Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 18

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Company, Printers
Number of Pages: 1266

USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886 > Part 18

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In October, 1837, a single number was issued by the same printer of a sim- ilar paper, under the name of The Scrap Book, conducted by " a literary club of under-graduates in Dartmouth college."

This was followed in November, 1839, by The Dartmouth, which was es- tablished and conducted by the students under a committee annually selected by the senior class. It was the first organized effort for the establishment of a journalism distinctly collegiate, and resulted in a distinguished success. This was a magazine of ten numbers a year, in octavo form, each containing thirty or forty pages, with a handsome cover. Five volumes were issued, terminat- ing in June, 1844.

In 1840 E. A. Allen, then the printer, began the publication of an octavo literary pamphlet styled the Iris and Record, which survived some months, we do not precisely know how many. In the same year an attempt was made by Mr. Allen to revive the village newspaper. With that object he started, May II, 1840, The Experiment, a four page demy. Proving successful, it was en- larged, November 17, 1840, and rechristened The Amulet. As such it con- tinued at least into its second year.

In August, 1841, the state organization of the literary party established an organ at Hanover, under the name of The People's Advocate, published by St. Clair & Briggs, agents of the committee. In June, 1843, it passed into the hands of Joseph E. Hood, an ardent abolitionist and a brilliant man. In February, 1844, he replaced it with The Family Visitor, a quarto of eight pages, which ceased with the sixteenth number, June 5, 1844.

The Valley Star, published by Simpson & Weeks in September and Octo- ber, 1850, was a Democratic organ, but ceased with four or five numbers.

The Parents' Monitor and Young Peoples' Friend, printed by Rev. David Kimball, from 1845 to 1850, was a quarto of eight pages, designed for a fam- ily paper.

The Dartmouth Advertiser was issued monthly from March, 1853, to April, 1854, primarily as an advertising medium, by I. O. Dewey, an enterprising merchant. Eleven regular numbers were issued.

There have been numerous publications of an occassional nature, but none other of a permanent character (except those mentioned below) until the es- tablishment of the HANOVER GAZETTE, May 23, 1885, printed by P. H. Whitcomb, under the editorial management of Dorrence B. Currier. It is modelled in size and style somewhat after the old Dartmouth Gazette, and is a handsome and creditable newspaper.

The era of modern college journalism began with a modest venture in April, 1851, styled the Dartmouth Index, at first in quarto form, four pages, and then octavo of eight. In July, 1855, this was supplanted by the Phoenix, edited by Edward H. Kimball, and afterwards by his brother, W. F. D. Kimball,

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NEWSPAPERS.

which combined the features of the Index with editorials and advertisements. It contained four pages, twelve by nineteen inches, and was published thrice a year, at the beginning of each college term, at five cents a copy. At the close of the college year in 1858, the Phenix was left without an editor, and the incoming junior class (which was to graduate in 1860) undertook to continue it as a class matter, under the name of The Egis. The first number ap- peared in an improved form, September, 1858, and the paper was regularly continued by successive junior classes with great success, until April, 1867, when it was thrown into octavo form, with a cover, and increased in price and from time to time in volume and pretentiousness, until now it appears but once a year, about New Years, at fifteen times the price of the more useful little paper.

In 1867 THE DARTMOUTH was revived as a monthly magazine, in much the same form that it wore twenty-five years before, as a purely literary magazine, and was very successfully published by the senior classes down to 1875, when it was changed to a quarto form, reduced in number of pages, and issued for a time weekly. Since September, 1879, it has been a bi-weekly, and it still flour- ishes. It has lost to a considerable extent its exclusively literary character, by the admission of advertisements and by giving more attention to current college matters.

The Anvil was a personal venture of a talented student, Fred A. Thayer, a graduate of 1873. It began January 23, 1873, and continued nearly a year, winning great praise.

HAVERHILL .- A small paper was published here for about six months prior to 1800, by Nathaniel Coverly ; and three or four numbers of a magazine were published by Mosely Dunham. The Coos Courier, another small sheet, was begun April 21, 1808, and continued for a short time.

The New Hampshire Intelligencer was begun in November, 1819, by Syl- vester T. Goss. In 1826 the sheet was enlarged from four to five columns, but was discontinued soon after. The press and material passed into the hands of J. R. Reding, who established the Democratic Republican. During this time, also, Mr. Goss published the Evangelist, a religious paper, for a short time.

