USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 67
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
IZRA E. ROGERS, an enterprising and prosperous agriculturist, and a repre- sentative citizen of Derry, was born . in Derry, September 15, 1837, son of Robert and Sarah (Lane) Rogers. Of Scotch-Irish extraction, he is a descendant of one of the early settlers of New Hampshire. His great- grandfather was Robert Rogers, who served in the English army during the French and Ind-
551
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ian War. One of Robert's sons was Arthur Rogers, who was a well-known attorney-at-law of Concord, N. H.
Robert Rogers, son of Arthur, and the father of Ezra E., was born in Rockingham, N. H., and grew to manhood in Concord, N. H. For a number of years in the earlier part of his life he engaged in stone-cutting at Rock- port, Mass. ; but in about 1835 he made a per- manent settlement in Derry, purchasing and fixing his residence on the farm which his son, the subject of this sketch, now occupies. He was one of the first persons to reclaim and to cultivate the land of that locality. He served in the War of 1812, being stationed at the important post of Portsmouth, N. H. Robert Rogers was twice married, on the first occa- sion to Abigail Call, of Bristol, N. H. Their union was blessed in the birth of two children ---- Lucy and Robert. Robert is now deceased. The mother died ; and the father made his sec ond marriage with Miss Sarah Lane, a native of Cape Ann, Mass. They had seven children ; namely, Robert, Abigail, Sarah (now de- ceased), James, George (also deceased), Ezra E., and Eliza J. The father was in a true sense a self-educated and a self-made man. He was public-spirited, and was an earnest advocate and a vigorous promoter of the pub- lic-school system. In politics he was succes- sively a Whig and a Republican. He was in fellowship with the First Church of Derry, to the support of which he was a liberal con- tributor. He was widely and favorably known ; and his decease in October, 1878, was felt as a loss by the community.
Ezra E. Rogers grew to maturity on the pa- ternal estate, obtaining his education in the district schools of Derry and in Chester Acad- emy. Besides the homestead, which contains one hundred and fifty acres of excellent land, he also owns a farm of eighty-six acres, like- wise situated in the town of Derry. On both he has carried on general farming with much success ; while he has resided all his lifetime on the home farm, which is situated in the north-eastern section of the town.
On April 21, 1880, he was joined in mar- riage with Miss Julia A. Sanborn, a native of Chester, this county, and a daughter of the late Ebenezer Sanborn, a former resident of
that town. He has since become the father of one child, Mabel D. Mr. Rogers has partici- pated freely in the civic and social affairs of the community, and during the period of his citizenship he has witnessed many changes and advancements in the social fabric. He is an earnest promoter of any judicious plan that looks to the development of the material and civil interests of the town, and he is an es- pecially vigorous advocate of the common schools. In national politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He attends and liber- ally supports the First Church of East Derry.
ON. AMOS C. CHASE, who is spending the closing years of his busy life in retirement at his beau- tiful home in Kingston, N.H., has been for many years a potent factor of the manufacturing and political interests of Rock- ingham County. He has been a lifelong resi- dent of this village, the date of his birth being March 10, 1833. He comes of substantial English stock, represented in this country at an early period of its history by three emi- grants, namely: William, who settled at Yar- mouth; and Thomas and Aquila, brothers, who settled at Hampton, N. H., in 1639. Aquila Chase a few years later removed to Newbury, Mass.
Charles Chase, the paternal grandfather of Amos C. Chase, was born and reared in the town of Seabrook, Rockingham County, N. H., with his brothers and sisters. As the years passed, the children of the household became scattered, Charles removing to the town of Kingston, where he worked at the hatter's trade.
His son Amos, father of Amos C. Chase, was born in the village of Kingston, where he spent his life, dying December 29, 1873. Ile early learned the trade of a carriage maker, in which he was successfully engaged much of his time, his manufactures finding a ready sale. He became owner of a farm, which he managed in addition to his carriage business. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah P. Ilook, survived him several years, dying May 23, 1888. They reared a family of six children, all of whom are living to-day,
552
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
namely : William Il., a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Lawrence County, South Da- kota, who married Miss Sarah Simpson; Jo- siah H., who married Miss Helen Rankin, and is engaged in the clothing business at Minneapolis, Minn .; the llon. Amos C .; Sarah E., the wife of Stephen F. Nichols, a wealthy citizen, living in Kingston village; Isaac H., a wealthy and influential citizen of Rapid City, So. Dak., who married Miss Newry Gilman, and who is the proprietor of six dry-goods stores within a radius of fifty miles; and Mary S., the wife of James M. Philbrick, a well-known farmer of Kingston.
