USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 41
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years. Ile and his wife, Betsey Young, had five children. Bradbury married Susan l'arker, and lived in Lynn, Mass., until his death. They had three children - Addison, Charles, and Sarah. Nathaniel married Eliza Mathews, and died shortly after, leaving one
son. Hezekiah B. married Mahala Dame, and resided in Lowell, where he died, leaving three children, namely : one son, a noted phy- sician in Springfield, Mass. ; and two daugh- ters. Jane married a Mr. Garman, and resided for some time in Gilmanton, where he was a prosperous farmer and also did some trading. He afterward removed to Lexington, Mass., and did quite an extensive business as a con- tractor, living there until his death. He left a large family.
David S., father of the subject of this sketch, married Betsey Avery, daughter of Peter Avery, of Gilmanton, and carried on the business of general farming during the greater part of his life. He lived on the old home- stead for a number of years, and then removed to another location in the same town with his father, his mother having died some time before. He did an extensive business and kept a large stock of cattle. . He and his wife had ten children, as follows: Jonathan, subject of this sketch; Asenath; Eliza; Nathaniel ; Caroline; Joseph; Wesley; Lovina; Charles ; and Nelson. The mother died in California while with one of her sons.
Asenath Young married Samuel Page, of Campton, N. H., and is living there at the present time. Eliza married Thomas Snell of Bridgewater, Mass., who has since died, and she still resides in Bridgewater. Nathaniel lives in Gilmanton, having married Lucy Prescott. They have no children. Caroline married William Haynes, of Boston, Mass., a very prosperous contractor and builder, and became the mother of six children, as follows :
William F., Emma L., Theodore, Edgar W., Fred H., and Charles S. Mr. Haynes has since sold out his business, and they are at present living in Gilmanton. Joseph is living in Berkeley, Cal., where he is one of the wealthiest citizens. He went to California in the earlier part of his life and engaged in ranching, and afterward owned a large vine- yard there, in both of which he was very suc- cessful. He has now disposed of all this prop- erty, and has retired from active business. Wesley also went to California, owning a ranch, and was afterward in the meat business. He has accumulated wealth, having been pros- pered in his undertakings, and is a very popu- lar man in his section. Lovina married Quincy Snell, of Bridgewater, Mass., and resided in that town until her death. Her husband still survives her with their only child, a daughter. Charles married, and at present is living in California, being very prosperous. He holds a responsible govern- ment position. Nelson went to California, and was in the ranching business for years. He then returned to Gilmanton and entered the employ of Frank Jones, of Portsmouth, where he had charge of one hundred men. He married and had a large family.
Jonathan, the subject of this sketch, spent about twenty years in Lowell, Mass., where he worked in the factories. On the death of his father he returned to Gilmanton and began farming on the farm left by his father, which at the present time contains two hundred acres. Hle carries on the business and also buys and sells cattle. He married, on February 13, 1851, Martha A. Nelson, daughter of Captain Dudley Nelson, of Gilmanton. They had six children; namely, Ellen, Jonathan, Ella, Eben, Frank E., and Wilbur. Of these chil- dren, Ellen and Jonathan died young, and Ella died at the age of twenty-three years.
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Eben lives in Gilmanton Village, where he carries on farming. Wilbur is married and has two children. He lives near Manchester and carries on a general farming business. Frank is not married, but is at home and assists his father in carrying on the farm. Mrs. Young died in 1883. Mr. Young has spent the latter part of his life in Gilmanton on the farm which he now.occupies. He has been a useful citizen and is well regarded by all his townsmen. He is a Deacon of the Free Will Baptist church at Gilmanton Iron Works.
OHN INGALLS PIERCE, a venerable resident of Madbury and a veteran agri- culturist, is the worthy representative of one of the old families of this part of New Hampshire. He was born October 2, 1818, in Barrington, on the homestead farm reclaimed by his paternal grandfather, Israel Pierce, prior to the Revolution. There also his father, Curtis Pierce, was born and reared, and brought up his family. John Ingalls's mother, whose maiden name was Olive Woodhouse, gave birth to twelve children; namely, Sally B., Mary D., Olive W., Elizabeth B., Susan J., Almira, James B., William, John I., An- drew D., John W., and Curtis.
