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 79
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The speaker referred to the petition to be set aside as a parish and for permission to worship God after their own manner as one of the first acts of the people who settled in Bedford, while he added that " the spirit that burned in the heart of John Knox, of loyalty to God, beat also in their hearts. The first impulse of their hearts in this new land was to pay homage to Him who was their true Sovereign and Lord."
"Others," said Mr. Bidwell, " have spoken of men and of secular events ; may we bow now in thanks and reverence to God that He raised up here men and women with characteristics which made their time blessed. Whatever we have to-day that is good comes from them-loyalty to country and to God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords."
In conclusion, the speaker presented the warm and cordial greet- ings of the people of his parish to those of their mother parish and their "prayers that God's continuous blessing may crown us all and this dear old town."
Mr. Bidwell's remarks were eloquent and moving, and he was heartily applauded as he finished speaking.
N. J. Bachelder, the master of the State Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, was the next speaker called upon. He thanked the people of Bedford for the recognition given that organization, and expressed his personal appreciation for the honor accorded him.
Mr. Bachelder said that he was at first at something of a loss to account for the invitation to speak, since it could not be because of the great age of the grange, nor because he had any Bedford ances- tors. He had finally come to the conclusion, he said, that it was the interest of the chairman of the day in farming and dairying which had caused him to be invited to take part in the proceedings, and in this connection he made a neat recognition of the fact that for two years past the butter of the chairman's dairy had won the first premium at the state exhibition of the grange.
The speaker said: "The form of government under which this town was organized, and under which it continued for a century after, was to my mind an ideal form. The little republics of that sort represent to my mind the ideal government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And as the time allotted me will not permit the discussion of more than a single idea, I shall devote what time I have to a consideration of the passage of the old town- meeting government and of interest in town affairs."
" When Bedford was first incorporated," continued Mr. Bachelder, " everybody was interested in town affairs, and whatever their other occupations were, all were farmers. All took a vital interest in the town's business, while to-day there has taken place a great change. This is a day of specialists. We delegate to others all functions, except our own specialties. We authorize specialists to manage town affairs. Even politics has developed its own species of specialists. And, indeed, an honest politician, interested in promot-
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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.
ing policies which are for the interest of the state and nation is entitled to just as much respect as you or I.
"What are we to do? I believe that we should turn back the pendulum a little. I do not mean to go back to the old days with no specialists, but to have all of the people take more interest in public affairs. I would have the people take more interest in what the politicians do. In this state we have one senator and one congressman for nearly a quarter of a million people, and while in theory these men are supposed to legislate for all of the people, I say it is our duty to call their attention to what we want. I dare say that if a show of hands were called for here to-day from those who, during the past twelve years, have written to a senator or congressman on any public matter, there would be few hands in sight. I would have the people take as much interest in public affairs as they did a century and a half ago.
"A word as to the grange. It is too well known to need a defense. It stands for the true development of the state and for true man- hood and womanhood. We recognize the fact that the successes of the past have come from the influence of country boys and girls who have gone to the cities, and if prosperity is to be continued, the grange believes that it will largely come from the same sources. I think that in New England cities and towns we have lost a little in state and town pride. We have heard too much of successes in the West, and we are prone to think we are not located in quite the right place. In these 'old home' days, we, as members of the grange, should rededicate ourselves to the interests that will make the towns better and more prosperous. Then we can say that the town where we live is the best place in the United States."
Mr. Bachelder's remarks struck a responsive chord in the minds of his hearers and they vigorously applauded him.
Maj. D. E. Proctor of Wilton, department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, was next introduced, the chairman paying a tribute to what Bedford had done in the defense of the country and the following of its flag, and presenting Major Proctor as the civil commander of all the soldiers whom New Hampshire sent out during the stormy days of the Civil war. He said, in part : " It gives me pleasure to respond to the invitation to be present at your sesqui-centennial. It came as a surprise. I began to look around for the reason, and I found that you are a military town -- a pension town, having been granted to those who served in the Narragansett war, and that you were christened with two names- Narragansett No. 5, or Souhegan East.
" Your history. is undoubtedly very much like your sister towns. You gave your quota in all the wars. You were loyal in them all, even going so far, at one time, as to compel your pastor to resign because he preferred the English Jack to our Stars and Stripes. The fathers did just right.
