USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 46
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GEN. CHARLES O. HURLBUTT.
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State of Connecticut, and kept a tavern at St. Johnsbury Center. He also owned a freight wagon, and hauled goods from Boston, and later from Concord, when the railroad had been fin- ished to that point. About fourteen horses were kept at different points on the road to serve as successive relays. Mr. Rideout used to drive for him. Nathan P. Ridcout was a son of Willard and Irena (Penniman) Ridcout, and grandson of John Rideout. Irena Penniman was the daugh- ter of Nathan Penniman, was born in Plymouth, and died in Woodbury, Vt. Willard Rideout was born in Plymouth, and died in East Calais, Vt. Our subject's wife, Florence Rideout, was the only child born to her parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby are members of the M. E. Church. In politics our subject is uni- formly a Republican; in the spring of 1896, despite his protestations, the office of selectman was forced upon him by his devoted admirers. Three children have come to bless the union of our subject and his wife: Earl C., Leon LeRoy, and Harold R.
GEN. CHARLES O. HURLBUTT, High Sheriff of Grafton Co. and a resident of the town of Lebanon, was born Sept. 22, 1844, in the town of Hanover, this county. He is a son of Elihu and Emeline L. (Goodell) Hurlbutt, the former of Hanover and the latter of Lyme, N. H.
Elihu Hurlbutt, our subject's father, who is still living, is a member of the seventh gencra- tion from Thomas Hurlbutt, the first member of the family in America.
Thomas Hurlbutt, the first, arrived about 1635, and was a soldier under Lion Gardiner, who built and commanded a fort at Saybrook, Conn., which was the beginning of the colony planted there. Gardiner is supposed to have em- barked in London in the month of August, 1635, arriving at Saybrook in November with his wife, a female servant, and eleven male pas- sengers; it is thought that our subject's ancestor was one of this band of eleven. Nothing is known of Thomas Hurlbutt's anccstory, nor of his connections prior to his coming to the col- onies, although he was probably of Scotch origin. In establishing and maintaining the
colony at Saybrook the men had frequent brushes with the Indians, and in one of thesc en- counters with the Pequots Mr. Hurlbutt was wounded with an arrow, in 1637, but not very seriously. He was a blacksmith, and after the war with the Indians he established himself in the infant settlement of Wethersfield, Conn., as one of its pioneer inhabitants and the first black- smith of the place. He was a good workman and charged good prices, which brought him into disfavor at onc time with the town authorities and he "was fined forty shillings for encouraging others in taking excessive rates for work and ware"; the fine was remitted later on. Our sub- ject's ancestor was a man of unblemished char- acter and of good standing in the community; he was clerk of the "Train Band" in 1640, deputy of the General Court, grand juror, and also con- stable in 1644. Hc received grants for numerous tracts of land in return for his services; one of 120 acres was for his work in the Indian War. His wife, Sarah, whosc surname is not known, bore him six children, the five youngest of whom were sons.
Of these five sons, Thomas Hurlbutt, Jr., was the eldest; he was probably born in Wethersfield, Conn., where he learned his father's trade of blacksmithing, and succeeded him in business. His first wife's name was Lydia, and the second's Elizabeth. Of four sons born to Thomas Hurl- butt, Jr., Thomas Hurlbutt, the third, was the eldest, and probably a son of the first wife.
Thomas Hurlbutt, the third, was born, it is most likely, in Wethersfield, Conn., about 1660. Of a family of four sons born to him, Gideon was the youngest.
Gideon Hurlbutt was born in Woodbury, Conn., baptized in 1688, and removed to the town of Westport, where his thread of life was sevcred in his seventieth year, dying March 9, 1757. His wife Margaret died Feb. 28, 1754, in her fifty-fourth year.
Nathaniel Hurlbutt, the great-grandfather of our subject, second in a family of four sons born to Gideon Hurlbutt, was born in the month of March, 1736, in Westport, Conn., it is supposed. He settled first in Washington, Conn., coming from there about the year 1782 to the town of Hanover, Grafton Co., locating on Road Four. This farm in Hanover remained his home until his death, Sept. 6, 1817, aged &t; the farm was
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owned in 1861 by his grandson, David. He married Betty Taylor, born March 7, 1736, a (laughter of Capt. John and Hannah (Stewart) Taylor: she survived her husband about ten years, departing this life Sept. 13, 1827. Of a family of seven boys and one daughter born to Nathaniel and Betty (Taylor) Hurlbutt, David Hurlbutt, grandfather of Charles O. Hurlbutt, was the youngest.
