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1
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THE LAMSON COLLECTION UNIVERSITY OF N.H. DIMOND LIBRARY DURHAM, N.H.
Eben Flagy
HISTORY OF OLD CHESTER,
FROM 1719 TO 1869.
BY
BENJAMIN CHASE.
AUBURN, N. H. : PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 1869.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, BY BENJAMIN CHASE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of New Hampshire.
PRINTED BY JOHN B. CLARKE, MANCHESTER, N. H.
PREFACE.
In my youth I was accustomed to hear my father, and other aged people, relate the incidents of olden time, in which I was always interested, and therefore remembered. When Dr. Charles Bell's "Facts in Relation to the History of Chester" appeared in the seventh volume of the N. H. His. Soc. Coll., it was so small in compass, containing little or nothing respecting the Long Meadows, I thought of collecting and preserving the traditional history of that part of the town.
Upon mentioning the subject to the HIon. Samuel D. Bell, he insisted that we should have a history of the whole old town, and have it published, and wished me to undertake the work. I at first declined, but seeing that the alternative was presented of my doing it or having all the traditional part pass away and be lost, I at length consented, having the assurance of Judge Bell that he would aid me. He has done me the favor of perusing most of the work as it has been written, and has greatly aided by his advice and suggestions. Upon our comparing notes, our ideas have run nearly in the same channel. IIe furnished most of the mate- rials for the notice of the grantees of Chester. I greatly regret that he did not live to see the work completed.
I have endeavored to ascertain and show who the early settlers were, who their ancestors were, where they came from, the iden- tical spot where they settled, who their children were, and what became of them. To do this, it was necessary to examine thor- oughly the records of deeds and probate, and also to have a map of the town as laid out into lots, which is an important part of the history of the town. These locations are thus fixed for all time.
iv
PREFACE.
I am aware that many will object to so much space being taken up with the genealogy. It was according to my own taste and that of Judge Bell, and may be an aid to descendants of Cliester abroad, in tracing back their lineage. I have suppressed many dates, and much respecting the later generation which I had, or which was easily accessible, that many will yet wish had been printed. I have attempted to show how those pioneers lived, what they did, and the energy they exerted, &c., not in a poet- ical style, being sadly deficient in imagination, but by a plain statement of facts.
Where documents are copied, they are literal copies, capitals, orthography and abbreviations, and are indicated by quotation marks. I have used the orthography of names as found on the records from which I was copying. Judge Bell, when residing in Chester forty-five years ago, collected the tradition of some of the old families from Col. White and others, of which collection I have availed myself. Stephen Chase, Esq., kept a diary from 1784 to his death in 1819, from which I have derived a good deal of information. I would gratefully acknowledge the courtesies extended to me by those having charge of the various public offices I have had occasion to examine. I am greatly indebted to Capt. William F. Goodwin, late Librarian of N. II. ITis. Soc., for finding and copying documents in the Secretary's office. While all of whom I have made inquiries have treated me courteously, and cheerfully given such information as they possessed. I can- not refrain from acknowledging my great obligations to Miss Margaret Shirley for the information given respecting the ancient families; she and her sister having much more traditional knowl- edge than any other persons consulted. I am indebted to Henry MI. Eaton, Esq., for aid in putting the names of the carly settlers of Candia on the map, and also to John Brown, Esq., and the Rev. Joseph Fullouton for those of Raymond. Last, though not least, I would acknowledge my obligations to the compositors and proof-reader for their skill and patience in deciphering bad copy.
I lay no claim to literary merit for the work. There are, no doubt, many errors, some merely clerical or typographical; others, from uncertain and sometimes conflicting traditions ; and prob- ably I did not always understand the idea meant to be conveyed;
V
PREFACE.
besides, when I have made statements from my own recollection I may have fallen into error.
