Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885, Part 19

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Printed at the Journal Office
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885 > Part 19

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Bartlett and John Bowker, brothers, from Scituate, Mass., were among the early settlers of the town. They bought a tract of land in the northern part and were the first ones who settled where the hamlet of Bowkerville now is. Bartlett married Jemima Wright, a widow, of Templeton, Mass., and reared a family of fifteen children. John also had a large family. The for- mer erected a grist-mill near where Coolidge & Whittemore's mills now are. Luke and Elijah, sons of Bartlett, erected the dam, and built the mill now used for a pail shop. They operated the grist-mill, and manufactured hand- rakes, butter tubs and boxes very extensively. Luke has been married three times. His first wife was Rhoda Hurd, who bore him three children, one of whom, Charles, resides in Philadelphia. His second wife was Sarah Howe, who had two daughters, one of whom, Sarah, is Mrs. S. S. Stone, of this town. His third wife is Rebecca, widow of Reuben Simonds, and daughter of Eliphaz Ballard, of Lancaster, Mass.

David Forristall was born in Holliston, Mass., in 1780, and came to this town with his father when a child. His father, one of the early settlers, came first, cleared some land, and built a log house, and then moved his two children, Daniel and Jessie, here. His son, Thomas, was born here, and still lives in the house his father built over a hundred years ago.

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TOWN OF FITZWILLIAM.

Timothy Ellis was born in that part of Keene which is now Roxbury, about 130 years ago, upon the place where William Ellis now lives. Samuel son of Timothy. was born there, where he lived until he was about thirty years of age. He then moved to Stockbridge, Vt., where he remained four years, and then he came to Fitzwilliam, where he died in 1826. George W., son of Samuel, was born in Keene, came to this town in 1814, and lives on road 15, corner of 45.

Silas Morse came here from Holliston, Mass., with his parents, who settled on a farm near where Samuel Payne now lives, over a hundred years ago. After, the death of his father he traded the farm o: ned by him for one in Sullivan, which he afterwards sold, and moved with his son, Ira L., to Gil- sum. He finally returned to this town, where he died January 13, 1859, at the age of eighty-two years. His son, Ira L., was born in Sullivan, came to this town March 28, 1861, and resides on road 29.

Abijah Richardson, who was born in this town, moved to Royalston, Mass., where he died in 1840. His son, Leander, born in Royalston, Mass., came here in 1860, has been deputy sheriff three years and is now a policeman.

Dr. Silas Cummings, son of Thaddeus, was born in Fitzwilliam, October 7, 1803. He studied medicine and received his diploma from Dartmouth col- lege. He began practice in this town about 1826 or 1827, where he con- tinued until his death, June 30, 1882. He was superintendent of schools for many years, and as such labored hard and effectively to elevate the plane of public education. Although a Democrat in a strongly Republican town, he so endeared himself to his townsmen that he was chosen town representative. He was chosen one of a committee to prepare a history of the town, but his death occurred before the work was finished. He was married twice, first, to Harriet Underwood, who bore him several children, of whom one daughter and two sons are now living. His second wife was Eliza Poland, widow of A. D. Simonds, by whom he had one daughter, Mrs. Clara B. J. Rand of this town.

Josiah Carter came from Lancaster, Mass., in 1803, being at that time six- teen years of age. His father, Joseph, was a shoemaker and he was brought up to the trade, which he carried on until 1818. He then bought a farm and devoted his after life to that. He was a lieutenant in the artillery. He mar- ried Betsey E. Foster and reared a family of four children. all now living. His sons, Josiah E., and Charles C., have always resided here and for forty- nine years have carried on the carriage business together. Charles C. mar- ried Sarah C. Tyler, of Chesterfield, and has two sons and two daughters. He has been town treasurer and held other offices of trust. Josiah E. has twice married, first, to Isabinda Ingalls, and second, Sarah A. Fay, and has one son, Albert E., of Winchendon, Mass. Josiah E. was town representative in 1861 and 1862, and has been town treasurer several years.

