USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 45
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Frederick, our subject's father, was born in Enfield and received from his father the farm which George F. Pettengill now owns; the buildings were built by Matthew and Zacheus Pettengill. Frederick cleared more of the land, and like his ancestors became a very progressive farmer, living to the good old age of eighty-six. He held a commission as captain in the State militia. He was a Congregationalist in his
views on religion. His wife passed away to the scenes beyond the river at the age of seventy- eight. Their children were: Mary Jane; Horace G., who served in the late war; George F .; and Warren L.
George F. Pettengill attended the district school and Canaan and Meriden academies, and at the age of seventeen began teaching, which he has followed quite constantly ever since along with his farming. He has taught sixty terms of school, and is now the teacher of his district; for the past fifteen years he has been superintendent of the schools of the town, and a member of the school board. He is a Democrat politically, and was selectman in 1876. Our subject owns the old homestead of 150 acres and carries on farming there. Aug. 31, 1887, he married Mary E. Hall, daughter of Frank and Eliza (Kimball) Hall of Canaan. Mr. and Mrs. Pettengill have one son, Laurence A., born Aug. 20, 1892.
We are pleased to be able to present Mr. Pet- tengill's portrait, which appears on a page in proximity, as he is a fitting representative of the educators and school teachers of the county and worthy a prominent place.
AUSTIN G. OLNEY, a locomotive engineer in the employ of the B. & M. R. R., living in Woodsville, was born in Danville, Province of Quebec, Canada, April 13, 1845. He is a son of Joel L. and Hannah (McGoon) Olney; the for- mer was born in Danville, P. Q., a farmer by oc- cupation, and an attendant of the Methodist Church. He was a son of Stephen and Rachel (Leet) Olney. Stephen Olney was a farmer, and died, when our subject was a boy, at the age of eighty-eight. His wife lived to be over ninety- eight years old. Our subject's mother was a daughter of Jacob and Hannah McGoon. To Austin G. Olney's parents were born the fol- lowing six children: George lives at Groton, Vt .; Horatio, deceased; Austin G .; Stephen lives at Nicollette, P. Q .; William lives at Kingsey, P. Q .; and John, who lives at Claremont, N. H.
Mr. Olney passed his boyhood at Danville, and received a good education in the schools of that town until he was twelve years of age, when he worked on a farm till 1871. In that year he
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began railroading as watchman for nine months, and then as fireman for seven years. In 1879 he became an engineer, and has been one · ever since. On Nov. 30, 1896, he was one of the vic- tims in a head-end collision, where he jumped and saved himself, but lost a foot.
Our subject married as his first wife, in 1868, Julia H. Smith, who presented him with three children: Ralph E. married Vina P. Moulton; Roscoe G. married Hattie M. (now deceased), the daughter of Silas and Melva (Bean) Howland of Jericho, Vt .; there was born to them one child, Hattie Ethel; and Roy. His second wife was Viola J. Glover. His first wife was a mem- ber of the Congregational Church; the present Mrs. Olney and her husband are members of the M. E. Church. He is a member of Moosehillock Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F .; and has been a Dem- ocrat all his life.
JAMES WOODWARD, a retired farmer, liv- ing in Haverhill, was born in the same town, June 21, 1818. He is a son of Joshua and Susan (Pool) Woodward, and grandson of Judge James and Hannah (Clark) Woodward.
