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 4
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They belonged to a class not easily dismayed by obstacles,-to a class that never was, and never could be, permanently subdued or conquered. Oppressions numberless, sufferings innumerable, and sometimes unto death itself, had they, or their ancestors, endured. Yet the heel of no conqueror ever successfully pinioned their strong necks to the cold bosom of the earth. They could die for the right, but they never betrayed it. They belonged to a class who were "ashamed to die " till they had accomplished something which added to human knowledge, human advancement, and human joy.
This people were Scotch in blood, Presbyterians in their religious faith, and John Knox was their great high priest. Their ancestors in the mountains and moors of Scotland had subscribed to the Solemn League and Covenant, and neither king nor pope, prelate nor priest, could force them to abjure their faith. Their own religious teachers they judged by the high standard of the Bible.
They were largely from the lowlands of Scotland, the land of Burns and Scott, of Wallace and Bruce; the land of fair fields and wild heather, of famous mountains and foaming floods. Persecutions fierce and unrelenting drove them from their native heaths to the war- smitten province of Ulster in Ireland, and a generation later some of this same people settled in Londonderry and Windham. Many of those now before me are their descendants, and at this moment I am looking into their very eyes. Such were the people who founded this township.
What they and their descendants have accomplished here physi- cally, let the observant stranger behold as he passes through the length and breadth of the town, in the smiling fields reclaimed from
37
Their Scotch Blood.
the unbroken forests, and gardens and vast tracts of land freed from rocks and boulders, planted there by Nature's too lavish hand.
What they and their descendants have accomplished in various di- rections, others shall rehearse to you.
The founders and fathers of this settlement are gone. Their places are vacant. Their memory, fresh and undying, lingers ever with us. Their strong thoughts are crystallized into living facts and institutions. Their sparkling wit glitters in many a speech, while the lips which first uttered it long ago mouldered back to dust. The fiercely beat- ing winds have for long years swept over their resting places on plain and sloping hill. The white wintry blasts have sung their dirge ; while Nature's kindly hand has over them to-day strown the light and heat of summer's sun.
" No sigh can reach them, For they dream an endless dream."
Sons and daughters of Windham: On this anniversary day we re- joice to see you here. We bid you welcome to your early home, and to the home of your fathers. We bid you welcome to our streets, to our hills, valleys, and sparkling waters ; to our historic places, with their associations and tender memories ; we bid you welcome to hos- pitable homes. The arching skies, the smiling fields, the shimmering waters of every stream, with the warbling notes of every bird of every tree, give forth their joyous welcome. To friends of every town of every state, to every stranger here, we give kindliest greeting. We are all one to-day. One in interest, one in joy, one in recogniz- ing the claims of the living and in honoring the memories of the departed.
In all that shall stir the heart with irrepressible joy, we unite with you. In all that shall awaken blessed memories of years that are gone, we rejoice together. We devote this day to these sentiments, associations, and quickened memories. Once more, my friends, one and all, in behalf of the citizens of Windham, tenderly, gladly, and heartily, I bid you welcome.
The band then struck up the "American Overture," composed of national airs, which was beautifully rendered.
THE PRESIDENT :- Ladies and Gentlemen : Hiram S. Reynolds, Esq., secretary of the Celebration Committee, will now announce a list of the officers of the day.
It was as follows :
38
Officers of the Day.
OFFICERS OF THE DAY.
President-Leonard A. Morrison.
Vice-Presidents-William C. Harris, John H. Dinsmore, James Emerson, William A. Dinsmoor, Jacob Alpheus Nesmith, Isaac P. Cochran, Windham; Rei Hills, Pelham; Samuel Campbell, Derry ; George W. Armstrong, Boston, Mass. ; George Wilson, New Bedford, Mass .; William D. Blanchard, Thomas W. Simpson, Aaron Blanch- ard, Lowell, Mass .; Benjamin O. Simpson, Cherokee, Iowa ; Silas M. Moore, Chicago, Ill .; Robert P. Morrison, Lawrence, Mass. ; Robert C. Mack, Jonathan McAllister, Londonderry ; James C. Tay- lor, Joseph Montgomery, Greenleaf C. Bartlett, Joseph R. Clark, Derry ; Francis A. Marden, Nashua ; Orlando Davidson, Elgin, Ill. ; George Marshall, Everett, Mass. ; Charles Jesse Simpson, West Som- erville, Mass.
Secretaries-Hiram S. Reynolds, Windham ; George W. Weston, Exeter; William W. Poor, Derry.
Marshal-John H. Dinsmore.