Ezra Hayden, a native of Sudbury, Mass., came here about 1804 or 1805, locating upon the farm where Ethan Blodgett now lives. He removed to the

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TOWN OF FITZWILLIAM.

place now owned by Eli Smith, where he died in 1843, at the age of fifty- eight years. His son, Otis, was born here where he has lived most of his life. His residence is on road 37.

Dea. Milton Chaplain, son of Squier Moses Chaplin, was born in the southeastern part of this town, in 1805. He attended a district school and the academy at Amherst, Mass. In the year 1824, when nineteen years of age, he " bought his time " during his minority and built a small shop in which he began the manufacture of clothes pins, being the first to make them in town. The method employed when he began was to turn them all in a lathe then cut the slot with a circular saw, when they were finished by boys and girls by hand. At the same time, he began the manufacture of mop-handles. In 1839, he established warehouses in Buffalo, N. Y., and later on in other parts of the West. He sent out salesmen with teams to sell washboards, roll- ing-pins, etc. His was the first water-power shop for the manufacture of wooden-ware in Cheshire county. He sold out to his brother Elisha and his cousin Levi Bent, who manufactured the goods, which he bought and sold, employing sixteen peddlers. He dealt at wholesale in those goods in Boston for four years, then sold out, went to Adrain, Mich., and engaged in the dry- goods trade, which he continued until 1861. He has been treasurer of the Fitzwilliam Savings bank for ten years. He has been an extensive traveler, visiting thirty-two states and territories, and has a memory richly stored with knowledge gained in his travels. He married Caroline, daughter of John J. Allen, of this town, in November, 1830, and has had three children. His son Elliot is a farmer in Delaware county, Iowa. His surviving daughter, Alicia, is the wife of Charles Newton, of this town. Milton Chaplin has offici- ated as town treasurer and selectman of this town.

Royal Smith came here from his native town, Lexington, Mass. He was a carpenter and died here in 1838. His son, Oliver W., was born here, is a farmer and lives on road I.

William Dunton was born here in May, 1824, and for twenty years before the war worked at the manufacture of wooden-ware for N. & J. Howe. He enlisted in April, 1861, in the 2d N. H. Vols., and went South in defense of the Union. He followed the fortunes of his regiment through the peninsula campaign unscathed, until the second Bull Run battle, when he was struck in the left cheek by a ball which came out under his left eye, shattering his up- per jaw and knocking out every tooth. He was left on the field for dead, where he remained for seven days, alone. The rebels came over the field and robbed him with the dead, but left him where he fell. With his jack- knife, he cut away the fragment of his shattered jaw. He was finally picked up and removed to the hospital, and lived to reach his native town, where he now resides. His grandfather was James Dunton, who came here from Southboro, Mass., about ninety-four years ago, and his father was Abel Dun- ton, a farmer who was born in Troy, August 24, 1792. He married Ruth Phillips and had a family of eight children, five of whom are now living, and. died April 10, 1882.

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TOWN OF FITZWILLIAM.

Daniel Spaulding, son of Phinehas, of Jaffrey, married Lucinda Perkins, May 11, 1819, and removed to Gardner, Mass., where he remained until 1825 or 1826. He then bought out Luke Richardson, of Fitzwilliam, and opened a store on the corner where Elisha Chaplin now lives. At one time he had John Perkins, his wife's brother, as a partner, and later, Dr. G. C. Noble, but carried on the business alone most of his life. He was chosen to all the offices of the town, including town representative in 1833 and 1834. He died July 17, 1882, at the great age of ninety-three years and seven months. He reared a family of five children-Mary E., Jared P., Daniel R., Julia A., the wife of Doctor Bradley, of Jaffrey, and L. Viola, who resides here.