Our subject's grandfather, born in Danbury, Conn., March II, 1772, came to Hanover with his parents when eleven years old, and lived there most of his life, inheriting his father's farm, dying there July 14, 1852. He was married in Hanover, Jan. 10, 1797, to Gratia Taylor, who was born in Fairfield, Conn., June 17, 1777, a daughter of Rev. James Taylor; she died Aug. 19, 1819. He was again joined in the bonds of Hymen, Jan. 3, 1820, to Ruth Freeman, born Nov. 25, 1785, a daughter of Otis and Mary Freeman of the town of Hanover. Of a family of seventeen born to David by his two wives, Elihu, our subject's father, was next to the youngest.
Elihu Hurlbutt was born in Hanover on the homestead in the northern part of the town, June 2, 1814, and lived there until he was twenty- seven years old, at which period in his life he bought his present farm in Hanover, on which he has lived fifty-five years. He attended the district schools when a boy until eighteen years of age, and then with his brother operated his father's farm two or three years; his brother bought the farm, and Elihu worked for him a few years until he bought his present home. His farm comprises 160 acres.
He was married in Lyme, June 8, 1842, to Lucy Emeline Goodell, born April 28, 1821, a daughter of John and Lucy Goodell of Lyme, N. H. Of nine children born to Elihu Hurlbutt and his wife, six survive: Charles O., the subject of this sketch, sheriff of the county, lives in Leb- anon: Lucy Roselle married Prof. Sherman of Dartmouth College, and resides in Hanover; Willard Goodell is engaged in farming with his father; Fanny Grace- married George C. Med- bury, a real estate man of Kansas City, Missouri; Harriet Augusta married Prof. John B. Hazen of Dartmouth College; Ida married Charles Melvin, a commercial traveler, with headquar- ters at Kansas City. Mr. Hurlbutt is a member
of the Congregational Church of Hanover Cen- ter. In politics, he is a Republican, and has not missed a single Presidential election since 1836, when he was a Whig. He was postmaster of Hanover Center for about thirty years, a State justice of the peace since 1856, and a selectman for two years. He is still prominently identified with the business interests of Hanover, being a large land owner and a merchant.
Gen. Charles O. Hurlbutt obtained his educa- tion in the district schools of his native town, and at the Newbury,-Vt., and Meriden academies. At the age of sixteen he enlisted in Co. E., 9th Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., and followed its fortunes until the close of the war. At the battle of South Mountain, though a mere lad, he took single- handed the first prisoner ever taken by his regi- ment. He was at the battles of Antietam, and the Wilderness campaign at Vicksburg, Jackson, and many other engagements of lesser import- ance.
On his return from the war Gen. Hurlbutt en- gaged in the lumber business at Lyme, and when his mill was destroyed by fire he took charge of important milling interests in Deerfield, Mass. About 1870 he removed to the town of Lebanon, and has since resided there, for thirteen years being engaged in the lumber business. Our sub- ject has for many years been considered the finest instructor of horses in the State, and has devoted a great deal of time to handling, break- ing, and training vicious horses ; he has had some very bad horses that were thought well-nigh im- possible to make docile and tractable, but he has never failed to subdue them. He has a boarding stable, and owns some of the finest roadsters in New Hampshire, or any other State, for that matter. Black Sam, who has been owned and taught by him from the time he was a colt, is one of the finest built stallions ever raised; Black Sam's fame has spread over this and adjoining States as a most intelligent horse, whose equal does not exist. He seems to understand the English language, for he willingly complies to all expressed wishes without any signal what- ever. His horses are all of the bluest blood, and have long pedigrees of their dams and sires. His colts, wherever exhibited, invariably carry . off the first honors.
Gen. Hurlbutt married Miss Emily L. Parker, daughter of Enos Parker of Hanover; they have
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110 children. Our subject has been very promi- nent in the political circles of the State and county. He represented the town of Lebanon in the Legislature of 1878 and 1879, serving in both upon the railroad committee, proving him- self a practical, working member. He was deputy sheriff from 1884 to 1888, and was quar- ter-master-general upon the staff of Governor Goodell. Under Harrison's administration he was internal revenue collector. In 1890 he was elected high sheriff, re-elected in 1892, and again elected in 1894. He has performed his duties in all his official positions at all times economi- cally, quietly, promptly, and wisely, so as to re- ceive the commendations of men of all parties. Personally, Gen. Hurlbutt is a very gemai and companionable gentleman, whose unfailing kind- ness of heart and ever-ready hand make hosts of friends for him. As a representative citizen and as a man prominent in business and politics, we are sure that a portrait of Gen. Hurlbutt would be much appreciated, and so it is with genuine pleasure we add it to swell the many in- teresting features of this work.
