History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737 : being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 1900, Part 121

Author: Bedford (N.H. : Town)
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Concord, N. H. : The Rumford Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1202

USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Bedford > History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737 : being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 1900 > Part 121

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Peter P.7, b. 1791, Aug. 8; d. 1860, Dec. 5.

Anstriss7, b. 1793, May 29; m. Hon Nehemiah Eastman of Farming- ton; d. 1847, Sept. 10.

Martha7, b. 1799, Aug. 14; m. Thomas Grimes; merchant, Windsor, Vt., and d. 1855, Dec. 25.

Hannah Trask7, b. 1800, March 17; m. Isaac O. Barnes, Esq., for many years clerk of the United States district court of Massachu- setts. She d. 1855, Feb. 27.

James Trask7, b. 1803, May 9; m. 1827, May 30, Augusta Porter; grad. at Harvard college in 1823; practised law; studied for the ministry, and for many years was settled at Acton, Mass .; d. 1861, Jan. 16.

Harriet7, b. 1805, May 1; m. Perley Dodge, Esq., clerk of the superior court and attorney at Amherst. She d. 1887, Feb. 11.

Jesse7, b. 1807, May 17; m. Hannah Duncklee; lived on the home- stead at Francestown, and d. 1889, July 4.

Adeline7, b. 1809, April 22; m. Edwin F. Bunnell of Boston, after- wards of San Francisco. She d.

George W.7, b. 1810, June; m. Mary J. Spiars of Satartia, Miss .; studied medicine and moved to Yazoo county, Miss., where he d. 1875, Oct. 26.

VII. Peter Perkins, son of Peter6 and Mary Woodbury; m., 1st, 1818, Jan. 8, Mary Riddle, dau. of William Riddle, Esq. She d. 1819, April 20; m., 2d, 1819, Aug. 24, Martha, sister of Mary. She d. in 1832, Aug. 17; m., 3d, 1832, Oct. 25, Eliza Bailey, dau. of Josiah Gordon, Esq. She was b. 1797, March 11, and d. 1885, June 14, (see sketch). He studied medicine with his brother-in-law, Adonijah Howe at Jaffrey, and Jonathan Gove at Goffstown, at Dartmouth and Yale colleges. He began the practice of medicine at Goffstown, 1815, Jan. 9, and in July of the same year moved to Bedford (see biography). He had no ch. by his 1st wife. By his 2d wife there were:

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Peter Trask8, b. 1820, May 6; grad. at Dartmouth college in 1839; studied law at Troy, N. Y., and afterwards practised in New York city; m. 1852, Sarah Hollanbach Cist, by whom he had one ch., Emily, who m. Charles Dana of Philadelphia. He d. 1862, March 26.

William Riddle8, b. 1821, Dec. 30; d. 1860, May 27.

Adonijah Howe8, b. 1824, June 7; d. 1828, Feb. 7.

Mary Jane8, b. 1826, May 11; d. 1841, May 29.

Levi Jackson8, b. 1829, Jan. 12; studied medicine at Dartmouth and admitted to practice. He d. 1890, June 20; unmarried.

Freeman Perkins8, b. 1831, Dec. 1; d. 1886, April 18.

By his third wife there were:

Josiah Gordon8, b. 1833, July 27; went to Brown university and Harvard Law school; practised law at Indianapolis; appointed paymaster in the navy in 1863, July, and was killed 1863, Aug. 17, on the monitor Catskill in Charleston harbor (see sketch).

Martha Riddle8, b. 1835, Dec. 6; unmarried, and living on the paternal homestead.

George Edwin8, b. 1838, Feb. 9.

Charles Howe, b. 1840, March 10; studied law at Harvard Law school, and in the office of Herman Foster of Manchester; moved to New York in 1861; m. 1864, April 14, Frances Eliza, dau. of John A. McGaw and Nancy Goffe (see biography); d. 1893, Sept. 12.

