USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Troy > Historical sketch of the town of Troy, New Hampshire, and her inhabitants from the first settlement of the territory now within the limits of the town in 1764-1897 > Part 12
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the Branch near the old Whitcomb and Forristall dam at the North End. Marlborough brook, formed of two branches, one from Stone pond and the other from Meet- ing House pond in Marlborough, flows south and enters the Branch near the residence of Winthrop Knight.
These streams have many small falls affording mill privileges, which have been more or less improved. . Thirty- five years ago the first mill on the Branch was the woolen manufactory of Nurse & Wheeler, now known as the old blanket mill; just below this was the bark mill of Col. Wright; still lower down was the shoddy mill of Thomas Goodall, now called the middle mill. The sawmill and rake manufactory of Charles Carpenter was situated just above the site of the old Root sawmill, and where now stands Troy blanket mill.
Further down the stream was the sawmill of Capt. Sibley, now C. D. Farrar's, in a part of which was a chair manufactory under the superintendency of A. P. Perley. Still further north was the pail shop of E. Whitcomb and the sawmill of J. M. Forristall, both taking water from the same pond. The last mill on the Branch within the limits of the town was the clothespin manufactory of Jonas Bemis & Son; this privilege is now owned by Arthur Edwards. On the Jackson brook were the saw and stave mill of D. J. Fife and the Blanding pail shop. On the Ward brook was the saw and grist mill of Col. James R. and Alvah Stanley, and near its confluence with the Branch, the pail shop of E. Buttrick. In the south part of the town, on the Bowker brook, was a gristmill owned by George Damon.
Besides the mills already mentioned, there was a stave mill on a small branch of the Jackson brook owned by Charles Alexander, and a sawmill and pail handle manu- factory on a small stream in the northwest part of the
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town, owned by C. N. Garfield, now owned by Webster Corey. There was also a clothespin manufactory on this latter stream near the boundary line between Troy and Marlborough.
Until within a few years the greatest natural curiosity was the falls in the Ward brook, about one-half mile from the village. Within a few rods the waters of this stream descended over the rocks from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet, which in time of high water formed a foaming cataract which presented a spectacle truly sub- lime, and surrounded as it was with woods, attracted many visitors. Near by is a granite quarry, formerly owned by Luther Whittemore, now the property of the Troy Granite Co., who have recently diverted the course of the stream for the purpose of taking out the stone, thus destroying the fall. This quarry contains a fine, beautiful granite, particularly well adapted for building purposes. Not much work was done here until within a few years, when large quantities of it have been quarried and carried away.
The east part of the town was originally covered with a heavy growth of maple, hemlock and beech, while the intervals in the central part were covered with a heavy growth of elm, yellow and white pine, hemlock and birch. The high lands in the west part were covered with maple, red oak and beech, while the swamps and low grounds were covered with alders, spruce, hemlock and brown aslı.
In studying the history of any locality, and the changes which have been gradually taking place through a series of years, we naturally feel interested in every thing relat- ing to its primitive state. This territory was a solitary wilderness when the first settlers arrived, the haunt of various species of birds and ferocious wild beasts. Among
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the birds it is said that wild turkeys were abundant and that large numbers of them were annually killed by the settlers. It is not surprising that the wild beasts, feeling a natural pride in their inherited possessions, should be jealous of their intruders, and if they did not make personal attacks, that they should institute a sort of guerilla warfare upon property, especially when it stood in the way of a craving appetite, for they had never learned to exercise self denial, except in the presence of a superior power. The most troublesome of these animals were the wolf, bear and catamount. Of the former of these the settlers stood in no particular fear, as it is well known that a wolf will seldom attack a man unless severely goaded with hunger. But the wolf's great love of mutton was frequently betraying him into acts of petty larceny upon the flocks which were grazing in the pastures. He was often exceedingly greedy in his plunder, not content with what might seem an ordinary meal, but appropriating to himself a large proportion of the flock ; and he carried his depredations to such an extent that the settlers commenced against him a warfare which has resulted in his total extermination. This warfare was sometimes carried on by regular organized companies, and whenever a neighbor's flock suffered, the citizens would turn out en masse and hunt down the common enemy. The usual method of conducting the wolf hunts was for the party to surround the woods in which the animal was supposed to have his home, and stationing a few experi- enced marksmen on one side, those upon the opposite side would march directly through, driving before them the object of their search, which on emerging from the woods was very likely to fall by a sentinel's shot. Sometimes after surrounding the woods, the hunters at a given signal marched directly towards the center, thus gradually closing
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up, and the wolf being soon enclosed in a small circle, was easily killed.