PARDON W. ALLEN, a prominent farmer of Center Haverhill, was born in Craftsbury, Vt., April 26, 1848. He is a son of George W. and Lydia (Hoyt) Allen, grandson of Josiah and Charlotte (Whitney) Allen, and great-grandson of Ira H. Allen. The last named was a brother of Ethan Allen, of Green Mountain Boy fame, and the first Secretary of War in Washington's Cabinet. He came from England with his father in the early Colonial days. Josiah Allen, who was from Iresby, Vt., lived to be ninety-six years old; at the age of ninety-four, in showing his grandson, the subject of this sketch, over the farm, he was as spry as a young man, climbing walls and fences as nimbly and with as little effort as one would expect from a young man in his twenties. He died about the year 1875. In early life he was a tanner and shoe-maker, and later carried on a farm, becoming one of the wealthiest mien in the town. He was a leading member of the M. E. Church, and one of the main supporters of the church; after his death a fine memorial window was put in, in memory of
his useful career and his frequent deeds of good. He could never be prevailed upon to accept any official position at the hands of his friends and warm admirers.
George W. Allen was one of a family of eight children, four boys and four girls. His occupa- tion was that of a farmer, coupled with dealing in cattle. His death occurred in 1856, when forty-one years old, by a strange and unusual accident ; he was fishing from a log, and by some mischance he fell from it to a limb, which pierced his vital parts. He was a devout member of the M. E. Church, and a Whig in politics. His wife was born in Craftsbury, and was a daughter of Wyman and Diana (Pennock) Hoyt, and grand- daughter of Willard Hoyt. Willard Hoyt was a wealthy weaver from Paisley, Scotland, and was an old man when he came to this country and settled in Craftsbury, where he became a promi- nent farmer. He died and was buried in that town, and in the M. E. Church is a memorial window to his honor. His son, Wyman Hoyt, was born in Craftsbury, and died there in 1858 or 1859 at the age of seventy-three. He was a farmer by occupation, and at one time owned about one-half of the town of Craftsbury, he and his brother having received from their father 1,500 acres of land in one solid tract. His wife, Diana Pennock, was one of nine children; there were born to them six sons, and each received a large farm. There were born to our subject's parents five children: Wyman H., Pardon W., Frederick, Eliza C., and Agnes.
Pardon W. lived in Craftsbury till he was thir- teen years old, and at that age became the first recruit in Co. E., 8th Reg. Vt. Vol. Inf., enlist- ing Aug. 16, 1861; his fourteenth birthday took place when he was in the army. He served four years, and was mustered out of the service July 30, 1865. He was wounded at Spottsylvania Court House, and was consequently laid up for ten months, and afterward was put on detached duty in the commanding general's office; he was wounded May 12, 1864. It was his misfortune and unpleasant fate to experience capture three different times, and to thus become acquainted with Confederate prison life. He was first taken prisoner at Bayou La Fouche, La., July, 1862, and was taken with his comrades in distress into the swamps to Ship Island on parole and were then exchanged. He was captured again in the
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early spring of 1863 while serving on the Rapi- dan at a ford, near Kelley's Ford. Three pris- oners, including himself, were thrust into a cabin which had a large window high up in the wall, in juxtaposition to a large chimney. Their captors, having found some very mellow applejack in the cellar, imbibed too frequently and long at the intoxicating liquor and became very drunk, and so our subject and one companion took' advantage of the foe's weakness and es- caped to the Union lines, reaching there safely the next night. He was captured the third and last time in the fall of 1863, near Appomat- tox Court House, and was sent to Andersonville Prison, where he suffered the most inhuman treatment and barbarities for three months, weighing only ninety-six pounds when released; the processes or projections on the vertebrae of his backbone even protruded through the skin. When exchanged he came home for a sixty days' furlough, which was increased because of his weakened condition to ninety days; on his return to the army he joined it when fighting in the Wilderness. His wound occurred to him after this, and from that time to the close of the war he was on detached service as first lieutenant of Co. F., 17th Reg. Vt. Vol. Inf.
