A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I, Part 2

Author: Seward, Josiah Lafayette, 1845-1917
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: [Keene, N.H., Sentinel printing Co.]
Number of Pages: 888

USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Sullivan > A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I > Part 2

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Every detail of the programme was carried out with signal success. The literary exercises were upon the com- mon just west of the Town Hall. A grand stand had been erected, on the north side of the lawn, about forty by thirty feet in length and breadth, on which sat those who were to take any part in the exercises, the musicians and singers, the committee of arrangements, present and past residents of the town of seventy-five years of age or over, and other distinguished guests and representatives of the press. There was a canopy over the stand, bordered with bands of red, white, and blue bunting. Over all waved the American flag. In front of the canopy was the motto, tastefully and

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

elaborately made of evergreen, at the house of Mr. D. W. Rugg, whose legend was, "Sullivan Welcomes her Sons and Daughters." Tents were provided for toilet rooms, and in another tent the visitors registered, and subscriptions were received for the proposed town history. The following aged people were on the grand stand, at one time, and in giving their names, we also give their ages :- Nahum Bridge, about 83 ; Mrs. Rachel Holt Richardson, 84; Seth Nims, 84; Mrs. Lucinda Rugg, 82; Mrs. Sophia Rugg, 79; Ephraim Foster, nearly 85, now of Keene ; Hosea Foster, 78, now of Keene; Frank C. Baker, nearly 68, now of Austin- ville, Pa. ; Mrs. Amos Wardwell, 75; Mrs. Lestina Hast- ings, 70; Willard Jewett, of Nelson, about 85 ; and Samuel Loveland, also of Nelson, about 93. Deacon Jewett Morse and his wife, also among the older inhabitants, opened their spacious house for the accommodation of visitors. Of the aged persons on the platform there were ten whose united ages would amount to about 830 years. Other aged per- sons did not venture out upon so cold a morning, and there were some in the audience who did not find their way to the platform. Of those mentioned all but the two from Nel- son were or had been residents of Sullivan.

One of the few sad incidents of the day was the fact that Mr. Amos Wardwell, one of the oldest and most esteemed residents of the town, and a member of the com- mittee of arrangements, and who had labored with vigor, for several days previous, in helping forward the arrange- ments, was taken so seriously ill, that very morning, as to be unable to be out. He has since recovered. The steno- graphic reporting for the day was done by Henry L. Kel- logg, of Keene.

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

The PROGRAMME, which required the whole day for its execution, was as follows ;

MORNING SERVICE-10.30 A. M.

Į. CALL TO ORDER. D. W. RUGG, Chairman Committee of Arrangements.

2. PRELUDE, "Sunrise," Schlepegrell.

GOODNOW ORCHESTRA.

3. OPENING ADDRESS.

EDWARD B. NIMS, M. D., Northampton, Mass., President of the Day.

4. READING OF TOWN CHARTER.

GEO. KINGSBURY, Town Clerk.

5. MUSIC, "Crown of Victory," W. S. Ripley.

EAST SULLIVAN BRASS BAND.

6. READING OF THE SCRIPTURES. REV. T. S. NORTON, Dover, Mass.

7. PRAYER. REV. F. B. PHELPS, Pastor of the Sullivan Churches.

8. RESPONSE, "Heavenly Father," Beethoven.

HUBBARD QUARTETTE.

9. ORATION. REV. JOSIAH L. SEWARD, Lowell, Mass.

IO. MUSIC, " Fantastique," C. W. Dalby.

EAST SULLIVAN BRASS BAND.

II. POEM. MRS. ELLEN S. (KEITH) EDWARDS, Morton, Pa.

I2. CONCLUDING PRAYER. REV. H. W. L. THURSTON, Goshen, N. H.

13. RESPONSE, "Father, Hear," Arr. by C. Henderson. HUBBARD QUARTETTE.

14. BENEDICTION.

1 5. POSTLUDE, " La Belle de la Ville," Bouillon.

GOODNOW ORCHESTRA.

Luncheon 12.20-1.30.

POST PRANDIAL EXERCISES-2 P. M.

I. MUSIC.

EAST SULLIVAN BRASS BAND.

2. ADDRESSES.

3 CENTENNIAL ODE.

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

4. ADDRESSES, interspersed with Musical Selections.

The responses to different sentiments will include

Poems by MRS. C. L. GEROULD and DAUPHIN W. WILSON, EsQ. MISS ALTHEA S. BARRETT, Pianist.

