USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Windham > History and proceedings of the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the settlement of Windham in New Hampshire held June 9, 1892 > Part 11
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I remain, yours sincerely,
GILBERT A. KENNEDY.
To the Citizens of Windham, New Hampshire, U. S. A. :- We, the members of the Presbyterian church of Aghadowey, county of Derry, Ireland, have heard of your intention to celebrate on the 9th of June, 1892, the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of your town and the 172d year of your settlement as a people in the far West. Being closely united to you by ties of kindred and of faith, we desire to assure you of our cordial sympathy with you in your rejoic- ing.
It is now about 250 years since our forefathers and yours were driven by the red hand of persecution from their Scottish homes to
107
Letter from the Church of Aghadowey.
that portion of Ulster in which we now live. During the revolution of 1688-90 they fought under William III., and were amongst the defenders of Derry during its historical siege. For a time the sur- vivors enjoyed rest, but in the year 1704 their troubles re-commenced. At length the yoke became so galling that in our district some deter- mined to surrender home, notwithstanding the blood they had shed in its defense. Accordingly, in the year 1718, the Rev. James McGregor, minister of this church, with 120 of his families, arose and emi- grated to America, settling finally in New Hampshire, and many of you are their descendants.
It is a sad blot on the pages of our history that a loyal, pious, and industrious people were thus driven from the land they had bought at so high a price, and the saddest element is the fact that the blow was struck by the hands of those who had lately been their comrades in arms. But "all things work together for good to them that love God." The Aghadowey Pilgrim Fathers landed on the friendly shores of America, a free people. Their descendants have not only found a covert from the storm ; they have shared in the glory of building up the great republic of the West, where peace and contentment reign and not only commerce, but religion and the fine arts grow and flourish.
We are truly proud of you, and of our grand old church from whence you sprang, amd we are thankful to be able to say that never in all her history has she enjoyed a greater measure of prosperity.
Nearly all of the old disabilities have been removed. Civil and religious liberty prevails. Peace reigns within our walls and pros- perity within our palaces. When we reflect on the goodness of God to us and our kinsmen across the ocean, we may well say in the language of the ancient poem, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him, but his bow abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Almighty God of Jacob, even by the God of thy father who shall keep thee, and by the Almighty who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills ; they shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."
Brethen, we heartily rejoice in your joy, and unite in wishing you prosperity.
108
Letter from John Carr, Esq.
Signed on behalf of the members of Aghadowey Presbyterian church.
GILBERT A. KENNEDY, Minister. JOHN BOYD, Clerk of Session.
Matthew Macauley, Samuel Perry, Torrens Miller, James A. Mul- len, Thomas Craig, Robert Wilson, Robert Shirley, Robert Anderson, Robert Rankin, other members of the session.
THE MAYOR OF LONDONDERRY.
TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE, GUILDHALL, LONDONDERRY, IRELAND, 26th May, 1892.
HONORABLE SIR :- I have to thank you for your very kind invita- tion on behalf of the citizens of Windham, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its incorporation, and to express my regret at my inability to be present with them on that occasion.
Believe me, yours very truly,
J. ACHESON MACCULLAGH.
To the Honorable Leonard A. Morrison, Windham, New Hampshire, U. S.
Mayor.
JOHN CARR, ESQ., BOSTON, MASS.
BOSTON, MASS., June 7, 1892.
GENTLEMEN :- In response to your kind invitation to be present at the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Windham, allow me to express my very great regret that I cannot join with you in that cele- bration, so full of interest to the descendants of those early settlers and hardy pioneers. I am detained by other engagements, but my heart will be there, where my ancestors, the Dinsmoors, helped to build one of the noted towns in the old commonwealth of New Hamp- shire, the old Granite state. Hoping you will have a good time and a successful celebration, I remain,
Respectfully yours,
To William C. Harris, Leonard A. Mor- .rison, William D. Cochran, A. F. Campbell, Committee on Invitations.
JOHN CARR.
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109
Letter from Jonathan L. Noyes, Esq.
THOMAS DINSMOOR, ESQ., SON OF COL. SILAS DINSMOOR, THE INDIAN AGENT.
KIRKSVILLE, ADAIR Co., Mo., June 6, 1892.
HON. LEONARD A. MORRISON,
Canobie Lake, N. H .:
DEAR SIR :- I received your kind invitation to the celebration at Windham, and also a Boston paper giving an account of same, for which, thanks. I can assure you it would give me great pleasure to be with you, but circumstances beyond my control render it impos- sible. Hoping you will have a grand success, I remain,
Yours truly, THOMAS DINSMOOR.
