USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 37
USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 37
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Mr. Barnard was married June 18, 1891, to Maude Redwood, of Fort Wayne, Ind. She is the daughter of Frederick Redwood, a former mill superintendent at Andover, Mass., and was born July 14, 1864. Mr. Barnard is one of the leading young men of Franklin, and promises, like his father, to make his mark in the world.
AJOR HIRAM FIFIELD GER- RISH, of Concord, N. H., the pres- ent Deputy State Treasurer, was born in Boscawen, N. H., September 27, 1839. His parents, Calvin and Ann S. (Fifield) Ger- rish, were both lifelong residents of Merri- mack County. Major Gerrish is a descendant of Colonel Henry Gerrish, one of the early residents of Boscawen, who was an officer dur- ing the war of the Revolution, serving as Lieutenant-Colonel in Colonel Stickny's regiment, and was present at the battles of Bennington and Saratoga. Colonel Gerrish was one of the leading citizens of his town and State, holding many positions of trust and responsibility, being conspicuously iden- tified with public affairs in the early history of
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HIRAM F. GERRISH.
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the State. His son Jacob was for many years a well-known, public-spirited citizen of the town and a large land-owner. Calvin Ger- rish, the father of Major Gerrish, was a farmer and mechanic, and was at one time promi- nently connected with the State militia. He died January 31, 1890.
Major Gerrish attended the public schools at Franklin, Penacook, and Concord, but at the age of fifteen entered the employ of the Con- cord Railroad, continuing thus engaged until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted as a private in Company B of the Second New Hampshire Regiment, then commanded by General Gilman Marston, and was mustered into service in June, 1861. November 3, 1861, he was relieved from duty with his regi- ment, and placed on. detached service at the headquarters of General Joseph Hooker, Com- mander of the Second Division, Third Corps, where he remained until after the battle of Gettysburg, when he was ordered to Point Lookout, Maryland. The May following he was appointed a Lieutenant, and assigned to duty on the staff of General E. A. Hincks, going from Point Lookout to City Point, Va. In June of the same year he was appointed As- sistant Chief Quartermaster and Aide on the staff of Major-general W. H. Smith, then commanding the Eighteenth Army Corps, Army of the James. Upon the reorganization of that army he was appointed to the same po- . sition on the staff of the Twenty-fourth Corps, with the rank of Captain. The corps was commanded in turn by Major-generals E. O. C. Ord, John Gibbons, and Godfrey Weitzel, all of whom are now dead. Major Gerrish re- mained on this staff until after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, when he brought the flags of the surrendered army to Richmond, Va. He was brevetted Major, and was soon after pro- moted to the full rank of Major, and assigned
to duty on the staff of Major-general Charles Devens, then in command of the Department of North-eastern Virginia, and was stationed at Fredericksburg, Va. In August, 1865, he was mustered out of the army. During his term of service he was at the battle of the first Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Fort Har- rison, Petersburg, and at Appomattox, and was in many other minor engagements. With one exception his promotions came from recom- mendations made by Major-generals of the regular army with whom he served. After the surrender at Appomattox he was placed in charge of the railroad from that place to Farm- ville, and kept busy bringing the sick and wounded to the latter place and carrying sup- plies to the front.
In 1866 Major Gerrish returned to New Hampshire, and was employed here and in Massachusetts in railroad offices, going there- after to Texas. In 1880 he entered the em- ploy of the John A. White Machine Company of Concord, remaining ten years. In June, 1891, he was appointed Deputy State Treas- urer, which position he still holds. In poli- tics he is a Republican. On August 26, 1865, at Concord, he was married to Edith A. Eaton, of Concord. They have had four chil- dren, only one of whom is living, Blanche May Gerrish.
