USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 16
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Our subject has taken more than an ordinary interest in Lebanon since his residence there, and many of the late improvements of the village have been made possible by his enterprise and hearty support. He is valued and respected in. the business circles as a man of push and energy and of the strictest probity. He is one of the trustees of the Lebanon Savings Bank. Al- though a stanch Republican, he has until re- cently refused to run for any office; in the last campaign of 1896, he was elected representative. He owns quite considerable real estate; in addi- tion to his several tenements, which he rents, he owns a beautiful home on Green Street; the house is perhaps best, known as the O. Mutch- more place; he has enlarged and improved it in the most artistic and beautiful fashion. His wife is Mary Angeline, daughter of Nathaniel Davis of Thetford, Vt.
NEWELL C. WRIGHT, traveling salesman for the North Haverhill Granite Co., with home in North Haverhill, was born in North Benton, N. H., Nov. 22, 1852. He is a son of Gilbert P. and Phoebe (Marston) Wright and grandson of Abijah Wright, who was a son of the first doc- tor that ever rode into Haverhill, coming by means of horseback and blazing the trees as he proceeded through the unbroken forests in order that he might be able to retrace his way if he lost his bearings. This doctor was one of three brothers, who came from England, one of whom settled in Massachusetts, one in the west, and one in New Hampshire.
Gilbert P. Wright was born in Hebron, July 20, 1815. He was a farmer by occupation and owned several farms, aggregating 300 or 400 acres, besides about the same amount in timber land. He was also interested in lumbering, owning as he did so much timber and a saw- mill for its preparation. He was a captain in the State militia for a time. As selectman he served his, town for many years, at one period being continued in office for seven successive elections ; a very flattering offer of a nomination as repre- sentative met his steadfast refusal. He was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church. His wife, Phoebe Marston, was a daughter of Jona- than and Phoebe (Howe) Marston. Jonathan Marston was a farmer and one of the earliest settlers in the town. Availing himself of the splendid opportunities afforded by the abund- ance of game he became a trapper and a bear hunter with the unequaled reputation of having killed more ursuline brutes than any other man in the country. Reckless and with little fear of wild animals, he had many narrow escapes; he was kept in a tree by a bear one night and the problem of how to extricate himself from his unpleasant surroundings was only solved by the timely arrival of a searching party, which had formed because of his long absence from home and had started out to find him dead or alive.
Our subject's youthful years were spent at home, attending school in the winter season until fourteen years of age, with two subsequent terms at Bradford, Vt., and working on the farm in the summer time. When nineteen years and five months old he bought the remaining years of his minority from his father for $200 and taught school for the first winter; in the spring, having
DR. AI STEPHEN RUSSELL.
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purchased 100 acres, he began farming, settling down as a family man, for he married his wife when twenty years old. After one year he sold the farm and bought a farm in East Haverhill of 100 acres and lived there eleven years. Because of his ill health he sold his farm and went west to Le Roy, Minn., and Hitchcock, Dakota. Mr. Wright bought a wholesale produce and com- mission business in Boston upon his return east, benefited in health and conducted it with marked success for two years. He then disposed of his commission business and bought a mercantile estate in North Haverhill, and after two years took his brother into partnership. This arrange- ment continued for six years until October, 1895, when he sold his interest in the stock and leased the building. He had previously bought stock in the Granite Co. and is now on the road as its traveling salesman; he assists in the manage- ment of the company as one of its directors.
Mr. Wright married Dec. 25, 1872, at North Haverhill, Miss Mary Jane Jeffers, daughter of John and Mary (Heywood) Jeffers; to the parents of Mr. Wright were born eight boys and three girls, of whom our subject was the sixth son. Both our subject and his wife are members of the M. E. Church. Mr. Wright is a member of the following secret orders: Moosehillock Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F .; S. S. Davis Lodge, No. 19, K. of P., of Haverhill; Rebecca Lodge, No. 4: Canton Albin of the Uniformed Rank; Camp of the Patriarchs Militant of Littleton; and Pink Granite Grange, No. 210, of North Haverhill.
In politics our subject is a prominent Demo- crat and wields his wide influence in behalf of the party of his choice. He took an active part on the stump in the last National campaign, his services being in great demand for rallies and political gatherings where the liveliest enthu- siasm was at a premium. He has held the ap- pointive office of justice since 1881, when he re- ceived his first commission as county justice, July 8, from Governor Charles H. Bell, which was renewed for five more years, July 8, 1886, by Governor Moody Currier. Gov- ernor Hiram A. Tuttle appointed him State justice June 23, 1891, and May 27, 1896, Gov- ernor Charles A. Buriel appointed him for five years more. The two latter appointments are recorded in Washington, D. C., with the clerk
of the United States Circuit Court, and em- power Mr. Wright to do pension business, in which he has proved unusually successful. He secured one pension with $3,300.00 back pay for a widow and one of $3,700.00 for a man ninety- seven years old, which pension had been pend- ing for many years with what seemed little chance of a successful termination until Mr. Wright took it up.
