A history of Walpole, New Hampshire, Volume I, Part 1

Author: Frizzell, Martha McDanolds, 1902-
Publication date: 1963
Publisher: Walpole, Walpole Historical Society
Number of Pages: 786

USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Walpole > A history of Walpole, New Hampshire, Volume I > Part 1

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.

W16f

1273794

CHARLESTOWN

Transmission

Lines

OCray Pond

PHennessy Pond

NORTH WALPOLE !! INSERT 11

LANGDON Line

yan RR Br

Canal VILASS BRA

Round

House

z. Table *Rock

===

Falls

Cold

River

TOWN DUMP

DREWSVILLE

123

COLD

---

RIVER

Brewery Rd.

St. Peter's HAJCemetery

Gf Drewsville Cemetery HITCHCOCK MT.

PAINT MINE HILL

Hatchs' ·Correr

Four Corners

Kilburn Marker

BLANCHARD

FALLS/

Valley Road

Py =4114M

CHENEY

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

WALPOLE, N.H. 1962

By sections

E BELLOWS FALLS VERMONT in the town of ROCKING HAM

(Mt Kilburn)

= To Langdon

Great Eddy 1

SULLIVAN COUNTY CHESHIRE COUNTY

To ALSTEAD

Cold River Rd.

GRAVEL PIT

State Road

DREW MT.

CONNECTICUT RIVER

FALL/MOUNTAIN

NORTH HALF OF TOWN

M. L.,

974.202

v.1

Burroughs BR.

na's Brook

Ine Ri.

ARCH BRIDGE

Governor's

Cheney

DODGE TAVERN

ROYCE MD

TRANSMISSION LINES

WESTMINSTER, VT.

Mill

Pond

Village cemetery

Village Bridge

Mad

& BR.

North ML

Reservoir

RAMSAY HILL

Maple= =

lliams) Bra

====

Suga

iar (March) Brook

SUGAR LOT HILL

con Rd.

STANSBURY PILMACLE

RIVER

KINGSBURY

Thomp

Kingsbury Rd

HILL

Great

DERRY HILL

Dick Graves Rd.

John Graves Pond

MilliRd.

Boston dhd Maine R. R.

Rt 12 under

River Road

March Hill Rd.

3 1833 01188 5024

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Wentworth

County Rd.

Rd.

New Keene Rd.

===

Road

WALPOLE VILLAGE

Prospect Hill

INSERT

my Rav

UT Brook

Buttern

= =

D'winnell Is.

construction

Foster !!

Brak

Please check for one map in pocket on back cover after

Sikes Brook

Hubbard Road

Hew tt Pord

Hubbard BR.

Holland BR.

CTFAR

Rd. ==

Sabin Rock

Reservoir =====

Ramsay Hill Road

EATON HILL

each use

Grove Rd.

Fisher

Hooper

INNECTICUT

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019

https://archive.org/details/historyofwalpole01friz

A HISTORY OF WALPOLE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

TRY HOTHIA

Howard Sanden 1962.

The Old Academy

A History of d WALPOLE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

by Martha McDanolds Frizzell

RESEARCH Anita Houghton Aldrich

DRAWINGS Howard Sartwell Andros

MAPS Mary Anna North Tatem

VOLUME I WALPOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY · TOWN OF WALPOLE 1963

THE HISTORY COMMITTEE Anita Houghton Aldrich Howard Sartwell Andros Martha McDanolds Frizzell Donald Eldred Hubbard Donald Hawkes Spitzli Mary Anna North Tatem

MANAGING EDITOR Donald Hawkes Spitzli

maisils

1273794 INTRODUCTION

Most of us are interested in people and what they have done, espe- cially if they are our own people. Many of us take more pleasure in find- ing a reference to an obscure ancestor who lived in a certain house at some particular time than in a scholarly historical discussion.

I am sure that no conscious effort was made, when this HISTORY was begun, to make it the history of every man who has lived in Walpole. It would have been easier to make a compilation of the public records of the prominent citizens who were vigorous, articulate and influential. There have been many of these in Walpole and we shall not neglect them. But somewhere along the way, and the way has been long, our in- formation became massive with the records of many citizens. While it was evident that we could not relate family legend about all who have lived here, it became our objective to have, somewhere in the book, a reference to everyone who has lived in the town.