On Oct. 25, 1865, he joined his fortunes for good or bad with those of Dorcas Howe, in Bath, N. H .; Miss Howe was a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Royce) Howe. To Mr. and Mrs. Allen were born five children: Guy L. died at the age of two years; Lenwood H. died at the age of twenty-two; Effie E. married George M. Gale, deceased. Mr. Gale was born at North Haverhill, N. H., May 15, 1863, and died Oct. 12, 1896, his death being caused by a railroad accident. He began the railroad life as brake- man in June, 1887, was promoted to baggage- master, and served in that capacity for some six years; since 1893 he was in charge of a train on a regular run as its conductor. He was a mem- ber of Moosehillock Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F. He held to the good old Democratic principles in his politics. Ward W., the fourth child of our subject, attended school at Craftsbury, Vt., and is now in a training school for medical students in Waverly, Mass. Frank, the youngest, is de- ceased.
After the war was over Mr. Allen lived one year in Danville, Vt., four years in Haverhill,
then nine years in Benton, two years in Crafts- bury, Vt., and since 1886 has been a resident of Haverhill, with the exception of two years spent in Craftsbury to take care of his.old mother in her declining years. He bought his present farm in Haverhill in September, 1896. Mr. Allen is a member of the Advent Church, and his wife is a member of the M. E. Church of North Hav- erhill. In politics he is a Republican, and has been frequently honored with positions of trust and responsibility. He was town clerk in Ben- ton seven years, postmaster nine years, superin- tendent of the school committee seven years, tax collector two years, chairman of the board of supervisors for four years, and justice of the peace for twenty years. He is a member of Pink Granite Grange, No. 210, of North Haverhill; and also a member of Grafton Lodge, No. 46, F. & A. M., of Haverhill; Franklin Chapter, No. 5, of Lisbon. He belongs to the G. A. R., Nat. Westgate Post, No. 50, of North Haverhill.
GEORGE E. WHITE, a leading dairy farmer and wealthy land-owner of the town of Haver- hill, N. H., was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Aug. 20, 1845. He is a son of Charles and Lo- raina (Thorn) White, and a grandson of Ben- jamin White; whose wife was a Miss Giggie.
Our subject's grandfather was a resident of the city of New York, at the outbreak of the War of 1812, and was given the choice by the military authorities of swearing allegiance to the United States or of leaving the country. He accord- ingly went to New Brunswick, and upon the voy- age between his point of departure and his des- tination Feb. 15, 1811, our subject's father, Charles White, was born. Benjamin White set- tled in New Brunswick, near the St. John's River, where he cultivated a farm during the most of the remaining portion of his life. He also kept a tavern at Long Leach; N. B .; his death took place at the age of ninety-six from the injuries sustained in a severe fall. He was the father of eleven children, all of whom are dead but Charles, who, at the age of. eighty-six, still lives at Wilmot, N. S. Our subject's father was a master of several trades, and able to sup- port himself by means of any one of them; he
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was a tinsmith, shoemaker, and a farmer. His wife, Loraina Thorn, was of an English family of noble origin; she was born in Wilmot, N. S., and was a daughter of Dr. Philip Thorn, a far- mer, and a Miss Woodward, being the eldest of nine children; she died March 8, 1848, after presenting her husband with the five following children: Caroline; Maria F .; John P .; Char- lotte E .; and George E. By a subsequent mar- riage with Ann Hogan, Charles White added nine more children to the family.
Our subject was reared in Annapolis Valley, N. S., till he was seventeen, attending the com- mon schools up to the age of sixteen. On April 12, after he was seventeen, he came to Boston, where he had to pay $1.00 capital tax for entering the country. For two months he worked for Calvin Fisher, whose residence was in Northi Renthrom Bank, and spent the Fourth of July with a sister, who lived at Lowell, Mass .; in- stead of returning to his former place, he stayed in Lowell and worked for Capt. Fox one month, and in the machine shop of Jere Clark for two months.