VIII. William Riddle, son of Peter P.7 and Martha (Riddle) Woodbury; grad. at Dartmouth college in 1843; practised law at Sheboygan, Wis., where he m. Elizabeth Louisa Jackson. He returned to Bedford in 1853, where he d. 1860, May 27, and is buried. His wife d. 1859, April 27. They had five ch .:

Anna9, b. 1848, March 18; m. Charles Arthur Whittemore of Antrim, 1868, Jan. 28.

Charles Perkins9, b. Feb. 2, 1850.

Jennie9, b. 1850, May 17; d. 1860, Aug. 12.

Martha Eliza9, b. 1856, May 25; unmarried, and living with Frances E. Woodbury,

George9, b. 1859, April 14; m. 1884, Dec., Emma S. Foster; living Massachusetts. They have: Myrtie, b. 1885, Aug. 22; Ione, b. 1887, Feb. 10; Fannie, b. 1890, Oct. 28.

VIII. Freeman Perkins, son of Peter P.7 and Martha (Riddle) Woodbury, engaged in mercantile business in New York city; m. 1856, Nov. 11, Harriet Ann McGaw, dau. of John A. and Nancy (Goffe) McGaw (see Goffe). He d. 1886, April 18. They had four ch .:

John McGaw9, b. 1858, Jan. 26; grad. from Princeton college in 1879; studied medicine in New York, Paris, Vienna, and Lon- don; practised in New York city, where he now lives. He m. 1886, Oct. 13, Sarah Emily, widow of Samuel Irvin. No ch. Helen9, b. 1859, Oct. 12.

Gordon9, b. 1863, Sept. 17.

Thornton9, b. 1867, July 30; grad. from Phillips Exeter in 1885; Harvard university in 1889; attended Harvard Law school; removed to Denver, Col., and admitted to practice there. He returned to Bedford in 1896, and was engaged with his brother, Gordon, in the direction of the Manchester Union newspaper, until October, 1900; when he removed to New York, where he has a position with the New York Sun. He m. Mary Hoysington, 1895, Feb. 27.

VIII. George Edwin, son of Peter P.7 and Eliza B. (Gordon) Woodbury; m. Harriet Reed, dau. of Enos Reed, Esq., of Cambridge, Mass. They have had seven ch .:

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Peter Perkins9, b. 1877, July 30; d. 1877, Nov. 23.

Charlotte Eliza9, b. 1873, March 28; m. 1894, April 18, Gordon Woodbury, Esq.

George9, b. 1777, June 6; d. 1877, June 7.

Adelaide9, b. 1776, June 6; d. 1877, June 7.

Caroline9, b. 1877, June 6; d. 1877; June 7.

Isabella9, b. 1877, June 6; d. 1877, June 24.

David Dana9, b. 1879, Oct. 14; unm.

IX. Charles P., son of William8 and Elizabeth (Jackson) Woodbury; m. Laura Riddle, dau. of James Gardner of Bedford, b. 1853, March 6. They have had four ch .:

Jenny Howe10, b. 1876, Oct. 15; m. C. E. Eaton, 1902, July 7.

McLean10, b. 1879; June 1; m. 1899, Aug. 14, Lulu Kimball; moved to Newport, Vt., where he now res. They have one ch .: McLean, Jr.11, b. 1900, Nov. 9.

Richard Bryant10, b. 1884, Nov. 10; d. 1901, Sept. 19.

Morris10, b. 1887, Dec. 6; d. 1887, Dec. 30.

IX. Anna, dau. of William8, and Elizabeth (Jackson) Woodbury, b. 1848, March 18; m. 1868, Jan. 28, Charles Arthur Whittemore of Antrim, N. H., where they still res. They had six ch .:

Ned Paige10, b. 1868, Dec. 22; d. 1869, March 13.

Arthur Perkins10, 1870, Oct. 27; d. 1886, Feb. 9.

Edwin Jackson10, b. 1874, June 22.

William Reed10, b. 1877, April 19; d. 1899, Nov. 17.

Martha Elizabeth10, b. 1886, Aug. 12.

Philip Woodbury10, b. 1889, Sept. 11.

