USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Chester > Facts relating to the early history of Chester, N.H., from the settlement in 1720 until the formation of the state constitution in the year 1784 > Part 2
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HISTORY OF CHESTER.
at the head and foot, but none bore inscriptions. The land is now smooth, having been cultivated for several years. About fifteen persons were buried in this place, the last of whom was Jonathan Goodhue, who was accidently killed by the falling of a tree, about the year 1740.
1734. The non-residents objected to paying their proportion of the expenses, and this year Mr. John Calfe was empowered, together with Dr. Rogers, to address the General Court, at the next session, in order to compel them to pay "a penny an acre " for what land they hold, until they shall perform settlement ac- cording to the true intent of the charter.
The dissatisfaction of the people towards Mr. Hale increasing, and his health continuing poor, he made certain proposals, Feb. 6th, in relation to resigning his charge ; whereupon a meeting was holden, on the first Wednesday of June, at the house of Deac. Dearborn, to consider upon them. It was thought best to agree to them, and (June 27th,) Deac. Dearborn and John Calfe were appointed to wait on the minister, and urge a Council for dissolving the pastoral relation between him and the church in Chester. An ecclesiastical council was accordingly held at Salis- bury, on the 13th of August, consisting of the Elders and messen- gers of all the churches in the neighborhood, which agreed on the following :
"Being regularly assembled by virtue of letters, sent from the church of Chester to the aforesaid churches, to advise and direct the said church of Chester what may be most proper for them to do under their present difficult circumstances, by reason of the Rev. Mr. Moses Hale, their pastor, being wholly disenabled from serving them in the work of the ministry ; and having made due inquiry into the case and circumstances of the said minister and people, we find that the said Mr. Hale having done little or no service among them, and being, by the Providence of God, brought under great disorder of body and distraction of mind, and for a time 'berived' of his reason and understanding, and thereby rendered incapable of discharging the work of the ministry among them, and so remaining without any present appearance or pros- pect of being restored to his ministry ; and therefore we judge and determine that it is the wisdom and duty of the church and peo-
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ple of Chester to proceed, in regular steps, to call and settle a gos- pel minister among them, so that they may no longer be destitute of the word and ordinances of Christ ; and would also advise and direct the said church and people of Chester that, besides allowing the said Mr. Hale the town right which accrued to him upon set- tlement, and what also was thien given him to encourage his set- tlement, they should not forget their obligations to be ready to contribute to his support and relief, according to their power and ability. So commending them to the God of Grace and Peace, we subscribe your brethren in Christ,
CALEB CUSHING, Mod'r.
JOHN ODLIN, Scribe.
In the name and behalf of the Council."
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At a meeting holden a day or two after the foregoing, it was voted that the first Wednesday in September should be observed " as a day of fasting and prayer for advice for another minister," and a committee consisting of five individuals was appointed to receive the advice of the ministers in regard to the subject. The determination of the Council was accepted by the Proprietors, and it was voted, that after three Sabbaths from that time, (Septem- ber 1st,) the pulpit should be supplied three months at the public charge. The names of Thos Smith, John Smith, Robert Mills, Wm. Carswell, Robert Gilchrist, Andrew Craig, Thos Colwell, Alex. Craig, Patrick Melvin, and Robert Boys are entered as protesting against the above vote, declaring themselves " not of that communion, having hired a minister themselves." Hence it appears that the Presbyterian Society was formed this year, and that a minister was already hired-probably Mr. John Wilson, who was the same year ordained by them. Their meetings were of course held at private houses, as they had yet no church.
1735. Mr. Hale being now dismissed, and being creditor for considerable amount of arrears, the town was constrained to ap- ply, in June, by a brief, to the neighboring towns for aid. This was not granted, for . in 1740 the arrears were still uupaid, and portions of the undivided lands were sold to discharge the debt.
The question was now discussed who should be chosen for the next minister, and at a meeting holden Nov. 6th, it was voted that the Rev. Timothy White should be the person, and his salary
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should be £120 per annum. Deac. Ebenezer Dearborn, Nathan Webster and John Calfe were appointed to acquaint him with his call. Who Mr. White was, does not appear, and he declined the invitation. On this attempt to settle another minister, the Pres- byterians, to the number of 31, presented a protest, in the follow- ing language :
" Chester, November ye 6, 1735.
