Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885, Part 36

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 36

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).

301

CITY OF KEENE.

his position at St. Stephen's, and directly after Easter, 1859, undertook the entire charge of the work. Meanwhile he purchased the estate where he now resides (1885). and in July of that year removed thither with his family. On May 13, 1859, the parish of St. James church, Keene, was organized, and the usual officers were elected. May 15, certain friends of the church bought of the Cheshire R. R. Co. the lot now occupied by the church edifice for the sum of $1,300, and deeded it to the parish. May 18th, the Rev. E. A. Renouf was called to be rector of St. James' church, and at once accepted the invitation. May 25th this parish was admitted into union with the con- vention of the diocese of New Hampshire, and was represented in that con- vention by Mr. H. Brownson, as lay delegate. On Sunday, August 7th, the holy communion was celebrated in their parish for the first time. On the Sunday following, August 14th, the Sunday-school was organized with four teachers and sixteen pupils. In October, 1860, plans for a stone church, with a seating capacity of about 500, were submitted by C. E. Parker, archi- tect, of Boston, Mass., at an estimated cost of $12,000, which, after some de- lays and modifications, were agreed upon, and ground was broken Ascension day, May 14, 1863. The corner-stone was laid by the bishop of the diocese, assisted by the rector and several clergymen of this and the dioceses of Ver- mont, June 30, 1863, at which time an able address was delivered by the Rev. Dr. I. G. Hubbard, rector of Grace church, Manchester. The build- ing was completed and ready for use during the following summer. The first service was held in it August 21, 1864; but the chancel furniture and other appointments were still incomplete, and there remained an unliquidated debt of $7,000, which delayed for several years the services of consecration. April 17, 1863, the Rev. Mr. Renouf tendered his resignation of the rector- ship to take place May 31st, 1868. The Rev. George W. Brown was called be rector October 19, 1868. During his rectorship the church was decorated within, and after prolonged effort the money needed to liquidate the debt was raised. William P. Wheeler having pledged $1,000 toward the amount needed, provided the parish would raise the rest. Accordingly the church was consecrated by Bishop Niles, November 22, 1877. Mr. Brown resigned the rectorship April 13th 1879. The Rev. A. B. Crawford was called to be rector May 9, 1879, and resigned April 9, 1882. The Rev. Floyd W. Tom- kins, Jr., rector of St. Paul's church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, was called to the rectorship of St. James' church, June 19, 1882. He accepted and en- tered up his duties as rector, September 1, 1882. Mr. Tomkins resigned March 1, 1884, and accepted a call to Calvary chapel, New York city. Sep- tember 15, 1884, the Rev. W. B. T. Smith, rector of Union church, West Claremont, was called. He accepted and entered upon his duties as rector, Sunday, November 23, 1884.

The Second Congregational church was organized October 16, 1867, with one hundred and twenty-three members, who had seceded from the First church for that purpose. The building and organ cost $35,000.00, and was

302

TOWN OF MARLBORO.

completed, paid for, and dedicated September 16, 1869, when Rev. Joseph Allen Leach was installed as pastor. Mr. Leach is a native of Rockingham, Vermont, born April 15, 1836, graduated at Amherst college in 1861, at An- dover Theological school in 1864, was commissioned chaplain of the 19th Regt. U. S. A., and first settled in Keene as a colleague of Dr. Barstow, at the close of the war. After some eighteen years trial of the free seat sys- tem, Rev. Mr. Leach resigned, leaving the church free from debt. They have recently rented the pews. After Mr. Leach resigned, Rev. William Love served the church one year. After this Rev. Mr. Price served one year, and the church has not yet decided on its successor. The society now has 285 members, their property being valued at $40,000.00, and they have also a Sabbath-school with 320 members.