5. CONCLUDING PRAYER AND BENEDICTION.

6. ADJOURNMENT FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS.

HUBBARD QUARTETTE, AND ASSOCIATES.

DELLA L. HUBBARD.

MRS. ABBY L. WINCII. M. W. HUBBARD.

FANNY L. HUBBARD.

C. W. HUBBARD, L. H. GOODNOW.

GOODNOW ORCHESTRA.

L. H. GOODNOW, First Violin and Leader.

T. F. BURNS, 2d Violin.

C. W. HUBBARD, Cornet.

D. W. GOODNOW, Clarionet. CALEB GOODNOW, Cello. C. F. GOODNOW, Bass.

MRS. F. L. HUBBARD, Pianist.

EAST SULLIVAN BRASS BAND.

L. H. GOODNOW, Clarionet and Leader.

D. W. GOODNOW, Clarionet.

T. F. BURNS, Cornet.

D. B. NIMS, Ist Alto. HENRY W. NIMS, 2d Alto.

L. W. TOWNE, Bass.

A. H. RUGG, Bass.

C. W. HUBBARD, Cornet.

S. G. STEVENS, Ist Tenor.

A. C. PHELPS, Snare Drum.

M. E. STARKEY, Cornet.

M. H. TAFT, 2d Tenor.

A. N. HOLT, Cymbals.

A. A. ELLIS, Cornet.

HARRY JEWETT, 3d Tenor.

D. W. RUGG, Bass Drum.

M. W. HUBBARD, Solo Alto. W. H. HARRIS, Baritone.

Promptly at 10 o'clock, the bell in the church tower pealed forth in joyful tones the summons to the festival. At 10.30, Mr. Daniel Willard Rugg, the chairman of the committee of arrangements, in the following words, form- ally gave the

CALL TO ORDER.

Ladies and Gentlemen,-On this happy Centennial Anniversary we, who are still residents, give you a kind and cordial welcome to the grand old rocky hills of Sullivan upon which your youthful feet once trod. We welcome you to the hand-shaking and friendly greetings of your many friends and former school-mates. We welcome you to our country table again, with its baked beans and doughnuts, as cordially as guests were welcomed by our grandfathers and grand- mothers of the olden time. Although the bucket and the well-sweep are gone from yonder well, you are welcome to

M. E. STARKEY, Cornet.

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its pure water, as in the days gone by, when your parents or grand-parents, gathered for worship in the old meeting-house which once stood near us. You are gladly thrice welcome to all we have to offer you, and we hope that this day will ever be remembered by you with pleasure and profit.

The Goodnow Orchestra then rendered the musical pre- lude, which was Schlepegrell's pleasing work, entitled, " Sunrise." The

OPENING ADDRESS

Was then delivered by Edward B. Nims, M. D., of Northampton, Mass., who was introduced by the chairman of the committee of arrangements as the President of the Day. His address was as follows :

Ladies and Gentlemen, and Fellow Citizens of the Town of Sullivan,-I am happy to be with you to-day to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the old town of Sullivan. I say old, because any town in this new western world of ours that has passed through one hundred years, has a right to call itself old, and justly, when we remember that the most ancient settlement in the northern part of America dates back only to 1604, when two French colonies came over and settled in Annapolis, that beautiful town and old capital, on a retired shore of the bay of Fundy. When we remember that the Pilgrims first landed in 1620; that the first settlement in New Hampshire was in 1623; and when we remember that only eleven years after the Declaration of Independence, a charter was granted to Sullivan, we may indeed call Sullivan an old town.

One hundred years have passed. The boy will say it is a long time, it passes slowly ; the old men of four score years and more would say it has passed quickly. Whether it has passed quickly or slowly, it has wrought wonderful, marvellous changes in this region, the recital of which would

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require a long time. My own memory goes back forty years. Every family in this town was well known to me. As I look over this assemblage to-day, I find but one man who occu- pies the same homestead that he then owned and occupied. Some hours since, this man had a call which tells him that erelong changes will come to him. [The allusion was to Mr. Amos Wardwell, who has since recovered from the severe illness with which he was attacked on the morning of the celebration. ]

The traditions and events of one hundred years ago must be familiar to many of the older citizens whom I see before me; they must remember the stories that their parents and grand-parents told them about the struggle of our fathers in the early settlements, who came out here to make homes for themselves and battle for a livelihood. I hope to hear some of these reminiscences. To those who have gathered with us to-day from near and from far to cele- brate this Anniversary, I may say that your presence is most welcome ; we are glad you have come to revisit your native town, to renew acquaintances, long interrupted in many cases, by absence. It is with most fitting propriety that we pay this tribute to our native town ; for we are part of this town. Whatever may have been our successes or our fail- ures, we are all still a part of this town. The associations formed in youth, will ever, in a certain sense, be with us and cling to us to the end. Habits which are formed in early years are the ones that are most fixed, the ones that have the most to do in the formation of our characters.

