
Nutter,  the   10th,    10  mo.,  1656,  ad- 
joining his   marsh  :   22  acres  of  it  on 
the  easterly  side  of  John  Dam's  up- 
land, and  four   acres   at  the   head  of 
the  creek  that  runneth  through  Elder 
Nutter's   marsh,  and   four  acres   ad- 
joining Thomas  Lay  ton's  upland  on 
the    S.  W.    side    of    tlie    creek.     As 
this  grant  was  part  of  the  400  acres, 
it  was,  of  course,  above  Hogsty  cove. 
Wm.  Furber,  Sr.,  "  of  Dover,  in 
Piscataqua  River,  in  consideratiou  of 
y^  natural  love  and  tender  affection 
to  his  dutiful   and    well-beloved   son 
Jethro,"  conveyed  to  him,   Feb.   14, 
"  in  y*  year  of  o''  Lord  God,  accord- 
ing to  y''  computation  of  y*"  church  of 


England,  1677,"  a  neck  of  land,  con- 
taining 100  acres  or  thereabouts, 
within  y*  mouth  of  y^  Great  Bay,  in  y^ 
township  of  Dover,  commonly  called 
and  known  by  the  name  of  Long  Point, 
bounded  on  y''  N.  W.  by  the  laud  of 
Wm.  Furber,  Jr.  ;  on  y''  S.  W.  by 
John  Bickford's,  on  y«  S.  E.  by  the 
land  of  Thomas  Lay  ton,  late  of  Do- 
ver, deceased,  and  on  y*  N.  E.  by 
Anthony  Nutter's  land. 

As  this  land  was  between  the 
Ferry  Farm  and  the  Bickford  land, 
it  is  evident  that  the  name  of  Long 
Point,  like  that  of  Durham  Point, 
Welch  cove,  etc.,  was  given,  not 
merely  to  the  point  itself,  but  to  the 
neishboriug  district. 

Anna  Walker,  relict  of  Samuel 
Walker  of  Newington,  May  22,  1731, 
conveyed  to  her  well  beloved  brother 
Lemuel  Bickford,  shipwriglit,  all 
right  to  a  tract  of  land  in  Newington 
'-at  a  place  called  or  known  by  y* 
name  of  Long  Point,  and  is  part  of 
y*  farm  my  honour''  father  Mr.  John 
Bickford,  late  of  Newington,  dyed 
possess*^  of,  and  is  yet  in  y*'  posses- 
sion of  my  hon^'^  mother  Mrs.  Susan 
Bickford."  Joseph  Bickford  of  the 
city  of  Bristol,  mariner,  gave  a  power 
of  attorney,  dated  at  London,  Ap. 
12,  1740,  to  his  brother  Eliakim 
Bickford,  mariner,  to  receive  from 
his  brother  Lemuel  Bickford  of  New- 
iugtou,  shipwright,  all  money  and 
rents  due  from  one  ninth  part  of  the 
land  in  Newington,  adjoining  Great 
Bay  at  Long  Point,  and  all  other 
lauds  that  belonged  to  his  father 
John  Bickford,  deceased. 

Lemuel  Bickford  of  Newington, 
shipwright,  and  wife  Temperance, 
for  1250  pounds,  new  tenor,  conveyed 
to    Thomas     Pickering,    gentleman. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover, 


131 


May  2,  1751,  100  acres  of  upland, 
marsh,  aud  thatch-heds,  with  build- 
iugs  thereon,  bounded  northerly  by  the 
land  of  Jethro  Bickford  and  Richard 
Dam,  east  b\'  Thomas  Layton  and 
said  Dam,  and  on  all  other  sides  by 
the  Great  Bay,  being  all  the  tract  on 
which  the  said  Lemuel  then  lived, 
except  one  acre  of  salt  marsh  and 
flats  belonging  to  Jethro  Bickford. 
Thomas  Pickering,  in  his  will  of  Ap. 
4,  1782,  gives  his  son  Nicholas  the 
farm  whereon  the  said  Nicholas  then 
lived — the  same  which  said  Thomas 
bought  of  Lemuel  Bickford. 

Nicholas  Pickering,  in  his  will  of 
Nov.  21,  1807,  gives  his  grandson 
Nicholas  Woodman  (son  of  his  daugh- 
ter Betse^',  who  married  a  Woodman) 
"  all  the  farm  whereon  I  now  live." 
It  was  from  this  Nicholas  Woodman 
that  Long  Point  acquired  the  name 
of  Woodman's  Pointy  by  whicli  it  is 
sometimes  called.  Richard  Dame  calls 
it  Long  Point  on  his  map  of  Newing- 
tou.  Properly  speaking,  Long  Point 
is  the  whole  neck  of  land  on  the 
north  side  of  Laighton's  cove,  be- 
tween that  cove  and  Great  Bay.  At 
the  upper  side  is  a  small  bluff,  called 
High  Point,  which  is  surrounded  by 
marshes  and  becomes  an  island  at 
higli  tide.  Both  points  are  now 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  Mr.  James 
Alfred  Pickering. 

A  pine  grove  covers  the  ridge  as 
you  goto  the  end  of  Long  Point,  and 
beyond  are  oaks,  and  tall  tapering 
cedars  of  funereal  aspect,  that  skirt 
the  point  itself,  which  terminates  in 
a  broad  slaty  ledge,  from  which  there 
is  a  fine  view  up  and  down  the  Great 
Bay.    Off  the  point  is  Nanncy's  island, 


green  with  low  shrubs,  aud  all  along 
the  shore  the  wild  convolvulus  blooms 
profusely  in  every  direction,  lighting 
up  this  romantic,  but  somewhat  des- 
olate point. 

There  is  a  Long  Point  on  the  Lub- 
berland  shore  of  Great  Bay,  at  the 
lower  side  of  Broad  Cove.  (See 
JeiveU's  Point.) 

Long  Reach.  This  name  is  eiven 
to  that  portion  of  the  Pascataqua 
river  between  Dover  Point  and  the 
narrows  below  Boiling  Rock.  It  is 
so  called  on  Holland's  map  of  1784, 
aud  is  in  common  use  among  the 
river  boatmen  to  this  day.  The  name 
was  also  given  in  early  times  to  the 
adjacent  shores.  James  Rawlins,  in 
1662,  mortgaged  100  acres  of  land 
"  lying  in  y""  Long  Reach,  back 
from  Canney's  cove  upward."  Pike's 
Jourual  of  Aug.  24,  1694,  says  "8 
persons  were  killed  and  captivated 
at  Long  Heach:  5  at  Downing's  and 
3  at  Toby's."  ^  This  was  in  Kittery, 
which  then  extended  up  the  river  as 
far  as  the  Berwick  townships.  Rich- 
ard Cutts,  in  his  will  of  May  10,  1675, 
gives  his  daughter  Bridget  liis  land 
"  in  the  long  reach"  next  Capt.  Pen- 
dleton's, "thirty  three  pole  broad  front 
on  the  river,  and  so  back  the  whole 
depth."     This  was  iu  Portsmouth. 

That  part  of  the  Long  Reach  iu  the 
vicinity  of  the  Pulpit  is  often  called 
the  Pulpit  Reach,  which  is,  of  course, 
below  the  bounds  of  ancieut  Dover. 
Theodore  Atkinson,  administrator  of 
the  estate  of  Dr.  Robert  Pike  of 
Portsmouth,  conveyed  to  Christopher 
Rymes,  mariner,  a  parcel  of  land 
said  Pike  bought  of  Samuel  Cutt,  de- 
ceased, June  30,  1720,   fronting   on 


1  James  Tobey's  land  "near  ffrankes  fort"  Is  mentioned  Jan.  13,  1695-6;  Joshua  Downing  of 
Kittery  is  mentioned  in  1717. 


132 


Land7narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


the  Pascataqua  "at  a  place  com- 
monly called  by  y*  name  of  y^  Pulpit 
Reach,  60  poles  on  the  river,  and 
carrying  the  same  breadth  back  into 
the  woods  266  rods,  being  y'^  farm 
commonly  called  Cutt's  farm,  and  the 
westerly  half  of  200  acres  granted  by 
Portsmouth  to  John  and  Richard 
Cutt."  (For  the  Pulpit,  see  Pascat- 
aqua River.) 

Long  Turn.  Mentioned  Ap.  19, 
1725,  when  John  Pitman  (and  Elisa- 
beth) conveyed  to  Benedictus  Torr 
20  acres  of  land  granted  to  his  father 
Joseph  Pitman  on  the  north  side  of 
Mahorimet's  hill,  but  afterwards  re- 
moved to  the  long  turn  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  y^  mast  way  y*  leads  up 
to  y*  Hook  timber  at  or  near  y*  place 
in  y®  way  commonly  called  y*^  long  or 
broad  ttnii,  beginning  at  a  red  oak 
by  y*  above  said  way.  Benedictus 
Torr  and  Leah  conveyed  this  land  to 
Benj"  and  Ralph  Hall  Nov.  29,  1726. 
Ralph  Hall  conveyed  to  Benj°  Hall, 
Nov.  21,  1749,  all  right  and  title  to 
13f  acres  in  that  part  of  Dover  called 
Madbury,  on  the  westerly  side  of  the 
mast  ivay  that  leads  along  by  said 
Benjamin's  dwelling-house,  part  of  a 
grant  to  Joseph  Pitman,  and  pur- 
chased by  said  Ralph  and  Benj",  as 
tenants  in  common,  of  Benedictus 
Tarr  of  Dover,  deceased.  Benj°  and 
Frances  Hall  of  the  parish  of  Mad- 
bury  conveyed  to  Joseph  Masarve, 
Sept.  6,  1756,  half  of  the  homestead 
where  they  then  dwelt  (17  acres),  re- 
serving one  square  rod  where  their 
children  lay  buried,  beginning  at  the 
N.  E.  corner  of  the  lot  which  Wm. 
Hill  purchased  of  Ralph  Hall.^ 


The  names  of  Broad  Turn,  Great 
Turn,  and  Long  Turn  are  supposed 
by  some  to  apply,  not  to  the  high- 
ways, but  to  the  long  bend  in  the 
Bellamy  river,  in  its  course  through 
Madbury.      (See  Great  Turn.) 

LuBBERLAND.  This  name  was 
given  to  the  upper  shore  of  Great 
Bay  as  early  as  1669.  (See  Cleft 
Cove.)  It  then  formed  part  of  the 
Oyster  River  precinct,  but  the  greater 
part  of  it  now  belongs  to  Newmarket. 
It  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
public  records  of  the  last  two  hun- 
dred years.  A  right  was  reserved 
for  two  hi^hwavs  "  from  Lubherland 
to  Oyster  River"  when  John  Alt's 
grant  of  80  acres  on  Great  Bay  was 
laid  out  Dec.  9,  1679.  "The  path 
to  Lubberland"  is  mentioned  in  a 
deed  from  Jolin  York  to  John  Bin- 
der, May  16,  1681.  Tiie  Rev.  John 
Pike  records  the  death  of  "  Roger 
Rose  of  Lubber-Land"  Aug.  6,  1705. 
The  Rev.  John  Buss,  in  his  "  hum- 
ble petition"  of  May  26,  1716, 
speaks  of  his  thirty-acre  grant  be- 
tween the  minister's  lot  and  '•'■  Lubber 
Land."  Twenty  acres  were  laid  out 
to  him  July  25,  1716,  "on  the  west 
side  of  the  path  or  high  way  going 
to  Lobber  Laud."  The  Rev.  Hugh 
Adams  in  1717  calls  it  ^"^  Lover 
Land,"  for  which  there  appears  no 
precedent.  Since  his  day,  however, 
this  form  of  the  name  is  occasionally 
found,  sometimes  absurdly  varied  to 
Loving-land.  In  a  few  instances  Lob- 
berland  and  Louberland  are  mention- 
ed. But  the  prevailing  form  from  the 
beginning  is  Lubberland. 

Lubberland     brook    is     mentioned 


1  Ralph  Hall  and  Elisabeth,  conveyed  to  Wm.  Hill,  June  13,  1744,  eight  acres  of  land,  part  of 
his  right  from  the  town  of  Dover,  beginning  at  a  rock  at  a  place  called  freetown  in  Dover,  on 
the  north  side  of  a  road  that  runs  from  James  Huckins'  to  Joseph  Daniels',  Jr. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


133 


June  23,  1701,  when  John  Daniel's 
grant  was  laid  out  between  Thomas 
Morris's  land  and  John  Bickford's, 
on  the  north  side  of  Luhberland 
brook — apparently  the  broolv  that 
empties  into  Crummit's  creek. 

Lubherland  creeks  for  Goddard's, 
is  mentioned  March  10,  1740-41.-^ 
(See  Goddard's  Creek.)  Lubherland 
marshes  are  mentioned  June  15, 
1734.      {^ee  Birch  Point.) 

Lubberland  school-district  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records  of 
1784. 

Tiie  name  of  Lubberland  was  per- 
haps given  by  the  sailors  or  fisher- 
men of  early  times,  by  way  of  derid- 
ing the  peaceful  farmers  along  the 
Great  Bay.  - 

"A  cup  of  welcome  to  thee  out  of 
Lobby-Land.,"  cries  Lord  Saville  to 
■Chifflnch  in  Scott's  Peveril  of  the 
Peak.  "Why,  thou  hast  been  so 
long  in  the  country  that  thou  hast 
got  a  bumpkinly  clod-compelliug 
sort  of  look  thyself." 

It  has  been  kindly  suggested  to 
the  writer  by  the  author  of  "  Neio 
Castle.,  Historic  and  Picturesque," 
that  the  name  of  Lubberland  may 
have  been  derived  from  some  old  tale 
of  English  folk-lore,  brought  over  by 
our  early  settlers,  and  he  refers  to 
the  use  of  the  name  in  Ben  Jonson's 
^'  Bartholomew  P'air"  by  John  Little- 
wit:  "Good  mother,  how  shall  we 
find  a  pig  if  we  do  not  look  about 
for  't :   will  it  run  off  o'  the  spit  into 


our  mouths,  think  you,  as  in  Ltibber- 
land,  n,nd  cry,  wee,  wee  !  " 

This  Lubberland  of  Jonson's  may 
be  the  "  Lob's  pound  "  of  pixy-land, 
mentioned  by  Massinger  and  the 
author  of  "  Hudibras,"  or  the  "  pond- 
fold  "  of  Phooka  or  Pouka,  the  Irish 
Puck.  Pixy-land  is  Puck's  land, 
and  Puck  himself,  in  the  "  Midsum- 
mer-Night's Dream,"  is  addressed  as 
'•  Thou  lob  of  spirits  !  "  Grimm  tells 
us  of  a  German  sprite,  whom  lie  calls 
"  Good  Ltibber."  Lob's  pound  seems 
to  be  a  place  or  condition  into  which 
one  is  led  by  a  kind  of  elfish  enchant- 
ment or  diablerie,  worthy  of  the 
'' Lubber-fiend"  oi  Milton's  "  L'Al- 
legro." 

But,  Pixy-land  or  not,  the  drive 
along  the  shore  of  Lubberland  from 
Newmarket  to  Jewell's  Point,  when 
the  waters  of  the  Great  Bay  are  at 
high  tide,  and  the  sun  is  turning  to 
the  west  in  a  cloudless  sky,  is  one  of 
constant  delight. 

Low  Street.  This  name  was 
given  in  early  times  to  a  road  in  the 
lower  part  of  Dover  Neck,  nearly 
parallel  with  Higli  street,  between 
that  street  and  Back  river.  It  is 
mentioned  Ap.  5,  1701,  when  Syl- 
vanus  Nock  (and  Eliza)  conveyed  to 
Wm.  Harford  his  dwelling  on  Dover 
Neck,  with  seven  acres  of  laud, 
bounded  E.  by  high  street,  W.  by  low 
street,  N.  by  a  lane  separating  it 
from  John  Pinkham's  land,  and  S. 
by    Philip    Cromwell's    land.      John 


1  There  is  a  Lubber's  Creek  at  New  Castle,  so  called  in  an  advertisement  of  Nov.  15,  1800. 

^  Land-louper  and  louper-lan,  Scotch  words  from  which  Louberlan  or  Lubberland  may  have 
been  derived,  has  a  more  invidious  signification,  as  is  evident  from  the  application  of  the  name 
of  "  landlouper  "  to  Capt.  Waverley  by  the  Laird  of  Balmawhapple,  and  to  the  German  advent- 
urer Dousterswivel  by  Mr.  Jonathan  Oldbuck.  The  Zetlanders  also  called  the  pirate  Cleveland 
a  "  landlouper,"  though  for  many  years  he  had  been  a  cruiser  in  the  Spanish  main.  And  Scott, 
too,  makes  King  James  I  use  the  word  "  dyke-louper  "  in  reference  to  the  escapades  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham.  A  louper  is  evidently  a  person  given  to  overleaping  the  proper  bounds 
•of  moral  restraint. 


134 


I^andmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


Pinkham  conveyed  to  his  son  Amos, 
June  19,  1715,  his  dwelling-house 
and  four  acres  of  land  on  Dover 
Neck,  bounded  E.  by  hkih  street^  W. 
by  low  street^  and  S.  by  a  lane 
between  this  lane  and  Wm.  Har- 
ford's. Amos  Pinkham  and  Eliza- 
beth conveyed  this  house  and  land 
to  Otis  Pinkham  Aug.  8,  1720. 

The  first  Meeting- House  on  Dover 
Neck  was  on  Low  Street.  Richard 
Yorke's  lot  was  on  the  south  side  of 
Nutter's  lane,  and  measured  28  rods 
on  Low  Street.  Next  below  him 
was  John  Dam's  lot,  14  rods  on  Low 
St.  Next  came  the  lot  on  which 
stood  the  meeting-house  and  Mr. 
Maud's  parsonage,  which  was  28 
rods  on  Low  St.,  and  20  rods  on  a 
cross  lane. 

Madam's  Cove.  This  cove  is  at 
the  foot  of  Little  John's  falls,  on  the 
Rollinsford  shore  of  the  Newicha- 
wannock.  So  called,  it  is  said,  from 
Madam  Wallingford,  probably  the 
third  wife  of  Col.  Thomas  Walling- 
ford, who  outlived  her  husband  nearly 
forty  years.  Her  daughter  Olive 
married  John  Cushing  of  S.  Berwick, 
from  whom  the  name  of  Cusliing's 
hill,  below  the  S.  Hale  place  in 
RoUinsford,  is  said  to  have  been  de- 
rived. 

Madbury.  This  name  was  given 
to  a  part  of  Dover  as  early  as  March 


19,  1693-4,  when  40  acres  of  land 
were  granted  to  Francis  Pitman,  "on 
the  N.  W.  side  of  Logg  hill,  on  the 
N.  E.  side  of  the  path  going  to  Mad- 
berry,  where  he  had  all  Reddy  begun 
to  improve."  And  that  same  day, 
30  acres  were  laid  out  to  vStephen 
Willey  "on  y"  north  side  of  y^  mast 
path  which  comes  from  Madberry." 
(Dover  Records.) 

According  to  the  late  John  Elwyn 
of  Portsmouth,^  the  name  of  Mad- 
bury vras  derived  from  Modbury,  in 
Devonshire,  Eng.,  the  seat  for  cen- 
turies of  the  Champernowne  family, 
to  which  belonged  Capt.  Francis 
Champernowne  of  the  Dover  Combi- 
nation of  1640.  He  acquired  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Great  Bay,  part  of  which  fell  within 
the  limits  of  Ancient  Dover.  (See 
Greejiland.)  He  married  the  widow 
of  Robert  Cutt,  brother  of  President 
John  Cutt,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
influential  men  in  the  Province.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  provincial  Coun- 
cil in  1686,  about  which  time  Mad- 
bury received  its  name.  Capt.  Cham- 
pernowne was  of  royal  descent,  and. 
a  nephew,  by  marriage,  of  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando  Gorges.  His  great-grandfather, 
Sir  Arthur  Champernowne  of  Mod- 
bury,  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bos- 
worth  Field,  and  was  vice-admiral  in 
the  English  navy.'-^ 


1  John  Elwyn,  who  was  thoroughly  versed  in  everything  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the 
Pascataqua  region,  was  the  grandson  of  Gov.  Langdon,  and  a  descendant  of  Ambros.'  Gibbons 
the  early  pioneer,  who  died  at  Oyster  River,  July  11,  1656. 

-  Sir  Arthur  Champernowne  acquired  the  barony  of  Dartington  two  miles  above  Totness,. 
Devon,  whence  came  some  of  the  early  settlers  along  the  Pascataqua,  such  as  the  Coffins  of  Do- 
ver and  the  Shapleighs  of  Kittery.  The  name  of  Dartington  was  given,  June  14,  1638,  to  a  neck  of 
land,  containing  500  acres,  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Pascataqua  river,  and  extending  northeast- 
erly to  Braveboat  Harbor,  granted  by  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  to  Arthur  Champernowne,  father 
of  Capt.  Francis.  This  was  in  Kittery,  and  included  the  island  afterwards  called  Champer- 
nowne's  Island,  where  Capt.  Francis  Champernowne  now  lies  buried.  Kittery  is  another  Dev- 
onshire name,  probably  given  by  Capt.  Champernowne  in  memory  of  Kittery  Court,  on  the 
River  Dart,  near  Dartmouth,  Eng.  And  there  is  a  bend  of  the  river  at  Kittery  Court  that  still 
bears  the  name  of  Kittery  Point.  Not  far  from  Modbury  is  Portledge,  where,  as  Kingsley  says 
in  Westivard  Ho!  "  The  Coffins  had  lived  ever  since  Noah's  flood,  if  indeed  they  had  not  re- 
turned merely  thither  after  that  temporary  displacement."  Peter  Cottln  of  Dover  was  born  in 
Devonshire  in  1630. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


135 


At  Modbury  was  born  Katherine 
Champernovvne  (great  annt  of  Capt. 
Francis  Charapernowne),  who,  by 
different  marriages,  was  the  mother 
of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  and  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh. 

The  Charapernowne  house  at  Mod- 
bury,  where  the  royalists  had  en- 
trenched tliemselves  under  Sir  Ed- 
mund Fortescue,  was  taken  and 
devastated  by  the  Parliamentary 
troops  in  1642. 

Modbury  is  midway  between  Dart- 
moutli  and  Plymouth.  Some  ruins 
are  still  left  of  the  ancient  manor- 
house,  where,  according  to  the  ex- 
pression of  an  old  chronicler,  "  the 
clarions  family  of  Champernon  "  once 
lived  in  dignity  and  splendor.  But 
alas,  as  John  Elwyn  laments, 

"  No    crusader's  war-horse,   plumed   and 
steeled, 
Paws  the  grass  now  at  Modbury 's  bla- 
zoned door." 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  this  his- 
toric name  should  have  been  corrupted 
to  Madbury  by  our  early  settlers. 
The  original  name  should  be  restored. 
Modbury  is  more  agreeable  to  the 
ear,  and  its  association  with  the 
Champernownes  would  give  it  a  sig- 
nificance not  to  be  regarded  without 
pride. 

Madbury  was  made  a  separate  par- 
ish, with  town  privileges,  May  31, 
1755,  and  a  township  May  26,  1768. 
There  is  no  village  in  Madbury. 

Madbury  Garrisons.  These  gar- 
risons all  appear  to  have  been  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  or  at  least  erect- 
ed after  1694. 

I.  ClarKs  Garrison.  This  garri- 
son stood  on  Clark's  plains,  near  the 
borders  of  Dover  and  Madbury, 
where  Mr.  Biederraan's  house  now  is. 
It  was  built  by  Abraham  Clark,  who 


owned  land  in  this  vicinity,  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  Richard  Pinkhara 
had  a  grant  of  30  acres  "  between 
Drie  pines  and  Abraham  Clark's." 
It  was  taken  down  about  the  year 
1836. 

II.  Daniel's  Garrison  stood  near 
the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Charles 
W.  Hayes.      (See  David's  Lane.) 

III.  Demerit's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  built  by  Eli  Demerit, 
Jr.,  about  1720.  It  stood  where  is 
now  the  house  of  Mr.  Alfred  Deme- 
ritt,  his  direct  descendant,  and  was 
taken  down  in  the  spring  of  1836. 

IV.  Gerrish's  Garrison  stood  on 
the  first  hill  west  of  Gerrish's  mill, 
near  the  present  dwelling-house  of 
Mr.  B.  F.  Hayes.  It  was  probabh^ 
built  by  Capt.  Paul  Gerrish,  who 
erected  the  first  mill  at  the  neighbor- 
ing fall  in  the  Bellamy.  It  must  not 
be  confounded  with  the  old  Gerrish 
garrison  built  the  previous  century 
by  Capt.  John  Gerrish,  probably 
near  his  mill  at  the  lowest  falls  on 
the  same  river. 

V.  Meserve's  Garrison.  Traces 
of  this  garrison  are  still  to  be  seen 
on  Harvey's  hill,  that  formed  part  of 
the  old  Meserve  lauds.  The  land  of 
Daniel  Misharvey,  Jr.,  (Meservey  or 
Meserve),  at  a  place  called  Freetown, 
is  mentioned  Dec.  19,  1746,  in  a  con- 
veyance to  Eli  Demerit.  There  was 
another  Meserve  garrison  in  the 
Back  River  district,  Dover. 

VI.  Tasker's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  at  the  foot  of  Mohari- 
met's  hill,  now  Hicks's  hill,  on  the 
south  side,  where  now  stands  the 
house  belonging  to  tiie  heirs  of  the 
late  E.  E.  Demeritt.  The  land  here 
originally  belonged  to  Charles  Adams 
of  Ovster  River,  who  had  a  grant  of 


136 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


100  acres,  laid  out  Nov.  1,  1672,  at 
the  foot  of  "Mabarmett's  hill,"  half 
of  which  he  conve3'ed,  March  11, 
1693-4,  to  his  daughter  Mary,  wife 
of  Wm.  Tasker.  The  Taskers  were 
liviug  here  when  their  house  was 
attacked  by  the  Indians  not  long 
after,  but  they  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape  to  Woodman's  garrison. 
As  their  house  was  then  in  a  defence- 
less condition,  the  garrison  was  no 
doubt  erected  subsequently.  It  was 
taken  down  about  1820,  soon  after  it 
was  acquired  by  Eben''  T.  Demeritt. 

VII.  Tvjomhleif s  Garrison.  Tiiis 
garrison  stood  a  few  rods  above  the 
present  residence  of  Judge  Young. 
It  was  no  doubt  built  by  Wm. 
Tvrombley,  who  acquired  land  near 
the  Saplings  before  April,  1734.  It 
was  taken  down  in  the  spring  of 
1842  by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Twombley, 
and  some  of  its  timbers  were  used  in 
framing  the  barn  now  owned  b}' 
Judge  Frost  at  the  corner  of  Locust 
and  Nelson  streets,  Dover. 

Madbury  Meeting-House.  This 
meeting-house  is  often  mentioned  in 
the  records  of  last  century.  It  stood 
near  the  present  brick  school-house, 
a  short  distance  south  of  Hicks's  hill. 
John  Tasker  and  '"  Judah  "  his  wife, 
Sept.  23,  1735,  conveyed  one  acre  of 
land  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  west- 
ern side  of  Dover  township  for  a 
meeting-house,  "  beginning  at  y*^ 
turn  of  y*  way  that  leads  from  Mad- 
berry  road  to  beach  hill ;''  acknowl- 
edged Sept.  6,  17r)9.  The  "meet- 
ing-house now  at  Madbury,  standing 
almost  home  to  Durham  line,"  is  men- 
tioned in  a  petition  of  May  8,  1744. 
{N.  H.  Prov.  JPa2).,  9  :  176-177.) 


A  ))lan  of  this  large  old-fashioned 
meeting-house,  with  its  interior  gal- 
lery around  three  sides,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Madbury  records.  It 
was  taken  down  within  the  writer's 
recollection. 

Maine.  The  territory  comprised 
in  Ancient  Dover  formed  part  of  the 
Province  of  3Iaine^  as  granted  by  the 
Council  for  New  England  to  Sir  Fer- 
dinando  Gorges  and  Capt.  John 
Mason,  jointly,  Aug.  10,  1622. 
This  grant  comprised  all  the  land 
along  the  sea-coast  between  the  Ken- 
nebec and  Merrimac  rivers,  with  all 
the  islands  within  five  leagues,  and 
extended  60  miles  inland — which  ter- 
ritory, says  the  patent,  is  "to  be 
called  the  Province  of  Maine.'' 

But  no  part  of  New  Hampshire 
was  included  in  the  Province  of 
Maine,  as  granted  Sir  Ferdinando 
Gorges  in  the  charter  of  Charles  I, 
Ap.  3,  1639.  It  began  "  at  the 
entrance  of  Piscataqua  Harbour," 
and  extended  up  the  river  into  the 
Newichannock,  to  the  head  thereof, 
till  120  miles  were  accomplished; 
and  from  the  mouth  of  Piscataqua 
Harbour  north-eastward  along  the 
sea-coast  to  Sagadahoc,  theuce  up 
stream,  through  the  "Kynybequy" 
river^  to  the  head  thereof  to  the  dis- 
tance of  120  miles,  thence  across  to 
the  head  of  the  Newichawannock 
line  ;  together  with  the  north  half  of 
the  Isles  of  Shoals,  and  all  the 
islands  witiiin  five  leagues  of  the 
coast,  etc.  (See  Baxter's  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando Gorges.,  2  :  124-5.) 

The  Indian  name  of  this  district 
was  Mawooshen  or  Maroshen.,  which, 
according     to    Purchas's    Pilgrimes, 


1  The  Kennebec  river  was  called  in  early  times  the  Quinnebequi,  from  the  Indian  words 
quinne,  "  long,"  and  bequi,  "  still  water,"  referring  to  its  long  stretches  of  still  water. 


I^andmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


137 


lay  between  43  and  45  degrees,  40 
leagues  in  breadth  and  50  in  length, 
containing  nine  rivers,  among  which 
was  the  Sagadahoc  (Kennebec), 
which  had  six  islands  and  two 
branches.  The  Portsmouth  Oracle 
of  May  18,  1799,  publishes  a  pro- 
posed Bill  to  the  Massachusetts  leg- 
islature of  that  year  that  all  the  por- 
tion of  the  Mass.  commonwealth, 
called  by  the  aborigines  Maroshen, 
but  "  now  commonly  called  the  Dis- 
trict of  Maine,  lying  between  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire  and  the 
province  of  New  Brunswick,"  should 
be  made  a  separate  state  under  the 
name  of  the  State  of  Maroshen. 

Mallego.  This  name  has  been 
given  for  nearly  two  hundred  years 
to  the  north  easterly,  branch  of  the 
Bellamy  river^,  which  rises  at  Gate's 
pond  in  Barriugton,  and  empties  into 
the  Bellamy  at  the  Hook.  The  ex- 
tensive forests  in  this  region  led  to 
the  opening  of  a  mast  road  hither  at 
an  early  day.  '•'•Mallego  way"  is 
mentioned  in  the  Dover  records,  Feb. 
16,  1710-11.  And  "  the  Mast  road 
to  Mallego"  is  mentioned  in  1717. 
Mallego  brook  or  river  is  repeatedly 
spoken  of  in  the  depositions  concern- 
ing Demerit's  dam  at  the  Hook  in 
1719,  (Granite  3foHthly,  Dec,  1881.) 
Mallego  looocls  are  referred  to  Jan.  12, 
1742,  when  Ichabod  Canney  conveyed 
to  Robert  Hanson  35f  acres  in  Mal- 
lego woods,  "  at  a  place  called  y®  Sap- 
lings," on  the  southerly  side  of  the 
road  from  Little  worth  to  Barriugton, 
beginning  at  an  asp  tree  at  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  ten  acres  laid  out  to  the 
Quakers.  Ichabod  Gate  of  Barring- 
ton  conveyed  to  David  Waldron,  Ap. 


19,  1810,  land  in  Barriugton,  in  the 
Two-mile  Streak,  so  called,  beginning 
at  land  owned  b}'  Isaac  Waldron  at 
the  east  side  of  a  river  that  runs 
through  said  land,  called  Malaga 
river  or  Huckins  brook,  and  running 
E.  by  said  Waldron's  land  7  rods, 
then  turning  and  running  up  by  said 
river,  carrying  the  same  breadth  of  7 
rods  till  it  comes  to  a  place  called 
Gate's  dam,  20  rods  more  or  less,  then 
turning  and  running  across  said 
river  till  it  comes  to  the  iirovince 
road,  so  called,  then  down  by  said 
road  to  Isaac  Waldron's  land,  then 
by  said  land  across  said  river  to  the 
first  bound. 

The  Mallego  bridge  in  Barriugton 
is  on  the  old  stage  road  from  Dover, 
which  crosses  this  river  not  long 
after  it  issues  from  Gate's  pond. 

The  name  of  Mallego,  like  that  of 
Barbadoes,  was  no  doubt  given  b}' 
the  early  lumber-men  engaged  in  sup- 
plying the  foreign  market  with  lum- 
ber. Lt.  Gov.  Partridge,  among 
others,  certainly  furnished  timber  for 
the  Mediterranean  coast  at  the  end 
of  the  xvii  century.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  2  :  247.)  Our  intercourse  with 
Spain  at  an  early  day  is  evident  from 
the  accounts  of  Gapt.  John  Smith 
and  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  (the  lat- 
ter in  his  Narration)  of  a  merchant 
named  Hunt  who  treacherously 
seized  20  of  our  Indians  in  1614  and 
carried  them  to  Spain,  where  he  sold 
a  part  as  slaves,  and  the  rest  were 
taken  from  him  by  the  friars  to  be 
brought  up  in  the  Ghristian  faith. 
An  interesting  account  of  one  of 
them,  named  Tasquautum,  who  made 
his  escape  from  Malaga  and  returned 


1  Stephen  Newt's  map  of  Madbury  in  1805  erroneously  gives  the  name  of  "  Bellamy  river  "  to 
the  Mallego  branch. 


138 


I^andmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


to  this  country,  is  given  in  Baxter's 
SirF.  Gorges,  1  :  103-106. 

The  name  of  Mallesjo  is  akin  to 
Malagoe,  one  of  the  isles  of  Shoals, 
which  is  otherwise  written  "  Malla- 
go  "  in  a  letter  from  Capt.  Willey  to 
the  Mass.  government,  March  11, 
1691-2.  (Jenness'  Isles  of  Shoals, 
p.  201.)  Cargoes  of  fish,  and  also 
ela[)boards,  pipe-staves,  etc.,  that 
must  have  come  from  the  main  land, 
were  sent  from  the  Shoals  in  the 
middle  of  the  xvii  century  to  the 
Mediterranean  ;  and  wines  and  other 
foreign  products  were  brought  back. 
(Ibid,  2^.  91.)  The  name  of  Malaga 
island  may  therefore  have  been  given 
by  merchants  in  traffic  with  the 
Spanish  city  of  that  name.  Nor  is 
it  so  inappropriate  as  might  at  first 
seem,  if  the  name  is  derived,  as 
some  say,  from  the  word  Melach 
which  signifies  salt  fish — the  great 
staple  at  the  Shoals. 

The  island  of  Malaga  was  bought 
in  1647  by  Henry  Sherburne,  son-in- 
law  of  Ambrose  Gibbons,  the  early 
pioneer  on  the  Newichawannock, 
who  had  grants  of  mill  privileges 
and  forest  lands  in  ancient  Dover, 
and  died  at  Oyster  River  July  11, 
1656. 

Maple  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  Barrington,  and  empties  into  Oys- 
ter river  not  far  from  Wheelwright's 
pond.  It  is  often  mentioned  in  the 
Durham  records  of  last  century  ;  as 
Aug.  10,  1745,  when  a  road  was  laid 
out  "  from  a  peaked  rock  Iw  Thomas 
Willey's  new  house  where  he  now 
dwelleth,"  past  James  Bunker's,  etc., 
to  Majyle  brook,  so-called.  And 
Nov.  18,  1758,  a  road  was  laid 
out  from  the  north-east  corner 
bound  of  Nottingham,  runnins;  along 


the  Barrington  line,  etc.,  to  Maple 
brook,  so-called.  (See  CaldivelVs 
Brook.) 

Marsh  Brook  Roau.  This  road 
is  mentioned  in  the  Dover  records  of 
1819,  as  extending  to  the  Madbury 
line.  It  is  apparently  the  way  lead- 
ing from  the  Littleworth  road  to  the 
head  of  Barbadoes  pond,  where  it 
crosses  a  brook  running  through  the 
marsh  into  the  pond.  The  bridge 
across  this  brook  is  on  the  bounds  of 
Dover  and  Madbury. 

Martin's  Brook.  Mentioned  Ap. 
1,  1721,  when  Samuel  King  of  the 
parish  of  Greenland,  and  wife  P^liza- 
beth,  conveyed  to  Capt.  Joshua 
Weeks  a  tract  of  40  rods  on  the  west 
side  of  Martin's  brook,  in  a  conven- 
ient place  to  set  a  mill  near  the 
mouth  of  said  brook,  where  Capt. 
Weeks  might  choose,  with  his  privi- 
lege of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the 
brook,  adjacent  to  Robert  Davis's 
land,  and  all  the  land  the  dam  of  said 
mill  might  cause  to  overflow.  Eiwht 
acres  adjoining  this  land  were  con- 
veyed to  Joshua  Weeks  by  Samuel 
King,  June  5,  1724,  bounded  North 
by  the  Great  Bay,  and  South  by 
Martin's  brook.  John  Dockum,  Jr., 
couve3'ed  to  Capt.  Joshua  Weeks, 
Ap.  6,  1726,  13  acres  on  the  south 
side  of  Martin's  brook,  adjacent  to 
the  lands  of  Tucker  Cate  and  John 
Vrin,  where  the  road  leads  to  the 
Great  Bay. 

George  Keniston  conveyed  to  said 
Weeks,  July  25,  1727,  one  acre,  be- 
ginning at  Martin's  brook  on  the  west 
side,  and  running  down  to  the  Great 
Bay.  Martin's  brook  is  just  above 
the  Bay-side  railway  station.  It 
flows  through  the  old  King  land,  now 
owned  by  Messrs.  G.  and  J.  P.  Weeks, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


139 


and  empties  into  the  Great  Bay  near 
Mr.  J.  H.  Brackett's  house. 

IMartin's  Lane.  So  named  from 
Jolin  Martin,  whose  house  and  lane 
(at  Lubberland)  are  mentioned  as 
early  as  the  28th,  2  mo.,  1664,  in 
connection  with  a  road  "from  Lam- 
prill  river  fall  to  the  water  side  in 
the  great  bay,"  which  passed  "be- 
twixt a  letell  swampe  and  the  Rocky 
hill  side  that  lieth  behind  John  Mar- 
tin's house,  and  soe  strait  to  the  laen 
(lane)  that  is  betwixt  John  Godder's 
fence  and  John  Martin's  fence." 
Martin's  lane  is  again  mentioned  Ap. 
19,  1745.     (See  Doe's  Neck.) 

John  Martin  (and  Hester)  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Mounsell,  Sept.  20, 
1667,  his  dwelling-house  "  now  stand- 
ing in  Luberland  in  y^  Great  Bay," 
together  with  40  acres  of  upland 
granted  him  by  the  town  of  Dover, 
bounded  on  one  side  by  Richard 
York  from  y*^  high-water  side,  and  on 
y®  other  by  y"  land  of  John  Goddard. 
Also  two  acres  of  salt  meadow 
adjoining  s**  upland,  and  12  acres  of 
fresh  meadow  about  f  of  a  mile  from 
the  house.  Also  six  score  acres  of 
upland,  lying  by  the  side  of  Lamperil 
river  near  y®  mill,  with  all  rights, 
privileges,  etc. 

Thomas  Mounsell  conveyed  the 
above  lands  to  Nicholas  Doe,  Feb. 
14,  1667-8.  Nicholas  Doe  was 
received  as  an  inhabitant  of  Dover 
the  21st,  7  mo..  1668,  "  upon  the 
same  terms  Thomas  Whitehouse  was 
received  in  1665."  John  Martin 
went  to  Piscataqua,  New  Jersey. 

Mast  Bridges.  A  Mast  bridge  on 
the  Mast  road  to  Madbnry  is  men- 
tioned Ap.  11,  1694,  when  John 
Knight  had  a  grant  of  40  acres  "  joyn- 
ing  to  his  plantation  at  mast  bridge 


all  Reddy  Improved."  This  land 
was  laid  out  to  Leah  Knight,  widow 
of  said  John,  June  17,  1700,  four 
rods  being;  allowed  for  a  highwav  to 
Johnson's  creek.  Thomas  Hanson 
of  Dover,  in  his  will  of  Sept.  18, 
1728,  gives  his  well-beloved  sons 
Maul  and  Jonathan  97  acres  of  land 
"  near  the  river,  near  mast  bridge.'' 
This  tract  was  confirmed  to  them 
March  20,  1741-2,  in  a  deed  from 
Geo.  Jaffrey  of  Portsmouth,  execu- 
tor of  the  estate  of  Jane  Gerrish, 
widow  of  Richard  Gerrish  of  Ports- 
mouth, giving  Maul  Hanson,  hus- 
bandman, and  Jonathan  Hanson, 
blacksmith,  a  quit  claim  to  97  acres 
of  land  in  Dover,  on  the  westerly 
side  of  Bellamy's  bank  river,  run- 
ning southwest  to  y*^  mast  Road., 
thence  northwest  to  y^  land  of  Bene- 
dictus  Torr,  deceased,  bounding  on 
y^  said  mast  road  y^  whole  breadth 
of  said  Torr's  land. 

Henry  Hill  and  wife  Hannah,  and 
Clement  Bunker  and  wife  "  Rebeck," 
all  of  Durham,  conveyed  to  John 
and  Daniel  Twombley  of  Dover, 
March  24,  1738-9,  168  acres  of  land 
on  the  west  side  of  "  Bellemins  Bank 
river  near  y"  windmill  (see  Dreiv's 
or  Dam's  Windmill),  bounded  north 
by  John  Twombley's  land,  east  by 
that  of  John  Ham,  Jr.,  south  by  y^ 
road  y'  leads  down  from  said  wind- 
mill over  mast  bridge,  and  west  by 
the  toivn's  common. 

Tristram  Pinkham  and  wife  Martha 
conveyed  to  James  Tuttle,  Jan.  8, 
1745-6,  one  acre  and  a  half  of  land 
which  said  Pinkham  bought  of  Na- 
thaniel Randal,  "  beginning  at  Mast 
bridge  bruck." 

Catharine  Tibbetts,  single  woman, 
and  Jacob  AUin  and   wife  Hannah, 


140 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


all  of  Dover,  conveyed  to  Maul  Han- 
son, Feb.  1,  1760,  four  acres  of  land 
on  the  west  side  of  "  Belleniin's 
Banck  river,"  and  on  the  easterly 
side  of  the  road  that  leads  over  mast 
hridge  to  Madbury,  which  land  for- 
merly belonged  to  Joseph  Tibbetts, 
father  of  said  Catherine  and  Hannah, 
commonly  called  the  mast  hridge 
land. 

This  bridge  crosses  the  upper  part 
of  Johnson's  creek,  near  the  Hooper 
land  in  the  Back  River  district, 
Dover.      (See  Reynold's  Bridge.) 

A  mast  hridge  across  Oyster  river 
is  mentioned  Nov.  18,  1713,  in  a 
deed  from  Moses  Davis  to  David 
Kincaid.  It  is  otherwise  called  Las- 
key's  hridge  in  the  Durham  records. 
It  is  on  the  Mast  road  from  Durham 
falls  to  Nottingham,  and  is  one  of 
the  boundaries  between  Durham  and 
Lee,  near  Mr.  Charles  W.  Bartlett's. 

A  Mast  hridge  across  the  Black- 
water  is  mentioned  June  23,  1701, 
when  Tristram  Heard  had  a  grant  of 
30  acres  "  between  the  Mast  hridge 
and  Hodsdon's  Cole  pitt."  This  grant 
is  elsewhere  spoken  of  the  same  day 
as  "between  hlackwater  hridg  and 
the  pitch  jyine  plains."  This  was  on 
the  Mast  road  to  Whitehall. 

Mast  Creek.  See  CromwelVs 
Creek. 

Mast  Paths  or  Roaus.  Several 
mast  roads  were  laid  out  at  an  early 
day  from  the  Bellamy,  Cochecho, 
Lamprey,  Oyster,  and  Salmon  Falls 
rivers,  for  the  conveyance  of  timber 
suital)le  for  masts  and  other  shipping 
purposes,  especially  for  the  Royal 
navy,  to  be  sent  down  the  river  to 
Portsmouth.  Mention  is  made  in 
1667  of  masts  sent  his  majesty  from 
the  lands  of  Robert  Mason  two  vears 


before.  (lY.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  17: 
519.)  The  course  of  these  mast 
paths  into  the  forests  was  no  doubt 
varied  at  first  to  suit  the  convenience 
of  the  lumbermen,  but  in  later  years 
was  straightened  and  perhaps  other- 
wise changed,  by  order  of  the  town. 

The  Great  Mast  Path  is  men- 
tioned the  17th,  12  mo.,  1672,  when 
50  acres  were  laid  out  to  Peter  Coffin 
"  on  y*^  north  side  of  y"  Great  mast 
path  going  into  y*  swamp."  (See 
Plum-Pudding  Hill.)  This  path  be- 
gan at  Log  hill,  near  the  first  falls 
in  the  Cochecho,  and  ran  south  in 
the  line  of  Lexington  St.,  leaving 
Plum-Pudding  hill  at  the  right.  It 
then  curved  a  little  to  the  west,  and 
crossed  the  road  from  Cochecho  to 
Tolend  into  the  Cochecho  swamp.  It 
afterwards  extended  to  Barbadoes, 
and  finally  to  Bellamy  Hook  and  the 
Mallego.  It  is  the  present  Little- 
worth  road.  "  The  Mast  path  to  Lit- 
tleworth"  is  spoken  of  Dec.  9,  1722. 
The  "  Mast  path  to  Mallego  "  is  men- 
tioned in  1717. 

The  Mast  Path  to  Long  Hill  is 
mentioned  June  24,  1738.  This  is 
on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Cochecho 
river.  "  The  mast  road  that  goes 
from  Tolend  to  Rochester "  is  men- 
tioned Oct.  15,  1748.  (See  Ham's 
Marsh.)  It  is  again  spoken  of  that 
same  day  when  21  acres  of  land  were 
laid  out  to  Joseph  Hanson,  Jr.,  be- 
ginning at  a  pitch  pine  tree  on  the 
west  side  of  the  old  mast  path  leading 
from  Ham's  marsh,  so  called,  to  the 
Eelware  plains,  about  ten  rods  above 
the  path  that  leads  to  Tolend.  This 
is  the  road  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Cochecho  river.  (See  Sandy  Log 
Hill.) 

The  Mast  Path  to  White  Hall  is 


Landmarks  in  Anacnt  Dover. 


141 


mentioned  Dec.  20,  1714,  when  Eben- 
ezer  Downs  conveyed  to  John  Hiird 
half  the  luud  given  his  brother 
Thomas  by  their  grandmother,  Mar- 
tha Lord,  beginning  at  a  pine  tree 
near  the  great  Pond  above  Cochecho 
(Willand's  pond),  on  y^  west  side  of 
the  mast  X)atli  yt  leads  to  WJiite  Hall. 
Thomas  Horn,  June  18,  1728,  con- 
veyed to  Stephen  Varney  46  acres  of 
land  that  were  Edward  Starbuck's, 
"on  y*"  south  side  of  y^way  or  path  y' 
is  called  by  y^  name  of  ye  mast  ivay 
that  leadeth  to  Wliit  Hall.'"  (See 
Whitehall.) 

The  Mast  Road  to  Madbury  is 
mentioned  May  8,  1682,  when  Rich- 
ard Waldron  conveyed  to  John  Knight 
20  acres  of  land,  part  of  a  tract  of 
400  acres,  300  of  which  said  Wal- 
dron acquired  from  the  town  of  Do- 
ver, and  100  he  bought  of  Wm. 
Follet,  all  laid  out  on  the  west  side 
of  Belloman's  Banke  river.  Tlie  20 
acres  sold  John  Knight  began  on 
"  the  west  line  of  said  tract,  nere  the 
masting  ivay,  and  so  Este  by  said 
masting  IV ay  40  perches,  and  so  south 
south  west  four  score  and  six  perches 
the  like  breadth."  This  land  was 
afterwards  acquired  by  Benedictus 
Torr,  who  married  Leah,  the  widow 
of  John  Knight.  (See  Torr's  Garri- 
son and  Mast  Bridge.) 

Forty  acres  were  laid  out  to  John 
Bussell,  June  13,  1694,  on  "the 
south  side  of  the  mast  j^ath  that  goes 
from  John  Knight's  to  New  towne,  be- 
ginning at  a  beech  on  the  side  of  a 
brook."  Fifty  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Stephen  Wille,  March  19.  1693-4, 
joining  his  house,  thirty  acres  on  "  y* 
south  side  of  y^  77iast  ixith  tvhich  conies 
from  3fadberry,"  and  twenty  on  y* 
north   side.     Stephen  Wille  lived   at 


Newtown.  That  same  day  50  acres 
were  granted  Joseph  Jones  ''  on  the 
north  side  of  the  mast  'path  that  goes 
to  William  Tasker's,  below  Stephen 
Wille's."  Wm.  Tasker  lived  at  the 
foot  of  Moharimet's  hill,  otherwise 
Hicks's  hill,  on  land  now  owned  by 
the  heirs  of  Edric  E.  Demeritt.  John 
Drew's  land,  "on  the  north  side  of 
y^  mast  path  above  Knight's  farme," 
is  mentioned  in  the  Dover  records 
June  23,  1701.  Thirty  acres  were 
granted  Thomas  Perkins  Ap.  5,  1703, 
"  beginning  at  a  hemlock  on  the 
north  side  of  the  mast  path  at  the 
northwest  of  Mahorramifs  hill " — a 
highway  of  four  rods  to  go  through 
this  land,  as  the  mast  path  then  went. 
The  mast-road  through  Madhury  is 
spoken  of  in  the  Dover  records, 
March  24,  1728-9,  when  the  town 
voted  to  lay  out  a  road  "  from  y* 
place  commonly  called  by  the  name 
of  WingeVs  Slip  to  y^  end  of  y'^town- 
shi[)."  The  surveyors  testified,  Dec. 
27,  1729,  that  they  had  laid  it  out 
"  as  y*  mast  way  now  goes."  And 
the  same  day  they  laid  out  "  a  cross 
road  four  rods  wide  from  y'^  above 
said  mast  ivay  to  Neivtown  way, 
beginning  at  a  pine  tree  between 
Philip  Chesley's  land  and  John  Tas- 
ker's land." 

Thomas  Laighton  and  Susanna 
conveyed  to  John  Ham,  Jan.  21, 
1722-3,  14  acres  in  Dover,  on  y^ 
plains,  by  y^  highway  y*  goeth  from 
Wingifs  slip  to  Madhury"  part  of 
a  grant  to  John  Drew.  This  land 
was  on  the  north  side  of  said  high- 
way. 

"  Mr.  Deary  Pitman's  house  "  (see 
Freetoion)  "on  the  west  side  of  the 
mast  path  that  runs  from  Wingit's 
slip  through  Madberry  to  the  end  of 


142 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


the  township,"  is  mentioned  June  30, 
1736. 

The  mast  road  to  Madbnry  begins 
at  Wiugate's  slip,  now  Ford's  land- 
ing, on  the  west  side  of  Back  river, 
and  runs  along  the  upper  side  of 
Drew's  hill.  Soon  after,  it  crosses 
the  old  ?/ias^  bridge  brook,  sometimes 
called  Reynold's  brook,  but  really  the 
upper  part  of  Johnson's  creek, 
through  the  old  Knight  and  Torr 
lands  into  Madbury. 

The  Madbury  mast  road  appears 
to  be  the  one  referred  to  March  19, 
1693-4,  when  20  acres  of  land  were 
granted  James  Jackson  "  near  where 
the  mast  wheels  whare  (were)  broken, 
on  the  no:  west  side  of  the  way." 
The  bounds  of  James  Jackson's  land, 
granted  to  his  father  James  in  1693- 
4,  were  renewed  Oct.  14,  1732, 
"  beginning  at  the  inast  way,  so 
called,  at  a  turn  of  said  way,  above 
where  his  house  now  stands."  Ten 
acres  of  this  land  were  laid  out  on 
the  west  side  of  said  mast  way,  run- 
ning along  this  way  52  rods,  near 
Eli  Demerit's  land.  The  other  ten 
acres  were  laid  out  on  the  east  side 
of  said  Tnast  way,  beginning  at  a  pine 
root,  a  former  corner  bound  of  Eli 
Demerit's  land,  and  running  40  I'ods 
northeastei'ly  along  by  said  Demerit's 
land  to  a  heap  of  stones,  then  40 
rods  S.  W.  to  a  beech  tree  standing 
in  the  fence  by  said  way  N.  West- 
erly of  his  house,  thence  S.  easterly 
to  the  first  bound.  This  land  was  in 
Madbury,  and  is  still  owned  in  part, 
if  not  wholly,  by  said  James's  de- 
scendants. 

A  mast  road  is  mentioned  the  7th, 
9  mo.,  1G82,  when  20  acres  of  land, 
granted  Walter  Jackson  the  19th,  1 
mo.,  1665-6,  "•  at  the  head  of  his  own 


lott  betwixt  the  cow-path  and  the 
swampe,"  were  laid  out  adjoining  the 
land  he  bought  of  Thomas  Johnson, 
"  lying  betweene  William  Beard's 
crick,  and  the  crick  called  Thomas 
Johnson's."  This  land  ran  along  the 
mast  2')cith  from  the  west  end  to  the 
south.  It  does  not  appear  what  mast 
path  this  was.  Walter  Jackson  of 
Oyster  River  and  wife  Jane  conveyed 
to  Robert  Watson,  Dec.  14,  1668,  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  (27?  rods  on  the  river),  and  ex- 
tending the  same  distance  to  "  the 
Cochechorv  2)ath  from  Wm.  Beard's, 
bounded  E,  by  Philip  Chesley's  land, 
and  W.  by  said  Jackson's."  The 
Jackson  land  last  mentioned  was 
east  of  the  Beard  land,  afterwards 
acquired  by  Edward  Leathers.  The 
commissioners  appointed  to  measure 
a  tract  held  in  common  between 
Robert  Leathers  (deceased)  and 
Jonathan  Leathers,  Jan.  .26,  1773, 
began  at  the  N.  E.  corner  of  Mary 
and  Jonathan  Chesley's  land  at  the 
highway,  thence  ran  easterly  by  said 
way  to  the  land  of  s''  Robert  and 
Jonathan  Leathers,  and  by  their  land 
about  S.  5  deg.  52  rods,  then  N.  55 
deg.  E.  22  rods,  to  the  land  of  Sam- 
uel Chesley  and  Wm.  Jackson,  and 
along  s*^  land  southerly  to  highwater 
mark  at  Jackson's  point,  so  called. 
(See  Jackson's  Point.) 

The  Mast  Path  to  Oyster  River 
was  laid  out  at  least  two  hundred 
years  ago.  It  is  mentioned  Ap.  2, 
1694,  when  John  Thompson,  Sr.,  had 
a  grant  of  fifty  acres  in  Follet's 
swamp  at  Oyster  River,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  mast'  path.  And  John 
Tuttle  of  Dover  conveyed  to  John 
Thompson,  Sr.,  Feb.  18,  1715-16, 
forty  acres  in  Oyster  River  ivoods,  on 


L.atiamarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


143 


the  south  side  of  the  Mast  path 
that  leads  to  Little  river.  This  path 
was  declared,  June  6,  1701,  to  be  a 
hi_s;hway  of  four  rods  wide,  "  as  first 
laid  out,"  begiuuiug  at  the  foot  of 
Oyster  River  falls,  aud  extending  "  to 
the  utmost  bounds  of  the  town." 
John  Pitman  of  Durham,  Nov.  20, 
1744,  conveyed  to  Jonathan  Thomp- 
son, Jr.,  25  acres  in  Durham  (which 
then  included  Lee),  on  the  north  side 
of  ye  mast  way  yt  leads  u|i  to  Wm. 
Kelsey's  at  Nottingham,  with  dwel- 
ling-house, etc.,  beginning  at  a  stake 
on  the  north  side  of  said  way  near  y* 
Little  river  mill. 

Fifty  acres  of  land,  granted  to 
Capt.  Thomas  Packer,  Ap.  11,  1694, 
"  on  the  south  side  of  Lamprell  river 
fourth  falls,  or  elsewhere  for  his  con- 
veniency,"  were  laid  out  to  Jonathan 
Chesley,  beginning  at  a  white  oak  on 
the  south  side  of  the  mast  path  that 
leads  from  y"  Little  river  to  Oyster 
River  Falls,  and  from  said  tree  S.  S. 
E.  100  rods  to  a  pine  stump  near 
Wednesday  Hill. 

Fifty  acres  of  land  were  laid  out 
Dec.  17,  1723,  to  Jonathan  Wood- 
man, James  Davis,  Joseph  Meder, 
and  Mary  Thomas  (widow  of  James 
Thomas,  who  was  one  of  the  original 
grantees),  beginning  at  a  white  oak 
standing  by  the  mast  path,  the  west- 
ward l)ound  of  Capt.  Packer's  land, 
and  running  84  rods  by  the  7iiast 
path.  Joseph  Thomas  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Smith,  July  21,  1730,  15  acres 
of  land  (part  of  the  above  tract),  be- 
ginning 35^  rods  from  Packer's  west 
coi'ner  bound  standing  by  y"  must 
path  and  extending  up  to  y*"  Little 
river. 

In  the  warraqt  for  a  town-meeting 
in  Durham,  Nov.  9,  1744,  is  the  pro- 


posal of  a  highway  from  Little  river 
mill  to  Nottingham  "  where  the  mast 
path  ivay  now  goeth."  At  a  town- 
meeting  held  Dec.  24,  1744,  it  was 
voted  "  that  the  mast  way  from  litel 
Riuer  to  Sam"  Siases,  and  so  to  the 
head  of  the  township,  be  made  and 
maintained." 

This  mast  road  begins  at  the  Dur- 
ham Lauding,  at  the  lowest  falls  in 
Oyster  river,  and  constitutes  the 
principal  street  through  Durham  vil- 
lage as  far  as  the  foot  of  Chesley's 
hill,  where  it  bends  to  the  right,  leav- 
ing the  turnpike  road,  but  joining  it 
again  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  A  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  further  west,  it  again 
leaves  the  turnpike  road,  and  bends 
around  northwesterly,  and  then 
souther! V,  to  the  mast-road  school- 
house,  where  it  crosses  the  turni)ike 
road  in  the  direction  of  Lee  Hill. 
The  portion  of  this  road  between  the 
schoolhouse  and  the  Lee  boundar\' 
constitutes  a  neighborhood,  now  pop- 
ularly called  "  the  Mast  Road,'''  in- 
habited chiefly  by  the  Bunker,  Wig- 
gins, and  Chesley  families.  On  the 
bounds  of  Durham  and  Lee  this 
mast  road  crosses  Oyster  river  at  the 
old  mast  bridge,  otherwise  called 
Laskefs  bridge  in  the  Durham  re- 
cords. 

Mast  Point.  This  [)oint  is  on  the 
westerly  side  of  tlie  Salmon  Falls 
river,  on  the  confines  of  Somers- 
worth  and  Rochester.  It  is  men- 
tioned Nov.  10,  1753,  when  the 
bounds  between  Dover  and  Rochester 
were  perambulated,  "  beginning  at  a 
dry  pitch-pine  tree  at  Mast  Point  by 
Salmon  Falls  river,  three  rods  S.  W. 
of  a  certain  cove  next  adjacent  to 
the  uppermost  head  of  the  Little  falls, 
so  called."    (Lover  Records.)     "The 


144 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


road  from  y*  Mast  Pomt  to  Cochecho 
landing,''  is  mentioned  last  centnry  in 
a  deed  from  Benjamin  to  Jofin  Went- 
worth.  A  bridge  across  the  river  at 
Mast  point  once  connected  Berwick 
with  Rochester  and  Dover,  bnt  this 
is  now  gone,  and  in  its  place  is  Mast 
Point  dam,  bnilt  by  the  Great  Falls 
Manufactnring  Co.  in  1835.  The 
river  above,  for  several  miles,  is 
broad  and  deep,  and  in  early  times 
afforded  a  natnral  highway  for  the 
transportation  of  masts  and  other 
timber.  The  "  Landing-place  for 
masts,"  is  mentioned  on  Holland's 
map  of  1784,  just  above  the  junction 
with  Little  river.  The  cove  at  the 
upper  side  of  Mast  Point  is  said  to 
have  been  another  landing-place 
whence  the  timber  was  conveyed  by 
teams  to  Cochecho  landing,  and  sent 
to  Portsmouth  by  water.  The  name 
of  Mast  Point  falls  is  sometimes 
given  to  Little  falls. 

Mathews'  Creek,  otherwise 
Mathes's.  This  creek  was  called 
''the  Great  creek"  in  1644,  when 
Francis  Mathews  had  a  grant  of 
marsh  and  upland  on  its  northwest 
side.  (See  Great  Creek.)  It  is 
mentioned  the  10th,  8  mo.,  1653, 
when  John  Bickford  and  Thomas 
ft'ootman  had  the  grant  of  a  neck  of 
land  "  on  the  southwest  side  of  Mrs. 
Mathews'  creek,  from  the  flowing  of 
the  tide  of  the  southernmost  branch 
of  Mrs.  Mathews'  creek  to  the  flowing 
of  the  tide  in  the  creek  at  the  old 
tree."  This  was  Mrs.  Tamsen  or 
Thomasine  Mathews,  widow  of  the 
above  Francis  Mathews. 

Three  score  and  ten  acres  of  land, 
or  thereabout,  were  laid  out  to 
Oleuer  (Oliver)  Kent  the  3d,  2  mo., 
1658,    bounded   by   Wm.    Drew    and 


Mr.  Mathews  and  Charles  Adams, 
"by  the  creek  side,  commonly  called 
Mr.  Matheivses  Greek." 

Francis  Durgin  of  Exeter  con- 
veyed to  John  Smith,  Dec.  25,  1723, 
all  right  and  title  to  "  a  certain  neck 
of  land  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  y® 
Great  bay,  aioyning  to  Matheses 
Creek,  so  called,  being  half  of  said 
neck  of  land  which  his  father  Wra. 
Durgin  lived  on  in  his  life-time." 

James  Durgin  of  Dover,  in  Oyster 
River  parish,  conveyed  to  John 
Smith,  Jr.,  March  9,  1729-30,  one 
third  of  a  tract  of  20  acres  on  the 
N.  W.  side  of  Great  Bay,  "  adjoining 
the  creek  commonly  called  Matheives 
Creek,  which  land  the  Governor  and 
council  heretofore  settled  on  y*  heirs 
of  my  father  Wm.  Durgin,  deceased, 
Oct.  19,  1706." 

Lemuel  Bickford  of  Newington, 
Oct.  10,  1733,  conveyed  to  John 
Smith  a  tract  of  land  on  the  south- 
west side  of  '"'•  Mathises  creek,  so 
called,"  originally  granted  to  his 
grandfather  John  Bickford  and 
Thomas  Footman. 

Robert  and  Joseph  Kent,  and 
others  of  the  same  family,  conveyed 
to  John  Kent,  Ap.  1,  1748,  a  tract 
of  land,  formerly  the  estate  of 
Joseph  Kent,  father  of  said  Robert, 
and  grandfather  of  said  John — 
which  land  joined  Thomas  Drew's 
land  where  he  then  dwelt,  and  "  tlie 
land  of  Capt.  Francis  Mathes  in  y^ 
possession  of  Abraham  Mathes, 
which  is  called  by  the  name  of 
Mathes  Neck,"  and  thence  ran  to 
"  Mistress  Mathes'  creek,  commonly 
called  and  known  by  said  name."  A 
mill  on  this  creek  is  spoken  of  in 
1678.  {^ee  Long  Creek.)  The  "old 
dam"  at  the  head  of  it  is  mentioned 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


145 


Ap.  11,  1694.  (See  DanieVs  Brook.) 
Eliphalet  Daniel,  March  13,  1755, 
couve3'ed  to  Daniel  Rogers  and  Benj" 
Jenkins  100  acres  of  land  in  Durham, 
bounded  northeasterly  by  land  in 
possession  of  Gershom  and  Benj" 
Mathes,  and  running  by  their  land 
to  Mathes's  mill-pond.,  so  called. 

Gershom  Mathes  conveyed  his 
rights  here  to  his  brother  Benjamin 
Feb.  13,  1756,  and  afterwards  went 
to  Loudon.  Benjamin  Mathes,  Nov. 
8,  1756,  conveyed  to  Joseph  Sias  a 
tract  of  60  acres  in  Durham,  part  of 
the  farm  where  his  father  Francis 
Mathes,  deceased,  formerly  dwelt, 
beginning  at  a  stoyie  at  high-water 
mark,  about  6  rods  N.  E.  from  the 
corn-mill,  thence  running  N.  63  deg. 
W.  80  rods  to  the  well  marsh,  so 
^  called,  thence  N.  33  deg.  E.  126 
rods,  to  the  road  ;  together  with  one 
half  of  the  corn-mill  adjoining 
thereto. 

Benjamin  Mathes,  Jr.,  conveyed 
to  Joseph  Sias,  Aug  15,  1765,  all 
right  and  title  to  the  creek  or  mill 
privilege,  joining  to  that  farm  in 
Durham  which  he  sold  said  Sias, 
with  the  mills  thereon,  and  utensils, 
etc. 

This  mill  and  part  of  the  Mathes 
land  were  afterwards  acquired  by 
Jacob  Crommet  or  Crummit,  from 
whom  Mathes'  creek  derived  the  name 
of  Crummit's  creek,  by  which  it  is  now 
known.      (See  Crummit's  Creek.) 

Mathews'  Neck.  This  name  is 
given  on  Smith's  map  of  Durham  in 
1805,  to  the  small  peninsula  at  the 
Narrows,  between  Great  and  Little 
Bays,  now  called  Adams'  Point. 
Benjamin  Mathews  or  Mathes,  the 
10  th,  2  mo.,  1654,  had  a  grant  "  on 
(of  a  ?)   Little  Plott  of  marsh  at  the 


head  of  the  little  bay,  with  the  neck 
of  land  there."  It  is  mentioned  Dec. 
11,  1694,  when  Wm.  Furber  was 
licensed  to  "keep  a  ferry  from  his 
house  at  Welchman's  cove  to  trans- 
port travellers  over  to  Oyster  River," 
at  the  rate  of  three  pence  for  each 
person,  and  eight  pence  for  man  and 
horse,  if  landed  "  at  Mathews  his 
neck,"  and  six  pence  for  each  person, 
and  twelve  pence  for  man  and  horse, 
if  landed  "  at  Durgin's,  on  the  west 
side  of  Mathews  his  neck."  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  2:  146-7.) 

Francis  Mathes  of  Durham  con- 
veyed to  Jabez  Davis,  Sept.  13,  1769, 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Durham, 
being  all  that  tract  between  Great 
bay  and  Little  bay  in  Piscataqua 
river  commonly  called  by  the  name 
of  Mathes  Neck,  bounded  on  every 
part  by  water,  except  the  northwest 
part  which  is  bounded  by  land  in 
possession  of  John  Kent.  Mathews' 
Neck  was  afterwards  acquired  by 
Richard  Dame.     (See  Adams'  Point.) 

Seth  Shackford  of  Newmarket, 
and  others,  petitioned  the  N.  H.  leg- 
islature in  June,  1825,  for  a  bridge 
across  the  Pascataqua  river  at  a 
place  called  the  narrows,  or  Fii.rher's 
ferry,  commencing  at  land  belonging 
to  the  heirs  of  William  Furber  in  the 
town  of  Newington,  and  crossing 
the  Pascataqua  river  in  a  westerly 
direction  to  the  east  side  of  Mathes' 
neck  in  Durham,  at  land  belonging 
to  the  heirs  of  Richard  Dame,  and 
extending  from  the  west  side  of  said 
Mathes'  neck  across  a  small  cove, 
called  Crummit's  Mill  Cove,  to  land 
owned  by  James  Furnald,  Esq.  A 
bridge  here,  it  is  stated  in  the  peti- 
tion, would  offer  no  obstruction  to 
the    navigation    of   the   Pascataqua, 


146 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


and  the  current  is  less  rapid  than  at 
any  other  place  in  the  river  below. 
The  length  of  the  bridge  from  the 
Newington  shore  to  the  east  side  of 
Mathes'  Neck  would  be  about  60 
rods,  and  from  the  west  side  of 
Mathes'  Neck  across  Crummit's  Mill 
cove  about  40  rods. 

A  similar  petition  was  presented 
by  Wm.  Claggett  and  others  in  1832, 
but  the  town  of  Durham  instructed 
its  representative  to  oppose  this 
movement,  and  the  petition  was  not 
granted. 

Mathews'  Neck,  until  the  construc- 
tion of  the  present  causeway,  became 
an  island  at  high  tide.  An  inlet  on 
one  side  is  now  called  Island  cove. 
Beneath  the  banks  of  this  Neck  may 
be  seen  some  half-ruined  caves,  said 
to  have  been  used  by  the  aborigines 
in  pre-historic  times.  At  a  later  day 
they  often  served  the  early  settlers 
as  places  of  concealment  from  the 
Indians.  There  is  a  similar  cave 
lower  down,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Emerson  farm  on  Little  Bay.  Bel- 
knap says  that  four  sons  of  John 
Wheeler,  who  with  his  wife  and  two 
children  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
Ap.  27,  1706,  "took  refuge  in  a 
cave  by  the  bank  of  the  Little  Ba}', 
and  though  pursued  by  the  Indians, 
escaped  unhurt."  (See  Shooting 
Point.) 

Meauer's  Bridge.  Mentioned  on 
Sanford  &  Evert's  Atlas.  This 
bridge  is  on  the  highwa}'  where  it 
spans  the  Dover  and  Winnipiseogee 
R.  R.  near  Mr.  Moses  Meader's  in 
the  upper  part  of  Dover. 

Meader's  Neck.  This  neck  of 
land    is   on   the   upper  shore  of  the 


Pascataqua,  between  the  mouth  of 
Oyster  river  and  Royall's  cove.  It 
is  mostly  in  Durham,  and  includes 
Cedar  Ft.  and  Tickle  Ft.  Franklin 
city  was  laid  out  on  this  neck.  Fart 
of  it  was  conveyed  to  John  Meader 
by  Valentine  Hill  and  Mary  his  wife, 
Sept.  20,  1660,  and  part  was  acquired 
by  a  grant  of  150  acres  to  John 
Meader  and  Wm.  Sheffield  in  1656. 
Wm.  Sheffield's  half  was  conveyed  to 
James  Davis,  John  Meader,  Sr.,  and 
John  Meader,  Jr.,  in  equal  shares, 
by  "Joseph  Sheffield  of  Shurbury, 
Middlesex  Co.,Frov.  of  Mass.  Bay," 
Nov.  11,  1701.  John  Meader,  Sr., 
out  of  love  and  affection  to  his  son 
John,  conveyed  to  him,  June  17, 
1679,  as  liis  portion  and  patrimony 
in  full,  three  score  acres  of  land  on 
the  yieck  that  lyeth  between  Oyster, 
river  and  y*  Back  river,  being  a  part 
and  moitie  of  a  greater  tract  granted 
y^  s^  John  Meader,  y"  father,  and 
Wm.  Sheffield  at  a  pul)lic  town-meet- 
ing in  y*  year  of  our  Lord  God  1656, 
— which  three  score  acres  begin  at  an 
aspe  tree  some  four  rods  from  y^ 
flowing  of  y®  tide  at  y*  head  of  RiaVs 
Cove,  so  north  and  by  west  142  rods 
by  y*  lands  lately  Thomas  Laiton's, 
and  by  y*  land  latelie  Elder  Nutter's^ 
to  a  red  oak,  and  thence  W.  by  S.  68 
rods  to  a  hemlock,  thence  S.  and  by 
E.  to  a  great  white  oak,  y^  N.  E. 
corner  bound  of  y'^  land  which  John 
Meader,  y^  father,  l)ought  of  Mr. 
Valentine  Hill,  and  so  from  s*^  oak 
to  y''  aspe  tree  at  y^  head  of  Riars 
Cove  af ores'*,  always  provided  there 
be  a  highway  one  rod  wide  from  y*^  s"^ 
oak  to  y®  aspe  tree  at  y^  Cove  afores** 
for  a  watering  way  to  s''  Cove. 


1  Elder  Hatevil  Nutter  had  a  grant  of  200  acres  of  upland  for  a  farm,  next  adjacent  to  Wm. 
Sheffield's,  the  2d,  12  mo.,  1658. 


Land^narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


147 


There  was  a  fulling  mill  on  this 
neck  early  last  century',  mentioned 
Nov.  10,  1724,  when  John  Meder  of 
Dover,  weaver,  for  y*^  natural  love 
and  affection  for  his  well  beloved  son 
Nicholas  Meder,  planter,  conveyed 
to  him.  on  certain  conditions,  Nov. 
10,  1724,  "a  parcel  of  land  and 
meadow  in  Dover,  beginning  at  ye 
ould  fulling  ynill,  commonly  so  called, 
and  running  thence  west  to  a  great 
rock,  thence  to  the  dwelling  house  of 
s''  John  Meder  where  he  now  liveth, 
and  from  s'^  house  to  v"  bridge  that 
is  over  the  gully  or  small  brook  that 
goeth  out  to  y*"  commons — that  is,  all 
the  laud  on  the  north  side  of  the  line 
from  the  fidling-mill  to  y"  l)ridge, 
and  from  y"  bridge  to  s"*  John  INIeder's 
fresh  marsh  on  a  N.  W.  by  N.  line 
from  tiie  head  of  the  marsh  to  the 
land  of  John  Laighton,  thence  to  the 
Sif or es'^  fullhig-7nill,  together  with  the 
moitie  or  half  of  his  other  lands  in 
Dover,  and  also  one  half  of  the  barn 
Joseph  Meder  built."  (See  Header's 
Garrison,  RoyalVs  Cove,  and  Stony 
Brook. ) 

Meaderboro'  Road.  Meaderbor- 
ough  is  a  prosperous  farming  region 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  Roches- 
ter, so  named  from  Benjamin  Meader 
and  his  four  brothers,  who  were 
among  the  first  settlers  in  that  part 
of  the  town.  They  were  Quakers. 
Meaderboro'  road  extends  along  the 
ridge  through  this  district  into  Farm- 
ington. 

Mechanicsville.  The  Dover  Di- 
rectory of  1843  gives  this  name  to  a 
hamlet  or  neighborhood  about  half- 
way between  Garrison  Hill  and  Wil- 
land's  pond,  in  the  vicinity  of  Gage's 
hill.  It  was  at  that  period  chiefly  in-, 
habited  by  people  of  industrial   pur- 


suits, such  as  George  and  John  Gage, 
wheelwrights  ;  John  Gould,  baker  ; 
Daniel  K.  Webster,  tanner  and  cur- 
rier, etc.  The  name  is  no  longer  in 
use. 

Mendum's  Pond.  This  pond  is  in 
the  western  part  of  Barrington,  next 
the  Nottingham  line.  It  is  the 
source  of  Little  river.  The  name 
was  derived  from  Capt.  Nathaniel 
Mendura  of  Portsmouth,  whose  saw- 
mill on  this  river  is  mentioned  Oct.  7, 
1742,  when  Daniel  Davis  of  Durham 
conveyed  to  John  Burnum  12  acres 
of  land,  together  with  "•  one  fourth 
of  a  sawmill  in  Nottingham,  below 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Menduni's  saivmill 
on  Little  river."  The  Newmarket 
Manufacturing  Co.  have  a  dam  at 
the  outlet  of  Mendum's  pond,  and  the 
sawmill  here  is  now  called  the  Factory- 
Dam  mill.  The  next  mill  below  is 
owned  by  Mr.  Samuel  Thompson. 
Marston's  mill,  also  in  Nottingham, 
is  further  down  the  river,  on  the 
highway  to  Lee,  not  far  from  the 
boundary  line.     (See  Little  River.) 

Merit's  Mill.  See  Demeritt's  Mill. 

Messenger's  Pond.     See  Cochecho 

P07ld. 

Middle  Point,  Middle  Point 
Bridge,  and  Middle  Point  Brook. 
There  is  a  Middle  Point  on  the  Rol- 
linsford  shore  of  the  Newichawan- 
nock  river  at  Jocelyn's  Cove,  be- 
tween Pine  point  and  Henderson's 
point.  And  the  brook  which  emp- 
ties into  this  cove  is  called  "  Middle 
Point  brook."  A  psinr-of  this  name 
in  Dover  is  mentioned  May  12,  1736, 
when  Timothy  Tebbets  conveyed  to 
Howard  Henderson  six  acres  of  land 
laid  out  to  said  Tebbets  in  1736, 
where  he  then  dwelt,  at  or  near 
'■'■Middle    pinte    Brook,"    in    Dover. 


148 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


And  again  Jan.  20,  1743-4,  when 
Howard  Henderson  mortgaged  to 
Abraham  Nute  six  acres  of  land  at 
or  near  a  place  called  by  y*^  name  of 
Middle  Point  hrook^  in  Dover.  This 
name  is  no  longer  in  use,  and  the 
bridge,  formerly  known  as  Middle 
Point  bridge,  has  ceased  to  bear  this 
name,  but  it  appears  to  be  the  one 
across  Canny's  brook,  on  the  so- 
called  ' '  Middle  road  "  across  the  Up- 
per Neck,  about  midway  between 
Fore  river  and  Back  river.  It  is 
mentioned  Dec.  7,  1737,  when  Samuel 
and  Patience  Carle  conveyed  to  Jona- 
than Gushing  ten  acres  of  land  ad- 
joining the  road  that  leads  down  from 
Cochecho  to  Dover  over  Middle  Point 
hridge,  a  little  above  Joseph  Han- 
son's. Wm.  Twombley,  Jan.  23, 
1771,  conveyed  to  Caleb  Hodgdon  his 
homestead  farm  of  60  acres,  adjoin- 
ing the  main  road  from  Cochecho  to 
Dover  neck,  bounded  "  southerly  by 
the  land  of  Moses  and  Aaron  Win- 
gate,  and  northerly  adjoining  the 
road  that  leads  from  the  aforesaid 
road  over  Middle  yoint  bridge,  so 
called,  to  Dover."  Benj"  Watson  and 
wife  Lydia,  Jan.  29,  1785,  conveyed 
to  Moses  Wingate  8|-  acres  of  land, 
set  off  as  said  Lydia's  portion  of  the 
estate  of  her  honored  father  Isaac 
Hanson,  on  tlie  west  side  of  the  road 
that  leads  from  Major  Hodgdon's  to 
Middle  point  {bridge?),  so  called, 
bounded  northwesterly  by  said  Hodg- 
don's land,  southwesterly  by  said 
Wingate's,  southeasterly  by  Thomas 
Kinney's,  and  northeasterly  by  the 
aforesaid  road. 

Miles'  Hill.  This  hill  is  on  the 
borders  of  Lee  and  Nottingham,  at 
the  upper  side  of  North  river,  on  the 
road  from  Nottingham    to  Newmar- 


ket. The  name  is  derived  from  Miles 
Reynolds,  who  once  lived  on  the 
top.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  in  that  of  1812.  "Miles 
Reynolds  of  the  North  River  dis- 
trict "  is  mentioned  in  the  Lee  rec- 
ords of  1807. 

Mill  Creek.  Mentioned  Feb.  21, 
1711,  when  John  and  Elizabeth  Edg- 
erly  conveyed  to  Samuel  Edgerly 
a  tract  of  land  on  the  north-west 
side  of  Little  Bay,  "  bounded  N.  by 
the  creek  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  mill  creek,  E.  by  Little 
Bay,  and  S.  by  the  land  of  John 
Wheeler,  lately  deceased."  And 
again  in  the  Durham  records  of 
March  21,  1746-7,  when  a  petition 
was  made  for  a  highway  "  by  John 
Edgerl3''s  laud  to  the  creek  called  the 
Mill  creek."  This  creek  is  in  Dur- 
ham, at  the  easterly  side  of  the  Lub- 
berland  district.  The  name  was 
derived  from  a  mill  that  once  stood 
thereon  at  the  head  of  tide  water. 
It  was  otherwise  called  Mathews' 
creek,  but  is  now  generally  known  as 
Crummifs  creek. 

Another  3Iill  creek  is  in  Newing- 
ton,  above  Fabyan's  point,  so  named 
from  a  mill  that  once  stood  at  the 
head  of  tide  water,  the  remains  of 
which  can  still  be  seen,  on  the  Thomas 
Pickering  farm,  now  owned  by  Mr.  J. 
S.  Hoyt.      (See  Swadden's  Creek.) 

Mill  Road.  So  called  from  Ches- 
ley's  mill  on  Oyster  river,  to  which 
this  road  once  led  on  its  way  from 
Durham  village  to  Packer's  falls. 
The  mill  is  now  gone,  but  the  road 
retains  its  name,  which  is  often  men- 
tioned in  deeds  of  adjacent  lands. 
(See  Warner  Farm.) 

Mill-Road  Brook.  Tiiis  brook 
rises   in   Follet's   swamp,    above  the 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


149 


Mast-road  school-house,  and  empties 
into  the  Durham  mill-pond  on  the 
west  side.  Its  name  is  derived  from 
the  so-called  Mill  road,  which  it 
crosses  near  the  Oyster  River  cream- 
ery, at  which  point  it  is  a  watering- 
place  for  cattle,  and  in  rain^^  weather 
often  swells  to  a  considerable  size. 

Minnow  Brook.  This  name — 
derived  from  the  abundance  of  min- 
nows therein,  used  by  fishermen  for 
bait — is  now  given  to  a  small  run 
from  Hall's  spring  that  empties  into 
Back  cove  on  the  western  side  of 
Dover  Neck. 

Miry  Gut.  This  is  a  channel 
twenty  feet  deep  at  the  mouth  of 
Reyuer's  brook,  where  it  is  crossed 
by  the  Dover  and  Winnipiseogee 
Railroad  and  the  Scatterwit  highway. 
There  is  a  stone  culvert  at  this  point, 
forty  feet  in  length,  affording  room 
for  both  roads  to  cross.  This  part 
of  the  brook  is  often  called  Miry 
Gut  brook;  and  the  cove  above,  on 
the  easterly  side  of  the  Cochecho,  is 
called  Miry  Ctut  coce. 

