USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Troy > An historical sketch of Troy [N.H.] and her inhabitants, from the first settlement of the town in 1764 to 1855 > Part 15
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F A Jenkins Lıti
A M. Caverly ly M.O.
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father, and situated about two miles north of the cen- tre of the town. He died June 25, 1821. Mrs. Judith Caverly died Feb. 1, 1824, aged forty-nine years. They had two sons, Solomon and Moses, the former was born Feb. 21, 1795, the latter, April 13, 1797. Solomon married Sarah, daughter of John Moore of Canterbury, Nov. 14, 1816, and settled on a farm given to him by his father, and adjoining the homestead. Mrs. Sarah Caverly died March 21, 1850, aged fifty-three years. They had two children: Abiel Moore, born Nov. 28, 1817, and Judith, born October, 1825. The former, in 1843, after having pursued a preparatory course of study, became the pupil of R. P. J. Tenney, M. D., of Loudon, (now of Pittsfield, ) under whose instruction he remained one year. The last two years of his medical course were spent under the tutilage of William W. Brown, M. D., of Manchester. He attended his first course of public lectures at the Medical Institution of Dartmouth College, and his second, at the Philadelphia College of Medicine, which conferred upon him the de- gree of M. D .; he also spent several months in the
Pennsylvania Hospital. He married Caroline, daugh- ter of Thomas Ames, Esq., of Canterbury, March 25, 1845, and the following year was elected principal of the South Grammar School in Manchester. The posi- tion was accepted and he entered upon its duties 'early in the spring. Mrs. Caroline Caverly died Feb. 2, 1851, and the following year he resigned his position as teacher, and again resumed the study and practice of medicine with Dr. Brown. On coming to Troy, he pur- chased the location owned by Dr. Miller, and resided there till the 30th of November, 1854, when he married Sarah L., daughter of Solomon Goddard late of Troy, and has since resided on the Goddard place. Children : 1, Charles Solomon, born Sept. 30, 1856; 2, Caroline Ames, born May 29, 1858.
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Among the physicians of Troy, we ought to mention Dr. Alvah Godding; although he was never a resident physician of the town, yet this is his native place, and he has often been called here to prescribe for the sick. As has already been stated, he is the second son of Tim- othy Godding, and was born in Fitzwilliam, (now Troy,) Nov. 5, 1796, commenced the study of medicine in the spring of 1820, with Dr. Ebenezer Wright of Fitzwil- liam, and closed his term of pupilage with Dr. Amos Twitchell of Keene, in June, 1823. He located in Burke, Vt., where he practised his profession about two years, then went to Royalston, where he was in com- pany with Dr. Stephen Batcheller one year, and in June, 1826, he removed to Winchendon, where he now resides. He married Mary Whitney of Winchendon, Jan. 22, 1828. They have one son, William W., born May 5, 1831, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1854, studied medicine with his father, and received the degree of M. D. from the Castleton Medical College in 1857.
The legal profession has never been very fully repre- sented in Troy. Whether this is to be attributed to the peaceful disposition of the citizens, or to some other cause, we will not stop to inquire. Only one lawyer has ever resided in Troy. Luther Chapman, Esq., was born in Keene, Dec. 28, 1778, and was the son of Sam- uel Chapman, a farmer of that town. He was graduat- ed at Dartmouth College in 1803, studied law with John C. Chamberlain, Esq., of Charlestown, and commenced the practice of his profession in Swanzey in 1806. Feb. 9, 1808, he married Sally, daughter of Samuel King of Chesterfield, and removed to Fitzwilliam, where he re- sided till 1836, then came to Troy and located in the house built by Charles Davis. In 1855, he returned to Fitzwilliam, where he died Aug. 15, 1856. Mrs. Chap- man still resides in Fitzwilliam.
Edward Farrar, Esq., is a native of this town, al-
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though he has not resided here since he commenced the practice of law. He is the second son of Daniel Warren Farrar, and was born Nov. 14, 1822. After pursuing a preparatory course of study, he entered Dartmouth College, but on account of physical inability, he did not pursue the usual college course, but left without his de- gree. Soon after this lie commenced the study of law with Levi Chamberlain, Esq., of Keene, and graduated at Harvard Law School in 1847. He commenced the practice of his profession in Keene, where he now re- sides. Aug. 23, 1858, he married Caroline, daughter of Charles H. Brainard of Keene. Mr. Farrar is now clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Cheshire County.
