USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Dunstable > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tyngsborough > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hudson > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashua > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Litchfield > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashville > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hollis > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Merrimack > History of the old township of Dunstable: including Nashua, Nashville, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, and Merrimac, N. H.; Dunstable and Tyngsborough, Mass > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18
In October, 1776, Gen. Blanchard was sent by the Legislature to recruit our regiments, which had been wasted by sickness, suffering, and de-
(1. Mrs. Adams's Letters, 85. 2 Gordon's History, 150.
(2.) 1 Belknap.
190
HISTORY OF
feat at Ticonderoga. In 1777, he was appointed Attorney General of the State, in conjunction with Col. Nathaniel Peabody, and is said " to have discharged his duties in a manner satisfac- tory to the Government, and advantageous to the people." (1.) January 6, 1778, he was appoint- ed a member of the " Committee of Safety" for the State, an office of unlimited responsibility and power, and which he held for a long period. (2.)
He was a delegate from this State, in conjunc- tion with Col. Peabody, to the Convention, which met at New Haven, January 1778, "to regulate prices," enforce the recommendations of Con- gress, and relieve the distress of the people; and he prepared a report to our Legislature accord- ingly. (3.) In 1784, soon after the adoption of our State Constitution, Gen. Blanchard was ap- pointed Judge of Probate for the County of Hills- borough, an office which he held nearly or quite up to the time of his death.
In 1787, during the confederation of the States, he was elected a delegate from this State to the Continental Congress. They were chosen annu- ally, and whether he was again elected and died in office is uncertain. (4.) Soon after the death of his father he was appointed agent, by the Masonian Proprietors, to manage and dispose of all the unsettled lands within the State of New Hampshire. The territory of this State had been granted originally, to Robert Mason, but after many years, finding that it yielded very little income and caused him much trouble, he disposed of the land, as far as it remained in his possession, to a company of individuals who were called the Masonian Proprietors. As their agent, Gen.
(1.) 3 Farmer's and Moore's Hist. Coll., 5.
(2.) 2 N. H. Hist. Coll., 39.
(3.) 3 Farmer's and Moore's Hist. Coll., 5.
(4.) 1 Belknap, 416.
191
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C.
Blanchard conveyed most of the lands within the State, and this circumstance caused that many of the original proprietors of a very large number of towns resided here, and from this town were drawn many of their first settlers.
Gen. Blanchard died in this town and is buried in the Old South burying ground. He married Rebecca Farwell, who died August 20, 1811, and left five children, one only of whom is now living.
In 1790, the population of the town was 632. In 1792, died Jonathan Lovewell, Esq., aged 79. He was a brother of Capt. Lovewell, " The Indian Fighter," and of Col. Zaccheus Lovewell, and was born in this town, May 14, 1713. Early in life he took an active part in town affairs, and became one of the proprietors of "common lands " in the township of Dunstable. For many years he was proprietor's clerk, and a magistrate under the crown. About the year 1746, under the preaching of Rev. Mr. Kirk, he became a convert to the doctrine of the "New Lights," as the followers of Whitefield were then called, and soon after became a preacher. This probably, however, was of short duration, as he never left town, and in 1755, he was commissary of the New Hampshire regiment, sent out against Crown Point, under the command of Col. Joseph Blanch- ard. A gun taken from the French during that campaign, and brought home by him, is still in the possession of the family.
In the earliest stages of the Revolution, Mr. Lovewell was an ardent and efficient friend of liberty. In April, 1774, he was chosen agent of the town to petition the General Court for leave to send a Representative, a privilege which they had not hitherto enjoyed. In September, 1776, he was chosen a delegate to represent the town in the Convention holden at Exeter, for the
17
192
HISTORY OF
purpose of sending a delegate to the First Conti- nental Congress, to be holden soon after at Phila- delphia. These were the first steps towards In- dependence.
January 9, 1775, Mr. Lovewell was chosen a member of the "Committee of Inspection " for the town, to see that none of the inhabitants purchased or used British Goods. February, 1776, he was chosen a member of the " Commit- tee of Safety" for the town, a situation of no little trust, and continued a member of almost every such Revolutionary committee during the war. These committees were of the highest utility in diffusing information, and in exciting and concentrating the efforts of the patriotic, and demanded men of great energy and decision .- June 20, 1777, he was chosen a member of the " COMMITTEE OF SAFETY" for the State, and served in that capacity until January 5, 1779, about which period the necessity for the exercise of their functions in a great measure ceased.
April, 1778, he was chosen a member of the Committee to " assist" the delegates from this town in the Convention for framing a Constitution for the State. In 1781, he was chosen a member of the committee which formed our present State Constitution. After its adoption he was appoint- ed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for this County, which office he held for several years. He lived and died unmarried.
