Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 22

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 22

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).

David Calley was one of the early settlers in that part of Holderness which is now Ashland, upon a farm on road 1. He married for his second wife Mary Masten, who bore him eight children. His son Jeremiah M. married Mary Shepard, of Holderness, and had born to him five children, all now liv- ing. Willis H., eldest son of Jeremiah M., married Harriet Smith, of Camp- ton, has four children, and resides on the home farm.

John Shepard, an early settler of the town of Holderness, married Eleanor, daughter of Richard Shepard, who was one of the first proprietors of Holder- ness. George W., one of the eleven children of John, married Sarah Fowle, and had born to him three children, only one of whom is living. Robert Fowle was the first Episcopal minister in this town. Henry H., son of George W., married Mary, daughter of Jeremiah M. and Mary Calley, has one child, Martha M., and resides in Ashland, near Little Squam lake.

Benning M. Plaisted, son of William, resided in New Hampton, N. H., and married Phebe Eaton, of Candia. Benning E., one of his three children, married Nancy B., daughter of Moses and Sarah (Chandler) Merrill, of Ash- land, and has three children, namely, Oscar A., Mrs. Pamelia A. M. Hog- don, and Mrs. Georgeanna E. Stephens, all of whom reside in this town. Os- car A. married Ellie J. Clough and has one child, Blanche M.

Robert Deane, son of Benjamin, who was a native of Ireland, married Eliza Webb. His son Barnabas married Grace Deane, came to New Hamp- shire in 1852, and now reside in this town. His daughter Rebecca is now a prominent merchant of Ashland. Benjamin Deane, son of Barnabas, resides in this town. John, son of Robert, married Elizabeth Splain, resides in this town, and has three children, two of whom, Robert and Lizzie, live at home.

Jonathan Smith, son of Jonathan, was born in New Hampton, N. H., and reared a family of four children. His son Jonathan M. married Elizabeth

129

TOWN OF ASHLAND.

A., daughter of Caleb and Sarah (Godfrey) Mason, and reared a family of five children, only one of whom, Jonathan E., is now liwing. Jonathan M. Smith was a farmer and machinist for many years, but finally became a min- ister in the Free Will Baptist church. He was pastor of the Holderness and Center Harbor churches, also at Jackson and at Sugar Hill, and at East Hol- derness. He died November 11, 1880, aged fifty-five years. Jonathan E. lives at home with his mother. who is a resident of this town.

Nathan Pierce, a native of Francestown, N. H., married Jane Steele, of Windham, and had born to him five children. His son William married Dorothy, daughter of Currier and Samson Barnard, of Plymouth. Mr. Barnard was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. David, son of William, maried Mary A., daughter of John and Eliza (Rogers) Fuller, of Bridgewater, has one child, Clara E., and resides in Ashland.

Cyrus C. Plaisted, of this town, son of Stephen, married Eliza Rowe, and has seven children. Of these, Samuel, Clark and Ai, served in War of the Rebellion. Cyrus C. was also in the late war, and is now a farmer on road 21.

Samuel Brown, a native of Bridgewater, married Susanna, daughter of Abraham and Rachel Dolloff. Horace, the second of his four sons, married Mary A., daughter of Jesse and Patience (Hobert) Fletcher, and had born to him three children, all now living. He was a native of Bridgewater, was first selectman of that town for many years, and died there in 1874. His widow and three sons, Burdette, Wilfred F. and Ora A., reside in Ashland village.

Reuben B. Rollins, a soldier in the Revolutionary war, married Mary Smith, and had born to him thirteen children. His son John married twice, first, Mrs. Wiggins, and second, Ruth B., daughter of John and Nancy Sar- gent, of Holderness, and had born to him four children, now living. He was a farmer and mail-carrier, served in the War of 1812, and was at Portsmouth. His widow draws a pension, and resides in the town of Ashland.