CHAPTER XII.
TOPOGRAPIIY; WILD ANIMALS; WOLF AND BEAR HUNTS.
TROY comprises an area of twelve miles, four hundred eighty-five acres, thirty-five rods, * and is bounded on the north by Marlboro', on the east by Jaffrey, on the south by Fitzwilliam, and on the west by Swanzey and Richmond. The surface is very uneven and hilly; the highest point is Gap Mountain, situated in the easterly part, and separated from the Monadnock by a deep ra- vine. The surface, so broken, affords almost every va- riety of soil, but the best is in the easterly portion, where there are some well cultivated, and productive farms. There are some extensive meadows, both in the casterly and westerly parts, while in the central, are some excellent interval lands. The South Branch of the Ashuelot passes through the centre of the town. This rises from Rockwood Pond in Fitzwilliam, flows north, and in its course through Troy, receives several tributaries, the first being the Keith Brook, near the south line of the town, the second, the Jackson Brook, which rises in Richmond, flows east and discharges its waters into the pond above the factory. The Ward Brook, in the easterly part, drains the westerly slopes of the Monadnock and Gap Mountains, and in its course
* The writer acknowledges his obligations for this to Capt. J. S. Adams of Fitzwilliam, who has very kindly taken the plan of the town and computed the area.
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towards the west, receives the Bowker Brook, and turn- ing north, enters the Branch just above Mr. Carpenter's dam. Brandy Brook-so called from the color of its water-rises in the south-east part of Marlboro' and flowing south-west enters the Branch near Whitcomb and Forristall's dam. Marlboro' Brook, formed of two branches, one from Stone Pond, the other from Meeting- House Pond in Marlboro', flows south and enters the Branch near the residence of Winthrop Knights.
On these streams are many falls, affording excellent mill privileges, a part of which are already improved. The first mill on the Branch is the woollen manufactory owned by Nurse and Wheeler, and just below this is the bark-mill owned by Col. Wright; still lower down the stream is Mr. Goodall's shoddy-mill; and Mr. Carpen- ter's saw-mill and rake manufactory are situated just above the site of the old Root saw-mill. About half a mile farther on is Capt. Sibley's saw-mill, in a part of which is the chair manufactory under the superinten- dence of A. P. Perley. E. Whitcomb's pail-shop and J. M. Forristall's saw-mill are still further north; both drawing their water from the same pond. The last mill on the Branch within the limits of the town is the clothes-pin manufactory, recently purchased by Jonas Bemis and son. On the Jackson Brook are the saw and stave-mill owned by D. J. Fife, and the Blanding pail- shop. On the Ward Brook are the saw and grist-mill owned by Col. James R. and Alvah Stanley, also near its confluence with the Branch, the pail-shop owned by E. Buttrick. At the south part of the town, on the Bowker Brook, is a grist-mill owned by George Damon. Besides the mills already mentioned, there is a stave-mill on a small branch of the Jackson Brook and owned by Charles Alexander; and C. N. Garfield has a saw-mill and pail-handle manufactory on a small stream in the north-west part of the town. There is also a clothes-pin
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manufactory on this latter stream, near the boundary line between Troy and Marlboro'.
The greatest natural curiosity is probably the Falls in the Ward Brook. Within about one half a mile from the village the waters of this stream descend, within a few rods, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet; so that in the time of high water the foaming cat- aract presents a spectacle truly sublime. Near the Falls is the granite quarry owned by Mr. Whittemore. This consists of fine, beautiful granite, well adapted to build- ing purposes; and large quantities of it have been quar- ried, and transported to different parts of the county, and into the State of Massachusetts.
The east part of the town was originally covered with a heavy growth of maple, hemlock, and beech, while the intervals in the central part were covered with a heavy growth of Elm, yellow and white pine, hemlock, and birch. The high lands in the west part were covered with maple, red oak, and beech, while the swamps and low grounds were covered with alders, spruce, hemlock, and brown ash.
