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. III, Part 10

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 876

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. III > Part 10

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(III) Nathaniel, third child and second son of

Richard (2) and Dorothy ( Pray) Thayer, was born January 1, 1058, in Braintree, Massachusetts. Ile resided in his native town throughout his entire lifetime, and was a man of worth and influence in the community. He married, May 27, 1679, Hannah Heydon, and eight children were the issue: Nathan- iel, Richard, Hannah W., Zachariah, Ruth, Dorothy L., Lydia H. and David, Nathaniel Thayer ( father ) died March 28, 1729. and his estate was settled by his widow, Hannah Thayer, as appears on the pro- bate records of Braintree.

(IV) Nathaniel (2), eldest child and son of Nathaniel (I) and Hannah ( Heydon) Thayer, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1680, and died January 3, 1752. He married ( first), November 25. 1704, Sarah Wales, who bore him two children --- Sarah and Hannah-and died in 1707. He married (second ), January 13, 1709, Relief Hyde, and by this union there were eight children: Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Josiah, Caleb, Abraham, Hannah, Relief and Lydia. Mr. Thayer, like his ancestors, resided in the town of Braintree and was an honored and highly esteemed citizen thereof.

(V) Nathaniel (3), eldest child and son of Na- thaniel (2) and Relief (Hyde) Thayer, was born in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, October 7, 1709. He was an active and prominent citizen of his native town, exerted a powerful influence in behalf of educational interests, and gave his chil- dren all the advantages obtainable in that early day. He married, April 3, 1735, Mary Faxon, daughter of Richard Faxon, and they were the parents of ten children.

(VI) Rev. Elihu Thayer, D. D., seventh child and fourth son of Nathaniel and Mary (Faxon) Thayer, was born in the town of Braintree, Massa- chusetts, March 18, 1748. He graduated from Princeton College, New Jersey, and settled in the ministry at Kingston, New Hampshire, where he was ordained December 18, 1776. His salary was sixty pounds of lawful money, use of parsonage, and twenty cords of wood a year. He had clear and logical ideas of what a church in a community should be, and these ideas he carefully put into practice with the result that his church was instru- mental in bringing many into the fold, and in aiding his parishioners to lead better and more useful lives. He was a man of deep piety and spirituality, an excellent scholar, an eminent and renowned preacher of the Gospel for more than three and a half decades, and a staunch adherent and supporter of the tenets of the Congregational Churci .. HIS earnestness, his clear reasoning, his logical argu- ments and his gift of oratory attracted large audi- ences, and his work was particularly successful not only in his own parish, but in the community about Kingston and throughout the state. From the or- ganization of the New Hampshire Missionary So- ciety, Dr. Thayer was annually elected president of that institution until ISII, when he publicly stated that his health obliged him to decline a re- election, which statement caused universal sorrow. He married, December 28, 1780, Ilannah Califf, who

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was born March 14, 1757, daughter of Colonel John Califf, one of the leading men in the eastern part of the state. Their children are as follows: Mary, born February 24, 1782; Nathaniel, August 6, 1783; Judith, February 26, 1785; Hannah, July 29, 1787; Samuel, July 31, 1789; Sarah, May 16, 1792; John, April 4, 1795; Martha, June II, 1798; Calvin, July 2, 1800; died October 24, 1802; Elihu, August 25, 1802: and Calvin, June 20, 1805. Dr. Thayer died April 3, 1812, aged sixty-five years. His wife sur- vived him for many years, passing away March 4, 1859.