M ARLBORO is a small irregularly outlined township, lying in the cen- tral part of the county, in lat. 24° 54' and long. 4° 49', bounded north by Roxbury, east by Harrisville, Dublin and Jaffrey, south by Troy, and west by Troy, Swanzey and Keene. It was originally granted by the Masonian proprietors, under the name of Monadnock No. 5, to James Morrison, Jr., and thirty-one associates. May 20, 1752. This charter granted to these gentlemen a tract of 20,000 acres, bounded as follows :-

" Beginning at the northwest corner of the township called North Monad- nock No. 3, [Dublin]. thence north 80° west three and a half miles to a beach tree on the west line of Mason's Patent ; thence southerly on that line seven and three-quarter miles and forty rods, to the northwest corner of the township called Monadnock No. 4, [Fitzwilliam] ; thence south 80º east about four miles by the north line of said No. 4, to the west line of Monad- nock No. 2, [Jaffrey] ; and thence r.orth by the needle by Monadnock Nos. 2 and 3, to the bounds began at."

The proprietors met at the house of Joseph Blanchard, in Dunstable, N. H., on the same day the charter was issued and formally accepted the grant, etc. Most of them were residents of Dunstable and Londonderry, and doubt- less took the land as a speculation, with no idea of ever becoming settlers thereon. It is certain, at least, that no decided effort was made to bring forward a settlement. This, however, was doubtless due to the troubles at- tending the French and Indian war, which broke out in 1753. No record of any proceedings on the part of the proprietors is found for a period of over nine years, a period of inactivity which legally annulled their charter. But in 1761, twenty-eight residents of Westborough and Marlborough, Mass., ob- tained an interest in the land, and four of them, William Baker, Isaac McAl- ister, Richard Tozer and Daniel Goodenow, subsequently became settlers. A proprietors' meeting was warned, to meet at Marlborough, Mass., Novem- ber 20th, of that year, of which Noah Church was made moderator, and Eben- ezer Dexter was chosen clerk; Jesse Wright, treasurer ; Noah Church, Ja-

3º3

TOWN OF MARLBORO.

cob Felton and Ebenezer Dexter, assessors; and Stephen How, collector. At an adjourned meeting, on April 30, 1762, it was voted to lay out the town- ship into one hundred acre lots. It was surveyed by Jonathan Livermore, Noah Church and Isaac McAlister, and on the 22d of November, 1762, the lots were drawn by the proprietors. In answer to petitions from the inbabi- tants, a confirmatory charter was granted by New Hampshire, December 9, 1776, the act being opposed by the senate December 13th, 1776, giving the territory the name of Marlborough, or New Marlborough. This name of New Marlborough, however, had been in use since 1770, given from the fact of so many of the citizens of Marlborough, Mass., being interested in the land, both as proprietors and settlers. General use now, however, has made it admissible for one to abbreviate words ending on borough, to boro, a privilege we avail ourselves of, and adopt in this case. In this charter the bounds of the town are given as follows .-

" Beginning at the northwest corner of Dublin, thence running north 80° west three and one half miles by Packersfield to a beach tree standing in the east line of Keene ; thence running southerly by Keene and Swanzey seven and three-fourths and forty rods to the northwest corner of Fitzwilliam ; thence south 80° east four miles by the north line of Fitzwilliam, to the west line of Jaffrey ; and thence north by the needle by Jaffrey and Dublin to the bounds first mentioned."

The actual survey gave the town an area of 20,700 acres ; but owing to the annexations of its territory to surrounding towns, it has now only about 13,000 acres.

