USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 41
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EORGE W. MILLER, the present Representative in the New Ilamp- shire legislature from Londonderry, is one of the successful men of the town. A native of York County, Maine, he was born
in the town of Acton, May 1, 1850, son of Woodman and Nancy C. (Hurd) Miller. The family is of English origin. Mr. Miller's great-grandfather, John Miller, was the first settler of the town of Milton, N. H. Wood- man Miller, who was born in 1809, is one of the oldest residents of Acton. His wife, Nancy, was the daughter of Samuel Hurd, of Acton, Me. She became the mother of a large family of children, of whom the sur- vivors are: Cyrus W. and Benjamin F., who reside in Acton; Charles E., of Dorchester, Mass .; George W., of Londonderry, N. H .; and William H. H., who is residing in Maine; Annie, the wife of Asa M. Hurd, of Acton, Me .; Tamsen, the wife of James E. Billings, of Acton, Mass. ; Mary, the wife of William Hubbard, of Dorchester, Mass. ; Hattie E., the wife of Isaac Hussey, of Acton, Me. ; and Matilda E., also of Acton, Me. The mother is no longer living.
George W. Miller passed his youth in his native town, acquiring his education in the public schools. Subsequently he spent some time helping on the home farm, and then went to Manchester, N. H., where he was em- ployed for a few years in the cotton and woollen mills. After leaving there he had charge of a stationary engine for the Concord Railroad Company for nine years, and for two years was engaged in the dry and fancy goods business in Manchester. He finally settled upon a farm of sixty-five acres in London- derry, on which he has been successfully en- gaged in general farming. He has also a thriving business as a carpenter and builder. A Republican in politics, he is a leading spirit in local affairs. He has served the town as Supervisor, was Collector for two years, a member of the Board of Selectmen for the same length of time, and was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representa- tives in 1894 as the candidate of the Republi- can party.
Mr. Miller wedded Mrs. Nettie E. (Ratray) Brown, daughter of the late James W. Ratray, of Londonderry, who was a native of Dundec, Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two children - Arthur G. and Lillian M.
In business and political circles Mr. Miller is widely and favorably known He has affilia-
SAMUEL CAMPBELL.
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of which he was Chairman. He is a member of the Londonderry Grange, Patrons of Hus- bandry, of which he has been Master one year.
UTHER W. TWOMBLY, a leading cit- izen of Northwood, who is extensively engaged in general farming and lum- bering, was born November 16, 1852, in Alton, this State, son of Benjamin and Mary J. (Ayre) Twombly. He belongs to one of the old families of Alton. His grandfather, Moses Twombly, who was a native of Farmington, N. H., was one of the pioneer settlers in Alton. Moses purchased there one hundred acres of timber land, which he cleared and converted into a good farm. He lived to be eighty-one years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Sally Dore, attained the age of eighty-five. She and her husband reared ten children.
Benjamin Twombly remained on the home farm until of age. Then, spurred by the rest- less ambition of youth, he went to Boston, and in that city became associated with Mr. Chester Blodgett in a copartnership for grad- ing railroads under contract. After the firm had conducted a successful business for a number of years, Mr. Twombly withdrew and returned to the homestead, where he followed agriculture for the rest of his life. He died at the age of sixty-two. His wife, who was a daughter of Jonathan Ayre, of Lowell, Mass., lived to be seventy-two years of age. He voted the Democratic ticket. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church. They reared three children, namely : C. Emily, now Mrs. Varney; Chester A., who resides on the homestead in Alton; and Luther W., the subject of this article.
Luther W. Twombly, having received his early education at Alton, finished his school- ing at Dover (N. H.) Academy. He went to Boston when he was eighteen years of age, and remained two years. Then, returning to the homestead, he engaged in farming and lumbering with his brother, Chester A. These pursuits occupied his attention for eleven years, after which he left home again, and spent two years and a half on a cattle
ranch in Montana. In 1886 he returned to Alton, and, with his brother, purchased a tim- ber lot in Northwood. Two years later he became a resident of Northwood, where he has since been prosperously engaged in farming and lumbering. An active and bright busi- ness man, Mr. Twombly is very progressive in his methods.
In 1890 he was united in marriage with Alice B., daughter of George Sherburne, of Northwood. He is a strong Democrat, and takes an active interest in politics. Standing high in the esteem of his party, he has been nominated for Representative, County Com- missioner, and Selectman, but was not elected, as the town is Republican by a decisive ma- jority. It is very hard for a Democrat to carry a nomination. Mr. Twombly is a member of Winnipiseogee Lodge, No. 75, A. F. & A. M., and one of the influential men of Northwood Grange, No. 209.