ENRY GUY CARLETON, of New- port, N. H., President of the New- port Savings Bank, a position which he has held more than twenty years, is a printer by trade, and was for a period of about forty years one of the editors and publishers of the New Hampshire Argus and Spectator at Newport, N. H., the firm name being Carleton & Harvey. He has held the office of Regis- ter of Deeds and of Probate for the County of
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Sullivan, and has been a member of the legis- lature. He was elected a Director of the First National Bank of Newport at its first annual meeting after its organization in January, 1854, and has been annually re-elected since that year, a period of more than forty-six years. We are indebted to this gentleman, an active-minded octogenarian with a wealth of memories, having been born in 1813, who takes an intelligent interest in genealogical matters, for the following carefully prepared sketch of the Carleton family, the facts, he says, being mostly derived from Hiram Carle- ton, formerly of Montpelier, Vt., a graduate of the U. Vt., lawyer, State's attorney, Judge of Probate, and President of Vermont Historical Society; and Mrs. Augusta H. Worthin, of Lynn, Mass., a devoted searcher of family history. The name of Carleton is a variation of "de Corlarton." This would seem to indicate a French origin about four hundred and fifty years ago. The emigrant ancestor and first of the name in New Eng- land was Edward Carleton, born in England in 1600. He was of the company of the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, and settled in Rowley, Mass., in 1639, was made freeman in 1643, was member of the General Court several years, and returned to England before 1656. On the pages of history appear the names of Dudley Carleton, the English Ambassador to Ger- many, who was created Viscount Dorchester, and of Sir Guy Carleton, Governor of Canada, who was in command of the British forces when Generals Arnold and Montgomery made their attack upon Quebec, where the brave Montgomery fell, the American army then being driven out of Canada. After the defeat of the British army at Yorktown, Va., in 1781, the last battle of the Revolution, he was appointed Commander-in-chief of the British army, to prepare the way for a treaty of peace.
He was created Lord Dorchester, and died in England in 1808.
John Carleton, son of Edward, born in Eng- land about 1630, was sent to America by his father to settle up his affairs, as he was a man of property. He settled in Haverhill, Mass., in 1661, and after holding several important positions in that town died January 22, 1668. From him have descended nearly all by the name of Carleton in New England. He had four sons- John, Jr., Joseph, Edward, and Thomas. The last-named, Thomas, born in 1667, died in 1734, lived in Bradford, Mass., and had four sons - Thomas, George, Ebene- zer, and John. The latter was the great- grandfather of the writer of this sketch. He was born July 29, 1708, and lived in Brad- ford and Haverhill, Mass., until 1759, when he purchased or built the mills in Billerica, now North Billerica, where the large woollen- mills in that town now stand. He married Hannah Platt. Their children were: Eliza- beth, born November 24, 1733, who married Thomas Todd; Hannah, born September 1, 1736, married Thomas Laws; John, born May 10, 1738; Lydia, born May 26, 1740; Solo- mon, born June 26, 1742; Amos, born March 13, 1744; Anna, born December 1, 1746; Moses, born September 13, 1749; and Na- than, baptized August 22, 1754.
Moses, the fourth son of John and Hannah, married January 15, 1771, Margaret Sprague. She died July 7, 1782. He married second Sybil Shedd, widow of Reuben Shedd. The children by the first wife were: Moses, born in 1771; Sybil, born May 18, 1773; Nicholas, born December 13, 1774; and Henry, born July 10, 1778. Henry Carleton, son of Moses and Margaret (Sprague) Carleton, married first Polly Greeley, born July 17, 1786; and after her death, which occurred December 3, 1842, he married in January, 1846, Polly
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Thompson. He died January 27, 1864. The following is a record of his children, who were all by his first wife: Sylvia, born September 30, 18OS, died January 2, 1892. Joseph G., born May 24, 1812, died May 29, 1885. Henry Guy was born in Bucksport, Me., No- vember 30, 1813. Mary H., born February 4, i816, died March 28, 1889. Margaret, born September 20, 1817, married May 10, 1842, George Alfred Pillsbury. The Margaret Pillsbury Hospital in Concord, N. H., takes its name from her, being a gift of her husband to the city of Concord. He also gave a library building to the town of Warner, N. H., and a soldiers' monument to Sutton, N. H., his native town. Sarah, born January 13, 1820, married Solomon Searles, had no chil- dren, and died January 21, 1893. John, born February 5, 1822, who died February 12, 1800, married, and had two children - Emma and Eva. Charles C., born April 14, 1826, died May 10, 1830. Sylvia, Joseph, and Mary never married.
Henry Guy Carleton, born November 30, 1813, son of Henry and Polly (Greeley) Carle- ton, married December 12, 1848, Miss Han- nah E. French. She was born February 18, 1827, and died June 11, 1856. He married second on July 3, 1860, Mrs. Mary J. Nel- son, born February 10, 1834. The children by the first marriage were: Frank Henry, born October 8, 1849; and George French Carleton, born October 18, 1853, who died March 5, 1855.
