USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 21
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EV. LEWIS MALVERN, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Laconia, N. H., was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, June 9, 1846, his parents being Thomas and Elizabeth (Lewis) Malvern. On the maternal side he is a de- scendant of Sir John Lewis, of Wales. One of his ancestors served as a captain under Wellington at the battle of Waterloo.
His paternal grandfather, Charles Malvern, was a wool stapler and tanner, and owned sev- eral large tan yards at Newent, England. He married Mary Cannon, of Newent, on October 1, 1779, the ceremony taking place in St. " Mary's Church. He lived to the age of seventy-three, and died in 1821, leaving three children - Charles, John, and Thomas. Both grandparents were members of the Church of England, and were accounted persons of more than ordinary intelligence.
Thomas Malvern, son of Charles and Mary Malvern, was born in Newent, England, on
January 9, 1795. He received a good educa- tion, graduating from Priestly Academy, Newent. His carly life was spent in Tewks- bury; but from 1840 until the time of his death, in 1870, he was located in Cheltenham. In all religious matters he took a deep inter- est, and was very active as a lay preacher. His wife, Elizabeth Lewis, survived him four years. They had seven children.
Lewis, the youngest-born, was educated at Cheltenham Academy under Dr. Henry Hay- men, who later succeeded Dr. Temple as head master at Rugby, and other institutions in his native city. Early in life his inclinations were strongly on the side of religious prin- ciples, and after leaving college he preached as a supply in different pulpits. It was dur- ing this interval, when he was deciding his future career, that an event occurred which shaped his future life. He received a letter from his absent brother, urging him to come to these shores. In doubt as to what he should do, he took the letter to his room, laid it open before him on his bed, and kneeling asked divine guidance as to his future course. As plainly as though spoken, he heard the word "Go." Rising, he went downstairs, in- formed his mother of his intention, and asked her consent. Tearfully she gave her permis- sion, and in 1871 he landed in America with the intention merely of making a short visit. But immediately upon his arrival in his brother's parish an opening came, and after considerable objection on his part he was in- duced to supply a pulpit at Barrington. Here he preached for three summers, and at the same time attended New Hampton Institute. He also filled pulpits at Ashland and at Dover.
He was ordained at Bristol, N.H., where he held a pastorate for four years. In 1876 he took charge of his present parish. The church
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membership at that time was small, number- ing but one hundred, and the society was finan- cially embarrassed by a debt of eighteen hun- dred dollars. In the following October the church building was destroyed by fire, with no insurance to cover the loss. Inspired with a new zeal, the people, largely assisted and en- couraged by their pastor, raised sufficient funds to rebuild the church, this time free of debt. The church membership has increased to nearly three hundred since Mr. Malvern's acceptance of the call, and the steady interest maintained in the church is conclusive evi- dence that pastor and people are one in spirit. Since Mr. Malvern came to Laconia in 1876, he has received several calls to other fields of work. He invariably declined all offers until 1880, when he accepted a call to Man- chester, N. H., where he remained till 1883. During that year, preferring to share the joys and sorrows of his first people, he returned to Laconia, where he remains at the present time. In 1896, on account of the business depres- sion, he voluntarily reduced his salary from fifteen hundred dollars to twelve hundred dol- lars; and this thoughtful care for his people was fully appreciated by them.
Mr. Malvern is well known throughout the State as an able lecturer, his favorite themes being "European Tours," "The World's Fair," "Masonry," "Our Country," and "The Civil War." Mr. Malvern is a mem- ber of Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 32, F. & A. M. ; Belknap R. A. Chapter, No. 8, of Dover; Pilgrim Commandery, K. T., of Laconia; Adoniram Council of Manchester; Winipiseogee Lodge, No. 7, I. O. O. F .; and Laconia Encampment, No. 9. He was Grand Master of New Hampshire, 1884 to 1885, and was Past Grand Representative to the Grand Lodge at Denver, Col., in 1886. Hle was elected as Grand Representative
twice, but illness prevented his attendance the first time. He is also a member of D. of Re- bekah, and Mount Belknap Lodge, No. 20, K. P., where 'he has held all the chairs, and is P. C .; also belongs to U. O. G. C .; Gran- ite Lodge, No. 3, A. O. U. W .; and the I. O. G. T .; and is Honorary Colonel in the U. V. U. He was elected to serve on the School Board for a three years' term. He is the President of the Laconia Ministers' Asso- ciation, and for five years presided over the New Hampshire yearly meeting.