Honorary Committee-Benjamin E. Blanchard, Abel Dow, James Barker, Isaiah W. Haseltine, George F. Armstrong, Joseph C. Arm- strong, Windham ; Virgil Dow, Methuen, Mass .; Charles Cochran, Olivet, Kansas; Charles Cutler, Tallmadge, Ohio ; Jonathan L. Noyes, Faribault, Minn .; Carroll Cutler, Talladega, Ala. ; D. O. Smith, Hudson; John Hall, Philadelphia, Penn. ; Joel C. Carey, Darius Milton Thom, Salem.
In recognition of the early and intimate connection of Londonderry and Derry with Windham, Robert C. Mack and Jonathan McAllister of Londonderry, and W. W. Poor, James C. Taylor, Joseph Mont- gomery, Greenleaf C. Bartlett, and Joseph R. Clark of Derry were made honorary officers of the day.
THE PRESIDENT :- In 1742 this town was incorporated. Among its settlers was William Thom. I have in my hand the oldest record book of the town. These records were written by one who has been sleeping in his grave for nearly one hundred years. This book also gives the petition for the incorporation of the town, which will now be read by John E. Cochran, Esq., the town clerk.
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Petition for Charter.
PETITION FOR CHARTER.
To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Gour and Commander In Chief in and over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire, The Honble His Majestys Council and House of Representatives for said Province in General Court Convened.
The Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of the South part of Lon- donderry in said Province, Humbly Shows
That your Petitioners by the Situation of their estates and Places of residence in the said Town labor under considerable difficulties unknown to others not in their circumstances more especially with respect to their Attendance on the public worship. The greater part of them or rather all of them except three living upwards of Seven miles from either of the meetinghouses in the said Town, the inconveniences of which are self evident.
That the Inhabitants of the Parish in the said town to which your Petitioners principally belong, sensible of the difficulties attending your Petitioners in this regard have lately at a public meeting voted what should be the boundaries of a new parish if the Petitioners can obtain the authority of this court to incorporate them, and that there will be no opposition (as your Petition's conceive) from any part of the said Town to the erecting a new parish by the boundaries voted as aforesd. Where- fore your Petitioners most humbly Pray this Honble Court to erect a New Parish in the said Town by the boundaries aforesaid which will compre- hend a tract of land near six miles in length and four in breadth lying on the South side at the Easterly end of the said Town and Take in your Petitioners habitations & estates, and that they may be invested with such legal powers and authorities as may be sufficient to answer the ends and purposes of such a precinct, and your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray, &c. ~
Thom. Morrison.
Jam& Bell.
Halbert Morrison.
Sam McAdams.
Jnº. Dinsmore.
Jnº Bolton.
Thos Quigly.
Robt Hopkin. John Cochran.
David Gregg.
Alexandr Dunlap. Jnº Gillmore. Jams Dunlap.
John Armstrong.
Alexandr Park, Jr. Alexandr Park.
Robt Tompson. Jnº Wilson. Jnº McKye. Josh Waugh. Jnº Stewart. Wm Bolton. Ja Bolton.
Ezekiel Morrison. Robt Dinsmore.
Sam1 Morrison.
Wm Jameson. Jnº Kyle. Ja Gilmore. Robt Park.
40
Address of Gov. Hiram A. Tuttle.
David Bolton.
Jas Caswell.
Wm Gregg.
Jnº Kyle, Jr.
Henry Campbell.
Samuel Campble.
Wm Campbell.
Jams Campble.
Thos Campble.
Nath1 Hemphill.
Hugh Grimes.
Sam1 Smith.
Wm Emerson, Jr.
Wm Waugh.
Jas Caswel, Jr.
Jnº Gilmore.
Jnº Murray.
Jnº Vance.
Arthur Grimes.
Mr. Cochran read this quaint old document very effectively, and it proved of general interest.
THE PRESIDENT :- Ladies and Gentlemen : It is a very interesting fact that one of the commissioners appointed by the governor and council to call the first town meeting was Robert Dinsmoor, an ances- tor of the orator who will to-day deliver the historical address. In this connection, it is with pleasure that I announce to you that we have with us the chief magistrate of the state. Upon the programme he was to respond to a sentiment this afternoon, but he assures me that he will be obliged to leave before the conclusion of the day's exer- cises, so I shall call upon him in a few moments to respond to this sentiment,-" Our native state of New Hampshire : the bright particu- lar star in the galaxy of states which commands our deepest love. May the inspiration from the lives of her illustrious sons and daughters, like the quickening breezes from her granite hills, infuse new life, nobler thoughts, and more elevated sentiments into the hearts of her living children." To respond to this sentiment, which touches a responsive chord in every soul, I now call upon His Excellency Governor Hiram A. Tuttle, and I ask you all to give three cheers for the governor.
