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Gc 974.202 Su68b
Gc 974.202 Su68b 1233685
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01188 5339
C
THE STORY OF SUNAPEE N. H.
By John Henry Bartlett
Author of "SPICE FOR SPEECHES" "FOLKS IS FOLKS" "THE LEGEND OF ANN SMITH" "THE BONUS MARCH AND THE NEW DEAL" "A SYNOPTIC HISTORY OF THE GRANITE STATE"
Former Governor of New Hampshire, Former President U. S. Civil Service Commission, Former First Assistant Postmaster General, and Former Chairman of The Inter- national Joint Commission. Resigned Nov. 1939-Retired.
COPYRIGHT, 1941 BY JOHN HENRY BARTLETT
974,202
Su 68 b
PRESS OF
BYRON S. ADAMS
WASHINGTON, D. C.
John Henry Bartlett
-
His Birthplace-Sunapee
1233685
This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, SOPHRONIA A. BARTLETT,
who died Jan. 10, 1936, aged 96 years, 7 months, 28 days
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page
John Henry Bartlett-His Birthplace 2
Sophronia A. Bartlett 3
Sunapee Village 12
Map of Saville
14
John Wendell 40
Map of Wendell After Losses to Goshen and New London 42
The M. E. Church and The Vanished Union Church Once at South Sunapee 58
Ray E. Cooper, Killed in World War; Irving C. Young, wounded in World War; Seth Davis and Wilbur Young, Civil War Veterans 73
Four Bartlett Brothers 80
"The Fairy Queen," America's First Auto 87
Sunapee Lake's One Time Fleet 92
Central School 98
Abbott Library-"No. 8" in 1875 105
Sunapee Post Office; District "No. 3"; Samuel Bailey; John B. Smith 106
John Young Gardner (Pioneer) ; Abiather Young; John Angell; Hiram Sargent (Pioneer) 118
Sarah Sanborn Bartlett-John Bartlett 163
Thomas P. Smith; Judge A. D. Felch; Murvin A. Bailey; McClellan Q. Muzzey 188
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page
Chapter I. Saville Born When?
11
Chapter II. Saville's Charter from the King, George III,
November 9, 1768
13
Chapter III. Corey's Town 18
Chapter IV. Saville's Thirteen Years of Existence 22
Chapter V. Secession to Vermont Attempted 24
Chapter VI. Settlers from Portsmouth 25
Chapter VII. Residents in the Permanent Section of Saville
27
Chapter VIII. Saville Settled by Rhode Islanders 28
Chapter IX. Saville and Wendell in Revolutionary War 29
Chapter X. Saville in War and Poverty
32 38
Chapter XII. John Wendell
39
Chapter XIII. Voted "No" and Lost Its Tail 41
Chapter XIV. The First Grist-Mill 44
Chapter XV. Last of Saville-First of Wendell 45
Chapter XVI. The First Written Record of Saville 46
Chapter XVII. The First U. S. Census of Wendell
50
Chapter XVIII. Wendell in President Washington's
Time
52
Chapter XIX. Wendell's Soldiers in the War of 1812 54
Chapter XX. Wendell's Heads of Families in 1830 55
Chapter XXI. About Meeting Houses and Ministers in Sunapee
59
Chapter XXII. The "Sunapee Guards" of 1846 64
Chapter XXIII. Sunapee in the Legislature 65 66
Chapter XXIV. Postal Service in Sunapee
Chapter XXV. The Names "Sunapee" and "Goose Hole" Chapter XXVI. The War Against Secession
70
Chapter XXVII. Sunapee Census for the Year 1870 76
Chapter XXVIII. The Last Sunapee Band
79
Chapter XXIX. Sunapee's Industries-Samuel Crow- ther Quoted 79
Chapter XXX. The First Automobile
86
Chapter XXXI. Roads, Turnpikes, Stage Coaches, Rail- roads and Autos 88
Chapter XXXII. The Lake 91
Chapter XXXIII. The Stores 95
Chapter XXXIV. Physicians in Sunapee 96
Chapter XXXV. Sunapee Schools, Abbott Library 97
Chapter XXXVI. The Lake Grange and Odd Fellows 107
72
Chapter XI. The Charter of Wendell
Page
Chapter XXXVII. Sunapee in the Spanish War 108
Chapter XXXVIII. Sunapee in the World War 109
Chapter XXXIX. A Foreword as to Families
Chapter XL. The Angell Family 119