EACON SAMUEL CAMPBELL is a representative citizen of Rocking- ham County, New Hampshire, re- siding now in the town of Derry. He was born in Windham, September 1, 1819, son of Robert Moor and Anna (Carr) Camp- bell, and on both paternal and maternal sides comes of the vigorous stock known as Scotch- Irish. The Campbells of Windham, which town was until 1742 a part of old London- derry, N. H., are said to have sprung from the ancient and illustrious Scottish family, the Campbells of Argyle. Tradition supplies a somewhat shadowy remote ancestor, Daniel Campbell, a native of Argyleshire, Scotland, born in 1660, who removed to Ireland, and was an officer in King William's army at the battle of Boyne, July 1, 1690.
His son, Henry Campbell, the immigrant progenitor from whom Deacon Samuel Camp- bell is the fifth in lineal descent, was born in 1697, in Londonderry, Ireland. He crossed the Atlantic in 1733, and in the same year bought land, and shortly established a home in Windham. The genealogy of the family is given in Mr. Leonard A. Morrison's valu- able History of Windham, to which we are in- debted for not a few of the names and inter-
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esting facts that follow in this connection. Henry Campbell and his wife, Martha Black, whom he married in Ireland, had eight chil- dren. He died in 1782, she in 1778.
Their third child, Samuel, first, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1722. He was one of the first school teachers in Windham, was Town Clerk 1761-74, a Selectman sev- eral years, and an Elder in the church. A stanch patriot, he served in the war of the Revolution. He married Mary Robinson, and was the father of twelve children -- Sarah, Hannah, Martha, Mary, Henry, James, Eliza- beth, Isabel, Samuel, John, Abner, and Isaac. Sarah Campbell, the eldest child, born in 1745, married first Robert Moor, and after his death married John McConihe. Hannah mar- ried a Mr. Henry, and lived in Vermont. Martha married John Henry, and lived in New Boston, N. H. James married Rachel Gregg, and settled in Bedford. Abner mar- ried first Sarah Gregg; second, Elizabeth Betton; and, third, Annis Aiken. Isaac mar- ried and settled in Acworth, N.H.
John Campbell, fourth son of Samuel and Mary (Robinson) Campbell and grandfather of Deacon Samuel, of Derry, was born in Windham in 1762. Like his father, he was an active and influential citizen, serving as Town Clerk, Sclectman, and Representative. By his first wife, Sarah Burns, he had eight children. The six who grew to maturity and married were: Robert Moor, Sally, Jane, Sophia, Patty, and Eliza.
Robert Moor Campbell, son of John, born in 1789, worthily bore the family name. Hc held office as Selectman and as Tax Collector. He was four times married. His first wife was Anna Carr, who died in 1837; his second, Susan Burbank, who died in 1843; his third, Elizabeth C. Osgood, who died in 1854; his fourth, who survived him, Mrs. Mary Clark Davidson. He had five children, all by his first wife, as follows: Sarah Ann, who mar- ried first David W. Dickey, and second George W. Dickey, of whom a sketch appcars on another page of this volume; John (de- ceased) ; Samuel; Arminda (deceased), who married Aaron C. Osgood; and Clarissa (now deceased), who married Charles E. Cogswell, of Haverhill, Mass. Robert Moor Campbell
was a Whig prior to the formation of the Republican party, with which he afterward affiliated, and, like a true Scotsman, a Pres- byterian. He died April 24, 1865, leaving behind him the heritage of an honored memory.
Samucl Campbell, second son of Robert M. Campbell, was rearcd in Windham, where he attended the common schools in his boyhood, becoming a student of the Francestown Acad- emy for a short time at a later period. Though lacking the advantages of a college education, he is a man of good mental powers and of wide information upon general sub- jects. He has followed farming as a vocation since his youth, and has always taken a lively interest in affairs of local and national impor- tance. While a resident of Windham . he served for seven years as Selectman, was for two years a Representative to the State legis- lature, and for a time was both Auditor and Treasurer. When in 1889 he removed from Windham to Derry, the residents of the for- mer town had as much to regret his departure as those of the latter had to rejoice in his coming; for Deacon Samucl Campbell had proved that he was a citizen of broad views and lofty aims, and always using his influence to promote the welfare and improvement of the community in which he lived.