IX. Helen Perkins, dau. of Freeman P.8 and Harriet Ann (McGaw) Woodbury; m. 1883, Nov. 27, William Shepard Seamans, M. D., of New York city, where she now res. They have two ch .:

Woodbury10, b. 1886, Dec. 14; attends St. Paul's school, Concord.

William Shepard, Jr.10, b. 1889, Feb. 18; now under the paternal roof.

IX. Gordon, son of Freeman P.8 and Harriet Ann (McGaw) Woodbury; grad. at Phillips Exeter in 1882, Harvard university in 1886, Columbia Law school in 1888; admitted to practice in New York, but rem. to Bedford on account of ill health in 1889, where he has since made his home. He m. 1894, April 18, Charlotte Eliza, dau. of George Edwin Woodbury. They have had four ch .: Martha Riddle10, b. 1895, July 6, d. 1896, Jan. 27; Eliza Gordon10, b. 1897, Aug 9; Peter10, b. 1899, Oct. 24; George10, b. 1902, May 28.

PETER PERKINS WOODBURY, M. D.

Peter Perkins Woodbury, M. D., came to Bedford, 1815, July 3. I have often drawn the picture of my father in my mind, as he descended the foot-hills of Uncanoonuc mountains on that July morning, towards his future home, riding horseback, with saddle-bags equipped for any emer- gency, and I query, Would he have continued the journey had he foreseen the trials and hardships awaiting him? But when I recall the spirit of his ancestor, John Woodbury, that induced him to come to Cape Ann in 1624 for "Plantation Work," and then of his grandfather, James Woodbury, who, with his company, at the siege of Quebec, toiled up that huge cliff to the top, faced the enemy on the Plains of Abraham; engaged in a hand- to-hand conflict; was near to Wolfe when he was mortally wounded, and helped to carry him to a place of safety-I query no longer, but understand how he dared to push onward. Nevertheless, here he came and chose to abide, taking upon himself the responsibilities of a "doctor of the old school," riding over the hills in the dark and in the light, in the sunshine of summer and in the bleak storms of winter for forty-five years, with

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scarcely a week's interruption, to relieve suffering humanity. Few men of to-day could endure such a constant strain of nerve and body.

He was a man of temperate habits, and possessed an iron constitution, proving his strength by what he met and accomplished. His industry and perseverance, close observation and agreeable manners, added to a large experience in clinical practice and surgery, made for him an estima- ble reputation.

My father was a devoted worshiper in the Presbyterian church in this town, and by his means, his prayers, and his example, generously assisted in sustaining all of its ordinances. By his counsel he was identified with all the interests of the town, and lent himself to every good word and work. Any one who can recall the painstaking labor in collecting material for the History of Bedford issued in 1850 can realize his intense interest in historical incidents and genealogical statistics of Bedford.

He eagerly anticipated the centennial celebration, and, largely through his persistent efforts, the thoughtfully planned details of the day were successfully carried out.

He believed and acted upon the principle that man was created for God's purpose, and his duty was to make the world better for having lived. For this he sacrificed ease, pleasure, health, and at last life itself in the very martyrdom of overtaxed powers, strained until the strings of life were broken, in the service of his fellow-men.

He entered into rest 1860, Dec. 5. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them."

ELIZA B. (GORDON) WOODBURY.

The following is an extract from the memorial of Eliza B. (Gordon) Woodbury, who died 1885, June 14, by Rev. Ira C. Tyson.

"Mrs. Woodbury belonged to the Scotch-Irish stock of early Bedford settlers, the earliest American ancestor of the family, Nathaniel Gordon, having come from the county of Tyrone, in Ireland, about the year 1742, and settled in Beverly, Mass. She was married to her late husband, Dr. Peter P. Woodbury, 1832, Oct. 22. At an early age Mrs. Woodbury united with the Presbyterian church in Bedford, and until her death was an active, consistent, and devoted member of the church of her early choice.

