USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 55
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On March 31, 1861, Mr. Copp married S. Jennie Thurston, daughter of Benjamin and Sally (Goss) Thurston, of Gilford. Mrs. Copp taught school before her marriage, most of the time in Gilford. She is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, being very active in its interests, particularly in raising money for its benefit, and has also donated a bell for the church edifice. A man of even disposition, liberal and public-spirited, Mr. Copp has many friends and is highly esteemed in the town.
OHN F. MEADER, born January 8, 1782, in the town of Lee, was a son of Joseph Meader, who had nine children. For many years he was a respected resident of Strafford County, and the owner of a home- stead in the town of Rochester. During his last years he had charge of a grist-mill near his home. His death occurred in 1825.
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Mr. Meader was united in marriage at an early age with Miss Deliverance Varney, whose death occurred September 20, 1863, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Their children were : Stephen, born August 6, 1806; Joseph, born April 11, ISog, who died Octo- ber, 1873; Abigail, born January 19, 1811, who died March 26, 1852; Daniel, born June 25, 1812, who died January 1, 1886; Hannab, born August 6, 1814, who died March 20, 1861; Sophia, born December 31, 1817, who died December 10, 1887; Caroline, born No- vember 28, 1818; Moses, born November 30, 1820, who died May 20, 1893 ; and Mary V., born June 22, 1824, who died April 15, 1892.
Moses Meader, the youngest son of this family, was a well-known and prosperous farmer, living in the north-west part of the city of Dover - known as Long Hill. Until twenty-one years of age, he resided at Farm- ington. After attaining his majority, he pur- chased a farm and removed to Dover. He might justly be termed a model farmer, as he took great interest in everything pertaining to agriculture. For years he was a prominent exhibitor at agricultural fairs, always securing many first prizes for sheep, cattle, and fruit. At the organization of the Rochester and Dover Union Farmers' Club he was elected Treasurer, and he held that position during the existence of the club. He was a man of solid worth, possessing in an eminent degree those traits that gained for him the esteem of the community in which he lived; and his life- record, it is needless to say, was such as to re- flect credit on the towns of his nativity and adoption.
Caroline Meader, the only member of John F. Meader's family now living, has been a resident of the town of Dover for more than threescore years. She owns and occupies the old homestead, an extensive and valuable farm-
ing estate; and she is known and respected throughout the community.
OSES SARGENT, who has been identified with the hosiery industry in Belmont since its establish- ment, was born October 24, 1832, in Ames- bury, Mass., son of Moses and Judith (Hoyt) Sargent. His grandfather, Moses Sargent (first), who was a ship carpenter by trade, in early manhood met with an accident of such a serious nature as to entirely incapacitate him from labor. The maiden name of the wife of Moses (first) was Nancy Morrill.
Moses Sargent (second), father of the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Amesbury, December 16, 1803. On account of his father's inability to work, he was obliged to assist in supporting his parents at the age of nine years by working in a broadcloth factory in his native town, the first establishment of the kind erected in the United States. In December, 1835, he moved to Lake Village, N. H., then called Batchelders' Mills, and, taking a lease of the Lake Company Mill, en- gaged in the production of woollen yarn, of which he was the pioneer manufacturer in this State, continuing in that business for twenty- nine years. In the last two years of that pe- riod he manufactured woollen hose, and filled for the United States government two large orders amounting to one hundred and fifty thousand pairs. From 1865 to 1871, he was engaged in the manufacture of cotton hosiery in Upper Gilmanton, employing two hundred operatives. It was through his efforts that the name of the town was changed to Belmont. He finally sold his business to A. Lawrence & Co., of Boston, who later formed a. stock company and presented him with fifty shares as a token of their friendship. Moses Sargent
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(second) passed his last years in Lakeport, where he died September 1, 1886. Originally a Whig, he later became a Republican. He was not only instrumental in developing the industrial resources of Belmont, but took an active part in its affairs, and ably represented it in the legislature during the session of 1873. He was one of the incorporators of the Lake Village Savings Bank, and served as Vice- President and as a Director for many years. For forty years he was a member of the Baptist church, was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.for the same period, and at one time held a Lieutenant's commission in the State militia. He was three times mar- ried. His first wife, in maidenhood Judith Hoyt, whom he wedded October 27, 1824, was a daughter of Stephen and Esther (Reynolds) Hoyt, and she died July 26, 1849. In Febru- ary, 1850, he married Mrs. Mary (Seavey) Huntington, who died December 2, 1854. His third marriage was contracted with Sarah Thyng, daughter of Gideon and Sally Thyng. She died February 26, 1897, aged eighty-two years. His first wife, Judith (Hoyt) Sargent, bore him six children, as follows: Mary, who married H. O. Heywood, and resides in Lake Village; Stephen H., who lives in Salem, Mass ; Moses, the subject of this sketch ; John and David, who are no longer living; and Frank S., who is now an overseer in his brother's factory.
