USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80
Ile was married in 1867 to Sophia T., daughter of Josiah B. and -Mary (Tilton) San- born, of Kensington. Ile has no children. Mr. Gove is a Republican, and has held many offices of public trust. He was Selectman of the town one year, Tax Collector one year, and was elected Representative in 1895. He keeps fresh the memories and associations of
the gold diggings in California as a member of the Society of California Pioneers of New England; and he belongs to Moses N. Collins Post, No. 26, Grand Army of the Republic, of Exeter, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Gove attend the Congregational church.
ALTER H. STICKNEY, a leading citizen and successful druggist of Epping, N. H., was born in this town, October 24, 1849, son of David and Nancy P. (Hale) Stickney.
His father, David Stickney, is a native of Athens, Me., and came to Rockingham County when a young man. For several years he was a successful tailor in Epping, and sub- sequently engaged in farming, which occupa- tion he still follows. He was for some years l'ostmaster of Epping; but his quiet and un- assuming disposition inclines him to reject alike the honors and responsibilities of public office, and he prefers to devote his time and attention to his own private affairs. His wife, whose maiden name was Nancy P'. Ilale, and who was a most estimable woman, died in 1 892.
Walter H. Stickney's opportunities for ob- taining an education were confined to the common schools. He made the most of them, however; and at the age of fourteen he began life for himself as an operative in a shoe fac- tory. He was subsequently employed as a clerk; and in 1871 he engaged in the drug business, which he has since followed with energy and success. He has a centrally lo- cated establishment, which is well stocked with drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, fancy articles, and contains the necessary facilities for the compounding of physicians' prescrip- tions. A thoroughly trustworthy apothecary, Mr. Stickney has secured the confidence and liberal patronage of the general public. In politics he supports the Republican party, and has served as a member of the Board of Select- men, as Town Clerk, and Treasurer. He has also been his party's candidate for Representa- tive to the legislature. Ile was Deputy Post- master under his father and Postmaster him- self under two Republican administrations.
In 1870 Mr. Stickney was united in mar-
141
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
riage to Clara J. Holt, his first wife, who was a daughter of Frank Holt, of Wilmington, Mass. After twenty years of happy married life, she died in 1890. His second wife, whom he wedded in 1892, was before marriage Carrie N. Blanchard, also of Wilmington. She is a member of the Congregational church.
Mr. Stickney is prominently connected with various social and fraternal organizations. He is well advanced in Masonry, belonging to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Command- ery. He has been Treasurer of the lodge of Odd Fellows here since its formation, and is also connected with the encampment. He is besides a member of the Royal Arcanum.
EORGE S. ROLLINS, agent for the American Express Company at Derry Depot, is a native of Deerfield, this county, born August 10, 1835. His grand- father, Francis Rollins, was one of the early settlers of Deerfield and one of the brave and patriotic soldiers who won our independence in the Revolutionary War.
Sewell P. Rollins, born in Deerfield, March 14, 1807, was a lifelong resident of the town. He was engaged during the larger portion of his active life in general farming, and was familiarly known to his townsmen as Captain Rollins, having served as Captain of a company in the State militia for several years. He died September 1, 1888, in his eighty-second year. Captain Rollins married Sophronia C. Lang, also a native of Rockingham County. Of their children two are now living, namely : George S., the subject of this sketch; and Annie E., the widow of the late J. Frank Gordon, of Manchester, N. H. Francis S., an elder brother of George S., born in Deerfield, January 10, 1832, enlisted for service in the Civil War in 1861, becoming a member of Company D, Eleventh New Hampshire Volun- teers, and died of disease in the South. In politics Captain Rollins was an earnest advo- cate of the principles of the Democratic party.
George S. Rollins was reared to farm life in his Deerfield home, remaining with his parents until twenty years of age. He then began the battle of life on his own account. Going to the city of Lowell, Mass., he secured a posi-
tion with Hapgood Wright, wholesale and retail dealer in boots and shoes, and for a number of years travelled for him, the route taking him through portions of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Having decided to make a permanent loca- tion, Mr. Rollins settled at Derry Depot in 1879, establishing himself in a mercantile business. He was prosperously engaged in this for several years, sometimes with a part- ner and sometimes without, being at one time the only merchant in this part of the town. He has been somewhat interested in the real estate business here, and for a while was Post- master at Derry Depot. Some time ago Mr. Rollins retired from active business for a time ; and his son, the late George F. Rollins, opened a store at this place for the sale of books, stationery, and patent medicines. In its man- agement Mr. Rollins gave his son much assist- ance. Upon the sudden death of the latter, April 18, 1890, he took the store, and has since conducted it with signal success. In July, 1893, he was appointed agent of the American Express Company, and has since performed the duties of this office with satis- faction to all concerned.
