USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Peterborough > Historical sketches of Peterborough, New Hampshire : portraying events and data contributing to the history of the town > Part 33
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(a) They shall act as a board, choosing a chairman, a secretary, who shall keep a record of their pro- ceedings, a treasurer, who shall handle all funds and keep accounts thereof, and such other agents as they may require in administering the trust. Any act or vote within the limits of the authority herein conferred, when concurred in by at least three Trus- tees, shall be valid to all intents and purposes as if concurred in by all.
(b) In case of any vacancy through resignation or death or per- manent removal from Peterborough (which shall be a disqualification) the remaining Trustees shall appoint successor trustees who shall be resi- dents of Peterborough, such appoint- ment to be in writing signed by at least three Trustees (or by all the
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survivors if less than three), acknowl- edged by one of them and recorded in Hillsborough County Registry of Deeds. In making such appoint- ments to fill vacancies, the Trustees shall receive and consider nominations made by the Peterborough Historical Society and by other organizations occupying and using the building as provided in paragraph (d); but they may in their discretion appoint per- sons other than those so nominated, final decision in such cases being vested in the Trustees, notwithstand- ing such nominations. If at any time there should be no qualified Trustee remaining in office, a new board of five trustees may be ap- pointed by the Court having juris- diction of trusts upon petition of any citizen of Peterborough and on such notice and hearing as the court may order; and a copy of the order of court making such appointment shall be recorded in said Registry of Deeds. In all cases title shall vest in suc- cessor trustees without further formal- ity.
(c) So far as available funds will permit, it shall be the duty of the Trustees to maintain the buildings and improvements on the trust prop- erty in suitable repair, and to cause the same to be properly cared for and heated and lighted so that they may be available for use at all reason- able hours. They shall keep the buildings adequately insured against fire and shall carry insurance against liability if in their judgment necessary for the protection of the trust. In case of destruction or damage by fire they shall rebuild or repair, making alterations in plan if they think best and using the insurance money therefor; and if the insurance money shall be insufficient they shall have authority to borrow such ad- ditional money as may be required not to exceed ten thousand dollars
and for such loan to mortgage the trust property as security. They are authorized to make additions and alterations to the buildings and im- provements whenever in their judg- ment advisable and funds are availa- ble from any source.
(d) The Trustees shall allot to the Historical Society (or its successor, if any) such portion of the building and the conveniences therein as in their judgment will be suitable for the use and comfort of the Society and its members, making reasonable provision for the joint use by others of facilities adapted to such joint use. Having due regard to the welfare of said Society, the Trustees may per- mit other civic and community or- ganizations to occupy and use rooms and facilities in said building, either free of charge or at moderate rental as they may determine. They are authorized to lease parts of the building (so far as may be done with- out unduly interfering with the other uses herein provided for). Any funds derived from rentals shall be used only in payment of the current ex- penses of the trust property, includ- ing upkeep, and in no event shall the rental operations be allowed to pro- duce a larger income than is needed for that purpose.
(e) The Trustees are authorized to build on any portion of the trust property now vacant.
(f) The Trustees shall have authority to receive funds to be held in trust for the purposes of this trust or any of them. The grantor intends to transfer and deliver to the Trus- tees from time to time, as a donation, securities valued at approximately thirty thousand dollars to be held as a trust fund. The Trustees shall keep such trust fund, together with any additions thereto, safely invested, having power to sell securities and in- vest in others in their discretion and to
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use any income derived from such trust fund in or towards paying the current expenses of the trust property, in- cluding upkeep, after applying thereon any income received from rentals. Any surplus of income from such trust fund may be set aside into a contingent fund to be used for the purposes of the trust as and when the Trustees may determine, or may be used for additions and improvements, or may be added to the trust fund in the discretion of the Trustees. In case the Trustees shall convey the trust property to the town or to a corporation as herein authorized, they shall likewise transfer and deliver said trust fund to the same grantee, subject to the same trusts as herein expressed so far as applicable.
