USA > New Hampshire > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, New Hampshire > Part 65
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119
March 12, 1801.
l'aid order of Col. Ambrose, as committee to fix on place for setting meeting house $3.00 Paid order of Col. Mason, as committee to fix upon place for setting meeting house $3.00 Paid Isaac Lord for attendance, vittilling and Rum, committee to Ilx place for meeting house $14.88
Eurly accounts, pay of town officers, etc. - The accounts of the town were kept in English money until 1796. In that year a part of the accounts are in pounds, shillings, and pence, and a part in dollars, dimes, and cents. The force of habit in keeping accounts in three denominations of money was so strong that at first the columns were headed dollars, dimes, and cents, but in 1797 Isaac Lord was town treasurer, and he placed the columns of dimes and cents together. The treasurer's accounts were audited by "committee men," who certified to the correctness of the accounts by writing in the treasurer's book thus : -
December 20, 1790.
Then settled and balanced all accounts to the year 1790 and find due to Weare Drake treasurer £1 5s. 9d. hard money
Nathaniel Hobbs
Carr Leavitt Committee
The selectmen, Carr Leavitt and Joseph Drake, settled with George Lord, collector, March 27, 1795, and found one shilling and ten pence in his hands. They balanced the account with this credit item: "By grog for committee, 1s. 10d." Some of the items in those early accounts are curious reading to the people of to-day, as : -
March 15, 1797.
By two bowls tody brought into a town meeting in 1796 by vote of town, .3.1
1 Effingham means "home of the children of Effa or Uffa," a famous king of the East Angles, A.D. 575. - Sanborn's Hist. N. II., p. 415.
537
TOWN OF EFFINGHAM.
Pay of town officers. - William Taylor, selectman, 1786, 12 shillings ; John Drake, selectman, 1790, £1; George Lord, collector, 1796, 8s. 6d .; Joseph Drake, selectman, 1796, £1 7s .; Dr Asahel Dearborn, selectman, 1797, $2.85; Weare Drake, committeeman, 1799, 33 cents; Isaac Lord, selectmani, 1800, $3.33; John Lang, selectman, 1810, $8.28: Joseph Bennett, selectman, 1820, $20.22; Thomas P. Drake, selectman, 1829, $30.72; John S. Dearborn, town clerk, 1824, $3.00.
CIVIL LIST. Town Clerks. - In the absence of any official record the following list has been made accord- ing to the record left by J. Dearborn Leavitt: Weare Drake, John S. Dearborn, James Lord, George W. Drake, Thomas P. Drake, Joseph Burrows, George Lord, Carr L. Drake. Mr Leavitt says John S. Dearborn held the office for twenty-one years. Carr L. Drake is known to have heki the office for fifteen years and was succeeded in 1858 by Robert Fulton, who hell the office until 1866. From that time the following persons have held the office : 1867, JJeremiah W. Dearborn. 1868, Charles F. Taylor. 1869-70, Aldo M. Rumery. 1871- 72, Josiah W. Thurston. 1873-74, Alex. M. Drake. 1875-77, Milton C. Morse. 1878-79, John E. Leavitt. 1880-84, Albert B. Lamper. 1885, Charles F. Taylor, 1886-88, Silas E. Stevens. 1889, John W. Moore.
