USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Amherst > History of the town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (first known as Narraganset township number three, and subsequently as Souhegan West) > Part 1
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Shelf. 9742a
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Accession No. 4120
CRAWFORD &
STOCKBRIDGE, BINDERS,
Sixty-one Years Ago. 1883
Sixty-one years ago January 30, Daniel D. Farmer was hanged at Am- herst for the murder of widow Anna Ayer, of Goffstown, and it was the only execution that ever took place in Hills- borough county. The gallows was tak- en down and stored in the, attic of the jail, and afterwards burned: Col. H. F. Courser and his brother, Hon. S. T. Courser of Portland, Me., then boys,
were present at the execution. They started from their home, at Boscawen, with others in a sleigh, the night before. The Colonel remembers that he froze his cars and that somebody stole the food which his party had in the sleigh. HIe
says the condemned man was taken from the jail and conveyed to the seaffold, which was erected in an open field a quarter of a mile away, in a pung drawn by two horses; that he behaved deco- rously ; that when on the scaffold he was cold and that the Rev. Dr. Lord put his cloak on him. There were acres of sleighs and people-many from fifty miles distant-and New England rum flowed as free as water.
D
Court Houses in Amherst and Daniel Webster.
After the division of the Province into Counties in 1771, the citizens of the town of Amherst presented their meeting-house to the county of Hillsborough for a court- house, and it was used for that purpose sev- eral years. Finally it was removed about half a mile from its original location to the Plain, where it was burned by an incendia- ry, March 15, 1788. Sixteen days after that time the town voted eighty pounds to defray the expenses of building another court- house, and chose a committee to superin- tend its erection, leaving the "location, fig- ure, and form" of the house to their discre- tion. The committee attended to the busi- ness at once, and soon the new house was finished. It was a square, hip roofed struc ture, and stood on the north side of the eommon, a few rods west of the old New Boston road. After the brick court-house was built it was removed to another loca- tion, some fifty rods west of the original site, where it still remains. After its remov- al to its new location it was used for many years as a vestry, and later it was finished into tenement dwellings for the accommoda- tion of the workmen in the foundry near by. In this house the giants of the New Hamp- shire bar from 1788 to 1823, were won't to assemble at the sessions of the courts of Hillsborough County. There were Jere. Mason, Jere. Smith, William Plummer, William Gordon, Joshua and Charles H. Atherton, Arthur Livermore, David Everett, George Sullivan, Edmund Parker, Samuel Bell, Levi Woodbury, Wm. M. Richardson, and others of lesser note. There, too, Dan- iel Webster, greatest of them all, made his maiden argument before Judge Farrar's court. He had finished the study of his profession in the office of Christopher Gore, an eminent lawyer in Boston, and on motion of that gentleman had been admitted to the Suffolk Bar in March, 1805. A few weeks later he attended a session of the court in his native county, and argued a motion with such clearness that the presiding judge re- marked to. his associates : "That young man's statement is a most unanswerable ar- gument," and granted the motion at once.
1
NEW BOSTON Original Boundary, 1728 to 1803.
458 rode on Bedford
N 86" E. 303 rode on Hier Basky
Joje English Pond CHESTNUT HILL
Bedford
ROBY HILL
: Anherst
Pulpit Brook
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prince's o
Damon Pond
North - West
N. 216 Toda
STRADDLEPOLE
Brook
to Manchester
Road
WALNUT HILL
Pand
built
Weston Pond
We First Meeting housey eracted in 1138.
POND PARISH
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New Cemetery
Bridge
Codelen
AMHERST
Tuek Bridge
Brook
Milford
M.S N
Duxbury Sches? Farm
Souhegan
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reds on Merrimack
KA C K
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former
Cemetery CRICKET CORNER
Original
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MIL FORD The South -West
Pa
urIsh
1728 to 1710.
