USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 30
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Ira H. Adams, M. D., spent his early life
on the parental farm, obtaining his elementary education in the public schools. He was sub- sequently graduated from the Randolph State Normal School, the first normal school estab- lished in Vermont, and for several years there- after was engaged in teaching school. Com- ing then to New Hampshire, he took the full college preparatory course at the Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, becoming espe- cially proficient in Greek and Latin. Subse- quently, having decided to enter upon a medi- cal career, he began the study of medicine with Dr. Hubert Sleeper, of Meriden. A year later he entered the Medical Department of Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1874. He immediately began the practice of his profession in the town of Hookset, Merrimack County, where he con- tinued busily engaged for eight years. In 1882 he came to Derry Depot, where he has built up a large general practice, winning the confidence of the people of this community and the surrounding country. He is a mem- ber of the Rockingham County Medical So- ciety and of the New Hampshire State Medi- cal Association. Prominently identified with the Order of Odd Fellows, he belongs to Echo Lodge, No. 61, of Derry Depot, and Mystic Encampment, having been Grand Patriarch of New Hampshire in 1893-94, and Grand Rep- resentative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge in 1895-96. He is a Republican in politics, and has represented the town of Derry in the New Hampshire legislature.
Dr. Adams was married, August 31, 1875, to Miss Louise S., daughter of A. F. Perley, of Lempster, N. H., and became the father of two children - Richard H. and Jennie L. He and his family are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are held in high regard throughout the community.
IRAM S. REYNOLDS, Town Treas- urer of Windham, and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born in Caledonia County, Ver- mont, February 3, 1828, son of Enoch and Mary (Sabin) Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds's par- ents were residents of Vermont, of which State his mother was a native. Ilis paternal grand-
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father, Enoch Reynolds (first), served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War.
Hiram S. Reynolds was reared by his ma- ternal grandfather, Elihu Sabin, his mother having died when he was a child. He acquired his education in the common schools. At the age of sixteen he was thrown upon his own re- sources by the death of his grandfather; and, starting in life as an operative in a saw-mill, he continued in that employment for some years in Vermont and New Hampshire. In 1848 he came to this State, and, after working in Nashua for a time, settled at West Wind- ham, where he was employed in a saw-mill for ten years. He then had charge of the Wind- ham town farm for a time, after which, in 1866, he entered upon his present farm, where he has since resided. In politics he actively supports the Republican party, displaying a competence in handling public affairs that has won the hearty appreciation of his fellow- townsmen. He served as a member of the Board of Selectmen for several years, was elected a Representative to the legislature in 1888, and he has filled the office of Town Treasurer for a number of years past.
On April 10, 1852, Mr. Reynolds wedded Mary J. Prescott, who was born in Bridge- water, N. H., January 3, 1826, daughter of Josiah W. and Dorothy (Leavitt) Prescott, respectively natives of Bridgewater and New Hampton, N. H. Mr. Prescott served in the War of 1812, doing garrison duty at Ports- mouth, N. H. Of his large family of children there are four other survivors, namely : Ira B., who resides in Deerfield, N. H. ; Arah W., a resident of South Hookset, N. H. ; Charles 1 .. , residing in New Boston, N. H. ; and Delano, who lives in Lowell, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have two daughters, namely : Mary E., the widow of the late G. G. Robinson, having three children - Charles A., Edward G., and Eva G. ; and Lottie A., the wife of Charles A. Steele, of Hudson, N. H., having four children living - Lena M., lda N., Charles L., and Charlotte M.
Mr. Reynolds possesses the esteem and con- fidence of the general community. Both he and his wife occupy a prominent social posi- tion here. They are now enjoying the fruits
of their useful lives, marked as they are by many benevolent deeds, having the sincere wishes of their numerous friends and acquaint- ances for a long continance of their happiness.
RESCOTT C. HALL, now living in retirement at Salem Depot, was at one time a very successful shoe man- ufacturer. He is a native of Salem, born March 16, 1834, son of Alva and Nancy (Coburn) Hall, respectively natives of Salem and Pelham, N. H. Jonathan Hall, the father of Alva, was a son of Joshua, who came from England. Joshua was an early settler of Salem, and a Revolutionary soldier who fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. Alva Hall was a carpenter and contractor, and worked at his trade throughout his life, which was spent in his native town. He died in February, 1885, in the eighty-second year of his age. Of the children born to him and his wife Nancy, the survivors besides Prescott C. are : Emily, the wife of George H. Colburn, of Salem Depot ; and Helen, the wife of George Greeley, of Glendora, Cal.
