USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > Willey's book of Nutfield; a history of that part of New Hampshire comprised within the limits of the old township of Londonberry, from its settlement in 1719 to the present time > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
Ge 974.202 184 W 1136732
M! La
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
-
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01096 4093
GENEALOGY 974.202 L84W
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/willeysbookofnut00will 0
George J. Willy
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD
New Hampshire
A History of that Part of New Hampshire Comprised within the Limits of the Old Township of Londonderry
FROM ITS SETTLEMENT IN 1719 TO THE PRESENT TIME
COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL SOURCES AND EDITED
BY
GEORGE
WILLEY
BIOGRAPHICAL, GENEALOGICAL, POLITICAL, ANECDOTAL
ILLUSTRATED WITH HALF-TONE AND STEEL ENGRAVINGS
1895 : GEORGE F. WILLEY, Publisher DERRY DEPOT, N. H.
COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY GEORGE F. WILLEY
INTRODUCTORY.
1136732
In presenting this work to the public, the publisher desires simply to call attention to the fact that no worthy attempt has ever been made to write the history of that large portion of Rockingham County which was originally known as Nutfield. The present work is intended to supply this deficiency, by giving a connected and comprehensive account of the original town- ship of Londonderry, from its earliest settlement down to the present day. The editor believes this can best be done, not by means of a dry catalogue of names and dates, or a lifeless record of the proceedings of town meetings, but by vivid presentations of the lives and characters of the leading men and women. Here is the material for real history. Back of the so-called pub- lic events behind the acts of public bodies, lie the causes which spring from the character of the people, and always in them centres our real interest. In the southwestern part of Rockingham County are many historic places. Many of her citizens have played as prominent a part in the life of State and Nation as those of any other section of New Hampshire. To pay fitting honor to the men and women of the past, and at the same time do adequate justice to those of the present, is the object of this work.
It is no easy task to write history, even of the simplest kind, and be absolutely correct in every detail; so much is missing to make the picture complete. In the present work no attempt is made to give the name and history of every man, woman and child who ever lived within the confines of what was once Nutfield; but the cditor can truly say that no one is omitted who has played a prominent part in the history of the old town. From a mass of historical, biograph- ical and genealogical data, a careful selection of the most interesting and significant anecdotes and incidents has been made, and these are more helpful to an understanding of the past than mere dates and names. The greater part of this material is here published for the first time.
The greatest care has been exercised in the choice of illustrations. They are all executed in the best style of the half-tone art, and include portraits of men and women of former genera- tions, as well as of the present; illustrations of old-time homes and of modern residences. churches, schools and public buildings; pictures of historic places, etc. Nothing so complete in a pictorial way was ever before attempted in New Hampshire, and the publisher is confident that his efforts will be appreciated. Illustrations have rightly come to be as necessary nowadays as the printed word in any work of an historical character, and due regard to the prevailing demand has been made in the present book.
In the treatment of the multifarious and complex life of the present, all its various factors and phases, material, intellectual, moral and social, have been taken into consideration. Whether or not ample justice has been done to each, the discriminating reader must determine. The editor would only say in his own behalf that he has conscientiously endeavored to give a faithful
6
INTRODUCTORY.
picture of present conditions as they prevail within the borders of the old township of London- derry, and believes that the work is a substantial and valuable contribution to the history of New Hampshire.
An historical sketch of every church society and of every permanent organization and institution of whatever nature that has ever existed within the territory covered by the work has been prepared from authentic and hitherto unpublished records. This feature of the book gives it incalculable value and interest not alone to the present but to posterity. The biographies of all ministers, teachers and public men who have been identified with the material or spiritual life and growth of the town, or who have left upon it the impress of their personalities, are also given, so that the work is thus a valuable referenee book. In the biographies are included the lives of many who were natives of the town, but who have won enviable distinction in other States.
An invaluable feature of the work is the seetion map of the old town of Londonderry, here published for the first time. It shows the names and locations of all the original land owners, and thus possesses unique arehæological and antiquarian interest.
The work is published in parts, the publisher having become convinced that such an arrangement would be far more satisfactory to the great majority of subscribers than if the book were issued all at onee. In the latter ease the date of publication could be no earlier than that of the final instalment, so that no time is lost.
