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. IV, Part 34

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: 878

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. IV > Part 34

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Rev. Edmund Foster married, October 29, 1783, Phebe, daughter of Rev. William Lawrence, of Lin- coln. Their children were: Edmund ; William Law- rence : Sophia ; Charles (died young) : Love; Charles ; Susannah ; Sarah ; John ; Harrison ; Sarah Bass ; Mary Ann; and Abel Lawrence.

(VII) John, ninth child and sixth son of Rev. Edmund and Phebe (Lawrence) Foster. was born at Littleton, November 23, 1796, and died February 7, 1854. When a young man he removed to Keene, New Hampshire, where he resided till his death. He was a Whig in politics, and a leading man in his party and in the community. He held the offices of sheriff and register of deeds, and was cashier of Ashuelot Bank, and held other positions of trust. He married Sophia, daughter of Josiah Willard at Westminster, Vermont. She died at Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, April 19, 1832. Their children were : Sarah; William Lawrence; and Susan Eunice.

(VIII) William Lawrence. second child and only son of John and Sophia (Willard) Foster, was born at Westminster, Vermont, June 1, 1823, and died August 13, 1897. When ten years old he ac- companied his parents in their removal to Keene, where he attended the public schools and Keene Academy. Subsequently he attended at Hancock, Walpole, and entered Harvard Law School, gradu- ating therefrom in 1845. In that year he was ad- mitted to the bar at Keene, and was postmaster of that city from 1845 to 1849. In the years 1849 and

1850 he was assistant clerk, and in 1851 and 1852 clerk of the New Hampshire senate. In 1853 he removed to Concord and formed a law partnership with John H. George, which continued until 1857. He continued in the practice of law until elevated to the bench. From 1850 till 1856 he was reporter of the supreme court of New Hampshire, was colonel on Governor Dinsmore's staff in 1849, and served under his successor till 1851 ; was represen- tative from Ward Four, Concord, in the legislature in 1863; and was United States commissioner in 1864. He served as judge of the supreme judicial court of New Hampshire from 1869 to 1874, and from 1876 to 1881. In the interuin between 1874 and 1876 he was chief justice of this court. He was made clerk of the Northern railroad in 1853; was made a member of the standing committee of the Episcopal Church in 1858, and trustee of that church in 1868, and was serving in these positions at the time of his death. In 1864 he received the degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College.

He was a Democrat until the outbreak of the rebellion in 1861, and after that time a Republican and a sturdy supporter of the Union. Judge Fos- ter was a man of much natural ability, the heri- tage from ancestors distinguished for mental stam- ina, steadfast perseverance, energy, and those two rarer qualities of good judgment and sound con- mon sense. At an early age he learned the value of time, and cultivated the habit of improving each moment. In youth he was a close student; in man- hood a busy worker. As a lawyer he was alert, quick to see the advantage of his client, a hard worker, and a man who lived up to the amenities of his profession. Naturally gifted with power to in- flttence others, he found public life agreeable, and devoted many years to public affairs with more advantage to the state than profit to himself. As an officer he was above reproach, ever faithful to duty, realizing his responsibility and never shirking it. As a judge he was careful and deliberate in forming his opinions and firm in maintaining them. Never assuming a position he was not prepared to maintain with ample evidence, his decisions and opinions are highly valued by his successors, both at the bar and on the bench. Judge Foster married at Hopkinton, January 13, 1853, Harriet Morton, daughter of Hamilton and Clara Perkins. She was born February 17, 1834. and died April 30, 1899. Their children were: Clara, Eliza- beth Bradley, Mary Bartlett, William Hamilton, and Roger Elliot.

(IX) William Hamilton, fourth child and eld- est son of William L. and Harriet M. (Perkins) Foster, was born at Concord, August 27, 1861. He was educated at St. Paul's School, and received the degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1884. He has filled the position of in- structor at St. Paul's School from 1884 to the present time (1906). He married, June 28, 1888, at Exeter, New Hampshire, Alcina, daughter of Hon. Nathaniel and Alcina (Sanborn) Gordon. They have one child, Harriet Evelyn, born at Con- cord, April 6, 1890.