We, the under-subscribers Proprietors and inhabitants of the town of Chester aforesaid, do enter our protest or dissent against any charges or costs that shall or may arise by calling, settling or ordaining any other minister, in this town, than the minister which we have already called, settled and ordained, viz : the Rev. Mr. John Wilson, according to the rules of the Presbyterian church, particularly the church of Scotland; and we also insist upon the benefit of the proviso made in the act of the Province law relating to the maintenance and supply of the ministers within this province."
Hitherto the business of the town and of the Proprietary had all been transacted at the regular town meetings, but in Oct. of this year, it was voted that the Proprietor's Clerk be empowered to warn meetings for the present, at the request of twenty or more of the Proprietors of the undivided land in Chester, " they setting forth the occasion of the same, and the time when, and where, and for the warning of said meeting it shall be accounted sufficient to have notifications posted up, one at Chester, one at Pourts- mouth, one at Hampton, one at Newbury, and one at Haverhill, at some public place, fourteen days before said meeting, and the present petitioners for every meeting shall be at the charge of set- ting up the notification of the said meeting."
This year Mr. John Calfe made proposals to build a fulling mill at " Massabesic brook," (now called " Oswego brook,") and his proposals being accepted by the town, he proceeded to build his mill. It stood near where Nathan Griffin now lives, and was torn down about sixty years ago. It went by the name of "the old fulling mill." In May of this year, (1735,) the throat dis- temper (technically called Cynanche maligna,) made its appear- ance, for the first time, at Kingston. It continued to spread through that town and the neighboring towns, but did not reach
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Chester until October .* This disease attacked children principally, of whom twenty-one, under the age of ten years, were carried off, in Chester, within less than nine months; who they were I have been unable to ascertain. The summer of 1735, when the sick- ness began, was unusually wet and cold, and easterly winds great- ly prevailed. More than one thousand persons are estimated to have died in the Province of New Hampshire of this distemper. The physicians of Boston held a consultation in 1736, and pub- lished their opinion that it proceeded entirely from " some occult quality in the air." In 1754-5 it made its appearance again, and a third time about 1784, and several individuals suffered from it.
The whole population of Chester at this time was probably not over 300 or 350. This calculation is made from the proportions of the deaths in other towns.
1736. On the 23ª of June, 1736, the town voted that Rev. Mr. Ebenezer Flagg should be the minister of the town of Ches- ter, and that he should be paid £120 annually, " as silver at 20 shillings an ounce," during his ministry at Chester. At this meeting still another protest was presented, signed by forty-nine members of the Presbyterian Socioty, declaring the meeting il- legal, and objecting to the settlement of Mr. Flagg. After his settlement, which occurred probably in September, many of them. refused payment of taxes for his support, whereupon the collector was ordered to commit the delinquents to jail, which order he car- ried into effect on the persons of Maj. John Tolford and Deac. James Campbell, and took them to Exeter jail. On their release they commenced an action of false imprisonment, and recovered damages. This led to the act which was passed in 1740 incor- porating the two Societies separate.f
1737. The year 1737 is noted for the building of "a log pound, 30 ft. square, six feet high, with a good gate, and a lock and key." The spot where it was to be, was " a little south of John Boyd's house." Probably John Boyd lived in a house which used to stand nearly where Alfred Dearborn's shop is, and which was afterwards occupied by Sampson Underhill. The pound was a little above Mr. Lane's house, and was demolished seventy or eighty years ago.
* Belknap's History of New Hampshire.
+ Farmer's N. II. Gaz.
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This year the first school was established in Chester by virtue of the following votes, passed April 7th : "Voted, to Rais thirty Pounds to Hier a schoolmaster this present year." " Voted, the Select men shall remove the said scoolmaster to the seurall Parts of the town as shall be conuenant." No account of the master or of where the school was kept can be obtained.
The Cochrans were still the town's creditors for building the meeting house, and the most convenient way was taken, in 1737, to discharge the debt, viz : by sale of public lands.