Fletcher
Fielda Bridge
Teva Fara
to
DANFORTH'S SICORNER
Amherst Station
Stearns Pond
AMHERST, NEW HAMPSHIRE ,
Amherst
Road
showing Changes in Boundary of the Town.
Nash
SCALE DF MILES.
813 rods on Holts.
:68 ruds
Amherst in 1770. The area from Souhegan River south to this line, formerly part of Monson, was added to PART OF MILFORD'
HOLLIS
MILE SLIP. Included . MILFORD
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FORMERLY LYNDEBOROUGH,
New Boston New Road Second formerly ut DH MONT VERNON and E +20 rmlr's the Original Boundary , 1728 to 1770.ON PART OF MOUNT VERNON. shire .Turnpike Si-E. Tans rods Boundary of Mant Vorne +15 r
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S.
Potato . Street
BEDFORD
1728 to 1750.
Babboosuck
abboosuch
in 1828
River
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ME
SA
HISTORY
OF THE
TOWN OF AMHERST,
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE,
(First known as Narraganset Township Number Three, and subsequently as Souhegan West)
FROM THE GRANT OF THE TOWNSHIP BY THE
GREAT AND GENERAL COURT OF THE PROVINCE OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY,
IN JUNE, 1728, TO MARCH. 1882. WITH
GENEALOGIES OF AMHERST FAMILIES,
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NATIVES AND CITIZENS OF THE TOWN, AND A SKETCH OF THE NARRAGANSET FORT FIGHT, 19 DECEMBER, 1675.
Illustrated with a Map of the Town and Engravings.
BY DANIEL F. SECOMB.
CONCORD, N. H. : PRINTED BY EVANS, SLEEPER & WOODBURY. 1883.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, by DANIEL F. SECOMB, In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
TO THE INHABITANTS OF AMHERST, AND
ITS FORMER SECOND) AND THIRD PARISHES, NOW PARTS OF THE TOWNS OF MONT VERNON AND MILFORD, AND TO THE EMIGRANTS FROM THE TOWN,
AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, WHEREVER SCATTERED, THIS HISTORY IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, BY THEIR FRIEND,
THE AUTHOR.
4120
Edware Spalug
PREFACE.
-
THE HISTORY OF AMHERST is now offered to its patrons. Its prep- aration has involved the expenditure of considerable time and patience, but, like many similar publications, it is incomplete. The proper preparation of a town history is the work of a life-time, not of three or four years.
After all, we can know but very little of the personal history of many of the early settlers in the township. Their lives were spent in the midst of dangers and privations of which we know but little. Honest, true-hearted men and women, each labored faithfully in his or her allotted place, and building better than they knew, they assisted in laying firmly and securely the foundations of our great republic. The storms of a century have leveled even the little hillocks that once marked their resting-places in the ancient " burying-ground," so that no one to-day knows of their precise locality. All honor to the memories of these brave but well-nigh forgotten pioneers.
The map of the town was drawn and presented by Warren Upham, C. E., a native of Amherst ; the wood-cuts of dwellings were fur- nished by their owners; those of the public buildings, and the por- trait of Ilorace Greeley, by Dr. Edward Spalding; and the other portraits of individuals, by the parties represented, or their friends.
The expenses of the compilation and publication of the work have been defrayed by Dr. Edward Spalding, who has aided the work in every way possible, assisted by contributions from Mrs. Lucy (Ken- dall) Spalding, William G. Means, Esq., Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Bigelow, Dea. Sewall G. Mack and William A. Mack, Esq., and also by an appropriation of $500 by the town, to be paid upon the completion of the work.
To the many other friends who have aided him in his labors, the author desires to express his gratitude, with the hope that their rea- sonable expectations will not be disappointed. Thanks, friends, one and all.
CONCORD, N. H., 13 August, 1883.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Origin of the Town .- The Narraganset War .- The Fight at the Nar- raganset Fort, 19 December, 1675. Pages 1-8.
CHAPTER II.
Grants of Townships to the Narraganset Soldiers, 1685-1733. Pages 9-19.