Selectmen. - 1814, John Andrews. 1876, 1881-82, Francisco W. Barker. 1816-21, 1842, 1847-48, Joseph Bennett. 1867-68, Charles 11. Cate. 1862-63, Cyrus K. Champion, 1849-50, Levi Champion. 1832, Robert Clark. 1872, William R. Clark. 1871-72, Henry A. F. Colcord. 1783-84, John Costelloe. 1849-50, 1854, 1863, Charles S. Davis. 1882-85, David W. Davis. 1880, Weare T. Davis. 1802, 1818, 1830-32, Asahel Dearborn. 1861-62, James F. Dear- born. 1868, Jeremiah W. Dearborn. 1816, 1821, John S. Dearborn. 1826, Josiah Dearborn. 1844-46, 1866, John Demeritt. 1880, George E. Doane. 1837-39, 1854, Abraham Drake. 1861-63, Albert W. Drake. 1855-56, Bradley Drake. 1849-50, Cyrus K. Drake. 1824-25, George W. Drake. 1832-34, 1836, 1843-44, John Drake. 1885-86, John M. Drake. 1793-1800, 1803-15, 1823, Joseph Drake. 1840-42, Joseph Drake, Jr. 1851-53, 1861, Samuel L. Drake. 1826-29, 1831, Thomas P. Drake. 1822, John Eastman. 1823, Samuel F. Frost. 1851-54, Robert Fulton, Daniel C. Gale. 1859-60, 1865, 1869-70, John V. Granville. 1842-46, 1854-55, 1857, 1864, Simon P. Hill. 1837, 1851-53, Isaac Hobbs. 1785-89, Nathaniel Hobbs. 1840-41, Elijah Hodgdon. 1866-68, Cyrus Keay. 1869-70, John S. Lamper. 1886-88, Albert B. Lamper. 1807-10, 1818, John Lang. 1778-82, 1790-92, Carr Leavitt. 1835-36, 1841, Colonel Carr Leavitt. 1819-21, 1824-27, James Leavitt. 1836, Jeremiah G. Leavitt. 1778-82, Captain John Leavitt. 1799-1801, Major John Leavitt. 1856-60, Captain JJohn Leavitt, 2d. 1871-75, Jolm A. Leavitt. 1855- 56, John C. Leavitt, 2d. 1805-06, 1811-17, 1819-20, 1822, 1833-34, Morris Leavitt. 1838-39, Samuel Leavitt. 1843-44, George Lord. 1800-04, Isaac Lord. 1840, Isaac Lord, Jr. 1825, Jolm Lord. 1845-46, Samuel W. Lord. 1788-89, Abraham Marston. 1873-74, Abram F. Marston. 1791-92, Jeremiah Marston. 1839, John L. Marston. 1871, Jacob Manson. 1847-48, Joshua L. Meloon. 1889, Frank Meloon. 1883-84, Charles S. Miles, 1857-59, 1864, Andrew J. Milliken. 1810-11, Jacob Mills. 1869-70, Charles E. Moore. 1828-30, 1841, Silas M. Morse. 1802, Redmon Moulton. 1823-24, Richard Moulton. 1878-80, 1889, John W. S. Palmer. 1877-79, 1885-86, Charles Parsons. 1830-31, Zebulon Pease. 1794-96, Simon Philbrook. 1857-58, James Ross. 1875-77, Aldo M. Rumery. 1877-79, 1881, 1884, 1887-89, Charles HI. Stevens. 1858-60, 1864-65, Alphonzo Taylor. 1847-48, Benjamin F. Taylor. 1786-88, 1791, 1806-09, William Taylor. 1827-29, Amos Towle, Jr. 1812-13, Daniel Towle. 1805, Joseph Towle. 1873-74, Andrew J. Wedgwood. 1866-67, David Wedgwood. 1833-35, 1837-38, Jonathan Wedgwood. 1803-04, Josiah Wedgwood.
