USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 7
USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 7
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
It is not in the concert room or in the or- chestra that the sweetest music from Professor Gibson's violin is heard, but in his own mod- est home in Henniker, where, with a few ap- preciative friends as listeners, he draws forth the most charming music. His violin is a rare instrument, one hundred and twenty-six years old, of a rich, powerful tone. The .Pro- fessor is modest as to his own attainments, is simple of manner, and has a kind and generous heart; and he is much loved by his pupils. His violin has been a source of infinite pleas- ure to him and his friends, comforting him in his sorrows and cheering him across the rough places of life's pathway.
From the many deserved compliments paid to his extraordinary talent we quote the fol- lowing from the New York Musical Times of January 10, 1860, written by its Washington correspondent concerning a concert given by C. C. Gibson in Willard's Hall : "Mr. Gibson is a great performer. For purity of tone, ex- pression, and ease, and the skill with which he executes difficult passages, he cannot be ex- celled. Senators Sumner, Hale, Crittenden, Seward, and others, including many prominent men and foreign ministers, were in the audi- ence; and every appearance of Mr. Gibson was met with hearty applause, and each number was repeatedly encored." The Boston Satur- day Evening Gasette of February 6, 1858, says of a concert at Tremont Temple : "C. C. Gib- son performed his 'Bird Waltz Fantasia' in a
most masterly and scientific manner. The bird imitations were perfect. It requires genius and perseverance to reach such perfec- tion on this king of instruments. He evi- dently took the audience by surprise, and was rapturously encored." The Boston Traveller of January 2, 1858, says: "Mr. Gibson is truly a wonderful performer. Tones more pure and beautiful we never heard, and we have heard all the great players of the day. His wizard-like performance seemed to cast a spell of enchantment over the audience, which burst into rapturous applause at the conclusion of each piece." The musical critic of the Washington Constitution speaks of him thus : "Professor C. C. Gibson is not only a scien- tific performer, but the genius of his nature is such that when he alights upon a theme to which his delicate sensibilities respond he seems to evince an inspiration of soul capable of expression only."
Some years ago Professor Gibson suffered a severe attack of spinal meningitis, which con- fined him to his room, and much of his time to his bed, for two years. Since that time his work has been largely confined to private in- struction, his pupils including some of the brightest violinists of the country.
YRUS RUNNELS, a well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Concord, was born at Mast Yard in 1832, son of Samuel Runnels. His grandfather, Samuel Runnels, Sr., a native of Boxford, Mass., came early to New Hampshire, where he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres, and spent the latter part of his life occupied in farming. He was a land sur- veyor, and assisted greatly in laying out roads and lots in his day. He was also one of the Home Guard of the War of 18:2. At his
.
58
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
death he was sixty-six years old. With his wife, Anna Hardy Runnels, he reared four children - Samuel, Lois, Priscilla, and Anna, all of whom have now passed away. Samuel Runnels, Jr., was educated in the district schools and became a farmer. He secured land, and built the house now occupied by his son. He died in 1864, aged sixty-eight. His wife was Anner Abbot Runnels, a daugh- ter of Ezra Abbot, of the old Abbot family of this place. She was the mother of seven chil- dren, of whom two died young. The others are: Cyrus, Louisa J., Emily, Almira, and Anner A.
After Cyrus Runnels received his element- ary education in the district schools, he pursued higher courses at the Hancock Lit- erary and Scientific School, at Penacook Academy, at Hopkinton, and at Professor Hall Roberts's select school in Concord. He also graduated in the class of 1855 of the Chandler Scientific School of Hanover. In early life Mr. Runnels taught school for four winters in New Hampshire and later for one winter in Iowa. He worked at his profession of civil engineering in Iowa for nine years, doing local service in 1862 at the Adjutant- general's office in Clinton of that State. In 1864 Mr. Runnels returned to New Hamp- shire and took the farm, but still continued to carry on his work of surveying. He became at once identified with the social and civil in- terests of the town. He has been for six years Assessor, for three years Selectman, for three years a member of the Council, and he has been a Justice of the Peace for more than ten years.