Samuel Dustin, a native of Haverhill, Mass., was a life long resident of that town, and reared a family of nine children. His son Ira married Nancy Hall, of Thornton. Ezekiel, son of Ira, married Elsie B. Parmenter, of Sterling, Mass. Five of his seven children are living. Ezekiel Dustin served in the late war, enlisted, in 1862, in Co. K, 14th N. H. Vols., served three years, and was honorably discharged.

Stephen N. Morse married twice, first, Elizabeth, daughter of Moses Gor- don, of Gilmanton, and second, Mrs. Jane L. Drew, daughter of John and Anna Goodwin, and had born to him four children, all now living. His widow resides in this town, on road 18. Their children are Mrs. Lizzie A. Pulcifer, of Lake Village, and Amy, William, Henry and Bertha, who live with their mother, on the home farm.

John Hughes was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, was at the battle of Bennington, and was a farmer in Rockingham county, N. H. He married Mehitabel Buzzel, and reared a family of eight children. His son Barnett 9

130

TOWN OF ASHLAND.

married Jane Wilson, of Windham, and reared a family of eleven children,. seven sons and four daughters. Barnett, Jr., married twice, first, Martha L. Clark, of Franklin, N. H., who bore him seven children, and second, Esther J., daughter of Samuel S. and Adis (Drew) Baker, and has had born to him one child, Lucy Ashland, who was thefirst child born in this town.

Leonard Moore. son of Jesse, and a native of Worcester, Mass., married Polly Huntington, of Plainfield, Vt. Philander L., one of his nine children, married Nancy M., daughter of Pesson and Nancy (Green) Bancroft, has six children, and is a farmer in this town, on road I.

Paul Abbott, son of Darius, who was one of the first settlers upon the farm known as the Abbott farm, on North hill, was a native of Hillsboro, N. H., and married Naomi Cart. Darius, one of his five children, married three times, first, Betsey Prescott, second, Mrs. Bean, and third, Nancy Huckins. Parker P., one of his three children, married Harriet C. Smythe, has one child, Elmer E., and resides in Ashland, on road 2 corner 4. Parker P. served in the late war, enlisting in Co. G, 50th Mass .. Vols., and was honorably dis- charged.

Edwin Dearborn was a farmer in Lincoln, N. H., married a Miss Rogers, and reared a family of nine children, three of whom are now living. Of these, Washington married Abigail Cook, of Campton. N. H. Henry C., one of his four children, married Frances M., daughter of Darwin and Laura Shep- ard, of Ashland, and has three children, namely, Adelle C., George H., and Alice M., all of whom reside in this town.

Nathan Goss came to this country, from England, with two brothers, at a very early day, and served in the Revolutionary war. His son Nathan mar- ried Dolly Grant, of Isam, N. H., and reared a family of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters. His son Samuel married Christina I .- Perry. of Nashua, N. H., has one son, George S., and resides in this town.

Simeon Batchelder lived in Bridgewater, married Mary Martin, and reared a family of nine children. His son Caleb married Hannah Moses, had born to him thirteen children, and died in Sanburton. Simeon, son of Caleb, mar- ried Ann, daughter of Joseph and Fanny (James) Banks, of Newport, R. I., has four children, and resides on road 31, in the town of Holderness.

Samuel Scribner married Hannah Webster, who was an aunt of Daniel Webster's father, Judge Webster. Mr. Scribner was captured while at work in the hay-field, by the Indians, during the early Indian wars. He was taken to Canada, and sold for three years' servitude, but escaped and came home- within a year after his capture. This happened about seventeen years before the Revolutionary war. His son, Captain Josiah, married Phebe Cross, and was a drover and dealer in stock in Andover, N. H. John, one of his thirteen children, married Abigail, daughter of Josiah Emery, of Loudon, N. H., and had born to him six children, four of whom are now living. He moved here from Andover, in 1864, and remained here until his death, which occurred in 1867, aged eighty-three years. His children, Franklin, John C., Asentha and

131

TOWN OF ASHLAND.

