USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Gazetteer of Cheshire County, N.H., 1736-1885 > Part 62
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William Aiken came here from Londonderry, Vt., in 1816, located upon the place now owned by George R. Perry, on road 38, and married Eunice Vezey, of this town. Five of their seven children are living, three residing in town. Of these, Cordelia married Curtis Emory, a carpenter, and lives on Park hill. Clara E. married Frank A. Kathan, of this town. Charles L. lives on Park hill, works at the mason's trade, and carries on a farm of fifty acres. He married Alice Cobb, and has three children.
Dr. George F. Dunbar practiced medicine in this town from 1820 to 1865. He married Catharine Fisk, reared a family of six children, three of whom are living, and died in 1872. His son Nat. F., is the only one now residing in this town, and occupies the house where his father formerly lived, on road 23. He was engaged in mining in California from 1852 to 1871. He has been supervisor and town collector, has a small farm, and is mail carrier from Parkhill to Westmoreland depot. He married a lady from Boston, who has borne him three children, only one of whom is living.
Isaac K. White, a native of Raynham, Mass., came here in 1820, at the age of eighteen, and located in the eastern part of the town. He was a blacksmith and a farmer, married Penelope Knight, and reared a family of ten children, six of whom are living, and two reside in town. His daughter Lucy A. mar- ried William N. Patten. His son Henry K., a native of this town, lived at home until the age or twenty-five, and, after residing in Keene and Walpole several years, has been on his present farm in this town the last nine years. He married Rachel, daughter of Farley Norris, and has had born to him three children, two of whom are living, the daughter at home and the son in Put- ney, Vt. Farley Norris, father of Mrs. Henry K. White, resides with them. He was the first drafted man in the town of Walpole, but did not go to the war.
Silas Brown, Jr., was born here, on the farm now owned by B. Howe. He had two children, both living, and lived for fifty years on the farm now owned
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TOWN OF WESTMORELAND.
by his son George S., on road 34. His wife died August 1, 1883, and his death occurred August 8, 1883. His daughter, Mary E., lives in Warren, Mass., and his son, George S., upon the farm where he was born. The lat- ter married Eva Webber, of this town.
Willard Bill, Sr., the great-grandson of Samuel Bill, who was one of the first settlers of Gilsum, came to this town in 1835, and located upon the farm where his son now lives, on road 24. He removed to Gilsum in 1866. His son, Willard, Jr., who was born upon this place, took charge or the farm when his father moved away, and has had the care of it ever since. He has held a town office since he was twenty-one years of age, and is now forty-four years of age. He has been selectman and town treasurer seven years, mod- erator, auditor, and county commissioner three years, has been justice of the peace for the last fifteen years, and state justice the last four years. He now settles a great many estates, is guardian of orphan children, and is agent of the Cheshire County Mutual Insurance Company, of Keene. He has been secretary of the Westmoreland Fire Insurance Company ever since its organ- ization, in 1876. He married Ellen O. Isham, and has two daughters, both at home.
Levi B. Ware, son of Erastus, has always lived in this town, with the ex- ception of two years which he spent in North Hartland, Vt. He has resided upon his present farm, on road 35, for the last four years. He married Flora Hubbard, of Chesterfield, who bore him two children, one of whom, a daugh- ter, died in infancy. The other, a young boy, resides at home. His wife died in 1881.
George R. Perry, one of the nine children of Dr. William Perry, was born in Brookline, Vt. After traveling from one place to another through New England, he at last located in this town, about 1848, and has lived on his present farm, on road 38, for the last thirty years. He has been selectman five years, supervisor two years, and clerk of the school district about thirty years. He married Jane M. Blodgett, of Brattleboro, Vt., and has had born to him three children, all living, two of them residing at home. Upon this farm, where Mr. Perry resides, and which borders on the Connecticut river, is the site of a fort, where the white people hid themselves, in early days, from the Indians, and this meadow is called "Canoe meadow," it being the shape of a canoe. Mr. Perry has in his possession an Indian tomahawk, on which is the date 1754. He continues to find Indian relics as he ploughs the ground.
Ambrose C. Higgins, one of the six children of Joseph Higgins, was born in Alford, N. H., and came to this town at the age of five years with his widowed mother, now Mrs. Jonathan Goodwin. He is a carpenter, residing on road 33. He has a sister living in Illinois.