Bespeaking for the work a generous patronage and an impartial eritieism of its merits as well as of its defeets, the publisher trusts that the "Book of Nutfield" may fill an honorable niehe in the historieal literature of New Hampshire.
GEORGE F. WILLEY.
THE DOUBLE RANGE IN NUTFIELD.
BY REV. JESSE G. McMURPHY.
the sunlight until the ink has nearly faded from sight, the first twenty settlers in Nutfield were:
O N the 25th of December, 1719, seven rep- resentative men, chosen by the people of the Nutfield settlement for managing the James McKeen, John Barnard, public affairs, David Cargill, James McKeen, James Gregg, Archibald Clendennen, James Gregg, Robert Wear, John Morrison, Samuel Graves, James Clark, Samuel Graves and John Goffe, decided to David Cargill, James Nesmith, reward the earliest settlers for their courage and Robert Wear, John Goffe, diligent efforts in occupying a new territory John Morrison, Elias Keyes, remote from other settlements, and at the same James Anderson, Joseph Simonds, time adopted a method of rewarding that should Thomas Steele, James Alexander, tend to attract the relatives and friends of those Allen Anderson, James Sterrat, John Gregg, Samuel Allison. already located along the banks of Westrunning Brook. The plan adopted by the committee at This action of the seven prudential com- mittee-men was not fully acquiesced in by the little colony of Nutfield. In fact the divisions that unhappily disturbed the peace of the old country were not all healed by emigration to a new country. The colonists were divided in both civil and religious allegiance. While per- petuating the principles of freedom in speech and faith, they found themselves compelled to proceed humbly in asking for grants of land under the protection of the Crown. The rela- tions of the settlers on the various ranges into which Nutfield was divided were somewhat strained. There were many abuses of privileges and much intolerance, incident to the pioneer period of a new country. The English church- men were in a minority, and greatly maligned by the Scotch, who came to America as disaf- fected and aggrieved occupants of confiscated that meeting was duly recorded in the Proprie- tors' Book and immediately carried into execu- tion. By this plan each one of the original settlers, to the number of twenty persons, was granted a lot of land suitable for a homestead, upon which relatives or friends might locate at the invitation of the grantee, with a reasonable provision or condition that the person invited should be a desirable neighbor and ready to make an immediate clearing and settlement. It is interesting to pursue the record and observe the list of names, the pioneers of a township that has become rather famous in the production of generations of hardy, enterprising men who have continued building towns and cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and are found in every State. As far as it is possible to decipher the writing of a list of names, all but three of which are on the margin of the page, in a vol- lands in the northern counties of Ireland. de- ume that thousands have handled and turned to spising the Irish, whom they had displaced, for
James and John Book Nutfield. Sixty Ocres Laid out- Sept. 29, 1720 Recorded October 1, 1720.
-
Henry
Green.
Nutfield.
Sixty acres Rauch out 1720
Recorded October 8, 1722
Abel merrill, Putfield Sixty acres Card out 1720
Randall Alexander. Nutfuld Sixty acres laid out 1720
Common Field
James Gregg. Two lots of six sixty acus each laul out in Tulfield 1720. Theorded July 13, 1720.
one hundred rods
all rights reserved.
by Rod f. E. mc murphy.
Prepared and drawn
John Glask
Nutfuld
Sixty acres laid out 1720
Recorded Fec 26, 1720
I Sixty achts laid out in Nulfuld march 1720 1 Recorded July 13, 1720.
James anderson. Nulfuld Sixty acres laid out 1720 Recorded March 2, 1721
James Clark. Sixty acres land outin Nulfield 1720
L Recorded Dec. 26, 1720.
James Alexander Nulfuld Sixty acres land out Feb. 1719 Recorded Nov. 5,1720
Sixty acres laid out in
Nuthwed Feb. 6, 1720. Recorded Oct- 4, 1720.
James morrison. Nulfullt Sixty acres laid out Feb. 1719 Recorded Nov. 5, 1720
1 -
- -
1,1723
1 allen anderson.
