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 24

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 24

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The following interesting paper is to be found in the New Hampshire State Papers :

State of New Hampshire, Hillsborough, SS.

Bedford, Jany 31st, 1791-We, the subscribers being the Select- en (or the Major part of the Selectmen, as the case may be) of Bedford, do hereby certify that James Martin of said town has bona de made or caused to be made in his workshop within this state ne hundred thousand of ten penny wroat nails, since February 7th, 789.

(Selectmen) Willm Moor Stephen Dole.

Feby 1791-Received an order on the Treasurer for 5 £ Stephen Dole.

The state offered a bounty for every pound of nails thus made. Colonel Goffe also built a grist-mill on this stream, which was re- rted to by the people of Goffstown and New Boston. It was cated east of the River road, and on the north side of the pond posite the location of the present cider-mill. The dam was the rthest east of the many dams on this stream. The mill was ap- oached by the road leading from the River road east to Burns' or nith's ferry.

A few years later Colonel Goffe built a sawmill on this stream, t at a different location. The sawmill was south of the present ge mill pond near the highway and just west of the River road. On the north side of the Goffe sawmill pond, also west of the ver road, Rev. Ephraim Abbott had a mill for the making of jousies, or old-fashioned wooden slat curtains, that served in lieu window shades. The mill was probably owned by the Goffes, 1|; carried on by Mr. Abbott, who was a Baptist minister, and vs sometimes known as Priest Abbott.

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.

When the Goffe farm was sold by Colonel Goffe's grandson, The- odore A. Goffe, to Jonas B. Bowman, Esq., this mill was included. We find in Matthew Patten's Diary the following entry :

January 4, 1755. Went to Major Goffe's and got one and one half bushel of rie ground.

January 22, 1755. Went to Major Goffe's (Major Goffe was the Colonel's son) and sawed two sticks of cherry.

Opposite to the Goffe grist-mill-the first of the mills on this stream-on the south side of the mill pond, Dea. Richard Dole built a fulling mill and dressed and colored homespun woolen cloth in great quantities there. The mill stood on the site of the mill now used as a grist- and cider-mill. The grist-mill was remodelled by . Jonas B. Bowman at the time he bought the Goffe property, in 1843.

Fire destroyed it, and also Deacon Dole's fulling mill, in 1844.1

1 The following interesting letter of reminiscence, by Stephen Ganno Abbott, was published in the Bedford Messenger, June 25, 1884:

GOFFE'S MILLS.

HALF A CENTURY, MORE OR LESS, AGO.

MY DEAR-WELL WHO ?

Are there none left of the chums and schoolmates of more than half a century ago, to whom I can speak of the old and familiar haunts around " Goffe's Mills" ? I can recall not one. Possibly, some one may survive his generation whose eye shall meet these lines. If so, to you I write, and our communion will, doubtless, siir emo- tions not easily suppressed while we live over again the joyous days of our boy- hood.

"Len " and " Bill " and "Jess " and " Tom" and "Jim " (the last were twins, you know, and just my age-born in 1819) " Chuck" (that was Charles) and "Thimble" (that was Thankful) and Susan and two or three other little girls, all rejoicing in the surname of Rundlett, who lived in the then straw-colored house, now the residence of Mrs. John McGaw if she still lives. Mr. Rundlett made hats-fur hats. Our nrst hats you know came from his shop-fur hats made from muskrat's fur, with as much hair as fur.

Then there was Joe (he was deaf) and Dick and Bill and Abagail (of uncertain age) and their father's name was Deacon Dole. And then there was Zach "Old Zach " (everybody knows him) and Sam and John. Their surname was Chandler, and then there were Adam Gilmore and his sisters and John and Stephen Abbott, whose father made window curtains and preached to sinners. I know of but one of them all who is living-unless it is you-and he is now with pen and paper living over again those halcyon days. The fathers and mothers are all gone and most of the children have joined the sleeping generation.

The old brick school-house still stands, I believe, where we used to study some and play more. The teachers, where are they? Hall, whom Mace Moulton arrested, and dragged out of the door for whipping Jess; Spaulding, now living in Nashua (how I loved him, he was so kind to me in my terrible fever that winter); Joy, was he who wore a blue suit with gilt buttons, and whose two stub fingers awed every urchin into order-to him I owe more than to all others for my first insight into arithmetic, and my first ambition for an education; Aiken, Charles, I believe, the dapper young man whom all the scholars loved. There were others, whose names I forget, but whose countenances remain as fresh as ever. Such were the tutors who presided and " taught the young ideas how to fire."