Capt. Jonathan S. Adams, the only sor. of Joshua, was born in Plainfield, Conn., September 22, 1802. His father was a major of militia in Connecti- cut, and had two daughters, who, with Jonathan, constituted the family. Maj. Joshua Adams died in August, 1813, from a fall upon a stake. His son Jonathan came here in December, 1814, to live with his uncle, Rev. John Sabin, who was the pastor of the Congregational church. He spent the first six years of his life here in study with his uncle, who added to his labors as pastor here, those of tutor, and fitted young men for college. At the age of eighteen, his eyes failed under the strain of constant study, and he gave up his ambition to secure a classical education. He carried on his uncle's farm, and taught school about eighteen terms. He entered the Fitzwilliam Artillery Company as a private and rose in a few years to captain. He mar- ried, February 6, 1833, Abigail, daughter of Levi Tower of this town. He had a family of seven children, three of whom died in childhood, and four have married. His son served in the 16th N. H. Vols., and died in the ser- vice at Mound City Hospital, Ill., aged twenty-one, August 16, 1863. His daughter, Mary A., married Norman U. Cahill, and reared three children. Hannah A. Adams, second daughter of Jonathan, went to St. Louis, Mo., at the age of eighteen, in 1856, to reside with her father's sister, Mrs. Cool- idge. She was chosen to a position as teacher there in the public schools, and, at the breaking out of the war, was chosen secretary of the Ladies' Union Aid Society of St. Louis, in August, 1861, and filled the position for more than three years. She had also much to do with the work of supplying sanitary stores and garments to the soldiers in the hospitals during the war. Kate A. Adams, the other daughter, married John M. Parker, of this town, and had one daughter. Jonathan S. served as town representative in 1847, 1851 and 1852, and as selectman several years. He was road and county commis- sioner three years. Since 1825 he has done public surveying, and ın Janu- ary: 1885, at the age of eighty-two, went six miles, to Troy, and run the lines around a lot of wood-land.

Isaac Davis, a native of Royalston, Vt., and brought up at Princeton, Mass., came here March 11, 1839. He is a blacksmith by trade, and, in 1877, invented the compound force cartridge, which he patented the same year. It is intended for shooting long distances, and the principal has been

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TOWN OF FITZWILLIAM.

acted upon for heavy ordnances for piercing iron-clad vessels. By dividing the charge of powder great accumulative force is gained.

Oren Brooks, a native of Putney, Vt., moved with his parents to Massa- chussets while he was a child. He married Julia A. Wright, of Boston, who bore him twelve children. He moved to this town in 1848, where his two youngest were born, and died here in 1876, surviving his wife sixteen years. Two sons, George W. and Amos W., served in the civil war, the latter dying in the service. George W. is a merchant in West Swanzey, and the only son living. Three daughters, Serepta, wife of Dea. Alva S. Clark, Louisa P., wife of Franklin Whitcomb, living in Troy, and Mrs. Hattie L. Lawton, of Athol, Mass., constitute the surviving members of the family.

John E. Fisher was born near St. Johns, N. B., in 1825, on Darling's Is- land, which was the property of his grandfather, Captain Darling. His father, Richard, was a blacksmith, and removed to Boston about 1825, and ten years later moved to Quincey, Mass. He was one of the first four abolitionists in the town. His son John served seven years apprenticeship at stone cutting, working on the Boston custom-house. He had worked on government work in Boston about fifteen years before the Rebellion began. About three days after the firing on Fort Sumpter, he was placed in charge of the fortifications at Fort Warren in Boston harbor, where he superintended construction and repairs throughout the war. In 1865 he came to Fitzwilliam to superintend the work in a granite quarry, and has resided here since. He engaged in the quarry business for himself in 1866, which he stil continues, in the firm of Fisher & Newton. He married twice, first, Mary Wilcox, of Pawtucket, R. I., who died about three months thereafter, and second, Lucy U. Upham, of Salem, Mass., who bore him three children, all of whom died in childhood.