The  Moat.  This  is  an  outlet  or 
arm  on  the  left  side  of  Lamprey  river 
that  encircles  an  island  generally 
called  the  Moat  isla^id,  otherwise  Doe's 
island.  It  is  in  the  Packer's  Falls 
district,  Durham,  below  the  so-called 
"  Diamond  bridge,"  on  the  Boston  and 
Maine  railway.  Mention  is  made  of 
it  the  11th,  7  mo.,  1649,  when  An- 
thony Nutter's  grant  at  a  place  called 
'■''the  moote"  is  spoken  of  in  the 
county  records.  It  is  again  men- 
tioned the  11th,  11  mo.,  1660,  when 
Robert  Burnum's  100  acre  grant  in 
1656    was   laid    out,    one    head    line 


"  joining  to  the  moet"  and  the  other 
bounded  by  "  a  marked  tree  at  a  let- 
tell  Brook  that  coraeth  from  the  moett, 
joining  to  Elder  Nutter's  land."  (See 
Broad  Marsh.)  It  is  again  men- 
tioned Aug.  14,  1667,  in  the  will  of 
John  Footman.  Peter  Coffin  con- 
veyed to  Samuel  AUin  of  New  Castle, 
Nov.  28,  1698,  thirty  acres  of  land 
"  called  by  y*^  name  of  y^  mote,  which 
s^  Peter  Coffin  purchased  of  y^  Indi- 
ans." (See  Moharimet's  Flanting- 
Ground.)  Six  score  acres  of  land 
adjoining  "  the  mote"  are  mentioned 
in  the  inventory  of  Nicholas  Doe's 
estate,  March  30,  1706.  A  road 
was  ordered  to  be  laid  out,  March  6, 
1710-11,  "  from  Lampereel  river  as 
straight  as  it  may  be  to  y^old  Bridge  by 
y^  moat  so  as  y^  way  goes  to  Graves^ 
his  land,  thence  to  the  falls,"  etc. 
{N.  H.  Prov.  Papers.  17  :  710.)  John 
Rawlins  of  Durham,  Ap.  24,  1733, 
conveyed  to  "Joseph  Smith  of  New- 
market in  Exeter,"  all  his  homestead 
estate  in  Durham,  beginning  at  the 
east  side  of  the  country  road  to  Dur- 
ham falls.  One  side  extended  to 
"y^  mouth  of  y^  mote  ricer."  The 
Moat  and  Moat  river  are  repeatedly 
mentioned  in  the  division  of  John 
Doe's  estate,  Ap.  24,  1742.  His 
widow  Elizabeth's  dowry  was  set  off 
from  the  homestead,  beginning  at 
the  north  corner  of  Joseph  Smith's 
land,  one  side  running  along  Lara- 
prey  river  to  a  pitch-pine  "  standing 
by  a  hollow  that  runs  into  the  river 
commonly  called  the  mote  river." 
Mary  Mason's  part  was  on  "  the 
southerly  side  of  that  land  called  the 
mote."     Elizabeth    Woodman's    part 


iThis  was  Wm.  Graves.who  married  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  Richard  York.  He  was  wounded 
by  the  Indians  and  his  estate  devastated  in  1694,  as  appears  from  his  petition  of  January  8, 
1694-5.     (iV.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2:  147.) 


I50 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


(wife  of  Joshua)  was  on  the  'moat 
river,  and  extended  to  the  "east  side 
of  the  mote.'"  Joseph  Doe's  portion 
was  "on  the  mote"  between  the  por- 
tions of  John  and  Benjamin.  And 
Daniel  Doe's  part  began  at  Deacon 
John  Yorke's  land,  109  rods  N.  E. 
from  Lamperel  river,  and  ran  S.  E. 
to  the  "■  7note  river"  near  Joseph 
Smith's  land  at  the  pine  tree  boun- 
dary, and  up  by  said  Smith's  laud  to 
the  country  road.  The  Moat  still 
retains  its  ancient  name.  Moat 
island,  otherwise  Doe's,  now  belongs 
to  Mr,  Olinthus  Doe,  a  descendant 
of  the  above  mentioned  John  Doe. 

Moharimet's      Hill,       otherwise 
HiCKs's    Hill.     This  beautiful  hill, 
wooded  to  the  very  summit,  is  at  Mad- 
bury  corner,   west  of  the  railway  sta- 
tion.    Its  original  name  was   derived 
from  Moharimet  or  Mahomet,  an  Indi- 
an sagamore  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury.    (See  Moharimet's  Marsh  and 
Wadleigh's  Falls.)  Charles  Adams,  of 
Oyster  River,    had    a   grant   of    100 
acres  of  land  at  the  foot   of   Mohari- 
met's hill,  in  1656,  one  half  of  which 
he  conveyed,    March  11,  1693-4,    to 
his  daughter,  Mary,  wife  of  William 
Tasker.       Derry    Pitman,     Jan.     1, 
1723-4,  sold  Eli  Demerit,  Sr.,  thirty 
acres  of  land  on  the  south-west  side  of 
Meharmefs  hill.     Thomas  Footman's 
hundred  acre  grant  in  1656,  was  laid 
out  anew,  at  the  request   of    his    son 
John,  June  23,  1715,  beginning  at    a 
white  pine  bound  tree  on  John  Bick- 
ford's  lot,  near  the  lower  end  of  Ma- 
harimutfs   Hill   on    the    west    side. 
This  laud,  when  re-surveyed  for  John 
Roberts,  July  25,  1729,    ran   from    a 
white  oak  W.  S.  W.  120  rods,  to  "  a 
heap  of   stones    on  the  S.  E.  end  of 
Moharmot's   hill,   about   a   rod  from 


the  way  leading  through  Madberry, 
leaving  the  space  of  one  rod  between 
the  land  and  the  way   where   it  goes 
down  to  the  turn   about  4  rods  from 
Archabel    Smith's    pit,'"    etc.       Col. 
James  Davis,  in  his  will  of  Oct.  18, 
1748,    gives    his    sons,     James     and 
Samuel,   twenty  acres  of  land  on  the 
northwest  side   of   Maharrimet's  hill. 
James  Davis    of   Dover,    gentleman, 
conveyed  to  Joseph  Hicks,  March  5, 
1761,   ten  acres  on  the  north  side   of 
Mahomet's  Hill,  being  half  of  twenty 
acres  given   him   in  his  father's  will. 
The  name  of  Hicks's  hill  was  de- 
rived from  Joseph  Hicks,  who,   early 
last   century,    acquired    the     greater 
part,    if    not    all,    of   this    hill,    and 
erected  a  garrison  on  the  eastern  side, 
traces   of    which    can    still    be    seen. 
April  15,  1718,  John  Underwood,   of 
Newcastle,  and  Temperance  his  wife 
(granddaughter  of  John  Bickford  of 
Oyster  River),   conveyed   to  Joseph 
Hix  100  acres    ou    the    east    side    of 
Maharimet's  hill,   originally  granted 
John  Bickford  by  the  town  of  Dover. 
Joseph  Hicks  is  called  "  captain  "  in 
the  rate-list  of    1758.      He    married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Col.  James  Davis, 
who  outlived  her  husband,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  ninety-one.     Letters  of 
administration  were  granted    on    her 
estate  Jan.  14,  1794.      She    and   her 
husband    lie    buried    at   the    foot   of 
Hicks's  hill,    at  the    east.     A  large 
part  of   this   hill   is    still   owned    by 
their  descendants,  among  whom  may 
be  mentioned    the    Kingman,    Miles, 
and  Young  families. 

Moiiauimp:t's  Marsh.  This  marsh 
is  on  tlie  upper  side  of  Lamprey 
river,  in  the  Packer's  Falls  district, 
but  the  name  has  not  been  perpet- 
uated.    It   was  so  named   from  the 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


151 


Indian  sagamore  of  that  region,  in 
whose  presence,  and  with  whose  con- 
sent, Samuel  Symonds  took  posses- 
sion of  his  grant  at  Island  falls ^  now 
Wadleigh's,  June  3,  1657.  The 
name  is  otherwise  written,  Mahori- 
met,  Mohermite,  Moharmet,  etc.,  and 
is  no  doubt  a  corruption  of  Mahomet. 
In  fact,  it  is  to  be  found  so  written 
in  a  Durham  record  of  1735,  which 
runs  as  follows  : 

"  Whereas  there  was  a  Certain 
tract  of  Marsh  laid  out  unto  William 
Follet  of  six  acres  in  the  Marsh  called 
Mahomet's  Marsh  the  7'*'  day  of  the 
6"'°  1661.  And  also  a  Certain  tract 
of  land  laid  out  to  the  said  William 
Follet  and  bounded  the  18'"  10  month 
1663,  near  a  Marsh  called  Mahomefs 
Marsh,  and  we  whose  names  are 
under  written  being  Called  by  Nicho- 
laus  Medar^  the  Possessor  of  the 
afor"^  Lands  to  renew  the  bounds, 
we  have  Run  the  Points  of  Compass 
as  before.  That  is  to  say,  begin- 
ning at  a  White  Oak  stump,  one  of 
the  Old  bounds  next  Thomas  Foot- 
man's land,"  etc.  This  land  was 
laid  out  Aug.  30,  1735. 

July  1,  1710,  Nicholas  Follet  and 
Mary  his  wife  conveyed  to  Nicholas 
Medar  two  lots — one  of  six  acres  and 
the  other  of  one  hundred  acres — in 
Moheremet's fresh  marsh  next  Thomas 
Footman's  land.  March  30,  1749, 
Nicholas  Medar  conveyed  to  his  sou 
Samuel  eighty-six  acres  of  land, 
"  part  of  the  marsh  formerly  granted 
to  W"  Follet."  May  23, 1763,  Nicho- 
las Medar  sold  Timothy  Medar  thirty 
acres,  "  part  of  the  one  hundred  acres 
formerly  laid  out  to  W">  Follet."  This 
lot  was  bounded  N.  E.  and  S.  W.  by 
Joshua  Woodman's  land,  and  joined 
the  lands  of  John  and  Samuel  Medar. 


Timothy     Medar,     shipwright,    con- 
veyed the  same  thirty  acres  to  Isaac 
Medar  June    12,   1772.      This  land, 
after  various  owners,  was  purchased 
Sept.    1,     1820,    by    Capt.    Edward 
Griffiths,    whose    son    still   owns    it. 
Mention  is  made  in  the  Dover  records 
of  a  highway  laid  out  on  the  south 
side  of  Oyster  river  freshet,  June  13, 
1719,    beginning    at  Chesley's  mill, 
and  following  the  old  way  past  the 
land  of   Moses  Davis,  Jr.,    etc.,    to 
Wm.    FoUet's    hundred    acre   lot    at 
Maharimufs    Marsh.     This    marsh, 
most   of  which    is    now  drained   and 
cultivated,  no  doubt  extended  beyond 
Mr.  Fogg's  farm,  and   included  the 
so  called  "  Croxford  swamp."     (See 
FoUet's  S^vamp.) 

Moharimet's  Planting-Ground, 
otherwise  Mahomet's.  Mentioned 
Nov.  28,  1698,  when  Peter  Coffin 
conveyed  to  Samuel  Allen  210  acres 
of  upland  on  the  south  side  of  Lamp- 
rill  river,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Pascassick  river,  and  running  up 
Lamprey  river  to  a  red  oak  "about 
20  rods  above  the  run  of  water  that 
runneth  into  Lamprill  river,  near  y* 
land  called  by  y*"  name  of  old  Mahor- 
vietfs  planting  ground."  Eliphalet 
Coffin  of  Exeter  conveyed  to  Stephen 
Pendergrass,  Oct.  9, 1735,  84  acres  of 
land  in  Durham,  adjoining  Lampereel 
river,  beginning  at,  or  near  about,  20 
rods  above  y*"  run  of  water  near  y® 
laud  formerly  called  Mahermit's 
planting  groimd,  which  land  said  Eli- 
phalet had  of  his  grandfather  Peter 
Coffin,  late  of  Exeter.  Stephen  Pen- 
dergast  of  Newmarket,  July  12,  1740, 
conveyed  to  Nathan  Mendum  84  acres 
of  land  in  Durham,  beginning  at  Lam- 
prel  river,  about  20  rods  above  y'  run 
of  water  near  y®  land  formerly  called 


S"**,     St*/-^^^***^.  /'    -fi^ . 


152 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


MahermiVs  planting  ground^  theuce 
aloug  said  river  to  the  west  side  of  a 
spring  by  the  river.  This  land  is  in 
the  Packer's  Falls  district,  Durham, 
on  the  south  side  of  Lamprey  river. 
The  Pendergast  garrison  is  still  stand- 
ing. 

Morrill's  Ferry.  See  Beck's  Slij)- 

Morris's  Creek.  Mentioned  Jan. 
2,  1734-5,  when  Francis  Durgin  sold 
John  Smith,  Jr.,  a  dwelling-house 
and  tract  of  land  in  Durham,  on  the 
shore  of  Great  Bay,  bounded  by  John 
Piuder  on  y''  S.  W.,  and  on  the  N.  E. 
by  a  creek  "  called  Thomas  Morry's 
creek."  This  land  now  belongs  to 
Mr.  Channell. 

Morris's  Point.  This  point,  mis- 
called Maurice's  Point  on  Smith's 
map  of  Durham,  is  just  below  Pin- 
dar's point,  on  the  Lubberland  shore 
of  Great  Bay.  The  name,  no  longer 
in  use,  was  derived  from  Thomas 
Morris,  who  was  taxed  at  Oyster 
River  as  early  as  1663,  and  owned  a 
tract  at  Lubberland  before  1681. 
The  Rev.  John  Pike,  in  his  journal, 
records  the  death  of  "  old  Tho.  Mor- 
ris of  Lubberland"  July  30,  1707. 
He  seems  to  have  left  no  wife  or 
children.  In  his  will  of  Dec.  1,  1701, 
(proved  June  5,  1710)  he  gives  his 
friends,  James  and  William  Durgin, 
his  house  and  land  to  be  divided 
equally  among  them,  and  he  dis- 
tributes his  personal  effects  among 
various  neighbors  on  the  Lubberland 
shore. 

Mount  Burroughs.  This  hill,  so 
named  from  Jabez  Burroughs,  to 
whom  it  once  belonged,  is  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Dover,  below  the  Port- 
land turnpike  road.  It  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Geo.  Yeaton,  Mrs.  Dana, 
and   others.     It    is    well-wooded   on 


the  southeast  side,  but  is  chiefly  a 
ledge  of  granite. 

Mount  Hungry.  Mentioned  March 
7,  1764,  when  Dependence  and  Olive 
Bickford  conveyed  land  to  Richard 
Furber  in  Newington,  bounded  west- 
erly by  the  highway  from  the  late 
dwelling-house  of  Hatevil  Nutter  to 
the  hill  called  Mount  Hungry.,  north 
by  the  lands  of  James  Nutter  and 
Rachel  Row  ;  east  by  said  Row,  John 
Quint,  and  Moses  and  Nehemiah 
Furber ;  and  south  by  the  highway 
aforesaid  ;  which  laud  had  been  pur- 
chased by  said  Dependence  Bickford 
of  Richard  Furber. 

Wm.  Furber,  in  his  will  of  Nov. 
12,  1741,  proved  May  25,  1751,  gives 
his  grandson  Richard  Furber  all  his 
land  in  Newington  on  the  easterly  or 
upper  side  of  the  road  from  Ensign 
Hatevil  Nutter's  to  Mr.  Vincent's 
tvindmiU.  And  he  gives  his  sous 
Moses  and  Nehemiah  all  his  land  on 
the  lower  or  westerly  side  of  the 
highway  that  runs  from  Ensign  Hat- 
evil Nutter's  to  Vincent's  windmill. 

It  is  evident  from  the  above  con- 
veyances that  this  windmill  stood  on 
Mt.  Hungry,  which  probably  derived 
its  name  from  this  circumstance. 
Vincent's  windmill  was  no  doubt  so 
called  from  John  Vincent,  who  bought 
land  of  Clement  Messervey  Oct.  26, 
1727,  originally  granted  to  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Moodey.  (See  Harwood's 
Creek.)  Part  of  this  land  was  con- 
veyed July  22,  1783,  by  Anthony 
Vincent  to  Ephraim  Pickering,  be- 
ginning at  a  flat  rock  bv  the  road 
leading  to  Furber's  ferry,  at  the  land 
of  Noah  Huntress  and  running  by 
said   laud   to  that  of  Moses    Dame. 

Another  part  was  conveyed  to 
Wm.  and  Levi  Furber  Oct.  21,  1783. 


I^andmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


153 


Mount  Hungry  no  longer  retains  its 
ancient  name,  but  it  could  not  have 
been  far  from  the  source  of  the  Trout 
brook,  formerh'  Harwood's  creek. 

Mount  Misery.  This  mount  is  in 
Barrington,  just  above  the  Judge 
Hale  place. 

Mount  Pleasant.  This  elevation  is 
in  Dover,  east  of  Pine  Hill,  between 
the  cemetery  and  the  river  Cochecho. 

Mount  Sorrowful.  Mentioned 
March  23,  1702,  when  30  acres  of 
land  were  granted  to  Paul  Wentworth 
"  near  the  place  called  Mount  Sor- 
rowful, not  intrenching  on  any  former 
grants."  No  commons  being  found 
here,  this  grant  was  laid  out  in  1718, 
"  between  Salmon  fall  river  and  Co- 
checha,  att  a  place  called  the  great  ash 
sioamp.''  The  name  of  Mount  Sor- 
rowful is  still  retained.  It  is  a  steep 
gravelly  hill  in  Rollinsford,  near 
Rollins'  brook,  crossed  by  the  Bos- 
ton and  Maine  R.  R.  It  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Ricker  family,  but  is 
now  owned  by  Messrs.  Samuel  and 
Wm.  Rollins. 

Mount  Rawlings.  Mentioned 
March  26,  1683,  when  Richard  Wal- 
dron  of  Dover  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Paine  a  tract  of  land,  with  a.  dwelling- 
house  thereon,  situate  lying,  and 
being,  at  or  near  Cochecho,  common- 
ly called  or  known  by  the  name  of 
Mount  Rawlings,  bounded  on  the 
south  by  the  Cochecho  river,  and 
running  from  a  great  pine  tree  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill  N.  by  W .  44  perches 
to  a  pine  tree  on  the  brow  of  another 
hill,  being  a  parcel  of  land  said  Rich- 
ard Waldron  bought  of  James  Raw- 
lings  March  5,  1673.  This  land  was 
conveyed  to  Richard  Waldron  of  Ports- 
mouth, June  17,  1705,  by  Thomas 
Paine    of    Newcastle     (son    of    the 


above  Thomas) ,  who  in  the  deed  of 
conveyance  repeats  the  same  bounds, 
and  also  oives  to  this  tract  the 
name  of  Mount  Rawlings.  This  name 
has  not  been  perpetuated,  but  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  given  to  one  of 
the  hills  near  the  Cochecho  river  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rogers  street,  at  the 
head  of  which  Paine's  garrison  is 
said  to  have  stood.  Further  east  are 
Paine's  ivoocls,  now  called  Guppy's 
woods. 

MucHADOE.  Mentioned  in  the 
Dover  records  of  1672,  when  Peter 
Coffin  had  ten  acres  laid  out  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Great  Mast  p)ath, 
bounded  east  by  land  previously  laid 
out  to  said  Coffin  "  to  y^  path  y'  goeth 
to  Muchadoe''^  (the  Tolend  road). 
And  again  Ap.  1,  1673,  when  Peter 
Coffin  conveyed  to  Nathaniel  Stevens 
a  quarter  part  of  a  tract  of  land  near 
Cochecha,  bounded  north  by  the 
highwav  from  Muchadoe  to  Plum- 
Pudding  hill.  (See  Trumbeloiu 
Swamp.) 

The  Muchadoe  of  the  present  day 
is  a  steep  hill  in  Barrington,  about  a 
mile  N.  E.  of  the  Congregational 
meeting-house.  On  the  top  are  two 
pines,  a  remnant  of  the  woods  which 
once  covered  it ;  and  at  the  foot  is  a 
huge  rock  tapestried  with  moss  and 
vines,  near  which,  according  to  the 
"  Wild  Artist,"  once  lived  a  witch 
named  Moll  Ellsworth,  whose  sole 
companion  was  a  black  cat  without  a 
single  white  hair.  The  devil  is  said 
to  have  flown  away  with  her  in  a  gale 
of  wind  oue  dark,  tempestuous  night. 
At  all  events,  she  mysteriously  disap- 
peared, and  with  her  the  black  cat, 
said  to  have  embodied  a  still  darker 
fiend. 

Mud   Brook.     This    brook    is    in 


154 


jLandma?'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Lee  aud  empties  into  Lamprey  river, 
between  the  mouth  of  Little  river  and 
Wadleigh's  Falls.  It  is  crossed  by 
the  road  from  Lee  Hill  at  Mud  bridge, 
now  a  mere  culvert. 

Munsey's  Bridge.  Mentioned 
March  21,  1798,  when  the  bounds 
between  Durham  and  Lee  were  per- 
ambulated. It  is  on  the  back  road 
across  Oyster  river,  below  Dishwater 
falls,  and  is  no  doubt  the  bridge  men- 
tioned March  19,  1693-4,  when  Jo- 
seph Meader's  grant  was  laid  out  on 
the  S.  W.  side  of  the  path  to  the 
burnt  ground  bridge,  in  Follet's 
swamp.  (See  Burnt  Ground.)  The 
Meader  land  was  afterwards  acquired 
by  "  John  Muncey."  A  highway 
was  laid  out  Ap.  4,  1752,  "  begin- 
ning at  Moses  Davis's  fence,  79  rods 
from  Lieut.  Jones's  fence  near  folet's 
swamp,  at  the  head  of  John  Wood- 
man's land,  next  to  or  near  Jona"* 
Mouses  land."     (Durham  Hecords.) 

The  Woodman  laud  above  men- 
tioned, originally  granted  to  John 
Woodman  and  his  sous  (see  Beech 
Hill),  was  inherited  by  his  son  Jona- 
than, who,  in  his  will  of  Jan.  2,  1749, 
gives  his  son  Jonathan  "■  100  acres  of 
land  where  he  now  lives,  at  a  place 
called  the  burnt  ground,  at  the  east- 
ern end  thereof."  This  land  is  now 
owned  by  his  descendant,  Mr.  Moses 
G.  Woodman.  And  he  gives  to  his 
son  Archelaus  100  acres  at  a  place 
called  the  burnt  ground,  at  the  west- 
ern end  thereof,  reserving  a  highway 
two  rods  wide  for  his  son  Jonathan 
to  pass  and  re-pass  from  his  laud  to 
the  mast  road. 

The  land  of  Moses  Davis,  whose 
fence  is  mentioned  above,  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Israel  Demeritt.  In 
his  neighborhood  is  Munsey's  bridge, 


on  the  bounds  between  Durham  and 
Lee.  A  nocturnal  meeting  of  the 
"  Know-Nothings "  is  said  to  have 
been  held  on  this  bridge  in  the  hey- 
day of  that  party — a  singularly  ap- 
propriate place  for  such  a  gathering. 

Nancy  Drew's  Point.  This  name 
is  now  popularly  given  to  the  New- 
ingtou  terminus  of  Knight's  ferry, 
from  Miss  Nancy  N.  Drew,  to  whom 
John  Knight  conveyed,  July  16,  1831, 
44  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  road 
from  Bloody  Point  ferry,  so  called, 
to  Newington  meeting-house,  running 
northerly  to  the  land  of  Samuel 
Shackford,  deceased,  then  northeast- 
erly by  said  land  to  Pascataqua  river, 
and  by  said  river  to  Wxq  ferry,  thence 
to  the  first  bound. 

Miss  Nancy  Drew  died  in  1889  at 
her  residence  on  this  point,  at  the  age 
of  93  years,  and  her  homestead  was 
sold  at  auction,  May  31,  1890,  to 
Mr.  Charles  Dame. 

Nanney's  Island.  This  island  is 
in  Great  Bay,  off  Long  Point,  and 
now  belongs  to  the  heirs  of  Mr. 
James  A.  Pickering.  It  no  doubt  de- 
rived its  name  from  Robert  Nanney 
of  the  Dover  Combination  of  1640. 
His  name  is  on  the  Dover  rate-list  of 
1649.  He  afterwards  became  a  mer- 
chant iu  Boston,  where  he  died 
Aug.  27,  1663,  leaving  among  other 
property,  part  of  an  estate  in  Barba- 
does.  His  wife  was  Katherine, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Johu  Wheel- 
wright, founder  of  Exeter. 

The  Narrow  Lane.  Mentioned 
Ap.  28,  1779,  when  Jonathan  Quint 
conveyed  to  Jonathan  Hight  (Hoyt), 
both  "  of  Newington,  at  a  place  com- 
monly called  the  Upper  x>lc(.ins"  half 
an  acre  of  land,  16  rods  on  the  road 
leading   from     Newington     meeting- 


Landma7'ks  in  Ancient  Dovci' 


^SS 


house  to  Greenland,  and  10  rods  upon 
a  road  called  the  narrow  lane,  lead- 
ing to  Portsmouth. 

Daniel  Walker  of  Portsmouth  con- 
veyed to  Gee  Pickering,  Ap.  26, 1806, 
one  acre  of  land  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Narroio  Lane,  so  called,  bounded 
west  by  Lieut.  Richard  Dame's  land, 
and  N.  and  E.  by  said  Pickering's 
land,  being  the  same  land  said  Walk- 
er bought  of  John  Stevens,  Dec.  11, 
1787.  John  Stevens'  land  is  spoken 
of  in  1730  as  at  the  south  end  of  the 
Gore.  (See  the  Gore.)  Richard 
Dame  gave  a  quit-claim  to  Gee  Pick- 
ering, May  15,  1811,  of  3^  acres, 
bounded  "  southwardly  by  the  nan■o^o 
lane,  so  called,  which  adjoins  Doivn- 
ing's  Plai7is,  as  formerly  called." 

Narrows.  The  Narrows  in  the 
river  Cochecho  are  at  Cam  pin's 
Rocks,  about  a  mile  below  the  first 
falls. 

Furber's  Straits,  between  Great 
and  Little  bays,  are  also  called  the 
Narrows.  And  farther  down  the 
Pascataqua,  at  the  end  of  the  Long 
Reach,  below  Boiling  Rock,  are  the 
Narrows,  so  called  by  boatmen. >, 
There  are  also  Narrows  in  Wheel- 
wright's Pond.     S-A^y».27f 

"•  The  Narroivs  "  and  '■'■Loiuer  Nar- 
rows "  in  Lamprey  river,  between  the 
lowest  falls  and  Goddard's  creek,  are 
on  Smith's  map  of  Newmarket  in 
1805.  The  latter  are  mentioned 
Feb.  22,  1714-15,  when  Sampson 
Doe  conveyed  to  Cornelius  Driscoe 
60  acres  of  the  neck  of  laud  (Doe's 
neck,)  between  Lamprill  river  and 
Goddard's  creek,  in  the  township  of 
Dover,  bounded  by  a  little  water- 
course to  said  river  a  little  above  or 
near  y^  low^  narroio  in  s^  Lamprill 
river,  and  near   s**   Driscoe's   house, 


running  along  s"^  water-course  to  a 
red  oak  about  three  rods  from  a 
spring  in  said  water-course,  thence 
northerly  to  an  elm  near  the  highway 
to  Lamprill  river  low'  falls,  etc. 

Needham's  Cove.  This  cove, 
now  called  Broad  cove,  is  on  the 
Lubberland  shore  of  Great  Bay. 
The  name  was  no  doubt  derived  from 
Nicholas  Needham,  "  Ruler  of  Ex- 
eter" from  1639  till  1642,  at  which 
time  Exeter  laid  claim  to  Oyster  River 
lauds.  It  is  mentioned  Aug.  18, 
1670,  when  John  Alt  of  Oyster  River, 
and  wife  Remembrance,  conveyed  to 
John  Cutt  of  Portsmouth  80  acres  of 
land  "  in  y*"  greate  Bay,  in  Neediim's 
Cove,"  granted  him  by  the  town  of 
Dover.  And  again,  Nov.  11,  1715, 
when  Joseph  Roberts,  Sr.,  conveyed 
to  John  Footman  four  score  acres  of 
land  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  Great  Bay, 
adjoining  Needian's  Cove,  beginning 
at  a  white  oak  next  Pinder's  fence. 
(See  Needham's  Pt.  and  Broad  Cove.) 

Needham's  Point.  This  point  is 
mentioned  the  10th,  8  mo.,  1653, 
when,  "  at  a  public  meeting  of  y® 
select  men  at  oister  river,"  80  acres 
of  land  were  granted  to  John  Alt,  at 
"  y*  Great  Cove  above  Needum's 
poynt,  40  rods  in  length  upon  y^ 
Cove."  This  point  is  at  the  lower 
side  of  Broad  Cove.  It  is  called 
JewelVs  Point  on  Smith's  map  of  1805, 
but  is  now  called  Loyig  Point. 

New  England.  This  name  was  first 
given  by  Capt.  John  Smith,  who  ex- 
plored our  coast  in  1614,  and  after- 
wards published  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  his  voyage,  together  with  a 
map  or  chart  of  this  region.  The 
name  of  New  England  was  subse- 
quently confirmed  by  the  so-called 
"  New  England  Charter"  to  Sir  Fer- 


156 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


dinando  Gorges  and  bis  associates  in 
1620. 

Newfields.  Tliis  name  was  given 
to  South  Newmarket  until  its  incor- 
poration as  a  separate  township,  June 
27,  1849.  Here  lived  Richard  Hil- 
ton, son  of  William,  and  grandson 
of  Edward  Hilton.  John  ffoullsam 
and  Abigail  conveyed  to  Edward  Hall, 
May  26,  1707,  12  acres  in  Exeter, 
"  beginning  at  the  water-side  in  the 
field  commonly  called  Mr.  Hilton's 
neiv  ffield."  The  name  is  mentioned 
Nov.  25,  1755,  in  a  petition  about 
"  a  bridge  over  the  river  (Squamscot) 
from  Stratham  to  a  place  called  New- 
Jields,  in  Newmarket." 

Joseph  Merrill  of  Newmarket  con- 
veyed to  John  Moody,  March  4,' 
1771,  36  acres  of  land  on  the  N.  E. 
side  of  the  road  from  the  Newfield 
Landing-place,  so  called,  to  Notting- 
ham, running  N.  W.  as  the  fence 
runs  to  Piscassick  river.  This  land- 
ing was  probably  at  the  ferry-place. 
Richard  Hilton  petitioned  to  the  N.  H. 
government  June  12,  1700,  "  for  a 
ferry  to  be  granted  to  him  for  trans- 
porting hoi'se  and  man  over  the  river 
(Squamscot)  against  his  house  for  50 
years'  time."  This  petition  was  grant- 
ed.     (N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  3  :  99-102.) 

New  Hampshire.  The  late  C.  W. 
Tuttle,  in  his  "Memoir  of  Capt. 
John  Mason,"  says  the  Council  of 
Plymouth  granted  Capt.  Mason  Nov. 
7,  1629,  "  all  that  part  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Maine  lying  between  the  Mer- 
rimack and  Pascataqua  rivers,  and 
Mason  called  it  New  Hampshire  out 
of  regard  to  the  favor  in  which  he 
held  Hampshire  in  England,  where  he 
had  resided  many  years."  And  that 
Council,  by  an  indenture  of  Ap.  22, 
1632,  declared  that  the  lands  granted 


Capt.  Mason  should  henceforth  bear 
this  name. 

New  Hampshire  was  styled  a  Prov- 
ince till  Jan.  5,  1776,  and  a  Colony 
from  that  time  till  Sept.  11,  1776,  on 
which  day  it  was  enacted  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  Council  at  Exeter 
that  henceforth  "  this  Colony  should 
take  the  name  of  the  State  oj  Neio 
Hampshire." 

Newichawannock.  This  name, 
according  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Jenness,  is 
derived  from  the  Indian  word  7iee- 
iceek-wan-axcke,  signifying  "  my  wig- 
wam place."  It  was  the  name  of  an 
Indian  village  near  Salmon  falls,  but 
the  English  pioneers  gave  it  also  to 
the  adjoining  river,  from  the  head  of 
tide  water  down  to  the  main  body  of 
the  Pascataqua.  They  seem  to  have 
pronounced  the  u^ixnQ  Ne-ge-won-nuch. 
(See  Belknap's  Hist,  of  N.  H,  Far- 
mer &  Moore's  ed.,  p.  10,  foot-note.) 
It  is  called  Nechewanick  in  a  grant  to 
Wm.  Pomfrett  in  1643.  (See  Coche- 
cho  Point.)  Capt.  Dantforth,  an  emi- 
nent surveyor,  wrote  it  Negewonnick 
in  1679.  It  is  called  Nechowanuck 
in  1691  (see  Fowling  Marsh) , and  Nich- 
ewanock  in  1722.     (See  Hobbs's  Hole.) 

Above  the  head  of  tide  water  this 
stream  was  generally  called  the  Sal- 
mon Falls  river  by  the  early  settlers, 
which  name  it  still  retains.  The 
part  between  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
checho  river  and  Hilton's  Point  was 
called  Fore  river  by  the  people  on 
Dover  Neck.  (See  Salmon  Falls.) 
The  Newichawannock  or  Salmon 
Falls  river  is  the  eastern  branch  of 
the  Pascataqua.  It  rises  at  East 
pond,  on  the  borders  of  Newfield  and 
Wakefield,  Me.,  and  unites  with  the 
western  branch  of  the  Pascataqua  at 
Hilton's  Point,  now  Dover  Point. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


157 


A  trading-post  was  established  on 
the  Newichawannock  in  1631  by  Am- 
brose Gibbons,  agent  of  the  Laconia 
Compan}'.  A  letter  to  him  from  this 
Company,  Dec.  5,  1632,  speaks  of 
"  onr  house  at  Newicheivanick.'" 
(Tattle's  Capt.  John  Mason,  p.  305.) 
There  was  not  only  a  store-house  here, 
but  a  large  dwelling-house,  palisaded 
and  furnished  with  an  ample  supply 
of  arms  and  ammunition.  (N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  1:  116.)  These  build- 
ings were  burned  to  the  ground  about 
1645.      (Ibid,  1  :  45.) 


A    saw-mill    and    grist-mil 


the 


first  set  up  on  the  Pascataqua,"  were 
erected  here  in  1634  by  Henry  Joce- 
lyn,  who  was  sent  over,  by  Capt. 
Mason  in  the  spring  of  that  year. 
They  were  "  at  a  small  fall  at  a  place 
called  by  the  Indians  Assahenheduck 
on  the  little  Newichwannock,  now 
South  Berwick."  (Tuttle's  Capt.  John 
Mason,  p.  25.)  Three  excellent  saw- 
mills at  the  falls  of  '•'•  Nicliiquiioanick'' 
are  mentioned  in  the  Ms.  supposed 
to  have  been  written  in  1660  by  Sam- 
uel Maverick,  who  adds  that  down 
that  side  of  the  river  had  been  pro- 
cured most  of  the  masts  brought  over 
to  England  ;  among  them  "  that  ad- 
mired mast  which  came  over  some 
time  last  year  containing  ueere  30 
Tunes  of  timber."  {Maine  Hist,  and 
Gen.  Register-,  1  :   159.) 

Neivichaiuannock  is  mentioned  as  a 
locality  on  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
Oct.  7,  1699,  when  James  Grant  of 
York  (Me.)  conveyed  to  David 
Hambleton^  of  Neivecheivannuck  20 
acres  of  land  in  the  township  of 
Dover,  at  a  pjlace  called  Neivitcheivan- 
nuck,  granted  said  James  Grant  by 
the  town  (in  1657-8),  lying  between 


a  place  called  St.  Alban's  cove  and 
Quamphegan  falls,  bordering  on  the 
river  at  the  S.  E.  ;  on  Thomas  Can- 
ney's  lot  at  the  N.  E.,  on  y^  commons 
at  the  N.  W.,  and  on  Henry  Ma- 
goun's  lot  on  the  S.  W. 

The  selectmen  of  Dover  granted 
Thomas  Pots,  March  28,  1698,  in 
consideration  of  his  keeping  and  main- 
taining David  Hamilton,  eldest  son 
of  David  Hamilton,  the  whole  term 
of  his  life,  20  acres  of  land  at  New- 
cheivanake,  below  a  lot  granted  to 
Mary  Mason  and  the  lot  of  Thomas 
Canney,  being  all  that  tract  of  land 
formerly  in  the  tenure,  of  David  Ham- 
ilton, Sr.,  deceased.  Tiiomas  Potts 
conveyed  this  land  to  Job  Clement, 
Esq.,  Jan.  19,  1698-9.  Job  Clement 
conveyed  it  to  Henry  Nock  Oct.  15, 
1700.  Nock's  widow  married  Eleazer 
Wyer,  and  conveyed  this  land  to  her 
son-in-law  of  the  same  name. 

Newington.  The  Bloody  Point 
settlement  was  incorporated  as  a  par- 
ish July  16,  1713,  but  its  name  was 
not  changed  till  May  12,  1714,  when, 
according  to  the  records  of  the  Coun- 
cil,  "  Bloody  Point  was  named  New- 
ington this  day  by  his  Excellency  the 
Governour."  (N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  3: 
549-551,  562.)  This  parish  had 
town  privileges  from  the  first.  In 
a  petition  of  March  30,  1784,  it  is 
stated  that  the  inhabitants  had  exer- 
cised the  right  of  sending  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Assembly 
for  more  than  60  years.  {N.  H, 
Town  Pap.,  12:727.)  John  Dam 
was  the  representative  in  1715.  In 
1718  Capt.  John  Downing  presented 
a  petition  to  the  Governor  and  Coun- 
cil from  John  Fabyan,  Hatevil  Nut- 
ter, and  Moses  Dam,  the  selectmen  oi 


1  David  Hamilton  was  killed  by  the  Indians  "  at  Newtek,"  Sept.  28,  1692.     (Pike's  Journal.) 


^58 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


Newingtou,  praying  that  as  Xh^town- 
ship  of  Newingtoii  was  a  small  neck 
of  laud  made  out  of  Dover  aud  Ports- 
mouth, with  no  distinct  line  between 
it  and  the  latter  town,  a  line  might  be 
run  from  the  south  side  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Pickering's  farm,  fronting 
•on  the  Ba}',  down  to  Joseph  Dennet's 
farm,  then  in  possession  of  Henry 
Bennet,  and  thence  in  a  direct  line  to 
the  main  river.      {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 

Newington  seems  never  to  have 
been  formally  incorporated  as  a  town. 
For  years  it  was  indiscriminately 
called  a  parish  and  a  township.  The 
'■'■town  of  Newington,'''  the  "  toivn-meet- 
ing  held  in  sd  town"  Jan.  21,  1744, 
and  the  "  Town  Clerk  of  Newington,'" 
are  all  mentioned  in  the  Journal  of 
the  House  of  Assembly  Jan.  25, 1744, 
{N  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  5  :  267.)  John 
Fabyan  was  chosen  to  represent  the 
"  Town  or  Parish  of  sd  Newington" 
in  1745.  {Ibid,  D  :  288.)  In  a  peti- 
tion of  Sept.  17,  1755,  it  is  called 
"  the  Township)  of  Newington."  In 
another  of  Dec.  13,  1763,  it  is  called 
"  the  Parish  of  Newington."  {N.  H. 
Town  Pap.,  12  :  721.)  But  it  seems 
to  have  been  fully  recognized  as  a 
township  from  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

Newington  Garrisons.  There 
were  at  least  five  garrisons  on  the 
Newington  shore. 

I.  Dam's  Garrison,  otherwise 
Dame's,  is  mentioned  Sept.  26,  1696, 
when  Sergeant  John  Dam  was  sum- 
moned to  appear  before  Gov.  Usher 
for  dismissing  sundry  soldiers  posted 
at  his  sarrison.  Their  dismissal  was 
perhaps  owing  to  a  lack  of  provisions, 
of  which  Sergeant  Dam  had  previ- 
•ously  complained    in    a  letter   dated 


"  Welch  Cove,  July  27,  1696."  ( N. 
H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2:  194-200.;  His 
garrison  is  again  mentioned  in  1797, 
when  one  soldier  was  stationed  there. 
John  Dam  petitioned  for  relief  to 
his  garrison  Ap.  7,  1698.  This  gar- 
rison stood  near  Dame's  Point,  but 
the  precise  spot  is  not  known. 

II.  The  Downing  Gakhison  was 
on  Fox  Point.  It  was  probably  built 
by  Nicholas  Harrison,  who,  in  his 
will  of  March  5,  1707,  gives  his  son- 
in-law  John  Downing  and  wife  Eliza- 
beth, "  as  his  eldest  daughter,"  all  his 
housing,  orchards,  and  lands,  at  ffox 
pointe,  given  him  by  his  father-in-law 
John  Bickford  (see  Fox  Point)  ;  also 
half  of  his  lauds  in  New  Jersey. 
John  Downing,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Harrison,  died  Sept.  16,  1744, 
aged  85.  His  will  of  Feb.  23,  1743, 
proved  Sept.  26,  1744,  mentions  his 
wife  Elizabeth.  He  is  called  "  Es- 
quire "  in  the  letters  of  administra- 
tion. His  son  was  the  Hon.  Jolin 
Downing,  generally  called  "  Col. 
Downing,"  who  was  a  man  of  wealth 
and  political  influence.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Provincial  Council  of 
N.  H.  under  the  administration  of 
Gov.  Benniug  Wentworth,  from  1742 
to  1763.  He  was  an  extensive  land- 
owner in  Newington,  Portsmouth, 
Rochester,  aud  Nottingham,  besides 
owning  300  acres  in  Arundell,  Maine, 
bequeathed  him  by  his  father.  At 
his  death  he  gave  land  for  a  school- 
house  in  Newington,  and  500  pounds 
"put  at  interest"  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  teacher.  His  will,  dated 
September  5,  1755,  was  admitted  to 
probate  March  12,  1766.  In  it  he 
mentions  his  son  John  as  "  deceased." 
The  latter  died  about  1750,  in  which 
vcar,  Nov.  28,  letters  of  administra- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


159 


tion  were  granted  his  widow  Pa- 
tience. Mr.  Brewster,  in  his  notes 
to  the  "Atkinson  Silver  Waiter" 
(see  Mambles  about  Portsmouth, 
Vol.  II)  wrongly  snpposes  John 
Downing,  3d,  husband  of  Patience, 
to  have  been  the  Councillor  and  the 
same  John  who  died  in  1744.  Mary, 
daughter  of  Col.  John  Downing,  the 
Councillor,  married  Thomas  Picker- 
ing Feb.  7,  1727.  They  were  the 
great-great-grandparents  of  the  pres- 
ent writer. 

The  Downing  land  at  Fox  Point 
was  still  in  possession  of  the  family, 
at  least  in  part,  Nov.  12,  1793,  when 
Richard  Downing  conveyed  one  acre 
of  it  to  the  proprietors  of  Pascataqua 
bridge.  The  garrison  was  no  doubt 
then  occupied  by  his  son  Bartholo- 
mew, who,  at  that  time,  was  living  on 
the  Fox  Point  farm.  (See  Fox 
Point.)  It  was  built  of  logs,  with 
four  large  rooms,  each  said  to  have 
been  occupied  by  a  family  at  one 
period.  It  was  attacked  moi-e  than 
once  by  the  Indians,  who,  on  one 
occasion,  set  fire  to  it,  traces  of 
which  could  still  be  seen  when  it  was 
taken  down  about  fifty  years  ago  by 
Col.  Isaac  Frink,who  had  acquired  it. 

III.  Fl'kber's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  stood  near  Furber's  Pt.,  and 
must  have  been  built  before  1689, 
in  which  year  Wm.  Furber  was  ap- 
pointed "  Ensign  "  by  the  Mass. 
government.  He  was  promoted  to 
to  be  "  Lieutenant"  Sept.  20,  1692. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Furber  speaks  of  liis 
garrison  at  Welch  Cove,  July  27, 
1696.  He  was  tried  by  a  court-mar- 
tial that  year  for  dismissing  his  sol- 
diers (perhaps  for  lack  of  supplies), 
and  not  only  fined  for  that  and  other 
offences,  but  forbidden  to  hold  office. 


He  was,  however,  a  representative 
to  the  General  Assembly  in  1703  and 
1704,  and  in  1707  he  was  one  of  the 
men  appointed  to  run  the  boundaries 
of  the  five  townships  of  the  province. 
The  Rev.  John  Pike,  in  his  journal, 
records  the  death  of  '•  Lt.  William 
Furber  of  Welch  Cove,"  Sept.  14, 
1707.  He  was  an  ancestor  of  the 
present  writer,  through  her  great- 
grandmother  Deborah  Furber,  who 
married  John  Gee  Pickering  of  New- 
ington. 

IV.  Langstaffe's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  is  mentioned  by  Major  Pike 
as  attacked  in  1789..  It  stood  on 
Bloody  Point  itself,  which  seems  to 
have  verified  its  name  if  credit  is  to 
be  given  to  a  tradition  that  many 
people  lie  buried  here  who  were  mas- 
sacred by  the  Indians.  It  was  built 
by  Henry  Laugstaffe  or  Langstar, 
who  was  one  of  the  colonists  sent 
over  by  Capt.  John  Mason  in  1631. 
The  Rev.  John  Pike,  in  his  Journal, 
records  the  death  of  Henry  Langstar 
at  Bloody  Point,  July  18,  1705,  at 
the  age  of  about  100  years,  "•  from  a 
fall  down  four  steps  into  his  Lean- 
to."  The  Langstar  homestead  is 
mentioned  Nov.  23,  1716,  when  Hen- 
ry Langstar  of  Piscataqua,  New  Jer- 
sey, attorney  of  his  father  John  Lang- 
star, conveyed  to  John  Shackford 
one  half  of  the  homestead  at  Bloody 
Point,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Piscat- 
aqua river — then  in  possession  of 
Henry  Langstar,  son  of  Heni-y  Lang- 
star, deceased — bounded  south  by 
Capt.  John  Knight's  land,  formerly 
Benj"  Bickford's,  west  by  y*"  highway 
leading  to  y*"  ferry,  and  so  bounded 
upon  y""  land  formerly  George  Braun's 
down  to  y'^  river,  thence  upon  y'=  river 
to  said  Knight's,  where  we  first  began. 


i6o 


Land^narks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


Benjamin  Bickford's  land  was  at  the 
upper  side  of  Pine  Ft.,  adjoining  Geo. 
Brann's. 

V.  Ndtter's  Garrison.  Tliis  gar- 
rison stood  near  Welsh  Cove,  on  land 
now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Col.  Isaac 
Frink,  whose  mother  was  a  Nutter. 
It  was  no  doubt  built  by  Anthony 
Nutter  (son  of  Hatevil  of  Dover), 
who  is  mentioned  in  1663  as  a 
"  planter  at  Welshman's  cove."  He 
is  noted  for  aiding  and  abetting 
Thomas  Wiggin,  of  Squamscot,  in 
his  assault  upon  Deputy-Governor 
Barefoot  in  1685,  on  which  occasion 
he  is  described  as  "a  tall,  big  man, 
walking  around  the  room  in  a  laugh- 
ing manner."  (See  N.  H.  Prov.  Fwp., 
1 :  578-9.)  He  married  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Langstaffe.  Fike's 
Journal  says,  Feb.  19,  1685-6  :  "  Lt. 
Anthony  Nutter  of  Welch  Cove  de- 
ceased of  the  smal-pox  bef  :  it  came 
out." 

Newmarket.  The  north  part  of 
P^xeter  was  made  a  parish  under  the 
name  of  Newmarket,  Dec.  15,  1727, 
but  it  did  not  have  a  grant  of  town 
privileges  till  Aug.  19,  1737.  {N.  H. 
Frov.  Pap.,  IV:  739.)  It  was  still 
called  a  "parish"  in  1745,  when 
Capt.  Israel  Gilman  was  chosen  rep- 
resentative {Ibid,  V  :  339),  and  seems 
never  to  have  been  formally  chartered 
as  a  township.  A  part  of  ancient 
Dover  now  belongs  to  Newmarket. 

Newtown.  This  name  has  been 
given  for  more  than  two  hundred 
years  to  a  district  in  the  upper  part 
of  Lee,  between  Wheelwright's  pond 
and  Madbury.  The  Dover  records 
speak  of  a  highway  laid  out  in  1688 
from  the  head  of  Beard's  creek  to 
Newtown.  The  name  itself  implies  a 
settlement.    That  there  was  one  here 


at  an  early  day,  doubtless  first  made 
for  logging  purposes,  is  confirmed  by 
the  mention  of  an  orchard  May  31, 
1721,  when  60  acres  of  land  (half  of 
a  grant  to  Patrick  Jemison  the  17th, 
10  mo.,  1663),  were  laid  out  to  Capt. 
Samuel  Emerson  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  Wheelwright's  pond,  down 
the  river  on  both  sides,  beginning 
below  Newtoimi  Orchard,  at  a  red 
oak  on  the  south  side  of  Oyster  river 
by  the  river  side.  One  bound  was 
from  a  tree  about  ten  rods  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  extending  to 
the  ujyper  falls.  This  land  was  con- 
veyed to  Capt.  Emerson  by  John 
Webster  and  wife  Bridget  of  Salis- 
bury, Mass.,  Jan.  27,  1719-20.  The 
other  half  of  the  Jemison  or  Jameson 
grant  was  conveyed  to  Nathaniel 
Randall  by  John  and  Bridget  Web- 
ster Jan.  27,  1719-20,  and  laid  out 
to  him  May  31,  1721,  beginning  at 
an  oak  on  the  south  side  of  the  mast 
path.  This  was,  of  course,  the  mast 
path  from  Madbury. 

Newtown  Mill.  A  mill  was 
erected  at  the  uppermost  falls  in 
Oyster  river  at  an  early  day — no 
doubt  the  mill  Belknap  mentions  as 
burnt  by  the  Indians  in  1712,  to- 
gether with  a  large  quantity  of  boards. 
It  must  have  been  rebuilt  soon  after. 
It  is  probably  the  mill  referred  to  in 
the  inventory  of  the  estate  of  Robert 
Huckins  of  Oyster  River,  April  22, 
1720,  in  wliich  "  half  a  quarter  of 
the  saw-mill  at  Wehster^s  falls,  so 
called,"  is  mentioned.  (See  Joliu 
and  Bridget  Webster's  conveyance  at 
Newtown  mentioned  above.)  This 
mill,  however,  was  generally  known 
as  the  Newtoxon  mill  down  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  century,  when 
it   took    the    name    of   Zayn's   mill, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


:6i 


which  it  still  bears.  Nathaniel  La- 
mos  had  40  acres  of  land  laid  out  to 
him  May  19,  1729,  ''beginning  on 
Oyster  river,  a  littel  above  the  mill 
called  New  Town  miliy  A  highway 
"  from  New  Town  mill  up  into  the 
woods"  is  mentioned  Oct.  20,  1735, 
when  25  acres  were  laid  out  for  Rob- 
ert Huckins  on  the  south  side  of  this 
road  "  at  a  place  called  3Iaple  brook." 
A  highway  was  laid  out  from  New- 
toivn  saicmill  on  the  south  side  of 
Oyster  river,  June  9,  1738,  extend- 
ing to  the  road  that  leads  from  Little 
river.     {Durham  Records.) 

Wm.  Clay  conveyed  to  his  sons 
Samuel  and  Joseph,  Oct.  23,  1742, 
''  one  full  quarter  part  of  a  sawmill 
situated  in  Durham,  upon  y*  stream 
or  river  called  Newtoivn  River,  being 
y*  uppermost  mill  standing  upon  y* 
s*^  stream,  and  is  next  to  y*  pond 
called  Wheelwright's  Pond,  out  of 
which  s*^  stream  issues,"  with  a  quar- 
ter part  of  "y"  running  geer,"  dam, 
stream,  and  all  privileges  thereunto 
belonging:.  "  Newtown  river"  is,  of 
course,  that  part  of  Oyster  river 
which  flows  through  Newtown.  "Wm. 
Clay,  "  cordwaiuder,"  and  Samuel 
Clay,  husbandman,  conveyed  to  Dan- 
iel Rodgers  and  Benjamin  Mathes, 
July  20,  1754,  80  acres  of  land  at  or 
near  Neio  Town  Saw  Mill  in  the  town 
of  Durham,  beginning  at  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  said  Clay's  land,  next  Eli 
Clark's,  thence  running  by  the  high- 
way to  said  saw-mill,  and  over  the 
freshet  by  s*^  highway  to  the  end  of 
Clay's  fence,  thence  northerly  to  the 
land  of  widow  Joanna  Snell  and  John 
Jonknes  (Jones?),  then  easterly  by 
the  highway  to  the  first  bound,  with 
all  buildings,  orchards,  etc.  Edward 
Leathers,  Jr.,  of  Durham,  conveyed 


to  David  Munsey,  Sept.  12,  1761, 
one  sixteenth  part  of  Newtoivn  saw- 
mill, so  called,  in  said  Durham,  also 
one  sixteenth  of  the  falls  and  privi- 
leges belonging  to  said  mill,  and  a 
sixteenth  part  of  all  the  iron  work  in 
partnership  belonging  thereto.  Ed- 
ward Leathers  conveyed  to  John 
Leathers,  March  5,  1790,  forty  acres 
of  land  in  Lee,  beginning  at  the 
S.  W.  corner  of  John  Snell's  land, 
and  running  on  the  road  that  leads  to 
Neivtoivn  sawmill  until  it  comes  to 
Clarke's  yard,  so  called,  etc.,  except- 
ing however  the  land  lately  sold  his 
daughter  Hannah  (afterwards  the 
wife  of  Lemuel  Chesley.)  Also  a 
sixth  part  of  Newtown  sawmill  and 
gristmill,  so  called,  in  said  Lee,  to- 
gether with  one  sixth  part  of  the  dam 
and  privilege  of  said  mill.  Edward 
Leathers,  Ap.  7,  1801,  conveyed  to 
David  Monsey  one  sixteenth  part  of 
a  sawmill  in  Lee,  known  by  the  name 
of  Newtown  satvmill. 

The  first  time  the  writer  finds  the 
Newtown  mill  called  Layn's  mill  is 
on  the  State  map  of  Lee  in  1803, 
where  mention  is  made  ot '•'•  Layn's 
mill  road."  This  name  was  derived 
from  Capt.  John  Layn,  who  was  in 
Durham  as  early  as  March  8,  1760, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Capt.  Samuel 
Gerrish's  company.  Col.  John  Goffe's 
regiment,  for  the  Canada  expedition. 
"John  Layn  of  Durham,  gunsmith," 
in  a  petition  of  May  26,  1761,  states 
that  he  was  employed  as  armorer  for 
that  regiment,  and  furnished  his  own 
tools,  but  had  received  no  extra  pay 
for  this  service.  He  was  allowed  4  £ 
sterling.  {N.  H.  Town  Pap.,  XI : 
581-2.)  He  was  appointed  captain 
in  Col.  John  Waldron's  regiment, 
March  6,  1776,  for  six  weeks  service 


l62 


Landmarks  m  Ancient  Dove7'. 


at  Winter  Hill.  He  acquired  land  at 
Newtown  in  1763,  and  again  June  9, 
1766,  when  Thomas  Leathers  con- 
veyed to  him  ten  acres  of  land  where 
said  Thomas  then  lived,  at  the  corner 
of  the  roads  that  led  to  Durham  falls, 
Madbury,  and  Newtown.  He  estab- 
lished an  inn  in  this  vicinity,  proba- 
bly the  first  in  Newtown.  The  old 
sign-board,  bearing  the  name  of 
Washington  and  the  date  of  "  1779," 
is  still  to  be  seen,  but  the  painting  of 
Washington  on  horseback,  once  em- 
blazoned thereon,  has  been  entirely 
effaced  by  the  elements.  John  Layn 
calls  himself  "  of  Lee"  in  1790,  but 
in  1804  was  living  in  Barrington, 
where  he  had  acquired  several  tracts 
of  laud — among  others,  42  acres  at 
Bumfaggin,  and  lots  No.  40,  and  No. 
41,  in  the  half-mile  range  near  Bow 
Pond,  in  that  part  of  Barrington  now 
Strafford,  consisting  of  100  acres 
each,  which  he  bought  of  Daniel 
Brewster  and  Isaiah  Swain.  There 
he  had  a  saw-mill  and  probably  lived. 
At  that  time  he  owned  the  whole  of 
the  grist-mill  at  Newtown,  but  only  a 
four-days  right  in  the  saw-mill,  both 
of  which  he  conveyed,  July  17,  1804, 
to  Paul  Giles,  who  re-conveyed  them 
to  Layn  Nov.  22,  1805.  These  mills 
were  then  no  doubt  operated  by  his 
son  Edmund.  Capt.  John  Layn  died 
before  May  22,  1811,  when  his  son 
John  was  appointed  administrator  of 
his  estate.  The  inventory,  made 
June  18,  1811,  mentions  his  grist- 
mill and  privilege,  and  the  old  grist- 
mill frame,  but  not  the  saw-mill.  They 
were  acquired  by  his  son  Edmund, 
who  continued  to  run  them  till  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  76  years,  Aug. 
27,  1843.  There  is  now  a  saw  and 
shingle-mill  here,  owned  by  Mr.  Sam- 


uel W.  Layn,  grandson  of  the  above 
Edmund.  In  this  vicinity  is  Layn's 
school-house,  on  the  turnpike-road, 
once  noted,  not  for  its  schools,  but 
as  a  place  for  popular  prayer-meet- 


ings. 


Newtown  Plains.  Mentioned  in 
the  Durham  records,  March  9,  1764, 
when  the  selectmen  of  Durham,  at 
the  request  of  Joseph  Atkinson,  Esq., 
laid  out  "a  public  highway  at  a 
place  called  New  Toivn  Plains  in 
said  Durham,"  beginning  at  the  high- 
way that  leads  up  to  Barrington,  and 
running  south  10  rods  to  Wm.  Jack- 
son's S.  W.  corner,  and  along  his 
land  to  Joseph  Atkinson's.  And 
again  Ap.  16,  1764,  when,  by  virtue 
of  a  vote  of  the  proprietors  of  Dur- 
ham, 14  acres  were  laid  out  to  John 
Layn,  blacksmith,  "  at  a  place  called 
Newtown  Plains,  beginning  at  the 
highway,  at  the  S.  W.  corner  of  a 
piece  of  land  usually  called  Odiorne's 
field,"  and  extending  on  one  side  to 
the  northwest  part  of  a  heath.  These 
plains,  called  "Newtown  plains"  to 
this  day,  comprise  a  sandy,  barren, 
monotonous  region  in  the  upper  part 
of  Newtown. 

Nigger  Point.  This  point  is  on 
the  southern  shore  of  Oyster  river,  in 
Durham.  It  formed  part  of  the  old 
Burnham  land,  but  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Wm.  P.  Ffrost.  Here  lived  the 
Barhews,  a  negro  family  of  last  cen- 
tury, owned  b}'  Deacon  Jeremiah 
Burnham.  The  parents  were  kid- 
napped in  Africa  and  brought  to  this 
country,  where  they  received  the 
names  of  Belmont  and  Venus.  Their 
union  seems  to  have  been  duly  legal- 
ized, for  among  the  records  of  the 
Rev.  John  Adams  of  Durham  is  the 
marriage  of  "  Belmont  and  Venus," 


Laiid)iiarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


163 


Jan.  1,  1760,  No  surname  is  men- 
tioned. Tliey  had  seven  cliildren, 
five  of  whom  were  boys,  viz  : — ^non, 
Cfesar,  Jubal,  Titus,  and  Peter  or 
Pete.  ^NON,  when  only  four  years 
of  age,  was  bought  by  Col.  Timothy 
Emerson  of  Durham.  He  became 
free  after  the  Revolution,  but  con- 
tinued to  live  with  his  master,  to  the 
great  enjoyment  of  Col.  Emerson's 
descendants  to  the  fourth  generation, 
by  whom  he  was  always  held  in  affec- 
tionate remembrance.  He  died  at  an 
advanced  age,  and  lies  buried  with 
other  Emerson  slaves,  in  an  old  or- 
chard on  the  north  side  of  Brown's 
Hill.  Their  graves  have  always  been 
respected  by  the  family.  C^sau  be- 
came the  property  of  Vowel  Leathers 
of  Nottingham.  He  is  spoken  of  as 
"  a  good  Christian,"  and  was  noted 
for  singing  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs  with  great  unction,  which 
made  him  an  acquisition  at  prayer- 
meetings.  He  acquired  $500,  after 
his  freedom,  and  ended  his  days  with 
his  old  master's  daughter  in  New- 
market. Titus  was  bought  by  Col. 
James  Gilmore,  who  lived  below 
Bunker's  creek,  in  Durham.  Jubal, 
generally  called  Jube,  was  acquired 
by  Capt.  Smith  Emerson  of  Durham, 
an  able  officer  of  the  Revolutionary 
army.  When  a  boy  he  was  generally 
punished  for  his  misdeeds  by  being 
placed  in  the  fork  of  a  large  elm  be- 
fore the  house, which,  in  consequence, 
became  known  as  Jube's  elm.  This 
house  stood  on  Mast  road,  near  the 
Lee  boundary,  and  when  burned  down 
many  years  ago,  Jube's  elm  was  de- 
stroyed. Peter  was  the  youngest, 
and  remained  in  the  possession  of 
Deacon  Burnham.  He  was  of  a  cross 
grain,    and    required    much   skill   in 


management.  His  sleeping-place, 
still  called  Pete's  hole,  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  old  Burnham  mansion,  now  in 
ruins.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Coe,  in  Nov., 
1783,  records  the  burial  of  "  Venus,  a 
negro  servant  of  J.  Burnham,  Jr." 
She  was  the  mother  of  this  interest- 
ing family.  Several  of  the  Barhews 
were  buried  near  "  Nigger  Point." 
Their  graves  were  always  respected 
by  the  Burnhams,  but  have  since 
disappeared  under  the  ploughshare. 

Nimble  Hill.  Mentioned  in  the 
Dover  records  March  13,  1703-4, 
when  ten  acres,  granted  to  Zachariah 
Trickey  in  1675,  were  laid  out  to  him 
at  Nimble  Hill,  west  of  John  Down- 
ing's  land,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
highway  from  Bloody  Point  to  Green- 
land. John  Downing  bought  this 
land  March  20,  1703-4,  when  Nim- 
ble Hill  is  again  mentioned.  The 
name  is  still  retained.  Nimble  Hill 
is  in  the  northern  part  of  Newington 
and  crossed  by  the  highway  near  the 
old  Adams  mansion,  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Knox.     (See  Stony  Hill.) 

No-BoTTOM  Pond.  This  name  is 
given  to  a  little  pond  in  Dover,  above 
Garrison  Hill,  said  to  be  fathomless. 
It  is  in  the  Taylor-Page  pasture,  in 
the  rear  of  the  farm  buildings, 
whence  it  is  sometimes  called  Page's 
pond.  It  is  on  the  Dover  map  of 
1805,  but  without  any  name.  This 
is,  in  fact,  a  spruce  hole,  the  pool 
being  in  the  depths  of  a  hollow,  sur- 
rounded by  a  bed  of  thick,  soft  moss, 
where  grow  the  side-saddle  flower 
and  other  bog-loving  plants,  and  the 
sides  of  hollow  bordered  with  spruce 
and  other  trees,  weather-beaten  and 
in  every  stage  of  crookedness.  This 
black  pool  of  ominous  aspect,  with 
its  name  akin  to  the  Bottomless  Pit, 


164 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


the  quaking  bog  around  it,  and 
dreary  looking  trees,  distorted  as  if 
with  pain,  and  the  small,  swift  stream- 
let which  issues  therefrom,  called  the 
Styx^  are  all  suggestive  of  baleful 
things.  This  pond  has  diminished 
in  size,  the  bushes  having  constantly 
advanced  on  its  borders.  It  feeds 
another  pool  much  smaller,  at  a  short 
distance,  called  Little  i^ond  or  Egg 
pond.  The  Styx  flows  through  the 
Page  pasture  and  the  Dennis  land, 
and  before  the  draining  of  the  neigh- 
boring marshes  was  large  enough  to 
require  a  string-piece  at  the  crossing. 

Nock's  Marsh.  This  is  a  well- 
known  marsh  on  the  west  side  of 
Dover,  crossed  by  the  so-called 
Nock's  Marsh  road  from  Dover  to 
Madbury.  It  is  mentioned  in  the 
second  Thomas  Nock's  will  of  Feb. 
15,  1676,  in  which  he  gives  his 
brother  Sylvanus  a  tract  of  land 
between  Cochecho  and  Nock's  Marshy 
next  Thomas  Beard's  land.  And 
again  May  8,  1716,  when  Eliphalet 
Coffin  conveyed  to  Mark  Giles  ten 
acres  "  on  the  northwest  side  of  y* 
path  y'  leads  (from  Cochecho)  to 
Nock's  Marsh."  Ebenezer  Hanson, 
Sept.  19,  1768,  conveyed  to  Otis 
Baker  his  homestead  farm  of  62^ 
acres,  at  or  near  a  place  called  Nock's 
Marsh,  bounded  east  by  his  brother 
Solomon  Hanson's  land,  south  by 
Bellamy  river,  northerly  by  Mark 
Giles'  land,  etc.,  being  part  of  his 
father  Thomas  Hanson's  estate. 

The  "  old  road  from  Little  worth  to 
Nock's  Marsh "  is  mentioned  in  the 
Dover  records  of  Ap.  11,  1804. 

The  name  of  Nock's  marsh  (some- 
times incorrectly  written  Knox)  is  de- 
rived from  Thomas  Nock,  who  was 
in  possession  of   30    acres    adjoining 


Log  sivamp  the  1st,  10  mo.,  1656, 
and  subsequently  had  several  grants 
of  land  adjoining.  Henry  Nock, 
Feb.  18,  1718-19,  conveyed  to  John 
Hanson  and  Thomas  Hanson,  Jr., 
100  acres  "  to  y®  southward  of  Capt. 
Waldron's  Logg  Swamp,  bordering 
on  y*  S.  E.  side  partly  on  Thomas 
Beard's  100  acres,  on  the  S.  W.  by 
the  Back  river,  on  the  N.  W.  by  Wm. 
Thompson's  land,  and  N.  E.  by  the 
commons."  Also  a  tract  adjoining 
the  above,  next  Thomas  Beard's  lot, 
reserving  20  acres,  all  of  which  land 
was  granted,  says  the  deed,  to  his 
father  Thomas  Nock,  deceased. 

NoRTHAM.  This  name  was  given 
to  Dover  in  1640,  out  of  compliment, 
it  is  said,  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lark- 
ham,  of  Northam,  Eng.,  at  that  time 
the  minister  at  Dover  Neck.  But 
the  name  of  Dover  was  speedily  re- 
sumed after  his  departure  in  1642, 
doubtless  because  he  left  with  a  tar- 
nished reputation.  (See  N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  1  :  124.)  It  was  called  Northam 
as  late  as  Sept.  14,  1642.  (See 
Royall's  Cove.)  Northam,  Eng.,  is 
in  Devonshire,  not  far  from  Bideford, 
near  the  junction  of  the  Torridge  and 
the  Taw,  a  region  of  wiiich  Kingsley 
gives  pleasant  glimpses  in  his  "  West- 
ward Ho  !  "  These  two  towns  are  so 
near  together,  he  says,  that  the  bells 
rung  out  from  the  tower  of  Northam 
church  are  answered  by  those  of  Bid- 
eford. Several  of  the  early  settlers 
in  New  Hampshire  were  from  that 
region.  Edmond  Pickard,  one  of  the 
chief  proprietors  at  the  Shoals  in 
1661,  describes  himself  in  a  deed  as 
"■  of  Nortliara,  near  Biddeford,  in 
Devon,  in  Old  England."  The  name 
of  Appledore,  at  the  Shoals,  was  de- 
rived from  a   hamlet  of  that  name  in 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


165 


the  parish  of  Northam,  Eng.  Mr. 
J.  S.  Jenness  says  when  he  was  at 
Northam  and  Appledore  in  1874,  he 
was  struck  by  the  number  of  sur- 
names like  those  of  the  early  settlers 
at  the  Shoals.  (Jenness'  Isles  of 
Shoals,  p.  101.) 

North  River.  This  tributary  to 
Lampre}'  river  rises  in  North  River 
pond,  on  the  borders  of  Northwood 
and  Nottingham.  At  the  head  of 
this  stream  once  lived  a  small  tribe 
of  Indians,  who,  after  the  fall  of 
Louisbourg,  became  troublesome  to 
the  neighboring  settlers  for  many 
years.  ^  North  river  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  early  records  of 
Durham.  The  third  division  of  the 
common  lauds,  ordered  March  18, 
1733-4,  embraced  the  lauds  at  North 
river,  now  South  Lee.  Of  the  lots 
thus  assigned  to  the  proprietors  of 
Durham,  a  dozen  or  more  were  ac- 
quired b}'  Solomon  Emerson,  and 
over  twenty  by  Joseph  Sias.  (See 
Coimty  Records  at  Exeter,  Vol.  79, 
etc.)  Capt.  Samuel  Emerson  had  a 
grant  of  42J  acres,  laid  out  Nov.  5, 
1750,  on  the  south  side  of  North 
river,  "  beginning  at  the  river  on 
the  dividing  line  between  Durham 
and  Nottingham."  "  P*^  the  commit- 
tee for  laying  out  a  highway  from 
North  River  to  little  River— £38,  os." 
{Durharn  Records,  1763.) 

North  River  Falls  are  mentioned 
in  the  Durham  records  March  15, 
1754,  when  Ichabod  Chesley's  grant 
of  25  acres  was  laid  out  "  on  the 
south  side  of  Little  River,  and  on  the 
north  side  of  a  High  Wav  that  leadeth 


to  the  North  River  falls,"  begin- 
ning at  an  asp  tree  marked  E.  D.,  it 
being  Ephraim  Davis's  S.  W.  corner 
bound. 

These  falls  are  at  the  bend  in 
North  river,  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  Lee.  They  are  sometimes  called 
Great  falls.  Over  nine  acres,  part 
of  a  25  acre  grant  to  Edward  Wake- 
ham,  deceased,  were  laid  out  to  Sam- 
uel Smith,  June  13,  1753,  beginning 
at  a  hemlock  tree,  "  standing  three- 
rods  above  the  Pitch  of  the  North 
River  Great  falls,  so  called,  in  Dur- 
ham." Great  Falls  bridge  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Lee  records  of  1789. 
These  falls  are  called  '^  Long  Falls" 
on  the  State  map  of  Lee  in  1803. 
Harvey's  shingle-mill  is  now  in  oper- 
ation here. 

Norway  Plains.  This  name  was 
given  at  an  early  day  to  the  large 
sandy  plain  on  which  the  cits'  of 
Rociiester  now  stands  ; — derived,  it 
is  said,  from  the  Norway  pines  that 
once  covered  it.  A  James  Norrowa}-, 
however,  is  mentioned  in  Dover  in 
1696,  and  many  old  people  in  Roches- 
ter at  the  present  day  call  this  tract 
<•<•  Norroway  Plains."  This  form  of 
the  name  is  often  found  in  the  old- 
world  legends  and  songs  about  the 
"ancient  rock-bound  Norroway  "  of 
northern  Europe. 

Norivay  Plains  Mills  are  mentioned 
in  Col.  John  Downing's  will  of 
Sept.  5,  1755.  Jonathan  Downing 
of  Rochester  conveyed  to  Richard 
Downing  of  Newington,  May  6, 1774, 
100  acres  "  at  the  upper  part  of  the 
Long  lot,  so  called,  against   Norway 


1  The  writer  remembers  hearing  her  maternal  grandmother,  who  was  born  in  Nottingham  in 
1756,  relate  how  in  her  childhood  she  had  been  forced  to  take  refuge  eight  times  in  a  garrison 
—doubtless  Longfellow's— on  account  of  these  Indians  or  their  allies.  Only  a  few  years  previ- 
ous (in  1747)  several  people  of  that  vicinity  had  been  slain,  among  them  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Simp- 
son, who  was  shot  by  the  Indians  as  she  stood  near  a  window  kneading  dough  for  the  oven. 


i66 


Landmarks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


Plains  in  Rochester,  given  him  hy 
his  honored  grandfather  John  Down- 
ing, Esq.,  of  Newington,  in  his  last 
will  and  testament."  A  petition  that 
the  court  of  Strafford  Co.,  then  held 
at  Dover  and  Durham,  might  be 
moved  to  Norway  Plain  in  Rochester, 
is  mentioned  June  4,  1789.  {N.  H. 
State  Pap.,  12:11-12.)  '•'Norway 
Plains  village  in  Rochester  "  is  men- 
tioned in  the  N.  H.  Repuhlicaii  of 
Dover,  March  25,  1828.  This  was, 
of  course,  the  present  city  of  Roches- 
ter. 

Nute's  Corner.  This  corner  is  in 
Freetown,  Madbury,  between  the  old 
Province  road  to  Barrington  and  the 
road  to  the  Hook  mill.  So  named 
from  Andrew  Nute,  who  was  licensed 
to  keep  a  tavern  here  April  14,  1804. 

Nute's  Creek.  A  creek  of  this 
name  on  the  west  side  of  Back  river 
is  mentioned  Sept.  16,  1702,  when  40 
acres  of  land,  granted  to  John  Dam 
in  1656,  were  laid  out  to  his  son,  be- 
ginning at  a  white  oak  on  the  line 
between  this  land  and  that  of  Joseph 
Tibbets.  A  highway  is  mentioned 
between  Dam's  land  and  that  of 
James  Newt,  which  led  to  a  landing- 
place  at  the  head  of  James  Newt's 
Creek.  This  creek  is  above  Hope- 
hood's  Point.  Joseph  Tibbets'  land 
is  now  owned  in  part  by  Mr.  Peasley. 
Nute's  land  here  is  mentioned  Ap.  5, 
1710,  when  Wm.  Story's  lot  on  the 
west  side  of  Back  river  (lot  No.  8) 
was  conveyed  by  his  sons,  Joseph  of 
Wells  and  Jeremiah  of  Boston,  to 
Samuel  Cromwell,  bounded  S.  by 
Capt.  John  Tuttle's  land,  north  by 
James  Nute's,  and  west  by  Capt. 
Philip  Cromwell's. 

Nute's  Point.  A  point  of  this 
name  is  mentioned  on  Whitehouse's 


map,  on  the  east  side  of  Dover  Neck, 
half  a  mile  below  Morrill's  Ferry. 
The  Nute  point  of  the  present  day 
is  at  the  lower  side  of  Little  .John's 
creek. 

Nutter's  Hill.  This  name  is 
given  to  the  hill  on  Dover  Neck 
where  stood  the  old  fortified  meeting- 
house. So  called  from  Elder  Hatevil 
Nutter,  whose  house  was  on  the  east 
side  of  the  main  road  to  Dover  Point, 
about  fifteen  rods  from  the  N.  E. 
corner  of  the  meeting-house,  in  a 
northeasterly  direction.  The  cellar 
can  still  be  traced.  This  hill  is  men- 
tioned Dec.  5,  1652,  when  Richard 
Waldron,  in  consideration  of  certain 
grants,  bound  himself  "  to  erect  a 
meeting-house  upon  the  hill  near  El- 
der Nutter's." 

Nutter's  Islands.  These  are  two 
small  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the 
brook  which  empties  into  Laighton's 
cove,  in  Newington.  The  largest  is 
mentioned  June  25,  1664,  when  An- 
thony Nutter  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Roberts  a  piece  of  marsh  in  Harrod's 
Cove,  bounded  by  a  small  trench 
straight  down  to  the  middle  of  a  small 
islaiid.  It  is  singular  that  after  more 
than  two  hundred  years  this  islet 
should  still  have  two  owners,  one 
half  being  now  owned  by  Mr.  Frink, 
and  the  other  by  Mrs.  Coffin  of  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  a  descendant  of  the  Nut- 
ters. 

Limmy's  Ledge,  an  islet  on  the 
Durham  shore  of  Great  Bay,  is 
called  Nutter's  island  on  Smith's  map 
of  1805. 

Nutter's  Lane.  This  lane  ran 
from  Nutter's  Hill,  along  the  upper 
side  of  Richard  Yorke's  lot,  to  Nut- 
ter's Slip.  It  is  mentioned  May  4, 
1706,   when    Richard   Pinkham    con- 


JLaiidmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


167 


veyed  to  Nicholas  Harford  seven 
acres  of  land  on  Dover  Neck,  bound- 
ed N.  by  Nutter's  Lane,  E.  by  high 
street^  S.  by  Thomas  Tibbets'  land, 
and  W.  by  loiv  street.  And  again 
May  19,  1708,  when  Philip  "  Cro- 
mell,"  in  his  will,  gives  his  son  Sam- 
uel "  Cromwell  "  a  lot  between  Wm. 
Hereford's  land  and  the  lane  former- 
ly called  Nuttefs  lane,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  meetiug-house. 

Nutter's  Slip  is  mentioned  June 
26,  1716,  when  John  Hall  conveyed 
to  Thomas  Kenny  one  share  in  the 
calves  pasture,  lying  between  y''  lane 
running  from  y*  low  street  to  Nutter's 
Sli^)  and  PinJcham's  sirring,  bounded 
by  Back  river  on  the  west,  and  low 
street  on  the  east,  with  all  the  privi- 
leges thereunto  belonging,  as  granted 
bv  the  town  to  his  grandfather  John 
Hall.  This  slip  was,  of  course,  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  Back  river. 

Oak  Svtamp.  Mentioned  Ap.  30, 
1735,  when  four  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Lieut.  John  Ham  "  at  a  place  called 
the  oak  swamp,  beginning  at  a  birch 
tree  on  the  S.  W.  side  of  the  road 
that  leads  to  the  Ealware,"  one  cor- 
ner joining  said  Ham's  other  land. 
Nov.  23,  1735,  ten  acres  were  laid 
out  to  Isaac  "Watson  "  at  or  near  a 
place  called  oak  swamp,  joining  to 
the  N.  E.  corner  of  John  Ham's 
marsh.''  Four  acres  were  laid  out  to 
Timothy  Hanson,  March  30,  1739,  at 
a  place  "  formerly  called  oak  sivamp." 
(See  Ham's  Marsh.) 

Old  Bowsprit,  otlierwise  Old  Bold 
Spit.  Mentioned  Dec.  22,  1720, 
when  Tobias  Hanson's  sixty  acre 
grant  was  laid  out  "  between  f agate 
hridg  and  the  old  hold  spit,"  on  the 
east  side  of  Wm.  Porafrett's  grant. 
And    again   June   25,   1739,  when   a 


road  was  ordered  to  be  laid  out  from 
John  Heard's  to  the  Rochester  line, 
running  near  the  old  Bowsprit,  as  the 
way  now  goes.  This  name  has  not 
been  retained,  and  its  derivation  is 
uncertain.  It  may  refer  to  one  of 
the  tracts  of  woodland  reserved  in 
former  times  for  boivsprits  and  other 
shipping  purposes.  (See  N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  18:  143.) 

Old  Brigg.  Mentioned  Aug.  29, 
1740,  when  James  Hall  of  Somers- 
worth  conveyed  to  Thomas  Hodsdou 
of  Berwick,  York  Co.,  province  of 
Mass.  Bay,  all  right,  title,  and  inter- 
est in  the  saw-mill  at  Quamphegan 
fall,  commonly  called  ye  old  Brigg 
(which  part  was  three  days  in  each 
month  of  the  year),  purchased  by 
him  of  his  father  John  Hall.  The 
origin  of  this  name  does  not  appear. 
It  may  have  been  derived  from  the 
old  bridge  or  boom  at  the  Quam- 
phegan mill.  Brig  or  brigg  is  the 
Scotch  form  of  bridge.  The  "  auld 
brigg  of  Ayr  "  is  sung  by  Burns,  and 
the  ballad  of  Gil  Morice  has  the 
lines  : 

"And  when  he  came  to  broken  briggs, 
He  slacked  his  bow  and  swam." 

Otis'  Bridge.  Mentioned  Ap.  15, 
1702,  when  Edward  Cloutman's  grant 
of  thirty  acres  was  laid  out  "  between 
holmes  hridg  and  Otises  hridg,  begin- 
ning at  a  red  oke  upon  a  poynt  be- 
tween two  gullies."  One  bound  was 
the  road  to  Salmon  falls.  Joseph 
Twombley,  Jr.,  conveyed  to  Gershom 
Wentworth,  Aug.  5,  1719,  60  acres 
in  Dover,  "near  a  place  call**  Otises 
bridge,"  being  one  half  of  six  score 
acres  granted  Ralph  Twombley,  not 
yet  divided.  (See  Twombley' s  Brook.) 
Samuel  Randle  conveyed  to  Benj° 
Roberts,  Jr.,  March  12, 1734,  30  acres 


i68 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


of  land  in  the  parish  of  Somersworth, 
beginning  at  a  pitch  pine  })y  Thomas 
Nock's,  and  runuing  southwesterly  50 
rods  to  Otis  his  bridge.  This  bridge 
was  across  the  "  Fresh  creek  brook," 
now  called  Rollins'  brook.  Tlie  name 
is  no  longer  in  use.  (See  Holmes' 
Bridge.) 

Otis'  Hill.  Mentioned  in  Job 
Clement's  will,  Oct.  8,  1716,  in  which 
he  gives  his  daughter  Margaret  three 
score  acres  of  land  which  his  father 
bought  of  Thomas  Pain,  "lying  on 
y^  back  side  of  Otis  his  hill  in  Coche- 
cho  woods."  When  Thomas  Payne 
sold  Job  Clement  (Sr.)  the  above 
tract  of  land,  the  29th,  4  mo.,  1665, 
it  was  stated  to  be  "  at  the  northern 
end  of  Richard  Otis  his  hundred 
acres,  northeast  from  Cochecho 
marsh." 

Farmer  and  Moore's  Gazeteer  of 
JV.  II.  (1823)  speaks  of  Otis  hill  as 
the  highest  in  Somersworth,  about  a 
mile  above  Garrison  Hill.  It  is  also 
mentioned  in  Hayward's  Neio  Eng- 
land Gazeteer  of  1839.  It  is  other- 
wise called  Bicker's  Hill^  from  the 
former  proprietors.  It  is  now  owned 
for  the  most  part  by  the  Rollins  fam- 
ily, and  is  sometimes  called  Capt. 
Ichabod's  hill,  or  Cajyt.  Ich's  hill, 
from  Ichabod  Rollins,  who  first  ac- 
quired a  part  of  it  Jan.  14,  1771, 
when  Levi  Ricker  and  his  sister  Ju- 
dith conveyed  to  said  Ichabod  all 
riglit  and  title  to  the  homestead  of 
their  honored  father,  George  Ricker, 
Jr.,  deceased,  who,  it  is  stated  in  the 
deed,  lived  at  Otis'  Hill,  so  called. 
Mrs.  Baer,  in  one  of  her  pleasing 
sketches,  speaks  of  the  "  pine-clad 
side  of  Capt.  Ich's  hill,"  its  clumps  of 
savin  with  their  agreeable  odor,  and 


the  broad-spreading  oaks  on  the 
summit.  This  hill  is  also  sometimes 
called  Crummit's  hill,  otherwise 
Cromivell's.  The  Cromwell  lands  in 
this  vicinity  are  mentioned  in  1733, 
when,  in  a  deed  from  James  Guppy 
to  Thomas  Downs,  "the  brook  y' 
runs  out  of  Cromwell's  land  into 
Fresh  creek,"  is  spoken  of. 

