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A SYNOPTIC HISTORY OF THE GRANITE STATE BY JOHN HENRY BARTLETT
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 06800 4370
GC 974.2 B28S
To His Excellency, Hon, Ralph 7. Gates Governor of Indiana, Complements of tohult Bartlett Los. n.H. 1919-1920
A SYNOPTIC HISTORY OF THE GRANITE STATE
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019
https://archive.org/details/synoptichistoryo00bart
JohnHBartlett mor 1919-20
A SYNOPTIC HISTORY OF THE
GRANITE STATE
By John Henry Bartlett A Former Governor of New Hampshire Author of "Spice for Speeches," "Folks is Folks" "The Legend of Ann Smith," and "The Bonus March and the New Deal"
M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY CHICAGO
NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1939 BY JOHN H. BARTLETT
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
PREFACE
W E HAVE attempted in this volume to present a high- point outline of New Hampshire's history, calling it a "synoptic history" because it is but little more than a synopsis of what might well fill many volumes. We had in mind for readers-persons who have only snatchy minutes to read, yet who are naturally interested to possess a general mental picture of what their State, and its sons, have done in the long past of 325 years.
As New Hampshire is a State assembling a thousand inter- esting hills and mountains, so her history has many noble peaks which all of us are naturally desirous to see. A bird's-eye view of these historic peaks is the unique objective of this book-a sort of airplane flight over the past. Then, too, we have had twelve years of new historical landscape since Historian Pillsbury pro- duced those four excellent volumes entitled, "New Hampshire, Resources, Attractions and its People," which we have devoured ravenously.
In our swiftly flying journey over the past we have sought espe- cially to see strong men, and to record their names at unusual lengths, for New Hampshire's great characters deserve to be per- petuated more than scenery. We know that posterity will gene- alogize them all, one by one, in due time. We have also essayed to immortalize strong granite faces, as many as possible, of those who bore our state's burdens in the heat of our historic day. The work of earlier Historians, like Belknap, Charlton, Sanborn, Brewster, Adams and others, together with our many volumes of State papers and documents, our historic fiction and legends, and our poetry, these altogether have covered New Hampshire's past with a golden glow of historic richness, upon which students, dramatists, and special writers will dilate at leisure as long as time shall last. But just now we wish to scan only the beautiful summits and valleys of our history for the benefit of youth, newcomers and visitors-in short, for the casual of all classes,
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that they may imbibe something of the spirit of the great men in our history, many of whom became great in American annals, for, in truth, we have a wonderful historical inheritance, and all who would enjoy it should have an adequate knowledge of it.
We have not undertaken to cover the agricultural, industrial, or economic phases of New Hampshire's history. We have, however, paralleled her Government with the Federal Govern- ment-named her Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, and distinguished sons, here and elsewhere and given a glance at the 1939-'40 State Government and officials. This book might well be called a "Brief Governmental or Political History of New Hampshire." We have endeavored to be non-partisan and un- prejudiced in our choice of material, and in its narration.
We desire to express appreciation to the Henry B. Metcalf book, entitled "One Thousand New Hampshire Notables" for permission to re-photograph "cuts" in that excellent work. Also do we appreciate a like permission from the Lewis Historical Publishing Co., publishers of the Pillsbury History above referred to. We give credit to Rev. Alfred Gooding's "Theological History" for a portrait of Rev. Samuel Haven; to Ralph Syl- vester Bartlett for a portrait of Sir William Pepperell; to Brown's "History of Hampton Falls," for a portrait of the Rev. John Wheelwright; to the Prudential Insurance Company of America for portraits of Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, and Matthew Thornton; to Philip G. Clifford of Portland, Maine, for a por- trait of his grandfather, Justice Nathan Clifford; to George H. Moses for portraits copied from his book "New Hampshire Men;" to the "History of Rockingham and Strafford Counties" for portrait of John P. Hale; to the Portsmouth Public Library for similar assistance, and to assistance gained from Stackpole's excellent five volume "History of New Hampshire."