The work has greatly exceeded my expectations when I com- menced, and the labor of preparing it many times what I then anticipated ; but I have never regretted the undertaking. What- ever may be its merits or demerits, or the labor bestowed upon it, I have derived a great amount of satisfaction iu its compilation, and if the reader shall derive a quarter as much in reading it, he will be amply repaid for his money and time expended.
BENJAMIN CHASE.
AUBURN, N. II., May, 1869.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE The Proprietary History from 1719 to obtaining the Charter, May 8, 1721, 1
CHAPTER II.
The First Settlement and Laying out of the Lots, .
25
CHAPTER III.
Original Grantees and their Lots, . . 42
CHAPTER IV.
Settlement of the Lines, .
. 59
CHAPTER V.
Settling Ministers - Presbyterian Controversy - Closing the Proprie- . 69
tors' Affairs,
CHAPTER VI.
History of the Town of Chester from 1737 to 1773, . 89
CHAPTER VII.
History of the Town continued, from 1774 to 1800, . 128
CHAPTER VIII.
History of the Town continued, from 1800 to 1868, . 164
CHAPTER IX.
History of Roads,
·
191
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
History of Mills, . 222
CHAPTER XI.
Pauperism - Rates or Taxes -Mail and Stage Facilities, . 252
CHAPTER XII.
. Literary and Professional History, . . 272
CHAPTER XIII.
Ecclesiastical, Religious and Moral History,
. 315
CHAPTER XIV.
Military History,
. 365
CHAPTER XV.
How the Early Settlers Lived, or the Industrial History, . 409
CHAPTER XVI.
Town Officers, or Official History, . . 447
CHAPTER XVII.
Genealogical and Biographical History, .
. 462
CHAPTER XVIII.
History of Candia, . 632
CHAPTER XIX.
History of Raymond,
. 654
LIST AND LOCATION OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. The Map.
2. Portrait of the Rev. Ebenezer Flagg, opposite title page.
3. A Ground plan of the Old Meeting-house, 96
4. A View of the New Meeting-house, 122
5. A View of Long-Meadow Meeting-house, · 158
6. An Inside View of the Long-Meadow Meeting-house, 159
7. A View of the Congregational Church in Chester, 185
8. A Portrait of Dr. Nathan Plummer, 312
9. A Portrait of Dr. James F. Brown, 314
10. A View of the Congregational Church in Auburn, 346
11. A View of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Auburn,
12. Carding and Spinning Wool, Cotton or Tow, 417
13. Breaking and Swingling Flax, 419
14. Combing Flax and Spinning Linen,
421
15. An Old-fashioned Plow, 426
16. A Snow-shoe, 530
17. A Portrait of Samuel D. Bell, 704 -7 /
18. A Portrait of B. Pike Chase, 487
19. The Residence of Benjamin Chase, 488
20. Portrait of Benjamin Chase, face his residence, 488
21. A Portrait of Stephen Chase, 489
22-23. Portrait of John Clark and E. C. Clark, face each other be- tween, . 490,391
24. A View of the Residence of George P. Clark, face, 492
25. A Portrait of Hendrick Dearborn, 506
26. A Portrait of John Folsom, . 522
27-28. Portraits of Nathan and Sally Griffin, face each other between 536,537 29. A Portrait of Natt Head, 543
30. A Portrait of Frederick Smyth, 596
31. A Portrait of Jesse J. Underhill, 605
32. An Old-fashioned Ax, . 606
INTRODUCTION.
I think that the earliest of anything which I have seen about Chester is Oct. 23, 1717. Samuel Smith of Haverhill deeded a right in Kingstown to Samuel Ingalls of Cheshire. Clement . Hughes, the first clerk, spells it "Checher." The records com- mence with " A Society for Settling the Chestnut Country," and in the charter it is called " Chester." It is useless for me to spec- ulate about the origin of the name, any further than to say that they are all nearly related in orthography and sound.