JONATHAN L. NOYES, ESQ., FARIBAULT, MINN.
MINNESOTA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, J. L. NOYES, SUPT. FARIBAULT, June 6, 1892.
WILLIAM C. HARRIS, EsQ., Chairman,
Windham, Rockingham Co., N. H. :
DEAR SIR :- Yours of the 31st ult. is at hand. I sincerely wish I could be with you and your fellow-citizens on the 9th inst., and join in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Windham, where I was born, and where the days of my childhood and youth were passed. Many and very precious are the recollections I now recall, as I pen these few lines. The town hall, formerly the meeting-house, with the box pews, the high box pulpit, the horse-sheds in the rear, Robert Bartley's store, the postoffice within, the tavern near by, and the church at the fork of the roads, the long sermons of the faithful pastor and preacher, Rev. C. Cutler, the Sabbath school, where Mrs. Hughes so kindly and faithfully taught me, and the little foot-stove that I used to carry to Mr. Bart- ley's house, to fill with live coals,-the only means of keeping warm in those cold, wintry days, the rumpus that arose, when it was pro- posed to heat the church with stoves,-those and many other associa- tions too numerous to mention pass before my mind, as I think of those early days in Windham. It would delight my heart to be with you, and take part in the celebration, on the 9th inst. I wish to be remembered to any and all of my acquaintances now living, and I
110
Letter from Rev. John H. Morison, D. D.
hope the next 150 years will witness even more and better things in Windham than the past; that many more boys and girls will come up to do better, greater, and nobler things than their fathers and mothers have done. That the town may always be as well uni- ted, as prosperous, as intelligent, and as well represented, both at home and abroad, in the future as in the past, is the earnest prayer and heartfelt desire of
Yours sincerely, J. L. NOYES.
ORLANDO DAVIDSON, ESQ., ELGIN, ILL.
ELGIN, June 4, 1892.
WM. C. HARRIS, EsQ., Chairman of Committee :
DEAR SIR: - I regret exceedingly that I shall not be able to attend the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Windham, N. H.
I trust you will have a very pleasant and profitable meeting. Yours very truly, ORLANDO DAVIDSON.
REV. JOHN HOPKINS MORISON, D. D., PETERBOROUGH, N. H.
PETERBOROUGH, June 1, 1892. To MESSRS. WILLIAM C. HARRIS, LEONARD A. MORRISON, WILLIAM D. COCHRAN, ALPHONSO F. CAMPBELL, Committee of Invitation :
DEAR SIRS : - It would give me great pleasure to attend the cele- bration of the 150th anniversary of Windham, the birthplace of my dear mother, and for a time the home of my great-grandfather, and also, I believe, of his father and grandfather. I have always, from my childhood up, thought of Windham with a filial reverence. I regret that, instead of being with you on the 9th inst., I can only join you in a silent benediction and a prayer that, as to those who have gone before, so even more to those who come after us, God may be present with even richer benefactions in the life and character of your people. With sincere regard, JOHN H. MORISON.
111
Letter from Daniel M. Park, Esq.
HON. JACOB H. GALLINGER, WASHINGTON, D. C.
UNITED STATES SENATE, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 19, 1892.
DEAR MR. MORRISON : - Your kind favor of May 16th, inclosing invitation to the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Windham, is received. It is a matter of much regret to me that I cannot be with you on that eventful day. Be assured that I will think of you, and trust the occasion may be one of much interest and pleas- ure.
With sincere good wishes, believe me,
Your friend as always,
J. H. GALLINGER.
Hon. L. A. Morrison, Canobie Lake, N. H.
DANIEL M. PARK, ESQ., DE SOTO, MO.
DE SOTO, Mo., May 30, 1892.
WILLIAM C. HARRIS,
LEONARD A. MORRISON,
WILLIAM D. COCHRAN,
ALPHONSO F. CAMPBELL,
Committee on Invitations :
DEAR SIRS :- To all of us come times when the heart's impulses and earnest wishes are bound and restrained by circumstances. This is one of those times to me. Though never a resident of Windham, yet to me the old town is dear. Over it, in boyhood days my father roamed ; in its atmosphere, and from its people he imbibed those ster- ling qualities and that rugged nature that he carried with him through life. He left to me an honored name, and gave to me the best that one needs to fit one for life's battle.