Representatires. - No election for representative was held until 1800, when Carr Leavitt was elected. 1802, 1804, 1807, Isaac Lord. 1809, Joseph Drake. 1812, Carr Leavitt. 1813-15, Joseph Drake. 1816-17, Carr Leavitt. 1818-19, Joseph Drake. 1820-22, James Leavitt. 1823-27, James Lord. 1828, no one was sent. 1829-30, John Colley. 1831-32, Carr Leavitt. 1833-34, George W. Drake. 1835-36, Morris Leavitt. 1837, Jeremiah G. Leavitt. 1838-39, Jolin Drake. 1840-41, Jonathan Wedgwood, 1842, Thomas P'. Drake. 1843-44, Abram Drake. 1945-46, William Champion. 1847-48, Simon P. Hill. 1849-50, Joseph Bennett. 1851-52, Joshua L. Meloon. 1853-54, Cyrus K. Drake. 1855-56, Charles S. Davis. 1857-58, Levi Champion. 1859-60, John C. Leavitt, 2d. 1861-62, Andrew J. Milliken. 1863-64, Benjamin F. Taylor. 1865, Samuel L. Drake. 1866-67, Rufus II. Burbank. 1868, John Demeritt. 1869-70, Alphonzo Taylor. 1871, Aaron Clark. 1872-73, Jacob Manson. 1874-75, Robert Ful- ton. 1876-77, Joseph R. Davis. 1879, Alexander M. Drake. 1881, Cyrus K. Champion. 1883, Silas M. Morse. 1885, Melvin J. Leavitt. 1887, John M. Drake. 1889, Daniel C. Gale.
The selectmen appointed William S. Taylor constable for 1889. Mr Taylor's first appointment to this office was in 1847; he has served every year since but two, making forty years' service.
538
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Roads and Bridges -Highway Districts in 1802 - Mails, Postoffices, Stage Routes- Effingham Falls - South Effingham - Huntress Neighborhood - Merchants - House on Green Mountain - Ice Cave.
R OADS AND BRIDGES. - One of the most serious obstacles encountered by the first settlers was the construction of roads and bridges. In the earlier days of its settlement many things were brought into town on the backs of horses and men, who followed a rude path by the aid of spotted trees. It is related that the first potatoes planted in Effingham were planted by James Titcomb, who brought four bushels on his back from Wakefield in one day. He had them in two bags. He would carry one bag until he was tired, then he would leave it and go back and get the other and carry that on beyond the first one, and so he went on working until he got them both home. That winter he killed two bears and hauled them to Portsmouth on a hand-sled, where he exchanged them for salt, which he hauled home in the same way.
There is now standing on the farm cleared by Abraham Marston a sweet- apple tree which was brought from Hampton on horseback about one hundred years ago. This tree is still in bearing condition. It measures nine feet in circumference.
March, 1782, the town passed the following: "No team shall pass in any public road in said town with a sled less than four feet between runners under penalty of having his sled cut in two."
The proprietors, as early as 1762, chose Abraham Drake and Daniel San- born a committee to find the most convenient way to cut a road to the centre of the town. This road which they located, or at least the first road made into town, came from Wakefield, through what is called Ossipee Pocket and the Clough neighborhood to the Captain John Leavitt hill and Drake's corner ; thence it was extended to Lord's hill and over the Sweatt hill to the Great Ossipee river, near where Reuben Flanders now lives.
The bridge over the Great Ossipee river at this point, long known as the "great bridge," was built by Isaac Lord, Esq., in 1792. It was maintained by him as a toll 1 bridge until 1820, when he sold it to the town. The condi- tions of the sale were something like this. Mr Lord agreed that if the town would pay him a certain price for the bridge (seven hundred and fifty dollars, it is said), he would present the town a bell for the Congregational church,
1 Toll was one cent for a person on foot and ten cents for a team.
539
TOWN OF EFFINGHAM.
or north meeting-house, at Lord's Corner. This he did, purchasing and placing upon the church a bell weighing eleven hundred pounds.
A number of years afterward, and after the death of Mr Lord, the town sold at public auction its claim on the bell, which was "bid off " by Thomas P. Drake for a small sum. Then the question was how to get possession of the bell, as the people at Lord's Corner were not disposed to give it up. Learning that all the men at Lord's Corner were away at work on the road, Mr Drake took a two-horse team and a crew of men and went over, took the bell down from the church, and carried it to Drake's Corner. It is said that Deacon Robert Clark happened along when they got the bell down, and sat down on it and refused to leave it, but they took him up with the bell and put both in the wagon, when he gave it up rather than be carried to Drake's Corner. A messenger had in the meantime been sent for help, but it did not arrive in season to prevent the consummation. A writ of replevin was procured and placed in the hand of an officer, who, supported by the majority of the male population of Lord's Corner, brought the bell back the same day. A lawsuit resulted, which was decided in favor of the Congregational society.