(III) Caleb, youngest child of Abraham (1) and Lydia (Burbank) Foster, was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, November 9, 1677. His home was in Ipswich. In 1700 he had a seat assigned him "behind ye pulpit" in the meeting house recently built. He married, June 2, 1702, Mary Sherwin, of Ipswich. They had nine children: Lydia. born May 14, 1703, married Nathan Dresser : Jonathan, mentioned below; Sarah, died young; Caleb, mar-

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ried Priscilla Buxton; Stephen, married Rebecca Peabody; Mary, died unmarried; Sarah; Phile- mon; John, baptized November 10, 1717. Caleb died January 25, 1766, aged eighty-nine years. In his will he does not mention Philemon or John, so it is presumed that they died before their father.

(IV) Jonathan, second son and child of Caleb and Mary (Sherwin) Foster, was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, November 30, 1704. He lived at Ipswich. He was twice married. His first wife was Jemima Cummings. They were married Jan- uary I, 1733, and had five children : Affe, born De- cember 4, 1734; Philemon, married Ruth Perley ; Apphia ; Jemima ; Olive, born August 20, 1744, mar- ried Amos Chapman. On December 17, 1751, Jon- athan Foster married his second wife, Dorcas Por- ter, at Topsfield, Massachusetts. They had seven children; Jonathan, born September 16, 1753; Moses, mentioned below; Dorcas, married Daniel Ellsworth, of Rowley; Mary, died unmarried; Cabel, married Hepsibah -; Mercy, mar- ried Isaac Plummer, of Newbury; Salome, born November 4, 1766, married (first) Nathaniel Fos- ter, and (second) Nathaniel Gould, and lived in Topsfield. Jonathan Foster died in May, 1779.

(V) Moses, second son and child of Jonathan and Dorcas (Porter) Foster, was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, December 18, 1755, in the Line Brook parish. He was scarcely of age when the Revolution broke out, and he saw some hard serv- ice. He was one of the Ipswich men who marched to Lexington, Massachusetts, April 19, 1775, and he took part in the desperate assault against Quebec the last of December of that same year. He also was in service in Rhode Island during the last five months of 1778. In 1787 he purchased seventy- six acres of land on high ground, south of the Souhegan river, then in Amherst, New Hampshire, but now incorporated in the southern part of Mil- ford. The region was then an unbroken forest. Moses Foster married, April 30, 1789, in Topsfield, Massachusetts, Mary Fuller, daughter of Timothy Fuller, of Middletown, Massachusetts. Timothy Fuller was the second cousin of the grandfather of Margaret Fuller, Countess d'Ossoli, who was also named Timothy. Moses and Mary (Fuller) Foster had four children: Moses, mentioned below; Isaac Plummer, born November 5, 1792, married Harriet Brooks; Timothy Fuller, born January II, 1798, died January 31, 1835; John, born November 13, 1798, died September, 1838. Moses Foster died September 3, 1800, in Milford, New Hampshire. Some time during 1801 his widow married Philip Butterfield.

(VI) Moses (2), eldest of the four children of Moses (I) and Mary (Fuller) Foster, was born December 25, 1790, at Milford, New Hampshire. He lived in Milford all his life, at first in the house left him by his father, which he enlarged, and relinquished to his son, Deacon John E. Fos- ter, who has since celebrated his golden wedding there. In 1847 Moses Foster moved into the village of Milford to the home where he spent the re- mainder of his days. He was a carpenter and far- mer, and belonged to the Baptist Church. He was twice married. His first wife was Fanny Coggin, daughter of Joseph and Betsey (Herrick) Coggin, of Mount Vernon, New Hampshire. She was born April 27, 1799, and died May 9, 1842. They had four children: Joseph Coggin, born April 11, 1818, became a noted Baptist minister and editor, mar- ried (first) Abigail Ann Eaton; second, Julia Ann Gould; Reuben Fuller, born January 19; 1821, mar- ried Sarah Elizabeth Ames, of Hollis, New Hamp-