" Your loyalty to the old soldiers being thus established, you will
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excuse me if I take for my subject the military order of which I am the representative here to-day."
The speaker then briefly outlined the history and aims of this organization of those who fought to preserve the Union, and what it stands for. Continuing, he said : " Under these circumstances, do you wonder that we are loyal to our order ? Your greatest wonder must be, why we are not more loyal. Many of our old comrades are poor. The old Granite State, and we are proud of it, has dealt kindly with its old soldiers. It has built a beautiful home near the lakes, and it is liberally supported and well cared for. It exempts him from paying a poll tax if he requests it. It has voted that no old soldier shall be sent to the poor house; that when he dies, he shall have a Christian burial ; that the Grand Army of the Republic shall have the control of the Memorial day appropriations, in towns where a post is located, and that the flags we carried away in their beauty and freshness, and brought back tattered and torn, but in honor, should have the best care the old state can give. And in addition to these, the government gives him a pension if he is dis- abled so as to require it. It helps him, it does him lots of good. Our government is generous; but often times the help does not come until the poor old soldier is beyond its need."
Major Proctor spoke eloquently, and compared the war of 1861 with the others the country has seen and with more modern events of a like nature. He painted a bright picture of this country's future, and his remarks were frequently interrupted with applause.
An original poem, written for the occasion by Moses Gage Shirley, was next read by Allen King, a young man, who performed his part very acceptably. The verses were as follows :
ANNIVERSARY POEM.
A hundred years, yea, fifty more, Since this historic town, Amid the fragrant bloom of May, Put on her bridal gown.
A golden circle and a half Of fruitful growing years, Freighted with argosies of hope, With sunshine and with tears.
To-day we look their record o'er, And full of pride we turn Back to the sturdy pioneers Whose beacon fires still burn.
To Colonel Goffe, who drew his sword For liberty and right, No prouder name on history's page Can seer or poet write.
Or Parson Houston's, who in word And deed the Gospel taught; True men were they who came of old And in the township wrought.
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And there are other names as bright, O'er which we love to dwell, But abler pens and lips than ours To you their fame will tell.
Enough to know that here they lived, That Bedford was their home. To Bedford still they turned their eyes Where'er they chanced to roam.
Peace to our heroes, where they lie, In their untroubled sleep,
The blue of heaven above them bends, The light winds o'er them sweep.
Ah! If each wanderer could return, How every heart would thrill, Whether they came from Joppa's plain Or down from Holbrook hill.
'T is well for us who meet to-day And friendly ties renew, To backward look and fondly link The old times with the new.
'T is well for us who meet and part, Amid the springtime flowers, To know the God our fathers loved And worshiped still is ours.
Hail and farewell! May coming years Their blossoms scatter down, And wreathe a garland yet more fair For this beloved town.
Mrs. Zilla McQuesten Waters, a daughter of old Bedford, was. next introduced. She sang very acceptably Adams' "Holy City," and that she did not respond to an encore was not the fault of her hearers, who gave her most generous applause.
The entire assembled company then rose, and under the leader- ship of Mrs. Waters sang "America," and a volume of melodious sound went up from the assemblage such as the old church has. seldom heard.
The concluding address of the fixed programme was by George Byron Chandler of Manchester, himself a Bedford boy, who was introduced as the descendant of Zachariah Chandler, one of the two original proprietors of the town site grant who settled upon the land. It was from this family that Zachariah Chandler, who was senator from Michigan and a member of Grant's cabinet, sprang, also.
Mr. Chandler began by saying that it gave him great pleasure to stand upon the platform with the knowledge that he could claim descent from the original settlers of Bedford, and added the state- ment that he had lately been impressed as never before that the descendants of such people, to-day, are quite prone not to appreciate their heritage-what was done for them by those who preceded them and placed them in the old home. He dwelt upon the hard- ships and the privations which the early settlers so stoutly endured in order that they might have self-government and the exercise of
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self-conscience. They, he said, sought merely to found homes, and had no idea that the land in which they had settled would grow up to be what it is to-day.
The work done by these early settlers in taming the wilderness, the speaker declared, was slow, and it was a century after the first landing in New Hampshire before Bedford was settled, and the Pat- tens and Goffes and Orrs and Aikens and Riddles and McAllisters began their life of hardship and toil with their belief that religion was essential to life. He questioned what their descendants of to- day would say if called upon to endure what they did, and compared the differences of ordinary life then and now.
