USA > New Hampshire > The history of New-Hampshire. Comprehending the events of one complete century and seventy-five years from the discovery of the River Pascataqua to the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety, Vol 3 > Part 1
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M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01092 3065
40 02
THE HISTORY
OF
NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
COMPREHENDING
The Events of one complete century and seventy-five years from the discovery of the River Pascataqua to the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety. a
CONTAINING ALSO,
A GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE,
WITH SKETCHES OF ITS NATURAL HISTORY, PRODUCTIONS, IMPROVEMENTS, AND PRESENT STATE OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS, LAWS, AND GOVERNMENT.
BY JEREMY BELKNAP, D.D.
Member of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia, for pro- moting useful knowledge, and of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Massachusetts.
THE SECOND EDITION,
WITH LARGE ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS, PUBLISHED FROM THE AUTHOR'S LAST MANUSCRIPT.
ILLUSTRATED BY A MAP.
Tempus edax rerum, tuque invidiosa vetustas Omnia destruitis : vititaque dentibus œvi Paulatim lenta consumitis omnia morte. Hæc perstant. OVID.
Vol.3
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
VOL. III.
BOSTON : PUBLISHED BY BRADFORD AND READ. 1813.
840
117911
1.6
FE42.09
1784640
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT :
District Clerk's Office.
BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the eighteenth day of June, A. D. 1813, and in the thirty-seventh year of the Independence of the United States of Amer- ica, BRADFORD & READ, of the said District, have deposited in this Office the title of a Book, the right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the words following, to wit :
The History of New-Hampshire. Comprehending the events of one complete century and seventy-five years from the discovery of the river Pascataqua to the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety. Containing also, a geographical description of the State, with sketches of its natural history, productions, im- provenients, and present state of society and manners, laws, and government. By JEREMY BELKNAP, D.D. member of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia, for promoting useful knowledge, and of the Academy of arts and sciences in Massachusetts. The second edition, with large additions and improvements, published from the author's last manuscript. Illustrated by a map. Tempus edax reruni, tuque invidiosa vetustas Omnia destruitis : vititaque dentibus œvi
Paulatim leuta consumitis omnia morte. Hæc perstant. OFID.
In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An Act for the encouragement of Learning by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned ;" and also to an Act entitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled, an Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned ; and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints."
WILLIAM S. SHAW, Y Clerk of the District of Massachusetts
2899
PREFACE.
THE materials of which this part of the Hiftory of New-Hampfhire is compofed, were chief- ly collected during a refidence of twenty-two years in the eaftern part of the State; from obfervations made in various places, and particularly in feveral journies to the northern and weftern parts ; from original furveys of many townfhips and tracts of the Country ; from the converfation of many per- fons who have been employed in furveying, maft- ing, hunting and fcouting ; as well as in hufban- dry, manufactures, merchandife, navigation and fifhery. The public offices have alfo been repeat- edly fearched, and the obliging attention of the of- ficers of government, both in New-Hampfhire and Maffachufetts, is again thankfully acknowledged. But that no fource of information might be left unexplored, a printed circular letter was addreffed to the feveral Clergymen, and other gentlemen of public character, in all parts of the State, requeft- ing their communications on various heads of in- quiry. The anfwers to thefe letters have not been fo numerous, and in fome inftances, not fo particu- lar as would have been agreeable ; but from thofc which have been received (and for which the Au- thor requefts the feveral writers to accept his thanks) he has been enabled to render his account more complete than it could have been without this af- fiftance.
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PREFACE.
banks, and with a violent torrent vents itfelf into the fea.'
In a letter written by William Penn, 1683, and printed in his works, he fpeaks of the frefhes of the Delaware, thus ' The Dutch inhabit thofe parts of the Province that lie on or near the Bay, and the Swedes the frefbes of the Delaware.' N. B. All the Swedish fettlements were fituate below the City of Philadelphia.
In Oldmixon's British Empire in America, vol. I. p. 151, printed at London in 1708, it is faid ' The firft town below the falls is Newton, and next to it is Pennfbury over againft Burlington. This part of the Delaware is called the frefhes.'
N. B. Burlington is twenty miles above Phila- delphia.
In Beverley's Hiftory of Virginia, printed at London, 1720, we find the fame word, p. 105. ' The damage occafioned by the worms in the riv- ers of Virginia, may be avoided by running [the thips ] up into the frefbes during five or fix weeks that the worm is above water.'