DR. AI STEPHEN RUSSELL, the leading physician of the village of Rumney, was born in Lincoln, N. H., June 29, 1857, and is a son of Stephen and Eunice C. (Hanson) Russell, and a grandson of Stephen and Faithful (Jesseman) Russell.
Stephen Russell's father was of English de- scent, and served in the Revolution. Our sub- ject's grandfather moved to Lincoln township to help in the construction of a road from that place to Franconia. In 1800 he was married to Faithful Jesseman, who was of Scotch parentage, and at once bought an extensive tract of unim- proved land and erected on it a temporary structure for the shelter of his family and a cow. Much of the land he succeeded in clearing, and as his circumstances improved, he was soon enabled to build comfortable and roomy farm buildings, and as taverns were scarce, he ran a kind of primitive hotel for the accommodation of the traveling public, and the new settlers as they came into the new country. His farm was large enough to divide among his sons at his death, allowing each a good farm. Prominent, and a leader in the settlement, he was often chosen to places of trust, serving as representa- tive a number of times, as a member of the school board, surveyor, selectman, and as town clerk. Eleven children were born to him and his wife, all of whom grew to maturity and married. Their names were: Roxanna, Thomas, Betsey, Sally, Lucy, Simeon, Nathan, Stephen, Jr., Arthur L., Mary S., and Lydia.
Stephen Russell, Jr., was born Feb. 9, 1818, in the town of Lincoln; he married Eunice Han- son, daughter of Permiah Hanson of Gilmanton, N. H .; she was born in Gilmanton, Aug. 12, 1829. After marriage he settled on a tract of land near the old homestead and cleared and
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cultivated it; he is still living there with his wife, enjoying a beautiful old age. Because of in- juries he received from a kick of a horse when a youth he was never able to engage so exten- sively in farming as his father. Eight children were born to them, and all were christened with names beginning with A. Following is the family record: Alvira, born Oct. 20, 1849; Alice, July 16, 1852; Addie, Oct. 22, 1854; Ai Stephen, June 29, 1857; Affie, April 12, 1860; Arbirtie, May 19, 1863; Augustus, Nov. 25, 1868; and Arthur, March 12, 1870.
Dr. Russell received his preliminary education in the common schools of Lincoln; his training for the medical profession was acquired at the Eclectic Medical College, at Lewiston, Me., from which he graduated March 11, 1884, and in June of the same year started in to secure a practice in Rumney, N. H. Dr. Russell located at his present residence, which was variously known as the Dr. Woodman or Dr. Hall place, and there has fitted up an office and reception rooms. The house has been enlarged and made over in many important features, and with the fine lawns adjoining it is easily one of the most desirable homes in Rumney. There are some twenty acres of rich interval land that is con- nected with his home; new barns and stables with carriage house give all the accommodations that could be desired for his horses and other stock. He lias built up an enviable general prac- tice that extends widely through the adjoining towns, and no physician holds any more respect and confidence of his patrons than he.
Our subject married Celesta A. Elliott, daugh- ter of Daniel and Dorcas (Baker) Elliott. Daniel Elliott was a son of Daniel Elliott, Sr., who was a leading business man of Enfield, N. H., where he kept a hotel for a long term of years. He also engaged largely in farming and owned ex- tensive tracts of land, which he disposed of to a great extent after his retirement at an early age; he died at the age of sixty. He had one child by his first wife, and thirteen by his second, among whom was Mrs. Russell's father, Daniel Elliott, Jr. The latter was born in Enfield, N. H., in 1806, and came to Rumney in 1822, where he bought an unimproved farm on the Stinson Brook. He there erected a saw-mill, and for the rest of his years took the lead in the lumber busi- ness; he was very energetic, and loved hard
work; he wore out one saw-mill, and nearly wore out the second one that he built to replace the first. His plan was to buy large tracts of timber land, clear it, and market the lumber that it pro- duced; in this way he became the owner of 1,800 acres of land, 100 of which he cultivated as a farm. Besides ordinary lumber, he also manu- factured shingles in large quantities. He worked to the very last of his years and died at the age of eighty-one. He was a man of extremely good judgment, and kind-hearted, and very proud of his wife and the large family of children she bore him, most of whom grew up to maturity. His first wife died at the age of fifty-two of heart failure after a severe attack of spotted fever. Of the seventeen children born to him by his first wife, our subject's wife was the youngest; her birth took place Feb. 13, 1854.