John Ingalls Pierce attended the district schools at such seasons of the year as his help was not needed on the homestead. Subse- quently, he further educated himself by choice reading. He remained beneath the parental roof-tree until ready to establish a household of his own, chiefly occupied in farm work. In 1853, having taken upon himself the responsi- bilities of matrimony, Mr. Pierce bought the farm in Madbury where he has since resided. He has managed this property very success- fully since. The estate, containing eighty acres of land, is situated on the Langley Road,
seven miles west of Dover, a most favorable location for a general farmer. In the time that has since elapsed, by his integrity and up- right dealing he has won the esteem of his neighbors. In his political affiliations he is a stanch Democrat.
Mr. Pierce was married May 23, 1853, to Miss Phoebe H. Ilam, of Somersworth, N. H., daughter of Samuel and Mary Hayes. She died September 13, 1877, having borne her husband three children, namely : Mary O., born December 11, 1853, who died October 7, 1870; Martha E., born August 28, 1857; and William C., born October 31, 1859, whose death occurred March 6, 1870.
ARREN KELLEY KIMBALL, a farmer of Meredith, was born April 30, 1844, son of Thomas J. and Bet- sey B. (Dolloff) Kimball. His grandfather was Joseph Kimball, a farmer of New Hamp- ton, who lived to the remarkable age of one hundred years. The father, a native of New Hampton, born in 1811, was left motherless at an early age, and passed his boyhood on a farm, acquiring his education in the district schools. On coming of age he settled in Meredith, and was engaged in farming throughout his mature years. During the last thirty years of his life, he owned and lived upon a farm in the south-west end of the town. He married Betsey B. Dolloff, daughter of Samuel Dolloff, of Meredith, and died in April, 1896. They were both members of the Baptist church. Of their six children, five are living, and the three daughters are all happily married. Elvina, the eldest child, married John M. Dow, of Meredith Centre, and now lives at Franklin, Mass. ; Sarah Ann married James M. Thompson, of Laconia; and Betsey Frances became the wife of Curtis L.
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Moore, of Centre Harbor, and is now living at Laconia. The sons, Levi J. and Warren Kel- ley, were twins.
Warren Kelley Kimball received his educa- tion in the public schools of Meredith. Upon finishing his school course at the age of nine- teen, he obtained employment in the car shops of Laconia, where he remained for three years.
Shortly after his marriage he bought a farm of about one hundred acres, and has since re- sided upon it. He cultivates about sixteen acres of it, and does considerable butchering for his neighbors. On April 30, 1868, he married Eliza Jane, daughter of Dudley San- born and Eliza (Shaw) Piper. Her mother was a daughter of Hilliard Shaw. Hilliard Shaw was born in Chichester, Merrimack County, and fought in the War. of 1812. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Peltiah Witham, a Revolutionary soldier, and had four children - Eliza, Greenleaf, Elijah, and Dan- jel. This Eliza married a farmer of Meredith, Dudley Sanborn Piper, who was born Novem- ber 24, 1811, and became the father of seven children, including Eliza Jane.
In politics Mr. Kimball is a Democrat ; and he has served as Supervisor and Road Agent at different periods of his life. Both he and Mrs. Kimball are active members of the Free Baptist church at Meredith Centre. They have four children : Nettie Eldora, the wife of Luther Flanders, of Manchester; Herman Leroy ; Frank Blake; and Irville Warren.
HOMAS JOSEPH WARD, M.D., a promising and deservedly popular young physician of Dover, Strafford County, N. H., is a native of Winthrop, Kennebec County, Me. He located in Dover a few months after obtaining his degree, about six years since, and in this comparatively brief
time has made rapid advances in his profes- sional career. He was born June 29, 1869, and is a son of Michael A. Ward, an influen- tial citizen of Androscoggin County.
Michael A. Ward was born and bred in Lewiston, Me., and has there spent the greater part of his life. He has long been promi- nently associated with the mercantile interests of his native place; and now, at about fifty years of age, is one of the most active busi- ness men and a leading politician of Lewiston. His wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Sullivan, died in 1891, aged forty years. They were the parents of six children, as fol- lows: Thomas J., Elizabeth E., John A., Paul A., William H., and Gertrude.
Thomas J., the subject of this sketch, re- ceived his preliminary education in Lewiston, Me., pursuing his studies there until about nineteen years old, when he was admitted to Bowdoin College, becoming a student in the academic department. He subsequently en- tered the Medical Department of the Univer- sity of the City of New York, a well-known institution, which has sent forth many who have won distinction in the medical world. Having been graduated from this university in the spring of 1891, Dr. Ward remained in New York another year, practising in the Bellevue and Chambers Street Hospitals, out- door department, gaining a varied and valu- able experience that has since proved of ines- timable worth to him. In 1892, on the 27th of April, the doctor opened an office in Dover, where he has continued in active practice, his large and lucrative patronage giving substantial evidence that he made no mistake in selecting a location.