1
Archibald Glendinnen. Nützfield. Sixty acres laid out march 15, 1719 Recorded april 4. 1729
---- 1 1
Robert Wear. sixty acres laid out in Nutefuld aug. 1719. Recorded July 20, 1720
John Barnard Nutfuld Sixty acres laid out march 15, 1719 Recorded april 4, 1720
1 1
1
West running brook along which the first sixthem families settled
Road laid out oct 23 1723
11, 17:29
1
lau out august 5, 1719! Recorded Inte 20, 1720
Samuel allison sixty acres laid out in Tuttele 1720 Recorded March 22, 1720
Thomas Steele
-
Jonathan Tyler. Nulfield Forty-five liens, - Carta out sept. 20, 1720. Recorded Sept 28, 1720
-
John Stewart & lack out in Fifty one acres
rutfield 1720 Recorded Feb. 25, 1722.
un-
WIE
Robert Hook. Nutfield
Alexander Walker, Nutfield Sixty acres laid out 1720 Recorded Flec = 9, 1725
Road laid out by the selectmen June 1, 1723
+
Revel James mc gregor,
| sextaeres - sitefail hout +125.
1
- + laid Recorded march 24, 1721.
John inschule Nutfuld. Sixty acres laul out 1720 Recorded May 24, 1721
Roud Teand out Jung
1
John thomas surly!
i acres la Parte march 1720. Ricordiel July 20.1720.
1
James mc keen and Sons - Nulfuld
One hundred and twenty-six acres. /
John Mc Gonoghy sixty acres. laid out-in Nutfile 1720. Recordul Feb. 25.1722.
Beaver rever and meadow.
Instancite
1 John Gregg
James Nesmith. 1
Sawmill June 7, 1719
MAP OF THE DOUBLE RANGE.
.
9
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
their obedience to a foreign religious potentate, ine the thick growth of forests largely com- and hating the English with a national rancor posed of walnut, chestnut, butternut and oak, for having gained authority over them by the and wild game, some of it unpleasantly fierce and dangerous to encounter alone or without arms. It required some time for each family to clear away timber enough to let in the sun- shine and build a log cabin. The cabins dotted the slopes a little back from the brook, prob- ably concealed from each other by the forests, and reached by private paths hastily cut among the trees. On a frosty morning the white curl- ing smoke from the cabins along Westrunning Brook rising over the tops of the trees may have been a pleasing feature of pioneer life. In order to have corn and beans and other gar- den crops before fields could be cleared around each cabin, the settlers combined their strength and cleared a tract of land together, and all joined in planting and cultivating this tract, and the name by general consent became the Com- mon Field. It is easily recognized now on the west side of the turnpike about a mile below Derry Lower Village, and just north of the locate the Common Field of the early settlers at the south end of the Gregg land. The engraving is intended to give a view of the homesteads in their position and relative pro- portions.
treachery and baseness of court favorites. Less than six months after the action of the seven, or in June, 1720, a large proportion of the col- onists of Nutfield were complaining about the character of the men that were being invited to settle upon the late divisions of land. Some of these new arrivals were deprived of their lots and forbidden to remain in the town; and on June 29, 1720, the sentiment of the town ran so directly against the actions of that immigration committee (or Immigrant Bureau), that a gen- eral meeting was called for July 25. The oppo- sition was strong enough to dismiss the over- zealous friends of the colonization scheme; but they and their sympathizers, mostly inclined toward liberal views of the Royal prerogatives, appealed to the General Court, and on the same day, before leaving the place of meeting, the former party outnumbered their opponents and reversed the late decision against the committee, reinstating them in full power to continue the brook. The map will enable the reader to allotment of additional lands to the first twenty settlers. The Scotch immigrants were often more wary than wise, but in all the conflicts of the last two thousand years this characteristic of the race has been manifested, that wherever they have not the requisite arms or force to prevail over their adversaries they avoid an open test. They have no very high regard for the authority set up on the turn of a battle or the scratch of a pen. They do not think it meritorious to stand up against an army to be shot down just to see which party can stand the most charges of gunpowder and ball.
For convenience in visiting one another, these families had their homesteads laid out in narrow farms of sixty acres each, arranged in parallel lines so that the cabins, all being at the ends of the farms, were not over thirty rods apart, and by placing two ranges together, both facing the brook, the cultivated ends approaching each other, two rows of rude cabins were stretched along Westrunning Brook from the point where it empties into Beaver Brook. then called a river, to the most easterly side of the settlement, about five hundred rods distant. As the farms were three hundred and twenty rods in length the Double Range embraced an area of two thousand acres.
