USA > New Hampshire > Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. II > Part 22
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Mr. Herrick was married (second), in Claremont, to Nellie Sullivan, a native of county Tipperary, Ire- land, daughter of John and Kate (Cleary) Sullivan. She is the eldest of her parents' family and the only Olle who came to America, arriving in the year 1882. She received a good education in the public schools of her native locality, and Mr. Herrick is considered fortunate in his second choice in securing one of the Emerald Isle's fairest daughters.
The name Minot is frequently found in
MINOT the early records of England. In 1307, Ida, widow of John de Wyckenham, granted to John Minot, of Coventry, a capital manse in Coventry. Lawrence Minot, the poet, flourished in 1320; in 1337. Adam Mynot and his followers besieged the Abbey of St. Edmunds, and in 1363 Thomas Minot was Archbishop of Dublin. Those of the name seem to have belonged to one family who lived in a belt of country comprising the coun- ties of Suffolk, Cambridge, Essex, Warwick, and Gloucester.
(1) Thomas Minot, of Saffron Walden, Essex county, England, the earliest of the name from whom the American family can prove descent, was a man of education and wealth. In a "Survey of the Manors of the Abbey of Walden" (1399), there is an account of the lands held by Thomas Mynot and his sons. The lands were situated in Springwell, one and a half miles from Saffron Walden, on the Cambridge road, near where the parishes of Saffron Walden and Little Chesterford now meet. He mar- ried a daughter of Thomas de Hasilden. Esq., of Little Chesterford, a member of parliament and a soldier. Thomas Minot and his wife were the par- ents of two sons, Richard and John, next mentioned. (II) John (I), youngest of the two sons of Thomas Minot, received part of the lands formerly held by his father. He married and had one son named William, the subject of the next paragraph.
(III) William, son of John (1), inherited his father's property and had one son John, next men- tioned.
(IV) John (2), only son of William, was of Springwell, in the parish of Little Chesterford. By his will probated in the archdeaconry of Colchester, December 18, 1542. he divided his property between his three sons, George, Robert and William.
(\') Robert, second son of John (2) Minot, in his will, probated in the consistory court of Loudon, January 7, 1560, left his house and lands to his wife Ellen, for the space of four years, and bequeathed the remainder of his property to his five children, leaving the larger portion to his sons. The burial of Robert Minot is recorded as of December 14, 1559. His wife Ellen was buried February 7, 1595. Their children were: John the elder. John the younger, Anne. Katherine ond Margaret.
(VI) John (3), the elder, oldest child of Robert and Ellen Minot, by his wife Anne had five children : Margaret, Mary, John, George, and William.
(VII) George (I), second son and third child of John (3) and Anne Minot, baptized in the parislı church of St. Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden, Es- scy. England. emigrated to New England. probably in the ship "Mary and John." to join the Dorchester company which sailed from Plymouth, March 20, 1630. reaching Dorchester, May 30, 1630. old style, This George Minot is the ancestor of the earliest line of Minots in New England, and the greater number of that name in America. He became a freeman of the colony April 1, 1634. His position in
Dorchester was one of prominence, as on October 28, 1634, he was one of ten men chosen to order the affairs of Dorchester plantation, and in the spring of 1636 he was one of the deputies to the general court to order the affairs of the colony of Massachusetts Bay. His connection with the church was also a prominent one, his name being third among the seven who signed the covenant August 23, 1636, and he died after many years' service, a ruling elder, December 24, 1671; his Godly character being ex- pressed on the gravestone by the following lines :
" Here lie the bodies of Unite Humphrey and Shiny Minot, Such names as these they never die not."
His position as a landholder and man of means tended to fix his position in church and state; and the evidence of his wealth is shown in the acquisition of land at an early date, when the majority of the settlers were not supplied with a great amount of money. It is known also that he acted as attorney for Robert Barrington and his son Thomas, and tradition includes the Earl of Warwich among his patrons. The estate of George Minot amounted to two hundred seventy-seven shillings seven pounds seven pence. By his wife, Martha, born in 1597, died December 23, 1657, he had the following named chil- dren, the first four being born in England. and bap- tized at the parish church, Saffron Walden: George, John. James, Stephen, and Samuel.
