A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I, Part 61

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 61

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 (link on the Part 1 page).

How all fun and laughter vanished When we heard its warning sound ; No rest then, until the values Of x, y, and z were found ; How we strove for thoughts deep hidden Milton's epic lines among, Or stored up with mem'ry's treasures Some loved poet's glad, sweet song.

Many a sterner call to duty Have we heard since those bright days ; Many a harder, sadder lesson Fate has set for us to trace. Have we met each summons bravely ? Learned the lessons without fears ? Gathered to our souls new beauty With the passing of the years ?

Tenderly we dwell and fondly Upon those of our dear band Who, grown weary in life's struggle, Clasped death's kind and gentle hand, And, with faith serene, unwav'ring, Passed to that immortal shore Where, like fragrant breath of lilies Love flows round them evermore.

We still linger 'mid the turmoil Of this earth, our work not done; But our eyes are turning westward Toward the setting of life's sun. But, although our locks are whitening, Though joy after joy departs, Let us, as we journey homeward, Keep sweet summer in our hearts.

Let us on to heights more lofty Than we dreamed of in our youth ; Pause not in our earnest striving After knowledge, wisdom, truth ..

les

nic

the

COM

lit

for

at-

in:

the

587

LITERATURE AND ART.

Over life's rough, stony pathway, Let us walk with courage true, Till for us Heav'n's gates are opened And we bid this world adieu.

The preceding poem is in trochaic verse, in alternating 8s and 7s. The metre throughout is faultless, although the metrical accents are not so evenly balanced as in her excellent centennial poem. The trochaic metre was em- ployed by Longfellow in his Psalm of Life and Hiawatha. It is always attrac- tive, because the iambic style is so generally used, not only in this country, but in France, Spain, and most European countries, that the trochaic verse gives a pleasing variety to the ear, although the listener might not always know why he was delighted.

The WRITER of this book has been for forty years engaged in one or another form of literary work. He has made some ventures in verse, of which a few short pieces, mostly written for historical anniversaries, have been printed. At the close of the first term of the Conant Academy (now Conant High School) of Jaffrey, of which he was the first principal, he wrote an unpretentious drama, which was brought out by the pupils at an exhibition. He has written many essays, several of which he has contributed to different magazines. His numer- ous contributions to the press of anonymous editorials, as well as of signed papers, would make of itself, if collected, a large volume of miscellany. As a newspaper correspondent, he has sent to different journals many letters, among which might be mentioned a series written for the Waterville (Me.) Mail, descriptive of a series of excursions to various points of historical interest in that state. Many of his Masonic addresses have been published, among them a series of addresses given annually to the Massachusetts Council of De- liberation (of the Masonic Scottish Rite, so-called) in Boston, printed each year, for more than twenty years, in the published proceedings of that body. Scores of his sermons have been printed, as well as orations delivered on historical occasions, including a Fourth of July oration at Lowell, a Memorial Day oration at Keene, an oration on the 100th anniversary of the formation of the national constitution, the oration at the Sullivan Centennial, the oration at the Keene Sesqui-centennial, also orations at the 50th and the 75th anniversaries of the founding of the Unitarian church at Lowell, the 50th anniversary of the Ministry- at-Large in Lowell, the 75th anniversary of the introduction of Freemasonry into Lowell, the rooth anniversary of Charity Lodge of Freemasons at Jaffrey, the rooth anniversary of the Royal Arch Masonic Chapter of Lebanon, N. H., and many more. We cannot here take the space to mention even the titles of the hundreds of his papers and addresses which have appeared in print, much less to give any quotations from them.

It is probable that all of the doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and teachers who have gone out into the world from Sullivan have written and read many tech- nical papers, upon subjects appertaining to their various spheres of duty, for the clubs, societies, associations, and conventions to which they have respectively belonged. Physicians have prepared learned papers upon the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of maladies ; lawyers have made interesting pleas before juries, and argued cases before superior and supreme courts of their states and of the

588

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN.