Of my old Scotch-Irish ancestry, I am proud, and there never will come a time that I shall not wish to be numbered on the roll when old Windham calls a rally of her sons and daughters, and their de- scendants.
These gatherings bring together the scattered fragments of the old families, and reunite them in a common loyalty, awakening the old ties of kindred blood. I wish I could be with you. I hope to visit the old place this summer, but I cannot at this time. May we not, however, in spirit, join hands across the distance that separates, and together say : "Old Windham, we love and honor thee ;- we love
112
Letter from President Harrison.
thy granite rocks, thy pine-clad hills, thy silvery lakes and mossy dells."
But dearer still, yet closer to our hearts, are the memories of our old Scotch-Irish ancestry. Earnest of purpose, fearing God, and ever eager to do the right, and the right alone, having that sterling, rugged character that ever leaves its impress on ages to come.
Allow me, then, to express my mother's sincere regrets at her inability to be present, as well as those for myself.
Truly yours, DANIEL M. PARK.
REV. CARROLL CUTLER, D. D., TALLADEGA, ALA.
TALLADEGA, ALA., April 22, 1892.
MY DEAR MR. MORRISON :- Yours of the 18th inst. is received. I am sorry to say that I shall not be able to be in Windham in June of this year. Our term here does not close until the 9th. It would be some days after that before we could leave home.
I am glad to hear of the good spirit of the people which leads them to observe so important an anniversary. I wish the town had been incorporated in August or September. I would like to move to amend the record, and put it September 9th, instead of June 9th. I am very sorry they made such a mistake 150 years ago. I love old Windham and all its old families. May you have a good and glorious time.
Very truly yours, CARROLL CUTLER.
PRESIDENT HARRISON, WASHINGTON, D. C.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C., June 2, 1892.
REV. WILLIAM E. WESTERVELT,
Windham, N. H .:
MY DEAR SIR :- The President directs me to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your favor of May 31st, and to express to you his thanks for the kind invitation to attend the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the town of Windham. He regrets that it will be impossible for him to be present on that occasion.
Very truly yours, E. W. HALFORD, Private Secretary.
Letter from Rev. Joseph S. Cogswell. 113
HON. WM. E. CHANDLER, WASHINGTON, D. C.
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UNITED STATES SENATE, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 24, 1892. HON. L. A. MORRISON, Canobie Lake, N. H .:
MY DEAR SIR :- Yours of the 16th, enclosing invitation to attend the Windham celebration on the 9th of June, is at hand. I very much regret that I shall not be able to attend. I can readily see that you will have a very interesting ceremonial.
Yours respectfully,
WM. E. CHANDLER.
FRANK E. PARK, ESQ., SOUTH BOSTON, MASS.
SOUTH BOSTON, May 23, 1892.
L. A. MORRISON, EsQ. :
DEAR SIR :- Please express to the committee on invitations my sincere regret that a previous engagement, involving the participation of many, will utterly prevent me from enjoying the enthusiastic fes- tivities which I know will prevail on the occasion of the 150th anni- versary of the incorporation of the good old town of Windham.
With many thanks for the remembrance,
I remain yours truly,
- FRANK E. PARK.
REV. JOSEPH S. COGSWELL, STANDISH, ME.
STANDISH, CUMBERLAND CO., MAINE, June 4, 1892. HON. LEONARD A. MORRISON :
MY DEAR SIR :- I have received an invitation to be present at the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Windham, New Hampshire. It is a painful duty to write to you that I cannot be present with you on that occasion of so much historic interest. I am now suffering with many aches and pains, and my physician enjoins upon me rest and quiet. I shall think of you on that day, and wish to be there, as I feel a deep interest in the welfare and prosperity of the excellent town of Windham, New Hampshire.
Very cordially yours,
JOSEPH S. COGSWELL.
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114
Letter from D. Wallis Morrison, Esq.
GEORGE S. MORISON, ESQ., CHICAGO, ILL.
CHICAGO, May 26, 1892.
LEONARD A. MORRISON, EsQ.,
Canobie Lake, Windham, N. H. :
DEAR SIR : - I thank you for the invitation to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the town of Windham. As a descendant of one of the early settlers, I take it that this invitation comes to me from the committee of which you are a member. It is very improb- able that I shall be able to attend, though I should be very glad to do so. If I cannot go, I wish you would express my thanks to the com- mittee for the invitation, with my best wishes for the success of the day and my thorough sympathy with the celebration and the objects which it commemorates.
Yours truly,
GEO. S. MORISON.
HON. GEORGE A. MARDEN, LOWELL, MASS.