CHAPTER XIV.
HISTORY OF NASHUA VILLAGE.
For a number of years little occurred in the history of the town which would be of general interest. It was slowly recovering from the effects of the war, and its exhausting sacrifices. About 1795 the first stage coach was put upon this road, and was an occasion of great public inter- est. It was a two horse covered vehicle, owned and driven by Mr. Joseph Wheat, and ran from Amherst to Boston and back again once a week. It stopped at Billerica over night, making the trip both ways in about four days. They had not then learned the advantages of changing horses, and the same team performed all the journey. People came from a distance of sever- al miles to look at " the stage," and gaze upon it with the same feeling of wonder that they now do upon a locomotive engine.
About this time the locks and canal around Pawtucket Falls were built, and boating upon the Merrimac began. At this time there were no dwellings where our village now stands, and but one or two at the Harbor.
In 1800 the population of Dunstable had in- creased to 862. In the spring of 1803 a Canal Boat was built in the village, by Robert Fletcher, Esq. It was a singular structure, having sides five or six feet in height all around it, and doors,
-
15
194
HISTORY OF
and was looked upon as "a wonder." It was the first canal boat ever built in this vicinity for the regular transportation of goods, and the fact was considered of as much importance to the infant village as the opening of a railroad at the present day. It was launched on the Fourth of July, which was celebrated by a public meeting, and an oration by Daniel Abbot, Esq. (1.) - There was a great gathering of the people, and great rejoicing. Already was it a place of some trade, and the more sanguine saw in imagination its trade and population doubled or even trebled. The landing was on the Merrimac near the mouth of the Nashua, and a store was there erected .- The boat was christened " the Nashua," with much parade, and the village which had until then been called "Indian Head," received the name of NASHUA VILLAGE. (2.) That may be
(1.) This oration was printed.
(2.) This name is found in Winthrop's Journal, both in its present usual orthography and in other forms, as applied to an early settle- ment on the Nashua river, now Lancaster, Massachusetts.
In 1648, "Others of the same town (Watertown) began also a plantation at Nashaway, some 15 miles N. W. from Sudbury."
In 1644, " Many of Watertown and other towns joined in the plantation of Nashaway," &c. Winthrop's Journal, Vol. II., pages 152, 161.
In a note to the passage last quoted. the editor, Hon. James Sav- age, says : - " From our Col. Rec. II. 57, I find 'the petition of Mr. Nathaniel Norcross, Robert Chide, Stephen Day, John Fisher and others for a plantation at Nashawake is granted, provided that there shall not be more land allotted to the town, or particular men, (not- withstanding their purchase of land of the Indians,) than the Gen- eral Court shall allow.'"
In the following entries by Winthrop, in 1648, the name appears to have been spelt as usual at present :
" This year a new way was found out to Connecticut, by Nashua, which avoided much of the hilly way.
" The magistrates, being informed at a court of assistants that four or five Indians who lived upon the spoil of their neighbours, had murdered some Indians of Nipnett, who were subject to this government, and robbed their wigwam, sent twenty mnen to Nashua, to enquire the truth of the matter," &c. Journal, Vol. II. page 325.
In the Appendix to the same volume, page 394, the editor gives the former name of Lancaster as Nashoway.
195
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C.
considered the birth-day of Nashua, and forms an important epoch in its history.
Let us endeavor to picture to ourselves Nashua Village as it appeared July 4th, 1803. A large, one story dwelling house stood on the site of the Indian Head Coffee House, (of which it now forms a part) and was kept as a tavern by Timo- thy Taylor, Esq. A large, one story store, owned and conducted by Robert Fletcher, who resided in Amherst, stood where Kendrick & Tuttle's store now stands. Abbot and Fox's office was a dwelling house occupied by "uncle " John Lund, his brother and sisters. A dwelling house, three stories in front and two in rear, had just been erected by Mr. Fletcher, but was then unfinished. It stood on the north-east corner of Main and Franklin streets, opposite the Bap- tist meeting house, and here upon a temporary platform the oration was delivered. The Amherst and Concord roads with Main street, and a road down the northern bank of the Nashua to the Boating house and Ferries were all the highways then existing.