The surface of the town is broken and uneven, which, still further varied by lakelet and stream, makes up some truly beautiful scenery. There are areas. of alluvial land, however, having an excellent soil. But the soil in general is better adapted to grazing than tillage, though cultivation is re- warded with fair crops of Indian corn, oats, potatoes, rye and barley. There are many streams, of which the larger are Minniwawa brook and South Branch. The latter falls over the rocks a short distance above the village, making a very beautiful cascade. Of the several ponds, Stone pond lying in the eastern part of the town is the largest. It is about three-fourths of a mile in length by one-third of a mile in width, surrounded by exquisite nat- ural scenery. Cummings pond in the northern part of the town, is about the same size, perhaps a trifle wider, though it was doubtless at one time much larger than it now is. Clapp pond, in the northeastern part of the town, is not as large as the others, but is much more depressed, while its waters are not so clear. Meeting-house pond, just south of the central part of the town, near where the old meeting-house stood, has an area of about a hun- dred acres, including the open water and the part covered by bog. All of these ponds are well supplied with fish of various kinds. The geological for- mation of the territory is made up mostly of primitive rock, granite predom- inating. The drift or loose formation is composed largely of silicates. The deposits give evidence of glacial, aqueous and iceberg action. The minerals.

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TOWN OF MARLBORO.

consist mainly of granite, gneiss, granular and rose quartz, feldspar, mica, beryl, garnets and plumbago. The sedimentary rocks are made up of sand, clay and peat. The Manchester & Keene railroad passes through the northern part of the town, and the Cheshire road through the southwestern part.

In 1880 Marlboro had a population of 1,275 souls. In 1884 it had eight school districts and eleven different public schools, four of which were graded. Its eight school-houses, including sites, furniture, etc., are valued at $9,025.00. There were 281 pupils attending these schools, eleven of whom were pur- suing the higher branches, taught by one male and sixteen female teachers, the former receiving an average monthly salary of $48.00, and the latter $25.00. The entire amount of revenue for school purposes was $2,360.08, while the entire expenditure for the year was $2,345.05, with Rev. J. L. Mer- ril and R. T. Polk, superintendents.

MARLBORO is a handsome post village, located in the northwestern part of the town. It has, aside from its many private residences, three churches, (Congregational, Universalist and Methodist) one hotel, two general stores, a hardware store, furniture store, shoe store, grocery, barber shop, confection- ery store, a town hall, Odd Fellows hall, a foundry and machine shop, pail fac- tory, two box factories. toy manufactory. three saw-mills, a grist-mill, yarn manufactory, knob manufactory, two blanket factories, two woolen mills, two blacksmith shops, two wheelwright shops, three cobbler shops, a livery stable and meat market.

MARLBORO DEPOT (p. o.) is a small village and station on the Cheshire rail- road in the southwestern part of the town.

The Frost Free Library .- The town has a fine public library, founded by Rufus S. Frost, in 1865, who donated $15,000.00 for the purpose. Of this amount $7,000.00 were dovoted to the erection of a substantial granite building, $3,000.00 more were used in the purchase of books, and the re- mainder placed at interest, the revenue therefrom to be used in sustaining the library and in the purchase of new books,

The Cheshire Blanket Co., whose mills are located at the village, was or- ganized in the spring of 1873, the proprietors being C. O. Whitney and W. H. Clark. Their main building is a wood structure 72x65 feet, two stories in height, and contains five sets of machinery. Their No. 2 mill is of wood, 40×45 feet, two stories, and has two sets of machinery. They have also two store houses, of wood, and a picker and boiler house, of brick. They use both steam and water-power, employ ninety hands in the manufacture of blankets and satinet goods, turning out $150,000.00 worth per annum.

The Monadnock Blanket Co., located at the village, was incorporated in 1869, with a capital of $20,000.00, which, about five years later, was in- creased to $30,000.00. The first officers were W. H. Wilkinson, president ; S. S. Wilkinson, clerk and treasurer ; and Charles Shrigley, superintendent ; They purchased of Thurston & Wilkinson the stone mill erected for a saw

305

TOWN OF MARLBORO.

and grist-mill, by Charles Holman, about 1840, which they converted into a blanket mill, with two sets of machinery. In 1877 they doubled their capac- ity, and now have four sets of cards, four jacks and thirty looms. They man- ufacture street and stable blankets of medium grades, turning out about 1,500 bales of fifty blankets each per annum, employing fifty hands. The present officers of the concern are W. H. Wilkinson, of Springfield, president ; S. S. Wilkinson, of Keene, treasurer ; and E. P. Richardson, of Marlboro, super- intendent.