(VIII) John (4). second son and child of George (1) and Martha Minot, was born in Eng- land, April 2. 1626, and died in Dorchester, August 12, 1669. He was not' made a freeman until 1665, this delay being due to his persistence in refraining from membership in the church. which was a quali- fication for a freeman. In 1660 a controversy arose regarding the baptism of John Minot's children, and two pages of the church record book are devoted to arguments on the matter. August 3. 1664, the gen- eral court passed an order repealing the said quali- fications as to being a church member, and May 3, 1665. John Minot became a freeman. He died August 12, 1669, at the early age of forty-three years. His estate was appraised at nine hundred seventy- eight pounds five shillings, and in his will provision was made for his father, who survived him, and the widow and children, John, the eldest, having one hundred pounds above the equal dividend to each of the children. Stephen to be placed at a trade, James to be kept at learning. and Samuel to be brought up as a husbandman. He married (first), May 19, 1647. Lydia Butler, who died January 25, 1667, daughter of Nicholas and Joyce Butler, of Dorchester, and Martha's Vineyard. After her death he married ( second) the widow of John Briggs, a daughter of John Dassett, who survived him and died in July, 1667. His children, all by the first wife, were: John. James, Martha, Stephen, Samuel and an in- fant not named.
(IX) Captain James (I). second son and child of John (4) and Lydia (Butler) Minot, was born in Dorchester, September 14, 1653, and died September 20. 1735. He graduated at Harvard College in 1675, and afterward studied physics and divinity. He preached at Stow at various times between 1685 and 1602. He was appointed a justice of the peace, was a captain in the militia, and representative to the general court. He married Rebecca Wheeler, born 1666, died September 23, 1734, daughter of Captain Timothy Wheeler, of Concord, Massachusetts. Both were buried in the "Hill Burying Ground" in Con- cord. and their gravestones are still to be seen there.
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Their children were: Rebecca. Lydia, Mary, Tim- othy, James. Elizabeth, Martha, Love and Mercy (twins), and Samuel, the subject of the next par- agraph.
(X) Samuel, youngest child of Captain James (1) and Rebecca ( Wheeler) Minot, was born March 25, 1706. and died March 17. 1766. He married (first). March 17, 1732, Sarah Prescott, born Decem- ber 5, 1712, died March 22. 1737, daughter of Jonas Prescott, of Westford: and (second), 1738, Dorcas Prescott, a sister of his first wife, born 1714. died June 15, 1803. The children by the first wife were : Samuel. Jonas, and Thankful Sarah; and by the second wife: Dorcas, George, Rebecca, Daniel and Mary.
(XI) Captain Jonas (1), second son and child of Samuel and Sarah ( Prescott) Minot, was born April 25. 1735, and died March 20, 1813. After his first marriage he settled in Concord, Massachusetts. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and his name is on the lists of men appearing under the heading. "Hartwell Brook the first Everidge," where he is reported as captain. He is said to have taken part in the siege of Boston, and was a prominent man in his day. That vast tract of land now em- braced in the towns of Alexandria, Danbury and New London, New Hampshire, was granted to him and his associates, and he was interested in other large land transactions in this state. He married ( first) Mary Hall, born July 30, 1738, died Novem- ber 3. 1792, daughter of Rev. Willard Hall of West- ford; and (second), marriage intentions published July 10, 1798. Mary Jones, born June 11, 1748, died August 2, 1730, daughter of Colonel Elisha Jones, of Weston. and widow of Rev. Asa Dunbar, of Salem. The children, all by the first wife, were: Mary, Sarah. Jonas. Elizabeth, Abigail, Martha, Samuel. Stephen, and James, the subject of the following sketch.
(XII) Lieutenant James (2), fourth son and ninth child of Captain Jonas (1) and Mary (Hall) Minot, was born July 4. 1779. and died February 29. 1864, aged eighty-four. At the age of twenty-two he took possession of part of his father's estate in New London, New Hampshire, and resided there six years. In 1807 he removed to South Sutton, and engaged in trade, February 13. 1813, while residing in South Sutton, he enlisted in Captain Thomas Currier's company, War of 1812, and was made ad- jutant of the regiment, with the rank of first lieuten- ant. Six of his grandsons served in the Union army in the Civil war. He settled in that part of Bridg- water. now Bristol, in 1813, and there spent the re- mainder of his life with the exception of one year. 1836, in Newport, and fourteen years in Lebanon, re- turning to Bristol in 1851. His residence in that village stood on the site of the present Hotel Bristol. Ile was a man of means. of superior intelligence and ability, and easily ranked among the most influential in that section of the state. He represented Bridgewater in the legislature in 1810, and Bristol in 1820 and 1826, and the senatorial district in 1827. He married. February 9. 1804. Sally Wilson, born July 19, 1783. died August 19. 1853. daughter of Archelaus and Sarah ( Morse) Wilson, of Nelson, New Hampshire. Their children were: Almira, George. Julia Maria Barrett. Sally, Abigail, Jonas. Charles. James Miller, Josiah, Abigail, Martha and Harriet Maria.