Every one arose and gave three hearty cheers, the band playing, meanwhile, " Hail to the Chief."
ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR HIRAM A. TUTTLE.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :- I sincerely thank you for this very cordial greeting. I did not come here to-day to make a speech but rather to listen, and I will say this much,-that I am very much pleased with what I have heard and seen here. A courteous invitation brought me to witness the celebration of the 150th anniver- sary of the organization of the goodly town of Windham. Ten years ago there was a gathering for a similar purpose of the residents and
Gram A. Tuttle
41
Address of Gov. Hiram A. Tuttle.
former residents of my native town, in which I took part, and I am thereby better able to appreciate your impressions and emotions now as you meet and greet each other here. These occasions are desirable and profitable. By them the old and middle-aged are gratified and the young may be inspired with nobler purposes.
When the appointed orator and other speakers sketch in pleasant terms the favorable part of our history, and unfold before us the brave and beneficent deeds and many virtues of our townsmen of the past and present, our breasts swell with commendable pride and our nerves thrill with delight.
I have often shot through Windham rapidly by rail, but have never tarried long enough to become familiar with its special localities. I know it best through acquaintance with some of its excellent citizens. But it is a well and widely known fact that Windham, with the other towns formed from the primitive Nutfield, was exceedingly fortunate in having for its first settlers those sturdy Scotch people who had been trained through successive generations in maintaining their re- ligious convictions and forms of worship against the most cruel perse- cution in both Scotland and Ireland. Never were emigrant settlers made of better stuff than were these. They brought with them love of God, a strong, steadfast, abiding faith, love of learning, and a love of civil liberty with the will to defend it. They brought with them habits of industry, economy, and thrift. Bissell's camp and its deni- zens were not in accord with Windham notions.
Remembrance of many of the higher benevolent, brave, and bril- liant deeds of people in New Hampshire towns will soon be lost in oblivion for want of an appreciative scribe to record them. But Windham has been fortunate in having in one of her own sons a historian whose work will transmit to future ages a knowledge of its people for the past 150 years or more. [Applause.]
Having been called upon to speak for New Hampshire, pardon me for referring to your history, with which you are all so familiar, to show that New Hampshire is fortunate in having Windham among its municipalities. She has given the state a governor, who was also a member of the national house of representatives. This governor had a son who in due time succeeded his father as governor. One of the fair daughters of Windham became the wife of a governor, and also the mother of a governor who subsequently represented New Hampshire in the United States senate. The sons of Windham have attained distinction in each of the learned professions. Among her men of letters are a college president, three college professors, a dis-
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The Centenarian.
tinguished editor, and numerous teachers of eminence. In inventions, manufactures, transportation, and various other branches of extensive business enterprises, the natives of Windham have held high rank. Many of her sons and daughters, seeking broader and more promising fields for the exercise of their genius, enterprise, and industry, may be found in homes scattered over our country, where prosperity and success have attended them. Such as these and the residents here should continue to cherish a profound regard for the old town, and never cease to instil into the minds of their children a love for Windham and its history, and a love, also, for their heroic ancestry beyond the sea, until Jenney's hill, Cobbett's. pond, and Butterfield's rock are no more. [Applause.]
At this point the president conducted to the stage the venerable Mrs. Sarah Ellenwood, formerly of Pelham, a remarkably well pre- served lady, who passed her 100th birthday several months before, and who is a resident of Windham. She was presented to the audi- ence in these words :
I am gratified to state this interesting fact, that there is a lady here, Mrs. Sarah Ellenwood, of this town, who has reached the ven- erable age of almost 101 years. [Loud applause.] I now have the pleasure of presenting her to you. [Renewed applause.]
The audience showed great interest in the aged lady, who looked bright and smart, and seemed to enjoy the occasion, which she had come three miles to attend. She bowed and smiled to the audience, and Governor Tuttle helped her to a chair, and seated her comfort- ably beside himself.
THE PRESIDENT :- The next thing upon the programme, my friends, is a poem written by Mrs. Margaret M. (Park) Dinsmoor, of th's town, which, by her request, I will now read.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY.
Two hundred years have sunsets glowed and paled, Two hundred years of stirring tale and song, Since from the moors and crags of Scotia's land A sturdy band uprose and fled from wrong.
A fair green isle lay smiling near at hand, And bright the grasses trembled in the breeze Of softened air that swept the Emerald isle
Where homes they sought, across the narrow seas.
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Mrs. M. M. P. Dinsmoor's Poem.
No welcome warm they met on Celtic shores, But cool dislike that ripened into hate. 'T was peace they asked. Alas ! 't was war they found, And heavy-handed wrong from church and state.
