USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Brookline > History of Brookline, formerly Raby, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire : with tables of family records and genealogies > Part 11
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SWALLOW TUCKER JAMES CAMPBELL ROBERT SEVER."
With the foregoing petition was filed a plan of Hollis and Raby, showing the proposed alterations, and also a plan of Raby alone. These plans, of which copies accompany this chapter, are papers Nos. 183 and 184, Town Papers, Vol. I, collection of 1880, in the office of the secretary of state. By an examination of these plans, it will be seen that No. 184 marks the location upon the disputed land of the dwelling houses of the residents; it also gives their names, as follows: "Senter's house, James McDaniels, Perkins, Ezekiel Proctor, John Cummings, Mr. Farley, Phin's Bennet, Joshua Smith, Joshua Smith, Jr." It also gives the names of those living in Raby on the side adjacent to Hollis, as follows: "Jonas Shead, R. McDaniels, Capt. Sever, Widdow Dickey, R. Cutts Shannon, Esq., James Dickey, Gray, Thos Asten."
On the 15th day of Oct., 1785, while the foregoing petition was still pending in the General Court, the inhabitants of the disputed land filed in court another petition, framed in language similar to that used in their petition under date of Dec. 5, 1783. The names of the signers of this last petition were as follows; James McDonell, Jesse parkins, Thomas Law-
119
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
rence, Simeon Senter, Joshua Smith, Ezekiel Proctor, Ebr's Gilson, Joshua Smith, Jun. Phinehas Bennet.
Benjamin Farley, a son of Samuel Farley, who acted as attorney for Raby at the time of its incorporation, was appointed as the town's agent for attending to all matters relative to the petition while it was pending in the legislature; and his efforts were ably seconded by Samuel Douglass, the town's representative for that year.
Hollis, of course, opposed the petition. At a meeting of its inhabit- ants holden on the 15th day of Sept., 1785, it was voted-"That this Town will oppose the Petition preferr'd to the Gen1 Court, by the Town of Raby, That Daniel Emerson Esq. be fully impower'd to oppose said Petition, also voted that Noah Worcester Esq. Capt. Dow Ens. Jeremh Ames William Cumings & Capt. Goss, be a Committee to State the mat- ter fairly and give said Emerson Instructions in writing relative to the same, taken from the Town Records
True Copy Attest William Cumings Town Clerk"
"To Daniel Emerson Esq. Representative for the Town of Hollis-
Agreable to the above votes of the Town of Hollis, impowering you to oppose the Petition of the Town of Raby, & us to give you instructions thereon, You are hereby instructed to oppose said Petition-in behalf of the Town of Hollis, for the following Reasons (viz) first as the said Peti- tioners represent their Weakness and inability to support the Gospel or maintain Schools, it cannot be supposed that the addition of nine families Settled on such a Tract of Land as they Represent unfit for Cultivation if Granted could remove the Difficulties of which they complain-
2ª as they represent in said Petition, that they at their Incorporation had reason to expect some further help from said Town of Hollis, that we know of no Reason that they had to expect any such thing unless it was by some mistake in their own measure as they themselves measured it before the incorporation, that the Town of Hollis never measured nor Joined in Measuring until after the Incorporation, That the Votes of the Town of Hollis, previous to said incorporation of Raby were design'd to fix the meeting house in the Sentre of the Town east and west, which Votes of said Town were confirmed by the Charter of the Town of Raby-
3ª That they in their Petition request to begin at the Grat Sand Bank so called, and run a Paralel line with the town of Raby opposite to their Northeast corner, then a closing line to their Northeast Corner, which if granted will leave a Tract of land with a Number of inhabitants on the same about two miles Square belonging to Hollis, at the Northerly end of
120
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Raby extending as far west as the west line of Raby excepting the width of the Mile Strip-
4th That the meeting House in Hollis now stands on a plat of Ground which it seems nature form'd for that purpose being pleasantly Situated, that the Town has been at a Great Expense in laying Out and making Roads to accommodate the same, which well convenes the Inhabitants from all parts of said Town That if said Petition should be granted, con- sequently the meeting house would not be in the sentre of the Town- which probably cause an uneasiness in the Easterly part of ye Town, which might cause the Town to live in Contention or lay them under the disagreeable Necessity of building a New meeting house, and of being at a Vast expence to accomodate Roads, to the same, which never can be done with that Convenience that it now is-
NOAH WORCESTER REUBEN DOW -
Comtee in behalf
Hollis Sepr 28th 1785.
