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 3
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19
GRANTS OF THE LAND.
THAT all White Pine Trees fit for Masting his Majestys Royal Navy be & hereby are Granted to his Majesty his heirs & Successors forever. And in case any of the Grantees Shall Neglect & Refuse to Perform any of the Articles aforementioned by him Respectively to be Done he Shall forfeit his Share and Right In Said Township, & Every part & parcel thereof to those of the Grantees Who are not Delinquint in the Condi- tions on their part Respectively to be Done and it Shall & may be Lawful for them or any Person by their Authority to Enter Into & upon Such Delinquints Right & him or them Utterly to Amove, Oust Expell for the Use of them their heirs and assigns Provided they Settle or Cause to be Settled Such Delinquints Right within the Term of one Year at the farthest from the Period that is by this Grant Stipulated as the Conditions thereof and fully Comply with the Conditions Such Delinqts Ought to have Done within One Year from the Time after the Respective Periods thereof and in Case the Said Grantees fulfilling as aforesaid of any Delinquint Owner nor he himself Perform it that then Such Share or Shares he forfeit Revert & Belong to the Grantors their heirs & Assigns & to be Wholly at their Disposal always Provided there be no Indian Warr in any of the Terms Limited as aforesaid for doing duty Conditional in this Grant to be Done & In Case that should happen the same time to be allowed after such Impediment shall be Removed.
LASTLY the Grantors Do hereby Promise To the said Grantees their heirs & Assigns to Defend thro' the Law to King & Conneil if Need be one Action that Shall & may be Bro't against them by any Person or Persons Whatsoever Claiming the Said Land or Any Part thereof by any Other Title than that of the Said Grantors or that by Which they hold & Derive theirs from Provided the Said Grantors are avonched In to Defend the Same and in Case on final Tryel the Same Shall be Recoy- ered over Against the Grantors for the Said Lands Improvements or Expenses in Bringing forward the settlements.
To all Which Premises I Joseph Blanchard Agent for & in Behalf of the Grantors have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this 20th Day of May in the 25th Year of his Majestys Reign Ammoque Domine 1752.
JOSEPH BLANCHARD. [Seal.]
Most of the grantees, now more properly called Pro- prietors, were residents of other places, mostly London- derry and Dunstable, and probably never intended to take up their residence here, but expected to realize something
20
HISTORY OF TROY.
from selling the land to those wishing to become settlers; but it seems no immediate effort was made to bring forward the settlement of the township, for no record of the proceedings of the Proprietors appears for over nine years.
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VIEW OF COMMONS, LOOKING SOUTH FROM NEAR TOWN HALL.
If any efforts were made they were probably suspended by the French and Indian war which broke out in 1753, and was no doubt the cause of the non-fulfillment of the conditions of the charter. This war caused great conster- nation throughout all the settled portion of New England, and it was the course of the Indians, upon the renewal of a war between the French and English, to commence their hostilities upon the frontier settlements.
In August, 1754, a party of Indians surprised the family of James Johnson of Charlestown, and captured the whole number consisting of eight persons and led them prisoners to Canada. The very next day Mrs. Johnson was deliv- ered of a daughter, and the Indians had the humanity to halt on her account and construct a litter on which they carried the mother and daughter through the vast wilder- ness surrounding the Green Mountains.
21
GRANTS OF THE LAND.
In 1755, small parties of Indians repeated their umwel- come visits to this section, and Benjamin Twitchell was captured at Keene, and several persons killed at Walpole and Hinsdale. The accounts of these atrocities spread with great rapidity throughout the settlements, and often exaggerated, causing a general feeling of insecurity, which prevailed to such an extent that no progress could be made toward settling new townships.
In 1761, the grantees transferred their interest in the township to the following individuals residing in the towns of Marlborough and Marlborough, Mass. : David Church, William Eager, Richard Tozer, Charles Biglo, Jacob Felton, Abraham How, Jr., William Barker, Jonathan Green, Jonathan Bond, John Taylor, William Babcock, Silas Gates, Ebenezer Dexter, Benjamin How, Jonathan Blan- chard, Adonijah How, Elezear How, Noah Church, Isaac McAllister, Silas Wheeler, Joseph Biglo, Daniel Harrington, John Woods, Stephen How, Jessie Rice, Manning Sawin, Daniel Goodenow, Ebenezer Joslin. Of this number but four became actual settlers, only one settling within what is now Troy. The others sold their interest to such individuals as would promise to settle thereon. Many of them were men of distinction in the places in which they resided.
