USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Barnstead > History of Barnstead [N.H.] from its first settlement in 1727 to 1872 > Part 5
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FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCHES.
This denomination soon became somewhat numerous in Barnstead, yet more so in Barrington, Pittsfield, Gil- manton, and New Durham. As they increased, churches
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HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
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were formed and preaching was had " without money and without price." They relied more on Bible doctrines and puritan principles, than upon rigid rules or creeds in a church government.
Up to the year 1804, they had scarcely been recog- nized as a Christian denomination. At that time their burden of taxation was changed by the Legislature of New Hampshire, and they thereby became a distinct sect among the denominations of New England.
As at first they had no meeting-houses, they were con- stantly subjected to great inconveniences, such as at the present day are entirely unknown. For the want of churches, dwelling-houses, barns, orchards, and groves, were often made to take the place of them. The rations of a soldier, to them at their "yearly meetings," and " quarterly conferences," were regarded as ample fare, with which all were satisfied. Beds were provided for the aged or feeble, while others found contentment and rest without convenient couch or covering.
An eye witness says : ".At a quarterly meeting at Pittsfield in 1802, Elder Knowlton filled every bed in his house, and then twenty of us lay on the floor, and as many more slept in the barn."
In 1816 there was a great revival among them. This was a cold, dreary year. Business was dull, the crops were light, and in many places proved a failure. Yet they did not seem to see it. Their revival advanced, and the extension of their churches seemed to inspire them to faithfulness and to prosperity.
In 1819 the yearly meeting at New Durham is said to have been one of many blessings. About that time a cloud of mercy visited Barnstead, Gilmanton and Pitts-
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LAND SALES.
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field-all sharing it-which soon became more and more manifest, extending far and wide.
There were two cases of death by spotted fever in Barnstead that year.
LAND SALES.
-
Having previously recorded a brief account of the building of the first meeting-house and of other churches, as well as of the ministry who have hitherto preached in Barnstead, we now return to its early land sales. These lands were for a considerable time held by its original proprietors, yet at an early day many of the lots had been disposed of to others; and that too, before any general survey of the town had been made. Thus selling and re-selling went on up to the period when a general survey was had, at which time the ranges were defined, and each man's land was allotted to him. The farms were laid out, some of them sixty acres, and others one hundred acres ; space for a range-road was left between every tier of lots. Homesteads adjoining Pittsfield were purchased first; most of these were obtained of the Adams's, who had bought them at the auction sales. The town generally was well timbered with a heavy growth of pine, oak, maple, beech, birch, hemlock and spruce ; yet out of this timber the old charter excepted and reserv- ed to the Crown, " all mast-trees growing on said tract of land," " for the better order, rule and government of said Town."
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1863
HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
The first record of any sale, after the survey of the town, is in the Rockingham Registry ; this lot was bought in 1667 by Benjamin Nutter of Newington, of Hatevil Nutter of the same place. It is now a farm, situated on the rise of ground south of the Parade, containing one hundred acres. The lot numbered thirty-seven, was purchased as being on the Province road, and was after- wards occupied by Benjamin Nutter until his death. Nathaniel Nutter was his son. This farm is now owned and occupied as a homestead by Charles S. George, Esquire.
On September 17, 1772, Richard Downing, Esquire, sold to Benjamin Colebatlı, of Barnstead, several pieces of land as appears, " in consideration of one hundred and forty-five pounds lawful money to us in hand from the said Colebath." These lands were mostly on the Province road, numbered 6, 5, 4 and 3, and were sold generally for the payment of the proprietor's debts.
In 1772, Benjamin Colebath, of Durham, bought of Mark Hunking Wentworth lot numbered 4 in the first division of lots.
In the same year, Winthrop Smart bought of Rev. Joseph Adams sixty acres of land in the same first divi- sion of lots. This deed was given at Newington, and was witnessed by Benjamin Adams, James Adams and Caleb G. Adams. This same lot was originally owned by Mark Ayers, having been bought at public vendue.
John Tasker, September 17, 1772, at Newington, purchased several lots of land of the proprietor's committee. A record of these deeds is in the Dover Registry. The lands sold generally at the price of about £17 per lot, lawful money.
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FIRST FAMILIES.
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" John Nutter, the 4th blacksmith of ye Province of New Hampshire, bought of Matathias Nutter, of Newing- ton, at 20 £, two lots of one hundred acres each, being in the first and second division of lots."
NAMES OF FIRST PROPRIETORS.