The present Moses Sargent was educated in the schools of Lakeport and at the Wolfboro Academy. When his studies were finished, he became connected with his father's busi- ness, and later with the Gilmanton Hosiery Company at Belmont, and later was connected with his father's mill in the manufacturing of hosiery yarns at Lake Village, and his ability has been the means of securing for the enter- prise the importance and success it now enjoys.
When he took charge of the factory it employed twelve hands, and it now requires a force of two hundred and seventy-five. The plant, which covers two acres of ground, consists of a knitting-mill, one hundred and thirty-four by fifty-two feet, and a large factory devoted to the manufacture of yarn. There is also a large dye-house, and buildings for storage and other purposes. Mr. Sargent married Dora A. Shepard, a native of Gilmanton, and a daugh- ter of Morrill Shepard, a well-known insurance man, and has one son, John. He is a member of Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 32, F. & A. M., and of Union Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, No. 7, of Laconia.
OSEPH B. DURRELL, formerly an esteemed resident and a large land- holder of Gilmanton, was born in Gil- manton in the year 1820, son of Thomas Dur- rell. His grandfather and his grandfather's brother were among the carliest settlers of the town of Gilmanton. Here they felled the trees of the primeval forest and built a log cabin for their first dwelling. In later time, when better fortunes came to them, they erected a frame house.
Thomas Durrell was a native of Gilmanton. Prior to his removal to Laconia, N. H., in the year 1869, he had assiduously devoted himself to husbandry and was regarded as a successful farmer. He took an active and prominent part in local affairs. Esteemed by his neighbors, he was called upon to represent them in many of the public offices. He served on the local board of Selectmen, and at one time repre- sented the town in the New Hampshire legis- lature. He married and became the father of Joseph B., the subject of this sketch; of Ann Maria, who married John Wallace, of Sanborn- ton, and who, with her husband, is now de-
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ceased; of Christiana, who died young; of Eliza, who married Hiram Richardson, of Concord, N. H., and resides in that place; of Augusta, who married Lyman Folsom; of Lewis, who married, and died when about fifty years old; of Charles, who resides in Laconia, N. H., and of Franklin, who died in Cali- fornia where he was engaged as a gold miner. Thomas Darrell died at Laconia in the year 1884, aged eighty-four years.
Joseph B. Durrell spent the greater part of his life in farming. His thorough knowledge of agriculture, combined with his sound judg- ment in business matters, enabled him to build up a large fortune. At the time of his decease, he was the largest tax payer in the town of Gilmanton and one of the most exten- sive landowners of his native State. His landed estates at one time amounted to more than sixteen hundred acres. He had the good- will and confidence of his townsmen, and the esteem of the public at large in this section of the country. For a prolonged period he effi- ciently discharged the duties of Justice of the Peace. He represented his town for two years in the New Hampshire legislature, and he otherwise acceptably served the community in a number of other offices.
Mr. Durrell was twice married. By his first wife, Abigail (Shannon) Durrell, he became the father of five children - Adeline, Lorrain, Fisk, Martha, and Inez. His second marriage was contracted February 22, 1865, with Frances S. Farrar, a daughter of Pearley and Eliza (Merrill) Farrar, of Gilmanton. Pear- ley Farrar, who was a man of education, turned his attention to agriculture, and ulti- mately became a prosperous farmer. At one time he served the town as Selectman. He married Eliza Merrill, who belonged to an old and well-known family. His father, Israel Farrar, who, with his brother, was an early
settler of Gilmanton, had ten children; namely, George W., Eliza A., Mary Jane, Emalie A., Frances Susan, Christiana, Alfred P., Arthur M., Addie L., and Charles W. George W. married Fanny Hall, had two chil- dren, and, after spending the greater part of his life in Gilmanton, removed to Laconia, where he afterward died. Eliza A. first mar- ried John Moore, and had by him seven chil- dren ; and after his decease she married Sam- uel Hutchin, by whom she had one child, Mary Jane, now deceased, who married George Knapp, and had one child, who died in the War of the Rebellion in 1861. Emalie A. died young. Christiana, now a widow residing at Andover, Mass., married Joseph Odlin, and had two sons. . Alfred P. also died young. Arthur M., who grew up and married, died in young manhood. Addie L. married Henry Lamprey, who died soon after his return from the Civil War, and had five children. Charles, who married and has eight children, now resides in Laconia. Mr. Durrell died February 24, 1896. He is still held in re- spectful remembrance by the community in whose midst he spent his honorable and useful life.