Dr. Aaron R. Gleason, was born, June 1, 1835, in Warren, Vt., where he lived until twelve years of age, when his father, Windsor, moved to Ackworth, N. H. He attended school and fitted for college at Westminster, Vt., and taught for two years, more or less, in the public schools. He studied medi- cine with Dr. K. D. Webster, of Gilsum, and Dr. George B. Twitchell, of Keene. pursued a course at the medical college at Burlington, Vt., at Wash- ington, D. C., and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city. He enlisted in the 2d N. H. Vols., in September, 1861, and was with his regiment until September, 1863, when he was transferred to Campbell Hospital, Washington, D. C., and while there pursued the medical course at the Alexandria Medical College, and received his diploma in March 1864. He was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 14th N. H. Vols., May II, 1864, but he declined, preferring hospital duty. In September, 1865, he re- turned to his home in New Hampshire. During the same autumn he went to New York and attended a course at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In the spring of 1866, he located in Fitzwilliam, where he has since continued to practice. He has been a member of the school board about fifteen years, and was town representative in 1881 and 1882. He married, January 11*

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TOWN OF FITZWILLIAM.

19, 1869, Etta E., only child of Dr. K. D. Webster, of Gilsum, and has one- daughter, Maude W.

Barzaliel Baker came to Marlboro from Westminster, Mass., about 1800. He was a farmer and settled upon the farm now occupied by Howard Clark,. where he died, at the ege of eighty-two. His son Asa was born in Marlboro, where lived until 1833, when he moved to Jaffrey, where he remained until his death, in October, 1869, at the age of sixty-six years. Edwin C., a na- tive of Jaffrey, came to this town in 1870.

Silas Fife came to Troy from! Bolton, Mass., and settled in the eastern part of the town. He was a farmer, had a family of ten children, and died there in 1834. His son, Timothy, a native of Troy, remained there until his death, December 12, 1872, in his eightieth year. Daniel J., son of Tim- othy, also a native of Troy, came to Fitzwilliam in 1877, and located on road 492.

John Harkness, born in Smithfield, R. I., in 1767, came to Richmond, N. H., when a child, and lived there until his death. in 1851. His son, James, a native of Richmond, came to this town when about twenty-six years of age, and is now located on road 19.

Rev. Samuel S. Dudley, a native of Sudbury, Mass., has been a Method- ist minister forty-four years, seventeen of which he has preached in this county. He now resides on road 42.

Hosea Platts, a descendent of Abel, who came from England and settled in Rindge previous to the Revolution, was born in that town. He married Nancy, daughter of Thayer Smith, of Fitzwilliam, April 16, 1831, and resided in Rindge until 1837, where two sons and two daughters were born. They then moved to Fitzwilliam and located on road 14, where seven more children were born. Of these, John A. Platts, born September 16. 1838, enlisted as a private in Co. K, 6th N. H. Vols., October 28, 1861, and served until July 15, 1865, being mustered out as a first lieutenant. He married Susie C., daughter of Christopher Crowell, of Westminster, Vt., February 13, 1864, and resided in Westminster from 1865 to 1871. He then returned to Fitzwilliam, where he now resides. He has one son and three daughters. His brother, Elijah T., served in the same company for the same length of time, and was mustered out as quarter-master sergeant. He now resides in Jaffrey. Two brothers, H. Osborne and Frank W., reside in Massachusetts, and Charles F., another brother, lives in Rindge.

John A. Streeter, son of Adam, of Orange, Mass., came to Fitzwilliam, where he married Ruth C. Carroll, and located at Bowkerville, where he lived sixteen years. He then moved to the southern part of the town where he died. He reared a family of seven children, two sons and five daughters,. none of whom are now living in town. His widow and two daughters, Jen- nie L. and Hattie M., live in Baldwinsville, Mass., and John H. resides in Swanzey.

Oliver Whitcomb came to Fitzwilliam from Massachusetts, and located in.

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the western part of the town, where he spent the remainder of his life. He reared a family of six children, three sons and three daughters, only one of whom, Rebecca, is living, and resides on the old homestead. Jacob, son of Oliver, was born in town, married Phillis Grant, who bore him six children, three of whom are now living, and located in the town of Richmond, on lots Nos. 11 and 12. His wife died November 23, 1866, and his death occurred in February, 1871. Anthony S. now resides in the town of Swanzey.