shire ; John Everett, born May 17, 1824, married Sophia P. Farley; Moses Freeman, whose sketch follows. Moses Foster's second wife was Diana Wallingford, daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Needham) Wallingford. She was born in Dub- lin, New Hampshire, August 27, 18II, and was married September 27, 1842. They also had four children, of whom but one lived more than a few days. The children were: Diana, born and died September 5, 1845; Benjamin F., whose sketch fol- lows: George Wallingford, born June 20, 1848, died July 7, 1848; Diana Wallingford, born July 3, 1849, died July 12, 1849. Moses Foster died April 4, 1873, at Milford, New Hampshire. (The last named receives mention in this article.) Mrs. Diana Fos- ter died July 29, 1881.

(VII) Benjamin Franklin, elder son and second child of Moses and Diana (Wallingford) Foster, was born at Milford, New Hampshire, October 8, 1846. Of his mother's four children he was the only one who lived to maturity. He was educated in the common schools. His first occupation was that of photographer. In 1882 he left this business and engaged in undertaking, which business he con- ducts at the present time. He learned the details with Lewis Jones & Son, of Boston. Mr. Foster has been president of the New England Under- takers' Association, and also of the New Hamp- shire Embalmers' Association. For the past twen- ty-one years (1907) he has been the auctioneer of the town. In politics he is a Republican; he was a member of the state legislature in 1905. He has been a member of the board of health since 1891. He is prominent in fraternal organizations. He is a Mason and belongs to King Solomon Chapter, No. 17, of Milford, and to St. George Commandery, of Nashua, New Hampshire. He is an Odd Fellow, and is Past Chancellor and Past Patriarch of Pros- pect Hill Encampment. He also belongs to the Granite State Grange, to the Red Men, and to the Camera Club of Milford. Benjamin Franklin Fos- ter has been twice married. His first wife was Celia Frances Peabody, daughter of Ezra Brown and Adelaide (Millin) Peabody, of Milford. Mrs. Celia (Peabody) Foster was a descendant of Regi- nald Foster, and was born in New Boston, New Hampshire, August 23, 1845. One child was born of this marriage, Harriet Maria, August 3, 1873. She married Willis H. Parker, of Milford. Mrs. Celia P. Foster was department president of the Woman's Relief Corps of New Hampshire. Mr. Foster married for his second wife, Louise R. Anderson, daughter of James and Rebecca (Crosby) Anderson, of Milford. There are no children by the second marriage.

(VII) Moses Freeman, youngest of the four sons of Moses and Fanny (Coggin) Foster, and a descendant of Reginald Foster, was born January 6, 1832, on Federal Hill in Milford, New Hamp- shire. He was educated in the public schools of Milford, including the high school, and also at the Hancock Literary and Scientific Institute at Han- cock, New Hampshire. He first learned the print- er's trade, but in the spring of 1849 he entered the employ of the Souhegan Manufacturing Company, where he remained three years. He then went into the cotton mills at Chicopee, Massachusetts, and later to Holyoke and Indian Orchard, Massachu- setts; then to Cannelton, Indiana, where he was overseer. After this he went to the Pemberton cotton mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and in March, 1858, to Augusta, Georgia. For eight years he was overseer of carding at the cotton factory in Augusta, and this period included the trying