From thefe authorities, I conclude that the noun frefhes was underftood to diftinguifh thofe parts of a river, below all the falls, where the frefh water which comes down from above is ftopped by the flowing of the fea, and at the ebb, refumes its nat- ural courfe ; and which therefore, rifes and falls with the tide. But the word frefhet has another fig- nification ; it means a river fwollen by rain or melt- ed fnow, in the interior country, rifing above its ufual level, fpreading over the adjacent lowlands, and rufhing with an accelerated current to the fea. In this fenfe it is underftood in New-England, and as it is a part of the language of the age and coun- try in which I write, it is frequently ufed in this volume. If fome of the words which our fathers
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PREFACE.
brought from Britain, and which were in vogue century ago, be there loft or forgotten, it is no rea fon that they fhould be difufed here, efpecially when they convey a definite fenfe.
I know not whether as much can be faid in vindi. cation of another word, which I have frequently ufed, and which perhaps is not more known in Eng. land, viz. intervale. I can cite no very ancient au. thority for it ; but it is well underftood in all part: of New-England to diftinguifh the low-land adja- cent to the frefh rivers, which is frequently over. flowed by the frefhets ; and which is accounted fome of our moft valuable foil, becaufe it is renderec permanently fertile, by the bountiful hand of na- ture, without the labour of man.
There is another deviation from the ftrict letter of the Englifh dictionaries ; which is' found cx- tremely convenient in our difcourfes on population. From the verb migro are derived emigrate and IM- MIGRATE ; with the fame propriety as from mergo are derived emerge and IMMERGE. Accordingly the verb IMMIGRATE and the nouns IMMIGRANT and IMMIGRATION are ufed without fcruple in fome parts of this volume.
In the 176th page, the number of inhabitants taken by the cenfus of 1790, is faid to be 142,018. This number was given to me in May, 1791, by the late Marfhall John Parker, Efq. Afterward it was difcovered that a miftake had been made by one of his affiftants in returning the town of Burton twice, viz. in the County of Strafford and the County of Grafton, In the former it was fet down as contain- ing 133, in the latter 141. The latter is retained ; and the former being deducted from 142,018 leaves the fum total 141,885, which is the number return- ed to Congrefs and publifhed by authority.
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PREFACE.
Twenty years have now elapfed fince this work was firft undertaken ; during which time it has ftruggled with many embarraffments, and has, more than once, been thrown by, as impracticable ; but the favourable reception it has met with from the public and the continual importunity of its friends, have prevailed on me to complete it ; for which purpofe no pains have been fpared. The receipt on the fale of the volumes hitherto falls fhort of the actual expenfe of the impreffion. How pro- ductive it may prove in future is uncertain. As fome encouragement to the work, the Legiflature of New-Hampfhire have granted fifty pounds, which I have received and for which they again have my thanks.
In the courfe of my hiftorical refearches I have found fome materials for an AMERICAN BIOGRA- PHY ; and have entertained thoughts of purfuing my inquiries, with a view to prefent fuch a work to the public ; if gentlemen in different parts of the American Continent and Iflands, will favour me with fuitable communications. The object is to delincate the characters and actions of remarkable perfons deceafed, and the events connected with them. Among thofe perfons will be ranked Statef- men, Literary Perfons, Warriors, Inventors, Navi- gators and Travellers, whether among the Europe- an Nations, who have poffeffions in America and their defcendants, or the original Natives. But how voluminous or expenfive the work will be, or how long time will be required to complete it, cannot at prefent be afcertained.
Bofton, April 23, 1792.
CONTENTS.
CHAP, I.
SITUATION, extent, boundaries and divifions. Page 9
II. Air, climate and feafons. 15
III. Face of the country, fea coaft, mountains. 25
IV. Particular defcription of the white moun- tains. 31
V. Rivers and other waters 43
VI. Remarks on the foreft, manner of furvey- ing, making roads and travelling. 5G
VII. Monuments and relics of the Indians. 63
VIII. Foreft trees and other vegetable produc- tions. 73
IX. Soil, cultivation and hufbandry. 95
X. Native Animals. 108
XI. Caverns, ftones, foffils and minerals. 138
XII. Defcription of the harbour and river of Pafcataqua. 145
XIII. Trade, navigation, fifhery and manu- factures. Tables of exportation, entries, pri- ces, &c.
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150
XIV. Effect of the climate and other caufes on the human conftitution. Remarks on popu-
lation, Tables of births, deaths and cafualties. 171 XV. Political character, genius, manners, em- ployments and diverfions of the people. 191
XVI. Conftitution, laws, revenue and militia. 201
XVII. Education, literature, religion. 217
Table of towns, minifters, numbers of people and taxes. 226
XVIII. Conclufion. Hints of advice on fever- al important fubjects. 246
Appendix. 252
CHAP. I.
