USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885 > Part 53
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The brothers served their townsmen in different offices, some of them serv- ing in senate and house. Col. Jonathan Whitcomb died June 13, 1792, in the fifty-third year of his life. His regiment attended his funeral. The cor- tege was one and one half miles long. Drums were muffled and the death march played in very solemn strains. His horse was saddled and bridled as it was in the army, his boots were hanging beside the saddle and the horse was led behind the bearers to his master's grave. The military fired their guns over the open grave.
The five soldiers have a numerous posterity of worthy men and women, representatives of whom are now living in Swanzey, and are well distributed over the United States. They are with few exceptions honest, reliable work- ing people, rearing good families and each trying to make the world his share better for having lived.
Jonathan Whitcomb, son of Colonel Jonathan, was born here, and lived in Surry, N. H., and Montague, Mass., but afterwards returned to his native place. He had a family of twelve children, all of whom lived to have fami- lies of their own, and six of them are still living. The youngest, Roswell, who was born in Swanzey, in 1814, engaged in the lumber business and in farming, and now resides in West Swanzey. He has married three times, reared four children, and has three now living, George E., Hiram R., who is- a merchant in Lock Haven, Pa., and Arthur, who resides with his father.
Otis Whitcomb was born in this town in 1795, lived here most of his life,. and died about 1882. He engaged in farming and in mercantile pursuits, married Esther Osgood, and had nineteen children. Nine of them are living, four of them being located in this town.
Lawson Moore, a soldier in the Revolution, lived a part of his life in Marl-
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boro, and a part in Swanzey, and died in the former place at the age of ninety- two years. Lawson, Jr., settled here soon after the Revolution, and remained until his death, in 1872, and reared a family of nine children. Six of them are living, and three reside in town, one of whom, Jonas L., has been en- gaged, since 1861, in the manufacture of brooms, on road 17, where he now resides.
Captain Peter Holbrook, son of Eliphalet, was born in Billingham, Mass., November 23, 1762, and came to Swanzey in 1802, locating on the place now occupied by Ozro Thompson, and followed farming and mason work. He married Mary Bates, of Mendon, Mass., who bore him nine children, viz .: Elkanah, Isaac B., Mary, Olive, Sophia, Julia, Clark B., Peter, and Helon. He died December 3, 1837.
Clark Bates Holbrook, son of Captain Peter, born in Billingham, April II, 1794, came to Swanzey with his father, married Abigail, daughter of Joel Mellen, of this town, December 26, 1817, andsettled upon the farm now owned by his son, Clark B., of Springfield, Mass. Mrs. Holbrook died April 12, 1855, and Mr. Holbrook passed away May 5, 1879. Their nine children were as follows :--
Mellen R., born February 7, 1819, and died at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., June 6, 1881. After the close of his common school education, Mr. Hol- brook was a student at Lawrence academy, of Groton, Mass., two years, and one year at Keene, and taught school a number of terms in this town. He commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Hosea Pierce, of Winchester, afterwards studied with Dr. Childs, of Pittsfield, Mass., and Dr. Palmer, of Woodstock, Vt., and graduated at the Vermont Medical college, June 19, 1850. He commenced the practice of his profession at Fulton, N. Y., where he remained some ten years. In 1861 he removed to Poughkeepsie. His health failing in 1876, he came back to Swanzey, and spent about two years with his friends ; when partially recovering his health, he returned to Pough- keepsie, and resumed the practice of his profession, and continued it nearly up to the time of his death. Dr. Holbrook, in early life, was studious and industrious, and in all places where he resided he gained the confidence of his acquaintances as a man of character and a trusty practitioner. He mar- ried twice, but was a widower for many years previous to his death, and had no children. His first wife, Emiline E. Smith, of Volney, N. Y., whom he married January 1, 1857, died May 5, 1857 ; his second wife, Mary J. Lob- dell, of Poughkeepsie, whom he married in 1861, died in 1863.
Lyman, born April 18, 1821, resides in Springfield, Mass. Mary A., born August 12, 1823, married Chiron Holbrook, of this town, who died October 18, 1872, and now resides on road 35}. Her three children all reside in Swanzey, viz .: Lucretia A., wife of Harvey Carlton ; Lovilla R., wife of George W. Taft; and Nancy M., wife of Arthur A. Woodward.
Cyrus F., born February 13, 1825, died in Swanzey, July 29, 1876.
Betsey M., born March 15, 1827, married Nathaniel B. Fisher, and lives in Richmond, N. H.
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Olive P., born October 25, 1828, is the wife of Thayer Thomson, of Swanzey. Their only child, Ozro T. Thomson, now lives on the Captain Peter Holbrook place.