In the New Hampshire Gazette for Friday, Nov. 20th, 1761, appeared the following notice :
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Whereas application hath this Day been made to me ye Subscriber by ye owners of more than one 16th part of the shares Rights or Interests of the whole of that tract or Township, called Monadnock No. 5,-in said Province Desireing me to Notify & call a Meeting of the Propts of said Tract of Land.
This is therefore to Notify & Warn all the Proprietors of the common and individual Lands of the sd Tract or Township called Monadnock No. 5, aforesaid, To assemble & meet at ve House of Colo. Williams,
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HISTORY OF TROY.
Innholdler In Marlborough in the County of Middlesex on the Tenth Day of December Next at Ten o'clock in the Morning in order to act and vote on the following articles, viz. 1. To Chose a Propts Clerk. 2dly. A propts Treasurer. 3. Assessors. 4. A Proprietors Collector. 5thly. To see if the Propts will agree to allot out the said Township or any part thereof and raise Money by a Tax or other wise for that End or any other, to carry on any Publie Matter or thing necessary to Bring forward the settlement of said Township. 6th. To agree on some Measure for calling Proprietors Meetings for the Future.
November 10th, 1761.
JOSEPH BLANCHARD, Jus. Peace.
The Proprietors assembled at the time and place appointed, and the following is from the records of the meeting :
1st. Made Choice of Noah Church, Moderator.
2dly. Ebenzr Dexter Propts Clerk.
3dly. Jessie Riee Propts Treasurer.
4thly. Noah Church, Jacob Felton, Assessors.
Ebenzr Dexter,
5thly. Stephen How Propts Collector.
The meeting was then adjourned until the 30th day of April, 1762; then to meet at the house of Jonathan Warren, innholder in Marlborough, in order to act upon the remainder of the articles in the notification aforesaid. At this adjourned meeting the Proprietors voted to lay out the whole township into one hundred acre lots before the 20th day of the next June.
Dr. Bond, Capt. Joseph Biglo, Mr. Daniel Harrington and Lieut. Silas Gates were chosen a committee to carry this into effect; proper persons to be employed by them, and a plan thereof returned to the Proprietors at the next meeting, the expense to be paid by the propriety, and to meet the expense it was voted to raise five dollars on each proprietor's right. This meeting was then adjourned to the 30th day of June, to meet at the house of Capt. Bezalecl Eager, innholder in Westborough, to hear the
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GRANTS OF THE LAND.
report of the committee and draw the lots. At this meeting the committee for lotting out the town reported that they were not ready for the drawing the lots, "by reason of ve whole of the above said Traet of Land not being alotted out ;" and the meeting was further adjourned to meet on the second Wednesday in October at the house of Col. Williams, innholder in Marlborough.
At this meeting, Dr. Bond, Daniel Harrington, Capt. Rice, Capt. Joseph Biglo, and Noah Brooks were chosen a committee to couple the lots for drawing and fixing upou a method for calling Proprietors' meetings, which was as follows: "Upon applycation of the owners of five original Rights made to the Clerk in writing inserting the articles to be acted upon, he shall thereupon Make out a notify- cation Warning all ye Propts at such time and place as they shall appoint, and he shall post up Two Notifycations Viz: one in Westborough at some Public Place 14 Days before said Meeting, and all Meetings so Posted & Held shall be good & Valid." The drawing of the lots took place on Nov. 22, 1762, at the house of Abraham Williams in Marlborough, when each proprietor had a particular part of the township assigned to him.
Who were all the proprietors of that portion of the territory which now comes within the limits of Troy does not readily appear, but it is known that among the num- ber were William Barker, Jacob Felton, Silas Wheeler and Daniel Harrington.
It will be perceived in this history of the settlement of these townships, or that part of them which comes within the present limits of this town, that but few of the gran- tees became actual settlers in either of them. A majority of them lived either in Massachusetts or the eastern part of New Hampshire, and probably never intended to estab- lish their residence upon land here of which they obtained
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HISTORY OF TROY.
a grant. Many of them were prominent and influential men in the communities in which they lived, and oftentimes holding positions of trust and responsibility which they did not care to relinquish. Doubtless they some time expected to realize some adequate return for their outlay and appeared to have well understood what would most enhance their value, for they sought to make them com- fortable and agreeable homes, and took such steps as would be most conducive in very early establishing a permanent Christian ministry, thereby having the influence of religious institutions constantly present.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY SETTLERS.