Such an objective can never be accomplished fully. We believe we have included records for those who have owned homes, voted, been born or buried here. But the old records are not complete. Those who lived here briefly without owning a home, voting or making some mark will be missed.

We like to think that this HISTORY will be of particular interest and utility because of its chapter on Homesteads. We have endeavored to trace all the owners, with dates of ownership, of each homestead in the town. Occasionally we have met dead ends in the records or become confused in unrecorded transfers and inheritances. Anyone who has done work of this kind will understand our shortcomings.

Later on we shall endeavor to give specific credit to those who have helped prepare this HISTORY. Here I would pay tribute to the spirit which has made possible this work.

I would not know who first thought of writing a new "History of Wal- pole". I suspect that dozens of townspeople, while rereading ALDRICH have had the thought. But some of our people went to work, collected fragments of history which ALDRICH did not have, interviewed oldsters to winnow history from their memories, visited graveyards, toiled through county records, wrote of their church or society, dug through attics for old pictures, prepared an article for the Town Warrant, voted for that article, typed, proofread. However the spark was started or by whom, at the right time it ignited an interest which spread to envelop us all. If you live in Walpole in 1963 and are interested enough to be reading this HISTORY there is a probability that you helped in its preparation.

DONALD HAWKES SPITZLI

TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I

CHAPTER

PAGE

I WALPOLE AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS

History by Decades

II HOMESTEADS AND LAND RECORDS

112

III TOWN BUSINESS AND SERVICES

447

Town Meetings

447

Schools

469

Libraries

497

Fire Protection

502

IV WATERWAYS

508

New Hampshire-Vermont Boundary

509

Log Drives

514

Bridges

518

Tributaries

524

North Walpole Water System

529

Village Water System 535

V BUSINESS 542

Agriculture 542

Mercantile 569

Manufacturing

580

VI ORGANIZATIONS

593

VII CHURCHES

612

APPENDIX

645

BIBLIOGRAPHY 67]

VOLUME II GENEALOGY AND INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We have been fortunate in having in Walpole a person so keenly interested in people, their houses, tradition and their interrelation that we called upon her constantly for clarification, explanation and her ever-willing help. We acknowledge the debt we owe to

EDITH COLE TIFFANY

DRAWINGS

PAGE

The Old Academy-Frontispiece

Benjamin Bellows' Fort 1

South from Fall Mountain 52

Old Mellish Place

112

Old Harness Shop

133

Old Lucke House

150

Walpole Common

184

Old Wilbur Place

220

Old Robinson Tavern

269

Old Watkins Tavern

304

Maple Grove Farm

316

Old Stearns Place

327

Old Dodge Tavern

359

Old Wightman Tavern

371

Stone School, No. 2

447

Walpole Town Farm

457

Old No. 9 School 485

Old Village Bridge

508

Deep Hole

526

Cold River Bridge

529

Lane Mill by Esther M. Andros 539

Village Store, Drewsville 542

Sugar House

559

Colburn Mill 583

Stop Thief!

593

First Prospect Hill Meetinghouse 612

PHOTOGRAPHS

PAGE

SECTION I

Officials, People, the Square.

SECTION II

192

Houses.

SECTION III

288

Houses, Schools.

SECTION IV 384

Transportation, Business.

SECTION V 480

Waterways, Bridges, Agriculture.

SECTION VI 576

Churches.

MAPS

PAGE

WALPOLE AS IT IS Endpapers

ROADMAP, 1781 26

ROADMAP, 1796 28

ROADMAP, 1810 30

ROADMAP, 1858 32

FIRST MAP OF WALPOLE, 1766 115

WALPOLE VILLAGE

118

Homesteads #1-216.

TOWN, DETAIL A

202

Homesteads #232, 233, 238-249, 259-278, 284-312, 315-323, 326, 394, 397-400.

TOWN, DETAIL B

204

Homesteads #324, 325, 327-372, 375-380, 384-389, 395, 396, 413-415.