August 13, 1874, the Rev. Lewis Malvern married Mary Brindley, of Derby, England, They have one daughter, a graduate of the La- conia High School in 1895.
AFAYETTE WOODMAN, a box manu- facturer of Alton, was born in this town, August 19, 1824, son of Sam - uel and Betsey (Lougee) Woodman. His grandfather, Jeremiah Woodman, was an early settler in Alton. A fuller account of Jere- miah Woodman and his family is given in the biography of the late Jeremiah Woodman. Samuel Woodman, Lafayette Woodman's father, was reared upon his father's farm, and for some years assisted in its cultivation. In his later years he was engaged in operating saw-mills, but he eventually resumed farming. His last days were passed near his son, La- fayette, and he died April 8, 1864, aged sixty- nine years. He was a Representative to the legislature, and acted as a Justice of the Peace. His wife, Betsey, who was a native of Barnstead, N. H., became the mother of nine children; namely, Jeremiah, Mary, Ann, Louise, Lafayette, Adeline, Luella, Simeon, and Fanny. Mrs. Samuel Woodman died March 28, 1881, aged eighty-one years.
Lafayette Woodman attended school in his
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native town. When a young man he began to work in his father's mill. At the age of twenty-five he and his brother Jeremiah en- tered into partnership for the purpose of en- gaging in the manufacturing. of lumber. Commencing with borrowed capital, they were soon at the head of a good business, which en- abled them to pay their debts, and they con- tinued together for three years. Lafayette Woodman then started a box manufactory alone, and, with the exception of a short in- terval in which he was associated with E. H. York in the shoe business, he has followed that line for thirty years. At the time of em- barking in business for himself he bought the farm where he now resides. The estate fur- nishes him with abundant recreation as well as a pleasant home.
Mr. Woodman married Mrs. Cordelia M. (Jones) Colbath, daughter of Cyrus Jones, a carpenter of Rochester, N. H. By her union with Samuel Colbath, her first husband, Mrs. Woodman had four children; namely, George F., Samuel E., Charles H., and a daughter who died at the age of twenty-three years. George F. is now a railroad conductor in Ari- zona; and Samuel E. is a box manufacturer in Alton. Politically, Mr. Woodman is a Re- publican, and he has served as a Selectman, and was a member of the Constitutional Con- vention held in 1876. He attends the Con- gregational church.
OHN W. TIBBETTS, of East Roches- ter, the genial proprietor of the Glendon House, and the senior mem- ber of the livery firm Tibbetts & Hayes, was born January 5, 1831, in Dover, N.H., where his grandfather, John Tibbetts, was a pioneer settier. His father, Samuel H. Tibbetts, also a native of Dover, born February II,
1807, was reared in that town, and afterward became one of its foremost citizens. Samuel was for many years prosperously engaged in tilling the soil. He was also a well-known hotel man, having owned and conducted the. old Heath House on Washington Street. In Dover he served in several of the minor offices, and he invariably supported the Democratic party. He died in September, 1858, at the age of fifty-one years. His wife, Belinda (Cross) Tibbetts, who belonged to Rochester, bore him six children. Three are living. These are: Hannah, the wife of Andrew J. Hodgson; Ira J., a retired Methodist minis- ter, living in Los Angeles, Cal .; and John W., the subject of this sketch.
John W. Tibbetts acquired his education in the common schools of Dover. He afterward served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade in the same city. For two years there- after he worked for Woodbury S. Mains, who built the first town hall in that place. In 1850 he located in Rochester, embarking in business for himself as a "boss carpenter." In addition to that he engaged in lumbering, at which he has since continued, doing now quite an extensive business. Some time later he entered the livery business. In 1879 he built his present hotel at East Rochester. Both the livery and hotel have proved profit- able. A steadfast Republican, he is always loyal to the best interests of his party. He has voted the party ticket since 1852, when he cast his first Presidential vote for General Scott. He was Selectman for two years im- mediately preceding the incorporation of Rochester as a city, and Councilman for the following two years. In 1873 and 1875 he was a Representative to the State legislature.
In May, 1854, Mr. Tibbetts married Char- lotte F. Chamberlain, who died January I, 1857. In December, 1857, he contracted a
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second marriage with Miss Clara W. Blais- dell, of Lebanon, Me. They have become the parents of two children, one of whom is now . deceased. The surviving child is Cora B., now the wife of Joseph O. Hayes. Mr. Tib- betts is a Mason of high standing, belonging to Humane Lodge, No. 21, of Rochester; to Temple Chapter, R. A. M .; and to Orphan Council. He has also taken all the degrees of the Odd Fellows order, and is one of the charter members of Cocheco Lodge of East Rochester.