Frank H. Carleton is a graduate of Dart- mouth College, was a clerk for a number of years of the Municipal Court of St. Paul, Minn., was private secretary to Governor Pillsbury of that State, and was Assistant City Solicitor of Minneapolis. He is now a mem- ber of the successful law firm of Cross, Hicks, Carleton & Cross, of Minneapolis, Minn. He
married March 24, 1881, Nellie Jones. His children are : Edwin Jones Carleton, born April . 15, 1883; Henry Guy Carleton, born March 21, 1885; George A. Carleton, born April 24, 1888; Frank H. Carleton, Jr., born January 21, 1893 ; and Fred P. Carleton, born August 29, 1896.
There are others of the Carleton name who are connected with the above. Among the number was Captain Osgood Carleton, who had the reputation of being a great lunar navi- gator and who wrote a book upon navigation ; also Will Carleton, the poet. The name has a good record.
OHN W. SEVERANCE, a prominent resident of Chichester, Merrimack County, and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born February 3, 1822, in Sandwich, Carroll County, which was also the birthplace of his parents, Asa and Rhoda (Webster) Severance. His great- grandfather, Ephraim Severance, was one of the pioneer farmers of that town, having gone there from Deerfield, N. H.
John Severance, son of Ephraim and grand- father of the subject of this sketch, was a life- long resident of Sandwich. He was an able farmer and possessed considerable mechanical ingenuity, which he applied to various kinds of handicraft. He took a leading part in pub- lic affairs as a supporter of the Whig party, and served as Tax Collector for sixteen consec- utive years. He married Lydia Jewell, and had twelve children. The only survivor of the family is James M., who resides in Bos- ton. His wife, Adeline Randall, died leav- ing four children - Eliza, Nancy, Alonzo, and Waldo. John Severance died at the age of seventy-three, but his wife lived to be eighty years old. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
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Asa Severance, son of John and father of John W. Severance, was reared to agricultural pursuits ; and when a young man he bought a farm adjoining the parental homestead. He displayed an ability which foreshadowed a suc- cessful future; but his prosperous career was cut short by his death, which occurred at the age of twenty-eight years. A man of excel- lent character, he possessed the esteem and good will of his neighbors; and his untimely demise was deeply deplored. In politics he acted with the Democratic party. In his re- ligious views he was a Free Will Baptist. His wife, Rhoda Webster, survived him many years, and died at the age of seventy-seven. Two of her children grew to maturity, namely : John W., of Chichester; and Asa, who mar- ried Hannah M. Webster, of Sandwich, and is residing in that town. Mrs. Rhoda W. Severance was a member of the Free Will Baptist church.
John W. Severance attended school in Sand- wich until he was ten years old, at which time he came to reside in Chichester. When a young man he learned the trade of an edge-tool maker, and followed it for a short time in this town. He afterward worked in a machine shop in Lowell, Mass., and later, taking up his residence in Manchester, N. H., was there employed for more than twenty years as a prac- tical machinist. Relinquishing his trade, he then returned to Chichester, and, settling upon the farm which was formerly the home- stead of his wife's parents, has since resided here.
On November 25, 1841, Mr. Severance married Hannah Jane Kaime. She is a daughter of Benjamin and Sally Watson Kaime, both of whom were natives of Pitts- field and passed their last years in Chichester. Benjamin Kaime was a blacksmith and a farmer. In politics he voted with the Repub-
lican party, and he served as a Selectman of the town for some time. For many years he was a Deacon of the Free Will Baptist church. He lived to be' eighty years old, and his wife died at seventy-eight. They were the parents of twelve children. Mr. and Mrs. Severance have no children.
Politically a Republican, Mr. Severance represented Manchester in the legislature with marked ability during the years 1855 and 1856 and again in 1876 and 1877. He is connected with Mechanics' Lodge, No. 13, I. O. O. F., of Manchester, and served as its Chaplain for a number of years. He is ac- tively interested in the Patrons of Husbandry, and was one of the organizers of Catamount Grange, of Pittsfield. An industrious and successful farmer, an upright man and a useful citizen, he is highly esteemed by his fellow- townspeople. Mr. and Mrs. Severance are members of the Free Will Baptist church.
RANK GILMAN EDGERLY, the efficient High Sheriff of Merrimack County, N. H., was born in Meredith, N. H., on February 19, 1853. His parents were William M. and Lydia (Fogg) Edgerly. His ancestors, paternal and maternal, were of English extraction. Thomas Edgerly, the emigrant progenitor on his father's side, came to America in 1664, settling near what is now known as Durham, N. H. Thomas Edgerly was a well-educated man, prominent in the early history of New Hampshire, being one of the Justices before whom were tried many im- portant cases involving the civil and religious rights of citizens.