In studying the history of any locality, in which changes have been gradually taking place for a series of years, we naturally feel an interest in every thing relat- ing to its primitive state. The first settlers on their ar- rival here, found the territory a solitary wilderness, the haunt of various species of birds* and ferocious wild beasts. And it is not surprising that the latter, feeling a natural pride in their inherited possession, should be jealous of their intruders, and if they did not make per- sonal attacks that they should institute a sort of guerrilla warfare upon property, especially when it stood in the way of a craving appetite, for they had never learned to exercise self-denial, except in the presence of superior
* Wild turkeys abounded here in the carly period, and large numbers of them were annually killed by the settlers.
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power. The most troublesome of these animals were the wolf, bear, and catamount. Of the former of these, the settlers stood in no particular fear, as it is well known that a wolf will seldom attack a man unless severely goaded with hunger; but his great love of mutton was frequently betraying him into acts of petty larceny upon the flocks which were grazing in the pastures. And he was often exceedingly greedy in his plunder, not content with what might seem an ordinary meal, but appropri- ating to himself a large proportion of the flock; and he carried his depredations to such an extent, that the set- tlers commenced against him a warfare which has result- ed in his total extermination. This warfare was some- times carried on by regular organized companies, and whenever a neighbor's flock suffered, the citizens turned out en masse, and hunted down the commen enemy. The usual method of conducting these wolf hunts was for the party to surround the woods which were the haunt of the animal, and while a few experienced marksmen were stationed on one side, those upon the opposite marched directly through, driving before them the oh- ject of their search, which on emerging from the woods was very likely to fall by a sentinel's shot .*
Three of these wolf hunts have occurred within the recollection of men now living. The first of these was in 1795, when it was known that a number of these an- imals infested the woods which at that time covered the territory between "Cobb's road" and William Whit- comb's.+ A large number of individuals from this and the adjoining towns assembled and completely swept this forest, and they succeeded in driving from her retreat
* Sometimes after surrounding the woods, the hunters, at a given signal, marched directly towards the centre, thus gradu- ally closing up, and the wolf being soon enclosed in a small circle, was easily killed.
t Then Jacob Newell's.
20
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one old wolf, which on attempting to escape from her pursuers, was killed just as she was crossing "Cobb's road," by Andrew Sherman, who had been stationed at that point. The signal was immediately given, and all assembled and marched down to the Warren store, where they expended the bounty, ($20), for liquor and re- freshments, and so large was the number that each re- ceived only one glass of rum and two crackers.
The second wolf hunt was in 1797. One night in the fall of this year they killed ten sheep from the flock of Elijah Alexander, and a few nights after, they killed twenty belonging to Levi Randall. Intelligence of this slaughter rapidly spread and a general wolf hunt was agreed upon. At this time it was known that these ani- mals had retreated to the low ground west of Mr. Alex- ander's, since known as the "Clark swamp." At the time appointed the citizens assembled to the number- as was estimated-of about two hundred, and after a pretty thorough search they succeeded in starting up two wolves, one of which was killed and the other wounded. The remains of the wounded wolf were found, a few months after, on the side of the hill near the present residence of Joseph Alexander, Jr. But the huntsmen re-assembled. and with the wolf which had been killed, took up their line of march for the house of John Sweet- land. And in the mean time a messenger was dispatched to Jonas Robinson with orders for him to meet them with an abundant supply of crackers, rum, and sugar. Rob- inson promptly obeyed the summons, and was soon on the road with a wagon load of the specified articles. When all had arrived at the place of rendezvous, a cir- cle was formed and the toddy and crackers, to the value of the bounty, were passed around, and a more jolly time was probably never witnessed.
But the power of the enemy was not yet crushed, al- though it was greatly weakened. Sheep were continu-
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ally being missed from the flocks of the farmers, and in many instances, the theft was traced to an old wily ani- mal, known as the "three legged wolf." This was a wolf that had been caught in a trap and lost a part of her foot; and although repeated attempts had been made to kill her, she had always eluded the hunter, and she had established for herself such a reputation for shrewd- ness that to destroy her was thought to require the ex- ercise of consummate skill. To this animal the atten- tion of the sportsmen was earnestly directed; she was carefully sought, both by day and night, and whenever surprised, she was found to retreat to the swamp which had been the scene of the recent search. Her location having been determined, another and more thorough search was resolved upon by the inhabitants. At the time appointed a large number assembled with guns and dogs, and invested the swamp in which the animal was secreted, and, having carefully guarded every point of escape, a searching party entered and commenced a thorough examination of every part. The old wolf, thinking that a certain class of animals were getting a little too neighborly, attempted to change her location, and in doing so, received a charge from the gun of Jon- athan Capron and fell. But she was only wounded, and, on an attempt being made to dispatch her by a blow with the end of a musket, she seized and severely shat- tered the stock, consequently she was killed by lodging in her head the contents of the barrel. The signal of victory was given as on former occasions, and the hunt- ers re-assembled, and with the trophy of their victory, marched to the village, and partook of refreshments which were served to them, in the form of crackers and rum, by Jonas Robinson, upon the Common, where by the combined operation of the jubilant and ardent spirits, a comical scene was exhibited. The bounty having been exhausted, the company dispersed, but whether all reach-
.