Chapter XLI. The Family of Youngs 124
Chapter XLII. The Muzzey Family
130
Chapter XLIII. The George Family 131
Chapter XLIV. The Sargent Family 135
Chapter XLV. The Knowlton Family 137
Chapter XLVI. The Rogers Family 140
Chapter XLVII. The Felch Family
141
Chapter XLVIII. The Perkins Family 142
Chapter XLIX. The Eastman Family 143 1
145
Chapter LI. The Davis Family
147
Chapter LII. The Chase Family
148
Chapter LIII. Known as "Mart Cooper" 150 I
Chapter LIV. The Currier Family 151
Chapter LV. The Batchelder Family 151 1
152
Chapter LVII. The Colby Family 1
154
Chapter LVIII. The Bailey Family
154
Chapter LIX. A Voice in the Wilderness
156
Chapter LX. The Gage Family
157
Chapter LXI. The Lear Family, The First Saville Baby 158
Chapter LXII. The Flanders, Cross, Hadley and Page Families 159
Chapter LXIII. The Smith Family 160
Chapter LXIV. The Rowell Family 161
Chapter LXV. The Bartlett Family
Chapter LXVI. How Daughters Scatter Names 162
169
Chapter LXVII. Short Items of Record
171
Chapter LXVIII. Where They Are Buried
Chapter LXIX. Sketches from Memory
173
Chapter LXX. And More Folks
178
Chapter LXXI. Still More Folks 180
Chapter LXXII. My Boy Friends, Etc.
184
Chapter LXXIII. We Suppose
186
Chapter LXXIV. Sunapee Check List for November Election of 1940 187
Chapter LXXV. Recent Deaths 194
Chapter LXXVI. The 1941 Town Officers 195
1
173
Chapter LVI. The Trow Hill Trows
1
120
Chapter L. The Gardner Family
PREFACE
The story of a small town may seem to some to be of little consequence. That is true when viewed in comparison with the more momentous affairs of life. But I took up this par- ticular subject casually, in much the same way as women take up their knitting in idle moments. However, I have found it interesting. Moreover, I have been increasingly im- pressed with an obligation which is ours-an obligation to preserve especially the names of those of our forebears who, in all the years, have given their lives in war to preserve our nation. To this end we have searched the records care- fully and believe we have at last produced the names of all who served from Sunapee in all American wars, and have accurately set them forth in our one compact volume, all to- gether, where the on-coming generations may read them, and do them honor. That seemed to me quite worth while.
Then again, what is our heritage? Who were they who travelled these Sunapee roads before we came along? Whence did they come? Were they men and women of pur- pose and faith? What are we now enjoying that they cre- ated? Who once possessed this farm and that? How did they subsist in a wilderness?
Then, as to the individual, and the human equation! Alas, how soon are they all forgotten! Some of us have difficulty in recalling the names of our grandfathers, and many have no idea at all who their great grandfathers and great grand- mothers were. Would not a modest book answering these questions, or even some of them, help us do reverence to as fine a people as ever lived-our own kin? I asked myself, also, why should not such a volume contain as many names as possible of those souls from whom we sprung, or whom we as Sunapee residents succeeded, even if they were plain people?
And why should not a book like this be written now? Oblivion, dark oblivion, has closed in on many of them al- ready in these 173 years. I am loath to see it close in on
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those I loved, and so I hope the reader feels. Our forebears in Sunapee present a story typical of early America,-the plain but "simple annals of the poor."
It has been our purpose to relate such a plain story, and that very simply.