Continuing, Mr. Chandler asked what was the highest evidence of civilization, and answered it by saying that it is "Where one can find laws made in justice and executed impartially."
" Having these safeguards," he said, "the people are responsible if they are not fully protected."
Love of home, for which these people always fought, the speaker declared to be a thing little appreciated to-day, just as in many cases is the love once found in the old families. The ideal home, he de- clared, which many in Bedford possessed, he thought, was a country home. Even the dwellers in cities who are most wedded to city life love to get into the country. They cannot wean themselves entirely from the old life. It is as a place of summer homes that New Hamp- shire has much to look forward to, Mr. Chandler thought.
To have contentment, happiness, and helpfulness in their homes, the speaker considered the truest and best aim. The greatest need, and the one most to be sought, he thought, was helpfulness. Agri- culture is an honorable calling, he declared, and those who follow it are more envied than they know. Made into a community of help- ful common life, Bedford would be most to be envied.
Incidentally, the speaker dropped a few hints which he thought, if followed, would tend to make Bedford more happy and prosperous. Improved roads, more care for wood land, a larger town library housed in a good building, were among the things suggested. In- creased knowledge brings increased happiness, Mr. Chandler said, and noble minds are always looking for chances for improvement of all sorts.
In conclusion, the speaker declared a warm attachment for the home of his boyhood and a desire to see the town all that it might be and more even than it is to-day. His concluding words were, "God bless the home."
A few brief numbers brought the programme to a close. Park Stevens, whose grandfather used to play the bass viol in the village choir, rendered a violin solo in a pleasing manner, and then the Rev. Mr. French, of Londonderry, formerly of Bedford, was called upon to speak. He said a few feeling words of greeting and good wishes, expressing his attachment for his old home and hope that its future might prove even better than its past.
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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.
Jacob Manning, who had been away from Bedford for fifty-four years, spoke briefly in a reminiscent strain. He urged more care for the forests, declaring that hundreds of acres of good land was lying waste which could easily be turned into fine timber land.
Deacon George Holbrook, of Manchester, spoke of his early days in Bedford. He had some happy reminiscences of Dr. Woodbury, who for many years was the village doctor, of Deacon Mack, the sturdy blacksmith, whom he declared to be a man among men, and in conclusion paid a tribute to the many fine qualities and the Chris- tian character of Dr. Savage, who for so many years was the teacher and preacher to the people of the parish.
George H. Mitchell was the last speaker. The exercises were brought to a close with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" by all present.
Then there was nothing left save visits among old friends and to old familiar spots. Good-bys were at once in order for many who had to catch the early trains for home, and the church steps and the space in front of the building was the scene of a continuous recep- tion for an hour or two after the exercises.
Registers were provided for those present to leave their names in, and these will be placed in the town library. One was for all present, and another for those who were present at the centennial exercises a half century ago. Over 100 names were recorded in the latter book, many of those who registered coming from a considera- ble distance to visit once more the scenes of their early life.
The exercises of the day all passed off very smoothly, and the people of the town and those who came from a distance were all justly proud when the day was over of the manner in which old Bedford had commemorated her 150th.
The following committees had the details of the celebration in charge :
Committee of arrangements-John A. Riddle, chairman, Quincy Barnard, Gordon Woodbury, William M. Patten, and Arthur W. Holbrook.
President of the day-Gordon Woodbury.
Vice-presidents-Edward Barr, Charles H. Kendall, William McAfee, Isaac P. Hodgman, Stillman Parkhurst, Samuel P. Dunck- lee, Leonard Bursiel, and David Swett.
Reception committee-Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Manning, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman R. French, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. French, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Barr.
Addenda.
HISTORY OF 1851 .- From some papers of Dr. P. P. Woodbury, examined since the page of this history relating to the book of 1851 was printed, some interesting facts are learned. Eight hundred copies of the book of 1851 were printed. The work was done by Alfred Mudge in Boston. The cost of composition at $1.25 per page was $455; of engraving and printing the map, $91; of bind- ing, at 20 cents a copy, $160; extra work making alterations, $37,- a total of $743. In settlement the $43 was discounted. The cost of engraving and printing a map of Piscataquog village was $42, from which $12 was discounted in settlement. The engraving of Dr. Woodbury's residence cost $12.50. Receipts from Mudge for $742.50, in full settlement for the work, exist. There were inci- dental expenses for postage on proofs of $4.12. The freight bill of the Concord railroad corporation for bringing the books from Bos- ton to Goffe's Falls, 1,380 pounds, was $1.65, and was receipted by C. H. Wheeler.