Amos C. Chase received his education in the Kingston schools, finishing at the old academy, of which he is now Trustee, having filled that office for twenty-three consecutive years. At an early age he began learning the carriage-maker's trade; and, having become proficient in every branch thereof, he started in business for himself. He opened a factory near his present home, where he was born and bred; and from that time until 1888, when he retired from active pursuits, he manufactured carriages for the wholesale trade, building up a large and lucrative business. He has the reputation of being upright in his business dealings; and, though he has met with re- verses, his prosperous ventures have far out- numbered his failures. A part of his real estate includes several houses in the town of Kingston.
Mr. Chase is a strong member of the Re- publican party, having joined its ranks at its formation, and has ever taken an important part in town, county, and State affairs. In 1877 he served as a Representative in the New Hampshire legislature; and in 1881 he was elected State Senator for two years, re- ceiving a handsome majority of the votes cast. In 1883 and 1884 he was a member of Gover- nor Hale's Council. Mr. Chase has been among the foremost in promoting the educa- tional interests of the town, and is at the pres- ent time Treasurer and one of the Board of Trustees of Sanborn Seminary of Kingston, an institution of which the citizens of Rock- ingham County are justly proud.
This school was established in 1883, re- ceiving its name from its benefactor, Major
Edward S. Sanborn, whose liberal generosity made its superior equipment in each depart- ment possible. Its aim is to prepare young people of both sexes for colleges and scientific schools, and to furnish a literary and busi- ness training for young men and women who are here to complete their studies. Besides the preparatory course of one year, to the ad- mission of which no examination is required, Sanborn Seminary offers a thorough English course, or a classical course, of four years, the former fitting its students for the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology and other scientific schools, and the latter preparing them for the best colleges of our land, to many of which they are admitted without further ex- amination. In the departments of physics, chemistry, and biology the laboratories are finely equipped, the necessary apparatus in each being complete, experiments and analysis supplementing the text-book work and demon- strations. Too much cannot be said in praise of this institution, and of the indefatigable work of the Trustees and instructors of San- born Seminary in their efforts to place it among the leading educational institutions of New England.
Mr. Chase has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was married September 29, 1858, was Miss Hattie E. Draper, who was born in Oberlin, Ohio, a daughter of the Rev. Lorenzo Draper. Mr. Draper was a preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was located for two years in Kingston. Mrs. Hattie E. Draper Chase died December 2, 1862, leaving two children - Alma F. and Clara N. Alma F. is the wife of Charles M. Currier, a commercial salesman, travelling for a Boston shoe firm. Clara N., who now lives with her father, is the widow of the late John Monroe Sanborn, a graduate of the Bos- ton Dental College, and a very popular and highly respected young man, a native of East Kingston. His death occurred in Kingston, 1887. Mr. Chase was again married May 3, 1866, to Miss Emily A. Belden, a native of East Haven, Vt. Her father, the late Haines C. Belden, was formerly a well-known attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont. Mr. Chase's second wife died July 4, 1890, leaving four children, all of whom live at home, namely:
553
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Charles A., a book-keeper in Ilaverhill, Mass .; Hattie E., a teacher; Harry B. ; and Howard. Socially, Mr. Chase is a member of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M., of Kingston.
ON. MARCELLUS BUFFORD, for many years one of Portsmouth's best known and most highly esteemed citizens, quietly passed to the life beyond April 19, 1894, at his residence on Richards Avenue, his death being a loss not only to his immediate family and friends, but to the entire city. To him are the words of the poet Bryant truly applicable :
" His youth was innocent ; his riper age Marked with some acts of goodness every day ; And, watched by eyes that loved him, calm and sage, Faded his iate declining years away. Cheerful he gave his being up, and went To share the holy rest that waits a life well spent."
Mr. Bufford was born November 4, 1817, in the town of Portsmouth on Summer Street, in the house which his father, Henry Bufford, had erected in 1806. He completed his edu- cation in the Portsmouth High School, from which he was graduated when fifteen years old. He then entered the printing-office of Henry B. Brewster, with whom he remained two years, or until the failure of his employer. Going then to Boston, he was first employed in the printing establishment of Tuttle, Weeks & Dennett, three men from his native city; and he afterward worked for Dutton & Wentworth on Exchange Street and for Crocker & Brew- ster on Cornhill. From the "Hub" he went to Worcester, where he spent three months on the catalogue of the Antiquarian . Society. Returning to Portsmouth when he was about twenty-one years of age, Mr. Bufford began work with his father, who was engaged in the business of sign and carriage painting, his shop being located on Chestnut Street. This
business was not congenial; but, as his health imperatively demanded some labor that should keep him in the free outdoor air, he followed it industriously and faithfully for some years.