Mr. Rollins was married January 1, 1857, to Miss Rosina Hayward, a native of Vermont. Their only son, George F. Rollins, died, as above mentioned, at the carly age of twenty- two years. He was a young man of excellent business qualifications, a Republican in poli- tics, popular with his companions and friends, and a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, having been Clerk of the order at the time of his demise. His father, who is also a Republican, is now serving on the Town Board of Supervisors. He is a member of Echo Lodge, No. 61, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Derry Depot; and of the United Order of the Golden Cross of Man- chester, N. H.
EORGE W. GOODRICH, a farmer of Nottingham, N. 11., was born here on August 23, 1844, son of Nathan G. T. and Betsey Ann (Cate) Goodrich. The traditional account of the Goodrich family goes back to William Goodridge and Margaret, his
142
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
wife, who came from Bury St. Edmund's, Suf- folkshire, England, to America about 1630, and a few years later settled in Newbury, Mass., which comprised the present towns of Newburyport, West Newbury, Georgetown, and Byfield. He took up a large tract of land and cleared himself a farm. William and Margaret Goodridge were the parents of three sons - Joseph, Jeremiah, and Benjamin.
Although the descent has not been traced, it is supposed that George W. Goodrich is a descendant of Jeremiah, who was born in 1638. His great-grandfather, Barnard Goodrich, Sr., was born in Newbury, Mass. He married a Miss Carr, of Fremont, Rockingham County, N. H. ; and their married life was spent on a farm in that town. Barnard Goodrich, Jr., was born in Fremont. He chose farming as a life occupation. In 1800 he came to Not- tingham, and four years later settled in that part of the town called Pautuckaway-in-the- Mountain, where he purchased about one hun- dred acres of land and cleared a portion of it. He was a progressive and hard-working man, and highly esteemed throughout the commu- nity. For his first wife he married Miss Eunice Cheney, of Kingston, N. H., by whom he had six children. The following is a brief record of five of them who grew to maturity : Gilman moved to Wisconsin, had a large family ; Moses C. lived in Kingston, N. H., had three children ; Jeremiah died in Notting- ham, had two sons; Barnard lived in Gardiner, Me., had a large family ; John lived in Athens, Me., had several children. Mrs. Eunice C. Goodrich died in 1807. The second and last wife of Barnard Goodrich, Jr., was Miss Sally Gove, who was born in Nottingham on October 8, 1782. Seven children blessed this union, but all have now passed away.
Nathan G. T., the second child of Barnard and Sally (Gove) Goodrich, was born February 27, 1810, at the old homestead on the moun- tain. In early life he learned the shoemaker's trade, making the heavy boots and shoes of those days. After following this calling for a few years, he returned to the old farm, which he carried on until his death on June 28, 1884. He was prominent in town affairs and very successful considering his opportunities in life, leaving a good property. Prior to the
formation of the Republican party he was a Democrat, but ever after he affiliated with the new-formed party. He was the first. Republi- can sent from Nottingham to the State legis- lature, being first elected in 1857 and re-elected the following year. On June 27, 1840, he was joined in marriage with Miss Betsey Ann Cate, a daughter of Francis Cate, of Nottingham. She was born on March 5, 1818, and died on June 23, 1877.
George W. Goodrich, the only child of his parents, received his education in the schools of Nottingham. After leaving school he learned photography at Exeter and Concord, N. H., and conducted a studio on his own ac- count for a number of years in Newport, N. H. In 1872 he returned to the old homestead, and has since devoted his attention to general farm- ing. Six years ago, in 1890, he purchased a tract of four hundred and fifty acres of land near the old homestead, but still resides on the latter.
On November 17, 1887, he was married to Miss Susan J. Carleton, a daughter of William and Fanny (Russell) Carleton, of Haverhill, Mass. They have no children. Mr. Goodrich holds liberal views in religion, his wife being a Methodist. He is a member of the Grange of Patrons of Husbandry of Hampton Falls, N. H.
AVID F. BARTLETT, a prominent agriculturist of Epping, Rocking- ham County, N. H., was born in the adjacent town of Nottingham, this county, in May, 1827. His parents were David and Susanna (Cilley) Bartlett. The family are of English descent. John Bartlett, the earliest known ancestor, came from Eng- land in the ship "Mary and John," settling in Newbury, Mass., in 1634.