United States ; clergymen have preached volumes of sermons and read multi- tudes of papers before religious associations and conventions; and teachers in public schools have likewise prepared essays in connection with the all-important work of their lives. It is, of course, simply impossible here to give any cata- logue of such productions, first of all, because space forbids, and secondly because there is no known source from which we could obtain any information with respect to them. We know that Sullivan has furnished some of the most eminent physicians of the country, several noted lawyers, clergymen, and teachers. We know, as a general fact, that they have contributed to learned bodies many valuable papers ; but we have no means of learning their titles or their substance.

4. ART.

Sullivan has been the birthplace of one painter of much merit. Here was born, Nov. 14, 1855, ORLANDO LESLIE SEWARD, son of Orlando and Lydia (Bailey) Seward. He was an easy scholar and took a degree from the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, then located at Hanover, now at Durham. From his early childhood, he manifested rare skill in drawing. During his college course, he perfected himself in the art of draughting and civil engineering. He has prepared many fine models of build- ings, bridges, and engines of different kinds. He has studied the details of architecture and prepared some fine architectural plans. His delight, however, is painting in oil. He has taken to portrait painting especially. This work is largely taken up in his own way, and he has pursued no systematic course of study in that fine art. While his work is wonderfully good for a man who has not enjoyed larger opportunities to perfect himself in the art, it is but an indica- tion of what he might have achieved had he been blessed with ample means to have perfected his tastes. He has never married, and his home at Keene is filled with beautiful works which his hands have executed. Besides portraits, he has painted flowers. He decorated with his brush the front breadth of an elegant dress which was worn by one of his sisters at an evening party. He has also worked in water colors, and has done some fine frescoes upon the walls and ceilings of fine residences. He has exquisite taste in almost any line of fine art.

ARTHUR JONES HUBBARD, son of George Hubbard, who lived upon the C. Franklin Wilson farm, developed an unusually fine bass voice and became a singer and teacher of music widely known. He took up a residence in Boston, making a summer home, for several years, at Munsonville. He is acknowledged to be a star singer and has achieved many triumphs in that art.

Sullivan has had many families in which a musical taste has been much in evidence. The various Mason and Hubbard families, the Goodnow family in particular, the Reuben Morse family, the Rugg, Keith, White, Collester, Hemen- way, Gibbs, Foster, and Maynard families, and some of the Nims and Wardwell families, produced good singers, as well as performers upon various musical instruments. We have, already, on page 574, spoken of JOSEPH FOSTER, the inventor of the first cabinet organ in the world. LESLIE H. GOODNOW under- stands music well and has taught singing. CALEB GOODNOW, father of the latter, was an expert performer upon the bass viol. REUBEN MORSE, SR., made bass viols and performed well upon several instruments. His son, Reuben

bus per

a I

C cl pl a or ti sh fr

the

589

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Morse, Jr., played the violin well. JOSEPH MASON and all of his sons played different musical instruments. DR. R. OSGOOD MASON, son of Rufus, as a young man, sang in different large city churches. All of his brothers and sisters sang well and had good musical taste. The sons and daughter of GEORGE F. HUB- BARD, and those whom they have married, are good musicians. The HUBBARD QUARTETTE honored itself at the Centennial. For their names, see page 6. The GOODNOW ORCHESTRA likewise did good work and could interpret well the compositions of the old masters. They also performed at the Centennial, and their names are also published on page 6. The names of the members of the former EAST SULLIVAN BAND, which played at the Centennial, are also found on page 6. GEORGE WHITE and his son and grandson were all good singers and have helped the old church very much by singing in its choir. It would be out of the question to attempt to name every person who has sung or played some musical instrument in the town. We have mentioned those whom we could recall who have been especially prominent in a musical way.