EARLY SETTLERS FROM 1764 TO 1780 .- WILLIAM BARKER .- SILAS FIFE .- THOMAS TOLMAN .- PIHINEAS FARRAR .- COL. RICHARD ROBERTS .- JAMES BREWER. - JOHN FARRAR .- CALEB WINCH .- JONATHAN SHAW .- JONAH HARRINGTON .- DAVID WHEELER .- EZEKIEL MIXER .- BENJAMIN TOLMAN. -JACOB NOURSE .- MOSES KENNEY .- HENRY MORSE .- DANIEL LAWRENCE. DANIEL CUTTING .- JOSEPH CUTTING .- REUBEN WARD .- ICHABOD SHAWN. - PETER STARKEY .- JOHN STARKEY .- BENJAMIN STARKEY .- JOSEPH STARKEY .- ENOCH STARKEY .- JONATHAN LAWRENCE .- JOSHUA HAR- RINGTON .- DUNCAN CAMERON .-- JOHN BRUCE .- THOMAS CLARK .- AGABUS BISHOP .- ABNER HASKELL .- JOSEPH FORRISTALL .- GODDING FAMILY .- ALEXANDER PARKMAN .- JOSEPH NOURSE .- DANIEL FARRAR.
It will be seen that the first settlements in these town- ships were made at nearly the same time. Monadnock No. 4 was first settled by John Fassett, Daniel Millen, James Reed, Benjamin Bigelow and others, the three latter being the "fathers of the town," for no others probably were equally efficient in labor and sacrifice for promoting its prosperity.
The first settlements made in Monadnock No. 5 were made by Isaac McAllester, William Barker, Abel Wood- ward, Benjamin Tucker and Daniel Goodenough. A pecu- liar interest attaches to those who first became settlers in any town or place, in that we naturally desire to know who they were, where they came from, and how they fared. As to the general character of these first settlers, it may be said that they were industrious, ener- getic, frugal, kind, considerate, ready for hard labor, and willing to make large sacrifices for the comfort and wel- fare of their families and of society at large.
4
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HISTORY OF TROY.
There were doubtless some worthless persons and shiftless families among them, for such will always find their way to a new settlement, but the majority of the men and women who founded these homes and established the social, civil and religious institutions upon these hills and along these streams, were persons of genuine worth and fit to be the pioneers in so great and important an enterprise.
They came expecting hard work, a life of toil with many privations, but after all much comfort in laying good foundations and witnessing substantial progress made. In general they were law abiding and ready to frown upon any vice, whoever might be guilty of it, for they brought with them not a few of the strongest and best elements of their Puritan character.
The home training of their childhood and youth had been passed under the best moral and religious influence, and they aimed to transplant and cherish the same in the place of their adoption, as their history conclusively proves. As to the age of the first settlers, the majority of them were young rather than old. A few there were with gray hairs and showing mark of life's struggle, whose families were already established and their children grown to maturity and fully prepared, both intellectually and physi- cally, to take an active part in maintaining the interests and welfare of their new home, but these were the excep- tions rather than the rule, for the records of deaths of the the pioneers in these settlements show that they were from twenty-five to forty years of age, and of course in the full vigor of their manhood and womanhood, while the fact that some were older served to qualify the energy with a larger share of wisdom and discretion. In the matter of education and general intelligence, it may be said that they were fully equal to the neighbors they left behind
o
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EARLY SETTLERS.
in the older settlements. At that time the school training was not the best, books were few and not easily obtained, and the newspaper of the present day was almost unknown; and therefore, judged by modern standards, the learning of these laborious and hard working families could not be very great.
The first settlement to be made on land now within the limits of Troy, was made by William Barker, supposed to have been a native of Westborough, Mass. He was one of the original proprietors of Monadnock No. 5, or Marlborough, and had drawn several lots in the division, and perhaps because of this financial interest he was led to explore this region, which he did in 1761, and selceted a location on West Hill with a view of making it his future residence. He made but a short stop and the next year returned, bringing with him tools to make a clearing for his house, and provisions for a limited time, and it is supposed he felled the first trees and built the first camp in this then wild land, which must have been a lonely experience, but the hope and promise of a new land caused him to endure and persevere alone by day and night.