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ed their homes that night or not, we have never learned. This was the last general wolf hunt of which we can ob- tain any knowledge; other wolves were occasionally killed, but usually by small parties and without much ceremony.
Bears were less numerous than wolves, though much more dreaded by the inhabitants. This dread arose not so much from real danger, when the animal was treated with due respect, as from the fact that when wounded or insulted he was known to be a formidable foe. He, too, was exceedingly fond of mutton, and was very par- ticular in his selection, for a sheep of ordinary quality he would never molest so long as there was a better in the flock. But his carniverous propensities were not limited to sheep alone, but they were directed to a great variety of animals. Hence, calves, swine, and other do- mestic animals, occasionally became the victims of his rapacity. In his predatory excursions he often exhibited a singular boldness, entering the barn yards, barns, and in some instances, even the dwellings of the inhabitants. "l'o destroy him required the exercise of courage, caution, and the most efficient weapons; for if wounded merely, the hunter's only safety was in maintaining a respect- ful distance. His great tenacity of life and the danger attending a contest with him, were enough to deter most men from engaging in it single-handed. Consequently, he was seldom molested except by strong parties, well armed, and prepared for almost any emergency.
In many instances these animals were taken in a trap, the most of which were made of wood, although steel traps were occasionally used. The wooden or "log- traps"-as they were called-were constructed in the form of a modern mink trap: that is, stakes were driven into the ground in a semicircular form and in close prox- imity to each other, and the whole forming a sort of tent-like recess, with an opening for ingress. At this
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opening were placed two small logs or poles, one on the ground, and the other directly over it and so arranged that when elevated it would fall upon the lower one, and be held there by upright stakes on either side. When prepared for use, the upper pole was raised to a proper height and held there by a small brace, from which a spindle projected inward. To the end of this spindle was attached the bait, and the bear, to obtain this, had to pass in between the poles; and a small motion of the spindle displaced the brace and the elevated pole de- scended upon his body. This was a condition from which he had not power to extricate himself, and conse- quently was easily dispatched by the hunter.
Many anecdotes of these animals have come down to us from the early settlers, some showing their peculiar habits, others the terror inspired by their presence. One morning in the spring of 1777, Mrs. Daniel Law- rence left home, with the intention of visiting Mrs. Thomas Tolman. At that time the only bridge, near the site of the present Ward bridge, was a sort of foot bridge made of logs. Just as Mrs. Lawrence stepped upon one end of this, a bear jumped upon the opposite end, and was advancing to meet her. Mrs. Lawrence, on beholding the monster, turned and fled as for her life, directing her steps to the nearest house, Mr. Ward's. On roaching the door she was so exhausted that sho fainted and fell. When she had so far recovered as to be able to give utterance, she explained the cause of her fright, upon which several men, well armed, went in pursuit of the bear, but never found him.
A story from the lips of Jacob Newell is remembered by a few of our citizens. One afternoon shortly after he settled here, he went into the woods in pursuit of game. Going beyond his intended limits he lost his way, became bewildered, and darkness coming on, he found it impossible to reach home that night. Conse- 20*
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quently, when he could no longer see to travel, he lay lown under a large log for the night. But his rest was continually disturbed by the screeching of the owl, and the hideous noise of the wolf and other wild beasts, the very tramping of whose feet he could distinctly hear. As soon as daylight appeared he rose from his leafy couch, when, to his great terror, up rose a huge bear from the opposite side of the same log. The surprise was mutual, but neither party was disposed to commence a quarrel, and after gazing upon each other awhile, the bear walked slowly away, and towards noon that day, Mr. . Newell, fortunately, reached his little clearing in safety.