Oyster  Point.  This  name  is  given 
to  the  point  of  land  between  Oyster 
river  and  the  upper  side  of  Bunker's 
creek,  Oct.  10,  1653,  in  a  grant  to 
Wm.  Follet  and  James  Bunker.  (See 
Bunker's  Neck.)  Another  Oyster 
Point,  mentioned  on  Smith's  map  of 
Durham,  is  on  the  opposite  shore  of 
Oyster  river,  at  the  lower  8ide  of 
Stevenson's  creek,  now  Mathes's 
creek.  At  these  two  points  were  the 
old  Oyster  Beds,  from  wh.ch  Oyster 
river  derived  its  name.  The  upper 
Oyster  bed  is  mentioned  Nov.  18, 
1727,  when  Wm.  and  Mary  Clay 
conveyed  to  Samuel  Smith  a  tract  of 
land  previousl}'  Joshua  Davis's,  "  on 
the  N.  W.  side  of  the  high  way  that 
leads  to  y'^  Oister  bed,  and  so  by  y* 
way  by  Nathaniel  Lomaxes,-'  and 
joining  to  Joseph  Jenkins  his  liun- 
dred  acre  Lott  y'  was  formerly  Wm. 
Storey's,  and  so  by  s*^  lot  to  Amos 
Pinkham's  land."  In  the  deed  of 
tliis  Pinkham  land  (7  acres)  from 
Joshua  Davis  to  said  Amos,  Oct.  3, 
1720,  the  above  road  is  spoken  of  as 
"  leading  from  James  Bunker's  into 
y'^  main  I'oad  that  goes  to  Cochecho, 
being  part  of  the  land  that  was  James 
Bunker's,  deceased."  (See  Oyster 
River.) 

Oyster  River.  This  river,  so 
called  as  early  as  Ap.  3,  1638,  (see 
N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  135)   rises    at 


1  This  name,  generally  called  Lummocks  or  Lumax  in  early  times,  is  now  written  Lamos. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


i6^ 


Wheelwright's  pond  in  Lee,  and  emp- 
ties into  the  Pascataqna  river  at  the 
mouth  of  Little  Bay. 

Some  old  records  make  a  distinc- 
tion between  Oyster  river  and  "  Oyster 
river  freshet," — the  former  being  the 
tidal  stream  that  comes  to  a  head  at 
the  lowest  falls  in  Durham  village  ; 
and  the  latter  the  fi-esh-water  stream 
above  these  falls  to  its  source. 
"  The  landing-place  at  the  head  of 
Oyster  river "  is  spoken  of  in  the 
Dover  records  of  Ma}'  17,  1703, 
meaning  at  the  head  of  tide  water. 
The  name  of  this  river  was  derived 
from  the  03'ster  beds  found  by  the 
early  pioneers  towards  the  mouth. 
These  beds  are  often  mentioned  in 
the  old  records.  One  is  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  river,  at  the  mouth  of 
Bunker's  creek,  mentioned  Ap.  9, 
1703,  when  a  road  was  laid  out,  "  be- 
ginning at  the  loading -place  at  the 
oyster  bed,"  and  running  along  the 
west  side  of  Follet's  rocky  hill  to  the 
head  of  Bunker's  creek.  "  The  par- 
sonage lott  near  the  Oyster  Bed, 
where  the  old  meeting-house  formerly 
stood,"  is  mentioned  in  the  Durham 
records  March  20,  1762.  This  bed  is 
on  the  lower  side  of  the  river.  (See 
Oyster  Point.) 

"The  neighborhood  of  Oyster  Riv- 
er" is  mentioned  the  3d,  12  mo., 
1640,  implying  that  a  settlement  had 
been  made  here  some  time  previous. 
(N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  141.)  Strictly 
speaking,  this  settlement  formed  part 
of  Dover,  but  it  was  a  distinct  one,  and 
had  a  separate  history  from  the  first. 
In  the  old  records,  and  in  the  early 
history  of  New  Hampshire,  it  is  gen- 
erally spoken  of  as  "  Oyster  River," 
which  name  it  bore  for  nearly  a  hun- 
dred  years.      It   is   called  "  Oyster 


River  p)lantation"  in  1651,  when 
George  Smythe,  administrator  of 
George  Webb's  estate,  conveyed  to 
Oliver  Kent  "  an  acre  and  a  half  of 
land  in  Oyster  river  plantation, 
heretofore  in  possession  of  said 
George  Web."  It  is  sometimes  called 
the  ^'•Precinct  of  Oyster  River, '^  as  in 
a  remonstrance  against  its  incorpora- 
tion as  a  town,  addressed  to  Gov. 
Burnet  May  14,  1729.  The  dividing 
line  between  this  precinct  and  Dover 
proper  was,  as  stated  Dec.  21,  1657, 
a  straight  line  from  the  first  rocky 
point  below  the  mouth  of  Oyster 
river,  on  the  north  side,  to  the  path 
at  the  head  of  Thomas  Johnson's 
creek,  and  thence  to  the  end  of  the 
town. 

Oyster  River  settlement  was  made 
a  separate  parish  May  4,  1716,  and 
was  incorporated  as  a  township,  un- 
der the  name  of  Durham,  by  an  act 
of  the  General  Assembly,  passed 
May  13,  1732;  and  signed  by  Gov. 
Belcher  two  days  later.  These  dates 
are  from  the  copy  of  the  Charter  in 
the  Durham  records.  But  according 
to  the  Journal  of  the  House  (N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  4:  784 j,  the  vote  for 
making  Oyster  River  a  town  passed 
the  House  May  11,  1732,  and  "his 
Excellency  was  pleased  to  give  his 
consent"  thereto.  May  12.  The  bill 
was  still  further  sanctioned  by  the 
Governor  and  Council,  May  15,  fol- 
lowing. 

Oyster  Rivkr  Banks.  Descend- 
ing Oyster  river  from  the  bridge  at 
the  foot  of  Durham  falls,  are  the 
half-ruined  wharves  on  both  shores, 
where  many  vessels  were  built  and 
launched  in  more  enterprising  days. 
At  the  right,  iramediatel}'  above  the 
first  wharf,  rises  the  steep  hill  where 


lyo 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


stood  the  meeting-bouse,  built  in 
1716,  beneath  whicli  the  gunpowder 
from  Fort  William  and  Mary  was  for 
a  time  stored  in  1774.  Just  below 
is  Gen.  Sullivan's  house,  its  terraced 
garden  extending  to  the  very  shore. 
Farther  down  is  a  small  creek  ;  then 
comes  the  Sea  Wall,  built  a  century 
or  more  ago  to  protect  the  bank  from 
the  encroaching  tide.  Near  it  is  an- 
other creek,  no  doubt  the  upper 
bound  of  the  Ambrose  Gibbous  grant, 
laid  out  to  Robert  Burnham  in  1661. 
Below  is  Nigger  Point,  then  comes 
Biirnham's  Point,  with  Parson  Buss's 
Pulpit  at  the  lower  side.  Well  cove 
is  on  the  upper  side.  A  short  dis- 
tance farther  down  is  Burnham's 
creek,  into  which  empties  CutVs  brook, 
otherwise  Sandy  brook.  Then  come 
the  Burnham  Oaks  and  the  Old  Wo- 
man's Sliding- Place,  where  the  bank, 
generally  steep,  slopes  down  eighteen 
or  twenty  feet  to  the  river,  and  is 
always  bare.  Here,  in  the  river,  is 
the  Roundabout,  well  known  to  boat- 
men. There  is  no  bend  in  the  river 
itself,  like  the  Roundabout  in  the 
Squamscot,-'  but  the  name  is  given  to 
a  deep  groove  or  furrow  in  the  very 
bed  of  the  river,  which,  off  the  Burn- 
ham Oaks,  sweeps  around  towards 
Ledge  loharf  on  the  opposite  shore, 
forming  a  deep  curve,  and  then  re- 
turns toward  the  lower  bank.  Below 
the  Oaks  are  two  small  creeks.  Then 
comes  Mathes's  creek,  formerly  Stev- 
enson's,  with  Oyster  Point  on  the 
lower  side.  Here  is  one  of  the  oyster 
beds,  from  which  the  river  derives  its 
name.  In  early  times  there  was  a 
ford  across  Oyster  river  at  this  place, 
easily  traversed  at  low  tide  by  people 


on  horseback,  then  the  usual  mode 
of  travelling.  This  ford  is  mentioned 
in  1703  as  the  '' Wading -Place.''  A 
path  or  road  led  to  the  main  thor- 
oughfare across  Long  marsh  to  Exe- 
ter, and  from  the  opposite  side  to- 
wards Dover. 

Two  sharp  rocks  lie  off  this  shore, 
avoided  by  boatmen.  Farther  down 
is  Drew's  Point,  where  the  Durham 
packet  to  Portsmouth  used  to  stop 
for  passengers.  At  the  lower  side  is 
another  small  inlet,  formerly  called 
Wakehami's  creek.  Jonas'  Point  is  be- 
low, at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  is  a 
subdivision  of  Durham  Point,  which 
name,  in  a  general  sense,  is  given  to 
the  whole  neck  of  land  between  Little 
Bay  and  the  lower  part  of  Oyster 
river. 

Returning  to  the  upper  shore,  the 
first  inlet  below  Durham  falls  is 
Beard's  creek,  with  Butler's  Point  on 
the  upper  side.  Farther  down  is 
Ledge  ivliarf  and  two  or  three  little 
creeks  not  named.  Some  distance 
below  is  Jones's  creek,  otherwise 
Johnson's.  The  next  inlet  is  Bank- 
er's creek.  Here  is  the  upper  oyster 
bed,  and  the  upper  end  of  the  old 
ford,  whence  a  road  was  laid  oat  to- 
wards Dover  at  an  early  day.  Gil- 
more's  Point  is  not  far  below, — so 
named  from  James  Gilmore,  who 
lived  in  Durham  at  the  Revolutionary 
period.  At  the  mouth  of  a  creek 
farther  down,  between  the  old  Smith 
and  Davis  lands,  is  Barnes'  Island, 
otherwise  Bodge's.  Passing  another 
small  creek  called  Davis's  creek,  you 
come,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  to 
Half-Tide  Rock,  so  called  from  its 
being  covered  when  the  tide    is   half 


1  The  beautiful  Rotindabout  in  the  Squamscot  river,  winding  through  a  verdant  meadow,  is 
in  full  sight  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  K.  R.,  between  Exeter  and  South  Newmarket,  at  the  east 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


171 


wa}'  up.    Below  is  another  rock,  called 
by  the  boatmen  '•'■  Half -Tide,  Junior." 

Oyster  River  Falls.  The  first 
falls  in  Oyster  river  below  its  source 
are  at  Layn's  mills  in  Lee,  where  a 
sawmill  seems  to  have  been  erected 
before  1712.     (See  Newtoion  Mill.) 

The  second  falls  are  also  in  New- 
town, between  the  present  residences 
of  Mr.  H.  B.  Snell  and  Mr.  C.  H. 
Jones.  A  grist-mill  was  built  here 
in  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
called  the  Snell  mill,  from  Thomas 
Snell,  to  whose  wife  "  Johaunah " 
was  conveyed,  June  27,  1737,  by  her 
parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Pink- 
ham,  one  half  of  a  grant  of  35  acres, 
"  laid  out  on  both  sides  of  y''  freshet 
of  Oyster  river,  near  Wm.  Clay's 
land." 

Below  was  another  dam  for  a  brief 
period,  where  stood  a  mill  on  Solo- 
mon Emerson's  land,  now  owned  by 
Mr.  James. 

The  next  falls  are  on  the  borders 
of  Lee,  near  Madbury.  They  are 
called  Dishivater  Falls  —  not  from 
any  turbiduess  of  the  stream,  but 
from  the  scarcity  of  water  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  ;  about  enough 
for  domestic  purposes,  in  fact.  A 
mill  here  is  mentioned  March  10, 
1777,  when  Zachariah  Edgerly  con- 
veyed to  John  Demerit  "■  one  six- 
teenth part  of  a  saw-mill  in  Lee, 
known  by  the  name  of  Dishivater  mill." 
This  seems  to  be  the  '•'•Emerson  milV 
mentioned  on  the  State  map  of  Lee 
in  1803.  Capt.  Smith  Emerson,  Sol- 
omon Emerson,  Moses  Emerson, 
John  Demerit,  John  Demerit,  Jr., 
Isaac  Chesley,  and  Simon  Randall, 
by  an  indenture  of  Feb.  3,  1801, 
agreed  to  provide  their  share  of  tim- 
ber and  rebuild  the  saw-mill   in   Lee, 


"  where  the  old  mill  now  stands, 
known  by  the  name  of  Dishwater  mill." 
It  is  called  the  '•'■Demeritt  mill"  Ap. 
23,  1839,  from  the  chief  owners  at 
that  time.  This  mill  is  still  stand- 
ing, and  now  belongs  to  the  heirs  of 
the  late  Hopley  Demeritt. 

Below  the  Mast  road,  in  Durham,  the 
remains  of  a  dam  may  be  seen,  where 
a  mill  once  stood,  on  land  originally 
granted  to  Henry  Marsh,  and  con- 
veyed by  his  children,  Hezekiah  and 
Dinah,  to  Jonathan  Thompson,  Feb. 
7,  1737-8.  This  mill-site  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Frank  Bunker.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  the 
land  of  Moses  Davis,  who  was  slain 
by  the  Indians  in  this  vicinity  in 
1724. 

A  little  farther  down,  in  a  wild, 
picturesque  spot  near  Blacksnake  hill, 
are  the  best  natural  falls  in  the  river, 
but  too  narrowly  enclosed  by  hills  to 
afford  suitable  mill  facilities. 

Near  the  Boston  &  Maine  railway 
one  comes  to  a  series  of  little  falls  or 
rapids,  extending  nearly  to  Durham 
mill-pond,  one  of  which  was  granted 
May  30,  1699,  to  Lieut.  James  Da- 
vis, Samuel  and  Philip  Chesley,  and 
Wm.  Jackson,  for  erecting  a  saw- 
mill, at  a  rent  of  50s.  a  year.  This 
is  spoken  of  as  "  Chesley' s  mill"  as 
early  as  June  6,  1701,  when  a  road 
was  ordered  to  be  laid  out  from  the 
mast  path  to  Chesley's  mill  on  Oys- 
ter river,  and  over  the  freshet  to  the 
old  way  into  the  commons,  and  so  on 
to  Lamperel  second  falls.  This  is 
the  well  known  "  mill-road  "  to  Pack- 
er's Falls,  which,  however,  has  greatly 
changed  its  course  since  first  laid 
out,  June  24,  1703.  This  mill  was 
afterwards  converted  into  a  grist- 
mill, which  fifty  years    ago  was   run 


172 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover'. 


by  Elijah  Willey.  And  for  a  time 
there  was  a  fuUiug-mill  here,  oper- 
ated by  Mr.  William  J.  Chesley.  To- 
wards the  middle  of  this  century  this 
mill  and  the  water  privilege,  owned 
by  the  Chesley  family  nearly  150 
years,  were  acquired  by  Mr.  McDan- 
iel ;  and  the  grist-mill  was,  for  a  time, 
run  by  Stephen  Kendall,  from  whom 
it  was  sometimes  incorrectly  called 
Kendall's  mill.  This  mill  is  now 
gone,  and  the  water  privilege  here  is 
now  owned  by  the  Boston  and  Maine 
Railroad  Co. 

Below  Chesle3''s  mill,  near  the  so- 
called  "string-piece,"  a  dam  was 
built,  and  a  mill  erected  by  Joseph 
Hanson  in  the  early  part  of  this  centu- 
ry. Both  are  now  gone,  and  only  a 
hollow  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  is  left 
to  attest  the  power  of  the  fall.  This 
hollow  is  often  called  "  the  Pool."' 

The  lowest  and  chief  falls  in  Oyster 
river  are  at  the  head  of  tide  water  in 
Durham  village.  They  are  often 
mentioned  in  the  earl^'  records  as 
"  Oyster  river  falls,"  or  "  the  falls," 
aud  at  a  later  period  as  '•'•Durham 
falls." 

Valentine  HilP  aud  Thomas  Beard 
had  a  grant  of  '■'■  the  fall  of  Oyster 
River"  the  lOtli,  9  mo.,  1649.  Mr. 
Hill  built  a  sawmill  here  before  the 
14th,  5  mo.,  1651,  and  the  following 
year  this  water  privilege  was  con- 
firmed to  him  and  his  heirs.  Na- 
thaniel Hill,  sou  of  Valentine,  for- 
mally renounced  "  all  right  to  Oyster 
river  falls  and  freshet"  Sept.  13,  1697, 
and  the  mill  privilege  here  was 
granted,  March  25,  1699,  to  Capt. 
John    Woodman,     Lieut.     Nathaniel 


Hill,  and  Ensign  Stephen  Jones,  at 
a  rent  of  £7  a  year.  Complaint  hav- 
ing been  made  of  this  sura,  and  of 
the  damage  done  by  the  mill  above 
(Chesley's),  the  rent  was  reduced  to 
£3  a  year. 

Nathaniel  Hill  of  Oyster  River 
parish,  out  of  love  and  affection  to 
his  oldest  son  Valentine,  conveyed  to 
him.  May  10,  1735,  half  of  his  share 
in  y^  saiv-mill  and  grist-mill,  aud  half 
of  his  homestead  and  other  lands  not 
given  his  younger  sou  Samuel,  or 
otherwise  disposed  of,  aud  the  re- 
maining half  at  the  death  of  said 
Valentine's  parents.  Jonathan  Wood- 
man conveyed  to  his  sons  John  and 
Jonathan,  Jan.  10,  1749,  all  his  in- 
terest in  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  on 
Oyster  River  freshet,  so  called,  in 
the  town  of  Durham,  with  all  privi- 
leges, etc.  The  grist-mill  here  is 
again  mentioned  June  27,  1752,  when 
Shadrach  Walton  conveyed  toElipha- 
let  Daniels  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of 
land  "  near  the  falls  where  y^  old 
grise  mill  stood,"  bounded  northerly 
by  "Oyster  river  or  freshet." 

In  the  middle  of  this  century  the 
saw-mill  and  privilege  on  the  west 
side  of  these  falls  were  acquired  by 
Mr.  Samuel  Randlett,  who  built  the 
present  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  in 
1860.  At  the  other  end  of  the  dam 
is  a  machine  shop,  run  by  water 
power,  belonging  to  the  heirs  of 
the  late  Ephraim  Jenkins. 

The  name  of  Oyster  River  Falls 
was  often  given  in  former  times  to 
the  village  which  began  to  spring  up 
around  these  falls  in  the  first  part  of 
the  last  century.     This  village  is  so 


1  In  Kurd's  History  of  Rockingham  and  Strafford  Counties  (1882)  tliis  name  is  incorrectly 
given  as  "  Valentine  Smith."  The  same  mistake  is  made  in  Sanford  &  Evert's  Atlas  of  Straf- 
ford County  (1871).    There  were  no  Smiths  at  Oyster  River  in  1649. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


173 


called  May  5,  1744,  when  Joseph 
Nutter  (son  of  Henry  Nutter  of  New- 
ington)  conveyed  to  Shadrach  Wal- 
ton a  lot  he  purchased  of  "  Volen- 
tine  "  Hill  at  "  a  'place  called  Oyster 
River  Falls,  in  the  township  of  Dur- 
ham." In  the  town  records  of  1747, 
mention  is  made  of  "  the  meeting- 
house at  Oyster  River  falls"  "  the 
meeting-house  at  Durham  Falls," 
and  "  ^/te  Falls  meeting-house."  The 
neighboring  farmers  to  this  day  often 
speak  of  '•  the  Falls,"  when  they  mean 
Durham  village.     (See  Falls  Hill.) 

Nathaniel  Hill  conveyed  to  Wm. 
Odiorne,  Esq.,^  Aug.  9,  1745,  half 
an  acre  lot  in  Durham,  "  lying  at  a 
place  there  called  the  Falls,"  begin- 
ning at  a  notch  cut  in  the  middle  of 
a  log  "  in  the  bottom  of  the  fence  by 
the  country  road  by  the  way  that  the 
logs  and  other  lumber  is  hailed  up 
from  the  mill  Pond,"  thence  running 
S.  64  deg.  W.  5  rods,  3^  ft.  to  "  a 
large  rock  standing  in  the  edge  of 
the  Mill  Pond,"  etc.  (See  Durham 
Falls.) 

Oyster  River  Garrisons.  There 
appear  to  have  been  at  least  four- 
teen garrisons,  or  fortified  houses,  at 
Oyster  River  before  1694,  though 
only  thirteen  have  heretofore  been 
mentioned.^  Ten  of  these  formed  a 
line  of  defence  along  each  side  of  the 
river  itself,  below  the  head  of  tide- 
water— that  is,  below  the  falls  in  the 
present  village  of  Durham.  On  the 
north  side  stood  the  following,  in  the 
same  succession  : 


T.  The  Meader  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  at  the  very  mouth  of 
Oyster  river,  overlooking  the  Pas- 
cataqua.  It  was  built  by  John 
Meader,  who  was  taxed  at  Oyster 
River  as  early  as  1656,  and  had  a 
house  here  before  Sept.  20,  1660,  on 
which  day  Valentine  Hill  and  Mary, 
his  wife,  conveyed  to  John  Meader  a 
corn-field  and  orchard  adjacent  to 
"•  his  now  dwelling-house."  John 
Davis's  land  is  spoken  of  as  "  on  y^ 
west."  John  Meader,  Nov.  18,  1686, 
conveyed  to  his  son  Joseph  his  plan- 
tation near  the  mouth  of  Oyster  river 
where  he,  the  said  John,  tjien  dwelt, 
which  he  bought  of  Mr.  Valentine 
Hill,  together  with  20  acres  adjoin- 
ing, part  of  a  four-score  acre  grant 
from  the  town  of  Dover,  with  the 
houses  thereon,  etc. 

In  the  Indian  attack  of  1694,  when 
the  Oyster  River  settlement  was 
nearly  destroyed,  it  is  stated  that  no 
house  below  Jones's  creek  was  con- 
sumed except  that  of  John  Meader, 
whose  family  had  been  sent  off  by 
water,  and  the  house  abandoned — no 
doubt  because  insufficiently  manned, 
or  because  ammunition  was  lacking, 
as  was  the  case  at  several  of  the  gar- 
risons. John  Meader  was  then  about 
sixty-four  years  old,  but  he  was  still 
alive  Jan.  30,  1712.  If  his  garrison 
was  destroyed  on  that  occasion,  de- 
fences must  have  been  immediately 
set  up,  for  one  soldier  was  quartered 
at  "  John  Meader's  garrison  "  from 
July  18,  1694,  till  the  24th  of  Novem- 


1  Wm.  Odiorne,  son  of  Judge  Jotham  Odiorne,  was  a  ship-builder  and  a  commissioner  for  the 
preservation  of  forests  in  N.  H.  He  married  Avis,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Adams  of  Dur- 
ham. Their  daughter  Hetty  Odiorne  became  the  wife  of  James  Sullivan,  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  1807.     (See  Durham  Falls  Bridge.) 

2  Belknap,  in  his  History  of  New  Hampshire,  mentions  only  twelve  garrisons  at  Oyster  River 
(Huckins's  garrison  had  been  destroyed  in  1689)  when  this  settlement  was  attacked  by  the 
Indians,  July  18,  1694,  on  which  occasion  five  garrisons  and  manj'  other  dwelling-houses  were 
destroyed,  and  nearly  a  hundred  persons  killed  or  carried  into  captivity. 


174 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


ber  following.  And  other  soldiers 
were  stationed  here  from  Nov.  2, 
1695,  till  March  6,  1696.  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Pajy.,  17:645,  657.) 

March  27,  1730,  Joseph  Meader 
gave  his  nephew  Daniel,  son  of 
Nathaniel  Meader,^  eighty  acres  of 
land  "  whereon  I  now  dwell,  lying 
near  the  mouth  of  Oyster  river,  which 
was  formerly  y*  estate  of  my  honored 
father,  John  Meader,  deceased, 
bounded  west  by  the  land  of  James 
Davis,  Esq.,  (son  of  the  above  John), 
south  by  the  river,  or  salt  water,  with 
all  the  houses,  privileges,"  etc.  Dan- 
iel Meader,  as  will  be  seen,  was  liv- 
ing here  Oct.  18,  1748,  when  Colonel 
James  Davis  made  his  will.  At  his 
decease  he  divided  this  homestead 
between  his  sons,  Joseph  and  Lemuel. 
Lemuel  Meader,  son  of  Daniel,  Aug. 
21,  1771,  sold  his  share  (forty-five 
acres)  of  the  homestead  farm,  given 
him  in  his  father's  will,  to  George, 
son  of  John  Knight  of  Portsmouth, 
with  the  dwelling-house  thereon,  and 
all  right,  title,  and  privilege  of  the 
ferry-})lace  heretofore  used  across  the 
river  between  said  premises  and  Fox 
point.  This  became  known  as 
Knight's  Ferry,  but  must  not  be  con- 
founded with  the  ferry  of  the  same 
name  between  Bloody  Point  and  Hil- 
ton's Point.  Lemuel's  portion  of 
the  Meader  homestead  now  belongs 
to  Mr.  Samuel  Emerson,  and  Joseph's 
to  Mr.  J.  S.  Chesley.- 

II.  The  Davis  Garrison.  This 
garrison    stood    near    Oyster    river. 


above  the  Meader  garrison,  and  just 
above  Davis's  creek.  It  was  built  by 
John  Davis  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  an- 
cestor of  the  present  writer,  who 
came  to  New  Hampshire  as  early  as 

1653.  Valentine  Hill  conveyed  to 
John  Davis  of  Oyster  River,  Aug.  14, 

1654,  sixty  acres  of  land  at  the 
mouth  of  said  river,  on  the  north 
side,  ''  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  a 
creek  and  extending  west  south-west 
to  Stony  Brook  cove,  and  so  bounded 
from  the  forementioned  creek  by  the 
river."  Ensign  John  Davis  (he  is 
called  "Ensign"  as  early  as  1663) 
died  before  May  25,  1686,  leaving 
his  homestead  to  his  son  James,  in 
his  will  of  Ap.  1,  1685,  which  runs 
as  follows  :  "  I  do  give  unto  my  son, 
James  Davis,  my  estate  of  houses 
and  lands  with  all  y*  privileges  there- 
unto belonging,  ivherein  I  now  dwell, 
after  the  decease  of  my  wife." 

At  the  Indian  attack  of  1694, 
Lieut.  James  Davis  sent  his  family 
off  by  water,  but  remained  himself  to 
defend  his  garrison,  which  he  did 
most  successfully  with  the  help  of 
his  brother.  Sergeant  Davis — no 
doubt  Joseph.  One  soldier  was  sta- 
tioned at  "•  Ensign  "  Davis's  garrison 
from  July  25,  1694,  till  Nov.  24,  fol- 
lowing. Lieut.  James  Davis  testi- 
fied  Ap.  7,  1696,  that  James  Rolens 
served  in  his  garrison,  "  in  his  Mag'** 
sarvis,"  from  Nov.  2  till  the  18th. 
And  Lieut.  Davis's  account  for  board- 
ing soldiers  from  Nov.  2,  1695,  till 
March    6,    1696,    amounted    to    £3. 


^  Nathaniel  Meader,  son  of  John,  born  June  14,  1671,  was,  as  the  Rev.  John  Pike  records, 
"  slain  by  ye  Indians,  April  25,  1704,  not  far  from  the  place  where  Nicholas  Follet  formerly 
dwelt."  This  was  near  Durham  Point.  Nicholas  Follet's  house  is  spoken  of  in  1680  as  near 
Field's  marsh,  not  far  from  the  parsonage  lands. 

2  As  some  doubt  has  heretofore  existed  as  to  the  precise  location  of  the  Meader  and  Davis 
garrisons,  the  writer,  by  way  of  proof,  gives  many  details  about  the  transfer  of  lands  that 
would  otherwise  be  unnecessary. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


T~1S 


(N.  H.  Prov.    Pap.,  17:  645,    654, 
657.) 

A  road  on  the  upper  side  of  Oyster 
river,  between  Joseph  Header's  and 
Lieut.  Davis's,  is  mentioned  in  1701. 
And  Ap.  9,  1703,  a  highway  was  laid 
out  on  the  upper  side  of  Oyster  river, 
from  the  road  that  led  to  Lieut.  Da- 
vis's, along  by  the  head  of  Joseph 
Bunker's  land,  and  thence  to  the 
King's  tiioroughfare  road  to  Dover. 
James  Davis,  in  his  will  of  Oct.  11, 
1748,  gives  his  son  Ephraim  "  the 
^\&QQ  ivhere  I  now  live ,  between  Col. 
Samuel  Smith's  and  Daniel  Head- 
er's," entailing  it  on  one  of  his  grand- 
sous.^ 

Col.  James  Davis  was,  in  his  day, 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Oyster 
River  settlement.  At  an  earlv  age 
he  organized  and  led  scouting  parties 
for  the  defence  of  the  colony,  and 
was  the  companion-in-arms  of  Col. 
Hilton,  as  related  by  Belknap,  and 
took  part  in  the  expeditions  to  Haine 
and  Port  Royal.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  or  thereabouts,  he  re- 
ceived a  lieutenant's  commission, 
which  was  confirmed  by  the  Hassa- 
chusetts  government  in  1690,  and  re- 
newed by  Gov.  Usher  of  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1692.  Belknap  calls  him 
"captain"  in  1703.  Sixty  men 
under  Capt.  James  Davis,  scouting 
at  the  head  of  our  rivers,  were  or- 
dered to  be  disbanded  Ap.  20,  1703. 
{N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  3:  252.)  He 
was  appointed  member  of  the  council 
of  war  by  the  provincial  government, 
Oct.  18,  1707.  His  muster-roll  of 
1812  is  given  in  the  N.  H.  State  Pa- 


2yers,  Vol.  14  :  3.  He  is  called  "  lieut. 
colonel "  in  the  Dover  Records  of 
1720,  and  '^  colonel,"  in  1721.  He 
was  also  a  selectman  of  Dover  in 
1698,  1700,  and  1701;  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  from 
Dec.  28,  1697,  till  June,  1701,  and 
again  from  Nov.  8,  1716,  till  Nov. 
21,  1727,  when  he  was  about  sixty- 
six  years  old.  He  was  also  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  And  Dec.  9,  1717, 
he  was  made  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas.  He  died  between 
Oct.  18,  1748,  and  Sept.  27,  1749, 
on  which  day  his  will  was  proved. 
He  left  nine  children,  whose  ages,  at 
their  death,  averaged  eighty-seven 
years  each. 

The  cellar  of  the  Davis  garrison 
can  still  be  traced.  From  this  knoll, 
now  so  solitary  and  peaceful,  Col.  Da- 
vis could,  in  that  night  of  horrors  in 
July,  1694,  not  only  hear  the  cries  of 
the  savages  and  their  victims,  but 
could  plainly  see  the  flames  consum- 
ing the  Header  garrison  below,  and 
Beard's  garrison  above,  and,  across 
the  river,  the  Adams  and  Drew  gar- 
risons, with  the  houses  of  Parson 
Buss,  Ezekiel  Pitman,  and  many 
others  in  every  direction — among 
them  that  of  his  own  brother,  John, 
who  was  killed,  together  with  his  wife 
and  all  of  his  children  except  two 
daughters,  who  were  carried  into  cap- 
tivity. 

It  is  still  related  in  the  neighbor- 
hood  how  Col.  James  Davis,  the  vet- 
eran officer  and  able  magistrate,  used 
on  occasion  to  lay  aside  his  carnal 
weapons,  and  convene  religious  meet- 


1  Col.  Samuel  Smith  was  the  son  of  Joseph.  He  inherited  the  homestead  farm,  above  the 
Davis  lands,  on  which  stood  the  Smith  garrison. 

Daniel  Meader,  as  we  have  seen,  was  the  grandson  of  John  Meader,  part  of  whose  home- 
stead he  was  then  in  possession  of. 


176 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


ings  at  his  garrison,  in  which  he  took 
part  in  prayer  and  exhortation,  show- 
ing himself,  as  Butler  says  in  Hudi- 
bras, — 

"  Most  fit  t'  hold  forth  the  Word, 
And  wield  the  one  and  t'other  sword." 

Six  or  seven  persons  from  Oyster 
river  point,  on  their  way  to  the  boat 
from  one  of  these  meetings,  were 
waylaid  and  slain  by  the  Indians  on 
the  Meader  land,  just  below  Davis's 
creek.  Their  bodies,  discovered 
some  days  later,  were  covered  with 
earth  where  they  lay.  This  place  is 
still  pointed  out  by  the  present  owner 
of  the  land,  Mr.  J.  S.  Chesley,  who, 
like  his  father  and  grandfather,  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  state,  continues  to  re- 
spect the  grave  of  these  pious  vic- 
tims. 

III.  Smith's  Garrison.  This  gar- 
rison was  built  by  Joseph  Smith, ^ 
who,  the  3lst,  7  mo.,  1660,  had  a 
grant  of  "  one  small  parcell  of  wast 
land  on  the  north  side  of  Oyster 
River  for  a  house  lott,  provided  it 
intrench  not  upon  anie  former  grant, 
wich  say*^  land  lyeth  Betwine  the 
lott  of  Mathew  Willyames  and  the 
lott  of  Wm.  Willyames,  Juner." 
Sept.  14,  1660,  he  bought  Matthew 
Williams'  forty  acre  grant, ^  bounded 
E.  by  the  neck  of  land  formerly 
granted  to  Valentine  Hill  (conveyed 
by  him,  as  already  shown,  to  John 
Davis  and  John  Meader),  S.  by  Oyster 
river,  N.  by  the  commons,  and  N.  W. 
by  land  granted  Joseph  Smith  by  the 
tow^n  of  Dover. 

There  is  nothing  on  record  to  jus- 


tify a  vague  tradition  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  inclined  to  Quaker  doc- 
trines. At  all  events,  he  acted  on 
the  principle  that  self-preservation  is 
the  first  law  of  nature,  and  made 
good  the  defence  of  his  habitation, 
which  escaped  destruction  in  1694. 
Moreover,  he  availed  himself  of  the 
secular  arm.  Two  soldiers  served  at 
Joseph  Smith's  garrison  from  July 
25,  1694,  till  Nov.  24,  following. 
And  his  account  for  boarding  soldiers 
from  Nov.  2,  1695,  till  March  6, 
1696,  was  6£,  6s.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pajx, 
17:645,657.) 

The  precise  spot  where  Smith's 
o;arrison  stood  is  unknown,  but  it  is 
believed  to  have  been  near  Oyster 
river,  on  the  south  side  of  the  turn- 
pike road.  This  land  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Forrest  Smith. 

IV.  Bunker's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  is  still  standing,  entirely 
divested  of  any  appearance  of  forti- 
fication, on  the  upper  side  of  Bunk- 
er's creek,  but  more  remote  from 
Oyster  river  than  the  three  garrisons 
below.  It  was  built  by  James  Bunker, 
who  was  at  Oyster  River  as  early  as 
1652.  Two  soldiers  are  mentioned 
as  serving  at  "James  Bunker's  gar- 
rison "  from  July  25,  1694,  till  Nov. 
24,  following  ;  and  others  from  Nov. 
2,  1695,  till  March  6,  1696.  (N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  17:  645,  657.) 

Wm.  Story,  Wm.  Follet,  and 
James  Bunker  had  a  grant  of  land  in 
this  vicinity  before  Oct.  5,  1652. 
And  James  Bunker  and  Wm.  Follet 
had  the  grant  of  a  neck  of  land  on 


1  Joseph  Smith  was  the  direct  ancestor  of  the  present  writer,  his  daughter,  Elizabeth,  having- 
married  James,  grandson  of  Richard  Pinckhame,  of  Dover  Neck.  Lois,  daughter  of  said 
James  and  Elizabeth,  married  Vincent  Torr.  Their  daughter,  Mary  Torr,  became  the  wife  of 
Judge  Ebenezer  Thompson. 

2  "  Matthew  Williams'  forty-acre  grant  in  the  tenure  of  Joseph  Smith,"  is  spoken  of  October 
29,  1701,  when  a  road  was  laid  out  from  the  head  of  Lieut.  Davis's  land  and  Joseph  Meader's,  to 
the  old  path  leading  to  Abraham  Clark's,  and  so  on  to  the  King's  thoroughfare  road  to  Dover. 


Linidniarks  in  Ancicut  Dover. 


177 


the  upper  side  of  Oyster  river,  tlie 
lOtli,  8  mo.,  1653,  bounded  by  a  line 
from  the  Iiead  of  Thomas  Johnson's 
creek,  where  the  salt  marsh  ended, 
to  the  head  of  the  other  creek  (Bunk- 
er's) where  Jonas  Bine's  marsh  was. 
This  tract  was  sometimes  called 
BunJcer's  Ned'.  Wm.  FoUet's  half 
of  this  neck  was  conveyed  to  James 
Bunker,  son  of  the  above  James, 
then  deceased,  March  28,  "  in  the 
sixth  year  of  our  sovereign  Lady 
Ann"  (1707),  by  Nicholas  Follet  of 
Portsmouth,  "  by  right  of  heir-in- 
law,"  together  with  one  half  of  ten 
acres,  called  ye  Vineyard,  at  the  head 
of  Johnson's  creek,  granted  Wm. 
Follet  and  James  Bunker  in  1653, 
and  also  twenty  acres  of  upland,  ad- 
jacent to  Stoj-y's  marsh}  With  the 
exception  of  three  acres  of  salt  marsh 
given  by  James  Bunker,  Sr.,  to  his 
daughter,  Wealthen,  wife  of  Robert 
Huckins,  the  whole  of  Bunker's  Neck, 
or  "  plantation,"  as  it  is  called,  com- 
prising 236f  acres,  was  divided,  May 
15,  1759,  among  the  seven  children 
of  James  Bunker,  Jr.  A  part  of 
this  (36f  acres),  next  Jones's  creek, 
fell  to  Love  Bunker,  wife  of  Col. 
Thomas  Millet  of  Dover,  and  the  re- 
mainder was  acquired  by  three  of  the 
sons.  A  part  of  this  estate,  includ- 
ing the  old  garrison,  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  the  Bunker  family. 

V.  The  Jones  Garrison.  This 
garrison  stood  on  the  upper  side  of 
Jones's  creek,  and,  like  most  of  the 
old   garrisons  at  Oyster   River,  in  a 


pleasant  situation,  which  speaks  well 
for  the  taste  of  the  early  settlers. 
The  river  is  in  full  sight.  It  was 
built  by  Stephen  Jones,  who  came  to 
this  neighborhood  about  1663,  and 
•  acquired  the  lands  of  Thomas  John- 
son. He  is  called  "Ensign"  in 
1692,  being  one  of  the  three  officers 
appointed  for  the  defence  of  the  set- 
tlement. The  others  were  Capt.  John 
Woodman  and  Lieut.  James  Davis. 
They  probably  had  better  defences, 
and  a  greater  supply  of  ammunition 
than  the  other  garrison  owners,  and 
all  their  houses  escaped  destruction 
in  the  attack  of  1694.  Lieut.  Jones, 
however,  came  near  being  killed  on 
that  occasion.  Three  soldiers  are 
mentioned  as  serving  at  his  garrison 
from  July  25,  1694,  till  the  24th  of 
Nov.  following,  "•  except  one  want- 
ing a  fortnight."  And  Stephen 
Jones's  account  for  boarding  soldiers 
from  Nov.  2,  1695,  till  March  6, 
1696,  amounted  to  £6.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  17:  645,  657.) 

Thomas  Leathers,  aged  75,  in  a 
deposition  of  Aug.  1,  1776,  states 
that  the  family  he  was  living  with, 
when  young,  having  moved  to  Capt, 
Stephen  Jones's,  to  garrison  during 
Queen  Anne's  war,  he  also  went 
there.  Jones's  garrison  was  burnt 
down  before  May  9,  1732,  when 
"  Stephen  Jones  of  Oyster  River," 
son  of  the  above  Stephen,  declared 
upon  oath  in  the  N.  H.  General 
Assembly,  tha^  "  when  his  father's 
house  was   burnt  he  had  in  his  chest 


'  Wm.  Story  died  before  Oct.  9,  1660,  and  Sarah,  his  widow,  married  Samuel  Au.stin  before 
Jan.  27,  1661,  and  went  to  W^ells,  Me.  May  12,  1662,  thi.s  Samuel  Au.stin,  "  planter,"  with  the  con- 
sent of  Sarah,  his  wife,  conveyed  to  William  ffollet  of  Dover,  the  fall,  and  all  right,  title,  and 
interest  to  Wm.  Story's  land  at  Oyster  River,  consisting  of  140  acres  of  upland  and  a  parcel  of 
marsh  near  Thomas  Johnson's  creek.  Sixty  acres  of  Story's  grant  were  sold  by  James  Bunker 
to  Abraham  Clark.  This  tract  seems  to  have  been  on  the  dividing  line  between  the  Oyster 
River  precinct  and  Dover  proper.  One  hundred  acres  of  the  same  grant  were  sold  April  4, 
1720,  by  Nicholas  Follet  to  Joseph  Jenkins. 


lyS 


Land^naj'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


iu  said  house  forty-two  pounds  of 
this  Province  money."  It  was  voted 
to  indemnify  him  for  this  loss.  {N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  4:  G17,  784.) 

VI.  Beard's  Garrison.  This  gar- 
rison, according  to  tradition,  stood 
east  of  Beard's  creek,  between  the 
present  turnpike  road  and  the  high- 
way to  Dover,  a  short  distance  from 
the  corner.  It  was  built  by  Wm. 
Beard,  who  was  at  Oyster  River  as 
early  as  1640,  and  was  still  living 
here  April  19,  1675,  on  which  day 
he  and  his  wife  Elisabeth  gave  "  gra- 
tisly  and  freely  "  to  James  Huckins 
a  tract  of  land  near  Beard's  creek, 
adjoining  the  Woodman  land.  Tlie 
deed  of  conveyance  was  executed  in 
"ye  new  dwelling-house  of  William 
Beard  of  Oister  River,"  it  is  therein 
expressly  declared.  This  house, 
spoken  of  in  Farmer's  notes  to  Bel- 
knap as  "  garrisoned,"  was,  a  few 
months  later,  assaulted  by  the  In- 
dians, who,  coming  upon  the  "•  good 
old  man "  William  Beard  without, 
killed  him  on  the  spot,  cut  off  his 
head,  and  set  it  on  a  pole  in  derision. 
The  inventory  of  his  estate  was  made 
Nov.  1,  1675.  One  half  of  his  house 
and  lands  was  given  to  his  widow 
and  her  heirs,  and  the  other  half  to 
Edward  Leathers  and  his  heirs,  un- 
less she  should  require  it  for  her 
maintenance.     And    as    to   the   land 


which  said  Edward  did  then  possess, 
it  was  confirmed  to  him  and  his 
heirs. ^ 

It  does  not  appear  who  occupied 
this  garrison  in  1694,  but  Edward 
Leathers  was  subsequently  in  posses- 
sion of  the  land.  At  the  Indian  at- 
tack of  that  year  it  is  said  to  have 
been  evacuated,  and  burned  to  the 
ground  by  the  enemy.  Edward's 
wife,  called  "■  old  Mrs.  Leathers," 
and  one  or  two  others  of  the  family, 
were  killed.  They  must  have  lived 
in  this  neighborhood,  if  not  in  the 
garrison  itself.  William,  his  son, 
escaped  by  running.  It  was  this 
William,  who,  Jan.  9,  1721,  gave  his 
oldest  son  Edward  his  farm, where  he 
then  dwelt,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
highway,^  extending  down  to  Oyster 
river  low-water  mark — apparently  the 
very  land  on  which  Beard's  garrison 
is  said  to  have  stood.  The  Leathers 
graves,  not  far  from  the  river,  may 
still  be  seen. 

A  Joseph  Beard  is  mentioned  in  the 
Durham  tradition  iu  connection  with 
the  destruction  of  this  garrison,  but 
thus  far  nothing  has  appeared  in  the 
old  records  to  verify  this  mention. 
William  Beard  evidently  had  no  sons, 
nor  did  his  property  fall  to  any  of  the 
Beards.  A  "Joseph  Beard  of  Oys- 
ter River"  is  mentioned  in  the  Phil- 
brick  Genealogy  as  the  first  husband 


1  Edward  Leathers— or  Letheres,  as  he  himself  wrote  the  name— the  heir  of  Wm.  Beard,  was 
a  freeman  at  Oyster  River  as  early  as  May  19,  1669,  when  he  signed  a  petition  to  the  Mass. 
government  for  Oyster  River  to  be  made  a  separate  parish.  He  was  constable  in  1681,  and  au- 
thorized to  collect  all  tases  in  arrears.  (See  iV.  Jf.  Proy.  Papers,  I:  308-310,  430-431.)  W^m.  Pit- 
man, in  his  will  of  Nov.  1,  1682,  appointed  Edward  Leathers  "  over.seer  "  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, and  to  .see  that  his  will  was  properly  executed,  a  proof  of  hi.s  good  character  and  stand- 
ing. "  Edward  Letheres,  Senior,"  was  .still  alive  April  6,  1716,  when  he  and  his  son  William 
signed  a  petition  to  Gov.  Vaughan,  the  original  of  which  is  still  extant,  showing  that  they 
both  wrote  their  names  Letheres.  A  part  of  the  old  Beard  land  is  still  In  the  possession  of  Ed- 
ward's descendants. 

2  It  has  been  supposed  there  was  in  early  times  no  road  from  Oyster  river  falls  to  Dover 
except  "  the  King's  highway  "  across  Brown's  hill.  This  is  a  mistake.  The  "  Cochecho  Path 
from  William  Beard's  "  is  mentioned  as  early  as  1668. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


179 


of  Esther,  daughter  of  James  Phil- 
brick  of  Hampton,  who  was  boru 
March  1,  1657.  He  was  probably 
the  Joseph  Beard  of  Dover,  who, 
with  his  wife  P>sther,  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Tebbetts  July  16,  1692,  two 
acres  of  land  on  Dover  Neck  that 
formerly  belonged  to  his  father 
Thomas  Beard,  deceased.  His  wife 
Esther  w^as  appointed  administratrix 
of  his  estate  Feb.  9,  1703.  She 
became  the  second  wife  of  Sylvanns 
Nock  of  Dover  Nov.  12,  1705.  P^n- 
sign  Joseph  Beard,  son  of  the  above 
Joseph  and  Esther,  is  mentioned 
Oct.  7,  1713.  (See  Back  Cove.) 
His  wife  was  P^lizabeth,  who,  with 
their  son-in-law  Richard  Plumer,  was 
appointed  to  administer  on  his  estate 
Dec.  4.  1723. 

Thomas  Beard,  father  of  the  first 
mentioned  Joseph,  was  no  doubt  the 
Thomas  who  had  a  grant  of  land  near 
Sandy  point  in  1642  (see  Sandy 
Point),  and  who,  together  with  Valen- 
tine Hill,  had  the  grant  of  Oyster 
River  falls  Nov.  19,  1649.  His  will 
of  Dec.  16,  1678,  mentions  his  wife 
Mary,  his  sons  Joseph  and  Thomas, 
and  his  daughters  Martha  Bunker 
and  Elizabeth  Watson.  The  latter 
was  probably  the  wife  of  Robert 
Watson  of  Oyster  River,  who  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  1694. 

VII.  Woodman's  Garrison.  This 
garrison,  which  is  still  in  an  admira- 
ble state  of  preservation,  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  noted  of  the 
Oyster  River  defences.  It  is  beauti- 
fully situated  on  the  eastern  slope  of 


a  hill  at  the  head  of  Beard's  creek, 
with  brooks  and  deep  ravines  on 
every  side  of  the  acclivity,  except  at 
the  west.  It  has  a  fine  outlook  for 
an  approaching  enemy,  as  well  as  a 
charming  view  in  every  direction, 
except  in  the  rear,  where  the  rise  of 
land  intercepts  the  pros[)ect.  Dur- 
ham village,  which  did  not  exist  when 
this  garrison  was  built,  lies  at  the 
south  in  full  view,  embosomed  among 
trees  ;  and  at  the  east  may  be  traced 
the  windings  of  Oyster  river  on  its 
way  to  the  Pascataqua.  At  the 
north,  through  an  opening  between 
the  hills,  can  be  seen  the  spot  where 
the  Huckins  garrison  stood  ;  and 
nearer  at  hand,  but  separated  from  it 
by  a  profound  ravine,  is  the  field 
where  occurred  the  massacre  of  1689. 

This  garrison  was  built  by  Capt. 
John  Woodman,^  son  of  Edvvard 
Woodman  of  Newbury,  Mass.,  who 
came  to  Oyster  River  as  early  as 
1657,  and  in  1660  had  a  grant  of 
twenty  acres  between  the  lands  of 
William  Beard  and  Valentine  Hill, 
with  Stony  brook  on  the  south,  ap- 
parently the  very  land  where  he  built 
his  garrison.  He  had  a  captain's 
commission  before  1690,  which  was 
renewed  by  the  Massachusetts  gov- 
ernment that  year,  and  again  by 
Gov.  Usher  of  New  Hampshire  in 
1692.  His  garrison  underwent  more 
than  one  attack  from  the  Indians, 
and  seems  to  have  been  manned  in 
part  by  government  soldiers. 

The  N.  H.  authorities  ordered, 
Nov.  28,   1692,  that  five  pounds  be 


iCapt.  John  Woodman  was  the  direct  ancestor  of  the  present  writer,  through  his  daughter 
Sarah,  who  married  John  Thompson  of  Oyster  River.  Among  the  descendants  of  said  John 
and  Sarah  might  be  mentioned  the  Hon.  Ebenezer  Thompson,  first  secretary  of  state  of  N.  H.; 
the  late  Major  A.  B.  Thompson  of  Concord,  also  secretary  of  this  state  for  many  years;  Mrs. 
O.  C.  Moore  of  Nashua;  Miss  Fi-ances  E.  Willard,  the  well  known  President  of  the  Woman's 
Temperance  Union  ;    Mrs.  Minerva  B.  Norton  of  Beloit,  Wis.,  authoress,  etc. 


i8o 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


paid  for  provisions  for  the  soldiers 
at  Capt.  Woodman's  garrison.  In 
1693  he  represented  to  the  govern- 
ment the  defenceless  condition  of 
Oyster  River,  and  an  order  "  that  six 
men  be  raised  for  Capt.  John  Wood- 
man "  was  issued  Ap.  24,  1693.  (N. 
H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2  :  102-3.)  Six  more 
were  sent  here  Nov.  30,  1695,  and 
one  Dec.  2.  {Ibid,  2  :  174.)  Three  sol- 
diers are  mentioned  as  serving  here 
from  July  25,  1694,  till  Nov.  24,  fol- 
lowing, and  others  from  Nov.  2,  1695, 
till  March  6,  1696.  {Ibid,  17:  645, 
657.) 

Woodman's  garrison  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  monuments  of  early 
times  in  the  state.  Unfortunately  it 
is  no  longer  in  possession  of  the 
family.  The  last  owner  of  the  name 
was  Prof.  John  S.  Woodman  of 
Dartmouth  College.  After  his  death 
it  was  sold  b}'  his  widow,  together 
with  the  adjacent  land  that  for  more 
than  two  hundred  years  had  been 
owned  by  the  Woodman  family. 

VIII.  HucKiNs'  Gakrison.  This 
garrison  stood  on  the  very  outskirts 
of  the  Oyster  River  settlement,  spe- 
cially exposed  to  attack.  It  was  a 
few  rods  south  of  the  house  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Ebenezer  T.  Emerson, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  road.  Oyster 
river  is  half  a  mile  distant  in  a  direct 
line  ;  and  a  mile,  at  least,  following 
the  course  of  the  road.  This  garri- 
son was  built  by  James  Huckins,  son 
of  Robert  Huggins  of  the  Dover  Com- 


bination. James  was  taxed  at  Oys- 
ter River  in  1664.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a  connection  of  Wm. 
Beard  or  his  wife,  who  gave  him  a 
portion  of  their  lands.  Huckins'  gar- 
rison was  destroyed  in  August,  1689,^ 
on  which  occasion  eighteen  persons 
were  massacred  in  a  neighboring  field 
now  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Coe, 
besides  several  others  at  the  garrison 
itself.  Pike,  in  his  Journal,  says 
James  Huggin  of  Oyster  River  was 
slain.  Sarah,  his  wife,^  was  taken 
captive,  but  was  rescued  the  follow- 
ing year  at  Ameriscoggin.  She  be- 
came the  second  wife  of  Capt.  John 
Woodman.  The  Huckins  lands  were 
acquired  by  the  Emersons.  {SeeHuck- 
ins'  brook.) 

IX.  The  Burnham  Garrison.  De- 
scending Oyster  river  on  the  south 
side,  about  a  mile  below  Durham  falls 
as  the  road  winds,  but  half  that  dis- 
tance in  a  direct  line,  stood  the  Burn- 
ham  garrison,  the  exact  site  of  which 
has  been  disputed.  It  was  built  by 
Robert  Burnham,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  Angel  Gabriel,  which 
sailed  from  Bristol,  Eng.,  June  4, 
1635,  and  was  wrecked  at  Pemaquid, 
now  Bristol,  Me.,  August  15,  follow- 
ing. He  was  taxed  at  Oyster  River 
(of  course  for  land)  in  1657,  if  not 
before.  Two  hundred  acres  more 
were  laid  out  to  him  Nov.  9,  1661, 
orisinallv  granted  to  Ambrose  Gib- 
bons,  adjacent  to  the  house  where 
Gibbons  then    lived,    and    where    he 


1  C.  W^.  Tuttle,  in  his  Historical  Papers,  pp.  203-4,  says  Huckins'  garrison  was  destroyed  Sept. 
13,  1689.    He  considers  Pike's  date  erroneous. 

2  A  Sarali  Huggins  lias  become  renowned  in  song  for  her  conquest  of  the  Earl  of  Exeter.  She 
was  the  prototype  of  the  heroine  in  Tennyson's  romantic  poem,  "  The  Lord  of  Burleigh." 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


i8i 


wrote  his  will,  July  11,  1656,  the  very 
day  he  died.-^  One  portion  of  this 
grant  is  a  beautiful  meadow,  now 
chiefly  owned  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Burn- 
ham,  which  lies  along  the  river  side, 
enclosed  among  wooded  hills,  and 
intersected  by  a  runlet  of  water  that 
empties  into  Burnham's  creek.  Ac- 
cording to  the  tradition  in  the  above 
owner's  line,  the  garrison  stood  in 
the  heart  of  this  meadow,  near  the 
runlet, — a  place  with  no  natural  ad- 
vantages of  position  whatever,  and 
where  there  could  have  been  no  cellar 
suitable  for  storage.  This  meadow, 
however,  was  unquestionably  a  part 
of  the  old  Gibbons  grant  acquired  by 
Robert  Burnham,  and  a  house  thereon 
was  no  doubt  erected  at  an  early 
day,  that  sooner  or  later  was  proba- 
bly surrounded  by  defences.  Wheth- 
er this  was  the  original  Burnham 
garrison  or  not  is  to  be  decided 
chiefly  by  the  situation  of  the  Pitman 
land.  At  the  Indian  attack  of  July 
18,  1694,  Ezekiel  Pitman  is  said  to 
have  lived  at  "  a  gunshot's  distance  " 
from  the  garrison,  and  being  awak- 
ened by  the  shout  that  the  enemy 
was  at  hand,  barely  effected  his 
escape    into    the    garrison    with    his 


family.  But  all  the  land  owned  by 
Ezekiel  Pitman  on  the  south  side  of 
Oyster  river  was,  as  far  as  it  has 
come  to  light,  some  distance  below, 
as  will  be  seen. 

Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther 
down  the  river,  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Joseph 
Burnham,  between  Cutt's  hill  and  the 
shore,  is  another  and  more  remarka- 
ble spot,  where  a  constant  tradition 
in  the  owner's  line  places  the  garri- 
son. And  it  would  seem  that  no 
one,  except  for  safety,  would  ever 
have  built  a  house  in  so  inaccessible 
a  place,  certainly  not  a  mere  dwell- 
ing-house. It  is  a  steep,  craggy  hill, 
precipitous  for  the  most  part,  so  it 
could  have  been  made  absolutely  im- 
pregnable after  the  mode  of  warfare 
in  those  days.  It  is  not  surprising 
the  Indians  did  not  venture  to  attack 
so  strong  a  hold,  when  they  found 
the  inmates  on  the  alert.  There  is 
just  room  enough  on  the  top  for  the 
buildings  and  a  palisade.  The  cel- 
lar, with  its  stone  wall,  is  still  per- 
fect, as  well  as  a  smaller  cellar, 
entirely  separate,  which  no  doubt  was 
for  ammunition  and  other  dry  storage. 
These  two  cellars  are  mentioned  more 


1  Ambrose  Gibbons  owned  land  at  Oyster  river  before  tlie  3d,  12  mo.,  1640  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1: 
141.)  He  was  one  of  the  agents  sent  over  by  Capt.  John  Mason  in  the  spring  of  1630.  He  sailed 
in  the  bark  Warivick  subsequent  to  Ap.  8,  and  arrived  before  July  21  of  that  year.  He  first  set- 
tled on  the  Newichawannocli,  where  he  established  a  trading-post,  built  a  saw-mill,  and 
attempted  the  cultivation  of  the  grapevine.  His  wife  and  child  came  over  in  1631.  This  child 
is  often  spoken  of  in  the  letters  to  Gibbons.  (See  N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  Vol.  I.)  One  from  George 
Vaughan,  dated  at  "  Boston,  Aug.  20,  1634,"  affectionately  mentions  "  little  Beck."  Her  name 
was  Rebecca.  She  afterward  married  Henry  Sherburne,  also  one  of  Mason's  coloni.sts.  Her 
grandson,  the  Hon.  Henry  Sherburne,  married  Dorothy,  sister  of  Lieutenant  Gov.  John  Went- 
worth.  Her  granddaughter,  Bridget,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary  (Sherburne)  Sloper,  mar- 
ried, March  29, 1684,  John  Chevalier,  otherwise  Knight,  who  acquired  Knight's  ferry  at  Bloody 
Point. 

Ambrose  Gibbons  belonged  to  the  Dover  Combination,  and  Sept.  27,  1648,  was  one  of  the  five 
men  charged  with  the  prudential  affairs  of  the  town.  He  was  also  a  magistrate.  Oct.  5,  1652. 
he  had  a  grant  of  the  mill-privilege  at  the  head  of  Thomas  Johnson's  creek.  He  was  then 
living  on  the  south  side  of  Ovster  river,  on  land  now  owned  by  Col.  Burnham,  and  adjacent  to 
the  tract  of  200  acres  granted  nim  by  the  town  at  the  above  date.  He  bequeathed  all  his  prop- 
erty to  his  grandson,  Samuel  Sherburne,  son  of  his  only  child,  Rebecca.  Ambrose  Gibbons  is 
said  to  have  been  buried  at  Sanders's  Point,  just  across  the  bridge  from  the  Wentworth  House 
at  New  Castle. 


l82 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


than  once  in  the  Bnrnham  records  of 
last  century  as  "  the  cellar  "  and  "  the 
cellar  house."  At  one  end  of  the 
garrison  cellar  a  depression  marks  the 
place  of  the  "  little  barn,"  also  spoken 
of  in  the  same  records.  The  house 
had  a  frame  of  huge  timbers  of  white 
oak,  some  of  which  were  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  present  farm 
buildings.  There  is  a  never-failing 
spring  near  the  foot  of  the  hill. 
A  growth  of  young  pines  on  one  side 
of  this  hill  now  screens  the  sum- 
mit from  the  river.  Through  the 
branches  you  catch  here  and  there  a 
glimpse  of  the  water,  and  before  they 
sprang  up  Oyster  river  was  in  full 
view,  especially  up-stream,  in  the 
direction  of  Durham  falls. 

The  chief  point  in  favor  of  this 
being  the  real  site  of  the  Burnham 
garrison  of  1694  is  the  proximity  of 
the  Pitman  land.  Directly  beneath 
the  hill,  on  the  lower  side,  is  the  field 
known  from  time  immemorial  as  the 
"Pitman  field,"  where  still  remain 
several  trees  of  the  Pitman  orchard, 
which  was  much  more  extensive  a 
few  years  ago.  The  county  records 
show  that  this  very  land  was  con- 
veyed to  Wra.  Pitman  and  his  son 
Ezekiel,  Nov.  23,  1664.  The  inven- 
tory of  Ezekiel's  estate,  Jan.  2,  1709- 
10,  mentions  his  orchard,  but  not  his 
house,  it  having  been  burned  by  the 
Indians,  and  apparently  not  rebuilt. 
William  Pitman,  son  of  Ezekiel,  sold 
this  land  to  John  and  Robert  Burn- 
ham,  March  14,  1717-18.  The  deed 
of  conveyance  repeats  the  bounds 
exactly  as  given  in  the  deed  to  his 
father  and  grandfather  in  1664.  This 
land  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
heirs  of  the  late  Joseph  Burnham,  a 
descendant  of  the  above  Robert. 


There  seems  to  have  been  only  one 
Burnham  garrison  in  1694,  in  which 
year,  from  July  25  till  Nov.  24, 
"Jeremy  Burnam  "  had  two  soldiers 
stationed  at  his  garrison.  Jeremiah 
Burn  urn's  account  for  boarding  sol- 
diers from  Nov.  2,  1695,  till  March 
6,  1696,  amounted  to  4£.  9s.  {N.  R. 
Prov.  Pap.,  17:   645,  658.) 

The  large  Burnham  house,  now 
deserted,  that  stands  on  a  ridge  at 
the  lower  side  of  the  Gibbons  meadow, 
is  also  said  to  have  been  a  garrison. 
The  frame  is  of  white  oak  timbers, 
still  uudecayed,  fastened  together 
with  large  oak  pins,  and  one  end  is 
lined  internally  with  a  brick  wall, 
originally  pierced  with  loop-holes. 
This  house  was  probably  built  by 
John  Burnham,  son  of  the  above 
Jeremiah. 

X.  Drew's  Garrison.  This  gar- 
rison, destroyed  in  the  Indian  attack 
of  1694,  no  doubt  stood  near  Drew's 
Point,  on  the  south  side  of  Oyster 
river,  where  William  Drew  owned 
land  as  early  as  1648.  He  died  the 
"last  of  April,"  1669.  The'inven- 
tory  of  his  estate  mentions  his  dwell- 
ing house,  one  cannon,  his  fishing 
boats,  the  Hopewell  and  the  Increase, 
and  a  great  amount  of  fishing  tackle, 
showing  that  he  was  chiefly  engaged 
in  fisheries.  His  widow  Elizabeth 
married  Wm.  Follet.  Wm.  FoUet  of 
Dover  and  Elizabeth  his  wife  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Drevv,  June  20, 
1680,  "  a  dwelling-house,  barn,  and 
other  out  housen  buildings,"  stand- 
ing on  a  piece  of  land  that  was  first 
Darb}'  ffleld's,  who  conveyed  it  to 
Wra.  Roberts,  and  he  to  Wm.  Drew, 
adjoining  un^o  and  between  the  land 
of  Tho:.jas  Stevenson  and  y*  land 
thr.'u   formerly  belonged   to   Matthew 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


183 


Giles.  It  was  probably  this  Tliomas 
Drew  (some  say  it  was  Francis)  wlio 
surrendered  the  garrison  in  1694,  on 
the  promise  of  quarter,  and  was  mak- 
ing his  escape  to  the  Adams  garri- 
son, which  stood  below,  when  he  was 
slain.  His  widow  married  Richard 
Elliot  of  Portsmouth.  Richard  Elliot 
and  wife  Mary,  formerly  y^  relict  of 
Thomas  Drew,  and  administratrix  of 
his  estate,  quit  claim,  Nov.  15,  1706, 
to  the  estate  of  Wm.  Drew,  in  favor 
of  his  sou  John,  who.  May  10,  1712, 
conveyed  to  Stephen  Jenkins  all  his 
rights  in  the  real  estate  of  his  father, 
Wm.  Drew  of  Oyster  River,  deceased, 
which  had  been  mortgaged  bv  his 
mother  Elizabeth,  relict  of  said  Will- 
iam, and  administrator  of  his  estate, 
to  Thomas  Drew,  uncle  of  said  John, 
July  8,  1671.  Stephen  Jenkins  and 
wife  Elizabeth  conveyed  to  James 
Langley,  Nov.  0,  1714,  all  the  lands, 
tenements,  and  messuages,  he  bought 
of  John  Drew,  and  Drew  of  Richard 
Elliott,  which  property  was  "  the 
estate  and  possession  of  William  and 
Thomas  Drew,  on  the  south  side  of 
Oyster  river."  James  Langley  peti- 
tioned in  1715  for  a  road  to  the  high-  i 
way  as  he  was  "  penned  up  by  Bar- 
tholomew Stevenson."  This  road 
was  laid  out  the  next  year,  '•'•  begin- 
ning at  Will  Drew's  old  possession." 
(See  Langley' s  Point.) 

Some  think,  however,  that  Drew's 
garrison  was  on  the  Little  Bay  shore, 
where,  in  fact,  Francis  Drew  had 
land  given  him  by  his  father,  to  whom 
it  had  been  granted  in  1653.  The 
surviving  members  of  the  Drew  fam- 
ily no  doubt  established  themselves 
here  soon  after  1694,  and  probably 
erected  defences.  The  Rev.  Hugh 
Adams,   March  3,  1727-8,  admitted 


into  the  Oyster  River  church  "Thomas 
Drew  of  Little  Bay,"  and  Tarasen 
his  wife.  They  had  been  recently 
married,  and  were  living  in  the  old 
garrison  in  1694,  when  they  were 
carried  into  captivity.  The  place 
where  they  lived  after  their  redemp- 
tion was  no  doubt  the  land  of  Francis 
Drew,  above  mentioned,  and  the  same 
now  owned  by  Mr.  James  Kent,  on 
which  an  old  burial-ground  of  the 
Drews  is  still  to  be  seen.  Here,  in 
one  grave,  lie  the  above  Thomas 
and  Tamsen,  and,  near  b}',  a  part 
of  the  fourteen  children  they  were 
blessed  with  after  their  return  from 
captivity.  It  need  not  be  said  that 
the  family  is  perpetuated  to  this 
day. 

XI.  The  Adams  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  built  by  Charles  Adams, 
who  acquired  land  at  Oyster  River 
as  early  as  Ap.  6,  1645.  He  was 
living  near  the  mouth  of  this  river  in 
1671,  when  twelve  acres  more  were 
laid  out  to  him  "  behind  his  house." 
At  the  Indian  attack  of  July  18,  1694, 
his  garrison  was  burned  to  the  ground, 
and  he  himself,  his  son  Samuel  and 
wife,  and  eleven  others,  were  killed. 
They  were  afterwards  buried  in  one 
grave,  beneath  a  mound  still  to  be 
traced,  close  to  the  Mathes  burial- 
ground  at  Durham  Point.  This  huge 
grave  has  always  been  respected  by 
the  owners  of  the  soil.  The  garrison 
is  supposed  to  have  stood  on  the  ele- 
vation immediately  above.  At  any 
rate,  it  could  not  have  been  far  off, 
for  the  Adams  land  at  Oyster  River 
Point  only  comprised  eighteen  acres. 
The  inventory  of  the  estate  of  Charles 
Adams,  Senior,  consisting  of  up- 
lands, salt  meadow,  a  small  orchard, 
etc.,  as  sworn  to  by  his  son  Charles, 


184 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Ap.    1,     1695,     amounted    to    sixty 
pounds  in  value. 

March  4,  1711-12,  "Joseph  Dudy 
and  Rebeckah  his  wife,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Charles  Adams  (Jr.)  de- 
ceased," sold  Francis  Mathes  for 
four-score  pounds  "  a  certain  tract 
or  parcel  of  land  situate  in  Dover 
township,  lying  and  being  on  Oyster 
River  poynt,  commonly  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  Charles  Adams 
his  home  plantation  or  house  lott, 
being  by  estimation  eighteen  acres 
more  or  less,  all  w'^in  fence,  and  now 
in  the  tenure  and  occupation  of  the 
aforesaid  ffrancis  Mathes,  bounded 
on  the  north  w""  the  highway  that 
leads  from  Willey's  creek  to  Oyster 
River  falls,  on  the  south  w""  the 
aforesaid  Mathes  his  land ;  more 
(over),  twelve  acres  of  land  begin- 
ning at  a  marked  tree  behind  the 
aforesaid  house  lott,  and  runs  ab'lOO 
rods  by  the  highway  side  that  leads 
to  Oyster  River  falls,  and  from  that 
extent  it  runs  on  a  straight  line  west 
and  by  south,  or  thereabouts,  to  the 
other  corner,  all  which  said  home 
plantation  or  house  lott  and  twelve 
acres  of  land,  together  with  all  the 
fence  and  growing  stuff,  and  all  other 
the  hereditaments,  liberties,  immuni- 
ties, commons,  water  courses^  etc. 
Signed   by  "  Joseph   Dowdy,  Rebec- 

her      "  her 

kah  -f-  Dowdy,  Esther  -{-  Adams." 

mark  '  mark 

Nov.  23,  1710,  "Easter  Adams" 
personally  appeared  before  James 
Davis,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  ac- 
knowledged the  foregoing  deed.  This 
Esther  Adams  afterwards  married 
Thomas  Bickford,  Jr. 

John  Meader,  Sr.,  aged  about  82 
years,  testified  before  James  Davis, 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Jan.  30,  1711- 


12,  "  that  Charles  Adams,  sen',  did 
peaceably  possess,  build  fence,  plant 
and  Improve  the  land  within  the 
mouth  of  oyster  River,  on  the  south 
side,  .  .  .  joining  to  francis  mathes, 
sen'',  his  land,  aboue  fifty  fiue  years 
ago  and  Euer  since  till  oyster  River 
weare  distroyed,  and  then  the  s"^ 
Adams  was  killed  and  his  house 
burnt  by  the  Enemie." 

XII.  Bickford's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  stood  at  Durham  Point,  a 
little  below  the  mouth  of  Oyster 
river,  but  the  exact  spot  is  not  known. 
It  has  often  been  asserted  that  this 
was  a  mere  dwelling-house  surrounded 
by  palisades,  but  the  owner  speaks 
of   it   as    "  my  garrison,"    Nov.   12, 

1694,  in  a  certificate  about  a  soldier 
stationed  here,  signed  "  Thomas 
Bickford,  comander  of  the  gareson." 
(N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  17:  645.)  Two 
soldiers  are  mentioned  as  servins; 
here  from  July  25,  1694,  till  Nov.  24 
following,  and  others  from   Nov.  2, 

1695,  till  March  6,  1696.  {Ibid,  pp. 
645,  657.)  This  garrison  was  de- 
fended in  an  admirable  manner  at 
the  Indian  attack  of  1694,  by  Capt. 
Thomas  Bickford,  who,  warned  by 
the  alarm  guns  at  the  upper  garrisons 
that  the  Indians  were  at  hand,  had 
sent  his  family  off  by  water,  and 
remained  to  defend  his  house  alone. 
Shouting  forth  his  orders  as  if  he 
had  a  squad  of  soldiers  at  his  com- 
mand, and  presenting  himself  every 
few  minutes  in  fresh  guise  to  blaze 
away  at  the  enemy,  he  deceived  them 
so  effectually  that  they  speedily  gave 
up  the  attempt  to  reduce  a  hold  appar- 
ently so  well  manned.  This  Thomas, 
whose  wife  was  Bridget  Furber,  of 
Welsh  Cove,  was  the  son  of  John 
Bickford,  who  was  living  at  Oyster 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover 


185 


River  as  early  as  July  17,  1645,  on 
which  day  "Darby  fBelcl  of  Oyster 
River,  in  the  river  of  Piseataqua, 
conuty  of  Norfolk,  planter,"  sold 
John  Bickford  his  dwelling-house  at 
Oyster  River,  then  "in  the  tenure  of 
said  Bickford,"  with  a  lot  of  five  or 
six  acres  adjoining,  and  all  the  land 
to  the  creek  on  the  side  towards  Lit- 
tle Bay,  except  the  "breadth"  on 
said  creek  in  possession  of  Thomas 
Willey.  (This  was  the  inlet  after- 
wards known  as  "  Willey's  Creek.") 
June  23,  1684,  John  Bickford,  "  with 
the  consent  of  his  wife  Temperate," 
conveyed  to  his  son  Thomas  "  all  his 
houses  and  lauds  lying  at  the  poynt 
of  Oyster  river. "^ 

The  Bickford  garrison  Ions;  since 
disappeared.  The  land  where  it 
stood,  with  Little  Bay  on  one  side, 
Oyster  river  on  the  other,  and, 
directly  in  front,  the  river  Pascata- 
qua,  with  its  verdant  isles,  swiftly 
coursing  seaward  between  Newington 
at  the  right  and  the  Back  River  dis- 
trict at  the  left,  is  now  owned  b}' 
Mr.  Jeremiah  Langley. 

XIII.  The  Edgekly  Garrison. 
This  garrison  was  built  by  Thomas 
Edgerly,  who  was  taxed  at  Oyster 
River  in  1665,  and  admitted  freeman 
in  1672.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1674,  and  took  part  that 
year  in  the  Rev.  Joshua  Moody's 
trial  for  nonconformity,  on  which 
occasion  he  refused  to  subscribe  to 
Mr.  Moody's  commitment,  and  con- 
sequently lost  his  commission.     Ac- 


cording to  the  Durham  tradition,  his 
garrison  was  destroyed  in  the  attack 
of  1694,  his  son  Zachariah  slain,  and 
he  himself  taken  captive,  but  soon 
after  made  his  escape.  Belknap 
says  the  garrison  was  evacuated  and 
destroyed,  but  he  shortly  after  states 
that  Thomas  Edgerly,  by  concealing 
himself  in  his  cellar,  preserved  his 
house,  though  twice  set  on  fire. 
That  very  year,  however,  not  long 
after  the  attack  of  July  18,  Thomas 
Edgerly  petitioned  the  governor  and 
council  that — as  he  and  his  neigh- 
bors had  been  afflicted  by  the 
Indians,  his  dwelling-house  burnt, 
his  goods  destroved,  and  his  son 
wounded — the  house  of  John  Rand, 
deceased,  might  be  made  a  garri- 
son for  the  defence  of  the  re- 
maining families  adjacent,  and  that 
six  men  might  be  sent  to  defend  it. 
{N.  H.  Prov.  Papers,  XVII:  640.) 
Either  the  Rand  house  took  his 
name,  or  he  erected  a  new  one,  for 
three  soldiers  are  mentioned  as  sta- 
tioned at  Edgerly' s  garrison  Jan.  6, 
1696.  Thomas  Edgerly  was  still 
alive  in  1715. 

The  precise  situation  of  this  garri- 
son is  not  known,  but  it  could  not 
have  been  far  from  the  shore  of  Little 
Bay.  Thomas  Edgerly  had  a  "  plott" 
of  land  at  the  west  end  of  "  Hilliard's 
field,"  conveyed  to  him  by  his  father- 
in-law,  John  Alt,  Ap.  3,  1674.  This 
"plott"  joined  land  already  owned 
by  Pxlgerly,  near  Plum  Swamp,  on 
the  lower  side.     If  the  garrison  did 


1  John  Bickford,  -when  he  left  Oyster  River,  went  to  the  Newington  shore,  where  he  owned 
several  tracts  of  land — one  near  Bloody  Point,  another  at  Fox  Point,  and  a  third  near  Long 
Point,  where  he  established  himself.  His  children  and  grandchildren  intermarried  with  the 
chief  land-owners  in  Newington;  and  their  descendants  are  now  without  number.  The  name 
of  his  wife,  usually  written  Temperance,  has  for  more  than  two  hundred  years  been  perpetu- 
ated among  her  descendants  in  Newington  and  the  neighboring  towns— the  Harrisons,  Down- 
ings,  Knights,  Pickerings,  Goes,  etc.  John  Bickford  and  his  wife  Temperance  were  the  direct 
ancestors  of  the  writer  through  her  paternal  grandmother. 


i86 


Landmai'ks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


not  stand  here,  it  must  have  been  on 
the  south-west  side  of  Long  creek 
(Crummit's),  where  Thomas  Edgerly 
acquired  land  Jan.  28,  1659,  on 
which  he  appears  to  have  been  living 
May  21,  1700,  when  he  conveyed  a 
part  of  it  to  his  son  Samuel. 

XIV.  Goddard's  Garrison.  There 
appears  to  have  been  a  Goddard  or 
Symond's  garrison  at  an  early  day. 
No  mention  is  made  of  it  in  history, 
however,  or  in  the  Durham  tradi- 
tions, unless  it  was  the  garrison  at 
Luhheiiand^  mentioned  in  1693.  (See 
Luhherland  Garrison.)  It  is  referred 
to  March  16,  1735-6,  when  Abraham 
Benuicki  (nephew  of  John  Goddard), 
conveyed  to  his  son  Abraham  a  cer- 
tain messuage  or  tract  of  land  in 
that  part  of  Durham  called  Lober- 
land,  being  part  of  y*'  estate  formerly 
John  Goddard's,  "  beginning  at  y^ 
old  garrison  seller  [cellar],  formerly 
y*  widow  Simonds."  Mrs.  Syraonds 
was  previously  the  wife  of  John 
Goddard,  of  Goddard's  Cove,  who 
died  about  1660,  after  which  she 
married  Michael  Simmonds,  or  Sj^- 
monds.  "  Goody  Goddard"  is  stated 
to  have  chosen  the  appraisers  of  her 
husband  John  Goddard's  estate,  who 
made  the  inventory  June  27,  1667; 
and  Sept.  16,  1667,  "  Mrs.  Welthen 
Simonds "  appeared  before  Judge 
Thomas  Packer,  and  made  oath  as  to 
the  correctness  of  this  inventory. 
She  was  still  alive  Aug.  8,  1705, 
when  John  Woodman,  ICsq.,  one  of 
her  majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace, 
having  been  requested  by  Abraham 
Bennick,    of  Lubberland,   to  receive 


her  acknowledgment  of  an  act  con- 
veying her  homestead  lands  to  her 
grandson,  to  the  exclusion  of  her 
daughter,  he  went  to  see  her,  and, 
after  examining  her  on  this  and  vari- 
ous other  subjects,  he  declared  her 
altogether  incapable  of  making  such 
a  conveyance,  being  non  compos  me7i- 
tis,  and  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge 
had  been  so  six  or  seven  years, 
through  much  infirmity  and  exceed- 
ing old  age. 

Lubberland  Garrison.  This  gar- 
rison is  mentioned  Ap.  24,  1693, 
when  the  government  ordered  two 
men  to  be  impressed  for  the  garrison 
"  at  Lubarland."  (^.  If.  Prov.  Pap., 
2:  103.)  "A  good  garrison"  at 
Lubberland  is  spoken  of  in  a  record, 
supposed  to  be  of  1694,  as  "  cut 
down  and  destroyed"  the  pievious 
summer.  (Ibid,  p.  147.)  This  was 
probably  the  Goddard  garrison. 

Durgin's  Garrison.  William  Dur- 
gin's  garrisou  is  mentioned  in  1695, 
when  soldiers  were  stationed  there 
from  Nov.  2,  till  the  6th  of  March, 
following.  (iV".  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  17: 
657.)  Two  soldiers  at  Durgin's  gar- 
rison are  mentioned  Jan.  6,  1695-6. 
(Ibid,  2  :  175.)  Wm.  Durgin,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  lived  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Bay,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mathes  land.  His  sons  certainly 
owned  land  afterwards  in  the  vicinity 
of  Crummit's  creek.  (See  Matheivs' 
Creek  and  Shooting  Point.)  The 
Landing-place  "at  Durgin^s,  off  the 
west  side  of  Mathews  his  neck,"  is 
mentioned  Dec.  11,  1694.  {Ibid,  2  : 
146.) 


J  This  is  the  "Abraham  Benwick"  spoken  of  by  Belknap  as  commanding  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers in  1724  to  scout  for  the  Indians.  The  name  seems  to  have  been  generally  written  Ben- 
nick  down  to  the  Revolutionary  period,  when  for  some  unknown  reason  it  was  changed  to 
Ben  net. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


187 


David  Davis's  Garrison.  This 
garrison  was  on  tlie  Lubberland 
shore.  Two  soldiers  were  stationed 
at  '"''David  Davis's  garrison"  Jan.  6, 
1695-6.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.  ,2:175.) 
And  his  account  is  given  for  board- 
ing soldiers  from  Nov.  2,  1695,  till 
March  6,  1696.  (Ibid,  17:  657.) 
The  Rev.  John  Pike,  in  his  Journal, 
says  David  Davis  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  at  Lubberland  Aug.  27, 
1696.  Susanna,  his  widow,  soon 
after  married  James  Durgin,  son  of 
William.  Jan.  23,  1699,  "Susanna 
Dorgiug"  was  summoned  to  appear 
before  Lieut.  Gov.  Partridge  to  show 
why  she  had  not  administered  upon 
the  estate  of  her  late  husband,  David 
Davis,  and  why  Roger  Rose,  the 
principal  creditor,  should  not  admin- 
ister. What  became  of  the  garrison 
is  not  known  with  certainty,  but  it  is 
supposed  to  have  been  acquired  by 
John  Smith,  who  bought  land  of 
Roger  Rose  and  was  living  in  this 
vicinity  March  4,  1701-2.  Some  coun- 
tenance is  given  to  this  supposition 
by  the  record  of  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Adams,  who,  Jan.  30,  1722-3,  bap- 
tised "two  sons  of  Susanna  Durgin, 
wife  of  James,  at  Lt.  John  Smith's 
at  Loverland."  This,  of  course,  was 
at  the  so-called  /Smith  garrison. 

Smith's  Garrison.  This  well- 
known  block  house  at  Lubberland, 
not  far  from  the  mouth  of  Lamprey 
river,  was,  it  is  to  be  regretted, 
taken  down  a  few  vears  ago,  and 
without  any  necessity,  for  its  huge 
timbers  were  still  sound,  and  it  stood 
firmly  on  its  base.  Tradition  says 
it  was  the  David  Davis  garrison,  men- 


tioned in  1695.  At  any  rate,  it  was 
no  doubt  the  house  mentioned  March 
4,  1701-2,  when  orders  were  given 
that  Capt.  Peter  Coffin  should  send 
two  scouting  men  from  Exeter  to 
Lamperill  river,  to  the  house  of  John 
Smith,  and  Capt.  Woodman  was 
ordered  to  send  two  from  Oyster 
River  to  said  Smith's,  and  so  back. 
This  was  to  be  done  daily  till  further 
orders.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2  :  363.) 
The  Rev.  Hugh  Adams  speaks  of 
"  Lt.  John  Smith's  at  Loverland" 
Jan.  30,  1722-3.  (See  David  Davis's 
Garrison.)  Smith's  garrison,  at  a 
later  period,  was  sometimes  called 
Frost's  garrison,  and  Blydenburg' s 
garrison,  according  to  the  occupant. 