Judge James Woodward came to Haverhill and purchased a meadow farm in 1763; two years later he married his first wife, Hannah Clark, with which occurrence is connected a very pretty romance. Judge Ladd came to Haverhill very soon after James Woodward and brought in his family a bright girl of fifteen summers, named Hannah Clark, intending her to be the wife of a brother of his, when she came to a suit- able age. It so happened that James Woodward, when calling at the house, took a fancy to the girl, and soon found the feeling reciprocated, and at that juncture of course called more frequently than before. When this highly interesting state of affairs was discovered by Judge Ladd, James was forbidden the house, but managed occasion- ally to have clandestine meetings with his lady- love. Finally he thought of a plan to outwit his adversaries, and achieve a complete victory, but it was necessary that his sweetheart be informed of the plan, and how to get word to her was something hard to do, so closely was she watched. Confiding in his friend, Ephraim! Bailey, he enlisted his interest, and he in turn
drew his lady-love, Hannah Fellows, into the plot. On a certain day Hannah Fellows called at Judge Ladd's home for a visit with Hannah Clark, and purposely remained late, in the mean- time disclosing to Miss Clark the plan. When it had grown dark she started to go home and asked the latter to accompany her a part of the way home. As they crossed the meadow they were met opposite the cabin of James Wood- ward by Ephraim Bailey and Rev. Powers, who conducted them into the cabin, and there the , knot was soon tied in a good substantial fashion, Mr. Woodward having procured a special license which dispensed with the necessity of "crying the bans in meeting." After the ceremony Han- nah Clark returned to her home at Judge Ladd's, and was gone so short a time that no one could suspicion anything out of the ordinary had taken place. Mrs. Ladd was in complete ignorance of the occurrence until a friend from Newbury, Vt., where the minister, who performed the cere- mony, resided, called one day, and in the course of the conversation told her that the affair was the gossip of the town over in Vermont. Mrs. Ladd could not believe it, but said she would soon know. Calling Hannah into the room she asked if the report was true, and was told that it was; like a true, noble-hearted woman, she then and there forgave the girl, telling her to go to her husband, remarking that she would never stand between husband and wife. The couple, thus happily joined together, sailed the matri- monial seas together for forty years, till Death, that great wrecker, separated them. Hannah Clark Woodward died Oct. 21, 1805. Judge Woodward in later years, after the death of his first wife, married Elizabeth, widow of Dr. Sam- uel Pool, and died in 1821. No children were born of the second marriage.
Joshua Woodward was born in Haverhill, and devoted his greatest attention through life to the pursuit of agriculture. He was also a surveyor and a conveyancer, writing in his time many deeds, wills, leases, etc. He was a very promi- nent man in the town, and was one of the first Abolitionists, being a colleague of William Lloyd Garrison, Parker Pillsbury, and others bold in the fight for right. He made the pre- diction that he would live to see slavery abol- ished, and he did, for he lived to hear Lincoln's proclamation of January, 1863. In the Congre-
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gational Church, in which he was a valued worker, his services were usually estimated to be very desirable, but at one time Joshua Wood- ward actually excommunicated the church. He introduced resolutions in the church meeting, condemning slavery, which some very conserva- tive and shrinking souls would not allow to be passed. Thereupon, Mr. Woodward would have nothing more to do with the members, until they changed their minds. As he had been a leading member in their councils, they missed his pres- ence, and finally agreed to pass the resolutions if he would work once more with them. In the town he held various offices, combining respon- sibility and honor to the entire satisfaction of the citizens. His wife, Susan Pool, was a daughter of Dr. Samuel Pool and Elizabeth Hale. The latter was a daughter of Dr. John Hale, a sur- geon in the Revolutionary army; Dr. Samuel Pool being his assistant surgeon; Elizabeth re- ceived his pension till her death. Dr. John Hale married a Miss Hall, a cousin of Prescott, the historian. Dr. Samuel Pool was at one time a very wealthy man, but owing to injudicious in- vestments, most of his large property was dissi- pated. He died at an early age, and his widow, as has already been noted, married Judge James Woodward, after the death of his first wife. To our subject's parents were born the following children: Elizabeth, who died young: Susan, who also died in her youth; James, the subject of this sketch; and Henry, deceased.
James Woodward was born on the old home place, about one mile north of Haverhill; he grew up on the farm, now owned by Mr. Jewett. At the age of twelve he returned with his parents to the home, where he was born. He attended the district schools and academy at Haverhill Cor- ners, which was at that time a very fine school. When nineteen years of age he rented the farm of his father for two years, and then bought his present farm, adjoining the house, in which his father was then living. There was a cloud on his title, and our subject fought a legal contest of twenty-six years, winning at last. In the course of the years the "lawing" over the property re- quired so much expense that the value of the property was lost sight of; in the end Mr. Wood- ward was a poorer man, but satisfied that he won the case. Later on he bought the farm which had been the home of his father for a
number of years. He sold it afterwards to Mr. Bailey. He still owns the old home place where both he and his father before him were born; he owns some 175 acres in all. He is a Republican in his politics, and an occasional attendant of the Congregational Church of Haverhill, of which Mrs. Woodward is a member.