George F. Winch's pail factory is located at the village. It was purchased by his father, Nathan, of Dea. Simeon Whitcomb in 1852. He sold a half interest to William Nason, in 1867, and the remainder to Hosea Knight, at a subsequent date. At a later date he again became the owner of the works and was connected with the business until 1879, when he sold out to his son. Mr. Winch employs fifteen hands and manufactures about 150,000 pails and buckets per annum.

The Thurston Manufacturing Co., located at the village, was organized in 1868, for the manufacture of picture knobs, door-stops, furniture fenders, clothes and hat pins, etc.

The O. R. Wiswall saw-mill and box-factory, located on road 4, was built by Joseph Collins, about 1850, and came into Mr. Wiswall's possession in 1869. The establishment employs twenty hands and can turn out 800 lock- corner packing boxes per day. Mr. Wiswall died early in 1885.

Luther Hemenway, located at the village, employs five men in the manu- facture of boxes, toys and wagon jacks.

James Townsend's yarn and hosiery manufactory, located at the village, has been operated by him since July 4, 1837. He makes 7,000 pounds of yarn per year.

E. Willard Mason's carriage shop, located at the village, was originally es- tablished by Rollins & Mason. Mr. Mason became sole owner in 1879, and has conducted the business alone since.

F. & G. A. Sherman's sash and blind factory, located at Marlboro Depot, was established by them in the autumn of 1883. They employ twelve men and do about $1,000.00 worth of business per month.

C. Hodgkins & Son, located at the village, are engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of wood-working machinery. The business was established by Charles Buss, and was purchased by Mr. Hodgkins in 1880. They employ twelve men.

J. & L. Knowlton's pail and bucket factory, located at the village, was es- tablished by them in 1861. They employ fifteen men and manufacture 170,- 000 pails and 5,000 sap buckets per year.

Jarvis Adams's box-factory, located at Lowellville, gives employment to twelve men and turns out 200,000 boxes per year.

Miles F. Cudworth's saw-mill, on road 9, gives employment to eight men and cuts about 300,000 feet of lumber per annum.

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TOWN OF MARLBORO.

Levi A. Fuller's saw-mill and box-factory, on road 8, was built by him in 1872-73. He gives employment to from twelve to twenty men in getting out lumber and chair-stock and in manufacturing boxes.

D. R. & F. A. Cole's grist-mill, on road 7, corner of 4, was built by Jesse- Collins about 1835, and was purchased by the present owners January I, 1885. It has three runs of stones and does both custom and merchant work.

A. G. Mann's granite quarry, located on road 10, was opened about forty years ago. Mr. Mann, a resident of Worcester, Mass., employs about fifty men in getting out granite.

The first settler in the town was William Barker, a native of Westboro, Mass., who located in what is now Westhill, in Troy. He came on in 1761, selected the place for his future home, and came back again in 1762, and commenced a clearing. He seems not to have done much from that time un- til 1764, however, when he again came on from Massachusetts, enlarged his clearing, built a log house, and made arrangements for bringing on his family, which he accordingly did that autumn, arriving here on the 17th of Septem- ber. Soon after, Isaac McAlister, who had previously built a log house on the- farm now owned by Ansel Nye, brought his family on, consisting of his wife -a sister of Mrs. Brown-and four children. This was the first settlement made within the present limits of the town. These two families. consisting of eleven persons, were all the inhabitants residing in the township during the winter of 1764-'65. In 1765 Amos Fife located in the part of the town subsequently set off to Troy. Benjamin Tucker and his wife and seven chil- dren settled on the place subsequently owned by Tarbell & Whitney. Daniel Goodenow and his wife and four or five children, from Marlboro, Mass., and Abel Woodward and family, also located where the village now is. No set- tlers are known to have come in during 1766, but in 1767 the census returns. show the town to liave had a population of ninety-three souls, as follows : nine unmarried men between the ages of sixteen and sixty ; sixteen married men, between the ages of sixteen and sixty ; twenty-five males under sixteen years of age ; one over sixty ; twenty-six unmarried females; and sixteen married females. In 1770 the town had the following list of settlers, all of whom, except the five marked with a star, having families :-