During the late war Fitzwilliam furnished 168 men for the service, 162 of whom were volunteers or substitutes for enrolled men not drafted. Of the thirty drafted men, twenty-two were excused for disability, one emigrated to Canada, one was excused as alien, four served, and two furnished substitutes, Of the total number furnished, forty-four were killed or died of disease while in the service. The total amount of money furnished by the town was $29,- 933.37, of which $1,500.00 was reimbursed by the state, and $886.00 by the United States, leaving a net expense of $27,547-37.

The Orthodox Congregational church, located at Fitzwilliam village, was organized in 1771. During the autumn and winter of 1768, Rev. Nehemiah Parker supplied the people of Fitzwilliam with preaching. In November, 1770, Rev. Benjamin Brigham, of Marlboro, Mass., who had graduated at Harvard, in 1764, received an invitation to settle here, and in January of the following year, gave an affirmative answer to the call. March 27, 1771, was appointed for his ordination, and on that day the Congregational church was organized, with six members, viz .: Benjamin Brigham, Benjamin Bigelow, John Fassitt, Nathaniel Wilder, Caleb Winch, and James Reed. These services were held at the public house, the church building being in an un- finished state, and thus unfit for the purpose. This building, a wooden structure, stood opposite the present cemetery. A second building was put . up in 1816, and was struck by lightning and burned on the night of January 17th, of that year. The next building was put up in 1817, a fourth in 1832, which was burned in January, 1857, and was succeeded by the present edifice. It is a neat structure, capable of seating 400 persons, cost $4,000.00, and is valued, including grounds, etc., at $6,000.00. The society now has 132 mem- bers, and a Sabbath-school of 120 pupils, with Rev. John Colby, pastor. Mr. Colby was born in York, Me., October 1, 1821, pursued a course at Gilman- ton academy, graduated from Dartmouth in 1852, and from Andover in 1855. Before entering college he learned and followed for some years the printer's trade, and was connected with the Morning Star, a Freewill Baptist publi- cation, at Dover, His first pastorate was at Hampton, N. H., in 1855, and he has been located here since 1873. He was school commissioner in Rocking- ham county, in 1862, '63 and '64, and is Fitzwilliam's representative for 1885- '86. He married Helen L. Barden, of Dover, May 14, 1856, and has two daughters, Annie L., a teacher, who graduated at Wellesley in 1880, and Helen R.

The First Baptist church, located at Fitzwilliam, was organized in 1815,

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TOWN OF GILSUM.

with six or eight members, by Rev. Nathaniel Bowes, of Richmond, Rev. Ar- not Allen being the first pastor. The church building, erected in 1842, will seat 250 persons, cost $1,800.00, and is valued, including grounds, etc., at $5,000.00. The society now has sixty-two members, and a Sabbath-school with ninety scholars, with Rev. Andrew Dunn, pastor.

The Methodist Episcopal church, organized by Rev. W. Merrill, the present pastor, in 1867, has two branches, one at Howeville, and one at the Depot. Their first church building was erected at Howeville, and the one at the De- pot in 1878. It will seat 150 persons, cost $1,000.00 and is now valued, in- cluding grounds, etc., at $2,000.00. The society has thirty-two members, and a Sabbath-school with 103 scholars.

The First Congregational church .- The Unitarian denomination has a society under this name at Fitzwilliam village, holding meetings about three months during the summer season, in the town hall. They have no regular pastor.