Many of the names of the primeval settlers are still familiar, yet there were some whose names are scarcely known in these days, evincing the fact that in the absence of a written history, five generations may pass, leaving the fifth with little or no knowledge of the third. Our only record from which to call up those lost families in our native town is in the imperfect memories of our ven- erable inhabitants, and who are fast vanishing away. By these facts we are admonished to diligence in preserving the facts material to the history of our fathers, and in striving to save from oblivion at least a part of what we have constantly been loosing. The following are the sur- names of settlers from 1768 to 1790 :
Adams,
Cinclair,
Evans,
Ayers,
Clark,
Garland,
Avery,
Caswell,
Green,
Bunker,
Colebath, .
Hodgdon,
Blake,
Dennett,
Huckins,
Bachelder,
Dudley,
Hayes,
Berry,
Daniels,
Hill,
Brown,
Dockham,
Hatch,
Babb,
Davis,
Jacobs,
Bickford,
Drew,
Kaime,
Chesley,
Edgerly,
Lougee,
Collins, 10
Elliott,
Locke,
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74 Lord,
HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
Parshley,
Tibbetts,
Muncy,
Pendergast,
Seward,
Mudgett,
Place,
Ures,
Mason,
Pitman,
Williams,
Nelson,
Shackford,
Walker,
Nutter,
Tasker,
Wiggin.
Pickering,
Tuttle,
FIRST SETTLERS.
EBENEZER ADAMS was the first person who with a family settled in Barnstead ; he removed here from New- ington and located himself on a lot near the north line of Barrington, and near the log cabin, which had been dedicated by his father as the first meeting-house in this then wilderness.
Colonel RICHARD CINCLAIR came from Newington and established himself upon a lot of land where Elder Na- thaniel Wilson afterwards lived and died ; it was about six miles from the log church. Cinclair was the second settler. A story is often told here, that Mrs. Cinclair, in the absence of her husband, wearing snow-shoes, brought hay from Newington to Barnstead, (thirty miles) on a hand-sled, with which to feed and preserve the life of her cow. It has also been stated that this same lady, at one time on her way home from abroad, among the trees encountered a deer, drove him into the deep snow, and killing him with her jack-knife, took him home.
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FIRST FAMILIES.
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Such New England mothers are not common in these our days.
JAMES DEALING was our third settler; he located himself in the wilderness ; his mansion was according to the fashions, a log house ; it stood where Arthur Bickford now lives. Adams, Cinclair, and Dealing, all came from Newington, had families, and were the first settlers of the forest.
They usually felled the trees in a lot large enough for a small field, burned the ground over, and then planted it to corn. Dealing, at one time, had a corn field near his house, which had been invaded by the bears, and having business at Newington, some thirty miles away, he tied his dog in his field to frighten them away. This scheme worked well enough at first, but the master was de- tained too long from home, and the dog starved.
Tradition does not tell us whether the bears starved or not. They probably inherited the corn at the decease of the dog.
JOHN BICKFORD commenced a residence here in 1765. He owned the Dealing farm, employed workmen, and being lame, used to superintend it on horseback. He was from Newington, and on the way to Barnstead, his son, John, (afterwards Colonel,) then eight years old, drove the team, but rode all the way "on the tongue of the sled " for fear of the bears.
FIRST TOWN MEETING.
The first meeting of the town as a corporation was held here, at John Bickford's. He died in 1804.
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1863
HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
Afterwards the son, Colonel JOHN BICKFORD, took the location where the house of Charles Hodgdon, Jr., stood, and where Mr. Clark's house now stands. He built the Hodgdon house ; and then removed to the Old Lyford house at the Dennett Place, now occupied by Arthur Bickford, where he continued to reside up to 1815, at which time he removed to the Captain John Chesley farm ; and thence to Cinclair's Mills, rebuilt them, and resided there until his decease in 1851.
Colonel Bickford lived to the age of 85 years. He left two sons, Arthur and Daniel, both having families, and both residing in Barnstead. The Colonel was industri- ous, was generous, lived respected, and died much lamented.
ARTHUR BICKFORD, his son, still resides on the old farm.
In a letter he says : "When my father lived on the old Chesley Place he lost a sheep, killed by some wild beast. Not knowing what it was, I procured a trap and set it be- side the carcass. One day I went for the trap and it was not there. I followed the trap for a considerable distance through the woods, among the uprooted trees ; heard the rattle of the chain, and saw the animal, such as I had never seen before. I procured a cudgel, and the animal ' showed fight.' I had to keep at a proper distance, away, outside the upturned roots; but sometimes got near enough to give her 'a side-winder.' After a long fight I ' fetched her,' and took her to the house. It was there decided to be a wild cat, a Siberian lynx. I set my trap again, and in a few days caught another ; and in a few days more I caught another. There was a bounty on
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FIRST FAMILIES.