The Masonic Casket, a sixteen-page monthly, "designed for the benefit of all Free and Accepted Masons," was established by Mr. Goss, also, in Janu- ary, 1824, but we cannot say how long it was continued, but certainly more than two years.

The New Hampshire Post and Grafton and Coös Advertiser was estab- lished in July, 1827, by Atwood & Woolson. It was a four-page, five-column weekly, and advocated the re-election of John Quincy Adams to the presi- dency. In April, 1829, it had been enlarged to six columns, and Moses G. Atwood's name appears as publisher, Woolson having retired. In the same number notice is given that he had " sold to John L. Bunce and will retire." George S. Tow'e, a lawyer, afterwards bought the paper and continued it

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GRAFTON COUNTY.

until the fire of 1848 destroyed the office, when he removed to Lebanon and continued the sheet, having changed its name, in 1844, to the Granite State Whig.

The Democratic Republican and General Advertiser was established July 23, 1828, by John R. Reding, who bought out the New Hampshire Intelli- gencer. It was a paper of four pages and twenty-four columns. John R. Reding, its publisher, was postmaster at Haverhill ten years, and became New Hampshire's representative in Congress in 1841, and was re-elected in 1843. Politically the paper was an advocate of Democratic principles. Upon the election of Mr. Reding to Congress, his brother, H. W. Reding, became his partner in the paper and edited the sheet, with the exception of the years 1852-53, when his brother was with him until January 14, 1863, when the following announcement appeared: "To our readers : After this number the publication of the Democratic Republican will be discontinued. H. W. Reding." This paper was of the most pronounced Democratic pro- clivities. After it was discontinued no paper was published at Haverhill until October, 1882, when W. Cone Mahurin bought the office and material and established the GRAFTON COUNTY SIGNAL AND DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICAN, de- voted to local and general matters, and claiming adherence to independent Republicanism. He continued to publish the paper two years, and in De- cember, 1884, sold it to Joseph H. Dunbar, A. M., who has since published it. In December, 1885, he changed its form, making it eight pages of four columns each, and adopted the custom of cutting and pasting the paper for mailing.

The Whig and Argus was published here for a short time by J. F. Hayes, but we have not been able to obtain dates

The Haverhill Herald was established by Pringle & Scott, May 17. 1879, a five-column four-page weekly. Q. A. Scott sold his interest to his partner, William A. Pringle, about three months later, who sold to William Arthur Jones in 1880. He also changed the name to the Advertiser and Budget of Fun, which. after a year, was discontinued for want of support.

THE WOODSVILLE ENTERPRISE was established by Eli B. Wallace, in July 1883, he having purchased the office and material of the defunct Advertiser He still continues the publication, a neat four-page, seven-column sheet, printed at Littleton. .

The Oliverian, a four-page sheet, was issued in December, 1885, in which the publisher's notice was as follows: "The OLIVERIAN is published by the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, East Haverhill, in the insterest of the church. The net proceeds will be devoted to building a new fence about the church propertv. William A. Loyne, editor ; Guy W. Richardson, as- sistant.

THE GRAFTON COUNTY REGISTER was established by the firm of Bittinger Brothers, in January, 1886. It is an independent local newspaper, of four seven-column pages, published at $1.25 per year. It is ably edited, and the

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NEWSPAPERS.

entire office being equipped with new material, steam presses, etc., the me- chanical make-up of the sheet is pleasing and attractive.

LEBANON .- The Granite State Whig, started at Haverhill, in 1844, by George S. Towle, was removed to Lebanon, in 1848, and published by Towle till August 1, 1861. In 1859 the name was changed to the GRANITE STATE FREE PRESS. It was purchased by F. H. Cheney, the present proprietor, in 1861, and has been conducted by him since, with the exception of four year. -1875 to 1879-when Fred W. Cheney, son of the latter, was proprietors The FREE PRESS is a Republican weekly, issued Fridays. It has eight 26x40 inch pages, and has a circulation of 1,450 copies, at $1.25 per year.

The New Hampshire Weekly News was started by William M .. Kendall, Jr., in 1875, and was continued about one year.

The Dollar Weekly News was established by the same proprietor, in 1879, and was discontinued January 1, 1880. Mr. Kendall now publishes the Budget, at Manchester.

LISBON .- The Lisbon Index was founded in September, 1882, by Lucius A. Young, the present proprietor. It has eight pages, forty-eight columns, is independent in politics, and has a circulation of 800. A bright, breezy local sheet.