In regard to his political principles Dr. Russell is a Democrat and has been a member of the school board for three years. He is most en- thusiastic in his belief in. the prosperous future of the town and spares no pains in doing all in his power to develop it and aid in its substantial growth. He is a member of the Pemigewasset Lodge, 1. O. O. F.
The portrait of Dr. Russell on a preceding page is presented by the publishers with a satis- faction, which will meet with a corresponding degree of appreciation wherever the subject is known.
GEO. WOODWARD, deceased, son of Sam- tel and Mary (Newton) Woodward, was born in Springfield, Vt., Sept. 30, 1804, and devoted his life to agricultural pursuits with particular attention to the buying, selling, and raising of sheep. Our subject's parents were both natives of Massachusetts, the mother coming from the town of Newton. Shortly after the War of the Revolution they moved to Springfield, Vt., and took up a large tract of land, living there until their death, which occurred at an advanced age.
In the spring of 1836 George Woodward pur- chased a farm near North Haverhill, where his son George J. now resides. In the April follow- ing he moved from his native State to Grafton Co., where he made his home until his death. He added from time to time tracts of lands,
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fitted for the pasturage of sheep, to his original purchase, until he at one time owned upwards of 400 acres pastured with large flocks of sheep.
Jan. 30, 1833, he was married to Mary Ann Lake, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Baird) Lake of Springfield, Vt. Daniel Lake was a native of Topsfield, Mass., whence he removed to Grafton, Vt., where he labored in early life at his trade of a brick mason; in later life he be- came a farmer, having purchased a tract of land near West Springfield, Vt. His grandfather, Daniel Lake, Esq., of Topsfield, Mass., and Rindge, N. H., was a leading citizen of Rindge: he was selectman and town clerk in 1771, was appointed justice of the peace in 1777, and was chairman of the Committee of Safety in 1778. He took an active part in the Revolution and twice enlisted in the service. His patriotic ex- ample was followed by four of his sons, viz .: Daniel Lake, Jr .: Enos Lake, Henry Lake, and Jonathan Lake. The latter named, Jonathan Lake, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Wood- ward, was born in Topsfield, Mass., March 18, 1761, and was but seventeen years and two days of age when he entered the service from Rindge, N. H., and by two subsequent enlistments he re- mained in the army until the close of the war and was connected with the service for no less than five years. He was one of the members of the New Hampshire Brigade that participated so nobly in the Battle of Monmouth, where he was wounded. He died in Springfield, Vt., May 18. 1846. Soon after the close of the war he married, March 8, 1786, Hannah Hale, daughter of the distinguished Col. Enoch Hale of Rindge, N. H., and removed to Springfield, Vt. Her (leath took place in the month of October, 1834. Her father, Col. Enoch Hale, built the first bridge across the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls to Walpole; it was constructed in 1785 and was 365 feet in length. When the frame was be- ing prepared he told the men that they should not have any rum at its raising, as was ordinarily the custom, and was told that he would never get it raised. When everything was ready he invited the women as well as the men to bring some dinner with them, and made a nice social gathering out of it; instead of the rum, they had the best of dinners, and the bridge went up with- out the slightest difficulty, every brace and pin fitting exactly where they were wanted. When
he at last sold the bridge he reserved the privi- lege that his family for three generations to come could cross the bridge free. He was a man of great enterprise and bravery and was easily the leader in the town of Buckingham. Jonathan Lake married a second wife, Lucy (Hale) Weatherbee, widow of Hezekiah Weath- erbee and a sister of his former wife. She died Dec. 24, 1857.
Sarah Baird, the mother of our subject's wife, was born near Billerica, Mass .; her father, Josiah Baird, Jr., was a soldier of the Revolu- tion and claimed Billerica, Mass., as his birthi- place: he was also a soldier of the French and Indian War. Being of more than ordinary height, standing six feet and two inches, he was . noticed at the camp at Cambridge, Mass., by the Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Washington, who offered him a place on his personal pay-roll. He was one of the General's trusted guards and couriers at his headquarters in Cambridge, and his name appears on eleven different reports of the war. Part of the time when he was not en- gaged in scouting or guarding the General he had the duty of preparing his meals. His grand- daughter, Mrs. Woodward, still possesses a large fork used in the manipulation of the meats and one of the buckles worn on his shoes during the war. He served until the close of the war and then returned home and took up the occupation of farming. He married Sarah Page, a native of Massachusetts, and died in Grafton, Vt.