CHAPTER III.
Proceedings of the Grantees of the Narraganset Township, 1733. Pages 20-25.
CHAPTER IV.
Proceedings of the Proprietors of Souhegan West .- Incorporation of the Town of Amherst, 1734-1762. Pages 26-56.
CHAPTER V.
Territorial Changes .- Incorporation of the Second, or North-west, Parish .- Proceedings of the North-west Parish .- Incorporation of the Town of Mont Vernon .- Incorporation of the Third, or South- west, Parish .- Proceedings of the South-west Parish .- Incorpora- tion of the Town of Milford, 1750-1803. Pages 57-91.
CHAPTER VI.
Description of the Town, and its Productions .- The Indians .- Joe English. Pages 92-99.
CHAPTER VII.
Proceedings of the Town, and Current Events, 1762-1800. Pages 100- 118.
CHIAPTER VIII.
Proceedings of the Town, and Current Events, 1800-1840. Pages 119- 149. .
CHAPTER IX.
Proceedings of the Town, and Current Events, 1840-1882. Pages 150- 183.
CHAPTER X.
Statistics of Population .- Longevity .- Agricultural Productions, etc. l'ages 184-233.
CHAPTER XI.
The First and Second Meeting-houses. Pages 234-249.
1
vii
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII. The Town Ministry, 1741-1835. Pages 250-288. CHIAPTER XIII. Churches .- Religious Societies and Church Music. Pages 289-317. CHAPTER XIV. School History. Pages 318-333. CHAPTER XV.
Court-houses and Courts in Amherst, 1771-1879. Pages 334-353. CHAPTER XVI. Military History .- French and Indian Wars, 1745-1763. Pages 354-361. CHAPTER XVII. The War for Independence, 1768-1776. Pages 362-382. CHAPTER XVIII. The War for Independence, 1777-1778. Pages 383-393. CHAPTER XIX. The War for Independence, 1780-1785. Pages 394-408. CHAPTER XX. Frontier War, 1794 .- Anticipated War with France, 1798 .- War with Great Britain, 1812-15. Pages 409-413.
CHAPTER XXI.
The Civil War, 1861-1865. Pages 414-424. CHAPTER XXII.
The Militia .- Militia Companies and Officers. Pages 425-432.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Miscellaneous Records of Town Affairs .- Business Associations, etc. Pages 433-476. CHAPTER XXIV.
Family Registers and Histories .- List of Marriages not included in the Family Registers. Pages 477-854. CHAPTER XXV.
Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men who have been Residents of Amherst. Pages 855-927.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Additions and Corrections.
Pages 928-936.
Index of Names. Pages 937-978.
LIST AND PLACES OF ENGRAVINGS.
Map of the Town
. to face title-page.
Portrait of Dr. Edward Spalding. facing preface.
Second Meeting-house.
.p. 241.
Portrait of Rev. Nathan Lord. facing p. 279.
Portrait of Rev. Silas Aiken p. 298.
Town House.
.p. 312.
Soldiers' Monument. .p. 421.
Residence of Charles Richardson, Esq. .p. 452.
Portrait of Hon. Charles H. Atherton . facing p. 486. Portraits of Isaac Brooks, Esq., and wife. . between pp. 518 and 519.
Portrait of Capt. Daniel Campbell, jr ..
facing p. 527.
Residence of Dea. Barnabas B. David.
p. 559.
Residence of Harrison Eaton, Esq.
p. 576.
Birthplace of Horace Greeley
.p. 608.
Portrait of Dea. Sewall G. Mack.
facing p. 681.
Residence of Col. Robert Means.
p. 689.
Portrait of William G. Means, Esq ..
facing p. 690.
Portrait of Mrs. Sally (Noyes) Sweatt
.p. 709.
Portrait of Dr. Matthias Spalding.
facing p. 776.
Residence of Dr. Matthias Spalding
.p. 777.