Ambrose, are now residents of Ashland. The former married Marcia E., daughter of Chase T. and Susan Hackett, of New Hampton, and has three children, namely, Mrs. Ida G. Fellows, of this town, Carrie A. and George E. who live at home with their father. Franklin and his brother Ambrose, have been engaged in the manufacture of Manila paper in this town, about twenty years. The former has been treasurer of the Ashland Savings bank, for the past six years, and has lived in this town for forty-three years.

Ambrose Scribner was born in Andover, N. H., June 13, 1817, and located in what is now Ashland in 1849, and with his brother engaged in the manu- facture of shoes for a Massachusetts firm. In this he continued five years. In 1855 he bought, in company with W. P. Drake, a paper-mill of George W. Mitchell, now one of Wilder & Co.'s mills, and manufactured Manila pa- and straw-board about a dozen years ago. Franklin Scribner sold out his in- terest, and, with Lewis Scribner, built the paper-mill which was sold to Wilder & Co. in 1871, and burned in 1884. Ambrose Scribner sold out to Mr. Drake and acquired an interest in the shoe-peg mill, established by Col. Jesse Ladd and Aaron M. Gordon about 1849. He erected the present mill, operated by Carter & Rogers, in 1880, which property he now owns. He has held the office of town treasurer four years, and that of selectman one year.

Jonathan F. Keyes was born in Hancock, N. H., and in 1828, at the age of seventeen years went to learn the paper-making business at Bennington village, Vt. He remained there until 1848, when he sold the paper-mill he then owned and removed to Holderness, bought a paper-mill and carried on the business until 1872, and operated a store from 1848 to 1857. In 1872 he led in the movement which resulted in the incorporation of the Ashland Savings bank, of which Nathaniel Batchelder was the first president, J. F. Keyes, treasurer and secretary. He has held various town and county offices, among which are postmaster, eight years, selectman, town treasurer, and county commissioner five years. He married Mary W. Woods in Benning- ton, and had ten children born to him, of whom five are living, viz .: Mary E. (Mrs. Thomas P. Cheney), Lucy A. (Mrs. R. R. D. Dearborn), Alice J. (Mrs. E. G. Clapp), Fanny M., the present postmistress at Ashland, and Josephine W., (Mrs. Blakslee), of Wisconsin. Two sons grew to manhood, of whom Capt. O.W. Keyes, the elder, was killed in the battle of Chancellorville. His brother, Henry F., was wounded in the same battle and had his arm ampu- tated. He returned to Holderness and at the time of his death, two years after, was postmaster.

The Free Will Baptist church, located at Ashland Village, was organ- ized in 1831, Rev. Dr. Dana being the first pastor. The church build- ing, erected in 1834, will seat 400 persons. The society now has eighty- four members, with Rev. Daniel Davis, pastor. The Sabbath school has [45 scholars, taught by thirteen teachers.

St Mark's Protestant Episcopal church .- The first Episcopal church in the town, was organized by Rev. Robert Fowle, about a hundred years ago,

I32

TOWN OF BATH.

who preached to the society about forty years, or until his death. The old church building stood at the head of Little Squam lake, in the corner of the old burial ground. It was torn down. The present society was or- ganized by Rev. Joshua R. Pierce, the first rector, in 1859. The build- ing will accommodate 150 persons, cost $5,000.00, and is now valued, including grounds, at $8,000.00. The society has forty members, with Rev. Lorin Webster, rector. The Sabbath school has thirty scholars and six teachers.

B ATH, one of the fertile river towns of the county, lies in the western part of the northern half of the same, in lat. 44" 10' and long. 72°, bounded north by Monroe and Lyman, east by Landaff, south by Haverhill, and west by the west bank of the Connecticut river. The town was originally granted by Benning Wentworth, September 10, 1761, to Rev. Andrew Gardner and sixty-one others; but they failed to comply with the conditions of their charter, and thus forfeited their grant. On petition of Nehemiah Lovewell and others, a new grant was made by Gov. John Went- worth, March 29, 1769, in which the limits of the township were defined as follows :

" Beginning at the mouth of Ammonoosuc river, at a pine tree marked with the figures 9 and 10, and with the letters BW ; thence up the Connecti- cut river, as that tends, to a pine tree marked with the figures 10 and 11, which is also the southwest corner bounds of Lyman ; thence turning off and running south 55° east six miles, to a beech tree marked BL, CLD ; thence south 2 east six miles and fourteen chains to a spruce tree marked BB ; thence turning off again and running north 55 west six miles and one-quar- ter of a mile, to the bounds first mentioned."