I say to-day, not without pride, but with confidence, that the town of Sullivan, though small in territory, though lim- ited in population, though unblessed with any special, natural advantages, though possessed of soil rugged and compara- tively untractable; though separate, as it were, from the busy, bustling world without, has nevertheless made its mark and its influence in the world; a mark and an influence which none can compute, none dare deny.

Her sons and daughters are scattered far and wide over this broad land of ours; many are prominent in business

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life ; some have been called to sit in the high counsels of the nation. All are known as useful and honorable citizens wherever they may go.

I have friends to-day, who are noble examples of the facts which I have stated. It is a truth that it is not great wealth nor great natural advantages, nor a large population, that gives character to the town. It is the support of the people, the rectitude and enterprise of the citizens ; it is the outgrowth of that noble puritan stock of New England towns ; it is love of integrity ; it is a high regard for educa- tion ; it is a regard for moral worth and for religion ; it is all these which make even our small towns great. I con- gratulate you that we have an opportunity to-day to cele- brate the anniversary of this our native town ; that we have the privilege of paying this tribute, commemorating this period of our history. May God grant that the influence of this day may be salutary, and that its results may be as enduring and profitable, as they are sure to be enjoyable, to us all.

READING OF THE TOWN CHARTER,

By the Town Clerk, George Kingsbury, Esq., was the next feature of the programme. He read from the book presented to the town, for its records, by His Excellency, John Sullivan, then President of New Hampshire. The chief executive officer of the state was then called President. The reading of the charter was followed by a selection of music by the East Sullivan Brass Band, entitled "Crown of Victory," composed by W. S. Ripley. This musical selec- tion was followed by the

READING OF THE SCRIPTURES,

By the Rev. T. S. Norton, of Dover, Mass., a former honored pastor of the First Congregational Church in Sul-

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livan. He read Deut. vi. 1-15, and Psalms cxxviii. and cxliv. He used the old Bible which used to be upon the pulpit in the old meeting-house.

PRAYER

Was then offered by. Rev. F. B. Phelps, pastor of the Sullivan churches, in the following words :

Oh, Thou, our Father and our God, Thou who art from everlasting to everlasting, and changest not. Before Thee, the angels and the archangels veil their faces. Thou art the infinite one whom we worship and adore. Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations ; Thou hast formed the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. We ask Thy blessing upon our gathering here to-day. As Thou wast the God of our Fathers, be Thou the God of their children. Be with us as we look back upon the past and study its history.

In all time we recognize Thy hand; we realize the blessings that have come to us ; that all have been Thy gifts. We pray that Thy blessing may rest upon all assembled here to-day. We are thankful that Thou hast permitted so many to come to this Anniversary ; that so many who have been dwellers here in the past, have been permitted to come back. We pray that Thy blessing may rest upon the aged to-day. We thank Thee that Thou hast permitted so goodly a number of those who have been dwellers in this town to reach advanced age. We pray that in the time which lies before them, whether it will be longer or shorter, they may experience a life of goodness. With Thy sustaining grace lengthen out their days so long as Thou seest life to be a blessing. May they yet be enabled to do something for Thy glory ; may their lives be full of hope. and of pleas- ant thoughts. And we remember to-day, before Thee, our Father, those who are on beds of sickness, and specially do we remember him who made one on the committee of

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arrangements, but now is stricken down. Lord be with him, bless him abundantly, and, in any event, may he be prepared to feel that Thou art just and to pray " Thy will be done."

As thou hast blessed the fathers in the past, bless the children more abundantly. We pray that the children may have grace to follow their example. Grant Thou in the time to come that those things which exalt or purify and ennoble a community may be prospered and permitted here. We pray that every feeling in the heart which is unlovely in Thy sight will be done away with. May the feelings of kindness find lodgment in every soul. May thy blessing rest upon all here to-day. Bless them in their own souls, in their own families, in their own labors wherever duty may call them. Bless all those who have come here from differ- ent communities, and all those who have gone out from this place. Grant that they may be blessed and receive from Thee in their own souls rich tokens of Thy love and favor. May their influence be a salutary influence, and from it go a blessing to towns which have received additions to their inhabitants from this Town of Sullivan.