(VII) Calvin, youngest child of Rev. Elihu and Hannah (Califf) Thayer, was born in the town of Kingston, Rockingham county, New Hampshire, June 20, 1805. He was educated in the schools of his native town, and became a teacher there. Sub- sequently he kept a hotel at Meriden, New Hamp- shire, whither he removed about 1855. In 1865 he went to Concord, this state, where he engaged in the insurance business, with satisfactory results. He was active as a business man, and took a promi- nent part in public matters in early life. While residing in Kingston, he was often employed in the settlement of estates, and represented the town in the State Legislature. He also served as treasurer of Rockingham county. He was a steadfast sup- porter of Republican principles, and in Concord was a member of the South Congregational Church. He died February 28, 1881. He married, November 25, 1841, Sarah Wheeler Fiske, who bore him three children: Elihu F., born February 15, 1845, died August 5, 1863; William F., March 13, 1846; and Clara E., October 1, 1848,

(VHII) William F., second child and son of Calvin and Sarah Wheeler ( Fiske) Thayer, was born in the town of Kingston, Rockingham county, New Hampshire, March 13, 1846. His education was received at the public schools, and the Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, New Hampshire, In 1865 he went to Concord, and, accepted a position as clerk in the post office, Robert N. Corning being at that time postmaster. He soon became chief clerk and remained in that position for four years. Upon his return from the West, where he spent a few months, he entered the counting-room of the Elwell Furniture Company and remained there about eight months. In 1871 he entered the First National Bank of Concord, New Hampshire, as a clerk, and by faithful attention to his duties won the appointment of assistant cashier in 1873, and the following year was promoted to that of cashier, in which capacity he served until January, 1885, when he was chosen president. This responsible position he has held up to the present time (1906) Mlr. Thayer's career as a bank official is remarkable and highly creditable to his ability as a financier and man of affairs. His industry, sound judgment and pleasing address won for him the favor of the employes and patrons of the bank, and under his management as executive officer the institution has attained a leading position among the national banks of the state. His loyalty and patriotism have ever 1

been marked, and those who know him best esteem him for his many sterling qualities. For a number of years he has held a directorship in the Contoo- cook Valley Paper Company, and the Northern New Hampshire railroad. In 1879 he was appointed treasurer of the city of Concord, which position he has since held with the exception of two years, 1899 and 1900, and he has also been treasurer of the Mar- garet Pillsbury General Hospital since its organization and is a trustee of the New Hampshire State Hos- pital. He is a member of the Southi Congregational Church of Concord, a member of Blazing Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and Mount Horeb Commandery, Knights Templar. He is a Republican in politics, and although no office seeker, exercises a potent influence in behalf of the party whose principles he advocates. He has been treas- urer of the Republican State Committee since 1892.

Mr. Thayer married, October 20, 1874, Sarah Clarke Wentworth, who was born in the town of Sandwich, New Hampshire, April 19, 1850, daughter of Colonel Joseph and Sarah (Jones) Wentworth. (See Wentworth, XXVII). Their children are: Margaret, born August 9, 1882, and William Went- worth, April 15, 1884. The former graduated at Bryn Mawr College in 1905, and the latter at Har- vard the same year. In that year he was appointed to a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, England, where he is now in attendance.

(1) Thomas Thayer came from Essex county, England, in 1630, and settled in Braintree, Massa- chusetts. Richard Thayer, who accompanied him, also settled there, and although it has been claimed that they were brothers, the fact has never been fully proven. Intermarriages between the two fami- lies were of frequent occurrance during the earlier generations, and still continue as will be seen later 011. Thomas and his wife Margery were the par- ents of three sons: Thomas, Jr., Ferdinando and Shadrach, all of whom were born in England.

(II) Ferdinando, second son of Thomas and Margery Thayer, resided in Braintree until his father's death, when he went to Mendon, Massachu- setts, as one of the original proprietors of that town. He married Huldah Hayward, of Braintree, Jan- uary 14, 1052, and their children were : Sarah, Ifuldah, Jonathan, David ( died young), Naomi, Thomas, Samuel, Isaac, Jonah, Ebenezer, Benjamin and David.

(III) Ebenezer (1), seventh son and tenth child of Ferdinando and Huldah ( Hayward) Thayer, resided in Mendon. In 1095 he married Martha White, who was born August 28, 1675. She became the mother of Deborah, Ebenezer, Abigail, Hannah, Uriah, Daniel, Esther and Jerusha.