TOWN, DETAIL C

206

Homesteads #373, 374, 381-383, 390-393, 402-412, 416-464, 526, 527, 547-585.

TOWN, DETAIL D

208

Homesteads #523, 525, 537-546, 586-588, 594-649.

TOWN, DETAIL E

210

Homesteads #506-522, 524, 528-534, 536, 589-593, N1-N3.

TOWN, DETAIL F

212

Homesteads #217-231, 234-237, 250-258, 279-283, 313-314, 401, 403-411, 465-505, 535.

NORTH WALPOLE VILLAGE

410

Homesteads #N4-N238.

GUARANTORS OF PUBLICATION

Marion B. Babbitt Louis S. Ballam

Clifford A. Bellows

Guy H. Bemis

G. Leighton Bridge George L. Bridge, Jr.

I. Tucker Burr

Walter W. Buttrick, Jr. Cummins Catherwood

Edward L. Cutter

Ellen B. Endicott

Albert H. Fletcher

Bernhard D. Forbes

Lawrence W. Graves

Stuart R. Graves

George R. Harris

S. Trafford Hicks

Everett E. Houghton Austin I. Hubbard

Donald E. Hubbard

John A. Hubbard Oliver J. Hubbard Woodworth James

Harold T. Killeen

Leslie A. Neal

Harley W. Prentiss

Harold S. Putnam

Donald H. Spitzli

William H. Tatem

Thomas Turner

Malcolm D. Williams

Inthis field stood the Cabin of JOHN KILBURN The First Settler of WALPOLE in 1749

Here occurred his Heroic Defense against the

INDIANS August17th1755

וחזוי מחלותודנון

1167

Benjamin Bellows Fort

#47/

Chapter I WALPOLE AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS

I N 1724, when Fort Dummer was erected at Brattleboro, Vt., unbroken wilderness stretched north along the Connecticut to Canada, east to the settlements on the Merrimack and west to the Hudson. The country was inhabited only by wild animals and roving Indians who passed through the territory on hunting and fishing expeditions or on their way to the settlements to the south.

What is now included in the present town of Walpole was one un- broken forest, shading the deep rich soil. What is now called Derry Hill was thickly wooded with a heavy growth of beech, birch and maple. Boggy Meadow and the table-lands east were heavily timbered, mostly with stately white pines, towering, in many instances, to one hundred and fifty feet or more; while on the river bank monstrous elms and but- tonwoods luxuriated in the deep mellow soil. Fall Mountain also was covered with a heavy growth of white pines, which had perhaps with- stood the blasts of centuries.

Up until the year 1738 New Hampshire was a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By action of the General Court of Massachusetts in January 1735, surveyors and chainmen came to lay out townships from the Merri- mack west to the Great Falls of the Connecticut and south to the earlier grants. In 1736 Massachusetts granted the township of No. 3 (Walpole)

to John Flynt and others. There is no record of any further activity until March 28, 1738, when the grantees of No. 3 met at Concord, Mass., and chose a committee of seven (to have the assistance of a surveyor and others) to clear a way from Keene to the new town. On December 5, 1738, a report was made and accounts allowed. May we assume that the way cleared, though not more than a bridle path, followed what in later years became the Keene Road by the Merriam place (#354)?

No doubt the Farnsworths and others coming from Lunenburg fol- lowed this path on their way to settle No. 4 in 1740. Mrs. Johnson in her Narrative (p. 7) described her trip to No. 4 in 1744 as a cautiously trav- elled journey through the gloomy forest, guided by marked trees. Scat- tered along the way were a few solitary inhabitants who appeared the representatives of wretchedness.

Col. William Heywood in his Journal recounted travelling to and from Fort Dummer and No. 4, mentioning No. 2, but not mentioning No. 3 until August 1749 when he made an entry of seeing seven or eight guarded people at No. 3.

Following the activity of the grantees in 1738 the record is blank for thirteen years. The name of John Flint, who seemed to be the leader of the grantees, never appears again in the records after the meeting of 1738. He probably either died or sold his shares.