On September 19, 1844, Samuel Campbell was married to Miss Lydia E. Crowell, of Windham, a daughter of Jesse and Hannah (Campbell) Crowell, both natives of Wind- ham. Four children came to bless this union, namely: Cassius S., born November 19, 1845; Francena E., born in 1848, who died September 19, 1859; Alphonso F., born November 30, 1850, who married Eliza M. Johnson; and Harlan E., born October 31, 1860, who lives at home with his father. Cassius S. Campbell fitted for college at Pinkerton Academy, was graduated at Dart- mouth in 1868, and has since been engaged in cducational work. He had charge of the public schools in Hastings, Minn., for ten years, was principal of the high school in St. Paul, Minn., five ycars, then principal of the academy at Mount Vernon, N. H., four years ; and he has now for cight years held a professorship in Pinkerton Academy at Derry.
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He married in 1869 Lydia L. Ashley. Their children are: George A., born November 27, 1870; Arthur F., born October 4, 1872; Francena L., October 23, 1874; and Percy A., born August 19, 1877.
The second son, Alphonso F., a farmer and carpenter, occupies the old Campbell home- stead in Windham, which he bought of his father. The farm was deeded to his great- great-grandfather, Elder Samuel Campbell, in 1758. Alphonso F. Campbell married Ellen M. Johnson, and they have three children - Samuel F., born May 21, 1882, in Marlboro, Mass. ; Willis C., born July 14, 1883, in Windham; and Emma L., born December 6, 1888.
In December, 1889, Deacon Samuel Camp- bell suffered a great and irreparable loss in the death of his wife, who had been the faith- ful and congenial companion of many years. She was a conscientious member of the Pres- byterian church in Windham, where Mr. Campbell held the office that gave him the title which he still holds. Following the family bent in politics as well as religious predilection, Deacon Campbell, whose portrait accompanies this biographical sketch, is a Republican of the stanchest type. In the various relations of life he fulfils his part be- fitting the representative of a race noted in their own country for centuries for their loy- alty and indomitable strength, and in Amer- ica, the land of their adoption, for the most admirable traits developed by the pioneer settlers.
HARLES S. WHIDDEN, a success- ful agriculturist of Rye, was born in Portsmouth, this county, April 27, 1852, son of Samuel H. and Data D. (Brown) Whidden. Mr. Whidden repre- sents one of the oldest established families of the county. He is directly descended from Ichabod Whidden, who took up a tract of land in the vicinity of Portsmouth during the reign of King Charles HI. This land, which is still in the possession of the Whidden family, lies partly in Portsmouth and partly in the adjoin- ing town of Greenland. From Ichabod Whid- den the descent was continued by four Samuels
and Samuel H. to Charles S. Whidden. Each ancestor was a farmer by occupation ; and gen- eration after generation occupied the home- stead, each one making improvements on the property. One of the Samuels enlisted in the King's troops, and was garrisoned at Cape Town, remaining in the service thirty years. He then returned to the old Whidden home- stead, on which he passed his remaining days.
Samuel Whidden (fourth), the grandfather of Charles S., married Sally Haines, who was descended from one of the pioneers of the town of Greenland. He succeeded to the home- stead, and followed the occupation of farmer throughout his active years. Samuel H. Whidden, a son of Samuel, spent his entire life on the homestead farm, also occupied in farming until his death at the age of sixty-nine years. Of his marriage with Data D. Brown, a daughter of Jonathan Brown, of Rye, N. H., two sons and two daughters were born. These were: Charles S. and Horace D., twins; An- toinette A., now Mrs. Horace W. Garland, of Rye, N. Y. ; and Anna A., now Mrs. Irvin W. Garland, of Rye, N. H. Horace D., now de- ceased, married Mary Hare, and at his demise left two sons - Samuel S. and Charles H., who are the present owners of the original homestead property. Mrs. Data D. Whidden died at the age of fifty-six years.
Charles S. Whidden was reared and edu- cated in Portsmouth, and lived there until 1884, when he removed to Ryc. He has al- ways been closely associated with the agricult- ural interests of Rockingham County, and is now one of the leading farmers of his adopted town. In politics Mr. Whidden has uniformly supported the Republican ticket. In 1876 he cast his first Presidential vote in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes. He is actively inter- ested in town and county affairs, and was a member of the Board of Selectmen in 1894 and 1895.