Politically Dr. Ward is a stanch Republi- can, but takes no active part in the manage- ment of local affairs. He is a member of the Order of Elks; of the Foresters; and of the
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K. A. E. O., of which he is the Examining Surgeon.
AMES PLACE LEIGHTON, a well- known carpenter and builder of Centre Harbor, was born in this town, March 20, 1856, son of Alonzo and Sarah M. (Glid- den) Leighton. The grandfather, Jonathan Leighton, born in ISO1, attended school in Alton, N. H., and afterward learned the cooper's trade, which he followed during his active period. He married Nancy Blackley, who reared five of her six children; namely, John B., Calvin, Alonzo, Delano, and Nancy Ann.
Alonzo Leighton, father of James P., was born in Moultonboro, March 10, 1827. After leaving school he served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, and followed it until he was twenty-six years old. Then he became a fireman upon the lake steamers, and served in that capacity for twenty years, after which he was promoted to the position of engineer. He is now in charge of the engine of the steamer "Mount Washington." His wife, Sarah Maria, whom he wedded March 27, 1854, is a daughter of Andrew and Sally (Fall) Glidden, the former of whom was born in Alton, N.H., June 1, 1798, and became a prosperous farmer. Andrew and Sally Glid- den were the parents of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity; namely, Judith, Eliza, Melissa, Lovica, Lydia A., Louisa, Tristram, Sarah M., and Phineas. Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Leighton have had eight chil- dren, of whom the living are: James P., the subject of this sketch; Elenora A., the wife of Gideon Moore, of Meredith; William E., of Centre Harbor ; and George W., also of this town.
James Place Leighton acquired a public- school education, and then learned the car-
penter's trade. Soon after becoming
journeyman he engaged in business for himself as a builder. Independence Hall, the Morse & Stanley Block, and several fine residences in Centre Harbor, are specimens of his work. In October, 1879, Mr. Leighton was joined in marriage with Harriet E. Smith, daughter of John L. Smith, of Moultonboro. Of their two children, Henry J. is living. Mr. Leigh- ton is a member of Chocorua Lodge, F. & A. M., of Meredith; of the Patrons of Ilus- bandry; and the Improved Order of Red Men.
ILLIAM W .. MARTIN, clerk of the Probate Court of Strafford
County, New Hampshire, is one of the best known and most popular citizens of Dover, his courteous and genial manners hav- ing won for him a large circle of friends. He was born January 18, 1853, in Somersworth (at one time known as Great Falls), this county, a son of William B. and Clara (Wall- ingford) Martin, of Somersworth. He obtained his education in the schools of his native town, being graduated from the high school with the class of 1870. Subsequently secur- ing a situation as clerk in a Somersworth store, he continued there for a time, and was afterward employed in a similar position at New Market for four years. Returning then to his early home, he served as Town Clerk until April, 1893, when he accepted the ap- pointment of Registrar of Probate Court of this county, and at once removed to Dover. Two years later he was re-elected to the same office by a large majority, receiving the hearty support of both Democrats and Republicans, which indicated in a marked degree his popu- larity in the community. In 1896 he was again nominated for the same position, and elected with the overwhelming majority of
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about twenty-seven hundred votes. Politi- cally, Mr. Martin is a stanch Republican.
Mr. Martin was united in marriage .Decem - ber 13, 1893, with Miss Belle Richmond, daughter of Benjamin and Matilda (Crawford) Richmond, of Dover. He is a member of Prospect Lodge, No. 18, K. of P., of Somers- worth; and of Elks Lodge, No. 184, of Dover.
HARLES C. WHITTIER, a prosper- ous farmer of Gilford, Belknap County, N. H., is descended from sturdy pioneer stock, his paternal grandfather, Deacon Andrew Whittier, being one of the earliest settlers of this section, and his mater- nal grandfather, Abel Hunt, a Revolutionary patriot. His birth occurred here in Gilford, April 4, 1833, his parents being Andrew, Jr., and Mariam (Hunt) Whittier.