Mr. Bufford, who was a zealous Whig in his earlier years, and later an carnest Republi- can, early became closely identified with the
highest and best interests of his native town. His superior business qualifications, his integ- rity, and his fidelity were recognized by his fellow-citizens, who placed him in various offices of trust and responsibility. In 1849 he represented his district in the State legis- lature. In 1856 he was elected Senator from the First District, and in 1860 he served the city as an Alderman. In 1863 Governor Good- win appointed him Associate Justice of the Portsmouth Municipal Court, a position which he filled to the utmost satisfaction of all con- cerned, and with high credit to himself until the closing months of 1893, when on account of failing health he tendered his resignation. He was connected with the fire department for some time, and in 1854 he held the office . of Chief Engineer. From 1862 until 1874 he was City Clerk, and during this long incum- bency of the office acquired such a comprehen- sive knowledge of municipal affairs as to render his aid of inestimable value to the civic officials, who often sought of him information and counsel.
Judge Bufford was a member of the New Hampshire Lodge of Odd Fellows, being for some years active in its councils ; and he was one of the Trustees of the Mechanics' Asso- ciation and of the Portsmouth Savings Bank. He was a man of eminent piety, a faithful member of the First Parish Church of. Ports- mouth ; and his daily life was the outward man- ifestation of the principles which he cherished. Judge Bufford was twice married. His first wife, Sarah E. Neal, whom he wedded on October 24, 1844, bore him four children, one son and three daughters. One daughter died in infancy, and the son when but seven years old. Virginia and Ellen Walker, the remain- ing children, reside in San Francisco, the elder daughter being the wife of Samuel F. Bufford, and the mother of three children. On June 29, 1873, some time after the death of his first wife, Judge Bufford was united in marriage with Mrs. Persis L. Shackley, widow of the late Augustus Shackley. Her first husband died in this city in 1866, leaving her with one son, Frank I. Shackley, who is now in the re- tail shoe business at Foxboro, Mass.
Mrs. Bufford was born in Newburyport, Mass., being a daughter of Samuel Loud.
554
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
She was educated in the private school of Miss Bagley, a noted teacher. Her father was twice married, both wives being daughters of 1.emuel Coffin, of Newburyport. Ilis first wife, Rachel C., died without issue. His second wife, Sarah, bore him eight children, five of whom grew to maturity ; namely, Sarah, Rachel Coffin, Persis (Mrs. Bufford), Abel Coffin, and Lemuel Coffin.
The Coffin family, from whom through her mother Mrs. Bufford is descended, is an old and prominent one in the annals of New Eng- land. Among its representatives in former years were two brothers, Samuel and Lemuel Coffin, of Newbury, Mass. The former was a seafaring man, and accumulated considerable wealth, becoming the owner of a wharf, warc- houses, and distilleries. He died in 1815, at an advanced age. Lemuel was a shoemaker, and served four years in the Revolutionary War, being one of Washington's body guard. He resumed his trade after returning from the war, continuing actively engaged for twenty- one years. He had two sons, Joseph and Abel, both of whom became sea captains. Abel won fame by bringing the Siamese twins to this country, and having control of them until they became of age. He died more than a half century ago at St. Helena, while on the return trip from his twenty-fourth voyage to the East Indies. Lemuel Coffin, Mrs. Bufford's grand- father, was born in 1756, and married in 1780 Catherine Crebbell, who was born in 1760. They had ten children, Sarah, who marricd Samuel Loud, and became the mother of Mrs. Bufford, being the youngest child. She was born November 16, 1802, and died April 22, 1878.
OSES F. EMERSON, a prominent resident of Candia, N.H., Chair- man of the Board of Selectmen of the town, was born upon the farm where he now resides, November 15, 1832, son of the Hon. Abraham and Abigail (Dol- ber) Emerson.