The succeeding generations were represented in the order here named by Richard, Thomas, and Israel, the latter of whom came from New- bury and established the old Bartlett home- stead in Nottingham. Thomas Bartlett, son of Israel and the grandfather of David F., was a native of that town. He served his country during the Revolutionary War as Lieutenant Colonel under General Stark at the surrender of Burgoyne, and also as commander of a com-
DAVID F. BARTLETT.
145
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
pany at West Point. He was a man of promi- nence, who officiated as Representative, Speaker of the House, and as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. David, the father, above named, son of Thomas, was also born in Not- tingham, where he spent many years of his life, being actively engaged in farming. In 1842 he moved to Epping, and here became a man of note, dying in 1868. His wife was a (laughter of Greenleaf Cilley, of Nottingham. The Cilley family were also of English origin, tracing their ancestry in New Hampshire back for a period of more than two and a half cen- turies. Mrs. Susanna C. Bartlett finished her earthly career ten years before her husband, dying in 1858.
David F., or Fred Bartlett, as he is famil- iarly called by his friends, had only the edu- cational advantages of a district school. He was practically trained to farming in his youth, and has continued to follow that honored call- ing. lle owns a fine farm of two hundred acres with substantial buildings thereon. In politics Mr. Bartlett has cast his vote with the Republican party since its organization. He does not seek political distinction, but he has served two terms as Selectman.
The maiden name of his wife, to whom he was married in 1857, was Laura A. Towle. Her parents were Dearborn H. and Hannah S. (Blaisdell) Towle, both belonging to old and prominent families of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett have four children, who are intelligent, cultivated, and useful members of society, as follows: Emma J., who married Frank E. Sanborn, a teacher by profession, now (1896) engaged in Orleans, Mass., and has one child, Bernice S. ; Susan H. Bartlett, a teacher in this town; Elizabeth A., who is teaching in Conway, Mass. ; and Mary B. Bartlett, who is completing her studies in Durham College. The mother and her daughters are members of the Congregational church. Mr. Bartlett and his estimable wife are passing the twilight of their well-spent lives in their comfortable farm-house near Ep- ping. They and their family enjoy the re- spect and good-will of the community.
An admirable likeness of this representative citizen of Rockingham County is herewith presented.
B ENJAMIN F. CRAM, one of the oldest active farmers of Kingston, was born in Hampton Falls, this county, January 3, 1821, son of Ben- jamin and Rebecca F. (White) Cram. His grandfather, Jonathan Cram, a native of Hamp- ton Falls, where he resided for many years, moved from there to Marietta, Ohio, where his last days were passed.
Benjamin Cram was born in Ilampton Falls, and was reared to farm life in that town. After marriage he settled in Pittsfield, N. 11 .. where he bought a farm, and lived on it for two years. He then sold it, and, returning to his native town, was engaged in general farming until his death, which occurred in July, 1831, at the age of forty-four years. Ile married Rebecca F. White, whose mother's sister was the wife of Daniel Webster, the distinguished statesman. She was a native of Pittsfield, N. H. ; and she reared a family of six children. These were: Mary, who died in 1891 ; Jona- than, now deceased; Eunice L., the wife of Thomas Putnam, of Danvers, Mass. ; Gracia, the widow of the late Charles Emery, residing in Boston; Daniel W., who married Emily Felch, and resides in Monroe, Ohio; and Ben- jamin F., the subject of this sketch. Mr. Cram's mother lived to be over eighty years old.
Benjamin F. Cram acquired his education in the district school and at a private academy. Ile remained upon the farm after his father's death, and when old enough took charge of the property, which he conducted with success until his mother's death. In 1857 he sold the homestead in Hampton Falls; and, moving to Kingston, he bought a piece of agricultural property located near the village. Here he erected a comfortable residence, which has since been his home. The farm has been much improved since it came into his posses- sion. The land at the present time is in a good state of cultivation, and the buildings are good. Besides conducting his farm he has also worked at his trade of shoemaking. Al though he is now seventy-five years old, he still attends to his every-day duties with a degree of activity unusual for one of his age.