ON. JOSHUA B. SMITH, a retired farmer of the town of Durham, Straf- ford County, N. H., is now enjoying a deserved leisure after his many years of toil, living in the house in which his birth oc- curred July 28, 1823. He is the son of the Hon. Valentine Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Ballard. The family is said to be descended from one George Smith, of Willoughby, Lan- cashire, England. George Smith, the earliest known of the family in this country, is sup- posed to have come from old Hough, Cheshire, England, settling first in the Isles of Shoals, then called Smith's Isles, and later in Kittery
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and Dover. Tradition says that he had grants from the town of Dover, consisting of marsh and meadow land on Oyster River and on the north shore of Great Bay, and it was on Oyster River that his son Joseph lived. Captain John Smith, son of Joseph and grandson of George, probably occupied the land on Great Bay. From him the line extends down to Valentine, father of Joshua B., the subject of this sketch, through Benjamin, representing the fourth generation in this country, and Deacon John representing the fifth.
The Hon. Valentine Smith, father of Joshua B., was born in that part of Durham known as Lubberland, May 26, 1774. His mother was a daughter of Judge Millett, of Dover. He at- tended school winters, and was a student at Phillips Exeter Academy for one year. Then he began to teach, and later he added to teach- ing the duties of a land surveyor. He was early called to take public office; and, from the time of his election as Town Clerk and First Selectman in 1802, he held one or more such offices nearly all the time for thirty years. He was Justice of the Peace for fifty years, fron: 1806 to 1856. For six years he was Rep- resentative in the legislature. He was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Strafford County for three years, beginning in 1819, and Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions for the county in 1822, 1823, and 1824. Judge Smith was twice married. His first wife was Mary Joy, daughter of Deacon Samuel Joy, of Dur- ham, to whom he was married January 4, 1804, and who died October 10, 1810. They had three children : Hamilton; Ebenezer, who died in infancy; and Thomas. Judge Smith was again married September 16, 1819, to Eliza- beth Ballard, daughter of Joshua Ballard, of Durham, by whom he had five children - William B., Joshua B., Mary E., John E., and Lydia. Judge Valentine Smith was noted
for his public spirit. He was greatly inter- ested in all that concerned the moral and ma- terial prosperity of the town. Although not a church member, he took a great interest in the welfare of the church, and for the last fifty years of his life he was one of the largest con- tributors to the support of preaching in this place. He died March 2, 1869.
Joshua B. Smith, second child of Judge Valentine Smith's second marriage, has always lived in Durham, the town where he was born ; and since reaching manhood he has been ac- tively identified with its leading interests, serving faithfully in various positions of trust. He was elected Town Clerk in 1851, and served for five years. He was chosen Select- man in 1862, and since then he has served nineteen years in this capacity, being chair- man of the board for the larger part of the time. In 1865 and 1866 he represented the people of Durham in the State legislature, and in 1875 and 1876 he was chosen as a State Senator. In 1877 and 1878 he served as a member of Governor Prescott's Council. He cast his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, and has been a firm supporter of the Republican party ever since its formation. Since 1859 he has been a member of the Congregational church. Mr. Smith was mar- ried May 15, 1881, to Miss Ella P. Thomp- son, a daughter of Ebenezer and Nancy G. Thompson, of New London. Their wedded life was brief. Mrs. Smith died thirteen months after their marriage, leaving a little child, who followed its mother only four months later.