The founder of this branch of the family in America was Michael Emerson, who settled in Haverhill, Mass., in 1656, and in 1661 re- ceived a grant of land in that town. He
seems to have been a man of considerable prominence in business affairs, and it is re- corded that in 1665 he was chosen to view and seal all leather manufactured in the town. On April 1, 1657, he married Hannah Web- ster, who bore him fifteen children. Ilannah, their first-born, who married Thomas Dustin, December 3, 1677, was the heroine of an ex- ploit which occupies a prominent place in local history. She, in company with Mary Neff and a young man named Lennardson, were made captives by the Indians, and car- ried to the confluence of the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers, where the prisoners suc- ceeded in killing their captors, and, taking the canoc, returned to Haverhill in safety. This incident is commemorated by a monu- ment which marks the spot where the fight for freedom is supposed to have occurred.
Jonathan Emerson, son of Michael, was one of the original grantees of the town of Ches- ter, N.H. When the principal boundary line was established in 1741, his land was in- cluded within the limits of Haverhill, Mass. He commanded the garrison there, which was attacked unsuccessfully by the savages in 1701; and in 1705 he, with others, was given the privilege of establishing a grist-mill. His son Samuel, the next in line, was born in 1707. He became a resident of Chester, N.H., where he was a citizen of prominence, holding the office of Town Clerk from 1731 to 1787, being the first Justice of the Peace and one of the Selectmen, a man of sterling integ- rity and sound judgment. His first wife was Sarah Ayer, and his second Dorothy San- born.
Moses Emerson, son of Samtiel and Dorothy Emerson, was born in 1755, and early in life settled in Candia, N.H. He left his farm to serve in the Continental army during the Rev- olutionary War, participating in the battle of Bennington; and after his discharge from the service he returned to Candia, where he con- tinued to reside until his death, which took place at the age of eighty-five years. Colonel Nathaniel Emerson, his elder half-brother, was prominent in both civil and military affairs. At the commencement of the Revo- lutionary War he conducted a company of vol- unteers from Chester and Candia through the
555
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
wilderness to Bennington, Vt., to re-enforce the American troops; and he figured officially in the memorable engagement there. He served in the Continental army as Lieutenant Colonel, and was Representative from his dis- trict for the years 1790, 1792, 1794, and 1796. He died April 30, 1825. Grandfather Moses Emerson was twice married, his first wife being Lydia Sargent. His second wife, formerly Lydia Fitts, of Candia, bore him nine children : Moses, Jonathan, John, Abra- ham, Thomas, Lydia, Sarah, Dorothy, and Susanna.
Abraham Emerson, son of Moses, was born September 14, 1800, in Candia. Acquiring a good education, he taught school for some time during young manhood. He succeeded eventually to the ownership of the homestead farm, which he carried on with energy and success throughout the active period of his life. He died October 7, 1891, aged about ninety-one years. In public affairs of both town and State he secured a high reputation as an honorable and exceedingly able official, having served as Town Clerk for five years, as a Justice of the Peace for many years, and in 1846 as a member of the State Senate, where he took an active part in the struggle which led to the election of John P. Hale to the United States Senate. He was originally a Democrat in politics; but during the early agitation of the slave question he joined the Free Soil party, being chosen a delegate to the National Convention held in Buffalo in 1848, and he later supported the Republican party. In educational matters he displayed a lively interest, rendering much valuable aid in improving the school system of the State; and he was prominent in the State militia as Lieutenant Colonel of the Seventh Regiment. When a young man, he united with the Con- gregational church, remaining one of its most earnest supporters for the rest of his life. The Hon. Abraham Emerson married Abigail Dolber, a native of Candia, where the name was formerly spelled Dolby. They became the parents of nine children, six of whom are living, namely : the Rev. John D., of Bidde- ford, Me .; Daniel F., of Manchester, N. H. ; Moses F., the subject of this sketch; Luther W., a resident of New York City; Sarah W.,
wife of Deacon Edmund Hill, of Candia; and Lydia, wife of Jesse W. Sargent, of this town.
Moses F. Emerson attended the common schools of Candia in his early years, and later supplemented his early studies with a course at the Pembroke Academy. For ten years he was engaged as a teacher in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, a portion of the time presiding over schools in Gloucester, Mass., and his native town, his summers being spent in farming at the homestead. He finally re- linquished educational pursuits for agricult- ure, which he has since continued to follow. His landed estate consists of two hundred and eighty acres, one hundred acres of which are woodland, one hundred and twenty being de- voted to pasturing, and the rest used for till- age. He cuts about forty tons of hay annu- ally, winters an average of twenty head of cattle, and as an intelligent, progressive, and well-to-do farmer he takes a foremost rank among the citizens of this town.