(g) In case said Historical So- ciety shall at any time discontinue its activities or for any other reason said Society or its successor, if any, shall have no further occasion to use said building for its purposes, the Trustees shall have authority to devote the same primarily to some other civic, community, charitable or educational organization in Peter- borough to be selected by them. In case of any change in conditions which in the judgment of the Trustees shall make such action desirable and for the best interests of the town and its citizens and for the advancement of the purposes of this trust, the Trustees are authorized to convey the trust property to the town of Peterborough subject to the terms of this trust so far as applicable and also to the further condition to be expressly agreed to by the town that it will maintain the building in good repair and permit the same to be used for purposes of the character herein specified, and also subject to such other conditions similarly agreed to by the town as the Trustees may require; and in such case provision
shall be made so that on default of any such condition by the town in any material respect, the legal heirs or devisses of the grantor shall be entitled to recover title and possession of the trust property, including the trust fund, for their own use.
(h) The Trustees shall make writ- ten report to the town before the fifteenth day of February in each year. This trust being created for the benefit of the citizens of Peter- borough, any citizen shall be entitled to apply to a court having jurisdiction of trusts for the correction of any neglect or perversion of this trust by the Trustees or any of them or their successors in title, if any; and in such proceedings any Trustees shall be subject to removal for cause by order of court, which in such cases shall appoint a successor to any trus- tee so removed.
(i) The Trustees are authorized and empowered at any time when such action in their judgment will be compatible with the purposes of this trust to convey all the trust prop- erty to a corporation empowered to hold and administer the same upon the trusts herein expressed, includ- ing the Peterborough Historical So- ciety, if so incorporated. In such case the Trustees in connection with such conveyance may impose such conditions for the purpose of securing the performance of the terms of this trust as they may consider proper.
(j) In case it shall be determined, within a reasonable time, to erect on Grove Street, on the vacant lot between the Historical Building and the Town Hall, a War Memorial, then the Trustees are authorized and empowered to convey to the Town of Peterborough, exclusively for the use of a War Memorial, suf- ficient land fronting on Grove Street to erect and maintain such Memorial, reserving to themselves a right of
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way, suitable to the uses of the His- torical Building and not less than 12 feet wide.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 3d day of October in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three.
CLARA F. BASS
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of Ezra M. Smith.
State of New Hampshire, Hillsborough, ss. October 3d, 1923.
Then the above named Clara F. Bass, personally appearing, acknowl- edged the foregoing instrument to be her free act and deed. Before me,
Ezra M. Smith, Justice of the Peace.
Letter from Donor.
To Robert.P. Bass, Eben W. Jones, Margaret A. Clement, Jennie H. Field and James F. Brennan:
I have this day delivered to you a deed of property on Grove Street in Peterborough known as the "His- torical Building" and the lot on which the same is built, upon trusts
for public uses as fully set forth in said deed.
Article (f) of the trust provisions in said deed states that the grantor intends to transfer and deliver to the Trustees from time to time as a donation securities valued at ap- proximately thirty thousand dollars, to be held as a trust fund for purposes therein set forth.
I hereby confirm such intention and for the purpose of making the state- ment of my intention more specific, I hereby declare that it is my purpose during each of the calendar years 1924, 1925 and 1926 to deliver to you as trustees for the purposes ex- pressed in said paragraph (f) of said Trust Deed securities valued at ap- proximately ten thousand dollars each year and aggregating thirty thousand dollars in all; and that it is my purpose to confirm the donations aforesaid if not made during my lifetime by suitable provisions in a codicil to my will.
I make this statement of intention in order that the Trustees may be able to make plans for the care and use of the trust property with assur- ance of a definite income.
Dated at Peterborough, New Hampshire, this 3d day of October 1923.
CLARA F. BASS.
[From page 271 to here was published in the Peterborough TRANSCRIPT, October 11, 1923.]
·
PETERBOROUGH'S REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS
BY JAMES F. BRENNAN
Daughters of the American Revolution :
It was a pleasure for me to accept your kind invitation to give a short talk on the Peterborough men in the Revolutionary War, who, a century and a half ago were in the army that compelled England to release this country from her domain, enabling the establishment here of a real democratic republic which has grown and prospered until today it has be- come. the greatest nation on this planet in all that makes a govern-, ment worthily great, by the formation of a Union of states that insures to its people "life, liberty and the pur- suit of happiness."
