Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 28

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 28

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is abundant. The manufacturing interest, however, is the chief source of prosperity, and upon it the town depends for future growth and prosperity, even as it has been the means of lifting the small territory to a position of no little importance in the county. The Bristol branch of the Northern rail- road, extending from Bristol village to Franklin, was chartered as the Frank- lin & Bristol railroad, July 8, 1846, and was opened for traffic in 1848, hav- ing been built at a cost of $200,000.00. It was consolidated with the Northern road January 1, 1869.

In 1880 Bristol had a population of 1,353 souls. In 1885 the town had nine school districts. seven common schools, four graded schools, and one high school. Its nine school-houses were valued, including furniture, etc., at $9,500.00. There were 248 children attending school, twenty-seven of whom were pursuing the higher grades taught during the year by twelve female teach- ers at an average monthly salary of $29.03. The entire amount raised for school purposes during the year was $1,559.75, while the expenditures were $2,077.15, with Dr. J. M. Bishop, superintendent.

BRISTOL, a bright post village, is the center of the manufacturing interests of the town, and is a thrifty and progressive business place, situated on both sides of Newfound river, at its confluence with the Pemigewasset.

Numerous mills and shops are located along the course of Newfound river, the more extensive of which are the paper and straw-board mills, of Mason, Perkins & Co., the pulp and paper-mills of Train, Smith & Co., the wood pulp mills of Mason & Berry, the lumber mills of E. D. Crosby & Co., (about a mile north of the village, and their shops in the village, for the manufacture of croquet sets and croquet boxes, ten pins, and chair stock,) the Shaker Flannel Mills of Dodge, Davis & Co., and the grain and flour mills of Taylor & Merrill, and W. C. Kelly's grist-mills.

The village has also had numerous and enterprising merchants, of whom Cyrus Taylor is the veteran dealer, five doctors, three lawyers, the Sleeper and Minot town library, three good church edifices (Methodist, Congrega- tionalist and Free Will Baptist), of which the Methodist, recently built, is especially an elegant, large and convenient structure, a commodious and fine Union High School edifice, and the Bristol House, a comfortable and well kept hotel. Besides all these, its neat and well built cottages and residences furnish pleasant homes for its twelve hundred inhabitants.

The village's elevation ensures its people a delicious coolness in summer, and immunity against malaria and miasma, so that seekers for rest, health and pleasure do well in making this a summer resort. The high surround- ing hills furnish a variety of extensive, picturesque and charming views, and the well kept highways afford enjoyable drives. Those along the Pemige- wasset and Newfound rivers are among the finest in the Old Granite State, and on any fine summer's day parties on arriving at the foot of Newfound lake, will find E. M. Drake, the courteous owner of the trim little steamer, " Lady Ellen," ready to make the circuit of this matchless sheet of water.

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TOWN OF BRISTOL.

The Bristol Savings bank is a well-managed institution enjoying the merited confidence of the public, and a liberal patronage. It was chartered in 1868, and commenced business in 1872, with Samuel King Mason, presi- dent, and Samuel E. Holden, treasurer. The present officers are Lewis W. Fling, president, and George M. Cavis, treasurer. The bank receives any amount on deposit, but pays interest on no sums of less than five dollars. It has deposited with it at the present time about $450,000.00.

Manufactures .- As previously intimated, Bristol enjoyes the distinction of possessing one of the finest water-powers in New England, and, though its facilities are not yet fully utilized, it has been the means of bringing the town into a prominence rarely attained by townships of its limited size and inland station. In justice to the prominence of the manufacturing interest, as com. pared with other items of the town's history, nearly all the space the scope of our work allows us to devote to the Bristol article should be given to its manufactures; but this, of course, even though at the expense of justice, cannot be.

The first mills in this locality were erected by Maj. John Tolford, whom we have mentioned as one of the principal proprietors of New Chester. This gen- tleman received a grant of two lots of land from the proprietors "in consider- ation of his building and operating a saw and grist-mill on the Newfound river, and another of each kind on Smith's river, both being within the limits- of the town of Bristol." In accordance with the conditions of the grant the mills on Newfound river were built first, and appear to have been completed some time during the latter part of the year 1767, although there is no definite record and the precise location of the mills is not known. At all events, it appears from the proprietor's records that in March, 1769, it was " Voted, That Maj. John Tolford shall be obliged to tend his grist-mill in New Chester every first Monday in each month for the year, and on no other day in said year ;" and it is known that the mill referred to at this time was the one located on the Newfound river, and somewhere within the limits of Bristol village.