June 5, 1892.
LEONARD A. MORRISON, EsQ. :
DEAR SIR :- I am greatly obliged for the kind invitation to attend the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Windham on the 9th, but, as I am to go to New York that evening, I can hardly avail my- self of it. But for this, I should be most happy to accept your invi- tation.
Yours truly, GEORGE A. MARDEN.
D. WALLIS MORRISON, ESQ., NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y. NEW YORK, June 6, 1892. WILLIAM C. HARRIS, EsQ., Chairman :
DEAR SIR :- The committee's invitation to participate in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the settlement of your good old town was duly received. I am compelled, with the profoundest regret, to forego the great pleasure it would afford me to be pres- ent on the occasion. The disappointment is all the more keen from the fact that, in addition to the enjoyment of the exercises of the day, I would have had the pleasure of meeting kindred and friends whom I have not seen for many years ; and further, that I am prevented
115
Poem by Mrs. D. W. Morrison.
from showing in person my allegiance to the home of my ancestors, and joining with those present in honoring their memory and virtues.
The proposed celebration has aroused Mrs. Morrison's Scottish blood. She has inscribed a few lines to kindred and friends,-enclosed herewith. Possibly an opportunity may present itself to read them to the gathered company.
Fervently hoping that the occasion will be full of unalloyed pleas- ure to all present, I remain
Affectionately yours,
D. WALLIS MORRISON.
TO KINDRED AND FRIENDS.
JUNE 9, 1892.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot ? Ah, no, for here we find Our hearts, with tender mem'ries, cling To days o' auld lang syne.
Near banks and braes o' " Bonnie Doon," Our grandsires worshipped God ; And there, in hallowed kirkyard, now, Their bones lie 'neath the sod.
Upon old Scotia's granite hills, Their sons breathed Freedom's air ; And learned, for liberty and truth, Heroic deeds to dare.
For Scotia, they "with Wallace bled ;" For freedom, followed Bruce; And ne'er, till right had won the fight, Consented to a truce.
Their weans were taught, at mother's knee, Sweet purity to love ; And count a conscience clear within All other things above.
They brought old Scotland's virtues Their western homes to grace ; The " Holy Book, in honored nook," Still knew its welcome place.
116
Poem by Mrs. D. W. Morrison.
'T was here they raised their hands in prayer, As their first homes they found ; And, by their sons, this sacred spot Is counted holy ground.
With " bonnets " doffed, we gather here, Like pilgrims to a shrine, To feel what we can ne'er express For days o' auld lang syne.
And here, like doves that, homeward bound, To their loved windows fly, Our kinsmen, drawn by cords of love, With votive off'rings hie.
Fond mothers to their bosoms press Their stalwart sons with pride, And then, with open arms, receive Each young and trusting bride.
While here and there, amid the crowd, We mark the kindling eye Of sweetheart that, to sweetheart dear, Breathes out the tender sigh.
And oft a touch of kindred blood In some dear child we trace : In one a father's noble brow, And here a mother's grace.
We feel our quick'ning pulses thrill As brothers dear we meet ; ยท As hand clasps hand, and eye to eye, Long scattered friends we greet.
2
The loved and lost in days of yore Seem hov'ring round us here ; And, as to them fond mem'ry turns, This song ne'er seemed so dear :
" Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind ? We'll tak' a cup o' kindness here For days o' auld lang syne.
117
Letter from Rufus A. Morrison, Esq.
For days o' auld lang syne, my friends, For days o' auld lang syne, We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet For days o' auld lang syne."
MRS. MARY WHITNEY MORRISON.
New Rochelle, New York, June 6, 1892.
RUFUS A. MORRISON, ESQ., WASHINGTON, D. C.
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 7, 1892.
WILLIAM C. HARRIS, EsQ.,
Chairman of Committee of Invitation :
DEAR SIR :- Indulging the hope that the way might be opened by which I could attend the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Windham, my native town, I deferred to the last moment an expression of my deep regret at my not being able to be present. Whenever I think of Windham my boyhood life, with all its associations of pleasure and disappointment, passes before my mind, like a panorama, with its ever changing scenes.