No more appropriate topic of dis- cussion could be suggested by you. than "Peterborough's Part in the Revolutionary War, " the preservation. of that history indeed is one of the chief tenets of your organization in the. keeping alive the memory of the patriotic sacrifices and superb bravery of those hardy soldiers, your forefathers, who offered their lives for the estab- lishment of this their ideal govern- ment and there is no more befitting place to consider that subject than here in this beautiful new Historical- Society Building.
Real patriotism; let us remember, like pure gold, is the same in substance and quality whether found under the primative home-spun suit of the- pioneer soldier-who under un- precedented privations and sufferings tramped through the forests' snow and mud to Boston, Bennington, Saratoga and. Trenton-or that de- voted love of country actuating the soldier of the War of the Rebellion and of the World War who, under
more advanced civilization, took com- fortable cars to concentration-camps. where suitable uniforms, good food and medical care were provided. The sufferings of the battle field and hospital were alike acute and the earnest, patriotic love of country constituted the same impelling force in 1775, 1862 and 1915.
These old time soldiers of the Revolution had none of the tinsel and glamor of the more recent wars; none of them knew of the stirring and stimulating enthusiasm of cheer- ing throngs and martial music. The lot of the soldier of the Revolution was the hard, cheerless grind of covering hundreds of miles by dreary travel on foot over primitive roads or bridle paths through uninhabited country, with scant food and clothing and in our rigorous climate, where nothing but a devoted patriotism united with an indomitable deter- mination could have succeeded; a patriotism so real and abiding that it has crowned every war in which we have participated with the hallow of victory.
Your society has marked the place where the first important step was taken by the people of this town in the War of the Revolution with a bronze plate in a granite boulder, designating the site of the old Wilson Tavern-the first Tavern in Peter- borough-the place from which the first company of men from here started for the seat of war.
News of the beginning of the war. by the departure of the British troops from Boston for Concord on the night of April 18, 1775, reached Peterborough early on the morning
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of the nineteenth. The messenger came from New Ipswich, entering the town by the Street Road. The clatter of his horse's hoofs coming down the hill-this side of where Gov. Bass now lives-awakened James the son of Robert Wilson, a lad of nine years, who was asleep in the attic of his father's house. The Wilson Tavern was on the west side of the Street Road, two-thirds of the way down the hill and about seventy-five rods south of what has long been known as "Wilson Corner." The horseman reined up at the door and gave the alarm. Robert Wilson was then captain of the Peterborough Com- pany of Militia and his house was a general rendezvous as well as the headquarters of the militia. He immediately called his hired man and sent him out to notify the people. By ten o'clock every able-bodied man in town was at the Tavern with such arms as he owned and ready to march; some had firearms with a meagre supply of powder and ball; some of the guns were the old, heavy, clumsy Queen's arms; some were light French pieces, called "Fusees." Many of the guns had seen hard usage in the old French and Indian Wars. Some of the men had pitch- forks, some shillalahs and one ardent patriot was armed with his grain flail. The men were of all ages and untrained in the soldier's art and their uniforms of homespun were as various in cut and color as the personalities of the wearers. Before noon of that day every able-bodied man in town was on the march for the seat of war under the command of Captain Wilson.
In his Centennial address of Oct. 24, 1839, Dr. John H. Morrison added many interesting details of the de- parture: " 'We all set out,' to quote the words of an actor in the drama, 'with such weapons as we could get; going like a flock of wild geese, we
hardly knew why or whither.' The word reached Captain Morrison at daylight, and in two hours, with his son and his hired man he was on his way, they on foot and he on horse- back carrying a bag with pork in one endof itand a large baking of bread just taken from the oven in the other. ‘I was willing,' said an aged woman to Dr. Morrison, 'that my father and brothers should run their chances with the rest.' 'I will not taste your tea,' said another, 'I would as soon drink a man's blood'."
