USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 39
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HAMLIN.
the 3d child of William and Hannah (Allen) Hamlin, was born Sept. 14th, 1754, and died in Charlestown Dec. 29th, 1831. He was one of a family of thirteen children whose names were Lucia, Hannah, Wil- liam, Lucia, Susanna, Sarah, Elizabeth, Experience, Harris, Rebecca, Olive, Mary and Oliver.
WILLIAM HAMLIN, was three times married-m. 1st Hepsibeth Sav- age, by whom he had two children. I. Lucy, b. Feb. 19th, 1777 ; m. Daniel Crowell, of Middletown, Ct. II. Hepsibeth, b. Aug. 17th, 1799; m. Samuel Candee, of Middletown, and removed to Trenton, N. J. His wife dying he m. 2nd, Lucy Kirby, also of Middletown, by whom he had seven children. III. Ashbel, b. Jan. 8th, 1782; d. 1796; IV. Joseph, b. Sept. 2nd, 1784; m. Catherine West, (dau. of Capt. Samuel Sprague, and Phebe (Carlton) West) of Charlestown, June 3d, 1809 ; and removed to the State of New York; V. Roxana, b. Jan. 1785; m. Royal West, son of Capt. Samuel Sprague West; VI. Cornelia, b. Feb. 10th, 1786 ; m. James Plumb, and d. July 20th, 1814; VII. Da- vid, b. Dec. 3d, 1788; m. in Trenton, N. J., Sarah D. Montague. VIII. Elizabeth, b. Oct. 10th, 1790 ; m. Aaron Savage; IX. Hannah, b. July 8th, 1792; m. Cephas S. Mc Connell. Mr. Mc Connell became editor of the Orleans Republican, the Rochester Union, and the Chi- cago Editor of the New York Evangelist. Mrs. Mc Connell was an accomplished and excellent woman. She died in Albion, N. Y. Feb. 25th, 1873.
WILLIAM HAMLIN, m. 3d, Thankful Knowles of Middletown, Ct., b. July 25th, 1769, by whom he had ten children. X. Seth, b. Feb. 11th, 1795, m. Amelia Thomas ; XI. Mary K., b. March 25th, 1796; m. George Lawrence of Danville, Vt; and died July 21st, 1863. XII. Nancy H., b .. April 14th, 1797 ; m. 1st, Michael Riley ; m. 2d, Rich- ard O. Southworth.
XIII. Ashbel, b. Aug. 20, 1798; m. Oct. 26th, 1824, Mary Grout (dau. of Major Jonathan and Parthena (Page) Grout,) b. March 15th, 1797.
The following notice of Mr. Hamlin appeared in the Granite State Journal, published at Claremont, soon after his decease on the 3d of May, 1875. Ashbel Hamlin Esq., died on the 3d of May, at his home in Charlestown, at the venerable age of 77 years. Mr. Hamlin was not only well known in Charlestown, but extensively, through his business relations, throughout Sullivan, and Cheshire County. He was one of the Selectmen in Charlestown in 1838-39-40 and '41, and the repre- sentative of the town in the Legislature in 1841-42. He was chosen
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one of the Directors of the old " Connecticut River State Bank," and held the same office in the Connecticut River National Bank, up to the time of his decease. He was also one of the Directors of " the Cheshire Mutual Fire Insurance Company.' Mr. Hamlin met with an accident about 17 years ago, by being thrown from a carriage, which resulted in a spinal affection, from which he suffered so much that for several years previous to his decease he was able to give but little attention to public affairs. During the last three years of his life, he was in an almost helpless condition, though he occasionally rode to the village, to attend to absolutely necessary business-Mrs. Hamlin survives her husband. The following are their children.