His supply of provisions becoming exhausted, he retraced his steps homeward, having made a beginning for a per- manent settlement. He returned in the spring of 1764, enlarged his clearing, constructed a log house, and pre- pared the way for the removal of his family. Early in the following fall, with his wife and three small children, they bid adieu to their many neighbors and friends and started upon their long and trying journey. Their mode of con- veyance was an ox team, which at that time was a first- class method of traveling. Their progress was slow, as the roads were in poor condition, but they easily reached Winehendon, from which there was no road; and they had to get on the best they could through the forest by
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HISTORY OF TROY.
following the direction of marked trees, and with their load and method of traveling, this part of their journey was extremely difficult; and just how long it took them to make this distance of less than twenty miles, we have no record to show, but after much toil and many slight acci- dents, they arrived at their new home the 17th day of September, 1764, we must say, thankful their destination was reached and showing no disposition to retrace their steps, " the first family that moved into Monadnock No. 5."
Their neighbors and companions were now the bear, the wolf, the panther, the hawk and the partridge. Dur- ing the first year they were dependent for most of their provisions upon the neighboring towns, and Mr. Barker consequently had to make several journeys to Northfield and Westborough to obtain the requisite supplies, but after that, his lands being tolerably productive, he was obliged to obtain but little from these towns except gro- ceries, and these being expensive luxuries were only spar- ingly and economically used.
For the first few years they must have felt some of the privations incident to a pioneer life, but they may have been of those individuals to whom solitude imparts a most delightful charm. They could but have felt that they were sowing for others to reap. Be this as it may, we have no evidence that they were not contented with their lot, or that they did not take as much comfort in their family in this quiet retreat as they could have taken amidst the busy scenes of a populous town. For more than a year they were the only family in this section, their nearest neighbors being away some three or four miles; so that the influence of society beyond the limits of their own family circle could have been but little felt.
A road having been built past his residence in 1770, he opened a public house which he kept some eight or ten
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EARLY SETTLERS.
years, and was the first public house in the township. His sign was an upright post with an arm projecting from the top, upon the end of which was the picture of a heart.
In 1765, a settlement was made in the eastern part of the township. Silas Fife came to Monadnock No. 5 from Bolton, Mass. He was a young man, and having heard much of the undeveloped resources of this region and of its adaptability for farming purposes, he deter- mined to visit it with a view of purchasing a traet for a farm. Consequently in the spring of this year he started, accompanied only by his trusty dog and gun, and with a small quantity of food strapped upon his back. Upon his arrival he purchased a lot of land on East Hill, including most of the Deacon Abel Baker farm, now owned by Oliver P. Whitcomb. Here he constructed a rude hut, or perhaps a cave, as a temporary shelter, near the entrance of which he cooked his food, while within he slept during the night, gun in hand, ready at a moment's warning to send Bruin howling from his presence.
Young Fife seemed to be possessed of an adventurous spirit to which this wild region was well adapted. He was an excellent shot and fond of the chase, and the abundance of game in the vicinity of the mountain afforded ample scope for the exercise of his skill. As his supply of food during the first few months of his residence was limited, he was obliged to depend upon his favorite amusement for his daily sustenance, and whenever he felt the pangs of hunger, the sharp crack of his rifle was pretty certain to bring him relief.
For several summers he toiled on alone, clearing his ground and bringing it into a state of cultivation; in the meantime he built a house, and then, thinking, like many others, that he had experienced fully his share of the
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HISTORY OF TROY.
sweets of single blessedness, married Abigail Houghton, a young lady from his native town, and took her to his wilderness home. They were married in Boston, Mass., Aug. 15, 1772. Mrs. Fife was but little accustomed to the rude life she had here ehosen, and it is therefore 110 wonder that many perplexing incidents should happen to her in the discharge of her household duties; one of which she often related in after years with great merriment. A few days after becoming settled in her new home, she undertook to bake some pies which were on pewter plates, and placed in a heated stone oven. Shortly afterward, on looking into the oven, it is perhaps unnecessary to add, she found the plates a liquid mass, rolling about in dif- ferent directions. A few such lessons probably served to correct her judgment and led her to avoid similar unpleas- ant casualties.
