USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 7
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WILLIAM F. NASON.
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out the county gave added strength to the party ticket, and secured for him a flattering majority. His services proved so satisfactory that he was returned by a phenomenal majority in 1894, and was re-elected for the third time in 1896.
At the mayoralty caucus in November, 1895, he was selected as the standard bearer for his party; and at the succeeding election he received the unanimous vote of the people, no opposing party candidate being presented. Again in 1896, under almost precisely similar conditions, was he chosen as the city's chief magistrate; and at the present writing, 1897, he occupies the Executive chair. His admin- istration as Mayor has been conspicuous for its practical economy and broad and comprehen- sive business methods, no suspicion of parti- sanship attaching to his management of mu- nicipal affairs. Although manifestly averse to notoriety, desirous of avoiding all pomp and pageantry, he has, nevertheless, judiciously and becomingly fulfilled the social functions of his high office; and, in fact, no emergency has ever found him unprepared when the interests or dignity of the city required an able and worthy champion.
ACOB SANBORN, a prosperous and well-to-do farmer of Laconia, was born in Moultonboro, N. H., January 13, 1843, son of William and Sally (Dame) San- born. His grandfather, Jacob Sanborn, was a farmer and a lifelong resident of Gilford. He died at the age of forty-three years. He was the father of two sons - William and Enoch, of whom the last named is living in Gilford, at the age of seventy-eight years.
William Sanborn was born in Gilford, and remained at home until he was thirty years old. He then bought a farm at Moultonboro
Neck, where he resided until 1850, when he returned to Gilford, and passed the rest of his life in that town. He was prominent in church matters. His wife, Sally Dame San- born, was a daughter of Richard Dame, who came from Portsmouth, N. H., to Gilford. She was a woman of superior education, and had taught school previous to her marriage. She became the mother of two children: El- vena, who died in 1886; and Jacob, the sub- ject of this sketch.
Jacob Sanborn, after attending the district school in his boyhood, began active life as a farm assistant. He continued thus employed until 1866, when he was engaged to manage his present farm by Polly Smith, who owned the property. This lady was the representa. tive of a well-to-do family; and at her death she willed the farm to Mr. Sanborn, as a re- ward for the faithful manner in which he had labored in her behalf. He has since enlarged the property by the purchasing of more land, and has otherwise improved it by remodel- ling the buildings; and he has met with the natural reward of his industry and good judg- ment in a continually increasing prosperity. He owns land in Sanbornton, Meredith, and Gilford; and he has derived considerable profit from stock-raising.
Mr. Sanborn married Augusta Perley, a sister of Louis Perley, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn have one child, Pearl, who is now attending the high school and is preparing for college.
EVI W. ALLEN, a retired- business man of Rochester, was born March 26, 1823, near the house which he now occupies, son of William and Sarah (Nute) Allen. The Allens originally came from
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England, where they were people of considera- tion. The American family is traced back to two brothers, Charles and Samuel Allen, both members of Parliament for some years, who were sent here by the English government to take charge of Whitehall Swamp, a tract of land one mile wide and eight miles long, sit- uated in Rochester on the Salmon Falls River. Here, for a number of years before the Revolution, they engaged in getting out timber for the manufacture of masts and spars for the use of the home government. John Allen, the great-great-grandfather of Levi W., came to Rochester from Durham, and was one of the pioneers of this town. He left his land to his son William, whose son, Major Samuel Allen, served in the Revolutionary War. Major Allen's son William, the father of Levi WV., was the next proprietor of the homestead property. Brought up to farming and lumber- ing, William continued in these occupations. In following the latter, he made a specialty of supplying the material for masts and spars. The lumber for the first woollen factory at Great Falls was furnished by him. By his wife, Sarah, who was a daughter of Jotham Nute, of Milton, N. H., he became the father of eight children, of whom Amasa is the only other survivor.
After attending the district schools of Rochester in his earlier years, Levi W. Allen completed his education at Great Falls. In 1839 he left the parental home, going to Natick, Mass., where he was engaged for three years in the shoe business. He returned to Rochester in 1842, and for a long time after- ward carried on an extensive business in the manufacture of shoes and lasts, and had a large wholesale and retail store. Subsequently he transferred his business to Dover, and there successfully conducted it for twelve years. In 1882 he returned again to the scenes of his
childhood; and on account of asthma, with which he is afflicted, he has since lived retired from business pursuits. He was married Sep- tember 3, 1846, to Miss Sarah Ann Furbush, of Lebanon, Me. He has always taken a great interest in local affairs, giving his hearty sup- port to the Republican party, but has not been an office-seeker. Since boyhood he has been in communion with the Walnut Grove Free Will Baptist Church, which he has served for some years as Sunday-school super- intendent.