1. Ann B. b. Feb. 8th, 1830; m. Oct. 10th, 1854, Benjamin Willard Putnam, (son of Benjamin and Sally (Willard) Putnam.) (See Put- nam.) 2. William H., b. Oct. 19th, 1832; m. Oct. 10th, 1854, Melissa L. Dodge (dau. of Nahum Dodge) b. May 27th, 1832; Ch. (1) Fred W., b. July 24th, 1855; (2) Louise J., b. Sept. 22nd, 1857; (3) Mary E., b. Dec. 6th, 1862; (4) Walter H., b. April 15th, 1868; (5) Myrtle B., b. May 10th, 1875 ; d. May 4th, 1876. 3. David S., b. April 2nd, 1838; m. March 30th, 1866, Abby J. Saunders, (dau. of Dr. Horace and Abigail (Judevine) Saunders) b. Aug. 18th, 1844. Ch. (1) Harry S., b. Jan. 17th, 1867, in Iowa Falls, Iowa ; d. Oct. 2nd, 1867; (2) Lynn C., b. Aug. 17th, 1869.
XIV. Jerusha, (daughter of William and Thankful (Knowles) Ham- lin,) b. Dec. 7th, 1799; XV. Giles, b. Feb. 7th, 1801; m. Mary Hart, (dau. of Josiah and Susannah Hart,) Nov. 18th, 1831; Ch. 1. George W., b. Oct. 5th, 1833; m. Sept. 18th, 1860, Ellen L. White, (dau. of Capt. Rand White, (see R. White,) and settled in C. Ch. (1) Minnie M., b. Sept. 9th, 1861; (2) Frank W., b. June 14th, 1863; (3) Charles L., b. June 4th, 1864; (4) Fannie R., b. March 13th, 1866; (5) A. Lloyd, b. May 7th, 1868; 2. Maria W., b. Dec. 21st, 1834; d. Mar. 3d, 1860; 3. Elmira L., b. Mar. 3d, 1836 ; m. Dr. M. Bailey, and settled in Bellows Falls ; d. June 23d, 1862; no issue. 4. Cornelia R., b. July 17th, 1837 ; d. Feb. 13th, 1866; 5. Syl- vester A., b. Sept. 27th, 1839; m. March 22nd, 1867, Mary E. Mea- cham, and settled in Iowa Falls, Iowa-both now living in Virdi, Ne- vada - They have had five children-three living -Millie, Georgia, an1-6. Sophia S., b. Feb. 21st, 1841 ; m. Oct. 5th, 1870, Augustus Candee, of Holland, N. Y., where they now reside and have three chil- dren. 7. Catherine E., b. March 16th, 1843; m. E. J. Fifield, of Claremont-resides in Springfield, Mass.,-has one child. 8 and 9,
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$88
HAMLIN-HARLOW.
Horace H., and Henry H., b. April 6th, 1846-Horace H., m. Sept. 8th, 1869, Eliza Paine, of Chicopee, Mass., and settled in that place- no issue-Henry H., m. March 28th, 1867, Ellen F. Farwell, (dau. of Lewis Farwell, of Charlestown)-settled in Chicopee, where she died, June 6th, 1871, leaving one child, Alice, b. April 1869; 10. Emma R., b. Sept. 11th, 1851. There were two other children, b. but they died in a few hours. XVI. Harriet, b. Aug. 20th 1802; m. R. S. Southworth, New Britian, Ct. XVII. Sophia, b. Jan. 22nd, 1804; d. 1810; XVIII. Sophia D., b. June 6th, 1805 ; m. William Knights, of Paris, N. Y. XIX. Clarissa S., b. Sept. 21st, 1807; m. William Colt, of Rochester, N. Y.
William Hamlin, the father of this numerous family, was born in Middletown, Ct., as his progenitors had been for four generations. Of the exact date of his coming to take up his residence in Charlestown, I am not informed, but he was here as early as 1803. He was made a deacon of the church, and served acceptably in that office for many years. He was a regular attendant upon public worship and a strict observer of the sabbath. He was in addition, a taverner, as hotel keep- ers were then called, and furnished plentifully to his customers both the food and the beverages which were common at that day. His venerable father and mother came to live with him at an advanced age, and their remains repose in our village cemetery. His father was always called Captain Hamlin, a title which it is said that he re- ceived in connection with military service, in the war of the Revolu- tion. Mrs. Lydia Grout, who still retains a vivid recollection of this venerable couple speaks of them as "very entertaining and very ex- cellent and exemplary people."