The  following  garrisons  at  Oyster 
River  were  no  doubt  erected  in  the 
first  half  of  last  century,  or,  at  least, 
subsequent  to  1694 : 

"  Philip  Chesley's  garrison,"  and 
"  the  late  Capt.  Chesley's  garrison," 
are  mentioned  Sept.  29,  1707.  (iV. 
H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2  :  567.)  The  latter 
was  Capt.  Samuel  Chesley,  an  oflficer 
who  took  part  in  two  expeditions  to 
Port  Royal.  From  the  last  of  these 
he  arrived  at  Portsmouth  in  the  sloop 
Sarah  and  Hannah,  Thursday,  Aug. 
28,  1707,  and  that  same  day  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  governor 
and  council  for  further  orders. 
Three  weeks  later  (Sept.  17)  he  and 
his  brother  James,  with  six  other 
young  men,  were  slain  by  the  In- 
dians, while  lumbering  in  the  forest, 
not  far  from  Capt.  Chesley's  house. ^ 
His  widow  Elisabeth  was  appointed 
administratrix  of  his  estate,  Aug.  3, 
1708.     Forty  acres  of  his  land,  with 


1  These  Indians,  supposed  to  have  come  from  Port  Royal,  were  pursued  as  far  as  Lake  Win- 
nipesaukee  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  2:  566.)  The  Rev.  John  Pike  says  the  Indian  who  killed  James 
Chesley  was  slain  on  the  spot  by  Robert  Thompson,  (great-great  grandfather  of  the  present 
writer.) 


1 88 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


a  house  and  barn,  were  acquired  by 
Capt.  Samuel  Emerson,  Ap.  11, 
1717,  and  confirmed  to  him  in  1732 
by  Joseph,  son  of  Capt.  Chesley. 
This  tract  included  the  spot  where 
Capt.  Chesley  and  his  companions 
were  slain,  now  owned  by  Mr. 
E.  T.  Emerson.  The  other  part  of 
Capt.  Chesley's  homestead  lands  (33 
acres),  with  his  "new  dwelling- 
house,"  was  conveyed  to  Philip 
Chesley,  July  30,  1719.  It  is  uncer- 
tain which  of  the  above  houses  was 
the  garrison.  It  stood,  however, 
eastward  of  the  Huckins  garrison, 
probably  on  Buck's  hill. 

Philip  Chesley's  garrison  is  said  to 
have  stood  near  the  Chesley  house, 
now  in  ruins,  popularly  called  "  Ben's 
fort,'"  on  the  road  from  Durham  village 
to  Dpver,  perhaps  on  the  same  spot. 

Another  Chesley  garrison  stood 
immediately  in  front  of  the  present 
school-house  in  Durham  village.  It 
was  built  by  George  Chesley,  who 
acquired  this  land  Oct.  16,  1699. 
According  to  the  family  tradition,  he 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  near  the 
Durham  Point  meeting-house,  on  his 
way  to  Crummit's  mill.  The  estate 
of  a  George  Chesley  was  adminis- 
tered upon  by  his  widow,  Deliver- 
ance, and  his  brother  Joseph,  Sept. 
5,  1710.  Another  George  Chesley, 
as  Belknap  relates,  was  killed  by  the 


Indians  May  24,  1724,  as  he  was 
returning  from  public  worship  with 
Elizabeth  Burnham,  who  was  mor- 
tally wounded  at  the  same  time.^  A 
romantic  tradition  declares  them 
engaged  to  be  married,  and  a  poem 
is  still  extant  bewailing  the  fate  of 
the  youthful  lovers. 

It  is  a  pity  to  spoil  so  touching  a 
romance,  but  the  stern  necessity  of 
adhering  to  the  truth  compels  the 
writer  to  say  that  if  this  was  the 
George  Chesley  who  built  the  garri- 
son, he  must  have  been  at  that  time 
forty-five  years  of  age,  at  least.  This 
may  not  lessen  our  pity  for  the  vic- 
tims, but  it  certainly  dispels  the  ro- 
mance. The  inventory  of  his  estate 
was  made  Aug.  27,  1724.^ 

Another  Chesley  garrison  is  said  to 
have  stood  on  the  Lubberland  shore, 
built  by  Joseph  Chesley,  who  acquired 
land  there  as  early  as  March  26, 
1707.     (See  Chesley's  Islands.) 

A  Davis  garrison  stood  in  the 
Packer's  Falls  district,  the  south  side 
of  Lamprey  river,  built  by  David 
Davis  in  the  first  half  of  last  century. 
He  was  no  doubt  a  son  of  the  above 
David  and  Susanna.  Here  five  gen- 
erations of  the  name  of  David  Davis 
are  said  to  have  lived.  This  place  is 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Ebenezer  Davis, 
who  has  a  son  David.  The  garrison, 
now  gone,  stood  on  a  gentle  eminence 


'  Elizabeth  Burnham  lived  four  days  after  she  was  wounded.  The  Rev.  Hugh  Adams  bap- 
tized her  May  27th,  the  evening  before  her  death,  "  at  her  penitent  request." 

2  That  the  reader  may  not  be  entirely  cheated  out  of  his  romance,  it  should  be  added  that  the 
above  account  has  become  entangled  with  a  more  authentic  story  of  a  young  Chesley  of  last 
century,  who  was  engaged  to  a  Miss  Randall,  of  Lee.  They  were  returning  from  meeting- 
together,  when  they  were  slain  by  the  Indians  on  the  Mast  road.  The  rock  on  which  the 
maiden  fell  is  said  to  be  stained  with  her  blood  to  this  day,  but  unfortunately  it  has  been 
removed  from  its  original  position.  This  legendary  rock  is  referred  to  in  a  ballad,  published 
in  the  TV.  H.  Republican  of  Dec.  30,  1823: 

"  Twice  fifty  summers'  storms  have  beat 
Relentless  on  that  sacred  place; 
As  many  summers'  ardent  heat; 
But  could  not  that  red  stream  efface." 


Landniarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


189 


opposite  the  present  house,  ou  the 
other  side  of  the  highway. 

A  fourth  Davis  garrison,  very 
small  in  size,  is  still  standing,  ad- 
joining the  house  of  the  late  Deacon 
John  Thompson,  about  a  mile  from 
Durham  village.  It  was  no  doubt 
built  by  Jabez  Davis,  son  of  Moses, 
on  land  conveyed  to  him  by  his  uncle. 
Sergeant  Joseph  Davis,  Dec.  2,  1723. 
Like  the  other  small  garrisons,  it 
must  have  depended  chiefly  on  the 
defences  set  up  around  it. 

The  Mathews  garrison,  otherwise 
Mathes,  stood  at  Durham  Point,  where 
is  now  the  house  of  Mr.  Mark  Mathes. 
It  was  no  doubt  built  by  Capt.  Fran- 
cis Mathes,  who  was  living  in  that 
vicinity  in  1712,  when  he  bought  the 
Adams  laud.  (See  Adams  garrison.) 
Dec.  20,  1748,  he  conveyed  to  Valen- 
tine and  Abraham  Mathes,  Jr.,  the 
homestead  where  he  then  lived,  "  be- 
ginning at  John  Bickford's  orchard 
point,  so  the  salt  water  is  y*^  bounds 
to  Joneses  Point  (Jonas'  Point),  and 
Oyster  river,  and  s*^  point  is  on  y® 
northerly  side ;  and  s"^  point  in  y* 
possession  of  Bickford  aforesaid ; 
westerly  by  land  in  possession  of 
Caleb  Wakeham  ;  south  by  a  road 
that  leads  to  Bickford's  aforesaid  and 
his  field  to  y*  Orchard  Point,  just 
mentioned,  together  with  all  build- 
ings," etc. 

Second  Falls  Garrison.  The  Rev. 
Hugh  Adams,  of  Oyster  River,  re- 
cords, Jan.  11,  1719-20,  the  baptism 
of  James,  the  infant  son  of  James 
Tilley,  at  "  the  Garrison  House,  sec- 
ond falls."  He  undoubtedly  referred 
to  the  second  falls  in  Lamprey  river 
(see  Packer's  falls),  which  belonged 
to  the  Oyster  River  precinct,  and  at 
that    time   were     usually    called    the 


"  second  falls."  There  were  at  least 
two  garrisons  in  this  vicinity.  One 
of  them,  called  the  Pendergast  garri- 
son, is  still  standing,  and  now  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Scott.  When  or  by 
whom  it  was  built  is  uncertain,  but 
it  stood  on  land  sold  Oct.  9,  1735,  by 
Eliphalet  Coffin  of  P^xeter  to  "  Ste- 
phen Pendergrass."  The  deed  speaks 
of  it  as  a  tract  of  eighty-four  acres 
in  Durham,  adjoining  Lamprey  river, 
beginning  at  the  river  about  twenty 
rods  above  "  a  run  of  water  near  y^ 
land  formerly  called  Mahermit's 
planting  ground."  A  spring  is  men- 
tioned as  just  east  of  the  lower  bound, 
near  the  river. 

The  Tilleys  do  not  appear  to  have 
owned  any  land  in  Durham.  Men- 
tion is  made,  June  7,  1738,  of  Sam- 
uel Tille,  collier,  and  Jane  his  wife, 
who  conveyed  a  whole  right  of  land 
in  Canterbury  to  Stephen  Pendergast. 

A  Wood^nan  garrison,  probably 
built  bv  Joshua  Woodman,  stood  not 
far  from  Wiswall's  mills,  on  the  upper 
side  of  Lamprey  river.  (See  Shad 
Falls.) 

Oyster  River  Point.  This  was 
the  original  name  of  Durham  Point, 
but  it  is  sometimes  incorrecth^  given 
to  Oyster  Point,  as  March  17,  1720- 
21,  when  two  grants  to  Wm.  Will- 
iams "  att  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
below  Oyster  river  Point,  on  the  east 
side  of  Oyster  river,"  were  re-bounded 
for  his  son  John,  beginning  at  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  then  running  65 
rods  by  said  river  down  to  the  freshet, 
and  thence  27  rods  to  a  great  rock  in 
the  gully,  then  100  rods  n.  easterly 
or  northerly  to  the  Rocky  Hill,  etc. 

Packer's  Creek  and  Point.  Pack- 
er's brook  or  creek  is  mentioned  Nov. 
20,    1723,   when   James   Hains  con- 


190 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


veyed  to  Joshua  Hains  land  in  Green- 
iaiid  that  belonged  to  his  father 
Joshua,  bounded  westerly  by  the 
country  road  leading  from  Packer's 
brook,  so  called,  to  Greenland  meet- 
ing-house, north  by  the  laud  of  Clem- 
ent March,  etc.  Packer's  bridge  is 
mentioned  July  28,  1714,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  line  between  the  par- 
ishes of  Greenland  and  Newington. 
{N.  H.  Town  Pap.,  12  :  66.) 

Packer's  Point  is  on  the  shore  of 
the  Great  Bay,  between  the  mouth  of 
Winnicot  river  and  that  of  Packer's 
creek.  It  is  so  called  on  Phineas 
Merrill's  map  of  Greenland  in  1806. 
The  name  is  still  retained.  It  was 
derived  from  Thomas  Packer,  who 
acquired  part  of  the  Champeruowne 
lands  in  1714.  (See  Greenland  and 
Chanipernoivne's  creek.)  Packer's 
Point,  and  the  lower  part  of  Packer's 
creek,  fell  within  the  limits  of  ancient 
Dover. 

Packer's  Falls.  These  falls  are 
in  that  part  of  Lamprey  river  which 
flows  through  the  southern  part  of 
Durham.  The  name  is  now  confined 
to  the  falls  just  below  the  bridge  on 
the  road  to  Newmarket — the  first 
falls  below  Wiswall's  ;  but  it  originally 
comprised  the  whole  series  of  falls  or 
rapids  along  this  portion  of  the  river. 
These  falls  were  in  early  times  gen- 
erally called  "  the  secoyid  falls,"  a 
name  that  included  the  falls  where 
General  Sullivan  afterwards  estab- 
lished his  mills.  (See  Sullivan's  Falls 
and  Second  Falls.) 

The  name  of  Packer's  falls  was 
derived,  not  from  Thomas  Packer, 
the  sheriff  who  hung  Ruth  Blay,  but 
from  his  father,  Col.  Thomas  Packer, 
also  of  Portsmouth,  who  was  at  once 
physician,  judge,  lieutenant-colonel. 


and  member  of  the  governor's  couu- 
cil.  The  town  of  Dover,  Ap.  11, 
1694,  "  granted  to  Capt.  Packer, 
Jonathan  Woodman,  James  Davis, 
Joseph  Meder,  and  James  Thomas, 
the  hole  streame  of  Lamprele  River 
for  the  erecting  of  a  sawmill  or  mills, 
that  is  to  say,  the  one  half  to  Capt. 
Thomas  Packer,  the  other  half  to  the 
other  fower  men  befour  mentioned." 
With  50  acres  of  land  to  Capt.  Packer 
"■  on  the  south  side  of  the  aforesaid 
falls  or  elsewhere  for  his  couveniency, 
leaving  eight  rods  of  land  by  the 
river  for  a  highway."  And  fift}'  acres 
also  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
adjoining  Capt.  Packer's,  were  grant- 
ed to  Jonathan  Woodman,  James 
Davis,  Joseph  Meder,  and  James 
Thomas.  These  grants  were  con- 
firmed Ap.  16,  1694.  Capt.  Packer 
conveyed  to  Philip  Chesle}'  of  Oyster 
River,  Dec.  1,  1711,  fifty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  Lamprey  river,  which 
had  been  granted  him  by  the  town  of 
Dover,  together  "  with  y^  pri»'ilege 
of  erecting  a  mill  or  mills  upon  y* 
said  river." 

Packer's  Falls  are  so  called  as  early 
as  1718.  (See  Long  Falls.)  They 
are  again  mentioned  Dec.  18,  1724, 
when  James  Basford  of  Dover  sold 
James  Gipseu  one  sixteenth  part  of 
the  sawmill  standing  on  Lamperel 
river,  on  y*  falls  called  Packer's  falls, 
which  s'^  Basford  bought  of  John 
Tasker.  Samuel  Chesley,  March  1, 
1727-8,  sold  Samuel  Linsey  one 
eighth  part  of  the  sawmill  at  the  falls 
in  Lamperel  river  "  commonly  called 
Packer's  falls."  Abraham  Bennick 
conveyed  to  his  son  Abraham,  May 
23,  1737,  one  half  of  a  corn-mill,  now 
standing  on  Lampereel  river,  at  a 
place  commonly  called  Packer's  falls, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


191 


in  Durham,  together  with  one  half 
the  stream  and  privilege  belonging  to 
said  corn-mill.  (See  Shad  Falls.) 
And  May  10,  1739,  Joseph  Smith,  of 
Newmarket,  conveyed  to  Abraham 
Bennick,  Jr.,  of  Duriiam,  all  right 
and  title  to  y^  mill-dam,  and  falls, 
and  land,  granted  John  Goddard, 
late  of  Dover,  deceased,  at  y'  place 
called  or  known  by  y*^  name  of  Pack- 
er's Falls. 

The  first  time  the  name  of  Packer's 
falls  appears  in  the  Durham  records 
is  June  13,  1750,  when  a  road  "to 
Packer's  falls,  so-called,"  was  pro- 
posed. But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  there  are  very  few  Durham  rec- 
ords prior  to  1750,  and  none  before 
1733.  The  following  item  is  entered 
in  1763:  "P^  Mr.  Nicholas  Doody 
for  building  Packer's  Falls  bridge — 
£111.  5s."  This  was  the  Nicholas 
Doody  who  afterwards  changed  his 
name  to  Durell.  -'•  Packer's  Falls 
way"  is  mentioned  the  same  year. 
As  a  locality,  the  name  of  Packer's 
Falls  has  long  been  given  to  the 
southwestern  part  of  Durham,  on 
both  sides  of  Lamprey  river,  extend- 
ing to  Newmarket  at  the  south,  and 
to  Lee  at  the  west./ 

The  first  mention  of  Packer's  Falls 
as  a  school-district  is  Oct.  7,  1783, 
when  £l0^16s.  were  paid  John  Smith 
"  in  lawful  money,  in  full,  for  his  son 
Daniel's  keeping  school  in  the  Pack- 
er's falls  district "  during  the  year 
1782.  There  was,  however,  without 
doubt,  a  public  school  here  before  the 
Revolution,  as  there  certainly  was  in 
Durham  village  and  at  Durham  Point. 

Page's  Pond,  See  No-Bottom 
Pond. 

Page's  Springs.  These  springs 
supply,  in  part,  the  reservoir  belong- 


ing to  the  public  Water  "Works  in 
Dover.  They  are  above  Garrison 
Hill,  on  the  Waldron  land  acquired 
])y  Mr.  Taylor  Page  Ap.  24,  1833. 
The  city  of  Dover  completed  the 
purchase  of  these  springs  in  1889, 
but  work  had  been  begun  at  the 
pumping  station  Aug.  3,  1888,  and 
on  the  receiving  basin  the  followina; 
October. 

Palmer's  Hill.  This  hill,  so 
named  from  Mr.  Wni.  Palmer,  is  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Lee,  on  the 
road  to  the  railway  station. 

Pappoon  Hill.  This  hill  is  at 
Quamphegan,  on  the  road  from  St. 
Alban's  cove,  below  the  turnpike 
road.  The  name  is  derived  from  a 
neighboring  family  of  last  century. 

Parsonage  Pond.  This  is  a  little 
pond  or  pool  in  a  pasture  that  once 
belonged  to  Parson  McClary  of 
Dover,  who  was  installed  May  7, 
1812,  and  dismissed  Aug.  6,  1828. V 
It  is  on  the  western  side  of  the  back 
road  to  Dover  Neck,  about  half  a 
mile  below  the  road  to  Campiu's 
rocks.  It  is  sometimes  called  Blood- 
sucker's Pond. 

Parson  Buss's  Pulpit.  This  is  a 
recess  in  the  steep,  rocky  bank  of 
Oyster  river,  on  the  south  side,  a 
shortdistance  above  Burnham's creek, 
where,  according  to  tradition,  the 
Rev.  John  Buss  used  to  retire  for 
contemplation  and  prayer  in  his  de- 
clining years.  He  was  the  third  min- 
ister at  the  Oyster  River  settlement, 
and  in  the  Indian  attack  of  1694  he 
lost  his  house  and  valuable  library, 
and  being  reduced  to  a  narrow  habi- 
tation and  encumbered  with  a  large 
family,  he  might  well  be  glad  to  take 
refuge  in  this  niche  of  pleasant  out- 
look across  the  swiftly  running  stream, 


192 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


and  here  taste  the  sweets  of  solitude. 
He  doubtless  lived  a  short  distance 
below  Cutt's  hill,  on  a  grant  of  twen- 
ty-five acres  from  the  town,  adjoining 
the  parsonage  lands,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road  leading  to  Durham 
Point.  The  rock  that  formed  the 
seat  of  the  pulpit  has  been  carried 
away  by  irreverent  boys,  but  the 
niche  remains,  looking  like  a  chair  of 
state,  hewn  in  the  side  of  the  cliff. 

Parsons'  Hill.  This  hill  is  west 
of  Wheelwright's  Pond,  in  Lee, 
about  half  a  mile  above  Peter's  Oven, 
on  the  same  road.  The  cellar  of  the 
Parsons  house  thereon  can  still  be 
traced. 

Partridge  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Somersworth,  on  the  line  of  the  Elec- 
tric Railroad,  near  the  corner  of  the 
road  leading  to  Rochester  from  the 
Dover  road  to  Great  Falls.  The 
land  adjoining  the  highway  at  this 
point  is  owned  by  Mr.  Andrews  and 
the  heirs  of  Isaac  Chandler  on  the 
east  side ;  and  on  the  west  by 
Messrs.  Bickford,  Johnson,  etc.  The 
name  was  derived  from  the  coveys 
of  partridges  on  this  hill  in  former 
times,  when  it  was  covered  with 
underwood  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 

Partridge  Point.  Mentioned  Ap. 
2,  1694,  when  30  acres  were  set 
apart  for  the  use  of  the  ministry 
between  Partridge  point  and  John 
Wiuget's,  running  from  the  commons 
on  the  west  side  of  the  road  to  Coche- 
cho,  thence  west  to  an  asp  tree, 
thence  towards  Partridge  Pt.,  then 
to  a  red  oak  uj)on  the  sandy  hill  by 
the  roadside,  and  by  the  road  to  the 
first  bound.  A  highway  to  be  allowed 
from  said  road  to  Wingefs  Marsh. 

Abraham  Nute,  only  son  of  James 
Nute,    Sr.,    in    consideration    of    a 


house  on  the  west  side  of  Back  river, 
conveyed  to  him  by  John  Drew,  con- 
firmed unto  said  Drew  March  16, 
1698-9,  a  tract  of  marsh  and  flats  on 
the  east  side  of  Back  river,  adjacent 
to  Partridge  Point,  "  beginning  at 
said  point,  and  so  down  by  y*  Back 
river  side  three  score  and  two  rods 
to  a  sandie  hill.'''  One  fourth  of  this 
tract  was  conveyed  to  Thomas  Canne 
of  Dover  Aug.  11,  1744,  by  John 
Drew  of  Somersworth,  who  says  it 
was  given  him  by  his  grandfather 
John  Drew  in  his  will.  John  Canne 
of  Dover  and  wife  Love,  Nov.  29, 
1762,  conveyed  to  Francis  Drew  of 
Madbury  a  parcel  of  salt  marsh  on 
the  easterly  side  of  Back  river,  a 
little  below  Partridge  Point,  contain- 
ing one  fourth  of  the  marsh  and 
thatch  bed  in  that  place,  being  all 
that  part  which  his  honored  father 
Thomas  Canne  of  Dover,  deceased, 
bought  of  John  Drew  of  Somers- 
worth, deceased,  Aug.  11,  1744. 

Partridge  Point  is  about  half  a 
mile  above  the  mouth  of  Little  John's 
Creek.  The  name  is  said  to  have 
been  derived  from  the  number  of 
partridges  in  this  vicinity. 

Pascassick  River,  otherwise  Pis- 
CASSiCK.  This  name  was  originally 
given  by  the  Indians  to  Lamprey 
river,  or  to  the  loM^est  falls  in  that 
river.  ' '  Y^  Riuer  called  Pascassokes  " 
is  mentioned  in  the  patent  of  1631  to 
Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  and  others. 
The  name  is  now  given  to  the  chief 
tributary  to  Lamprey  river,  on  the 
west  side.  The  lower  part  of  this 
stream  fell  within  the  limits  of  ancient 
Dover,  but  since  1870  has  belonged 
to  Newmarket.  A  "  mill  on  the  Pis- 
cassick  river,  at  the  Dover  line,"  is 
mentioned  May  22,  1719.    There  was 


Laiidmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


193 


one  here  as  early  as  Ap.  14,  1657, 
when,  by  an  agreement  between  Do- 
ver and  Exeter,  Thomas  Keraball, 
Wm.  Hilton,  and  Robert  Smart  had 
their  right  confirmed  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  mill  at  the  lower  fall  of 
the  Piscassick,  with  the  neck  of  land 
on  the  east  side,  down  to  Lamprey 
river,  except  six  poles  along  the  river 
side.  Also  60  acres  for  tillage  on 
the  west  side,  adjacent  to  the  mill. 
This  land  fell  within  the  limits  of 
Dover.  The  inventory  of  John  God- 
dard's  estate,  June  27,  1667,  men- 
tions f  of  Piscassick  mill.  Robert 
Smart,  Sr.,  of  Exeter,  conveyed  to 
Capt.  Peter  Coffin  of  Elxeter,  mer- 
chant, March  10,  1695-6,  "all  ray 
part  of  the  neck  of  land  which  lies 
within  the  line  belonging  to  Dover, 
and  which  was  granted  to  me  b}'  the 
town  of  Dover,  as  I  was  parte  owner 
of  the  mill  c&Wed  pocassett  mill,  which 
land  lieth  between  Pocassett  river 
and  Lamprill  river."  The  bounds 
between  Dover  and  Exeter,  as  de- 
fined Sept.  18,  1718,  began  at  a 
picked  rock  in  Lamprel  river,  at  the 
lowest  fall,  and  ran  to  the  Piscassick 
river,  about  two  rods  south  of  the 
great  mill,  etc.  William  Smart,  son 
of  John,  conveyed  to  Thomas  Tash, 
Feb.  1,  1754,  twenty  acres  of  laud, 
"■  beginning  at  y*  north  of  Passcassick 
brook,  at  Dover  line,  and  thence  run- 
ning up  y^  middle  of  said  brook  40 
rods." 

A  road  was  laid  out  by  the  town 
of  Durham,  July  20,  1763,  across 
Lamprey  river  through  the  Packer's 
Falls  district,  extending  to  "  the  pis- 
cassick mill  privilege,  then  on  said 
privilege  S.  10  deg.  W.  over  the 
bridge  to  the  dividing  line  between 
Newmarket    and    Durham    18    rods, 


leaving  the  highway  westward  of 
said  line."  The  Durham  accounts 
of  1764  have  the  following  entry : 
"  P*^  for  Building  X'^'''^^^^^^  Bridge 
£.23,  10^" 

Around  the  Nut  and  Bolt  factory 
erected  by  Mr.  Lafayette  Hall  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Pascassick,  on  the 
Durham  side,  but  now  a  part  of 
Newmarket,  is  a  small  village  gener- 
ally called  Hallsville. 

The  names  of  Washucke  and  Watchic 
are  sometimes  given  to  the  Pascas- 
sick river.     (See  Washucke.) 

Pascataqua  Bridge,  otherwise 
PiscATAQUA.  This  bridge  extended 
across  the  river  Pascataqua  from 
Meader's  Neck  in  Durham  to  Fox 
Point  on  the  Newingtou  shore.  It 
was  chartered  June  20,  1793.  The 
land  at  the  Durham  terminus  was 
conveyed  by  Andrew  Drew  to  the 
proprietors  of  the  bridge  Nov.  7, 
1793,  for  the  sum  of  five  shillings, 
"  to  encourage  the  building  of  said 
bridge,  and  in  consideration  of  other 
advantages "  he  might  derive  there- 
from. It  was  one  acre  in  extent, 
"  to  be  laid  out  in  a  square  form,  at 
the  place  the  proprietors  should  deem 
most  advantageous,  provided  that  the 
bridge  be  commenced  within  two 
years,  and  completed  according  to 
the  act  of  incorporation." 

John  Drew  of  Barustead  conveyed 
his  right  to  said  laud  July  24,  1794, 
and  Mark  Meader  conveyed  his  right 
Aug.  20,  1794. 

The  land  at  the  Newington  termi- 
nus was  conveyed  by  Richard  Down- 
ing Nov.  12,  1793,  for  the  sum  of 
five  shillings,  but  "  more  especially 
for  the  encouragement  of  buildiusr  a 
bridge  over  the  Piscataqua  river  at 
and  from  Fox  Point."     It  consisted 


[94 


handfuarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


of  oue  acre,  to  be  laid  out  in  a  square 
form  upon  any  part  of  his  farm  at 
Fox  Point,  then  occupied  by  his  son 
Bartholomew,  wherever  the  proprie- 
tors should  think  proper  to  build,  on 
condition  that  his  deed  should  be 
null  and  void  if  the  bridge  were  not 
begun  within  two  3'ears,  and  com- 
pleted as  directed  by  the  act  of  in- 
corporation. 

The    bridge  was    begun    in    April, 
1794,  and  was    so  far  completed  as 
to  be  opened  for  travel  November  25, 
the    same  year,  with    a   toll-gate    at 
the  Durham  end.     It  was  2,362  feet 
long,  and  38  feet  wide.     It  had  three 
sections.     The   first  was    horizontal, 
and  built  on  piles  from  Fox  Point  to 
Rock   island.      The    second    was    an 
arch  from  Rock  island  to  Goat  island. 
And  the    third,  built    like    the  first, 
was  from  Goat  island  to  the  Durham 
shore.     There   was    a   draw  for   the 
passage  of  vessels.     Thomas  Thomp- 
son, and  John  Pierce  of  Portsmouth, 
were  the  agents  for  its  construction. 
Timothy    Palmer,    of    Newburyport, 
Mass.,    was     the     architect.      Enos 
Whiting,    of    Norwich,    Conn.,    had 
charge  of   the  pile-work    and    clraw. 
There    was    a    planking   surface   of 
nearly  half  a  mile  in  length.     Three 
thousand  tons  of  oak  timber,  2,000 
tons  of  pine  timber,  80,000  four-inch 
plank,  20  tons  of  iron,  and  8,000  tons 
of  stone    were  used   in  its  construc- 
tion. 

This  bridge  was  considered  a  mas- 
terpiece in  its  time,  on  account  of  the 
difficulty  of  its  construction  across  a 
current  of  great  rapidity,  and  for  the 
most  part  fifty  two  feet  deep  at  high 
tide.  Mr.  Gilmor  of  Baltimore,  who 
visited  it  Aug.  19,  1797,  speaks  of  it 
as    "  the   only   oue   of   the    kind    in 


America,  and  a  surprising  work." 
He  made  a  sketch  of  the  bridge,  in- 
cluding the  tavern  on  Goat  island, 
probably  the  earliest  ever  made. 
(See  the  Gilmor  Memorandums,  re- 
cently printed  by  the  Boston  Public 
Library,  which  contains  a  cut  repro- 
duced from  Mr.  Gilmor's  sketch.) 

This  bridge  opened  a  new  highway 
to  Portsmouth,  and  for  fifty  years 
greatly  contributed  to  the  prosperity 
of  that  town  by  directing  thither  a 
portion  of  country  trade,  especially 
after  the  opening  of  the  First  New 
Hampshire  turnpike  road.  The  N. 
H.  legislature,  by  an  Act  of  Dec. 
12,  1803,  granted  a  lottery  for  rais- 
ing $15,000,  to  repair  and  maintain 
Piscataqua  bridge.  Ten  thousand 
first  class  tickets  at  $0  each,  were 
issued  and  advertised  in  the  N.  H. 
Gazette  (Portsmouth)  of  Jan.  17, 
1804.  Some  of  these  tickets  are  still 
to  be  found. 

This  bridge  gave  way  March  8, 
1830,  and  again  in  the  autumn  of 
1854.  In  the  latter  instance  it  was 
repaired  by  the  Messrs.  Frink  of 
Newiugton,  who  had  recently  bought 
it  for  $2,000,  though  it  originally 
cost  $65,947.34.  This  decrease  in 
value  was  owing  to  the  construction 
of  railways,  which  had  diverted  travel 
in  other  directions.  Consequently, 
when  600  feet  of  the  bridge  on  the 
Newiugton  side  was  carried  away  by 
the  ice,  Feb.  18, 1855,  the  owners  could 
not  afford  to  repair  it,  and  the  por- 
tion left  was  removed  not  long  after. 

The  name  of  Pascataqiia  Bi'idge  is 
still  siven  to  the  neighborhood  around 
the  Durham  terminus,  though  only 
the  old  abutments  of  the  bridge  now 
remain.  And  the  school  district  in 
this    part   of    the  town    is  generally 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


195 


called     the    Bridge     or    Pascataqua 
Bridge  district. 

Pascataqua  River,  otherwise  Pis- 
CATAQUA.  Judge  Potter  defines  the 
name  of  this  river  as  "  a  great  deer 
place,"  from  the  Indian  words,  pos, 
great ;  attiick,  deer ;  and  mike,  a 
place.  Sanford  and  Evert's  Atlas 
says  the  Piscataqua  river  was  so 
named  by  Capt.  Martin  Pring,  from 
2nscatus,  fish,  and  aqua,  water,  from 
the  abundance  of  fish  he  found  when 
he  ascended  this  river  several  leagues 
in  1603.  Thoreau,  in  his  '•'•Maine 
Woods"  says  Piscataquis  signifies, 
according  to  the  definition  of  an  in- 
telligent Indian,  "the  branch  of  a 
river.'"  Mr.  Hoyt,  in  his  notes  to 
Tuttle's  Historical  JPajyers,  p.  101, 
says  the  word  Pascataqua  means  "  a 
divided  tidal  place,"  the  river  of  this 
name  being  divided  at  the  mouth  into 
two  streams  by  the  island  of  New 
Castle.  It  no  doubt  does  signify  a 
divided  or  branched  river.  The  Pas- 
cataqua is,  in  fact,  a  forked  river, 
with  two  great  branches — one  coming 
down  from  East  Pond  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  Wakefield,  and  the 
other  from  Great  and  Little  Bays. 
These  unite  at  Hilton's  Point,  whence 
this  confluent  stream  flows  eastward 
to  the  Atlantic,  seven  miles  distant. 

The  Hon.  C.  H.  Bell,  in  his  His- 
tory of  Exeter,  aptly  compares  the 
Pascataqua  and  its  tributaries  to  "  a 
man's  left  hand  and  wrist,  back  up- 
wards, and  fingers  wide  apart.  The 
thumb  would  stand  for  the  Salmon 
Falls  or  Newichwannock  river,  the 
forefinger  for  Bellamy  river,  the  sec- 
ond finger  for  Oyster  river,  the  third 
for  Lamprey  river,  and  the  fourth 
for  I^xeter  or  Squamscot  river  ;  while 
the  palm  of  the  hand  would  represent 


the  Great  Bay,  into  which  most  of 
those  streams  pour  their  waters,  and 
the  wrist  the  Pascataqua  proper."  A 
branched  river,  indeed,  as  the  name 
signifies. 

Different  names  are  given  to  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Pascataqua.  Ac- 
cording to  Belknap,  the  eastern 
branch,  from  its  source  to  the  lower 
falls  at  Berwick,  is  called  the  Salmon 
Falls  river.  Then  it  assumes  the 
name  of  Newichaicannock,  which  it 
bears  till  it  meets  with  the  Cochecho. 
The  early  settlers  on  Dover  Neck 
called  that  part  between  the  mouth 
of  the  Cochecho  and  Hilton's  Point 
by  the  name  of  Fore  river. 

Dr.  Quint  thinks  the  name  of  Pas- 
cataqua should  be  confined  to  the 
western  branch.  At  the  head  of  this 
branch  is  Great  Bay,  the  waters  of 
which  empty  into  Little  Bay  at  the 
Narrows.  The  lower  bound  of  Little 
Bay  is  Fox  ■point,  opposite  which  is 
Goat  island  below  the  mouth  of  Oys- 
ter river.  Cedar  point  \^  just  below 
the  Durham  end  of  the  old  Pascata- 
qua bridge,  with  RoyaWs  cove  at  the 
east.  Beyond  is  Clement's  point,  at 
the  mouth  of  Back  river,  on  the  west- 
erl}'  side.  Between  Back  River  and 
Newington  are  the  Horse  Races, 
where  the  current  of  the  Pascataqua 
is  rapid  and  turbulent.  At  Hilton's 
Point,  otherwise  Dover  Point,  this 
western  branch  unites  with  the  New- 
ichawaunock,  forming  what  the  old 
records  often  call  the  Main  rioer, 
which  flows  thence  in  a  direct  course 
towards  the  Atlantic  ocean.  This 
straight  portion  of  the  river,  between 
Dover  Point  and  the  Narrows,  below 
Boiling  Rock,  is  called  the  Long 
Reach. 

The  chief  points  and  coves  along 


196 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


the  Newington  shore,  beginning  at 
the  Greenland  line,  and  proceeding 
in  the  direction  of  Fox  Pt.,  succeed 
each  other  as  follows.  First  comes 
Pincomb's  or  Pinkhatn's  creek,  near 
the  line — the  upper  boundary  of  the 
old  Pickering  grant.  The  lower 
boundary  is  called  Swadden's  creek, 
otherwise  3IUI  creek.  Oft"  this  shore 
is  Sivadden's  island,  now  often  cor- 
rupted to  Swan  island.  Farther 
down  is  Fabyan's  Point,  formerly 
Starbuck's,  at  the  upper  side  of 
Laighton's  cove.  At  the  lower  side 
of  this  cove  is  Long  2)oint,  otherwise 
Woodman's.  Off  shore  is  Nanney's 
islayid.  Below  is  Small  point.  The 
cove  below  is  no  doubt  the  ancient 
Hogsty  Cove,  at  the  lower  side  of 
which  is  Furher's  point,  at  the  Nar- 
rows, which  separate  Great  and  Lit- 
tle bays.  Below  Furber's  point,  or 
ferry  place,  is  Welsh  Cove,  otherwise 
Welshman's,  with  Dame's  point  at 
the  lower  side,  sometimes  called 
Joshua's  Point.  Then  comes  Dump- 
ling Cove,  with  the  "  Sow  and  Pigs  " 
off  shore,  to  be  seen  at  low  tide. 
Farther  down  is  Bald  Head,  just 
beyond  which  is  Fox  point,  the  most 
prominent  headland  on  the  Newing- 
ton shore.  At  the  lower  side  is  Hen 
island.  We  are  now  in  Broad  cove. 
Midway  along  the  shore  of  this  cove 
is  Pocky  point,  otherwise  Carter's 
Bocks.  At  the  lower  side  of  Broad 
cove  is  Stephen's  point,  now  Bean's. 
Below  is  Coleman's  creek.  Then 
comes  Zackey's  point,  otherwise 
Orchard  point,  with  Trickey's  cove  at 
the  lower  side.  Below  is  Nancy 
Drew's  point,  a  subdivision  of  Bloody 
point,  formerly  the  landing-place  of 
Knight's  ferry.  Just  below  is  the 
point  to  which  the   name  of  Bloody 


Point  is  now  confined.  It  is  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Dover  Point  bridge. 
In  the  river  below,  perhaps  thirty 
rods  from  the  shore,  are  the  Lang- 
staffe  Bocks,  dangerous  to  shipping, 
with  a  wrecked  schooner  now  lying 
near.  On  the  neighboring  shore  is 
Pickering's  Cove,  otherwise  Whid- 
den's,  and  a  creek  which  once  divided 
the  Bickford  and  Carter  lands,  aud 
ran  a  mill.  Below  is  Birch  Point, 
no  doubt  the  Pine  Point  of  early 
times.  Farther  down  is  Uncle  Siah's 
cove,  properly  Downing' s  cove,  just 
above  Patterson's  Lane.  Off  shore 
is  Shag  Rock.  Ragg's  p)oint,  other- 
wise Beetle's,  is  on  the  shore  of  the 
Rollins  farm.  Farther  down  is  the 
Upper  Huntress  landing-place,  now 
owned  by  Miss  Mary  Huntress. 
Below  is  Paul's  Creek,  the  Kenny  or 
Canney's  creek  of  early  times.  Then 
comes  Hill's  cove,  no  doubt  the  old 
Pine  Cove.  A  short  distance  below 
begins  the  Gosling  road,  which  sep- 
arates Newington  from  Portsmouth. 
At  the  lower  side  is  the  landing- 
place  called  the  Lower  Huntress.  A 
ferry  once  ran  from  this  point  to  the 
Eliot  shore,  at  Paul's  ship-3'ard, 
whence  another  road  led  into  the 
country.  Boiling  Rock  is  oft"  the 
Eliot  shore,  a  little  below.  Beyond 
are  the  Narrows.  Here  is  Cult's 
eddy,  the  worst  in  tiie  river.  On  the 
shore  is  Wentworth  Point,  better 
known  as  the  Ptdpit,  so  called  from 
a  I'ock  that  hangs  out  from  the  shore, 
where  sailors  in  passing  formerly 
"■  made  their  manners"  for  the  sake 
of  good  luck,  and  still  do  so  to  some 
extent.  An  anecdote  is  related  in 
Brewster's  Rambles  of  General  Sul- 
livan's refusing  to  pay  the  customary 
mark  of  respect  in  passing  the  Pulpit, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


197 


and  the  raeaus  used  by  the  boatmen 
to  make  him  doff  his  hat.  President 
Cutt,  in  his  will,  gives  his  wife  the 
use  of  land  at  y"  Pulpit  till  his  son 
Samuel  should  be  of  age.  It  was 
here  Madam  Ursula  Cutt  retired 
after  his  death,  and  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  in  1694.  The  Pulpit 
is  now  owned  by  the  Hon.  Frank 
Jones.  Below  is  Cult's  Cove,  with 
Freeman's  Point  beyond,  for  two 
hundred  years  called  Ham's  Point, 
from  William  Ham,  who  had  a  grant 
of  land  here  in  1652,  and  built  a 
house  on  it  before  1654.  On  the 
Kittery  shore,  opposite,  are  Adams 
Oaks} 

Going  up  the  Long  Reach,  the 
river  boatmen,  after  passing  Frank's 
Fort,  used  to  sing  out,  "  Barn  Door  ! " 
as  soon  as  they  caught  sight  of  a 
barn  on  a  distant  hill,  the  doors  of 
which  were  never  known  to  be  shut. 
This  was  the  signal  for  a  dram,  and 
the  men  would  flat  their  oars  and 
take  their  grog,  the  better  to  stem 
the  strong  current  of  the  Long  Reach. 
Another  dram  was  always  found 
necessary  at  the  Horse  Races,  after 
entering  the  western  branch  of  the 
Pascataqua,  where  the  current  is 
very  swift  and  powerful.  And  the 
Oyster  river  boatmen  took'  one  at 
Half-Tide  Rock,  on  entering  the 
mouth  of  that  stream. 

The  name  of  Pascataqua,  variously 
written  Pascataquack,  Piscataway, 
etc.,  was  in  earl}'  times,  not  only 
given  to  the  river  itself,  but  to  the 
entire  settlement  on  both  shores, 
from  the  mouth  upward. 


Pascataqua  Rock.  This  rock  is 
mentioned  in  the  following  convey- 
ance of  June  17,  1674:— "I,  Wil- 
liam ffurbur.  Sen',  for  y*  entire  affec- 
tion I  bear  to  my  son  Will :  ffurbur, 
my  first-born  son,  do  by  these 
p'sents  give  to  him  &  his  heirs  for- 
ev"'  all  my  now  dwelling  house,  both 
y^  old  and  new  one,  w""  my  barn  and 
all  out  housing,  w"*  all  my  Land  from 
Piscataq  Rock  to  the  north  End  of 
Anthony  Nutter  his  land  to  y®  north 
of  this  line,"  etc.  This  was  the 
farm  at  Furber's  ferry.  March  2, 
1704,  Jethro  ffurbur,  of  Portsmouth 
(son  of  Jethro,  deceased,  mariner), 
out  of  love  and  affection,  conveyed 
to  his  loving  cousin,  Jethro  ffurber, 
son  of  William  of  Dover,  his  uncle, 
twenty-five  acres  of  land  at  or  near 
Great  Bay  in  Portsmouth,  fronting 
the  river  between  Pascataqua  Rock 
and  Small  Point,  adjoining  Wm. 
ffurber's  land,  said  land  having 
belonged  to  Jethro's  father,  also 
named  Jethro,  who  intended  to  give 
it  to  Jethro,  son  of  William.  This 
land  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Hoyt. 

Pascataqua  Rock,  which  separated 
the  ferry  farm  from  Jethro  Furber's 
farm,  was,  according  to  tradition, 
the  terminal  bound  of  the  old  Dover 
line  from  Canney's  creek  to  Hogsty 
Cove.  It  was  a  large  slaty  rock  neai- 
the  shore,  which  was  gradually 
broken  up  hy  the  frost,  and  carried 
away  by  the  ice  and  strong  tides. 

Pastures.  Land  for  a  Calves' 
Pasture  was  granted  to  the  settlers 
on'  Dover    Neck    the    oth,    10    mo., 


1  In  this  connection  it  might  be  added  that  Christian  Shore,  at  Portsmouth,  a  name  whose 
origin  has  been  questioned,  was  so  called,  the  writer  remembers  hearing  her  grandmother  say, 
from  the  number  of  baptisms  by  immersion  on  this  shore  by  the  Rev.  Elias  Smith,  a  noted 
"  revivalist,"  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  who  organized  a  Baptist  church  in  Portsmouth 
March  20,  1803. 


ipS 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


1652,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Neck, 
on  the  west  side.  This  pasture  was 
divided  araoug  them,  or  their  heirs, 
Ap.  16,  1722.  As  it  contained  36 
acres,  and  there  were  27  proprietors, 
each  right  amounted  to  one  acre  and 
a  third.  John  Tuttle  conveyed  to 
Amos  Piukham  Feb.  9,  1708-9, 
three  shares  in  the  Calves'  pasture, 
originally  granted  to  Joseph  Austin, 
Wni.  Furher,  and  Thomas  Roberts, 
Sr.,  lying  between  John  Pinkham's 
land  and  a  lane  on  y*  north  side  of 
Hall's  land,  butting  on  y"  Back  river 
on  y®  west,  and  on  y*  lower  way  on 
y^  east.  Nine  shares  were  set  off  to 
Otis  Pinkham  Ap.  16,  1722,  extend- 
ing from  the  spring  below  John  Pink- 
ham's  house  32  rods  by  the  loiv  st7'eet, 
and  36  rods  by  the  water  side,  begin- 
ning at  the  run  of  water  that  comes 
from  the  spring.  And  that  same 
day  eight  shares  were  set  off  to 
Thomas  Canney,  extending  from 
Otis  Pinkham's  head  line  by  the  low 
street  32  rods,  and  33  rods  by  the 
water  side  to  a  fence  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Long  Chttt,  so  called.  It 
is  evident  from  the  above  that  the 
Calves'  Pasture  was  on  the  west  side 
of  Dover  Neck,  below  Pinkham's 
spring. 

An  Ox  Pasture  was  laid  out  in 
Hilton's  Point  swamp  in  1652,  which 
was  afterwards  divided  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Dover  Neck.  Timothy 
Carl  or  Caroll  conveyed  to  John 
Knight,  Sr.,  Dec.  10,  1710,  one 
sh^'e  of  the  ox  common  on  Dover 
Neck,  at  Hilton's  Point,  bought  of 
Samuel  Cromwell.  (See  Hilton's 
Point  Swam,p.) 

Two  "  Quaker  Pastures''  were  also 
granted  to  the  Society  of  Friends. 
One  of  these,  granted  June  25,  1717, 


was  in  the  upper  part  of  Dover  Neck, 
"  between  the  Watering  Gutt  and 
the  Cochecho."  It  is  mentioned 
March  20,  1729-30,  when  a  road  was 
ordered  to  be  laid  out  from  y^  Quaker 
Pasture  to  the  way  that  leads  from 
the  watering  gutt  to  Samuel  Carle's. 
Another  Quaker  pasture  of  ten  acres, 
between  the  Bellamy  and  the  mast 
path  to  Mallego,  was  re-granted 
March  30,  1733,  and  laid  out  July 
25,  1733,  beginning  at  a  poplar  tree 
by  the  head  line  of  Dover,  and  extend- 
ing N.  E.  to  a  pitch-pine  tree  by  the 
way  that  goes  to  Mallego,  and  so  by 
said  way  S.  W.  80  rods,  etc.  This 
pasture  is  mentioned  May  10,  1736, 
when  6  acres  were  laid  out  to  Tim- 
othy Tibbets  near  his  dwelling-place, 
beginning  at  the  east  side  of  y^  hook, 
near  y^  bridge,  and  running  thence 
S.  W.  to  a  road  that  comes  from  the 
Quaker  pasture.  And  Jan.  12,  1742, 
Ichabod  Canney  conveyed  to  Robert 
Hanson  35f  acres  "  in  Malligo  woods, 
at  a  place  called  y^  Sapplings,  on  the 
southerly  side  of  y^  road  y*  leads 
from  Littleworth  to  Barriugton,"  23 
acres  of  which  began  at  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  the  ten  acres  laid  out  to 
the  Quakers. 

A  Sheej)  Pasture  on  Dover  Neck  is 
mentioned  the  5th,  10  mo.,  1659, 
when  a  part  of  it  was  set  off  by  the 
town  for  a  training-ground.  Jede- 
diah  Andrews  of  Salisbury,  Mass., 
and  Mary  his  wife,  conveyed  to  the 
Rev.  John  Reyuer,  Jan.  5,  1669, 
their  dwelling-house  on  the  east  side 
of  Dover  Neck,  and  the  lot  it  stood 
on,  originally  granted  said  Andrews 
by  the  town  of  Dover,  and  laid  out 
the  17th  of  March  An^  Salutis  1659, 
bounded  east  by  said  Reyner's  land, 
north    by  Reyner's   upper  lot,  south 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


199 


by  Mr.  Robert's  lot,  and  west  by  the 
Sheep  pasture.  Edward  Whitebouse 
quit  claim  to  the  heirs  of  Moses  Var- 
ney,  May  29,  1761,  to  three  acres  of 
"  y'  land  called  the  Sheep's  Pasture  " 
which  for  some  years  previous  had 
been  in  possession  of  said  Moses. 
This  Pasture  was  on  Huckleberry 
Hill. 

Patterson's  Lane.  This  lane  is 
just  above  the  Rollins  mansion  in 
Newington.  It  leads  from  the  main 
road  to  an  old  landing-place  on  the 
Pascataqua  river,  below  '■  Uncle  Slab's 
creek."     (See  Patterson's  Point.) 

Patterson's  Point.  This  point  is 
on  the  Newington  shore  of  the  Pas- 
cataqua, at  the  foot  of  Patterson's 
Lane,  where  Joseph  Patterson  had  a 
wharf  last  century.  He  acquired  a 
portion  of  the  Rollins  or  Rawlins 
laud  June  14,  1769,  and  another  ad- 
joining in  1772.  This  land  was 
afterwards  reconveyed  to  the  Rollins 
family  by  Temperance,  his  widow. 
At  the  upper  side  of  Patterson's 
Lane,  in  a  thicket  beside  the  wall,  is 
the  grave  of  Joseph  Patterson,  with  a 
headstone  of  slate,  briefly  inscribed  : 
"J.  P.  A  85.  1787."  (See  Eafffs 
Point.) 

Paul's  Cove.  This  cove  is  on  the 
Rolliusford  shore  of  the  Newicha- 
wannock  river,  below  High  Point.  It 
is  so  called  from  Mr.  Henry  Paul, 
the  proprietor  of  the  adjacent  land, 
whose  house  is  opposite  this  cove. 

Paul's  Creek.  This  is  the  first 
creek  below  the  upper  Huntress,  on 
the  Newington  shore,  and  derives  its 
name  from  Stephen  Paul  of  Eliot,  to 
whom  Winthrop  Pickering  conveyed 
50  acres  of  land,  Ap.  29,  1862,  be- 
ginning at  the  road  from  Fox  Pt.  to 
Portsmouth,  and  running  east  bv  the 


land  of  Isaac  and  Amos  Dow  to  the 
Pascataqua  river.  This  was  no  doubt 
the  Canney  or  Kenney's  creek  of 
early  times. 

Pierce's  Brook.  This  brook  rises 
in  the  Barrington  woods  and  empties 
into  the  Bellamy  river  in  the  upper 
part  of  Madbur}'. 

Pearl's  Ferry.  "  John  Parell"  was 
licensed  to  keep  a  ferry  over  Back 
river  from  his  house  or  landing-place 
over  to  Sergeant  Drew's  usual  land- 
ing-place, March  13,  1722-3;  to  re- 
ceive "one  penny  for  every  inhabi- 
tant so  carried  and  fetched  over,  and 
2*^  for  strangers."  John  Pearl  was 
the  son  of  Nicholas  Pearl,  who  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  not  far  from 
Pudding  Hill  in  1707.  His  ferrv 
seems  to  have  run  from  what  is  now 
called  Nute's  poirit,  at  the  lower  side 
of  Little  John's  creek.  A  public 
road  still  leads  to  this  landing-place 
from  the  main  road  to  Dover  Pt.  It 
was  doubtless  here  that  John  Pearl 
acquired  four  acres  of  land,  conveyed 
to  him  by  Thomas  Waits,  Feb.  18, 
1739-40.  (See  Cromwell's  Creek.) 
Benjamin  Roberts  conveyed  to  John 
Pearl,  Jan.  4,  1744-5,  a  tract  of  land 
ten  rods  square,  beginning  at  the 
corner  where  the  road  that  leads  from 
the  country  road  down  to  Austin's 
mill  crosses  the  wa}'  between  the 
lands  of  Abraham  Nute  and  Benja- 
min Roberts.  And  Roberts  also  con- 
veyed to  John  Pearl,  Aug.  3,  1752, 
four  acres  adjoining  s^  Pearl's  dwell- 
ing-house lot,  previously  bought  of 
said  Roberts,  adjoining  the  highway 
that  leads  by  said  Pearl's  house  down 
to  the  Back  river.  This  laud  was 
sold  b}'  Mary,  the  widow  of  John 
Pearl,  to  Moses  Varney  Ap.  2,  1754. 
(See  CromivelVs  Creek.) 


200 


Landinarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


Pear  Yard  District.  This  name 
is  given  to  the  school  district  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Rolliusford.  Its 
origin  is  shown  by  a  vote  passed  by 
the  town  of  Soraersworth  March  16, 
1793 :  that  "  the  school-house  for 
Number  Two,  or  the  west  district, 
shall  be  at  a  certain  place  called  the 
old  back  road,  opposite  a  certain 
Pear-Yard  in  the  possession  of  An- 
drew Rollins,  or  as  near  said  spot  as 
there  can  be  a  piece  of  land  procured 
for  the  house."  The  '■'Pear  Yard 
district "  is  mentioned  in  the  Soraers- 
worth records  of  1814.  (See  Yard 
Country  Way.) 

Peirce's  Creek  and  Peirce's  Point. 
These  names  are  now  sometimes 
given  to  Packer's  Creek  and  Poi^it., 
on  the  Greenland  shore  of  the  Great 
Bay.  "-Pierces  Pt."  is  mentioned  on 
Chace's  County  map  of  1857.  (See 
Cheenlaiid  and  Packet-'' s  Ct-eek.) 

Pelatiah's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Lee,  on  the  south  side  of  Little  river, 
below  the  sawmill.  So  named  from 
Pelatiah  Thompson,  son  of  Robert 
and  Susanna,  who  was  born  July  15, 
1765,  and  died  Nov.  8,  1843.  It  was 
in  Pelatiah's  early  life  that  his  father 
removed  his  dwelling-house  from  the 
valley  to  the  top  of  this  hill,  where 
it  now  stands. 

Perry's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Madbury,  and  belongs  to  the  same 
ridge  as  Harvey's  hill ;  from  which  it 
is  only  separated  by  a  small  hollow. 
The  Freetown  road  from  Madbury  to^ 
Barrington  crosses  this  ridge.  The 
name  is  said  to  have  been  derived 
from  a  Perry  family,  whose  cellar  on 
this  hill  can  still  be  traced.  A  Mat- 
thew Perry  and  his  six  children  are 
mentioned  in  the  records  of  the  Rev. 
Hugh  Adams.     He  was  no  doubt  the 


Matthew  Pierre,  to  whom  Timothy 
I^raersou  and  wife  Mary,  July  4, 
1736,  conveyed  15  acres  and  146 
rods  of  land  in  Durham,  beginnins: 
at  John  Sias'  east  corner  bound, 
thence  extending  south  to  a  white 
oak  by  Oyster  river  running  by  New- 
town. 

Peter's  Marsh.  This  name  is 
given  to  Starbuck's  marsh  in  Soraers- 
worth, from  Peter  Coffin,  to  whom 
his  father-in-law  Edward  Starbuck 
conveyed  all  his  rights  in  Dover  not 
otherwise  disposed  of,  June  19,  1678. 
"The  bounds  of  a  piece  or  (jlot  of 
marsh  commonly  called  Starbuck's 
marsh  or  Peter's  marsh,  granted 
Edward  Starbuck  by  the  town  of 
Dover  on  y"  30th  of  6th  mo.  1643, 
were  newly  run,  laid  out,  and  bounded, 
June  25,  1735,  for  Capt.  Eliphalet 
Coffin  of  Exeter,  beginning  at  a  heap 
of  stones  on  the  east  side  of  the  road 
that  leads  over  the  brook  that  comes 
out  of  the  great  pond,  a  little  east- 
ward of  the  falls  in  said  brook  or  on 
the  south  side  of  said  brook."  This 
brook  is  known  as  Peter's  Marsh 
brook.      (See  Starbuck's  Marsh.) 

Peter's  Marsh  Brook.  Mentioned 
Sept.  6,  1736,  when  thirty  acres  of 
land  were  laid  out  to  Isaac  Hanson 
on  the  S.  W.  side  of  Salmon  Falls 
river,  extending  up  the  river  to  the 
mouth  of  a  brook  commonly  called 
Peter's  marsh  brook,  thence  up  this 
brook  to  and  along  the  land  of  Eben- 
ezer  Wentworth.  This  is  the  brook 
mentioned  in  the  grant  of  Starbuck's 
marsh  in  1643  as  coming  out  of  the 
Great  Pond.  It  connects  Willand's 
Pond  with  Salmon  Falls  river.  The 
eastern  part  is  now  sometimes  called 
Brown's  brook,  and  the  middle  part 
is  often  called  Tate's  brook. 


Landmm'ks  in  Ancient  Dover 


20I 


Peter's  Oven.  This  name  is  given 
to  a  natural  cave  in  the  side  of  a  steep 
ledge,  a  short  distance  above  Lee 
Hill,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the 
road  to  Barrington.  It  is  mentioned 
July  10,  1721,  when  100  acres  of 
land,  originally  granted  to  Wm. 
Williams,  Sr.,  in  1662,  and  laid  out 
to  Wm.  Roberts  in  1663,  on  the  west 
side  of  "  Whell  Rights  Pond,"  were 
laid  out  anew  to  Moses  Davis  and 
John  Thompson,  Jr.,  beginning  at  a 
pitch-pine  tree  on  the  west  side  of 
the  cartway  that  leads  to  '•^Peter's 
Ouen,  soe  called."  And  again  May 
29,  1752,  when  land  on  "  the  south 
side  of  the  way  leading  from  the 
Place  commonly  called  Peter's  Oven 
to  the  head  of  the  township,"  was 
conveyed  by  John  Pitman  to  Jona- 
than Thompson,  Jr.  One  tradition 
says  this  name  was  derived  from  an 
Indian  named  Peter,  who,  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Wheelwright's  pond, 
succeeded  in  reaching  this  cave,  into 
which  he  crawled,  and  there  died. 
According  to  another  tradition,  it 
was  so  called  from  a  negro  named 
Peter,  who  once  made  it  his  haunt, 
and  gave  it  a  diabolical  reputation. 

The  name  of  "  oven "  is  often 
given  to  a  cave  in  Ireland,  from  the 
Irish  word  Uamhain,  pronounced 
oovan,  whence  the  corruption  of  oven. 
JJamham  is  evidently  akin  to  the 
Gaelic  word  Uaimh,  used  by  Scott, 
who,  in  "•  Waverley,"  gives  the  name 
of  Uaimli  an  Hi,  or  Chieftain's  cave, 
to  the  dwelling-place  of  Donald  Bean 
Lean. 

Picked  Rock.  This  ancient  boun- 
dary is  mentioned  July  12,  1723, 
when  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
N.  H.  General  Assemblv  concerning 
a  bridge  across  Lamprey  river  at  the 


lowest  falls,  reported  that  the  best 
place  for  its  erection  would  be  "at 
the  Picked  rock,  so  called,  a  little 
above  the  first  Dam  in  s**  river."  And 
Benjamin  Thomas,  in  his  report  to 
the  House,  Dec.  13,  1723,  agreed 
that  the  most  convenient  place  would 
be  "  at  a  Picked  Rock  upon  the  lower 
falls,  near  y^  old  Dam."  (N.  H. 
Prov.  PaiJ.,  IV:  124,  125.) 

When  the  selectmen  of  Durham  and 
Newmarket  perambulated  the  dividing 
line  "  from  Lamprey-eel  River  bridge 
to  the  great  bay,"  March  4,  1805, 
they  began  "  at  the  picked  Rock  un- 
der said  bridge,  and  ran  S.  56^°  E. 
264  rods,  to  the  head  of  Goddard's 
Creek,  so  called,  thence  by  the  chan- 
nel of  said  creek  to  the  mouth  thereof 
at  the  bay  aforesaid."  {Durham 
Records.) 

The  Picked  Rock  is  spoken  of  June 
19,  1818,  as  "  in  the  south  butment 
of  Durham  and  Lamperell  River 
bridge,  so  called."  {N.  H.  Toivn 
Pap.,  XII:  390.) 

Andrew  Doe,  Seth  Shackford  and 
others,  Ap.  19,  1823,  conveyed  to 
Daniel  M.  Durell  and  Stephen  Han- 
son of  Dover,  |-f  of  the  saw-mill  ou 
Lamprey  river,  in  Newmarket,  and  f 
of  the  grist  mill,  with  the  fulling-mill, 
all  standing  together,  with  the  same 
proportion  of  all  the  privileges  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  beginning  at 
the  Bryant  rock,  so  called,  on  the 
west  side  of  said  river,  at  high  water 
mark,  then  running  south  60  deg.  W. 
4  rods,  to  the  road  leading  from  Exe- 
ter to  Durham,  then  by  said  road 
northerly  41  ^^^  rods  to  the  picked  rock, 
so  called,  standing  on  the  N.  W.  side 
of  the  southerly  abutment  of  Lam- 
prey river  bridge,  dividing  the  county 
of  Rockingham   from  the    county  of 


202 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Strafford,  and  thence  rnnuing  south- 
easterly to  a  bound  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Lubberland  road,  etc. 

The  Picked  Rock  is  no  longer  one 
of  the  bounds  between  Rockingham 
and  Strafford  counties,  since  the  ces- 
sion of  a  part  of  Durham  to  New- 
market in  1870. 

The  Bryant  Mock.,  above  mentioned, 
derived  its  name  from  Walter  Bryant, 
who,  in  1870  bought  the  Drisco  land 
(see  the  Narrows).,  including  ten 
acres  where  formerly  lived  Philip 
Cromraet,  who  was  licensed  to  keep  a 
ferry  across  Lamprey  river  in  1671. 

Pickering's  Cove,  or  Creek.  This 
inlet  is  at  the  upper  side  of  Birch 
point,  on  the  Newington  shore,  and 
is  variously  named,  according  to  the 
owner  of  the  adjacent  lands.  It  is 
sometimes  called  Whiddeyi^s  Creek. 
A  sawmill  here  is  mentioned  in  1702, 
which  probably  stood  at  the  head  of 
tide  water.  The  fresh  water  brook 
that  empties  into  it  is  mentioned  in 
1664,  when  Richard  Carter  had  a 
grant  of  land  at  Pine  Point  (now 
Birch  Pt.),  which  came  within  four 
poles  of  the  Jreshet.  (See  Pine 
Point.)  This  brook  appears  to  have 
been  the  "Dirty  Gut"  of  early 
times.  (See  Dirty  Gut.)  The  name 
of  Pickering's  Cove  is  derived  from 
James  Pickering,  who  acquired  the 
Walton  lands  in  this  vicinity  shortly 
after  the  Revolution. 

Pickering's  Crossing.  This  cross- 
ing is  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Rochester,  east  of  the  Cochecho, 
where  the  Dover  aud  Winnipiseo- 
gee  R.  R.  crosses  the  highway  near 
the  house  of  Mrs.  T.  D.  Picker- 
ing. 


Pike's  Falls.  (See  Cochecho 
Falls.) 

Pimple  Stone.  This  was  one  of 
the  old  landmarks  hailed  b}'  the  boat- 
men on  the  Pascataqua  river  as  they 
entered  the  western  branch,  and  for- 
tified themselves  for  encountering  the 
Horse  Races  by  means  of  a  copious 
dram.  It  was  a  large  rock  west  of 
Dover  Point,  with  a  broad  white 
stripe  around  it,  rendering  it  con- 
spicuous at  a  great  distance.  Ac- 
cording to  a  legend  this  rock  was, 
when  small,  slung  across  the  river 
from  the  Newingtou  shore  by  an 
enraged  old  housewife,  by  means  of 
a  skein  of  white  yarn  fastened  around 
it.-^  This  skein,  of  course,  produced 
the  white  stripe.  This  is  a  sailor's 
yarn,  however,  which  unfortunately 
cannot  be  verified,  for  the  Pimple 
Stone  was  long  since  blown  up  and 
removed  by  some  odious  utilita- 
rian. 

Pinch  Hill.  This  hill  is  in  Rol- 
liusford,  where  the  turnpike  road  is 
crossed  by  the  highway  to  the  Rollins- 
ford  station.  It  is  mentioned  Feb.  16, 
1721-22,  when  Joseph  Roberts  con- 
veyed to  Benj"  Weutworth  15  acres 
of  land  "  near  y"  hill  known  and 
called  by  y*^  name  of  Pinch  hill, 
bounded  S.  by  land  of  said  Went- 
worth,  and  thence  running  westerly 
to  y*  highway  which  leads  from  y** 
Pine  plains  to  Fresh  creek."  And 
again  Feb.  29,  1733-4,  when  Francis 
Sayer  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  conveyed 
to  Benj"  Waymouth  20  acres  of  land 
in  Soraersworth,  with  a  dwelling- 
house  thereon,  beginning  at  "  Necha- 
wonock  river,"  and  thence  running 
westerly  on  y'^  possession  of  Eleazar 


1  Among  the  legends  of  Cromarty,  in  Scotland,  is  one  of  a  ponderous  stone  whirled  from  the 
point  of  a  spindle  across  Dornoch  firth. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


203 


Wyer^to  a  certain  highway  or  private 
road,  called  Pinch  Hill  road^  to  y* 
s*^  Benj"  Way  mouth's  land,  thence 
southerly  to  a  highway  between  said 
laud  and  y^  former  grant  of  John 
Hall,  Deacon,  thence  easterly  by 
said  road  to  the  river ;  which  land 
had  been  mortgaged  by  said  Way- 
mouth's  father  to  Francis  Sayer. 

Pinch  Hill  was  so  named  because 
it  was  too  sharp  and  nari'ow  to  be 
crossed  by  more  than  one  team  at  a 
time.  Rollinsford,  however,  at  the 
town-meeting  of  1891,  wisely  appro- 
priated S800  for  the  purpose  of  widen- 


ing it. 


Finder's  Point.  This  name,  no 
longer  used,  is  given  on  Smith's  map 
of  Durham  to  a  point  on  the  Lubber- 
land  shore,  between  Jewell's  Pt.  and 
Morris's  Pt.  It  was  derived  from 
John  Pinder,  brickmaker,  to  whom 
John  York  of  Lubberland,  May  16, 
1681,  conveyed  a  tract  of  land, 
"  beginning  at  the  Little  point  in 
Clift  Cove,  adjoining  Thomas  Mor- 
ris's, and  so  over  the  neck  to  a  pine 
tree  by  the  path  to  Lubberland." 
John  Pinder,  Oct.  27,  1701,  had  a 
grant  of  ten  acres  joining  the  land 
where  he  then  lived.  The  Pinder 
land  in  1715  is  mentioned  as  next 
the  Footman  land. 

Pine  Cove.  This  cove  is  on  the 
Newiugton  shore  of  the  Long  Reach. 
It  is  mentioned  Dec.  5,  1661,  when 
240  acres  were  laid  out  to  Capt. 
Bryan  Pendleton  next  to  James  Raw- 
lins, beginning  at  Kennerfs  Cove, 
and  running  down  by  the  river  side 
80  rods  to  pyne  cove,  thence  into  the 


woods  480  rods  to  the  edge  of  the 
pitch  pyine  plaine.  (Portsmouth  Rec- 
ords.) 

Ichabod  Plaisted  of  Portsmouth, 
and  Mary  his  wife,  June  15,  1703, 
relinquished  to  Richard  Gerrish  of 
Portsmouth  27  acres  of  land  in  Ports- 
mouth, part  of  240  acres  formerly 
laid  out  to  Brian  Pendleton,  and  pur- 
chased by  Christopher  Jose  of  Ports- 
mouth, deceased,  bounded  upon  y* 
main  river,  commonly  called  by  y" 
name  of  y^  long  reach,  which  240 
acres  begin  at  Kenny's  Cove  and 
run  by  the  river  80  rods  to  pine 
cove,  thence  into  y"  woods  to  the 
edge  of  the  pitch  pine  plains  upon  a 
S.  S.  W.  line.     (See  Hill's  Cove.) 

Pine  Hill.  The  public  cemetery 
in  Dover  is  on  this  hill,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  city  proper.  Here  stood 
the  third  meeting-house  in  Dover, 
which  was,  according  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Quint,  a  few  rods  from  the  Cushing 
tomb,  a  little  west  of  north.  It  was 
built  before  May  2,  1711,  when 
^  four  acres  were  laid  out  to  the 
Reauerant  Mr.  Nicholas  Seuer  be- 
tween Mr.  Paul  Gerrish  his  liouse 
and  the  new  meeting-house,  begiu- 
ning  at  the  corner  of  the  higliway 
that  leads  from  Cochecha  Road  to 
Campin's  Rocks,  and  running  thence 
north  and  be  west  thirty  rods  by 
Cochecha  Road  to  a  Little  gully," 
etc.  This  grant  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Sever  was  probably  for  a  parsonage. 
His  successor,  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Cushing,  lived  on  Pine  Hill,  where 
his  well  is  still  pointed  out. 

March   29,    1731,   the   town   voted 


iTheWyer  "  possession  "  was  originally  James  Grant's  land,  then  David  Hamilton's,  and 
at  a  later  period  Henry  Nock's,  whose  widow  Sarah,  daughter  of  Charles  Adams  of  Oyster 
River,  afterwards  married  Eleazar  Wyer,  and  conveyed  this  land  to  her  step-son  of  the  same 
name.    This  land  is  now  owned  by  the  Garvlns.    (See  Newichawannock  and  Sligo.) 


204 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


"That  there  be  one  acre  and  a  half 
of  Land  Granted  for  the  use  of  the 
Town  forever,  for  a  public  Buryiug- 
place,  To  be  Laid  out  by  y®  select 
men  near  y*  meeting  house  on  pme 
liill  at  Cochecha."  Nov.  26,  1759, 
the  town  appointed  "■  a  committee  to 
Sell  the  old  meeting-house  standing 
on  s"^  'pine  hill  in  the  best  manner 
they  Can."  It  was  still  standing, 
however,  March  31,  1760,  when  the 
town-meeting  was  held  therein. 

A  school-house  stood  on  Pine  hill 
early  last  century,  and  when  the  church 
bell  was  brought  from  Dover  Neck  in 
1720,  there  being  no  belfry  on  the 
meeting-house  at  Pine  hill,  it  was 
hung,  it  is  said,  on  the  neigiiboring 
school-house.  The  town  voted,  Oct. 
13,  1760,  "to  sell  the  old  school- 
house  standing  on  pine  hill."  It 
was  near  the  present  school-house,  if 
not  on  the  same  spot. 

Another  Pine  Hill  is  in  Newing- 
ton,  mentioned  June  2,  1800,  when 
Seth  Walker,  with  Lucy  his  wife, 
and  Eleanor  his  motiier,  conveyed  to 
Richard  Pickering  5f  acres,  part  of 
a  tract  given  said  Eleanor  and  Seth 
in  tlie  will  of  Gideon  Walker,  begin- 
ning at  the  road  to  Bloody  Pt.,  at 
the  N.  E.  corner  of  Nathaniel  Fol- 
som's  land,  and  running  N.  E.  along 
said  road  to  the  land  of  Paul  Raw- 
lins ;  being  part  of  the  place  com- 
monly known  by  the  nq.me  of  pine 
hill.  This  hill  is  no  doubt  the  ridge 
to  which  Doiv's  hill  belongs,  but  it 
no  longer  bears  its  ancient  name. 

The  J^i7ie  hill  of  the  present  day  in 
Newington  is  on  the  road  from  Fox 
Pt.  to  Portsmouth,  and  derives  its 
name  from  Knight's  pines.,  now 
Hoyt's  Pines,  adjacent  to  this  hill. 
It  is  a  part  of  Stony  hill. 


Pine  Point.  This  point  is  on  the 
Newington  shore  of  the  Long  Reach, 
at  the  lower  side  of  Pickering's  cove, 
otherwise  Whidden's.  It  is  mention- 
ed June  24,  1648,  when  Richard  Car- 
ter, "  sometime  dwelling  in  Piscata- 
way,"  sold  house  and  land  on  Pine 
X)oint  to  his  trusty  and  well  beloved 
friend,  Mattliew  Giles,  dwelling  in 
Oyster  River.  Richard  Carter  had, 
however,  a  grant  of  35  acres  at  Pine 
Point,  laid  out  the  10th,  12  mo., 
1664,  one  bound  of  which  came  within 
four  poles  of  the  freshet.  His  chil- 
dren owned  this  land  till  Oct.  8, 
1702,  when  his  son  Richard  and  wife 
Margaret,  with  Edward  Carter,  and 
Mary  their  sister,  conveyed  to  John 
Knight,  alias  Chevalier,  50  acres  of 
land  "at  a  place  formerly  called 
Pine  point,  near  or  adjacent  to  a 
place  commonly  called  Bloody  Point, 
granted  by  Dover  to  Richard  Carter, 
deceased,  bounded  on  the  N.  W.  side 
of  a  lot  formerly  Micliael  Brawns, 
now  in  possession  of  John  Downing, 
and  adjoining  the  laud  of  Benj" 
Bickford."  Also  20  acres,  beginning 
at  the  highway  from  Bloody  Point  to 
Portsmouth,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Geo.  Braun's,  south  by  John  Dowu- 
ing's,  with  a  quarter  part  of  the  saiv- 
mill  on  the  same ;  reserving,  how- 
ever, eighteen  feet  where  their  father 
and  mother  lay  buried  in  one  corner 
of  the  orchard. 

Benjamin  Bickford  and  wife  Sarah 
conveyed  to  John  Knight,  alias  Chev- 
alier, of  Portsmouth,  Dec.  7,  1702, 
16  acres  of  meadow  formerly  belong- 
ing to  Benjamin's  father  (John  Bick- 
ford, of  Oyster  River),  lying  betwixt 
a  i)lace  formerly  called  Pine  Point 
and  a  place  commonly  called  Bloody 
Point,  bounded  on  land  said  Knight 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


205 


bought  of  Richard  Carter  on  the 
south,  Heury  Langstaffe's  ou  the 
north,  the  river  on  the  east,  and  the 
highway  at  the  west,  together  with 
one  fourth  of  the  saw-mill  between 
said  land  and  that  of  John  Knight, 
formerly  Carter's.  From  this  it  is 
evident  that  Pine  Point  is  the  little 
promontory  below  Bloody  Point, 
known  by  different  names,  according 
to  the  owner,  such  as  Pickering's  Point 
and  Furber's  Point.  It  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Furber,  and  is  generally 
known  as  Birch  Point,  from  the 
numerous  white  birch  trees  along  the 
shore,  conspicuous  at  a  great  dis- 
tance. On  this  point,  in  a  beautiful, 
wild,  lonely  spot,  is  the  grave  of 
John  Knight,  the  exile,  shaded  by 
sassafras  trees  and  tall  white  birches 
whose  boles  gleam  afar  off  like  shafts 
of  polished  marble.  It  is  marked  by 
a  low,  broad,  three-lobed  headstone 
of  slate,  on  which,  beneath  an  incised 
death's  head  and  cross-bones,  is  this 
inscription  :  '•'•  Here  lyes  buried  the 
body  of  John  Knight,  Esq"',  born 
August  y*  30,  1659,  and  died  May 
the  ll*^  1721." 

Another  Pine  Point  is  on  the  west- 
ern shore  of  the  Newichawannock,  be- 
low^ St.  Alban's  cove.  It  is  mentioned 
March  19,  1693-4,  when  20  acres  of 
land  were  laid  out  to  Jonathan  Wat- 
son on  Fresh  creek  neck,  fronting  on 
fore  river,  above  Pine  Poynt.  Pine 
point  is  mentioned  on  Pike's  map  of 
Somersworth  in  I8O0.  It  is  the  first 
point  below  St.  Alban's  cove,  and  is 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Henry  Paul. 
Daniel  Paul  and  wife  Dorothy,  March 
7,  1791,  conveyed  to  Thomas  Roberts 
30^  acres  of  land,  part  of  the  estate 
of  Capt.  Benj°  Mason,  beginning  at 
the   S.  E.   corner,  on  Pine  point,   on 


the  west  side  of  Salmon  Falls  river, 
and  running  northerly  by  the  land  of 
Benj"  Paul. 

Pinkham's  Creek,  otherwise  Pin- 
comb's.  This  creek  is  the  upper 
boundary  of  the  grant  to  John  Pick- 
ering on  the  shore  of  Great  Bay, 
mentioned  in  the  Portsmouth  records 
of  Feb.,  1655: 

"  It  is  this  day  granted  unto  John 
pickringe  that  hee  shall  haue  the  land 
lying  betwen  sivadens  creek  and  pin- 
comb's  creek  in  the  great  bay  so  that 
it  bee  no  mans  former  Right  or  prop- 
erty, the  sa^^d  land  is  to  extend  into 
the  swamp  and  no  farther." 

In  the  former  edition  of  this  work 
Pinkham's  creek  is  stated  to  be  the 
inlet  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Picker- 
ing grant,  and  Swadden's  at  the 
upper  end.  Further  investigation 
proves  that  the  upper  creek  is  Pink- 
ham's, and  the  lower  one  Swadden's  ; 
the  words  "upper"  and  "lower" 
referring  to  the  course  of  the  river  or 
bay,  not  to  the  points  of  the  compass. 
A  portion  of  this  grant  fell  within 
the  limits  of  Ancient  Dover,  being 
part  of  the  400  acres  on  Great  Bay 
allowed  that  town  by  the  Mass.  gov- 
ernment;  "due  right,"  however, 
being  reserved  to  "everyone  that 
hath  proprietyes  in  the  same."  (N.H. 
Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  172.) 

Pinkham's  creek  rises  in  the  Great 
Swamp,  and  empties  into  the  Great 
Bay  on  the  borders  of  Newingtou  and 
Greenland.  The  highway  between 
these  two  towns  crosses  the  creek 
about  eight  rods  below  the  Green- 
land line.  The  name  is  derived  from 
Richard  Pinckhame  or  Pinkham,  of 
the  Dover  Combination  of  1640,  who 
had  a  grant  of  laud  on  Great  Bay 
sometime  previous  to  June  30,  1659^ 


2o6 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


when  Thomas  Layton  certified  under 
oath  before  Thomas  Dantforth  that 
"  the  town  of  Dover  gave  Richard 
Pincham  a  lott  of  marsh  in  y^  Great 
bay,  &  y'  s*^  Pincum  sould  all  his 
right  that  he  had  in  said  marsh  to 
Josepli  Austin  of  Dover."  {Dover 
Records.) 

Mention  is  made  of  this  creek  in  a 
petition  of  May  2,  1716,  that  the 
bounds  of  Portsmouth  miglit  "  run 
from  the  river  on  y^  north  side  of  Mr. 
Roger's  Creek  or  dock,  on  a  straight 
line  to  Pinco7n's  creek."  (iV.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  17:  727.)  Thomas  Pickering, 
son  of  the  above  John,  "  out  of 
parental  love  and  affection  to  his 
well-beloved  son  Joshua,  for  his  en- 
couragement in  beginning  the  world," 
conveyed  to  him,  Ap.  30,  1719,  a 
parcel  of  land  and  marsh  in  Ports- 
mouth, on  the  easterly  side  of  the 
Great  Bay,  "  beginning  at  the  N.  W. 
corner  of  Hall's  farm  (afterwards 
Packer's),  at  the  water  side,  thence 
to  run  to  the  middle  of  a  long- point, 
southeasterly  from  Sivaden's  island, 
thence  to  Col.  Wentworth's  land,  so 
as  to  contain  50  acres,  together  with 
the  full  half  of  the  marsh  formerly 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
Pincomb's  creek  or  marsh,  etc.,  and 
one  third  of  the  sawmill  and  all  water 
privileges."  And  June  6,  1719,  he 
gave  his  son  Thomas  "  half  of  the 
marsh  at  Pmkovi's  creek,"  together 
with  one  third  of  his  sawmill.  This 
was  perhaps  the  "  new  mill,"  men- 
tioned March  6,  1710-11,  when  a 
road  was  ordered  to  be  opened 
through  Thomas  Pickering's  farm  as 
far  as  y^  neiv  mill,  and  thence  straight 
through  Hall's  farm  to  the  bridge  by 
Hains  (Haynes's,  in  Greenland.) 

In  an  indenture  of  June  25,  1739, 


between  Joshua  Pickering  and  the 
heirs  of  Joseph  Hall,  it  was  agreed 
that  the  dividing  line  between  their 
lands  should  "  begin  at  the  eastern- 
most post  of  y^  gate  upon  y®  country 
road,  upon  y^  southerly  side  of  the 
bridge  near  the  aforesaid  Joshua 
Pickering's  house,  which  gate  divides 
between  Greenland  and  Newington." 
The  line  is  also  stated  therein  to  run 
"from  a  stake  near  a  rotten  stump 
on  y*'  bank  by  y"  side  of  y*  Bay  at 
high  water  mark,  north  26  deg.  west, 
to  y*  marsh  creek  y*  proceeds  out  of 
y*  marsh  commonly  called  by  y*  name 
of  Pinkham'' s  marsh,  and  thence  to 
run  as  said  creek  or  channel  runs." 
A  plan  of  "  Hall's  farm  at  Green- 
land, beginning  at  a  place  called 
Pinkum's  creek,"  is  to  be  found  in 
the  Exeter  registry,  in  the  division 
of  Joseph  Hall's  estate,  Nov.  19, 
1743. 

Pinkham's  Hill.  This  hill  is  on 
the  borders  of  Dover  and  Madbury. 
It  is  mentioned  May  31,  1812,  when 
the  way  from  Libbey's  bridge  (now 
Sawyer's)  "  by  the  new  road  to  Dur- 
ham ^s  far  as  Pinkham's  Mil,'"  is 
spoken  of.  The  guide  post  at  the 
foot  of  Pinkham's  hill,  on  the  Dover 
road  to  Madbury  line,  leading  both 
to  Durham  and  to  Piscataqua  bridge, 
is  mentioned  the  same  year.  The 
name  is  derived  from  a  family  that 
owned  land  in  this  vicinity  for  nearly 
200  years.  John  Pinkham  had  a 
grant  of  50  acres  on  the  S.  W.  side 
of  Thomas  Drew's,  Ap.  11,  1694. 
Thomas  Drew's  land  adjoined  that  of 
Benedictus  Torr. 