(XIII) George (2), eldest son and second child of Captain James (2) and Sally (Wilson) Minot, was born in New London, August 10, 1806, and died,
in Concord. March 8, 1861, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. He entered Pembroke Academy in 1822. and spent two years in that institution. graduating in 1824. He then entered Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1828 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He studied law at Bristol and later at Concord, in the office of Hon. N. G. Upham. and was admitted to the bar in 1831. He entered upon the practice of law at Gilmanton, and soon after removed to Bristol, where he remained until 1834. when he was chosen cashier of the Mechanics' Bank at Concord, and removed to that city, remain- ing in that institution until his death, and serving as its president from 1854. He was treasurer of the Boston, Concord & Montreal railroad for several years. He was appointed United States pension agent at Concord by President Polk, and filled that place by reappointment of Presidents Pierce and Buchanan the remainder of his life. In politics he was a Democrat, and took an active part in the conn- cils and campaigns of his party. He was a member of the first common council of the city of Concord. and a member of the constitutional convention of 1850. Mr. Minot was a man of great executive ability, quick to think and act. This, coupled with good judgment and financial ability, fitted him for the leading positions in financial and business circles which he filled so many years; while his naturally social and agreeable personality and liberal education made him a prominent figure in social life. May I. 1839. he was married to Selina Walker Clark, born in Portsmouth. December 22, 1818, daughter of George Lewis and Charlotte (Turner) Clark, who survives him and now (1006) resides in the house once occupied by President Franklin Pierce, on Montgomery street, Concord. Their children were: Julia Alaria Barrett, Henry Carroll, George Edward and Edith Parker. The sons receive extended men- tion below. The elder daughter, horn June 13. 1842. was married August 10, 1871. to George Henry Twiss, and resides in Columbus, Ohio. The younger, born October 14. 1853. resides with and cares for her aged mother in Concord.
(XIV) Henry Carroll, eldest son and second child of George (2) and Selina Walker (Clark) Minot, was born in Concord. October 30, 1845. and died January 17. 1906. Ile was educated in the Con- cord public schools and was a student at St. Paul's School. from which he graduted in 1861. He be- came associated with the banking interests in Con- cord, and up to the time of his death was connected in various capacities with the Mechanics' National Bank. Ile was a lifelong resident of Concord, and for many years prominent in banking circles. Hc was a member of the Manchester Lodge of Elks, and always took a lively interest in the affairs of that organization.
RAMSAY This name is of Scotch origin and its original form is said to be de- rived from Ram's Island. It is an unusual name in this country and it has been pos- sible to find out very little about the family. The name is spelled either Ramsay or Ramsey, at will. (I) Hugh Ramsay is said to have come to this country from Scotland about 1724. James Moore, of Londonderry, sold sixty acres of land to Hugh Ramsay, January 24. 1724-25, and this same James Moore, one of the charter members of London- derry, with property amounting to three thousand five hundred and seventy pounds, sold his share to Hugh Ramsay in 1724.
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Da a. Procurar
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(II) James, son of Hugh Ramsay, paid a tax of nine shillings for preaching, in 1765. This was at Derryfield, a part of Londonderry, which had re- cently been set off from the original township. He resided in what is now Derry, New Hampshire. He married Elizabeth Boyers, daughter of Robert and Jeannette (Clark) Boyers, and they had children : William, see forward; IIugh, Robert, John, Martha, Ann, David, Matthew, James and Jonathan.
(III) William, son of James and Elizabeth (Boyers) Ramsay, was an active participant in the battle of Bennington, Vermont. He was a linen and wool manufacturer. He married Euphemia Moore, born in 1754, daughter of Deacon Robert and Letitia (Cochran) Moore. Deacon Robert Moore was the son of the immigrant, John Moore, one of the charter members of Londonderry, New Hampshire. Mrs. Ramsay died at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in September, 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Ram- say had children: James, Robert (see forward), William, John, David, Thomas, Betsey and Euphe- mia.