(IV) Uriah, second son and fifth child of Ebe- nezer and Martha ( White) Thayer, resided in Bell- ingham, Massachusetts, where he married Rachel Taft, February 18, 1727-8. Ilis children were: Uriah, Ebenezer, Rachel. Martha, Simeon and Grindall.

(V) Grindall, fourth son and youngest child of Uriah and Rachel ( Taft) Thayer, was an early

Rev. Louis In. Laplante

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settler in Richmond, New Hampshire, and in ad- dition to carrying on a farm he engaged in the manufacture of brick. September 3, 1767, he mar- ried Sarah Parkhurst, who lived to the advanced age of ninety-five years, and was the mother of eight children, namely: Turner, Timothy, Thomp- son, Tryphena, Prentice, Sarah. Uriah and Wy- man C.

(VI) Uriah, sixth son and seventh child of Grindall and Sarah (Parkhurst) Thayer, was one of the prosperous farmers of Richmond in his day. He was married in 1807 to Florilla Rockwood of Win- chester, New Hampshire, who was the mother of Alanson B., Lucy R., William W., Lorenzo R., Maria, Sarah M., Henry F., Lewis A., Thomas W. and Marcena. Uriah was born in 1781.

(VII) Alanson B., eldest child of Uriah and Florilla (Rockwood) Thayer, was born in Rich- mond November 4. 1804. He was a well-known lumber merchant of that town. His death occurred in Winchester, September 21, 1853. On August 9, 1832, he married Lois Thayer, daughter of Ellis and Lois (Swan) Thayer, and also a descendant of Thomas, the immigrant, through Ebenezer (IV) Thayer.

(IV) Ebenezer (2), second child and eldest son of Ebenezer (1) and Martha (White) Thayer, married Sarah Wheelock of Bellingham, Massachu- setts, in 1724, and settled in that town. His chil- dren were: Jeremiah, Sarah, Noah, Ebenezer (died young), Ebenezer. Jerusha (died young), Patience, Jerusha, Ezekiel and Nehemiah.

(V) Jeremiah (1), eldest child of Ebenezer and Sarah (Wheelock) Thayer. He went to Richmond. New Hampshire, settling upon a farm in the north- westerly part of the town. April 21, 1747, he mar- ried Alice Holbrook and was the father of Caleb, Jeremiah, Ellis, Nehemiah, Lydia, Rhoda, Hamlet, Comfort and Nathan.

(VI) Jeremiah (2), second son and child of Jeremiah (1) and Alice (Holbrook) Thayer, mar- ried for his first wife Ann Page. January 13, 1772. His second wife was Elizabeth Mann, a widow. She was the daughter of Caleb Cook. He resided in Richmond and was a farmer .. His children were: Asa, Caleb and Ellis, all of whom were of his first union.

(VII) Ellis, youngest son of Jeremiah and Ann (Page) Thayer, inherited the homestead in Rich- mond, and was one of the representative farmers of the town. On January 20, ISII, he married Lois Swan, daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Swan. She died October II, IS28, and he married for his second wife Delia Ballard, whose death occurred February 8, 1854. at the age of eighty-four years. He died -. The children of his first union were: Nelson, Lois, Andrew Jackson, Leander, Galinus and Phebe Lionel. Those of the second marriage were: Etta Esther and Alviras Leroy.

Alanson B. and Lois (Thayer) Thayer, were the parents of two children : Harriet S., born June 16, 1836; and Sarah L., born January 1I, 1838.

( VIII) Sarah L., youngest daughter of Alanson B. and Lois (Thayer) Thayer, was married July I. 1857, to Charles Jackson of Winchester (see Jack- so11 ).

The principal subject of the fol-

LAPLANTE lowing sketch is a member of one of the ancient families of Canada,

many of whose members were tillers of the soil and leading citizens of their neighborhoods. The La- plante family is now one of the largest in Canada, and men of that name are prominent in nearly all professions and employments.