Prescott C. Hall attended the common schools of Salem for the usual period, and subsequently was a student of the Tilton (N. H.) Seminary for two years. His busi- ness life began at the age of eighteen years, when he went to work as a clerk in a store in Haverhill, Mass. After some five years spent there, he returned in 1856 to Salem Depot, and began in a small way to manufacture boots and shoes. He met with unusual success, and continued in the business until 1888, when he sold out to his sons. At the time of his re- tirement he owned and conducted four different factories, one each in Salem, Natick, Lynn, and Topsfield, and employed about fifteen hun dred hands. When it is considered that he started with but a very small cash capital, his success commands admiration.
In 1859 Mr. Hall was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. McCurdy, daughter of Daniel McCurdy, of Dunbarton, N. H. Four sons have blessed the union ; namely, Clarence P., Arthur C., Clifton S., and Lester W. AH but Arthur C., who resides in Boston, are living at home.
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Mr. Hall has represented the town of Salem in the State legislature for one term, having been elected on the Democratic ticket. Al- though not a church member, he contributes freely to the funds of the church. Ile has done much toward building up Salem Depot, many of the residences here having been erected through his instrumentality. Both he and his wife are highly esteemed members of society. Their home is one of the most beau- tiful and commodious residences in this place.
RANCIS C. BARTLETT, an ener- getic and prosperous member of the farming community of the town of Kingston, Rockingham County, N. H., is a native-born citizen, the date of his birth being April 2, 1845. His father, the late William Bartlett, was born and reared in Kingston, and with the exception of a year or two spent in Boston, Mass., made this town his perma- nent abiding place. He worked at the cooper's trade in his younger days, but subse- quently turned his attention to the butchering business, beginning in a small way by selling meat from a cart in different towns of this sec- tion of the county. He gradually enlarged his business, eventually giving up his retail trade and becoming a wholesale dealer in meats. He died in April, 1886, at a good old age.
William Bartlett married Miss Betsey Bean, a native of Raymond, this county, by whom he had eight children, namely : Mehitabel, the wife of John P. Bean, residing at Haverhill, Mass. ; Elizabeth, who died February 23, 1896; William J., living in Kingston, who married Lettie Crane; Abbie J., wife of J. W. Marshall, of Malden, Mass. ; Ichabod, who died when thirteen years of age; Francis C .; Rinda, the wife of T. B. Smith, a merchant in the village of Kingston; and one child that dicd in infancy. The mother died May 20, 1866, while yet in the prime of womanhood.
Francis C. Bartlett acquired a practical common-school education in his native town, remaining with his parents until twenty-three years of age. He then began teaming, and has since carried on quite a profitable business in this line. He owns a farm of nearly one hun- dred acres, which he manages judiciously,
carrying on general farming with most excel- lent results. This farm, which is one of the most attractive in the neighborhood, has a fine location near Kingston Plains village, and is in a good state of cultivation, yielding in favorable seasons bountiful harvests. Mr. Bartlett is a loyal Democrat in politics, active in local affairs, and has served with satisfac- tion to his constituents as Selectman of Kingston for two years and township Super- visor four years. Socially, he is a member of Columbia Lodge, No. 85, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Kingston village; of the Daughters of Rebecca; and of the local grange.
On January 29, 1869, Mr. Bartlett was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Rowe, who was born in Manchester, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett have four children, namely : Albert E., of Brentwood; Walter W., residing in Haverhill, Mass. ; and Lela and Clarence, living with their parents.
REDERICK PICKERING, a respected citizen of Newington, Rockingham County, N. H., was born in this town on his father's farm, May 29, 1849. Mr. Pickering's carliest American ancestor was John Pickering, by birth an Englishman, who came to this country about the year 1633, and located in what is now Portsmouth, N. II., then called Strawberry Bank. He was one of the first settlers of the town of Portsmouth, and became a large land-owner there, also owning and running a grist-mill. A part of his estate was entailed on his male descendants and their immediate issue. John Pickering died in his adopted home in 1669. He left a son named Thomas, who was born in Ports- mouth, and who died in 1719, leaving a son also called Thomas, born November 28, 1703. The eldest son of the second Thomas Pickering was Nicholas, born in 1727, a native of New- ington, whither the father had moved. Nich- olas Pickering in turn left a son Thomas, born in Newington in October, 1778, who was the grandfather of Frederick Pickering.
