USA > New Hampshire > A gazetteer of the state of New-Hampshire by John Farmer and Jacob B. Moore ; embellished with an accurate map of the state, and several other engravings by Abel Bowen > Part 16
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FARMINGTON, post-town, Straf- ford co., lat. 43º 20/, was formerly a part of Rochester, but was incor- porated as a distinct town Dec. 1, 1798. It has Milton on the N. E. Rochester S. E., Strafford S. W., New-Durham N. W .- its area a- bout 21,000 acres. It is distant from Concord in a line E. N. E. a- hout 25 miles, but by the road usu- ally travelled nearly 40 ; from Portsmouth, in a direct line, N. W. by N. 26 miles. This is rather a broken township, much of the soil being rugged, but found to be pro- ductive when properly subdued by human industry. The interval is inconsiderable, though very fertile on the banks of the Cocheco, which meanders through the N. E. part of the
town. The Blue Hills or Frost Mountains, extend nearly through the town under different names from N. to S. From the summit of the ridge in the S. E. part, here called Mount Washing- ton, ships may be seen by the na- ked eye off Portsmouth harbor ; while to the north and west the White Hills and the Monadnock, with hundreds of smaller mountains meet the eye of the beholder .-- There is not far from the village in Farmington, a rock supposed to weigh from 60 to 80 tons,so exactly poised on other rocks, that it may be caused to vibrate several inches by the hand. There is a decent meet- ing-house in Farmington ; and a congregational church has recently been. formed under the care of Rev. James Walker. There are many other professing christians of different denominations, but nø church has been organized except that of the congregationalists. At the bank of the Cocheco, a little
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more than a mile S. E. from they poration, Nov. 27, 1778. It recei- principal village, is a place called ved its name from John Fisher, who afterwards went to England. The first settlement was made in the year 1762 by Zephaniah Clark, Esq .- There is a society of free- will baptists. Pop. 874. the Dock-so named from the cir- cumstance that the first settlers us- ually deposited their lumber here to be floated down the river. This name is sometimes ignorantly ap- plied to the village. Hon. AARON WINGATE, for many years a meni- ber of the legislature, a counsellor from 1797 to 1803, and for some time chief-justice of the com- mon pleas in Strafford, died here in 1822, aged 78 years. Pop. 1716.
FISHERSFIELD, a post-town in Hillsborough county, in lat. 43º 18/, is bounded N. by New-London, E. by Sutton, S. by Bradford, W. by Goshen and Wendell,containing 19,332 acres. It is 23 miles from Hopkinton, 40 from Amherst, 35 from Concord, and 95 from Boston. Though this town has a large pro- portion of water, yet there is no con- siderable stream within its limits. The S. part of Sunapee lake lies in the N. W. part. Todd pond, situated at the S. E. angle, 500 rods in length, and 60 in width, affords a small branch to Warner river. Chalk pond is in the N. part, from which issues a small stream communica- ting with Sunapee lake. In the W. part of the town, there is a considerable elevation of hills, and the land in that section is broken, but is suitable for grazing. The growth of wood in Fishersfield is rock maple, beech,birch, spruce and hemlock. The land is generally mountainous, and the soil hard and rocky. This town, according to Dr. Belknap, was originally known by the name of Dantzick, and con- tained in 1775 only 130 inhabitants, Sutton being joined in the enumer- ation. It did not at first belong to Hillsborough county, but was an- nexed to it at the time of its incor-