The surface of Bath is in some parts rough and mountainous, though a large portion of its territory is a fine farming country. Extending north and south through the town, from the confluence of the Connecticut and Ammo- noosuc rivers, is a ridge of mountainous land known as Gardner mountain, which renders communication between the eastern and western portions of the town exceedingly difficult and toilsome. To the east, this high land slopes down to form the smiling valley of the Ammonoosuc, through which that stream winds its sinuous course, cutting the town in a diagonal direction trom its northeastern to its southwestern corner Entering the town from the east the wild Ammonoosuc river traverses its southern portion, falling into .the Ammonoosuc. In the western part the streams fall into the Connecti- cut. These with their numerous smaller tributaries form the river system of the town and afford some very fine mill privileges. The soil of the hills is a reddish loam, resting on a bed of marl ; but in the valleys it is alluvial. Brick clay of an excellent quality is abundant. About one-eighth of the town consists of interval land. In several localities large veins of copper ore

133

TOWN OF BATH.

have been opened, which appear to be of much value, if properly worked. The Boston & Lowell railroad passes through the town, following the Ammo- noosuc valley.

In 1880 Bath had a population of 1,033 souls. In. 1885 the town had twelve school districts and twelve common schools. Its twelve school-houses were valued, including furniture, etc., at $4,520.00. There were 238 children attending school, 70 of whom were pursuing the higher grades, taught during the year by two male and fourteen female teachers, at an average monthly salary of $20.00 for males, and $17.16 for females. The entire amount raised for school purposes during the year was $1,519.95, while the expenditures were $1,882.75, with John P. Demeritt, superintendent.

BATH is a post village and a station on the Boston & Lowell railroad. There is a considerable business carried on here in the shipping of lumber, wood, potatoes, live stock and wood-pulp. For the manufacture of the lat- ter there is a large establishment, which is the only manufacturing industry now carried on in the village. Bath was formerly one of the busiest and most prosperous villages in northern New Hampshire, but of late has gone into decay. There are two stores of general merchandise which do a fair business.

SWIFTWATER is a post village in the southeastern part of the town. It has a saw-mill, grist-mill, a carding and dyeing establishment, blacksmith shop and one church.

BATH UPPER VILLAGE, where a few years ago was considerable trade, with physicians, lawyers, and quite a population, is now only a quiet hamlet.

Conant & Co.'s pulp mill, at Bath village, was established by William Ban croft in 1872. It is operated by water-power, gives employment to about twelve hands, and turns out four tons of pulp per day.

Brydon Sawyer's grist-mill, at Swiftwater, has three runs of stones and is capable of grinding 500 bushels of grain per day.

James M. Williams's carding-mill, at Swiftwater, was established by his father-in-law, Myron S. Woodard, in 1837, who, though the mill burned in 1845, continued the business until his death, in November, 1884. This is the only carding-mill doing custom work in Grafton county.

Moffett & Garrison, of Lisbon, carry on a lumber business in this town at the old "gold mill," near Lisbon line. They manufacture dash boards and panels for sleigh fronts and backs by a process of cutting from the round log. They employ a number of hands. The business, now in its infancy, bids fair to become a large one.

The first settlement of the town was made by Andrew Gardner, in 1765, who located upon a farm between the two villages, and which is still known as the "Gardner Place." The following year John Sawyer commenced a settlement where the upper village now is, and Jaasiel Herriman located in what is now the lower end of the lower village. At that time, it is said, there were, between him and the Wild Ammonoosuc, four wigwams occupied by

I34

TOWN OF BATH.