The surface of Chester is very uneven, and most of it stony, - much of it not susceptible of cultivation; but when it is culti- vated, the soil is strong and produces such crops as are adapted to a New England climate. The forests, which were heavy, were, at the lower part where the settlement commenced, composed mostly of walnut and chestnut, intermixed with oak and pine and other woods. At the Long Meadows the same, with less walnut and more hemlock. Hooksett, or Chester Woods, abound- ed more in the yellow- or pitch-pine and oak, and when burnt over, as it frequently was, the oaks came up and grew rapidly, and produced an abundance of material for hoop-poles. Candia, and perhaps Raymond, had a greater predominance of maple, beech and hemlock. There is a great tendency when the growth is cut off for the hard woods to sprout from the stump, and the soft woods, especially white pine, to come up from the seeds, which makes even the roughest land valuable.
Although the land is uneven, there are no large hills, but simply swells which have names: Walnut Hill, near the lower
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INTRODUCTION.
corner, so called from that timber; Ingalls Hill, because Capt. Ingalls settled there ; Robie's Hill, because John Robie lived and had a tan-yard near its base; and Stockman's and Severance's Hill. from people of that name who lived on its side. The farms of Thomas Richardson and Thomas Craige went back on to Great Hill. At the Long Meadows is Mine Hill, in which the Devil's Den is situated. The Devil's Den is a cave on the southwesterly side of the hill, near its base, and some thirty rods from the road. Peter French of Sandown gave Dr. Belknap a description of it (which was published in his History in 1792, and copied into Morse's Geographies) in which he drew largely from his imagination, telling of a room fifteen or twenty feet square. I have never had the curiosity to explore it, but it is only a mere fissure in the rock, and so large that a man can with difficulty go in sixty feet. Rattlesnake Hill lies south of the pond and west of Londonderry turnpike. The swell between the two bays of the pond is called in the records Mount Misery. The hill lying north of the Oswego mill, mostly in Candia, is called in the records Tower Hill; but a small circumstance, which occurred a little more than fifty years ago, gave Hazen McDuffee, who lives there, the appellation of "the butcher," and the hill has since been called " Butcher Hill." A few years ago a liberty- pole was raised and a Fourth-of-July celebration held on the swell of land near school-house No. 5, in Auburn, when it was named Bunker Hill, which name it has since borne.
There are no large streams, but an abundance of small ones. A stream has its head in Beech Hill pond in Hooksett, and pass- ing through Tower Ilill pond, partly in Candia and partly in Auburn, taking the name of Oswego brook, empties into Massa- besic pond. Another branch passes through Little Massabesic pond and unites with Oswego brook, near the old Calfe fulling- mill.
The pond is said to have derived its name from the circumstance that an Indian whose squaw's name was " Massa," being inquired of in regard to the health of his family, replied, " My massa be sick." It is a beautiful sheet of water with a hard shore and bottom, and some fine beaches of sand. The stream leading from the pond to Merrimack river is called the Cohas, and has a fall of
xiii
INTRODUCTION.
about one hundred and fifty feet. Alewives, ankl perhaps shad, formerly passed into the pond.
There are two of the sources of Exeter river which have their rise in Chester; one rising in Three Camp Meadows. passing by the old saw-mill into Sandown, and again into Chester. and another flowing from the North pond, uniting with it and passing through Raymond. Another branch rises in Candia, passing near the station and through Raymond, unites with the main river near the lines of the towns. This last is called the North Branch. and the locality near their junction, the Branch.
The stream rising near the Congregational church in Auburn, and passing through Auburn into Londonderry, and thence into Manchester, and emptying into the Cohas, has meadows most of its length, which were called the Long Meadows, and hence the west part of the town is called the Long Meadows. The stream in Manchester is called the Little Cohas.
There is a stream rising in Candia, passing the village and the island into Raymond, and through Jones pond; and another com- ing from Deerfield, uniting near Raymond Centre, forming Lam- prey Eel river. which passes Freetown mill, and into Epping. Merrimack river passes a short distance into Old Chester, the line being some distance west of the river at Martin's Ferry. The Falls are called in the records " Ile Hoxey Falls, " but were not in Chester, the line crossing below. The stream from Lakin's pond, passing Head's mill and entering the river above the falls, is called " Ile Hoxey brook " in the records.