The men-many of whom were mounted-marched down through New Ipswich and Townsend. On reaching Groton they heard the story of the Concord fight and part of their number (including Capt. Robert Wil- son) turned about and went home; the rest kept on to Cambridge. Everything at Cambridge was in confusion; the militia, in organized companies from the towns of eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire were on the ground but without regimental commanders. There were other men in great num- bers wholly unorganized and without responsibility to any one; among these were men from Peterborough. There was neither head, system nor authority in any one to organize the New Hampshire men into companies and regiments; but there was oppor -- tunity and Captain William Scott seized it. He organized on his arrival a company of minute-men; it had sixty-five officers and men. On the original roll all were accredited to Peterborough and the men were paid for their services by Massa- chusetts. This roll is given on page 87, of that excellent volume of 423 pages, written by Judge Jonathan Smith and published in 1913 by the Peterborough Historical Society, "Peterborough in the Revolution,"
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from which I freely quote in these remarks.
The islands in Boston harbor at that time were stocked by the British with cattle to furnish meat to feed their soldiers, hence these islands were the principal scenes of the first engagements. Alarms were raised in the neighboring towns of predatory British incursions, which exercised the vigilance of the local militia. The skirmishes on Noddle's Island- now East Boston-from May 27 to 30, 1775, were the most important, and there the Americans captured a number of horses held by the English and recovered and drove away sev- eral hundred sheep and cows. The fighting on Noddle's Island was the first engagement assuming the dig- nity of a battle and was the first in which Peterborough men participated.
These engagements finally culmi- nated in the battle of Bunker Hill which was fought on June 17, 1775. Captain Scott's Peterborough com- pany was in the thick of the fight and lost heavily. The original roll of his company is in the Massa- chusetts Archives and the men were paid by Massachusetts for their en- tire enlistment. These men were recruited to serve until the 31st of the following December, unless sooner discharged-whether enlisting into Massachusetts regiments or into New Hampshire organizations above named-and actually did so serve. Their pay was the same as that given by Massachusetts, namely, forty shill- ings per month, travel and a coat or four dollars as its equivalent in money.
The Massachusetts and New Hampshire rolls give the names of sixty-nine Peterborough men who belonged to the regiments of Colonel Brewer, Colonel Prescott and Colonel Woodbridge of Massachusetts, Colonel Stark and Colonel Reed of New Hampshire and to Captain
Scott's company of Colonel Sargent's regiment, all of which regiments were present and took part in the action.
No rolls of the above regiments for the 16th and 17th of June, show- ing who were present, absent on de- tached service or upon the sick list are known to exist, but after making liberal allowances for absentees, there must have been between forty and fifty Peterborough men in the battle, basing this statement upon the rolls of the two colonies. Six of the Peterborough men were wounded in the battle of Bunker Hill, namely: Joseph Taylor (mortally), Randall McAllister, Thomas Green, George McClourg, John Graham and Lieuten- ant William Scott.
News of the battle was brought to Captain Wilson the next night and created intense excitement in Peterborough. The messenger gave the information that the enemy were advancing on the American lines. Early the next morning every man then remaining in town, with such weapons as could be obtained, set out for Cambridge. News of the result of the battle met them at Townsend. Most of the men kept on to West Cambridge where they broke into a large vacant house and spent the night. Next morning the men who had sons in the battle set out to learn the fate of their sons and the particulars of the fight.
Of intense interest is a considera- tion of the personnel of those brave, hardy, intrepid soldiers of a century and a half ago and I venture to take part of the brief time alloted to me to mention some of the more prominent soldiers from this town.
The Scott family figured promi- nently in the war. In 1775 there were living in Peterborough two, John Scott, unmarried, aged 69 years and William Scott, aged 60 years. Alex-
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ander Scott, a third brother, had lived in town, owned land and carried on business here, but about 1770 with some of his sons moved to Stoddard; only one son, William Scott, remained in Peterborough and it was he, who became one of the most important figures among the Peterborough sol- diers of that time. Besides these three ·brothers-all of them born in Coleraine, Ireland- there was a fourth, Archibald Scott, who never came to this country. From this family descended all of the name of Scott of this section, including the great-grandchildren of William Scott, among them the late Will A. Scott, who lived and died in Fargo, North Dakota, and Miss Jennie S. Scott, who is a member, I believe, of this branch of the D. A. R., a great- granddaughter of Alcxander Scott; her mother was a descendant of Capt. Robert Wilson of Revolutionary fame.