Mr. Whidden married Alice J. Jenness in 1876. Mrs. Whidden was born in Rye, daughter of Samuel W. and Eliza Colcord Jenness, and is lineally descended from Fran- cis Jenness, one of the original settlers of Rye. Francis Jenness, who was of English birth, and came to this country in the early Colonial times, accompanied by one brother, settled near
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the New Hampshire shore; while his brother pushed into the interior, and was never heard from afterward. Francis continued his resi- dence in this county, becoming the founder of the present well-known family bearing his name. Mr. and Mrs. Whidden have two daughters, namely: Mary W., a teacher of music; and Edith E., now attending school. Both parents occupy the old Jenness home- stead, in which five generations have been reared.
J OHN 11. PARKER, now deceased, for- merly the proprietor and manager of Seabrook, was born May 10, 1837, in the well-known Washington House at Sanford, York County, Me., son of Clement and Maria (Hubbard) Parker. His father in carly manhood was a confectioner at Sanford and Great Falls, N. H. Subsequently he was the proprietor and manager of the Merrimac House of Boston, Mass., which he conducted for some years. He married Mrs. Maria (Hubbard) Heminway, a native of Sanford ; and they became the parents of five children, all of whom except John H., the subject of the sketch, are now living. The father passed his declining years at Lewiston, Mc., where he died in 1876. The mother had died several years previously.
John H. Parker received his elementary education in the common schools of West- brook, Me. He prepared himself for a college course, but had not afterward the advantage of pursuing it. In 1870 he removed to Seabrook and purchased the Washington House. He managed it thereafter for several years, ac- commodating the transient guests only. In 1861 he enlisted for service in the Civil War in the First Regiment of Rhode Island Cav- alry, but was at first detailed as a recruiting officer at Great Falls, N. H. Later he served in the Second Regiment of New Hampshire Cavalry, and participated in the engagement at Kelly's Ford. Here he sustained serious internal injuries caused by his horse falling upon him, from the effects of which he never fully recovered.
On April 5, 1860, Mr. Parker wedded Miss Lydia Hall, a daughter of Gilman and Eliza
(Tuttle) Hall, who were residents of Barring- ton, N. H. They had one child, whose death some time ago was to them a sore affliction. In national politics Mr. Parker was a Republi- can. He had affiliation with the Masonic fra- ternity, being a member of St. John's Lodge located at Newburyport, Mass. His recollec- tions of the Civil War were kept fresh by association with the Grand Army Post at Lew- iston, Me., of which at one time he was Vice- Commander. Mr. Parker departed this life at Seabrook, July 23, 1875. Since his decease his wife, Mrs. Parker, has conducted the hotel now known as the Parker House.
OHN JAMES BELL, formerly of Exeter, who died in Manchester, N. H., August 22, 1893, is justly ranked among the noteworthy men of New Hampshire. "Had he lived," wrote one who knew him well, "it is probable that his State, which every year grew more appreciative of him, would have called him to its chief magis- tracy." "His biography in brief," said his pastor, is "an honorable man and counsel- lor." His life was a shining example of virtue and of zeal for every good cause.
He was born at Chester, N. H., October 30, 1827, son of the Hon. Samuel Dana and Mary (Healey) Bell. His American ancestry began with John Bell, who came from Londonderry in the north of Ireland, cast in his lot with the early settlers of Londonderry, N. H., and subsequently held the responsible offices of Selectman, Surveyor, and Moderator of the town. John Bell's son, also named John, was Selectman, Town Clerk, a member of the Committee of Public Safety, a delegate to the convention that adopted the first constitution of government, Colonel of militia, Senator, Justice of the Peace, and Elder of the First Parish. His son, Samuel, having graduated from Dartmouth College in 1793, became a member and Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, State Senator, Presi- dent of the State Senate, Justice of the Supreme Court, Governor of the State, United States Senator for twelve years, besides Trustee of Dartmouth College. Samuel's eldest child, Samuel Dana, who was a graduate of Harvard
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College, read law with the eminent jurist, the Hon. George Sullivan. In 1820 he removed to Chester, after which he represented that town in the State legislature, was Clerk of the House, Solicitor for Rockingham County, Colonel of First Regiment of the New Hamp- shire militia, Commissioner for the revisal of the laws, Judge successively of the Police, Common Pleas, and Superior Courts, and finally Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.