Charles, now president of the wholesale stove and metal house of Hol- brook, Merrill & Stetson, of San Francisco and Sacramento, Cal., was born August 31, 1830. He was early sent to the public schools, and then to the Mount Cæsar seminary for two years, under the charge of Rev. L. J. Fletcher ; and, at the age of fifteen, to Springfield, Mass., where he attended public school for two years, and upon leaving which he learned the trade of machine builder at the American Machine Works. The news of the discovery of gold in California reached Mr. Holbrook at an early day, and in the spring of 1850 he went to California. He sailed from New York April 13th, on the steamer "Georgia " for Chagres river. On arriving at Chagres river he sailed up the river in a small row-boat and walked over the Isthmus, and then em- barked on the brig "Thomas P. Hart" for San Francisco, where he arrived July 27th, just eighty-one days from Panama. He worked in the mines for eighteen months, and in the spring of 1852 he entered the employ of Howes & Prader, iron merchants, of Sacramento. While thus engaged their estab- lishment was destroyed by fire, and soon after the senior partner died, and later on the destructive overflow of the American river occurred, submerg- ing the city of Sacramento for three months and paralyzing nearly all busi- ness. In the summer of 1853, Mr. Holbrook engaged in the lumber busi- ness in El Dorado county, and in the fall of 1854 entered the employment of J. D. Lord & Co., stove and metal merchants, of Sacramento. Here he remained until the spring of 1857, when he was offered an interest in the business, but before he accepted the offer he visited his old home in the East, and subsequently made a tour of the Western states and territories, and, after making arrangements with Mr. Ambrose Merrill, the eastern partner of the house of J. D. Lord & Co., he returned to California and became a member of the firm of Lord, Holbrook & Co., January 1, 1858. During the winter of 1861-62, the city was flooded many times to the great damage of all business. It proved a very serious loss to Mr. Holbrook, but his energy and perseverance enabled him to continue the business of his firm. In the fall of 1863 he opened a branch house at Austin, Nevada, and remained there as manager for two years. In 1865 Mr. Lord retired, and Mr. Charles Mer- rill entered the house, and the name was changed to Holbrook, Merrill & Co. In 1867 San Francisco was chosen as the principal place of business, and Mr. John F. Merrill became a member of the firm. In 1869 the house joined the large establishment of J. W. Brittan & Co., under the firm name of Brittan, Holbrook & Co. In May, 1876, the San Francisco house was destroyed by fire, causing a loss of over $200,000.00, which was so fully cov- ered by insurance that the business suffered no interruption. In 1878 Mr. James B. Stetson entered the partnership, and the name was changed to Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson. In August, 1882, the firm was incorporated
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under the same name. Mr. Holbrook was elected president, and has been re-elected every year. He has been the financial manager of the firm and company, and his highest praise as a financier is spoken when it is said that during all the fluctuations, depressions and panics which have swept over the country for the past twenty-seven years, his firm has kept every promise and met every obligation at maturity. Mr. Holbrook married January 29, 1866, at Sacramento, Miss Susan M., eldest daughter of M. S. Hurd, Esq., and four children have blessed their union-Henry Morgan, Mary Hurd, Susan Maria, and Olive Mellen. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also of the Masonic fraternity. Until the trouble in Kan- sas, he was a Democrat, but then became an advocate of the doctrine that no more slave states should be added to the American Union. In the war which tried republican institutions, he was a staunch unionist, exerting his influence to the utmost to induce California to stand by the flag and the gov-
ernment He has always preferred to serve his country in a private capacity, or rather he enjoys the fame of adding to its material wealth and prosperity by developing its manufacturing and mercantile interests ; yet while residing at Austin, Nevada, in 1864, he accepted the office of mayor at its first city election, defeated the Hon. David E. Buell, the founder of the city, and dis- charged its duties so well that Austin at this day enjoys the satisfactory results of his excellent administration in light taxes and freedom from indebtedness. It was during his election canvass for mayor that the exciting incident occurred of selling the Gridley sack of flour over and over from town to town for the benefit of the government sanitary commission, until more than $100,000.00 were realized, a detailed account of which sale can be seen in Harper's Magazine for June, 1866. With the exception of this short interval in Nevada, Mr. Holbrook has been identified with California and her interests for thirty-five years. During the spring of 1866, Mr. Holbrook, with his wife, visited his old home and made a tour of the Northern and Western states. During 1875 he traveled in Mexico and Central America and the Eastern states. In 1880 he built the Holbrook block, on the corner of Market and Beale streets, San Francisco, one of the most substantial and finest build- ings on the Pacific coast. His health failing, he went to Europe in 1881, and traveled through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Early in 1884, Mr. Holbrook, with his family, visited his friends in the East, and at a re-union of his father's family, at the old homestead, forty-six of the descendants were present. Mr. Holbrook's success from a poor boy to a leading merchant of the United States, is due to a few rules adopted by him in early life, viz .: to be strictly temperate, of good habits, industrious, performing every duty faithfully, always striving to do his part in every station of life, economical, yet helping liberally the charitable, religious. and public work of every community where he has resided. Mr. Holbrook is one of the trustees of the Golden Gate Kindergarten, which is doing the good work of caring for the poor little children of the city of San Francisco,
Charles Holbrook.