LITTLETON .- The Ammonoosuc Reporter, the first newspaper published in Littleton, was established by F. A. Eastman, in July, 1852. Mr. Eastman, who subsequently moved west and became postmaster of Chicago, and is now an editor in Wisconsin, published the paper until the autumn of 1854, when he was succeeded by Van N. Bass and L. D. Churchill. In January, 1855, the name of the paper, which was Democratic in politics, was changed to the White Mountain Banner. Mr. Bass soon after became sole proprietor. The paper ran several years, and was finally suspended.

The People's Journal was started in 1855, by H. W. Rowell, as a Know- Nothing organ, subsequently Republican. In 1859 this paper passed into the hands of William Davis, who was succeeded by William J. Bellows, in 1861. Mr. Bellows published it a few years, when it was united with the Lebanon FREE PRESS.

The Littleton Gazette, a neutral paper, was started by Rowell & Smith, in 1865. Smith soon retired, and L. W. Rowell continued the paper until Oc- tober, 1867, when it was purchased by C. E. Carey, and changed to a Demo- cratic paper, under the name of the White Mountain Republic, which has been continued under varied managements, to the present time, George C. Furber being the present proprietor. The paper has a large circulation.

The Littleton Argus, a Republican paper, was started by James S. Peavey, in December, 1875, and was united with the Coös Republican, of Lancaster, in May, 1878.

THE LITTLETON JOURNAL, also Republican in politics, was established by B. F. Robinson and P. R. Goold, January 1, 1880. The JOURNAL is a flour- ishing paper, and has a large circulation in the community.

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GRAFTON COUNTY.

The MUSICAL BULLETIN, "a monthly journal devoted to the best interests of musicians and the trade," was started in Littleton, by D. F. Chase, in Janu- ary, 1883. It is still continued by him.

LYME .- The Weekly Boomerang was started in April, 1884, nominally published in Lyme by the "Boomerang Publishing Company," but in reality printed at East Canaan. "The Boomerang Publishing Company was Will E. Shaw, who, after securing a paid subscription list of between two and three hundred names, and a good advertising patronage, let the paper die of neg- lect, an infant of seven or eight weeks. Such was the feeling among the subscribers, however, that he compromised by sending them the MASCOMA REGISTER for the term of their subscription.

OUR CHURCH WORK is an eight page paper, eleven by fifteen inches, pub- lished at the beginning of January, April, July and October, of each year, by Rev. E. P. Butler, pastor of the Congregational church in Lyme, at the nom- inal price of twenty-five cents per annum. The first number was issued in November, 1880. It was designed to subserve the interests of the church above mentioned ; but no other paper being published in town, it has come to be considered an authority regarding current events in the place, as well as in the religious and secular world at large, and not only has a generous patron- age in the immediate vicinity, but is eagerly sought by natives and former residents of this section who have become citizens of other places.

PLYMOUTH .- The Grafton Journal was the first paper published here, in 1825, by a Mr. Moore.

The White Mountain Bugle appeared next, in 1844, published for a year by John R. French, afterward sergeant-at-arms of the U. S. Senate. It was a cranky, rabid, anti-slavery sheet, and survived but a year.

THE GRAFTON COUNTY JOURNAL was established in November, 1874, by John C. Cushman, who had been running a paper in Pittsfield, N. H. After two or three weeks he sold out to John H. Dearborn, who run it until May, 1876, when he sold to C. H. Kimball and O. N. Flanders, both of Manches- ter, N. H. In May, 1877, Flanders sold to Rev. J. H. Temple, a Unitarian minister, who remained until July, 1878, when he sold to Charles H. Kim- ball, who run it alone until September 1, 1885, when he sold to W. A. Rob- erts, of Massachusetts, the present proprietor. The paper is neutral in politics. In September, 1880, Mr. Kimball started the REPUBLICAN STAR, and on July 7, 1883, the EXCHANGE, both of which were running on September 1, 1885, the date he sold to Roberts.

THE GRAFTON COUNTY DEMOCRAT was established January 1, 1878, by William M. Kendall, of Lebanon. After running it six months he sold to Lewis & Sanborn, of Laconia, they, as did Kendall, employing Van N. Bass to manage it. On January 1, 1880, they sold to V. N. Bass and Edward L. Houghton, who run it six months, or until July, 1880, when Houghton sold, to Bass, who run it alone until 1883, when he sold to the Democrat Pub- lishing Co., Miron W. Hazeltine, manager, who are at present running it. As its name indicates it is Democratic in politics.