Mrs. Mary A. Woodward, the wife of our sub- ject, who survives him, was one of the pioneers of the town of Haverhill, N. H., and remembers perfectly when there were but two or three houses in Woodsville, and what is now built up into the main part of the village was then a patch of blueberries, where she one day gathered over 40 quarts of the luscious fruit in a few hours; in truth, they were so thick that she stripped them off the bushes into her apron.
The mode of living in those days seems most primitive to us of to-day. Ink was then of domestic manufacture, being obtained from a de- coction of maple or witch hazel bark and cop- peras; quills were universally used in the absence of steel pens. Having no lead pencils, a small bar of lead pointed at one end was used to rule their writing paper. Such customs certainly seem strange and uncouth to the children who
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are growing up in these modern times with every convenience that could be desired at hand. Mrs. Woodward has been a faithful member of the Methodist Church for fifty years. As a re- sult of her union with our subject eight children were born, as follows: Mary J., widow of John S. George of Newbury, Vt .; Elizabeth Ann, de- ceased: William George, deceased; Samuel, de- ceased, who enlisted in the 2nd Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., and transferred to the IIth N. H., was wounded July 2, 1862, at the Battle of Gettys- burg; Henry L., a farmer of North Haverhill; George J., and Orvin and Oscar, the twins; the former is interested in the drug store of Clinton Junc, Wis., and the latter is a druggist of Kenosha, Wis.
MOSES WHITCHER, a prosperous farmer and the first selectman of the town of Landaff, N. H., was born in Landaff, Dec. 10, 1836; he is a son of Winthrop and Mercy (Priest) Whitcher, the former of Benton and the latter of Lisbon, N. H.
The grandfather of our subject, William Whitcher, was born May 23, 1783, and settled in Benton, N. H., where he successfully engaged in lumbering and agriculture. He married, Nov. 15, 1807, Mary Noyse, a daughter of Samuel Noyse of Landaff, N. H., and to them were born sixteen children: Moses, born Dec. 26, 1807; William, Dec. 26, 1808; Amos, May 18, 1810; Louisa, Dec. 22, 1811 ; Winthrop, Feb. 18, 1813; Samuel, Aug. 24, 1814: Ira, Dec. 2, 1815: Sarah, May 25, 1817; Hannah, April 4, 1819; Jane, Oct. I, 1820; Chase, Jan. 20, 1822; Mary, Oct. 28, 1823: Susan, May 20, 1825; Daniel, Jan. 20, 1827: David, June 17, 1828; and Phebe, Feb. 24, 1831. They favored the religious doctrines up- held by the Baptist Church. William Whitcher was a stanch Democrat and was justice of the peace for many years.
Winthrop C. Whitcher received his schooling in the schools of Benton, and in that town began his life as a farmer; in 1836 he moved to the town of Landaff, N. H:, where he passed the re- maining years of his life on the farm now owned by his son, the subject of this sketch. He was also a Democrat, as his father. He married Mercy Priest, Jan. 28, 1836; she was a daughter
of David Priest of Lisbon, N. H. Four children resulted from their union, namely: Moses, Ward 1'., Henry N., and Sarah H. The family were Baptists.
Moses W. Whitcher was educated in the schools of Landaff, N. H., and worked on the home farm, subsequently buying it from his father; with the sole exception of one year he has made the homestead the scene of his labors all his life. He is pronounced in his advocacy of Democratic principles and has taken a very lively interest in town affairs, serving the town in the capacity of selectman for fourteen years, and also officiating as town treasurer. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention, which was held in Concord, N. H., in 1888. In his fulfillment of the duties of the positions of member of school board and as road surveyor he has been of marked service to his fellow-citi- zens.
Mr. Whitcher has been married twice; his first wife was Julia E. Bronson, daughter of Orrin Bronson of Landaff, N. H .; she bore him three children, namely: Pheeb P., born Oct. 18, 1863; Maud, deceased, born Dec. 21, 1866; and Jennie N., born Jan. 27, 1871. His first wife died May 8, 1885, and on April 4, 1894, he contracted a second matrimonial alliance with Miss Amanda S. Atwood, daughter of John C. Atwood of Lan- daff. Mr. and Mrs. Whitcher occupy a high place in the esteem of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, who have none but the highest words of commendation to speak of our subject and wife. They are attendants of the M. E. Church of Landaff, of which Mrs. Whitcher is a valued member.