James Woodward was married Jan. 14, 1849, in Haverhill, to Miss Louisa Hunt, who was born in Bath. She was a daughter of Caleb S. and Rebecca (Pool) Hunt, to which couple were born eleven children, of whom nine lived to acquire homes of their own. Caleb Hunt was born in Bath, N. H., and lived to be seventy- seven years old; he was a clothier, and had a factory in Bath; he was a Universalist in re- ligious belief, and a Whig in his politics. Re- becca Pool, who was born in Hollis, N. H., and lived to be seventy-one years old, was a daugh- ter of Dr. Samuel and Elizabeth (Hale) Pool. To Mr. and Mrs. Woodward were born five chil- dren, four of whom are living: Horace Hunt, who is in Forbes's lithographing establishment in New York City, married Fannie Spear, and has five children: Pearletta Crosby, Louisa Kather- ine, James Oscar, Robert Bruce, and Walter; Susan Emily; Ellen Hunt; Sarah Reed; and Harry, who was taken away at the age of seven- tee11.
HENRY S. BAILEY, a well-to-do agricul- turist, living on his farm, near Haverhill Village, was born in Newbury, Vt., Aug. 31, 1844. IIe is a son of Azro and Hannah (Lang) Bailey, to whom were born the following ten children : Henry S., the subject of this short sketch; Albert E., who lives in Newry, Me .: Clara M., deceased; Nelson, who lives in Chelsea, Mass .; Hazen H., deceased; Edwin, who lives near Helena, Mont .; Charles F., who resides in Lawrence, Mass .; Hazen H., who makes his home in Yocoma, Tex .; Herbert F., who lives with Edwin in Helena, Mont .; Mary W., who married Alonzo Prescott, of Helena, Mont., Feb. 7. 1893.
Azro Bailey was born in Newbury, Vt., June 30, 1814, and died July 10, 1884; he finished his education in Newbury Seminary, and took up the vocation of a farmer as a means of livelihood.
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He was a Republican, but never sought political advancement. His wife, Hannah Lang, was born in the town of Bath, N. H., Oct. 31, 1820, and died Aug. 14, 1889. She was a daughter of Sherburn and Mehitabel (Ricker) Lang. Sher- burn was of Scotch extraction, and was engaged in agriculture. He was a captain in the militia and held the office of selectman and other politi- cal offices of his town. Mehitabel Ricker was a daughter of Eben Ricker, who teamed between Bath and Boston before the introduction of the railroads. Azro Bailey was a son of Abner and Betsey (Hibbard) Bailey; the former born in Newbury, April 30, 1778, and died May 9, 1852; the latter born Oct. II, 1790, and died Nov. 17, 1857. Mr. Bailey's death was sudden, resulting from an attack of paralysis, which came upon him unawares while holding a post for his son in building a fence. His first wife was a Miss Mer- rill, who died a few days after the birth of her first child, which survived her but a short time.
Our subject was reared in Newbury, and at- tended the common schools of that place, and Bath Academy until eighteen years of age, going to school in the winter season and engaging in farm work in the summer. When eighteen years old he enlisted in Co. C., 15th Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., at Bath, and served one year, see- ing active army service in the Mississippi Val- ley under General Banks at Port Hudson; he also did guard duty at Carrollton, six miles above New Orleans. When his time had expired he came up the river to Cairo, Ill., thence by rail to Chicago, and from there home. Mr. Bailey was sick and in poor health for a year after his return from the front. For several years he worked out on farms, and in 1868 made his home on his present farm with his father and mother; he bought the farm from his father, and has been in charge of it ever since.
He was joined in the bonds of matrimony Feb. 20, 1877, at Haverhill, to Ellen A. Swan, who was born in Suncook, N. H. She is a daughter of Henry Swan, whose wife, Sarah Gerald, was born March 25, 1818, and married to him May 7, 1838; Mrs. Swan is .still living with her son near Haverhill at the age of seventy-eight. Henry Swan, a mechanic in a cotton mill, was born Sept. 1, 1814, and died July 22, 1895. His parents were Benjamin and Grace (Carr) Swan. The Carr family was from Corinth, Vt. Ben-
jamin, who was a farmer by occupation, came from Haverhill, N. H., and kept a tavern for many years in the early days in a brick house, near the brook, a mile north of Oliverian Brook Village. He was a son of Phineas and Tryphena Swan; the former died Jan. 16, 1829, aged seven- ty-seven years; the latter departed this life April 22, 1843, at the age of ninety.
There was born to our subject and wife, Sept. 6, 1884, a child named Fred M. Mr. Bailey is a member of the G. A. R., Nathaniel Westgate Post, No. 50, of North Haverhill. In politics he is a Republican.