In 1767, a large number of individuals came to these townships, purchased land, and made preparations for taking up their abode here, and in the following year eleven individuals, and some of them with families, settled on territory now in Troy, and included the following:
Thomas Tolman,
Caleb Winch,
Phineas Farrar,
Jonathan Shaw,
Richard Roberts,
Jonah Harrington,
David Wheeler,
James Brewer, John Farrar,
Joseph Tiffany,
Ezekiel Mixer.
Thomas Tolman came from Dorchester, Mass., and was the son of Henry and Mary Tolman, whose ancestors were reported to have been among the first settlers of Boston and vicinity. He purchased a large tract of land of the heirs of Sampson Stoddard, who was proprietor of most of the land in this section. The forest was very heavy here, and he felled with his own hands the first tree to make an opening for the log house into which he
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EARLY SETTLERS.
moved his family as early as 1768. This hut stood on the E. H. Tolman farm, now owned by E. P. Kimball, and was located in the southeast corner of the field in front of the house. After clearing a few acres of ground he built a grist mill, and a few years later he built a saw mill, and as soon as it was in operation, having plenty of lumber at his command, he commenced making prepara- tions for building a better house and soon exchanged the log hut for a good substantial frame house, which he afterwards opened as an inn.
This was the first house built and occupied in what is now the village of Troy. This was the house now owned by Mrs. Sarah Brown, formerly occupied by Joseph Haskell, and is the oldest house in town. Its position has been changed, as it formerly stood farther back and with the end towards the common, and it has been con- siderably changed by repairs. Being an active, athletic and vigorous man, he made great improvements, and in the forest which then covered the ground now occupied by the village, he cut the first tree that bowed to the woodman's axe; he built the first house and was the first settler. Mr. Tolman was a man of considerable impor- tance in the early history of this region, and he lived to see settled around him many neighbors to whom he was a faithful friend and upright citizen.
Phineas Farrar was the sixth generation in descent from Jacob Farrar, who settled in Lancaster, Mass., in 1658, and was the eldest son of Josiah and Hannah Farrar. He came to Monadnock No. 5 in 1768, and purchased several lots of land, and built a small house near where J. M. Foster now lives. About this time he married Lovina Warren, of Marlborough, Mass., and immediately removed to his new house, where he addressed himself to the work of convert- ing a dense forest into a productive farm. In 1773 or
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HISTORY OF TROY.
1774, he went to Newfane, Vt., where he resided about two years, at the expiration of which time he returned and purchased a lot of land comprising most of the Elisha H. Tolman farm upon which he built a house. Here he lived until 1778, when he exchanged farms with Benoni Robbins or sold the same and returned to the location he first purchased. Here he built a new and commodious house and was soon joined by his venerable father and mother from Sudbury, who came to spend the remainder of their days with him. He obtained possession of nearly all the land comprising the farms formerly owned by Joseph M. Forristall, and those owned by Gregory Law- renee and Farwell O. Cobb. He kept a public house for many years and was prominent in all town affairs, and was representative from Marlborough for several terms.
Col. Richard Roberts came to Monadnock in 1768, from Bolton, Mass., and located where Wilford E. Parker now lives. He afterwards lived in several different places. He was a man of ordinary height, very corpulent, with a stern, commanding appearance, but a benevolent disposi- tion. He was a man of untiring energy, and took a very conspicnous part in all public business of the town, show- ing he was esteemed by those who had the best means of knowing his real merit. He had more wealth than most of his neighbors and often assisted the poor in many ways. During the Revolutionary period he kept a public house on the road leading from the Parker Butler place to Geo. A. Porter's. He died in his chaise, Sept. 10, 1801, while returning from Keene, and was found by the side of the road near the village of South Keene.
James Brewer came from Sudbury, now Wayland, Mass., in 1768 or 1769, being one of a party of eleven who came into the Monadnock region at that time. He purchased a lot of one hundred and twenty acres of land,
EARLY SETTLERS. 33
being lot 23 in Monadnock No. 5, drawn by Samuel Coch- ran, building a log house which stood near where Abel Garfield formerly lived, to which he removed his family, and like all the early settlers, his time was principally employed in clearing and tilling the soil. He possessed naturally a strong mind which was considerably improved by education; and in his intercourse with his fellow men he was upright, affable, and readily secured their confi- dence and esteem; consequently he was often promoted to stations of honor and responsibility.
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