HON. WILLIS S. SMITH, a prosperous farmer and selectman of the town of Monroe, Grafton Co., N. H., was born in Lyman, now Monroe, May 2, 1846, and is a son of Stebbin and Orinda (Bullock) Smith, both natives of Lyman, and grandson of Ethan and Mary (Cur- rier) Smith. Ethan Smith, our subject's grand- father, was born in the town of Lyman in 1784 and was educated in the schools of that place. He was engaged in general agricultural opera- tions throughout his life. He married Mary Cur- rier, who presented him with nine children, who
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were named: Stebbin, Adna, Horace, Ethan Jr .; Samuel, Johanna, Maria, Jane, and Hulda.
Stebbin Smith first saw the light of this world in Lyman in 1808; his school education was abruptly cut short at the age of eleven years by the death of his father, being compelled by this occurrence to support his mother and the young- er children of the family. He worked as a farm liand until twenty-eight years of age, when he purchased a farm in Lyman, where he remained four years, going from there to Wolcott, Vt., where he purchased a piece of farming land and tilled it for two years. At the end of that time he returned to his native place, and engaged in general farming until 1870, when he retired from active labor. He was a stanch Republican in politics, but with not an aspirant to office, so he was content to pursue the even tenor of his ways, voting for and supporting the candidate of his party. He was twice joined in the bonds of Hymen. His first wife was Orinda Bullock, who was a daughter of Comer and Zelinda (Peck) Bullock. Two children were born to him as a result of this union, of whom our subject is the only one surviving, the other dying in infancy. His wife died April 28, 1865. Oct. 4 of the same year he was joined in marriage to Lizzie Bige- low, a daughter of Jabez Bigelow of Rygate, \'t. Our subject's father died in the town of Monroe, Oct. 23, 1888.
Hon. Willis S. Smith received a fair education in a district school of Monroe and in Newbury Academy of Newbury, Vt. He then worked on the farm until twenty-four years of age, when he purchased a farm in Monroe and made it his home, and the scene of his agricultural labors until 1888. In that year he sold the farm and bought the present property of 300 acres, one of the very finest pieces of land in the county, and is splendidly adapted for diversified general agriculture. His hay crop is large and very lieavy, frequently going over 100 tons a year: besides this crop he raises a large amount of grain, and pays a large amount of his attention to live stock. He has a herd of thirty cattle, thirty sheep, and six horses. In his political views he is a Republican, and has held some of the more important offices that are at the disposal of his fellow-townsmen. In 1891 he was chosen selectman, a position he still re- tains. In 1887 he was sent to Concord to repre-
sent the town of Monroe in the State Legislature for a term of two years. He was one of the members of the memorable railroad legislative fight, the session of the Legislature lasting six months. He has been justice of the peace for Grafton County for five years; upon the expira- tion of his commission he refused to have it re- newed; he has, however, been notary public since. He is also a veterinary surgeon in addi- tion to his farm work and is commonly known as Doctor Smith. He has an extensive practice in the town of Monroe, in Littleton, Lyman, N. H., and in Barnet, Vt., that takes a great deal of his attention.
He married in 1870 Emma J. Way, a daughter of Samuel S. and Margaret (Dickinson) Way, both natives of Lyman, N. H. She was born Oct. 6, 1851 ; they have one child as the fruit of this union : Homer S., born June 16, 1872. Homer S. Smith married Mary Paddleford, Feb. 21, 1894, and has one child, Norman P .; Mary Paddleford Smith was born Oct. 31, 1869, and is a daughter of Curtis and Ruth (Nelson) Paddle- ford of Monroe. Our subject and family are at- tendants of the M. E. Church of Monroe.
REV. JOHN M. WATHEN, pastor of the Congregational Church of Lisbon, Grafton Co., N. H., was born in Richibucto, New Brunswick, Jan. 17, 1867. He is a son of William H. and Sarah (Johnson) Wathen, and grandson of John M. Wathen. Our subject's grandfather was a native of England, born in 1781, and came to this country in the early part of this century. His great-grandfather was a noted physician of his day; some of his valuable records are yet preserved in Harvard University. John M. Wathen, the elder, was one of the secretaries of the Governor-General of Canada for several years. He was a delegate to meet the Governor to be at New Brunswick, and met his death by accident at that time. He married a Miss Trin- der, born in London, 1781, and to them were born the following children: John M., Elizabethi A., Sarah C., Isabel M., Phoebe, Frances Ann, William H., Almira, Sylvester, Catharine, Mary, and Thomas. The father died in 1830, and the mother passed away in 1872. They were Episco- palians.
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