Bears sometimes made sad work in the corn-fields, breaking down and devouring large quantities of the corn. In 1799, a large bear commenced his depreda- tions in the corn-field of Dea. Silas Fife. The deacon thinking that the carcass of the bear might compensate him for the loss of his corn, made a log trap, and after baiting it so that it should appear as desirable as possible, he left the field that bruin might not be disturbed in his operations. The next time the bear appeared in the field, thinking that he smelt sheep, and being somewhat anxious to change his diet, immediately hunted up the log trap. . But his meal was only in the anticipation, for he had but just reached it, when down came the log upon him; and the Fife family all feasted upon his flesh.
On one occasion, Dea. Timothy Godding and Benja- min Tolman were at work together clearing a piece of land. In the morning, before going out to their work, they put their meat and beans into a kettle-which, by the way, had no bail, but this was readily supplied by a with -and by this the whole was suspended upon a stick over a small fire in a stone fire-place, and it was sup- posed that the pork and beans would be nicely cooked for their dinner. But on their return at noon, to their
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great surprise, they could find neither the kettle nor its contents. On a careful examination, the tracks of a bear were found in and about their little cabin. So it was evident that he was attracted there by the smell of the meat, and being somewhat hungry, he put his head in- to the kettle to obtain it, and burning his nose, attempt- ed to dodge backwards, and the wooden bail caught upon his neck and he walked deliberately away with the ket- tle, pork, and beans. Sometime after this, the kettle was found in the swamp, a little back of the house now owned by Amos Knowlton, where bruin had probably left it to cool.
One afternoon shortly after Thomas Tolman settled here, Mrs. Tolman sent a young lad, who was living in the family, to the well, a few rods only from the house, to get a pail of water. He had been absent but a few moments, when hearing a scream, Mrs. Tolman stepped to the door to learn the cause, and to her amazement she saw a bear rapidly approaching the boy. In an instant she seized the broom, the only weapon at hand, and rushed to his assistance. The bear, not fancying so formidable a weapon, turned and fled into the woods, and thus the boy, fortunately, was saved.
In the fall of the year 1773, the corn-field of Daniel Goodenough, (who was at that time a neighbor of Dea. Fife,) was severely ravaged by bears. Being somewhat provoked at the loss of his corn, Mr. Goodenough deter- mined on bruin's destruction. He was an experienced hunter, but would never use the trap, so one moon-light evening he put on his overcoat, took his gun, and went into the woods to watch for his game. He walked can- tiously about for a little time, when feeling chilly he crept under a large log, and lay down to listen. Pretty soon he heard a little noise near, and thinking he would ascertain the cause, he very carefully raised his head to look over the log. Just at that moment a bear placed
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both fore paws upon the opposite side of the log, and was peeping over to see what was behind it. Quick as thought, on seeing the monster's head, Goodenough aimed his gun and fired. No sooner had he discharged his gun, than knowing the peril of encountering a wounded bear, he jumped upon his feet and fled for home. Not daring to venture back that night to learn the result of his shot, he waited until morning, and then in com- pany with some of his neighbors he returned to the scene of his evening's operations; and at a little distance from the log, found the lifeless body of the bear.
But probably one of the most remarkable encounters with a bear, especially when we take into consideration the almost miraculous escape of the individual concerned, took place a few years later. One of the early settlers in the town went to a neighbor's house about a mile dis- tant to get some potatoes. On his return in the edge of the evening, with his bag of potatoes on his shoulder, he saw in the path just before him what he took to be an enormous bear, just in the attitude of making upon him the fatal spring. Instantly his hair stood erect, and he trembled in every joint. He was unarmed, and what to do he knew not. Flight seemed the only al- ternative, but this was impossible for the animal was close upon him, and even at the very thoughts of flight, he seemed almost to feel his relentless fangs in his back. Considering his days numbered, he paused a moment, and then resolved to die manfully, and, like the brave Spartans at Thermopylo, sell his life as dearly as pos- sible. So dropping his potatoes, he seized a large lever which, fortunately, was at hand, and raising it, advanced with trembling steps towards his deadly foe. He moved a step, then paused-took another step, paused again- the poor man saw clearly his doom in the monster's teeth and in the fire of his eye. It was an awful condition. death seemed inevitable. But he resolved that the say-
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