Frank G. Edgerly acquired a public-school education in Meredith, N. H., completing his studies at the age of sixteen years. He then came to Concord and served an apprenticeship
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as printer's devil in the office of the Indepen- dent Democrat, afterward the Independent Statesman, remaining for fourteen years. In 1883 he started a printing establishment, in which he continued as proprietor until 1889, when he became a real estate broker. In 1893 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff ; and on April 1, 1895, he became High Sheriff ; which position he still holds, being also Jailer, hav- ing been re-elected by the largest vote ever accorded any High Sheriff in Merrimack County. In politics Mr. Edgerly affiliates with the Republican party. In 1889 and 1890 . he was Representative to the legislature from Concord.
On April 1, 1893, he was married to Anna M. Swasey, of Lisbon, N. H. They have one child, a daughter Lydia. Fraternally, Mr. Edgerly is a thirty second degree Mason in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites. Ile is a member of Blazing Star Lodge, No. 11, F. & A. M., in which he has officiated as Worshipful Master for two years; of Trinity Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, which he has served as High Priest two years; Horace Chase Council, Royal and Select Masters, officiating as Thrice Illustrious Master for two years; Mount Horeb Commandery, K. T .; and of Aleppo Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He is connected with White Mountain Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., and Concord Lodge, No. S, K. of P., being Past Chancellor, and he is Life Member of four organizations: Order of High Priesthood of New Hampshire; Grand Lodge, K. of P., of New Hampshire; Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters, and Grand Royal Arch Chap- ter of New Hampshire. He is also a member of the New Hampshire Press Association, the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the Derryfield Social Club of Manchester, N. H. In religion he is of the Episcopal faith, and
is a highly respected member of St. Paul's Church, of which he is one of the Vestrymen.
RANCIS W. BLAKE, one of Pitts- field's successful farmers, was born in Hampton Falls, N. H., September 3, IS37, son of Enoch and Lydia (Smith) Blake. The family is of English origin. Its founder, Jasper Blake, who came from England in 1640 and settled at Hampton, N. H., was a relative of Robert Blake, the famous British admiral of that period. The great-grandfather of Francis W. was Jeremiah Blake, son of Joshua. He was a native of Hampton Falls, and a farmer by occupation. He was the father of five children, of whom Enoch (first), the grandfather, was the eldest.
Enoch Blake (first) was born in Hampton Falls, and grew to manhood as a farmer in that town. He served in the Revolutionary War under General Stark. In 1787 he moved to Pittsfield, and occupied a part of the farm now owned by his grandson, Francis W. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religious belief he was a Free Will Baptist. At his death he was sixty-nine years old. He mar- ried Hannah Eastman, a native of Kensington, N. H. Of their five children who attained maturity Enoch (second) was the eldest. Born in Pittsfield, August 22, 1796, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the greater part of his active period, and also followed the trades of carpenter and cooper to some extent. Prosperity rewarded his indus- try. In politics he supported the 'Democratic party. His last years were passed in retire- ment, and he lived to the advanced age of ninety-one years. Having been a soldier in the War of 1812, he was in receipt of a government pension at the time of his death. His wife, Lydia, who was a daughter of Jo-
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siah and Bathsheba Rand Smith, of Chichester, N. H., became the mother of five children, of whom there are living: Jeremiah, Charles, and Francis W. Jeremiah married Lydia A. Tilton, of Loudon, N. H., who died leaving two children - Mary and Ellen. The first of Charles Blake's three marriages was contracted with Angeline Carter. He has no children living. Francis W. Blake's mother died at the age of seventy-eight. Both parents were members of the Free Will Baptist church.
After acquiring his education in Pittsfield and Hampton Falls, Francis W. Blake learned the shoemaker's trade. At the age of twenty- five he moved with his parents to Pittsfield, where he continued to work at his trade for some years. Since then he has been success- fully engaged in farming at the homestead. He owns one hundred and twenty-five acres of Well-located land, eighty acres of which are under cultivation. He is also quite exten- sively interested in lumbering.