Mason, Perkins & Co.'s paper-mill .- This is one of the most important establishments in the town. The company was organized in 1870, and built their present brick mill, located about midway between the village and the outlet of the lake, in 1871, though it has been greatly enlarged and improved since. The inill was put into operation the following year, containing the best improved machinery. Its water-power is one of the finest on the river, having a twenty three-foot fall. The company, consisting of David Mason, B. F. Perkins and Nathan H. Weeks, employs from thirty-five to forty hands and turns out five tons of manufactured goods per day-news, book and col- ored poster paper. The same company own and operate a straw-board mill about half a mile from the village where they turn out a large amount of goods.

Dodge, Davis & Co.'s flannel-mills are located on Newfound river, on

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Lake street, about a mile below the outlet of Newfound lake. They com- menced business in the Holden mill with two sets of machinery. The build- ing was a two-story structure. In 1884, a new mill in addition, 72x52 feet, three stories high, a store-house 28x50 feet, a dye and picker-house, were erected. They are manufacturing the celebrated Shaker flannels, employing forty operatives, run five sets of machinery, consume 200,000 pounds of wool, and are producing a superior quality of fine flannel.

Mason & Berry's pulp-mill, located near the confluence of Newfound river with the Pemigewasset, turns out about one and one-half tons of pulp per day, principally from spruce timber, giving employment to eight hands. The company was formed in January, 1882.

The New Hampshire Pulp and Paper Co's mills passed, by mortgage foreclosure, into the hands of Messrs. Train, Smith & Co., of Boston, Febru- ary 12, 1885, and have been operated by this firm since. They manufacture No. I Manila paper, turning out 5,000 pounds daily. About twenty-five hands are employed, under the direction of C. A. Lucas, the company's agent.

Edward D. Crosby & Co.'s lumber mills are located about a mile north of the village. They give employment to about fifteen hands and turn out from 500,000 to 1,000,000 feet of lumber per annum. The company also manufactures about 15,000 croquet boxes per year. They also have works for the manufacture of croquet sets, ten pins and chair stock at the village.

William C. Kelly's grist-mills, also located about a mile north of the vil- lage, have three runs of stones and are capable of grinding 250 bushels of grain per day. They are operated by A. H. George, as agent.

B. L. & A. Wells's planing-mills, located at the village, manufacture house furnishings and do an extensive business in job planing of all kinds, while they also deal in sash, doors and blinds.

Albert G. Robie's iron foundry, established about 1870, is located at the village. He manufactures all kinds of mill castings to order and does gen- eral job work.

Taylor & Gordon, manufacturers of all kinds of wood for mills and house furnishings, are located at the village.

Edward M. Drake's mills, for the manufacture of lumber, lath, shingles, piano-stool stock, etc., are located at the village. He gives employment to ten hands and turns out about 200,000 feet of lumber per annum.

Calley & Currier have a crutch manufactory at the village, where they em- ploy five or six hands and manufacture a large number of crutches which are sent to various parts of the world.

Of the early settlement of Bristol little remains to be said, as its territory was settled long before it was erected into an independent township, and the notice of such settlements naturally belongs to the sketch of the town where- in they were respectively made. We will simply say then, that the settlement of the territory was begun by Col. Peter Sleeper, Benjamin Emmons and

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others, about the year 1770, and that among the early settlers and prominent families have been the following :-

Jonathan Merrill was born in Concord, N. H., married a Miss Farnum of that place, and remained there till his oldest son, who was born in 1768, was eight years of age, when he removed to the wilderness of Alexandria, in 1776. He remained there two or three years, and finally located in Bristol, near the junction of Smith and Pemigewasset river, where he remained till the close of his life. His wife survived him several years. They were parents of five sons and four daughters. His oldest son, John, succeeded him on the home- stead, where he lived from the time his father settled there about 1780. until his death in 1830, aged sixty-two years. He married Betsey Darling, of Sanbornton, and was the father of six children, only two of whom are living, John, aged eighty-four, residing in Wisconsin, and Clark, who resides in the border of Hill, about a mile from the old home. Clark Merrill married Elizabeth Crowell, of Hill, and has nine children, viz .: Hannah (Mrs. Benja- min Southmayd), of Campton, Moses, also of Campton, Elizabeth (Mrs. Mer- rill Greely), of Thornton, George S., who lives in Wisconsin, Rose (Mrs. Eben Blodgett), who resides in the village of Bristol, Edwin C., of Alexandria, Al- bert L., of Rumney, Ruth A. (Mrs. William Kelly), of Hill, and Clarence N., a miller of the firm of Taylor & Merrill, in Bristol village.