LEVI HARLOW, b. Jan. 2nd, 1774; m. Anna Damon, b. Feb. 22nd, 1772. He d. Oct. 18th, 1848 ; she d. March 1850. Ch. I. Abigail, b. June 2nd, 1794; m. Abel Fling, of Windsor, Vt .; d. Feb. 21st, 1819. II. Anna, b. July 24th, 1795 ; m. Robert Parker, of Spring- field, Vt .; d. Sept. 3d, 1874. He d. Jan. 1857, aged 66. III. Han- nah, b. Jan. 27th, 1801 ; m. Jotham Sanderson, of Springfield, Vt .; his widow now lives in C. He d. Aug. 28th, 1841, aged 41. IV. Beela, b. May 3d, 1805; d. May 7th, 1806. V. William, b. June 22nd, 1807 ; m. Apr. 9th, 1834, Sarah Wiley, (dau. of Samuel and Lucy (Miller) Wiley, of Langdon, N. H.) He d. Aug. 27th, 1853. She d. March 3d, 1871. One child, Sarah Jane Harlow, b. July 25th, 1843; m. March 25th, 1867, Henry Willard, b. Oct. 28th, 1837. (He is son of Nelson Haff, of Peru, N. Y., who m. Prudence Everest and
:
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was named George Washington Haff, but was afterwards, on his adop- tion into the family of Levi Willard, of Charlestown, given his pres- ent name). They have one child, Lila Williams, b. Jan. 22nd, 1871. VI. Tisdil Harlow, b. Sept. 23d, 1808; m. Mary Jane Wiley, (dau. of John and Polly Wiley, of Rockingham, Vt.) Ch. 1. Horace, b. in Charlestown, Oct. 11th, 1837; m. Emily F. Graves, of Bellows Falls, Dec. 25th, 1864; Ch. (1) Edward Tisdil, b. Apr. 3d, 1866 ; (2) Joseph Briggs, b. Apr. 3d, 1867. 2. Harriet, b. Dec. 20th, 1839 ; m. Henry Ellison, Nov. 1861-has 3 children, William Henry, Frank and Bertrand Payson-resides in Belmont, Mass. 3. Mary Jane, b. June 28th, 1844 ; m. Herbert Proctor, of Rockingham, Vt., Sept. 23d, 1871-one child, Arthur Proctor, b. July 7th, 1868; resides in Boston. 4. Martha Cabot, b. Dec. 3d, 1847; d. Oct. 21st, 1870; 2, 3, and 4, b. in Windsor, Vt. VII. Eliza Harlow, b. Oct. 16th, 1810; m. Sid- ney Wiley, of Langdon, N. H .; no children ; lived in Charlestown, 13 years, now in Langdon. VIII. Mary Ann, b. March 16th, 1812; m. William Hart ; resides in Roxbury, Mass. Ch. David, d. in the army ; Ann Maria, who m. Henry Allen, of Canton, N. Y .; Abbie Louisa and Eliza. IX. Betsy Harlow, b. May 22d, 1813; m. Silas P. Mack, Jan. 1st, 1837. X. Levi B. Harlow, b. Feb. 5th, 1815; m. Elithea G. D. Parker-resides in Springfield, Vt. Ch. Elmira, Julia, Wilbur, Bradford, Levi, Stella, Milton.
BARNUM HARLOW, b. in 1777 ; m. Susanna Reed, b. about 1780- she d. in 1825. Mr. Harlow moved to North Charlestown, about 1828, where he remained till his death in Feb. 1859. Before settling in town he had five children. Almira, Willard B., Lewis W., David and Jehial. Willard B. and Lewis W., settled at first in Charlestown village, but in about two years removed to Springfield, Vt. David settled in the village about 1838, but after a residence of twelve or fif- teen years, in which time he buried two children, he removed from town. Jehial, b. July 31st, 1819; settled in town in 1846, and m. Nov. 1841, Jane S. Bowtell, (dau. of Josiah and Millia (Buckman) Bow- tell), b. Sept. 29th, 1821. Ch. 1. Jane B., b. Dec. 19th, 1842 ; d. Sept. 19th, 1848. 2. Emery O., b. Sept. 10th, 1844 ; d. Aug. 24th, 1848. 3. Ella, b. Dec. 8th, 1849. 4. Edward, b. Jan. 4th, 1852. 5. Frank, b. Aug. 27th, 1854. 6. Jennie, b. in June ; d. July 20th, 1872. 7. Anna, b. Jan. 6th, 1865. Mr. Jehial Harlow removed to Keene, N. H., his present place of residence, (1876), in 1868.