Those who compose the present EAST SULLIVAN BAND, or who have been connected with it for some years, are the following : Francis O. Ball, Jr., leader and cornetist; the following six, who play soprano cornets, William F. Ball, Charles W. Hubbard, Frank W. Hubbard, Milan E. Starkey, Carl M. Starkey, and Harold A. Wilder ; Will. H. Harris, who plays a baritone horn; M. W. Hubbard and Geo. H. Burns, who play alto horns ; Jos. F. Gorman, Wilfred R. Wilder, and Winfred J. White, who play tenor horns; Samuel S. White and Charles C. Wilder, who play bass horns; Leslie H. Goodnow, who plays a clarinet ; Benjamin A. Hastings, who beats a bass drum; and Q. B. Nash, who plays the cymbals. This is a remarkably good band for so small a community and they give much pleasure to the people of the village and the town and play on many public occasions, either for no compensation or for a trifling considera- tion. Sometimes an entertainment is given for their benefit. Such a band should be appreciated by any community. The members of this band are all from Sullivan, except the Starkeys, who are Keene men.

CHAPTER XV. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

A complete biography of all the persons who have lived in Sullivan would be entirely beyond the scope of this work, were the materials at hand to execute such a task. We shall undertake to give a very brief sketch, in some cases quite inadequate from lack of information, of those natives or past residents of the town who have entered one or another of the different professions, most of whom received collegiate diplomas, and also of a few of the most prominent business men who have left town. This list will not include men who have permanently remained in town, a brief notice of whom will appear in the 66

590

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN.

FAMILY HISTORIES which conclude the proper historical portion of this work. The list is arranged in the chronological order of the births. For mar- riages and families, see GENEALOGIES.

I. CLERGYMEN.

We have already noticed at some length the different pastors of all the Sullivan churches. This list will include the natives of Sullivan, together with those whose youths or a part of whose lives were passed in Sullivan, who entered the ministry. The list will also include three men, advanced in years, who lived a time in town, as resident clergymen.

I. DAVID CUMMINGS, born in Swanzey, Feb. 20, 1775; d. in Acworth, Nov. 17, 1844 ; was the son of Joseph and Hannah (Cummings) Cummings. His parentage is not given correctly in Carter's "Native Ministry of New Hamp- shire". He became a Baptist clergyman, without any academic preparation. He spent most of his life in Acworth, and preached there and in adjoining towns. He lived in Sullivan many years on the Martin Spaulding farm.

2. NAHUM OSGOOD was the son of Joshua and Mary (Bacheller) Osgood. He was born in Sullivan, Oct. 5, 1788. He became a priest of the Protestant Episcopal church. We have been unable to gather many particulars of his life. He had no collegiate training so far as known. He died of cholera. According to the N. H. Sentinel, he died in Kentucky. The late Seth Nims informed us that he died in Philadelphia. The Sentinel states the disease to have been cholera, which makes it all the more probable that he died in Kentucky, as cholera rarely gets as far north as Philadelphia. The date of his death was Oct. 24, 1832. He was unmarried, and a brother of the late Roswell Osgood of Sullivan.

3. JOSEPH ROOT FIELD was a son of Dr. John Montague and Martha (Hewes) Field, and was born in Sullivan, Oct. 25, 1794. His father was a physician, and one of the first who lived in town. He is supposed to have lived at the Four Corners, on the spot where Mr. Chapin now lives, a spot famous for doctors. Joseph prepared for college at Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, 1817-19; graduated at Dartmouth College, 1822; studied theology and was ordained as an evangelist, at Parishville, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1827, as a Congrega- tionalist. Though unsettled, he preached as an acting pastor at Meriden, N. H., Dummerston, Vt., Northfield, Mass., Winchester, Milton, Norfolk, N. Y., Peter- borough, and Montague, Mass. He died at Northfield, Mass., Aug. 9, 1828.