UTHER CALVIN CRITCHETT, a prominent farmer of Strafford, was born in that town, July 31, 1835, son of Reuben and Betsey (Dame) Critchett. The family is of Welsh extraction, Mr. Critchett's great-grandfather being a Welsh- man, who came to this country as an agent to settle land disputes. Richard P. Critchett, the grandfather, born July 13, 1756, in Somersworth, N.H., where he followed the occupation of a farmer, served in the Revolu- tionary War, and fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. By his wife, whose maiden name was Molly Cook, he became the father of twelve children.
Reuben Critchett was born March 18, 1796, in that part of Barrington now called Strafford, and received a good education. After working out until he reached his major- ity, he engaged in farming on shares for a number of years. Later he went to Loudon, N.H., where he remained for two years. Then he returned to Strafford, and bought a small farm of twenty-four acres. A few years after he bought a lot in the village, and built a house, in which he lived for three or four years. In March, 1835, he removed to the farm on which his son now resides, and there made his home until the time of his death in
1882. Before the Civil War he was a Demo- crat, but he always refused to be a candidate for public office, though frequently urged to allow himself to be nominated. He and his brother Samuel served in the War of 1812 at Fort Washington, near Portsmouth. His wife, Betsey, who was a daughter of Jonathan Dame, of Strafford, bore him three children -- Olive S., Asenath A., and Luther Calvin Critchett. Both Reuben Critchett and his wife were members of the Free Will Baptist church.
Luther C. Critchett received his early edu- cation in the district schools, and in the acad- emy at Manchester, N.H. Then he learned the machinist's trade in Manchester. After- ward he came back to his native place, where he has resided since. He cultivates about twenty-five acres of land, hay being his largest crop, and also raises large quantities of veal for market. Mr. Critchett's experience in the army during the late war was one of the most stirring epochs of his life. On the first day of October, 1862, he enlisted in Company G, Fifteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Vol- unteer Infantry. While serving under the mortar battery at the siege of Port Hudson, the drum of one of his ears was ruptured by the detonations of the guns. On August 13, 1863, he was honorably discharged. At one time, without knowing it until one hour after the polls had opened, Mr. Critchett was a candidate for Selectman on the Republican ticket. Though the town was then strongly Democratic, he came within three or four votes of election. Mr. Critchett has never aspired to political honors, preferring the quiet of private life. He has been Justice of the Peace for a considerable time, and a Con- stable for about twenty years. He has shown much public spirit throughout his life, has quite a reputation for his hospitality to his
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many friends, and his opinion is sought by his fellow-townsmen on many subjects. On January 1, 1865, he married Sarah J., daugh- ter of George W. Caswell, of Strafford. She died March 13, 1892, leaving no children.
OHIN EDWIN CHESLEY, a promi- nent and successful farmer of the town of Rochester, was born December 17, 1833, on the homestead where he now re- sides, son of John and Lavinia (Chamberlain) Chesley. The Chesley family have long been known in Strafford County as among the earli- est settlers of this part of the State, and as pioneers of Durham. Shedrick Chesley, the paternal grandfather of John E., born and reared in Durham, came from there to Roches- ter.
John Chesley settled on the farm which his son now occupies, and was well known in this vicinity as a most practical and energetic farmer. He was a Democrat in politics, but took no part in the management of local affairs. He married Miss Lavinia Chamber- lain, daughter of Amos Chamberlain, of Leb- anon, Me. Of his six children by her, three are now living, namely: John Edwin, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, the widow of the late Larkin Harrington, of Lexington, Mass. ; and Albert, of Lynn, Mass. The father died on the old homestead in 1876, at the age of sixty-one years, and the mother on June 4, 1SS2, aged seventy-four years.
John E. Chesley acquired his education in the public schools of Rochester. He has had the charge of the homestead since attaining his majority. The property contains two hun- dred acres of land, finely located on the Chesley Hill road, where he is carrying on general farming after the most approved scien - tific methods, making gardening a specialty,
and raising each year large quantities of fruit and vegetables for the Rochester market. He has greatly increased the value of the estate since it came into his possession by improve- ments of an excellent character. The house which his father built has been replaced by one of more modern construction. A man of his business enterprise necessarily occupies a somewhat influential position in the commun- ity, although he is not active in politics. He has frequently refused public offices from his party, his time being occupied in farming.