FITZWILLIAM, a post-township, in Cheshire county, in lat. 42º 45', is bounded N. by Troy, E. by Rindge, S. by Royalston and Win- chendon, in Massachusetts, and W. by Richmond. It originally con- tained 26,900 acres, but by an act of the legislature, passed June 23, 1815, 4200 acres of land were dis- annexed from Fitzwilliam, and now constitute part of Troy. Fitzwil- liam is 13 miles from Keene, 60 from Concord, and 65 from Boston. Camp and Priest brooks, running in a S. direction, are the principal streams. South pond, 230 rods long and of various width ; Sip's pond, 200 rods long and 100 wide ; Rockwood's pond and Collin's pond, are the only natural collec- tions of water. The surface of this town is hilly. The soil is rocky. The natural growth on the upland is maple, beech, birch, oak, pine and hemlock; on the low lands, pine, hemlock, and spruce. There is a considerable quantity of very productive and highly val- uable meadow land. The soil is suitable for grazing and tillage. Beef, pork, butter and cheese are the staples. The farmers have of late turned their attention to the raising of sleep, and the making of woollen cloths, and this branch of industry is becoming an object of profitable attention. Near the centre of the town is a large lill, remarkable for the beautifully ro- mantic prospect it affords. Gap mountain, which, at a distance, appears to be part of the Monad- nock, and on which are found va-
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rious kinds of stones suitable for{j the same year, another, 65 by 57. whetstones, lies partly in Troy and feet, was erected on the same spot and dedicated Nov. 1817. The number of deaths from 1802 to Nov. 21, 1822, inclusive, was 334. Brig. Gen. JAMES REED,a revolu -. tionary patriot, whose merits as an officer and a man will be long re- membered, was a citizen of this town. Pop. 1167. partly in the N. E. part of Fitz- william. Five turnpike roads, meet at the village, viz. one from Keene and Winchester each, one to Templeton, leading to Worces- ter, and one to Rindge and Win- chenden each, both leading to Bos- ton. These roads have all been built within a few years, and for Fox POINT, in Newington, the place where a party of Indians un- der Hoophood, a sagamore,in May, 1690, destroyed several houses, killed 14 persons, and took 6 prison- ers. the projection and completion of most of them, the public is indebt- ed to the public spirit and enter- prize of the late James Robeson, Esq. The village contains one meeting-house, 2 stores, an exten- FRANCESTOWN, a post-township in Hillsborough county, in latitude 42º 59/, is bounded N. by Deering, E. by New Boston and Weare, S. by Lyndeborough and Greenfield, and W. by Greenfield and Society- Land, containing 18,760 acres. It is 12 miles from Amherst, 55 from Hanover, 27 from Concord, and 60 from Boston. The two S. branches of Piscataquog river rise in this. town; the largest branch from Pleasant pond; the other from Haunted pond. The former branch passes near the village in Frances- town. Pleasant and Haunted ponds are considerable collections of water, the former being about 350 rods square; the latter 300 rods in length and 225 in width. The land is uneven, and in many. parts stony, but the qualities of the soil are warm and moist. There are some small intervals which are very productive. The original growth here was beech, birch, red oak, maple, hemlock and pine. The streams of water are not large, and almost every mill is situated on rivers that take their rise from hills and ponds within the limits of the town. But three of the mill privileges may be consider- ed as valuable. The highest land sive tannery, several other me- chanic shops, and 20 dwelling-hou- ses. Fitzwilliam was originally called Monadnock No. 4, and was granted Jan. 15, 1752, to Roland Cotton and 41 others, but the gran- tees incurred the forfeiture of the grant, and it was re-granted to Sam- son Stoddard and 22 others. The first settlement was made early in 1760, by James Reed, John Fas- sett, Benjamin Bigelow and others. It was incorporated May 19, 1773, when it was named from the Earl of Fitzwilliam .. A congregational church was formed March 27, 1771, on which day, Rev. Benjamin Brig- ham, who graduated at Harvard college in 1764, was ordained. He died June 11, 1799, aged 57. Rev. Stephen Williams succeeded Mr. Brigham, Nov. 4, 1800; dismissed Nov. 1802 ; died at Woodstock, Conn. 1822, aged 60. Rev. John Sabin, who graduated at Brown University in 1797, was ordained March 6, 1805. The number in his church is 150. In 1816, an el- egant meeting-house was erected at the expense of $7000; dedicated Nov. 6. On the night of the 17th Jan. 1817, it was struck by light- ning, and entirely consumed. In