The most interesting way to tell the story of our fore- bears is the presentation of their portraits, which tell us volumes in every face. We have secured such portraits as was possible of the earlier residents of Sunapee, samples we may say, of a few families, such as the Youngs, Angells, Baileys, Bartletts, Gardners, Muzzeys, Sargents, et al, and we express much appreciation to those who have loaned us these treasures.
The going and coming of homeless folk during the earliest period of Sunapee's settlement, was a phase of the American emigrant's search for a place where he could have a home on a plot of land, and raise enough from it to sustain himself and family. It was an era when emigrants were fast flock- ing to America, and milling around and around from place to place until they found a chance to live. It is not strange, therefore, that many came to Sunapee, remained for a day or so and moved on, tramping.
If, like the Youngs, they found the crown of a hill where a "clearing" could readily be made, on which to plant corn, they settled on it. In time they raised large families. Then, after a generation or so the hill was found to be too small, so some of the children had to move on. Such was the case, also, with the Trows on Trow Hill, the Gardners on Gardner Hill, the Bartletts and others on that long hill running from Tucker's to Smith's Hill, near Ledge Pond. Then there is John Chase's case. We find he drew by bad luck the poorest farming land in town. It embraced about all we call "the Harbor," rough, rocky and steep, extending all the way from the Lake to the M. E. Church. But it proved a prize tract because the water became valuable. Even so, we see that, when the farm land was not enough for ten children, plus twenty grandchildren to live on, someone had to be crowded out-actually crowded out.
9
The shops that sprang up on the river gave a "living" to a few of the surplus farm boys, but at that many were com- pelled to say goodbye to the town and search, as their fathers did, for a foothold. This, at times, brought about a large efflux from Sunapee-some to Ohio for land, some to California for gold, and so on and on. Thus country boys were constantly hiking West and to the cities. Many went to Boston. I recall that Joe Goss was a Boston policeman for many years, Ed Fisher was a drummer, Arthur Stocker likewise a travelling man, and so others. A few of our Sunapee surplus became ministers, a few physicians, and some lawyers. A few, like Dr. Young, became dentists, and so the story runs. But the fact underlying it all was that these boys were crowded off the farm because of large fami- lies and small farms. It was never thus on the plains, on the wide prairies or at first in the cities. There the sons could get more land because there was plenty, or new jobs in a growing center for a number of years.
So it was that the history of a little old New England town like Sunapee was a drama. Thus it happened that Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase of the United States Supreme Court had to leave his father's Cornish (New Hampshire) farm for Ohio, that Charles A. Pillsbury, "Flour King," had to leave his father's Sutton (New Hampshire) farm for Min- nesota, and that Chief Justice of the United States, Harlan Fiske Stone turned from his birthplace in Chesterfield (New Hampshire) for New York, and ever the sad but thrilling story of life ran on, and still runs on, until at last we are all crowded into a vast but overflowing country, where many men can find no work at all.
Alas, shall I say that several wars have made room for many farm boys who never had a chance to return?
If all the girls and boys who had to leave Sunapee because they were crowded out by a surplus of children, or the lack of a chance to make a living in Sunapee, if the descendants of all of these, let us imagine, were back in Sunapee to-day, there would be ten thousand people, I guess, in our town instead of one thousand. I say this merely to picture the
10
urge, the surging tide of humanity that is in the world, and to stir up in the reader a thought or two as to whence we came and whither we are going.
We have endeavored to be accurate, and as diligent as possible to find and publish the facts, but we realize that we have undoubtedly erred in places, and respectfully ask the reader's sympathetic consideration. We sincerely hope that this book will stimulate interest in our noble ancestry to whom it shall ever be an honorable memorial.
We wish to thank those who have aided us in any way.
JOHN HENRY BARTLETT
August 1, 1941.
11
CHAPTER I SAVILLE BORN WHEN?
May we not launch our story about Sunapee by a swift glance down the years in order to note the exact point where Sunapee's birth fits into American history.