After the purchase of the bridge by the town it was made a free bridge, and for a number of years was the only bridge in town over the Great Ossipee, but after one had been built at Effingham Falls it was discontinued by the town, and finally fell in 1843. A bridge over Pine river was built at a very early date. September 7, 1786, the inhabitants of this town petitioned the legislature in regard to unpaid taxes, in which petition they allude to a bridge over Pine river as on the road leading from Wolfeborough to Conway. This was probably what was called the Pequawket road, and is said to have followed an old Indian trail. It crossed the Great Ossipee river soon after it leaves Ossipee lake, where at low water the river is fordable. A bridge was once built there, the remains of which are still seen. In 1797 the town paid John Wedgwood and Abraham Drake twenty-nine dollars and fifty cents "for building over Pine river bridge and thirty-nine rods of cassaway." 1
The road from the great bridge past the foot of the Marston hill was laid out by order of court in 1806, and built the following year, a special tax being assessed for the purpose, which was paid in labor. The first road from Lord's Corner into Parsonsfield, Maine, went past the buildings of Nathan Brown, grandfather of the late Jeremiah D. Brown, and to and past the Granville mill on South river, and out to the Chase neighborhood, but about 1794 the present road to Lord's mills was built. The bridge over the Great Ossipee, known as the Huntress bridge, was first built by private subscription, but after the building of the road through the swamp to the foot of the
1 Towu Treasurer's Accounts, 1797.
540
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
Marston hill in 1847, the town assumed control of it and rebuilt it in 1851, Carr Leavitt doing the work. This bridge was washed away in 1859, and replaced by the present one with stone butments and pier. The road from the Clough neighborhood to near John M. Drake's was built about 1850. Mr and Mrs John Carr Leavitt were the well-known keepers of a tavern known as the Leavitt House, at Leavitt's bridge, on the road from Maine to Effing- ham Falls ; but both the house and bridge were long ago removed, as, after the building of the bridges at Effingham Falls and Province Falls, the travel went in those directions, to the disuse of the old one.
HIGHWAY DISTRICTS IN IS02. - District No. 1. Beginning at the Province line,1 and running from thence to Isaac Lord's2 house; from thence to Jonathan Sweat's 3 house, and from Isaac Lord's house to Benj. Dearborn's 4 house, and from the road to Nathan Brown's. Brown, Nathan; Dearborn, Asahel; Hobbs, Benj., Jr; Hobbs, James; Leavitt, Morris, 2d; Leavitt, Carr, Esq .; Leavitt, Jeremiah; Leavitt, James; Lamper, Benj. ; Lamper, John; Lord, Isaac; Marston, JJeremiah; Marston, Abraham; Marston, Levi; Marston, Thomas; Leavitt, John, 2d; Leavitt, John, 3d; Lear, Richard; Taylor, Richard ; summer tax, $106.82; winter tax, $23.72.
District No. 2. Beginning at Isaac Lord's potash,5 and thence by Joseph Drake's 6 house to the road that leads from Benj. Taylor's7 to Joseph Palmer's; 8 and from Joseph Drake's to Abram Drake's9 house. Drake, Joseph; Dearborn, John S .; Hobbs, Morris; Hobbs, Jonathan ; summer tax, $22.96; winter tax, $5.43.
