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 6
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Silas Wheeler came from Holden, Mass., about the year 1800, and settled on West Hill. About six years after, he bought the house and mill formerly owned by Daniel Gould. He immediately rebuilt the gristmill, and soon after built a saw mill on the opposite side of the stream. When these were in operation, he built a house nearly on the site of the old one and now owned by Gregory Law- rence. In 1826, the saw mill was carried away by a freshet, but was afterwards rebuilt and was the one owned later by Joseph M. Forristall. Mr. Wheeler lived here until 1832, when he moved to Swanzey, and lived with his father-in-law, James Brewer.
John Rogers was a native of Westborough, Mass., and his descendants claim that he was the twelfth generation from John Rogers, the martyr, who was burned at the stake in Smithfield, England. At what time he became a settler it is impossible to state, but it was previous to 1773. He is represented as having been a noted hunter, and as having spent a larger part of his time in pursuit of game. After the death of his wife, he went to live with his son-in-law, Capt. Shubael Stone, where he died.
David Saunders came from Billerica, Mass., in the fall of 1780, and settled near the Howard T. Clark place, now owned by James Carpenter.
Ebenezer Saunders, a younger brother of David, came in 1789, and settled on West Hill, near Samuel A. Mason's, where he lived until about 1813, when he sold out. He
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SETTLERS FROM 1780 TO 1800.
afterwards lived in various places, in Fitzwilliam, in Richmond, N. H., and Dummerston, Vt.
Ezekiel White came from Douglass, Mass., quite early, but the precise date is not known. His name first appears in the records of Fitzwilliam in 1782. He settled on the farm formerly owned by Franklin Woodward.
All that is known of Nathaniel Bucklin is that he lived a few years on the west side of the road near the Bishop place. He left town about 1800.
About this time, or a few years earlier, a man by name of Newton came here and built a house near where Mrs. A. W. Whitcomb lives. He was a steelyard maker and built a shop northeast of the house. He lived there but a short time when he was succeeded by William Nurse and Edward Foster.
Jonathan Capron came from Marlborough. He was a blacksmith and formerly had a shop near the forks of the road, southeast of the residence of George A. Porter. He built a shop which was situated somewhere between the Congregational church and the residence of Mrs. Sarah E. Harris. He worked there some ten or fifteen years and then moved to Vermont.
Christopher Harris was a native of Rhode Island, and when a child, came to Richmond, N. H., where he lived during his minority. In 1787 he married a young lady who also came from Rhode Island, and in 1797 purchased the tavern which had been built and kept some years by Jonathan Ball. This tavern was near the residence of E. F. Adams and opposite the large elm tree. At that time the farm connected with the tavern was a large and very productive one, containing one hundred and thirty acres, and yielded a large income. He lived here until about 1811, when he moved to Rockingham, Vt., where he died.
Elijah Fuller was a native of Newton, Mass., and at
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HISTORY OF TROY.
an early age was put out to service with Norman Clark, of whom he learned the carpenter's trade, which he fol- lowed a larger part of the time. In 1797, he located on West Hill. Previous to his coming here in 1795, he married Lucretia Smith, who was a native of Holden, Mass. Soon after her birth her father moved with his family to Wyoming, Pennsylvania, which is on the Sus- quehanna river, where they remained until the famous "Wyoming massacre," when two thousand Tories and nine hundred Indians came upon the place and murdered the inhabitants without discrimination. Lucretia Smith was one of the few who escaped. She was about thirteen years of age and remembered well the distressing scenes which took place at that time, when so many fell a prey to savage warfare. The family after their escape returned to Holden.
Capt. Isaac Fuller, a brother of Elijah, came a few months later from Holden, where he had resided a short time. He first moved into a schoolhouse which then stood near his brothers, but later located on a farm afterwards purchased of the heirs of William Barker. He was a car- penter and skillful workman, but his farm demanded so much of his time that he devoted but little attention to his trade. On returning home from the village one stormy night in the winter of 1819, he perished in the storm, at the age of forty-four.
Asa Brewer became a resident about this time, as he was taxed in Fitzwilliam in 1799. After his marriage he settled in Roxbury, where he lived some time, and then located on the Enoch Garfield farm. In 1828, he removed to the Jonathan Clark farm, and a few years later removed to Barton, Vermont.
Zopher Whitcomb came here when but a youth and lived in the family of Joseph Cutting, with whom he staid
SETTLERS FROM 1780 TO 1800. 65
during the larger part of his minority. It is said Cutting gave him the land comprising the Amasa Aldrich farm, upon which he erected buildings, and where he lived after his marriage.