Pinkham's  Point.  This  name  is 
given  on  Whitehouse's  map  of  1834 
to  a  point  on  the  western  shore  of 
the    Cochecho,    about   half    way   be- 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


207 


tween  Woodchuck  island  and  Gage's 
Point.  It  is  now  ovvued  In'  Mr. 
Minother.  Tlie  old  road  to  the  land- 
ing-place on  this  point  can  still  be 
traced,  as  well  as  the  cellar  of  Paul 
Pinkham's  house,  from  whom  the 
present  name  was  derived. 

Pinkham's  Spring.  This  spring 
is  mentioned  in  a  deed  from  John 
Hall  to  Thomas  Kenny  June  26, 
1716.  (See  Nutter's  Sli}).)  It  is  at 
the  head  of  a  run  on  Dover  Neck,  a 
short  distance  southwest  of  the  site 
of  Pinkham's  garrison,  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Charles  Thompson. 

PisCASSiCK  River.     See  Pascassick. 

PiscATAQUA  River.  See  Pascata- 
qua. 

Piss  Hill.  This  hill  is  mentioned 
May  26,  1731,  when  8  acres  of 
marsh,  granted  Joseph  Evans  Ap.  6, 
1702,  were  conveyed  by  him  to  Wm. 
Forst,  beginning  at  a  pitch-pine  tree 
near  a  place  commonly  called  Piss 
hill,  and  extending  at  the  S.  E.  to 
the  end  of  a  little  pond.  Part  of 
Otis  Pinkham's  share  of  the  common 
lands  in  1734,  was  laid  out  to  him 
June  10,  1735,  on  the  N.  12.  aide  of 
the  road  leading  to  Rochester,  "  be- 
ginning at  the  -first  sloto  above  Piss 
hill,  so  called."  The  ''upper  slough" 
on  the  Rochester  road  is  mentioned 
Nov.  5,  1734.  Eight  acres  were  laid 
out  to  Ephraim  Tebbets  Nov.  15, 
1735,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mast 
road  that  goes  to  Rochester,  near 
the  first  sloto  above  Piss  hill,  begin- 
ning at  the  S.  W.  corner  of  Otis 
Pinkham's  land.  This  hill  is  repeat- 
edly mentioned  in  the  Dover  records. 
It  is  above  Willand's  Pond  in  the 
Blackwater  region,  on  the  borders  of 
Dover  and  Somers worth. 

PiTCH-PiNE   Plains.      The    P itch- 


Pine  Plains  of  Neu'ington  are  in  the 
central  part  of  the  township.  They 
are  spoken  of  Dec.  5,  1661,  as  ad- 
joining Capt.  Bryan  Pendleton's 
land.  (See  Pine  Cove.)  They  are 
again  mentioned  Ap.  2,  1694,  when 
Richard  Puraerey's  (Pomeroy's)  grant 
of  "  20  acres  joining  zachery  trickey's 
twenty  acres  in  the  picli  pine  x>lains" 
was  confirmed  by  the  town  of  Dover. 
This  land  was  laid  out  to  Richard 
Pumery  June  18,  1697,  on  the  east 
side  of  Greenland  road,  adjoining 
"Zachery"  Trickey's.  Nathan  and 
Elizabeth  Spinney  of  Kittery,  Ap. 
21,  1725,  conveyed  to  Capt.  John 
Knight  of  Newington,  gentleman,  all 
right  and  title  to  20  acres  in  Newing- 
ton,  bounded  northward  by  the  road 
from  the  ferry  to  Greenland,  east- 
ward by  the  land  of  Eleazar  Cole- 
man, southward  by  the  parsonage 
land,  and  westward  by  the  land  of 
Wm.  Vaughan,  deceased,  which  tract 
was  the  estate  of  Richard  Pomery, 
late  of  Newington,  deceased,  who 
was  father  to  y*^  said  Elizabeth  Spin- 
ney. Jane  Pomery  also  quit  claim 
to  said  Knight  that  same  day.  "  The 
gore  in  the  j)itcli  pine  plains  of  New- 
ington "  is  mentioned  Feb.  14,  1723- 
4.     (See  the  Gore.) 

The  ''upper  Pitch  Pine  plains" 
are  mentioned  March  14,  1770,  when 
Richard  Downing,  Esq.,  of  Newing- 
ton, conveyed  to  Jonathan  Quint  one 
acre  of  land  at  a  place  commonly 
called  the  xipper  Pitch  Pine  Plains, 
adjoining  the  road  that  leads  from 
Newington  meeting  house  to  Green- 
land, and  upon  a  road  called  the 
Narroio  Lane  leading  to  Portsmouth. 
(See  Downing' s  Plains.)  These 
plains  are  otherwise  called  Sept.  19, 
1685,  when  "  Nathaniel  Fryar  in  the 


208 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


province  of  Main,"  having  the  pre- 
vious day  sold  Anthony  Libbey  "  a 
parcel  of  land  in  TMoody  j^oint plains  " 
appointed  Capt.  John  Pickering,  his 
attorney,  to  give  s*^  Libby  peaceable 
possession  thereof.  In  another  deed 
from  said  Fryar  to  Henry  Sherburne, 
they  are  called  '•'•the  Pitch- Pine 
plains  going  to  Bloody  Point.'' 

Pitch-Pine  Plains  in  the  upper 
part  of  Dover,  on  the  east  side,  are 
mentioned  June  23,  1701,  in  a  grant 
to  Tristram  Heard  of  30  acres  between 
Black  water  bridge  and  the  ^3i^c/i  pme 
plains. 

Pitch-Pine  Plains  in  the  Back 
River  district  are  mentioned  Ap.  2, 
1707,  when  John  and  Samuel  Will- 
iams conveyed  to  Thomas  Davis  13 
acres  of  land  on  the  S.  side  of  the 
p>itch  pine  plains  between  John 
Knight's  and  Oyster  River,  granted 
their  father  by  the  town  of  Dover 
Ap.  16,  1694,  and  laid  out  the  13tb 
of  June  following,  beginning  at  John 
Pinkliam's.  These  plains  are  gener- 
ally called  Field's  plains. 

Pitch-Pine  Plains  in  Somersworth 
are  mentioned  in  Paul  Wentworth's 
will  of  Feb.  3,  1747-8,  in  which  he 
gives  his  uepliew  John  109  acres  of 
land  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  way 
from  Wm.  Downs'  to  the  pitch  pine 
plains,  and  so  on  to  the  stepping- 
stones.  Thomas  Wentworth  con- 
veyed to  Maturin  Ricker,  Sept.  1, 
1749,  a  quarter  part  of  24  acres 
which  Col.  Paul  Wentworth,  deceas- 
ed, had  laid  out  upon  y*  p^^c/i  piiie 
plains.,  a  little  above  his  swamp. 
These  plains  are  no  doubt  the  same 
referred  to  Aug.  29,  1727,  when 
Richard  Wakhon  conveyed  to  To- 
bias Hanson,  Thomas  Downs,  and 
John  McElroy,  200  acres  granted  to 


his  father  Richard  Waldron  y^  5th, 
10  mo.,  1652,  upon  y«  great  plain 
betwixt  Cochecho  river  and  Necha- 
wanock  river,  to  the  eastward  of  y* 
great  Pond.  The  highway  from 
"ye  Pine  plains  to  Fresh  creek"  is 
mentioned  Feb.  16,  1721-22.  (See 
Pinch  Hill.) 

Pitman's  Creek.  This  is  an  inlet 
from  Oyster  river  on  the  shore  of  the 
Burnham  land,  a  mile  or  more  below 
Durham  Falls.  It  is  mentioned  Nov. 
7,  1724,  when  John  Burnham  con- 
veyed to  Robert  Burnham  land  on 
the  south  side  of  Oyster  river,  ^  att 
a  krick  known  or  called  by  y*  name 
of  Pittnian's  krick,  between  the  land 
of  s^  John  Burnham  and  that  of  Wm. 
Pitman,  son  of  Ezekiel." 

Plato's  Hill,  otherwise  Plate's 
and  Platte's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Dover  city,  on  the  borders  of  the 
Highway  District  No.  15,  which  is 
defined  in  the  Dover  records  of  1867 
as  beginning  "  at  the  culvert  at 
Platte's  Hill."  It  is  on  Hanson 
street,  at  its  junction  with  Payne 
street,  and  the  culvert  above  men- 
tioned is  on  the  latter  street,  across 
George's  creek.  Platte  is  a  corrup- 
tion of  Plate  or  Plato,  a  name  derived 
from  Plato  Waldron,  whose  house  on 
the  side  of  this  hill,  on  Hanson  street, 
is  still  to  be  seen.  He  was  a  well- 
known,  popular  negro  of  stalwart 
frame,  who  was  janitor  of  the  Dover 
court-house  in  the  day  when  the 
Strafford  sessions  brought  hither  such 
lawyers  as  Daniel  Webster,  Jeremiah 
Mason,  and  Ichabod  Bartlett.  He 
was  also  sexton  of  the  ''First  Par- 
ish," and  figured  prominently  at 
funerals,  which  he  liked  to  attend. 
Unfortunately  he  married  a  white 
woman  late  in  life,  who  was  not  kind 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


209 


to  him,  and  in  a  fit  of  despondency 
he  drowned  himself  in  the  Cocliecho 
river,  not  far  from  the  hill  that  bears 
his  name.  George's  creek,  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  is  often  called  Plato 
Waldron's  brooks  and  sometimes 
Drew's  brook,  from  the  late  Wm. 
Drew,  who  resided  in  this  vicinity. 

Plum-Pudding  Hill.       Mentioned 
the  17th,  12  mo.,  1672,  when  50  acres 
of  land  were  laid  out  to  Peter  Coffin 
"on  y^  north  side  of  y^  great  mast 
path  going  into  y^  swamp,"  the  south 
east   corner   bounded    by    a   marked 
tree  at  the  west  end  of  Pliimjnidding 
hill,  and  so  by  y'^  head  of  Capt.  Wal- 
den's  land  to  y*  highway  that  goeth 
to  Tole  end,  and    thence    along    by 
land    which     said    Coffin    bought   of 
Thomas    Nock  to  y*"  bridge    over  y* 
brook  going  to  Tole   end,  reserving 
liberty  for  a  cart-way  for  the  use  of 
the  town,  if  required.     It    is    again 
mentioned  the  7th,  4  mo.,  1723,  when 
the  five    daughters  of  James  Coffin, 
viz  :  Mary,  wife  of  James  Gardner  ; 
Dinah,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Stai'buck  ; 
Deborah,    wife    of    George    Bunker ; 
Ruth,  wife   of  Joseph  Gardner ;  to- 
gether with  their  husbands  and  their 
sister,  Elizabeth  Bunker,   widow,  all 
of  "  Sherborn,  on  Nantucket"  con- 
veyed   to  John  Ham  of  Dover,  one 
half  a  tract  of    75    acres,  reserving 
two   acres    where   the   orchard    was, 
bounded    by    the    land    of   Thomas 
Downs  on  the  E.  or  S.  E.,  and  by  a 
hill  called  Plumbpudding  hill   on  y* 
W.  or  N.  W.,  and  by  y^  highway  on 
y^  N.  side  ;  which  land  was  conveyed 
to   said  James  by  his  brother  Peter 
Coffin,  and  given  by  said  James  to 
his  five  daughters  in  his  will  of  May 
17,1720.      (See  Trumbelow  Swamp.) 
Plum-Pudding  Hill  is  said  to  be  the 


high  ground  between  Lexington  and 
Arch  streets,  in  Dover  city. 

Plum  Swamp.  This  swamp  is  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  Durham 
Point  district,  below  Long  marsh.  It 
is  called  '■'■plome  swamp"  in  the  Wil- 
ley  grant  of  March  19,  1693-4.  A 
part  of  "  Plumb  Swamp  "  was  sold 
John  Ambler,  July  12,  1714,  by  John, 
son  of  Thomas  Bickford.  Nov.  17, 
1718,  John  Rand  sold  Francis  Mathes 
thirty-one  acres  of  land  south  of 
John  Ambler's,  bounded  east  by  the 
bay  (Little  bay),  and  extending  up 
towards  the  woods  near  y*  plumb 
swaynp,  which  land  was  called  by  the 
name  of  ^''  Rand's  plantation.''''  Fran- 
cis Mathes,  Dec.  20,  1748,  conveyed 
to  Benj"  and  Samuel  Mathes  a  tract 
called  plum,  swamp,  bounded  N.  by 
Stephen  Wille's  land,  W.  by  that  of 
John  Ambler,  deceased,  S.  by  the 
common  land  and  the  highway,  and 
E.  by  a  highway  that  goes  to  said 
Wille's.  These  roads  lead  to  Lub- 
berlaud  and  into  Horn's  woods.  The 
lower  part  of  Plum  swamp  lays  along  a 
brook  of  the  same  name,  which  crosses 
the  highway  near  Mr,  Henry  Davis's. 
The  name  is  still  retained.  Plum 
Swamp,  Caulley's  Marsh,  Long  Marsh, 
Broad  Marsh,  and  Moharimet's  Marsh, 
succeed  each  other  from  the  vicinity 
of  Little  Bay  to  the  bounds  of  Lee. 

Plum-Swamp  Brook.  Mentioned 
Oct.  14,  1714,  when  thirty  acres  were 
laid  out  to  ffrancis  Mathes,  begin- 
ning at  a  rock  in  the  Plum,  swamp 
brook,  on  the  west  side  of  the  path 
that  leads  from  said  Mathes  his 
dwelling  house  to  Samuel  Edgerle's. 
This  brook  rises  among  the  springs 
in  Plum  swamp,  crosses  the  road 
from  Durham  Point  to  Lubberland 
near  Mr.  Henry  Davis's  house,  and 


2IO 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


empties  into  Little  Bay  on  the  shore 
of  Mr.  John  Emerson's  ffirra.  At 
the  month  is  a  fall  of  several  feet 
over  a  perpendicular  ledge,  which  is 
called  the  Falling-off  place. 

Plum-Tree  Point.  Mentioned  June 
2,  1766,  when  James  Bunker  of  Dur- 
ham, and  wife  Sarah,  conveyed  to 
Remembrance  C-lark  of  Madbury 
about  one  acre  of  thatch  bed  in  Dur- 
ham, at  the  head  of  a  small  creek, 
southerly  of  the  house  where  said 
Bunker  then  lived,  beginning  at  a 
"  pople  tree"  bound  between  Joseph 
and  James  Bunker,  and  extending 
around  by  the  upland  to  "  a  place 
called  Plumb  tree 2)o int."  This  was, 
of  course,  at  the  head  of  Bunker's 
creek. 

PoCKETTY  Marsh.  Mentioned  Jan . 
7,  1736-7,  when  Benedictus  Torr 
conveyed  to  Abraham  Nute  three 
acres  of  meadow  ground  and  thatch- 
bed,  on  y**  easterly  side  of  Back  river, 
above  y"  mouth  of  Little  John's  creek, 
between  said  river  and  Joseph  Aus- 
tin's land,  commonly  called  y*  Pock- 
etty  Marsh.,  alias  y"  Boggy  Marsh., 
which  said  Torr  had  purchased  of 
Abraham  Nute  and  John  Drew. 
Abraham  and  Rachel  Nute  conveyed 
this  marsh  to  Joseph  Austin  Sept. 
14,  1737. 

Pomeroy's  Cove.  Mentioned  the 
5th,  10  mo.,  1652,  when  Richard 
Waldron  had  the  grant  of  "  a  cove 
on  Dover  Neck,  commonly  called 
Pomryes  Coue,  from  Sandy  point 
right  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 
coue  to  make  a  Docke." — "All  the 
marsh  in  pomryes  Cove "  was  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Kemble  Nov.  6, 
1658.  He  conveyed  it,  Jan.  18, 
1662,  to  Peter  Coffin,  who  sold  it  to 
Anthony     Nutter     Feb.     17,     1664, 


(See  Sandy  Point.)  Pomeroy's 
cove,  now  called  Card's  cove,  is  on 
Fore  river,  at  the  lower  end  of  Dover 
Neck,  about  half  a  mile  above  the 
lower  extremity  of  Dover  Point.  It 
extends  westward,  cutting  the  Neck 
nearly  in  two.  The  remains  of  Capt. 
Thomas  Card's  wharf  are  still  to  be 
seen  on  the  north  side,  probably  in 
the  same  place  as  Major  Waldron's. 
The  original  name  of  this  cove  was 
no  doubt  derived  from  Richard  Pom- 
ero}',  wiio  also  owned  laud  in  the 
Bloody  Point  district.  He,  or  his 
father,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
at  the  Shoals.    ^  *-^  /^  ■■^-'7 "/  ■ 

Pond  City.  This  name  is  famil- 
iarly given  to  a  neighborhood  on  the 
north  side  of  Barbadoes  Pond,  on 
the  so-called  "  new  road,"  leading 
from  the  Littleworth  road  along  the 
upper  side  of  the  pond. 

PoNi>  Hill.  This  hill  is  on  the 
Stepping-Stones  road  in  Lee  below 
the  source  of  Oyster  river.  It  ex- 
tends along  the  upper  side  of  Lang- 
ley's  heath  to  Wheelwright's  pond. 

Poor  Town.  Mentioned  on  Hol- 
land's map  of  1784.  It  is  in  Somers- 
worth,  below  Kurd's  pond,  now 
Cole's,  but  the  name,  perhaps  derived 
from  the  nature  of  the  soil,  is  no 
longer  in  use. 

Portsmouth.  This  name  is  said 
to  commemorate  Capt.  John  Mason's 
residence  at  the  English  port  and 
naval  station  of  Portsmouth  during 
the  wars  with  France  and  Spain,  at 
which  time  he  had  command  of  the 
South  Sea  Castle  which  defended  the 
entrance  to  Portsmouth  harbor.  This 
castle  perhaps  suggested  the  name 
of  New  Castle  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Pascataqua.  (See  Tuttle's  Capt. 
John  Mason.)     The    above    reason. 


I^andniarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


211 


however,  is  not  given  when  the 
inhabitants  at  Strawberry  Bank  peti- 
tioned to  the  General  Court  at  Bos- 
ton, May,  1653,  to  have  the  name  of 
that  Bank  changed  to  Portsmouth — 
the  latter,  says  the  petition,  "  being  a 
name  most  suitable  for  this  place,  it 
beinge  (at)  the  River's  mouth  &  a 
good  (harbour)  as  any  in  this  land." 
{N.  H.  Prov.  Paj).,  1  :  208.)  Ports- 
mouth, at  one  period,  included  the 
Greenland  shore,  which  had  been  a 
part  of  Ancient  Dover.  "  The 
county  of  Dover  and  Portsmouth  "  is 
often  mentioned  in  the  early  records. 
(See  Strafford  County  and  Trumhelow 
Swmivp.)    ^.c-i-  L  ,  1  tfo. 

Pray's  Brook.  This  small  brook 
is  mentioned  as  between  the  lands  of 
Moses  Pray  and  Francis  Pluraer, 
July  3,  1849,  when  the  bounds  be- 
tween Somersworth  and  Rollinsford 
were  defined.  (See  Rollinsford.)  It 
rises  between  the  Pra}'  house  and 
Indigo  hill,  and  runs  in  a  nearly 
direct  course  to  the  Salmon  Falls 
river. 

Prospect  Hill.  This  name  has 
long  been  given  to  the  height  at  the 
upper  end  of  Great  Falls  village.  The 
Wentworth  Genealogy  (1  :  278)  says 
that  Joseph,  son  of  Benjamin  Went- 
worth, (born  Dec.  22,  1709;  died 
Jan.  26,  1765)  "  owned  the  high- 
lands now  known  as  Prospect  Hill  at 
Great  Falls."  On  the  top  of  this 
hill  is  the  reservoir,  built  for  the  use 
of  the  Manufacturing  Co.,  but  gen- 
erously allowed  the  village  for  its 
supply  of  water. 

Pudding  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Madbury,  east  of  the  railway  station, 
near  the  Dover  line,  and  commands 
an  extensive  and  beautiful  view  of 
the     surrounding     countrv.      It     is 


crossed  by  -  the  old  road  from  Back 
river.  The  name  was  no  doubt 
derived  from  the  windmill  thereon  in 
early  times,  to  which  the  neighboring 
farmers  brought  their  corn  to  be 
ground.  The  hill  and  windmill  are 
both  mentioned  in  the  Dover  records. 
May  20,  1734,  when  Stephen  Otis 
and  others  petitioned  the  town  for  a 
small  tract  of  Iniirl  U,  lif  common 
where  Wm.  Dam  and  Clement  Dreirs 
windmill  stood  on  "  Pudden  Hill,''' 
for  the  convenience  of  said  mill. 
This  petition  was  not  granted.  (See 
Dam's  Windmill.)  At  a  town-meet- 
ing in  Madbury,  March  30,  1786,  it 
was  voted  to  change  the  road  lead- 
ing through  Benjamin  Hill's  land  to 
Nock's  marsh,  beginning  at  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  Samuel  Davis's  land,  where 
he  then  lived,  on  the  main  road  over 
Pudden  Hill,  so  called,  and  running 
by  said  Davis's  land  to  Remembrance 
Clark's  land,  and  then  to  follow  the 
old  road  first  laid  out.  "  Samuel 
Davis  of  Pudden  Hill  in  Madbury," 
is  mentioned  towards  the  close  of 
last  century  as  marrying  Judith  Tut- 
tle  (born  1762)  granddaughter  of 
Ensign  John  Tuttle,  who  was  killed 
by  the  Indians,  May   17,  1712.     He 

1  sprang  from  the  Davises  of  Oyster 
River,  and  his  descendants  still  own 
the  above  mentioned  land  on  Pud- 
ding Hill. 

Many  Indian  traditions  are  con- 
nected with  Pudding  Hill.  Two  men 
in  earlv  times  were  harvesting  grain 

!  on  the  Davis  land,  when  some  In- 
dians stole  in  between  them  and  tlieir 

j  muskets,    which    lay    on    the  ground 

[  while  they  were  at  work.  Catching  a 
glimpse  of  their  foes,  the  men  started, 
one  for  the  Field's  garrison  and  the 
other     for     Woodman's,     with     tiie 


212 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Indians  in  pursuit.  Botf!  got  safely 
into  garrison,  and  the  signal  guns, 
fired  almost  at  the  same  instant, 
showed  they  arrived  about  the  same 
time. 

Near  Pudding  Hill,  at  the  south- 
east, lived  an  unmarried  man  named 
Pearl,  alone  in  his  cabin.  The  In- 
dians set  fire  to  the  dwelling,  and  he 
was  burned  alive.  This  was  perhaps 
Nicholas  Pearle,  who,  according  to 
Rev.  John  Pike's  journal,  was  slain 
by  the  Indians  in  the  day  time,  Aug. 
10,  1706,  '•'•  at  his  Cave  some  miles 
al)ove  Oyster  River,  where  he  dwelt 
night  and  day,  winter  and  summer, 
from  the  last  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  tho  twas  in  the  very  wake  and 
way  where  the  enemy  used  to  pass." 
Belknap  calls  him  Wm.  Pearl.  Nich- 
olas, however,  certainly  lived  in  this 
vicinity.  John  Pearl  and  wife  Mary, 
Nov.  30,  1717,  conveyed  to  James 
Clark  30  acres  of  land  formerly 
owned  by  his  fatlier  Nicholas  Pearly 
on  the  south  side  of  the  mast  path 
that  leads  from  Benedictus  Tarr's  to 
Madberry,  between  James  Bunker's 
and  Joseph  Header's.  (See  PearVa 
Farry.) 

Quaker  Meeting-Houses.  The 
first  meeting-house  in  the  township, 
built  by  the  Society  of  Friends,  was 
on  Dover  Neck.  It  is  mentioned 
Dec.  11,  1720-30,  when  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  Rol)erts  conveyed  to 
"  Tiiomas  Canney  and  others  of  the 
Society  commonly  called  Quakers," 
three  eighths  of  an  acre  of  land,  be- 
ginning 62  rods  from  the  N.  W.  cor- 
ner of  the  Quaker  meetiyig -house,  and 
running  along  the  road  from  Hilton's 
Point  to  Cochecho.  Tiiis  tract  seems 
to  have  included  the  site  of  the  meet- 
ing-house itself.    The  remainder  was 


for  a  burial  place,  which  is  still  to  be 
seen,  on  the  west  side  of  the  highway 
to  Dover  Point,  adjoining  the  Roberts 
land.  The  meeting-house  was  re- 
moved to  Eliot  about  1770,  for  the 
use  of  the  Society  there. 

Another  Quaker  meeting-house  is 
mentioned  in  an  indenture  of  March 
4,  1734-5,  signed  by  Eben'',  Joseph, 
and  Stephen  Varney,  John  Twonibly, 
Joseph  Estes,  and  Tobias  Hanson, 
conveying  land  in  Dover,  on  y*  south- 
erly side  of  y*  road  y'  leads  from 
Cochecho  to  Tolend,  near  y''  place 
w'' Tho^  Down^  House  formerly  stood, 
80  ft.  in  length  and  40  ft.  in  breadth, 
bounded  northerly  on  said  road  80 
ft.  ;  and  easterly,  southerly,  and  west- 
erly, on  David  Watson's  land ;  it 
being  y*"  piece  or  parcel  of  land  on 
w'^''  stands  a  certain  meeting  house  in 
^ch  ye^  People  at  Cochecho  commonly 
called  Quakers  iis^iaUy  meet.  This  is 
the  same  land  David  Watson  conveyed 
to  Eben' Varney  March  30,  1724,  80 
ft.  long,  and  40  ft.  broad,  "  begin- 
ning near  an  apple  tree  standing 
where  old  Thomas  Downs  formerly 
had  a  house,"  thence  running  80  ft. 
"■  by  y*  road  y'  leads  from  Tolend." 
It  was  a  part  of  the  old  Cofflu  land. 
(See  Trumhelow  Sioamp  and  Phim- 
Puddihg  Hill.)  The  Rev.  Dr.  Quint, 
however,  says  the  second  Quaker 
meeting-house,  built  "  consideral)ly 
prior  to  1720,"  "  stood  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  Locust  and  Silver 
streets,  where  Jacob  K.  Purinton  now 
lives."  (See  his  First  Parish  in 
Dover.,  p.  54.)  The  present  one, 
on  Central  Avenue,  was  built  in 
1768. 

QuAMPiiEGAN.  This  name  was 
originally  given  to  the  falls  in  the 
Nevvichawannock  where  Capt. Thomas 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


213 


Wiggin  aud  Symoa  Bradstreet  erect- 
ed a  saw-mill,  mentioned  the  5tli, 
10  mo.,  1652,  but  it  was  soon  ex- 
tended to  the  neighboring  district  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.  Andrew 
Wiggin  of  Qiiamscott  conveyed  to 
John  Lovering,  Ma}'  18,  1663,  50 
acres  of  land  granted  him  by  the 
town  of  Dover  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  a  sawmill  on  a  branch  of  the 
Piscataqna  river,  at  a  place  called 
Qaam2)hegcm,  bounded  N.  or  N.  W. 
by  land  of  Thomas  Bronghton  and 
southerly  by  the  lot  of  Thomas 
Beard,  one  bound  at  the  upper  side 
being  an  oak  within  two  rods  of  the 
dwelling-house  of  said  Lovering. 
John  and  Ralph  Hall  testified,  June 
1,  1674,  that  a  tract  of  land  was  laid 
out  to  Thomas  Bronghton  on  the 
S.  W.  side  of  Newichawannock  river, 
beginning  at  a  tree  by  the  river  side 
near  to  y*  house  commonly  called  Jn° 
Louerin's  house,  and  running  thence 
N.  W.  to  a  white  oak  at  the  foot  of 
a  long  hill  above  the  falls,  thence 
N.  W.  to  a  maple  by  the  side  of  a 
swamp.  A  space  on  the  river,  re- 
served for  depositing  logs,  is  men- 
tioned, and.  a  highivay  between  Lov- 
ering's  house  aud  the  upper  end  of 
Qaampliegan  tnill.  John  Lovering 
was  drowned  about  1668,  and  his  son 
John  sold  the  above  mentioned  land 
to  Thomas  Abbott.  "Thomas  Ab- 
bott, Sr.,  of  Kittery,  alias  Barwick,^ 
in  the  Province  of  Maine  in  y''  Mas- 
sachusetts Colon}',"  conveyed  it,  Jan. 


30,  1710,  to  his  son  Joseph,  who  sold 
it  to  Archibald  MacPheadris  Nov.  9, 
1717.  Archibald  MacPheadris  of 
Portsmouth  and  wife  Mary  conveyed 
this  same  tract  to  Benj"  Wentworth 
Ap.  12,  1725.  The  deed  declares  it 
to  be  "in  Dover,  at  a  place  commonly 
called  by  the  name  of  Quaonphegan, 
bounded  north  by  Mr.  Broughton's," 
etc.  Capt.  Benj"  Wentworth  seems 
to  have  settled  on  this  land.  He 
lived  near  the  present  turnpike  bridge, 
on  land  owned  by  the  late  James 
Rollins. 

The  log  hill  on  the  western  side  of 
Quamphegan  falls,  laid  out  in  1702, 
was  re-bounded  Jan.  6,  1723,  "be- 
ginning at  or  near  the  old  sellar  (cel- 
lar) by  the  river  side  where  there 
was  a  former  bound  mark  of  Luffer- 
ing  (Lovering)  in  a  red  oak  tree  by 
the  river  side,  thence  running  N.  W. 
and  be  W.  27  rods,"  etc.  This  hill 
is  again  mentioned  Nov.  28,  1728, 
when  Samuel  Tebbets  conveyed  to 
his  daughter  Judith  "  one  eighth  part 
of  a  certain  single  saw  in  the  middle 
sawmill  at  Qvainpeagiii  falls,  w'*^  y^ 
eighth  part  of  y""  pvilege  of  the 
stream  fall,  and  y''  pvileges  of  y® 
logg  Hill"  which  privilege  was 
granted  said  Samuel  in  1701. 

Quamphegan  bridge  is  at  the  foot 
of  Somersworth  Hill,  aud  crossed 
by  the  turnpike  road  to  Portland. 
Quamphegan  falls  are  a  little  below 
the  bridge.  The  head  of  tide  water 
is    at  the  foot  of  the   dam.     Quam- 


1  Kittery  was  incorporated  as  a  town  Oct.  20,  1647.  Kittery  Point  is  mentioned  March  8,  1670- 
71.  "The  upper  part  of  Kittery  now  jBerirjcfc,"  is  mentioned  in  the  York  records  Oct.  2, 1678. 
"  The  vpper  diuision  of  Kittery,  now  called  Baricick,"  is  mentioned  in  a  deed  from  John  Hearle 
to  Abraham  Lord  Aug.  27,1681.  The  "  parish  of  Barivick"  is  spoken  of  July  12,  1683.  It  was 
sometimes  called  C/nion  parish.  Berwick  was  incorporated  as  a  town  June  9,1713.  Martha 
Lord,  aged  about  70,  testified  Sept.  19,  1717,  that  "  ye  now  town  of  Berwick  from  Siurgeon  Creek 
up  to  Toziers  above  Salmon  falls  hath  been  inhabited  above  sixty  years."  {York  Records.) 
Eliot  was  separated  from  Kittery  and  incorporated  in  1810.  South  Berwick  was  separated 
from  Berwick  and  incorporated  June  5,  1814,  and  North  Berwick  March  22,  1831. 


214 


JLandiiiarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


phegan,  ou  the  easterly  side  of  the 
Newichawannock,  is  uow  called 
South  Berwick. 

Ragg's  Point.  This  point,  other- 
wise called  Betel's  Point,  is  on  the 
shore  of  the  Rollins  laud  in  Newing- 
ton.  It  was  so  called  from  Jeffrey 
Ragg,  whose  name  is  on  the  Dover 
rate-list  of  1648 ;  probably  the 
"  Jaffry  Ragge "  who  sold  Roger 
Knight  a  house  on  Great  Island  pre- 
vious to  May  20,  1651.  A  petition 
from  the  Newington  people  in  Sept., 
1753,  says  the  town  of  Dover,  in 
1656,  granted  a  cart- way  of  four 
rods  wide  from  the  water  side  at  Jaf- 
frey  Ragg  his  house,  and  so  into  the 
woods  to  the  old  way.  Complaint 
having  been  made  that  Samuel  Raw- 
lins had  fenced  up  this  road  as  part 
of  his  own  enclosure,  the  Court  of 
General  Sessions  ordered,  Dec.  4, 
1753,  that  it  should  be  re-opened. 
(See  Newington  in  N.  H.  Town 
Papers^  Vol.  XII.)  According  to  a 
plan  of  the  Rawlins  land  among  the 
State  Papers  at  Concord,  Jeffrey 
Ragg's  house  was  on  the  shore  of  the 
Pascataqua,  at  the  lower  side  of  the 
old  road  now  called  Patterson's  lane. 
(See  Patterson's  Pt.  and  Betel's  Pt.) 

Railroads.  The  following  rail- 
roads now  traverse  lands  that  once 
formed  a  part  of  Ancient  Dover. 

I.  The  Boston  and  Maine  Rail- 
road, which  extends  from  Boston 
to  Portland.  This  is  a  consolidation 
of  the  Boston  and  Portland  R.  E., 
chartered  March  15,  1833  ;  the  old 
Boston  and  Maine  road,  chartered 
June  27,  1835  ;  and  the  Maine,  New 
Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  road, 
chartered  March  12,  1839.  The 
Boston  and  Maine  R.  R.  was  opened 
as  far  as  Exeter  in  1840  ;  to  Dover 


in  1841  ;  and  to  South  Berwick  the 
23d  of  Feb.,  1843.  It  acquired  full 
possession  of  the  Eastern  Railroad 
(which  was  incorporated  June  18, 
1836;  opened  Nov.  9,  1840),  and 
the  Portsmouth,  Great  Falls,  and 
Conivay  R.  R.  May  9,  1890,  hav- 
ing been  authorized  by  the  Mass. 
legislature  of  that  year,  and  previ- 
ously by  the  General  Court  of  Maine 
and  New  Hampshire. 

II.  The  Dover  and  Winnipi- 
SEOGEE  R.  R.,  from  Dover  to  Alton 
Bay,  was  first  chartered  as  the 
Cochecho  R.  R.  in  1847.  It  was 
opened  as  far  as  Rochester  in  Sept., 
1849,  and  to  Alton  Bay  in  1857. 
It  now  forms  part  of  the  Boston  and 
Maine  system,  being  leased  to  that 
road. 

III.  The  Portsmouth,  Great 
Falls,  and  Conway  R.  R.,  com- 
pleted in  June,  1872,  is  a  consolida- 
tion of  the  Great  Falls  and  Conway 
R.  R.,  (which  was  chartered  July 
19,  1844,  and  opened  to  Union  vil- 
lage in  1850),  and  the  Great  Falls 
and  South  Berivick  R.  R.,  which 
was  chartered  June  8,  1848,  and 
opened  July  1,  1854.  Full  posses- 
sion of  these  consolidated  roads  was  I 
taken  by  the  Boston  and  Maine  R. 

R.  May  9,  1890.  J 

IV.  The  Portsmouth  and  Dover 
R.  R.  Chartered  July  7,  1866. 
Opened  Feb.  1,  1872. 

V.  The  Nashua  and  Rochester 
R.  R.,  which  traverses  the  township 
of  Lee,  was  chartered  July  5,  1867, 
and  opened  Nov.  24,  1874. 

VI.  The  Concord  and  Portsmouth 
R.  R.,  which  traverses  Greenland, 
was  chartered  July  1,  1845,  and 
opened  in  1852. 

VII.  Dover     Horse     Railroad. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


215 


Chartered  June,  1881.  Opened  July 
8,  1882,  This  road  extended  from 
Sawyer's  Mills  to  Garrison  Hill,  a 
distance  of  2^  miles,  but  has  been 
superseded  by  the  Electric  railroad, 
which  extends  to  Great  Falls. 

VIII.  The  Electric  or  Union 
Street  Railroad.  The  Union  Street 
Railroad  Company  was  incorporated 
August  9,  1889,  for  the  purpose  of 
constructing  an  electric  railroad  from 
Sawyer's  bridge  in  Dover,  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Great  Falls  in  Somers worth. 
This  road  was  opened  Aug.  17, 
1890.  Midway  in  its  course  is  a  sta- 
tion at  Burgett  Park,  which  is  in 
Somersworth,  at  the  lower  side  of 
Willand's  pond.    (See  Burgett  Park.) 

Ralph's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Somersworth,  near  the  Dover  line,  on 
the  old  road  from  Dover  to  Roches- 
ter, about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above 
Willand's  pond.  The  Granite  State 
Park  is  in  this  vicinity.  Its  name 
was  derived  from  Ralph  Twombley, 
who,  in  early  times,  was  driving  a 
team  of  six  oxen,  with  a  mast  from 
the  forest,  when  the  runners  slewed 
on  this  hill,  throwing  him  beneath, 
and  crushing  him  to  death.  The  tra- 
dition of  this  occurrence  has  been 
preserved  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
it  is  also  related  in  the  N.  H.  Repub- 
lican (Dover)  of  Dec.  5,  1826,  by 
Mr.  Joseph  Tibbets  of  Rochester, 
together  with  many  other  interesting 
•details  of  forest  life,  in  early  times, 
acquired  from  his  father  and  grand- 
father. Ralph  Twombley,  Jr.,  was 
alive  March  19,  1693-4,  but  dead 
before  June  9,  1702. 

Redding  Point.  This  is  the  first 
point  above  Hilton's  Pt.,  on  the  west 
side  of  Dover  Neck.  It  is  so  called 
the  5th,   5  mo.,  1652,  in  the  grant  of 


Goat  Island  to  "Wm.  Pomfrett.  A 
highway  to  Redding  Foynt  was  or- 
dered to  be  laid  out  by  the  selectmen 
of  Dover  Aug.  3,  1666  ;  John  Rob- 
erts, Sr.,  to  oversee  the  work.  Dea- 
con John  Hall,  in  his  will  of  Feb.  1, 
1685-6,  gives  his  son  Ralph  half  of 
"his  marsh  near  Redden  Point;" 
the  other  half  to  be  Ralph's  after  the 
Deacon's  death.  John  Hall,  son  of 
the  above  Ralph,  conveyed  to  Nicho- 
las Harford  Feb.  21,  1721-2,  four 
acres  of  marsh  and  upland  on  the 
west  side  of  Dover  Neck,  between 
two  points,  commonly  called  by  y* 
name  of  Hilton's  Point  and  Redding 
point,  adjoining  the  salt  water. 

The  name  of  this  point  was  no 
doubt  derived  from  Thaddeus  Riddan 
or  Reddmg.  He  was  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses when  Thomas  Layton  conveyed 
to  Richard  Waldron,  Ap.  8,  1653, 
one  fourth  part  of  the  Bellamy  saw- 
mill. He  seems  to  have  settled  at 
Strawberry  Bank,  where  he  bought  a 
house  of  Wm.  Palmer  Sept.  4,  1651. 
"  Thaddeus  Riddan  "  is  mentioned  in 
the  Portsmouth  records,  April  5, 
1652.  And  May  17,  1652,  is  the 
following  entry  :  "  Mr.  Theados  Rid- 
dan is  chosen  clarke  of  the  courte." 

Red  Oak  Hill.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  when  Thomas  Ash  had 
a  grant  of  40  acres  from  the  town  of 
Dover,  on  the  south  side  of  Red  Oak 
Mil,  near  the  head  of  Stevenson's 
land.  Forty  acres  were  also  granted 
to  Jeremiah  Burnum  at  Red  Oak  hill, 
Ap.  11,  1694.  And  Robert  Smart, 
Sr.,  conveyed  to  Peter  Coffin,  March 
10,  1695-6,  100  acres  of  laud  and 
meadow  by  the  road  going  up  unto 
the  place  where  Capt.  Wadleigh's 
mills  stood,  "  near  the  hill  called 
Red    Oke   hill,'"  granted    him    by  the 


2l6 


Landmarks  in  Anct'etit  Dover. 


town  of  Exeter.  The  name  of  this 
hill  has  DOt  beeu  retained,  but  ac- 
cording to  a  plan  of  the  laud  con- 
veyed by  Jaffrey  to  Folsom  in  1739, 
if  was  on  the  Dover  side  of  the 
ancient  boundary  between  Dover  and 
Exeter,  a  little  below  the  mouth  of 
Smart's  creek.  The  wadiug-place 
across  this  creek,  was,  according  to 
this  plan,  on,  or  ver}'  near,  the  boun- 
dary line.  This  creek  empties  into 
Lamprey  river,  which  pursues  nearly 
a  straight  course  from  the  upper  side 
of  Red  Oak  hill  to  Wadleigh's  falls. 
The  Red  Oak  hill  of  the  present  day 
is  in  Epping. 

Red  Oak  Spring.  This  name  is 
given  to  Major  Waldron's  spring, 
now  unfortunately  closed  up,  which 
was  a  little  below  the  south  line  of 
Second  street  in  Dover,  a  few  feet 
west  of  Wm.  B.  Wiggin's  house. 

Red  Rock.  This  rock,  so  named 
from  its  reddish  hue,  is  on  the  shore 
of  Broad  Cove,  Lubberland.  It  was 
one  of  the  bounds  of  the  old  Smith 
lands  ;  and  the  neighboring  farm  was 
called  the '•^  Red-Rock  farm."  Men- 
tion is  made  of  it  July  10,  1761, 
when  Benjamin  Smith  conveyed  to 
his  son  John  150  acres  of  land  where 
said  Benjamin  formerly  lived,  but 
then  occupied  by  said  John,  "  begin- 
ning at  the  Red  rock  on  the  westerly 
side  of  the  Broad  Cove.,  so  called, 
and  running  nearl}'  S.  W.  19  rods  to 
another  rock  lying  about  half  tide." 
The  line  extended  in  an  opposite 
direction  from  Red  Rock  along  the 
water  side  to  Thomas  Stevenson's 
land,  whence  it  ran  northeasterl}'  to 
Field's  marsh  brook. 

Reynek's  Buook.  Mentioned  March 
8,  1710-11,  when  40  acres  were  laid 
out   to  Capt.   John   Tuttle   "  on  the 


south  side  of  the  Cochecho,  nearly 
opposite  Mr.  Reyner's  brook."  And 
again  June  29,  1728,  when  Thomas 
and  Joseph  Hall  conveyed  to  Joiiu 
Home  one  half  of  the  hundred-acre 
grant  to  John  Hall  Ap.  2,  1694,  "on 
the  east  side  of  y^  Cochecho  river, 
laid  out  by  Mr.  Raynei^'s  brook."  This 
name,  still  retained,  was  derived 
from  the  Rev.  John  Reyner,  who 
settled  in  Dover  in  1655,  and  in  1656 
had  a  grant  of  400  acres  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  this  brook,  which  was  laid  out 
to  John  Waldron  Oct.  23,  1719.  (See 
Sunken  Island.)  John  Waldron,  in 
his  will  of  May  12,  1740,  proved 
July  30,  following,  gives  30  acres  of 
land  "  bought  of  Rayner,"  to  each  of 
his  daughters,  viz :  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Ezra  Kimball ;  Mehitable,  wife  of 
James  Chesley  ;  and  Sarah,  wife  of 
Isaac  Libbey.  Reyner's  brook  emp- 
ties into  the  Cochecho  river  on  the 
east  side,  above  Watson's  falls. 

Reynold's  Bridge,  "  The  new 
road  to  Reynold's  h'idge"  is  mentioned 
in  1865  as  belonging  to  the  "High- 
way  District,  No.  16,'"  in  Dover. 
And  "  the  Mast  road  to  Reynold's 
bridge"  \s  mentioned  the  same  year 
as  belonging  to  "•  District  No.  17." 
This  is  the  mast  road  to  Madbury. 
Reynold's  bridge  is  the  old  mast 
bridge  across  Johnson's  creek.  The 
name  was  derived  from  Joseph  Re- 
nolds,  tanner,  to  whom  Tristram 
Piukham  and  wife  Martha,  Ap.  19, 
1755,  conveyed  five  acres,  part  of 
the  tract  said  Martha  received  from 
her  father  Samuel  Hayes,  lying  "  on 
the  westerly  side  of  Back  river,  and 
on  y*^  soutlierly  side  of  y®  road  that 
leads  over  Mast  bridge,  adjoining 
said  bridge,  beginning  at  y*  afores"* 
road   at  y"  northeast  corner   of  Maul 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


217 


Hanson's  laud,"  with  "  dwelling- 
house,  barn,  bark  house,  tan  fats," 
etc. 

Kicker's  Hill.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  Otis'  Hill  in  Som- 
ersworth,  from  the  Ricker  family  that 
formerly  owned  the  greater  part,  if 
not  the  whole,  of  this  hill.  (See  Otis' 
Hill.) 

Riverside  Station.  This  station 
is  on  the  Dover  and  Winnipiseogee 
R.  R.,  near  Header's  bridge,  in  the 
upper  part  of  Dover. 

Roberts'  Creek.  Mentioned  March 
24,  1657-8,  when  Thomas  Lake  aud 
Richard  Waldron  conveyed  to  John 
Hall  ten  acres  on  the  north  side  of 
John  Roberts  his  creek.  Thirty  acres, 
granted  to  John  Roberts  by  the  town 
of  Dover,  were  laid  out  on  Great  Bay 
the  14th,  8  mo.,  1656,  being  part  of 
the  400  acres  on  Great  Bay  granted 
to  Dover  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts.  {Dover  Records.) 
John  Roberts  of  Dover  conveyed  to 
Joseph  Hall  of  Greenland,  June  29, 
1665,  18  acres  of  the  above  grant, 
specified  as  '■'part  of  the  400  acres" 
north  of  the  land  of  Johu  Hall,  father 
of  said  Joseph.  Wm.  ffurber,  the 
12th,  10  mo.,  1658,  "  Layd  out  to 
John  Hall,  by  ord'  from  Capt.  Wal- 
den  "  250  acres  of  land  aud  marsh, 
"  bouuded  by  a  freshett  on  y"  north  y' 
runs  unto  John  Roberts  his  creek  and 
marsh,  aud  comes  out  of  y*  Great 
Swamp,  running  up  y**  freshett  45 
rods  by  y^  side  of  y*  freshett  to  a 
beach  tree,  and  butting  upon  the  west 
upon  y*"  thirty  acre  lots  of  John  Rob- 
erts, John  Hall,  and  Richard  Cater 
(Carter),  and  butting  on  y*^  south  on 
a  freshett  that  comes  out  of  John 
Hall's  fresh  marsh,  .  .  aud  run- 
niug  into  y*  s'*  Cator's  fresh  marsh  to 


a  white  oak  by  y*  side  of  y®  freshett, 
then  by  the  side  of  y*"  fresh  marsh  80 
rods  to  an  ash  tree  standing  between 
y^  newfound  marsh  and  y^  fresh  marsh, 
butting  easterly  on  Strawberry  ba%k 
common,  and  so  upon  a  straight  line 
to  the  first  bound.  Which  250  acres 
takes  up  the  whole  tract  between  y* 
two  freshetts,  and  between  y*  fresh 
marsh  and  y*  30  acre  lots,  with  20 
acres  in  y^  fresh  marsh,  and  with  10 
acres  on  y^  north  side  of  John  Roberts 
his  creek,  joining  to  a  little  Spott  of 
salt  marsh  at  high  water  mark,  but- 
ting upon  y*  Great  Bay  and  John 
Roberts'  land."  The  name  of  Rob- 
erts' creek  has  not  been  perpetuated, 
but  the  two  freshets  above  mentioned 
must  have  been  Packer's  brook  and 
Pinkham's  creek. 

Roberts'  Marsh.  So  named  from 
Thomas  Roberts,  Sr.,  "  of  y*  town 
of  Dover,  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Massachusetts,"  who  conveyed  to  his 
sous  John  and  Thomas,  Jan.  16, 
1670,  "  one  half  of  his  marsh  lying 
and  being  at  y^  mouth  of  Winecott 
river,  on  y*  westerly  side  thereof,  at 
y**  bottom  of  y''  Greate  Bay  upon 
pascattaq  river,"  adjoining  Henry  Tib- 
betfs  marsh  on  the  south,  also  "all 
y®  creek,  thatch,  aud  flats,  adjoining 
y®  said  marsh,  occupying  the  upper- 
most point  thereof,  lying  over  against 
Watt  Neale  his  marsh.''  Also  30  acres 
of  land,  ''which  was  my  part  of  the 
400  acres  granted  hy  the  court  to  y^ 
toum  of  Dover."  Moses  Roberts  of 
Dover,  Ap.  20,  1750,  conveyed  to 
Mark  H unking  Weutworth  four  acres 
of  marsh  and  thatch  ground  in  Green- 
laud,  "called  heretofore  Thomas  Rob- 
erts' marsh"  granted  said  Thomas 
by  the  town  of  Dover,  bounded 
northerly  by  Haines'  marsh,  easterly 


2l8 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


and  southerly  by  Greenland  river, 
and  west  by  John  HalVs  marsh. 
Two  thirds  of  the  above  marsh  had 
been  given  to  said  Moses  in  the  will 
of'  his  uncle  Thomas  Roberts,  and 
the  other  third  conveyed  to  him  by 
John  Roberts. — Joseph  and  Thomas 
Roberts  of  Dover,  Aug.  14,  1717, 
conveyed  to  Matthias  Haines  30 
acres  in  Greenland,  "being  a  divi- 
dend of  land  heloyiging  to  y^  s'^  Robert's 
mars/i,"  bounded  north  by  Thomas 
Wille's  land,  and  east  by  that  of 
Philip  Lewis. 

Robert's  Neck.  The  neck  of  laud, 
formerly  so  called,  is  in  Lee,  between 
Wheelwright's  pond  and  its  outlet, 
known  as  Oyster  river.  The  name  is 
derived  from  Wm.  Roberts,  who  had 
a  grant  of  100  acres  of  upland  the 
23d,  10  mo.,  1663,  "on  the  South 
side  of  the  fresh  river  near  the  pond 
that  lyeth  between  Lamprill  river 
and  Oyster  river  fall."  That  same 
day  the  hundred  acre  grant  to  Wm. 
Williams  in  1656  was  laid  out  on 
this  neck.  It  is  again  mentioned 
June  4,  1720,  when  Richard  Denbo 
conveyed  to  Salathiel  Denbo  (grand- 
son of  Wm.  Roberts)  one  share  of 
200  acres  on  the  north  side  of 
Wheelwright's  pond,  at  a  place 
called  Roberts'  JSfeck,  in  Dover  town- 
ship, which  was  formerly  granted  to 
Wm.  Roberts.  On  the  same  day 
John  Sias  and  Ann  conveyed  to  said 
Salathiel  tw^o  shares  of  the  same 
neck.  Twenty  four  acres  of  land  in 
Durham  at  a  place  known  by  y''  name 
of  Roberts'  Neck,  are  mentioned  in 
the  division  of  the  estate  of  Joseph 
Jenkins,  Feb.  25,  1734-5. 

Rochester.  This  township  was 
for  the  most  part  originally  owned 
and  settled  by  the  people  of  ancient 


Dover.  It  was  incorporated  May 
10,  1722,  and  so  named,  it  is  said, 
from  the  Earl  of  Rochester,  England. 
It  is  mentioned  in  1727,  when  com- 
plaint was  made  to  the  N.  H.  govern- 
ment that  one  Hanson  and  his  asso- 
ciates had  in  1725  cut  down  34  white 
pines,  out  of  which  33  masts  and 
bowsprits  had  been  made  in  Ports- 
mouth, pretending  they  were  cut  in  a 
certain  township  called  Rochester, 
but  not  then  settled.  {N.  H.  State 
Papers,  18  :  6-7.) 

Rocking  Stone.  A  rocking  stone 
in  the  Durham  Point  district  was 
once  so  noted  as  to  attract  many  vis- 
itors, and  be  reckoned  among  the 
natural  curiosities  of  the  state. 
Merrill's  Gazeteer  of  N.  H.  (1817) 
speaks  of  it  as  a  "remarkable  rock 
weighing  60  or  70  tons,  and  lying  so 
exactly  poised  on  another  rock  as 
easily  to  be  moved  with  one  hand." 
Uufortunateh'  it  was  dislodged  from 
its  position  several  years  ago  by 
some  mischievous  visitors,  and  could 
not  be  replaced.  The  rock  itself  is 
still  to  be  seen  on  the  farm  lately 
owned  by  Mr.  Brackett  Edgerly. 

There  are  many  of  these  stones  in 
Cornwall  and  Wales,  where  they  are 
called  Logan  stones,  from  the  word 
log,  which  signifies  to  rock  or  vibrate. 
They  are  supposed  to  be  under  the 
protection  of  fairies,  who  heavily 
avenge  their  overthrow.  It  would 
be  a  great  satisfaction  to  know  this 
was  the  case  as  to  the  offenders  who 
overthrew  the  Durham  rocking-stone, 
but  the  writer  is  utterly  ignorant  of 
their  fate. 

Rocky  Hill.  This  name  is  deserv- 
edly given  to  the  first  steep  hill  below 
Sawyer's  bridge,  Dover,  on  the  road 
along  the  west  side  of  Back  river. 


L,andmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


219 


There  is  also  a  Rocky  Hill  at  Lub- 
berland.      (See  Great  Hill.) 

Rocky  Hills.  These  are  small, 
round,  rocky  hills  iu  Somersworth, 
at  the  southeast  side  of  Cole's  Pond, 
above  Tate's  brook.  The  road  that 
crosses  them  to  Rochester  is  called 
the  Rocky  Hills  road.  A  school  at 
Rocky  Hills  is  mentioned  in  the  town 
records  of  1797,  and  the  school-dis- 
trict there  is  still  called  the  "  Rocky 
Hills  district." 

Rock  Island.  This  little  island  is 
in  the  Pascataqua  river,  between 
Goat  island  and  Fox  Point.  It  was 
one  of  the  links  in  the  old  Pascata- 
qua bridge,  built  in  1794,  and,  like 
Goat  island,  belongs  to  Newington. 

Rocky  Point.  This  point  is  on 
the  shore  of  Broad  Cove,  Newington, 
between  Fox  Pt.  and  Stephen's  Pt., 
now  Bean's.  It  is  a  mere  ledge  pro- 
jecting from  the  shore,  but  apparently 
separated  from  it  at  high  tide,  and 
generally  called  Carter^s  Rocks.  It  is 
mentioned  Ap.  9,  1702,  when  thirty 
acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  Mr. 
Nicholas  Harrison  "  on  bloody  poynt 
side,  in  Dover,  beginning  at  Rockey 
poynt,  att  henry  Langstar's  land, 
and  so  by  the  water  side  21  rods 
upon  an  east  line,  thence  on  a  south 
line  to  Joshua  Crockett's  land  116 
rods,  and  so  to  henry  Langstar's 
land  on  a  west  line  39  rods,  and  so 
to  Rockey  2^oynt  where  we  began." 
Also  9  or  10  acres  on  the  south  side 
of  the  highwavthat  leads  from  Broad 
Cove  to  the  plains,  etc.  (See  Car- 
ter's Rocks.)  Joseph  W.  Pickering, 
administrator  of  the  estate  of  Eleazar 
Coleman,  conveyed  to  Cyrus  Frink, 
Dec.  4,  1831,  48  acres  of  land  in 
Newington,  beginning  at  Rocky  Point, 
so  called,  and  running  thence  to  the 


northwestward  of  the  grist-mill,  thence 
as  the  creek  runs  to  the  middle  of  the 
cider-house,  etc.,  together  with  the 
t  house,  grist-mill,  and  alt  privileges. 
Mention  is  made  of  John  Shackford's 
land  at  the  S.  E. 

A  Rocky  Point  is  mentioned  July 
17,  1660,  when  it  was  agreed  by  the 
Dover  authorities  "  that  the  house  of 
Mr.  Valentine  Hill,  which  is  his  now 
dwelling  at  Rocky  Point,  shall  be 
within  tiie  line  of  deuetion  to  Oyster 
River."  This  point  may  have  been 
on  the  Durham  shore,  where  Valen- 
tine Hill  owned  several  large  tracts 
of  land.  If  he  owned  land  on  the 
Newington  shore,  it  must  have  been 
re-granted  after  his  death.  The  line 
of  division  between  the  Oyster  River 
precinct  (now  Durham)  and  Dover 
proper,  is  thus  stated  in  the  Dover 
records,  the  21st.,  10  mo.,  1657: 
"The  bounds  of  the  iuhabetance  of 
oyster  Reiver  for  the  acomodating  Q 
of  the  ministerv  is  the  inhabitants 
that  are  or  shall  be  scittuated  from 
the  next  Rocky  poynt  on  the  north 
side  below  the  mouth  of  the  sayd 
River  and  from  there  by  a  straight 
line  to  the  head  of  Tho  Johnson's 
Creek  to  the  Path  thear,  and  from 
theare  by  a  west  line  to  the  end  of 
the  Towne  bounds.  As  allso  all  the 
inhabetantes  on  the  south  side  of 
that  line  that  either  are  or  shall  be 
thear  scittuated  are  likewise  to  pay  to 
the  ministry  there,  excepting  all  the 
Inhabitants  on  fox  poynt  side  that  are 
or  shall  be  in  the  letell  Bay."  Tliis 
last  sentence  seems  to  imply  that  the 
Bloody  Point  district  from  Fox  Pt. 
up  Little  Bay  then  belonged  to  the 
Oyster  River  precinct  for  civil,  if  not 
for  ecclesiastical,  purposes.  In  that 
case,   Valentine   Hill's    house,    if  at 


220 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


Rocky  Pt.  on  the  lower  side  of  Fox 
Point,  could  have  been  easily  included 
within  the  above-mentioned  line  of 
division. 

RoLLiNSFORD.  This  township  was 
set  off  from  Somersworth  July  3, 
1849,  and  so  named,  it  is  said,  from 
the  Rollins  and  Wallingford  families, 
prominent  in  the  town.  The  latter, 
however,  only  contributed  its  final 
syllable  to  the  name.  The  line  of 
division  between  Rollinsford  and  the 
present  town  of  Somersworth,  was 
then  stated  to  begin  at  the  easterly 
end,  at  a  point  115  rods  southerly 
from  Pray's  brook,  so  called,  and 
thence  run  in  a  straight  line  to  the 
railroad  crossing,  south  of  the  dwell- 
ing-house of  Andrew  Crockett,  and 
thence  in  a  straight  line  to  a  stone 
on  the  westerlv  line  of  the  town,  at 
the  point  where  the  line  between  it 
and  Dover  crosses  the  old  road  from 
Dover  to  Great  Falls  village. 

Rollinsford  Garrisons.  The  Pike 
lioxise  is  said  to  have  been  a  garrison, 
so  named  from  the  Rev.  James  Pike, 
a  native  of  Newbury,  Mass.,  who 
began  his  ministry  at  Somersworth  in 
1727,  and  was  ordained  Oct.  28,  1730. 
He  is  said  to  have  planted  the  elms 
before  his  house  with  his  own  hands. 
It  was  here  he  died  in  the  6oth  year 
of  his  pastorate,  March  19,  1792. 

Another  garrison  was  at  Sligo. 
(See  Sligo.) 

'•'•  EzeMel  Wentworth's  garrison" 
is  mentioned  March  6,  1710-11,  as 
beyond  Ebenezer  Varney's  corner,  on 
the  way  from  Cochecho  to  Quamphe- 
gan  and  Salmon  falls.  {N.  H.  Prov. 
Pap.,  17  :  711.)  It  was  on  the  Rollins- 
ford side  of  Garrison  Hill,  no  doubt 
on  the  land  still  owned  by  the  Went- 
worth  family. 


"The  garrison  of  Capt.  Benjamin 
Wentworth  in  Dover,"  is  mentioned 
Nov.  18,  1724.  {Ibid.,  XI:  510.) 
Capt.  Wentworth  lived  at  Quamphe- 
gan,  near  the  turnpike  bridge  across 
the  Newichawannock  river.  (See 
QuamjyJiega^i.) 

The  old  Wentworth  house  at  Sal- 
mon Falls,  still  standing,  probably 
had  defences  at  first.  It  was  built 
by  Col.  Paul  Wentworth  about 
1710. 

Rollins  Station.  This  station  is 
on  the  Portsmouth  and  Dover  R.  R., 
in  Newington,  adjacent  to  the  Rol- 
lins farm. 

Round  Swamp.  Mentioned  May 
2,  1711,  when  six  acres  were  laid  out 
to  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Sever  in  the 
Bound  swamp,  eastward  of  Jolin 
Twomly's  field,  beginning  at  a  white 
oak  standing  at  the  south  side  of  the 
way  that  leads  to  fresh  creek.  Nich- 
olas Sever  conveyed  to  Paul  Gerrish, 
July  27,  1716,  six  acres,  laid  out  to 
him  by  the  town  at  a  place  called 
Round  swamp,  bounded  northerly  hy 
y^  highway  y'  goes  down  by  John 
Twombly's,  and  on  the  other  sides 
by  the  common  lands.  This  swamp, 
so  named  from  its  shape,  is  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Dover,  in  the  Bur- 
roughs pasture.  It  is  surrounded 
by  grey  ledges,  through  which  a 
brook  finds  its  way,  once  known  as 
Twomhley's  brook. 

Royall's  Cove,  otherwise  Rtall's. 
This  cove,  according  to  the  State 
map  of  Dover  in  1805,  is  on  the 
southwestern  shore  of  the  Back  River 
district,  at  the  east  side  of  Cedar 
Point.  The  name  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  have  been  derived  from 
Teague  Ryall  or  Royall,  one  of  the 
early  settlers   at  Oyster   River.     But 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


'ii\ 


his  name  does  not  appear  in  the  rate- 
lists  till  1661,  about  20  years  after 
mention  is  made  of  Royall's  Cove. 
He  was,  for  a  brief  period,  the  owner 
of  a  few  acres  of  land  in  the  interior 
of  the  Oyster  River  district,  and  then 
disappeared.  His  name  does  not  ap- 
pear in  connection  with  any  enter- 
[)rise  of  that  day.  It  is  much  more 
probable  that  Royall's  cove  was  named 
from  Wm.  Royall,  who  was  sent  over 
from  England  to  Gov.  Endicott  of 
Mass.  in  1629,  as  a  "  cleaver  of  tim- 
ber." He  was  enaasfed  in  the  lum- 
ber  business,  and  like  Henry  Jocelyn, 
Philip  Swadden,  and  others,  perhaps 
came  to  the  Pascataqua  region  before 
he  went  to  the  province  of  Maine. 
He  is  called  a  cooper  and  clapboard 
cleaver  in  164-1,  when  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  the  present  town  of 
Yarmouth,  Me.,  on  the  river  West- 
custigo,  which  from  him  took  the 
name  of  Royall's  river.  There  he 
ended  his  days. 

Royall's  cove  is  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  lumber  business  as  early 
as  Sept.  14,  1642,  when  ''  Edward 
Colcord  of  Northam  in  Pascataway 
river,"  made  over  to  Wm.  Payne  as 
a  security,  "■  my  timber  in  RyaVs 
coue^  being  in  number  200  trees,  and 
all  my  trees  w''  are  felled  txtfoxpoynt 
or  the  little  hay^  and  all  such  boards 
and  clap  boards  as  are  at  both  places." 
{County  Registry.,  Exeter.)  This 
cove  is  again  mentioned  the  oth,  5 
mo.,  1643,  when  "  Mr.  Valentine 
Hill  of  Boston "  had  a  grant  of  a 
neck  of  land  extending  "  from  a 
creek  over  against  Thomas  Steven- 
son's at  Oyster  River  that  hath  an 
island  in  the  mouth  of  it,  to  the  head 
of  that  creek  in  RoyaWs  Cooe  to  y* 
part  of  the  North  East  of  Mr.   Rob- 


erts his  marsh,  and  ten  acres  of 
upland.  All  the  rest  of  that  neck  we 
give  to  Mr.  Hill,  and  one  hundred 
acres  up  in  the  country."  Valentine 
Hill  conveyed  this  neck  of  land  be- 
tween Oyster  river  and  Royall's  cove 
to  John  Davis  and  John  Meader. 
(See  Header's  Neck  and  Garrison, 
and  Davis's  Garrison  at  Oyster 
River.)  Thomas  Layton,  the  6th, 
10  mo.,  1656,  had  a  grant  of  100 
acres  on  the  west  side  of  Back  river, 
adjoining  a  twenty  acre  lot  he  bought 
of  Ambrose  Gibbons,  previously  Mr. 
Rogers'  lot ; — which  hundred  acres 
were  "  laid  out  at  the  head  of  this 
twenty  acre  lot,  16  poles  by  the  north- 
ernmost branch  of  RialVs  cove.,  and 
so  up  the  freshett  16  and  13  pole,  the 
creek  being  on  the  south  side."  (See 
Frenchman's  Creek.)  Thomas  Lay- 
ton,  Sr.,  Feb.  13,  1670,  "  out  of  love 
and  affection  to  his  natural  son, 
Thomas  Layton,  Jr.,"  conveyed  to 
him  the  dwelling  house  then  in  his 
possession,  together  with  eight  score 
acres  of  land,  whereof  20  were  granted 
Henry  Tibbets,  20  to  Mr.  Rogers, 
and  the  rest  to  himself,  all  adjoining  ; 
the  whole  bounded  south  by  Riall 
Cove,  east  by  Back  river,  north  by  a 
lot  lately  held  by  Elder  Hatevil  Nut- 
ter, and  west  partly  by  John  Mead- 
er's  land,  and  partly  by  Joseph  ffields, 
and  separated  from  both  by  stony 
brook.  (See  Stony  Brook.)  Hatevil 
'  Nutter,  as  a  portion  to  his  daughter 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  Layton, 
Jr.,  conveyed  to  said  Thomas,  Feb. 
13,  1670,  a  forty  acre  lot  granted 
said  Nutter  by  the  town  of  Dover, 
between  Oyster  River  and  the  Back 
river,  bounded  southerly  by  land 
lately  held  by  Thomas  Layton,  Sr., 
west  by  John  Meder's  land,  north  by 


222 


I^andinarks  hi  Ancient  Dover. 


Job  Clement's,  and  easterly    by  "    y^ 
head  of  y*  twenty  acre  lott." 

In  the  return  of  the  lands  of 
Thomas  Laytou,  deceased,  in  1710, 
mention  is  made  of  three  lots,  viz  : 
the  second  in  the  number  of  the  20 
acre  lots  on  the  west  side  of  Back 
river;  a  100  acre  lot  granted  to 
Thomas  Layton,  8r.  ;  and  a  40  acre 
lot  granted  to  Hatevil  Nutter.  These 
three  lots  were  surveyed  anew  Ap.  | 
10,  1710,  Ujv  rooraas  Layton,  "  heir 
and  successor"  of  the  second  Thomas  ; 
"beoinning  at  a  small  walnut  tree  on 
the  bank  by  the  river  side,  between 
frenchman' s  creek  and  the  little  marsh 
in  RoyaVs  Coue  on  the  west  side  of 
Back  river,  and  from  said  tree  run- 
ning west  and  be  northwesterly  near- 
est 168  rods  to  the  head  of  the  north- 
most  branch  of  RoyaVs  Coice,  and  so 
said  cove  bounds  this  land  on  the 
south,  and  from  that  extent  it  runs 
up  the  freshet  six  score  and  thirteen 
rods  to  a  run  of  water  in  the  fresh 
marsh,  which  said  freshet  trends  near 
norwest  from  the  head  of  the  creek 
to  the  aforesaid  marsh,  and  so 
bounds  this  land  on  the  S.  W.,  and 
from  that  extent  it  runs  20  rods  on 
the  same  course  to  the  S.  W.  corner 
of  Mr.  Clement's  40  acre  lott,  said 
lott  bounding  tiiis  land  to  the  S.  E. 
corner  of  said  Clement's  lot,  thence  \ 
easteily  12  rods  to  a  highway  between  ' 
this  land  and  Samuel  Emerson's,  then  : 
near  S.  S.  E.  on  the  westward  side 
of  said  way  50  rods  to  the  crook  in 
said  Layton's  fence,  and  from  said 
crook  to  the  first  bound." 

Thomas  Leighton  of  Dover,  Ap. 
1,  1762,  conveyed  to  Thomas  Wal- 
lingford  of  Somersworth  100  acres  of 
land  in  Dover,  on  the  west  side  of 
Ba-ok     river,     running  from    y*^    said 


river  to  Royal's  cove,  about  40  rods 
to  the  land  of  Joseph  Header  west- 
ward, and  by  his  land  and  Ephraim 
Davis's  till  it  comes  to  Paul  Nute's, 
and  so  along  the  lands  of  said  Nute 
and  Clement,  and  the  land  of  John 
Leighton,  to  the  first  bound.  This 
land  was  conveyed  to  Wm.  King 
Atkinson  by  said  Wallingford's  heirs 
about  1798,  and  is  now  owned  in  part 
by  Mrs.  Simpson,  together  with  the 
Atkinson  house  which  stands  on  the 
height  now  called  Atkinson's  Hill.  A 
part  of  the  Leighton  land  on  the  same 
hill  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Prescott. 

John  Meader,  Sr.,  of  Oyster  River, 
June  17,  1679,  conveyed  to  his  son 
John,  as  his  patrimony,  "  30  acres  on 
the  neck  of  land  that  lyeth  between 
Oyster  river  and  y^  Back  river,  being 
a  moitie  of  a  larger  tract  granted 
said  John  Meader,  y*  father,  and 
Wm.  Sheffield  in  y*  year  of  our  Lord 
God  1656,  which  three  score  acres  were 
laid  out  as  followeth  : — beginning 
at  an  asp  tree  some  four  rods  from 
y*  flowing  of  y*^  tide  at  y*  head  of 
Rial's  Coue,  thence  N.  by  W.  142 
rods  by  y*  land  which  was  lately 
Thomas  Laiton's,  and  by  y*  land 
latelie  Elder  Nutter's  to  a  red  oak, 
thence  W.  by  S.  68  rods  to  a  hem- 
lock, thence  S.  by  E.  142  rods  to  a 
great  white  oak,  which  tree  being  v* 
N.  E.  corner  bound  of  y*  land  which 
y^  s**  John  Meader  bought  of  Mr. 
Valentine  Hill,  and  from  said  oak  to 
the  asp  tree  at  the  head  of  Rial's 
Coue,  reserving  a  highway  one  rod 
wide  from  said  oak  to  y*  asp  tree  for 
a  watering  wav  to  said  cove." 

The  inhabitants  at  Oyster  River  in 
1695  petitioned  to  the  Governor  and 
Council  to  be  incorporated  as  a  sep- 
arate parish,  "  beginning  at  the  head 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


223 


of  Riall  Jiis  cove,  and  thence  running 
upon  a  N.  W.   line,  "  etc. 

Twenty  acres  of  laud  were  laid  out 
to  Zacharias  ffleld,^  Sept.  24,  1695, 
according  to  a  grant  to  Mr.  Thomas 
Roberts,  Sr.,  deceased,  "  in  y^  bot- 
tom of  Riars  Cone,  on  y*"  western 
side  of  y"  back  Rieuer,  known  by  y*" 
name  of  y^  Hirst  twenty  acor  lott, 
bounded  as  followeth  :  beoiuning  at 
a  Red  oake  tree  by  y^  creek  side  y' 
runs  up  to  stonie  brooJc,  from  said 
tree  N.  W,  by  W.  80  poles  to  a  heap 
of  stones  near  John  Header's  fence, 
thence  S.  W.  and  by  8.  40  pooles 
to  a  heap  of  stones  near  Joseph 
Header's  fence,  thence  8.  E.  and  by 
E.  92  poles,  and  thence  to  the  first 
bound,  allowing  y'  strip  of  land  v' 
falls  below  y^  east  line  to  fill  up  y** 
water  by  reason  it  falles  on  y^  creek." 

John  Shapleigh  of  Kittery,  and 
wife  Sarah,  July  20,  1699,  conveyed 
to  Joseph  Smith  and  John  Header, 
Jr.,  both  of  Oyster  River,  all  their 
right  to  a  neck  of  laud  at  the  mouth 
of  Oyster  river  formerly  granted  to 
Valentine  Hill  the  5th,  10  mo.,  1643, 
"  bounded  to  the  head  of  RyalVs 
cove,  and  so  to  the  head  of  a  cove, 
against  Thomas  Stinson's,"  except 
20  acres  belonging  to  Robert's  marsh, 
and  "  the  widow  Hill's  thirds  during 
her  life,  forfeited  to  the  crown." 

8t.  Alban's  Cove.  This  cove  is 
on  the  western  shore  of  the  Newicha- 
wannock,  below  Quamphegan  Falls. 
It  is  so  called  in  the  grant  of  the 
mill  privilege  on  Fresh  creek  the  5th, 
2  mo.,  1652.  The  name  is  said  to 
have  been  given  by  the  early  Tuttles 
of  Dover,  who  came  from  Great  St. 
Alban's,  Hertfordshire,  Eng.,  which 


place  derived  its  name,  of  course, 
from  the  great  proto- martyr  of  Elng- 
land.  St.  Alban's  cove  is  variously 
called  in  the  old  records,  St.  Albon's, 
St.  Albanes,  Sentalbons,  etc.  (See 
Style's   Cove.) 

Salmon  Falls,  and  Salmon  Falls 
River.  The  name  of  Salmon  Falls 
river  has  been  given  for  two  and  a 
half  centuries  to  that  part  of  the 
Newichawaunock  above  the  head  of 
tide  water.  It  was  no  doubt  derived 
from  the  abundance  of  salmon  found 
in  tills  stream  before  the  erection  of 
mills.  The  Dover  authorities  of 
1644  ordered  the  first  salmon  of  the 
season,  as  well  as  other  fish,  to  be 
given  to  the  minister  of  the  parish. 
The  falls  in  this  river,  specially 
known  as  "Salmon  falls,"  are  at  the 
manufacturing  village  of  the  same 
name,  in  Rollinsford.  They  are 
repeatedly  mentioned  in  the  early 
grants  and  deeds.  In  1658  Thomas 
Hanson  had  a  grant  of  100  acres  of 
land  "■  neir  the  saman  fall.'"  Ralph 
Twombley's  hundred  acres  "  neir  the 
samaii  fall"  is  also  spoken  of  the 
same  year.  And  Hajor  Richard  Wal- 
dron,  in  a  letter  of  Nov.  8,  1675, 
speaks  of  "  Samon  faull."  (See  N. 
H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1:356.)  Edward 
Taylor  of  Exeter  and  wife  "  Rebec- 
kah  "  conveyed  to  Thomas  Roberts, 
July  20,  1699,  50  acres  on  the  west 
side  of  Salmon  falls  river,  a  little 
below  y*^  Salmon  fall,  bordering  on 
the  N.  W.  on  a  tract  formerly  in 
the  occupation  of  George  Broughton, 
on  the  S.  W.  by  a  tract  commonly 
called  the  Qaamiyliegan  grant,  or 
Sheafs  land,  and  on  y^  east  by  the 
river,      reserving     a    cartway    from 


>  Zachariah  Field  married  the  daughter  of  John  Roberts,  son  of  Thomas  Roberts,  Sr.    John 
Roberts'  wife  was  Abigail,  daughter  of  Hatevil  Nutter. 


224 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Salmon  falls  mill  to  the  usual  rafting- 
place  for  delivering  boards.  John 
Tuttle  and  Ezekiel  Wentworth  had  a 
grant  of  the  mill  privilege  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Salmon  falls,  Oct. 
27,  1701.  And  May  19,  1702,  they 
had  the  grant  of  an  os -pasture  of  30 
acres,  "  accomadable  to  their  mill- 
grant  at  Salmon  falls,  .  .  begin- 
ning at  the  riuer  below  the  mill, 
where  they  hall  up  boards."  One 
side  of  this  tract  was  bounded  by 
"  the  King's  road  that  leads  to 
Salmon  falls.''  A  cartway,  four  rods 
wide,  was  reserved,  to  go  through 
this  land,  "  from  Salmon  falls  to  the 
usual  landing -2'>lace  at  Edward  Tail- 
ers."  John  Tuttle,  Sr.,  conveyed  to 
John  Wentworth,  July  29,  1709,  one 
eighth  part  of  the  westward  side  of 
the  lower  fall,  alias  foot  fall,  of  the 
Salmon  falls  river,  with  the  accom- 
modation of  land  belonging  thereto, 
between  said  fall  and  the  cart  path 
that  leads  from  the  afors**  Salmon 
falls  to  Edward  Tailer's  former  plan- 
tation. John  Tuttle,  in  his  will  of 
Dec.  28,  1717,  gives  his  son  Ebenezer 
all  his  right  at  the  middle  fall,  lying 
between  the  two  falls,  on  the  west 
side  of  Salmon  Fall  river.  Ebenezer 
Tuttle,  Feb.  5,  1721-2,  conveyed  to 
Capt.  Benj"  Wentworth  and  Thomas 
Wallingford  one  quarter  part  of  the 
falls  commonly  called  y*  middle  falls, 
between  y®  two  mills  on  the  westward 
side  of  a  river  commonly  called 
Salmon  fall  river,  opposite  a  mill  in 
y*  possession  of  John  Key  and  James 
Grant,  which  afores**  fall  was  granted 
to  Ca.pt.  John  Tuttle  by  the  town  of 
Dover. 

Elizabeth  Wentworth  of  Boston 
conveyed  to  Paul  Wentworth  of 
"  Summersworth,"  Nov.  2,  1730,  ten 


acres  of  an  ox-pasture  between  lands 
of  y*  widow  Martha  Wentworth,  Mr. 
John  Yeaton,  Mr.  Love  Roberts,  Mr. 
Elijah  Tuttle,  and  ye  highway  which 
leads  to  Salmon  falls.  Also  "  one 
eighth  part  of  y*  upper  mill  upon  y* 
shoar  upon  Salmon  falls,  and  one 
eighth  of  y'^  shoar  mill  upon  y*  middle 
falls,"  with  the  stream  and  all  privi- 
leges on  the  west  side  of  Salmon  falls 
river.  Paul  Wentworth,  in  his  will 
of  Feb.  3,  1747-8,  gives  his  brother 
Gershom  Wentworth  certain  rights 
in  "■  the  iipp)er  inill  standing  on 
Salmon  falls";  to  his  nephew  Paul 
Wentworth  certain  rights  in  the 
middle  mill  on  the  westerly  side  of 
Salmon  falls  river,  near  the  widow 
Drew's  dwelling,  (this  was  Abigail, 
widow  of  John  Drew)  and  his  part  of 
the  grist-mill  standing  near  said  saw- 
mill ;  and  to  his  nephew  Paul  Brown 
certain  rights  in  the  middle  mill  and 
in  the  loicer  mill,  both  standing  on 
the  westerly  side  of  Salmon  falls 
river. 

The  Salmon  Falls  Manufacturing 
Company  was  incorporated  June  17, 
1822,  and  a  mill  for  woollen  cloths 
was  built  soon  after,  which  was 
burned  down  Aug.  7,  1834.  The 
first  cotton  mill  was  established  here 
in  1844,  and  became  the  nucleus  of 
the  present  factories,  around  which 
has  sprung  up  the  village  of  Salmon 
Falls,  the  only  village  in  RoUiusford. 

Salmon  Falls  tuoods  are  mentioned 
Ap.  17,  1742,  when  Mary  Corson 
(and  Zebulon)  daughter  of  Capt. 
Samuel  Tibbets  of  Dover,  deceased, 
conveyed  to  Capt.  John  Wallingford 
all  right  and  title  to  an  eighty-acre 
grant  to  said  Samuel  in  the  Salmon 
Falls  woods,  so  called. 

Sam  Roe's   Hill.     This  hill  is  in 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


225 


NewingtoD,  uear  the  source  of  the 
Trout  hrook,  once  known  as  Piar- 
wood's  creek.  The  name  is  derived 
from  a  descendant  of  Richard  Row 
or  Roe,  who  acquired  land  at  Welsh 
Cove  June  17,  1658.  (See  Welsh 
Cove.)    *»--^ /i<*-w«i/**^'<?i«^-Xr. 

Sandy  Bank.  Mentioned  the  8th, 
5  mo.,  1664,  when  20  acres  of  land 
were  laid  out  to  Hugh  Dunn^  at  "■  a 
place  called  Sandy  Banks  up  larapril 
river,"  granted  him  in  1656,  begin- 
ning at  a  marked  tree  by  the  river 
side  at  a  deep  gully.  It  is  again 
mentioned  Oct.,  1717,  when  John 
Footman  sold  "Joseph  Duedy " 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  north 
side  of  Lamprey  river,  beginning  at 
a  hemlock  by  the  river  side,  "•  at  a 
deep  gully  at  a  place  called  Sandy 
bank."  This  land  had  been  given 
John  Footman  by  his  grandfather, 
"Philip  Cromeele "  (Crommet  or 
Cromwell).  Joseph  Duda,  black- 
smith, Nov.  28,  1743,  sold  John 
Crommet  two  acres  at  Hugh  Dun's, 
between  Crommet's  pasture  and  Du- 
da's  swamp.  Sandy  Bank  is  just 
aU»»V.e  Hook  Island  falls,  and  now 
belongs  to  the  Newmarket  Manufac- 
turing Company.  The  gulh'  above 
mentioned  is  still  to  be  seen,  and  not 
far  off  is  a  large  swamp  now  owned 
by  the  Yorke  family. 

The  Joseph  Duda  here  spoken  of 
married  Rebecca  Adams.  In  a  deed 
of  1712  he  signs  his  name  "Joseph 
Dowdy."  (See  Adams  Garrison.) 
In  another  of  1716  he  writes  it  "Jo- 
seph  Duda."     Joseph  Duda's   name 


is  on  the  muster-roll  of  Capt.  James 
Davis  in  1712.  Tiie  Rev.  Hugh 
Adams  of  Oyster  River,  Nov.  10, 
1717,  records  the  baptism  of  Joseph 
Doody,  Rebecca  his  wife,  and  Ben- 
more  and  Susanna,  their  children. 
Sept.  18,  1726,  he  baptized  Temper- 
ance Dudey,  infant  of  Joseph  Dndey.- 
Joseph  Duda  was  the  son  of  Philip, 
who  appears  to  have  first  lived  in 
that  part  of  Exeter  which  is  now 
Newmarket.  The  name  of  "  Philip 
Duday  "  is  signed  to  a  petition  from 
the  peo|)le  of  New  Hampshire  to  the 
Massacliusetts  government,  Feb.  20, 
1689-90.  Dec.  30,  1738,  Philip  Duda 
of  Arundell,  York  Co.,  Maine,  for 
thiity  pounds,  conveyed  to  his  son 
Joseph  Duda,  of  Durham,  blacksmith, 
fifty  acres  of  land  in  P^xeter,  granted 
said  Philip  Feb.  25,  1698.  Philip 
signs  with  a  mark  in  both  instances. 
Rebecca,  the  first  wife  of  Joseph 
Duda,  left  at  least  five  children. 
April  8,  1756,  Benmore  Duda,  Su- 
sanna (Duda)  wife  of  Francis  Dur- 
gin,  Nicholas  Duda,  True  worthy 
Durgin,  and  Mary  Duda  his  wife,  and 
Zebulon  Duda  of  Newmarket,  chil- 
dren of  Joseph  Duda  of  Durham, 
l)lacksmith,  and  Rebecca  his  wife, 
deceased,  for  ten  pounds  conveyed 
to  their  uncle,  Thomas  Bickford  of 
Madbury,  and  Elsther  (Adams)  his 
wife,  lands  at  Caley's  marsh  (Caul- 
ley's  marsh  at  Durham  Point),  and 
in  Madl)ury,  which  belonged  to  the 
estate  of  their  grandfather  Adams. 
Joseph  Duda  died  before  Dec.  25, 
1751,      on     which     dav     his     widow 


1  Hugh  Dunn  went  to  New  J*ersey  as  early  as  1666,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Piscata- 
qua,  in  that  state. 