During his residence in Iowa, Mr. Runnels was a member of the Presbyterian church, serving the society as a Deacon and Elder. Since his return to New Hampshire he has joined the West Congregational Church of
Concord, and is one of its Deacons. In poli- tics he is a Republican, and he cast his first Presidential vote for General Grant in 1868.
OSES A. CRAGIN, of Lempster, a veteran of the Civil War and an ex-member of the New Hamp- shire legislature, was born in Rindge, N. H., December 13, 1823, son of Moses and Sarah (Chamberlain) Cragin. His father, who was born in Rindge in the year 1800, and spent the greater part of his life in his native town, was for some years engaged in peddling. He afterward removed from Rindge to Alstead, N. H., and later to Marlow, where he was en- gaged in the wooden-ware business. He died April 5, 1864. His first wife, Sarah Cham- berlain Cragin, was a native of New Ipswich, N. H. After her death he successively mar- ried Eleanor Walton, of Temple, N. H., and Fanny Bidwell, of Langdon. By his first union there were six children, namely : Moses A., the subject of this sketch; a child who died in infancy ; Newton B. ; Elvira; Edward; and Lucius. Lucius died in 1853, aged eigh- teen years. Newton B. Cragin, who is a re- tired fruit-grower and resides in Worcester, Mass., married Sarah Monroe, of Marlow ; and their daughter, Alice Estella, is now the wife of Fred Hathern, of Worcester. Elvira mar- ried John Q. Priest, now living in retirement at Westboro, Mass. Edward, who is a rail- road engineer and lives in Ohio, wedded Mar- tha Peither.
Moses A. Cragin attended the district school until he was nine years old. On reaching his majority, he then located in Gardner, Mass. Some time after his marriage he moved to Marlow, where he followed the blacksmith's trade for five years. Then he engaged in the wooden-ware business. On
.
59
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
September 3, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company A, Eighteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, and served in it until the close of the Civil War. His company was detached to act as guard for Benham's corps of engineers for a time, and also took part in the defence of Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Petersburg, and the capture of Richmond. Discharged from the service in June, 1865, he returned to Marlow and resumed the wooden- ware business. In 1869 he bought the Rogers place in Lempster, where he now resides. Since taking possession of the estate, he has enlarged its land area from eighty to three hundred acres, made various improvements, and carried on general farming and dairying. He is a loyal supporter of the Republican party, and he ably represented his district in the legislature in 1895 and 1896. He is a comrade of Fred H. Smith Post, No. 10, G. A. R., of Newport.
In Keene, N. H., January 25, 1853, Mr. Cragin was joined in marriage with Emeline R. Beckwith, who was born in Acworth, N. H., April 9, 1836, daughter of Stephen and Cynthia (Osgood) Beckwith. Stephen Beck- with, a native of Acworth, followed agricult- ure in his native town during the active period of his life, and died April 8, 1877. His wife, who was born in Pittsford, Vt., died October 19, 1889. Their children were: Ira Alonzo, who died in 1893; Emeline R., who is now Mrs. Cragin; Oliver, who resides in Marlow; Nellie C., now the widow of Henry WV. Ware, who died in Hancock, N. H., in March, 1896; and Diantha, who is residing in Acworth. Mr. and Mrs. Cragin have four sons, born as follows: Lucius M., December 26, 1855; Charles A., February 20, 1858; Leslie D., September 6, 1860, who died Feb- ruary 19, 1862; and Fred H., December 3, 1862. Lucius M. married Flora Grimes, and
is engaged in farming in Springfield, Vt. Charles A. resides at the homestead and assists in the management of the farm. On January 6, 1892, he married Annie V. Griffith, who was born August 11, 1868, daughter of George Bancroft and Anna S. (Howe) Griffith. Her father is the well-known poet of Lemp- ster, of whom an extended account appears elsewhere in this work. Fred H., who is a butcher and meat dealer in Springfield, Vt., married Edith C. Gould, a native of Weathers- field, Vt.