John Joy came about 1798. He married Sally, eldest daughter of Reuben Ward, and built a house on the Henry A. Porter place, which was owned by his father-in-law, who did not relinquish the title during his life. He lived there but a few years, but long enough to clear consider- able land and erect comfortable buildings, and moved to Glover, Vt. The farm then passed into the possession of Levi Ward, who lived there a few years.
Joseph French is supposed to have come from Attle- borough, Mass., where his grandfather settled about 1720. He located on the farm now owned by Joseph Haskell. He resided there until 1808, when he sold his farm and moved to Ludlow, Vt.
Hugh Thompson came here about 1798, but from what place is not known. He married Polly, oldest daughter of Daniel Lawrence, and purchased of Nathan Barker that part of the farm which came into his possession by the will of his father, William Barker. The deed of his pur- chase was in consideration of five hundred dollars, and was dated July 9, 1799. Upon this land he erected build- ings, but after a few years he sold his farm to his brother- in-law, Daniel Lawrence, Jr., and purchased land in the eastern part of the town, but after a few years removed to the state of Maine.
John and David Garey, brothers, came from Leomin- ster, Mass., some time prior to 1790, and settled on the Luke C. Clark place. John married Betsey, the eldest daughter of Caleb Winch. In 1800, the two brothers. rented the Tolman tavern, and for about a year kept the public house in the village, when they returned to
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HISTORY OF TROY.
Leominster. In 1807, John, with Joseph, another brother, returned and bought of Edmund Bemis the farm which had been purchased by the latter of James Brewer. The house which was a one-story building was removed to the spot just south of the residence of Franklin Ripley, and after receiving an additional story and undergoing exten- sive repairs, was opened as a tavern, but after a few years they returned to Leominster. The tavern and the farm came into the possession of Robinson and Farrar, who reserved a portion of the land and sold the remainder with the buildings to Timothy Kendall.
CHAPTER IV.
SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815.
NATHAN WHEELER .- THOMAS BENNY .- WILLIAM BARNARD .- THOMAS CLARK. -JOSIAH MORSE .- HEZEKIAH HODGKINS .- REUBEN NEWELL .- EDMUND BEMIS .- JONATHAN LAWRENCE .- WILLIAM LAWRENCE .- ZALMON HOWE. -JOHN LAWRENCE .- HENRY TOLMAN .- JOSEPH BUTLER .- AARON HOLT .- DANIEL FARRAR .- JOSHUA HARRINGTON .- SAMUEL LAWRENCE .- DANIEL CUTTING, JR .- LEVI MAXEY .- EASMAN ALEXANDER .- ROBERT FITTS .- JOSIAH AMADON .- NATHAN WINCH .- ELIJAH HARRINGTON .- CALEB PERRY. -JOSEPH ALEXANDER .- ELIAS MANN .- DANIEL W. FARRAR .- LUNA STAR- KEY .- ISAAC LAWRENCE .- JAMES GODFREY .- SALMON WHITTEMORE .- LUKE HARRIS .- CONSTANT WEAVER .- SYLVESTER P. FLINT .- ELNATHAN GORIIAM .- PELETIAH HODGKINS .- NATIIAN NEWELL .- LYMAN WRIGHT .- STEPHEN FARRAR .- CALVIN BEMIS.
Nathan Wheeler was born in Holden, Mass., where he spent the early part of his life. He served in the Ameri- can army during the Revolutionary war, after which he married and settled in his native place. He came to Marl- borough in 1800, but did not become the owner of real estate. He afterwards went to Fitchburg, then to Saco, Me., returning to Fitzwilliam and then moving to Keene.
John and William Brown came here from Fitchburg about this time, purchasing the clothing mill, working at their trade as clothiers a short time, but not being as suc- cessful as expected, they sold the mill to Thomas Benney and returned to Fitchburg.
Thomas Benney came from another part of Marl- borough, and on coming here married Lucinda, daughter of Richard Roberts, and lived a short time in the Bacon house, then in the Warren house and finally in part of his mill. After a few years he went to Westminster, Vt.
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HISTORY OF TROY.
In 1801 or 1802, William Barnard of Lancaster, Mass., purchased a house of Daniel Farrar, Sen. He was a black- smith by trade, and during his residence in the village he worked at his trade in the shop occupied by Jonathan Capron. In 1808, he sold his location and moved into a house formerly owned by Reuben Ward. About this time he built a shop near the Ward bridge, so-called, in which he constructed a trip hammer and other machinery, which was propelled by water. A short time after, he formed a partnership with one Moses Aldrich, and built a scythe factory at the North end, near where the Forristall saw mill was. This was the first scythe factory in town. Al- drich built a house near the shop, which was the only house in that section. In 1816 the house and shop were sold to Amos Sibley and he moved to Cavendish, Vt.