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times of the civil war. While in Augusta he was conscripted into the Confederate service, but he could be of more service in the cotton mill than in the field; so he was detailed to stay where he was. In 1866 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was superintendent of the Franklin factory for one year. In the spring of 1867 he came back to Mil- ford, where he built a permanent home near the place of his birth. For one year he was agent of the Richard Kitson machine works at Lowell, Massa- chusetts. He then became associated with William C. Langley & Company, of New York, and re- moved to South Carolina to look after their cotton mill property. He organized the Langley Manu- facturing Company at Langley, South Carolina, and spent eighteen years there, first as agent and after- ward as superintendent. On April II, 1886, he re- signed as superintendent at Langley, and came back to Milford. He then assisted in organizing the Denison Cotton Manufacturing Company of Denison, Texas. The mill was one of the first in that state, and operated about twenty-five hundred spindles and five hundred looms. In 1903 Mr. Fos- ter drew out his investment and returned to Mil- ford to enjoy a well-earned leisure. He was one of the pioneer cotton manufacturers of the South. He became master of the business early in life, and has been uniformly successful in his various under- takings. He spends his summers in Milford, and his winters in Augusta, Georgia.

Mr. Foster was selectman of Milford in 1889, and has always shown a warm attachment for his native town. While in Augusta, Georgia, during the civil war, he joined the Masons. He belongs to Benevolent Lodge, No. 7, in Milford; to King Solomon Chapter, No. 17, of Milford, and to the St. George Commandery of Nashua, New Hamp- shire. He is also a member of the Commercial Club of Augusta, Georgia. He married, September 13, 1860, Adelaide Lutheria Doane, daughter of Zenas Rebecca (Carlton) Doane, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. They have one child, Fanny Doane Foster, born April 16, 1862. She married, January 6, 1897, Ralph C. Bartlett, of Milford, New Hamp- shire. They have one child, Millicent Doane Bart- lett, born April II, 1904.

(II) William, third son and sixth child of Regi- nald and Judith Foster, was born 1633, and was a yeoman. He resided in Ipswich, and later in Row- ley, Massachusetts. He was received as an inhabi- tant of the latter town in 1661, and settled in that part known as Rowley Village, and which subse- quently became the town of Boxford. Before re- moving to Rowley he purchased of Joseph Jewett a seventy-two portion of the village lands, for which he paid eleven pounds thirteen shillings and four pence. Jewett died before the deed was passed. He was one of the petitioners for the incorpora- tion of Boxford, and the petition was granted June 5, 1685. Subsequently he was a member of the committee appointed on the part of the two towns to settle the boundary. He was married May 15, 1661, in Ipswich, to Mary, daughter of William and Joanna Jackson, of Rowley. She was born February 8, 1639. Their children, all born in Row- ley, were: Mary, Judith, Hannah, Jonathan, Wil- liam, Timothy, David, Samuel and Joseph.

(III) William (2), second son and fifth child of William (1) and Mary (Jackson) Foster, was born in 1670 in Rowley Village, settled in Andover in 1697-8, and there died August 29, 1755, in his eighty-sixth year. He was a weaver, and followed that occupation through life, bequeathing his loom to his son Asa in his will. He was first a member

of the North Parish in Andover, and was one of the thirty-five who were dismissed therefrom in I7II in order to form the South Church. He was married ( first) July 6. 169-, to Sarah, daughter of John and Sarah Kimball, of Boxford. She was born September 19, 1669, and died November 6, 1729. He was married (second) November 13, 1744, to Margaret Gould, who survived him. His children were: Saralı, Mary, John, Hannah, Lydia and Asa, all born of the first wife. (Mention of Asa and descendants is made in this article.)

(IV) Captain John, eldest son and third child of William (2) and Sarah (Kimball) Foster, was born in Andover, September 27, 1701, and died there June 17, 1773. He was a yeoman and a considera- ble landholder. In the "History of Andover" he is styled captain. He appears to have been a man of some influence, and with his brother Asa was ap- pointed on a committee to instruct the representa- tive at the general court to enter a protest against the Stamp Act. Again in 1768 the two brothers were on a committee to frame resolutions to in- duce the inhabitants to "ignore extravagance, idle- ness and vice, and promote manufactures, industry, economy and good morals in the town, and dis- countenance importation and the use of foreign superfluities." He married Mary Osgood, January 13, 1725. She died April 6, 1772. Their children . were : William (died young), John, William, a son, John, Mary, Isaac, Gideon, Obadialı, Solomon and Osgood.