(IV) Robert, son of William and Euphemia ( Moore) Ramsay, lived at Londonderry, New Hampshire, where he was a farmer and sheep raiser, held many of the town offices, and was a man of influence and prominence in the community. He married Jane Morgan, and they were the parents of children: Ira Allan (see forward), George L., and John S., deceased.
(V) Ira Allan, son of Robert and Jane (Mor- gan) Ramsay, was born in Wheelock, Vermont, August 14, 1827. He enjoyed the school advan- tages of that time and place which, however, would be considered very limited at the present day. He worked at various occupations until he was twenty- three years of age, and then commenced the study of law in the office of Jesse Cooper, at Irasburg, Vermont. For a time he studied in an office in Boston, Massachusetts, and was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1853, establishing himself in the practice of his profession in Guildhall. Two years later he removed to Colebrook, New Hampshire, where he continued in active practice until 1865. In that year he removed to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he opened an office, but his health failed the following year and he was an invalid until his death, which occurred November 8, 1871. While in Colebrook Mr. Ramsay was very prosperous. He was a man of energy and ambition, and had a large business in that and the adjoining towns, chiefly before the Coos county court. During the last years he collected the claims of many soldiers from different states of the Union. He was en- gaged in a variety of business enterprises not con- nected with his profession, and when he left New Hampshire was possessed of the largest amount of property ever acquired by a lawyer in Colebrook. This was all lost in the residence in the west. He married Sarah Louisa Merrill, who died at St. Paul, Minnesota. October 9, 1871, daughter of Sher- burn R. and Sarah (Merrill) Merrill. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay had children: Sherburn R. M., Ira Allan and Louis (see forward).
(VI) Sherburn Rowell Merrill Ramsay, son of Ira Allan (I) and Sarah L. (Merrill) Ramsay, was born in Colebrook, March 8, 1860. At eight- een years of age, 1878, he went West and took part in the teaming and , cattle-raising of Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, Dakota, Montana and the In- dian Territory, which at that time were in the hey-day of development and success, the settler not 11-II
yet having "claimed" the arable land, and the rail- road not having penetrated much territory that is now entirely beyond pioneer days. After a stay of seven years in the undeveloped and almost unsettled west, during which time he had many experiences with men and under circumstances peculiar to that region at that time, and now no longer possible even there, he returned to New Hampshire in the fall of 1885, and for six years next following was a clerk for W. E. Drew at Colebrook. The next five years he was engaged in merchandising for himself, his store finally being burned out. He then bought a farm of two hundred acres, and has since been suc- cessfully engaged in agriculture, making a special feature of dairying. His wide experience familiar- ized him with business methods, and being a man of fine executive ability and a popular citizen, he was selected by the Republicans as a candidate for county commissioner on their ticket in 1890, and elected and by successive elections filled the office until 1896. In the latter year he was made select- man, being the only person elected to that office on a straight Republican ticket in twenty-five years. He is a member of Evening Star Lodge, No. 27, Free and Accepted Masons of Colebrook; of North Star Commandery, Knights Templar of Lancaster ; and Eureka Chapter, No. 2, Order of the Eastern Star. He is also a member of Colebrook Grange, No. 223, Patrons of Husbandry of Colebrook. He married December 19, 1888, Annie M. Cromwell, who was born in Quebec, October 12. 1868, daughter of James and Henrietta (Scott) Cromwell. They have six children : Louisa, July 25, 1890; Henrietta Scott, March 17, 1895; Annie Elizabeth, April 2, 1898; Sherburne Cromwell, September 24, 1899; James Robert, April 5, 1905, and Louis Chester, April 2, 1907.
(VI) Ira Allan (2), second son of Ira Allan (1) and Sarah Louisa (Merrill) Ramsay, was born in Colebrook, New Hampshire, March 18, 1862, and was but nine years of age at the time of the death of his parents. His education was acquired in the schools of his native town and in the academy in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His first venture in busi- ness life was as a clerk for J. W. Cooper & Son, general merchants, with whom he remained for two years, then went to Littleton and entered the employ of Dow Brothers. In the fall of 1884 he accepted a position with George Van Dyke, the great lumber dealer, as bookkeeper and general all- round man, and for several years superintended the work of the firm in Canton, Maine. He established himself in the mercantile line of business in 1892, selling out to his brother in 1897. In the latter year he was appointed postmaster of Colebrook by President Mckinley, was reappointed by the same president, at whose death the appointment was rati- fied by President Roosevelt in 1902, and again re- appointed by President Roosevelt in 1906. Since his appointment to this office he has been the pro- moter in getting established from the Colebrook postoffice four rural free delivery routes which supply the country with mail within a radius of eight to fifteen miles. member of . the school board of Colebrook, and is con- nected with the following fraternal organiza- tions : Kane Lodge, No. 64, Free and Accepted Masons, Lisbon, New Hampshire, and Easter Coun- cil, of Colebrook; North Star Chapter and North Star Commandery, of Lancaster; Colebrook Chap- ter, No. 2, Order of Eastern Star; Colebrook Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He married,
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March 27, 1895, Jennic E. Williams, who died De- cember 9, 1900, daughter of Elmon H. and Mary J. (Snow) Williams, of Colebrook, and they had one child: Ira A., born March 17, 1897.