JOHN AND SUBMIT (FARNSWORTH) HART, m. July 9th, 1773. Ch. I. Thomas, b. Dec. 5th, 1775. II and III. Eunice and Hastings, twins ;
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HART-HASSAM.
b. March 11th, 1777 ; Hastings d. July 28th, 1777 ; Eunice d. Aug. 19th, 1777. IV. Benjamin, b. May 4th, 1778. V. John jr., b. May 1st, 1790. John Hart was a soldier in Capt. Abel Walker's Co., in the war of the Revolution.
JOSIAH AND MEHITABLE HART. Ch. I. Cynthia, b. Nov. 16th, 1773. II. Naomi, b. Aug. 21st, 1775; m. Lester Fling, Aug. 31st, 1794. III. Josiah, jr., b. Aug. 28th, 1779; m. July 17th, 1808, Ruth Grout ; m. 2nd, Susanna Putnam. IV. Esther, b. Sept. 27th, 1791. V. Seth, b. July 25th, 1793. VI. Susanna, b. Nov. 20th, 1795; VII. Polly, b. Feb. 17th, 1798. VIII. Hiram Hugo, b. in Middlesex, Vt., Aug. 10th, 1804. IX. Charles Milo, b. June 3d, 1806. X. Mary Fling, b. Oct. 17th, 1807. XI. David Nelson, b. June 13th, 1809. XII. Josiah Harlow, b. Jan. 29th, 1811. XIII and XIV. Loisa and Almira, twin daughters, b. July 20th, 1812. XV. William Bass, b. July 3d, 1814. XVI. Charlotte, b. Oct. 10th, 1815.
DANIEL HART, b. 1803, in county of Cork, Ireland ; m. 1st, 1833, Johanna Dunnegan, b. in county of Cork, Ireland. Came to Ameri- ca in 1837-to Charlestown in 1862. Daniel, the only child living, out of six, b. in Ludlow, Vt., 1849, is m. and resides in Lowell, Mass. Mr. Hart m. 2nd, Mrs. Margaret Laton.
JAMES HARTNETT, (son of James and Bridget Hartnett), b. in the county of Tipperary, Ireland, Nov. 18th, 1830; m. Sept. 20th, 1852, Ellen Larkin, (dau. of William and Elizabeth Larkin), b. in Nania, May 2nd, 1830. Ch. I. James, b. in Charlestown, N. H., Feb. 11th, 1854. II. Nellie F., b. Feb. 26th, 1859. James Hartnett d. 1876.
STEPHEN HASSAM, (the name sometimes spelt Hasham), was the son of Samuel Hassam and Mary Simpson, of Boston, where he was born about the year 1761. His grand-father was also named Samuel and was in General Amherst's army for the invasion of Canada in 1759. Stephen was about 14 years old when the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, and witnessed the conflict from the steeple of a church at the north end ; and he used to say that he carried water on the oc- casion to the soldiers of the Copp's Hill battery. The family, during the war, removed from Boston to Grafton and thence, after a short res- idence, to Worcester where he learned the trade of a clock maker. From Worcester he came to Charlestown, N. H., established himself in business. Here he m. Sept. 27th, 1787, Theodosia, daughter of John and Susanna Hastings, (see Hastings), by whom he had the following children, all b. in C. Ch. I. Elizabeth, b. May 5th, 1790; m. about 1815, James Plumb, of Middletown, Ct .; d. in Delhi, N. Y. II. Mary,
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HASSAM.