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them, - three dollars each. The pelts brought a dollar apiece. By this time you'd better think, I felt pretty well. Here ends my wild-cat story."
Farms near to the "Great Road," then being built, in the south part of the town, were regarded and sought for by the first settlers as most desirable of any. The set- tlers of them, for the most part, were active business men, and all well worthy, at least, of a brief place in this work.
CHARLES HODGDON, Esquire, Sen., was from Newing- ton ; and settled on the Province Road in 1768. His was the first two-story, well-finished house. It stood on the south side of the road, nearly opposite the house since built by his son. He was a deacon of the church, a Justice of the Peace, and for several years a member of the Convention. The first chaise used in town was owned by him ; it had a square, standing top, lined with English calico. Charles, Senior, had two sons, Benjamin and Charles, both of whom, in their day, were prominent men ; he died in 1815, much lamented, -aged seventy- five.
JOHN ELLIOTT lived in the north; he settled here about the year 1774. He was a man of much endurance. Tradition says he bought his corn at Durham; that at one time he brought a bushel of it home upon his shoul- ders, some twenty-five miles; that he had to ford the Branch river (Suncook). But the river had swollen so that he could not cross it, he however staid all night in the woods, not far from his own house ; but the storm abated,
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1863
HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
in the morning he forded the river and arrived home with his corn, -there in sweet contentment to enjoy it.
Major JOHN NUTTER settled here in 1768. He was from Newington ; was a descendant of Anthony Nutter of Dover (1662), and who was a councillor in 1682. Hatevil Nutter, one of his ancestors, was an inhabitant of Dover in 1669.
Major John was an officer in the Revolution, and filled many prominent offices in town, such as Moderator, Se- lectman, and the like. He was gentlemanly in manner and was a ready speaker ; he took pride in the military, and was an efficient officer. He died at the age of eighty years upon his original homestead, leaving a large family. Samuel Kaine, Esquire, married his daughter.
JOSEPH BUNKER, in 1770, took for his homestead a lot on the Range, about half a mile on the north-east of the parade ; it contained a heavy growth of pine and oak timber. He was from Dover; his son, Joseph, inherited the place, and after the decease of Joseph, Jr., Enoch, the grandson, inherited it.
ENOCH was a Free-will Baptist ; for many years meet- ings were held at his house. He removed to the State of Maine ; was a deacon of the church; was a good man, and did much for his favorite denomination.
JOSEPH, Jr., lived eighty years and upwards. His mother, Aunt Sarah as she was called, died in 1815, aged 105 years. Joseph, her son, at the age of eighty, as it is said, was addressed by his minister reminding him of the
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uncertainty of life; "God bless you," said Joseph, " me die ? my old mother is living yet ! "
MOSES DENNETT's homestead was on the high ground on the Province Road, towards Gilmanton; he came from Portsmouth about the year 1769, was by trade a tailor. His house was of logs and stood upon the spot now occupied by his descendants. Mr. Dennett for a considerable time brought his provisions from Dover on horse-back, following the spotted trees. His house stood in the deep, dark woods, and in his absence he usually left a small boy with his wife. At one time the boy be- coming tired of a secluded life, deserted the house and went to his home in Dover, leaving the wife for several days and nights alone in her cabin, to be entertained by the voices of howling wolves and the bleak storms of winter. Mr. Dennett had an excellent farm; it has descended to the fourth generation, who are still living there.
JOHN BUNKER, the miller, settled in Barnstead in 1769. His ancestors were from Malden; he came from Durham, N. H., had five sons and two daughters. His land extended from Dodavah Bunker's hill (since Pitts- field), following the first range, taking in all the land on the east side of the river, to, and beyond the Province Road, including the mill privilege and land on the north side of the river, and including the lands where the Pa- rade Village stands.
Mr. Bunker built his house on the high ground now owned by Dr. Jolin Wheeler ; traces of the old cellar are still there. He built the first mill ; its timbers are of oak,
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HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
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large and strong. Mr. Bunker was much respected, had served as Town Clerk, Moderator, and Selectman, and lived to the age of four-score years ; his widow, then sur- viving him, lived to the extreme old age of ninety-five.