Benjamin Locke was born in Sandown, N. H., April 10, 1770, came to Bristol when only fifteen years of age, performing the journey of sixty miles alone and on foot. In 1786 he bought a tract of one hundred acres in Bridge- water, where Horace Sanborn now lives. He cleared several acres, built a barn, but sold out in a few years. He married twice, first, Hannah Favor, who became the mother of twelve children, and died November 15, 1825. He married for his second wife Nancy Gurdy, in 1826, who bore him one daughter, and died April 15, 1866, aged seventy-eight years. He settled in the eastern part of this town, where he lived until his death, April 9, 1858, aged eighty-eight years. Of his children, Favor was born August 21, 1797, married Sally Dolloff, and was a lifelong resident of Bristol ; Roxy married Levi Dolloff, and both died in Bridgewater; Sherburn was born April Io, 1801, married Sally Hill, and died in the West; Levina married Henry Wells, and both died in Bristol ; Joanna married Jacob Webster, is a widow, and resides in Minnesota ; Philena married Timothy Wiggins, and resides in Bridgewater ; Benjamin, Jr., married Harriet Mason, both deceased ; Han- nah married Kiah Wells, and resides on Lake street, in Bristol ; Sally married Winthrop R. Fellows, and also resides on Lake street, in Bristol ; Levi mar- ried twice, first, Susan Gilman, and second, Mrs. Sarah Robinson, and resides in New Hampton ; Dorothy married M. H. Page, and resides in Bridge- water; Harriet married Phillip S. Drake, is a widow, and resides in Bristol ; and Susan D. married Milo Fellows, and resides on Summer street, in Bristol.

Samuel Sleeper, a native of Sandown, N. H., came to Bristol in 1793, and settled in the forest, on the place where his son Aaron now lives. He built a log

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cabin, in which he lived the first seven years, and in 1800 built the frame house in which Aaron now lives. He married Elizabeth Sanborn, of Chester, and had born to him nine children, only one of whom is now living, Aaron, aged eighty-four years, who resides on the homestead. Samuel T. W., son of Samuel, was born June 20, 1796, in the log cabin his father built. Al- though a scholarly man, he had only a common school education, and in his early years taught the schools in his own and adjoining towns for several years. He married Bethana Seavey, and settled in the wilderness, in the valley of Newfound lake, where his son Justin M. now lives. Here he made himself and family a fine home, which he continued to enjoy until his death, January 15, 1867, aged seventy-one years. His wife survived him nine years, and died at the age of eighty years. Mr. Sleeper had born to him thirteen children, six of whom are living. Although his time was largely given to his farming interests, he took an active interest in the welfare of his town, and had the confidence and support of his townsmen, who, by their partiality, called him to officiate as selectman and justice of the peace, which latter po- sition he held for more than forty years, and his decisions in hundreds of cases which he tried were never reversed in the superior courts. He repre sented his town in the State legislature four or five years, and was the candi- date of his party for Congress. Justin M. is the only one of his sons now living in his native town, and resides on the homestead. He married Louisa Berry, of Moultonborough, N. H., and has one daughter, Eva L. (Mrs. Joseph H. Legallee), who resides in Sommerville, Mass.

John Kidder, son of Benjamin, was born in Bristol, January 7, 1793, on the old Kidder homestead, married Ruth Fellows, and located on the farm where his son Frederick now lives. Here he lived for a number of years, when he purchased the old home of his brother Joseph, which adjoins the farm where he first located, and removed there, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1848, aged fifty-five years. His widow survived him until 1880, when her death occurred at the age of eighty-five years. He had born to him four children, namely, Frederick, John W., Charles and Arianna. Frederick married Samantha S., daughter of Timothy and Lois Chandler, and lives on the place where he was born. He is a farmer and has had four children, three of whom are living, viz. : Ellen G., who resides with her parents ; Cora A. (Mrs. O. J. Muzzey), who resides with her husband on the old Kidder homestead, and H. Dana, who also resides with his parents. John W. died, aged twenty-four years. Charles married Susan Johnson, has four children, all of whom live at home, and resides in the village of Bristol. Arianna married Richard Sawyer, and both are now deceased.