Three of these wolf hunts occurred within the recollec- tion of persons who related the facts to Dr. Caverly.
The first was in 1795, when it was known that several of these animals infested the woods which at that time covered the territory between "Cobb's road" and the Jacob Newell place, now owned by Franklin Whitcomb. A large number of individuals from this and the adjoining towns assembled and completely swept this forest, and they succeeded in driving from her retreat one old wolf, who on attempting to escape from her pursuers, was killed just as she was crossing Cobb's road, by Andrew Sherman, who had been stationed at that point. The signal was immediately given, and all assembled and marched to the Warren store, where they expended the bounty (twenty dollars), for liquor and refreshments, and so large was the number that each received only one glass of rum and two crackers.
The second wolf hunt was in 1797. One night in the fall of this year they killed ten sheep from the flock of Elijah Alexander, and a few nights after they killed twenty belonging to Levi Randall. Intelligence of this slaughter spread rapidly and a general wolf hunt was agreed upon. At this time it was known that these animals had retreated to the low ground west of Mr. Alexander's, since known as the "Clark swamp." At the appointed time about two hundred of the citizens assembled, and after a pretty thorough search they succeeded in starting up two wolves, one of which was killed and the other wounded. The remains of the wounded wolf were found, a few months after, on the side of the hill near the resi- dence of Joseph Alexander, Jr., now Walter Elliott's. After a time the huntsmen reassembled, and with the wolf
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which had been killed, took up their line of march for the house of John Sweetland. In the meantime a messenger had been dispatched to Jonas Robinson with orders for him to meet them with an abundant supply of crackers, rum and sugar. Robinson promptly obeyed the summons, and was soon on the way with a wagon load of the specified articles. When all had arrived at the place of rendezvous, a circle was formed and the toddy and crackers, to the value of the bounty, were passed round, and all present had a jolly good time.
But the power of this enemy was not yet crushed, although it was greatly weakened. Sheep were continually being missed from the flocks of the farmers, and in many instances the theft was traced to a sly old animal, known as the three-legged wolf. This was one that had been caught in a trap and had lost a part of one foot; and although repeated attempts had been made to kill her, she had always eluded the hunter and had established such a reputation for shrewdness that to destroy her was thought to require the exercise of consummate skill. To this animal the attention of the sportsmen was earnestly directed ; she was carefully sought, both by day and by night, and whenever surprised, she was found to retreat to the swamp which had been the scene of the previous search. Her location having been determined, another and more thorough search was resolved upon by the inhabi- tants. At the time appointed, a large number assembled with guns and dogs and invested the swamp in which the animal was secreted, and having carefully guarded every point of escape, a searching party entered and commenced a thorough examination of every part. The old wolf, thinking that a certain class of animals were getting a little too neighborly, attempted to change her location, and in doing so received a charge from the gun of Jonathan
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Capron, and fell. But she was only wounded, and, on an attempt being made to dispatch her by a blow with the end of a musket, she seized and severely shattered the stock, consequently she was killed by lodging in her lead the contents of the barrel. The signal of victory was given as on former occasions, and the hunters reassembled, and with the trophy of their victory, marched to the village and partook of the usual refreshments of crackers and rum, which was served to them by Jonas Robinson, upon the common, where by the combined operation of the jubilant and ardent spirits, a comieal scene was exhibited. The bounty having been exhausted, the com- pany dispersed, but whether all reached their homes that night or not, it would be impossible to tell. This was the last general wolf hunt of which any knowledge was obtained; other wolves were occasionally killed, but usually by small parties and without much ceremony.