ELI BUNKER. The mantle of John fell on Eli, and Eli inherited the mill, being the eldest son. They were all industrious business men, all had families ; Eli carried on the mill business, was inventive, was always seeking improvements, and was wealthy and generous.
He was emphatically a man of inventions ; he erected a mill on dry ground, supposing he could make it operate by the power of weights, and without steam, wind, or water. His greatest fear was not that his mill would not go, but that he might not be able to stop it after it had started to go.
The mill at length was finished, but being on high ground it would not budge an inch. The grain was put into the hopper, but no meal would come out ; yet after a while he added horse power to it, and it operated very well. This mill for half a century at least stood there, under the appellation of Eli's perpetual motion.
He had a large family. The male descendants of John and Eli have all left town, or have died ; Eli lived to the age of eighty years. His two youngest sons, by an Act of the Legislature, took the name "Banchor."
Two of his grandsons are in Boston, viz :.
JOHN F. BANCHOR, Esquire, who resides at No. 50 East Springfield street, is a gentleman in extensive trade, and has done much to encourage the publication of the annals of Barnstead.
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FIRST FAMILIES.
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GEORGE S. BANCHOR, who resides at No. 23 High street, is also a merchant in a prosperous business, evincing most clearly, at least in this instance, that the spirit of enterprise which inspired the forefathers is not lost in the sons, nor bleached out by the years of many generations. The original settlers from whom they descended were Joseph; John, Dodapher, and Jonathan. They were from Dover, and we think all of them are from the same stock.
As early as 1634 there was one by that name at Mal- den ; he was there in 1637, and died in 1638. Benjamin, the son of George, had a son who graduated at Harvard in 1638 and died in 1670. His brother John died at Mal- den in 1672; a descendant by the name of William is now a resident in Lowell. They are usually men of tem- perate habits, healthy, well-proportioned, size large, aver- aging about two hundred pounds, and generally have lived to a profitable old age.
JACOB PICKERING resided on the elevated land about one mile north of the Parade; he was a good farmer, reared a large family ; many of his descendants were busi- ness men, but like many others have left the town of their childhood, and have sought business and located their homes elsewhere. This family probably originated from John Pickering, a carpenter, who came to New Eng- land in 1630, who lived in Ipswich in 1634, and after- wards in Salem.
JOHN PEAVEY, Esquire, early settled at Barnstead Cen- tre, purchased Tasker's Mills and lands adjoining. He
11
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HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
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enlarged the mills, sold land, and greatly facilitated busi- ness in his neighborhood. His native place was Bar- rington ; in height he was six feet four inches, was well- proportioned, kept a public house and a store of goods in connection with his mill-business. He was ever active in town affairs, -represented it in General Court, and served often as a selectman, and moderator. In Jackson's time lie was the bearer of the Presidential vote of New Hampshire to Washington, was a Captain in the Militia, and was active in aid of the government in the war of 1812. He died at the age of eighty years, leaving one daughter to inherit the homestead ; she is the wife of Mr. Daniel Bickford.
ISAAC GARLAND.
He early settled at North Barnstead ; was the son of John Garland of Dover. He built a log cabin here, and lived in it many years; it had neither door, window, glass, nor chimney. He lived a long life in this locality, and died here at the age of ninety. His years of marriage were seventy-two; his wife died at the age of eighty-seven. They had six sons and three daughters. In his last years Mr. Garland was blind, yet always patient and cheerful. He was a reader, and some- times a writer of poetry. The following is from the pen of his old age, written on his birthday : -
"My years now number eighty-four, How can I ask the Lord for more ? I'll lay my head upon His breast, - How peaceful there 'twill be to rest !'
The following items of charge were taken from his ac-
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count book of fifty years ago, evincing the prices current of that day : -
One day's work, haying $0.50
Making pair of boots
$1.50
Maid, one week
.50
One bushel of wheat
1 50
One 4 weeks old pig
.50 One bushel of corn 1 00
Use of horse
.50
One bushel rye
.75
Use of wagon, 15 miles
.50
One bushel flax seed
1.00
Making a plow
.50
One bushel barley
.75
Wood for same
.50
One M good boards
5 50
Making pair shoes
.50
One M good shingles
2.00
One cord hemlock wood $2.50
Seventy-five years ago the wild bear had not disap- peared in this locality, and the settlers sometimes used to set guns for them in their corn-fields. In doing this, a long line was attached to the gun, at one end, and fastened at.the other ; and the bear was invited to shoot himself in crossing it.