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OHN RANDOLPH HAM, M.D., a well-known and highly esteemed physi- cian of Dover, Strafford County, N. H., was born within the limits of this township, October 23, 1842. His father, Charles Ham, a son of Ephraim Ham, and a native of Dover, born May 10, 1800, for many years carried on general farming in this locality, and here mar- ried Abigail D. Bartlett.
John R. Ham was reared on the parental homestead, and received his elementary educa- tion in the district schools of the neighbor- hood. He subsequently continued his studies at Franklin Academy, in Dover, after which he worked on the farm during seed-time and harvest. His winters for a time were em- ployed in teaching school, thereby earning some money toward defraying his expenses while preparing himself for a professional career. In 1862 he read medicine with Dr. A. J. H. Buzzell, of Dover, in the meanwhile attending lectures at Bowdoin Medical Col- lege. During the following spring he studied with Dr. Levi G. Hill, of this city, and in the next winter attended lectures at Harvard Medi- cal School, afterward reading medicine with Dr. J. H. Wheeler.
In August, 1864, Dr. Ham was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the One Hundred and
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Fifteenth Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, being mustered in at Louisville, Ky. He was also medical purveyor for a time of the Twenty-fifth Army Corps. The Doctor was subsequently promoted to the position of Surgeon of the regiment, and with the Army of the James was present at the fall of Richmond. After that event he was on duty in Texas until March 10, 1866, when he was honorably discharged from the service. On his return to Dover, Dr. Ham resumed his studies at Bowdoin Medical -College, from which he was graduated in the following June. Since then he has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in his native city. For ten years of this time he served as Coroner of Strafford County, and for four years of it he was a member of the School Committee. In politics he is a stanch Repub- lican, and during the administration of Presi- dent Harrison he served as United States Pension Surgeon for Strafford County. The Doctor is an active member of the New Hamp- shire Historical and Medical Societies; of Charles W. Sawyer Post, No. 17, G. A. R., of which he is Past Commander; and he is a prominent Mason of this city, belonging to Strafford Lodge, No. 29, and to Belknap Chapter, No. 8. He has been a member of the First Church (Congregational) since 1864, in which since 1878 he has performed the duties of Deacon. The Doctor has published "The Ham Family in Dover," "The Physi- cians of Dover," "Localities in Ancient Dover," and "The Bibliography of Dover." His library contains the best private collection of local history in that part of the State.
On November 9, 1871, Dr. John R. Ham was united in marriage with Emily Caroline Hersey, daughter of General George W. Hersey, of Wolfboro, N. H. Of this union five children have been born, of whom but two
are now living - Emily H. and Julia M. The former, who was graduated from Welles- ley College in the class of 1893, is now a teacher in the Dover High School; while the younger daughter is a pupil of that insti- tution.
RANK LESLIE TOWLE, a member of the firm of Simpson & Towle, dealers in general merchandise, Centre Har- bor, N. H., was born in Parsonsfield, Me., August 27, 1868, son of James F. and Emma J. (Moulton) Towle. His grandfather, Joseph G. Towle, was a native of Porter, Me. ; and the active period of his life was spent as a farmer. James F. Towle, father of Frank L., was born in Porter, Me., and in his younger days was variously employed as an operative in saw-mills and as a clerk in country stores. He finally engaged in agri- cultural pursuits in his native town. His wife, Emma, is a daughter of John S. Moul- ton, of Sandwich, N. H. She has had two children : Irving, who died in 1888, aged twenty-six years; and Frank L., the subject of this sketch.
Frank Leslie Towle received a public- school education, and entered mercantile busi- ness as a clerk immediately after completing his studies. He was employed in a store in Centre Harbor for a year, and then went to work for Simpson & French, with whom he remained for two years. He then went to Dover, N. H., where he clerked one year for WV. S. Wiggin, finally buying out his em- ployer. A year later he sold the business, and, returning to Centre Harbor, purchased Henry E. French's interest in the firm for which he had formerly worked; and the firm of Simpson & Towle is now one of the most prosperous among the general merchants in this section of the State.