Artemas Knight was born in Dummerston, Vt., and had four children, three of whom are living, one of them, John B., residing in this town. Artemas Knight died in 1881. John B. was born in Putney, Vt., left home at the age of twenty-five, and engaged in railroading eight or nine years. He then
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TOWN OF WESTMORELAND.
occupied himself with farming, in Putney, Vt., about six years. He married Minerva Fitz, of that town, and has had born to him three children. Two of them are living, one, a daughter, in Rutland, Vt., and the son, Frank A., lives at home. John B. Knight came to this town in 1860, and is engaged in farming. He held the office of selectman in Putney, Vt.
Israel Stowell, son of Reuben, was born in Windham, Vt., in 1805. He moved to Westminster about 1854, lived there two years, when he moved to Walpole, where he remained fifteen years, being proprietor of the Wentworth House three years of that time. He moved to this town and located upon the place where he now resides, on road 38, in 1871. He married Achsah Goodard, of Windham, about 1828, who has borne him seven children, four of whom are living. His son Sem is a farmer and lives at home. Amorette O., daughter of Israel, married Alonzo B. Richardson, of Clinton, Me., and they have three children, all at home. They have lived most of the time since they were married at the home of Israel Stowell, on road 38, though they lived seven years at Turner's Falls, Mass. Mr. Richardson is a dam and bridge constructor, and has built dams at Bellows, Falls, Vt., Turners Falls, Mass., Millers Falls, Mass., Franklin, N. H., and in the states of Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and California. He built all the station buildings on the Pacific R. R., from the summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Salt Lake.
Frank Jarvis came from Canada when seventeen years of age, and has lived in Westmoreland, Chesterfield and Swanzey. He has been located on his present farm the last seven years. He married Ellen Blodgett, of Chester- field, and has three children, two of them living at home. One daughter married Stephen Burt and resides on road 29.
Edmund Wilcox, a native of Gilsum, was a farmer and mechanic, manu- facturing chairs and all kinds of tools. He died when his son Leonard was but three years of age. The latter is also a mechanic and worked in mills in different parts of Cheshire county about eight years, when he went to Lud- low, Vt., and remained twenty years, manufacturing lumber and wooden ware. He then moved to Gardner, Mass., and was engaged there in the mercantile business, being one of the firm of Hartwell & Wilcox. From this place he came to Westmoreland, and has since been engaged in the manufacture of lumber. While living in Ludlow, Mr. Wilcox was selectman three years, and lister and justice of the peace several years. He married Rhoda Lewis, of Royalston, Mass., in 1848, and has had born to him four children, three of whom are living and at home.
Charles Chase, Jr., whose father was in the war of 1812, was born in Chester- field in that year, and his father died when he was but three years of age. He has lived on his present farm in this town for the last twenty-six years. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Nathan R. Symonds, of Chesterfield, and has had born to him nine children, eight of whom are living. Three of them, Warren, Nellie E. and Jennie A., are at home. The oldest daughter is mar- ried and lives in Chesterfield.
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TOWN OF WESTMORELAND.
Dr. George W. Chamberlain, one of the six children of William Chamber- lain, was born in Bradford, Vt. He prepared for college at the academy in Corinth, Vt., read and studied with Dr. Corwin, of Corinth, who is now a professor in Dartmouth, from which college George W. was graduated June 24, 1880. He practiced two years in Corinth, marrying while there, and then moved to this town, where he has also practiced nearly two years. He is very successful in his practice, which is continually growing.
George W. Nims, son of Roswell, was born in Sullivan, November 14, 18II. In 1814 he moved with his father to Keene, where he remained until 1840, when he moved to this town and located upon the farm now owned by his son, E. T. Nims, on road 27. He married Susan, daughter of Thomas Thomson, in 1840, and has four children, two sons and two daughters. Of these, Adelaide S. married C. E. Young, and lives in Shirley, Mass. Oscar G. lives in Keene, and is treasurer of the Cheshire Provident Institution. Elmer T. lives in town on the old homestead, and Ida L. married O. J. But- terfield, and also resides in town.
Ichabod Albee, a soldier of the Revolution, came to this town from Men- don, Mass., February 23, 1787, and settled at what was called Mendon Cor- ners. He reared a family of six children, as follows : Esther, Ahisa, John, Azubah, Hardin and Sumner, all now dead. Ahisa lived in Chesterfield and in Swanzey after his marriage. John remained on the old homestead, was well known here, being town representative and holding other offices of trust. Azubah married Abijah French, and resided here. Hardin married Almira H. Howard, and located in Swanzey, in 1827, upon the place where John Conboy now lives. Sumner located in Chesterfield, and was also well known. All the children of Ichabod Albee lived to be over sixty years of age.