District No. 3. Beginning at the house of Benjamin Dearborn,4 and from thence to Drake's Mills,10 and so on to Eleazer Davis; 11 also, from the schoolhouse 12 on to Joseph Palmer's house," and from Abram Drake's9 house to John Drake's house,13 and so on to the Province line. Weare Drake; Drake, Abram; Drake, John, Jr; Leavitt, Simon ; Dearborn, James; Dearborn, Benjamin; Dearborn, Samuel; Leavitt, Carr; Wedgwood, Josiah; Hobbs, Benj. ; Taylor, Benj. ; summer tax, $45.54; winter tax, $11.71.
District No. 4. Beginning at Joseph Palmer's, and running from thenee to Ithiel Bryant's house.14 Atkinson, Jonathan ; Palmer, Joseph ; Palmer, Stephen ; Gentleman, Philip; Cham- pion, James; Champion, Jeremiah ; Drake, John : summer tax, $25.13; winter tax, $6.80.
District No. 5. Beginning at Ithiel Bryant's house, thence running to Pine river bridge, from thence to Joseph Meloon's house, 15 from thence to Roger Welch's house 16 and from Pine river bridge to the town line, and from Joseph Meloon's to Isaae Leighton's.17 Bryant, Ithiel ; Bryant, Joseph ; Meloon, Joseph ; Meloon, Joseph, Jr; Meloon, Samuel; Meloon, Samuel, Jr ; Davis, Dearborn; Davis, William; Davis, Elijah; Wedgwood, Dearborn; Welch, Roger; Leighton, Isaac ; Leighton, Remembrance ; Granville, Thomas.
District No. 6. Beginning at the schoolhouse, 18 and from thence to Nath'l Hobb's Mills ; 19 from thence by the house of James Titcomb 20 to John and Morris Leavitt's house.21 Titcomb, James ; Titcomb. Joshua ; Leavitt, John ; Leavitt, Morris; Hobbs, Nath'I; Hobbs, Nath'l, Jr; summer tax, $34.07 ; winter tax, $8.88.
1 Maine line. 2 John C. Leavitt, 2d. 3 On the old road between the Marston hill and Reuben Flanders'. 4 Suel T. Stevens' place. "Stood near his house. " House stood near the pound. 7 Elijah Taylor. &John W. S. Palmer. ºJames M. Champion. This road followed the present road a little beyond the house of Dr Carr L. Drake, then went to the left along the side of the hill and on across the meadows to where Deacon John L. Drake lately lived. 10 Charles G. Wilkinson mills. 11 Between Melvin H. Nutter's and Bela H. Emerson's. 12 At. Drake's Corner. 13 Irving S. Rowe. NJohn C. Bryant. 15 Frederick Cate. 16 Stood on the old road near the Joshua Welch place. 17 David Goldsmith. " Drake's Corner. 19 George W. Towle's mills. This road ran back of Levi C. Leavitt's. 20 House stood between the mills and where M. II. Nutter now lives. This was the old range road. 21 Randolph Keniston.
541
TOWN OF EFFINGHAM.
District No. 7. Beginning at Dearborn Wedgwood's store,1 and from thence to John Colley's,2 and from said store to Leavitt's mills,3 and from the Cooper house to Nath'l Hobbs' mills, and from Leavitt's mills to Lieut. Titcomb's.4 Littlefield, Ilenry ; Glidden, Nicholas ; Glidden, Benj. ; Glidden, Joseph ; Colley, John ; Cooper, Levi; Doe, Joseph ; Morgan, Parker ; summer tax, $17.88; winter tax, $4.33.
District No. 8. Beginning at Nath'l Ilobb's mill ; from thenee to Stephen Towle's house, and from the crotch of the road that leads from the Towle road down to the Province line towards Esq. Parsons.5 "Towle, Stephen ; 6 Towle, Simeon ; Taylor, Benj. ; Parsons, Thomas, Esq. ; Chase, Stephen ; summer tax, $11.76; winter tax, $2.81.
District No. 9. Beginning at Eleazar Davis'; from thence to John Lang's house 7 and so on to the Town line ; also, from the main road in to John Buzzell's and Timothy Young's.8 Philbriek, Simon; Young, Timothy ; Lang, John; Lang, Bickford; Davis, Eleazar; Buzzell, John; summer tax, $28.81; winter tax, $6.85.