Stephen T. Brown, the second male child born in Plymouth, married Anna Davis, of Goffstown, and immediately settled in Bristol, on the farm where D. Y. Emmons now lives. He located in the wilderness, and was obliged to endure the privations of a pioneer life. Hle reared a family of twelve chil- dren, eleven of whom lived to maturity. He and his wife died in Bristol,

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Mr. Brown at the age of seventy-two years, and Mrs. Brown at the age of eighty-five years. Of his twelve children, John married Sarah Ingalls, of this town, first settled on the old farm, then went to Grand Isle, Vt., but event- ually died in Ionia county, Mich, where he resided the last forty-seven years of his life, being one of the pioneers of that county. He was a member of the Methodist church nearly seventy-five years, and attained the great age of ninety-five years. Samuel married Susan Doloff, of Bristol, moved to Bridge- water, was a farmer, and died at an advanced age. Joseph married Relief Ordway, located on a farm in Bristol, but later built and managed lumber mills. He moved to Campton, where he engaged in farming and the manu- facture of lumber, and died at the age of eighty-eight years. Enos F. mar- ried Lovina Heath, located on a farm on both sides of the line of Bridge- water and Bristol, where he lived till his death, aged eighty-two years. Mar- tha J. married Daniel Simonds, moved to Alexandria, where they lived thirty years, then removed to Bridgewater, where they resided until the death of Mr. Simonds, in 1850. Since that time Mrs. Simonds has resided with her daughter, Mrs. Solon Doloff, in Bristol. She is now eighty-five years of age is the mother of six children, forty grandchildren and six great-grand- children. Mr. and Mrs. Solon Doloff have a family of five chil- dren. Sarah married Jacob Colby, of South Weare, where she died at the age of seventy-nine years. Hannah married William Colby, and died in Michigan in 1863, aged sixty year, Mary married J. B. Warner, of Boston, moved west, where she lived many years, is now a widow and re- sides in Connecticut with her only son, who is a lithographer, doing business in New York. Stephen died at the age of eighteen years. Asenath married Calvin Fuller, and resides in New Boston with her son George, on the estate of her husband.

John Fellows came to Bristol, from Sandown, and settled in the woods in a log cabin on the place where his great-grandson, Horace M. Emmons, now lives. He cleared the land, built commodious buildings, and remained there until his death. His son Josiah married Jemima Quimby, and succeeded him on the homestead. He made frequent trips to Boston, in the employ- ment of Mr. Lewis, the first merchant, with a team of four oxen, taking a load of farm produce down, and returning laden with West India goods and a large supply of New England rum. This distance of 100 miles required two weeks to make the round trip. The children of Josiah were as follows : Abner, born in 1781, Jeremiah, born in 1782, Josiah, Jr., born in 1784, Jona- than, born in 1786, Elizabeth, born in 1788, Molly, born in 1790, Peter, born in 1791, Ruth, born in 1795, Jemima, born in 1796, and Benjamin, born in 1799. The last mentioned married Miriam C., daughter of Samuel and Judith Hoyt, remained on the homestead several years, when he sold the place and removed to the farm now owned by E. K. Pray, at the ter- minns of road 7. He had two children, Milo and Belinda (Mrs. Franklin Robinson). Mr. Fellows died at the residence of his son Milo, on Summer

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street, in 1880, aged eighty-one years. His wife died in April, 1866, aged seventy years. Milo married Susan D., daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Gurdy) Lock, of Bristol, is now engaged in farming and stone-cutting, and resides on Summer street. His children are Albert R., Smith D., Oscar F., Milo A., Leslie H., Susie M. and Alice A. Josiah, Jr., married Susan San- born, located in this town on the place where David Sleeper now lives, and remained there until his death in 1852, at the age of sixty-eight years. Mrs. Fellows survived her husband until 1864, when she died, aged seventy-five years. They were parents of four children, viz .: Louisa, Calvin P., Samuel S. and Rufus. Louisa married Jesse F. Kendall, is now a widow, and resides with her son in Thornton. Calvin P. was a farmer, married Mary J. Wor- then, and moved to New Hampton to educate his children, where he died. Samuel S. married Mary S., daughter of Joseph Rollins, is a farmer, and has had born to him two children, Mary F., widow of J. D. Prescott, and Scott, proprietor of a hotel in Haverhill. Rufus married Elizabeth Nelson, is a physician, and resides in Sanbornton.