RTEMAS TERRILL BURLEIGH, who is now engaged in truck farming in Franklin, was born in this town, February 25, 1860, son of Gordon and Char- lotte (Turner) Burleigh. The father, who was a native of Dorchester, N.H., accom- panied his parents to Franklin when he was two years old. In early manhood he was en- gaged in the coal business in Boston. He subsequently returned to Franklin, and re- sided upon the farm now occupied by his son, Artemas T., until his death on August 10, 1891. His wife, Charlotte, who was a resi- dent of Charlestown, Mass., became the mother of ten children, namely: Henry, who lives in Hyde Park, Mass., and is a boot and shoe dealer; Gordon, who is in the same busi - ness in Boston; Artemas T., the subject of this sketch; Robert, a medical practitioner in Rochester, N.H. ; George, a jeweller in Til- ton, N. H. ; Lottie and Emma, who are resid- ing in Newport, R. I .; Paul, a resident of Lawrence, Mass .; Sarah Elizabeth; Freddie, who died in infancy. Mrs. Gordon Burleigh now resides with her daughters in Newport.
Artemas Terrill Burleigh began his educa- tion in the common schools, and his advanced studies were pursued at the Agricultural and Dartmouth Colleges. After completing his
£
60
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
education he resided at home until he became a travelling salesman for a Boston concern dealing in hardware and agricultural imple- ments, in which capacity he was employed for seven years. In 1889 he engaged in the dry- goods business in Tilton, N. H., and contin- ued in trade for about three years. At the end of that time he settled upon the farm in Franklin, where he has since resided. The property contains three hundred acres of land. He carries on general farming, dairying, and market gardening.
On July 14, 1882, Mr. Burleigh was united in marriage with Inez Rice. She was born in Lowell, Mass., daughter of Edwin and Iantha (Blanchard) Rice. The father, who was a merchant, is no longer living. The mother is residing. in Franklin. In politics Mr. Bur- leigh is a Republican. The progress he has already attained in agricultural pursuits speaks well for his energy and ability. He is a member of Belknap. Lodge, No. 18, Ancient Order of United Workmen.
AMUEL HARRIS DOW, son of Amos and Mary (Brown) Dow, was born in Hopkinton, N. H., June 10, 1818, and died at his residence at Bagley Sta- tion, Warner, Merrimack County, September 6, 1894. He had not been well for several years, having been unfortunate enough, Janu- ary 17, 1889, while overseeing some work at one of his mills, to have his leg broken by a rolling log; and he had scarce recovered from that accident when he had a slight paralytic shock. Within a year after, a cancer devel- oped on his lip, causing him great suffering for four or five years. His strong will power and determined resolution, however, kept him about until his death, which was caused by a second stroke, although he paid less attention
to his business in his later days, throwing much of its responsibility upon his son.
Mr. Dow was a self-made man in the broad- est sense implied by the term. His early life was spent in poverty, his father having been a cripple, with a large family to support, and needing the assistance of every child to keep the wolf from the door. Accordingly, Sam- uel left home when a small lad, and from that time until twenty years old earned his living as best he could, working at any honest em - ployment. The year before attaining his ma- jority he obtained a situation with Mr. Charles Davis, who hired him for seven months, agreeing to give him ten dollars a month. At the end of the time Mr. Davis gave him seventy-three dollars, presenting him with three dollars for his faithfulness. Hiring the Davis mill, he then sawed shingles at the rate of fifty cents per thousand and board, sawing day-times and bunching nights. The ensuing spring he began buying and manufacturing lumber, buying at first but a few trees at a time, gradually enlarging his operations; and in 1842 he had cleared above his expenses nine hundred dollars. Mr. Dow then bought one-half interest in the Nathaniel A. Davis saw-mill, mortgaging it to secure payment, and running into debt for the Charles Davis shingle-mill. He worked in- dustriously, saved every penny possible, and four years later had both mills paid for. He continued his investments in lumber, bark, and wood until 1857, when he disposed of his buildings to W. S. Davis for nine hun- dred dollars, and sold his mills to Daniel Milton. In the same year he erected a resi- dence at a cost of thirty-seven hundred dollars. During the Rebellion, when the draft came to raise the town quota for the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, he had just passed the age limit; but he voluntarily gave five dollars
SAMUEL H. DOW.