At the Harbor the dwelling house of Gen. Noah Lovewell, now occupied by Hon. Jesse Bowers, with two other small houses on the south side of Salmon Brook, were the only buildings. As the greater part of the inhabitants lived west and south of this, the meeting house was built on the little triangle in front of Silas Gibson's house. Here was the largest village in town, a tavern, store, shops, and dwellings, and here resi- ded the physician and the lawyer, (Mr. Abbot.) But in September, 1803, the "Old Tontine," the long, low, building at the head of Main street, in Nashville, was built, and soon after occupied by Mr. Abbot, (who removed here Dec. 1, 1803; ) Dr. Elias Maynard, physician ; Dea. James Pat-
*17
196
HISTORY OF
terson, bookbinder, and a Mr. Clements, saddler. There was no dam across the Nashua, and its waters flowed far down its natural channel over its rocky bed. The "pilgrims" who then set- tled here must have seen some light from the future breaking through the surrounding dark- ness, for there was not a building between Salmon Brook and Nashua river, and a broad, unfenced, desolate, white-pine forest spread in every direc- tion beyond.
In 1803 a Post Office was first established in town, and Gen. Noah Lovewell appointed Post Master. Previously letters for this town were re- ceived from the Post Office at Tyngsborough. (1.)
In 1804 a farther impulse was given to the growth and business of the village by the com- pletion and opening of the Middlesex canal .- This opened a direct channel of communication with Boston, and rendered the place, as the head of navigation, one of considerable trade. Hith- erto the principal markets of this region had been Haverhill and Newburyport.
From this period the growth of the settlement was gradual, but constant. The whole plain, upon which the village stands, was covered with its native growth of pines, and was considered generally of but very little value. "Dunstable Plains" were often the subject of much merri- ment, and seemed to some the embodiment of the idea of poverty of soil. It is said that some wicked wag, in our Legislature, once undertook to disparage our soil, declaring that "it would not support one chipping squirrel to the acre ;" but this, as well as the story that " a grasshopper was once seen perched upon the top of a dry mullen stalk, with the tears rolling down his cheeks, looking in vain to discover one stalk of
(1.) See history of the Post Office in Appendix.
197
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C.
green grass," is a grievous slander, and a device of the enemy.
The soil of our plains was, indeed, naturally sandy and barren, and of little value for culti- vation when other and more desirable locations for tillage were scattered all around. From this circumstance, we may believe the statement to be quite credible, that the rise of Main street from the Bridge over Nashua river, to the present place of Messrs. Kendrick & Tuttle's store in Nashville, was "the worst hill between Amherst and Boston."
We must remember, however, hat a great change has taken place in its appear- ance and situation. The present bridge is raised some twenty or twenty-five feet above the old one, the water under the present bridge being not the natural stream, but a pond occasioned by the damn at Indian Head, and many feet in depth .- While the bridge has been raised many feet and the road filled in accordingly, the slope of the hill on either side of the river has been cut down, and graded, so that the ascent now, in either direction, is comparatively slight.
In 1812, the old meeting house, which stood in the little square in front of the Gibson tavern, and which had been standing there more than sixty years, had become too old and dilapidated to answer the purposes of its erection. A new and more costly house was built accordingly, nearly half a mile northerly of the old one .- "This is the one now called " the Old South," and was dedicated November 4, 1812, upon which occasion the sermon was preached by Rev. Hum- phrey Moore, of Milford. (1.)
November 3, 1813, Rev. Ebenezer P. Sperry was ordained, as the colleague of Rev. Mr. Kid- der. He remained in Dunstable until April.
(1.) This sermon was printed.
198
HISTORY OF
1819, when he was dismissed, and has been Chap- lain of the House of Correction, at South Boston. During his ministry, September 6, 1818, Rev. Mr. Kidder died, aged 77, on which occasion a discourse was delivered by Rev. H. Moore. (1.)
About 1817, a dam was thrown across Nashua river, a few rods above Main street; a Grist-mill erected at one end of it by Dea. James Patter- son, and a saw-mill at the other by Willard Marshall. Some time after, another dam was built near the spot, where the present dam of the Jackson Company stands, and a mill erected .- At this time the village had increased so much that it contained about a dozen or twenty houses, and being a central thoroughfare had become a place of considerable business. The population of the town was 1,142.
In 1820, when the census was taken, there were returned from Dunstable : 1 meeting house ; 9 school districts and school houses; 6 taverns; 5 stores ; 3 saw mills ; 3 grist mills ; 1 clothing mill; 1 carding machine; 2 bark mills; 3 tan- neries.
Soon after 1820, public attention began to be turned towards manufactures. Many years pre- viously Judge Tyng, of Tyngsborough, in a conversation with George Sullivan, predicted that the valley of the Merrimac would be a great manufacturing region, and he pointed out the locations at Lowell, at Nashua, and at Amos- keag. (2.)