There is no indication that the proprietors ever again came to No. 3 although it is possible they came for reconnaissance late in 1751. At that time they made plans for settling the town, including the building of a mill either on Cold River or Beaver Brook (not identified). Since New Hampshire was no longer a part of Massachusetts but was a separate col- ony, the grantees, in 1752, petitioned for a New Hampshire grant but failed to get one.

Contemporary with the Flint grant, the General Court of Massachusetts gave to the governor, Jonathan Belcher, a grant of 1000 acres of which 600 acres lay on the east side of the river. This was surveyed by Rev. Ebenezer Hinsdale with Samuel Burr and Ephraim Kellogg as chainmen. It began at two butternut trees on the bank of the river at the lower end of the third intervale meadow below Cold River and extended about one and one-half miles up the river to another butternut tree. This included what is now Walpole. There is no record that Gov. Belcher ever occupied this land, but did he sell it, or some part of it, to John Kilburn?

At that time conditions were such that one did not venture into the wilderness with hope of great reward, even though the land along the Connecticut was reputed to be well worth the effort. In addition to the

usual hardships two factors beyond the control of the grantees affected their project. The first was the uncertainty of their title due to the ter- ritorial dispute between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The second adverse factor was the unsettled situation between England and France who were on the brink of war. Although the Indians had been more or less friendly, French offers of rewards for scalps and prisoners made English life on the frontier hazardous at best. The war was finally de- clared by Great Britain March 29, 1744.

Even though Flint and his associates had not made a settlement at No. 3, there is evidence from the following account that there was already a settlement at Putney. Also, land was under cultivation on Boggy Meadow as early as 1745 for the Aldrich history states that on October 12 of that year a body of French and Indians, the latter twelve in number, attacked the garrison at Great Meadow (Putney) at noon. There was a brisk fight in which one Indian was killed, but the fort was so well defended that the enemy withdrew after fighting for an hour and a half. In lieu of vic- tory they killed and drove off most of the cattle and captured Nehemiah How who was cutting wood about 80 rods from the fort. As they led him along the west bank of the river, they espied "two men approaching in a canoe when they fired and killed one of them, David Rugg, and the other, Robert Baker, made for the opposite shore and escaped. The In- dians scalped Rugg and mounted the scalp on a pole and carried it through Charlestown in triumph to Crown Point. This David Rugg was the identical man (without much doubt) who, tradition says, was hoeing corn on Boggy Meadow and was shot by the Indians from the west bank of the river, and was buried on what is now called Rugg Meadow, near the river just opposite the lower farmhouse." (AH)

In Gathered Sketches (p. 62) we find the following: "The first civilized inhabitant of the present town of Walpole was John Kilburn who ar- rived in 1749. The large and fertile meadows at the mouth of Cold River, slightly covered with tall butternut and ancient elms, presented an inviting prospect and easy harvest to the hand of cultivation. Just above them, along the east bank of the Connecticut, was the defile, bounded by steep mountains, which formed the Indian highway to and from the settlement at No. 4 (Charlestown). There, too, was the head of shad navigation, the great fishing ground of the savages from time im- memorial. Next below this narrow pass by the river, and nearer the mead- ows, was the site of an ancient Indian village. Next on the south, and bounding the meadows northerly, was Cold River. The meadows them- selves were about a half mile in extent, bounded on the east by a steep

wooded bank forty feet high. It was here the adventurous and hardy Kil- burn built himself a log hut, and here, with his family, he inhabited the solitude of the forest without any intercourse with friend or foe."

At this time there was to the north the fort at No. 4 and to the south were Hinsdale's and Bridgman's Forts at Hinsdale, Fort Dummer at Brattleboro, Vt., and two forts on the Putney meadows for the protection of Putney and Westminster. Keene had been settled in 1739; Chesterfield in 1736 and Westmoreland in 1741.