(1) Louis MI. Laplante, son of Joseph La- plante, was born in Nicolet, Province of Quebec, Canada, 1815, where lie was a teacher, and subse- quently went to St. Gregory, where he was in- spector of schools. He died in 1879, aged sixty- four years. He married Adelaide Duval, born in Nicolet. 1818. and died January 2, 1907, in Berlin, New Hampshire. Her parents were Joseph and Marie Duval. Ten children were born of this mar- riage.

(II) Louis M. (2) Laplante was born in St. Gregory, province of Quebec, May 6, 1848, son of Louis M. (1) and Adelaide (Duval) Laplante, and was educated in the seminary of Nicolet, graduating from the latter institution in 1872, and was conse- crated a priest for the Diocese of Three Rivers, province of Quebec. Immediately afterward he be- .gan his work of teaching mankind the better way of life, and for thirty-two years has been a faithful pastor in various places in Canada and New Hamp- shire. He was at Three Rivers, Canada, four and one-half years, and then went to Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1880, where he remained not quite a year. He then had the spiritual guidance of the people of the Roman Catholic faith four and one- half years at Lebanon, three years at Hooksett, nine years at Rochester, and in 1899 was stationed at Berlin, where he has since been curate of St. Anne's. His ministry has been a long, busy and successful one, and he has done all he could to make better men and women of those who have been under his care and guidance.

This race is of Eng- BURLEY, or BURLEIGH lish origin, and the name of varied or- thography and doubtful derivation. If from burgh, a castle, and ley or leigh, a sheltered place or an untilled field, then it suggests that the first taker of the name assumed it from the place of his resi- dence, on the Burghley, or Burghleigh, the field belonging to the burgh. The orthography Burley was earliest employed in New Hampshire. in San- bornton, and is now most common among the family in that town, though Burleigh is claimed by some as the more ancient, and is far more in vogue in other places. The records show nearly thirty dif- ferent ways of spelling the name.

(I) Giles Burley was an inhabitant of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1648, and a commoner in 1664.

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He was a planter, and lived eight years on Brooke street, and owned division lot No. 105, situated on Great Hill, Hogg Island. July 18, 1668 (O. S.) "Ghils Berdley" made his will which he signed with his mark. The inventory of his estate was £241 4S 6d. He left a widow, Elizabeth, and children, An- drew, James and Giles. Perhaps there was a child, John, younger than any of those, who died before his father. February 23, 1669, Rebecca. widow of Giles Birdley, married Abraham Ffitt, of Ipswich.

(II) James, second son and child of Giles and Elizabetli Burley, was born in Ipswich. February IO, 1659, and died in Exeter, New Hampshire, about 1721. He married (first), May 25, 1685 (?), Re- becca, daughter of Thomas and Susannah (Wor- cester ) Stacy, a granddaughter of Rev. Witham Worcester, of Salisbury. She died October 21, 1686. In an agreement in 1723 between Joseph, Josiah. Giles and James Burley, they are mentioned as sons of James Burley, late of Exeter. In a list of the children of James, the names appear as William, Joseph, Thomas, James, Josiah and Giles.

(III) Joseph, second child and son of James Bur- ley, was born April 6, 1695. He removed to New Mar- ket with an ancestor of the Hersey family, being attracted by the oak and ash timber. He died in New Market. and administration on his estate was granted in March, 1761. The name of his wife is not known. His children were: Joseph, Samuel, Nathaniel, David, Susannah, Jemima, and Alice.