District No. 10. Beginning at the Great Bridge; 9 from thence to Jonathan Sweat's, and from said Great Bridge to John Mason's house.10 Mason, John; Kinison, John; Kinison, Parsons ; Kinison, Henry ; Palmer, William; Sweat, Jonathan ; Sanborn, James.
District No. 11 .* Beginning at the opening made by Amos Towle above Edward Cotton's house, and from thence to Isaiah Varney's house, and to the Gore line, and from thence to Robert Sargent's house. Towle, William; Tibbetts, Henry; Bickford, Isaiah ; Sargent, Robert ; summer tax, $13.64; winter tax, $3.37.
District No. 12 .* Beginning at the opening made by Amos Towle above Edward Cotton's; and from thenee to the Great Bridge. Moulton, Redmon; Moulton, Jonathan ; Batehelder, Stephen; Cotton, Edward.
District No. 13 .* Beginning at the schoolhouse ; from thence to Levi Allen's house, and from Samuel Philbrook's to Joseph Towle's, Jr, house. Allen, Levi; Allen, Ebenezer ; Philbrook, Samuel; Ward, Jonathan; Hearn, John; Gail, Daniel; summer tax, $12.60; winter tax, $2.88.
District No. 14 .* Beginning at Joseph Towle's, Jr, house; thenee by Nath'l Sweasy's house to the crotch of the roads by Jeremiah Kinisan's house, and from Nath'l Sweasy's to John Woodman's house. Sweasy, Nathaniel; Bennett, Joseph; Towle, Joseph ; Towle, Joseph, Jr; Towle, Daniel; Emerson, Andrew ; summer tax, $19.96; winter tax, $4.91.
District No. 15 .* Beginning at Moulton's sawmill ; from thence by Thomas Lord's house to the Gore line by Samuel Lovering's. Lord, Thomas; Taylor, John; Taylor, John M. ; Taylor, Samuel; summer tax, $17.25; winter tax. $4.22.
The winter tax was to be worked out if wanted; if not, to be worked out the following summer. Eight cents per hour was allowed for men and oxen.
Mails, Postoffices, and Stages. - For quite a number of years after the organization of the town the only mail privileges enjoyed by its people were those afforded by private conveyance. The next step was a regular carrier, who came and went once a week on horseback. Benjamin Hobbs was the first to perform this service. His route was from Wakefield to Freedom. This was about 1800, or perhaps a few years later. At that time there was no postoffice in town and the carrier distributed the mail from house to house, blowing a horn to notify the inmates of a house when he had mail to leave.
1 Probably near where Charles F. Taylor now lives. 2 House torn down; stood beyond James Stevens'. 3 Charles E. Moore's mills. 4 This road ran across the field back of Albra Wilkinson's. 5J. W. Cook's, Par- sonsfield, Maine. " Samuel H. Dorr. 7 Charles L. Trafton. 8 Timothy B. Young. Isaac Lord's toll bridge across the Great Ossipee river near Reuben Flanders'. 10 The John G. Chick place.
* Now Freedom.
542
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
The first postoffice was established at Lord's hill, and Isaac Lord was the first postmaster. This office was moved back and forth from Lord's hill to Drake's Corner several times, as the administration of national affairs changed from the hands of one political party to the other. Thomas P. Drake served as postmaster at Drake's Corner, and Isaac Lord, Carr Leavitt, and John C. Leavitt, 2d, at Lord's hill. Upon the change in the administration in 1861 the office was again moved to Lord's hill, and Josiah Dearborn was appointed post- master. Since then it has not been removed. In 1866 an office was estab- lished at Drake's Corner under the name of Centre Effingham, and Thomas J. Cate was appointed postmaster. A postoffice was first established at Effing- ham Falls, and Simon Taylor was appointed postmaster in 1848. A postoffice was established at South Effingham in 1872, and Benjamin F. Taylor was appointed postmaster.