The lines of the town were now, for the first time "run and perambulated," by Capt. Samuel Ingalls, Jacob Sargent and Sam- uel Emerson, Esq. ; they were paid ten shillings a day, i. e. about seventy-five cts. In August, 1737, Chester was favored with a visit from Gov. Belcher. An account of this tour was published in the papers of the day, and concluded thus : "His Excellency was much pleased with the fine soil of Chester, the extraordinary improvements at Derry, and the mighty fall at Skeag."*
1738. In 1738 the sum of £20, (about $40,) was raised for the support of a school, and £5 " to add to the town's stock of ammunition." .
1739. The Presbyterians had hitherto hield their meetings in private houses, or in barns, but their number being now consider- able, they began to aspire to a church ; the subject was introduced at a meeting held April 4, 1739, where it was voted to assess £240 on themselves, " towards building a meeting-house for the Rev. Mr. John Wilson." The house was finished the same year, and stood on a part of one half an acre of land, given to the Society for this purpose and for a burying place, by Mr. Wilson. It was on the west side of the " Haverhill road," and its dimensions were about 35 by 40 feet.f The graves are in a very dilapidated condition. After the death of Mr. Wilson, the church was with -- out a settled minister twenty-four years; it was then removed to the North Parish and rebuilt with considerable additions. It was lately taken down and destroyed, a new one having been built in its stead.
The ill-will between the two Societies had increased to such an
* Belknap's History.
t I have the deed .- C. B.
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extent that this year two constables were chosen, one an orthodox, the other a Presbyterian, and also Mr. John McMurphy was em- powered " to prefer a petition to the General Court, to obtain an explanation of the Charter." This was the immediate cause of the incorporation of the two societies.
In May a privilege was granted to John McMurphy " to build a grist mill " at ' Massabesic River,' below the ' great fall,' with- in two years, " provided said McMurphy shall not stop or impede the course of the fish up the said river, but shall and will leave, contrive, and make sufficient passage for that purpose." This mill was on what is now called " Cohass brook," and " Webster's mills" now occupy the same spot. From this and similar pro- visos, it appears that the alewives, which came up into Massabe- sic, were one source of support to the settlers.
1740. In April, 1740, the town voted, for the first time, that a school should be maintained throughout the year, "partly by schoolmasters, and partly by schooldames, as the Selectmen shall judge best for the town."
On the imprisonment of Tolford and Campbell, in 1736, a suit was commenced by their Society which resulted finally in a deci- sion in their favor, and the following record appears on the town book : " Whereas at the settling of the Rev. Mr. Ebenezer Flagg in the work of the ministry at Chester, a number of the inhabi- tants entered their dissents, alleging that they were of a different persuasion, Presbyterians, according to the Kirk of Scotland, and supposed the law freed them from paying, they applied themselves to the General Court where the law was explained in their favor, the Rev. Mr. John Wilson being their minister, and they having paid Mr. Wilson distinct from the rest of the town, separate from Mr. Flagg's hearers ; but now it happens that the 5th article inserted in the warning for the present meeting is to settle a salary upon the Rev. Mr. John Wilson, the moderator not thinking this meet- ing proper for that affair-they insisting to have something done upon it, the rest of the town being first withdrawn from Mr. Wil- son's hearers, the moderator addressed himself to them in the fol-" lowing manner : ' If it be your minds that the Rev. Mr. John Wilson, minister of the Presbyterians, should have one hundred pounds money for his salary for the year ensuing, to be paid by
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the Presbyterians, his hearers, manifest it by holding up your hands ;' ' they that are of the contrary mind, manifest it by the same sign.' Passed in the affirmative, by Mr. Wilson's hearers."
Aug. 7th, the long-wished act was passed incorporating the So- cieties.
The first Parish meeting of the Orthodox Society was holden Sept. 10th, and adjourned to the 17th, when Benj. Hills, James Varnum and Eliphaz Sanborn were chosen wardens, and Paul Smith, collector. The Congregational church is always specified as "y" old meeting house," in distinction from the new one.
1741. In March, 1741, the proposal was first made to build a school-house ; it was to be at " y" centre," but it was not built for some years.
1742. Hitherto the dead had been buried in the burying place, already referred to, at " Three Camp Meadow," but this year the Selectmen were authorized to obtain an acre of land, by exchange, from Jonathan Blunt, " so as to accommodate a decent burying place at the corner of his lot, by the meeting house ;" which however was not done for several years, for in 1745, a vote appears again to the same effect ; and again 1749, he was paid £60 old tenor for the same piece.