....
63
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
to each volunteer recruit, thus paying out over two hundred and fifty dollars. The Select - men refusing to pay the town bounty, not hav- ing been so instructed by vote, he, in company with Franklin Simonds, Joshua George, Stephen Bartlett, and George Jones, signed bonds to protect the soldiers, whom the town officials subsequently paid by borrowing twenty-seven hundred dollars, which Mr. Dow had lying in the Warner Bank. When this bank suspended, he had on deposit some four- teen thousand dollars, which he invested in the First National Savings Bank of Concord, N.H.
About this time Mr. Dow purchased a large tract of wood and timber land in East Canaan, and for several years did an extensive busi- ness in getting out lumber, running mills, etc. He bought large lots of land in other lo- calities, chiefly in Canaan and Warner, and after cutting off the timber held the land for new growth. In later years he paid a good deal of attention to his farm, on which he settled in 1879, residing there from that time on until his demise. He erected nearly all the buildings at Bagley Station, but persist- ently refused to have the name of the place changed to Dow, as his friends desired. He also made many other wise investments of his money, owning a store in Davisville, besides erecting three large business blocks in Con- cord, which are still in the possession of his heirs. He was a strong Republican in poli- tics, but never accepted public office.
.
Mr. Dow was actively interested in the wel- fare and advancement of the town in which he lived, and, though earnestly opposed to the expenditure of the town's funds for purposes of doubtful value, was one of the foremost to push forward and aid with generous financial contributions all projects that promised to be beneficial. The late Franklin Simonds gave
twenty thousand dollars as a fund, the inter- est to be used in defraying the expenses of a free high school in Warner, provided the town would erect a suitable building. Mr. Dow and Gilman Bean gave bonds to the amount of ten thousand dollars, Mrs. Simonds adding five thousand dollars more; and the town built a fine school-house, which cost, including the land, ten thousand dollars, Mrs. Simonds giv- ing five thousand dollars; John Robertson, two hundred and fifty dollars; C. G. Mc- Alpine, two hundred and fifty dollars; George Jones, two hundred and fifty dollars; Reuben Clough, thirty dollars; and others, smaller sums; Mr. Bean and Mr. Dow paying the bal- ance, amounting to over two thousand dollars apiece.
Mr. Dow was thrice married. His first wife, Harriet C., daughter of Daniel Currier, · died a few years after marriage, leaving two children, namely: Fanny C., who married Oscar L. Rand, and has two children - Shirley and Blanche E. ; and Hervey S., who died October 8, 1891, at the age of forty-two years. Hervey S. Dow was for many years associated with his father in the lumber busi- ness, having personal charge of the mills in Canaan. He left a widow, whose maiden name was Bertha Barney, and three children - Edith M., Pearl E., and Florence B. Mr. Dow's second wife, Matilda Sophronia Currier, a sister of his first wife, died after a compara- tively few years of wedded life, leaving no children. On July 29, 1856, Mr. Dow mar- ried Miss Emily Rand, who was born in Hop- kinton, N.H., May 17, 1838. Her parents, Smith and Miriam (Goodhue) Rand, subse- quently removed to Warner. Mrs. Emily R. Dow still occupies the pleasant family resi- dence at Bagley. She has two children - Herman A. and Emily G. Herman A. Dow, who resides with his mother, succeeded his
------
64
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
father in the care of the farm and the lumber business. He married Stella G. Wright; and they have one child, Samuel H. Emily G. Dow is the wife of Fred H. Savory, and has two children - Fred A. and Miriam E. Savory.