Bears were less numerous than wolves, and much more dreaded by the inhabitants. This dread arose not so much from real danger, when the animal was treated with due respect, as from the fact that when wounded or insulted he was known to be a formidable foe. The bear, too, was exceedingly fond of mutton, and was very par- ticular in his selection, for a sheep of ordinary quality he would never molest so long as there was a better in the flock. His carnivorous propensities were not limited to sheep alone, but were directed to a great variety of animals. Hence calves, swine, and other domestic animals occasionally became the victims of his rapacity. In his predatory excursions he often exhibited a singular bold- ness, entering the barnyards, barns, and in some instances even the dwellings of the inhabitants. To destroy this formidable beast required the exercise of courage, caution, and the most effective weapons, for if wounded, merely,
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the hunter's only safety was in maintaining a respectful distance. His great tenacity of life and the danger attending a contest with him, were enough to deter most men from engaging in it single-handed. Consequently he was seldom molested except by strong parties, well armed and prepared for almost any emergency.
In many instances these animals were taken in a trap, usually made of wood, although steel traps were occa- sionally used. The wooden or log traps-as they were called - were constructed by driving stakes into the ground in a semi-circular form and in close proximity to each other, the whole forming a sort of a tent-like recess, with an opening for egress. At this opening were placed two small logs or poles, one on the ground, and the other directly over it, and so arranged that when elevated it would fall upon the lower one, and be held there by up- right stakes on either side. When prepared for use, the upper pole was raised to a proper height and held there by a small brace, from which a spindle projected inward. To the end of this spindle was attached the bait, and the bear to obtain this, had to pass in between the poles, and a small motion of the spindle displaced the brace and the elevated pole deseended upon his body. This was a con- dition from which he had not power to extricate himself, and consequently was easily dispatched by the hunter.
Many anecdotes of these animals have come down to us from the early settlers, some showing their peculiar habits, others the terror inspired by their presence.
One morning in the spring of 1777, Mrs. Daniel Law- rence left home with the intention of visiting Mrs. Thomas Tolman. At that time the only bridge, near the site of the present so-called Ward bridge, was a foot bridge made of logs. Just as Mrs. Lawrence stepped upon one end of this, a bear jumped upon the opposite end and was
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advancing to meet her. Mrs. Lawrence, on beholding the monster, turned and fled as for her life, directing her steps to the nearest house, Mr. Ward's. On reaching the house she was so exhausted that she fainted and fell. When she had so far recovered as to be able to give utterance, she explained the cause of her fright, upon which several men, well armed, went in pursuit of the bear, but never found him.
Jacob Newell related a story which was remembered by the older inhabitants. One afternoon shortly after he set- tled here, he went into the woods in pursuit of game. Going beyond his intended limits he lost his way, became bewildered, and darkness coming on, he found it impossi- ble to reach home that night. Consequently, when he could no longer see to travel, he lay down under a large log for the night. But his rest was continually disturbed by the screeching of the owl, and the hideous noise of the wolf and other wild beasts, the very tramping of whose feet he could distinctly hear. As soon as daylight appeared he rose from his leafy couch, when, to his great terror, up rose a huge bear from the opposite side of the same log. The surprise was mutual and neither party seemed dis- posed to commence a quarrel, and after gazing upon each other awhile, the bear walked slowly away, and towards noon that day, Mr. Newell, fortunately, reached his little clearing in safety.
Bears sometimes made sad work in the cornfields, breaking down and devouring large quantities of the eorn. In 1799, a large bear commenced his depredations in the cornfield of Dea. Silas Fife. The deacon thinking that the carcass of the bear might compensate him for the loss of his corn, made a log trap, and after baiting it so that it should appear as desirable as possible, he left the field, that bruin might not be disturbed in his operations. The
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next time the bear appeared in the field, thinking that he smelt sheep, and being somewhat anxious to change his diet, immediately hunted up the log trap. But his meal was only in anticipation, for he had but just reached it, when down came the log upon him, and the Fife family soon had a feast of his flesh.