" Being possessed of a strong intellect and retentive memory in matters of local history, and especially of family genealogies, she was an excellent authority, and was frequently consulted by those in quest of such facts for historical uses. In her personal attachments she was a warm and con- stant friend, and her friendship was not affected either by long-continued separation or by adverse criticism.

" In her social relations she was usually grave and dignified; she was still possessed of a vein of that humor so peculiar to the Scotch-Irish char- acter, and was always entertaining, as well as instructive in conversation, commanding the respect while gaining the interest and confidence of those with whom she was intimate. In her domestic relations she was all that a devoted, self-sacrificing mother could be, cheerfully giving herself for the welfare of her children, and always faithful in their religious training.

"It was in her religious faith and experience that the character of Mrs. Woodbury shone forth conspicuously. Naturally she was a woman of clear mind and of strong convictions. She made the Bible a life study, and was conversant with its great doctrines.

"To take one's stand upon the 'Rock of Ages' and there abide, un- moved, while skepticism, like the sea, is lashing the very foundations of our holy religion, and dashing fearfully, yet harmlessly, against the Rock itself, this is faith. Neither things present nor things that are to come, nor life, nor death, can affect a faith like this-and such was hers. Mrs. Woodbury loved the Presbyterian church; although the most of her life

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was spent in New England where Presbyterianism was never strong, yet she always continued in full harmony with that form of church polity established in New England by the old Londonderry settlers of 1719, and carried over to Bedford by the colonists of 1739."

JOSIAH GORDON WOODBURY.

Josiah Gordon Woodbury was born in Bedford, N. H., 1833, July 27. He was the son of Peter P. and Eliza (Gordon) Woodbury. In 1849 he went to Derry, N. H., to prepare for college, and was there until 1853, when he entered Brown university. The following extracts in relation to his character while in college are from a letter written by an intimate friend:

"Woodbury was an affectionate, true-hearted, honorable, and pure young man. I weigh well each one of these epithets, and am sure he merited them. He had an absorbing taste for politics, and spent the largest part of his time in gaining information that might be useful to him in public life. I think no young man at his age was ever before so well versed in the history of his country, especially in the intricacies of diplomacy, of the minutiae of congressional debates, etc. His taste for reading was absorbing, and wholly directed towards history, with some digression towards Shakespeare and more modern dramatists.

"He was fond of debate. In this exercise he manifested towards his opponent a courtesy beyond that of the most polished society-he always heard his antagonist quietly, and without interruption.

"Much of his time he spent in his room in quietness, but his mind was ever active; he was always reading, or meditating on his reading.

" His veracity was undoubted, and his religious sentiments were deep. Best of all was his purity. Although strong and healthy, he was well disciplined in all his instincts, and never did I hear from him an indel- icate allusion, or know of his enduring indecent conversation from others. He was remarkable for his humor. It was broad without being coarse, and it penetrated his whole nature. His laughter was hearty, but not boisterous, and his fun was never malicious."

After the completion of two years of study he left college, at his own request, and commenced the study of law in the office of Messrs. Foster & Ayer of Manchester, N. H .; attended the law school in Cambridge, Mass .; was admitted to the bar in Amherst, N. H., in September, 1857. He went to Indianapolis, Ind., and practised law until December, 1860, when he formed a partnership with C. L. Dunham, Esq., of New Albany, Ind. Very soon after making this change the Civil war broke out, and as he was very near the border states where courts were suspended, he returned to his home in New Hampshire.

In December, 1862, he received the appointment of acting assistant paymaster in the United States navy, and was ordered to the ironclad Catskill, in February, 1863, and sailed for the South Atlantic squadron. After a stormy passage arrived about March 1, 1863.

"It was on the Catskill that the writer of this sketch, S. W. Abbott, first became acquainted with Woodbury. We occupied adjoining state- rooms, and sat at the same mess table during the last few months of his life. Woodbury had a fine manly form, a dark flashing eye, a cheerful face, and was always ready with some story, with which he enlivened many a weary hour of our monotonous stay in Edisto harbor. He despised meanness, and his love for the truth, his manliness of character, and his genial disposition made him a general favorite of the ship's company. He had a rare literary culture, and had pursued a well-selected course of reading. Much of his time was spent in the state-room in the company of his books. Carlyle's "French Revolution " was a favorite with him, and he frequently read aloud, or related from memory, for the entertainment of his brother officers, many of its stirring passages. He

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.

was exceedingly fond of debate, and was at home on all subjects pertain- ing to national affairs. No event of importance during the war had escaped his observation.