In February 1752 Benjamin Bellows obtained a charter to the town of Walpole from the governor of New Hampshire, and took possession, bringing his family here in 1753. About a mile and a half south of Kil- burn's cabin he erected his dwelling. "It was built sufficiently commodi- ous to be called a fort, and shaped like the letter 'L', being about one hundred feet in the arms and twenty feet broad, strongly built of logs and earth, and surrounded by a palisade." (AH 18)

From the top of the fort he had constructed a lookout into the forks of a large elm tree standing nearby, commanding an extensive view in all directions. There is said to have been another fort on the river bank near the Patch place (#528) to protect the settlers going to and from Westminster which was settled early. It appears that Col. Bellows drew at public expense men and supplies for his fort, including a heavy iron cannon.

At first Col. Bellows took his corn by boat to Northampton to be ground. As soon as he could acquire adequate help and materials, he built a mill at the foot of Blanchard Falls.

The affairs of the settlers in Walpole prospered until 1755 when this alarming event occurred. "One Flynt and Daniel Twitchell ... went back on the hill east to procure some ash timber for oars, and were both shot by the Indians; one was scalped, the other was cut open and his heart taken out, cut in pieces and laid on his breast. Flynt was buried on the spot; Twitchell, having friends, was carried away and buried else- where. The exact spot where Flynt was buried is about one and a half (or two) miles from Walpole village, on the Drewsville road, about fifteen rods from the corner of the first woods, and four rods west of the high- way" in a spot marked by a ridge of land. (AH 23)

"In the spring of 1755 an Indian by the name of Philip, who had learned just English enough to be understood, visited Kilburn's log house, under the pretence of being on a hunting excursion and in want of provisions. He was treated with kind- ness and furnished liberally with flints, meal and various other articles which he

asked for. Soon after his departure it was ascertained that the same Indian had visited all the settlements on the Connecticut River, with the same plausible story. The con- clusion was with Kilburn and his fellow-settlers that Philip was a scout employed by the enemy. This suspicion was soon after confirmed by intelligence received at all forts on the frontiers, through a friendly Indian, from Governor Shirley at Albany. He stated that four or five hundred of the savages were collected in Canada, whose object was to butcher the whole white population on Connecticut River. The settlers, and those of Walpole among the number, were startled by these tidings; but they were not disheartened.

"Kilburn proceeded to put up what defenses he could, adding a palisade of stakes around his cabin. On August 17, 1755, Kilburn, his 18 year old son John, a man Peak and his son, were returning from work about noon when one of them noticed among the alders bordering the meadow the red legs of Indians 'as thick as grasshoppers'. They hurried to the Kilburn cabin and began preparations for their defense, assisted by Mrs. Kilburn and daughter Hitty. As they watched the bank east of the house, they saw the Indians crawling through the brush, and as they crossed the footpath counted 197.

"At the same time Col. Bellows with about 30 men had been to his mill and was returning home, each with a sack of meal on his back. When his dogs began to growl the Colonel suspected the presence of Indians. He ordered his men to drop their meal, advance to the rising ground just above them, carefully crawl up the bank, spring to their feet with a shout and instantly drop among the tall ferns.

"The maneuver succeeded; the Indians rising in a semi-circle round the path ahead. The Colonel's men fired and so disconcerted the plans of the Indians that they darted away into the bushes without firing a gun. However, it was evident that the party was too numerous for the Colonel's men, so they made for the fort as best they could.

"The Indians then came out on the eminence east of the Kilburn cabin. Philip, as he was generally known, from behind a large tree called, 'Old John, young John, I know you; come out here; we will give you quarter.' 'Quarter,' shouted Kilburn, 'Quarter, you black rascals! Begone, or we will quarter you.'

"Disappointed in the response, Philip returned to the main body of his companions. After consultation they raised a blood-curdling war whoop. Kilburn, however, was able to get in the first fire and was confident that he brought down the extraordinarily large Philip. Now mustered in full force, the Indians rushed forward for the attack, riddling the cabin roof with their first fire. The firing continued while detachments butchered the cattle and destroyed the hay and grain.

"Inside the cabin the men kept their guns hot with incessant firing, taking careful aim to have every bullet tell, since the store was limited. The women helped with the loading and when the stock of lead grew scanty suspended blankets to catch the enemy's balls. These they melted and ran into new bullets.