JEREMIAH AMES WILLIAM CUMINGS JOHN GOSS
of ye Town of Hollis."
The contest in the legislature over the petition was of comparatively short duration, but was very strenuous while it lasted. But, finally, on the 17th day of July, 1786, an act was passed by which the prayer of the petition was granted.
Thus, by act of legislature, the title in and to a strip of land three- fourths of a mile in width on the east side of Raby, which was included within its original limits as defined in its charter at the date of its incor- poration in 1769, but over which, from the date of its incorporation up to the date of this act, Hollis had wrongfully claimed and attempted to exercise jurisdiction, was settled as being in Raby, where it has ever since remained unquestioned.
Hollis' inhabitants gracefully accepted the dictum of the legislature as expressed in the act. For although they had opposed its passage, their opposition was not occasioned by any real desire to hold possession of the land in question, which was of comparatively little value, but rather, as has already been stated herein, by the fact that by its loss their meeting-house would no longer stand in the exact center of the township. A state of affairs which, in accord with the ideas prevalent in those days, would in their estimation be deplorable; because it would compel those of the people who lived on, or near, the limits of that part of the town far- thest from the meeting-house, in going to and from the same, to cover
121
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
more ground than was covered for the same purpose by their fellow towns- men who lived near the limits of that part of the town which was nearest to the meeting-house.
There is, however, no record that the change in the location of the Hollis meeting-house had any noticeable effect upon the church-going proclivities of its people; or, for that matter, upon those of the people of Raby; the majority of whom continued to worship in Hollis until the completion of their own meeting-house in 1791.
Municipal and Other Events 1789-1800.
Notwithstanding the fact that by the passage of the foregoing men- tioned act of the legislature, Raby had become confirmed in the possession of its original territory, its inhabitants, far from being satisfied with the amount of land which they already possessed, were apparently desirous of acquiring more. For on the 28th day of Feb., 1786, they passed a vote-"To petition the town of Mason for two tiers of lots on its easterly part"; and chose Capt. Samuel Russell, Lieut. Isaac Shattuck and Clark Brown as a committee to "petition and see if they are willing to be set off to Raby." On the 31st day of March of the same year they again "voted and chose Capt. Russell, Capt. Samuel Russell and Ebenezer Gilson" as a committee-"To git 2 lots from easterly part of Mason set off to Raby."
At a later meeting in the same year, Benjamin Farley was appointed as the town's agent-"To git a piece of the northwest part of Hollis and the mile slip laid off to Raby."
It does not appear that either of the above mentioned committees, or the "agent," ever reported. The votes probably originated from an indefinite understanding relative to the territory actually embraced within the town's limits; and, although for a few years subsequently there are recorded, occasionally, similar votes, the matter finally ceased to interest the public and was allowed to drop.
1787. Dec. 5th, Swallow Tucker was elected grand juror, to attend court at Amherst at the "General Sessions of the Peace." Mr. Tucker was the second from this town to be elected to this position.
Capt. Robert Seaver was for the second time serving the county as coroner; as was also Capt. Samuel Douglass.
1788. Aug. 5th, Eleazer Gilson was elected as the town's first petit juror; and at the same meeting Capt. Robert Seaver was elected as a grand juror.
122
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
In the rate lists of this year the name of John Conant, who subse- quently built the first sawmill on the river below the outlet from the pond, appears for the first time; as does also the name of Caleb Trow- bridge, the town's second schoolmaster. The number of names on the tax lists for the year was 83.
At the convention which met at Exeter, February 13th, and adopted the Federal Constitution, Raby, Mason and New Ipswich were repre- sented by Deacon Amos Dakin of Mason.
1790. Minister rates were levied for the first time, and continued to be levied until about the year 1843; when the church having become in- dependent of the town's control, there was no longer occasion for them.
Richard Cutts Shannon was for the second time acting as coroner for the county and, on December 16, was appointed a justice of the peace and quorum.
Census of 1790.
This year by order of the legislature a census of the state was taken. The population of this town was found to be 338; as shown by the return of its selectmen, as follows: Males above 16, 86; Males under 16, 89; Females, 160; Other persons, 10; Total, 338.
At the March meeting this year the vote for president was 21; all of which were cast for Jolin Pickering.
1791. At the convention to revise the State Constitution which met at Concord on the 7th day of September, Raby, Mason and New Ipswich were represented by Charles Barrett, Esq., of New Ipswich.
Bridges Over the Nissitisset River.