There appears to be considerable uncertainty as to the time of the first burials there ; one stone bears the date 1737 without any inscription ; another 1744, so it is pretty certain that the place was used, for that purpose, before it was purchased by the town. That part of the present grave-yard next to the main road, is the oldest, and it is said that the west corner of the old burying place is now traversed by the road which turns towards Raymond, and that some of the early graves were outside of the present wall at that part of the yard. The first person buried in this place was Sampson Underhill ; he came to Chester from Ipswich, Mass., in 1726 or 7, and lived for a time during the last of his life near where Mr. Quigg lives, and perhaps, too, near where Alfred Dear- born's shop stands. He died probably about the year 1735, and his grave is still remembered ; it is near the entrance.
Deac. Campbell, Thomas Wells and Joshua Prescott were ap- pointed a committee to prevent the killing of deer " contrary to
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the law in that case made and provided; " afterwards these offi- cers were regularly chosen by the town, and called " Deer in- spectors."
1743. In March, 1743, the following vote was passed : " Whosoever shall kill a full grown woulfe in this town, shall have twenty shillings Paid him by the town, old tennour, and ten shilling for a woulfe's whelp." This law was reenacted from year to year, and under it bounties were paid to the following persons : To John Robie, for a wolf's head, (1746,) to Daniel McNeal, for ditto, (1747,) John Senter, ditto, (1748,) John Stark, (after- wards Maj. Gen.) ditto, (1749,) Ithamer Berry, for nine wolf's whelps, (1750,) Ithamer Berry, for ditto, (1751,) Ellet Berry, for wolf's head, (1753,) Abraham Berry, ditto, (1754,) John Webster, Joseph Richardson, Sam1 Hill and Amos Emerson, each for ditto, (1765.) Many other wolves were doubtless killed be- sides these ; they must have been quite common at that time.
The Parish passed a vote in April, that the " three windows in the gallery over each door, and the two long windows on the back- side " of the meeting house should " be wholly taken out, and done up with boards and clapboards," also, " if any person had a pew in the meeting house and there was no window against it, he have liberty to make one, he maintaining the same."
Mr. Flagg's salary was paid this year by £30 bills of credit, old tenor.
1744. January 24th, 1744, at a meeting holden, it appears, expressly for the purpose, Mr. Benjamin Hills was chosen " to represent the town in General Assembly ;" accordingly he made a journey to Portsmouth for that purpose, but was refused admit- tance, as the town had not petitioned for leave to send a represen- tative. He returned home, and the following vote, passed two years afterwards, forms the sequel of the story. "Put to vote whether to allow Mr. Benj. Hills anything for his journey to Pourtsmouth in order . to represent the town in General _Assem- bly." "Passed in the Negative."
1745. March 20th, 1745, the town voted " to build school housen," and a committee was appointed " to divide the town into several parts in order to accommodate them." This they did, and
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made, it appears, four districts of it, which are now pretty nearly represented (1) by the " centre " district. The first school house 'in this district was built a little south of Richard Morse's shop. (2.) In the " Webster district" the first school house was near the Southern corner of John Sanborn's field, opposite Mr. Web- ster's house ; it is said by persons now living who remember it in '75, that it was about twelve feet square. (3.) In the " Walnut Hill district" the first school house was not very far from opposite Wm. Hazelton's house, though somewhat further to the North- ward. (4.) The other school house was in that part of the town called "Long meadows," and was probably not far from where the present school house is. These were all built in 1745.
(This year the French war broke out, and soon after, one Bun- ten was shot by the Indians, near where "Head's tavern " is, in Hooksett. He was a Pelham man, and was on his way to Pen- acook.)
There were several families of Penacook Indians who resided within the limits of Chester ; ten or twelve of them made their home on the large island in the west bay of Massabesic Pond. The vestiges of their wigwams are very evident at the present day. They lived near the west shore of the island, and the places of their tents are denoted by round cavities, perhaps twenty feet across, and two feet deep. The island is overgrown with a heavy growth of wood ; others lived on what is called " the island," in Three Camp Meadow, which took its name from this circum- stance ; a few more lived on " Clark's meadow " near where Couch's saw-mill stands, and others still in Raymond. They were very harmless people, and friendly to the settlers.