Deacon Andrew Whittier, the grandfather of Charles C., came here from Massachusetts, where he had married Annie Rowell. They settled about a mile from Gilford Village, their first home being a log hut. His farm was heavily timbered with pine, but in the gale of 1816 the trees are said to have been cut off like mown grass. When her sister visited them shortly afterward, their condition and circumstances were so poor that she was moved to tears by the contrast between the hut in which they were living and her own Massa- chusetts home. Upon a second visit seven years later, however, she found them more comfortably situated than she was herself. Four of the Whittier family came to Gilford together, Andrew, Phillip, and two sisters, who were married successively to Enoch Hoyt, of Gilford. Deacon Andrew Whittier lived and died on the farm which he settled. He was a leading member of the Free Baptist church. By his wife, Annie, he had seven
sons and three daughters, all of whom spent their lives in Gilford. Though their father was a Whig, the sons all became strong Dem- ocrats. Deacon Andrew and his wife both lived to be about eighty years of age. Their children were: Jonathan, Henry, Timothy, Jacob, Moses, Phillip, Sally, Lydia Elizabeth, Nancy, and Andrew. Jonathan, a wheel- wright, married Lydia Hoyt, and had two daughters - Sally and Ploma; Henry married Mary Whidden; Timothy, a farmer and cooper by trade, married Mary Bean, of Gilmanton; Jacob died young ; Moses, a stone mason, mar- ried Sarah Ayer, who bore him six children ; Sally died in girlhood; Lydia Elizabeth was killed by having a log roll upon her; Nancy became the wife of Noah Danforth, a mu- sician and the first singing-master in Gilford, who died in Dover. The sons were all noted for their mechanical ability, and each of them learned a trade. Jonathan, who owned a grist mill and wheelwright shop combined, was the first to introduce the threshing-mill here. He was a prosperous man, and did a large busi- ness.
Andrew Whittier, Jr., the father of Charles C., after completing his education, which was acquired in the common schools, took up the shoe and harness making trades, both of which he learned without serving an apprenticeship. When about thirty-five years old he purchased a farm, but was obliged to give it up later on account of illness. Like his brothers he was of a retiring disposition, fond of music and reading, and the enjoyments of home life. He sang in the choir of the Free Baptist church. Mariam, his wife, a daughter of Abel Hunt, was one of whom it might be said that she was generous to a fault, one whose sympathy went out to all who came within reach of her influ- ence. Being an expert knitter, one of her self-imposed duties was to supply the minis-
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ters of the parish with mittens, and she was wont to say, "I will keep their hands warm, the Lord must keep their hearts warm." Abel Hunt, her father, was noted for his piety . and hospitality. He joined the army when he was but eighteen, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. Though a faithful soldier, he refused to become a pensioner, giv- ing as a reason that he could very well sup- . port himself under the form of government which he had helped to establish. He was a cabinet-maker by trade. He died at eighty- six years of age. His wife, Mariam, the daughter of Sir William Johnson, was a nat- ural doctress; but, though skilful and well `informed concerning the medicinal qualities of roots and herbs, she would never accept pay for her services, though she never refused to respond to a call, and often travelled a long distance that she might assist some suffering one. Abel and Mariam Hunt had three daughters ; namely, Mariam, Polly, and Har- riet. Polly was a nurse by profession; Har- riet married Samuel Welch. After the death of Mariam, Abel Hunt married a Miss Smart, who bore him nine children. In politics he was a Democrat. He was a stanch member of the Free Baptist church, and the building of this, the first church in Gilford, was under his direction. Andrew Whittier, Jr., and his wife, Mariam, had five children; namely, Julia S., Charles C., Andrew H., Joseph P., and Mary A. Julia lived to be twenty-three years old. Andrew II. attended New Hamp- ton Academy and Tilton Seminary with a hope of entering college, but, feeling that his services were needed by his country, he en- listed August 26, 1862, and was killed at Chancellorsville. Joseph enlisted in Com- pany G, Twelfth New Hampshire Regiment, in which he was promoted to the rank of Cor- poral. He was wounded in the same battle
as his brother, and for ten days lay within the enemy's line. Andrew started a journal of the Twelfth Regiment, keeping it until the day of his death, a portion of which was taken from him, however, by the Confederates.
Joseph P. was Deputy Sheriff two years, 1883 and 1884, and Collector of Taxes two years. He served as President of the Twelfth Regiment Association, and often made ad- dresses in behalf of the company, and he was also a charter member of Chocorua Lodge, No. 51, I. O. O. F. He died in October, 1886, and the large number, five hundred or more, who assembled to pay a last tribute to their friend, shows the high esteem in which he was held.