In politics he supports the Republican party, and his fellow-townsmen have long availed themselves of his valuable services in local public affairs. During the Civil War he was first elected a member of the Board of Selectmen, becoming Chairman thereof in the days when that official was also Town Treas- urer, and handling the financial affairs of the town with ability and faithfulness. He has also served upon the School Board, was for some years Collector of Taxes, is the oldest Justice of the Peace in town, having acted in that capacity for over thirty-eight years, his commission being dated June 25, 1858; and his present connection with the Board of Selectmen has extended over a period of six years, five years of which he has presided as Chairman. He has attended to a great deal of probate business, having settled the estate left by the late Cyrus Prescott, who willed one thousand dollars to the town; and he also administered the estate of the late Benjamin P. Colby, the residue of which, amounting to more than one thousand dollars, was paid over to the New Hampshire Conference, according to the direction of the testator.
On December 16, 1857, Mr. Emerson was united in marriage with Abbie Patten, daugh- ter of Deacon Francis Patten, of Candia. Of
556
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
the seven children born to them six are living, namely: Francis P., a well-known physician of Roxbury, now a part of Boston, Mass .; Abraham F., a prominent resident of Man- chester, N.H., and a Trustee of the Water Board of that city; Nellie M., who lives in Concord, N.H .; Annie S., who resides in Haverhill, Mass .; William R. P., who is pur- suing the study of medicine at Harvard Uni- versity ; and Nat W., now a student of Dart- mouth College.
Mr. Emerson is connected with Rocking- ham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., in which he has occupied the principal chairs, and the Order of the Eastern Star. In his religious views he is a Congregationalist, and has for many years been connected with that church.
EORGE WASHINGTON DEAR- BORN is one of the oldest citizens of Exeter, N.H. He lives in the oldest house standing in that historic city, a house which bears the distinction of having received as a guest on November 4, 1789, President Washington, who took a late break- fast there after riding up from Portsmouth. Mr. Dearborn was born on October 22, 1815. His parents were Freese and Mary (Drake) Dearborn, both natives of New Hampshire. The founder of the family in America was Godfrey Dearborn, who came from Exeter, England, about 1632, and, sailing up the river in a small boat, made a clearing in the wilder- ness, which then covered the site of the pres- ent city of Exeter. Here he lived six or seven years, and then moved to Hampton, Rockingham County, where many of his pos- terity were born. One of his descendants was General Henry Dearborn, of Nottingham, N.H., who was Captain, in command of a com- pany on the right at the battle of Bunker IIill, under General (then Colonel) John Stark, went with Arnold to Quebec in 1775, served in the campaign which ended in the capture of Burgoyne, and was appointed Com- mander-in-chief of the American army at the beginning of the War of 1812.
Josiah Dearborn, the grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Hampton in 1738. A farmer of limited means, he spent
his life in his native town, dying there Sep- tember 15, 1814. His wife, who. was born in 1737, lived to be ninety years of age. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom, a son and two daughters, died in child- hood. Those who attained maturity were: John, born in 1758, who died at the age of twenty-one; Joseph, born in 1761, who died in 1832; Josiah, Jr., who was born in 1764, and died in 1832; Sarah, who was born in 1767, and died at the age of twenty-four; Samuel, second, who died in 1797, at the age of twenty-four; Freese, already mentioned, who was the ninth child and youngest son ; and Anna, who was born in 1780, and died in 1855.
Freese Dearborn was born in Hampton, N. H., March 25; 1778. He was a man of in- telligence and much force of character, and was a public servant for thirty years, holding office as Deputy Sheriff and as jailer. He died April 5, 1862. In 1800 he was married to Mary Drake, of Northampton, N. H., daughter of Abraham and Mary Drake. Her family also was of English origin, and her an- cestors settled in New Hampshire in Colonial times. She had three brothers - Samuel, Abraham and Francis - and four sisters. Her own children were eight in number, namely : Sally, who lived to be ninety-one years of age, dying in Northampton in 1891; Abraham, a physician, who died in Malden, Mass., in 1871, at the age of sixty-nine; Josiah, who died in 1852, at the age of forty-six; Free- man, who died in childhood ; Samuel Francis, who died in 1888, in his seventy-ninth year; George Washington, the subject of this sketch; and his twin brother, John Adams, who died in Colorado in 1890, at the age of seventy-five; and Mary, who died in 1862, at the age of forty-two.
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.