To this end, American history relates, that from 1492, it was one hundred and thirty-one years before David Thompson, with his small crew of ship-mates, financed by John Mason, residents of Hampshire County, England, sailed into Portsmouth Harbor on the high-pooped bark, "Jonathan," and thus began the first New Hampshire settle- ment, in a wholly unbroken wilderness, naming it "New Hampshire," in honor of their home county.
Then, after fifty-six years more-years of immigration, the British King raised the small New Hampshire colony to the dignity of a "Royal Province," on a parity with Massachu- setts, and appointed Hon. John Cutts, a well-to-do citizen of Portsmouth, New Hampshire's first Royal Governor.
From then we fly over sixty-two years more of Royal Gov- ernors to meet Hon. Benning Wentworth of Portsmouth, who went out August 11, 1766, removed from office by the King for the practice of inserting his own name, as a grantee, in many town grants.
On the same day, his nephew, John Wentworth, Saville's grantor, received the appointment as Royal Governor, the latter being an educated, energetic and popular young man, only twenty-nine years of age, he, also, being a resident of Portsmouth. Conscientiously he tried to preserve peace, but public sentiment was kindled too hot. Finally, he was threatened, and forced to flee from the State, on August 23, 1775. This was some five years after the first few settlers came to Saville.
SUNAPEE VILLAGE Looking West from Gardner Hill.
13
CHAPTER II SAVILLE'S CHARTER FROM THE KING, GEORGE III, NOVEMBER 9, 1768
The New Royal Governor, John Wentworth, on November 7, 1768, by authority of King George III, and by advice of the Council, as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New Hampshire, signed his name to a deed of 23,040 acres of undeveloped land, affixed the seal of the Province, and caused Theodore Atkinson, Jr. to record the same as the Charter of Saville. The grantees were ninety- six residents of the Province, but none were on the land con- veyed. The document contained the ninety-six names, and a map and plan of the land surveyed by the Surveyor General, the acres to be divided equally among the grantees, without consideration, except to comply with certain stated conditions. A complete copy of the original grant or Charter follows:
A TRUE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL DEED OF SAVILLE, NOW SUNAPEE, N. H., FOLLOWS:
(SAVILLE CHARTER, 1768.)
*4-1 *Province of New Hampshire
GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France & Ireland, King Defender of the faith and so forth.
"KNOW YE that we of our special Grace, certain Knowl- edge & mere motion for the due encouragement of settling a new plantation by and with the advice of our Trusty and well beloved John WENTWORTH, Esquire, our Governor and Commander in Chief of our said Province of New Hamp- shire in New England and of our Council of the said Province-Have upon the Conditions and reservations here- inafter made given and granted & by these Presents for us our heirs and successors do give and grant in equal Shares unto our Loving Subjects, inhabitants of our said Province of New Hamps' and our other Governments who have Peti- tioned us for the same, setting forth their readiness to make immediate settlement and to their heirs and Assigns for ever, whose names are entered on this Grant to be divided to & amongst them into Ninety-six equal Shares, all that
newhort
Lemister 5 mile1.75 @Ax
7117 34425
23040 Acres
Saville
Pond
14
15
tract or parcel of land known by the name of Corey's Town situate, lying and being within our said Province of New Hampshire, containing by Admeasurement Twenty-three thousand & forty acres and is to contain not exceeding Six miles square; out of which an Allowance is to be made for highways and unimprovable Lands by rocks, ponds, moun- tains and Rivers one thousand & forty Acres free according to a plan and Survey thereof exhibited by our Surveyor General by our said Governor's order & returned into the Secretary's Office, a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed, butted & bounded as follows vizt Beginning at the Southeast Corner of Lempster and running North Ten degrees east fourteen miles and 50 Links to a stake at the Southeast Cor- ner of Croydon, thence North sixteen degrees East three miles and 56 Chains to a Stake, then turning off and running South Seventy-four degrees east five miles and 19 Chains till it meets Mason's Curve line on the bank of the northerly side of little Sunapee Pond, then turning off and running as the said Curve line runs, till it comes to the Southeast corner of Lempster the bounds began at To HAVE & To HOLD the said Tract of land as above expressed together with all privi- leges & Appurtenances to them & their respective heirs and Assigns for ever by the Name of Saville, *4-2 upon the fol- lowing *Conditions Vizt.