b. Dec. 19th, 1791; m. Solon Lovell, of Rockingham, Vt., about 1815; d. in Delhi, N. Y., Feb. 4th, 1867. III. John Hastings, b. 1792; m. Margaret Nichols, in Raleigh, N. C., where he d. about 1822. IV. Mi- randa, b. -; m. Guy Ely, of Charlestown ; d. in Delhi, N. Y., Feb. 15th, 1856. V. Stephen Danforth, b. May 14th, 1797; m. Oct. 24th, 1822, Mary, daughter of Roswell Hunt and Mary Willard, of C .; b. Sept. 5th, 1802. Mr. Hassam d. at Charlestown, Dec. 29th, 1851 ; Mrs. Hassam at Manchester,. N. H., Nov. 19th, 1873-buried at Charlestown. Their children all b. in C. 1. John Hastings, b. Aug. 12th, 1823; d. March 21st, 1835. 2. Frederick Fitch, b. Oct. 6th, 1825; m. in New York city, Jan. 7th, 1851, Rosa Delia, daughter of Peleg and Mary Hathorne, of Bangor, Me. Ch. all born in Dorches- ter, Mass. (1) Rosa, b. March 29th, 1852; d. March 13th, 1855. (2) Lily, b. Nov. 28th, 1854. (3) Frederick, b. Oct. 8th, 1859. (4) Mary, b. Aug. 29th, 1861. (5) Norval, b. May 17th, 1806. 3. George Avery, b. Aug. 20th, 1832; m. Leonora Babb, in Manchester, N. H., Nov. 2nd, 1854. 4. Roswell Hunt, b. Feb. 16th, 1845. (The com- piler of this work is indebted to this gentleman, who is connected with the Manchester, N. H., Locomotive Works, for this account of the Hassam family, and also for facts relating to Col. Samuel Hunt and descendants.) Mrs. Theodosia (Hastings) Hassam d. in Charlestown, March 6th, 1841, and MR. STEPHEN HASSAM, soon after, Aug. 19th, 1841, m. Lucy A. Miller, of Springfield, Vt. By this marriage he had five children, all like his former children, b. in Charlestown. Children of Stephen Hassam by 2nd wife. VI. John Ferdinand, b. about 1843 ; private in Co. B., 14th Reg. N. H., Vol's .; died at Washington, D. C., July 31st, 1863. VII. Flora J., b. Oct., 4th, 1844; m. March 14th, 1866, Charles Burnham, of Springfield, Vt .; died there Feb. 9th, 1868 ; buried in C. VIII. Winfield Scott, b. Sept. 19th, 1847. IX. Carrie Phebe, b. Sept. 19th, 1849 ; m. Eugene A. Randall, in Spring- field, Vt., Aug. 15th, 1868-resides in Charlestown. X. Emily, b. Aug. 1851; died 1855.
Mr. Hassam having reached the age of nearly if not quite a hundred years, died on the 4th of Feb. 1861.
Mr. Hassam became quite noted in his trade as a clock-maker, and clocks of his manufacture are still to be found in considerable numbers. The Town Clock on the church of the South Parish, in Charlestown, is his work, though not, perhaps, a good specimen of his skill on the whole. He was undoubtedly gifted, by nature, with no little mechanical genius, and had he turned his attention more in that direction might have ex-
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celled in carving and sculpture. The Golden Eagle carved by him, which has, for years, spread its wings over the porch of the principal hotel in the village, has been greatly admired for its beautiful propor- tions and for the evidence of genius and skill which it exhibits. This hotel was also built by Mr. Hassam, as also the house now owned by Eben. Tidd, Esq., standing on or near the spot where Captain James Johnson and family and others were taken captive by the Indians on the 29th of Aug., 1754.
Many anecdotes are told of Mr. Hassam, who had many peculiar- ities and eccentricities, of which the limits of this department of this history will not allow of insertion.
DR. JOHN HASTINGS.