The English in Nutfield found it conducive to their comfort to remain apart from the other settlers, and in the laying out of homesteads managed to secure a range of fine land that in a short period became known as the English Range. The Wentworths and many loyal sub- jects to the Crown formed almost a separate colony in the town. The appearance of the To identify the sites of the original settlers a few directions only are requisite. The easiest settlement along the banks of the Westrunning Brook in 1720 must have been romantic. Imag- method is that of following the record of the
10
WILLER'S BOOK OF NUT FIELD.
3
--
J. F. COBURN'S KIT FACTORY, DERRY DEPOT, DESTROYED BY FIRE.
İ I
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUT FIELD.
position of the highways will indicate the situ- ation of the cabins, and quite frequently the record indicates on which side of the road one must look for traces of the log cabins and culti- vated fields. A clearer understanding of the situation of the settlers' cabins in the south part of the Double Range is afforded by a quo- tation from the old Proprietors' Book. It will be seen in the record that the name of Nutfield had given place to that of Londonderry as the one finally fixed by the Charter of King George I., June 21. 1722 :
Londonderry, June 1, 1723. Laid out by the Selectmen a highway beginning at the lower side of James Doak's lot and so running easterly across the said lot to John Ander- son's lot, and from thence to Abel Merrill's lot, and from thence to Randall Alexander's lot, and so to the south side of Robert Doak's house, across his lot, and across Alex- ander Walker's lot, and so to John Clark's lot easterly, and so across James Anderson's lot as near easterly as good ground is convenient, and so across James Alexander's lot as the highway now runs, and from thence across James Morrison's lot, John Mitchell's lot, Archibald Clendennen's lot, and John Barnard's lot, as the highway now runs, and from thence across until it comes to that road that goes up between Mr. McKeen's lot and John Barnard's lot, and the said highway is to be continued and kept clear four rods wide.
JAMES MOORE, JAMES NICHOLS, JOHN BLAIR, BENJAMIN WILSON.
Selectmen.
Recorded this 20th day of June, 1723. Per JOHN MACMURPHY, Town Clerk.
A more satisfactory proof of the relative positions of the early homes of these families could not be found in all the traditions or annals of living descendants, however carefully handed down from generation to generation. The place of beginning as shown in the map is immediately south of the junction of Westrun- ning Brook with Beaver River or brook. As these homesteads were only thirty rods wide, the average distances between the homes must be within that limit, and it appears in the record that no lot was vacant in 1723. Some of these settlers became discontented, and removed to other parts of the town in a few years from the
laying out of a highway, always bearing in mind time of laying out this road, and a few of them the dimensions of the original homesteads. The joined other colonies. In the allotment of sec- ond divisions of about forty acres to each inhab- itant, quite a large proportion of them discovered advantages in changing their residences from the homestead to the second division, perhaps in the quality of the soil, the quantity of meadow accessible or the presence of good springs of water.
In some instances descendants of the first set- tlers in the Double Range remained upon the same homesteads until the present generation. Sometimes they have returned to their native town to purchase again the old homesteads that passed out of the family some generations ago. The descendants wherever found manifest a lively interest in the history of the early pio- neer days of a wonderful people that came a long distance to settle in the wilds of America and found a great commonwealth in the Occi- dent.
The McKeens lived on their ancestral lands until a comparatively recent period. The Clarks remained for many generations on the same homestead allotments, their late residences being well known by the present inhabitants of the town. The Greggs have continued the family name for a hundred and seventy-five years on the same lands made notable by reason of cer- tain considerations relating to the privilege of owning and operating sawmill and gristmnill upon Beaver River. The McGregors, Nesmiths, Mor- risons, Alexanders and several other families have continued their names in unbroken lines down to the present, either upon original allot- ments for homesteads, second divisions or amend- ments. Some of the pioneers whose names appear upon the map of the Double Range. although manifestly entitled to a reward of addi- tional land on the day of the meeting of the Committee of Seven, are not mentioned in the record, probably for political reasons, and some whose names appear in the list had no home- stead in the section covered by the engraving. The homesteads of those not represented on the map are to be found chiefly in the section called the English Range, of which a map and de-
J
12
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUT FIELD.
scription are given in the succeeding part of the form of record found in the Proprietors' this History. Book:
In the Century sermon delivered by the Rev. E. L. Parker, April 27, 1819, is found a list of the first sixteen families settled in this town, differing slightly from the former records, but sufficiently identical to establish the fact that the descendants of most of these families were desirous of perpetuating a division of interests, feelings and sentiments that prevailed from the earliest period of the town's corporate existence : James McKeen, James Clark,
John Barnett, James Nesmith,
Archibald Clendennen,
Allen Anderson,
John Mitchell, Robert Wear,
James Sterrat, John Morrison,
James Anderson,
Samuel Allison,
Randall Alexander, Thomas Steele,
James Gregg, John Stewart.