HOMAS T. PENNIMAN was a well- to-do farmer and wool-grower of Plain- field. A native of this town, he was born January 19, 1823. After completing his education in the schools of Plainfield, he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and assisted his father in carrying on the home farm. He eventually inherited the property, and under his energetic management it was made to yield a handsome profit. The estate, situated upon elevated ground, contains three hundred acres of land and substantial build- ings, all in good repair. While he was en- gaged in general farming and stock-raising, he devoted his chief efforts for many years to the raising of sheep for the sake of their wool. His fine pastures afforded excellent grazing for the sheep. As he went into the business upon an extensive scale and at a time when wool-growing was one of the best paying industries, it brought him considerable wealth. His crops of hay and grain were among the best to be found in this locality, and his other farm products were of a superior quality. In politics he was a Republican ; and, though his party was in the minority here, he steadfastly upheld its principles and supported its candidates. As an honorable, upright, and liberal-minded citizen he had the respect of his fellow-townsmen. He was a regular attendant of the Congregational church. His death on January 24, 1886, when he was sixty-three years old, was gen- erally regretted in Plainfield.
Mr. Penniman wedded Mary Ann Smith,
who was born in Unity, N. H., December 15, 1842. Her parents were Frederick P. and Losha W. (Morris) Smith. The father, a prosperous farmer of Claremont, was born in Unity, N.H., July 30, 1814, and the mother in Lisbon, N. H., in December, 1819. Mr. Penniman was the father of seven children, namely: Thomas, born June 19, 1871; Flora Belle, born July 5, 1872; Dorinda W., born March 21, 1874; Frederick S., born April 19, 1875; Mary Lizzie, born October 19, 1876; Henry N., born January 18, 1879; and Morris G., born February 15, 1881. Thomas, who is engaged in farming and teaming, married Mary W. Curtis, daughter of Hartley Curtis, of Cornish, and has one son, Thomas Ken- neth, born March 10, 1895. Flora Belle, who was for some time a successful teacher, is now the wife of Norman C. Penniman, of Cornish. Dorinda W. is a student at the Kimball Union Academy. Frederick S. is assisting upon the farm. Mary Lizzie, Henry N., and Morris G. are residing at home. The elder children were educated at the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden; and Henry N. is now attending that institution. Mrs. Thomas T. Penniman is residing with her children at the homestead.
|PHRAIM P. GOSS, a prosperous farmer, fruit-grower, and dairyman of Hen- niker, was born November 27, 1844, on Pork Hill, in the northern part of this township. He is a son of Luther Goss, whose father, Ephraim Goss, when he was a young man, came here from Lancaster, Mass. Ephraim was one of the first in complying with the call to arms that resounded through the colonies after the fights at Concord and Lexington, and subsequently rendered the ser- vices of one good man in the war of indepen-
.
--
65
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
dence. On coming to Henniker, he lived for a time on the farm now owned by Mrs. Robert D). Rice. Afterward he bought the property on Pork Hill known as the old Goss home- stead, now owned and. occupied by one of his grandsons, where he spent his remaining years, and died August 2, 1838. His wife, Ruth Campbell Goss, a daughter of Amos and Anna Campbell, who survives him, died March 8, 1861. They had eleven children, of whom Luther was the eighth in the order of birth.