James Alfred Pickering, a son of the last Thomas Pickering and the father of Frederick, was also born in Newington in September,
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1810. Like his forefathers, he was a success- ful farmer. On May 28, 1848, he married Miss Susan E. Mathes, who was born May 31, 1818, in Durham, Stafford County, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Mathes. They be- came the parents of three children; namely, Frederick, Alice B., and Sarah M. Sarah M. Pickering died June 19, 1889. James A. Pickering was thirteen years old when his father took possession of the farm now owned by Frederick Pickering. At that time it con- tained about sixty acres of land. During his lifetime James A. added fifty acres more to the estate, and extracted a comfortable living from it by general farming. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire in the year 1876. He also served his native town as Selectman for several terms, was Town Clerk for a few terms, and was for a long time a member of the School Commit- tee. The Congregational church had no more zealous member. He died on June 12, 1889; and his remains are interred in the Newington Cemetery.
Frederick Pickering, who was born just a year and a day after the marriage of his par- ents, attended the district school until he was seventeen years of age, after which he com- pleted his course of study at Hampton Acad- emy. He commenced teaching school at the age of twenty years, a profession that he fol- lowed for seven years, working on the old farm with his father between the winter sessions. On the death of his father he took sole charge of the estate. He has been a Selectman of the town for three years, a member of the School Board for a long time, and is, moreover, Jus- tice of the Peace. He, his mother and sister, are earnest and active members of the Congre- gational church.
J AY DEARBORN, one of Brentwood's enterprising farmers, was born October 8, 1834, in Wakefield, Carroll County, son of Jonathan and Olive (Manson) Dearborn. His father, also a native of Wake- field, was reared in that town, and there fol- lowed general farming throughout his active period. His declining years were passed in Epping, this county, where his death occurred
March 11, 1862. His wife, Olive, a native of Newfield, Me., preceded him to the grave, having died in 1842. They were the parents of twelve children; namely, John, Lucy, Louis, Caroline, Susan, Margaret Ann, Emma, Jay, George, Henry, and two that died in infancy.
Jay Dearborn lived on the home farm and attended the district school until fifteen years of age. He then went to Rochester, N. II., and there was employed five months cutting wood for a new railway. Going from there to Troy, N. Y., he there drove a coach for his brother for two years. He then returned to Carroll County, where he spent one season working in Wakefield. Afterward he came to this county, and was employed in New Market and Epping. In the latter place Mr. Dear- born learned the shoemaker's trade, and he thereafter worked at it and at farming until 1869. In that year he came to Brentwood, and purchased the farm he now occupies. He has since carried on general farming, dairying, stock raising, and fruit-growing with profit. In 1873 he had the misfortune to be burned out ; but, two years later, he erected new buildings, remarkable for their strength and convenience. The farm contains one hundred and sixty acres of land, a large portion being in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Dearborn also owns a farm of ninety acres in Epping, and one of fifty-six acres in Brentwood. The latter has two houses, two barns, and a black- smith shop. In politics Mr. Dearborn is a steadfast Democrat, but has neither sought nor cared for public office.
Mr. Dearborn was married January 1, 1854, to Miss Mary A. Carlton, who was born at New Market, September 5, 1838. Her father, Samuel Carlton, who was a blacksmith, worked at his trade in New Market for many years. ller mother, whose maiden name was Eliza Goodwin, died when Mrs. Dearborn was quite young. Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn have had six children - Addie Belle, Georgiana, Carrie E., Hattie E., Fred P., and Ernest J. Addie Belle, Georgiana, and Ernest J. are deceased. Carrie E. was first married to George W. Currier, of Deerfield, N. H. He died; and she subsequently became the wife of a physi- cian of Brentwood, by whom she has one child,
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Eva May. Hattie E. is the wife of Amos Dearborn, of Haverhill, Mass. Fred P., who resides in Epping, married Jennie Pike, and is the father of two children - Fred and Es- telle N.
HOMAS E. SIMPSON, since early youth a resident of Deerfield, N. H., where he is a leading farmer and a mer- chant, was born in Winona, Minn., February 10, 1856.