Thomas Clark, Jr., son of Thomas, of whom some account has been given, married in 1801 and settled on the home farm, where he lived until 1848. He afterwards purchased the farm formerly occupied by his son, Alvah S., where he lived until his death.
Josiah Morse, a son of Henry Morse, of whom some account has been given, in 1802 bought of Thomas Tol- man a small lot of land and built a tavern, the one now known as the Monadnock Hotel, which has since undergone extensive repairs. But little is known of him previous to his coming here, other than that he lived in Swanzey, and that his wife was a daughter of Levi Maxey, of Attleborough. He kept a public house until about 1812, when he sold his location to Constant Weaver, and removed to Attleborough. During most of the time he resided here there were other public houses in the vicinity, so that on account of the competition he did not have a very lucrative business.
Hezekiah Hodgkins was a native of New Ipswich,
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SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815.
where he spent his early years; at the breaking out of the war of the Revolution, he responded to his country's call, and was in the army several years. Soon after his return from the war he settled in New Ipswich, where he worked at his trade of cabinet making. He came to Marlborough in 1788 and resided in the village for several years. In 1803 he purchased of Simon Piper the farm recently owned by Edmund Bemis. About this time he built a saw and gristmill, on the site now owned by George S. Colburn. In 1808 he sold the farm and mill to Edmund Bemis, Sr., and bought of Joseph French the farm now owned by Joseph Haskell. The next year he built a new house, but continued to live in the old one for some time, using the new one as a shop in which to manufac- ture rakes, a business which he followed in his later days.
Reuben Newell, the third son of Jacob, settled on the farm afterwards owned by William A. Harris. The land was given him by his father, upon which he erected the buildings. He resided here until 1815, when he moved into a house built for him by his father, which on account of some peculiarity in its construction, was called the "plank house."
Edmund Bemis was born in Westminster, Mass., in 1765, and came, here at the period at which we have arrived. After his marriage, at the age of thirty-four years, he lived in Fitchburg a few years, but in 1807 he purchased of James Brewer the Stephen B. Farrar farm. He lived here three years and then sold the farm to Garey, as already mentioned, and moved on to the Ward farm where he lived one year. He soon sold out to Jonas Garey, and bought the one on West Hill, where he lived until his death, now owned by J. M. Foster.
Of the descendants of the first settlers, mention should
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HISTORY OF TROY.
be made of Jonathan Lawrence, son of Jonathan, pre- viously mentioned. He lived for some years on the Forbes place, in the south part of Marlborough; but about 1804 he purchased of Hugh Thompson the Sidney A. Butler farm, where he lived until near the close of his life when he went to live with his brother William.
William Lawrence, fifth son of Jonathan, married and settled on the home farm about this time. In 1856 he moved with his son, Joseph E. Lawrence, to a place purchased of A. B. Gates.
Zalmon Howe came from Holden, Mass., and settled in Marlborough in 1803, and bought the Joseph Alexander place. He obtained it of Elijah Alexander, whose son Gideon bought it of one White, who was the first settler. He lived there four or five years; afterwards he resided four years on the Barker farm, two on the "Amasa Fuller place," two on the George Farrar place, and three on the Joseph Alexander, Jr., place, and then moved to Fitzwil- liam, where he died.
John Lawrence, son of Daniel, married and settled on the home farm in 1805.
Nov. 28, 1805, Henry Tolman, son of Benjamin, formed a co-partnership with his father-in-law, Christopher Har- ris, in conducting the business of the tavern. He lived there one and one-half years, then moved to Derry, Vt., and after three years returned and lived some time where Franklin Whitcomb now lives. After this he kept a public house at the Amasa Fuller place for about two years, and then returned to the Whitcomb place. He worked at briek making in the Thomas Wright yard for three years, and then moved into the Sampson Wheeler house, where he lived for sixteen years; after moving once or twice more he settled in Sterling, Mass., where he died.
Joseph Butler was a native of Bolton, Mass., probably.
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SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815.
He lived there about eighteen years after his marriage, coming here about 1806, buying of Rufus Russell a farm near Simon Butler's. This was some distance from the public highway, but formerly on an old road leading from Silas Fife's to Hugh Thompson's. He lived here some thirty years and moved to Marlborough, where he died.