" Old Zach " was a jolly fellow, somewhat uncouth, who joined in all our sports and we feared him not. But his brothers, Samuel and John, we viewed with awe as they came daily to recite in Latin. They were destined I believe to the "cloth," but both died young, poor fellows. Their father kept a store a little south of the school-house, sold rum until the temperance reform started and played the bass viol. Don't you remember how we laughed to see him spit on the pegs of his viol to make them stick? How many bottles and jugs of rum we've carried out of that store! But the whole thing stopped when all the neighborhood signed the pledge. A little north of the school-house was "Chandler's Tavern." The proprietor was Zach's uncle. He played the fiddle and went to congress. What a grand place of resort that was! What a home for travelers! What facilities were afforded there during the evening for gathering news from the guests! Only one fault was found

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Shortly after, William A. Rundlett built a mill for sawing shin- gles and clapboards, grinding corn, and making cider, on the loca- tion of what had been Deacon Dole's fulling mill. This was after-

with that tavern. Adam's wife was so neat and nice and kept everything so clean that the teamsters and drovers did not dare to spit on the bar-room floor.

Manchester is honored with a scion of this family. I remember Byron in his short clothes. He was a handsome boy. How is it with the man? What a nice looking young man his father was! He always appeared as though his tidy wife took him from the drawer every morning.

Next came John Goffe's house, then Thomas Rundlett's house, then Richard Dole's, then Aunt Hawse on the bank of the little brook. On the opposite bank was the long unpainted house, the residence of Mr. Abbott; a spot more dear to my heart than any other on earth. The nut from which grew the butternut tree, still standing, I planted. The elm I "set out." Every inch of the ground, every object around is sacred to my memory. I had the weakness a few years ago to sit down and cry when I saw a little cottage occupying the site of the old house. By the con- sent of the good Irish madam I went down into the cellar and drank from the old spring, but the speckled trout was not there as used to be. Across the road was a dam, on one end of which was uncle Ody's sawmill; on the other end the shop where Abbott made curtains and Kendrick made wagons. The mills and shops are all gone. Beautiful grounds and gardens occupy the old mill yard. Uncle Ody's garden is the site of a pretty cottage. If stern poverty did not interpose, I would buy it, and spend the evening of my days among those sacred scenes.

The old Goffe mansion still stands. Where are the occupants?

" Uncle Ody " was a grand old man. He was rich, but he was odd. He ought to have been named " Uncle Oddy." He had a big heart, but a queer way of showing it. That little brook was alive with trout, for the old man allowed no one to catch any of the spotted trout, but didn't we catch a good many of them. How he used to chase us, take away our lines; wind them up and carry them home; and wasn't it fun to slip into his sitting-room and fish out a hook and line from the cavernous depths of his old clock where he stored them. We did not mean to steal them; we thought they were ours.

But the good nature of the old man never allowed him to harbor a particle of ill will for any of our boyish tricks. He was nothing unless he was odd, and that was all he meant when he did a thousand things that nobody else would do, and every- body understood him and so seldom did anyone take offense.

You remember "Old Switch " (that was Mr. Batcheldor) who ran a tannery down the lane toward the grand old Merrimack. That property came in with the Goffe estate, all of which was purchased by Esquire Bowman, of 'Squog, who built a saw- mill on the site of the old grist-mill and went into the lumbering business.

What stirring times those were! And then down to the " Landing" what glorious days we spent in boating, fishing, swimming, and watching the heavy laden canal boats as they were sluggishly poled along the shore. And then there was that island, the property of " Uncle Ody," to which he gave the pretentious name of Carthagenia, and where the people celebrated the glorious Fourth Don't Iremem- ber the severe flogging my father gave me for stealing down there and spending the ten cents with which he hired me to stay at home? In those days the river was alive with shad and salmon and the fishing season was a continuous gala day for us boys. In these reminiscences, we will not forget the stage coaches, the immense teams, the long droves of cattle and sheep and hogs and turkeys, and in winter the long lines of "pods" (the two horse pungs of farmers going to market) pre-railroad means of travel, and transportation which made the highway a great and active thoroughfare, nor the almost daily squads of Irish plodding their way on foot from Canada to " Low'l." "Could ye tell me how fur 'tis to Low'l?" "Last, but not least " was the great excitement of our youth-the enterprise of building a city on the sandbank over which we boys used to wade barefooted with our fish poles-" a city there!" "Pooh," "nonsense," "folly," "all speculation." Such were the ejaculations of the wise old heads on every hand, but the city was laid out and the lots advertised for sale at auction. Everybody went. out of curiosity, of course, some on foot, some with horses, some in boats, all claiming too much sharp- ness to be caught in the trap. But the excitement captured them. They bid and bought, some paying the enormous price of ten cents per foot. They returned home, slept off the excitement and were seized with a fit of the blues, under the taunts and jeers of those who did not " step in it." It was not long, however, before the laugh, as well as the blues, came on the other side, and now stands the queenly city of Manchester upon those sterile plains, the pride of the old Granite State, the city of spindles, and the home of many of our noblest citizens.