II 239

ABORIGINAL OCCUPANCY.

The region of country embraced within the limits of Grafton county was probably never the permanent home of any Indian tribe ; that is, no large body of savages ever congregated for any length of time within its borders, but like the nomads of the desert, wandered from place to place. Bancroft tells us that the Algonquin race occupied the whole Atlantic coast, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Cape Fear. The Indians of the interior were known and called among the tribes upon the sea-shore by the general name of Nip- mucks, or fresh water Indians, and, true to their name, the Nipmucks usually had their residences upon places of still water, the ponds, lakes, and rivers of the interior. The Nipmuck Indians, then, were the aboriginal occupants of the territory under consideration.

These Nipmuck Indians, however, are divided by Indian historians into several divisions, or tribes, of which the Pemigewassets occupied the valley of the Pemigewasset. As neighbors of the Pemigewassets we are told that "a great and powerful tribe" lived on the Nashua stream and were called Nashuas. That another lived on the Souhegan river, and of course were called Souhegans. A third lived at Amoskeig falls, an I were called Amos- keags. A fourth inhabited the beautiful interval at Concord, called by the Indians Pennacook, and they were called Pennacooks. A fifth dwelt on Squamscott river, now Exeter, and for the same reason were called Squam-

scotts. A sixth stopped at Newichannock, and they were Newichannocks. A seventh stayed at Piscataqua river, and they were Piscataquaukes. An eighth built a wigwam city at Ossipee lake, and they were the cultivated Ossi- pees, with mounds and forts like more civilized nations. A ninth built flour- ishing villages in the fertile valley of the Pequawket river, and were known as the pious Pequakees, who worshipped the great Manitau of the cloud-capped Agiochook. A tenth had their home by the clear lake Winnepiseogee, and were esteemed " the beautiful Winnepissaukies." An eleventh set up their lodges of spruce bark by the banks of the wild and turbulent Androscoggin river, and were known as "the death-dealing Amariscoggins." A twelfth cultivated the Coös intervals on the Connecticut, and were called " the swift deer-hunting Coösucks." Besides these twelve tribes, the Pemigewassets also had as neighbors in New Hampshire, and along its present borders, the Winnecowetts, inhabiting a beautiful pine-tree place in the southeast corner of the state, the Wachusetts living about the mountain of that name in Mas- sachusetts. the Agawams residing at the mouth of the Merrimack, the Paw- tuckets, who fished at Pawtucket Falls, and several small tribes upon the banks of the Connecticut river whose names are unknown.

But these tribes or families, as we have said, were nomadic in their habits. Thus, in the "Masschusetts Historical Collections," Roger Williams tells us that "from thick warm valleys where they winter they remove a little nearer to

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GRAFTON COUNTY.

their summer fields. When it is warm spring they remove to their fields, where they plant corn. In middle summer, because of the abundance of fleas which the dust of the house breeds, they will fly and remove on a sudden to a fresh place. And sometimes having fields a mile or two or many miles asunder, when the work of one field is over they removed hence to the other. If death call in amongst them, they presently remove to a fresh place. If an enemy approach they remove to a thicket or swamp. unless they have some fort to remove into. Sometimes they remove to a hunting-house in the end of the year and forsake it not until the snow lies thick ; and then will travel home, men women and children, through the snow thirty, yea fifty or sixty miles. But their great remove is from their summer fields to warm and thick woody bottoms where they winter. They are quick in half a day, yea sometimes in a few hours warning to be gone, and the house is up elsewhere, especially if they have a few stakes ready pitched for their mats. I once in my travels lodged at a house at which in my return I hoped to have lodged again the next night, but the house was gone in that interim and I was glad to lodge under a tree." It is easy to understand, then, that the different families of these several tribes, neighbors of our Pemigewassets, were not very careful to confine their residences to any particular locality, but generally changed them several times in a year, and changed their names as often as they changed their residences. Consequently when a few families went to Amoskeag Falls to fish they were Amoskeags ; if they went to the rich intervals of Pen- nacook to plant they were Pennacooks; if they went later in the season to Winnepissiogee lake, where they could fish through the ice and hunt on the hills, to spend the winter, they were Winnepissaukies-and, furthermore, any tribe had but to say presto and travel, and they immediately changed into some other great tribe.

In several towns of the county traces of Indian occupation are found, though the early settlers found no resident savages here; but probably there is no town in the county but that has had at some time a portion of a tribe of the Nipmucks residing within its limits.