Louis, youngest son of Ira Allan (1) and Sarah Louisa (Merrill) Ramsay, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 3, 1871. His father and mother died there when he was a child, and his grand- father, S. R. Merrill, of Colebrook, New Hamp- shire, went out and brought the boy home. Louis Ramsay was educated in the common schools of Colebrook and at the Colebrook Academy, and after leaving school engaged in general mercantile busi- ness at Beeecher Falls, Vermont. After spending about three years in mercantile pursuits he turned his attention to farming, and in 1893 purchased his present farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres. The land is in a high state of cultivation and is devoted to the purposes of general farming. He is a large, robust man, blessed with great physical strength and a cheerful disposition, and enjoys the hard work which has made him prosperous. He is a Republican in politics, and attends the Episcopal Church. Louis Ramsay married, December 9, 1896, Maude Elsie Hovey, born in Hatley, Canada, daughter of L. P. and E. V. Hovey, of Halls Stream, Canada. There are no children.
Ramsey is a name the origin of which RAMSEY is connected with the early history of Britain. Ruimne is a Celtic word signifying "a marsh," and ey a termination mean- ing "island." the whole signifying "island in the marsh." The term Ramsey was used first as the name of an island, and later as a word of de- scription to designate a man's place of residence and finally as a surname, and has come down to us as the name of a place and a surname.
(1) Hugh Kelsey Ramsey, son of George and Mary Ramsey, was born July 2, 1833, in Holder- ness, New Hampshire, died in Manchester January 6. 1879, and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery. He resided in Manchester at the time the village was beginning to awaken to the possibilities that were within the grasp of an energetic population, and was a dealer in real estate and a man of energy, did his part toward making the village of fifty years ago the city of to-day. He married, in Man- chester, Emma Kimball, born November 6, 1840, daughter of Frederick and Martha (Gault) Kim- ball, of Manchester. She died April 14. 1884, aged forty-three years. Three children were born to them: Fannie E., who married Charles M. Bailey and resides in Manchester: Fred. K., the subject of the succeeding sketch; and Martha Forster, who married Charles Barney and lives in Chico, Cali- fornia.
(II) Fred Kimball Ramsey, second child and only son of Ilugh K. and Emma (Kimball) Ram- sey, was born in Manchester, May 15, 1873. He passed the primary, middle and grammar grades of the public schools, and had cutered upon a course in the high school when a favorable business op- portunity was presented to him, in the form of a position in the Manchester Locomotive works. With the foresight which has characterized him in all he lias attempted, Mr. Ramsey arranged with the manager of the works for time to prepare him- self for the work the position demanded. Leav- ing high school he took a course of study in a business college, and then, in 1890, began work in the counting room of the works, where he re-
mained until he had reached one of the responsible positions in the business of the company. This hie resigned in April, 1904, to assume the duties of clerk of the street and park commission, which position he filled until April, 1907.
Always a loyal Republican and a close political student, he was so well thought of by the party in his ward that when he cast his first vote his own name was on the ticket, and he was elected a member of the board of selectmen. He discharged the duties of this place in a manner creditable to himself, and was nominated and elected alderman from Ward 2 at the election of 1900. He served a term of two years, and was re-elected in 1902. He served through 1903 and until he was elected street and park commissioner in April, 1904, when he re- signed his office of alderman. While a member of the board he was chairman of the committee on lighting streets, and in that capacity he served on the special committee with Mayor Eugene E. Reed and the other members of the street lighting com- mittee, appointed to confer with the Manchester Traction, Light and Power Company in regard to securing a reduction in the cost of electric lights. He was no "inconsiderable" factor in that confer- ence, which brought about a reduction of the cost per light from $115 to $90.
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