2  The  name  of  Temperance  was  derived  from  Temperance  Benmore,  wife  of  Charles  Adams, 
and  daughter  of  Philip  Benmore.  She  inherited  lands  on  the  south  side  of  Sturgeon  creek,  in 
Kitterj'.     (See  York  Records.) 


226 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Hannah  (his  second  wife)  testified  as 
to  the  correctness  of  the  inventory  of 
his  estate,  in  which  is  mentioned  his 
shop,  anvil,  sledge-hammer,  dwelling- 
house,  barn,  and  thirty  two  acres  of 
homestead  land. 

Nicholas,  son  of  Joseph  and  Re- 
becca Duda,  was  born  about  1730. 
He  seems  to  have  been  married  at  an 
early  age.  The  Rev.  John  Adams 
of  Durham,  Jan.  13,  1754,  records 
the  baptism  of  Deborah,  daughter  of 
Nicholas  Doody.  "  Nicolas  Dudy, 
constable,"  is  mentioned  in  the  Dur- 
ham records  of  1755.  "Nicholas 
Dudy  "  was  one  of  the  first  selectmen 
in  Lee  after  the  incorporation  of  that 
town.  He  was  apparently  the  first 
to  chanije  his  surname  to  Durell. 
The  late  Judge  Durell  was  his  grand- 
son. The  first  time  the  name  appears 
so  written  is  in  a  deed  from  Nicholas 
Durell  of  Durham  to  Benjamin  Rich- 
ards of  Rochester,  Feb.  14,  1754,  but 
it  continued  to  be  called  and  gener- 
ally written  Duda  at  least  half  a  cen- 
tury later,  as  many  people  still  recol- 
lect. The  name  of  Ben  more  Duda 
(brother  of  Nicholas)  is  on  the  Dur- 
ham   rate-list   of    1778.     In  that  of 

1787  it  is  written  Benmore  Dudy.    In 

1788  it  is  Benmore  Durril.  In  1789 
it  was-  first  written  Benmore  Dudy, 
then  the  surname  was  half  effaced 
and  Durril  substituted.  It  is  Ben- 
more Dudy  again  in  1791,  after  which 
it  disappears.  In  the  Lee  records, 
the  name  of  "Joseph  Duda"  is  on 
the  rate-list  of  1794,  but  on  that  of 
1795  he  is  called  "Joseph  Durrel." 

Nothing  appears  in  the  early  rec- 
ords to  justify  the  assertion  that  the 
Doody  or  Duda  family  came  from  the 
Isle  of  Jersey,  much  less  that  it  was 
of    Norman    extraction.     Doody    is 


still  a  well  known  name  in  Ireland, 
especially  in  Kerry.  It  is  derived 
from  the  ancient  O'Dubhda,  signify- 
ing dark  complexioued,  and  is  now 
variously  written  as  Doody,  Dowd, 
and  O'Dowd,  etc.  The  last  form  is 
dear  to  every  reader  of  Thackeray's 
"Vanity  Fair." 

Sandy  Brook.     See  CutVs  Brook. 

Sandy  Log  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
the  upper  part  of  Dover,  the  west 
side  of  the  Cochecho  river,  on  the 
road  from  Tolend  to  Rochester.  It 
is  mentioned  Nov.  5,  1741,  when  27 
acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  John 
Hanson,  Jr.,  beginning  at  Sandy  log 
hill,  at  the  S.  E.  end  of  the  plain 
commonly  called  the  Ealware  plains, 
a  little  above  the  uppermost  end  of 
John  Tibbet's  fence,  at  the  east  side 
of  the  old  mast  path,  and  running 
somewhat  northerly,  as  said  path 
goes,  as  far  as  Rochester  line,  then 
nearly  N.  E.  as  that  line  runs,  till  it 
comes  to  the  Cochecho  river  at  the 
small  neck  of  land  which  said  Hanson 
hath  fenced  in,  then  running  down 
the  river  to  the  Ealware  falls,  and 
thence  down  the  river  to  Sandy  log 
hill,  where  we  first  began,  having  the 
said  river  on  the  easterly  side,  and 
the  mast  path  on  the  westerly  side. 
Twelve  acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to 
James  Kielle  Jan.  24,  1750,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road  "  right  against 
the  Sandy  logg  hill,  or  the  bend  of 
the  river." 

Sandy  Point.  Two  points  of  this 
name  are  mentioned  in  the  early 
records.  One  of  them  is  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  Dover  Neck,  at  the  upper 
side  of  Pomeroy's  Cove,  now  Card's 
Cove,  and  still  retains  its  ancient 
name,  no  doubt  derived  from  the 
sandy   nature    of  the    soil.     Thomas 


Laiidiiiarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


227 


Beard  had  a  grant  of  three  acres  of 
land  on  Dover  Neck,  Ap.  4,  1642, 
"  bounded  by  land  in  the  possession 
of  Thomas  Wiggin  on  y''  south  side, 
in  the  swamp  towards  Sandy  poynt.''' 
He  and  his  wife  Mary  conveyed  this 
land  to  Richard  Waldron  Dec.  6, 
1G54.  This  point  is  again  mentioned 
the  5th,  10  mo.,  1652,  when  Richard 
Walderne  or  Waldron  had  the  grant 
of  Pomeroy's  cove  on  Dover  Neck 
'"  from  Sandy  point  right  over  to  the 
other  side  of  tlie  Coue,  to  make  a 
Docke,"  Capt.  Walter  Barefoot, 
the  2d,  3  mo.,  1652,  had  a  grant  of 
"  fower  scoer  foot  in  Breadth  of 
flates  below  hiewater  mark  at  Sande 
p)oynl,''  and  twenty  four  feet  of 
upland.  And  "  Capt.  Richard  Walld- 
ern  "  also  had  a  grant  of  24  feet  of 
upland  "  to  joine  to  his  former  grant 
of  flats  at  Sande  poyrit." 

Isaac  Nash  of  Dover  and  his  wife 
Margery  (both  deceased  before  Feb. 

17,  1664)  conveyed  to  Thomas  Kem- 
ble,  Nov.  6,  1658,  a  dwelling-house 
on  Sandy  jwynt  in  Dover,  with  six 
acres  of  upland  adjoining,  and  all 
the  marsh  in  pumryes  Cove.  Thomas 
Kemble  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  con- 
veyed the  same  to  Peter  Coffin  Jan. 

18,  1662.  Peter  Coffin  (and  Abigail), 
Feb.  17,  1664,  conveyed  to  Anthony 
Nutter  "  y*  said  dwelling-house  and 
six  acres  of  upland,  and  the  afores*^ 
marsh  m  pomeryes  cove."  John  Red- 
man of  Hampton,  Ap.  19,  1673,  con- 
veyed to  Capt.  Richard  Waldron,  3 
acres  of  land  on  Dover  Neck,  granted 
him  the  4th,  2  mo.,  1642,  bounded  by 
Thomas  Wiggin  on  y^  south  side  in  y® 
swamp  towards  Sandy  pioynt.,  which 
land  was  formerly  in  possession  of 
said  John  Redman,  and  commonly 
called  by  y^  name  of  Hedman's  sliopp. 


A  Sandy  Point  of  greater  note  is 
in  Strathara,  at  the  lower  side  of 
the  mouth  of  Squamscot  river.  It  is 
mentioned  in  connection  with  ancient 
Dover,  which  extended  along  the 
Greenland  shore  of  Great  Bay  to  a 
bound  forty  rods  below  Sandy  Point. 
(See  N.  H.  Ptoik  Pap.,  1  :  222.) 
Near  this  point  lived  Capt.  Thomas 
Wiggin  of  Bloody  Point  celebrity, 
the  so-called  governor  of  Pascataqua, 
and  the  constant  friend  to  Massachu- 
setts Bay.  He  died  about  1667. 
The  cellar  of  his  house  can  still  be 
traced.  Part  of  the  large  tract  of 
land  he  acquired  in  this  vicinity  is 
still  owned  by  his  descendants,  who 
are  justly  proud  of  their  origin. 

Sandy  Point  Marsh.  Mentioned 
March  12,  1695-6,  when  Marie  Lake 
of  Boston,  widow  of  Thomas  Lake 
and  executrix  of  his  will,  and  .John 
and  Anne  Cotton  of  Hampton,  heirs 
of  said  Thomas,  for  themselves  and 
for  Mr.  Thomas  Lake  of  London, 
son  and  heir  of  said  Thomas,  de- 
ceased, conveyed  to  Peter  Coffin  a 
tract  of  land  adjoining  the  river  com- 
monly called  the  Great  bay,  being 
half  the  tract  of  land  and  marsh 
which  said  Thomas  Lake  and  Major 
Richard  Waldron  reserved  for  them- 
selves when  they  sold  their  other 
land  to  Mr.  Thomas  Wiggin.  "■  The 
marsh  ground,  commonly  called  by 
the  name  of  Sandie  point  marsh " 
adjoined  the  marsh  of  said  Wiggin, 
and  the  upland  adjoining  extended 
from  the  Great  Bay  to  Winnicot 
river,  "  and  so  up  to  Wm.  Davis's 
fence,  and  so  to  the  dividing  line 
between  Andrew  Wiggins's  land  and 
this  land  ;  that  is,  one  half  of  all 
this  land  in  compass,  excepting  only 
that  part  which  was  granted  to  Dover 


228 


JLandmarks  in   Ancient  Dover. 


by  the  General  Court  at  Boston.^'' 
Peter  Coffin  of  Exeter,  June  2,  1696, 
couveyed  to  his  son  Peter  of  Nan- 
tucket 200  acres  of  land  he  had 
purchased  of  Mrs.  Lake  of  Boston 
on  the  S,  W.  side  of  the  Great 
Bay. 

The  Saplings.  "  The  road  that 
leads  to  the  SwpUngs  above  Mallago 
river,  so  called,"  is  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  land  laid  out  to  Beuj° 
Mason  in  April,  1734,  beginning  at  a 
beech  tree  at  the  side  of  this  road,  at 
the  east  corner  of  Wm.  Twomble's 
land.  "  The  road  that  goes  from 
Littleworth  to  the  Saplings,  so  called," 
is  mentioned  Sept.  20,  1734,  when 
land  adjoining  was  laid  out  to 
Edward  Cloutraan.  A  petition  was 
made  Deo.  8,  1734,  and  again  Aug. 
7,  1736,  for  a  road  "•  from  Deinerifs 
mill  to  the  Mallego  road  at  the 
Saplings.'"  This  petition  was  granted 
Aug.  16,  1736.  (See  Demerit's 
Mill.)  Ten  acres  and  140  rods  of 
land  were  laid  out  to  Robert  Hanson, 
June  1,  1739,  on  the  S.  W.  side  of 
a  piece  of  land  belonging  to  the 
Quakers,  at  a  i^lace  called  the  Sap- 
lings. (See  Quaker  Pastures.)  The 
Saplings,  a  name  no  longer  in  use, 
were  evidently  in  the  upper  part  of 
Madbury  adjacent  to  the  Mallego 
river,  near  the  terminus  of  the  cross 
road  from  Bellamy  Hook. 

Sarah  Paul  Hill.  This  hill 
formed  part  of  the  old  Chesley  lauds 
on  the  upper  side  of  Beech  Hill,  and 
was  so  named  from  Sarah,  wife  of 
Paul  Chesley,  who,  during  a  long 
widowhood,  displayed  great  force  of 
character  and  a  taste  for  litigation. 
She  was  called  Sarah  Paul  to  distin- 
guish her  from  "  Sarah  Liramy,"  the 


widow  of  Lemuel  Chesley,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Smith.  They  are  both 
mentioned  in  the  Durham  rate-list  of 
1778.  At  the  foot  of  this  hill  is  the 
"  Sarah  Paid  Spring"  the  source  of 
Stony  brook,  which  empties  into 
Beard's  creek. 

Saunder's  Point.  This  point  is 
below  Salmon  Falls,  just  above  the 
foundry.  Here  lived  the  widow 
Elizabeth  Saunders  who  married 
Master  Tate,  the  noted  school-master 
of  Somersworth.  This  point  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  Sander's 
Point  of  early  times,  where  Ambrose 
Gibbons,  the  early  pioneer  on  the 
Newichawannock,  was  buried.  The 
latter  is  connected  with  Great  Island 
by  a  bridge  near  the  Wentworth 
House  whicli  extends  from  the  island 
across  to  Sander's  Point. 

Sawyer's  Bridge.  This  name  is 
now  given  to  the  bridge  across  the 
Bellamy  river  near  the  residence  of 
Ex-Governor  Sawyer  in  Dover,  for- 
merly called  Dmiu's  bridge,  Libbey's 
bridge,  and  Gerrish's  bridge. 

Sawyer's  Mills.  These  mills  are 
at  the  lowest  falls  in  the  Bellamy 
river,  at  the  south  side  of  the  city 
proper  of  Dover.  For  more  than  a 
century  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill 
here  were  called  Gerrish's  mills,  hav- 
ing been  given  by  Major  Richard 
Waldron,  Oct.  17,  1683,  together 
with  all  the  lands,  timber  grants, 
water  i)rivileges,  etc.,  belonging 
thereto,  as  a  marriage  portion  to  his 
two  daughters,  Anna,  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Gerrish  of  Wenham, 
Mass.,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
Gerrish  of  Dover.  Joseph  Gerrish, 
May  20,  1701,  conveyed  his  wife's 
half  of  this  property  to  John  Gerrish, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


ii<^ 


who  thus  became  the  sole  proprietor. 
(See  Bellamy  Falls  and  Mills. )^ 

Sawyer's  Station.  This  is  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Portsmouth  and  Dover 
Railroad,  near  Sawyer's  mills  in  Do- 
ver. 

Sawyer's  Village.  The  line  of 
tenement  houses  along  the  Bellamy, 
near  Sawyer's  mills,  erected  for  the 
benefit  of  the  operatives,  is  popularly 
so  called.  The  longest  of  these 
houses  is  known  as  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments— a  name  facetiously  given 
in  the  course  of  its  erection,  be- 
cause it  was  divided  into  ten  tene- 
ments. 

Scatterwit.  This  name  is  given 
to  a  district  above  the  Upper-Factory 
falls  in  Dover,  adjoining  the  Coche- 
cho  on  the  easterly  side.  It  is  men- 
tioned June  23,  1701,  when  Ebenezer 
Varney  had  a  grant  of  30  acres  near 
Scatterwitt  cotcntry.  Tristram  Heard, 
in  his  will  of  Ap.  18,  1834,  gives  his 
daughter  Jean,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Hayes,  one  half  of  his  sixty-acre  lot 
at  Scatterwit.  The  name  is  otherwise 
written,  May  7,  1736,  when  Wm. 
Welland  conveyed  to  Isaac  Libbey 
14  acres  of  land  '"  on  the  north  side 
of  y^  way  y'  leads  to  Scatiiet.  Six 
acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  Beuj" 
Roberts  Feb.  26,  1739,  at  a  place 
called  Scatterwit,  beginning  at  a 
white  oak  near  Ezra  Kimball's  shop 
on  the  north  side  of  the  road  that 
leads  to  s?i\(\  Scatterwit,  then  running 
by  Ebenezer  Varney 's  land.  The 
road  from  Gage's  Hill  to  the  Long 
Hill  road  is  now  called  the  Scatterwit 
road.  San  ford  and  Everts'  Atlas 
incorrectly  calls  this  district  "  Scatter- 


wlth."  The  present  county  farm  is 
in  Scatterwit. 

School-Districts.  A  school  was 
established  on  Dover  Neck  at  an 
early  day.  The  town  ordered  the 
5th,  2  mo.,  1658,  that  20  pounds  per 
annum  be  raised  to  maintain  a  school- 
master in  the  town  of  Dover,  to  teach 
all  the  children  "to  reid,  write,  cast 
a  compte,  latine,  as  the  parents  shall 
require."  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  : 
312  )  The  school-districts  of  Dover 
are  thus  enumerated  in  1790:  1. 
Centre  district.  2.  Dover  Neck.  3. 
Littlewortli.  4.  Tolend.  5.  North 
Side,  Garrison  Hill.  6.  Long  Hill, 
from  R.  Kimball's  to  N.  Varney's. 
7.  Fresh  Creelt.  8.  Black  Water. 
9.  Back  River,  south  end.  10.  Back 
River,  Mast  road.  The  Dover  school- 
districts  of  the  present  day  are  :  1. 
Back  River.  2.  Upper  Factory.  3. 
Garrison  Hill.  4.  Blackwater.  5. 
Long  Hill.  6.  Tolend.  1.  Little- 
worth.  8.  Upper  Neck.  9.  Lower 
Neck.  These  do  not  include  the  dis- 
tricts in  the  city  proper. 

The  Durham  school-districts  are 
mentioned  in  the  town  records  of 
1794  as  follows:  1.  Falls,  1st  North 
district ;  i.  e.,  in  Durham  village.  2. 
Falls,  2d  North  district;  i.  e..  the 
district  around  Buck's  hill.  3.  Falls, 
South  district,  now  the  Broth  Hill  dis- 
trict. 4.  Licbberland.  5.  Point  dis- 
trict. 6.  Packer's  Falls.  7.  District 
below  Jones's  Creek.  This  is  called 
Back  River  district  in  1799.  It  is 
now  sometimes  called  the  Bridge  or 
Pascataqua  Bridge  district  because  it 
extends  to  the  Durham  terminus  of 
the  old  Pascataqua  bridge.  8.  District 


1  In  the  article  Bellamy  Falls  and  Mills  Wm.  Follet  is  said  to  have  conveyed  his  part  thereof 
to  Richard  Waldron  Ap.  27, 1675.  It  wa.s  in  the  year  1671,  and  Waldron's  deed  to  Joseph  Qer- 
rish  says  it  was  on  the  20th  of  April. 


230 


Landma7'ks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


above  Wm.  Spinney's.  This  is  called 
the  Mast  Road  District  iu  1797, 
which  name  it  still  retains. 

There  were  schools  in  Lee  before 
its  separation  from  Durham.  Col. 
Hercules  Moouey  was  one  of  the 
early  teachers  there,  and  after  its  in- 
corporation he  taught  there  from 
1766  till  the  Revolution,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  he  laid  down  his 
sword  to  resume  the  ferule.^  The 
Hoolx  school  is  mentioned  in  the  town 
records  of  1771.  Schools  at  Newtown 
and  WadleigJi' s  falls  are  mentioned  in 
1790,  and  at  Little  river  and  North 
river  in  1791.  They  were  no  doubt 
in  oi)eration  much  earlier.  '■'■School 
in  the  Mastway  "  and  "  Mastway  dis- 
trict" are  mentioned  in  1791.  ^^Lower 
Newtown  district"  now  Layn's  district, 
is  mentioned  in  1800, 

Madbury  established  schools  as 
soon  as  it  was  made  a  separate  par- 
ish. A  vote  was  passed  March  31, 
1757,  that  schools  of  two  months 
each  be  kept  at  James  Pbikham's 
(now  District  No.  One);  at  the  Meet- 
ing-house; at  Mr.  HilVs  house  at 
Freetown;  and  at  Ichahod  Canney's 
house,  afterwards  called  the  North 
school-district,  now  No.  Four. 

The  Newington  records  of  1762 
mention  303  pounds  "  paid  Capt. 
Mooney  for  keeping  school."  This 
was  the  above-mentioned  Hercules 
Mooney.  Col.  John  Downing,  in 
his  will  of  Sept.  5,  1755,  proved 
March  12,  1766,  gives  one  acre  of 
land,  then  in  the  possession  of 
Nicholas  Knight,  on  the  highway 
from  Newington  meeting-house  to 
Greenland,  for  a    school-house,  and 


500  pounds  put  at  interest  to  main- 
tain a  teacher  till  said  house  be  built. 
There  is  only  one  school  disti'ict  in 
Newington  at  the  present  day. 

Somerswoith  was  divided  into 
four  school  districts  in  1793,  which 
were  increased  to  eight  in  the  course 
of  30  years.  A  school  at  Rocky 
Hills  is  mentioned  in  1797,  and 
Indigo  Hill  school  in  1803.  Great 
Falls  district  and  the  Point  district 
are  mentioned  in  1803  ;  Pear-  Yard 
district  in  1813  ;  Salmon  Fcdls,  Turn- 
pike, and  Quaw.phegan  districts  in 
1825. 

Second  Fa).ls.  These  falls  are 
often  mentioned  in  the  earl}'  records, 
as  "  the  second  falls  in  Lamprey 
river,"  or  merely  as  "  the  Second 
falls,"  and  as  they  lay  within  the 
Oyster  river  precinct  they  have  some- 
times been  confounded  with  the  sec- 
ond falls  in  Oyster  river.  The  Rev. 
Hugh  Adams  undoubtedly  refers  to 
these  falls  in  his  record  of  a  bap- 
tism "  at  the  garrison-house,  second 
falls,"  ;S an.  11,  1719-20.  (See  Oys- 
ter River  Garrisons.)  A  road  from 
Oyster  river  to  the  second  falls  is 
spoken  of  Oct.  24,  1721,  meaning 
the  road  to  Packer's  falls.  Tlie 
second  falls  mill  is  mentioned  Sept. 
25,  1716,  when  Henry  and  Joanna 
Dver  conveved  to  George  Jaffrev  "  a 
piece  of  land  called  the  mote,"  50 
acres  more  or  less,  together  with 
their  part  of  400  acres  extending 
from  y^  mouth  of  Piscassick  river  up 
Lanipril  river  till  it  conies  within  a 
few  rods  of  second  falls  mill,  and 
their  part  of  y*  whole  accommodation 
of  Lampreel  river  which  was  granted 


1  Col.  Mooney's  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Jones,  of  Lee,  on  whose  farm  he  took  up  his  residence  • 
It  was  afterwards  acquired  by  Mr.  Gorham  Hoitt.  A  quagmire  on  this  land,  into  which  sank  a 
valuable  colt  belonging  to  Col.  Mooney,  is  called  Mooney's  Hole  to  this  day. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


231 


Mr.  Valentine  Hill  by  the  town  of 
Dover,  for  erecting  mills  on  any  part 
of  said  river,  with  100  acres  of  land 
at  each  mill.  The  '■'■second  falls 
miW"  is  again  mentioned  Nov.  2, 
1739.  {N.H.  TownFap.,  XI :  649.) 
These  falls  are  now  known  Si,%  Pack- 
er's falls.     (See  S'ldlivan's  Falls.) 

Senter's  Swamp.  Mentioned  March 
19, ,1693-4,  when  Philip  Chesley,  Jr., 
had  a  grant  of  40  acres  in  the  swamp 
near  the  mast  bridge,  commonly 
called  Senters  swamp.  This  swamp 
was  evidently  in  the  Back  River  dis- 
trict, but  the  name  has  not  been 
retained.  Walter  Mathes,  son  of 
Francis,  in  his  will  of  1678,  speaks 
of  his  daughter  Mary  Senter,  and  his 
niece  Susanna  Senter.  Sj^/>  >  2  S'/. 

Shad  Falls.  Apparently  the  same 
as  Packer's  falls.  John  Goddard,  who 
died  before  June  27,  1667,  owned  100 
acres  of  land  "  abore  the  shad  fall," 
adjoining  John  Woodman's  land. 
One  half  of  this  tract  was.  May  4, 
1736,  conveyed  by  his  nephew,  Abra- 
ham Bennick,  of  Durham,  gentleman, 
to  Benjamin,  son  of  said  Abraham, 
beginning  at  "  Woodman's  south-east 
corner  bound  tree,  standing  on  y® 
side  of  Lamperel  river,"  thence  ex- 
tending down  the  river  130  rods  to 
"  a  little  island  in  y'^  river  above  ye 
second  falls."  (See  Packer's  Falls.) 
The  Woodman  land  referred  to  above 
was  a  grant  of  100  acres  to  John 
Woodman,  Nov.  10,  1658.  It  be- 
came the  homestead  of  his  grandson, 
Joshua  Woodman,  who  had  it  per- 
ambulated June  15,  1765,  "begin- 
ning at  a  white  oak  by  Lamperil 
river." 


Shadogee  Corner.  This  corner 
is  in  Madbury,  above  Hicks'  Hill,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  roads  to  Bar- 
rington  and  to  Gerrish's  bridge.  At 
the  fork  of  these  roads  once  stood  a 
tavern,  popular  among  men  of  "  sha- 
dy "  propensities.  The  name,  like 
that  of  Snaggerty,^  in  Strafford,  is 
supposed  to  have  been  given  it  by 
some  old  veterans  in  memory  of 
their  campaigns.  Fifty  of  our  sol- 
diers are  spoken  of  Jan.  11,  1779,  as 
"  at  Slmtagee,"  a  corruption  of  Cha- 
teaugay.  In  the  Canada  expedition, 
during  the  war  of  1812-1815,  our 
troops  were  more  than,  once  at  that 
place.  Gen.  Hampton  was  reported, 
Nov.  5,  1813,  as  then  "at  Chdteaic- 
gay  or  Four  Corners."  Gen.  Wil- 
kinson is  also  mentioned  as  going 
into  winter  quarters  in  Nov.,  1813, 
"  about  25  miles  from  Four  Corners, 
Chdleangay."  The  enemy  having 
encamped  a  few  months  later  within 
three  miles  of  Chateaugay,  Gen.  Wil- 
kinson proceeded  thither  Feb.  21, 
1814.  At  his  advance  the  enemy  re- 
treated, destroying  the  bridges.  Our 
soldiers  seem  to  have  called  this  place 
"  Shatagee  "  or  "  Shadogee."  A  part 
of  Conway  still  bears  the  name  of 
Shadowgee. 

Shag  Rock.  This  rock  is  in  the 
Pascataqua  river,  off  the  Downing 
land  on  the  Newington  shore,  above 
Patterson's  Point.  It  is  called  Dram 
Rock  on  Dame's  map  of  1805.  Fish- 
ermen sometimes  call  it  Bass  rock, 
from  the  number  of  fish  caught  there 
at  certain  seasons. 

Shankhassick.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  Indian  name  of  Ovster 


ifiTiaggrertj/ in  Strafford,  said  to  be  a  corruption  of  Schenectady,  was  so  named  by  some  old 
soldiers  of  last  century,  after  their  return  from  the  wars.  And  Croicn  Point,  a  name  popularly 
given  to  Strafford  Corner,  is  of  similar  origin. 


232 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


river.  According  to  Edward  Col- 
cord's  deposition  concerning  the 
Wheelwright  purchase  the  14th,  2 
mo.,  1668,  one  bound  of  the  land 
acquired  from  Wehanownowit,  the 
chief  sagamore,  was  "  tlie  westerly 
part  of  Oyster  River  called  by  the 
Indians  ShanJchassick,  vf"^  is  about 
foure  miles  northerly  beyond  Lam- 
periele  River."  (N.  H.  Proa.  Pap., 
1  :  137.)  The  meaning  of  the  word 
is  uncertain.  The  Indian  word  sunk- 
haze,  which  seems  akin  to  it,  signi- 
fies, according  to  one  definition,  "•  one 
stream  emptying  into  another."  And 
mike,  whence  ick,  means  "a  place." 
According  to  another  definition  sunk- 
liaze  means  "  dead  water,"  which 
could  not  be  applied  to  a  tidal  stream 
like  tlie  lower  part  of  Oyster  river. 
The  first  syllable  shank  may  be  de- 
rived from  chesunk,  which  Judge 
Potter  says,  means  '^  a  wild  goose." 
There  is  a  Sunkhaze  sti'eam  in  Maine 
that  empties  into  the  Penobscot  on 
the  east  side,  about  fifteen  miles 
above  Old  Town  village.  Adjacent 
is  the  Sunkhaze  plantation. 

Shepherd's  Bridge.  Mentioned 
on  Smith's  map  of  Durham  in  1805. 
It  is  on  the  main  road  from  Durham 
Falls  to  Newmarket,  across  the  brook 
that  comes  from  the  Moat.  The 
Durham  records  speak  of  it  as  near 
"  Mooney's  brick-yard,"  which  is 
now  gone,  but  at  that  time  was  at  or 
near  the  present  burial  ground  of  the 
Mooney  family.  The  name  of  this 
bridge,  no  longer  in  use,  was  derived 
from  John  Shepherd,  who  lived  in 
the  vicinity  at  the  beginning  of  this 
century. 

Sheep  Road.  This  road  is  in  Lee, 
and  extends  from  the  First  N.  H.  turn- 
pike road  to  the  Stepping-Stoues  road. 


Short  Creek.  This  creek  is  next 
to  Long  creek,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Gage  land,  just  below  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Cochecho. 

Shooting  Point.  Mentioned  on 
Dame's  map  of  1805.  It  is  on  the 
Durham  shore,  opposite  Furber's 
Point,  at  the  upper  side  of  Adams 
Point.  Above  it  was  Diirgin's  land- 
ing-place, so  called  in  1694,  from 
Wm.  Durgin,  who  was  taxed  at  Oys- 
ter River  in  1664.  He  married,  June 
25,  1672,  "Katharine,  relict  of 
Thomas  Footman."  He  declared 
himself  to  be  35  years  of  age,  or 
thereabouts,  March  12,  1677-8,  when 
he  testified  about  Robert  Smart's  land 
at  Goddard's  Cove.  According  to 
tradition,  the  Indians  crucified  him 
at  Shooting  Point,  and  carried  his 
seven  daughters  to  the  Newington 
shore,  and  there  barbarously  mur- 
dered them  on  a  large  rock,  no  doubt 
Pascataqua  Pock,  said  to  have  been 
the  western  bound  of  the  Bloody 
Point  settlement.  His  widow  Kath- 
arine administered  on  his  estate  Nov. 
30,  1703.  (See  Mathew's  Creek  and 
Neck.) 

Sill  Swamp,  otherwise  Syl's. 
This  name  has  lono;  been  gfiven  to 
a  part  of  the  Samuel  Hale  estate  in 
RoUinsford,  derived  perhaps  from 
Sylvanus  Wentworth,  or  otherwise 
from  Sylvanus  Nock,  who  owned 
land  in  this  vicinity  as  early  as  1698. 
His  house  is  mentioned  May  9,  1709, 
as  above  Sligo  sfarrison.  And  amongr 
the  Dover  fence-viewers,  chosen  May 
20,  1717,  was  "  Sill  Nock  for  Sligo." 
{Town  Records.) 

Simon's  Lane.  This  name  is  giv- 
en to  an  old  road  through  Horn's 
woods,  in  the  Lubberland  district, 
now    impassable    for   the    most   part 


Landinar]<s  in  Ancient  Dover. 


233 


except  on  foot.  Perhaps  it  derived 
its  name  from  Michael  Syraonds, 
who  was  taxed  at  Oyster  River  in 
1666,  and  the  following  year  mar- 
ried the  widow  of  John  Goddard,  of 
Goddard's  Cove ;  or  from  Joseph 
Simons,  who,  Feb.  8,  1727-8,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Elder 
James  Nock.  In  1733  Joseph  Simons 
and  Elizabeth  his  wife  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Smith  all  their  interest  in  the 
estate  of  their  honored  father, 
James  Nock,  deceased. 

Six  Indian  Wigwams.     Mentioned 
June  22,  1696,  when  Peter  Coffin  of 
Exeter   conveyed    to    his    son    Peter 
Coffin    of    Nantucket    200    acres   of 
land  on  the  north  side  of  Cochecho 
river,    "at   a     place    called    y"    8ix 
Indian    Wigivams."     Jedediah  Fitch 
"of    Sherburn  on  Nantuckett,"  and 
his  wife  Abigail,  and  Jemima  Coffin, 
daughters    of   Peter   Coffin  of   Sher- 
burn, deceased,  conveyed  to  Joseph 
Twombley  of  Dover,  July  13,  1725,  | 
of    100    acres   on    the    north  side  of 
Cochecho  river,  part  of  200  acres  of 
land  given  said  Peter  bv  their  grand- 
father,  June    22,    1696,  beginning  a 
little  above  the  third  falls  in  Coche- 
cho river,  at  a  pine  tree  at  the  river 
side,  and  extending  up  the  river  side 
to  a  white  oak  on  a  little  hill,  thence 
north    to    a    swamp     by   y''    Indian 
Ground.     This    land    was    conveyed 
by  Joseph  Twombley  to  Ezra  Kimball, 
June  14,   1733.      (See  Indian  Corn- 
Ground.)     Thomas   Hanson    of  Co- 
checho in  y*  town  of  Dover,  planter, 
in   his  will  of  the  24th,  2  mo.,  1710, 
gives  to  his  well  beloved  son  Nathan- 
iel his  land  between  Reyner's  brook 
and  the  Indian  Wigivani  brook. 

Six  Miles  Tree.    Mentioned  Sept. 
20,   1753,  when  Daniel  Davis,   aged 


about  60,  and  Philip  Chesley,  about 
77,  personally  appeared  in  the  woods 
where  said  tree  then  stood,  and  took 
oath  before  his  Majesty's  Justices  of 
the  Peace  that  the  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  N.  H.  government  to 
run  and  settle  the  head  line  of  Dover 
about  30  years  previous,  ran  the  line 
to  a  certain  red  oak  tree,  which  they 
marked  and  established  as  the  S.  W. 
corner  bound  tree  of  Dover,  which 
was  accepted  by  the  government  as 
the  perpetual  bound  of  said  town. 
And  the  deponents,  then  in  the 
woods,  pointed  out  said  bound  be- 
tween Dover  and  Exeter,  "  known 
and  called  by  the  name  of  the  Six 
Miles  Tree."  The  line  between  Dur- 
ham and  Nottingham  being  still  dis- 
puted, a  petition  was  addressed  the 
General  Assembly,  Ap.  20,  1758,  by 
Samuel  Smith,  Ebenezer  Smith,  and 
Ephraim  Davis,  representing  that  the 
head  line  of  Dover,  before  Durham 
was  incorporated,  ran  from  a  certain 
red  oak  tree  at  the  west  corner  bound, 
in  a  straight  line  to  a  pitch-pine 
stump  which  is  the  corner  bound  of 
Barriugton.  The  line  was  thus  set- 
tled Sept.  24,  1759,  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  General  Court  of 
N.  H.  (iY.  H.  Toivn  Pap.,  XI: 
579—580.) 

Sligo.  This  name,  now  given  to 
a  district  in  Rollinsford  below  Quam- 
phegan,  appears  to  have  been  origi- 
nally given  to  a  garrison  that  stood 
above  St.  Alban's  cove,  not  far  from 
the  Newichawaunock  shore.  It  is 
mentioned  March  29,  1708,  when 
Jethro  Furber  conveyed  to  Benj" 
Weamouth  20  acres  of  land  "  at  or 
near  a  place  called  Sligoes  garrison," 
between  the  highway  and  the  lots 
formerly    David    Haramleton's     and 


234 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


Nicholas  Curreus',  fronting  on  the 
Newichawannock  river,  being  the  lot 
originally  granted  to  Henry  Magoon, 
who  sold  it  to  Wm.  Laton,  by  whom 
it  was  sold  to  Edward  Cowel, 
"grandfather  of  the  donor."  Rich- 
ard Hussey,  Feb.  25,  1710,  conveyed 
to  Benj°  Waymouth  30  acres  of  land 
"  att  a  garrison  called  Sligoe.^' 
Beuj'^  Waymouth,  Feb.  1,  1717,  con- 
veyed to  Benj"  Waymouth,  Jr.,  30 
acres  of  laud  originally  granted  to 
Richard  Hussey,  "  lying  and  being 
at  a  garrison  called  SUgo."  bounded 
N.  by  Joseph  Roberts'  laud,  E.  by 
said  Waymouth,  S.  by  "a  lott  called 
Currol's,"  and  W.  by  the  commons. 
The  exact  site  of  this  garrison  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  mentioned  May  9, 
1709,  as  on  the  east  side  of  the  high- 
way from  St.  Albau's  cove  to  Quam- 
phegan,  between  Lieut.  Hatevil  Nut- 
ter's house  and  that  of  Sylvanus 
Nock.  This  land  is  now  owned  by 
the  Garvin  family.  The  name  of 
Sligo  soon  extended  to  the  surround- 
ing district.  Eleazer  and  Sarah 
Wyer  conveyed  to  Eleazar  Wyer,  Jr., 
Sept.  25,  1738,  20  acres  of  land, 
with  two  dwelling-houses  and  a  barn 
thereon,  "  at  a  place  formerly  called 
Sligo"  bounded  N.  by  the  land  of 
Sylvanus  Nock,  E.  by  the  Newicha- 
wannock river,  and  S.  and  W.  by 
Benj"  Weymouth's  land.  The  town 
voted,  Ap.  5,  1756,  that  a  "school 
be  kept  three  months  at  Sligo." 

Sligo  was  doubtless  so  called  from 
the  town  of  that  name  in  Ireland, 

"  Sligo  town  that  lies  so  snug  at  the  foot  of 
Knocknarea." 

The  name  is  said  to  he  derived  from 
the  Irish  word  silgeach,  which  signi- 
fies a  shelly  river,  or  a  place  where 
shells    are   deposited.     The    History 


of  Rockingham  and  Strafford  Coun- 
ties asserts  that  Sligo  garrison  was 
so  named  by  the  Stackpole  family, 
the  early  members  of  which  are  said 
to  have  come  from  Sligo,  Ireland. 
No  authority  is  given  for  this  state- 
ment. The  garrison  was  not  built 
till  many  years  after  James  Stack- 
pole's  arrival,  and  its  name  does  not 
appear  till  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  It  may  have 
been  given  out  of  compliment  to  the 
earl  of  Bellomout,  appointed  gov- 
ernor of  N.  H.  in  1699.  He  was 
born  in  Sligo,  Ireland,  in  1636. 
Orders  from  King  William  were  sent 
him  Jan.  19,  1701,  to  build  such 
forts  at  Piscataqua  and  elsewhere  as 
were  necessary  for  security.  (N.  H. 
Prov.  Pap..  3:  130.)  His  political 
and  religious  principles  naturally 
recommended  him  to  the  favor  of 
our  colonists,  and  he  is  said  to  have 
been  very  popular  during  his  short 
administration.  He  was  the  grand- 
son of  Sir  Charles  Coote,  noted  for 
his  ferocity  to  the  Irish  in  the  reign 
of  Charles  I,  and  he  himself  was  one 
of  the  first  to  espouse  the  cause  of 
William  of  Orange,  who  rewarded 
him  with  the  title  of  earl,  and  ap- 
pointed him  governor  of  New  York, 
Massachusetts,  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Sluiceway.  This  name  is  now 
given  to  the  old  wadiug-place  or  ford 
across  the  Newichawannock,  below 
the  Samuel  Hale  brook  in  Rollins- 
ford,  where  the  U.  S.  government 
attempted  to  blast  out  the  obstruc- 
tions in  the  channel.  To  this  ford 
a  road  was  opened  at  an  early  day 
between  tlie  lots  of  Joseph  Austin 
and  Thomas  Canney.  On  the  oppo- 
site shore  once    stood  the  Newicha- 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


235 


wanuock  mills — the  first  saw  and 
grist  mills  set  up  iu  the  Pascataqua 
region. 

The  Sluice  Rock  is  at  the  head  of 
Little  John's  falls,  on  the  shore  of 
the  Samuel  Hale  estate,  formerly  the 
Stackpole  land,  and  previousl}^  that 
of  Joseph  Austin.  (See  StackpoWs 
Creek. ) 

Small  Point.  Mentioned  March 
2,  1704.  (See  Pascataqua  Hock.) 
Also  on  Dame's  map  of  1805.  It  is 
a  long  narrow  point  on  the  Newing- 
ton  shore,  below  Long  point ;  that 
is,  below  in  the  sense  of  going  down 
stream,  though  really  in  a  northerly 
direction. 

Smith's  Island.  This  is  an  islet 
on  the  Lubberland  shore  of  Great 
Bay,  opposite  the  farm  of  the  late 
Valentine  Smith,  to  whose  estate  it 
belonged.  It  is  so  named  on  Smith's 
map  of  1805. 

Smith's  Point.  This  name  is  given 
on  Smith's  map  of  Newmarket  in 
1805,  to  the  point  at  the  mouth  of 
Lamprey  river,  on  the  Lubberland 
side.  The  point  on  the  opposite 
shore  is  thereon  called  Shackford's 
Point. 

Smoky  Hollow.  This  hollow  is 
at  tiie  south  side  of  Great  Falls  vil- 
lage, and  so  named  because,  after 
the  foundry  was  established  here 
over  forty  years  ago,  the  smoke  often 
settled  along  the  brook  that  flows 
through  it. 

Snell's  Mill.  See  Oyster  River 
Falls. 

SoMERSwoRTH.  This  name  was 
given  to  the  parish  set  off  from  the 
northeastern  part  of  Dover,  Dec.  19, 
1729.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  town 
Ap.  22,  1754.  The  line  of  division 
between    this    township    and   Dover 


was  then  stated  to  begin  at  the 
mouth  of  Fresh  creek  and  run  as 
said  creek  runs  to  the  head  thereof, 
and  thence  as  the  way  goes  to  the 
southerly  side  of  Varney's  hill,  to 
Ebenezer  Varney's  land,  thence  to  a 
white  oak  over  the  end  of  said  hill, 
two  or  three  rods  from  a  spring,  etc. 
When  Somersworth  was  divided  into 
two  townships,  July  3, 1849,  the  lower 
part  took  the  name  of  RoUinsford. 

Somersworth  Hill.  This  hill  is 
near  Quamphegan  bridge,  on  the 
road  to  the  RoUinsford  station.  It  is 
called  ^'■RoUinsford  Hill"  in 'the 
History  of  Rockingham  and  Strafford 
Counties,  for  which  there  appears  no 
warrant.      (See  Log  Hill.) 

Somersworth  Parade.  Mention- 
ed Dec.  11,  1821,  when  24  acres  of 
land  belonging  to  the  estate  of  James 
Rollins,  deceased,  were  advertised 
for  sale,  bounded  easterly  and  south- 
erly by  the  estate  of  Stephen  Rob- 
erts, northerly  by  Somersworth  Pa- 
rade., and  westerly  by  the  creek  road, 
so  called.  This  was,  of  course,  in 
the  present  town  of  RoUinsford. 

Sow  AND  Pigs.  Rocks,  so  named, 
are  visible  at  low  tide  just  above 
Bald  Head,  on  the  Newington  shore. 

Spruce  Holes.  There  are  three 
Spruce  Holes  in  Lee,  all  of  the  same 
general  character.  One,  enclosed  by 
steep  banks,  is  below  Layn's  mill  in 
Newtown,  on  the  farm  of  Mr. 
Edmund  Layn.  A  much  larger 
Sjiruce  Hole  or  swamp  is  at  tlie  head 
of  Wheelwright's  pond,  just  below 
the  Barrington  and  Nottingham  line. 
The  bog  here  has  been  sounded  to 
the  depth  of  65  feet,  without  finding 
any  bottom.  It  is  owned  by  Mr. 
Isaiah  Caldwell,  the  heirs  of  Samuel 
Glass,  and  others. 


236 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


A  third  Spruce  Hole  is  on  Lee 
Hill,  at  the  uorth  side  of  the  Mast 
road,  behind  the  town  hall,  but  the 
spruce  trees  have  nearly  disappeared, 
and  the  place  is  no  longer  noteworthy. 
But  it  was  formerly  an  important 
landmark.  It  is  mentioned  several 
times  in  the  Durham  records  of  the 
last  century.  In  one  of  July  2, 
1740,  it  is  called  the  spruce  sivamp. 
Another  is  of  March  24,  1752,  when 
a  road  was  laid  out,  beginuiug  on  the 
north  side  of  the  mast  path  by  the 
spruce  hole,  so  called,  and  running 
south-west  across  Little  river  above 
John  Dam's  land.  May  31,  1763,  a 
road  was  laid  out,  beginning  at  the 
south  side  of  the  spyruce  hole  by  the 
mast  path,  and  extending  across 
Lamprey  river  through  the  Hook 
land  to  a  highway  near  Thomas 
Yorke's  that  led  to  Newmarket. 

Another  Spruce  Hole  of  much 
greater  interest  is  in  Durham,  near 
the  Lee  boundary,  and  forms  part  of 
the  old  Laskey  farm,  now  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Bartlett's.  It  is  some- 
what difficult  of  access,  being  sur- 
rounded by  dense  woods  and  almost 
impenetrable  thickets,  but  is  well 
worth  the  trouble  of  visiting.  It  is  a 
remarkable  bowl-like  depression  in 
the  ground,  and  covers  five  or  six 
acres.  The  direct  depth  from  the 
level  above  to  the  bottom  of  the  bowl 
must  be  a  hundred  feet.  The  sides 
are  very  steep,  and  were  once  lined, 
and  still  are,  in  part,  with  spruce 
trees,  which  impart  a  peculiar  solem- 
nity to  the  place.  The  bottom  of  the 
bowl  is  a  quaking  bog,  covered  with 
a  bed  of  thick,  soft  moss,  from  which 
the  water  oozes  at  every  step.  Here 
grow  a  variety  of  orchids,  the  sun- 
dew,    the    side-saddle     flower,     and 


other  curious  plants,  and  it  is  the 
haunt  of  multitudinous  insects,  whose 
hum  on  a  summer's  day  alone  breaks 
the  solemn  stillness  of  this  solitary 
spot.  In  the  centre  is  a  dark  pool, 
said  to  be  unfathomable,  concerning 
which  there  is  a  tragical  legend. 
Unfortunately,  the  destruction  of 
most  of  the  spruce  trees,  and  other 
profanations,  have  greatly  injured 
this  sanctuary  of  nature  and  marred 
its  once  singular  beauty. 

Spruce  Lane.  This  lane  is  in  the 
Back  River  district,  Dover.  It  is 
mentioned  June  21,  1779,  when  a 
road  was  ordered  to  be  laid  out  to  the 
land  of  Moses  Peasley,  "  beginning 
at  the  main  road  that  leads  to  Dur- 
ham, on  the  southerly  side  of  Spiruce 
Lane,  near  the  Dreio  garrison."  The 
name  of  this  lane  is  still  in  use,  and 
the  land  above  mentioned  is  still  in 
possession  of  the  Peasley  family. 

Spruce  Swamp.  This  swamp  is 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
Indian  massacre  at  Oyster  River 
July  18,  1694,  when  Mrs.  Dean  and 
her  daughter  were  left  therein  by  the 
savages  while  gone  to  complete  the 
destruction  of  the  settlement.  Ac- 
cording to  Belknap  she  was  carried 
up  the  river  about  two  miles  and  left 
in  a  swamp  under  the  care  of  an  old 
Indian,  from  whom  she  managed  to 
escape  with  her  child.  Moses  Davis, 
in  his  account,  says  she  was  above 
the  spruce  swamp  when  he  espied 
her,  and  he  thought  it  a  mistake 
about  her  being  hidden  there.  He 
doubtless  referred  to  the  spruce 
swamp  near  his  lands,  now  belonging 
in  part  to  Mr.  Albert  Young,  about 
a  mile  above  Durham  falls.  The  road 
towards  this  spruce  swamp  is  repeat- 
edly mentioned  in  the  conveyances  of 


JLandmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


237 


laud  last  century.  (See  Falls  Hill.) 
It  is  spoken  of  Sept.  13,  1769,  when 
Jabez  Davis  conveyed  to  Francis 
Mathes  all  the  land  belonging  to  his 
homestead  plantation,  one  hundred 
acres  in  extent,  beginning  at  the 
N.  E.  corner  in  a  spruce  sivamp^  and 
running  westerly  by  Abednego  Leath- 
ers'  land  to  that  of  Love  Davis. 

Squall  Point.  This  point  is  on 
the  Cochecho  river,  at  the  foot  of 
George  St.,  in  Dover  city. 

Squamanagonic,  otherwise  Gonic. 
The  name  of  Gonic  is  now  given  to  a 
village  in  Rochester  which  has  grown 
up  around  the  falls  in  the  Cochecho 
called  Squamanagonick  falls,  from  au 
Indian  word  signifying,  it  is  said, 
"  water  from  the  clay-place  hill." 
This  abbreviation  is  used  by  Whittier 
in  his  line  : 
"  From  swift  Quamphegan  to  Gonic  fall." 

The  "  SquammagonaJce  old  planting- 
ground'"  is  mentioned  Jan.  3,  1G86, 
when  Hoope  Whood,  Samll  Lines, 
Ould  Robbin,  and  Kinge  Harry  con- 
veyed to  Peter  CotBu  all  right  and 
title  to  the  marshes  and  timber  be- 
tween the  two  branches  of  the  Coche- 
cho, ^  beginning  at  the  run  of  water 
on  tiie  north  side  o{ Squammagonake 
old  p^««^i''*9'  ground  (and  between 
the  two  branches)  to  begin  at  the 
spring  where  the  old  cellar  was,  and 
so  to  run  ten  miles  up  into  the  coun- 
try between  the  branches  by  the  riv- 
ers." Tristram  Heard,  in  his  will  of 
Ap.  18,  1734,  mentions  his  mill  priv- 
ilege at  Squatnonogonick.  Samuel 
Alley  conve3'ed  to  .Jonathan  Hodg- 
don  Feb.  22,  1743-4,  40  acres  "  lying 
on  a  place  called  Blind  Will's  neck,  a 
little  above  y^  uppermost  mill  at 
Squommonygo7inock."  And  Dec.  8, 
1749,  said  Alle}'  conveyed  to  Eliza- 


beth, widow  of  Wra.  Thompson,  and 
his  other  heirs,  20  acres  of  land  in 
Rochester,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  "  a  little  above  the  great  fort 
at  Squonimonygonnock.  so  called." 

Square  Swamp.  Mention  is  made 
June  26,  176-5,  of  a  tract  on  the 
north  side  of  Wheelwright's  pond,  at 
the  head  of  Durham,  containing  all 
the  common  and  undivided  land  in 
the  swamp  commonly  called  and 
known  by  y''  name  of  Square  swamp. 

Stackpole's  Creek  or  Brook. 
This  creek  is  referred  to  May  9, 
1709,  when  a  road  was  laid  out  from 
St.  Alban's  cove,  running  "  along 
between  Lt.  Hatevil  Roberts  his 
house  and  barn,  and  so  ou  to  the 
west  side  of  Sligo  garrison,"  and, 
further  on,  between  Sylvanus  Nock's 
house  and  barn,  keeping  the  same 
course  to  the  "  way  that  runs  down 
on  the  north  side  of  Thomas  Can- 
nies  lott  to  the  old  wadelng  place 
opposite  to  Chadbonru's  mill,  then 
trending  Eastward  down  the  s*^  way 
till  it  comes  to  the  mouth  of  a  little 
Creek  on  the  south  side  of  James 
Stackpole's  house,"  thence  north- 
ward over  said  creek,  and  along 
between  the  river  and  Stackpole's 
fence,  etc.  Thomas  Tibbetts  con- 
vered  to  John  Vicker,  July  20,  1738, 
oue  acre  of  land,  "  beginning  at  y^ 
road  y*  leads  from  Stackpole's  brook 
to  Somersworth  meeting-house."  ad- 
joining Ensign  John  Tebbets'  land. 
John  Vickers,  Nov.  12,  1740-41, 
conveyed  to  John  Moffat  of  Ports- 
mouth his  house  and  one  acre  of  land 
on  the  highway  from  StagpoWs  creek 
or  brook  to  Quamphegan  road,  and 
another  acre  adjoining  the  road  from 
said  brook  to  the  meeting-house. 
Elizabeth,     widow    of    Capt.     Benj" 


238 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


Wentworth,  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Walliugford,  Feb.  11,  1739,  I3f 
acres  of  land  at  Quamphegan,  begin- 
ning at  the  higliway  that  leads  from 
Stackpole's  brook  towards  Somers- 
worth.  Stackpole's  brook  crosses 
the  Portland  turnpike  road  and  now 
empties  into  Hale's  artificial  pond. 
It  formerly  emptied  into  the  Newicha- 
wannock  river. 

Stackpole's  Landing  is  mentioned 
Ap.  12,  1774,  when  John  Parker, 
administrator  of  the  estate  of 
Nathaniel  Adams,  conveyed  to  Jacob 
and  Benj"  Quimby  3|^  acres  of  land, 
bounded  northerly  by  the  road  from 
Soraersworth  to  Quamphegan,  east- 
erly and  southerly  by  Capt.  Nathan 
Lord's  land,  and  westerly  by  the 
road  to  Stackpole's  landing.  This 
landing  was  no  doubt  at  the  above- 
mentioned  wading-place,  to  which  a 
road  led  in  early  times.  The  old 
Stackpole  house  stood  where  is  no<v 
the  garden  of  the  Samuel  Hale  place, 
a  little  north  of  the  artificial  pond. 
James  Stackpole  acquired  land  here 
May  20,  1710,  when  Thomas  Austin, 
only  son  and  heir  of  Joseph  Austin 
of  Dover,  conveyed  to  him  all  that 
tract  of  land  granted  said  Joseph  in 
1656,  ''  lying  in  y*  range  of  lots 
between  St.  Alban's  cove  and  Quam- 
phegan," l)Ounded  S.  E.  by  the 
Newichawannock  liver,  N.  E.  l)v 
Henry  Tibbets'  hundred  acre  lot,  N. 
W.  by  Ralph  Twombley's  100  acres 
and  Thomas  Hanson's  100  acres,  and 
S.  W.  by  a  higliway  between  this  lot 
and  Thomas  Kenne's  100  acre  lot. 
(See  Sluiceway.) 

Starbuck's  Brook.  This  is  the 
first  brook  that  empties  into  the  east 
side  of  the  Cochecho  river  above 
Fourth  street  bridge  in  Dover.     It  is 


mentioned  Ap.  14,  1701,  when  Peter 
Coffin  conveyed  to  John  Ham  a 
dwelling-house  and  barn  at  Tolein, 
with  a  tract  of  land  adjoining,  begin- 
ning two  rods  beyond  the  barn,  and 
extending  thence  straight  down  to  y^ 
run  of  water,  then  along  the  foot  of 
the  hill  till  it  comes  to  the  brook 
called  Elder  Starbuck's  brook,  which 
is  by  the  highway  going  to  Cochecho, 
thence  down  by  y"  brook  to  Coche- 
cho river,  and  thence,  to  the  dwell- 
ing-house, reserving  one  rod  and  a 
half  along  the  river  side.  A  tract  of 
land,  formerly  in  the  possession  of 
Richard  Otis,  deceased,  was  sur- 
veyed anew  for  Richard  Waldron 
Dec.  28,  1706,  beginning  at  the  east- 
ernmost end  of  the  dividing  line 
between  this  land  and  Mr.  Waldron's, 
adjoining  the  Queen's  thoroughfare 
road,  and  running  N.  E.  on  said 
road  135  rods  to  the  east  end  of  the 
division  fence  between  this  land  and 
that  in  the  tenure  of  Wm.  foast  and 
Tristram  Heard,  thence  W.  by  N. 
northerly  68  rods  to  a  pitchpine  on 
the  west  side  of  Starbuck's  brook,  etc. 
Starbuck's  Marsh.  The  chief 
marsh  of  this  name  was  granted  to 
Elder  Pklward  Starbuck  Aug.  30, 
1643,  when  it  is  spoken  of  as  a 
"  plott  of  marsh  above  Cutchechoe 
Great  marsh,  that  the  Brook  that 
comes  out  of  the  great  Pond  runns 
threw."  This  is  Peter's  Marsh  brooJc, 
and  the  marsh  it  runs  through,  now 
for  the  most  part  drained,  is  long 
and  narrow,  beginning  at  the  north- 
easterly side  of  the  Great  Pond 
(Willand's),  and  extending  along  the 
brook  nearly  to  Salmon  Falls  river. 
It  is  mentioned  Ap.  11,  1694,  when 
30  acres  of  land  were  granted  to 
Richard  Otis  "  between  the  Pond  and 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


239 


StarhucKs  marsh.  And  again  Ap. 
15,  1696,  when  Paul  Wentworth  con- 
veyed to  his  brother  Benjamin  eight 
acres  of  ineadow  above  Elder  Star- 
huclis  marsh.  (See  Peters  Marsh.) 
Another  Starbuck's  marsh  is  in  New- 
iugtou.      (See  Starhuck''s  Point.) 

Starbdck's    Point     and     Marsh. 
Starbnck's  Point,   now   called  Fahij- 
an's  Pt.,  is  on  the   Newington  shore 
of   the    Great    Bay,    where    Edward 
Starbuck    of  Dover  had  a   grant   of 
marsh     in      1643,     (see     SwadderCs 
Creek)  ;  and  later,  a  grant  of  upland 
adjoining.     His      son-in-law      Peter 
Coffin    conveyed     to    John    Hall    of 
Greenland  a  tract  of   upland  on  the 
southeast   side   of  Great   Bay,  "  for- 
merly the  land  of  Edward  Starbuck," 
possession  of  which  was  given  "  with 
twigg  and  turf,"  Dec.  25,  1662.  John 
Atkinson  conveyed  to  Thomas  Pick- 
ering, Dec.  7,  1702,  13  acres  of  land 
granted  to  his  father  Joseph  Atkin- 
son   by    the    town    of    Portsmouth, 
bounded    S.    by    "  Swaden's  brook;" 
S.  W.  by  the  bay,  and  on  the  other 
sides  by  "  Starbuck's  mash,''  and  the 
lands  of  Jackson,  Geo.   Walton,  and 
said  Thomas  Pickering.     Starbuck's 
Point  and  marsh  are  again  mentioned 
Jan.  28,  1716,  in  a  conveyance,  be- 
ginning in  solemn  form  as  follows  : 
"To    all    Christian  People  to   whom 
this    my  present   deed   of   gift  shall 
come  and  concern,  know  y*^   that  I, 
Thomas  Pickering  of  Portsmouth,  in 
the    province    of     New    Hampshire, 
sendeth    greeting   in    our    Lord  God 
everlasting."     Said      Thomas      then 
goes  on  to  say  that,  "  out  of  natural 
love  and  affection  to  his  well-beloved 
son  James,    for  his  incouragement," 
he  conveys  to  him  the  full  half  of  a 
marsh  called  and  known  by  the  name 


of  Starbuck's  Poynt  Marsh,  together 
with    a  tract  of  land,  adjoining    the 
land  whereon  said  Thomas  then  lived, 
bounded    northerly   by   John  Fabin's 
land  and   the  country  road,  south  by 
Swadden's   brook,    and    extending   to 
the  Great  Bay  ;  said  Thomas  reserv- 
ing; the  riwht  to  drive  his  cattle  back 
and  forth  to  Starbuck's  Point.     John 
Fabins  (P'abyan)  of  Newington,  May 
30,  1721,  conveyed  to  James  Picker- 
ins;  all  right  to  the  southeast  half  of 
the  salt  marsh,  formerly  called  Star- 
buck's  marsh,  adjoining  said  Picker- 
ing's own  land,  (^ee  Fabi/an's  Point.) 
Stephen's  Point.    This  point  is  on 
the  Newington   shore,  at   the  lower 
side  of  Broad  Cove.     The  name  was 
derived    from    Stephen    Teddar,  who 
belonged  to  the   Dover  Combination 
of   1640,  and  seems  to  have  lived  on 
this    shore    at    an    early  day.  %  Wm. 
Furber    and    Anthony    Nutter    were 
appointed   by  the  town   of  Dover  the 
5th,  2    mo.,    1652,  to  lay  out   Henry 
Langstaffe's  lot  of  200  acres  "■  ivhere 
Stephen  Teddar' s  house  was."     This 
order  was    repeated    the   5th,  2   mo., 
1658.      Langstaft'e  had  another  grant 
the    9th,  5    mo.,   1652,  "-near  where 
Stephen  Teddar's  house  was."     Men- 
tion is   also   made  of  Langstar's  land 
laid  out  at  Stephen's  marsh  Ap.   11, 
1694.      (Dover  Records.)     Stephen's 
Point    is    mentioned   June    6,    1701, 
when    a    road  was    proposed    "  from 
Mr.    Harrison's    (at   Fox    Point)    to 
Broad   Cove   freshett,  and  so  to  the 
highway  from   Bloody  poynt   road  to 
Stephens  poynt  or    broad  cove,"   as 
should    be    thought   fit.     And   again 
Sept.  8,  1703,  when  Henry  Langstar 
or  Langstaffe,  conveyed  to  his  daugh- 
ter Mary  fifty  acres  of  land  "  a  little 
above  Bloody  Point,  commonly  called 


^  S 


A 


3.  V/ 


240 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


b^'  the  name  of  Stepheii's  point,  oth- 
erwise Stephen  Jethro's  point  former- 
ly, right  over  against  Hiltou's  Point," 
bounded  east  by  land  that  was  for- 
merly Joseph  Trickey's,  and  west  by 
a  cove  commonly  called  Broad  Cove. 
The  next  transfer  of  this  land  re- 
veals a  curious  bit  of  family  history, 
well  worth  copying  from  the  County 
records  :  "  Mary  Langstar  of  Bloody 
Point,  June  20,  1713,  well  knowing 
that  a  marriage  by  God's  grace  is 
intended  and  shortly  to  be  had  and 
solemnized  between  Eleazar  Coleman 
of  said  place  to  the  s"^  Mary  Langstar, 
and  considering  that  s"^  Mary,  being 
about  y^  age  of  63  years,  and  the 
said  Eleazar  about  28  years,  and  she 
may  the  better  be  taken  care  of  in 
case  she  lives  to  any  great  age,  and 
for  divers  other  good  and  just  causes, 
conveys  to  him  fifty  acres  of  upland 
called  Steven's  Point,  otherwise  by  y'' 
name  of  Stephen  Jether's  j)oint,^  a 
little  above  Bloody  point,  right  east 
by  Broad  cove.  Also  land  on  Little 
Bay,  beginning  by  a  creek  in  Broad 
cove,  and  running  up  y^  Little  bay  as 
far  as  Dumplin  cove."  Tiiat  Mary 
Langstar  married  Eleazar  Coleman  is 
proved  by  a  deed  of  May  25,  1734, 
by  which  John  Johnson  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Nutter  5  acres  and  50  rods  of 
land  in   Greenland,    which    Matthew 


Haines  and  Nathan  Johnson  had 
bought  of  Mr.  Eleazar  Coleman,  hav- 
ing been  "  given  by  Mr.  Henry  Lang- 
star, late  of  Dover,  deceased,  to  his 
daughter  Mary  Langstar,  who  was 
wife  to  said  Eleazar  Coleman."  Elea- 
zar Coleman,  and  Mary  his  wife, 
March  6,  1713-14, ^  conveyed  to 
Richard  Downing  and  Thomas  Cole- 
man of  Newbury  Falls,  50  acres  of 
land  in  Newington,  at  a  place  com- 
monly called  Stej^hen's  Point,  other- 
wise Stephen  Jether's  Point  formerly, 
lying  a  little  above  Bloody  Point, 
right  over  against  Hilton's  Point, 
bounded  east  by  Jos.  Trickey's  land, 
and  on  y"  west  by  Broad  Cove.  Also, 
the  land  from  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
in  Broad  Cove  up  Little  Bay  as  far 
as  Dumpling  Cove.  Tiie  Laugstars 
laid  claim  to  Mrs.  Coleman's  estate 
after  her  death,  and  still  spoke  of 
her  as  "Mary  Langstar,"  but  finally 
her  nephew  Heur}',  attorne}^  of  his 
father,  John  Langstar,  of  the  town 
of  Piscataqua,*  Middlesex  county, 
New  Jersev,  resigned  to  Eleazar 
Coleman  Nov.  26,  1716,  all  claim  to 
the  lands  given  the  latter  by  his  aunt, 
Mary  Langstar,  deceased. 

Stephen's  Point  is  now  generall}' 
called  Bean's  Point,  from  Mr.  Henry 
Bean,  the  present  owner.  (See  Cole- 
7nan's  Creek.) 


1  The  corruption  of  Tedder  to  Kidder,  Jethers,  and  Jethro,  is  an  instance  of  the  strange  vari- 
ation of  names  in  early  times,  doubtless  owing,  in  part,  to  the  error  of  the  recorder.  Other 
instances  might  be  mentioned,  such  as  Carter,  Cater,  and  Catter;  Canney,  Kenney,  and  Can- 
ning; Harwood  and  Herod;  Langstar  and  Langstaffe;  Swadden,  Swaddow,  and  Scoudew; 
Stimpson  and  Stevenson,  etc. 

-  This  date  proves  that  Eleazar  Coleman  married  Mary  Langstar  between  June  20,  1713,  and 
March  6, 1713-14.  There  is  a  story,  which  the  writer  is  unwilling  to  believe,  that  Eleazar  Cole- 
man, having  been  asked  if  he  loved  his  elderly  but  well-endowed  bride,  replied  significantly 
that  he  loved  the  very  ground  she  walked  on.  She  died  before  Nov.  26,  1716,  and  he  married 
March  1,  1717,  Anne  (Nutter,  it  is  supposed),  a  near  relative  of  Mary  Langstaffe. 

3  The  town  of  Piscataqua,  N.  J.,  was  so  named  bj'  the  first  settlers  there,  several  of  whom 
went  from  the  region  of  the  Pa.scataqua  in  New  Hampshire.  Among  them  were  Hugh  Dunn 
and  John  Martin,  who  were  from  Oyster  River.  The  land  there  was  first  acquired  bj^  Daniel 
Peirce  of  Newbury,  Mass.,  and  others.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Daniel  and  Joshua  Peirce, 
who  settled  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dovci' 


241 


Stepping-Stones.  a  range  of 
steppiug-stones  at  an  early  day  gave 
a  footing  across  the  channel  of  Oys- 
ter river  shortly  after  it  leaves  its 
source,  and  across  the  adjacent 
marsh.  This  was,  of  course,  in  the 
present  town  of  Lee.  Mention  is 
made  of  them  Nov.  16,  1720,  when 
50  acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to 
Natiianiel  Hill  on  the  north  side  of 
Wheelwright's  pond,  beginning  at  a 
black  oak  standing  near  the  place 
called  the  Stepping  Stones,  and  thence 
running  E.  S.  E.  68  rods  to  the  pond. 
These  stones  remained  till  the  pres- 
ent century,  and  are  still  remembered 
by  the  oldest  inhabitants.  The  high- 
way across  them  is  still  known  as 
the  Stepping- Stones  road.  It  runs  to- 
wards Barrington,  between  the  pond 
and  the  turnpike  road,  and  is  so  called 
on  the  state  map  of  Lee  in  1803. 

There  were  also  Stepping-Stones  in 
the  Durham  Point  district,  across 
Stevenson's  creek,  which  is  called 
Stepping-Stones  Creek  in  1720.  This 
was  a  great  thoroughfare  in  early 
times,  leading  to  the  fording-place 
across  Oyster  river,  and  to  the  meet- 
ing-house which  stood  on  the  upper 
side  of  this  creek.       ^ 

Mention  is  frequently  made  in  the 
old  records  of  the  Stepping-Stones 
across  Peter's  marsh  in  Somersworth. 
A  new  highway  was  ordered  to  be 
laid  out  March,  1731,  from  the 
Indigo  Hill  road  to  the  Stepping- 
Stones  at  Peter's  marsh,  towaixls  the 
Cochecho  road  leading  to  Rochester. 
Moses  Stevens  had  61  acres  laid  out 
to  him  March  27,  1736,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  brook  that  comes  out  of 
the  Great  Pond,  below  the  stepping- 
stones,  so  called,  joining  to  the  marsh. 
A  lot  was  laid  out  to  Samuel  Walton 


Nov.  22,  1743,  on  the  N.  E.  side  of 
the  road  that  leads  over  the  stepping- 
stones,  beginning  four  rods  from 
Maturin  Picker's  corner.  These 
stones  are  also  mentioned  in  Paul 
Wentworth's  will  of  Feb.  3,  1747-8. 
There  was,  till  a  recent  period,  a 
wheel-track  across  Peter's  marsh, 
about  half  a  mile  from  Willand's 
pond,  with  stepping-stones  for  peo- 
ple on  foot. 

Stepping-stones  were  once  '  com- 
mon in  Elngland,  and  are  still  to  be 
found  there.  Those  across  the  river 
Duddon  have  been  made  famous  by 
Wordsworth,  who  compares  them  to 

"A  zone 
Chosen  for  ornament.    Stone  matched    with 

stone 
In  studied  symmetry,  with  interspace 
For  the  clear  waters  to  pursue  their  race 
Without  restraint." 

Stevenson's      Creek,      otherwise 
Stimpson's.     This  is  the  first  inlet  on 
the  lower  side  of  Oyster  river  below 
the  old  parsonage  lands.     John  God- 
dard,  June  iQ,  1664,  sold  Wm.  Will- 
iams, Sr.,   forty  acres  on   the  south 
side  of  Oyster  river,  "butting  upon 
a  creek  commonly  called  Stimpson's 
Creek.'"  bounded  on  one  side  by  Stony 
hrook,  and  on  another  by  the  meeting- 
house lots.     Williams  sold  this  land 
to  Joseph  Field  June  18,  1674;  and 
Zacharias   Field,  brother  of  Joseph, 
conveyed   it  to  John   Davis,  sou  of 
Moses,   Dec.   11,  1710.     John  Davis 
and    Abigail    his    wife    conveyed    to 
Daniel    Davis,    May    22,    1719,    40 
acres    of    land,     marsh,     and     flats, 
granted  to  John  Pillou  Dec.  8,  1653, 
with  ten  more  granted  Joseph  Field 
for  the    highway    that    goeth    across 
his  land,  and  a  parcel  of  salt  mar.sh 
John  Davis  bought  of  Philip  Chesley 
between   said  land  and  the  meeting:- 
house  lot,  which  land  is  on  y"  south 


242 


L,andmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


side  of  Oyster  river,  lying  between 
Stony  brook  and  y^  meeting-house  lot, 
and  butting  on  a  creek  called  Stim- 
son's  creek.  John  Drew,  in  his  will 
of  Jan.  31,  1721,  gives  his  daughter 
Sarah,  wife  of  John  Field,  two  acres 
of  salt  marsh,  with  flats  and  thatch- 
bed,  on  the  west  side  of  the  mouth 
of  Stevenson's  creek,  on  the  south  side 
of  Oyster  river,  joining  the  parson- 
age lands,  which  marsh  s*^  Drew  had 
bought  of  Zacharias  Field,  adminis- 
trator of  Joseph  Field's  estate.  John 
Field  of  Dover  and  Sarah  his  wife, 
formerly  Sarah  Drew,  Aug.  1,  1748. 
conveyed  to  Joseph  Hicks  a  plot  of 
two  acres  of  salt  marsh,  bequeathed 
to  s*^  Sarah  by  her  father  John  Drew, 
on  the  west  side  of  Stevens  creek,  so 
called,  on  the  south  side  of  Oyster 
river,  joining  to  the  parsonage. 

The  name  of  Stepping-Stones  creek 
is  given  to  Stevenson's  creek  March 
6,  1720,  when  40  acres  of  land  were 
laid  out  to  Daniel  Davis,  by  virtue  of 
a  deed  from  John  Davis,  beginning 
at  a  rock  by  Stony  brook  and  running 
thence  S.  W.  and  by  S.  120  rods  to 
an  asp  tree  :  thence  N.  W.  44  rods 
to  a  black  birch  next  the  town  lott 
to  the  salt  marsh,  the  next  marsh  to 
the  meeting-house,  and  thence  on  the 
same  point  to  the  stepping-stones  creek 
on  the  east. 

Stevenson's  creek  derived  its  name 
from  Thomas  Stevenson,  who  owned 
land  on  the  south  side  of  Oyster  river 
July  5,  1643,  when  Valentine  Hill 
had  a  grant  on  the  opposite  shore 
'"  over  against  Thomas  Stevenson's." 
He  ap})ears  to  have  owned  laud  at 
the  very  mouth  of  Oyster  river  (see 
Jonas'  Point)  ^  and  all  the  laud  from 
Wakeham's  creek  to  the  creek  above, 
which  afterwards  took  his  name.     A 


neck  of  land  next  adjacent  to  his  lot, 
granted  him  in  1654,  is  mentioned  in 
the  Dover  records  as  laid  out  to  his 
son  Joseph  Stevenson,  Aug.  19,  1676, 
"  from  the  side  of  the  rock  at  the 
head  of  Stony  brook  creek  E.  S.  PL 
near  E.  about  100  rods  unto  the  next 
creek,  to  a  tree  lying  in  s*^  creek, 
markt  J.  S.''  Stimpson  is  a  corrup- 
tion of  Stevenson.  Joseph  Stirason's 
name  is  on  the  Dover  rate-list  of 
1666.  In  that  of  1667  he  is  called 
Joseph  Stevenson.  Stimpson's  or 
Stevenson's  creek  is  now  called 
Matlies's  creek,  from  the  owner  of 
adjacent  land. 

Stony  Brook.     There  are  at  least 

seven  brooks  of  this  name  within  the 

limits    of   ancient    Dover.       Five    of 

them   are   in   Durham,  or   partly  so. 

The  most  important  of  these  rises  at 

the     "  Sarah    Paul    sjning,"    above 

Beech  Hill,  and  is  fed   by  the  marsh 

below,  and   other    springs    along  the 

way — eight  in  number,  at  least — and 

finally    empties    into   Beard's    creek, 

south     of    the    Woodman     burying- 

ground.     Several    of    these    springs 

have  recently  been  acquired    by  the 

Agricultural  College,  and  a  dam  has 

been    erected  ou    the    upper  part  of 

Stony  brook    to    provide   a  reservoir 

for   that    institution.     This    will    no 

doubt    greatly    diminish    the    stream 

below.     Mention    is    made    of    this 

brook    the  30th,  7    mo.,   1660,  when 

John     Woodman     had      a    grant    of 

"  twenty  acres  of  land  at  the  head  of 

William   Beard's   creek,  on    the  west 

side  thereof,  and  on  the  north  side  of 

Stoney  Broke,  the    broke    being   the 

first  bounds  unto  the  afoersayd  creek." 

And  Benjamin   Mathes  conveyed  to 

said  Woodman,    March    ]0,  1663,   a 

parcel   of  land   on   the  west  side  of 


^A.*-,^ ^  ^U-^  w^*w  •^**/  -**.rf .  J,  /4^^ 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


243 


Wm.  Beard's  creek,  contaiuing  all 
the  marsh  on  the  north  side  of  stony 
brook  to  the  head  of  that  creek ; 
which  parcel  had  been  conveyed  to 
Fiancis  Mathews  by  Wra.  Hilton  in 
1645.  This  brook  is  again  mentioned 
May  10,  1741,  when  Nathaniel  Hill 
conveyed  to  Samnel  Hill  a  tract  of 
land  "  commonly  called  by  y^  name 
of  HiU's  Pan,  bounded  southerly  on 
a  brook  called  by  y*  name  of  Stony 
brook,  westerly  on  y'^  road  y*  leads  to 
Dover,  northerly  and  easterly  on  y* 
land  of  Jon"  Woodman."  Hill's  Pan 
and  Stony  brook  are  both  mentioned 
when  this  land  was  conveyed  to  Dr. 
Joseph  Atkinson  Nov.  20,  1742.  It 
was  acquired  by  Moses  Emerson  July 
22,  1757,  when  it  was  described  as  a 
tract  of  95  acres,  "  formerly  called 
HilVs  Pen,  about  half  a  mile  from  y* 
falls  meeting-house,  on  v^  east  side 
of  y^  road  from  Durham  Falls  to 
Dover,  adjoining  the  land  of  John 
Woodman."  The  road  here  referred 
to  is  the  Madbury  road,  which  crosses 
Stony  brook  at  a  short  distance  from 
Durham  village.  At  this  place  the 
brook  often  swells  to  a  considerable 
size  after  a  rain  or  the  melting  of  the 
snow  in  spring-time.  It  is  here 
crossed  by  a  bridge,  generally  called 
Ballard's  bridge,  and  the  brook  itself 
at  this  point  is  called  Ballard's  brook, 
from  Joshua  Ballard,  who  acquired 
Hill's  Pan  or  Pen  after  the  death  of 
Moses  Emerson.  This  Pan  is  no 
longer  a  separate  tract,  but  forms 
part  of  the  Woodman  farm,  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Dennison. 

Another  Stony  Brook  is  mentioned 
Aug.   14,   1654,  when  Valentine  Hill 


conveyed  to  John  Davis  60  acres  of 
land,  "  lying  at  the  mouth  of  Oyster 
river,  on  the  north  side,  beginning  at 
the  mouth  of  a  creek,  and  so  runs 
upon  a  N.  and  by  E.  poynt  144  rods 
to  a  pine  tree,  then  W.  S.  W.  to 
Stony  Brook  Coue,  and  so  bounded 
from  the  fore-mentioned  creek  by  the 
river."  ^ 

A  controversy  having  arisen  be- 
tween Ensign  John  Davis  and  Joseph 
Smith  as  to  the  bounds  between  their 
lands,  the  town  appointed  Wm.  Went- 
worth,  John  Bickford,  and  John 
Heard  to  surve}'  said  Davis's  land  ; 
which  they  did  May  13,  1673,  "  be- 
sinning  at  a  white  oak  att  stonie 
brook  cove,  near  Joseph  Smith's  fence, 
and  running  N,  N.  PL  to  the  head  of 
the  lott,  leaving  sufficient  land  to 
make  good  Joseph  Smith's  lot.  This 
controversy,  however,  seems  to  have 
been  renewed,  but  it  was  finally 
agreed.  Sept,  30,  1678,  "that  the 
division  line  between  v'"  shall  begin 
at  a  hemlock  tree  at  y^  head  of  y^ 
cove  by  Stony  brooke,  and  so  to  run 
N.  E.  and  by  N.  eight  score  rods, 
which  is  y*  eastern  bound  of  Matthew 
William's  grant." 

Stony  Brook  is  mentioned  as  the 
western  boundary  of  the  old  Lay  ton 
lands  in  the  Back  River  district  Feb. 
13,  1670,  when  Thomas  Layton,  Sr., 
conveyed  to  his  son  Thomas  eight 
score  acres  of  land  bounded  south  by 
Royall's  cove,  and  west  by  the  lands 
of  John  Meader  and  Joseph  Field, 
and  parted  from  both  by  Stony  brook. 
It  is  again  mentioned  Sept.  24,  1695, 
when  Thomas  Roberts'  20  acre  grant 
was  laid  out  to  Zacharias  ffield,  "  on 


'Valentine  Hill,  that  same  day,  conveyed  to  the  above  John  Davis  20  acres  of  salt  marsh  by 
the  side  of  a  place  called  Broadbow  Harbour,  in  the  island  called  Champernon's  island.  This 
is  Gerrish's  island  at  Kittery  Point,  where  Capt.  Francis  Champernown  lies  buried. 


244 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


y*  bottom  of  Rial's  coue,"  beginniug 
at  a  red  oak  "  by  y"  creek  side  y' 
runs  up  to  Stonie  brook  from  s*^  tree 
N.  W.  by  W.  80  poles  to  a  heap  of 
stones  near  Jn°  Header's  fence." 
This  Stony  brook  crosses  the  road 
from  Atkinson's  Hill  to  the  old  Pas- 
cataqua  bridge,  and  empties  into 
Royall's  cove.  (See  Meader's  Neck 
and  MoyalVs  Cove.) 

Another  Stony  Brook  empties  into 
Stevenson's  creek,  on  the  south  side 
of  Oyster  river.  It  is  mentioned  the 
6th,  4  mo.,  1659,  when  John  Goddard 
conveyed  to  Wm.  Willyames,  Sr., 
"40  acres  of  land  in  Oyster  River, 
wich  was  John  Pellines — the  neck  of 
land  wich  lieth  betwene  Stoney  brooke 
and  the  meeting-house  lot."  When 
this  land  was  confirmed  to  Wm.  Will- 
iams, June  26,  1664,  it  was  described 
as  "  butting  upon  a  creek  commonly 
called  Stimjysoyi's  creek,"  and  bounded 
on  one  side  by  Stony  brook. 

There  is  also  a  Stony  Brook  in 
the  Packer's  Falls  district.  It  rises  in 
Moharimet's  marsh,  formerly  so  called, 
and  empties  into  the  north  side  of 
Lamprey  river  below  Sullivan's  falls. 

Another  Stony  Brook  is  in  Lub- 
berland,  a  short  distance  below  New- 
market village.  It  is  mentioned  May 
15,  1711,  when  the  "  lott  layers  of 
Dover,"  at  the  request  of  Sampson 
Doe,  ran  "  the  7ieck  line  from  the 
liead  of  goddard' s  creek  to  Lampreele 
Riuer  as  foUoweth,  beginning  at  the 
head  of  goddard's  Creek  at  the  flowing 
of  the  tide  there,  at  about  Eight  Rods 
southward  from  Abraham  benick's 
mill.,  and  from  thence  to  run  nor  west 
and  be  west  f  westerle  cours  to  Stony 
brook  a  little  below  Lamprele  Riuer 
first  falls." 

A  Stony  Brook  in  Dover  is  men- 


tioned Feb.  26,  1713,  when  Nathaniel 
Roberts'  grant  of  30  acres  on  the 
west  side  of  Fresh  creek,  at  the  head 
of  Wm.  Dam's  land,  was  laid  out, 
beginning  at  a  white  pine  tree  on  the 
north  side  of  Stony  brook.  Nathan- 
iel Roberts  conveyed  to  Jabez  Gar- 
land, March  29,  1722,  30  acres  of 
land  on  y*  west  side  of  Fresh  creek, 
beginning  at  a  white  pine  on  y^  north 
side  of  Stoney  brook.  Edward  Ellis, 
Dec.  30,  1734,  conveyed  to  John 
Mackelroy  30  acres  of  land  in  Dover, 
beginning  at  y^  lower  end  of  a  brook 
called  Stony  brook,  and  running  along 
by  Cochecho  salt  river  to  William 
Thompson's  fence,  and  along  his 
fence  to  Samuel  Alley's  land,  thence 
to  the  road  from  Jabez  Garland's, 
and  along  this  road  to  the  lower  end 
of  Stony  brook,  above  mentioned. 
(See  Alley  Point.) 