Situation, Extent, Boundaries, and Divisions.
THE fituation of New-Hampfhire, on the terraqueous globe, is between 42' 41, and 45 11' of : latitude, north from the equator ; and between 70' 40' and 72' 28 of longitude, weft from the royal ob- fervatory of Greenwich. Its length from thenorthern to the fouthern extremity is one hundred and fixty- eight miles. Itsgreateft breadth, meafured from the entrance of Pafcataqua harbour, to the mouth of Weft River, which falls into Connecticut river, oppofite to the town of Chefterfield, is ninety miles. This line line croffes the 43d degree of latitude. From this line northerly, New-Hampshire decreafes in breadth. On the 44th degree of latitude it is fifty-five miles ; , and on the 45th degree, nineteen miles wide.
It is bounded on the fouth by the State of Maffa- chufetts ; from which it is divided by a line, begin- ning on the fea fhore, at a point three miles north- ward of the mouth of the river Merrimack ; purfu- ing a courfe fimilar to the curvature of that river, at the fame diftance ; and ending at a point, three miles north of Patucket fall, in the town of Dracut. From this point, the line extends, on a fuppofed due weft courfe, till it croffes Connecticut river, and ends on its weftern bank ; the diftance being fifty-five miles.
This line, called the due weft line, was meafured. and marked in 1741, by Richard Hazzen. He was ordered by Governor Belcher to allow ten degrees : for the wefterly variation of the needle ; the theory of which, now imperfect, was then lefs known. Is
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HISTORY OF
is fuppofed that the variation at that time, and in that place, was not more than eight degrees. In 1773, each end of this line was accurately examined by celeftial obfervations, made by Thomas Wright, one of Capt. Holland's company of furveyors ; when the weftern extremity was found to decline from the eaftern two minutes and fifty-feven feconds of lati- tude. This was computed to make a difference of 59,872 acres of land, which would have been gain- ed by New-Hampfhire, if the line had been run with precifion.
From the point where this line ftrikes Connecti- cut river, up to the forty-fifth degree of latitude, the weftern bank of that river is the weftern boundary of New-Hampfhire, and the eaftern boundary of Vermont ..
On its eaftern fide, New-Hampshire is bounded by the Atlantic ocean, from the aforementioned point, three miles northward of the mouth of Mer- rimack river, along the fhore, to the middle of the main entrance of Pafcataqua harbour; which dif- tance is computed to be about eighteen miles. Thence the boundary line runs up the middle of the river, to its moft northerly head, which is a pond, fituated partly in the town of Wakefield and partly in the town of Shapley, in the County of York. The diftance of this pond from the mouth of the harbour, is about forty miles, in a N. N. W. courfe. From the head of this pond, according to the royal determination, in 1740, the dividing line was to run ' north, two degrees weft, till one hundred and ' twenty miles were finithed, from the mouth of Paf- ' cataqua harbour, or until it meet with his Majes- ' ty's other governments.' The reafon for mention- ing this fpecific diftance in the decree, was, that one hundred and twenty miles were the extent of the Province of Maine. At that time, no other gov-
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NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
ernment fubject to the Britifh Crown, lay in that direction. In 1763, the new Province of Quebec was erected, and its fouthern boundary was 'a line ' paffing along the high lands, which divide the riv- 'ers that empty themfelves into the river St. Law- 'rence, from thofe which fall into the fea.' By the treaty of peace, between America and Britain, in 1783, all the lands fouthward of that line, reckon- ing it from the caftward 'to the northweft head of 'Connecticut river, and thence down along the mid- ' dle of that river, to the forty-fifth degree of north 'latitude' were ceded to the United States. Thefe determinations have been fo conftrued, as to favor an extenfion of the line between New-Hampfhire and Maine, to the high lands which bound the Prov- ince of Quebec ; a diftance of twenty-five miles be- yond the northern limits of the Province of Maine.