On both sides of the river, at the Ox-Bow in Haverhill, the first settlers in the county found a cleared interval, which Rogers mentions in his journal, and which was undoubtedly used by the Indians as a planting-ground ; and it is said that there were evidences of there having been quite a thriving settlement here at some time. Remains of a fort, or oboriginal fortifications of some kind, are even still to be traced. Upon the Keyes farm, formerly the "Dow" farm, near the river, is a conical hill sixty to seventy five feet in height, around whose summit artificial embankments are plainly visible. It was here that this fort is supposed to have been located.

About a mile north of Haverhill railroad station, ten or twelve rods west of the track, is a smooth rocky ledge surmounting a knoll of land. Three or four feet below the highest point of this ledge a hole about twenty-six inches in diameter and thirty inches has been drilled, and which tradition asserts was

II241

WHEN FIRST SETTLED BY THE WHITES.

used by the Indians for a mortar in which to pound the corn raised upon the Ccös Meadows. Upon the summit of what is known as Indian rock, in Warren, are found four of these smoothly-cut bowls. In this latter town, and others also, ridges where these aborigines planted corn, ashes where their wig- wam was built, stone gouges, arrow and spear-heads, knives, etc., with re- mains of pottery and domestic implements have been found. Thus, in "Farmer and Moor's Collections" we find that "at the mouth of Baker's river, in the town of Plymouth, N. H., the Indians had a settlement, where have been found Indian graves, bones, gun-barrels, stone mortars, pestles and other utensils in use among them."

WHEN FIRST SETTLED BY THE WHITES.

The first visit of the whites to the region now included within the limits of Grafton county was, so far as known, made in 1709, by one Thomas Baker, from whom Baker's river derived its name. This visit is graphically set forth in an article printed in the December number of the Granite State Monthly, 1878, written by Hon. J. E. Sargent, from which we extract the following :-

" It seems that early in the year 1709, one Thomas Baker was taken cap- tive from Deerfield, Mass., by the Indians and carried up the Connecticut river to Lake Memphremagog and thence to Canada. The next year he was ranso red and returned by the same route to his home in Northampton, Mass., thus having gained a knowledge of the route and of some of the In- dians. In 1712, he raised a company of thirty-four men, including one friendly Indian, as a guide. His object was to ferret out and destroy, if possible, the Indians having their encampment somewhere upon the waters of the Pemi- gewasett river. He then held the title of lieutenant, and went directly by the old carrying-place with which he was familiar to the Coos or Cowass intervals in Haverhill and Newbury. There he halted, and following the lead of the Indian guide up the Oliverian brook to the height of land south of and in plain sight of Moosilauke and then followed a small brook down to the Indian Asquamchumauke in Warren and thence through Wentworth, Rumney and Plymouth to the mouth of the river.

" When Baker and his men, who had kept on the west and south side of the river, came near its mouth, the guide signified that it was now time for every man to be on the lookout, and so every one moved with the utmost circumspection, and when near the junction of this river with Pemigewassett, they discovered the Indians on the north bank of the Asquamchumauke. sporting among their wigwams in great numbers, secure as they supposed from the muskets and the gaze of all 'pale-faces.' This was in fact, their principal village or settlement, where they deposited their booty and stored their furs.

"Baker and his men chose their positions and opened a tremendous fire upon the Indians, which was as sudden to them as an earthquake. Many of the sons of the forest fell in death in the midst of their sports ; but the living disappeared in an instant and ran to call in their hunters. Baker and his men lost no time in crossing the river in search of booty. They found a rich store of furs ; deposited in holes, dug in the bank of the river horizontally- in the same manner that bank swallows dig their holes.

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GRAFTON COUNTY.

" Having destroyed their wigwams and captured their furs, Baker ordered a retreat, fearing that they would soon return in too large numbers to be re- sisted by his single company. And it seems that the Indians were fully up to his expectations or apprehensions, for notwithstanding, Baker retreated with all expedition, the Indians collected and were up with them, when they had reached a poplar plain in Bridgewater ; a little south of where Walter Webster formerly kept tavern, a severe skirmish ensued, but the Indians were repulsed and many of them killed-several sculls have since been found on this plain by the early settlers, some of which had been perforated by bullets, which were supposed to have belonged to those who fell in this engagement.

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Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 18

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Company, Printers Number of Pages: 1266

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Company, Printers
Number of Pages: 1266