Portrait of Charles L. Stewart, Esq.
facing p. 783.
Residence of Isaac Brooks, Esq .. p. 868.
Portrait of IIon. Charles II. Campbell. p. 873. 66
Portrait of Horace Greeley ...
p. 887.
Portrait of Hon. Isaac Spalding.
66
p. 919.
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
CHAPTER I.
ORIGIN OF THE TOWN .- PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENTS IN THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONY .- GRANTS OF FARMS ON THE SOU- HEGAN .- DEATH OF MASSASOIT .- CHARGES AGAINST ALEX- ANDER .- HIS ARREST AND DEATH .- INTRIGUES OF PHILIP .- MURDER OF SAUSAMON AND EXECUTION OF HIS MURDERERS. - COMMENCEMENT OF KING PHILIP'S WAR. - A TREATY FORCED UPON THE NARRAGANSETS .- THE TREATY REPU- DIATED BY THE CHIEFS .- EXPEDITION ORGANIZED AGAINST THE NARRAGANSETS .- MARCH OF THE EXPEDITION .- FIGHT AT THE NARRAGANSET FORT .- SUFFERINGS OF THE COM- BATANTS .- DEATH OF PHILIP, AND CLOSE OF THE WAR .- LOSSES OF THE COLONISTS.
The town of Amherst had its origin in a grant of land made by the General Court of Massachusetts to some of the citizens of that Province for services in the Narragan- set War in 1675-76.
With the exception of a few slight outbreaks, the peace between the New England Colonies and their Indian neigh- bors remained unbroken from the close of the Pequot War, in 1637, until the commencement of the war of 1675.
In this interval the interior of the country was explored, and settlements made at a considerable distance from the coast. In 1659 a township, eight miles square, at Pena-
2
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
[Chap.
cook, now Concord, N. H., was granted, conditionally, by the Court to sundry inhabitants of Dover and Newbury.
In 1660 several farms, bordering on the Souhegan river, were granted, and surveyed by Jonathan Danforth, a noted surveyor in those days.
The most westerly of these, containing 1000 acres, was granted to the town of Charlestown for the support of schools. Its northwestern corner was at the foot of a great hill, since known as Dram-cup hill, whence it ex- tended down the river about two miles, the river forming its northern boundary. The northwestern corner of this farm was also the northwestern corner of the town of Dunstable, as chartered by the authorities of Massachu- setts, 16 October, 1673, and the town of Monson, to which a charter was granted by Gov. Wentworth, of New Hamp- shire, 1 April, 1746. Adjoining this farm, on the east, was another, of 500 acres, granted at the same time to Mrs. Anna Lane, which extended, from the easterly boundary of the school farm, 280 rods down the river. 200 acres of this farm were on the north side, and 300 acres on the south side of the river.
Next, to the east of Mrs. Lane's farm and adjoining it, another farm, of 500 hundred acres, was granted to Capt. William Davis, of Boston, and Capt. Isaac Johnson, of Roxbury. This farm, also, extended across the river about half a mile on each side, and down the river 240 rods from the eastern boundary of Mrs. Lane's farm. Both of the last named farms were at a place called by the Indians " Quohquinapassakessanahnoy."
Next, and lastly, was a farm of 700 acres, granted to John Wilson, of Boston. This extended down the river, from the Davis and Johnson farm, 364 rods : 400 acres of it lay on the north side, and 300 acres on the south side of the river.
A few years prior to this time, Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, whose territory adjoined that of the Ply-
3
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
I.]
mouth Colony, died. His son Alexander succeeded him, and in a short time was charged by the Colonists with endeavoring to engage the Narragansets,-at that time the most powerful of the New England tribes,-in a war against them.
On this charge he was arrested, by an armed force sent for the purpose, and taken to Plymonth. Shortly after- ward he sickened and died, and his death was attributed by some of the Indians to the effects of poison adminis- tered by the English.