The line from the head of Salmon fall river, was begun to be meafured and marked, in 1741, by Walter Bryent, who alfo was ordered to allow ten degrees for the wefterly variation, In 1767, a con- troverfy arofe between the two Provinces, on a fug- geftion that Bryent had miftaken the main branch of the river ; but no alteration was made in confe- quence of this fuggeftion. In 1768, the Governor of New-Hampshire ordered the line to be furveyed, to its fartheft extent. The furveyor, Ifaac Rindge, began where Bryant had left it ; and marked the line, on the fame courfe by the compafs, to a point fixteen miles northward of Amarifcogin river, and not far from the lake Umbagog. This furvey be- ing made twenty-feven years after the former, when the wefterly variation was lefs than before, gave the line a wefterly inclination. No farther furvey was made till 1789, twenty-one years after the fecond ; during which period, the variation was ftill decreaf- ing, and the line was continued on the fame courfe
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HISTORY OF
by the compafs, which muft bring it ftill more weft- erly. For thefe reafons, in my map, the line is in- flected, fo as to correfpond with the laft furvey as laid down in a plan returned by Jofeph Cramm and Jeremiah Eames, and filed in the Secretary's office.
The State is bounded on the north, by the Britiff Province of Quebec. The northeaftern extremity of this boundary line, is abirch tree, marked N. E. Newe- Hampfbire, 1789. This line extends along the high lands, 17 miles and two hundred and feven rods, to the head of the northweftern branch of Connecticut riv- er ; at which extremity is a fir tree, infcribed N. H. N. W. 1789. Thence the boundary defcends, to the forty-fifth degree of latitude, along the middle of the northweftern branch, which there unites with the northeaftern, or main branch of the river.
The fuperficial area of New-Hampfhire, as calcu- lated by George Sproule, in 1773, according to Hol- land's furvey, in which he was employed, was found to be 996 fquare miles, or 5,949,440 acres. The ad- dition made by the furvey of the northern bounda- ry, in 1789, is faid to be 195 fquare miles, or 124,800 acres. From the whole it is fuppofed a de- duction may be made for water, of at least one hun- dred thoufand acres.
Holland's furvey was made in 1778, and 1774, at the expence of the Province. The refult of it is contained in a large map, engraven in London, 1784, by the direction and at the expenfe of Paul Went- worth, Efq. Thofe parts which were actually fur- veyed by Holland or his affiffants, are laid down with great accuracy. The eaftern boundary line and the parts connected with it were not furveyed, but taken from fuch materials and information as could at that time be collected. In the map annex . ed to this work, thofe parts are more full and cor-
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NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
rect, excepting the lines of townfhips and locations, which in fo fmall a draught could not be introduc- ed without confufion. For the fame reafon, the names of fome townfhips are omitted, chiefly fuch as have no fettlements made in them.
The State is divided into five Counties, viz. Rock- ingham, Strafford, Hillfborough, Chefhire and Graf- ton, the boundaries of which are not noticed in Hol- land's, but are marked on this map by dotted lines.
The ftraight line of Mafon's patent is alfo de- fcribed. The hiftory of it is as follows :
It was obferved in the courfe of the preceding work, that the Mafonian proprietors claimed a curve line as their weftern boundary ; and that un- der the royal government no perfon had controvert- ed that claim. When the war with Great-Britain was terminated by the peace of 1783, the grantees of fome crown lands, with which this line interfer- ed, petitioned the Affembly to afcertain the limits of Mafon's patent. The Mafonians at the fame time prefented a petition, fhewing the pretenfion which they had to a curve line, and praying that a furvey of it, which had been made in 1768, by Rob- ert Fletcher, might be eftablifhed. About the fame time, the heirs of Allen, whofe claim had long lain dormant, for want of ability to profecute it, having confulted Council, and admitted fome perfons of property into partnerfhip with them, entered and took poffeffion of the unoccupied lands within the limits of the patent ; and in imitation of the Mafo- nians, gave general deeds of quitclaim, to all bona fide purchafers, previoufly to the firft of May, 1785 ; which deeds were recorded in each County, and publifhed in the newfpapers. They alfo petitioned the Affembly to eftablifh a head line for their patent.