The first publie conveyance to and from Effingham was a coach line to Portland, established by a stock company in which Isaac Lord was the prin- cipal owner. This was as early as 1820, perhaps a few years earlier. The first driver was a Mr May. A few years later a mail route was established from Dover to Drake's Corner, and a mail stage commenced running, which was driven by one John Hadison.
Elijah Hodsdon died in 1869. He was the last survivor of the mounted post-riders. His route was from Portsmouth to Plymouth. He brought news of the treaty of peace after the War of 1812, and rode the entire route without any rest except while his saddle was changed from one horse to another.
Effingham Falls. - The manufacturing of iron was commenced at Effingham Falls at a very early date by John Costelloe. He addressed the following petition to the general court, January 7, 1790 : -
Humbly sheweth That your Petitioner has discovered in Ossipee pond and adjoining a large quantity of Iron Ore- that at a considerable expence he has erected a Forge or Iron Works, for the trial of said Ore. - Which upon trial affords Iron equal in Quality (in the opinion of good judges) to that imported from Philadelphia. And as a Furnace in that part of the State for Refining and casting would be of public utility and save money in the State, - he most humbly prays your Honors for some encouragement to enable him to erect a Furnice - by a Grant for that purpose, or by loaning him a sum of money upon good Security to be refunded in a certain number of years without interest or otherwise encourage your Petitioner as to your great Wisdom may seem politic and advisable and he as in duty bound will ever pray
John Costelloe
The ore was obtained from the bottom of Ossipee pond, near the mouth of Pine river, in from one to four feet of water. It was then taken to the iron- works in boats. These works were situated on the upper falls near where Smart's sawmill now stands.
Nothing can be ascertained regarding the time these works were in opera-
543
TOWN OF EFFINGHAM.
tion. The "cannon " with which the boys for years at Lord's hill have been accustomed to salute on the Fourth of July was once the anvil of these iron- works. A few years ago in digging near their site a portion of the furnace and an amount of iron ore were unearthed.
The first house in what might be called the village of Iron Works Falls was built about 1826 by Joseph Huekins for his son-in-law, Joseph Warren. This is still standing as originally constructed. The second was built by Carter Gale about the same time. This house is still standing, although it has been remodeled. It is now occupied by Nelson Marston. The third house was built by William Parsons and stood near the house of Ira Shaw and was taken down in 1874. The fourth house was built by William Milliken, and is still standing as built, and is occupied by Josiah W. Thurston.
The first store at Effingham Falls was built and occupied by James Foss about 1830. The second store was built by Peter Huckins in 1833. It was first occupied by Ira Huckins ; afterwards by Carr Leavitt, Jeremiah Milliken, Parker Demeritt, Hodgdon Brothers, Bennett & Lord, William Thurston, Simon Taylor, Towle & Pinkham. This store (which stood nearly between the present store and house of John L. Demeritt) was burned in 1854, but rebuilt the same year by Towle & Pinkham, who were succeeded by Henry C. Harmon, S. F. Demeritt & Co., Burleigh Brothers, Jacob Manson, Roberts & Morton, John Demeritt & Co., and John L. Demeritt, the present occupant. The third store was built by William Thurston and occupied by him from 1846 to 1856. Stores have also been built and occupied by P. & I. Demeritt, and Frederick E. Bradbury.
The first mill at Effingham Falls was built about 1820 by Joseph Huckins. It consisted of saw, clapboard, and grist mills and stood near where the gristmill now stands. These mills were operated by Mr Huekins until about 1830, when several became owners (including Joshua Gilman, Joseph Warren, John Demeritt, and others), until 1855, when they were taken down. A manu- factory of bedsteads was connected with the sawmill about 1840, and was in successful operation for about ten years by Thomas Davis and Daniel Demeritt.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.