But I must close these reminiscences, they multiply as I write, they flood my memory on which they are imprinted as with the point of a diamond and make me sigh for the days of " Auld Lang Syne."

Just as I have written the last line I recall the fact that one of the old company of children still lives in the worthy person of Mrs. Ann Snow Houston, in Plymouth, N. H., and to her I address myself as

Very truly, the friend of our youth,

GANEAUX.

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.

wards owned by Freeman P. Woodbury, and is still in use as a grist- and cider-mill.

Bernice Prichard at one time had an interest with Theodore A. Goffe in the original Goffe grist-mill. He it was who raised the gate when Major Goffe-son of the colonel and father of Theodore A. Goffe-was at work in the wheel pit. The major was at that time an old man, and received an injury from which he died Feb- ruary 13, 1813, aged eighty-five years.

Otis Batchelder and William Goffe-son of Theodore A. Goffe- - had a tannery and bark mill a few rods west of the Goffe grist-mill, and on the north side of the stream. The dam stood about midway between the dam erected for the original grist-mill and the sawmill, both of which we have described above.

At the time of the fire in 1844, Batchelder had sold out his inter- est in the tannery to William Goffe, and it was destroyed to- gether with the grist-mill and the fulling mill. After the fire, the privilege continued unimproved until George W. Goffe, a grandson of Theodore A. Goffe, erected a sawmill here, the privilege being then the property of his uncle, John A. McGaw. He did this under lease from Mr. McGaw. After it expired, Mr. McGaw's executors did not renew it and the mill was removed. ·

During the ownership of Mr. Bowman of the former Goffe sawmill, some improvements and alterations were made, and the mills con- tiued in use until 1859, when the privilege was sold by Mr. Bowman to John A. McGaw, a son-in-law of Theodore A. Goffe, who re- moved the mill and what was left of its machinery. Since that time the privilege has been unimproved.

Just north of John Parker's house, Thomas Rundlett had a hat shop on the west side of the River road. ' He made wool hats- known as beaver hats, and the work was done by hand. Andrew Savage, who lived nearly opposite the Daniel Ferguson place, made wool hats also. He had a sign out which read : "A. Savage Hatter."

Elisha Lincoln built a sawmill east of the Gordon house on the Crosby brook. Sometime after, this mill was taken down by Josiah Gordon and reerected about 100 rods north, near where David At- wood's turning and shingle mill once stood and where his grandson's, Webster Atwood, cider-mill now stands.

He was a frequent attendant at prayer-meeting, and on one occa- sion joined with one of his neighbors in quite an animated discus-

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sion as to whether there really was any difference between an all- powerful Saviour and an all-sufficient Saviour, he maintaining that there was no difference, to which his neighbor replied, " But, Mr. . Atwood, we all know that you are not an all-powerful chairmaker, but you are, we all agree, an all-sufficient chairmaker."

Mr. Atwood's brother was usually called "Railey" Atwood, al- though his given name was Isaac. The reason for the nickname was his habit of answering almost any question addressed to him by the preliminary exclamation, "Railey ! railey ! railey !"

At an early date, John Wallace built a sawmill on the same stream near where the old road from Bedford Centre to Manchester crosses the brook.

The brothers, Cyrus Wallace (afterwards well known as Father Wallace, for many years pastor of the First Congregationalist church in Manchester) and Frederick Wallace, built a turning mill near where John Wallace had his sawmill. They also had a paint shop near by.

There was a saw and grist-mill near the schoolhouse in district No. 6 on the same stream, built by a Mr. Boies.