Luther Goss, born in Henniker, January 30, 1801, and brought up as a farmer, was occu- pied in agriculture throughout the rest of his life. After his marriage he bought a farm adjoining the parental homestead on Pork Ilill, on which he subsequently resided until his death on September 22, 1865. The an- cestral acres descended to Cyrus Goss, a brother of Luther Goss, whose son, Franklin Goss, now owns and occupies the estate. Luther Goss married Sallie Colby, who, after surviving him many years, passed away Janu- ary 19, 1884, at the venerable age of eighty- one years. She lived on the farm some four years after the death of her husband, when she sold the property, and removed to the village with her daughter, Helen C. She was the mother of seven children, namely: Solon, who died in infancy; Lydia C., the wife of Rufus Putnam, of Contoocook; Helen C., who keeps house for her brother Ephraim; Julia M., who married Charles S. Foster, and died at the age of thirty-five years; David P., who died in infancy; Elizabeth M., who is the wife of Fitz E. Cogswell, of Concord, N.H .; and Ephraim P., the twin brother of Eliza- beth, and the subject of this sketch.
Ephraim P. Goss completed his schooling at the Henniker Academy, and at the age of nineteen years began teaching, intending to
pursue a professional career. His father's death occurring soon afterward, a radical change in his plans was made, his services being needed at home. He returned to the farm, which he managed until it was sold, four years later. He then worked for a time at the carpenter's trade, making his home in the village with his mother, until he established a home of his own. Since his marriage he has resided on his present farm. This prop- erty, which was originally owned by Abel Connor, and which was the lifelong home of Fayette Connor, the uncle of Mrs. Goss, is one of the most noted estates in this vicinity. Although the house has been altered in many respects, the front remains the same as when built by the original owner, nearly a century ago. Mr. Goss carries on general farming, devoting much attention to his dairy, and selling the cream. He raises a good deal of fruit, for which his farm is especially famed, and where was grown the first grafted in Henniker by Abel Connor. On June 19, 1876, Mr. Goss married Miss Sarah E. Con- nor, who was born in North Henniker, De- cember 2, 1854, daughter of A. Whitney and Harriet (Spofford) Connor, and grand-daugh- ter of Abel Connor. She died August 19, 1891, after a long and painful illness of several months, leaving one child, Julia Mabel, who is now attending the high school. Mr. Goss is a strong Republican in politics. He is active in his party, attending all the county and State conventions, and was Select- man for four years. He has been an influen- tial worker in the temperance cause as a member of the Sons of Temperance. He is likewise a member of the local grange and of the Order of the Golden Cross. For thirty years he has sung in the choir of the Congre- gational church, with which he united when sixteen years of age. An intellectual, well-
66
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
read man, of affable manners and upright character, he is popular wherever he is known.
ILMAN C. MORGAN, a farmer of Hopkinton, Merrimack County, N.H., was born September 10, 1830, in Hartford, Vt., being a son of Nathaniel and Mehitable (Colby) Morgan. His pater- nal grandfather, Nathan H. Morgan, was born October 27, 1765, in Pembroke, N. H. Four years later his father and mother, who were English, came to Hopkinton, and settled in the unbroken forest in the south-west part of the town. At that time there were no roads, but only foot-paths, indicated by spotted trees for a guide. Nathan H. Morgan remained on the old. homestead from the time of coming here with his parents until his demise, Octo- ber 31, 1850. His wife, Mary Emerson Morgan, was born March 30, 1770, and died December 5, 1833. They had twelve chil- dren, namely: Timothy, who was born March 12, 1790, and died in 1871; Nathaniel, the first, born October 2, 1791, died May 18, 1792; Nathaniel, the second, born April 5, 1793, died May 4, 1872; Abigail, born April 13, 1795; Nathan, born March 21, 1797, died October 6, 1828; Smith, born March 18, 1799; Betsey, born December 25, 1800; Mary, born February 4, 1803, died in June, 1885, the wife of John Currier; Rachel, born Janu- ary 12, 1805; Jeremiah, born December 20, 1805; Mahala, born March 29, 1809; and James, born September 4, 1811. Of these Mahala, the wife of Peabody Webber, of Manchester, N. H., is the only survivor.
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.