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On August 27, 1893, Mr. Towle was joined in marriage with Eliza S. Graves, daughter of Joseph S. Graves, of Centre Harbor. Mrs. Towle is the mother of two children - Ruth G. and Mina E. Mr. Towle is a member of Winnepesaukee Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men.
OSEPH N. HAYES, a practical agri- culturist of the town of Rochester, was born August 1, 1836, on the farm where he now resides, a son of James Y. Hayes. The paternal grandfather, Joseph Hayes, was the founder of the family in this section of New Hampshire. Prior to the Revolution he settled on the old Hayes home- stead, and during that hard struggle for inde- pendence he contributed toward the support of the patriot soldiers from the scanty productions of his farm. James Y. Hayes succeeded to the parental acres, spending his life on the farm where his birth occurred, being here engaged in general agriculture until his death. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Alice A. Hayes, several children were born ; namely, Joseph N., Lydia S., Mary A., Julia A., Clara A., Lucretia A., James C., and Benjamin F.
Joseph N. Hayes received his education in the district schools of Rochester and at the academy of Wolfboro. Then, at the age of nineteen, he returned to the homestead, and thereafter assisted on the farm until the death of his father in 1865. The farm, of which he has now full charge, contains one hundred and seventy-five acres of land, and is pleasantly situated on the Rochester Neck Road, about five and a half miles north-west of Dover. Here he carries on mixed husbandry and dairying with most satisfactory results. Pay- ing close attention to the details of his busi- ness, he is considered one of the most skilful
and prosperous farmers of this locality. Mr. Hayes was a member of the State legislature in 1869, representing the town of Rochester before it became a city. In 1870 he was again a candidate for the same office, but failed of a re-election by a few votes, his defeat having been caused by the Labor Reform party, then dominant in some parts of New England. While in the legislature he worked for the best interests of his constituents, and was influential in having a bill passed for abolish- ing the district-school system, and placing all the schools under the control of a board of education. He is a member of Wechohamet Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Dover; of Cocheco Grange, of Dover; and of the Good Templars Society of Gonic, having held the most of the offices of the lodge. He attends the Baptist church in the village of Gonic, which is about three miles from his home.
On January 23, 1859, Mr. Hayes married Miss Susan P. Meserve, a native of Bartlett, N. H., and a daughter of Isaac Meserve, a prominent resident of that town. Mr. Meserve was Selectman of Bartlett for many years. Mrs. Hayes died in 1879, having borne her husband three children. These were: Arthur H., who lives on the home farm; Fred E., who died at the age of fifteen ; and Alice L., who died in infancy. Mr. Hayes contracted a second marriage on April 24, 1883, with Miss A. Augusta Trickey, of Dover.
EORGE W. MORRILL, one of the leading farmers of Gilford, N. H., was born in this town, July 16, 1839, son of John Dudley and Lavina (Robin- son) Morrill. He comes of a very old family, being a lineal descendant of Abraham Morrill, who immigrated to this country with his brother Isaac in the ship "Lion," which ar-
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rived September 16, 1632. Both joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston in 1638, the year of its charter.
Abraham Morrill was a blacksmith by trade, and so many of his posterity in successive gen- erations chose the same occupation that the family has been humorously spoken of as be- longing to the Tubal Cain fraternity. He was granted a house and lot in Salisbury in 1641, and was married June 10, 1645, to Sarah, daughter of Robert Clement, of Haverhill. Their children were: Isaac, born July 10, 1646; Jacob, born August 24, 1648; Sarah, born October 14, 1650; Abraham, Jr., born November 14, 1652; Moses, born December 28, 1655; Aaron, born August 9, 1658; Richard, born February 6, 1660; Lydia, born March 8, 1661; Hepsibah, born January 1I, 1663. Abraham Morrill died in 1662; and his will, which was probated October 14 of that year, shows him to have been a well- to-do man for those times, the estate being valued at five hundred and seven pounds. His wife exchanged her house lot for forty acres of upland on the "Great Playne"; and on this land stand a parsonage, a school, the town office, and other buildings. Mrs. Sarah C. Morrill, after the death of her first husband, married Thomas Mudgett, and had one daugh- ter, Mary Mudgett.