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and his greatest pleasure is in helping others. He has recently purchased a country home at Menlo Park, in the celebrated Santa Clara Valley, noted for its superior climate. Here with his family and friends he enjoys his summer vacations.
Clark B., born August 22, 1834, lives in Springfield, Mass., and Henry, the youngest child of Clark Bates Holbrook, died in infancy.
Jonathan Holbrook and his brother Daniel came to Chesterfield, from Mendon, Mass., at an early day. The former afterward moved to Swanzey, where his son Samuel was born in 1784. Samuel married Hannah Hawes, who bore him ten children, seven of whom are now living, six in this town and one in Alstead. His son Leonard lives on road 28, upon a farm adjoin- ing the one where his father lived.
Samuel Holbrook, son of Peter, who came here with his father when but eleven years or age, married Polly Crossett, who bore him two children. He died at Westport in 1860, at the age of seventy-six years. Only one of his children, Henry, who resides at Westport, is living. Olive, daughter of Peter, married Elisha Hutchins, of Winchester, and lived in that place until her death. Henry, son of Samuel, married Mary M. Holbrook, and located at Westport, where he has since lived. He has one son, Charles H., who married Julia M. Atkinson, of New York city, and has one child, Emily W. He now resides upon the farm formerly owned by Aaron and Josiah Holbrook, on road 42.
Samuel Page came to Swanzey, from Nottingham, N. H., about 1784, and died upor the farm where his grandson now lives, on road 7. His son Eze- kiel also occupied the same farm until his death, in October, 1846, having married Olive Thompson, and reared eleven children, ten of whom attained an adult age. Leander, son of Ezekiel, was born there in 1818, and with his son George G., now occupies the old place. He married Hannah W. Brown, of Stowe, Mass., and has had born to him ten children, eight of whom are liv- ing, as follows: Sarah C., who married N. B. Cloutman, and lives in Alex- ander, N. H .; C. E. lives in this town ; H. S. lives in Marlboro, N. H .; George lives on the homestead ; Elise E. married A. P. Howland, and lives in Keene ; Clara M. married G. E. Lane, and resides in town ; Lillian A. married F. O. Dickinson, of this town; and Ida E. lives at home. Aravilla, daughter of Leander, married, William Sebastian, of this town, and died here in 1872.
Aquila Ramsdell, a soldier of the Revolution, came to this town from Men- don, Mass., soon after the war. He reared a family of seven children, and died here about 1846. His son Elisha, who was born here, had a family of eleven children, six of whom are now living, and died here in 1836.
Simeon Hawes, a pensioner of the Revolution, came to Swanzey, from Yar- mouth, Mass., soon after the war. He reared a family of eight children, all now dead, and died in 1834. His son Nicholas was born here, engaged in farming, and had three children, two now living-Mrs. Susan Worcester, and Lyman N., who resides on road 32. His daughter Hannah became the wife of Sam- uel Holbrook.
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Timothy Thompson was born in Swanzey, in 1788, and died in 1857. His son, Capt. Rufus, was born in the eastern part of the town, December 13, 1806, and married Anne Hathaway Baxter, August 13, 1831. In the year 1833 he moved to Erie county, Pa., where he cleared a farm, and where his children, four in number, were born. He afterward lived in Wisconsin, but returned to this town in 1878. Capt. Thompson has been town representa- tive, and now lives near the residence of his son Denman, at West Swanzey.