On one occasion, Dea. Timothy Godding and Benjamin Tolman were at work together clearing a piece of land. In the morning, before going out to work they put their meat and beans into a kettle, which, by the way, had no bail; but this was readily supplied by a withe, and by this the whole was suspended upon a stick over a small fire in a stone fireplace, and it was supposed that the pork and beans would be nicely cooked for their dinner. But on their return at noon, to their great surprise they could find neither the kettle nor its contents. On a careful examination, the tracks of a bear were found in and about their little cabin. So it was evident that he was attracted there by the smell of the meat, and being somewhat hun- gry, he put his head into the kettle to obtain it, and burn- ing .his nose, attempted to dodge backwards, and the wooden bail caught upon his neck and he deliberately walked away with the kettle, pork and beans. Sometime after this, the kettle was found in a swamp, where bruin had probably left it to cool.
One afternoon shortly after Thomas Tolman settled here, Mrs. Tolman sent a young lad who was living in the family, a few rods only from the house, to get a pail of water. He had been absent but a few moments, when hearing a scream, Mrs. Tolman stepped to the door to learn the cause, and to her amazement she saw a bear rapidly approaching the boy. In an instant she seized the broom, the only weapon at hand, and rushed to his assist- ance. The bear, not fancying so formidable a weapon,
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turned and fled into the woods, and thus the boy was fortunately saved.
In the fall of the year 1773, the cornfield of Daniel Goodenough (who was at that time a neighbor of Dea. Fife), was savagely ravaged by bears. Being somewhat provoked at the loss of his corn, Mr. Goodenough deter- mined on the bear's destruction. He was an experienced hunter, but would never use a trap, so one moonlight night he put on his overcoat, took his gun, and went into the woods to watch for his game. He walked cautiously about for awhile, when feeling chilly he crept under a large log, and lay down to listen. Pretty soon he heard a little noise near, and thinking he would ascertain the cause, he very carefully raised his head to look over the log. Just at that moment a bear placed both fore paws upon the opposite side of the log, and was peeping over to see what was behind it. Quick as thought, on seeing the monster's head, Goodenough aimed his gun and fired. No sooner had he discharged his gun, than, knowing the peril of encountering a wounded bear, he jumped upon his feet and fled for home. Not daring to venture back that night to learn the result of his shot, he waited until morning, and then in company with some of his neighbors he returned to the scene of his evening's operations, and at a little distance from the log found the lifeless body of the bear.
But probably one of the most remarkable encounters with a bear, especially when we take into consideration the almost miraculous escape of the individual concerned, took place a few years later. One of the early settlers in the town went to a neighbor's house about a mile distant to get some potatoes. On his return early in the evening, with his bag of potatoes on his shoulder, he saw in the path just before him what he took to be an enormous
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bear, just in the attitude of making upon him a fatal spring. Instantly his hair stood erect, and he trembled in every joint. He was unarmed, and what to do he knew not. Flight seemed the only alternative, but this was impossible for the animal was close upon him, and even at the very thoughts of flight, he seemed almost to feel his relentless fangs in his back. Considering his days num- bered, he paused a moment, and then resolved to die man- fully, and, like the brave Spartans at Thermopyle, sell his life as dearly as possible. So dropping his potatoes, he seized a large lever which, fortunately, was at hand, and raising it, advanced with trembling steps towards his deadly foe. He moved a step, then paused-took another step, paused again-the poor man saw clearly his doom in the monster's teeth and in the fire of his eye. It was an awful condition, death seemed inevitable. But he re- solved that the savage beast should feel the weight of his uplifted club, so straining every muscle, he brought it with herculean power upon the head of his unflinching foe. His weapon dropped from his hand, and he stood a pale, trembling, helpless victim, completely in the power of his mighty antagonist! But be not alarmed, for the man escaped, his antagonist was only a stump.