A small stream entering the river near Martin's Ferry is called in the records . Lousy brook." The meadow on this brook, near the old Concord road, was called Bushnell's meadow, and the hills on the south and west were called Bushnell's hills, from the fact that a man by that name had a camp near the meadow, where Samuel Rowell formerly lived and Josiah Clark now lives, in Hooksett. It was a stopping place for travelers in early times, and was called Bushnell's Camp.
xiv
INTRODUCTION.
MONEY.
There were different species of money used. Four shillings six pence sterling was equal to a Spanish milled dollar. Six shil- lings lawful was equal to a dollar. The principal part of the money in actual use was bills of credit issued by the Province, which depreciated, and its value was continually changing. The following values are extracted from Belknap's "New Hamp- shire," Vol. III., p. 125:
In 1720 an ounce of silver was worth 7s. 6d .; 1725, 16s .; 1730, 20% .; 1725. 27s. Gd .; 1740; 28s .; 1745, 36s .; 1750, 50s .; 1755. 70s .; 1760, 120s., or one pound was equal to one shilling lawful.
This was called " old tenor," and sometimes when there had been a new emission, was called " new tenor." I find by old ac- counts that from 1760 up to the issue of the Continental money by Congress, one pound "old tenor" was equal to one shilling lawful. Massachusetts also issued bills of credit, which did not depreciate so much as those of New Hampshire. One pound Massachusetts " old tenor" was equal to two shillings sixpence, lawful.
May 10, 1775, Congress issued two millions of dollars, and in July three millions more, and in December three millions more, which was called ". Continental money," and promised to pay in Spanish milled dollars, or its equivalent in gold or silver. This was assigned to the several States, and they were to redeem it; but this State (New Hampshire) had more of its own paper than it could redeem, and it was counterfeited to a great extent, and therefore depreciated. One hundred dollars in silver was equiv- alent to the following sums:
January. 1777, it was at par; July, one dollar in silver was equal to $1.04; January 1, 1778, to $3.25; July, to $4.25; Jan- mary, 1779, to 87.42; July, to $14.77; January, 1780, to $29.34; July, to 860.00; January, 1781, to $75.06; June, to $120.00.
Paper money became entirely worthless, and the currency came to a specie basis. I give copies of the bills of some of the issues of paper money, and would give fac-similies, but the expense is too great for my work.
XV
INTRODUCTION.
The following is a sample of the Province bills of credit:
" THIS INDENTED BILL of three Pounds & ten shillings Due from ye Province of New Hampe in New England, to ye Possessor thereof shall be in Value equal to Money and shall be accordingly accepted by the Treasurer and Receivers subordinate to him in all Publick payments & for any Stock at any time in ye Treasury. Portsmouth the Twentyeth of May 1717. By Order of the General Assembly."
The following is a copy of a nicely engraved bill. On the left of the signatures is a boat with men in it, nearing a wharf:
( Nº ) ( 4039 )
VII Shills & 6 Pence VII Shills & 6 Pence
WE JOINTLY AND SEVERALLY promise to pay ISAAC WINSLOW Mercht or order in BOSTON seven pennywt; & half Coin'd Silver Sters, Alloy, Troy - Weight or Gold pro Rata by the 31t Decembr 1755; Value Reed; BOSTON. 78 __ 6ª N.E. 1' Augt; 1740. 78-6ª Edwd IIutchinson Thomas Oxnard [ENGRAVING.] Joshua Winslow Sam' Sewall
(No. 220) 6dl
Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, June 18th 1776.
THIS Bill entitles the Bearer to receive SIX PENCE L. M. out of the Treasury, by the 18th of June, 1778; and shall be received for that Sum in all Pay- ments agreeable to an Act of the Assembly of said Colony.