It was not practical to arrange the portraits with absolute chronology or even with logic, and men's faces may be found side by side whose lives were not. There should be no unfavor- able inferences drawn from such lack of logical arrangement, or from our selections or omissions, for we could select only a com-
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Preface
paratively few out of many thousands over 325 years of time. To us it will be interesting to see in the same book faces of New Hampshire men who lived 300 years apart. We have inserted no pictures on request or for pay.
We hope this book will help keep alive an interest in our State's most interesting history.
JOHN HENRY BARTLETT. September 8th, 1939.
CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I. Captain John Smith here in 1614. The "May- flower" and the "Jonathan." David Thompson arrived in 1623. Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter and Hampton settled. Royal Province created. John Cutts, first Royal Governor, 1679. .
I
CHAPTER II. Names of all Royal Province Governors. Indian massacres and Wars. Heroes. Witches. Gov- ernor Benning Wentworth removed by the King. Con- flicts with Vermont and Massachusetts on boundaries. . 8
CHAPTER III. John Wentworth Governor at 29. Stamp Act and Liberty Bridge. A Molasses party. Attack on Fort William and Mary. Dartmouth founded. Lex- ington, Concord and Bunker Hill. Governor John Went- worth banished. John Sullivan in the War.
CHAPTER IV. "Committee of Safety." First State Con- stitution. Weare, Chairman. Size of the State in 1775. Continental Congress. Declaration of Independence. Bartlett, Whipple, and Thornton, "Signers." .
I4
CHAPTER V. War in earnest. General John Stark. Scam- mel, Hale, Cilley, and Poor. John Paul Jones. The "Ranger," and "America." Yorktown. 23
I8
CHAPTER VI. Articles of Confederation. The Constitu- tional Convention. Langdon and Gilman "Signers." · 27
CHAPTER VII. The New Hampshire Convention. Names of all members and how each voted. The "Ninth State." The great victory won by New Hampshire. 30
CHAPTER VIII. Meshech Weare, first Chief Executive of New Hampshire. Langdon, second, Sullivan, third (2 terms), Langdon fourth, and Sullivan, fifth-called "Presidents." Washington elected President of the United States. Langdon United States Senator, Presi-
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dent pro tem of the first United States Senate. Presi- dent Washington in New Hampshire. 34
CHAPTER IX. Tories in New Hampshire. Political abuse of President Washington. General Dearborn in Jeffer- son's Cabinet. 4I
CHAPTER X. Dr. Josiah Bartlett elected Governor after Sullivan. Sullivan first U. S. District Judge. John T. Gilman, Governor eleven terms. John Langdon, Gover- nor four terms. . 43
CHAPTER XI. New Hampshire men in the War of 1812. Jeremiah Smith, Langdon, Plummer, Gilman, Governors. Gilman and the disloyal Hartford (Connecticut) Con- vention. General Miller at Lundy's Lane. Naval Bat- tles. . 45
CHAPTER XII. Samuel Bell, Governor. Monroe, Presi- dent. Levi Woodbury, Governor. Death of Adams and Jefferson. Pierce and Bell, Governors. 48
CHAPTER XIII. New Hampshire received $800,000 from President Jackson's Bank policy. Pierce, Bell, Dins- moor, Badger and Page, Governors. The Indian River Republic. . 50
CHAPTER XIV. Lewis Cass of Exeter carried New Hamp- shire for President. Daniel Webster, Secretary of State in Filmore's Cabinet. Hubbard and Steele, Governors. . CHAPTER XV. Franklin Pierce in Mexican War. Webster's death. Colby, Williams, Dinsmoor and Martin, Gover- nors.
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CHAPTER XVI. Franklin Pierce, President of the United States. An Administration of honest appeasement. .