The estimated number of books lost by fire, alluded to elsewhere, was 125. In addition to the $232 "advanced " by the town, more money was needed to pay Mudge as the work of printing pro- gressed, and William Patten borrowed $130 from the Amoskeag bank on his personal note for the purpose.
INDIAN ROCK .- It is a detached portion of the ledge of Pulpit brook,-an inverted pot-hole, lying on a decomposing ledge and sets on an unstable foundation.
DANIEL MOOR'S MILLS .- You want to know where Daniel Moor's mills were, and if I know anything about them. Well, I know con- siderable about them, but my sister, Mrs. Thompson, knew a good deal about them. I took your letter to her and she told me all about them. My sister, Mrs. Thompson, has about a dozen old deeds for large lots of land down about where we lived. I will try and let you know all about Mr. Daniel Moor and where his sawmill was.
In 1760, on June 8, John McConihe came over from Londonderry and bought 52 acres of land of Mr. Gould and Fletcher of Chelms- ford, Mass., and paid 50 Spanish milled dollars for it; then on Octo-
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ADDENDA.
ber 12, 1760, Mr. John McConihe, my great-grandfather, bought of Daniel Moor 50 more acres and paid 52 Spanish milled dollars for it. Mr. Daniel Moor built the first house on the place opposite the old McConihe farm where Colley afterwards lived, and Mr. Beals lived when I was at your house in 1891, and we went there, you remember.
When my grandfather bought his land of Gould and Fletcher and Daniel Moor, in 1760, he wanted to know if it was well over in Bed- ford. He was afraid he might get into Merrimack, and my sister said he wanted to be in Bedford so he could go to the Bedford Presbyterian church and be buried if he should die in Bedford, and he died there and he was buried in the old cemetery, called Goffe cemetery, near where you live.
About 1775 or 1780, Mr. Daniel Moor sold his place to Colley, but he built the sawmill on the place where Thomas Atwood built his grist-mill and sawmill. Mr. Daniel Moor came down and built a house where afterwards Robert Moor lived, but his sawmill was pulled down in 1815, for Thomas Atwood did not build his mills, my sister says, until about 1830 or 1832.
Now, my great-grandfather moved a little farther south on his land. He was near the little brook and meadow. He still thought he was in Bedford, but he was not, and it worried him terribly. He did not like the church in Merrimack and the people there, but he was in Merrimack just the same. For a good many years there was a dispute about the town line between Bedford and Merrimack, and it was not settled until 1840. Now, my great-grandfather moved from his little hill home to one farther south. When he found he was in Merrimack, he moved again to a hill, where I was born in 1827. There are cellar holes where the two old houses stood on the old farm where I was born. In about 1808 or 1810, Moody Stevens, my father, John McConihe, and John McConihe, 2d, cousin of my father, built a sawmill in Bedford on the same stream as Daniel Moor had his sawmill, on the road as near as you go to Moody Stevens' house, just below where the cross-road now runs. It was carried away by a freshet in 1825, I believe. It was in Bed- ford, about forty rods from the Merrimack line. And now, my dear friend, I hope you will understand what I have written you about the two sawmills. If I was there I could take you to the spot where those mills stood. . . - Letter of J. M. Mc Conihe of Princeton, Ill., written September 21, 1903.
Genealogies.
In arranging these genealogies, abbreviations have been used as follows : b. for born ; m., married ; d., died ; res., resides or resided ; rem., removed ; ch., children. Members of the same generation are numbered alike with numerals, and names in italics indicate their reappearance preceded by the same number in Roman characters. In locating towns, New Hampshire is understood unless otherwise indicated by the connection. As all the families are arranged alpha- betically, an index is deemed unnecessary.
We wish to acknowledge valuable information secured from the histories of Amherst, Francestown, and Willey's Book of Nutfield ; also assistance rendered by many individuals out of town, one of whom-William Wilson Moor, of Concord-not only furnished the genealogies of the six distinct Moor families of the town, but gave important information relating to several other families also.