As has already been stated in a prior chapter, the first bridge built by Raby over the river below its outlet from the pond was erected in 1772. But at the time of its construction, there was already in existence a bridge at the point where the Townsend highway crosses the stream at South Brookline. This latter bridge was built by the town of Hollis before the incorporation of Raby. One hundred and twenty years ago, it was known as the Benjamin Tucker bridge. It is known today as the Fessenden Bridge, from David S. Fessenden, who owns the brick house near it.
The second bridge to be built over the river by Raby is that crossing the stream a mile below the Tucker bridge. It is located at the point where the river is crossed by the highway leading from Brookline to Oak
123
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Hill, in Pepperell. Of late years it has been known as Bohonon's bridge, from the fact that it is situated near the late dwelling house of the late Moses Bohonon, deceased. At the time it was built, and for many years afterwards, it was known as the Joshua Smith bridge.
The first action of the town relative to building this bridge occurred at a town meeting holden May 12 of the above year, when it was voted -"To build a bridge across the River that runs across the Road that leads from Raby meeting house to Mr. Joshua Smith's house Provided Pepperell people did open the road to meet us." Probably Pepperell people did-"Open the road to meet us." For at a meeting holden on the 7th day of March of the following year it was again voted to bridge the said stream at this place, and-"To leave the building of the same to the selectmen to order it as they should think best." This is the last recorded reference to the building of this bridge. It is, therefore, fair to infer that the selectmen did as they thought best, and that the bridge was completed the same year, 1792.
1795. The town voted to lay out a road west of the south cemetery. The next year, 1796, this vote was repeated in the following language- "To lay out a road on the north side of the burying ground near Swallow Tucker's if they think best to turn the course of the road now to the south side of the burying ground."
1796. During this year the above mentioned road was built and accepted.
Town Common.
November 2, R. Cutts Shannon by his deed of that date recorded in Hillsborough records Vol. 203, p. 603, conveyed "To the selectmen and their successors forever for the use of the town" the land on which the old meeting-house now stands.
1798. This year the first guide boards to be placed in position in town were set up. They were constructed of pine boards placed upon oak posts. Samuel T. Boynton was licensed for one year as an inn keeper; and, as such, in the house situate on the town common now owned and occupied by Mrs. Newton W. Colburn, he hung out his sign; a guide board which directed both the traveling and non-traveling public to a locality not even indirectly suggested by those erected by the town fathers; and which both tradition and the records say was a sample of many others of a similar design which for many years previous to its advent had existed in town.
124
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Change of Name from Raby to Brookline.
1798. At the time of the town's incorporation under the name of Raby, there was a large minority of its inhabitants who were dissatisfied with the name. This minority gracefully submitted to the will of the majority; and in the progress of events attendant upon the organization of the new town and the War of the Revolution the matter for the time being, at least, ceased to attract public attention.
But soon after the close of the war, the old feeling of dissatisfaction, intensified no doubt by the fact that the name of Raby recalled associa- tions connected with the town's past that were far from agreeable to the majority of its citizens, was again revived. Year by year the numbers of those who advocated a change in the name of the town increased; and year by year public sentiment in favor of the change grew stronger. At last, in this year, 1798, matters were brought to a climax by the insertion into the warrant for a town meeting on the 30th day of May of an article calling for a change of the name of the town from Raby to Brookline. The article was passed with little opposition; and Benjamin Farley was sub- sequently ordered by the selectmen to draw up and present to the General Court a petition calling for a change of the town's name, in accordance with the above vote. Mr. Farley obeyed the order and drew up and filed in court a petition to the following effect:
"To the Hon Senate and House of Representatives For Said State Convened at Hopkintown.
Humbly Shews-The Subscribers Select men for the Town of Raby that it is the earnest desire of the Inhabitants of said Town that the Name thereof may be changed as by their vote in Town meeting may appear- We therefore pray your Honors to pass an Act whereby said Town of Raby may take and hold the name of Brookline in future-and as in duty bound shall pray.
Hopkintown June 11th 1798.
RANDEL McDONALD select- BENJA. FARLEY, men JAMES McINTOSH 7 of Raby"
The prayer of the petitioners was granted by the passage of an act to that end which was approved on the fourth day of December of the same year. Thus the name of Brookline was substituted for that of Raby and the latter became only a memory.
125
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Some idea of the cost of living at this time may be obtained from the following list of "Boston Prices Current," which is copied from the "Am- herst Journal and the New Hampshire Advertiser," under date of Dec. 12, 1795.
BOSTON PRICES CURRENT.
Carefully Corrected.
Boston, December 10.