" Kind-hearted and obliging to all, he was ever ready to lend a helping hand when assistance was needed. I remember to have seen him during the hot days of 1863, while the Catskill was in action with the Morris Island batteries, cheering on the men who were stationed below and assisting with his own hands to hoist from the hold the huge shot and shell for the fifteen-inch gun. This was by no means an easy task, with the hatches all shut down, the air below foul with powder-smoke, and the temperature varying but little from one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. He was present at the first attack on Charleston, in April, 1863-an engagement which, though lasting only an hour or two at the most, was one of the most terrific of the war. Nine ironclads participated, none of which carried guns of less than eleven-inch calibre. On the other side were the rebel batteries, mounting more than three hundred heavy guns. In addition, there were to be encountered obstructions almost numberless, while submarine torpedoes awaited us in every channel. It was deemed advisable to withdraw from so formidable a defence, and the attack was not renewed till mid-summer. During the intervening three months the fleet remained in North Edisto harbor, a few miles south of Charleston. The time passed away tediously, until the first week in July, when. a change of officers in the departments of the South, both military and naval, brought with it a period of unusual activity in both branches of the service. The drifting sand-hills of Morris Island, which had given shelter to the troops of Beauregard, became peopled with the soldiers of the Union.

" Early in the morning of Aug. 17, 1863, the fleet of ironclads steamed up the main ship channel to make a combined attack, in connection with General Gilmore's shore batteries, upon Forts Wagner and Sumter, which, up to that time, had not been silenced. It was a hot, sultry day, and scarcely a ripple broke the surface of the harbor."

The following account of that day's operations is copied from Admiral Dahlgren's official report to the navy department:

"It was noon. The men had been hard at work since daybreak, and needed rest; so I withdrew the vessels, to give them dinner. The officers and men of the vessels have done their duty well, and will con- tinue to do so. All went well with us save one sad exception: Captain Rodgers was killed, as well as Paymaster Woodbury, who was standing beside him.

" The Weehawken (flag ship) was then lying about one thousand yards from Fort Wagner, and the Catskill with my gallant friend, just inside of me, the fire of the fort coming in steadily. Observing the tide to have risen a little, I directed the Weehawken to be carried in closer, and had hardly weighed anchor when I noticed the Catskill was under way. It occurred to me that Captain Rodgers had detected my movements, and was determined to be closer to the enemy if possible. It was soon reported that the Catskill was going out of action, with the flag at half mast. It is but natural I should feel deeply the loss sustained. The country cannot afford to lose such men.

"Mr. Woodbury, the duties of whose office did not require him to remain below, had volunteered to assist Captain Rodgers in this action, by standing at his side in the pilot-house, and recording the times of firing, sizes of shot and shell, and other usual statistics of an engagement.

" While standing in this position, a rifled projectile from Wagner struck the top of the pilot-house, in a place where the plating was only two inches in thickness. Portions of this plating were torn off by the force of the shot, causing the instant death of both the commander and the paymaster, and also knocking down the pilot and the man at the wheel. Mr. Woodbury was wounded in the head and neck.

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" Had he remained below where alone duty called him his life would have been spared; but he chose a far more perilous position, and, as we have seen, fell while cheerfully volunteering his assistance to his commander. It was a sad duty for us to bear their lifeless bodies below, and tenderly to care for the remains of those who had so suddenly, in the prime of manhood, been called from earth. The name of Mr. Woodbury will always be cherished by the officers of the Catskill and by her crew, as one who served his country faithfully and heroically. We cannot but admire the self-sacrifice of him who, doing even more than his duty, fell almost at the cannon's mouth, in the very face of the foe."