Then angry foes and Stuart king pressed hard, With harrying fire and fight on every side ; But staunch and true, their mighty faith ne'er shook. They triumphed-even while they fell and died.
The bold MacGregors of the highland clans, With stout old fighters of the Lowland moor, Joined hands when dire injustice reigned in blood, And strove with sword and shot to break its power.
In vain : yet o'er the waters wild and wide, A rugged land lay open-armed and free. The west wind wandr'ng from the deep pine woods Brought o'er the waves the breath of liberty.
The broad seas stretched a helping hand across, And ere the century grew old in years, Our shores had welcomed a small pilgrim band, Who thus a victory won o'er blood and tears.
They chose a pleasant place among the pines, And chestnut groves, where flowing brooks give food. They planted there the banner of their faith, Sang praise, and asked a blessing where they stood.
The God for whom they fought upheld them well. No red man drew his twanging bow in hate ; No fire or flood their hard-earned homes laid waste ; Nor lurking foe in ambush crouched await.
The wild beast fled before their hearthstone's blaze And soon broad fields lay smiling to the sky : Gnarled oak and towering pine tree soon gave place To tasseled corn and dancing wheat and rye.
The canny Scotsmen to their western homes Brought thrifty trades and honest craft, And soon in every lowly log-built house The flax-wheel hummed and happy children laughed.
The father to the listeners at his knee Told tales of troublous days in Fatherland, Where yellow gorse and purple heather bloomed, And tassled broom its golden plumy wand
44
Mrs. M. M. P. Dinsmoor's Poem.
Waved where the craggy hidden pathway lay, When Claverhouse with cruel minions crept To find the secret way, and tracked their steps, Then on their homes like mighty whirlwind swept.
They sang old songs of " Bothwell Brigg," Or hap of war at direful Killiecrankie; The " Battle of the Boyne " with joyful notes, Or scorn of " Brave MacKye behind the bankie."
Their lives were bare, yet sweetened with the rare And beautiful content that true hearts know, That glorified the labors of each day Like landscape bathed in sunset's afterglow.
The tree thus planted grew apace and strong : Its roots struck deep, its branches spread afar, And sheltered all who sought its cheery shade ; Their numbers grew, their gateways always stood ajar.
A vigorous, sturdy shoot from that fair tree Sprang up and grew hard by in neighboring soil : The Covenanter grasped hands with Puritan, And, side by side, those noble men of toil
Built church and school and laid foundations broad For future strength in right and justice true ;
With conscience clear their steady lives went on ; Whate'er was right, they bravely dared to do.
All honor then to the stern old Scottish men Whose stalwart feet were set beneath our sky ; With trust in God, no hand of man could mar, Who came, with battle-scars scarce healed, to die
In stranger land with hardships closed around, For Peace, sweet Peace, and perfect Liberty, To worship undisturbed by sound of aught Save winds, and singing birds, and humming bee.
Our Fathers claimed, ere yet of two score years The snows lay white on autumn's fields of brown,
A place among the archives of the land, And stood among their fellow men-a Town.
The century its years has rounded full And at the halfway milestone paused a jot, To greet today, the Birthday of our Town. Let children's children e'er forget it not,
1
45
Address by Hon. James Dinsmoor.
But send a backward glance along the Past And gather up the memories ere they fade ; Let Then and Now clasp hands across the gulf That three times fifty changeful years have made.
Let cheery welcome be on every tongue- Each friend meet friend with brightening eyes ; And while with joy old friendships we renew, We draw still closer yet our clannish ties.
When fifty years thrice o' er have paused again, And Progress marked its way with giant stride,
Let sons and daughters gather here once more And greet our staunch old Scottish town with pride.
At the conclusion of the reading of the poem, the band played a selection entitled "O Fair Dove ! O Fond Dove !" This arrangement was really a fantasia on the beautiful song.
After a few minutes' recess the president again called the assem- blage to order and said,-
" Among the noted families of this town is that of Dinsmoor. The migrating ancestor came very early to this township. It has had many illustrious men and beautiful women among its members. The orator of this day belongs to this family. He is one who has cast honor upon this township and has done credit to himself. I have the pleasure of introducing to you the Hon. James Dinsmoor, of Sterling, Illinois, the orator of the day. [Loud applause.]
ADDRESS OF HON. JAMES DINSMOOR.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :- One hundred and fifty years ago, our fathers, clothed with authority from the legislative branch of the then province of New Hampshire, assembled in pursu- ance of the warrant of the three men named in the charter, at the house of James Bell, and by those concurrent acts the town of Wind- ham became a living entity. Lord Macaulay has said that "A peo- ple which takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ances- tors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered by remote descendants."