It was considered a visionary idea, but what was then prophecy is now history. The erection of mills at Lowell awakened the minds of enter-
(1.) This discourse was also published, and appended to it is a short sketch of the Ecclesiastical history of the town, drawn by up Rev. Mr. Sperry.
(2.) My authority for this statement, is his grand-daughter, Mrs. Brinley.
199
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C.
prising men and of capitalists, to the manufac- turing advantages of other places. The leading citizens of the town seem to have been pecu- liarly far-sighted, public spirited, and energetic, and the manufacturing capacities of Nashua river did not escape their notice.
The idea, which first suggested itself, was that of building mills at Mine Falls ; the water power was great, and a saw mill had been erected there at a very early period, probably before 1700. It was not, however, for some time that the idea occurred to them of erecting the mills upon their present location, and building up a village here, by bringing the water from Mine Falls by means of a canal. It was a great undertaking, and of doubtful result, but a survey was made, and its practicability ascertained.
The few individuals, who had conceived the idea, formed an association, and in 1822 and 1823, purchased the greater portion of the lands in and around the village, and up to the Falls .- In June, 1823, a charter was granted to Daniel Abbot, Moses 'Tyler, Joseph Greeley, and others, by the name of the "Nashua Manufacturing Company," with a right to increase their capital to one million dollars. The capital stock was at first fixed by them at $300,000 : and was divided into three hundred shares, of $1,000 cach. Of these Daniel Webster took 60 shares ; Daniel Ab- bot 30 shares; J., E. & A. Greeley 30 shares ; Augustus Peabody 75 shares ; Benj. F. French 30 shares ; Foster & Kendrick 30 shares ; John Kendrick 15 shares; Moses Tyler 30 shares.
In 1824, a considerable portion of the stock was disposed of to capitalists, and the works were commenced. The dam at Mine Falls was built, and the excavation of the canal began under the superintendence of Col. James F. Bald-
200
HISTORY OF
win. This canal, which supplies the water for the factories of the Nashua Manufacturing Com- pany, is about three miles in length, 60 feet wide, and 6 feet deep, and affords a head and fall of about 33 feet. Ira Gay, Esq., was also engaged as machinist, and Col. William Boardman as wheel-wright and engineer ; and the first Factory was commenced. December 25, 1824, the Ma- chine Shop was completed and went into opera- tion. The works advanced. Mill No. 1, of the Nashua Corporation was erected and went into partial operation in December, 1825, and into full operation in 1826.
In December, 1824, a charter was obtained by the Nashua Manufacturing Company for the pur- pose of building "a canal with the necessary dams and locks " to connect the Nashua with the Merrimac. They were built in 1825, and opened for the transportation of goods in the spring of 1826. The lower dam across the Nashua was built at this time. The Locks are of solid stone, 24 feet high; each lift being ten feet wide and eighty-two long. They were built under the su- perintendence of Col. Baldwin, and cost $20,000. The canal dam cost a further sum of $10,000 .- This canal was of very great advantage to the rising village, which was now becoming the cen- tre of business for the neighboring towns, by af- fording such increased facilities for the transpor- tation of goods and produce, and its beneficial effects were soon sensibly felt in the increase of trade and enterprise.
In May 1825, a portion of the lower water priv- ilege, now occupied by the Jackson Company, was sold by the Nashua Manufacturing Compa- ny to Charles C. Haven and others, who were incorporated by the name of the "Indian Head Company," for the purpose of erecting Woollen
201
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C.
Factories. Their works were commenced imme- diately, and went into operation in 1826, under the agency of Mr. Haven.
In 1825, the meeting house, now occupied by Rev. Mr. Richards's Society, was erected by the Nashua Company ; and November 8th. 1826, Rev. Handel G. Nott was settled over the church and society, which had been destitute since the dis- mission of Mr. Sperry, a period of eighteen years. In 1834 the society was divided, in consequence of a change in the sentiments of their pastor, and the church, in its organized capacity, under the name of the "First Congregational Church in Nashua," left the meeting house in possession of Rev. Mr. Nott's society, and worshipped for a time in Greeley's Hall. They invited Rev. Jon- athan McGee to become their pastor, and his in- stallation took place January 1, 1835. During the same year a spacious meeting house was erected at an expense of more than $10,000 .- June 8th. 1842, Mr. McGee was dismissed and Rev. Matthew Hale Smith was installed October 19th. of the same year. Mr. Smith was dismiss- ed August 20th. 1845, and Rev. Samuel Lamson, the present pastor, was installed April Sth. 1846. This church consists of 450 members, and has connected with it a Sabbath school, which usual- ly numbers more than 300 scholars. There is a library for the use of the school. There are two benevolent societies sustained by the ladies, a Maternal Society and a Young Men's Missionary Association. Contributions are annually taken up in aid of the following objects : the Foreign and Home Missionary, the Education, Bible, Tract and Seaman's Friend Societies. with other occasional objects of benevolence.