We thank Thee for the ministers of religion who have labored in this place and pointed the way to Heaven.

We pray that Thou wilt bless him who shall address us here to-day, and grant that the words he shall speak may be profitable, to the best interests of the place and all who are here assembled. Grant that the influences of this occasion may be salutary in all respects ; that those present here as they look back to this day, may do so with feelings of glad- ness, that they were permitted to be here. May this town be prospered in years to come ; may those principles which have characterized the fathers all tend to enoble their posterity and live and find lodgment in every heart. Guide Thou all our services and grant that by and by we shall all meet in Thy presence above. Grant that all here before Thee may be found at Thy right hand. May singers and players on in- struments be there; may the aged and young who are

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assembled here all be there, and each receive this reward from the Master's lips : " Well done thou good and faithful servant ; enter thou into the joy of Thy Lord." Let Thy name be glorified ; and to Thee be the glory now and ever- more. Amen.

The prayer was followed by a vocal response by the Hubbard Quartette, entitled "Heavenly Father," adapted from Beethoven. After which the Rev. J. L. Seward, of Lowell, Mass., delivered the following

ORATION.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,-In the inscrip- tions of some of the Psalms are the words, " To bring to re- membrance." We are assembled, to-day, from all parts of the country, from the Atlantic even to the Pacific coast, to " bring to remembrance," once more, some of the events which have occurred in this good town of Sullivan. We come to meet the friends of former days, to exchange friendly greetings, and to revive the memories of the past. The occasion will bring sadness as well as joy. It will be im- possible to check the tears when we think of the ravages which death has made among our friends, and when we ride through the town and behold the deserted and decaying homes in which there was once so much of pleasure and comfort. But we cannot cause the wheels of time to move backward, we cannot reverse the laws of the universe, and we must submit with resignation to the decrees of an all-wise Providence.

Let us consider, to-day, for how many reasons we ought to be grateful to our Father in Heaven for the many blessings which he has vouchsafed to our native town, for the general prosperity which has attended the labors of our inhabitants, for the immunity from poverty and pauperism which has pre- vailed, for the general good character and sound morals of the citizens, for the high regard which has been usually paid

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

to religion and religious institutions, and for the success which has attended the efforts of the sons and daughters of Sullivan in other places, and in their various callings and professions.

This is a day for " bringing to remembrance" the events and happenings of this town. We naturally think, first, of our forefathers and foremothers, those brave men and women who had the courage to build their log houses in the woods and commence housekeeping under cirumstances altogether different from anything which we witness to-day. How great the contrast between their homes and ours ! Instead of the neat white house and green blinds, on a pretty lawn, their abodes were log houses in the midst of small clearings in the woods; instead of good stoves and ranges, they used for cooking large fire-places and brick ovens ; instead of going to a store to purchase cloth for a few cents a yard, the mother of the family, aided by her oldest girls, must card, spin, weave, and dye the cloth which was to be used for garments, and the linen for the bed and table; instead of the covered buggy and phaeton, travelling was either on foot or on horse- back; instead of the piano was heard the spinning wheel and the loom ; instead of receptions and private parties, were quiltings, apple pearings, and huskings.

These early settlers were of excellent stock, mostly of English descent, with now and then one who carried Scotch- Irish blood in his veins. They were principally from Mas- sachusetts, though a few came from Connecticut, and a very few were born in the adjoining towns. The towns of Lancaster, Pepperell, Uxbridge, and Leominster, in Massa- chusetts, furnished a good number of these pioneers. The settlements were begun upon the soil of what is now the Town of Sullivan, about, or not far from, the year 1770. Among those who settled first were the Comstocks, who must have been about the first, and the Osgoods and the Rowes; shortly after whom about twenty families are found upon the soil.

A large proportion of the men who settled Sullivan had seen service in the Revolution. They were men who were

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

not afraid of hardship and danger, and were of the right sort to found a new town. Being sound both in body and mind, and trained to habits of industry, not discouraged by privations and disappointments, they persevered and became the progenitors of an excellent community.