Isaac, son of Abraham, and the second in the line now being traced, was also a black- smith, and lived in Salisbury. He married Phobe Gill, daughter of John Gill. He had eleven children, as follows - by wife Phoebe : Abraham, born August 22, 1671; and Isaac, born probably July 24, 1673; and (by second wife, Susanna, says Savage) Mary, born Feb- ruary 1, 1674; Sarah, born May 29, 1675; Jacob, born May 25, 1677; John, born Novem- ber 2, 1679; Rachel, born February IS, 1682; Daniel, born February 18, 1683 ; Je-
mima, born October 9, 1685 ; Mary, born Sep- tember 10, 1689; and Rachel, born August 24, 1692. Isaac Morrill died October 17, 1713, and his widow May 6, 1714.
Jacob Morrill, son of Isaac, married Eliza- beth Stevens, and the following is the record of their children : Jonathan and Joanna, twins, born February 15, 1703; Abraham, born De- cember 22, 1703; Samuel, born September 27, 1705; Joanna, born February 17, 1707; Ruth, born December 16, 1709; Jacob, born Septem- ber 3, 1711; Jeremiah, born August 7, 1713; Elizabeth, born November 14, 1715; Judith, born July 4, 1719; and Sarah, born June 22, 1722.
Abraham, son of Jacob, was the fourth in this line. His first wife, Eleanor, died March 26, 1745; and his second wife, Mary Currier, whom he married June 30, 1747, died July 2, 1788. He was called by many Father or Faithful Abraham. He was a Representative to the General Court for many years. On February 11, 1757, he bought part of the iron works at Crawley's, Brentwood, N. H. His children were: William, born April 21, 1735; Abraham, born December 10, 1737; Zebedee, born August 4, 1740; Eleanor, born October 30, 1742; and Jabez, born February 15, 1745.
William, son of Abraham and Eleanor, was Selectman in Brentwood in 1766, also in sub- sequent years ; and was a Deputy to the New Hampshire Fourth Provincial Congress at Exeter, May 17, 1775. He was made Justice of the Peace for Rockingham County in 1777, and was reappointed to that office in 1789 by the Council of New Hampshire. He married Lydia Trask in 1760, and their children were : Abraham, Lydia, Anna, William, Jr., Jona- than, and Nathaniel -the first three born in Brentwood. He died there January 28, 1812; and his wife died August 15, 1817. His will shows the following disposition of a property
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which was valued at thirteen thousand nine hundred and seventy-nine dollars and one cent : to his son Abraham he gave ninety-six acres on which he was living, to William, Jr., two-thirds of the Philbrick farm and a watch, to Jonathan eighty-three acres, and to Nathan- iel the homestead of one hundred and sixty acres.
William Morrill, Jr., the sixth in line, was born November 8, 1768, and died August 22, 1838. His first wife, Mary Gordon, died May 26, 1799; and his second wife, Elizabeth Dudley, daughter of Samuel Dudley, died Oc- tober 12, 1865. His children were: Nathan- iel, born July 23, 1791 ; Dolly, born April 6, 1794; Zebedee, born July 10, 1796; Mary, born April 25, 1798; Sarah, born January 3, 1801; Samuel, born March 23, 1803; John Dudley, born July 25, 1805 ; Ann, born July 20, 1807; William, born April 2, 1810; Washington, born January 3, 1813; Frederick, born August 24, 1815.
John Dudley Morrill, the fourth son, mar- ried first Lavina Robinson, and by this union had three children : James R. ; John F. ; and George W., the subject of this sketch. His second wife was Ruth Stevens, who had no children.
George W. Morrill, having completed his course of study at Laconia Academy, engaged in teaching school in the winter and farming in the summer. For a year after his marriage he remained with his father; and he then bought the Franklin Weeks estate, where he has since made his home. This place con- sisted originally of three hundred acres, and Mr. Morrill has added to it until it now em- braces five hundred acres. He has turned his attention to stock-raising, especially that of sheep, and is now making a specialty of the milk business. Becoming interested in the massage treatment about four years ago, he
took up its practice, and as a masseur has established quite a reputation. He uses the Monroe or deep treatment, and has been very successful in his cases, which have been among the best people of the community. Nevertheless, his farming has, by no means, been neglected. Mr. Morrill has been Select- man of Gilford for three years; and for two years he represented his town in the State legislature, while there serving on the Com- mittee on Agriculture. He is at present Town Treasurer. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist church, in which he has held the office of steward for the past eighteen years. He is a Past Master and is now Lecturer of Mount Belknap Grange, No. 52. In politics he has always been an out- spoken and active Republican.