1st That the Grantees at their own cost shall cut clear, bridge and make passable for Carriages of all kinds, a road of two rods wide thro the said Tract beginning on the east- erly side of Newport so called and ending on the Easterly side of said Tract hereby granted on Mason's Curve line commonly so Called and this to be completely done within one year from the date of this Grant, on failure of which the premises and every part thereof shall be forfeited and revert to us our heirs and Successors to be by us or them reentered upon and regranted to any of our loving Subjects.
2nd That the said Grantees shall settle or cause to be settled Twenty Families by the first day of March, 1770, who shall be actually cultivating some part of the land and resi- dent thereon, and to continue making further and additional improvements, cultivation and settlement of the premises, so that there shall be actually settled and resident thereon sixty families by the 1st day of March 1775 on penalty of the forfeiture of such delinquent's Share, and of such Share's reverting to us our heirs and Successors to be by us or them entered upon and regranted to such of our Subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate the same.
16
3rd That all white and other pine trees within the said Township fit for masting our Royal navy be carefully pre- served for that use and none to be cut or fell'd without our special licence for so doing first had and obtained upon the Penalty of the forfeiture of the Right of such grantee his heirs and Assigns to us our heirs and Successors as well as being subject to the Penalty of any Act or Acts of Parlia- ment that now are or hereafter shall be enacted.
4th That before any division of the land be made to and among the Grantees a tract of land as near the centre of the said Township as the Land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out for Town Lots, one of which shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of one Acre.
5th Yielding and paying therefor to us our heirs and Suc- cessors on or before the first day of March 1770 one ear of Indian corn only if Lawfully demanded.
6th That every proprietor, Settler or inhabitant shall yield *4-3 and pay unto us our heirs and Successors yearly and every year forever from and after ye expiration of one year from the abovesaid first day of March, namely on the first day of March will be in ye Year of our Lord 1771, ONE SHILLING Proclamation money for every hundred Acres he so owns, settles or possesses and so in proportion for a greater or lesser tract of the said Land; which money shall be paid by the respective Persons abovesaid, their heirs or Assigns in our Council Chamber in Portsmº or to such officer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; and this to be in lieu of all other rents and services whatsoever.
IN TESTIMONY whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed Witness John Wentworth Esq' our Governor and Commander in Chief of our said Province the 7th day of November in the 9th Year of our Reign, Annoque Domini 1768.
(L. S.) J' Wentworth.
By His Excellency's Command with advice of Council.
T: Atkinson Jun" Secry
Recorded according to ye original Charter of Saville under the Province Seal, this 10th day of Novem" 1768
Attest: T: Atkinson Jun Secy
17
NAMES OF THE GRANTEES OF THE TOWNSHIP OF SAVILLE
Oliver Corey
1 right for a School forever John Beck
Abner Greenleafe
Nathan Little
John Sprague Jun"
Samuel Cook
Philips Payson
Charles Cook
David Call Jun:
Samuel French
Daniel Cate
David Call
Benja Call
Samuel Gilbert
Geo: Walker Lear
Nath1 Treadwell
Thomas Martin
John Wendell
Thomas Peverly Jun"
John Spafford
Eliphalet Spafford
Abel Walker
Simeon Alvord
Alexander Morrison
John Barter
Joshua Wentworth
Samuel Jenks
Geo: Craige
Willm Morrison
Sam1 Bayley Jun"
John Sprague
Ebenezer Little Jun"
David Perkins Paul Noyes
Jona Call
Robt Bayley
Moses Little
Samuel Shattock
Oliver Corey Jun™
Benja Poor Jun™
Constant Hart
Jona Call Jun"
Josh Johnston Jun"
Elijah King
Samuel Corey
James Porter
Lemuel Hastings
AAron Adams
Obadiah Wells
Stephen Alvord
Forster Trefethen
Zachariah Foss
Enos Stephens
Abel Stevens
Amos Poor tertius
John Underwood
Daniel Lunt
David Young
Joseph Peverly John Parker
Robert Lewis Fowle
John Sullivan
Matthew Thornton
Leveret Hubbard Stephen Holland Samuel Lunt
Robert Gilman Samuel Foster
Benj.ª Harris of Newbypt:
Samuel Emerson Jun:
David Cullum
Broadst: Spafford
Jonª Willard
James Reed Geo: Wentworth
Seth Walker of No. 4
Edward Sprague
John Basey William Yeaton Ezekiel Pitman
Petter Curtis
Joseph Moulton
Moses Wheeler
John Gardner
Samuel Harper
18
Edmund Davis
Nehemiah Wheeler
Greenleaf Clark Robert Calder
William Ham
*1 right for the first Minister, Theodr Atkinson Jun" Esq: *4-4
Stephen Hardy, Daniel Clarke.