58
CHAPTER XVII. New Hampshire had Dix in Buchanan's Cabinet and Chase in Lincoln's Cabinet. Baker, Metcalf, Haile and Goodwin, Governors. Lincoln in New Hamp- shire. . 60
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CHAPTER XVIII. Governor Goodwin called for volunteers to serve in Civil War. Secession. The Battles. Berry and Gilmore, Governors. 63
CHAPTER XIX. Bitterness against Lincoln. Amos Tuck defends him. A political coalition. 66
CHAPTER XX. Lincoln re-elected. Lee surrendered. Lin- coln assassinated. Johnson, President. New Hampshire heroes in the War. Gilmore and Smyth, Governors. 68 CHAPTER XXI. Impeachment trial of President Johnson. Chase and Grimes. Henry Wilson (New Hampshire born) elected Vice-President. Greeley (New Hamp- shire born) candidate for President. Jewell in Grant's Cabinet. Harriman, Stearns, Straw, West and Cheney, Governors. 7I CHAPTER XXII. William E. Chandler in the Hayes-Tilden contest. Prescott and Head, Governors. 73
CHAPTER XXIII. Chandler in President Arthur's Cab- inet, Garfield assassinated. Bell and Hale, Governors. . 75 CHAPTER XXIV. Benjamin F. Butler (New Hampshire born) candidate for President. Currier, Governor. In- surance Reform. . 76
CHAPTER XXV. Governor Sawyer vetoed a Railroad Bill for bribery. Goodell, Tuttle, Smith, Busiel, Governors. . 78 CHAPTER XXVI. How candidate William J. Bryan split up New Hampshire politics. Ramsdell, Governor. . 8I
CHAPTER XXVII. New Hampshire men in the War with Spain. Rollins, Governor. Admiral Dewey. Prisoners of War in Portsmouth Navy Yard. 83
CHAPTER XXVIII. Mckinley assassinated. Theodore Roosevelt, President. Jordan, Batchelder and McLane, Governors. Re-organization of the New Hampshire Courts. The new Courts.
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CHAPTER XXIX. Russian-Japanese Peace Conference at Portsmouth. McLane and Floyd, Governors. Theodore Roosevelt, President. Henderson Point. Salem Race- track. 88
CHAPTER XXX. Taft, President. Quinby and Bass, Gov- ernors. Railroad reform. Moses, Ambassador to Greece.
CHAPTER XXXI. Senatorial Deadlock. Hollis elected Senator. Felker and R. Spaulding, Governors. Mr. Lyford. 93
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CHAPTER XXXII. The World War. Keyes, Governor. Death of Sulloway and Gallinger. War casualties. Bur- roughs in Congress. 98
CHAPTER XXXIII. A list of Officers in the World War. Brigadier Generals, Colonels and Lieut. Colonels. . . IOI
CHAPTER XXXIV. A list of many Citations in the World War.
. 103
CHAPTER XXXV. The Armistice. Getting the Soldiers home. The Soldiers' Bonus. Memorial Bridge. New School Law. Woman's Suffrage. Bartlett (J. H.) Gov- ernor. Moses and Keyes, Senators. Mr. French. Dr. Bancroft. . . 106
CHAPTER XXXVI. Harding, President. Weeks in Cabi- net. A. O. Brown and Fred H. Brown, Governors. Morris, Judge. Hall, Naval Officer. Progressive State legislation blocked. . . II3
CHAPTER XXXVII. Harding's death. Coolidge, Presi- dent. Winant, Governor. Fletcher Hale elected to Congress. Deaths of Lyford, Woodbury, and Weeks. Winant and H. N. Spaulding, Governors. .
CHAPTER XXXVIII. The Hoover-Smith Campaign. The Depression crash. Death of Hale. Bartlett-Rogers
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Contest. Bartlett advocated Federal relief. The evacua- tion of Washington. I20
CHAPTER XXXIX. Franklin D. Roosevelt, President, on Relief issue. Brown defeats Moses for Senate seat. Winant, Governor. Governor Bridges abusive toward Roosevelt. Racetrack at Salem. I24
CHAPTER XL. Roosevelt carries New Hampshire for President. Murphy, Governor. Bridges, Senator. Roy- Jenks Contest. , I28
CHAPTER XLI. Governor Murphy re-elected. Aerial tram- way. Brown defeated and appointed Comptroller Gen- eral of the United States. Stearns and Jenks in Congress.
Tobey in the Senate. List of State Senators in 1939. . 130 CHAPTER XLII. List of State officials and their salaries. No "Civil Service." Republican control. I33
CHAPTER XLIII. New Hampshire and the Roosevelt Ad- ministration. . I38
CHAPTER XLIV. New Hampshire University. State Normal Schools. . 140
CHAPTER XLV. Bank Deposits in New Hampshire. . 143
CHAPTER XLVI. List of all Congressmen and Senators from New Hampshire. I44
CHAPTER XLVII. Courts and names of Judges. I49
CHAPTER XLVIII. Names of Attorney Generals. I55
CHAPTER XLIX. When each City and Town was incorpo- rated, and other facts about them. .