4. EZRA WARDWELL was the son of Ezra and Lois (Whitney) Wardwell. He was born in Nelson, Mar. 17, 1812, but lived some years in Sullivan and died in town. He taught several terms of school and did work as an evangelist. He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was ordained as a local preacher, about 1847. He was admitted on trial to the New Hampshire Conference in 1848. His clerical appointments were at Hillsborough Bridge, also Deering, in 1848-49. He was the first Methodist preacher at Antrim. He moved to Sullivan, and died in the Hosea Foster house (101), Sept. 24, 1850. He had no academic diploma.

5. DANIEL GROSVENOR WRIGHT, the son of Rev. Joel and Lucy (Grosvenor) Wright, was born in Leverett, Mass., Sept. 22, 1813. He came

(Fr his at Am tim ske the list,

var tor 18 He WI

J I S I p L

an H mo 01 in

591

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

to Sullivan with his father, when the latter became the pastor of the Sullivan church. He married, while in town, and settled upon the farm where Mr. Marston now lives (236). On leaving Sullivan, he studied for the ministry, privately, and became a priest of the Protestant Episcopal church. He did not study at any college, but received the honorary degree of A. M. from the Holy Trinity College of Hartford, Conn., in 1857, also the honorary degree of D. D. from the University of Nebraska, in 1877. He was ordained, Nov. 3, 1845. He was rector at Plainfield, N. H., 1846-48; New Boston, Mass., 1850; missionary, White Plains, N. Y., 1851; missionary, then rector and teacher, Prattsville, N. Y., 1852-57 ; teacher, Litchfield, Conn., 1858-59; teacher, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1860-87; retired, city of New York, 1888; Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1889 ; missionary, Highland, N. Y., 1890-93; retired, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1894 until his death at Poughkeepsie, Dec. 29, 1898.

6. GEORGE SOLON KEMP, son of Benjamin and Lydia (Woods) Kemp, was born in Sullivan, Aug. 8, 1816. He studied at Thetford, Vt., Academy, also at Kimball Union Academy, at Meriden, 1845-46; graduated at Bangor Theological Seminary, 1851, with the degree of B. T. S. (Bachelor of Divinity); licensed to preach by the Waldo, Me., Association, Jan. 22, 1851 ; supplied Whitneyville, Jonesboro, and Whiting, in Maine, and Holmes Hole, Mass., in 1851-52 ; acting pastor at Paper Mill Village in Alstead, June 1852-54 ; Dublin, . June 1854-55; ordained at Windham, Vt., Feb. 28, 1856, dismissed, Apr. 17, 1860; acting pastor, New Salem, Mass., 1860-62; lived in Sullivan, 1862-64, supplying Roxbury, 1863-64 ; West Newfield and Parsonsfield, Me., June 26, 1864-77 ; West Brooksville, Me., May 18, 1877-81 ; without charge in the latter place, June 1881-83; and at East Douglass, Mass., 1883-1900. He died at Lebanon, Conn., May 3, 1900. He was a Congregationalist.

7. GRANVILLE WARDWELL, son of Ezra and Lois (Whitney) Wardwell, and a brother of Rev. Ezra Wardwell (No. 4), was born in Nelson, Dec. 7, 1819. He graduated at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, in 1844; graduated at Dart- mouth College in 1848; studied at Lane Theological Seminary, Walnut Hills, Ohio, 1848-49 ; graduated at the Andover Theological Seminary, 1853; taught in the Phillips Andover Academy, 1851-53; licensed to preach by the Derry Association, in the Congregational churches, Aug. 3, 1852 ; ordained at at Sulli- van, Oct. 19, 1853 (at the same time and place as E. C. A. Woods) ; acting pas- tor at Kalamazoo, Mich., 1853-55; instructor at Phillips Andover Academy, 1855-57 ; supplied Union Evangelical Church, Kennebunk, Me., Dec., 1857-58. He died at Westminster West, Vt., June 24, 1858. The date of his death is wrong in Carter's " Native Ministry of N. H."