William Scott came to America in 1760 and was in the French and Indian wars, serving in the expedi- tion to Crown Point. He kept a store near Carter's Corner, immediate- ly west of where George H. Scripture now lives. When the news of the „departure of the British troops from Boston to Concord on the night of April 18, 1775 reached Peterborough, William Scott closed his store, mould- jed bullets from the weights of his grocery scales and with the men from this town, hurriedly took up the march to the conflict. After Capt. Robert Wilson returned home from Groton, Capt. William Scott took command of the Peterborough Company and organized the men, consisting of eleven officers, a fifer, a drummer and fifty-nine privates (a list of which is given on page 88 of Judge Smith's book).
This company went into active drilling and we find them later on in the vicinity of Boston where they
received their first baptism of fire, im the first regular line of battle of the war formed by the. Colonial troops on Noddle's Island. These men afterwards participated in the battle of Bunker Hill where Capt. Scott was wounded from which, however, he recovered and achieved "a fine mili- tary record at the battles of Ticon- deroga,. Bemis Heights and Mon- mouth.
Capt. Robert Wilson was one of the most prominent citizens of Peter- borough and held many town offices; he became a lieutenant of the militia in 1771; captain with the troops start- ing for Lexington in 1775; subse- quently he was on Gen. Stark's Staff at the battles of Bennington, Sara- toga and Stillwater and the night after the battle of Bennington. he commanded the guard having charge of the prisoners and was sent with them to Boston. He was the ancestor of the Peterborough Wilsons and was born in the County of Tyrone, Ire- land, the son of William Wilson, who came to this country in 1737 with his wife and son Robert.
John Smith, a prominent man in Peterborough, joined the army in Cambridge in 1775; his brother, Robert Smith, was in Col. Baldwin's Regiment, raised for the defense of New York and was in the battle of White Plains, Oct. 28, 1776. Thomas Smith was in Col. Hale's Regiment and marched to Ticonderoga and Stillwater in 1777 and to the defense of Rhode Island the next year. All of the Smiths then in Peterborough were either natives or children of natives of Ireland, being all descend- ants of Robert Smith who came here from Moneymore, near Lough Neagh Ireland in 1736, where a few years ago I had the great privilege of visit- ing the old Smith homestead-built of everlasting stone with its straw- thatched roof-and the old grave-
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yard where generations of the Smith family lie buried. From these ances- tors descended all of the old family of Smiths in Peterborough including Dr. Albert Smith who wrote the Peterborough Town History, Mrs. Clara F. Bass, the generous donor of this beautiful Historical Building and Judge Jonathan Smith of Clin- ton, Mass., author of "Peterborough in the Revolution." "
Gapt. 'Alexander Robbe, son of William Robbe, was born in the County of Tyrone, Ireland, in 1726 where his progeny for generations lived and was one of the early settlers of Peterborough and prominent in toivn affairs." He served as a private to re-inforce the American Army in Canada in 1776; became Captain of the local militia company that year and was with the company which marched for Ticonderoga, June 29, 1777. John Robbe, an older brother of Capt. Robbe, born in Ireland in 1719, came to America with his parents in 1730 and enlisted in Col. Heald's Regiment " answering the alarm of Ticonderoga and wa's wound- ed at the battle of Bennington. David Robbe, a nephew of Capt. Robbe answered the Lexington alarm and was at Ticonderoga. There were two Samuel Robbes, the older en- listed in Capt: Robbe's Company in 1777 and the younger in 1781 en- listed in Col. Reed's Regiment.
Patrick White, a native of Ireland, came here with his large family in 1770, and from this family the late Gen. Daniel M. White and all of the name of White now residing here trace their ancestry. The following four sons of this emigrant, all born in Ireland, were in the Revolutionary War: David White, who owned and operated the first saw-mill in town- at what is now "Happy Valley"- enlisted in Capt. Cunningham's Com- pany in 1778 for the defense of
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