I56
CHAPTER L. The more distinguished sons of New Hamp- shire, at home and abroad. 165
CHAPTER LI. Some New Hampshire Authors. I72
CHAPTER LII. The Isle of Shoals and the submarine "Squalus." . I74
ILLUSTRATIONS
FRONTISPIECE . John H. Bartlett PAGE
CHAPTER I. I
Captain John Smith. Map of New Hampshire.
CHAPTER IV.
20
Benning Wentworth, John Wentworth and John Paul Jones; First State House; Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, and Mat- thew Thornton; Tobias Lear and John Stark and Gen. John Sullivan; John Langdon and Nicholas Gilman; Rev. John Wheel- wright, Sir William Pepperrell, Rev. Samuel Haven; Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, Gen. Henry Dearborn, Senator Jeremiah Mason and Gov. John T. Gilman.
CHAPTER XII.
48
Judge Jeremiah Smith, Gov. William Plumer, Senator John P. Hale and Gov. Charles H. Bell; President Franklin Pierce, Sena- tor Daniel Webster, Senator Lewis Cass and Editor Horace Greeley.
CHAPTER XVII.
60
Congressman Amos Tuck, Senator Gilman Marston, Gen. John A. Dix and Gen. Fitz John Porter ; Vice-President Henry Wilson, Gov. Anthony Colby, Gov. Ichabod Goodwin, and Gov. E. H. Rollins; Gov. Berry, Gov. Currier, Gov. Harriman and Senator Blair; Gov. Prescott, Gov. Straw, Gov. Weston, and Gov. F. W. Rollins; Gov. Stearns, Senator Patterson, Gov. Sawyer, and Ed- ward Tuck; Senator W. E. Chandler, Senator Gallinger, E. H. Pearson and E. C. Bean.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
84
Pres. Tucker, Pres. Murkland, Gen. J. N. Patterson and Charles A. Pillsbury ; Harry Bingham, Frank Jones, C. H. Bartlett and Dexter Richards; Frank P. Carpenter, Elisha R. Brown, A. W. Sulloway and Calvin Page; John W. Sanborn, James E. French, Gov. Batchelder and Henry M. Putney; Gov. Tuttle, Gov. John B. Smith, Aretus Blood and C. J. Hamblett; Sherman E. Bur- roughs, D. A. Taggart, E. H. Wason and E. F. Jones.
CHAPTER XXXI. .
92
Gov. Jordan, Gov. Floyd, Gov. Felker, and Gov. A. O. Brown;
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Illustrations
CHAPTER XXXI-Cont'd
PAGE
Gov. Bass, Gov. Quinby, Frank W. Sargent, and E. K. Wood- worth; Gov. Rolland Spaulding, Gov. Huntley Spaulding, Sena- tor Drew and James O. Lyford; Chief Justice John E. Allen, Chief Justice Henri A. Burque, C. A. Sulloway, M.C. and Fletcher Hale, M.C.
CHAPTER XXXV.
106
Gov. Keyes, Chief Justice Doe, Gov. Winant and Author Henry H. Metcalf; Judge Aldrich, Chief Justice Parsons, Rt. Rev. George A. Guertin, and Pres. E. M. Hopkins; Gov. J. H. Bart- lett and Council; Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, Senator Moses and State School Board of 1919.
CHAPTER L.
165
Justice Levi Woodbury, Justice Nathan Clifford, Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, and Justice Harlan Fiske Stone; Edna Dean Proctor, Marilla M. Ricker, Mrs. Frank S. Streeter, and Mrs. Blood French.
CHAPTER LII. .
Senator Hollis, Congressman Rogers, Gov. Fred H. Brown, and Congressman Stevens; Judge Remick, Gov. Tobey, John L. Sulli- van, and G. M. Putnam; Senator John W. Weeks, Dr. Bancroft, Robert C. Murchie, and Gov. Bridges; Gov. Murphy, Publisher John A. Muehling, B. W. Couch and E. L. Guptill.