"Several attempts were made to burst open the door, but for the most part the Indians kept behind stumps and trees. The incessant fire, however, was kept up until near sundown when they gradually retreated.

"How many of the Indians fell was never ascertained. Inside the cabin Peak only was wounded in the hip and for want of surgical aid died on the sixth day.

"Those at the Bellows fort could hear the incessant firing and were much concerned, but dared not venture forth. After the firing had ceased and darkness fallen, Peter

Bellows, with almost breathless silence, crept through the woods to learn the fate of the Kilburns."

This account is from the narrative as published 1826, said to have been written by Dr. Ebenezer Morse who gathered his information from the early settlers. (Gathered Sketches and Walpole As It Was and As It Is are based on the same source.)

An old St. Francis Indian, Joshark Noshark, living in New York State, many years later gave a full description of all that happened that day; the falls, the mountain, the mineral spring and the red and yellow paints which the tribe procured to decorate themselves when they visited the fishing grounds each year. He said that Philip was killed early in the battle and was buried south of the falls, a large flat stone placed over his grave. (Found when excavations were made in building the railroad.) He said that his tribe never attacked Walpole again because they believed that the Great Spirit frowned on their conduct toward Kilburn after his generous treatment of them.

In May 1888 an Indian skeleton was plowed up on the then George Jennison farm (somewhat to the south of the battle) under a pine tree by the roadside. It was in a sitting position, facing west, with a hole in the skull. Several were found in the same neighborhood during the building of the Cheshire Railroad. Arrowheads and other Indian relics were found frequently.

It has been generally understood that relations between John Kilburn and Benjamin Bellows were not the most cordial, each feeling that he had sole right to the town. Kilburn's right is supposed to have been bought from New York whose jurisdiction in Vermont was questionable, in New Hampshire non-existent. Bellows did deed two tracts to Kilburn, one near Cold River and one where Ira Hubbard now lives (#460). It may be noted that, even with the scarcity of men in town, John Kilburn was not included in the list of town officers until 1755. Many of the early office- holders were not even residents of the town.

DECADE 1760-1770

Up to this time Col. Bellows had shared the town only with the Kil- burns and his own family. Town meetings were perfunctory affairs to meet the terms of the charter and consisted of little more than election of officers. Between 1760 and 1770 the following families are known to have been in town, from the records of town meetings and from the limited land records of the period. Until Cheshire County was formed in

1771, land transactions were recorded in Rockingham County. Conse- quently, many were not recorded, while a few were later inserted into the Cheshire County records. Bellows seems to have sold lots by contract, reserving title until the terms of the contract had been fulfilled. Many names of early "owners" never appeared in land records, although they were referred to as owners in deeds for abutting property. Unless other- wise indicated, the following numbers refer to homesteads, not structures.

JOHN KILBURN had moved to the place where Ira Hubbard now lives (#460).

SGT. ISRAEL CALKINS next south of Meeting House on North Main Street, sold to JOHN FRENCH, SAMUEL CHASE bought 1762.

EPHRAIM BALDWIN at Mabel Cole's (#27), same house.

THE REV. JONATHAN LEAVITT, corner Main and Westminster Streets, Asa Baldwin had built.

ASA BALDWIN, either North Main Street or top of hill on North Road.

NATHANIEL HOVEY (1760) Main Street at foot of Prospect.

ABRAHAM SMITH, west side Wentworth Road near Trafford Hicks (#281).

DANIEL DENISON at Roentsch (#283); later north part of Country Club.

NATHAN DELANO, at Roentsch (after Denison).

TIMOTHY DELANO at Frank Lewis' on Wentworth Road (#284).

JOHN CHANDLER, 300 acre farm along river next to Westmoreland line.

ANDREW SPEAR, next north of Chandler (Constable 1763).

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.

A history of Walpole, New Hampshire, Volume I, Part 1

Author: Frizzell, Martha McDanolds, 1902- Publication date: 1963 Publisher: Walpole, Walpole Historical Society Number of Pages: 786

Author: Frizzell, Martha McDanolds, 1902-
Publication date: 1963
Publisher: Walpole, Walpole Historical Society
Number of Pages: 786