G ILSUM lies in the northern-central part of the county, in lat. 43º I' and long. 4° 50'. In outline it is similar to that of a carpenter's square, bounded north by Alstead and Marlow, east by Stoddard and Sullivan, south by Sullivan and Keene, and west by Surry. It was originally granted, under the name of Boyle, to Joseph Osgood and his asso- ciates, December 30, 1752. No settlements were made under this grant, through fear of the Indians, until so late a date that the charter was forfeited. But notwithstanding this, in March, 1761, Benjamin Bellows bought of Rebecca Blanchard, widow of Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable, Mass., the " Rights he had in Boyle," for £67, 10s. " sterling money." This deed conveyed twen- ty-six rights, and also mentions the names of their original owners. Four days after, March 28, 1761, he also bought of Theodore Atkinson, of Ports- mouth, for £60, 15s. sterling, twenty-seven rights more. On the Ist of May, 1761, he sold 18,000 acres for £1,350, "lawful money," to Samuel Gilbert, Esq., Josiah Kilburn, Thomas Sumner, Jonathan Smith and Joseph Mack, all of Connecticut. These five men doubtless sold shares to those who subsequently became associated with them as proprietors of Gilsum, though no record of such sale has yet been found. Thomas Sumner, in " behalf of himself and other proprietors in the town of Boyle," petitioned Gov. Benning Wentworth for a new charter of the township, January 24, 1763. This petition was favorably received, and a new charter was granted, changing the name of the township to Gilsum, on the 13th of the following July. This charter granted a tract of 25,340 acres, bounded as follows :-

" Beginning at the southeasterly corner of Walpole, thence south 78° east two miles and 104 rods to the northeast corner of Westmoreland ; thence south 620 rods to the north line of Keene; thence north 84° east six miles

TOWN OF GILSUM.

165

and 224 rods to a stake and stones ; thence north by the needle four and one-half miles, to a stake and stones ; thence west by the needle eight and three-quarters miles and fifty-two rods, to the easternmost line of Walpole ; and thence south two miles and 288 rods by Walpole to the place of beginning."

These bounds, it will be seen, gave the township a much larger territory and a far different outline from what it now has. Upon the back of the charter was drawn a plan of the town, of which the following is a fac-simile, except the dotted line, which will be spoken of later, the scale being nearly two miles to an inch. The corner marked "B. W." is Governor Went- worth's usual share of 500 acres, reserved for him in all the townships he granted :---

N : by the needle 4% miles.

B.W.

W. 8% miles 52 rods.

N : 84° ; East 6 miles 224 rods.

S 620 rods

S 78 ° E 2 m. 104 rods

Westmoreland.

S 2 miles 288 rods. .

Walpole.

The name Gilsum, tradition says, was given in settlement of a dispute as to whether the town should be named Gilbert or Sumner, after the respective

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TOWN OF GILSUM.

proprietors thus named. The first syllable of each of the names were united, forming Gil-sum, as a compromise.

It was found that the easterly part of the town extended over the Mason "curved line," which passed through the town about as represented by the dotted line in the accompanying plan, identical with the present bound- ary line between Stoddard and Marlow and between Gilsum and Stoddard. This led to a long controversy between the proprietors of Gilsum and the Masonian proprietors. On June 20, 1797, a bill was passed by which Gil- sum lost all the territory east of the line, which was made the boundary line between it and Stoddard. The natural features of the town, as originally chartered, were such as to render a division necessary. Scarcely a year had elapsed from the giving of the charter, when, in the call for a pro- prietors' meeting, July 16, 1764, was inserted an item "to see if said proprietors will vote and set off the west end of said town of Gilsum as far east as the top of the mountain." This mountain is now called Surry mountain, and lies on the boundary line between Surry and Gil- sum. A petition was presented the legislature to have a new township formed, July 4, 1768, which was granted March 2, 1769, and on the ninth of the following month Surry was incorporated. Eighteen years later the towhship lost another large tract, from its southeastern corner, which left it with its present angular outline. On the 22d of August, 1786, a peti- tion signed by a number of residents of Keene, Stoddard and Gilsum was presented to the legislature, praying that portions of those towns and of Nelson be formed into a new township. This petition was also granted, and on the 27th of September, 1787, the township of Sullivan was incorporated. No changes have been made from that time except in 1873, when a few acres from the north side of the river were taken from Sullivan and re- annexed to Gilsum, so that the south bank of the Ashuelot now forms the town line, from a few rods below Collins's factory till it strikes the west line of Sullivan. It now contains about 9,400 acres.

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Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885, Part 19

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Printed at the Journal Office Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Printed at the Journal Office
Number of Pages: 1034