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AIN OH
COVERNOR OF A
ADMIRAL OF NEW ENGLAND
SMITH'S ISL 3
THIE TABLET IS PLACED SOCIETY OF COLONIAL WANG EL IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 1914
THE CAP STONE AND BRONZE TABLET, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH MONUMENT, STAR ISLAND, ISLES OF SHOSIS, DEDICATED, JULY 29, 1914
...
State Highways
từ: Top of NEW ENGLAND
CHAPTER I
BLAZING A TRAIL
P LANNING to "take off" for a fast flight over New Hamp- shire's history, we might, in one view of the case, choose for our first flying field that place among the years when Columbus, from his antique conning tower, first sighted the out- lying islands of America, for it was then theoretically, at least, that everything American began, including our Granite State. Though that trailblazer did not himself see the 9341 square miles of mountains, hills, valleys, streams and woods that lie between the ocean and the beautiful Connecticut, yet, in the vast, vague picture before him was embraced all that we now call "New Hampshire," sleeping with her sister States, undisturbed in sol- itude, save only for the occasional sounds of wild life or the tread of a brave Algonquin. New Hampshire, though unmarked, was there then where she is to-day, then, however unharassed and unblessed by the doings of civilized people. From the airport of 1492 to the landing field of to-day we fly over 447 years, and that, in one view, is the age of New Hampshire. But, perchance, some captious historian breaks in on our revery and asks, "Why then omit the Norsemen, the Vikings, the mound-builders, or even geological ages?"
Since New Hampshire people are practical, above all things, let us, upon further reflection, place our birthday not in 1492, but in 1614,-more than one hundred years after the landing of that hardy Italian discoverer, for it was then, we read, that New Hampshire's shores and marshes began to be seen by European eyes,-the penetrating eyes of white folks, civilized and ready to establish abodes and churches, and prepared to found an Amer- ican civilization.
It was before 1620 that Martin Pring and Captain John Smith explored the coast we now call New Hampshire. Smith saw it, disembarked, drew a map of it, dated it 1614, and called it
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A Synoptic History
"North Virginia." The map showed the New Hampshire river and harbor. We recall that when the King saw the map he changed the name to "New England,-" a "New Deal," you see,-"Old" England to "New" England. Captain John sailed his English ship into New Hampshire's only harbor, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, in 1614. Now then, suppose we date the birth of our State as 1614, and so call her 325 years old in 1939, or three and one-fourth centuries. Isn't that date as reasonable as any?
Why it should have taken the European nations over a hun- dred years after Columbus saw America to begin colonizing it, is a question involving wars at home, transportational, com- municational, and financial considerations of that century. However, when the urge and opportunity to colonize did come, it broke with a bang, and all the European nations began simul- taneously, though a hundred years late, to brave and battle for the possession of America.
After a long period of discoveries by famed explorers, two friends of the King, Sir Ferdinand Gorges and Captain John Mason, took up with the Crown the question of colonization. They advised that he should at once possess New England, at least by right of discovery, and that he should convey it to them as an agency of the Crown, with a view of establishing title. The King did as advised. The agency created for this purpose was styled the "Council of Plymouth," because Mason was a resident of Plymouth, England.
The Mayflower Led the Way. What next? The Puritans, then cursed as religious refugees in Holland, strange to relate, were favored with a grant of the Massachusetts portion of New England. Banished Puritans, just at that crisis, were eager to go anywhere and to face any danger, if only they might worship God as they pleased,-at any rate, differently from the Church of England. Going to America, of course, was dangerous. The King's disposition towards them then was somewhat similar, we suppose, to Hitler's towards the Jews to-day. They were "banished." The Crown wanted disturbers purged. Gorges
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The Granite State
and Mason approved the King's idea to let the Puritans have a grant. Someone, they argued, must take the first big hazzard. Colonies were necessary,-settlers of any kind to hold the title to the land. You see, Gorges and Mason were interested financially. They were leading Directors in the Corporation.