The apparent discrepancy is easily explained by understanding the relationship of persons of the same surnames, or the maiden names of the homesteads from parent to child, many house- holds being eomposed of grown up sons and
AN OLD TIME RESIDENCE, NOW STANDING IN DERRY.
daughters when the emigrants arrived at the place of settlement.
A single deseription of a homestead lot in the Double Range will enable the reader to understand the plan adopted by the Selectmen in laying out the land and give a specimen of a general review.
Nutfield, 1720. Laid out to James Anderson a lot of land in the above said town, containing sixty acres, and is bounded as followeth: beginning at a small red oak tree marked near Westrunning Brook, from thence running due south three hundred and twenty rods and bounding upon James Alexander's lot unto a stake and stones, from thence running west thirty rods unto a stake and stones, from thence running due north three hundred and twenty rods and bounding upon John Clark's lot unto a small white oak tree marked, standing by the aforesaid brook, from thence running up the brook to the bounds first mentioned, together with an interest in the common or undivided lands of the said township equal to other lots in the said town.
JAMES MCKEEN, JAMES GREGG, SAMUEL MOORE, JAMES ALEXANDER. JOHN COGIIRAN, JAMES MCNEAL, Recorded this 2nd day of March, 1721.
Selectmen.
Per JOHN GOFFE, Town Clerk.
This James Anderson had five sons and assumed to cover all apparent differences in names of proprietors to lots, where the same lots are mentioned as assigned to other and various persons in a short space of time, thus complicating the task of mapping the township. By reference to the position of the first meeting house on the map it will be seen that the East Village of Derry occupies the upper ends of a few of the farms of the Double Range.
The Rev. James McGregor exchanged thirty acres of his homestead for thirty acres of Allen Anderson's homestead prior to March, 1721, giving Allen Anderson the southern half of his land and taking the northern half of his neigh- bor, which arrangement provided for the abun- dant space for common and graveyard around the spot chosen for the meeting house. The highway leading southward along the west side of the cemetery is readily identified as the south road of the records, and the position of the adjoin- ing farms identifies the original proprietors so that further notes upon the original occupation of the Double Range would be superfluous in
mothers of the households, or the transfer of two daughters, which illustrates the method
WILLIAM H. ANDERSON.
W ILLIAM H. ANDERSON'S earliest Amer- he was a member of the Common Council at Lowell, and during the latter year he was pres- ident of that body. For several years he was a member of the School Committee of Lowell. In 1871 and 1872 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Since the latter date he has held no public office, but
ican ancestor was James Anderson, one of the sixteen original proprietors of the town. James Anderson settled in that part of London- derry now called Derry, and his oldest son received his father's " second division " or "amendment land," which comprised a large tract lying on Beaver Brook in the south- ern part of the town. A portion of this tract has been handed down from father to son for five generations to the subject of this sketch. Combining as it does so many natural attractions and family associa- tions, Mr. Anderson has delighted to im- prove it and make it a place of his fre- quent resort. On this farm Mr. Anderson was born, Jan. 12, 1836. He was the son of Francis D. Anderson and Jane Davidson of Wind- ham. He pursued his preparatory stud- ies at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N. H., and at Phillips WILLIAM H. ANDERSON. Academy, Andover, Mass. He entered Yale building his first rude dwelling in London- College in 1855, graduating four years later.
has devoted himself closely to the prac- tice of his profes- sion. Oct. 1, 1868, he married Mary A., daughter of Joseph Hine. His only child, Frances W .. was born Dec. 20. 1877.
High minded and generous as the early Scotch-Irish settlers of Nutfield were they naturally had some of the defects of their virtues, and it is quite possible that even in their prim- itive surroundings worldly pride some- times asserted itself. Illustrative of this is the anecdote related of the wife of the oldest John Morri- son. When he was
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.