At first, these settlements were in the corners of four different towns, Gilsum, Stoddard, Packersfield (now Nel- son), and Keene. These towns were then so large that persons residing on the outskirts of either of them experienced inconvenience in reaching the center, to attend church or town meeting. Accordingly, so early as 1786, a petition was signed by various residents of the four towns named and presented to the General Court, praying for the forma- tion of a new township, to be called Orange. This petition was signed August 22, 1786. The reasons for desiring the new town were that they had too much difficulty in attend- ing church and in reaching the centers of their towns for business. The petitioners declare their belief that there will be no objection to the incorporation, unless it be from the Town of Gilsum, and they believe that such objections can be easily obviated. As a matter of fact, Gilsum did not object, so far as known, but Packersfield did. That town presented a remonstrance, clothed in quaint language, in which they declare that it " would be a means of removing the present center and frustrate our Design in Building a House for Public Worship and thro the Town into the uttermost confusion imaginable." The Legislature appointed a committee to examine the premises of which the chairman was Lemuel Holmes of Surry. Their report was probably favorable to the petitioners, for the new town was incorpo- rated September 27, 1787, and called, not Orange, but Sulli- van, in honor of His Excellency, John Sullivan, then Presi- dent of New Hampshire.

A few words are here in place respecting the worthy man for whom our town was named. John Sullivan was born in Berwick, Me., February 17, 1740. He was care- fully educated by his father, who was a famous instructor of

The

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youth, first at Somersworth in New Hampshire, and after- wards at Berwick, Me. This honored father lived to the great age of 105 years, and died in 1795. He had four sons who were in the Revolution. John Sullivan was a good student, and, after leaving the tutelage of his father, studied law with Judge Livermore of Portsmouth. He at once be- came a leader in his profession, and through his denunciation of the parliamentary encroachments upon the chartered rights of the province, in his speeches, and in his contribu- tions to the press, he became widely known and influential.

He was sent to the first Continental Congress, in Sep- tember, 1774, as the representative from New Hampshire. In December of that year, he participated in the attack on the fort near Portsmouth. The powder and fire-arms which were captured at this time were secreted under the old pulpit at Durham Meeting-house, and were afterwards used at Bunker Hill. Sullivan had been for some time residing in Durham, which continued to be his residence to the time of his death. He was a distinguished general in the Revo- lution and was instrumental in the successes at Trenton and Princeton. He was with General Washington at the famous crossing of the Delaware, on Christmas night, 1776. In 1780, he again entered the Continental Congress, as the delegate from New Hampshire. He was afterwards Attor- ney-General of New Hampshire, an office which was held by himself, his son, and his grandson, for half a century. He was the Major-General of New Hampshire and did much to perfect the discipline of the twenty thousand men in the militia force of that day. He was the Speaker of the Assembly, and President of the Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution, through whose influence it was adopted. "He did much to encourage manufactures, and greatly encour- aged different branches of industry in the south-eastern part of the State. He was a federal judge, and was three times chosen as the President of New Hampshire; the title of Governor being later conferred upon the chief executive of he State. He died comparatively young, at Durham, Jan- lary 23, 1795.

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

That he was pleased because the town was named for him there can be no doubt. It had been proposed to call it Orange, but the name of Sullivan was substituted. He presented the town with a substantially bound book in which to keep the records. The charter is handsomely written in the first part of the volume, and the signature of John Sullivan, his genuine autograph, is bold and elegant, remind- ing one not a little of the famous John Hancock signature. The Town of Langdon was incorporated the same year and named for President John Langdon, the predecessor of Sul- livan in that office. Bradford was incorporated on the same day as Sullivan.

The citizens of the town were not quite satisfied with their; original boundaries and petitioned the General Court for an elongation of the western line and a change of the southern. This prayer was granted by the General Court, and, by an act approved January 10, 1794, the west line was lengthened and continued south into Keene one hundred and fifty-seven rods further, which change also carried the southern line farther south. July 7, 1874, a few acres were taken from the north-western corner of the town and annexed to Gilsum, being the portion north-west of the Ashuelot River.

The political history of the Town has been compara- tively uneventful. The town meetings have been regularly held and conducted with great decorum. The officers chosen have been very true to the trusts reposed in them, and have been generally quite competent to discharge their duties. It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the full and accurate manner in which the records have been kept, from the days of Roswell Hubbard, who wrote so well and recorded so faithfully, to the present clerk who looks after all the facts worthy of record. These full and accurate records, both of the town and the churches, will be a great help in compiling the history of Sullivan. The first town meeting was called by L. Holmes, Esq., of Surry, by order of the General Court, and was at the house of James Rowe, October 29,

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A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I, Part 2

Author: Seward, Josiah Lafayette, 1845-1917 Publication date: 1921 Publisher: [Keene, N.H., Sentinel printing Co.] Number of Pages: 888

Author: Seward, Josiah Lafayette, 1845-1917
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: [Keene, N.H., Sentinel printing Co.]
Number of Pages: 888