Benjamin Hall, born in Candia, N. H., January 22, 1790, married Nancy Brown, who was born April 25, 1795. His marriage occurred April 9, 1810. He came to Bristol, and settled in the forest, in a log cabin, on the place where his son Oliver S. now lives. He cleared his farm, and built more commodious buildings, remaining there until his death, May 15, 1855, aged sixty-five years. His widow survived him until November 2, 1863, when she died, aged seventy-two years. Their children were Rufus, Lyman. Oliver S., and Albon, of whom Oliver S. is the only one now living. He resides on the homestead, is a farmer, and married Isabel Morrison, of West Rumney. He has had four children, viz .: Nancy J., who married Uriah H. Kidder, Adna, who died in the United States hospital, in 1863, of wounds received at the battle of Gettysburg, Oliver P., a farmer who resides in this town, and Carrie B. (Mrs. Otis S. Damon), who also resides in Bristol.

Abraham Dolloff came to Bristol near the date of his marriage, in 1793. The maiden name of his wife was Rachel Locke, a sister of the Benjamin Locke who became a settler of the town nearly at the same time, and gave name to the Locke neighborhood, which name the locality still bears. Mr. Dol- loff was a carpenter by trade, and built and occupied for his first home the house which later became the Locke homestead. This became the birth place of the oldest son, Levi Dolloff, who in due time married Roxy, the daughter of Benjamin Locke, who was born in the same house, and same room, and this latter couple died in the same room in their own house on Bridgewater Point. Abraham Dolloff, after selling this place, bought and built again on Bridge- water hill, near the meeting-house, which home became the birth place of ·seven of their children. The next and last removal was to the farm now owned by the Ferrin Brothers. Here he built again, and here the youngest of the family was born, making in all nine children. Mr. Dolloff died in 1855, at the age of eighty-six years, and his wife survived him four years,

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dying at the age of eighty-seven years. They both lived to see all their nine children become parents, and one or more grandchildren from each of the nine families, followed both to their graves. Their married life covered a period of sixty-one years, and all their children outlived them. In their family of nine, the first, fourth and ninth child were boys. The eldest son died at eighty-four years, the youngest daughter at fifty-one years. Their eldest daughter is living at this time at the head of five generations, all of which are in this town. Their success was the price of industry, their wealth an imperishable character, and their monument, less perishable than marble, is their memory enshrined in the hearts of their children of five generations.

Ichabod Colby Bartlett, son of Levi, moved with his mother, after the death of his father, to Boscawan, N. H. He attempted to learn the cabinet-maker's trade, which proved too hard for his strength, and he then entered the store of Andrew Bowers, of Salisbury, N. H., remaining there till 1800, when he came to Bristol. He commenced business as a country merchant, at first on the New Chester side, and afterwards more extensively on the Bridgewater side, in a building standing on the common, which was afterwards replaced by the " Old Brick Store," now owned and occupied, since 1842, by Cyrus Taylor. Mr. Bartlett, when twenty-two years of age, married Ann Sleeper, in 1801, who was then eighteen years of age. He died March 20, 1860, and his widow died October 8, 1869. Of his children, Mary, born, June 7, 1802, married William M. Lewis, of Bristol, who moved to Gainesville, Ala., where Mrs. Lewis died May 31, 1831. Jane, born, July 19, 1804, died at the home- stead, February 23, 1881, Levi, born June 8, 1807, was a man of business enterprise, and acquired a large estate in the same mercantile employment as his father. He eventually sold out to his brother Gustavus and Cyrus Tay- lor, devoting his last years to farming, as his father had done. He was an active member of the Congregational church in Bristol, and for many years its most efficient supporter. He died November 12, 1868. Frederick was born September 5, 1808, and died June 11, 1811. Gustavus was born Oc- tober 22, 1810, engaged in business for some years, then became a farmer, removing to Lowell, Mass., and afterwards to Milford, N. H., where he now resides. Anna, born December 14, 1812, married Jonas Minot, of Bristol, · moved to Brockport, N. Y., and died February 19, 1848. Frederick, born November 29, 1815, graduated at Dartmouth college, in 1835, studied law with Judge Nesmith, of Franklin, and after a few years practice, changed his profession for agriculture. He was in the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention, in 1850, and served as town representative in 1851 and 1860. The Bartlett family is of purely English descent, and one of the oldest and best families of New England. Their ancestor, Richard Bartlett, was of those who settled in Newbury, in 1635. For two centuries and a half his descendants have filled prominent positions as lawyers, politicians and soldiers. Not the least among these was the Governor of New Hampshire, whose name

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Gazetteer of Grafton county, N. H. 1709-1886, Part 28

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