Province of New Hampshire-November 10th 1768
In the foregoing list of grantees were many well known men, in and about Portsmouth. Two of these, John Sullivan and Matthew Thornton were then prominent, but in a few years they became famous, and their names are household words to-day. John Sullivan became the famous Revolu- tionary War General, and Matthew Thornton became a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The King's favor in including these men and others in many grants of free land did not deter them from becoming revolutionists.
Sullivan County was named for General John Sullivan.
George W. Lear was the only one in this large list of grantees who went to Saville and settled.
It will be noted that one share of the land went for school purposes.
It will also be noted that the deed recited that Saville was "knoan as Corey's Town," and that three Coreys were grantees.
The result of the Revolutionary War made void the condi- tions stated in the grant.
CHAPTER III COREY'S TOWN
Let us look into the meaning of those words in the Char- ter, "KNOWN AS COREY'S TOWN." We never would have heard anything at all concerning "Corey's Town" if the grant of Saville had not recited that the area therein described had been "known as Corey's Town." In order to interpret that reference to "Corey's Town" we were obliged to do a lot of researching. First, we noticed that the first grantee was
19
"Oliver Corey." Customarily, the "first name," when not alphabetical, contains some idea of leadership. Oliver Corey, according to custom, was the first signer of the peti- tion for a town grant, and, as such, was recognized by his associates as the leading spirit in the enterprise.
Looking down the list of grantees we also find the name of "Oliver Corey, Junior," the "Junior" suggesting he was a son of the first grantee. We also see the name of "Samuel Corey" hence we conclude that they were the first settlers, or a part of them, from whom the name of "Corey's Town" had sprung up. So we began searching records to ascertain, if possible, what became of these Coreys. We had an in- clination to eliminate Portsmouth, after we did not find those names there, in the census of 1790 or 1830. Five "Corey" names we found in Plainfield, but no "Olivers" or "Samuels." We ran across no "Coreys" in any of the later lists of Saville or Wendell, not even in the Saville census of 1790, or 1830.
Well, finally we searched war and pension records and discovered that "Oliver Corey" and "Oliver Corey, Junior," enlisted in the War together as privates in a Massachusetts Company, from Charlestown, New Hampshire. The Massa- chusetts rolls, Vol. 3, page 1003 shows their names among a list of 1045 soldiers from New Hampshire who served in Massachusetts companies. This record gives their residence as Charlestown, New Hampshire.
We also discovered that "Samuel Corey" was a Revolu- tionary War pensioner (New Hampshire State Papers Vol. XXX, page 308) and that when 86 years old (that was in 1840), he was living at Gilsum with Benjamin Corey, a rela- tive. His pension was $47.98 per year. So Samuel Corey must have been about twenty-two years old in 1776. From all this we conclude that he was a brother of "Oliver Corey, Junior," since we find the name of "Oliver Corey" appears in the census of Claremont in 1790. We believe he must
(See New Hampshire State papers, Vol. XXX, page 178. That was not so strange at that time.)
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