Denman Thompson, the well known actor, son of Captain Rufus and Annie (Baxter) Thompson, better known, perhaps, by the name of his great character, " Joshua Whitcomb," was born in a log house erected by his- father at Beech Woods, four miles from Girard, Erie county, Pa., October 11, 1833, to which place his parents removed, from Swanzey, in 1832. While he was yet a child his parents returned to Swanzey, in which place he received his early education. He first went on the stage in the fall of 1852, in Lowell, Mass., the first part he ever played being "Orasmund," in the "French Spy." The play of "Joshua Whitcomb" was written by Mr. Thompson, and first produced as an after-piece in Pittsburg, Pa., in 1875. He married Maria Bolton, of Niagara, Ont., July 7, 1861, and has three children-Venie (Mrs. E. A. McFarland), of Philadelphia, Pa., Annie and Frank, the latter two living at West Swanzey, and one grandchild, Alice, daughter of Mrs. Mc- Farland. Mr. Thompson has a fine residence and beautiful grounds at West Swanzey, illustrated in the accompanying engraving. This farm was formerly owned by his grandfather, Dr. Henry Baxter.
Moses Hills was an early settler upon the farm where Fred M. Farr now lives, on road 17. His son Elijah lived upon the farm nearly all his life and died there in February, 1874. One of his sons, Calvin E., now resides on road 17.
Enoch Day came to Swanzey, from Taxter, Mass., at an early day, and set- tled upon the farm now owned by his grandchildren, Lamson, Bradley and Jewett J. Hill. He had given to him by his father fifty acres of land to which he kept adding until he owned over two hundred. He died in 1818.
Nathan Woodcock, an early settler of the town, located in the south part, and died here in 1817. His son Levi was born here, December 1, 1780. He was a carpenter by trade, reared a family of eight children, and died here in 1836. His son Virgil, who was born in 1806, was an architect and builder by profession, and died in July, 1875.
Caleb Sawyer, an early settler, lived in the eastern part of the town, and was killed by being run over by a sleigh. His son Abijah was born in 1765, and died in 1823. Henry, son of Abijah, was born here in 1784, and married twice, first, Rebecca Bailey, and second, Lucinda Bailey. He was a farmer and reared a family of eleven children, only one of whom, Mrs. Clarissa Woodcock, is now living. He died in 1877 at the great age of over ninety- three years.
Amos Bennett, an early settler, lived upon the place where Thomas Hana-
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han now resides, on road 28. He afterward removed to Richmond, married Lucretia Buffom, of that town, and reared a family of nine children, eight of whom are now living. He died there in 1856. His son Amos G. now re- sides in this town on road 28.
Ivory Snow came here, it is thought, from New Bedford, Mass. He was a farmer in the western part of the town. He reared a family of eight children, none of whom are now living. His son Peter had two children, Edwin and Orraman, both of whom reside in West Swanzey.
Semuel Healey came to Winchester, from Newton, Mass., at an early day, and resided there till his death, rearing a family of fourteen children. His son Davis was born there, but moved to Swanzey, where he died in 1824. Two of his children, Mrs. Edwin Stone and Asa Healey, the present post- master at Swanzey, reside here.
Roger Thompson, an early settler here, located in the southern part of th : town. His son Moses T. lived, in 1813, upon the farm where Thayer, son of Moses, now resides, on rond 35₺, and died in 1880, at the age of eighty- nine years. Thayer, born June 7, 1822, married Olive P., daughter of Clark B. Holbrook, in 1852. Of his two children, Ozro T. was born in 1856, An- thony F. was born in 1861, and died April 14, 1862. Ozro T. married Etta L. Twitchell, January, 1880, and they have two children, Lester L. and Leon O.
John Perry, from Richmond, located upon the place where his grandson, Walter H., now resides. He reared a large family, and died in 1852. His son Nahum was born here in 1814, engaged in farming, and built a mill upon the site of the one now owned by his son, Walter H. He died in 1870.
Fisher Bullard came here from Franklin, Mass., in 1804, married Rhoda Clark, of Sharon, Mass., and lived here until four years before his death, when he went to Acworth, N. H. His son Lewis C. lives in Sharon, his daugh- ter Susan in Acworth, Edwin M. in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Marcus on road 40 of this town.
Abijah Stearns came to Chesterfield, from Connecticut, some time previous to the Revolution, entered the service and was never again heard from. His brother Abraham lived there until the latter part of his life, when he came to Swanzey. He reared a family of twelve children, only three of whom are now living, and died in 1825. Two of his children, Abraham and Mrs. Eunice Eaton, resided in Woodstock, Vt.