(V) Obadiah, ninth child and eighth son of John and Mary (Osgood) Foster, was born in Andover, May 25, 1741, and died July 25, 1780. He married, May 30, 1769, Hannah Ballard. She was published May 15, and married June 1, 1792, to Joshua Chandler. The children of Obadiah and Hannah were: John, Obadiah, Hannah and Fred- erick.

(VI) John (2), son of Obadiah and Hannah (Ballard) Foster, was born in Andover, Massa- chusetts, March 3, 1770, and died in Warner, New Hampshire, in 1846. It is written of him: "He possessed a quick and sound judgment, great en- ergy of character, and rare virtues; he was mild, frank and determined in action, his influence was widely felt in every community in which he lived." In 1830 he removed with his family to Warner, New Hampshire, where he passed the remainder of his life. He married (first) in 1799, Mary, daughter of Samuel and Mary Danforth, who died November 27, 1802. Married (second) Lucy, daughter of Benjamin and Experience Hastings, 1803; she died September 10, 1842. Married (third) Mrs. Sally Morse Couch, January 25, 1843.

(VII) George Foster, fourth son and young- est child of John (2) and Lucy (Hastings) Fos- ter, was born in Hudson, New Hampshire, Sep- tember 23, 1821. In 1830 his parents removed to Warner with their family, and it was there that he passed his youth and early manhood. With such education as a bright boy could acquire from the district school of seventy years ago, he started out on the journey of life. Gifted by nature with dauntless courage, ambition, and intelligence of a high order, the young man soon made himself known and felt among his fellowmen. Beginning in business life, first as a peddler, and then as a keeper of an all-round country store at Davisville. he gradually worked into the lines of trade toward which his tastes inclined, those of farming, deal- ing in wood and buying, manufacturing and selling all kinds of lumber. At the age of thirty-eight he went to Weare, New Hampshire, living there until

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1868, when he removed to Bedford, New Hamp- shire, having purchased the homestead farm of Adam Chandler, Esq. There he resided until his death, March 21, 1881. In Bedford were passed the brightest and happiest days of his life. Engaged in a lucrative business, happy in his family circle, happy in the cultivation, development and improve- ment of the broad acres of his grand estate, pos- sessed of a host of devoted friends, he was justly proud of the success which had brought all these blessings around him. Genial, hospitable, and gen- erous to a fault, George Foster never lost a friend and seldom made an enemy. His character was cast in the puritanic mold of his forefathers, pure and simple in his habits, gentle and sympathetic in his manners, he was a man whom to know was to love. His business, social and political conclu- sions were formed quickly but accurately, and once found were as fixed as the eternal hills. He was strong in his likes and dislikes, he loved his fam- ily and his friends, he loved truth and justice and humanity, and he hated sham and hypocrisy, and denounced them in all their forms in unmistaka- ble language. As there still lingers among those who were his associates many memories of kind words and generous deeds, there also remains recol- lections of his apt and cutting repartee and scath- ing criticism. As a fitting tribute to his ability and sterling integrity he was twice elected to the state senate of New Hampshire, first in 1872 and again in 1873.

Mr. Foster married, in 1847, Salome F. Little, of Salisbury, who was born in Boscawen, August 9, 1825, and died in Bedford, December 12, 1897. Her father was Eliphalet Little, an old time farmer and shoemaker; her mother was Meele, daughter of Moses Fellows, of Salisbury, one of the heroes of the Revolution. Her loving and generous heart and cheerful disposition, added to mental endow- ments of a high order, made her in every sense a fitting companion for her worthy husband. Mr. and Mrs. Foster were buried in Warner, and the epi- taph carved on the stone above their last resting place seems a fitting and comprehensive tribute to the character of both :

"They made the world better by living in it."