An effort has been made to secure the record of every family in town, though not all have responded. The record of 157 families, however, has been obtained. People born in town, but residing elsewhere, have their descendants carried to the second generation, when known. Some branches of the older families are incomplete because of inability to trace their descendants. Effort has been made to arrange the information secured with as few errors as pos- sible, though this information has been conflicting at times, and much personal investigation has been found necessary.
ABBOTT.
I. George Abbott, ancestor of a numerous progeny, emigrated, as tradition says, from Yorkshire, England, about 1640, and was among the first settlers in Andover, Mass., 1643, and a proprietor. In 1647 he m. Hannah Chandler, dau. of William and Annis Chandler, by whom he had eleven children.
II. John, son of George1, m. Sarah Barker, by whom he had nine chil- dren.
III. Ephraim, son of John2, m. Sarah Hunt, and had eleven children.
IV. Ephraim, son of Ephraim3, Amherst, N. H., m. Mary Abbott, and 2d, Hannah Kneeland. Had seven children.
V. Dea. Ephraim, son of Ephraim4, b. at Andover, Mass., 1752; m. Dorothy Stiles. After residing in Deering, Greenfield, and Mt. Vernon, he removed to Bedford about 1799. He d. in 1828, aged 86. Ch .: Dorothy6, b. 1772, m. David Abbott, of Windham, N. H .; she d. 1822; Samuel6, b. 1777; Ephraim6, b. 1780; Sarah6, b. 1787, m. Dea. Jonathan Rand. (See Rand.)
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HISTORY OF BEDFORD.
VI. Rev. Samuel, son of Dea. Ephraim, b. 1777; settled in Middlebor- ough, Mass., 1803, afterwards in Chester, and removed to Bedford, 1827. In 1850 he was residing in Antrim, having been in the min- istry fifty years. He m. Sarah, b. 1774, Jan. 20, dau. of Rev. John Rand; she was living in 1850, aged 76. They had nine ch .: Sam- uel7, b. 1799, d. 1800; Ephraim7, b. 1801; Sally G.7, b. 1804; Mille R.7, b 1807, d. 1848; Hepzibah N.7, b. 1809, d. 1841; Samuel W.7, b. 1812; Dorothy S.7, b. 1813; John R.7, b. 1817; S. Gano7, b. 1819, was settled in the ministry.
[NOTE .- All the children, and nearly all the grandchildren, of Rev. John Rand, and also those of Dea. Ephraim Abbott, have become hope- fully pious. ]
ADAMS.
I. Rev. John Adams was a minister in Durham, N. H., and also prac- tised medicine. Graduated at Harvard college, 1745. He was at one time instrumental in saving the life of James Sullivan, after- wards governor of Massachusetts, at Saco, when attacked with bilious colic. He moved to Washington Plantation, Newfield, Me., about the close of the Revolutionary War. He practised medicine and preached. He d. 1792, June 4, aged 66. His wife, Hannah Chesley, survived him until March, 1814, when she d., aged 75. They had one son, John2, b. in Durham, 1765, April 20.
II. John, son of John1, b. 1765, April 20, had a son, John3, b. in New- field, Me., 1792, Nov. 11.
III. John, son of John2, b. 1792, Nov. 11; m. 1821, June 6, Mary, dau. of Joshua Small, Esq., of Limington, Me. She d. of spotted fever, 1821, Oct. 19. He m., 2d, 1822, Sept. 26, Sarah Dutch, who d. 1830, March 12, aged 32, leaving two ch .: Margaret Isley4, b. 1825, Nov. 25, and Sarah Dutch4, b. 1829, Nov. 11. He m., 3d, 1838, Jan. 11, Catherine, dau. of Samuel Chandler, Esq., of Bedford. They moved to Bedford, 1841, Feb. 9. His wife, Catherine, d. 1849, Feb. 21, aged 40, leaving one son, Samuel Chandler4, b. 1840, June 16. He m., 4th, 1850, April 23, Lavina, b. 1800, Dec. 14, dau. of Joseph and Mary (Dickey) Patten. John Adams d. 1867, Sept. 10; Lavina, his wife, d. 1897, July 13. (See Patten.)
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