On November 4, 1846, Mr. Cram wedded Elizabeth S. Smith. She was born in Brent -
146
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
wood, N. H., December 9, 1824, daughter of Caleb and Sarah (Tuck) Smith, the former of whom was a prosperous farmer. Both of Mrs. Cram's parents died in Brentwood. Mr. and Mrs. Cram are the parents of five children, namely : Julia L., the wife of Woodbury D. Collins, of Danville, N. H., a shoemaker and farmer; Frank Herbert, a carriage builder, who married Hattie Bushnell, and lives in New Haven, Conn. ; Sarah E., the wife of George E. Bailey, of Kingston village, a farmer; Milan C., a shoe manufacturer, who married Ella Perham, and resides in Haverhill, Mass. ; and Charlotte Lincoln, born on the day of President Lincoln's assassination, who is unmarried, and resides with her parents. All have had the advantage of a good education, and are well situated in life. In politics Mr. Cram is a Republican. He has never sought public office, but he has served the town efficiently as Tax Collector for the past ten years. He has been a member of the Congre- gational church for fifty-five years, holding the office of Deacon for fifteen of those years. Mrs. Cram is united with the Baptist church.
LINTON L. SILVER, a well-known resident of the town of Salem, Rock- ingham County, N. H., and a prom- inent member of the Salem School Board, was born on September 20, 1852, son of Andrew J. and Elizabeth A. (Crowell) Silver. His mother was a native of Haver- hill, Mass. The founder of the family fort- unes in America was his grandfather, Asa Silver. He was an Englishman by birth, but came to this country when a young man and settled in Salem, where his son Andrew was born and brought up.
Andrew Silver was in his younger days a shoe manufacturer, and subsequently worked at farming and lumbering. He had to make his own way in life, and worked hard for it. He was a member of the Republican party. By his marriage with Miss Crowell he had two children - Clinton L., whose life story up to the present time is here outlined ; and Lizzie, deceased. Andrew Silver, who passed all his life in Salem, died here in September, 1882.
Clinton L. Silver was brought up, like his
father, in the town of Salem, N. H., and from his youth has been engaged in shoemaking and farming. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town, and afterward for a short time attended Pinkerton Academy in the neighboring town of Derry, N. H. He was married on September 20, 1875, on his twenty-third birthday, to Paulina C. Ayer, a native of Salem and the daughter of William B. and Paulina G. (Kelley) Ayer, also both of Salen. Her father, William B. Ayer, had been a resident of Salem all his life. He was the son of Ebenezer Ayer, who belonged to a family of old settlers in the town.
Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Will- iam B. Ayer, seven still survive, namely : Martha E., the wife of N. G. Abbott; Charles H. ; Lucy J. ; Benjamin F .; Esther M., the wife of Amos Spurr; Paulina C., the wife of Mr. Silver; and William H. Mr. and Mrs. Silver have five children -- Ernest L., who is at present a student at Dartmouth College; Lizzie L. ; Edna F. ; Lillian B. ; and Elsie A.
Mr. Silver is well known as a public- spirited man, who is always willing to help in every scheme to benefit his fellow-citizens and his native town in any way. In his poli-
tics he is a stanch Republican. He and his wife are faithful and energetic members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which church he is a Trustee. He also officiates both as superintendent of the Sunday-school and as leader of the Methodist Episcopal choir. Mr. Silver and his wife invariably take an active part in all social gatherings. They are highly useful members of society, and justly enjoy the confidence and admiration of their neighbors and fellow townsmen and townswomen. Mr. Silver is an influential member of the Salem Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.
RANVILLE W. KNOX, an enter- prising farmer of Newington, was born in Berwick, York County, Me., on August 18, 1831. His father was Augustus Knox.
Granville W. Knox lived with his parents on the home farm in Berwick until he was eighteen years of age. He then went to Ports-
147
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
mouth where he became the inside manager of the Cleaves & Walker Factory, remaining with that firm for about twenty-eight years. In political outlook he is a Republican. In 1851 Mr. Knox was united in marriage with Miss Eliza A. Roberts, daughter of James and Elizabeth A. Roberts, being one of seven chil- dren, one son and six daughters.
Her mother was a direct descendant of the distinguished Adams family of Massachusetts, being a daughter of Nathan Webb, and great . grand-daughter of the Rev. Joseph Adams, a noted preacher here, who established the Con- gregational church and served as its pastor for sixty-nine years. He was an uncle of John Adams, the second President of the United States. The Rev. Joseph Adams had three sons and one daughter, who died in infancy. There were thirty-one acres in the homestead, where Mr. Adams died at the ripe old age of ninety-two years. The farm has been in the Adams family ever since, until taken by Gran- ville W. Knox, the subject of this sketch, who mortgaged it to the Adams family. The Rev. Joseph was the first occupant, locating here as early as 1715. The present house was built in 1717, and is probably the oldest house standing in use in the town of Newington.