TEPHEN L. TAYLOR, the pro- prietor of the Bay View House, a favorite summer resort in Belmont, was born here in 1822, son of Moses and Susan (Ladd) Taylor. His paternal grand-
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father, one of the original settlers of the town, followed the occupation of farmer, and had five sons and several daughters. Moses Tay- lor chose the life of an agriculturist, and purchased a small farm of sixty acres, which he carried on for many years. Susan, his wife, a native of Belmont, was a daughter of John Ladd, who was one of the early settlers of Meredith Bridge (now Laconia), built one of the first mills erected in that town, and died aged about fifty years. Moses and Susan Taylor had two children - Stephen L. and Zilpha, both of whom were born in a place distant about two and one-half miles from Stephen's present residence.
Stephen L. Taylor attended school here in Belmont, and was also a student of Northfield Seminary under Professor Sanborn. At the close of his school days, he went to work on Grandfather Ladd's farm and remained there for some years. In 1868 he built the Bay View House, which he has since conducted as a summer hotel. The house, which is sup- plied with furnace heat and has other modern appliances, accommodates forty-five guests. From twenty-five to forty have been turned away in a season for lack of space. In the spring of 1842, Mr. Taylor married Almira B. Brown, a daughter of Jonathan Brown, of Gil- man, N. H., who is a Deacon in the Congrega- tional Church of that town. The Brown fam- ily is traced in this country to three brothers who came from England and settled in Sea- brook. James Brown, the grandfather of Mrs. Taylor, born in Seabrook, carried on an excel- lent farm, a portion of which lay in Winches- ter. He married Rhoda Perkins, of Pittsfield, N. H., who bore him nine children. Of these Sewall Clark Brown was graduated from Dart- mouth College, became the principal of Con- cord Academy, and subsequently went to Bal- timore, Md. Jonathan Brown was formerly a
farmer of Gilmanton, where he resided for nearly seventy years in a house that he built soon after he settled there. He married Miss Clough, of Canterbury, a daughter of Leavitt Clough, who was a State legislator. Mr. and Mrs. Brown celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1882. Stephen L. Taylor has three children - Jennie, George, and Edward. Jennie, who is the widow of John M. Peabody, resides at Hyde Park, Mass. ; George lives at home; and Edward is in the boot and shoe business in Boston and carries on a large man- ufacturing business, having a factory at Cam- pello, Mass.
In politics Mr. Taylor has always been a Democrat. He has served for two years as Selectman of Belmont. He has also been a member of the School Committee, and he is one of the directors of the Laconia Savings Bank. Both he and Mrs. Talyor are attend- ants of the Congregational church.
ATHANIEL T. KIMBALL, the Gen- eral Station Agent of the Boston & Maine and the Portland & Roches- ter Railroads at Rochester, is a native of Farmington, N. H. He was born September 12, 1855, son of Josiah B. and Emily A. (Jewett) Kimball. The father, who was a native of Bradford, Mass., when a young man removed to Farmington, where he opened a shoe factory and conducted it for several years. He served in the Civil War at first in the com- missary department of the Sixth New Hamp- shire, which "was all cut up in action." In 1862, after the Sixth was disbanded, he en- listed in the Fifteenth New Hampshire Regi- ment, going out as Sergeant. On account of poor health, he returned home in 1864, and died in 1865 of consumption, caused by the exposure of army life. His widow, Emily A.
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Kimball, a native of Alton, N. H., is now liv- ing in Rochester.
When but three years old, Nathaniel T. Kimball was brought to Rochester by his par- ents. Upon his father's death, he went to live with his grandfather, being Judge Kimball, a resident of Rochester, and remained with him and the grandmother until their death. H attended the common school, Mrs. Knight's private school, and the Rochester High School. At the age of thirteen he began learning telegraphy at the railroad station here. Subsequently, he was employed as flag man, telegraph operator, and baggage man ; and for a year and a half he was in the superin- tendent's office at Portland, Me., as P. & R. R. R. train dispatcher. In December, 1880, he became baggage master at the Eastern Railroad Station, and two years later was pro- moted to the position of station agent at that place. When the Boston & Maine roads were consolidated in 1885 he was retained in his position. In the following year, when the Worcester, Nashua & Portland Division was leased, thereby uniting the three roads under one management, Mr. Kimball was appointed General Station Agent at Rochester, in which . capacity he has since given general satisfac- tion to his employers and the patrons of the roads.
On January 23, 1891, Mr. Kimball mar- ried Miss Lizzie G. Trask, of Rochester, and now has two children - Marian and N. Thurs- ton. In his political views he is a Democrat, but he is popular with both parties. For two years, despite his party relations, he has been a member of the City Council from Ward Six, a strong Republican district. In 1893 he was the Democratic candidate for Mayor of the city, but was defeated by a small ma- jority, Rochester being a Republican strong- hold.