Obferve, T. ftands for ton .- M. for thoufand H. for hundred-Cwt. for hundred weight-Hhd. for hogfhead-Bbl. for barrel-1b. for pound -gal. for gallon, &c.
Average Price per Quantity.
Dls .- Cents
Ashes Pot. per T.
166 66
Pearl, per T.
140
Allum, per cwt.
7
Beef, lft quality, bbl.
11 50
2d, do. bll. 10
Butter, 1b.
15
Beans, per bufhel,
1 25
Bees Wax, 1b.
33
Corn, Indian,
95
Cloth, tow, American, yd.
20
Cheefe, American, 1b.
10
Flour, Superfine, bbl. Fine
14 50
Middlings,
11
Hides, dried,
2
Hogs, Lard 1b.
14
Leather, foal, 1b.
21
Lime, per hhd.
4
Molaffes, gall.
63
Pork, one hog, bbl.
18
one and half hog,
16
middling pieces,
25
Meal, Rye, per bufhel
1
15
126
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Rum, Jamaica, gall.
1 75
Winward, do.
1 17
N. England, do.
70
Rice, Carolina, cwt.
7 33
Staves, white oak hhd. M. red oak, hlıd. do. 13
30
Staves, barrel white oak, do.
20
Sugar, brown, cwt. fr. 9 10 14 Loaf, 1b. 26
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
127
The Population of Brookline at the First Census of the United States in the Year 1790.
Name of head of family.
Free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families.
Free white males under 16
Free white females, including heads of families
Shannon, R. Cutts
2
2
6
Shattuck, Benja.
1
2
4
Farnsworth, Sampson
3
3
Hall, William, Jr.
1
1
1
1
McDonold, Randal
2
2
5
Sever, Robert
1
3
2
Dickey, James
1
3
2,
Brown, Clark
2
2
2
Emery, Ebenezer
3
1
2
Gowing, Ezekiel
1
1
3
Gilson, Ebenezer
3
1
4
Gilson, Eleazer
1
3
3
Hall, William
1
2
1
Lesley, Jonas
1
3
4
McDonald, James
1
-
3
Proctor, Ezekiel
2
-
2
Parker, Abijah
1
1
2
Perkins, Jesse
1
2
1
Senter, Simeon
1
2
3
Shattuck, Isaac
2
2
Sartell, Ephraim
3
1
3
Sawyer, Jonathan
1
1
3
Wheeler, Abiezer
1
2
1
Wetherbee, Oliver
1
1
1
Austin, Phineas
1
4
2
Austin, Bulah
1
-
6
Brooks, Benjamin
1
1
4
Bennet, Phineas
1
3
4
-
5
Douglass, Samuel
1
2
Graham, William
1
-
128
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
The Population of Brookline at the First Census of the United States in the Year 1790 .- Continued.
Name of head of family.
Free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families.
Free white males under 16.
Free including white females, heads of families.
Campbell, James
5
1
3
Davidson, David
1
1
2
Emerson, John
1
1
1
Farley, Benjamin
2
9
5
Blood, Reuben
1
2
Green, Samuel
1
3
Grace, Benjamin
1
1
1
Hodgman, Abel
1
2
Hodgman, Abraham
1
1
Lawrence, Ezekiel
1
1
McIntosh, Alexander
3
-
4
McIntosh, James
2
3
McIntosh, Archibald
1
5
Patten, Nathaniel, Jr.
1
2
Russell, George
2
3
Russell, Samuel
2
1
3
Russell, Andrew
1
2
3
Spaulding, Daniel
1
1
4
Smith, Joshua
1
3
2
Smith, Joshua, Jr.
1
3
2
Tucker, Swallow
3
1
2
Sanders, Isaac
1
3
2
Kirk, Charles
1
3
2
Wetherbee, Timothy
1
3
4
Turrel, William
1
2
2
Wood, John
1
2
1
Emery, Ebenezer
2
2
- Boston, Philip
-
-
-
221122 2 2 2
2
Hodgman, Joseph
2
113 1 3
129
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
Recapitulation.
Heads of families and free white males over 16 86
Free white males under 16. 89
Free white males, including heads of families 160
Family of Philip Boston, a free Negro
3
Total population 338
Oct. 16, 1790, Samuel Douglas, Jr., was appointed Justice of the Peace and Quorum, and was reappointed to the same position on the following year. He also held the position of county coroner for the year 1790.
130
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
CHAPTER IX.
Early Highways, Bridle Paths and Dwelling Houses, Together with Brief
Sketches of Such of the Signers of the Petition for the Incorpora- tion of Raby as Left Behind Them No Records of Their Families.