Thomas Riggs, Joshua Tucker, James Tiffany, Richard Tozer, *William Adams, Joseph Peck, John Felton,

Isaac McAlister, Abel Woodward, David Warren, Benedict Webber, Benjamin Tucker, *Silas Fife. Jonathan Goodenow,

Jonathan Shaw, Jonah Harrington,

*Silas Hooker, James Crossman,

*Thaddeus Hastings, James Brewer, Benjamin Tucker, Jr.,

Richard Roberts,

*Stephen Church, Samuel Bishop,

Daniel Goodenow, Joseph Collins, William Barker.

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TOWN OF MARLBORO.

The first town meeting was held March 11, 1777, when Thomas Riggs was chosen moderator ; David Wheeler, clerk ; Captain James Lewis, treasurer ; Captain James Lewis, Lieutenant Eliphalet Stone, and Richard Tozer, select- men ; Abel Woodward, constable ; Daniel Cutting, William Tiney, Phineas Parks, and Theodore Mann, surveyors ; Silas Fife and Jedediah Taintor, tythingmen ; David Denfor and Samuel Bishop, deer reeves ; Richard Rcb- erts, Eliphalet Stone, David Wheeler, and Reuben Ward, hog reeves ; James Lewis, David Wheeler, Thomas Riggs, Qliver Wright, and Benoni Robens, committee of safety ; and Richard Atwell, Jedediah Taintor, Jonathan Good- enow, and Thaddeus Hastings, fence viewers. Up to the incorporation of the town, in 1775, the public interests were controlled by the proprietors. After that they continued to hold meetings from time to time until 1801, when, having discharged all their debts, etc., their papers were delivered over to the town, and their organization was dissolved. The first saw-mill was built by Daniel Harrington, in 1767, at the junction of the brooks, south of the school-house, in District No. 4. In the autumn of that year, also, the first two framed houses were built. The first of these was erected by Jede- diah Maynard, on the farm now owned by Ivory E. Gates and is the eastern half of Mr. Gates's house. The second was that of Abijah Tucker, and was located on the site of the Congregational meeting-house. A short time after this, Joseph Collins built a saw and grist-mill in the northern part of the town, on Richardson brook, near the bridge east of the place where Stillman Rich- ardson now lives. This was the first grist-mill erected in town. Not far from this time, also, Abijah Tucker built a saw and grist-mill on the site of the mill now owned by the Monadnock Blanket Company. The erection of these two mills did much toward advancing the settlement of the town. The hotel, or inn, was kept by Benjamin Tucker, in 1769. The first store was opened by Joseph Sweetser, in 1792. The first physician was Dr. Justus Perry, who settled here in 1786.

As early in the Revolutionary contest as 1775, at least six of Marlboro's scanty population joined the continental army, viz .: Moses Tucker, Timothy Rogers, Robert Worsley, Daniel Collins, Lieutenant James Brewer and Pear- son Newell. In a report made by the selectmen on the 3d of October of that year, however, the number is given at sixteen, "out of which number two are dead." Among the others who went to the war were the following: William Barker, Richard Atwell, Daniel Lawrence, Benjamin Goodenow, Abel Wood- ward, Peter Tozer, Daniel Goodenow, Jonah Harrington, Colvin Goodenow, Frederick Freeman, Reuben McAlister, Adine Goodenow, Jabez McBride, Captain James Lewis, Lieutenant Richard Roberts, Ensigh Oliver Wright, Sergeant John Rogers, John Felton, Moses Tucker, Thomas Upham, John Lewis, James Bemis, Elijah Park, James Flood, Robert Converse, James Dean, Samuel Bishop, Jr., John Tozer, Richard Tozer, Eliphalet Stone, Phineas Park, William Tenney, Elnathan Newton, Jedediah Taintor, John Felton, David Wheeler, Thaddeus Hastings, John McBride, Thomas Riggs,

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TOWN OF MARLBORO.