J. PARTRIDGE, Com.
xvi
INTRODUCTION.
The following is a copy of a Continental bill :-
No. 476427
HALF A DOLLAR.
ACCORDING to a Resolution
of CONGRESS, passed at Phi-
ladelphia, FE-
In this space is a fig- ure of a sun-dial, with " Mind your Business" beneath it.
BRUARY 17, 1776.
T. COALE.
HALF A DOLLAR.
On the reverse side is a chain with thirteen links, to represent the thirteen United Colonies. "Printed by Hall & Sellers in Philadelphia, 1776."
ABBREVIATIONS.
In ancient writings a great many abbreviations are used, such as ve for the, yt for that, ym for them. For the lots I have used H. L. for Home Lot, O. H. for Old Hundreds, 2d P .. 2d D., for Second Part of the Second Division, 3d D. for third Division. &c. In the Genealogy, b. is used for born, m. for married. unm. for unmarried, and d. for died. In one generation I have used Roman numerals, and in the next figures, to denote the number of the children ; also the parent in one generation is printed in small capitals, the next in Italics, and the next in Roman.
HISTORY OF CHESTER.
CHAPTER I.
PROPRIETARY HISTORY FROM 1719 TO THE PROCURING OF THE CHARTER, MAY 8, 1722.
THE records of Chester commence with the proceedings of a meeting of "The Society for Settling the Chesnut Country, held at Said Country the fifteenth day of October, 1719." This society had probably existed some time, and held meetings and kept records. It was composed princi- pally of Hampton people, with a few Portsmouth men.
At a meeting of the proprietors of Chester, held by ad- journment, at the house of Joshua Wingate of Hampton, Oct. 7th, 1729, it was
" Voted, That Capt. Henry Sherburne and Dr. Edmond Topin be a Committee to Examine and Compare ye town book, and ye Duplicate book, & sce yt they Exactly Agree, they being upon Oath to Compare ' Em.
" Voted, That Dr. Edmond Toppin keep ye Duplicate book, and it be kept at Hampton from year to year, and that ye town Clerk Send attested Coppys after Every Meet- ing to him yt keeps ye Duplicate book, in order to be En- tered in said book."
The records of the earlier meetings were probably en- tered in the book kept at Hampton ; but it is, probably, with other papers, lost. The Hon. S. D. Bell has made enquiries for it, but without success.
2
HISTORY OF CHESTER.
There were also other parties who petitioned for a grant of this territory, or lands adjoining, and made efforts to have possession, which I will notice before following up the proceedings of the society.
In Council,
August 24, 1720. " The petition of John Calf & Compa. prefered to this board, praying for a township above Exeter, was read."
This was by Massachusetts men, Mr. Calf being an in- habitant of Newbury.
There is a deed on the Rockingham records, dated Oct. 23, 1717, from Samuel Smith of Haverhill to " Samuel In- galls of Cheshire, Blacksmith," of a right in Kingstown. If Capt. Ingalls was in Chester at all at that time, it is probable that it was to have possession for some of the parties.
In Council,
Oct. 26, 1720. " A message to the board by Mr. Speaker, and Lt. Col. Wear, praying that the Consideration of the petition of Mr. John Calf and Company be suspended for the present."
In board,
" Ordered that the Petition of Mr. John Calf and Com- pany praying for township north westward of Exeter be suspended till the land disposed of in that part of the province be laid out and bounded to prevent interfering of bounds.
Richard Waldron, Cler. Con."
In Council,
April 19, 1721. " A petition signed by about one hun- dred persons was prefered to this board by Messrs. Ezekiel Walker, John Calf and Elisha Story, praying for liberty and Encouragement to settle a town on a certain tract of land North westward from Exeter, lying partly between Cheshire and New Portsmouth and partly above new Ports- mouth adjoining Cheshire line, containing the Quantity of ten miles Square, upon Such Conditions as in Said petition as is on file is contained : Wherefore it is ordered in Coun- cil that the petitioners have liberty To build and Settle
3
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
upon the said tract upon the Conditions in Said petition mentioned, provided it in no way infringe on or Interfere with any former grants or possessions or propertys.