On September 3, 1865, Mr. Chesley married Miss Elizabeth Horn, daughter of Jonathan Horn, of Rochester. They have two children, namely: Gertrude, the wife of Ellsworth Pearl, of this town; and Guy E., a student in the University Vet. College of Philadelphia, Pa. They are members of the Congregational church, and contribute their full share toward its support.
ARRY P. EVANS, the only under- taker of Alton, was born here, Au- gust 2, 1863, son of Dudley P. and Martha C. (Kimball) Evans. His great- grandfather, who was one of the earliest set- tlers of Alton, had seven children - Ziza, Daniel, Nathaniel, William, Martha, Han- nah, and Mercy. William, born in Alton, spent his life in this town. He and Sarah, his wife, had six children; namely, Hanson, Robert, Sarah Jane, Dudley P., Patience, and Ira. The last named died when about twenty- one years old, and Robert in 1890; Hanson is married and lives on the homestead; Sarah, who is the wife of Ira Varney, resides in Alton. Patience, now deceased, married Daniel Hayes, of Alton, also deceased, and had three children - Charlotte, Ellen, and Seth, all of whom are living.
Dudley P. Evans, born in Alton, May 20,
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JOHN S. GLASS.
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1830, received his education in a district and a private school. When but fourteen years old he began learning the undertaking and wheelwright business with Daniel and Ste- phen Hayes, with whom he remained seven years. He next went to Dover, N. H., where he worked in the same line of business a few years. Then returning to Alton, he bought out Hayes Brothers, and conducted the busi- ness on his own account until his death. For a number of years he did quite an exten- sive business in carriage-making, and up to 1878 manufactured all the coffins sold by him. He served as Superintendent of Schools for several years, and was Deputy Sheriff for ten years in succession. At the end of that pe- riod, no sheriff having been appointed, he began to perform the duties of that office, and continued to do so for the ensuing two years. He was then appointed to the office for a term of four years. He was in the second year of his term when he died November 8, 1892, aged sixty-one years and some months. He also held the office of Town Clerk for a num- ber of years, and sometimes he was Moderator at town meetings. He was a member of Win- nipiseogee Lodge of Masons and the Knights of Honor; also an attendant of the Congrega- tional church, of which his first wife was a member. Martha C., his first wife, was a daughter of Nehemiah Kimball, a farmer and lumberman, who, with his brother, owned a saw-mill. Mr. Kimball, who was born at Chestnut Hill, Rochester, N.H., married Nancy Norris, and had a son and two daugh- ters - Sarah, Joseph, and Martha. Sarah married Amos Rollins; Joseph married and was living in Massachusetts at the time of his death; and Martha taught school in Alton for several terms prior to her marriage to Dudley Evans. Martha and Dudley Evans had two children - Harry P. and Mabelle, both of
whom live at home. Mrs. Evans died on Au- gust 2, 1876. On April 7, 1877, Dudley P. Evans formed a second union with Mary A. C. Miller, one of the eight children of Nathaniel Miller, a farmer and teamster of Alton.
Harry P. Evans began working with his father at an early age. Since his father's death he has continued the business with good success, and has won many friends in both a social and a business way. In politics he is a Democrat.
OHN S. GLASS, a retired capitalist and real estate dealer of Dover, N. H., numbered among the most successful and substantial business men of the city, died at his residence, 180 Washington Street, April 12, 1897. He was born May 14, 1822, in Nottingham, Rockingham County, where the family had long been settled and ranked among the best in .the town. His father, John Glass, who was a lifelong resident of Nottingham, being there engaged in agricult- ural pursuits, died April 30, 1838, at the comparatively early age of forty-four years. His mother, in maidenhood Abigail J. De- meritt, who was born in Durham, Strafford County, lived just half a century.
After completing his studies at the Roches- ter Academy, John S. Glass remained on the parental homestead, busily engaged in general farming until 1855. The following year he spent in Durham to recuperate his health, which had become very poor. He then came to Dover, and secured a situation as a clerk in a store, of which within a year he became the proprietor. At the end of twelve months he disposed of the place, and began building dwelling-houses and stores, for many years carrying on an extensive business as a dealer in real estate. He acquired a good deal of city property, embracing about twenty-five
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tenement houses, and four large wooden structures used for business purposes. He possessed financial ability of a high order, was keen and far-sighted, and quick to take advantage of favorable opportunities for add- ing to his accumulations, and in all of his transactions he was honorable and upright. Hlis advice was often sought in monetary ยท affairs.