Andrew Simpson, the first ancestor of Mr. Thomas E. Simpson in America, was a linen weaver in Scotland, where he was born about 1697. He came to New England in 1725, and, after living in Boston a few years, re- moved to Nottingham, N. H., where he bought a farm. Here a dreadful tragedy was enacted in the year 1747, when his wife, Elizabeth Simpson, with two other victims, was brutally murdered by the Indians. (See Belknap's History of New Hampshire.)
Andrew Simpson's son Thomas was the next in genealogical order. He was born in Scot- land in 1720. He was a land surveyor in Deerfield, where his father had settled, and was selected with his brother Andrew to fix the boundary line between Nottingham and Deerfield at the time Deerfield was set off as a separate town in 1766. In that year also he was chosen First Parish Clerk of Deerfield, a position he held until 1773, when he re- moved to Newburyport, Mass., where he re- mained until his death. He married in 1747 a Miss Sarah Morrison, who died in 1753; and he afterward formed a second marriage with Mrs. Mary Cochran, the widow of David Cochran, of Londonderry.
Thomas Simpson left a son by the name of John, who was destined to be remembered for two honors: he fired the first gun at the battle of Bunker Hill, and he was the maternal grandfather of Ulysses S. Grant, the warrior President of the United States, John Simp- son's daughter, Hannah, marrying Jesse R. Grant. Their first son, the future President, was born at Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio, April 27, 1822. John Simpson was born December 1, 1747. He married Mary Whidden. At Bunker Hill he was promoted
to the rank of First Lieutenant in Captain David Moore's Company, and afterward he was made Major. He died October 28, 1825.
Thomas Simpson, son of Major John and Mary (Whidden) Simpson, was born August 2, 1788. In 1809 he was married to Elizabeth Lamprey. He was a carpenter by vocation, and while working on the State House in Concord he fell, receiving an injury that made him a cripple. The remainder of his life was devoted to ministerial work, in which field of labor for the spiritual welfare of humanity he died December 1, 1872, aged eighty-four years.
The Rev. Thomas Simpson left a son, who bore the name of Joseph L. Simpson, born February 10, 1815, in Lowell, Mass. He was a machinist by occupation, or, rather was taught that trade with the intention of follow- ing it as a means of livelihood; but, moving to the West in his early youth, he became a farmer. He married for his first wife a Miss Bowker, by whom he was the father of one son, and for his second wife Mrs. Hannah B. Randall. Two sons were born of this union : Thomas E., of Deerfield; and Fred L., who lives in Greenland, N. I.I. Mr. Joseph L. Simpson held no public offices, but devoted his whole time to the cultivation of his farm. He died in his Western home, September 19, 1861, aged forty-six years, seven months, and six days. His wife, Hannah B. Jenkens in her maidenhood, later widow of a Mr. Randall, was born April 3, 1824, and died March 3, 1874.
Thomas E. Simpson, their son, was a little boy of nine years old when he was brought East to the land of his forefathers. Having completed his educational course in the com- mon schools of Deerfield, he immediately began farming on the estate that afterward became his own by inheritance. In addition to the management of his place, Mr. Simpson carries on a store of general merchandise in Deerfield, keeping a large and diverse assort- ment of goods.
The Simpson farm comprises one hundred and eighty acres of land, forty-six of which are under cultivation. The soil is rich, and the management of the whole place systematic and intelligent. The average yield of grass
THOMAS E. SIMPSON.
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from its fields is fifteen tons a year, which is a good crop for this latitude. The present owner of this estate has recently built a large and handsome barn, which measures sixty by thirty-eight feet, has a capacity for storing fifty tons of hay, and comfortably sheltering eighteen head of cattle. Mr. Simpson for- merly kept as much stock as his barn would accommodate, but does not now deal in cattle so extensively, although he still has a dairy supplied by four cows, while he has constant use for three horses and generally keeps some young stock on hand. There is no farm in the vicinity of Deerfield in better condition than that of Thomas E. Simpson, and in matters of agricultural import and interest he is an authority.
October 29, 1880, was the date of his mar- riage with Miss Mary P'. Dow, of Canterbury, N. H. One child, a son, was the issue of this union, Samuel W., who is busy at school, preparing himself to take part in the world's work.