At the head of Crosby meadows, Samuel Vose built a mill at a very early date. There have been as many as eight mills in operation at one time on this stream.

As early as 1755 there was also a grist-mill and sawmill on Riddle's brook, for we find this entry in Matthew Patten's journal : "Feb- ruary 14, 1755. Went and hauled in the red oak log I cut the day before and brought home six boards from MacAlesters mill and three slips sawed out of a slab." MacAlester's mill was a few rods above the Riddle mill pond. The Riddle mill pond is where Holbrook's mill now stands.

The privilege of improving the power from Riddle's brook on the school lots was sold by the town to Jacob McQuaid and John Orr, and Matthew Patten's diary contains this entry :

" March 27, 1772. I went to Col. Goffe's and James Vose and drew a lease of the privilege of building a saw-mill on the school lotts to Jacob McQuaid and John Orr." The dam was below the County bridge but has not been in use for many years.

This is the location on which about the year 1780, John Orr, Esq., built a sawmill (referred to above as McQuaid's and Orr's) just north of his farm which is now occupied by Mr. Albert Flint, and about 100 rods above the Smith's grist-mill. Above it again,

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.

the Riddle's had built the grist- and sawmill, for many years known as Riddle's mills. The sawmill was run by members of the family, turn and turn about. One week David ran it; the next, William; the next, Isaac. This is a good illustration of peace and harmony in one family. In 1849, two brothers, Charles and Stephen C. Damon, came from Amherst and located in Bedford. They bought the lower mill on Riddle's brook then owned by Isaac Dow. They enlarged and fitted it up for a carriage manufactory, adding machinery for sawing shingles, laths, and clapboards, also for turning out axe handles and spokes. They soon persuaded their father, Stephen Damon, to purchase (1849) the saw or upper mill thus giving them the full control of the water. He took down and rebuilt the sawmill adding new machinery and an up and down saw. In 1854 Mr. Damon the elder died as the result of injuries received in the sawmill. After his death the sons carried on both mills until 1856, when Charles the elder went West. He returned in 1861 and enlisting from Amherst was killed at Gettysburg. Stephen C. Damon put in a circular saw and carried on the business of both mills until 1873, when he sold the saw or upper mill to his son-in-law, James R. Leach. Subsequently he bought this mill back again operating them both until August 18, 1893, when the lower mill was destroyed by fire. He then sold both sites to Frederick G. Holbrook who rebuilt the lower mill and has since operated both. At the lower mill a cider-mill was added, also machinery for match- ing and planing boards.

There was once a mill, known as the Chubbuck's mill, which was located on Riddle's brook about a mile above the MacAlester mill. Mr. Chubbuck's granddaughter, Emily, achieved some fame as an authoress, under the nom de plume of Fanny Forrester, and after- wards became the third wife of the missionary Adoniram Judson. The cellar of the Chubbuck house and the dam and mill way of the mill are now visible. The farm has grown up to wood-lot and pasture.

Above the Chubbuck mill, on the same stream about one half a mile, was the Gilmore mill. Traces of its foundation may still be seen.

On a branch of Riddle's brook, Gregg Campbell had a mill for turning, boring, and sawing in the wheelwright business. This mill is now known as Farley's mill, but the water power has long since. failed, save for a few weeks in spring and fall.

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About the year 1778, Dea. Benjamin Smith built a grist-mill near his house in the south part of the town on the Riddle brook. This mill was in operation in 1818, and as late as 1830. The exact point of its location is a few rods east of where the highway crosses the brook near Eddy W. Stevens'. Col. Daniel Moore also built a sawmill and grist-mill on the stream near his house, known as Shepard's brook, about the year 1770. The mills stood west of the bridge and south of Widow Mary Parker's. They were taken down about 1805 by Robert Wallace, and rebuilt a few rods below on the east side of the bridge. Thomas Atwood built an addition to them in 1833, which he used for a cabinet shop and for making fur- niture and chairs. He afterwards removed to Nunda, N. Y.

About a mile above these mills on the same brook, the remains of two dams are to be seen. The upper one was used to store water. The mill was located on the lower one. They belonged to a mill whose ownersip cannot now be ascertained. Later these mills were owned and operated by Captain Hale. Alfred Fosdick utilized them afterwards, running the grist-mill and sawmill and making shingles there. He was succeeded in the business by Bradford Beal. These mills were afterwards burned. Sarah Riddle, daughter of John Riddle, who afterward married Dea. James Wallace, was employed to tend the grist-mill by Colonel Moore. His direction to Sarah was never to take toll from a widow's grist or from a man who brought his grain on his back, " But," said she, "I always felt vexed when two bushels of grain came in one bag," probably because it was very heavy to handle.