Mr. Glass was twice married. His first marriage was contracted October 16, 1857, with Mary J. Demeritt, who died January 27, 1875. On February 14, 1877, he married Miss Sarah A. Ham, of Dover, daughter of the late Daniel Ham. In politics Mr. Glass was a pronounced Republican. As Assessor for fifteen years, and a member of the Common Council for two years, he was actively identi- fied with the city government. He was like- wise for seven or eight years Justice of the Peace. For several years he was a Trustee of the Cocheco Bank, and he was Vice-President of the Cocheco Savings and National Bank. Quiet and unassuming, he was highly es- teemed as a man of sterling worth.
OAH SIMPSON WARD, who owns and occupies one of the first farms cleared in New Hampton, was born where he now resides, September 8, 1837, son of Benjamin and Sally P'. (Pease) Ward. His great-grandfather, the Rev. Jeremiah Ward, came to New Hampton, when that town was struggling into existence, and there cleared from the wilderness the farm that has since re- mained in the family's possession. When Jeremiah built his log house he had to guard himself against wild animals, and there were no roads to the outer world from the woods. He became a Congregationalist preacher, was the first settled minister in this town, and
continued his pastoral labors until old age compelled him to retire. Upon the occasion of his last sermon, he was assisted into the pulpit by his son. He was a sturdy pioncer as well as a faithful and devout shepherd.
Noah Ward, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born at the homestead, and succeeded to its possession. He tilled the soil during his active period, and passed his last days in this town. He married Nancy Sanborn, and his family of six children were: Benjamin, Samuel, Aaron, Noah, Sally, and Polly. Benjamin Ward, son of Noah Ward, born April 6, 1806, inherited the homestead, and the active period of his life was spent in its cultivation. His wife, Sally, who was born November 6, 1806, and was a daughter of Simeon Pease, of Meredith, became the mother of five children, namely: Simeon P., who served with Company I, Twelfth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in the Civil War; Noah S., the subject of this sketch; John F .; George; and Mary A. The parents were members of the Free Baptist church.
Noah Simpson Ward passed his boyhood in attending the public schools and assisting his father on the farm. Since succeeding to its ownership he has not only given proof of the careful training he received, but has shown a spirit of enterprise that effectually demon- strates his progressive tendencies and good judgment. His farm contains two hundred acres, about thirty acres of which are used for general products, and have a reputation for su- perior crops. Making a specialty of breeding cattle, he keeps from eighteen to twenty head of fine stock. He has also five horses, and he produces from eight hundred to nine hundred pounds of butter annually. His buildings are kept in good repair, including the old barn which was built over eighty years ago, and is still in an excellent state of preservation.
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Among a number of interesting family relics he has an ancient corner time-piece, which was taken by his grandfather in exchange for a yoke of oxen.
On February 4, 1865, Mr. Ward married Sarah Woodman, daughter of Noah Wood- man, of New Hampton. She is the mother of two children - Charles H. and Clarence E. Charles H. now resides in Rochester, N. H. In politics Mr. Ward is a Democrat, as were his father and grandfather; and he is con- nected with Winnepesaukee Grange of Mere- dith. Mrs. Ward is a member of the Free Baptist church.
AMES NELSON NICHOLS, a resi- dent of Tilton and the superintendent of the paper-mill in Ashland, was born in Abbott, Me., December 13, 1844, son of Elbridge G. and Beulah H. (Hodgkins) Nichols. His paternal great-grandfather, a sca captain, was lost while upon a foreign voyage. James Nichols, the grandfather, who passed the greater part of his life in Bruns- wick, Me., and was a ship-carpenter by trade, married Martha Clark.
Elbridge G. Nichols, father of James N., was a native of Brunswick. When a young man he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and bought a farm in Abbott, Me., where he resided until 1860.
He then moved to Dexter, and four years later to a farm in Corinna, Me. Here he con- tinucd to till the soil up to within a few years of his death, when he returned to Dexter. He died in 1894, aged seventy-five years. In pol- itics he was a Democrat. His wife, Beulah, who was a daughter of Joseph Hodgkins, be- came the mother of eight children, seven of whom grew to maturity. The latter were: James N., the subject of this sketch; Harriet,
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