Arba Stearns, son of Abraham, was born in Chesterfield N. H., March 29, 1793. He married Harriet, daughter of Jonathan Whitcomb, and settled in Chesterfield, on the farm now owned by Mrs. Bartlett. He had born to him in that town six children-Emily, who married Nathaniel Pomeroy, and lives in West Townshend, Vermont ; Daniel W. lives in Oakland, Oregon ; Pris- cilla married Henry Brown, and lives in Elkton, Oregon ; Jonathan W, in Astora, Oregon ; Ellen married Daniel Holly, of Evansville, Wis. In 1835 Mr. Stearns moved to Swanzey and settled where he now resides, and has-
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had born to him two children in this town, Miriam W., who married George Porter, and lives in Keene, N. H., and Martha E., who married Rev. T. A. Hyland, and lives in New York city. His wife, Harriet, died February 14, 1857. For his second wife he married Mary A. Howe, of Brattleboro, Vt. Mr. Stearns has been an enterprising farmer, and is well known as "Uncle Arba." In politics he is a Democrat, and has voted at every town-meeting since he was a voter.
Abraham Stearns, son of Samuel, was born January 12, 1822, and married A. Melissa Albee, May 8, 1849. He occupied the farm which formerly be- longed to his mother's father, Jotharn Whitcomb, who built the house thereon about 1798. Mr. Stearns has carried on farming most of his life.
Samuel Stone, a pensioner of the Revolution, came to Fitzwilliam from Framingham, Mass., where he remained until his death, in 1844. His son Martin came to Swanzey in 1817, reared a family of eleven children. seven of whom are now living, and died October 1, 1851. His son Edwin resides in town, and has been tax-collector eight successive years.
Calvin Field came to Swanzey, from Winchester, and located at Westford. He was engaged in the mercantile business, and, with his brother Erastus, was engaged in the manufacture of shoe-lasts. He has two children, who re- side in town, Mrs. George Faulkner and Willard, the latter of whom lives in the house built by his father.
Able Angier came to Fitzwilliam, from Wendell, Mass., about 1790, and died there in 1861. He had a family of ten children, all of whom lived to be over forty years of age. One of the three now living, Philip D., resides in this town, on road 21.
Jonathan Hill, who was born in Winchester, came to this town when but nine years or age, worked for Enoch Day, whose daughter he married, and lived on the same farm until his death. He had a family of fifteen children, nine of whom are now living, three of them residing on the farm where their father died. David, son of Jonathan, was born in Winchester, but came to Swanzey many years ago, where he died in 1882, at the age of eighty-eight years. His son, D. B. C. Hill, now resides on road I.
Seth Leonard came to Westmoreland, from Taunton, Mass., and settled in the southeastern part of the town, where he remained until his death, in 1830. Only one of his children is living, George, who resides in this town with his son-in-law, D. B. C. Hill.
Colonel Timothy Ellis, a colonel in the French and Indian war, came to Keene, from France, at an early day, where he remained until his death, in 1819. His son Joshua, who at the age of seventeen was wounded at the battle of Bunker Hill, came to the county from Dedham, Mass., and died about 1826. His son Joshua was born in Keene, where he lived until a short time before his death, when he went to Swanzey, but returned to Keene before he died. One of his sons, George W., lives in Swanzey, Daniel lives in Keene, and David and J. R. reside in Boston.
Arbre Jeans
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Isaac Farr moved to Chesterfield, from Massachusetts, some time previous to the Revolution. His son William was born in the former place, July 7, 1787, and died there in 1866. He married twice, first Lydia Carlton, in 1809, and second, Sarah Houghton, of Putney, Vt., October 30, 1839. His son Alonzo, born in Chesterfield, May, 30, 1816, married twice, first, Sarah E., daughter of Mason Herrick, October 11, 1838, and second, Phebe G. Stowell, February 8, 1881. He was engaged in the manufacture of bits, augers and gimblets, in company with E. P. Pierce, Jr., for nine years. He moved to Keene in 1847, where he engaged in farming. He came here in 1870, has also carried on farming here, and has been one of the selectmen of the town.
David Holbrook moved to Richmond, from Smithfield, R. I., previous to 1800, and located in the northwestern part of the town, where he carried on farming and blacksmithing. In 1823 he moved to Swanzey, and occupied the farm now owned by William Belden, until his death. He reared a family of nine children, only two of whom are living, Olive and Lorenzo R. The former married David Aldrich, is a widow, and resides in Gardner. Lorenzo R. married Electa, daughter of Amasa S. Rogers, has had born to him five children-four sons and a daughter, all living, and resides in town.
Amasa S. Rogers came to Swanzey, from Bernardston, Mass., in 1829, and located at West Swanzey. His father came the same year and lived with him. Justus R., Mary M., and Electa E., children of Amasa, are living. The first mentioned lives in Keene ; Mary M. married Joel Hammond, and lives in town; and Electa E. married L. R. Holbrook, and also resides in town.
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