Henry Burt, a brother of Samuel, Ist, was a native of Taunton, Mass. He married Sally Short, of the same place, and settled in Westmoreland on a farm near the Chesterfield line, and near his brother Samuel. He had two children, Sally and Hiram. The former married David Chase, and resided a few years near the Keene road in Chesterfield. They then moved west, where their descendants now live. Hiram, son of Henry, was born in West- moreland, on the place now owned by his son, Henry D., on road 50, and married Esther Thayer, who bore him three children. He was teamster be- tween Chesterfield Factory and Boston, Mass., before the railroad was built, and was also a teamster for several years between Chesterfield Factory and Keene. His children were Stephen H., E. Calister. who died young, and Henry D. His wife died March 18, 1866, and his death occured July 8, 1876. Stephen H. married twice, first, Caroline, daughter of Haskell Buf- fum, September 7, 1859, and had born to him seven children. He married for his second wife Eva A. Jarvis, January 23, 1884. Mr. Burt has been elected to various town offices. His children are as follows : Cora L., born December 23, 1860, married William Chamberlain, of Chesterfield, March 7, 1882 ; Albert L., born January 31, 1863 ; John, born April 28, 1865 ; Flora
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J., born August 20, 1867, and is now in California ; Semira W., born October 7, 1870 ; Anna L., born March 5, 1873 ; and William H., born July 28, 1876. Henry D., youngest son of Hiram, is a farmer, married Helen M. Streeter, of this town, and remained upon the home farm. Three of his four children are living, as follows : Henry L., Earl and Nellie. His wife died April II, 1881.
Willard Burt, brother of Samuel Burt, Jr., of Chesterfield Factory, was born in Westmoreland, June 19, 1794. He married, November 16, 1818, Martha Wood, who was born here July 28, 1797. He moved to Keene, where his wife died September 29, 1856. He married for his second wife Charlotte Brerman, in 1861. Mr. Burt died May 14, 1869, and his widow resides in North Hampton, Mass. His children were as follows: Charles W., born November 6, 1820 ; Martha M., born August 20, 1822; William H., born May 24, 1824; Jane Elizabeth, born July 17, 1826; and Charlotte A., born January 20, 1829. Charles married Julia A. Loomis, of Colbrook, N. H., practiced law at that place and in Detroit, Mich., where he removed in 1854, and died April 11, 1859. His widow died in Clinton, Ia., May 3, 1859. Mar- tha M. married Lincoln Goodnow, of Chesterfield Factory, June 11, 1851, and died February 3, 1852. Mr. Goodnow now resides in California. William married for his first wife Hannah Williams, of Amherst, Mass., in October, 1848. She died on a passage to California, where Mr. Burt then was, in May, 1852, and was carried in and buried in Greenwood cemetery. Mr. Burt mar- ried for his second wife Ann Louisa Davis, of Dublin, N. H., November 8, 1855, and moved to St. Paul, Minn., where he practiced law. He was a soldier in the late rebellion, and was mustered out as a colonel. Jane Eliza- beth married Jerome Beal, of Chesterfield Factory, January 6, 1851. Her daughter Lizzie M. was born March 3, 1852, and died September 23, 1852. Mrs. Beal died August 10, 1852, and Mr. Beal, who was a conductor on the railroad, was soon after killed thereon. Charlotte married John A. West, of Worcester, Mass., February 24, 1855. Mr. West died September 16, 1863. His widow now resides in Jackson, Mich.
Thomas Chamberlain, a descendant of John, who came to this country in the Mayflower, was one of several who united in signing the church covenant, September 26, 1764, the first step taken towards forming a Congregational church in Westmoreland. John Chamberlain, 3d, one of the original gran- tees of this town, was born in Newton, Mass., September 17, 1767, and mar- ried Eunice Edson. His fourth son, John, was born August 13, 1773, and married Lydia Brown, of this town, October 6, 1796. Their oldest son, John, was born November 7, 1800, married twice, first, Mary Hall, in 1821, and who died February 16, 1826, and second, Caroline F. Farrar, December I, 1826. He moved to Keene in 1849, where he died October 13, 1875. He had born to him eleven children, namely: John Adams, Helen M., Catha- rine F. U., Adelaide L., Osburn E., George P. F., Caroline O., Isabel J., Noel B., Frederick D., and Marion L. His (John's) sister, Mary P., born May 5,
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1818, married John B. Osborne, April 1, 1837. She is the only one now liv- ing of that generation, in Westmoreland, on the old homestead. in the same place where she was born. John's daughter, Adelaide L., born February 10, 1833, married David B. Stearns, of Keene, November 8, 1853. Of her three children, Helen Semira, born September 5, 1855, married Dallas M. Pollard, of Chester, Vt. They have two children, and now reside in Keene.