1746. In 1746, Mr. Flagg's salary had increased, as it ap- pears, to £240, old tenor.
1747. In 1747, Maj John Tolford and Capt. Thomas Wells were empowered by the town to prefer a petition to the Gover- nor and Council, " in order to stop and save any man from being sent out of the town into the service ; and further, when there may be a convenient opportunity, regularly to proceed to have a suita- ble number of men put and kept in the service in our town." The petition was not granted, and Majors Rogers and Stark aug-
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mented the number of their "rangers" considerably, by additions from Chester. The only persons who served in this war that I have been able to ascertain were Capt. David Webster, and two sons of Samuel Emerson, one of whom died at Crown point, the other at Albany .*
Among the curious entries on the town accounts, is charged as follows : " Unto William Turner, for making ye stocks, £3." It was customary to have the stocks stand near the meeting house, and this was probably the case with ours.
1748. There was considerable dissatisfaction in regard to the schools, and in 1748 Thomas Wells and several others pre- sented a petition to the town, praying that a committee might be appointed to petition the Quarter or General Sessions for their aid and assistance, "for the better regulation of schooling." At a special meeting holden Sept. 1, it was voted that the prayer of the petition be heard, and accordingly the Sessions were requested to regulate these affairs.
An attempt had been made once or twice since Mr. Hills' un- successful journey to Portsmouth, to petition for liberty to send a representative, but the town appears to have been so offended and disgusted at the proceedings of the Assembly in regard to Mr. Hills, that it invariably refused to petition ; but this year the Sheriff of the Province sent a warrant, commanding them to " elect and choose " one man to represent the town in General As- sembly. A meeting was accordingly holden Dec. 2d, and Capt. Aber Morse was chosen for this purpose.
1749. In 1749, Mr. Flagg acknowledges the receipt of £355, in full for his salary that year, and in the latter part of the same year, at the request of thirteen parishioners, a parish meet- ing was called " to consider whether Mr. Flagg shall have fifteen or twenty cord of merchantable firewood, or money sufficient to purchase the same, during the whole time he carries on in the ministry." It was voted that he should, though once or twice be- fore it had been decided differently.
In 1749 the French war ended, and the inhabitants of Chester, as well as of other towns, felt considerable relief. Several garri-
* N. H. Hist. Coll.
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sons had been maintained, which were as follows : one near where Joseph Webster lives, of which the owner's name is lost ; one on the spot where Cowdry's hut is, said to have been kept by Francis Towle; one where Capt. Pickett's house is, kept by Lt. Thomas Smith ; the Tolford house, still standing on Walnut Hill, was kept as a garrison by Maj. John Tolford ; one near where Mel- vin's store stands. There are several other buildings now stand- ing, which are said to have been used for garrisons, but it is not likely that they were so numerous as the addition of these to the list would make appear. They are the following: the house where Frank Morse lives in Hall's Village, or one which stood on the same spot ; the house occupied by Asa Wilson, said to have been used as a garrison in his grandfather's time ; the house where Abel Morse lived, now used as a shed by Mr. Couch. These may all have been used as garrisons for a short time, but were not considered as such.
1750. After the close of the war they were all relinquished.
1751. In March the town voted to set off a parish " taking in the land not incorporated into a township by Amoskeag " and a part of Londonderry. In the following September, this with other tracts was incorporated as Derryfield, which name it sus- tained until 1810, when it was changed to Manchester.
1752. The small pox broke out in town in the spring of 1752, in the family of Thomas Grier ; the expenses of the sickness were discharged by the town. .
1753. The Presbyterians of Chester had settled mostly in the extreme southern part of the town, and in the North parish ; hence it became necessary for their convenience to divide the So- ciety, and Mr. Wilson preached alternately two weeks at home, and the third at the North Parish ; but in March of the next year it was proposed to divide it again for some reason, which called forth a remonstrance, signed by seventeen individuals, asserting that " if the Parish was divided a second time it would ruin it." It was not however done.
1754. In September of the following year a meeting was called to see whether the Parish would " consider the Rev. Mr.
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