At one time, in Mr. Garland's absence from home, a neighbor had set a gun in his corn field ; on his return, in the evening, Mr. Garland, not knowing what had been done, went out to visit his corn, and feeling vigorous started upon the run, - the line caught his shoe-buckle, the gun discharged itself with a loud report and the balls went whistling into a log close behind him. Mr. Gar- land's vigorous movement, as he thought, preserved his life, as by the favor of an over-ruling Providence in whom he believed and had ever trusted.
RICHARD GARLAND was a son of Isaac, lived in East Barnstead, and was a most useful and exemplary citizen. He was a thorough English scholar, a teacher of schools at least for a quarter of a century, and an excellent farmer.
,
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HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
At the age of forty he made himself master of the Greek and Hebrew languages, so far, at least, as to be able to read the Old and New testaments in their original tongues. He had a large library ; had served twice as a representative to the General Court ; had filled the offices of County Commissioner, and Selectman ; was cautious and exact ; was self-taught, and was highly respected for his piety and virtue. He fell in his field by a sun-stroke, aged sixty-eight years.
NATHANIEL ADAMS, the son of Dr. Joseph, and grand- son of the Rev. Joseph Adams, lived on the new road, near Beauty Pond, and on the old homestead originally settled by his father ; he had a nephew settled near him. He was a man social in his manners, as were the most of his kindred ; he was a Church member, much devoted, - neither cold nor storm kept him from church on the Sab- bath ; even in the midst of a tempest "Uncle Nat " was sure to come, and " Aunt Nabby " by his side well pro- tected from the cold. The old erect, red sleigh and grey horse, jingling at least one bell, brought them safely ; and the happy pair were always well received. He lived to more than his fourscore, and died leaving one son.
JOHN KENISTON. Where is the boy in town that has not heard of him? He came from Newington at an early day, and pitched his tent near the shore of the Branch river, and near its junction with the Suncook. He was a great hunter and trapper : the otter, the beaver, and the foxes ; the mink, the musk-rat, the wild goose, and the duck, - all had occasion to fear his weapons of death, and to keep aloof from his hidden traps and deceptive boats.
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Beneath a bunch of pine or hemlock boughs, Keniston would sometimes secrete himself, and floating down the stream thus disguised, would deal death upon large flocks of unwary ducks, or whatever else might be decoyed or deceived by him.
Keniston lived fourscore years and upwards ; was a good citizen, and left children who inherited his estate.
PITT LOUGEE settled on the south side of the Suncook, opposite Bunker's Mill. He built a good farm-house, and also a mill for coloring and dressing cloths. This was our first coloring and clothing mill ; the same site is now owned and occupied by J. M. Babcock, Esquire, for the same purposes, yet very much enlarged and improved.
The old fulling mill was a small building, and part of it remained unfinished a long time. The cloth was fulled and colored here, and then it was carried to a small build- ing near the dwelling house, there pressed and finished. The press was of oak, and was large according to the old fashions.
MR. Lougee came from Barrington, near Dover. In . person he was tall and erect, his hair white, tied in a cue ; he was quick in motion, always industrious ; the tones of his voice were feminine and youthful, while his silvery locks indicated advanced old age.
He returned at length to his native Barrington, where he died at the age of ninety years.
PELATIAH DANIELS settled in the south-east of Barn- stead. He was here early; was prominent in town af- fairs ; was intelligent, lived to a good old age ; left chil- dren, but none of them remain.
.
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HISTORY OF BARNSTEAD.
SAMUEL CASWELL was here as early as 1785, took an elevated lot on the high grounds at Beauty Hill, which commanded a beautiful view from the White Hills to Portsmouth Harbor.
He came from Nottingham, was a temperance man, and was opposed to the use of tobacco as well as to ar- dent spirits. His strictly temperance habits probably added many, many years to his long life. He was at all times industrious, quiet, and contented ; and, as has been said, was never seen fifteen miles from home. He died in 1865, aged one hundred and seven years. He reared a large family ; one of his sons inherited the homestead.
Captain JOHN DREW. He resided on the Province Road ; his place was the same, since occupied by Benja- min Hodgdon.
Captain Drew had been an officer in the Revolution, and settled here immediately afterwards. His land ex- tended from the Pittsfield line to the Range parallel, and onward north of the Province Road, containing both val- ley and rolling lands. He at once felled the trees and cleared several acres of it for planting. After living a while in a cabin, he built a large framed house, also a barn on-the opposite side of the road ; this house he occupied as a tavern.
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