Their children were: Lucy A., Sarah M., John, George S., Charles E., Herman and Lucy Mary. Lucy A. was born February 6, 1848, and died May 30, 1855. Sarah M., wife of Edmund B. Hull, was born April 25, 1850, and now lives on the River road, in Bedford. During her residence in the town she has been a central figure in all its social and literary affairs; for a long time she was a teacher in the public schools of the town, retir- ing from her vocation after her marriage, but she has ever since taken a lively interest in its edu- cational affairs. Their children are Harry F., born July 24, 1878, died January 29, 1907. Grace E., Oc- tober 14, 1880. John is mentioned below. George S., born July 8, 1857, died August 15, 1882. He was a sturdy young man of great promise. He married Etta F. Moulton. Children : Ethel D., wife of Leslie Ellis; she was born February 10, 1881, and is the mother of two children: Lottie Foster, born June 19, 1900; Leslie A., August 16, 1901 ; George S., born April 20, 1882. Charles E., born June 12, 1860, married Bertha Cheney, granddaugh- ter of James Gardner, who lived all his life in Bedford. They now reside in Manchester. Chil- dren : Electa Little, born May 20, 1896, died Jan- uary 19, 1901 ; Charles R., October 17, 1897; Jen- nie Salome, June 28, 1899, died January 29, 1901 ; Burton S., January 12, 1901. Herman, born August

3, 1863, married (first) Nancy E. Barr, daughter of David Barr, of Bedford. Children: George Reginald, born December 14, 1888; Lucy Salome, September 25, 1893, died April 26, 1893. Married (second) Mary A. Woolsey, of Livingston Manor, New York; they now reside in Boston. Children : Robert W., August 7, 1899, died same day; Dwight W., June 22, 1900, died December 16, 1901 ; Amy W., January 21, 1902. Herman Foster is a grad- uate of Emerson School of Oratory, class of 1896, and is now engaged in the real estate business. Lucy Mary, married Burton Stewart, and they now live in Brockton, Massachusetts.

(VIII) John (3), third child and eldest son of George and Salome F. (Little) Foster, was born in Warner, New Hampshire, March 5, 1852. He was graduated from Manchester high school in 1872, entering Dartmouth College the same year, and was graduated with the degree of A. B. in the class of 1876. Shortly after the completion of his college course, he entered the law office of Hon. James F. Briggs, of Manchester, and upon the com- pletion of his legal studies was admitted to the bar in 1878, and opened an office in Manchester, where he conducted a successful practice until 1890, when on account of ill-health he relinquished his duties as an active practitioner and has since, by way of recreation, added some valued produc- tions to New Hampshire literature. Among his popular metrical efforts are: "The Old Stone Wall;" "The Old Time Dog and Gun;" "The Old Time Stage Coach;" "The Tiger Lily;" "The Abandoned Farm;" "The Old Hoyt School-house:" "The Old March Meeting Day," and "Hayseed." The last mentioned was read at the Henniker Old Home Day celebration in 1906. His last and best contribution is the one entitled "The Triumph of the Anglo-Saxon Race." He also prepared and read as. a memorial at the thirtieth anniversary meeting of his class at Dartmouth College, June 25, 1906, "Springtime and Autumn," which received glowing commendation from the press and warm approval by members of his class. Mr. Foster in all his pro- ductions evinces the true poetic instinct. A lover of nature and nature's God, he has woven into the warp and woof of his songs the sentiments of a heart which pulsates with love, loyalty and devotion. Many of his best efforts have been memorials to departed friends and cheering quaint verses to those who have been his friends and companions from boyhood. Mr. Foster was elected to the legislature to represent the town of Bedford on the Republican ticket in 1879 and served with credit to himself and his constituency. He married in Manchester, February 18. 1881, Mary Lizzie Mc- Crillis, who was born in Manchester, June 5, 1854, daughter of John B. and Mary (Kilgore) Mc- Crillis. She was graduated from the Manchester high school in 1872, in the same class with Mr. Foster. She is an artist of high repute, and her work in both oil and water color has been received with much favor by the public.

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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. IV, Part 34

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: 878

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: 878