The catamount was the most ferocious of all the wild beasts of New Hampshire. His great size, strength and agility of movement, together with his formidable weapons, rendered him the terror both of man and beast; and when provoked, no animal could stand before him. Fortunately but a few such monsters have ever existed in this vicinity, and it is not now known that more than three or four have ever been seen within the limits of the town.
One of the most remarkable of this class of animals was once killed by Dea. Fife, near his house. Soon after settling here, his father came to make him a visit, and as
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the custom was in those days, he brought his axe to assist his son in clearing the forest. One day as they were chopping a little west of the pond, which was near by, they discovered a deer that had just been killed by some unknown monster of the wilderness. Being some- what alarmed, they immediately decided to take measures to rid the forest of so dangerous a visitor. Without delay, young Fife took his father's horse and went to Rindge and procured of Dea. Lovejoy of that town, a large steel trap. As the sun was setting, with trap, gun and axe in hand, the father and son sought the carcass of the deer. During their absence, much to their surprise, it had been drawn several rods and finally taken up and carried away, so that they could track it no farther. But finding the heart and liver, they felled a tree, from which they cut a log and hitched the same to the trap, which they placed in a posi- tion to take the fatal grip whenever the animal should return to obtain the fragments of his slaughtered victim. The next morning the deacon took his musket and in com- pany with his father, was soon on the ground, and to their astonishment, the trap, log and all were gone. With much caution they followed the track of the log in the direction towards the pond, near which they perceived the animal with his appendages permanently entangled among the rocks. When they had arrived within a few rods, the monster reared on his hind legs, and as he took a survey of his enemy, gnashed his teeth and seemed to bid defiance to them. But as young Fife raised his gun to his eye, his father pleaded with him not to fire, fearing that the cata- mount would kill them both. But crack went the musket, and at first seemed to make no impression upon him, so the gun was quickly reloaded and brought to the eve a second time, but seeing his fury abating and that he was trembling, he waited a moment and the animal fell. On
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approaching him it was found that he was dead, the ball having pierced his heart. The animal was a very large one, and measured thirteen feet and four inches from his nose to the end of his tail. The skin was stuffed and after- wards sold to the proprietors of the Boston Museum for forty-five dollars.
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CHAPTER IX.
BURYING GROUNDS.
FIRST BURYING GROUND .- FIRST PUBLIC BURYING GROUND. - MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY .- LIST OF THOSE INTERRED IN THE OLD CEMETERY.
The first interments within the limits of this town were made in ground held as private property. We have no means of knowing when the first death in town occurred, but it was probably about the year 1772, when a child of Jonathan Shaw died, and was buried near the paternal residence. In a few years other persons in the neighborhood died and were interred in the same ground, for when a small lot had been set apart by a family for burial purposes, other neighboring families often deposited there their dead, so that this became the burying ground for the use of that part of the town at that early period, although it was never really public property. The last interment there was more than one hundred years ago and the soil has repeatedly changed owners. The ruthless ravages of time and the cultivation of the soil, long since destroyed the mounds and it would be impossible to find a vestige of them. Thus the last resting place of past generations become lost, for it was not then customary to mark the places by the erection of monuments or even slabs of stone to perpetuate the memory of departed humanity.
In 1797, another burying ground of family origin was commenced in the extreme westerly part of the town, which was near the road and some little distance west of the present residence of Leonard H. Merrifield. A child of
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William Starkey died that year, and this location was selected for the burial. This land, although owned by Mr. Starkey, was used as a common ground, and for several years was the receptacle for most of the dead in that vicinity, some dozen or fifteen persons being interred there. This lot was originally enelosed by a stone wall, except at the entrance, but the wall is now nearly gone and it is covered with trees, so that it is very difficult to find traces of the graves.
The last interment in this place was made beyond the recollection of any person now living, but Mrs. Samantha Whitcomb, who was born and reared in that neighbor- hood, has given the names of those buried there with the location of their graves, which is no doubt substantially correct, as indicated in the following diagram :
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