The first object which memory brings into view is the little red school-house standing at the cross roads. It is characteristic of New England. At least, in all my travels, I have never seen one outside of that section, nor do I think that history accords it a larger habita- tion. There I was faithfully instructed in what has been termed, either wittily or ignorantly, the three R's-reading, 'riting, and 'rith- metic. To-day I can see that little school-house standing where the roadways meet, and I could call by name for many a term the larger number of the boys and girls who filled its seats. I well remember when I was one of the big boys, and for this reason had the honor of sitting in the back seat, that another larger boy came in late one morning and whispered to me that gold had been discovered in a place called California. It lay right on top of the ground, and people gathered it as they would apples. Many were the schemes we formed for obtaining our share of the precious metal. We examined our geographies to locate the place and ascertain the best route by which it could be reached. Well, California has yielded a vast amount of gold, but, could the values of the gold and the little red school-house be correctly estimated, the balance would be largely in favor of the school-house.
118
Letter from Rufus A. Morrison, Esq.
Then there is the old militia drill which took place in front of the old meeting-house. It was the height of my ambition to carry an old flint-lock gun, and receive fifty cents for the half day's work. Each man must appear, fully equipped, with his gun in clean and working condition, with a flint in the hammer that would strike fire, and sev- eral more equally as good-looking ones in his pocket. The captain, with his high military hat and still higher feather, the evolutions of the militiamen as they practised the drill to the music of the drum and fife, inspired us boys with a patriotism as intense as that of '76. But the legislature abolished those drills when I was seventeen years of age, and I never received the coveted fifty cents, nor had my name placed on the muster rolls of the state.
The little red school-house and the militia drill have disappeared, but town-meeting day is left in all its original simplicity. This was one of the play days of the year, and enjoyed alike by the small boys and the large boys also who did the voting. This is something pecu- liar to New England, the scope and meaning of which, people from other states find it difficult to understand. I well remember the pride I felt when I deposited my first ballot. I voted for Ichabod Good- win for governor, but was not on the winning side, Ralph Metcalf being the successful candidate. At that same meeting the question of printing the common-school reports came up for decision, and I voted in the affirmative. My old Sabbath-school teacher reproach- fully looked at me through his spectacles, and said, " Dry reading, Rufus, dry reading." I responded that we would try it one year. I think those reports have been printed ever since, thereby vindicat- ing the young man.
But the day for Thanksgiving was the richest of all the holidays. This day of thanks and feasts has since become national in its charac- ter. In my boyhood it was faithfully and religiously observed. In the forenoon, service was held in the church, at which the choir usually chanted the first psalm and closed the exercises with the rendition of some more elaborate anthem. 2
This takes us into the house of worship, the place where memory delights to linger. Turn back the hands on the dial plate of time one third of a century, and I see the old congregation which worshipped within her sacred walls. I see and know the occupants of almost every pew. The minister, the Sabbath-school superintendent, the teachers, the scholars, and the choir, one and all, are indelibly stamped upon memory's tablet. I cannot speak too highly of the church choir. I have listened to the great singers of our own and foreign lands, but
119
Letter from Albro A. Osgood, Esq.
never have I been soothed or stirred with sweeter and more elevating music than that furnished by the church choir of my native town. The church in all its appointments is the crown, the glory, and the safety of Windham and every other community, May the day be far distant when her citizens fail to recognize her importance and the duty, nay the greatest privilege, of sustaining her in all her work.
Sincerely yours,
RUFUS A. MORRISON.
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JOHN MORRISON, ESQ., WASHINGTON, D. C.
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 7, 1892.
WILLIAM C. HARRIS, EsQ.,
Chairman of the Committee of Invitation :
DEAR SIR :- It is with feelings of regret mingled with pleasure that I am obliged to decline an invitation to be present at the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Windham. Regret, that I can not be present to renew old friendships, still fresh in mem- ory, and greet the sons and daughters since grown up to manhood and womanhood to take the places of those who have ripened and gone. Pleasure, that I can claim Windham as my native town.
After an absence of a considerable number of years, I look back with just pride upon the sterling, conscientious qualities which seemed to predominate in all actions relating to matters of both church and state. The memories, the faces, the voices of those we were wont to meet and hear in church and in public gatherings, and the words of coun- sel, spoken with so much earnestness and faithfulness, though in boy- hood days, are as fresh and vivid in memory as though but yesterday.
With heartiest wishes for a happy and profitable gathering, and again expressing regret at my inability to be with you, I remain
Sincerely yours,
JOHN MORRISON.
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ALBRO A. OSGOOD, ESQ., BOSTON, MASS.
BOSTON, June 7, 1892.
MR. ALPHONSO F. CAMPBELL,
And the Committee on Invitations :
GENTLEMEN :- Please accept my thanks for your kind remembrance of me, to attend the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of your dear old town-dear to me, not only as the birthplace of my mother,
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