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is Crotched mountain, the summityof the state to Concord. There is of which is more than 600 feet a- bove the level of the common in the centre of the town. One of the summits of this mountain is covered with wood ; the other is ahnost a solid ledge of rocks, af- fording a very extensive prospect to the S.W. There is, in the east- erly part of this town, on the farm of Mr. Daniel Fuller, a very ex- tensive and valuable quarry of free-stone (steatite.) It was ac- cidentally discovered by Mr. Ful- ler while ploughing in the field, and was first worked in 1804. It is of a dark greyish color, and when polished, strongly resembles the variegated marble of Vermont. It is soft, adhesive, and easily manu- factured. Its specific gravity, from recent experiments, is found to exceed considerably that of com- mon granite. When separated from the quarry, it is worth $2,50 per cubic foot. It is transported to Boston in large quantities. where, as well as at the quarry, it is manufactured into stoves, hearths, &c. In the N. part of this town, black-lead, (plumbago, or graph- ite) has been recently found of a good quality-and in the S. part, near Lewis' mills, some beautiful specimens . of rock crystal. The common garnet is met with in va- rious places. On the. N. side of Haunted pond, there is a bar of 20 rods in length, 6 feet high, and 3 or 4 feet through, but for what pur- pose or by what means this barrier was raised, is a matter of conjec- ture only. The 2d N. H. turnpike passes through near the centre of Francestown. The local situation of this town is very eligible for bu- siness, being near the centre of the county, and on the great thorough- fare from Windsor to Boston, and on a leading road from the S. W.
a handsome village, consisting of an elegant meeting house, with a cupola and bell, an academy, two stories high, built of brick, and 25 dwelling houses. The number of deaths from the first settlement to 1790 was about 100. From that time to Jan. 1, 1819, the number was 463. A large proportion of these was infants. The dysentery prevailed in 1799, and 33 persons died of that disorder, which, with 12 other deaths, made the total that year 45,-the greatest number which ever occurred in one year. A congregational church was gath- ered by Rev. Samuel Cotton, of Litchfield, Jan. 27, 1773. It con- sisted at first of 18 members, and in 1790, of 148, and in 1821, of 328. Rev. Moses Bradford, from Rowley, Ms. who graduated at Dartmouth College in 1785, was ordained Sept. 8, 1790. No other religious society has ever existed here, excepting a small one of Scotch presbyterians, which, in 1792, united with the congrega- tionalists .- Francestown derived its name from Frances, the wife of the last Gov. Wentworth. It was not granted to proprietors as most of the early townships were. It in- cludes what was once called New- Boston-Addition and part of Socie- ty land, and was incorporated om petition of the inhabitants of those places, as a distinct township, June 8. 1772. The titles were derived from the Masonian proprietors, the land being within the curve line. A part of Lyndeborough was after- wards added to this town. The first settlement was made about 1760,by Joha Carson, a Scotchman. This town passed several spirited resolves, Oct. 21, 1774, which were published Nov. 18th in the N. H. Gazette, signed by most of
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the inhabitants then belonging to] 1-4 of a mile wide. It is the source the place. Richard Batten, who died Aug. 25, 1822, at the age of 85 years, resided in this town more than 40 years. He was captured by the Indians during the last French war, in the year 1757. Al- though guarded by two warriors, he was able, by superior strength and agility, to effect his escape, but not without the loss of all his clothes. He wandered entirely naked between the lakes George and Champlain for six days, eating nothing but berries and bark. To elude his pursuers, he was obliged to swim across Hudson river three times. Mr. JAMES WOODBURY, who died March 3, 1823, at the age of 85, closed his life in this town. He was an active soldier in the old French war, and engaged by the side of Gen. Wolfe when he was killed at the memorable siege of Quebec. He was one of the truly invincible rangers under the im- mortal Stark, and discharged every duty in a prompt and courageous manner. Pop. 1479.