A  Stony  Brook  in  Newington  is 
mentioned  in  George  Huntris'  will  of 
June  8,  1715,  in  which  he  gives  his 
wife  Mary,  during  her  natural  life, 
that  part  of  the  estate  where  he  then 
dwelt,  between  Nathan  Knight's  and 
a  fence  on  the  north  side  of  Stony 
brook.  To  his  grandson  Christopher, 
eldest  son  of  his  son  George  Huntris 
deceased,  he  gives  all  the  land  where 
Christopher  then  dwelt,  lying  between 
a  fence  on  the  north  side  of  stony 
brook  and  Clement  Misharue's  land. 
As  Clement  Messervey's  land  was  part 
of  the  Moody  grant,  along  Harwood's 
Creek,  this  Stony  brook  was  no  doubt 
what  is  now  called  the  trout  brook,  that 
em{)ties  into  Laighton's  Cove.  (See 
Herod's  Creek.) 

Stony  Hill.  Mentioned  Sept.  1, 
1699,  when  Wm.Wittum  had  "■  enough 
land  granted  to  his  former  improve- 
ment on   Bloody  Poynt   side,  joining 


1 


Land7narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


245 


the  road  at  Stonie  hill,  so  as  to  make 
it  20  acres."  This  land  (12  acres) 
was  laid  out  at  Stonie  hill  iu  1712, 
beginning  at  a  hemlock  tree  at  the 
N.  E.  of  John  Carter's  land,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  highway  from 
Welshman's  Cove  to  Bloody  Point, 
and  running  by  said  way  to  John 
Downiug's  land,  and  so  to  the  par- 
sonage land,  etc. 

Sixteen  acres  of  laud,  "on  the 
north  side  of  a  place  called  Stoney 
hill,'"  were  given  by  the  parish  of 
Newington,  June  20,  1713,  to  "  y« 
Reverand  Mr.  Joseph  Adams,  minis- 
ter of  the  parish  afores*^,  iu  consider- 
ation of  the  great  love,  affection,  and 
respect  they  had  and  did  bear  to  him, 
and  also  moved  by  divers  good  causes 
— upon  condition  of  his  continuance 
with  them  as  long  as  his  life  is  con- 
tinued, or  he  is  able  to  officiate  with 
with  them  as  a  minister."  {Neiving- 
ton  Records.)  Wm.  Witham,  Ap.  5, 
1717,  conveyed  to  Joseph  Adams  12 
acres  in  Newington  at  a  place  com- 
monly known  by  y^  name  of  Stoney 
Hill,  bounded  S.  by  said  Adams' 
land,  S.  E.  by  the  Bloody  Pt.  road, 
and  N.  E.  by  Mr.  John  Downing's 
land.  Richard  and  Mary  Carter  con- 
veyed to  Mr.  John  Downing,  Ap.  26, 
1722,  20  acres  of  land  at  or  near  a 
place  commonly  called  by  y*  name  of 
Stoyiy  Hill,  bounded  S.  E.  by  the 
highway  from  Capt.  Knight's  ferry  to 
Newington  meeting-house,  west  by 
the  highway  from  the  meeting-house 
to  Broad  Cove,  etc.  Stony  Hill  be- 
longs to  the  same  ridge  as  Nimble 
Hill.  Stony  Hill  pasture,  now  be- 
longing to  Mr.  James  Hoyt,  is  be- 
tween the  road  to  Greenland  and  the 
Fox  Pt.  road  to  Portsmouth.  (See 
Nimble  Hill  and  Pine  Hill.) 


Stony  Point.  This  is  the  first 
point  above  St.  Alban's  cove  on  the 
Rolliusford  shore,  below  Madam's 
cove.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Rob- 
erts.  S*jc^A .  xif 

Stoodley's  Creek.  This  name  was 
given  over  a  century  ago  to  the  inlet 
on  the  Newington  shore  of  the  Pas- 
cataqua  now  known  as  Hill's  creek  or 
cove.  It  is  the  next  inlet  below 
Paul's  creek,  and  no  doubt  the  Pine 
cove  of  early  times.  The  name  was 
derived  from  James  Stoodly,  to  whom 
Wm.  Browne  of  Salem  conveyed, 
Feb.  21,  1770,  his  farm  of  400  acres, 
bounded  N.  by  the  lands  of  Gideon 
Walker,  Wm.  Huntress,  and  others, 
E.  by  the  Pascataqua  river,  etc.  This 
land  was  conveyed  by  Wm.  Stoodly, 
son  of  James,  to  Nathaniel  Folsom 
March  26,  1790.  This  sale  was  con- 
firmed by  later  deeds,  the  last  of 
which  is  dated  Aug.  7,  1792.  Over 
54  acres  of  the  Folsom  farm  were 
acquired  by  the  Frinks,  who  con- 
veyed this  tract  to  Winthrop  Picker- 
ing May  12,  1856.  It  is  described 
as  extending  north  to  the  land  of 
Amos  Dow,  deceased,  and  south, 
along  the  river,  to  the  land  formerly 
owned  by  Samuel  Hill,  deceased.  Win- 
throp Pickering  conveyed  this  land 
to  Stephen  Paul  of  Eliot  Ap.  29, 
1862,  from  whom  the  next  inlet  above 
Stoodley's  acquired  its  present  name 
of  Paul's  creek. 

Story's  Marsh.  See  Oyster  Point, 
and  Bunker's  Garrison. 

Strafford  County.  Ancient  Do- 
ver formed  part  of  Norfolk  County 
as  long  as  it  was  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Massachusetts,  but,  like  Ports- 
mouth, it  bad  some  of  the  privileges 
of  a  shire  town,  such  as  its  own 
courts.      The     "County    Courts    of 


246 


Landmm'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Dover  and  Portsraouth  "  are  repeat- 
edly mentioned  in  the  Provincial 
Papers,  as  in  1653,  and  1674.  {Vol. 
1  :  206,  317,  etc.)  Hence,  no  doubt, 
the  name  of  "the  County  of  Dover 
and  Portsmoiith "  met  with  in  many 
early  deeds.  It  is  also  mentioned  in 
the  Provincial  Papers,  May  31,  1671, 
May  12,  1675,  etc.  {Ibid,  1:  316- 
320.)  After  N.  H.  had  a  govern- 
ment of  its  own,  at  least  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century,  the  courts 
were  all  held  at  Portsmouth,  as  stated 
in  1717.  {Ibid,  3:  676.)  An  act, 
however,  was  passed  by  the  Gen. 
Assembly  in  1730  that  one  term  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  should 
also  be  held  yearly  at  Dover,  Exeter, 
and  Hampton.  As  the  number  of 
inhabitants  increased,  and  townships 
sprang  up  in  the  interior  of  the  prov- 
ince, the  inconvenience  was  felt  of 
having  the  courts  for  the  most  part 
held  at  Portsmouth.  Repeated  efforts 
were  made  to  divide  the  province 
into  counties  from  1755  onward,  but 
this  was  not  effected  till  1769.  {Ibid, 
7  :  204-210.)  Full  operation,  how- 
ever, had  to  be  suspended  till  the 
royal  approbation  could  be  secured. 
Five  counties  were  formed,  two  of 
which  remained  for  a  time  inactive. 
The  three  which  went  into  partial 
operation  were  first  called  the  East- 
ern, Western,  and  Middle  counties. 
{Do.,  7:  211-215.)  It  was  enacted 
Ap.  1,  1769,  "that  one  Superior 
Court,  one  Inferior  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas,  and  one  court  of  Gen' 
Sessions  of  the  Peace  of  the  Easterly 
County "  should  be  held  yearly  at 
Exeter.  The  rest  continued  to  be 
held  at  Portsmouth.  Gov.  John 
Wentworth,  in  his  message  of  March 
21,     1771,     announced     that     "his 


Majest}'  had  been  graciously  pleas'd 
to  approve  and  confirm  the  Act  for 
dividing  this  Province  into  Counties." 
{Do.,  p.  274.)  This  Act  seems  to 
have  taken  full  effect  March  28,  1771, 
on  which  day  the  Recorders  of  Deeds 
for  the  three  counties  were  appointed. 
The  name  of  Rocking liain  County  first 
appears  on  this  occasion,  when  "  the 
Hon'''  Daniel  Pierce  Esq''"was  ap- 
pointed "  Recorder  of  Deeds  and 
Conveyances  of  Real  Estate  witliin 
the  County  of  Rockingham."  This 
name,  and  that  of  Strafford  County, 
were  given,  it  is  said,  b3'Gov.  Went- 
worth in  honor  of  the  Marquis  of 
Rockingham  and  the  Earl  of  Straf- 
ford, who  belonged  to  the  Wentworth 
family  of  England. 

Strafford  County  is  mentioned  May 
28,  1772,  in  a  message  from  Gov, 
Wentworth,  as  "  without  county 
privileges."  {Do.,  p.  302.)  It  was 
then  attached  to  Rockingham  Co. 
Tlie  Council  voted,  June  13,  1772, 
that  "  all  the  Courts  for  the  County 
of  Strcfford  be  held  for  the  term  of  7 
years  at  Dover."  (p.  309.)  And  the 
"Honb'  Tho'  Westbrook  Waldron " 
was  appointed  Recorder  of  Deeds  in 
Strafford  County  Feb.  6,  1773,  on 
which  day  this  county  apparently 
went  into  full  operation.  A  part  of 
Ancient  Dover,  however,  still  belongs 
to  Rockingham  Countv. 

Strav^berry  Bank.  This  name 
was  given  to  the  settlement  after- 
wards called  Portsmouth  as  early  as 
1631.  It  is  mentioned  Dec.  5,  1632, 
{N.  H.  Prov^Pap.,  1  :  68.)  In  the 
petition  to  the  Mass.  government  in 
May,  1653,  to  have  this  name  changed 
to  Portsmouth,  it  is  stated  that  the 
plantation  of  Strawberry  Bank  was 
"accidentally  soe    called   by   reason 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


HI 


of  a  banke  where  straberries  were 
found."  {N.  H.  Ptov.  Pajy.,  1  :  208.) 
There  was  a  Straioberry  BanJc  Com- 
bination for  government,  probably  as 
early  as  1633.  This  included  Great 
Island,  and  all  the  lower  Pascataqua 
region.  It  is  referred  to  in  1643, 
wlien  John  Pickering  was  "  in  joined 
to  deliver  the  old  combination  at 
Strawberrxj  Bank  the  next  court." 
{Ibid,  1  :  111.)  Pike,  in  his  Journal 
in  1698,  merely  calls  this  settlement 
the  Bank,  as  did  many  Portsmouth 
people  to  a  late  day. 

Styles'  Bkook.  This  brook,  so 
called  in  a  deed  of  1795,  rises  at  a 
spring  on  the  Roberts  laud,  in  Rol- 
linsford,  and  empties  into  St.  Alban's 
cove.  It  is  referred  to  May  9,  1709, 
when  the  road  from  the  head  of  Fresh 
creek  to  St.  Alban's  cove  was  ex- 
tended "  northward  down  the  hill, 
and  over  the  freshet  that  vents  itself 
into  St.  Albon's  cove,  at  the  old  wade- 
iug-place  there." 

Styles'  Cove.  This  name,  derived 
from  a  neighboring  land  owner,  is 
sometimes  given  to  St.  Alban's  cove, 
on  the  western  shore  of  the  Salmon 
Falls  river.  Wm.  Stiles,  Oct.  31, 
1752,  conveyed  to  Thomas  Miller,  Jr., 
one  acre  of  laud  in  Somersworth, 
beginning  three  rods  eastward  of  an 
old  cellar  where  Samuel  Styles  for- 
merly dwelt,  and  extending  along  the 
road  that  leads  from  St.  Alban's  cove 
to  Quochecho.  Wm.  Stiles  conveyed 
to  Hanson  Stiles,  Aug.  13,  1784,  60 
acres  of  land,  butting  easterly  on 
Newechewanick  river  and  St.  Alban's 
cove,  northerly  on  the  road  that  leads 


from  Sligo  to  Fresh  creek,  southerly 
on  Hussey's  land,  and  westerly  on 
that  of  Richard  Philpot. 

The  Styx.     See  No-Bottom  Pond. 

SuKE  Abbot's  Hill.  This  hill  is 
on  the  borders  of  the  Two-Mile 
Streak,  east  of  the  turnpike-road, 
near  the  Lee  boundary.  Many  amus- 
ing stories  are  still  in  circulation 
about  the  eccentric  woman  from 
whom  this  hill  derived  its  name. 

Sullivan's  Falls.  This  name  is 
now  given  to  the  lowest  falls  in  Lam- 
prey river  within  the  limits  of  Dur- 
ham, but  Gen.  Sullivan's  privilege 
no  doubt  extended  along  the  rapids 
to  the  falls  above,  to  which  the  name 
of  "Packer's"  is  now  confined.  He 
acquired  this  mill-privilege  Sept.  4, 
1770,  when  John  Shepard  of  Not- 
tingham, and  Susanna  his  wife,  for 
the  sum  of  260  pounds,  conveyed  to 
John  Sullivan  sixty  acres  of  land 
adjoining  Lamperell  river  on  the 
south  side,  at  a  place  called  the  second 
falls,  with  all  right  and  title  to  said 
second  falls.^  John  Adams,  after- 
wards President,  in  a  letter  from 
York,  June  29,  1774,  says  John 
Sullivan  of  Durham  then  had  "  a 
fine  stream  of  water,  with  an  excel- 
lent corn-mill,  saw-mill,  fulling-mill, 
scythe-mill,  and  others,  six  mills  in 
all,  which  are  both  his  delight  and 
profit."  Sullivan's  mills  "  at  Pack- 
er's falls  "  are  spoken  of  Dec,  1774, 
when  P^leazar  Bennet,  of  the  Fort 
William  and  Mary  expedition,  was 
in  his  employ.  According  to  Hol- 
land's map  of  1784  Gen.  Sullivan 
had  four  mills  along  this  part  of  the 


'This  land  was  conve.yed  by  Samuel  Smith,  Oct.  3,  1769,  to  his  "  dutiful  daughter  Susanna," 
wife  of  John  Shephard  of  Nottingham,  in  consideration  of  260  pounds  paid  by  her.  The  deed 
of  this  land  declares  it  to  be  "  on  the  south  side  of  Lamperel  river,  at  a  place  called  the  second 
falls  on  said  river." 


248 


Landmai'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


river.  The  N.  H.  Mercury  of  Ports- 
mouth advertises,  Nov.  14,  1785, 
General  Sullivan's  "  new  grist-mill, 
where  his  double  grist-mill  formerly 
stood,  also  a  new  fulling-mill,  both 
at  Second  Falls,  and  nearly  in  the 
same  places  where  those  mills  stood 
which  were  swept  off  by  the  late 
freshet;"  the  "clothing  and  silk- 
dying  business  carried  on  in  the  best 
manner  "  at  the  fulling-mill.  A  good 
farm  of  upwards  150  acres  "near 
Lampreyeel  river,  near  Packer's 
falls,"  with  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  full- 
ing-mill, and  press-house,  were  ad- 
vertised for  sale  Oct.  5,  1790.  These 
were  General  Sullivan's.  The  "full- 
ing-mill 2Lt  Sullivan'' s  falls  ^'  \^  again 
mentioned,  in  1793.  It  was  then 
managed  by  Daniel  Croxford,  who, 
after  Gen,  Sullivan's  death,  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  "  the  clothier's 
business  in  all  its  branches,"  as  ap- 
pears from  his  advertisement  of  June 
19,  1798. 

Sunken  Island.  This  island  is  in 
the  Cochecho  river,  near  the  mouth 
of  Reyner's  brook.  It  is  said  to 
have  derived  its  name  from  being 
submerged  at  the  erection  of  the 
dam  at  the  fifth  falls.  It  is  men- 
tioned March  8,  1710-11,  when  40 
acres  of  land  were  laid  out  to  Capt. 
John  Tuttle,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Cochecho  river,  above  Tole  End, 
nearly  opposite  Mr.  Reyner's  brook, 
beginning  at  a  hemlock  tree  by  the 
river,  below  the  Sunken  Island.  And 
again,  Oct.  23,  1719,  when  Mr. 
Rainer's  400  acre  grant  in  1656  was 
laid  out  to  John  Waldron  "  above 
Tole  End,  on  the  N.  E.  side  of 
Cochecha  fresh  river." 


Sunken  Ledge.  This  is  a  rock 
dangerous  to  navigation  in  the  Long 
Reach.  It  is  off  the  Newington 
shore,  below  Birch  Point,  but  hidden 
by  the  current. 

Swadden's  Creek.  This  inlet  is 
on  the  Newington  shore  of  the  Great 
Bay,  above  Fabyan's  point.  It  is 
the  lower  bound  of  the  old  Pickering 
grant,  mentioned  in  the  Portsmouth 
records  of  Feb.,  1655,  when  John 
Pickering  had  a  grant  of  all  "the 
land  lying  between  swadens  creek  and 
pincomb's  creek  in  the  great  bay." 
The  former  edition  of  this  work  says 
Swadden's  creek  was  the  tqyjyer  boun- 
dary of  the  Pickering  grant.  Further 
investigation  shows  that  the  upper 
bound  was  Pinkham's  creek,  and  the 
lower  one  Swadden's.  (See  Pink- 
ham's  Creek.)  The  name  of  Swad- 
den's creek  was  derived  from  Philip 
Swadden,  Swaddow,  or  Scoudew,  of 
the  Dover  Combination  of  1640,  who 
had  a  grant  of  land  on  this  shore  be- 
fore 1643.  It  was  re-granted  the  24th, 
8  mo.,  1643,  as  follows  :  "  It  is  this 
day  ordered  that  Edward  Starbuck 
shall  have  the  marsh  in  the  Great 
Bay  which  was  formerly  granted 
Philip  Scoudew  nere  his  wigwam."^ 
Mention  of  "his  wigwam"  has  led 
some  writers  erroneously  to  suppose 
that  Philip  Swadden  was  an  Indian. 
The  word  "  wigwam,"  however,  does 
not  necessarily  imply  an  Indian  hab- 
itation as  elsewhere  shown.  (See  Her- 
od's Wigioam.)  It  was  a  name  often 
given  by  lumber-men  in  early  times 
to  their  shelter  in  the  forest.  Among 
those  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
at  that  time  on  the  shore  of  the 
Great   Bay,  were    Philip    Swadden,  < 


^ 


1  The  recorder  may  have  accidentally  omitted  the  word  Herod  before  "  his  wigwam."     (See 
Swadden'' s  Island  and  Herod's  Point.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


249 


Thomas  Johnson,  Andrew  Harwood, 
and  Thomas  ffurson,  all  of  whom  are 
mentioned  the  last  of  the  6th  mo., 
1643,  as  selling  timber,  clapboards, 
and  pipe-staves.  (See  Harwood's 
Cove.)  Philip  Swadden  left  Dover 
not  long  after,  and  went  to  Maine, 
where  he  was  still  living  Aug.  27, 
1673,  when  he  testified  that  he  was 
then  about  73  years  of  age,  and  38 
or  39  years  previous  lived  in  the  Pis- 
cataqua  region.  On  the  creek  which 
bore  his  name  settled  Thomas  Pick- 
ering, son  of  the  above  John,  and 
ancestor  of  the  present  writer, 
Thomas  conveyed  to  his  son  James, 
Jan.  28,  1716,  a  tract  of  land  bound- 
ed east  by  "  a  brook  called  Sivadden's 
brook.''  And  June  6,  1719,  he  gave 
to  his  son  Thomas  100  acres  adjoin- 
ing, on  which  stood  his  dwelling- 
house,  barn,  out-houses,  orchard,  etc. 
This  land,  which  remained  in  the 
Pickering  family  till  a  recent  day, 
now  belongs  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Hoyt. 
Traces  of  a  mill  on  Swadden's  creek 
at  the  head  of  tide  water  may  still  be 
seen.  Hence  the  name  of  Millcreek^ 
by  which  it  is  now  generally  called. 

Swadden's  brook  rises  on  the  Haven 
farm  in  Portsmouth,  just  beyond  the 
Newington  line.  The  springs  that 
feed  it  partly  supply  Portsmouth  with 
water,  in  consequence  of  which  this 
brook  now  often  dries  up  in  summer 
time.  Pinkham's  and  Swadden's 
creeks  are  about  a  mile  apart  at  their 
source,  but  at  the  mouth  only  a  third 
of  that  distance.  The  road  from 
Newington  to  Greenland  crosses  them 
both,  shortly  before  they  empty  into 
the  Great  Bay.  The  lower  part  of 
Swadden's    creek,    for    many   years 


alive  with  the  falls  and  mill,  and  the 
activity  of  the  early  pioneers,  is  now 
utterly  silent  and  desolate.  There  is 
only  a  cluster  of  tall  chestnuts  and 
pines  on  the  shore,  which  overshadow 
a  few  hillocks  covered  with  rank 
grass,  where  the  early  Pickerings  are 
buried,  on  the  very  edge  of  the  water, 
looking  off  over  Great  Bay  towards 
the  southern  shore  of  Durham — a 
spot  beautiful  and  solitary,  and  aban- 
doned to  Nature,  where  it  seems  good 
to  rest  and  await  the  vitam  venturi 
sceculi. 

Swadden's  Island.  This  is  an  islet 
in  Great  Bay,  just  a,bove  the  mouth 
of  Swadden's  creek,  otherwise  Mill 
creek.  It  has  always  belonged  to  the 
"  Mill-creek  farm,"  which  was  origi- 
nally a  part  of  the  Pickering  grant  of 
1655.  The  name  has  been  corrupted 
to  Sivan  island.  It  is  mentioned 
Dec.  15,  1662,  when  Peter  Coffin 
conveyed  to  John  Hall  30  acres  of 
upland,  and  6  acres  of  salt  marsh 
adjoining,  formerly  granted  to  Elder 
Edward  Starbuck  by  the  town  of 
Dover,  s**  upland  and  marsh  now 
lying  and  being  w'^'in  the  p*cincts  or 
Limits  of  the  s**  town  of  Dover,  upon 
the  S.  E.  side  of  the  Great  Bay,  over 
against  Swadden's  island,  commonly 
soe  called,  and  adjoining  s*'  Hall's 
land.  It  is  again  mentioned  Oct.  3, 
1686,  when  John  Fabens  (Fabyan)  of 
Portsmouth,  and  Sarah,  my  now 
wife,^  "daughter  of  John  Hall  of 
Greenland,  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Pickering"  30  acres  of  upland,  and  6 
acres  of  salt  marsh  adjoining  thereto, 
formerly  called  by  the  naraeof  >S'ioad- 
on's  Marsh  and  Herod's  Point,  upon  the 
eastward  side  of  the  Great  Bay,  and 


1  Pike  records  the  marriage  of  "  John  Fabian  and  Mary  Pickirin  "  Dec.  25, 1702.    She  was  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Pickering. 


250 


Landmarks  m  Ancient  Dover. 


Dorthward  from  Swadon's  island,  so 
called  ;  bounded  north  by  John  Jack- 
son's land,  and  so  runs  to  Harxoood's 
Cove,  and  so  round  southward  and 
east  by  water  to  the  other  end  of  the 
fence  by  Joseph  Atkinson's  land, 
near  adjoining  to  said  Pickering's 
neck  of  land."  Swadden's  island  is 
again  mentioned  Ap.  30,  1719,  in  a 
deed  from  Thomas  Pickering  to  his 
son  Joshua. 

Swan  Island.  See  Sivadden's  Is- 
land. 

Swazey's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Dover  city,  on  William  Street,  be- 
tween Central  Avenue  and  the  Print 
Works.  It  is  so  called  in  the  Dover 
records  of  1812,  when  "the  road 
from  the  top  of  Swazey's  hill  towards 
the  bridge  "  is  mentioned.  Also  in 
the  conveyance  of  a  lot  near  Siveasey's 
hill  to  the  Dover  Cotton  Factory  Jan. 
19,  1822,  by  Mary  and  Abigail  J. 
Kimball,  and  Wm.  and  Maria  Palmer. 
The  name  was  derived  from  Nathaniel 
Sweasey  or  Swazey,  cabinet-maker, 
who  lived  here  a  century  ago.  He 
died  before  July  28,  1804,  when  his 
widow  Sarah  is  mentioned  as  admin- 
istratrix of  his  estate.  This  hill  is 
otherwise  called  Galloivs  Hill.  The 
Irish  of  this  quarter  call  it  Sioazey's 
Bray,  from  the  Irish  word  hri,  bree, 
or  bj-ea,  signifying  a  hill  or  rising 
ground — the  same  as  the  Scotch  word 
brae,  so  often  used  by  the  poet  Burns. 
(See  Galloivs  Hill.) 

Symond's  Grant.  See  Wadleigh's 
Falls. 

Tan  House.  Mentioned  the  4th, 
8  mo.,  1653,  when  Job  Clement 
had  a  grant  of  land  by  Fore  river 
side,  one  bound  of  which  was  a  stake 
above  the  Tan  House,  thence  over 
the    spring   (probably    the   one    now 


called  Coleman'' s  spring)  5  poles  and 
4  ft.  to  a  stake  2  poles  and  2  ft.  to 
the  N.  E.  corner  of  the  old  Breiv 
House,  upon  a  straight  line  to  the 
water  side.  This  was  apparently  the 
land  above  the  old  ferry-place  at 
Beck's  Slip,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Jo- 
seph Furnald.  Job  Clement,  Sr., 
himself  was  a  tanner. 

Tate's  Brook.  This  name  is  some- 
times given  to  that  part  of  Peter's 
Marsh  brook  which  runs  through  the 
Tate  lands  in  Somersworth.  It  more 
properly  belongs  to  a  small  tributary 
to  this  brook,  on  the  lower  side, 
which  flows  through  the  Tate  and 
Ranlet  lands. 

The  name  of  Tate's  road  is  fre- 
quently given  to  that  part  of  the  old 
road  to  Rocky  Hills  which  passes 
through  the  Tate  land,  below  the 
brook. 

Team  Hill,  otherwise  Teem.  This 
hill  is  mentioned  several  times  in  the 
Dover  and  Durham  records,  as  Feb. 
22,  1720-21,  when  a  road  is  spoken 
of  "  beginning  att  a  place  called 
Teem  Hill,"  and  "  crossing  the  long 
marsh  to  the  road  that  leads  from 
Oyster  River  falls  to  Lampereel 
bridge."  This  hill  is  at  Durham 
Point,  where  the  common  is.  Sev- 
eral roads  centre  in  this  vicinity,  and 
in  the  day  of  ferries  across  the  river 
to  Fox  point,  and  across  the  bay  to 
Furber's  point,  the  number  of  vehi- 
cles that  met  on  this  hill  doubtless 
gave  it  its  name. 

Tear-Cap  Corner.  This  name 
was  formerly  given  to  Madbury  cor- 
ner, where  three  roads  meet  at  the 
foot  of  Hicks's  hill.  It  is  mentioned 
May  29,  1740,  when  a  petition  was 
made  for  a  road  from  "  Tare  Caj:)" 
to  Freetown.   At  that  time  the  Tasker 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


251 


and  Hicks  families  owned  the  land 
around  this  corner,  and  its  name  may 
have  been  derived  from  tlie  towering 
cap  of  Mrs.  Hicks,  which  seems  to 
have  been  proverbial.  To  this  day, 
when  an  ominous  cloud  gathers 
around  the  top  of  Hicks's  Hill,  on 
which  she  lived,  the  people  of  the 
vicinity  say  :  "A  storm  is  brewing  : 
Granny  Hicks  has  got  her  night-cap 
on."  She  was  the  wife  of  the  first 
Joseph  Hicks,  and  the  daughter  of 
Col.  James  Davis  of  Oyster  River, 
who  was  famous  as  a  leader  of  scout- 
ing parties  against  the  Indians.  She 
lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and  was  a 
woman  of  great  ability  and  energy  of 
character.  She  had  a  tendency  to 
predominate,  and  doubtless  held  chief 
sway  in  her  neighborhood,  where 
many  stories  are  still  afloat  which 
testify  to  her  originality  and  con- 
sciousness of  superiority.  She  used 
to  loudly  wish,  with  a  deploring  shake 
of  her  head  (and  the  cap  on  it),  that 
she  could  put  her  brains  into  her  son 
Joseph's  cranium.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear, however,  that  he  was  particu- 
larly deficient. 

Ten  Rods  Road.  This  road  leads 
through  Rochester  into  Farraington, 
crossing  the  line  between  these  towns 
about  half  way  between  Ricker's  pond 

9 

and  the  Cochecho  river.  It  is  men- 
tioned June  13,  1733,  when  John 
Canne  of  Dover  conveyed  to  Elijah 
Tibbets  of  Rochester  30  acres  in  the 
56th  lot  in  the  first  division  of  Roch- 
ester, "  beginning  at  y^  ten  rods  road 
that  runs  across  y^  first  division  of  s** 
Rochester  from  Salmon  fall  river  to 
Cochecha  river,  near  an  house  erected 
on  said  land,  or  where  y*"  viast  way 
now  crosseth  y®  s**  ten  rods  road." 
Thomas    Point.       This    name    is 


sometimes  given  to  a  small  point  on 
the  Newington  shore,  below  Long 
Point,  perhaps  from  Thomas  Picker- 
ing, who  acquired  most  of  the  land 
at  and  around  Long  Pt.  in  the  middle 
of  last  century.  Or  from  Stephen 
Jones  Thomas,  who,  between  1789 
and  1802,  bought  in  various  parcels 
the  adjoining  homestead  of  Depend- 
ence Bickford,  with  7  acres  of  Nich- 
olas Pickering,  and  5^  of  Timothy 
Dame  which  extended  to  a  cove  in 
Great  Bay. 

Thompson's  Falls.  This  name 
was  formerly  given  to  a  mill  privilege 
in  Lee,  just  below  Little  River  saw- 
mill, where  Jonathan  Thompson  had 
a  grist-mill  and  fulling-mill,  which  he 
gave  to  his  son  Joseph  in  his  will  of 
Sept.  10,  1756,  together  with  the 
falls  on  which  they  stood,  and  one 
acre  of  land  joining  thereto.  These 
falls  were  at  a  later  day  called  Bart- 
letfs  falls.  Joseph  Thompson,  May 
3,  17?1,  conveyed  to  Josiali  Bartlett 
of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  his  dwelling- 
house  and  one  acre  of  land  adjoin- 
ing ;  also  his  grist-mill  and  fulling- 
mill,  with  one  half  of  the  privilege, 
and  four  acres  between  the  grist-mill 
and  saw-mill,  adjoining  the  road. 
(See  Bartlett' s  Falls.) 

Thompson's  Point.  This  point  is  ^ 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river  Coche- 
cho, a  little  above  the  mouth,  but  the 
name  has  not  been  perpetuated.  It 
was  so  called  from  William  Thomp- 
son, ancestor  of  the  present  writer, 
who  was  in  Dover  as  early  as  1647. 
"  Thompson's  point  house''  is  on  the 
Dover  rate-list  of  1648.  This  point 
is  again  mentioned  the  5th,  10  mo., 
1652,  when  orders  were  given  to  be- 
gin at  Tomson's  Pointe  to  mark  the 
300    pine   trees    and    100   oak    trees 


252 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


granted  Capt.  Thomas  Wiggin  and 
others,  and  thence  upward  into  Mr. 
Waldron's  grant.  Thomas  Canney 
had  a  grant  of  16  acres  of  upland  the 
6th,  10  mo.,  1656,  to  be  laid  out 
adjoining  "  his  perches  (purchase)  at 
Tomson's  poynt."  This  land  was  laid 
out  from  the  outmost  point  turning 
up  to  Cochecho  50  rods  to  the  long 
creek  westward  below  Tomson's  2^oy7it, 
butting  on  Fore  river,  thence  running 
three  score  and  ten  rods  up  the  long 
creek  side,  reserving  a  cartway  from 
the  woods  to  the  water  side  at  the 
head  of  the  creek,  and  up  Cochecho 
river  three  score  and  ten  rods,  and 
thence  on  a  straight  line  over  to  the 
bound  at  the  head  of  the  long  creek. 

Job  Clement  had  a  grant  of  3^ 
acres  of  upland  the  23d,  10  mo., 
1658,  part  of  which  was  below  "the 
highway  that  goeth  from  Thomas 
Canney's  into  the  woods  towards 
Tomson's  Poynt.,"  bounded  E.  by  the 
Fore  river,  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  hollow,  where  the  ship  was  built.^ 
A  lane  from  Parson  Reyner's  land  to 
Tomson's  point  is  mentioned  in  1675. 
Thomas,  "oldest  son  and  rightful 
heir  of  the  late  Thomas  Canney,  Jr.," 
and  his  wife  Grace,  conveyed  to  his 
brother  Samuel,  Aug.  12,  1703,  45 
acres  of  land  in  the  tenure  of  said 
Samuel,  adjacent  to  Thompson's  Point, 
and  next  to  Henry  Tibbet's  land. 
Joshua  Canney,  son  of  Samuel,  con- 
veyed to  John  Gage,  Dec.  17,  1745, 
a  tract  of  land  extending  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cochecho  river,  and 
westerly  on  said  river  to  Thompson's 
point.  It  joined  Gage's  land  on  the 
south.      (See  Long  Greek.) 

Thompson's  Point,  which  seems  to 


have  been  acquired  by  Thomas  Can- 
ney, was  apparently  at  or  near  the 
present  brick-yard  of  Mr.  Gage,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Cochecho  river. 
Wm.  Thompson,  from  whom  it  de- 
rived its  name,  is  supposed  by  some 
writers  to  have  removed  to  Kittery, 
where  a  Wm.  Thompson  died  in  1676, 
leaving  six  children.  But  the  writer 
finds  no  proof  of  this  supposed  iden- 
tity. Wm.  Thompson's  name  is  not 
on  the  Dover  rate-lists  after  1659, 
and  the  only  land  he  left  in  Dover 
unsold  appears  to  have  been  inherited 
by  his  son  John,  who  afterwards  set- 
tled at  Oyster  River.  (See  Ash 
Swamp)  and  Cochecho  Log  Swamp.) 

The  article  on  Thompson's  Point  in 
the  former  edition  of  this  work  is  full 
of  errors,  this  point  being  confounded 
therein  with  land  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Cochecho  river  above  the  mouth 
of  Fresh  Creek,  where  a  Wm.  Thomp- 
son and  his  son  William  successively 
owned  land,  which  the  latter  sold  to 
Samuel  Alley  Aug.  3,  1736.  (See 
Alley  Point.) 

The  name  of  Thompson's  Point  is 
now  sometimes  given  to  the  Lower 
Huntress  landing-place,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Newingtou  and  Portsmouth. 

Three  Creeks.  These  creeks, 
sometimes  called  Tuttle's  creeks,  are 
on  the  west  side  of  Back  river,  below 
Hopehood's  Point,  where  John  Tut- 
tle  had  a  grant  in  1642.  His  son, 
Judge  John  Tuttle,  in  his  will  of  Dec. 
28, 1717,  gives  his  grandsons, Thomas 
and  John  Tuttle,  all  his  lands  on  the 
west  side  of  Back  river,  adjacent  to 
the  three  creeks,  to  be  divided  by  the 
cartway  to  the  south  side  of  the  mid- 
dle point,  the  usual  place  of  landing  : 


'  Isaac  Stokes  in  1661  also  had  a  grant  of  31/2  acres  on  the  east  side  of  Dover  Neck,  near  the 
place  where  "  the  friggot  was  billd." 


Landmaj'ks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


253 


Thomas   to  have  the  north  division, 
and  John  the  south. 

The  Three-Forked  Pine.  This 
tree  was  one  of  the  old  bounds  of  the 
Bloody  Point  settlement,  on  the  line 
from  Canney's  creek  to  Hogsty  Cove. 
(See  Harwood's  Creek.) 

TiBBETTs'  Slip.  There  was  once  a 
landing-place  of  this  name  on  the 
east  side  of  Back  river,  nearly  a  mile 
above  Nutter's  Slip,  probably  so 
called  from  Jeremiah  Tibbets,  who 
had  a  grant  of  a  house-lot  in  1655,  at 
the  upper  side  of  which  a  highway 
was  afterwards  laid  out  to  this  slip. 
A  short  distance  S.  E.  is  Nock's 
spring,  where  Thomas  Nock  had  the 
grant  of  3|-  acres  for  a  house-lot  in 
1656,  laid  out  Feb.  5,  1657. 

Tickle  Point.  Mentioned  as  early 
as  Aug.  17,  1738,  when  Joseph 
Header  of  the  island  of  Nantucket, 
and  Nicholas  Meader  of  Durham, 
made  a  division  of  two  acres  of  land, 
part  of  the  homestead  of  their  father 
John  Meader,  deceased,  "  adjacent 
to  y"  river  on  y®  Point  commonly 
call*^  and  known  by  y*  name  of  Tickle 
Point  in  Durham  aforesaid."  In  a 
deed  from  Thomas  Pinkham  to  Win. 
K.  Atkinson,  Dec.  30,  1797," Tittle, 
or  Tickle,  or  Trickle  Point "  is  men- 
tioned as  a  part  of  the  "  Franklin 
Propriety."  On  a  plan  of  July  10, 
1758,  among  the  State  Papers  at 
Concord,  mention  is  made  of  ^^  Tickle 
Pt.  or  Cedar  Pt.^'  as  if  the  same 
point.  Cedar  Pt.,  however,  is  at  the 
lower  side  of  what  is  generally  called 
Tickle  Pt.  The  latter  is  just  below 
the  month  of  Oyster  river,  at  the 
Durham  terminus  of  the  old  Pascata- 
qua  bridge.  In  the  day  of  a  tavern 
and  toll-gate  at  this  bridge,  the  name 
of  Tickle  Pt.  was  often  superseded 


bv  the  significant  one  of  Tattle  Point. 
(See  Franklin  City.) 

ToLE  End,  otherwise  Tolend. 
The  Tolend  district  is  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Cochecho  river,  above  the 
second  or  Tolend  falls.  The  name 
seems  to  have  been  originally  given 
to  the  limit  of  the  early  grants  at 
Cochecho,  next  the  territory  occupied 
by  the  Indians.  (See  Indian  Corn- 
Ground.)  James  Paquamehood  of 
Tollend,  evidently  an  Indian,  is  men- 
tioned Oct.  20,  1665,  as  selling  sun- 
dry lands  and  ponds  to  James  Raw- 
ling  of  Long  Reach.  An  old  Dover 
grant,  which  the  writer  has  not  been 
able  to  find,  is  said  to  mention  ''  Mr. 
Towle  his  end."  No  Towles,  how- 
ever, are  on  the  early  rate-lists  of 
Dover,  but  "Jo"  Towle,  flSsherman," 
is  mentioned  in  the  York  records  Jan. 
18,  1652,  when  he  made  an  attesta- 
tion concerning  Geo.  Walton.  Na- 
thaniel Starbuck  and  Wm.  Horne 
had  a  grant  of  240  acres  between  Co- 
checho and  Tole  End,  Sept.  20,  1661. 
"  The  second  fall  of  the  River  of  Co- 
checha,  commonly  called  or  known 
by  the  name  of  tole  End  fall,'''  is 
mentioned  March  3,  1702.  Israel 
Hodgdon  of  Dover,  June  11,  1714, 
conveyed  to  John  Drew  and  Philip 
Yeaton  one  sixteenth  part  of  the  new 
mill  "on  y®  northside  of  Toall-End 
Falls,  with  y^  privilege  of  said  falls." 
(See  Cochecho  Falls. )  The  Barbadoes 
way  to  Tole  End  is  mentioned  Feb.  16, 
1711,  when  land  was  laid  out  to  John 
Horn.  (See  Indian  Corn  Ground.) 
'•'•  The  mast  road  that  goes  from  Tolend 
to  Rochester"  is  mentioned  Oct.  15, 
1748.  (See  Hants  Marsh.)  The 
name  of  Tolend  was  given  to  one  of 
the  Dover  school-districts  as  early  as 
1790.     It  is  still  retained. 


254 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Tom  Drew's  Oven.  Mentioned 
P^eb.  22,  1709-10,  when  John  Ger- 
rish  conveyed  to  Benedictus  Torr  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  west  side  of 
Back  river,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
mast  path,  extending  southwesterly 
near  a  place  called  Tom  Drew's 
Oven.  (See  Torres  Garrison.)  Major 
Waldrou's  400  acre  grant  on  the  west 
side  of  Back  river,  according  to  the 
boundary  of  May  19,  1688,  ran  from 
the  brow  of  the  hill  on  the  south  side 
of  the  mill-dam  of  Belleman's  bank 
S.  S.  W.  260  rods  to  a  pitch  pine 
tree  on  the  plains,  then  W.  320  rods 
to  a  dry  pine  "near  the  house  which 
Thomas  Drew,  Jr.,  hath  erected," 
bounding  said  land  on  the  north  to 
the  mill-dam.  Thomas  Drew's  laud 
was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Torr 
land,  but  there  is  no  tradition  in  that 
neighborhood  concerning  his  Oven. 

Tom-Hall  Brook.  This  brook 
rises  south  of  Beech  hill,  and  empties 
into  Huckins  brook  a  little  above  the 
head  of  Beard's  creek,  in  Durham. 
It  is  referred  to  Ap.  22,  1728,  when 
Joseph  Hall  of  Dover  conveyed  to 
John  Hall  all  right  and  title  to  20 
acres  of  land  granted  to  his  father 
Thomas  Hall  (grandson  of  Deacon 
John  Hall  of  Dover)  "at  ye  hrook 
above  y*  head  of  Jonathan  Wood- 
man's creek."  This  stream  is  still 
known  as  the  Toii^rHall  hrook.  The 
l)ridge  that  spans  it,  on  the  highway 
from  Durham  village  to  Madbury,  a 
little  above  the  Boston  &  Maine  Rail- 
road, is  called  the  Tom-Hall  bridge. 
And  this  part  of  the  highway,  laid 
out  in  1818,  is  often  called  in  the 
Durham  records  the  Tom-Hall  road., 
or  route,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
old  road  over  Brown's  hill. 

Tkask's  Corner.    This  corner  is  in 


the  western  part  of  the  Quamphegan 
district,  on  the  road  to  the  Rollins- 
ford  station,  where  a  family  of  that 
name  formerly  lived. 

Trickey's  Cove.  This  cove  is  men- 
tioned March  5,  1713,  when  John 
Downing  sold  Samuel  and  John 
Shackford  part  of  a  neck  of  land  on 
the  soutl4  side  of  Trickey's  cove,  and 
at  the  north-east  of  a  little  cove  be- 
tween said  neck  and  Steven's  point. 
The  bounds  of  this  tract,  which 
amounted  to  16  acres,  began  at  a 
birch  tree  near  Downing's  land  and 
ran  to  a  rock  in  or  beside  a  little 
brook  above  said  Trickey's  dwelling- 
house,  then  extended  E.  along  by  the 
land  of  Zaehariah  Trickey,  Senior; 
N.  to  a  pine  stump  in  a  little  gully 
near  y^  point,  and  W.  to  the  lands  of 
Rebecca  Trickey  and  the  parsonage. 
This  neck  is  now  called  Zackey's 
Pom^,  otherwise  Orchard  Point.  The 
"gully"  above  mentioned  is  now 
called  Coleman's  Creek. 

Trickey's  cove  is  on  the  Newing- 
ton  shore,  between  Knight's  Ferry 
and  Trickey's  Point,  otherwise  Zack- 
ey's.  It  received  its  name  from 
Thomas  Trickey  whose  name  is  on 
the  Dover  rate-list  of  1648.  He  died 
before  June  16,  1680,  on  which  day 
his  widow  Elizabeth,  "  out  of  natural 
affection,  and  parental  love,  and  re- 
spect to  her  beloved  son  Zaehariah," 
resigned  to  him  all  right,  title,  and 
interest  in  her  plantation,  and  to  the 
ferry  belonging  to  said  plantation. 
This  was  Trickey's  ferry,  afterwards 
Knight's.  And  May  19,  1682,  his 
three  daughters,  Deborah,  Lydia,  and 
Sarah,  with  the  consent  of  their  hus- 
bands, William  Shackford,  Richard 
Webber,  and  Joshua  Crocket,  con- 
veyed   to    their    brother,    Zaehariah 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?'. 


255 


Tiickey,  all  right  and  title  to  their 
father's  plantation,  on  which  he  lived 
before  his  decease. 

Trickey's  Point.  This  point  is 
on  the  Newington  shore,  at  the  upper 
side  of  Trickey's  Cove.  It  is  men- 
tioned Ap.  7,  1713,  when  Zachary 
Trickey  sold  to  Samuel  and  John 
Shackford  3i  acres  of  land  at  a  point 
commonly  called  Trickey's  pointy 
between  Bloody  Ft.  and  Steplien's 
Pt.,  together  with  his  dwelling-house, 
etc.  The  cellar  of  this  house  can 
still  be  traced.  This  point  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Valentine  M.  Coleman, 
who  inherited  it  from  his  father.  It 
is  otherwise  called  Zackey's  Point 
and  Orchard  Point.  (See  Zackey's 
Point.) 

Trout  Brook.  This  name  is  now 
sometimes  given  to  a  brook  in  New- 
ington that  take  its  rise  at  a  spring 
near  Sara  Roe's  Hill  and  empties  into 
Laighton's  cove.  It  was  in  early 
times  called  Harwood's  creek.,  Stony 
brook.,  etc.      (See  Herod's  Creek.) 

Trumbelow  Swamp,  otherwise 
Thombelow.  This  swamp  was  appar- 
ently at  the  east  end  of  Cochecho  Log 
swamp,  not  far  from  Plum  Pudding 
hill.  It  is  mentioned  Jan.'l,  1668, 
when  Peter  Coffin  conveyed  to  John 
Church  one  fourth  of  75  acres, 
bounded  E.  by  Thomas  Downs,  and 
W.  by  a  swamp  called  Thombelow. 
James  Coffin's  laud  lay  east  of  this 
"  fourth,"  and  Nathaniel  Stevens's 
at  the  west.  Peter  Coffin  "  of 
Cochecha  in  the  township  of  Dover, 
in  y^  county  of  Dover  and  Ports- 
mouth," conveyed  to  Nathaniel 
Stevens,  Ap.  1,  1673,  "  a  quarter 
part  of  a  tract  of  land  near  Cochecha, 
bounded  on  y^  north  by  the  highway 
y'  goeth  from  Miichadoe  to  plumjpud- 


ding  hill.,  and  on  y*  east  by  land  now 
in  possession  of  Thomas  Downs,  and 
so  upon  a  straight  line  from  y^  rock 
126  perches  towards  y*'  swamp  called 
Trumbelow."  This  land  is  otherwise 
stated  to  be  bounded  east  by  the  land 
of  John  Church.  Nathaniel  Stevens 
of  Stratham  (son  of  the  above 
Nathaniel),  and  others  of  the  family 
in  Exeter,  conveyed  to  David  Wat- 
!  son,  March  21,  1716-17,  two  tracts 
of  land  in  Dover — one  between  the 
land  of  James  Coffin  and  that  of 
Tristram  Coffin,  deceased  (see  Plum 
Pudding  Hill)  ;  the  other-between  the 
lands  of  John  Church  and  Mark  Giles. 
A  part  of  this  land  was  conveyed  by 
David  Watson  to  Ebenezer  Varney, 
March  30,  1724,  80  ft.  long  and  40 
ft.  broad,  "  beginning  near  an  apple 
tree  standing  where  old  Thomas 
Downs  formerly  had  a  house,"  thence 
running  80  ft.  "  by  y^  road  y'  leads 
from  Tolend."  (See  Quaker  Meeting- 
Houses) . 

The  Giles  land,  above  referred  to, 
is  mentioned  Ap.  1,  1673,  when 
"  Peter  Coffin  of  Cochecha  in  y*  town- 
ship of  Dover,  in  y^  countie  of  Dover 
&  Portsm".,"  conveyed  to  Mark  Giles 
six  acres  of  land  "  neere  Cochecha, 
where  y^  now  dwelling  house  of  y"  s'' 
Mark  Giles  uow.standeth,  being  coi5^ 
only  called  or  known  by  y**  name  of  ' 
plnmpudding  hill,  being  bounded 
on  y®  north  by  y^  Great  Mast  way 
going  to  y^  swamp,  (see  Mast  Paths) 
and  on  y^  east  by  y*  land  of  s*^  peter 
Coffin  fortie  five  pearch,  and  on  y' 
south  by  y*  land  of  y*  s**  peter  Coffin 
fortie  three  pearch,  the  w'^  six  acres 
of  land  being  Moity  &  p*^  of  a  tract 
of  land  which  was  granted  &  Laid 
out  to  me  y*^  s*^  peter  Coffin  by  a 
Town  Grant,   for    and    in    consider- 


256 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


acion  of  what  charge  I  have  been  out 


unto  John  church  concerning  the 
child  of  Naomi  Hull,  as  by  the 
record  bearing  date  y*  fifth  of  March 
in  y*  yeare  1667," 

The  pathetic  story  of  Naomi  Hull 
and  her  child  is  akin  to  that  of  Haw- 
thorne's "Scarlet  Letter."^  She  is 
said  to  have  been  the  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Hull,  minister  at  Oyster 
River  in  1662,  and  afterwards  at  the 
Shoals,  where  he  died  in  1665.  A 
year  or  more  later,  Naomi,  perhaps 
with  the  hope  of  concealing  her  mis- 
fortune, seems  to  have  taken  refuge 
with  one  of  her  father's  old  flock  at 
Oyster  River.  But  it  had  been  or- 
dered in  1666  that  no  person  should 
admit  or  entertain  any  inmate,  or 
sojourner,  or  servant,  in  his  house 
without  giving  notice  to  the  select- 
men within  thirty  days,  under  penal- 
ty of  nineteen  shillings.  Accordingly, 
at  a  public  town  meeting  of  the  14th, 
7  mo.,  1668,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
selectmen  that  forthwith  the  consta- 
ble (John  Dam)  should  take  of  Will- 
iam Williams,  Senior,  by  way  of 
distress,  the  sum  of  nineteen  shillings 
for  a  fine,  for  a  breach  of  the  town 
order  for  entertaining  Naomie  Hull. 
Overwhelmed  by  the  cruel  laws  of 
that  time,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
Naomi  did  not  long  survive  the  birth 


of  her  daughter.  The  town,  how- 
ever, was  merciful  enough  to  provide 
for  tiie  child.  Besides  the  above 
mentioned  grant  to  Peter  Coffin,  it 
voted,  Oct.  3,  1667,  to  give  John 
Church  60  acres  of  land,  confirmed 
March  5,  1667-8,  with  the  promise 
to  make  it  70  acres,  if  he  would  take 
"  Nearay's  child,"  and  keep  her  hence- 
forward until  she  be  20  years  old. 
John  Church  is  said  to  have  lived 
where  the  old  jail  on  Silver  St.  was. 
He  was  killed  by  the  Indians  May  7, 
1696.  What  became  of  "  Neamy's 
child  "  does  not  appear. 

Trunnel  Country.  Mentioned 
June  23,  1701,  when  Maturin  Ricker 
had  a  grant  of  30  acres  "  up  in  the 
Trunnill  Contrey."  It  was  laid  out 
to  his  son  Joseph  Dec.  4,  1721,  "at 
a  place  called  the  Trunnill  countrey — 
on  the  east  side  of  a  way  that  leads 
from  Quaraphegan  to  goldins  bridge." 
Joseph  Ricker  of  Berwick,  May  10, 
1754,  conveyed  to  Meturin  Ricker  of 
"■  Summersworth,"  30  acres  of  land 
laid  out  to  said  Joseph  Dec.  4,  1721, 
"  which  land  lyeth  at  a  place  called 
y*  Trurmal  country,"  beginning  at  a 
white  oak  on  the  east  side  of  the  way 
that  leads  from  Quamphegan  to  Gold- 
ing's  bridge.  The  Trunnel  country 
seems  to  have  been  the  marshy  region 
in   the  western   part  of  old   Soniers- 


lA  law  similar  to  that  in  Massachusetts  for  such  infractions  of  the  moral  code,  was  promul- 
gated in  New  Hampshire  after  its  separation  from  that  colony,  and  was  still  unrepealed  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolution.  An  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in 
the  June  session,  1701,  that  the  persons  convicted  of  such  an  offence  "shall  be  set  upon  the  gallows 
by  the  space  of  an  hour,  with  a  rope  about  their  necks,  and  the  other  end  cast  over  the  gal- 
lows; and  in  the  way  from  thence  to  the  common  goal  shall  be  severely  whipped,  not  exceed- 
ing forty  stripes  each.  Also  every  person  and  persons,  so  offending,  shall  forever  after  wear 
a  capital  letter  A  of  two  inches  long,  and  proportionable  in  bigness,  cut  out  in  cloth  of  a  con- 
trary colour  to  their  cloaths,  and  sewed  upon  their  upper  garments  on  the  outside  of  their  arm, 
or  on  their  back,  in  open  view.  And  if  any  person  or  persons,  having  been  convicted  and  sen- 
tenced for  such  offence,  shall  at  any  time  be  found  without  their  letter  so  worn  during  their 
abode  in  this  province,  they  shall,  by  warrant  from  a  Justice  of  the  peace,  be  forthwith  appre- 
hended, and  ordered  to  be  publickly  whipped  not  exceeding  fifteen  stripes,  and  so  from  time 
to  time  toties  quoties."    (From  Acts  and  Laws  of  N.  H.,  printed  in  Portsmouth  in  1771.) 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


257 


worth,   but  the   name   has   not   been 
perpetuated. 

Tufts'  Boundary.  When  the  line 
between  Durham  and  Lee  was  per- 
ambulated March  21,  1798,  one  of 
the  bounds  was  "  a  rock  marked 
D.  L.  in  Thomas  Turf's  pasture, 
about  six  rods  north  easterly  from 
the  hook  road,  said  rock  being  a  little 
east  of  the  line."  {Durhaitn  Records) . 
The  Tufts  family  of  tiiis  vicinity  has 
acquired  an  unenviable  notoriety  from 
the  exploits  of  Henry  Tufts  (or 
"Turf,"  as  the  name  was  generally 
called  in  his  day),  which  have  made 
him  proverbially  infamous  throughout 
New  Hampshire.  Within  the  writer's 
recollection  it  was  common,  by  way 
of  expressing  superlative  wickedness, 
to  say  "as  big  a  liar  (or  thief,  etc., 
etc.,  as  the  case  might  be)  as  old 
Hen  Turf."  The  bucolic  imagination 
of  this  region  could  take  no  farther 
flight  in  the  line  of  total  depravity. 
The  utility  of  perpetuating  the  mem- 
ory of  so  shameless  a  man  may  be 
doubted,  but  fresh  interest  in  his 
career  within  a  few  years  has  been 
excited  in  this  section  by  Col.  T.  W. 
Higginson's  "New  England  Vaga- 
bond," in  Harper's  Magazine  of 
March,  1888.  He  considers  Henry 
Tufts'  autobiography  to  be  of  some 
historic  and  philological  value,  but 
others  sav  it  contains  nothing  of  the 
kind  which  may  not  be  found  in  less 
pernicious  books.  This  work  is  said 
to  have  been  written  by  a  clever 
young  lawyer  of  Dover,  for  Henry 
Tufts  himself — in  spite  of  what  Col. 
Higginsou  calls  the  "Brahmin  blood," 
derived  from  his  grandfather,  the 
Harvard  divine — was  too  illiterate  to 
write  his  own  name  correctly.  Some 
say,    however,    it  was   composed   by 


Col.  Thomas  Tash,  who  in  Tufts' 
early  life  did  not  live  far  distant. 
But  that  brave  Revolutionary  officer 
was  far  better  qualified  to  handle  the 
sword  than  the  pen.  The  details  of 
this  work  have  never  been  supposed 
strictly  true,  but  they  undoubtedly 
present  a  faithful  likeness  of  this  de- 
praved man.  The  waggery  attending 
some  of  his  most  audacious  perform- 
ances unfortunately  gave  a  debasing 
popularity  among  the  vulgar,  not 
only  to  the  book  itself,  but  to  count- 
less other  tales  which  are  still  in  cir- 
culation in  this  part  of  the  state. 
But  some  people  have  a  taste  for 
nastiness,  as  the  Zulus  have  for 
Ubomi — that  is,  for  carrion  with 
worms  in  it,  a  Ubominahle  mess  in- 
deed, as  Henry  Tufts'  narrative  is 
said  to  be. 

The  cellar  of  the  house  where  Henry 
Tufts  once  lived  is  still  to  be  traced, 
not  far  from  the  above  mentioned 
bound,  on  land  now  owned  by  Mr. 
James  McDauiel,  only  a  few  rods 
southerly  from  Mr.  Bert  Thompson's 
house,  on  the  same  side  of  the  road. 
The  name  of  "  Hanary  Tufts "  is 
signed  to  a  petition  for  the  separa- 
tion of  Lee  from  Durham,  Nov.  18, 
1765.  {N.  H.  Town  Pap.,  XI:  587.) 
"Henry  Tufts"  is  mentioned  as  a 
private  soldier  on  Seavey's  Island  in 
Portsmouth  harbor,  Nov.  5,  1775,  in 
Capt.  Smith  Emerson's  Company ; 
Elijah  Denbow,  first  lieutenant. 
{Prov  Pap.,  14:  233.) 

Turning  Point.  Mentioned  the 
30th,  10  mo.,  1643,  when  Wm.  Fur- 
ber  had  a  grant  of  six  acres  of  Marsh 
"  upon  y^  Great  Bay,  upon  y"  south- 
west side  going  to  Capt.  Champer- 
noone's,  y'^  next  marsh  to  Txcrney 
Point."     {Dover  Mecords.)     Fifteen 


258 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


acres  were  laid  out  to  Capt.  James 
Peudletou  at  Greenland^  Jan.,  1667, 
one  side  joining  to  Dover  bounds, 
next  the  land  of  Wm.  Furber.  Leon- 
ard Weeks  of  Greenland,  planter, 
conveyed  to  bis  well- beloved  son 
Joshua,  Ap.  23,  1706,  thirty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  a  place  called  Turn- 
ing Poynte,  with  six  acres  of  marsh 
adjoining,  on  the  west  side  of  Wm. 
Furber's.  Wm.  Furber,  Sr.,  of  Do- 
ver, out  of  paternal  love  and  affec- 
tion to  his  well-beloved  son  Moses 
Furber  of  Portsmouth,  conveyed  to 
him,  Dec.  1,  1696,  six  acres  of  marsh 
on  the  "S.  W.  side  of  y*^  great  bay  in 
Piscataqua  river,  within  ?/«  toimiship 
of  Dover,'"  bounded  north  by  a  marsh 
in  the  tenure  of  AVm.  Shackford,  and 
on  the  south  by  "the  creek  which  goes 
up  to  the  land  where  Luke  Maloone 
now  dwelleth."  Also  30  acres  of 
upland  adjoining  said  marsh,  and  of 
the  same  breadth,  running  up  into 
the  woods  till  30  acres  be  completed. 
After  the  death  of  Moses  Furber, 
Thomas  Phipps,  the  high  sheriff  of 
N.  H.,  levied  a  portion  of  his  estate 
for  debt,  and  sold  to  Joshua  Weeks, 
Aug.  17,  1711,  six  acres  of  his  marsh 
on  the  S.  side  of  Great  Bay,  tvithin 
the  toionship  of  Dover,  bounded  on 
the  north  by  a  marsh  in  the  tenure 
of  said  Joshua  Weeks,  and  on  the 
south  by  "  the  creek  that  goes  up  to 
the  land  where  Luke  Maloon  for- 
merly dwelt  and  now  dwelleth  :  also 
30  acres  of  upland  adjoining  said 
marsh  on  the  west  side,  beginning 
at  the  marsh  of  said  Joshua  Weeks, 
formerly  Shackford's,  and  running 
oO  rods  S.  W.  to  a  red  oak  on  the  S. 
side  of  the  creek  at  the  head  of  the 
marsh,  then  S.  W.  and  S.  11  rods  to 
a  rock  by  the  creek  or  freshet  on  the 


south  side.  The  name  of  Turning 
Pt.  has  not  been  perpetuated,  but  it 
was  evidently  on  the  shore  of  the 
Weeks  lands  in  Greenland. 

Another  Turning  Point,  between 
Broad  Cove  and  Dumpling  Cove,  is 
mentioned  in  1659  (see  Dumpling 
Cove)  and  again  Feb.  27,  1718-19, 
when  Eleazar  Coleman  mortgaged 
200  acres  of  land  whereon  he  then 
dwelt,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  in  Broad  Cove  and  extending 
to  a  marked  tree  at  John  Trickey's, 
where  he  lived,  thence  to  a  rock  a 
little  helow  turning  poynt,  and  so  up 
the  bay  to  Dumpling  Cove.  This 
point  seems  to  have  been  just  above 
Fox  Pt.,  and  perhaps  marked  the 
turning  of  the  tide. 

TuRNPiKE-RoAD.  The  First  New 
Hampshire  Turnpike-Road  properly 
belongs  to  this  list,  as  one  of  its  ter- 
mini was  in  Durham,  at  Pascataqua 
bridge.  It  was  the  first  turnpike- 
road  incorporated  in  this  state.  The 
act  was  passed  June  16,  1796.  Na- 
thaniel A.  Haven  of  Portsmouth  is- 
sued proposals  for  its  construction 
Oct.  3,  1800,  and  the  work  proceeded 
rapidly  from  that  time.  This  road 
IS  thirty  six  miles  long,  and  extends 
through  Durham,  Lee,  the  Two 
Mile  Streak,  Nottingham,  North- 
wood,  Epsom,  and  Chichester,  to  the 
Concord  upper  bridge  over  the  Merri- 
mack.    It  cost  about  $900,  a  mile. 

The  directors  of  the  First  N.  H. 
Turnpike-Road  gave  notice  in  the 
Portsmoutii  Oracle  and  Advertiser 
of  March  19,  1803,  that  they  had  ex- 
pended on  said  road  tiie  sums  re- 
quired by  law,  and  would  set  up  the 
gates  and  begin  to  take  toll  on  said  ^ 
road  the  first  day  of  April  following. 
The  toll-gate    at    Pascataqua    bridge 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


259 


did  not,  of  course,  belong  to  the  turn- 
pi  ke-road.  Tiie  first  one  was  just 
above  the  bridge  across  Jolinson's 
creek.  Tlie  second  was  a  little  below 
Durham  corner.  The  town  of  Dur- 
ham, unwilling  to  endure  such  an  ob- 
struction to  travel,  took  measures  to 
remove  these  two  gates  in  1817. 
The  third  gate  was  at  the  Mast-road 
crossing,  opposite  the  present  school- 
house.  It  is  spoken  of  March  29, 
1827,  as  "  Toll-gate  No.  2,"  proba- 
bly meaning  the  second  from  that  at 
Pascataqua  bridge.  There  was  no 
other  within  the  limits  of  Durham.  The 
only  toll-gate  in  Lee  was  at  the  bridge 
across  Oyster  river,  in  Newtown. 

Turtle  Pond.  This  pond  is  in 
Lee,  not  far  behind  the  mansion  of 
Mr.  ,  Charles  Thompson,  between 
Oyster  river  and  Wheelwright's  pond. 
A  record  of  1735  speaks  of  it  as  near 
the  highway  that  leads  from  y^  Mast 
road  to  Newtown  mill.  According 
to  a  local  tradition  the  battle  of 
Wheelwright's  pond  began  at  Turtle 
pond.  It  is  often  mentioned  in  the 
early  grants  and  deeds.  Ensign  John 
Davis  of  Oyster  River,  in  his  will  of 
May  25,  1686,  makes  the  following 
bequest:  "I  do  give  to  my  son 
John  Davis  the  six  score  acres  of 
land  I  had  by  a  town  grant,  situate 
and  lying  and  being  at  Turtle  Pond 
in  Oyster  River."  This  John  Davis, 
Jr.,  was  killed  by  the  Indians  July 
18,  1694,  together  with  his  wife  and 
several  children.  His  house  was 
also  burnt,  and  two  daughters  were 
carried  into  captivity.  One  of  these, 
accordinsc  to  a  constant  tradition  in 


Durham,  became  a  nun  in  Canada 
and  never  returned.  The  other  must 
have  been  the  Sarah  who  inherited 
her  father's  land  at  Turtle  pond,  and 
also  his  homestead  on  the  south  side 
of  Oyster  river,  between  the  Burnhara 
lands  and  Durham  falls,  now  owned 
in  part  by  Mr.  Ffrost.  Oct.  16,  1702, 
Jeremiah  Burnhara  was  appointed 
administrator  of  the  estate  of  John 
Davis,  late  of  Oyster  River,  and  guar- 
dian of  his  daughter  vSarah  Davis. 

Sarah  Davis  became  the  wife  of 
Peter  Mason,  and  seems  to  have  re- 
sided at  her  own  homestead.  Feb. 
18,  1726-7,  Peter  Mason  sold  James 
Stevens,  inn-keeper,  thirtv  acres  of 
land  granted  by  the  town  of  Dover, 
April  11,  1694,  to  John  Davis,  who, 
he  says  in  the  deed,  was  "  y^  father 
of  my  wife  Sarah  Mason,  formerly 
Sarah  Davis."  Her  mother  appears 
to  have  been  the  sister  of  Jeremiah 
Burnham,  her  guardian.  Peter  and 
Sarah  Mason,  July  1,  1728,  resigned  in 
favor  of  Joseph  Smith,  all  right,  title, 
and  interest  in  the  estate  of  their 
grandfather  Robert  Burnhara,  espe- 
cially the  hundred  acre  grant  from 
the  town  of  Dover  not  yet  laid  out. 
The  "  six  score  acres  "  at  Turtle 
Pond  which  her  father  inherited  is 
spoken  of  March  24,  1719-20,  as 
laid  out  to  Ensign  John  Davis 
"  above  forty  yeares  agoe."  On  that 
day  one  half  of  said  tract  (60  acres) 
was  laid  out  to  Peter  Mason.  This 
was  afterwards  conveyed  by  Peter 
and  Sarah  Mason,  Ap.  29,  1736,  to 
their  loving  son-in-law,  William 
Randall^  and  his  wife  Hannah,  their 


1  Wiliam  RandaU  was  the  brother  of  Capt.  Nathaniel  Randall  of  Randall's  Garrison.  He  is 
mentioned  Jan.  21,  1712-13,  when  Richard  Tozer,  Jr.,  out  of  "  natural  love  and  affection,"  gave 
each  of  his  nephews,  Richard  andjWilliam  Randall,  five  acres  of  land  in  Kittery;  and  that  same 
day  their  father  gave  each  of  them  thirty  acres  more  of  a  neighboring  tract.  This  was  the 
Ri -hard  Tozer  who  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Elder  William  Wentworth,  noted  for  her 
heroism  in  the  various  Indian  attacks  at  Salmon  Falls.  She  was  thrice  taken  captive  and  car- 
ried to  Canada. 


26o 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


daughter.  This  land  lay  on  the  south 
side  of  Turtle  Pond.  The  other  half 
of  the  six  score  acres  was  conveyed 
by  Peter  Mason  to  John  Sias,  to 
whom  it  was  laid  out,  March  24, 
1719-20,  on  both  sides  of  Turtle 
pond,  beginning  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Mast  path,  at  a  pitch  pine, 
"  a  littel  above  Naptheli  Kinck- 
et's."  This  was  Napthali  Kincaid, 
son  of  David,  who  then  lived  at 
Camsoe. 

Sarah  Mason  was  a  widow  April  6, 
1747,  when  she  conveyed  to  Benja- 
min Bickford  all  her  right  to  thirty 
acres  on  the  west  side  of  the  way  to 
Little  river.  She  seems  to  have  in- 
herited the  Davis  longevity,  for  she 
was  still  alive  Sept.  26,  1771,  when 
she  sold  John  ^afterwards  General^ 
Sullivan  thirty  acres  of  her  home- 
stead on  the  south  side  of  the  higli- 
way  from  the  parsonage  house  to 
Durham  Point. 

TuTThE's  Marsh.  This  marsh 
formed  part  of  a  grant  to  John  Tuttle 
on  the  east  side  of  Fresh  creek,  after- 
wards sold  by  his  grandson  Thomas 
Tuttle  to  Thomas  Wallingford  and 
others.  A  plan  of  Tuttle's  marsh  in 
1767,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Exeter 
registry,  Vol.  94  :  p.  7. 

Twombley's  Brook.  This  is  a 
popular  trout  stream  in  RoUinsford 
that  winds  down  from  the  hills  of 
Somersworth  and  empties  into  the 
east  side  of  Fresh  Creek  brook,  now 
Rollins  brook.  A  dam  was  built  and 
a  mill  erected  on  Twombley's  brook 
last  century,  below  the  mouth  of 
Warren's  brook,  which  it  receives  a 
little  below  the  Boston  and  Maine 
R.  R.  The  upper  part  of  Twom- 
bley's brook — that  is,  the  part  above 


the  road  from  Salmon  Falls  to 
Dover — is  called  Clement''s  brook. 
Joseph  Twombley  conveyed  to  his 
brother  Benjamin,  May  28,  1725, 
three  score  acres  of  upland  and 
swamp  in  Dover — half  of  a  grant  of 
six  score  acres  to  Ralph  Twombley, 
beginning  at  a  white  ash  on  y''  land 
of  Mr.  Clement,  thence  running 
S.  S.  E.  128  rods  to  y"-  road  at 
Otis's  bridge,  to  a  tree  on  y*  west 
side  of  y"  road  y'  leads  from  Co- 
checho  to  Salmon  Falls.  The  other 
half  was  bought  by  Gershom  Went- 
worth. 

Another  Twombley  Brook  rises 
southeast  of  Garrison  Hill,  flows 
through  Benj"  Wentworth's  land, 
then  across  the  Portland  turnpike 
road  westward  of  his  house,  through 
the  Guppy  land  and  Roimd  Sivamp, 
crosses  the  road  from  the  Gulf  to 
Eliot  bridge,  runs  through  Mr. 
Henry  McDuffee's  land,  and  finally 
empties  into  the  Cochecho.  (See 
Bound  Swamj).) 

Two-Mile  Road,  and  Two-Mile 
Streak.  The  Two-Mile  road,  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records  of  last 
century,  is  an  old  thoroughfare  in  Lee 
that  extends  to  and  across  the  The 
Two-Mile  Streak.  This  streak  was  a 
slip  of  land  two  miles  wide  at  the  head 
of  ancient  Dover,  granted  in  1719,  and 
confirmed  in  1722,  to  the  proprietors 
of  tlie  iron  works  at  Lamprey  river 
"  for  their  encouragement,"  and  to 
supply  them  with  fuel.  Though 
really  a  part  of  Barrington,  it  is 
marked  out  on  Holland's  map  of  1784 
as  a  separate  territory.  About  1,000 
acres  in  the  western  part  of  the  Two- 
Mile  Streak,  adjoining  Nottingham 
and  the  head  line  of  Dover,  were  laid 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


261 


out  in  small  lots  of  fifty  acres  and 
iipvvards,  15  of  which  were  granted 
as  early  as  Oct.  23,  1729.  Among 
them,  two  lots,  of  50  and  120  acres, 
were  srauted  to  Wm.  McDonald,  and 
another  of  75  acres  to  Robert  Mc- 
Donald. This  land  is  still  owned  by 
their  descendants,  whose  ancient 
Scotch  name  has  been  corrupted  to 
McDaniel.  Two  other  lots  of  50 
and  75  acres,  granted  to  John  Ellis, 
are  still  owned  wholly  or  in  part,  by 
his  descendants,  who  write  their 
name  Ellison.  In  1747  there  were 
sixteen  families  and  two  garrisons  on 
this  Streak.  The  greater  part  of  it 
seems  to  have  been  monopolized  by 
the  leading  men  of  Portsmouth. 
George  Jaffrey  owned  at  least  900 
acres.  March  10,  1748,  John  Hayes 
conveyed  to  his  son  Robert  50  acres 
in  the  two  mile  streaky  in  the  town- 
ship of  Harrington,  being  part  of  the 
900  acres  which  said  John  Hayes  and 
Joseph  Chesley  purchased  of •  George 
Jaffrey,  Esq.,  and  the  7th  lot  in  said 
900  acres  according  to  Capt.  Evans' 
division.  The  Durham  records  of 
April  14,  1757,  speak  of  land  in  the 
"  Two-Mile  Streke"  adjoining  the 
head  line  of  Durham,  owned  by  Theo- 
dore Atkinson,  Mark  Hunking  Weut- 
worth,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Osburne. 
Jeremiah  Mason  of  Portsmouth 
advertised,  March  22,  1803,  lot  No.  2, 
in  the  Two-Mile  Streak  in  Barrino;ton, 
•containing  1,000  acres.  The  Rev. 
John  Adams  of  Durham,  in  his  church 
records  of  the  middle  of  last  century, 
speaks  more  than  once  of  administer- 
ing baptism  at  "y«  Two-Mile  ;"  among 
others,  to  several  of  the  McDaniels 
family.  The  First  N.  H.  Turnpike 
Road  is  spoken  of  in  1800  as  laid  out 
across  the  Two-Mile  Streak. 


Uncle  Siah's  Creek  or  Cove. 
This  name  is  familiarly  given  to  the 
Downing  Cove,  on  the  Newiugtou 
shore,  just  above  Patterson's  Lane, 
from  Josiah  Downing  who  once  owned 
the  adjacent  land.  This  cove  was 
the  upper  boundary  of  the  Rollins 
land  in  1696.  Above  it.  Job  Clement 
of  Dover  had  a  grant  of  110  acres 
the  28th,  11  mo.,  1656,  ordered  to  be 
laid  out  adjoining  James  Rawlins' 
hundred  acres,  and  next  Michael 
Brawn's  lot  at  the  northwest.  Job 
Clement,  November  25,  1689,  con- 
veyed to  Joseph  Hill,  "living  in  the 
province  of  Maine,"  100  acres  on 
Bloody  Point  side,  formerly  granted 
his  father.  Job  Clement,  deceased, 
70  poles  by  y*"  water  side.  Joseph 
Hill  of  Kittery,  Jan.,  1699,  conveyed 
to  John  Downing  140  acres  of  land, 
110  of  which  he  bought  of  Job  Clem- 
ent of  Dover,  70  poles  on  the  river, 
and  joining  Michael  Brawn's  lot  on 
the  N.  W.  side.  Of  the  other  30 
acres,  20  were  granted  to  said  Hill 
by  the  town  of  Dover,  Ap.  2,  1694, 
at  the  head  of  Job  Clement's  land, 
and  10  acres  he  bought  of  George 
Braun  Jan.  8,  1699,  between  the 
Clement  land  and  that  of  Richard 
Carter,  30  poles  by  the  river.  When 
the  dividing  line  was  run  Jan.  7, 
1695-6,  between  Joseph  Hill's  land 
and  that  of  the  Rawlins  family,  it  be- 
gan at  a  beech  tree  near  v*  waterside 
in  ye  cove,  between  the  houses  of  said 
Hill  and  Rawlins,  and  tlience  ran  S. 
"W.  by  W.  240  rods  to  a  hemlock  tree. 
This  cove,  like  most  of  the  others  on 
this  shore,  is  now  blocked  up  and  to- 
tally disfigured  by  the  embankments 
of  the  Portsmouth  and  Dover  railway. 

Unitarian  Pond.  This  little  pond 
was  formed  by  enlarging  the  bed  of 


262 


JLandmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Coggswell's  springs  behind  the  Uni- 
tarian place  of  worship  in  Dover, 
from  which  it  derives  its  name. 
These  springs  were  so  called  from 
Col.  Thomas  Coggswell,  a  Revolu- 
tionary veteran,  who  formerly  owned 
this  land.  They  fed  the  brook  that 
once  ran  along  AVashington  street, 
sometimes  called  Coffin's  brook. 

Upper  Factory  Falls.  (See  Co- 
checho  Falls.) 

Varney's  Corner.  Mentioned 
March  17,  1710-11,  as  "against  Tris- 
tram Heard's  house,"  in  Dover.  It 
was  so  called  from  Ebenezer  Varney, 
who  owned  land  at  Garrison  Hill, 
where  the  road  turns  in  the  direction 
of  Rollinsford. 

Varney's  Creek.  This  name  is 
given  to  Little  John's  creek  on 
Whitehouse's  map  of  Dover,  from  a 
family  long  established  in  this  vicin- 
ity. Thirty  acres,  originally  granted 
to  Joseph  Austin  in  1G56,  were  laid 
out  to  "  humfrie  Varnie  "  March  11, 
1666,  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  Little 
John's  creek,  bounded  S.  W.  by  Back 
river,  and  N.  N.  W.  by  the  common. 
It  is  also  called  CromtveU's  creek, 
from  Joshua  Cromwell,  whose  seven 
children,  Ap.  3,  1752,  conveyed  his 
homestead  estate  of  15  acres  on  Back 
river  to  Moses  Varney,  bounded 
north  b}'  the  lands  of  Abraham  Nute, 
John  Pearl,  and  Nicholas  Harford, 
easterly  by  the  highway,  and  south- 
erly by  the  land  of  Thomas  White- 
house,  deceased.  (See  CromtveU's 
Creek  and  Pearl's  Ferry.) 

Varney's  Hill.  This  name  was 
given  to  Garrison  Hill  for  more  than 
a  hundred  years,  from  Ebenezer  Var- 
ney, who  acquired  land  here  in  1696. 
In  a  petition  from  Paul  Wentworth 
and  others,  to  enlarge  the  bounds  of 


Somersworth.  May  19,  1743,  it  is 
called  Varney's  Great  Hill.  It  is 
called  "  Varney's  Hill"  on  Philip 
Carrigan's  map  of  N.  H.,  in  1816, 
and  on  Whitehouse's  map  of  Dover 
in  1834.      (See  Garrison  Hill.) 

Vincent's  Windmill.  See  Mount 
Hungry. 

Vineyard.  Mentioned  in  1653,  in 
a  grant  to  Wm.  Follet  and  James 
Bunker.  (See  Jonas'  Creek.)  And 
again  March  28,  1707,  when  Nicholas 
Follet  of  Portsmouth  conveyed  to 
James  Bunker  one  half  of  ten  acres- 
called  ye  Vineyard  at  the  head  of 
Johnson's  creek,  granted  Wm.  Follet 
and  James  Bunker  (SeniorJ  in  1653. 

Wadleigh's  Falls.  These  were 
the  uppermost  falls  in  Lamprey  river 
within  the  limits  of  ancient  Dover. 
They  were  originally  granted  by  the 
authorities  of  Massachusetts  Bay  ta 
Samuel  Symonds  of  Ipswich,  togetiier 
with  640  acres  of  land,  which  he  took 
possession  of  June  3,  1657,  in  the 
presence  and  with  the  consent  of  Mo- 
harimet,  the  Indian  sagamore  of  this 
region.  Robert  Wadleigh  acquired 
possession  of  these  falls  and  had  a 
saw-mill  here  as  early  as  April  21, 
1668,  and  in  1669  his  right  was  con- 
firmed by  a  grant  from  the  town  of 
Dover  of  the  '*  uppermost  falls  in 
Lampereel  river,  commonly  called  y^ 
Ileland  falls."  They  are  called 
"  the  upper  falls  in  Lamprey  river" 
in  a  survey  of  the  Dover  bounds  in 
1701.  Ezekiel  Gilman  of  Exeter 
conveyed  to  Samuel  Doe,  Nov.  9, 
1730,  one  sixteenth  part  of  a  640 
acre  grant  in  Dover,  at  a  place  com- 
monly called  Wadley's  Falls,  upon 
Laraperell  river,  lying  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  formerly  granted  by  the 
General  Court  of  Boston  to  Samuel 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


26' 


Siraonds  of  Ipswich,  deceased,  which 
sixteenth  part  said  Gilmau  had  by 
deed  from  Robert  Wadle}'  Sept.  1, 
1730.  Also  one  sixteenth  part  of 
the  saw-mill  and  dam  upon  Lamper- 
ell  river  at  Wadlei/'s  falls,  with  all 
privileges.  Bartholomew  Thing  con- 
veyed to  Joshua  Brackett  of  Strat- 
ham,  March  7,  1733-34,  59  acres  of 
land  at  "  a  place  called  Wadli/'sffalls, 
otlierwise  Syviond's  grant.'" 

Symond's  grant  and  Wadley^s  grant 
are  repeatedly  mentioned  in  the  old 
records.  Walter  Bryant  of  Newmar- 
ket conveyed  to  Samuel  Watson  of 
Durham,  June  22,  1751,  fifty-four 
acres  "  in  that  tract  commonly  called 
SymoiuVs  grant,  being  a  grant  of  one 
mile  square  ;  which  54  acres  begin  at 
a  stump  a  little  above  y^  north  end 
of  y^  mill  dam,  by  y*"  side  of  Lani- 
perel  river,  then  run  south  by  said 
river,"  etc.  And  that  same  day  Jer- 
emiah Folsom  of  Newmarket  con- 
veyed to  Samuel  Watson  12  acres 
"■  in  that  grant  of  land  commonlv 
called  Symond  his  grant,"  adjoining 
the  land  said  Watson  bought  of 
Water  Bryant. 

Wadleigh's  Falls  are  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Lee.  A  saw-mill  is  still 
in  operation  here,  belonging  to  the 
Messrs.  Glidden  ;  and  a  grist-mill, 
owned  by  Dr.  Edgerly.  Here  also 
is  Wadleigh's  Falls  post-office,  with  a 
cluster  of  houses  that  can  hardly  be 
styled  a  village. 

Wadleigh's  Plains  are  mentioned 
in  the  Durham  records  Dec.  25,  1761, 
and  again  in  a  deed  from  Joseph 
Smith  to  Nathaniel  Watson,  Jr.,  of 
34  acres  in  the  parish  of  Lee,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  way  from  Wad- 
leigh's mill  towards  Little  river,  run- 
ning east  by  the   land   John    Davis 


bought  of  Joseph  Sias,  Esq.,  about 
97  rods  to  a  spotted  hemlock  in  a 
swamp  on  the  west  side  of  Wad- 
leigh's plains,  so  called,  then  southerly 
to  the  N.  E.  corner  of  John  Cromit's 
land. 

Wadleigh's  path  from  Newmarket 
to  Wadleigh's  mill  is  mentioned  in 
1745.  Benjamin  Smith  had  25  acres 
of  land  laid  out  in  1757  on  the  south 
side  of  Wadley's  way.  A  road  from  the 
Spruce  Hole  (on  Lee  Hill)  to  Wad- 
ley's  road  is  mentioned  June  26, 
1765.  According  to  the  Durham 
records,  £177,  10s.  were,  in  1764, 
"■  P*^  sundry  men  for  Building  Wad- 
ley's  Bridge." 