On June 21, 1866, Mr. Blake wedded Mary Judkins. She is a daughter of Simon B. and Catherine (Hoyt) Judkins, of Kingston, N. H. Mr. Judkins died at the age of sixty-five years. He was well known in Kingston. In politics he acted with the Republican party. In his religious belief he was a Congregationalist ; and he was Deacon of the church in that place at the time of his death, having held the office for twenty-two years. Mrs. Blake's parents had five children, four of whom are living. Her sister Emma is the wife of Joshua Lyford, of Brentwood, N. H., having one son, Henry. Her brother John married Sarah Diamond, of Danville, N. H., and is the father of two chil- dren - Clifton and Francis. Lydia B. resides on the homestead in Kingston with her mother. Anna E. married William Brown, of Fremont, N. H., and died leaving one daughter, Katie J. Mr. and Mrs. Blake have
four children - Elizabeth F., Emma A., George Enoch, and Edna F. Elizabeth F., who was born June 18, 1867, graduated from New Hampton Institution, and is now teach- ing school in New Hampton, N. H. Emma A., born September 9, 1869, graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music in 1891, and is an accomplished music teacher in Bos- ton, where she has a large number of pupils. George Enoch, born July 30, 1878, is attend- ing school in New Hampton; and Edna F. was born June 17, 1888. In politics Mr. Blake is independent. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen for three years, and he was Tax Collector for one year. He is connected with Pittsfield Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Both he and Mrs. Blake are members of the Free Will Baptist church, and he has been its clerk for twenty years.
AVID WARREN COGSWELL, one of Henniker's most highly es- teemed residents and a prominent Odd Fellow, was born in this town, January 1, 1824, son of David and Hannah (Haskell) Cogswell. His father, who was a son of Joseph Cogswell, was a native of Essex, Mass., born April 25, 1790. David Cogswell learned the blacksmith's trade with David Choate in his native town, and worked for a time as a journeyman on Cape Ann. He was First Lieutenant of a Gloucester Military Company during the War of 1812, and subse- quently received for his services a warrant for one hundred and sixty acres of land. In 1815 he settled in Henniker, where he established a blacksmith shop near the stone bridge; and, as from forty to sixty horses were constantly cm- ployed in transporting goods between Boston and Vermont, his shop was for many years a favorite place for horse-shoeing and repairing.
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. He continued to carry on business until 1850, when he sold the shop to his son ; and for some years afterward he divided his time between the forge and his farm. In IS20 he erected the house which is now occupied by David W., and he resided in it for nearly fifty years. Being a man of temperate habits, he was strong and vigorous. At his death, on June 30, 1868, which was caused by a cancer in the stomach, he was over seventy-eight years old. On January 3, 1813, he married Hannah Haskell, daughter of Stephen and Anna Haskell, of Essex County, Massachusetts. Among her twelve children were: Colonel Leander Winslow Cogswell, the well-known historian of Henniker; the late Parsons B. Cogswell, formerly editor of the Concord Monitor-Democrat; and David W., the subject of this sketch. She died January 13; 1872.
David Warren Cogswell began to assist his father in the blacksmith shop at the age of ten years. In this period, when working at the anvil, he was obliged to stand upon a plat- form; and his day's labor lasted until nine o'clock in the evening. It was his custom, after performing his share of the forge work from September to March, to spend the sum- mer in helping on the farm. He remained at home until he was twenty-four years old, after which he was employed for two years in machine shops in North Chelmsford and Win- chendon, Mass. In 1850, at his father's desire, he bought the shop in Henniker; and he conducted his trade until 1881. He then rented the shop to other parties; and it was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1893, after an existence of over seventy-five years. After relinquishing his trade, Mr. Cogswell, in com- pany with his brother-in-law, N. S. Johnson, bought land on Sunapee Mountain, and erected a large summer boarding-house, which was destroyed by fire some three or four years
afterward, causing a heavy loss to its owners. After cutting considerable timber from the land, it was sold; and Mr. Cogswell is now engaged in cultivating his farm of sixty acres. In the early days of the abolition movement he was an earnest worker in the cause. As a member of the Free Soil party he supported the candidacy of John P. Hale for the Presi- dency, and he has voted with the Republican party since its formation. He has been active in educational matters. While Deputy Sheriff from 1864 to 1874, he induced so many parties to settle their differences out of court that there was but one trial before a justice in Henniker during his term of office. In 1862 and 1863 he was Moderator at town meetings. At that time these assemblages, about equally divided between the opposing parties, were continued far into the morning hours; and it was difficult to maintain order. A firm sup- porter of the cause of the Union, Mr. Cogs- well did much toward caring for the families of soldiers during the war. When sixteen years old he joined an independent military company known as the Grenadiers, and was attached to it until the new laws did away with the old muster days. He has acted as a Justice of the Peace since 1862.
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