CHARLES L. CUMMINGS, an engineer on the B. & M. R. R., living in Woodsville, was born in that village Sept. 22, 1858, and is a son of George S. and Marietta (Vinton) Cummings. Our subject's father was born in New Hampton, N. H., in 1829, and there passed his early years, securing a good common school education. When he becanie of age he began railroading, continuing in that service for fifteen years. He became a resident of Woodsville, upon the ad- vent of the railroad in 1854. The firm of C. B. Drake, proprietors of the large drug store of Woodsville, was founded by him, and he re- tained an active interest until 1890. His death took place in 1894. His first wife was Marietta Vinton of Greenfield, Vt .; she died at the age of thirty-nine, leaving three children: George E., superintendent of the White Mountain Division of the B. & M. R. R .; Charles L., the subject of this sketch; and Wesley B., who lives in Linden- ville, Vt. By a second alliance with Mary Har- rington of Littleton, he was presented with one daughter, Mary H. (Noble). Mrs. Cummings still survives her husband, and makes her home in Woodsville. In business circles his word was as good as gold; he was highly respected for his many excellent traits of character.
Charles L. Cummings spent his early years, until the age of fourteen, in the schools of Woodsville. At the age of fifteen, when he made his first trip as a fireman on an engine, he had already worked a year in the round-house, famil- iarizing himself with machinery. He served as fireman about seven years, when he was given
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
his present position of engineer. Although rather young for so important a position, he had shown by his steady, careful work that he was fully capable of filling the position.
Oct. 28, 1886, at Woodsville, he was united in marriage with Jennie L. Moore, who was born at Lancaster, N. H. Mrs. Cummings and one brother, Fred H. Moore of Livermore, N. H., were the only children of Orville and Caroline (Blood) Moore. Orville Moore was born in Lan- caster in 1836, departing this life in 1892, and was a son of Joseph B. and Eunice (McIntyre) Moore. Caroline Blood, who is making her home with our subject, was born in Littleton, N. H., and is a daughter of Varnum and Lydia (Kinney) Blood. Lydia Kinney's parents were Enoch and Jane Kinney. Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Cummings have been blessed with one child, Hazel C., born Feb. 3, 1892. Mrs. Cummings is a member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Cuit- mings is a member of the Mooshillock Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Demo- crat.
FRANK L. WILMOT, a farmer living near North Haverhill, was born on the farm where he resides, May 12, 1850; he is a son of Haran and Lydia S. (Martin) Wilmot, and a grandson of Timothy Wilmot.
Haran Wilmot was born in Thetford, Vt., and was six months old when his father came to Haverhill, in 1815. Timothy Wilmot, who was a farmer, and also a shingle-maker by trade, sold this farm, on which he first settled, in 1824, and cleared another farm later in life. Haran Wil- mot was the eldest of a family of twelve children, four boys and eight girls; his youngest brother, Harvey B., was a noted clothier of Boston. Haran was reared in Haverhill, and there se- cured a common school education. He worked at home till he attained his majority, and then was employed in the summers by the Pike Brick Co., working in the woods in the winter time for six years at the wage of $13.00 per month, and only lost fourteen days in all that time; his entire savings of that time he invested in a mechanics store, and lost all in its failure. He then bought a farm of seventy acres, on which our subject lives. When he first became
owner the land was rough and covered with pine stumps, and would not produce enough hay for two cows, but the property became val- uable and very productive under his able man- agement, and proved a very good investment. He was a carpenter and builder in addition to farming, and besides his own house and barns, built many others in the neighborhood. He re- tired about 1880 and turned over the farm to Frank L., his eldest son, the subject of this sketch; Haran Wilmot's death took place June II, 1896. His wife, Lydia S. Martin, was a daughter of Benjamin Martin, a farmer, who died in the 70's, aged seventy-four. She bore Mr. Wilmot the following children: Frank L .; George E. of Boston, chief clerk for the B. & M. R. R., now traveling in the south for his health; and Nellie B. (Crook).
Our subject attended the schools in his neigh- borhood until he was twenty years old, and upon the attaining of his majority took the manage- ment of the farm in partnership with his father, and for the past year, since the death of his father, has conducted the farm alone. Most of his attention is devoted to dairy farming, for the farm embraces much valuable grazing ground; he has about twenty cows, and a small flock of sheep.
He was married March 8, 1871, at Center Hav- erhill to Ellen A. Hutchins, who was born in Benton, and is a daughter of Joseph and Susan (Brown) Hutchins, to whom was born the fol- lowing family of children: Marynette (Flan- ders); Ellen : Betsey Jane, deceased; Sallie Ann, deceased; and Charles, who is working at Woodsville for the B. & M. R. R. Joseph Hutchins, a farmer by occupation, was a son of Benjamin and Philena (Kith) Hutchins. Ben- jamin was a farmer and a cooper by trade. Susan Brown was a daughter of John and Olive (Colby) Brown.