After a folemn hearing of thefe claims, the Af- fembly ordered a furvey to be made of fixty miles
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HISTORY OF
from the fea, on the fouthern and eaftern lines of the State, and a Straight line to be run from the end of one line of fixty miles, to the end of the other. They alfo paffed an act to quiet all bona fide purchafers of lands, between the firaight and curve lines, fo far, as that the State should not difturb them. This fur- vey was made in 1787, by Jofeph Blanchard and Charles Clapham. The line begins on the fouthern boundary, at lot No. 18, in the town of Rindge. Its courfe is north 39' caft. Its extent is 93; miles. It ends at a point in the eaftern boundary, which is feven miles and two hundred and fix rods, north- ward of Great Offapy river. This line being eftab- lifhed, as the head line, or weftern boundary of Ma- fon's patent, the Mafonians, for the fum of forty thoufand dollars in public fecurities, and eight hun- dred dollars in fpecie, purchafed of the State, all its right and title to the unoccupied lands between the ftraight line and the curve. The heirs of Allen were then confined in their claim, to thofe wafte lands only, which were within the ftraight line. They have fince compromifed their difpute, with the pro- prietors of eleven of the fifteen Mafonian fhares, by ‹leeds of mutual quitclaim and releafe. This was done in January, 1790.
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NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
CHAP. II.
Air, Climate, and Seasons.
THE air of New-Hampfhire is generally pure and falubrious. During the winter months, the prevailing wind is from the northweft ; which is dry, cold and bracing ; it rarely brings fnow, but when it does, the degree of cold is increafed. That the coldnefs of our northweft wind is owing to the great lakes, is a vulgar error, often retailed by geo- graphical writers, and adopted by unthinking peo- ple. All the great lakes lie weftward of the N. W. point, and fome of them fouthward of W. It is more natural to fuppofe that the immenfe wilder- nefs, but efpecially the mountains, when covered with fnow, give a keennefs to the air, as a cake of ice to a quantity of liquor in which it floats ; and that this air, put in motion, conveys its cold as far as it extends.
The deepeft fnows fall with a northeaft wind, and ftorms from that quarter are moft violent, and of longeft duration ; after which the wind commonly changes to the N. W. and blows brifkly for a day or two, driving the fnow into heaps. This effect is produced only in the open grounds ; in the foreft the fnow lies level, from two to four feet in depth, throughout the winter. On the mountains, the fnow falls earlier, and remains later than in the low grounds. On thofe elevated fummits, the winds alfo have greater force, driving the fnow into the long and deep gullies of the mountains, where it is fo confolidated, as not to be eafily diffolved, by the vernal fun. Spots of fnow are feen on the fouth
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HISTORY OF
fides of the mountains as late as May, and on the higheft till July.
Light frofts begin in September ; in October they are more frequent, and by the end of that month, ice is made in fmall collections of water ; but the weather is moftly ferene. November is a variable month, alternately wet and dry ; the furface of the ground is frequently frozen and thawed. The fame weather continues through a part of December, but commonly, in the course of this month, the rivers and the earth are thoroughly frozen, and well pre- pared to receive and retain the fhow. January often produces a thaw, which is fucceeded by a fe- vere froft. In February we have the deepeft fhows, and the coldeft weather ; but the loweft depreffion of the thermometer is generally followed by wet and mild weather. March is bluftering and cold, with frequent flights of fnow ; but the fun is then fo high as to melt the fnow at noon. In April the open country is generally cleared of fnow ; but it commonly lies in the woods till May. This is the ufual routine of the wintry feafon ; but there are fometimes variations. In 1771, the fnow did not
fall till the end of January. In 1786, it was very deep in the beginning of December. When the fnow comes early, it preferves the ground from be- ing deeply frozen, otherwife the froft penetrates to the depth of three feet or more.
From the middle of September, the mornings and evenings begin to be fo chill, that a fmall fire be- comes a defirable companion. In October, the weather requires one to be kept more fteadily ; from the time that the autumnal rains come on in November, it is invariably neceffary, to the end of March ; in April it is intermitted at noon ; a ftorm is always expected in May; and, till that is paft, the chimney is not clofed. We therefore reckon eight months of cold weather in the year.
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NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
Cattle are houfed from the beginning of Novem- ber. In the fevereft weather, nature teaches the fowls to rooft on the backs of cattle, in the barns, to preferve their feet from being frozen. By the beginning of May, the grafs is fufficiently grown for cattle to live abroad ; good hufbandmen do not permit them to feed till the twenty-firft of May; but fcarcity of fodder obliges the poorer fort to de- part from this rule.
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A dry winter is extremely cold. The winter of 1779'80, was remarkably dry, without rain or thaw ; the fnow was conftantly drifted by the wind, the fprings of water were very low, and the weather as fevere and tedious as ever was experienced. It was called the Canada winter, from its fimilarity to the ufual dry cold of that climate.
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