The Great Road, So Called-The Highway to Hollis via Proctor Hill- Bridle Paths: i. e., From Paddledock to Meeting-house Hill- From the Daniel Goodwin Place via the James McDaniels Place to the Jesse Perkins Place-From the Latter Path to the Senter's Place-From the North Highway to Hollis to the Proctor Hill Highway-From the Latter Path to the Village-Early Dwelling Houses: The Old "Yellow House"-The Capt. Nathan Corey House-The James Campbell House-The Samuel T. Boynton House-The Colburn Green House-Cellar Hole of the Rev. Lemuel Wadsworth House-The Sampson Farnsworth House- The Lieut. Samuel Farley House-Sketches of the Signers of the Petition for Incorporation.
At the date of the incorporation of Raby there were within its limits only two laid out and legally established highways. "The Great Road," so called, leading from Pepperell, Mass., entered the town on its east side and, continuing on through its territory in a westerly direction, crossed the Nissitisset river by a ford way near where the stream is spanned by the present Pond Bridge, so called, a few rods below its outlet from Mus- catanipus pond; from whence it extended to Mason and on througlı the southern border towns of the state, until it terminated at Hinsdale on the Connecticut river.
At this time and for many subsequent years this road was the prin- cipal route in New Hampshire for travel and traffic between these border towns and Boston. So far as its location in Brookline is concerned, it remains today practically the same as in the beginning.
The second of these laid out highways was that known at the present time as the Proctor hill road to Hollis. Its location today is also practi- cally the same as in the beginning. From Raby this latter road extended on in a southwest direction via Townsend hill to Townsend, Mass.
131
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
The majority of the other roads in town at that time were mere bridle paths; suitable only for horseback riders or, in some instances, for the passage of the lumbering ox wagons then in use. For, although there was no especial scarcity of horses, vehicles drawn by them, except those of the rudest description, were unknown here until well along into the nineteenth century; the first "chaise," according to local tradition, having been brought into town about 1820 by Deacon Eleazer Gilson.
These bridle paths, as they were called, although many of them were mere foot trails between the log cabins of the settlers, were to be found leading in all directions through the dense forest growth which then cov- ered the entire surface of the township. In subsequent years some of them were laid out and accepted as public highways, and are in use as such at the present time. Others continued to be used for public travel for many years or until, by the construction of other more direct and therefore more convenient routes between the points which they connected, they gradually passed into disuse.
Among the latter class is one which formerly connected Paddledock,* now South Brookline, with the western part of the township. It led out of the west side of the highway to Townsend, Mass., at a point near the location of the present steam sawmill of Orville D. Fessenden in South Brookline and, skirting the east base of Little Muscatanipus hill, followed up the west bank of the Nissitisset river to a point in the same a few rods northwest of the present iron bridge on Bond street, where it crossed the stream by a ford way and, continuing on up its east bank, connected with the Great Road at the point where the same is crossed by the "old ditch," a few rods south of the present pond bridge.
This bridle path was especially useful for the settlers in the western part of the town, for whom it furnished a short cut to Townsend, Mass. After the completion of the town's first meeting-house in 1791, it became the principal route for the citizens of Paddledock in going to and from divine worship. It continued to be used as a public thoroughfare until well along into the nineteenth century, but there is no record of its ever having been accepted by the town as a public highway.
When Ensign Bailey built his sawmill and tannery soon after the year 1800, this bridle path turned at the ford way (or, rather, another path way branched off from it at that point), and passed through the
* A name which in the early days of the township was given to that part of the town which at the present time is known as South Brookline. The origin of the name is obscure. But it is probably a cor- ruption of "Puddledock," a name by which a certain locality in Dover was formerly known; and, if so, the name was perhaps imported into Brookline by Swallow Tucker; an early settler here, whose family, although he came here from Groton, Mass., was originally of Dover.
132
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE
millyard up, and contiguous to, the west bank of the river; which it crossed by a stringer bridge erected by Mr. Bailey and located a few rods south of the present mill-dam near the village railroad station. The bridge re- mained in existence until about the time of the beginning of the Civil War; when, having become unsafe from age and want of repairs, it was put out of commission, either by the spring floods or the hands of men, perhaps both. There are those living today who remember this bridge as among the pleasantest of their boyhood memories. For beneath its shadow and from its location upward to the dam, they speared many and many a pickerel, and, occasionally, a lusty trout with which the river at this point then abounded, especially during the period of the subsidence of the spring freshets.
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