Aaron Holt was born in Holden, Mass., where his father, from Andover, settled at an early period. In the fall of 1806, he purchased of Daniel Lawrence, Jr., a farm on West Hill, and in the following spring came with his family and settled on the same, where he lived ten years. After this he lived one year each on the Clark and Whit- comb farms; he then bought the farm afterwards owned by Hamilton Parker, and resided there three years. In 1822, he lived on the Levi L. Pierce place; in 1823, on the Sidney A. Butler place; in 1824, he moved to the Gove place, so-called, south of the Jonathan Clark place. In the fall of 1826, while passing on the highway, he met a young man riding one horse and leading another. The led horse was a vicious animal, and refused to go, and in attempting to assist the stranger in managing his unruly beast, he was kicked so badly that he died the next day.
This year, Daniel Farrar, Jr., second son of Daniel, before mentioned, located where Jonathan Capron formerly lived, now owned by Mrs. A. W. Whitcomb. He occupied the old house until after the death of his father, when he built the brick house now on the premises. He was a very industrious man and much esteemed by the people of the town.
Joshua Harrington was living with his father in 1807. In 1809, he built the old part of the house now owned by Miss Villa Gates. The year previous, he and his brother Elijah built a carding mill near the pail shop of Charles Coolidge, and they were in business together several years ;
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HISTORY OF TROY.
but in 1820, Joshua sold his house to Solomon Goddard and his interest in the mill to his brother Elijah, and moved to Alstead, where he resided until 1850, when he moved to Pittstown, New York.
Samuel Lawrence, second son of Jonathan, settled here not far from this time. After his marriage he lived a short time in Royalston, Mass .; on coming here he pur- chased a house of John Rodgers, which was north of No. 1 schoolhouse. He was a carpenter, and most of his time was devoted to his trade. In the great freshet of the winter of 1810, he was employed with others, by the pro- prietors of the turnpike, to remove a large body of ice which was obstructing the passage of the water under the bridge at the north end and threatening its destrue- tion. While standing upon the ice, the obstruction sud- . denly gave way and he was thrown with considerable violence into the stream and carried rapidly down the current, and before assistance could be rendered him by those on shore, he was carried down the rapids, where he disappeared forever. The following summer a thigh bone of a man was found some distance below, which was, no doubt, a part of his body.
Daniel Cutting, Jr., eldest son of Daniel, settled on a farin east of the schoolhouse in Distriet No. 3, which he purchased of the heirs of Hezekiah Coolidge, in 1807; now owned by John Lang. He inherited much of his father's business capacity, was an upright man, took a deep interest in the affairs of the town and was elected to numerous offices of trust and responsibility. For some vears he devoted considerable time to buying cattle and sheep which he sent to Brighton market.
About this time, Levi Maxey of Attleborough, bought of Jonas Robeson the house in which he lived previous to his removal to Fitzwilliam village. His grandfather,
SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815. 73
Alexander Maxey, settled in Attleborough in 1721. Levi was the second son of Josiah Maxey and married Ruth, daughter of Jacob Newell, and settled in his native town, where his children were born. He was well advanced in life when he came here, probably to be with his daughter, Mrs. Josiah Morse. He lived here until Mr. Morse left the tavern, when he returned to Attleborough. Three of his sons, Jonathan, Milton and Virgil, were graduates of Brown University, and eminent in literary and profes- sional life. Levi, another son, who possessed superior talents, though not liberally educated, died in the South.
Easman Alexander, son of Elijah, settled on the home farm with his father in 1808. He was emphatically a home man, and never was in a car or stage coach, and very seldom going beyond the limits of the town; but unlike many other home men, he knew the way to the church.
In 1809 or 1810, Robert Fitts of Royalston, Mass., came here with his widowed mother and resided in the Whipple house. Soon after coming here he built a shop on the site now occupied by the old blanket mill. He was a mechanic, and is represented as a very ingenious man and given to making new inventions, and constructed several machines which were propelled by water. This shop was burned in 1825. He married Tryphena Farrar, in 1821, and continued to live here until 1827, when he moved to Mason, and afterwards to New Ipswich, N. H.
Josiah Amadon of Fitzwilliam came into what is now Troy, and worked at shoemaking; but after several years' residence he returned to Fitzwilliam.
Nathan Winch, third son of Caleb, lived on the home- stead several years; but after the death of his aged father, he sold the farm to one Derby, and bought of Luke Harris the situation in the village now known as the " Winch place," where he lived until his death.
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HISTORY OF TROY.