FRANCONIA, a post-township in the N. part of Grafton county, in lat. 44º 10/, containing 32,948 a- cres, is bounded N. by Bethlehem, E. by ungranted land, S. by Lin- coln and Landaff, and W. by Con- cord. Itis 28 miles from Haver- hill, 74 N. from Concord, the seat of government, and 140 miles from Boston. A large proportion of this town is mountainous. Its streams are branches of the Lower Amonocsuck river, and rise in the mountainous tracts on the E. There are two ponds in the notch of the mountain and but little low- er than the ground on which the public road now passes, both situa- ted in the S. part of the town. The lower one, commonly called /Fer- rin's pond, is 1.2 a mile long and Iper cent ; and the mine is said to
of one of the principal branches of Pemigewasset river, called the Mid- dle Branch. The North pond, a- bout a mile long and from 1-2 to 3-4ths ofa mile wide, is the source of one of the branches of the Am- onoosuck. Numerous elevations of land present themselves in this town. Those adjacent the Notch, are the most prominent. Here na- ture seems to have left only room for the road, which will probably become the great outlet of the Coos country. What has received the name of the Profile in Franco- nia is regarded as a singular curios- ity. The peak on which it is situ- ated is estimated by some to be 1000 feet in height,rising at an an- gle of about 80º, presenting a bold and majestic front of solid rock, a side view of which exhibits the profile of the human face, of which every feature is conspicuous. At the foot of the mountain is Ferrin's pond. There are two Iron estab- lishments in this town. The low- er works are situated on the S. branch of Amonoosuck river and are owned by the New-Hampshire Iron-Factory Company, incorpora- ted Dec. 18, 1805, which is com- posed principally of gentlemen in Salem and Boston. Their estab- lishment is very extensive, con- sisting of a blast furnace erected in 1808, an air furnace, a forge and trip-hammer shop. There are also near or connected with the estab- lishment, grain and saw mills, a large store, several shops, and oth- er buildings, with 12 dwelling hous- es, which make a small village. The ore is obtained from a moun- tain in the east part of Concord, three miles from the furnace, and is considered the richest in the Uni- ted States, yielding from 56 to 63
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be inexhaustible. About 12 or 15|| tons of iron are made in a week, and 60 men on an average are em- ployed annually. There is a high- ly impregnated mineral spring, about two miles from the furnace. About one mile from the Lower works, are the Upper works, owned by the Haverhill and Franconia company, but their operation is not very extensive. Franconia, origi- nally called Morristoum, was granted Feb. 14, 1764, to Isaac Searle and others. The first per- manent settlement was made in 1774, by Capt. Artemas Knight, Lemuel Barnett, Zebedee Apple- bee, and others. Pop. 373.
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GEESE islands, in Connecticut river, in the town of Haverhill, five in number, the largest of which con- tains about 49 acres. The others contain in all about 15 acres. They were granted to Benjamin Whi- ting of Charlestown, Jan. 3, 1769.