Indians. During this and the following year, also, a number of others came in, among whom were Moses Pike, who located at the island at the upper village, Samuel Martin, Elijah King, Deliverance Sawyer, John Hew and William Eastman, the latter settling just above the upper village. Quite a number had come in by 1767, for the proprietors' records speak of " twenty- two settlers having made their various pitches and wrought upon them more or less." Considerable additions were made to the settlement soon after the granting of the second charter, in 1769, there being among those who came at that time the following: John Waters, Benjamin Lee, Joseph Tilden, John Beard, Ezekiel Colby, Robert Bedel, Abel Chase, Noah Moulton, Edward Bailey, William Belknap, Benjamin Prentiss, Francis Fullerton, Reuben Foster, John Sandborn, Ebenezer Sandborn, Daniel Bedel, Samuel Titus, Col. Timothy Bedel and John Dodge.

When the Revolutionary war commenced, in 1775, many of the settlers left, as they were north of the regiment stationed at North Haverhill to guard against the invasion of savages, Tories and Canadians. The dangers attend- ing pioneer life here during the war, however. did not prevent some settlers from coming in before its close, among whom was Mark Sandborn. Soon after the close of the war, emigration seems to have received a fresh impetus, there being among the new settlers several persons of enterprise and influ- ence, and who for a long time were leading men of the town, viz .: Ezra Child, from Woodstock, Conn., in 1782 ; Jeremiah Hutchins, from Haverhill, Mass., in 1783 ; Jacob Hurd, from Haverhill, Stephen Bartlett, from Newton N. H., and Timothy and Aaron Hibbard, from Woodstock. Conn., also in 1784 ; John and Dudley Child, and Amasa Buck, in 1786; Henry Hancock, Aaron Powers, Roger Sargent and Maxi Hazeltine, in 1770 ; and William and Samuel Lang came a year or two later.

The first town meeting was held in 1784, when the following officers were chosen : John Way, moderator ; Capt. Jeremiah Hutchins, Capt. Ebenezer Sandborn and Ezra Child, selectmen ; Aaron Bailey and Ezra Child, tyth- ingmen ; Jacob Hurd, town clerk ; John Merrill and Aaron Hibbard, fence viewers ; Capt. Jeremiah Hutchins, surveyor of lumber ; Jacob Hurd, sealer of weights and measures ; Mark Sandborn, constable ; John Merrill, Daniel Mills, Capt. Ebenezer Sandborn, Dea. John Jewett and David Powers, high- way surveyors ; Elisha Cleveland, and John Rowell, hog reeves ; Moses Eastman, sealer of leather; and Capt. Ebenezer Sandborn, pound keeper. Among the "first things" of the township are mentioned, in the pamphlet history of Bath, the following :-

"The first family that moved into town was Jaasiel Harriman's, in 1766; (individuals had come the year before, but without families.) The first child born in Bath was a daughter of his, named Mary Harriman ; her birth took place December 8, 1766. She married Simeon Smith of Campton, and died in that town near the close of 1854, aged eighty-eight years. The first death in town was in the same family, a little son of Mr. Harriman, two years old, was scalded to de th in 1767. This child was the first person buried in the

I35

TOWN OF BATH.