Richard Waldron, Cle. Con."
Mr. Calf's former petition was probably for Cheshire, which being postponed, he with others now petitioned for Nottingham. There is a deed on the Rockingham records, dated 1721, from Mary Cottle to John Calf for Moses Lit- tle, of a right of settlement in land lying westward of Exeter, called New Boston. The New Portsmouth was probably Barrington. Barrington was granted to the tax- payers of Portsmouth, according to the amount of rates they had paid for the last four years, May 10, 1722. It is said to have been used as an out-lot to settle their poor peo- ple on.
Nottingham charter is not in the Secretary's office, prob- ably having been burnt in the office in 1736. It was, how- ever, granted in 1722, shortly after that of Chester. In the House, Aug. 26, 1720: " Whereas our House having a pettion from Mr. Brown & Company for a town Ship, We Think Itt Infrindg on our towns, especiall on Cheshire whare We have a pettion on file for this two years. Have sent up the petition and Memorial to the upper House which Lays on file In ye Clark's office."
Who Mr. Brown and his company were, or where they resided, does not appear.
Stephen Dudley of Freetown (Raymond), who was of Exeter before and afterwards, obtained a deed from an Indian named Peter Pennet, and Abigail his squaw, of a tract of land at Freetown, as appears by a deed on Rocking- ham records, dated May, 1722, wherein, in consideration of affection, Dudley conveys to Francis James of Gloucester " his right in four hundred acres of land in Freetown to be taken out of that tract bought of Peter Penuet and Abigail his squaw, by deed dated Jan. 17, 1718-19, also in virtue of a power of attorney from John Vickers of Charlestown." The deed to Dudley is not on the records. This was prob-
4
HISTORY OF CHESTER.
ably a move for color of title and possession for some of the parties.
We now return to the proceedings of the Society and the Governor and Council in relation to them.
At the aforesaid meeting Oct. 15, 1719,
" 1st, Voted, That Capt. Henry Sherburne be Modera- tor.
" 2dly, Voted, That Joseph Tilton be Clerk of the So- ciety.
" 3dly, Voted, That Capt. Henry Sherburne be Receiver.
" 4thly, Voted, That Joseph Tilton, Ichabod Robic, Caleb Tole, Clement Hughes, Capt. Henry Sherburne, Eph. Den- net and Jacob Stanyon, be a Committee to manage the af- fairs of the Society; And That the sd Committee Shall have power to Call meetings of the Society as often as they · Shall Think Necessary, and to act in all other matters that they Shall Think proper for the good of the whole Society.
. 5thly, Voted, That Ichabod Robie, Jacob Stanyan, Ca- leb Tole & Michael Whidden be a Committee to Lay out the Lotts.
" 6thly, Voted, That all priviledges of Streams shall be Reserved for ye Use of the Society.
" 7thly, Voted, That the Number of the Society for the settling Shall not Exceed ninety persons.
" Sthly, Voted, That the Committee Shall have power to admit Such as they Shall Think proper till the aforesd num- ber of ninety be Completed.
" gthly, Voted, That Three men Shall be kept upon the spot at the charge of the Society."
At a meeting of the Society for settling the Chesnut Country, held at Hampton the 20th of December, 1719,
" Voted, That in case of a warr with the Indians before the Three years Limited for the Settling of the Chesnut Country be Expired, the Same Time of Three years shall be allowed after a conclusion of a Peace with the Indians for the sd settlement."
" At the Same Time the Proprirs drew their home Lotts." The home lots of twenty acres had been laid out since the October meeting, but the list of those who drew does not contain any names of the Massachusetts men who after-
5
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
wards became proprietors. There are the names of eighty- nine persons who drew their home lots at this time, eleven of which are erased as having sold out, or forfeited their rights.
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