8. ENOCH CHARLES AUGUSTUS WOODS, son of Enoch, Jr., and Elizabeth (Frost) Woods, was born in Newport, N. H., Sept. 11, 1824. He spent much of his youth in Sullivan. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1850; graduated at the Andover Theological Seminary in 1853; ordained as missionary of the American Home Missionary Society, at Sullivan, Oct. 19, 1853 (at the same time and place as Granville Wardwell, the preceding clergyman whose life we sketched) ; arrived at Wapello, Iowa, as a missionary, Nov. 4, 1853 ; and died there, Nov. 4, 1854, exactly a year from his arrival. He was a Congregational- ist, and his work was wholly in that body.

592

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN.

9. CALVIN STOUGHTON LOCKE, son of Amos Jewett and Clementina (Stoughton) Locke, was born in Acworth, Oct. II, 1829 (date is wrong in Car- ter's " Native Ministry of N. HI."), but he spent most of his youth at the old Calvin Locke homestead (71) in Sullivan. Ile studied at the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, 1841-44, and at the Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass., 1844-45. He graduated at Amherst College, 1849, and at the Harvard Divinity School in 1854. He was ordained over the Unitarian Church at West Dedham, Mass., Dec. 6, 1854, remaining as pastor until June 20, 1864. He was the teacher of a private school in Dedham, 1864-68; and acting pastor of the Unitarian Church at Dover, Mass., Apr. 1, 1872, to Mar. 30, 1879. He was many years a member of the school board at Dedham, Mass. He is still living at Westwood, Mass. His son, WILLIAM WARE LOCKE, is also a Unitarian clergyman, and has been the pastor of the Warren St. Chapel in Boston, and the assistant minister of the Ist Cong. (Unitarian) Church of the city of New York.

IO. HENRY MARTYN FROST, son of Benjamin and Mary Catherine (Brant) Frost, was born in Sullivan, March 26, 1835 (at 72). He graduated at Dart- mouth College in 1857. He was a teacher in the academy at Thetford, Vt., also at Frankfort, Ky. He studied theology and was ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal church in April, 1860, and subsequently a priest. He was the rector of St. Stephen's Church, Middlebury, Vt., 1860-64. He died at Thet- ford, Vt., Feb. 20, 1866. He never married. Doctors Carleton Penniman and Edwin Brant Frost were his brothers. Rev. H. M. Frost was the chaplain of the 7th Vermont Vols., in the Civil War, in 1862.

II. CHARLES EDWARD HOUGHTON, son of Daniel Wyman and Mireca (Nims) Houghton, was born in Sullivan (at 166), Jan. 27, 1836. He was edu- cated at the academy in Westminster, Vt., then under the management and in- struction of L. F. Ward, a well-known and able educator in his time. Mr. Houghton was a farmer and, for several years, a successful teacher. He began to preach in 1873, supplying Stoddard, 1873-74, also Surry, in 1874. He was ordained as an evangelist, in the Congregational ministry, at Auburn, N. H., May 24, 1876, where he labored from 1875 until 1882. He lived in Claremont, without charge, 1882-84 ; acting pastor at Washington, 1884-85 ; without charge at North Charlestown, 1885-88 ; acting pastor at Prescott, Mass., 1888-97 ; and at Dana, Mass., 1898-1900; and has lived since 1900, without a charge, at West- borough, Mass.

12. JOSEPH LEANDER FELT, (not John Leander, as Carter's "Native Min- istry of N. H." has the name), son of Leander and Almira (Collester) Felt, was born in Sullivan, June II, 1837. He began life as a mechanic. He was licensed as an exhorter, in the Methodist Episcopal church, at East Templeton, Mass., May 29, 1862, and a local preacher, by the East Templeton Quarterly Confer- ence, Feb. 18, 1865. He was admitted on trial to the New Hampshire Confer- ence in 1878; was ordained a local deacon, by Bishop Simpson, at Lebanon, Apr. 16, 1876; and an elder, by Bishop Warren, at Lawrence, Mass., Apr. 23, 1882. His appointments have been at Antrim, 1876-79; Franklin Falls, 1879- 81 ; Hinsdale, 1882-84 ; Amesbury, Mass., 1885-87 ; Lisbon, 1888-92 ; Suncook, 1893-97; Bristol, 1898; Lancaster and Grange, 1898-1904; and Portsmouth, since 1905.