Charles C. Whittier received a common- school education, after which he began learn- ing the trade of a machinist in Manchester, N.H. He had been there but a year when his father was taken ill, and he returned home to attend to the work and to care for his par- ents. He still resides with his sister Mary on the homestead, the same farm that his grand- father Hunt cleared; but its present owner has added to it by the purchase of adjoining land. There are several descendants of their mater- nal grandfather now living. Charles C. Whittier is a member of Chocorua Lodge, No. 51, I. O. O. F. Mary is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
OHN ALDRICH, a retired manufacturer of Laconia, Belknap County, N. II., was born in Franconia, Grafton County, N. H., on June 1, 1824, son of John and Hannah Cole Aldrich. He is a descend- ant of a distinguished family who settled in Mendon, Worcester County, Mass., more than two hundred and thirty years ago.
The earliest American progenitor, George
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Aldrich, was born in Derbyshire, England (dlate unknown), and married Katherine Leald, September 5, 1629; emigrated to America, November 6, 1631 ; and first settled at Dor- chester, Mass. He removed to Braintree, Mass., about 1640, and in 1663 became a pro- prictor and a first settler of Mendon, Worces- ter County, Mass., where he died March I, 1682. His widow died January 11, 1691.
His descendants in this line were: Jacob, born February 28, 1652, died March 15, 1695; David, born May 23, 1685, died March 15, 1771 ; Edward, born September 7, 1711, died in Franconia, N.H., in 1801; John, born April 22, 1765, died in Franconia, N.H., in 1841; John, born March 23, 1797, died Octo- ber 6, 1859; John, the subject of this sketch.
The Hon. Nelson W. Aldrich, Senator from Rhode Island, is a descendant of the George Aldrich who settled in Mendon, Mass. The two brothers who were members of the House of Representatives of the Fifty-fourth Con- gress - the Hon. William F. Aldrich, from the Fourth District of Alabama, and the Hon. J. F. Aldrich of the First District, Chicago, Ill. - are also of the same family.
John Aldrich, the grandfather of the present John Aldrich, was born in 1765, and removed in 1780 with his parents from Douglas, Mass., to Franconia, N.H. He married Sarah Taylor in 1794, and resided on the same farm on which his father settled, till his death in 1841. He was prominent in town affairs, serving as Selectman, and he was elected to the legislature in 1812.
John, the father of John, was born March 23, 1797, and married Hannah Cole in 1822. They resided in Franconia till 1844, when they removed to Lake Village, N. H., then a part of the town of Gilford, now a portion of the city of Laconia, N. H. He held various offices in the town of Franconia, and was a
prominent militia officer in the Thirty-second Regiment, under the old State organization.
His children were: Isaac, John, Caroline S., Myra W., and Martha. Isaac was born January 12, 1823, married Sarah Weeks, and died at Lakeport, N. H., February 3, 1888. John was born June 1, 1824, married Mary E. Cole, April 12, 1846, and has resided in the limits of the city of Laconia since that time. Caroline S., born May 8, 1830, married El- bridge E. Webster in 1850, and is still liv- ing, having buried her husband in 1878. Myra W., born October 28, 1833, married A. J. Lane, of Manchester, N. H., in 1854, and they are now living in Manchester. Martha, born April 22, 1838, is unmarried. She graduated at New Hampton Institution, has devoted her life to the profession of teach- ing, and has been very successful in the vari- ous schools where she was employed. She has travelled extensively in Europe, and for the past eight years has had charge of a young ladies' school in Tokio and in Kyoto, Japan, under the auspices of a New York society of ladies connected with the Episcopal church.
John, the subject of this sketch, received a common-school education in his native town, Franconia, and attended one term at Gilford Academy, now in the limits of Laconia, and here he has made his home since 1844. On April 12, 1846, he married Mary E. Cole, and they celebrated their golden wedding in 1896. He was in the employ of the firm of B. J. Cole & Co. as clerk, and was afterward a partner of the firm till after the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he disposed of his in- terest there, and enlisted in the Fifteenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He was commissioned Captain of Company A, and afterward promoted to Major in the same regi- ment. His regiment was assigned to the De- partment of the Gulf, under General Banks,
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where they experienced the privations and hardships incident to a severe -campaign in an unhealthy season and climate.
During the long siege of Port Hudson, the regiment suffered severely in officers and men, and for much of that time Major Aldrich was the senior officer of his regiment, and at times without an officer in the regiment for duty, above the rank of Lieutenant, to assist him. Though partially disabled early in the siege, he continued on duty until the surrender of the place, and received the commendation of his commander and the confidence of his com- rades.
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