JOHN HASTINGS, the ancestor of the Hastings families in Charlestown, was one of the most prominent of the proprietors and early settlers. His name is attached to the petition for the first proprietors' meeting, after the settlement of the place. At that meeting he was appointed chairman of two of the most important committees, and was also chosen to the two responsible offices of Proprietor's Clerk and Treasurer. The vote. by which he was elected to these offices, is thus recorded :
15th. Voted, That Mr. John Hastings, of Fort Dummer, be Propri- etors' Clerk.
16th. Voted, also, That the said John Hastings be the Proprietors' Treasurer ; and his name is subsequently found in such connections as to afford evidence that he was one of the most trustworthy men of the early settlement.
On the organization of the township, under New-Hampshire, in 1753, Mr. Hastings was elected Town Clerk and 2nd Selectman ; Capt. Phin- eas Stevens being Moderator, 1st Selectman and Town Treasurer. The offices stood the same in the following year, after which, Capt. Stevens, on his appointment to a command in the army of Nova Scotia, removed from the place. In the subsequent year, 1755, Lieutenant Isaac Parker being Moderator, Mr. Hastings was chosen Town Clerk, 1st Selectman and Town Treasurer. To sum up the offices which he held, he was Town Clerk for the first nine years after the organization of the town, was twice the 2nd Selectman, and five times the first, which offices were all held successively from year to year, and he was once, as has been said, Town Treasurer. His record shows that he was one of the most honorable and honored of our early citizens.
Doctor Hastings, for he was a physician, was the son of Dr. Thomas
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HASTINGS.
Hastings, of Hatfield, Mass. His father was teacher of the first school ever taught in that town. It was in the year 1681. He after- wards became a distinguished teacher and did much for education in that place. John, his son, was born Sept. 17th, 1789, and m., 1st, Lyd- ia -, who died June 21st, 1716. By this marriage he had two children, both named Lydia, who d. early. He m., 2nd, July 4th, 1720, Hannah, (dau. of Dea. John White) b. March 26th, 1695. She died Aug. 13th, 1774. (S. Stevens' Journal). Ch. I. Sylvanus, b. March 22nd, 1721 ; m. Jemima, (eldest daughter of Lieutenant Moses and Su- sannah (Hastings) Willard) b. at Turkey Hills, in Lunenburg, Mass.,, June 29th, 1728. Ch. 1. Susanna, b. May 29th, 1746 ; 2. Oliver, b. Jan. 3d. 1748 ; d. Sept., 1757; 3. Jemima, b. Jan. 29th, 1750 ; m. Jed- ediah Rice, published Nov. 30th, 1783, (see Rice); 4. Sylvanus, jr., b. March 23d, 1752 ; m. Betsy - -. Ch. (1) Guy, b. May 27th, 1788 ; (2 and 3) Luke and Lewis, twins, b. Apr. 6th, 1790; (4) Joel, b. Apr. 2nd, 1792 ; (5) Betsy, b. May 16th, 1794; 5. John, b. June 18th, 1754; m. Miriam - -, (maiden name not known); d. March 14th, 1813. Ch. (1) Solemith, b. June 28th, 1776; d. 29th, Sept. follow- ing ; (2) Fanny, b. Oct. 17th, 1777; m. Elias Olcott, jr., of Rocking- ham, Vt. and had ten children; (3) Sheloma, b. Apr. 13th, 1781; 6. Moses Willard, b. Nov. 6th, 1756 ; m., Apr. 6th, 1780, Jerusha Spencer, b. Apr. 10th, 1758. He was 3d Selectman in 1795 and '97. He died July 31st, 1834 ; 7. Oliver, b. March 4th, 1759 ; d., of small pox, the 11th of Apr. following ; 8. Elizabeth, b. May 21st, 1760; d. Aug. 21st, 1761.