Mr. and Mrs. Knox have three children ; namely, Eva L., Mary E., and James H. Eva L. is the wife of Albert Pray. They reside in Portsmouth and have had eight children - Mattie, Richard, Annie L., Bessie, one who died in infancy, Lucy, Franklin N. (deceased), and Ruth Pray. Mary E. Knox married Frank P. Coleman, and in 1891 died, leaving two children -- Perry A. and William N. Cole- man. James H. Knox married Miss Lena Shaw, and has two children - Elbridge A. and Pauline E. Knox. They reside on the home- stead with Mr. Knox, the father and grand- father.
B ENNING SANBORN, a well-known shoemaker and farmer of Sandown township, N. H., was born on the homestead where he now lives, Octo- ber 25, 1837. He is a son of the late Jona- than B. and Rachel S. Sanborn.
Jonathan B. Sanborn was born and reared in
the town of Fremont, Rockingham County, of which his father, Moses H. Sanborn, was a resident. In 1837 Jonathan removed to San- down, purchasing the farm now owned by his son Benning, and was from that time until his death, nearly fifty years later, August 30, 1884, engaged in agricultural pursuits. His wife, formerly Rachel S. Tilton, was born and reared in Sandown, and here passed her last days, dying December 27, 1887, on the home farm. They had seven children, as follows : Benning; Alva S., who is engaged in mercan- tile business in the village of Sandown; Moses H., of Haverhill, Mass .; Justin, living in Londonderry, this county; John, who died when young ; Aroline H., the wife of Horace T. Grover, of Sandown; and Emma G., who lives in Derry, N. II.
Benning Sanborn acquired his education in the common schools of his native town, re- maining beneath the parental roof until twenty years of age. For a time thereafter he worked in this vicinity as a farm laborer; but, finding the continuous outdoor toil too hard for him, he learned the shoemaker's trade, at which he was engaged until obliged to return home on account of the failing health of his father. Since that time Mr. Sanborn has had control of the homestead property, and is now the owner of a farm of one hundred and ten acres. He carries on general farming quite exten- sively, but hires most of the work done, his own strength still being insufficient for the labor, and devotes his own time to shoemaking. His shop is located on his farm; and in it he makes ladies' turned shoes, working for a firm in Haverhill, Mass., and producing on an average from ten to twelve pairs of shoes per day.
Mr. Sanborn is a strong advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and takes an intelligent interest in every enterprise con- ducive to the public welfare. He has served his townsmen in various capacities, having been Selectman, Overseer of the Poor, Tax Collector, and a member of the School Board. Socially, he is a Mason, belonging to St. Mark's Lodge, No. 144, A. F. & A. M., of Derry, N. H. ; and he is a member of the local grange and also of Pomona Grange of Derry, this county.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Mr. Sanborn was married November 23, 1868, to Miss Flora E. Meader, a native of Atkinson, Me. Mrs. Sanborn is a daughter of the late Joseph Meader and his wife, Mercy Dexter, who died when Mrs. Sanborn was but nine years old. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn are the parents of three children, namely : John Frank, who is working in a shoe factory at Haverhill, Mass. ; Mary E., the wife of Arthur G. Fitts, of Haverhill, Mass. ; and Florence Alice, who lives at home. Mrs. Sanborn is a member of the Congregational Church of Sandown.
YMAN A. DICKEY, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen of Londonderry, N. H., was born in Stockbridge, Vt., October 20, 1840. He is the son of William and Phœbe ( Webster) Dickey, both natives of Hillsborough County, New Hamp- shire. His paternal grandfather, David Dickey, also a native of Hillsborough County,
was a son of one of the early pioneers of that section of the State. William Dickey, son of David, removed from his native place to Boston, Mass., where he lived for a number of years. Late in the forties, at the time of the excitement caused by the discovery of gold in California, he was one of the first to seek the El Dorado of the West; and he died in Cali- fornia. His wife was the grand-daughter of Major Webster, an officer in the Revolutionary army.
Lyman A. Dickey was reared to man's estate in Manchester, Hillsborough County, on a farm, and received a limited common-school education ; but in the years that have passed since his boyhood he has covered a wide field of reading, and has largely made up for his carly deficiencies. Having learned the black- smith's trade, he worked for a while as a journeyman ; and in April, 1861, amid the wild excitement caused by the bombardment of Fort Sumter, he left the fire of his peaceful forge to face the blaze of the rebel artillery, enlisting in Company I, Second New Ilamp- shire Volunteer Infantry. One of the first one hundred men in the State to answer to the President's call for troops, he was attached to the Army of the Potomac, and participated in the initial shock of arms between the two great
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.