To our subject and his wife one child has been born, Maude L. Mr. Wilmot is a member of Moosehillock Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F., of Woodsville: and of Pink Granite Grange, No. 210. He is an attendant of the M. E. Church. Since coming of age he has never failed to vote the Republican ticket and support the party of his choice in every honorable way in his power. He is a road surveyor, and one of the town po- licemen.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
EZRA B. WILLOUGHBY, a prominent agriculturist, pursuing his vocation near the vil- lage of North Haverhill, was born in East . War- ren, N. H., Feb. 18, 1852: his parents were Horatio and Saralı (French) Willoughby.
Horatio Willoughby was born on Briar Hill, and lived in the towns of Haverhill and Warren all his life, where he was engaged in farming. In politics he was a Democrat, but with no taste for active partisan work. He was a son of Josiah Willoughby. Sarah French was born on Brier Hill, March 10, 1816, of Richardson and Sallie (Whitcher) French. Richardson, or Dick French, as he was popularly known among his acquaint- ances, was a renowned bear hunter, and holds the proud record of having killed more bears than any other man in the county. His father, Barzilla French, great-grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in Epping. N. H., March 15, 1775. His wife, Sallie Whitcher, was born in Warren, N. H. A stirring ad- venture is related of her when in the extreme years of her youth. One day, when she was only three years old, her parents .went to Warren Summit, leaving her in the care of her older brothers. The little girl wandercd away after her parents, was lost, and for three days the country thercabout was searched in vain. Strange to tell, a man in an adjoining town, who had heard of her disappearance, dreamed cach night that she was in a certain locality; the con- stant repetition of the dream so impressed him that he sought out the place, and found her there unharmed, but very hungry and worn. The family of our subject's parents were the fol- lowing five children: Burton F., who died in infancy ; Mahala F. married Carlos A. Cummings in Bath, and lives there now; Josiah R. lives in Haverhill township: Ezra B. is the subject of this sketch; and Cyrus I., who is numbered among those who have gone before.
Ezra B. Willoughby passed the first eight years of his life in the town of Warren, going from there to Haverhill. Both of his parents died when he was a young lad, and he accord- ingly went to live with his sister, Mrs. Cum- mings, until he was sixteen, when he struck out to support himself. He worked on farms as a hired hand until he was twenty-one, attending school in the winters and whenever opportunity offered; in this way, he was enabled to secure a
few terms schooling in the high school of Lis- bon. He then went into partnership in the lum- bering business in Bath with his brother-in-law, Carlos A. Cummings, for two years. He bought the timber land, cut down the trees, and drew the logs to the mill, where he hired them sawed and then disposed of the lumber. Upon his re- tirement from this business he sold his timber lands and came to North Haverhill, where he clerked in a store for a year, afterwards buying the store and operating it on his own account for another year. He then settled on his present farm, which then belonged to his wife's father, with whom he managed the farm until 1890, sinice which time he has conducted it himself. Mr. Willoughby has added to the original plot I20 acres, making a farm of 280 acres in all. The farm is composed of timber, meadow, and plow land; the most is in meadow and pasture land, with only about sixty acres under cultivation, although 100 acres of rich land could be turned by the plow if necessity demanded it. At pres- ent Mr. Willoughby is making use of the great- est resources of the farm by conducting a dairy. He is known as a man who is ever on the alert for advanced ideas in the successful pursuit of agriculture, and has embodied many practical thoughts in his administration of the farm. His stock is of good, standard strains that have been tested for their money-making qualities.
Our subject was married May 1, 1874, in North Haverhill, to Florence A. Ridcout, who was born in Haverhill of Nathan P. and Rumina D. (French) Rideout, both of St. Johnsbury, Vi. Nathan P. Rideout was born in Plymouth, N. II., April 5, 1824, and lived in that village till 1840, when he went to Woodbury, Vt., and passed the remaining years of his minority. He then spent three years in St. Johnsbury, during the last year of which he worked as a carpenter, and three years in Chelsea, Mass., as a house painter. In 1851 he moved to St. Johnsbury, then to North Haverhill, and made his home in the very same house that still furnishes hin shel- ter. As his wife wished him to take up farming, in 1855 he bought forty acres of land, and at sub- sequent periods added 210 more acres. Since 1890 Mr. Rideout has been living in a retired fashion at home. He married, March 14. 1851, Rumina French, daughter of Samuel and Hulda (Haskell) French. Samuel French was from the
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