So it happens that the Puritan leader, Captain Miles Standish, and his "Pilgrim band" (just 102) set sail in the Mayflower for America. They landed, theoretically, not actually, on that now famous "Plymouth Rock." This was on a cold and bleak December morning, the 2 Ist day of the month, in the year 1620. Alas what a fate befell them! Before blossoms came 53 of the 102 emigrants had died, yet the living, stout-hearted, carried on. One of the greatest tragedies in American history was thus enacted. That tragedy, we think, must have softened the King's heart a mite toward the Puritans.
David Thompson Pioneer. As to New Hampshire, we read that there were "three monied merchants" in Plymouth, England, who had a speculative style of mind, and who, having heard weird yarns of fabulous wealth in America, got hold of a young sea-going adventurer, of Scottish lineage, and made a "hook-up" with him. This fellow was named "David Thomp- son." He was told he could have a deed of land "free," if he would "go across and settle," and that he could make a lot of money. David, a man of action, became all "pepped up" for the scheme, although he had to convey a part of his new land, and a portion of his prospective profits to the three promoters in order to secure enough financial assistance to make the jour- ney possible. So they let him have a goodly ship and they loaded it with supplies and necessary things to keep him going after he arrived until he could make his own way fishing, farming and trading. Finally, this young man, David, sailed away with his young wife, and a crew composed of a few London fish- mongers. Friends were on the dock to see them off for a wild and perilous undertaking. Thompson had Smith's map of the Piscataqua before him.
"Six Thousand Acres and an Island." Let us explain
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A Synoptic History
that the "Council of Plymouth" had conveyed to him, "6,000 acres of land," and an "island." He was to select them, but they were to be somewhere in the vicinity of this New Hamp- shire river, as we interpret the deed. Gorges and Mason had some sort of a financial "line" on the situation. It is not easy to figure out just what. The deed to Thompson ran direct from the Corporation, yet Gorges and Mason, at a little later date, obtained from the same Corporation a deed of all (not a part) of New Hampshire and Maine, with no reservations of the Thompson land. Gorges and Mason dissolved partnership, Mason taking for his share New Hampshire, which was de- scribed as "from the Merrimack River to the Piscataqua," and running back indefinitely far. So, how about Thompson's title?
High-Pooped Bark "Jonathan." In whatever way that title tangle was ever unsnarled, the fact is that David Thompson and his party arrived in Portsmouth harbor, as now called, and dropped anchor in the "early spring of 1623!" He perambulated around for awhile, we suppose, and then selected for his "6,000 acres" the land on the southwest side of the river. It appeared to be pretty good. It had an acre or so of "cleared" land for tillage, a spring of drinking water and a beach, and near there was the "Great Island," now New Castle. So he began to unload and go to work. They erected a house out of sea stones. We do not see how he did it, or where he found the cement, if he had any. Probably he brought it, also tools and lumber. We forgot to say that his boat had these words "Jonathan from Plymouth, England" on its prow. It was described as a "high- pooped bark with an antique prow," which made the voyage worthily, we are told. The "Jonathan" has sometimes been styled "The New Hampshire Mayflower." The year 1623 is called the birth-year of our State, by historians generally.
The First Dwelling. This "Manor House" was large enough for his party to dwell in, but we have no record of the number in Thompson's party, or their names. They erected a salt-making shop, a fish house and a blacksmith shop. The
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The Granite State
fact is that this settlement, at just that spot, nearly all "petered out" in the course of some twenty or more years. But since writers began to pen for us descriptions of it,-writers who actually saw and remembered the buildings, and their ruins, and a small cemetery nearby, we have available evidence to make certain that this settlement was continuous until other people settled a mile farther up. Mr. Thompson with his wife and small child sailed away from there after some five years, and settled anew on an island in Boston harbor, still called "Thomp- son's Island." He must have swapped New Castle for it.
Of course, Thompson had a lonesome time of it, although he had an occasional "visitor," as ancient letters reveal. For instance, Captain Miles Standish cruised up to visit him at least once. Maybe he induced Thompson to go to Boston. Or maybe that baby of his, whom Standish saw, was born up there in the wilderness, and he wanted to bring up "John" under better conditions, or maybe the wife became ill. At all events, he went away from Pannaway, but left others behind and still others until the colony grew to become Portsmouth.
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