He then enlisted in Co. M., 3rd Reg. of Mass. Vol. Cav., and participated in the battles of Pleasant Valley, Maryland Falls Church, a battle near Winchester, and in the campaign on the Red River. He was at Pleasant Valley when he heard of Lincoln's assassination. After the war he was sent to Ft. Leavenworth, and thence by horse to Ft. Kearney to quell an Indian out- break. On his return to Leavenworth he was mustered out of the service, and returned by way of Canada to Boston, where he was given an honorable discharge. From Boston he went to visit the old folks, and let his father have $400.00 of his army money to invest in a tin-shop, where it still remains. On his return to Lowell he worked at making harness for looms for two years, and entered the matrimonial state. He also learned the carpenter's trade and followed it some time. For six months he ran a fancy goods store, then sold it, and went to peddling for a time. Being bothered a good deal in his various avocations by his continued state of poor health, he went to California via Panama and Aspinwall, arriving at "Frisco" with only $5.00 in his pocket. He at once sought out his wife's cousin at Gold Hill, Nev., and after making his way there, worked five months for a dairyman for $200.00
in gold, and with that capital opened a tin-shop at Geneva, Nev. Ill-luck seemed to pursue his footsteps, for his store was soon destroyed by fire, and he was forced to return to Lowell, Mass., to begin anew; even the ship that transported him front New York to Fall River, R. I., seemed ill- fated, for it was struck by another boat, and all but lost.
During the next few months he worked at various occupations, such as carpentry work, plumbing, and as an engineer, at Lowell, Hav- erhill, Kinsford, and a number of other places, wherever work and a chance of advancement was offered. The first winter after his return from the Pacific Coast he bought a farm in the town of Benton, Grafton Co., N. H., without ever hav- ing viewed it, and made it his home and the scene of his labors for eleven years, farming in the summer and working in the timber in the winter season; he also bought another farm, and then sold all his property in Benton, came to Haverhill, where he rented a farm for two years. In 1889 he bought 310 acres of his present farni, to which he has added from time to time until his possessions amount to almost 500 acres. He follows dairy farming principally, and milks up- wards of thirty cows, disposing of his milk to the North Haverhill Creamery, of which he is presi- dent. He has improved the property to a large extent by the addition of a large barn, and other necessary farm buildings; a 120-ton silo enables him to feed his cattle green fodder through the winter, thus ensuring a good supply of milk. He speculates to a great extent in live stock, and turns many an honest penny by his shrewd trad- ing. His farm exhibits an appearance of thrift and industry not usually met with.
Mr. White was married Oct. 10, 1868, at Lowell, Mass., to Debora Hilt, who was born in Hope, Me., and is a daughter of Joseph and Mariam (Lampson) Hilt. Joseph Hilt, a son of Willianı and Betsey Hilt, was a ship carpenter by trade, and lived to be seventy-one years of age; his wife died at the age of sixty-five. Mrs. White is the eldest of seven girls born to her parents. She has borne her husband seven chil- dren, namely: Loraina, who married Noris Wright of Milford, N. H., and has one child, named Gardener; Cora married Samuel Howe of Benton, and has presented him with four chil- dren, Edith, Olive, Susie, and Frank E .; Wesley;
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William; Charles; Lula; and John. Mr. and Mrs. White both attend the Second Adventist Church. Mr. White is a member of the G. A. R., Nat. Westgate Post, No. 50, of North Haverhill. He is a Republican in his politics, but was not nat- uralized as a citizen until so recent a date as June, 1888, although his army service entitled him to a franchise long ago, had he only gone before the court and sworn to his connection with the United States Army, and his service in that organization. From the date of his enfran- chisement he has taken a very active interest in politics, both local and national, and bids fair at no very distant date to take a leading place in the town politics, as he is a man who is much re- spected for his sterling worth and integrity.
DANIEL AUSTIN SHAW, M. D., now en- gaged in farming with his son, Edwin W. Shaw, near North Haverhill, but formerly a practicing physician in the town of Haverhill, was born in the town of Holderness, N. H., Oct. 5, 1820. He. is a son of Asa and Diedama (York) Shaw.
Asa Shaw was born in Holderness about 1795, and lived to be seventy-four years old, dying in the town of Campton. He was a carpenter and builder by trade, and was actively engaged in building until he was seventy years old; he lived for a time in Lowell, where he took and fulfilled many contracts. He built the farm buildings of Dr. Shaw, his son. He also owned' a small farm, where he lived and made his home. His wife was born in Merrimac Co., N. H., and was a daughter of Benjamin and Kisiah (Coffin) York. Benjamin York was a minister of the Free Will Baptist denomination, and owned a farm in Holderness, where he lived. He came there in the pioneer times when the surrounding country was little better than a wilderness; at that period he used to carry grist to the mill on his own back through the forest by a spotted path, going clear to Concord, and returning home in the same manner with the flour on his back. Nine children composed the family that was born to Dr. Shaw's parents; they were named as follows: Alanson, deceased; Daniel Austin; Simeon W., deceased; Lorenzo L. lives in Yarmouth, Me .; Charlotte Mary (Levitt) lives
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