GILFORD, township, Strafford county, in lat. 43º 32', is situated on the S. of Winnepisiogee lake, which forms its N. boundary. On the E. lies Alton, S. Gilmanton,and W. Long bay and Winnepisiogee river, which separate the town from Meredith. It contains an area of about 23,000 acres, and has 1816 inhabitants. The soil is gen- erally productive. There are two ponds in this town, Little and Chat- tleborough. Gunstock and Mile's rivers, rising in Suncook mountains and flowing N. into the lake, are the principal streams. The N. source of the Suncook river is on the S. of these mountains, which extend in a lofty pile over the E. part of the town, from Gilmanton line nearly to the lake. There are two islands in the lake belonging
to Gilford, one of which has been connected to the main land by a bridge 30 rods in length, This town, which was formerly a part of Gil- manton, was incorporated June 16, 1812. It was settled in 1778, by James Ames and S. S. Gilman. El- der Richard Martin was settled here in 1798, over the first free-will baptist society. Elder Uriah Mor- rison was ordained over a baptist society in 1808, and died in 1817, aged 36 years. Elder William Blaisdell was ordained in 1809, and is the pastor of the christian bap- tist church. There are also socie- ties of congregationalists and uni- versalists. Here are two meeting- houses, open to all denominations ; a new and promising academy, in- corporated in 1820; 11 schools during almost 5 months in the year ; a valuable paper manufac- tory, established by Aaron Martin, besides other useful mills and ma- chinery. Four bridges across the Winnepisiogee connect the town with Meredith. The village at this place is thriving and pleasant, con- sisting of 30 dwelling houses, the court-house, paper-mill, &c. A term of the superior court is now held at this place annually. Pop. 1816.
GILLIS & Foss' GRANT, a tract of territory containing 33,272 acres, in Grafton county, in lat. 43º 54', is bounded N. by ungranted land, E. by Burton, S. by Sand- wich, and W. by Thornton. It was granted June 29, 1819, to Josiah Gillis, Moses Foss, jun. and others. It is watered by Mad river, which rises among the mountainous tracts on the N .; runs S. W. about 20 miles, and falls into Pemigewasset river in Campton. Swift river has its source in this grant, pursues an E. course through Burton into Con- way, where it unite's with Saco riv-
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er. There are two ponds, and sev-||yellow ochre are found in various eral considerable elevations. Mo- ses Foss, jun. commenced the set- tlement a few years since. It has but about 20 inhabitants.
GILMANTON, post-town, Straf- ford county, is situated in lat. 43º 25', 17 miles from Concord, 44 from Portsmouth, 78 from Boston. and 522 from Washington City. It is bounded N. by Gilford, È. by Alton, S. E. by Barnstead, S. W. by Loudon, Canterbury and North- field, N. W. by Winnepisiogee bay and river, which separate it from Sandbornton, and contains 63,500 acres. Beside the Winnepisiogee, this town is watered by the Sun- cook and Soucook rivers, which have their sources in this town. The Suncook rises in a pond near the top of one of the Suncook mountains, elevated 900 feet above its base. The water of this pond falls into another at the foot of the mountain, of 1 mile in length and 1-2 mile wide. Passing from this, it falls into another, covering about 500 acres, from which, it me- anders through the town, receiving several streams in its course. The Soucook rises from Loon, Rocky and Shellcamp ponds, in the S. part of the town. This town is very hilly and rocky. The N. part bounds upon Suncook mountains, from which a chain of hills extends S., dividing the head springs of the Suncook and Soucook. The soil is hard, but fruitful, when properly cultivated. The geology of this town presents many varieties. Quartz, crystallized,yellow and red ferruginous, irised and granular, is frequently found. Hornstone, schorl, in their varieties, occur in several places. Mica slate, gneiss and sienite abound. Sulphur oc- curs on the W. bank of the middle branch of the Soucook ; red and Elders Abel Glidden and John