graveyard at Bath village. The first marriage in Bath, it is said, was that of John Waters to Hannah Pike, and that all the people in town witnessed it ! It took place near the commencement of the Revolutionary war, in the fort on Eastman's meadow, where all the inhabitants were collected at that period. The first road was made in 1768, extending diagonally across the town from southwest to northeast. The first bridge at Bath village, over the Ammonoosuc, was built in 1794. The first mills were built in 1772, near the mouth of Mill Brook. The first meeting-house was erected in 1803, finished and dedicated in 1805, and painted in 1806. The first framed building erected in Bath, tradition says, was a barn on the farm now belonging to Dwight P. Child, about 1775. Not far from the same period, the first framed house in town was built on Col. Hurd's place, a little north of where the old meeting-house stands. The first framed house at Bath village was built by Knowles Clark, in 1793 or '94, near where the Congregational meeting-house is now situated. The first settler at Bath village, as already stated. was J. Harriman, and the falls here were formerly known as Harriman's falls. The second was Daniel Mills, who is supposed to have come about 1783. Roger Sargent was the next, who came about 1786. Near the same time, Elisha Cleaveland settled on the plain, a few rods east of the graveyard. The first settler at the upper village, was John Sawyer, in 1766; the second was Moses Pike, in 1767; the third, was Elisha Locke, about 1771; and the fourth was John Merrill. The first settler at Swiftwater was Jonathan Cox, in 1816. The first corn, pumpkins, and cucumbers raised in town, were upon the Great Rock, just below Bath village, in 1767. They were planted by Mercy, a daughter of J. Harriman, about nine years of age, who carried the dirt in her apron on to the top of the rock, and there made her a garden, She was afterwards married to a man by the name of Carr, and died at Corinth, Vt., in 1847, aged eighty-nine years. Chaises were first introduced here in 1807. In the inventory for 1808. they are found against the names of M. P. Payson, S. & J. Hutchins, David Mitchell, and Amos Towne ; in 1809, against the above, and also Ezra Child, John Haddock, Aaron Powers, David Smith, and Abraham Thomas; and the next year againt James I. Swan, and Samuel Browning. Wagons were introduced some four years later, about 18II. Stoves for warming buildings were first used in this town about 1810. At the annual town meeting in March, 1811, a vote was passed, 'that the selectmen furnish and put into the meeting-house two suitable stoves ;' this was probably done the ensuing autumn. Cooking stoves were introduced in 1815 or 16. Clocks were first introduced in 1808. At that time, three eight- day brass clocks were brought in and sold. Lucifer or friction matches were first used in Bath, about 1834."

After the Revolutionary war commenced, a fort was built on East- man's meadow, into which all the families that remained in town were collected, together with some from Landaff and Lisbon. No enemy, how- ever, came to molest them. During the war, when the population of the town is supposed not to have been more than seventy families, no less than forty six of the inhabitants enlisted as soldiers. The following is a list of the enlistments : Timothy Bedel, Daniel Bedel, Moody Bedel, John Bedel, Joshua Bedel, Jacob Bedel,

Richard Bedel,

Robert Bedel,

Jonathan Eastman,

Obadiah Eastman,

William Eastman,

John Foreman,

I36

TOWN OF BATH.

Francis Fullington,

Hugh Gammel,

Jeremiah Gilman,

Peter Gilman,

Samuel I. Gilman,

David Greenleaf,

Daniel Hunt,

Joshua Hunt,

Zebulon Hunt,

Ira Hand,

Ebenezer Holladay,

John Beard,

Cyrus Bailey,

Abel Chase,

Eliphalet Cleaveland,

Elisha Cleaveland,

Solomon Cleaveland,

John Dodge,

James Eastman,

Noah Holladay,

John Jewett,

Benjamin Lovekin,

John Merrill,

Thomas Newman,

Moses Pike,

Moses Pike, Jr.,

John Rowell,

Ebenezer Sandborn,

Mark Sandborn,

Richard Sandborn,

Joshua Sanders,

Stephen Smith,

John Waters,

David Weeks.

About thirty Revolutionary soldiers became inhabitants of Bath after the close of the war, as follows :

Ezra Abbott,

George Amy,

William Alexander,

David Bailey, Jonathan Baron, Timothy Barron,

Amasa Buck,

Edmond Brown, Jesse Carlton,

Peter Carlton, Samuel Chase,

John Clement,

Thomas Currier, Ezra Gates,

Jesse Hardy,

Aaron Hibbard, Timothy Hibbard, Seth Johnson,

Jacob Hurd, Samuel Lang, Jirah Martin,

Phineas Merrill,

Annis Merrill,

Moses Moore,

Edward Polland,

Robert Rollins,

James Smith,

Timothy Stevens, Glazier Wheeler.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 22

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