Fully appreciating this aphorism of the learned historian, we have assembled to stand upon the ancient ways our fathers trod, and to place upon memory's altar a tribute of praise to those heroes and her-
46
Address by Hon. James Dinsmoor.
oines who laid the foundation and hewed the architrave of our exist- ence as a town. The same sun shines over our heads, the same soil is under our feet, the same beautiful lakes fill the measure of their an- cient compass, the same limpid streams flow on their course to the same Merrimack. All else, how changed! The very act of incor- poration was in the name of George Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc. Then, England was a second-class power in Europe. France and Spain both excelled her in wealth and military splendor, and the title of George the Second to be king of France was an ancient fic- tion. France, at that time, held Nova Scotia, with the then strongly- fortified post of Louisburg, both the Canadas, and, in connection with their Indian allies, a chain of stations west of the Alleghanies extend- ing to Louisiana. The English colonies in this country were then poor and feeble, and probably did not exceed a million of people, scattered along the Atlantic coast with a savage foe always hanging on their flank. No brotherly love existed between France and Eng- land, and the superior military tact and finesse of the French with the red man, placed the English colonists in constant alarm from the in- cursions of the French and Indians. The tillable land on the Atlan- tic coast was covered with a dense growth of timber, which must be cleared off by the colonists before cultivation of the soil could yield sustenance. No pioneer had preceded them, and built a shelter from the heat, or cold, or storm which the colonist could buy. No roads had been made, no stream dammed for water power, no mill built for meal or lumber. There was naught but the broad, savage expanse of land and trees, and naught but the good hands of the colonists could cut the way to the comforts of civilized life. No faint-hearted man was equal to such an undertaking. He must be a born hero, and his wife must be such as our mothers were.
What marvellous results have been achieved since that day ! By the dread arbitrament of arms the English-speaking races have be- come the sole masters of the fairest portion of the American conti- nent. What was then a vast wilderness, the abode of savages, has be- come the seat of the most enlightened and refined people, the richest in agricultural, mineral, mercantile and commercial wealth; where civil and religious liberty, like the air of heaven, pervades the whole land; where there are in everyday use, for the ordinary wants of the people, more miles of better-equipped railroads than in all the rest of this earth ; where the whole people are better fed, better clothed, bet- ter behaved, than any other nation on the face of the earth; where
47
Address by Hon. James Dinsmoor.
legislative bodies do not feel compelled to sit in session with their hats on, as does the British Parliament, in order to notify the lookers-on that they acknowledge no man as superior, but preserve the amenities of civilized life while legislating for the most powerful of nations. All * this, and much more, is the product of a century and a half of free, intelligent, and self-applied labor. To whom is the world indebted for this boon to the human race ? Whence came the men who had the physical powers of endurance, to overcome the untamed forces of nature, and subject them to the growing wants of civilized man; to face and overcome a savage foe, and, at the same time, the still more wonderful ability to keep up the religious, moral, and political train- ing which enabled them to rule their own spirit, which the wise man told us was greater than taking a city-to govern and educate them- selves, and to provide a constitutional, representative government for themselves, to be transmitted to their posterity ? The casual student of American history would be led to attribute all this to the Puritan, the Hollander, the Huguenot, and the Cavalier, as he reads what these people have written of what has been said and suffered and done. But we have to do to-day with the Scotch-Irish, the men who, in the early days of the 17th century, carried with them to the north of Ireland that love of God and of human liberty which they had learned in lowland hut and kirk, and which had become the web and woof of their moral being. Now, let us see whence our fathers came, and who they were. In blood they were pure Scotch, and in religion they were Presbyterians. The early history of the Scotch, as a race, is involved in mystery, and I will not attempt to unveil it at this time. There were several well-defined characteristics which ran in the blood, and have been handed down from generation to generation in their posterity, and crop out to this day. The Scotch are not Eng- lish ; they are not Irish. We know by Roman history that the Rc- mans conquered and held sway over continental Europe, and con- quered England, and held it in subjection 400 years, and we know from the same source that they did not and could not conquer Scot- land, and gave up trying. Not only that, but they could not protect their subjects in England from the warlike incursions of the Scots. And the Roman emperor, Agricola, in order to protect the English from the Scots, built a wall twelve feet high and seventy miles long, extending from Solway Firth to the mouth of the Tyne, with a moat thirty-six feet wide and twelve feet deep. But that did not restrain the Scots, and, subsequently, the Emperor Adrian built a second wall, extending from Newcastle to Carlisle. The intervening terri-
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