parts. Iron ore exists here, and works were erected in 1768, at the Iron Works' Village, but after a few years, were abandoned. There are several springs in this town, termed mineral-one of which has proved efficacious in cutaneous and bilious affections. This town was granted May 20, 1727, to 24 per- sons of the name of Gilman, and 152 others. Its settlement was pro- tracted in consequence of the fre- quent depredations committed by the Indians during the continued wars of this period. After the re- duction of Canada, the fear of the Indians in a great measure subsi- ded ; and in Dec. 1761, Benjamin and John Mudgett with their fami- lies settled here. Orlando Weed -joined in 1762, and they were soon followed by several other families. Dorothy Weed, the first child, was born here Oct. 13, 1762. The . baptist church was organized Nov. 16, 1773; Elder Walter Powers. was ordained June 14, 1786, and dismissed in 1806. In 1811, the church was divided, one portion of which now constitutes the Gilford church. June 10, 1818, a new bap- tist church was formed, and is under the pastoral care of Rev. Phineas Richardson. The congregational church was formed Nov. 30, 1774, and Rev. Isaac Smith ordained. He died March 25, 1817, at the age of 72, and in the 43d year of his min- istry. Rev. Luke A. Spofford was ordained June 9, 1819. There are respectable societies of friends and methodists in Gilmanton, and 4 free-will baptist churches-three of which have stated ministrations. The one formed in 1810, is under the care of Elder Peter Clark ; the others, two of which were organ- ized in 1816, are under the care of
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Knowles. The academy in this|| rives the name of Gil-sum. The town, founded in 1794, and endow- ed with $5,500 and one fourth of a township of land, is a flourishing institution. " The social library of Gilmanton " was incorporated in June 1801, and contains 150 vol- umes ; the " Gilmanton Academy social library," incorporated June 1815, contains 160 volumes. The average number of deaths for 10 years past, is 40. Gen. JOSEPH BADGER, one of the first settlers, was the first magistrate in town ; for many years representative, and for some time previous to his deatlı judge of probate for the county of Strafford. He was an estimable and useful citizen. Pop. in 1810, 4,338. Gilford was disannexed in 1812; and the population in 1820 was 3527.
GILSUM, a small township in Cheshire county, situated about 10 miles from Connecticut river, in lat. 43º 1', is bounded N. by Al- stead and Marlow, E. by Stoddard and Sullivan, S. by Keene, and W, by Surry. It contains 9,456 acres. The land is generally uneven and stony ; but there is some good ara- ble land free from stone. The soil is, in many parts, fertile, and pro- duces good crops of grass, grain, &c. The agricultural products in 1820, were 8,500 lbs. of butter, 11,- 000 lbs. of cheese, 19,000 lbs. of beef, 30,500 lbs. of pork, 2000 lbs. of flax, and 300 barrels of cider. Ashuelot river runs through this GOFFSTOWN, a post-township, in Hillsborough county, in lat. 43º 2', is bounded N. by Dunbarton, E. by Manchester and Hooksett, S. by Bedford, W. by New-Boston, containing 29,170 acres. It is 12 miles from Amherst, 16 from Con- cord, and 55 from Boston. Merri- mack forms part of the E. bounda- ry. Piscataquog river, the tribu- town and affords a good supply of water for mills. Gilsum was first granted Dec. 8, 1752, to Joseph Osgood, Jacob Farmer and others, and was called Boyle. It was re- granted by the name of Gilsum, July 13, 1763, to Messrs. Gilbert and Sumner and others. From the combination of the first syllables of the names of these men, it de-Itary branches of which unite near
first settlement was made in 1764 by Josiah Kilburn, from Hebron in Conn. The other early settlers were Pelatiah Pease, Obadiah Wil- cox, Ebenezer Dewey, Jonathan Adams, &c. most of whom were from Conn. The congregational church was gathered in 1772. Rev. Elisha Fish was installed May 29, 1794; died March 28, 1807. Di- visions in religious sentiment suc- " ceeded the death of Mr. Fish. In 1816, the congregational church and society were incorporated, the members of which have assumed no sectarian name, but call them- selves christians. There are some methodists and some universalists, which, with the other denomina- tions, live in peace and harmony. Pop. 601.
· GLYNVILLE, or Littleton vil- lage, is pleasantly situated on both sides of Amonoosuck river, in the S. part of the town of Littleton. It is 40 miles from Plymouth, 15 from Bath, 17 from Lancaster, and 5 from the Franconia Iron works. Here is a good situation for mills, &c., the bed of the river being for a considerable distance of solid rock, with a sufficient fall and a plenty of water. In this village, there are a store, tavern, post of- fice, and such professional men and mechanics as are necessary. There is a social library, called Glynville library, incorporated in 1813.
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