Elijah Harrington settled on the homestead with his parents in 1819, and for a few years devoted his time to farming, occasionally assisting his father in the gristmill; after the death of the latter, having sole charge of it. In 1808, he and his brother Joseph built a carding mill which has already been mentioned, where they carried on business for a few years; afterwards Elijah bought his brother's share, and carried on the business alone until 1840, when he sold the mill to Charles Coolidge, who took it down, as it interfered with the operation of his pail shop which was on the opposite side of the stream.
Caleb Perry purchased the farm formerly owned by Silas Fife, in May, 1810. He was born in Fitchburg, Mass., about 1773, and married Deborah Fairbanks, of Holliston, Mass., in 1798. After a residence of about twenty years, he removed to Alstead, having sold his farm to his son-in-law, Abel Baker. In 1833, the family were attacked with typhoid fever, and all died except Mr. Perry and one son. He subsequently lived in Temple and Athol, Mass., where he died in October, 1849.
Joseph Alexander, son of Gideon, settled upon the farm purchased of Zalmon Howe, where he always lived.
Elias Mann, son of Theodore, married Betsey Butler in 1811, and although he frequently changed locations, spent a large proportion of his life in Troy.
Daniel W. Farrar, eighth son of Phineas, came here in 1800, and was employed as a clerk in the store of Jonas Robeson seven years. In 1805, Robeson moved to Fitz- william and left him in charge for a time; he then formed a partnership with him and carried on the business until 1813, when he bought out Mr. Robeson's share and took sole charge of the store. About this time he formed a partnership with Curtis Coolidge, which continued for about three years, when he took the entire business and
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SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815.
conducted the same until about 1843, when he was suc- ceeded by his son, David W., and John Whittemore, Jr., from Fitzwilliam. At this time he resided in the Garey tavern. In 1835, he moved the old store, built by Robe- son, a little back and built the brick store now owned by C. W. Whitney. Robeson established this store in 1793, and there has been a store in operation upon this spot
STORE OF C. W. WHITNEY.
continuously for over one hundred years. After giving up his store, he devoted most of his time to farming, and lived in the house now occupied by C. D. Farrar, which was built in 1836. For more than fifty years he was one of the most enterprising men of the town, and prob- ably no one exerted a greater influence. He was very active in the movement which led to the formation of the town of Troy, and it was mainly through his exertions that the act was accomplished, as will be seen by referring to the account of its incorporation. His name is identified with almost every public act, and although his position at times may have been violently assailed, yet all seemed willing to give him credit for strict integrity and of acting
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HISTORY OF TROY.
from the best of motives. In some respects he was a remarkable man, and few with the same early advantages would have made so conspicuous a mark in life. He pos- sessed good native talent, an active mind, and was quick of apprehension, but his school advantages were very limited. But he had a mind for improvement and an energy which enabled him to overcome the most formida- ble obstacles, and to make up in good measure the deficiency in his early school advantages. Every day was a practical school to him; he kept his books by his side, but instead of gathering from them a few theories without a knowledge of their application, like many of our modern scholars, he used them, as was once said by a noted divine, as soldiers to assist him in fighting the battle of life. He made his books contribute to his business capacity, and in all his studies, "cui bono?" was his earnest inquiry. Thus his education was highly practical and thus will account for his success in life.
Luna Starkey, eighth son of Peter, married Hannah White, in the early part of this year and lived a short time in the house with his father. In 1813, he bought of Ebenezer Saunders the farm upon which the latter had lived some years, where he lived until his death.
This year, also, Isaac Lawrence, fourth son of Jonathan, built the house on the Levi L. Pierce place, and resided there some four or five years, when he moved to Vermont. His wife was Polly Lebourveau of Keene.
Capt. James Godfrey, a shoemaker, came here from Lancaster, Mass., but at what time is not known. He married a Goodwin. In 1813, he sold his house to Salmon Whittemore and moved to Fitzwilliam.
Salmon Whittemore of Royalston, Mass., came here in 1812 and purchased the farm afterwards owned by A. S. Clark. Levi Haskell had owned the farm some years
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SETTLERS FROM 1800 TO 1815.
previous, selling the same to Whittemore and moving to Fitz- william. The latter lived here about a year, then bought Capt. Godfrey's house and moved to the village. In his carlier years he had learned the clothiers' trade, and April 1, 1815, bought of Jonathan Wood of Fitzwilliam, the fulling mill which had been owned by Thomas Benney. For this he paid $1600, but the mill was old and the tim- bers so decaved that the following year he took the mill down and built a new one on the same spot. Mr. Whitte- more is said to have been a skillful workman, and that he was much esteemed by his fellow citizens is evident from the various offices to which he was promoted by their suffrages.
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