(IV) Nathaniel, was the third son and child of Joseph Burley. The date of his birth is unknown ; he died in Sanbornton, February 7, 1805. Runnel's Ilistory of Sanbornton says: 'Having married Sarah Powell, he settled, first, in New Market; was then for a few years in Canterbury, and came thence to this town in April of the third year after the first settlement, i. e., 1767, as reckoned by the age of the oldest son. They crossed the river at the bridge, then covered with birch poles, a little east of the present Hill's Block. The mother rode horseback with her two youngest children, one and a half bushels of meal, and barnyard poultry, slung over their horse's back, in a straw bed-tick, saddle- bag fashion, with "breathing holes for the birds," out of which their heads protruded! While the father, with the two oldest boys, seven and six years of age, drove the two cows on foot. In this style they presented themselves at a small log cabin, previously built in what is now Mrs. Daniel Davis' orchard, southeast corner of lot No. 35, first Division. The husband helped the wife to dismount, swung open the bark door and politely said, "Walk in Ma'am!" The good lady both laughed and cried. Mr. Burley was a carpenter and joiner. having learned his trade in Chester. It is said that he re- ceived the fifty acres on which he located from the proprietors as the first house carpenter in town, but there is no documentary evidence of this. He was obliged to go down-country the first two years to work for the means of subsistence, at one time bringing corn meal home on his back from Deer- field, a distance of forty miles. The cows meantime

ran in the woods, and hay was gathered from the meadow below for their winter keeping. Nathaniel was a signer of the "Petition of 1768, and of the Association Test in 1776. He was a highway sur- veyor in town as late as 1795. He died February 27, 1805. His wife died November 28, 1818." Their children were: William, Joseph, Nathaniel, Sarah, Robert, David. Polly, Daniel and Nancy.

(V) William, eldest child of Nathaniel and Sarah (Powell) Burley, was born in New Market, March 28, 1760, and died in Sanbornton, December 28, 1796, aged thirty-six. At the age of seventeen he was furnished by his father as a three months' man in 1776. He subsequently volunteered six months, then enlisted April 20, 1777, for three years, and was twice wounded in arm and rib, serving out his time partly with General Sullivan, in the Indian country, and returning to his home in 1780. He never attended school, but after his re- turn from the war, he chopped wood two winters for board and tuition, and was privately instructed by his cousin, James Hersey, and became a good mathematician and an excellent surveyor. About the time of his marriage he opened a farm on Calef Hill on Lot No. 18, First Division, north end, building the first house. Being with his cousin, Jacob Hersey, when the latter was drowned. he made great exertion to save him, and so injured himself, that he never did a day's work afterwards, and, after four months, died in consequence. His gravestone reads: "A soldier of the Revolution at the taking of Burgoyne." He married, June 13, 1784, Sarah Ames, of New Market, who was born April 23. 1752, and died September 14, 1841, in the ninetieth year of her age. Their children were: Peter, Sally, William, Charlotte and Susan.

(VI) Sally, second child and eldest daughter of William and Sarah (Ames) Burley, was born January 27, 1788, and married Caleb Ames, of New Hampshire, January 30, 1809 (See Ames III).

BARNES For considerable more than two hun- dred and fifty years the name of Barnes has existed as a patronymic in America, taking root in New England early in the Colonial period and gradually distributing itself throughout the entire country. It is to be found in the Revolutionary rolls, also in those of the second war with Great Britain (1812-15) and in the more

recent civil strife, which for a time threatened to divide the Union into two integral parts. In civil life several of this name have won distinction as clergymien and writers. All of its bearers are of English descent and the origin of the name in the mother country is enveloped within the impene- trable mists of antiquity. The line of descent. on this side of the ocean, of the late Captain William M. Barnes, of Nashua, is as follows :

(I) Among the passengers in the "Speedwell," which arrived at Boston from England in May, 1636, was Thomas Barnes, an honest, industrious yeo- man, a non-conformist and, above all, a young man of sufficient courage and energy to render excellent service in transplanting European civilization into the

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western hemisphere. His whereabouts for a num- ber of years subsequent to his landing has not as yet come to light, but the records of Marlboro show conclusively that he was one of the early settlers in that town, as he purchased real estate there at least three years prior to its incorporation (1666), and he resided there for the remainder of his life, which terminated in 1679. He married Abigail Goodnow. daughter of Thomas Goodnow. of Sudbury, who became one of the original proprietors of Marlboro, and it is quite probable that Thomas Barnes went there from Sudbury, as did most of its pioneer set- tlers. He was the father of six children: Thomas, Dorothy, John, William, Abigail and Susanna.