Abijah Tucker, Shem Kentfield, Shubael Stone, Theodore Mann, Abraham Brooks, Peter Starkey, Eli Lewis, and Walter Capron. There were also thirty-nine Revolutionary soldiers subsequently settled in the town.

In the war of 1812 there went out from the town eleven men, as follows : Etheel Parmenter, Benjamin Fife, Henry H. Cutler, Nathan D. Barker, Ab- ner Fairbanks, Moses Perkins, Stephen White, Ezekiel White, Darius Will- iams, Aaron Hodgkins and Levi Gates, Jr.

In the late war, the town furnished, including foreign substitutes, ninety- eight men, and paid in bounties $10,421.00

Isaac McAlister, born September 25, 1736, married Hannah, daughter of William and Keziah (Cloyes) Goddard, born January 27, 1736. He was one of the proprietors of Monadnock No. 5, and as such he took an active part in the affairs of the town ; and it is said that he rendered assistance in the sul- vey of the township, and for his services took his pay in land. His name appears on the proprietors' book as one of a committee of three to lay out and clear a road from Dublin to Keene in 1763. He was the second settler in town, removing his family here in the winter of 1764-65. He first located on the farm now owned by Ansel Nye. But it seems he was not contented with this location, and sold his farm to Jonathan Frost, taking his pay in Continental money. It was his intention to purchase the Converse place, now owned in part by Rev. S. H. McCollester ; but in this he was disap- pointed, and, before an opportunity presented itself for him to buy, his money had so depreciated that he became penniless, and was obliged to clear up and settle his only remaining lot. which is now known as the Sawyer place, and owned at the present time by Abraham Corey, then considered worthless. Here he continued to reside until his death, June 8, 1809. His widow died March 3, 1814.

Rev. Sullivan H. McCollester, son of Silas and grandson of Isaac, was born in this town December 18, 1826, and is now a resident of Dover, N. H., though he still owns a part of the ancestral estate, He is a graduate of the Cambridge Divinity school, and was given the degree of D. D., by the St. Lawrence university, in June, 1874. ' Mr. McCollester has traveled extensively and is widely known as an educator.

William White, a native of Boston, Mass., and a rope-maker by trade, came to Marlboro in 1778 and located where his great-grandson, Thomas, H., now resides, and died here at the age of eighty-four years. Of his family of eleven children the youngest died first, at the age of fifty-two years, while the oldest died at the age of 102 years. Thomas, son of Thomas, a native of this town, reared six children, two of whom died in infancy, and one, as men- tioned above, occupied the homestead. He has been a traveling salesman for twenty-five years.

John Converse, a native of Leicester, Mass., came to Marlboro in 1780 and located about half a mile east of the village. Here he passed his time as a carpenter and joiner, wheelwright and farmer, until his death, about 1850.

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TOWN OF MARLBORO.

His son Nelson was born here and has been proprietor of the Converse House for the past twenty years. He is a justice of the peace, was colonel of the 6th N. H. Vols., has been deputy sheriff many years, represented the town in 1855-56, and has been selectman two or three years.

Isaac Davis, the seventh son of a seventh son, and hence called Doctor, immigrated from Massachusetts to Roxbury while that town was still a wilder- ness, residing there until his death, in 1840. His son Joshua was born there in 1796, and died July 2, 1862, while Joshua's son, George G., born in Rox- bury, August 28, 1842, has been a resident of Marlboro since 1859. He is engaged in mercantile pursuits, has served as state senator from the 14th District, and was in the late war a year and a half.

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Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885, Part 36

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