His brother Philip, or Metacom, succeeded him, and soon engaged in plots with the neighboring tribes to carry out the plans formed by his predecessor. A slight outbreak occurred in 1671, which was soon quelled, and he promised never again to begin war against the English until he had made his grounds of complaint known to them.
He nevertheless continued his intrigues, and even en- deavored to enlist the powerful "Five Nations," of New York, in his cause : but a miscarriage of one of his plans converted them into his bitterest enemies.
In 1674, John Sausamon, an educated Indian, who was employed by the English as a missionary among his breth- ren, informed the Governor of Plymouth Colony of Philip's plots against the settlers. Soon after this Sausamon was murdered. Three Indians, charged with the murder, were arrested, tried, condemned, and executed by the English.
Enraged at this, and fearing for his own safety, Philip sent his women and children to a place of safety, armed his warriors, and robbed several houses of the settlers in the vicinity of his own dwelling.
Bands of Indians roamed over the country, insulting the settlers, and destroying their property. At last, one of the English, goaded past endurance, discharged his musket at one of his tormentors, inflicting a mortal wound. The savages then fell upon all the whites within their reach, killing them and destroying their property.
4
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
[Chap.
An armed force was at once raised by the Colonies and dispatched into Philip's territory, which he abandoned. Thence the army marched into the territory of the Narra- gansets, and dictated a treaty to them, by which they agreed to remain at peace, and upon requisition deliver to the English any of Philip's Indians that might come among them.
The treaty thus forced upon them the Narraganset chiefs repudiated when the force was withdrawn : "Not a Wam- panoag, or the paring of a Wampanoag's nail shall be given up," was the indignant reply of the principal chief when called upon to deliver up some of Philip's Indians.
The commissioners of the Colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth, met at Boston, 2 November, 1675. After noticing the refusal of the Narragansets to abide by the treaty they had made, it was voted, " that in addition to the forces already raised for the prosecution of the war, there should be one thousand men raised and furnished with arms and provisions of every sort, to be ready at one hour's warning for the public service, and that each Colony should furnish its proper proportion of the same."
It was also agreed that a Commander-in-chief should be appointed over the said forces, and that they should march into the Narragansets' country, and in case the chiefs were not disposed to perform the conditions of the treaty they had entered into, make reparation for all damages already sustained by its non-fulfillment, and give security for their future fidelity, they were to endeavor to compel them thereto by the best means they could, or to proceed against them as enemies.
At a meeting held 12 November, 1675, Josiah Winslow, Esq., Governor of Plymouth Colony, was appointed Com- mander-in-chief, and it was recommended to the General Courts of the several Colonies that effectual care be taken that the soldiers sent on the expedition be men of courage,
5
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
I.]
strength, and activity ; their arms well fixed and fit for service ; their clothing strong and warm, fit for the season ; that they have provisions in their knapsacks for a week's march from their rendezvous, and an additional supply in a magazine appointed for a more general service. It was also ordered that a meet number of able ministers and chirurgeons be provided to accompany the expedition ; and, finally, that the second day of December following should be set apart and kept as a solemn day of fasting and humiliation to supplicate the Lord's pardoning merey and compassion toward his poor people, and for success in their endeavors to repel the rage of the enemy.
At a meeting held 19 November, 1675, provision was made for a supply of food and ammunition sufficient for two months' service, the same to be sent to the place of rendezvous of the army ; and it was agreed that each Col- ony should provide for its own soldiers, special care being had to the extremity of the winter weather so that none might perish for the want of warm clothing and such other comforts as might be necessary.
The soldiers from Plymouth Colony were assured, by their Governor and Council, that " those that go forth shall in all respects be comfortably provided for," according to the season and service, and that the lands and other profits of the war that had been obtained, or by the blessing of God should be gained, should be kept as security for their pay, and should not be sold or disposed of but to answer that end ; that their Governor was designed to have the conduct of all the united forces ; that the worshipful Capt. Bradford and Capt. John Green were to be their particular command- ers; and that all who should cheerfully volunteer their services should be looked upon " with singular respect."