John James Bell received his education in the public schools and academies of Manches- ter, Concord, and Exeter. After studying law in Manchester, he graduated from the Harvard Law School, and was admitted to the bar of Hillsborough County in 1848. He spent the first two years of his professional career in Milford and Nashua, N. H., after which he removed to Carmel, Me. During the fourteen years he practised law here, he attained a high reputation for legal acumen. At the end of that time, feeling the general depression of business and judging that the condition of things would become worse, he returned to this State. Establishing himself in Exeter, he resumed his law business, and continued it until he had acquired a competence. Then he retired from the bar, and gave his chief atten- tion to literary pursuits and historical research. In 1874-75 he made a tour of Europe and Pal- estine. Shortly after his return from abroad he was appointed Judge of the Exeter Police Court, a position that he held with distinction for many years. By the death of his brother, the Hon. Samuel N. Bell, in 1889, he came into possession of a large property, which thenceforth placed him beyond the necessity of following his profession in any form. It obliged him, however, to engage actively in other occupations. He was soon after elected a Director of the Concord & Portsmouth Railroad, and both Director and President of the Pemigewasset Valley, Suncook Valley, and Suncook Extension Valley Railroads. He was afterward President of a company formed to build a railroad from Exeter to Epping, N. H., was largely interested in the Manufacturing Company of Exeter, was the first President of the Exeter Board of Trade, was subsequently President of the State Board of Trade, and
was Director in the New Hampshire Life Insurance Company. But while giving due attention to his multifarious interests, he did not neglect the duties of good citizenship. He was a member of the State legislatures of 1883, 1885, 1887, 1889, and 1891, where, as one of the leaders of the house, few men of late years have had such beneficial influence on legislation. It was said of him that "his thorough knowledge of the history of legisla- tion and his familiarity with parliamentary law and practice enabled him to engage effec- tively in debate - often without a moment's preparation - making him an influential and valuable member; while his high charac- ter and unquestionable integrity gave him a pre-eminence attained by few of his contem- poraries." He also did good service for the State by his efforts in behalf of the insane poor, as a member of the State Library Com- mittee, and as one of the commissioners desig- nated to establish the boundary line between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Very useful work was likewise accomplished by him as Secretary, Vice-President, and President of the New Hampshire Historical Society and as a member of the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. He was regarded as an authority upon historical subjects, and was the writer of several instructive papers, among which may be mentioned his notable address at Hampton's Quarter-millennial, and that upon "The Rockingham County Bar in the Days of Webster and Mason."
A sincere and practical temperance man, Mr. Bell served as first officer in the State temperance organization, and filled prominent positions both in the Sons of Temperance and in the Independent Order of Good Templars. He was connected with the Masonic Order for nearly forty-four years. Ile took the first three degrees in Rising Sun Lodge, No. 39, at Nashua, respectively in October, November, and December, 1849, afterward advancing to some of the highest functions known to the fraternity. He was Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maine, Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, Grand Principal Con- ductor of Work in the Grand Council, and Grand Senior Warden in the Grand Com- mandery. In the Grand Lodge of New
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Hampshire he was Grand Master; in the Grand Chapter, Grand High Priest; in the Grand Commandery, Grand Commander; and in the Grand Council of lligh Priests, he was Presi- dent at the time of his demise. Ile was a member and a most liberal supporter of the Second Congregational Church in Exeter .. He also took an active interest in church work, serving as Sunday-school teacher, clerk, Deacon, and parish moderator, acting as dele- gate to the National Council of Congregation- alists held in 1892 and as one of the corporate members of the American Board.
In 1881, April 13, Mr. Bell married Miss Cora L. Kent, daughter of Deacon and Mrs. Ilervey Kent, of Exeter. The happy union was made still happier by the advent of two sons : Samuel Kent Bell, born March 4, 1888 ; and John Kent Bell, born February 4, 1891. When Mr. Bell died, his bereaved family had the sincere sympathy of Exeter's people, who mourned with them, having cause enough in that a useful man, a good man, a model for their youth, had been withdrawn forever. His obsequies were attended by a concourse of life- long friends; and his remains were interred August 25, 1893, at Exeter.
MERY BATCHELDER, who comes of an old and respected Hampton family, was born in Hampton Falls, N. H., September 18, 1812, son of Reuben and Betsey (Tilton) Batchelder. The first of the family born in the town of Hampton was Nathaniel Batchelder, who was the eldest son of an English settler. David Batchelder, grandfather of Emery, was a well-to-do farmer of Hampton Falls. His second wife, Mary (Emery) Batchelder, was Emery's grand- mother. David Batchelder reared four sons and nine daughters, all of whom, except four of the daughters, had large families.
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