He was buried under Masonic orders, in charge of Lafayette lodge of Manchester, N. H., of which he was a member.

CHARLES HOWE WOODBURY.

One of the native-born sons of Bedford who achieved distinction, and that, too, in the wide and difficult field of the New York bar, was Charles H. Woodbury. Mr. Woodbury was the youngest son of Peter P. and Eliza Gordon Woodbury, and was born in the old homestead at Bedford, 1840, March 10. After the usual instruction in the district school he attended during two or three winters the academy at New London, N. H. As was customary in those days with academy graduates, he spent the succeeding winters in teaching school, first at Bedford, then at Goffstown, and later at Amoskeag. He then entered on the study of the law in the office of Hon. Herman Foster at Manchester, and graduated at the Har- vard Law school in 1861. He was shortly afterward admitted to the New Hampshire bar. The following year, 1862, he went to New York city and formed the partnership of Churchill, Welch & Woodbury, from which he withdrew a few years later, and from that time until his death he con- tinued in practice alone in the same office for thirty-one years. His pro- fessional work was characterized, in small affairs as well as in those of greater moment, by unremitting industry and an unselfish devotion to the interests of his clients. His conception of honor and of duty were so exalted and were so conspicuous in all his dealings that every one instinc- tively trusted him. He acquired a large and lucrative law business in litigated cases before the courts, but he gradually withdrew from this line of practice and assumed the management of the large estates which were entrusted to him. His advice in real estate transactions was also widely sought.

From the practice of law to the political arena is regarded as a natural progression. Mr. Woodbury, however, never sought political honors, but declined them when persistently offered. He preferred the dignified life and duties of his chosen profession to the active participation in politics, although keenly alive to his civic duties and the obligations of American citizenship. An openness to all truth, whether political, scientific, or religious, was a predominant characteristic. In politics he was a Demo- crat. He was ever ready to accord sincerity of conviction to his opponent and attentive consideration to his views, but the extent and accuracy of his information and the facts at his command were immediately brought into powerful execution upon his opponent's argument.

It is a feature of our country, more characteristic, perhaps, than of any other, that the great leaders of thought, of politics, of action, have lived near to nature, to have moulded into their character the generous prompt- ings of nature's impersonal impulses and the acceptance of results on their merits without prejudice, and without inquiry into motives. In later life they instinctively turn to the simplicity and naturalness of country life. The environments and associations of early life come with a steadily ris- ing tide of charm and attractiveness that cannot be resisted; the haunts of boyhood and early life are again sought, and a restfulness is there secured which no other place affords. This feeling was particularly strong with

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Mr. Woodbury. It may truly be said that he loved old Bedford. Early in his career he began to look forward to the day when Bedford should yearly claim a portion of his time. It was enougli for him to meet famil- iarly the people of the town, to see the trees grow, to look upon the familiar hills, to breathe the clear air, to drive along the oft-frequented roads, to rest beneath the homestead roof. He began regularly spending his sum- mers at Bedford upon the death of his mother, 1885, when he remodeled the old homestead to better adapt it to the comforts of modern require- ments. Later, he improved the Gordon farm, the home of his maternal ancestors, by the clearing up of lands, in which he took the keenest inter- est and enjoyment, like his ancestral pioneers in the discovery of land beneath the obscuring rocks.

Mr. Woodbury was a religious man, but with a predilection for right conduct rather than too firm insistence on theological tenets. Upon his removal to New York he became a member of the Madison Square Presby- terian church, and at his death was an elder in that organization. Al- though his convictions upon the fundamental principles of the Christian religion were unalterably established, he maintained a most liberal atti- tude towards what he considered non-essential doctrines. He was an active participant in the controversy between the liberal and conservative factions of the Presbyterian church, and in the strife known as the Briggs controversy acted as advisory counsel in defense of liberal ideas.

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History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737 : being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 1900, Part 121

Author: Bedford (N.H. : Town) Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Concord, N. H. : The Rumford Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1202

Author: Bedford (N.H. : Town)
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Concord, N. H. : The Rumford Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1202