The Congregational church .- In May, 1762, the proprietors of the town voted to "build a meeting house 80x40 feet, with twenty-foot posts." This- was located in the northeast corner of the present North cemetery. Novem- ber 7, 1764, a society was formed, consisting of eight members, viz .: Joshua Warren, Amos Davis, Samuel Minot, Joseph Pierce, Abner How, Joshua Hyde, Jonathan Houghton, and Daniel Warren. On the same day, Rev. William Goddard, a graduate of Harvard in 1761, was installed as its first pastor. In the autumn of 1779 the church building was removed to Park- hill. January 1, 1828, a church society was formed at the south village, by the withdrawal of a part of the Parkhill congregation. A church building was erected that year, which did service until 1837, when it was destroyed by fire. The Universalist society helped build the church, and subsequently de- manded its use part of the time. Therefore, about 1828, they united in hav- ing the same pastor, preaching to the congregations on alternate Sabbaths. After the burning of the church, the society united with the church at Park- hill, and worshipped with them until 1852. On the 26th of December, of that year, the society was re-organized, and Rev. Robert W. Fuller settled as pas- tor. The present church building was erected that year, which seats 275 per- sons. In 1873 the societies re-united. The society now has sixty-eight mem- bers, with Rev. Roswell Foster, pastor, who preaches at both churches on alternate Sabbaths.
The Universalist church, located at Westmoreland village, was organized December 11, 1838, by Wilson Gleason, Haskell Buffum, Barton Symonds, Stephen Baker, John Pierce, and others, with thirty members, Rev. Charles Woodhouse being the first pastor. When the Congregational church was burned, as mentioned above, its ruins were purchased by those who formed this society, and they now have a neat wood structure capable of seating 250 persons, and valued at $3,000. The site of the church was donated for this. purpose by Josiah Knight. The society is now.small in numbers, and has no regular pastor.
The Christian church, at East Westmoreland, was organized at an early date. In 1852 the society voted to build a new meeting-house, and for this. purpose an old Baptist church was bought and moved to its present site, being fitted up at an expense of $1,300.00. It will seat 200 persons, and is now valued at $1,500,00. The society now has twenty-five members, sup- plied with preaching by Rev. N. D. Parson, of Putney, Vt. To this society Rev. Moses Winchester preached twenty years, and Jehiel Claflin, who still resides in the village, over twenty years. James L. Pierce also preached four years, and James R. Phillips two years.
Lui K.Filler
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TOWN OF WINCHESTER.
W INCHESTER lies in the southwesterly part of the county, in lat. 42° 47', and long. 4º 40', bounded north by Chesterfield and Swan- zey, east by Swanzey and Richmond. south by the state line of Massachusetts . and Hinsdale. It was originally granted to Col. Josiah Will- ard and his associates, of Lunenburg, Mass. For quite a long period it had been the policy of the province of Massachusetts to extend her areas of in- habited territory by making liberal grants of land in the wilderness, to such of her citizens as had demonstrated their ability and courage for such un- dertakings by service in her wars with the Indians, and in guarding, defend- ing and surveying her frontiers. Col. Willard had been prominent in the controversy with the province of New Hampshire regarding the boundary line between the two provinces, and also as commandant at Fort Dummer. This fort, which was situated on the west side of the Connecticut river, and only a short distance below the present village of Brattleboro, Vt., was for many years the most advanced position northward occupied by the people or troops of the province of Massachusetts, and for a large portion of this period Col. Willard was its commandant, and upon him and his troops the province depended for the protection of the settlers of Northfield and the other towns that had sprung into existence along the banks of " ye Great River," and the history of those days shows with what fidelity and devotion they performed their duty. Accordingly, when Col. Willard and his associ- ates, many of whom had seen service under him in defence of the province, , petitioned "the House of Representatives of Massachusetts Bay " for a grant of land six miles square to the northward of Northfield, it was granted al- most without question, and with only the ordinary reqire ments as to settle- ment and the preservation of the interests of the public.