Above. these mills was Aiken's mill, now known as Shepard's mill. There were two mills. One of them was north of the old road leading to the Aiken place and was used as a sawmill. The other (now in existence) is a few rods above on the same stream and is conducted by George F. Shepard as a sawmill. This mill had the first circular saw for sawing logs in Bedford. About one and a half miles above the latter was a mill built and owned by Sewall Stratton, on a privilege previously operated by Ezra Baldwin.1

1 Ezra Baldwin was a great hypochondriac, and, as such persons often are, was noted for whimsical oddities. Our manuscript poem, from which we have more than once borrowed, gives him a niche among its worthies.

" They used to say the Gout and Spleen Oft in his company were seen ; The only way his friends could do, To break it up and bring him to, Was to get him to take a ride, Then leave the road great way one side, And over the hillocks stone heaps steer,

Till he began to cry ' Oh dear ! ' This made his anger wildly rise, And as he echoed forth his cries, He quite forgot his hypo hours

Which all absorb'd his mental powers. This remedy, being often tried, Bid Hypo stand as one defied."

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.

Farther up the same stream was a turning mill owned by David Sprague, where bobbins were made. Its location was about a third of a mile above Stratton's mill.

On Pulpit brook, which runs through Bedford from New Boston for a short distance, southwest of Clinton French's house, Foster Gage built a sawmill about 1860. It was operated by Clinton French for a time, but not much use was ever made of the privilege. The mill was burned.

The outlet of Sebbens' pond is known as Darrah's brook, and near where it empties into the Merrimack river James Darrah built a saw and grist-mill not far from where the stream passes under the Con- cord railroad track. Its location may be seen from the car window. On this same stream, about 100 rods north on the River road, William Moor built a saw and grain mill, and one Vickere had a turning mill on this stream. Afterwards Daniel Ferguson owned and carried on a saw and grist-mill at the same place. On the same stream John C. Ferguson built the dam and cider- and grist-mill, which were afterwards owned and operated by Thomas Thorpe for a wool scour- ing mill. It was later destroyed by fire. On a branch of this stream near where its crosses the back River road on the Benjamin Smith place, Solomon Gage, when he owned the farm, built a dam and sawmill, but for lack of water he soon abandoned the enterprise.

Josiah Walker built a sawmill on his farm near the Merrimack river, in operation as late as 1850. The power was furnished by Chandler's brook. There are some traces of the dam yet to be seen. William Patten built a sawmill 200 rods above this mill, but it has since been removed.

We omit any extended reference to the sawmill near the Dea. Moody M. Stevens' place, which did a considerable business, for the reason that the town line, dividing Bedford from Merrimack, runs through the mill. The pond and the dam is in Bedford, but the mill is in Merrimack. These mills are known as Swett's mills, origi- nally known as Aiken's mills from a son of John Aiken and Annis Orr. David Swett owned and operated them, for sawing logs and shingles and grinding corn, for many years. More corn was proba- bly ground in these mills that in any other mill in Bedford. The mills are now owned by John E. Stowell and some grinding is still done there. The sawmill is no longer in use.

Benjamin Baker, a famous maker of edge tools, had a trip hammer and forge in his shop just east of the River road on Chandler's

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brook. There are a few specimens still to be found in town of his handiwork.

TANNERIES AND COOPER SHOPS.

In the early days every farmer was his own butcher, and, of course, had the skins of the animals killed to be disposed of. Prior to the Revolution, James Aiken established a tannery on what is now known as the McAllaster farm. Stephen French also estab- lished a tannery near the present residence of James Edwards French, his grandson. He had a primitive mill to grind his own bark, consisting of a heavy stone wheel about eight inches wide and six feet in diameter. This stone ran in a circular trough, with a solid foundation, into which the bark was put for pulverization. The stone was propelled by horse power. After its use for bark- grinding was no longer needed, the stone was removed to Mr. Nathan Kendall's blacksmith shop, which stood just west of the parsonage, and was used for a platform for setting wheel tires. This stone now (1902) covers the well near the site of the old shop.

Otis Batchelder also had a tannery on Crosby brook. It was afterwards operated by William Goffe.

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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 24

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