Mr. Morrill was married November 26, 1863, to M. Frances, daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Hill) Weeks. Her father, who was a man of some prominence, serving as Select- man and as Representative, and also holding other offices, was born in 1816, and died in 1884. He had three children - M. Frances, S. Amanda, and Austin B. Mr. and Mrs. Morrill have one child - Leon, now married to Carrie E. Kimball.
OHN D. OTIS, a leading representative of the industrial community of Farm- ington, N.II., where he is carrying on a thriving business as a blacksmith and gen- eral jobber in iron work, was born in this town, January 15, 1850. His father, William Otis, a son of Micager Otis, was born in Farmington, and here spent his life engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits. He died in 1860, at the age of fifty-three years. In poli- tics he was a sound Democrat, but took no part in local affairs. His wife, whose maiden
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name was Sarah Dealand, bore him eleven children, four of whom survive, namely : A. I. D. Otis; George W .; Roxie; and John D.
John D. Otis attended the district schools of Farmington in his boyhood, and put his hand to the plough in early life, working until twenty-eight years old as a farmer. He then established himself as a blacksmith and car- riage repairer, and has since built up an ex- tensive and lucrative business in general job- bing, his work being noted for its durability and superior finish. Honest and upright in his dealings, and taking an active interest in the welfare of the town, he enjoys a wide pop- ularity, and in 1896 was elected as a Repre- sentative to the General Court at Concord, receiving the largest majority ever cast in Farmington. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party.
On February 12, 1885, Mr. Otis married Miss Susie B. Pitman, of Barnstead, N.H., a daughter of Edward and Ann S. Pitman. They have two children - Harry L. and John C. Mr. Otis contributes liberally toward the support of the Baptist church, which he and his family regularly attend.
ENRY H. THOMPSON, a prominent contractor and builder of Belmont, N. H., and a member of the Board of Selectmen, was born in Gilford, Belknap County, November 2, 1860, son of Joseph H. and Sarah A. (Bennett) Thompson. The Thompson family, it is said, are descendants of six brothers - Moses, Amos, Richard, Samuel, Jacob, and John - who were pioneer settlers in Centre Harbor, N. H.
Joseph H. Thompson, father of Henry H., was born in Centre Harbor, N.H. He lived there and at Laconia till about 1848, when he
moved to Gilford, and there resided until his death in 1861. He was a shoemaker by trade. His wife, Sarah A. Bennett, was born in Gil- ford, of which town her ancestors were pio- neers and among the first tax-payers. She became the mother of two children, namely : Emma J .; and Henry H., the subject of this sketch. Emma J. married Ernest B. Veasey, a prosperous contractor of Manchester.
Henry H. Thompson was educated in the common and high schools of Laconia. After leaving school he engaged in agricultural pur- suits for a time, and in 1888 he entered into business as a contractor and builder. He has already gained a high reputation for reliable and painstaking work, and has just completed a house and stable in Laconia, costing fifteen thousand dollars. In 1885 he removed to Bel- mont, and erected a large frame house on Ladd Hill, where he accommodates summer boarders.
On June 18, 1885, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage with Annie E. Ladd, daughter of Harlan P. Ladd. She was edu- cated at the Laconia High School. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, namely: Ralph H., who died young ; Blanche E .; and Sarah Marion.
Politically, Mr. Thompson supports the Re- publican party. He has been a Selectman for the past three years, and as a member of that body has rendered valuable services to the town. He is connected with the local grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and with the United Order of Pilgrim Fathers, of Laconia, N.H.
ENRY E. CHAMBERLAIN, of New Durham, who enjoys the distinction of being the first Republican Rep- resentative to the legislature from this town, was born in Alton, N. II., November 20, 1846,
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son of Durrell S. and Lucy (Huckins) Cham- berlain. His father was a native of Alton, as was also his grandfather, John Chamberlain.
Durrell S. Chamberlain has always resided at the homestead in Alton, situated near the New Durham line, and is an active and pros- perous citizen. In politics he supports the Republican party. He married Lucy Huck- ins, a native of Alton, and has three children : Henry E., the subject of this sketch; Ida C .; and Ella, wife of Frank B. Foss, of Farming- ton, N. H.
Henry E. Chamberlain attended school in New Durham and Alton, and on the comple- tion of his studies he learned the shoemaker's trade. In 1868 he bought the J. B. Young farm, where he has since resided, and, having made various improvements upon the land and buildings, now has one of the most valuable pieces of agricultural property in this locality. He has availed himself of all modern machin- ery and appliances for general farming and dairying, and his success is the result of his progressive tendencies and excellent judgment.
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