9. Oliver, b. June 10th, 1762 ; m. Olive Reed, b. in Townsend, Mass., but who came to Charlestown to reside with Mrs. Jotham White, her sis- ter, when 14 years of age. Oliver Hastings having pursued the study of medicine, settled in Charlestown, and was for many years, a popular and successful physician, (see Physicians.) He became so well known in his profession, and such reliance was placed on his skill, that it often became difficult for him to meet the demands made upon him by his ex- tensive practice. He not only had calls at a considerable distance, in the towns around, in New-Hampshire, but his services were also in fre- quent requisition in the neighboring towns in Vermont. He commenc- ed his practice about the year 1785 or 86, and continued it steadily with only such interruptions as his other duties required, till 1821, when, from dropsy, he became incapacitated for labor, but even then, there were many who were unwilling to give him up, but felt that they must have his opinion, especially in cases of very dangerous sickness ; and
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even after he was unable to get into his carriage in the common way, such was his desire to gratify them, that he would have a plank laid from his door to the carriage on which he would walk slowly, and with much difficulty to his seat. He would then go and visit the patient, and consult the attending physician, getting out and into the carriage in a simi- lar way. At length the power of his disease became so enhanced and his breathing so difficult that he was entirely confined to his house, suf- fering greatly, till the 3d of Oct., 1823, when he died.
Dr. Hastings was much employed in public life. He was twice, viz. in the years 1803 and 1806, elected to represent the town in the legisla- ture. But he became most conspicuous for the military offices which he held. In 1794, John Taylor Gilman being Governor, the legislature from June 4th to June 21st held its session, at Amherst, N. H. On the 7th of June of that year, Dr. Oliver Hastings was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant of a troop of horse, in the 16th regiment of the New-Hamp- shire militia. He was a Captain in 1798, and escorted Gov. Gilman on the 3d of Sept. of that year, with his company through Charlestown from the Walpole to the Claremont line. From that time he rose through the successive gradations of office till, on the 1st of March, 1817, he received the appointment of Major General from Governor William Plumer.
Gen. Hastings had that turn of mind for military affairs, and that tact which rendered him not only an excellent officer, but contributed greatly to his popularity in the discharge of the duties of his office. He knew very well how to preserve his dignity and at the same time be so familiar as to retain the regard and the good-will of his soldiers. He was open hearted and generous, and was never accustomed to spare ex- pense in entertaining his subordinate officers. Indeed, such was his course and such the popularity that he gained by it, that when he died his funeral brought together the largest concourse of people that ever had assembled previously on a funeral occasion in the county. He was buried with masonic and military honors, and it was estimated that five thousand people were present to witness the spectacle and to do honor to the deceased.
Gen. Hastings, or Dr. Hastings, call him by which name you will, for he was called almost equally by both, was characterized by a very clear mental perception, and quick wit, to which were added not a few idio- syncracies that gave him an individuality, which, as an Emerald Island- er might say, made him very much like himself. Many anecdotes are told of him, which doubtless have received large additions by those who
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have told them from time to time, till now they hardly comport with the character of a man who was so extensively respected and esteemed as it is certain that he was. And could the Doctor now hear them, if he rec- ognized their wit as originally his own he would probably feel no little disgust at the vulgarity by which their narration is often accompanied. Let those, then, who in hearing them, have formed opinions adverse to Dr. Hastings, consider, that one whose popularity was such that his funeral procession extended from the old Hastings place (now owned by his grand-daughter, Mrs. C. C. Kimball) in one unbroken line to the spot in the cemetery where Dr. Hasting's remains now rest, must have been, both in heart and life something more than an ordinary man, and must have preserved such a deportment in society as would entitle him to high respect.
Reference has been made to traditional anecdotes of Dr. Hastings, many of which are very amusing. I have only room for the following, which the generation who knew him were accustomed to relate with great glee.
Social drinking was a custom of his time, which was reputable then, but which, from a great change in public opinion, is not deemed so now. Ministers of the gospel kept the best liquors in their houses, and were accustomed to drink freely in their visits among their people, and such examples being set, they were followed, without scruple, by all other classes of society, and if there were those, who occasionally took a little more than it was convenient for them to carry away, their char- acters did not suffer to the extent, to which those in a similar condi- tion, would now; but it was usually put to the account of some phys- ical infirmity, that rendered them more sensitive to the influences of the social glass, than was common when in a different state. That Dr. Hastings was not in advance of his generation in this matter the fol- lowing amusing incident will illustrate.
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