In political affiliation Mr. Simpson is a Re- publican. The family attend the services of the Congregational church of their town, and occupy a prominent place in its social circle. Thomas E. Simpson's name is enrolled on the lists of a number of fraternal societies, includ- ing the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Union Lodge, No. 32, of Dcerfield, Hildreth Encampment of Suncook, and Canton General Stark, of Suncook, N. H. He has taken all the degrees of the subordinate lodge. For two years he has been Selectman, and has served for the same period of time as Supervisor of the check list.
The Simpson family has in the past been closely associated with the development and progress of their section of country, and it may be prophesied that the name will still con- tinue to be borne by future generations who shall represent the best types of American citizens.
EWIS W. BREWSTER is the senior member of the publishing firm of L. AV. Brewster & Son, editors and proprietors of the Portsmouth Jour- nal, one of the oldest papers in the country,
now well entered on its second century. The Brewsters of Portsmouth are of the "May- flower" Pilgrim stock, being descendants of Elder William Brewster, of Scrooby Manor, England, who was one of the leaders of the Plymouth Colony.
Charles Warren Brewster, a native of Ports- mouth, father of the subject of this sketch, entered the office of the Journal, then known as the Portsmouth Oracle, in February, 1818, to learn the printer's trade. In July, 1825, he and T. H. Miller, forming the firm of Miller & Brewster, assumed the ownership and publication of the paper, whose name had pre- viously been changed to the Portsmouth Jour- ual of Literature and Politics. Ten years later C. W. Brewster became sole proprietor. He conducted it alone until 1856, when he took as a partner his son Lewis WV., an arrangement that lasted until the death of the veteran editor on August 4, 1868.
In 1828 Charles W. Brewster married Mary Gilman, who died October 29, 1879. They had nine children, four sons and five daugh- ters, of whom Lewis W. and Helen A. G. survive.
Lewis Waterbury Brewster was born June 30, 1830. He attended the public schools of Portsmouth, graduating from the high school in 1846. In the following November he began his career as a newspaper man, never leaving the office of the Journal from that time on except to take a further course of study at Rockingham Academy. He was married August 14, 1855, to Miss Annie B. Greene, of Hampton Falls, this county. She died No- vember 18, 1895, having given birth to three children, a daughter and two sons, of whom Arthur G. is living. Arthur G. Brewster has taken up the hereditary occupation; and in 1895, at the age of thirty-one years, he became the junior member of the firm of Lewis W. Brewster & Son.
The Portsmouth Journal has always main- tained a high standard of journalistic integrity and usefulness. A remarkable feature of its columns for some time was the very interesting series of historical and descriptive articles, prepared at a great expense of time and labor by the elder Brewster, entitled "Rambles about Portsmouth," afterward published in
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covers, forming two choice volumes, rich in reminiscences of this venerable seaport town.
HARLES R. BAILEY, a representa- tive man of Londonderry, who has been honored by his townsmen with a seat in the New Hampshire legis- lature, was born in Lebanon, Grafton County, March 1, 1851. Hle is a son of James D. and Adaline S. (Sweetser) Bailey, natives of Hillsborough County. James D. Bailey, who was a son of Daniel Bailey, lived in the town of Merrimack, Hillsborough County, until he was about forty years of age. He then moved to Macon County, Illinois, where he died shortly after settling. After his death his widow resided for a number of years in Scranton, Pa., and then moved to Manchester, N. H. She contracted a second marriage, thereby becoming the wife of David R. Leach, for- merly of Londonderry, and died in May, 1888.
Charles R. Bailey, the only surviving child of his parents, spent his early childhood in Illinois, and was about twelve years of age when his mother removed to Scranton, Pa. His education was acquired in the common schools of Illinois and Scranton; the high school in Manchester, N. H., from which he graduated early in the seventies; and the acad- emy at New London, N. H. In 1883 he settled on the farm in Londonderry, where he still makes his home, and has since given his chief attention to agriculture. He owns some eighty acres of land, and carries on his farm- ing operations in a progressive way, often taking the lead in special crops.
He was married in August, 1878, to Au- gusta G. Hunkins, a native of Manchester, and daughter of George W. and Cynthia (Dow) Hunkins, both of Manchester. Of their nine children eight are living; namely, Edwin J., Addie, Anna M., Ara B., Berta, Emma, Grace, and an infant not named at this writing. The second son, Fred, died in early childhood. The father votes the Repub- lican ticket. He was for three years Select- man of Londonderry, serving one year as Chairman of the board. He was Representa- tive in the State legislature one term, and was elected three years in succession Highway
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