(II) Deacon John, third child and second son of Thomas, senior, and Abigail (Goodnow ) Barnes, was born in Marlboro, December 25, 1666. He was a lifelong resident of Marlboro and participated ac- tively in the early religious progress of that locality, having served as a deacon of the church during the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Beck. His death oc- curred April 5. 1752. The maiden name of his wife was Hannah Howe, and she died November 8. 1742. aged sixty-six years. Their children were: Abigail, born October 5, 1695, married Joseph Morse : Dor- othy, born March 24, 1698, married James Woods ; Daniel, born April 2, 1701, married Zerumiah Eager : Jonathan, who will be again referred to; David. born June 24, 1708, died May 9, 1720; Han- nah, born February 17, 1712, hecame the wife of Andrew Rice ; and John, born March 23, 1716, mar- ried Elizabeth Cranston.

(III) Jonathan, fourth child and second son of Deacon John and Hannah (Howe) Barnes, was born in Marlboro, November 26, 1703. He attained the ripe old age of nearly eighty years, and died in Marlboro, October 10. 1783. The Christian name of his wife. whom he married prior to 1735, was Rachel, and she survived her husband but a short time, her death having occurred January 20, 1784. She was the mother of nine children: Silas, horn January 21. 1735. married Betty Bigelow; Elisha, born October 28, 1736, died June 7, 1740: Fortuna- tus, the date of whose birth will be recorded pres- ently ; Rachel. born July 13, 1740 became the wife of John Warren, Jr. ; Lucy, born July 7, 1742. mar- ried Joseph Hosmer: Dorothy, born December 18, 1747, became the wife of Solomon Bowker: Jon- athan, born November 6. 1749. died August 5. 1785; David. born September 21, 1751, died January 28. 1756; and William, born March 21, 1753, married Sarah Merriam.

(IV) Fortunatus, third child and son of Jon- athan and Rachel Barnes, was born in Marlboro. September 25, 1738. When a young man he went to reside in Berlin, Massachusetts, settling in the locality which has ever since been known as Barnes Hill, and was a prosperous farmer of that town during the remainder of his life, which terminated November 9, 1807. For his first wife he married Persis Hosmer, of Concord. Massachusetts. horn April 19, 1739, and his second wife was Peletiah Jones. She survived him and died September 16,

1821. His children, all of his first union, were: David, born August 27, 1765; Lydia, born July 20, 1767, became the wife of Amherst Bailey ; Hannah, born June 20, 1770. married Ephraim Howe; and Captain William, who is referred to at length in the succeeding paragraph.

(V) Captain William, youngest son and child of Fortunatus and Rachel (Hosmer) Barnes, was born April 5, 1773, probably in Berlin. He was al- lotted a portion of the homestead farm, whereon he erected a substantial dwelling house, and he died there October 24, 1853. He was one of the most prominent residents of Berlin in his day and is re- ferred to in the town records as Captain William Barnes. On May 28, 1793, he married Hannah God- dard. daughter of James Goddard, Sr., and her death occurred January 6, 1863, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. The six children of this union were: Artemas, see next paragraph ; Betsey, born December 20, 1798, became the wife of Josiah Cotting and died at the homestead January 28, 1883 ; Hannah, born September 18, 1801, died unmarried January 8, 1864 ; Lucy, born January 20, 1804, became the wife of Lowell Hubbard, of Northboro, Massa- chusetts : Sarah, born May 5, 1808; and Martha W., born April 11, 1811, died August 1, 1814. The Cap- tain William Barnes homestead in Berlin remained in the possession of his unmarried daughter, Sarah, until her death, which occurred October 3, 1894, at the age of eighty-six years, and the property is now, or was recently, owned by William H. Brown.

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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. III, Part 10

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923 Publication date: 1908 Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 876

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 876