Su tu: Ba in Lat

H M (B

M Su la Li

f n g h

P a

a 1

593

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

13. NEHEMIAH PIERCE, son of Rev. Sem and Joanna (Brown) Pierce, was born at South Londonderry, Vt., Nov. 5, 1837. He was converted to the Baptist faith and immersed in his 21st year. As a child, he lived in Sullivan, in the old Winch house (70), while his father was the acting pastor of the Baptist church in this town. After great effort and self-denial, he graduated at the University of Vermont in 1865. During the college course, he supplied a Baptist pulpit at Weston, Vt., which was a slight pecuniary help to him. He was ordained as a Baptist minister, at Bellows Falls, Vt., April 25, 1866, and remained in charge of that church two years, after which he preached two years at Coldwater, Mich. In Nov., 1870, he began duty with the Baptist church at Springfield, Ill. He labored hard, with a divided and distracted church. He had contracted the seeds of consumption by over-study and hard work during his college course. In 1872, he went to Europe for his health, but returned just in time to die in his own home, Springfield, Ill., Mar. 25, 1873.

14. GEORGE LYMAN NIMS, son of Daniel Adams and Hephzibah (Mason) Nims, was born in Sullivan (at 170), Oct. 3, 1838. The date of his birth and his parentage are all wrong in Carter's "Native Ministry of N. H." He graduated at the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, after a two years' course ; graduated at Middlebury College in 1865 ; and at the Andover Theological Seminary in 1870. He was a member of the Congregational body, but was never ordained. He supplied the church in Roxbury, N. H., 1872-73, and did some work in dif- ferent places at the West. He preached a few times at East Sullivan, and in a number of other places. His health, never very firm, at last gave way alto- gether, and he was an invalid for several years, and died Jan. 19, 1905, at the house of his brother, M. A. Nims, in Sullivan. He was a natural scholar and a kind and amiable man. If he had not been a victim of physical infirmity, he would have accomplished much more than his enfeebled health permitted him to do.

15. JAMES BRACKETT MASON, son of John, Jr., and Matilda (Wilson) Mason, was born in Lancaster, N. H., July 13, 1839. In his youth he lived in Sullivan with his father (at 2). He then moved with his father to Westmore- land. He was a private in the 14th N. H. Vols., in the Civil War, also a Ist Lieut. in the 31st U. S. Colored Troops. He lost his right arm in the service. He graduated at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, in 1867; and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1871. He was at the Yale Theological School in 1871-72. He preached some in Congregational churches, but was not ordained. He taught in Westmoreland and elsewhere. He resides at South Lancaster, Mass.

16. ELLIS RICHMOND DRAKE, son of Rev. Samuel S. and Priscilla (Brastow) Drake, was born in Garland, Me., Feb. 11, 1840, and was much in his father's family, when the latter was pastor of the Ist Congregational church of Sullivan. Mr. E. R. Drake graduated at Bowdoin College in 1862. He first turned his attention to the law, and was admitted to the Suffolk bar, Oct. 28, 1865. He soon, however, began the study of theology, and graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1868. He was ordained as a Congregationalist in the latter year, at Wayland, Mass., where he remained until 1871. He was later an acting pastor at Middleborough, Mass .; Quincy Point, Mass .; North-

594

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN.

field, Mass .; and Eureka, Kansas. His wife, who was Emma F. Angell, whom he married in 1883, was a graduate of Olivet College in Michigan, and of the medical department of Boston University (a homopathic institution) in 1882. Mr. Drake finally moved to Denver, Col., where he preached several years. His health failed and he abstained from work for about two years, and died at Den- ver, Col., March 10, 1906.

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.

A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I, Part 61

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