Places of rendezvous were appointed for the soldiers of the different Colonies, where they were to be in readiness to obey the orders of the Commander-in-chief on or before the tenth day of December following.
6
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
[Chap.
In the meantime the Narragansets were not idle. Col- lecting their women and children together, with provisions for the winter, they repaired to a somewhat elevated piece of ground, of some five or six acres in extent, surrounded by a swamp, lying within the limits of the present town of South Kingston, R. I., which they fortified for their pro- tection.
The men called for by the commissioners were furnished promptly by the authorities of the different Colonies. The Massachusetts companies were mustered on Dedham Plain, on the ninth day of December. Before setting out on their march, they were promised a reward in land for their services, in addition to their pay, provided " they played the man, and drove the Narragansets out of the fort."
On the morning of the tenth day of December, the seven Massachusetts companies, under the command of Major Samuel Appleton, of Ipswich, took up their march, and reached the appointed rendezvous on the evening of the twelfth, where they were joined by the Plymouth detach- ment and the Commander-in-chief. Proceeding thence, they were joined, on the eighteenth, by the Connecticut men. That night they expected to spend at a garrison some fifteen miles distant from the Narraganset fort, but on reaching the place they found that the Indians had a few days before killed the inhabitants and burned the buildings. There they passed the night, without shelter, in the snow and cold.
The following day was Sunday. Their provisions were nearly exhausted, and at half past five in the morning they commenced their march toward the Indian fort, in the snow, which continued falling all day. After a weary march they reached the swamp surrounding the fort, between one and two o'clock in the afternoon. There the way of entrance was pointed out by the Indian guide, who accompanied the expedition, and an immediate advance was ordered.
7
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
[I.
The order was obeyed with alacrity, the Massachusetts men in front running as in a race to see who would first reach the spot. On their arrival, the passage to the fort was found to be over a log made slippery by the falling snow, which lay across a ditch filled with water. This passage was defended by sharpshooters, who occupied a sort of block-house near by, and by others who lined the tops of the palisades that inclosed the fort. Some of the captains, and many of the men fell at the first onset, and the survivors climbed over their bodies toward the fort, endeavoring to effect an entrance.
The struggle was fearful, and victory was for a long time in doubt. Once the English were repulsed. After a contest of about three hours, a party of Connecticut men, a sort of rear guard, forced an entrance into the fort in another quarter, and attacked the savages in the rear. The Indians had nearly exhausted their ammunition, but they met their new assailants with a shower of arrows.
The wigwams in the fort were set on fire, contrary to the advice of the ablest commander present, who saw the importance of a shelter for the exhausted troops after the close of the fight. Soon the frail materials of five hundred Indian dwellings formed the funereal piles of the sick and wounded and the women and children they had sheltered.
The Indians finally gave way, but the victory of the English was dearly bought. Six of their bravest captains, and about eighty men, were killed, or died of their wounds, and about one hundred and fifty were wounded. Of the Indians, it is supposed that at least one thousand perished.
When night closed upon the scene of carnage, there was no shelter for the victors or the vanquished. The Indians took refuge in a cedar swamp near by, in which, without food or covering, they passed the night. Many of them doubtless perished from cold and hunger.
The conquerors gathered up their dead and wounded and retraced their steps in the dark, through the forest, in
8
HISTORY OF AMHERST.
[Chap.
the midst of the storm. At two o'clock in the morning the survivors reached their camping place. Some had died on the march, and the intense cold stiffened the limbs of all. They were without shelter, and had but little food. In the morning following they could hardly move, for the depth of the snow which covered them. Fortunately, a vessel laden with provisions arrived at a landing near by in the course of the night, and saved them from starvation.
The sufferings of the Indians who escaped must have been intense. A thaw, however, occurred in mid-winter, which enabled them to procure ground-nuts and roots which partially supplied their wants.
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