This petition was dated April 4, 1733, and bears the signatures of Col. Josiah Willard and sixty-three associates. In response, a survey was ordered, and was completed by Joseph Blanchard, as early as May 10, 1733, being only thirty-six days from the date of the petition, and on June 21, 1733, the survey was confirmed, in all a period of only sixty-eight days from the date of the orignal petition to the date of its complete confirmation. The planta- tion thus granted was at first called Earlington, but very shortly the " E" was dropped, and the grant was recognized by the name of Arlington.
This grant or township lay to the eastward and northward of Northfield. The northwest corner of the town of Hinsdale, as it is to-day, was the orig- inal northwest corner of this grant, and it extended down upon the east bank of the Connecticut river four miles and one-half and twenty rods, which would include the Liscomb place, so-called, and a portion of the Adams farm, in Hinsdale. The bounds then ran eastward the width of the town of North- field, as it then was ; then south on the east line of Northfield, five miles and twenty rods ; then east two miles and one-half ; then north six miles and fifty- two rods ; and then west to the upper end of two small islands in the Con- necticut river, eight miles and a half, and twenty rods, being the corner first
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mentioned-the upper end of the island opposite the town of Brattleboro, Vt.
The inhabitants of Northfield immediately discovered that this grant en- croached upon the territory to the northward, to the extent of about three thous- and acres, and the general court of Massachusetts, recognizing the error, im- mediately corrected the same, thus shortening the bounds of Earlington on the Connecticut river from four miles and one hundred and eighty rods, to three miles and twenty-three rods, and extending the bounds upon the east line of Northfield from five miles, twenty rods, to six miles and seventy-seven rods. The land of which Earlington was thus deprived, was regranted to the proprietors elsewhere. As thus established, the bounds of Arlington remained till after the establishment of the new Province line between the colonies of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, by the "Lords of Council of England," in 1739, and by a Royal decree dated August 5, 1740, and the survey of said line. made by Richard Hazen, in March and April, 1741. This survey fol- lowed a due east and west line at this point, with an allowance of ten de- grees for the westerly variation of the needle, and severed the towns of North- field and Warwick, leaving a portion of each within the territorial limits of the colony of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. On June 22, 1739, the plantation of Arlington was merged, by the action of the House of Repre- sentatives, of Massachusetts, into the town of Winchester.
The boundaries of Winchester remained as established June 21, 1733, till August 5, 1753, a period of twenty years, one month and fifteen days. At this date, however, they were changed by the general court of New Hamp- shire, on petition of Colonel Ebenezer Hinsdale. The change of boundary severed from Winchester nearly all that portion of her territory heretofore de- scribed as laying to the northward of Northfield, and added to her all that portion of Warwick lying within the province of New Hampshire, and a no inconsiderable portion of that part of Northfield severed by the New Province line. The west boundary of Winchester was established at a point eighty rods from the west bank of the Connecticut river, at low water mark, on the New Province line, thence running due north by the needle till it reached the originally established north bound of the original grant. From this date the boundaries of Winchester remained unchanged till July 2, 1850, a period of ninety-six years, ten months and twenty-five days, when the Senate and House of Representatives of New Hampshire, in general court convened, added a tract of land from the northwest corner of the town of Richmond. This ad- dition was a triangular piece of land one mile and twenty rods in length, on the Swanzey and Richmond line, running east from the southwest corner of Swanzey, on the Winchester line, and was of the same length on the bound- ary line between Richmond and Winchester, commencing at the same south- west corner of Swanzey, on the Winchester line, and running south, the third boundary being a direct line connecting the south and east ends of the two before mentioned bounds. Accordingly, we find Winchester in its present form and limits to be made up of a portion of its original grant as made to
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TOWN OF WINCHESTER.
Colonel Willard and his associates, with quite a portion of what was origin- ally a part of Northfield, a smaller portion of what was originally a part of Warwick, then known as Roxbury or Gardiners Canada, and a still smaller portion of what was formerly a part of Richmond.
Originally the grant was intended to convey a tract of land six miles square ; but its form, as shown by the plan of its lay-out and surveys, proves it to have been more nearly in the form of a carpenter's square, though it included land enough to measure the full six miles square, as designed by the grantors. On the set-off of Hinsdale, in 1753, together with the additions that had come to her from those portions of Northfield and Warwick, that were severed from the province of Massachusetts in 1741, the boundaries of Winchester assumed a very regular form ; in fact the four corners of the town were very nearly right angled, and her area was maintained at the full six miles square. The intention of preserving to the grantees their original territorial rights was fully observed, and amply recognized in the set-off of Hinsdale.
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