A portion of the church, embracing 142 members, remained with Mr. Nott's society, and formed a
202
HISTORY OF
new church, which was organized Oct. 26, 1835, under the name of the "First Congregational Church in Nashua Village." Feb.9, 1846, the name of this church was changed to " Olive Street Con- gregational Church." Shortly after the change in Mr. Nott's views, he withdrew from his con- nection with the church and society, and Rev. Austin Richards, the present pastor, was install- ed April 6th. 1836. The number of church mem- bers at the present time, (1846,) is 506. The Sabbath school contains 500 scholars, and has a library of 409 volumes. With the exception of the Ladies' Charity Circle and the Seaman's Friend Society, there are no regularly organized benevolent societies distinct from the church, but contributions are taken up during each year for the benefit of the Foreign and Home Missionary, the Tract, Bible, Education, Sabbath School, Sea- man's Friend, and Foreign Evangelical Societies.
In the Fall of 1824 and spring of 1825, fifty new tenements or more had been erected, and all was bustle and prosperity. In 1825 a new bridge was built over the Nashua river in Main street. in consequence of the raising of the water by the dam at Indian Head. Lots of land were selling at the rate of " about $1,000 per acre," according to the report of the Directors for that year.
In 1826 a charter was granted to several indi- viduals, by the name of the " Proprietors of Tay- lor's Falls Bridge," for the purpose of building a bridge across the Merrimac. At this time the people crossed by a ferry, there being no bridge across the river between Lowell and Amoskeag. This bridge was completed and opened for public travel the same year. It is thirty-three rods in length, and its total cost was about $12,000. It was no small undertaking in the then feeble state of the village, and was deemed by many persons
NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 203
a hazardous investment, but the prosperity of the place required it, and success has rewarded the effort.
In the winter and spring of 1827, the Unita- rian church was erected. The society enjoyed preaching in 1824; and from 1825 to 1826, hired and occupied the meeting house built by the Nashua Company. June 27, 1827, the church was dedicated, and Rev. Nathaniel Gage ordain- ed. In 1834 Mr. Gage asked a dismission ; and in 1835, Rev. Henry Emmons was ordained as pastor. In 1837 Mr. Emmons also asked a dismission, and May 16, 1838, Rev. Samuel Os- good was ordained ; In December 1841, Mr. Os- good requested a dismission, having received an invitation to settle at Providence, R. I. From this time the society was without a settled min- ister until October 25, 1843, when Rev. A. C. L. Arnold was ordained. He was dismissed August 25, 1844. Rev. S. G. Bulfinch, the present pas- tor, was installed September 17, 1845. The
Sabbath School consists of 112 pupils. There is a S. S. Library containing about 400 volumes, and a Church Library of 180 volumes. A Be- nevolent Circle is sustained by the ladies of the society.
March 19, 1835, the proprietors appropriated the grounds around the meeting house to the purpose of a burial place, under the name of the Nashua Cemetery. Of this an account will be given in the Appendix.
In 1827, Mill No. 2, of the Nashua Corporation was built and went into partial operation, and into full operation in 182S. Mill No. 3, was built in 1836. Mill No. 1, is 155 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 5 stories high. It contains 6,784 spin- dles, and 220 looms, manufacturing No. 14 shirt- ings and drills. Mill No. 2, is 155 feet long, 45
18
204
HISTORY OF
feet wide, and 6 stories high. It contains 12,- 170 spindles, and 315 looms, which manufacture No. 24 printing cloths and jeans. Mill No. 3, is 160 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 5 stories high. It contains 6,400 spindles, and 205 looms, and manufactures No. 14 sheetings. Mill No. 4, was built in 1844, and was put into operation in De- cember of the same year. It is 198 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 5 stories high, and contains 6,720 spindles, and 200 looms, manufacturing No. 12 sheetings. The whole number of spindles in the four mills is 32,074, looms 940. Number of fe- male operatives 835. Number of males 225 .- These mills manufacture 11,500,000 yds. of cloth per annum ; and use 8,000 bales of cotton, weigh- ing 3,250,000 lbs., 150,000 lbs. starch, 8,000 gal- lons sperm oil, $1250 worth leather, 700 cords of hard and pine wood, annually. There are 48 tenements for overseers and boarding houses, and two brick houses for the agent and clerk. Thom- as W. Gillis, Esq., is the agent ; J. A. Baldwin, clerk. The capital is $800,000; the number of shares 1600, at $500 each.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.