RS. PANTHEA P. BABCOCK, widow of the late Joshua M. Bab- cock, and one of Barnstead's old- est residents, was born here, December 8, 1815, daughter of Andrew and Rebecca (Proc- tor) Bunker, and grand-daughter of Dodavah and Martha (Smith) Bunker. Dodavah Bun- ker, with his brothers, Joseph and Frank, emi- grated to this country from England. Joseph settled in Barnstead. Dodavah took up his residence in Pittsfield, N. H., where the greater part of his life was passed. He first made a small clearing, and thereon erected a log house, to which he brought his family. He then enlarged the clearing so as to raise a barrel of potatoes and a few bushels of corn -- corn meal and potatoes being the principal articles of food in the pioneer's home. The family were often troubled by bears, and Ind- ians were frequently seen and sometimes vis- ited their home. It is related that, one night when the father was away on a trip, bears came into their corn-field. The mother tried to drive them away by setting the dog at them and by blowing the dinner horn outside the door. While so doing, the door was blown to and she was shut out for half the night. It is presumed that her plan saved the corn, for that night at least. After the Indian war, one of a number of Indians who came that way look- ing for food told Mrs. Bunker that he set out once to kill her, but that on seeing her with her baby he could not do it. Suncook River, up and down whose banks the Indians roamed, ran through the Bunker land. Dodavah Bun- ker was born November 3, 1754, and died at Barnstead, December 12, 1828. Martha, his wife, was born February 1, 1750, and died in June, 1816. Their children were : Samuel, Hannah, Daniel, Dodavah, David, Lydia, An- drew, Dorothy, Ebenezer, Abigail, and John. All were married and are now deceased.
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Andrew Bunker, born in Pittsfield, Decem- ber 23, 1783, lived there until twenty-one years old, assisting his father with the farm work. He subsequently worked for a time in Barnstead. A short time before his marriage, he purchased a piece of land here, to which he afterward made additions until he had one of the best farms in the town. On April 29, 1812, when about twenty-eight years old, he was married to Rebecca Proctor, a daughter of Thomas and Fanny (Kimball) Proctor. Andrew and Rebecca Bunker were the parents of two sons and a daughter; namely, Hollis, Panthea, and Andrew. Hollis, who spent his life here and in the West, married Mary Tuttle, and had a son, Milo W., who is now living with Mrs. Babcock. Andrew, who was in the sash and blind business in Concord, N.H., was' very successful. At his death he left eight children, all living at home and un- married. Of these, one son is employed in a bank; another is in the furniture busi- ness; a third is an engraver; two daughters are teachers; another has a position in the ibrary; the eldest daughter is employed at home; and the youngest child, a son, has recently graduated from school. Andrew Bunker, first, died August 1, 1851.
Panthea Bunker received her education in the district and private schools. In her six- teenth year, she taught one term of school at Durham, N. II. In 1835, at the age of nineteen, she was married to Joshua M. Babcock, who was born at Springfield, Vt., in 1812, son of the Rev. William S. and Elizabeth. Babcock. His father was a Free Baptist minister, and resided for many years in Barrington, N. H. Joshua M. Babcock came to Barnstead when a young man, bought a clothing-mill, and afterward oper- ated it for about sixty years. He went to Boston in 1844, spent eight years as a carpen-
ter and bridge-builder, and returned to Barn- stead in 1852. The railroad bridge from Bos- ton to Charlestown was framed by him, and he superintended other important work of that character. His grandfather Babcock, an old sea captain, once owned the land on which the Tremont building stands, but sold the prop- erty because the noise of the city disturbed him. Joshua M. Babcock spent the later years of his life in Barnstead, and, at his death, Oc- tober 8, 1881, was one of the oldest residents here. He was a Captain in the old State militia for many years .. Although he served as a Representative to the New Hampshire legislature, he seldom accepted political nom- inations. For thirty years or more he was an honored member of the Congregational society, of which his widow is a communicant.
AMUEL W. WALLINGFORD, a prominent citizen of Milton, was born in this town, November 27, 1837, son of David and Mary Ann (Tasker) Wallingford. His grandfather was David Wallingford, first, who came from Rochester to Milton, and settled here as a pioneer.
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