Wakeham's  Creek.  This  name 
was  given  to  the  creek  below  Drew's 
Point,  on  the  lower  side  of  Oyster 
river,  from  Edward  Wakeham,  who. 
May  2,  1695,  bought  "  Oiles'  old 
field,  lying  between  two  creeks."  He 
was  still  living  here  July  25,  1715, 
when  ''  neighbor  A-Vakeham  "  is  spoken 
of  in  a  petition  from  James  Langley 
that  a  road  might  be  laid  out  from 
his  place  to  the  highway,  as  he  was 
penned  up  by  Bartholomew  Steven- 
son. Edward  Wakeham  and  his  wife 
Sarah  were  admitted  to  the  Oyster 
River  church  Oct.  18,  1719.^  Their 
son  Caleb  Wakeham,  July  8,  1757, 
sold  Samuel  Smith  his  "  homestead 
plantation  "  of  thirty-two  acres,  be- 
ginning at  a  small  elm  tree  in  y*^  range 
of  y*"  fence  at  y*  Bank  of  y*"  upland 
by  y^  marsh  in  Wakehanis  creek,  then 
running  S.  68  deg.  W.  18  rods  to  the 
road  leading  from  Oyster  River  Point 
to  Oyster  river  or  Durham  falls,  then 
Easterly  by  s*^  road  to  laud  in  posses- 
sion of  Valentine  Mathes,  and  b}' 
this  land  north  to  the  channel  of  y^ 
brook   or    run   of  water  between  his 


264 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


land  and  that  of  s"*  Matbes,  and 
through  the  middle  of  said  channel  to 
Oyster  river,  and  up  the  river  to 
Wcikelimn's  creek,  then  to  the  el  in 
tree  first  mentioned.  Samuel  Smith 
couve3'ed  this  land  to  Benjamin 
Matbes  Jan.  8,  1759.  It  is  now  in 
the  tenure  of  Mr,  Jonathan  Carr. 
(See  Giles's  creek.) 

Waldron's  Falls.  See  Cochecho 
Falls. 

Waldron's  Hill.  Mentioned  in 
the  Madburv  records  of  1798,  when  a 
road  was  proposed  from  Pascataqua 
bridge  to  Waldron's  Hill.  This  bill 
is  in  the  central  part  of  Barrington, 
where  the  town-bouse  now  stands. 
The  old  stage  I'oad  from  Dover 
through  Barrington  was  formerly 
called  the  Waldron  Hill  road. 

Waldron's  Log  Swamp.  Men- 
tioned in  1658,  when  Thomas  Nock's 
land  on  the  south  side  of  Cajit.  Wal- 
dron's logg  swamp  is  spoken  of.  (See 
Nock's  Marsh.)  Capt.  Richard  Wal- 
dron in  1652  had  a  grant  of  two 
thirds  of  all  the  timber  between  Co- 
checho first  falls  and  Bellamy  Bank 
freshet.  A  mast  path  led  into  this 
logging  swamp,  afterwards  known  as 
the  road  to  Little  worth. 

Waldron's  Plains.  These  plains 
are  in  Dover,  west  of  Gage's  Hill. 
They  are  so  called  in  1822,  when  the 
Dover  Sun  announced  that  the  Sec- 
ond regiment,  under  Col.  Dudley, 
would  parade  on  Waldron' s  plains  on 
tlie  13th  of  October,  that  year. 

Wall's  Creek.  This  is  apparently 
the  same  as  Wale's  Cove,  mentioned 
Sept.  12,  1701,  when  the  Exeter  line 
is  stated  to  extend  from  a  marked 
tree  at  Wales'  cove  S.  and  by  E.  to 
Hampton  bounds.  The  inhabitants 
of  the   Squamscot  Patent,  living  on 


the  E.  side  of  the  line  running  from 
Wall  creek  to  Hampton  bounds,  were 
joined  to  the  Parish  of  Greenland 
Jan.  3,  1716.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
3  :  623-4.)  The  name  of  this  creek 
may  have  been  derived  from  James 
Wall,  a  member  of  the  Exeter  Com- 
bination of  1639,  who  afterwards 
went  to  Hampton. 

Warner  Farm.  This  name  is 
given  to  the  tract  of  land  in  Durham 
bequeathed  to  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire  by  the  late  Benjamin 
Thompson,  in  his  will  of  Feb.  12, 
1856,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
thereon  a  College  of  Agriculture  and 
the  Mechanic  Arts.  It  was  so  named 
by  his  father,  Benjamin  Thompson, 
Esq.  (grandfather  of  the  present 
writer),  who  purchased  the  greater 
part  of  it  from  the  Hon.  Jonathan 
Warner  of  Portsmouth.  It  was  pre- 
viously called  the  Hill  farm,  which 
name  is  given  it  by  Jonathan  Warner 
himself  in  his  deed  to  Benjamin 
Thompson,  Sr.  It  was  originally  a 
part  of  a  five  hundred  acre  grant 
from  the  town  of  Dover  to  Valentine 
Hill,  adjoining  his  mills  at  Oyster 
River,  the  14th,  5  mo.,  1651.  Jon- 
athan Hill  of  Durham,  great  grand- 
son of  Valentine,  conveyed  to  Daniel 
Warner  of  Portsmouth,  Dec.  1,  1763, 
a  tract  of  107  acres,  "  part  of  that 
land  commonly  called  ?/<'  Five  Hun- 
dred acres.,  beginning  at  Thomas 
Chesley's,  by  y*  mast  road,  and  ex- 
tending up  said  road  96  rods,"  etc. 
Also  18  acres  on  y*  north  side  of  said 
mast  road,  bounded  east  by  John 
Woodman's  land,  and  north  and  west 
by  Thompson's  land,  together  with 
the  dwelling  house  thereon,  being  the 
same  land  conveyed  to  said  Jona- 
than,  Feb.   23,    1757,   by  his   father 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


265 


Samuel  Hill,  to  whom  it  had  been 
conveyed,  Nov.  4,  1729,  by  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Hill,  father  of  said  Samuel.^ 
(See  HilVs  Five  Hundred  Acres.) 

This  land  was  inherited  by  Jona- 
than Warner,  sou  of  Daniel,  who 
also  acquired  100  acres  more  of  the 
Hill  grant,  conveyed  to  him  by  Ben- 
jamin Partridge  May  19,  1778.  Jon- 
athan Warner  of  Portsmouth,  and 
Eliza  his  wife,  conveyed  to  Benjamin 
Thompson  of  Durham,  March  17, 
1794,  "a  certain  tract  of  land  in 
Durham,  called  and  known,"  says  the 
deed,  "  by  the  name  of  the  Hill  farm, 
in  two  separate  parcels,  laying  on 
each  side,  and  adjoining  the  mast 
road,  so  called,  the  whole  containing 
220  acres,  more  or  less,  and  contains 
the  whole  land  conveyed  by  one  Jon- 
athan Hill  to  my  Hon**  father  Daniel 
Warner,  Esq.,  deceased,  Dec.  1, 
1763,  and  also  all  the  land  conveyed 
to  me  by  Benjamin  Partridge  May 
19,  1778." 

The  tract  on  the  south  side  of  the 
mast  road  is  described  in  this  deed  as 
bounded  E.  by  Benjamin  Chesley's 
land,  S.  by  Oyster  river,  so  called,  W. 
by  the  lauds  of  John  Thompson  and 
Benjamin  Chesley,  and  that  formerly 
belonging  to  Ichabod  Chesley,  and 
N.  in  part  by  the  Mast  road.  The 
other  tract  was  bounded  southerly  by 
the  Mast  road,  easterly  by  the  land 
of  Jonathan  Woodman,  Jr.,  northerly 
in  part  by  the  land  of  Timothy  Em- 
erson, and  on  every  other  side  by 
that  of  Ebenezer  Thompson.  This 
was  Judge  Ebenezer  Thompson, 
father  of  Benjamin  Thompson,  Sr. 

Benjamin  Thompson,  Esq.,  Dec. 
8,     1828,     conveyed     to     Benjamin 


Thompson,  Jr.,  220  acres  of  land  in 
Durham,  lying  on  each  side  of  the 
turnpike  road,  being  the  same  he 
purchased  of  Jonathan  Warner,  Esq., 
March  17,  1794;  also  another  tract 
of  eleven  acres  in  said  Durham, 
bounded  southerly  by  the  mill  road, 
so  called,  northerly  by  the  river 
(Oyster  river),  and  easterly  by  land 
purchased  of  Joseph  Coe,  being  the 
same  purchased  of  Joseph  Chesley  3d, 
guardian  of  Abigail  Young  ;  also  an- 
other tract  of  five  acres,  purchased 
of  Joseph  Coe,  bounded  northerly  by 
the  mill  road,  westerly  by  the  afore- 
said laud  purchased  of  Joseph  Ches- 
ley 3d,  and  easterly  by  land  in  pos- 
session of  Elijah  Willey  ;  "all  which 
lands  aforesaid,"  says  the  conveyer, 
"  compose  what  I  call  my  Warner 
farm,  and  which  I  have  improved  for 
many  years."  Certain  rights  were 
reserved  by  Benjamin  Thompson,  Sr., 
during  his  lifetime. 

Warren's  Brook.  This  brook 
flows  through  the  old  Warren  lands 
in  Rollinsford,  and  empties  into 
Twombley's  brook  on  the  east  side,  a 
little  below  the  Boston  and  Maine 
Railroad.  Joseph  Roberts  sold 
Benj"  Warren,  Ap.  29,  1749,  a  house 
and  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land  S.  E. 
of  Dr.  Moses  Carr's  dwelling-place, 
which  land  Dr.  Carr  had  previously 
purchased  of  Zachariah  Nock  and 
conveyed  to  said  Roberts.  James 
Nock  also  conveyed  to  Benj°  Warren, 
Dec.  20,  1762,  a  tract  of  land  on 
the  southerly  side  of  the  highvs^ay 
from  Dover  to  Quamphegan,  begin- 
ning at  the  N.  PI  corner  of  Lt.  Sam- 
uel Rendall's  land  and  running  E.  by 
the     highway     to     that     of     Moses 


1  Samuel  Hill,  youngest  son  of  Capt.  Nathaniel,  was  Daniel  Warner's  brother-in-law.    He 
married  the  great  aunt  of  Benjamin  Thompson,  Sr. 


266 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Steveus,  then   S.  to  the    road    lead- 
ing to  Fresh  Creek. 

Washucke.  Mentioned  Jan.  17, 
1660,  when  "  Wadonouamin,  alias 
John  Johnson,  3'e  Indian  and  Saga- 
mere  of  Waslixicke  and  Piscataqua," 
for  the  love  he  bore  to  Englishmen, 
"especially  to  P^dward  Hilton,  eldest 
son  of  Edward  Hilton  of  Piscataqua," 
conveyed  to  said  Edward,  Jr.,  all  his 
neck  of  land  between  two  branches 
of  Lamprell  river  called  Wasliucke^ 
being  about  six  miles  in  length,  and 
in  some  parts  six  miles  in  breadth, 
reserving  the  use,  if  need  be,  of  one 
half  of  the  convenient  planting- 
ground  during  his  natural  life.  This, 
of  course,  was  the  neck  between  the 
Pascassick  and  Lamprey  river  itself. 
On  some  maps  the  name  of  Wasliuck 
is  still  given  to  the  Pas(;assick  river. 
Hitchcock  in  his  Geological  Atlas, 
calls  it  Watcliet.  Richard  York, 
March  1,  1748-49,  conveyed  to  his 
son  Richard  ten  acres  of  laud  in  Ep- 
ping,  bounded  on  one  side  by 
Watchick  river,  so  called,  and  ou 
the  other  by  land  belonging  to  the 
heirs  of  Major  Bartholomew  Thing, 
Esq.,  deceased. 

Watering  Gut.  Mentioned  Ap. 
25,  1699,  when  a  highway,  4  rods 
wide,  was  ordered  to  be  laid  out  "  as 
the  wa}'  now  goes  from  huckleberry 
hill  to  the  Wateri7ig  gxitt,  and  so 
along,  as  the  path  now  goes,  over  the 
hill  to  the  westward  of  Joseph 
Roberts  his  house  till  it  comes  to  the 
cross  way  that  leads  to  belemies 
bank."  Another  road,  two  rods  wide, 
was  laid  out,  Feb.  20,  1702-3,  from 
the  road  to  Little  John's  creek 
through  to  y^  watering  gutt  way,  be- 
ginning at  a  white  pine  by  Little 
John's   creek    road,    thence    running 


easterly  on  the  S.  side  of  the  gully  at 
the  S.  W.  corner  of  Thomas  White- 
house  his  land,  to  a  maple  in  the  N. 
W.  corner  of  (Thomas)  Beard's  lot, 
and  so  on  to  the  S.  E.  corner  of  Sam- 
uel Tibbet's  land,  and  through  that 
to  the  Watering  gut  way.  Abigail 
Broughton  of  Portsmouth  conveyed 
to  Samuel  Tibbets,  Feb.  4,  1709-10, 
one  third  part  of  a  20  acre  grant  to 
John  Reyner,  Jr.,  then  in  the  tenure 
of  said  Tibbets,  bounded  east  by  y* 
path  that  leads  from  Keuney's  toward 
Thomson's  poynt,  westerly  by  the 
way  from  tvhortleberry  hill,  and 
north  running  along  the  north  side  of 
the  watering  gutt  swamp  till  it  comes 
to  a  stump  4  or  5  rods  from  the 
ivateriyig  gutt.  The  deeds  of  the 
other  f  of  said  land  to  Samuel  Tib- 
bets state  that  it  was  bounded  W.  by 
"  the  way  that  leads  from  hurtleberry 
hill  to  the  loateriyig  gutt."  John 
Tuttle  and  wife  Mary  conveyed  to 
Nathaniel  Austin  Feb.  1,  1713-14, 
ten  acres  on  Dover  Neck  bought  of 
John  Hall,  bounded  N.  by  the  land 
of  Thomas  and  Joseph  Hall,  E.  by 
the  way  from  Huckleberry  hill  to  the 
watering  gut,  S.  by  John  Canney's 
land,  and  W.  by  the  road  from  Huck- 
leberry hill  to  Little  John's  creek. 
John  Canney  conveyed  to  Elijah 
Tuttle,  March  31,  1740,  ten  acres  on 
Dover  Neck,  on  the  easterly  side  of 
the  road  from  Cochecho  down  to 
Dover  Neck,  bounded  northerly  l)y 
Nathaniel  Austen's  laud,  easterly  by 
the  highway  from  Huckleberry  hill 
■  to  the  loatering  gut,  and  southerly  by 
Howard  Henderson'3  land  and  a 
strip  of  the  common  fenced  in  by 
Benjamin  Roberts.  The  Watering 
Gut  is  evidently  the  brook  that  emp- 
ties into  Little  John's  creek. 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


267 


Another  public  "Watering  Place 
is  mentioned  Dec.  3,  1709,  when 
James  Mussey  conveyed  to  Otis  Pink- 
ham  a  parcel  of  meadow  ground  on 
the  west  side  of  Dover  Neck,  between 
the  lands  of  John  Pinkham  and 
James  Mussey,  on  the  north  side  of 
a  small  gutter  and  the  lot  laid  out  by 
the  town  for  a  uiateriyig  place.  This 
is  apparently  the  same  as  the  Long 
Gut,  mentioned  in  the  division  of  the 
Calves'  Pasture  Ap.  18,  1722,  when 
nine  shares  were  measured  for  Otis 
Pinckham,  "  beginning  att  or  near 
the  Spring  below  John  Pinckham's 
house — 32  Rod  att  the  head  by  the 
Low  street  and  36  Rod  by  the  water 
side,  beginning  att  the  Run  of  water 
that  Comes  from  the  Spring,  And 
att  ye  same  Time  wee  haue  mesured 
8  shares  for  Thomas  Caney  from 
otis  Pinckham's  hed  Line  by  the  Low 
street  33  Rod  to  a  Stake  by  the  fence 
on  the  west  Side  of  s"^  street,  and 
also  33  Rod  by  the  waterside  to  a 
fence  on  the  south  Side  of  the  Long 
Gutt  soe  called." 

Watson's  Brook.  Mentioned  Sept. 
10,  1750,  when  Joshua  Weeks  con- 
veyed to  his  sou  John  Weeks  of 
Hampton,  physician,  5  acres  of  land 
in  Greenland,  running  N.  E.  by  a 
path  to  Watson's  brook,  then  W.  to 
land  of  Robert  Goss.  This  land  was 
part  of  Joshua  Weeks'  homestead, 
and  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of 
Wm.  Weeks.  Watson's  brook  emp- 
ties into  Great  Bay  on  the  west  side 
of  Mr.  J.  C.  Weeks'  farm,  between 
that  and  the  land  of  Wm.  Weeks' 
heirs. 

Watson's  Falls.  See  Cochecho 
Falls. 

Watson's  Point.  Whitehouse,  on 
his  map  of  Dover,  gives  this  name  to 


a  point  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
Cochecho,  between  the  Gulf  and 
the  Narrows. 

Webb's  Creek.  Mentioned  in  a 
grant  to  Thomas  Cauney,  apparently 
before  1650,  of  nine  acres  of  marsh 
on  the  S.  W.  side  of  the  Great  Bay, 
"•  bounded  on  y*  south  running  into 
y*  marsh  gf  George  Webb's  Creek. 
This  appears  to  be  the  inlet  after- 
wards called  Canney's  creek,  on  the 
shore  of  the  Weeks  land  in  Green- 
land. "  Georg  Webb  "  is  mentioned 
as  early  as  the  10th,  9  mo.,  1643, 
when  he  was  "  presented  for  living 
idle  like  a  swine."  (See  Branson's 
Creek.) 

Wecanacohunt.  This  was  the 
Indian  name  of  Dover  Point,  men- 
tioned in  Hilton's  patent  of  March 
12,  1629-30.  It  is  otherwise  written 
the  14th,  4  mo.,  1641,  when  reference 
is  made  to  the  patent  purchased  of 
Edward  Hilton  and  some  merchants 
of  Bristol,  ''  called  Wecohannet  or 
Hilton's  point,  commonly  called  or 
kuowne  b}'  the  name  of  Dover  or 
Northam."  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
1  :  155.)  And  it  is  called  Winnicha- 
hanyiat  May  22,  1656,  when  Capt. 
Thomas  Wio;g;in  surrendered  his 
claims  to  the  Hilton  Point  lands. 

The  settlement  at  Hilton's  Point 
was  long  called  "Dover"  in  a  re- 
stricted sense,  to  distinguish  it  from 
other  settlements  within  the  tovvn- 
ship,  particularly  at  "  Cochecho." 
(See  Cochecho.)  And  here  might  be 
mentioned  what  was  omitted  in  the 
proper  place,  that  Dover,  though  ap- 
parently never  formally  chartered  as 
a  township,  was  recognized  as  a  town 
by  the  General  Court  of  Mass.  in 
1642.  {N.  H.  Prov.  Pap.,  1  ;  162, 
164,  203.) 


268 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Wednesday  Brook.  This  is  a 
stream  of  clear,  sparkling  water  that 
rises  at  Wednesday  hill,  in  Lee,  and 
goes  winding  toward  the  east, — "  a 
marvel  of  crookedness," — fed  on  its 
way  by  several  springs  of  remarkable 
purity — one  in  particular  of  mineral 
qualities,  which,  perhaps,  give  lustre 
and  tone  to  its  waters.  It  crosses 
the  road  near  Mr.  George  Chesley's, 
where  it  is  a  favorite  watering-place 
for  horses,  and  empties  soon  after 
into  Oyster  river. 

This  brook  is  mentioned  Nov.  13, 
1713,  when  Joseph  Davis  conveyed 
to  Job  Runnels  three  score  acres  of 
land  "  on  the  west  side  of  Wensday 
Brook."  John  Willams  had  a  grant 
of  "three  score  acres  in  y^  woods  on 
y*  south  side  of  Wensday  swamp,'" 
March  19,  1693-4,  laid  out  Jan.  2, 
1712-13,  "  on  the  south  side  ot  wens- 
day hrooh."  Wednesday  Brook  is 
spoken  of  June  13,  1720,  as  running 
through  a  tract  of  land  sold  by  James 
Bassford  of  Oyster  River  to  Wm. 
Pitman  and  Wm.  Willey,  originally 
granted  to  Edward  Vrin.  Willey  sold 
liis  part  of  this  land  to  John  Laskey, 
May  15,  1722.  It  is  now  owned  by 
C  W.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  whose  paternal 
grandmother  was  a  Laskey. 

A  highway  was  laid  out  Oct.  12, 
1787,  from  Wednesday  brook  to 
Joshua  Woodman's  land,  beginning 
at  this  brook,  and  running  along  by 
a  great  hill,  then  over  the  south 
side  of  said  hill  to  a  gutter  be- 
tween Thomas  Stevenson's  land  and 
Thomas  Footman's,  and  between  their 
lands  till  it  comes  to  Nicholas  Mead- 
er's  at  the  east,  and  by  s**  Meader's  till 
it  comes  to  the  turn,  then  between 
Meader's  and  Smith's  till  it  comes  to 
Joshua  Woodman's  land. 


Woodman's  land  was  on  the  upper 
side  of  Lamprey  river,  in  the  Packer's 
Falls  district,  Durham.  It  is  now 
chiefly  owned  by  the  Dames. 

Wednesday  Hill.  This  hill  is 
in  Lee,  on  the  upper  side  of  Lamprey 
river.  It  is  east  of  Lee  Hill,  in 
"  District  No.  3."  Mention  is  made 
of  it  Nov.  4,  1723,  when  30  acres  of 
land  were  laid  out  to  Samuel  Purk- 
ings  on  the  south  side  of  Wednesday 
hill.  Capt.  Nathaniel  Randall's 
grant  of  30  acres  on  this  hill  is  men- 
tioned in  the  division  of  his  estate,  Ap. 
25,  1750.  An  old  tradition  asserts 
that  this  hill  derived  its  name  from 
a  skirmish  that  took  place  with  the 
Indians  in  its  vicinity  on  a  Wednes- 
day. Another  tradition  says  it  was 
so  named  by  the  early  surveyors,  who 
were  laying  out  grants  of  land  on  this 
hill  on  a  Wednesday,  and  suspended 
their  labors  to  lunch  on  the  top. 
The  name,  however,  may  have  been 
given  it  bv  one  of  the  early  settlers 
in  memory  of  some  hill  in  England, 
where  there  are  a  great  number  of 
elevated  places  that  have  a  similar 
name — derived  from  an  Anglo-Saxon 
word  signifying  a  hill  or  mound 
sacred  to 

"  Woden,  God  of  Saxons, 
From   whence     comes     Wensday;      that    is 
Wodnesday." 

Among  them  may  be  mentioned 
Wednesbury,  and  Wednesfield  in 
Staffordshire,  Woodnesborough,  and 
Wodnesdic  (now  Wansdike)  in  Wilts, 
Wendeshough  in  Lancashire,  Wend- 
nesham  in  Cheshire,  etc.  (See  Tay- 
lor's Woj'ds  and  Places.) 

Welland  or  Willand's  Pond. 
This  pond,  200  rods  long  and  120 
wide,  is  on  the  line  between  Dover 
and  Somersworth.  The  name  is  de- 
rived   from    Wm.    Welland,     whose 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


269 


land,  partly  in  Dover,  and  partly  in 
Soraersworth,  was  at  the  head  of  this 
pond.  He  died  about  1801.  It  was 
called  the  Great  Pond  as  earl}'  as 
1650,  and  at  a  later  period,  CochecJio 
Pond.  In  Merrill's  N.  H.  Gazeteer 
of  1817  it  is  called  HmnpJirey's  Pond. 
The  same  name  is  given  it  in  the 
Somersworth  records.  It  is  often 
called  Hussey^s  Pond.,  from  the  fam- 
ilies of  this  name  in  its  vicinity. 
It  is  called  Messenger's  Pond  in  1859. 
(See  Great  Pond.)  According  to  a 
survey  of  this  pond  for  the  city  of 
Dover,  it  covers  a  surface  of  78f 
acres,  with  a  depth  in  some  places  of 
65  feet.  It  has  a  steady  capacity  of 
514,000,000  gallons  of  water,  derived 
almost  entirely  from  springs  beneath 
the  surface.  This  water  is  of  excel- 
lent quality,  as  proved  by  repeated 
analyses.  The  Dover  water-works 
on  Garrison  Hill,  being  partly  sup- 
plied from  this  pond,  an  Act  was 
passed  by  the  N.  H.  Legislature  Feb. 
25,  1891,  "to  prevent  the  pollution 
of  Willaiid's  Pond,  situate  in  the  city 
of  Dover  and  the  town  of  Somers- 
worth, the  water  of  which  is  used  by 
the  city  of  Dover  for  domestic  pur- 
poses." 

Welsh  Cove,  otherwise  Welsh- 
man's. This  cove  is  on  the  Newing- 
ton  shore  of  Little  Bay,  between 
Furber's  Pt.  and  Dame's  Pt.,  and 
still  retains  its  ancient  name.  It  is 
mentioned  in  the  Dover  records  the 
15th,  4mo.,  1646,  when  Thomas  Lay- 
ton  had  a  grant  of  "a  plott  of  marsh  at 
the  head  of  Welshmaji's  Coue."  And 
again  in  1656,  when  John  Dam's 
grant  of  40  acres  at  Welshman's  Cove 
was  laid  out.  (See  Dame's  Point.) 
Thomas  Roberts,  June  17,  1658,  con- 
veyed   to    Richard    Row,    fisherman, 


"  my  now  dwelling-house  and  all  my 
upland  "  (30  acres)  "  lying  and  being 
in  Welshman's  Coue  in  Pascataqua 
river." 

The  name  of  Welsh  Cove  appears 
to  have  been  given  in  early  times, 
not  only  to  the  cove  itself,  but  to  the 
neighboring  district.  Samuel  Moody 
of  Boston,  Sept.  25,  1704,  conveyed 
to  Alexander  Hodgdon  a  tract  of  30 
acres  at  or  near  Welch  Cove.,  in  ye 
town  of  Portsmoxdh,  beginning  at  a 
white  oak  stump  which  stands  8  rods 
from  y*  little  brook  or  freshet  (the 
trout  brook)  in  y''  said  Hodgdon's 
fence,  which  joins  to  y®  highwax'  that 
leads  from  Welch  Cove  to  Ports- 
mouth, etc.,  which  land  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Rev.  Joshua  Moody 
of  Portsmouth,  deceased. 

The  origin  of  the  name  does  not 
appear,  but  several  of  our  early  colo- 
nists were  of  Welsh  origin,  such  as 
George  Vaughan,  sent  over  by  Capt. 
Mason  in  1631,  but  afterwards  re- 
turned to  England  ;  Thomas  Roberts 
of  the  Dover  Combination  of  1640, 
Wra.  Williams,  and  doubtless  Wm. 
Jones.  Likewise  the  Gilman  family, 
prominent  in  the  history  of  Exeter, 
from  which  the  township  of  Gilman- 
ton,  incorporated  in  1810,  derived  its 
name,  and  from  which  sprang  John 
Gilman,  member  of  the  Provincial 
Council  in  1680,  and  John  Taylor 
Gilman,  governor  of  N.  H.  in  1813. 
And  the  early  Vaughans  of  Ports- 
mouth (where  Vaughan  street  still 
commemorates  their  name),  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  Major  Wm. 
Vaughan,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Council  under  President  Cutt  in 
1680,  and  his  son  George  Vaughan, 
who  was  appointed  Lieut.  Governor 
of   N.    H.    in    1715.      They   sprang 


270 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


from  an  ancient  family  in  Wales, 
which,  in  their  clay,  furnished  two 
members  of  Parliament,  viz  :  Edward 
Vaughan,  Esq.,  of  Cardigan,  and 
Lord  John  Vaughan  of  Carmarthen, 
both  members  in  1676.  The  Vaughan 
family  of  England,  it  might  be  added, 
has  been  freshly  illustrated  this  very 
year  by  the  elevation  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Herbert  Vaughan  to  the  archiepisco- 
pal  see  of  Westminster. 

Wentworth  Swamp.  This  was  part 
of  the  Great  Ash  swamp,  between 
Salmon  Falls  river  and  Cochecho, 
where  Paul  Wentworth's  grant  of  30 
acres  was  laid  out  in  1718.  In  his 
will  of  Feb.  3,  1747-8,  he  speaks  of 
his  swamp  as  "a  little  below  the 
pitch-pine  plains.''  Fourteen  acres 
were  ordered  to  be  laid  out  to  Thomas 
Wallingford,  Sept.  8,  1727,  "  on  the 
upper  side  of  Indego  Hill,  as  near  to 
the  swamp  called  Wentivorth  sivamp 
as  it  may  be."  Ten  acres  were  laid 
out  to  said  Wallingford,  March  3, 
1728-9,  on  the  N.  E.  side  of  Went- 
ivorth's  swamp^  adjoining  Samuel 
Downs'  land  ;  and  five  acres  more  on 
the  south  side  of  said  swamp,  adjoin- 
ing the  land  of  Maturin  Ricker,  Jr. 

Wheelwright's  Pond.  This  pond 
is  between  Lee  Hill  and  Newtown, 
and  is  noted  for  an  encounter  with 
the  Indians,  July  G,  1690,  known  as 
*'the  battle  of  Wheelwright's  pond." 
It  is  said  to  have  taken  place  on  the 
south-east  side.  Our  scouts  came 
upon  the  Indian  trail  near  Turtle 
pond,  and  two  companies,  under  Cap- 
tains Wiswall  and  Floyd,  drove  the 
€nemy  to  the  borders  of  Wheel- 
wright's pond,  where,  after  several 
hours'  fighting  on  a  hot  July  day, 
three  officers  and  twelve  privates  were 
left  dead    on    the    field,    with    seven 


others  who  were  wounded.  In  the 
accounts  of  this  battle  one  item  is 
omitted  of  special  interest  to  the 
people  of  Durham,  within  the  ancient 
limits  of  which  this  encounter  took 
place :  James  Smith,  a  volunteer 
from  Oyster  River,  died  of  a  surfeit 
produced  by  running  to  join  Capt. 
Floyd's  company — a  rare  instance  of 
a  man's  voluntarily  hastening  to  take 
part  in  a  battle.  His  widow,  the 
daughter  of  Ensign  John  Davis,  and 
two  of  her  sons,  were  killed  by  the 
Indians  July  18,  1694. 

The  tivo  islands  in  the  middle  of 
Wheelwright's  pond  are  mentioned 
in  Bartholomew  Stevenson's  will  of 
April  22,  1718,  in  which  he  gives  his 
son  Joseph  five  acres  of  marsh, 
granted  him  by  the  town  of  Dover, 
on  the  south  side  of  this  pond, 
"against  two  islands."  These  islands 
are  seldom  visited  except  by  those 
who  go  there  to  fish  for  perch  and 
pickerel,  or  to  gather  the  fragrant 
pond  lilies  which  grow  in  profusion 
around  their  shores. 

The  narrows  are  mentioned  Jan.  20, 
1719-20,  when  Oliuer  Kent's  grant 
(in  1656)  of  80  acres  of  upland  ''  near 
whelrifs  Pond  on  tlie  north  side 
of  the  Pond,  against  the  narrow" 
was  surveyed  anew.  These  narrows 
are  a  little  above  the  source  of  Oyster 
river.  The  contraction  of  the  waters 
here  has  given  rise  to  the  names  of 
Upper  and  Lower  pond.,  though  really 
one  sheet  of  water.  The  name  of 
this  pond  was  derived  from  the  Rev. 
John  Wheelwright,  founder  of  Exe- 
ter, attesting  the  ancient  claims  of 
that  township  to  lands  along  Oyster 
river.  Richard  Otis  of  Dover  was 
authorized  by  the  town,  July  3,  1666, 
"  to  cut  all  the  grass  about  the  pond 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


-71 


by  Oyster  river,  which  was  known 
by  the  name  of  Mr.  Wheelwiight's 
marsh." 

Whidden's  Creek.  See  Picker- 
ing's creek. 

Whisow  or  Whisone,  otherwise 
Husow  or  HusoNE.  Mentioned  March 
19,  1693-4,  wiien  a  grant  was  made 
to  Henry  Rice  of  his  improvement  at 
Whisow  (or  Wldsone) ,  with  such  ad- 
dition as  will  malie  it  40  acres.  This 
land  was  laid  out  "  on  the  way  going 
to  Madbery,"  Dec.  9,  1699.  Henry 
Ryce  conveyed  this  land  to  Joseph 
Meader  Nov.  30,  1702.  Joseph 
Meader,  Feb.  1,  1723-4,  conveyed  to 
Eli  Demerit,  Jr.,  a  tract  of  40  acres, 
known  and  called  by  the  name  of 
husotv  (or  husone).  This  laud  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Alfred  Demeritt,  a 
descendant  of  the  above  Eli.  The 
exact  orthography  of  this  name  is 
uncertain.  In  the  deed  from  Henry 
Ryce  to  Joseph  Meader  in  1702  it 
appears  to  be  Whriso)te  or  Wisrisoiv. 

Whitehall.  This  place,  the  name 
of  which  has  been  perpetuated  to  the 
present  day,  is  in  Rochester,  but  is 
often  mentioned  in  the  Dover  records 
of  the  last  two  hundred  years.  The 
bounds  of  Ancient  Dover,  as  defined 
Aug.  3,  1701,  began  "at  y^niddle 
of  Quamphegan  falls,  and  so  ran  up 
the  river  four  miles,  or  thereabouts, 
to  a  marked  tree  by  the  river  side 
within  a  mile  of  Whitehall."  Orders 
were  given  to  Robert  Coffin  and  his 
troop,  Aug.  11,  1708,  to  march  from 
Exeter  to  Kingstown,  and  thence  to 
Oyster  River,  and  there  to  take  up 
their  quarters  the  first  night ;  and 
"  thence  to  Cochecho  and  soe  up 
towards  Whitehall,  and  so  return  to 
Cochecho  and  there  quarter,"  etc. 
{X.  H.  Prov.   Pap.,   2:   581.)      The 


road  to  Whitehall  (from  Cochecho)  is 
mentioned  July  7,  1714,  when  Wm. 
Everett's  grant  of  100  acres  on  the 
north  side  of  James  Kid's  land,  near 
the  Great  Pond  above  Cochecha,  was 
laid  out  to  Thomas  Downes,  begin- 
ning at  a  pitch  pine  tree  near  the 
pond,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
that  leads  to  Whitehall.  Ebenezer 
Downs,  Dec.  20,  1714,  conveyed  to 
John  Herd  50  acres  of  land,  being 
one'  half  of  that  tract  given  his 
brother  Thomas  Downs  by  their 
grandmother,  Martha  Lord,  begin- 
ning at  a.  pine  tree  near  the  Great 
Pond  above  Cochecho,  on  y*  west 
side  of  the  mast  path  y*  leads  to  White 
Hall.  Farmer  and  Moore's  Gazeteer 
of  N.  H.  (1823)  says:  "Between 
Norway  plains  and  Salmon  fall  river 
is  a  considerable  quantity  of  land, 
formerly  called  Whitehall,  the  soil  of 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 
dr}'  years  of  1761  and  1762,  so  as  to 
be  of  little  value  for  cultivation." 
Whitehall  Sivamp  is  mentioned  in 
Sept.,  1814,  when  Betsy,  widow  of 
Stephen  Wentworth,  petitioned  for 
leave  to  sell  "  land  in  White  Hall 
swamp,  so  called."  This  swamp  con- 
tains about  500  acres  of  low  land, 
now  covered  for  the  most  part  with 
small  wood,  but  in  early  times  it  was 
no  doubt  one  vast  forest  of  much 
wider  bounds.  It  is  about  a  mile  be- 
lovy  Rochester  city,  between  the  road 
to  Dover  and  that  to  Great  Falls, 
and  now  has  various  owners. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that 
it  is  an  error  to  attribute  the  name  of 
Whitehall,  as  some  do,  to  Parson  Hall 
of  Rochester,  who  is  said  to  have 
illustrated  one  of  his  sermons  by 
referring  to  the  numerous  white 
birches     in     this     swamp    which     lay 


272 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


spread  out  in  full  view  of  his  meet- 
ing-house on  Haven's  hill,  giving 
rise,  it  is  said,  to  the  name  of  "  Hall's 
white  swamp."  But  something  bet- 
ter than  white  birches  once  covered 
this  vast  swamp.  Enormous  prime- 
val trees  grew  here,  that  furnished 
masts  for  the  royal  navy,  which  were 
borne  down  the  mast  path  to  Coche- 
cho  years  before  the  Rev.  Avery  Hall 
began  his  ministry  in  Rochester. 
He  was  not  installed  till  Oct.  15, 
1766,  and  Whitehall  was  certainly 
so  called  more  than  sixty-five  years 
previous.  The  reason  why  might  be 
given  in  the  language  of  Philip  II  of 
Spain,  who  is  said  to  have  written  on 
a  despatch  from  England,  referring 
to  Whitehall  in  London:  "There  is 
a  park  and  palace  there  called  Huy- 
tal,  but  why  called  HuytaU  I  am  sure 
I  don't  know."  Whitehall  in  Roches- 
ter, however,  may  have  been  so 
named  in  honor  of  the  ''Committee 
of  trade  and  foreign  plantations  at 
Whitehall,"  often  mentioned  in  the 
provincial  records.  Whitehall  palace 
was  then  the  centre  of  authorit}',  and 
most  of  the  orders  concerning  New 
Hampshire  and  its  forests,  came  from 
the  above  mentioned  committee. 

Whitehorne's  Plains.  These 
plains  are  along  the  line  of  Barring- 
ton  and  Nottingham,  near  the  Lee 
boundary,  and  are  often  familiarly 
called  Curt's  plains,  from  Curtis 
Whitehorne,  a  former  owner  thereon. 
A  highway  across  the  lower  side  is 
sometimes  called    Whitehorne's  road. 

Whittier's  Falls  and  Mills, 
otherwise  Whitcher's.  Whittier's 
mills,  consisting  of  a  fulling-mill, 
grist-mill,  and  a  building  for  dressing 
cloth,  once  stood  at  the  easterly  side 
of  Tole-End  falls.     Their  name  was 


derived  from  Obadiah  Whittier,  whose 
widow  still  owned  them,  Jan.  7,  1718, 
when  they  were  destroyed  by  fire, 
which  broke  out  in  the  carding  mill, 
operated  by  Moses  Whittier,  son  of 
Obadiah,  who  at  once  erected  new 
machinery  and  resumed  the  carding, 
fulling,  and  clothing  business,  the 
following  month.  (See  Cochecho 
Falls.) 

Wiggin's  Mills.  Mentioned  on 
Chace's  County  map  of  1856.  They 
are  at  the  first  falls  in  Lamprey  river 
above  Packer's  falls,  and  are  now 
called  Wiswall's  mills.  "■  Wiggin's 
mills  "  consisting  of  paper  mill,  grist- 
mill, and  saw-mill,  belonging  to  the 
estate  of  Moses  Wiggin,  were  con- 
veyed by  John  Mooney,  administra- 
tor, to  Joshua  Parker  and  Mr.  T.  H. 
Wiswall  May  23,  1857.  Mr.  Wis- 
wall  afterwards  acquired  full  owner- 
ship. The  paper-mill  was  burned 
down  several  years  ago. 

WiGWAJi  Point.  This  name  was 
formerly  given  to  a  high  point  of  land 
on  the  Greenland  shore,  between 
Broad  marsh  and  Long  marsh.  It 
is  mentioned  April  9,  1729,  when  a 
line  of  division  was  made  between 
these  two  marshes,  beginning  at  "  a 
certain  point  of  upland  called  Wigg- 
wam  Point.'"  These  marshes  origi- 
nally  belonged  to  Henry  Langstaffe 
of  Bloody  Point,  who  had  30  acres  of 
upland  adjoining,  but  at  the  above 
date  they  were  owned  in  common  by 
his  grandson  Henry  Nutter  and  two 
Johnsons  named  John  and  Nathan. 
When  the  above  mentioned  division 
was  made,  Long  Marsh,  at  the  N.  W. 
of  Wigwam  Pt.,  was  assigned  to  the 
Johnsons,  and  Broad  marsh  to  Henry 
Nutter.  These  marshes  are  again 
mentioned      May    27,     1734,     when 


Landmarks  in  Aiident  Dover. 


273 


Nathan  Johnson  and  Samuel  Nutter 
agreed  upon  a  division  of  5  acres, 
and  50  rods  of  upland,  butting  on  a 
salt  marsh  called  Long  marshy  and  on 
Nutter's  marsh  called  Broad  marsh, 
and  partly  on  Johnson's  marsh. 
Samuel  Weeks,  in  his  will  of  Sept. 
15,  1745,  gives  his  son  Matthias  all 
his  "  right  in  the  Long  marsh,  and 
all  his  flat  ground  from  said  Long 
marsh  till  it  comes  within  four  rods 
of  the  Little  Pocket  marsh."  Wigwam 
Point,  Long  marsh,  and  part  of  Broad 
marsh,  are  now  owned  by  Mr.  J.  C. 
Weeks. 

Willand's  Pond.     See  Welland. 

Willey's  Ckeek.  This  is  a  small 
creek  that  flows  through  Mr.  Jere- 
miah Langley's  land  at  Durham  Point 
and  empties  into  Little  Bay.  The 
name  was  derived  from  Thomas  Wille 
or  Willey,  who  had  a  "  breadth  "  of 
land  on  the  upper  side  of  this  creek 
before  July  17,  1645.  (See  Bickford's 
Garrison.)  This  creek  is  mentioned 
by  name  as  early  as  Nov.  2,  1686, 
when  a  road  was  laid  out  from  Wille's 
creek  to  Oyster  River  Falls. 

Another  Willey's  Creek  is  mention- 
ed Ap.  23,  1743,  when  John  Johnson 
and  wife  Prudence  conveyed  to  Sam- 
uel Weeks  "  two  acres  of  salt  marsh 
in  Greenland,  bounded  on  the  south- 
east side  on  Wille's  creek."  This 
creek  is  the  outlet  of  Willey's  spring, 
and  flows  along  the  lower  side  of 
Canney's  island.  (See  Canney's  Is- 
land and  Willey's  Spring.) 

Willey's  Marsh.  Mentioned  Sept. 
15,  1745,  when  Samuel  Weeks  in  his 
will  divides  between  his  sons  Samuel 
and  John  his  salt  marsh  on  the  S.  W. 
side  of  the  Great  Bay,  commonly  called 
Willey's  marsh.  This  is,  of  course,  in 
Greenland.     (See  Willey's  Spring.) 


Willey's  Spring.  This  spring, 
said  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  Green- 
land, is  about  50  rods  from  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  J.  Clement  Weeks,  to 
whose  buildings  the  water  is  con- 
veyed by  means  of  a  hydraulic  ram. 
It  is  mentioned  as  follows  in  the 
Dover  records,  v^hen  Thomas  Willey's 
grant  was  laid  out  Ap.  1,  1701  : 

— "Whereas  by  order  of  Generall 
Court  there  was  fooer  hundred  Acres 
of  Land  giuen  to  the  inhabitants  of 
doner  (Dover)  that  haue  marsh  in  the 
great  bay,  we  the  subscribers  here  of 
being  appoynted  by  the  Towne  of 
doner  to  Lay  out  unta  Thomas  Willey 
his  devident  of  vpland  to  his  marsh, 
who  haue  according  to  order  Laid  out 
thirty  acres  to  his  marsh  and  bounded 
it  as  foUoweth,  that  is  to  say,  be- 
ginning at  the  bounds  of  Thomas 
Cannies  Land  at  a  white  oke  tree  and 
so  thirty  two  Rods  vpon  a  south  line 
to  a  spring  comonly  Called  by  the 
name  of  Willey's  spriyig,  and  so  vpon 
a  west  Line  one  hundred  forty  seven 
Rods  to  a  hemlock  Tree,  and  so  to  a 
Red  oak  tree  vpon  a  north  Line  thirty 
two  rods,  and  so  vpon  an  East  line 
one  hundred  and  forty  four  rods  to 
the  bounds  of  Thomas  Cannies,  all 
which  land  within  said  bounds  make 
thirty  acres,  the  bound  trees  marked 
T  W.  Laid  out  and  bounded  by  vs 
Aprill  the  first  1701. 

(Signed)         Will  furber 
Jn°  bickford 
Jn°  damm." 

The  above  record  proves  that  the 
Willey  grant  on  the  shore  of  Great 
Bay,  now  part  of  the  Weeks  lands  in 
Greenland,  lay  within  the  bounds  of 
Ancient  Dover,  being  a  part  of  the  400 
acres  granted  to  Dover  between  Hog- 
sty  Cove  and  Cotterill's  Delight. 


274 


Land7narks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Sam^  Tibbets  and  Sam'  Welle,  both 
of  Dover,  conveyed  to  Sam'  Weeks 
of  Portsmouth,  March  10,  1709-10, 
one  third  part  of  a  tract  of  thirty 
acres  of  land^  and  six  of  salt  marsh, 
lying  between  Henry  Langstar's 
marsh  and  a  parcell  formerly  in  pos- 
session of  Thomas  Canney,  beginning 
at  the  bounds  of  Canney's  land,  at 
a  white  oak  tree,  and  running  thirty 
rods  south  to  a  spring  commonly 
called  Willye's  Sprynge.  Samuel 
W'eeks,  in  his  will  of  Sept.  15,  1745, 
gives  his  son  Matthias  one  acre  of 
salt  marsh  running  up  unto  a  place 
called  Willey's  spring. 

Willey's  Way.  This  was  a  road 
in  Newtown,  mentioned  in  1734  as 
leading  to  the  head  of  Durham  town- 
ship. It  is  no  doubt  the  road  spoken 
of  March  18,  1757,  when  it  was  or- 
dered that  the  highway  from  Thomas 
Wille's  land  into  the  highway  above 
Newtown  mill  should  be  ciianged  and 
come  out  upon  the  line  between  Dur- 
ham and  the  Two  Mile  Streak. 
Thomas  Willey's  house  was  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road  coming  from 
Mad  bury.  There  was  a  Willey's 
bridge  in  Newtown,  mentioned  in  the 
laying  out  of  a  road  in  1740  from 
another  road  that  led  to  Willey's 
bridge.  It  was  probably  across  O^'s- 
ter  river.  Willey's  mill  in  Notting- 
ham is  spoken  of  March  8,  1757, 
when  Samuel,  son  of  Samuel  Wille, 
sold  one  eighth  part  of  it  to  David 
Glass. 

WiLLiAMSviLLE.  This  name  is 
given  on  Whitehouse's  map  of  Dover 
to  a  settlement  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river  Cochecho,  near  the  "upper- 
factory  dam."  It  was  so  called  from 
John  Williams,  agent  of  the  cotton 
factory  established    at   this   dam    in 


1815.  (See  Cochecho  Falls.)  Dr. 
Quint  calls  him  "  the  father  of  the 
Dover  manufacturing  prosperity." 

Wine-Cellar  Road.  This  name 
is  given  to  an  old  road  in  Durham, 
extending  from  the  Long  Marsh  road 
across  Horn's  woods,  where  it  meets 
Simon's  Lane.  It  is  derived  from  a 
natural  cavity  in  the  rocks,  where 
the  wood-choppers  used  to  deposit 
their  rundlets  of  cider  and  other  "  re- 
freshers "  to  keep  them  at  a  desirable 
temperature. 

Wingate's  Slip.  This  slip,  now 
called  Ford's  layiding.,  is  the  terminus 
of  the  mast  road  from  Madbury,  on 
the  west  side  of  Back  river.  It  is 
adjacent  to  the  land  of  Mr.  Ford, 
who  has  enclosed  this  end  of  the 
mast  road,  though  it  is  a  public  high- 
way to  the  very  river.  The  town  of 
Dover  voted,  March  24,  1728-9,  to 
lay  out  a  road  "  from  Wiiigefs  Slip 
to  the  end  of  the  township."  The 
surveyors  reported,  Dec.  27,  1729, 
that  they  had  laid  it  out  "■  as  the  mast 
way  then  went."  (See  Mast  Road 
to  Madbury .)  John  Drew  conveyed 
to  Rebecca  Kook,  A  p.  6,  1756,  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Back 
river,  at  y''  head  of  Thomas  Pink- 
ham's  land,  bounded  south  byy*  mast 
path  running  down  to  Wingefs  slij) ; 
and  another  tract  on  the  south  side 
of  y*  mast  way  running  down  to 
Wingefs  slip,  partly  bounded  by  the 
lands  of  John  Layton  and  Israel 
Hodgdon. 

Winkley's  Hill.  So  named  from 
the  Winkley  house  in  Dover,  which 
stands  on  this  hill,  just  above  the 
site  of  the  Hayes  garrison,  on  the 
Tolend  road. 

Winkley's  Pond.  Tristram  Heard, 
in  his  will  of  Ap.  18,   1734,  gives  his 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dove?' 


•^is 


daughter  Elizabeth  Koight  eight  acres 
at  Fresh  marsh,  at  WinkoVa  pond,  iu 
Dover.  The  only  pond  of  this  name 
at  the  present  day  is  iu  the  southern 
part  of  Barriugton,  not  far  from  the 
Mad  bury  line. 

WiNNicoT  River.  This  river  rises 
among  the  Hampton  swamps,  flows 
through  Stratham  into  Greenland, 
and  empties  into  Great  Bay  above 
Packer's  Point.  "  Winecote  river  falls, 
in  Greenland,"  are  mentioned  Oct.  8, 
1665,  when  the  selectmen  of  Ports- 
mouth ordered  a  highway  to  be  laid 
out  from  these  falls  east  to  Sam' 
Haines'  house,  and  thence  to  the 
highway  to  Han)pton.  Ebenezer 
Johnson  conveyed  to  Joshua  Weeks, 
May  23,  1713,  "one  sixteenth  part 
of  a  sawmill  called  the  Lower  mill  on 
Winicott  river."  This  was  probably 
the  '^  tide  mill"  mentioned  on  Mer- 
rill's map  of  Greenland  in  1806. 
The  same  map,  however,  mentions 
a  sawmill  and  gristmill  on  the  Win- 
nicot  river,  near  the  road  to  Exeter, 
which,  though  np  the  river  from  the 
tide-mill,  is  loiver  in  the  sense  of 
being  southward.  This  is  no  doubt 
the  '■'■Johnson's mill"  mentioned  in  the 
laying  out  of  the  road  to  Exeter, 
March  6,  1710-11. 

Wiswall's  Falls  and  Mills.  See 
Wig  gin's  Mills. 

WoLF-PiT  Hill.  This  hill  is  men- 
tioned in  early  times  as  on  the  west 
side  of  Beard's  creek,  in  Durham, 
and  apparently  on  the  south  side  of 
Stony  brook.  The  number  of  wolves 
in  N.  H.  induced  the  Government, 
March  16,  1679-80,  to  offer  a  bounty 
of  40'  for  each  one  killed  in  the  prov- 
ince. In  1692  a  bounty  of  20^  was 
ordered  to  be  paid  by  each  town. 
Tho^  Edgerly  of  Oyster  River,  "  for 


killing  a  woolfe,"  was  paid  that  sum 
Feb.  10,  1695-6.  The  selectmen  of 
Portsmouth  reported  i  o  the  govern- 
ment, March  17,  1692-3,  that  nine 
wolves  had  been  killed  "  tliat  winter," 
of  course  within  that  township. 
"  Considering  the  Publick  damage 
done  in  this  province  by  wolves,"  it 
was  voted  by  both  Houses,  May  17, 
1716,  that  50s.  be  paid  out  of  the 
public  treasury  for  the  killing  of 
every  grown  wolf,  besides  tlie  bounty 
given  by  each  town.  (Prov.  Pap.., 
3  :  644,)  As  late  as  March  17,  1764, 
the  town  of  Durham  voted  to  give 
six  pounds,  new  tenor,  for  every 
grown  wolf  killed  within  the  township, 
and  in  1767  four  shillings  were  paid 
Elijah  Drew  for  killing  one.  {Dur- 
ham Records.) 

Wolf-pits  were  by  no  means  un- 
common in  former  times.  Audul)on, 
the  great  naturalist,  relates  that  when 
he  was  in  Ohio,  the  farmers  there 
took  wolves  by  means  of  a  pit.  The 
Wolf-pits  or  traps,  in  the  heart  of  the 
Lynn  woods,  in  the  old  ox  pasture 
between  Blood  Swamp  and  Glen 
Lewis  Dam,  have  recently  been  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  Chase  of  Lynn,  Mass. 
These  pits,  which  date  from  the  first 
settlement  of  that  place,  are  described 
as  circular,  the  sides  walled,  eight  or 
nine  feet  deep,  small  at  the  top,  and 
widening  towards  the  bottom. 

WooDCHUCK  Island.  This  island, 
so  called  on  Wliitehouse's  map  of 
Dover,  is  in  the  Cochecho  river, 
below  the  mouth  of  Fresh  creek.  It 
now  belongs  to  Mr.  Henry  Paul  of 
RoUinsford.  It  formed  part  of  Som- 
ersworth  after  the  incorporation  of 
that  town,  and  fell  to  RoUinsford 
when  the  latter  townsliip  was  cliar- 
tered  in   1849,      After   the   road    to 


276 


landmarks  tn  Ancient  Dover. 


Eliot  was  laid  out,  the  land  below, 
including  Woodchuck  island,  was 
restored  to  Dover. 

Woodman's  Creek.  This  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  Beard's  creek,  in 
Durham.     (See  Brown's  Hill.) 

Woodman's  Ledge.  This  ledge 
rises  up  from  Langley's  heath  on  the 
shore  of  Wheelwright's  pond,  afford- 
ing a  point  of  vantage  for  fishermen. 

Woodman's  Point.  This  name  is 
given  to  Long  Point  on  Chace's  atlas 
of  1857.  It  is  on  the  Newington 
shore,  and  formed  part  of  the  land 
given  to  Nicholas  Woodman  by  his 
grandfather,  Nicholas  Pickering,  in 
1807.      (See  Zong  Point.) 

Worster's  Island.  This  island  is 
in  the  Salmon  Falls  river,  below 
Great  Falls,  opposite  Indigo  Hill.  It 
was  probably  formed  by  deposits  from 
Worster's  brook,  the  mouth  of  which 
is  directly  opposite,  on  the  Berwick 
side.  The  name  was  derived  from 
Moses  Worster  or  Wooster,  who  is 
spoken  of  July  2,  1709,  when  he  con- 
veyed to  Timothy  Wentworth  part  of 
his  privilege  on  Wooster' s  river.  It 
is  mentioned  March  27,  1736,  when 
part  of  Moses  Stevens'  division  of 
the  common  lands  was  laid  out  "  in 
an  island  lying  by  Salmon  falls  river, 
commonly  called  Wooster's  Island., 
lying  partly  against  Capt.  Paul  Went- 
worth's  land,  and  partly  against  Sam- 
uel Downs'  land.  Said  island  con- 
tains 3f  acres."  Moses  Stevens  and 
his  wife  Hannah  (daughter  of  John 
Thompson,  Sr.,  of  Oyster  River), 
Nov.  16,  1738,  sold  this  island  to 
Paul  Wentworth  for  twenty  pounds. 
Paul  Wentworth,  in  his  will  of  Feb. 
3,  1747-8,  gives  his  nephew  Paul 
Brown  his  lot  at  Indigo  Hill,  lying 
between  Eben  and  Samuel  Downs' 
lands,  and   "  also   the    island,   lying 


near  the  easterly  end  of  said  lot, 
commonly  known  by  the  name  of 
Wooster's  Island."  This  island  now 
belongs  to  the  Great  Falls  Manufac- 
turing Company. 

Yard  Codntry  Way.  Mentioned 
July  18,  1734,  when  20  acres  of  land 
were  "-  laid  out  for  a  parsonage  in  the 
parish  of  Summersworth,  beginning 
at  a  black  oak  standing  about  half  a 
mile  S.  W.  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Yard  Country  ivay,  so  called,  where 
it  leaves  the  Rochester  road."  As 
this  way  lead  near  the  Pear  Yard 
mentioned  in  1793  (see  Pear  Yard 
District),  it  may  have  derived  its 
name  therefrom  ;  the  species  of  pear 
tree  found  there  being,  it  is  said,  as 
long-lived  as  the  white  oak.  Some 
suppose  this  road  so  called  from  the 
old  lumber  yard  at  Mast  Point,  but 
as  the  Yard  Country  Wa}'  is  stated 
to  have  its  beginning  "  where  itleaves 
the  Rochester  load,"  this  derivation 
is  doubtful.  The  name,  however, 
may  refer  to  some  tract  once  reserved 
as  a  nursery  "■  for  masts,  yards.,  and 
bowsprits."  (See  N.  H.  Prov.  Pap., 
18:  143.) 

Zackey's  Point.  This  name,  de- 
rived from  Zachariah  Trickey,  is 
given  to  Trickey's  Point  May  8,  1846, 
when  Nathaniel  P.  Coleman  conveyed 
to  Ruel  J.  Bean  part  of  the  farm 
formerly  owned  by  Capt.  Samuel 
Shack  ford,  adjoining  Pascataqua 
river,  reserving  the  right  of  pass-way 
in  the  common  wheel  patii  on  the 
south  side  of  the  field  wall,  and  the 
privilege  of  going  to  the  cove  near 
Zackey's  Point  or  Zackey's  Point 
Cove.  This  point  is  on  the  Newing- 
ton shore,  and  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Valentine  M.  Coleman,  son  of  the 
above  Nathaniel.  (See  Trickey's 
Point  and  Cove.) 


ADDENDA. 


Ambler's  Islands.  (See  p.  8.)  Only 
one  island  is  mentioned  by  John  Am- 
bler, Jan.  10,  1739,  when  he  con- 
veyed to  ICphraim  Libby  of  Kittery 
several  parcels  of  land,  and  with  them 
"  y*  Island  belonging  to  my  Home 
Place  in  Durham." 

Broadway  Brook.  So  called  in  a 
report  of  the  city  government  of 
Dover  in  September,  1892,  concern- 
ing an  appropriation  "•  for  the  pur- 
pose of  constructing  the  Broadioay 
Brook  sewer."  This  is  the  brook 
that  flows  through  the  Dam}:),  and  is 
otherwise  called  the  Harit  brook,  be- 
cause it  traverses  the  so-called  ''  Ham 
field  "  in  the  upper  part  of  its  course. 
It  rises  among  the  springs  at  the 
southwesterly  side  of  Garrison  Hill, 
and  is  the  first  brook  that  empties 
into  the  Cochecho  river  on  the  north- 
erly side,  below  Dover  Landing.  (See 
the  Dxtmp.) 

Butler's  Point.  This  point  is  on 
the  south  side  of  Beard's  creek,  at 
the  mouth — that  is,  between  the  creek 
and  Oyster  river,  at  their  confluence. 
It  was  originally  a  part  of  Wm.  Hil- 
ton's land,  which  he  conveyed  to 
Francis  Mathes  in  1645.  His  right 
was  probably  forfeited,  for  this  land 
seems  to  have  been  granted  anew  to 
Valentine  Hill,  who  conveyed  it  to 
Patrick  Gimson  (Jameson)  May  11, 
1659,  describing  it  as  on  the  north 
side  of  Oyster  river,  bounded  east  by 
the  creek.  Jameson  conveyed  it  to 
Thomas   Mighill    (Mitchell)    "  some- 


time of  Oyster  River,"  July  29,  1669. 
Mitchell  sold  it  to  John  Webster,  of 
Newbury,  Mass.,  Dec.  29,  1670. 
Webster,  however,  must  have  had  an 
earlier  title,  for  his  first  conveyance 
of  this  land  was  made  to  George 
Chesley  Oct.  16,  1669.  Another  con- 
veyance was  made  May  10,  1710. 
After  George  Chesley's  death,  all  his 
land  in  this  vicinity  (88  acres)  was 
laid  out  anew,  at  the  request  of  his 
widow  Deliverance  and  of  Capt.  James 
Davis,  whose  first  wife,  Elizabeth, 
seems  to  have  been  a  Chesley. 

This  survey  was  made  May  21, 
1711,  "beginning  at  a  poynt  of  Land 
at  the  creek's  mouth  next  belo  the 
falls  on  the  north  side  of  Oyster  river, 
running  northward  towards  Jonathan 
AVoodman's,"  etc.  This  point  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Albert  Young,  a  direct 
descendant  of  the  above  George  Ches- 
ley, through  his  mother,  whose  first 
husband  was  Francis  Butler,  whence 
the  name  of  Bailer's  Point. 

Clay  Point.  In  addition  to  what 
has  already  been  said  in  tliis  work 
about  Clay  Point  (see  p.  43)  might 
be  oriven  a  fuller  account  of  the  An- 
drews  deed,  proving  that  it  was  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  Dover  Neck,  not 
far  from  the  Sheep  Pasture  on  Huckle- 
berry Hill,  and  below  the  old  road  at 
the  lower  side  of  Mr.  Reyner's  upper 
lot,  apparently  on  the  shore  of  the 
Varney  land  : — .ledediah  Andrews,  of 
'•Salsbury,"  Mass.,  Jan.  5,  1669, 
conveved   to  "  Mr.   John   Rcvuer  of 


278 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Dover,  in  y*  cotintie  of  Pascattaq,  in 
y*  Jurisdiction  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony,  Minister,"  his  late  dwelling 
house  on  the  eastern  side  of  Dover 
Neck,  with  three  acres  of  land  on 
which  it  stood,  granted  him  by  the 
town,  and  laid  out  in  March,  An°  Sa- 
lutis  1659,  bounded  E.  by  y^  highway 
w*'  goeth  betweene  it  &  y*  land  of  s** 
Reyner,  N.  by  Mr.  Reyner's  upper 
lott,  W.  by  y*  sheep  pasture,  and  S. 
by  Mr.  Roberts  his  lott." — "Alsoe 
three  acres  of  land,  less  or  more, 
granted  b}-  y^  Toune  of  Dover,  and 
laid  out  to  Ralph  Twanily,  lying  and 
being  neer  thereunto,  situated  two 
&  twentie  pole  square  at  a  poynt 
called  Clay  poynt,  between  the  house 
lott  of  Thomas  Roberts  and  the  land 
of  y*  s"^  John  Reyner,  below  y*  high- 
way above  mencioned,  which  was 
given  to  and  possessed  by  y'  s** 
Twamly  as  a  house  lott,  and  sold  by 
him  to  me." 

This  was  tlie  Rev.  John  Re^'ner,  a 
native  of  Yorkshire,  P^ng.,  who  first 
settled  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  where  he 
remained  eighteen  years.  He  came 
to  Dover  in  1656,  and  here  died  Ap. 
22,  1669.  According  to  Dr.  Quint, 
his  house  stood  four  rods  east  of  the 
highway,  fourteen  rods  below  the  old 
fortified  meeting-house  on  Dover 
Neck,  where  his  cellar  can  still  be 
traced.  The  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held  by  his  parishioners  is  shown 
bv  the  large  grant  of  land  made  him 
near  the  streamlet  still  known  as 
Reyner's  brook,  in  the  upper  part  of 
Dover. 

Coffin's  Woods.  These  once  noted 
woods,  a  part  of  the  old  Peter  Coffin 
estate  in  Dover,  once  covered  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Cochecho  river,  now  traversed  by  the 


Boston  and  Maine  R.  R.,  and  covered 
by  numerous  streets  and  residences 
adjacent.  Coffin's  Orchard,  still  re- 
membered by  many  people,  was  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  present  city  of 
Dover,  extending  from  Washington 
St.  beyond  Orchard  St.,  which  de- 
rived its  name  therefrom. 

Demeritt's  Brook.  This  brook  is 
so  called  where  it  traverses  the  old 
Demeritt  land  in  Madbury,  not  far 
from  Mr.  Alfred  Demeritt's.  It  for- 
merly had  sufficient  water  power  to 
run  a  mill.  (See  Demerit's  Mill,  p. 
58.)  Where  it  crosses  the  lower 
highway  from  Durham  Village  to 
Dover  it  is  now  called  the  Gerrish 
brook,  from  the  adjacent  Gerrish 
land,  formerly  Chesley's.  The  bridge 
across  it  at  this  place  is  in  Mud- 
bury,  near  the  Durham  line.  It 
afterwards  flows  through  the  Jones 
land  and  empties  into  Johnson's 
creek. 

Dover  Garrisons.  In  addition  to 
the  Dover  Garrisons  enumerated  pp. 
61-64,  is  "Mr.  Pike's  Garrison," 
mentioned  Nov.  13,  1696  {Prov.Pa})., 
2:246.)  This  was  the  Rev.  John 
Pike,  who  came  to  Dover  in  1678,  and 
here  died  March  10,  1710.  He  lived 
on  Dover  Neck,  perhaps  in  the  "  min- 
ister's house,'"  it  was  voted  to  erect 
in  1669.  "The  garrison  about  y^ 
ministry  house  on  Dover  Neck  "  is 
mentioned  May  11,  1697.  {Do.  17: 
656.) 

"  Capt.  Tuttle's  Garrison"  is 
mentioned  Nov.  13,  1696  {ProiKFap., 
2  :  246.)  This  was  John  Tuttle,  who 
was  Captain  of  the  military  forces  of 
Dover  proper  from  1692  till  1704. 
His  dwelling-house  and  homestead 
lands,  according  to  his  will  of  Dec. 
28,     1717,    were    on    Dover    Neck, 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


279 


"between  Nutter's  land  and  Hilton's 
Point." 

Drew's  Garrison  at  Otster  River. 
(See  p.  182-3.)  According  to  the 
probate  records  at  P^xeter,  Thomas 
and  Francis  Drew  were  both  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  1694.  Mar}',  widow 
of  Thomas,  was  appointed  adminis- 
trator of  his  estate  July  30,  1694. 
Letters  of  administration  upon  the 
estate  of  Francis  Drew  were  first 
granted  to  his  brother  John  Nov.  16, 
1694.  But  it  is  furthermore  stated 
that  "  Whereas  Thomas  Drew,  sur- 
viving son  and  eldest  unto  y^  afore- 
said Francis  deceased,  is  now  return- 
ed from  captivity  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  Indian  Enimie,  and  claimes  the 
administration  upon  his  father's  es- 
tate," his  claim  was  granted  Nov.  16, 
1696.  The  above  John  Drew  is  no 
doubt  the  one  killed  by  the  Indians 
"by  the  Little  Bay" — Pike  says,  Ap. 
27,  1706.  Belknap  says  the  garrison 
was  near,  but  not  a  man  in  it.  The 
women,  however,  put  on  hats,  gave 
the  alarm,  and  fired  away  so  briskly 
that  the  Indians  fled.  This  shows 
that  there  was  a  second  Drew's  gar- 
rison at  Oyster  River. 

Hodgdon's  Hill.  This  hill  is  in 
Madbury.  It  is  crossed  by  the  lower 
road  from  Durham  village  to  Dover, 
near  the  house  now  belonging  to  the 
heirs  of  the  late  Stephen  Jenkins, 
but  formerly  owned  by  Peter  Hodg- 
don,  from  whom  this  hill  derived  its 
present  name. 

Log  Hill  Spring.  This  spring 
was  once  noted  in  Dover  for  the  cool- 
ness and  excellence  of  its  never  fail- 
ing water.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  the 
old  Log  Hill,  on  land  now  owned  by 
Mr.  S.  H.  Foye,  in  the  rear  of  his 
dwelling-house    on    Washington     St. 


It  was  on  the  very  shore  of  the  old 
bed  of  the  Cochecho,  which  here 
made  a  deep  bend  before  the  cut  was 
made  to  straighten  it  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Portsmouth  and  Dover  R.  R. 
This  road,  cross! ug  the  Cochecho, 
traverses  Log  Hill,  a  short  distance 
east  of  the  spring.  The  outlet  of  the 
spring  was  formerly  into  the  river 
itself,  and  so  cold  was  the  water  that 
this  part  of  the  stream  was  avoided 
by  bathers.  Log  Hill  Spring  is  still 
accessible.  The  old  path  from  Major 
Waldron's  Log  swamp  terminated  at 
Log  Hill,  whence  the  logs  were  rolled 
down  to  the  mill-pond. 

Narrows.  The  Narrows  in  the  Pas- 
cataqua  river  below  Boiling  Rock, 
mentioned  on  page  155,  must  not  be 
confounded  with  the  Narrows  further 
below,  between  Peirce's  island  and 
Trefethen's  island. 

Penelope's  Cove.  This  cove  is  on 
the  western  shore  of  the  Salmon  Falls 
river,  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Rochester,  not  far  above  the  Dover 
line.  It  derived  its  name  from  Pen- 
elope, wife  of  Aaron  Tibbetts. 

Pomeroy's  Cove.  (Seep.  210.)  The 
name  of  this  cove  has  been  ascribed 
to  Richard  Pomeroy,  but  on  what 
grounds  does  not  appear.  No  Pom- 
eroys  belonged  to  the  Dover  Combi- 
nation of  1640,  or  are  to  be  found  in 
the  earliest  rate-lists.  Leonard  Pom- 
eroy is  mentioned  in  1622  as  oue  of  the 
associates  of  David  Thomson  for  col- 
onising the  Pascataqua  region,  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  came  here. 
Joseph  Pomry  was  here  before  1674, 
in  which  year  his  estate  was  admin- 
istered by  his  widow  Elizabeth.  {Coun- 
ty Records,  Exeter.)  Pike  records  the 
marriage  of  "  Rebecca  Pommery, 
widow,"    to    "  Clement     Rummeril," 


28o 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


Sept.  6,  1687.  And  a  "Wm.  Pom- 
rey  "  is  mentioned  as  serving  in  gar- 
rison in  1697.    {Prov.  Pap.,  2  :  246.) 

Portsmouth.  (See  p.  210.)  Capt. 
John  Smith's  map  of  New  Enghand 
in  1614,  gives  the  name  of  Hull  to 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Ports- 
mouth, and  the  name  of  Boston  to 
York,  Me. 

The  Pound.  Mentioned  Oct.  .3, 
1734,  when  Joseph  Twamley,  aged 
73  years,  or  thereabouts,  testified 
that  be  "  wel  knows  v"  lands  Ivino- 
in  Dover  a  little  below  Cochecho 
falls  w"''  are  call*^  Sheffield's  lands, 
and  have  been  so  accounted  for  more 
than  60  years  last  past,  &  y*  he  wel 
knows  3''  there  was  a  highway  or  cart 
path  w'''^  run  from  y^  Publick  high- 
way down  between  Tobias  Hanson's 
fence  and  where  the  Poxmd  now  is, 
along  by  y*  place  where  Joseph  Han- 
son's house  now  is,  unto  s*^  Sheffield's 
lands  for  more  than  60  years  last 
past,  &  he  wel  knows  y"  s**  way  was 
always  kept  open  &  improved  by 
Every  Body  y*  had  occasion  to  use 
it."  According  to  the  Historical 
Memoranda  (No.  282)  in  the  Dover 
Enquirer,  Tobias  Hanson  lived  where 
is  now  the  Edmund  J.  Lane  house, 
on  Central  Avenue ;  and  Joseph 
Hanson  lived  where  the  Drew  house 
is,  on  Hanson  St.  William  Sheffield, 
whose  lands  are  mentioned  above,  had 
also  a  grant  at  Oyster  river.  (See 
Meader's  Neck  and  RoyalVs  Cove.) 

The  Pound  is  again  mentioned 
Sept.  5,  173.5,  when  Eliphalet  Coffin 
conveyed  to  Joseph  Hanson  two  acres 
of  land  in  Dover,  bounded  S.  by  y" 
highway  y'  leads  to  Littleworth,  W. 
by  David  Watson's  two-acre  home 
lot,  N.  by  "  Leah's  field,  as  is  so 
called,"    and    E.    by   "  a  small  gore 


claimed  by  Mr.  Richard  Waldron  y' 
lyes  over  against  V  pound : — being 
the  very  same  land  where  Tristram 
Coffin,  father  of  Eliphalet,  formerly 
lived."  An  orchard  on  it  is  men- 
tioned. These  two  acres,  with  an 
orchard  thereon,  are  mentioned  in 
P^liphalet  Coffin's  will  of  Jan.  15, 
1734-5,  proved  in  1736.  The  above- 
named  Tristram  was  the  son  of  Peter 
Coffin.  Dr.  Quint  supposes  Tris- 
tram's garrison  to  have  stood  near 
the  house  of  the  late  Gov.  Martin, 
and  the  second  Tristram's  house  to 
have  been  near  the  residence  of  the 
late  ©r.  Thomas  H.  Cushing. 

Richardson's  Hill.  This  name  is 
given  to  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
"•  Falls  hill"  in  Durham  village,  from 
the  Richardson  house  near  the  top, 
formerly  a  public  house.  "•  Capt. 
Joseph  Richardson's  tavern  "  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Durham  records  July  8, 
1793.  He  had  previously  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  (See  Falls 
Hill.) 

Rivers.  Going  from  Newmarket 
to  Dover,  the  Boston  and  Maine  R.  R. 
crosses  the  Pascassick  river  just  after 
leaving  Newmarket  village.  At  this 
point  Follefs  brook  empties  into  the 
river,  and  the  neighborhood  called 
Hallsville  is  to  be  seen  at  the  left. 
The  next  stream  crossed  by  the  rail- 
way is  Lamprey  river.,  here  spanned 
by  the  so-called  Diamond  bridge. 
This  is  in  the  Packer's  Falls  district, 
before  arriving  at  Bennefs  crossing., 
where  trains  from  opposite  directions 
often  pass  each  other.  Farther  on, 
between  the  %o-cii\\e*\  Mill-road  cross- 
ing and  the  Durham  station,  the  rail- 
way crosses  the  fresh  part  of  Oyster 
river.,  here  contracted  to  a  mere 
brook.     Beyond  the  Madbury  station 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover 


281 


it  crosses  the  Bellamy^  and,  just  be- 
fore entering  Dover  city,  tlie  river 
Cochecho^  otherwise  Cocheco. 

Rochester  Hill.  Tliis  name  is 
sometimes  given  to  Haven's  Hill,  in 
Rochester,  around  which  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  town  gathered,  and  here 
built  a  meeting  house  in  1731. 

Senter's  Swamp.  (See  page  231.) 
Henry  Senter's  name  is  signed  to  a 
Dover  petition  of  1685.  {Prov.  Pap., 
1:  561.) 

Stephen's  Point.  (See  p.  239-40.) 
Those  who  are  fond  of  ascribing  an 
Indian  origin  to  the  names  of  places, 
such  as  Herod's  Cove,  SioadderCs 
Creek,  etc.,  will  be  glad  to  know,  in 
connection  with  Stephen's  Point,  oth- 
erwise Stephen  Jethro's  or  Jether's, 
that  an  Indian  named  Peter  Jethro  is 
mentioned  in  1676.  (See  Prov.  Paj)., 
1  :  358,  360.) 

Stony  Point.  This  name  is  given 
to  a  point  on  the  west  side  of  Back 


river,  between  the  mouth  and  the 
Three  Creeks. 

Upper  and  Lower  Weir.  The 
former  is  mentioned  Jan.  22,  1770, 
when  it  was  voted  to  build  a  new 
bridge  '"■  over  the  upper  ware,  so  calledi 
next  below  Capt.  Tho'  W^  Waldron's 
mills  at  Cochecho,  below  y*  lower 
falls."  This  weir,  of  course,  was  at 
the  lower  bridge  in  the  city  proper,  at 
the  foot  of  Washington  St.  The 
Loiver  Weir,  or  Ware,  as  it  was 
usually  called,  was,  it  is  said,  at  or 
a  little  below  the  foot  of  Young 
street. 

Swadden's  Creek.  (See  p.  248-9.) 
Philip  Swadden  was  in  N.  H.  as  early 
as  1633.      (Prov.  Pap.,  1  :  72.) 

Wild-Cat  Road.  This  road  leads 
from  Waldron's  Hill,  Barrington,  to 
the  district  derisively  called  "France," 
and  thence  to  Leathers  City.  Wild- 
Cat  Hill  is  about  half  a  mile  from 
Barrington  Post  Office. 


282 


Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


A  List   of  the  Lots  in  Franklin  City,  with  the  Names  of  their  respective 
Owners  when  first  laid  out : 

Levi  Dearborn. 
Benjamin  Butler. 
Richard  Hart. 
Thomas  Beck. 
Tobias  Tuttle. 
Timothy  Pinkham. 
William  K.  Atkinson. 
Benjamin  Moore. 
Isaac  Waldron. 
Timothy  Winn. 
Mark  Simes. 
Moses  Little. 
Benjamin  PIaskell. 
Samuel  Carter. 
Richard  Hart. 
Isaac  Waldron. 
Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 
Joseph  Smith,  Dover. 
Thomas  Cogsw^ell,  Jr. 
Nathaniel  Williams. 
Jeremiah  Stickney. 
James  Mc  Clary. 
Moses  Canney. 
Nathaniel  Williams. 
Francis  Cogswell. 
Greenleaf  Cilley. 
Edward  J.  Long. 
William  K.  Atkinson. 
Joseph  Parsons. 
David  Stone. 
Thomas  Leavit. 
Samuel  Hill. 

Abner  &  William  Blasdell. 
Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 
John  Locke. 
Carr  Leavitt. 
Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 
Samuel  Storer. 
John  Dearborn. 
James  H.  McClary. 
Cogswell  «fe  Pinkham. 
Isaac  Waldron. 
Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 


1. 

John  Rindge. 

44. 

2. 

Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

45. 

3. 

Daniel  French. 

46. 

4. 

Charles  Pierce. 

47. 

5. 

Isaac  Waldron. 

48. 

6. 

William  Robie,  Jr. 

49. 

7. 

William  K.  Atkinson. 

50. 

8. 

Edward  Gove. 

51. 

9. 

Thomas  Ham. 

52. 

10. 

Samuel  Sherburne. 

53. 

11. 

Nathaniel  White. 

54. 

12. 

Edward  Swain. 

55. 

13. 

Samuel  Hill. 

56. 

14. 

William  K.  Atkinson. 

57. 

15. 

Nathaniel  Upham. 

58. 

16. 

Moses  Canney. 

59. 

17. 

Joseph  Tilton. 

60. 

18. 

William  Cogswell. 

61. 

19. 

Thomas  Pinkham,  Jr. 

62. 

20. 

Thales  G.  Yeaton. 

63. 

21. 

Samuel  Sherburne. 

64. 

22. 

Capt.  Joseph  Smith. 

65. 

23. 

Stephen  Davis. 

66. 

24. 

Samuel  Sherburne. 

67. 

25. 

John  P.  Gilman. 

68. 

26. 

Richard  Hart. 

69. 

27. 

Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

70. 

28. 

Aaron  Wingate. 

71. 

29. 

Thomas  Furber. 

72. 

30. 

Richard  Dame. 

73. 

31. 

Noah  .Jewett. 

74. 

32. 

Moses  Little. 

75. 

33. 

Cogsw:ell  &  Pinkham. 

76. 

34. 

Samuel  Tenney. 

77. 

35. 

Andrew  Simpson. 

78. 

36. 

Ballard  Pinkham. 

79. 

37. 

Abner  Greenleap. 

80. 

38. 

Isaac  Lord. 

81. 

39. 

Joshua  Hartford. 

82. 

40. 

Ezra  Hutchings. 

83. 

41. 

Andrew  Simpson. 

84. 

42. 

Nathaniel  White. 

85. 

43. 

Nathaniel  Clough. 

86. 

Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 


283 


87.  Moses  L.  Neal. 

88.  James  Tisdell. 

89.  Richard  Dame. 

90.  Ephraim  Blasdell. 

91.  Samuel  Hill. 

92.  Thomas  Johnson. 

93.  Ebenezer  Grummet. 

94.  Samuel  Sherburne. 

95.  Thomas  Johnson. 

96.  Richard  Hart. 

97.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

98.  William  Robie,  Jr. 

99.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

100.  WiLLiAJvi  K.  Atkinson. 

101.  Isaac  Waldron. 

102.  Nathaniel  White. 

103.  Isaac  Waldron. 

104.  Nathaniel  Folsom. 

105.  Andrew  Simpson. 

106.  Benjamin  Deaiiborn. 

107.  Ebenezer  Smith. 

108.  Clement  Jackson. 

109.  Samuel  Tennet. 

110.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

111.  Moses  Canney. 

112.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 


113.  Thomas  Beck. 

114.  Moses  Canney. 

115.  Ebenezer  Chadwick. 

116.  Moses  Canney. 

117.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

118.  James  Tisdell. 

119.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

120.  Richard  Hart. 

121.  Ebenezer  Parsons. 

122.  Ebenezer  Smith. 

123.  Andrew  Simpson. 

124.  Coffin  D.  Norris. 

125.  Josiah  Bartlett. 

126.  Ephraim  Drew. 

127.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

128.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

129.  James  Laighton. 

130.  Greenleaf  Cilley. 

131.  Cogswell  &  Pinkham. 

132.  Nathaniel  White. 

133.  Nathaniel  White. 

134.  Jonathan  Cilley.    ' 

135.  William  Hooper. 

136.  Moses  Canney. 

137.  Samuel  Sherburne. 


Only  one  house  remains  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Franklin  city.  This 
was  conveyed  to  John  T.  Emerson  by  Ballard  Pinkliam  July  20,  1821.  The 
bill  of  sale,  still  extant,  specifies  it  as  a  "  dwelling  house  on  the  Franklin  Pro- 
priety, so  called,  being  the  house  I  lately  lived  in,"  etc.  This  house  was  taken 
up  Oyster  river  in  a  gundelow  and  became  the  residence  of  Mr.  Emerson,  whose 
descendants  still  own  it.  It  is  the  first  house  on  the  right  side  of  the  turnpike 
road,  below  Beard's  creek. 


284  Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover. 

ERRATA. 

Page  13,  2d  col.,  line  28,  for  "  trackt "  read  tract. 

"  40,  1st  col.,  line  19,  for  "  Matthew  Giles  "  read  Matthew  Williams,  who, 
according  to  the  early  records,  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  unfortunate 
propensities. 

"    67,  2d  col.,  line  30,  for  "  Dureseme  "  read  Duresme. 

"    88,  footnote,  for  "  asigner  "  read  a  signer. 

"    92,  footnote,  for  "  G.  W.  Tuttle  "  read  C.  W.  Tuttle. 

"    147,  2d  col.,  line  39,  for  "A  point "  read  A  brook. 

"  151,  footnote,  ^Nicholas  Medar  appears  to  have  been  the  grandson  of 
WiUiam  FoUet. 

"    198,  1st  col.,  line  39,  for  "  shore  "  read  share. 

"  213,  footnote,  "Union  Parish"  should  be  Parish  of  Unity,  which  is  men- 
tioned in  Humphrey  Chadbourne's  will  of  May  25,  1667. 

•'    225,  1st  col.,  line  29,  "  ahove  Hook  Island  Falls,"  should  be  below  them. 


The  accompanying  Map  of  the  Landmarks  in  Ancient  Dover  has  been 
specially  prepared  in  accordance  with  this  work  by  Harry  E.  Hayes,  A.  B.,  B.  S. 
of  Boston,  Mass. — but  of  Ancient  Dover  ancestry — a  graduate  of  Harvard 
University,  and  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  On  a  map  of  this 
size  only  the  chief  Landmarks,  of  course,  could  be  given,  but  the  situation  of  the 
remainder  can  be  easily  found  by  reference  to  the  text. 

The  plan  of  Franklin  City  has  been  reduced  from  the  original  plan,  drawn 
by  Benjamin  Dearborn  of  Portsmouth. 

That  of  the  Moat  is  from  a  drawing  made  about  fifty  years  ago  by  an  author- 
ized land-surveyor. 


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